How This Came Together
In Relearning, a sci-fi fantasy short story, Jarvis turns to Cecile as the settlement prepares for another assault from the horde. Their plasma cannons helped hold the walls, but the enemy’s flying monsters have created a weakness they can no longer ignore. Cecile may already have the beginnings of an answer hidden among the unfinished experiments scattered through her laboratory.
Jarvis only needs Cecile to solve one more impossible problem. Unfortunately, she is still dealing with the work required to keep their current defenses functioning. As frustration gives way to another search through her experiments, a miniature craft reveals that defending the settlement may require them to stop thinking only about what they can place along the walls.
Music Pairing
Sprightly Twilight accompanies Relearning with a lively pulse that fits the constant movement between frustration, sarcasm, and discovery. Its flickering tension works beneath Jarvis and Cecile’s argument without making the scene darker than it is, while the lighter energy carries Cecile’s frantic search and the moment her experiment finally takes flight.
Behind the Scenes
When I sat down for this installment, I wanted to give Jarvis and his people a spark of hope. Despite learning how to battle the members of the horde on the ground, the flying monsters continue to harass them from above. Ultimately, I needed Jarvis and his lead scientist to bicker over the work required to keep everyone alive. Instead of handing them a ready-made solution, Cecile reveals another endeavor she had already been pursuing, giving Jarvis a new direction to consider.
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Excerpt of Relearning
Jarvis shouldered Cecile’s laboratory door open and entered. “What are you doing?”
“I’m twiddling my thumbs while the devastating horde amasses for its latest assault.”
“Your sarcasm doesn’t help.”
“Don’t you have other things to deal with besides bothering me?” Cecile peered over the table, fire sharpening her stare. She cocked her head, leaving one narrowed eye visible. “Like dealing with the influx of our newest allies?”
Jarvis ground his teeth and drove his fist into the metallic doorframe. He drew several breaths and flexed his reddened fingers until they steadied. “Cecile, I require your cooperation, not your flippant attitude.”
“I’m busy trying to find other ways of defending this outpost.” Cecile pressed both hands against her temples and clenched her teeth around a scream. When she stood, she rested her palms on the counter, and her fingertips started tapping a soothing rhythm. She gestured at the half-finished experiments scattered throughout her lab and pressed both fists into the counter. Seconds later, her knuckles cracked through the silent laboratory. “I doubt the plasma cannons we cobbled together will be sufficient.”
“I seem to remember you crafting those with relative ease,” Jarvis said, crossing his arms.
Cecile dropped her head as she gripped the edge of the counter. As her fingers turned white, she bit her lip, letting the silence build between them. After several tense heartbeats, a false smile wormed its way onto her face. “You shouldn’t mistake how quickly we finished for how difficult the work was. It only looked simple from outside. My crew and I toiled for days to finish every one of those contraptions.”
“Point taken,” Jarvis said as he crossed to her worktable. “You’re right. Against the flying cavalry, those plasma cannons won’t be sufficient.”
Plucking a beaker from a nearby counter, Cecile threw it at him.
Jarvis leaned back, letting the glass sail past him to shatter against the far wall. When the final shard settled, he rubbed his chin. “That wasn’t called for.”
Cecile rounded her workstation and jabbed Jarvis in the chest. “What more do you want?”
“We need to be able to negate their aerial advantage.” Jarvis caught her wrist and lowered it. “We can’t continue fighting while their monsters control the skies above us.”
With a series of grunts, Cecile’s eyes narrowed as she ripped her hand from his grasp. When her string of protests died away, she turned and slammed her fist on the tabletop. Cecile shut her eyes, easing tension from her shoulders. She released a sigh as she pulled herself onto the table, crossing her legs. “Did you come down to push me to work even faster? Or do you have an impossibility already in mind?”
“We need to combat those monsters’ aerial support on an even footing.”
“Oh, is that all you’re asking me to accomplish?” Cecile groaned as she slid to the floor. She rounded the table, flinging open a series of cabinet doors. She lifted several models and, after a brief examination, she either returned them or tossed them over her shoulder as she dove for the next one. After searching the cabinets, Cecile dropped to the drawers and rifled through their contents and papers. After ransacking the entire lab, she planted both hands on her hips.
“What are you looking for?”
“It should’ve been there,” she said through clenched teeth. She rose and rushed across the laboratory to rifle through several small piles. With a squeal of joy, she pulled a pair of devices from the mess, brandishing them as she hurried back to Jarvis.
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