[TEXT] [TRANSMISSION ORIGINATING FROM: LIEGE'S FORTRESS]

[4_toteachus]

[He can hear it out there, the fighting and the screeches of the monsters. It's an all too familiar sound, and it takes every ounce of courage Four has to not find a blanket to curl under and stay there forever. Four has a spectacular memory, and he remembers everything he saw during the last days of humanity. He remembers those sounds so clearly that they almost match the distant explosions of battles being fought. The only thing absent here is the screams of dying humans, and his family.

The choices he has are either to give in to his crippling fear, or try to do something.

But what? He has no illusions about his size, and what possible help can he be anyway? He's a chronicler, a librarian. The most he can do is to record what's happening as they happen. Four wouldn't be worrying so much if it weren't for the fact that he had made friends recently, and he'd very much like to keep those.

At the very least he should see if they're alright.]

I am not a very courageous person, but I do not fear for myself during this time.

I fear for all those who are brave enough to fight those monsters.

My only hope is that all of you will be alive and well in the end.

I wish I could help.




can someone tell me a story?

Comments

[Voice]

[docbot]

Hmm. A nice, funny story.

[ He searches his databanks for one such tale, and decides that human fables might work best for this child. They're short, simple, and they teach lessons. Ratchet's always been fun of things with multiple purposes. ]

Have you ever heard the story of the time the sun and the wind had a contest?

[Text]

[4_toteachus]

[Even if Four had, he would have sad no just to get the chance to hear it being told to him by someone else. Since arriving, he's come to realize that he rather likes the sound of voices, and really enjoys listening to them.]

No, I have not.

What's it about?

[permavoice]

[docbot]

Aah. Well. It's exactly what it sounds like.

[ Ratchet settles into story telling mode. ]

The Sun and the Wind were arguing, you see, about which of them was stronger. Below them, a traveller was walking on the road, wearing a warm coat, and, to settle their argument they decided that the first one to get the traveller to take his coat off would be considered stronger.

"Aha!", said the Wind. "I'll use the strength of my gusts to blow his coat right off his shoulders!"

But the more he blew, the closer the traveller pulled his coat into himself, until the Wind was out of breath.

"Fine! This must be impossible." Sulking, the Wind stepped back and turned to the Sun. "You try."

Instead of responding, the Sun came forward with a smile. She shone bright and hot, and soon the traveller was sweating and pulling his coat off.

[ Ratchet pauses to let the story (and it's built-in lesson) sink in. ]

And that's how the Wind was forced to confess that the Sun was the stronger of them.

[4_toteachus]

[Stories like this are Four's favourites. Though pretty new to the world, he's learned enough to know that this is one of those stories with a meaning. Carefully he examines the story again within his mind, thinking about each word and the tone Ratchet used to describe them.]

It is a story about how kindness is a greater strength than force. The Wind could not win through brute force, but the Sun won because she was kind and gentle.

Thank you for the story, I greatly appreciate it!

[docbot]

Yes, exactly.

And not a problem, ah... I'm sorry, I don't think I got your name before.

[4_toteachus]

My name is 4.

Where did you hear that story?

late tag is late uguu

[docbot]

Hello Four.

I heard the story on Earth, actually. There's many a Cybertronian tale as well, but they're a bit longer and more... complicated.