Dominic Landaar wasn't feeling well these days. His waking hours were full of a strange tension, like he was tightly grasping onto who he was. His nights were plagued by nightmares he could not remember when he woke. He looked down at the bracelet on his arm and reminded himself why he was doing this.
The homeworld systems were governed by a semi-informal social hierarchy, but none of its constituent planets embodied this structure better than Aurora itself. Dominic had moved there at an early age to seek his fortune, abandoning all he new and loved on Fos. Stuck on the ground levels taking odd jobs, he had bled, sweat, cheated and lied his way up the social ladder floor by floor. But Dominic had hit a wall. No matter his schemes, it seemed that there was a certain level past which those lacking the correct pedigree, bloodlines, and connections could not pass.
But Dominic was a great student of history, and knew that if one waited long enough even the mightiest wall would crumble. So, he resolved to wait for as long as it took. Finally, an offer was given by a man named Garret Vance. Somehow knowing Dominic's frustration, Garret had offered the perfect opportunity for advancement.
"I'm from an organization called HQ. We think you would be perfect for a certain position."
Dominic had feigned confusion and concealed his eagerness. After all, he wasn't supposed to know HQ existed. He had, in fact, thought it was a myth. But if this turned out to be real, it could be exactly what he had been waiting for and more.
"What of it?" he had said coolly, sensing out his bargaining position.
"It's as ambassador to an alien race. Are you interested?"
Dominic began to get a strange feeling that Garret was not at all worried he would tell anyone. More out of a sense of self-preservation than a desire for advancement, he had agreed.
Weeks of briefings and background checks later, and he met them for the first time. Slowly, it became clear that his role was to be more involved than what he had expected. Allowing an alien being into his... what? Mind? Body? Both? He still wasn't clear on what melding was, exactly. But by the time the idea had been proposed, accepted, and voted on by the HQ General Board, he was in too deep. There was no saying no.
Dominic had grown too used to having the upper hand, to moving pieces on a board. Now he was the pawn, hopelessly out of his depth and running out of time. His objective for HQ was apparently simple: maintain a relationship with the alien species. He had served as a relay for their messages and communications to the HQ General Board. Garrett had given him a secondary mission: identify any weaknesses and assess what their real objectives and motivations were. Garrett had assured him that when he satisfied those conditions the meld would be removed and he would immediately be advanced to junior member of the HQ board, which would be a jump akin to going from a simple hull repair technician to admiral of a fleet.
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Dominic had been excited when he'd caught wind of the news that a mysterious craft had landed in the Auroran wilderness. He had hoped it was from an alien species that he could torture for information, but had been even more pleased when he discovered that it was a ship containing the son of the man who had put him in this situation. Victor Vance was a name he knew instinctively, and from the time someone had told it to him at the site he knew that it was not the human part of him responding. This boy held the key to finally getting the upper hand on Garrett, on the thing inside him. He was his only way out of this mess. One thing was certain, he would not part ways with that boy until this thing within had been taken out.
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Vora, Mac, and Alex were silent after Slash finished his story.
"So those green guys we saw when we picked you up. Those were the Speluncam?" Mac asked, jamming a fork full of food in his mouth. The story had not ruined his appetite, at least.
"That's right, Mac."
"And... They can posses people?" Vora asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow.
Slash nodded patiently. They were taking it surprisingly well, actually. Mostly he was grateful that it didn't seem as though he would have to explain again. The conversation in the room was lighthearted, and everyone was still excited to be back on the homeworlds, but armed guards with stern countenances were still watching them carefully. Why? It was still bothering Slash. It wasn't as if any of them were considering escape. Well, Slash was, especially after the incident with Dominic...
Were the guards here to stop him from escaping? They didn't seem to know that was the case, barely sparing him a glance. But, on the other hand, he was the only one with reason to try and escape. He had idiotically made it clear that he was informed about the alien race, and this may have even cast that suspicion on his friends.
"There was another Nexus? I'm still stuck on that part," Alex said, moving food around on his plate as he rested his head in his hand. Slash wondered whether looking bored was a tactic to deflect interest from the guards and other students, or if Alex just thought he was insane.
"Yes. I know it's hard to believe," Slash said, not really knowing what to follow the statement with.
Alex shook his head. "Naw. After all I've seen, I definitely believe it's possible. I suppose the question is, what now?"
Slash pondered the question as he looked around the room in thought. It wasn't safe for him here. Now that the others knew, it wasn't safe for them, either.
"Now?" he said, beginning to count the guards and size up their readiness. They were watching a bunch of kids and acted like it. Serious, but relaxed. They would have a shot later, but probably only the one. "Now, we get our asses back to Nexus."