It did not take long after Deputy Chief Ikla ended the transmission for another officer in the Alliance Police to contact Avery and request that he join an extermination squad that would be sent to eliminate the queen energy lifeform
"I understand Lieutenant Franzia. However, my vessel is not particularly well suited to dealing with energy lifeforms. If I'm to join this mission to finish those creatures off, I'm going to require a few things."
Avery listed off everything that he and Kasandra had come up with that they wanted if they were forced to go back into battle with the energy lifeforms.
On the other side of the call, Lieutenant Franzia was clearly becoming more and more disgruntled, before eventually giving in to most of Avery's demands with an audible huff.
After the pirate raid and his recent foray into the Prazan System, it was clear that he was one of the strongest mercenaries in the sector, even if his tenure as one was short. With a possible crisis worse than the previous pirate infestation on the horizon, now was not the time to worry about small matters.
"Very well, I'll have everything prepared. Go to the military hanger and the items you've request will be installed."
With a defeated sigh, Lieutenant Franzia cut the call.
Both Avery and Kasandra wore bright smiles after their successful negations.
"Another thirty thousand Krenin, plus bonuses for the number of energy lifeforms we take out. This is looking to be quite the payday." Avery said, pleased with how things had turned out.
"Also, they're going to loan us some more effective weapon systems, and once again pay for our ammunition. We're really getting the royal treatment this time." Kasandra replied, her expression filled with excitement.
Since they were going to be going back anyway, they figured they should make the most out of it. And with the Alliance police bring them a direct request, it allowed them to practically exploit their desperate client that needed their fighting capabilities.
Of course, due to the concession that had been made, the Alliance Police were naturally going to be expecting impressive results in return. Should Avery and Kasandra fail to meet expectations, they would likely never again receive such valuable jobs from the Alliance Police again.
A mercenary's reputation was just as important as their ship, and this was Avery's chance to cement himself as an ace fighter that even the force tasked maintained order throughout the Alliance could count on.
After a few minutes, the Dauntless received permission to dock in the hanger normally only reserved for military vehicles.
As part of the agreement with the Alliance Police, Avery's vessel was going to be fitted with weapons better suited to fighting energy lifeforms.
It was around this time, that Kasandra showed her terminal to Avery.
She had been collecting information while they were waiting and found that an emergency mission for the attack on the queen energy lifeform had been posted on the Mercenary Association site.
"Only twenty hours, huh. They really are trying to get this finished quickly." Avery remarked.
"Well, this is the kind of problem that only gets worse the longer it has to fester. Give that queen enough time and her forces will become strong enough to overrun an entire system. I've heard tales of the past where truly enormous fleets with over a thousand cruisers were needed to wipe out a monstrous swarm of energy lifeforms that had been given years to multiply. It's best to nip these things in the bud quickly."
Should their initial assault fail, then the Alliance Police would be forced to send out their large vessels to surpass the energy lifeforms.
With the Yuson System being the nearest inhabited area, the majority of the force would have to come from the Alliance Police stationed there.
This would leave another gap in the system's security and let the pirates that had been driven out sneak back in. No doubt leading to a massive blow in public opinion and the industries in the sector downsizing or pulling out entirely for fear of future attacks. Hence why they were willing to agree to Avery and Kasandra's terms.
"Those military officers certainly work fast."
From the view screen, Avery watched as multiple heavy machines moved about to remove some of the Dauntless' current weapons systems and outfit it with new ones.
Fortunately, Storren Corp. was one of the Alliance Police's top contractors, and their vessels typically had a modular design that allowed for certain parts to easily be subbed in and out.
Even being an experimental craft utilizing top quality technology, the Dauntless still followed the general design of the company. Allowing for a near seamless transition from one system to another.
"I've just received word that they want us to run a diagnostic on the EMP blaster they just attached." Kasandra said, reading out the message that had been sent to her terminal.
In place of the usual auto turret, a powerful electromagnetic pulse weapon, called the Aida EMP MK VII had been installed.
This was a cutting-edge model, and only a few could be found in the entire system. Apparently, it was the only one that the Alliance Police here currently possessed.
Once the diagnostic was complete and showed no problems, the next pair of weapon systems were affixed to the ship.
This time, it was the two plasma launchers that were replaced. They were not particularly useful against the energy lifeforms as only direct hits to the monsters' cores did any real damage. Considering their size and speed, actually landing a strike in the middle of a chaotic battle was practically impossible. Out of all the Dauntless' usual weapons, these two had taken out the fewest hostiles.
Instead, two missile pods were to take their place. This would both increase the cost and weight of ammunition, as well as take up nearly all of the cargo space, but it would be necessary firepower in the coming battle.
"Okay, we've been given the green light to go out and test our new weapons on some targets that have been set up for us. Let's go show them that their investment into us was the correct choice." Kasandra said, expertly handling communications.