Path to Becoming the Greatest Space Mercenary

Chapter 571 - 571

Avery was in his office contemplating what to do about Delia.He had been expecting Kasandra to see through all of her lies, but that was not how things had turned out.

Either she really had told the entire truth to every question he had asked which Avery sincerely doubted, or she was just that good at lying. So much so that she did it as easily as she breathed.

'Maybe I can just pass her off to Cerise. I don't want her onboard when we make our last trip into the Zatis Consortium.' Avery thought, hoping for a miracle to save him.

Still, he knew that he was assuredly going to have to bring her along.

Without her it would be much harder to slip past the Odium Syndicate's security and deliver a finishing blow to their remaining major players.

They had basically been wiped out within the Dramid Alliance, but their core leadership and infrastructure remained within the Zatis Consortium.

If it had only been drugs that the criminal organization was peddling, this likely would have been enough. The cost of getting the operation going again would not have been worth it from a monetary standpoint.

But with the revelation that they had been working on a mutagenic substance to turn normal citizens into monsters, the authorities of the Dramid Alliance wanted the Odium Syndicate destroyed to the point it would not be feasible for it to be revived.

That was where Avery came in.

His cover was still intact and with Delia's help he could reach the heart of the Odium Syndicate unabated.

'Before that though, we need to report back to Cerise.'

With the large-scale operation within the borders of the Dramid Alliance having successfully concluded, almost everyone involved was gathering to consolidate the information that had been obtained and transfer over prisoners so that they could be processed through the Dramid Alliance's legal system.

After that, Avery had heard that there was going to be a bit of a celebration, but not one that was too big or last that long.

They had certainly done good work and made strides towards stopping the Odium Syndicate, but there was still more work to be done.

When Avery's company finally arrived at the meeting location the Intrepid definitely stood out.

Most of the vessels present belonged to the Alliance Police, and the few other merceries that were present that had been hired as extra muscle and were not flying anything larger than a corvette.

In comparison, the Intrepid was around the same size as an Alliance Police battleship and was among the largest vessels present.

It also looked like a cargo ship instead of a warship, and everyone that did not know better would have been none the wiser if all of the carrier's main weapon systems were not currently deployed.

Alerts that the Intrepid was being scanned came in basically every second. There were plenty of people curious about the odd mercenary craft.

Once his company had settled into their assigned position, Avery received a call directly from Cerise.

"Good work out there. I heard that you were given some tedious tasks after finishing your main objective. I know that you and your team has done more for this operation than anyone else. You have my gratitude for everything. None of this would have been possible without you."

Cerise heaped more praise on Avery, and while he enjoyed complements as much as the next guy, what he was most concerned with was payment.

When he subtly tried to bring it up, Cerise smiled knowingly and reassured him.

"No need to be worried about that. There might be some within the Alliance Police cursing you and me out for how much all of this is costing, but those at the top know what you've accomplished and have given their full approval thanks to the results that you've brought in.

"Honestly, you've gone above and beyond expectations. You'll certainly be receiving an upgrade to your Alliance Cross of Heroism. Gold is already guaranteed, while platinum is certainly on the table. I'm truthfully pushing for you to receive the Platinum Cross so that I can shift the reputation of the Dramid Alliance's greatest hero over to you." Cerise said, her lips turned up into a wide grin.

She continued to extol the virtues of having such a reputation, but it was not one that Avery was looking for.

He just wanted to be a great mercenary. He did not need to aim for something so lofty as the greatest hero of the Alliance.

"The gold will be good enough for me. The extra money that comes with the Platinum Cross might be nice, but its really not that much considering how much my company can make doing regular mercenary work for the association. And speaking of the Mercenary Association, what about my rank advancement?"

Part of the payment for accepting this job for Cerise was that she would recommend him to become a six star mercenary.

With how short of a time he had been a mercenary, it was already astounding that Avery was already a five star mercenary.

If he were to be pushed up to the next rank though, he would be very close to the achieving the record for fastest rise through the ranks.

Regrettably he had missed that mark by a couple of days already, so he would only be aiming for second fastest now.

"That's in the works as well. It's almost a done deal, though there are some old hardheads that don't want to let someone that has not even been a part of the association for five years yet move up to the second highest rank. Don't worry about that though, I'll make sure that it gets pushed through. You've got plenty of allies on your side as well that have vouched for you. Fiend Hunter Zefield has given you his endorsement, and when a seven star says something, the association listens." Cerise said assuredly.

Avery could not help but smile when he heard that he was almost assuredly going to be getting to the next rank once this job was over.

It would certainly make what he had next on the agenda far easier. A strong reputation and more authority had plenty of uses.

For a couple of minutes, the two of them talked about other random subjects before Cerise informed him that he should get ready for the celebration.

With the Odium Syndicate having been wiped out of the Dramid Alliance, they had plenty to congratulate themselves for.

'I suppose that I'd better go get dressed.'

Once he made it back to his room, Avery pulled his best mercenary style clothing out of his closet.

It was the same outfit he had worn to the award ceremony after defeating of the energy lifeforms, so he figured that it would be good enough for the coming gathering.

However, when Avery walked out of his bedroom and into the living area of his quarters, he found a surprise waiting for him.

"So, what do you think of our new dresses?" Kasandra said while standing in a flashy pose.

Jasmine and Liesel were on either side of her, likewise having taken positions to show off their clothing.

Usurpingly, Liesel had on a flashy dress that was mostly red, with black accents.

As for Jasmine, she was wearing a light purple dress that went well with her striking ees and dark hair.

Finally, Kasandra's dress was a lustrous golden-brown color.

"You all look wonderful. Honestly, I don't want anyone else to see you three like this. Perhaps we should ditch the party and just stay here instead. There's enough room to dance, and the entertainment system has not seen much use lately. We could put on Nianni's latest album." Avery suggested only half-jokingly.

Honestly, if he thought he could get away with staying home and having fun with just his three wives, he would have. That seemed preferable to a formal event filled with mostly Alliance Police officers.

Still, this was part of the job. Plus, there would be free food and drinks at the event, so that was certainly a positive.

After Avery complimented Kasandra, Jasmine, and Liesel for a bit longer, the four of them exited Avery's quarters and made their way to the hangar.

They would be taking the Dauntless over to Cerise's flagship where the celebration was being held.

Along the way, they ran into Ezra and Olivia.

With Ezra being Avery's second-in-command, and Olivia being a top officer, they had been invited as well.

Of course, there were others that Avery would have liked to have brought along as well, but six participations was the limit he had been given.

Instead, an appreciation party was being held on the Intrepid for the rest of the crew. The job may not have been quite finished yet, but they certainly deserved a reward for all of their hard work over the last few months.