Chapter 112 – Perspective Shift
Talia perched atop the CRD-X9, her new MK2 armor gleaming in the harsh sunlight. The vehicle’s treads churned the desert sand, sending up plumes of dust. Behind her, a convoy of trailer-equipped CRD-X9s trundled along, laden with equipment for the spider nest’s future fabricators.
She shifted, the armor’s bulk forcing her to adjust her position. The suit’s inability to fit into her vehicle cockpits was a minor annoyance.
Everything was always a tradeoff, it seemed. At least sitting outside allowed her to survey the landscape.
The strategic map flickered on her HUD, showing the shifting battle lines. Their forces held the jungle’s edge, and the Blues had withdrawn from just about the entire eastern front to defensive lines that were further back. It was the enemy’s westward push that worried her.
It was clear that their focus has now shifted to the HEM mining site. Or was it another trick?
She made a mental note to increase prospector scout deployments, hoping to uncover additional HEM deposits for the auto-bases to exploit. There was plenty of everything else in various deposits, but the HEM site seemed like some type of oddity. What had created it?
Talia bit her lip and grumbled. Why did things always lead to questions? It was going to drive her insane.
She flipped through the video feeds from her units—of which there were thousands now, focusing on several that were patrolling the outside of the jungle where the Blues had attacked.
The regrowth was... different. Darker, denser. Was it a random response to the damage, or a pre-programmed repair that would act like a callus? It both fascinated and unnerved her. What was the threshold for the elder giant jungle worms to surface? They absolutely needed to avoid fighting one of those again.
That drew her attention to the churned desert full of holes where the younger worms had emerged to attack the Blues. How would nature reclaim those? Or would they remain as permanent reminders of the ongoing conflict?
The rest of the desert was smooth and pristine just outside the jungle, so she figured there had to be some sort of mechanism that would even out the terrain, eventually.
What she needed was a precursor user manual on the maintenance of bio-mechanically engineered worlds or something.
[Notice: Arrival at Nest location estimated in one hour.]
Neo’s chime pulled Talia from her thoughts, and she straightened, focusing on the task at hand. The spiders needed the equipment she had prepared for them. She continued to work through the layers and layers of menus on her HUD, tweaking settings and trying to keep herself informed of everything that was going on.
That last bit was impossible to keep up with, but she did her best.
Her companions had eventually calmed down and restrained themselves from calling her every five minutes, but she needed to let them know she was almost there. She tapped the call button.
A video call screen flared to life. A writhing mass of spider limbs filled the display, accompanied by a cacophony of hisses and chirps.
Hot Pink’s shrill voice cut through the noise. “Maker-Not-Maker-Calls-Stop-Stupidity-Now!”
The tangled ball of spiders froze, then disentangled themselves. Dapple scuttled to the forefront, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. “Talia-Call-Yay!”
A smile tugged at Talia’s lips. “I’ll be there soon with the fabricators. We’ll get everyone equipped with improved harnesses and shield belts, like yours.”
Dapple’s legs twitched excitedly. “Belt-Make-Sisters-Strong-Save-Other-Sisters-Yes!”
Talia’s brow furrowed. “How are the others holding up? Have you managed to organize at all?”
She chewed her lower lip, anxiety gnawing at her. The spiders’ cohesion after losing Big Red wasn’t a sure thing.
Dapple’s reply was immediate. “Sisters-Angry-Confused-Hate-Wait! New-Leader-Soon.”
A new leader? “Will the new leader allow for equipment distribution? And I’d like to set up a device to monitor the Nest computer—it could give us an edge against the Blues.”
“Should-be-Good! New-Leader-Will-Want-Save-Sisters-And-Help-Talia!” Dapple chirped confidently.
Talia nodded, her tension easing slightly. “I’ll be there within the hour.”
The camera whirled as Hot Pink moved, her excited voice filling the air. “Sisters-come-help-guard!”
As the call ended, Talia let out a breath. At least there wasn’t another disaster to deal with.
Talia’s armored fingers tapped a rhythmic pattern on the CRD-X9’s hull as the convoy wound its way through the jungle. The dense foliage parted before them, three fiery paths carved by the lead vehicles parallel to each other.
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When they reached the other side, she checked the tactical map. A sea of green dots surrounded their position.
“That’s a big welcome committee,” she muttered, zooming in on the display.
[Confirmation: Tch’Llik’yzz’Lrr presence detected in significant numbers surrounding convoy.]
Talia’s eyes narrowed, looking out into the darkness of the jungle. Her HUD flickered to life, highlighting wireframe outlines of spiders concealed behind vegetation and rocky outcroppings. A twinge of unease rippled through her, quickly replaced by fascination at the new capability.
She tapped the side of her helmet. “Pretty good sensors on this thing.”
[Notice: MK2 armor equipped with advanced detection systems for hostile and friendly units. Color-coded highlighting available for enhanced situational awareness.]
“Handy,” Talia said. Not that she was going to mistake a spider for a Blue unless she was incapacitated somehow. She took a deep breath, the suit-generated air tasting faintly of ozone.
“We’re going to the Nest,” she called out, her voice amplified by the suit’s external speakers. “If you want to come with us, you can ride on top, too.”
Silence stretched for a long moment. Talia’s fingers drummed faster, betraying her anxiety. Then, movement caught her eye. A few spiders emerged from cover, their movements hesitant. Finally, a few of them scurried onto the roofs of the rest of the convoy.
That caused a cascade from the others that had been hesitant and suddenly the vehicle roofs were standing room only. Low chirps and chitters filled the air.
“Well, that’s progress,” she said, allowing herself a small smile.
[Analysis: Tch’Llik’yzz’Lrr displaying cautious acceptance of User presence and actions. Continued positive interaction recommended.]
The convoy rumbled forward, the spider-laden vehicles pressing deeper into the jungle. Talia’s eyes darted to the canopy above. Spiders clung to branches, their legs twitching as they tracked the procession. She couldn’t tell if their presence was a good sign or a warning. At least they were interested.
IRUs were visible and highlighted by her new HUD system, digging foxholes and setting up sentry turrets. Defensive preparations were underway, as she had instructed. If the Blues returned to the jungle in force, it was going to be very bloody for them to encroach on the nest.
The convoy rolled into a large clearing and the vehicles came to a halt. Dapple and Hot Pink stood at the forefront of a congregation of what looked like two dozen spiders. The duo raised their front legs in a cheerful greeting.
Talia hopped off the roof of the CRD-X9, her boots hitting the ground with a solid thud. Two IRUs emerged from the cave entrance, carrying a thick cable between them. Another vehicle parked nearby, and the IRUs moved to attach the cable.
She blinked, processing the scene. “Neo, what’s going on?”
[Update: Real-time monitoring of hostile forces established. Re-evaluation of frontline underway.]
Talia’s eyebrows shot up. “I was going to ask about that when I got here. How did you manage it?”
[Clarification: This unit discussed with Tch’Llik’yzz’Lrr. They approved.]
Shock rippled through her. “What? When? How?”
[Explanation: IRUs equipped with rudimentary voice units. Communication established earlier.]
Talia shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around it. Neo had taken initiative, negotiating with the spiders without her input. That… was weird? Certainly not something that had really happened before. She had to admit it was efficient—and they really needed that real-time enemy location information.
Her world shifted as Dapple collided with her, the spider’s legs scrabbling against the MK2 armor.
The spider’s enthusiastic chirp echoed through her helmet. “Talia-Grow-Big!”
She blinked, suddenly aware of the shift in their relative sizes. Instead of being level with the spider’s head, she was looking down at Dapple.
That seemed almost... manageable.
Talia’s armored hand gently patted Dapple’s head. “Yeah, I got an upgrade! Need it to deal with the Blues.”
Hot Pink bounded over, legs twitching with excitement. “Fight-Blues-Save-Sisters!”
A chorus of chirps and clicks erupted from the surrounding spiders, their enthusiasm palpable. Talia turned to the CRD-X9, servos whirring as she hefted a large metal crate.
The lock disengaged with a satisfying click, revealing rows of sleek spider harnesses, complete with armor plating and generator modules. Plus a laser cutter that would hurt at medium range and be devastating up close.
Neo had printed as many as they could make before they had left. There were not nearly enough of them to equip all the spiders. But she figured that there would be enough for the spiders to learn with, and for that, she needed her two companions.
They were the only ones with experience, after all.
“Dapple, Hot Pink,” Talia said. “I need you to help teach the others how to use this new equipment.”
Dapple snatched up a harness with her forelimbs, examining it with gleaming eyes. “Maker-Not-Maker-Made-Improvements!”
The spider’s joy was infectious. Talia felt a smile tugging at her lips, hidden beneath her helmet. Dapple and Hot Pink began showing the harnesses to the gathered spiders, their movements a blur of excitement and purpose.
It seemed like they had gathered a group of especially curious and like-minded spiders, because the entire group watched with rapt attention. A minute later, one of the other spiders was the center of attention as all of them joined to put the armored harness on her.
A sense of cautious optimism bloomed in her chest.
[Notice: Fabrication process setup will require several hours.]
Talia nodded, her focus sharpening. “Yes, Neo. Let’s get everyone equipped.”