There's something in the trenches...
Moira was working on calculating the number of awakened Amicabots she’d encountered when Suzie approached her.
“Heya, Moira! What are you working on there?” Suzie asked, grinning as she leaned on Moira’s desk to sneak a peek at her work.
Moira turned to face her. “I’m working on some stats. Did you know there have been over a thousand Amicabots returning? I can really see a lot of recovery on the horizon!” She was practically beaming!
“That’s wonderful,” Suzie replied. She looked over Moira’s work on her computer before glancing back at her partner. “Hey, have you ever heard Orion talk about an Amicabot named Caspian?”
Shaking her head, Moira said, “No, not that I recall. Why do you ask?”
“Well, apparently he and Caspian were very close… See, Caspian was an underwater exploration Amicabot that went to the Ripple Trench and was never seen again. From the way he described him, Orion was pretty pained by losing him.”
Moira frowned. “That’s awful… How long ago was that? I’ve heard of the rumors about Ripple Trench, how nothing that goes there ever comes back… and how nobody comes back, either.”
“It was before the… you know.” Suzie made a vague gesture. She didn’t need to say it directly, the implications of the apocalypse were left heavily in the air.
A solemn nod followed from Moira. “So, a long time ago. What a frightening tale! I have to ask, why are you bringing this up now?”
“Well, I received this signal recently. It’s from that very trench.”
Moira’s eyebrows raised. “No way… I mean, I’m sure it’s possible! It’s just that it’s the last place I’d expect any kind of signal to come from. Are you certain it’s not from the eastern Grand Desert?”
“It’s been impossible to completely decode, but everyone I’ve checked with and double-checked with agrees that it came from the direction of the Ripple Trench.” Suzie confirms. “Moira, I think this might be the real deal. We might actually have some key to finding out what’s down there, after all those years of our predecessors trying and failing to explore that area.”
“Fascinating,” Moira exclaimed, standing up. Her satellite ears twitched as she met Suzie’s gaze. “Suzie, I know this is a long shot, but do you think we could reach out to Orion and try to gather a team to explore those depths? He might know more about where Caspian could've gone.”
“Yeah, sure! I'd say it's worth a shot,” Suzie says with a nod.
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“Wait, you genuinely want to search for him…?” The surprise in Orion's eyes is clear when Suzie and Moira approach him and bring up the idea. “Color me surprised, ladies. Why would you be so curious about my past…?”
“Caspian meant a lot to you, didn't he?” Moira asks, a soft expression on her robotic, mossy features.
Orion nods after a beat of silence. “Well, yes… He does indeed–or, did. I'm quite honestly not sure how to word it, given my companion never returned after that fateful dive.”
“That's why we want to look into it,” Suzie explains. “I'm not tryin’ to give false hope or anything, obviously, but—either way, a signal from that deep down means that someone or something is alive down there. That could mean closure.”
Orion glances around at his living quarters—one might accurately assume that the long-haired purple Amicabot is rather lonely. Who else would invite strangers to his business to grab free things?
To a scrapyard bot like Suzie, she can't even fathom the wealth this guy must have. Yet she knows that he must be lonely. Moira can guess the same thing.
“All right, then,” Orion says. “We'll need some preparations, though… Suzie, perhaps you could provide some Aquatic Enhancements and Shimmering Scales for the occasion?”
Suzie nods happily. “I totally can!”
“We'll need recruits who can handle the deep sea, too,” Moira suggests. “I'll look into finding some pressure reinforcement modules. I think it'd pair well with the depths… can never be too safe down there.”
“So, it's settled, then.” Suzie reaches out to Orion to shake his hand. “We'll get you that closure, okay? Come hell or high water– uh, deep water.”
For once, Orion offers a rare smile. “Thank you for trying. Truly, it does mean a lot to me.”