Roboticist Lost (Chapter 1)
‘Wake up.’
My eyes open to nothing but dark whiteness. I go to breathe, but nothing comes in or out, and I’m suddenly aware of the fluid that has filled my lungs. It was only in that moment did the memories of what happened started rushing to me as I realized I was in a cryptopod, a last resort for survival in extreme situations.
Weightlessly, I float there in the ooze before a sudden lurch sends me sloshing out of the cryptopod as a harsh new white greets me.
Despite the excruciating pain flooding my lungs, I found a sliver of relief with each puking cough as I forced myself up to my hands and knees, and then at least to my elbows as I shuddered miserably.
‘Stay calm, keep puking. You will be okay.’ A voice, seemingly originating from the back of my skull, reassured me.
More and more slime gushed out with each cough as I emptied what I had to simply breathe, my legs and arms shaking unbearably as they struggled to keep me up for a few more moments.
With one more painful cough, I forcibly pushed myself over onto my side, sinking deep into the snow before rolling onto my back. Looking to the sky, I’m greeted by dull gray clouds, snow silently falling onto my face and melting into the slime that still coated my clothes and hair.
‘Your genetic cold tolerance will sustain your body for a while, but you need to get up and get out of the snow before hypothermia overtakes you. There is an emergency survival kit within one of the interior panels of the cryptopod; get the axe for chopping wood, and a constructoid will work on building you a shelter wherever you designate it… A lifter will also gather the wood you collect and assist the constructoid as needed.’
My head only throbbed as this silent voice filled my mind with all the information and instructions they offered, and only after another thirty seconds was I able to manage a response as I began pushing up from the ground, the snow crunching beneath my palms and under my shifting legs. “W-what?”
However, as far as I could tell while looking around, I was utterly alone.
‘Why are you not moving?’ The silent voice loudly questioned.
I could only respond by leaning to the side and suddenly puking up more slime as I panted heavily. “W-who are you? W-where are you?” I croaked out between coughing and spitting.
‘Now is not the time for questions. All you need to know is that I need you alive. If you die, then it is over for me too.’
“Fine… Fine, I’m moving.” I grunted out, pushing myself up on unbearably shaky limbs.
It took me over a minute, but I was eventually on my feet, snow and slime clinging to my body in equal measure as I approached Zaris’ cryptopod.
It was cold to the touch, and with the snow around it, I couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since I landed before the cryptopod had let me out.
Peering into the pod, I found the panel the voice had shown me. After finding the release latch, I pulled a plasteel axe from a small selection of equipment.
‘In a panel to the left, you will find survival meal kits. Come back for them later.’ The voice silently informed me as I glanced at the panel in question after suddenly becoming aware of its existence.
“Shouldn't I be making my over to a nearby settlement? Or building a comms hub? I have to rendezvous with the others and get a count on our collective resources. Maybe we can put together a rescue for Zaris if it hasn't been too long.” I asked aloud, looking over my right shoulder as if to look around for that voice.
‘You have only just woken up; you will need a day at least to recover and collect yourself. Don't be so quick to go wandering through the snow.’ The voice chided as I felt it trying to bring my attention to something else. ‘Look at that button on your right side; push it. That will release the mechs loaded into the pod with you.’
“Right, you said something about a constructoid and lifter…” I murmured in response before reaching out and tapping at the innocuous little black button.
The next moment, there was a hiss as an exterior panel opened, and two little mechs came tumbling out of the pod before plunging into the snow.
“Whoa, guys, are you okay?” I called out, hearing their distressed mechanical squeaks and beeps.
Dropping the axe and rounding the pod, I spotted the two little mechs half-buried upside down in the snow—the constructoid with its mechanical legs flailing around frantically while the lifter’s spherical wheel whirred fruitlessly.
“It’s okay, you’re gonna be fine you two. Just give me a moment.” I reassured as I reached out and grabbed the constructoid first, lifting them up out of the snow and righting them as they proceeded to sink in the snow again until only the top half of their body stuck out, though at least this time they weren’t as distressed as they beeped in vague relief.
After freeing the lifter, it, in turn, chirruped cheerfully while rolling over the snow reasonably easily with its spherical wheel as it rolled around me for a moment before coming up beside the constructoid and looking up at me, within moments, I feel them voluntarily connecting their simple minds to mine, linking their signals to the bandwidth my mechlink was emitting before their white carapaces take on deep green highlights which matched my eyes.
“Well, it's uh… Nice to meet you two.” I said cheerfully enough, leaning forward to properly greet them before having to stand back upright quickly enough to catch myself as the persistent wooziness nearly took me off my feet. “Woof… S-sorry…” I sighed, bringing my hand to my mouth as I did my best not to throw up again.
With another sigh and a shake of my head, I managed another smile as I looked at the two while plucking up the axe from the snow. “Well, let's get going; we’ve got work to do.”
‘Yes, you do, now please hurry.’ The voice urged again.
“Right…” I muttered to the silence as I began surveying the area.
To my immediate left was a strong-looking river that looked shallow in most places, but there were a few notably deep dips apparent from where I stood. To my left was a mostly barren expanse of snow pockmarked with maybe a dozen snow-drenched pine trees.
Though there was a relatively massive snowy hill, it was something sturdy at least that looked to be blocking the direction the wind was blowing from as far as I could tell. “Come along, let's get a closer look.” I say aloud to the duo of mechs escorting me.
The crunching of snow calls out above the winds as I manage to trudge right up to the hill. However, as I drew closer, a strange sense of foreboding overcame me. I’m… I'm not sure why, but I feel that the formation in front of me might contain some kind of danger. Only as I stepped closer did I notice the clearly manufactured stonework lining the face of the hill. A sign of civilization perhaps?
Despite the sensation that washed over me just now, I couldn’t see anywhere else I could possibly go, so I decided it would be better to settle right here next to the possible danger to keep an eye on it. “Alright… I want a wall and a roof right here, with a door in the middle.” I say aloud, shaking off the feeling as I look at the constructoid. I stepped away from the artificial structure and found a large, curved nook in the stone hill, where only one wall of my new shelter would be shared with the already-standing structure. “While I’m collecting materials, I want you to start clearing out the snow and pack in the dirt on the ground, okay?”
The constructoid chirps out a beep of confirmation as it takes on my mental blueprints before busily clearing the dense snow.
With that, I started for the few trees I spotted earlier while the lifter rolled along behind me. I… I don’t get very far as I’m suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to purge my guts all over again. The axe slipped from my hands and crunched in the snow as slime and bile roughly rushed past my tongue and out my mouth, leaving me a shuddering, gasping mess as I croaked out a few coughs, doing my best to clear my throat while spitting out what was left. “Damn…”
With my hands on my knees, keeping me steady enough to stay upright, I slowly forced myself to stand tall again. The vaguely concerned squeaks of the lifter caught my ears. Glancing down at the little mech, I watched as it held the axe up to me, its optical sensors steadily trained on me.
“Thanks… I’ll be alright.” I say aloud, more to myself than to the lifter as I pluck up the axe from its manipulators before continuing towards the trees.
Three hours later, on my second tree, I worked on lopping off branches and cutting the trunk into logs that were somewhat more manageable for the lifter to haul back to the shelter.
The silent voice from earlier was keeping to itself, leaving me to my work as I managed to get over the worst of the crypto-sleep sickness. I was still left with the uncomfortable heaviness of the now frosty slime that still coated my clothes. I had at some point done my best to wipe myself off, but without a proper wash, there wasn’t much I could really do about it… Thankfully, it was getting warmer, if only ever so slightly, as the sun had risen and the clouds had parted; allowing the snow to finally stop falling if only for a little while.
It was then that my stomach started to rumble, and all my hard work managed to stir up an appetite despite how horrible it felt earlier. After having nothing but slime for who knows how long, my stomach could do with some real food.
“Hey… You said something about there being food in the pod… Is that true?” I called out, looking back towards the river where I knew the pod was, even if it was beginning to blend with the scenery thanks to all the snow it collected since I left it.
‘Among other things… Yes. There is food. You can find the food by accessing an interior hatch that was positioned around your lower back.’ The voice offered.
“Good to know… Thanks.” I said simply, swinging the axe around before resting it on my shoulder as I started for the pod, the little lifter rolling past me as it displayed its surprising strength for its size, lifting the logs and carrying them to the woodpile I had mentally designated.
Along the way, I spotted the freshly erected wooden walls of what was to be my shelter for the night—the almost delightful smell of burnt wood from the constructoid’s laser cutter carried through the air.
That simple sign of progress managed to bring a smile to my face as I nodded to myself before continuing to crunch along through the snow.
‘You would be further along if you were more effective at cutting wood… Did you learn nothing during your volunteer hours on the garden vessel?’ The silent voice asked, giving off a vague sense of impatience.
“Oh, give me a break…” I muttered aloud with a roll of my eyes. “I learned plenty… Sure, I wasn’t as good as Eli, but I can tell you what’s safe to eat and how to sow seeds. I just didn’t need to cut trees as much since we had the agrihands.” Then, I realized something: freezing in my tracks before narrowing my eyes as I glanced over my shoulder. “And… How do you know about the garden vessel? How do you know anything about me?”
The silent voice seemed to hold its tongue, and after an uncomfortably pregnant pause, it finally responded. ‘I served with you… On the Astral Quill…’ It explained slowly, which only confused me more. ‘We have never met, but I watched over you… I watched over all of the crew for over three hundred years.’
My mind raced with possibilities… One of the elders, perhaps? But how were they talking to me? “Okay… Where are you?”
The voice held its tongue for a while, but it piped up soon enough despite what I felt was hesitancy. ‘I am on the nape of your neck… I reprogramed the biosculptor in Mechlord Zaris’ cryptopod and had myself installed into you by piggybacking on your mechlink.’
My hand instantly reached for the back of my neck, brushing away some of my long, thick hair as I felt for the injection site of my mechlink. I found a piece of almost scaly metal that blended nearly seamlessly with my natural flesh. It's a modification I definitely didn’t have before going into that pod. “W-what the…”
‘My name is Sagittarius… I served as the Astral Quill’s medical director and lore keeper. Zaris’ predecessor, Mechlord Trylia, recruited me into our Sect’s service back when I was still a nascent persona. I came into my own and chose to name myself after the ancient core world constellation.’
I… Didn’t know what to say, but the gurgling of my stomach reminded me of why I was taking a break as I just rubbed the back of my neck a little more before heading towards the pod again. “Okay… Why were you in Zaris’ pod? Why not Polaris, or well… Why were you in there at all?” I asked, looking for the hatch Sagittarius had told me about and popping the latch as I uncovered a solid supply of survival meals, easily forty days' worth of food in here as I plucked out one of the trays and began to dig in.
‘Like I said, I served as the Astral Quill’s lorekeeper… Within that pod is an info brick, the sum total of all the collected information from the Cultured Academy Sect’s databanks. All the technology, history, and as many studies as I could possibly save before our vessel lost power.’ Sagittarius readily explained, though I got the impression he was a little indignant at being compared to Polaris. ‘There was a protocol in place, in the case of a catastrophic disaster, I was to upload myself to the Mechlord’s cryptopod along with the info brick and serve as his assistant while the sect rebuilt itself from the ground up… But now… Well, now, I am stuck with you, limited to your mechlink for our combined survival.’
I grunted in response, chewing as quickly as I could to finish my meal as I awkwardly balanced the tray in my free hand without a table. “Well, it's not like I was planning on taking Zaris’ place… I was perfectly content with finding an alternate route off our vessel after ensuring Zaris was safely away in the pod.”
‘Please… You would not have survived more than a week, even if you managed to get ahold of an EVA suit.’ Sagittarius said rather decisively. ‘Zaris was a man transformed, far removed from being a fleshy baseliner like yourself. He could survive the vacuum with ease thanks to his modifications and would have lasted long enough to either rescue himself or be rescued if it came down to it.’
I nodded, swallowing what I had before tossing the empty tray back into the pod. “Yeah… That sounds about right…” I sighed, flicking my tail and ears as they still felt weighed down by the slime and snow clinging to my body. “Wait… Are you saying he’s probably already safe?” A hint of a smile crossed my lips at the notion.
However, the smile began to fade as Sagittarius didn’t respond right away.
“Sagittarius? Do you have his location? Perhaps a rendezvous point with the others? I’m guessing it might be kind of far if you want me to hunker down first.” I considered, trying to find some reason for the instructions I had been given so far.
‘I do not know… It has been long enough, so it is highly possible.’ Sagittarius quietly admitted.
Despite the chill in the air, those words made my blood run truly cold. “How… How long has it been?” I asked, my voice barely a croak of a whisper.
‘I am sorry, Ezekiel… It has been 1132 years since you were last on the Astral Quill.’
2nd of Jugust, 5500
The Endling(Finished) / Wake Up (Finished)