Chapter 40 - When In Doubt

Chapter 40

Starborn Mountains, Starfire Valley

Mining Hub

"Alright, this should help a lot." Said Sapphiria as she watched a construction bot and a hauler, both ridden by a junkbot, roll into the hub and started disgorging their cargos. Or, more accurately, beeped impatiently as robotic arms took their bounty. Another construction bot was already busy expanding the minecart system all the way to the surface, and a couple of haulers were trying to keep it topped up as best as they could. Which wasn't easy because a lot of of the secondary tunnels just ended abruptly and so did their minecart bounty.

Most just...stopped, in a way that indicated a total ceasing of activity, most likely when the PDC had been reached.

Others, more worryingly, looked like they had some rather more violent ends.

A few looked like they'd undergone some extremely violent fights after the tunnel was collapsed, which was just terrifying. The lack of bodies, at least, seemed to indicate the humans had won the battle. Probably.

"It will." Said Cia.

"Good." Sapphiria sighed. "Alright, I'll get out of your hair, you don't need my help to handle all this." In fact, her help might become outright counterproductive. The entire point of simulacrums was that full on AIs like her were hideously inefficient in terms of processing power. It's why Cia was here to handle all the routine stuff, so she could focus on other things.

"Returning to the pod?"

The AI hesitated.

"Tempting, but no. I'll head to the surface. Deliver some of the modified batteries we made."

"The...stripped down ones." The simulacrum didn't look happy, and to be fair neither was the AI.

"We still don't have an alternative. I'll go up with all the junkbots we have repaired. You can use the ones you finish fixing for the escorts. Just because we kicked the Hand's ass doesn't mean the undead stumbling around the valley vanished, and Astralis is going to have to start cutting down trees again eventually."

"Understood." The simulacrum smiled, and Sapphiria almost flinched. Oh no she knew that smile. "Given the time, shall I make arrangements for you to return tomorrow morning? After sleeping...alongside them."

The AI blushed.

"That won't be necessary, Cia." She said. "Thank you for asking."

"It is my job."

"Uh huh. I'll be going."

"Safe travels."

The AI nodded, and began sprinting out, back towards the crash site to meet the junkbots -and heat generators- before heading back up. Totally just for efficiency and absolutely not to get away from the conversation.

*****

To Sapphiria's total lack of surprise, she didn't run into Tramistres at the tunnel exit. The huntmarshal shouldn't even be mobile by her estimates, let alone gallivanting around in the woods. Though, admittedly, she wasn't that proficient with her medical scanners, but the medikits' autonomous diagnostics were usually reliable.

In fact the people guarding the entrance really didn't include anyone whose names she'd learned. There even seemed to be only a couple of real combatants, the rest civilians. That really drove home how bad Astralis' losses had been.

She'd taken care to slow down her speed to a trott (a human one, not a power armor one), and turn off her camouflage, but she still got startled yelps as she emerged from the tunnel.

The civilians scrambled for their weapons, before relaxing as they recognized her, while the handful of soldiers? Militia? Moved instinctively to protect the others before likewise stopping.

"Lady Sapphiria!" Called out one of them, and she winced. At this point she wasn't even sure she should bother asking them to stop calling her that.

"Greetings." She said, looking every bit like they hadn't been about to draw weapons on her. "I came to travel to Astralis and deliver some cargo, as well as reinforcements." She saw hope flicker on their faces, and blossom as the hauler bot rumbled out of the tunnel, a handful of junkbots in tow.

Maneuvering all that past the construction bot laying down the rails had been...interesting, and involved a healthy amount of swearing, but she'd gotten it done. She didn't even want to think how hard it would be to get the snowpiercer components up there.

Not that she saw any other options. Building it down into the caves would get her nowhere, and it was the perfect vehicle for the expedition.

"They are most welcome milady." Said the soldier. "Will you require an escort?"

"No need, I know the way."

"Very well. The mage-magistrate will be delighted to see you."

I hope so.

Sapphiria blinked the unbidden thought away.

"I better not keep her waiting then. Carry on." She nodded towards them, and left, the junkbots in tow, carrying the batteries from the hauler as the bot happily rolled back into the tunnel.

Moving through the forest was a fairly simply matter, and-

Sapphiria was used to the occasional contact, at the edge of sensor range in these woods. They were fleeting, momentary. Not quite ghosts, but close enough.

That one was none of these things. It wasn't very detailed, but it wasn't leaving. In fact, it began following her party.

She wasn't well versed in ground operations, but she had commanded ships and battlegroups. She knew when she was being stalked.

She could ignore it. But logic dictated that something stalking her would eventually attack. If she was unlucky enough, it would wait for a less defended group of squishies. Unacceptable.

As her mom's best friend Airah said: When in doubt, kill everything.

So she did.

The creature came to a halt when she did. And clearly noticed when she pivoted in its direction.

Whatever else it was going to do ceased to matter as she fired a miniature star and turned an entire section of the forest into hell.

To her amazement, the thing did try to dodge.

It didn't help.

Fortunately, with the cold and the recent snow, everything was humid enough that the fire started dying quickly. there weren't really conditions for it to be self sustaining and the immediate thermal flash may provide one hell of a spark but it didn't send in tinder or oxydizer.

She still had her bots stomp down on a few things, and went to check what she'd shot at.

She came upon it, and just stopped.

That...thing was some kind of six limbed...leopard? Except it was far bigger. Also, unless she was seriously mistaken, it had possessed some form of camouflage and sensor baffling.

Of course it was hard to tell, what with it being half disintegrated and the rest being little more than charcoal.

What was more worrying was that at this level of power, the plasma blast should have completely gone through that thing and continued off into the distance.

It hadn't.

She looked at the plasma gun, and then at the plinky little carbines her junkbots held.

She was going to need bigger guns.

TO-DO LIST UPDATED

*****

"You'll be okay, I promise." Said Kalia, as she squeezed the man's hand, and he nodded.

"Thank you, magi." The heavily wounded soldier leaned back in his cot.

"No, thank you soldier." She looked around the makeshift infirmary, at the assembly of wounded people. "That goes for all of you. Without you, we'd all be dead."

"Us and Sapphiria." Said Tramistres, from a corner of the room. "She had her golems drag us out of hell, only to spit it back at the Bane!"

What answered wasn't quite a war cry, but it certainly wasn't a whimper either.

"Indeed." Said the mage-magistrate, realizing that Tramistres had given her a perfect opening to raise morale. "Our friend has given us many things to be thankful for, and will continue to do so. Hold strong people. We'll have you back on your feet in no time."

That was a bit of a stretch, especially for some of them, but they all knew what she meant, and a chorus of nods answered her.

She left shortly after, exchanging a few platitudes with some of the wounded before stepping out.

Immediately after closing the door she leaned against the wall, pressing her head against it.

"It gets easier." Said Gregor, softly, the old skeleton having waited for her outside.

"I know." The mage-magistrate looked up. "It's what horrifies me."

Because it was already easier than when they'd started. That with every death, every lost person, who died or got maimed under her command, because of her orders...

She felt it less, every time.

What would happen to her once she stopped feeling it at all?

She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and pushed herself off of the wall, only to find herself face to face with Malry.

"Oh." The mage-magistrate frowned, as she saw the dark circles under the diviner's eyes. "I thought I ordered you to go to rest."

"A batch of herbs came in from one of the foraging parties. Had to be used fresh." She yawned. "So I did."

"And now?"

"I'm...checking on the wounded?"

"I just did. Your aides are handling it. Go to bed Malry."

"I-"

"Damn it woman, go to bed or I'm siccing Ramina on you."

That penetrated through the diviner's wall of tiredness and sheer bloody minded stubborness.

"You wouldn't."

"Yes. I would. And I know she has...ways to make sure you won't leave your bed until she wants you to. So shoo."

"Fine! Fine, I'm going." The diviner threw her hands up, and did what she no doubtly thought was storming off, but was more slouching off in the general direction of the sleeping quarters. Kalia flicked at glance at one of her bodyguards and nodded towards the other mage.

The soldier got the hint, and nodded, moving off to make sure Malry made it and didn't wander off into a storage room or collapse on the way.

"You know, she reminds me of someone." Said Gregor, as the diviner vanished down a bend, and, Kalia sighed.

"Yes, yes, I know. I just can't be threatened by telling on me to my girlfriend." Gregor gave her a look that was impossible to decipher, and it wasn't just because of his total lack of facial features. "What?"

"Nothing." Said the skeleton.

"Spit it out man."

"It's just that-"

"Mage-magistrate!" They both looked to the side as a young man arrived into the corridor at a trott. "Lady Sapphiria is back! She brought reinforcements, and some heating devices!"

Kalia's shoulders relaxed, and her face went to mildly annoyed to joyful like someone had flicked a switch. Gregor looked at her, and decided to hold his peace.

"That's great news!" She looked at Gregor, and gestured. "Let's go meet her."

"Right behind you."

*****

"Sapphiria!"

The AI looked away from the junkbots, trying to set up the heaters and wishing she'd grabbed some proper utility bots instead, not her halfed assed combat conversion, and smiled as she saw Kalia walking towards her.

"Kalia! I came back as soon as I could."

"I can see that. I've been told you brought gifts too." The mage-magistrate smiled. "It's good to see you."

Sapphiria couldn't help it. She almost melted as the squishie beamed at her.

"It's good to see you too." The mage-magistrate proffered her hand, and the AI took it, finding herself suddenly loath to relinquish it. "First and foremost, I've brought reinforcements."

"That's good to hear. I was about to resume the logging expeditions, and we could use all the help we can get." The mage-magistrate flushed slightly. "Uh...Sapphiria?"

"Yes?" The AI tilted her head, before following the mage-magistrate's gaze down, and realizing that not only she was still holding her hand, but also softly stroking it. "Oh, sorry!" She let go, and filed the flash of disappointment in the mage-magistrate's eyes as a figment of her imagination. "Yes, I'll be putting them under your command."

"That's...very generous. The two golems you gave us are hard at work right now, helping with the tasks the wounded were fulfilling."

The AI nodded. That was part of why she hadn't simply requisitioned them to take over for her junkbots' clumsy attempts are getting things ready.

"Don't mention it. I also got the solution I'd been working out for your heating problem. Wish to have a look?"

"Well, I do love not freezing my ass off." Kalia's smile got wider. "So absolutely!"