A Mutant Collector Quest

"Some of the schematics are cheaper, comparatively, yes," she admits. "Normally, I don't trade in information and schematics, but for you… we can work something out. Follow me," she says, waving her hand for me to follow.

"Hey, I still want to buy these three things," I remind her, bringing up the items I had already arranged to purchase.

"Ah, that junk. I almost forgot about them," she says with a chuckle. She walks over to the containers holding the items and retrieves them one by one.

I half-expected her to use some kind of special process or hand them over in fancy packaging, but instead, she simply types a code into the containers, retrieves the items, and hands them to me with her gloved hands.

First, the Batarang—no protective wrapping, no elegant presentation. Next, the green shard, and finally the pink shard, both treated with the same casual indifference.

My lips twitch slightly. She should really work on her sales presentation. At the very least, I had expected a simple bag or some kind of wrapping. Instead, the items are handed directly to me, almost as if they were worthless trinkets. Perhaps, to her, they really are just junk.

"I will subtract 150 units from the 10,000 units," she says, grabbing my hand before I can respond. "Now, come on. Let me fulfill your other request."

I think about asking for a receipt but decide against it. Receipts here are probably digital, and it's not like they would be emailed to my account back on Earth. Instead, I silently pocket the three items, feeling a small surge of satisfaction.

As she leads me out of the room, I glance back one last time at the Dark Matter Dagger displayed on the shelf. The thought lingers in my mind: Someday, I will come back for it.

"So, aside from… Mystic arts and Collecting Women, what else do you do back on your planet?" Carina asks, her arm entwined with mine, her breasts pressed against me as she leads me through the labyrinthine corridors of the ship.

I try to ignore her teasing, distracting myself by observing the ship's advanced technology. I notice that many of the corridors are eerily empty, devoid even of the robotic guards.

"I am a businessman," I reply, brushing off her comment about collecting women. "I run a pretty big business back on my home planet. Though, compared to what you are used to, it probably isn't all that impressive—it doesn't even span the entire planet," I add with a wry smile.

"No, no, that's certainly impressive," she says with a small grin. "So, you built this business yourself? You must be very skilled at all this… business stuff," she adds, sounding genuinely impressed.

I can't tell if her admiration is real or feigned, but I decide to roll with it. "Yes, I built it myself," I boast with a proud smirk. "I did have a little help here and there, but mostly, it was just me. In fact, I doubt anyone could even run it for a day without me. It's tough being the best," I say with an exaggerated sigh of mock exasperation.

For a moment, I feel refreshed. There is no Skye, Bobbi, Pepper, or Susan around to refute my claims!

"Wow, you are so strong, good-looking, charming, and even good at business… and I just know you must be amazing in bed too," she says, flashing me a sultry smile. Her blue eyes glint with mischief. "It seems like you are exceptional at everything, Luke," she adds, her voice dripping with allure.

As she keeps talking, her body presses tightly against mine, a peculiar scent catches my attention through my Emotion Smelling ability. At the same time, I feel her grip on my arm tighten slightly.

"Yeah, well, I am not good at everything," I say with a wry smile, realizing she might have taken my boasting a little too seriously. "For example, I am not exactly great a—"

"Ah, look, here we are," Carina says, interrupting my sentence as she hurries me to a massive metal gate. I narrow my eyes at her behaviour but let it slide for now, focusing on the enormous room that comes into view as she types a code into her wrist gauntlet.

The space inside is vast, as large as the first room I entered, with no visible end to the ceiling. Multiple platforms, each the size of a football field, are stacked at different levels, and each one holds a unique-looking spaceship.

The ships vary in size and shape: some are V-shaped, others star-shaped, round, or the more traditional saucer design.

"Is this your collection of spaceships, Carina?" I ask in surprise, amazed by the dazzling display of advanced vehicles.

"This? Oh, not at all," she laughs, as I inadvertently glance at her jiggling breasts. "This is just my personal garage. Although," she smirks, "I guess you could call it a Mini Collection since I keep buying ships from various places." She releases my arm and strides towards a large control panel.

"Just a personal garage, huh?" I chuckle, glancing around the colossal room. "This must be how Sensei felt when she saw my Tesla collection." I grin, recalling Colleen's reaction.

I notice that there are hovering metal crates and flying drones populating the area, adding an air of security. It makes sense—this was likely her garage and airstrip, one of the most critical locations in any spaceship.

"Alright," Carina begins, her tone light, "I checked on your request for 'advanced' tech schematics." She chuckles at the word advanced. "The star maps and jump point gate maps are relatively cheap. Even the most complete version I can provide, that is already installed on this ship, is about 1,000 units." A holographic map materialises from her wrist device, displaying planets and star systems.

I nod, studying the vastness of it, although I realise that the alien language it displays is indecipherable. That is something I will need to address eventually.

"Now, as for spaceship and space station schematics..." She looks at me with a wry smile. "Those are pricey. Even the schematics for the old systems on this Antique ship, will cost you a lot. The most basic spaceship schematic I have is worth 1,000 units at minimum, and the space station schematic? That's around 12,000. And that is for the most basic one," she explains, expanding two holographic structures.

One is of a massive space station with a huge circular ring encircling a globe, its scale unmistakably enormous. On the other hand the spaceship schematic resembles my Ghostwing, though it's bulkier and more robust.

"That expensive, huh?" I rub my chin, debating whether to take out more of those 'thin' Vibranium coins from my pocket.

If only I had D.A.I.S.Y. and my Focus with me, I could have hacked into the system and stolen all this data for free!

Carina steps closer, a small grin playing on her lips. "Why the long face? Worried about how to pay for it?… Take this," she says, handing me a chip.

I accept it, examining the small, rectangular piece of hardware. It looks just like a regular chip I would find in computers back home.

"This is the oldest tech I could find on this ship," she explains, her voice laced with pride. "This chip contains all the data and schematics for a space station, a spaceship, and even a star map. The map includes jump points and jump gates." She grins, her expression widening as she looks at me smugly.

"So… is there a tab system here, or are you offering me an instalment plan?" I ask with a wry smile.

"Hehe, no," she says, shaking her head. "Just consider this a goodwill gesture. Those prices I mentioned earlier? They are the normal market rates. But since I don't trade in these things and this is all old stuff from this antique ship, I won't charge you nearly as much."

She pauses, spreading her arms wide in a theatrical show—pressing her breasts forward as she does so. "But that doesn't mean it's free. I am charging you 9,850 credits for it. This way, I don't owe you anything either," she adds with a smirk.

I blink in surprise at her generosity, It almost makes me skeptical of the prices she quoted earlier, but I decide not to voice those doubts.

"Thank you, Carina… I owe you one," I say, flashing her a charming smile as I pocket the chip.

Her blue eyes sparkle as she gazes at my face, stepping closer. "These schematics also include engine blueprints," she explains. "No FTL engines, though, or even STL. These spaceships run on good old Warp Drives. They will let you travel through the jump points," she says, punctuating her statement with a playful wink.

FTL, or Faster-Than-Light, should involve traveling through hyperspace or subspace dimensions. STL, or Slower-Than-Light, refers to near-light-speed travel. Both technologies are far more advanced and undoubtedly would cost millions, especially for their schematics.

"Thank you, Carina. Warp Drives alone will do just fine for now," I reply, a wide grin spreading across my face. This would push my plans forward significantly.

I briefly consider asking her to throw in a universal translator chip, maybe even a wrist communicator. Surely, someone as wealthy as Carina must have a few spare older models lying around. To her, those would be nothing more than pocket change.

Carina stands in front of me, a small grin playing on her lips. "I have also marked the different territories in various galaxies and flagged other dangerous areas on the Star Map. Just a little extra something from me, so you don't run into trouble later," she says with a teasing smile, as she steps closer. Her proximity is palpable now, her breath mingling with mine.

"Thank you. That will help me a lot, Carina," I reply, my voice steady, though my eyes can't help but wander to her prominent cleavage. "You have really gone out of your way for me. If there is anything you need, just tell me," I add, my voice dropping to a husky tone, as my powers pick up the scent of her desire.

"Luke, I do have a small request… just a little one," she murmurs, her sparkling blue eyes locking onto mine as she takes another step forward, pressing her body tightly against mine.

"… Just ask," I say, my breath hitching slightly as my body responds instantly, with my cock stirring awake.

"Luke," she whispers, her tone soft and shy, her hands sliding up to hook around my neck, pulling our faces closer together.

"Yes, Carina…" I say, placing a hand gently on her cheek, the heat between us both intensifying as her scent of intense desire overwhelms my sense of smell.

"Will you please…" she begins, her lips tantalizingly close to mine, her alien curves pressing firmly against me.

"No need to say please…" I reply, my voice low and heated, my focus drawn to her inviting pink lips and the feeling of her soft breasts against my chest. My cock is rock hard right now!

"… please … Become a part of My Collection!" she suddenly exclaims.

My neck tightens abruptly as something constricts around it.

"What?" I gasp, startled as I jerk back away from her, my hands clawing at the unfamiliar object now encircling my throat.

"Don't bother, Luke," Carina says, her smirk returning as she watches me struggle. "It's an Electro-Collar, Kree technology. Made from an advanced metallic alloy, it's practically unbreakable."

"What is this, Carina? Why are you doing this?" I ask in surprise, staring at the blue-eyed woman in front of me.

"Welcome to my Collection, Luke," she says, her voice a mix of triumph and tenderness, a small smirk tugging at her lips.