The Scrap Tamer

Commander Ajax stood before the holographic figure, a deep frown etched across his face, clearly displeased by whatever he'd just heard.

"You want to send a bunch of kids?" He asked, his disbelief evident in his tone, "that region has been has been sealed off for decades, with no communication or even satellite scans and now that they suddenly need help you decide to send kid?"

A week had passed since Reid reached platinum rank, a news which was quickly known by almost everyone in the base.

Commander Ajax wouldn't normally admit it, but he was really proud of his former Cadet's growth, coupled with the fact that his team had also shown great progress and Owen had also finally achieved platinum rank.

But his moment of pride was cut short when an unexpected order came from the higher-ups: both Owen's team and Daniel's—the senior Officer with the jackal Forged-Beast and leader of Damien's newly promoted squad— were to be dispatched to a region that lacked any communication for the past couple of decades.

"I understand your concerns, Commander," the man in the hologram said calmly, "but this is the only viable way to reestablish contact with the lost region."

"Then why not send higher-ranking units?" Ajax snapped, his frustration now fully visible. "If they've managed to survive this long without our support, what makes you and the rest of those old geezers think a group of kids can handle whatever threat was too much for them to handle?"

"Because all our higher-ranking units are currently indispensable," the man replied calmly. "With the increasing number of primal incidents and the strange anomalies popping up across multiple sectors, we can't afford to pull them away. Sending them away now would leave our own us dangerously exposed, especially considering our shortage of powerhouses."

Ajax's lips curled into a bitter line. "So the best choice is to send these kids?"

"They're not just 'kids' anymore, Commander," the man countered, voice firm. "Two of team seven's members are already platinum-tier tamers, they may be barely out of training, yes, but they've done what most soldiers twice their age haven't."

Ajax's fists clenched behind his back. "And what of Daniel's team? They've barely been promoted to officers last week."

"This is the military commander, not a day care," the man reminded, "sooner or later those 'kids' will have to join the war against primals, so why delay the inevitable."

"And besides, it's not like they would be sent alone, major Cross and commander Voss will be going with them." The man took a pause before adding.

This did nothing to quell Commander Ajax's worries, especially since he now knows that Voss was working for a group known as the cult.

But he couldn't outrightly deny the order either because at the end of the day, he was no more than a commander, his hands were tied.

Seeing that Ajax had gone quiet, the man nodded before saying, "you're responsible for briefing them on the mission, the details will be sent to you soon, they'll be dispatched as soon as Major Cross returns."

With that, the holographic call was ended and the man disappeared, leaving the commander with a frown on his face.

He reached up, rubbed his temples, and let out a breath that had been trapped in his chest since the conversation started.

Voss.

Ajax had been trying so hard to gather evidence that proved that he was part of the cult but it proved harder than he thought, almost like someone was actively covering for him.

Quite possibly a higher up.

There were only a few reasons the cult would risk placing one of their own in a high-profile mission like this.

And none of them were good. Either they expected something to go wrong out there… or they were planning for it to.

His only hope was that Reid and the rest were strong enough to handle whatever the cult had planned for them.

_________

Meanwhile, the man turned to the scientist by his side as soon as he ended the holographic call with commander Ajax.

"Are you sure it was wise to send them there?" the man asked, unease in his voice. "Won't that decision only draw suspicion toward us?"

"Are you questioning the Master's orders?" the scientist replied, a deep frown settling on his face.

"Of course not," the man answered, "it just seems uncharacteristic of the master to make such a decision."

The scientist went quiet for a moment before chuckling, "you think his decisions are uncharacteristic?"

"Unlike us, the Master never makes rash or mistaken decisions. If he commanded you to use your authority to send them to that forgotten land, then it's all part of his plan."

The man fell silent, his lips pressed into a thin line as he processed the scientist's words. Despite his doubts, he knew better than to question the Master's will—especially not aloud.

The scientist stepped towards his and took a small vial that held a bright green liquid within out of his white lab coat and handed it to the man.

"I heard Voss managed to recruit someone quite close to the target," the scientist said with a sly smile. "Would you be so kind as to deliver this to him?"

"What's this?" The man asked as he raised the vial to eye level, observing the green liquid inside.

"My ticket to impressing the Master," the scientist said, "it's a mind control serum that will place one of the greatest obstacles in his path completely under his control."

The man looked at the vial in surprise,"you actually finished it?"

"Of course, who do you think I am?" The scientist sounded completely proud of his achievement, "I just need a way to get him to take it and Voss's new recruit is my best option."

The man sent the vial to his inventory and sighed, "just know that you owe me one for this."

"Don't worry," the scientist said with a smirk. "Once I've earned the Master's favor, I won't forget this little help of yours."