Once the ants were dispatched, the members of the expedition gathered outside the shuttle. Captain Rochelle was standing on a small platform as she looked out over the group, which Kyle now saw consisted of fifteen squads of three. Each contained two scientists with more or less the same equipment, and one member of the security team. Absent from the groups were Duroc and Skippy, which made Kyle frown. They helped clear things out before, why wouldn’t they assist with the expedition? Before he could continue his thought, Rochelle spoke.

“For many of us, myself included, this is the first expedition to a world dealing with the aftermath of a Riftwyrm attack. Things are always unpredictable, which you all experienced firsthand. That means that we need to be adaptable in our approach to secure what resources we can and ensure we all get home safe. In this case, management is in agreement that covering less ground with more power is preferable to our usual arrangement.”

She continued.

“Your squads will each combine with two others, giving us five expeditionary forces with nine members in total. Additional security personnel normally assigned to the shuttle will be forming mobile support, and you will all be outfitted with communications equipment to call for backup as necessary. Readings show that this jungle is dense with resources, if and when you find something, simply place a marker and move on. Staying in one place for too long could get dangerous. Now, go to the quartermaster and get your new team assignments and equipment. You depart in an hour.”

With that, the expedition members made their way towards the shuttle, with many soft murmurs about the danger ahead. Captain Rochelle parted the wave of expedition members, making her way straight to Kyle, stopping a meter or so away.

“Mayhew, walk with me. Your role here is going to be a little different.”

“I assume that means C.H.A.D.D. and I will be part of the mobile support unit?”

Rochelle smiled wryly as she responded.

“Close, but not exactly. I’m going to have you act as a second mobile support. I saw how quickly you can move, and how strong that shield skill of yours is. If any of our teams get into hot water, I’m asking you to be the first responder and hold the line until the rest of the mobile support can provide backup. It’s a dangerous role, which is why I’ve approved you for double merit for the entirety of this expedition, as well as opportunities for bonus compensation beyond that.”

Chester had briefly explained that his work for Corthian Mining would produce merit, which directly benefitted Earth’s refugees, as well as personal compensation. He was warned not to expect too much for personal compensation, so having an opportunity this early to earn something was a major bonus.

“Thank you for the opportunity, Captain. Is there any particular reason you’ve decided to bump the compensation so generously?”

“Because it’s pretty damn clear that this place is literally crawling with monsters, and you’re probably going to get eaten by them.”

She snapped. Kyle wasn’t quite sure what to say. After a moment passed, she sighed and seemed to deflate a bit.

“What do you know about Riftwyrms?”

“I never heard of them before Chester mentioned them, so not much other than the name and that they’re incredibly powerful.”

She nodded at his response.

“They’re not common by any means, though we do have records and data from attacks over the years. Riftwyrms come in a lot of shapes and sizes, but they all have one thing in common. Whenever they attack, their mana lingers. It infuses natural materials and creates rare treasures and resources, which is why anybody ever bothers coming to a place that’s been attacked. In addition, though, their mana will typically resonate with some creatures on the planet. Records exist of mutated mammals, reptiles, fish, birds, you name it. This is the first record Corthian Mining has seen of mutated arthropods.”

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Kyle felt stunned at the revelation. A few pieces started to fit together in his head, as Rochelle continued.

“In ordinary circumstances, this would cause us to pull the plug. The sheer number of different arthropods on any planet would make them an absolute terror if they started mutating. There are planets infested with hives of powerful insects, all of them cordoned off by the Collective as danger zones. There are only three reasons we chose to continue. First, your world was rated a low E-Tier. It’s weak, even by frontier standards. That should have lowered the risk. Second, you were attacked recently. Less time since the attack means less opportunities for the local creatures to mutate into something really dangerous. Finally, we have invested incredible amounts of capital to get this bid already, and to not at least try to mine would be a major financial hit.”

Kyle’s heart was pounding in his chest as he took in the information, and he thanked his lucky stars that C.H.A.D.D. had the restraint to stay quiet. He responded, talking faster than he’d expected.

“And what, exactly, is paying me more going to change? If you think I can do anything about this state of affairs, I’m afraid I’ll disappoint you. I’m just a Healer.”

Rochelle smirked at him.

“You’re more than ‘just a Healer’ and you know it. You’re a D Grade with strong mobility and support capabilities. You’re also the only D Grade that I can deploy, which makes you valuable. It also means that the more dangerous things get, the more we’ll have to count on you to bail us out. Consider it an insurance premium on our end.”

Kyle blinked. “What do you mean I’m the only D Grade? Duroc and Skippy are both here, and as far as I can tell they’d both be a lot more useful than I am.”

Rochelle’s smirk faded to a frown as her left hand rubbed her forehead.

“Don’t get me started on that garbage, it’ll ruin my mood. Come with me, I’m going to get you a nav bracelet. It’ll be on its own frequency, and when the other squads run into trouble it’ll ping you and guide you to their location. You can also use it to drop signals to the flagship, on the off chance you have to leave any valuable resources behind. We can always come back for them later.”

“That’s a little disingenuous, don’t you think? You all care a hell of a lot more about the resources than the miners.” He said, raising an eyebrow.

She flashed a grin, a glint in her grey eyes before turning and walking back to the ship.

“Welcome to Corthian Mining, Mayhew.”

~~~

The next several days ran smoothly, with Kyle primarily spending his time treating the mild injuries that the expedition members brought back. While the vast majority of the people in the field were human, Kyle was able to take time to study the scans C.H.A.D.D. had taken aboard the flagship. The drone compiled scans of the grey-skinned aliens – the Skrell – because of their time with Skippy.

Skrell anatomy was interesting, with a series of pressurized sacs inside their body to assist in movement as opposed to the more heavily muscled human body. Kyle learned that their species was close to Earth – on a galactic scale, that is – and he thought it was likely Skrell contact that spurred controversy in the old world about aliens.

Even more interesting were the small green creatures, whose species translated as “Goblins.” Apparently, their civilization, or at least a close offshoot, had arrived on Earth a long, long time ago. The diminutive beings were physically quite frail, with weak bones and musculature. They made up for this shortcoming with incredibly developed minds, with every spare calorie going to power their brains. Their digestive system was, in his opinion, their most unique trait. Their stomachs contained nearly a dozen chambers, each with its own unique enzymes. Kyle suspected they could break down almost anything and get at least some nourishment from it, which was something he definitely wanted to research further when he was back on board the shuttle.

Fortunately, he was only needed to hold the frontline twice during this time. Once was against another group of the ants. The other time was against a large, heavily armored green creature that looked like a mix between a grasshopper and a tank, covered in large spikes from head to toe. The first group was handled easily enough when the mobile unit arrived, but the spiky grasshopper was far more durable than anybody expected. It was finally taken out when Kyle stepped in to put it down with RESONANCE, much to the relief of the group.

Other than that, Kyle spent a good portion of his time healing the minor injuries that the expedition members accumulated during their outings. Large cases of materials were being dragged back, ranging from ores to plants. Everything was going well, until the fifth day. Kyle just finished treating a particularly deep laceration on a patient’s arm when he paused and looked up, the people around him doing the same. A faint tremor could be felt, even through the ship, and soon the moment of stillness was replaced by people running around frantically. Kyle hoisted the C.H.A.D.D.pack and ran outside to see Rochelle barking orders. He ran to her.

“What’s going on?”

She looked at him with a grim expression.

“We have trouble.”