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‘Query: Should these new sentient beings be furnished with adequate weaponry systems?’ N-7000 asked, servos whirring.
‘No, we’re not talking warfare here,’ Cid replied. ‘We just want to give them normal, functioning, organic bodies, like mine and my partner's here.’
‘Speak for yourself, Garlond,’ Nero said with an eyebrow raised above his shades. ‘My body is no mere concession to mortality. And these new lifeforms, they will need ways to defend themselves in the manner of all fallible beings, no?’ His head turned slightly towards the Omicron, a smile dancing on his lips.
‘Sure… So long as we’re referring to arms and legs, nails and teeth, that sort of thing. I don’t want to see any people with biotechnological nonsense embedded in their flesh. This isn’t another one of your experimental opportunities, Nero, and it’s not a repeat of what happened with Omega either.’
Nero shrugged despondently.
‘For a society that our mighty friend and supplier likened to the Omicrons,’ Jammingway said, scratching their furry chin, ‘I expected something a bit more advanced, or perhaps more ethereal like the constructions of the Ancients. This place reminds me of some of the other civilizations that N-7000 and I have welcomed in Ultima Thule.’
The group of four walked through the silence of the colossal, empty halls that made up the excavation site inside the Skydeep Cenote. Step by step, each of them examined the grey walls of hewn stones and their intricate patterns, the cracked tiles of the pavement and the disabled, hulking automatons gathering dust by the sides.
‘Primitive models,’ N-7000 said. ‘Resembling structurally and functionally outdated versions of prior Omicron existence.’
Cid knit his brow together. ‘Nero, why are you still wearing shades? It’s already dark enough here as it is.’
‘These are not sunglasses, Garlond. They are the most advanced version of my Data Frames, which allow me to scan the environment at will, as well as retrieve any number of—’
‘Alright, forget I asked.’
As they continued to tread up a grey passageway with an earthen smell, the scenery around them began to change. A splash of electrope covered up the walls. The preserved history of the Yok Huy had been overtaken by the legacy of Alexandria.
‘Now… This is what I like to see,’ Nero said with a dangerous chuckle.
‘Oh, yes, quite advanced,’ Jammingway added. ‘And very purpley. They loved purple, didn’t they?’
N-7000 emitted a beep. ‘This unit posits that colouration of technology was of secondary or tertiary concern to the inhabitants of this civilization.’
‘People with no sense of aesthetics, hmm?’ Jammingway glanced at the black and grey frame of their robotic partner and smirked. ‘I suppose you’d know quite a bit about that.’
‘Alert: Although the comment was not parseable, its nature was identified as disparaging. This unit must remind the intellectually-compromised proprietor of the cafe that all observations are being logged for future reference.’
‘Actually, now that you mention it,’ Cid said, ‘will your cafe be alright with the two of you here? We were planning on asking for a permit to visit it in the near future, maybe do a spot of stargazing while we're at it.’
Jammingway’s eyes lit up. ‘We’ll be sure to ask Sharlayan to expedite your request! And the Last Dregs will be just fine in our absence. We’ve trained our managers to be the very best the end of the Universe has to offer!’
‘Weaponized threats were a part of the tactics utilised,’ N-7000 added. ‘Repeat query: Should these new sentient beings be furnished with adequate weaponry sys-’
‘Give it a rest,’ Jammingway interrupted. ‘You heard our future patron— er, Cid, was it? No means no!’
N-7000’s shoulders clicked despondently.
The purple glow all around them gave way to a golden radiance that enthralled most of the group, as they each boarded floating panels that conveyed them across a chasm. A large pyramid covered in glyphs and criss-crossed with veins of light had loomed over them, and now it drew closer. The scent in the stagnant air was that of resting circuitry, and it made N-7000, Cid and Nero feel at home.
‘Still, our little Warrior of Light is quite the brazen one.’ Nero pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. ‘Assembling a squadron that draws from all the corners of the realm, and all pillars of expertise, to bring the deceased back to life? The extension of the natural lifespans of organic beings is an area with a lot of potential.’
His grin all but added: Sign me up for the next batch!
‘It’s nothing so grandiose,’ Cid replied, waving his hand. ‘What they told me was simple: we’re here to give one last chance to the people who died with their ruler’s promise that they’d live on, and then had their second life terminated for the good of the realm.’
Jammingway grabbed one of their ears and folded it absent-mindedly. ‘Hydaelyn forbade us from creating fully sentient life, and it’s not like we know how to make souls anyhow, but I’m more than happy to serve as an assistant here.’
Cid decided he would not think about the matter of souls as far as their targets were concerned, for such thought experiments were beyond him.
The panels landed near the gate of the pyramid, where a tall, circular seal of Sharlayan conception had been shut off. The four engineers strutted, or in N-7000’s case, floated past the contraption and up to the real passageway to the Ninth. The obscenely-golden gateway remained open and was watched over by Turali and Alexandrian guards.
‘Query: These new lifeforms — They are to be eternal?’
Cid shook his head. ‘As eternal as you and I, my mechanical fellow.’
‘Error: Instructions unclear. This unit, provided proper maintenance and repairs are assured, is afforded a lifespan indistinguishable from eternity. Our matter-creation processes are capable of reproducing such conditions for other mechanical or digital species.’
‘Er, right… But we want them to have bodies resembling the ones they used to have. Work with the memories stored in the shut-down terminals of the place, keep things close to how they were. We don’t want Endless or whatever they were called, we want people who can eat, breathe, taste and age.’ Cid cleared his throat. ‘Also, make sure to check with each person as to whether they want to have another life in the first place.’
Jammingway nodded. ‘Like what we've been doing at the Last Dregs, N-7000.’
‘My understanding,’ Nero said,’ was that the civilizations revived in Ultima Thule were ones that perished due to the song of oblivion influencing their fates. This is not the same situation, so what’s stopping us from expanding the scope of the programme?’
‘Observation: this unit has agreed to the proposal based on the memories of the deceased being stored and available for perusal. Once they are deposited onto the biological lifeforms, they will be erased per the agreement. Eternal repairs will not be possible once the lifeforms reach the end of their typical lifespan, unless they elect to transition to circuit-based existence alongside the Omicrons.’
‘We’ll see about that when we get there,’ Cid answered. ‘For now, it’s just an ordinary second life. Well, as ordinary as a second life could be. An exception owing to the fact that the Calamity that struck their star was as natural as the song of oblivion itself. Something set into motion by the Ascians— pardon, the Ancients.’
‘And that’s assuming those electrope terminals were indeed capable of memory preservation while shut down,’ Nero added with an eyebrow wiggle. ‘I thought the entire point was that they would be deleted to undermine the ruler of this kingdom.’
‘Have faith!’ Jammingway slapped Nero’s leg with the practiced ease of someone accustomed to dealing with pessimists. ‘We may not be surrounded by Dynamis over here, but there’s still some of it left everywhere. Miracles happen every day, haven’t you heard?’
The group was now mere steps from entering the portal to Living Memory. The light was overwhelming and smelled faintly of red roses.
‘So, three cheers to the new initiative,’ they continued. ‘Let’s give it our best shot and bring back the Unlost for one last go at life!’
And then, the four of them crossed the golden threshold.