Part 3: "An Opportunity"

The squirrel flails his paws and waves the penguins behind him into formation.
Buddy Fairchild: Get behind me, fellas! You see that there? That mask ... she's growin' a mask!
Penguins: Wawk?
Moldir: ...
Moldir's olive-green eyes widen. She reaches up and touches her own cheek.
Buddy Fairchild: Back off! I'm warnin' ya! Don't go underestimatin' me and my pals; we'll whip ya like fresh cream on a pecan pie!
Moldir: ... Will you really?
She glances behind her. The penguins are gone. Then she lets out a slow, steady breath.
Moldir: ... Delirium?
Penguins: Wawk wawk!
Calculating just the right force, Moldir chops the squirrel cleanly on the back of the neck.
Buddy Fairchild: Whoaa!
Buddy comes to, blinking under a steady light. He's strapped to a wooden table with a belt, his arms and legs pinned.
All around him are sinister tools and vials of mysterious liquid.
Buddy Fairchild: Oh no ...
Buddy Fairchild: Lieutenant! And here I thought you might be one o' the good'uns.
Buddy Fairchild: I shoulda known better than to trust a human. So, what're ya gonna do to me? Taxidermy? Die-section?
He hears the crunch of combat boots approaching. Then, those same calm, olive-green eyes hovering above his line of sight.
Moldir: Based on my knowledge of arcanum, a dissected squirrel wouldn't produce any valuable materials.
Buddy Fairchild: Hold yer horses ... ya can't just go sayin' I ain't got no value. I'm an arcanist just like you, remember?! Show a little respect!
Moldir: Tell me, what were the names of those emperor penguins you came with?
Buddy Fairchild: Names? Wait, what ... hey! Get it right, missy! They ain't no emperors! They're Adélie penguins!
Moldir: Correct. You passed.
The lieutenant loosens the straps binding him to the table. The fuzzy little arcanist springs upright, eyes darting around the room.
Penguins: Wawk wawk wawk wawk!
Buddy Fairchild: Thank my lucky stars, yer all still here!
Penguins: Wawk wawk wawk! Wawk wawk wawk!
Buddy Fairchild: Whaddya mean I went "off the rails" again?
Moldir: Then this must not have been your first episode.
Buddy Fairchild: 'Fraid so. All started when I ran into them gooey whackadoos; feels like I stumbled into a curse o' sorts.
Moldir: After you saw them ...
Moldir looks lost in thought for a second, then snaps back to the present and picks up the nearby med kit.
Moldir: I've already patched up the penguins. Now it's your turn.
Buddy Fairchild: Thank you kindly, Lieutenant.
Buddy Fairchild: I did say ya were the first good human I met since coming to Antarctica, now didn't I?
Moldir: You did. About five minutes before you accused me of being one of those masked people and tried to bite me.
Buddy scratches behind his ear, avoiding her gaze.
Buddy Fairchild: Don't rightly know what came over me back there. But the penguins say I been like this for a while now ...
Buddy Fairchild: Ramblin' 'bout stuff that don't make a lick o' sense, shadowboxin' with the air ... you get the idea.
Buddy Fairchild: Whoaa!
Moldir: Too rough?
Buddy Fairchild: Nope! Didn't feel a thing!
Trying to shift the mood—or distract from the pain—he changes the subject.
Buddy Fairchild: So, what unit ya with, Lieutenant? Thinkin' I oughta send a thank-you letter 'round when I get outta this mess.
Moldir: ...
Buddy Fairchild: Oh. I done stepped in it, haven't I?
Buddy Fairchild: Fair enough. Thinkin' if yer whole squad's out here in the coldest armpit of Antarctica, you gotta be on some kinda tip-top secret mission.
Moldir: I'm glad you get it.
Buddy Fairchild: So you ARE on a secret mission? Hoo-ee. That's sure excitin'.
Buddy Fairchild: You done me a real kindness, missy. If'n ya ever need a favor, just say the word. Yer pal Buddy Fairchild'll be there.
Moldir: A favor?
Moldir checks her watch again—four hours left before her team's scheduled rest break is over.
Moldir: If I had four search-and-rescue teams ...
The tempting thought makes her size up the squirrel a little more carefully.
Fluffy dark coat. Obvious in the snow. A rambunctious, slightly deranged, talking rodent from Florida she's known for less than an hour.
She can't just entrust a life—maybe even more than one—to chance.
Buddy Fairchild: Come ooon, let me help ya out! Y'know, I coulda been soakin' up the sun in the best waitin' room in the world, but here I am, in the blisterin' freeze-yer-butt-off cold with my penguin pals.
Moldir: So ... you crossed half the planet just to bring these penguins back home?
Buddy Fairchild: Well, don't give me too much credit. I weren't fixin' to be a hero or nuttin'—I was just the only one willin' to help.
Moldir: Are you friends now?
Buddy Fairchild: 'Course we are! More 'n that, we're a team!
Energetic, fearless, and full of heart. Loud, bold, and with a keen sense of justice.
The lieutenant gives a thoughtful nod. The fluffy little interloper has no idea he's just passed another one of her tests.
Moldir: I appreciate the offer, and I do need another pair of eyes, but give me a little time to plan some routes and make a few decisions.
Buddy Fairchild: Don't ya worry one lick about it. Yer right not to make any big decisions on the fly.
The squirrel tilts his head bashfully as the lieutenant speeds up her bandaging and packs her gear away.
Buddy Fairchild: So, what sorta dee-cisions we mullin' over?
Moldir: If we're going to work together, I need to determine what our plan of action looks like. You and your friends should feel free to rest here. I'll be back soon.
She's promising more than the rules allow. But she knows she can handle it.