Chapter 177: A Quiet Mission

Chapter 177: A Quiet Mission

The mission hall was already crowded when Noah arrived. Students occupied nearly every terminal, moving between assignment categories while the large central boards updated whenever a mission was claimed.

Some stood alone, while others had gathered in small groups to compare descriptions before making a decision. Noah found Daniel, Claire, and Ethan near the middle row.

Daniel spotted him first. He immediately stepped away from his terminal.

"Finally."

Claire glanced over. "He’s not late."

Ethan looked at Noah. "He’s been arguing with us for ten minutes."

Daniel frowned. "I was asking for opinions."

"You were asking us to agree with you," Claire said.

"That’s still an opinion."

Noah stepped up to the empty terminal beside them. He glanced briefly at Daniel’s screen before activating his own.

"What did you pick?"

"Nothing yet."

Claire looked at Daniel. "Because every time he finds something, he decides the reward should be higher."

"That’s not every time."

"It’s been every time so far."

Daniel ignored her and looked at Noah’s screen. His expression shifted immediately toward curiosity.

"What are you taking?"

"I haven’t even opened the list."

"Right. Good point."

The terminal recognized Noah and displayed the available mission categories. Combat assignments appeared near the top, with defense and escort missions beneath them.

Noah opened the combat section. Daniel leaned slightly toward his screen as soon as the list appeared.

"There we go."

Noah selected one mission, read the deployment requirement, and closed it again. The entire process took only a few seconds.

Daniel blinked. "You didn’t even get past the first page."

"It wants three combat formations for most of the month."

"So?"

"So I’m not taking it."

Daniel looked at him for a moment. He seemed genuinely surprised by how quickly Noah had dismissed it.

"That was quick."

Noah opened another assignment. This one involved supporting an Imperial border campaign against an organized enemy force.

He read the summary, checked the expected deployment, and closed that one as well. Daniel crossed his arms and watched the screen disappear.

"You’re skipping all the good ones."

"I’m skipping the ones that fights an army."

Claire looked over from her own terminal. She had finally stopped reading and paid attention.

"What are you trying to use instead?"

"I don’t know yet."

Daniel pointed at Noah. "See? No plan."

"I’m choosing a mission, not invading somewhere."

"Same general skill set."

Ethan looked at Daniel. "Not really."

Daniel sighed and returned his attention to Noah. "Nobody here supports me."

Noah moved into the defense category. Several assignments appeared immediately.

One involved reinforcing a coastal city expecting repeated raids. Another required protecting a mining region, while a third asked for a planetary lord to defend several frontier settlements.

Noah opened the coastal mission. The assignment required a large defensive presence spread along hundreds of kilometers of shoreline.

He closed it after checking the manpower requirement. Ethan glanced over at the screen.

"Too many troops?"

"Yes."

Daniel leaned closer again. "You know armies are supposed to be used."

Noah looked at him. "You can use yours."

"I am trying to."

Claire glanced at Daniel’s screen. She immediately noticed that the same mission was still open.

"You’ve been reading the same mission since I got here."

"I’m deciding."

"You’re stuck."

"I prefer deciding."

Noah continued down the list. A settlement defense mission caught his attention next.

The assigned lord would protect several isolated towns against dangerous native creatures. The work was straightforward, but the reward was too low for a full month.

Noah closed it and moved on. Daniel caught the motion.

"What was wrong with that one?"

"Not worth the time."

Daniel smiled. "There he is."

"What?"

"I thought you were about to become responsible."

"I still need Mission Points."

"Much better."

Claire shook her head at Daniel. He looked entirely too pleased with Noah’s answer.

"He’s proud because Noah still likes rewards."

"That’s normal."

Noah opened another assignment. This one involved eliminating several large predators that had shut down a mountain mining route.

Daniel pointed at the screen almost immediately. He seemed more interested in the mission than Noah was.

"Take that."

"No."

"Why?"

"I don’t want to spend a month hunting animals."

"They sound dangerous."

"That doesn’t make it better."

"It does for me."

Claire looked at Daniel. "Then take it."

Daniel glanced back at his own terminal. He hesitated for half a second before answering.

"I’m considering other options."

"Of course you are."

Noah moved again. An escort assignment appeared near the middle of the list.

The mission involved moving several provincial officials through disputed territory. Daniel saw the title before Noah finished reading it.

"That’s Claire’s mission again."

Claire looked over. "No, it isn’t."

"It’s escort duty."

"So?"

"So it’s your thing now."

"I did it once."

"Exactly. Experience."

Claire stared at him. Daniel did not seem bothered.

"That’s not how specialties work."

Noah closed the mission and returned to the category list. Daniel immediately looked at him.

"What was wrong with that?"

"It was escort duty."

Daniel gestured toward Claire. "See?"

Claire ignored him and returned to her terminal. Noah moved farther down the category list.

Exploration offered several possibilities, but most required long operations in poorly mapped regions. Engineering was more interesting.

One mission asked for help repairing a damaged water network. Another involved building temporary bridges and roads after severe flooding, while a third focused on restoring an industrial district.

Noah spent longer on those. Ethan noticed and moved slightly closer.

"You like those more."

"They’re useful."

Claire stepped over as well. "Take one."

Noah opened the industrial restoration mission again. Most of the reward depended on construction targets and specialized work.

He closed it after another look. "Too specialized."

Claire nodded. "You’d need the people who actually run those projects."

"And I’d rather leave them home."

Daniel looked between them. He seemed to be piecing Noah’s requirements together.

"So you want a mission that needs people, but not too many people. It has to pay enough, but not use anyone important."

"That’s one way to put it."

"It’s a terrible way to put it," Claire said.

Daniel shrugged. "It’s still accurate."

Ethan glanced toward the category list. His attention stopped lower down the screen.

"What about support missions?"

Noah followed his gaze. Emergency support, transport, and logistics sat beneath the larger military categories.

Noah opened logistics. The list changed immediately.

One assignment involved moving medical supplies between isolated cities. Another required managing warehouse inventories for a temporary Imperial base.

A third focused on freight movement through an overcrowded planetary port. Several were attached to military operations, but the assigned planetary lord would support the forces already present instead of joining the main fighting.

Noah slowed down while reading. Daniel noticed the difference immediately.

"You actually like these."

"They make more sense."

"That wasn’t a compliment."

"I know."

Noah opened a mission involving food and construction materials for new settlements. The manpower requirement was low, but the reward was equally unimpressive.

He moved on after checking the conditions. Another mission involved helping an Imperial garrison manage fuel and ammunition deliveries between defensive positions.

Noah read through it carefully. Ethan looked over his shoulder.

"That one seems decent."

"It does."

Daniel leaned closer. "You’re seriously considering deliveries."

"Yes."

Daniel stared at him for a moment. His expression changed as though he was trying to adjust to the idea.

"All right."

"That’s it?"

"I’m adjusting."

Claire laughed quietly. Noah kept reading.

The mission expected organized transport personnel, storage management, security detachments, and officers capable of maintaining regular delivery schedules. It was close to what Noah wanted.

Then he reached the route section. The supply sites were scattered across difficult terrain, which meant committing more vehicles and personnel than he wanted.

He closed it. Daniel frowned as soon as the screen disappeared.

"I thought you liked that one."

"I did."

"Then why close it?"

"Too much distance between sites."

Daniel looked at Ethan. "He’s being picky."

Ethan nodded. "He should be."

Daniel sighed. "You too?"

Noah continued browsing. A few entries later, another mission caught his attention.

The title was simple: Logistics Support Assignment. The public description was noticeably shorter than the others.

The assignment involved supporting an existing Imperial operation. The planetary lord assigned to it would provide transport, warehouse personnel, supply coordination, and security where required.

Combat was possible but secondary. Noah opened the expanded public page.

Most of the important information remained restricted. The destination was hidden, the supported Imperial formation was hidden, and the cargo list was hidden.

Even the complete reward conditions were locked until acceptance.

Claire stepped closer and looked at the requirement list. She pointed toward the section Noah had just opened.

"What are the requirements?"

Noah scrolled. "Transport units. Warehouse crews. Supply officers. Engineers if they’re needed. Security."

Claire nodded. "That sounds manageable."

"It is."

Noah continued reading. There was no minimum combat deployment beyond site security.

No requirement forced him to commit a full legion. The assigned lord could determine the size of the support force after receiving the full briefing.

That mattered. Ethan looked at the capability list and read through the next section.

"Rail transport is accepted."

"So are trucks."

"And they want organized inventory records."

Daniel looked at Noah. "You really are taking this."

"Probably."

"After last month?"

Noah glanced at him. "Especially after last month."

Daniel thought about that for a moment. He gave a short nod afterward.

"All right. Fair."

Claire pointed at the screen. "The risk rating is lower too."

"I saw it."

Daniel folded his arms. "So this month you’re moving boxes."

"If that’s what they need."

"You’re saying that like you’re happy about it."

"I am."

Ethan laughed. "Honestly, I get it."

Daniel shook his head. "You two are becoming very boring."

Claire looked at him. "And yet we’re still talking to you."

"That was unnecessary."

Noah opened the capability section again. Eldrath already had rail networks, military trucks, warehouses, engineers, supply officers, and personnel accustomed to moving ammunition and equipment.

The mission did not require him to build a new branch of the military just to participate. It also offered something different from what he had already done.

Noah knew how Eldrath handled its own supply operations. He had never seen how an established Imperial force managed the same work on a larger scale.

That alone made the assignment useful. Across the hall, several missions disappeared from the central display as students confirmed their choices.

Daniel glanced up at the changing board. He looked back toward Noah’s terminal a second later.

"You should probably decide before someone else takes it."

Noah looked at him. "That sounded sensible."

"It happens."

"Not often," Claire said.

Daniel turned toward her. "I heard you."

"You were meant to."

Noah looked back at the mission. The requirements fit, the risk was manageable, and he could send a useful force without disrupting units still recovering at home.

There was no reason to keep searching. Noah moved his hand toward the acceptance control.

A confirmation notice appeared. The terminal asked whether he wanted to accept the Logistics Support Assignment.

Another line appeared beneath it. The full mission information would become available only after acceptance.

Noah confirmed. The screen refreshed almost immediately.

The assignment disappeared from the public list and appeared beneath his active missions. A new notice showed that the full briefing had been unlocked.

Daniel leaned closer at once. He looked from the notice to Noah.

"Well?"

Noah looked at him. "Well what?"

"What did you just sign up for?"

"I haven’t opened it yet."

Daniel stared at him. "You just accepted it."

"Yes."

"And now you don’t want to know where you’re going?"

"I want to read it somewhere quieter."

Daniel glanced around the hall. A nearby group started arguing loudly over a mission at exactly that moment.

"It’s not that loud."

Noah looked at him. Daniel followed his gaze toward the arguing group.

Daniel sighed. "Fine."

Claire went back to her terminal. She seemed satisfied that Noah had finally chosen something.

"Open it later."

Ethan nodded. "We still need to pick ours anyway."

Daniel pointed at Noah. "If that briefing says you’re spending a month delivering grain, I want to know."

Noah closed the active mission page. He stepped away from the terminal afterward.

"I’ll send you a message."

"You’re making fun of me."

"A little."

Daniel shook his head and returned to his own terminal. Claire immediately started questioning one of the missions on his screen.

Noah stepped farther away while the others continued browsing. His second mission was chosen.

No frontline deployment was waiting for him, and no large-scale defensive force had to be prepared immediately. For now, all Noah had accepted was a logistics assignment attached to an Imperial operation.

The details were already sitting inside the newly unlocked briefing. He would read them once Daniel was no longer leaning over his shoulder.