“Fresh meat for you, Vicki. Bit of a special cut,” says Kaltor to a naturally beautiful Asian woman behind a big desk that looks like it could belong in a corporate headquarters. She’s dressed in corporate chic and radiates positive energy and intelligence. A stylized ESF logo is burned in a glowing pattern behind her that looks more like the slick and space age things I’ve come to expect from the ESF. It’s a stark contrast to where we are and clearly this desk serves functions other than enrollment.
“Would have to be pretty special for you to bother, Strike Captain. When’s the last time you brought in a recruit?”
“Before you were born,” grunts Kaltor. She gives him a nearly perfect smile and I find myself standing a bit taller, whereas Kaltor seems completely immune.
“This is Calrik Corvin,” he tells her, then turns and leans against the desk, elbows up on it as he watches people go by. I glance over as he gives a couple of ESF troopers a nod and then I look back at Vicki.
“Ah - Corvin. Been expecting you as part of this mission.” She checks her tablet and nods to herself. “Special Consultant Calrik Corvin. I have your temporary ESF enrollment all settled, but we still need to take you through a short testing engagement to give you a provisional Rank.”
“Permanent,” I say politely and firmly while looking her in the eye. I’m not sure what the protocol is, but I don’t want her to have any doubt about my seriousness about this. “I want a proper enrollment and a permanent position.”
“Well…” she says with a tilt of her head, very professional and not at all flustered. “Of course, we’re always recruiting the right kind of talent, and you certainly have the family heritage.”
I can’t hide the expression from my face that she knows exactly who I am.
“The thing is, Calrik, there’s a bit of an intake process even for someone like you. We need tests, a spot in training camp, a likely assignment - and of course assurances that you can in fact hold your own on our missions.”
“I’ll vouch for him, Vicki,” says Kaltor. She seems surprised, but nods.
“Best I can do is complete this temporary enrollment now, Calrik, and by the time you’ve returned from this mission I should have everything ready for a permanent enrollment. No promises on the kind of assignment you’ll get, though.”
I was prepared for more of a fight on this or to have to prove myself first, but I guess Kaltor’s endorsement helps and I still have a lot of hoops to jump through, including surviving this first mission as a ‘Special Consultant’.
Vicki stands up on what I can only assume is a raised platform on the other side of the desk, because if she’s the same height as Kaltor and I she’d have the longest legs on Earth. I’m tempted to glance, but I focus on what she’s telling me.
“We’ve already taken all your biometrics and genetic data. We do require explicit consent even for temporary enrollments to the ESF, so can you please look into this tablet and affirm you wish to enroll in the ESF verbally while also focusing on the same desire mentally?”
“I do,” I say while concentrating. There are enough Powers that manipulate physical appearance or any other way we identify people that now the only way to be really sure is to triangulate a lot of signals - and even then, some Powers can trick our identification services.
“Thanks Calrik,” she says with a nice smile and a lot of eye contact. She’s bloody good at her job; it’s pure professional friendliness, then she turns to Kaltor. “I’m sorry Strike Captain, it’s going to be a few minutes before everything is ready. I assure you we are working with maximum urgency to ensure you’re not delayed here.”
Kaltor nods as if he’d expect nothing else. Maybe he doesn’t.
“You can sit over there if it’s convenient,” she says and points to some chairs.
“Is the mess hall open? It’s been ages since I ate.” I should be hungry too, but ever since I got my Regeneration Power my body seems to sustain itself without any problem, feeding off the ambient Mana. Still, it feels weird and a good meal would be welcome. Vicki looks a bit uncomfortable about the question and glances at me, then back to Kaltor.
“Of course, Strike Captain. Someone will let you know when everything’s ready.”
Kaltor nods and gives me a backhand slap to the shoulder.
“Come on, you can have a glimpse into your future.”
I follow him down some more of the corridors, and this time there are more people around. Anyone who sees us in the hallways gives way even if there’s plenty of room and I’m pretty sure it’s not because of me. Soon enough the hallways widen a bit and there’s more people, mostly ESF troopers but also some support staff. I’m tempted to start pulling Statuses all over the place to see what kinds of people are at this facility, but instead I follow Kaltor through the main doors. As I’ve expected by now, the crowd parts like the red sea for Moses. Even troopers who aren’t facing him seem to somehow sense that the apex predator has entered the room and they shift immediately before checking to see what’s made them move.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
The very solid stone tables are arranged in neat rows that are close enough to encourage some conversation and a collegial atmosphere while still giving enough room for even the largest frames to fit. Some of the ESF troopers are even still wearing heavy armor and power armor, most likely coming here straight from training. Some of the noise noticeably dies down as we enter, replaced in some cases by ‘holy shits’ and a change in conversation topics.
I’ve gotten so used to people giving Kaltor a wide berth that it startles me a bit when someone comes up right behind us.
“Buy you a drink, old friend?” asks a voice that somehow slams into my senses and puts my brain on high alert without being loud.
“Cheap bastard,” replies Kaltor without looking behind us as he surveys the scene. “Next time we’re in a bar I’ll squeeze a few Credits out of your stone wallet.”
I’m not sure what to do as Kaltor strides toward the food station, so I glance back before I follow him. Behind us is a man in his early forties, tall and wiry with a hawk-like nose and pale, almost ice blue eyes. The aura he gives off is hard to ignore and I wonder what his Charisma would be if I could see it.
Simon Reyes (Strike Leader)
Level: 366
Power: Kill Window (Tier 1 Legendary)
Conditions: Combat Awareness, Master Plan, Eye of Insight, more…
Something about him seems to try to dominate me in a rush and I wonder if it’s part of his Power or just the massive number of Levels and the strength of the Power he has. Instinctively I push back with a shove and mental walls I didn’t really know I have slam down. Inside me something shifts and a couple of notifications come up.
Threat assessment triggered
Threshold two surpassed for Perception, Mana, and Aura.
Rank estimate available now. Additional information available at higher thresholds.
Display Rank estimate?
(Y/N)
Even more glad I spread my Soul Spark attribution around, I hit ‘Y’ and call up Simon’s Status again.
Simon Reyes (Vanguard Commander)
Rank estimate: A+
Level: 366
Power: Kill Zone (Tier 1 Legendary)
Conditions: Combat Awareness, Master Plan, Eye of Insight, more…
The feeling of danger that’s still hitting me from Simon wars with the thrill and feeling of accomplishment I feel from having unlocked another very useful ability. If this estimate is even half decent it’s going to massively help me assess threats and… Simon Reyes is definitely in that category, orders of magnitude more dangerous than I am.
With as much calm as I can feign, I join Kaltor on his way to the food. It’s clear he’s not worried about Simon appearing here, but then again… Kaltor doesn’t really ever seem worried about anything. As we approach the food line, all the men and women take a respectful two steps back and clear the way for Kaltor to take his food. All except two who don’t move. I see immediately that one of them is Dalib and I call up his Status to see what my new information says.
Dalib Picard (Blademaster)
Rank estimate: A-
Level: 131
Power: Cellular Manipulation (Tier 1 Epic), Dimensional Rift (Tier 3 Minor)
Conditions: None
I’m surprised at what I see. Making Rank A- at only Level 131 with only a Tier 1 Epic as his highest Power means he must be a serious badass and I can’t wait to spar with him, if Kaltor was serious.
“Wait your turn, old timer,” says the one beside Dalib - a compact, olive skinned guy in his twenties who seems like maybe he was born with a chip on his shoulder.
“Wow, not even I’m that ballsy!” exclaims Dalib, who shrugs and then grabs his plate and heads to a table to sit down. Considering one of the first things Kaltor told me about Dalib is that he has superhuman cockiness, my fingers brush the activation for my portable shield generator, just in case.
Conrad Mercer (Shock Trooper)
Rank estimate: B+
Level: 101
Power: Steelskin (Tier 2 Epic)
Conditions: None
Anyone who’s Rank B+ can definitely handle themselves and it looks like he’s just upgraded his power to Tier 2 Epic when he hit Level 100. A number of people calmly move back another step and a few more decide they aren't that hungry and head for the exit.
Kaltor calmly grabs some food, loading up his plate with a selection of a few things, right next to the Shock Trooper.
“Grab some food, Calrik. It’s better than you’d expect,” he tells me in his deep voice that rumbles through the near silence in the room. “Let’s join Dalib.” Like Conrad Mercer isn’t even there Kaltor turns and walks away.
I throw some steak, fish, and stir fried vegetables on my plate at record pace and join him at a table where only Dalib is sitting. To my amazement, nothing else is said about the confrontation even though tension sits heavy in the air. Kaltor sits down across from Dalib and motions for me to sit beside him, so I do. Then, surprising me even further, he gives me a friendly pat on the back. Before I’ve even taken my first bite or figured out the subtext of any of this, the background noise in the mess hall has partly returned and Simon Reyes sits down in the seat across from me, empty handed and ice blue eyes fixed my way.
“Not hungry?” Kaltor asks as waves his fork at Simon and then digs into his food, noting Simon has bypassed the selection.
“Maybe later,” Simon muses. “For now, I wanted to have a chance to get to know our latest recruits.”
