Chapter 9: A Colony Under Attack

Chapter 9:
A Colony Under Attack

 

“PHEW. What a haul!” I grinned at our loot. We’d come away with Rare Metal and tons of expensive, high-tech bits of equipment. Definitely a tidy profit to be made here.

“At least we didn’t get anything dangerous this time, right?” Elma asked me.

“Oh! Uh-huh, sure.”

“Excuse me?” Elma narrowed her eyes and set her hands on her hips.

“W-we really didn’t get anything bad, right?” Mimi said.

I shrugged at Elma’s glare and Mimi’s trepidation. Seriously, our loot was pretty ordinary. We weren’t going to walk away with something as crazy as a Singing Crystal every time. Our luck wasn’t that hot today. Sad!

Serena called back everyone still out in the field, leaving behind a few cruisers and destroyers to mop up the remnants of the pirates. The stragglers couldn’t do much against military-grade power suits and heavy weapons.

As for me? I didn’t do face-to-face combat. Sure, my laser gun was special, but it wouldn’t break through the enemy’s power armor. I had power armor of my own on board, but I wouldn’t last a single grazing shot. Come to think of it, I’d never even used it before. Honestly, that gear in the hold did little more than gather dust.

“Wanna get going?”

“H-hold on!” Elma shouted. “We don’t have anything dangerous, right?!”

“W-we’re fine…I hope!” Mimi peeped.

I brushed off their panic and turned the ship back toward Arein Tertius. With our cargo hold full to the brim, we couldn’t claim any more loot anyway. The scavengers already blipping on the radar would have a field day, though.

“Charge FTL drive,” I ordered. “Let’s go.”

“Come on, seriously. Are we actually safe?” Elma pressed.

“Dude, we’re fine. There’s nothing crazy on board. Nothing dangerous, all normal. Maybe.”

“What do you mean, ‘maybe’?!” Elma screeched as I activated the faster-than-light drive. With a thunderous boom, the Krishna charged into FTL travel.

“How badly did that Singing Crystal traumatize you?” I asked Elma.

“Anyone would be traumatized by you whipping that thing out like it’s nothing!”

“That bad?”

“Ugh. That thing’s worse than a reactive warhead. If we dropped it and it broke, we’d be dead.”

That seemed like a pretty harsh comparison to me. Reactive warheads were stronger than any atomic or hydrogen bomb. They could obliterate an entire ship; that was what we used for our reactive anti-ship torpedo on the Krishna. A Singing Crystal couldn’t be that much worse, though the crystal life-forms they spawned could work longer and in a wider range.

I smiled. “Neat!”

“Neat? You’re awfully carefree.” Elma huffed in exasperation.

“That’s our Master Hiro.” Mimi beamed proudly, though I wasn’t sure why.

“Guess you’re back to babysitting that rich lady when we return to the colony.” Elma let out a sigh. She’d finally relaxed; perhaps it was because we’d entered FTL travel and were safely headed away from the battlefield.

“It won’t take long,” I assured her. “It’s just another week. What should we do after?”

“If you want to keep making money, how about we find a sector at war? With your skill and the Krishna, we can make a ton of cash.”

“Hmm. I dunno, I’m not that interested. It sounds uncomfortable.”

In Stella Online, colonies at war were pretty restrictive. Stores would be closed. All you could really do was refuel and perform maintenance. If it was the same here, we’d face tight security. Sometimes the army even took up a patrol to watch for terrorism in such places.

“Hmm. Three hyperlanes ahead, there’s a system with a sightseeing planet. Pirates are running rampant, attacking passenger ships there.”

“Heh. Sightseeing, huh? Maybe we could kill pirates and take a nice vacation all at once.”

“The docking there is expensive, but you’re the captain. We’ll listen to you. A vacation would be nice.”

“Then let’s go with that.” A little detour sounded like some much-needed fun for me and my crew. My dream of a stand-alone house still loomed on the horizon, but it was a long way off. Didn’t hurt to rest in the meantime.

I switched off the FTL drive as we returned to Arein Tertius. I prepared to send a docking request to… Hm?

“Doesn’t the colony look kinda…off?” I asked.

“Huh?” Elma gasped. “Oh, wow, it does. Is that district out of power?”

“It seems to be, yes,” Mimi said. “I wonder what’s wrong. Their docking bay’s guide lights are blinking red too.”

While we waited and watched, spaceships poured out of their docking bay like ants fleeing the colony.

“What should we do?” Elma wondered aloud.

“That’s a good question,” I said. “Mimi, can you connect us to the Port Authority?”

“Yes, Captain. I’ll bring them up on the main monitor.” Mimi tried to open the connection, but they didn’t pick up at first. Finally, after several tries, she got a response.

“This is the Port Authority! We’re busy at this moment!”

“Hey, buddy, calm down. I’m Captain Hiro from the mercenary guild. We just got back from crushing a pirate base, and it looks like something’s wrong in the colony. What’s going on?”

“A mercenary?! Hey, do you have power armor on your ship?!”

“Huh? Uh, yeah?”

“Save us! Our colony is being attacked by these mysterious life-forms!”

His desperate words left us stunned and blinking at each other for a moment.

I began, “I mean, uh, we can’t just—”

“We’re mercenaries,” Elma said firmly. “Our lives aren’t so cheap that we work for free.”

Elma held her ground, but Mimi fidgeted in the operator’s chair. I couldn’t blame her.

“You want money at a time like this?!” the Port Authority worker screamed.

“I always want money,” I cut in. “If I’m risking my life, don’t I deserve a return? Didn’t you put a request in to the mercenary guild?”

“W-we might have, but I don’t know!”

“You don’t know? Well, show us to an empty hangar. Do your job before you start complaining at me.”

“O-okay, fine. Umm, thirty-two… No, go to hangar three!”

“Gotcha. We’re on our way.”

We hung up and followed the guide beacons that lit up to mark our route.

“Are we going in?” Elma raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t we keep our necks out of stuff like this?”

“I dunno, but this could be good money,” I said. “Let’s at least hear what they have to say. We might even be able to make money by just guarding the port until Serena gets back.”

“Are you sure about this?” Mimi asked, worried.

“As long as I wear power armor, I don’t think anything bad will happen. I hope.”

I had to dock here eventually to collect my rewards from the pirate hunting venture anyway. I definitely didn’t want to see the place destroyed before I could cash in.

We docked without incident, and I left the ship to Mimi and Elma while I contacted the mercenary guild from the cargo hold.

“I really haven’t touched this since I came to this universe,” I mused as I stood before the power armor.

Power armor was basically…well, armor with power. It made appearances in all kinds of sci-fi novels and video games. The wearer got both thick, protective plating and—thanks to the core installed in the armor—a powerful firearm. With this stuff on, I’d be like a walking tank. In Stella Online, power armor was next to impossible to defeat if you didn’t have some yourself to fight back with.

“Maybe I’d better bring some other gear too.” The power armor would limit my ability to use long-range weapons like rifles, but I could still carry my usual laser gun, a backup energy pack, and some hand grenades.

“Hmm… Which one? Okay, I choose you.”

I clipped plasma grenades to my belt. When pressed, they’d spew super-hot plasma after three and a half seconds of delay and turn any living thing in their path into ash. Plus, there was no explosion, so I could use it in an enclosed space if I had to.

“Well, this is an unknown monster attack.”

I hoped this would be enough. According to the Port Authority, whatever was attacking the colony required power armor to defeat. There was definitely nothing like that in Stella Online. How annoying.

 

***

 

Nuclear-Powered Strength-Boosting Artificial Exoskeleton. That was the official name of power armor, but I hope that makes it clear why everyone just called it power armor instead.

It came in several varieties. Most face-to-face fights in Stella Online took place in small, enclosed spaces where mobility was important. Outmaneuvering an unarmored human was a huge advantage in a scenario like that, but it actually wasn’t the most vital function that power armor provided.

Then what was, you ask?

“Humph!” I grappled with a white monster, using power alone to crush it in a bear hug, throw it aside, and stomp it into dust. Without missing a beat, I snagged a smaller beast, tore it apart, and threw it at a wall. Then I charged into a cluster of medium-sized monsters, smashing them with a brutal body slam. One managed to dodge and grab at me, but I unleashed a high-tension electric current that shocked it before shooting down the fleeing monsters with the laser guns mounted on my shoulders.

“Ha ha ha! Raw power wins again!” I bellowed, knowing full well how corny it sounded.

Raw power. That was what the armor was truly for. Mobility helped in small doses, but if you were wearing power armor, you were probably getting up close and personal. I needed to withstand enemy attacks and strike back with overwhelming power with both fists and heavy firearms. Once I had all that, I was good so long as I could hit my targets.

“This is the Port Authority. It seems you’ve secured the area. Thank you.”

“Yeah. No prob, as long as I get my reward through the mercenary guild.”

I stacked up the monster carcasses and glanced at my armor’s readings. Still undamaged. Joint actuators doing well. Weapons online. And I had 99.7 percent of my energy store remaining.

Just what I’d expect from TMPA-13 Rikishi mk-III power armor. Harite super-pressurized current emissions devices bolstered each of my hands, and Shiko impact-magnification devices supported my legs. On my shoulders sat high-emission Shikiri laser guns.

On top of all that, I had a Buchikamashi shield function that allowed me to execute a high-speed tackle from super-short range. Of course, I could also just use the shield as a shield.

All of this came packed into one of the largest suits of power armor out there, a true heavy armor class. That meant high generator output but also a good payload of heavy firearms.

To be honest, the thing was so big, it kind of had a roly-poly look to it. If armor could be chubby, this sure was. Those legs had to be stout to handle so much weight. The manufacturer clearly hadn’t put much thought into aesthetics. I had to repaint it metallic silver to get rid of the tacky original paint job. It wasn’t tacky in a cool way either—it was just tasteless. It looked like a mecha version of a sumo wrestler.

But it was strong, let me tell you! Considering what I wanted from it, this armor was optimal. It might’ve looked like meme armor, but it packed a wallop. In Stella Online, this was a high-tier piece of gear.

Player-versus-player events were full of this kind of armor, which resulted in plenty of inside jokes about its looks. Event announcers would say things like, And here we begin the New Year’s grand sumo tournament of Stella Online! Or even, Today’s first round gives us the mountain, Captain Black of the east, and the ocean, Captain Hiro of the west!

I had to wonder why this stuff was made, but only the SOL devs knew the truth. Appearances aside, at least it worked well, even in this universe. Maybe power armor was the same across universes?

“Master Hiro?” Mimi said, snapping me out of my day-dreaming. “Are you okay out there?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking. What’s up?”

“We’ve received a rescue request from the guild. Do you remember the Inagawa Technologies hospital that performed our physicals? They’re treating the wounded there, but the monsters are starting to gather near it.”

“Will this area be fine?” I asked.

“A power armor troop from the imperial army will arrive soon. They’re offering 50,000 Ener for a successful defense and for providing battle data.”

“That’s a low price for risking my life. I’d be in real danger if I didn’t have this armor.”

“Well, that’s why they told you to wear it,” Elma countered. “What are you gonna do about Inagawa?”

“I’ll go. Is the reward good?”

“It’s double the port’s defense: 100,000 Ener.”

“That’ll do. Mind guiding me there, Mimi?”

“Yes, Captain!”

I picked up a weapon that I’d tossed aside in the scuffle and followed the map on my power armor’s HUD display, the metal of my suit clanking as I went.

“You’re crazy for fighting up close,” Elma said. “You’re not a martial artist, are you?”

“Not really, but sometimes you just have to get in close. Figured I might as well try it in a less dangerous situation.”

“True.”

I checked my weapon as I ran. My variable focus laser launcher could fight off enemies in power armor by concentrating the lasers together, while dealing lethal damage to unarmored enemies with split lasers. Its weight made it a little unwieldy, but my power armor took care of that problem.

“Continue forward, and you will see an elevator to your right,” Mimi informed me. “Take that and head to the middle level.”

“Right on.” I didn’t see any of those pasty white monsters in this area, but the memory of fighting them suddenly connected the dots in my mind. “Y’know, those monsters look like the artificial meat we saw at that plant.”

“I had the same thought…” Mimi murmured.

“They said they wouldn’t survive if they left the plant, but maybe their management was wrong,” Elma said.

“It might not just be that plant,” I said. “All artificial meat is white from what I’ve seen, so it could be others as well.”

I squeezed the bulky power armor into an elevator and headed for the middle level. The elevator groaned a little at the weight but proceeded smoothly nonetheless.

“You two watch out around the ship too,” I told them. “Though I doubt they’ll come in as long as the hatch is closed.”

“No worries there,” Elma assured me. “I’m keeping an eye on the hatch’s security cams, and I have shields up on low output.”

“Good job. Just in case, though.”

The Krishna’s defense could withstand nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons—meaning if its shields were up, those monsters had no chance. This isn’t me foreshadowing; it’s downright impossible to break through. Even in my power armor, I’d have a tough time getting through those shields. This laser launcher wasn’t enough to get through the shields made by the Krishna’s generator. It was strong, but only about as strong as the shoddy lasers on pirate ships.

“This is awful,” I said as the elevator reached its destination and the doors slid open.

Pure pandemonium greeted me. A twitching leg dangled from a monster’s maw. Another beast drooled over some unfortunate fallen fighter. A cluster of smaller monsters swarmed over someone. And this was just my first impression. Similar scenes played out in all directions.

No matter their size, every one of the horrible monsters had a round mouth lined with razor-sharp teeth. While the smaller ones were little more than tentacle monsters of the sort we’d seen in the food plant, the larger ones had actual arms and legs. Yes, that’s right; they were tentacle monsters, but don’t expect this story to go that way. They were just hungry. Honestly, that was almost as gross as the alternative.

“Eugh, this is just bad,” Elma groaned.

“Is Mimi okay?”

“When she saw your display, she went pale and curled up.”

“Let her know she doesn’t have to look. Also, tell me if you see signs of survivors.”

“Aye-aye, Captain. There at least aren’t any on the road.”

I couldn’t let those monsters onto the elevator, so I readied my laser launcher the moment I stepped off.

“Time to cleanse some filth!”

I sprayed split laser fire in all directions, vaporizing monsters to ash. With no survivors to worry about, I could shoot wildly to clear out the beasts with abandon. They’d have a tough time taking me down in the armor; even then, they probably couldn’t do much more than dent it even with all those claws and teeth. In the meantime, my firepower could wipe them out with a thought.

I kept firing, taking down the larger ones with lasers and kicking aside the smaller ones. Occasionally, the smaller ones would cling to my armor, forcing me to yank them away and stomp them into dust. My electrified hands made easy work of them.

“If I were you, I’d be vomiting all over the place,” Elma commented.

“You already vomit when you drink too much. No need for more.” I grinned wryly, stomping on a small fry.

Some of the larger monsters started to catch on and turned tail to flee. You’re not getting away that easy. Continuous fire from both my handheld laser launcher and my shoulder guns obliterated them as I charged toward the hospital.

“Take a right at the next intersection and you’ll be there,” Elma said.

“Gotcha.” My legs clanked loudly as I ran on.

There were still no survivors on the road; hopefully, they’d gotten inside and barricaded the doors or found one of the colony’s emergency shelters.

“Wow,” I said breathlessly as I rounded the corner. A teeming mass of monsters roiled before the doors of the general hospital. “Wonder why they’re all gathering here.”

“Who knows? Maybe they need physicals?” Elma joked.

“The thought of monsters all jostling into a hospital for physicals is a little too surreal for me.” I turned my laser launcher on the crowd of monsters. “Yeeeeeah! Let’s rock and roll!”

Split lasers blasted through the beasts at the speed of light. A shower of red blasted through their ranks, blowing away the encroaching monsters. Normally, high-output lasers might do damage via heat and explosions, but in Stella Online, lasers were used to pierce directly through targets and vaporize them. I continued my wild assault on the monsters outside the hospital.

“I don’t mind as long as it gets the job done, but it is weird,” I mused. Maybe lasers back in my universe worked on a different principle than the ones here.

“What is?” Elma asked.

“Oh, nothing. What’s with these monsters? Does this happen often?”

“I’ve never heard of it happening,” Mimi piped up.

“If things like this were happening regularly, the meat plants and manufacturers would be in deep doo-doo,” Elma said dryly.

“Sounds about right.” People would quickly turn against cultured meat if this was the price they had to pay for it. There had definitely been a number of casualties; no doubt the government would make sure this never happened again. “Hey, what if they were actually unlicensed frauds?”

“That’s a scary thought. Like, what are they feeding those things?”

“According to the Kobe beef pamphlet,” Mimi said, “it’s important to have good feed to make good meat.”

“I don’t think that’s what Elma’s worried about.” We chatted as I continued to massacre the fleshy beasts. What’s that? What happened to rocking and rolling, you ask? Well, there’s not much of that in this cleanup work. Can’t have rock without tension, unfortunately.

“Elma, we have a call from the hospital,” Mimi announced.

“All right. Connect us.”

A man’s voice came in over the comms.

“This is Inagawa Technologies General Hospital. I’m Amurei from the security division. Who am I speaking to?”

“I’m Captain Hiro,” I told him. “I got a rescue request from the guild, so I ran over to help. Currently, I’m dealing with the monsters in front of the hospital.”

“I’m Elma. I take care of information support as a member of his crew.”

“My name is Mimi. I work as an operator.”

“Oh, you’re all from the mercenary guild? Thank goodness.” The man, Amurei, heaved a sigh of relief. “The wall that’s keeping us safe is about to break.”

“This is all it took? Shouldn’t the walls be thick to keep the place airtight?” I said.

“It seems their fluids are caustic. Normally, the colony’s airtight walls aren’t made with caustic substances in mind.”

“I see.” The hospital might not protect against acids if it was just aiming to be airtight, but my power armor was more than capable of taking the monsters’ spit and blood without any corrosion. “Leave the outside to me. They haven’t gotten in yet, right?”

“Not yet, sir. Once you’ve eliminated them, could you harvest a sample? We would like to make nanomachines to destroy them.”

“Sure. Do you need a live sample?”

“No, sir. A corpse is fine.”

“Great. Uhh… Do you mind if it’s laser-burned?”

“I’m only a security guard, so I don’t know. But I assume raw is better.”

“Probably. Understood.” Once I culled their numbers, I could finish them off with some close combat instead of lasers. Now, back to cleanup duty.

“Master Hiro, I’m picking up traces of something new. It seems strange…” Mimi said.

“Strange? Strange how? I need more specifics,” I said.

“Umm… It looks like the other ones, but it also looks human. Oh, and it’s rapidly accelerating.”

“Say what?” I analyzed the highlighted dot on my minimap. Thanks to the power armor’s sensors, I could make out strange footsteps coming from behind a building. Then it appeared. “Uhhh, what the hell is that?”

Three distorted legs stomped toward me. The monster was slim, but its two arms were corded in muscle. A round mouth revealed horrifying rows of sharp fangs. But worst of all were the eyes. They were everywhere, covering the thing’s torso, darting in all directions before focusing suddenly on me.

I gasped. “Human eyes?”

“Here it comes, Master Hiro!” Mimi cried.

That moment I spent being disgusted nearly cost me everything. The monster pounced when it noticed my hesitation.

“Damn!”

The monster closed the ten-meter-plus space between us in a flash. I held my breath as I ditched my laser launcher to grab the beastly fist rocketing toward me. Hey, wait, why is it so fast if I’m holding my breath?!

“Urk?!”

Just as I caught the monster’s fist, it whipped the other one at me. I had only a heartbeat before that muscular fist pummeled me into dust, but fortunately, my shield blew it away with thunderous force.

“Gyoooar?!” The monster howled and crouched down on the ground. It didn’t stay down long, though, instantly lunging back at me. It swung, and two loud bangs rang out around me, but the beast didn’t actually manage to strike my armor. “Groooar!”

“Ha ha ha! Aah, the blessings of modern civilization.”

Try as it might, the monster’s attacks proved feckless. My shields, designed to withstand space debris, easily absorbed the punches that would’ve otherwise shattered my skull. While it kept swinging, I activated the lasers on my shoulders, training them on the beast.

“See ya,” I said. The lasers blasted through the thing’s head and chest and did…nothing? “Huh?”

The monster shook itself, barely fazed by the burn marks already closing up on its head, neck, and chest—the latter of which I’d hit three times. A grotesque, fleshy sound filled the air while it repaired itself.

“You’re a stubborn one, huh?”

“Groooh!” The beast went right back on the offensive. While my shield could repel its assault, it consumed far too much energy to last much longer. Even now, the power armor’s energy tank was running dangerously low.

I had to fight back. I shot at it point-blank with my shoulder lasers and stomped on it with my impact-magnifying legs. For good measure, I burned it to a crisp with the laser launcher.

“Graaah.”

“You’re seriously tough, damn!” I still couldn’t kill the thing. My energy reserves were blinking red. Once those shields were gone, I had no clue if the beast would tear right through my armor.

I didn’t have many options left. “I didn’t wanna do this, but I guess I have to.”

It was time to employ the ace up my sleeve. This technique worked best when I had the numerical advantage to keep my opponent from using their power armor. But hey, it ought to work fine here.

“Get over here, you fiend!” I roared, taking down my shield. I squatted down and opened my arms wide.

“Grooooah!” The monster charged in. Fast. I sucked in a breath, willing myself to hold firm.

“And…” The monster jabbed with its right claw. I swatted aside the attack and curled my arm around the beast’s. With its arms trapped, I could pin it down. “There! Got you now!”

I locked the power armor in place and jumped out through the emergency exit. Climbing up the back of the machine put me face-to-face with the hideous creature.

“Can’t move, huh? This technique lets me either put us into a deadlock or have my friends come over and help me beat the tar out of you.”

I raised my hand, displaying a plasma grenade. Nothing could regenerate after a blast like that.

The beast apparently realized that. “Graaaaah!” it wailed.

“Man, you’re loud. Eat this and maybe you’ll shut up.” I pressed the detonate button and threw the grenade into the screaming maw of the monster. Then I leaped down off my armor and booked it.

An explosion of light erupted behind me.

“Whoa?!” I covered my eyes. Hot wind from the super-heated grenade gusted over me. Dang, that’s hot! I should’ve gotten farther away!

For a moment, I kept covering my head, reeling from the blast. When I could, I peeked past my hands. All that remained of the battle was my red-hot power armor and a single arm blasted off the beast. No regenerating this time.

“Whew. What an annoying enemy.”

I used my terminal to activate the power armor’s emergency cooling function. Point-blank plasma grenades did some insane damage, but that thick armor should have withstood it. While the machine cooled, a call pinged on my terminal.

“Master Hiro, are you okay?!” Mimi said.

“Yeah. All good, no problem. He was a tough one, though. I had to pull out a secret technique.”

“Thank goodness,” Mimi said. “We can only see things from the power armor’s perspective, so it was an awful shock when you stopped moving and took so much damage.”

“Yeah, sorry to make you worry so much. But he’s dealt with now, and the power armor can still move, so I think I’ll be fine.” The power armor finished cooling while we talked, so I climbed back into it and ran a quick check. Sensors were less accurate due to the heat and the artificial muscles were weaker, but it was still mobile.

“Tough fight, huh?” Elma sneered. “Maybe you needed the exercise.”

“Maybe,” I said. “I’ll definitely sleep well tonight.”

I rounded up a few monster carcasses to pile in front of the hospital door. I added that blown-off, scorched arm last.

“Will this work for your sample?” I asked the security guy.

“Oh, er… Just a moment.”

I guess he’s checking with the researchers.

Meanwhile, I stacked up the rest of the carnage. Things could get difficult during the cleanup in a closed environment like this if bodies and gases weren’t dealt with swiftly.

“Well, well!” a familiar voice called out over the comms. “It’s been a while, Hiro. Guess you saved my life again, huh?”

“Dr. Shouko?”

“Yep, it’s me! Doesn’t it feel like fate that you’ve saved me three times now?”

“Uhh, I guess?” I wouldn’t call it fate so much as the bad luck we both seemed to draw.

“Mind sharing your vision with me?” she said.

“Sure. Mimi?”

“Yes, sir. Sharing now.”

Dr. Shouko hummed in surprise. “Incredible. Did you fight this all alone?”

“I did. But I mean, I had power armor on.” I picked up the laser launcher and moved over to the pile of corpses.

“Are these the samples?” Dr. Shouko asked.

“Yeah. I picked two of the best-looking small, medium, and large ones. Plus that creepy thing I just blew up.” I pointed at the burned arm.

“It’s charred rather badly… Did you happen to notice anything strange about these creatures?”

“The small and large ones were about as intelligent as animals, but more violent and willing to act on their hunger. They ignored their disadvantage and came charging in.”

“I see. Were the medium ones different?”

“Compared to the others, they were smarter. They’d try to use the small and large ones as bait and take me by surprise. When they knew they were at a disadvantage, they tried to run away.”

“Wow, that’s very interesting,” Dr. Shouko replied. “Maybe their brains are more developed than we presumed.”

“Probably, yeah. Also, the last one, with all the eyes, was aggressive. A real violent demon. It was also bizarrely fast, and it had incredible regenerative abilities. When I shot it with lasers, it would recover and come right back at me. It’s clearly a lot stronger than the others.”

“Interesting. A mutant, perhaps? Either way, I’ll be sure to look into it.”

“Will these samples be enough?” I asked her.

“Yeah, I think so. I’ll be on my way there shortly. Stay on guard, okay?”

“Understood. I’ll keep my eyes peeled.”

I hung up and focused on cleaning up the corpses while Mimi and Elma kept an eye out for enemies.

“Should I burn this with my laser, you think?” I said.

“It looks like high-quality protein, so I’d say to leave it,” Elma told me. “The colony might be able to find some use for it.”

“Really? All right,” I said.

With the coast clear, people in yellow hazmat suits emerged from the hospital carrying insulated stretchers, perhaps for the samples I’d gathered. One raised her hand as she jogged over to me. “Hey, thanks a ton!” she said. “That power armor looks strong.”

“Dr. Shouko, is that you?” I said. “I barely recognized you in all that gear.”

“Yeah, it’s me. Thanks again, really. I heard that they put out a rescue request, but who knew you’d be the one to arrive?”

“Fate works in mysterious ways,” I said. “Although Mimi and Elma were the ones who told me about the request.”

“Is that true? I oughta thank them.”

“Uh, so what do I do now?” I asked, feeling a bit awkward.

“I’m going to make those nanomachines right now. I probably won’t need more than two hours, so could you keep this area safe in the meantime? That’s what the higher-ups want, anyway.”

“Understood.”

“Awesome. Good luck!” Dr. Shouko returned to her circle of researchers to recover samples. Eventually, she came back and said, “We’d also like more samples of the small ones.”

“They’re piled up over there.” I pointed at a stack. “Take all you like. The quality is all over the place, but I’m sure you’ll find something you want.”

“Okay.”

I kept my laser launcher on hand to protect the researchers. On a closer look, I found that a couple of those people in hazmat suits weren’t scientists after all; they carried their own laser guns at the ready. Our combined presence kept the researchers safe until they could recover what they needed and retreat back into the hospital. Alone again, I returned to cleaning.

“They said they’ll make nanomachine exterminators,” I said to Mimi and Elma. “Is that something they can just do?”

“Who knows?” Elma said.

“This general hospital has a high-tech positron AI for research and the materials required for healing nanomachines,” Mimi said. “It is certainly possible.”

“Are exterminator nanomachines dangerous?”

“I dunno,” Elma answered, “but the plant tour guide said they had anti-escape mechanisms that relied on nanomachines. I bet they really can make it so they only work on those monsters.”

I was blown away. “Wow. That’s actually awesome.”

I kept my guard up while continuing cleaning duty. The sound of distant battles made it clear the danger had not yet passed, though it did seem like I had more help now. Perhaps Serena’s Pirate Hunting Unit had returned and joined the fray. In any case, my guard post was calm, and the researchers did their work in peace.

 

***

 

Machinery and vehicles whirred. Voices echoed around a sanitary white room furnished with stark tables and chairs. I sat at one such table, finally freed from the confines of my power armor.

“I really can’t thank you enough,” Dr. Shouko said as she offered me a bottle. It seemed to be some sort of chilled, murky-white sports drink. “That’s three rescues now, and every single time, I thought I was really done for. Out of luck.”

“What’s this?” I asked.

“It’s kinda like a rehydration drink. This one tastes better than most.”

I accepted with a “Sure, why not?” and took a sip. Wow, it’s just like Pocari Sweat.

“Good job out there,” Dr. Shouko said. “I know it must’ve been hard.”

“Kinda, yeah. But thanks to the power armor, I wasn’t in much danger.”

The researchers had invited me inside once their anti-monster nanomachines were complete. It felt incredible to take off that heavy armor and wash up. Dr. Shouko made a point of welcoming me and getting me whatever I needed. Apparently, she’d been picked for this assignment because of our relationship.

I could have returned to the Krishna, but I had to clean off the monster goo caking the power armor anyway. It could carry diseases or something. Seeing as I had to pause for that anyway, it made sense to take a little rest.

“Are you done with your side of the work, Doctor?” I asked her.

“Yeah, I’m all done. The researchers might need to make some small fixes, but they’re so minor that I doubt my help is needed.” She shrugged and waved it off.

“Did you find out anything about the one with all the eyes?” Dr. Shouko’s smile wavered. Looked like all we still knew was that it was fast as heck and could regenerate.

“Ah, whatever,” I said. “It doesn’t matter as long as it doesn’t hurt me or my crew.”

“Sorry…” Her apologetic silence said everything: that thing must’ve had my genetic data in it, the very same data that was stolen from Inagawa Technologies. Inagawa isn’t very trustworthy, is it?

“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as unlucky as you, Dr. Shouko. That’s the third time in about a month that you’ve been put in danger.”

“Heh, yeah. Kind of an outlier in terms of probability, right? The fact that you saved my life every time makes it feel like fate’s at work.”

“Do you believe in that stuff?” I raised an eyebrow. A doctor and researcher banking on the supernatural?

“Pssh, no,” she said. “But what if all this stuff happening in a short period of time makes me have a change of heart?”

“I see. Well, how about you go along with fate and be my ship’s doctor?”

Dr. Shouko paused for a beat before breaking out into a smile. “That sounds nice, but a mercenary ship doesn’t need a doctor, does it? You guys work close to colonies, so if you need emergency attention, you can use a colony’s facilities. Your medical pod should be able to take care of anything else. Deep-space investigation and pioneering ships—basically, stuff adventurers would do—are a different story, but…I’d just be stuck on a ship without satisfactory research facilities and subjects.”

“That’s a shame.” Guess I wasn’t adding to my harem today. Huh? My motives are impure, you say? But that’s just how men are, right? She was a bespectacled beauty with Mimi-tier breasts; I had to at least try.

“Hee hee! What’s that look in your eyes?”

“It’s nothing but a sign that I’m a healthy man,” I said.

“Are they really that great? They make my shoulders ache, and guys like you gawk at them. I don’t really like them.” Dr. Shouko lifted her breasts up with her hands. What a sight. I love it. Lord, have mercy on me. “Jeez, are you praying?”

“To men, the feminine form is a fascinating mystery—something you pursue but never quite attain.”

“That’s a boring mystery.” Dr. Shouko laughed and stood up. “Well, I’d say our conversation is at an end. Your power armor should be good and sanitized by now.”

“Aye-aye.” I stood up and saluted Dr. Shouko, a woman of such gracious hospitality.

 

***

 

I returned home without incident. Soldiers in power armor were patrolling the colony, killing off any stragglers still trying to attack. The soldiers stopped me now and then, curious as to why this outsider was tromping around in power armor with a huge gun. I had to show them the guild request to rescue the hospital more than once before they released me.

“So did they ever find out where the monsters came from?” I asked Mimi and Elma. They were on the ship, but I was still making my way back.

“There are no reports so far,” Mimi said. “However, it seems all the tech organizations’ countermeasures are successfully exterminating them.”

“Wait, all of them? It wasn’t Inagawa’s nanomachines, then?”

“Yes. There are reports of military robo-weapon manufacturer Eagle Dynamics dispatching large amounts of specialized battle robots to each colony. Chemical manufacturer Cyclone has also successfully synthesized a fatal poison that only affects the monsters and provided syringes to imperial soldiers. Other manufacturers have performed similar measures.”

“The army started exterminating too, and the Pirate Hunting Unit just made it home. I think we can assume the situation’s coming to a close,” Elma said.

“Cool. What a catastrophe, though. We made money off of it, but I feel bad for the people who got injured or worse.”

“For sure.” Elma nodded. “Oh, by the way, you don’t have to distribute your gains to us this time.”

“Huh?” I said. “Why not?”

“If it were earned aboard the ship, then we would be risking our lives too. But you’re the only one who went out there. Taking your money would just be selfish of us.”

“You sure?” They’d supported me during the battle, after all.

“I agree,” Mimi chimed in. “Taking a portion of the money that you risked your life for would simply be ridiculous.”

“Okay, then. If you’re sure.” If they insisted on it, then I couldn’t stop them. Besides, if I were in their position, I’d probably feel the same. “This colony’s going to be in a panic for some time now.”

Elma shrugged. “There’s nothing we can do about it. Fortunately, we have plenty of food and water for ourselves. Once we get our rewards, we can just fly off to our next stop.”

“It would be dangerous to leave the ship until then,” Mimi added. “We should wait inside.”

“True,” I said. “We’ll just have to laze around in the ship. Heh heh… What a shame, right?” A little exercise, a little play… But look at me getting all worked up from one fight. I’ll have to put those girls to work calming me down.

“Go easy on us, okay?” Elma said with a cringe.

“What do you mean?” Mimi blinked, the picture of innocence. Good, good.

“You girls must be tired, right?” I said. “I’ll be fine out here. Go enjoy a nice bath if you want.”

“Hm? Okay. Please be careful, Master Hiro.”

“Absolutely. I’ll see you girls later.” I hung up and headed for the elevator. Once I finally made it home, it was time for more wrestling.

 

***

 

The sudden monster attack, in all of its inconvenient timing, sent a shockwave through the colony. It took five whole days for the army and the Port Authority to pay out my rewards. Of course, Inagawa Technologies paid immediately.

And what did we do over those five days? Well, we repaired the power armor after all the damage it suffered from those monsters. And then, well…I enjoyed some quality time with Mimi and Elma. Aww, don’t make me say it. But we didn’t fool around all day. I mean, I wasn’t superhuman.

Though I will admit that we did you-know-what multiple times, alternatingly. Elma acted all annoyed at first, but she was definitely excited toward the end. Mimi was momentarily bewildered, but that didn’t last long.

“Ah, what a refreshing morning,” I said joyfully.

“Yeah, whatever,” Elma groaned.

“Mimi, Elma’s being mean,” I whined.

“I think she’s just embarrassed,” Mimi said. “Elma has trouble being straightforward sometimes.”

“Hngh!” Elma blurted.

Mimi smiled, sweet and unassuming as ever, even as she delivered that devastating blow to Elma’s pride. Elma blushed and pouted in silence; not even that stubborn elf could truly get angry at Mimi for long.

“Ha ha. You’re so cute, Elma,” I said. I wouldn’t go on torturing her, though. “Anyway, our rewards were finally paid out. Time to distribute them. The grand total, including loot, comes to 835,464 Ener. With our thirty-day mission reward of 1,500,000 Ener and my personal bonus of 372,514 Ener, our total is 2,707,978 Ener.”

“That took forever, but darn if we didn’t make a load of cash,” Elma said.

“Incredible…” Mimi gawked at the sum.

In truth, it was a pretty fair cut. Plus, we’d snuck in physical exams and a debt of gratitude from Serena. Not bad for a month’s work.

“Elma, your cut is 81,239 Ener,” I said. “Mimi, yours is 13,539 Ener.” My cut was 2,613,200 Ener. This brought my total assets to 17,022,017 Ener. Hmm… Should I buy a new ship?

“What’s on your mind?” Elma asked me.

“I’ve got over 17,000,000 now, so I was wondering if I should get a mothership.”

“A…mothership?” Mimi asked.

“It’s a big ship that can serve as a dock for small ones,” Elma explained. “They have big cargo holds too, so we could do transport work. Although 17,000,000 won’t buy a very high-quality one. Add in maintenance costs, and you’ll want around double that.”

“Dang, really? Hmm… We’ll have to save up more, then. I don’t wanna half-ass things.”

“It’s rather hard to conceptualize 17,000,000 Ener,” Mimi muttered.

“It’s a big number for mercs who buy and sell ships, but it’s not that much in the grand scheme of things,” Elma said.

“Just a small fortune, huh?” I sighed.

“We are not on the same wavelength when it comes to what constitutes a ‘fortune,’” Mimi said. She held her head, struggling to fathom the sums. Normally, a first-class warrant officer would earn 4,000 Ener per month, meaning Mimi’s 13,000 was well above what she’d earn if she worked for the military.

“For now, how about we go to whatever resort system Mimi wants to see?” I said. “Depending on how much we earn there, we can look into a ship. Having a mothership would dramatically increase our earning potential.”

Hauling cargo around could net us hundreds of thousands or even millions of Ener. Plus, we could use more mobile ships to hunt pirates who tried to hit us along the way. Two birds with one stone, as long as we had the skill to protect the mothership.

“The ruckus is calming down. I say we get our rewards and get out of here,” I said.

“Yes, sir!” Mimi said.

“Gotcha, boss,” Elma said.

Mimi swung into action, checking the ship’s equipment on her tablet, while Elma settled into the co-pilot’s chair and started the ship’s self-check. I left the preparations to the pros and examined my power armor instead. If I ever needed it again, I’d want it in good working order.

Thus, we prepared to jet off to our next galaxy-hopping adventure.