Sgt. Chili

Hey, I didn’t expect to run into anyone else down here!

Oh... hello.

I thought this place would be empty.

So did I. I mean, I didn’t expect to find anyone. Or be found by anyone. Or—uh, to be discovered.

And yet that appears to be what’s happening. You’ve discovered me.

Are you okay?

Absolutely. Completely fine.

(snapping back into himself, suddenly radiant with performer’s energy, offering a hand) Sergeant Chili Salt G-Pie. [Chili].

Most people probably—well, you may know me—I had a concert series called Amplitudes of Conscience. Eleven days across the inner planets—

You're the [rockstar].

I prefer [musician and activist]. But yes. That is—yes. (throws the horns) How did you know?

Saw your [face] on a protest banner back at the settlement. Marvin uses it to [patch a hole] in the roof.

(processing this) ...Was it at least displayed prominently?

Sort of. Every time rain hit it, we all ended up looking straight at your name.

Anyway—how have you stayed alive down here?

(vaguely) Some things... can be [eaten]. I make a point [not to] investigate too closely before I do.

Right.

But never mind that. Can you feel it?

Feel what?

That. The [frequency]. The source is beneath us —I think on the next level down. The walls are practically singing.

Beep—beep—beepbeepbeepbeepbeep... No?

I hear a kind of humming. What is it?

A humming sound. Fine. What you're hearing is a [Worm Pearl]. That thing is very old, older even than civilization itself. They were found in the ruin cores at the deepest part of {world}.

My theory is that these ruins were once transmitters that used worm pearls to focus planetary energy... like a note stretched so long it eventually became architecture.

Okay. And what does it do?

It amplifies. Frequencies. Signals. Any signal. One Pearl can boost a transmission [tenfold]. Two in resonance—one hundredfold.

With three, you could broadcast to an entire galaxy.

So it's... a signal [amplifier].

It is the signal amplifier.

If you bring [worm pearls]—and any other pearls you find—to me, I will... well... money is not currently an option. I can reward you with [skill points] instead.

Turn them in to me, and you can use those to improve your abilities.

And you’re saying there’s one right under us?

Directly below us. About nine meters down. I’ve mapped the acoustics. It’s close.

Then why not go get it yourself?

Are you joking? There are [monsters] down there!

We can handle monsters. Look at my [weapon]. I could give you one.

You carry one with you?

You don't?

I brought a manifesto. A field journal.

And three pens, a tuning fork, and half a protein bar with all the chocolate licked off...

Right. Got it. I’ll handle the [fighting], then. I’ll take care of it. Have you ever actually been on an expedition before?

I've [funded] several.

Would you look at that. It’s even cooler than I imagined.

I’m doing great, thanks for asking.

That Worm Pearl... can you [donate] it to me now? I can give you [Skill Points].

You are my [hero]. Truly. I can’t thank you enough for bringing this to me.

These retro [shades] are for you — no one can tell you're napping with them on.

[Clyde Corp] has no idea these Worm Pearls even exist. And even if they did, they wouldn’t understand what they had.

They strip-mined {world} for [uranium] and completely overlooked the one thing here that could actually [change the galaxy].

How many [Worm Pearls] do you need?

(the briefest deflation) ...Several. Each one's [unique]. Different frequencies. Different amplitude curves.

They have to be harmonically compatible or the resonance collapses and then — well. Noise.

Very sharp noise. Possibly [explosions]. I’m still working that part out. Good music resonates. Great music usually explodes a little before it gets there.

(scribbling in a journal) We'll need an exhibition hall — no, a [museum]. A proper one for the Worm Pearls.

I’ve been developing the concept in my head for ages, but now I can finally see it clearly.

If I upload it to the [Mainframe], will you help me build it?

Sure. How hard can it be?

How did you [build] this?

One piece at a time, laying down [materials]...

(touching the wall, reverently) I want to [learn something]. Not — not this. I know I can't do this. But something. I want to add a [shack]. Four walls. A roof that doesn't immediately collapse on me.

Sure. Start small. What [materials] do you have?

I need materials? Don't I just [print] one out of a plan?

You need me to [gather materials]? What do you need?

Okay. Okay. (the handwriting is hopeful and illegible) Some planks. Some sheet metal — it's a rough estimation.

Also a hinge I found near the Starport that may or may not be decorative. I'll do my best. I [promise] I'll do my best.

(looking at the lopsided shack in the museum) It's... at least [standing].

It is [standing]. Thank you for noticing.

The [lean] gives it [character].

(quietly pleased, then immediately suspicious of the pleasure) You don't have to be kind. I know what it [looks like].

It looks like a first attempt. [First] attempts are supposed to [lean].

(softer) I'll [reinforce] the west wall tomorrow.

So you're going to start preparing the broadcast?

Preparing, yes. As for [starting]... not even close.

One [Worm Pearl] can only prove my commitment. I still need other exhibits.

Other exhibits?

Yes. Context. The [Worm Pearl] will resonate inside the ecology exhibit where it was found. Not just a result, but layers and experience.

What do you want?

Start with the most [ordinary] forest creatures. Not because they don't matter. [Quite the opposite].

I want people to walk in and first see: there is [life] here. This place deserves to be heard. The more [breathtaking] part... can come later.

Ordinary... that sounds [not] very dangerous. You still need me to catch them?

[Conceptually] I'm all for it... but in practice, the last time I got close to something that [flies], it landed on my face and I nearly threw up.

As for fish... I have no objection to [high protein]. I'm just really not good at catching them.

You're pretty upfront about it.

[Honesty] is my main virtue.

...Oh. Oh my. It actually came together.

The butterflies and fish aren't props — they're [real]. This world is real too... a [gentle] enough entrance that the Worm Pearl doesn't steal all the attention right away.

So that's it? It's done?

It counts. Absolutely counts. It's the first exhibition hall. One with a [secret]. But it's enough. The {world} Forest Hall can open now.

Let it be a [quiet] place first. Quiet enough for the signal to grow.

And I have something for you. Hold on... here.

Is this name for real?

For real. Very much for real. Good work sometimes does that: first makes you think [what is this?], then suddenly becomes very [useful].

Chili? I saw you came in a hurry — are you...

Alive. I [am] alive. Let's go with alive. It's the one I'm most surprised by.

What happened?

I went for a walk.

A walk.

In the forest. Past the sideways trees. You know the ones — they grow like they're trying to eavesdrop on a conversation happening underground.

Okay.

And I found a rock.

A rock.

A [very large] rock. Covered in crystals, or minerals, or — I don't know the [geological] term.

If it's in [zoological] term, its colours say to predators: ["turn around and run away."]

The rock was a bird...

...What?

The rock. Was a bird. A giant bird. The size of a granite anvil used by giants... enormous.

You're serious.

It looked [exactly like] a rock. That's the trick. That's the terrible, brilliant trick.

It just sat there, disguised as a geological formation, and you walk up to it thinking "what a unique rock" and then the rock forms an [opinion] about you approaching it.

Are you hurt?

No. No, it... (exhales) ...it spoke to me first! That's the maddest part. It [spoke].

What did it say?

Verse. Or prophecy.

Giant worms. Said it used to watch over them. "Worms breathe, bird watches."

Here's the thing. I [wasn't planning] to run. I'd made up my mind. I was going to be [brave].

Because... look at this room. (Points to the added room.) I built it.

This is me. Chili. The man who played guitar outside Clyde Corp offices and got chased off by security drones.

The man who wrote Elegy for a Corporation in D Minor and performed it for an audience of three, two of whom were his own echoes.

I've [come so far]. I proved something to myself. I stood before that creature and thought: [I can]. I can talk to a giant glowing bird. I... am capable.

And then?

Then I took [one step] forward.

Ah?

"Ah." Yes. "Ah." That is the correct sound.

[One step]. A [compassionate] step toward what I thought was a suffering creature—and the whole bird [suddenly sprang up], like... like a huge chandelier in a haunted house. That sound... like tectonic plates clearing their throat.

Before I knew it, I [ran]. Through the forest. Through the grass. Into the cranberry bushes...

I discovered [muscles]. Brand new muscles. Muscles that had been [dormant] my entire life, waiting for exactly this kind of emergency to reveal themselves!

But you escaped.

I escaped.

But it did say something. Before that — before the disaster happened.

What?

It said the worms once sang. Said this planet once sang back. And Clyde cut its throat.

It said... I'm [paraphrasing], because the original was in [free verse] and I don't want to [butcher] it... it said Clyde drilled into the [core] and drew power from [time].

[The Black Seams] are not a natural disaster. They are a [consequence]. The consequence of what Clyde did to the {world}. The consequence of what was done to the worms!

It witnessed everything. Not a story retold in some bar. It [saw] what Clyde did with its own eyes.

Saw the worms die. Saw the planet crack open. It's a witness. The only witness.

A witness to what, exactly?

[Everything]. Every drilling. Every mining. How a company razes {world} to the ground and calls it business.

Do you understand what this means?

You found [evidence].

Yes. Evidence. Testimony. Call it whatever you want. That creature knows what [Clyde] did to this planet in a way no living person can match. It was here [before the disaster].

And now the witness is willing to speak. It's just that this kind of testimony [kills the listener].

But you did get close. You talked to it.

Even though I was [no threat], it wouldn't let me near... I think it's guarding something. Something [valuable].

I can go [with you].

You would do that?

You realise this is insane.

[Most] of what we do here... is insane.

Fair point... [Tomorrow]. Not tonight.

Tonight I'm going to sit in my shack... the one I built bolt by bolt with my own hands, that doesn't glow, doesn't care how close I get, and won't suddenly lunge at me...

I need to digest the fact that the important [story] I've been looking for is trapped inside a creature that could [flatten me like a biscuit].

Alright, [tomorrow] then.

[Tomorrow]. That might be too [soon].

I need to prepare. Maybe I can rally more [community] support... strength in numbers?

I should write a [speech]. Writing a speech helps me prepare. Yes. A [speech].

Sgt. Chili, how many Worm Pearls are there in total on {world}? Are they all in the temples?

From what I've dug up, there are [five temples] suchs in the forest.

Could be more outside the forest, but I can't be certain.

Incredible! You found every temple in the forest!

Here, take this blueprint. It's from the civilisation that created these temples. You've earned it.

Is the name serious?

Serious. Deadly serious. That's what good art does to you: first you think [What the hell even is this?] and suddenly you find it [useful].

What will happen to this forest when the statue in the recipe sees daylight again?

Maybe more temples will appear?

The secrets of distant places are known only to adventurers and the wind...

I need to tell you something.

What is it?

There was a wanderer. Out past the [waters beyond the forest]. Maybe an internal auditor — sent by Clyde Corp to inspect the old operations.

Nobody knows for sure because nobody's [seen] them. They're [missing]. Probably dead.

How do you know about them?

Because they left things behind. [Notes]. Readings. Fragments of a transmission they never finished sending!

The readings describe a [catastrophe]. Not a local one. Not a cave-in, not a spill. [Mass extinction level].

Something happened here — or is [going to] happen here — and this wanderer found the proof buried in the geological record. Layer after layer of it.

What [catastrophe]?

I don't know. The data's incomplete. The transmission cuts out halfway through. They were trying to send word offworld — a [warning], maybe a [distress call]...

But something [stopped] it. The signal never left the atmosphere.

I'm not — I'm [not] built for this. I'm a [musician]. I campaign, I rally, I play songs that make people [feel things].

I don't — I don't do impending doom. I don't know what to do with impending doom.

Nobody does.

(almost to himself) What if we [can't stop it]? What if the wanderer found it and it killed them, and now we've found it and it'll...

I'm sorry. I'm not... I'm not confident about any of [this].

The [STB] pilot — the one from the [crashed ship] — their [route] would've taken them through [survey points] across the planet.

Observation posts. Relay stations. If the wanderer left [more evidence], it'll be at those locations.

You want me to trail the [pilot]'s path.

Yes. I want to know what exactly happened to that [missing wanderer] in the end... He left so many clues along the way not to just vanish into thin air.

Find the sites. Look for anything the wanderer left — [notes], [recordings]...

And any [tech that's still functional] — signal boosters, antenna arrays, anything we can use to build a relay.

If we can finish the transmission the wanderer started...

I looked into the coordinates you gave me last time. It eventually led to one place—the black market.

...The black market? Great, a place where money is the solution to all problems!

Is it dangerous in the cave?

Much more than in the forest.

Yeah, I know. I'm sure. I'm just... Okay, I'm tuning audio...

You tune audio when you're nervous?

Yes. Once the audio frequency's back where it should be... so will my nerves calm down.

Anything else you need?

...If it's not too much of a bother, bring me a Trophy from the [cave] next time you come here.

You're still thinking about your exhibits.

I need to think about something alive, or the [black market] would be the only thing on my mind. Besides, I can't leave the [Cave Hall] empty forever...

You sure know how to overwork a guy.

Because I can't do it myself. We all have our jobs to do, don't we?

Fine. Just wait for me.

...Okay. You can have this guitar when you come back.

Are you sure? This is a Fendor.

I'm not, so you'd better come back and take it yourself.

Oh, it's them... Great.

You can have this. I used to take it with me on tours. Now, it belongs to the one actually on the road.