Small Gains

It was a shame it had to happen, but it had to happen.

I'd been working on my ore samples for weeks, taking careful readings, gathering the data and meticulously inching towards the moment of discovery when I might finally crack into the secret of some of the strange minerals of this world. I was sure I'd only need one more day, alone, with the lab equipment to myself, to finally push us over the edge and one of the solve the mysteries of Da Vinci's surface.

I'm sure you can imagine my distress when I arrived then, only to find the terminals I desperately needed to do my work already occupied. Worse, I saw as she turned around, the trespasser was none other than Sebine. You don't know her yet, but you will, and though she smiled, I could see the thrill of victory in her beady little eyes, counting a point in favor of her and her ring. She was working on the same project, you see, and we've been rivals for ages, so this was a bit of a coup for her. I'm still not sure how they managed to skip the queue - or who they talked into doing it for them - but nevertheless, she'd managed it. For now, anyway.