Forty Years of This [Monster Hunter World]

Chapter 5

The Commander sat in the early morning sun with his knuckle pressed to his lips thoughtfully. He'd finished eating, but the Admiral, the Tracker, and the Captain of the previous ship were still working on their breakfast. When the Tracker noticed his silence, she leaned towards him with a squint.

"What's got you thinking, boss?"

He met her gaze unperturbed, dropped his hand, and sighed. "An important moral dilemma."

"Is it about how the Jagras have a language yet we still see them as beasts?"

"What?"

"My palico partner says they've got a language. It might be worth studying." She elbowed the Captain next to her. "Don't you have a researcher in your crew?"

"That's..." The Commander fell back into his chair, his previous moral dilemma paling in comparison. "No I... I simply was considering the morality of taking a romantic or sexual partner as someone in a command position. There is no one here, at least not yet, who I could well and truly consider my equal because of the obvious power imbalance."

That perked the Admiral's interest, and the beast of a man leaned forward over the table. "Who? Who has your eye? Is it me?"

"If it were you, that'd be easy." The Commander shrugged. "No one, really. Not yet, but I am prepared to die here. I will not leave until we've accomplished our mission, and maybe more, but... It's only a matter of time."

"I'd say I'm disappointed, but I'm actually relieved." The Admiral leaned back in his chair. "I like the attention, but that'd be a lot of work, and I'm just not ready for a relationship."

"Listen, Commander," the Tracker said, as she stuffed part of an omelette in her mouth. "Don't worry about it until it happens. When some dashing hunter swoops you off your feet, we can work as a team on your impending romantic disaster."

"I would prefer if it wasn't a disaster."

"So would we, Honey. So would we." She reached over to pat his arm. "But speaking of moral and ethical dilemmas, I have a few." The Captain next to her casually rested his head on his hand so that it covered his ear. "The Jagras apparently have a language, which says to me that they're smart enough to learn things. The Kulu-ya-ku uses tools, which is rare on its own, and is typically nonaggressive..."

"You should have been a researcher," the Admiral cut her off. "You've got questions like one. How were you ever satisfied as a hunter?"

"And be cooped up at a base? No."

"Wait," the Commander spoke up again. "If the Jagras have a language, can we learn it? We're still working on taming the wingdrakes, but I want to get someone on this if we can. Tracker... I want you to look into this. Keep it up with your moral dilemmas and discoveries, but being able to communicate with these creatures could be ground breaking for us."

He stood up suddenly. Inspiration struck him, and he wanted to seize it as quickly as he could. No one stopped him from marching off.

The Commander knew where he'd find the Seeker. There was no one better equipped to answer the questions the Tracker had posed, and though the man already had a great deal upon his shoulders, the Commander wanted to know if he'd already come up with answers. The Seeker was the kind of man only to offer information when prompted.

He found him sitting quietly with the Quartermaster overlooking the mountain. Longing flashed through the Commander, and it struck him that he wanted this. He wanted someone to sit with in the quiet morning before the chaos of the day began. He stood with indecision resting on his chest until the Seeker, then the Quartermaster, turned to look at him.

"There is something on your mind," the Seeker more or less announced. "Come. Sit with us."

The Quartermaster watched him before pouring a cup of tea and handing it to him. Tea from the mainland had long since become a luxury, but when he sipped it, the Commander recognized the flavors of local plants.

"Thank you," he murmured over the hot drink. "Ah, Seeker. The Tracker mentioned that the Jagras have a sort of language. I wanted to know if you had any input on that."

"All monsters are intelligent in some form or fashion. Between species, they communicate through roars and posture, but I have noticed some recurring sounds among the jagras packs. Did the Tracker mention her source? Or was this an observation?"

"Her palico companion has the source."

"Then I will look into it now." The Seeker stood with a curt nod, and left the Commander alone with the Quartermaster. For the Commander, the tension of suddenly having nothing to say to the man he now sat alone with was palpable, but the Quartermaster seemed unperturbed.

After several minutes of no attempt at conversation, the Commander began to relax into a comfortable silence. He leaned back in his chair with his tea in his hand while stealing occasional glances at his current companion if only to ensure that he'd not yet overstayed his welcome. The Quartermaster didn't smile, but when he caught the Commander's eye, he winked.

"I have told you before, Commander, that your company will always be welcome. If you find yourself overwhelmed, I invite you to this quiet nook."

"...Thank you." The Commander looked at his tea, then again to the Quartermaster who seemed to have softened in spite of his sharp appearance. "I may take you up on that."

It became the first morning of many that the Commander would seek breakfast with the Seeker and the Quartermaster. Particularly after nights of heavy drinking with the Admiral after the chef's first batch of local fruit wine was finished.