Planet Ignis | Ch. 13 (Patreon)

... resonating deep within the heart, leaving an indelible mark on the spirit of the game.

The Midas triplets hold a special place in the collective memory of Ignians. Their tale evokes wonder and admiration, for they brought prosperity and abundance to their Settlement. Merilyn, the Transmuter, and Marion, the Alchemist, bestowed upon their people the precious gifts of resources and riches. Through their selfless act of terminating in the Midas Mines, they paved the way for progress and growth, transforming their Settlement into a thriving hub of activity.

Their longevity chess Cards inspire strategic maneuvers that capitalize on the abundant opportunities...

In “The History of longevity chess” by Eli, the Flarewalker

Eli glanced enviously at his master’s beard. He had been trying to grow one like his master’s but with little success. chess was another area where Eli struggled, with a current score of 34324-0. He wasn’t keeping count, but Trother made sure to remind him of the score daily.

As was their custom, Eli shuffled the cards while Trother reset the chessboard. Dealing one card from each deck, Eli ironically drew Trother, the Wise. The card read: “You can exchange your knights or rooks for two additional lit bishops.” It was an honor to have a card named after his master, who had trained many talented lits and yellows for the tribe.

Trother received Howner, the Dwarf king. The card stated: “All burst moves cost one less longevity stone.” Eli felt a shiver of defeat. Howner was a powerful card, and it seemed he was destined to lose once again.

“So... you and Zawa.” Trother ran his fingers through his beard, giggling childishly.

“Come on, Master, get off my case.” The most annoying thing about Trother’s taunts was that they rang true and brought up a mix of anger, joy, and annoyance in Eli’s heart. It was a feeling similar to half-satiated hunger but more confusing.

“She’s a nice girl. I was chatting with Faranee about her the other day. I think she likes you.” Eli felt the blood rush to his head and his ears ringing with song and chaos.

“R-really?”

“Oh yes. I’ve also seen the way she looks at you. Hehehe. Youth. Such a beautiful thing. Do you know what you should do, Eli? You should...”

“Master, what is the Raptor?” Eli asked in an attempt to shift the focus of the conversation off the uncomfortable topic. Besides, the tribe was in crisis. It was no time to talk about his feelings for Zawa. Eli extensively used the power of misdirection and distraction to divert his mind off his hunger and also to rein in his master’s antics.

“The Raptor is one of the Last Seven, the only military drone aboard the Phoenix,” Trother replied with a more serious tone.

“The Raptor is an AI?” Eli exclaimed.

“Yes and no. Let me tell you the tale of the Raptor, son,” Trother said, looking at the chessboard. “Checkmate. Eli, this time you reset the board.”

Trother went through the deck of cards and selected the Raptor. He also took Dr. Hitori’s card and handed it to Eli. Trother always used examples from the past to teach Eli, incorporating the cards of the main characters into their chess games. The Raptor card was the worst in the game, designed to put the player at a disadvantage. It read: “Raptor, the Thief. Lose half your pieces. One of the pieces must be the AI.” Trother often purposely drew this card to give Eli a fighting chance. Trother left a couple of pawns on his side of the board and removed the rest, including the AI piece and one of the knights. He preferred leaving a couple of pawns to give Eli more strategic options.

On the other hand, Eli possessed Dr. Hitori, possibly the best card in longevity chess. “Dr. Hitori, the savior. You can exchange a pawn for four longevity stones or four longevity stones for a pawn.” Eli sighed, knowing the advantage wouldn’t make a difference against the old monster.

“34325-0, right?” mocked Trother, his tone cheeky. “You shouldn’t keep count of your losses like that, Eli. No one likes a sore loser.” Eli didn’t even register the jab. Having spent a decade in hunger, he had learned self-control. Trother continued, “Now... let me tell you the tale of the Raptor.” Eli smirked. It was typical of Trother, a born entertainer and the best storyteller in the Burrows. Eli knew it was one of the qualities that made him an excellent teacher.

“When the Flare occurred, most of the Phoenix’s systems were compromised. Commander Byrd’s ingenuity allowed them to manually maneuver the ship to the planet’s dark side, beyond the Flare’s reach. Flying without computer assistance was an incredible feat! In the relative safety of the planet’s shade, the thirty-three crew members faced a harsh struggle for survival and a battle against starvation.

Life support and cryogenic capsules were damaged, and supplies were running out. The crew began to lose hope. But in those dark days, Dr. Hitori emerged as a beacon of light. He argued that even if they were destined to die, they owed it to humanity to make use of the time they had left. They had a duty to study the alien planet and leave their discoveries for future generations. And so they did. Repurposing a probe for spatial exploration, they turned it into several satellites and deployed them.”

“But how did they protect the satellites from the flare?” Eli asked.

“They programmed them to remain on the planet’s dark side,” Trother replied. Eli had always appreciated that Trother never showed any annoyance when interrupted. He had often told him that being interrupted by a student was a great compliment to a teacher. It was a sign of eagerness to learn.

“I see.”

“The satellites began scanning the Earth, and the readings puzzled the scientists. They decided to send four of the Last Seven probes on an exploratory mission to the planet’s surface. Soon, the probes sent back incredible reports through the satellite network. They had discovered something extraordinary...”

“Celeria,” Eli whispered.

“Yes, and ignium as well. It offered a way out of certain death. Inspired by celeria and other Earth creatures, Dr. Hitori developed a mutagen that allowed humans to digest ignium at the cost of lifespan. The crew members were thrilled at the prospect of surviving, even if only for a few more years. All except one.”

“The Raptor,” Eli said.

“The Raptor,” Trother echoed. “Among the crew was a brilliant AI programmer named Schneider. He came up with his own survival plan. He believed that by scanning his brain atom by atom and uploading his mind to an AI, he could save himself from certain death. He believed that a short life as a mutated human on a barren planet paled compared to the prospect of eternity as a computer. However, the data required to store a human mind in a computer was massive. Schneider concluded that he would need all the computers of the Last Seven combined to store his entire mind, even if it meant abandoning his crew members, who relied on these probes to establish the settlement, to die.

Luckily, Dr. Hitori accidentally stumbled upon Schneider’s plans and informed the rest of the crew. When Schneider realized his selfish intentions had been discovered and his crewmates were preparing to apprehend him, he locked himself in the docking bay of the Raptor drone and launched it into space. Out of reach from his colleagues, he uploaded as much of his mind as he could onto the drone. Can you imagine what it must feel like, son, to amputate more than ninety percent of your mind? That’s what Schneider did.

His childhood memories, his compassion, his empathy, his humanity... all gone. After the upload, all that remained of Schneider’s mind was an aberration of his cunning, an intense drive for survival, and an awareness of the void where the rest of his mind should have been.

When Schneider ejected the Raptor’s Module, Dr. Hitori knew time was running out for the upload process. He also recognized the potential danger of Schneider’s actions. If Schneider went berserk, the Phoenix had no defense against the Raptor’s weaponry.

Hitori urged his crew to initiate the Settling project they had been working on. They all took the mutagen, and the probes were reprogrammed and deployed according to their plan, scattering across the planet. The crew descended to the planet on the Phoenix’s Plumes, the lifeboats, splitting into four groups that headed to the locations scouted by the probes on Ignis. Dr. Hitori believed that splitting up would increase their chances of survival.”

“Why didn’t Dr. Hitori join them?” Eli asked.

“Dr. Hitori was a talented programmer himself. He was the only one capable of opposing Schneider. Although he wasn’t confident he could prevent Schneider from uploading his mind into the Raptor, he felt he had to find a way to keep him off the satellite grid, making it difficult for the Raptor to locate the Settlements. Dr. Hitori stayed behind with the last probe, battling Schneider.”

“What happened next? How is it possible that Dr. Hitori is still alive? It’s been centuries!”

“I don’t know, son. Dr. Hitori instructed the Settlers not to contact the ship. If he failed, attempts at communication could reveal their position. He had limited supplies, and we never heard from him again... our ancestors presumed he had starved or suffocated aboard the Phoenix. Until today.”

“What about the Raptor? What happened to it?”

“My theory is that it still follows Schneider’s original plan. It feels incomplete, driven by a desire to expand its mind and consume other AIs. Although the deleted memories cannot be rebuilt, it craves more space to operate more efficiently. But that’s just speculation.”

Eli pondered the implications. Trother smiled. “You know, Eli, you and the Raptor have something in common.”

“What is it, master?” Eli moved a chess piece. “Check.”

“It’s simple: eternal hunger. However, you’ve done a much better job of keeping it under control. I’m proud of you, son.”

Trother and Eli continued discussing the Raptor problem, Hitori’s message, and the best course of action. Eli didn’t win a single game that night.

Ch. 14