Dark Fate, Chapter 76

Chapter 76 – Onboarding

Two hours later, I was out at my bait home, with the werewolf guards in attendance. I only officially owned one of the plots, plus the field behind it, but they had still ensured that the adjoining houses were kept clear and habitable, so finding someplace to put all my new minions wasn’t as big an issue as it otherwise would have been. Which was good, since portals had just opened in my ‘back yard’, and dumped all of my newly acquired minions and their gear out on the lawn.

Looking out at the crowd of Necrozians, Krils, Fimaazro, and Knelfi, I sent up a bolt of hellfire to get everyone’s attention. Thankfully, the wards we put up to keep the neighbors from getting too inquisitive would keep from noticing, as long as it was only this much. However, it was effective at getting all eyes on me.

“Greetings to you all. As of now, you are all my property. This is the bad news, as far as you’re concerned. The good news is that you are all going to be tasked with doing the things at which you are best, for someone who appreciates the skill and effort required in the task, and will be provided with the proper equipment to perform your duties.

“Now,” I said, as I looked over the crowd. “As you can see, there are four species groups, here. Two of these groups already have established hierarchies. The Necrozian Master and the former Captain of the Rithanshall come forward. For the Krils and the Fimaazro, choose quickly a representative to come forward.”

I could have just picked representatives, of course. But that was not a workable plan in the long run. Power structures and personal dynamics would naturally form in these groups, and I would have a lot fewer problems dealing with them if I worked with those groups and subverted them to following me, rather than trying to barrel through and force them to follow someone else in my name. I would, if I had to, but that would require more in-person management, or at least getting far more specific with the orders I gave. A clever slave would find loopholes, and could sabotage production. The last thing I needed was a disgruntled designer putting an unshielded exhaust port leading directly into the main reactor of a space station, so that it could be blown up by a fighter a fraction of its size.

While the civilian groups were selecting their leaders, I turned my attention to the two figures approaching me. The Necrozian was interesting. Humanoid in shape, with what looked like metal bones, and glowing green eyes, it certainly cut an imposing figure, like some kind of sci-fi undead cyborg skeleton. Which, in a way, I suppose it was. The Necrozians were a race of quasi-undead, with their minds inhabiting cybernetic frames of living metal, supposedly having some way of regenerating from wounds that would be deadly to others. A pity that their rank and file were little better than mindless drones.

Nehera

Necrozian   Master

Level 49   Overseer / Magitech Engineer

Titles:   Genius, Slave

Highest   Attribute: INT

Market   Value: 12500 gp

Nehera, the Master controlling my Necrozians, was roughly seven feet tall, and his… carapace, for lack of a better word, was far more ornamental than those of my other Necrozians. His head was more ornamental, and it, along with parts of his chest and arms, was gilded, like it was armor, though that only made the collar around his throat more obvious. A skirt of sorts made of interlocking metal scales draped in front like a loincloth, and trailed behind like a cape. In one hand, he held an orb that seemed to be crystal, but I could tell it was not so, as it glowed with a green light. In his other hand, he held a high-tech scythe, with wires running from the shaft to the curved head, which was edged in that same sickly green light.

Kylantha Elalana

Knelfi   Female

Level   30 Gunslinger / Leader

Titles:   Captain, Slave

Highest   Attribute: WIS

Market   Value: 66000 gp

The Knelfi, on the other hand, were space elves. Not like Vulcans, where they only had slightly longer ears than a normal human did. These were more like Blood Elves, with long, swept ears that had to be at least five or six inches long. Definitely not something you could just hide under a headband.

Captain Elalana was wearing simple grey clothes. Shirt, pants, and shoes, all matching. That, and the collar around her neck. From what I could see, all her people were in the same situation. Still, she’d at least attempted to straighten her long, blonde hair, and there was defiance in her glowing green eyes, that was only slightly hampered by the way that she was clearly struggling with Earth’s gravity. I didn’t have to worry about any of the Knelfi trying to run away on foot, that much was certain.

I nodded to each of them. “Very well, while the others sort out their hierarchies, I wanted to get you both on board, so you can spread this information to the others as you see fit. As you can imagine, I have spent a great deal of coin, gathering all of you here, especially since I managed to get all of your former crew together, Captain, instead of letting you be broken up, never to see each other again. This, obviously, means that I have plans.

“You are now standing on Earth.” I saw the recognition in their eyes. “Yes, the planet that spent so long without the System that the native intelligent species spent its entire evolution without it. A species that, without the System to cheat things along, is still bound to its home planet, without anything in the way of space-based defenses.”

Captain Elalana nodded slowly. “With respects, Master, I see you have a Oscuns-class sitting here, and in good repair. I can understand why you picked my crew and I, since we have experience with that kind of ship. But I hope you know that a single ship will not make an effective defense force. Even if you had one of the powerful superdreadnoughts of the Great Horde, that would only do so much.”

I smiled, for a couple reasons. First, there was the little fact that I did have a superdreadnought of the Great Horde, ready for my command. It was just that I did not have a crew for it, and was not ready to add a few thousand slaves to my portfolio. Not until I was better established, or had some kind of partnership in place.

And second, I was quite pleased that this slave was willing to speak her mind. She showed her intelligence, figuring out what my plans were, but she also pointed out problems, which could have ended badly for her, if her master was a more insecure sort. Fortunately, she was just what I needed at the moment.

“And you would be right, Captain Elalana. But this world has already been visited by pirates once. We quietly took care of them, and kept them from running away to tell anyone about us, but, eventually, others will come. And I can’t rely on them falling for the same traps that the kovalds did. However, a trained crew for the Hellspawn could turn it into quite the pirate hunter, buying the time needed to get proper defenses in place.

“Which,” I said as I turned to Nehera, is where you, and the other Necrozians come in. Through the System, I have purchased a Stage 1 Necrozian Shipyard. To go with it, I also got you, minions to work the shipyard, and warriors to help defend it. So, you’ll be building ships, which can then be put to the defense of this planet, or used as armed merchantmen, depending on the design.”

The Necrozian’s metal face betrayed no emotion, but I thought I heard a bit of curiosity in its metallic voice. “Armed? Most freighters are barely armed.”

“Any ship that you build for me will be armed, I assure you, and armed well enough that a pirate will think twice before taking them on alone. I have no interest in allowing my ships to feed a pirate’s coffers. So, the ships will be armed, because the first step to not becoming a pirate’s victim is to shoot them before they can shoot you.”

Raddir Broadshoulder

Krils Male

Level 20   Brawler / Miner

Titles:   Slave

Highest   Attribute: CON

Market   Value: 6500 gp

Guse  Shumis

Fimaazro   Female

Level   30 Overseer / Bureaucrat

Titles:   Efficient, Slave

Highest   Attribute: INT

Market   Value: 45000 gp

By this point, the Krils and Fimaazro representatives showed up. The Krils male was squat, and broad-shouldered, like most of his people, standing about four and a half feet tall, but being a full three feet wide if he was an inch. He was wearing comfortable, well-made work clothes. Well, they were well-made in terms of practicality. They didn’t have much (or anything, honestly) in the way of frills or anything that didn’t enhance their utility. A simple getup for a simple man.

Though the Krils had a gravity belt around his waist, I could tell that it was not, actually, on at the moment, which made sense. The Krils were a race that sprang up from a heavy gravity world. That gave them their stockiness and vitality, but it also left them a little hard to control when they hadn’t had something to keep them on the level in a while.

I nodded his way. “The materials for the shipyards and the manufactories will come from the miners, who will have mining rigs purchased directly from the System, rather than having whatever pile of scrap turned up. This will allow the Necrozians to keep up production, making the Hellspawn’s crew have an easier time of it.”

I turned to the Fimaazro, who was definitely looking like a catgirl, but one of the ones with an actual feline face, rather than an anime catgirl. She was dressed in an alien version of what looked for all the world to be a business suit. The collar she wore stuck out like a sore thumb, since it was the only thing not tailored expressly to fit.

“And the designs and parts to be used in construction will be made on a manufacturing station I have procured for you and yours to operate. So, ore and materials that the miners collect will be brought to the refineries and manufacturers on the station, and finished products and processed goods will be brought to the shipyards for construction and assembly, or sold back to Earth, and eventually other worlds, so that I get a return on this investment.

“Any questions?”

“Um, yes, Master,” the Fimaazro said, raising her hand. “Why would you go to all this expense, without a guarantee of return? Purchasing that kind of equipment, and this many slaves, must have cost millions of gold. Why do something like that?” She paused, and then said, “Also, some of us wanted to know why you let us choose who represented us?”

“Second answer first. It was a test to see whether there would be any power struggles or instant personality clashes. And I would rather have happy workers, operating by the spirit and intent of my orders, rather than ones who are maliciously complying. There is too much at stake.

“Which leads into the first question. Why am I doing this? Because I like this planet. I was born here, and most of my stuff is here. I’m not going to let some alien pirates come in and wreck the place, not when I can just start murdering anyone who gets those kinds of ideas. But to properly murder them, I need to have defenses in place, so that I can be sure that I can reach out and grab the pirates by their throats whenever they enter the system. Whether I kill them or enslave them depends upon my mood and how fast they are to surrender. But most of them will die.”

“Hear, hear.” Captain Elalana muttered. When I looked at her, she blushed, and said, “Um, I mean ‘Well said, Master’.”

I nodded, and said, “The space-based assets will be in place tomorrow, local time, thanks to the System, along with some shuttles to start sending people out there to work them. For the rest of today, however, I have food for those that can eat. Actual food, not ration packs or whatever slop people usually serve slaves. And for our Necrozians, well, I have a collection of literature for you, Nehera, and the warriors under your command will be able to train with some of the local fighters.

“Now, spread the word to your people, so they know the score.”