Path to Becoming the Greatest Space Mercenary

Avery nearly let his rage boil over when Jasmine told him of her suspicions.
However, a flashback of him losing control during the battle against the corrupt Alliance Police brought him back to his senses.
Rushing in angry was only going to make the problem worse right now.
If Jasmine said that this was Bastion’s doing, Avery believed her.
The man had basically run a several weeks long smear campaign against him just to try and stop this wedding.
When he had not been present for the ceremony, they figured that things would be settled.
Perhaps he would make some snide comments during the reception or even break down completely. But at that point, Avery and Jasmine would have already been lawfully married under Azadian and the Dramid Alliance laws.
There was basically no real chance of breaking them up now. Not that there had been any in the first place.
Of course, there was a definitive way to get Avery out of the picture. If he died, then they would not be married any longer and Jasmine would technically be available again.
’So that begs the question. Why did he drug Jasmine instead of me? If he just slipped a lethal poison into my food, that would have been more effective than this.’ Avery thought, finding Bastion’s goal to be pretty clumsy.
With his augmentations and the way in which his body had changed, Avery could probably withstand most poisons for a while and get treated before dying. Except, Bastion should not have known that.
It really did not make any sense why he targeted Jasmine instead.
Maybe he thought whatever drug he had used on her would have a different effect, or perhaps he was aiming to have her kill him.
At one point, Jasmine had tried strangling Avery due to the confusion the toxin had induced. Though banking on that succeeding in a crowded room full of people that would have interjected to stop such a thing was foolish so far as Avery was concerned.
’Well, it doesn’t really matter what his motives or expectations were. Jasmine will be fine now. So I need to make sure that Bastion regrets this for the rest of his life.’
Knowing that his wife would be well taken care of by the doctors that Regina had called in, Avery left the room and began making his way back towards the reception.
There was still Jasmine’s half eaten food to serve as evidence. If that was really how the drug had gotten into her system, then they should be able to analyze the rest to figure out what it was.
Avery also knew that all of the food should have been scanned for harmful substances before being served.
With so many high-profile people attending the wedding, that was only to be expected.
That meant that Jasmine’s food either slipped past this scan somehow, or their server had somehow added the toxin sometime between receiving the food and delivering it.
’Wait, didn’t I see Bastion talking with someone when we entered the reception area.’ Avery thought, pulling the memory back up.
It did not take long for him to remember that the person Bastion had been interacting with.
"If someone was in a position to slip drugged food past all of the security. It would be the head of the kitchen staff." Avery murmured.
While it was only speculation right now, Avery believed that he was starting to understand how this had all happened.
Presumably the individual in charge of the kitchen should have been someone that Regina trusted. Otherwise, they never would have been put in the position in the first place.
Nevertheless, most people had a price that could get them to do just about anything.
Bastion had already spent millions of Krenin trying to slander Avery. So, he would not be surprised if the man was willing to bribe someone with a sizable amount of money.
Having gotten his thoughts in order, and knowing where he wanted to begin investing, he walked through the open doorway that he had broken through on his way out.
When he entered, he noticed that there was an armed guard standing off to the side.
They glanced over at Avery as he entered, but they must have recognized him because he was allowed through without any issue.
’I guess after what happened, I should have expected response like this.’
With her daughter having been drugged, it was only natural that Regina was furious.
She had called in her personal guard to lock down the room and make sure that no one left while the incident was investigated.
Of course, Jasmine’s plate had already been sealed in a special container and was being rushed to a lab to identify the substance that it had been laced with.
Still, while things were locked down now, Regina would not be able to keep the guests here indefinitely.
It would not be long before the powerful senators here shook off the shock and decided that it would be best to distance themselves from what was going on here.
Considering the amount of prestige and authority they held, even Regina could not order them to stay without some evidence they committed a crime
This included Bastion Cuach. Yet Avery was not going to let him slip away. If he had to take matters into his own hands he would. His drugging Jasmine was something that Avery could never forgive.
"How is she?" Regina asked once Avery had gotten close enough to hold a conversation.
"A bit exhausted and frazzled, but she’ll be fine. I made sure of that. All she needs now is a bit of medical attention and rest."
Regina sighed in relief when she heard this. There had been a heavy tension in her expression, but it had relaxed a bit now. He could only imagine what she would have done had her daughter’s condition been worse, or if she had died.
Though, in that case, Avery would not have remained calm either. He probably would have immediately found Bastion and caved the guy’s head in.
"I won’t ask what you, Nianni, and your mother were doing. I’m just happy that my daughter is safe. Nothing else matters."
Avery felt a weight off his shoulders when Regina said this.
Obviously, she was sharp enough to notice that something strange had been going on.
Nianni had started singing out of nowhere and it had helped to calm Jasmine down.
Then Avery had insisted on bringing her and his mother along with him and Jasmine while keeping everyone else away.
Anyone with a hint of intelligence would have noticed that they were up to something they wanted to keep others from seeing.
"So, have you found anything else out yet?" Avery asked, wanting to know where the investigation as at and change the subject.
"No, not yet. It’s only been a couple of minutes. The food will be tested, and we’ll figure out what was put in it soon. But I’ve got my guards searching for any evidence. There are a lot of cameras, so going through all of the footage will take time. Eventually, we’ll find out who did this though."
There was a fire in Regina’s eyes as she updated Avery.
She was not going to let this go. No matter how many resources were necessary, she would get to the bottom of this incident.
"Well, it’s only speculative, but I think I already know what occurred."
Avery whispered his suspicions to Regina and she nodded along. Believing it to be plausible.
"Kokkas has been working for me since I became chancellor. His references and background are all trustworthy, but I can’t deny that him talking with Bastion is a bit suspicious." Regina said, scanning the room for the head of the kitchen staff.
Unfortunately, he was either out of view or not in this room.
Regina had naturally locked down the kitchen as well. So, it was possible that he was there instead.
Motioning to the leader of her guards, Regina told them to find Kokkas and isolate him in another room. She planned to interrogate him herself.
While that was going on, Kasandra, who had been standing with the other members of Avery’s team approached.
She asked about Jasmine’s condition first, and Avery made sure to reassure Kasandra that she was fine.
"That’s a relief. I can’t believe something like this happened. Oh, and Ezra and I have organized everyone into squads. We’re ready to help out in any way we can."
"Thanks Kasandra. I don’t know what I would do without you." Avery said, pulling her in and hugging her.
At the same time, he whispered quietly so that no one else could hear him.
"I promise I’ll explain when this is all over. Thank you for doing as I asked and staying behind."
"Of course. I’ve got to follow orders during a crisis. And I’m glad you’ve decided to tell me what’s going on. Ever since you talked with your mother in private on Yuson II, you’ve been acting fishy. I thought I was going to have to wring it out of you after the weddings."
Grateful that he had dodged that potential bullet, Avery instructed Kasandra to remain on standby for now. There was still a great deal of confusion surrounding the incident, so having a bunch of pissed mercenaries storming around likely was not going to help.
"Though, when it’s time for us to smash things up, I’ll make sure to call on everyone."
With that, Kasandra headed back to the rest of the team to relay what Avery had told her.
’Now, where is the bastard that drugged Jasmine.’ Avery thought as he began searching for Bastion Cuach among the crowd.