21 Lies of Edward Lores 2

Sometimes plans just wouldn't go the way you want it to be. There are factors that affects someone's thinking and what that someone would do at times like these.

General Charlotte Belford is a busy woman with many businesses and plans. She didn't reach this far in the hierarchy if she was brainless and unable to understand the risk of being out in the open. It came to me that we were not the only ones who wanted to rid her of her life. In this vast universe there are as many who wanted to drive a sharp knife in her heart. Jealous men, women, and even fools who simply wants her gone. Considering what we wanted to do with her, it seems that we were far too kinder than the rest.

I've become her assistant in a way that I managed some of her simple things. I became like an accessory that she brings alongside. Some of these things are mundane things such as carrying her personal belongings and acting as a lackey she can order around. I didn't dare to fuck around or even give grievance knowing that she probably knows who I am. Two days after being promoted that I just know that she isn't that careless to let someone like me enter the facility without her knowing about it. That bothers me knowing how resourceful the network that Captain have to even make people like General Charlotte Belford wonder if I really was who she think I was. I made it up in my mind that she does know who I am, but had no intention of saying it outright. It works wonders in making me feel like my balls are going to shrivel up by the sheer fucking thought that she does know.

Thus I have become an obedient lackey with an eye for working with my best on the line. Though most of the time she was using her accelerated brain augment that allows her to work four times the usual speed. I could barely keep up with my soldier augments.

I was in this black suited garment that was even worst than the garments that I was using before I was forced to wear this outfit. It looked like a military coat but sewn to resemble a butler's outfit as well.

Honestly, it isn't so bad. I can eat meals that would cost me thousands in credits. I can lounge around when there is nothing to do, and the per hour salary is enough to make me think of actually keeping this job. For once I am seeing money that was not earned from offing people or it came from some AD revenue site that Captain set up for me. There are other benefits that are rather risque. Honestly, I would understand if someone who doesn't have other motives to give up on their task and become part of the Corporation cog. It may sound like a dream job, but knowing how easily they could replace any personnel. It's hard to care about a job this unstable.

Even a sidewalk vendor has a better chance of stability than this position. That's why even though it is tempting, the prospect of retaining this job is rather low.

I was following General Charlotte around the refinery along with the head of the refinery. From the looks of it they are harvest minerals inside the asteroid this place is sitting on. Other than that there are tanker-class cruisers that are regularly docking to deposit the unrefined fuel to this refinery. Outside of the refinery was a fleet of tankers waiting for approval. The sheer amount of fortress-class and destroyer-class vessels hovering around the perimeter of this refinery was intimidating. I have spoken to the Captain about the plans and seeing that my current situation was dangerous. Captain still opted to strike when the time comes. If anything this will make our plan faster than ever. I would call it a stroke of luck honestly. It seems that somehow the assistant that was coming to this refinery met disaster around the asteroid field, causing said assistant to lose his life. Hence why I became an assistant through this luck. I don't know when will this luck ran out considering the amount of ships outside of this refinery.

General Charlotte is a woman of focus. She adapts her personality to however she was talking to. She worms her way in their hearts and make them agree to whatever she wanted. It was rather impressive how she does it. One of General Charlotte's hobby was dining next to the glass panel. The place where here penthouse suite was rather empty of vessels and had a peaceful feel to it. General preferred the melodic ambiance and this strange music that seems to be ancient. I recognize it as jazz, but it had vocals and piano sounds that made it somehow refreshing to listen at. Nothing like the usual music that is played in the radio and that it wasn't constantly stopping to play an ad about some product that I give no shit about.

It was hard time measure time when you are outside. Most of the time we just based the time on whatever planet that was close. Most of the vessels and spacers used TST as a universal time, but outside of the solar system we used TAT as universal time when we are outside of our home system. Around 19 hours of TST, the General would come here to watch the stars in her two hour break time. She sleeps for six hours and this repeated cycle has been her schedule ever since she arrived in the refinery. What makes this special was that her family's fleet, the Belford fleet was currently making its way into the view. It seems that instead of her mothership, she came here using one of her cruisers and set up a warping point through one of the wormholes that the Belford family has accessed to.

"There she is, the Belford," General Charlotte's voice was bland. "Do you know that she has been fighting for two centuries now? One of the oldest mothership of the planet earth. Passed down to the heirs of the Belford family in hopes that it would forever remain a symbol of the Belford family. It's so easy to reach the stars, but she was one of the few starships who reached the stars and made it her home. It took blood and sweat and schemes to make her float."

"She caused a lot of money, and she made us almost bankrupt. We have re-outfitted her four time and never has she sunk once in her time in the vacuum of space."

General Charlotte turned to me. "Isn't she a beauty?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

She stared and then spoke. "Do you know that those who aren't scared of my position were usually soldiers? Some of them are wary, but you Lores, you are so relaxed that it makes me wonder if you have been robbed of fear or that you simply don't care."

I kept my silence.

"Speak, I don't like those who don't open their mouth."

"Aye, Madam, it's hard to be afraid of human these days when you dealt with acid-spitting bugs with most of your life."

"I heard that it was tough when our colonial planets got beaten to hell. So few of you actually survived and yet here you are standing. I have respect on you soldiers despite the insults that some civilization say about your brand of people."

"We are fodder in their eyes, Madam. I understand that it is easy accept that they think we are while they sit on their capsules drowning in their augmented reality where they know nothing other than pleasure and escapism. If we didn't held down the horde, if my brothers and sisters of the United Milky Way Galaxy didn't win, they wouldn't be calling us meat thrown into the grinder."

"Indeed, it seems that is the general opinion of the people. The populace believes that our enemies do not exist and that we are merely playing them for fools. More bio-ships have been sighted in the past weeks and if it wasn't for our superior weaponry compared to their plasma-spitting vessels. We would have lost the battle and many of our colonial planets would have been swallowed by this horde."

I have been through many campaigns. I have fought in hills and small mountains of alien planets. I've seen great floras and faunas that are dangerous to the human body. Our augments gave us the chance to survive, but at the same time it made us cocky and arrogant. One of the great mistake was that we thought we could go out there and beat the shit out of the aliens. But those who could reach the stars have reached a certain intellect. Their technology and the way they sail the stars were proof that they have their own tactics and ways to deal with us. We wouldn't have lost so much good people if they were nothing but brainless bugs.

"They are easy to underestimate until you see wave of them coming at you, Madam. One weapon isn't enough to hold back five of them and a wave of them you would need a bigger and powerful weapon to punch through the bugs. Superior weaponry doesn't mean anything if they can just work around it."

She nodded silently. She took the cup of tea she made herself and took a sip. She placed the cup on her table and let her fingers ran across the surface of the glass.

"Do you know that most of us are called merchants of death? A pound of flesh in exchange for a debt you cannot repay. No matter what the cost, the debt must be repaid. My father and forefather has always taught me that. It doesn't matter what generation they were. The Belford family ever since the discovery of the gunpowder has been gun runners. My ancestors are fond of repeating this tale of how we came from small humble shack into one of the greatest family to have ever existed. A family of gun runners, merchants of death."

I straightened my back. Meeting the eyes of this so called merchant of death.

"Lately, there has been people who think they can offend us. Brazen ones who think that they are someone. I admit that they know how to fight. They can put the fear of god in men, but it makes sense knowing who these people are. Then again, you do not mess with merchants of death. We wouldn't have lasted this long if we haven't tangled with monsters and disasters. Still, it makes me wonder what these people wanted? What makes them think that they can deal with us? Do you know Mr. Lores? How my family test waters? We send good men who have been loyal to the family and make them into our hunters. We point our fingers at our enemies and they deal with them. When they don't return, we make sure that we know who we are dealing with, and then we strike, we understand how they think and move. I wonder if there are people like that?" she said to me.

"I am sure there are, Madam. They do say that heroes exist for the reason that they can be beat the odds. I believe that madam is not the kind who underestimates others. You said it yourself, after all."

She nodded. Then turned her eyes back to the mothership called the Belford.

"No matter how much changes, the stars remain the same, Lores. Under the same stars humanity has fought and cheated one another. In the end we really are people of war."

"It must be tiring to be you, Madam."

She looked at me with a soften gaze.

"Lores, that is the most truthful thing that you have said ever since you've come here."