- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Nah, it's good, I just wanted to know what you were talking about, since in the context of that sentence, knowing what a "Joey" is is crucial to the meaning of the sentence.
-
Going forward, links to content from Twitter (now X) will no longer be embedded. Pre-existing links should not be affected.
Lieutenant Fusilier in The Farthest Reaches
- Thread starter open_sketch
- Start date
- Original Mature
Vebyast
Nascent Transhuman
...I guess it would have read rather differently if that'd been, like, "I know a Theo, he'll make this whole problem vanish in a puff of smoke", wouldn't it.
- Location
- Ottawa
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Whatever
Just updating everyone. I have had a pretty staggeringly bad life event happen and it may be a while before i am level enough to update again. sorry!
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Googh.
I'm very sorry to hear that and I hope that things get... less bad?
Chapter 29 - Poker Face
- Location
- Ottawa
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Whatever
The farther we traveled east, the more the landscape changed, and the more signs of development we saw. We passed an enormous switching yard, the steel wheels of the trains screeching and squealing, distorted into monstrous cries by the distant echoes through the valleys. They were either expanding or still finishing the yard, as there were work parties swarming around the far side erecting buildings and laying rails. At the same time, the roads below were actually choked with pedestrians, on foot or riding velocipedes, many pulling carts.
"I'm going to guess they don't have anything like a horse, given what we've seen." Sumner guessed, "We haven't seen any beasts of burden or anything like that. Interesting."
"... good, if you ask me." I said, "Say, I think I see the city ahead."
Sumner sat up in her seat a little, staring off into the distance. We were just to the point where the coast was starting to become visible from the glint of sunlight off the horizon, so we must be close.
"It sort of just looks like a big grey smear." she said, squinting against the midday sun. "Though I think I see balloons! They have balloons!"
As we got closer, that smear began to resolve itself into the city, with an enormous contrast instantly visible in the layout of the structures. Closer to the water were monolithic, blocky structures in grey concrete, some clearly residential and others topped in massive square chimneys pouring black smoke into the air. Spread out all around, and receding away from those structures, were thousands of wooden buildings of haphazard construction, densely packed to the point of nearly blending into one another.
Sure enough, level with us as we approached were balloons, tethered to the buildings below, their long, teardrop-shaped canopies bobbing slightly in the wind. They were flying high above us, perhaps a thousand feet in the air, and the wires trailing from the indicated they likely had some kind of communication with the ground below. Watchtowers, of a sort?
Even eighty feet in the air and still approaching the city, we could smell it. The mixture of organic waste and coal smoke was deeply unpleasant, and Sumner began coughing something awfully before we even crossed over the city proper.
"It's a bit rank, isn't it?" she said, calling a halt so she could retrieve her poisonous atmosphere gear from her bag. She carefully wrapped the scarf around her face, her eyes watering, and the radio was filled with a scratchy static as the fabric was pulled against the microphone.
The messenger was entirely correct that we couldn't have missed the palace: it was on the far side of the city, surrounded by high walls and a carefully maintained lawn of what looked like beach sand raked perfectly even. Huge triangular pennants flew in rows between the gatehouse and the steps into the main entrance, marking an obvious path between the two.
"I imagine to be respectful, we ought to stop at the gatehouse." Sumner pointed out, and I shook my head and pointed down to the stairs. "Do we want to be respectful?"
"... I don't know." I admitted. "I don't particularly want to be rude to anyone, but at the same time, this lot hasn't exactly won me over. They forced a unit of their soldiers to shoot at their own!"
"And they shot at you!" Sumner pointed out. "I think that's important too."
"That's fine, self-defense more or less. Besides, it wasn't as though they could hurt me."
"Well, still… They were trying to kill you! I don't know, I think perhaps it's like gift giving." Sumner said, "It's the thought that counts. And if they figure they have the advantage over us..."
"Right, they might try it again. So… confident, but not confrontational?" I suggested. To that end, we skipped the gatehouse, but flew carefully and slowly down the path between the flags, giving just enough time for our welcoming party to assemble on the palace steps. Looked like an honour guard of about forty soldiers like we'd seen before (different hats, though!) and our first look at what I was pretty sure were the local nobility or governors. The two trailing figures were holding hands.
There were three of them approaching, and they all looked just a little different, perhaps different ages. They were dressed in very elaborate, almost toga-like versions of the tabards the soldiers wore in white and dark blue, with subtle patterns and silver toggles. Fancy types for sure.
I knew better than to expect them to extend a hand for a proper handshake or anything, but they did not so much as move as we dismounted, all of them staring wide-eyed at myself, at Ensign Sumner, and at our horses. I couldn't blame them, really, must be quite a bit of a shock. Not knowing what else to do, I offered a hand to shake, and they recoiled as if in shock.
Did I really scare them that much? It seemed weird that people so openly physically affectionate with one another wouldn't be prepared for some kind of touch during a greeting, didn't it? I withdrew my hand awkwardly.
"Hello, I am Lieutenant Theodora Fusilier of the Kingdom of Great Britain and Beyond. This is Ensign Lydia Sumner, my assistant."
"... and who are they?" the lead figure asked, pointing to our transports.
"Uh… Those are our horses." I said, "They are just tools. Not people."
"I see, my apologies. I am Visionary, head of the South Hunter family. These are Steadfast and Clever, my senior siblings." the leader said, looking us over with caution. "We were surprised to hear you would be arriving so quickly."
We already had Visionary's name, our guests had known it. I translated for Sumner, who beamed eagerly.
"Tell them we're not known for our patience. It'll make them more cautious." she replied.
"I don't think that would be a good idea." I muttered nervously, but when then as I went to reply I could think of nothing better to say. "We don't like to wait."
"I understand. Come then, quickly, let's begin the negotiations. Is there anything we can get you? Food, drink?"
I declined, and we headed up the stairs into the palace. Sumner flipped a switch on the controls of our horses, and they drifted slowly along behind us: it wouldn't do to leave them out of our sight. Everyone we passed regarded them with a particular awe, and were clearly too stunned to protest.
I realized it was something of an unfair judgement given the technological differences between our cultures, but I have to say I was not particularly impressed. It seems that a stark minimalism was the order of the day. The walls were stark and bare polished stone, clearly a labour-intensive process, but the oil lamps which lined it left discoloured streaks climbing up the walls which must require constant cleaning.
"So what's the plan, then?" Sumner asked, falling into step beside me and pushing a stray hair from her eyes. "How are we going to do this?"
"I figured I would just explain the situation and see what they want in exchange for electricity." I said simply, looking to her. She looked horrified.
"No wonder I cleaned you out at cards so easily! You really have no idea how to negotiate, do you?" she said, looking at me astonished.
"Well… not particularly. I'm a soldier, not a diplomat. Historically, our job begins where the negotiator's ends, you know." I said.
"Heh, yeah, but… okay. Imagine trying to play poker, but you're holding your cards so everyone can see them, and the other side wasn't. You wouldn't stand a chance, right?"
"Right, yes." I said.
"Okay, so that's where the phrase 'cards on the table' comes from, it means a frank honesty, and it can be useful for negotiation, to get somebody to let their guard down. But that's not what we want here. We're in a weak position in actuality, but they don't know that, and they're terrified of us. If they know how bad things are, they can ask us for more and give us less."
"... right, yes, of course. So what, do I just threaten them? I can do threatening." I said.
"I know you can! But no, they might call our bluff at some point, and we'd be screwed if they did. Um, if you'll pardon my language. We aren't actually capable of what they think we're capable of. So we have to thread the needle here: we can't let them know how weak we are, and we can't rely on how strong we are pretending to be." she explained simply, smiling the way she did whenever she got the chance to explain anything.
"How do you know so much about this?" I asked.
"Our family didn't get as rich as we did without shrewd negotiation, you know. I've had tutors." she explained. "We can't let them know that we need electricity, we should just let them know we want electricity, like it's an idle desire. And we put it in among a bunch of other requests that we can drop to make it look like we're meeting them halfway, even though all we want is the electricity."
"You've really thought this out." I said, and she waved it off.
"Well, this is just the very basics, you know. Obviously there's a lot more to it than-" She stopped, evidently seeing the look on my face. "Oh, don't you worry! You've got this!"
We passed through a set of very wide double doors into what I presumed was the negotiation room, and the first thing I noticed was the change in the lighting. Above us were glass spheres, glowing with an electric orange light. It was hard not to dwell on that.
Rather than a table and chairs, there was a pair of parallel trenches in the floor, with cushions on one side. They beckoned us to sit, and we stood and watched as they did so we didn't get it wrong. They all sat on one side, their feet dangling in the trench, and we did the same.
To our surprise, the pits was warm. I suspected they were piping in heat through the foundations. Sumner opened her codebook and readied her pen eagerly, twirling it between her fingers, and Visionary leaned forward eagerly.
"Firstly, I would like to know who you are, Lieutenant Theodora Fusilier. Why are you here?" they asked, looking at me curiously.
"I am a leader in a great army. I have come here after a battle. We are lost." I explained. "Ensign Sumner is my assistant. She cannot speak your language, but she is helping me understand it with her book. I would ask you use simple language, if you will."
"... interesting. Why is she not like you? Why are you made of steel, and she not?" they asked. "I had assumed the stories were exaggerated, that you were merely wearing ------, but it does not seem so."
"My apologies. A word I do not know. Sumner, get ready. What you suspected I was wearing?" I asked. Visionary repeated themselves, and I nodded. "What does it mean?"
"Metal clothing, worn for protection?" they said, looking at us askew.
"Armour, Sumner, that means armour." I explained, and she scrawled quickly, pausing a moment to hand me the wire. I plugged it in, and all three of the cuddlebugs in front of me recoiled.
"Wait, cuddlebugs?" I said, throwing a glance to Sumner.
"I… it's the name I gave their species in my notes, I just pushed it with the update. They're insect like and affectionate with one another. Cuddlebugs!"
"... we shall have to change that before it reaches the history books, I think." I said, trying to keep the amusement out of my voice. "Sorry, my apologies. No, I am not wearing armour. I am made of steel."
"How is such a thing possible? It is not natural, is it?" Clever asked.
"No, I was built, as you would build a gun or carriage. I was built to be a soldier, by a society which possesses much better tools than your own." I said, "We travel the stars, and live on thousands of worlds like this one."
"Are you here to conquer us, then?" Visionary asked.
"What are they saying, catch me up?" Sumner asked, and I silenced her a moment with a hand.
"No, we are not." I said. "As I said, we are lost, and waiting for the arrival of a much larger force to take us home."
"We must apologize, then, for the aggression of our subordinates. We will see to it that they are punished most severely." Steadfast added.
"Uuuh, that will not be necessary. We understand that your soldiers are rather nervous. A banditry problem?"
I realized just moments after speaking that I could have used that as a chance to push for electricity as part of the apology. Urgh.
"Yes. It is an unfortunate thing. Sixty years we've been here, and still they fight the ------."
We paused him again, and this time it took several minutes. Eventually, we translated his words as something like 'the march of progress', which was not exactly comforting.
"So… we simply wait, and you will go?" Steadfast asked, and in that moment I realized that I'd screwed things up. They figured they didn't need to give us anything, so what leverage we started with was already gone.
"Lieutenant?" Sumner asked, and I turned, somewhat despairingly, to her, and explained the situation.
"I'm not doing a very good job of this…" I admitted. "They now don't think they have any reason to give us electricity, and I haven't even asked… I think I was too honest."
"... honest to a fault." Sumner said, shaking her head. "Alright, new strategy. We will need to offer them something, be proactive."
"What can we offer them? What do we have that they won't?" I asked.
"Technology? Perhaps we could make their lot better with a few things." she suggested.
"I doubt it. Anything they'd want would only be things that would solidify their power and make things worse." I said, "Imagine this lot with laser muskets. I won't be party to that."
"It's what we have, we haven't gold or anything. I imagine I could offer them more precious metals with a single letter to my father than they could imagine, but then we wouldn't have the problem." she said, "So technology or we perform some duty for them."
"... Excuse me, what are you talking about?" Clever asked, looking somewhat impatient. I translated quickly, then replied.
"Considering our position. I wouldn't want to fight for them either. Even less, frankly." I said, "Though perhaps there is something else."
"Offer our services for money and electricity, find something you'd be willing to do, and drop the gold when they start to press." she said, and I shrugged. Seemed easy enough.
"Alright, well, here is the deal. We do not do well with idleness, our kind. If we are here for the foreseeable future, we'd like to keep busy. Would you happen to have any work we could do?" I offered. The three of them exchanged eager glances.
"We could certainly find things for you to do, of course. The war in the north, you understand, with your capabilities it could be over in a week. Save a great deal of hardship." Clever said.
I had no intention of helping this lot grind down on the locals so they could get richer, but perhaps there was something that my conscience could tolerate.
"Tell me how you would use us, if you had us." I asked.
"Our foes, the bandit armies, they have a fort deep in the mountains. It is of little strategic value, but its position is unimpeachable. It is high above the passes, in land too inhospitable to maintain a siege. It gives their leaders a place to hide, and we haven't the artillery or troops to manage it, and it does not present a threat enough for our lords to send more troops. But with you…" Steadfast said.
They didn't even know about our artillery, or the power of our weapons, but they were right. We could probably walk right up to the front door and push it open. I had no desire to do such a thing for this lot, but we needed electricity, so perhaps...
"I would have to see the fort, but we may be able to be of help." I replied. "However, the laws of our… um, family of families? Lands under a king?" There was a moment as the word nation (or perhaps kingdom, this was not very precise as translations went) was programmed into the language, "The laws of our nation prevent us from fighting for another. But we can take a look, certainly, and perhaps find reason to bend these laws?"
The three bastards shared an eager look with one another, clearly enthused of the possibility.
"Whatever you can do. When last we laid siege to the place, their leader stood out on the gatehouse to make fools of us, every morning. Just out of range of our guns."
Oh, that's interesting.
"Oh, I'm sure we can make them regret that." I said, "But there is a matter of payment. We do not work for free." I continued. "We would need compensation. Precious metals and electricity."
"What use do you have for electricity?" Clever asked, and I nearly responded honestly simply out of reflex. But no, I had to conceal our position, remember?
"My kind enjoy it. Like… spices." I said, grasping for the example. "If you understand."
"I do." Visionary said, "So what would this payment look like?"
I quickly filled Sumner in on the events, and though she winced at the idea, but nodded.
"Beggers can't be choosers, I suppose. But we won't actually do this, will we?" she asked.
"Absolutely not. But I think I have an idea. Um… I should have to take a look at the fort first, for myself. And for that, initial payment." I said, "The gold. Um, Sumner, how much gold is enough to be too much?"
"I haven't a clue with these lot… and I don't know about their weights and measures. Think of something heavy, I guess?" Sumner said hesitantly.
"I should like my weight in gold, I think, and the electricity afterward." I said, and I'll admit, I relished the looks on their faces, now that I could understand them.
"That is… it would take us some time to gather that much." Clever said, "And again, this fort is not a strategic concern. What else would you accept? Would you take silver? Platinum?"
"Yes… and if you won't give me the gold… the electricity. Access to your generators." I demanded.
"We only really run them during the night for lights… we can run them for you in the day. As long as you like." Clever said, "Would that do?"
"For now." I said, doing my best not to sound too relieved. "I should like to see your generators now. And send a telegram to your waystation for my troops."
"I'm going to guess they don't have anything like a horse, given what we've seen." Sumner guessed, "We haven't seen any beasts of burden or anything like that. Interesting."
"... good, if you ask me." I said, "Say, I think I see the city ahead."
Sumner sat up in her seat a little, staring off into the distance. We were just to the point where the coast was starting to become visible from the glint of sunlight off the horizon, so we must be close.
"It sort of just looks like a big grey smear." she said, squinting against the midday sun. "Though I think I see balloons! They have balloons!"
As we got closer, that smear began to resolve itself into the city, with an enormous contrast instantly visible in the layout of the structures. Closer to the water were monolithic, blocky structures in grey concrete, some clearly residential and others topped in massive square chimneys pouring black smoke into the air. Spread out all around, and receding away from those structures, were thousands of wooden buildings of haphazard construction, densely packed to the point of nearly blending into one another.
Sure enough, level with us as we approached were balloons, tethered to the buildings below, their long, teardrop-shaped canopies bobbing slightly in the wind. They were flying high above us, perhaps a thousand feet in the air, and the wires trailing from the indicated they likely had some kind of communication with the ground below. Watchtowers, of a sort?
Even eighty feet in the air and still approaching the city, we could smell it. The mixture of organic waste and coal smoke was deeply unpleasant, and Sumner began coughing something awfully before we even crossed over the city proper.
"It's a bit rank, isn't it?" she said, calling a halt so she could retrieve her poisonous atmosphere gear from her bag. She carefully wrapped the scarf around her face, her eyes watering, and the radio was filled with a scratchy static as the fabric was pulled against the microphone.
The messenger was entirely correct that we couldn't have missed the palace: it was on the far side of the city, surrounded by high walls and a carefully maintained lawn of what looked like beach sand raked perfectly even. Huge triangular pennants flew in rows between the gatehouse and the steps into the main entrance, marking an obvious path between the two.
"I imagine to be respectful, we ought to stop at the gatehouse." Sumner pointed out, and I shook my head and pointed down to the stairs. "Do we want to be respectful?"
"... I don't know." I admitted. "I don't particularly want to be rude to anyone, but at the same time, this lot hasn't exactly won me over. They forced a unit of their soldiers to shoot at their own!"
"And they shot at you!" Sumner pointed out. "I think that's important too."
"That's fine, self-defense more or less. Besides, it wasn't as though they could hurt me."
"Well, still… They were trying to kill you! I don't know, I think perhaps it's like gift giving." Sumner said, "It's the thought that counts. And if they figure they have the advantage over us..."
"Right, they might try it again. So… confident, but not confrontational?" I suggested. To that end, we skipped the gatehouse, but flew carefully and slowly down the path between the flags, giving just enough time for our welcoming party to assemble on the palace steps. Looked like an honour guard of about forty soldiers like we'd seen before (different hats, though!) and our first look at what I was pretty sure were the local nobility or governors. The two trailing figures were holding hands.
There were three of them approaching, and they all looked just a little different, perhaps different ages. They were dressed in very elaborate, almost toga-like versions of the tabards the soldiers wore in white and dark blue, with subtle patterns and silver toggles. Fancy types for sure.
I knew better than to expect them to extend a hand for a proper handshake or anything, but they did not so much as move as we dismounted, all of them staring wide-eyed at myself, at Ensign Sumner, and at our horses. I couldn't blame them, really, must be quite a bit of a shock. Not knowing what else to do, I offered a hand to shake, and they recoiled as if in shock.
Did I really scare them that much? It seemed weird that people so openly physically affectionate with one another wouldn't be prepared for some kind of touch during a greeting, didn't it? I withdrew my hand awkwardly.
"Hello, I am Lieutenant Theodora Fusilier of the Kingdom of Great Britain and Beyond. This is Ensign Lydia Sumner, my assistant."
"... and who are they?" the lead figure asked, pointing to our transports.
"Uh… Those are our horses." I said, "They are just tools. Not people."
"I see, my apologies. I am Visionary, head of the South Hunter family. These are Steadfast and Clever, my senior siblings." the leader said, looking us over with caution. "We were surprised to hear you would be arriving so quickly."
We already had Visionary's name, our guests had known it. I translated for Sumner, who beamed eagerly.
"Tell them we're not known for our patience. It'll make them more cautious." she replied.
"I don't think that would be a good idea." I muttered nervously, but when then as I went to reply I could think of nothing better to say. "We don't like to wait."
"I understand. Come then, quickly, let's begin the negotiations. Is there anything we can get you? Food, drink?"
I declined, and we headed up the stairs into the palace. Sumner flipped a switch on the controls of our horses, and they drifted slowly along behind us: it wouldn't do to leave them out of our sight. Everyone we passed regarded them with a particular awe, and were clearly too stunned to protest.
I realized it was something of an unfair judgement given the technological differences between our cultures, but I have to say I was not particularly impressed. It seems that a stark minimalism was the order of the day. The walls were stark and bare polished stone, clearly a labour-intensive process, but the oil lamps which lined it left discoloured streaks climbing up the walls which must require constant cleaning.
"So what's the plan, then?" Sumner asked, falling into step beside me and pushing a stray hair from her eyes. "How are we going to do this?"
"I figured I would just explain the situation and see what they want in exchange for electricity." I said simply, looking to her. She looked horrified.
"No wonder I cleaned you out at cards so easily! You really have no idea how to negotiate, do you?" she said, looking at me astonished.
"Well… not particularly. I'm a soldier, not a diplomat. Historically, our job begins where the negotiator's ends, you know." I said.
"Heh, yeah, but… okay. Imagine trying to play poker, but you're holding your cards so everyone can see them, and the other side wasn't. You wouldn't stand a chance, right?"
"Right, yes." I said.
"Okay, so that's where the phrase 'cards on the table' comes from, it means a frank honesty, and it can be useful for negotiation, to get somebody to let their guard down. But that's not what we want here. We're in a weak position in actuality, but they don't know that, and they're terrified of us. If they know how bad things are, they can ask us for more and give us less."
"... right, yes, of course. So what, do I just threaten them? I can do threatening." I said.
"I know you can! But no, they might call our bluff at some point, and we'd be screwed if they did. Um, if you'll pardon my language. We aren't actually capable of what they think we're capable of. So we have to thread the needle here: we can't let them know how weak we are, and we can't rely on how strong we are pretending to be." she explained simply, smiling the way she did whenever she got the chance to explain anything.
"How do you know so much about this?" I asked.
"Our family didn't get as rich as we did without shrewd negotiation, you know. I've had tutors." she explained. "We can't let them know that we need electricity, we should just let them know we want electricity, like it's an idle desire. And we put it in among a bunch of other requests that we can drop to make it look like we're meeting them halfway, even though all we want is the electricity."
"You've really thought this out." I said, and she waved it off.
"Well, this is just the very basics, you know. Obviously there's a lot more to it than-" She stopped, evidently seeing the look on my face. "Oh, don't you worry! You've got this!"
We passed through a set of very wide double doors into what I presumed was the negotiation room, and the first thing I noticed was the change in the lighting. Above us were glass spheres, glowing with an electric orange light. It was hard not to dwell on that.
Rather than a table and chairs, there was a pair of parallel trenches in the floor, with cushions on one side. They beckoned us to sit, and we stood and watched as they did so we didn't get it wrong. They all sat on one side, their feet dangling in the trench, and we did the same.
To our surprise, the pits was warm. I suspected they were piping in heat through the foundations. Sumner opened her codebook and readied her pen eagerly, twirling it between her fingers, and Visionary leaned forward eagerly.
"Firstly, I would like to know who you are, Lieutenant Theodora Fusilier. Why are you here?" they asked, looking at me curiously.
"I am a leader in a great army. I have come here after a battle. We are lost." I explained. "Ensign Sumner is my assistant. She cannot speak your language, but she is helping me understand it with her book. I would ask you use simple language, if you will."
"... interesting. Why is she not like you? Why are you made of steel, and she not?" they asked. "I had assumed the stories were exaggerated, that you were merely wearing ------, but it does not seem so."
"My apologies. A word I do not know. Sumner, get ready. What you suspected I was wearing?" I asked. Visionary repeated themselves, and I nodded. "What does it mean?"
"Metal clothing, worn for protection?" they said, looking at us askew.
"Armour, Sumner, that means armour." I explained, and she scrawled quickly, pausing a moment to hand me the wire. I plugged it in, and all three of the cuddlebugs in front of me recoiled.
"Wait, cuddlebugs?" I said, throwing a glance to Sumner.
"I… it's the name I gave their species in my notes, I just pushed it with the update. They're insect like and affectionate with one another. Cuddlebugs!"
"... we shall have to change that before it reaches the history books, I think." I said, trying to keep the amusement out of my voice. "Sorry, my apologies. No, I am not wearing armour. I am made of steel."
"How is such a thing possible? It is not natural, is it?" Clever asked.
"No, I was built, as you would build a gun or carriage. I was built to be a soldier, by a society which possesses much better tools than your own." I said, "We travel the stars, and live on thousands of worlds like this one."
"Are you here to conquer us, then?" Visionary asked.
"What are they saying, catch me up?" Sumner asked, and I silenced her a moment with a hand.
"No, we are not." I said. "As I said, we are lost, and waiting for the arrival of a much larger force to take us home."
"We must apologize, then, for the aggression of our subordinates. We will see to it that they are punished most severely." Steadfast added.
"Uuuh, that will not be necessary. We understand that your soldiers are rather nervous. A banditry problem?"
I realized just moments after speaking that I could have used that as a chance to push for electricity as part of the apology. Urgh.
"Yes. It is an unfortunate thing. Sixty years we've been here, and still they fight the ------."
We paused him again, and this time it took several minutes. Eventually, we translated his words as something like 'the march of progress', which was not exactly comforting.
"So… we simply wait, and you will go?" Steadfast asked, and in that moment I realized that I'd screwed things up. They figured they didn't need to give us anything, so what leverage we started with was already gone.
"Lieutenant?" Sumner asked, and I turned, somewhat despairingly, to her, and explained the situation.
"I'm not doing a very good job of this…" I admitted. "They now don't think they have any reason to give us electricity, and I haven't even asked… I think I was too honest."
"... honest to a fault." Sumner said, shaking her head. "Alright, new strategy. We will need to offer them something, be proactive."
"What can we offer them? What do we have that they won't?" I asked.
"Technology? Perhaps we could make their lot better with a few things." she suggested.
"I doubt it. Anything they'd want would only be things that would solidify their power and make things worse." I said, "Imagine this lot with laser muskets. I won't be party to that."
"It's what we have, we haven't gold or anything. I imagine I could offer them more precious metals with a single letter to my father than they could imagine, but then we wouldn't have the problem." she said, "So technology or we perform some duty for them."
"... Excuse me, what are you talking about?" Clever asked, looking somewhat impatient. I translated quickly, then replied.
"Considering our position. I wouldn't want to fight for them either. Even less, frankly." I said, "Though perhaps there is something else."
"Offer our services for money and electricity, find something you'd be willing to do, and drop the gold when they start to press." she said, and I shrugged. Seemed easy enough.
"Alright, well, here is the deal. We do not do well with idleness, our kind. If we are here for the foreseeable future, we'd like to keep busy. Would you happen to have any work we could do?" I offered. The three of them exchanged eager glances.
"We could certainly find things for you to do, of course. The war in the north, you understand, with your capabilities it could be over in a week. Save a great deal of hardship." Clever said.
I had no intention of helping this lot grind down on the locals so they could get richer, but perhaps there was something that my conscience could tolerate.
"Tell me how you would use us, if you had us." I asked.
"Our foes, the bandit armies, they have a fort deep in the mountains. It is of little strategic value, but its position is unimpeachable. It is high above the passes, in land too inhospitable to maintain a siege. It gives their leaders a place to hide, and we haven't the artillery or troops to manage it, and it does not present a threat enough for our lords to send more troops. But with you…" Steadfast said.
They didn't even know about our artillery, or the power of our weapons, but they were right. We could probably walk right up to the front door and push it open. I had no desire to do such a thing for this lot, but we needed electricity, so perhaps...
"I would have to see the fort, but we may be able to be of help." I replied. "However, the laws of our… um, family of families? Lands under a king?" There was a moment as the word nation (or perhaps kingdom, this was not very precise as translations went) was programmed into the language, "The laws of our nation prevent us from fighting for another. But we can take a look, certainly, and perhaps find reason to bend these laws?"
The three bastards shared an eager look with one another, clearly enthused of the possibility.
"Whatever you can do. When last we laid siege to the place, their leader stood out on the gatehouse to make fools of us, every morning. Just out of range of our guns."
Oh, that's interesting.
"Oh, I'm sure we can make them regret that." I said, "But there is a matter of payment. We do not work for free." I continued. "We would need compensation. Precious metals and electricity."
"What use do you have for electricity?" Clever asked, and I nearly responded honestly simply out of reflex. But no, I had to conceal our position, remember?
"My kind enjoy it. Like… spices." I said, grasping for the example. "If you understand."
"I do." Visionary said, "So what would this payment look like?"
I quickly filled Sumner in on the events, and though she winced at the idea, but nodded.
"Beggers can't be choosers, I suppose. But we won't actually do this, will we?" she asked.
"Absolutely not. But I think I have an idea. Um… I should have to take a look at the fort first, for myself. And for that, initial payment." I said, "The gold. Um, Sumner, how much gold is enough to be too much?"
"I haven't a clue with these lot… and I don't know about their weights and measures. Think of something heavy, I guess?" Sumner said hesitantly.
"I should like my weight in gold, I think, and the electricity afterward." I said, and I'll admit, I relished the looks on their faces, now that I could understand them.
"That is… it would take us some time to gather that much." Clever said, "And again, this fort is not a strategic concern. What else would you accept? Would you take silver? Platinum?"
"Yes… and if you won't give me the gold… the electricity. Access to your generators." I demanded.
"We only really run them during the night for lights… we can run them for you in the day. As long as you like." Clever said, "Would that do?"
"For now." I said, doing my best not to sound too relieved. "I should like to see your generators now. And send a telegram to your waystation for my troops."
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bookwyrm
Doom of Public Libraries
- Location
- Wichita, Kansas
My god, by the end of this Dora is going to leave every diplomat and first contact theoritician in the Regency crying in their cups. I can't wait to she how she tries to disentangle herself from the showdown with the not!Tlaxcalan bandit confederation.
samdamandias
Apprentice Plane Wizard
Lt. Fusie: I don't got this
Alas, not even the space-future can prevent the British from doing the English language wrong.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
But... but... they invented it how can it be wrongAlas, not even the space-future can prevent the British from doing the English language wrong.
@_@
samdamandias
Apprentice Plane Wizard
So, funny story, turns out that the US (especially rural, costal East Coast) have had less pronunciation drift over the last three and a half centuries than the Isles. So it is in fact the British, and not the Americans who "haven't spoken it in years." I mean, the 'u' is completely silent in ˈɑːɹ.mɚ for crying out loud.
If you want to really break brains though, mention that Quebec has had less pronunciation drift than France.
esseresse
R'lyth Power Make-up
- Location
- divorceville, state of depression
- Pronouns
- They/Her
Just because they invented the English language doesn't mean they have to keep inventing it. UFP time stamp 2:50
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Vebyast
Nascent Transhuman
She actually did it, the madwoman
I can't wait until one of them learns what they're being called.
Hero character identified
So who thinks that "spices" got mistranslated and they think the robots are all mainlining stimulants?
Poor Dora, so bad at negotiating that you can figure out what's in her hand even though her face is literally made of metal.
That's pretty far up! And a lot of them, too. I wonder what they're using for lifting gas. Hot air? Heated how?
Of course their gas masks are fancy handkerchiefs to be draped over the nose! Flawless aesthetic.
ThatGazzer
Minds Eye Bind
- Location
- PNW
- Pronouns
- They/Them
part of this, I've heard, that English Writers were once payed by the letter, while American Writers were paid by the word.
- Location
- Someone else's head
Good chapter. Lots of fun little details, and we enjoyed seeing both the culture shock and Dora blundering through diplomacy.
ThatGazzer
Minds Eye Bind
- Location
- PNW
- Pronouns
- They/Them
The Dear wasn't built for this, you can't blame her.
- Location
- Yes
So your contention is that the English language evolved constantly from Beowulf to a point somewhere around 1780, where it stopped and that's the correct English?
We know you're behind, we're asking you to catch up.
- Location
- Under a cat
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Heh, nice callback to how Dora isn't comfortable with beasts of burden like biological horses
Huh, interesting. If they're that high up, they must have fairly good telescopes or something. Or maybe they're just keeping an eye out for really big things like the dust cloud of a large army?
Well, at least one person on this expedition has some social skills. I almost wish that Dora had given command over to Sumner.
Ooh, like Roman hypocausts. Neat!
Huh, they have generators just for powering their lights at night. That seems like a high price for lighting. Maybe it's a status thing or a vanity project or something? I suppose the electric lights could just be cheaper than running gas lines or paying for oil lamps everywhere.
I hope they can produce a useful amount of power for the British machines. Something tells me they aren't getting rescued any time soon.
- Pronouns
- She/Her
If you are the beasts of burden, I'd argue your civilization still has beasts of burden. It's an uncomfortable thought that they're in such bad shape that they're kind of outside the frame of reference for the British.
- Location
- Ottawa
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Whatever
Electric lighting was revolutionary for industry because it allowed for around the clock production in factories, nearly doubling industrial output in a given amount of time. It's very much worth it.
samdamandias
Apprentice Plane Wizard
I'm sorry, which side of the pond had any spelling reform take hold after the 1700s?
(Although I think this is getting off topic at this point, I wonder if any Machines have anything outside of a professional interest in linguistics)
Depends on how much lighting, and it could very much be a status symbol. There were factories that used electric lighting while still using steam power to spin the main flywheel for the power take-off shafts.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
They could be running a factory 24/7 and need electric light to keep the place running at night; oil lamps don't provide the same scale of illumination to keep an entire workplace running.
Vebyast
Nascent Transhuman
It's interesting that they're only running their lights at night; that means that their architecture is all designed to use natural lighting during the day. I don't know if that's a strike against the theory that the cuddlebugs are leftover servitors. Electric lighting is straight-up better for precision manufacturing because it's more even and consistent, so presumably any precursor-designed factories would be using electric lighting, but it's also unlikely that many factories would have been of precursor design.
Chapter 30 - Accomodations
- Location
- Ottawa
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Whatever
"Your troops?" Clever asked curiously.
I had considered the logistics of trying to charge the batteries here and shuttle them back to our camp daily, and there were just too many factors, too many things that could go wrong. Our strength was in each other, in mutual protection, and the more we spread out the more we were just begging for a malfunctioning horse or a lost convoy to escalate things out of control.
"Yes, I should need them here. If you're providing us electricity." I said. "We'll need your soldiers to post pickets at the gateway, we'll have a letter for them to give to our comrades when tehy arrive. I'll also ask that you find us…" There was a brief translation exchange, "... accomodations appropriate for our stations."
"If we may ask, what is your station?" Clever asked, tapping clawed fingers against the warm stone table between us. "So we can find appropriate accommodations."
I turned to Sumner, curious.
"Does your family hold any titles, by any chance?" I asked. I probably ought to know, but rank superceded title in the military. Better for discipline, and it also kept exchanges and introductions a lot more brief.
"Oh… well, let's see. Do you care about our minor titles or do you just want the big ones?" she asked. "My mother is the marchioness of Messier 34, I think I stand to inherit that one. My father is Earl of the Unicorn Array, and Earl of the Dystone Cluster, and I can't even remember how many baronies..."
"Okay, stop. How many planets does your family have titles on?" I clarified. "I'm trying to impress them."
"Oh… I think ninety or so, settled? Though if you want to impress them, Ensign Darley's uncle is Duke of the Camelopardalis Rift, and you know Lieutenant Kennedy's mother is a princess?"
"... I did not." I admitted, turning back to our hosts. "My assistant's family is lord of eighty and eight worlds, as an example."
They stared in utter silence for several seconds.
"... I'm sure we can find something." Steadfast said numbly.
----
I sent a message back through to the cuddlebugs at the waystation, instructing them to approach our camp with a white flag in hand and relay my orders for the soldiers to make their way to the city. We had made sure everyone was shut down with enough charge that, if reactivated, they could fight for a few hours, so we wouldn't be exposing our weakness as the troops made a quick march to the city and we got them charged.
I also remembered, at the last minute, to have amnesty extended to our 'prisoners', under the excuse that we could retain their services as local guides.
In the meantime, we made our way to the power station, hovering on our horses above the crowded and dusty streets. It was a small cement brick building, low to the ground and topped with dozens of blocky chimneys. Inside, ironically lit by gas lamps, were steam furnaces, each connected to bulky generators. Burning coal heated water, and the steam drove the generator.
I'd never seen anything like it. Early in the Industrious Revolution I knew there had been steam generated power, but it quickly gave way to non-carbon burning methods owing to the many, many downsides. Waiting in the wings of the factory were the workers, dirty with soot and coal dust, all of them looking bone-weary with their shovels.
Our batteries were laid out at the back of the factory, at the rat's nest of wires that carried out into the city to the factories which used it, and after some confusion among the workers (made worse by not speaking their language) I leapt down and physically wrapped the copper ends over the pop-out charging ports. The generators were fired up, black smoke pouring into the air, and the charging needle started ticking upward at a fair clip. Not nearly as fast as a volta generator, but not as slowly as I feared. We could keep the unit charged easily.
Despite the insistence of our guide (another member of the South Hunters, Dutiful), we stayed and watched the charging, not wanting to leave any of our technology unattended. The workers loaded wheelbarrows of coal from the bunker, dumping it in front of the furnace to be shoveled into the flames. The room filled with a choking black smoke soon enough, so dense it nearly smothered the lights, clinging to everything.
If I had a heart, it'd have torn it out, and I had to struggle hard to restrain the instinct to jump down and do the work for them, the poor bastards.
By the time the batteries were charged, about three hours later, we were being called out to the main boulevard by a runner for the arrival of our comrades. We met back with the senior siblings of the South Hunters at the head of the road, with their honour guard and all, marching out toward the edge of the city, clearly dressed their best.
The wide street was carved through the city and laid in regular square stones, clearly sliced directly through the city without any care for what had once been there. Soldiers lined the way, facing out into the city as we made our way out: I suspected it was as much of the garrison as could be mustered on such short notice.
"A good welcome, I should think?" Visionary said, attempting to keep pace with us in one of those velocipede carriages. I'll admit, my opinion of them (already not high) was dropping by the minute as the six pedalers pushed him forward. I'd have gladly walked with them, but it seemed they and their siblings didn't much like to walk anywhere.
"It is alright, for a ground city." I said, like I'd ever see another city on the surface of a world. To tell the truth, I found the whole thing rather disturbing, but that was the norm I was rapidly acclimatizing to.
"Aah… ground city? You have other sorts?" Clever asked.
"Oh yes. Our cities are all built in space, you see." I explained.
I must say, of all the types of silence in the galaxy, 'stunned' was rapidly growing to be my favourite sort.
Not long after, at the end of the boulevard, I spotted our party, the ragged little knot of red and blue making their way up the road, trailed by the guns and wagons. They'd done their best to look presentable for the journey, I suppose, but between their ragged and burnt uniform, missing gear, and the great horrible injuries a good number of them had, they were rather less than parade-ground ready. The broken bodies stacked in the back of one of the wagons also did not help.
I'll admit, I winced as the crunching dreadnought wheels and grinding tracks tore up the white stone road.
"What happened to them?" Visionary asked.
"As I said, a battle against a foe equally as powerful as we." I explained. "We were forced here after great losses."
"It must be a glorious war." Steadfast commented. I didn't dignify that with an answer.
The party stopped at the gateway to the city, Lieutenant Kennedy dismounting shakily from her horse with Milly's help, and I met her and caught her up on the events thus far. She did not sound exactly enthusiastic.
"I'll admit, not the outcome I was expecting." Kennedy said, sounding a bit pained through her gas scarf. "Not exactly eager to play mercenary for this lot."
"Nor am I, but it is what it is. We'll get out of this alright, I think I have a plan." I said. Kennedy looked at me with eyes wide.
"Dora, I say this with love… your plans have a tendency to go to very strange places." she said, a bit weary. "We ought to find billets somewhere fast. Our machines are…"
"- A little loopy, hehehe" Milly said, slurring her words more than a litte. "I'm on five percent charge!"
"Yes, that, poor thing." Kennedy finished.
"Right, well, about that, we're in luck." I explained. "We have some charged batteries waiting for you, and I hear they have somewhere to put us up in."
===
I had considered the logistics of trying to charge the batteries here and shuttle them back to our camp daily, and there were just too many factors, too many things that could go wrong. Our strength was in each other, in mutual protection, and the more we spread out the more we were just begging for a malfunctioning horse or a lost convoy to escalate things out of control.
"Yes, I should need them here. If you're providing us electricity." I said. "We'll need your soldiers to post pickets at the gateway, we'll have a letter for them to give to our comrades when tehy arrive. I'll also ask that you find us…" There was a brief translation exchange, "... accomodations appropriate for our stations."
"If we may ask, what is your station?" Clever asked, tapping clawed fingers against the warm stone table between us. "So we can find appropriate accommodations."
I turned to Sumner, curious.
"Does your family hold any titles, by any chance?" I asked. I probably ought to know, but rank superceded title in the military. Better for discipline, and it also kept exchanges and introductions a lot more brief.
"Oh… well, let's see. Do you care about our minor titles or do you just want the big ones?" she asked. "My mother is the marchioness of Messier 34, I think I stand to inherit that one. My father is Earl of the Unicorn Array, and Earl of the Dystone Cluster, and I can't even remember how many baronies..."
"Okay, stop. How many planets does your family have titles on?" I clarified. "I'm trying to impress them."
"Oh… I think ninety or so, settled? Though if you want to impress them, Ensign Darley's uncle is Duke of the Camelopardalis Rift, and you know Lieutenant Kennedy's mother is a princess?"
"... I did not." I admitted, turning back to our hosts. "My assistant's family is lord of eighty and eight worlds, as an example."
They stared in utter silence for several seconds.
"... I'm sure we can find something." Steadfast said numbly.
----
I sent a message back through to the cuddlebugs at the waystation, instructing them to approach our camp with a white flag in hand and relay my orders for the soldiers to make their way to the city. We had made sure everyone was shut down with enough charge that, if reactivated, they could fight for a few hours, so we wouldn't be exposing our weakness as the troops made a quick march to the city and we got them charged.
I also remembered, at the last minute, to have amnesty extended to our 'prisoners', under the excuse that we could retain their services as local guides.
In the meantime, we made our way to the power station, hovering on our horses above the crowded and dusty streets. It was a small cement brick building, low to the ground and topped with dozens of blocky chimneys. Inside, ironically lit by gas lamps, were steam furnaces, each connected to bulky generators. Burning coal heated water, and the steam drove the generator.
I'd never seen anything like it. Early in the Industrious Revolution I knew there had been steam generated power, but it quickly gave way to non-carbon burning methods owing to the many, many downsides. Waiting in the wings of the factory were the workers, dirty with soot and coal dust, all of them looking bone-weary with their shovels.
Our batteries were laid out at the back of the factory, at the rat's nest of wires that carried out into the city to the factories which used it, and after some confusion among the workers (made worse by not speaking their language) I leapt down and physically wrapped the copper ends over the pop-out charging ports. The generators were fired up, black smoke pouring into the air, and the charging needle started ticking upward at a fair clip. Not nearly as fast as a volta generator, but not as slowly as I feared. We could keep the unit charged easily.
Despite the insistence of our guide (another member of the South Hunters, Dutiful), we stayed and watched the charging, not wanting to leave any of our technology unattended. The workers loaded wheelbarrows of coal from the bunker, dumping it in front of the furnace to be shoveled into the flames. The room filled with a choking black smoke soon enough, so dense it nearly smothered the lights, clinging to everything.
If I had a heart, it'd have torn it out, and I had to struggle hard to restrain the instinct to jump down and do the work for them, the poor bastards.
By the time the batteries were charged, about three hours later, we were being called out to the main boulevard by a runner for the arrival of our comrades. We met back with the senior siblings of the South Hunters at the head of the road, with their honour guard and all, marching out toward the edge of the city, clearly dressed their best.
The wide street was carved through the city and laid in regular square stones, clearly sliced directly through the city without any care for what had once been there. Soldiers lined the way, facing out into the city as we made our way out: I suspected it was as much of the garrison as could be mustered on such short notice.
"A good welcome, I should think?" Visionary said, attempting to keep pace with us in one of those velocipede carriages. I'll admit, my opinion of them (already not high) was dropping by the minute as the six pedalers pushed him forward. I'd have gladly walked with them, but it seemed they and their siblings didn't much like to walk anywhere.
"It is alright, for a ground city." I said, like I'd ever see another city on the surface of a world. To tell the truth, I found the whole thing rather disturbing, but that was the norm I was rapidly acclimatizing to.
"Aah… ground city? You have other sorts?" Clever asked.
"Oh yes. Our cities are all built in space, you see." I explained.
I must say, of all the types of silence in the galaxy, 'stunned' was rapidly growing to be my favourite sort.
Not long after, at the end of the boulevard, I spotted our party, the ragged little knot of red and blue making their way up the road, trailed by the guns and wagons. They'd done their best to look presentable for the journey, I suppose, but between their ragged and burnt uniform, missing gear, and the great horrible injuries a good number of them had, they were rather less than parade-ground ready. The broken bodies stacked in the back of one of the wagons also did not help.
I'll admit, I winced as the crunching dreadnought wheels and grinding tracks tore up the white stone road.
"What happened to them?" Visionary asked.
"As I said, a battle against a foe equally as powerful as we." I explained. "We were forced here after great losses."
"It must be a glorious war." Steadfast commented. I didn't dignify that with an answer.
The party stopped at the gateway to the city, Lieutenant Kennedy dismounting shakily from her horse with Milly's help, and I met her and caught her up on the events thus far. She did not sound exactly enthusiastic.
"I'll admit, not the outcome I was expecting." Kennedy said, sounding a bit pained through her gas scarf. "Not exactly eager to play mercenary for this lot."
"Nor am I, but it is what it is. We'll get out of this alright, I think I have a plan." I said. Kennedy looked at me with eyes wide.
"Dora, I say this with love… your plans have a tendency to go to very strange places." she said, a bit weary. "We ought to find billets somewhere fast. Our machines are…"
"- A little loopy, hehehe" Milly said, slurring her words more than a litte. "I'm on five percent charge!"
"Yes, that, poor thing." Kennedy finished.
"Right, well, about that, we're in luck." I explained. "We have some charged batteries waiting for you, and I hear they have somewhere to put us up in."
===
I'm sorry for the brief update. I'm doing my best to have anything at all.
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