“The world is going to… what?” Kyle was shocked as he processed what Chester said.

“Your planet will die, as will all life remaining on it. Riftwyrm attacks are no laughing matter, and I’m afraid this was a particularly nasty case. Frankly, I was surprised when our scans indicated that there were still so many survivors.”

“Hold on a minute.” Kyle interrupted, a question burning in his mind. “What do you mean, ‘attack?’”

“Exactly what I said, your planet was attacked, though for all intents and purposes you could consider it to be a natural disaster. Riftwyrms are monsters at the A Grade, and are exceedingly rare. I have no idea why one would appear in a remote sector like this.”

Kyle grew cold, fighting to keep his expression neutral. Is that what the presence is? An A Grade monster? It didn’t explain everything, but several pieces did fall into place. One thing was for sure; the next time he found himself absorbing a crimson orb, he’d have some questions he was going to get answers to. For now though, he didn’t want to let on any more than was necessary. While he believed that the others didn’t want to fight, he wasn’t going to risk making them think he was somehow related to the creature.

Fortunately, Garth didn’t share his compunction.

“How common are these attacks? And beyond that, why is a mining company delivering the message?”

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as Chester seemed lost in thought, broken by an annoyed Skippy.

“Corthian Mining showed up because there’s usually some really good stuff that gets left in the wake of these kind of attacks. Mana interacting with your world and all that. So the Collective gives companies free reign to snatch up all the goodies so long as they do a halfway decent job getting people off world.” The grey-skinned alien’s voice was distinctly male to Kyle’s ear, though it had a strange buzzing quality to it. Chester was glaring daggers at the smaller creature, who seemed not to care as it grinned devilishly. The human must have felt that it was necessary to add some context, and he quickly shared more of his thoughts.

“That’s only a piece of the equation, though not wholly incorrect. It’s true that we get first access to any natural treasures that could be left in the wake of the attack, but that’s just to offset the costs of rescue. As you can imagine, it takes a significant number of resources to make an effort like this work.”

Garth frowned for a moment before speaking.

“What kind of natural treasures? Are we to believe you’re going to strip mine our planet?”

Chester sighed.

“In some ways, yes. There will be extraction of various ores and metals that have been influenced by the mana. We will be searching for other, unique treasures. It’s unpredictable exactly how this energy will react, though it is almost assured we will find several items of considerable value.”

Kyle nodded at that information. To an extent, it made a lot of sense. He honestly would have been more wary if they claimed to be offering rescue for nothing. No such thing as a free lunch, after all. Suddenly, the massive pig-like creature – Duroc – began to approach Kyle. He immediately activated HASTE and raised his baton, and he could feel the mana gathering behind him, no doubt Garth preparing a skill as well. Duroc seemed largely unbothered as it approached, beady black eyes looking down at the Healer. Its voice came out in a high-pitched whine. “I can smell it on you. You have food and I’m hungry. Can I have some?”

Kyle was dumbstruck by the question, and he could tell Garth felt the same. It held his eyes with its own, blinking quickly.

“Uh, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

It wasn’t a great response, but it was the only thing Kyle could think to say.

A sudden snorting sound grabbed all their attention, and to Kyle’s surprise it was Chester Drake trying – and failing – to hold back riotous laughter.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

After composing himself, he said, “Why don’t we head to the shuttle. There’s food there, Duroc. And Mr. Mayhew, I think you can agree that if we wanted to crush you we could. Skippy on his own would be more than enough to handle you, your friend, and all the people in this settlement. We truly do want to talk and cooperate.”

That was logic Kyle couldn’t argue with. Still, there was no need to take unnecessary risks. “Garth, can you get the survivors here organized and ready to move? I’ll do my best to work out a plan.”

The grizzled soldier looked like he wanted to argue about splitting up. However, he must have understood the implication of Kyle’s words – stay back and if anything goes sour try to share what happened. Wordlessly, Garth nodded. Satisfied that his friend would do his part, he turned back to Chester, Skippy, and Duroc.

“One thing, Chester, it’s Dr. Mayhew. Not Mr.”

Surprisingly sharp eyes met his, and Kyle met them with equal intensity.

“Due respect, Mr. Mayhew, but you are not certified by the Collective, you do not have a meaningful understanding of medical best practices for the various species of the universe, and you are standing before us as more of a Warrior than a Healer. While that may pass for a Doctor in this backwater, our standards are much higher. Now come, we have work to do.”

Chester turned on his heel, and the three D Grades made their way towards their vessel. They had landed on the planet via shuttle, with their main ship still in orbit. The shuttle was boxy, nearly fifty meters long with dozens of individual pods lining the outer hull. It almost looked like a massive shipping container, if it weren’t for the glowing formation of runes drawing mana and keeping it afloat. It was similar to the now-damaged set on C.H.A.D.D. that allowed it to move, albeit on a massive scale. Using Auric Perception, Kyle could pick up hints of similar formations. winding across the entire surface of the shuttle, with the exception of the pods.

Quietly, Kyle whispered, “C.H.A.D.D., see if you can get a good scan of those runes. I’d be interested to get a closer look when we get some time.”

[CERTAINLY, DR MAYHEW. TURN SLOWLY.]

If the others noticed the exchange, or Kyle’s slow twirl, they didn’t show it. One by one, they approached a small terminal set next to a heavy metal door. Skippy and Duroc went first, each placing their hand on the access panel before entering. Chester turned to Kyle.

“This reacts to your mana signature, nothing more. I’m going to give you guest credentials viable for one entry, and if we can find a way to work together we’ll iron out the other details.” Without waiting for a response, he fiddled with something on the terminal, then gestured for Kyle to come up and rest his palm on it. Kyle paused for only a moment, before going along with it. He was already so far beyond anything he’d planned for, he might as well see it through. If they wanted him dead there wasn’t much he could do, so he might as well see the inside of a bona fide spaceship while he had the chance.

Walking inside, Kyle’s eyes were drawn to the thick metal walls. The interior was austere, and felt clearly utilitarian in nature. That was within his expectations, until they turned a corner to find a quaint carved wooden table. A person wearing the same type of suit as Chester brought trays of warm food, something very similar to a fluffy pancake with vegetables mixed in. The three others sat and tucked in with gusto, Duroc devouring his first pancake at a level worthy of his porcine appearance.

“Is there anything bothering you, Mr. Mayhew?”

Chester Drake’s polite question in combination with his raised eyebrow made Kyle well aware that he’d just been staring at them all as they devoured the steaming piles of food, and he quickly snapped his gaze to meet the other man’s.

“Yes, thank you. Before anything else… you’re human, aren’t you?”

“Quite. Humans are far more common out in the wider universe than you may expect, Mr. Mayhew. By sheer volume, we make up nearly seventy percent of the sapient life that we’re aware of. Some of us have even risen to relative prominence, all things considered. And rest assured, all the food and drink provided is edible. Please, eat.”

“So none of the other humans are from Earth?”

“I assume you mean this planet. None that I’ve encountered – the oldest records of humanity are from several worlds near the center of Collective space. There are many theories about why that is, though its still largely a mystery.”

“How many other species are there?”

“Countless. Though the Collective – the primary governing body – is made up of five sitting species. Now, the rest of the history lesson can wait for another time. Please, eat.”

Some of this information Kyle was aware of. The Originators had discovered other enlightened life, and gone off-planet to make their way in the broader universe. Still, having a group of aliens show up out of nowhere was something he’d never prepared for. Kyle didn’t know what he expected alien contact would look like, but being served a warm meal and drink suspiciously like coffee wasn’t anywhere on the list. Still, he was hungry. Watching Duroc and Skippy both digging in helped to ease his drifting mind a bit, and he took the fluffy pancake into his hands.

Taking a bite, Kyle had to fight back an audible groan of satisfaction. The texture was firm but springy, with a delightful crunch each time he bit into the strange vegetables. It was leaps and bounds better than anything he’d eaten since the cataclysm occurred. The group ate in amicable silence, with Duroc having eaten four of the pancakes before Kyle could finish his. Finally, the table clear, Chester spoke. “Now that we’ve had a chance to eat, let’s discuss the matters at hand.”