Fiat Lux

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Fiat Lux
Technical information
Description	Benjamin Franklin can provide power for the Precursor box. Help him complete his work.
Appearance	Assassin's Creed: Rogue
Memory type	Main
Full sync conditions	Do not get detected. Do not swim.
Historical information
Source	Shay Cormac
Location	Sleepy Hollow, New York, British America
Date	July 1754

Fiat Lux was a virtual representation of one of Shay Cormac's genetic memories stored in the Helix, relived by a research analyst through the Animus.

Description

Shay traveled to Sleepy Hollow, hoping that the scientist Benjamin Franklin would be able to activate the Precursor box.

Dialogue

Shay returned to the Morrigan after assassinating James Wardrop.

• Shay: I have the Manuscript.
• Liam: Great. Hope is waiting for you in Sleepy Hollow.
• Shay: What's in Sleepy Hollow?
• Liam: Benjamin Franklin. The man Johnson hired to make that strange Precursor box work.
• Shay: So what's the plan?
• Liam: Meet Hope, impersonate one of Johnson's men, and give the Box and Manuscript to Franklin.
• Shay: So I'm a messenger then?
• Liam: Aye. See if this Franklin can figure out how this damned Box operates. And stay with him. Oh, and as far as we can tell, this man doesn't know about the Templars, or the Assassins for that matter.
• Shay: Oh, a simple task.
• Liam: For a simple man.

Shay arrived in Sleepy Hollow and joined up with Hope at Franklin's residence.

• Hope: You're late. The sky is getting temperamental.
• Shay: That's not the only thing, is it?

Franklin walked straight past the pair in a daze.

Shay attempting to speak with Franklin

• Shay: Uh, Master Franklin, sir. My name is Shay and this is my associate Hope. William Johnson told us to give you these.

Shay gave the manuscript and box to Franklin.

• Franklin: Thank you, but I am afraid I must delay my experiment.
• Hope: Delay it? Why?
• Franklin: The army confiscated my lightning rods. They are essential to conducting the electricity I need to vivify your Box.
• Shay: Master Johnson would not want you to have to wait.
• Franklin: Perhaps there is something you can do then. Soldiers have been hauling things away all day. Perhaps they could tell you where they have taken my lightning rods so you could get them back.
• Shay: At your service, sir.
• Hope: Begin your investigation at the market near the docks. I will stay here and help with the preparations.

Hope and Franklin began their preparations.

• Franklin: This is intolerable! I can barely conduct my research anymore!
• Hope: Everyone is having metal confiscated nowadays.
• Franklin: Yes, yes... the army will melt it down and turn it into weapons... War is upon us.

Franklin telling Hope about his experiment

• Hope: So, Master Franklin, what is this?
• Franklin: A Leyden jar. It temporarily stores power in the form of vitreous and resinous electricity.
• Hope: Really? What will you do with the jar when it is full?
• Franklin: Ah, what will I do with all my jars! For this experiment, we will need an entire energy storage system. The many units fire at once, so I call it a "battery". It should make your interpretation box operate.
• Hope: Fascinating.

Shay made his way to Sleepy Hollow's market, where he overheard two guards.

• Guard 1: My word, this is heavy.
• Guard 2: The weather is getting worse. You know where the warehouse is, soldier.
• Guard 1: Aye, sir.

Shay began tailing the guard.

• Guard 1: Don't look now, but I think I'm being followed.
• Guard 3: I'm sure you're seeing things, but I'll take a butcher's.

The guard crossed the Sleepy Hollow Bridge, with Shay following.

• Guard 4: Did you see that strange stuff in Benjamin Franklin's garden?
• Guard 5: I keep well clear of that place. They say that man messes with lightning!
• Guard 4: Speaking of lightning, I reckon there's a storm coming.
• Guard 5: Aye. Let's hope she demurs until we're off duty.
• Man: Hey darling, you up for a pint?
• Woman: Sure, if you bring your mates!
• Man: That's bleak...

The guard arrived at the warehouse.

Shay tailing the soldier

• Guard 2: Is that the last of it?
• Guard 1: Yes it is, sir.
• Guard 2: Good, put it with the rest.

As the weather worsened, Shay snuck through the plantation area.

• Guard 6: The citizens aren't happy. Someone threw garbage at me today!
• Guard 7: So that's what I smell!
• Guard 6: Don't laugh. If the Commander keeps this up, we'll have a riot on our hands.
• Guard 7: Well, I'd be mad too if half of what I owned was confiscated.
• Guard 6: It's the iron we need... mostly.
• Guard 7: Tell that to the citizens!
• Guard 6: You know, I bet not one of them will thank us when we win this war.
• Guard 8: So what are we gonna do with all this metal?
• Guard 9: Melt it down, I suppose. Forge swords, muskets...
• Guard 8: Ah, this damned war.
• Guard 9: I pray King George sends reinforcements soon.

Shay recovered the lightning rods.

• Shay: I wonder what Master Franklin plans to do with these rods.

The sound of thunder could be heard.

• Shay: This storm's getting worse. Better hurry back to Franklin.

Shay arrived at Franklin's residence.

• Franklin: Shay! Thank goodness, quick, help me with the rods.

Hope examining the map

After setting up the lightning rods, Franklin continued tinkering with the box. After two lightning strikes had hit, a third managed to sufficiently charge the artifact, causing it to project a holographic map of the globe.

• Hope: It's a map... Where is that?
• Shay: Portugal. Lisbon, I'd stake my life on it.
• Hope: Make yourself scarce, Shay. The militia will be here any minute. I'm sure they will have questions.
• Shay: What about you?
• Hope: I'm a devoted housekeeper.
• Shay: Right.

Outcome

With the lightning rods reclaimed, Franklin was able to proceed with his experiment and successfully activated the box. The artifact projected a map revealing the locations of several Precursor sites, one of which Shay recognized to be in Lisbon.

Trivia

• The memory's title is a Latin phrase meaning "Let there be light", which comes from the Bible verse of Genesis 1:3, "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light".

Gallery

Franklin inspecting the artifacts

Franklin telling Hope about the confiscated lightning rods

Shay recovering the rods

Shay helping Franklin set up the rods

Franklin conducting the experiment

References

• Assassin's Creed: Rogue