Fabricated Core

There is no such thing as coincidence. Silver *just happened* to be found in the newly formed Robinswold territory. The mine *just happened* to break into a small hollow deep underground. An earthquake *just happened* to collapse the mine, killing several miners. And something *just happened* to stir deep below the earth.

There is no such thing as coincidence.

- - - - -

A strange being crawled through the rubble of a half-collapsed mine tunnel, sweeping over the stones with a single mechanical eye. This eye, triangular in shape, was set into the being’s “head”, a white point-side-down prism supported by six orange tentacles. Two of these tentacles poked and prodded at the rubble before it.

[Aur] Any luck?
[Worker] Minor. Clearing rubble might be possible with additional help.
[Worker] Tools would also be appreciated.
[Aur] All right, I’ll get Arg to make some more of you.
[Aur] And maybe some drills. Everyone likes drills.
[Aur] Come back and recharge while you wait.

Leaving the stone behind, the worker exited the tunnel into a small cavern, brightly illuminated by the structure at its center. Like the worker, this structure was also a white prism, though one of its triangular faces was embedded into the ground. Unlike the worker, the structure was divided into two halves, one floating a short distance a oven the other. A ball of glowing orange fluid was suspended between the two halves, giving off quite a bit of light and heat.

[Aur] Arg, how’s the fabrication going?
[Arg] We’re not there yet. Have some patience.
[Aur] But I want to seen what’s beyond the tunnel!
[Aur] And think about how bored our worker must be!
[Arg] Aur, workers don’t *get* bored. That’s just you.

Despite the bickering, the only sound in the cavern was a steady hum coming from the structure. After a short while, however, this sound was joined by a loud hiss as another worker emerged from the orange ball. As it got to its tentacles and shook off any clinging orange fluid, it looked at the now smaller orange orb.

[Arg] Workers, try and bring some stone to the crucible.
[Arg] I’m going to need more nanomaterial to make more of you.

Saluting with their tentacles, the two workers headed back into the tunnel to find any stones small enough to carry. When the two returned, they were carrying an oblong stone between the two of them. Lifting it up, they plopped the stone into the orange fluid of the crucible and watched as it slowly melted away.

[Arg] Hmm, looks like we’re getting mostly structural nanomaterial from this stone.
[Arg] I’d like some others, but I’ll take what I can get.
[Arg] Oh well, keep it up. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find something better.

As asked, the workers returned to the tunnel for more rocks. By the time they returned with a new rock, a third worked had emerged from the crucible. It joined its fellows, and with its help, more and more rocks were melted down into nanomaterial. When the number of workers reached five, Arg addresses them.

[Arg] It looks like you can handle the larger rocks now, so I’m going to switch to making drills.
[Arg] Until we get better materials they won’t last long, but at least they’ll be better than your tentacles.
[Worker] We appreciate it.
[Aur] Aren’t you workers the luckiest! I wish I could swing around a drill.
[Arg] You don’t swing drills, Arg. And we don’t have near enough resources to make you a body.
[Aur] Yeah, I know... I get first dibs on a body, okay?
[Arg] Yes, Aur, I know.
[Aur] As long as you know!

As the silent bickering continued, several drills were produced and distributed to the workers. Each worker took a drill and plugged it into one of their tentacles, temporarily fusing with it. A few workers gave their drills test spins.

[Aur] Man, drills are so cool...
[Aur] Go forth, workers! Your drills are the drills that will drill the caverns!
[Arg] Where did you pull that line from?
[Aur] I dunno, but isn’t it cool?

Leaving the leaders to their conversation, the workers returned to the tunnel drills in hand.

- - - - -

As Arg had mentioned, the drills did not last long, and crumbled after only a few uses. But the boost they gave the workers was significant, so much so that Arg made five new workers just to bring the miners new drills and cart away the broken-up stone. With the ten workers working in tandem, they managed to break through the rubble, exposing more of the tunnel.

[Aur] All right! Good job workers!
[Aur] You can all take a break and recharge for now.
[Arg] I thought you wanted to explore the tunnel right away?
[Aur] And while you rest, decide which one of you will scout for me!
[Arg] Ah, there it is.

The workers looked between themselves before one of them, the first, raised a tentacle.

[Worker] I will scout. I also want to see the rest of the tunnel.
[Aur] Great! Rest up then head out!

The first worker, now a scout, took a break and basked in the light of the crucible. Once it had fully recharged, it headed out into the tunnel. A short distance past the rubble it found an overturned mine cart and a human corpse trapped beneath yet more stone.

[Arg] Wait, what’s that? Scout, get closer.
[Scout] Understood.
[Arg] Interesting, interesting...
[Arg] It looks like some sort of biological entity.
[Arg] Quite dead, thankfully. Ahh, I want to examine it!
[Arg] I want to take it apart and see how it works.
[Aur] Here she goes again...
[Arg] Workers! I want six of you to uncover that corpse. The remaining 4, I want you to clear some space for a research bay.
[Aur] Can we really afford something like that.
[Arg] ...No, I’m just going to make a table with arms, but let me keep my enthusiasm.

While five of the workers and the scout got to work freeing the corpse, the rest dug into the wall of the cavern and cleared a small place for a table. Carefully, they took some of the orange fluid from the crucible and held it above the area while Arg shaped into a narrow white table.

[Aur] Hey Fer, Arg found something to science, so can you wake up and take over fabrication?
[Fer] I can do so, though, could you not do so as well?
[Aur] Come on, Fer, I’m obviously in charge of exploration!
[Fer] Of course. Silly me.
[Fer] Do you require assistance with that table, Arg?
[Arg] Please call it a research bay.
[Fer] Do you require assistance with that research bay, Arg?
[Arg] Yes, if you'd help me design these joints...