Rex woke up the next day, and to his surprise, he wasn’t dealing with the headache he expected after drinking all night. In fact, he felt better than he had any right to. As he stepped out of the charging tank, Cleo materialized in the room.
"Good morning, Rex. I took the liberty of filtering out all the toxic substances you drank yesterday."
"Oh? So that’s why I feel fresh, like nothing happened. Thanks, Cleo. By the way, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m totally naked," Rex said, gesturing at himself with a smirk.
"I don’t mind," Cleo replied without missing a beat. "It’s not the first time I’ve seen you naked. Besides, I was the one who undressed you and put you in the recharging tank last night."
Rex raised an eyebrow as a screen appeared next to him while he started getting dressed. "Mmm? What’s this?"
"It’s the news," Cleo explained. "More specifically, someone covered up what you did yesterday."
Rex tapped the screen to turn up the volume.
<<In other news, last night in the commercial district of Zone 3, a confrontation between criminals and city guards left a restaurant half destroyed. Fortunately, there were only two confirmed casualties: a restaurant waiter and one city guard.>>
Rex frowned. "Looks like the city guards and the Crimson Claws have some kind of arrangement. Not surprising though, all those guards are corrupt."
While getting dressed, he asked, "So, Cleo, how’s the progress on the combat drones?"
In response, Cleo summoned more screens, sending them his way. "These are the new combat drones we’ve assembled, along with the ammunition and missiles currently in storage. On this screen, you can see I’ve also crafted two personal shield generators for you and Carlos."
Rex let out a low whistle. "Have I ever told you how much I love you? You always know what I need. With these shields, Carlos won’t be taken out as soon as things heat up."
"Oh, and before I forget, send the meeting point coordinates to the Crimson Claws near the bug hive."
"Understood. Coordinates have been sent."
With everything set, Rex stepped out of the ship. The scene outside was typical of a lawless place; a few smugglers still passed out on the ground from last night’s drinking. Off to one side, Carlos sat on a cargo drone, grimacing as Emilia handed him a cup of tea, probably for his headache.
Rex approached them, raising a hand in greeting. "Morning, you two."
Emilia gave him a small bow while Carlos just waved half-heartedly, still rubbing his temples.
"Still hurting?" Rex asked, trying to suppress a grin.
"Yeah," Carlos groaned. "Keep your voice down, or my head’s going to explode."
Rex chuckled. "You should be like me, fresh as a Daisy."
Carlos shot him a glare. "Screw you, Rex."
"By the way, where are the trucks? Someone stole them already?" Rex asked, noticing their absence.
"No one stole them," Carlos muttered. "I paid some of the smugglers to return them. Gave ’em part of the credits up front; rest when they’re back."
Rex blinked in surprise. "Well, I’m impressed. That was actually pretty smart, especially for you."
Carlos rolled his eyes. "It wasn’t my idea. It was Emilia’s."
Rex turned to her, a grin spreading across his face. "Nice one, Emilia."
While Emilia was still blushing from the sudden praise, Rex told Carlos to get ready and head into the ship. They had a mission to get to. It took them a few minutes to get everything in order before the ship lifted off and set a course for the coordinates.
Meanwhile, on the ground, one of the Crimson Claws standing next to Mara spoke up.
"So, boss, what are we doing out here in the middle of nowhere?" he asked, glancing around the empty landscape.
"We’re waiting for the noble from yesterday," Mara replied, taking a drag from her cigarette. "He said if we want to stay alive, we’ve got to do a job for him."
"Why should we do what some noble says?" Another one piped up, clearly frustrated.
"Yeah, boss, this is ridiculous!"
"Yesterday, we almost had him! If it wasn’t for his damn slave, we would’ve—"
"Why don’t we just kill him when he gets here and be done with it?"
The last suggestion was met with the sudden sound of a gunshot. Mara had pulled out her handgun and shot the guy who made the comment, killing him instantly. His body crumpled to the ground, and everyone fell silent.
"Listen up," Mara growled, eyes flashing. "I’m not afraid of any noble. That’s not the issue. The problem is what happens after you kill a noble. You think the city guards are bad? What do you think happens when a noble goes missing?
They send a damn world-destroyer to turn the planet into dust. Use your heads for once."
"But, boss, yester—" Another voice tried to chime in, but a second gunshot rang out, and he hit the ground, lifeless.
Mara exhaled sharply, holstering her gun. "Anyone else got an opinion? No? Good."
A few minutes later, the Crimson Claws watched as a spaceship appeared on the horizon, descending and landing near their vehicles. When the cargo bay opened, Rex and Carlos stepped out.
As they approached, Rex took in the sight of the Crimson Claws’ armored vehicles bristling with mounted guns, even a few flying crafts armed to the teeth. There had to be close to 500 gang soldiers standing by.
Rex let out a low whistle. "Well, well, I didn’t think you’d actually show up. I’m glad to see you’ve got enough decency to keep your word," he said, smirking. He could tell Mara was barely keeping her anger in check.
Rex, being the kind of person who couldn’t resist pushing buttons, decided to lean into it. He thrived on getting under people’s skin.
He strolled right up to Mara and, without hesitation, draped an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, cheer up. After this little job is done, you’ll be free to do whatever you want. I swear," he said, flashing her a grin. "This is just a small favor, you know, something to put your mind at ease."
He leaned in a little closer, clearly enjoying himself. "I mean, I’m sure you’d feel like something was off if I just forgiven you without asking for anything, right? This way, your debt’s settled, and you can go on with a clear conscience."
Mara’s jaw tightened, her anger barely restrained, but Rex just grinned wider. He was having too much fun watching her struggle to keep her cool.
Finally, he let go of her and began walking toward the bug hive in the distance. "Oh, and don’t feel the need to thank me. I know, I know, I’m just such a generous guy. But, hey, if you do thank me, I might get a little bashful," he said over his shoulder, clearly enjoying every second of it.
Carlos, who had known Rex for most of his life, could see exactly what was happening. The poor girl, Mara, had now become Rex’s target for teasing. It was a game Rex played far too well since once someone started resisting, it only made him enjoy it more. Carlos shook his head with a sigh and started walking. The last thing he wanted was to become the next target of Rex’s twisted sense of fun.
As Rex and Carlos headed toward the bug hive, Cleo had the ship take off to hover in the sky above, ready to assist if needed. Mara, still fuming, gave the order for her gang to follow.
When they reached a hill that stood among the ruins, Rex turned and walked over to Mara again.
"Tell your men to surround this hill," he said casually, "and keep it quiet."
Mara frowned. "Mmm? Why?" she asked, unable to hide her confusion.
Rex gave her an exaggerated look of surprise. "Oh? Didn’t I mention it earlier? Well, this hill is actually a bug hive," he said with a nonchalant shrug. "And I need to take care of it. Easy as that."
Mara’s face went pale. "A—a bug hive!?"
Rex paused, noticing her reaction, and smiled a little. "Mmm? Yes, a bug hive," he repeated, amused. "But don’t worry, it’s not one of the Hive Minds. Just some local bugs."
He could tell exactly what she was thinking. Everyone who knew anything about the Hive Minds understood how deadly it was to mess with them. Hive Minds were notorious for being fiercely protective of their species, retaliating with terrifying force if provoked. But these bugs were nothing compared to that.
After several tense minutes, the Crimson Claws had surrounded the hill. In the front line were the gang’s foot soldiers and their armored vehicles. The second line held their armed flying crafts, and in the third line stood Rex, Mara, and Carlos, waiting for the next move.
"Alright, Cleo, we’re in position. You can start the bombardment whenever you’re ready," Rex said, speaking into his communicator.
Cleo acknowledged and flew the ship directly over the hilltop. A moment later, the cargo bay doors opened, and a swarm of cargo drones flew out, each one carrying large tanks of petroleum strapped to high-powered explosives.
The operation had begun.....