Sienna Oculi's Story

The man in a fully kitted field research suit looked up at the ceiling and took another drink of his light beer. In his eyeline was an autumn-colored Gardener idly munching on a large cabbage. She gesticulated with one leg but nothing is heard with the RF quietus she broadcasted to Stanton's headpiece.

"Your planet might have a bunch of researchers on it, Sienna, but it doesn't have a whole lot practical hardware. I needed to stock up before our trip. Your cabana boys are still busy stocking our transport and you can't well get me drunk on the job, eh, Red?", he responded to the wordless question.

If the eight legged arachnid could roll her eyes she would but instead just rolled her head side to side. Pointing with one leg she responded a svelte english to stanton's headpiece, ((I might be a young thing but I can still order them to buy me alcohol, you know. Fine. I want something to eat before I have to breathe that horrible recycled air for months.))

Cryoface pushed the doors open and looks around. "Phew. So friggin' hot around here...more so than usual. Good to be back...but everything looks so damn different. Guess it's just like how glaciers constantly melt and shift." The mammoth snowman might have passed for a sweaty, pale man were it not for how his lower body tapered off into a serpentine tail. The outer ice armor served not only as protection during combat, but to delay the assault of the oppressive heat.

Stanton looked over the fellow that looked like he was melting. Cryoface caught a xenobiologist's twinkling eye, "Have you considered switching out that armor for something with air conditioning? It's really quite nice."

Stanton barely contained his glee from behind his glareless faceplate and raised a bottle toward the wet man while grinning as wide as one can.

Sienna rotated slightly to get a more central look and flicked her bright red head again, ((Don't antagonize the soldiers, Stanton.))

As the Money spider tapped his legs on the floor there was movement through the upper railing as Sienna came downstairs. What looked like stockings in a tight patterned swirl down to black tips upon the carpet at least until the second joint appeared with the other seven legs. The stairway was a wide ornate one by human standards so Sienna didn't have any difficulty quietly moving down the stairs. There was a smooth shuff sound from her feet as there were no tarsal claws to clack. As she smoothly rounded the corner the principal eyes came into view with their faintly visible iris moving the pupils about in tandem to look about between indigo and the money spider. White silken sensory hairs dotted her well-brushed body waving idly in errant breezes. The hair around her eyes was more of a faint amber that matched the carapace of her smoothly bristled pedipalps. The opposing thumb on one flipped out and revealed the two fingered 'hand' as she stretched it stretched upward to wave.

The transceiver on Mr. Indigo's desk sounded again with her sultry and very practiced human English voice though the pedipalp 'hands' gesticulated, "Hello, Money spider! I am Matriarch seeker Sienna Oculi of the Gardeners. Our kind don't have vocal flaps so unless it's no bother for me to touch by mind I'll use the transceiver. Anyway, I think we make two peas in a pod! As the human saying goes! I like it, rather."

She moved closer flourishing with a hand and leaning a inspecting eye toward the Money Spider as her honeyed voice continued on speaker, "Though we're closer to Crustacea subphylum than Chelicerata like yourself. I do try to pick up some of dear Stanton's taxa pads to understand his needs. Mr. Indigo tells me you're qualified for this duty. Certainly, you look like a good strong sort suited to our buildings! I handle most of the business drudgery on site for my dear Stanton. Still, there's things one can't quite do from Sopitos but you will be able to reach me directly. Matriarch Oculi has ready one of the new quietus-enabled gardener communicators ready for me."

She headed over to the second chair much like the one provided for the Money Spider though it was already adjusted for her. She relaxed into it wiggling her thorax into the padded bucket seat then stuck her black leg-tips to its underside.

Mr Indigo interjected continued while Sienna got situated, "Mr. Stanton has a bit of stage personality for his show. He's a far more stogy fellow when working his research papers but not unapproachable."

The hair around the Money Spider's head stood on end. He tilted his cephalothorax upward, trying to get a fix on Sienna with the eyes on top of his head. At first he couldn't figure it out, the chemical mix in the air contradicting what he expected to see. Soon each step made itself known. A brief moment of excitement overwhelmed the Money Spider, before it was replaced by increased awareness over his words.

He stuttered, exaggerating the salesman-like voice he puts on. "Hm? Oh, ah, yes, hello! I-The Money Spider hadn't expected this. Touch by mind, you say? The Money Spider thinks we ought to keep using the transceiver for now, ahah."

As he listened to the abstract voice, an agitation within the Money Spider (or perhaps more suitable, Midas) kept pulsing back and forth. He knew what it was. He kept it contained. Focused on his breathing, and the character of his words. "A Gardener, how surprising! The Money Spider could tell, no doubt. No horrid acromantula would have such a warm face to lay eyes upon."

He found it funny that she mentioned him as the strong sort, knowing full well that by acromantula standards he was quite pathetic. She moved around to sit in one of the custom seats hiding behind the desk, something the Spider had noticed but not concerned himself with. Still, this new development was remarkable for him. The company of one even remotely like himself was very refreshing.

"The Money Spider finds that showmanship and presentation are the key to success in all manner of interactions. No doubt this Stanton is worth working for. If the Gardeners are comfortable with having the Money Spider work with them, you have yourselves a superb addition to the team. What sorts of facilities would be provided? The Money Spider doesn't get an office does he? Haha!"

Once settled Sienna pumped her two-fingered hands upward in the Gardener form of a nod as the speaker went off again, "Ah, a flatterer as well! Thank you! The Matriarchs will like you. As it suits then I will use the transceiver! A contractor of the Gardener Matriarchy is entitled to free travel on Sopitos. Matriarch Volla can furnish a location for you at the precipice on Sopitos if you would like an office on Sopitos for business. The precipice is maintained at Terra's gravity and atmosphere pressure."

Sienna tilted her head focusing on a message from Matriarch Volla in Quietus. Mr Indigo took the moment to interject, "We have agreed to pay you in Terran currency as it is more convenient to Matriarch Volla to trade in resources at the present time."

She rubbed the thumb and forefingers together on one pedipalp-hand, "Yes, we are not rich in land or currency off-world our trader markets atop the precipice are new. Matriarch Volla cares for our land and buildings she would know. She maintains our only ansible communications building. So you may call her directly; she is making an encryption card for you. Though we are a psionic species so you can reach her through any high soldier if you like."

The flat of her pedipalp hands held upward shuffled sideways in a shrug, "The children of the Matriarchy here have bought safe houses for all Gardeners in the city but contractors may use them too. They're good boys. I suppose Matriarch Volla could refit an office for you there, hmm? One of their rooms should suffice though the buildings are usually full of Gardener mercenaries."

The Money Spider rubbed his palps together and twitched his fangs briefly, his version of a more childish smile. The truth was that he believed himself to be moving far too quickly, like this was some kind of surprise party. Luck was unknown to the Money Spider, just hard work and a payoff. A part of him felt like he was taking advantage of their generosity, but he also honestly believed he could use such resources to the best of their ability.

The Spider continued to listen, and acknowledged Indigo's words with a nod.

Responding to Sienna's words he spoke, forgetting to use his title out of genuine excitement "I hope it causes no extra trouble. The Money Spider thinks an office on Sopitos would be most suitable, why yes. A place where the Spider can tend to his work indoors. The possibility of befriending other Gardeners like yourself is also very exciting." Immediately he regretted his last sentence, wiping his eyes with his palps. "Not to say the Money Spider gets lonely, or that that would even be a problem, of course. Immensely glad a telepathic spider isn't in the runs for the job, ahahah!"

The Money Spider could feel Sienna's presence placing a pressure on his mind. There was this young, pretty thing just in front of him that so closely resembled him but wasn't. Like there was a split in reality and Midas belonged to a parallel dimension. Acromantulas were flesh eating beasts of a dark magical origin. Their society's didn't allow for civil discussion, they would feast on human flesh instead. Clear it, Midas. That's not relevant. You're the Money Spider. This is the best day of your life.

"So, Mister Indigo." He said, much calmer with the intent to change the subject. "What's the next step? The Money Spider can take any documents to study in the interim, if need be."

Mr Indigo pondered internally as Sienna spoke if it was wise putting one of this particular Acromantula race in a position of power but most races didn't take air pressure changes well and acromantula biology could likely tolerate the high fluorine density of the biosphere. Not to mention an ability to climb around sheer wall faces and claustrophobic Matriarch demesnes. The Gardeners hadn't taken much interest in business or law as trade was traditionally a Matriarchal duty, Volla handled it all, and they prefered to delegate a task of Sienna's size if they could. His list of takers for the role was rather small and most of the remainder full of rather dangerous individuals or neophytes. So such as he was Mr. Indigo thought Midas was the best option as he was acceptably qualified otherwise not that research hadn't done a full dossier on Midas for what the investigators could find. Indigo thought it was a plus that Midas had confidence and some self control around the young Matriarch Seeker. It was really his only concern.

After a few days going over her needs he found Sienna an intelligent if overly obliging creature with little suspicion or jealousy unlike the task-oriented minds of all other male specimens. It seemed the Matriarchy's mindset little supported hostility though possibly a recessive trait from Bvetin or a side effect of their Dreamer's own personality type he wasn't entirely sure. A connection to contractors on Sopitos gave them due cause to petition for an operational presence there on the Precipice. The position of currency exchange gave them an in on resource arbitrage to Volla and an excellent chance of permission from High Matriarch Bvetin. The Gardeners didn't suffer tourists. As it didn't do to have Logicroad there left to its own devices and a growing control presence. Thankfully the Matriarchy was singularly difficult to bribe much less threaten. A third of the population carried emplacement-class weaponry and worked for half the mercenary companies that existed.

Who knows what fresh hell Logicroad was up to digging out or creating and while the Matriarchy did keep Logicroad on a leash. Sol Enterprises had their own interests in investigating Sopitos after Mr. Indigo arranged some non-intrusive long range orbital scanning by trader but further research rather relied on it not being turned into some new apocalypse. Mr. Indigo convinced CEO Arcus Sol that Logcroad needed a choke chain instead to keep them from appropriating these worthwhile avenues to investigate. If nothing else the giant dyson ring around their planet the Gardeners didn't even allow Logicroad to enter. Logicroad had a reputation. Perhaps the Matriarchy had a growing suspicion the varied precognates that they all were.

Mr indigo looked at Midas for a moment then winced and gazed upward from sudden tinnitus, "I take it you'll accept the job then. Good. Is that sound you, Miss Sienna?"

Sienna raised one palp-hand flat to thin air as the tone became clearly audible then peaked as a thin comms encryption card squirted into reality quickened directly from Sopitos. The touch of Matriarch Volla's prodigious mind was something that suffused the air. A brooding Matriarch unlike the Seeker that Sienna was. A fleeting moment within the smell of ozone near the Quickened zone might even pass a sense of color to Midas from Volla's awareness of the scene. It didn't last long if it appeared at all.

She fumbled at the card in the air her palp-hands were fuzzy and didn't cling. It danced from hand to hand with no failing of the svelte voice before she looked to Mr. Indigo, "Ah! Oh! Wait! There, I got you. Ah no well by proxy Mr. Indigo, Matriarch Volla was sending this directly. Little plastic devils don't take well to my grips. Here's the card for Mr. Midas, Mr. Indigo, if you would?"

Mr Indigo reached over to transfer the card from Sienna to Midas then offered a datapad with a ruggedized secure credit chit installed.

A raised brow already made note to add to their file on Gardeners for Arcus, "Interesting. Hrm. Well, you'll need this for communications to Sopitos with your needs for an office. Though I suspect you will have to arrange personal transfer to the planet yourself. I have worked with Sienna ahead of time to determine their expedition's needs and I've prepared list of supplies they will require and others by schedule."

His voice was steady and precise hands laced, "We've transferred a budget of credits for these goods from their publisher, an advance on their weekly salary, and a small signing bonus. Do get a good price and have the goods moved to Sopitos. Sol Enterprises reserves the right to do internal audits of budgetary accounts. Standardized employment papers to Matriarch Volla compliant with Terra laws is provided according to Terra national standards. The sponsored paperwork provides a license to employ mercenaries for personal protection as necessary on Terra through Matriarch Nemesis. Your authority to use mercenaries on Sopitos is by fiat of Matriarch Nemesis."

"Oh, without a doubt I accept, sir." He said, maintaining strong eye contact. He took a moment to wipe each lens of his glasses with his two palps. A wave of reassurance rushed through him with the confirmation that he most definitely had the job. There was no going back now. This was the beginning of a new era, one that the Money Spider knew he would have to earn.
The Money Spider received the card and took the datapad, recognising it as a symbol of responsibility, work and success. As if he were just given the keys for a plane that could take him anywhere. While his palps didn't have 'fingers' like Sienna, he was able to stick/unstick things to the tiny setule hairs that covered his body. He looked at it, and switched it on and off to get a gyst for the device. Promptly, he fitted both items into his front pocket.

He held back a chuckle in response to Sienna, intending to lose focus on her. Returning eye contact the Money Spider responded to Indigo "Of course. That can be sorted with ease."

The Money Spider tilted his had at the mention of his right to employ gardener mercs. Perhaps surprising to one who didn't know him, but Midas found physical confrontation very unappealing. The premise of employing defence on his behalf was something that greatly interested him. Nevertheless, the Money Spider focused on what was important. "Oh, Indigo, the Money Spider assures you the money will be spent with the greatest amount of efficiency. My namesake isn't hyperbole, you know. Anything you want spent or bought, the Money Spider can find the best numbers for." The Spider began to pack his papers back into the suitcase, and closed it shut. "So, I suppose the Money Spider should get to clearing out his apartment, no? Clean out the cobwebs and such, ahahahah. And I may contact you two via the datapad, yes? The Money Spider takes it that communication is key as the motif goes."

The Spider's legs begin to make slow movements, restless with a desire to stretch.

Sienna clapped her mandible-arm palms together with sandpapery noises from the thin hair covering her transceiver broadcasting cheer, "Oh good! Welcome to the extended Gardener family, Money Spider! It's good to have someone watching the budget I have my hands full in the field making sure dear Stanton doesn't fall off short cliffs or starve himself. Perhaps a few things you need to know then we'll be off, yes?"

The Matriarchs had a habit of precognition though it wasn't always conscious. Silver threads of consciousness pulled Midas's name from the aether and replaced 'money spider' in her mind.

She gesticulates with a shrug of her mandibles, "We're not hard to buy for mundane needs. Honestly, Midas, for my food you can get Gardener hardtack from Matriarch Rhia in Brillion. It keeps quite long. Gardeners are herbivores so only dear Stanton needs meat."

Her head torques rapidly in a vibration showing disgust, "I find that smell of cooking meat... hideous but I cook it for him anyway. A good steak now and again keeps him happy. His research hovercraft has a small stove I learned to use and someone needs to cook for him. Spices would be nice. The heat fan makes it moist and warm on the ceiling as long as I can take the smell. He's vegetarian most of the time whether he likes it or not."

She balls and shakes the one-jointed mandible-arms as her black leg tips disconnect so she can stand excitement coming from desk voice, "I like do so like a good fresh vegetable too though from time to time if you could. Stanton won't eat the hardtack he says it has too much sugar. They use water so it is an essential as there is little on Sopitos. Matriarch Oculi does not yet know why the land is so dry because some of the Matriarchy remembers lakes."

One pointing finger of each outer mandible-hand prods the ends of the hard ridged inner ones as she moves sideways out from the chair, "Ah, that's the simple things."

The two outer mandible-arms reach together and a pair of fingers peck at each other as she skuffs to one side of Midas's chair while rotating toward him, "I have no business left on the planet but for a certain misunderstanding at the hotel they put me in. I made pancakes to eat with this soy milk from a store but misjudged your gravity. A few times. Less than a dozen I'm sure. There is a matter of a cleaning bill. Once I deal with it I can help you move your things then go to the space port."

The transceiver made a small blue nimbus of coronal discharge then leaped from Mr. Indigo's desk onto Sienna's back. The faint glow moved to straps that threaded across the back of her cephalothorax to anchor underneath. That faint blue glow evidence of her finer telekinetic control.

She raised one of the middle rosy legs to bob the knees upward, "If I'm rested I can swing around a four-door vehicle in this low G you know! Not while up a wall but certainly for furniture."

Mr Indigo just smiled and said tersely, "You can contact either of us if you need to, Money Spider. Miss Sienna like most show hosts is always ready for the opportunity to be loquacious."

Indigo immediately opened Sienna's research file on his desk and made one important change. The notion that an adept seeker could already move metric ton or possibly more while on Terra rose her threat level considerably. He wondered how much power a brooding matriarch really wielded.

Sienna just turned her head then pointed with all her four fingers at her primary eyes then pointed with them at Indigo.

Marking brief notes on his new datapad, the Money Spider made sure to separate information into categories as he listened attentively. He laughed at Sienna's jabs at Stanton's diet and her story about the hotel. Her presence was at once uncomfortable and relieving. Something new. Once again, the Money Spider was able to get a glimpse at the gardener's psionic abilities. To his knowledge, the nature of it was a result of scientific evolution. He would have to ask if any gardeners were equipped with venom.

Pulling himself out of his chair, he relaxed his legs. The Spider then let out a long breath akin to an athlete preparing himself before a sprint.

"Why of course, Mister Indigo. The Money Spider will receive a full list of necessaries and have it sorted before my skin sheds!" As he headed to the elevator doors, the Money Spider stopped to turn himself back towards the gardener. "Oh, and Miss Sienna, you must let the Spider teach you the loopholes of hotel dining. You needn't pay a dime for a malfunctioning pancake ever again, hahaha!"

The Money Spider would then depart my means of the elevator, so that he could excitedly return home and prepare for the job ahead.

Stanton stood at the edge of the ground annex far below the heights of the precipice going through diagnostics before he was too far from the safety of pressurized airlocks. This world was weird, hazardous, and incredibly dangerous if one wasn't careful. Not that an unaided human couldn't breathe the atmosphere at ground level given some acclimation but the oxygen concentration was slightly higher than Terra at a higher pressure on the average at the surface. That put it uncomfortably close to the unlimited tolerance line for humans. Not to mention that the air pressure and gravity went up quicker while underground than it should for reasons not yet understood. You gained another 1g passing near 1km underground. He'd heard a recording of one poor sod whose cable broke in some deep subsurface cavern and gravity alarm audibly registered nearly 5.6G before nearing the bottom even without his considerable momentum. That is, just before his heavy exosuit hit the ground at nearly 500 kph. There wasn't much left of him and Matriarch Oculi had to send some high soldiers just to drag the exosuit out of the cavern to send the body home.

One of the benefits of having the matriarchs as a direct backer meant he had the benefit of an all-terrain expert to avoid such pitfalls. The redhead was making her way from the supply area with as much as she cared to carry down herself. He was busying himself testing the soil around the precipice exit finding la distinct lack of water. The atmosphere seemed low on humidity as well. He wondered at the salinity, acidity, and flourine levels of the sea nearby. Not to mention the low soldiers said that things lived in the hellish environment. The toxin cleansing systems in the creatures must be impressive.

As he read the data further he found the fluorine content of the soil was indeed off the charts. Nearly 20 ppm in the small samples here still fairly far from water. Humans definitely couldn't farm anything here and live let alone drink the water. They'd die from the toxicity in days. The organic horizon of the soil after he scanned a core, the size of the organic layer, turned out to be a lot deeper than he expected. Beyond that he even found a L layer indicating thick marine deposits. This was nearly 2 miles in altitude from the sea's current altitude. He made notes into the research tracker to log the soil samples and layers by location.

He'd have to take far wider measurements. The matriarchs sometime last year resorted to pulling in ice asteroids with seized pirate vessels and unlicensed salvage crews. Threw them at a rocky crater on the other side of the planet to raise atmospheric humidity. They broke it up before entering the atmosphere but that was teraliters of water and probably the only reason it rained here. Where in the blue hell was all the water going? He made also made a task note to see about the landing schedule from Oculi or get a reprieve to move to the landing zone for samples.

Out of the corner of his eye he spied a familiar red matriarch. Her demeanor was a plus on a heck of utility he sure as hell couldn't buy cheap especially as a robot. A large high-definition stereo camera hovered in place near her with a spherical gimbal attached. He could see the telltale corona of her telekinetics keeping the interior grips in control. Strong as hell, these Matriarchs, in two of her smooth red legs she towed a pallet on skids held just by their black setae tips. The front two held large bagged packages which were likely tents and clothes. What would the viewers say when the episode syopsis said he was riding the redhead with a six axis saddle? It was cheap but it got views and the Matriarchy appeared to appreciate Sienna marketed in that way as long as Sienna didn't object.

Her practiced silken voice with its telekinetically conferred affection was always rather soothing, ((Can't wait to get to work, dear Stanton? Always the dutiful sort! We'll have to stay within a few miles of the precipice ascent until Midas gets our things.))

Now what is going on here?

Arcus slithered, storming his way through the elevator door.

He took a look around, wondering what had caused all of the noise. He'd been working on this deal for far too long, bringing him now to the height of his bloodlust.

Where's Dante?

he commanded, demanding answers.

Around the corner, a clean-shaven fellow with formal clothing and a simple frock coat looked into the door to see all the people inside. His hands while still quite young had the telltale callous of a well-seasoned explorer if not by chest muscles chiseled into stone by 3g. Despite his adaption, a field exobiologist required vacations out of the hardsuit every so often. His companion wanted somewhere green. This planet seemed of interest to her with all the fancy dress and relative forested space and wasn't too far from Sopitos given the gate in-system. Stanton was all for being suited up in something cotton and Sienna wanted something far more elegant. As their show made a fair bit of cash he bought local dress rather than carrying luggage too far. Thus they'd come from an obliging if initially nervous tailor possibly afraid of Sienna's morphology. They both wanted something to eat and a dessert shop was perfect for Sienna.

He looked to one side in view of the door at his bright red-haired companion, "Looks like it's pretty busy, Sienna! It must be good, eh? Looks like somebody just installed a new machine by the sign."

Sienna shifted into view her legs wrapped by a set of silk stockings on each tethered by a red bow underneath. Brushed red hair hid the segments though she didn't wear footwear. The matriarch's abdomen up to the front of her cephalothorax and between the legs had a deep blueberry frock atop it bearing small bells at the edge to weight it down. Each dangle from ends of a faint ivy pattern they hid the ribbon straps that went underneath to hold the dress straight. A Hepburn style hat of wide brim partly excused a ribbon to hold it on her head. the curve restricting her vision but kept the sun out of her eyes.

Stanton looked at the ribbon putting his hand to his mouth. Sienna stamped her front two legs against the street in a display of frustration.

"I'm sorry, Sienna, it's the ducks I just can't.", Stanton toothfully apologized.

Sienna's own voice was svelte and well-practiced with an odd exotic bent from extensive practice. It came from a nickel-plated brass speaker just below her jaw plate. Position for the comfort of speaking races that her voice in Eigengrau came from near the mouth hole where it was 'supposed to'. Her actual handbag was a more utilitarian heavy synthetic canvas strapped to the second-back pair of legs. It contained the battery for her transceiver.

She stamped her front legs again, "I like the little yellow duckies. I can have my ducky ribbon if I want. I do hope they have confections without eggs."

Stanton led the way pulling up at the back of the counter line, "Best get in line then and see, eh?"

Sienna carefully maneuvered the door as to not catch her tinkling bells or the dress. Looking to and fro to see the others in the shop as their Sopitos expedition show seemed like something these people might watch.