Kyle stared in wonder as the shuttle escaped Earth’s atmosphere. The sight of the massive blue and green orb was breathtaking. Awe warred with a sense of loss as he struggled to accept another truth – his home was truly going to die. He considered his parents, and how he’d never really wrestled with the reality that they were gone. Losing Earth was another side of that. A morbid part of him was even curious what the death of a planet looked like, but he suppressed it. For now, he would simply be in wonder. C.H.A.D.D. was particularly helpful in this regard.
[DR. MAYHEW, I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE WE ARE. MAPPING FUNCTIONALITIES ARE NO LONGER ACCURATE.]
“That’s fine, C.H.A.D.D. We’re in space, I don’t think you need to try to map it.”
[WHAT IF WE GET LOST IN SPACE, DR. MAYHEW? YOU WOULD WANT ME TO HAVE A MAP.]
“Then you can remind me of that when the time comes.”
They were en route to the flagship of the Corthian Mining group, where they would board a different shuttle and depart for a different part of the world. Chester had shown him a map, and it looked like they would be heading into wilderness that was untamed even prior to the cataclysm. Lush jungles and wild beasts ruled what had formerly been known as the Amazon, and from what the scanners showed there was an unusually dense cluster of different mana readings that made them very optimistic.
As he thought about joining the group, a smile tugged at the edges of his mouth. His motivations were broadly altruistic – he did genuinely want to help secure a better future for the soon-to-be refugees under his care. This was something he felt he’d be uniquely able to do, and that felt good.
Still, at the core of his being, there was a part of him that relished the opportunity to go explore a wilderness he’d never experienced. There was just something that felt right about heading out into the unknown. The danger brought excitement, and he thought about his grandfather. Kyle’s favorite stories that Clark used to tell him were about the amazing sights that he’d seen as he traveled with the Originators. Whether he wanted to or not, he’d shouldered a lot of Clark’s legacy as he dealt with Liberation and the Central Authority. This was an opportunity for him to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps in a different way, and he was honestly looking forward to it.
The shuttle shook as it landed on the flagship, and soon there was a bustle of activity. Kyle’s eyes widened as the shuttle doors opened and he was able to see the hangar bay of the ship. Dozens of similar vessels were docked in a neat row, with hundreds upon hundreds of different beings moving about. The vast majority were humans like Chester, but sprinkled throughout were other grey-skinned aliens like Skippy. There were also quite a few smaller green humanoids hustling about. They were each about a meter and a half tall, with long green ears framing oversized heads. However, there were none like Duroc, and he grew increasingly curious about the large pig-like creature.
“Follow me, Mr. Mayhew.”
Chester’s voice snapped Kyle out of his distraction. Adjusting the C.H.A.D.D.pack, he fell into step behind the foreman.
“I’ll ask that you not wander around, unfortunately our physician is currently occupied with a project, and won’t be available to meet you before you depart. You’ll get an appointment upon safe return. In the meantime, you’ll be boarding the shuttle with this insignia, fifteen shuttles down. Captain Rochelle will be expecting you, hand her this paper. It contains your credentials and suggestions to integrate you into her squad.”
With that, he handed Kyle a slim metallic card that shimmered at his touch, draining a small amount of Kyle’s mana. Now that they were in the middle of the hustle and bustle, he was becoming overwhelmed. Encountering a couple aliens was one thing, walking through a crowded hangar with dozens of them was something else entirely. He wanted to ask more questions, but before he could a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.
“What a coincidence, we’re going on Captain Rochelle’s shuttle too!”
Duroc squealed, dramatically overselling the “coincidence.” Chester had started walking off towards the hangar’s exit, before turning back with an exasperated look on his face.
“You were not assigned to that shuttle, none of you were. Please tell me…”
“He wasn’t happy with the last stop so he wants to go on this one. We’ll be with him, it’ll be fine.” Duroc was completely nonchalant about the whole exchange, though it left Kyle more confused than ever. That confusion only magnified as he saw a couple crew members from the shuttle he’d exited carrying the nice wooden table in the direction Chester had originally pointed.
“I know it’s above my pay grade, but who is ‘he?’”
Kyle had to ask, his curiosity demanding satisfaction.
“You’re right, Mr. Mayhew. It is above your pay grade.”
Chester’s tone moved from exasperation to anger.
“Duroc, if anything happens it’s on your head. I don’t condone the decision.”
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The pig-like alien just nodded in response before following the table. Chester rubbed his temples with his hand as he also walked away in the opposite direction. Kyle looked between the two for a moment as he was left alone in the hustle and bustle. Before he turned to follow Duroc, he whispered to his drone companion.
“C.H.A.D.D., grab as many scans as you can. I want to study their anatomy; this could be fascinating.”
The drone responded, quiet and conspiratorial.
[I CAN DO THAT, DR. MAYHEW. BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO SPIN AROUND.]
~~~
Less than an hour later, Kyle was holding onto his seat as the shuttle was re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere. Captain Rochelle had taken his credentials, then told him “to sit down and stay the hell out of the way.” She was young, likely only a few years older than Kyle. Her eyes were a slate grey, and her hair was pulled back in a tight braid that ended just below her neck. She carried two thick daggers on her hip, and it looked like she knew how to use them. Right now, it looked like she wanted to use them on Kyle.
She was grumbling about him in the same breath as she complained about Duroc and Skippy, and he couldn’t help feeling that this wasn’t entirely his fault. Whatever those two have been up to, they’re giving everybody else headaches. This shuttle was a virtually identical model to the one he’d ridden before, and he gazed out the window, which he learned was the thick metal made transparent by some mana-powered technology. It took an image from what was outside the shuttle, and presented the image on the inside.
His mind refocused back on the planet as the shuttle descended. Kyle’s breath caught as he saw the lush green forest, a sea of vibrant green that almost looked like an ocean as it gently swayed back and forth in the wind. The shuttle slowed, and with a powerful blast of mana leveled trees in the surrounding area, creating a flat surface on which to land.
The expedition immediately got to work, with teams of three rushing out with different handheld instruments that Kyle could only assume were to help detect the signature of different treasures. He had learned that all the members of the crew were awakened, though the majority were fairly low-leveled. The security forces were closer to the middle of E Grade, which was impressive. While they might not individually be a match for Garth, they would still easily rank among the elite among the survivors.
With a handful of security personnel escorting the scientists, Kyle assumed that things would stay well in hand. That lasted all of five minutes before the first screams of panic erupted. A loud explosion rang out, and Kyle rushed towards the source. A man with lightning crackling across his body faced down a dozen ants as large as the first one he’d encountered nearly a year ago while two people in exploration suits stood cowering behind him. These ants had pale heads and long, curved pincers. They also seemed to be moving with a high degree of coordination, moving to surround the group. Kyle didn’t hesitate. Activating HASTE, he sprinted to the group and activated STORM SHELTER just in time to prevent one of the scientists from being skewered.
The Lightning Mage nodded in thanks as the ants furiously attempted to bite the barrier. Kyle had a pretty good idea of the man’s destructive power as he saw the scorched remains of a large ant body a short distance away.
“Do you have anything that can hit all of them at once?”
The man shook his head.
“Unfortunately no. Swarms of creatures like this are a bad match for me.”
“No worries, I figured I’d ask. An opening is going to appear in a minute. When it does, run like hell.” The man looked confused, until a grey blur appeared, smashing two of the ants into paste against the incredibly resilient shield.
“Now!”
Kyle hoisted both of the scientists over his shoulders as he deactivated STORM SHELTER and sprinted for the entrance to the shuttle, where a defense was being established. Skippy was easily weaving through the ants that had surrounded Kyle’s group, sending them flying with precise, powerful blows. Duroc was at the center of the defense, and he nodded to Kyle as he dropped off the scientists he’d been carrying. “How many other groups are unaccounted for?”
A hard, yet feminine voice answered.
“Just one. They were the first group to leave, they should be less than a kilometer south.”
Kyle nodded to Captain Rochelle as he took off in the direction she’d indicated, covering the distance in moments. He spotted the group, and a lot of blood as the security officer desperately tried to fend off three large ants with a spear held in his right hand. His left arm was hanging limply by his side, blood flowing freely from a large puncture wound in his shoulder. One of the scientists also appeared to be bleeding from an injury to their stomach, while the other was applying pressure to the wound. As one of the ants began to make a move towards the spearman, Kyle charged in to meet it.
“Get down!” The soldier listened, and Kyle struck the creature squarely on the head with his baton, channeling his full momentum into the blow.
He heard an audible crack of chitin, but wasn’t done yet. While Kyle’s Strength was still far too low to throw a creature this size around, he could still knock them off balance. Grabbing a leg of the stunned ant, he pulled and managed to roll the creature. The other two insects had closed on him, and he dropped his baton as he reached out a palm towards each of them. He’d theorized this technique early on, and with the major boost in attributes courtesy of his transition to D Grade he thought it would be possible. Channeling RESONANCE in each hand, he met each of the ants. Their mandibles scratched ineffectually against his armor, and with a surge of mana and will, each of his assailants fell lifeless to the ground.
Turning to the group he’d rescued, he started with the injured scientist.
“C.H.A.D.D., what are we working with?”
[LARGE PUNCTURE WOUND IN THE STOMACH, PERFORATED THE LARGE INTESTINE.]
“Thank you. Give me an overlay as I get to work.”
With that, Kyle laid his hands on the whimpering man and got to work. After stabilizing him, he then turned to the spearman. The injuries were serious, but caught early. Just minutes later, they made their way back to the shuttle, where the last vestiges of the battle had ended. Dozens of ant corpses littered the ground, and he saw the formerly injured scientist shudder at the sight as they entered the shuttle doors. Kyle was about to follow, when he was stopped by a bloodstained Captain Rochelle.
“Good work out there today.”
Not her blood, Kyle noted, seeing it was the dark ichor of the ants. She looked like she wanted to say more, but decided against it as she turned back to oversee the cleanup happening in the open space near the shuttle.
“Rest up, we’ll reevaluate our survey plan and you’re going to be a big part of it.”