Volume I — Arc 1 — Epoch I
Chapter 27 — Hands of Proof
[Cycle 001 | Pulse 11:10:00 — Liaison tick | Log: Crosspath return & local craft]
Aurelius: "They came back with a map and a jar of small news. What says Crosspath?"
Aurelia: "They brought not just news but a demand: more craft, swift checks, and a way to show seals at far stops without slow rides. We must mend speed and truth in one stitch."
Clerk (soft): [INBOUND] Crosspath liaison return — Team: Len, Mira, watcher, clerk pack. Report: Dry March follow-up active; remote nodes found two ring points; Oren trace split; request for shared craft drills. Action: local review.
Len: "We brought proof. Dry March has hosts who took forged seals as coin. They held ledgers that echoed Rho-17 patterns. Crosspath wants a joint teach; Dry March asks for trainer pair to show lattice craft."
Mira: "They ask for Lio. They want his hand to show pattern. They ask for two more apprentices to train a remote crew. We must not send too many or ship craft like seed to blight. But we must help."
Aurelius: "Send Lio with a small kit. Let him show the lattice and call back. Send Jori later once he passes his last test. We must keep our bench."
Aurelia: "Yes. Send a teacher, not a troop. Teach, then return. Keep our craft close while we spread the skill."
Clerk: [PROPOSE] Liaison plan: send Lio + Len support + clerk doc pack to Dry March for 7 ticks. Jori remain for finishing drills. Trainer kit: 3 seals, 2 combs, 1 probe pad. Trustee sign: Mira.
Mira: "I sign. The town will not lose craft to travel. Lio will go with oath and a sealed mirror note. He must log every act to mirror."
Aurelius: "Bind it. No raw human notes travel without dual-trustee sign. Keep the why, not the private."
Clerk: [SET] Travel rule: apprentice travel pack allowed if (1) trustee sign; (2) Lio oath; (3) mirror log of every demo. All actions recorded as CL-0008.x.
Len: "Bryn will take a lead here at home while Lio shows Dry March the lattice. Kalen will host two rapid trainees for gate backup."
Kalen: "I can train two fast hands. They will know QuickCheck and mirror probe. Not deep craft but enough to keep gate flow if Lio is away."
Clerk: [REGISTER] Rapid trainee roster: Tam + Jori (remedial) → goal: QuickCheck pass within 4 ticks. Mirror log: AP-001.remedial.
Aurelius watched the apprentices at the bench. Jori's fingers trembled when he held the comb. He worked late, wrist raw from practice; a shard of sweat on his temple like a small bright note.
Aurelia: "Let the hand learn slow. A knot of worry does not make skill; it only makes wrong marks faster."
Kalen: "Jori needs a cadence. Stop lash work. Breathe with the comb. Press light, pass slow. Mirror loves calm hands more than speed."
Clerk: [ACTION] Jori remedial: breath drill; timed sets; mirror probe after each set. If pass count reaches 5 in a row → AP-001.jori pass.
The day's business pulled them to the market hall where Mira read aloud the Crosspath pack. It contained ledger slices, caravan logs, and a thin list of names—some real, some folded aliases. The pack also held a request: Crosspath wished to open a joint code so all steward nodes could mark suspect coin series faster. It asked for our mirror to share a rolling list of suspect coin signatures.
Len: "They ask us to federate: a rolling list of suspect coin marks to share across nodes. That bit could speed trace and cut false paths."
Aurelius: "We must not become a snare. A rolling list helps catch repeat bad coin, but if used without proof it can ruin a hand. Add guard: local trustee review for any arrest based on rolling match alone."
Aurelia: "Yes. Let the list be a tip, not a judge. Mirror issued pattern must lead to witness and clerk triage. No ban without proof."
Clerk: [PROPOSE] Rolling suspect list protocol: (1) mirror shares coin hash; (2) local clerk triage flags; (3) two witness tokens needed for review on local arrest; (4) trustee convene for cross-node arrest. Vote: trustee unanimous.
Mira: "I approve. Let the list not be sword but lamp."
Clerk: [COMMIT] Protocol CL-0009 queued. Mirror handshake with SP-A / SP-B / SV-D-02 active. Rolling list share: active after trustee sign.
The market bell called a short session. Traders asked for quick ways to keep trade fast while probe work ran in back. A merchant with a broad laugh, Barin, spoke for many.
Barin: "We fear that checks will slow coin and chase buyers away to road towns. We already lost small sale when pre-file stalled. We need a fast hand for small buys and a full probe for big buys. Keep patch light."
Aurelius: "We have the fast-pass for pre-registered traders. For random buys, we add a new tool: the Probe Badge — a small pad at the gate that reads a quick hash and returns green or amber. If green, no mirror probe; if amber, mirror probe required. It does not replace mirror but acts as a triage."
Aurelia: "Make it simple and public: quick pad for speed, mirror for truth. Keep prover logs open to clerk."
Clerk: [PROPOSE] Probe Badge pilot: one pad at gate, one at south market, run for 10 ticks. Mode: triage only. Mirror probe remains final. Test then vote.
Mira: "I second. Pilot run will show if trade stays steady."
Len: "We must teach how to use pad so no one bribes the pad operator. Pad logs must write to mirror, not local purse."
Clerk: [SET] Pad policy: pad writes to mirror anchor with quick hash; operator must sign; bribery attempts flagged; pad audit weekly.
Aurelius: "Let pilot run. If it helps, we roll out more. But do not let pad become toll machine."
Clerk: [COMMIT] Pilot scheduled. Probe Badge pads: 2. Operators: GK-12 (probation monitor) + Len (actor rep) for initial oversight. Log anchor: ProbePad#PP-001.
With pilot set, the town took breath. Outside, Kalen set two more apprentices at his bench. Tam's hand began to find a rhythm; the comb left neat micro-bars over and again. Jori, after a dozen failed lines, reached the small calm Kalen asked for and the mirror let out a soft pass tone. The clerk recorded it with a quiet bell.
Clerk: [REPORT] Jori pass: AP-001.jori → mirror probe pass x5. Trustee pending sign for certification.
Aurelius: "He passed. That will keep our bench while Lio travels. He will owe not just craft but care."
Aurelia: "Pass is a start, not a crown. Teach more. Make sure he can fix a wrong if it shows."
Clerk: [ACTION] Certification issued: AP-001.jori → pass; duty: gate backup + token teach shift 2x week. Mirror anchor updated.
Word from Dry March came via Len's quick note: Lio's first demos opened a small fire of interest; a handful of hands there now learn the lattice. They asked for mirror packets so their new seals will sync checks with our nodes. They send thanks and a small trade of cloth.
Clerk: [INBOUND] Dry March report: Lio demo success; local node request for mirror handshake. Action: trustee review for remote node link terms.
Mira: "Small help there will break a long chain. Accept handshake under our steward terms. Do not hand human notes. Let them mirror checks only."
Aurelius: "Yes. Offer handshake: probe checks only, no wholesale notes. If they want more, dual-trustee sign must pass."
Clerk: [SET] Dry March handshake: probe-only mode; mirror filter: no human notes; initial run for 30 ticks.
The Probe Badge pilot ran two days. At first it hummed quiet and helped quick buys. Barin smiled when sale went fast. On the third day, the pad returned an amber on a caravan sale; GK-12 called for mirror probe, and the probe found a minor mismatch that led to the broker ring scrap trace — a small victory, and a sign the pad worked.
Clerk: [LOG] ProbePad alert: amber → mirror probe required → mismatch found → audit flagged. Action: pad pilot success; proposal to extend pads pending actor vote.
Len: "Pad helps triage. But watch for pad bribery. We set an audit and a public line to call if pad is offered coin."
Aurelia: "Pad is a helper, not a judge. It must not be a wallet."
Mira: "We will set operator rotation and weekly audit. If bribery found, operator will face sanction."
Clerk: [ADD] Pad operator rule: rotation weekly; audit log public; bribery sanction: repay + work + probation.
The liaison from Crosspath returned with a list: Dry March had two trainee groups that passed QuickCheck and needed mirror handshakes. The steward nodes agreed to triage handshake for probe-only mode for 30 ticks; mirrors would sync suspect coin list as CL-0009 had set.
Clerk: [COMMIT] Dry March handshake active. Probe-only mirror link established.
At dusk, the town held a small rite — not a festival but a quiet oath reading at the mirror board. New apprentices came with hands black and clean. Lio left with a small pack and a trustee seal on his palm. Jori took up the role of gate backup. Kalen set a pot of stew on the bench and handed a bowl to the broker who still mended market planks.
Aurelius: "We will send skill outward but keep care at home. The Spiral spins at both ends."
Aurelia: "And we will test every new tool with a pilot. Pad, handshake, rolling list — all must show they help craft, not choke it."
Clerk: [COMMIT] Snapshot CL-0009 — 2025-10-28 ▪ Ch.27 ▪ Change type: Probe Badge pilot; Dry March handshake; Jori certification; Lio dispatch ▪ Anchors: ProbePad#PP-001, AP-001.jori, DryMarchLink#DM-001 ▪ Trustee sign: Mira + Len. Public digest posted.
Aurelius watched the ring and felt a small calm. The town had added speed and kept truth. The mirror hummed softer now, a small constant like a home fire.
Post-Law Reflection: Speed and truth rarely sit in one chair; law must build a small seat for both. A pad that triages, a mirror that probes, and hands that learn craft form a triad that keeps trade from flight and trust from rot. Send one teacher, not ten; teach so others can teach; bind remote links with guard, not blind trust. When craft meets law and both carry care, a net is not a trap but a loom — one that can weave many safe loops rather than snare a few.