Oath of the Survivor - Chapter 136

Opening his door, Kyle saw Captain Rochelle tapping her booted foot absent-mindedly with her arms crossed.  She was still in her full uniform, daggers sheathed on her hips.  The usual tight braid was missing, and there was a casualness to her stance that he hadn’t seen before.  They hadn’t had been able to spend time together since his defeat of the Eye, and Kyle couldn’t help but wonder where they stood.  His train of thought was interrupted as she spoke.

“Took you long enough.  And let me just say, this is the strangest assignment I’ve ever been given by the company.”

“And why’s that?  Not a lot of opportunity for shopping while you’re stripping worlds of their resources?”

She returned his jab with a smirk.

“I guess when you put it that way, this is sort of like shopping, isn’t it?”

With that, she pressed on her nav bracelet, and a screen sprang to life in front of her, projecting a list of words and numbers.  A moment later, Kyle felt a buzzing on his own wrist and saw a similar projection.  Rochelle seemed to be deep in thought as she looked over it, and Kyle took the time to review it himself.

Kyle looked over his list, feeling good about what was there.  Currently, he had a little over one million credits available, so with just ten percent he should be able to purchase all his raw materials, along with a few hours of labor crafting.  Looking at the frown on Rochelle’s face, however, he had to wonder what was bothering her.

“Are the prices listed really that unreasonable?”

She shook her head slowly, not taking her eyes off the projection.

“Not at all.  It’s actually competitive with what you’d be able to purchase at cost back in Collective space.  That’s part of what’s confusing me.  However, I’m more concerned about the labor cost.  Basic cutting and fitting of the material shouldn’t run this much.  Unless I miss my guess…” She trailed off, tapping the bracelet and closing the projection.  “It means our chief engineer is going to be overseeing the work personally.  She’s a goblin named Themestra.”

Kyle paused to consider that.  Early on, Chester mentioned that the chief engineer was a D Grade, and also made it clear that they were likely not going to cross paths due to the number of responsibilities that they had.  For her to suddenly be available to work on a side project was odd.

“What is she like?”

“I have no idea.  I’ve never spoken a word to her.  I’ve been on three deployments where she was assigned.  Her quarters are in the engineering bay and she has her meals delivered.  Other than Chester, I don’t know anybody else that has really gotten much face time with her.  Hell, she even manages her team through the nav bracelets.”

Kyle saw the look of confusion on Rochelle’s face, and came to one conclusion.  Great, more scheming.  Kyle knew that Chester would be paying close attention to the requisition, and knew information leakage was going to happen. Why else would he involve the lead engineer?  If anything, the fact that Themestra was involved at all was odd.  He was out of his depth trying to out-scheme them, so instead he just shrugged.

“So long as the quality is worth the price, that’s fine by me.  Where should we start?”

Rochelle considered for a moment before responding.

“Let’s get to engineering and pick up the materials you’re looking for.  We can have them get started on some of the fitting while we go to the quartermaster to get you some basic combat armor and the hydroponics schematics.  Then we can head back to engineering to finish the fitting and have them begin the inscription work.”

Kyle nodded, and together they walked down the hallway away from his quarters.  As they did, he asked, “Why did you join up with Corthian Mining?  There has to be a safer way to make a living out there.”

She sighed, a wistful look on her face.

“It’s about the adventure for me, Kyle.  I’ve gotten to travel places that I never could have dreamed of, seen worlds beyond my imagination.  It hasn’t always been an easy life, but its been a good one.”

A hint of playfulness entered her tone.

“And this has by far been the biggest dumpster fire I’ve ever experienced on a job with Corthian.  Ran into some weird local wearing bug shells, called himself the ‘Onyx Warrior.’”

Kyle groaned, which only encouraged her.

“Did you make sure to request that your combat armor is all black?  Even if they charge extra, it’s probably worth it.  Unified brands and all that.”

[YOU DO HAVE AN IMAGE TO MAINTAIN, DR. MAYHEW.  WHY, THERE’S AN INTERESTING ARTICLE FROM SEVERAL NOTABLE CENTRAL HEALTH PSYCHOLOGISTS THAT -]

“I don’t think we’ll need the cross reference, C.H.A.D.D.”

[SUIT YOURSELF, DR. MAYHEW.  JUST REMEMBER THIS WHEN PEOPLE ARE CONFUSED.]

Rochelle laughed.  Kyle had to admit it was cute, even at his expense.  The group chatted amicably as they descended into the bowels of the ship.  Lights became dimmer, decorations less frequent, until they finally arrived before a thick metal door.  A buzz on the nav bracelet indicated they were in the right spot, and the door creaked as it slid open, revealing a large workshop.  Scraps of metal, plastic tubing, and puddles of various liquids littered the floor as far as Kyle could see.  Long workbenches crossed every wall in the room, with a seemingly endless variety of tools hung haphazardly above. 

“Wait right there!  Don’t touch anything!”

The voice was somehow high-pitched, and still sounded like gravel.  There was a small avalanche of materials in one corner of the workshop, and a diminutive figure emerged.  Even among goblins, Themestra was small.  Barely a meter off the ground, she wore thick leather coveralls, oversized brown gloves, and her boots thunked loudly against the ground as she approached.  Her ears were pointed and green, as was common among goblins, though Kyle really had to look closely to see the green coloration under the heavy layers of grime and grease.  She strode right up to Kyle and looked up, eyes bulbous through her thick goggles.

“So you’re the kid that Chester sent.”

Shaking off his surprise, Kyle extended his hand in greeting. 

“Kyle Mayhew, good to meet you.  I’m not sure if you’ve met, this is Captain Rochelle.”

Before Themestra could respond, C.H.A.D.D. piped up.

[I AM A CENTRAL HEALTH AUTONOMOUS DRONE, AND I APOLOGIZE FOR DR. MAYHEW’S POOR MANNERS IN NOT INTRODUCING ME.  FEEL FREE TO CALL ME C.H.A.D.D.]

Completely ignoring Kyle and Rochelle, Themestra reached up and grabbed for the drone.  Kyle hesitated, but released his grip on the pack to let her take a look at it.  C.H.A.D.D. was nearly as large as she was, but that didn’t stop Themestra from bringing him over to a slightly less cluttered table to begin an examination.  She muttered under her breath as she looked at every side of the drone, and soon she was entering notes on a tablet.

“Themestra, all due respect, we’ve got a lot on our plate today, can I see the materials that Chester mentioned?”

She continued to mutter, not reacting in the slightest.

“Themestra, I didn’t give you, or anybody else at Corthian Mining permission to do a full evaluation of C.H.A.D.D.  I’m here for the parts.  If you’re not willing to provide them, we’ll be leaving and I’ll see what else can be arranged.”

That seemed to finally grab her attention, and she looked up at him, blinking.

“The foreman told me I was supposed to analyze the drone.  You’re telling me not to?”

Kyle rubbed his forehead. 

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

She shrugged, and walked away from where C.H.A.D.D. was lying on the table.

“That’s fine.  Interesting piece though, looks like a very early Kulhavey model.  I’ll have to take a look at the other units that got brought in.  Rune work is a bit sloppy, then again, his always is.  Still, he puts out reliable tech.”

“Wait, hold on a second.  You’ve heard of Marcus Kulhavey?”

Themestra shrugged as she disappeared behind one of the piles in a corner.

“He’s got a shop set up on Grai, near the Collective hub.  Corthian looked at buying some units from him once, but his mining mechs were overpriced.  Got to see some of his battlemechs a decade or so back though.  I’d love to have a couple of those on board.”

She returned with a comically large crate that she carried with ease, bringing it over to the humans and rummaging through it.  In moments, several sheets of polished grey metal were laid out, as well as several meters of cable.  Auric Perception alerted him to the mana coursing through it all, and caused Kyle’s skin to tingle.  It’s real D Grade material. 

As if reading his thoughts, Themestra said “Here we are.  It’s good material, though it can be tricky to work with.”

She turned to C.H.A.D.D. 

“Chester mentioned you’re looking to get an upgrade to your case?”

[IN A MATTER OF SPEAKING.  DR. MAYHEW IS HOPING TO GET SOME ENHANCEMENTS TOGETHER TO INCREASE EFFECTIVENESS IN THE FIELD.]

“That would make sense.  I’m guessing he plans to use the same skill he did to make the armor he used to wear?”

Kyle froze, his heartbeat pounding in his chest.  Themestra looked at him, eyes still comical behind the glasses.

“What, you didn’t expect that we’d buy that was a natural beetle shell, did you?”

“I’ve never even met you, how did you know?”

“People talk.  I watched some recordings.  It was good work for a non-crafter, too.  Of course, there’s no substitute for specialized D Grade crafting skills.”

Without waiting for a response, she grabbed a hunk of scrap metal.  Kyle felt a surge of mana from her small body, and watched as the metal seemed to liquify in her hand.  He felt more mana building a structure in front of her, and in short order, the metal flowed into the shape of a baton.  With another flowing motion of her hands, Themestra poured more energy into the freshly created weapon, then grabbed it out of the air where it had been suspended.  When she spoke, it was like a switch had flipped.

“If you don’t believe me, compare it to the similar weapons available at the quartermaster’s place.  If you’re planning to do this kind of work on your own, you’ll end up with a second-rate product.”

She tossed the baton to him, and he felt the flawless balance after catching it.  It was lightweight, though he had no doubt that it would at least match the quality of the weapon he’d made from the Wall.  It was humbling to see something created so effortlessly, and a reminder that a lot of his work was still crude.  Kyle frowned as he handed the weapon back to her.

“I don’t doubt that for a moment.  I’m still not interested in letting all of you have free reign with C.H.A.D.D.”

Themestra smiled devilishly. 

“What’s to say I haven’t already gotten a good look at it?”

He was getting tired of these stupid games.  Feeling the heat rising in his chest, he spoke before he could stop himself.  “Because I would have felt it if you had.  And I would have stopped you, with prejudice.”

Rochelle’s eyes widened at the ice in Kyle’s voice, and she moved to stand between them.  Themestra, however, did something unexpected.  She started bawling.

Opening his door, Kyle saw Captain Rochelle tapping her booted foot absent-mindedly with her arms crossed. She was still in her full uniform, daggers sheathed on her hips. The usual tight braid was missing, and there was a casualness to her stance that he hadn't seen before. They hadn't had been able to spend time together since his defeat of the Eye, and Kyle couldn't help but wonder where they stood. His train of thought was interrupted as she spoke. Took you long enough. And let me just say, this is the strangest assignment I've ever been given by the company. And why's that? Not a lot of opportunity for shopping while you're stripping worlds of their resources? She returned his jab with a smirk. I guess when you put it that way, this is sort of like shopping, isn't it? With that, she pressed on her nav bracelet, and a screen sprang to life in front of her, projecting a list of words and numbers. A moment later, Kyle felt a buzzing on his own wrist and saw a similar projection. Rochelle seemed to be deep in thought as she looked over it, and Kyle took the time to review it himself. EXCESS HULL REPAIR MATERIAL 22,456 CREDITS MANA CONDUCTIVE CABLING 7,221 CREDITS BASIC HYDROPONICS SCHEMATICS 1500 CREDITS CUSTOM FITTING 6500 CREDITS/HOUR RUNE INSCRIPTION 14,000 CREDITS/HOUR STANDARD ISSUE COMBAT ARMOR 3500 CREDITS BASIC SECURITY BATON 400 CREDITS Kyle looked over his list, feeling good about what was there. Currently, he had a little over one million credits available, so with just ten percent he should be able to purchase all his raw materials, along with a few hours of labor crafting. Looking at the frown on Rochelle's face, however, he had to wonder what was bothering her. Are the prices listed really that unreasonable? She shook her head slowly, not taking her eyes off the projection. Not at all. It's actually competitive with what you'd be able to purchase at cost back in Collective space. That's part of what's confusing me. However, I'm more concerned about the labor cost. Basic cutting and fitting of the material shouldn't run this much. Unless I miss my guess She trailed off, tapping the bracelet and closing the projection. It means our chief engineer is going to be overseeing the work personally. She's a goblin named Themestra. Kyle paused to consider that. Early on, Chester mentioned that the chief engineer was a D Grade, and also made it clear that they were likely not going to cross paths due to the number of responsibilities that they had. For her to suddenly be available to work on a side project was odd. What is she like? I have no idea. I've never spoken a word to her. I've been on three deployments where she was assigned. Her quarters are in the engineering bay and she has her meals delivered. Other than Chester, I don't know anybody else that has really gotten much face time with her. Hell, she even manages her team through the nav bracelets. Kyle saw the look of confusion on Rochelle's face, and came to one conclusion. Great, more scheming. Kyle knew that Chester would be paying close attention to the requisition, and knew information leakage was going to happen. Why else would he involve the lead engineer? If anything, the fact that Themestra was involved at all was odd. He was out of his depth trying to out-scheme them, so instead he just shrugged. So long as the quality is worth the price, that's fine by me. Where should we start? Rochelle considered for a moment before responding. Let's get to engineering and pick up the materials you're looking for. We can have them get started on some of the fitting while we go to the quartermaster to get you some basic combat armor and the hydroponics schematics. Then we can head back to engineering to finish the fitting and have them begin the inscription work. Kyle nodded, and together they walked down the hallway away from his quarters. As they did, he asked, Why did you join up with Corthian Mining? There has to be a safer way to make a living out there. She sighed, a wistful look on her face. It's about the adventure for me, Kyle. I've gotten to travel places that I never could have dreamed of, seen worlds beyond my imagination. It hasn't always been an easy life, but its been a good one. A hint of playfulness entered her tone. And this has by far been the biggest dumpster fire I've ever experienced on a job with Corthian. Ran into some weird local wearing bug shells, called himself the Onyx Warrior.' Kyle groaned, which only encouraged her. Did you make sure to request that your combat armor is all black? Even if they charge extra, it's probably worth it. Unified brands and all that. YOU DO HAVE AN IMAGE TO MAINTAIN, DR. MAYHEW. WHY, THERE'S AN INTERESTING ARTICLE FROM SEVERAL NOTABLE CENTRAL HEALTH PSYCHOLOGISTS THAT - I don't think we'll need the cross reference, C.H.A.D.D. SUIT YOURSELF, DR. MAYHEW. JUST REMEMBER THIS WHEN PEOPLE ARE CONFUSED. Rochelle laughed. Kyle had to admit it was cute, even at his expense. The group chatted amicably as they descended into the bowels of the ship. Lights became dimmer, decorations less frequent, until they finally arrived before a thick metal door. A buzz on the nav bracelet indicated they were in the right spot, and the door creaked as it slid open, revealing a large workshop. Scraps of metal, plastic tubing, and puddles of various liquids littered the floor as far as Kyle could see. Long workbenches crossed every wall in the room, with a seemingly endless variety of tools hung haphazardly above. Wait right there! Don't touch anything! The voice was somehow high-pitched, and still sounded like gravel. There was a small avalanche of materials in one corner of the workshop, and a diminutive figure emerged. Even among goblins, Themestra was small. Barely a meter off the ground, she wore thick leather coveralls, oversized brown gloves, and her boots thunked loudly against the ground as she approached. Her ears were pointed and green, as was common among goblins, though Kyle really had to look closely to see the green coloration under the heavy layers of grime and grease. She strode right up to Kyle and looked up, eyes bulbous through her thick goggles. So you're the kid that Chester sent. Shaking off his surprise, Kyle extended his hand in greeting. Kyle Mayhew, good to meet you. I'm not sure if you've met, this is Captain Rochelle. Before Themestra could respond, C.H.A.D.D. piped up. I AM A CENTRAL HEALTH AUTONOMOUS DRONE, AND I APOLOGIZE FOR DR. MAYHEW'S POOR MANNERS IN NOT INTRODUCING ME. FEEL FREE TO CALL ME C.H.A.D.D. Completely ignoring Kyle and Rochelle, Themestra reached up and grabbed for the drone. Kyle hesitated, but released his grip on the pack to let her take a look at it. C.H.A.D.D. was nearly as large as she was, but that didn't stop Themestra from bringing him over to a slightly less cluttered table to begin an examination. She muttered under her breath as she looked at every side of the drone, and soon she was entering notes on a tablet. Themestra, all due respect, we've got a lot on our plate today, can I see the materials that Chester mentioned? She continued to mutter, not reacting in the slightest. Themestra, I didn't give you, or anybody else at Corthian Mining permission to do a full evaluation of C.H.A.D.D. I'm here for the parts. If you're not willing to provide them, we'll be leaving and I'll see what else can be arranged. That seemed to finally grab her attention, and she looked up at him, blinking. The foreman told me I was supposed to analyze the drone. You're telling me not to? Kyle rubbed his forehead. That's exactly what I'm telling you. She shrugged, and walked away from where C.H.A.D.D. was lying on the table. That's fine. Interesting piece though, looks like a very early Kulhavey model. I'll have to take a look at the other units that got brought in. Rune work is a bit sloppy, then again, his always is. Still, he puts out reliable tech. Wait, hold on a second. You've heard of Marcus Kulhavey? Themestra shrugged as she disappeared behind one of the piles in a corner. He's got a shop set up on Grai, near the Collective hub. Corthian looked at buying some units from him once, but his mining mechs were overpriced. Got to see some of his battlemechs a decade or so back though. I'd love to have a couple of those on board. She returned with a comically large crate that she carried with ease, bringing it over to the humans and rummaging through it. In moments, several sheets of polished grey metal were laid out, as well as several meters of cable. Auric Perception alerted him to the mana coursing through it all, and caused Kyle's skin to tingle. It's real D Grade material. As if reading his thoughts, Themestra said Here we are. It's good material, though it can be tricky to work with. She turned to C.H.A.D.D. Chester mentioned you're looking to get an upgrade to your case? IN A MATTER OF SPEAKING. DR. MAYHEW IS HOPING TO GET SOME ENHANCEMENTS TOGETHER TO INCREASE EFFECTIVENESS IN THE FIELD. That would make sense. I'm guessing he plans to use the same skill he did to make the armor he used to wear? Kyle froze, his heartbeat pounding in his chest. Themestra looked at him, eyes still comical behind the glasses. What, you didn't expect that we'd buy that was a natural beetle shell, did you? I've never even met you, how did you know? People talk. I watched some recordings. It was good work for a non-crafter, too. Of course, there's no substitute for specialized D Grade crafting skills. Without waiting for a response, she grabbed a hunk of scrap metal. Kyle felt a surge of mana from her small body, and watched as the metal seemed to liquify in her hand. He felt more mana building a structure in front of her, and in short order, the metal flowed into the shape of a baton. With another flowing motion of her hands, Themestra poured more energy into the freshly created weapon, then grabbed it out of the air where it had been suspended. When she spoke, it was like a switch had flipped. If you don't believe me, compare it to the similar weapons available at the quartermaster's place. If you're planning to do this kind of work on your own, you'll end up with a second-rate product. She tossed the baton to him, and he felt the flawless balance after catching it. It was lightweight, though he had no doubt that it would at least match the quality of the weapon he'd made from the Wall. It was humbling to see something created so effortlessly, and a reminder that a lot of his work was still crude. Kyle frowned as he handed the weapon back to her. I don't doubt that for a moment. I'm still not interested in letting all of you have free reign with C.H.A.D.D. Themestra smiled devilishly. What's to say I haven't already gotten a good look at it? He was getting tired of these stupid games. Feeling the heat rising in his chest, he spoke before he could stop himself. Because I would have felt it if you had. And I would have stopped you, with prejudice. Rochelle's eyes widened at the ice in Kyle's voice, and she moved to stand between them. Themestra, however, did something unexpected. She started bawling.