The Architect Codex

Four's Logbook

We're almost to the rendezvous point now. It's gotten much colder the further north we go, we're starting to see ice and snow on the surface of the sand. It's such an odd combination to see, sand and snow together—but it just goes to show that you can never be too sure of what to expect out here in the frontier. Sometimes, real life is stranger than fiction.

We spotted something with our binoculars that could have been an outpost on the horizon. It was a bit too far to see clearly, even with magnification, but it definitely didn't look natural, which means we're getting closer to whatever the IMC are doing here. It was too far out of the way, so we decided not to investigate, but we're taking it as a hopeful sign of things to come.

Erebus may be a dead planet, I'm yet to see any sort of trees or wildlife—but there's no denying that it's pretty, and unique. I can honestly say that I don't think I've ever seen a world like this before. There are definitely worse places to die.

Still, I'm hoping that won't be the case.

—X—

The storm around them was becoming stronger. Both snow and sand blew into their chassises, coating their metallic plates in frozen crystals of ice and silicon. Cee extended one arm and ignited a small jet of fire to melt his away, as he had done several times over the past hour. KT would pick at her crystals every once in a while, scraping enough off to prevent it from becoming an issue. June's shell seemed to have been modified by McFarlane to keep water and debris from collecting on it, and Skids just pushed through it, seemingly unconcerned with the buffeting weather.

She looked behind them to see a long trail of massive footprints left behind, stretching far into the distance until they were obstructed by a large hill they'd traversed earlier. She remarked on how long they'd been traveling today, and wondered how the Pilots were faring.

The landscape around them reminded her somewhat of Nedar, though at least Nedar had had cover in the form of outcroppings of rocks and forests of trees. Out here in the vast tundra, there was nothing to shield them but large rises in the terrain and each other's bodies. It made her worried; they hadn't been able to establish contact with the others since last night, likely due to the storm. They were on the fourth day of their march, and she couldn't help but hope that Tobias wasn't freezing to death or buried underneath the sand somewhere—

"We are one kilometer from the rendezvous point," came Skids' voice, startling her out of thought. She shifted her optic to glance over at the Ronin.

"Are you sure?"

"Affirmative. 1.2 kilometers to be precise. You can put your mind at ease."

She nodded. That meant only one more kilometer until they were reunited with their Pilots, one more kilometer before she could make sure Four was safe—

Wait.

"Put my mind at ease? What are you implying?"

Skids realized his error, and took the time to carefully explain what he meant. "You might think you shield your thoughts, but your behavior betrays you. This is the longest period in weeks that you've gone without linking with your Pilot—and in that time you've become quite irritable. You inquire about their status aloud and far too often, and you grow silent for long stretches of time when you worry about them. Especially him."

She bristled at his comments. "I exhibit none of those traits, I am operating as efficiently—"

"No, you're not."