Thaddeus, the last signal man of a heliograph company that went bust thirty years ago, still lives up on Red Table Mesa. His four relay posts between the mesa and Last Chance are knocked out of line. Turn each post's mirror until it sends his beam on to the next one (his signal book shows what each post should be looking at), then hold E at his shutter on the mesa to send his last message. It only works in sunshine, with the sun over his shoulder. The one facing town.
Steps
- Line up Thaddeus's four relay posts between Red Table Mesa and Last Chance: by the Hoodoos, at Devil's Gate, by the Stones and on the rise above town · the relay posts
- Climb back up Red Table Mesa and hold E at Thaddeus's shutter to send his message, in sunshine · Thaddeus's shutter on Red Table Mesa
- Talk to Thaddeus on Red Table Mesa · Red Table Mesa
Reward
450 gold, XP and Thaddeus's Signal Mirror (once a day it flashes where you are for your party) (
Signal Mirror)
Dialogue
Starting it
- “Thirty years I've been sending messages from this mesa. Nobody's answered. That's either a broken line or a very rude town.”
- “I'd go fix it myself. But I'm the sending end. If I leave the mesa there's nobody to send it. I'd be out there turning mirrors, looking back up here, waiting for a message from nobody. That's how this company went bust the first time.”
- “I want one last message to reach town before I retire. But the four relay posts between here and Last Chance are out of line. Wind. Goats. One of them a fella used as a shaving mirror. He looked great. The line didn't.”
- “Each post's got a mirror on a tripod, and it turns. Turn it till it sends my beam on to the next post. By the Hoodoos, at Devil's Gate, by the Stones, and on the rise above town. The last one talks to the church spire.”
- “Here's my signal book. I drew what you see from every post, looking down the line. No arrows. I was a signal man, not a sign man.”
- “What's the message? It's private. It's going to the whole town. But it's private.”
- “And it only works in sunshine. The sun's got to be over my shoulder. I've got two shoulders. It's the one facing town.”
- “Line them up, climb back up the rocks, and work the shutter. I'll do the tapping. Thirty years, I've got a very good tap.”
Talking to them again
- “Walk the line and watch where the beam goes. Where it wanders off, that's your post. It's not complicated. That's why it went bust.”
- “Check the book. Every page is what that post ought to be looking at. If it's looking at something else, it's wrong. Like my brother.”
- “No beam at all? Then there's no sun on it. Over my shoulder. The one facing town.”
Handing it in
- “It landed. Somebody waved back. Thirty years, the first answer I ever got, and it's a wave. I'll take it.”
- “It was my resignation. Thirty years to resign. I wanted them to hear it firsthand. Secondhand. By mirror.”
- “Here's my last pay packet. The company never collected it either. And take my pocket mirror. Once a day it flashes, so your friends know where you are. Whether they want to or not.”
After it is done
- “Retired now. I still flash the town every morning. Not a message. Just so they know I'm awake.”
- “Hattie flashes back sometimes. She doesn't know the code. I think she's ordering supplies.”
When your bag is full
- “Your bag's full. I can't hand you anything if there's nowhere to put it. Well, I can. It'd just fall down the mesa.”
flash
- “Hang on. The church is blinking. Either that's Thaddeus or the preacher finally got through.”
- “Dots and dashes. I know this one. Dear Last Chance. I quit. Signed, Thaddeus. That's the whole thing.”
- “Thirty years up on that rock and that's what he sends. I quit. You know what? Good for him.”
- “Somebody ought to answer him. I don't know the code. I'll wave. He'll see it. He's got nothing else to look at.”
line down
- “Line's down somewhere. Not here. Here's fine. Somewhere out there a mirror's admiring itself.”
no sun
- “No sun, no signal. That's the whole business. It's also why there's no business.”
sun
- “Sun's got to be over my shoulder. I've got two shoulders. It's the one facing town.”
- “Can't send it with the sun like that. You can send it. It just doesn't get there. Like a letter to my father.”
taps
- “Here goes. Tap. Tap tap. Don't read over my shoulder. Tap.”