Background Check

Sitting at her cousin’s desk, Adriwyn looked over the report she’d received from Derek, and pieced it together with her own notes from her excursions of the day.

Orphaned at six months. Parents died in a fire that consumed their house. He was found in his cradle outside. No clues were found as to who rescued him – and only him. The father, Seraph corporal Thomas J. Ulthuan, had made some enemies by gathering evidence against corrupt magistrates and arresting them. The mother, Mary, was a teacher with no known enemies of any sort.

The orphaned Zane was raised by the monks in Eldvin Monastery. He has performed his duties there in ways that give him high enough regard there. He showed talents for martial activities, and gained some skill in protecting people. His aptitude was such that the monks raised funds to get him specialised training. Over time, he has also volunteered as a composition and literature teacher at the Queen’s Heart Orphanage, and also as a helper in the Palace Gardens.

His specialised training at a school in Rata Sum seems to be over, and this seems to be why he’s suddenly looking to change his routine, becoming a guard for a noble House. His training is mostly in the nature of personal bodyguard, rather than the more usual House guard. In preparation for this, he has resigned from his volunteer positions at the orphanage and in the gardens, which rather leaves him at loose ends until he gets a position.

She looked it over again. She knew her cousin had seen the man at tea, and that he’d apparently talked with Alex after Val came home. And then there’s the matter that Val saw him around the Settlement, too, though he seemed to her to just be getting the lay of the land, so to speak. Preparing for his position here, in a way. She sighed with a shake of her head. Maybe I’m just the least picky noble he’s approached, and the only one even to say “maybe”? That really seems like it. Still, Alex and Mirex should get a chance to have their own interview with him. If that doesn’t settle their minds, well, we’ll see. But Derek is satisfied, at least.

She chuckles as she puts the papers in order again. And Val says he wasn’t even expecting to be paid… a monkish task, more or less. Well, we’ll see how long that lasts….

dalekteaservice:

radioactivepeasant:

On the topic of humans being everyone’s favorite Intergalactic versions  of Gonzo the Great:
Come on you guys, I’ve seen all the hilarious additions to my “humans are the friendly ones” post. We’re basically Steve Irwin meets Gonzo from the Muppets at this point. I love it. 

But what if certain species of aliens have Rules for dealing with humans?

  • Don’t eat their food. If human food passes your lips/beak/membrane/other way of ingesting nutrients, you will never be satisfied with your ration bars again.
  • Don’t tell them your name. Humans can find you again once they know your name and this can be either life-saving or the absolute worst thing that could happen to you, depending on whether or not they favor you. Better to be on the safe side.
  • Winning a human’s favor will ensure that a great deal of luck is on your side, but if you anger them, they are wholly capable of wiping out everything you ever cared about. Do not anger them.
  • If you must anger them, carry a cage of X’arvizian bloodflies with you, for they resemble Earth mo-skee-toes and the human will avoid them.
    • This does not always work. Have a last will and testament ready.
  • Do not let them take you anywhere on your planet that you cannot fly a ship from. Beings who are spirited away to the human kingdom of Aria Fiv-Ti Won rarely return, and those that do are never quite the same.

Basically, humans are like the Fair Folk to some aliens and half of them are scared to death and the others are like alien teenagers who are like “I dare you to ask a human to take you to Earth”.

We knew about the planet called Earth for centuries before we made contact with its indigenous species, of course. We spent decades studying them from afar.

The first researchers had to fight for years to even get a grant, of course. They kept getting laughed out of the halls. A T-Class Death World that had not only produced sapient life, but a Stage Two civilization? It was a joke, obviously. It had to be a joke.

And then it wasn’t. And we all stopped laughing. Instead, we got very, very nervous. 

Keep reading

Mission Accomplished – For Once

Staggering home with Alex, not even able to use her personal pseudo-waypoint after having drained herself so much in healing Aleyanna, Adriwyn had some time to reflect. All right… Alex isn’t used to scout-type

manoeuvres. At least you didn’t fuck that one up so badly that she got hurt, but… no! Enough of that while this drained! You know you’re already depressed, and that won’t help.

That line of thought just led her to seeing other bits of recent pain she’d caused. Reika’s disappointment and confusion when they didn’t seem to want her help on the mission, in particular. That dear, sweet lass… I need to stop visiting her at all. I’m no good for any of Myra’s sisters now, but her especially. Tears started to fall, but fortunately they were hidden inside her helm. Oh, gods, Myra, please don’t be dead!

As they walked across the Settlement to the estate, other memories kept flashing through her head. The slice and gurgling from Melinda’s blade on Aleyanna’s neck. Kissing Myra in the park before they’d agreed that, back then, they wouldn’t work. Kissing Myra good-bye just a few days ago, with no idea of how serious a good-bye that was. Flixxa attaching a cloth to Aleyanna’s neck to help stem the bleeding while she was channelling her limited healing abilities. Alex telling her that she was afraid of losing her. The one Blade whose name she never properly even learned lying dead on the floor because they’d been too slow in dealing with Melinda and being able to call in healers. The confusion of Tala’s yelling at her, then comforting her and telling her she deserved better. The anguished feeling of failure with the returned communication ring, without even a “get stuffed” note.

When they reached the estate, the doors were opened for them. Derek had been waiting for their return, even though he was supposed to be off duty. Suppose I can’t blame him… I am the source of his paycheck. That thought twinged at her conscience even as he eyed how she was walking and scooped her up, not listening to any arguments from either woman. That’s hardly fair to the poor man – he does care. Six only know why, but he does. She overheard his call on their MMT command channel, getting Valeria out of bed. For that, she managed to stir herself to protest on the same channel. <No! Alex can help me out of my armour, and neither of us is injured. I had to do too much healing, but we’re fine. Really.>

As that all wound down and they were starting to settle in, she got another report, this time from Alyssia. <You still awake, dearie?>

<Aye.> She didn’t bother to hide how tired she was. The older woman was well aware of it already.

<Orchid is on her way to us with Denton’s hand. I won’t know until she’s here with it whether it’s truly salvageable, but she found it. We’re getting her settled here in Vanguard for now. Get your rest, you over-achieving dear, and we’ll talk more on the morrow.>

She wanted to argue – to be informed, to help, to take action. But she also knew better, and exhaustion quickly claimed her.