Path to Becoming the Greatest Space Mercenary-Chapter 456 Aberrant Space Monsters (2)

Avery’s suspicions were pretty much confirmed by what Zefield had just said.

There had been something about these space monsters that had not seemed right since the moment that he started reading the information on the second one.

Each of the creatures were very specialized to the point that it was strange that they existed in the first place.

The fact that they all lived in the same system was also suspicious.

While space monsters were prevalent in some areas, it was very rare for more than one type to have overlapping territory with another.

Having five all in such close proximity was basically unheard of. Typically, they would have fought amongst each other and only the strongest would have remained.

Yet, from the data that Zefield’s team had provided, none of the five ever seemed to get into conflict with each other and even worked together sometimes.

Symbiotic relationships between space monsters were rare but not unheard of. Five different species all at once, though. That was too irregular to have occurred naturally.

"They were designed and created by an intelligent species, yes? That’s the only explanation that really makes sense." Quokka said, voicing the conclusion most of the other mercenaries had come to as well.

"That is the conclusion that we came to. And while we can’t be certain, we’ve at theorized that these creatures are the main reason that the civilization that once existed on the habitable world has ceased to exist." Tuuali responded.

There was a grave look on everyone’s face when it became apparent what they were up against.

Manufacturing space monsters was a practice that had been outlawed in the Dramid Alliance for several centuries now.

It was something that was certainly possible with the right equipment and for those with specialized knowledge and expertise.

At one time, there had been an arms race between the Dramid Alliance, Urstug Federation, and Zatis Consortium to make the deadliest types of space monsters that could be used for war.

However, every side eventually came to the same conclusion. That there was almost no merit in doing so, and the potential rewards were not worth the effort.

The more dangerous a space monster became, the harder it inevitably became to control.

Some even ended up mutating beyond their creator’s original designs and wreaked havoc on the areas where they escaped.

After losing an unseemly number of lives and amount of money, all current projects in the field were canceled, and laws were passed to prevent any future attempts.

Of course, there were still some that continued researching the subject in secret, but they typically ended up getting caught by the authorities or killed by their own creations.

’Thankfully they didn’t make anything that could travel through hyperspace or has any other method of traveling faster than light. If they had, the Dramid Alliance probably already would have encountered a horde of these things.’ Avery thought, glancing between the five space monsters one by one.

The four that were all specialized in combat were each dangerous on their own, but when they all worked together, they became a force threatening enough to force Zefield and his team to retreat.

"And are you certain that these five are the only types of creatures that we’ll encounter?"

Eventually, Derenkai, who had been silent up to this point, asked a question that a lot of the mercenaries present had overlooked.

They had been taking the information Zefield had provided as concrete. But seeing as how his team had fled the system before fully exploring it, it was quite likely that there were still things hidden within it that they knew nothing about. Potentially more space monsters that were even more dangerous than the five that had already been identified.

"No. There could be more. But we only encountered these five." Zefield replied curtly, gesturing to the holoimages being projected.

"Other potential dangers is one of the reasons why we gathered all of you here. Altogether we constitute a force made up of some of the strongest mercenaries in the Dramid Alliance. Should something unexpected occur, we have the power to overcome it. Besides, taking risks on high paying jobs is part of being a mercenary. Surely none of you are going to backout now because you’re scared."

Tuuali’s provocation worked well as no one else brought up any concerns about unknown dangers that could arise during the mission. Had they, their standing among everyone else would have plummeted.

Reputation was important for mercenaries, and being labeled a coward was potentially a career killer. Especially for any five star or higher mercenaries who were considered the upper ranks of the Mercenary Association.

There were a few others that asked questions about the space monsters that had caught their attention, but soon enough everyone was on the same page and they began discussing strategy. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

With each space monster having their own specific strengths and weakness, it was paramount that those best equipped to handle each one were assigned to squads that would specifically target their designated creature.

Avery’s company was omitted from this spart of the strategy, however.

Their role was not really to serve as fighters but a base that the others could go to for maintenance, repairs, and resupply. Throwing the Intrepid into the middle of the battle would only put it at risk of major damage or being destroyed. If that happened, the entire mission would be in jeopardy.

Of course, Avery’s team also consisted of three corvettes and several small and medium vessels that could fight on their own.

Except, they had been chosen to primarily serve as guards for the Intrepid so that the other teams could focus on their own assignments. Meaning there was a possibility that they might not see any action.

Zefield correctly assumed that those in Avery’s team would be best at coordinating with his carrier ship and that attempting to integrate them into other groups could lead to potential issues.

Though in the case of an emergency, they could also become a flexible strike team that could head out to assist other squads that were in dire situations.