Jacob "Mute" Burnley

Mute stared into a mirror. He looked the part, but he was concerned about more than looking presentable. He had to prepare his mind, as well, the fear of rejection weighing down on him. He turned to leave, stepping out of his quarters and into a long hallway. Metal doors lined each wall, save for sections of the building that were missing.   While sturdy, the complex was a ruin. They were all ruins. This fact was the one he struggled with the most when he came to Safeharbor. Humanity survives on the bones of those who came before.   He walked down the hall to the makeshift elevator. Stepping inside, he pressed the down button and crossed his arms. He heard the sound of metal on metal as the elevator began its descent. The shaft was open, a section of the building stripped and butchered for parts.   He could see for miles. He saw the faint light through cracks and windows as others woke and began their day. He saw the steam and smoke billowing from Caydie's Cradle in the distance. He watched the blue star creep over the horizon and scoffed. Beats the station, Mute thought. Can’t find much better than this view.   When the elevator stopped, he stepped out. He casually walked along the metal ground, avoiding patches of wet, red moss that covered most of the planet-wide city. He watched as people appeared and disappeared from view.   He knew it would be an eventful day, but dreaded every moment of it. He paused and waited for the tram to arrive. He wondered how late it would be, if it showed up at all. Last week it was a roadblock, a collapsed building. It took a hundred people to clear it off the tramway. He came prepared, though. He wouldn't need to be at his destination for another two hours.   In the end, he arrived at the admiral's office fifteen minutes early. Mute remembered her voice. How could he forget? When he arrived, it was the only other human he heard in years, apart from Caydie's . She reached over to a rectangular device on her desk and pressed a red button. Only then did she ask him to enter...

Miranda reached out and stopped the recording. She sighed and shook her head, the look on her face was hard, colder than before. Mute assumed she wasn’t much for smiling, but this caught him off guard.   “Did I say something?” he asked.   “Listen very carefully. I’m in the military. That means I have superiors to answer to, even as the admiral.” She paused and adjusted herself, shifting in her seat before continuing, “The Elders of Safeharbor are not particularly fond of the wayfarers. They make it my job to try and dissuade recruits from joining.”   “You’re asking me to quit?”   “Absolutely not,” she said, shaking her head and giving the slightest smirk. She clasped her hands together and rested them on her desk. “I’m just explaining what will happen when I begin recording again. I’m not one for government meddling. I want you to make your own decision, no matter how much I insist.”   “I understand, but what's the point? I never heard of any tension going on. ”   “Frankly, I doubt the wayfarers even know it exists,” she replied, reaching for the recorder again. "There isn't a single answer on this recording that they care about. They will skip everything leading up to what I'm about to ask you. It's a front. They want you anxious when you walk into this room, makes you easier to manipulate."

Mute shook his head. When she stopped recording, he laughed. “Do they seriously think that’s going to get people to change their minds?” Miranda took a deep breath before answering, “You’d be surprised how often it does. You only need navigational training and combat training to make it official. I’ve already scheduled navigation. You need to be at the orientation complex in Dawn. The course begins tonight at 8.” She paused and watched as he nodded and stood up from his seat. She didn’t speak again until he nearly left the room. “Good luck.”