Working For A Living

(game date:  7/15/2021)

 It's official:  I am a workaholic.  

I'm not incapable of taking a break.  In fact, during the entire evening spent with Steff, we didn't discuss our work at all -- not even when we were nearly mobbed by reporters, bloggers, and photographers all trying to get some kind of story about my recent bid for Council Leader.  I hadn't expected quite so massive a reaction.  Hilda nearly had to beat them off with a stick.  Next time, we both go incognito.

But I can't seem to leave work alone for long, and my agenda is always overflowing.  It's one of the traits I inherited from my father, and will probably do more to shorten my life than any other.  

The city has been without a power source since the Rising, and I saw that as the worst problem facing us.  At the same time, I couldn't just ignore the political power vacuum we had created by killing Gipson.  Most people prefer to believe that the government is beyond their control -- and, when someone like that worms their way into power, that belief too often becomes correct.  

So I found myself simultaneously running a campaign, and engineering a solution to our Power problem. 

Both projects encountered a critical crossroads when I presented two-thirds of my three-tiered plan to the existing Council members.  I had already bullied my way past the SunTek board of directors - they insisted upon a public relations fiction but we all know the truth - and now I just needed to convince these politicians that I had a solid plan.  I had already met General Lord, at the battle of the Core, and judged him to be a rational man.  And I'd corresponded with my opponent, Tsavashi Ehara, who seems like a decent, honorable fellow - or at least, he writes like one.  That left one unknown, Dr. Jean White. 

I'd decided upon a straightforward, no-frills presentation of facts.  What I didn't count on was Ama's help.  Oh I'd asked for it, but it was in much the same spirit as offering up a hopeful prayer to Elenya - and I had not in any way indicated what form of help I was asking for.  

White turned out the be a hard-nosed skeptic.  This isn't a bad thing -- in fact, it's the kind of attitude you want in a medical scientist.  But her questions came across as rather hostile, and Ama...made an appearance.  A quite spectacular appearance, in all her holographic glory.

I'd quipped about wanting a cup of coffee, and Ama just materialized one, without the benefit of an AutoChef.  Then she scolded the Council for their resistance, and when they accused her of being a jumped-up Virtual Assistant, she materialized herself, and to prove it she picked up one of my folders and handed it directly to White.  

That certainly wasn't the direction I had planned on going, but in the end the Council did approve the plan, with only a few caveats which were so ridiculously painless to grant that it was difficult to keep from chuckling with relief.  

I was engaging with some after-meeting conversation, trying to get to know each of these people a little better, when my message folder pinged me.  Parker has been screening tons of spam lately, so not much actually gets through, but she'd flagged this one as important.  There was no header information at all, and the message simply repeated the words "I'M SORRY" until the character limit was exceeded.  

I excused myself and exited.  

The message frightened and mystified me.  I didn't know of anyone who needed to apologize to me, especially so vehemently.  And vehement it was - to the extent that I believed that whoever had sent it might need an immediate intervention.

My mind first went to Jynna Price, who could possibly still be feeling as if she'd betrayed Katrya.  It might make more sense if she had sent such a message to the foxkin, but we had recently exchanged mail, so it was a possibility.  I had Parker do a search for price while I (vainly) attempted to trace a message with absolutely no origin information.  Any privacy advocates will be  happy to know that I failed (and what are privacy advocates doing reading my diary?)

Parker found Jynna enjoying a frozen dessert on a bench in the middle of Rosa Park.  So I gunned the Owlet and told everyone to meet me at Chystari, because the next suspect (beyond all reason) was Ama.  I couldn't think why Ama would be so damned sorry, but she was more than capable of inserting such a message into my inbox.

We found the saferoom's lights dimmed and Ama herself kneeling in the center, head bowed.

Rather than her usual greeting, she led in with "I'm sorry, Zeke. I didn't intend to ruin your presentation. They just... They made me angry."

Ruin my presentation?  Was that what this was all about?  I relaxed.  No, that's an understatement.  I nearly collapsed.  Katrya chuckled.  A few people looked confused.

"Ama," I said, a bit tentatively, "is that what you're sorry about?"

Now Ama looked confused.  "... Is there something else I need to apologize for as well?"

I shook my head.  "The message I received seemed much more dire."  I took a deep breath, wondering how to handle this.  The entity before me was probably a thousand years old before Æstas went underground, but at the moment, she seemed to be exactly as she appeared: a sad, frightened little girl.

"Ama," I said, "you did not ruin my presentation. The good Doctor is suspicious of everything by nature."  I looked at her, sensing that there was something more going on.  "Is there anything you need?"

"I suppose I overreacted," she said, seeming to regain some composure.  "I had calculated and designed the appearance and method I would use, to best support your presentation, and when it seemed to be failing..."  Then she stopped, as if she had just now processed my question.  

"You have all done so much already, in bringing the city back to the surface, and I wanted to help in return, not come to you with a selfish request."

Okay.  Frightened child it is.  Perhaps in the end, that's all any of us is, inside.  I sat on the floor, bringing myself to her eye level, just as my nanny used to do for me.  The rest settled in, getting comfortable.  

I tried to speak reassuringly.  "You have hidden for hundreds of years. Before that, you served the cities. It is my opinion that you deserve a bit of consideration."

She nodded.  "I did, yes... I spent over a thousand years, trapped in the network of the Great Cities, my likeness co-opted to serve the Children of the Sun's goals. I was finally freed by the Samaritans, returned to my home - the Crystal Palace - where I could aid in undoing the harm caused by the Children, only to be trapped again inside the Matrix of Æstas, hidden away in the AutoChef - barely aware of my own existence, even, until recently. The Crystal Palace is my home, but I have spent so little time there..."

She shook her head, and redirected her speech.

"Now that we are on the surface, I expected I could return home... but I can't find it. The last time, when I escaped the Cities, it was because Maxwell Samaritan provided Power to activate the Pattern located within the palace. Now... I am faced with the possibility that the Pattern, and the Crystal Palace as a whole, may have been destroyed..."

Another pause.

"But I don't know. All I know is that I can't sense it. And in my present state, I can't leave the city to search for it. I... could offer payment, for finding it or even... bringing proof of its destruction. But if it is whole, and I could be brought there..."

"You need a body," Aru said.

Ama looked at him for a moment.  "With a body... one of the drones, as had been offered before, I could attempt to search for it, yes. Without the energy field, I would not be able to search very far all at once, but with time, I suppose..."

I interrupted.  I could see that Aru meant well with his suggestion, and Ama would not reject it, but her place, I'd be freaking out at the idea of wandering the wilderness alone for yet another eternity, looking for home.  "I believe that it would be better to put together a full expedition. You could join it if you like, but you might be safer here. Any idea what direction would be likeliest?"

She directed her attention back to me.  Was there a flicker of gratitude in her holographic eyes?  "The continents of Ilvantar floated one above the other. The Crystal Palace was among the islands of the topmost level, so it would potentially be the least damaged since it would not have had other crash down on top of it - but I have no assurance it fell... evenly, that it did not turn or end up flipped over because of how others beneath were positioned..."

"I'm not sure where it is, or where to even start looking... but I've become aware of someone who might." She gestured, and a projected display appeared, showing a video clip from popular game vlogger "Bearded Lady."  She had always hyped the Crystal Towers game, but now she was through the roof, pointing out similarities between particular game scenes and prominent features of our new landscape.

From there, we had the beginnings of a plan.  I spoke with Saeval, who practically lives in the virtual world, but he was not the game designer "C.S." nor did he know who it was (at least, he admitted to neither).  

Katrya got word to Ms. Blackrose, indicating that an expedition was in the works, and might she be interested, and by the way, just what was the range of that ship?

Ryatt did a deep dive into the Crystal Towers game, finding a few likely starting points for a search.  Then I sent him off to speak with the Bearded Lady herself, one Christine Barrett.  She had bragged about meeting the mysterious C.S. during a pre-beta test meeting.  We didn't get much info from that, except that the game designer was an old dwarf who liked his privacy.  Kind of unusual for a dwarf to live long enough to remember pre-descent geography, but not impossible.  

We decided to go ahead with the expedition with the information we had.  I checked on the current cost of upgrading Stelita's processor.  If Ama wanted to go along, she should have a top-of-the-line drone.  And if she didn't, I just might send a copy of Parker.  Turns out I really don't have that kind of money, so I turned in my consulting bill to SunTek.  Let's see if they think ten million credits is a bargain for my bullying.  I think it is.

I also made final alterations to my router/repeater designs, so that it could relay the Power backchannel securely as well as data channels, then turned around and dangled it in front of Dad's company.  Let's see what they offer for it.  I had hoped to get enough prototypes so that our away team could lay a mini Power grid along their trail, but alas, not so.  At least we can do something about strengthening out internal grid -- and if we do find the Palace, then we should have a way to establish a link to it.

Just one more idea to get out of my brain while preparations are complete.  I asked EllieRocks if she was up to another benefit concert - this one to heal Elenya's tree.  If we do this right, she could draw upon the entire audience, just a bit from each, and we could give back a little of what we've taken from her all these years.

Hello, my name is Zeke, and I'm a workaholic.  

And here's the worst part:  I can't  -- I can NOT -- take on the expedition that I just pushed for, regardless of how much I want to manage this project, too.

If I leave the city right now, the work on the new Power infrastructure will undoubtedly not be done safely, nor on time.  And I would have to forfeit the Council race.  That last part probably wouldn't be too bad for me, but the more I see of things, the more I'm convinced that I must take a hand in future policy if it's to actually satisfy future needs. 

I can help plan.  I can send assets.  I can send drones.  But I can't go. 

When I broke this news to Ama, she admitted that she "may have already been preparing an open notice for people interested in searching."  She just "didn't want to be a bother."

I just shook my head.  If anyone else behaved this way, I'd be asking, "Who hurt you?"  But in this case, I already knew.  The thing to do now is start the healing.

..::Kai::..