"I'm in the middle of a negotiation, rookie. In case you can't remember, I've been put in charge of this mission. And that means no interruption from a low-level soldier that has never finished a single operation."
He showed me his alpha stance but I wasn't impressed. This was the gesture of a man fearing for his authority.
"The man's worried about his daughter. You won't make his people join the Bulwark without her."
"Then you don't know my persuasion style. We have a clear mission objective. Retrieve the survivors in the mall. That's it, no extra gig."
"We're in a lawless land, Hecto. Blindly following the rules doesn't help anyone."
Suddenly, I sounded like a smart-ass. But rules meant nothing in the Lost Lands. Maybe Hecto needed more clarification.
"If we save his people, he'll convince everyone to join us. Simple reciprocity. Think about it, Hecto. Twenty-three new citizens for our cluster. I think the Bulwark's committee will be pleased."
"That's not our original plan. Besides, we have no idea with whom we're dealing with."
"I think you do."
"What are you implying?"
"I noticed your flinch when the man was talking about the armored attackers. You know who captured his people, right?"
Hecto wrestled with his face.
Probably wondering whether he should admit his knowledge.
For some reason, I could read his expression like an open data file.
I gave him another incentive.
"Twenty-three people we can save, Hecto. Let that sink in."
His pause endured but I could see he was giving in.
"There's another cluster hundreds of kilometers from here, populated by an ill-guided faction we call 'Technoids'"
Jackpot.
I knew this guy carried secrets the size of boulders.
"Are they related to ours?"
"No. They are very different from us. They believe in some kind of fantasy tech religion. Technoids do abhorrent things to survivors. Who knows what they did to the man's daughter."
He looked back at Nathan talking with Darwin and Glitch.
"They probably captured his folks for their sick experiments."
His big brown eyes rolled back to me.
"Gossip says the Technoid cluster is a dystopian nightmare."
Well, I'm glad ours was the land of liberty.
"Another reason why we have to free the people. Or do you want to keep these innocent folks in the Technoid's captivity?"
"No, of course not. No reasonable human being could want that."
"Then let's check out what were dealing with. We'll recon the area the man talked about. If the enemy troop size is manageable, we see if the survivors are still alive. If not, we return to the mall and try something else. We have to at least attempt a rescue."
Hecto pondered my statement.
It was clear his ego didn't like a rookie telling him what to do, but in dire times like these, survival was more important than pride. Hecto looked up at me.
"We'll scout the target area. If it's too hot, we retreat, prisoners be damned. If it's a handful and we can match their firepower, we'll go in and free the captives. And I'll be leading the group. Understood?"
"Yes. You're the captain after all."
"Remember that."
Hecto returned to the old man in charge.
"We have found an agreement. We're going to look for your people, then we're all going back to our cluster where it's safe."
Nathan's face broke out in joy. He was one step away from falling to his knees and praying to the heavens.
"Thank you, thank you so much. Oh god, this is the best news I've heard all week."
Hecto swallowed.
"We'll have to check out the enemy's position to gauge the threat level. I can't guarantee anything."
Still, Nathan's hope rocketed.
"With your firepower, you might stand a real chance. You're all veteran soldiers, right?"
Glitch and I exchanged confused glances.
"Maybe not vets, but we're good with guns."
"Works for me."
The man brought us to the wall and pointed at the bloody map.
"I show you where they're located at. I tell you everything I know."