[audio] @kingofwei - backdated to June 23

[pure_havoc]

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?

Comments

[donttalktome]

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.

[callada]

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.

[donttalktome]

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.]

[callada]

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.

[donttalktome]

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.]