Sergeant Lee was already there, seated at the head of the table. A hologram shimmered on top of the table, showing a top-down view of Aba, with several points of interest circled in red.
“Good evening, Sergeant,” Thorn said.
“Evening, Recruit,” she said absently, focusing on her System HUD.
“I got an extra if you want one,” Thorn said, holding up the caf.
Sergeant Lee turned her attention to Thorn and gave him a tight smile. “Appreciated, but not necessary. I’m not the kind of sergeant that sends her team to run her errands.”
She accepted the cup and took a quick sip of the caf, nodding appreciatively. “Thank you for coming early. I was just reviewing your range scores, and it seems like you have some experience with your chosen loadout.”
“I’ve come to understand from the Chief that I am barely meeting standards. I’m still low level, and I will improve.”
“I’m sure you will,” she said dryly. “But before we get into that, and the details of the mission tomorrow, I’d like to ask more about what you can do. I know you are under orders not to speak of the circumstances under which you joined the Crows, but is there anything more you can tell me about yourself?”
Thorn hesitated. She had asked before, and Gammon had shut her down. It would be the easiest thing to say no, but if he put himself in Sergeant Lee’s shoes, he would be suspicious of himself. More importantly, even if he believed that the recruit should be in the Crows and could pull his own weight, he wouldn’t know what he could do, and that would make the team less effective.
“I can’t tell you what Lief and I were doing,” Thorn said, “but before we joined the Crows we regularly went hunting south of here, bagging humpers and the occasional awakened beast. Otherwise, I ran deliveries for Stellar Eats.”
“Good ‘ole Cook,” Sergeant Lee murmured, then motioned for him to keep going.
Did everyone at the Crows know his old boss? Thorn wondered just how much influence the man had.
“Before that I was a runner for a data broker in town, and I’ve told you a bit of my past with the AG already.”
“Data broker experience is good, even if you were at the bottom of the totem pole, depending on your role,” Sergeant Lee said.
“I’m sure you want more details on what I can actually do with my System,” Thorn said. He thought carefully. “Korakis,” he said, pointing to the quiet raven on his shoulder, “can scout and sense the presence of beasts and System users via their quintessence signature. He can also communicate with me via my System.”
That revelation got an eyebrow raise from Sergeant Lee.
“Given, say thirty seconds, I can also do the same; however, my range is much more limited. I can create explosions, but the larger the explosion, the greater the time required, and it requires mental focus. I have a few other skills I really can’t talk about, but one of them gives me greatly enhanced perception. And even though my System is offline, I have ways of communicating via System comm.”
That should be enough for Sergeant Lee to know about his capabilities, without divulging the identity of his System.
“Any material component to the explosions?” she asked thoughtfully.
“No. Pure quintessence.”
“Interesting. And how well does your pet take orders?” Sergeant Lee asked, shifting to look at Korakis.
“To be honest, poorly.” Thorn sighed. “But we’re working on that. He is very intelligent.”
“Crkk.” Korakis pecked Thorn on the side of the head.
“He seems to understand quite a bit,” Sergeant Lee said.
“Too much, sometimes.”
“Hmm. Okay, that should be sufficient.” Sergeant Lee leaned back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling. “Thank you for sharing more details, and since you’ve been frank, I’ll be frank in return. What you’ve told me of your skillset and experience are lacking for a member of the Crows. However, I don’t think you were recruited based on your current abilities, which means that someone… and if I had to guess, an officer quite high in the guild… believes enough in your potential to bring you in now.”
Sergeant Lee paused to see if her words garnered any reaction, but Thorn schooled his expression to stillness. Did blackmailing a colonel constitute a demonstration of future potential? Thorn was going to go with “yes.”
“What that means is that I will also believe in your potential, and while you are on my team, fit you into roles where I think you can grow. Of course, only if it makes sense in the broader team strategy. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, Sergeant.”
Korakis hopped off his shoulder and onto the table. He cocked his head to the side, focusing his eye on the surface of the table. Thorn glanced at him briefly, wondering what he was doing, but focused on Sergeant Lee.
“The mission we have tomorrow is a simple one. A longstanding client of the guild has a blanket contract for protection services. He will be visiting Aba tomorrow, and during his stay, we will be providing an escort.”
“Okay.” Thorn nodded. “Sounds straightforward enough.”
“It is, which is why it’s good for your first mission, and is why the Chief lobbied hard for you. It’s hard to screw up.” Sergeant Lee paused. “It should go without saying that even if it’s your first mission, you don’t tell anyone that it’s your first mission. Understand?”
“Yes. Understood.” Thorn was distracted again by Korakis, who had started hopping around and pecking at the surface of the table. Odd.
Sergeant Lee glanced at the raven and frowned before continuing.
“Your role will be as a scout, which in the context of this escort mission, will be to monitor for and identify threats.” She looked at Korakis again. “And I will have to ask you to leave your pet raven behind. By your own admission, he may not respond precisely to orders, and that is a recipe for disaster with this client.”
“Not a problem.” Thorn nodded his head up and down. Korakis could stay in the barracks by himself. How much trouble could he get into in one day?
Besides, he hadn’t completed setting up the new custom agents he had in mind. He needed at least one to interface between him and Korakis. He also had an idea for how to use one to help him with sensing things through Meditate, and if Korakis wouldn’t be with him tomorrow, then tonight he would focus on setting one up that used Meditate.
“I also do not expect any real threats, not here,” Sergeant Lee continued, “as we will be making a show of force. This type of protection contract is common for making a statement. Merchants hire the Crows to show that they can afford us. If they can afford the best, that shows they are successful. Our reputation also precedes us; none of the local toughs will want to get into a fight with us, I’m sure. If we do get into any action, your role will be to continue identifying targets and providing firing solutions to the rest of the team, and to back-up when it arrives. Do you have any issues with any of that?”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“None at all, Sergeant.”
“Good. If you did, we’d have a problem replacing you at the last moment,” she said. “Now, how do I send you a packet on the mission details?”
“I need to create a connection with you,” Thorn said, then initiated the request through his System. “There is a small cost and a distance limit, but it will work fine within the city.”
“Interesting. I’ll ask you to make a connection with each of the team members, but not the client. Does that Skill work under a jamming field?” Sergeant Lee asked.
“No, not that I am aware,” Thorn replied. “Maybe a future upgrade. I don’t know.”
Sergeant Lee had a thoughtful look on her face. “One of the things you should consider is what roles you want to pursue in the future. Right now, you’re a weak scout. But maybe with some level ups, some additional skills or upgrades, you could be a strong one. Systems with the type of communication skills you just mentioned may also have intelligence or counter-intelligence possibilities as well.
“If you’ve had this explained to you before, I apologize, but let me talk about how the Crows are organized. There are four Flights, or vertical arms within the Guild. We’re in the Wings, which typically take on guard, protection, beast-subjugation, or scouting-type missions.
“Other Flights include the Eyes, our intelligence arm, the Claws, which are basically professional armies for user-vs-user conflicts, and the Feathers, which are the logistical and administrative backbone. Individuals can move between the Flights, but typically you move up within the Flight you are in.
“Within the Wings, we have fairly homogenized unit structures, and scout-type roles are always in demand. But if you wanted to move in a different direction, such as in intelligence or counter-intelligence, the Eyes might be a better fit.”
Thorn had read some of this, but it was very helpful to hear it explained by someone who knew how it all worked together.
“For the moment, I’m very happy where I’m at,” Thorn said. So far it seemed like the role of a scout would suit him well, although his first mission would tell him more. He only worried that the decision might not ultimately be up to him. If Smithson knew more about his skills, about how he could use Splinter to attack other users, would he want him to be in a different role, one where he would be in conflict with other users? It sounded like the Wings were the Crows’ forces that fought mostly against beasts.
“Very well. It’s simply food for thought,” Sergeant Lee said. “Take a look at the data I’m sending you now.”
Thorn took a sip of his tea and did just that.
- Client: The Great River Merchant Association
- Location: Aba
- Duration: 1 Day(s)
- Commanding Officer: Sergeant Meridian Lee
- Primary Mission (with 10k performance bonus upon completion):
- Protect client(s) from physical harm
- Secondary Goals (with potential performance bonuses up to the discretion of the client):
- Prevent destruction or theft of client’s property
“Any questions?” Sergeant Lee asked. While Thorn had been reviewing the mission details, she had been glaring at Korakis. The bird had moved off of the table, and was now flying around the room, stopping at seemingly random places and staring at the floor, back of chairs, the wall and ceiling.
“Korakis, get back over here,” he called out. The raven ignored him. “Um, well, who else is on the team, and what are their roles?”
“Good questions,” Sergeant Lee said. “You’ll meet them tomorrow, but I’ll forward you their profiles. A few of my regular team members, though not all of them were available, which is why I needed your help. I should also tell you that if you do well on this mission, I may also have a spot for you going forward.”
Thorn perked up.
“The same client?”
“No,” Sergeant Lee shook her head. “Captain Delacroix is negotiating a new contract with the AG, and I expect it will start very soon. It has my name on it, and if it lands, I’ll need to staff up quickly. That’s actually why I am interested in you and your friend Lief, compared to other available resources. You both have experience with the AG, which I do not, and could fit scout roles, which I will need. I prefer working with people I know, especially on longer term missions, so if you don’t mind the extra pressure, your position on that mission is dependent on your performance tomorrow.”
“Pressure is good,” Thorn said. Of course it wasn’t, but that wasn’t what he thought Sergeant Lee wanted to hear. “What can you tell me about that next mission?”
“Get this first one under your belt, and we’ll talk more,” she said. “But I can share that it will be an intel gathering and recon-in-force action, up north in the jungles on the border with the Hau. Part of the intel-gathering is human intelligence, so you’d need to work with the AG’s rank and file, using your experience with the customs and culture to establish a quick rapport.
“That sounds awesome,” Thorn said.
Sergeant Lee chuckled softly. “No, it doesn’t. It sounds boring, but I appreciate the effort.”
Thorn’s cheeks burned slightly with embarrassment. He considered reining in his gung-ho attitude.
“Don’t worry, though, there will be opportunities for beast patrols and earning cores. I always run my teams fairly, giving everyone access to earning extra quints. You should know that not every officer is that fair, especially to junior staff, but I joined at the bottom like yourself and have worked my way up.”
“Thanks, I appreciate that,” Thorn said. “And I’m looking forward to working with you on that mission as well.”
“We’ll see how you do, first,” she said. “Do you have any other-”
She paused, as there was a soft “shing” sound from the corner of the table Korakis had perched on. His beak glowed with the same blue-ish tint his eyes held.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Thorn said, scrambling quickly. He reached over and grabbed the raven, who responded with an indignant squawk.
“Crkk, tok, hzrrrk,” Korakis crowed.
“You found bugs, huh, you daft pin-cushion,” Thorn muttered. “And what? Are you going to eat them? Blast them and the furniture to atomized pieces?”
He turned to Sergeant Lee and putting on his best customer-service face, shook his head. “Sorry about that.”
Inside, Thorn was indignant. The damn bird was going to screw this up! If they wanted more quints, they needed missions. The blue light covering Korakis’s beak faded away before Korakis pecked Thorn several times on his head and ear.
“Ow!” Thorn said and tried to grab Korakis’s beak with his fingers.
“Crkzkz crkkk,”
Sergeant Lee had a curious look on her face. “No, actually,” she said. “That may be my fault. Tell your raven that the ‘bugs’ in this room are actually nano-drones under my control, and that I am quite impressed he could sense them.”
Korakis turned his head to stare at Sergeant Lee, then cawed softly once, then again, more urgently. He pecked Thorn softly on the shoulder.
“Yeah, no, I’m not telling the sergeant that,” Thorn said.
“Tell me what?” Sergeant Lee asked.
“Crrrrrs,” Korakis repeated in a deeper voice.
“There is only one thing in life that Korakis wants,” Thorn said with a deep sigh. “Beast cores. He also understands a lot more than you think, and if you give him a single bite, he’ll gobble up the entire solar system. So don’t give him anything, despite the fact that he was annoyed by your drones and thinks he deserves them for not pecking them to death.”
“He wants cores?” Sergeant Lee said, incredulous. “Or…Or what?”
Korakis hopped down onto the table, tapped it with his beak and looked up expectantly at the Sergeant.
Sergeant Lee threw her head back and laughed. Her severe, professional mien was gone, and she continued laughing freely. “Oh dear,” she said eventually, wiping a tear from her eye. “It’s been a while since I’ve laughed like that. You reminded me of old friends. Thank you, Korakis.”
She gave the raven a small bow, from her waist. “I’ve seen a lot of things, but I believe this is the first time I’ve ever been shaken down by a recruit’s pet bird.” She took a small pouch out of her pocket and opened it. From inside of the pouch, she took out a small, candied nut and held it out.
Korakis scrambled forward and after eying it briefly, picked the nut up and gobbled it down, cawing softly. Satisfied with the peace offering, he flapped up and retook his place on Thorn’s shoulder.
“He definitely needs to stay home tomorrow,” Sergeant Lee said, “but he’s a smart bird with some truly excellent sensing capabilities. You’re lucky to have him.”
“Yeah, sure,” Thorn said. “Super lucky.”
Sergeant Lee grinned wryly, and then she sat up straight in her chair and returned to her previous, no-nonsense attitude. “What other questions do you have?”
“I think I’m good,” Thorn said, and stood up. He wanted to leave before Sergeant Lee decided that Korakis’s shenanigans became less “charmingly” obnoxious and more “annoyingly” obnoxious. “Tomorrow at 0600?”
“0600,” she echoed. “Dismissed, Recruit. Goodnight, Korakis.”