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Видел его сегодня в районе восточного рукава галактики Minter, помятый какой то, небритый, смотрел пристально в проем иллюминатора, в руке виднелась бутылка старого Jack Daniel`s Earth Edition 2023. По скорости полета было ясно, что он куда то заторопился. Спустя секунд 5 мой взгяд ослепил вволившийся в пространство корабля свет от местного светила, белого карлика, вокруг которого вращается космическая станция EXCHANGE | AMB. Это означало, что я почти дома и на горизонте уже виднелась ПРИЕМНАЯ. Внезапно, не успев передать до конца сообщение с данными о стыковке, я услышал скрежущий до мурашек, мощнейший удар, потом еще несколько мелких и ощутил яркую вспышку, казалось, она затмила наше здешнее светило. Тут же снял свой новенький Sokol 2700 с магистрального автопилота, сбросил скорость и поспешил к заднему блоку с огромным обзорным отсеком.

- Не может быть! - отбрасывая тщетные попытки оправиться от шока, нашел в себе силы поверить в реальность происходящего.

- ПРИЕМНАЯ, вы это видите?

- Да, Саша! Что вообще происходит?

- Не знаю! Попробую подойти поближе. Отправьте Славу SuperStar за мной, пусть прихватит Лешу Krasikov. Поторопите их! Конец связи!

...

Письмо Корвину от Вита Лореленда

«Копия из архива Губернатора Скопления Корвина, датируется первым годом Великой Экспансии, фонды музея Эпохи Покорения»

«Привет тебе из скопления Корвина (да-да, покоренная мной территория теперь носит твоё имя, дорогой племянник!) от губернатора 73 планет, командующего флотом в 50 тысяч звездолетов, любящего тебя дяди Вита!

Ты не ослышался, твои вложения размещены достойнейшим образом! Несмотря на некоторые, хмм, не очевидно выгодные покупки, сделанные на старте покорения этого интереснейшего уголка вселенной, наши с тобой инвестиции уже наполовину окупились за какие-то две недели! Правда, до выхода на чистую прибыль надо будет подождать еще месяц-полтора, но денежки капают каждый день.

Сынок, если позволишь так себя называть, мы с тобой опровергли делом аргументы твоего уважаемого папы и моего возлюбленного брата - на покорении космоса у каждого есть шанс сделать состояние! И не обязательны для этого корпорации, огромные вложения или десятки лет опыта вождения космических эскадр.

Конечно, работа предстоит преогромная и ошибок будет допущено достаточно, но каков результат!!!! Тут тебе и перспективы, и своя небольшая звездная империя, да и пучок приключений на гарнир.

Напомню, как все начиналось: получив твои сбережения в 500 монет как вклад в наше общее дело, я стартовал в первых рядах покорителей Галактики.

Половину средств вложил в стартовый пакет «Новичок» за грузовые корабли, разведчики, истребители, энергию и кристаллы (как выяснилось позже, это было не самое удачное вложение: разведчики оказались одноразовыми зондами, грузовики легко построить самому, кристаллы 1 уровня добываются чуть не сами, а соляриум выгодно было брать по 10 монет за штуку, а не в пакете, но не будем о грустном).

Планету мне выделили сразу, даже удивительно. Небольшая, зелененькая такая.

Быстро построил шахты, склады и прочие башни (тоже поторопился - в Галактике в первую неделю был мораторий на атаки против стартовых планет и можно было начать строить оборону позже на пару дней).') ?>

Довольно быстро удалось взять первый трофей - свободную большую планету на 5 шахт! А затем полетело - вторая планета, третья - и за неделю их у меня уже было 73, причем со всеми 7 видами минералов!!!!

Работенка была адова, скажу тебе без прикрас: буквально все на ручном управлении! То есть на каждую планету надо прилететь, каждое (!!) здание обойти, команды раздать, грузы подсчитать, маршруты проложить и так далее.

Разве что кирпичи не клал и минералы на своем горбу не таскал, а в остальном - все сам, вот этими ручками!

Неделя прошла почти без сна и отдыха, но оно того стоило. И было бы у нас с тобой не 70 планет, а 170, но пришел высочайший указ больше 50 планет в одни руки не давать... и тут особо не поспоришь.

Мы, конечно, повозмущались для вида, но если бы нас тогда не остановили, мы, возможно, и загнулись бы там все от такой работы, пытаясь поднять какой-нибудь седьмой уровень девятой башни сто сорок шестой планеты или достраивая стотысячный истребитель...

Так что имеем, что имеем, а это неплохой такой кусочек общего пирога: добываем все минералы вплоть до редчайшего минтериума; строим все звездолеты от грузовиков Геркулесов до тяжелых крейсеров Валькирий и огромных десантных Титанов; ежедневный доход весьма ощутим и уже больше 200 монет звенят на счету.

А еще скоро грозятся начать торги по продаже планет, кораблей и минералов - ух, дух захватывает от перспектив! Я один столько денег, боюсь, не унесу! ))

Но об этом и о том, как давили «беззащитными» Титанами чужие ракетные башни; вырывали друг у друга минтериумные планеты; как появлялись корпорации и сколько нужно Валькирий, чтобы снести соседу планетарный щит десятого уровня, а также сказ о том, как один коммандер от ста своих планет отказался, читай в моих следующих письмах, а лучше прилетай и услышишь лично!

Обнимаю, дорогой Корвин, и жду в гости - соседним пятидесяти планетам давно нужен новый губернатор, а звездные эскадры дядюшки всегда к твоим услугам!

Губернатор скопления Корвина,
флит-командер 375 уровня,
любящий тебя дядя Вит»

The story of the youngest officer

Шел восемнадцатый век пятой эпохи, на крохотной планетке Зелигиум85 которая была колонизирована всего 2 века назад, рос веселый мальчишка и звали его Коралий Боралий. Автоматические добывающие станции давно покинули планету, так-как основные залежи минералов были полностью добыты. Семья Коралия владела шахтами на севере и пищевыми плантациями на юге. Вокруг него всегда крутились не только другие дети, но и взрослые, которые понимали цену знакомствам наследника столь больших ресурсов.

В тот год удался хороший урожай, да еще к тому же бонусом ученые нашли применение камню, который ранее считался бесполезным, хоть и редким, а на Зелигиуме85 его было полным полно. Отец Коралия, Боралий старший, подготовил партию камня для отправки на центральную станцию сектора Зелигиум, дабы их планету признали наконец-то членом торговой империи. Коралий напросился лететь с отцом, очень уж хотелось посмотреть на станцию.

В космосе он и ранее бывал, все таки даже у их планеты было более двухсот кораблей Экскалибр для обороны планеты и пятьдесят торговых кораблей Геркулес первого поколения. Да и личный корабль не типовой модели с генератором щита, и ракетными установками имелся. Так что полет было организовать не сложно.

Они с отцом решили лететь на личном корабле Джунгарик. Это хорошо защищенный дипломатический корабль, обычные легкие истребители даже не способны пробить его щиты. Три дня корабли летели на автопилоте и все расслабились, даже корабли эскорта. Внезапно на корабле активизировались щиты, отец ринулся в кабину, Коралий следом за ним.

Особенностью их корабля был противоракетный радар, который и помог им не умереть так же быстро как корабли эскорта. К сожалению Боралий старший слишком поздно принял меры для маневрирования и ракета все же попала. Взрыв отключил щиты, вторая ракета взорвалась рядом и Коралий потерял сознание.

Когда он очнулся, то увидел перед собой мертвого отца болтающегося в невесомости, умершего страшной смерть из-за пробоины в корпусе. Сам Боралий младший, выжил лишь потому что отец успел натянуть на него костюм. Но и его скоро ожидала участь отца, по прибором было видно что в костюме мало кислорода, баллоны корабля уничтожены.

Coralius flew up to the control panel, power still being supplied to him. I scanned the area, there are no merchant ships, the escort ships are all destroyed, there are no survivors, and there are no foreign ships either. Then he transferred all the energy to the transmitter and sent a signal with the coordinates and the message “Pirates attacked. The fight was lost. There is a survivor. Running out of oxygen ”

Когда уже темнело в глазах, он увидел вышедший из гиперпрыжка спасательный корабль. Очнулся Коралий уже на центральной станции и после того как дал отчет, отправился на родную планету. Их признали полноценным членом торговой империи, не смотря на потерю груза. По прибытию сразу же поступил в летную школу, а через год ему уже доверили командование первой эскадрильей планетарной защиты. Еще через год Боралий младший покинул дом и возглавил антипиратскую службу, именно благодаря его десятилетний работе сейчас в секторе Зелигиум торговые корабли летают без эскорта.

Zeligium Sector History Textbook

Напечатан в 8 веке 9 эпохи великой торговой империи.

A meeting

The two irreconcilable Commanders in the Galaxy have met. One writes to another:

- Hey, PRO100CAWA, and we bet on 1000 Solarium that I will destroy your fleet?

- Well, let's make a bet.

And the first commander sent his entire fleet with OS to attack another commander with a T100 Shield module.

Several hours pass. The second commander writes to the first.

- Hey, Nagibator_228, we bet for 1000 salt that I will destroy your fleet?

- Heh, let's see.

And the second commander sends his entire fleet to the first to meet the enemy's flying fleet with the T100 Attack module.

Проходит пару часов, флоты встречаются в космосе и убивают друг друга без остатка.

...

A couple of hours later, one commander writes to another.

- Listen, don't you think that we just ate shit like that?

Deal with the Infected Golden Livoon

В самых укромных, непроходимых частях Ториумовых джунглей, Космические пираты ведут незаконную охоту на моллюска-паразита Золотистый Ливунец. По непонятным причинам без носителя моллюск в неволе не выживает. Это очень опасное, но прибыльное дело. Признаки носителя моллюска - жажда, гипергидроз и устойчивое желание совершить сделку Продажи, чем пользуются умелые торговцы, увеличивая свои доходы и боевой флот. При первых симптомах обратитесь в ближайшую мед.ОС, в запущенной форме можно Продать родную планету! 🐌

Guardian

Somewhere in hyperspace.

Guardian suddenly woke up from a strange sensation.

Pain ... no. Failure?

- "Diagnostics of all systems," - ordered the Guardian.

- Все системы в норме, - прозвучал в сознании Стража ровный синтетический голос.

- Timer.

- 10,000 cycles since hibernation.

- Status.

- Standard activation. Continuum scanning.

......

- Обнаружено множественное распространение неизвестной формы биологической жизни, - подвел итог ИИ.

A wave of excitement and anticipation.

- Teleportation to the maximum accumulation of biomass. Research mode.

Too fast. Too lively. Too destructive. Disgusting!

- Launching the purification protocol.

......

- The protocol is activated.

Space station OUTPOST ONE.

- “Commander, anomalous activity has been detected on all G-class stars and above,” - the officer on duty said with a shiver in his voice.

- Plasma burst destroyed all sensors! shouted the Chief Officer.

- Announce an emergency evacuation! - with difficulty restraining the tevogu ordered the Commander.

Chaos and Panic reigned in the transport bay.

- I'll buy a life capsule! 100,000,000 Karat (https://t.me/karat_minter_chat) for a capsule! - someone tried to shout down the rumble of the crowd.

- Destruction of the energy shield. The shield will be completely deactivated after 10. 9. 8 ... - the melodic female voice, counting the time, cut off abruptly.

A series of powerful electromagnetic pulses and waves of thermal radiation engulfed all space stations in the galaxy. All electronics on all planets are out of order. Those who had time to put on spacesuits survived for another 2 minutes.

- Сканирование окончено. Полная ликвидация биологической формы жизни подтверждена, - бесстрастно произнес ИИ в сознании Стража.

Satisfaction. Calmness.

- Hibernation. 10,000 cycles.

A short story at the junction of worlds

At the very edge of the third tail of the Galaxy was the La Cosa Nostra Space Station - the main stronghold of the LCN Clan - a previously impregnable fortress that all the corporations of the Galaxy Minter tried to destroy, but today only a dense ring of shipwrecks of all colors and stripes, which slowly drifted around the star, reminded of those days Zloflios, where the station was located.

The days of former greatness are gone, the century-old war ended with the signing of agreements with the Minter System Corporations, and now LCN could safely plunder neutral players and were the best mercenary in all three galaxies, bringing victory to the one who pays the most.

The command center of SS La Cosa Nostra was converted into a huge galactic bar and business center, contracts were concluded here for the killing of Commanders and the capture of planets, there was an active trade in prohibited goods and substances, and of course it was the main place for rest and spending credits from the commanders of the Union of 3 Clans and not only.

Today there was a celebration in the command center, representatives of the Alliance of Clans flew from all star systems and on the top floor of the command center, in the room that was once the main control room of the Governor of the Space Station, a celebration took place.

Behind the bar stood, or rather was already running, Commander Maestro, the leader of the LCN, who clearly could not cope with the influx of guests and the spill of Galactic Rum produced by the Sigi +++ company. Commander PornHub worked alongside him, finishing the preparation of delicious snacks. Rivenares, the most successful foreman of LCN, today picked up bottles of the best alcohol instead of the heavy steering wheel of the flagship destroyer and coped with them no worse than with the ship, preparing amazing cocktails and shots.

Commander Sigi +, who arrived first with a load of Roma, was peacefully dozing on the sidelines, sometimes waking up to go to the pantry for another barrel of a remedy of his own production. Darth Vader, sitting at a nearby table, taught the clan's newcomers the art of destroying fleets and sometimes fiercely argued with Commander AZ about whether it was worth using Javelin-class ships at all in battle. Masai watched this action from the side, nodding meaningfully to one or the other, agreeing with their arguments and keeping silent about the fact that he had just returned with the captured load of the solarium.

The recently arrived delegation of newcomers from the CW clan, led by commanders Daniloff and SratAsta, could not listen to the report of Commander Adamg13 for the third hour, for the simple reason that it was overgrown with more and more details. Members of the AMB clan watched a poker tournament in which a fierce battle between their leader Ambrazhevich and the galactic merchant RUNAgroup took place in the final. Aside from the tournament match, Commanders Atwa and Hibryid discussed a plan to rob Health's corporate warehouses. MrVlass_Off and S7cret, who recently joined the discussion, tried to convey that this is a hopeless undertaking and the costs will not pay off by offering to rob other Corporations.

In the corner of the control room, a pianist droid was playing, which commanders Bardak11 and Haster took turns to harass, demanding to play some old war songs that the droid could not find in the Galactic Library. Artem745 today decided to break away from the constant calculations and checks of the activity of the personnel and played dice with Commander Dampel, although their game was played with varying success, but the intensity of passions remained at the level. Commanders FengDong and Fenix ​​tried to find out the secrets of the equipment of the new generation Excalibers from Commander Destroyer, but he stood his ground, understanding the value of such knowledge and did not want to agree with the offered price.

For a second, Maestro distracted himself from the Rum spill and peered into the hall, today for the first time in a long time he saw so many members of the Alliance in one place. Joy and fun reigned around, music sounded and the light of otarium lamps gave the atmosphere of home comfort.

But little by little the light grew stronger, and yellow lamps began to swallow the whole room, cheerful faces, and eventually swallowed up the entire space.

Somewhere in the distance, a rumble was growing, which grew stronger with every second.

"ERROR ..", "ERROR ..", "ERROR ..".

The Commander opened his eyes to find himself at the far wall of the control room of the flagship Mothership "NoMercy". A few minutes earlier, one of the Hornets had crashed into the wheelhouse, whose cockpit was now lying right in the middle of the room, cut off by protective screens preventing depressurization.

For a few more seconds the Maestro sat on the floor, coming to his senses and trying to understand how the Thai commander had the audacity to send 3 million Hornets to ram the Matherships. Fortunately, the modules withstood such an onslaught, otherwise the NoMercy crusade would have ended halfway.

Командор нащупал на поясе единственный переживший падение стимулятор и вколов его себе в ногу хромая направился к компьютеру управления.
На компьютере один за другим выходили на связь командоры Альянса NoMercy.

"First, a rear attack from IHodl, then a direct collision with ALEX, the CannibalCorpse Raptors destroying the transports, and now the Thai also decided not to engage in open combat, but went for a trick," thought the Commander, examining the Galactic map. - "And when will this all end?"

All 84 years of the war against Corporations flashed in the head of the Maestro, he tried to remember the tactics that he had used earlier and calculate what they would obviously expect from him, straining to the bridge in order to give orders.

On the bridge, several mental images were instantly uploaded to the NoMercy Commanders. The combined fleet began to split into 4 separate fleets and prepare for the hyperjump. Maestro knew that today one of these fleets will not return, perhaps it will be his fleet, but the other 3 will deal a crushing blow to the corporations' bases.

There were a few seconds left before the Hyperjump, the Mathership was already warmed up and the rest of the ships were ready. The commander looked down and remembered the picture that had been imprinted in his mind during the blackout.

"How well it all started ..." - said the Maestro quietly, looking up and watching the jump gate slowly open in front of the ship.

History of the Galaxy. Part 2

Aleks checked his mail. The informant did not deceive. The message indicated the planet Zeno and the Commander's Refuge, where Maestro often spent time.

The crew heard the quiet hum of heated turbines and the ship began to take off, leaving the space station. Soon the engine noise changed its tone. They felt a weight on their chests, pressing them into soft chairs. Loki picked up speed, slicing through open space. The ship was just hot and stuffy, it suddenly got colder and chilly, climate control turned on.

Above them stretched the cloudless expanse of the universe. The stars shimmered coldly like tiny diamonds on the black velvet of space. Elegantly curved, glowing veils of gaseous nebulae surrounded clusters of young blue stars. Aleks charted a course for the planet Zeno and stretched out relaxed in his chair. There were still 8 hours left before arriving on the planet.

The central screen displayed an impressive panorama of the minterium - the planet Zeno. The whole team could not help admiring its amazingly beautiful purple glow. Soon "Loki" entered the atmosphere and extinguished speed, starting braking. Aleks made several maneuvers and the ship landed softly in the spaceport.

It was not difficult to find the “Commander's Shelter” establishment. It occupied several upper floors of the command center. Aleks took a partner with him for insurance. The tall bouncer standing by the door nodded his way through. They passed a small corridor leading from the entrance to the foyer on the first floor, where a couple of barely dressed girls stood behind a counter in the dressing room and accepted valuables from those who entered. The girls weren't the only ones in this hall. Two massive guards in EFERRUM combat gear stood on either side of the locked doors, beyond which visitors could enjoy every imaginable pleasure. Street noise drowned out the music coming from the club, outside it sounded very muffled and weak. However, as soon as they got into the foyer, an ocean of sound fell upon them, drowned out only by a single wall separating them from the interior.

— Присмотреть за вещичками? — проворковала одна из девушек достаточно громко, чтобы ее было слышно за грохотом музыки.

Aleks shook his head. He was not going to part with his weapon. It was advisable to leave valuables at the entrance only if by the end of the evening the visitors were going to get drunk until they lost their pulse or pump themselves up with cosmetology. But Aleks had other intentions, which the attendants could not guess. The girl pressed the button that opened the doors. The guards stepped aside, letting in new clients. Aleks and his partner took a deep breath and stepped inside.

The club had several levels. Each had a rectangular dance floor surrounded by a large outer ring. The entire structure was supported from below by a web of steel wires running to the base. The audience chose the level at their own discretion. Each of them had a unique musical style, special drinks and had its own dance floor. The furious music of the lower floors gave way to light chill-out rhythms on the upper floors and ended with enveloping space ambient at the VIP level.

Music, illumination and the crowd created a powerful energy that excited the nerve endings, releasing suppressed passions and wild, animal desires, most of which could be satisfied at the lower levels of the club.

They climbed to the middle level and made their way through the crowd of dancing bodies, drawing annoyed glances to them. In the center of the dance floor, on a small dais, there was a stage where three half-naked dancers swayed to the music. They were all very attractive, dressed in glowing tops, short skirts and high heels that shimmered in bright colors. Their smooth movements dazzled the eye. The pulsing light made it difficult to see, but the companions still skimmed around for the Maestro as they crossed the dance floor. They decided to split up to increase their chances. Aleks approached one of the tables and suddenly felt someone touch his hand:

- Hi honey, nice to see you again. I'm Mononoke.

Aleks saw the girl for the first time, but decided to play along with her and smiled in response:

- I am also glad. Nice suit. If I may say so ...

Her hair was an incredible shade of blue, and her clothes consisted of skinny trousers with slits and a fitted jacket made of stretch fabric. Under the rays of light, her outfit sparkled brightly with poisonous shades.

Mononoke smiled at his compliment.

- How do you do, maybe a little spacer?

- Thank you, I'm not in the mood.

- Why? Will you buy me a drink?

— Да, пожалуйста. Выбери себе чего-нибудь, — пододвинул к ней карту напитков Aleks.

Without looking at the map, she offered the Galaxy Shining cocktail.

— Хорошо, я сейчас вернусь, — сказал Aleks и направился к бару, внимательно осматривая по дороге людей.

As he returned with two cocktails in hand, he noticed a half-drunk commander with CW stripes walking towards their table. He was about to land on the chair when Mononoke kicked him off:

— Мой молодой человек уже возвращается, — показала она на Aleks.

To his relief, the man turned and dived to a nearby table, where two girls were chatting merrily. They gave the Commander quick glances and laughed when he missed the chair and flopped to the floor.

Aleks sipped his drink and found it quite pleasant. He let the girl chat for a while while drinking a cocktail, but then he got down to business:

"Am I looking for a man here named Maestro?" Do you know him?

She shook her head.

- I've never heard of him.

— Жаль, но все равно, спасибо. Он задолжал мне пару сотен BIP.

Mononoke thought for a second, but shook her head again.

- No, I have not met a person with that name. What are you going to do with him?

— Приставлю бластер к горлу и буду вытряхивать из него всю сумму по каждому BIP, пока не получу свои две сотни обратно, — ответил Aleks.

- Haha, shaking out is great! - the girl laughed.

Aleks smiled:

- We match each other. Will you be here tomorrow?

Mononoke looked disappointed.

- May be.

- Well. By then I will have my coins, and you will help me spend them on the spacecraft.

Her face brightened.

- Sounds tempting. Happy dreams are guaranteed to us.

— Так и будет, — пообещал Aleks и допил свой коктейль. — А сейчас меня ждут дела.

With these words, he got up from the table and contacted his partner. The companion's voice was slightly distorted by the radio transmitter built into the bracelet on his wrist. The background noise of the club made it difficult to hear the words clearly. They met at the spiral staircase leading to the VIP level. The guys looked around and decided to climb the spiral staircase upstairs. As they climbed higher, they felt the pressure of the sounds gradually weaken. At the very top level of the club, the music was quieter and the lights more subdued. Peering into those present, they never noticed anyone like Maestro. The companions approached the corridor leading to the private offices.

— Извините, все помещения уже забронированы, — перегородил дорогу секьюрити.

— Нам нужно попасть к другу. Его зовут Maestro. Он должен быть здесь, — обратился к нему Aleks.

The guard looked down at his wrist.

— You’re not on the clearance list, I’ll have to call him.

— Не стоит, — быстро произнес Aleks. — Мы хотим устроить ему сюрприз. У него сегодня день рождения.

The security hesitated, considering the two harmless-looking guys.

— Если я пропущу вас, то нарушу инструкции. Меня могут уволить, — наконец сказал он, хотя его тон не выражал безусловный отказ.

— Мы вовсе не хотим создавать вам неприятности, — ответил Aleks и протянул ему браслет с суммой в сотню BIP. — Просто пропустите нас, сделайте вид, как будто нас здесь не было, мы не будем никого беспокоить.

At the club, the guards were well paid, but that didn’t mean they didn’t take bribes when the opportunity presented itself.

— Ладно, проходите, — фыркнул секьюрити, пропуская их.

The companions ran quickly but silently down the corridor. The first two doors were closed from the outside, several others were closed from the inside.

— Что будем делать? — тихо спросил напарник.

- Hope for luck!

They reached almost the end of the corridor, until finally one of the doors was open. Aleks turned the knob with a gentle motion, peering carefully through the crack. A satisfied smile touched his lips.

— Здесь — шепнул он, увидев, что они попали по адресу.

Maestro was seated at a buffet table with two long-legged dancers. He seemed not in the least surprised to see the uninvited guests with weapons at the ready. With a nod of his head, he showed the girls to the door and they slipped out of the office.

- I have already been warned about your arrival. I advise you not to rattle your weapons and then you can safely return to your ship. What do you owe to your visit?

— Мы привезли деловое предложение от наших союзников MONSTERS! — ответил Aleks, пряча бластер во внутренний карман комбинезона.

Maestro offered the guests a drink while pouring champagne into the glasses. Then, grinning, he turned on the encrypted hologram from Ty. The air vibrated, turned dull white, and then crumbled into many shining crystals, from which the male figure gradually began to gather. The platform projected a three-dimensional image of Ty, creating an almost complete illusion of presence.

MONSTERS offer was tempting. As a gift Aleks brought the latest generation security module from them. And also provided fresh intelligence on the activity of the Ancients. In addition, in the event of an alliance, EFERRUM had the opportunity to access secret MONSTERS developments, including blueprints for the advanced Excalibr heavy fighter and high-tech ship enhancement modules.

— В знак доброй воли объявляю перемирие на две недели. Я соберу совет ярлов и мы примем окончательное решение, — сообщил Maestro.

He put a bag of black chips into Aleks` hand.

- The casino of our club is at your service. Food and drink at the house's expense. Get some rest. Today you are our guests.

Aleks nodded to his partner and they left. Maestro grinned slyly after them. He understood that in order to raid the Ancients' sector, he would need to gather into a fist all the operational formations of heavy fighters. And to be distracted now by settling old scores meant dissipating forces. Therefore, the truce was the best fit for his mission.

— От нашествия пришельцев больше всего пострадали MONSTERS. Конечно, им сейчас нужны союзники. Но я должен проверить степень угрозы Древних сам, — cказал он в раздумье и закурил сигарету.

History of the Galaxy. Part 1

Aleks hands fluttered over the ship's control panel, making the necessary course changes. A monitor gleamed in front of him, on which the locations of the nearest planets, transport ships with minerals and other necessary information were marked, arranged in even columns on both sides of the screen. The Space Station was of standard size, with a couple of dozen docking locks on the outer ring, each of which could accommodate any class of ship. A voice came over the headphones:

- Attention to the scout ship "Loki"! We welcome you to the «OUTPOST # 1» space station approach zone. Please keep your current course and wait for personal instructions from the pilot-controller. Confirm acceptance.

— Подтверждаю!

— Добро пожаловать на космическую станцию. В торговом центре к вашим услугам магазины экипировки, оружия, а также бар

— The dispatcher has cleared the docking, — Aleks told the rest of the team, taking off the headphones.

Silently cutting through the darkness of space, "Loki" approached the station. Outside lights began pulsing green around the perimeter of the docking bay. The ship landed slowly on the landing platform. They felt a slight jolt across the floor as the automatic mechanism locked the position of the ship. Along a corridor that rises smoothly upwards, the whole team headed towards the premises that served as the inspection zone. After passing the scanner, they passed the guards sitting behind a reinforced glass wall.

Торговый центр состоял из нескольких уровней c магазинами и складами. Оставив причал за спиной, компаньоны шагнули в прозрачный лифт и начали подниматься на последний уровень. Спустя полминуты сигнал оповестил о прибытии. Двери лифта бесшумно разъехались. Они направились в сторону бара. Стоило им переступить порог, как они сразу погрузились в атмосферу заведения. Из спрятанных в стену динамиков раздавалось уханье техно. Множество глаз было приковано к экранам с трансляцией последних боев между флотилиями MONSTERS и EFERRUM. Компаньоны прошли к свободному столику. Бармен подошел к ним, готовый принять заказ.

- Would you like to have a glass?

—“Something stronger, but not that synthetic liquor that bartenders across the galaxy add to naive people,” asked Alexs. - And attentive attitude if you count on a decent tip.

Официант кивнул в ответ, скрылся в служебном помещении и вновь направился к ним через три минуты. В одной руке он держал поднос со стаканами, в другой — бутылку. Улыбнувшись, он молча поставил на стол поднос и поднес бутылку к Aleks, чтобы он убедился в качестве виски. «Джек Дэниэлс», — гласила этикетка. «Произведено под контролем AMB. Безупречная очистка».

— “Three fingers,” Aleks told him in approval.

The bar looked very busy. Aleks thought that, perhaps, he could quickly get used to here, in spite of all these commanders with the EFERRUM corporation patches. After all, in the end, they are the same people as he is, only with different aspirations. This sudden thought flashed through his mind made him chuckle. In fact, of course, everything was much more complicated and confusing. The ancients more and more asserted themselves, taking over all the new planets. The fleets heading into their sector disappeared like a black hole. New loss reports flashed in the daily roundup. In such conditions, internecine war only worsened the situation. The HEALH Corporation was looking for a way to reconcile MONSTERS and EFERRUM in order to unite against a common enemy - the Ancients.

Aleks got up from the table and walked over to the bar.

- Where can you get information?

— “Ask the man at that table in the corner,” — the bartender pointed with his hand.

Aleks quickly crossed the bar diagonally and approached the subject.

— “I'm looking for information about a Commander named Maestro,” — Aleks went straight to the case.

An elderly man with a two-day stubble looked him up intently.

— 10000 BIP.

- Robbery in broad daylight! Why so expensive?

- Information costs money, pay or leave, - the subchik blinked his eyes, feeling insulted.

- I just need to talk to him! Aleks objected. - I will pay 3000 BIP!

- Not good. All or nothing, ”the man shook his head.

- “Okay,” Aleks muttered and sent him the transaction.

-Good deal! You will receive the information in an hour to your ID, - the man said in a businesslike manner.

Meanwhile, the rest of the HEALTH team were browsing the terminal for a list of proposed contracts. There were missions to capture and destroy pirates robbing caravans and merchants, escorting transports with minerals from the orbital station to their destination, searching for missing cargo and many others.

At the next table, two men with tattoos on their hands were talking loudly.

- Once I got a contract here for the destruction of one ship. In the description of the assignment, it was said that its passengers were infected with some new form of coronavirus, still unknown to science. I quickly found a target, took aim and burned. Too easy. A regular Hercules class ship!

- So what's next?

— А то, что когда я не получил вознаграждение за выполнение задания, прилетел сюда разобраться в чем дело. Администрация сообщила, что произошло недоразумение. В терминал ввели ошибочные данные и на самом деле пассажиры ничем не были заражены. Но раз уж корабль уничтожен, то согласились заплатить. Контракт есть контракт!

Командоры с нашивками EFERRUM косо посмотрели на компаньонов из HEALTH и отрывисто хохотнули.

Aleks paid the bill and headed for the exit. The rest of his team have already left the bar. When he passed the table with suspicious commanders, one of them, grinning, barely audibly muttered something. Aleks didn't need to parse the phrase to realize that he had been offended. He blushed, involuntarily clenched his fists, and slowed down, lagging behind the others. It took him some trouble to resist the temptation to look back and start a brawl.

-“Calm down,” he said to himself, swallowing the hurt. - To stuff their muzzles here is an impermissible luxury for me.

He hated the thought that the two commanders who couldn't keep their mouths shut would have to deal with the station's security service and endanger their peacekeeping mission. Taking a deep breath, Aleks went to catch up with his team. He was followed by a sharp, mocking laugh, but he no longer paid attention to it. Having descended the narrow corridors of the station to the docking lock, the companions boarded the Loki, intending to continue their mission.

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Lord of the galaxy

За стеклом иллюминатора спасательной капсулы лениво плыли осколки хорнетов и оставы разбитых экскалибров...

Маэстро @Den4MD глубоко затянулся энергосигарой в бессильной злобе... да.. воздуха хватит еще минут на 30.

Как? Почему? К А К ??!?? Где конкретно дал сбой гениальный план?

По началу все шло отлично. Одна из самых сильных корпораций своей расы Минтер, которую он лично строил годами, так успешно стала опорой его могущества.

Да-да. Это всецело его заслуга и только его. А не Великого, не этого Конунга Димитрия @RUNARgroup . Да и какой он Великий??? Это МЫ великий,Я великий, не зря одно из многочисленных имен было в прошлом Легион. Эх было время, галактика дрожала от страха перед этим именем, жаль что его пришлось сменить чтобы втереться в доверие к владетелю одной из ключевых корпораций расы Минтер, к Великому Конунгу Димитрию @RUNARgroup . Пришлось очень долго проходить весь путь от рядового бойца до офицера, потом лидера, затем ярла и наконец лидера лидеров совета ярлов.

The plan was impeccable, the riot was planned in advance, the moment of the overthrow of the "great" was already going on for hours, all the processes that were so long and clearly planned were launched and were coming to an end. And now some trifle, an absolute insignificance, which he did not take into account, with a red-hot energy needle set fire to a stack of energy cans and now the whole ideally thought-out scheme is ablaze and burns. The wreckage of a multi-million fleet, the largest fleet that he built, is flying overboard the icy space. Himself. Personally.

How could one predict that the cunning Great One would resist and attract the technology of the ancients to suppress the mutiny? And how did he manage it, because they usually never and with anyone do not make contact ... although no, he should have foreseen that too! After all, it is not for nothing that rumors about contact with the Ancients of these hated enemies, Monsters, are circulating in the galaxy, and there were even rumors that Thai @thainik personally managed to once make contact with the Ancients and get a large amount of Solarium. How else to explain that the day before the complete destruction of the entire corporation of Monsters, they suddenly had a multi-million dollar fleet? Yes, how long has it been ...

But he, the true Great, the true genius, also foresaw a backup plan in case of the failure of the rebellion, in which 9 billion of corporate energy, with such difficulty taken from Dimitri @RUNARgroup, would be enough for a long and comfortable life full of power, the best slaves and concubines in a small system of his own at the center of an alien race, the Throne, with which he had so successfully negotiated.

Ну почему же маленькой системы? Это ведь по началу. А потом он со своим опытом и выдающимися способностями вотрется в доверие к чужим и с помощью сладострастных речей, шантажа и подкупа он постепенно подомнет под себя всю чужую расу и она будет до конца дней работать только на него. Это всего лишь вопрос времени, а ждать и выжидать Легион - Маэстро - @Den4MD умеет. Это еще не конец! Они все еще поплатятся! ВСЕ!!!

Behind the window glass, fragments of Hornets and the remains of broken Excalibers floated lazily as before ...

Legend of the intergalactic gate

Commander Beetle stretched in the ergonomic chair of the flagship Excaliber and checked the course on the navigator. His research squadron was heading for the gateway to the Tron galaxy. He had no idea how many obstacles he would encounter on his way. The Minter and Tron races have long led an active life and shared spheres of influence in space.

From a distance, the gate looked like a dark hoop surrounded by many twinkling stars. As they approached, they grew larger and larger until they filled the entire panorama. These majestic and ancient structures have existed for thousands of years. However, they began to be seriously studied after the problem of overpopulation and a shortage of valuable resources arose in the Minter galaxy. The commanders needed a new living space.

Loki's exploration ships, at their own peril and risk, passed through the gate and discovered the neighboring Galaxy of Tron. And as the ancient civilizations settled along the rivers, so the commanders began to develop the empty thorium - the planets closest to the gates.

Several gates in the Minter galaxy were inactive. The best astrophysicists fought to solve the riddle of the Ancient Construction, but they failed to activate the gate. And who knows what secrets they kept, and to what worlds they led ...

Эскадра командора Жука вплотную подошла к вратам. По всей их окружности начали подрагивать голубые искорки, напоминавшие электрические разряды. Затем искры превратились в сине-белые молнии, образуя мощный энергетический водоворот. Командор бросил взгляд на центр огромного циклона. Врата создавали гравитационную сингулярность — искривление пространства, переносящее корабль в место назначения без потери времени. Бело-голубые энергетические вихри подхватывали один за другим корабли его эскадры и втягивали в туннель между измерениями.

Exit from subspace was accompanied by mild nausea, disorientation and dizziness. For a few seconds, a slight tremor appeared in the commander's body. He looked at the tactical screen. His squadron was expected. An entire armada of unknown ships of the Throne race concentrated at the intergalactic gateway and methodically destroyed the first units of the Excaliber vanguard. Space was filled with flashes of explosions, clouds of burning and the skeletons of burning ships. Commander Zhuk came to his senses and gave a short order.

A web of laser beams cut through space, leaving black burns on the hulls of enemy ships. The battle was just beginning ...