Cord

Not to be confused with Chord, the avout utility cord.

Cord is an extramuros (outside math walls) machinist and the sib (close companion) of Fraa Erasmas. Practical and unflappable, she favors tools and fixes that work in the field and is comfortable making snap judgments around machines and terrain.

Context and First Mention

Cord travels with Erasmas while he pursues Fraa Orolo, handling driving and on-the-spot repairs. At Orithena she is invited inside the gates with trusted companions. When a Geometers (alien visitors) probe descends into the pit, she helps the group approach it safely and works the hatch.

Roles and Actions

• Field logistics and driving: operates a fetch (rugged utility truck), scouts routes, and keeps spares and hand tools ready.
• Orithena probe work: climbs to the capsule, removes small access panels, and operates T-handles to equalize pressure so the hatch will drop. She describes the occupant as "close, but not from Arbre," helps with extraction for physicians, warns bystanders clear of hazards, and later pockets a few bolts from the hardware.
• Post-landing aftermath: during the improvised beach encampment after evacuation, she and Yulassetar Crade announce their engagement. The ring is hammered from a metal ring cut off the Geometers' parachute rigging. Many onlookers seek their recollections because the probe was largely destroyed; they may be called to speak at the Convox in Tredegarh. Cord notes their fetch should be safe at Norslof and plans with Yul to retrieve it, then head into the mountains for a delayed honeymoon.

Description and Outlook

Cord is direct, capable, and pragmatic. In conversations after the Orithena events, she begins interpreting what happened from a Kelx point of view (ascribed to Magister Sark's influence), an outlook she embraces on her own terms. She has a keen appreciation for precise mechanical craftsmanship; Erasmas later thinks of her when examining an exceptionally well-machined ring bearing on a suit during technical preparations.

Relationships

• Fraa Erasmas: sib; mutual trust and candor.
• Yulassetar Crade: partner in travel and repairs; now her fiance. They work smoothly together around vehicles and field gear.
• Physicians and technical aides: cooperates readily with specialists when handling the capsule and relays practical observations.

Current Status / Location

After the evacuation from Orithena, Cord is with Yulassetar Crade among those debriefed by officials and scholars, with indications they may travel to Tredegarh as part of the Convox presence. She intends to recover the fetch from Norslof before taking time in the mountains. During subsequent preparations by Erasmas and companions for a space mission, Cord is not present and is referenced in absentia. While Erasmas operates in low orbit during the risky consolidation of payloads and rendezvous work, he composes a message addressed to Cord to be recovered if his suit is later found.

Notes

• Hatch handling details include activating pressure-equalization hardware before the door fell free.
• She retained a small handful of bolts taken from the probe hardware for later examination.