This agreement had Senjen understandably nervous, but at least they had some time to prepare, physically and mentally. If it all went to plan, then it would be worth it in the end...but this plan did have a lot more moving parts than the usual fare. First they had to secure a way to get onto the planet to begin with, which would present its own list of challenges and risks by itself. Then, they had to make sure this “Seraphim” could do her job, which was largely going to be out of their hands, only to have to secure their own reward themselves after that. Granted, that reward was promised to be quite substantial, but there were many places for something to go wrong. A lot more than just a somewhat risky scavenger run.

Regardless, Senjen did not head to Jess right away. In fact, he split up from Light for the moment as well. He passed some time in town, waiting for later that night. He messaged Ruknar and asked to meet whenever she was available, which took frustratingly long. Evidently, Ruk still had to attend to Vitality for a while, but whatever was happening there, he did eventually get a reply. He waited nearby to the restaurant where they had held the meeting, within walking distance for Ruk.

Senjen was leaned up against a wall, watching the crowd when Ruk came into view, though he had still noticed her right away. “Hey, I’m glad you could come. How are you feeling after all of...that?”

Ruknar made a beeline for Senjen when she noticed him, her whole frame shivering with pent up energy. She wanted to punch his silly metal head but thought better of it; she’d be quite likely to break her arm. In the end she smacked a small vase of flowers off a nearby table and then got right into Senjen’s face, talon pointing under his chin.

“How am I feeling?! Gee, Senny, I dunno, maybe I’m feeling like I never should’ve fraternised with a couple of criminals! Like I should’ve never let you buy that stupid suit, or helped Light get fixed up so good. My whole life is in jeopardy because you have what Vitality needs – a way in. And if I say no? If I do anything wrong at all? Well… I’ll never practice medicine in this sector again. She is something like my boss’s boss’s boss’s boss’s boss! Plus, she’s nearly a thousand years old, so she know everyone who is anyone in my profession! It’s not even like I’m best qualified to handle Seraphim – I’m only there as leverage over your sorry asses.”

Ruk removed her talon, feeling scared and ashamed and angry still. She cawed loudly, making several restaurant goers jump. It made her feel a bit better, but she still cast Senjen a hurt look. “Maybe you should’ve just said no. Then at least we would’ve been just unemployed and not dead too.”

As Senjen understood it, the ability of Chekeri to read the emotions of others was instinctive with that symbiotic entity, something they might take for granted. But he was inorganic, so they had no sense for how he felt. For him, they could only do it the same way as everyone else. He seemed calm, and stayed silent through Ruk’s outburst to let her vent her frustrations.

It was only once silence lingered in the air for a few moments between them that Senjen spoke up. “Who are we working for? FGC...I’ve always seen them as good. Benevolent, generous in a world that simply isn’t. Always felt good working for them, especially with how they helped Light. A job like this...it makes it feel different. Is there something else behind their motives? Or is it just that this is what Korit makes everyone do?”

For Senjen, he wanted to cut right to the heart of what he was thinking. Ruk’s fear made sense, and he hated that she was being dragged into it, but there was one bit of common ground he had to know still existed. “I trust your judgment more than anyone, Ruk. Do you still think the FGC is good? This thing that we’re doing, do you think it will help a lot of people?”

Ruknar sighed, scratched her head. She perched on a discarded chair that creaked under her weight, suddenly very tired. “I don’t know…The FGC is an impossibly complex organism. Like a body really, lots of different cells…Some fine balances and total imbalances.”

She pulled a drug bowl from her red knapsack, peeled back the lid and let the fumes waft into her nose holes. After a shuddering breath, she calmed a little further. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke again.

“I’ve only met Vitality once, but I already get a sense of her aura. It is strong and well formed. She is old enough to care only about the health of the organism - She doesn’t care about the individual cells. She will happily sacrifice us and others if it means saving billions. Does that make her good? Or evil incarnate?”

“The job we’re doing...looking for a cure to a virus that is devastating a whole world. That sounds like a worthy cause. It sounds like something worth doing, something worth taking the risk for. If there isn’t anything else to it, no taking the virus and making it a bio-weapon, or something else that wouldn’t surprise me out of corporations on Korit, then I can be proud to help. If that, out of all of this, is at least true, then we have something here we can work with.” Senjen said.

Senjen did not trust the chairs nearby to hold his weight, so he knelt down at eye level in front of Ruknar. While risky, a lot of the plan he had heard so far seemed sensible, but there was something Ruknar seemed to believe that did not quite add up in Senjen’s head. “Them using you to recruit us for the job makes sense, and if they want leverage over us, then having you around also makes sense. But...are you sure that’s the only reason they’re sending you with us? Could that not be because of your skills? If it was just for leverage, then I would think it would make more sense for them to keep you here under their thumb, under their control, instead of out there where we could all slip away together. I feel like there might be more to them assigning you to this, and if there isn’t, then maybe we can convince them to leave you here, out of danger?”

Ruk shrugged morosely. “I hope you’re right. It would be kinda incredible if it does come off that way though, right? There are a lot of ‘ifs’ still.” She took another sniff of her bowl and lounged out slightly on her chair. It wobbled gently on uneven ground.#

“I can’t think of any reason my skillset particularly commends me. There are many people more experienced than me in the field of medicine. My virology credentials are shaky at best. I’ve not even managed an AI specialist yet…I did work in a couple of conflict zones after I graduated, but nothing particularly heroic. I was treating laser burns and trauma miles from any kind of action.”

She ran a talon along the cracked cobblestones beneath her chair, scooped up a millipede which she studied closely for a moment before returning.

“It doesn’t make any sense, but I don’t think Vitality will back down now. The die is cast; you’ll only piss her off trying to renegotiate now. She doesn’t strike me as the kind of Chekeri you want to see angry.”

“I wouldn’t necessarily need to frame it as a renegotiation. More like a...discussion of strategy. We’ve already been given the green light to take a few days to prepare and plan for the job, and picking the team is an important part of the job. If we can make a compelling argument for why we would have a better chance of success with someone else filling your spot, then it might just happen.” Senjen reasoned.

Senjen moved in a bit closer alongside Ruk’s chair, having no problem with sitting on the floor beside her. He could tell she was still anxious about this job, with how she was fidgeting with whatever what around her, looking for distraction. Yet, he also did not feel that she was too certain in the answers she was giving him. “But that’s only if there isn’t another good reason for you to be on the job. If it’s not because of what you can do, or completely because of your relationship with us, then maybe it’s because of who you are? Your personality? Your values? Maybe there aren’t many others with the right skills that Vitality would be willing to trust, or she thinks you’ll be willing to take the risk, while others won’t?”

“Two days. We’ve been given two days to prepare for the most consequential trip either of us may ever may.” Ruk corrected Senjen. “And one of those days is going to be spent with Jess fiddling around with your insides.” The sounds of merriment were ramping up as the evening progressed. Some glass smashed to raucous laughter. Large bugs buzzed around the long strings of festoon lights.

“Besides, even if we have time its not like we’ll be able to just find Vitality. You saw tonight – she is secretive and careful outside of her inner circle at the FGC. I never hear anything certain about her, only rumours.”

She sighed again and ran her fingers, such as they were, through her ruffled feathers. Then she looked Senjen dead in the eyes. “Listen to me, its sweet that you think I might be some special ace in the hole, but really I’m nobody special. I help people feel better. I understand people; my Sthrirad is healthy. Apart from that I’m out of my depth. You just know this Seraphim is going to be a sociopath, all the new AI specialists are. Maybe I’m a good counterweight to her, or maybe i'm not. Who knows!”

“There may be a lot here you are right about, but on one thing, you’re categorically wrong. You are special, Ruk. I’ve met a lot of people since coming to Korit, and you stand out over the rest. I’m going to do everything I possibly can to keep you safe.” Senjen replied. The atmosphere around them may have been becoming more relaxed and upbeat, but he was paying little mind to anything but Ruk.

Senjen still was not completely dismissing the idea of getting Ruk off of the job. Maybe they would be able to talk to Vitality at some point, and maybe there would be some way to convince her to keep Ruk in safety, but it was not wise to put everything on that hope. They needed to prepare however they could. “Okay, we have two days. What do you need? What would make you feel safer about what we’re expecting to go up against, or just less nervous? Even if it is just by a little bit, it’s worth doing with the time that we have. I do have to take some time to let Jess look me over, but aside from that, you have my help. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, day or night. I don’t sleep. If I helped get you into this, then it’s the least I can do.”

Despite her anxiety, Ruk’s feathers fluffed up contentedly at the compliment. “Thank you. I appreciate that. I’ll try my best to reciprocate, though you and Light have a lot more protection that me!” Red and green fireworks rippled over the valley this restaurant looked out over. Soft music tinkled speakers fixed to awnings that hung over the bar area.

She gave a wry smile at Senjen's offer. "You may regret offering now - I need a protective suit. Vitality wouldn’t give me one; said all FGC suits are identifiable, and this was supposed to be a black op. Do I need a weapon too? I’ve never used one before, but then I’ve never been anywhere this dangerous. Maybe its best left to the security team… What else do you need?”

“Wait, really?” Right away, Senjen sounded surprised. He had gathered that the FGC were hiring them to keep themselves from being too directly associated with this job, but not even giving them adequate equipment seemed like a step too far. “They don’t need to give you FGC branded armor, there’s plenty of sellers on Korit who ask no questions. The black market is here is practically just the ‘market’.” Senjen made the motion of sighing.

“But yeah, you need a suit.” Senjen nodded. “I’d like you to be as armored and protected as possible, but at the very least, you need an environment suit. The virus might be the biggest threat down there for you, so you need protection from it. I’m not going to gamble your life on that AI being successful with finding a cure, I’m just...not. For weapons...if I had time to give you training and practice with using them, then sure, but if you’ve never fired one before, then it’s better that you just stay nearby and out of sight if there’s danger.”

“I’ve been on enough assignments to know that Corporate Korit expects workers to purchase their own gear sometimes. It is one of the side effects of not paying taxes.” Ruknar chuckled morosely.

“I’ll go find a suit tomorrow then, and save money by not buying a weapon. I’ll leave the shooting to you.”

“Okay. Let me know if you need any help with the suit. It’s important, and I want to make sure you’re protected. If you really end up in need of a weapon, I’ll let you borrow one of mine, but like I said, I don’t think it’s a good idea to arm you without training. I’ll stay close as best as I can and keep you safe.” Senjen said, trying to sound confident, though he had also not been hiding his concern.

For a moment, Senjen stood awkwardly, hesitating on what he did or did not want to bring up. She was justifiably worried, and he was guilty that she was in that situation to begin with. “I hope- I mean, I just want you to know that I didn’t want this to happen. I never thought you would have been dragged into danger because of me. As far as Korit goes, I thought this would be a good organization to work for. I...don’t regret the things I’ve been doing to get the hospital what it needs. That is a cause worth taking some risk for, but I do regret it’s come to this.”

She nodded at Senjen’s repeated offer. “I’ll message you if I run into trouble but I think I know just the thing.”

Her features softened as she listened closely to him. “Thank you. I believe you – you couldn’t have known this would happen, except by taking the cynical view that all things in Korit are bad in the end. I’m glad you didn’t. Your optimism is…infectious. We can make a success of this bad situation, and return as heroes.”

Ruk stood up and shook out her feathers. They returned to their usual sleek form. She patted his head tenderly. “I’m going to go and rest, then go shopping. I’ll meet you at your ship when its time to leave.”

---

Two days passed in a flurry of checks and preparations. Light ordered in enough supplies to last them a few months. The surpluses he stored in the cargo hold. A storm rolled in from the mountains on the second day, bringing with it rolling thunder, howling winds and driving rain. As the afternoon turned to evening, he began to feel nervous.

“Where is everyone? You gave the address, right?” He asked Senjen from the cockpit.

“Yes, they have the address. We’re on the same landing pad we always are; Ruk knows where we live.” Senjen reassured Light.

Senjen had been busy these last two days, yet he was still left feeling like he wished he could do more. He had an inhibitor in place now that could help block external sources from issuing commands on his internal systems. In all likelihood, it was not necessary. Jess had really pulled out all the stops for her examination, and she had found no sort of backdoor that Myrmidon could use into his systems. Besides that, it was resilient against outside tampering, especially with control permissions being restricted to his personality matrix. Nevertheless, it was a precaution he wanted to take.

“We’ve got supplies and equipment, but I know what I want is a bit of information. Has anyone told you anything? What do we know about my first part of this job? If I’m going to have to sneak into a Myrmidon facility, then I’d like a few specifics on where I need to go and what I need to do.” Senjen remarked.

“I was hoping for more info too; maybe the others will know more. The security team or the science drone that the Quadrarch mentioned…I diiid do a little digging in the haulier channels I have access to. Myrmidon do indeed operate a geosync terminal in orbit around Veppecantel, which all the autonomous transports dock at. To keep costs down, they distribute some of the resources directly to 3rd parties in a public-access trading area. That could be a way in, if we choose to go down the…you know…theft route. How do you feel about nabbing a ship ID, now you have your inhibitor?”

There was a loud knock on the cargo bay door that echoed around the ship despite the weather outside. Tindrel ships were famously reverberant, owing to their unique communication style. Light gasped, checked the external cameras and gasped again. There was a tall biped wearing a hooded brown cloak right in front of the fish-eye camera on the exterior door control panel. Though it was dark and wet out, he caught the contours of a Human face in the shadow of the hood. For some reason they made Light shiver. Behind them and slightly away from the ramp, he could see maybe half a dozen other figures.

“We’ve got company!” Light warbled, exiting the cockpit in a hurry. He sloshed through the dimly lit tunnels of his ship to the bright box of the cargo bay. There he grabbed the Bangstick from where it leant against the wall and hit the two-way communicator on the control panel. Immediately the tinny sound of wind and rain came through. “What do you want?” He asked. After a moment the gruff reply came through. “Our mutual acquaintance told me you could use some help squashing a bug.”

Light studied them again through the cameras. “Alright. Stand back, keeping your hands where I can see them.” The figure spread both gunmetal hands down by their waist and Light pressed the big red button which lowered the ramp. Fat drops of water drummed the metal ramp the moment it appeared before the sky. Light held his weapon at the ready until the lead figure’s head appeared and then pointed it squarely at them. They did not flinch. He could make out the mass of figures and luggage waiting behind.

“How many good causes are there?” Light asked levelly. The figure pushed their hood back, revealing a balding grey head of hair beneath a lined face. A hint of a smile played at their thin lips, and they raised four fingers. Light dropped the Bangstick and waved them up. The group trudged up towards the warmth of the cargo bay, and the biped in the brown robe strode over with a hand extended.

“You must be the pilot, and the Myrmidon. You can call me Major.” He said.

“The inhibitor probably isn’t even necessary, but I guess any extra protection against outside meddling makes for some peace of mind. No, it’s more the act of trying to take something from Myrmidon that’s bothering me. I just...really need to avoid getting caught, you know? Or failing that, getting identified. If I am caught, I need to make sure they can’t get any sort of read on the serial number to know it was me, specifically.” Senjen answered, with a slight shrug. “Or like I said: don’t get caught at all.”

Light did not have to wait too much longer for their guests. An ominous group of hooded figures on a stormy evening would have been terrifying on any other day, and it was still at least a little intimidating here, but the fact that they were expecting visitors made Senjen a little less on-edge than Light seemed to be. In any case, they confirmed their identity, and the Human gave them what passed for an introduction. “Major” was a bit of a bizarre name, and probably not actually a name at all.

“Hmph, yeah, the Myrmidon.” Senjen said in a matter-of-fact tone, returning the handshake. “Make yourself at home. You’re going to have to get as comfortable as you can ‘till we get there.” He waited until they closed up the ship. “What do you know about the job?"

“Thank you. Don’t worry – we are used to rough and ready conditions. Let me introduce you to my team.” Major half turned and gestured for the figures scaling the ramp to approach. Light glimpsed a tough metal breastplate under the brown robe as he did so. He couldn’t yet tell if this ‘Major’ was an organic cyborg, or a synth with a Human face.

The first two of the team to clank into the light of the cargo bay were definitely droids. Bipeds, of a longer and thinner shape than Major. Light guessed they may not have been combat-models originally, but had been modified and armoured beyond recognition. One’s base chassis was a deep navy colour and the other was forest green, though the paint on both was worn by many scratches and dents. They carried a large duffel bag stuffed with equipment in each hand, and another slung on their back. They each dropped their bags and came in for a hearty handshake.

“Hoo's it gaun, lads? You can call me Bodach.” Said the navy blue one. His voice was exceptionally rough and gravelly, with a heavy regional twang. “This wee gobshite wi’ me is Diarmuid.”

“Hey, Howya fellas? Lovely weather today ain't it?” Diarmuid chimed in, dripping with rain from outside. By contrast, his tone was musical and inviting. That of a younger man.

“Both of them are from Earth originally, hence the outlandish accents. Fought in more wars than the trebuchet.” Major explained with a wry smile.

“Bodach is about as old as the trebuchet as well.” Diarmuid stage-whispered.

“You cheeky bastard!” Bodach growled, before addressing Senjen. “That’s a mighty shiny frame you’ve got there, lad! Are you one of those lizard folk, or do you just have a thing for tails, eh?”

Senjen had not known beforehand how many of this group were going to be artificial. In truth, he felt a bit wary about that fact. He never knew what to expect out of non-Utaysi artificial intelligence. None of them were made in the same way Utaysi were, and despite what some people might think, their minds were completely different. He really did not know if they could truly feel emotion, or were programmed to mimic it. That answer might be different depending on the AI, he supposed. Maybe some of them could really be considered sapient? He just knew that he had met AI before that looked familiar on the outside, but there was no life behind their eyes. It was unnerving, and hopefully this group would be different.

For first impressions, this group was certainly “different”, in some sense. The translation software he used could handle most known languages, and these two were supposedly speaking one of those languages, but the translator still struggled. While he was trying to parse through what they were saying, Senjen nodded along and gave a slight chuckle when it seemed like one of them was trying to be funny. By the time he had to speak up himself, he was at least mostly sure he knew what they were saying.

“Eh, can I answer both? I am Utaysi, but no matter what I was, I don’t think I could pass up a fine tail like this.” Senjen said, whipping his tail against the floor just loud enough to give it a slight echo in the room.

Senjen gave a long, scrutinizing look at Major. Much like Light, he also was not completely certain on what exactly he was. “I can tell with the others, but just for future reference, are you someone who does or doesn’t have to worry about a virus?”

Bodach and Diarmuid made loud approving noises when Senjen’s tail moved. They talked over one another as they went to deposit their luggage in a tidy pile against the far wall.

“Don’t be phased by their banter. When it comes down to brass tacks, they are…easier to work with.” Major decided, watching them go. He then looked back at Senjen. He took a moment to process the question, then pointed to his fleshy face.

“This? It’s a mask. I’m synthetic now, but my employers prefer to look at a Human visage every day instead of the metal underneath. That doesn’t mean I don’t need to worry about this virus, but we can discuss that later. First, let me introduce you to Rex-” He pointed to a lithe black quadruped droid with a fearsome face that was saddled with four large bags. “-Reconnaissance and sharpshooter.”

“This one humbly thanks these two for facilitating this journey.” Rex fixed them both with two deep yellow eyes. It had a deep, guttural voice, like an animal.

“And Tantō-” A sanguine coloured Chekeri droid stepped forward, both hands folded behind her back. Her frame was scarred by deep scratches from top to bottom, including on her face. There were what looked like bloody hand prints on her. She didn’t have any luggage, except for a pistol on each hip and two sticks stuck to her chest. “-you do not want to bump into her in a dark alley.”

“Erm, do we want to ask why?” Light said. He could tell that both machines had some element of shape shifting capability, Their frames were segmented into dozens of interlocking plates, like scales.

Before Light’s brain could even process the movement, both sticks were in Tantō’s hands and flicked out into long batons. Red energy crackled and burned along them and the Chekeri twirled them deftly round before extinguishing them. They compacted back down and she stuck them to her chest again.

“Right.” Light said.

“Where would these two like this one to store our equipment?” Rex purred.