28. Ambassadors

Link to Tilted Spire Timetable
 
 
“I think we’ve had enough of this Nexion,” Marius looked up through the hole in the capsule, “Jaden can you isolate the elevator controls so Nexion can’t take control? If we’re going to meet this Allseer, then we’re going to do it on our terms.”
 
Jaden got to work pulling out all electronic control of the capsule and setting up the button to only work while pressed down. On her first try, she decoupled the power completely and had to reestablish some essential cables. Without the capsule’s whirring motor, Nox became aware of a ‘tink, tink’ from under her feet. She listened, and though some sounds were metal on metal, others were more flesh or wood on metal. Hands and tools tapping away at the underside of the capsule. She gestured to Fureva-Yung as she stepped out of the capsule.
“Fureva-Yung, could you please raise the capsule for a moment? I think we have visitors.”
 
Jaden left her work and backed up. Marius crouched down, and Nox lay down on the ground as Fureva-Yung lifted the capsule half a metre. The first thing they saw in the darkness of the shaft was two large bulbous circles. Nox was surprised until she realised they were the two large eyes of an Unseen, in this case, the very seen.
Friends! Welcome! We have met your people before. One named Yelf? She connected with the intelligence behind the large staring eyes with trepidation. In response, the creature lunged out from under the capsule, clawing at the air. The claw whipped through the air where her face had been only moments previously as she rolled out of its way.
Unbeliever!
“Hey, is that Yelf? Hi - hey, watch out, buddy,” Marius said with a large open grin until the creature had swiped at Nox, throwing itself half out into the room. The creature stopped its attack and looked up at him, confused. Taking the distraction as an opportunity, Fureva-Yung slowly lowered the capsule onto the tiny creature. It squealed with fear, now seeing the real danger, but was pinned in place and couldn’t back down the shaft.
“Hey, ease up there, Fureva-Yung. No need to break the little guy’s back.”
At Marius’ gesture of friendliness, Fureva-Yung did, and the creature calmed down.
But…you are unbelievers…you do not believe in the Allseer and must be killed. It is their will. It said in a squeaky bat-like voice, its large ears swivelling back and forward.
It’s not that we don’t believe the Allseer, Nox replied. It's that we don’t understand. We’d like to understand. Would you like to come up and talk to us about them?
The confused look again, and the creature squirmed in place. It was stuck. Fureva-Yung lifted the capsule again and tied off the ropes. Underneath were another four of the same bat-like beings with huge black eyes clinging to a rope. One by one, they climbed out and faced the group. Even crouched down as he was, Marius was still taller than the tallest. Only Nox sitting on the ground, was at eye level as they stood before the capsule and spoke their leader’s teachings.
The Allseer is the powerful ruler of everything. They see and hear all, and everything is theirs.
How about outside? Nox said with an innocent smile, pointing and waving at the camera that was watching from the ceiling, I admit inside the Spire, the Allseer sees all. But there are no cameras outside.
Outside? The spokes-creature replied, obviously confused, Wha?
“Let’s not get caught up on big concepts just yet,” Marius put on a friendly expression, “The Allseer is in charge of everything. How far does everything go down?”
Many levels, They answered with more assurance.
“And how many of you are there, the faithful of the Allseer?”
A big mob, He confessed. Marius put up his hands, and though the creature understood the concept of two, beyond it, numbers became a mob.
 
The camera on the wall started to turn red, and the visitors cowered, The Allseer is angry. We were sent to kill you, kill the unbelievers.
Nox shrugged, unconcerned about the intelligence behind the camera glaring at them, You don’t look like you want to kill us now. Maybe we can sit and chat a little more? Hey…are you hungry? She asked excitedly. She started getting to her feet and moving towards the door before they answered.
I’ll get you some food, see what you like. She smiled, happy to do something positive for this first meeting and ran out the door.
The red light around the camera intensified.
“Maybe we can ask the Allseer,” Fureva-Yung said, glaring back into the camera's lens, “Flash red once for yes?”
A flash and shower of sparks flew out the back of the camera, and the red light faded from the camera.
“I guess that was a no.”
“Well, what do you like to eat?” Marius said, waving away the grey smoke and dismissing the terrifying response from the little-ones god.
Dirtfruit. And the group remembered the mushrooms the Unseen had grown in their little stretch of cave.
“How did you little ones climb up?” Fureva-Yung asked.
Some looked back into the shaft at a rope hanging from the underside of the capsule, We used a hook and rope.
“Oh?” Fureva-Yung asked, looking impressed, “How far did you climb?”
Not far. The floor down. They pointed, referring to the door that would have been just below the capsule's base.
“Oh.”
 
Nox was soon back with some leftovers of breakfast. It was a mixture of nuts, vegetables, a cooked gruel of grains mixed with a few berries and scraps of meat from a venison hunt. It was meagre fare at best and even less for being only scraps and cold at that. Still, the beings picked through the different offered foods and ate a little of each. Nothing seemed to offend, but neither was it very interesting to them either.
It is… They seemed to lack the words. Their world, until a few minutes before, had been so limited.
It’s different, isn’t it? Nox encouraged. Their bat ears flapped with the movement of their heads agreeing.
Different.
There are a lot of different. Right now, the sun is up and outside would be too bright for your eyes, but later you should see the stars and moon.
“The wide open spaces,” Marius now encouraged.
Bigger than this space? The leader asked, gesturing to the small room they barely all fitted into, Bigger than twice this space?
“You could say that.”
Do you still want to kill us? Nox asked, and it was clear the little creatures knew they had no chance of succeeding at the mission.
The Allseer is very angry at you.
Yes, we’d like to understand why. You see, at one time, the Allseer and our people were friends and worked together.
“Yes, they worked with Fureva-Yung,” Marius added.
The creatures less than a metre tall looked in awe at the towering woman before them.
What did you do?
Fureva-Yung wrinkled her brow in frustration, “I don’t know!”
 
“Well, as nice as all this is, we’d better get on,” Jaden said as she groaned off the floor. Without another thought, she was back at work fixing the lift controls.
“You can explore and visit us whenever you like, but I’ve got work to do.”
We don’t want to go back, The leader said as the small group of five huddled together.
“Why?” Marius asked, honestly interested.
We’ve been bad. We were meant to kill you.
“You’re free beings up here,” Jaden said over her work, “You don’t have to go.”
With those words, they all breathed a little easier. Then came the question, what was to be done with them?
 
“There is the eastern site. That’s empty at the moment. Plenty of room and underground where they’d be more comfortable,” Marius suggested, which seemed to agree with everyone.
We have a place that you can have, but it's outside. We will need something to shield your eyes from the bright light, but what do you think? Would you like to go and see it?
 
 
 
 
Jaden reestablished the power to the capsule and then returned her attention to the controls, ensuring that only by physical manipulation could the capsule move. Now, regardless of interference from Nexion, the capsule would only rise or descend when a finger on a button completed the circuit. Jaden looked back on her work, reasonably satisfied. It was makeshift but sturdy enough for their purposes, she hoped.
 
While Jaden worked, the others talked. Fureva-Yung was particularly interested in the Ambassadors’ huge ears and wondered, like her, if they could ‘see with their ears’.
“When you shut your eyes, can you still see?” She asked, pointing to her own large lobes.
We find with our ears, The spoke creature replied, a little confused. Fureva-Yung moved around the room while the speaker closed their eyes and tracked her movements through just the swivelling of their ears. To the others, Fuevara-Yung’s movements were hardly quiet, and she stood still, holding up her fingers.
“How many fingers?” When she held up a full hand of fingers.
The speaker made a few clicking noises, A big mob.
“Oh yeah,” They didn’t have the concept of numbers bigger than two, “How about now?” She held up two fingers. Again the clicks.
Two!
 
 
“Would you like to meet more people like us?” Jaden said as she finished her work and started packing up Bellyache.
I guess, Was the unsure reply. As the others handed out rags to cover their eyes, Jaden left and found Risina and a few others.
“We have made contact with some new friends. We’ll need the community to act like normal until we can move them to somewhere else.”
“Somewhere else? Where do you have in mind? Are these beings dangerous?”
Jaden smirked at Risina’s trepidation. Though she may be able to navigate the social waters like a shark, Marius was far more adept at dealing with the new.
“We think they’ll like the eastern site we were investigating yesterday. As for dangerous, well, maybe you should see for yourself.”
 
Soon enough, the small group of five creatures with huge batlike ears and rags over their faces shuffled out amongst Marius and his friends. With rags covering their eyes, it was hard to work out if the creatures were willing visitors or prisoners. They stayed in the shadowy corners of the Alcove, the space under the Spire the Community gathered for meals and to chat.
“Mother, this is Ulfa and his friends,” Marius introduced, “Ulfa, this is my mother, Risina.”
This IS very big, Ulfa said, looking around the Alcove, the campfires and the few groups working in the space.
“Just wait until nightfall, Ulfa and then you’ll see big,” Marius gestured to the opening where sunlight was partially blocked by the now-growing group of buildings just outside.
Where are the walls? I do not see them.
When the sun leaves the sky at night, you will see better than now.
“Yes, do not spend too long looking out, the sun will hurt you, I think,” Fureva-Yung added, and the group slunk back into the dark corner of the Alcove.
 
Lunch was being prepared, and the five ambassadors were invited to join the community. Fortunately, a forage that morning had found mushrooms that were identified as good to eat. Fureva-Yung also went foraging through her favourite rotten tree trunks and came back with a variety of still crawling bugs and grubs. While they sat and ate, Marius, Nox, Jaden and Fureva-Yung told stories about how they had come to the Spire and asked the creatures if they knew stories from their past.
The Allseer saved us, Ulfa said simply.
“From what? What happened that your people needed saving?” Marius asked, picking up on the hint of Nexion’s past.
We don’t know, Ulfa replied, a curious, confused look on his face as he realised he’d never bothered to ask before.
Ulfa told them a little about their society. Their children were communally raised, and they gave birth usually to one child at a time. They sang and danced as entertainment, but were not great drawers and had no written language. Fureva-Yung asked them to draw a map of their home in the dirt. The resulting picture was not illuminating, except it did show square machined walls quickly became irregular edges of natural caverns.
 
By way of cultural exchange, Marius and the Dritmen sang one of their work songs. Even Nox tried her hand at entertainment by making items from around the campsite float about. The song was mostly well received, but the little creatures weren’t sure of what to make of Nox’s magic, and she quickly gave it up as a bad idea.
 
From small clusters of three or four, the community sat watching. Some who had come through the tunnels remembered Yelf and told tales of their escape once more. For the rest, this was their first sighting of an intelligent race other than themselves, Fureva-Yung excepted. Risina, in particular, held herself back silently, watching the bat-eared Ambassadors from below the Spire.
 
Eventually, the sun slipped behind the hills, and rags started being removed from huge eyes. As promised, the group led the little ones outside and towards the Easter site. Eyes used to the darkness underground were astounded by the lights in the night sky, the velvety ceiling so very high above. Increasingly though, the lack of walls became an issue.
Where are the walls?
“Yeah, they’re hard to find out here,” Marius replied leading the way.
From where we met Yelf and his people we walked days and days with no wall.
A ripple of anxiety rippled through the little ones, This is wrong! No walls! Many sleeps and no walls?
 
Fortunately, by the time anxiety of what lurked beyond had set in, the group had arrived at the Eastern site. They quickly moved downstairs and into the lift.
There is lots of space for you down here. We can’t use this space at the moment so you might as well, Nox gestured to the branching corridors. The little ones seemed pleased with the new location and asked if soil from above could be brought down for growing‘ earth fruit’.
“That is not a problem, “ said Fureva-Yung, who had grown concerned for the little ones and their wellbeing, “Marius is very good at digging.”
Ten sets of large eyes turned silently to Marius.
“After all the work of digging the dirt out of this place,” Marius grumbled good-naturedly.
 
They moved some soil until the new neighbours were happy and then started back to the Spire. It was late when they made it up the hill to the community and they all collapsed onto their sleeping mats and were sound asleep in minutes.
 
Late the following morning they reconvened at the elevator. It had been weeks since they’d first found the lift and now they were finally ready to take their first trip.
“Okay, me and Fureva-Yung will take the lift up,” Marius said his his organiser’s voice, “Nox, you stay here and remove the chocks.”
“Why me?!” Fureva-Yung asked as Nox complained.
“Without me?!”
“You’re the only one who can remove them,” He replied to Nox before turning to Jaden.
“Jaden, want to take the inaugural trip?”
Jaden thought a moment, “If I die, I’m blaming you,” She finally said and stepped in.
“I can live with that.”
 
Jaden’s new controls worked well, and the lift rose up passing doors until Jaden released the button. When they returned, it was to two eager faces. Nox and Fureva-Yung had been talking.
“We want to go up to the top,” Nox said as the lift door opened.
“Don’t you want to go down and confront Nexion and free the little ones?”
“But Fureva-Yung may be able to connect into the Spire’s systems from the top,” Nox described the three chairs and Fureva-Yung’s connection with the Spire.
“Is this what you want to do, Fureva-Yung?” He asked. Fureva-Yung looked hesitant, torn between going down and helping the remaining little ones and going up and finding out about herself.
“Yes,” She finally committed and stepped into the capsule.
 
They rose up the floors, one, two, big mobs. After the fifth door, however, there were no more floors.
“We’re going through the lightning space,” Nox commented, and they all visualised the large space filled with only the elevator shaft and electrical discharge. Suddenly, a flash of the self-same lightning flashed through the door and cracked around the capsule. It discharged itself in the controls sending sparks and Jaden jumping back into the others. The capsule stopped, the control panel sizzled and smoked as the lightning flashed and sped around them.
 
“Quick, chock us in place, Nox,” Marius pointed out the open door into the shaft.
Fureva-Yung placed herself in the doorway. “If the lightning wants in, it will have to come through me,” She said as another scintillating bolt of electricity rang around the capsule. Fureva-Yung’s hair began standing on end.
Ha. Fuzzy, Nox smiled at the shared memory.
“Now what?” Marius turned to Jaden.
“It shouldn’t do that,” Jaden mused, watching another fork of electricity flash across the ceiling, “We should be insulated from the lightning outside.
“Maybe it’s Nexion again,” Nox said, crouched under Fureva-Yung, “Their way of stopping us from getting to the top.”
Another jolt made Fureva-Yung spasm and roar, “Lighting in my brain makes me mad!”
“I’m sorry, I know it feels awful.” Nox said from Fureva-Yung’s feet. Looking down to where the little one crouched against the lightning around them.
“Don’t worry, little one. Lightning helps you see the past too.” She shared, and Nox could only listen and nod.
 
Marius helped Jaden repair the control panel, isolating the switches so she could work on them in peace. She soon had the controls working again.
“Take us up, Jaden!” Fureva-Yung roared, and Jaden held down the button. The capsule jolted back to life. Nox removed the chocks for their trip back down the shaft as the whole capsule twisted around in the shaft, leaving the lightning chamber and heading towards the top.
 
A door soon appeared and opened up on the control centre Nox had found. Fureva-Yung stepped through the door and looked around expectantly. Nothing seemed familiar to her. Not even a twinge of some half-remembered recognition. She looked up and saw a black domed ceiling like the imaging room's walls. Her gaze dropped to the three chairs in the centre. Beside each seat on the right-hand side, she noted an interface of some sort. She looked at her tattoo, swung around and sat down. The chair lit up, and one of three lights lit above her head. It corresponded to Fureva-Yung’s chair.
“Ha, be careful not to launch something,” Marius joked.
Fureva-Yung looked at the light, then back to the pad her tattooed arm rested. The Ferrian Compact symbol blazed, but there was no request for a password or identification beyond the tattoo. If they were to get any further with the Spire and its wonders, they would need more tattooed.
 
From her seat, she looked out over the rest of the room. Two corners seemed boxed in, walls separating them from something hidden. She closed her eyes and used her echolocation to see through the wall and noticed a densely packed collection of machines.
 
Nox sat down in the seat beside Fureva-Yung and was disappointed, though not surprised, that it did not respond to her. Instead, she noted several buttons and the words printed beside each. She noted them down in her book over the Numenera text.
“Nox, there is something behind those walls, “ Fureva-Yung indicated the two corners, “Have you checked them with your scan?”
“No,” Nox shook her head. She carefully put away her book and walked towards the closest wall. As she connected to the machine behind the innocuous surface, an arc of energy from below streaked through. Nox was thrown bodily across the room, her flight only impeded by Fureva-Yung leaping up and catching her before she hit the wall.
 
“Urgh, lightning in the brain….” Nox said, smiling up at Fureva-Yung, feeling, as always, safe in her arms. “What does it let you see?”
“Sometimes it shows the past to me,” Fureva-Yung replied, not letting go.
“All I see is the back of my head,” Nox groaned and gestured to be let down, “Thank you, Fureva-Yung.”
 
Gently, Fureva-Yung put Nox back on her feet. As the young woman stubbled towards the windows where Marius and Jaden stood looking out to the North, Fueva-Yung walked over to the corner that had thrown Nox. She touched her hand to the wall, hoping desperately for something…anything…
Show me! She thought, pressing her hand into the metal surface.
Nothing.
 
“Hey, look! I think that might be the Northern station for the transport. See the dead grass?” Marius pointed out a patch of ground exposed by yellowed and stunted grass.
“Do you think the Spire was the seed of a colony or was it a spaceport for a larger city?” Jaden wondered, “This place seems to create a lot of energy for just itself.”
“I guess that’s one of the things we can ask old Nexion when we meet,” Marius replied, noting Fureva-Yung’s disappointment and Nox’s less-than-stable stance, “Are you guys ready to go?”
 
Back into the lift, they piled, and Jaden pressed the button for down. They slipped past the lightning chamber without incident, past the five floors known to them and continued down, below ground level of the Spire.