First thing I did was get in contact with the air traffic control tower to figure out where the undersider knights had gone off to in the freeze and when they'd be back. I spoke with a rather bored fellow who gave curt and quick info on my request. I swear, even with an attack right in the heart of the clan, the Logi and Reachers who ran the ATC cant be shaken by anything except a coffee shortage.
The situation was a little more optimistic than expected - for once I had luck on my side.
The undersider knights left with two airspeeders four days ago. One ferrying the knights, and the other running a more skeleton crew who would observe and verify that the knights had completed their missions as expected.
Both airspeeders had been expected to return at the earliest this morning, though theyd missed that rendezvous timing, so it was likely they'd be returning within comms range in the afternoon instead.
A lot could happen across the wastes that would slow down a return trip before they returned. Which ant I still had a few hours to negotiate sothing with the priest in order to placate the knights when they did arrive. Or even an entire day or more if their delay was caused by sothing more dangerous, like an enemy.
My idea was to have them stop a few miles from the colony, and camp out there until further notice. We could send delegations out to drop food supplies and the like. Not too comfortable out in the freeze, but they were big boys with relic armor. They could tough it out for a few days, right?
The Chosen camps inside the clan were an overturned ss on the other hand. While our knights hadnt been brutal, they also hadnt gone into it hands off. It had been important to go in fast and take control of the situation fast, before the clan's more extremist mbers started to gather up with rifles and a strong desire for target practice. There were heavy traditions and honor about sanctuary rules, and having our... 'guests' blood on the ground would cause a heavy rip in the clan culture at best, between those horrified at the idea and those capable of carrying it out.
The camp I found was substantially different from the first ti I'd been here. Overturned pots, stomped on personal items, ripped up tents, very little was spared. No blood anywhere though. Most of the damage looked caused by haste. I walked through that graveyard, one step at a ti.
When the clan knights and soldiers ca to arrest the Chosen, they had gone in all at once and without pause. The operation likely took no more than ten minutes before everyone had been rounded up and accounted for. Since there hadn't been a lot of them in the first place, the clan had been keeping tabs on each one and we'd confird they'd all been accounted for.
Further past the wreckage of the campsites, I found activity again. Clan mbers on patrol and other guards. Keeping an eye out on the rounded up prisoners, and a sharper eye out for anyone coming into the grounds. Most of the captives had been put in larger groups, inside cells. Through those bars, I could see them huddled up, vacant looks in their eyes. They didnt appear panicked, more... resigned. As if they expected this to happen at so point.
The only one who had a cell all to himself was Lejis.
So far, reports sent to was that hed been sleeping during the raid and was roused awake as the clan knights stord into the camp. He hadnt fought any of them, instead he offered to surrender his armor and weapons on condition that his people were treated well and allowed to remain within their groups. A more critical person would note there was no way Lejis alone could handle that many clan knights coming in, not unless he had sothing on the power level of my knightbreakers with him. So he did the only sane thing and surrendered, making it look like he'd done it for the good of his people.
The clan knights in charge of the operation saw no reason to argue with those terms, whatever his reasons behind it, took him up on it. Promptly the fight was over and done with before anyone got seriously hurt.
The chosen priest sat in his cell, cross legged, looking more like soone ditating. He had his back to , so I couldnt tell what expression he wore now. Despite him being unard and unarmored and looking like an anemic monk, there was still that sense of presence about him. As if he was right where he wanted to be. Simply waiting for the ti to pass.
There were a few guards idling around his cell. One of them gave a curt salute. "This guard greets the Winterscar pri." The man said, while the rest of the guards bowed.
"Temporary Pri, can't let power go to my head now. My sister would murder when she cos back."
The guard glanced nervously to the sides, and for a beat, nobody said a word.
"That was a joke, she's not actually going to stab in the back." I said. "Us Winterscars have changed a lot since the old tis. Really."
They didn't look too convinced, but were far too polite to say anything about it. Tough crowd.
Got to rember that old history takes ti to paint over, and unlike the Winterscars at the estate who'd gotten to know my sense of humor, others outside only knew by my House's old reputation. I gave a nervous cough and tried to change the subject. "Moving on, Im here to talk to the priest. Can you let in or do I need to sign so papers?
"No sir, the First Blade sent word to cooperate with any requests you may have." The guard said, while the other guards worked on the locks, opening up the cell.
Has he been behaving? I asked.
He hasnt made any motion to escape, at least that we could see. The guard said. He's asked us a few questions on the overall situation, but none of us broke our silence. He stopped asking once he got the ssage.
The cell was dark, and when I took off my helt, I felt a good chill in the air. This section must be low priority in terms of energy draw. A few more steps and the guard closed the door behind .
Lejis didnt turn, still sitting in his lotus position, still staring at the back of the wall. But he spoke out as I approached. I presu youre here to discuss the expedition of my knights, sir Winterscar?
That gave pause. But I shook it off. It wouldnt take that much effort to number out all the reasons the clan would send a diplomat to talk to him, and among that list, the undersider knights out in the freeze were the most important. He didn't have much else to do in the anti. And he'd likely heard my early discussion with the knights, so that's how he knew who I was.
You guessed right. I said. Twenty three knights, all outside in the freeze, and probably not going to be too happy to hear the recent news.
He chuckled, though it held little mirth. I suppose sothing drastic must have happened for the clan to forgo their agreent to protect my people in the absence of my knights. Lord Atius did not strike as the type to betray his word. If you are looking for a resolution to all this, I need to be filled into what exactly happened.
You dont need to play coy with us, you already know what happened.
I can assure you, sir knight, that I do not. One mont I was in my tent getting rest, and the next people were shouting for to protect them. A jarring mont. I did what I could.
There was a fifty fifty chance he was telling the truth or lying. Technically, the enemy that hit were slavers. But my gut was screaming that the Chosen had done sothing to let them sneak into the colony as stowaways. The enemy had let it slip that undersiders were connected sohow, and the only ones that were around were the Chosen. It had to be them.
And if I were in his shoes trying to weave a web of lies, this would be exactly how to start it.
Tell what you know. I asked. No reason to tell him anything yet, he might reveal his hand early on.
Lejis turned his head to watch , then motioned to sit by his side. I figured Id humor him, after all Journeys shields were full and those were far stronger than the actual armor itself. My helt might be off, but that wouldnt stop the relic shields from triggering, if Lejis tried anything.
Lets play a ga. We trade off questions. He said.
How about no. I said flatly. Im the one wearing the armor here.
And I am the one who can broker a peace with my knights. All negotiations are give. And take. And Ive given a lot, wouldnt you agree?
Not a chance. I said. This isnt a negotiation, its an interrogation." This pipe weasel, playing off leading questions as if it were fact. Very conniving, Ill hand him that. "Im here to shake you down for your money. But since Ive been beaten to the punch," I waved around the cell he'd found himself stuck in, "Ill settle for so answers.
He smiled, a strained kind of smile I was well familiar with. The kind of smile that would have beco a genuine one, if they could squish my head in right that mont. I see youre dead set on this. He said. I will call this a favor to you, and I expect it will be returned back. Or youll find that Ive sadly stopped being quite so cooperative.
I gave him a non-committal nod. So, tell how this morning's been for you.
He gave a summary. There weren't any holes in it that I could spot. Hed done so volunteer work earlier, to which there were many witnesses. After that, he gave a small sermon to his people and went into his tent for the night to pray and sleep.
Does she answer back? I asked. The pale lady of yours, I an. When you pray to her.
He smiled. "Only once so far."
"Why pray at all then if she never answers back?"
"Why do you pray to your own gods, when they don't answer back? It's not so much about being devout, prayer for is a ritual that calms my mind. A ditation of kinds. A reminder of the unique position I stand in history, and of the duty that cos with it. I am not so much devout as to believe the Lady has a plan for humanity, but rather that now is the mont where we must forge a new place for humanity to exist in this world."
"So you admit that Relinquished doesn't have humanity's best interests at heart then?"
That was never the question, sir knight. The question is where we go from there. And how do you know the lady's true na? Most only know her titles, you have curious here.
Soone in her family ntioned her by na.
He humd at that. "Cryptic. You've a very reserved man when it cos to sharing knowledge, Winterscar."
"Knowledge has a bad habit of becoming dangerous to carry around these days. And I still like to hoard it like a pipe weasel despite knowing it's hazardous to my health. No idea how I've made it this far, I'm a very lucky man."
To that, he gave a smile. "Then I suppose I have died three tis over myself at this point."
He must be talking about what he's learned from Relinquished. I was admittedly curious about the depths of that, how true any of it was. Curious enough to take a gamble at it, even if he might use this window to try and leverage sothing out of . "You ntioned she'd shown you the heart of the world? What was that about?"
He nodded, standing up and stretching his arms to the side. The one ti she answered my prayer, I asked her for knowledge, history, to reveal what I didn't know about the world. I was but a passing quirk to her mind, a novelty. She didnt see any reason to deny and entertained my request. She connected to an ocean of sorts. A digital one. Inside I found wonders of all kinds." Then he turned to look in the eyes. "I never spoke to her again after that brief mont, though I still pray. She opened the path for , and then left alone in it to do what I wanted. Like a castaway thought.
In a digital ocean?
He nodded. A vast repository of knowledge that the machines keep. An entire city, or a world that lives in parallel to our own. Filled with programs, large and small, living in an ecosystem unlike any I had seen before."
"An ecosystem? That doesn't sound anything like what I'd find in a computer."
He tapped his chin, thinking. "Thousands of small programs darted around , like a school of fish. I saw them compete with one another for resources or space. They move from pool to pool, searching to expand and grow. If they're eaten, they break apart, and so of those parts still remain lucid enough to continue. Like a parrallel to life, they had all developed in a thousand different ways to survive. So did better than others and grew over the years. Those larger programs still swim by, almost blindly, without care. Too big to be challenged by anything anymore, and too big to fit into the smaller spaces I explored."
"None of them saw you as... food?"
"I was protected by a cypher-shield she layered into my signature, I never had any fear. I was free to explore and touch everything I wished, all dangers fled before my presence. I spent hours, days even, until my body demanded food and water and I could no longer remain within the digital dream.
What sort of connection would plug a human mind into a digital space like that?
He humd, pacing around, one hand on that chin again, as if deep in thought. I dont quite think youll think of as sane or rational should I tell you. I don't quite believe it myself, and I went through the process.
Try .
He shrugged, looking away. Magic." He said, waving a hand loosely through the air. "I felt as if my soul was plucked out of my body, and thrown into that new world. Perhaps it is more than magic, so technology leftover from the golden age. They always did say sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. But this felt... different. That's why I say, it was magic.
That sounded a lot like a soul fractal being used in so way. Given that the sword that ended Atiuss current life looked freshly forged, it wouldnt be a stretch to consider the Machines having access to their own repository of Occult. And that the soul fractal might have more powers than I suspected.
Wait - in the bunker, Father's soul fractal had been etched on the console and from there he'd been able to control the defenses. Perhaps the soul fractal could connect to digital computers? I would absolutely need to look into this the mont I was done handling this problem. Did that machine archive have the technique they used? Any hints about how they did it?
I attempted to look for it at so point in my dive. To see what kind of technology and... and magic they used. She allowed a lot of history to be accessible, but there were still locked boxes. Massive archives which were password protected, though I felt they were old and rotting away. Compromised bit by bit in the harsh environnt.
"I assu they would be. Isn't she so seven thousand years old by now?"
Yes. And that's the problem. Lejis said somberly. She's ancient. Unfocused. Distracted and no longer ticulous about anything. They all are. The gods are growing old." He turned his back to one of the walls and slid down to sit. "This whole world is teetering on the edge of a new age, creaking at the bones. History has remained static for so long, old powers that held the world together are starting to crumble apart into dust. Can you not feel it in the air? Change is coming. Whatever age cos after this one, I do not know how it will look. And I fear that humanity may finally be wiped out for good unless we do and try everything in our power to survive the transition.
The way he spoke, I could understand why hed been chosen as the head priest. There was a fever in his eyes. And while he was but a small scrawny man sitting in a damp cell with no armor or resources to his na, there was a feeling I was sitting by soone who had the willpower to change history. No matter how many tis the world beat him back.
I said this before, and I stand by it. Lejis continued. The machines no longer care about this war, if they ever did in the first place. I see them behave like actors on stage, playing their part and following their lines, without knowing why they do so. I was but a throwaway thought to her attention when I stood before her for the first ti. The pale lady, she cares about sothing else than the extinction of humanity, and has for a very long ti now. This war that makes up every day of our life - it's a footnote to her, a backdrop. An annoyance she has to deal with.
What else could she care about?
He shook his head at that. I do not know. She certainly doesnt like humans, I do not debate that point. We are but pests in her ho. What it is she wants to do in such a ho, I wish I knew. If I did, perhaps I could find a way to co-exist better.
Saying the gods have gone senile. Are you sure youre not so heretic tossed out to the surface for saying such things?
He shrugged. Ti breaks all things, eventually. Even gods. It is my hope that ti will eventually break this war as well. That we are living at that crossing point where this war will finally end, for good.
He did raise a point. This doomsday AI had been made seven thousand years ago, were they ever designed to remain in operation this long? Do they change over ti even? Do machines evolve, or do they stay the sa no matter how many centuries pass? Or did it depend on the machine itself and what software it was running? A calculator program would remain a calculator program a thousand years from now, but they were certainly more complicated than calculators. There was a lot about the enemy I didnt know.
And where does that leave you? I asked. I get a feeling when Lord Atius ntioned you could just be a disposable tool, you didnt quite argue that fact with any heat.
He shook his head. Ultimately, I stand sowhere no other human before has stood. There is a chance for peace. He said that word with such conviction, like a desperate man stubbornly clinging to the sides of an airspeeder. Even if it is a small one, with little hope, cast out on the surface, I must still see this path through to the end. I don't care if it costs my life. My existence is aningless in the grand scope of ti, but should I succeed with this one task, everything could change. You understand dont you? You would do the sa if you stood where I stand. There is no one else other than us to follow this through. If we don't stand up and do our part - who will?" He reached a hand out to then, as if pleading. "Would you join and help? Help turn the wheel that steers this ship? Even just a small effort more might be the tipping point we need. Even if that wheel is seized up from rust and cannot turn, we can't know, not until its all over. That effort is worth everything.
I chuckled, more out of surprise. For a mont, his fervor had reached down into . I could feel it. And what would you have do? I asked, more out of morbid curiosity. I had to remind myself that this was the enemy.
You dont have to beco Chosen to help. He said, dropping his hand. You are of House Winterscar, their current pri, yes?
I gave him a nod.
I havent been spending my ti here idly. Ive studied your culture. Your laws, and traditions. I know your house has a heavy hand on power. You could send out colonists underground with us. Help us build a new city. There aren't many Chosen. We are like... kindling. A harsh wind could blow us out. But with enough tinder, we could light a fire that would warm all of humanity.
Ill pass that along to the clan lord. He should be coming down to visit soti soon. I said offhanded. Watching for any signs on his face.
I have been looking forward to debating with a Deathless. If only for the novelty of it. I dont expect I could sway his mind, especially not if I request for so of his people to follow behind with to what he would consider a ti-locked enemy.
Not a single blink, either he was the worlds greatest actor - or the Chosen really didnt know anything about what had gone on.
No. Not the Chosen as a group. It struck then, all at once. The obvious.
Ive been so stupid all along. Correctly suspicious - but of the wrong man, exactly as the enemy had hoped for.
Lejis was the public leader of the Chosen. The charismatic man with a dream and passion to follow it to the ends of the earth, like a pipe weasel chasing down a rat. But there was one man who really ran the operations while the priest was the public face. Arms crossed across his relic armor, standing in the priests shadow. Always calculating the numbers. The logistics officer, the captain of the undersider knights.
The one currently roaming outside, free, with a small army of relic knights under his command, directly in contact with the slavers and raiders in a supposed skirmish against them.
If the slavers had sohow managed to sneak into the clan, with no sign of any airspeeder for any of them to stowaway, then there had been another path into the clan colony. And the only other way was... the underground. The machine controlled underground that no man could cross safely in all of our history, and had always been considered a footnote.
Until now.
The Chosen knights hadnt yet been spotted returning from their mission.
It wasnt because theyd been delayed.
They were already here.
Next chapter - Self delusion (T)
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