“You know we can make your life a true hell now, right? The single reason I’ve even allowed you your life is due to the benefit you could bring. This is the second time you’ve threatened my Lord though, Assassin.”

Lord? The Hell did he mean by that? I raised a brow at him before turning to regard the man who had planned to kill Nova. I felt anger rising within me again but beat it down as savagely as I could. I did not doubt that I would shoot this fucker in the near future, but he should be shown that his actions have rather drastic consequences.

The door opened a bit after that, Hiko stayed silent with his little smirk while Fernando did his version of bad cop. Hika was led in by Georgie, Trenton hot on the Marines heels. I doubted Trenton was going to let me so much as piss alone anymore after that fiasco. I still wondered how the man had been knocked out at all but chopped it up to the Assassin having some freaky abilities that no one understood.

He looked at Hika when she entered the room, a slim metal collar around her neck drew his eyes instantly. His smirk faltered a bit. Good, the little fucker just realized his greed might cost him something he cared about. “Sit her in that corner and stand beside her you too,” I told my guards.

The collar was a little surprise I’d had Caspian working on and had gotten ahold of Georgie, informing her to wait for it to be delivered and then attach it to her neck. The collar was a bomb. I’d had Caspian stripping some of the grenades for the Condor’s and create those things. They broke every law I could ever think of back on Earth, but I was tired of being jerked around when I’d been polite to people who had tried to kill me. The collar Hika wore was unique as well. It required a daily code that changed with a random algorithm that could only be entered after a DNA check. Fernando and I were the only two able to do it.

The woman in question was silent; she had been informed just what the collar was and exactly why she was now sporting the explosive fashion statement. The collar was explained to Hiko, and I saw him lose his cool for the first time. He began to sputter and point while speaking in what I think was Japanese or some other fucking language I couldn’t understand while Hiko looked like she was going to try very hard not to explode.

“You cannot do this! We had a deal!” was finally uttered by the Assassin and I smiled a bit grimly at him. “Wrong, we had plans for a deal. A deal you threw out the window when you threatened both myself and one of my people. Now, this is our deal. You do what I fucking tell you, or she dies in front of you. Then I will fucking lock you up in a room with no exit alone with her corpse to slowly starve to death.” I paused, getting a sick sense of pleasure from his look of horror and realization at just what he had caused.

I’m not sure what he expected, as an Assassin this shouldn’t have been that odd an outcome, but it was like he merely expected him to be punished. I admit that before I might never have done something as demented as blackmail, hostage holding, and cruel displays but that was before Nova. The silence stretched, and I asked him a question. “Have I made myself clear?” If looks could kill I’d likely have died on the spot, but he nodded his head one, sharply, and growled out a “Crystal” before we moved on. He would be placed under surveillance for a few days and then turned loose on my enemies with the constant threat of his sister being turned into goop if he betrayed me.

Twenty minutes later, Fernando, Trenton and I were moving outside the Barracks. Instead, they were walking; I was being rolled, to my great shame, by Andy still. Georgie had taken Hika to her cell which now had about triple the Marines placed around it with orders to open fire on anyone who didn’t have a set password. My people had been told to steer away from the cell unless directly ordered by myself or Fernando as well.

We were met by Green just as we left the building. She was breathing heavily, no doubt from her near sprint to catch us and I felt my stomach drop. I knew exactly what she wanted, and I wasn’t looking forward to the conversation.

“Damian! Wait! I need to speak with you about that ship! I want it, and I will do anything to obtain it for the Medical Department, even give you my own body, so long as you never tell beefcake anyway, but moving on! Give it to me, and I will ensure our people never want for medical aid, training, and advancement!”

Wait, did she just fucking offer to whore herself out to me for that ship? Oh please tell me I misheard that part. Judging by the shocked look on Fernando though, I had not misheard. I started coughing a bit, trying to ignore that implication. She was a beautiful woman, but I was a wee bit concerned for whoever fucked her. I had a feeling her pillow talk was deadly.

Social Mission, Green’s Advancement! - Grant Doctor Green ownership of Star Base Mobile to specialize it for medical use. The building will lose its mobile function but gain advanced medical equipment equal to what is available toward the end of the franchise of games. Research Material will be provided for Green to advance in chosen fields; this includes minor amounts of Protoss technology.

Rewards - Gain increased medical treatment options, improved Medic training techniques as well as research abilities. The building will specialize in ground-based healing Unit production.

The message kind of saved me from having to respond, though she had never stopped talking and I was choosing to ignore the odd talk about red edible panties. The woman was frightening in some ways; this just added a new method to it. Whoever ‘Beefcake’ was would probably be subjected to her wiles in the near future. I prayed for his soul.

Trenton was looking off into the distance, seemingly at ease with the conversation. The fact he had his visor down and was actively twitching showed that to be a wrong assumption though. Fernando just looked at Green in an odd display of horror and admiration. He respected the woman. I just wanted this increasingly naughty and disturbing conversation that now involved my genitals to end.

“Fine! Dear God woman, you win! Please stop talking about whips and skin suits!” I said that aloud because she actually stopped talking and looked at me in confusion and then beamed radiantly. If not for the fact she just subjected all three of us to the filth of the highest verbal and imaginary caliber I might have even said it was innocent. I now knew better. Shivering a bit, the confirmation came through, and Green did an odd little jump for joy before rushing toward the Barracks. She was going to move all her people aside from those caring for Nova in a mass exodus to the Star Base that was steady...shrinking? The fuck? I’ll look at the message in a moment. At least the bloody things descent seemed controlled and able.

Congratulations Player! You have specialized the Star Base Mobil into a Medical Facility under the control of Doctor Green!

Doctor Green has become a Hero Unit!

Attention Player! Do to Doctor Green becoming a Heroic Unit you have gained the following bonuses.

Increased Medical Research by five percent. Xenobiological Research paths opened. All Medics trained at the new facility are ranked Spec Ops Medic’s

Congratulations Player! You have gained the facility - Green’s Sanctuary.

Green’s Sanctuary - A medically specialized Star Base under the control of Hero Unit: Doctor Green. All Medic Units trained at this facility will be ranked at Spec Ops level. All research performed here has an additional five percent chance of improving medical technology. The facility can build ground-based mechanical units capable of providing extra healing to your soldiers. -WARNING - Green’s Sanctuary has lost all mobile features.

I tried very hard to ignore Green becoming a Hero because of this. Mostly because it meant I knew jack shit about special people becoming Heroes. At least it came with some bonuses though; maybe I’d be able to get a joint project with Swann and Green on those Predators for something even more useful in the future. I looked at Andy who I had forgotten was with us. She seemed a little disturbed from Green’s little filth tirade back there. “Hey, Andy, I need you to get me back to the Command Center. Fernando, you need to join me. We have to discuss something important.”

When we arrived at the Command Center, I sent Andy away so I could avoid the tongue lashing she’d give me. When I was sure she was gone, I got to my feet, unsteadily, and smacked Trenton’s hand away when he tried to help me. “Stop that! I’m not an invalid.” When I could stand without falling on my ass, I regarded Fernando a bit and sighed.

“You’re leaving on some matter again, aren’t you sir?” I looked at him, surprised he had guessed what I was going to say. He smiled a bit ruefully and shrugged. “Your face, sir, it says it all. I won’t stop you, but I will be creating a detail with specific orders to keep you alive at all costs. Is that acceptable?”

I frowned when the Hell had he become so pliant? I nodded my head and then went about what I wanted him to do. “Fine, while I’m gone I need you to get The Orion and take the other Settlements. Start working with the local leaders you didn’t have to kill and building them up properly. Focus on the farming Settlements more than anything. We need food, as well as bodies for our forces. Duke and Swann will be busy with the Battlecruisers repair and train the personnel for them. I also want you to station some of your best outside of Nova’s room for me. I still don’t trust Hiko.”

“As you wish, sir. I will have the planet under our control by the time you return. I’ve already sent out conscription notices as well. Nothing that would cripple their populations just fifty per settlement right now. What about Green?” I shivered a bit when he said her name but shrugged.

“She’ll be busy for a while but do remind her that we need her Medics ready to move out quickly if we need them. Go ahead and build your detail for me, fifty men are all I can bring. Put the Predators in that detail as well. I need to test how effective they are before having Swann improve them.”

He saluted me, and after a moment or two longer he left the room. Trenton was the only one with me and followed me to get my armor on. It took me about half an hour to get everything situated with my inner circle while Fernando gathered the men and women who were joining me.

When I finally reached the Adjutant, I saw a rather impressive sight. The Marines were all my Imperial Guard. Each of them was already specialized twice now as well. I had made a few double specialized into attack and a few into healing. None were double specialized into ranged, I had a theme going and the mechanical units would take care of our ranged issue. Twenty-five Imperial Guard, five Predators, Two Condors and eighteen Medics. No Heroes would join me this time. Nova was out, Fernando was needed here, and Duke was busy building our fleet crews. Swann and Green weren’t combatants either, so neither of them were joining me.

Welcome, Commander! Your mission is ‘The Jacob’s Installation.’

Objectives

Gather all intel on Confederate Operations within the installation Keep Jim Raynor alive Do not kill any civilian scientists.

Bonus Objects

Discover anything about alien life forms. Unknown. Unknown.

Would you like to begin the mission?

I selected yes and was enveloped by the white light once again. Time to get this done and move forward. Here’s hoping things don’t go wrong.