The trudge back to the gnome village felt like it passed faster than when they arrived. It wasn't long before they were back in the city proper, and Ariza led the way to the central market building. Aidan felt it said something about gnome culture that their center of power in the town was directly above a market.

When they arrived, the team's surface-level wounds had mainly healed. Aidan's health bar was hovering around the seventy-five percent mark, and he assumed the rest of his team were in similar positions. They weren't the clean, professional force that had left Stalakmitzil. Instead, they made a bedraggled spectacle as they wound through the market to arrive at the elevator in the back.

They filed into the elevator, filling it with the scent of smoke, burnt flesh, and acrid synthetic liquid, and ascended to the top floor. Once again, the envoy appreciated that despite the gnomes' smaller statures, they built things at a scale larger than they needed themselves. He idly wondered if that was a facet of their mercantilistic culture or if they had always made their buildings that way.

The team exited the elevator on the top floor and slumped into the comfortable chairs in the waiting room. There was a lone gnome guard at the chamber door, and Ariza quickly asked him to inform the council of their arrival. The guard entered the chambers, and Ariza sat next to Aidan. Her swinging legs in the human-sized chair made her look childlike and innocent.

So, what's the guard doing? He asked her.

He's going to the intercommunication room to summon the council, Ariza said helpfully.

You guys have communication down here? Aidan asked.

Yep, she assured. They aren't mobile, but there's an intercom room just off the council chamber that connects to a similar space in each clan headquarters. A similar system allows the council to announce village-wide warnings to Stalakmitzil.

Once again, Aidan was struck by how wrong they were about the gnomes' level of technology. In many ways, they weren't far behind humanity. In fact, there were several areas where the gnomes exceeded them. Aidan couldn't imagine building an entire functioning city underground. It wouldn't take much to bring both societies' level of advancement into parity, and then some truly exciting collaborations could occur. Aidan could already imagine gnome mechanics crewing human starships or piloting heavy machinery to build expansive space stations. For once, their size would work to their advantage within small maintenance spaces around a starship or in the bowels of a space station.

They didn't have long to wait before the guard returned and informed them that the council had arrived. Apparently, there was another elevator that the humans weren't privy to. Aidan rose to his feet and followed his gnome translator into the chamber. The rest of the team took the opportunity to eat their rations and get a quick nap in. Military life had adapted to the embedded principle of "hurry up and wait."

When Aidan entered the chamber, he noticed the gnome leadership had already taken their seats and were appraising his condition. They must have liked what they saw because each sported a predatory smile.

"Greetings, Lord Telwubitack and the rest of the esteemed council." Aidan began. "I'm happy to report the mission a success, and the Progenitor ruin has been cleared."

Authority increased to level 12! You have earned 60 experience.

Aidan heard approving noises from the council members as Ariza translated his words. Lord Telwubitack was the first to respond.

"What were the results of the expedition?" An anticipatory silence fell over the council at his question.

"My team fought three dozen progenitor combat drones, a dozen progenitor scout drones, and a single Progrenitor siege drone. The battle was fierce, but we didn't suffer any casualties. However…” Aidan trailed off to give Ariza time to translate.

"… you're likely more interested in what we were able to salvage. The ruin was actually a Progenitor listening post. It picked up communications from the surface and stored them in a local database. We received an engram detailing a new type of quantum communication. My tech expert is convinced we can use it to create localized communication equipment to speak practically at any distance."

The council immediately broke into a series of hushed conversations amongst themselves. Again, Aidan was relieved that most of the committee hadn't learned he could speak Gnomish. They might not have been so free of his words if they had. Since their trade agreement was secure, he idly wondered if Clan Azapazil was doing him a favor by not telling the other gnome or if they considered it a practical joke on the rest of the council. Regardless, he discovered the names of other gnome settlements, various trade routes, and additional helpful information. He knew he wouldn't remember everything, so he asked Astra to record and catalog the stream of information.

AI Operations has increased to level 16! You have earned 80 experience.

Linguistics has increased to level 20! You have earned 100 experience.

When the conversation began to die, Aidan got to the meat of their agreement.

"My team salvaged the majority of the materials from the defeated drones. We plan to repurpose their armor and weapons for our faction's use. The remaining equipment might be of some interest to both of our peoples."

"What kind of equipment?" The merchant lord asked.

"To start, there are three replicators for the various progenitor drones and their equipment. There isn't any material left to make more of the drones, but the machines will likely be highly valuable to our factions. Additionally, there are charging racks, a psi shield emitter, and an unknown power source that need to be explored more fully."

The gnomes were nodding thoughtfully this time. The envoy imagined they were already thinking of ways to repurpose the tech for their own use.

"Finally, there's the central comm station collecting and storing the signals it was picking up on the surface. I'd like to request that our faction take control of this station. We don't mind working with Stalamitzil to unlock more of its secrets, but it has immediate and tactical relevance to us."

At Aidan's request, the merchant lord frowned. "Why do your people need it?" At Aidan's severe expression, the merchant lord hastily continued. "Don't get us wrong, human. We don't plan on taking all the equipment for ourselves, but something like this could have implications for all gnomes, not just Stalakmitzil."

Aidan nodded that he understood. "The gnomes appear to be one people without much conflict amongst members of their own race. Unfortunately, humanity can't claim the same. On the surface, my faction faces peril from all sides from other humans with wildly opposing ideologies. This communication terminal is the first step in bringing those various factions into one alliance."

The merchant lord was quiet as he thought about Aidan's words. Surprisingly, it was Councilman Azapazil who spoke first.

"You intend to make war on your own people? Why should Stalakmiztil be involved in your internal troubles?"

"I would never suggest gnomes take part in the internal politics of my race," Aidan assured him. "We simply want to develop a trading relationship and an information-sharing agreement. Allowing us to have the communication terminal would not bring Stalakmitzil into conflict with other humans."

Aidan paused to allow Ariza to translate and give him time to consider his following words carefully.

"However, just because we'd like you to remain neutral does not mean you aren't interested in what happens on the surface," he resumed. "My faction is primarily a scientific one. Only about ten percent of the seven hundred people we've brought to the System are dedicated warriors. The rest are scientists, researchers, and other kinds of experts."

As Aidan's words were translated, the envoy sensed thinly disguised surprise from the council.

Psionics increased to level 21! You have earned 105 experience.

The other members of my race might not have the same peaceful intentions we do." Aidan continued. "It is probable that they've brought far more people and have devoted a significant portion of their populations to the military. In both of our interests, my faction should be the one that rises to prominence on the surface. We prefer trade over war and science over conquest. Much like the gnomes themselves."

Diplomacy increased to level 7! You have earned 35 experience.

Authority increased to level 13! You have earned 65 experience.

The council members talked amongst themselves, and Lord Telwubitack simply listened to their various points of view without interrupting. Aidan wasn't in a hurry to push the conversation in one direction or the other. Even though the gnomes seemed to be a relatively peaceful race, they were no strangers to politics. He knew that the members of this room would give the politicians of his world a run for their money. They would easily understand the picture that Aidan was painting and decide best which strategy benefitted their people the most.

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After the conversation had died down, Lord Telwubitack banged his gavel on the stone table to bring it officially to a close.

"Your argument is compelling, human," the merchant lord decided. "Your internal politics don't have much of an effect on gnomes, but if things are how you describe, then we want your faction to have the greatest chance of succeeding. In that spirit, we'll transport the communication terminal to your camp and the first exchange of materials."

Aidan nodded his thanks, and the lord continued.

"Further, you have proved yourselves to be valuable allies to the village of Stalakmitzil. As a sign of good faith, our first shipment will consist of materials we think will be useful to get a head start on your technological development."

Diplomacy increased to level 8! You have earned 40 experience.

The merchant lord allowed time for Ariza to translate before continuing. "You rightly see that our people don't have as many warriors as yours. I'll also tell you about our forces to match the trust you have shown us. Our village has close to five hundred members among the various clans. Among those, perhaps five percent are pure combat classes, and they're stretched thin defending our mines from kobold and goblin attacks. For that reason, we'd like to hire some of your warriors to help defend our village from the other races."

Aidan nodded his head. "I don't think that will be a problem. When I get back to our settlement, I'll talk to our leadership about specific terms. By the time your first caravan arrives, we'll have the particulars ready for discussion."

The merchant lord gravely nodded his acceptance when Ariza was finished translating. After which, he thanked Aidan and his team for their efforts and called the meeting officially to a close.

Aidan left the council chamber in high spirits. Things were progressing quickly with the gnomes, and it was a relationship that would benefit them both for a long time to come. After Aidan briefed his team, Ariza led them back to the market.

When they arrived, Aidan asked her who would escort them to the surface.

I will be, she said with a smile. I'll also be on the first caravan to your settlement, so make sure you're there to greet me!

I will, Aidan promised, before adding; also, I hope that we'll have some translation equipment developed by that time. Hopefully, it won't just be you and I doing all the talking. I don't know about you, but I get tired of all the deal-making.

Ariza just laughed but didn't comment before guiding them through the city and back to the surface.

When they exited the cavern they had arrived from, Aidan noticed that the sun was well past its zenith. He shaded his eyes as he looked up to the sky.

"We're not going to make it back before dark."

"Nope," Guzman agreed with a frown. "Let's at least get out of the woods before it gets dark. I don't want to run into something that goes bump in the night."

Aidan agreed heartily with the sentiment, so the team picked up a quick pace to exit the forest. On the way, he realized that his companions were still well ahead of him regarding their stats. He noticed that they were intentionally slowing down so that he could keep up with them despite his athletics going up two points before exiting the tree line.

They took a break at the forest's edge, and Aidan thought about the five miles between them and the camp.

"Do you think we can run the whole way?" He wondered aloud.

"We probably need to," Wang recommended. "Otherwise, we risk being out of camp after dark."

"Is that dangerous?" Aidan asked.

"It can be," Wang nodded. "We killed a few packs of wolves on the way, and they have strict borders between their territories, so the path will be relatively safe. However, we aren't really sure what predators are out there after dark. The policy has been to only operate during the day time."

"Alright," Aidan said to the assembled men. "Let's do double-time to the Camp—weapons hot just in case."

The team nodded and then dropped into a trot that would eat up the miles in no time. It wasn't an outright sprint but a comfortable pace that could be maintained for quite a while. Aidan struggled by the end of the five-mile trek, but the rest of his team had barely broken a sweat. It was a relief by the time they crossed the gate into the camp. Aidan checked his notifications and realized that his athletics had leveled to ten.

When they stopped and stowed their weapons, Guzman retook charge. "Alright, get some rest and some chow. Aidan and I will go brief Smith." He shared a warning look with the other troopers. "Remember, not a word to anyone about what we discovered beyond the fact that we made a trade deal with the gnomes. Everything else is top secret until we get further guidance from the top."

The other troopers nodded their silent assent and headed off to their tents. Meanwhile, Aidan and Guzman made a beeline to the large tent that served as the camp's headquarters.

When they ducked in, Aidan spotted long tables filled with old-fashioned parchment. A flurry of researchers pored over the information and debated hotly about what they represented. There was only a single terminal where lines of data were continuously scrolling. Aidan assumed it was the Codex that everyone was trying to decrypt.

Guzman took them to the terminal, where a dark-skinned woman hovered. The doctor was peering at the lines of data through thick glasses. Aidan wasn't sure why she bothered. Surely, she had leveled her perception high enough that glasses were no longer necessary. She probably wore them now out of habit rather than actual need.

The rest of her garb spoke to a researcher in the field. Her hair was pulled into a tight bun, and she wore a dark green vest over her black skin suit. She wore light boots designed for comfort rather than protection and had a holstered pistol sloppily buckled to her thigh. Aidan had to resist the urge to reach over and cinch it down for her.

She looked up as the men appeared before her and adjusted her glasses.

"Jesus," she flatly addressed the shock trooper. "You appear to have returned safely."

Her tone implied that she didn't care if they had arrived safely or not. Aidan found himself disliking the doctor immediately.

"Yes, Dr. Smith. We came to brief you as soon as we arrived." Guzman reported.

"Well, go on then." Dr. Smith ordered. "I don't have time to hear about your military exploits. I think I'm close to cracking the next level of the Codex."

Guzman coughed awkwardly with an apologetic glance at Aidan. "Well, we discovered the gnomes are more advanced than we thought. They're at least a tier six, if not a tier five species."

"Oh, that is interesting," Smith interrupted with a patronizing smile. "Did they have anything of value?"

Guzman shot a pleading look at Aidan, so the envoy picked up the thread. "We think so. We agreed to a trade deal with the gnomes. We'll give them our extra food in exchange for materials for our replicators. They're an underground society with extensive mining systems throughout their influence, so it's a fair assumption that they've run into multiple engrams through such exploration."

"They have engrams?" The civilian leader focused on the last sentence to the exclusion of everything else.

"They do. I indirectly confirmed it with their leadership and their translator. We don't know exactly what they have, but they appeared to have power and communication systems in their village. They also produce enough to have an advanced mercantilistic society."

"Why didn't you try to discover exactly what technology they possess? Wasn't that the purpose of your mission?"

Aidan didn't appreciate the women's tone but resisted the impulse to tell her so. "Our mission was to establish relations with the local population and see if there were areas of mutual interest."

Smith frowned and started to argue. "We don't care about making friends with the locals, trooper. We care about finding engrams and unlocking more of the Codex. Tell me, did you accomplish either of those things?"

The team had agreed not to discuss any technological spoils until the spy was located, so Aidan was put in the unfortunate position of having to tell the civilian leader that they didn't.

"Then your mission was a failure." Dr. Smith said flatly. "What do their military forces look like? Do they respawn like we do"

"We didn't get a full picture, but they appear to be a peace-loving society of traders and craftspeople. I estimate that they have no more than a couple dozen dedicated soldiers." Aidan hesitated as he didn't like the direction the conversation was going. "They also don't have a concept of respawning, so it's probably a safe assumption that they don't have the ability."

Dr. Smith crossed her arms as she looked between the two men. Aidan had the distinct impression that he was being reprimanded by a schoolteacher. "Perfect, then your mission wasn't a complete failure. You can now gather the rest of our forces and take the engrams we need. How long will it take you, Jesus?"

Guzman sputtered at the doctor's radical proposition. He tried to dissuade the woman from her perilous orders. "Dr. Smith, we've just come to a peaceful trade arrangement with the gnomes. With time, we'll be able to trade technology without the need for violence. They've been more than willing to work with us."

"We don't have time, Jesus," Smith said severely. "Every nation in the world is racing to unlock the secrets within the Codex. If we have superior forces and a potential nearby threat, we should remove the threat and retrieve the engrams. Why trade for resources when we know what we need and can take them? Isn't that what your people are here for?"

"Dr. Smith," Aidan protested. "We're talking about peaceful, sapient beings who are just as real as you or I."

"Just as real?" Dr. Smith snorted. "This is a virtual reality. They're no more real than the wolves outside the camp. They're lines of code gifted to us by an advanced race. Our mission here is to extract as much value as possible from this world and use it to advance our position in the real world."

Dr. Smith pointed to the floating lines of codes in front of them. "This is the mission. It isn't trading to construct virtual buildings in a virtual environment. Nothing we do here matters, and it's a lucky happenstance that I'm here to make sure we stay ahead of the competition. Without me, without my connections, our government would be trailing far behind everyone else."

Aidan sat there dumbfounded at the scientist's ignorance. Her position made sense if this was, in fact, the virtual world, but it wasn't. This would eventually be the real world, and everything back on Earth wouldn't matter once it was completely assimilated. She was exactly wrong. Nothing there mattered, while everything here did, but the envoy couldn't explain that without revealing how he knew more about the System than she did.

Guzman glanced at Aidan, and the envoy shared a defeated shrug.

"Understood, Dr. Smith." Guzman tried to mollify the civilian leader. "I need time to organize a campaign like this. I'll need to talk to our team and coordinate with the others."

Smith frowned a bit out an acrid remark. "I thought you military types were all efficiency and action." She pointed again to the Codex. "Time is of the essence. I want a plan of action by tomorrow afternoon."

"Understood," Guzman said flatly before abruptly turning and stomping away. Aidan understood his friend's feelings. As he followed behind Guzman, the envoy was barely concealing his rage at being ordered around like an animal.

When they exited the tent, Aidan filled his lungs with the rapidly cooling night air and took a steadying breath while Guzman did the same. When they held mastery over their emotions, they spoke quietly.

"We need to get to Marsh," Aidan said.

"Agreed," Guzman whispered. "Let's get back to our tents and log out. There's a slight delay in the logout process, but you won't be conscious of it. Let's meet in the coffin room and see Marsh together."

Aidan laughed despite the seriousness of the situation. "I'm so glad someone else thinks they look like coffins."

"Of course they do," Guzman huffed, "and then our government had to go and build a big damn mausoleum to store them all. Why pay for something nice when you can build a concrete crypt?"

Aidan shrugged. "See you on the other side," he said before turning in the direction of his tent.