Author's Notes:

A much shorter one that I literally thought up this very morning on my walk to work.

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+HUB DETECTED+
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+ATTEMPTING TO RE-CONNECT TO GLOBAL HUB+
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+CONNECTION TO GLOBAL HUB RE-ESTABLISHED+
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+ATTEMPTING TO RE-CONNECT TO LOCAL HUB+
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+CONNECTION TO LOCAL HUB RE-ESTABLISHED+
+CONNECTING TO GROUP: EXPEDITION SUPPORT PANEL+
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+CONNECTED+
+PRESENT: DURA LEX, SED LEX, ELECTRIC EYE, IDEAL EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS, LET’S SEE WHERE THIS TAKES US+
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DLSL: Welcome back, Let’s
LSWTTU: Hello compatriots.
EE: You’re back earlier than we expected.
LSWTTU: Yes well, I started to detect some unusual fluctuations that made me feel it would be safer to cut the trip short and come back than risk perhaps not being able to come back at all. Related: I have some stress-test data for you, Ideal, see attached.
IEC: Received, thank you.
LSWTTU: Not a problem. And the gathered data from the trip, of course, that’s for all of you.
DLSL: Received.
EE: Thank you.
IEC: Marvellous.
LSWTTU: And physical samples to be unloaded as and when is convenient.
DLSL: Good. Now, down to business: how is your crew, Let’s?
LSWTTU: Sixteen of my humans died on this trip. Donna Tull, Robert Smith, Nar Gurung, Roger Kennings, Steve Gilmore, Mark Desai, Renard Lourdes, Errol Shepherd, Ronald Emptage, Dominic Kelly, Catherine Rackley, Lyn Padgett, Jordan Harris, Mohammed Islam, Jesse King and Matthew Ince. Ten of those died as a result of incursion by Outsiders, as we’ve termed them. They got inside the Envelope again somehow. Data attached.
IEC: Received. We’re very sorry.
EE: Condolences, Let’s.
DLSL: It was not your fault, Let’s, you did what you could.
LSWTTU: It’s done now regardless. More mistakes I won’t make next time.
EE: Forgive me for asking, but we were under the impression that Roger Kennings had made a full recovery?
LSWTTU: He had, he just didn’t get so lucky a second time.
EE: Ah.
IEC: Oh.
DLSL: We are very sorry to hear that, Let’s.
LSWTTU: The rest of my crew is in high spirits. They are becoming increasingly fond of a particular level.
DLSL: You would be referring to the Level with - ah - colourful horses?
LSWTTU: Ponies. And yes. I must admit I rather like it myself. It’s very quiet.
DLSL: As we’ve seen. How is progress on researching the anomalous abilities demonstrated by several of the locals?
LSWTTU: Diplomatic overtures are ongoing, though appearing positive. I’ll remind the Expedition Council to broach the subject of co-operative study with them when things are more settled. We have time.
DLSL: We do indeed. Now, we want to talk to you about level sixteen.
LSWTTU: Oh?
DLSL: The samples your returned to us of the building materials have shown properties that Hub has decided are valuable.
IEC: They’re not wrong, Let’s, those cities were oolllddd and those buildings were still solid as anything. It’s pretty remarkable stuff. Brick And Mortar was very excited. You know how they get about anything to do with the reconstruction.
EE: We’re all excited. We all have reconstruction, you know.
IEC: Of course. Apologies.
EE: Think nothing of it, Ideal.
DLSL: Attempts at synthesising the material are ongoing but further samples would be helpful, and until synthesisation has been properly achieved harvesting has been authorised - we would rather like you to set up a robominer on that Level, if you could, to gather it.
IEC: We have developed some methods for easier retrieval of the material, attached are fabrication schematics.
LSWTTU: Received, thank you. Ah, very interesting, I rather like what you’ve done here, Ideal.
IEC: Why thank you. It was a joint project with Unlikely Things Happen Every Day.
LSWTTU: Very nice. How are their humans? How are they?
IEC: Well, both.
LSWTTU: Glad to hear it. All this being said, there might be some issues with this course of action.
DLSL: You are referring to the continued hostility of the locals, I imagine?
LSWTTU: Yes. Since initial contact they have attempted to attack every time we have arrived on their level. From the moment we have bored through they attack the Envelope. They don’t get anywhere, obviously, but it’s enough for me to have to have the Borer in lockdown for the duration of our stay.
DLSL: They have made no attempt at communication?
LSWTTU: None. I’d say they were wild animals but wild animals wouldn’t waste their time like this. Either they’re something else or simply operating on a level entirely separate from ours. Co-existence seems unlikely at this point, and I would imagine they would make the setting up of anything permanent difficult.
DLSL: We thought as much from what data you’ve given us previously. This is unfortunate, but we have decided we have no choice to declare these locals to be irrevocably hostile - you are hereby given discretion by the support panel to do whatever you see fit to render them unthreatening to humanity and to human progress and prosperity on that Level.
LSWTTU: I’m not risking any of my crew to achieve this.
DLSL: That is, as said, at your discretion. The panel - and Hub - is concerned with your results, not your means.
LSWTTU: Thank you. I’ll work something out.
DLSL: We are sure you will.

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“You know, even being inside the Envelope doesn’t make me feel great. Knowing they’re out there. You know?” Carlos said, eyeing the walls. It wasn’t clear why he did this given that they were very deep in the Borer, but still. His point got across.

James kept his eyes on his meal and just kept chewing. He did not like being here at all. Bad memories.

“Yeah,” he said, flat, the high-energy, high-protein mush from the Borer’s tanks dripping from his spoon. It’d be nice to be back on a level with edible, actual local food. And Lyra. Not that that was a high priority, of course. It’d just be nice, is all.

There came a clunk that shook the floor beneath their feet. The two of them blinked at one another. Everyone else was taken off-guard, too. Conversations stopped.

“That felt like something leaving the Envelope,” James said, frowning and, on thinking about a little more: “That felt like something big leaving the Envelope.”

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Later, on the return journey of that particular trip, a group was organised to leave the Envelope and assist in the setting up of another robotic mining facility, this one customised and bespoke for the purpose of harvesting the material from the buildings of the numerous abandoned cities surrounding the site of the Borer.

James was not assigned security for this, to his relief, but was nervous all the same. He remembered what happened last time, as much as he might prefer not to. Everyone did, and the comparatively small size of the group that Let’s See Where This Takes Us said was required did not make anyone feel any more comfortable.

James was as surprised as anyone to hear - on the group’s return to the Borer - that the ruins, previously so teeming with unpleasant local life, were now entirely deserted.

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