C44 Forbidden Tech

I moved closer, and when I brought up the display, a new set of blueprints appeared.

"Hey, check this out,"

I called over my shoulder.

The others gathered around as the holographic display showed a series of complex diagrams of some kind of anti-gravity generator.

The designs were incomplete, only about 5% of the total schematics were present, but what was there was enough to make my heart race.

"This… this is black tech-level stuff,"

I murmured, hardly believing what I was seeing.

"How the f*ck did these guys come up with this kind of advanced s*it, If I remember correctly anti-gravity tech belongs to at least level four civilizations"

Paul whistled softly.

"Think we can do anything with it?"

I grinned.

"Even at only 5% completion, I guarantee some of the UNOE megacorps will pay a pretty penny for this."

Darius chuckled.

"Mercenary regs don't prevent us from selling what we find, right?"

"Nope,"

I said, already downloading the partial blueprints to my fully-enclosed helmet once complete after that poured out my entire mag at the Xeno console, sparks and shrapnel flew until the console caught fire.

"We're free to sell this to the highest bidder. And believe me, they'll be lining up for it."

I took one last look around the command center. The alien civilization that had once thrived here was long gone, wiped out by its own hubris.

But we had what we came for and then some.

"Alright, let's move out,"

I said, signaling to the team.

"We've got what we need."

We left the command center behind, climbing back up through the frozen tunnel to the surface.

The cold wind hit us as we emerged from the underground, the silent ruins of the city standing as a reminder of what had happened here.

As we boarded the dropship and lifted off, the crater grew smaller beneath us, a scar on the face of the moon that would forever hold the secrets of a lost civilization.

"Think anyone else will come looking for this place?"

Julian asked as we flew away.

"Maybe,"

I replied.

"But they will probably wont find anything worthy well maybe they can If they dig long enough."

Our next stop was Nihlwing IIIa, where the strange monoliths awaited. But for now, we had a treasure trove of data and a potential payday waiting for us back in UNOE space.

And in this line of work, that was all that mattered.

As the dropship soared above the frozen moon, leaving the vast crater and alien ruins behind, I couldn't help but feel the weight of our discovery settle in.

Black tech-level anti-gravity generators, the kind of stuff that was far beyond what most level one civilizations like the UNOE were capable of.

Even at 5% completion, this find was worth its weight in gold if not more.

But before I could cash in on this treasure, there was business to attend to. A mission report needed to be written and filed, and of course, I needed to ensure our "extra findings" weren't part of the official record.

Once we docked with Invicta, I stood up, rolling my shoulders as the tension from the mission began to fade.

The interior of the ship felt warmer, more familiar, after spending hours in the icy depths of that alien city.

"Alright, schmuks"

I said, turning to the rest of the team.

"We're done for today. Time to hit the showers and supper later."

"Finally,"

Paul groaned, unbuckling his harness.

"I swear, if I feel any more cold air, my nuts will freeze off."

Darius chuckled, clapping him on the back.

"Wouldn't want that now, would we?"

Airid, still limping slightly but in much better shape than before, cracked his neck.

"I'm heading straight to the medbay to check on my leg. No point in pushing it until it's fully healed."

"Good call,"

I said.

"You've earned the rest. I'll handle the mission report, get everything sorted."

As the team dispersed, I made my way to the armory. The process of removing my armor had become second nature by now.

I started by unclipping the chest piece, feeling the weight of it lift from my body. The rest of the armor plates came off piece by piece, shoulder plates, gauntlets, shin guards, until I was standing in the armory in just my space uniform.

I carefully placed each piece of my armor back onto its rack, making sure everything was where it belonged.

My rifle was next, unloaded and locked into its position, with the empty mag and spare rounds stored neatly in their compartments.

The armory was always kept immaculate, and I liked it that way. In this line of work, a moment's hesitation could get you killed, and I wasn't about to let my gear be the reason for that.

Once everything was in place, I left the armory and headed to my quarters. The door slid open with a soft hiss, revealing my small but comfortable room.

It wasn't much just a bed, a desk, and a few personal items, but it was mine, and it was enough.

The first thing I did was make myself a cup of coffee with a bit of something extra In a form of good old whiskey.

The rich, dark aroma filled the room, and I took a deep breath, savoring the moment of quiet before the inevitable chaos of writing up the mission report.

As the coffee brewed, I sat at my desk and powered up the holographic console. The screen flickered to life, and I pulled up the mission logs, reviewing the footage from our helmet cams.

A live feed of everything we had seen and done, from the first steps into the crater to the moment we found the anti-gravity generator blueprints.

"Alright,"

I muttered to myself, sipping my coffee.

"Let's clean this up."

I began cutting out certain parts of the footage, the key moments where we found the schematics, downloaded them, and the part where I emptied my mag into the alien console.

Those sections? Gone. Replaced by "technical difficulties" markers in the video. It was a simple edit, nothing fancy, but it would do the job.

As I worked, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. The Galactic Council didn't really care if mercenaries took a few souvenirs here and there, as long as it didn't interfere with the mission.

But the less they knew about what we found, the better. The fewer questions asked, the smoother the payday would be when we got back.

Once the video was edited, I began writing the report.

Mission Report: Nihlwing Xa

Objective: Investigate ancient crater and determine Its cause.

Status: Complete

Summary:

Upon arrival at the designated coordinates, the Terranum Imperium PMC identified an ancient alien city buried beneath the surface of the crater.

The structures, though damaged, appeared to be remnants of a space-age civilization that suffered a catastrophic event.

The crater itself is likely the result of a massive impact, possibly a moon or asteroid, which decimated the planet and its inhabitants.

Our investigation led us to an underground command center, where we discovered evidence suggesting the planet and the moon were connected to a space elevator that catastrophically failed, causing the moon's destabilization and Its crash Into the planet.

All relevant data has been recovered will be attached.

Casualties: None.

Recommendations: Further investigation may be required, though the site appears abandoned and unlikely to field any further results apart from some random Xeno trinkets for collectors.

End of Report.

Once the report was finished, I attached the edited video and hit send. The file zipped off into the ether, bound for the Galactic Council's archives.