The source was simply there in the morning.
Not communicating. Not pressing. Present the way the five-node network was present—a fact of the sovereign seed's deepest layer, available when reached for, not requiring attention when not. He had woken expecting something different. Some quality of arrival or demand. The source had been trying to communicate for centuries, and now the channel was open, and the channel was quiet.
Six signals and it's quieter than four was. He was starting to think the system was designed to feel like less work the more complete it was. He supposed a system that got harder the more complete it became would be a poor design.
He ate. The group packed. They walked east.
The source communicated at mid-morning.
