Chapter 48
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TIME:
2 DAYS LATER
(2 MONTHS AND 10 DAYS AFTER RETURNING)
LOCATION:
BETA CHARON
SOUTH POLE OF LIMBO
ICE PROCUREMENT SITE 1
POV:
Lilith Runethari
I stood beside the cargo elevator as it lowered another round of cement bags that each weighed about 1 ton, and that's before they added the polymer to begin the curing. The cargo hold was once filled with a hundred metal pallets of the bags stacked nearly twice as tall as me. We were thankfully shipping down the last pallet. This whole process was dreadfully boring, I don't even know why I decided to help.
"Mother, anything happening in the system that I should know of while I stand here with nothing to do?" I asked the boredom I was feeling clear as night in my voice. "Well I guess it wouldn't hurt to alert you to the increase in activity of the Burningthorn Princes in the Kuiper belt. Patrols have been growing more active, they're increasingly inching closer to the listening post. YAGA believes they're looking for something, though what that something is remains unclear. But rest assured Lilith, she has properly taken all precautions to keep the listening post hidden from outside eyes."
I took a calming breath my mind had immediately began assuming the worst, "What are the odds they will discover the listening post and when will their patrols enter a range where I'll have choose to either stay inside or stay outside."
"Low, extremely low, but we have 3 months until they wander close enough where contacting or entering Midnight Nostalgia becomes... inadvisable. The timing will coincide with the arrival or departure of the ISCA cargo fleet... I will begin drafting contingencies just in case. I do find their choice in locations they are searching to be rather unfortunate."
I groan this was not just unfortunate it was extremely unlucky! The listening post should not be known to anyone besides Liza, Adalyn, and the test subjects to be. Liza and Adalyn could not have done anything for me to suspect they've leaked information; Mother would have caught it since they haven't left the ship during my dealing at Garnet and Amber station. And the test subjects in care of the ISCA wouldn't be able to leak anything to their allies. Reason one was that they didn't even know where the station was even located as I sedated them all before we left. Reason two is that the ISCA has made their laboratory reflect all methods of communications. I couldn't even speak to Mother despite her already infecting the entire station.
And those scientists and doctors working down there will likely realize the story of a space station in the newly discovered system is possible to explain with a ruin. They wouldn't likely even bring it up to anyone outside work; again nobody would know where to even begin looking for it besides in the entire Beta Charon system. Mother has made sure to program surveillance to mark anyone speaking about it to anyone important. If they do well I'll either have them disappear if they say it to some rodent looking to undermine me, bribe them into silence, or if they decline threaten them into it. No leak, no matter how small and harmless, will be forgiven.
My foot begins to tap the floor as my mind returns to the future problem. I am forced to realize just how unlikely it is that they knew the rough location of the listening post. But then why are they searching its rough location despite it being just as unremarkable as the rest of the Kuiper belt.
I am eventually forced to slowly calm down and recognize the fact that I wouldn't know if they knew where the listening post was until I got my hands on their leader. And that was a while away as YAGA hadn't spotted another cruiser in the system that could act as a flagship. Worse, she can't figure out where the leader is. Right now she's marked every light cruiser warship as a possible location for the lunatic. That doesn't narrow it down by an awful lot when there are over 6 of the things leading 6 different patrols through space.
'Well it's a bit of a problem but he'll turn up eventually. We just need to know the fleet he is not in and we can strike them. YAGA is thankfully working on that, I need to show off to my hounds that I wasn't worth fighting. I had just the weapon that could send some awe and fear through their thick skulls, but that was a last resort.'
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TIME:
6 DAYS LATER
LOCATION:
BETA CHARON
30 AU FROM BETA CHARON
INNER KUIPER BELT
MIDNIGHT NOSTALGIA
"It's about time you showed up, Adalyn, I've been left waiting." I scowl at our dear former assassin turned willing pawn flinches from the anger I feel for having my time wasted. "I warned you a day in advance that I wanted to see you for a rather important meeting... but I will forgive you just this once!" I smile nearly laughing at the way Adalyn's pupils had dilated in fear from the rapid swing in my perceived emotions.
"U-um may I be enlightened to the reason I was called here mistress? If you would be so merciful of course!" She hurriedly responded, ending her plea frantically trying to downplay her impotence. "Hmm yes, I believe I should at least give you the reason for your required attendance before we part ways for a while." Once again I smirked as Adalyn's eyes widened but not in relief of me leaving but in fear.
I was truthfully happy to see her this fearful. She's become dependent on my presence and likely knows it. Her withdrawals during the construction of the ice—and now helium-3—collection facility did go away after I spent an hour enduring her disgusting attempts to stand so close I could feel her shoulder constantly brush mine in a way that made my skin crawl in disgust. Thankfully she clarified she had done so in an attempt to stay closer and there was no deeper meaning, and she was telling the truth. If she wasn't I would have rushed to throw her into an airlock, regardless of how valuable she is as a pawn.
"You see as you suspected I have been putting you through training so that when I modified your body you would not waste the gift I'll give you. And despite not reaching my goals of at least hitting half your shots in combat, you have shown an excellent talent at sniffing out ambushes before they happened. So I will choose to ignore that only 43% of your bullets fired actually hit their intended target during the last 5 training sessions you've run through."
My arms cross as I remember where she started. Half the time she would die the other half she'd miss 80% of her shots. Honestly I knew that I should be impressed, if she was a vampire and managed 43% accuracy she would be above average. That however just made me feel sick, acknowledging a human was doing as good as some talented vampires just felt wrong.
'I mean she did spend every night in that machine so it's only natural she improves. Yeah I would be upset if she didn't at least reach 40% after spending 2 months fighting hundreds of short engagements in her sleep. She didn't even feel the bullets when they hit her so that must have also helped!'
"Th-thank you mistress, I am happy you saw fit to forgive me." I felt her heart beat wrong. She wasn't actually thankful if anything she was upset. Her eyes to her great fortune tell me that it's directed at herself for her perceived failure and me giving her a pity reward.
"Now Adalyn, I want you to do me one last task before you are to be modified. Tell me your priorities quickly, don't even think about trying to think before you speak!" Inducing anger to flood the room with enough of the organic compounds that comprised my 'fear aura' to have even a wortka—Runethari boar—flee in blind panic. She was instantly forced to quickly answer against her will as she tried to solve the problem that was bothering me. "You my mistress! And after that I would prioritize myself over everyone else! That is all I swear!" She talks blurting words in a panicked rush knowing exactly what I wished to know her priorities for.
"..." I keep my face a scowl as she begins to step back and look around for someone to lash out at, but finding nobody. Just as she looks back I calm myself down and force a small genial smile just to calm her down before she wets herself. "You've answered correctly. YAGA can you do a rapid cycle of the air in this room please."
"Yes my lady, it will be done. The full atmospheric cycle will be finished in 4 minutes, however, I would recommend escorting Adalyn out of the room until it is complete; she will likely faint or enter cardiac arrest if she stays in this room for much longer."
I grumble about it but I turn and order Adalyn to follow immediately she rushes over. Stepping out of the room I tell her to take a breath at the nearby intersection and return once she's calm enough to talk like a functioning human adult.
A few minutes later she wanders closer making sure to take deep calming breaths. I scoff she was being such an overly dramatic bitch in my opinion.
"So, for the first month while you're inside that machine I want you to train to spot signs of disloyalty that will be all that you'll be trained in until the next round of subjects are selected. By the time you're withdrawn from the pod you will be the most extensively and carefully modified subject; so I won't accept failure to spot traitors. When this is over we will be heading back to Orenthia and I don't believe I need to tell you what likely awaits me and by proxy you as well?" She quickly shakes her head to my obvious questions. "Good, when these 30 days are over you'll be training 6 fresh recruits I will have selected for their abilities. I still expect you to try and test their loyalty. I will task some to act out. I will punish you every time they manage to trick you. So do pay attention to my future bodyguards. I will not be forgiving if you fail at this task.
"Now, I believe YAGA has finished cycling the room's atmosphere. Go and get inside the sole pod and have your MID physically connect to the pod, just like in the training pods. I will speak to you again before the next batch of bodyguards joins you, you should draft a training plan and send it to YAGA for approval." She turned to enter the room. I could almost smell her anxiety of being away from me for months but that wasn't my problem. "Also when you get in your physical abilities will shift to what they will likely be after your modifications are completed have fun~!"
I giggle as I feel her heart spike at the extra news that she'll also have to learn to reuse her body.
Now I have a meeting with YAGA and have to oversee some blood extraction from those who won't be undergoing modifications for certain. In five months I'll have 2 more blood suckers, if their bone marrow accepts the changes to stem cell production rates without turning into a mass of tumors and/or other organs choosing to fail.
Adalyn and Aria will most likely be the only success. If only because they would have more time to have the modifications settle and stabilize. Their regeneration rate won't be even half as quick as mine, but sadly they'll still need to drink blood to upkeep it regardless. Well at least Adalyn will help Aria not feel lonely and too disgusted when the time comes.