Things started getting worse. Already, the Inod and their child were out of the workforce, joined by the Hilgos, being too weak to be of proper aid to the building. This much we had figured for, that the new arrivals would be dealing with various degrees of starvation, dehydration, and other health issues, and thus, unable to add to our labor force. What we did not plan for, on any level, however, was the temperature drop, and how bad it would hurt us.

As night rolled in, we lost the Trils to their dormancy cycle, which sucked, but again, there wasn't a ton to be done about it. Then, as I was returning from a routine check-in on the Inod and Hilgos and to grab my jacket from my shelter, I spotted Azoccu and Chathuxl returning from hunting, but something was... off. They were both sort of listing a bit, but it was something that could simply be explained as simple exhaustion. That is until Azoccu went to speak, "We is-has returned. Ours hunt was went well..."

Both Vergal were slipping on tenses, slurring words, and the translators weren't keeping up well. When I looked more closely, despite it being dusk, both of their slitted pupils were like pin-pricks, as though they were standing in the noonday sun. I remembered an earlier conversation, where they had noted that they could become sluggish in sudden temperature shifts. That time had come, and the temperature was only going to continue dropping for the time being, so they joined the others in the first yurt while the rest of us continued working. Next, it was the Screns and the Asu who were suffering. Both species were furred, certainly, but they had already shed their winter coats and were now at the mercy of a sudden cold snap. They were going into hypothermia, so both species now had to get inside to warm themselves. Unlike us, their containers had not held extra cold weather gear, the game masters likely making the mistake of believing that fur equaled warmth the same as we had made that same assumption.

Once we had them all tucked away, Val pulled me off to the side, "Okay, so who do we have left? It's us, the Rothani, the Ghol, and the Vendrix, yeah? That's what, eight of us still moving? And the other ten are down. Even with our infini-fabric, it's not insulated. Strong, sure, but it's just a base layer, and potentially some tarp or rope, but it won't keep anyone warm."

I sighed, "Yeah, it's gonna get worse 'fore it gets better, too. My money's on the Vendrix needin' t'bow out next, then the Ghol. Come mornin' we lose the Rothani, and it'll just be you an' me. Hang on a sec."

I hit the green button, and Annabelle came up, "Evening, Keith. We can see you have at least one of the yurts up, and it looks like you're about to finish up a second as night sets in, with the foundations for a third one in the works. But of course, we've heard your talk with Val about losing people to the elements here, even as more are getting ready to arrive."

I smirked. Annabelle was letting me know there were more that would arrive soon, but without directly saying the words, so she wasn't technically cheating, "Oh certainly, it's bein' a right pain in the ass on over here. Right now, though, I reckon we're needin' us somethin' akin to caffeine, and a bunch of it if we're gonna be fightin' at peak efficiency. *Sigh*... I miss coffee."

Annabelle nodded and smiled as I mentioned coffee, "Certainly. I think it's easy to forget, seeing your progress, just how much you lack in your current environment. We were fascinated with what you're calling infini-fabric, or aliencord. There are so many things that you're doing there in exploring how these alien technologies work that have fascinating ramifications for Earth, and its future. Have you considered the future ramifications of these technologies as they pertain to Earth's future?"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

I knew Annabelle was playing a game, a somewhat different one than what we were playing. There was a way that she spoke when we talked that pointed to a bigger scheme, whether just hers, or those on Earth above her, I couldn't guess, but the ways we walked were a matter now of giving each other information, "I mean, ain't really thought about it that much, but y'all gotta figure we're gettin' a ton of theories confirmed as fact. Humanoid life on other worlds is an obvious one, o' course, then we've got the nano-fabrics that're gonna change a lot o' the way we're doin' things. That's not even accountin' for the fact we now know that Faster Than Light travel is a thing, rather than just theorizin' it, and I'm guessin' fusion power. We're learnin' more and more every day, Miss Annabelle, and I reckon it'll continue just by this whole thing havin' happened."

"Our experts absolutely concur with your assessment there, Keith, but we do have a more personal matter to discuss as well. It seems like things have progressed with you and Val, and I know a lot of folks on Earth are wondering what your feelings are, given the most recent developments?" She had switched subjects pretty quickly, back to something more crowd-pleasing, a possible distraction from the larger context conversations.

I nodded. It wasn't hard to work out what the question was going to be, "Well, o' course, I'm a good amount disappointed that I can't just get to be 'er boyfriend an' all, but I get it, everythin' goin' on, her history, my history. We'll just have t'see where it goes from here."

Behind me, I heard the sound, and saw the flashes of light that told me things had been transported in, "Well, fun as this conversation may be, Miss Annabelle, afraid I'll be needin' t'go do an unboxin', as it seems we got some deliveries that came in."

I cut the call and went over to a couple of containers of items. Popping them open, I laughed. Cans and bottles of Starbucks drinks, some full packages of Peppermint Altoids, and even pouches of tobacco. Whoever was watching on Earth, they were definitely paying attention. Val didn't hesitate for a moment, grabbing two cans of triple-shot, and shaking one up, popped it open immediately. I quirked an eyebrow, "See I wasn't the only one missin' the IV drip o' caffeine."

She didn't immediately answer, instead pretty much chugging the whole can straight, then wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, "Not so much that you'd notice. But, I mean, I get the tobacco, since you and the Rothani smoke together, but why Altoids? I love having fresh breath as much as the next girl, but this seems like kind of a lot."

I smiled, "Oh, it ain't about the mints, darlin'. It's about the tins. Earth just sent us tinderboxes for everyone here, so we can keep dry firestarter on us at all times."

Val smiled, chuckling as she shook her head, "Y'know, at some point, the Kathrall are gonna get tired of our people pulling this shit on them. How many times do you think they can get away with passing us backend survival tools?"

I just shrugged, and started to open the other container. More of the same... at least, I thought so, til I felt a sudden hollow thunk. Moving the stuff on top, and pulling back some fabric, I saw it, and smiled, "Aw, now this is somethin' we really needed."

Val was busily sorting out a ration for the caffeine, and just called back, "What'd they send?"

I reached in, and drew out a specifically shaped case, and opened it to reveal an old acoustic guitar, likely recovered from a Goodwill or other thrift store, "They sent us tunes!"