.

(A/N: For anyone reading, feel free to use the first names I give these characters in your own writings if you want. Heck, use the head-canons and backstories too if you like them. Or even any ideas in general. They're pretty open-source.)

Thomas Danby

Thomas Danby had been genuine every time he told his parents he wanted to be a doctor. He'd admired mother so much for what she'd done. She'd been so excellent at it. Nothing would have pleased him more than to follow in her footsteps and be every bit as good. Reading medical texts, though, was one thing. Studying them and remembering the things he'd read had been quite another, and by the time he was in med school, mother was, well, unavailable. The stroke was the first sign something was wrong. By then it was too late. She took a turn for the worse not long after, so couldn't offer him much help. Turned out even doctors weren't immune to sickness. Given all of that and everything mother was suffering, disappointing her and father hadn't been something he could bring himself to do. If they had ever learned what their son had done instead, though, he would have been a bigger disappointment to them than he ever could have been if he'd just confessed he'd gotten in over his head. As a youth, he hadn't realized as much. As an adult he certainly did. Not that it mattered anymore. Mother hadn't lasted long and father couldn't go on without her, so took his own life. He cursed the old man for that. You would have thought he could at least hang on for his son, but maybe he hadn't deserved to keep his father. He was nothing either of them would have been proud of anymore.

It had been his biochemistry teacher who found him out when he was in medical school. Caught him buying answers for an exam from another student. The teacher made an example of that other student most severely, and Danby knew his head was on the chopping block next, but to his surprise, that wasn't how the whole thing played out. As it turned out, his biochemistry teacher had suspected something was amiss for quite some time. You see, Danby had passed the first exam with flying colours. That exam, though, had been one the students were supposed to fail. It was never designed to be passable. It was designed to assess one's knowledge. Going into it, Danby had known how to answer only a handful of the questions. Far from enough to pass. He'd panicked and the rest was history. Maybe if he'd known from the start that it was a test meant to be failed, his confidence in himself wouldn't have been so shaken that he gave it up and took the lazy man's way out. The point was that from that day forth, his biochemistry teacher had been watching him intently. Not once had the man caught him cheating, and every time he thought he had, Danby talked his way out of it with lies and stories so convincing they simply couldn't be refuted, because usually they came with evidence. Of his own devising, by the way. What could he say? He'd taught himself to lie extremely well.

Danby would like to forget that what happened from that point on had ever happened. His teacher had taken him into his office, sat him down, and told him quite simply he could ruin him completely with only a few words just like he had with the student who had sold him the answers. End his school career, end any prospects of a future education, end every prospect he would ever have for a job afterward. He would be labeled a liar and a cheat, his life would be as good as over, and Danby had braced for the worst because he knew full well that he deserved it, but then the teacher had done something unexpected. Offered him an ultimatum…

Subnautica

"Alterra could use someone with your particular skills," the man said.

"What skills?" Danby numbly muttered, staring at the ground in a state of shock.

"Deception," the man replied. Danby looked quickly and warily up. "Tell you what. I'll keep quiet about this. Turn a blind eye, let you keep on going like you are, but in exchange, you owe something to Alterra."

Danby was wary of this, but Alterra already owned almost every aspect of his life, so what did it matter if they owned one more piece of it? "Go on," he cautiously replied. He never should have said those words.

"Alterra likes their flies on the wall."

"What?"

"Birds that sing."

"You're not making any sense."

"Mole's, boy. Eyes and ears to the ground."

Danby stared at him blankly. "Are you insane?" he soon said.

"Do you have a choice? Come now. It won't be so bad. Keep an eye on Alterra's rivals. A Mongolian or Sol or something stops in, chat them up. Maybe a little gas to make them really loose-lipped. If the company sends you a directive about a certain patient coming in, maybe be a little nonchalant about the doctor-patient confidentiality spiel. Corporate espionage, that's all. Everyone does it. Doctors are trusted. Extremely so. Not like you'd be the only one in that position."

"But…"

"It's that or your life is as good as ended."

"I can't just…!"

"One call." The teacher put a hand on the phone. "That's all it'll take to ruin you. One call." He picked it up, fingers hovering over the dial pad.

Danby had been stiffer than a board. "Yes," he'd finally said in a breath. "Yes, I'll do it." He was nothing if not a good liar, he told himself again. So maybe he didn't pry as much as they hoped he would. So maybe he wasn't as nonchalant about doctor-patient confidentiality as they expected him to be. He didn't want to disgrace his mother more than he already had, cheating his way through this ridiculous program. The Hippocratic Oath and doctor-patient confidentiality were all he had left! Alterra would never know. He wouldn't make a mistake like this again! They couldn't… they'd never know. He would handle this. He always found a way…

Subnautica

The longer he was their stooge, the more of him they stripped away without mercy. Doctor-Patient confidentiality? Hanging on by a thread. Read shattered. Hippocratic Oath? So far so good, so that was something at least. Honour? Nonexistent. It sucked the life out of you, but he'd brought this on himself he knew, and he was damn good at it. He stayed within firm parameters and never breached them, but Alterra had its ways of complicating things.

"What can you tell us about the Sol Ambassador that came in the other day?"

"Absolutely nothing. The man was tight-lipped."

"Gas?"

"Refused it."

"Questions?"

"Avoided."

"Concerns?"

"Routine checkup."

"Dammit, Danby! You're lying to us!"

"If you don't believe me when I have no information to give, why believe me when I do? If you aren't going to trust me, just end my misery. Don't keep me stuck in this vortex of yours any longer." The other was silent. "When I get results, I get them. Forgive me for the times I don't."

"Get out."

He nodded and left the room to return to his post. What could he say? He was exceedingly good at lying, and any mistakes made were never repeated. The information the Ambassador had spilled under gas was more than he could have hoped for and extremely serious. A nightmare for the Sol Trans-Gov if Alterra got a hold of it. It was better it stay secret. Who knew? Perhaps it would one day be of use to him instead. He couldn't imagine how, but it was possible. The next patient coming in was from the Savannah Trans-Gov. He couldn't afford to keep this one's secrets, so too bad for him. With luck, it was just some grunt who had nothing of any importance to offer but something that might seem like it was of interest to Alterra anyway.

Subnautica

Avery Quinn was the man's name. A skilled Captain, apparently, but in the grand scheme of things nothing of any note whatsoever. Alterra wouldn't be pleased, but here was hoping the man had something wrapped up in that head of his. "It's not often the Savannah Trans Gov crosses into Alterra's territories. Special occasion?" he casually asked the man as the machines were doing their job scanning him.

"Nothing in particular. Just a stopover on the way to Mongolian-controlled space."

"Mongolian? Really? What's the occasion in the Mongolian Independent States?"

"Some mutually beneficial transports," Avery replied.

"Nothing untoward I hope."

"Not as far as I'm aware. Are all you Alterrans so suspicious?"

"Business is cutthroat, as they say," Danby replied. "Alterra's always interested when its rivals meet up together near its regions."

"Gonna give themselves aneurysms if they keep up like that. The Savannahs and Mongolians aren't plotting anything, and if they were, darned if I'd know about it. I fly the ships, nothing more."

"And I treat patients. Whatever Alterra worries itself over isn't any of my concern either. A good thing the Sols aren't also involved in this little partnership though, or Alterra really would malfunction."

Avery smirked a bit. "The goods are being delivered to the Sols."

"You love playing dangerously, don't you?"

"Alterra should learn to mind its own business."

"I agree, but that's not how corporate works. Eyes on all rivals at all times. Tell me the Savannahs are any different."

"We are. We're little enough that we don't sweat the small stuff or work ourselves up over potential trade alliances or whatever other kinds of alliances the Trans Govs form. Again, not my problem. I fly a ship, I drop off goods, I go home."

"Well then I wish you the best on your trip," Danby said. He had enough information now that it would pacify Alterra anyway.

Subnautica

The Alterra Board listened with eyes wide to Danby's report about the Savannah-Sol-Mongolian trade dealings. Danby personally didn't think it was anything worth getting up in arms about, but if they wanted to panic themselves over the matter, that was their business. His work was done as soon as this meeting was over.

"It seems the Mongolians are pushing their limits these days. Stepping out of line. They've been headed that way for a while now. It's unacceptable."

"They're doing business like everyone else," Danby said in mild annoyance. "Besides, are we forgetting the Savannahs and Sols are also involved?"

"No doubt a Mongolian initiative."

"You're assuming," Danby said. Not a surprise of course, given how much Alterra looked down on the Mongolian States, but mildly offputting nonetheless.

"The Savannahs wouldn't dare and the Sols are lost in their own little dream worlds. Mongolia is the only facilitator that would make sense."

"Assumptions once again. No matter. Believe what you want. My work is done."

"We'll be in touch, Danby. We may have another job for you soon with Mongolia's name written all over it."

"Oh I'm sure you will," Danby dryly said before signing off. Hopefully, they'd let whatever they were thinking fall to the wayside. Breaking out into war with the Mongolian States was in no one's best interests. Last he'd checked, Alterra was trying to stabilize relations with them besides. It would be ridiculous to jeopardize that over something they couldn't even prove. Then again, it was Alterra. They were capable of a lot if they got ideas into their heads and let them fester. Once more, though, not his business. He headed home and put the whole affair out of mind. A pity it couldn't have stayed that way.

Subnautica

As established, when it came to spying for Alterra, he'd always stayed within firm parameters and never breached them. He wouldn't let himself. So, when something new came across his desk sure enough centering on the Mongolian States, well, he wasn't pleased.

"You want me to what?!" Danby demanded, furious at this new directive they had given him. It wasn't the norm. It was out of his realm of expertise! He didn't want this!

"The assignment is straightforward," his handler calmly replied.

"No! I agreed to be your little fly on the wall, for years I played that role to a T, but I never agreed to something like this! I am a doctor, sir. My job is to save people, not harm them!"

"You're a pretend doctor, Danby. Nothing more, nothing less," the man replied coldly.

The words stung hard, even though he knew they were true, and he flinched to hear them. There was a beat of silence. "That doesn't mean I take the Hippocratic oath any lighter," he answered more quietly. It was all he had left. The only thing he could cling to anymore.

"You spat on that oath when you lied your way through medical school!" the man snapped.

"My success rate says otherwise," Danby quietly answered.

"The computer's success rate! God help you if it ever goes down," the man replied.

"It won't!" he quickly argued.

"It's happened before," the man said. "You'll do this, Danby, or so help us your career is over! You know what we have the power to do to you."

"I'm not going to become this," Danby replied, slapping the back of his hand on the debrief.

"Yes you will. It's either that or kiss your reputation and career goodbye!" the man answered, leaning over the desk. "No one will have more ample opportunity than you to complete the job. You're the best chance we have. You'll have a partner in it, don't worry. He'll be our last hope of carrying this plan out if you fail, so it's not necessarily going to be all on you. Be glad for that."

"Alterra is seeking strong diplomatic relations, not shattered ones. Is this actually coming down from the top, or is someone suddenly going rogue?"

"Whatever is happening behind the scenes isn't your business. Your business is to get the job done. Do it or lose everything. Your choice!"

Danby was quiet, glaring darkly at the man. At last, he let out a shaking breath, bowing his head defeatedly. "Who?" he asked. A file was immediately placed down in front of him, and he stared at the name with hollow eyes. "Alterra wants continued peace with the Mongolian States, not war. If I do this, it brings war," he said.

"No it won't. Even if it does, only half of Alterra wants continued peace. The other half aren't so inclined."

"The other half are traitors to both parties then."

"For Pete's sake, it's just politics, Danby, not treachery! Get your head in the game! Look, this is the side you're on right now, so deal with it. You'll make it onto the Aurora, there's no question of that. We'll be sure of it. From there, do what you do best. Lie your way to trust and success and stomp on anyone who tries to hinder you," his handler said.

So he did…