networkinthenight | Text @ Soldier, backdated to late in the day on 6/24

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Text @ Soldier, backdated to late in the day on 6/24

Got in touch with Helix Station. Got more intel on the threat but lost contact. Only spoke via Morse. Here is what they told us:

NO VOICE. OVER. THEY CAN HEAR. OVER. STATUS BAD. OVER.

DR HAD CODES. FIND LAB. IDK. MANY GONE. LAST MESSAGE SENT WEEKS AGO. PLEASE HELP. SCARED. OVER.

ONE OF THEM. NOT FULL GROWN. CONSUMES ANYTHING CLOSE. TRIED TO SEND BACK THROUGH PORTAL, TRAPPED OPEN. MORE CAME. GREEN EYES. OTHERS TOO. WILL KILL ON SIGHT. NO POWER. MUST CONSERVE. PLEASE COME SOON. IN RD. CAN HELP. PLEASE HELP ME. OVER.

It isn't a lot more intel but it's still some and proof that someone is still alive. I promised them we would send help. We will have to be prepared for green-eyes as well.

Also we helped the spirit at the radio tower. I think they were just afraid of you before.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Weeks. Damn. Those poor people.

Glad there are still survivors. Should be everyone's first priority once we get there.

I know.

[They know what that kind of situation feels like. A siege. Everyone around you dead or dying. They want to help.]

Has anyone looked for how to call the submarines in the lab yet?

Don't know. I figure the people who know how to make sense of the computers are on top of it but I haven't heard specifics. Been trying to rest up, let my arm heal.

How is your arm? Do you need anything for it?

[Look there's only a handful of people who know much about first aid. Soldat does, so. Gotta ask, since they can't do much about the computers at the goddamn lab, themselves.]

I'm fine. We're low on painkillers though. Had to really dig to find more. Restock can't happen soon enough.

Get ice. You should have that to keep swelling down anyway and it will help numb it.

[If it were anyone else, Soldat would be offering to bring it for him. But they're learning.]

[Yeah, he knows basic first aid, man. He gets the message and just rolls his eyes, and declines to respond further.]

[Aw, man. Well, they tried, anyway.]

Excellent work. We must hurry to prepare a rescue party, then.

If you have the capability to communicate with the spirit, I would apologize for the damage I caused it, even if it was warranted. We genuinely thought it would kill us first.

They might have. Fear can be a motivator to kill.

I will tell them the next time I go there. I want to keep checking on them until they're healed, if spirits heal like we do. Also, more exposure may make them less likely to attack out of fear in the future.

Do you know any spirit language, sir? I don't know who is left who knows much.

I do not, unfortunately. I have had a lot going on, I haven't been able to look into it. I will correct that issue as soon as this rescue is over.

We need to find out how many people can use the spirit language. I can teach but I can't use the instrument, I can only sing it.

That is better than nothing. We will put out a message, and try to gather interested parties in for a class or something.

Yes. After we get back from helping the station. I will make sure to be available.

I for one will enjoy your instruction. It is needed. Thank you.

( matt's gonna go with voice. way easier. )

Weeks? That doesn't bode well.

( the fact there was a response was hopeful, at least. )

Sounds like we should tread with caution at the radio tower. I wonder if we could convince the spirit to relocate.

[There will eventually be a day when Soldat is comfortable putting their voice on the network. Today is still not that day.]

We could just convince them that we mean no harm. They were hiding when we got there, and when I spoke with them and Misty healed them they calmed right down.

[There's a pause, then a second text.]

They translated her name into "raining". It was cute.

( that's fine... but the blind guy is gonna stick to voice! voice commands take up time he doesn't have patience for right now. )

Raining, huh? That's pretty close to Misty. ( there's obvious fondness to his tone. ) I suppose it depends on how often we need to use the tower. If it is territorial and reactive, it might be happier elsewhere.

[Yes, good, more people should be fond of Misty. She's great and should have all the friends.]

Maybe once they heal some I'll suggest it. But they seem pretty attached. Very protective of their bird bones.

If all else fails I am going to try to make friends. I or Misty or Minimus might be welcome even if they won't move and Minimus and I know how to work the tower now.

( okay, that's great, but also, wait a minute: )

Bird bones?

There were a bunch of bird bones set around on the controls. The spirit kept looking over at them, like they were afraid we would hurt them.

I tried to be careful not to jostle them, just in case.

There haven't been birds that aren't spirits here in a ... long time. I wonder what draws the spirit to them in particular.

( a little unusual. Matt isn't used to spirits having connections to what this world was like before. )

I don't know. I could ask them when I go back. Maybe when they were alive they had birds for pets.

[Soldat did not pay much attention to the book on training pigeons in the tower's lower rooms, oops.]

What do you mean you helped the spirit at the tower? What happened to it? Is it no longer there?

They're still there. They'd barricaded the doors and hid at the top of the tower, so we thought they might have been afraid more than aggressive. I think we were right. They let us set their arm and bandage them up.

It will need to leave if we want to use the tower again. Or at least not attack those that wish to use it.

But that's a later problem. For the station, they're saying the portal is stuck open?

[Sorry, man. Soldat couldn't attack someone that was clearly hurt and afraid.]

Minimus and I are both safe to visit I think, and we both know how to work the tower. Maybe we can introduce more people to the spirit that they will then find safe.

That is what it sounds like. They may have closed it later as I do not think it can stay open with the power out, but it was clearly open for an extended period of time. There will be more than just a world eater there to deal with.

[Well it wouldn't have been hurt if it didn't try to eat Rosinante and chomp him in the throat.]

That doesn't bode well for them at all. Especially if it's been weeks dealing with whatever has come through so far. Unfortunate we didn't get the message earlier.

[Hey, if random people had startled Soldat in their safe home, those people would probably get shot. And Rosi's pretty scary sometimes. They can sympathize.]

Yes. But we work with what we have. Someone needs to call the submarines so we can go try to help now. The sooner the better.

True. I always lament what could have been, it's a constant struggle to stay in the present and look to what we do have, rather than what could have been.

Indeed. Will you be going down there to assist?

Yes. I told the person down there I would and I think I would be useful. If just because I know first aid and Morse code and also fighting.

Any one of those would be useful. All three and you're indispensable. I wish you luck.

[Wow way to embarrass the local Soldier, Kuai. Indispensable. That's the best compliment. Soldat takes a minute to pace around the room once before replying.]

will you not be coming?

[He means every word of it.]

I think me being under the lake could prove hazardous to everyone around. Probably better for all if I were to stay on shore.

[Baffling. But then, Soldat doesn't actually know much about various people's aversion to water.]

If you think so. I am sure anyone else who doesn't come could use protection just in case

[Because they're sure there's at least a handful who won't come, and many of them are not fighters at all.]

It's almost expected that they'll strike as soon as most of the town is below the lake. We can't lower our defenses, not for any amount of time.

[A point. Rarely does only one thing happen at once, around here.]

Maybe nobody go out on any major treks to find things while the rest of us are below.

One thing at a time.

I'll see what I can do to try and enforce that.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Text @ Soldier, backdated to late in the day on 6/24

@silent

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text @kingofwei

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@HK

Still text, sorry man :(

Re: Still text, sorry man :(

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@Grandmaster | Text

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