A/N: Grammar revisions to Chapters 15 to 19.
Chapter 48: OnStar
It disappeared into the cloudless sky. Tonight, there would be a new star over Nirn.
"OnStar has reached the target orbit of 1500 miles above The Vale," reported Jalen at the satellite controls to position energy panels and telecommunication dishes. In the small tent behind them, Agrund and Balvus shared the dream they were sitting on the satellite Curtis had named "OnStar" for lack of imagination. Agrund called back instructions to Jalen, who manipulated the dials and buttons that positioned the solar panels and communication antenna dishes.
While they'd been stalled on the teleportation restoration and genetic research projects, his people got interested in the technologies they'd seen in Curtis's memories — rockets and satellite communications. To their delight, Curtis's past life obsession with "How Things Are Made" and "Modern Marvels" type TV and YouTube shows had been divinely preserved and carried into this reality. And they just as obsessively watched his memories. Many things interested them, but what grabbed their attention were Curtis's memories of smartphones, satellite phones, and the satellite tracking installed in his work truck. No, he didn't have any great technical details, but they worked it out.
It was nice that his people were geniuses.
The handset design was made to look like a fancy, gem-studded hand mirror. The "mirror" was a crystal that could be clear or activate a reflective overlay. The handle held two petty soulgems for power. The studs on the rim triggered different functions.
They'd worked this up just as a side-job project in a few weeks instead of years. It was unsettling what one could create in this bippity-boppity-boo world, just how much magic could sideswipe centuries of hard science.
It was scary. Even in his past world the science of wood-and-cloth Kitty-Hawk to the steel-and-ceramic Apollo ships were less than two centuries apart. Five thousand years ago, Earth time, at the start of the Bronze Age, the kings of Egypt, Sumaria, and Ur thought hooking up horses to carts was revolutionary and started calling themselves god-kings. So Dwemer, magical steam-punk engineers with centuries of experience and a world of underground cities to scavenge parts from, had needed only a few weeks to put together a satellite and smartphone system based off technology dream-mined from Curtis's past life memories.
But he was certain Jhunal cheated in a big way. True, Curtis had been a sponge in front of the TV. Still, the cheating part was there was no way his brain kept that detailed a record. Memory was a chemical and bioelectrical process in specialized floppy, fatty cells that eventually died. The data didn't always copy perfectly to the replacement cells. And all the original cells were long ago pressure-washed from the sidewalk he'd landed on. It would take an act of god to recover and restore all the memories.
But a Divine feather-duster did it.
These beta phones would be limited for now and on a check-out basis. Curtis got his own because he would be traveling a lot. And privilege. He was "lord" of the Vale, and his mental voice capacity was lame. When he'd been a Dwemer, it had been weak. As a Dunmer, it was practically nonexistent.
They also wanted to track him in case he got himself in trouble.
They'd heard about the Dominion capture that took place just before they'd awakened. To say they got "a little paranoid" about the chances of him going missing was a light description. So in case he got hijacked again, they wanted to be able to track him. Fine. Aside from the mirror/phone, they tagged him with a plain gold stud earring.
Curtis decided to test the tracking by having its data upload through a mapping program in the new mainframe built from parts collected from Blackreach, Mzulft, and Skytemple. He'd promised Joric an adventure through The Vale. Serana and Gelebor came with them. Serana had explored the tunnels and underground Falmer villages with the Dragonborn, and Gelebor knew the topside and wayshrine points. Plus, there were still dangerous animals and Falmer roaming about. The College had allowed Curtis to take back the portal crystals the Dragonborn had collected from the Vale. These crystals were the keys to hidden places around The Vale, Gelebor explained, that could not be reached or easily found.
This "paragon crystal" portal didn't connect to the wayshrine star network transport system. It was just the hub of five dumb terminals. The keys were large ovoid gemstones plated with gold. Pretty light catchers, which is what the Archimage was using them for.
The sapphire key let them into what looked to be a hidden, magic-protected room of the great temple. A former treasury, if all the empty chests were an indication. Serana confirmed the Dragonborn looted everything to take back to her husband. If asked, he might—
Curtis waived that suggestion aside. The Dragonborn had claimed the loot fairly. Besides, Lord Sadri was generous in lending and asked no additional interest in gold; he was a merchant more interested in leveraging knowledge, connections, and favors. No, Curtis didn't need to ask for the Falmer wealth to be returned. So long as they maintained good relations with the Godfather of Middlemen, they'd get more assistance and access to resources that the original treasure could never buy.
Curtis used his new toy to call out. Jalen answered. "Yes, we've pinpointed your location. It's on the eastern mountain range at a place nearly impossible to reach by climbing. By the elevation, if that building was breached, the cold and lack of air would kill you within minutes.
"Might be worth exploring further in the future," Curtis said. "The fallen rubble seems to be over a door. There may be other rooms or buildings in this area."
"There are other buildings," said Joric. "This wasn't just a treasury. I see many eyes watching the sky, pondering the mysteries."
"Was this an astronomical observatory like, like the Keck Observatory? Um, a high place from which to study the stars or the atmos-, uh, winds and clouds high above the world," Curtis explained to Joric's blank stare. Joric shrugged.
"He came here to watch the heavens, trying to see through the eyes of god," Joric said, looking to Gelebor.
"My brother?"
"Yes." Joric looked away and stuffed his hands in his coat pockets. "He destroyed the other building. The connecting building is where the two Elder Scrolls that trapped Harkon Volkihar were kept. He used the Holy Bow to send the Scrolls far away, leaving it in the hands of Auri-El to guide them to their destination."
Gelebor looked devastated. Lady Serana, who had spent thousands of years buried with one of the Scrolls, patted his shoulder, offering light comfort. Curtis was curious, but he'd have to get the story later. "Okay. So there are other buildings, but we'll need to clear the rubble and have survival gear."
The ruby key put them in a small, isolated forest in the western mountains. Aside from small birds and squirrels, there wasn't anything but ruins and bones of trolls and degenerate Falmer. "This was a shrine for Auriel's Bow and Shield," explained Gelebor. "I managed to secure the Bow, and another from my squad took the Shield. But he later died, and one of the vampires took the Shield. It later turned up in the hands of the Betrayed."
Auriel's Bow. The actual Bow used by Divine Auri-El to slay Lorkhan. Its arrow tore the heart out of Lorkhan's body, landing in what was to become Morrowind and plunging into the ground over which Red Mountain would build. The Bow shot sunlight-infused arrows that devastated the undead. Corrupted sun-blessed arrows, arrows coated in the blood of "a daughter of Coldharbour," meaning someone like Lady Serana, could create a wide-area temporary "blackout" of sunlight.
So, noble vampires are worm virus servers created by Molag Bal that accumulated souls. Their corrupted blood could sprinboard off the power of blessed arrows to inflict a grand "Denial of Sunlight/Salvation" attack. Cute. He had Gelebor bless two arrows, and Lady Serana corrupted one by slicing open her arm and drowning its blessed light in her blood. The arrow burned the blood to a shiny layer of carbonized darkness. He didn't have anything particular in mind for them, but he wanted something to hold as he meditated on ideas.
The emerald key put them in a pretty area by a rushing river and walled by high mountains. They went north on the banks, staying out of the water, and reached the edge where a break in the mountains showed them the Great Temple, the ice lake below, and the Dragon wall. No clue what purpose this area served. Maybe just a meditation retreat because it was a glorious view to contemplate.
The diamond key was another narrow niche. The only light was from the glow of the portal. At the edge of the abyss, too deep for their flashlights, Serana let float the brightest light ball she could make. As it floated down, they could see walkways and huts. "The glacial cave system," said Serana. "The only lights were from the fires the Falmer had lit for warmth. I can see fine with those little lights, but she had to constantly spell cast magelight every few yards. Torches and lanterns would be quickly smelled and felt by Falmer. And when it came to fighting, that Dragon shout for auras turned battles into target practice for her arrows."
Curtis, who hadn't played the Dragonborn or Dawnguard mods, was sure that, in the gameplay, this place would be lit up and not pitch black. Combat sequences in total darkness are not fun, or, at least, Curtis didn't like those types of psychological horror games.
"There are so many floating in the darkness," said Joric softly. "So many spirits lost in the cold and the dark."
"Is there anything that can be done for them?" asked Gelebor.
"Dive. Dive deep and bring fire. They cannot see it, but they will feel it and go towards it like moths. A moment of warmth is all they seek, and they will go."
"Right. Let's try that," said Curtis. "Hold hands. I can manage the slowfall spell."
"You're getting much better with spells," said Joric.
"I found that magic became easier to learn if I stuck to Morrowind magic rather than the Altmer/Imperial disciplines." Curtis grinned and added, "Then it was more a case of remembering than learning."
They floated to the level just above the water and walked down to the shore. Curtis had his water-breathing ring. He put it on, cast the swimmer's blessing spell to boost his aquatic skills, and invoked Ancestors Sanctuary for light and warmth. He dove in, reaching the bottom. His flashlight was waterproof, but it wasn't optimal. Sanctuary was lousy as a light spell. A candlelight spell was brighter, but he couldn't cast that underwater. He swam quickly around the perimeter, noting at least two tunnels. Exploring along one led to a place with a hut and more bridges going up. There was another small underwater passageway, but he felt that was enough exploring. Besides, he needed to climb out of the water to rest and recast the Blessing. Without it, it would take three times a long to swim back.
"Quite a few skeletons on the bottom," he commented when he was out. "So, anybody follow the light?" he asked Joric.
"Swim around for another hour," said Joric. "There are more searching for the Sanctuary they sensed."
"They'll have to wait, then. A Dunmer can only invoke that once every 24 hours. But I'm glad it worked. I was worried a spell invoking Dunmer ancestral protection would drive them away."
"Let me try something," said Lady Serana. "Let's see if a flame cloak spell is acceptable. Although, my being a vampire may not work."
"Teach me that spell, then," sighed Gelebor. After an hour, he mastered the spell and borrowed Curtis's ring.
"How's he doing?" Curtis asked.
"It's working. They know he's Falmer; and they can hear him praying for them. But there's so many still out there."
"So we search them out," said Curtis. We get this place mapped first, and then our Snowmer can work on exorcising the ghosts of the ice."
"The Snowmer and Brother Salindil," Joric corrected. "He's been helping the lost souls find peace from the moment he arrived. Those lost in the caves… they're too afraid to leave this place, so he needs to come here."
"I wonder if the Dreamers have been seeing the spirits?" wondered Curtis aloud.
"Yes. But they have been blocking the visions as distracting," said Joric. "They see them as nightmares. They do not want to hate their Dwemer compatriots, so they push aside their seeings as subconscious resentment."
Curtis looked at him.
"What?" asked Joric. "I've been helping out with the Xrib Project, and I read the lecture notes the people take there when you talk about that stuff. Am I expressing myself wrongly? Do I misunderstand the concepts you've been trying to teach the staff there?"
"No, kid. You seem to understand them better than I do. You and Salindil are naturals at this. So that's how they see it? Makes sense."
"It's also the way they think," added Joric. "Remember, they had to be comfortable being linked with the Dwemer for a long time. A marriage of minds. Gelebor has told me he finds them on the cold side as people and almost as secular as the Dwemer."
"Really? Huh. Never caught that. Okay, this is yours and Salindil's sandbox. I know once the other Snowmer understand that what they're seeing aren't all nightmares, they'll want to help. Mapping the cave systems will be a nice side project for toy development."
"Why toys?"
"Because I really don't like swimming in the cold outside of work. And all that mapping is weeks of tedious work that a well-programmed search 'bot can do. It's dangerous right now, and we don't have the proper equipment. These caves aren't totally free of the Falmer and chaurus, so we need to get out of here." In the dim light of the torch, he could see Joric's mulish expression. "Prep work, kid. We gotta talk to the priests, plan the campaign, and the locations." Joric's face cleared, becoming enthusiastic.
"Oh, of course, of course. I apologize for my haste, sir. Sister told me that Master Revyn always emphasized gathering information as the first objective of any action."
"Yeah. And we both know your sister's gonna bring power to Hjaalmarch like it's never had before." He smiled, reflecting Joric's happy and proud face. He patted Joric's shoulder. "We can use your skills to find the best places where the priests can make the most impact, so you're going to be busy until you leave at the end of next week to start the next semester at Winterhold. Besides, you know we've already got most of the upper cave system mapped. I'm sure there's a lot of locations you can fix on."
It took them six hours to hike out of the cave and back to the portal hub. They retrieved the diamond key and made camp because the sun would set in an hour. Joric had a lot of questions to ask Gelebor and Lady Serana. Curtis was happy to lie back and just listen. He didn't bother paying too much attention, letting his phone record everything. He had their permission to record, of course. The past two days had been full of exploration and storytelling. Getting history out of Gelebor was difficult, not only because of the length of time and memory fade but because he wasn't the type to talk about himself. Joric was a good antidote against this. He instinctively knew the questions to ask to draw out Gelebor's memories and used his young age to appeal to the ancient mer's warrior's nature to pass on information to trainees. Gelebor talked about his past of battle, strategies, wins, losses, and bitter lessons learned. A lot of losses. Somehow, he still thought of the Betrayed as his people and couldn't bring himself to wage a war of genocide against them even as they killed his compatriots. He killed enough to make them afraid of leaving their caves. Only his faith in Auri-El sustained him for the past five millennia. That faith also fortified him when Curtis ordered the genetic harvesting and slaughter or forced surgical sterilization of the rest.
After breakfast, they went to the amethyst destination and stepped onto a crumbling platform in darkness. The place was deafening with the sound of a waterfall. He called Jalen for the fix on their location.
"You are in a large chamber atop the waterfall of the grand cathedral of the Shrine of Illumination, the final chamber of the trial of Darkfall Passage. I do not recommend slowfalling off the platform you are on. Initial scan shows no obvious egresses besides the waterfall. The waterfall is a 120-meter drop to the wayshrine cavern."
"Any lifeforms?" asked Curtis.
"Remote activation of the full-spectrum camera. Aim down and make a slow sweep around the edge of the platform," instructed Jalen. When that was done, Jalen said, "Initiating playback." They counted forty vampires, six chaurus, and ten Falmer cattle. "We can get an extermination team there in two days."
"Slate this site for a closer look later. There's gotta be some reason to plant a gate here," said Curtis. "And just by initial looks, this platform was once larger, but the pillar's been crumbling away. Expect any clues might have washed into the lower chamber below."
X—X—X—X—X—X—X
Sidabor Vrannoth was the compiler of all the various projects. Pattern analytics, in his case, meant he was one hell of a project manager. The Minetaroth Hills, where he was born, were the hills northwest of Solitude. Short (for a Snowmer, 5'6"), half-glasses, skinny — to Curtis's eyes, he looked and dressed like an extra from the "Elf" Xmas movie.
"And with these last authorized payments, Steark-Skjold Consultants becomes a recognized entity in Skyrim and the Alliance," said Sidabor, collecting the sheets Curtis had signed.
"Are Jalen and Shivhis really prepared to set up office in Whiterun?" asked Curtis.
Sidabor nodded and handed him a folder containing a property deed, business license, and customer/project list. "Whiterun's mer population is growing. Jalen's talent with the canister pattern forge techniques for weapons has produced demands he's unable to keep up with. He's even drawn the interest of Gray-Mane of the Skyforge. And Shivhis has joined the Companions per Sadris' request to bolster the Companions' work as Dominion asset hunters since there's only one werewolf left. Already she has since found two more sleeper agents. She's also becoming as famous as Aela the Huntress. Aela can outshoot her in speed and accuracy. However, Shivhis can fast-infuse magic into even the plainest of wood and iron arrows, making her the best combination of huntress and long-range battlemage."
"Companions. I would never have thought of that," admitted Curtis. "Harbinger Farkas sure took some flack about admitting a magic-using Altmer-looking elf into that bunch of heroes."
"There is the historical precedence of an Altmer Harbinger in their past. More recently, the late Harbinger White-Mane permitted a Dunmer Companion who has since left the Companions to become the bodyguard of the Imperial Heir, the former Harbinger Nicholas Faustus. The Dragonborn's permission for Shivhis to join Whiterun's Dragon Response Team has also improved her social standing. And Gray-Mane's debt to Lady Helsette was what gained his consent to give Jalen access to the Skyforge."
"I can't believe the Skyforge has been around so long and yet none of the past mainland clans laid claim to it," said Curtis.
"We've known about it in my time," said Sidabor, "but always with tales about its mysterious origins and uncomfortable placement above ground on a flat plain. There have been clans that tried to claim it, but all met with inexplicable misfortunes. The land around Whiterun lacks the heavy metals mines that we prefer. The iron to be found there was insufficient or low grade. The power source of the Skyforge was too Ayleid, gathering energies from the wind and sun, the fickle lines of Aetherius rather than the solid flow of Mundus. No one wanted to work a forge that was unshielded from the elements."
"But the signal strength is remarkably pure thanks to the Skyforge's weird power flow," said Curtis. "Good on Shivhis and Jalen for being able to plant an antenna into the Skyforge's bird."
"Yes. As a 'cellphone tower,' as you call it, we can cover most of Skyrim. The mountains cause interference, of course, and blackout areas. But once we bounce up and off the OnStar, we have full coverage."
"Good. Never hurts to have the next emperor as part of our happy family."
He called in Jalen and Shivhis. Jalen was the youngest of the Dwemer at 120. He could pass as a Nord with mixed blood. His mother was Atmoran, so his outward height, bone structure, flesh coloring, and ears took after that side. What he got from his father was his long life span, strong magic, and mind calling. Shivhas was a fantasy elf lady — tall, with alabaster skin, frost blue tinted pale hair, and azure eyes. To live in Whiterun, she'd dyed her hair yellow and bathed in dyes that gave her skin a light golden bronze look. She could pass as an Altmer. She was a skilled lucid dreamer. She didn't have Gwenlenor's ability to pull others into a shared dream state. She had a talent for making sense of chaotic data. Once Joric explained to her the "ghosts" she saw in dreams, she'd pinpointed several prime locations in the open areas of The Vale. Joric had talked to Gwenlenor, and the three of them planned to search out places in the cave system.
He talked with them about the new company. Jalen would be the frontman in Whiterun. Curtis would officially be the senior partner of the business with his R&D office in Winterhold because he was a wizard of the College. He would let it be known that Staerk-Skjold Consultants handled all business contracting, and anything sent to the Winterhold office would be thrown out. Shivhis would be splitting her time between the company and the Companions.
Both of them needed to be recognized as Nord and Skyrim-born Altmer. The company would be working primarily in Skyrim and with Nord crafters. They had two major projects already. One was to improve the water system of Whiterun, laying the basics of plumbing and control of the natural spring under Dragonsreach and increasing the number of public fountains and pumps for the growing populace. Additionally, while the waterfalls from the palace were impressive, most of the natural spring's potential was wasted. And it spewed unfiltered sewage into the White River. That part of the project was to create wastewater treatment ponds. The second major contract was in Markarth to repair the Dwemer plumbing system in the palace. Markarth wasn't paying for the work in gold. Instead, it was for permission for Curtis to go into Nchuand-Zel and claim some of the automatons. The Markarth project would also allow Shivhis to get to know the Breton Beaumont family that Calcelmo had arranged to be her "caretakers." Calcelmo and Aicantar had agreed to claim her as Aicantar's young sister, who'd been raised away from Markarth because Calcelmo was too busy with his research to bother with raising a young girl. Calcelmo knew the Beaumonts, a minor aristocracy with a fief near a small Dwemer ruin. The ruins had no significant technological value; it had been some Dwemer's little country cottage. The Beaumonts lacked the money to renovate the place, so for their help, they'd get their fancy stone villa repaired.
They were going to tackle Markarth first because they needed the earth-moving machines and because Shivhis needed to hammer out details with the patriarch of the Beaumont family. She'd already worked out stories with Calcelmo and Aicantar at Winterhold.
X—X—X—X—X—X—X
**Back to that shit hole Solstheim. Half Vvardenfell, half Skyrim, and the depressing sight of a smoking volcano. Can't imagine what Serjo Revyn thinks we can do there with a bunch of Altmer refugees. Take 'em back to The Vale maybe? Oy, you're a sentimental one. How can you feel grief for a land you ain't seen in eons?**
Slitter, we been through enough together to know that dreams are just as real and solid as waking life. That yin/yang thing that I've made the totem of our new House, the two states that exist only because they carry the heart of the other, that's what I'm talking about. It was only a game, but it was a game that carried me when I needed it in my life. And while I know the Morrowind game may be as inaccurate to the real Morrowind like Skyrim is to the real Skyrim, there's enough there that I can feel grief for what was lost and the people that needlessly died.
** Are you being Dumac again? **
No. I may be the latest incarnation of his soul, but I'm just me. If anything, I'm probably more Nerevar. I don't feel any burning need to go to Solstheim or Morrowind at this moment, except that I know Severus is there. He's gotta be in a lot of pain, and I feel really bad about it.
**You ain't Dumac, you ain't Nerevar, and you ain't the Nerevarine. You pretended to be him for that game.**
Did what I just say go in one ear and out the other?
…
**Fetcher. Alright. You're getting' weird feelings and I don't like 'em. I don't understand that kind of sentimental pain on behalf of someone else. Alls I can say is, don't expect any friendly faces when we get to Solstheim; don't forget to strap on armor and sword every time you leave your room; and keep on hand on the sword went returning to your room and while checking every place a body can hide before taking your armor off.**
Related Shopkeeper's Wife story(s): #49 Show Me The Wayshrine; #50 Battling Shadows