Conversation · Soona, the Programmer

"It's been a long winter... Long and cold."

A loud sigh comes through the headphones. "Be advised, officer. The signal is liable to fail any moment now..."

"... Firewalker? Are you there?"

"I'm not joking, officer. I'll only be able to hold the signal open for a few more moments. What you came here to ask, ask it now..."

"Is everything alright?"

There is so much you wish you could ask, but you probably only have time for one or two questions before the signal is lost...

You allow the broken hunk of metal to clatter to the ground. It wasn't clear to you it did anything anyway...

"Nein, Liebling!"

"What are you doing? The connection is even worse now! This is extremely unprofessional."

"It's not my fault the statue broke."

"But it is, because you broke it."

She's right. This was your responsibility...

"Damn it! I'm going to push the power supply. I doubt it will last more than a few minutes, so you'd better make them count."

A maelstrom of sound, swirling and swirling around an invisible point. It's mounting, mounting...

"... nicht mehr derselbe ist, seit er auf einem Luftschiff aus Graad zurückgekommen ist..."

"... Firewalker? Please respond..."

It's too much! Your ear drums are throbbing, about to burst!

"... a long winter... Long and cold..."

... and then, nothing.

"Try it now."

"Coalition Warship Archer. This is RCM Officer Firewalker. Please acknowledge."

...

"This is... Warship Archer. We are acknowledging and accepting you... though we're still getting quite a bit of interference..."

"This is the best we can do. I suggest you get to your business quickly. I doubt I'll be able to maintain even this connection very long."

"That piece of junk didn't even work!"

"That is because you broke it. Things stop working when you break them. Or did you not know that?"

"I'm sorry! I was trying to do good."

"But you didn't, you made things worse."

You allow the broken hunk of metal to clatter to the ground. It wasn't clear to you it did anything anyway...

Look down.

A few of the idle lorry drivers and strike breakers gesture at you with their cigarettes, more out of curiosity than anything else. From the window of one of the adjacent apartment buildings, an older woman leans out, her heavy breasts sagging...

She yells a single word you can't make out, and then shuts the window with a violent thunk.

Down below a little doll-sized lieutenant is looking up, shielding his eyes. He's worried for you.

Look up.

A clear sky. The kind of day where anything might happen...

Across the river, you can see Coalition Warship Archer tracing its gradual circuit above Revachol East.

The sky is gray and overcast. Somehow, the raindrops seem to fall more slowly from this angle...

Through the scrim, you can just make out the shadow of Coalition Warship Archer a few kilometres to the east.

A clear night sky. The stars make for a brilliant display...

Across the river, you can see the lights of Coalition Warship Archer floating above Revachol East.

The sky is opaque with dark clouds. Somehow, the raindrops seem to fall more slowly from this angle...

You turn to the east, but the visibility is quite poor. You see no sign of Coalition Warship Archer, though you know it can't be too far away.

Look at the rider.

You are face to face with Filippe III. The bronze king looks toward the west. Something about his features seems bizarrely distorted.

Not intentionally. It’s a matter of perspective. The king was never meant to be seen from such an angle as you’ve attained.

His imperious gaze leads you naturally to his outstretched hand, which for some reason strikes you as sadly empty...

He seems ill-equipped for wherever he’s going. A king should not go about unarmed.

You can't help but feel that sabre you picked up might just give this old king a little more panache and better reception!

Come on! Kings and sabres are so played out. There's a better way...

Wait, what's this "better way"?

Why not arm the good king's valiant steed instead? There seems to be just enough room between its teeth there...

That's a little too out there. [Put the sabre in the king's hand.]

To your surprise, the sabre's hilt fits quite snugly in the statue's hand. The king cuts quite the triumphal figure now.

"There is no way that is going to make any difference..."

"It's making a very slight difference. The signal is a bit clearer than it was."

"Huh. The signal is coming through a bit clearer now. Good work."

Keep it to yourself.

The king won't know what he's missing. He stares straight ahead, his expression defiant and verdigris.

"Everything in order, detective? You're really giving Filippe III a stare."

"Are you alright, officer?"