The Primeval Path is part of a chronological, episodic series. If you have not read any previous stories from the currents of Infinite Wild, I suggest you start from the beginning.
The illuminated yellow text of the viamorr leaderboard floated in a circle near the ceiling of the Garage Bar. It wasn’t the nicest bar in the currents, but it was nicer than the Aubyrn Inn. Protruding off the side of the anchored spacescraper, Paddock, the Garage was where the viamorr teams refueled their livers while their higher ups bought supplies and negotiated contracts. When the flows were too low or too high for much activity in the currents, the Garage tended to fill up with anxious viamorrs killing time before returning to the float. They watched their rankings, drank, watched for new first float opportunities, drank, argued about their rankings, drank, and fought over first float opportunities.
Noah read the names off the leaderboard and muttered something under his breath.
“Any update?” asked Maryna.
“Nothin’.” said Noah. “I’m telling you, the flow is right, they’re gonna post something.”
“They’re waiting for me to finish my vodka.” said Maryna.
“Gonna be awhile.” said Noah. He downed the rest of his whiskey.
Maryna finished her drink. “Next round’s on you.”
“I got the last one.” said Noah.
“Just seeing how drunk you are.” said Maryna.
“Shit, Ryna, I reckon I can outdrink anyone in the currents except you.” said Noah. “Domm gives you some kind of secret evolution for processing alcohol.”
“You say that like you’re jealous.” said Maryna.
“I am!” said Noah. “If I didn’t have to get drunk I’d be able to drink a lot more.”
“So, next round’s on you?” said Maryna.
Noah smirked and looked around the table.
“Nope.” said Warui. “Do not rush a fine wine.”
“There ain’t no fine wine at the Garage.” said Noah.
“This isn’t from the Garage.” said Warui. He held up a bottle of Seven Splits wine.
Across the table, Gabriel cringed. “Might as well be troller fuel.”
“I remember you liking it.” said Warui.
“Oh I did.” said Gabriel. “When I said troller fuel, I meant it in a good way. Makes me go faster.”
“Sounds like the name of a good whiskey.” said Noah.
“Want some?” asked Warui.
“No. I’m sampling the sake.” Gabriel poured a small portion into a glass for Reina. They clinked glasses and took a small sip.
“Next round, then?” Maryna asked Noah.
Noah stared at the leaderboard. “Yeah I’ll take another whiskey. Lemme try the rye.”
“No. Noah.” said Maryna. “I’m asking you for another round.”
“Ok.” said Noah. “Same thing? Keep an eye on that leaderboard.”
“I know what we’re looking for.” said Maryna.
“What are we looking for?” asked Reina.
“That scrolling text will turn red.” said Maryna. “And it will switch from reading team names to listing new first float requests from anywhere in the currents.”
“How often do they update it?” asked Reina.
“Every day, once a week, never.” Maryna shrugged. “We just want to see a route that’s close enough to us to be able to go for it.”
“And what happens then?” asked Reina.
“It’ll stay red until someone has floated it.” said Maryna. “But our job is to turn it green. Once a route has been floated, navigated, it’ll list as green for about a week, then get removed.”
“Don’t forget about the leaderboard.” said Noah. He passed a vodka to Maryna, a sake to Gabriel and Reina, and freed his hand to take a sip of his whiskey. “We’re gonna be in there this lap.”
“Our float at the Pinch didn’t do it?” asked Gabriel? “And our FKT in the Labyrinth?”
Noah sat back down. “Those are leaderboard results. But we need more volume. Sustenance takes a lot of detours.”
“How do they calculate it, then?” asked Reina.
“One part first floats, one part fastest known times, and one part bullshit.” said Noah.
“Any points for second?” asked Reina.
“No, darling.” said Maryna. “Second place doesn’t incentivize exploration, speed. It’s better to try for a route nobody else is trying. It’s a remarkable waste of collective resources to go for a float with other teams involved.”
“So, we choose wisely.” said Reina.
“Whiskey helps.” said Noah.
“You know what else helps?” a new voice entered the conversation. Vlad Khorkov stroked his red beard.
“Stealing people’s routes?” said Maryna.
“The only thing I will steal is your heart, my blue skinned goddess.” said Vlad. “And maybe a higher place on the leaderboard.”
“I guess being in the top twenty five for a viamorr team with your sponsorship levels is supposed to impress us?” said Noah.
“Not you.” said Vlad. “Just her.”
“Already been down that route. Still not interested.” said Maryna.
Vlad pushed his way onto the bench next to Maryna. “You know, I can’t recall the last time a woman from Domm said no to me. ‘Cept you. The last time.”
“Ain’t gonna be a next time.” said Noah. “We know ain’t no women from Domm saying yes to you, maybe the men.”
“I’ve killed for less.” said Vlad.
“Been waitin’ on you to try.” said Noah.
Vlad reached across the table and grabbed Noah by his collar and threw him across the floor. Noah wiped off his arms and stood up, walked back to the table.
“You know what.” said Noah. “Maybe I over reacted. We both know Ryna can handle herself, don’t we.”
“Noah.” said Maryna. She didn’t have to plan a route with her photographic memory to see what came next.
“Nah, it’s ok, Ryna. We don’t need to fight over ya.” said Noah. “Not tonight. Not when there’s a first float coming up.”
“You’re gonna take this team into a first float with Hammer and Razputin Resources docked at the same scaper?” said Vlad. “This is why you’ve never hit the leaderboard. You have no strategy. Never did. That’s why you’ll never get the big sponsors.”
“Too bad.” said Noah. “See I was gonna let this all go, let it slide right off my mature back.”
“Sounds like you.” said Vlad. “Always been too soft.”
“Only around you.” said Noah.
“Shut your unevolved mouth.” said Vlad. The Garage grew silent, the tension billowed out to other tables. The yellow leaderboard text rotated in the air above Noah and Vlad and read Razputin Resources.
“The thing about my mouth is, I need it for drinking.” said Noah. “And you spilled my whiskey. So this can go one of two ways. Either you buy me a bottle of a twenty year old single malt from my unevolved home planet. Or, I can show you what it feels like to get hit in the face by an unevolved fist.”
Vlad stepped away from the table. “Buy your own damn whiskey.”
Noah set his glass down on the table and took a deep breath. By the time he was done with his exhale he was flying through the air with his feet first. He landed his dropkick and tumbled onto the ground with Vlad. The two leads took turns with their elbows and fists and feet and alternated between throwing each other down on different tables. With each spilled beer, each broken bottle, another viamorr team joined the fray.
Gabriel shielded Reina from any collateral damage and Warui shielded Gabriel. The four-lunged Bustani from the low reaches of the vines used his endurance and craftiness to bind a few fighters with twisted napkins and did his best not to spill his bottle of Seven Splits. Maryna sprinted and slid across a table to make a preemptive strike on a woman pulling out a knife and threw a plate like a frisbee to save the barmaid from a violent patron. By the time the yellow letters on the leaderboard flashed from yellow to red to indicate a new round of first float assignments, the entire Garage was engulfed in some kind of altercation.
Noah was on his back taking blows from Vlad when the listing on the ceiling changed. “Shit, VK! I need my face looking good for the cameras when we finish higher than you on the leaderboard.”
“We could rest at fifteen for the rest of the lap and we wouldn’t have to worry about you catching us.” said Vlad. He took a moment to breathe while keeping Noah pinned.
“I don’t know I reckon that new listing could get us to crack the bottom half of the leaderboard.” said Noah.
“Wha?!” said Vlad.
Noah took his chance to get out from under Vlad and rolled over to the table where the rest of the team had gathered to catch their breath and nurse their wounds. All eyes were on the rotating red list. “Navi? What do you reckon?” he asked.
Maryna poured a shot of whiskey into Noah’s mouth and read through the listings. “Too far, too short, too many teams…”
“There’s gotta be something.” said Noah.
“What’s that one?” asked Reina. “I think it’s not far from Yama.”
“The Primeval Path.” said Noah. “Been on there since I first started floating.”
“Nobody’s tried?” asked Gabriel.
“Oh they’ve tried.” said Noah.
“Tried and died.” said Maryna. “Can’t plan a route. Not like normal.”
“What do you mean?” asked Gabriel.
“She means it’s not just asteroids in that tributary, it’s biological.” said Noah. “You know, space science.”
“I can plot out potentials based on flow and growth rates, maybe some other variables. But this isn’t an FKT mission. It’s methodical, several days.” said Maryna.
“It’s a mission that would get us in the top twenty five.” said Noah. “We’ll score for a first float as any other, but in my experience, weird stuff like this gets a lot of bullshit points, too.”
“You’re not the only one to think that.” said Warui. He nodded to Vlad and the Razputin Viamorr Team.
“VK is gonna go for it. He’s got the provisions, the fuel. That’ll slide them into the top ten I’d bet. Second place doesn’t get us any higher up the leaderboard.” said Maryna.
“We ain’t finishing second.” Noah said to his team. He winked at Vlad and finished a last shot of whiskey.
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