Tunnel Rat-Chapter 386: Sending out the Weasel Patrol

The old caverns that had been silent for almost a millennia were now disturbed by the loud sounds of enthusiastic children stacking fifty-pound ingots of Deep Copper. They had diligently practiced making letters for as long as they could hold themselves still and then ran off to play. Currently, they were piling up the metal ingots into a maze of small 'rooms' in a playhouse. Milo could hear the difference in these ingots. The small bits of silvery alloy that remained in the copper gave a slightly more musical sound when a metal ingot was dropped on another. He was curious about the differences and itched to test the conductivity and tensile strength of the alloy.

He was happy that was his only itch at the moment. Brutus had finally declared his foot was good to walk on and not in danger of becoming infected. When the sock and bandages were removed his new appendage looked like its counterpart. He was so happy to be able to move that he turned a series of cartwheels, much to Buttercup and Rosie's delight. The girls had attempted to copy him, without success, and went back to expanding their houses.

When Milo finally calmed down, Brutus sat next to him and inquired about the next part of their journey. "So, what's next? We came here to dig a tunnel, and we're getting sidetracked, but this place feels important. We need one of those huge clay ovens to process the Deep Copper ore in the Hollow's mines into ingots. It won't be as fast or perfect as these Subragators you're talking about, but it would be a good first step to deal with all the piles of it lying around in the mines."

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Milo considered the idea. There would be more impurities in metal produced by crushing and smelting, but they could always run the ingots through a Subragator as a final process, and with most of the slag and impurities gone, it would process cleanly. And it would be a step toward teaching young whelps in the Hollow the joys of metalworking and engineering. And there were other things to consider. The political and social balance between the dwarven Engineers and Scavengers had made him think a lot. So had the interplay between the Fisherfolk, the Kulags, merchants, and guilds of Shadowport. He was still gathering information, but the math was starting to form in his head, and he could see ways to apply his theories to the Habitat. Having to deal with the habs reliance on outside power was still gnawing at him. Things needed to change to make the Habitat a better place to live, with more jobs, better food, and more opportunities. And the same with Limburger Hollow. Having a way to process ores in the Hollow would keep them independent and balance the influence of the dwarves. He wanted everyone to prosper.

He didn't realize how long he'd been thinking until Brutus elbowed him in the side, and handed him half a sandwich. "Eat this. Some good sprouts and 'shrooms in it, along with Gendifur's secret sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Then tell me what you are pondering. I caught a few of your mumbles."

"I was thinking about the Hollow, and what would change if we built one of these furnaces in the mines to process Deep Copper ore."

Brutus looked thoughtful, "And what are the Scout Master's conclusions?"

"I think it would change things. More whelps would study to be smiths, engineers, and miners. Is that a good thing?"

"Well, as the Caravan Master and an ex-Guard, I'd say yes. Things are shaking up. The Hollow isn't scared of a spider invasion or the players. We've learned how to kick their asses and have agreements with powerful allies. The Tower's mages are learning faster and using that newfangled math you taught them and Professor Arlothe is constantly tinkering with machines now that will give us an advantage in an invasion. More whelps are learning to fight and Gilad is nearly overwhelmed. Happiest he's been in ages.

And, speaking as the learned and venerable Caravan Master that I am, more trade goods to trade is a good thing, both to bring tasty things back to the Hollow, but also to cement the alliances with cannon-toting dwarven Engineers."

Milo turned slowly and stared at a grinning Brutus, "You've been thinking about this."

"Sure have. Guards have a lot of time to think while we patrol. Ask me sometime about boots and economic theory, one of my favorite topics."

"So, this is a good idea."

Brutus nodded, "Such a good idea. And I've already got a Weasel Patrol ready to carry messages. You can't do better than them. Dedicated, crafty, and impossible to predict. I think Master Clawhammer needs to see this place. The Weasel Patrol will deliver the message."

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Brutus whistled and tossed a handful of cookies into the air. A small horde of furry clowns leaped from the caravan and raced forward, tumbling over each other, rolling and bouncing. No cookie hit the ground. "Why seven weasels? Are you worried about them making it there and dispatching extras for a better chance?"

"Naw, weasels are sneaky and fast. But they don't like to travel alone. Which is good, since I don't want anyone to get bent out of shape from being ignored. I'm sending one to Clawhammer, and one to Gendifur. If she found out I sent a letter back to the Hollow by Weasel Patrol and didn't tell her about what the girls are doing, I'd be dodging frying pans for a week. Then I need a message to the other Scoutmasters, one to Gilead, Mistress Brownfur, Master Arlothe, and Old Healer. Got to keep everyone in the loop, because this is big stuff we're talking about here. Plus, everyone likes getting letters from the road. Everyone grows up wanting to join a Caravan and travel.

Milo hadn't considered that but could see the points: "Let's work on the notes to the Masters, and when the girls are done, we'll see if they can make some letters for Gendifur."

"Oh, she'd like that. Good thinking. And when that's done, we can smelt down that pile of dead scarabs. It's making me twitchy every time I patrol past it."

Justin was on duty when the furry ball of destruction rolled into the Hollow only a few hours later. He braced for the worst, but the weasels stopped just in front of him and all held up message tubes. "Official-looking stuff. Head on in, but if you get caught stealing cheese, I'm not protecting you this time." They saluted and six weasels entered the Hollow while one raced to the large house just outside of the Hollow where Brutus and Gendifur lived with the girls, and sometimes Tallsqueak, Larry, and Justin himself.

"Oh boy, wonder what's up." He would find out very soon.

Master Clawhammer was just shutting down his forge for the day. He and his apprentices had forged dozens of copper tools today and a handful of iron tools. Iron was difficult to get in the Hollow, but the dwarves had traded them five hundred pounds of wrought iron in exchange for a small pile of Deep Copper ore. A fuzzy messenger arrived, making itself known by accidentally knocking over a tool rack. The weasel saluted, handed over the message tube, and headed for the rendezvous point where the others were making daring plans for another raid on the cheese storage area.

"What the devil is this? Plans for building some sort of blast furnace for smelting the piles of useless copper?" He read further and further, looking at the drawings of even stranger ore processing machines. Then he yelled for his apprentices.

"I need twenty smiths and miners for a special mission. Get your tools packed, grab some food from Smiley, and meet up by the Guard Station. The first twenty are heading on an expedition with me." Ratkin scattered, and Clawhammer made his own preparations, taking his time. When he got to the Guard Station, there were twenty grinning people, and seven looking dejected but wanting to know what was going on. Clawhammer yelled out, "Looks like exactly twenty people to me. Let's head out." When the extras hesitated, he yelled at them to get moving.

In the cavern outside the Hollow, they were met by Justin the Guard, who was giving instructions to two junior guards. He grabbed a massive pack festooned with cooking gear. Gendifur stood nearby, dressed to travel and holding two bags with her medical supplies. She looked anxious to be leaving."

"Let's get moving. I want to see my girls. I'm missing important things." She started jogging, followed by Justin, who was whistling a marching tune. Everyone ran to catch up.

In her pocket was a note from Brutus, and a large piece of parchment with a short message. The excited girls had told Milo what they wanted to say, and he'd helped them with the letters. The process had taken many tries and gone through several revisions before they settled on what was important. Then more time as they struggle to write the note.

"Hi Mama We killed badsnake and have pets

Luv U R and B"