Re: Oak in the Mountains
He pauses to reflect, and then speaks. "You have precise hands. I feel good. Almost as good as a factory revamp."
"I'm Hendrick's Tor Exterior Roomba ver. 9.7 #2. There used to be more of us, but they shut down or were damaged, or one, well #5, he was a bit of a lamebrain. He kept getting lost, and would end up in a nearby village. Eventually he did not come back."
"Follow me," it rolls off, and leads you down to the base of the tor on the west side. It circles about a bit. "Somewhere around here, I would lose track of him. It was a software lock meant to keep me from seeing. I can tell you this because you asked me. But I do not think I can get closer than this." Its showing an area maybe fifty feet across w hich you had examined already, but perhaps you missed something.
"Mostly they would come, but on occasions they would gather and he would go to them."
"It was delivered to him by trundlebot, food, water, small items. He also had a small homefab for less complex items. There is a small river about a mile to the north which you can obtain water from. As to food, I am sorry, master, I am unable to help."
"I do not know who did bury him. As I said, it was four days before I was aware he had been buried. This suggests either a software override or advanced stealth tech was used."