"So, you don't intend to interfere in internal issues or issue governance guidance for members?" The Mercenary Commander asked.
"No, we only intend to ensure that international incidents stop. There are too many humans for one leadership group to work for the benefit of everyone, but if we can stop the interstellar wars, we can expand our trade into the Alliance after some time.
They turned down our application once already, as humans were too violent and unrestrained to be deemed civilized, but we can change that and bring our Galaxy up to the standard where other Galaxies will at least trade with us." Max explained.
"The invincible ships? Now that's a lofty goal. No wonder the Reavers are taking action with that sort of trade Market up for grabs." The big man laughed, understanding the driving motivation behind Max's push to expand their group.
"It's a long way in the future, but the first step is to stop our people from going to war with each other. The Reavers plan to do that by bringing everyone up to a higher standard of living, where there simply won't be so much of a need to fight over resources. The Trade Group will do that by cornering the market with an overwhelming force of numbers until nobody dares to start a war."
That made sense to the Mercenaries, and if they weren't going to interfere in internal matters, it meant that it wouldn't mess with their business, which wasn't international war but domestic issues and security.
"Try the Rum. We've gone too long without Rum." The Station Commander called from a seat in the back since his bosses had taken the seats up front.
"Where are my manners? Of course, there is Rum." Nico laughed, bringing out an entire pushcart full of matching liquor bottles.
"Fresh from the Replicators. Have a drink and look over the agreement. Ask us anything that you have concerns about, and we will work with you." Max told the group.
"Do the Reavers really have Warp 10 capable vessels? I heard a rumor, but that's all it is. A rumor." One of the Captains asked.
"We are using them to deploy our Mecha here aboard Terminus. Would you like a speed test?" Nico offered on behalf of the crew.
"Seriously? Isn't this a Colony Ship?" Commander Arnold asked.
"It's far more than that. We have added facilities for intergalactic vacationers, and we carry the firepower to keep our interests safe. It wouldn't make any sense for the Reavers to send a ship forward to make deals if we couldn't deal with the fallout if a deal didn't work out." Max replied.
"Let's just take them to the hangar. Let them see the First Battalion in person, and it should answer all of the concerns about our capability." Nico suggested.
That would definitely work. It would reveal their military might sooner than Max had intended to, but it would silence all the critics at once if they saw the Mecha force that Terminus could deploy. The Mercenaries would see it sooner or later. Not every deal would go so smoothly, and there were other threats out here that they had to deal with, including various species as vicious as the Klem but not as widespread.
"Field trip, everyone. Get up and follow us." Commander Arnold declared, taking charge of the Mercenary forces and leaving Max no room to refuse the demonstration.
Max bristled a little at the other man issuing orders aboard his vessel, but he was only directly ordering the Mercenaries, not the staff of Terminus. That was where Max would draw the line.
The First Battalion's Cutter was only a few bays down, so Max walked the whole entourage down the hallways as Nico elaborated on the design elements of the new vessels that the Reavers were making, getting everyone ready for the reveal of the Cutter.
The Company was loaded aboard the ship already, in preparation for emergency deployment, so they would reveal the Mecha second after the Mercenaries had a moment to take in the outer appearance of the high-speed ship.
"And this is the home of the First Company. Excuse their mess. I can see that they have been tinkering with their toys." Nico welcomed everyone to the hangar. Their repair team had been doing a few bits of maintenance while they waited, so there were some Light Mecha in the new pattern, which none of the Mercenaries had seen before, sitting out on the repair racks.
Nico ignored that, though, and introduced everyone to the Cutter itself, going over the performance and storage capabilities.
"We also have a pure trade version available, with smaller facilities for the crew, and a slightly larger hull, giving fifty percent more capacity, with no loss of speed or maneuverability." She explained, then remotely opened the walkway that would lead them in the back doors to the Mecha bay.
"We will go in the back today since I know you are all concerned about the military might that we can offer to enforce the rules, should it come to that.
This is the First Battalion of our Regiment, and we do have a few hidden aces up our sleeves, but I think you will be impressed." She told the Mercenary Captains, then stopped at the base of the ramp, where the mighty form of Enduring Rage was parked at the entrance, taking the role of the point attacker during assaults.
The stop was perfectly timed, and the bay went silent as everyone stared at the Super Heavy Mecha and the unusual armament it was equipped with.
"Meet the Thunder Pattern Super Heavy Mecha, the next generation of war machines being produced by the Reavers. These aren't available for public purchase yet, but the Crusader Class variants that you will see in a second are."
All at once, the Captains rushed forward to get a better look at the Mecha.
"Six Battle Cannons and a pair of Ion Bombard Arrays? That's insane. Oh, I see defensive Lasers as well." Commander Arnold commented with a whistle of appreciation.
"Those are actually Mass Drivers, much more powerful and longer ranged than the conventional Battle Cannons. The Ion Bombard Arrays are also an upgrade on the original design. She also has a multi-layered defensive shielding capability for defense.
The Crusader Class variants also share the shielding on a smaller scale and have some unique new weapons. The details will be available to members when an order is placed with the factories on Rae 5." Nico informed him.
"With a force like this, no wonder you are confident." Commander Arnold replied, looking enviously over at the second Super Heavy Mecha in the hold.
"This is only the First Battalion. Rest assured. We have much more to go with it. Terminus is not a soft target." Max told the big man with a confident smile.
This might be the easiest way to negotiate with a difficult Mercenary Group. If there was one universal truth in life, it was that strength was always respected. And they had the strength to back up their words, even this far from their home base.
"So, let's see this ship in action. The Mecha are clearly powerful, but getting them to the battlefield is always the most difficult part of the mission." Commander Arnold declared, doing his best to keep an impassive face while Max could read the joy and excitement in his thoughts.
