Jose stared at the unfamiliar faces looking at him from across the council table. They were alone in a room with him, four volunteers vetted for the task of boarding the Telm-Pao and acquiring its forge should it still be in salvageable condition.

“My name is Jose Ileria. Miss Marin has already been acquainted with me formally but I’d like to introduce myself to you as the appointed head of the expedition. If you would please stand up and introduce yourselves so I can place names to faces, I would appreciate it.” Jose delivered his opening statement to the foreign lot.

Immediately, the man sitting closest to the exit with the breeziest air about him stood up and smiled at Jose, then the rest of the crew. “My name is Nemesio Estrada. I’ll be keeping you safe and out of danger there. It’s a pleasure to be working with you all.” He gave the group a thumbs up and sat back down. Nemesio Estrada was a tall, black man with a shaved cut and an athletic physique. Izirarry had mentioned he had quite the charming personality and was apt to keeping his promises of safety, however grandiose and performative the gesture was.

“Hello. My name’s Alexander Cienmiedos and I’m the secondary Lancer.” The boy was soft spoken and drew attention to himself by slightly raising his hand rather than standing up proper. His blonde hair was short and unkempt as if he was just dragged out of bed and placed into this situation. He was short and stocky with pale baby face cheeks and dark circles under his eyes.

“Speak up, kid.” The woman to Jose’s far right bounced up from her seat and gave a mock salute. “Name’s Paulina Ortiz. You can call me Paul, Polly, or Lina. Whatever’s easiest to remember. We’ll probably not see each other much when we’re over there and if you do, I’ve either got good news or we’re fucked.” Her smile to the rest of the group was toothy and playful. Paulina Ortiz was the member Jose was most cautious of. She was led by Isabella’s representative and it was likely she was a part of that network of hired mercenaries.

“What did you want me to do?” Carmina had asked Jose earlier in preparation for this meeting. “I’d drop dead before I worked with the younger Vallejo boy and most of the other options were either dead weight or close to it. Traitor or not, the woman knows what the fuck she’s doing.”

He didn’t have a rebuttal to that. They agreed to keep an eye on her before the big day and hoped to find out if she had any plans to betray the group.

She had her auburn hair tied in one long tail that rested on her shoulder. She had a similar build to Carmina; tan skinned and athletic, erring on agility and flexibility. The marked differences in his mind were that Paulina looked more capable of handling herself in a fight, biceps and triceps visibly flexing as she crossed her arms waiting for the final introduction.

“As our boss mentioned, I’m Marsiella Marin. Call me Marsi or Mari if you get tongue tied. I’m our secondary Sapper and-”

Marsiella was cut off with Paulina groaning, “Fuck I didn’t introduce my role. I’m a Scout by the way. In case any of you were wondering.”

Nemesio chuckled, “I don’t think there’s some decorum on revealing our roles. Just a name to a face.”

Marsiella frowned and pushed through, “As I was saying, I’m our secondary Sapper and work as a machinist for a day job. If the boss is out of commission, I’m our next best shot at operating the compression cube and properly containing the forge and anything else worthwhile down there.”

Alexander raised his hand after her statement. Jose felt like his old school teacher calling on the boy, “Yes, Mister Cienmiedos?”

“What's a compression cube? Dolores mentioned the use of one for containing the forge during our simulated training but I never got a chance to see the device in action.” Alexander explained.

“Depending on the size and composition of the cube, it essentially opens and compresses space around whatever is placed inside of it. We’re being lent advanced cubes that diffuse the weight of objects placed inside. It’d take a fleet of volunteers to lift the wreckage from the vessel by hand and we can’t afford to compress the forge piecemeal without destroying it in the process.” Jose answered. Marsiella nodded approvingly and Alexander felt the answer was satisfactory, leaning back onto his chair and watching the other members for their next move.

“Does everyone get to ask questions?” Paulina raised an eyebrow at him.

“I don’t see why not. If you have a question I’ll try to answer them to the best of my abilities.” Jose responded.

Paulina leaned forward and eyed the group on her side of the table before asking, “How are we splitting up the goods?”

“The forge is meant to be given to the Elders. Anything of worth that you find, you get to keep. Mind you, I’d like to run it the way Caravans do and pool our findings together, pulling out what we’d like and giving the finder priority in taking the item. Removes the advantage Scouts like yourself would have in ripping up anything of value because you’re so far ahead of the rest of the group.” Jose answered.

“And will you be appraising our goods or can we depend on someone impartial to value it all?”

“Either option works for me. Lysa and I work in the Annals and can spend time identifying what we find as we walk through the vessel but if you’d prefer someone else to identify and evaluate your goods, that's fine too.” Seems she wasn’t so trusting of him either.

“I’ll take you up on the free scans. I just don’t wanna get shortchanged out there.”

Nemesio cleared his throat, “I don’t think Mister Ileria is of that disposition, my dear.” He redirected his gaze to Jose, “I’m personally curious about what you plan to do if we find Chariots down there?”

“I don’t expect to find any that are operational down there. If we do, I’m the closest thing to a Rider we’ve got.” He’d deal with the consequences of melding afterwards. Maybe his soul training exercises would make the healing process go on a lot faster. “If I’m indisposed, Marsiella is our next bet at extraction. Maybe just cube it and carry it out if we have a cube big enough or the Chariot’s small enough. I doubt the Elders would let any one of us keep a piece of technology like that so it‘s not on my radar.”

“And what is on your radar. Boss?” It was Marsiella’s turn to ask a question.

“To be honest? I’d like to see if they have any pre-Veil magical items on board. I mentioned it earlier but we’re volunteering to get our hands on that stuff. Choice items can sell for sacks on sacks of coin.” Jose replied. A deep seeded part of himself wanted to scour the vessel for some sort of library and find Grimoires to pour into but that wasn’t likely considering the waterlogged conditions of the vessel.

He’d settle for coins.

“Mhmm… Alright.”

“Are the introductions all finished? I’ve gotta get back to my day job.” Paulina asked.

“Yeah, you can head out.” Jose waved his hand and took a deep breath as Paulina, Nemesio, and Marissa walked out of the room. Alexander sat still as he watched the others leave.

The two of them were alone.

“Dolores told me to have a one on one with you when I could about my abilities. Do you have the time right now to talk or do we have to schedule this another time?” Alexander asked in a polite manner.

“We can talk right now, yeah. Is this about your Einjar skills?” Jose guessed.

“Yes. Did you request clearance from the Vanguard to read through our section of the report or do I have to approach our conversation from a lower foundation?”

“I didn’t, no. I have my preconceptions of your skills from Annals research on magical items but otherwise I’d prefer to hear you explain it yourself as a practicing user of the craft.”

Alexander took a deep breath before pulling out a compass. It looked weathered with its bronze coating scratched up and peeled in every which way. Jose saw that there were multiple needles resting in the center of the device, glowing faintly with a pale white energy.

“Dolores brought me into the craft recently so my explanations will be more limited than hers will. Just keep that in mind.” Alexander waited for a reply from Jose and found none. “Our craft involves the ferrying of souls beyond the Great Veil into the afterlife. Wayward souls are led with devices like this out of our world and into the next. Given enough training and bonding, however, we can tether a soul to our own and anchor it to an item.”

Interesting. Jose pulled out his journal and began jotting down a few questions.

“Depending on the characteristics of the soul we temper, the refinement of their abilities and attributes are passed down to us in varying qualities. I’ve… I’ve only tempered two souls thus far.”

Jose tapped his journal, “What is this tempering process exactly? Is it something we can take advantage of in our mission and to that end, what kind of abilities and attributes are you referring to? If you temper and tether yourself to the soul of an Arcanist, will you gain the ability to cast their repertoire of spells or just their languages? And are you-”

“Mister Ileria.” Alexander looked at Jose in exasperation. “Please calm down.”

Jose took a breather and regained his composure, “Sorry. It’s not every day I get to talk to someone about something I’ve only read loosely about. I’ll avoid barraging you with more questions if you can answer those few.”

“Thank you, Mister Ileria. Um, the tempering process involves building a relationship with a soul. It’s why it’s easier to tether someone you know like a fellow Vanguard member than a total stranger, if only because of the short time it takes with the former over the latter. It’s not really a skill the rest of the team can take advantage of, no.” Alexander opened his mouth to continue his explanation but held back, the reserved and demure attitude taking over once again.

That look was all Jose needed to see.

“Don’t worry about explaining the rest, Mister Cienmiedos. If I have any more questions about it, I’ll ask Dolores about it. You’re dismissed.” Jose watched the boy lighten up and wordlessly nod at him before walking out of the room.

He sat there in silence and contemplated on the mission. The team composition they currently had solved a lot of the problems he foresaw while in the vessel. The strictest assessment of their numbers overpowering potential traitors were five if he included Alexander’s loyalties deferring to Dolores and she being clearly affiliated with Elder Nero. Seven when including Izirrary and Joanna with their affiliations to Elder Tessa. Meaning only three possible avenues for betrayal on the mission. Marissa, Paulina, and Nemesio didn’t carry any odious behaviors with their first impressions but they could be hiding it well. If all three were in on it, they’d have a skeleton party to scour through the vessel and-

Someone knocked on the door. Jose’s heart lurched and sprinted as he turned his head up and saw the smirking face of Elder Isabella.

Fuck. Fuck. Did she know? No, how could she know. Breath.

“Hello Elder Isabella. To what do I owe the pleasure?” Jose said as he gripped his bouncing leg steady.

“None of that Elder crap. If I can call ya Jose, you can call me Isabella and we can move beyond the theatrics.” Elder Isabella replied in her typical aggressive manner. Casual conversation then.

“Alright then, Isabella. The question still stands, what are you here for?” Jose asked in a polite tone.

“As it happens, Jose, I work in this building and this is around the time I get off to meet with fellow merchants down in Barnacle Bay. Saw people trickle outta the room here and saw you sittin’ there with a scrunched up face. I wanted to know if things were alright considering you’re the leader of this lucrative expedition.”

Lucrative for the colony or just you and your conspirators?

“I just met with the last of our team and had a small interview with them all. Wanted to put names to faces and consider our plans of actions now that we have a pool of skills to pull from.” Jose answered honestly.

Isabella walked into the room and gestured at one of the chairs near his table, “I’m gonna take this.” She sat down and stared at Jose before responding, “Heavy stuff to think about all by yourself. You the brains of the operation or are you gonna bounce off ideas with other members?”

“I’m the one most familiar with the vessel’s infrastructure since I was the one that discovered the lead in the Annals. Any in-depth planning has to be done with the rest of the group before we lock in on an idea.” Just assume it's me. Don’t look at anyone else in the group for a link to pull on.

Isabella nodded thoughtfully, “That’s right, I do remember hearin’ something about an Annals report from the other Elder’s but I didn’t give it my undivided attention. Guess you’re quite the invaluable asset.” Her white teeth glinted in the light, a predator baring its fangs. “I know I mentioned in passing before about procuring you some Grimoires in exchange for material rights but you brushed me right off. I was hopin’ you’d hear me out, at least.”

Jose didn’t hesitate, “Sure thing. I make no guarantees that I’ll agree but it was rude of me to brush you off outright. I’ll blame it on the overwhelming attention and put it past us.”

Isabella responded in an unexpected manner. He expected her to smile but she merely looked at the situation with surprise.

“Alright then. Well, I was looking to procure your material rights for whatever you find in that vessel. You’re an observant guy. Does it escape you that we had to scrounge volunteers for this instead of hiring a Caravan or sparin’ a Vanguard team?” Isabella waited for a response.

“I took things at face value. People are expected to die and they’d rather have volunteers that know the risks go instead of the Vanguard. Hiring a Caravan is a non-starter because we have no guarantee if they do find the forge that they won't just sell it to the highest bidder or jack up their rates by holding the device ransom. The Vanguard has to be around in case of an attack on the colony.” Jose responded with his observations. Now she was smiling.

“That’s one way of lookin’ at things. Definitely smart of ya. Thoughtful. But incomplete.” Isabella reached into her pocket and Jose held back from reacting in a defensive manner, the sweat uncomfortably sticking to his skin and apparel. She pulled out three coins and placed them on the table. “The way I see it, our rigamarole here for recruitment was motivated by us Elders wantin’ things to be impartial. Elder Nero heads the Vanguard,” She pointed to the first coin on the table, “And if they respect him, there’s no tellin’ what he could command his Vanguard to do if they do find more than just the forge in there.”

She looked up at him and waited for a statement but found Jose silent and receptive to her explanation.

She moved the second coin up, “I make no bones about it; I’d be the one handling the Caravan we hire and thus they’d be under my thumb. Nothin’ would stop me from takin’ anything from the vessel and keepin’ it for myself.” Her eyes narrowed and her finger lingered on the second coin before she moved to the third. “Elder Tessa looks weak in this position, but she’s keepin’ the peace and managing our food and healin’ our sick. I may be popular in my own right, but that woman’s a saint to the citizens of Ileah. They’d agree with most anything she says.”

Jose saw the throughline. “The volunteer system was made to be impartial to all parties. We’re motivated by personal interests and mostly unaffiliated, meaning our goals should fall in line for the good of the other citizens.”

“Attaboy.” Isabella pulled away from the table, satisfied with his answer.

“But you’re looking to tip the scales a bit.” Jose glared at her now with his pointed rebuttal. She didn’t budge.

“I think of it as more of a… business opportunity. Seein’ as I’m the one with Ileah’s economy in mind, just who do you think can take advantage of the stuff we find in that vessel? My best interests are the people’s best interests.” Isabella replied. “If I need to sweeten the sale for you, I don’t mind, but I’d like for you to get a majority in your crew to agree and sell me the forge.”

The air was unbearably hot and tense.

She leaned back, “Or the Chariots if you find ‘em. Either way, I’m lookin’ for those buyin’ rights and I think you can give ‘em to me. If the Grimoires are not enough… Well, I’m sure I can adjust schedules for you to spend more time with that wife of yours. She’s doing well, I assume?”

Jose took his first breath in what felt like forever, an acrid heat burning his throat and filling up his lungs, “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

“That was the plan. Just keep things in mind. How you might stand to benefit from our deal.” Isabella stood up from the chair and started walking away. “I don’t expect any answer until you’ve come back to us safe and sound. And when you do, I hope you make the right choice for Ileah.” The Elder left Jose in that room, the spacious interview chamber suddenly feeling oppressive and cramped.

Jose ruminated on the conversation before standing up and walking out of the room and out of the building.

He walked with haste towards the Alchemists center.