>>617147
He said he was gonna be a minute. Hmm.

I don't think you should go without him. Wait a couple more minutes.

Invite him to dinner you dork! Also wait for Doug.

>>617172
Nate already asked him out basically, right after rummaging through his head.

>>617172
Diego's already going to drop by Nate's after work to hang out and play some video games. Though when 'after work' will be is growing increasingly unclear at the moment.

Wait for Doug. You probably just gave him a lot to think about.

If you need something to talk about, ask Diego if he has Hiro's number on his phone. With all these attacks on the hardware, I'm getting worried about the software.

I vote to wait for Doug.
He's cooperating by not crushing the ants after all

Toxoglossa 2015/01/02(Fri)18:49 No. 617576 ID: 557bac
File 142025338261.png - (122.91KB , 445x600 , 3-60.png )

You decide to stay put and wait for Doug to finish his mysterious errand catch up. While you're waiting you ask Diego if you can borrow his phone to call Hiro.

Hiro
>Yo, D. Whaddup?

Nate
"Hiro? Its Nate. How's it going?"

Hiro
>Nate? The hell is going on out there? I heard you went missing or some shit.

Nate
"I was, kind of of a weird story, I'll tell you later. I just wanted to check up on you and Cobalt. Has there been any more traffic from Midas?"

Hiro
>Funny you should ask. There was a little bit maybe 30 minutes ago that tried to go through. I have Cobalt isolated though, so it didn't accomplish anything. Got the whole thing logged though.

Nate
"Well, we've been having problems out here, someone causing problems with the clean room and attacking people."

Hiro
>Well, don't worry about me. As soon as the police were called, security notified me and I put the server rooms on lockdown. Until I get an all clear, the only way in here is with a warrant.

Nate
"Seriously? Isn't that a little excessive?"

Hiro
>Nate, you realize that Cobalt is, literally, a computer that makes money, right? This place is built like a bunker, dude.

Nate
"Oh... Are you okay in there?"

Hiro
>Meh, I've spent more than a couple nights here already. Its alright as long as you don't mind MREs and sleeping on a fold out couch. Listen, call me back if you get a hold of a transponder, I can't really do anything until we get that going.

Nate
"Yeah, believe it or not I'm still working on that. But I've run into a number of problems: I'm not sure if making one is possible at the moment."

Hiro
>Well unless you want to wait for me to reprogram the whole damn system to octal, I suggest you think of something.

Nate
"I'll try. Talk to you later, Hiro"

You hang up and hand the phone back to Diego right as you spot Doug headed your way.

He claps his hands together enthusiastically.
>"Well! We ready to go?"

>>617576
Yep. Although... how long has it been since you put your phone on the charger? If it's likely to have a good amount of charge and the car is on the way there you could grab it.

If it's not, just go.

Double check that Doug is Doug and you probably should have mentioned that there is a disguise master on the loose while you were talking to Hiro.

We should be good to go though.

Ant on Doug. Probability favors that he checks out for the moment.

>>617585
The master of disguise is a little hard to mention without Hunter's testimony. Nate knows that it was Anthony's mind he was in because it was the person dropped from the vent who fell on him triggering a psychic visitation to Anthony's mind. Since Nate blacks out when he enters someone else's mind, it isn't possible for him to tell anyone but Doug that it was Anthony who fell from the vent... at least with a convincing level of certainty.

Doug has an ant showing, and he's smiling. Not much else to check; plenty of things to watch out for, though. Keep an eye on the ant, how Doug reacts to it. There should be a degree of irritation since he knows it's there and wants to get rid of it but is suppressing the impulse to do so due to your request.

Back to what you should do, Nate... just push forward and keep your head on your shoulders. You're there to examine the transponder and see if it's in working order. Remember, working order for space is different from working order on earth; keep that in mind when looking for repairable damage.

Suggestion 2015/01/04(Sun)15:44 No. 618017 ID: 557bac
File 142041509649.png - (175.64KB , 600x464 , 3-61.png )

As Doug approaches you see one of his ants clambering around his scalp. His eyebrow twitches.
You pick up your suitcase and nod, falling in behind Doug and Diego.

Together the three of you follow the power lines until you reach the mysterious cable, turning abruptly to head into the woods. Once again, the myriad sounds of nature surround you. Uncomfortable, you stay close to the others.

Suggestion 2015/01/04(Sun)15:45 No. 618018 ID: 557bac
File 142041510279.png - (248.20KB , 558x600 , 3-62.png )

After a few minutes journey, you find yourself standing in front of the Midas satellite.

The cable connects to what appears to be a homemade transformer of some kind, buzzing with current. That, in turn, is connected to the satellite itself. The satellite itself appears to be missing a large chunk of the body, and not in an unfinished way. The missing section looks as though it was sheared off leaving the smoothest, cleanest edge you've ever seen. Nearby appears to be a small CPU, a bundle of wires snake their way from the back of the case into the satellite.

>>618018
>sheared in half
w h a t

>>618018
Alright, crack open those briefcases and do what you came here to do. Look for the transponder, and maybe try to figure out what the computer is connected to while you're at it. I wish we could tell what the computer is DOING, though.

Did the police say if you should disconnect anything?

So...we're all recognizing that there is no known technology that could have done this, right?

A moving blade or cutting torch would have taken forever to cut through that, and it would have left rough edges and/or warped metal.

Unless someone took the time to meticulously buff out all the little imperfections while they were transporting this bastard into the woods, this is clearly the work of ALIENS.

Speaking of moving this thing, do you see any indication of -how- this thing came to be here? If it was dragged or carted on wheels, you would see tracks. If some superhuman alien carried it, they'd leave deep footprints of some description.

That... is admittedly unnerving. Don't let it get to you. Focus on what your job is at the moment.

Let Diego handle the heavy paneling. You're here to handle the circuitry. Identify where the transponder should be and focus there.

Try to identify and disable/remove any sort of incendiary or other self-destruct mechanism before other meddling. Wouldn't want to make that mistake twice, especially out here where there's a lot more greenery and a lot less fire-suppression plumbing.

>>618019
I'm betting it got teleported in half. As in, only this half got teleported. The other half is somewhere else.

>>618115
Seems logical. I mean, given everything else going on and all that.

A Bug could mean that
Hunter - Dragonfly
or
Zeke - Bee
are near

>>618228
Okay...? What makes you say that?

Toxoglossa 2015/01/07(Wed)18:52 No. 618792 ID: 557bac
File 142068552811.png - (167.78KB , 600x361 , 3-63.png )

Nate
"What the hell? How did it even get here? There's not even any tire tracks...."

Doug
>"I know, right? Weird as hell. Lets figure out "how" later, Get this stuff out of the great outdoors as fast as possible."

Nate
"Isn't this, like, a crime scene or something?"

Doug shrugs
>"Yeah, probably."

You and Diego share a worried glance.

Doug looks impatient.
>"Well?"

Diego sighs and starts unpacking the gleaming chrome pistol grip tool. He goes to work examining the missing section and assessing what will be highest priority to salvage and is easiest to transport.

Nate
"Wait, before we touch anything, the fire in the clean-room was caused by some kind of trap or failsafe. We should check to see if there's anything like that around."

Diego nods and casts his eye around for anything suspicious. You check for the transponder you've been desperately trying to get your hands on. Actually, you find three of them as well as a gap that looks suspiciously like it should hold a fourth transponder.

You swear.

You start to remove them, wondering whether or not these can be synched with Cobalt. Even if they can't, they need to be secured.

Let Doug and Hiro know that someone who knows what they were looking for has a transponder.

I mean you cant stress this enough. Someone who knows exactly what your computer is and how you talk to it broke in and stole basically everything you had here. And mangled some employees.

Even with all the mind reading possibilities of the bugs someone knew way to much info about your company. Is a good chance this was a inside job or that someone got into one of your heads days or weeks ago.

>>618792
Ah, tell Diego to try not to get his fingerprints on anything. You have gloves, he doesn't.

Oh, ask Doug what delayed him.

>>618795
does diego even have fingerprints? I mean with the scales and everything.
Scale-prints?
Hmm...

Let them know about it looking like there is a missing fourth transponder. Also mention that Hiro blocked a communication attempt to Cobalt just a half hour ago.

Getting Diego a pair of gloves would also be wise. Last thing we need is the drama of the police apprehending an innocent party and giving the real culprit an alibi.

Toxoglossa 2015/01/12(Mon)20:19 No. 619985 ID: 557bac
File 142112278113.png - (181.16KB , 600x557 , 3-64.png )

Nate
"Craaaap."

Diego
>"What is it?"

Nate
"A transponder is missing: the one that talks to Cobalt. This is weird, Diego. Whoever is doing this, they know too much about this. Hiro even told me that there was more traffic that came in a little while ago that he blocked."

Diego
>"Not going to lie, this is bizarre. Like... if they just wanted a transponder, then whats with the power cable and the PC? And how did it get out here? How did they cut it in half?"

You shrug as you dislodge a transponder.
Before long you have all three of them removed, while Diego is taking apart the communications array as carefully as he can.

Nate
"Doug, are you sure this is okay? I mean, if its a crime scene, we shouldn't disturb it, right?"

Doug looks up from examining the PC.
>"Don't worry about it. I'll handle any questions the police might have, and we documented everything before coming back to find you. Getting this thing secured is more important.

Purple space lobster next to the PC?

>>619985
That is not an earth bug. It must die. Just point at it and go "bug.", Doug should do the rest. He's had practice.

Also hang on why is there purple shit inside of the computer? I mean, initially I thought, LEDs, but that's too much purple shit.

How far can the bugs be from there host?

There could be someone just out of sight or that computer is more than it seems. Either way let Doug know quick and warn the other that someone might be nearby.

Ask the wasps what there range from you is like and if they know of any ways of extending it with devices.

>>619985
"HOLY SHIT DOUG IT'S A ROBOT BUG!" would be an appropriate reaction here.

>>620004
Yeah... doing all that might be a bit ambitious. Going on... let's call it "high bug alert" around Diego is probably a bad idea unless there is real need for panic. Still, that mechanical bug is a concern.

Instead of just shouting "bug" or outright talking with your wasps in front of Diego, investigate the computer as well. Do it from an angle that allows you so see the mechanical bug, and do your best to make sure your body language draws Doug's attention to it.

If you really feel the need to draw on the Wasp's wisdom right now, or anyplace in public, use an open ended question along with body language. Simply the question "Thoughts?" coupled with looking directly at the wasps should be enough to prompt them to add their two cents.

As for warning Diego about someone possibly being near... not necessary for two reasons... well one reason and one theory. The reason is that Diego knows there is an unapprehended intruder on company grounds, so he should already be alert in that regard. The theory is... using the bugs to tell if someone is close feels like a red herring... particularly where this intruder is concerned. A lot of what we've seen seems to indicated that his bugs can be very remote from him, after all he just left one within Shannon to wreck house without maintaining physical contact with her.

If you want a crazy theory... the intruder's power of electricity in the mindscape, and his gifted touch with electronics in the real world... that computer could be there partly to act as an anchor for his "mechanical bug". But I'm just a very talkative intrusive voice in your head, Nate. What do I know?

Just point at the purple space lobster and say "Hey, what's that?" Doug's the one with the social skills, leave it to him to justify to Diego why he'd be abruptly stomping the shit out of something invisible.

>>619985
>Robot bug
Antagonist is a self-aware AI confirmed

>>620186
It's always the robot uprising, man. Always the robot uprising.

But nobody expected psychic robots, did they?

Toxoglossa 2015/01/15(Thu)16:43 No. 620553 ID: 557bac
File 142136898568.png - (141.88KB , 600x534 , 3-65.png )

Startled, you cant help yourself from jumping.
"Bu- Bug!"

Doug looks around, alarmed.

Diego looks at you quizzically and then at the computer.
>"Huh? Hey, what the hell is that?"

He peers into the open case and examines a strange, glowing piece of hardware. Now that you get a better look, you realize that all of the hard drive slots are empty and the glowing object seems to be hooked up in place of one.

Diego
>"Never seen a case mod like that."

You peer into the guts of the machine and asses some of this weirdness. There's a tangle of wires linked directly to the satellite, the fan is burning itself out so its safe to assume that its been overclocked, even the power supply looks modified to attach to the transformer.

Plus, it has a bug.

Why is there a bug?

And what the hell is it?

Where's its owner?

You hear a whisper in your ear...
NNnaaaathhaaann Zzzzprinngerrr, zzzzaaat mazzzhine izzz zee ownnnerrrr.

>>620553
...if you touch the bug, wouldn't you go inside the machine's head? Wait, did Doug even see it? I expected Doug to immediately kill it, to be honest. Maybe he's as curious as you are.

We gotta touch the bug regardless, but that means you're gonna be out of it for a while. Question is, will your body keep going on autopilot or will you become unresponsive? We don't know for sure what it looks like to people watching. Ask doug, quietly so Diego can't hear you. Tell him what you want to do, and why, so he knows the context of the question.

Oh man if that machine has a bug that means that Cobalt probably has some. Heck it might be trying to hijack itself!

Well I say try touching the bug and seeing if you end up in the computers mind. If it does not work you know it is aware of you.

Say hello?

>>620554
This, but I'd also go so far as to phrase the question in such a way that even if Diego does hear you talking he'll assume the subject matter is something else.

The simple question, "If I touch it, will I pass out," seem broad enough, given how this computer case seems to be more like something from a SciFi movie than your local Radio Shack.

Do androids dream of electric sheep?

Or.

Can a hyper-intelligent machine have the bugs of consciousness?

Toxoglossa 2015/01/19(Mon)18:39 No. 621236 ID: 557bac
File 142172156074.png - (80.40KB , 600x470 , 3-66.png )

You glare at the alien invertebrate and, realizing its been seen, it tries to scuttle away. With nothing else for it, you grab it before it can escape.

Toxoglossa 2015/01/19(Mon)18:40 No. 621237 ID: 557bac
File 142172160415.png - (228.20KB , 600x501 , 3-67.png )

You feel the familiar sensation of your consciousness entering someone elses, and after a moment of nausea you take a look around. You appear to be standing in something very much like a clean room; however, the equipment is unfamiliar and alien. A creature in a strange uniform regards you curiously.

There is a buzz of static and a thought enters your head.
>[Identify selfnoun?///Purpose?///]

Name: Nathan
Purpose: Figuring out if a custodian belong's to an AI or not. Plus, maybe figuring out what psychological problems an AI might have that would manifest a custodian out in the real world.

Compliment him that it's neat that it couldn't possibly have had much time to learn but knows that people have names and purposes. Cool!

>>621237
Tell them your name is Nathan and you are an engineer, currently investigating a strange machine attached to one of your machines. Ask who they are, what their job is, and what they're doing here. Also, ask what this place is.

Wait a minute, we've never seen a small-size custodian bug inside anyone else's mind. They've always been giant "guardian" types. This is different... Anyway, keep your distance. Guardians seem to care most about proximity.

>>621255
Correction: Second this one.

>>621246
Robot people are people too.

>>621260
Not sure it's a robot anymore. That other one certainly looked robotic, but this one just looks alien. Maybe it's jacked into a computer network using cybernetics?

The attacker from Sharon's dream was very similar to this guy (though oddly, the attacker had a tail whereas this guy does not), so they are almost certainly from the same civilization, though it is not certain whether the attacker was one of this species in power armor or an android that looks like them.

Also this guy has a little Axle on his lower left holo-display. Maybe ask about what that is after your other questions.

>Wait a minute, we've never seen a small-size custodian bug inside anyone else's mind.
Aside from our own. Maybe his bug also acts in swarms.

>>621262
I feel like this is a fragment the robot stole from another civilization, and somehow stored in the purple thing in the computer.

...OH SHIT. The robot had the same shape as this guy! Three eyes on each side of the head, same weird feet. This guy doesn't have a tail, though. Regardless, this is definitely not the robot. They'd recognize Nathan.

Could it be our enemy is from this guy's civilization? A robot that went rampant?

>>621255
Definitely keep your distance. You'll get more information the longer you keep the natives nonhostile.

Purpose is a little hard to define... did you really have a purpose for grabbing that bug? You have things you were doing in the real world, but I'm not sure if you can get them into terms that a fragment of someone's mind trapped for who knows how long can understand.

It might be a moot point. This person appears to have a transmitter attached to the bottom of his skull... in the physical world that means you wouldn't be able to communicate with him. How much that applies in the mental world probably depends on how much he realizes what is happening to him.

Landscape outside the windows looks like it might be on fire.

Another observations: Four fingered hand * two limbs is eight total fingers; octal vs base ten

And in the background... an enormous red sun in the horizon, a diagram of a celestial machine called a "star mover"... They're after our sun, aren't they? Their sun is a late-stage red giant and they want to swap it out for our younger star, targeting an inhabited planet because those are the only ones they can get to using psionics.

Toxoglossa 2015/01/21(Wed)19:37 No. 621523 ID: 557bac
File 142189783630.png - (0.96MB , 600x409 , 3-68.png )

Nate
"Um... Selfnoun: Nathan? Purpose: engineer? I'm investigating anomalous machine... What's your name, er selfnoun? Purpose?"

>[Interrogative recognized/// Selfnoun:Tch'arl352///Purpose: Massfold technician/// Prepare(future tense) planetary massfold instructions///]

Nathan
"Where are we?"
Your eyes are drawn to the light show outside, fairly sure its not synesthesia this time. It looks like the entire sky is lit up with an aurora of immeasurable intensity. You're struck by how beautiful it is but at the same time, terrifying. Whatever is happening up there is involving a lot of energy: you suspect it is coming from the very large, very angry looking star in the sky.

>[Primeworld selfnoun: Maar/// Stellar radiation intensify(past tense)///Collapse imminent/// Upper atmosphere damage/// Massfold repair(future tense) damage/// Purpose: preserve Maar///]

Toxoglossa 2015/01/21(Wed)19:38 No. 621525 ID: 557bac
File 142189789317.png - (1.51MB , 502x600 , 3-69.png )

You cautiously approach the workstation.
"Massfold? Wait, I've seen this before!"
You point to a glowing hologram.
"You're talking about the Axle, right? What is it?"

The creature cocks its head.
>["Axle"///]

It waves an appendage and the hologram animates itself, at the same time information pours into your mind in a telepathic cascade, leaving you with a ringing headache.

It describes the Axle as a ring shaped singularity in orbit around a 1-dimensional spacial defect or cosmic string. By manipulating the diameter of the ring one can increase the gravitational pull around the string and pull it open by the seams, opening a kind of "fold" in space. Since the string is 1-dimensional, the distortion travels the entire length of the object, which is more or less infinite. Thus, by aligning the string and properly folding, one could theoretically transport anything in the universe anywhere.

You stagger as the implications of this cosmic engine hit you and even more questions arise. Your host on the other hand appears curious about the wasp hanging from your shoulder.

>[Interrogative: formname liminal entity/// Bond query: proto-development(past tense) form/// Detecting broodform mass///]

Freak out and have a fit.

Freak out and have a fit.

>>621525
Tell them your bug is called a "wasp", and you aren't sure what it is or what its purpose is. All you know is that it can protect you while you're traveling like you are now. Ask what the entities do, and if they can be dangerous to you. Once you get a bit more information, maybe then you can tell the alien about the hive body thing.

...shit. They sent a robot scout here in order to operate the Massfold, and they plan to use it to siphon off the outer layer of the sun, to put in their sun. Except... according to our observations of all the stars blue-shifting... are they doing it to stars all over the place? Or is that a distortion of light because of the proximity of the Massfold? If they're targeting the Sun, why? Can't they pick a different star without a fucking civiliation that needs it? Don't accuse this guy of anything just yet, he/she seems to be rather free with information so far, and boy howdy do we need information. Maybe ask how they're going to repair their star. How are they even manipulating the singularity's diameter?

If the star is such an issue, why not just move the planet???

I don't understand why they couldn't find a perfectly good star somewhere else to orbit. If they have something that can move stars that shouldn't be much of a technical challenge.

Ask how they plan to fix the sun, and if they don't bring up the axel's involvement in that ask what they plan to move with the axel.

>Can't they pick a different star without a fucking civiliation that needs it?
My guess is that they literally cannot use an uninhabited system due to traveling with weird mind powers and therefore needing sapients on the receiving end.

>Freak out and have a fit.
We can do that after we are done here. Right now we need to keep our wits about us until we are finished with this conversation.

>Detecting broodform mass
Broodform... Like the bug he's got? Ask if that's what the "Broodform" is. If he answers with a yes (or affirmative), then: Broodform name: Wasp. Bond level: Working, that is, present-term, to be colleagues. Some bond has already (past) been formed.
>one could theoretically transport anything in the universe anywhere.
Problem: Relocating (future) solar radiation may harm our homeworld, Earth. Could you move Maar instead?

Oh, there's another very interesting question we could ask as well. If this is really Maar and not a mental representation of it, how did you get here?
I suppose we should check. Nathan, imagine up a screwdriver.

...'k. I think the other intrusive voices got this handled. You just stay calm right now while I do enough freaking out for the both of us.

...actually, no. If you don't get to freak out, I don't get to freak out. So instead I'll give one bit of advice. This might not be real; this might just be someone's mental fiction, or maybe even a echos of long dead civilization rather than something in the present. Right here and now, treat it as real because not doing so would be dangerous. Once you're back in your own body... take the time to hyperventilate and freak out.

>>621523
>planetary massfold
>Primeworld selfnoun: Maar
>Upper atmosphere damage
>Massfold repair(future tense) damage
>Purpose: preserve Maar
Uh, I'm pretty sure they intend to move Maar (the planet), not the local star.
And I don't think they can move anything anywhere, unless they happen to have created an artificial Cosmic String rather than harnessing a naturally occurring one. If it's natural, then they would be limited in exiting at some point along the string, and thus limited to exiting around any solar system the string passes through that happens to have a star with the right mass and in the right place to exit right into orbit. The universe is big but finite, and the chance of a single random path intersecting anywhere, let alone a useful destination, would be literally astronomical. They may not have many choices of viable exits.

Toxoglossa 2015/01/22(Thu)18:13 No. 621680 ID: 557bac
File 142197922201.png - (147.16KB , 501x600 , 3-70.png )

Nathan
"Formname: wasp. Purpose: Unknown? Bond form...erm, unknown? Working on it, I suppose. Its protected me and helped me, but I'm not sure what you're asking. What do you mean by broodmass?"

For a moment you feel like someone is rifling around in your skull and gathering information.

>[Wasp: hymenoptera: parasitoid swarmform/// Broodform develop (active tense) inside selfmass Nathan/// Curious/// Selfmass think (past tense) targetworld inhabit (past tense) sapient proto-liminal species/// Probe report(past tense) negative bondform, negative Awareness///]

The Maar-tian fidgets; you aren't good at reading its emotions but you think its uncomfortable with this new information.

Nate
"So you plan on moving your planet? What happens to Earth; my primeworld? There's billions of us living here- er there- no wait, here I suppose."

There's a moment of hesitation.
>[Instructions: planetary massfold exchange (future tense) Earthmass///

Nate
"You can't! There's an infinite number of stars out there, pick another one!"

>[Probes deploy (past tense) 638/// Earthmass orbital movement 99% ideal. Probes unresponsive (past tense) 95%]

It chews on one of its eight opposable fingers looking torn.
>[Imperatives of Maar: preserve Parallel/// Preserve Maar/// Preserve Aware/// SpeciesEarth aware/// Situation require reassess///]

Nate
"Well then can you do anything? Am I communicating with you on Maar or what?"

Tch'arl352's empty hands do a complicated gesture that clearly indicates helplessness.
>[Negative/// Selfmemory transfer to information shard storage///]
It indicates a cabinet of glowing objects similar to the one in the anomalous PC.
>[Small runtime loop/// Selfmemory construct for transfer of planetary Massfold instructions/// Secondary purpose: assist assembly of "Starmover"///]

Ohhh. Should we tell him about the other alien consciousness? The one that obviously knows the planet is inhabited and is doing bad shit?

Cuz I don't think they realized there's sapient peeps on this planet.

>>621680
Tell him to stop assisting the robot drone until we can find out a solution. Maybe... arrange things so that we move the planet, but not the people? So everyone would live on Maar, alongside their civilization? Obviously their planet is a higher priority than Earth because it's got more advanced tech on it.

Also ask for his assistance on constructing a counter-starmover. The failure of the starmover to operate would be a sure sign that there are broodform/aware people here, right? Then his civilization would send another probe or something to see what's wrong.

Oh, right, ask him if he wants to come see your progress and the drone's progress. You can take him into orbit. You can explain how you tried to approach the drone's starmover constellation but you got attacked by some sort of defensive mechanism.

How quickly do they need the Starmover to work in? If they have some time they could delay the Starmover construction until we can figure out an alternative. I think Earth astronomers have located some planets with earth-like orbits; maybe they could use one of them.

>>621684
Don't mention our plans for stopping the starmover in case we are unable to convince him to want it stopped.

So we are talking to a memory of him that he put in a computer?

We need to find a way of talking to the original or somehow letting them know what there agent on earth is up to.

See if you can find out what its agent is doing with Cobalt.

Try generating up a sort of miniature sculpture of the invader you saw, and ask if he knows it.

Suggest a possible solution in both living on one planet. Or is overpopulation too much of a problem?

If their leadership won't let them move somewhere less ideal, could they at least move Earth somewhere else its inhabitants can survive?

Alright, if their memory construct can't do anything about this whole replace-the-Earth deal, is there any way to... update the probe's report, so that the situation can be reassessed by whoever/whatever does the reassessing? Is there a specific time window that this is supposed to happen in, or can they get away with delaying it while we work this out?

Honestly, Nate, this Tch'arl352 fellow seems a bit like you. Kind of curious, anxious, and will probably be relieved to pass on the responsibility of all this to someone else.

Arright, Marr, what you need to do here is call your boss and tell him to realign the starmover plan so that it's aimed at the earth-sun system's L3 Lagrange point (on the opposite side of the sun relative to Earth) instead of the Earth itself. All the same convenient orbital properties, none of the ethical mess.

Unless there's a third planet inhabited by sapients already there, in which case we start having to think about Kemplerer Rosettes and the chance of some cataclysmic tidal interaction with the rest of the system starts getting increasingly likely.

>>621749
This seems like a good plan, and one Nathan can suggest since he's familiar with the Lagrange points. Chances are, though, the real complication is long term balance of gravity within the system. Still, it's strong argument to begin with.

Otherwise... tell him that different species perceive things differently. The fact that you're able to perceive the parasite swarmforms is a mutation; one that has caused you a lot of anxiety since it's interpreted as a hallucination by the rest of your society. The only reason your swarmform has been making the change into a broodmass is because of the stressful stimulus caused starmover and probe's provocation.

That is all lead up to telling him of the probe/invader and how it's not only assaulting people in their mental space to gather the parts to assemble the starmover, but also imitating the form, vocal communication, and mannerisms of the local sentient life to move about unopposed. It is clearly aware of the sentient life on this planet... but if it is really just not a machine, it might not recognize sentience without a broodmass.

>>621680
Sounds like they consider life without a 'bondform' (bugs) as non-sentient. The last time they checked Earth, sometime in the past, they found nothing and concluded the planet was not inhabited by a sentient species.
The guy's effectively a copy, possibly hosted by Cobalt. The first thing to ask is if he has a communication method back to Maar.
It may be possible to modify the massfold for a partial transfer (Antarctica is mostly uninhabited and could probably be evacuated the fastest, and if the density of Earth and Marr are roughly equivalent the subsequent megaquakes might not be a global extinction event), of if the Marr-tian solar system has any moons that could be used to replace our Moon, as a massive lifeboat.

>>621749
From what he's been saying, he can't just teleport something, he has to swap its location with something. Mars might work, though. While it is about half the size of Earth, it is still in the Goldilocks zone.

>>621782
Oh, that might be a better idea. And they can even be real-live Martians.

>The Maar-tian fidgets
By the way, Maarling sounds a lot better.

>>621680
Wait wait this isnt a problem, just temporarily move maar to the exact opposite place to us in our orbit.
The same orbit, but 180° out of phase.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counter-Earth#Scientific_analysis

Might have some problems with venus but, as long as its only there long enough for the maartians to make another star mover to somewhere else, I'd say its worth it for the first contact.

>>621951
I'm not sure, but the impression I got was that part of the way this works was that Maar had to swap places with Earth. Sort of an equivalent exchange, balancing both sides of the equation kind of thing. But hey, I'm not a massfold technician.

Oh, also, before we leave, we should probably get the name of the weird alien bug. It'd be polite. Trying to save the earth should probably still be priority though, obviously.

>>621951
I was thinking the same shit bra, if these guys can make a machine that moves planets then they should be able to make this idea work.

>>621951
A pity L3 isn't stable. L4 or L5 would be better, but with two objects of very similar mass the system would barely be semistable. Lagrange point stability assumes the third body to be of negligible mass compared to the two main bodies.

Swapping things of equal mass is needed not just for the assumed requirement of a 'Massfold' to swap an equivalent mass, but for the solar system to remain stable. You can't just drop in or pluck out planetary masses without messing up everything else.

>>622350
If they can build that thing, I see no reason they couldn't easily manage it.

Toxoglossa 2015/01/26(Mon)20:41 No. 622394 ID: 557bac
File 142233369771.png - (115.23KB , 600x444 , 3-71.png )

You plead with the alien
"There has to be something that can be done, could we send a message to stop the move? What about changing the orbit to sit opposite of my Earth?"

Tch'arl
>[Negative message: insufficient travel time/// Require many Earthmass stellar cycles/// Change orbit plans////////]
The creature pauses to think, and exchanges a glance with its custodian.
>[////Possible/// Self Tch'arl require time to recalculate/// Possible impact of orbital path Earthmass///]

>[Another thought/// Massfold to Maar/// Bring message///]

You sputter, incredulous.
"Massfold? Me? I just became 'aware', I don't know if I'm ready for intergalactic teleportation just yet."

Tch'arl
>[Would require working starmover/// Also secondary Aware to send selfmass Nathan/// Or require other messenger/// Can not massfold selfmass///]

Nate
"Is that why you sent the probe? You can't teleport yourselves?"

Tch'arl
>[Affirmative/// Results in/////// unpredictable events/// Historical selfmass transport result (past tense) gravitational collapse/// Large mass pull (past tense) from local galaxy///]

Nate
"What about this probe, thing? If you need it to massfold, can we stop it?"

The alien looks anxious again.
>[Difficult/// Probe design (past tense) to be adaptable/// However/ Probe require (future tense) assistance to engage planetary massfold/// Require complete upload from primeworld Maar///]

>[Caution/// Species Maar-a evolve (past tense) complex mental/social network: Awareness/// Not design (past tense) for extended time away from network/// Probe organic selfmass experience possible instability///]

Nate
"Well, if you really want to help then, could you help me assemble a starmover? Or some kind of counter- starmover?"

>[Selfmass assist (past tense) probe with Tether/// Possible Brace available/// Unsure/// Memory construct is limited///]
>[Interrogative: Send liminal entity selfmass assist search///]

>>622394
...I'm not certain, but is Tcharl suggesting we send out the swarm of wasps to investigate people in the facility to find more starmover parts? That's a good idea regardless. Ask how that would be done, exactly. How would we tell? Hey, we could probably find Morgan this way too. While we're on the subject, ask Tcharl if custodians can be dangerous to their hosts. Tell him you know of another Aware that seems to fear his broodmass greatly, and won't say why.

Also holy shit Nate if you succeed and send yourself to Maar, you would be GOING TO SPACE. Doug would have to send you, of course, unless we come across another Aware somewhere. On the subject of the drone's starmover, is it possible to sabotage it without getting close to it?

>>622367
I'd be careful about throwing around the word "easy" when you're talking about any big engineering project, especially for values of big that involve superjovian masses and intergalactic distances.

Sticking Maar into the earth-sun L3 isn't a long term solution, it's just a bandaid that leaves both inhabited planets in the same goldilocks zone, close enough for speed-of-light communication with less than an hour of lag so diplomacy can begin in earnest, yet far enough apart to avoid immediately destroying each others' coastal cities with tidal effects.

>>622394
>>[Affirmative/// Results in/////// unpredictable events/// Historical selfmass transport result (past tense) gravitational collapse/// Large mass pull (past tense) from local galaxy///]
Sound like:
- You can't teleport yourself, only someone else. Nathan could not Massfold Nathan, he'd need to find someone else on this end to Massfold him.
- When the Maar-a experimented with self-Massfolding, they created a gravitational anomaly and yanked a 'large mass' from a local galaxy.
Which actually sounds a LOT like the big chunk of Andromeda that suddenly blueshifted last night (thread 1 intro). Either someone on Earth experimented with a self-massfold, or we just saw Maar's experiment with a 2.5MYear delay (light speed lag).

Also, Tch'arl may not be sticking around to help for long:
>>[Caution/// Species Maar-a evolve (past tense) complex mental/social network: Awareness/// Not design (past tense) for extended time away from network/// Probe organic selfmass experience possible instability///]
It sounds like the Maar-a are highly social creatures, and spending too long on their own is bad for their mental health.

Toxoglossa 2015/02/04(Wed)19:20 No. 623558 ID: 557bac
File 142310644139.png - (226.84KB , 600x600 , 3-72.png )

You're just about to ask what Tch'arl means when the sky goes dark and the city evaporates into mist. You stare at the alien desperately as he flickers. You make a lunge to grab hold but the figure breaks up in your closing fingers.

Toxoglossa 2015/02/04(Wed)19:20 No. 623559 ID: 557bac
File 142310644775.png - (201.44KB , 600x525 , 3-73.png )

You feel like your whole body is a static charge fizzling in an empty space. You feel your consciousness earth itself back in your body. You wake up.

You find yourself laying flat on your back with Diego's concerned face hovering over you.

Doug
>"Are you alright, Nate? You had a bit of a shock there!"

>>623559
God damn it, Doug unplugged the computer while it was still running. Makes me wonder if the mind-parallel of Tch'arl has been destroyed... Ask what happened, was the computer case electrically charged? Then you'll want to take Doug aside and tell him what you saw. Also, that you want to tell Diego what's happening, so you can have his help without having to keep him in the dark. Unfortunately I think we will have to abandon trying to catch the drone, because it is likely too powerful to confront directly.

I suspect Tch'arl was telling you that you can send the wasps out as scouts, to examine people for possible starmover parts. Remember, you saw the spider on Doug? I bet you can do the same thing.

The computer's still got a glow, so you can probably talk to the guy later... Once it's safe. Tell Doug that you think the computer should be brought in for study, figure out about who did this all.

Can't blame him to much for pulling the plug. You did not tell him what you were doing and for all he knew you could have been in danger. Still is horrible timing though.

I think the biggest thing we can take away from your conversation is that the probe they sent is the guy who has been running around breaking and stealing things. And that it could be having mental issues due to it being away from its civilizations network.

Will have to let Doug know what you found out of course.

As for Diego you will have to figure out what to say to him. If you are going to be getting his help to make a mind construct you might have to tell him whats going on eventually. Things have been getting odd enough that talk of psychic bugs and aliens will not be considered crazy.

Oh, and your glasses are right there by that rock.

Toxoglossa 2015/02/05(Thu)20:55 No. 623716 ID: 557bac
File 142319853695.png - (148.51KB , 533x600 , 3-74.png )

Shakily, you pick yourself up off the ground and find your glasses. You return them to your face and the world pops back into focus.

Toxoglossa 2015/02/05(Thu)20:55 No. 623717 ID: 557bac
File 142319854340.png - (310.09KB , 800x494 , 3-75.png )

And turns into a nightmare.

END OF CHAPTER 3.

>>623717
I guess it's time for Nathan to flail and toss his glasses into the forest.

Doug, you got your ants ALL OVER our glasses.
Did you use them as freaking cotton swabs for those big ears of yours?

THAT WAS AN ANTHILL, NOT A ROCK

>>623722
WELL, F.