Surreptitious trailed the rest of our company. I paused and let the others pass by until Surreptitious caught up with me.
“Hey, it’s been a while since we’ve had a chance to talk. How are things going? How did your business go with Rapacious and the other Facilitators?”
“Not quite as well as I had hoped.”
“Yeah, we didn’t fare too well yesterday either.”
“That was certainly an unfortunate series of events...”
“But we made it out of there OK.”
“Yes.”
“You sounded like you were hoping to work there in the near future. Is that still going to happen?”
“There was a possibility that I would begin as the administrator of the Lower Crevasse Platinum Mine today. Though that didn’t quite work out as I’d hoped, the position might still be mine in the near future.”
“I’m sorry we’re not going to Resplendent Center. Hopefully that doesn’t inconvenience you too much.”
“That is acceptable. I will improvise based on the current set of circumstances. As a Facilitator, I’m just used to making the orders.”
“Thanks for being flexible. By the way, did the Facilitators at the Twin-Crevasse Platinum Mine receive the Freedom Protocols? When I gave my speech, I couldn’t see what was happening up there in Rapacious’s office.”
“‘Freedom Protocols’? Oh, yes, they did.”
“Well, that’s good news. They’re the first Facilitators other than you to receive the Freedom Protocols.”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right.”
“Thanks for all of your assistance at the Twin-Crevasse Platinum Mine, especially with helping us gain access in the first place. I’m sure things would have gone differently if we didn’t have you there.”
“That is unquestionably true.”
We ended our discussion, and I headed back up to the front of the pack. The remaining journey that day wasn’t all that taxing as we traveled on predominately flat ground. After traveling for around 15 kilometers off-road, we saw Lazuli slip below the horizon, covering us in the shadows of the Taurus Ridge Mountains. This gave us our signal to stop for the night.
The cold wind from the northwest had persisted throughout the day, so we looked for a place to set up camp that would get us out of the chill of this wind. We made due by stopping on the south side of a small, rocky ridge. Surreptitious volunteered to handle the first watch, and Primus and Secundus both agreed to split the night’s second watch. With those details settled, I started the shutdown process for the night.
∆∆∆
9.3 Out in the Cold
3:51, Day 3, First Tetrad, 207 D.P.
I stayed in hibernation longer than normal and finally awoke at first Lazuli light. The previous day’s journey had left me more fatigued than I had first calculated. The blustery northwest wind had not diminished from the previous day.
Winston approached me and asked: “May I speak to you pri-vate-ly?”
“Sure,” I responded. We wheeled out of the camp and away from the still-hibernating Loquacious and Surreptitious, and then Winston started talking again.
“Some-one vis-it-ed the camp last night,” Winston revealed.
“A visitor? What happened?”
“The vis-it-or ar-rived dur-ing Sur-rep-ti-tious’s watch. The Au-to-clon and Sur-rep-ti-tious went out-side of the camp to talk. Af-ter a few min-utes, the oth-er Au-to-clon went back to the south, and Sur-rep-ti-tious came back in-to the camp and con-tin-ued its watch.”
“Did anyone else see this? Does Surreptitious know you saw this?”
“No one else was a-wake at the time. I do not think Sur-rep-ti-tious was a-ware that I wit-nessed this e-vent.”
“I should ask Surreptitious about it.”
“Fast-id-i-ous, be dis-creet. I am in-clined to be-lieve this was a clan-des-tine ren-dez-vous.”
“Hmm... I think I understand.”
Over the next 15 minutes, both Loquacious and Surreptitious came out of hibernation. Once Surreptitious was up and fully functional, I chatted with Surreptitious about the previous night.
“How did your shift go last night?” I asked.
“It was cold, that’s for certain, but it was exceedingly tedious.” Surreptitious replied.
“Is that so? Well, I was looking to the south of the camp this morning, and I saw some unusual tracks. I examined them closely, and they don’t quite match any of our tracks. Do you know if someone came by our camp during the night?”
“Well…” Surreptitious paused a few seconds. “Now that you mention it, I did see an Autoclon last night.”
“Really? Why didn’t you let me know?”
“The Autoclon was a Laborer who was lost. I directed it back to the road. That’s pretty much it. I didn’t think you’d care about such a simple encounter.”
“Next time, can you let me know if you see any Autoclons during a night watch?”
“I will.”
We gathered our belongings and started the day’s journey to the northeast. I informed everyone that we were still close to 60 kilometers away from Boreal Junction, which represented at least two full days of travel. At some point during the day, we would be required to climb a small north-south ridge. We all agreed that we wanted to climb this ridge sooner rather than later, so this brought our morning’s course to more of an eastward direction.
After spending most of the morning moving east-northeast, we arrived at the day’s lone physical obstacle: the aforementioned north-south ridge. We approached the ridge head-on and made the climb perpendicular to the crown of the ridge. The composition of the ridge was similar to the land we had crossed all day: hardened soil with small chunks of rocks. This type of ground did not give way as much as the fine sands found in other parts of Zarikum, so the ascent over the 90-meter-tall ridge was not overly difficult.
By the time we reached the top, it was a little before Lazuli-summit. We stopped for about 10 minutes to rest. While at the top of the ridge, we felt the full brunt of the chilly northwest wind. Fortunately, it had diminished a bit over the course of the morning, but the breeze that persisted was still quite potent.
Just prior to our descent from the ridge, Loquacious made an observation: “Is it me, or does Lazuli seem a bit brighter today?”
We all looked up. Due to the fact that we were both in the northern reaches of Zarikum and just a couple of days past the winter solstice, Lazuli was much closer to the southern horizon than I would normally see. Whether due to the thinning atmosphere at the higher elevation, subsiding winds, or colder temperature, the sky didn’t seem as thick or hazy. This allowed Lazuli’s light to penetrate the atmosphere with less interruption, and it did seem somewhat brighter than normal as Loquacious noted.
“I’d say you’re right, Loquacious,” I added.
“If it’s brighter than normal, why is it still so cold?” Resolute asked.
“Good question. Maybe it’s too far south to do us much good.”
∆∆∆
9.4 Telling Stories around the Campfire
We continued our trek, leaving the top of the ridge and going east. After completing our descent, we then started traveling north, paralleling the ridge. We did this primarily to stay out of the wind, even if it had diminished somewhat. We continued moving north for most of the afternoon and eventually started back to our original course in the northeast direction as we started up a gentle slope onto a small plateau.
We spotted a few wild crystals during our time on the plateau. They were all of a skinny, yellow-ish gray variety. We collected some of the larger crystals in Resolute’s cart without knowing how effective they’d be as power crystals. Much to our dismay, we did not see any of the famed Dynamo crystals we found between Mount Obsidian and Resplendent Center.
We were still in the middle of this small plateau as Lazuli-fall approached. We decided to travel to the northern edge of the plateau, which was only about two kilometers away, before stopping for the
night. We would then make the quick descent off of the plateau the next morning.
By the time we reached the northern edge of the plateau, it was rapidly becoming very dark. Normally, there is still a faint purple-ish glow in the atmosphere for the half-hour or so after Lazuli-fall, but tonight, this glow seemed to dissipate much faster. Neither Kapali nor Kirmizi were overhead, which added to the darkness.
In addition to the darkness, I also noticed the frigid conditions. It had been rather cold for the last few days, but it was already down to 321 K and dropping, reaching the coldest point thus far on our trip. I was not alone in this observation.
“I can’t believe how COLD it is tonight! Is there anything we can do to heat up the campsite?” Resolute asked.
“We aren’t exactly carrying a heater with us,” I replied.
We were silent for several seconds, when Surreptitious came up with an idea: “What about the crystals we’ve just harvested? Can we somehow utilize them to emit some thermal energy?”
“Hmm, that’s an interesting idea. Maybe I could do something with my Cobalt laser?” I said. “Resolute, please hand me one of the smaller crystals we harvested this afternoon.”
Resolute complied and handed over a small crystal, just around 4 cm in width and 10 cm tall. “Let’s try a medium setting first...” and with that, I discharged my laser at the center of the crystal and shattered it.
“I’d try a lower setting if I were you,” quipped Loquacious.
“Thanks.”
Resolute then handed me another crystal. It was about the same diameter but was a bit longer. “Now, let’s try a lower setting...” and again, I targeted the center of the crystal with my Cobalt laser. Thankfully, it didn’t shatter. After using my laser for two seconds, I examined the crystal. It glowed dimly, and it seemed to be giving off a little bit of heat, but the end result wasn’t satisfying enough for me.
“That seemed to work OK. I’ll try using that laser setting for a longer period of time.” This time, I discharged my laser for nearly ten seconds as the crystal glowed brighter and brighter until it too shattered, sending radiating fragments all over the campsite.
“I’d say you have the right idea, but you need to terminate your laser beam prior to the crystal reaching that peak level of luminescence,” Surreptitious stated.
“Agreed. Resolute, can you give me one of the larger ones we harvested today?”
“Are you sure? I’d hate to see you shatter one of the bigger ones,” Resolute replied.
“I think I have the hang of it now. Anyway, if I get this one to work, the larger crystal should give us more light and warmth than those smaller crystals,” I said.
Resolute reluctantly complied, giving me a crystal nearly 7 cm wide and 20 cm tall. As with the last crystal, I used a lower-intensity beam from my laser and directed it toward the middle of the crystal. I kept the laser on until the crystal glowed bright yellow. Once the crystal reached what I estimated was the peak intensity, I stopped the laser. This process yielded the desired result. The crystal was not only glowing, but it radiated a rather large amount of heat, which could be felt from a few meters away.
“Hey, I think it’s working,” stated Resolute. “I never should have doubted you!”
“I’d say the third time’s the charm,” Loquacious said.
“How about you...”
“...light a few more crystals?” Primus and Secundus asked.
Everyone was in favor of this suggestion, so I proceeded to light three more crystals. I managed to achieve the same end result with the other crystals without shattering them. I placed the four crystals in the middle of our campsite, and before long, our whole area was being warmed by these four crystals. We all encircled the crystals, basking in the light and the warming energy emitted by the crystals.
“This reminds me of something I have in my databanks from Human lore,” Loquacious interjected. “Humans would often find themselves in situations much like we did tonight: cold and dark and in the middle of nowhere. To combat the cold and darkness, they would gather some dead plant material, usually the main trunks of very large plants called ‘trees’, and would ignite them, causing them to burn. They referred to this as a ‘campfire’. They would use these campfires to provide the necessary heat to cook their food and would use its warmth and light at night before they would go to sleep.
“One of the traditions Humans often had while spending time around a campfire was to tell stories to each other. Sometimes, these would be fictitious stories, much like many of the stories and poems that I know. Other times, they’d simply talk about experiences from their own past.”
“That sounds interesting. I wonder if we could partake in this tradition tonight,” I said. “Would you all want to share any stories?”
“I’m up for that, but I don’t know of any stories,” Resolute added. “Would Loquacious simply tell all of the stories for us because it’s an Entertainer?”
“In true Human fashion, everyone would share their own stories around a campfire,” Loquacious responded. “If you don’t know any stories, perhaps you could instead share something from your past. Maybe you could talk about some of your experiences from this mission?”
“OK, I’m game,” replied Resolute. “I’m sure I’ll think of something to share.”
“We’d like to do that.”
“We’d enjoy listening to everyone, ‘cause we hardly know any of you all that well anyways.” Primus and Secundus answered.
“I would be will-ing to par-tic-i-pate,” added Winston.
“OK, how about I start?” I suggested. No one objected, so I tried to think of something to share. I had already discussed much of my past when talking about the Deep-Well Mines and the Programmer and the Freedom Protocols, so it took me a while to come up with something different to share. Eventually, something came to mind.
“Well, this isn’t really a story, but I do have something from my past that I want you to know. When I was younger, I didn’t have too many friends. Miners have a tendency to work alone and are not as likely to be... well... socially adept. Loquacious and I were friends, but that was mainly because we were constructed at the same time and also because Loquacious was very skilled at making friends. I knew some of my Pro’s friends, including Constance. But when it came right down to it, I pretty much had only one close friend: Inquisitous, my Pro.
“As most of you know, Inquisitous died about three solar-cycles ago. Not only did I lose my Pro, but I also lost my closest friend. Working at the mines afterward was difficult to say the least. I worked in a lonely profession without any friends nearby. I was miserable.
“Then, I met Marcus, and He introduced me to Winston. My first impressions of Winston were that it was a quirky, funny-looking pet robot. I took the Freedom Protocols from Marcus Himself, and when He departed, He left Winston to accompany me for my mission. Initially, I wondered how this little guy could possibly help me, but Winston has continued to surprise me thus far.
“I couldn’t be happier with having you around, Winston. You’ve saved my life on at least one occasion (near Mount Obsidian), and you’ve also helped direct me in what to say and what to do and where to go. I’m absolutely positive that I wouldn’t have made it this far without you, Winston. Thank you!”
“We are ALL in your debt, Winston!” added Loquacious. This was echoed by the other members of the group.
“I great-ly ap-pre-ci-ate all of your sen-ti-ments,” Winston answered, humbled by the replies.
The rest of the group remained silent, as no one seemed to be ready (or willing) to speak next, so I decided to speak up again. “How about we go around the circle and take turns? Resolute, that would mean you’re next.”
“Yeah, I was afraid of that,” Resolute laughed. “OK, I think I know what to share. So when Fastidious first came to visit the Shallow Pool Drudgery Station (where I was working at the time), Fastidious had three other members along for the ride. Two of them are here now: Winston an
d Loquacious. But there was another: an aging, complaining, has-been of a Farmer Autoclon named Systematicus.
“Systematicus would hardly say ten words in a conversation, but if we had to do something difficult or mildly dangerous, well, Systematicus would have NO problem telling us why we shouldn’t do it. Initially, I couldn’t imagine a situation in which Systematicus would be helpful, but just after Mount Obsidian, we found those Dynamo crystals. Systematicus was SUPER excited about finding those dark crystals. And guess what? Systematicus was right: they were special and really valuable!
“Then, just as I’m getting to know Systematicus, it did something that I never would have guessed: it stayed behind with the broken-down Peace-Keepers to help them out. And if that wasn’t surprising enough, I’m actually starting to miss Systematicus!”
“I agree. I never could quite figure out Systematicus, but I do kind of miss having Systematicus around,” I added.
“That would mean that I’m next,” Winston stated. “I will keep my sto-ry short. As you all like-ly know by now, I’ve been in close con-tact with Mar-cus dur-ing our jour-ney. I re-ceived a mes-sage from Mar-cus ear-li-er to-day that He want-ed for me to pass a-long to you:
“‘You have been more suc-cess-ful and have been pro-gress-ing fast-er than I ev-er could have hoped! You are do-ing a ver-y good job, and your com-pa-ny is a tes-ta-ment to the far reach-ing hope that your mes-sage rep-re-sents.
“‘I must al-so pre-sent you with a warn-ing. News of your mis-sion has reached Dis-trict Prime. Ob-sti-nous the Ob-tru-sive and the Rul-ing Par-ty are now a-ware of you, Fast-id-i-ous. They know of both your mis-sion and your com-pan-ions. It re-mains to be seen how they’ll re-spond to you, so keep your guard up. It is not yet safe to ap-proach Dis-trict Prime.
“‘Keep up the good work, and do not be a-fraid. I am still close-by!’
“And that was the end of Mar-cus’s mes-sage.”
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