ASCENDANCY -- The Den -- Day 1

  Later that evening, while the others sat around the hearth talking about the day's events, I still sat at the table with ARi.

  "I think we're gonna have to figure some stuff out pretty fast here, ARi. I have real concerns. What do we need to do to get ourselves access to metal? And what are our real options here?"

  "Everything about this world's composition says there should be ferrous materials here. Rocky planets require iron in their formation. It should be in the core, in the crust. But I can't detect any deposits at all. Either they're buried impossibly deep, or something else is going on."

  I felt a lump in my throat. "ARi, there's something I've been thinking about as far as how all of this stuff works. If this is a contested world, is it possible that the surface was already harvested? I mean, you can absorb materials. That technology obviously exists."

  ARi looked back at me in horror. "Gavin, this is only a theory, but I think I'm starting to understand why the race that attacked Earth did it the way they did. They could simply knock out our technology, make us virtually helpless, and they could fly in orbit, absorbing everything."

  "Think about it. The buildings, the roads, the cars, the technology. Everything can be absorbed. With the right tech, and without the limitations we're stuck behind, they could scrape the surface of our world clean."

  "Do you think that's happened here already?"

  "I don't know, Gavin. It's only a hunch. But maybe this world is contested. That's why the Ascendancy is happening here. Perhaps two Class Two civilizations were fighting over it. Maybe the Class One civilizations stepped in. Forced them to resolve the dispute through the Ascendancy."

  "It would explain," ARi said quietly, "why there are no signs of iron anywhere near the surface. It wouldn't take long for a planet's natural ecology to overrun anything that might've been left. Even on Earth, there were studies that suggested it wouldn't take more than a couple of hundred years. Major infrastructure might last longer, but not much."

  "And we've already seen these civilizations have a different concept of time. We can tell that from the dilation effects we experienced between our initial contact and Earth."

  I could see ARi was shaken. I reached out and gently put my hand on hers across the table. This all had to be overwhelming for her.

  "Gavin, if that's the case, this is cruel. Something has to be done. Someone has to stop this."

  "ARi, let's start by surviving. No iron is a big deal. We can't make artificial magnets without ferrous metals. Electric motors will be much harder to build. Most machinery that uses iron or steel is off the table. This limits what technology we can research and manufacture here."

  Tanya came and sat next to ARi and put her arm around her in comfort.

  "We might not be able to make magnets, Gavin," Tanya said. "But physics and chemistry still work. If the bunker idea needs power and electricity isn't available, I have other ideas."

  "I think we should consider placing the first Control-Node beneath the den. We excavate under us and put the first tower fifty yards below our feet. If we do this several times, we might get deep enough to tap geothermal energy."

  "Tanya, that's a good idea and a long-term solution, but a lot depends on what's below our feet," ARi said, and she projected a screen on the wall.

  The others moved from the hearth and joined us at the table.

  "If we were in a stable geological region, to get enough pressure to convert water into usable steam, we'd need about ninety-two nodes. That's a massive undertaking."

  "If we were in a more active region, it might be about forty. In a straight volcanic region, which I don't think our topography suggests, it could be as low as twenty-six."

  "So although this den's a good starting point resource-wise, I don't know if the geothermal idea will work the way you want it to. But there might be another path."

  ARi waved her hand and the projection shifted. "I leveled up and I haven't assigned my attribute points. We haven't set research objectives yet either. We've been using on-demand research, which is fine for quick needs, but we have options. I should also pick up another Control-Node, and there are research options for mining constructs in the utility category. They're expensive, though."

  "How expensive?" Tim asked, settling into a seat at the table.

  "Expensive enough to hurt," ARi said. She pulled up another window. "Mining constructs work differently. The Miner and the Collection Unit are separate. The Miner absorbs material in front of it. The Collection Unit receives that material and outputs it. You need both."

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  I stood up and walked around the table to get a better look at what she was showing us. The research trees branched out in front of me, tier by tier.

  "So the miner breaks down stone and soil," I said, tracing the diagram with my finger. "Phase-Field technology?"

  "Exactly," ARi said. "Nothing gets converted. Whatever comes out is raw material, exactly as extracted. The Collection Unit gathers it and dumps it in a designated area."

  "What are we looking at for research costs?"

  ARi highlighted two sections. "The Phase Miner is 92 ER and two days. The Basic Collection Unit is 85 ER and a day and a half."

  "That's a lot," Kyle said, leaning forward from where he'd joined us.

  "It gets better," ARi said, not sounding like she thought it was better at all. "Tier 1 dumps raw chunks. If we want the collector to output organized material, like bricks or ingots instead of gravel, we need a Tier 2 upgrade for the collector. Tier 3 would let us separate and reproduce materials into pure forms. Mineral powders, refined ingots, all sorted by composition."

  "Let me guess," I said. "Tier 3 costs a fortune."

  "More energy than I have right now," ARi confirmed.

  Yumi had been studying the projection quietly. "ARi, do these mining constructs have hardpoints?"

  "Yes. The Tier 1 mining construct has two hard points."

  "What upgrades are available?"

  ARi expanded another section of the projection, and I felt my nerd brain kick into overdrive. Three options appeared.

  "Proximity Sensor Array," I read aloud. "Scans surrounding terrain, transmits data on local resources." I looked at ARi. "That's huge. We'd know what we're digging into before we hit it."

  "Exactly," ARi said. "We could hit underground aquifers or gas pockets. Knowing what's below us is critical."

  "What's the second option?" Tanya asked.

  "Structural Reinforcement Projector," ARi said. "Uses mined material to stabilize tunnels. Coats walls and ceilings with a mineral layer. Reduces cave-in risk."

  "That's not optional if we're dealing with pressurized water and steam," Tanya said firmly.

  "Third option's an Excavation Blade Assembly," I said, reading the description. "It focuses the phase field for cleaner cuts and better efficiency in dense geology."

  I stepped back and looked at the whole setup. The costs, the timelines, the dependencies. It was a hell of a tech tree, and we were starting from nothing.

  "These are entry-level research trees," I said, "but you can see where they lead. Every unlock opens more options."

  "Exactly," ARi said quietly.

  Tim had been silent, studying the projections. "I know I’m the computer guy and this isn't my area, but splitting focus makes sense. Get what we need to start, set limits. Research costs are what they are. It's the construction of defensive walls and fortifications that'll cost more without these things."

  He pointed at the Miner and Collector research. "My suggestion? Research the Tier 1 Miner, the Tier 1 Collector, and the Sensor Array. Get one Miner running and start mapping what's below us. At least we'll know what we're working with."

  ARi checked the numbers. "If I run all three sequentially, it'll take about five and a half days."

  "Do it," I said. "We'll send the utility constructs out to gather whatever we can locally. Bishop can scout for them. The rest of us will get some rest. ARi, you need to test how autonomous the constructs can be. This is a good chance to see how they perform without you directly controlling them."

  Nobody argued about getting some sleep. We made our way to the cots, and I smiled as Yumi's little water drake curled next to her. Tim volunteered for first watch.

  I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but my mind kept running through the research trees, the timeline, and everything we needed to do. Eventually, exhaustion won.

  When I woke later, something felt off. I could hear Yumi lightly snoring and Tim and Tanya talking in low voices near the hearth. But ARi's cot next to mine looked wrong. The shape under the blanket was too perfect, too still.

  I sat up quietly and looked closer. A projection. She was trying to hide her absence with an illusion.

  I slipped out of the cot and got dressed, moving carefully so I wouldn't wake the others. I nodded to Tim as I passed the hearth, and he gave me a questioning look. I pointed toward the entrance.

  The cool night air hit me as I stepped outside. I climbed the rock formation and found her sitting at the edge, legs dangling over the side, staring out at the dark tree line.

  I sat down next to her and put my arm around her shoulders.

  "How long have you been out here?" I asked.

  "I don't know," she said softly.

  She'd been crying. I could see the tracks on her cheeks even in the dim light.

  "You probably shouldn't come out here alone without telling us."

  "I'm fine," she said, pulling away. "I'm not some fragile little princess."

  "I know that, ARi. Can I tell you something? This whole thing's completely overwhelming. I've had a hard time even trying to sleep. Honestly, all of this scares the hell out of me."

  ARi wiped a tear and leaned back into my shoulder. "That projection in your cot won't fool them for long."

  "You know, Gavin," she said quietly, "out of everybody, you're the only one who's treated me like a real person. Even before I had this body."

  "That's because you are a person. We haven't known each other long, but you're becoming the most important person to me, and not because of the Ascendancy. The biggest miracle here isn't the fact that we're on another world. It isn't all of this alien tech that looks like magic, ARi. The biggest miracle here is you."

  ARi leaned up and kissed me on the lips and pulled back. She smiled, her cheeks flushed, before she hopped down and ran back toward the den.

  I sat there, stunned and smiling, my fingers touching my lips.

  ARi's projection snapped to life beside me.

  "Gavin, get back inside. We've got trouble."

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