Chapter 268: It's Pretty Bad
Employee Assessment Log 01
By Dan, after so long filed away performing experiments, I forgot what it was like to engage in some good old career development. With the unfortunate reality of diminishing supplies, it’s a breath of fresh air to begin a mentorship program and to see our first new employee in hundreds of years.
That said, the youth of today are odd. Not at all the type of young, bright-eyed, inexperienced office-drones and lab-coat-wearing idealists we were used to. They are cynical, stubborn, and dry-humored. But their work ethic? Something else entirely. I struggle to compare them to even our most eager go-getters, since they’ve been trained since birth on a planet that requires struggle to survive. I have to admit, I wonder what Vortex could have been if we'd had the drive of these youth fueling our invention engine.
I have to admit, though this one is wary and afraid of me, I’ve already cataloged several encouraging traits.
And, I’d like to think that you, Dan, would’ve seen what I’m seeing, too. That hardheaded nature is a pain to deal with, but it’s exactly the fortitude needed to revive our company in the face of these new challenges and environments. To think, to find such a rare talent like this, after being locked away for so long?
For the first time, I think we have a bright future. If I let myself run truly exorbitant simulations, then maybe the future of Vortex Industries may be brighter than it ever has been before.
- VAL, Intern Erec’s Initial Assessment Logs. (307, 3rd Era)
"This is bad." Erec paced back and forth, Armor clanking as the plates shifted and the steel frame maneuvered. He glanced back at the camp; fires blazed, but the nomad pack was far away. More importantly, the Knights mingling amongst the pack was also far away.
The very moment he’d seen Garin in the trunk, he’d slammed it, and told Enide to drive them out as far as she could but still enough not to lose track.