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The office she’d been told to report to was in the command center of the station. It was a part of the station she’d only seen a few times. Guards were always closer to the docks, where they could get into their Raptors at short notice.
It was nice—clean, white, sterile. A desk stood in front of the door. Captain K. Torvin sat on the other side, hands folded on the surface.
She was technically a captain, but with a more corporate vibe. It was in the way her skin was plump with hydration, and her hair slicked back with some kind of gel Tez would never be able to afford, and the synthleather suit she wore. Torvin screamed chips. Tez wouldn’t have been surprised if she had a Neurosync, too—a coveted implant used for seamless comms, vision overlays, and other benefits Tez would never in her life be able to afford.
When Tez approached the desk at the beckon of the captain’s hand, she smelled the faint whiff of sweet perfume radiating from her direction. Tez smelled like sweat.
“Please sit, Miss Preston.” Torvin motioned toward an empty white chair positioned across from her. Tez complied. K. Torvin’s deep brown eyes were as warm and welcoming as her voice as she leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table.
“Hydra Company would like to offer our deepest thanks, admiration, and awe at what you have survived down on Arvex.”
“Oh…” Tez shifted in her seat. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“It’s we who should be thanking you for your bravery and commitment. You’ve made a tremendous impression at the highest ranks of the company. And to survive all those days with the enemy…” She frowned, shaking her head a little. “I can’t even imagine.”
“Yeah, thanks… We made it work.”
“Your ability to do what you had to is why we are so impressed, Miss Preston.” She slid a tablet from the corner of the desk, leaning back in her seat to scan something on the screen. “I see you’ve applied for regular promotions over the last ten years.”
“Yeah. I mean, yes, ma’am.” Tez swallowed a note of bitterness.
“Passing you up for these was a mistake. One that is already resulting in modifying our processes to avoid letting talent like you slip through the cracks. We believe you are more than deserving of a substantial promotion.”
“You do?”Nowthey wanted to promote her? Was a near death experience what it took around here?
“Lead Active Operations Officer. You’ll be responsible for vetting all guards that come to the station, managing protection ops during active mining and beyond. And who knows?” She flashed a smile. “In a few years we may even send you to headquarters, giving you the opportunity to make a wider-reaching impact on Hydra Company’s—and humanity’s—future.”
Tez could sort of picture it. Maybe if she did get sent to headquarters in a position of importance, she could work to make water accessible to more people—people living on stations like the one Stag had been on, barely surviving. If she did well in this ops supervisor role, it might just happen. She was on their radar now, after all. And all it took was getting into a freak combat scenario that had almost killed her.
“Well?”
She realized she’d been silent.
“Thank you, ma’am.” Tez composed herself, falling back to her customary deferential tone. “I greatly appreciate this opportunity. Where will I be stationed next?”
“We’re sending you up to HQ for two weeks of training and a final psych eval. Just a formality. But your new rank is effective immediately, so you may go ahead and use the Level III facilities before you head out. There’s a shower with a modest water ration on the upper deck,” She winked. “After your stint at headquarters, we’ll reassign you to a location of your choice.”
“I’ll get to pick?” Tez blurted out. Nobody ever gave a crap where a guard wanted to be stationed.
“You’ll get a lot of say in your future from now on, Miss Preston,” Torvin smiled.
“Oh. Okay, thanks.” This moment wasn’t quite as joyous as she’d imagined it would be in all her years of hoping. It was all just too sudden. It needed time to sink in. “When do I leave?”
“First thing tomorrow. Congratulations,Lead Active Operations Officer.” The captain stretched a hand over the table, and Tez returned her firm handshake.
As she was leaving, she hesitated. “Can I ask something, ma’am?”
“Shoot.”
“Why did it take so long to come get us? Did the station lose our location somehow?”
Captain K. Torvin pressed her fingertips together, shifting back and forth a little in her swivel chair. “It was a grave mistake on our part, Tessa. I wasn’t here then, having just arrived last week. But from the reports, the crew realized the rescue shuttle hadn’t been appropriately maintained, and needed to do work on it before it would fly.”
“So you’d have come even if I hadn’t started broadcasting our location?”
“Of course. We don’t leave our own behind. You can be assured of that.”
