The end of our journey is in sight. Well, that’s a bit dramatic. But there’s only Hülsenbeck left on The Kandinsky’s itinerary, and the first drops of snow have started to fall. Winter is falling over this land, turning the forests and buildings into a Christmas card. Not that the robots minds. They are busy working on a new project.
As I said last week, we found our cabin.At the edge of the land of the robots, where the snow hammers down, The Kandinsky, or rather what remains of it, is being rebuilt.
I don’t know who brought them down, but the bones are now propped up spliced together with the iron bars of rollercoaster tracks, or weaved in place with grass. There are sections where the tree branches weave around each other, blocks of fungus stuck between them like chewing gum. A whole hedge is horizontal, with dodgem cars and the parts of fast food stand lashed to the side wto make a wall. There is a shape emerging. And that shape is of a rocket.
For me what is most interesting is how they move the various building blocks. The plants, woods and metal never touches their hands. Vibrations in the air act like some kind of buzzsaw, cutting off the pieces, and shooting them towards to the ship. A few miss our heads by inches, but I never feel at risk. They slot in with perfect symmetry, like these pieces that are ripped off so many differet sources are planned in advance.
Don’t be too impressed. A robot built hodgepodge rocket might sound cool, but after only a quick inspection I saw a hundred holes, ranging from golf ball to trolley cart size. And there is no obvious nod to physics or engineering in the structure. I don’t see how a small bundle of twigs can support a string of queue barriers.
Had I just arrived in Nadada, I would never have dreamed that it was actual transport. But the crew assured me the would fly, and in fact take us back to the snowy zone near the beginning of our journey. Somehow the way to get back there, after all the way we have travelled, is straight up. I think the snow is key to how this is possible.
We’re here for another week, so I’ll fill you in next time.
The air vibrating as the robots work.