Oath of the Survivor

Disembarking the shuttle, the first thing Kyle noticed was how few people were around.  Typically, the hangar was buzzing with activity, while now there were only a handful of individuals milling around the ships, performing routine maintenance and inspections from the look of it. He turned to Duroc and Skippy.

“Where is everybody?”

“Dunno.” Duroc said simply, ducking to fit through the doors.  “I guess maybe they’re eating?”

“Maybe somebody’s sparring?” Skippy offered, looking around with a confused look on his face.

“The hangar is empty because I’ve temporarily suspended operations.” 

Chester’s voice cut through the air like a knife, drawing attention to the man as he strode forward towards them.

“The presence of D Grade creatures changes everything about the scope of what we’re doing.  The risks have risen astronomically, and I’m not going to proceed with anything until we receive instructions from headquarters.”

Skippy smiled at him.  “It’s good practice.  Opportunities to grow.  Opportunities to train.  It’s good for us.”

Chester’s look turned more severe. 

“Tell that to the people who died in your last outing.  In a dozen expeditions as foreman, I’ve never had casualties like this.  It isn’t a joke, Skierepallix.  I don’t intend to keep throwing my people’s lives away.”

Skippy’s smile deepened, and Kyle was thankful to see Duroc step in before the Skrell made a comment that would escalate things.

“We have a meeting to get to, anything you need from us right now?”

Chester let out a sigh before shaking his head, deflating somewhat.

As they walked past, Duroc turned back. 

“Oh, and we have a lot of neat stuff in the shuttle if you have any free appraisers.  They’d probably like to take a look.”

Chester looked beyond them to the shuttle, and Kyle tried to do the same before being shuffled along by the large pig-like alien. 

“What did you bring with you?”

[THE REMAINS OF THE ENDLESS, DR. MAYHEW.  IT ALSO DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO FINISH CONSUMING THE NATURAL TREASURE WE WERE ORIGINALLY TRACKING, IT WAS RETRIEVED AS WELL.]

That was interesting, though as was becoming all-too common, Kyle didn’t have the time to press further.  As they made their way through the winding hallways of the ship, he did have one question he wanted to get addressed. 

“Duroc, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what species are you?  I haven’t seen anybody else like you aboard the ship.”

Duroc squealed in response. 

“I’m an Orc.  My people don’t get off-world regularly.”

Kyle nearly stopped walking. 

“Wait, something must have gone wrong with the translation skill.  Did you say Orc?”

He nodded in response.  “That’s right.”

Kyle shook his head in mild disbelief. 

“You’re not going to believe this, but we actually have a word for your people in our language, although it was used in fantasy writing more than anything.”

Duroc chuckled. 

“Let me guess, we were positioned as evil monsters?”

“Er… yeah.  Most of the time.  Stories differed a bit though, and it was fiction writing!  I’m sure it was a coincidence.” 

The more Kyle talked, the more he felt himself digging a hole with his words.  I swear, if I start a major diplomatic incident because I asked a stupid question…

Fortunately, his mounting fear was dispelled as Duroc laughed.

“That’s pretty common.  The Goblins had some pretty bad experiences when they landed on our planet, and they’re big on exploration.  They like to tell stories about us whenever they come across new planets.”

“Wait, Goblins?”

Unfortunately for Kyle’s curiosity, they arrived at a thick set of unmarked metal doors before anybody could answer.  A man and woman in ornate black and gold uniforms greeted them, and let them in.  Inside was the rest of the entourage that Kyle had seen before, as well as a couple of others that he didn’t recognize. 

Skippy and Duroc both stood at attention as they entered the room, and a quick elbow from Skippy encouraged Kyle to do the same.  A wrinkled old man standing nearby began to speak. 

“I expected more responsibility from the two of you.  How could you – “

Before he could speak further, he was interrupted by a man in his early twenties who sighed and rubbed his forehead. 

“I’m already annoyed by this.  Out.  All of you.  I want to talk to them alone.”

The old man sputtered.  “But sir, they were derelict in their –“

The young man lowered his hand from his head and gave a severe look at the older man, stopping him mid-sentence.  Despite his youth, he had a glare that Garth would have envied. 

“I said get out.  My great-grandmother sent you along in an advisory capacity, nothing more.  Remember that.”  His tone was icy, and the group of advisors shuffled out of the room.

Once they were alone, he broke into a wide grin. 

“That was annoying.  Come on over, let’s talk.” 

He gestured to some empty seats around the large conference table, and Duroc wasted no time finding the largest seat, and the tray of snacks left in front of it. 

As Kyle walked up to the table, he took a better look at the young man.  He was tall and well-built, muscles evident even through the uniform.  His eyes were the deep richness of coffee, matched by his skin.  Impossibly white teeth stood out in contrast, with a short haircut reminiscent of Central Defense standard.  He stood up, extending a fist towards Kyle in what he understood to be a standard greeting.  Kyle reached out and rapped knuckles.

“Benjamin Corthus, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Kyle Mayhew, and likewise.” 

Kyle had to speak up a bit to compensate for the sound of Duroc’s regimental assault on the snack tray.  Benjamin gestured for Kyle to take a seat next to Skippy, and he did.  The chair was comfortable, and Kyle couldn’t help but look around the room, noticing a number of different screens along the wall.  It gave off the impression of being a command center, and he turned his eyes back to the man who invited him.

Benjamin had taken a seat, his hands steepled in front of him. 

“Before anything else, let me say thank you.  The advisors that I have tagging along aren’t sure what to make of you, but as for me your work speaks for itself.”

“I was just doing what anybody would in the same circumstances.”

“Even if that were true, which it isn’t, that doesn’t mean we can’t be thankful.”

Benjamin leaned in a bit, his eyes gleaming. 

“That brings me to the next reason I wanted to meet you.  After seeing what you can do, I think you’d be a great addition to my security team.  What do you say?”

Kyle was a little dumbstruck. 

“I’m afraid I’m not quite following, what do you mean by ‘security team?’”

Skippy piped up, joining the conversation. 

“That’s what Duroc and I do.  Our main job here is to ensure Benjamin stays safe, and to protect him from whatever might want to eat him.  It’s a pretty fun job most of the time.”

Benjamin nodded along as Skippy spoke. 

“My great-grandmother is a little overprotective.  She insists that I have a team whenever I want to go out.  Skippy and Duroc are great, and seeing how well you already work together it’d be an easy fit!”

His voice was charming, and he wore a relaxed smile as he talked.  And honestly, Kyle was interested. 

“What exactly would that mean?  Chester told me that after my formal assessment, that Corthian Mining wouldn’t be able to hire me on at all?”

“Corthian Mining wouldn’t be hiring you, I would.  Well, my great-grandmother would.  You’d be on her personal payroll, you’d work with Skippy and Duroc, and you’d basically be on call to travel around with me when I leave controlled space.”

Kyle nodded slowly.  It made sense in a way, and he had to admit that his synergy with the Orc and the Skrell was solid.  Still though, he was painfully aware that there was a lot of outside context he was missing.  It would be foolhardy to jump in and agree without doing more diligence first.

“How exactly does compensation work?  I know that I’m accumulating personal merit with my current efforts, and also earning a place for the people we’ll be evacuating.  Is this similar?”

“Not at all.” 

Benjamin’s words were direct and to the point. 

“You wouldn’t be assisting Corthian Mining at all once you’re on the security team.  When interests align you can help, otherwise we stay uninvolved and out of the way.  And all the compensation looking forward is direct to you.”

Skippy nodded.  “It’s a pretty great deal, Kyle.  My home is really poor, and has really low mana-density compared to most Skrell worlds.  Getting picked up by Benjamin opened more doors and created more opportunities for me than I ever would have had if I just signed on to work for the company.”

Duroc grunted in what Kyle interpreted as approval, as he was finishing the last scraps of food on the tray.  The question was simple, and difficult.  Split from a society that claimed he was deviant, or keep working for their benefit anyway?  He knew the noble answer was to stick it out and keep helping, but a part of him was tempted.  There was a wide universe out there, and he’d get to experience a lot more of it if he stuck with Benjamin.  The younger man looked at him, expectantly. 

With conviction, Kyle knew there was only one way he could respond.

“Do you need any answer right now?”

 

~~~

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