Path to Becoming the Greatest Space Mercenary

"So, this is what the interior of your ship looks like. It's a lot cleaner and nicer than I was expecting."

Liesel curiously glanced around at the interior of the Dauntless as she entered the vessel.

Somehow, after stating that she would be joining Avery's team, she had weaseled her way onto the ship.

Her co-pilot Casey would instead fly her own craft, and Kasandra needed to head to her own. Leaving Avery and Liesel alone together on the Dauntless.

"Are you really sure you want to do this so hastily? This is a pretty big decision." Avery said, a conflicted look on his face.

"This isn't really a big deal. Casey can handle a short flight through such a safe system fine, and I've really been interested in what this place looks like. Everything is state of the art, and even the amenities have been upgraded. Having lived with mercenaries my whole life, I can assure you that this place is a lot more luxurious than most mercenary vessels."

Liesel flashed Avery and impish grin, and he knew that she understood that getting onboard the Dauntless was not what he was referring to.

Despite being the one that had made the offer, he did not want her to regret it by jumping in without thinking about it.

That's why he had left and given her time to collect her thoughts.

When she had come running down the halls of the mercenary association building and suddenly accepted to join him, it had been surprising to say the least.

"You know full well that's not what I meant." Avery said with an exasperated sigh.

"Ah, so you're worried that I might be afraid that you'll lose control and jump on me. Honestly, I'd prefer it to be a bit more romantic, but I wouldn't mind." Liesel replied teasingly.

Avery did not say anything in response to this and merely glared at Liesel and waited for her to answer seriously.

"Fine, I'll give you the answer you want. It really wasn't hard to come to this conclusion when I really thought about what I want my life to be going forward."

Liesel then explained to Avery her thoughts and feelings.

Telling him a bit more about what sort of future she could expect if she returned home, and how it was not what she wanted.

Perhaps over time she would come to regret joining Avery, but for now at least, she felt that it was the right choice for her.

"Thanks. That takes a load off my mind. I didn't know if you felt like I was pressuring you, or if you had just done it in the spur of the moment without truly considering anything. Or maybe you were thinking of taking control of my group from the inside so that you could eventually return home with a strong force backing you." Avery said, voicing his worries.

"Wow, the first two I can understand, but that last one makes it sound like you think that I might be a real conniving b*tch. I'm hurt that you considered that I'm possible for something like that." Liesel said, in an exaggerated manner.

"That's just part of being a leader. Sometimes you need to consider awful possible scenarios even if they are a bit outlandish. Of course, I don't really believe that you'd do something like that. Now, I think that's enough for now. I don't want to keep the others waiting, so we can continue chatting in the cockpit once we get going."

Avery then led Liesel to the cockpit and motioned for her to sit at one of the supporter seats. Though Kasandra would no longer be his co-pilot going forward, that position would now be going to Jasmine instead. So, he did not want anyone else to sit there. Especially Liesel since Kasandra was already so wary of her and he did not want to invite any misunderstandings.

Once they had received permission to exit the hangar, Avery followed the directions towards the exit and came out into open space.

From there he laid in a course for Dramid.

After he had called off further investigation of the corruption within the Department of Education, the rest of his team had been taking break.

Some of them had just stayed at Azade's representative building and relaxed, while others had headed out towards tourist destinations or entertainment centers.

However, Jasmine had apparently been mostly trapped with Esmeralda.

Her aunt had wanted to catch up with Jasmine in a more personal manner, and the two of them had been talking through the day even when Esmeralda was supposed to be working. Much to the dismay of her staff.

"Okay, everything is set now, so if you've got any other questions for me, now's the time to voice them." Avery said, swiveling his chair so that he was facing Liesel while the autopilot flew the Dauntless to their destination.

"I guess that the most important thing is how I'm going to get paid. Right now I'm keeping about ninety percent of the profits from any jobs I do, and Casey takes the other ten percent. Which yes, I know is quite a bit above average for a co-pilot when I'm the sole owner of the ship."

"Right now, everyone's getting a percentage of the profits as pay, but I'm going to need to change that model soon. It works great with just a few people when everyone has their own vessels, but it'll become less practical as the force grows. For those with their own ships, I'm thinking of assigning a base percentage and then bonus pay for taking down pirates and looting cargo. We'll hold a meeting soon with all of the captains and other leaders soon to hammer out the details. Of course, you'll be invited to participate." Avery said, explaining his thoughts on the matter.

He made sure to assure Liesel that she would be receiving more than adequate pay for her work.

She may no longer have been getting ninety percent from each job, but with so many ships working together, there would be a lot more lucrative prospects available to them.

"Sure, that all sounds good to me. So long as I'm making at least as much as I already was, I won't have any complaints. Though obviously, more is always better."

"Don't worry. I've got plenty of plans to make a lot of money." Avery said, his lips turning up into a vicious smile.

Whether it be pirates or space monsters, anything that could be fought for a profit was on a mercenary's list of targets.

And with the forces behind him now, Avery's team could handle some truly high-profile and profitable jobs.

"With the most important subject out of the way, what about you and me?"

"What about us?" Avery responded bluntly.

"There's no need to be so cold. I may have been joking around about it a bit, but I do like you. I wouldn't mind getting to know you better and becoming closer."

Avery grimaced when Liesel brought the prospect of a relationship between the two of them up.

So far, he had been able to play off her words since they were obviously said in jest. Yet this time, she was clearly serious.

"Ouch, that's not the type of reaction that I was expecting. You know, most guys that I've met would be ecstatic if I showed interest in them."

Liesel pouted at Avery with her cheeks puffed up in in an adorable gesture despite the anger in her eyes.

Being a beautiful young woman, just about anything she did could be cute without her needing to try very hard.

Naturally, Avery did find her attractive, and if he did not already have two fiancées, he probably would have accepted her advances right away.

Except, he knew that doing so would put him on the fast track to a scolding from Kasandra and Jasmine.

Plus, with all the mention of him getting stabbed recently, he wanted to avoid any incidents that might lead to such an unwelcome outcome.

"I see, you don't find me alluring at all. With a woman like Kasandra already by your side, I suppose I can see why you wouldn't bother with someone like me." Liesel said, slumping over dejected.

"That not true! You're breathtakingly pretty. Ask anyone and I'm sur-"

Avery had instinctually started to comfort Liesel, but he quickly realized that he had been lured into a trap.

As soon as he started talking, she picked herself up and started grinning at him widely.

"So, you think that I'm pretty. Then I don't see any problem. You're quite handsome yourselves, and far more a gentleman than most mercenaries. You're basically the ideal partner for any woman in this line of work." Liesel said, genuinely praising Avery.

"That's beside the point. I'm already in a relationship with two women, and your still young. You've got plenty of time to look for a partner, and you might regret trying to pursue me. I don't think that it's a good idea."