1035. To southern sun, 6
(Rose)
The story shared with us gave me the pip.
It sadly aligned with everything Tilke taught me.
Everything I had the occasional chances to learn about this set of chapters to history that sound queer to me.
Any technology beyond the early 20th century feels intuitively futuristic to me. But it’s all in the distant past today.
As Blume, I caused the Roses quite some troubles to relate era and identity because of that. Nothing is what it seems at first glance. And neither the opposite is true.
I think about it. We all do. We have different knowledge and perspectives. Tilke is the consequential addition, as she’s the one with clearer first-hand memories, in a way, of such technologies from before the white day.
We’re not clear as to when, nor where, exactly do her memories stem from. But she was educated to a lot of things. While Selya and Temee are too young and I missed these interesting times. Selya doesn’t know Mushio so she wouldn’t find him, and Temee too only met him on occasions.
Now that we’re going to approach a Blue sun city outpost still standing, we would seriously need people able to comprehend their technologies.
Ti - I’ll see what I can do and not do.
S - If you can use computers, that would be a good start, but we don’t know yet what we will find. Except for that dragon on the site.
Something akin to Supremacy. If not a direct copy. With some luck, another computer will be fine making us inherit the administrator authority. But... Between an old vault from an older country and a military outpost apparently still alive... I would not bet on their amiability.
I feel shivers along my spine. I try to hide it, but I’m excited...
Selya probably reads it through me easily.
S - These machines are adapted in admirable ways. Rather than functioning less or no longer like most with the changes of day; they’ve improved. The new environment with T.I. makes them incredibly more efficient...
R - I never realised that when I faced S. I thought they were still the same as they had been designed.
S - I doubt they were able to release such levels of electromagnetic fields before, or to generate such high temperatures of plasma. I think that is mostly T.I. speaking now.
We look at Tilke for confirmation, but she doesn’t know.
Ti - I’ve heard a few things, but I don’t recall encountering such things. Polymorphic weaponry are science-fiction to me. I know Solaris for being wasteful with every resource and human life like other empires. But I haven’t heard so much about their cutting edge technologies outside the biological and biotechnological engineering.
R - Designing life for resource and transformation efficiently?
Ti - More about eugenics. In the dark times they had been infamous for designing human life to fit their purposes. The lower classes were limited. Their inhabitants over time must have evolved beyond humanity. All their technologies I heard of were about improving humanity toward... something better.
R - That sounds so Faustian. So grim.
We don’t know what they turned into, before the Antarctic storm wiped them out, along with their city. We likely will never know. But now we should clean the nasty leftovers of their culminating war technologies.
A swarm of mechanical insects able to collectively throw plasma bullets, fly around and throw all other sorts of things with intelligence.
A purposeful monster.
It’s a plague waiting to fall.
R - From what you said Selya, they adapt fast to plasma heat. However they remain machines working on electricity, right?
She nods.
Ti - You have an idea of a spell?
R - Well yes. I could make thunder fall on them. Would that deactivate them fully you think? Assuming we made them regroup to face a heated flame.
They all look at me with wide eyes. Even Selya looks oddly shocked?
Te - You can make thunder fall from the sky? At will?
R - Not instantly but yes... I didn’t steal that from Zeus, but I learnt it the hard way from a priest. A rather evil priest.
S - You learnt it? How...
R - I... died from it. It’s a long story you know. But I think I could do it again yes. I’m sure you could too Selya.
Selya is acting oddly surprised to my eyes. She has done things already far more impressive though? But perhaps she’s now feeling a little intimated or less confident now?
Or... She’s missing her own thorns to release things so mighty? That might more be it.
I look at Selya fidgeting nervously, all too human and young when asked something impossible.
I look at her guardian then. Temee is still incredulous of my story, but she doesn’t get why I’m looking at her with insistence now.
R - You might have done too good a job Temee.
Te - Wha... What?
Tilke gets it first and chuckles. Selya’s face turns darker, flushed. She got some of it too.
R - It is excellent to tame the wild dog. But not so far it becomes afraid to hunt when comes the day.
Selya is ticked off by my words.
She too, can be easy to switch in ways when you get to know her. She’s kind.
She has been broken to learn back humility. But there is still a sharp instinct to prove herself to the world inside.
R - I know it’s always, always hard to kind and keep the better balance Selya. I believe you can do it fine.
S - Shall we then?
R - I see no reason to postpone it.
We stand up and I stretch my arms a little. Selya brings out a white dress from a bag.
S - Tilke, would you mind helping Temee watching over me?
Ti - Hm, that’s... I don’t get it.
She soon does, albeit flabbergasted.
I’m as well a little.
Selya pulled out from the ground her mirror image or duplicated self, seemingly. Her new self that rose from the dirt and leaving a hole behind then wore the white dress.
The first one sits and lowers her head as Temee holds her; while the new one looks at me oddly.
S - Don’t look so surprised Rose. You’re the one who taught me. I’m sure you could do it as well.
R - Have I?
The real Selya is looking fast asleep, with Temee watching by her side.
The imaginary Selya exudes a faint memory of our first encounter.
Right. I remember. It’s beyond summoning a solid hallucination bound to your psyche. It’s about inhabiting a simplified but more purposeful body.
I had such beautiful hair for that short while.
For that sharpest but short time, I had made a figure of my ideal body to face anything and everything. But at a price.
R - Tilke. I’m trying to get better, and to waste less energy.
Ti - Good girl!
Temee wants to lend me one of her swords but I refuse. I tend to lose or break the weapons given to me. My shabby looking one will suffice. I can turn it into a fiery blade, that’s plenty enough.
We bid the three of them farewell, then Selya and I walk away through the pampa.
To hunt down the mechanical dragon at the end of this plateau. The technology which against everything else and all odds, has grown more powerful after the white day.
We should ask Tilke and the others if Solaris could not have anticipated that?
Things might not have turned the way they seemed. The right way might be far, but in a bad scenario, all was intended. It was a conspiracy, and the dominating city planning for the white day to come had already prepared her weaponry for the day after; the technologies that would be transfigured by it.
Hard to say. We may never know.
But let’s stop an odd demon, and dig for what it could mean when it is over.
~
