networkinthenight | [Network] - WEEKLY BULLETIN

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WEEKLY BULLETIN

announcements
What do you get when you combine a Catholic and a spirit child? I don't know, it's not a joke, it's just an announcement that one of the spirits-- a baby, it looks like-- has been adopted.

What an awful week, though. Both the exploration group and the distraction group did so well, and honestly? It made a difference. You guys should be proud.

On a lighter note, autumn is just around the corner! Look for temp drops and gusty weather cropping up in the next week or so.

classifieds
None.

If you wish to submit an advertisement, please drop them by the post office.

obituaries
Capt. Ben Winters: at least he died as he lived: doing something worthwhile. Thank you, Winters.

Number Five: clever right to the end.

A whole host of people have gone missing since the party... We haven't found their bodies or their lanterns yet, but I think it's safe to assume they're probably gone. Here's the list: Melisandre, Yaeris, Gene Hicks, Ahven Sychantus, Scott Ryder, Nathan Drake, Brienne of Tarth, Raylen Givens, John Constantine, Chloe Frazier, Irwin Wade, Elisha Harper, Dick Grayson, Aragorn, Rafe Adler, Billy Russo, Ben Hargreeves, Kyna Midha, Washington, Sam Drake, Daniel Riordan, Replica Riku Dawn, Eleven, Shadow Moon

[Worthy of note: this bulletin comes to you not via a newspaper, but by the network, now that Robin's connected with you guys once more!]

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[what a coincidence, he came looking for the news and discovered the same thing. Well, except for ignoring the Postmaster, which will probably bite him in the ass later.]

...no.

[seeing that the commander has his tablet out, Cao Pi catches on very quickly and retrieves his own from the makeshift pouch he's taken to wearing in order to carry all the cumbersome shit this world has loaded on them. Ah, there it...wow. Damn.

Ah.

[For a moment, he doesn't reply. Lets Cao Pi read it over and absorb the information for himself. He's still a little numb also; a little unsure of what to even say.]

I spent time looking for quite a few of these people. I didn't realize just how many had gone missing. I was trying to put together a list of those who were accounted for, but...

[With everyone scattered, it was too hard to know who had simply gone off to hide and who had truly been lost. Maybe even now, some of these people will still return, but the possibility feels more remote with each passing day.]

[he can't decide whether it's good or bad that he didn't know...well, any of these people. He might have spoken to one on the network, but otherwise, it's a mystery. No feelings here, aside from a general unsettled air that so many people could be gone all at once.]

Do we know if they were present at the party, or with any of the groups that went out? I should feel more comfortable if I knew whether the rampage of the spirits had anything to do with it.

Yes. When Winters was organizing who would help with which parts of our expedition, a number of these people were in lookout and defense groups. Nathan, Raylan, and Scott I know were supposed to be backing us up, and probably others. Melisandre was helping with the party. I saw them all not long before we headed to the lighthouse.

[He couldn't have saved them all. They had their roles to fill, and he had his. He'd had his hands full just trying to fight back when they came for Winters, and when he and Riku tried to drag Five out of their claws. So why does he feel so damn guilty that he couldn't look after everyone?]

...damn.

[it's actually pretty rare for him to swear, but that's an extremely important bit of info, there.]

If they do return, as you did...is there any indication of how long that would take? It's only been, hm, just shy of a week since the spirits finally calmed down and ceased their attacks.

I was gone a few days, that one time. That's what they told me. I think Doctor Ingram mentioned people being gone about a week, sometimes. On the long end.

[So at least some of these people, had they died, should have returned by now. Probably most of them.]

Either their lanterns were destroyed, or they're still out there somewhere, I suppose. But going in blind to look for them would be suicide.

[By now they could have gone anywhere, and traces like footsteps would be nearly impossible to follow in the pitch-black forest. The forest spirits - perhaps they know more, but he doesn't feel comfortable trusting them with much of anything right now.]

Is there no way to use these to find them? [he waves his tablet idly] At the very least one would hope that if they were simply lost in the wood they would use these devices to message someone for help.

[didn't that happen once? he feels like he remembers something like that. Either way, he wouldn't recommend a search party either. Either the idiots got lost and need to use their tablets right or they're beyond the help of anyone still in Beacon.]

Winters told us when we went out there that at a certain range, the tablets wouldn't work. We did have to connect the Keeper with physical cables, remember? I wasn't able to test how far out I still had a connection.

[But he wishes he could have. He will next time he's out that far, in any direction. They need to know that in case they lose touch with anyone who goes out.]

[he had forgotten that, good point. so much for understanding technology from two millennia in the future]

Even presuming the distance from here to the lighthouse is barely out of range, that leaves an awful lot of forest which is unexplored and full of creatures bent on killing us. If they've fled out that far then they're on their own.

[the cold way he says it suggests that he doesn't expect anyone has actually just. Run out into the woods until the tablets don't work. That would be too easy.]

If they don't return then we simply continue on. It is a shame, but... [shrug, what can you do?]

[It's true. Can't fault the guy.]

I agree. We know too little about the threats, and a rescue party would be risking too many people that we need to have here, able to defend this place. Exploration is still worthwhile, but we can't search for the missing forever. We can only hope we might come across them by chance, now, if they don't return on their own.

[It feels futile, given what he's seen. Jellyfish that swim in the air and produce horrifying, realistic hallucinations that drove his companions mad for far too long. Tall, slender monstrous creatures with the power to carve knife-like nails into flesh. There are more spirits than other races - already were but now they've lost a huge proportion of their number. It's time to recoup and make plans, not wander out in search of bodies.

It's the right answer, but it doesn't make him feel any better about what happened.]

[Cao Pi nods in agreement and then puts his tablet away, giving him a chance to do that thing where he has zero chance of making eye contact and sharing feelings with whoever he's talking to]

You have a kinder heart than I. Mourn if you must. All I can think about is the threat to have those same forest spirits obliterate us if we become useless to the Keeper. There is too much to be done and another ferry coming soon.

Many of those who went missing had skills we needed. It isn't all kindness.

[But they have fewer people to feed and watch over now, and that's easier. Makes them more vulnerable should something like it happen again, since another loss of that magnitude will put them in a dangerous position, but it isn't all bad. He knows that. He can see that, and he's trained to think in terms of practicality and effectiveness.

It just sucks to lose people who were not just doctors, not just fighters, but also people who others here relied on for their emotional health. That's all. He'll move forward as he always has but not everyone will find it easy.]

The spirits had no trouble diminishing our numbers. The previous resets were Robin's responsibility, and now I can see how she did it. We need to keep her appeased.

[She's not their friend, that's for sure.]

[that's fair, and he inclines his head in an acknowledging nod that lingers a moment longer than necessary. There are a handful of folks around that he expects are more worried about how everyone feels than about the practicalities, which is why he gravitates to this tall commander - someone who can do the feels but also has a firm grasp on reality. He's a good resource to have, and the closest thing to a tactician Zihuan has been able to find. Him and Ignis, maybe.

The idea of appeasing the lighthouse keeper makes him snort and his lips twist in disgust.]

You know who else needs to appeased in order to cajole them into not destroying everything? Gods.

[that word is spat out with all the venom he can muster. From that network message he's under no delusion that Robin is one, or even thinks she is, but the comparison has to be made. And scoffed at.]

[Gods. Isn't that the truth.]

It's distasteful. But we need to keep it in mind. Consider that last massacre a warning, because no matter what she claims she was trying to do, she's proven what she's actually capable of. We need an emergency plan if we hear the horn again.

[Some way to get everyone - or at least most everyone - to someplace they can defend. Are there spirits in the lake water itself? Can the creatures cross it? There must be a reason why she also hated the idea of any of them going out on the water, when the only weak reasoning she could come up with as to why they shouldn't was the risk of drowning. Same risk water always has and it never kept him up at night on a long sea voyage. So if they build enough boats or a large enough platform, maybe...]

[despite his father's miserable failure of a naval battle at Chi'bi, Cao Pi will be the first to advocate boats on the water. Hell yeah let's do it. Something unexpected is always his first go-to.]

You and I are of the same mind, commander. But it also seems to me that this unfortunate incident has exposed another glaring flaw in our existence: we can all talk about good ideas amongst ourselves all we want, but if no one steps up to lead the effort to bring them to fruition, we'll all be dead the next time the horn is sounded. [his icy eyes narrow] Winters took initiative, and in a sense it paid off even at the cost of his life. Those who've been here longest, with their experience, may or may not want to be the decision-makers. I don't doubt Ingram's intelligence but his cooperative spirit is...lacking. Master Rastus has his role already. As for the Keeper? I do not trust her at all.

[And Cao Pi, naturally, sounds like he might be volunteering. It's not all bad - the man clearly has leadership experience, to put it mildly. But he doesn't come across as likeable, which seems like an important factor when considering these people are not his national subjects. Sure, none of them are here by choice, but none of them are required to follow a leader they don't wish to, either.]

No, the Keeper is not our friend. And you're right about the others. But in this setting I might suggest multiple leaders. We're a small enough community to meet as a group and decide what our leadership should look like and what our plans should be for moving forward.

[But they do need an emergency plan, and it will have to be kept off the network. Away from the spirits' ears, too, if possible. Nothing can be kept completely secret but if the idea is to have not just an escape route or a defense position but also one that the Keeper and the spirits won't expect in case either turns on them, then they have to be careful.]

[right and right again. He'd be all up on the network volunteering to run the show right this instant if he didn't have a shred of pragmatism. He knows he barely knows anyone, the party proved that. He hasn't endeared himself to anyone but maybe one there-but-for-alternate-dimensions countryman. He and Rosinante get along but haven't really forged a bond yet. Hence, his hesitation and dancing around the issue.

Which his comrade seems to already understand, good.]

What would you say if I went public to propose some sort of town meeting? For people to share their ideas face to face rather than relying on messages. Care to show up and offer your wisdom?

Yes, I would. And I would like to hear what others have to say, as well.

[There's a lot to be learned from people who hail from so many diverse worlds. By meeting as a group, they'll have the knowledge and experience of people from multiple backgrounds and technological levels to draw on, and all of that is valuable.]

Besides, I think a town meeting after so many losses is needed. Both to talk about what happened, and also so that we know who among the remainder is interested in cooperating.

Then, I shall propose it. Soon, but perhaps just after the ferry arrives in order to allow any newcomers to catch up quickly on the state of affairs. We should not wait.

[there he goes, saying 'we' like he really wants to include others in his plans. Well, he does, just maybe not in the same way as they do]

Good. That timing should work well. We could meet alongside the bonfire, so that if anyone walks by and somehow has missed the announcement, they should see us. I can keep the spirits from listening in if we decide that's necessary.

[Sure, they might get suspicious, seeing a bunch of mouths moving with no sound, but who knows what the spirits think is normal for them. And if they do wonder, and do try to listen in, how will they inform the Keeper of what they've heard?

Except - wait. She has already said they do that. That's how these bulletins get written, according to Robin. The spirits tell her. It's completely the opposite of his interactions so far - he can speak to the spirits and they understand, but can't speak back. Meanwhile, the Keeper speaks to them with the foghorn, and they tell her things.

Something isn't adding up and his brow creases slightly at the realization.]

Have you spent much time speaking with the forest spirits yourself?

[yes good. it's a plan, and he'll get right on it. Or, well, within the day.]

I...have not, I admit. [he feels awkward trying to hold conversations with them when they can only gesture back. it makes them seem dumb and he just can't with dumb] Only at the party, I did make a considerable effort. There was one, and I found it beneficial to show it respect and treat it well but I'm still wondering about it.

They're hard to speak with, aren't they? They understand us, but they can't respond except in squeaks and chirps. Can't write.

[It must be a language that can be learned, though, surely. Perhaps that's what the Keeper has done with her twenty years of waiting and "resetting" everyone who arrives.]

The lighthouse keeper understands them, since they bring the news to her. As much as I don't trust them or her, we really need someone who can befriend her for the sake of the information she has.

[aha, he sees the train of thought. Lucky for you, Rosinante, you're talking to someone with information]

She told me she has a piece of technology that translates for her. But apparently it only exists in one form, where she is in the lighthouse, and cannot be transported to us or copied. Conveniently. [SNORT. On the one hand it makes perfect logical sense, on the other hand it doesn't alleviate his suspicions one bit.] She seems to already have a good rapport with the ones who were here when we arrived, but you have a point - it would be better not to go through middle-men, and get it directly from the source.

Of course.

[He doesn't go so far as to roll his eyes, but yeah. Convenient is right. Ugh.]

I'm not sure her rapport with the others is as strong as you think it is, unless you've heard something from Rastus that I haven't. Ingram is no friend of hers. It doesn't much matter who, anyway, just so long as it's someone we can trust.

[Rosinante already knows who he would nominate, too. Not himself, for he's already gotten irritable with her and while it's not beyond possible to retry, it would be better to use someone who hadn't already gotten off on a bad foot. He'll re-read the messages later to be sure, but.]

Kuai Liang seems level-headed. I trust him.

[a tip of the head] I wasn't about to take her word for how much she talks to Ingram or how well they get along, but perhaps I did believe her on the topic of Master Rastus. I should approach him for his perspective, if he cares to give it.

[he can even go ask for something he doesn't expressly need as an excuse.]

Ah. Yes, he is earnest and capable. That would be one possibility. I should like to get to know a few others before really exploring that tactic, though.

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