Chapter 608 - 608 Giant Payday and New Award

The Intrepid reentered regular space and the sight of the capital system was displayed on the viewscreen.

Like the last time that Avery was here, the system was bustling with more activity than he had seen anywhere else.

Large convoys of cargo vessels and passenger transports were coming and going basically every second. Delivering goods and people to and from the system.

However, there was a notably difference compared to last time.

While the Dramid System always had high levels of security to keep the Alliance's seat of power protected, there were now almost twice as many Alliance Police patrols to keep order.

With a war going on, most places had fewer ships to guard them, but the cpatial was an exception.

Though most of the fighting was occurring along the border between the Dramid Alliance and Zatis Consortium, it was expected that spies would sneak behind enemy lines to cause damage to core systems.

Any advantage either side could obtain would be seized.

"Your weapon systems are confirmed to be locked down, and you are cleared for departure. Make sure to avoid causing any trouble. Any infractions will be met with swift judgment under the law."

"Also, on a personal note, I'd like to thank you for your efforts and congratulate you on receiving such a prestigious award. You've done a great service for the Dramid Alliance."

After the Alliance Police Commander who had been running a security check on the Intrepid was finished, he began praising Avery and his crew for what they had accomplished against the Odium Syndicate and Zatis Consortium.

It was no secret any longer that he had been sent undercover by Cerise Gunvald, and that his efforts were going to see him receiving the Golden Cross of Heroism.

The second highest military award given out in the Dramid Alliance, and something only fourteen other living recipients held.

There had been talks of giving Avery the Platinum Cross, but ultimately it was decided that his overall achievements were not quite enough to warrant receiving the highest award.

Something Avery was fine with, as his notoriety was already growing plenty after his recent achievements.

He did not want to become too famous too quickly, as that would come with certain problems Avery would rather avoid for now.

Perhaps in the future he would not mind sharing the same award that Cerise had, but that would be something to look forward to later.

Preferably around the time he made the jump to seven star mercenary.

If things worked out of course. There would need to be the right opportunity to prove himself if he wanted to advance further.

Still, with the current turmoil going on and the near endless trouble Avery often found himself in, he had no doubt that he and his Mercenary Company would have plenty of chances to distinguish themselves in the future.

Having properly entered the cpatial system, Avery directed the Intrepid's helmsman to plot a course towards their first destination.

Before anything else, they were heading towards the largest Alliance Police station in the system other than the headquarters located on the planet Dramid.

They were scheduled to collect the truly staggering sum of Krenin that they earned from working for Cerise.

Normally the money would have just been transferred to the Asteria Mercenary Company's account but considering that the payment was going to be several billion Krenin, everything was going to be finalized in person.

When they arrived, only Avery, Jasmine, and Ezra took a shuttle over to the station.

Once they had landed, an officer greeted them and led them to the office of the vice chief who was in charge of the entire station.

"It's good to meet you, Avery Asteria. I'm Vandross Furnor. I've heard a lot about you from Cerise."

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well. What you've heard about me is good, I'm hoping?" Avery said as he shook the man's hand.

"Mostly. Cerise did have a few complaints about you pulling stunts that got her blood pressure up, but I think that your accomplishments speak for themselves."

After Vandross had finished greeting Avery, Jasmine, and Ezra, he moved right along to the main reason for their meeting. He could tell how eager his guests were to receive the payment that they were owed.

"I understand that you had a contract with Cerise, but the top brass of the Alliance Police have determined that the terms of payment were not acceptable for the work that you provided."

Hearing this, Avery frowned and was about to open his mouth to start arguing.

However, Vandross held up his hand to stop him and quickly explained what he meant.

"Sorry, perhaps I should have worded that better. What I meant to get across is that you'll be paid more than the amount specified in the contract. For everything you accomplished, it's been determined that your company went above and beyond the terms of the agreement between you and Cerise Gunvald."

Vandross began listing their achievements, putting heavy emphasis on their practically annihilating the Odium Syndicate, and striking decisive blows against an enemy flagship during a major battle. Which ultimately led to the Dramid Alliance scoring a major victory over the Zatis Consortium.

"For your services and great acts of valor supporting the Alliance Police, it's been decided that the Asteria Mercenary company will be awarded eight billion Krenin."

Avery's brain felt like it was short circuiting for a moment when he heard the staggering amount the Alliance Police was going to be paying them.

After doing some calculations with Kasandra, Jasmine, and Liesel, the four of them had estimated that they would probably receive around five billion Krenin.

Already a staggering sum, but far from the amount Avery's mercenary company was going to be receiving.

'With that much I could get like twelve more vessels on a similar level to the Intrepid. This feels almost unreal for how much we earned on a single job.' Avery thought, a look of disbelief on his face even as he stared at the official documents that Vandross had presented them with.

Of course, not all of the money belonged to him.

He had a crew to pay, and a lot of them had earned substantial bonuses beyond their base salaries.

Nevertheless, Avery expected that around twenty-five to thirty percent of the money would go directly to his bank account. Giving him plenty of funds for what he planned to do next.

Alongside Jasmine and Ezra, Avery reviewed all of the documents Vandross presented them with before signing.

Fortunately, everything was clearcut and there were not any hidden clauses to be worried about.

Not that Avery had expected the Alliance Police to do something so shady, but one could never be too careful.

"I'm honestly surprised that this was approved. I know that the accounting department can be stingy at times. Especially with a war going on that's not doubt quite costly." Jasmine commented once the last document was signed.

"Ah, they did complain a little at first. Though, considering that the former head of the department sold information on you to an Odium Syndicate executive, they were unable to offer much resistance. I for one am of the opinion that paying our contractors generously when they do good work is better overall than saving a few Krenin here and there."

Having completed their objective and confirming that the payment had been transferred to the Asteria Mercenary Company's account, Avery, Jasmine, and Ezra took their leave.

While Vandross seemed to be an affable person and was happy chatting with them, they did have other places to be.

Avery and several other members of his team were set to receive awards at a ceremony the following day.

Luckily, everything went smoothly despite an air of danger surrounding the ceremony.

Considering that there were other mercenaries and Alliance Police officers being recognized, many for decisive actions against the Zatis Consortium, it had not been out of the question that the award ceremony would be targeted.

"And now we have the man of the hour. Among all the awards given today, he is the only one receiving the prestigious Gold Cross of Heroism. Avery Asteria, please come up an accept this monumental award." The host of the ceremony said.

Tamping down his nerves because of all of the eyes focused on him, Avery made his way to the center of the raised stage and waited for the medal to be pinned on his coat.

He was already wearing the Silver Cross he had earned for taking down a juvenile queen energy lifeform, showing that this was not the first time that the Dramid Alliance was recognizing him.

Still, the difference between the two awards was monumental despite there only being one tier of difference between them.

It took a truly substantial accomplishment to receive a Gold Cross, as seen by how few other individuals were recipients of the award.

After the medal was pinned, Avery was motioned towards the podium where he said a few planned words expressing his gratitude for the recognition.

When he was finished the crowd erupted in cheers and clapping, though there were a few envious looks from some of the other mercenaries in the crowd.

With the final award having been presented, the ceremony soon wrapped up, and everyone present was directed to attend a reception if they wished.

Except, while Avery was urged to join, he and the rest of his team departed without sticking around.

Not only did Avery want to avoid the annoyance of socializing with a bunch of people he did not know, but he also had something more important to attend to.

It was time for him to head to the Mercenary Association's main branch and receive his promised rank advancement.