Chapter 14 - 14 A Harsh Master

Chapter 14: Chapter 14 A Harsh Master"Seems like your finally awake."

Avery's eyes slowly began to flutter open, and when he heard the voice of the one that had attacked him, his consensus fully came back to him.

Adrenaline pumping and the belief that danger was imminent had him sit up and fully alert.

He swiftly turned his head towards where the voice had come from and saw a large man sitting on a chair and staring at him.

No longer was he covered by a large cloak and his features were clear to see.


The first thing that grabbed Avery's attention was his bulging muscles. Not only was the man tall, he was almost unnaturally brawny.

It did not take long for Avery's gaze to move to the man's head. It was there that he saw two small horns protruding out of the top of the man's forehead. An indication that he was not fully human.

"No, it couldn't be." Avery said, a befuddled expression on his face.

"Looks like you figured it out. Yep, I'm Robert's, your father's friend. Urs Orso, retired five star mercenary. You passed my test, if only barely. So, if you still want to try your hand at being a mercenary, I'll be your instructor."

Avery's mind raced as the identity of the man that had ambushed him was revealed.

Naturally, he had heard a description of Urs from his father, and the man sitting a little over two meters away from him was a perfect match.

Yet, this realization did little to clear up Avery's confusion. If the one that had attacked him was not working for Storren Corp., then why had he proclaimed that he was?

Then there was how brutally he had come at Avery. That was going too far for a test. Avery had truly believed he was going to die or end up in some horrific torture facility.

"You shot me, tossed me around, and broke my arm! And you still think I want to learn from you!" Avery shouted.

He was livid. Anger had very nearly fully taken control of him, and he began furiously waving both of his arms.

'Wait! I can move my right arm, and it doesn't hurt.'

The surprise that his previously broken bones were miraculously fixed caused his rage to momentarily abate.

Quickly he realized that not only his right arm, but all of his wounds had been healed.

"Calmed down a bit? Yeah, I thrashed you some, but I didn't hurt you too bad. I had plenty of opportunities to shot you square in the face or chest. That would have hurt a hell of a lot worse than the light injuries I gave you. Anyway, I administered a dose of medicine containing nanomachines that fixed you right up. You should be right as rain now."

After hearing Urs' explanation, Avery patted himself down and found that he was in perfect condition. In fact, the soreness and fatigue that had been accumulating from his long hours of salvaging over the last several months were gone as well. He felt better than he had in a long time.

"Now that you're no longer throwing a fit, how about we get down to business." Urs said. "If you don't want to learn from me, that's no skin off my back. I gave you that test to see if you had any potential. And when it comes to mettle at least, you've got what it takes. Though, you're lacking in plenty of other areas. But I'll leave the decision up to you. If you want, you can walk out that door and never see me again. Teaching you was just a way to help out a friend and kill some time."

Having cooled off, Avery realized he had let his emotions take control and cloud his judgment. Urs was a retired high-ranking mercenary. Even if Avery was still pissed off about how the man decided to test him, it did not change the fact that this was his only shot to learn the ropes of being a mercenary from an expert.

Should he refuse to learn from Urs, it would only be because of his wounded pride at being thoroughly beaten. However, pride was not going to help keep him safe out in space or on colonies where there were people trying to harm him.

'In the future, Storren Corp. or some other organization that wants my ship might stage a similar ambush. And if I fall then, I won't be waking up in a bed with all of my injuries already fixed.'

It was not lost on Avery how Urs was already trying to teach him. And it made him realize how much he still had to learn.

"Forgive my earlier outburst. I let my anger get the better of me. Please show me how to become a proper mercenary." Avery said, bowing his head and swallowing whatever animosity he held towards Urs.

A slight smile formed on Urs' lips as Avery gave his response. He had not expected the young man he had thoroughly crushed to show such deference to him.

"I'd half expected you to actually get up and leave. Glad to see that you've got some sense about you. Now, let's go over where you went wrong on your way to meet me. There was plenty you could have done to prevent getting taken down by me."

Urs proceeded to point out every mistake that Avery had made, the first of which was leaving the main roads.

Had he simply taken a longer detour, he could have avoided heading into an unmonitored area. In that scenario, it would have been impossible for anyone to try and attack him without getting the authorities involved.

"That won't always be possible though, which is why you'll need to shape up. Just having a laser pistol at your hip doesn't guarantee your safety. You need to know how to use it better."

After saying this, Urs explained how Avery should have approached his ambush. Trying to immediately draw his weapon against someone that had been waiting for him was foolish. He should have taken longer to assess the situation and think about what really mattered.

Of course, hearing about all of his flaws and how rash he had been, only served to deflate Avery. In hindsight he should have tried to get away rather than escalating things.

"Okay, I think that's enough lecturing from me. You seem to understand what I've been getting at. I just want to impress upon you the danger that can come with this line of work. Out in space isn't the only place you'll face threats to your life. No matter how powerful your ship is, eventually you've got to leave it. Well, I did know some mercs that stayed holed up all the time, but they lived pretty sad lives. Always afraid that someone as going to shoot or stab them in the back if they took a single step outside their cockpit."

Mercenaries often incurred animosity from the outlaws they hunted for cash. It was not unheard of for one to be found dead in an alley somewhere.

"I get why you're telling me about all of this, but could we change the subject. Just hearing about how ignorant I am and the horrors that await me aren't really helping. I've already decided that I'm going to become a mercenary. I'd rather learn how to deal with what you're telling me about than simply listen to warnings." Avery said.

"I suppose you're right. Well, let's get out of here. Hands on experience will be better anyway. The Mercenary Association branch has some good training facilities and programs. It's going to be tough, though. Think you can handle it?"

Feeling his spirits lifting a bit, Avery nodded his head and gave Urs a confident grin. He knew that he had some arduous trials ahead of him, but he had no intention of stopping now. Fortune had handed him a vessel unlike any other, and he was determined to make himself worthy of it.