Extraction Issues 3

Chapter 3

Capital Island

Cycle 6002.642.06.5 W

After being questioned by the lieutenant, he had several demis before another official showed up to question him again. It took another day to get back, so he was questioned once more. Then he arrived back at the mainland only to be questioned once more. After they had held him for another day in a basic concrete cell, he was released.

Stumbling out into the daylight, he was quickly helped to a car by Cam calmly playing the security role and a driver. They quickly got him out of the central district. The driver was familiar but, she kept to herself. Since Neodig was still trying to regain clarity, it was much appreciated. Cam was also quiet, patiently waiting and carefully watching the surroundings.

Cam’s eyes darted quickly between the cars. In the busy area he was on high alert, compared to his usually calm focused presence. The driver smoothly and tidily weaved through lanes in what seemed to be a lazy fashion. But when other cars had been heading to the same areas in the city, they struggled to keep up. Evaluating Neodig Cam assessed him as really worn out, but capable of completing the rest of the days requirements. They definitely wouldn’t be popping out for a hunt in the evening though.

Buildings in the capital tended to have a mix of monolithic structural elements, mixed with modern well executed joinery. It gave a lot of spots to scan as they drove. When you walked the streets everything always looked and even smelled clean.

The energy wells and cells they charged physically made a clean world. But you could always feel the charge around you, a lot of people felt it like an anxious tickling their ribs. Cam was relieved as the all buildings quickly moved to the rear view mirror.

The humming of the car as it zipped along the road, was now muffled. The rougher road surface noise and crunching of gravel filling the cabin. Neodig woke up properly as the car moved between colourful patchwork fields and animals fenced off in a weird geometry of temporary fences. The Wadgin estate was definitely not conventional.

He spotted old Mij with the team of oxen. It looked like they were revitalising another area of fields that had been horse paddocks. There was a seeding machine on the back, probably drilling a mix to revive the life of the soil. Then waiting further down the field was a reel, with shade cloth on it. Completed patches often got comments as the large patches of green fabric covered the field as the seeds germinated. Then as a mix of grasses, herbs and root veges later began poking through, the fabric was removed.

Twisting and spiraling between more fields, the car approached an elegant frankenstien of a mansion. The building had been brought when half of it was on it’s last legs. It was such a huge project and no-one had been willing to restore it. The family had brought it and gutted half of it turning it into a large barn and smaller processing rooms.

The remaining half of the house had been at least stabilised and in some cases refurbished tidily. But it was far short of the luxury and decoration that had originally been vomited through every corner of the building. Overall it was now a tidy productive building with plenty of potential, now that the bones had been stabilised.

Because they had collected his bags along with him, the car pulled up to the front entrance. It would be convenient to get things back to his room from there. The area had large landscaping to match the scale of the house. It was of ideas and shapes from around the property.

If taken in quickly, one could mistake it for an entrance to some sort of gallery or small event centre. It was actually Drewlin, who clung fiercely to the title of head butler who had arranged a designer for this area. It gave the space personality that suited those that lived there well.

Ah, Master Wadgin, so good to see you safely home, was Drewlin’s greeting. This was man that ran the up-keep of the building. He still liked to pretend he was in a serious estate, and dressed for the position. But he flourished in the laid back chaos of the residents as they kept things developing well, if unconventionally. He did his best to help the place work for them and for the other projects they helped with in the community around them.

His belongings were taken to his room and he was taken to one of the smaller kitchens to be fed and watered. They probably quite deliberately gave him simple food to recover. At the same time one of the cooks prattled about the comings and goings around the estate in his absence, as she continued to work.

As well as the chef’s chatter, there was sizzlings, choppings, clangings and rattlings of dishes. A change of aromas happened often to with subtle smells of fresh ingredients being carefully transformed into beautiful smelling dishes. He joking asked why he didn’t get a dih like that. The cook smiled back and said it was orders from the top. Workers grub only for now. After the food he felt at least safe again and wondered what was next.

Cam popped into the kitchen and told him that Yipseg would see him in a sixth of a demi. It looked like Cam was going to be his aide for the day which meant there was probably a lot to still be done. Yipseg had in some ways come to the estate and become the wise grandmother of the place. She also happily jumped in to be a stern mother for his sisters.

His own Mother had removed herself, when her father was deemed no longer suitably influencable. The divorce had initially torn the Wadgin family apart. The grand old Wagdin Estate had been sold. It left the surrounding farms that relied on it and their lush lands with at least uncertainty, if not worry about if they would find anything like stable futures again.

Initially the divorce seemed to have accomplished its political goals. Assets were stripped and placed in his mothers hands and the family looked done for, unless it surrendered itself to any of it’s political enemies. But at the same time they had backed an old witch into a corner and pushed her too far. So Yipseg appeared out of nowhere and helped the family find it’s way through the chaos in return for a safe haven.

Neodig expected to see her on returning, but not so quickly. Especially not before having a decent chat with his Father. Though he found her unsettling, she related to him in a genuine fashion and steered conversations thoughtfully. He probably would have been a much simpler, emptier person without her guidance.

When it was time to go, Cam accompanied him and made a couple of cracks about not letting the old quack throw him too much. To the outside observer Neodig probably looked a little over-sensitive. But in some ways it was what he had been trained for, focusing on his surroundings and the people around him to find the best way forward for all involved. Cam had been occasionally worried that he let the woman’s words stir this receptive state of the boy up too much.

The outside of Yipsegs room looked unremarkable as they arrived. The corridor and door like any other in the lived in parts of the estate. Cam theatrically tensed up and went into a subtle fight stance as they stopped at the door and was rewarded with a smile and rolling eyes.

He knocked and an croaky yet melodic voice beckoned him in. At some stage in her life the woman had been a heavy smoker. She sat at a little table, well decorated and prepared to serve tea. She was wrapped with Autumn colours concealing a small frame that seemed to fluctuate between fighting old age one moment and be brimming with mature energy the next. One moment she would look ready to collapse permanently into a rigid hunched form. Then the next she would almost zippily move around the place.

Even though she was certainly friendly, there was a weight to her presence. So he was subconsciously on high alert and taking in everything as time almost slowed. This was her reception room. On either side of the tea area were a desk with notes and a table of concoctions as she worked her way back from witchcraft, to a life healing and interpreting.

Part of the research involved helping others that had been similarily ensnared find there way. That meant that despite people worries, she had some very interesting visitors, mainly without incident. Bizarrely while the priest that worked with their family had been there, the two had often spent long hours working together. Everyone had assumed it was just going to be quick partnership for one project, but it was ongoing and she had recently received more books mailed by him.

Overall the room was gently lit and in someways smelled nearly as nice as the kitchen. Sometimes though there was the odd whiff of sharp and bitter mysteries to contrast this though. The room was gently clothed with natural crafts decorating this well coordinated space. All in all it was probably to make people comfortable as they had to face issues from beyond everyday process. He now noticed her beckoning.

He sunk into a comfortable high-backed chair. Upholstered in warm brown fabric and trimmed with bronze, especially around the oaken feet extending out to ground it. She reached for his hands and he routinely presented them. He asked what his hands actually revealed.

She smiled and said that they only revealed work suitability and potential traps. It was more to see how he moved and was responding, to take in that which could currently be understood through receptiveness. Then a lot of it was just breaking down what seemed as mystery, but was reasonably straight forward to those that could listen.

She asked Neodig how he’d found his trip, before it was dramatically cut short. He reported that the crew had been great to work with and that he had learnt a lot. He also added that he would have liked to been helping at the Navi island resettlement even more. She waited thoughtfully.

Breaking the silence after it had stretched for a bit she questioned what role he would play on the island if he went there. He blinked a couple of times, then let her know he would probably just help everyone, because they all had a cool mix of projects already anyway.

She waited and smiled. She asked how he thought she would respond. Neodig thought for a bit and said that the main theme she usually went on about was about him being untested. Yipseg smiled, glad that the boy wasn’t completely dense.

She encouraged the though further, since the family didn’t have the resources to develop his talents, he was still a liability. Testing witchcraft could be used on him, till he had found his way or given into darkness. So he must quickly be off on another adventure.

He asked why she called them adventures. She smiled and said she had gotten sick of depressing people, rambling on about the trials to come. Encouraging his family and those abandoning the wisdom of magic, was so much more rewarding on many levels.

She had a go at encouraging him. She explained if he wanted to best help the plans on the island, the more those that worked against it had to split their resources the better. Especially now that resettlement project was about to become a legislative model, for two other new decentralization colonies.

He agreed that it made sense. So she continued it seems he already have a new task. He blinked a couple of times and thought for a bit. Eventually he asked if she meant delivering the watch to Dueliet’s father. She smiled and said she had no idea what the task was, just that there was one. She waited for a bit and said she was almost certain that the task would guide him well.

Next she asked if he had decided on one of the temples to follow. Again he said that he wanted to live his life for the spirit, but all of the temples seemed to only have part of the truth twisted into the way they worked. None of them seemed to let things work together well.

She smiled, saying if that was the case he would journey with the spiritualists. She quickly got the reply that the option was way worse than the other four. She smiled and said that since guidance had been obstructed, sometimes frustration was the best teacher.

She told him that he was leaving tomorrow. He would use the adventure to test whatever hope he came up with for the island. The situations that arose would let him refine his dream’s strength as it’s nature was revealed in the situations around him.

From experience he knew the important bit of the conversation was finished. He sat there and finished his cup of tea as thoughts swirled around. His mind would be protected here as he sat calmly. It would however go into overdrive as soon as he left, to set about working out the new task.

She went outside and quickly talked to Cam, who was uncomfortable but polite around the woman. He focused in on what was needed for Neodig to continue through the day and was relieved when she returned to the room.

A little while later and Neodig had finished his cup of tea. He left thanking Yepsig for her time. Once back in the corridor, Cam directed the now deep in though boy, through the corridors to a small office. There he could start planning his trip to return the watch.

Cam was ready to wait at the door and confused when Neodig took a long time to go in. Before he entered he asked Cam how he would go about training to assist the resettlement island if he was in his shoes. Cam sensing the boy was in a serious mood, thought for a while this time.

He said he was an amateur when it came to the tactics of bureaucrats and sorcerers. His process would be to approach it like you would if you were helping a battle unit. He would look for his teams weakness or what was missing to have the team operating at it’s best. Then he would look at his skills and what he enjoyed. Using all of this he would make his decision.

Neodig thanked him and disappeared into the room. He spent a couple of hours doing research on volunteer opportunities along the way in the spiritualist unification network. Then he emerged to ask Cam if he could talk with his father. He was told his father would be in a meeting for another demi. Cam in the meantime took time to catch up with his siblings.

Bella pulled her nose out of a book and carefully talked to him about day to day stuff around the estate. This time he was spared being given a potential stack of books to read and was escorted to the stables.

Jes cheerfully greeted him and found a horse for him to brush. His sister claimed to prefer horses to people. Regardless with humans she would happily hum as she worked around or with them. Before he could argue he was given a saddle and they did a quick circuit around some of the fields and forest. Along the way they ran into Tocs working on pump.

His solid little brother swore at a fitting till he wrestled it into place. Then with that done he started hand threading bolts into place. Once it was loosely secured his focus moved from his work and he greeted his siblings. Getting a look from his sister he made light talk with them.

Tocs was one of his twin brothers that had found their calling using pumps and weights. With this the two drove generators and mechanised things creating a slower more stable existence for people. In a way he was envious. This wasn’t a real option however as he completely lacked anything like engineering capability or handyman know-how. After another quick chat, they rode back to the stables and he went through the process to put the horse back in it’s stall.

With the light-hearted conversation tour having seemed to have filled the allocated time he was taken to his fathers study. The study was almost the opposite of Yepsigs reception room. The inside was only a grander version of the corridor outside. It was furnished with solid furniture such as large desks, bookshelves and a meeting table were almost too impressive for the room.

His father waved still scribbling furiously at the desk and determined to finish another important detail, of which he had so many to attend to. Neodig knew from experience that this wasn’t because of rudeness or to keep a distance. The desk in some ways, supported him to do his work and keep the mindset he needed.

A hand in a clean white dress shirt again waved at which seat to take at by the desk. Tidy trousers and a waistcoat completed the smart presentation. They were topped with gold glasses sitting on his nose, allowing serious focus on the paper below, one of many that were organised across the top of the desk. The man himself was soft, almost collapsing onto the desk as he wrote. The only exception was the hard lines on his face, that were there clearly from dealing diligently with decades of problems.

He finished the page he was working on with a flourish, then stacked all the papers up. Wandering around he dumped them on the free chair besides Neodig. He then spun and returned to his seat before collapsing into it with a solid thud. He was quiet for a moment as it seemed that the wheels of his brain were still spinning.

There was silence for a little longer, then he took a swig of tea beside him. He let out a surprised grunt as the tea had long gone cold as he had been absorbed with finishing the paperwork after the meeting. Then he focused on Neodig. Calling him his boy, he asked how things were and how the captain was doing.

He smiled and said he was okay for now, he just had a bit of thinking to do. He reported that that captain looked like he had a difficult time, but was still plowing on regardless. His dad smiled to himself without sharing the related memory and said it was good to hear the old codger was still alive and kicking.

His father checked the assumption that he was here to here about the resettlement project progress. Neodig gave a yup in affirmative glad someone was really talking to him again. So his father explained that things were progressing in a steadily chaotic fashion.

In some ways the island was becoming a haven to those deemed irrelevant experts or those that would be crippled with debt if they tried to live a normal life. Despite the instability of the mana wells, technology for making a stable life outside of this grid was almost discouraged. So there was no shortage of applicants looking for a chance to test prototypes.

Then the other main residents were people that didn’t have a chance to build a real life in places like the capital city. If they had no way forward and ability to move, everyday citizens could be considered for especially farming, building or healing roles. If accepted they suddenly had land and resources to work with, without permanently being crippled by debt or poverty.

Getting everything to work considering the increasingly polarized state of society, especially if people came from the capital, made things difficult. But overall people were so passionate that they would just charge through and figure it out. How long this would last, his father could not say.

At the moment his father reported that he was swamped with ridiculous amounts of political attempts at redirection and getting systems in place to manage things well for the residents. An island full of people was a much bigger challenge to optimally organise, than an estate and some neighbouring farms.

Neodig relaxed, happy to hear what most people called his father’s happy rambling. Hearing someone else’s dreams and struggles was actually a much better diversion. Suddenly his father related his rambling to Neodigs current situation.

He said if Neodig was there he imagined him either working with the priest or in the meeting house. The priest had his work cut out dealing with a huge range of belief and lifestyle clashes. The meeting house was focused on making sure residents had the opportunity to grow beyond the roles they worked in. Everything from skills training, to feasts and dances would happen from there.

This added to the gears that were spinning as Neodig though about things. Seeing he had enough to think about his father made some lighter chat. It wasn’t long until the evening meal was served. But Neodig was lost in his own world with the conversation flowing happily around him.

He spent more time in the evening going through options, possible routes, skills to learn, organisations that might have useful structures and just for places that actually did things well. In the end all he did was book a ship ticket to an island half way there. It seemed to have plenty of public transport and easily got to the next port he would need to continue his journey.

If nothing else it gave him a day to sort his goals and start making plans to suit. Booking an inn to stay in on arrival, he considered himself to have made as much progress as he could for the day. With that he had a shower and collapsed into bed, passing out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Wehl 2024

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