Byron and the triplets brought their newly appropriated armoured transport to a secluded location in the endless desert. Well, it was not like there was any way to obscure their position in the vastly unobstructed sandscape. They were in a position that was generally out of the scope of most excursions into the endless desert by corporations or civilians. It would be troublesome to enter the surveillance of coincidental parties as it would leave a trace that could easily be tracked by Halcyon inc.

Either way, they weren't going to stay here for too long. It was merely a momentary pause to cleanse themselves of any undetectable bugs.

Byron got off the transport and walked over to a region with a slight elevation. He then pulled out a pair of binoculars and swept the area around them thoroughly.

While he was doing this, Nathan carefully walked out of the transport's rear storage and looked amorously at its manifest. Horace and Karina noted the almost intoxicated trance Nathan was in and edged closer to take a look.

This entire time, only Karina had had a gander at the Meka developed by Halcyon Inc. However, it was only a cursory glance and she didn't know much about its appearance up close. Back when she stowed herself into the transport to highjack its turret systems, she couldn't afford to divert her attention and ogle at the machine.

With measured steps, Horace and Karina approached the transport's rear and gazed into the storage. The internal was well lit with flattering lighting dotted in its ceiling and flooring. It accentuated the sleek design of the war machine held within.

The Meka was in its storage configuration and was in a near-perfect cuboid-like shape. For the ease of transportation and distribution, Mekas were generally designed to be able to configure themselves in such a way as to maximise compactness and minimise storage and transport costs.

This storage configuration was only a one-time and irreversible state; the moment the Meka is brought out of this configuration it can never return to it. Usually, designers keep this in mind and can tweak the internals of the machine to accommodate for this.

The storage configuration was a design breakthrough achieved by a start-up Meka designing company during the mid-2300s called CubeMAX Inc. Their first Meka, including this novel configuration, made huge waves in a trans-system start-ups convention. They immediately attracted the attention of multiple investors owning shares in first-rate corporations.

Surprisingly, the owners resisted the urge to bend over and gather that sea of cash thrown their way and held out. Finally, they received a buyout offer from a Rank 2 Corporation called ChengShi Tech, which specialised in Meka manufacture and production, for non-dilutable equity of 5%.

This offer was massive at that time. No corporation in their right mind would make such a move, since non-dilutable equity basically meant that the shareholders would perpetually own 5% of all shares traded by the company regardless of whether the company decided to release more shares in the future. It was by nature non-dilutable ownership of the company.

But when speculationists and dogged journalists dug deeper, they found that ChengShi was barely hanging on by a thread. The company was slated to be booted out of the system they owned majority shares of and was about to get demoted to a Rank 3 corporation. 

This was a huge deal because while it was easy to move between Rank 3 and 4, as well as Rank 1 and 2, it was near impossible for a corporation to advance from Rank 3 status to Rank 2 status. To successfully breach through the barrier, a lot of things had to fall into place simultaneously, with luck playing a major role. So if ChengShi slipped into Rank 3, returning to their original position would be anything short of a miracle.

However, regressing into Rank 3 from Rank 2 should not have been so trivial. The issue was that this wasn't an isolated event. In many other systems where ChengShi owned shares, they were being systematically attacked by their competitors who were coordinatedly pecking at ChengShi's production and distribution channels as well as regular customers. This eventually resulted in ChengShi losing a lot of ground and blocking off their sources of revenue. It was a strong-arming strategy employed by corporations to reduce competition in their field.

This should not have been successful, however, ChengShi was also suffering internally due to the departure of many high-ranking members as well as unimpeded attacks from corporate spies and external agents. It was a total shit show!

Luckily, the CEO at that time had excellent foresight and bit the bullet and sacrificed the measly 5%.

Very quickly, the company rolled out revamped models of their current production orders in their pipeline incorporating this revolutionary storage configuration.

Like a spark of cinder in a stack of deadwood, a massive chain reaction followed.

One must note that compactness is an extremely essential parameter when it comes to product design, especially when mass manufacture and distribution is being considered. For the cases where production volume is high, if stock is not being depleted at a rate equivalent to it being replenished, then the company will find themselves holding onto a lot of units and resultantly shelling out a boatload of cash in maintaining them.

For any generic company that manufactured their Mekas in-house, this is not a problem because the unit is immediately shipped out to its required post the moment it is manufactured. Furthermore, this manufacturing is usually performed in batch, so every other aspect down the line such as transportation is metered.

However, Meka manufacturing and production companies' sole purpose is to produce Mekas for other companies. They act as foundries that facilitate the manufacture of Mekas designed by other corporations. They only need to own top-of-the-line production machines and tech to support any advanced or nuanced features included in the incoming designs.

This acts as a way to offload the costs on start-ups and budding Meka designers as they don't need to own expensive equipment or hire employees with licenses to operate them. For a manageable fee, they can hire a third party to manufacture the Mekas for them.

Following this logic, it becomes evident that the manufacturing companies will have to hold on to the units until it is time for shipping them. And due to the unorthodox shape of Mekas, they waste a lot of space and can easily crowd up most storage spaces that are usually cuboid in shape.

And so, the company either has to frequently transport their produced Mekas or hold onto a lot of units to transport large quantities in bulk to alleviate the storage costs.

With the advent of the storage configuration, ChengShi found that they could send out substantially greater quantities of Mekas at once, and also found that for the same costs of storage, they could hold more units.

For a bleeding company, this solution, which was akin to a band-aid, was nothing short of a healing panacea.

With higher outputs, faster production speeds, and lower storage costs, ChengShi slowly crawled out of its precarious position and started gaining more ground.

In addition to the internal benefits offered by the storage configuration, the journalists found that the customers who received these compact models became immediately smitten by its advantages as well.

The customers that sent production orders would receive their product at a fixed location. It was up to them to move these models to the locations that required them. Therefore, the model would have to undergo another round of transit to reach its final destination.

Hence, for the customers, the compact model that was easy to transport was additionally pleasing. They didn't have to shell more money to accommodate multiple transport shuttles, and could at times squeeze in the Meka with other shipments.

ChengShi successfully turned the tables on their competitors and even managed to kick-off two of them by bringing over all of their customers. Competition was never personal, it was all about survival and territorial dominance.

While initially, the storage configuration wasn't a single time state, ChengShi's research team, which was led by the owners of CubeMAX, innovated novel strategies that further increased compactness at the cost of modifying the Meka's design itself. The designers could tweak the internals in such a way that when the Meka morphed from its storage configuration, it would complete any incomplete circuitry or mechanisms in the process. While this optimised compactness substantially, the configuration turned into an irreversible state.

The new design process required a shift in paradigm for Meka designers and resulted in an overhaul of existing design philosophies. One could say the ChengShi Tech - more specifically the owners of CubeMAX - singlehandedly spearheaded modern Meka design standards. Most modern textbooks and courses on Meka designing contain dedicated chapters attributing to the owners of CubeMAX.

ChengShi had initially patented their storage configuration, making it a sole property of the company. However, after seeing the practicality of this innovation, they decided to publish the basics of the methodology to the general public. Another motivator was that ChengShi feared that they couldn't hide their secrets any further from corporations higher up the corporate pyramid. They still held back a lot of their secrets and patented many of their manufacturing secrets. So ChengShi Tech was still thriving at the pinnacle of the Rank 2 food chain.

Halcyon's new Meka was also in its dormant storage configuration. While it looked like a dull and uninspired block to the layman, for those that were initiated to the intricacies of Meka design and its subsequent operation, it was nothing short of bewitching. And that was the exact expression plastered across the triplets' faces when they set their eyes upon the machine.

Nathan's gaze traced across the meandering lines that highlighted the robot's form when it unfurled from its dormant state. He paused at points where there were sudden changes in the curvature, as he tried to envision its implications in the grand scheme of things. His drunken gaze turned vehement as he drowned himself in the beauty of the Meka.

Right as Horace and Karina averted their sights, Nathan's eyes landed on the crown jewel, the crème de la crème of the Meka, the hybrid rifle. A trail of saliva escaped from the corner of his gaping mouth, which he very quickly dapped with the inside of his collar.

He slowly approached the rifle, which was also in a compact state. He extended his hands with measured apprehension as if encroaching upon a pristine and alluring fairy in a deep slumber. Right as the tips of his extended fingers touched the metal on the weapon, he was interrupted from his trance by a loud honk.

"Rhys is here," Horace commented as he looked into the distance.

Back when the group had decided to hijack the Halcyon convoy, Byron anticipated the following clean up and instructed Rhys to retrieve their own transport vehicle. This was so that they could move the haul into another transport free of any trackers. In fact, Simon had already hinted this before the job even began. Byron had prepared the transport and left it near their base of operations in the Oasis. However, he had not anticipated moving all their possessions from Room 2307.

The moment the transport parked near their location, the driver's side door opened and Rhys leapt off, moved into a forward roll, and sprinted towards the Halcyon's armoured transport in frenzy.

"Is it here?" he screamed as he approached the transport's rear.

Horace and Karina looked at each other, and a similar cunning smile flashed across their faces.

Karina moved forward and blocked Rhys' line of sight while Horace approached him and pulled him aside.

"We ain't got time Rhys! We need to move from this location before Halcyon finds us," he said with fake urgency.

"B-but I just wanna take a peek!" Rhys stuttered as he craned his neck in an effort to steal a glance at the stored Meka.

Right as he managed to snake his way through the human barricade, Nathan stepped off from the cargo hold with a conspicuous cube levitating behind him...

Rhys' expectant eyes drooped as he saw the compact machine.

"It looks kinda... underwhelming," he commented offhandedly to Horace.

Horace rapped the back of the boy's head as he reprimanded, "It's in its storage configuration. Don't you know that?"

Rhys nodded in realisation and walked back to the team's transport. Apparently, the Meka hadn't met his lofty expectations. It was a predictable reaction, since, for kids like Rhys, a Meka was only an object of worship at a distance, virtually. He never dreamt of ever seeing one up close.

Regardless of the discrepancy in each member's enthusiasm, the crew successfully completed the transfer and departed from their position. Before their departure, though, Byron overloaded the armoured transport's systems. Within an hour following their exit, the transport exploded magnificently. Two hours after its timely decimation, the sands shifted and covered up all its traces, leaving no signs of its existence.

As the team encroached on the new location where the Angel cruiser was docked, a new wave of excitement washed over everyone present. This was for multiple reasons. First off, the payout from this job was well beyond their usual amount, by at least one additional zero. This would ultimately go into their war chest, for the purchase of more advanced equipment to support their venture off of the planet.

After becoming acquainted with the technology in the cruiser, which was lightyears ahead of their usual systems, the team had become a little spoilt for choices. Especially the triplets. Once they became accustomed to the superior performance offered by the gadgets and doodads manufactured using superior technology, they were unwilling to regress to their old tools, which was akin to stone age equipment in their eyes.

Nonetheless, the prospect for growth was a beaming beacon that raised the group's morale as they approached the familiarly gaudy looking stealth cruiser.

Once the team parked outside the loading docks, Byron spoke into his comms, "Open up, y'all! Pizza delivery!"

The group waited but didn't receive a response.

Furrowing his brows, Byron pinged through the comms once again, "Hello? Simon?"

Following an extended, and tense, pause, the doors to the loading docks opened up.

With raised vigilance, the crew slowly rolled the transport into the cruiser. The triplets had retrieved their weapons and were in a state of heightened perception.

Nathan slid through the transport's open ceiling and positioned himself behind cover on the roof, with Tonya trained in front. Horace unsheathed one of his daggers and a handgun, while Karina did the same. Rhys could feel a palpable bloodlust boiling over inside the vehicle. Surprisingly, he could feel an extremely concentrated amount emanating from the driver's side, where Byron was seated. The man wasn't even drawing any weapons, but the aura radiating from him mimicked that of a seasoned predator! It was extremely confusing for Rhys.

The transport rolled into a halt in the middle of the cargo bay, and a deafening silence reigned in the room.

The group swivelled their heads while they observed the surrounding.

Suddenly, the door leading to the main hallways of the cruiser slid open and a few figures stepped through.

"What are you guys doing?" a familiar and monotone voice spoke up.

Everyone looked in the direction and saw a figure seated in a levitating LChair.

"Let's go!" Simon urged.

The pressure building up in the transport dissipated almost immediately and the group stepped off in excitement.

Nathan, however, did not let down his guard. As he observed the other members next to Simon he noted a strange atmosphere lingering in their midst.

Rhona was sweating profusely, while Colin appeared to be in a state of extreme shock. Simon was familiarly nonchalant in his behaviour, which was surprisingly even odder in Nathan's eyes.

Nathan lowered Tonya but kept his attention on the three members stationed in the cruiser. As the rest of the triplets and Rhys started to unload the Meka from the transport, Nathan decided to probe the others, "Where are the clients?"

The question caused Rhona and Colin to flinch visibly.

Simon glanced at Nathan and commented, "They had to leave."

'That's it?' Nathan exclaimed internally. Simon didn't even bother to formulate a believable explanation. They just left?

Nathan was understandably agitated. Without the clients, they weren't going to get paid. Somehow, Simon could make out the hidden meaning behind Nathan's pointed glare and assuaged him, "They left everything here with us. The cruiser and everything within is our payment. However, we have to hand over the Meka and the research in-person to a representative from Nova Corp."

"Nova Corp.?" Rhys exclaimed.

Simon hummed in confirmation and then turned towards Byron.

Nathan still kept his attention trained on Simon. He saw that right as Simon finished whispering into Byron's ears, Byron cocked his head and looked at Simon contemplatingly. Then, with a frown, Byron walked towards the side of the transport and fetched his toolbox.

"Stuff needs fixin'," he said to the group as he followed Simon into the cruiser.

Once the two left, Nathan walked up to Rhona and asked her, "What happened?"

Right as he tapped her shoulder, the girl visibly jerked her body and looked at him in shock. "Nothing!" she retorted immediately. Colin nodded along like a bobblehead.

"Something's fishy..." Nathan muttered. Thing's weren't adding up!