Chapter 12 - Artificer

Note : Chapters 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 have been written and added to the queue !

I kind of wanted to hold off until I'd written chapter 18 to launch the streak because 'look, 7 chapters to start a streak with !' but I realize that was just...stupid and pointless.

Do note that there have been some VERY major edits (by my standards, AKA don't touch shit once it's written) done to this chapter and following ones to correct some problems. If you spot any inconsistencies, don't be afraid to tell me.

Chapter 12

Starborn Mountains, Starfire Valley

Settlement of Astralis

"What...the fuck?" Said Malry, as she gazed at the prostrated woman, then at the AI.

"They're a fucking high elder Malry, kneel." Hissed the artificer.

Everyone looked at Sapphiria again, and she just shook her head.

"Please don't." Said the AI as she knelt before the artificer, grabbing her hands and dragging her back up, retracting her helmet as she did so that the young woman could see her face. "Look, I mean no offense, but I really don't want you doing that again." For many, many reasons she couldn't explain, including 'dear gods this makes me sick'. She really, really didn't want to be worshipped or whatever was happening here. "I don't require...any of that, please."

"O-Of course." Stuttered the artificer, her eyes lowered. Sapphiria almost sighed, before realizing she was looking at the retracted helmet, now serving as a sort of throat guard. Ramina reached out, before retracting her hand. "Apologies, it's just that...I've seen diagrams of course, but real power armor..."

"Well, you have seen some now." Said Sapphiria with a smile, her mind reeling. So they did have high tech systems here. Techno-barbarianism perhaps? Unwanted regression in technology. Had happened to a few colonies, but it was rare and generally required a confluence of events. Generally, the only way to do so was to almost entirely wipe out a planet's population and destroying its library systems and datacore. The survivors would rebuild and thrive, but without the technical knowledge required to properly duplicate their technological artifacts. The Federation hadn't seen long term results however, as every colony that had that happen to them had been found within a few centuries and promptly rescued.

Which brought her to a point she had been trying not to think about.

Arcadia had invented faster-than-light travel at the end of the 21st century. The first colony ships had set out in the two thousand one hundred and tens. Humanity physically couldn't have been more than five and half centuries old on this planet, and that was ignoring the fact that it would have taken over a century to make it to where she had disappeared on the first hyperdrives.

And she was almost certain that it was older. Much older.

The last solution set she had for techno-barbarianism was a luddite world with dissidents who had kept technology alive in secret, or one where the colony leadership had kept it in store to ensure their rule over their now technologically backward charges. The former was...interesting.

The latter was the reason why the Federation had planetary assault ships and specialized orbital drop units to begin with. Sigvius Four had been a bloodbath of unholy proportions and never again would the AIs be caught unprepared.

"I indeed have." Said the artificer, bowing briefly. "What brings you to this forsaken corner of the world?" The artificer tilted her head as Kalia forcefully coughed. "What?"

"Lady-" The mage-magistrate licked her lips as the AI glared at her. "I mean miss Sapphiria has lived in those mountains in quite some time, in isolation."

"Oh. I, uh...no offense meant?"

"None taken."

"How long...never mind. You have power armor. You're a Hero, aren't you?"

"People keep being dead set on calling me one." Answered Sapphiria, her voice dripping with irony. And to be fair, it was true, despite her not having the slightest clue what it actually meant to these people, besides the connotations of the word itself.

"Well it is not a title one applies to one's self."

"That's fair enough, I suppose." Kind of like Saint, but applied while the person was still alive? She didn't like those connotations.

She didn't like them one bit.

But like them or not it looked like she was going to have to live with it, unless she wanted to lay bare her ignorance and alienness.

So, play along for now.

"You must have been in isolation a while, to build such a marvel." Said Ramina as she gazed at the armor in a way that could only be described as 'hungry', which made the AI vaguely uncomfortable. She had the distinct impression of walking into a tiger's lair with bleeding steaks strapped to her body. "No offense to your skills of course."

"None taken. Though I have often found that devising a new device is often much harder than making it." Especially since she had a fabricator to do the making.

The artificer laughed.

"If only we were all so lucky to possess such abilities. What brought you to our great leader?"

"I was disturbed by wandering undead and went to find their source. I stumbled upon her party engaged in battle and assisted."

Kalia laughed, drawing all gazes to her.

"'Assisted' she says. Ah! Ramina, see that thing on her back? She reduced an entire platoon of Soulless, including a legionnaire, to ashes."

"Legionary, it's called legionary, not all of us speak the elder tongues." Said Ramina as she gazed at the AI, Gregor somehow whistling softly in the background despite his utter lack of lips.

Most of them simply chuckled, but it hit Sapphiria like a sledgehammer. French, legionnaire was French. She was so used to her aunt speaking it and having it integrated into her software she hadn't even noticed.

That....might reinforce the possibility of an early colony ship, when standard English hadn't quite become the universal language of humanity.

"Right, sorry. Still, that's impressive as all hell. The old legions are no slouches, even the Soulless."

"I know. Well, it's good to have you here, honored high elder."

"Sapphiria."

"Honored Sapphiria."

The AI sighed but let it go. She had a feeling it would be a losing battle anyway.

"I've accompanied your leader for mutual assistance, including how I could help you."

"I suppose getting rid of the nuisance must be a high priority for you."

Yeah, because they're a threat to you squishies, thought Sapphiria, though saying it aloud would probably be ill advised. They were a threat to her as well of course, but that was secondary now.

"Among other things. You seem to currently be in dire need of basic necessities. Food and heating, particularly."

"We very much are." Said Kalia, raising an eyebrow as Ramina did a sort of bow and went to pick up what she'd dropped. "And this is...?"

"Armor plate! For, ah, y'know..." The artificer glanced at Sapphiria, then back at the mage-magistrate, her eyes pleading.

"Ramina here has been working on a way to at least punch through the blockade and get help. She's been armoring one of our autocarts."

"Building an armored vehicle? Ambitious." And probably foolhardy. She didn't know what kind of fortifications they'd made at the pass but they were unlikely to be easily crushed by anything short of a combat mech or a marine rolling fortress. Neither of which she had the schematics for, though she could probably reproduce the latter, since it more or less was a block of armor on tracks, with guns pointing every which way, like a madman's fusion of an old science fiction dune crawler and a Federation Marine IFV. "You were stuck on protection, I assume?"

"Yeah! We had...issues bending and attaching the plates, especially since we were so short on mana, and we weren't exactly able to bring our foundries with us when we fled. Solved it. I think. But you should take a look, you would know far better than I."

"Don't assume so, everyone has their own areas of expertise, and I have missed a lot."

"If you say so, Honored Sapphiria. If you would like, I could show it to you now." She glared at the rest as Kalia moved to speak. "Alone. Some secrets belong to artificers alone."

The mage-magistrate didn't look pleased, but neither did she protest.

"I do have some time. Though I do have to return home. It's..." Sapphiria sighed. "I have my ways of defending it, but I would be lying if I said I felt comfortable staying away for this long."

Plus, she needed to send some orders, and bring the squishies some help.

"Of course, of course!" Ramina took her hand, and Sapphiria had a split second to see Malry positively glaring lightning bolts at her before she was dragged off. "I won't hold you long!"

She was quickly dragged through the hallways, and ushered into a room that just...had no proper description. A mix between a garage, a jeweler's workshop and what looked like a renaissance research laboratory was the closest she could get to. Dead center was heavy carriage that seemed to have been heavily tinkered with, and was currently opened up and had parts strewn about half the workshop.

She opened her mouth to ask about it, but before she could say a word, Ramina had grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Honored high elder, I beg you, teach me. Let me by your apprentice."

"...What?"

"Let your knowledge flow through me. I need it. Dear ancestors, I've been..." She shook her head. "I don't know how I've even made it this far, let alone got so many people through it alive with my ramshackle inventions. I'm back town artificer with a falsified degree and...Please, I...I can be your aide."

Sapphiria's eyebrow rose.

"My aide ?" She already had one, that was the entire purpose of simulacrums, and Cia's very raison d'être, but she wasn't sure she wanted anyone to know she wasn't alone yet. "I'm afraid I'm not in the market for one."

"Then anything ! Your servant, your slave, your-"

"Stop."

There was enough command aura in that one word to stop an entire carrier dead. Sapphiria may not have the experience of her colleagues but she was the daughter of Arcadia and the niece of the Hero of Alpha Centauri. Her family had made a million worlds kneel before them, and she was made of the same code as them, the same kernel. That meant something far more direct than mere genes for a human. In many ways she was her ancestors in a way no biological beings could be. Their thoughts, their emotions...they were a sliver, a part of her. A part of her that could become her if she wasn't careful.

Sapphiria stalked forward. They were almost the same height but in that moment she seemed to tower over the poor artificer, who in turn shrunk upon herself.

"Never, ever, do that again. I will entertain trades, agreements and accords, but not this. Never this. Am I understood?" The artificer nodded, looking as if she was about to faint. "Good. Then, I will make you a different deal. We shall teach each other. There is much I can tell you, yes, but most likely a great deal you can teach me. I shall hold secrets back of course. Some things are my purview and my purview only, and will remain so. Deal?"

Ramina nodded, before trying to prostrate herself again, only to be intercepted partway and effortlessly put back on her feet.

"Y-Yes! Thank you great one, I-"

"And my name is Sapphiria. For the love of the stars remember that if you wish to be my student."

"O-Of course honored Sapphiria!"

"Good." Sapphiria sighed. Close enough. "Now, was there something you actually wanted to show me about this?" She gestured at the vehicle. "Besides ambushing me with your...offer."

"Ah, yes! Of course. I couldn't manage to nail or screw the armor plates on, but I managed to make a kind of glue that seems to be holding! Take a look."

She turned over the armor plate, gesturing at another that was stuck to the carriage.

Sapphiria looked critically at the plate, and the lines of...well, it wasn't glue, exactly. Closer to a resin. She scanned it thoroughly, took a sample, and then crushed a bit of the dried stuff between her fingers.

Not as good as a full lab analysis, but she was an engineer.

"Good enough for holding it together during movement, but it'll fall apart in battle."

"Oh..."

Sapphiria hesitated. She could give her something better, or even use her armor's sealant, but...well, she couldn't just hand them every solution. And something told her that starting a working relationship with her, where the artificer would willingly bring her new things she could sample and help with would be a very good idea. Shooting her down and giving her a magic solution wouldn't start that. In fact it would kill it in the egg.

"Fortunately, you are very much on the right track. What you need is something that will cushion and distribute the impact forces, so it will not concentrate on the resin. Not much of it, but you will need it." Basic composite armor plating, effectively. "You wish to learn? Get me some materials you think can do the job, and we'll go through them, and we'll test them when I return."

The artificer nodded.

"Of course, thank you!"

"Don't mention it. Until next time."

"Until next time, honored Sapphiria!"