EliteCommander

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Unfortunately, there was quite a lot happening around them in such a short time. The arrival of more of the beings, “Humans”, as they seemed to identify themselves, was not too worrying in itself. The Castigator had good reason to believe that the objects they were carrying were weapons, but again, that did not alarm Kareet. The Castigator’s soldiers were armed as well, and it was only natural that they would show some degree of caution when meeting something new and unknown. But then, there was more movement across the room. Smaller beings, like insects, but clearly not natural. They were made from metal and moved on their own, and on top of all that, the armor that Kareet had observed earlier began to move as well. All of that coincided with the Castigator’s soldiers alerting them of something approaching from outside. Perhaps the only thing that prevented the situation from escalating further was the fact that the metal insects did back away after a moment.

For a few seconds, Kareet had her eyes on the moving armor. She took a few steps back, falling in line alongside Nellara. It was a subtle thing, but the way that Kareet fell into a proper defensive formation did seem reflexive. J’eon had made the decision to try to leave entirely. There was good reason to be afraid, she had to admit, but she could not give up. Not something like this. Being among the first on-site for a discovery such as this…there would never be another opportunity like it. It was worth the risk. “These things…golems, maybe? They have to have some sort of magic to be able to make such a thing.”

Kareet was growing increasingly frustrated by their inability to effectively communicate. She had a strong suspicion that much of this tension was the result of misunderstanding. These Humans were entirely new, their ways entirely foreign. What would be offensive from their perspective? Or threatening? “This fortress, it is their home. In this land, they have nowhere else to retreat to…let us be careful not to provoke them. We need to find some way to communicate. A Thought mage could bridge this gap. If we could get to Lenkik, we could requisition the services of one. Either convince the Humans to send one of them with us, or bring a Thought mage back here.”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet was only half-listening to what was going on around her, preferring to put most of her focus on trying to interpret what Vigdis has written. Unfortunately, she and Kerchak did not have too much success this time. The fundamentals of mathematics had not been too difficult to convey. Counting was easy enough, and they could relate counting to symbols and basic operations. However, whatever Vigdis was writing now was difficult to convey without words. She doubted the math was too complicated in itself, but whatever notation Vigdis was using was entirely foreign to her. There was no frame of reference to what they were trying to convey. Perhaps, with more time and effort, they might have been able to discern it, but it seemed they would not have the time now.

Kareet gave a glance back at J’eon, having picked up on some of what he had been saying. “J’eon, we are in Ascendancy territory, and Nellara is an enforcer of Ascendancy law. Or can be, at least. It is in your best interest to be polite and cooperative with the Castigator.” Kareet warned.

It was just a few moments later, though, that a noise turned everyone’s attention to what looked like a door nearby, albeit a rather strange door. It hissed, then seemed to slide open on its own. From the other side, more of these beings stepped into the room. They were dressed just as strangely, or at least some were. One had a mask, though Kareet could not guess at its purpose. If it was armor, then why was the rest of its body not armored as well? They all looked like they could be the same kind of being as Vigdis, though even in this small group, Kareet could already note some variety in their bodies. There was considerable difference in size and build between some of them. Male and female, perhaps, though she would have to figure out how to confirm which was which. They also had significantly different hues to their skin, much like the variety in scale colors of the S’tor. Some of them were carrying large objects of some sort; tools or weapons perhaps? The safest choice was to assume the latter and be watchful of what they were doing with them.

Kareet stood up to her feet, looking down on the new arrivals, though staying in place near to where they had been writing on the wall. After a moment’s pause, she pointed a finger down to Vigdis. “Vigdis.” She said as clearly as she could, then pointed to herself. “Kareet.”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet and Kolvar

---

“Vigdis. Okay, that is progress. It calls itself Vigdis.” Kareet remarked. Though, what Vigdis did next was more complex. It moved over and started writing on the wall, so naturally, Kareet flipped to a new page in her notebook and copied every single thing it wrote, just as it wrote it. It started off with simple lines, though all the symbols beyond that were completely unrecognizable. But Vigdis could write, and it was a part of the species that had made this machine. It had to be intelligent, which meant it had to expect that they would not be able to understand what it had written. If Vigdis was showing them this, then there had to be something they were meant to be able to figure out from it.

“These symbols…maybe their language? But how would we make any sense of it? We don’t know their language; how would we put symbols to words? Let’s see, it starts off with these lines. They’re separated out, one more each time…counting, maybe?” Kareet spoke aloud to no one in particular.

Kolvar was impressed by the architecture and how technologically advanced the ship seemed. “Wow.” Muttering this to himself as he was now standing side by side with Kareet. “These foreigners have a fascinating method of building their ships.” He took a moment to touch his claw to the cold metal of the shuttle bay. Kolvar wanted to know how they were able to make this ship fly. Which he would need to ask if these people could even speak the common tongue. Something that seemed highly unlikely.

His attention turned towards something hiding in the corner of the room. Turning his body so he was facing them. It looked petrified seeing them. He slowly pointed a single claw towards himself and spoke slowly. “Kerchak.” He just came up with this fake name, and now both Kareet and the pink thing knew his name. His intention was not to scare or be killed by this fleshy looking S’tor.

He watched as the hairless started writing something on the wall. He squinted his eyes trying to figure out what it meant. “Some sort of mathematical equation, but what could it mean? Do you know what it means? Maybe this is how they communicate, though math?” He turned towards Kareet hoping she knew what it meant.

Kareet tilted her head slightly towards Kerchak. “Communicate through mathematics? I hope not. I’m not sure what that would even be like; that would make finding common ground quite a bit more difficult. Let’s just figure this out, though. If we’re going down the right path with this being mathematics, then these symbols in the middle here might be associated with the count of these dashes up here. It starts with none of them, so zero, and in increments up to…hmm.” Kareet crossed her arms. “There are ten symbols here. Zero up to seven, then two more. Why is that?”

“I have no clue what it could mean. But…” He trailed off for a moment to look back at the equation .”Could it be these numbers match where their alphabets are? Five, four, ten, nine, six, four, thirty four, and six. Perhaps it is some kind of code that they use to communicate.” He places his claw on the metallic wall, tapping it the number of times of the answered equation. Hoping the thing would know what he means.

“Maybe, but…why would they start with that? They have to know that we have no concept of their language. If they’re expecting us to understand a code, it would have to be a code based on something common between us.” Kareet replied, letting out a sigh. “I can see how these dashes match to these symbols, but if they are numbers and these down here are equations…not all of these work out. I mean, look at this one. The symbol for 1 and 7 go together, then there is the symbol for two, then 3 and 4 seem to be together here. But in what way can 17 and 2 make 34? If it’s addition, it would be 21. Subtraction would be 15. Multiplication would be 36. This can’t be like our number system.”

Kolvar was rubbing his beak, math was not really his strong suit. But someone like his master could probably figure it out. “Perhaps their numeral system is much different than ours. So certain things would not make sense with our mathematical basis.” He once again squinted his eyes again. “Perhaps we could use our numerical system to try and figure out this equation?”

For a few more seconds, Kareet just stared at the symbols in front of her. “A different system? Mathematics is universal. It should always be the same, unless…you mean it could be a different base?” She revisited the symbols above the equations. “Of course…our number system is base eight, but it doesn’t have to be. Mathematics are the same no matter the base, it’s just another way of writing it. If these two symbols are just two extra numbers, then this would be…a base ten system. So 17 multiplied by 2 in base eight is 36, but in base ten the answer is…34.”

Immediately, Kareet went silent as she checked several of the other equations, this time with a base ten numerical system. This time, she could find some way to combine two of the numbers to make the third. That also told her the meanings of the symbols they were using to denote mathematical operations. At this point, Kareet was looking visibly excited.

“Okay, okay, we have something here. Numbers, mathematics, that’s…something, at least. I think you’re right. We can do the same thing they did, and put up these same equations with our numbers.” Kareet said, nodding in agreement.

Reaching out her hand towards the pen Vigdis had left on the floor, Kareet tried to magnetize it into her hand, only to find that it would not move at all. Curiously, she reached down and picked it up to get a closer look. “Wait…is this pen made from aluminum?” Considering that aluminum was a metal more valuable than gold in Kanth-Aremek, her surprise was understandable.

Kolvar looked over at the pen Kareet was holding. “Aluminum? By the gods these foreigners must be very wealthy to have such a mundane object made out of such an expensive material.” His face was quite close towards the pen Kareet was holding. Looking quite mesmerized by it. “I believe that would be a good idea. Perhaps doing so would help gain a connection to this pinkie thing. I shall help you.”

The pair of them soon got to work on writing their own version of what Vigdis had given them. Or rather, versions. By Kareet’s suggestion, they first wrote out a copy with the same symbols Vigdis had used, except in a base eight number system. The dashes at the top went from zero, to seven dashes, which were associated with the numbers 0 to 7 beneath them. They then converted the equations to base eight as well. Afterwards, they wrote it out again a third time, but using the S’toric numerals that were commonly used across the continent. Hopefully between the three, Vigdis too would be able to understand how their mathematics were different.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Circumstances were quick to pull Kareet away from her sketching. There were, she supposed, more important matters to deal with immediately. She just hoped she would still get a chance later to continue her notes. She had not noticed the arrival of the other Tekeri initially until they were right on her. Though, introductions certainly eased her worries. A Castigator? She and her soldiers would be quite useful. Or at least, they could be useful, as long as they did not hinder her efforts at first impressions.

“Stand down, Castigator.” Kareet said after Nallara. “If they come from beyond our continent, they probably do not speak S’toric. Nor any other of our languages. If our words cannot help us, we are going to need to be very careful about how we present ourselves.”

Once she had the Castigator’s attention, Kareet reached back and flicked her wrist, magnetizing her medallion into her hand from one of the pouches of her backpack. Or more accurately, the chain it was attached to, given that the medallion itself was made from tungsten. The metal was quite difficult to work with, which made forgery all the more unlikely. She held it up to the Castigator so she could see the intricately designed insignia it bore.

“Kareet of Arcaeda, Seeker of the Order of Sages.” She announced. Shirik and J’eon both had chimed in as well, but she could not take the time to deal with their questions. “Let’s all stop questioning each other and focus on what is in front of us. This being, whatever it is, we outnumber it. We may intimidate it. Let’s remedy that. Names…let’s see if it has one. An introduction, and it may be less hostile.”

Looking away from the Castigator, the gaze of all four of Kareet’s eyes settled onto the small being. She held up one finger, then pointed to herself. “Kareet.” Even without a shared language, she felt this could be a relatively simple exchange, as long as they had some concept of names themselves. She repeated it two more times, pointing to herself and saying simply: “Kareet”.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

If she were to be completely practical about it, Kareet would reason that J’eon should be the first one inside in case of any potential dangers. Shirik was the more interesting of her two companions to her, and if this new Tekeri was a Life mage, as he claimed, then his skillset would be more useful to them than a second Heat mage. Regardless, Kareet would not say any of this aloud. She would rather just get inside as soon as she could, so having the Tekeri go in first was sufficient.

Kareet was not entirely sure if she could trust the new arrival. If he was coming from the north, that meant he was coming from Mythadia. The nearest village in their lands was farther away than Ertiseda, though she also recognized that a Tekeri would be able to cover that distance faster than she had with Shirik and J’eon in tow. If he was a Life mage, his justification did make sense, but Kareet would be cautious regardless.

It was an easy climb up to the breach, after which Kareet stepped inside just after the other Tekeri. Somehow, as she could see on approach, it was quite bright inside. Her eyes would take some time to adjust, but what she could see was something entirely alien to her. The room that the breach led into was huge and made almost entirely from metal. Perhaps that should not have been surprising, looking at it from the outside, but she could still hardly imagine the craftsmanship required to create something like this. Just the materials alone would cost more to build than all of Arcaeda, and that was not even considering the skill required to make it. Ignoring damaged sections, the walls and floor were so…precise. Every metal panel fit so precisely with every other that it was hard to tell where the separations were. Kareet had seen that kind of precision before, but never on such a scale.

Unfortunately, it was hard to see some of the details with how cluttered the room was. There was debris everywhere. It seemed like the crash had thrown and scattered about anything that had been in the room. Some of it was metal debris, probably from the damaged wall, but most of it was just objects that had been thrown around, hardly any of which she could actually identify, aside from broken glass. Though, she could only guess at what they might have been before they were broken. Just at a glance, some of the objects looked like they could have been tools, but she could only guess at their purpose. This might have been a storage room of some sort, given the number of boxes and crates scattered around. Even the crates themselves were metal, or…maybe not. Upon closer inspection of one of the crates, she found it was made of something solid and smooth, yet clearly not metallic.

Of course, what drew Kareet’s eye most readily was what looked, to her, like a suit of armor. If it was, then it was the most intricate and robustly crafted armor she had ever seen. However, she could not imagine how any being could actually wear it, purely for its size and weight. It was the height of a S’tor, but it was too massive for even a S’tor to move in. Not to mention, its shape was entirely wrong for their anatomy. A particularly large Tekeri could potentially fit inside, but again, the shape was wrong for them. An Iriad would have the right shape, but it was far, far too large for any of their kind. The sheer physical might required for one to don this armor actually made her worried to meet whatever sort of being it was that had built this machine.

Kareet had not heard the whisper, but eventually, her eyes adjusted to the light enough to see the movement off to her left. She turned to see a being. Something new, something she did not have a word for. She could see hairless skin, except on top of the head, and strange clothing. It held something she did not recognize. It was also much…smaller than her mind had imagined.

There were many things that Kareet could, or perhaps should have done first, but when faced with something like this, she simply could not help herself. Her first reaction was to flip to a new page in her notebook to sketch what she saw.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet immediately seemed to go on guard as soon as they were approached. It was a Tekeri man. Her first thought was that he might be a local villager, but the accent was not right, nor did his feathers bear any of the expected tribal markings. He was more likely a traveler of some variety. The closest road was in the same direction they had come from, though as she had indicated to the others, it was not surprising to her that a Tekeri would be able to outpace their group. More pertinent than where he had come from, though, was why he was here? The average peasant would not go chasing down a fireball from the sky. Even without considering the potential risks of the object that crashed, travel itself was dangerous. There were few types of people who would feel comfortable traveling alone, so Kareet could reason that he was either not alone, or was something more than average.

“We are far from the road. Where did you come from?” Kareet asked. She was not going to show any aggression unprovoked, but she would be cautious. Still, she could not tear her attention away from this machine for too long. Something so exceptional and unusual, she would not waste a moment in studying it. Who knew how long she would have to make these notes? She could imagine many ways she might be interrupted. For now, she started to walk around the outside while observing and making her sketches.

Kareet was cautious while moving around to the opposite side, downhill from the crash. The fires were gone, but there was still an abundance of metal debris scattered across the landscape. Tekeri did have tough feet, but she still did not want to invite any injuries this far from town. There was plenty of surface damage all across the machine, but one scar in particular could possibly be useful to them. There was a large hole, like a gash that had been violently cut across the metal, which had been blocked by fire before Shirik arrived. Her first thought was that it might have been damaged by the impact, but it did not look quite right for that. The jagged edges of the metal looked more like it had been torn apart by something. Regardless, it would not be difficult to climb up to, and it looked big enough to fit through. “I think I see a way in over here!” Kareet shouted.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

“Well, in all fairness, I am still dead.” Meesei chuckled for a moment. “My home is the Hunting Grounds now. I suppose I just did not want to leave you worrying about my soul. After all we have accomplished, all of my service to him, Hircine has been willing to grant me his favor. The beast spirit in you connects you to his realm and can let him visit your dreams. I have been…allowed to do the same through his power.”

Meesei leaned back, supporting herself on her hands as she looked up to the sky. “I will miss this world. I will miss all of you. But, I do not regret anything. It had to be done, for all of you to have a chance at the lives you deserve. I spent most of my life leading us through a time of war. You will be responsible for ruling through a time of peace.” Tilting her head, she smiled. She had ample reasons to join Fendros in tears, but she did not seem intent on dwelling on what was lost. “Between you and me, I think I had it easier. You will have to deal with all of the politics without the war there to unite you. You have my sympathies.”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

“So much for stealth…” Kareet muttered once she and J’eon had crested the hill to see Shirik extinguishing flames very much out in the open. Regardless, the sight of this…machine pulled her attention away from anything else rather swiftly and completely. She had been speculating on what she had seen since the moment they left Ertiseda, but this…this defied anything she could have expected. Its size was unbelievable, its design entirely unrecognizable, and its source was even more mysterious. “This doesn’t look like anything from any place I am familiar with. Where could it have come from? Another continent, maybe, but…who could have built it? The kind of industry required, and the metalworking…it is in amazingly good condition for having fallen from the sky, I think. We…we need to be careful. Whoever created built this has considerable power, and we know nothing about them. We do not know if anyone aboard is dangerous, if they are still alive.”

Again, there was a pause from Kareet as she fell back into her own thoughts. She was, of course, greatly interested in the machine itself. Whatever it was, it represented a wealth of new discoveries. However, she was also just as interested in its creators. Looking at this thing now, she genuinely believed that no nation she knew of on Kanth-Aremek could possibly have created it. This was, at the very least, from someone beyond the continent. If there were still any alive on board, it would be perhaps of even more benefit to her to learn from them. Of course, as she had said to J’eon, she knew nothing about them. It could be dangerous to approach them, but she could not simply ignore this. The potential gain was too great. Given the severity of the crash, she could imagine that those on board would be in need of help. They could be in need of supplies, a guide, or of medical aid. Providing such aid could potentially ingratiate them with these outsiders, and make it more likely that she would be able to learn what she wanted from them.

“But…if there is anyone alive, they might be in desperate need of help. We should still try to do what we can, just…be careful.” Kareet added.

---

It took about twenty minutes for Kareet and J’eon to make their way down from their spot on the mountainside to the crash site. As she approached, Kareet already had her notebook in hand, furiously sketching everything in sight. At the very least, Shirik had made sure it was safe to approach. She did not stop for a moment, even after they rejoined Shirik. “We should look for some way inside. If there is anyone remaining, they could need our help.”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

While Kareet might have disliked climbing, traveling with the others was illuminating on exactly how much easier it was for Tekeri. Their strength coupled with their lightweight bodies made navigating uneven or steep terrain comparatively effortless. Watching her companions, though, they just felt…heavy, with every step they took. On flat ground, Glen could easily move faster than any of the other species, either in a sprint or over time. Back when they were fighting Kolodon, one of the major advantages they held was with how well their armies could outmaneuver the S’tor. Up here in the mountains, though, Kareet had to avoid letting on to any irritation on how much they were slowing her down. They could still be useful. It had been a while since she had seen signs of the fires that the impact had certainly sparked, but that did not mean she would not need a heat mage.

“I am not so sure about that.” Kareet remarked. They had stopped momentarily in a clear space of relatively flat ground on a mountainside. Another rest. She stood atop a nearby boulder so she could observe the area from the highest point in the vicinity; granted, visibility was rather good regardless. This part of the mountain was not forested, so it had a clear view of the valley below them. There was no sign of the impact on this side of the mountain, but with how far they had traveled, they had to be getting close. By Kareet’s estimation, the impact site would likely be on the other side of either this mountain range, or the next beyond it. “Ertiseda is the closest settlement to here. I don’t think anyone else from that village would take the risk to come out here. Though, I’ll admit, a purely Tekeri group could easily outpace us. There could also be some small Tekeri tribes up in these mountains, but I doubt they would pose any threat to us.”

After a moment, Kareet tilted her head towards Shirik. “Still, I agree with your conclusion. If possible, we should observe from stealth when we find it. Best gather as much information as possible before making any decisions. Perhaps you should stay back and allow me to do so? You are…” She paused, giving a look up and down Shirik’s smoldering body. “…luminous.”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet, for a moment, looked out over the horizon, though the mountains around them were limiting to her view. Now that the fireball had reached the ground, the darkness of night had settled back over the land. Although, even from where they were, a faint orange glow seemed to be visible from behind the mountain. Either the object itself was still ablaze, or it had sparked a forest fire. Either way, a heat mage would be useful to her. Fortunately, Shirik had already expressed their desire to investigate this event as well. For now, it seemed they would be sticking together.

“That was not a mere fireball, it was…artificial. A foreign weapon…or some other machine? But who would be able to create a thing of such size?” Kareet muttered, mostly to herself. “We must hurry. Who knows what those fires may be destroying? There is no point in wasting time here.” She remarked. Admittedly, if this object was truly in danger from the flames, it would be wishful thinking that they would be able to reach it in time to do anything about it. Depending on where it fell, it could be a day or two before they even reached it. Nevertheless, Kareet was intent on setting out immediately.