Juvenile Delema
Med Prep
Most of the mission was being done without his help and he hoped everyone would be okay. Getting the equipment in the ship’s Medbay up and running efficiently had taken longer than he had thought it would, but then again, what did he know. He was a priest, not a fucking engineer.
His lack of experience with technology lengthened the time of everything he did or tried to do. From powering the devices, to updating their firmware, to connecting them to the micro network within the Medbay. The last part was by far the most frustrating. It took three hours, but he finally found the receptacle for the one loose cable that had been mislabeled by some idiot years before…the last time anyone had been inside this panel. Another couple hours cleaning and sterilizing the Medbay and Adamn was finally finished…and only three days late. Nevermind that he said it would only take a day or two.
With the rest of the party off getting into some sort of trouble or another, Adamn took the time to find a corner of the cargo area and set up a small shrine and meditation area. After a relaxing afternoon of meditation and music, Adamn returned to his cabin and took a shower and changed into fresh clothes.
Refreshed and ready to hear about their adventures, Adamn headed to the galley to grab a bite and wait for the team to return.
Last Chance
What he heard was disturbing. They had failed to find a spike drive and only had one clue as a result of all their work. What was even more disturbing was the conversation Cam had with him and Striker about selling Mist...putting the whole mission at risk for some petty fuckin cash.
It took a while to calm down, but Adamn knew what had to be done.
Giving the kid one last chance to grow up and act like a team member and not a teenage idiot is a chance he didn’t deserve, but would get. Having finished writing the letter to the Starhaven Council, Adamn’s finger hovers over the “send” button for several seconds before he delays that action and goes to wait for the teenager by the ship’s exit ramp.
Cam will encounter Adamn as he leaves the ship. It will be somewhat obvious that Adamn is waiting for Cam and wants to talk alone. Adamn is obviously angry but reigning it in and trying to keep a straight face. Adamn tells Cam that he is no longer a petty criminal on a dilapidated spacestation. He’s a member of the most important team in the entire system. Don’t squander the best chance you’ve ever had by taking unnecessary and risky side jobs. It will only prove all the people who said you were too young and immature to be a part of the team, right. Forget about the Mist and focus on the mission; the spike drive…we can leave right now.
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Adamn's Response
Cam stood and stared at Adamn, waiting. Cam’s response had been acceptable…hell, it had been good, although Adamn could have done without the “but I was trying to do right” whininess. Looking at the bag full of Mist containers he was now carrying, he sighed. He’d never gone on “the journey” as some of the priests from the monastery had called it and now wasn’t the right time to “go exploring”. Perhaps someday after the mission…they had always looked like they were having such a good time.
“Come with me Cam. Let’s go find out how dangerous this shit is.” Adamn said in a much calmer voice than he had had a few seconds ago. Adamn headed to the cargo bay with Cam following and dropped the bag full of mist containers into the concealed space they had for just such items. They could look up how to properly dispose of them later…or at worst they could dump them out the airlock.
Right now, he needed a little more time to inspect the biohazard canisters in the med lab and find out exactly what they are…then he’d know if Cam should sell them. Adamn headed to the medbay and proceeded to thoroughly inspect the three briefcases and their content.
Bioweapons for sale
"What the eff is taking him soooo long?" Cam thought as he headed towards the medbay.
Upon getting to the medbay, he could see one briefcase that was open on the table, medical shit littered haphazardly around it. Something was hooked up to the medcomp and showing a video that Adamn seemed to be watching on slow motion and then rewinding...over and over.
"So, can I sell them or not? You were the one in a hurry." Cam stated from behind the old priest.
"Sorry kid...I ruined one figuring out what it is. Take the two that aren't opened." Adamn stated while never turning his head away from the video, and then continued, "Don't get caught...and don't leave any traces that connect it to us."
<If Cam or anyone on the team asks what it is, Adamn will tell them what he found out.>
"I brought the option of what to do to you. I could have gone on my own, but I didn't. I thought we could use the money. That's a lot of credits to destroy. But I'll let you make the decision. I think it's riskier to keep the mist on board. However, it could be used as a bargaining chip with those pirates if we meet them again, which is likely. I'm not sure what else I could have done differently. Yes, it was a mistake to take the drug without knowing what it was. I'll admit that. Dumb mistake. Won't happen again. But, I found ways to sell what we have. I thought I was doing the right thing for the mission."
"What do you want to do with the Bio-hazard sample? Again I think it's risky keeping here and it could be worth a lot. I'm all for finding another venue to dispense with it if you think we can get more for it somewhere else?"
"My goal was only to secure better funding for the mission. I think we are going to need better weapons, better medical capabilities and more firepower for the ship. Starlight Haven isn't going to give us any of that. You've seen what we're up against. Hell, we almost lost Corvus. We're going to have to fend for ourselves. I don't think that is being immature. But, what do I know. I'm only sixteen."
He hands Adamn the bag of Mist and waits for an answer about the bio-hazard.
Earlier in the day...
Cam tells the group about the first two meetups to sell the weapons and biohazard. He keeps the third meetup from Zhukov. He physically secures the mist so that Zhukov can't get to it. He does this by teleporting into a secure location to hide it temporarily until time for the third meetup. He keeps the details of the third meetup to himself until he is sure Striker and Mark's character won't betray him. If there is any talk of not selling the mist, Cam will think about selling it on his own.
When Cam tells Striker and Adamn about the possible Mist sale, they seem a little odd about it. Awkward. Uncomfortable.
Cam observes Striker and Adamn closely. Will they go along with the plan? Surely they won't rat him out...
Cam hears a voice in his head, which is sort of disconcerting.
"We're on a mission to acquire a spike drive...probably the most valuable artifact in the whole system that anyone could possibly find. If it's here, or associated with Veridian in anyway, we'll be stealing it according to them. And you want to risk that for a side hustle? Attract attention when we're trying to stay unnoticed? What is wrong with you!?"
Cam observes Striker and Adamn closely. Are they the source of the voice in his head? Is someone tracking him, and reading his thoughts? Is someone fucking with him. But, as good as Cam is at reading people, and as awkward as Striker and Adamn seem about the drug sale, it doesn't appear to Cam that either of them are trying to fuck with him by getting into his head.
As if in answer to an unasked question, Cam says aloud, "We are under funded. We need money to keep this mission alive. It's only a resource. I can handle it on my own. I won't ask for you to risk anything.";
When Cam initially came up to Striker and told him his plan to sell the items Striker stared at him blankly and turned and walked off without saying a word. While this behavior is not totally out of character for Striker, it certainly made him look like a huge asshole.
Later that same day when Striker was able to corner Cam without potential eavesdroppers, he lets him know that he thought about it, and his dedication to the mission is priority #1, and to that end having some extra income to further the mission objectives will be required in the future. So, if this is what needs to be done, he will support it 100%, but asked that Cam only accept top dollar for the premium goods.
(Mark Stinson Adding to this Story)
Cam is listening to Adamn give him a bit of a lecture, part scolding, part pep-talk, and part fatherly lecture. Cam can feel himself pulling away from the priest. Rebelling against his tone...his control. His attempt to guide him. Does this priest think Cam is just a kid? Money fixes the ship. Money keeps food in their stores. Money bribes pirates and government officials alike. And the Mist is essentially just money in drug form. All they need to do it have a meeting, sell the drugs, and it'll be easy money.
Suddenly thoughts that aren't his own flood into his head. Thoughts in a different voice. Cam realizes he's reading the priest's mind. He's hearing the priest's thoughts! A few things become very clear to Cam:
• Adamn is very angry about Cam’s shenanigans and is doing everything he can to restrain himself and not lash out. The priest is remembering being beaten by the priests in the order/monastery that raised him. The priest is having an internal dialogue about how he was raised is not the best way to communicate with Cam effectively.
• Adamn has an overwhelming “faith” or conviction that what they’re doing, the search for the spike drive, is the most important thing possible…It is as if the priest believes they are all on "a mission for God.”
• In Adamn’s mind’s eye, he is picturing a letter he has written. The letter is about removing Cam from the team and the mission. Cam looks over this image in Adamn's mind, and everyone on the team has already signed the letter. Is this real? Have they really all agreed to remove Cam if he doesn't listen to this advice from Adamn?
• Adamn is also remembering all the times he’s left people behind. Remembering when he left the monastery, the mining planet, the pirates. Every time he's lost people. Every time he's been willing to leave people behind, if there was a meaning and a purpose to suffering the loss.
Cam shakes his head, clearing the foreign thoughts from his mind. Adamn is finishing up his speech. "Forget about the Mist and focus on the mission; the spike drive…we can leave right now."
Cam realizes he has a big decision to make....