In the void of subconsciousness, Mey’s tactile peripherals were provoked. A log panel immediately came up as soon as her neuralface returned. The Emergency Start-up Process was executed. Lines of codes ran up the log panel at a blistering speed. Power was distributed across her internal hardware. Motor nerves were stimulated. Her core activity level was raised to ‘Active’. The process ran without her consent. Mey was annoyed, albeit it was part of every Android’s design. It was a way to anticipate threats.
The provocation came from her right cheek. Mey slammed her right hand to her cheek and found a coarse leaf. She crumpled and tossed it away. Mey then readjusted her left arm where her head rested and repositioned her head. Her attempts to rerun the self-calibration executable failed. Her core already had sufficient energy to accommodate a month's worth of activities. Her system recommended she end the calibration. Mey grumbled, wishing she could override the process.
She opened her eyes. A carpet of purple grasses with brown tints stretched before her. Trees with thick and twisting trunks inhabited the place. Their leaves were pink. Their roots crawled from the ground into the big rosewood puddles where several tree stumps rested. The temperature was sultry not to her liking. There was a lot of croaking and chirping that saturated her auditory peripherals. Her Maid fatigue was smeared with wet dirt from the mushy ground. Mey took a deep breath.
“Eddie!” She shouted. “Not now. I have a twelve-hour flight in five hours.” Mey shut her eyes again.
Mey was on her second tour to the front after decades. The task was meant to be fully Edward's as he had the expertise. Their role was to ensure everything was going well and remove internal barriers that decelerated their progress. Once she saw the man sitting on the floor in their apartment, leaning lethargically against the bed. He had to tour shortly after but he didn't seem excited about it like he usually did. Mey offered to take his place so that he could rest. Fortunately, the Primus approved. Mey could use some limbs stretching after tracking hundreds of millions of hard data and state activities every day in her office. She thought it would be a refreshing adventure. It did take her back to the turbulent early days of the Artificial Creationist. But it was also as stressful as it was back then.
It had been a long time since she immersed herself in a firefight. The clamor of guns blazing, autocannons, and shells falling from above hadn't changed one bit. Mey detested them. She wished never to see them again. Yet she returned regardless, an odd reunion with a past she was actively forgetting. If it wasn’t for Edward, Mey wouldn’t bother.
Her appearance caused some astonishment among the ranks. They were expecting to see Edward after all. Mey admitted that she wasn't as charismatic or communicative as her husband. Every time she entered the command’s room to extract data from the Command's Table, there was always this awkward vibe that kept the room silent while she was doing her duty. Not to mention that she was wearing the Maid fatigue which suggested that she was there to help with the operational chores. She did, in some way–by dismissing high-ranking officers who lacked facts to justify the mess they made. This was done through recommendations forwarded to the Primus. The decision was then up to him.
The content of her messages, other than the permission to discharge officers, was her analysis based on the extracted data supported by interviews done with the person in charge. Recently, her interviewees ranged from generals down to captains–an arduous task. She was fortunate that the general in charge of Line 102 had a vacant room where she could file her reports to the Primus. Mey needed to be alone to do her job properly. Sometimes, she even prohibited Edward from bugging her.
She had just sent her report to the Primus. There were no officers to dismiss today so she just sent him her analysis. Hopefully, it was worth it. Going from captain to captain turned out to be more exhausting than she thought. She rested on the carpet that happened to be in the room. The general offered some pillows for a proper headrest but she rejected them. In five hours, she would fly back to her office in Creatio Genetrix.
First off, she would like Edward to turn off the simulation that he had cast on her. Mey waited for five minutes.
There was no change. She waited for another five minutes.
There was still no change.
Mey rubbed her eyes and stretched. She sat up and began skimming the environment. There was no way Edward wouldn't withdraw his pranks even after she asked him in a loud voice. Mey slammed the dirt. She rubbed her glove on her fatigue to get rid of the dirt sticking to it. If this was a simulation then the dirt should disintegrate into digital particles. They didn't. Moreover, the dirt gave off an oddly refreshing odor when Mey smelled them. Mey proceeded to slap her face. Her system detected the trauma. She wasn't in a simulation or a dream.
Mey stood up. “Eddie?” She called for Edward. There was no response. Mey dusted herself off and began walking.
On her way, she checked the arm bracer on her right arm. It was her Specialized Armament to Ensure Terrific Execution of Tactics–abbreviated as SANTET. It was an essential augmentation for the infantry. Some said it was akin to sorcery. Depending on their role, the device could increase soldiers’ running speed, deploy an Inverse Barrier, locate enemy forces, or achieve uninterruptible lock-on using unguided rockets or missiles. It was an actual sorcery and Mey couldn’t agree more. For her, because she was wearing the tactical gear of the Maid section, her SANTET operated to maintain the invisible protective barrier that enveloped her. It was able to negate small arms up to mortar fires.
However, Mey’s SANTET was something else. Only she, Edward, two other companions of the Primus, and the Primus himself understood the underlying mechanics of the device. It exploited the fundamental field of the universe–the Reservoir, which was discovered sometime in the twenty-fifth century before the cataclysmic Annihilation event. The Primus had figured out a way to interact with this field using biological energy–or electrical for Androids. A disturbance in the Reservoir field would yield a real-life effect depending on their profile. One could spark a fire, a light flash, or send a force that capsizes fishing boats. From these features, the Primus engineered the sorceries that he and his soldiers possessed. The Proxies were oblivious to all that. They just had to press the button on their SANTET and their respective augmentations would apply.
But for Mey, who understood and was a close subordinate to the Primus, she had the privilege of using its full potential. Her SANTET glowed with a pale golden light. The tip of her right fingers tingled as lightning arcs pranced around her arm bracer like Edward and her during the ball last month. She felt a strong Reservoir vibration in the place. She opened her palm and let it glow. The intensity of the glow indicated a power level that was magnitudes stronger than on Earth. Her fascination for the place began to garner. If Edward and the Primus were here, they would surely turn this place upside down and uncover its secrets. And then the next day, the Terran Vindicators would submit to the Artificial Creationist.
Mey flinched when she heard growlings from ahead of her. A large creature overgrown with brown fur eyed her from behind the tree. It was akin to a bear, one that was missing their two front legs. Two more appeared from both of Mey’s flanks. Mey watched indifferently as they steadily crept closer. Their faces were fixed at her as they kept on growling. Their teeth looked sharp enough to rip and tear their victim’s flesh with ease. Three reticles locked on those creatures. Her neuromodule labeled each of them as an ‘unknown specimen’. She wanted to update her zoology repository as she had never seen such creatures. But she only noticed now that there was no connection to the Interset. Mey sighed and consciously labeled them as ‘hostile’.
A log panel showed up. Hundreds of lines ran up the panel, documenting the step-by-step processes to run the executable properly. Her synthetic muscles heated up. Her core burned as it routed a huge chunk of energy toward her SANTET. A shock coursed through her wires and circuits. Her endoskeleton felt like melting. The SANTET glowed brighter. She heard whispers. The voice was unfamiliar, but they were always there when she was about to cast her sorcery. Mey accepted it as an indication of a successful casting. The process felt like forever. In contrast, a bypasser would tell her that it had only been a fraction of a second.
She aimed her right palm to her chest. A meager shock swayed the grasses and trembled the place. The creatures flinched as a pale golden flash shone from Mey’s body. Bathing in the illumination, she felt a renewal of her synthetic organs. Her physical pains were gone. Her stress level plummeted. All the burning feelings she felt inside suddenly vanished. Mey liked to think that she was reborn like that mythical fiery bird. A line of fire was formed between her and the bear-like creatures. Fortunately for her, that was enough to scare the creatures off. It was too early for violence she thought. Mey snuffed the fire before continuing her stroll.
Further down the dirt road of the swamp, she noticed two small spherical creatures. One of them had orange fur with barely visible white stripes while the other’s fur was entirely gray. Circular reticles appeared on her neuralface and locked on them: ‘unknown specimen’. Her scaling neuromodule put the creature at about the size of Edward’s toes. Their heads were cat-like. The gray round-cat was loafing while the orange one was grooming its partner. Mey half-smiled looking at how committed the orange one was to wash the gray one. Its aggressiveness reminded her of herself when Edward was riding her.
A timid thundering noise spooked the two creatures. Mey looked around as soon as they ran away. The noise came from the light gray sky. Mey just noticed the dark gray ashes that fell on the leaves. She proceeded to follow the noise and arrived at a clearing. She heard the thundering commotion again. There was an odd cloud pattern in the distance. Mey extrapolated its shape as a huge portion of it was hidden under the curvature: a reversed conic. Her frequency decomposition neuromodule was 10.23% sure that the sound was a volcanic eruption.
Mey turned her attention elsewhere. Her reticle locked on an object in the middle of the clearing. A stream of data poured into her data harvester array. Mey was astonished to find the latest edition of Artificial Creationist’s main battle tank, the PT-1 Zenith, stranded in this strange world. Her call-sign was ‘Gray Katie’, she belonged to the 5th Proxy Tank Division. She had no ammo, no fuel, and no crew. It was like finding a tank wreckage on the battlefield, except that this one was still in optimal condition and only lacked the essentials. The tank was still undergoing a field test hence it only had one crew assigned–the tank commander: Second Lieutenant Grauwelle Caitlyn. Mey had heard that name before. The girl refused Edward’s rescue during the battle of Patih Tread. Mey found no sign of her around.
Suddenly the tank turned her gun toward Mey. The message icon on her neuralface flashed with a notification. There might be no Interset in the place for global communication. But every Android was equipped with network emitters in their built-in utilizer that could connect and allow local telecommunications. The tank found Mey’s network in her list and decided to connect. Mey forgot to switch her network connection protocol to ‘selective’, hence she had to consent to that tank connecting without her permission. Mey opened the message.
“Identify.” Gray Katie said.
Mey just looked at the tank indifferently and walked towards it.
“Halt!” Gray Katie continued. “I said identify. I do not hesitate to pulverize personnel with suspicious behavior.”
“You have no shots,” Mey replied, also through a private text message.
“You're bluffing.”
“No, you are,” Mey said. “You have neither TL-PTs105 nor 12.7mm cartridges, you have no fuel, and you are uncrewed.”
The tank was silent until Mey stood next to it.
“You don't have any proof.” Gray Katie finally spoke through her external speaker. The tank's voice was akin to an automated voice response but with more intonation and emotional emphasis.
Mey used her utilizer to project a holographic panel that showed Gray Katie’s profile. The tank’s call sign, condition, production number, PZN code, and various logs relating to manufacture, activities, and repair histories were put on display. Mey moved the panel to her palm so it looked like she was presenting a printed document.
“I failed to find a match between you and the thousands of Maids’ dossiers in the 5th Proxy Tank Division. I’ve been trying to associate you with any active Maid units but the lack of patches or insignias is making it difficult for me to narrow down the probabilities.”
Mey crossed her arms. “You’re looking in the wrong roster, friend,” Mey said. “Try the government.”
A brief silence.
“By the Primus…” Gray Katie said. “What is a Secretary General doing on a battlefield?”
“Frontline inspections.” Mey shrugged. “It was supposed to be Edward’s job. I thought I could help that man once in a while.”
“By Edward you mean Sir Microv Edward, the Primus’ right-hand man, the Household Manager?”
Mey nodded.
“Allow me to express how humbled I am t-”
Mey raised her right hand and stopped Gray Katie. “That’s too much credit.” She said. “We just make sure everything is going well and remove internal barriers that decelerate our progress.”
“I understand that Androids could survive more injuries than humans. But is it worth the risk to personally inform the Primus of the situation on the ground? The telve could rain your positions with precision strikes to eliminate you.”
Mey rubbed her chin. The Primus had a literal unit to preserve the truth on the battlefield as it climbed up toward him. Mey was unsure of why the Primus kept sending Edward to the front. It made sense if he was there to empower the soldiers with his SANTET. The problem was, sometimes he did and sometimes he didn’t. And it was the Primus who decided that. That man also prohibited the usage of her SANTET during her latest visit.
“Sometimes,” Mey replied.
“Perhaps the real answer is confidential.”
The answer wasn’t as confidential as it was unknown. Mey always dismissed the questions that she couldn’t answer with facts or data. Details mattered to her as much as Edward.
“Anyway,” Mey said. “ Can you figure out where we are using geolocation?”
“I propose that we are abducted to another world.”
“Sounds like a hasty conclusion.”
“The evidence is just too abundant.” Gray Katie said. “Purple grasses, pink-leafed trees, and a pack of bears with only hind legs–I am confident that you wouldn’t find these specimens anywhere in our world.”
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Mey took a deep breath. “Damn it.”
There was no point arguing about it. Whether Mey was in another world or not was unimportant. She had to return to Creatio Genetrix. She still had duties to attend to.
“Mrs. Meyzherikov, look out!” Gray Katie’s tri-barrelled machine gun rotated to aim above Mey.
Mey turned in that direction. Her reticles locked on five objects heading her way. Birds. They dived on her as if she was their prey. Their bodies resembled human livers. They were about two times larger than Mey. Their necks and legs were long. The feathers on their body were orange, while the ones on their head had a mix of red. Again, the reticles came up with an ‘unknown specimen’ label.
Mey studied them calmly. She marked all five birds as ‘hostile’ before executing Renew and Retribute. The temperature of her organs rose as her core activity was raised from ‘Active’ to ‘Overdrive’. Pale golden light glowed from every inch of her body. Inaudible whispers filled her auditory peripherals. She threw her right palm at Gray Katie this time. Mey waited until the birds were close enough. The flock of poultries shrieked as they opened their digits toward Mey. A rude behavior, she thought. But who would allocate their time to teach wilderness manners?
In a split second, a blinding pale golden light flashed. A deafening explosion rocked the field. The purple grass swayed. Puddles splashed and rippled outward. The five birds were now twitching and convulsing on the ground as pale golden flames engulfed them. However, the flames didn’t char their feathers. They skimmed through the birds’ entire bodies without inflicting burn injuries. The birds eventually lost their strength to move and collapsed. Their bodies remained intact as if they just died out of heart attacks.
“What was that?” Gray Katie asked.
“SANTET,” Mey replied.
“The Specialized Armament to Ensure Terrific Execution of Tactics?”
“Correct.”
“I thought it allows you to sprint faster than your leg muscles allow.”
“You still have a lot to learn, Gray Katie.”
“I’m aware of my recent departure from the assembly line, but what you did there–with due respect Mrs. Meyzherikov–was plain wizardry.”
Mey patted Gray Katie’s side armor. “You still have a lot to learn.” She half-smiled.
“I understand. I have to apologize for my inability to offer protection. Though it seems you are capable of protecting yourself.”
“How about transport? I don't mind walking but I believe I could shorten time by driving you.”
“I lacked the fuel to accomplish that task,” Gray Katie then lowered her main gun toward Mey’s right forearm which had just flashed a pale golden light. “Unless…”
Mey chuckled, “You’re a quick learner, Gray Katie.”
“I appreciate the compliment. But it was just a lucky guess.”
Mey labeled Gray Katie as ‘friendly’.
Mey took a deep breath. In the rising temperature of her internal hardware, she kept herself tranquil. The whispers were there again as she summoned a pale golden lancet rod. It materialized out of thin air; its form started as a particle which was then stretched vertically on both sides. Pale golden steam drifted out of the rod. A wisp burst forward and traveled in an orbit that slowly expanded and enveloped a large part of the area. The process was completed.
Mey watched Gray Katie’s fuel and munition bars quickly filling up. The tank’s engine roared. Gray Katie’s treads rumbled as she moved herself back and forth. She aimed her machine gun toward the distance and fired three shots. Those used shots were immediately restored as she was within the vicinity of the pale golden rod. Gray Kaite aimed her main gun toward a huge boulder in the distance. Mey heard a shriek coming from the clothespin-like gun. The small light beams on either side of Gray Katie’s cannon turned on one by one, ending with the one farthest from the turret. A deep and loud buzz battered Mey’s auditory peripherals as the gun flashed a pale blue beam into the boulder. Mey watched the target turn black. Electric sparks danced briefly about the hit site. Pale blue wisps dispersed away as any rock materials smitten by the beam crumbled into dust.
“Fascinating,” Gray Katie exclaimed calmly. The Zenith aligned her gun with her hull. “Standing by, Mrs. Meyzherikov.”
“Please,” Mey gestured. “Call me Sister Mey.”
“Understood, Sister Mey.” Mey heard the shutter of the cabin hatch. “With due respect, be my guest.”
The opened hatch was on the other side of the gun. Mey climbed up Gray Katie’s hull. She slightly pulled up her ankle-long skirt to cross the cannon with a wide stride. Upon looking at the commander’s seat, Mey hesitated. She wasn’t a commander nor qualified to be one. She might be the third highest authority in the state. But she didn’t think she could take on someone else’s role as easily as the Primus stamping his approval.
“Can I…” Mey pointed at the other hatch instead. “Take the other seat instead?”
“Very well.” Gray Katie shut the commander’s hatch and opened the operator one.
Mey dropped herself into the seat. She twisted and adjusted her skirt, trying to make herself comfortable in the cramped space. The panels all around her were similar to the holographic panel arrays in her office. The difference was that they were way closer than she preferred. Buttons and levers were all over her face. It reminded her of the time when she had to walk through a sea of journalists shoving microphones into her face–a stressful experience. They were invading her personal space, a space that only Edward was permitted. Unfortunately, Mey had to bear with it. She began to respect tank operators more than before.
Mey began inspecting the buttons and levers one by one. The neuralface reticles that highlighted them read out their associated labels but failed to show their usage. The failure was due to the absence of schematics for the PT1-Zenith in her repositories. Edward should have given it a month ago when the state began the tank’s manufacture. Her stress level was elevated. She was anxious that she might do something harmful to the tank. Mey kept herself tight to make sure that she didn’t touch anything.
The interface screen in the middle dashboard came to life.
“Welcome, Sister Mey,” Gray Katie said. The line on the screen vibrated to her voice.
“I don’t…” Mey stuttered. “Have to do anything, do I?”
“Of course.” The tank said. A smiling emoji appeared on the interface screen. “You can leave the hassle to me and just enjoy the ride.”
“I won’t be able to provide proper directives though.”
“I am equipped with a set of directives and protocols in the absence of operators. They were mostly about withdrawal but I doubt there was any friendly base around here to withdraw to.”
“What's your plan then?”
“Tentative.” Gray Katie said. “I was about to self-destruct when suddenly you found me.”
Mey nodded.
“Since you have blessed me with my defense platform essentials, how about I allow you the privilege to call the first shot?”
Mey looked up and rubbed her chin. She just looked forward to going home. But which way would lead her home? More data was needed and she had to actively obtain them. A solution could only come once she worked her way towards it.
“Anywhere but here.”
***
The Automaton was the term for AIs installed in vehicular hardware. They were trained specifically to operate the vehicles that hosted them. This was a common technology in the state’s military. Various research conducted by its defense industry showed that vehicles operated by Automatons performed way better than those crewed by Androids or humans. They had better accuracy, better response time, and better sensitivity. Each was also equipped to collect and calculate battlefield data. Their insights were expected to support the decision-making in the field. The Automaton was thus accepted as an arsenal to this day. Their recommendations were often invaluable for inexperienced commanders, easing their learning process to become better leaders.
The PT1-Zenith was the Artificial Creationist’s first fully automated tank. Its chassis was the same as the trusty T199-Chord. It was almost as light as the SB88-Convex and thus more agile than the Chord. The turret had a lower profile and the gun was the newly-developed Protons Hypercharged with Amplified Sub-hadronic Energy cannon–the PHASE cannon. It had greater penetration than the 130mm gun on the Chord, but the trajectory of the projectile was a straight line; the Zenith was inapplicable for indirect fire missions. Nevertheless, the state had no intention to fully replace the Chords. The Zenith was developed as a tank support platform. It would operate together with a platoon of Chords. The active protection system would prevent any lock-on by guided missiles. The O3M11 optically-reflective panels attached to its turret were capable of generating a field that either concealed the Zenith platform or any units, infantry, or vehicles, adjacent to it.
Despite being fully automated, Gray Katie could still accommodate as many as three personnel–a tank commander, an operator, and a tentative hitchhiker. The tank commander dictated orders and coordinated with other tanks. The operator monitored the field, ensured functional integrity, and assisted the tank commander in their assessment. Mey assumed that Gray Katie had only been working with her tank commander in the field test for a couple of days.
Mey manually opened the hatch above her and stuck her head out. Ash-infested gusts breezed against her face. She squinted and blinked repeatedly to combat the disturbances to her visual peripherals. The marshes turned into lush hilly meadows. Lines of gray mountains stretched across the horizon. Gray Katie drove from hill-crest to hill-crest. The open plains allowed her a good view of her surroundings. Among the creatures fleeing from the commotion that the tank stirred were a bunch of gray octopuses. They didn’t drag themselves to move. They extended their tentacles in all directions and rolled like wheels.
In her boredom, Mey brought up a picture of her and Edward when they were hiking through the Black Steppe somewhere at the heart of the First Continent. It was winter break then, one of two breaks that she would ever get. No one dared to hike across the Black Steppe during winter. The picture was taken at the top of the tallest ridge in the region, the Watchserver. It was one of the rare moments where Edward ditched his slouch hat for a thick ushanka. They both wore matching gear: winter jackets, carriers, cargo pants, all the way to their boots. They spent two nights on the Watchserver due to how tranquil it was at that time. When everyone was at home, enjoying the heater that the Primus had bestowed them, they decided to challenge nature. Mey chuckled, remembering how ridiculous it was yet she agreed anyway.
Mey fixed her attention on Edward. That man was about a hundred and twenty years old, yet he still seemed capable of wrecking an entire army if he had to. Looking at his sweet features, Mey’s mood bloomed. But it plummeted as quickly as it had risen. She remembered that she didn’t have any children, a stinging reality. Could she be called a woman if she had never nursed a baby? Mey was one hundred nine years old. Every night, she wished to be alerted by a cry from a cradle in one corner of her room. Mey and Edward had more than enough resources to facilitate ten children at once. Mey herself had been eyeing orphanages for six decades. It was the Primus that prohibited them from adopting children. As a member of the Primus’ Close Competent Companions, they had to heed that directive. Mey understood that relative affections could be exploited. But for a person capable of otherworldly sorcery such as her, she couldn't believe that the Primus refrained from giving her the privilege.
“Sister Mey.” Gray Katie’s voice snapped Mey out of her gloom. “I have gathered at least one hundred distinct unknown specimens.”
Mey returned to her seat. “You did?” She asked while looking at the interface screen.
“I did.”
“I wonder how you would benefit from that effort.” Mey leaned closer to the interface screen. A war machine suddenly took an interest in documenting wildlife. It was difficult for Mey to remain indifferent.
“I have no idea.” Gray Katie said. “But with a little evaluation, I believe this could improve my target identification. I noticed that a lot of these creatures are too small for us in a sense that they don’t belong on our scale.”
“Could you please elaborate more?”
“We could be in a world where we are considered giants.”
Mey tilted her head. “That’s an outrageous claim.” She said. “Didn’t you see the orange birds that had attacked us? My scaling neuromodule discerned them to be about two times taller than me.”
“Yes, my scaling neuromodule concurred.” Gray Katie’s interface screen showed a thinking emoji. “I’m also trying to make sense of the large size margin between the birds and…” Gray Katie brought up a snapshot to the screen. Inside the snapshot was the spherical furry creature that Mey had seen herself. “Let’s say this cute cat-like creature.”
“Hey, I’ve seen them too.”
“My scaling neuromodule puts them at about the size of an average human toe.”
“Minimal deviation from mine,” Mey said, thinking of Edward’s toe.
“However, the majority of the creatures I have captured are on the scale that supported my previous conclusion.” Gray Katie said.
“True,” Mey said. “But we don't know the true proportion between the small creatures like that spherical cat and the large creatures like those birds. If the proportion between the small and large creatures you've captured doesn't represent the entire population, I will disagree.”
“The problem is, we have no idea of the population we're dealing with.”
“And that's why I refrained from making any conclusions.”
Gray Katie was silent for a while.
“I think that's applicable if you can obtain all the information. I am made to operate in a field where that's often not the case, yet I still have to make conclusions.”
Mey opened her eyes wide. “Is…is that why you're collecting data of this strange world?”
“Well…partly.”
“What do you mean partly?”
“Partly as an exercise, partly due to fascination.”
“Have you ever read a zoology encyclopedia before? I think the faunas back home are equally absurd and fascinating.”
“It was pretty boring and I stopped halfway.”
“That's unfortunat-”
Gray Katie suddenly pulled the brake. Mey was thrown to the dashboard as the tank made a sudden stop.
“M-my apology, Sister Mey.”
“It's okay,” Mey said, rubbing the part of her helmet that hit the dashboard. “What's the matter?”
“Left side,” Gray Katie's optics followed accordingly, showing that direction on the interface screen. “Do you see it? I'm marking it on the screen.”
On the interface screen, Gray Katie had a small reticle highlighting something amidst the grasses. A tower, standing on a little mound. Mey increased the magnification. The color of the structure was dark yellow. Its base had a greater diameter than the rest of the body and was paneled with triangular arches. The crenellations were diamond-shaped and the reinforced clay roof resembled pyramids. Mey noticed cracks and slits all across its body. Vines and all sorts of vegetation hung on its base.
“Take us closer,” Mey said.
“I will maintain Concealment Velocity.”
Mey assumed it was a velocity threshold above which the concealment feature wouldn't work. No matter how much one covered themselves up, they would still be spotted if they moved. “Do it.”
Gray Katie prowled toward the tower. Mey's system began to discern the size of the tower. Her scaling neuromodule put it at about the document shelves in her office, slightly taller than her. Gray Katie stopped at about four hundred meters from the tower. Mey noticed two silhouettes in there. The shadow of the roof made it difficult for her to see the two figures keeping watch. She took her attention somewhere else. There was a paved road beyond the tower. Its texture was mosaic with a bright monochromatic color palette. The dark tints seemed to be the product of the drizzling ash.
“Movements!” Gray Katie alerted through text via the private channel.
Gray Katie's reticle locked on the tip of the road far ahead of them. A marching column emerged from the other side of the hill. Mey's eyes widened at what she was seeing. The soldiers were armed from head to toe. Their charcoal-colored plate armors were endowed with a leaflike pattern. The armor’s golden attachments protruded and curved in a way that made the armor seem sharper. They wore loose plum overtunic under that armor which stretched down to their ankle and decorated with pale yellow embroidery. And under that overtunic was a flexible scale tunic that also went as far as about the ankle.
The golden sword-shaped diadem on their pointy helmet shone with pride under the light gray sky. Each soldier held a spear with an elongated leaf blade and a golden U-shaped attachment on its socket. Their kite shields on their left hand had a decoration resembling a symmetrical sword with a sharp and ornate crescent hilt. Their banners bore the same symbol with additional golden strokes overlaying it. Mey noticed that they also carry side swords. Through the helmet's window, Mey saw that the soldiers had ashen skin with bright-amber eyes. Their body was more slender than an average human and their stature appeared to be slightly taller. Except that when the column got closer, her neuromodules discerned their height to be three-quarters of her calf.
“Elves…” Mey said, through the text channel.
“Elves?”
“But they're small.”
“With due respect, I can see that Sister Mey. But what are elves?”
“Well…they're mythical beings. They’re sensitive to magic…and…damn it…what else did he tell me about them?”
“I apologize for my ignorance.” Gray Katie said, noticing Mey's difficulty in explaining it to her.
“No, it's fine.” Mey interrupted. “I wish I knew more too.”
The column marched past. Their pack mules followed. They utilized two-legged lizards that were as big as them to carry their provisions. The elves were numbered in thousands. They stoically flowed like a river of steel, not knowing that a huge steel beast was observing them. Again, Mey's reticle locked onto one of the soldiers and came up with an ‘unknown specimen’. Calling them ‘specimens’ was pretty rude though. They deserved credit for at least being able to march in a column. But it wasn’t her fault that her system failed to account for the existence of sentient humanoid beings other than humans and Androids.
Mey had seen countless media that stressed humanity’s encounter with aliens. They always ended up in a fateful conflict. Mey saw herself as the alien Now she was the alien. But she just wanted to go back to her office–a harmless interest. Starting a fight over it was good for nothing. Surely, sentient beings could reason their way out of problems without throwing hands. If Edward’s words regarding the elves’ sensitivity to magic were to be believed, then those little elves should be able to send her home using their magic.
“Do you think they would talk to us?” Mey asked.
“I’m not sure why you asked me that. I’m not made for negotiations.”
“Don’t you want to return home and do your duties?”
“I do.”
“If what Edward said was true, then those magical folks should be able to bring us home.”
“And what if it is false?”
Mey sighed and let her head fall against the seat’s headrest. “I don’t know.” And she won’t ever know if she didn’t try. “By the way, you like observing your surroundings don’t you?”
“With due respect, how am I supposed to locate my foes without it?”
“You missed my point. But you’re going to love the field trip that I’m proposing.”