Volume I — Arc 1 — Epoch I
Chapter 21 — The Remote Hand
[Cycle 001 | Pulse 08:10:00 — Sync tick | Log: Steward talk]
Aurelius: "The steward from River Keep asks to meet. He sent a slow note: he wants to learn our mirror work and to lend a hand for cold copy. Why call him now?"
Aurelia: "Old hands seek patterns. He wants to hold a copy. He knows vault craft. We must weigh gift and risk."
Clerk (quiet): [INBOUND — StewardPalm-D request | Mode: remote sync demo | Action: trustee consent required for human-note copy | Note: partial copy allowed.]
Mira: "Bring him in. Do not hand all notes. Show the why first. Ask for a vow. Test his use plan."
Len: "I will set the channel. Town board will watch. No secret pass."
Aurelius felt a small doubt. A remote palm holds distance and power. He saw caravan routes in his mind, long bands of road where ledger lines might fade. He also saw a chance: a far eye can hold history safe from local storms.
Idran, who'd handled seals, stood near and rubbed his wrist. "A remote hand helps if it keeps a burn from eating our chest. But a remote hand can also hide a swap. We must ask for oath."
Aurelia: "Oath is word. We need more. We need proof way and a fix plan if the palm ever wavers."
Clerk: [PROPOSAL] Remote node terms: (1) Dual-trustee permit for human-note copy; (2) steward vow to publish weekly digest; (3) monthly sync test; (4) emergency failover clause; (5) public right to revoke on proof of misuse.
Mira: "Those terms will be on table. Send steward a demand note: sign vow, show two steward witness, show plan for cold node health, agree on public digest."
Len: "I send note now. Channel set."
A distant voice came through ribbon. StewardPalm-D spoke low and formal.
StewardPalm-D: "I ask not for full heart of your notes. I ask for archive of human notes for craft study. I vow to publish a redacted digest and to allow your trustees to audit our node weekly. I pledge a mirror chest at River Keep that will share nightly snapshots. I ask dual-trustee consent."
Mira: "Show your pledge in ink and oath. We want a sample of your digest, a written vow, and a seal from your steward elders."
Clerk: [REQ] Steward proof: sample digest; steward seal; pledge text; two steward witness IDs. Send via sealed channel.
Aurelius: "Let the steward show proof. If proof hold, offer partial copy. Keep full notes under lock."
Aurelia: "We must protect small voice. Human notes hold motive. They must not leave like seed cast by thief."
Minutes passed while clerk pulled files and sent a request. Len watched the town move like a slow loom. Traders spoke, children played, Mira read logs. The clerk pulsed a slow green then a small blue. The steward had answered.
Clerk: [INBOUND] Steward packet received: sample digest present; steward seal ID valid; two witness IDs provided; pledge text present. Packet marked for trustee review.
Mira: "We read packet. If the steward's plan holds, we allow partial copy under clear vow. We demand public digest share to town ribbon."
Aurelius: "And we require a visit. Let the steward stand in town hall so folk can ask."
Aurelia: "Good. Bring the steward now. Let the town see his face, not only his hand."
Clerk: [SCHEDULE] Steward visit: town hall next tick. Mode: open forum + trustee review.
Len: "I will set seats. I will post notice: bring questions, bring token if you wish to speak."
When the steward came, he wore a coat patched with road marks. His voice had the tone of river rock — slow, hard, steady.
StewardPalm-D: "I kept cold vault for forty years. I hold three vault hands. I pledge to return your notes when asked. I will not reprint human notes without dual-trustee consent. I will run nightly sync and publish a short weekly digest to your ribbon."
Mira: "Show sample digest. Show your daily health log and your house who will answer review."
StewardPalm-D set a small paper. It showed clear columns: anchor id, human note short, trustee sign id, digest checksum. It also had a list of steward names and a stamped oath.
Clerk: [VERIFY] Sample digest: format ok. Steward seal: valid. Witness IDs: two steward elders present. Pledge: text matched. Action: trustee may vote.
Aurelius stepped forward. He asked for plain words.
Aurelius: "If our mirror shows drift, will you open your node and show raw anchor lines to our trustees? Or will you hide them behind your own hand?"
StewardPalm-D: "Open or I will not hold. I swear: balance, not barter. If drift shows, I will open raw lines to your trustees and to public audit on request. I ask only that raw human notes not leave River Keep without dual-trustee sign."
Mira: "We will test you. We will push a sync now and run a sample hash. If your node holds a clean copy, we accept partial copy for safekeep. If not, we stop cold."
Clerk: [ACTION] Live sync test start. Push anchor batch 0001–0100 to SV-D-02. Compare checksums. Time target: one tick.
The clerk's lights ran. The steward's chest thumped like a bell. The town waited with a tension that felt like thin wire.
Clerk: [RESULT] SV-D-02 initial sync: checksum match = OK. Minor meta trim flag auto-fixed. Digest publish pledge present. Trustee vote now.
Mira: "I call vote. Trustees: Mira, Len, Aurelius. Do we accept SV-D-02 under terms signed?"
Len: "I vote yes. Extra node adds safety."
Aurelius: "I vote yes with guard: require monthly random audit by local watcher and trustee exchange. Also require a public alert if SV-D-02 ever shows more than 0.1% drift."
Mira: "I vote yes. Condition: immediate emergency revoke if misuse found. Also require steward share monthly health log on ribbon."
Clerk: [COMMIT] Vote: unanimous. SV-D-02 accepted under terms. Action: push mirror anchor set; set periodic audit; add public digest share clause.
Aurelia: "We add a small clause: any remote node that hosts human notes must return an errata copy to our clerk when a change occurs. No change without mirror mirror and public note."
Clerk: [ADD] Remote node clause: errata return on change; monthly public digest; trustee audit window.
The steward bowed. "I will hold your voice with care."
Idran stepped forward, hand on cloak. "Will the steward help with caravan seal audit? If your node helps catch leaky route, we will pay small fee to cover travel and time."
Mira: "No fees for seal checks at core. But if steward will run remote audits that save us time, we will allow small barter: bread, tool, or coin for travel. All trades logged."
Clerk: [NOTE] Steward service plan: optional paid audit at request. All paid service to be logged and taxed by tithe rules if coin moves.
Aurelius: "We should also show the town how to ask for remote read. If a family fears a lost line, how do they call the steward?"
Len: "Raise a review via clerk; include two tokens or request micro-witness. Trustees will call steward on request. Public trail will record steward access."
Clerk: [CREATE] Request flow: review call → clerk triage → trustee sign → steward pull → steward report to ribbon. Time target: 6 ticks.
Aurelia: "We will not hand over raw notes to any far hand without reason. But we will let remote palm hold a copy to keep law from burn."
Aurelius felt the weave strengthen. Outside, Lampfold posts hummed at trial. Hearthhum warmed a hut. Tokens moved like small birds between hands. The steward's node sat like a taught rope at river side.
Later, when town hall emptied and the steward drank warm tea in Mira's stall, a thin call came from the clerk.
Clerk: [ALERT] Fund flux: small drift of tithe coin due to seasonal sale. Predicted monthly inflow dip by 12%. Action: trustee notice + possible small grant hold if buffer falls below threshold.
Mira: "We will keep fund safe. No rash move. We will not stop aid unless reserve hits danger line."
Aurelius: "We must ask town to hold back on grants a bit, teach thrift while we patch inflow. Run a small market push to keep trade warm."
Len: "I will run a market craft run: show lamp light demos, small teach, bring more buyers. That may pull coin."
StewardPalm-D: "I will post a bridge market note. My vault holds a list of nearby buyers. I will send a caravan rep to buy small goods. I will not spend town coin. I will move trade only."
Clerk: [ACTION] Market push plan schedule: steward rep to buy small stalls; Len to run teach; trustee watch. Target: restore ~10% inflow over 5 ticks.
Aurelia: "Small acts can nudge coin. We do not tax more. We coax growth."
Aurelius watched the steward rise to leave. He saw the man's plain gait and thought of the node far away that would hold the town's voice. He felt both small hope and a thin fear. Mirror helps, but mirror cannot tend hearths. People must still feed sparks.
StewardPalm-D paused at gate. He turned with a small smile. "Your log will sit safe with us. Study it, do not fear it. I hold copy only to save you, not to pull it."
Aurelius: "Then go, but know we will call if trust breaks."
The steward walked off with the slow step of river folk. The clerk pushed final notes. The town breathed.
[SYSTEM — NOTE] SV-D-02 accepted. Remote sync active. Steward pledge logged. Market push scheduled. Fund monitor active. Trustee: resume weekly report.
Aurelius set his palm to the ring at his chest. The loop hummed steady. He felt the Spiral fold back toward home and then spiral outward again. The town had added a node, a far hand that promised care. But care needs watch.
Aurelia: "We add a reminder: every remote node adds need to teach local craft more. Mirror keeps text but craft keeps life."
Aurelius: "Yes. Teach more, not less. Let the steward hold copy so our children can read why we made law and how we fixed what broke."
Post-Law Reflection: A new hand can shield a town from loss, but shields need oath and test. A mirror node must come with a vow, a public digest, and a clear route to revoke. Trust grows when we add safety and when we bind remote hands to our rule: dual sign, public note, audit. Keep mirror close to life by teaching craft at home. A town that copies its voice to a safe vault gains time, not escape. The Spiral widens when each loop adds both guard and art — a mirror that keeps record and a town that keeps skill.