S.P.E.C.T.O.R – [A Sci-fi space adventure with fantasy elements]

In a meeting room on the Imperial Down, Becky suddenly burst out laughing after reading the chat from Adam’s stream, causing everyone else to look at her.

”Did you find something I said amusing, Becky?” The captain asked.

While she may address Becky formally when on duty, in private situations like this, where not many people were present, she talked to her like family.

”No, no.” Becky said as she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes before continuing, ”The streamer just admitted that he didn’t know Lorelie was a Merminian.”

”Seriously?” The captain asked in surprise, while Lorelie also showed surprise for a moment before a thoughtful expression appeared.

”It’s not surprising, really, he is from outside the known universe after all,” Tessa explained.

”Yup, Yup. Congratulations, Lorelie, you’re officially the first alien the streamer has ever met.”

”What about Gract?” Lorelie asked, though she couldn’t help but smile slightly proudly at Becky’s statement.

”Gract? He doesn’t count. You’re too thoughtful about someone who betrayed you, Lorelie.”

”Becky’s right, Diva Lorelie, for what we’re about to do, you have to stop being so kind-hearted towards him lest you back out of the plan.”

”Especially after what the streamer just heard,” Becky added before telling them what the pirates had just said on the stream.

💫💫💫

[Superior4horns (Vinox 3): No, though I guess it’s not surprising that you don’t know.]

[StealthAssassin9 (Earth): She looks so human or Terran or whatever though.]

[Superior4horns (Vinox 3): It’s what happens when they come on land, their tail fin, webbed hands and neck gills that allow them to breathe underwater all disappear.]

[Noobkiller9000 (Earth): How do you tell them apart then? I mean, I thought her turquoise hair was a bit unusual, but I figured that was just a space thing.]

[Superior4horns (Vinox 3): One way is their naturally musical voices, also their neck gills may disappear on land, but they still possess small ones behind their ears. It’s easy to tell on Merminians with short hair; however, for those with long hair, it’s much harder to tell.]

[[Notification: Tessisdabest (Imperial Down) has issued you a side-stream quest]]

[[Side-stream Quest: Gather evidence of the pirates involvement in the attempted capture of Diva Lorelie and their employer.]]

[[Completion Reward: Diva Lorelie VIP Backstage pass is upgrade to AAA (Access All Areas) pass.]]

[[Failure Punishment: None.]]

[[Would you like to accept?]]

[Handsome3horns (Vinox 2): Wow, a side quest that increases to a triple A pass? Lucky]

[Noobkiller9000 (Earth): There are side quests? How do they differ from normal stream quests?]

[Prestigious3horns (Vinox 2): Side quests can only be given out if there is an active stream quest and it links to it. The side quest has to be connected to the stream quest in some way, its completion reward is to upgrade the main quest, and they do not have any failure punishment, so there is no downside in accepting them.]

[Prestigious3horns (Vinox 2): Though that does mean that you can’t claim the side-quest reward unless you complete the main quest.]

[Celebrityhunter69 (Earth): But seriously, an access all areas pass to a future Diva Lorelie show. These sorts of passes are normally only given to the performers, artists and promoters.]

[1000yearsofdeath (Earth): That means the streamer can access Diva Lorelie’s dressing room. Don’t do anything that will get you killed by her fans’ streamer. Kekeke.]

[Sparesomechangebro (Earth): He should sell the pass and then give me some change.]

[Leonthemoneygiver (Earth): Bro, I’m all for the streamer giving you some change, but even I think selling a triple A pass to one of the top celebrities in the universe is extreme.]

[Sparesomechangebro (Earth): Hmph, fair enough.]

”What’s the deal with this side-quest?” Adam asked.

[Beczontop (Imperial Down): I told Lorelie about what the pirates said on the stream, as that evidence will help her. I think you also know how. As for why Tess placed the side quest, it’s because a viewer can only place one quest at a time.]

”Fair enough. I accept.” 

[[Side-quest accepted]]

[StealthAssassin9 (Earth): How would the streamer know that this is useful?]

[AlamoMatador4thewin (Earth): Idiot, it’s obviously so that they can get that person arrested.]

”FUUUCCCCKKK it’s finally over.” The pirate that had been complaining the entire time suddenly said over the open comms.”

”About time, I was getting sick of your moaning.”

”Fuck you, let’s just head back and tell them there was nothing out here, like expected.”

”Sure.”

Spector’s sensors showed that the pirates suddenly made a sharp turn and started to increase speed. Adam piloted Spector to follow while maintaining distance.

As the pirates were heading back to their base, Adam had to carefully pilot Spector between several other groups of pilots patrolling the asteroid field so as to stay undetected.

Eventually, Spector’s sensors showed the pirates heading straight for an asteroid that was larger than those around it before their signals suddenly disappeared.

[Prestigious3horns (Vinox 2): They dropped off the sensors.]

[Handsome3horns (Vinox 2): Where did they go?]

[Beinglittleisnotadisadvantage (Strathorp 7): Either they crashed or their base is on that asteroid.]

”It’s not on the asteroid, it’s inside it,” Adam said as he brought the Spector around a smaller asteroid nearby and stopped letting them all see that there was a large carved-out section in the large asteroid. And within this section was a base.

The base had many buildings on different levels that backed onto the asteroid, while there were several landing pads sticking out from the carved section of the asteroid.

[Devil_Prince_Asura (Deverinian 9): Damn, they built a base inside the asteroid, no wonder it remained undetected.]

[Beinglittleisnotadisadvantage (Strathorp 7): Those pirates spoke the truth; it would take the sensors of a cruiser-sized ship or bigger to detect this.]

”Spector, can you scan the base?” Adam asked.

”Affirmative, however, it would likely give away our position, seeing as we are so close,” Spector replied.

”Best not then, we still need to report this to the Mercenary Hall, note the asteroid’s location and predict its path through space for the next few months and let’s get out of here.”

”Affirmative.”

Adam turned the Spector away and headed quietly out of the area, careful to avoid any pirates that were patrolling the area.

[StealthAssassin9 (Earth): Aww, I was hoping for some action.]

[Gunlovergirl (Earth): Idiot, couldn’t you tell he was on a recon mission. He needs to get the intel back to the Mercenary Hall.]

[Whostolemyduck (Earth): Can he trust them, though? We know there is someone on Palaxia working with the pirates, and they knew about the job posting to scan for minerals.]

[DeverinianLordMalacoss (Deverinian 9): The Mercenary Hall and Bounty Hunter Guild are organisations separate from any one planet or Galaxy, they have branches all over the universe. They may work with a planet’s police and defence force that they have branches stationed on on but they don’t work for them.]

[Superior4horns (Vinox 3): Also, don’t forget that job postings are not that difficult to find out, pay a merc a few credits, and they will check a job that’s within their rank for you.]

[Superhearofangirl (Earth): It’s always about the money, even out in space it seems.]

[Superior4horns (Vinox 3): Well, people need to eat, and most won’t consider the consequences when the request is as simple as checking if a job is available and its details.]

After Adam got far enough away from the pirate base, he had Spector end covert mode and return to normal running before he continued his mineral scan. 

Since he didn’t have much of his designated section left to scan, he figured he should get it done before the Palaxia defence force or whoever dealt with the pirates blocked access to this section of the asteroid field.

[Ending Stream]

Once he was finished, he left the asteroid field before entering FTL and returned to Palaxia. After Adam got clearance and landed on Palacis, he headed straight for the Mercenary Hall.

As he entered, shouts of ”Hey, rookie” and ”Here to buy us another round?” Broke out amid loud laughter.

Adam smiled at the boisterous mercs as he made his way towards Lizzie, who was working behind one of the counters.

”Hey, Adam, finished the jobs already?” Lizzie asked with a smile.

”Kinda, I finished the minerals scan, but I ran into a … development with regard to the pirates,” Adam replied.

”Oh? Tell me what happened.” Lizzie said with interest.

”Better to show you,” Adam replied as he sent the mineral scan report along with photos, audio recordings of the pirates’ conversations and the location of the pirate base.

Lizzie looked at the mineral scan and, after finding it all in order, moved to the photos before she froze as a look of surprise formed on her beautiful face.

”But this is.” She began by saying, ”Wait here.” After which she turned and headed through a door behind the counters.

”What did you ask her out and get shot down, rookie?” Frank asked, causing the surrounding mercs to burst into laughter again.

”Not quite,” Adam responded.

”Don’t sweat it, rookie, you might be kinda plain looking, but I’m sure someone desperate enough will take you. Hahahaha.”