The Envoys all got comfortable in their seats while Max sent over the data they had collected on the Blarg and the leads they had gained on the possible Klem origins in the region.
"Forget the Klem infestation. Does this data really show that an incurious species is starting to develop true curiosity? It looks like they're not quite there yet, but this is huge news. I don't think I've ever seen it in person, though I know of a couple of species that had evolved that way, like the Dryads, who used to be forest spirits before they evolved into one of the Curious species." The Valkia commented.
"It shocked us as well. We had a minor misunderstanding at the start, but they were hospitable enough, and as you see there, they even requested specific new things to try simply because they were different from anything that they had tried before.
It is possible that they are going to attempt a coup within the next few decades, though. Their curiosity conflicts with the rigid structure of their society in a major way." Max agreed.
"Fortunately, that's not my problem. We have more information for you as well. Your next stop is at a space station, where a large number of questionable deals are made. As a Reaver, you would be perfect for that position, and we won't question your purchases as long as they're not outright illegal, but there is a chance there for you to gain some notoriety within the Alliance.
They hold an underground fighting arena there, and while the results aren't public knowledge, the sorts of businessmen who might know the answers we need will be there, and they might be willing to deal with you once you have proven yourself to be worthy of their attention.
A small Company, especially one that specializes in perfectly legal and legitimate products, wouldn't do much to change their minds, but the fighters that can excel in the arena are highly respected." The Valkia explained.
That wasn't a bad option. Max read the data that they sent to him quickly and saw basically what he expected. A black-market station with a boxing arena, but for multiple species. The fights weren't to the death, just to knock out, so it wasn't anything too extreme, and a few matches could get him some respect for his strength.
Perhaps especially for his strength. Compared to most organic species, Max was a monster, and his comically overpowered physique went mostly unused in his daily life.
"I will look up the species that are on the roster for the fights and make sure that it wouldn't be a suicide mission. Making a spectacle of myself wouldn't help our cause at all. But I'm sure that we can find a good reason to stop in at the station for a bit while we are studying the traces in the region.
Trying to find a ship near a busy spaceport would be a lost cause, but there is a chance that we might be able to detect hints of Klem Biomass if one of the ships had come into contact with the pods or had been on the surface of an infested planet.
We will have to be a bit more covert about our scans, though, since we don't want to enrage an entire space station when we're just passing through." Max agreed.
"Just be aware that the fights are usually in uniforms and between crew members, so you can expect that they will have some sort of armour, despite weapons being banned. Full Conversion Cyborgs or mechanical beings are prohibited as well.
The Alliance has very little experience with something like Nico, and the rules regarding them usually lump them in with Androids, which aren't seen as a fair opponent since they feel no pain and can fight through so much damage." The Envoy added.
"That's fine. I'm sure she will pout, but she can take care of Annabelle while I gather information aboard the station."
The group all looked at the Innu Envoy, then back at Max. "Are you sure it's wise to leave those two unattended together?"
Even the Illithid was doing his best not to laugh at that one.
Nico stuck her head in the door with a smile. "Oh, ye of little faith. Don't worry. I'll keep our little research assistant out of trouble, no matter how much fun a good fight sounds like."
Her thoughts suspiciously went blank after that, and Max knew that she was using her System Functions to hide something from him, but honestly, he wasn't shocked. He had just mentioned getting into a fight while she was left to babysit, so there was definitely some sort of a plan brewing in that brain of hers that didn't involve idly sitting by aboard the ship.
It might involve going to the station with Annabelle or even weaselling their way into the fights to watch him, but there would definitely be something in her mind that wasn't a quiet afternoon aboard the ship.
Major Miller took out a tablet with his notes and forwarded them to Max. "We have news from the ground as well. Your rotational drops, while using burning biodiesel as bait, have been a grand success. The Cutters sprayed the bait around the edge of the perimeter while the Mecha airdropped in at their set positions, and the initial advancement is moving five percent faster than estimated numbers, with very minimal damage to the Mecha.
In addition, the first battle for the Company Commanders in charge of the Android Army seems to be a great success. Strategizing has proven to be a two-way street, and humans are taking logical advice from the Androids while adding their skills with improvisation to the mix in order to improve efficiency.
We are still in the early days, but it looks like this will not only make for a more efficient army, but it will be an incredible training session for the unit commanders and make them better leaders than they were before."
"Perfect. Make sure you have good notes of the battle tactics and communications so that we can add them to the data for the Mecha training simulators. We're awfully short on actual combat data for a mixed human and android-piloted force." Max instructed.
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