The Next Morning
“Gah, what’re you making us wake up so early for…”
“You aren’t the only one who wanted to sleep in, but one of us has to be professional.”
Kevérin scowled; Siyuakén smirked in response. She then stepped up to her office door and opened it, allowing Kaoné and Kevérin to enter before she closed the door and moved to sit behind her desk.
“First of all,” she started, “thanks for helping yesterday.”
“The recon team didn’t seem to think so,” Kevérin huffed, “as soon as they arrived, they basically told us to shove it and run back to town.”
“This is a serious matter,” Siyuakén stated. “They may have seemed rude, but they were really just looking out for your own well-being. Historically, groups smaller than three or four don’t last long on the forest floor… especially not when that group includes foreigners.”
“We were doing just fine,” Kevérin protested.
“That’s what you think,” Siyuakén countered, “the recon team found at least thirty other infected animals within a kilometer of Lédia, and twenty more within five. I doubt you could have handled yourselves against that many.”
“They’re just animals,” Kevérin retorted.
Siyuakén glanced over at Kaoné, who had been silent ever since entering the room. “What do you think?”
“…I think it’s probably best that we stayed out of their way,” the Materiatechnic replied slowly.
“Mm hmm…”
“What… what did they do with the animals that I trapped?”
Siyuakén sighed. “I actually don’t know. They haven’t informed me. I suspect it may have something to do with me bringing you down to the forest floor without explicit permission…”
“Uh… sorry?” Kevérin apologized confusedly.
“No, it’s not your fault. This leads to what I actually wanted to speak with the two of you about, though. This, uh… Hell’s Math group of yours…”
“The actual name is Hero Machina,” Kaoné corrected before giving Kevérin an annoyed glance. He pretended not to notice.
Siyuakén smirked. “Right. Well, if I understand you correctly, you’re the first Chaotic squad in the soon-to-be-formed ‘Nimalian Systems Defense,’ which will take over Nimalia’s space fleets and Interstellar Gate network from Tekdecé, Nimaliaka, and the RPF?”
“Yes.”
“And for now, you’ll be investigating the Chaos Energy Quake.”
“That’s the idea.”
“Alright… Count me in.”
“Yes!” Kevérin exclaimed, and then paused. “Wait, just like that?”
“I wouldn’t say this is ‘just like that,’” Siyuakén refuted, “I mean, as coincidental as it was, it’s thanks to the two of you that we discovered how alarmingly wide-spread the infection has become — and with that in mind, I think it’s even better that I join you and try to figure out if the infection really is related to the Quake, and if so, how. Besides… I get the feeling I was about to get sent off to the Drakkar front. Best to jump ship while I still can…”
“I thought you said you were part of a research group or something?” Kaoné asked.
“Yeah, but we’re still a part of the Relédiakian military,” Siyuakén corrected with a hint of irritation. “I know I said earlier that both Rebehka and I can easily subdue the infected animals, but really, Rebehka’s the only one who can reliably capture them. It’s a lot easier to just freeze something through than it is to differentiate between stunning and killing voltages, which aren’t the same for every animal.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Kevérin replied. “Do you know when Rebehka will be back?”
“I think within the next week or two. We never know for sure with those expeditions, and there’s no easy way to contact her.”
“Speaking of contact — why couldn’t we contact you from Nimaliaka? The roster even shows your contact info!” Kevérin exclaimed, “why didn’t you answer?”
“When did you call?”
“Two days ago.”
“And when did you come straight here to talk to me?”
“…Yesterday.”
“So you didn’t really wait for me to respond, now did you?”
“Well… no,” Kevérin admitted, “…but Christeané responded immediately!”
“Christeané? Christeané Kolstén, from East Nimaliaka?” Siyuakén snorted. “Of course he responded immediately. He always responds immediately. That way he can tell people to go away as soon as possible.”
“But he said he’d join us in Nimaliaka…” Kevérin frowned.
“And he probably will, but did he say when?”
“When he finished with ‘urgent business’…”
“Which is just one of his excuses.” Siyuakén leaned back in her chair, a mixture of annoyance and amusement showing in her expression. “I’ve worked with him before, and this sounds exactly like him. I wouldn’t expect to see him for a while yet.”
“It would figure.” Kevérin scowled. “How about we pay him a visit next, then?”
“I don’t know,” Kaoné spoke up, “we can at least contact him, so we don’t have to visit him just yet. We should look into visiting someone who we can’t contact.”
“Who would that be?”
“Um… Davídrius Wrikax, from Treséd, and… Kievkenalis Yumach, from Riverana.”
“Wow, a Tresédian made the list?” Siyuakén replied, surprised.
Kevérin snorted. “That’s what I said.”
“He must be pretty good, if he’s on the international radar,” Siyuakén mused. “…Let’s just hope he’s not one of the thugs the continent is known for.”
“Apparently he’s a Velocitechnic,” Kaoné commented.
“…Oh. A speedster. I was expecting him to be a Chaostechnic or something…”
“Kievkenalis is, though,” Kevérin pointed out.
“Really?”
“That’s what the roster says,” Kaoné affirmed.
“So we should definitely go get him first, right?” Kevérin questioned.
“Maybe, but then again, maybe not,” Siyuakén countered. “Riverana has nice weather year round, but Treséd is harsh almost all the time. It’s usually most comfortable around the equinoxes — which is about now.”
“…So you’re saying we should go get Davídrius first?” Kevérin frowned.
“Unless you want to suffer through the worst of Treséd’s climate, yes, we should.”
Kaoné and Kevérin glanced at each other. Eventually Kevérin looked away with a sigh. “Alright. Treséd’s next, then.”
“Cool,” Siyuakén replied, “if you give me a day or two to wrap up a couple things here, then I can go with you. In the meantime you can take a look around Lédia, since it seems like neither of you have ever been here before.”
“Alright, sounds like a plan!” Kevérin stood up and turned toward the door. “We’ll meet you in a couple days. C’mon, Kaoné! It’s time to introduce Relédiaka to the Hazard Makers!”
Kaoné watched in wordless silence as Kevérin barged out of the office and down the hall. She then turned back to Siyuakén in exasperation. “Can I—?”
“Heh, of course you can help.” The Electrotechnic smirked, and then gestured for Kaoné to come around the desk. “Let’s see, what should we start with…”
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