Chapter 89: Chosen for the Mission

Oaty smoothly landed the shuttle back in the hangar on the Argo. Lusac knew he wasn't intentionally trying to show off, but it was incredible just how good Oaty was at flying. The guy didn't even use the navigation computer, free-flying the entire way back to the ship. And then he landed it much gentler than even the autolander could, proving that a skilled pilot could show up technology every time.

The pilot opened the rear door and turned the engines off before standing up and stretching his arms up high.

"That was fun. Let's do it again sometime, Lus," he said as Lusac undid his seatbelt.

"As long as there are no asteroid fields involved," Lus replied with a grin. He stood up and followed Oaty from the vehicle where Dasy-Jonil waited, holding a holotablet and a wrench.

"Oh good. You two are back. I'll inform the Captain. He wants you two at some meeting pronto," the Nemarian said. She was on her comm unit relaying the information immediately after.

"Wow. I guess the doctor worked fast." Oaty gave Lus a glance that showed the same apprehension he felt inside.

So many things could go wrong on the upcoming mission depending on who had immunity and who didn't. As strange as it was, Lusac was really hoping that if anyone on the crew had the gene, it was him–assuming Relf didn't have it, that was. He could be heroic, but even he had his limits when it came to his nemesis.

Oaty was all smiles and jokes as they made their way up to the briefing room, but Lusac's stomach was too tight for him to really appreciate the attempt at a distraction. His mind was once again racing with all the possible outcomes, judging just how bad each one could be. The anxiety of not knowing who would be sent down ate away at his nerves.

When they arrived at the briefing room, only Captain Tave, Doctor Tremt-Fusi, and Cewi-Bano were there. The other Human crewmembers had yet to arrive, but Tave directed them both to take a seat at the table anyway while they waited.

"I understand you were giving our illustrious dinner cook some piloting lessons, Oaty Marix," Captain Tave said, eyeing Oaty with a cold stare.

"Yes, sir. Since Lus already has some flying experience, I thought it might be beneficial to get his skills up just in case of an emergency with the mission squad, especially given this upcoming one." Oaty was completely unperturbed by the Captain's coldness, a skill Lusac envied. He always folded under Tave's blue eyes.

"It seems Arten is destined to become a true jack of all trades." Tave turned his unyielding look to Lusac.

"Yes, sir. I mean, it's been very helpful to learn a lot of different skills while a part of the Argo," Lusac stammered. He wasn't used to having casual conversations with the Captain. It was either about an upcoming mission, a mission he completed, or the rare instance of getting in trouble.

Oaty remained totally casual, but given that he was the chief pilot, he often met with the Captain and two commanders so this was probably normal for him.

"I didn't take you for the pilot type, Lusac. I thought you wanted to be a warrior like Nippy," Cewi-Bano said with a raised eyebrow. "Nippy mentioned that he was working with you on system training so you could fully utilize it for your goals."

Lus shrugged. "I'm still testing the waters, figuring out what exactly I want. I think I can safely say that I don't want to spend the waste of my life as a maintenance grunt in Fsylan tubes."

He caught sight of Tave's stare, and quickly added on, "Not that I dislike my position. It's great. I just mean that I hope I can someday move up."

Oaty laughed and patted his shoulder. "I'll make sure Yrqw knows your thoughts on working under him."

Before Lus could counter him and praise his superior, the door opened and Becky walked in. Black smudges marked her brown skin, and her hair was noticeably frizzier than when he last saw her.

"Sorry I'm late sir. There was a little… incident with some power converters on deck five that needed immediate attention," she explained as she slid into the seat across from Lusac.

He looked at her with a tight smile and mouthed, "sorry." Yrqw had mentioned that those converters were in rough shape, and things might have gone smoother with both of them attending it.

Becky smiled and rolled her eyes just as Relf entered.

The fat cargo worker looked even more sour than usual, his mouth stuck in a permanent frown that added extra wrinkles on his forehead, the entire thing taking on an almost cartoonish appearance. Relf sat down next to Becky, and for once he didn't even try to give her a flirty look. (One of those extra annoying things he did was always hit on Becky, even when she made it clear she was not interested.)

"Good, we're all here," Captain Tave said. He nodded to Fusi. "Doctor. The results?"

"We have a single positive," she announced, the anticipation in the air almost tangible as everyone shifted in their seats.

A single positive meant only one person would be going down. Lus hoped it was him or Oaty. Relf would only screw things up, and he still couldn't imagine Tave accepting the low work of a mission. Honestly, as long as it wasn't Becky, he would be okay. He couldn't bear the thought of his closest friend getting sent down to do something so dangerous, especially given her g-sickness.

"Lusac," Fusi said.

Everyone in the room gave a collective sigh of relief, even Cewi and the Captain, Lus noticed.

Some small part of him expected it, though he couldn't say why. It just made sense that out of everyone, it would be him. He had the most experience for this kind of thing, and thanks to his system, he had an extra advantage over the others.

"Alright. Everyone else is dismissed. We'll speak with Arten about the mission alone," Captain Tave ordered.

"With your permission, sir, I'd like to stay," Oaty said quickly.

"No. You're needed at the helm, Marix." Tave gave a glare that made it clear no one else should even try to duplicate the request.

Relf wasted no time getting out of the room, the man's face gaining new life at the revelation he wouldn't have to go to the quarantine planet. Becky gave Lus a sad look as she shuffled out, and Oaty shrugged in half apology and half good luck.

Once the other three were gone, Tave spoke again.

"I'm glad it's you, Arten. I think you're the most qualified for this mission, though I do wish we could send someone with you."

"I'll be alright on my own, Captain. I survived the mine back on Aschir Alpha by myself for the most part," Lusac reminded him, though really he was just trying to comfort himself. As much as he'd wanted it to be him, he was still a little overwhelmed by the responsibility of having to complete such an enormous task completely alone.

"It never hurts to have backup," Cewi-Bano interjected.

"Unfortunately, that's something this situation precludes you from. I trust you, Arten, but if it wasn't made clear before, then let me clarify it now. This mission is the single most important task you have ever been given. If you screw up, there is no one to cover for you. You have to handle everything from start to finish by yourself. I can't risk even sending Oaty as a pilot down to that planet due to the risk of being exposed to nefitis. I trust that you can handle flying a shuttle alone now?" Captain Tave was serious and firm.

"Yes, sir. I believe I can," Lus answered.

"I need better than 'believe.' I need to know for sure."

"Yes, Captain. I can."

"Good. Cewi, walk him through everything we have in regards to the artifact, and then Doctor Fusi, I'd like you to brief him on the disease. The more he knows, the safer he'll be."

Lusac swallowed and remained stiff in his chair as Cewi stood up and turned on the holoprojector at the center of the table. A projection of a grand stone structure appeared. It had multiple towers and large, majestic windows.

"Based on our sources, the artifact is housed in the ruins of an ancient castle, once favored by Kremel nobility centuries ago. The castle fell to ruins when the nefitis first took the planet, and most people considered it cursed. I can't say what kind of resistance or defenses you'll run into since Sliaryt is an anarchy, ruled mostly by a few gangs who control the humanitarian aid when it drops. Of course, aid has been interrupted due to the war, so you can expect that the people are in rough shape," Cewi explained.

"Any intel on which gang controls the castle? Or maybe even where in the castle I'll find the artifact?" Lusac asked.

The Nemarian shook her head. "Nothing. The castle is pretty far from the single functioning landing site on the planet so there's almost no information on it."

Lus blew out a long sigh. "Okay. So I take a shuttle down, nab the artifact, and come back. That sounds easy enough."

"You can't take a shuttle down," Tave said curtly. "You're going to go down with a volunteer crew under the pretense of helping distribute aid. The volunteers go down for two weeks at a time, which is the window you'll have to complete the mission."

"Oh. You asked about shuttle piloting so…"

"You'll have to pilot a… borrowed government shuttle to the volunteer space station. And while down on the planet you'll likely need to hijack a crawler to get to the castle in a timely manner," the Captain said.

"Won't the volunteers notice I'm gone? Will they even allow me a ride back?" Lusac asked.

"You'll have to figure that out for yourself, Arten."

Lus tapped his fingers on the table. What was originally going to be a difficult mission was slowly edging closer to 'impossible' due to the number of extraneous factors outside of his control.

"As for the nefitis…" Tave motioned to the doctor.

Tremt-Fusi stood up as Cewi sat back down. The doctor took over the holoprojector and displayed an image of a sickly Nemarian with half his scales missing and one of his eyes white and blind.

"Nefitis is sometimes called the 'zombie' disease. It eats away at the flesh in such a way to keep the infected alive throughout the process up until it reaches the internal organs, which takes years. Those in the late stages of nefitis are often so delirious from pain that they become exceedingly aggressive and even sometimes animalistic. That makes them exceptionally dangerous and is why everyone who is found to be infected is sent to a quarantine planet."

Lus shuddered as the doctor flipped through more graphic images of nefitis victims. Suddenly doing this alone seemed a whole lot less fine when he was up against… that.

"Nefitis is spread through bodily fluids, and scientists believe that the disease is designed to instill aggressiveness as a way of spreading itself from victim to victim. Every living thing outside of plants will be infected with this, including ants and mosquitoes. Since you have the immunity gene, you can't be infected, but that doesn't mean you can't be eaten alive by a nefitis victim." Fusi changed to show infected animals and bugs.

"Volunteers are provided with safety gear to keep themselves safe from those types of attacks, but obviously it has its limits," Cewi-Bano jumped in, probably trying to calm Lus given how much blood had drained from his face during the discussion.

"Exactly. You'll have defensive equipment which will keep you from the worst of it. I doubt it'll be that much more dangerous than any other mission," Fusi agreed.

"Make sure to keep enough rations," Tave said suddenly. "Nothing down there is edible at this point besides what's part of the aid packages, and you'll need to keep yourself fed to keep your strength up."

Right. Make sure to pack lots of food.

Food…

Lusac smiled, a small sense of relief brewing inside. "Are volunteers allowed to bring their own rations?"

The other three looked at him and then each other.

Cewi shrugged. "I'm not sure of the rules, but I'm confident we can sneak you in extra if you're worried about it."

Lus's smile broadened. "I'll need some extra time in the kitchen, but I think I have a way to make this thing a whole lot more doable." Being a [Chef] was really going to pay off this time.