Disclaimer: I do not own Borderlands. All rights belong to Gearbox Software and 2K Gaming (and Zer0the0mega108 if he had his way lolz).
"Speaking"
'Thoughts'
'Telepathic'
-Zer0's Ambition-
Lothar introduction
The world of Pandora looked quite peaceful from a space point of view, but on the ground, it was essentially 'shoot to survive' and 'killed or be killed' world. Despite its harsh natives and dangerous climates Pandora was a very popular planet for being homed to a legend: The Vault. An ancient alien vault that was once said to house legendary treasure, and the ones who would find it would be badass legends themselves. They were known as Vault Hunters, but they weren't the only ones after the Vault. Higher powers such as Corporations would go after the Vaults, one was very successful until their downfall…. Hyperion.
The massive space station of Helios could be seen at any part of the planet as it floated above the moon Elpis. Several thousand rooms and offices across the station with both flesh and steel. In the main office that was once owned by the powerful and devilishly charismatic tyrant Handsome Jack, temporary CEO Jeffrey Blake sat in the very nice recliner chair at his desk. Blake sighed as he sipped his third glass of Wam Bam Wine before spinning in his seat and stared at the Borderworld of Pandora. It has been three years since the defeat of Handsome Jack and his Eridian Warrior at the hands of the Vault Hunters. Ever since then the Board has assigned Blake temporary CEO until they found a new replacement. Blake has ordered all Hyperion military force to retreat from the planet, he would have ordered the retreat of Helios but this Moonbase cannot fricken fly! The only place Hyperion had control on Pandora was Opportunity, which had very few soldiers and was mostly run by the Loader Bots.
Hell of an irony, ain't it?
So now Blake awaited his next orders, sipping his fine wine and enjoying its taste. He wondered if he should order some Moonshots and destroy a Bandit camp just to pass the time. Or maybe order some Pizza to pass the time, so many choices but so little time on each… Probably could do both, why not? He was now the big dog with the big nuts- Suddenly his desk started beeping, looking over his shoulder he saw it was his secretary. Setting the wine down he tapped on the desk, his secretary's picture appearing.
"Yes, Lindsay?"
"Sir, the Board wishes to speak with you." Lindsay said from the other end. Blake was a bit surprised by the news; it has been a while since the Board wanted to speak with him.
"I see, put them through." Blake ordered as his Secretary hung up. A few seconds later five screens appeared with the amplitude lines appearing.
"Mr. Blake." A gruff voice started as Blake swallowed his spit and sat up straight just in case, they couldn't see him.
"You wish to speak with me?"
"Yes," A female voice said. "You have been overlooking Helios for about a few years, yes?"
"I have." Blake answered.
"Though you have failed to take over the planet with most of our forces retreating back to Helios." Another male inferred, Blake shifted nervously not liking where this was going.
"Yes."
"And because of that we have lost control of our Eridium Mines over to Bandits?" The female voice asked. Blake started to sweat and was now on edge, pulling on his collar. If it was something the Board did not like losing their supplies, he really wish Jack was here to put some fear in them.
"...Y-Yes." Blake said.
"Because of this, we will be sending your replacement and the new CEO of Hyperion." A male voice said surprising Blake. They actually found a CEO for the Hyperion Corporation? Interesting.
"I see….and where is he or she?" Blake asked.
"He will be with you shortly." The gruff voice answered, clarifying he was a man.
"And he was please to accept?" Blake asked.
"He took the offer a few months ago but said he would be out of commissioned for some time." The female said. "He should be meeting with you very soon."
"Then…. what will become of me?" Blake asked with a fearful tone. After they just listed his failures as temporary CEO, he could only imagine what they would do. Will they launch him into space? Fire him? Or even worse, kill him?
"...That is up for him to decide." A male voice answered.
"Have a good day, Mr. Blake." With that the screens disappeared and left Blake alone. He let out a sigh of relief as he leaned back into his chair, before rubbing his eyebrow in frustration. He reached for his glass and took another sip from it, enjoying its fine taste not aware of the shadow looming over him.
"Magnificent, isn't it?" Blake spat out his drink, jumping out of his chair to see someone standing near the glass with their back facing Blake. The being was quite tall, bigger than anyone Blake has ever seen, hell if you compared this man to the Berserker Vault Hunter on Pandora, he would be a head taller. His body was mostly covered in grey body armor that hugged his slim figure, red outlines, and grey skin tight suit under the armor. His left shoulder was covered by metallic shards that floated like a cape. His right arm was mechanical, reaching down to his thigh, a large red blade running across his arm and over his shoulder. Black metallic plates that ran across his shoulder and ended near his armpit. His hair ended near is scalp which was completely shave and clean, and his ears were curved and sharp like an elf from a fantasy game. The man paid Blake no mind as he stared at the world of Pandora below him.
"From above it is a beautiful view like staring at the heavens. Like its name it seduces you, like a Siren song it guides you across the stars and when you are close enough it finally wraps its warm wings around you…. before you are consumed by its flames." The man said as he placed his large robotic hand on the glass. "A living hell. A lesson from the older literature: Never judge a book by its cover." The man said as he turned around to face Blake. Blake saw that his face was very narrow, quite narrow for a human, and his eyes. Jesus. Blake wasn't a religious man, but he wouldn't deny that it was like staring at the Devil. "Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Blake?"
"...W-Who are you?" Blake asked wondering how this man got into his office without setting off the alarms. The man chuckled as he walked towards Blake, before offering his cybernetic hand to Blake.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am…. Lothar Rendain, your new boss." Lothar introduced himself. However, Blake notice the blade from the cybernetic limb inches from his chin.
Lothar Rendain: CEO of Hyperion. Totally not Evil
"Oh! Sorry." He shifted hands and offered his human arm. Blake hesitantly shook the hand while giving Lothar a nervous smile.
"Charmed to meet you." Blake said. Lothar gave a smile, revealing his fangs to Blake which made the business man pale in fear.
"The honor is mine; this is my first time being on Helios physically and I enjoy when someone warms my chair." Lothar said as he walked past Blake and ran his hand across the arm of his chair. "However, I should probably inspect my new office." Rendain mused as he walked past Blake and towards a shelf: Jack's trophy shelf, all of Jack's belongings that he gained over the years. Blake let out a nervous cough as he fixed his tie, for some reason this man's calm demeanor unnerved him.
"Yes, but we have had some...setbacks." Blake said.
"Not the first time a Corporation has been destroyed by some Vault Hunters." Lothar corrected, surprising Blake "Believe me, I know." Lothar said as he stared at a certain object. Blake on the other hand rubbed his chin in concentration as he thought he felt like he had heard of Lothar's name.
"Lothar…. why do I feel like I have heard of you?" Blake asked as Lothar took a trophy: Atlas Certification. Jack got the certificate from Atlas after taking most of their resources and control over the Destroyer Eye.
"Do you think this is my first time being a CEO of a Corporation?" Lothar asked. It mentally smacked Blake in the face as he put all the pieces together.
"Ah yes! You were Atlas CEO for twenty years, but you then disappeared eight years ago." Blake said as he remembered Rendain name. He was known as Atlas Fourth President, and while being the most influential, he was also the most secretive, barely anyone has heard of Lothar Rendain other than name. He created the Crimson Lance and was said to have discovered alien tech like the Eridians though this was merely speculations. He was President for a long time until he disappeared mysteriously on the planet Pandora once the Crimson Lance invaded eight years ago.
"Eight and a half…. well in this plane, I was Pandora for quite some time." Lothar said as he put the certification back.
"If I may ask, where did you go?" Blake asked as Lothar picked up the legendary shotgun Conference Call. He tested the gun in his arms, cocking the gun and looking through the scope. "I heard from a man in our cloning district that he poisoned Atlas CEO."
"Merely my VP, I let him have the job while I was on Pandora. Of course, when he was in charge, he made a five-year-old Admiral. Goddamn nepotism." Lothar growled, before regaining his composure and smiling continuing his story. "I have been places Blake, places you could never imagine." Lothar said putting the gun back and looking at more trophies, his hand running across a strange object. He let out a small hum as he stared at the object before putting it back and grabbing the sword. "Now how many employees are currently on this Space station? Any soldiers?" Blake nodded as he pulled up a data pad and started reading the list.
"Worker count: Ten thousand, one hundred and seventy-eight. Loader Bots: Two Hundred and still going up, though in slow process since the new Loader Bots take more money. Psychos: Forty-seven."
"Psychos?" Lothar asked holding a piece of the feathers Jack had from the remains of a Sniper's bird.
"They are mostly used for games; the workers find ways to…. entertain themselves." Blake said finding a word that would fit it. Lothar hummed to himself as he tapped on the goatee of Tassiter, the CEO before Jack when the tyrant…. took over management.
"If I may ask again Mr. Rendain…. what is your plan for Hyperion?" Blake asked as Lothar stared at the portrait from one of the Hyperion founders.
"What would any CEO want for their Corporation?" Lothar asked, though the way he sounded made it seem like he already knew.
"Make it the greatest Corporation in the universe, control a ancient alien myth-!"
"Myth…. yes." Lothar muttered letting out a small chuckle, but Blake continued.
"And try to turn worlds beyond their control into paradise." Blake finished as Lothar turned and started walking back to the desk.
"Yes, paradise is what we all want. I like the notorious Handsome Jack saw eye to eye one thing in this universe: It's disgusting." Lothar said as he walked past Blake. "Worlds like Pandora are nothing but mud balls, yet it has riches beyond our imagination, I should know."
"And…. you plan to continue his dream?" Blake asked, Lothar chuckled in his response.
"Yes…. and no. In some way my ideals are like Jacks, but I wish to plan everything out. I plan to make friends with my enemies, knowledge into power, power into knowledge. In short term: The universe will be reborn not in the image of Hyperion, or Jack's…. but mine." Lothar let out a sigh of content.
"And how do you plan to do this?" Blake asked as Lothar looked over his shoulder.
"...In my eight year...voyage, I have come across the impossible." Lothar started as he reached out with his cybernetic arm. Blake notice the glass of wine and instantly took the bottle and poured more into it. He handed Lothar the glass while the CEO stared down at Pandora, running his finger across the rim of the glass. "I have seen what humans are, I have seen what we were, what the Sirens true purpose is, what the Eridians were…. and what they feared." Lothar said sipping on the wine.
"Yes, the Warrior was used by Jack but was destroyed. They have never been another Vault after that." Blake said.
"Not true." Lothar corrected, wagging his finger. "There was another one, used as a trophy by the Torgue Corporation for their…. Campaign of Carnage as a tournament for who was the greatest badass on Pandora." Lothar stated as he finished his wine and turned to look at Blake. "Come now Jeffrey, do you honestly believe there are just three Vaults on Pandora?" Blake gave him a confused look as Lothar continued. "There are more than just three, or four, or five. There are numerous Vaults on this wasteland of a planet, and true while some may not be as big as ones such as the Warrior Vault, there might be ones bigger than them. Hell, not even this planet alone that carries Vaults." Lothar said as Blake poured more wine for Lothar. "I plan to open each and every one of them, find what is inside and use them in accelerating my plan." Lothar said. "And you Mr. Blake will help me. We are businessmen after all." Blake agreed with this and was relieved Lothar wasn't going to fire him or kill him, but there was still one problem.
"There is still the problem on Pandora." Blake said, Lothar nodding his head knowing was coming next.
"Yes…. the Vault Hunters." Lothar said as he snapped his fingers. Several screens appeared showing the mugshots of each Vault Hunter that opened the Vault.
"They reside in Sanctuary and have proven to be a thorn in Hyperion's side." Blake said as Lothar skimmed through each one. He was uninterested in some of them such as the Commando, or the Gunzerker, and the Mechromancer. However, his eyes narrowed at seeing the strange Psycho named Krieg.
"This was one of Hyperion's failed and escaped experiments yes?" Lothar asked.
"Indeed, Jack let him escape seeing no way how that monster could do any damage…. that hit him in the ass at the end." Blake said.
"Hmm. I wish to speak with the head of the Slag Experiment Division at another time." Lothar ordered skimming past the Psycho and landed on the veteran Siren Lilith, he stared at her for a few seconds before skimming past her and onto the next Siren.
"Both have a been a nuisance, Jack used the redhead to awaken the Warrior. In the end she got her revenge on him for killing the Soldier Vault Hunter." Blake explained as Lothar skimmed past the Berserker and Sniper before his eyes landed on the last one.
"The Assassin." Blake said as Lothar stared at it, he notices the new CEO eyes narrow like tiny red slits, if looks could kill this entire Station would fall dead just from being in the same place as him. "No one knows of his origins…...if it is a he."
"Or it's a he." Lothar mumbled, his left arm balled into a fist and shook in rage.
"Each of these Vault Hunters have been problems for the past seven years, they are a threat." Blake said as the mugshots minimized, and Lothar turned to Blake.
"I am aware of that, only a few poses any threat…. one most of all." Lothar muttered the last part as he sipped the last of the wine. "But do not worry I have made sure that they know of my presence. Now Mr. Blake…. how far of a signal can you get on Pandora?" Rendain asked as he set the glass down.
"We can get across the entire planet if we wished, why?" Blake asked as Lothar walked past him and tapped on the desk.
"Ms…. Lindsay? Was it?"
"Who is this?" The Secretary asked, shocked to hear such a menacing voice.
"Your new CEO, Lothar Rendain. Prepare my office for a live feed." Lothar ordered.
"...R-Right away Mr. Rendain." Lindsay said, not sure what was going on but if this was a new CEO she needed to not get on his bad side. Lothar ended the call as he turned to Blake, smiling and showing his fangs.
"It is time that Helios, Pandora, and soon this Galaxy knows that there is a new boss in town…. and he is far worse than Handsome Jack." Lothar said chuckling as Blake took a step back, the new CEO turning back to the world.
"I'm coming for you….my friends."
A/N: So... kept you waiting huh?
Zer0the0mega108: Holy Jew on a Stick! YYYYYYAAAAAAAASSSSSSS, YOU UGLY BASTARD YOU FUCKING FINALLY DID IT AFTER ALL THESE F* KING YEARS... OH MY MEEEEEEE! *Looks closer to the total words*
Bruh...
SaiyanSage: I know, I know, just hear me out... I figured a 3-part opener for a BADASS story couldn't simply be contained in one measly chapter. It has to flop it's cock on the table like a BBC-
Zer0: Stop! sTOP! All of IT! SToooOOOoooOOOppPpppPpPp!
SaiyanSage: Ha!
Zer0: -_-* *Sighs through nose* I have myself, and only myself to blame...