Sigma 16 T2 - Chapter 94 - Coordinate Maps (Patreon)

Talia clung to Dapple’s back, the spider’s movements smooth beneath her. Dusky and Hot Pink skittered alongside, their legs tapping softly against the metallic floor. Big Red led the way, his massive form casting shadows ahead of them as they neared the chamber’s edge.

They reached the back wall, Big Red halted. Talia glanced around, puzzled.

It seemed like a dead end until the floor beneath them hissed. They began to slide downward at a diagonal as the entire section transformed into a massive elevator.

“Deep-Nest-Control. Nest-Need-HEM,” Big Red rumbled.

“Thank you for showing me,” Talia said, her voice steady despite the unease creeping up her spine.

Big Red’s eyes met hers briefly before he turned his gaze back to the descent. The elevator continued its slow journey downward, the walls of the shaft sliding past them in a blur of dark stone and metal.

[Notice: User is entering a high-security area. Caution advised.]

Talia nodded subtly at Neo’s message, her grip tightening on Dapple’s exoskeleton. The descent seemed to stretch on forever, and her suit’s temperature gauge indicated it was getting colder. That was the opposite of what was supposed to happen, so there had to be some type of artificial cooling system at play.

Finally, the shaft opened up into a cavernous space. The cavern wasn’t as vast as the city or throne chamber above, but it was still impressive in its own right. The elevator came to a halt with a soft thud as they reached the bottom.

Rows of machines and machinery lined the walls, their surfaces gleaming under dim light. No hanging crystals here. At the center of the cavern stood a large circular area filled with screens and what looked like a control node. Lights flashed rhythmically, casting an eerie glow over the surroundings.

Big Red moved forward, leading them toward the control node.

[Notice: Advanced machinery detected. Potential precursor technology.]

Talia’s heart raced with excitement and apprehension. The control node pulsed with light, its screens displaying complex data streams and symbols she couldn’t decipher.

Big Red stopped in the middle of the control node, his eyes fixed on Talia. “Nest-Control. Need-HEM.” He reached up and tapped a screen with two vertical bars. One was red with a small section of blue at the bottom. The other was grayed out. “Nest-Sleep-Until-HEM. Takers-Come-Nest. Nest-Weak.”

[Notice: User interaction with control node may yield critical information.]

“Can you show us more, Big Red?” Talia asked.

The large spider pressed a button, and the array of circular monitors displayed a single symbol. What had been the console’s seat was actually a button for Big Red to press. They were all within easy reach of the spider’s legs.

It was a keyboard console—made for Tch’Llik’yzz’Lrr.

He began to type with precision and fluidity, each leg raising to tap a button in a rapid sequence.

Talia tugged at Dapple and murmured for her to scoot over so she could get a clearer view of the main view screens that were raised up for Big Red’s comfort. Dapple complied, shifting her position with a graceful movement.

[Notice: Rectifying alien monitor devices to User HUD.]

Talia’s helmet HUD flickered, and the alien screens appeared on the left side as a series of panels. The symbols were gibberish to her, though she recognized a few from the precursor artifact. The display was fuzzy and distorted, making it hard to decipher.

“Neo, can you and Rosetta turn this into something I can understand?” Talia asked, her voice steady despite the challenge.

[Affirmative: Conversion attempt in progress.]

Big Red’s eyes flicked toward her. “Big-Nest-Weaken. Stores-Depleted. New-HEM-Restore,” he said, his tone carrying an edge of urgency.

Talia nodded, understanding the gravity of his words. She needed to make sense of the control node to help them replenish their HEM stores. As she waited for Neo and Rosetta to work their magic, she studied the symbols on the screen, trying to piece together any patterns or meanings.

[Notice: Conversion attempt at 50% completion.]

[Conversion attempt at 75% completion.]

[Conversion attempt complete.]

The screens on Talia’s HUD cleared up, displaying readable data. She exhaled in relief. She wasn’t sure what she’d have done if it wasn’t translatable.

The screens on Talia’s HUD clarified, revealing a wealth of information. Maps dominated the display, their details crisp and clear. The first map showed the local jungle area, with green highlights marking the dense foliage. Pulsing blue lines connected various points, forming a network of pathways.

Her eyes shifted to another map, displaying the entire continent. The jungles were again highlighted in green, but two large scarlet scars marred the landscape to the west. One marked her HEM mining base, the other the site of the research module and the giant worm battle.

A third map showed the planet from orbit. A field fluctuated erratically around it, resembling a planetary magnetic field. Talia’s brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of it.

Then, a fourth map caught her attention. It depicted her drone units and base. Pulsing orange dots indicated their locations, with larger swaths marking her main factory, the Slim Girl, the base sites and the mining locations.

[Notice: Correlation detected between Tch’Llik’yzz’Lrr map and User units using radio signals for communication.]

“It’s not just disrupting them,” Talia said, her voice tense. “It’s also mapping them.”

Her gaze shifted to different colored dots to the southwest. She blinked, her heart skipping a beat. “Are those... Blues?”

Big Red’s mandibles clicked. “Takers-Come-Large-Number. Tch’Llik’yzz’Lrr-Need-HEM.”

Talia let out a tense breath. This was her worst-case scenario.

“Neo, can you show a map with a route between the HEM mining site and the nest?” Talia asked.

A hologram appeared from her wrist, enlarged so the spiders could easily see it. Big Red and the other spiders turned their attention to it.

“We need to carry the HEM from here,” she said, highlighting the desert deposit, “to here.”

Big Red’s eyes followed the line, his mandibles clicking in understanding.

“If we get enough carriers,” Talia continued, “we could transport a lot of HEM.”

Big Red’s mandibles clicked. “Tch’Llik’yzz’Lrr-carry-HEM. Not-Taker-Not-Maker-Help.”

Talia frowned, her mind racing. “Neo, could the spiders carry enough HEM, or should we use the CRD-X9s with trailer attachments?”

[Analysis: Simple frames could be constructed for the spiders to carry HEM like backpacks. Precise analysis requires knowing the number of spiders available for transport.]

Talia turned to Big Red. “How many spiders can help with transport?”

“All-Carry!” Big Red’s response was immediate and firm.

Talia blinked. “All? How many is that?”

Big Red tapped on the control node’s buttons, and a number flashed on the screen: 3284.

“Three... thousand?” Talia’s voice was incredulous.

“HEM-Important-Need-Lots,” Big Red insisted.

“Neo, can we gather enough HEM for that many spiders?” Talia asked.

[Notice: Gathering sufficient HEM for 3284 Tch’Llik’yzz’Lrr is possible but may cause delays and require modifications to current operation plans.]

Talia’s mind churned with the logistics. She turned back to Big Red. “The Takers are coming with weapons—bombs, lasers, guns, cannons. It will be dangerous. The trip is over 100 kilometers, too. That’s far.”

“Not-Problem. Will-Dig!” Big Red’s eyes gleamed with determination.

Talia blinked again, processing his words. “You can dig that far?”

Dapple’s legs tapped excitedly, causing Talia to hold on to the sticky hand-holds. “Dapple-Dig-Fast! Faster-than-Wind!”

Dusky’s eyes gleamed, and she hopped up and down once. “Dusky-Dig-Deep! Deeper-than-River!”

Hot Pink bounced in place, her vibrant exoskeleton catching the light. “Hot Pink-Dig-Big! Bigger-than-Mountain!”

Talia’s eyebrows shot up. She knew the spiders had dug out their nest at the bootstrap base, but she hadn’t realized they were even more capable than that hinted. Maybe she’d underestimated them again.

“Alright,” Talia said, turning to Big Red. “If you dig, I can mine the HEM with my machines for you.”

Big Red’s mandibles clicked in agreement. “Take-little-time-go. Great-worm-path-speed-fast.”

Talia blinked, processing his words. “Neo, what does he mean by ‘great-worm-path’?” She had an idea, but it seemed crazy.

[Theory: Giant jungle worms may leave passable paths underground that the spiders can use.]

Talia shook her head. The spiders were always full of surprises. She looked over at the screens and bit her lip. “Big Red, can you please tell me how the Nest defense’s work? What will the HEM allow you to do to stop the Takers?”

Big Red’s eyes met hers. “Big-wave-block-death-from-black-expanse. Storm-shock-destroy-area-where-Takers-Be. Nest-control-attack!”

Talia blinked again. “Space weapon and… storm weapon? Directable?

[Theory: An anti-orbital wave weapon of some kind. ‘Storm shock’ could refer to a focused thunderstorm or other weather event.]

Talia’s mind raced with possibilities. She needed more details. “Big Red, the takers have my ship. We need to reclaim it without damaging it more if possible. Can the nest help with that?”

Big Red’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Nest-protect-distance-limited. Reclaim-ship-challenge.”

Talia nodded. Well, it was worth a try.

Big Red tapped a few more buttons on the control node, and the map zoomed in on a specific area. Her eyes locked onto the familiar outline of her ship. There were several pulsing lights throughout the vehicle.

[Notice: Some systems on User’s ship may still be operational.]

“Not-Taker-Not-Maker-Ship-here,” Big Red rumbled, his mandibles clicking with certainty.

Talia let out a breath. The Tch’Llik had known where she, and her ship, and all her automated units were at all times, the whole time! If she had asked earlier, she might have gotten answers already.

She tried not to beat herself up for not asking. There was no way she could have known they had such advanced technology… if she’d ventured further into the caves before making friends with them…

She would have found the precursor ruins and then probably got eaten by confused and defensive spiders. She suppressed a shiver.

Dusky’s legs tapped excitedly. “Carry-HEM-Stop-Takers! Talia-Ship-Get!”

Hot Pink bounced in place. “Hot Pink-see-takers! Many-many!”

Talia looked at where Hot Pink was pointing. Sure enough, there was a massive colored spot, pulsing with more and more light.

Big Red’s mandibles clicked again, and the map shifted to reveal a large teal area near her ship. “Taker-come-from-this,” he said, his tone grave.

Talia blinked, her mind racing. “Neo, could that be what I think it is?”

[Analysis: High probability of gate location.]

“Well,” Talia said, her voice steady despite the gravity of the revelation, “now we have a target.”