Bar in fact has those exact caralendri dramas. Here's a new one by an author he likes.

Liane has gotten a map from Bar and is writing notes all over it, organizing where she's been and who probably is still alive and needs heat cores.

She sees the note. "Hey, cheer up. I would stay in Milliways hoping for something to fix my world for a long while, except I already got it. We do the best we can with what we have, yeah? And unless someone wants to pay me for tales of braving the frozen north or how to operate an automaton... If you're taking refugees, though, some of these communities aren't too far from where I am and might have some people who'd want to immigrate. I don't know much about what your... State... Is like though, don't know if they'd want to after you explain it."

"I know someone who'd pay for those stories. Bar has the imperial laws for them to read, she should have our state laws too but I don't know that for sure... at worst, if it turns out they don't want to move, they sit in a warm room and drink hot chocolate before they go home. It's probably worth it. If you hold the door I can... that might not work, I don't speak your language. Bar, any help?"

You can borrow a device worn on your heads that will allow Liara to see what you see and allow you to talk to each other smoothly. This could allow for translation, if Ms. Hunter stays in Milliways. If it is returned undamaged there will be a full refund to your tab, of course.

"Thanks, Bar. Want to try that?"

"It's definitely worth a try! Could take a while, though. Like, a day or two. I'll hold the door for you, of course, but you'll still be in my world... There's bears. Some people are... Not nice. They're desperate and suspicious. It does things to you. If you're willing to risk it..."

"I can handle all of that. Which way should I go to find people?"

She has a map! She has notes on the map!

This place two hours away had a few dozen or so people, this place three hours away is a hospital and probably has some people, but they wouldn't tell her much. This place five hours away has five lethargic scientists who are convinced they're all doomed to die in the cold, that place over there has..........

"Bar, what do you recommend I borrow to get these people back here?"

After discussing it some with Bar, the options are a very small fold-up airship (which Liane can help Valanda operate), or an mediumish enclosed expedition snowmobile that can fit through the factory exit. Either way it'd be several trips to get a hundred people.

"I recommend the airship. If you hit a crevasse you're not getting the snowmobile back out of it."

"Airship it is, I guess. Saraisan, I need the inside to stay a reasonable temperature, twenty-four rings for that? ...And which of these places has the people least likely to survive if I don't bring them back? I should go there first."

(Saraisan agrees.)

"Hmm. Toss up between those stubborn scientists and the - basement place. Scientists I bet you can definitely get to come with you, just invite them to break something you made and they'll want to ask you tons of questions, scientists are like that. I don't know what's up exactly with that other place, but... You should bring a few heat cores with you either way. Drop them off for whoever doesn't want to come with you."

"Good idea. Well, then, let's see what kind of horrible icy wasteland you've got, doesn't look like I can load the ship before I've got it unfolded."

Link puts on the headset and holds the door. "Woah, this thing is kinda weird... I'm seeing twice, almost."

The first section of the horribly icy wasteland is the inside of a dark, gloomy factory, with icicles and snow pushing in from the broken windows. All the stacks of heat cores they pushed through the door earlier are there, neatly lined up. There's junk on the floor.

Valanda might have to carry the little airship out before unfolding it.

"Any of that stuff lying around useful? Maybe Bar would buy some of it."

He carries the airship as far as he has to. "How many of the heat cores will I need, do you think?"

This is also a test of the translation, since he's outside Milliways now.

It still sounds like Liane is speaking Ilan.

"Maybe bring five, that shouldn't strain the airship too much. In the box though or they'll burn it. And, maybe? We can try it later, but it's mostly just steel scrap."

That means taking most of the rods out of one of the boxes. Valanda handles them bare-handed and leaves them in a pile on the floor.

"Metal's not expensive here? Or is steel just cheap for a metal?"

The patches of ice and snow nearest hiss and crackle and turn into puddles and steam.

"Steel's cheap for a metal. Not that cheap, you'd get maybe... I dunno, five rings a pound? But not super pricey either."

He figures out how to get into the airship and looks at the controls for a while before he risks touching them.

"You know how to fly this kind of thing?"

"Yep. Never seen this exact kind, but it's all familiar. Lesson time. Let's go over all the controls and instruments before you touch anything..."

She knows her stuff when it comes to flying, apparently.

He pays attention and wishes he could have her for Ira Sani.

He'll wait for her to tell him when she thinks she's explained enough for him to start trying to fly.

When he can point at the instrument or control he names without much hesitation, she says some stuff about wind and balance and ballast and trim, "I'll be giving you careful instructions, but it's not quite the same if I'm not there," and then declares him ready.

"If I ruin everything at least you'll still have heat!"

He takes off. He tries to gain altitude and point himself in the direction of the scientists. He looks around.

There's icy plains and icy cliffs and ice-covered buildings here and there and a not-icy ocean off to the east.

Liane walks him through the process and says, "Nice view, huh? I might want to buy this thing from Bar for myself when we're done..."

"It's a good view. It would be better with less icy death but maybe in a dozen years it'll just be icy mild annoyance instead."

Sigh. "Yeah. I try to stay upbeat. Emphasis on try. If I linger on the icy death too much I'd..." She stops, breath hitches. "Well, I don't let it get to that point."