Zharis started moving on to the next area, hoping to get more information as to coordinates as they moved.
The expedition team continues onward toward a new area of the city. Several structures of unknown purpose are here along with various constructs of types seen previously.
Something though . . . something feels . . . off . . . about this place.
Albeit, very slowly, perhaps only several feet per hour, but its enough for the area's layout to shift continually, with alleys becoming avenues and structures switching places. It's very disorienting.
"I don't know about this place...maybe we ought to make our way through here quickly. I have the heebie-jeebies."
Yeah, something seems off. Agreed. Err... let's speed up and see if we can get to someplace less disconcerting to rest up.
To the little speakerbot she says Are we still 6 comma 6?
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"We have a survey drone." Xylian says in monotone. "We can send it in in our stead. Better not to turn our backs on an unexplored are. Do not want anything between us and the ship." With his carbine installed on the armor-mounted arm, Xylian could control the survey drone without stowing his weapon.
Speaker replies to Zharis' question about the coordinates after its usual spinning about. "We are 5 comma 5. The Core is the start. We are neither near nor far."
The feeling that something is wrong about this place persists as you continue walking.
I keep thinking about that cube... And you know what...
...and Tulgram voices all thoughts about this subject
That's it! Wow! They're moving! Buildings are moving. Take a closer look. Look, it's almost imperceptible, but in fact, in a couple of hours this alley will simply disappear. Amazing.
Jin keeps the party on the right course after Tulgram explains that the buildings themselves are shifting around! The little gray cube seems to be made of interesting metal--strong, but lightweight. It'd definitely be worth returning to a research lab at the Deep Culture Institute for further analysis.
Leaving the area of shifting buildings, the expedition continues exploring. As weariness starts to set in, you reach a broad, open-roofed, amphitheatre-like space. Hundreds of speakers just like Sol-653 are pouring in to the amphitheatre from every direction, arranging themselves in perfect synchronicity into a crescent facing inwards. They wait there for a few minutes before departing in perfect synchronicity.
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"Hm. Looks like they are gathering to receive verbal instructions. We should see if they can still be commanded. Speaker, how often do the other speakers gather here?"
Zharis wonders what this society used to be... hoping that the "core" is a place where she can learn more.
Zharis looks around to see if there is a place where they can find safe shelter for the night.
Speaker, are we 4 comma 4 now?
Speaker replies to Xylian's and Zharis questions. "I am Speaker Sol-653. I fall outside the set containing Speakers One to . . ." the little robot continues listing numbers until it gets to two hundred and fifty-six and stops counting. "I have no information on that." It spins in place "We are now four comma four. This is the Assembly."
Although your internal body clocks say it's time to rest for the night, the constant bright light filtering through the bubble-city's shielding remind you that there's no such thing as "day" or "night" within the sun! There doesn't seem to be any shelter per se in this sector, as the sprawling amphitheatre is open to the sky.
"It is not as if it is going to rain here. I say we wait for the speakers to reassemble. We can rest while we wait."
Zharis doesn't look too pleased about sleeping here in the open, but she knows Xylian wants to do something here, so she curls up and tries to sleep until he is done.
Other than the information Xylian came up with, Hani really doesn't have an understanding of what's happening here.
Here so here. We won't be comfortable and safe anywhere in this city.
Jin checks the surroundings:
A little over halfway through your standard rest period, you're awakened by a steadily-louder humming. The speakers have returned! Once again, they begin assembling themselves into a crescent in the amphitheatre.
Xylian stands at the focal point of the apphitheater, waiting for the speakers to assemble. Once they have done so, he approaches one. What would be the easiest way to ascertain if they are gathering for instruction? "Speaker, summarize your activities over the past standard hour," he commands in common. If it does not seem to react, he repeats the order in Akitonian, Ancient Daimalkan, Castrovelian, Daimalkan, Ignan, Kasatha, Osharu, Pahtra, Shirren, Skittermander, Vesk, and Ysoki.
Standing at the focal point of the amphitheatre, Xylian's multilingual instructions are received in silence for about ten minutes. Then, suddenly, in a cacophony of 256 different responses in nearly a dozen languages, each speaker reports simultaneously. It's impossible to make out anything beyond an isolated word here or there over the wash of white noise. Suddenly, in unison, the speakers stop reporting and wheel away in every direction to continue their mysterious tasks.
Zharis goes back to sleep.
Hani watches in stunned silence as Xylian attempts communication. As he walks back, Hani pats him on the back and says "nice try."
He then goes back to sleep.
Tulgram also attentively looks at this scene without getting up. Ah, I remember. They can adapt to any damn language. After that, he turns over and falls asleep. The temple echoes through the amphitheater.
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Jin keeps first watch, waiting for the local lifeforms to strike at them. His doshko is out all the time.
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Zharis wakes up for last watch, after her body gets the rest it needs. Physically she is fine, but that always-on very close sun is getting to her. She is glad she doesn't live here full time.
If the Speakers wake them up again before the sleep period is over, she waits to see if Xylian wants to try again, but if not, she stands up and asks them to please gather siccatite and to deposit it in sector 7 comma 6.
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After a full rest period, everyone feels a little better--camping out in the amphitheatre isn't as comfortable as the Sun Diver's bunks, but there's plenty of room to stretch out!
In the "morning", the Assembly takes place again and this time Zharis instructs the 256 speakers to gather siccatite. They zoom off in their various directions--it's unclear whether they understood or not.
She watches the little bots go out, wondering if they understood. If not, no loss, but if so, it would be a nice surprise.
Addressing the party as they awake, she says
Well, we came to the center and there is no core here, but if the core is at zero comma zero, then we are on the right track according to the coordinates that Speaker has been identifying for us. Straight north.
I guess we'll head there, but if you see anything else you want to take a detour and look at, let everyone know.
Or actually, Speaker, is there anything especially noteworthy that we should see here in this city besides the core?
She isn't totally convinced that he will understand what would be noteworthy to non-bots, but she gives it a go anyway.
"I have no information about that," Speaker Sol-653 replies.
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"I hope they do not attempt to enter the Sun Diver and gather the siccatite we already have stored." Xylian says. Zharis' instructions had been rather sparse considering how literal the ai's here seem to operate. It was unlikely they could get through the ship's hull.
The expedition team continues deeper into the city and soon appear in a sector that appears to have been directly exposed, however briefly, to the full intensity of the sun. Buildings are warped and bent in extreme angles, partially collapsed, and pocked with bubbles, as though the metallic structures flash boiled and then resolidified within moments.
I'm still thinking about another spaceship that was here recently. After all, it came from the other side. Not from the Archipelago, but from somewhere in the depths of the Sun. And the local robots were not happy with him as much as they were with us. Could it be the descendants of the creators of these robots, and these bubbles in general? I would be glad to meet them. Even if it wasn't mutual. This species is required to be studied. Talking about this, Tulgram stops and looks at the mangled buildings. I suggest bypassing this sector. If there are solar radiation breakthroughs here... We may not survive this.
Zharis glances at her Radiation badge with worry, but it seems okay. Still, the place did look pretty melted, and it could happen again. She starts moving faster.
Let's just move faster and get through it quickly... and perhaps to be safe, go around the edge so we can get to a different sector if we need to?
Skirting the edges of the sector, the team keep a safe distance from the melted structures. Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be any heat, radiation, or other harmful effects--at least at this distance.
Hey, you're not the GM!
Xylian sends the drone high up into the air and has a spin a circle to get an idea of what lies in the areas around them. "I wonder if the reclaimers have an end point. What do they do when they find the most efficient bridge, for instance. Depending on how long they have been going, they must have found the 'best' way to build a few things."
Hey Speaker, why aren't there any reclaimers here, cleaning up the melted area?
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"I wonder if there is something worse than the reclaimers lurking close at hand here."
"Perhaps the solar shield is malfunctioning, similar to that city we were. We should leave this area right away." Jin picks up the pace.
The little robot emits an answer to Zharis' question. "Sector 3 comma 3 is being tested. The test has not concluded."
Xylian shares what he sees. "The tower to the southeast may offer us a better view of the surrounding area and help plan our route. Directly north appears to continue the trend of malformed buildings; we may wish to avoid them. Structural integrity may be compromised."
Zharis hesitates, knowing that the core was most likely directly ahead a couple of hexes, but exploring also sounded cool, and if there really was danger, well, it was wiser to stay away from it.
Okay. Southeast it is.
She starts heading that way.
Speaker, can you tell us what is being tested? Environmental resiliency of different substances or something? Survival rates of bots exposed to the sun? I would like to understand.
The all-too-familiar refrain from Speaker Sol-653 is the only reply to Zharis' question: "I have no information about that."
Following Xylian's suggestion, the expedition team changes course and soon reaches a massive conical tower. It seems the exterior or colored or lit in horizontal strips probably corresponding to levels inside. The lower reaches of the tower are mostly dark, but almost the full spectrum of color can be seen as one's eye travels upwards. The highest point is an intense red. It looks like an internal ramp spirals upwards.
"Hm." Xylina grunts and nods towards Hani who carries the enhanced scanner camera. "Only one wavelength of the electromagnetic spectrum penetrates the walls of each level. It may be difficult to distinguish objects that are the same color as their respective floor."
Hani searches as he ascends.
Zharis is getting somewhat frustrated with Speaker. He knows there is an experiment, but doesn't have any information? Honestly. Then how does he know there is an experiment?
She looks at the Tower doubtfully.
Is it safe? Is it just reflecting different colors, or also other wavelengths that can harm us? These bots test everything, remember? Deadly or not.
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"It appears to be only visible spectrum. Allow Hani to go first. He is quite durable."
With Hani taking the lead, the group made their way up the spiraling ramp in the interior of the tower. As you begin ascending, most floors are completely dark. Partway up, you start finding yourselves on levels bathed in different colours. About 3/4 of the way up, you feel waves of intense heat coming from the reddish level above.