c. 2024 Rod Ice
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(10-24)
Arbiter Goland Pick had been busy at the Toqua Platte Center in Calimex, particularly after his head-of-state had ordered the launch of a Ranger, land-drone swarm to cross the vast emptiness of their continent. He worked long shifts at his control panel, fiddling with settings and rewriting programs as needed. But on Monday morning, as their exploration had been underway for several weeks, suddenly, his focus was shattered by circumstance.
The Great Uprising of antiquity had left them with a puzzling mess to traverse.
Through the entryway to his command hub, Lotharian Gardino appeared, in a long vestment of flowing robes and colored stripes that indicated a position of supremacy within the territorial government. He was brusque and aggressive in tone, with little effort to introduce himself formally to the research team.
“Good morning, everyone! I trust that you’ve all been overworked since this mission was undertaken. But, with a nod to your efforts, let me inquire about what has been done to find the source of those C-drive emissions. What have you accomplished?”
Pick swiped across illuminated tiles on the board, while averting his eyes.
“Your visit wasn’t announced, sir. We all apologize for being unready...”
The Prime Keeper cursed under his breath. But smiled with a forced arc of his mouth.
“Unready? Does that mean you are short on data from the logistical trek?”
Engineer Jordan N’Falah interrupted with a youthful overabundance of enthusiasm. He was unintentionally rude, but had good intentions.
“Mr. Gardino, I’ve got plenty of clicks stored in our computer banks. No worries there, would you like me to bring up a graphic display on our monitors?’
The de facto ruler of their high council was slightly amused by this interjection.
“Crewman, did I ask you to speak? My observation was very general in nature. But, go ahead, work your magic. Show me what you’ve discovered...”
N’Falah felt his hand tremble slightly, when reaching across the panel.
“Our Ranger drones have been mapping on-the-fly, sir. No one has explored the middle region of North America for a long time. It’s been re-forested by nature, and is difficult to penetrate. But believe it or not, they have encountered pockets of civilization. Nothing like what we have here, on the coast, of course. But there are small groupings everywhere, hidden by the overgrowth. Some are no more than families huddled together. Others might approach a hundred people, or more. They are living on a primitive level. Just basic subsistence...”
Gardino was impatient and sour. Yet still projected an official veneer of civility.
“How does this relate to searching for the C-drive?”
Arbiter Pick rubbed his bald head, and bowed slightly.
“I thought it would be useful to catalog what the land drones uncovered, while making their way toward Lake Erie. That region was the focal point of what we received...”
The Prime Keeper lost his temper at last. His left fist crashed on the control panel.
“WERE YOU GIVEN SUCH ORDERS WHEN THIS BEGAN? I DID NOT KNOW YOUR RANK WAS SO HIGH AS TO JUSTIFY MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT OUR TASK! TAKE CARE THAT YOU DO NOT STEP TOO BOLDLY OVER YOUR BOUNDARIES, GOLAND, AND FALL INTO OBLIVION!”
N’Falah gulped reactively hard, and tapped at virtual buttons on his console. He had the pale appearance of a teenager who needed to bask in warm rays of sunshine.
“Mr. Gardino, I laid the plan myself. It just made good sense to keep track of what we were learning...”
Their territorial leader began to flail his arms and spit.
“KEEP TRACK? MAYBE YOU SHOULD’VE KEPT TRACK OF MY ORDERS, CREWMAN! THIS QUEST IS TO FIND THE C-DRIVE VESSEL, AND BRING IT HOME FOR CLOSER INSPECTION! WE NEED THAT TECHNOLOGY! IT WILL EXPAND OUR CAPABILITIES EXPONENTIALLY! AND PUT US IN CHARGE OF THIS ENTIRE REGION! I DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT TAKING TOURIST PHOTOS ALONG THE WAY! FIGURE OUT THIS RIDDLE, AND DRAG THAT SHIP BACK TO OUR LABORATORIES!”
Pick shook his head, while adopting a submissive pose of surrender.
“Of course, of course! Forgive the boy, he is our newest recruit. I gave him that idea! As he said, it just made good sense...”
Pinpoints hovered over the continental map, where each pocket of inhabitants had been encountered. They were random and few in number. Yet undeniably curious for lingering in a climate of post-apocalyptic destruction.
N’Falah crouched low over his board. He had closed his eyes, tightly.
“It’s a miracle, isn’t it? The human race is resilient! We can survive almost anything! Those stragglers should be dead. Not running around in the woodlands. But there they are! Who knows what stories they might be able to tell? We could learn a lot, sir. Think about the value we could get from listening to them...”
Gardino had flushed bright red. He was seething with irritation. But held his thunderous temper in check.
“Very well. Scribble your notes. Take your pictures. Amuse yourselves for the sake of scientific wonder. But get the job done! Find out what sparked the C-drive signature, and devise some plan to get the source back here, in one piece! I want to see it myself. Maybe even ride on it, toward the stars! This is our destiny, our hopes and dreams hanging in the balance. Don’t screw it up! Do not screw it up!”
Before anyone on their team could protest, the Prime Keeper turned on his heel, and exited the control chamber. He was finished with the episode of psychological assault.
Arbiter Pick wheezed with relief after the council leader had made his exit. He turned toward his junior engineer, and began to laugh out loud.
“Jordan, I think you knocked him off balance! That might’ve actually saved us, your impulsive spurts of information made him stumble. He’s used to dealing with military officers, and diplomats. Not a geeky kid with a habit of interrupting others! I know he will return, once he’s had a chance to process everything. But for now, you covered us like a shield. You covered the lack of having a coherent result from our work. You covered our asses, so to speak!”
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