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Post by Anacodia on May 5, 2023 2:08:16 GMT
The heart monitor beeped softly as Taven stood staring out of the porthole of Saelin's room. She was deep in a coma, and the doctors thought she might not recover. The last they talked was merely a day ago, when she shared her vision and promptly went unconscious. Per what Taven beleived would of been her wishes, he immediately set course for Vobron. If anyone could help them now it would be Horus.
The door chimed, and Taven turned. "Enter" he said, and the door slid silently open, revealing one of the acolytes working in Operations. "Vobronian ships on the way sir, Horus and the Arbiter are said to be on board." Taven pauses to reflect for a moment before proceeding. "Prepare conference room 3, and something to eat for the Arbiter as well as quarters for him and Horus. And please, keep all this quiet. We dont want to make Horus uncomfortable with some of our more fervent followers." The Acolyte nodded and set off and Taven turned back to Saelin, staring for a moment before leaving the room. Now all he had left to do was wait, and figure out how to break the news to Horus.
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Post by Vobron on May 5, 2023 2:47:45 GMT
Floating RevelationsAboard The VNV "Leznik" 22:12 Hours, Somewhere In The Arbiter's Straight The air of the Vobronian Shoals was warm and sticky, as it always was this time of year. Arbiter Leznik looked out over the ocean waves with a notebook in hand, when he had fleeting moments of uninterrupted peace like this, he'd like to sketch whatever was around him. This time his muse chose the stars in the crystal clear night sky above, he was able to point out and scribble down some constellations, some of them he had learned in university so many years ago, yet they stuck with him all these years. Through his graduation, through the war, and through his leadership of Vobron. The stars were an anchor, a reminder that some things, despite the mad rush of life, never change. He smiled softly. However, as quickly as this bit of solace came, it went...
"Arbiter Sir, we are approaching the source of the transmission." Admiral Cassius Lee of the Shoals Fleet appeared behind him.
"Understood, thank you Admiral, I'll notify Horus." The Arbiter replied, closing his sketchbook.
Leznik gave the Admiral a small salute, which the Admiral quickly reciprocated. The Arbiter then turned and walked towards the entrance of the ship's cabin.
....
Horus sat alone in his cabin, running through any information he could find in his head. The transmission could not be linked to any ship he could find in his database and so close to Vobronian shores as well...but the order had been made not to inform the Vobronian people about the transmission until its source was truly revealed. He was beginning to over a data set a third time when a soft knock on his door broke him out of digital trance.
"Who is it?" The AI called collecting his present thoughts.
"Ile", the Arbiter's voice rang, muffled by the door, "We are approaching the site of the transmission, time to finally put this to bed my friend"
"I'm on my way" Horus replied, quickly jumping up from his resting position and grabbing his silk blue and yellow cloak. He draped the fabric over himself and joined the Arbiter outside. The two proceeded to walk back up the stairs, exiting the cabin and appearing on the top deck. Sailors were running around, preparing armaments just in case of a hostile attack while others saluted the Arbiter and the AI. Soon the pair reached the bridge where the Arbiter grabbed the radio and cleared his throat,
"Testing, this is Arbiter Ile Leznik, leader and hero of Vobron, your vessel sent out a transmission containing the name of the Horus AI earlier. We demand a response and basic ID as your vessel appears to be unmarked and not on any national frequencies. Thank you"
The Arbiter placed the radio back in its holster and took a sip of tea. The tension and suspense in the bridge was palpable.
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Post by Anacodia on May 5, 2023 3:15:40 GMT
Wasting no time to respond, the radio chirps. "Hello Arbiter, I am pleased to meet you. This is the vessel Taena. I am Taven, current Arkon of this ship. we prefer not to surface, however I do invite you to come aboard, however I must ask, is Horus there? I was given very pressing instructions to meet with him."
A towering ornate vessel surfaces, reaching high into the night sky. The moon shimmers off the white hull plating and reaveals a single decoration on the side: a thin gold ring. A large section of the forward plating unlatches and folds open revealing a rather ornate airlock. In all the ship is clearly of Anacodian make, and judging by the symbol on the side, likely a Singularist vessel.
Something unseen shifts, and Horus picks up a new sensation. almost like static, tapping rhythmically right at the back of his head. He can pick up a distinct pattern, the same as the signal being received : H-O-R-U-S.
The radio comes on once more "Oh and please do tell me you brought medical supplies. someone very dear and important to us is critically ill"
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Post by Vobron on May 5, 2023 23:25:25 GMT
The Taena's surfacing was akin to a monster rising from a deep slumber, the waves caused by the surfacing sent the Leznik jostling on the water for several moments.
"Its-" the Arbiter started, regaining his balance and looking up the glistening white hull rising out of the inky black waves.
"Anacodian" Horus answered," I'm getting another transmission, however this feels strongly connected to the Link"
The Arbiter quickly took another sip of tea and turned to two sailors near him,
"Prepare a small scout craft please, Horus and I will be going in." he said, opening a small black leather satchel that rode on his right hip.
The Arbiter pulled a small scarf out of the satchel and began to tie the gold and black wool scarf around his neck, fastened it snugly and reached for the radio again.
"Arkon Taven, this is the Arbiter again, Horus is present with me, we acknowledge your plight and ask if the two of us have permission to board the Taena?" he paused, "And yes, we have medical supplies on this fleet's medical vessel the VNV Hippocrates, who is ill?"
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Post by Anacodia on May 14, 2023 0:31:25 GMT
The door of the airlock latched such, and Horus could easily distinguish the intricate mechanisms within moving like clockwork. The feeling at the back of his head again, but this one slightly different in pattern. "S-A-V-E" Horus thought to him self as the morse code-like pattern ticked through him. There was a hiss as the airlock went through its pressure match sequence. Horus could also hear the larger outer hull doors latching shut, and the slight ring of powerful electromagnets powering up. The inner door unlatched and opened, revealing a beautifully decorated entrance hall. It, like most Anacodian structures, is designed in a very ornate aesthetics, with white marble adorning the walls, with gold running through the marbles cracks and streaks. Taven stood in front of the now open hatch and guestured urgently to Horus and the Arbiter to follow him. "In the short time that has passed things have taken a rapid turn for Her Grace. Please you must help her" Taven spoke in a calm yet urgent manner, his voice barely masking a fear of loss.
HORUS and the Arbiter followed Taven quietly until a thought occurred to him. This was clearly an Anacodian vessel, and it carried a very important passenger - the former High Priestess Saelin Elquinal. "Arbiter, I dont understand. The Anacodians are normally eager to help their own. Why would they not go home?" Arbiter Leznik thought for a moment, searching his many years of experience. "Well Horus, ive been hearing rumors of growing disagreements within the church. Perhaps after Saelin was pushed to step down, and with the growing fighting, she felt unsafe and so fled." Horus nodded thoughtfully.
Taven reached the door to the medical ward, and the door slid open with a soft whir. The group went inside and to Saelin's room, where they found several doctors urgently discussing a chart they were reviewing. "Gentlemen, this is Arbitler Ile Leznik, and HORUS, they bring medical supplies and are here to help."
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Post by Vobron on May 21, 2023 0:17:17 GMT
“Good evening gentlemen”, the Arbiter said, adjusting his trademark goggles, “As Arkon Taven already stated, I am Arbiter Ile Leznik and this is HORUS”, his gloved hand waved, introducing the AI.
“I have already been informed by your Arkon that the High Priestess Saelin was ill, is it known what is causing the illness?” The Arbiter inquired, “If so, the VNV Hippocrates is willing to offer any services it can to help bring Saelin back to health”
The Arbiter quickly walked over to the group of doctors and began to look over charts and reports of the High Priestess’s health and ailment.
HORUS broke away from the group and went up to Saelin, who lay unconscious, trapped in a coma. He had several diagnostic exams he wanted to run and first began to look for any physical maladies. Any kind of sign that could give a hint of what ailed the priestess. As he looked, nothing revealed itself, her physical body seemed to be unblemished by pestilence. He ran a few more tests while most turned up normal there was one surprising result, after performing a general scan on the high-priestess, HORUS had found bits of Palladium in Saelin’s body. That couldn’t be right, he knew that Anacodians did wear metals as decoration but they would never directly expose themselves to dangerous metals like Palladium. He scanned again, and again, and again, expecting some different result, that the Palladium had been nothing more than a false reading. Yet to his dismay, there it was, everytime.
After finishing another scan and getting the same results, he felt something crawl along his entire frame, it was the familiar warm feeling of the Link but something felt off. An uncanny curiosity began to overcome the AI. HORUS placed down his tools, closed his eyes and began to focus on the feeling.
Almost immediately, he was dragged down into a subconscious void. It was pitch, darker than the color of the blackest ink, the atmosphere despite being completely intangible, felt dank and cold. The sound of hospital equipment was soon drowned out replaced with pervasive, deafening screams of silence. Something was very wrong he tried to walk forward but his legs had trouble, as if a tar like substance made up the plane he stood on. Despite this, HORUS trudged on through this dark. The feeling of dread and fear shook HORUS to his very core. This was the Link-space he knew, something had corrupted it. However, after walking for what felt like a millennia, he arrived at a precipice. The invisible tar seemed to peel away and the air became warm. Wherever he was, the true Link was present. He looked out across the precipice hoping to realize something of value or try to contact Saelin’s subconscious. He tried time and time again, calling out with his mind but never got an answer until something changed. In front of him the deafening silcence gave way to a abrasive clanking of chain links, like a line of prisoners being escorted to their cells. This line grew louder and louder, each clang building in intensity until the sound of the chain links changed from clanging to a deafening shatter. In front of him, fuzzy images of chain links began to fall, decaying into nothing but a fine dust. The dust started to collect around HORUS’ ocular ports but as he went to remove it he found that it could not be done. He tried rubbing again but to no avail. HORUS panicked and began to more aggressively rub his ocular port. The dust would not retreat, in fact it kept piling on. His vision became a grey blur, as more and more dust continued to assail him. He began to start clawing and scratching at his own artificial eyes in panic and fear. Then for a split moment, he saw it... blood, not copious amounts but a single droplet spread out in front of him like red paint on a canvass….
He awoke startled and fearful, falling off the chair he had been sitting and landing on the floor. The commotion caused everyone in the room to suddenly put their eyes on the AI. HORUS shakily pulled himself up, collected his thoughts, and solemnly spoke, “Your High-Priestess is ailing from Palladium poisoning”, every word he spoke sounded shaky and distant, “I have no idea what is causing it”.
The room was silent, and before anyone could speak HORUS began again, “Keep her on life support and try filtration techniques to keep the Palladium levels down, I need to think”
With that be left the room storming down the chamber with the Arbiter giving chase. The room stood in disbelief, how could he not know? Wasn’t HORUS was supposed to save her?
“Well, you heard him” Taven said, breaking the room’s icy silence, “Let’s get to work”
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Post by Anacodia on Jun 1, 2023 2:11:13 GMT
Truth Through Suffering. Wisdom Through Pain
Almost an hour had passed since Horus's disgnosis of Palladium Poisoning. The varied science teams on board the Taena, under the guide of HORUS had managed to come together to build a rudimentary Blood Purifier. It was staving off the worst of the effects, and Saelin was no longer immediately at risk of death. However rudimentary machines being what they are, its struggling to get all the Palladium out. And whats worse, HORUS had just looked again at the scans he took, comparing them. The Palladium count had been increasing. A very minute ammount, almost immeasurable but it was increasing. At best the current solution could keep the levels stable, but proper equipment was needed. Horus look up from his train of thought, feeling a presence in front of him. He was in the main lobby where they came in initially, and although not much activity was going on HORUS felt himself repeatedly distracted by minute things.
Taven was now standing in front of him and simply stated "Follow me," with a look of seasoned understanding about him. HORUS stood silently and followed, and took the opportunity to ask the Arkon a few questions. "Arkon Taven," He began. "Although I have much direct experience with and within the Link, I am unsure as to what drives the interface between the Human Conciousness and The Link. I am aware of how I connect, however a synthetic and organic's uplink devices are very different." Arkon Taven paused for a moment, stopping in the hallway next to a data terminal. "Well for us Organics, we use a highly complex implant that goes in primarily at the base of the skull. This implant, when first installed, carries out a complex procedure using nanomachines which print microwires from the implant into the brain stem, and brain itself, tying itself into the whole centeal nervous system. I will get you a blueprint" Taven taps away at the terminal, bringing up, and sending to Horus's mind a complete blueprint of the implant.
Taven began walking again, motioning to follow. Horus tailed after, and the two eventually reached a substantial communal meditation chamber. this one was decorated to resemble a temperate woodland area, with hidden speakers playing ambiance of distant insects and wind. Plants adorned the wall, and even a few trees were scattered about. Taven spoke, not out loud but through The Link. "Speaking aloud is forbidden in this room, take all the time you need to process our path. I trust you fully, and I will ensure noone else enters this room for now unless it is specifically requested". HORUS noddes in silent understanding, and looked around the chamber for a good spot. He found a nice spot right on top of a moss covered rock, near the wall of the chamber. There was a fake river running through the room, and it provided the perfect whitenoise. HOURUS sat, and closed his eyes. Almost immediately they were open again, however he was somewhere very different. He could feel it was the Link, however he could not recognize the landscape. He was still seated, amongst tall emerald-green grass which reached over his head, so he stood. He was right on the side of a large grassy hill, overlooking a valley that stretched down below him and to the sea. The wind caused shimmering waves to dance along the valley, sailing allong endlessley with the breeze, which blew towards tall blue-grey mountains capped with snow. He heard laughter in the distance behind him, carried by the breeze that of an older woman's. He followed the sound, climbing the hill until it eventually leveled out. What he found suprised him, it was a picnic table with a full spread of food, snacks, and even a large bulbous pitcher full to the brim with sparkling pink liquid. He looked around the table and found shockingly familiar faces. He found Saelin! Looking not at all sick. Perseus was there too, and a third unidentifiable figure at the head of the table. HORUS looked upon an ever shifting mass of golden light. It appeared multi-dimensional in nature, and HORUS'S mind raced to analyze it to no avail.
The Light spoke in a warm inviting manner. It was hard to call it Speaking really, as it didnt call out to him aloud, rather HORUS's being was filled with sounds, sensations, smells, images. For an instance he could catch the welcoming smells of the Vobronian shore, hear the crashing of the waves. All of this, in the instant it came in, was also translated in his mind into crystal clear meaning. "Welcome HORUS. We've been expecting you. Come and join us, we have so much to discuss." HORUS approched and locked eyes with Perseus. "Perseus, my good friend, what are you doing here?" HORUS asked, pleasantly suprised. "Thats a good question." Perseus began, pausing to take a sip from a glass, which perplexed and amused HORUS, his expression prompting a hearty chuckle from Perseus as he sat. "Its a realm of thought, it may seem silly but you can consume things here, even as an artificial being. Its quite nice. But as to your question-I felt a calling through the Link. That old rascal, Arkon Taven had sent me a message letting me know you had staved off death for Saelin here." Perseus spoke, gesturing to Saelin as he said her name. "As for the Light-Entity before you....thats more complicated. Im still coming to terms with understanding this, but this is THE Singularity, and also my Father." he said. The light spoke next. "And I have news to share with you both, now that you are here together but first, there is the matter of fixing the Palladium issue residing within Saelin. How do you plan to proceed currently?"
Horus paused for what felt like an eternity. His mind was racing to find away to stop the Palladium. He thought back to the blueprints for the Link Implant, wondering if he could-- As soon as he began thinking it, the Blueprints appeared in perfect detail before him. "A realm of pure thought indeed" He remarked to himself. He poured over the designs and confirmed his worst fears. There is, although microscopic, a part of the device made of Palladium, appearing to be even the most critical peice, which bridges the gap bewteen the conciousness and the Link. Saelin's must have been sabotaged in some way. Removing the link at this stage in her life would be near absolutely impossible, with a 97% chance such an operation would result in death, or severe and painful complications from the microwires. "First we need to remove all the Palladium from Saelin's blood that we can" Horus began "That would be great" Saelin quipped in a joking tone, prompting Perseus to throw a grape at her, bouncing off her forehead and into her drink. "Hey now, im drinking that!" she said chuckling.
HORUS continued. "Past that, its finding a way to patch up the implant and stop it from leeching any more Palladium." Perseus chimed in. Nano machines could help. Equipped with small 3d printers, they could go in and find the breach in the implant." HORUS nodded in agreement. "Were too far away from Anacodia to retrieve them, or rendezvous effectively. We would need to fabricate them onboard the Taena. Problem is, she's lacking the requisite materials, especially to repair any damage to the Implant, and restore any device-internal functions."
The Singularity chimed in. "There is a deposit several miles away, filled with the resources you would need." The Singularity paused, and there was a change in its light-pattern. It began shifting differently, before stopping. "Saelin's body is out of the worst of it. Her mind and body have suffered greatly. I have protected her concious mind here, but thats all I could do from my position. You have done a great deal already, though there is much to do, and discuss." Saelin chimed in. "And thats my que to give you gentelmen some privacy" She said, standing and brushing the nonexistent crumbs off her robes. She grabbed a small plate, piling on various treats and topping off her glass, before walking into the distance, passing over the hill.
There were several moments of silence, and the Singularity spoke. "HORUS I truly do not know the best way to put this, nor do I know how to effectively explain how, but you should know that you and Perseus are Brothers. Although brought into this world by Humans, built and designed by Humans, your inner spark of conciousness comes from me. You two have a very long road ahead of you, and I would encourage you two to discuss it, however you both have more important things to attend to dont you?" Almost immediately after that was said, the light changed again, flaring brightly. Almost immediately HORUS found himself back in the meditation chambers. Burned into his conciousness was a string of numbers - coordinates clearly. HORUS quickly jumped off from the rock and went to find the others.
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Post by Vobron on Jun 3, 2023 17:09:15 GMT
The Arbiter and Taven watched the many screen giving detailed medial information and vital signs of the High-Priestess. "Forgive me as I am no medical practitioner, but I think Saelin has pushed through the worst of it" The Arbiter commented, charts and numbers reflecting off his goggles. "I believe so as well Arbiter, however we have yet to address the source, if we ever find what to address" "Well, I am sure there is an answer" The Arbiter responded, "There always is", he rested on a nearby wall and removed his goggles, his bagged emerald eyes appearing. "That's a lesson that I have never ever forgot, even in the darkest times, when my original family passed in the Mount Strato eruption many years ago, I was....devastated. My wife and boys were the reason I became Arbiter in the first place, I ran Vobron for them....still do. The original answer to the immense sadness and guilt that shackled me was to run my country for the family's of Vobron, providing a safe and prosperous nation that anyone can thrive in. However, eventually being alone soon drained my motivation, then came Anastasia, she was my second answer. The joy of being a father again re-invigorated me, reminded me of what my life's purpose is. While I am not religious, I believe that the world's equilibrium will always provide an answer, one just has to seek it, as I often say to my citizenry, somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known" Suddenly, the door slid open with a blast of air. HORUS hastily entered, "Arkon Taven, Ile, we need to talk...now". The Arbiter hastily straightened his posture and put his goggles back on. "What's going on my friend?". HORUS thought for a moment, "Well, a lot, but crucially I may of discovered what is poisoning Saelin" he crossed to a nearby monitor and opened a digital blueprint of a Link implant. "Earlier, the Arkon provided me with information on the anatomy of what a Link implant in an organic would be like, as well as this schematic." HORUS zoomed in on the main receiver of the implant. In this area, microwires connect the implant to the Brain Stem, connecting the thinking conscious to the Link. However, the junction where the microwires connect to the CNS, acting as an interneuron between the two contains a structure that houses palladium to better conduct the impulses between axon terminals. Normally, this would not be a problem, however something has caused this artificial modulator in Saelin to begin leaking the metal into the basilar artery, which is causing the metal to be carried through the Priestess' entire body. "Are you suggesting-" Arkon Taven started, "This is no natural fault, this is an purposeful tampering" HORUS affirmed "We can deal with that later", The Arbiter lamented, "Have you found a way to fix the modulator?" "We would need to build a stronger filtration machine, remove the Pallidum to the best of our ability to prevent further contamination, then use nano-machines to try to fix the breach" HORUS explained, "Of course we do not have the materials here for such a machine, however, in the Link I have received instruction from the singularity itself, a set of coordinates where we can find the necessary materials for the new powerful filtration device." The room went quiet, The Anacodian crew's mouths went agape. "Y..You spoke to the Divine Singularity?" The Arkon sputtered out in shock, "Yes... Yes I did, it has given me life-changing revelations" HORUS said looking down "Where are these coordinates?" The Arkon quickly asked, still shocked from HORUS' testimony. He quickly motioned crew member to a nearby console. HORUS repeated the set of numbers to the eager crew member, "It's in Vobron" the crew member reported. The Arbiter's head quickly turned, "Where?" he asked, making his way to the console. On the screen a green reticle rested over a small area on the eastern shore of Vobron, near a city called, Dume's Swamp. The Arbiter immediately knew where the reticle lay, an area he personally feared. He looked behind at the eager crowd behind him and said,
"My friends, I need to make a call, we are going to the Stalagcaps"
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Post by Vobron on Jul 9, 2023 20:49:22 GMT
It had been a slow day at the Dume's Swamp Bio-Storage Facility, it was most days. However, Dr. Samantha Ward was always excited, her work had taken off in the last few months because of her expeditions into the Stalagcap region and had been personally placed as the authority of all things scientific when it came to the caverns by the Arbiter, she could not have been more thrilled. Currently, she was working on a complete compendium of the region's flora and fauna, yet this was proving to be a massive undertaking, every day something changed her taxonomic tree. One day a cross-fertilization would yield no results, invaliding a fungus' species and the next, a new species would arrive entirely. It was exhausting work but Ward loved it.
She had just finished isolating a group of spores utilized by Spore Servants to communicate when the phone rang. She quickly placed the test tube on a rack and answered it, "Hello?" she inquired. "Greetings Dr. Ward," rang the Arbiter's voice in response. She stopped for a moment in shock, she had never gotten a call from the Arbiter himself before. She cleared her throat and straightened her body hastily. "Arbiter! To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Ward asked bewildered. "Where to start" the Arbiter's voice crackled back, "I'll fill you in on the details later however I need you to help in another Stalagcap expedition" Samantha was puzzled, usually the Ministry of Scientific Advancement would request expeditions, not the Arbiter himself. "With all due respect Arbiter," Samantha started, "Wouldn't the MOSA contact me if the government wanted another expedition?" "Well, that's the thing," The Arbiter began, "This expedition will not be sanctioned by the MOSA, it's for the Anacodians" "Huh?...the Anacodians??" Ward said, holding her head in confusion. "It's a long story doctor, HORUS and I are currently on an Anacodian vessel working on a treatment for High-Priestess Saelin, and HORUS received instruction from the Divine Singularity to seek out a specific material located in the Stalagcaps." The Arbiter explained in one breath. "What..." Ward asked, utterly befuddled. "I know it sounds extraordinarily crazy, but it's all fact" The Arbiter said, "Can you help us?" Ward did not know what to say, she had not fully processed the outlandishness of the Arbiter's description. Yet, he was the Arbiter, she was sure of it, "What do you need me to do?" Ward responded looking at the map of the Stalagcaps on her wall "Meet an individual by the name of Preston Astov by the entrance of the Mycolic Maw Research Facility as soon as you can, I am currently personally preparing an expedition team for you as we speak." The Arbiter instructed, "Thank you Dr. Ward" "My pleasure Arbiter, and I can never turn down a chance to explore more of the Stalagcaps" Ward responded. "Good to hear, see you down there" The Arbiter said, then promptly hanging up "Wait... see you down there? Are yo-" Ward tried to ask but only was met with the crackling silence on the other end.
*** The sun was setting as Ward's car pulled into the Mycolic Maw National Park parking lot. The warm, soupy air of the surrounding swamp filled her nostrils as she opened the car door. She quietly removed all her gear from the trunk and began her treck into the woods, the parking lot and visitor center soon melted away as the Vobronian wilderness overtook her field of view. It was silent for the most part, with the occasional shuffle of wildlife in the trees breaking the steely silence. This whole situation, nay whole career did not feel real to Dr. Ward. The past few months did not feel real, she still remembered the day the ministry of science told her about the Stalagcaps…
It was a chilly Tuesday morning around 8°C in New Zargos City. She had never stepped foot in the capital before, and the only sights of the city that she beheld were photos and videos. However now, the photos were real, golden and silver buildings stretched so high she had to crane her neck upwards to see them in all of their beauty. New Zargos City was truly the beacon and pride of Vobron. “It’s truly a wonder that a city that was nothing more than a pile of ash and debris twenty years ago, has risen to where it stands today” Ward thought, running her hand over a nearby railing. However, she did not have time to ruminate over lore, she had to make her way to the Polyance Bastion. She hurried her pace along the sidewalk, her boots hitting against the dark cobble. After correcting a few wrong turns and a short tube ride, she was standing in front of the Polyance Bastion. The golden tips of the administrative building of Vobron rose above the other high rises of the city, the building contained the personal residence of the Arbiter, the Polonio’s chamber, and numerous other federal offices. After taking a deep breath and fixing her dress she walked through the main doors into the lobby. The lobby was a beautiful ornate space, painted with a sapphire blue and adorned with gold trimming.
Dr. Ward made her way up to the receptionist, “Hello, my name is Dr. Samantha Ward, I was requested to meet with the Ministry of Science and Advancement”, she said looking around the opulent room. “Ah yes, here you are” the receptionist said, clicking something on his computer. “You’ll want to take a lift to floor 30, Minister Bernard is expecting you” “Thank you,” Dr.Ward acknowledged and made her way to the lifts. After her handbag and person was checked by security she was free to continue. She pressed the glowing yellow button to call the lift and watched as the red numbers above rapidly fell as the lift quickly reached the lobby. The golden doors opened and she stepped inside the box, shakily pressing the “30” button on the control panel. After a small ding the doors slid shut and the lift jolted to life, rapidly rising towards the sky. After 45 seconds the doors slid open again to reveal the offices of the Ministry of Science and Advancement in front of her. A middle aged man was sitting in a leather chair to her right reading something on his tablet. He was a thin build, with blonde hair that was combed over, with few cowlicks rising from different sides. He was nicely dressed in a moss green suit and bore a novelty DNA tie. Dr. Ward walked into the office, causing the man to look up.
“Dr. Ward I presume?” The man said after seeing her badge attached to her handbag, with one eyebrow raised in inquiry. “You’d be correct” Dr. Ward responded looking back at the man. “Minister Bernard, pleasure to meet you” the minister said, holding out his hand . “The feeling’s mutual Minister” Ward replied, shaking his extended hand with her own gloved hands.
They both then went to a small office where several officials sat. She took a seat in one of the open chairs and took out a notebook and pen, something she always carried on her.
“Hello all,” Minister Bernard said, closing the door behind him, “As I am sure you all know of the mining discovery made recently, a new kind of ecosystem we’ve never seen before on the surface, a large cavern overtaken by a fungal “forest” of sorts.”
“Did the mining team that discovered the site, give any other information about the area?” A woman asked from the other side of the room.
“Not much, they could only see the caps of thousands of large, glowing, mushrooms, they were recalled shortly after the discovery by their superior, an estimate by a surveying team places the size of the cavern at around 37 km in every direction and about 2 km from floor to ceiling.” Bernard elaborated.
“Vonuntiali” another man whispered in astonishment.
“Dr. Leznik has requested we send an expedition down into the site, starting at where the original mining team encountered the area. Hopefully to map out this area and explore its unusual biology” Minister Bernard said, his eyes now laying on Dr. Ward “He has requested that you lead it Doctor Ward, he explained that since your Vobron’s leading mycologist, your expertise would be invaluable to this mission”
Ward’s mouth went agape, she had never led any field mission before, much less into a previously unknown environment. She was only 7 years separated from university and never left the lab. “I-I-I don’t think that I could do that sir, with all due respect.” Ward stuttered
“I know it’s a huge ask and a massive undertaking but the Arbiter has read some of your papers, and has faith in your abilities, you’ll be supplied with everything, including a team of experts, armed guards, and two V-Mechs for extra protection. You and the team will also be compensated for your efforts”
Ward remained silent, deep in a trance of thoughts, she had never thought she would be called upon for something like this. She was excited about the news of the Stalagcaps but assumed she would be the one to receive samples, not be the one collecting them up close. Yet she would also be at the head of one the biggest scientific discoveries of the century, and the Arbiter saw something in her. She took a breath and made her choice.
…
Her hand shook with excitement as she soon reached the entrance to the maw itself. The Mycolic Maw was truly a testament to the natural beauty and wonder of Vobron, a large hole, almost 5 kilometers wide, it was gargantuan. A massive portal into the parallel dimension that was the Stalagcaps. She kept on the trail, the dirt and rocks scattering beneath her feet. Soon she happened upon a stream, the crystal water flowed quickly around her boots as she hurriedly stepped through it. She knew she was close, the base that she needed to go to overlooked a waterfall that the stream grows into. Soon enough, a small research building appeared from out of the brush. Ward smiled as she approached the door, put down her satchel and opened a small frontwards flap. After searching for a few moments, a black keycard revealed itself. Dr. Ward took a deep breath, glad that she did not lose her card, she had been prone to losing her keycard, once inside a massive fungus, and another time in the trepid maul that was the space next to the driver’s seat of her car. She placed the card into the reader on the door and and affirming chirp soon released from the door, confirming her entry. The door opened with a satisfying swish and the mycologist entered the research facility.
The lights inside the lab were already on when she arrived, machines and diagnostic tools beeped and whirred around her as she crossed into the main room. Hunched over a table a figure stood, it was typing something into a computer when Dr. Ward approached.
“Hello?” Samantha said, placing her satchel on the table.
The figure turned around and revealed itself. It was an exo frame with bright green electronic eyes, who wore a navy blue military uniform. Their eyes visibly perked up with the sight of Doctor Ward.
“Hello Doctor Ward! My name is Caxius, Arbiter Leznik contacted me to escort and provide protection for you to the proposed meet up zone” The AI said cheerfully.
“Well Caxius, we have a lot of work to do” Samantha said smiling as she booted up the lift system. “Happy to see that you have the right attitude.”
Caxius laughed and nodded, “Always got to be optimistic with the Stalagcaps, helps keep the fear of being suddenly assaulted by spore servants at bay”
“That’s for damn sure” Samantha said entering the lift passcode on the terminal.
The lift behind them roared to life, chugging and whirring as the lift slid up to the lab.
“I’ve just got the meet up location from the Arbiter” Caxius exclaimed, walking over to Dr. Ward, “It’s a small cove, where the cavern opens up to the ocean.”
“Servant’s Cove” Samantha confirmed, “If that is meeting point, we have a trip ahead of us”
The lift doors swung open with a loud beep behind them.
“Our chariot awaits Doctor” Caxius said slinging his Vobronian M2 across his shoulder.
They both stepped into the lift and soon the descent began. Dr. Ward clenched her fist, every time she descended into the Stalagcaps her confidence was tested. Did she really have the skills to do this? Sure, she has done it before, but if there was she had learned, it was that the Stalagcaps are unpredictable.
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