1.107

As you reach the top of a low hill, you see the first of the massive Ziggurats rising out of the forest. Sure enough, you can just make out a figure standing at the top. You head for the first of the meter-high “steps” and gird yourself for the arduous climb.

As you mount the final step, Silaro looks up from his equipment—some sort of kinetic glass display. “Oh good! You made it. And just in time!” he says. “I’ve uncovered something remarkable.”

He gestures around him. “We’ve long suspected that the Ziggurats are some sort of power source; maybe they generate power, or perhaps they bring it from somewhere else. But in any case, in the writings I’ve interpreted, the Estians refer to them as ‘power nodes,’ and together they provide energy to the arcology.

“I believe now that the new passages we’ve been exploring underground have been opened by the arcology itself! Some sort of autonomous reaction! And if that’s true, I wonder what the arcology would do if we gave it a little more juice.”

You ask why Silaro assumes the Ziggurats aren’t sending their power to the arcology already, and he points to his kinetic glass display. “Look at these readings! The Ziggurats are bleeding energy off into their surroundings. It explains why we always feel so edgy around them. But the writings also explain how we can shift them, get the power under control, and redirect it back into the arcology where it belongs.”

Silaro begins to demonstrate the process—using sympathetic resonance with a precise series of whistles—and you look at the other Ziggurats marching away into the distance. Looks like there’s some more climbing in your future.

Complete the AN URGENT REQUEST mission and gain the POWER UP mission. Search the General set for 2 Unstable Ziggurats and shuffle them into the path deck.