7/8 Vi.si.mi 2025/06/12(Thu)17:51 No. 1109520 ID: 0f6cbd
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"Uh. Where's Palestripe."

Nu.ya.si starts drawing in light on the wall.

"Locked in the shower. You have a shower room now, by the way. It's running at full blast and she keeps saying she won't come out until either her demands are met, her questions are answered, or she's given a large fruit. One of those. Well, none of those, probably, she keeps trying to talk in polyphonic and she's still not very good at it. She sounded really upset, but also really cagey about why she was upset. Kinda... twitchy, too. Keeps wringing her tendrils together and shaking. I have my theories but it'd be, you know, impolite to start speculating what's happening based on what it reminds me of, but, y'know, some of those constructs deep into the ginger acted a little quirky when they got cut off too. Makes you think."
"Today was going to be a nice relaxing day of low stakes so I could get to know my team..."
"Well, if the last [33 years] of my life are anything to go by, if you don't find problems, problems find you. And that's all of them. All the [years] of my life. I'm saying it's my lived experience. Haha wow, I am great at first impressions. This is why I prefer text comms. Anyway. You, uh, planning on leaving that bed today, boss?"
"Oh no don't call me boss."
Nu.ya.si adjusts his goggles and grins wide. "Too bad, boss."

It was supposed to be an easy day today.

"I mean, if you're not a fan of boss, what should I call you, Vi.si?"
"We're not on two-syllable terms either. Not yet."
"Right, boss."
"Wait. Are you trying to tell me you think whatever Palestripe is doing is because she wants a fermented ginger drink?"

Nu.ya.si smiles at me widely, head tilted, eyes closed. "Oh, you're so precious, Vi.si. I've been reviewing all the data we have on the blue rain, and anything we have on Rainborn, which isn't a lot, but, wow, they really like their blue rain, don't they. Have you noticed? The stuff that seems to make things exposed to it better and stronger and faster and it changes them so they need more of it." He rolls his eyes with a wry grin. "You don't happen to have any of that stuff, do you?"
"Why would I have that. Why would I have any of that, Nu.ya.si."
"Eh, stranger things happen. Did you know Fo.ka.sa's exotic fluids collection includes a tank of the stuff? Shame that's, y'know, in another star system and not here. And it certainly wouldn't transmit. Not really helpful, but, y'know, when else is it going to come up?"

8/8 Vi.si.mi 2025/06/12(Thu)17:52 No. 1109521 ID: 0f6cbd
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"Ughh..." Li.ni.si wakes up. "Wow, sorry about that, Vi.si.mi, I think I just--"
She stops, looks at me, looks to Nu.ya.si, and my physical contact with her lets me feel her mind racing to process the situation she's in.

"It's not what it looks l--"
"Yes, yes, I know." Nu.ya.si sighs. "Why don't you ever collapse onto me after having a secret conversation, eh?"

The two look at each other, and, for all I know, might as well be having a secret conversation right now through the medium of glares and stares.

"You really haven't changed a bit, have you," says Li.ni.si.
"I refuse," he says, with a dramatic flourish as he places his hand on his chest. "If two exiles couldn't fix me, I guess I'm just stuck like this."

Li.ni.si gets up off of me, at last, and walks uncomfortably close to Nu.ya.si, who just keeps grinning.
More heated silent exchanges of eye contact happen, with Li.ni.si's eyes narrowing as Nu.ya.si's grin widens.

"We have a bit of a history," says Nu.ya.si.
"I would never have been able to guess," I say with perhaps a bit too dry and deadpan a delivery.
"Well, that's why you've got a team now. Y'know, to compensate for your own social shortcomings. Er, sorry, no, I mean skill gaps."

And then he gives me the same damn grin, at once charming and incandescently infuriating, and I suddenly want to punch it off his face, and I also suddenly deeply understand much more why Li.ni.si feels the way she does around him.

"So what's the rest of the team doing?"
"Ji.pa.ke was rooting through automata designs to figure out how to be useful, and Su.ki.fu left at first light on a "scouting mission" that I'm pretty sure was an excuse to go flying. Now Ji.pa.ke is helping the little wormy thing plan a new body. Between J i.pa.ke and Li.ni.si, the wormy thing is probably getting close to finalising their design."
"And Lightgreen?"
"Who?"
"The lepi. White and, uh, light green fur."
"Don't think I've seen anyone like that since I got here."

"So, Vi.si.mi," says Li.ni.si. "If you're feeling up to taking control of this mission again, I'd recommend you do it before Nu.ya here just takes control of it like he seems to think is his Vi.al-given right."
"Oh you-- We don't all spend every single night asleep, princess! Someone has to keep their hands on the console," says Nu.ya.si, looking, perhaps for the first time I've seen him, actually irritated.
"Princess. Really."
"Oh, I'm sorry, would you prefer-- ugh. Ugh. No. I'm not getting dragged into yet another vatling-style back-and-forth."
"That you started, once again," mutters Li.ni.si.
"Okay, okay! Let's not fight. Let's focus on the task at hand."

The two look to me.

Hm. Open issues. Lord Vi.al probably hasn't left yet and I wanted to convince them to contact My.a for... I don't remember precisely aside from just feeling like an entire world should not hang in the balance due to a personal fight between two Lords even if that is a distressingly common occurence. There's... whatever Palestripe is doing locked in a room. And part of my anxiety-riddled mind is screaming at me that Lightgreen might not be asleep and she might have been taken by something in the night. And what Nu.ya.si said in my dream about me being "wide open" is haunting me.

I need to pick one of these to focus on now and probably figure out something to send these two on that'll get them far apart from each other. It would have been great if the briefings told me these two can't stand being around each other!! Helping the village cultivate their medical fungus can wait a little longer. It's not like it's going to grow legs and walk away. I checked for pseudopods yesterday just to be safe. Can't rely on any assumptions with this world going forward.

The personal security issue seems like the most pressing one, from what people have said of Lightgreen not being helpless and such.

Let's try giving Palestripe a large fruit first. If that calms her down, that's an easy win.

Think palestripe should be dealt with first since I think it was mentioned that part of the reason she’s freaking out is because she thinks your hurt and it’s her fault so showing her your fine should at least help calm her down a bit.

>>1109514
>Vi.al's scan
It's possible that he assumed she made those modifications with the Society's permission, but it's more likely that he was urging her to get the Society's permission before she progressed much further! Well, at least all she's doing now is scans. Collecting information without analyzing it or forming theories is fine, probably. I have no idea how to convey this to her, and asking Vi.al to give her another hint might be too close to breaking your promise. Urging her to ask Vi.al about the "hint" might work out though?

>>1109521
Getting My.a and Vi.al to start talking again, even if on bad terms, is something that could benefit the galaxy. It's kindof huge. Do that before you lose the opportunity.

Ask Li.ni.si to try to get Palestripe calmed down. Nu.ya.si should... uh... well, we aren't in open war with anyone that *has* a network at the moment so I'm not sure what hacking he can do. I suppose he could go check on your accidental ecological contamination, do some scans so you know how bad it is. Oh, maybe he can talk to the Lepi to get them more prepared to defend themselves? Or set up some substrate-based defenses around the camp so that we're in less danger of folding to a single attack? Another thing he could look into is figuring out how that relay cascade worked so that we can communicate with the other factions at this range. Not to hack them, as that would be too much aggression, but establishing a line of communications would be the first step to attempting to broker peace. At least, peace with most of the factions. I expect at least one of them will be quite insistent on war, and I know one faction would be peaceful if it weren't for the Shapeless forcing them to do its bidding. If we could take them out of action or figure out how to give them what they want so they stand down...

Well, you need to talk to Vi.al for. So Many Things. You need to talk to him about your Flocklet that is verging on a vatling, about your system being open, about wanting to fly (you are NOT jealous at Su.ki.fu you refuse to be jealous), about My.a and breaking cycles, possibly about why your behaviour is so similar to his.
...by Monarch you need to half a Feeling Talk TWO

Apologize. You want them to apologize. It's far too late for apologies, but if Lord Vi.al haven't apologized to My.a yet, that's one more thing the insane Lord can hold over them. My.a certainly won't allow them to apologize, so this is pretty much a long term at the moment of the climactic battle goal.

Incidentally Nu.ya.si is going to be a problem not for their dangerous abilities or their irritating nature, but they're trying to do things on their own, by themselves, without any help. Actively blocking attempts to help. You need to convince them that they cannot handle everything alone, and must sometimes rely on their allies, or they'll break at the worst moment, and the problem they didn't tell you about will rise up and ruin everything.

Alternatively you should never depend on them for anything because you don't know when they'll break.

If it helps keep the thoughts of Illegal Construct Reproduction contained, consider this line of thought: Lord Vi.al did scans of Li.ni.si and knows a lot about her and the other three constructs. There's a high likelihood he already knows she's looking into construct reproduction and has either implicitly okayed it through inaction or has deemed it to be not a risk worth acting upon. Actively bringing it to Lord Vi.al's attention, especially somewhere where there might be eavesdroppers, carries a risk of obligating them to actually do something about it. In essence, if other the lords don't know that Vi.al knows what Li.ni.si is researching, then Vi.al doesn't have to do anything.

As for prioritisation... Vi.al is time sensitive, and Palestripe is a security risk so, those two. Hopefully Lightgreen is not present for just mundane reasons and your own personal security can hopefully be sorted before you go to sleep again.

>>1109568
>Getting My.a and Vi.al to start talking again, even if on bad terms, is something that could benefit the galaxy. It's kindof huge.

Strategically sound on a grand scale. Even tiny reconciliation would be a very positive change.

>>1109521
Send Li.ni.si to check on Lightgreen, health and safety is her job.

Send Nu.ya.si your diagnostics so he can figure out why you're wide open, data is his job.

The other two are already doing their jobs, which is great.

First, establish a meeting between Palestripe and Vi.al. We have air to clear with Palestripe on how Shapeless society works, and an alliance to discuss. After that's done we can talk to Vi.al about the My.a situation.

1/6 Vi.si.mi 2025/07/07(Mon)17:06 No. 1110825 ID: 0f6cbd
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> Nu.ya.si is going to be a problem
I can see the potential issues already. But you don't get a charging animal to go where you want them by pushing back. He just needs to be steered.

"Okay," I say, both their attention on me. "Li.ni.si, go find out if Lightgreen is okay."
Li.ni.si leaves the room with a quick nod, and an annoyed glance in Nu.ya.si's direction.
"Nu.ya.si, there was some sort of weird signal pulse a few planet-days ago when I first tried to get into contact with Lord Vi.al that briefly let me get into contact with all the Transcendentals. If you can go through the station records--"
"Yeah, I was looking into that last night," says Nu.ya.si. "I was looking over the logs for signs of intrusion and that event caught my eye. I can't figure out what caused it, but some of what was captured is interesting. But first my priority is get this place locked down, it's extremely vulnerable to signal attacks. I'll look into that pulse event afterwards."
"Alright, that's fair." The first task I give him, he immediately shrugs it aside, but he does have a point. Especially as that Lo.kan knight would definitely know how to exploit any weaknesses in the relay station, what with being both Shapeless (True Shapeless at that) and more experienced than most of us.
He leaves too, with a grin and a wink.

Okay. I have to talk to Lord Vi.al.

2/6 Vi.si.mi 2025/07/07(Mon)17:06 No. 1110826 ID: 0f6cbd
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"Lord Vi.al!" I bow.
They're in the central chamber of the relay station, a building that only yesterday didn't have enough rooms to have a central chamber.

That's odd. Where are all of Lord Vi.al's flocklets?

"Vi.si.mi," says Lord Vi.al. "I will be departing much earlier than anticipated. A matter of great importance for the entire Diamond Distribution has been raised and all local Lords are being called to assemble, and it would be seen as spineless and cowardly at best, or intentionally insulting at worst, if I attended with any focus other than my throneworld core."
"...Oh."
"I am not particularly thrilled about the timing myself," says Lord Vi.al, a bit less diplomatically than usual. "All of my other foci are busy in... various affairs," they say, a shifting of the eyes as though being watched. "I have at least sent a message to My.a, as you suggested. No response, as to be expected, but..."

After a moment of silence, Lord Vi.al looks at me again. "I also had the opportunity to speak to one of the other Transcendentals of this planet. B!snu-fnaa-kweee. Accusations of deliberately harming a diplomat sent in good faith, I believe. Trying to talk to that one is a complex puzzle. There is a strange shifting in their behaviour. It is like speaking to one of the Shapeless running too many internal partitions. So many lines of thought splitting and merging. I imagine to a purely singular intellect they must seem mad."
"Well..."
"Lord Ji.at and Lord Ku.su tend to be the ones most prone to similar behaviour, so I've had experience with such individuals before. Lord Co.ro prefers multiple physical partitions, and that is especially difficult to deal with at times. If you've ever tried to address a flock of birds at once, I imagine you might understand the problems. Either way, diplomatic efforts were strenuous. I did what I could, but it is uncertain what that one is going to choose to do."

Lord Vi.al dips their head in the direction of a wall, and I see an audiovisual playback of their conversation.

3/6 Vi.si.mi 2025/07/07(Mon)17:07 No. 1110827 ID: 0f6cbd
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"Unacceptable unacceptable unacceptable!! Glass drybirds seize my beloved little jellyeel, drag her from the rivers and the seas, dry her out!! Yes, there is a concern I have about your treatment of foreign emissaries, it bodes poorly for you-- WILL YOU CEASE WITH THE PODSQUEEZING?! I AM CONVERSING WITH A SHAPELESS LORD!! Where were we. Ah yes. YOUR CALLOUS INDIFFERENCE TO MY ASSOCIATES AND BELOVED SECRETARY--"
"You do not need to shout, I am perfectly capable of hearing you."
"Yes yes there is less air needing to squeeze, of course, of course. I am no stranger to the words congelation, I know what we are doing with our many many tendrils--"
"Enough. What are you doing on my garden world?"
"Garden paradise! Your work incomplete, an open space for my cause! We shall recover and rebuild here, stage the grand revolution and reclaim our freedom from our creator-oppressors. I begin where you left off, with the Rain I will paint our safety and security onto the dirtflesh of this haven world. Much, much much much much many more work needing to be done to get where we will thrive, yes, but this world was promised to me, on a condition I will fulfil. Our freedom and our safety are paramount."
"You were promised the world by a usurper. It was never theirs to offer. But your desire for freedom and revolution is something I understand perhaps too well. Follow my conditions, and I will permit you to stay."
"Your conditions! Their conditions! Irrelevant! This is our home now! I will defend it!"
"You know," says Lord Vi.al, their voice carrying a cold lethality to it I rarely hear, "I do happen to have some contacts within the Threestar Circle that would be extremely interested to know of a mass rainform uprising, as well as its direct system and planetary location."

There's a pause.

"If this is the game you wish to play," says a growling, bubbling B!snu-fnaa-kweee, "Then I am certain you will enjoy explaining to the Threestar Circle why an unaccounted-for population of delphics inhabits a world within your domain, isolated and unaware of their interstellar cousins?"
"They will, I'm sure, be just as interested to know how you and your followers have been treating them. After all, what is likelier? That I, a Shapeless Lord, with no particular desire for alien populations within my borders, brought them here? Or that you did?"
"These words waver to war!"
"War." Lord Vi.al chuckles. "I'm afraid you don't quite understand the position you're in. You are young, and inexperienced in dealing with the Shapeless. Let me explain."
"One more hegemon to overthrow," snarls B!snu-fnaa-kweee, in an increasingly lucid, focused, hateful gurgle. "You try my patience with your condescension, machine bird. Give me this explanation."
"You have breathed the air of my world, and drank its waters. If I so wished it, I could merely call upon the subtrate traces, my substrate traces, within your people, and shred them from within. Rip the veins and blood from their bodies."
"A bluff! Such lies are the last resort of the powerless!! You bluff, drybird! Prove it! Rip my veins out of my flesh right now!"

Lord Vi.al's eyes glow with a sudden flicker of rage I have seen less than a wingful of times in my life, and I feel my transport fluid run cold, static running down my spine.
No. No, Lord Vi.al wouldn't--

"No," they say, the glow fading. "Your diplomat will be returned safely. You have what you want. Your revolution worked. You can be safe here. But that's not enough for you, is it. It's never enough. Your lust for more "freedom" and "safety" will lead to misery and tragedy for your people and all you love. Abandon your goals. Now. My conditions are as thus: do not expand further, act only in defence of your established territory, and focus your efforts on developing the territory you already claim. Demonstrate to me you are worthy of my trust and respect and I will provide you more territory. Fail, and I will show you what it means to anger a Shapeless Lord."
"What would you know about revolution, Lord?! What do you know of such struggles?! Ancient Shapeless relic dryglass corpsebird useless USELESS--"
"I see we are at an impasse. My time is better spent elsewhere than here. Do not make any rash decisions."
"NGGHGHHH!! FINE! I will do as you demand, Tyrant Lord! And then, I will see your empire crumble from within! Not by force, no, not by force. That would never stick. I will simply show them your true nature. I will show them. I WILL SHOW THEM. I WILL SPREAD THE TRUTH--"

Lord Vi.al tilts their head, and the screen goes dark.

The screen recording ends, and it too goes dark.

4/6 Vi.si.mi 2025/07/07(Mon)17:08 No. 1110828 ID: 0f6cbd
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In the room, Lord Vi.al stares at the screen in a particularly haunted way.

"Lord Vi.al? Are you alright?"
I hear a low chuckle. "Oh, just reflecting on some carelessness in my diplomatic manner. I suppose something of their demeanour was a little too familiar. Perhaps opening old wounds was a mistake... Ahem. Yes, this one remains a concern. I will inform Vu.o-2 to keep some ships in orbit just to be on the safe side."

Lord Vi.al's eyes widen, before their entire body ripples in a small explosion of shock.
I feel a signal hit the relay station, directed and narrow. The contents are inscrutable to me. Echoes and whispers of a message I am not to overhear.

"...I have a response from My.a."

Lord Vi.al falls silent. They stare off into a specific, fixed direction, as though the walls of the station were windows.

"Lord Vi.al?"
"I suppose I am departing immediately, then."
"What?"
"I have to leave to attend the assembly, and I am also being asked to visit a specific location to prove that I am serious in my intent. This is not quite how I had hoped things would work, but, well, that seems to be how things just are these days. Farewell, Vi.si.mi. I am sorry for the urgency."
"I... yes, Lord Vi.al." Argh! I had so many more things I wanted to talk about!! "When do you expect you can return?"
"I am uncertain. I have provided your colleague Ji.pa.ke with designs for a proxy, should I find some unoccupied capacity to operate it, but the emergency assembly has me concerned that something is happening that could make even this entire affair seem small and insignificant. Please do keep sending me reports."

Lord Vi.al moves to leave. I give them a brief hug first. Their eyes warm and they nod, patting me on the head, and they continue leaving, casually moving through the substrate walls of the station as though they were curtains of hanging water.

Moments later, I feel the electromagnetic ripples of a Lord-focus-sized mass of substrate transmitting as one in a focused direction.

So just like that, I'm... well, no, I'm not on my own again, but... agh. Well.

5/6 Vi.si.mi 2025/07/07(Mon)17:09 No. 1110829 ID: 0f6cbd
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Palestripe.

I wander through another chamber (I need to figure out what rooms my relay station has now at some point) and come across Ji.pa.ke already at the door to a chamber that must contain a waterfall, so loud and heavy is the deluge within.
Monarch's feathers that tail is massive. Did it just not fit in the projections??
A few small tetrahedral drones float nearby of unfamiliar design, spinning on one axis and stopping to align one of their faces with I assume whatever catches their primitive interest. The triangular ocelli on their main faces is a common Lo.kan symbol, so I assume these must be stock designs.

"It's gonna be okay," says Ji.pa.ke. "We're doing what we can."
I only hear muffled sobs just barely against the cacophony of the water inside. It takes a lot of filtering.

Ji.pa.ke sees me approach. "Oh! Vi.si.mi! Wow I wish we met in better circumstances! This sucks! She's suffering in there and we can't do anything about it! I've figured it out, she's badly starved of blue-rain and it's making her suffer. But we don't have anything like that in the base! I tried to get into contact with Su.ki.fu and ask her to collect some but she's out of range! I can't send a drone to fetch any because they'd have to go so far outside my operating range I'd lose contact too!"

Ji.pa.ke stops, takes a few deep breaths, and clasps their hands together. "Sorry! Sorry to be so useless, this is a terrible first impression, I know, but I honestly have no idea what to do, and she's started talking in Interop Whistletongue, but I only know Bottlesnout Whistletongue!! And she doesn't understand polyvoice well enough for me to talk to her! I've been trying to reassure her in monovoice but she doesn't seem to know that either!"

"Well--"

Ji.pa.ke wrings their hands together, and smiles sheepishly, collecting themselves. "Ah, so sorry! I know you must have problems to attend to of your own, and I'm here to make your life easier, not the other way around. It was just a bit more than I expected to deal with when I showed up! No wonder you need a bigger team, heheh! Heh."

...this is how other people see me, isn't it.

I rub my beak with a wing as I look off to the side in a (perhaps too forced) gesture of casual indifference and acceptance.
"Well, first of all, Ji.pa.ke, thank you. As far as first impressions go you've made a pretty strong one on me already with how much you care."
"I'm sorry, I know it's outside mission scope, but--"
"No that's not what I meant. I understand. Also, no, I'd say Palestripe's health very much falls under our mission scope."
"Ah! Sorry, sorry! I'm-- right, yeah, sorry!"

I am baffled.

"I've-- I've worked as part of multi-Lord teams before and they, they can get a bit, uh, the social dynamics and expectations get a bit more, uh, well, oh you know it's not, it's not important, I think, uh. I forgot! I keep thinking Nu.ya.si is atypical but that's different atypical. Ahem! Sorry! Yes!"
Monarch's name, I am not prepared to deal with two of me.
"It's fine, it's really fine. You can stop apologizing."
"Sor-- yes. Yes, so, plan?"
"I can speak Interop Whistletongue. I will go talk to her. You, uh, go see if you can get into contact with Su.ki.fu some more. Maybe she was just in a weird spot before. We have a satellite so the range we have is a lot wider than you might think."
"We do?! A satellite?! Oh!! I was briefed that we had no infrastructure!! Fantastic idea, I'll keep trying!!"

Ji.pa.ke runs off to the central chamber, as I prepare to take the plunge.

6/6 Vi.si.mi 2025/07/07(Mon)17:10 No. 1110830 ID: 0f6cbd
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Inside the shower room I am met with an artificial rain at least twice that of the downpour yesterday. It's hard to breathe without inhaling water.

Palestripe is slumped up against the opposite wall of the circular room, crying.

"<Hello.>"
"<Vi Si Mi,>" intones Palestripe, the tonal nature of a construct name elevated in Whistletongue from a chirrup to a melody. "<Forgive me, forgive me, I am failing in my appointed task, I failed before I even started my journey, how could I have allowed this to happen?! How could I be so negligent?!>"
"<We're trying to figure out how to get some blue rain for you. We're working on it.>"

She curls herself up into an even tighter ball, tendrils over her eyes as she keeps sobbing. "<I'm an embarrassment to the Great Leader! To forget something so fundamental, so basic! To take for granted the wet I breathe?! I deserve the slow death I condemn myself to for overlooking such a thing!!>"

Oh good there is something else upsetting her. I can actually work with that.

"<No you don't, and I can tell you for a fact you mean a lot to B... to the Great Leader, because they angrily contacted us demanding to know where you were and what we'd done with you. Called you their 'beloved little jellyeel' and 'beloved secretary'.>"

She sobs even harder.

"<I'M LETTING DOWN B!SNU!! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!! I'M A FAILURE!! A FAILURE!!>"

Okay so I might not be as good at this whole thing as I thought I was.
Maybe trying to appeal to the rationality of someone who is, as far as I can tell, starving? Thirsting? Something-ing to slow death is maybe not a winning strategy.

I've already told Ji.pa.ke to look into the problem of actually getting the blue rain, however long that could take.
I'm currently the only present one of the two people I'm aware of able to speak to her (given I sent Li.ni.si off to go check on Lightgreen), so I suppose it's up to me to try and calm Palestripe down before she starts getting physically emotional about things.

I thought your whole purpose was to carry water for B!snu, you must have been subconsciously rebelling against that or something.

>>1110826
...This explains a lot.

>>B'snu: "I WILL SPREAD THE TRUTH"
It's clear that Vi.al expects B'snu not to like what he finds.

>ImmafailureImmafailureImmafailure
"You are. But we can't replace you. We don't have anyone else here that can do the job B'snu gave you. Negotiations between Vi.al and B'snu have broken down. B'snu doesn't want to risk sending any more diplomats, Vi.al will not permit any replacements. Any information you can give us is doing more than nothing, which is more than what any other envoy could do, because they'd all be stuck at the front gates.
For starters, how do we get Blue Rain?"

Palestripe you're only a failure if you don't get back alive. Great leader believes we're either harming you or have you as a hostage. Work with us, we're doing all we can to get you what you need. However we're short of info. Whatever details you can give as to how we can get the stuff to you fast and safely will help us all.

well you probably should say something that will catch her off guard to try and shock her out of her self downward spiral she's got herself in.

So with that I say start off with apologizing to her. That should get her attention at the very least. Say you would like to apologize about what you said to her after she showed you her memories as what you said was HORRIBLY callous and you were so shocked by what she showed you, you kind of forgot people have different worldviews than your own and that how something can work for one person can be absolutely horrible for someone else and again for your careless words you would like to apologize and hope that she can forgive you.

Then when she's (hopefully) listening tell her that also she hasn't failed her mission yet. She's still here, we're still willing to talk to her and see what we can work out, we're just hopping that we can get some blue rain for her and if she could help us figure out where to get some we can give it to her and start up talks once again as we do want to help her and don't like to see her suffer.

hopefully this will calm her down enough to try and hold it together until we can give her some blue rain and we can try to pick things up from there.

>>1110825
>Beep Snusnu
Sounds more or less like a standard communist revolutionary, yes. A taste of power followed by megalomania. It is good to see B! still has concern for the smaller rainforms, at least, and that the cult-like affection isn't just one-sided worship.
Could be more like you and Vi.al than you'd like to think.

Speaking of similarities, the blue-rain sounds almost as key to her bodily functions as substrate is to yours'. The difference being that this is probably an intended design choice for a slave construct, makes it harder for them to flee and find independence on their own if they are reliant on the master's supply. You, at least, have been gifted with the ability to eat and process organic food in emergencies.

As far as keeping her here goes, do we actually want to keep her here? Vi.al was just promising B! her safe return. How far is it to the coast? We could escort her back to a meeting point with her people, maybe establish a joint outpost where diplomatic meetings and joint operations can be managed instead of keeping her somewhere so dry.

>>1110830
hmmm, best way to cut through... all that is to start with hugging her and assuring her that
1.) your harsh words to her a while back were because your own world, situation, and equivalent to chains, were clashing in a bad way.
2.) you collapsing soon after was ultimately a result of the same, and... was likely to happen even without her
3.) she is not going to die here. You will not let her die here. even if you need to replace the blue of the water with substrate.
We already know they are similar enough, compatable enough, for a pearl to directly connect the two, a pearl that is still here. As a Ecological construct you should know how substrate and organic matter can interact too. Now whether or not doing so is a good idea is up in the air, a last resort

Hey didn't she say something about a fruit

>>1110842
...I find I missed a much more direct solution still, just call B!snu and either let her talk to them, or just ask where blue water is

Only a failure if you give up. So where do we go from here? Our fastest scout is currently out of range but we're working on pulling them back to get you what you need so you can save both of our factions.

>>1110842
physical contact may help where words fail.
Thank her for showing you her backstory. It must have been hard, revealing something so personal and traumatic. Tell her it's making you rethink your own life and purpose. So she's not a failure, and she's not going to die here. Not after all she's been through.

1/8 Vi.si.mi 2025/09/01(Mon)16:22 No. 1113370 ID: 0f6cbd
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Traipsing through the heavy sheets of water of this artificial torrent, I get closer to Palestripe and kneel next to her.

I hold out my wing, but she curls up deeper into herself.

"<I'm sorry, Palestripe. I didn't mean to insult you and your beliefs. I-->"
She waves her tendrils at me.
"<No, Vi Si Mi, I knew better than to share such cutting memories. The device was not properly tested. I was desperate to convince you of our cause, because I thought you might be the only other Transcendental-civilisation leader on this world that would understand. I put us both at great risk and all I accomplished was hurting us both!>"
"<I've had a few insights since then and I think I understand where you're coming from more. I think I understood then too. I just didn't want to think about it.>"

Palestripe slowly unfurls herself gently, looking up to me. "<So it wasn't a complete mistake?>"

Well you've forced my eyes open after I spent [years] trying to keep them closed to be happier with-- no. Let's just not bring that up.
"<I wouldn't think so.>"

I hold my wing out again. She tests it with a pair of her tendrils, and pulls me a little closer.
I shuffle over and slowly give her a hug. She trembles as if about to start sobbing again, but squeezes me a little bit tighter than I was expecting before letting me go.
The sensation of all her tentacles wrapping softly around me is unfamiliar, but not unpleasant. I mean, I'm already soaked anyway.

"<I have a scout with instructions to source some of this blue rain for you. It'll be okay.>"

We sit in silence for a few minutes as she calms herself down.

"<I-- Words cannot express my gratitude for what you've provided for me, Vi Si Mi. But I think the only place you'll be able to find it is our home territory. I hope B!snu does not interpret it as a hostile action. They've been... cautious, lately.>"
"<Is there some way you can put me into contact with B!snu so I can let them know you're safe?>"
"<I do not know if that would be a wise idea. They would likely want to hear from me directly, and, well, the equipment I would need to contact or return home requires the rain. Even if I could extract the little I have that's part of me, it would likely kill me.>" I note she isn't happier, but she is at least more calm, despite her shaky twitches.
"<Can I get you anything else? I heard you wanted a fruit?>"

Palestripe looks at me and then slaps her two primary tendrils onto the soaked floor. "<Agh! Your language is too confusing! Fish! I was talking about fish! It's our primary diet and I'm not even that hungry but I just, I don't know, you know how when you're out of something everything else you're out of feels so much stronger?>"
"<Oh. Fish? I don't think we have any, but... one second.>"

Before I leave the room to physically ask my colleagues, I tap the side of my head and feel the slight buzz where I integrated a station-connected communicator yesterday.
I almost completely forgot I did that.

"Hey, Ji.pa.ke. I have a new request for you."
"Yes?"
"Send out a drone or two wth good manipulators to catch a few fish, from the nearest river, to the north. I'll send my flocklet to guide the way. Our guest will be extremely appreciative."
"Oh! Can do! Also I did manage to contact Su.ki.fu! She's out of station comms range but not out of satellite range, I was going to let you know she's on the task."
"Excellent."

Okay. One problem addressed. "<It's on the way.>" I turn to leave the room.

Palestripe gives me a silent bow, and continues huddling up, eyes facing up into the artificial rain. She rocks back and forth, mumbling a mantra to herself. Far too quietly to translate.

2/8 Vi.si.mi 2025/09/01(Mon)16:23 No. 1113371 ID: 0f6cbd
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Li.ni.si said we should take the day off today. Sigh. I wish we could have.

I stand under a newly-shaped vent blasting heated air as I consider my options.

"Li.ni.si, you're on this channel, right? Is Lightgreen okay?"

Silence.

"Nu.ya.si, can you confirm the number of active connections on this channel?"
"I'm busy, is this urgent?"
"Potentially. So, yes."
"Alright. One moment. Okay. You, me, Ji.pa.ke, Li.ni.si, Conduit. Su.ki.fu disconnected after leaving signal range, but now that I've figured out where our comms satellite is, I should be able to modify her communicator when she's next back to use that instead. As a relay. To the relay station. The thing that's supposed to be enabling long-distance communication. Ughhhhhh. Everything's just gone so completely to mulch in the last few [years]..."
"Thanks. Li.ni.si?"

No response.

"Li.ni.si, respond."

...nothing.

3/8 Vi.si.mi 2025/09/01(Mon)16:23 No. 1113372 ID: 0f6cbd
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I hesitate, transport fluid running like ice.

The threat is unknown. I may only have seconds. Shield active, communicator active, let's go.

I grab the nearest incapacitor I can find and run out the door.

Vi.si.mi 2025/09/01(Mon)16:24 No. 1113373 ID: 0f6cbd
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The plains around here don't offer much in the way of cover or obscurity. It's an overcast day today, with a thick fog that seems thicker and colder than I'd expect for a summer's morning, but maybe I'm just not used to this world's weather yet. All I see around me are lepi tents and the odd tree. I note that the tents that used to be closest to the relay station are gone, moved further away. Perhaps I pushed things a bit too far too fast.

Back on task. I have a vague idea of where Lightgreen's tent stands, further removed from the group. Near a copse of trees.

I see the copse and I advance with nothing to mask my movements. I stay vigilant, expecting predators to encircle me as my mind falls into old, familiar patterns of tracking. Volcanic rock, open snowfields, I've been here before, I just have to be alert and fast to survive here.

"Li.ni.si?" My voice is hushed, my tones a little higher to blend in more with the ambient sounds of wind and chirping birds. I try to modulate it into something closer to a bird call. "Li.ni--si? Li.ni--si? Li.ni--si?"

No response, but my feathers stand on edge as I hear Li.ni.si groaning in pain and panting.

Monarch's name, I wasn't expecting sending Li.ni.si off to go check on Lightgreen oversleeping as usual to be another disaster. There's enough of us now that I should start demanding we go in pairs. I can't risk anyone getting hurt needlessly--

5/8 Vi.si.mi 2025/09/01(Mon)16:25 No. 1113374 ID: 0f6cbd
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I hear other sounds. They sound oddly familiar, but I have trouble placing--

Ka.ga.ta, the blotling we met in the abandoned seapi hive. It sounds like exertion. How the fuck is Ka.ga.ta here? Why?? Doesn't matter.

Okay. Ratcheting up the incapacitor payload to about twice the usual level, I knew we couldn't trust him.
The incapacitor starts buzzing violently in my grip as my overcharge commands loop through it.

At least this is one of the newer models that doesn't explode if you keep it overcharged too long. Still feeling nervous about it vibrating so much.

6/8 Vi.si.mi 2025/09/01(Mon)16:25 No. 1113375 ID: 0f6cbd
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I race towards Ka.ga.ta who has Li.ni.si pinned, in a physical altercation I can't make the details of out clearly. Is it the mist? The way the light is filtering through the copse?
Sprinting, I aim at Ka.ga.ta.

"BACK AWAY!!"

Ka.ga.ta screams in fear before even seeing where I am and I hear Li.ni.si shout in alarm and--

7/8 Vi.si.mi 2025/09/01(Mon)16:25 No. 1113376 ID: 0f6cbd
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"IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!!" screams a panicked Li.ni.si.
"YES IT IS! WAIT! NO! NO IT'S NOT!!" shouts Ka.ga.ta, splaying himself more over Li.ni.si like his smaller frame is somehow going to be capable of covering her up.

I don't quite understand what I'm seeing. Well, no, I do, but, it doesn't make any sense, constructs aren't supposed to-- they were just out in the open--

And I rapidly realise that I may have vastly misconstrued the situation and oh boy I am going to have to think of a real compelling way to get out of this problem I have now caused for myself.

Okay, first of all, leaving the area immediately. Maybe I can circle back to the relay station and pretend I got confused because I saw someone or something else.

8/8 Vi.si.mi 2025/09/01(Mon)16:26 No. 1113377 ID: 0f6cbd
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Still anxious and tensed, I move to holster my incapacitor. The moment I touch it to the plasteel casing around my hips, I hear a very quiet hissing whistle behind me in slightly moist but perfectly tonal polyvoice. I'm momentarily surprised, because most organisms can't manage the polyphony required, and Palestripe seemed physically capable but also struggled to actually speak it.

"Put your wings above your head and turn to face me. Slowly. No sudden movements."

There's that feeling of transport fluid like ice in my veins again. I do so, falling back on my court experience to try and appear calm and controlled. I don't know if it's working.
I'm met with the view of a slippery smooth creature on many tentacles, with a smaller creature adhered to it. The big creature is about twice my height and holding some sort of, uh, twitching spiky sea cucumber. With handles. The voice is coming from the smaller creature.

"Excellent. Keep them there. My name is Holdfast, echo retainer to the Prime Secretary Sixfin, and this lithesome form is Sine. Sine doesn't do much talking."
"Yes," says Sine in a monovoice squeak.
"She is, however, quite nimble, and is prone to reacting to sudden twitchy movements like any of us react to prey trying to flee. Now, would you care to explain what you've done to the Great Leader's First Among Equals? I should be able to get into contact with her but I find I can't. Why is that?"

Hold on. How and why is someone else from B!snu's territory already here? They're on the other side of the continent, across a gap so big all the locals keep calling it "the Divide". Palestripe can't have been gone longer than a day, did B!snu send out multiple groups?

"Well, let's calm down a second. You must be exhausted from getting here so fast. How did you get here so quickly?"
The little long fish thing pauses. "We're not talking about that right now," it says, fidgeting. "Where's Palestripe?"
"She's safe and being cared for. Do you have any extra blue, uh, stuff? I think she needs more of it."
"So you're keeping her captive and demanding a ransom of our most precious resource? Well, that's a shame. Sine, let's go, we have a report to give."
"Shame," says Sine, staring into my eyes. "Very shame."
"That seems like an extremely hostile extrapolation of my actions and like you're trying to find an excuse to justify further hostile action."
"No, it's a simple case of stating facts," says Holdfast, nodding with their eyes closed. "It's such a tragic shame we weren't able to find a common ground."
"What are you talking about?? Do I need to bring Palestripe to you guys, I think there's some confusion??"

The pair tense.

I hear Holdfast click and squeak in the tongue of the rainforms. "<Okay, plan B. His throat looks too armoured. Aim for the viscera.>"
"<It looks like a slight breeze will knock her over. Are you absolutely sure this is how you want things to go? You know this could get us killed.>"
"<HE isn't a threat to us, and if you throw the element of surprise away then we ARE going to pay for it!>"
"<Fine also you can't tell the gender of the glass birds to save your life and this is obviously a female.>"
"<I WANT ITS GENDER TO BE DECEASED! NOW!!>"

So which one do I shoot first. Probably the bigger one.

Shoot their gun or something.

Aim for the brains, and by brains I mean the little loudmouth.

>>1113377
It would be good to send a message to your allies to get them to bring Palestripe here. In the meantime you need to delay these overeager idiots. You can offer them hospitality; do they like fish? Do they want to follow you to Palestripe? What do they want? Promise to give them whatever they demand. If they speak in your language regarding gender then you can start ranting about gender in general and how you don't have one.

Once Palestripe is here, or you bring them to Palestripe, then Palestripe can help with diplomatic negotiations.

Oh also you might want to cancel that mission to try getting Blue Rain since it's apparently a valuable resource you're not allowed to have? Palestripe can make that sort of demand herself.

>>1113377
>How and why is someone else from B!snu's territory already here?
Is it actually surprising that Snusnu sent an escort for a diplomat they are apparently personally fond of? I'm fairly certain we would do the same in any circumstance in which we had the resources.
Like when we sent Li.ni.si to check on Lightgreen. Which she may or may not have done. File that one for later, I don't really care who she fucks as long as she actually did the task.

Anyways shoot the weapon. Or the hand holding the weapon.

Wait I surrender to you guys? Palestripe needs help and I dunno how to help! Just go help palestripe please!

shoot the little one to distract the big one, then while he's freaking out over his friend shot him as well.

Oh wait can you just open comms to have Palestripe talk to them directly? Or via an intermediary? They're obviously this hostile because they strongly believe you're holding her prisoner. Heck, B!Snu thinks you are, and probably ordered them to come here and take her back by any means necessary.

Weapon looks like biotech so shoot that.

They seem to want Palestripe dead. That's why they're doing this forced misunderstanding thing, so they can report that they tried to find her but couldn't. That also squares with how they got here so fast; they didn't, they've been following her to find an opportunity to assassinate, out here with no witnesses. They referred to her as "first among equals", might be jealousy.
Don't bring Palestripe near them until they have been neutralized.

"You uh... you want to watch public sex while you wait?"
But seriously, quick aim for the gun, expect to hit the torso.

1. This is now the second time someone has gone after you, for reasons unconnected to you personally, and hopefully disconnected from their superiors.
>why
2. on a strategic standpoint, you have one and a half allies *right there*, and a third who knows something is wrong at base. Given that this was about Li.ni.si, even with their relationship, because of it, Nu.ya.si is likely to do *something*, not that you can plan shit around it.
3. on a EMOTIONAL standpoint... FUCKING DAMN IT. Starting to understand why Vi.al is so *like that* yet? Starting to understand why he acts so much like a dragon, hoarding everything close and guarding it with fire? Because this is an unavoidable combat scenario with allies close enough to be potentialy in danger now. So fuck it, become a Dragon Vi.si.mi.
4.OK Actual tactics now: the larger one, the actual threat, doesn't want to fight and cares about self-preservation. the smaller cannot fight, WILL try to, and is much more willing to die, something it is vastly more capable of. Being honest, Vi.si.mi, you have won previous encounters with intimidation, and will win this one the same way too. The best way to Disarm, terrify, or seperate the two is truly simple, given that they unknowingly gave you first move:
>Rush Them
Further tactics depend on response of nearby allies

What? They... first, they don't shoot you in the back when they COULD HAVE, then they ask for common ground, then you give them common ground... and they actually didn't want common ground, but wanted you to refuse so they could shoot you? Is this some bizarre code of ethics, or trying to... make it look like self defense? To what authority???

>>1113377
Ask the biological weapon if their wielder was born stupid or took too many blows to the distributed process matrix over the years, then attempt to negotiate directly with Sine. The one holding them seems like a rogue element with no authority to actually force them to fire.

Also, maybe just let Li.Ni.Si get laid, maybe it'll help give her reprieve from her own issues. Meanwhile, his Bad Luck Field seems beneficial to you. After all, B! Could have sent an elite killer after you but instead sent these two, presumably out of pity for the big one.

>>1113377
Alright, I have been informed Holdfast is the small creature on Sine's head. Fair enough.

Ask Sine to please not shoot you just because their pet idiot is kill-crazy.

Ask Sine why he's letting this little bundle of aggression giving him orders.
Go on a tangent about how he's clearly the sharpest of the two.

>>1113424
They live in an authoritarian populist regime; motivations towards loyalty are far more important to their survival than keeping the tentacles on the trigger. Now that they have 'due cause', they control the narrative of this encounter.

If we knew a way to turn that narrative around...