networkinthenight | [audio] @kingofwei

I come bearing some unpleasant news, which Commander Rosinante, Grandmaster Kuai Liang, and I discovered within the last day. Before I begin, if there is anyone with better medical training or healing abilities who can help the two of them, it would be much appreciated. We encountered a violent spirit who did quite a lot of damage.

That said, we went to look into a strange phenomenon the Grandmaster found while looking for torches, and ended up at what they have said is the 'radio tower.' I believe this is where the modern sorts managed their communications, Daylight explained some of it to me some time ago. There are many smaller details which any of us can relate to you but I take to the network to report some incredibly dire news, and to ask if anyone can recognize or translate part of a message.

[it takes some rather obvious fumbling to get the tablet to play a pre-recorded message while sending this one, pity his awkwardness, but then this message begins to play clearly. Kuai got a good recording of it to share.]

I confess I had thought that the reason the Night Market did not visit earlier this month was much more mundane. Flood damage, perhaps, or a loss of communication with Master Rastus. This...is far worse. I do not know the timing of the message, when it was first sent, but the fact that nothing has come up from the bottom of the lake to destroy us yet...well, I don't think I can say what that means.

There is also this, if anyone is capable of translating...

[a shorter recording, now that he's got the hang of it. Morse code if anyone has the chops to tackle it!]

I do not know if we have the resources to actually mount a rescue or do anything about it, but I feel our last remaining chances at survival may slip away if we do nothing at all. World Eater aside, it may be that the portal itself and our ability to resupply will be cut off if we cannot reach them at all. Your thoughts?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[His thoughts are holy shit oh fuck oh my god, actually, but he'll leave that unstated.]

My only conclusion is that whatever came for them isn't finished down there yet.
There's no other reason it wouldn't already be up here.
It's foolish to think that the Night Market could've killed it on their own, but they might be holding it off.
I don't expect that will last.
From a tactical standpoint, it might be wiser to use whatever time they give us to prepare a defense, but then we risk losing the portal.

[And therefore their potential ability to get the hell out of here, so uh, no.]

I'd normally be the last person to say this, but it may be in our best interest to do as they ask.

I quite agree. I don't know whether any one is left to be saved, but if there are, or the portal itself is in danger, those are reasons enough to go.

I am not sure what we can do, but knowing everyone in Beacon, we will still try.

[Yeah, he super wasn't thinking about saving people. Whoops.]

A valid point. If everyone's going to be reckless anyway, we might as well direct it into something useful.
I'll leave the directing bit to you.
The message mentioned coordinates that Solis had, probably for objects she could pull through the portal.
My own talents would probably be best used there.

Yes, my thoughts exactly.

Master Matt has the information on the lab, if you need it. Otherwise, I believe you will be more than capable of finding what you need and using it to get us there. In fact, I think I will simply turn you loose to work your magic, doctor.

[if ever teasing came across in a text it sure would at the end of that sentence]

Work my science, you mean.

[Speaking of ribbing one another.]

I'll get right to it.
We probably don't have much time to waste.

[Still time to make dumb jokes, though.]

[OHOHO yeah that's actually a good one, Will]

Naturally. My apologies, you would think a man of words like myself would choose the right ones to begin with.

Might be slowed down if they injured it badly enough. Or maybe it can't figure out how to get out. Maybe it's not what they think it is.

Wish we knew more but we can still do our best to make plans before we head in. So, if you had to kill a large, deadly creature in a confined space without killing all the rest of us, how would you do it?

You think it's inside the station? I suppose the message didn't specify exactly how large it is...

[It occurs to him that Rosinante is specifically asking him how to murder something. Which he isn't entirely sure how to interpret, but there isn't really a lot of time for that right now anyway.]

Ideally, you'd be able to trap it in one place and attack it from out of reach, but we can't count on that. We don't know exactly what kind of creature a World Eater is, but if it's like the spirits at all, or if it is one, then there isn't much that seems to harm them other than overwhelming physical force.

[Which is... something they're a little short on. He sighs.]

It might be easier to list the things that you shouldn't do, especially given that the Helix Station is underwater. If the place is somehow still structurally sound, any explosion or damage to the outer walls could be catastrophic. It's not entirely unlike a space station, in that the pressure outside and the pressure inside are quite different. They don't exactly play well together. The fastest way to kill everything inside would be to breach the hull.

Right. I figured an explosion would be a problem but that's why I thought you might be a source of ideas, seeing as how the walls they're living in might be more like the ones you're used to than then ones I am. If they could withstand a bomb without leaking, that'd be helpful, but I won't count on it.

Unless we can confirm there are no survivors, then leave and trigger a collapse. Use the pressure difference to our advantage. But I don't know if it's worth the risk of destroying their equipment. Or worse, doing something like triggering the portal in the wrong way and sucking the whole world out through it.

Though... maybe that's not possible. Is that possible?

I wouldn't think that would be possible, but then I don't know what sort of theories Solis was working with for her technology. If it's based on the way a black hole works, then the sheer density of an unstable opening could, in fact, pull the entire world through. And any nearby worlds along with it. Maybe a star or two.

[Very reassuring.]

I just wish we knew more about their physiology. If we knew of something that would hurt only a World Eater, or if it was something we could protect ourselves against, then the answer to this question would be a hell of a lot simpler.

[Is he suggesting that he would really rather just pull another "poison the air and shut the door"? Well, yes. Traumatic as that experience was, it was effective. He can't really deny that.

And as for the Helix Station being similar to the places he's lived, well... there isn't much novelty in killing someone on a space station. He himself was put down with a simple knife, and he lost count of how many people died in the machinery back on the colony. And it's not like the Helix Station is mobile; they can't just crash it into the planet.]

It would be convenient to cage it up in some blocked-off part of the Station, but that might only buy us more time. If only fire were more catching in this goddamn place.

I know. Some time back, Inspector Javert and I talked about what it might take to try and... feed them the wrong sort of thing, I suppose. Poisoned light, if such a thing existed. It's a clever idea but I can't think of how to make it actually practical.

[He'll just leave the black hole thing alone, because what the fuck does all of that mean, dude.]

Really, this is our chance to learn more about them, if it's what the message said it is. If it's smaller, or weaker, or trapped, at least it gives us some kind of leg up. But if we can reliably cage it, like you say... we could probably learn a lot about them.

It is a valuable opportunity. One we can't really afford to miss.

[As much as he would like to.]

And if nothing else, the Station is the best point from which to extract ourselves from the situation, if possible.

[They can't exactly do that from up here, with no portal at all.]

Suppose that's true too.

[Sounds risky but then so is walking right into an underwater death trap with a world eater so like, who is he to complain.]

We can make a real plan once we get down there and see what we're dealing with.

As much as I hate the idea of going down there without a detailed plan, I suppose we don't have much of a choice.

[And he sure doesn't sound very enthusiastic about that.]

[audio] @kingofwei - backdated to June 23

@dr; text

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@silent | voice because don't make him type right now

okay FINE he'll switch to voice but just this once

this is why they are friends

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