"I am! 

Unless it turns out you're also enslaving some people or something, in which case I'm still willing to help but it might go a bit differently." (The danger of saying this, obviously, is that they might try to hide something, if they are. But she hasn't seen anything yet, and it's not that easy to hide things from her, and if they start suddenly hiding something she might in fact just see that.)

"I'm going to have to be a bit... Strict about work schedules. We came here expecting that. Less so with your help, perhaps, but I think we ought to all still work hard, push as much as we can, save others. Work assignments, yes. You need to work to eat unless you're sick or old or small, yes. Is that slavery? I think not. Though I suppose I will have to let my actions speak for themselves. I'll be working just as hard, mind. And likewise, if you two turn out to have hidden evils, our friendly collaboration will become. Less so. If something suspicious happens and it's just a cultural difference we can come to understand each other, I hope."

Did he just imply they might starve people to death for work assignment disobedience, or is there some other meaning there I'm missing due to lack of life experience?

...I'm not sure. Dying that way - takes a while, but you could - force people into most anything with that, easily. And if he's in charge he doesn't have to assign himself anything he'd have any problem doing, even if he's working a lot and can say that honestly. 

...Not sure what 'strict' means, either. It might be hard to set up a whipping post here, but.

Well I think I'll refrain from pointing out just now that if that 'less so' part's meant to be a threat then threating me's. Not really going to work for them.

Not that I can really blame people for thinking I might have hidden evils, but.

She doesn't say anything, to that part.

They can threaten me?

They'd better not.

"We'd also hope so," she says outloud. "If someone is - not getting to eat, might you tell us? Maybe we can do something that would help, before if goes farther."

He seems tired. He closes his eyes while they talk to each other mentally, even guesses that they're probably doing that, and drags them back open when Genea talks.

"I don't think it'll happen. Folk will work. They know what's at stake. And if they didn't while everyone else does, their neighbors would harass them to no end... If they won't work... Well, even before this whole fucking mess of a weather pattern you didn't get to eat if you didn't work or have family who works, so don't you judge me for it, please."

...that last part really does not sound very good. (She remembers perfectly well still, her cousin and her alone. Knows perfectly well they were lucky.) And, of course -

"Sometimes something... has been true, and how things happen. And that doesn't mean it's - good. Or shouldn't change."

"If you're thinking the anti-enslaving-people is because where we come from no one would ever do anything like that and they'd be very upset about it, then actually it's opposite of that. Judging's really not among plans."

She notices the tired.

"...are you alright?"

"...I'm just tired. I'm the Captain, the example, I can't be tired, see? But I let it show through for a moment. Yes. Nobody should starve. Yes. Nobody should be forced to work. But nobody should freeze to death as an eventual result of our lack of our trying hard enough either. I was steeling myself for making some very unpleasant tradeoffs. Work for the children, thin rations, possibly worse. It seems certain that those won't be necessary, but I do not want to rule them out should they prove necessary later."

...that feels like it might only lead to everyone also feeling that they can't be tired. And - odd. Surely it's better to - handle that openly, if it's there. She isn't very sure how to say that, or if she should, now.

"I'm sorry. ...Everyone can be tired."

...Is there some kind of problem with children working I don't know about?

I don't think so? You shouldn't give very heavy work to children, it can hurt them. And there's work that's too complicated, at the beginning especially, if it's someone too young they can't do it right. And it's - crueler, if it's only work all the time. She doesn't think of her - nephew. Maybe that's what he means?

Maybe. ...Not sure if I can heal that kind of getting hurt. Hopefully can substitute and all.

"I'm not going to hold you at magic-point and demand you let everyone die. If that's what you're worried about. And if we've got a good working relationship I don't see a reason not to try just talking first, if something looks like it's up.

- Still won't do the magic-point-and-die thing if that doesn't work."

"I am much reassured. Yes, hopefully we can work together all peaceably and talk if something seems off. I swear, if people talked more the world might be a much calmer place. I should tell you what our tech can do now, I think?"

"I'm all sorts of a fan of talking."

Affirmative sign.

"Also maybe a bit of your story? I got a little just from people talking, but seems like it might be good to know."

"...So, about nine months ago. I was part of an engineers' union, when I wasn't working on experimental electrical systems. The government, the Lords, basically came in and shelved everything we were working on indefinitely, and said we're working on these new things instead. No explanation or reason given besides vague flimsy excuses that they were preparing for a war. So we knew something was up, but everyone I talked to acted just as clueless as I was. And then, I couldn't contact some of my old associates. And then, I started hearing rumors about secret arctic expeditions, dozens and dozens of them. We were still working at a hard pace on the new projects - automatons, snow vehicles, new steel mills and coal mines. And the Generators."

He takes a deep breath. "I was starting to get quite worried at this point, so I, er, got one of my employees' kids to pretend to be a maid and steal secret papers from one of the Lords. That's when I learned about the great winter. I knew people would panic. I did panic a bit. We were all doomed. But then I threw myself into... Organizing for when it was time for the exodus. I didn't know how the Lords would react, but I hoped we could follow along and join them, or perhaps find another one of the cities being prepared up here. But things sort of... Fell apart as the rumors spread. There was... One awful night of violence perpetrated by both sides. The Lords all retreated to their evacuation ship, and then I shouted at everyone until they got into the fleet of boats I'd been having people prepare, with whatever they could drag onto the decks. And now, we're here. All still alive who left the mainland, as far as I know, which is a small miracle in itself."

It takes her some extra to process it all, with all the transmission-of-concepts-as-Aye-can-get them. But,

"Admiration and congratulations, to you." That is - clear. And,

"Great winter?" (She's also not sure about the reason for needing to move elsewhere, but possibly the answer will explain that also.)

"Yes. Well. We do what we must, no? We don't know why, or just how bad it'll get, or even how long it will last - but the entire world has gotten and is getting colder. Much, much colder. Even at the equator, it will be frozen. These sites up here were chosen for the new cities, their unexploited natural resources and being far away from the panicked desperate masses desperate for somewhere to go."

Well that last one is just wonderful. 'Lords'. Her people would have things to say, were more of them here.

"Some people do. Some people don't." And, 

"What is the plan for growing food?"

"Hunting. There are seal and bears and such, I don't know the details, but Roche assures me he can bring us meat if I give him appropriate tools and a couple of guns. Also, one of the things we were made to develop were plans for industrial green-houses. They work quite well - we estimate ten workers can feed about a hundred and fifty meagre rations with one - but they require irreplaceable machine parts, so it's a trade-off I'm still thinking about. Depends on how well the hunting goes, I think."

"Can you live off only hunting, for this many people, indefinitely?"

"Irreplaceable machine parts?"