Things had changed at the Outpost. After 2700 years of silence, the interstellar communications rig that B127MZ kept in top shape came to life. The message was straightforward, startling, and abrupt, "Go immediately to stealth mode. There is a ship from unknown origins coming to investigate planet Nebza and no communication was to be made with this ship."
B127MZ went to work immediately to power down or put in standby mode all of the equipment he had carefully tended over millennia. The ship he had built was already on standby. He held up a meter that detects outgoing signals and found several more pieces of equipment that were soon shut down. The interstellar communications rig was put in a passive listening mode. Finally, when all was silent and much darker, B127MZ broke out some battery-operated lanterns to relieve the darkness for JonMo.
B127MZ said, "Because of the very difficult gravitational forces and fierce high atmospheric weather, it will be difficult for the incoming ship to navigate safely. It is overcast here today across the kingdom. That will hopefully prevent this ship from noticing this kingdom. It is unlikely that the kingdom's primitive technology would be recognized on their scanners. This lends hope that we will escape notice. The electric trees and listening bushes are all organic technology. Unless they have the same, they should not notice them either.
"We need more information about this ship and its passengers. For now, I will call them the Intruders", B127MZ said. He continued, "Once you have completed some training, I want to send you on a reconnaissance mission. It will require you to do something no one else has done. No one has had the equipment that I will provide. You will need to cross the Great Mountains. Once you find the Intruders and know who they are and have an idea of what they are about, return here. Do not engage them as they could question you and this kingdom would be exposed. Remember your stealth tactics."
Mountaineering was added to his training regimen. He and B127MZ went to the mountains in the early morning and did not return until after dark. This happened every other day with one day reserved for rest. They found a canyon where JonMo could practice ascents out of sight of anyone who would pass by. Over the days he learned to use ropes and anchors to ascend steep sections. He found he enjoyed climbing after getting over the initial fright of being up so high. B127MZ had outfitted him with ropes, a helmet, cold weather gear, laser drilling rock anchors, and belay equipment. It was basic, but it worked.
JonMo also got used to the rations that would sustain him as he crossed the Great Mountains. It would not be a fast trip, so he had to balance the weight of rations with his trusty hunting bow and arrows.
On the days he was not mountaineering or resting, he trained in martial combat, and strength training with weights. He also learned about hard sciences and technology. In addition, B127MZ had him practice stealth. This was difficult to do at B127MZ standards. The robot would stand in the woods and make JonMo try to sneak up on him. B127MZ's audio sensors were excellent and the robot would call out when he had detected JonMo. The closest he had gotten was 10 meters from the robot. He began to see every stick, branch, root, and rock as well as any shadowed place to hide. Finally, he got to within five meters without the robot's notice. B127MZ reduced this part of his training regimen after that and mountaineering got more emphasis.
B127MZ had JonMo keep climbing higher each time they went to the same canyon. The rock anchors had a tiny laser drill on their tips and quietly allowed JonMo to set safe anchors for his ropes. He would climb enough to set anchors and then belay down to the canyon floor to have lunch. After lunch, he was back at it. The ascents got higher and higher and his rest breaks became more and more welcome. B127MZ would not let him rest much. Carrying the weight of all the gear he would need for the ascent made climbing much harder. B127MZ told him to put his gear on a separate rope. He gave JonMo a pulley block system he could use for mechanical advantage to pull up the equivalent weight of food and gear he would need, including weapons. He was told to find a safe ledge to employ this lift. Sometimes that was hard to find and a lot of rope was needed. Still, it was better than carrying the whole load on his back.
He began to have his lunch high in the great mountains and belay down just before dark. He had a couple of frights when his anchors had failed. He had set them in rock with fractures. He became more careful setting anchors which prevented the sudden fall and yank on his harness. One day when he had placed an anchor at about halfway up the mountains B127MZ called a halt to this training. "You were instructed to leave your supplies on the highest safe ledge today. That is because the actual supplies for the ascent plus a month after were put in there. In two days you will begin your mission. Now go home to the Outpost and rest."
JonMo was lean and fit and capable of climbing a rope for 100 meters just with his hands. He was ready. From now on he would not have to take extra water except for the ascent to where his supplies were. The following ascent would quickly reach areas with pockets of snow. He had a solar-activated container that would warm and purify the snow or ice. It was to hang on his belt and be always charging in the daytime. That meant he would not be long without water. What was on the other side of the Great Mountains was another story. He did not know how far away the Intruders were. He hoped he could spy them from the top of the mountains. He hoped what B127MZ had packed would help him complete this arduous mission.
Rested and ready was JonMo. He and B127MZ stood at the base of the mountain where he would begin the reconnaissance mission. "Remember your instructions as they will help keep you safe. Do not engage the Intruders under any circumstance, B127MZ warned. These were parting words and JonMo began to climb. Slowly and carefully he made his way up to the halfway point. It was a ledge he could walk on, but not very far. He arrived without wearing himself out, a product of the regimen B127MZ had put him through. The old robot was full of wisdom which he had freely shared with JonMo. He could now read and write and understand math. He also had studied the very advanced technology the Outpost afforded.
JonMo winched up the stores B127MZ had packed for him once he settled on the halfway ledge. He also pulled up the rope he had used for the climb to not leave evidence for someone to wander into. The sun was down when he took out the tent shelter and secured it on the ledge. The light-blocking fabric of the tent allowed him to turn on the portable generator. It was a light and a heater as well as a charger for other devices and weapons. He knew it was a nuclear fusion device and had a rudimentary understanding of it. Mostly he knew it was handy. It could also put out heat but was calibrated to be no more than the heat signature of a small game animal. Another precaution of B127MZ. His heat signature was masked by his clothes and the sleeping bag. He sat upright in the bag to inventory the items provided in the pack he had winched up.
There was an ice axe as well as ice spikes that clamped on the bottom of his boots. Laser ice anchors were also there. They were longer than the rock anchors. There was also gear to camouflage him. A shell coat was reversible to match dry mountains on one side and ice and snow on the other. Also, there was food he could warm with a portable generator. It had to be rehydrated and was mildly tasty, but it was food. There was an invisibility belt, laser burst rifle, and pistol, all items of last resort. A compass and binoculars could be used as they were passive technology. His bow and arrows were his most comfortable weapon, though he had yet had a chance to use them. He had a larger bow now that the laws of the kingdom had no hold on him. There were night vision glasses and his solar water purifier. A knife and headlamp completed his list of supplies.
He began the ascent early the following morning. He took with him climbing tools, food, a knife, a laser burst pistol, a small light-blocking tarp, and his headlamp. It was slow going at first as he learned to climb ice. He was extra careful with the ice anchors; he double-tested them before moving on. He was very tired at the end of the day. He had found no ledge. He could only go about 20 meters higher before the limit of the rope to pull up the pack was reached. He spent an uncomfortable night hanging next to the ice. He arranged the tarp to both cover him as well as shield him somewhat from the seeping cold of the ice.
The sun woke him from a fitful night's sleep. He ate the food that he brought which were little round cakes that sustained him. He had put ice into the purifier bottle last evening and now it was refreshing water. Finding a ledge was very important now.
When he had climbed about 15 meters, he spied a dark opening above him. When he got level with it, he found it was a shallow cave. He shined his headlamp into the cave and found it was empty. Relief washed over him. After resting for a bit, he winched up the gear pack. He barely got food prepared and eaten before he fell soundly asleep.
He used the portable generator to slowly warm his breakfast after he had put in a little water to hydrate it. B127MZ of course has prepared the freeze-dried food. He knew a lot about nutrition but his notion of taste was lacking. He ate breakfast and then organized his supplies for the next accent. Then he stood on the lip of the cave to survey above him. He looked for the best way to ascend and found two likely ways. In the end, he decided on the right-hand one and began his climb.
He pushed on until he found a crevice that also had a ledge. The sun was going down and he winched up his supplies in the dark. From this high vantage point, he could see small lights from the kingdom far below. The ever-raging ocean and coastline were visible due to one of the closer planet's reflected sunlight. He loved this place, yet was anxious to see what lies beyond the Great Mountains.
He added another layer of clothing before going to sleep. In the morning he decided to keep the extra layer. It was cold and windy. The conditions above included some bare slopes and some ice. He chose to avoid the ice even though it would take him longer. He got back at it. He followed B127MZ's advice to drink water as it would help prevent altitude sickness. Another grueling day of climbing very carefully was before him.
It was long into the night when he finally found a ledge. He had just a little rope length left attached to his supplies below. He knew he had to pull them up in the dark, but it was a very weary job to do the winch work. Finally, the supplies were on the narrow ledge. He ate a simple meal cold and went soundly to sleep.
When he surveyed above him for the next ascent, he was pleasantly surprised to see he could make it with just one more try. His muscles were sore, but he went on after breakfast.
Some very difficult climbing slowed him down, yet he made it to the top by the middle afternoon. Clouds obscured the far side, so he would have to wait to get an idea of what lay beyond the Great Mountains. He carefully scouted the mountaintop until he found a somewhat level and shielded place. After it got dark he winched up the supplies. The unknown pressed heavily on him as he ate a cold supper and tried to sleep. Finally, he slept until bright sunlight hit his shelter early in the morning. It was still windy and cold.
He ate a cold breakfast as he was too impatient to wait on the portable generator to warm it. After donning his warmest gear, he stepped out of the shelter and carefully peered over the ledge. He was amazed to see rolling hills all covered by trees. It stretched like this to the far horizon. It was not the barren wasteland that he expected from the legends he grew up with. He could also see a river at the bottom of the mountains. He strained to see any indication of the Intruders, but none was visible. There was nothing for it. He had to find the intruders. He risked a long look at the mountain below him. It was sheer and impassable. He needed to find a way down, but first, he would sleep in the daytime and move along the ridge line at night. B127MZ had cautioned him to not be visible during the day when he was at the mountaintop and beyond. He was to move only during the night, but B127MZ had provided some eyeglasses that gathered light. It was passive technology that would not alert the Intruders but would allow a measure of safety when traversing the mountain tops in darkness. He hoped the traverse would provide an advantage to spot the Intruders. He set the portable generator to the slow task of warming his food. It was cold and blustery with snow falling and a good day to hunker down in his shelter, stay warm, and sleep.
He woke up with a start, realizing it was now past midnight. After a cold meal, he decided to put most of the remaining food and supplies in his large backpack. His weapons, survival and climbing gear, and lots of rope made for a heavy pack, but that was better than backtracking every night to his stash. He lashed the ropes on the outside of the pack. He needed to keep moving and find the Intruders.
It was slow going with the weight of the pack bearing on him. B127MZ had put him through rough conditioning workouts and that was paying off now. He carefully judged the terrain using the night vision glasses and moved up and down on the ridge line in the direction of the sea. It was not far and he wanted to check the coast first. At about an hour before sunup, he came to where the mountains intercepted the coastline. The mountains continued out to sea for about a kilometer before ending in a sheer face to the sea. He could faintly hear the waves crashing far below as he scouted for a location to hide out during the day. He found a marginally flat indentation and set up his camp shelter. The portable generator warmed his food and he ate well from his freeze-dried stash of foodstuffs.
He was awake about an hour before sundown. He used his binoculars to scan the curving coastline. In the far distance, he could see the setting sun glinting on something shiny. He would need a closer look. He resolved to backtrack to a location that afforded a descent that was at least in the realm of possibility. He used the scant daylight still available to look down in the direction that he had come. He noticed that not far away there was an area where the mountain was formed into a canyon at the bottom. That seemed feasible and he went to bed to rest up for the great descent.
It was fully dark the next night when JonMo let down his pack carefully to the end of its rope. Another handy thing B127MZ had supplied him with was a few remote devices that would secure a rope at the top. A push of a button in a certain sequence would release the remote device above. The device was lightweight and would fall with the rope. This allowed JonMo to reuse the ropes for his descent as well as the pack.
It took him three nights to descend to the bottom of the mountain. He found a stopping point towards the end of the night to pull in his pack, release the ropes, and set up camp for the day. The resting spot was sketchy, but he made the best of it. He made sure to anchor himself to prevent a sleepy rollover to a fatal drop. He could only go as far as his ropes allowed. He descended fairly quickly and had plenty of time to rest up for the next night's descent.
His heart filled with gratitude for making it down to the lower foothills of the mountains. He made a stash of his supplies that were not necessary for a short trip. He settled down to wait for the next night to trek to the shiny object. First, he had to find a way to cross the river.