“My brother in faith took offense at your lack of response to his questions and struck you, your crewwoman responded inappropriately by cutting off his arm even after he showed no signs of continuing his assault.” The woman who I had decided was most definitely a priestess spoke, while holding her hand out toward Carolina, her fingers spread. It honestly looked lime someone out of a superhero movie holding someone back with their mind.

  “He showed no signs of beginning his assault either, just hauled off and hit you Brayden!” Carolina responded. Her eyes were darting around the other woman, looking for an opening.

  I stared at the woman standing there protecting her 'brother in faith', she had to be some kind of priestess, and then turned to Carolina.

  “You know what, she's right, you did conduct yourself inappropriately Carolina.” I said.

  I saw her slump a little, before I added.

  “Next time, aim for the head. I am done giving the people on this planet the benefit of the doubt.” I continued. I hurt all over, I had come down to help these people, and the first ones I met were both rude and actively hostile. Not a good first impression. Should I be judging an entire planet based on two assholes? Probably not, but I didn't have it in me right now to care.

  Carolina got a little smile, the priestess paled, but found some strength and stood resolute between her 'brother in faith' and Carolina. The priestesses eyes flickered to mine for a moment, and for that moment, just the one mind you, I felt a pang of sympathy for them and felt myself wanting to apologize.

  Then her gaze flickered back to Carolina and I was back to being mad. Apparently I'm a sucker for a pretty face. Who knew.

  Derrick stepped forward with his hands out. “I know tensions are high, I get it, but can you please tell us about this VIP?” He said, doing an excellent job of breaking the tension and diffusing the situation. Good job Derrick.

  “Ugh” I said, rubbing my fave and tenderly touching the area arround me eye. I was definitely going to have a shiner. “Yeah, there was a woman, black hair, very official looking, and... I guess seven bodyguards. The robots swarmed their ship after they landed, but I managed to get them inside. I think I got them to head this way, so we need to clear the barricade again and get them inside before any stray robots find them.” I told him

  Derrick released a breath of relief.

  “Oh good, she arrived.” Derrick said.

  “Do you know who she is?”I asked.

  “Cassandra Ivanova, the vice-president. I told you I was going to try to get in touch with someone from the government before you... did whatever and went comatose. Anyways, the president's plane was airborne and evading airships on suicide runs and I managed to get in touch with their co-pilot. I told them an offworld captain was here and might be able to help stabilize things, and she came on the line and said they were heading here.” Derrick filled me in.

  “Vice president huh? The president themselves is safe somewhere in a bunker I hope?” I asked, knowing the real answer deep down but kindof hoping this planet's leadership wasn't already fucked.

  Derrick shook his head, and what little hope I had in me that this wasn't going to be a giant political clusterfuck died. Politician's sucked. Politician's who were new to their jobs and in a crisis situation sucked even more. I wistfully remembered being stuck in a jail cell with my research team in africa because one of our research mission's key investors had been a politician who was involved in a coup in a neighboring country. Took my embassy a lot of wrangling and most likely some back door threats to get us out.

  This could only be worse.

  “President Fehrenbach died when his own aircar nosedived into the ground, unfortunately.” Derrick looked down, and I could tell he was beginning to get overwhelmed, or maybe he had been overwhelmed and had been hiding it well this whole time. Or just dissociating and now that a figure of higher authority had showed up it was wearing off. I really didn't want that to happen he was literally the only voice of reason here. Only other voice of reason. I still counted myself as one. Threats to dude-bro and their creepy priestesses notwithstanding.

  Fuck why did I threaten to kill that guy? Like it made sense at the time, was I really that amped up on adrenaline? Or was I that tired. Fuck I was tired.

  The instant I had that thought it felt like all the energy left my body.

  I sighed. “I'm sorry to hear that.” I said in a deflated voice.

  I looked over at the woman protecting the dude-bro. “Priestess. I give you my word neither I or my companion will attack your... brother in faith, will you please go assist Derrick and Carolina in getting your head of state in here before the robot swarm finds a way inside and forces your chain of command down another link.” I tried diplomacy. Not my best skill historically but let's throw those dice.

  She looked at me, not quite a glare, she was far too well composed for that, but she was obviously gauging me. I felt my stomach do a little flip. Was she really that pretty?

  “You will make no aggressive moves towards him?” She asked.

  “I do not promise to sheathe my tongue if he flaps his, but as you can see I am in no position to attack anyone.” I couldn't help but match her... archaic mode of speech. Or super formal. It kindof felt like roleplaying.

  She gave me a look up and down.

  “Why?” She asked.

  “Why what?”I responded.

  “Why aren't you in a position to attack anyone. Your words and the way you move do not line up. You did not suffer severe physical injuries during the robot attack, and yet you limp and move like an old man. At first I thought you had suffered a concussion but you are too verbose and articulate for that to be the case. Something is not adding up, my brother felt it, I feel it. You are hiding something, Captain Brayden.” She asked.

  I sighed. Carolina tensed.

  “I was not hiding anything, not really, I simply did not wish to tell you. Or anyone for that matter. It does not concern you.” I replied, carefully. I could feel it deep down. This woman was a predator, looking for a weakness... but if she was a predator, getting her on our side would help us.

  “I rather think it does. Did the Berzerker's get into your head? Is that why you are so... odd. If a machine intelligence was wearing a human body that would account for a lot.” The priestess accused me.

  I paused. That... actually made a weird amount of sense. They knew I was augmented, there are already rumors of C.O.G. Using berzerker tech... if they thought I was infected by a virus that was puppeting me.

  “Carolina, they obviously don't trust me, but you are un-augmented, you tell them.” I said, looking over at her.

  She looked at me.

  “How much.” Carolina asked.

  “However much you think they need to know. It's obvious they won't trust any words coming out of my mouth. Not sure how much they will trust yours but...”I said, hoping them seeing this interplay might bring down the priestesses paranoia.

  Carolina looked at the priestess.

  “If I tell you will you believe me?” Carolina asked.

  “You do not seem at all augmented, at least not to the point of your Captain, I have seen his spinal plug which means he has significant neural augmentation at least... Yes, I will believe you, within reason.” She said. I was rather impressed, she was still standing, alert, her arms spread wide, warding off anyone from getting to the dude-bro.

  “Brayden's sick.” Carolina said, and paused.

  Those two words had an effect almost immediately, both softening the priestesses gaze and making her look curious.

  “Elaborate.” She asked.

  Carolina sighed. “Ever since he picked me up in my ship he's been going downhill. Every time he disconnects from the ship it get's worse, at first he was just dizzy, but...”

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “You exaggerate, it's not that much worse.” I interjected

  “Brayden, you had to lean on me all the way to the airlock, the ONLY thing that has been keeping you upright is your suit! And now you can't even stand! Dropping into full synch is WRECKING YOU!” Carolina pointed out something I had been deliberately ignoring for some time. She also appeared properly mad at me for doing it.

  She turned to the priestess. “We came here in the first place to get Brayden medical attention, we only engaged the Berzerker's to... well to help.

  “Also cause going around the battlespace would've taken too long.” I couldn't help but interject.

  “Brayden, not helping.” Carolina shot back. I couldn't help but smile at her, I swear I wasn't always such a butt however this whole situation seemed to be bringing out the worst in me.

  The priestess' eyes flicked back and forth between us. Her gaze had completely transformed, from one of a furious mother protecting a child to... something softer. It also contained something I had long learned to hate. Pity.

  I sent a glare back at her.

  “Are you going to help or what?” I snapped. Yeah my temper was officially gone. Snapped. Long since past frayed.

  She looked back and forth between me and Carolina, then finally relaxed. “Fine.”

  “Good, go clear the barricade. I'll wait here and...” I began.

  “No, no, NO! We have no way to contact you when you go full synch, and you need to talk to this vice president person cause I am NOT dealing with that.”Carolina shouted, putting her foot down. Literally. It was a little stomp. Absolutely adorable.

  I gave Carolina a half hearted glare before slumping fully back in the seat.

  “Fine.” I said, in echo of the priestesses words.

  They started to file out, but then the priestess stepped towards me and Carolina instantly tensed.

  She extended a hand towards me to shake, and said “I believe introductions have been delayed long enough, I am Deaconess Emilia Etelweiss of the Church Of The Revival Of Holy Terra, formerly of New Caladan.”

  I raised my hand shakily to grasp hers”Captain Brayden Cofey. Of Earth. Or Holy Terra, whatever you call it.”

  Both Emilia and her 'Brother's' eyes bugged out.

  “You... you're from...” They began

  “I am pretty sure I mentioned this before, called it old earth and everything, but yes yes I'm super old now would you please go let your vice president in so we can fix this mess.” I said, they hadn't responded like that when I said before.

  “Old earth is the name of at least three different moons I've heard of in C.O.G. Space Brayden, your people think they are being funny when they name them that. Or Old Dirt, and then they deliberately get the translation wrong to fuck with people even more.” Carolina replied.

  I blinked.

  That made way too much sense. Especially with the sense of humor I had observed in Joe and Bait.

  Hell even I made it funny.

  I snorted. Just a little. “Okay that is kindof funny. But no I am from the original earth, where we evolved and stuff. Originally at least. The cortical plug is new.” I said.

  The priestess... Deaconess? Emilia looked wide eyed at me but moved down the stairs with the others.

  And then me and the crippled douche-bro were stuck alone in a room together.

  He was staring at me wide eyed, very similar to the Deaconess. In fact now I looked, it seemed like his eyes were the exact same shade of blue as hers were.

  I calmly looked back.

  “Are you.... are you really from Holy Terra?” He asked.

  “Yes.” I said.

  He shifted and groaned as the movement shook his injured arm.

  “What was it like?”

  “Hot. Hard to breathe. Everyone going to war with everyone else. Political division, religious division... The internet was pretty good back then though. I miss being connected to everything everywhere instantly but... everything and everywhere have both gotten a lot bigger since.”

  He frowned.

  “I've seen pictures of it. Green mountains, fields of wheat... it looked idyllic.” He said wistfully. I thought it was weird he was being so wistful when his arm was almost off... Though... it sure didn't seem to be bleeding much anymore.

  “I'm sure there were spots like that somewhere, but with climate change shredding the environment and pollution killing animals and soil... the green places kept shrinking. And that's not even going into corporations that killed the environment just cause they could.”I said bitterly. Bad memories of trying and failing to do something about all of it.

  He blinked.

  “Corporations were that bad? I know people make fun of them but I always thought those were just stories to scare us away from joining the traders despite all they promise.” He said.

  “Lies. Never trust someone who is trying to sell you something. Corporations are bad news, they, in essence, remove any ability to prosecute, and persecute, people who do awful things in the name of profit. We had corporate CEO's butchering people by the thousands, millions even in some cases, by dumping things like toxic waste into drinking water, or denying doctors the ability to save people even though that was literally what their entire corporation was built to enable, or just slashing safety standards to save a few bucks and running people through the woodchipper, just hiring new people whenever the old employees get too broken , or too dead, to work. And that's not even starting on monopolies.”I began my tirade.

  The dude-bro was obviously a little lost with my tirade.

  “So.. they just poisoned people, and... kept doctors from saving people, or... fed people into a woodchipper? How does that help them? Like.... why would they even do that.” He asked. He obviously didn't really believe me, and I admit I had once more become heated and wasn't explaining it very well.

  “To save money on the first. Proper disposal of hazardous chemicals costs money. Dumping into the river is free.” I explained more calmly

  “Until someone catches you.” He added, obviously still not believing me.

  “Even then they rarely got fined little more than pennies. Not anywhere near what they were saving from dumping it in the first place. There was a quote, 'the cost of the fine is always less than the cost of compliance.' Basically meant it was always cheaper to break the law and take a fine than actually comply with regulations.” I replied.

  “Okay, but the doctors thing... How does that even work.” He replied.

  “How do doctors work here?” I asked. I actually had no idea, C.O.G. Seemed to have some kindof techno anarchist thing going on, but they sounded post scarcity, and this place didn't look like that.

  “Uh... you get sick, go to the doctor, they poke you prod you, ask some nonsensical questions, and then either make you better or send you to another better doctor?” He replied, apparently not understanding my question.

  “Okay yeah but who pays for it.” I pressed.

  “Um... Our taxes. It's a public utility, like firefighters, or road maintenance, there's... a fund I think? That pays all the doctors for their work.” Dude-bro informed me.

  “That's a single payer system, and good for you guys, seems to work the best. Country I came from, either you had to pay for your healthcare, which could be ruinous, or you paid an insurance company who had pre-negotiated lower prices with a range of 'healthcare providers' and, if you went to the right one, and got the right procedure, and they couldn't figure out a way to get out of paying, they would pay for it. Most of it. They always made you pay some.” I stated. I had a very personal axe to grind with my home countries medical system.

  “That sounds ridiculous. So they wouldn't pay the doctors despite that being specifically what you hired them to do.” He said, incredulous but apparently not disbelieving.

  “Yep. And what's worse is that they would, even before they got to the denial stage, pressure doctors to perform different, often ineffective procedures on patients because it's cheaper, or honestly really because of bureaucracy and to make themselves feel like they were in control. Oh hey, new people.”

  I said that, cutting off my chatter as the VIP and her bodyguards arrived up the stairwell.