Caught this still from one of the remote drones that are still active. Most of the flying drones got taken out by the avian life that cropped up once the water receded. This one managed to land near one of the abandoned structures on the mountain ring before an avian could mistake it for food. Don't actually know how many survived, they were spread out all over the place.
I have moved it a few times, at very, very, low altitudes. A few dozen feet at most. Higher than that and the avians take notice. It's sitting on the roof of a small structure that has clearly not been occupied for a very long time. The vantage however is fabulous. It's hard to see with all the growth, but this is inside the mountain ring and one of the villages is in frame at the bottom of the valley.
It's funny how the water line creates a clear wear band on the mountains. You can see exactly how high the water gets. I'm pretty sure I can even see the highest it has ever been. Some tests will confirm that, when I get a chance.
I noted a similar band where Sanctuary village is at. The village sits about two meters above that line. I pointed it out to the elders when we were there. Now that I am an elder I will be bringing that up at the next meeting. I think we need to move the village up at least another five meters. There is a very large, relatively flat area at six meters, and another at twelve meters higher. If we start work now, we can have the village moved in a few years and then be in a safer position. Those locations also offer some better wind protection. That's why I built my house where Frydai and I did, a small outcropping of the ten meter area. Now he and his new mates will need to consider that as well, at least he will.
I knew ahead of time that I'd say yes. I knew it before he even asked. Still, I gave it the consideration that it deserved. He won't be getting everything he wanted up front, for several reasons. Firstly, I want Frydai to go into this slowly, as it is a big step. Secondly, it's going to take some time for the systems to figure out how to modify and perform the implantation and properly connect them up to his central nervous system. He's going to first get a communication implant and an oxygen cell.
These will allow the systems time to process the more detailed scans that are needed for further implants, and are the least intrusive. The oxygen cell is essentially a self contained unit that attaches to his lungs and a main vessel from there to the heart. It measures the oxygen levels in his blood, and will add oxygen from it's reservoir as needed. It also acts as a filter to prevent carbon-dioxide build up, etc.... It is a smart early implant and will allow him to assist me more readily in several projects. As will the communication implant. While it'll only let him talk back to me when he is able to speak, he'll be able to hear me even under water, and allow him to hold his breath for about an hour.
Before he can get the more advanced, direct brain connection units I have, and he very much wants, we need a lot of tests and scans. I give credit to Frydai for bringing that up himself, up front, when he broached the question. I was an am very impressed with the consideration he has given this. He's really given it a lot of thought to it.
I'm fascinated by his mates. They're not interested in the more advanced stuff that Frydai is, but once they understood what the communications implant was and would allow, they're both considering it. They're both very bright people themselves. Clar is a female, and while they are mates, she doesn't want to get pregnant yet, and both Frydai and Hearl, another male like Frydai, are on the same page. They want to make sure it works between them, and to have a home and such set up first. That said, it isn't stopping them from enjoying each other.
I am going to have to get over my own hang-ups. I am still not quite always sure which of them is a male and which is female. The differentiation between them is subtle and I still miss it. I'm glad they don't take offense when I get it wrong. Walking in on them caught me by surprise, though that is how I figured out that Hearl was male.
For now, Clar and Hearl have moved in with Frydai in his room. Their plan is to build next to me once I start my house. I will be doing that once the water processors have completed their cycle. The efficiency improvements that Frydai came up with have proven to be even better than expected. It does require the filters to be changed out more often, but that's okay. The three of them have taken that up on themselves, and we now have enough material in storage that I have started printing again in earnest.
My plans for what to print keep changing. For now, I'm printing simple things, some hand weapons to add to the armory, swords and such blades with enhanced edges, a mixture of sizes for me and for the Lou'orth, as well as tools for farming. I'm also printing saws with teeth designed to cut through the amazingly tough fibers of the trees and plants so we can harvest the wood and materials we need to build with. After that, I'll be switching up to pins, bolts, and support structures, as I plan on building a comfortable, two story, home. Once I have enough of those, I will switch over to the Rocket. I've got the fuel for it, but I need everything else, and the satellite to stick on it.
Frydai is currently in the A-Doc for his initial deep scan. While he is doing that, his mates are working on leveling the location where both our houses will be, using the four wheel vehicles Frydai and I used during the tide. They are using logs carved in such a way that, when dragged behind the vehicle, it acts like a scraper. It is actually working quite well. They move weights around on it to change where the pressure is, and therefore where it cuts deeper into the soil. Though I did add a level of difficulty to it, as we are going to build right up against the cliff face. I actually plan on digging into the cliff some.
I'm heading to an elders meeting where I will be given some more information on what being an elder implies for the tribe, and what other expectations I might have on me as an elder. Especially as I am likely to live far longer than them.