EXCAVATOR: Tales from the Twelve Vessels

Chapter Five: Learning to Crawl (pt. I)

Meera was working herself into a routine. She had it down now, the exact time she would have to wake up to have sufficient time to get ready and make it to the right trolley at the right time. She would arrive earlier than they were expected to be there, but not too early as she learned on her second day there when she showed up to the lot of the 803rd and the other team members rolled their eyes as they filtered in behind her. She would commence her training for the day, asking questions but not too many questions, being enthusiastic but not too enthusiastic. At lunch she would keep her thoughts to herself as the others bitched and moaned and laughed and threw food at each other. At the end of the day she would wave goodbye regardless of who waved back before jumping on the transport and heading back to her small little solitary unit. Once home she would make dinner and always end up scraping half of it into the contributions tube as a way to make up for her team's lack of effort. Mathematically, it didn't measure out to how much was wasted during the daily lunch, but it was something at the very least. The growling in her stomach was a welcome sacrifice.

Training was going well so far. It was a gradual process, the first steps going over important things such as "how not to die" and "how not to die, part II: don't stick that there". This was only the general overview, Sanji claimed in so many words. There would be plenty more ways to die once they covered more of the groundwork stuff in detail. For now, it was basic planetary measures, like how to use a breathing apparatus. Besides the thrilling ways of avoiding certain peril, the beginnings of training also covered the basics of excavator use. The idea being that you can be planetside, but you're not getting anywhere or doing anything if you're not using the damn machine. Meera appreciated the rhyme.

The excavator vessels were quirky looking machines, not at all matching any of the intra-ship transportation Meera was so used to seeing. These were rigidly built, meant to withstand all types of climate at the most extreme temperatures. They were big, heavy, and bulky--it either had something to do with gravity or the person who designed them just had no taste—shaped like something between one of the rugged trucks that occasionally drove by the 803rd and one of those large, planetside bigcats Meera had photos of in her youth. They were coated in thick metal plating with heavy duty tires. The interiors were compact, the majority of them only meant for one to two people. The cockpit was a snug fit for its pilots regardless of race, the majority of the EVs volume used for storage and space for the engine. Two solid, metal arms came out of the front, its hands fitted for all types of work, from delicate extraction to diamond-like minerals that needed breaking. Its exterior was camouflaged with neutral earth-tones, a harsh difference from the stark blacks and whites common on the Jinsuo. They drove fairly smoothly, although the training vessels, even in the controlled environment of the Jinsuo, were rather worn and at times tricky to control with perfection.

Meera thought she was catching on fairly well. She would follow Sanji's instructions to a T, carefully observing her movements until she was able to copy them on her own. If she was wrong, Sanji would let her know. Loudly. Bluntly. The rest of the team would contribute by yelling across the 803rd's lot in a way that sounded like they were having too much fun with this. If she was right, her senior would give a short nod or shrug and move on to the next order of business. Meera didn't mind, she got all her crying out when she got home anyway. This was something she wanted and she reminded herself of that throughout the day. Every day.

Today was going to be better, Meera told herself. There was nowhere to go but up.

Meera arrived to the lot wearing her civvies, like she had all previous days. She had yet to receive the formal uniform of the excavation team. When she asked about it, the other teammates told her to "enjoy it while she can" and "the fabric doesn't breathe anyway". So she wore the closest thing she had, a pair of leggings and a plain, form-fitting shirt made of Jaundian fabric—a special, malleable material used on all colonial vessels. It was used for almost anything on the Jinsuo: clothes, furniture, bandages. Its function was great, but it didn't work well for fashion purposes. At least it was breathable, which proved useful within the confines of the singular excavation vessels. The uniforms the team wore were thicker and sturdier, meant for preserving body temperatures and blocking out harmful environments. The team didn't technically have to wear them while still on the Jinsuo, but it was good practice.

Meera entered the lot of the 803rd. Some of the team was there, the rest had yet to arrive. Sanji was in the same place she always was, sitting on top of an inactiveEV, eyes narrowed. Meera had yet to determine whether her expression was one of focus or one of apathy. Her words never did much to break the tie.

The moment Sanji's eyes met Meera's, she got up off the vessel. "Yoi. What's the beat, new meat?"

Meera offered up a tired smile. "Could you maybe start calling me by my name now?"

She waved it off. "You're the new meat until the next meat arrives. It's how we do things here."

"I'm beginning to think that you don't want to admit that you forgot my name."

"Of course I know your real name, Mina." She turned and began walking further into the lot. "Today we start probably one of the most important and overlooked pieces of training. Besides all that how to not die stuff."

That got her attention. She followed closely behind her. "Oh yeah? What is it?"

Sanji turned to face her, mischievous grin tugging at her lips. "We're doing terrain tuh-raining."

There was a loud groan from off in the distance.

A tired-looking Rufe shuffled into view. "It's not as clever as you think it is, Sanji."

"Shut off, it's genius wordplay," she grumbled out the side of her mouth.

"What's terrain tuh-raining?" Meera asked.

A spark of amusement shot across Sanji's face. "I'm gonna let Rufe here take the lead on that one. I'll go operate things from the backend." She split off, giving Rufe a pat on the shoulder as she left.

He crossed his arms. "Terrain trrraining is a vital part of being an excavator that just about everyone who rolls through here takes for granted. They all come through here with fast fingers and half decent cardio, but that won't get you far once you get on a planet's surface. You gotta be able to know your way through the ground around you."

Meera nodded. "Because there's different types of materials right? There's hard rock which requires delicate landings, all the way through soft soils that are prone to erosion. Erosion being when the environmental factors such as wind and water cause rock and soil to break down and become loose." She fought back the tugging at her lips.

Rufe put a hand out. "Bookie. You're on step, like, twenty. We aren't even on step one. We're at step zero, okay?"

She awaited further instruction.

He let his arm fall to the side before continuing. "That's a prime example. We got bookies coming through here, too, thinking just 'cause they know the soil makeup of a moon they can move around in it. They would be wrong."

Her brows furrowed. "So, what exactly is step zero, then?"

He didn't answer, his expression turning smug. He lifted a boot and stomped it hard on the ground twice.

Stillness.

Meera didn't move, unsure of what was supposed to be happening.

The confidence in Rufe's stance fell. He let out an exaggerated sigh and banged his foot a couple more times on the ground.

The ground rumbled.

Meera froze. The floor usually didn't vibrate like this. Sometimes when a large transport rolled by or when someone nearby dropped something heavy there would be the slightest of shockwaves, but it normally wasn't to this degree.

Then it began moving.

The floor rose beneath Meera's feet, but it didn't rise like a lift. It was uneven, some portions rising higher than others. Some even depressed deeper into the floor. The ground was splintered into a hard, textured terrain. Like the room below it, its look was wholly unnatural to that of the Jinsuo. She readjusted her footing to stay upright.

Rufe didn't budge, he allowed his limbs to bend alongside the changing landscape, boots never leaving the ground. His stance? Casual. His expression? Smug. "Welcome to terrain training."