The hivemind is conquering for me?-Chapter 723: A Plus One

After receiving the news, I had to cancel lunch and make my way home. Entering the living space, Janine was using the living room to study. "Oh, hey handsome. Why do you look so serious?" She asked as I came into her view with Hailey and Valerica..

"Everyone! Meeting!" I yelled and the residents of the house made their way into the living room.

"Apollo? Is everything alright?" Nerissa asked on behalf of those called. I then passed over the letter and said to everyone else.

"I’ve been called away for an expedition to fight Drakoshi. I leave in two days."

The bombshell hit the room hard. Orchid was the first to ask a question. "So what does this mean? Are we finished with this place?"

Valerica then stepped forward. "If you have not been given a notice yet, it means you haven’t been chosen for the mission. You will be staying here while Apollo leaves. Though it does state on his issue that he has one aid that can go with him."

"Then I am going!" Janine said standing up, looking at me fearlessly. "I go where you go, my love. From the embrace of your sheets to the thick of battle."

I felt my heartstrings being tugged by her determination, but. "Janine, I am not going to take-"

"No! She suddenly ran into me and hugged me tightly. "I wont be left behind again! Not like those other Sepiidae. You aren’t leaving me. Not again... Please don’t leave me. I am stronger now. I have my invisibility. I can be useful! I promise. Just don’t leave me. Please. Please~"

Janine lost her strength as she lost strength in her legs. She then grasped at my own legs while whispering please over and over, tears streaming from her eyes.

Leaning down, I grabbed her chin. "Look at me." I spoke low, composed. Authoritative. Something she really liked.

"I am not leaving you, Janine. I agree, you would be useful by my side during combat. But you are staying here. I am not leaving you. You are at this college. You want to be of use to me. I know you do, my sweetheart. But do that by being even stronger when I come back. You have so much potential. Prove me right and become the best version of you can be. Will you do that for me?" I asked, lovingly.

Janine wiped her eyes before nodding her head, a stern determination in her eyes. "I will do whatever you ask of me Apollo. Always."

I nodded my head and stroked her hair. "Good girl. Don’t worry though, you won’t be alone. Orchid will still be here. Taking you to classes and you will have Hailey and Gabrielle and Fergus to help you out with your identity issues." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

My next statement caused Orchid to jolt in surprise. "I am not coming as your extra?" She pointed at her chest, shocked.

I shook my head. "Sorry, Orchid, I know how much you are going to hate it here without me, but you need to be my substitute while I am not here. Will you do that for me?"

Orchid sighed, but didn’t have the same reaction as Janine. The last time she spent distance apart from her mate, it made her feel, somehow, closer to him when he came back. She would just enter lower brain functionality and have however long it will take pass quickly compared to when she was with the bio cult doing tasks all the time. "Of course Apollo, O-I will do as you desire."

I nodded. "Great."

Hailey then took my hand and smiled at me. "So, who are you taking as your extra?"

I immediately looked towards Nerissa. "You are just going to come either way right? No one is going to say ’No praetorians are welcome on the battlefield.’ Right?"

Nerissa nodded. "Precisely. You aren’t getting rid of me that easily, Apollo. Plus it will be nice to drench my spear in Drakoshi blood again."

I then turned to Onyx and smiled. I could smuggle her out of here and wherever we are going anyway no hassle thanks to my Mindspace.

To take with me as my plus one, I needed someone I trusted. Someone who I knew well and got on with. I knew they could hold their own and were mad enough to voluntarily sign up for an emergency expedition, which means shit was hitting the fan, for free...

...

"Yay! I can’t believe you chose me!" Lena jumped giddily into my embrace after inviting her round. "I heard chatter that an expedition was forming and was super bummed I wasn’t picked. Me and you though? Oh those Drakoshi are going to smell so good burned to a crisp! Eeep! Apollo~~~ YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!"

I then turned to the rest of the room as I expected to at least try and convince Lena just a little bit. "Well that’s that then... Should we go get food?" I suggested, still hungry.

However, as I said that, Valerica and Hailey both got a communication at the same time before showing it to me. It was a rendezvous for all expedition members to go for a briefing.

...

Lena was holding my hand, humming a happy tune as we approached funnily enough the Psionic gun range.

The first face I saw there was a familiar one, Gabrielle holding a communicator talking to someone. I didn’t manage to hear the conversation before she spotted me and put the communicator away.

"Apollo! Hi, I can’t believe you are going on an expedition. Are you excited?" She asked, attaching herself to my other arm.

"I don’t know if excited is the right word, but I am pumped. What are you doing here?" I queried.

"Why else, silly? I am also coming on the expedition! Now, I know what you are going to say ’But what about being Hailey’s Teachers- Blah blah. Ask her, I get in the way more than help her, so combat it is!"

Although she was older and stronger than me, I felt this paternal care towards Gabrielle unlike anyone else I had met. So the thought of her coming along left me feeling conflicted, but ultimately, if she was chosen, she was chosen.

"You Gabby Gab Gab! Are you excited to burn some punk ass aliens? I am thinking my whips are going to cause havoc in their lines!" Lena blurted out excitedly.

Gabrielle frowned, only just realising the loud one was here. "Oh, Lena? You were chosen? I didn’t see you on the list?"

Lena then flicked her hair. "Nah~ Idiots in charge were too scared to pick me, so I forced Apollo to make me his plus one. We are going to bring the heat!

Gabrielle looked like she was about to reply, but a voice ahead of us interrupted.

"HEY! Slowpokes! Hurry up, everyone is inside waiting for you!"

A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes was standing there with a clipboard. I knew her all to well. I had her spear deep in my guts once.

"Skaja. Nice to see you. Sorry, I didn’t know we were late." I said, picking up my pace.

"You aren’t. Just everyone else that got the call decided to book it over instead flirting with their arm extensions. Wait Lena? You aren’t on the list? What are you doing here?"

Lena rolled her eyes. "How many times do I need to repeat this to people? Apollo wants me to come. He got a plus one. I am his best friend and the most badass bitch around. It makes sense I am here. So can we go in?"

Skaja looked surprised as she turned to me. "You got a plus one?" She then looked at Nerissa who was blending into the background again. "And the Pretorian? That’s awesome. Honestly both of you are very welcome additions. Now, do you have the scroll with proof so I can add ’bad bitch Lanoor’ to the list? Praetorian I assume you have authority to do as you wish and don’t need permission?"

Nerissa nodded at Skaja while I took the scroll from my pocket before handing it over. Skaja then had a look and nodded. "Alright, it looks good. Why don’t the two of you go in? As for you." She paused and looked Gabrielle up and down. "Stay here for a moment."

I raised my eyebrow and was about to ask what was wrong before Gabrielle reassured me. "It’s alright Apollo, I will follow shortly. There must be something this lovely young lady wishes to discuss with me."

I simply nodded my head and went inside, the moment I was inside a large man picked me up and laughed. "HAHAHA! I told you he would be picked! They would be fools not to bring him!"

Illr’s declaration got a cheer from the small group of around twenty. Half of which I knew. As I had put bullets through and stabbed the majority during the hunt test.

...

Meanwhile, Skaja looked at the woman who just randomly appeared on her data list literally moments before she came outside. "How did you get approved?" She asked with a frown. She didn’t like buy in’s on her squads.

Gabrielle simply smirked and looked at the data pad in Skaja’s hands. "Can I look at that for a moment? Pretty please? I will only be a second."

Skaja frowned, but there was nothing classified, just a list of names and faces. So she handed it over.

Gabrielle cleared her throat before speaking into the device. "Omega 2- order- absolute. Authority mission. Reporting in- Drakoshi extermination expedition. There you go~" Gabrielle then handed over the data pad and walked inside.

Skaja then looked at the screen in confusion. She thought it started glitching out before she realised it was authorities for mission consent. From hundreds of commanders, Lochagos’ Centurions and at the end even the civil King which stunned her.

Just one high up authority was enough to barge into the expedition, but this was overkill!

Skaja turned to look inside of the building and couldn’t help thinking to herself. ’Who is that woman?’