EXCAVATOR: Tales from the Twelve Vessels

Chapter Two: Orientation

When the day came, Meera took the transport to orientation. There was no way she'd be able to make it from her living unit to the site of the excavators without spending hours on foot. All excavation teams were located at the outest edges of the Jinsuo, far from the residential, day-to-day areas designated for its citizens.

The division between the two areas was stark. While the community was built to be sleek and minimalistic, there was still an air of homeliness to it. Outside the living areas, everything was mechanical. The light designed to mimic that of an amiable sun was swapped out for a harsh blue-white one. The piping and air ducts weren't hidden behind walls, instead snaking their way over the existing ones. Transport vehicles of all shapes and sizes hummed up and down the pathways unlike the smooth glide of the transport trolleys.

Meera had been here before in her youth on a class trip, part of their unit on learning about the anatomy of colonial vessels. Even then, however, it was nothing more than a drive by, a view made up to be digestible to children. Here, everything was on full display. Here is where Meera would make her new living.

The excavation teams weren't in buildings as much as they were in open lots roped off next to one another. Small, rectangular signs hovered in front of each lot denoting through fuzzy displays which team was which. Meera scanned the names—which, to her annoyance, were not in numerical order —until she found the 803rd.

Excavation Team 803 had a smaller lot than the others surrounding it. Within the lot were two idle excavator vessels—the single driver models—surrounded by cones and tools she couldn't recognize from a distance. Surely, they were set up for training exercises, ones she was itching to do as early as possible. A handful of excavators sat on and around the equipment, dressed in civvies instead of the more recognizable jumpsuit uniform.

They noticed her walking in before she even had the chance to open her mouth.

"New meat's here!" called one team member to those sitting on the second excavator vessel.
Meera's inhale stopped short. A great first impression.

One of the team members stood up: a woman with a long, dark ponytail and a worn out tank top. She hopped off the EV and met Meera halfway. A man stood up as well and straggled behind her.

"You the new recruit?" the woman asked. Her skin was like the ship's lights at twilight. Her gaze was the night that followed after.

Meera had to look up to make eye contact with her, but then again, that wasn't out of the ordinary. "Yes, that's me. Meera Gable."

She looked her up and down. "Sanji. The slacker coming up behind me is Rufe." Without looking, she motioned to the man rolling his eyes over her left shoulder.

Rufe was taller than the two of them, features defined through a plain, form fitted short-sleeve shirt. His shoulders were broader, but they weren't broad. He had muscles, both of them did, actually, but neither were defined like a bodybuilder. His pale skin was covered in even paler spots, scattered across his body like white clouds in a painting of the sky. "Rufe," he greeted with a head nod.

Sanji put her hands on her hips. "You'll be our charge while you learn the ropes. Don't take too long, we've got other stuff to do."

"It's okey," Meera assured. "I'm a fast learner."
She eyed her up again. "Uh-huh. Aight, let's go." She shifted her weight and began to turn.
Rufe stepped out of the way as they walked away without motioning her to follow.

Meera scurried along.

Sanji strolled further into the 803rd's lot, stepping over cones and obstacles without a second glance. When they reached a clearing, she knelt down. It wasn't until Meera got closer that she could see a small latch bolted into the floor. Sanji looped her finger around it and pulled up. A portion of the floor came away, revealing a flight of stairs.