2.02 - Recruits of Animate

[Transcript]Fuel shortage on Gadrion Gadrion left the three of us with a lot of spare time. First break in a while, we set the awning along a cue of ships waiting our turn for a  neutrino substrate. Metaphysic flight is banded inside the Gadros system of worlds except on Gadrion Peqor. News comes down the line and the Jeshure Mergini in front of us passes the word it will be another rotation before things start moving again. We chat with them and a few of their Weevillites passengers to pass the time. Overhead the caruncular vex mesh begins solidifying to block out the neutron star pulses a few quadrants over. The CVM keeps the night side of the planet from getting fried this time of year.Company of a couple other ships join us. Among them are a few Corvitals itchin’ for news back home on Plaxis. Hamark leaves to integrate with them back at their ship. But no sooner than he leaves than some Pan-Animate folks join the circle. Sklorn Anthropods. The brand of Theer is embossed on their sleeves and I sit up straight, Zery also takin’ notice. Wicked EM spears across their backs and with PH-type carapace they watch us all with iridescent compound eyes.Gadrion Gadrion recently laxed their laws around mercenary recruitment. Tod’rish Scar told me lot of folks weren’t happy about it, said it opened the planets up to the Pan-Animate influence and sure enough no sooner than when we entered atmo yesterday I get slammed by propaganda on the psychic stream carrying on about the Animate’s aspirational Crusades.The Sklorn are staring down the Weevillites who get real quiet. We all do. My thermal accelerator is out of its holster on a side table. Zery starts idly sharpening her weaver’s falchion with poc stone. The Morobian sitting by the Weevillites casually puts herself between them and the Theer disciples who glare hard enough to bore a hole through them.Skidder Moth flaps mix with the thrum of Zestial carts in the city’s traffic around us. My fingers twitch, the Sklorn reach a hand towards their backs. And then Hamark and the Corvitals come back sayin’ more substrate’s just been delivered. We slowly go back to our ships.