Arvid #2
The sandwich turned to sawdust in Arvid's mouth. "I'm sorry, did you just say another planet? With dragon shifters?"
"I did indeed. And from what you've told me about your research, you sound incredibly qualified to investigate this situation.
" Gerri's eyes flashed that odd gold color again.
"The symptoms they're describing sound remarkably similar to what you've been studying.
So, if you're interested, I could absolutely arrange transport there. Tomorrow, even."
Arvid set down her sandwich, her mind racing through the logical impossibilities of what she'd just heard. "Tomorrow? To another planet? To investigate an outbreak among... dragon shifters?"
"I realize it sounds completely mad," Gerri said gently. "But consider this—if there's even a chance that your research could save lives, wouldn't you want to try?"
The rational part of Arvid's brain cataloged all the reasons this was insane.
Interplanetary travel. Supernatural creatures.
A woman she'd met thirty minutes ago offering to transport her across the universe.
But another part—the part that had stayed behind to save seventeen soldiers when ordered to retreat—was already asking different questions.
"Tell me about the outbreak," she heard herself say. "Symptoms, transmission patterns, mortality rate."
Gerri's smile carried equal parts satisfaction and sorrow.
"The disease is called Ash Fever. It affects the dragon shifters' ability to maintain their dragon form, causes severe respiratory distress, and...
" She paused, meeting Arvid's eyes directly.
"People have already died, dear. Several people. "
The words hit Arvid like a punch. Lives hanging in the balance while she sat in a Dallas restaurant debating whether interplanetary travel was possible. The same instinct that had driven her to disobey direct orders three years ago flared to life.
"If I agreed to this—and I'm not saying I am—what would the logistics look like?"
"Meet me at the power plant tomorrow morning. Nine o'clock sharp." Gerri's tone carried the confidence of someone who already knew the outcome. "I'll handle all the travel arrangements and your accommodations in Ashvorn."
Arvid stared at this petite woman who spoke about interplanetary travel like scheduling a dentist appointment. Every rational thought screamed that this was elaborate delusion or an incredibly sophisticated scam.
But if people were dying…
"Alright," she said, the words emerging before her conscious mind could stop them. "I'll go and help."
Gerri's smile could have powered the restaurant's lighting. "Perfect. Nine o'clock sharp at the power plant."
She signaled the bartender, placing a crisp hundred-dollar bill on the bar. "This lovely woman's tab is on me tonight."
Before Arvid could protest, Gerri slipped from her stool with that same fluid grace and headed for the door. She paused just long enough to deliver a wink that somehow managed to be both reassuring and mischievous.
Arvid sat frozen, staring at the hundred-dollar bill while her mind struggled to process what had just happened. Dragon shifters. Another planet. An outbreak. She pulled out her phone with trembling fingers and dialed Maggie's number.
"Please tell me you're finally eating real food," Maggie answered on the second ring.
"Maggie, something completely insane just happened." Arvid's voice sounded strange to her own ears. "I'm at the restaurant, and this woman—Gerri—she offered me a job. On another planet. To investigate an outbreak among dragon shifters."
Silence stretched across the line before Maggie's laughter bubbled through the speaker. "Wow, Arvid. It sounds like the universe just rearranged some things."
"I suppose so because I told her yes." The admission felt surreal. "I'm supposed to meet her at the power plant tomorrow morning."
"Of course you did." Maggie's tone carried no surprise, only understanding. "And before you ask, of course you should go."
"But I feel terrible leaving you with the lab and our research. I don't know how long I'll be away on this other planet—assuming it actually exists and I'm not having some kind of breakdown right now."
"Don't worry about the lab. I've got it covered." Maggie's voice grew gentle. "Just go save those people, Arvid. Just like you saved me three years ago."
The reference to that terrible day sent a familiar stab of pain through Arvid's chest. She tried not to think about the choice that had cost her so much, but Maggie's words reminded her why that choice had been inevitable.
"Thanks, Maggie. I'll update you when I can."
The call ended, leaving Arvid alone with her thoughts and a rapidly cooling sandwich. An alien world with an alien outbreak in a dragon shifter community.
What had she just committed to?
But as she resumed eating, her mind was already shifting into the analytical mode that had served her through three combat deployments.
If Ash Fever resembled Dragon's Blight, she'd need to understand the transmission vectors, identify the pathogen's behavior in dragon physiology, and determine whether existing treatments could be modified for a different species entirely.
The excitement building in her chest felt dangerously close to hope—the first real hope she'd experienced since building her small, predictable life three years ago.