reject the very things that made them faster, more accurate, hardier. The mental wrangling that addled Sarazen’s circuits would not cease. He tried desperately to define and quantify his thoughts at the new data acquisition but failed at every juncture. Perhaps, if he could relate it all to one of these new 'emotional states' that he had inherited he could explain it in one word...disappointment.
There was a distant noise, a whining, grinding tone. A sudden wind took Sarazen off guard and he stepped back instinctively from the platform edge. The rails began to vibrate and hum and a sudden burst of noise saw the arrival of a transit carriage, an operator clearly on view at its front end. The carriage took some time to slow until after it had ceased, the entrance doors slid open and Kerrig invited Sarazen aboard. Sarazen sat, as he was advised to do, and the doors slammed shut. The carriage lurched into motion and Sarazen struggled to look through the windows but there was no scenery to engage with, just a blur of passing wall.
“ I forgot to mention our power requirements. They are rather different to the method you have encountered in the past.” Kerrig stated, his voice raised over the din of the speeding carriage.
“ Indeed. I am intrigued to understand how it is you maintain functionality.”
“ Quite simple, really. We still require the capture of energy from the light of the Star, although we are working on new methods to obtain alternative power. Our power cells are much more efficient than the ones that we found used by models such as yourself, so that affords us a little more freedom to move around in the dark phase and of course to live down here. We recharge our power cells from stations dotted about the underground network which have connections to the surface. Oh, I hate calling it that. We have a name for this place - we call it The Ward. You will hear others talk of this. I will guide you through the recharge procedure, it is very simple. The positioning of the stations varies of course, The Mother does her best to destroy our power collectors, and it’s a constant struggle. Oh, another thing. The measurement of time may also be of some confusion to you. As we no longer live by the light and dark phase, we maintain constant function. Thus the terminology 'cycle' is rarely used any more. I will explain more in due course. I do not want to expose you to too much in one hit, it may have a negative effect. We must make your indoctrination into our society a pleasant one!” Kerrig smiled as his body rocked back and forth with the lurching of the carriage. Trist remained impassive but attentive to Kerrig's teachings. Sarazen could not help but be fazed by his new surroundings, Kerrig was not wrong. Too much too soon could be deleterious to his smooth functioning. He could already feel that the inner conflicts and confusions were producing unwanted artefacts in his processing. The carriage drew to a halt and Sarazen claimed his first view of the Centrus station. As the doors flew open, Kerrig hurried Sarazen to his feet and ushered him towards the exit. The presence of other sentients on the platform almost came as a surprise to him and as he stepped carefully down to solid ground, the number of bodies that brushed past him to eagerly board the carriage overwhelmed him. Deciding that standing still and allowing the other travelling sentients to move around him was the best plan. He struggled to keep sight of Kerrig and Trist as they wound their way in between the throng.
“ Keep with me Sarazen!” Kerrig called out as the old one received fleeting but curious stares from those that passed him.
“ So many more than I had anticipated,” Sarazen stated as Kerrig was reunited with his errant visitor. The transit carriage once again lurched into motion and with a swirling gust of wind was once again on its way through the narrow passages on to its next destination.
“ Yes, there are many thousands of
There was a distant noise, a whining, grinding tone. A sudden wind took Sarazen off guard and he stepped back instinctively from the platform edge. The rails began to vibrate and hum and a sudden burst of noise saw the arrival of a transit carriage, an operator clearly on view at its front end. The carriage took some time to slow until after it had ceased, the entrance doors slid open and Kerrig invited Sarazen aboard. Sarazen sat, as he was advised to do, and the doors slammed shut. The carriage lurched into motion and Sarazen struggled to look through the windows but there was no scenery to engage with, just a blur of passing wall.
“ I forgot to mention our power requirements. They are rather different to the method you have encountered in the past.” Kerrig stated, his voice raised over the din of the speeding carriage.
“ Indeed. I am intrigued to understand how it is you maintain functionality.”
“ Quite simple, really. We still require the capture of energy from the light of the Star, although we are working on new methods to obtain alternative power. Our power cells are much more efficient than the ones that we found used by models such as yourself, so that affords us a little more freedom to move around in the dark phase and of course to live down here. We recharge our power cells from stations dotted about the underground network which have connections to the surface. Oh, I hate calling it that. We have a name for this place - we call it The Ward. You will hear others talk of this. I will guide you through the recharge procedure, it is very simple. The positioning of the stations varies of course, The Mother does her best to destroy our power collectors, and it’s a constant struggle. Oh, another thing. The measurement of time may also be of some confusion to you. As we no longer live by the light and dark phase, we maintain constant function. Thus the terminology 'cycle' is rarely used any more. I will explain more in due course. I do not want to expose you to too much in one hit, it may have a negative effect. We must make your indoctrination into our society a pleasant one!” Kerrig smiled as his body rocked back and forth with the lurching of the carriage. Trist remained impassive but attentive to Kerrig's teachings. Sarazen could not help but be fazed by his new surroundings, Kerrig was not wrong. Too much too soon could be deleterious to his smooth functioning. He could already feel that the inner conflicts and confusions were producing unwanted artefacts in his processing. The carriage drew to a halt and Sarazen claimed his first view of the Centrus station. As the doors flew open, Kerrig hurried Sarazen to his feet and ushered him towards the exit. The presence of other sentients on the platform almost came as a surprise to him and as he stepped carefully down to solid ground, the number of bodies that brushed past him to eagerly board the carriage overwhelmed him. Deciding that standing still and allowing the other travelling sentients to move around him was the best plan. He struggled to keep sight of Kerrig and Trist as they wound their way in between the throng.
“ Keep with me Sarazen!” Kerrig called out as the old one received fleeting but curious stares from those that passed him.
“ So many more than I had anticipated,” Sarazen stated as Kerrig was reunited with his errant visitor. The transit carriage once again lurched into motion and with a swirling gust of wind was once again on its way through the narrow passages on to its next destination.
“ Yes, there are many thousands of
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