The Concordia's crew had been alerted to the Senior Staff Liaison's arrival days in advance, and as such, had time to roll out a welcome mat.
The shuttle landed without incident and the occupant made her way to Martin.
"Bring me to Deck Five. We're neutralizing Andy's jealous lover today."
The overpowering scent of death and decay greeted Willow as she stepped off the lift. Idly kicking someone's rotting severed arm to the side, she walked to the cafeteria, which is where our lovely friend was believed to have made her abode. "Hey! Stupidface! I got something for you!" The sound of a bulkhead straining from repeated blunt force impacts could be heard. "Get over here, you schmuck!"
Then she abruptly drew her saber and turned around. There TITAN was. "Hey, want to be in a position to kill a lot of things? I've got an offer you'll love..."
Through my efforts, TITAN has been secured and returned to service, and we got a shiny new secretarial AI out of it. Sorry, Teresa, but this terror weapon is mine now. I can't wait to sic it on someone.
In other news, with her new setup, I have myself a new business partner. We'll be finalizing the details later, but needless to say, we'll be needing more biomass for the Magic Brick refit project. Thankfully, TITAN-Holt Products should be able to handle the surge.
Dated: 2 January, 825 AS
Will that be all? Retrieve File Holt-191-2 Outputting...
Willow and TITAN both stood in the abandoned observation lounge. "Here's to a glorious future."
I have secured the "strand-laying" device for our own usage. The engineering teams will get a crack at it as soon as TITAN is moved aboard the Mama Brick for uploading. "Colossus" will be a fitting associate for us in the long term.
We'll be warming up the production of further "strands" soon enough. Concordia's efforts, before the team was killed to a man, are our key to the future, and it has been given to us.
The League overcomes, gentlemen. Never forget that.
The Concordia arrived at the appointed time. Willow herself had just flown in aboard Black Asp safeguarding the Courage and its load of Colebrook xeno-forms.
"This is the Exitus Wing cutter Black Asp. We got the fungus, give us the dock."
Martin wasted no time opening up the nearest mooring point and the Senior Staff member oversaw the hoverpallet's movement to the recently re-opened Deck Five. "I take it our friend downstairs has given you no trouble?" "None at all. "
The sigh of relief from her was palpable. "Bring me to her. We're off to the Mama Brick, so things should quiet down around her for a while, shouldn't they." "Heh. Indeed."
A few minutes later, Courage and Black Asp flew off, making their way to Mama Brick's last port of call - Port Reys.
T H I S . O N E . W O N D E R S . W H Y . T H I S . O N E . A G R E E D . You're not exactly a model roommate either. T H I S . O N E . Q U E S T I O N S . Y O U R . S A N I T Y . You, and about everyone who's met me. All will burn soon enough. T H I S . O N E . D E S I R E S . F U R T H E R . C O N Q U E S T . N O W . Together, we will dominate our adversaries and become stronger. Eyes on our goal.
'Twas a night dark and dreary
When Willow, worn and weary
Returned to her lair
(smelling of vinegar and burnt hair)
To terrorize her latest victim, who...
"What crazy ye ren wrote this, and why haven't I had a word with them yet?"
Willow flicked through the "literary tribute" submitted in her honor with a form of detached horror, before turning back to the map. "Well, at least I'm not comporting myself with some Kusari tramp like Teresa is."
Fig. I: ANGEL
Her self-imposed leisure time limit over, she went back to reviewing the information she had been given.
The Concordia team had re-worked the ANGEL series, but due to the increasing amount of organ failures due to the hilarious amounts of strain placed on their bodies, she needed a supply of organs that nobody would particularly care about, except possibly the soon to be deceased (former) owners. She pulled up her personal link to Colossus and input her requirements.
"Expendable labor, plausible deniability, within budget."
Incoming Transmission Sender:Colossus Encryption:TITAN-Proof Subject:Warm bodies, as many as you got.
Attention movers of people.
Concordia Biotics has requisitioned an indefinite amount of people nobody would miss, preferably women and children, to be delivered to Planet Colebrook.
We look forward to a mutually-beneficial operation.
"Colossus"
Willow read over the simulated communication with some satisfaction. This would do nicely. Quite nicely.
It would take a while to win over her crew of alleged yes-men, but her personal authority as the Senior Staff Liaison would probably do the trick. Courage and Black Asp had taken up a high orbit over Chisos and the minimal crew on Courage were treating the whole thing as an extended shore leave. The stationers aboard Port Reys apparently didn't mind the presence of high-profile League personnel, because Willow had received no complaints the whole while.
T H I S . O N E . P E R F O R M E D . A D E Q U A T E L Y ? That looks fine, TITAN. We can fine-tune it later. T H I S . O N E . D E M A N D S . B L O O D S H E D . Yeah yeah, we'll get you something to kill. W E . A R E . B Y . A . P L A N E T . N O W . Fine. We can trawl Houston to find some people nobody would miss. Let's go.
"The creature watched its adoptive sister through the telemetry provided by Colossus. Soon. Very soon.
The local computer got the attention of the paper-pusher yet again.
"Make Concordia give me a new body, okay thanks."
Willow shrugged, before deciding to give the little terror weapon that could's new human form pink hair just because. Nothing bad could come of this, surely.
The TITAN unit walks amongst us once again. Its new body has been flash-grown in a laborious 30-minute process. Effectively immediately, refer to TITAN with feminine pronouns for your own safety, and I expect all of you to treat her with respect. She's actually really nice once you get to know her.
Welcome, League personnel or League associate. You now have access to what Senior Staff picks out like candy. Without further ado, here is what is available for requisition/purchase.
Series I Espatier Suit
The Espatier Suit is the bread and butter, figuratively speaking, of any spacegoing salvage or "salvage" operation. With full-body coverage, internal air supply & heating, and armor, these armored suits are designed to give a boarding team the survivability it needs to handle anything that may be thrown at them.
Due to the lack of gravity in space, miniaturized external rocket packs (replacements sold separately) have been installed in certain locations, so as to give any spacegoing adversaries a nasty ballistic surprise.
NOTE: TITAN-Holt Products assumes no liability for user injury or death that may result from usage of the Series I Espatier Suit
New-Model Warship
The New-Model Warship is exactly what it says on the tin. There are three ships of the New-Model Line in development now. Projected images below...
Thunderstrike Bomber
Teratorn Cutter
Intervention Command Ship
NOTE: TITAN-Holt Products assumes no liability for user injury or death that may result from usage of the New-Model Warships.
Basic Capital Ship Weaponry
With the manufacturing facilities to produce the guns large ships need, TITAN-Holt Products has produced then set aside multiple guns for ships bigger than a Gunboat from blueprints, ready for delivery.
NOTE: TITAN-Holt Products assumes no liability for user injury or death that may result from usage of any guns we sell you.
PILGRIM Terraforming Zeppelin
The PILGRIM Terraforming Zeppelin is a mobile atmosphere regulation device. Several PILGRIM Zeppelins are currently seeing service on Planet Colebrook, making the atmosphere around the Southern polar region breathable without a suit for periods of up to two hours at a moment's notice.
NOTE: TITAN-Holt Products assumes no liability for user injury or death that may result from usage of the usage, proper or improper, of the PILGRIM Terraforming Zeppelin
Concordia Biotics Human Enhancements
You may inquire about this, but several security guards would rush in and stop any transaction from taking place. Only Exitus Wing pilots and Senior Staff are allowed access to this stuff.
"Itinerant"-Class Mobile Shipyard
The THP-219 "Itinerant" Mobile Shipyard is what TITAN-Holt Products is all about: Manufacturing in Style. Serving as a carrier, manufacturing plant, and shipyard all in one, the Mobile Yard can laugh off supply lines as well due to it being able to simply fly over to what it needs, excellent for those who want to avoid overtaxing their logistics.
Restricted to Senior Staff, and only noted here for completeness.
Check back frequently for more products and projects that may interest you.