EliteCommander

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

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?”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

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?”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

There was some noticeable hesitance from Senjen. The job was dangerous, sure, but the reward also gave him pause. How could he justify stealing from a bank vault? Sure, he had helped to smuggle things into Korit before, but he was no thief. Technically, he supposed, those devices they had helped Jess find did belong to another corporation, but they were rarely paragons of virtue, so it did not feel so bad. So...maybe it would not be so wrong to raid the vault if it belonged to some group that deserved it? Or perhaps if it was simply abandoned and there was no one left who would miss it? Thinking about it, there were few other reasons he could imagine for why something that valuable would be unguarded.

Regardless, just because he could imagine justified scenario, that did not mean he was going to just jump eagerly into it. With a glance to Light beside him, he sent him a message. ”It sounds like a fair deal and everything. Risky, but well-paid, and it’s for a good cause. Stopping a virus could never be a bad thing. What do you think about that reward, though? It could be okay, depending on who it belongs to. If you are fine with it, then I agree too.”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Oh sure, he’s allowed to say it. Senjen thought to himself.

“You are probably right about that.” Senjen nodded in agreement. “I just want to make sure to consider every approach before committing, with how dangerous this sort of job is. I may need some time to make some preparations. Like Light mentioned, the makers of this frame could have put some surprises in it, and I would like to have it examined.”

There was another thought that came to Senjen’s mind as they were talking about the virus itself. That was not the sort of risk he had ever had to worry about, but with friends and allies around, it was now more than himself who he needed to worry about. “If it isn’t any trouble, I would also like to ask if we could borrow some equipment for this job. Specifically, I think it would be a good idea to have some decontamination equipment in our ship. We need to be able to sterilize ourselves completely to make sure we don’t risk bringing the virus off-planet.”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen paused a moment with a glance aside to Light. “Well, that would be a violation of their contract if they did. I went over it with Jess. Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re not willing to violate their contract. I could have Jess give my frame an in-depth examination, just to make sure. Maybe come up with a countermeasure if they have anything.”

Regardless, Senjen did still agree with Light. He was not particularly enthused about the prospect of stealing from Myrmidon, though the job as a whole was not something he was opposed to taking. Curing a virus would do quite a bit of good for a lot of people. More than most people accomplish in their lives, really. It was not like Senjen would feel bad about stealing from a corporation like Myrmidon, but that was a huge step up in risk compared to what they had been doing.

“I think I do want to help you, Quadrarch of Vitality. This is a good cause, and I’d love to be a part of it. But, my friend is right about the risks. Are you still amenable to looking for alternatives, if there are any to find? Something that doesn’t require stealing from...a powerful corporation? If they still do mining on the planet, maybe I could get legitimate authorization down to the surface? They have a job board I have access to; if there’s any jobs associated with that mining operation, then that could be an in.” Senjen speculated. Even if it worked, it wouldn’t be without challenges. They would have to smuggle the others on the ship somehow, sneak away on the surface, and Senjen would actually have to do the job he signed up for to avoid suspicion, but it could be less risky than a theft.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

There was a lot about this that felt conflicting to Senjen. This...large Checkeri was apparently a leader of FGC. With all the cloak and dagger, Senjen felt like he was about to learn some dark, seedy secrets about the organization’s true intentions, or something of that nature. Yet, this job that the Quadrarch was describing sounded actually perfectly in-line with the FGC’s usual goals. Frankly, the amount of secrecy seemed like it was a bit much. Although, thinking about it, they were talking about something that would almost certainly require running a blockade, at the very least. That probably was not going to be legal, but like everyone else on Korit, the FGC probably had to get used to bending the rules if they wanted to get anything done.

“Well, I suppose having a machine and a QV in a sealed suit makes a lot of sense to help investigate a virus.” Senjen remarked, looking more at Ruknar since she was the one talking. She was the last one Senjen would have expected to be involved in any sort of clandestine affairs, but if it was for the greater good, he supposed it was not too far from how he saw her. Actually, if she was willing to take these kinds of risks to do the right thing, then he supposed that was even more admirable.

“It doesn’t sound like any kind of work I would be opposed to. You want us to help stop it; what exactly would you need us to do? What is your plan?” Senjen asked.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen had a feeling that would do it, and maybe they would appreciate his discretion. In any case, it felt like they were being led on quite a journey through the halls just to get to where they were going. Frankly, it felt like a bit much, but that could probably describe most of what they had been through so far. An encrypted message, a clandestine meeting location, a password...why not have a winding walk into the backrooms too?

Stepping into that last room was disorienting with how it affected Senjen’s sensors. Looking around...he wondered if they weren’t in need of a good reset, given what he saw. Out of everything he had expected he might see, which was not a short list, Ruknar was not one of them. He did not know what to say to her. Should he say anything to her? He never would have thought she would be involved in business like this. Granted, he did not actually know what this business was just yet.

The large Chekeri was obviously the centerpiece of this meeting. They seemed to be someone who felt they should be recognized, but Senjen was drawing a blank from any angle he thought about it. The only thing that stood out was a symbol, four claws grasping a heart, that he could just barely see through the Chekeri’s cloak, but that was not enough for him to know. “I can’t say I recognize you. All I can say is that I keep my word.”

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen kept himself relaxed. Light was getting worried, clearly. Perhaps it was not a surprise for a QV, but he had a hard time keeping much of anything hidden. If the Chekeri were trying to intimidate them, though, Senjen did not seem particularly intimidated. He stood his ground, and did not back off a step. “There’s no reason to get off on the wrong foot here. I do like your look, you know. A nice, bold color to contrast over obsidian feathers.” He said, studying the expression of the one who had approached him.

“I know you can’t take my measure like you do to other organics, but you’ve just got to have some faith, like the rest of the species do. I can’t honestly say I know who sent the message, but I know we’re meant to be here tonight.” Senjen said.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

Senjen was on-guard when a Chekeri started to approach, though he kept his posture neutral and tried not to show it. A Utaysi was always going to stand out in a place like a restaurant, but he could at least try to blend in. At the very least, he could give reasonable excuses.

The fact that someone was bothering to approach the two of them to begin with was suspicious. He supposed it was possible they were just territorial locals looking to get rid of outsiders, but they could also be involved with what was going on. Maybe Senjen needed to signal her somehow? Something subtle, with plausible deniability if she ended up not being a part of it.

“Eh, I’m not used to restaurants, myself, but I’d say we are here for good cause. Let’s just say we were invited.” Senjen replied.

Price of Life (EliteCommander and Cath)

“Well sure, but it doesn’t have to be brutal anymore, does it? Or...is the meat cloned or something? Still, even if it was, it just feels like a weird way to present it to me.” Senjen shrugged.

Regardless of Senjen’s opinions on the matter, the pair did have something more important to worry about. They were here, but now they needed to figure out why they were here and what it was they even needed to be doing. For now, he decided to stick close to Light. If someone wanted to set a trap for them, they would not have encrypted the message, but still, it was safer for them to stay together.

As they headed closer to the back, Senjen noticed something about the restaurant around them. It was getting more difficult to discern what others were saying if he tried to listen in on the conversations around him. The general noise level was staying the same, but there had to be some sort of interference, and Senjen doubted it was accidental.

“You hearing what I’m hearing?” Senjen leaned in close to Light. “I feel like this place is meant for private conversations. Maybe there’s someone wanting to meet us here?”

Senjen kept a particular lookout in the back of the restaurant for anyone that looked like they were paying close attention to them, or trying to get their attention. As Light pointed out, some of the people around were wearing the same shade of clothing, beyond what was likely coincidence. They could have been associated with one another.