Those Worth Negotiating With, and Those Who Aren't (2)
"Being a mercenary in space means you can work in every field except for 'overly specialized jobs or roles'."
— From the Secret Records of the 32nd Chairman of the Galactic Mercenary Association
One silver lining was that our badass, no-nonsense cooling mama Ilrena didn't spout nonsense, of course.
And as Heisenberg, the chairman who still subtly revealed his pedo—no, pro-Benya tendencies, had put it...
I soon got to see, crystal clear, what the 'plan' these two had cooked up was all about.
First off, the Red Scourge brainwashed faction and so-called 'resistance' groups that had been sabotaging our base and factories with terrorism and strikes.
"Damn it, Demonía, we like you guys!"
"More money than fighting the Red Scourge head-on, and easier work too?"
"Ugh."
Another headache—the 'mercenaries' and 'private security firms'—we hired them out, and it all got sorted clean and neat.
Of course, hearing we'd go that route, I naturally thought, 'Wait, does that actually work?'
Makes sense, right? Mercenary groups and security firms are ultimately based in planetary systems.
Against locals who formed the resistance or brainwashed workers throwing tantrums, could they really exercise proper resistance? It was a fair question.
"Ah, these damn commie bastards are crawling out again."
"Those fuckers nearly ruined my parents' retirement lately—perfect timing, shitheads!"
"Their reactions are weird. Is this normal?"
But when I checked the mercenary fight footage on my office monitor...
Contrary to my doubts, the merc groups and security firms smashed the 'resistance' skulls and strike leaders without a hint of hesitation.
Naturally skeptical, I shaped question marks with my mechanical arms and voiced my confusion to Ilrena beside me and Chairman Pedo on real-time comms.
The two responded to my reaction:
"Obviously, because those so-called 'resistance' types are scum rampaging on twisted ideologies from the Red Scourge."
"Oh..."
"Plus, outsiders often misunderstand, but these 'resistance' rabble-rousers aren't homegrown planetary forces—they're plants by external powers to seize control from inside."
"Wait, really?"
"The chairman's right. From the locals' view... well, using your words, Doctor, they're 'trolls'."
"In fact, the Mercenary Association's annual reports say over 5% of accidents hitting mercs' families—like parents, siblings, kids—come from job losses due to anti-corp resistance sabotage."
"Ooh."
"And as the mercs let slip without realizing, we treat them right, and this gig's way safer than direct Red Scourge swarm fights."
"Aha, got it perfectly."
Turned out it was righteous fury all along.
Hearing that, I realized why the footage mercs seemed oddly emotional toward the fake resistance and brainwashed workers.
There was a reason. I nodded, accepting it smoothly.
Plus, as Ilrena just said, with 'easier than usual work but fat paychecks' piled on...
Merc groups and firms had both justification and profit—morale skyrocketing like crazy.
After solving our outpost strikes, resistance issues, and rival corp problems all at once like that...
I eagerly awaited how they'd handle the last piece: the 'refugee' mess, heart pounding.
But their response to my anticipation was something I never saw coming.
And that 'unexpected answer'? The moment I heard it, I felt this universe harbored more underdog-crushing vibes than I'd imagined.
"How about turning them into bio-factories for breeding Black Scourge offspring?"
"Ahem, exclude those assimilated or bound by magic oaths. For the rest, brain-tampering into slaves works too."
"Huh?"
"Slavery, huh? Not bad. Milano-V's colonization is still ongoing, so we could use 'em as labor."
Hearing that, my psychological brakes kicked in again. On a whim, I fired up the gallery.
Was this space average, or was everywhere else a demon realm where everyone but me was an asshole? Time to crowdsource intel.
I posted an aggro bait question fittingly, then checked user replies.
'Kinda reminds me of fringe games where you make human furniture.'
They reeked of 'this is normal' while rambling long tales.
The world baffled me—reality seemed way more fucked than expected.
But briefly. As DoctorMidori said, the lore screamed deep dark vibes from the start.
So, for refugees: no instant brain-smash slavery if they toe the line.
Deport on first crime or issue.
Cross the line? As Ilrena said, Black Scourge parts factory.
Solid, drama-free resolution.