“I have big news,” Epic announced.

Ode stared at his breakfast and pointedly ignored her. Epic had this annoying habit of announcing that she had something to say, then waiting for someone to ask what it was. Ode had long ago given up indulging it. His fellow Surveyors, unfortunately, had not.

“What is it?” Sonnet asked.

Epic leaned forward conspiratorially. “Well, you know how there’s a new ship arriving today? To pick up the latest shipment of Astral Dew and drop off spices and medicine and equipment and all the usual things? Well, Bishop Bradford just told me that they’re also dropping off a high-speed submarine. They’re going to take me out to the ocean to look for signs of Astral Dew.”

Ode gave her a quizzical look “Astral Dew is only found on land.”

“That’s what I said,” Epic replied. “But apparently on some planets they’ve found it in the ocean.”

Sonnet clapped her hands excitedly. “That will be so much fun. Even if you don’t find any Astral Dew, you’ll at least get to see some impressive sights.”

“She won’t be able to see anything,” Ode pointed out. “It’s dark in the ocean.”

“Anyway,” Epic continued seriously, “I hope I do find something. It’s getting harder to find the stuff. If we don’t find anything, we’ll all end up like poor Elegy next year.”

Epic and Sonnet shared a laugh. The Surveyors’ Festival had been a delight this year. The managers had arranged for their workers to pool donations to commission an enormous painting of the younger Surveyors, which now hung in the entryway of the estate where it dwarfed a similar painting of the previous generation of Surveyors. Coupled with the numerous other gifts of musical compositions, decorations, and food, it served as a reminder of how much their work was valued. In their childhood, the gifts had mostly consisted of toys, and Ode was pleased to know that in his adulthood, the people were still finding ways to delight him.

Ode ate his breakfast slowly, ignoring Epic boasting about how important her new job was. Instead he stared at the vase of flowers sitting in the center of the long table of the dining hall. He had never understood why the servants always put them there? Why decorate the room with something that would shortly die when fake flowers looked just as nice? It was the same as the garden. The other Surveyors delighted in watching the garden grow, relishing every time new flowers bloomed. Between growth cycles, they would speculate about what colors would decorate the garden next season. Ode supposed it was nice that they enjoyed it, but he failed to understand the point of it all.

As he was finishing his meal, the door opened, admitting Bishop Mender. He was one of the younger bishops, barely older than Ode himself, but he carried himself with the same dignity as all of the Supervisor-Bishops.

“Ode, would you come with me?” he asked. “The CEO wishes to speak with you.”

Epic and Sonnet blinked, surprised. It was unusual for the CEO to speak with the Surveyors outside of company events, and he almost always spoke to them as a group, not as individuals. Ode felt a confused sort of excitement as he wondered whether this was a good or bad thing.

Ode followed the bishop out of the estate and through the gardens to the CEO’s office across campus. A cool breeze ran through Ode’s short hair as they made their way past the Benefactors’ estate, the security office, the supervisors’ tabernacle, and human resources until they reached the CEO’s building, a mid-sized glass structure built on a hillside looking out over the port.

Inside was the sort of expensive-yet-drab decoration that marked most of the business-focused buildings on campus. The lobby was a huge two-floor affair full of tables and chairs where employees, Ode included, would gather on the days of arrivals and departures to watch the ships land and take off. An abstract sculpture made up of a series of blob-like shapes hung suspended from the ceiling.

The bishop led Ode through the lobby and up a set of elevators which required a key. They opened into the familiar office of the CEO’s secretary, who politely smiled at Ode and buzzed the two in.

The office of Archbishop CEO Craig Manter of the Lasstopian Branch of the Arvakr Corporation took up almost the entire floor on its own. It was as much a receiving hall as an office, flanked by intimidating bookshelves full of records and holy texts, and with a lengthy walk from the entrance to the CEO’s desk at the end.

The CEO himself was there, of course, wearing his usual suit marked with the stylized A of the Arvakr logo on each breast, and sitting in his ornate chair behind his desk. However, to Ode’s surprise, he was surrounded by several of the Exalted Researchers. Why would so many Benefactors want to talk to Ode?

“Thank you, Bishop,” the CEO said as they approached the desk. “You may leave us.”

The bishop bowed, and took his leave. Somehow his absence made Ode suddenly nervous, though he wasn’t sure why he should be.

Archbishop Manter smiled. “Ode, it’s so good to see you. How does this day find you?”

“I am well, Your Excellency,” Ode replied with a bow.

The archbishop nodded. “Good, good. And how are your fellow Surveyors?”

“Epic and Sonnet are also well. Epic is very excited about her new assignment.”

“I bet she is,” the archbishop said with a laugh. “I’m very excited about this new project, too. If it’s successful, the home office will be pleased, and that will be good for all of us. However, this brings us to the reason I’ve called you here.”

“Yes, Your Excellency?” Ode asked, trying not to let his nervousness show.

“As you know, Surveyor Elegy spent the last few days at our latest dig site.”

This was already odd. Why was he speaking in past tense?

“It seems that during that time, he encountered an ancient ship which he believed to belong to the ancient Benefactors,” the archbishop continued. “On this ship, he found a living man held in a stasis pod.”

Ode felt a stab of jealousy. To think that Elegy of all people had accomplished something like that. “He found a living ancient Benefactor? That’s huge!”

The archbishop frowned and Ode felt his heart sink. “There’s an aspect of the war which we have not revealed to the people of Lasstop because it brings us shame.”

He sighed heavily. “During the war, some of the ancient Benefactors turned against the rest, instead siding with the Queen and aided her in her attempts to destroy everything they had built. These are known in the holy texts as the False Benefactors. We believe that the man Elegy has encountered is one of these False Benefactors.”

“Then you’ve arrested him? What happened to Elegy?” Elegy was so much more delicate than Ode. Ode shuddered at the idea of his fellow Surveyor in that type of danger.

“Unfortunately, it seems that this False Benefactor was able to trick Elegy and his maid into helping him repair his ship, and the three of them have left the planet.”

Ode gasped. 

“The home office has already been informed and is currently mounting a search effort. However, they’ve requested our assistance.”

“Anything I can do to help,” Ode declared without hesitation.

Archbishop Mantor gestured to the gathered Benefactors. “I’ve been speaking with the Exalted Scientists about your abilities. You are able to sense the other Surveyors, correct?”

This was true. For as long as he could remember, he had been able to sense the Astral Dew within his fellow Surveyors. It was different from the Astral Dew found in the ground. It felt alive, like the fuel of ships as they landed and took off. Even now, he could detect both Epic and Sonnet in the direction of the estate, as well as Couplet, the last remaining Surveyor of the previous generation, who spent most of her time in her room. Her signal was always stronger than the others.

“I can, but only within a few miles. If you’re asking me where Elegy is, I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

“Not on your own, perhaps, but working with the rest of the search operation, you could prove invaluable,” the CEO replied.

Ode stiffened. “Do you mean…?”

The archbishop nodded. “Yes. If you’re willing, we will be sending you up tomorrow to join in the effort to recover Elegy and stop the False Benefactor.”

Ode tried not to shake with excitement. “Archbishop, I’m honored that my skills can assist you in this way. I will not disappoint you.”

“You must understand, it’s not just your power that we’re relying on,” Archbishop Mantor continued. “A familiar face may help Elegy recognize the lies that he’s been told.”

Ode felt his heart sink. He didn’t want to say this, but he knew that the archbishop valued humbleness and honesty. “In that case, it may be better to take Epic or Sonnet. Elegy is closer to them than he is to me.”

The archbishop shook his head. “It must be you. Your faith in our teachings is stronger than any of your fellow Surveyors. As part of this assignment, you are going to require knowledge of certain company secrets, which we fear would confuse those who lack your clarity of the importance of our beliefs.”

Ode could feel the weight of this responsibility, but he knew he would shoulder it well. He had always known he was the most professional of the Surveyors. Elegy whined about everything that didn’t go his way, Sonnet was careless in her work, and Epic was constantly questioning the bishops, wondering if there was a way to help the poor when they already had every opportunity to improve their lives.

“The Benefactors have my complete faith. I will do my best to comprehend any secret you feel fit to tell me.”

“Good answer.” The archbishop gave a satisfied smile and Ode swelled with pride. “Ode, you are familiar with the good the Benefactors have brought to your world. There’s more than just protection from the Queen, of course. We have brought medicine and new technology. We give the people of this planet jobs and pay them money. The lives of everyone are greatly improved by our presence.”

“In a way, you pay us for our protection,” Ode said, repeating something one of the bishops had once told him.

“Exactly. So, naturally, it’s reasonable to expect that Arvakr get something out of the deal, correct?”

Ode nodded. That did seem reasonable.

“This planet is protected from the Queen. However, this isn’t the only planet under the Arvakr Corporation’s protection. So, if the Arvakr Corporation were to take some of the Astral Dew harvested on your planet and use it to provide protection for these other planets, that would be fair, wouldn’t it? Our workers are still paid for their work. This planet is still safe. And you still receive the many benefits we have brought you.”

“But if those other planets aren’t finding Astral Dew, how do they earn your protection?” Ode asked.

“Excellent question.” Archbishop Mantor waved a finger at Ode to punctuate the compliment. “Suffice to say that they provide for us in a variety of other ways. It would take too long to go into, now, though on your journey I encourage you to research and learn about the work Arvakr does across the galaxy. It’s quite fascinating. But that does seem fair, right? That even if they can’t provide their own Astral Dew, that they earn our protection in other ways?”

“That does seem fair,” Ode agreed.

The archbishop began to speak slowly, choosing his words carefully. “And as you know, Astral Dew has many uses. It also acts as fuel for our ships, for example. And the Astral Dew harvested from this planet is the property of the Arvakr Corporation. So it is ours to do with as we please, so long as we keep up our end of the bargain and protect this planet from the Queen, correct?”

“We still get paid, so it’s still fair,” Ode said.

“But that’s all very complicated, you see? Can you imagine how your fellow Surveyors might react to that news?”

Ode thought for a moment. “They would likely become emotional. Fail to realize that it doesn’t really change anything.”

“Exactly,” the Archbishop said with a nod. “We need a way to explain the benefits of this system to those who aren’t rational enough to understand why it’s advantageous. Many people, on hearing this news, would claim that the Lasstopians are being treated unfairly. They would say that you just deserve to just have all of the things we’ve brought you and more, with nothing given in exchange.”

“It’s absurd when you think about it,” Ode agreed. “I don’t understand why more people don’t see it that way.”

Archbishop Mantor gave Ode a serious look. The secrets weren’t done yet. “Astral Dew does not protect you from the Queen. It is fuel. We hire the people of this planet to harvest it, then we sell it to others.”

Ode could feel the tension from the other side of the room. Not just from the Archbishop. All of the scientists looked nervous as they waited to see how he would react to this news. This was a huge shift in his reality. For all of his life, he had been told that his work was vital for his planet’s survival. Of course, it still was, wasn’t it? If there was no one to find Astral Dew, there would be no way for the workers to harvest it and earn the money they needed to buy food and shelter. The economy would collapse and people would starve to death. Ode’s work was just as vital as it ever had been. It hurt being lied to, he supposed, but he understood why the Benefactors had chosen to do so. Most people were too emotional to understand what he had just been told. If anything, he should feel proud that he had proven himself worthy of hearing this secret.

“This changes nothing,” he said. There was a collective sigh of relief from the others.

The Archbishop stood and walked around his desk, offering his hand, which Ode shook. “I believe you’re going to flourish in this new assignment, Ode. Now, you’d best start getting packed.”