Manifest Fantasy

Chapter 12: The Market District

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Armstrong Base, Grenden Plains
November 24, 2024

As Henry walked into the quartermaster's depot, he couldn't help but notice how... empty it was. Technically speaking, it was stocked to the brim with supplies and gear, but there was a telling lack of Chief Warrant Officer in the room, despite there being less than a minute left for their scheduled meeting.

The only person present was a sergeant, who seemed busy with a tablet. Glancing up from his inventory list, he noticed their entrance. "Alpha Team! Looking for the Chief?" he asked.

Henry barely had the time to nod; it seemed that the sergeant already knew the answer. The man set his tablet down. "Let me go check on his status. He was in a meeting – s'posed to be back by now."

"Alright, thanks," Henry said, turning to the others. "The Chief's snagged in another meeting?" Henry chuckled, shaking his head. Typical.

Isaac nudged him with his elbow, "Or off playing golf. Hell, if I were a warrant officer I'd be at the gym; avoid the late-night crowds."

"On some real shit," Ron agreed, leaning back against the wall.

Henry smirked. Warrant officers were infamous for their lack of availability, and Chief Cole certainly lived up to their expectations. "He's probably going over the new stuff that we and the collection teams brought back."

Kelmithus followed loosely, still getting a handle on their dynamic and the intricacies of their humor. "Is it... normal for this 'Chief' to be absent?"

"Kinda," Henry answered. "It's like an inside joke, warrant officers being unavailable and all that. We usually just chill around till he shows. Speaking of the new stuff, the Ambassador's talks with the Duke went well, huh? Official relations and all that."

Kelmithus' eyes lit up, and it was no wonder. Given his background, he had probably studied the Baranthurians and Gatebuilders for decades, only now seeing an opportunity to finally unravel the mystery he'd been working on for all this time. "Indeed. With the coming conclusion of the diplomatic parleys, I've been appointed to lead the joint research initiatives on the Baranthurians and the Gatebuilders. I'll be joining forces with your Dr. Lamarr and Dr. Perdue once we've completed our investigation of the excavation site."

"Moving up in the world," Ron patted Kelmithus on the back, "congrats, Kel."

The others congratulated him as well, with Dr. Anderson seeming almost as excited as the Archmage himself. "The prospect of learning more from you and your colleagues is something I'm quite looking forward to."

This partnership was a big deal – one that came with more than just the prospect of developing advanced 'magitech'. Learning more about Gaerra, the Sonaran Federation, and the other factions promised incredible lore that Ron would especially be invested in, but Henry was more interested in the tangible, mouth-watering benefits. "Not as much as I'm looking forward to seeing more of that roast griffin," he said.

Ryan was quick to echo his sentiment, a smirk reflecting just how much he preferred the exotic local foods to the MREs and StarBars they'd been existing off of – a thought that made his mouth dry up. "Damn straight," he agreed. "Ain't gonna forget what they served at the Duke's place neither."