Path to Becoming the Greatest Space Mercenary

"That was great mom. Thanks for the food." Avery said, patting his belly with a satisfied grin

"Oh, it was nothing. Now, I need to get ready for work. Would you mind cleaning up for me?"

Avery gave his mother a smile in agreement and gathered up the dishes that they had used.

Fortunately, all he needed to do was toss everything into the house's multipurpose cleaning apparatus and let it do all of the hard work.

When he had finished, Avery planned on saying goodbye for the day, but his father approached him before he could.

"I've… something… to… tell… you."

A curious expression on his face, Avery followed behind his father into the room that used to be his.

However, the bed and other furniture he had when he used to live with his parents were gone. Replaced with multiple machines that helped to ease the burden of his father's condition.

Once the older man was hooked up to the largest device in the room, he exhaled a deep breath as it soothed his pain and further eased his breathing.

"Ah, that's better. Now I can talk to you more properly." Avery's father said, his entire demeanor having changed now that he was no longer suffering so much.

"So, what is it? I want to get out there and make some Krenin so that you and mom can get back to normal."

"Are you really planning to use that ship you found to become a mercenary?"

Avery raised an eyebrow at this question. He had already mentioned it to his parents, and while both of them had looked concerned, he did not think either of them would be against it.

Successful space mercenaries that owned their own ships could make a lot of money quickly. Eliminating pirates, guarding mining vessels, escorting people from one station to another, and mapping unknown areas, were just some of the high paying jobs that mercenaries could take on. Though, all of them carried with them a high risk in return.

"Yeah, I do. The regenerative treatments you need to restore your lungs and spine are expensive. Mom's job and my salvaging work probably won't ever earn enough to cover it. But now, I've got a real chance. The ship I lucked across is top of the line. I should be able to complete even tough commissions with it." Avery said passionately.

His father still looked skeptical after hearing this. Mercenaries could make a lot, but they were also wagering their lives.

It had already been difficult to not say anything when his son flew off into space as a salvager. Now, Avery planned on going out there to do far more dangerous jobs that could easily see him killed.

"I don't know if your mother or I could take it if we heard one day that you died out there. Won't you reconsider? If the vessel you found is as good as you say, then selling it should be enough. There's no need to risk yourself for my sake."

"That's true." Avery replied, his expression downcast.

He understood where his father was coming from. Still, after getting a taste for traveling among the stars, he did not want to give it up.

Practical as it was, he did not want to spend the rest of his life on the Yuson II.

After he told this to his father, the older man lowered his head and let out a long sigh.

When he looked back up, Avery saw a determined gleam in his father's eyes.

"If you're going to do this, you need to do so properly. I'm sure you've heard plenty of stories at those bars you've been going to, but being a mercenary is not easy. Most freshly registered mercs either end up dead or quitting within the first year. I think only a little over thirty percent make it longer than that. At least from what I last heard. To be successful, there's a lot you need to learn. And throwing yourself directly into it is the hard way."

Avery almost robotically nodded his head as he felt a lecture from his father coming on. He had been through similar situations several times in the past, and he figured that it would be best to just get through it.

Except, this was not simply his father giving him advice this time. He did not know enough about being a mercenary to do more than caution his son. But he did know someone that could teach him the ropes.

"I've got an old acquaintance who's a retired mercenary. I believe that he was a five-star when he was still active. If I reach out, he might be willing to give you some pointers. Though, I can't promise anything."

This came as a real surprise for Avery. He knew his father had some buddies he would meet up with from time to time, but he never imagined one was such an accomplished mercenary.

In the Dramid Alliance, mercenaries were ranked by the number of starts they had. Newly registered mercs were considered zero stars, and the highest rank was seven.

That meant that a five star mercenary was part of the upper ranks and truly accomplished.

Around ninety five percent of all mercenaries were ranked zero to four stars. That meant anyone that advanced to being a five star was in the top five percent of all mercenaries.

'If I could learn the ins and outs of mercenary work from someone like that, it could really help me get ahead. I'd be a fool to pass up this chance.' Avery thought after only a few moments of considering his father's offer.

"I'd be grateful if you contact your acquaintance. If I'm going to do this, I want to do it right. I'm sure having a pro teach me will make things a lot easier for me."

"Good. If you had refused, I'd have done everything I could to convince you to stop. Knowing him, it won't be easy. But your chances out there will be a lot better if you received some proper instruction first."

Avery's father then accessed the terminal integrated into his wheelchair and sent a message to his mercenary friend.

For a few minutes the two waited in silence until a response arrived.