As he stepped inside, Orion surveyed the command deck.
Commander Alara stood at the centre of the room beside Captain Swift.
Around them were several captains and majors, all gathered around a large tactical display.
The moment Orion entered, he felt it.
A few officers looked up, their faces tightening as their eyes landed on him. They looked at him with clear disgust and disapproval.
Orion didn't need anyone to explain it.
They hated mercenaries something many nobles do… even the poor ones.
They saw themselves above them because of their noble birth and family achievements, achievement which were notably not even theirs.
"Why is this mongrel here?" one of the majors asked, his voice sharp.
"Yes," another added. "This lowlife should be out there with his kind, not standing on the command deck."
Alara didn't raise her voice.
"Meet Orion Kord," she said calmly. "He has a standing PERSONAL contract with me now. Do well to welcome him."
Alara made sure to emphasize the personal in her words.
The room went quiet, but the tension stayed.
The officers turned back to the tactical map, continuing their discussion as if Orion were barely worth acknowledging beyond insults.
"Are we still waiting for reinforcements?" one major asked.
"Yes," Alara replied without looking away from the display.
"That could take a month… maybe more," another major said. "I don't think we can last that long."
"We will maintain this defensive position for now," Alara said, finally glancing at him. "That is an order."
She turned slightly.
"Captain Swift, send a message to the entire fleet, including the mercenaries. Maintain formation and hold position. We will wait for reinforcements." She paused. "Offer extra compensation if needed."
"Yes, Commander," Swift replied at once, began drafting the message and sent it without hesitation.
While all of this happened, Orion stayed quiet.
He sat on the steps leading from the entrance down toward the command table, watching everything.
He kept his posture loose, almost careless, playing into the image expected from a mercenary.
But from a simple scan he could tell that most of the Majors and captains were Beta-grade and some even Gamma-grade.
Looking at the battle map from where he was sitting, the force Alara had with her was small which was understandable since it was an exploration fleet.
Orion didn't recognize every ship model, but he could tell their shapes and roles easily enough.
At the centre of the formation in which he was sitting in was the command cruiser, Atlas.
Around it was 5 Helix cargo-class ships, followed by six destroyers.
Beyond them were twelve corvettes and a few hundred space fighters.
The mercenary fleet was larger in number, but far less organized.
They had hundreds of lightly armed scout-class ships, fifteen converted cargo ships fitted with weapons, and several dozen corvettes.
While their numbers were efficient, they were messy and unreliable.
Orion studied the battle plan.
The 'Atlas' stayed at the centre, protected by the cargo ships. The destroyers rotated positions with the mercenary cargo ships whenever one of them was close to being breached.
It was a constant exchange, designed to keep losses from becoming fatal.
Thankfully this formation was good since the enemy didn't fight like most fleets.
The Chrysalith attacked by launching hardened pods from their bioships.
Each pod carried soldier of the Chrysalith caste, and the shell of the pods were strong enough to slam into ship shields like weapons.
The damage on the shield was negligible, but their sheer numbers made them deadly.
Other times, if the bioships were close enough, they didn't bother shooting the pods at all, they simply rammed directly into enemy vessels and board them.
Now if a ship's shields were breached and boarded it usually took very little time for the chrysalith to over run it.
To make it worse, the pods that shattered or drifted uselessly in space weren't wasted.
Long, thick tentacles would extend from the bioships, collecting the remains and dragging them back to the broodmothers.
There, they were converted by broodmother to create more soldiers.
That made a battle of attrition almost impossible to win.
The fighters and corvettes had one main job… destroy as many pods as possible.
At the same time, the destroyers and other large ships focused their fire on the bioships.
But it was never that simple.
***
Commander Alara watched the battle unfold before her in space.
She honestly didn't know how long they could survive this.
At least resupply had arrived a little over a week ago. Without it, they would already be dead.
Alara turned her gaze away from the battlefield and looked down at the planet below.
'Should I destroy it?' she asked herself.
Under normal circumstances, she would have retreated and left the planet untouched.
But the creatures hidden within the ruins were a problem, if the Chrysalith ever reached them, it would be a disaster.
So far, the scientists onboard had been unable to gather any solid biological data.
All they knew was that the creatures were heavily mutated and letting them fall into Chrysalith hands was not an option.
Other than just create soldiers from biomass, chrysalith broodmothers could sometimes preserve the ability the biomass had while it was alive.
They could add traits from the species they consumed, ranging from shape, abilities, to weaknesses.
Sometimes even behaviour.
That was why no two swarms were ever the same and similar tactics may very well not be useful twice.
It was also why the Chrysalith had so many castes. Workers, winged workers, soldiers, spitters, royal guards, and more.
Alara remembered a report she had read years ago.
A massive hive had once fed on the carcass of a void leviathan.
The result was a swarm that could survive and move in space which made them nearly impossible to destroy.
And the creatures in the ruins below showed signs of unstable mutations.
If the Chrysalith gained even one unknown ability from them, it would be a nightmare.
Destroy the planet or protect it.
In the end, she made her decision.
She would hold the line until reinforcements arrived.
Her fleet would make sure no broodmother reached the surface and if help did not arrive within a few weeks, she would destroy the ruins and retreat.
'Thankfully, these bastards haven't found those creatures yet,' Alara thought.
She was counting on the fact that the organisms were difficult to locate and buried deep within the ruins.
All she had to do now was stop any broodmother from being dropped to the ground.
Suddenly, Orion's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Commander Alara, since I'm of no use here, I don't mind heading out to join the pilots."
Alara looked at him, from his expression she knew exactly what he was implying.
"Fine," she said. "You will be properly compensated for this service."
"Since I have lost my ship, I want to keep the ship I fight in," Orion said immediately.
"Preposterous," one of the majors snapped.
'This fucker…' Orion thought before he snapped back at the major.
"Well then go out there and fight, you fat fuck," Orion shot back without hesitation.
"You…!" The major lurched forward, but Alara's voice cut through the room.
"Stay your place, Major," she said coldly. "Or I will charge you with insubordination during wartime."
The major froze.
He knew he wasn't on Alara's side, and he also knew she would not hesitate to remove him if given a reason.
Slowly, he reluctantly stepped back and stayed silent.
Alara held his gaze for a moment longer, almost daring him to move, when he didn't, she turned back to Orion.
"Mr. Kord," she said, "I can't accept your price directly. However, if you contribute meaningfully and score enough confirmed kills, I won't mind granting you one ship of your choice."
She paused.
"Within a budget, of course."
Orion smiled slightly.
"Very well, Commander. That sounds good enough for me."
Commander Alara watched Orion leave but something else was bothering her, 'How did the Chrysaliths find us?'