Path to Becoming the Greatest Space Mercenary-Chapter 40 - Trouble Brewing

On the way back to his ship, Avery made sure to contact his mother and make arrangements for his father to finally have his lungs and spine restored.

The quoted price was an outrageous one million three hundred thousand Krenin, but Avery sent over the money without any regrets. He had the necessary funds, and he would be willing to pay just about any price to save his father.

"And there goes a bit more than half of what I just earned." Avery said with a pained grin.

Even though he was fully willing to do so to save someone so important to him, watching the massive amount of Krenin vanish from his account still hurt.

Sitting next to him on the electromagnetic tram, Kasandra moved a bit closer to Avery and patted him on the back.

"I think you did the right thing. Money will come and go, but you've only got two parents. Cherish them while you still have them."

Avery could hear a hint of both longing and regret in her voice.

While Kasandra had not yet said anything on the matter, Avery had already picked up on the fact that she and her brother had lost their old home at some point.

Whenever she brought up her past, there was always the slightest pained look in her eyes.

Of course, Avery did not pry. If she ever wanted to tell him, he would listen. But until then, he would let her keep what she wanted to herself.

It was not much longer until they reached their stop near the hanger Avery's ship was docked in. Last month, he had cancelled the lease on his apartment to save money, so this was where he lived now.

Surprisingly, as the Dauntless came into view, there was a familiar face waiting in front of it.

"Sergeant Iralus? What are you doing here?" Avery asked, a baffled look on his face.

It had been nearly three months now since he last saw her, but he naturally recognized the member of the colony's police force that had dealt with the crime that happened onboard his ship and cleared him of any wrongdoing.

"Avery Asteria, I've been waiting for you. There are a few matters that I need to discu-"

As the sergeant was responding to Avery, she quickly noticed that he was not alone.

Standing at an intimate distance from Avery was Kasandra, and Jasmine was momentarily stunned to see him with such a beautiful woman. Especially since she knew he had been single not long ago due to her investigation into him.

"And who might this with you be?" Jasmine said with a strained smile.

"Oh, uh, this is-"

"Kasandra Woest. A three star mercenary. Avery here saved my life recently, so I decided to join his crew." Kasandra interjected, moving a bit closer to Avery and grabbing his arm.

Avery was caught off guard by this, and the soft sensation pressing against him.

Obviously, he was not so oblivious as to not understand what Kasandra was doing, but he thought that it was completely unnecessary. Sergeant Iralus was certainly pretty, but they had met only once before, and it had been strictly professional.

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"I see, that's certainly unexpected." Jasmine said stiffly.

Noticing the growing tension in the air, Avery tried to steer the conversation back towards whatever matters she had come to discuss.

"Ah, yes, I'm here to see you on behalf of the Alliance Police to broach a few matters with you. Also, there is also something else not pertaining to my official position I need to tell you about."

Sensing trouble on the horizon, Avery held back a deep sigh and offered to discuss things onboard his vessel.

Avery led his guest into the dining room, since it was really the only place where multiple people could comfortably sit down and talk.

"Would you like something to drink?" Avery offered to be polite.

"Sure, some non-caffeinated tea if you have any." Jasmine replied.

Quickly, Avery put a capsule into his autochef and input an order into it. Less than a minute later, it dispensed three cups filled with a yellow orange liquid that had a mildly sweet scent to it.

After the three of them took a few sips of the tea, Jasmine got straight to business.

"To start, the Alliance Police were most impressed with your heroism during the recent pirate extermination. Since you eliminated the most pirates by far and helped to stop some of the assault ships that entered from out of the system from escaping, they are thinking about bestowing you an official award. Though, only if you agree to it."

Only a bit surprised, Avery nodded his head in understanding.

He already knew that mercenaries that performed impressive feats could earn special recognition from the Alliance Police. In fact, he recalled that his mentor had received three before he retired.

Still, the types of awards that could be given out had a large range. Some came with one-time Krenin Bonuses, while the very best had yearly rewards for life. An incentive to keep skilled mercenaries within the Alliance's borders.

"Do you know what sort of award they're planning on giving me?" Avery asked, unable to restrain his curiosity.

"I'm afraid not. The officer that contacted me said that the top brass was still deciding on it. What you did was quite impressive, and they are having to figure out exactly how far your merits went."

"Got it. And not to be rude, but I've been wondering, why did they send you? I feel like this matter could have been handled remotely."

"The reason is simple really. They asked me to do this because we've met once before. They figured that you would be more willing to speak with a familiar face. Plus, the award is the more minor of the subjects I'm here to bring to you."

Jasmine then told Avery what else the Alliance Police wanted from him. Apparently, there was a certain mission they wanted him to undertake for them.