"Alright, Mr. Acliate, how about I make a little bet with you." said George Scott as the two met in the sparring room. A crowd had gathered to watch the spar. Many of the crew mates wanted to know just who was the better fighter: they're chief of security or the young teenage hero who had reportedly contributed the most to expelling the pirate threat. "I'm aware of the payout you're going to be getting when we return to Mars. If I win, you pay me 1000 crypts when we get back. If you win, I pay you 2000 crypts immediately. What do you say?"
Melbourne thought about it. He wasn't too greatly experienced in martial arts and there was a chance he would lose. However, the thought of receiving 2000 crypts was tantalizing enough. He could take the risk and lose 1000.
"Deal." said Melbourne after ten seconds of contemplating whether it was worth the risk.
The two competitors shook hands and then raised their dukes.
"First one to knock the other unconscious or to receive consent to defeat wins!" said one of the regular security officers who was acting as referee for this match. "Three...Two...One...FIGHT!"
The two kicked off their initial anchor points and met in a barrage of punches and kicks, flying apart quickly as they impacted and blocked one another in zero gravity. They kicked off the small arena cage from opposite sides and went back at each other.
"I'm impressed!" called George as the two started off seeming about equally matched. "You're a clever little fighter, but I still think I could show you a few techniques."
The crowd cheered as the fighters kicked back toward each other a third time. This time, George forced himself to spin like a drill before he launched himself at Melbourne, his spinning drill kick catching Melbourne off guard.
[HP: 18/20]
Melbourne frantically pushed off of George's body despite the pain in his gut from the unfamiliar technique.
"Okay, those drill kicks are powerful zero g attacks." thought Melbourne. "I better avoid them."
The door opened into the sparring room and the atmosphere changed as Victoria Gambria floated in to watch the match.
She whispered something to someone nearby her. The person laughed and shook her hand, implying they had just made a bet.
Melbourne followed the vector lines and decided to do something different. Instead of launching straight into the fight, Melbourne pushed in a slightly different trajectory, this time avoiding George.
A few more of these and George began to become frustrated.
"Get back here, you little imp!" yelled George. "Come at fight me head to head like a man!"
With George now frustrated and off guard, Melbourne decided to try out the spinning drill kick for himself. George, expecting Melbourne to avoid him again, pushed off the cage in fury and was struck straight in the temple, knocking him back against the cage wall.
"Hah hah, you do learn quickly, my boy!" coughed George with pride. "I concede this fight! You win! Your sly technique beat my own straightforward combative one!"
The crowd cheered as Melbourne turned to notice Victoria scrutinizing him, her right palm stroking her chin. The person she had made a bet with upon walking in had clear agitation written on his face as he touched his smartwatch against hers, a thing done when people were transferring crypts between one another. Victoria had gambled on Melbourne and had won.
George promptly did the same thing to Melbourne, transferring 2000 crypts as he had promised.
[crypt balance: 2090]
"We should train again sometime without the crowd." said George. "For now, however, I need to rest up before we arrive at the derelict. The refueling ships are arriving in one hour and I need to handle these matters as well."
"Mr. Acliate, may I talk to you in the bridge please?" asked Victoria. "We need to speak in private about the matter Arian Horizons hired you for."
Melbourne nodded in consent, trepidation tugging at his head.
***
"What did you want to see me about, Captain?" asked Melbourne formally as he floated into the bridge.
The mess had been cleaned up well and everything seemed normal again except the change in leadership.
"I understand you were hired to create exploration drones and program them to do an initial scouting and analysis of the derelict ship we are going to, yes?"
"Yes, ma'am." said Melbourne.
"Have you constructed the three drones that Arian wants?"
"Yes ma'am." said Melbourne. "Is there a change of plans?"
"No." said Victoria. "Continue to fulfill the task Arian Horizons wants you to fulfill. Such a task is very simple as a robotics project but I believe that the company sees potential in you based on some achievement in school and wants to test you in this environment. If you succeed, you will likely be offered a more serious job in the future. Internships like this usually lead to that sort of offer. Whether you join the Red Cybers or not, you will be in a unique position to work in human society and become established where most of our cyborgs are not. What I wanted to know was whether you could install a very special sensor in that fourth drone of yours that you've got magnetically attached outside the ship right now? Yes, I know about the secret probe you made. If you're doing some special project with it or looking for some illegal information, I won't tell Arian Horizons. You have my word on that. I did, however, want to ask you a favor on behalf of my superiors."
"Oh, and what is that?" asked Melbourne, his curiosity suddenly piqued.
Victoria pulled a device out of a compartment near a 3D printer that consisted of an integrated circuit and a complex array of tiny sensors.
"I'd like you to install this into your drone before we arrive. You don't need to incorporate it into the drone's wiring schematics, just weld it to the surface. The Red Cyber Rebellion initially got me on this mission to follow you and determine whether you could be an asset to us, but they have grown interested in this Cosmist Derelict. It's unfortunate that we will have to destroy the vessel, but they'd like to get as much data as possible first. They cannot let this opportunity go completely to waste. The more knowledge we can receive about Cosmist technology, the better equipped we will be to upgrade ourselves and perhaps re-invent augmentations like yours that can hide us in plain sight. They are aware of your internship duties and they would appreciate it if you could help us out here. In fact, we'd be willing to compensate you for it with crypts if you could get us the information."
Melbourne took the device and analyzed it skeptically. He noticed a few transistors, capacitors, and a battery, but most of the components were completely alien to him. He could guess that a few devices were various sensors of some kind, but otherwise had no clue what they were meant to do.
"Alright, I guess I can do that for you." said Melbourne. A little data gathering for the resistance couldn't be that bad and he was stuck with Victoria for another month anyway. It was better to do as she asked right now. If he was a cyborg and they were also cyborgs, maybe cooperating with them and currying their good will might be in his best interest. He doubted that she'd have any interest in sabotaging his extra probe. That would be too petty given what he knew of the nature of her agency. He wouldn't have it operating in sync with the other "official" probes anyway.
"Excellent!" said Victoria in genuine gratitude. "The Red Cyber Rebellion will thank you for it. Now, the refueling is done and we will be arriving at the derelict in less than two hours. I suggest you go call that drone back in and get ready for the excavation. I have many preparations to do myself."
Melbourne pocketed the device and bowed curtly before turning to leave.
"Oh, Mr. Acliate." said Victoria before he could leave. "I forgot to mention something. Given my promotion, the ship lacks an able communications officer. I have been handling the tasks since the incident. I could really use someone who can take some of the load off of me. Your normal maintenance duties aren't that important as there are plenty of others who can take care of those things. After we explore the derelict, would you like some official training in operating communications and handling the onboard comms network? You've proven yourself a fast learner and the training would make your resume even more fantastic after we return to Mars."