Aelsaw 2024/09/30(Mon)13:27 No. 1098044 ID: ce93a7
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"It's not something I can exactly bring to the cops anyway."
>"Good, don't! They can't be trusted for anything complex or needing nuance."
"So... how strong are you two?"
>"Haha girl you know our business is sticking our snouts where it doesn't belong. If we didn't have a little extra in the tank, we'd have gotten ourselves perforated by a gunman by now."

Hmm. I have done a little bit of research on Klivanian guns in my downtime. It would require a bare minimum of 10 times the legal limit to reliably stop a typical gunshot if one was prepared, and more than that if one was to passively block it while caught unaware.

"Are you in town?"
>"Yep." I doubt they'd lie, so I can confirm they didn't get on a flight to Maelappa.

>Would it be paranoid to worry about their phone being bugged?
It's hard to rule out anything beyond a doubt, but such worry should not prevent all action.

"I'm just an unfortunate bystander. Maybe I'm unremarkable enough that someone wanted my identity to avoid suspicion."

There's no response immediately. The pause is uncharacteristic of Pesh, but I keep my thoughts in check until she speaks again.

>"I doubt that. Unremarkable people are pretty easy to make up records for, so there's no need to take your identity. What Tesh and I would love to know is how did an unremarkable, unfortunate bystander leap from the road to the stratosphere in about 5 seconds flat?"

>>1098044
By finding a very small stratosphere, of course.

>>1098044
"You only gave me two choices. What I'm up to... isn't shady, by my definition."

>>1098044

I mean, we could tell them we were recalled. Leave it open-ended ... though they'd obviously try to press for information if they're aware of that much.

But that means they also know you DON'T have the energy required to do that.

Perhaps it's safest to say we had help from a friend.

You just gotta remember to bend at the knees.

Tell them your pickup told you it was a trade secret.

>>1098045
HAHAHA fuck that was good but its true
>>1098055
Jump good

1/1 Aelsaw 2024/10/01(Tue)10:19 No. 1098085 ID: ce93a7
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"I found a small stratosphere."
>"... Ellie!"
"Remember to bend at the knees."

Tesh snickers in the background.

>"Okay okay if you don't wanna say you don't wanna say!" Pesh voice is mixed somewhere between humored and on edge.
"I had some help from a friend who wants me to keep a secret. I'm not up to anything shady." Not from my perspective, anyway.
>"I see. Even if you're an unfortunate bystander - which I'm more than skeptical about! - you're certainly not some unremarkable citizen. If you really are then maybe you should talk to the police and give them your alibi. If you stay missing all day, they're going to start thinking you're actively dodging them."

I hear some Tesh noises in the background.

>"We've been up all night and we're going to hit up Katzi's Little Cafe before we tuck ourselves in. Want to come? Tesh is making me promise not to grill you for all your juicy secrets, and you won't have to worry about law enforcement there if you're worried about that."
"Hmm..." I look it up. It's one of the cafes up in the mountains along some ski slopes. Unlike other service buildings I find on this internet, it has no information or reviews to its name beyond having credentials as a legitimate business.

I am glad to have put at ease any legitimate worries Pesh and Tesh had, but this wasn't just a friendly call. It is important that I learn what they know like what exactly they sensed from my extraction, what they spoke to Paporron about, what other major figures they spoke to, how involved they are with the subdimension, and so on.

I should decide if on personally meeting them despite my appearance, getting Tegge and his agents to apprehend them at the cafe, or an alternative.

Well a personal meeting is one way to find out for sure if they are curious alien hunters or dangerous stalker creeps.

I say go for it. This whole thing is a big mess and having some local's on our side would be nice. And if they turn out to be jerks at least you know for sure.

>>1098085
Go for it. Dress provocative.

1/1 Aelsaw 2024/10/01(Tue)13:52 No. 1098104 ID: ce93a7
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"Okay, I'll come."
>"Nice. The ski lifts open right at 5 AM, head up slope D3, then about 200 meters down you'll see a sign for Katzi's on the right."
"Do they get a lot of business?"
>"Hahaha nope. It's just a guy with nothing else to do."
"Okay, see you in a bit. Oh, is there a dress code?"
>"Huh? This is a little cabin on a freezing mountain, and I think the cook wants at least a little business! But if you want to show up in a frilly dress, be my guest! See ya."

We hang up, and Riffit raises her hand.

"The call is done. Did you hear the conversation well?"
>"Just your side. Good job getting a hold of them. You're going to meet them?"
"That's right."
>"You're not going alone, right?"
"Is it a problem? I don't think I will be seen that much, it's still very dark outside. Are there that many agents watching the lit slopes?"
>"Um... there's a lot of indication here in your report that Pesh and Tesh are working with the subdimension, who are looking for you as much as we're trying to keep you. And if they find out you look like you do, uhm, is there something I'm missing?"
"Remember how good their energy senses are. They can probably sense any one of you coming along with me."
>"It's this place you looked up, right? It's opted out of things like worded reviews and websites, but it's still public. We can have a plainclothes agent show up independently before or after you. I'm sure Tegge is willing to send other agents along the slopes just to be a few minutes away in case you run into trouble. Is it okay if we monitor you with an audio bug and tracker? And how will you explain why you look so different? And are you going to go out in nothing but a t-shirt and shorts?"

I wonder... is this what it feels like to have a mother? As Reneil, I have more natural insulation than Pillet. I don't believe I will be needing to go in a full winter coat like before, but maybe there is a reason to exchange them.

Riffit's other topics are more pressing. I believe they would be perfectly reasonable in normal circumstances, but the abnormal energy sensing and inquisitiveness that Pesh and Tesh have instead make me wonder how many any of those are good ideas.

>>1098104
Wow. They might be nefarious. Gasps and shock. Sure, take precautions, why not. As for dress, a ghillie suit? Nude? Something that camouflages energy?

>>1098105
No, wait, dominatrix outfit if they work for the sub dimension.

>>1098104
If you show up looking like you do, their assumption might be that you're NOT Pillet, but instead someone who stole her phone. Coming with backup might enforce that assumption. They already know about the phenocosm so they know one of the two Pillets was an enemy agent. You want them to think that YOU are the enemy agent and Gel is the real Pillet, while also keeping the soul seer away from Gel until you can swap.
If they're not actually working with the phenocosm then coming with backup might just pique their interest, so I don't think there's a downside.

...what if we caused such a ruckus that Gel has to be escorted away "for her safety", or at least put in a saferoom? The phenocosm would want to kill the real Pillet, after all, and starting a high energy fight would escalate things enough that the real Pillet would ask for protection.
If you can fake your own death during the fight, then you can be gone to take the pill.

They suspect something's up, and showing up looking like that's already not normal. Why not send a PICK agent in advance? Test how good their senses are, and you don't have to claim any relation to your watchers. This still seems like a lengthy distraction when you have to make yourself presentable for the subdimension's boss.
>>1098106
How about this under a normal looking coat? Hide your power level.

Show up alone and casual. Be mysterious and flirty and deflect any to probing questions.

Act like Pillet who is trying to figure out what is going on and is not sure who she can trust.

>>1098104

Wouldn't meeting them like this not only risk your cover, but also need an explanation of HOW you're no longer "Ellie"?

Also, what impact might this have on Paporron meeting with Varther? If Pesh and Tesh truly are subdimension agents, might he not be shadowing them?

Either way, maybe a light jacket and some warmer pants, even if they won't be totally necessary with all that fluff.

>>1098107
>If they're not actually working with the phenocosm
*subdimension

I fail to see what good going alone, looking completely different will acomplish...

Wait... what if...

We find Gel, give him a cursory explanation of who we are and then... copy some of our memories into his mind. That way he can go talk to Pesh, Tesh AND Paporron without raising any suspicion.
We can later erase all memories of those events from his head.

It's a plan so crazy... that it just might work!

(Or we can send a team to ambush the magenta mice and convince them to let us erase their memory of us, those nosy bastards)

>>1098246
The problem is Paporron is a soul seer. Gel has a completely different soul than even Aelsaw's suspiciously not-Pillet-shaped soul, so Paporron would be able to tell Gel is an impostor, and we're trying to avoid that.

>>1098253
True, but we have already stablished he's naive and desperate enough to not look too closely, since Aelsaw was able to fool him the first time a couple months back.

>>1098279
If he even bothers to check that would mean he's suspicious and would not disregard a complete change in soul shape like that. Plus, Aelsaw needs to infiltrate the place again so her soul would appear to change AGAIN which is ridiculous!

A heavy winter coat might actually give an advantage in hiding away your new larger body. Explain you've had to put together a disguise and dyed your fur. If they comment further, you could always say you've got some other costume props to help make you seem bulkier. Hopefully buy at least some of that.

Now for the why and how to exchange information with them. Just asking questions about Paporron or the other subdimension people is going to raise red flags. You're going to need a good cover story and be vague with descriptions. You could refer to Paporron as strange hooded figure, based on the memory we saw from the cab.

Your cover story could start out simple and vague and be built upon as you go. People are after you per say, so maybe you've got something very rare and desirable they're after. A book with some unpublished and/or very desirable information. Video footage of something the public wasn't meant to see. How and why you came into possession of such a thing could be decided on later. See how far they buy into it first if you feel like rolling with it.

1/6 Aelsaw 2024/10/07(Mon)16:56 No. 1098345 ID: 04e6e3
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I have some doubts about meeting the twins being a good idea in my current form, but I decide the high risk is worth it. We need information, and accessing the twin's memories may be a crucial step. Reneil's cover is no longer that important anyway, not with my cancelled vacation.

"Okay, we can do that."
>"Right. Just a second."

Riffit makes her own phone call. She explains what's going on then lowers her phone, turning to me.

>"Agent Tegge would like to know how you'll be explaining your appearance."
"I'll purchase some heavy coats to look like it's my clothing that's bulky. Klivania is also able to change bodies to some degree, and fur dyes exist."
>"That's kinda stretching it. That'll raise more questions about why."
"I know. They're very inquisitive, yet I never got the idea they were overly investigative or were trying to draw conclusions. I think they just like to know things. I do believe it will be fine.
>"She thinks it'll be fine." Riffit says into the phone. There is an air of uncertainty from her and, somehow, the phone.

The remainder of the conversation consists of Riffit saying 'mhm' and 'understood'.

>"We'll be sending in one person in advance and try to get some surveillance on the area. You shouldn't walk in right after our agent, so Tegge is saying you should show up to the cafe no earlier than 5:30. It should take 15 minutes to get there, so you should get that coat. It's a good idea even if you looked the same, 'cause the weather could turn bad later today anyway. Just a minute."

She goes into the back and gets me an earpiece.

>"This gives us two way audio. We can hear you and you can speak to us, but we'll try to keep our chatter to a minimum. We'll test it, then I'll show you out the back. Take a left and head straight. A clothing store called the Silk Pile will be open and on your left after two blocks."
"You won't be accompanying me?"
>"Yeah no. The space marshals know my face, so you shouldn't be seen around me."

2/6 Aelsaw 2024/10/07(Mon)16:56 No. 1098346 ID: 04e6e3
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I enter Silk Pile and find that there are no clothing printing services here. If I am to have clothes that fit, I must find the exact version of clothes that match my dimensions. Oreset sizes seem to be much more tuned to Pillet's body type, and so my current body has few valid options.

Thankfully, heavy coats fit a wide range of bodies. I also manage to find some light jackets that are either hard to close or so baggy that they look silly, so I get the smaller one. I also get a pair of baggy pants that are oversized but serviceable. These two articles will allow me to remove my heavy coat and still look unremarkable in case I get too hot.

I find a full set of light clothes in the casual section. I would pass these by, as these do not look like normal clothes, exactly. However, they match my sizes perfectly, I have seen similar things worn in the capital city, and it would be ludicrous for a store to sell clothing that is inappropriate to wear. These are light enough that it will help prevent me from overheating and requiring I take off the heavy coat anyway. With that in mind, I purchase the set and change into everything I got.

3/6 Aelsaw 2024/10/07(Mon)16:56 No. 1098347 ID: 04e6e3
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Riffit has a someone pass me some rental skis on the sidewalk. I hand them my old clothes for safekeeping, and then head to the slopes.

Only the most eager skiers, earliest risers, and myself are on the lifts this early. I manage to get my own ski lift, and it's rather surreal going through deep fog with nothing else around me. It feels familiar. I believe it's indistinguishable from the deep parts of the subdimension, though I feel I only remember the echoes of it since my memories regarding that were removed.

The mostly lost memory fades as I'm lifted above the fog.

>"Testing. This is Riffit. Does this still work?
"Hi, Riffit. I'm on a ski lift heading towards the cafe."
>"Okay. We have a spy drone that can see Pesh and Tesh, and our advance agent just walked in. Pesh and Tesh noticed him approach, so any more backup is going to be a couple minutes away. Try to be careful."
"Okay. Is there any news about Paporron?"
>"We got confirmation that Paporron has landed and on his way to Varther's. Tegge's still busy panicking about that. Also, your report said that cab driver had some cameras in the back of the cab, so we're going to try and fetch them. They could've seen what Pesh was doing on her phone."
"Okay."

I believe Tegge is trying to straddle a thin, ill defined line. He is acting like a regular klivanian law enforcement group that has no reason to simply travel to Varther's estate and pull Gel out. If he forcibly pulled Gel out right before Paporron was going to inspect Gel's soul, it would make the subdimension highly suspicious. It would be better than Paporron informing the subdimension that Gel is a fake, but I believe Tegge is trying his best to find a better alternative.

There is comfort knowing the subdimension will not seal themselves off while Paporron is above ground. It is a small comfort - he must have a way to return to the subdimension, but I currently have no way to contact Hart or any other means to return.

4/6 Aelsaw 2024/10/07(Mon)16:56 No. 1098348 ID: 04e6e3
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Once I'm dropped off, I ski down slowly and carefully . As Pesh mentioned, there's a sign that's pointed off into the woods. This would be a very suspicious area to go in if not for the orange glowstones tied to signs and trees that light my way.

The path opens up into a clearing has one building with the faded letters of Katzi's Little Cafe, and a couple sheds and broken down smaller buildings nearby. A little plaque on a post tells onlookers that this used to be right alongside a slope, but it was shut down 20 years ago due to 'a number of accidents, incidents, and unfortunate coincidences'.

5/6 Aelsaw 2024/10/07(Mon)16:56 No. 1098349 ID: 04e6e3
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My opening the door causes a bell to sound and warm air to rush by me. There's a voice from the back.
>"Have a seat, I'll take your order in just a second. Make sure the door's fully shut!"
"Okay!" I call back.

I see what must be the agent sent in advance. They are silently crying. This would be disconcerting, but his body language is not distressed, so I turn my attention over to Pesh and Tesh.

They have already turned to see me enter and almost turn back towards each other again, then do a doubletake back at me with a more scrutinizing eye. I approach with an outwardly casual demeanor.

6/6 Aelsaw 2024/10/07(Mon)16:56 No. 1098350 ID: 04e6e3
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"Hey, it's me, Ellie."
>"Reeeally?" Pesh looks me over again. They don't look like they handle sleep deprivation well.
>"Kekch?" I think that's Tesh's word for 'huh?'
>"Hmm." Pesh puts her hands together and points both of her fingers at me. "Before we have you sit with us, answer me - how did the ski instructor treat you yesterday?"
"Hm? There was no ski instructor, I asked you two to show me how to ski."
>"Oh yeah. How'd we respond when you said you didn't have an instructor?" Ah, I see, Pesh is trying to find out if I'm a different person.
"Let's see... you said that last you saw, all class signups... I assume were filled, but you were cut off by Tesh and Vix following us into the bathroom."

They ask me a couple more highly specific questions that I feel a non-artificer would have difficulty remembering. So much so that I pretend to have difficulty recalling some details, but I don't let the shortcomings of my answers detach themselves from the facts or make me sound like I'm making anything up. They seem satisfied.

>"Okay okay, sit down." Pesh taps the open chair with her tail. "I promised I wouldn't pry too much, but you have got to tell me about your new look."

I have some preliminary thoughts to mention having to put together a disguise to make me look bulkier along with dyeing my fur, and to have a vague cover story as to why I'm staying away from law enforcement.

>>1098350
Gotta dress up nice for a date, you know.

"A lot of odd things are going on today so I figured it would be time for a change in style you know?"

Keep it vague and look for a menu.

>>1098349
Dang, the food must be really good here.

>>1098350
Tell them you found out about your doppleganger and so you're assuming something potentially dangerous is going on so you got some body mods to make yourself look different.
Ask them how they'd feel about kidnapping your shady clone, to find out what's going on. (if we attack the place Gel is, then there will be a legitimate reason for Gel to be moved, which gives us the opening to swap)

Say you're married to an eunuch.
It's true.

"Girls, don't you know? Iiiiit's spooky month! I'm was planning to check around some costume party events in the following weeks, see the sights. The whole police and random people getting all nosy on me gave me even more of an excuse. Um, no offense."

Well, apparently everyone is looking for someone who looks like you so you figured it be best if you didn’t look like you. Really though it’s just puffy clothes and fur dye and a slight cold. Apologise again for not seeing their messages and lament your ruined vacation.

>>1098350
Yeah if someone is looking for someone looking like me just need to look a bit diffrent also heh its working right? Not even you two could recognized me, got my fur modded, teeth extensions and just packing on the pounds, i heard guys like a girl who is Thicc and soft

>>1098350

They caught you during a bit of an awkward time, since you're supposed to look like someone else right now, but it's amazing what friends can do with some time and a good hose.

1/4 Aelsaw 2024/10/08(Tue)15:51 No. 1098383 ID: 04e6e3
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"I found out about my doppelganger, so I got body modifications. Really just my teeth, clothes, and then dyed my fur. It seemed to have worked, you two didn't really recognize me."
>"You still felt familiar! Also your neck grew."
"Oh, I'm just not scrunching it."

I scrunch my neck down to resemble the original length more. It's another trick of Pillet's strange neck.

>"Whoa, cool. You must be self conscious about it if you were scrunching it the whole time. Why's it so thick now?"
"I had a fur conditioner that makes it fluff up."
>"You did all that in 6 hours? Impressive, but why?"
"Hm?"
>"Most people would just talk to the cops to try and set the record straight, since - ack."

Tesh elbows Pesh.

>"Right, right, no prying." She takes a sip of her drink and gulps it down like she's trying to swallow the urge to turn this into an interrogation. "But you look good! Where'd you get that coat at?"
"The Silk Pile."
>"Oh, damn, we're having breakfast with miss moneybags." Pesh and Tesh grin, and I think the latter notices my confused face.
>"Silk Pile is infamous for being overpriced around here." Tesh's phone says.
>"And they have funny clothes, haha!" Pesh adds.
"Funny clothes?"
>"Yeah! The stuff near the back is suspiciously skimpy for a chain retailer at a ski resort. Either the people who keep stocking it are a bunch of hopeful men, or there's a wild costume scene in town I don't know about."
"Like costume parties? Maybe I should try to find some, that would be a good excuse to disguise myself more."
>"Why, are you wearing one of those outfits under that coat?"
"I, uh, no. I think what I got is perfectly acceptable."
>"I'll be the judge of that, lemme see!"

... I may have made an error.

"I don't think... I have a jacket on underneath, so... ah!"

2/4 Aelsaw 2024/10/08(Tue)15:51 No. 1098384 ID: 04e6e3
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A man comes out and approaches our table with great timing.

>"Hey there, can I get you something to drink?"
"I'll have the same as what these two are having."
>"Easy. And for food?"
"Oh, I don't see a menu."
>"No menu. If you can name it, I can make it. How much I make depends on how much you pay. 10 chips minimum, 50 for all you can eat."

Tesh brings out a notebook and writes down pancakes in big letters, with 15 chips.

>"Eggs and waffles, 25 chips." Pesh says once she glances at the waffles the crying agent is having.
"Donuts - oh, and I'll try pancakes and waffles too." How much can this body eat? The additional muscle and fat need more. "50 chips. Oh, and you're Katzi, right?" I ask him, though out of the corner of my eye I see Pesh mouthing 'moneybags' at me.
>"Nah, Katzi's the name of my mom. This place was made by her." He points to a photo of a woman who appears in many of the other many photos lining the walls. "I'm just a son who grew up in this cafe and can't let it go." He turns, noticing the agent. "Hey, buddy, you doing alright over there?"
>"You make waffles just like my own maw used to make." He still has fresh tears.
>"Yeah? Learned from my own, too, obviously. I'd love to find out if our moms had a common tutor, but I've gotta make a whole lot of food for these ladies."

3/4 Aelsaw 2024/10/08(Tue)15:51 No. 1098385 ID: 04e6e3
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He quickly comes back briefly to deliver that drink and some utensils. It's a hot chocolate drink with white puffs at the top. It's also very high in sugar.

>"I know a nice tailor in town, but that's no use now." Pesh continues where we left off. "You're missing that cute hat though!"
"I am, I guess I should've grabbed a hat to complete dressing up nice for a date."

I feel my heart leap into my copy of Pillet's anomalous neck by making a joke like that. However, if I don't do anything to pry information out of them, then this meeting will fail its practical purpose. I think using jokes as a veil to ask about outrageous things and probe for information is poor decorum, but it may work well with these two.

>"Heheh, you might be joking, but breakfast in a starlit mountainside is way more like a date than anything my old boyfriends did. So you're already doing better, good job!" I laugh lightly in response. I'm glad my remark did not backfire. "But about your coat. You're overdressed for a date!"
"But I'm married to a eunuch, you know."
>"Whoa, really?"
>"Where is he?" Tesh leans forward, losing her place as the twin who showed restraint in asking many questions.
"Away on a job. He's helped me by having someone here make me look like someone else. That's how I got my fur dyed and everything so quick." I consider including a throwaway remark about what can be done by friends with time and a good hose, but I stop. Pesh would not let a remark like that go, and I don't know how I'd follow it up.
>"He sounds influential. Why doesn't he just get you out of here?"
"There's... reasons." I run out of vague allusions to the truth. "But I heard my lookalike was seen at Spokesperson Varther's home. Maybe you two could go kidnap her and prove that I have nothing to do with this person." It is a poor joke, but they seem to enjoy it.
>"You want little old us to trespass on a spokesperson's home and grab a high profile target out from under both the space marshals and PICK? Wow, you really think highly of us, Ellie!"

Her long, strange gaze at me prevents my response, and she continues.

>"The situation is way more complex than a simple kidnapping could solve, but let's say we did that. We'd be wanted women across the whole planet. You'd have to guarantee us protection! And we don't like to stay hidden for that long, so unless you're an alien willing to take us off this planet, we'll have to decline."

4/4 Aelsaw 2024/10/08(Tue)15:51 No. 1098386 ID: 04e6e3
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Pesh suddenly stands up and gets uncomfortably close to my face and starts whispering.

>"And you aren't an alien, right? That'd be too good to hope for, because Tesh and I would do anything to get off this cage of a planet."

>>1098386
That's the kind of question to answer back at my own place.

>>1098386
...anything? Tell them before you can make any promises, you need information. You also have to be absolutely sure you can trust them.
Maybe it's time to look through their memories. They're probably strong enough to resist, so insist that they do not.

>The situation is way more complex than a simple kidnapping could solve
I'm curious as to what they know about the situation...

>>1098386
Of course you're not an alien, because I don't think the phenocosm would appreciate you saying you are. Figuring out what they know about the situation is important as well.

We really should stall and figure out as much as we can about them before we answer that.
Quickly, swing the conversation into extremely awkward territory before they can push the topic! “You guys aren’t just hanging out with me because you think I might be an alien, right?”

You could offer them a ride on your ship?

"Anything you say? Hmmm if I were a bit more unprincipled I might lure you back to my flying saucer for some fun." Give them a wink.

"Hmm you are right though. It would be wrong of me to ruin our new friendship by asking something so big of you out of the blue."

Hmm that does bring up a disturbing question. If the sub dimension closes and grows even a bit won't everyone on this planet die as it expands? Something to ponder if the crew inside the sub dimension tries to pretend they are the noble ones.

I suppose if things go wrong your husband will bring in the fleet to quickly evacuate. These two could very well get their wish if the worst happens.

>>1098386

Your husband might be able to make arrangements, if everything works out. He is "influential" after all.

(Seriously, two willing Klivanian agents with good energy-sensing powers working for us on the inside? That's a huge boon!)

A cage? There isn't anything outside this cage, is there? Just rocks and emptiness. (Certainly not the phenocosm!) What are they looking for up there? You thought Kilvania was all there was.

1/2 Aelsaw 2024/10/09(Wed)15:40 No. 1098405 ID: 04e6e3
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"You aren't just hanging out with me because I'm an alien, right?"
>"Nope, don't dodge the question!"
"I can't answer that, because that's the kind of question I'd have to answer back at my place."
>"Is that an invitation?"
"Mm, not yet." I give a wider smile as I prepare more half-jokes. "You know about aliens, about all the tales of what's doing to klivanians who get abducted? It would be very unprincipled for me to lure you back to my flying saucer and find out what anything means."
>"You're making me think this is a date, Ellie!" Oh, I might have gone too far with that one.
"You know I'm joking - but what are you looking for up there? Isn't it just rocks and empty space?"
>"Answers. If it really is just rocks and space, at least we'll know."

The phenocosm might not normally approve of me saying I'm an alien, and while I'm not committing to it yet, I do believe the phenocosm would be interested in a couple of klivanians that could sense Zanthe.

As for the rest of the klivanians... I don't know how phenocosm policy applies to them. They do have fewer rights; a civilization that hides from the phenocosm also hides from the rights given by the phenocosm. For example, phenocosm citizens must be told up front they are having their memories read. The lie detector trick can only be done because these are klivanians.

If the subdimension grows enough to destroy the planet, then I'm unsure what the phenocosm will do to prevent the loss of life. However, it is by design that we do not gatekeep the afterlife. Though they do not experience the same rights in life, all klivanians that die go to the same afterlife.

"Before I keep answering your questions, I'd like you to answer mine. I want to know about this situation I find myself in and what you know. Actually, if I were an alien who could read memories, would you let me read yours?"
>"We're all just full of weird questions, aren't we?"
>"I'm not." Tesh says.
>"The two of us who are asking questions at all, I mean."

2/2 Aelsaw 2024/10/09(Wed)15:40 No. 1098406 ID: 04e6e3
File 172851363290.png - (100.12KB , 1200x1200 , 775.png )

>"If you really can read memories, I don't need to explain anything myself, right?" Pesh asks.
"That's right, as long as you let me. I can't do it by force."
>"Hmmm. It's not like I believe you that easily, but I sort of want to see where this is going even if it's a lie. Tesh?"

Tesh nods.

>"Before anything like that, you have to stop lying or dancing around the truth with us."
"Have I been lying?"
>"Ellie..." Pesh inhales with a little more annoyance than I've seen her with before. "I'm too tired to keep up the game of dancing around the bullshit. Ellie, or Pillet? Whoever you are, yes we were hired to tail you, no we didn't report you calling us now, because we also want to know what's going on and you're our best bet for that. If we reported you to our boss, we'd be told 'good job' and sent back into the dark."

She turns to the man finishing his waffles.

>"We know that waffle lover over there is a PICK agent, and there's four more energy levels appropriate to agents up loitering at the top of the slope this cafe is on, and 6 more scattered in the woods around us. Also, we know you're working with them."
"Why do you think - "

Pesh leans forward and grabs my ear. She tugs it forward and whispers loudly into my earpiece.

>"Hi Tegge, if you're listening in, long time no see." She releases my ear, then freezes for a split second seeing me rub it. "I'm sorry, that was rougher than I needed to be. But if you want to read our memories and all the juicy tidbits we know, first you have to promise us you'll be equally open with us."

>>1098406
Big ask, lots more context, but okay, for starters, yes, you're an alien. Anything else involves enough other people to go back to your place.

Given their planet risks destruction if your quarry gets their way, I think it's pretty safe to share with the two... Just make sure they're not bugged first.

Tell them yeah you're an alien, and there's a LOT more than rocks out there. There's a massive civilization with technology far beyond what they have here. You can't promise them anything right now because you're not a big player in the grand scheme of things, but once you have some info you can report back with then you can make a deal. In exchange for their continued support.

Memory reading is next.

"Yeah I promise if you are on the level you will get more answers than you might like."

Check their mousey minds.

Okay, stop reading their minds. Just say that you want to keep a lot of people safe from something that multiple scientists have analyzed and concluded is really @#$%ing dangerous, and that requires secrecy. If they can't accept that then you can end your relationship on friendly terms here.

>>1098406

So they maybe ARE working for Paporron, however indirectly! But also willing to work against the sub-dimension?

Time to make a decision of the sort that High Admiral Shuzenza sent us here for: do we run the risk of this kind of exposure, knowing they're fully aware of PICK (if not our actual backing), or do we leave things as they are?

Right now, letting them in on things might be our best -- and only -- chance and finding out more about the sub-dimension.

Aelsaw 2024/10/10(Thu)11:25 No. 1098438 ID: 04e6e3
File 172858470380.png - (112.60KB , 1200x1200 , 776.png )

"Okay. First of all, make sure neither of you two are bugged."
>"Hm, okay. Tesh? Rycell, we're using the bathroom!" Pesh calls out.
>"Go ahead, the food's nearly ready!"

They leave for a few minutes. The food is delivered by the time they sit back down.

>"All clean, our phones are in cages, and we're ready to eat."
"Thank you. I am an alien from a civilization that's certainly well beyond what you have here. I can't promise anything right now since I lack a lot of authority, but once I make contact with my group then I can make a more informed decision. So... Anything more than this will at least have to wait until we take it back to my place. I also can't guarantee you'll like what you find, but I hope you do."
>"Oh we will. Even if they're unpleasant, too. But! If you're going to hold so much back from us, then you only get memories from one of us. It's kind of silly since most of our memories are going to look the same, but I want to dangle something in front of you until we get more. So who do you want to read from first?"

Hmmm. Pesh is the talkative one and would reveal her thought process while speaking with others, but Tesh is always on her phone and may deal with a lot of the secret stuff.

>>1098438
Tesh first, just to dangle it in front of Pesh. Ask Tesh how prepared she feels for the intimacy of you reading her memories.

Tesh, of course. She hears everything Pesh says.

Hmmm skinny girl first. No particular reason.

Tesh first, she's the one who speaks the least.

Tesh, get those secrets

Hmm... tell them to put their hands on the table for the duration of the procedure, just so everyone knows they're not going to try anything.

Go for Pesh's memories. We might learn more secrets from Tesh's phone conversations, but that's also more screen we're going to be going through versus what's going on around them with Pesh's memory.

1/8 Aelsaw 2024/11/18(Mon)10:55 No. 1100002 ID: 04e6e3
File 173195613812.png - (91.96KB , 1200x1200 , 777.png )

"Hmmm. I will also want your memories sometime, but I'll pick Tesh first."

Tesh dips her head into her phone again, but it's just to speak.

>"How does this work?"
"I put my hand on your head, and you lower your energy defenses."
>"Ah, so I'm vulnerable?"
"Yes. I hope this is no problem, since I've already told you at least a little about myself." Because of the vulnerability they have to show, I think I will not ask them to put their hands on the table. The trust they are showing me is somewhat unexpected, and I don't wish to meet it with distrust.
>"Hmm... okay, an agreement's an agreement."
>"It'll look strange seeing someone else rub Tesh's head." Pesh laughs.
>"Pesh!" Tesh looks at her phone. I don't think the phone's speaking tone matches the embarrassment her face is showing. "Let me eat first."
"Okay. It's possible to do it without touching your head, but it's much easier and more reliable."

We take a moment to eat.

"It's possible to read your memories without you noticing, but for this, I'll include your conscious so you can see what I'm seeing." I explain as we eat.
>"Just don't look at the weird stuff, okay?"
"Don't worry, I plan on navigating around any unnecessary unpleasantness. I'll quickly run through your life as a whole, but only focus on the recent past."
>"Okay." Tesh says.

Once she's taken a few more bites, she nods at me and bows her head.

2/8 Aelsaw 2024/11/18(Mon)10:55 No. 1100003 ID: 04e6e3
File 173195614112.png - (122.54KB , 1200x1200 , 778.png )

I place my hand onto her head. I feel her tense slightly, but she calms herself and I feel her energy move aside as I begin.

3/8 Tesh 2024/11/18(Mon)10:55 No. 1100004 ID: 04e6e3
File 173195614408.png - (109.70KB , 1200x1200 , 779.png )

[ My words have already primed certain prevalent memories of her childhood to spring up. I latch onto them. While they may not be important to me as they are for her, seeing the broad strokes of an entire life spent on Klivania may teach me much about living here. I work with Tesh's conscience as vague memories of her childhood home are narrowed down into specifics, where I repair frayed memories into specific moments. This formulates into Pesh and Tesh playing board games with each other while their father is doing nondescript work in the background. ]

"Dad we're going to a friend's house!" If this board game doesn't take 5 hours.
>"Alright. If you're back by the weekend, I'll take you fishing."
"Why?"
>"'Cause you both should learn how to go two damn minutes without making a ruckus."
"Okay but why?"
>"You wanna listen to me yap on about life lessons or do you wanna see your friend?"
"I wanna finish this game!"
>"Yeah!" Pesh agrees!
>"Yeah whatever."

[ The memory recedes and we jump forward. The two of them go on for go on unsupervised adventures in the forest. They're gone for days at a time, and their father doesn't seem to mind this. They still return frequently, and despite being gone so much, they seem to enjoy being around their father. ]

[ The memory does come back to the fishing trip, and though the twins do not appear to have learned how to not make a ruckus, their father is quick to give in and let them rock the boat and watch the lake ripple with activity. Tesh and Pesh are then allowed to share a single can of beer. Tesh spits it out, and Pesh drinks the rest. I replay this memory in full, as the present Tesh likes this a lot, even if she did not enjoy the fishing trip in the moment. ]

[ Moving forward, they find themselves wandering into an alien hunting club. Such a club is highly interested in government conspiracies. This had an unfortunate combination with Pesh and Tesh's tendency to pry without restraint. The calls made to their father about "the Esh twins's truancy problem" started becoming more about them getting into far more serious trespassing and investigative troubles. ]

[ It didn't stop until Pesh and Tesh found themselves in harsh legal trouble. They got arrested on a restricted research facility's grounds. Despite how Tesh was told how irresponsible his father was in their upbringing, here he took full responsibility. He took Pesh and Tesh's jail time, and so the twins were only sentenced to serve in the remedial portions of Klivanian peace corps. ]

4/8 Tesh 2024/11/18(Mon)10:55 No. 1100005 ID: 04e6e3
File 173195614902.png - (319.33KB , 1200x1200 , 780.png )

[ Tesh's conscious tenses up, but I immediately skip over their time in the remedial peace corps. There were times where Pesh and Tesh seriously wished they had just gone to jail instead. It is when Tesh lost her ability to speak verbally to anyone other than Pesh. It isn't appropriate or useful enough to make Tesh re-experience that part of her life right now. ]

[ As bad as it may have been, their time was not without gain. It was in the peace corps that they began training various skills, most notably their innate energy sensing talent. It's more anomalous than I imagined. They could begin sensing people from farther away. As is normal, the more power someone has, the farther away they can be sensed. This brings my attention to a memory Tesh has after she and Pesh were let out of the peace corps. I focus on Pesh's thoughts here. ]

They're putting star camoflauge on the lamp belts again. It kind of sucks and just makes the sky look uncanny. I wish it were gone. Can't lamps just orbit on their own? Why are they connected by belts?

>"Tesh, who's that about 100 miles away?" Pesh points north-northwest, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"I thiiiink King Denei, if he lives in his own palace."
>"He's getting stronger."
"Yeah. He only stopped posting gym selfies because of how many people complained that he can have as much energy as he can buy while others could barely survive bad weather, but he's still working at holding even more energy by himself. Who's that, about 300 miles away?" I point south.
>"Hmmm. Oh, I know. It's an old general's home. He's really strong."

[ They seem at peace, but it's bittersweet due to their father recently passing in jail due to a longstanding illness. They keep talking to one another and exercising their energy senses by pointing out far off targets who are powerful enough to be sensed from such a distance, and closer civilians. The last exercise comes when Pesh's finger rises and points upwards into the sky. ]

>"And what is that, about a billion miles off?"
"Something scary. I don't know."
>"We've sent energy scanning probes out into space, it's stupid that we don't already know. Maybe someday we should pilot one of those things and we'll drive it into whatever that is. It seriously can't be a person, right?"
"Maybe it is, and there's a good reason we haven't poked them?"
>"You're giving the government way too much credit. If they knew a person like that was out there, every government would make contact to try and act buddy buddy with that kind of power."

I'm a little nervous about finding out, but no one's listened to us about that signature anyway. We keep getting called crazy, and that one doctor just keeps telling us we've got the energy equivalent of tinnitus.

>[ "We never found out. Do you know what that is?" Tesh's conscious mind asks me. ]
[ "I can't reveal that yet, I'm sorry." ]

[ Tesh is satisfied enough for now, as I've implied that I know what it is. For now, I let Tesh relive this peaceful night. Pesh lowers her arm again, no longer pointing at the space anomaly they may soon learn is Upper Admiral Shuzenza. ]

5/8 Tesh 2024/11/18(Mon)10:55 No. 1100006 ID: 04e6e3
File 173195615270.png - (154.50KB , 1200x1200 , 781.png )

[ I move onwards all the way to yesterday, starting at the spa. Interestingly, it involved many conflicting orders for them. I skim through much of this; information new to me seems light and spread out over hours. ]

"We got Rewks away from her. Who was he?" Ellie's talking to Pesh, so I have time to text her handler.
>"Never mind. Let Ellie go."
"Why? We were supposed to keep track of anyone with her description not going to the airport. She's not leaving."
>"Just give her space for me to handle her. And do not bug her, she will find out."

[ I continue skimming, getting the broad elements of Tesh's reflection of the day. ]

This new boss person is even less informative than my old boss person. That sucks. He's even more suspicious than our normal boss, who mentioned someone else that fit Ellie's description. This other-Ellie got on a sky bus already, but now there's this-Ellie, and her handler, who was supposed to make sure she got on a sky bus, is making us ignore her? It's all fishy and makes no sense.

We end up skiing with her, but the new guy keeps telling us to leave her be. When she insists on getting her own hotel room, Pesh and I finally give it up. Then she flies into space. I started looking up photo databases for this person, but all I could find is a plain identity of a single Ellie. I really, really wish we risked putting a bug on her when we had the chance.

Pesh is busy making her report to the normal boss. I'm a little tired of working for people I don't know. Oh, but Pesh gets a picture of Ellie's supposed handler while she talks to the old boss. Normally we wouldn't even know what he looks like, but the normal boss is pretty mad that our newer boss went against his orders and wants to bring him in for questioning. Too bad the new boss stopped responding to us after we let Ellie go.

[ Ah, Tesh's thoughts are scattered, but I think I get the idea. My handler was Hart, and he was telling the twins to leave me alone throughout the day? That's odd. I wonder what his plans were for handling me. ]

6/8 Tesh 2024/11/18(Mon)10:55 No. 1100007 ID: 04e6e3
File 173195615532.png - (66.56KB , 1200x1200 , 782.png )

[ I've already experienced much of Tesh's actions second hand after this point, either through myself or Farn's memories of driving them around. I do see first hand the way that Tesh breaks in cabins through windows while staying on full alert to her surroundings as Pesh distracts the cabin's owners. I also slow down as Tesh spends her time in the cab on her phone. ]

I want to check my important messages, but there's been a lot of cab drivers who have been putting personal cameras in the back seats, and this guy seems like the scummy sort. I'll just get some disability work done. There's a lot of referrals to send in for injured people.

There's been a lot of core mining incidents lately, the lung specialists local to them are overloaded, and no regular doctor feels comfortable with this kind of thing. Maybe Ellie would have been interested in helping? No, of course not, she just asked idle questions. It'd be silly to try and rope her into all this. I wish I spoke about it more, I want to know if if she was interested or just polite.

[ There's both a sense of frustration and fulfillment Tesh gets from this kind of work. She matches Pesh in energy after all, it's just that she channels it differently. ]

[ "You were hoping I was going to ask more questions about this?" I ask her. ]
>[ "Y-Yeah. I liked talking about it." ]
[ "You didn't have to wait for me to ask, I already expressed interest on the ski lifts. It seems like you were afraid of me getting sick of it, right?" ]
>[ "Yeah... It was nice to vent." Tesh may have underestimated just how deeply her personality is being revealed to me. Then again, both she and Pesh were skeptical about my ability to read minds to begin with. ]

7/8 Tesh 2024/11/18(Mon)10:55 No. 1100008 ID: 04e6e3
File 173195615818.png - (144.04KB , 1200x1200 , 783.png )

[ I continue past when Farn drove them and Paporron to the airport. At first he continued to be cagey about who he was and his destination, but he makes a call and confirms that Pesh and Tesh were on his side. After that, he opens up a little more. ]

>"I'm pretty sure this is just one big, weird coincidence. She looks exactly the same on the phone, but I bet if we find her and compare, then this person you're looking for will look different than our own colleague who's at Varther's."
>"But we felt her jump into space. There's no mistake about that. You're telling me a random lookalike did that?" Pesh says.
>"Uhhh I can't explain that, but... well, she should be investigated anyway, so keep looking. But Hart is confident that the one that went to Varther's estate is the one working with us." He fidgets in his seat with clear discomfort.

Pesh pats him on the back.

>"It's fine, it's fine. So why're you so secretive?"
>"It's just best if I'm not seen, even by our own, sorry! You two are okay since I kind of don't know how to navigate an airport, but please don't tell anyone else I was here."
>"You got it. So what's the 'real' Ellie like?"
>"Well, she's brilliant. Never at a loss of conversation, and has shown me parts of space I could never have imagined existed."
>"What?" Pesh tilts her head. Though I would miss it, Tesh can see her struggling to hide back a big grin.
>"... I - I'm sorry. I meant parts of Klivania. Places, that is, not... space."
>"Oh ok."

[ I thought I had an awkwardly difficult time on Klivania, but Paporron is dreadful at this. ]

>"I need to use the bathroom, can you watch my things?"
>"Sure!"

[ Oh no, Paporron! He's leaving their baggage with Pesh and Tesh, and...! ]

Pesh checks around until he turns a corner, then she gets up and follows him to the bathroom.

He didn't just leave his luggage here, he left his phone! For that, I'll plug a spyware installation kit into it. I count to 10 to let it do its job while I wipe away any DNA left on it.

This feels like an obvious trap, but I don't care. Pesh and I have to know what's going on, so I'm letting myself be reckless. My virus will send everything it hears and sees back to a special server, so I'll check it for any data later.

[ I skim forward, but they were kept in the dark and on standby since Paporron left. Most of their time was spent alternating naps to limited success. Pesh doesn't talk about her attempt to eavesdrop on Paporron in the bathroom, and Tesh silently believes that Pesh would talk about it if there was anything worth talking about. ]

8/8 Aelsaw 2024/11/18(Mon)10:56 No. 1100009 ID: 04e6e3
File 173195616067.png - (55.40KB , 1200x1200 , 784.png )

Tesh and I mentally return to the cafe. Even with such a cursory look, it took five minutes because of how much longer it takes when the host's mind is kept conscious to experience the memories. Other than the oddness of Hart seeming like he was covering for me, and Tesh bugging Paporron, I don't get the wealth of information I was hoping for beyond a cursory glance at Klivanian life. Even their talks with their superiors seem limited, but I can always look harder at that or anything else to make absolute certain there's no relevant information within.

Pesh looks at Tesh when I pull my hand back, and sees a tear form.

>"Whoa, you okay?" Pesh asks.

Tesh nods. She opens her mouth but just makes a choked squeak as she turns back to her phone to talk for her.

>"She really can read minds! I had memories come back that I forgot about. It was like I was with dad again, just for a moment." Tesh's phone explains.
"I hope it wasn't too intimate." I say, but Tesh is shaking her head before I even finish.
>"Really? You're not just messing with me, Tesh? She's for real?" Pesh asks.
>"For real."
>"Maybe I shouldn't dangle my memories for too long. Your food's been here getting cold, so eat up."

>>1100009
Ask her to feed you. It's her fault your food went cold, after all.

"Thank you."

Get to eating your food and let the sisters relax a bit. Can chat about a few space things that are not classified before reading Pesh if she needs some motivation.

How rare is energy sensing to that degree? Being able to sense a fleet admiral way out in space?

Finish your meal and relocate with the sisters.

They seem to be genuine space alien enthusiasts. The ability to sense the energy of the entire Phenocosm up there must be really rare, or Kilvanians wouldn't be able to convince anyone that there are no space aliens. Are you sure what your goal is with these two? What reward are you risking all this for? To access their memories of Papporon? To... make some friends?

>>1100009
Tell Tesh to check for data on Paporron while you read Pesh's memories. Though, there won't be much different would there? ...unless their memories have been altered somehow?
Though, I'm worried that the special spying server was discovered and trying to get data from it will result in a counterattack of some sort. Like, the same sort of virus. Actually... she connected her phone to Paporron's... how do we know there isn't a virus on her phone now?

1/5 Aelsaw 2024/11/19(Tue)17:20 No. 1100090 ID: 04e6e3
File 173206561494.png - (46.30KB , 1200x1200 , 785.png )

"Thank you."

>How rare is it to sense a fleet admiral out in space?
It is unusual but not particularly rare for a phenocosm individual to be able to do so. It does take many, many years of practice regardless, and I've never heard of new adults being able to naturally do it with only a few years of training. I believe they are talented, but it's their phenotype that has a natural, higher ability to sense energy that is anomalous.

Since this phenotype must have spread across Klivania, I have doubts that these two are the only ones on the planet who could sense Shuzenza. It must be extremely rare, still. The phenocosm would have been discovered if there were enough people pointing at the same spot in space.

I spare a little energy to reheat my food. I hope it's not rude, but the two of them continue eating. Pesh speaks between mouthfuls.

>"So what kind of super technology do you have? How lazy can you be?"
"Oh, not lazy at all, at least not me or the people I work with." I look at the food I have to pick up with a fork.

>Ask her to feed you. It's her fault your food went cold, after all.
I think it's equally my fault! But it does remind me of something I can answer Pesh with.

"During long study sessions, I had floating bots that would feed me food."
>"Wow, that is really lazy. We have those too!" Pesh laughs. "Ours suck, they try and shove food in your mouth if you yawn or anything. Have you seen them?"
"I haven't, but I also have not seen any natives here who are working to such a degree that such a bot is appropriate. Klivanians must have trouble programming reading body language and intent, I think that's the hard part."
>"There's a ton of stuff that's hard about it." Tesh adds.
"Is it? I'd be curious to see what klivanian feeding drones are like."

2/5 Aelsaw 2024/11/19(Tue)17:20 No. 1100091 ID: 04e6e3
File 173206561691.png - (73.15KB , 1200x1200 , 786.png )

Since there is no such drone around here, I put more food on my fork and open my mouth to take a bite.

Pesh immediately shoves her forked food into my mouth.

"Gm?"
>"There." Pesh says, wobbling the fork in my mouth. "This right here is the klivanian food bot experience."

I swallow, and Pesh drags the fork back.

"Th-thanks, I think I get the idea!"

>Are you sure what your goal is with these two?
Much of the goal was simply to see what they knew. The answer is not as much as I might have thought, but I have accomplished finding that out. Tesh's virus is worth investigating too.

Still, they are my responsibility now. I've told the twins about the phenocosm's existence, and now I can't let them spread it. I would have to monitor them, but Tesh's memories put me at ease about it. Them talking about sensing the fleet admiral in space was always brushed off, and made them both more reserved about what they say. We're already keeping our voices down since the cook is not far away. Although...

"You two are okay with leaving Klivania, right?"
>"More than okay!" Pesh leans forward like she's ready to leave this instant, and Tesh's nods come rapidly.
"Good. Not now, but it will happen."

That's a relief. As soon as I am in contact with the phenocosm again, I will have these two extracted. I should match pace with eating my food and move on, but there is one thing I'd like to check now.

3/5 Aelsaw 2024/11/19(Tue)17:20 No. 1100092 ID: 04e6e3
File 173206561711.png - (76.91KB , 1200x1200 , 787.png )

"Tesh, could we look at that server you had the virus upload data for? I believe Paporron has landed at Varther's estate, now."
>"On it."
>"I can't believe Paporron left his baggage with Tesh and me." Pesh sips her drink, recalling the event. "That guy acted like he never experienced civilization."

I recall how Tesh felt that installing the virus was too easy and convenient. But her phone was never in contact with Paporron's; her virus installation kit is a separate computer chip with the sole purpose of silently installing malware on phones it's plugged into.

Tesh starts tapping her phone to get to the server. It's apparently not an instant process, most likely because of all the obfuscation involved in keeping the server the virus is uploading to as low profile as possible, while also obfuscating what devices it's sending data to. Tesh went through a lot of trouble and research to make sure that the only risky part of the process is being seen plugging in strange objects into another person's phone.

... Something's not right, though. Tesh's eyebrows are squeezing together. She lets out a little huff, then types.

>"Internet's down."
>"Huh?" Pesh stops mid-chew. "Something wrong with your phone? Let me check mine."

My earpiece beeps with a depressed tone.
>"Primary connection lost. Secondary connection found."

>"Hm?" Pesh taps her phone. "Yeah, I've got nothing."

We linger a moment without much of an idea of what to do except wait until the internet is working again. I keep eating, and the relative silence is broken by the waffle lover getting out of his chair. He walks towards the resting area behind our booth, picks up a controller for the television, and turns it on.

>"- claimed responsibility yet, and authorities are preparing for an announcement. Once again I remind the citizens that wired phone connections remain operational, so all citizens are urged to use public or lined phones for any emergencies."

The news calls in a specialist on the subject. Though he doesn't know for certain, apparently it was a mix of virtual and physical breaches that made various database centers lose their ability to know where to route internet traffic. He makes a metaphor here, saying that it's as though mail centers are intact, but all the mailmen have been blindfolded. Now, everyone's internet requests are spiraling in circles and never getting resolved, which get piled up with more requests that also go in spirals, and the whole system has gotten clogged to the point of shutting down.

4/5 Aelsaw 2024/11/19(Tue)17:20 No. 1100093 ID: 04e6e3
File 173206562024.png - (119.84KB , 1200x1200 , 788.png )

>"The timing makes this kind of spooky, doesn't it?" Tesh types.
"Do internet outages happen often?"

Tesh shrugs and shakes her head. She's thinking intensely, and keeps freezing up when her instinct to look up things on her phone isn't an option. Pesh speaks up for her.

>"Not on a global scale! Seriously Ellie, who is Paporron?"
"He's... ah, that will have to wait until I've regained contact with my allies above."
>"Pah, then so will reading my memories!"

We take our plates to the couch so we can watch the news. They're playing a clip sent in from a hacktivist group that's claiming responsibility.

>"How do you do, sheep of the world? We're the Circuit Board, here giving everyone one big wakeup call! We've been trying to warn everyone just how weak, fragile, and easy to attack the internet is. We don't want to destroy the internet - we want to forge it into something strong. It's the weaklings in power who are to blame, the weaklings who twiddle their thumbs and take all our tax dollars while the foundations crack! We're here to expose those cracks before a truly malevolent force does more than just crack it. As we said, it's a wakeup call to fix your beep, and if you don't, we'll just do it again. That's not a threat. It's a lesson. And we'll be here ready to teach it as many times as it takes. Circuit Board, out."

Ohh, that's an exotic phenotype. It's very much the body of a specialist in a field I'm unfamiliar with! And one that Klivania is most likely unfamiliar with, too. No wonder the poor fellow's at such odds with society.

5/5 Aelsaw 2024/11/19(Tue)17:20 No. 1100094 ID: 04e6e3
File 173206562267.png - (222.60KB , 1200x1200 , 789.png )

The news resumes its normal debates, speculations, and now a brief history on the circuit board group.

"Riffit, are you there?"
>"Yeah, we're on offline communications." The sound quality is just awful, now. "Tegge is getting calls from superiors to help investigate an attack on the internet, but he's stalling. Are Tesh and Pesh there?"
"They are."
>"Dang. Move away from them. I don't want them hearing even your end of the conversation."
"Okay. Excuse me, Pesh, Tesh. I'll be right back."
>"Psh, have it your way." I think they know I know them better, and that they are sassing me for fun rather than being offended.

I step outside. It's snowing and somehow it's even darker than before, but I think the weather is nice. My heavy outer coat and fluffy natural coat make it too hot indoors, so this is refreshing. During this, I hear Tegge talking in the distant background. Although he's loud, the sound quality is so bad that I can't make out the words.

"Go ahead, Riffit."
>"Uh... so he's still trying to stall Paporron's crew from seeing Gel, but it went south. It was going fine up until when you said something about a server with uploaded malware data? They started brute forcing their way through Varther's estate after that. They're not supposed to know where Gel is staying, exactly, but they're moving like they do."
"That's bad, right?"
>"There were some vague hints that they were going to have Gel, uh, artifice memories, on top of having Paporron look into his soul. So yeah you're probably right, it sounds pretty bad. I think Tegge's focusing on damage control now to see what can be done when it's revealed you gave the subdimension the slip. Because that seems - wait.

I overhear Tegge speaking to Riffit, but I still can't make it out. I wait until Riffit speaks directly into her microphone again.

>"Tegge says it's fine, apparently."
"Oh?"
>"He doesn't know what you did or what you knew, but Gel passed. Both Paporron's inspection and being able to provide an example of memory artificing went fine. Soooo..."
"I don't think I know, either. Is it all okay, then?"
>"I guess? I don't know. Tegge's still over there shooting orders, but it sounds like he's just doing cleanup and figuring out what just happened. Paporron and the rest of the others are chatting with Varther. Uh... just wait a second, we're trying to speak to Gel to figure out how he pulled all that off."

I keep on waiting. Pesh looks over at me, but I give her a thumbs up to indicate I'm fine. I don't know if it's fine. The waffle lover is holding his hand over his ear listening to his conversation rather intensely, and he keeps glancing over to me.

Riffit speaks again after about 5 minutes.

>"Okay, so.... we found Gel's corpse."
"The sound quality without internet is bad for some reason. Gel's corpse?"
>"Yes. Dead, deceased, gone. Tegge is trying to form a timeline, but it looked like Gel left to go back to one of Varther's studies, then he went missing. Our agents started searching for him, and we found a corpse. So uh... we'll be trying to untangle that development, too."

rip body double, we never knew ye

get moving or stay hidden?

Oh crap your sister is back.

>>1100092
Ah. Yeah, it was a trap. Paporron was monitoring the server and watching for incoming connections. Likely, he now knows where we are. Relocate immediately. ...well, maybe he doesn't. He shut down the ENTIRE internet; it would've been- wait no, it would've been obvious that he knew where you were if he had shut it down locally. But he's also bad at spy stuff so he took the opposite extreme that can't be explained at all.

>>1100093
>exotic phenotype, unfamiliar field
Looks like someone we should be investigating, possibly recruiting.

>>1100094
>Gel's dead, but also passed
Ok, the only explanation is that there's ANOTHER impostor that's a memory artificer. Except, they would also have to have a soul that looks correct-ish, how did they do that? ...well, there's another explanation, which is that Paporron lied about Gel passing... but why would he do that?

I think they need to find out exactly when Gel died. If he died earlier than should have been possible then there's another impostor helping us.

Pesh and Tesh might be useful in figuring out what's going on since they should be able to sense if there's another memory artificer.

This whole thing smells suspicious. I'd get moving. You should also probably bring Tesh and Pesh, though I'm slightly concerned they're bugged or st. - I guess they checked themselves over earlier. They should at least put their phones back in faraday cages or st., probably.

Oh, and if you didn't pay already, leave the money on the table.

Can we bug out with our crew? I think we should bug out with our crew. Strictly offline.

>>1100096

>>1100094

> Said it's fine.
> Clearly it's not.

I think once they realized it was a double, they stopped pushing, because there wasn't any point to the act any longer.

Right now we should probably consider ourselves nearly compromised. While there's no certain knowledge of where Ellie/Pillet (as our former alias) disappeared to, there is a certain newcomer grabbed up by PICK, the very group keenly interested in these developments.

We may need to extract, [i]with[/] Pesh and Tesh, simply because they're the only outside individuals who know the truth.

1/2 Aelsaw 2024/11/20(Wed)16:25 No. 1100157 ID: 04e6e3
File 173214872414.png - (144.63KB , 1200x1200 , 790.png )

>"Do you know when, exactly, Gel died?"
"Uhhh no, like... someone was using energy to cremate him. We're doing analysis to be absolutely sure it's him, but I think we interrupted someone trying to destroy his body. We're doubting Gel was the one Paporron spoke to. Tegge is saying you're supposed to be the only memory artificer in the whole wide galaxy, which I don't know if that was literal but, you know."

There are a few explanations I could think of, but they all require a lot of leaps in logic or simple presumptions about what people's motives and thought patterns are like. Paporron lying to cover for me for some reason, or Shuzenza having access to a second memory artificer I wasn't aware of... it's all possible, but unlikely.

The third option is what I'm fearing, and because of that, it's the one I'm stuck on. Someone took Gel's place who looked like Pillet, had a soul that Paporron said was Pillet's, and was able to pass a memory artificing test that Paporron did not seem to be in charge of.

It's too early to be sure, but I must consider that the reports on my sister's death could be false. I will take what few precautions I can for it, but for now, I will hold back both my hope that she is alive and well, and my fears about what that means.

"Riffit, I'm almost certainly compromised. Even my identity as Reneil might not be safe."
>"You think so?"
"I was also brought in by PICK, and only look so different from Pillet herself."
>"Sure. We did take measures to make you look like a civilian, but I'll bring up your concern."
"I'm going to leave this area."
>"Okay, I'll bring that up too once Tegge gives me five seconds of his time."

2/2 Aelsaw 2024/11/20(Wed)16:25 No. 1100158 ID: 04e6e3
File 173214872625.png - (96.36KB , 1200x1200 , 791.png )

I go back inside put the meal payment on the table. Pesh approaches me.

>"Hey, Ellie. The news said the internet's coming back in as soon as 20 minutes. What's up? You look spooked, and that's pretty concerning coming from you."
"You two look very tired, too. Can I see your phone?"
>"Uh, sure. And yeah, when it was just us two bundled up on the couch in front of the TV, well... anyway, here."

I take her phone as well as Tesh's, then place them into a decorative breadbox across the room.

"I think we need to go." I whisper to the twin's expectant ears. "You two might have been bugged after all."
>"At least one of us makes sense, but we checked ourself pretty thoroughly! Are you sure it's not you that got bugged?" Pesh whispers back. "Or waffle lover over there?"
"I can't vouch for him, and I doubt it's me. But please understand that if you two were bugged, it's possible it was using tech that you two don't have the means to detect. Maybe I should leave my phone behind, too. Can you two put your phones in faraday cages?"
>"Do you space aliens just carry faraday cages around wherever you go?"
"No, I suppose not. Can you leave your phones behind, then?"

They share a couple uncomfortable glances, and Tesh fails to speak. She makes sign language at Pesh, who translates.

>"Fine, fine, but Tesh is saying she definitely wants to access her server when the internet's back. And so do I, but we can pick up a burner phone. We've absolutely got to know what information was so important to hide that they killed the whole internet to delay us for a bit, that is, unless it really was just the biggest coincidence of our lives. Kinda hard to believe they could just kill the internet in, what, a minute of hearing what we were up to? I guess we really do need to leave, huh?"
>"Do I hear people talking about leaving?" Rycell, the cook, calls from the side. "You two are welcome to stay, but if you wait much longer, then staying won't be a choice. That blizzard's picking up, and no one's going anywhere in whiteout conditions, especially not without a working GPS."
>"Yeah. So if we leave, where are we going?" asks Pesh.

I'm a little nervous about them trying to reconnect to that server again, but they sound determined to try. They seem more open to the idea that they were bugged than the idea that accessing Tesh's server could possibly be traced back to her phone.

"The cute bunny you spied on has a lot of dangerous friends who would turn your sun off if they thought it would help the situation... you also can not sense them right now but there are a lot of people like the one far above that are far closer to home."

You need to have them help you get back to Paporron. Then pop your change back thing to get back to looking like Pillet. And then replace whoever is currently Pillet with yourself Pillet. Especially if it is Pillet being Pillet.

Also find time to make out with other Pillet at some point during the process.

>>1100158
Well, we really need that information, so I guess we'll be accessing that server somehow.

1/2 Aelsaw 2024/11/21(Thu)11:16 No. 1100177 ID: 04e6e3
File 173221656201.png - (109.87KB , 1200x1200 , 792.png )

"I'm also curious about that information, but I should go to Paporron while we wait for the internet to come back."
>"Should you?"
"I need to find out who's acting as my body double. Paporron isn't much of a criminal mastermind, but he's friends with people who are. I'm afraid his people are at odds with my people, your planet is caught in the middle. Do you remember that source of immense power in the sky that you and Tesh used to look at? That is Shuzenza, Upper Admiral of Heaven's Jurisdiction, and the one in charge of a blockade around the solar system. He's also my husband."
>"Let's get you on a plane, then, and you can answer all hundred questions I just thought up! Hold on, Tesh is signing that she thinks the sky busses aren't going to be working."

Behind me, the waffle lover clears his throat.

>"Yeah, she's right. Pilots barely take any navigation courses, believe it or not."
"Is that so? What's your name?"
>"Hey yes I'm Jace, nice to meet you. Let me try to get Tegge on the line."
"Okay, thanks. And thanks for the food, Rycell!" I call out, heading to leave.
"Anytime, be safe out there!"

2/2 Aelsaw 2024/11/21(Thu)11:16 No. 1100178 ID: 04e6e3
File 173221656431.png - (209.15KB , 1200x1200 , 793.png )

I barely step back outside ahead of the others when Tegge speaks to me.

>"Reneil. Sorry I haven't been able to keep you in the loop myself. My agent says you want to see Paporron?"
"Rather I'm concerned about whoever's currently my body double, if it's true that Gel was killed."
>"Good, as keeping Paporron in place would be tricky. He and his escorts are leaving soon. We do not know for certain yet that the corpse is Gel's, but we're keeping a close eye on your body double regardless. They still claim they're Gel, and so far their story is adding up. Having you read his memories will confirm matters. We can arrange a plane trip if you feel a need to get there ASAP, but I suggest a train ride if not. A train will last roughly 7 hours longer, but it will avoid having to draw red tape and attention that taking a plane would bring us under the present circumstances."

Sure, tell Pesh and Tesh you'll give them a ride and run a train.

>>1100178

How will that effect our timeline of meeting him and will it be impacted by the blizzard?

Actually, if someone just took out Gel, do we want to risk losing another person with a 7-hour delay?

Oh, I thought of another explanation. The dead Gel could be someone they were planning on replacing the real Gel with... or one of our minor double agents in the rebel group who was pretending to be you as a sacrifice, because there's supposed to be two Pillets anyway right now? If both Pillets failed the test then that would sow confusion in the enemy...? Eh, it's a stretch.

Before we potentially meet with Gel, we need to consider the possibility that they are some kind of Pillet clone. Consider the fact that you can alter other peoples' memories. Pillet could have found another memory artificer, overpowered them, and overwrote all their memories with hers. That would create a clone of her mind, and after altering the clone's body the soul would grow to match! Hey, that could even mean the real Pillet faked her death by creating a clone that died.

Are you strong enough to protect yourself if you wind up "fighting" a strong enemy memory artificer such as Pillet?

For current day Pillet: How can you tell these memories are yours? Is it a soul signature attached to them or is it a memory pattern type thing? The former could be faked due to soul adaptation and the latter from the memory clone thing I think?