She's going in the block!

I want to say Conduit is too much to deal with right now, and should be kept suspended until the mission is over and you can get her a body. But how long will that be? It would be so tempting to leave her there, just until things get a little less hectic. And then she stays trapped indefinitely because there's always a new problem to deal with.

So cheaper proxy body, let her prove her ability while showing her you can be trusted.

>>1095133 I forgot to clarify, this is a vote for the proxy.

>>1095116
Put her in the block, suspended.
Anything that buys time and allows for later imprisonment to review options in a better situation.

1/9 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/03(Tue)17:07 No. 1100733 ID: 2ca689
File 173327447305.png - (474.57KB , 800x600 , fop2-41.png )

Alright. Cheap proxy drone it is. I need to act fast, then.
"I'm coming back for you. I promise. I need to get you materials. Then you can build your drone."

Conduit stares vacantly past me and giggles again. She tries to raise a hand to wave at me, but can't seem to move it above her waist. She's losing cognitive resources alarmingly fast. If I don't act quickly we could be getting close to permanent damage.

Ejecting from the simulation is as quick and simple as a thought. I blink and centre myself, pulling my hand back.

"Data block!" I shout it urgently. "Here! Now! Emergency!"
I look around. The seapi is gone. Li.ni.si is standing next to me, and the cart is already much closer to the circle than it was.
"Got it," she says, racing over to the cart, picking up the data block, and lugging it carefully but quickly to me.

I guess I spent enough time down there she must have thought something was amiss.

Ideally this will at least buy some time for me to break down a piece of the cart. I push the data block against the broken pillar.

Nothing happens.

I keep holding it against the pillar, panic starting to rise. "Okay, this isn't working, why isn't it working."
"Maintain pressure," says Li.ni.si, urgent, clear. "The more cells in direct contact, the better."
"What's happening? Why is the circle breaking down so quickly now?!"
"Violence." She holds the data block against the pillar remnant with me. "The captive native woke up, screeched at us, and then kicked a stub so hard it broke. Probably vital. They left. I didn't catch what direction, and didnt't want to antagonise them further. Not our problem anymore."
"What?! Is Lightgreen okay??"
"She's fine," says Li.ni.si, grunting in exertion. We've gone from holding the block in place to trying to crush it in, and I don't know if that's the right move, but Li.ni.si seems to have more of a plan than I do. "She's with her animal friend."

The data block starts to soften and deform, turning into a stiff gel as Li.ni.si starts to wrap and form it into the cracks around the pillar.

"Okay. Plan. What is the plan," she says. "We don't have enough substrate mass to repair the entire circle. Talk to me."
"I'm letting her move into a drone. I need to take one of the cart sides off."

Li.ni.si looks around at the sparking pillar stubs of the circle. She looks at the drooping gel with mounting worry. "Something should have happened by now."

I flinch as I hear one of the other pillars pop, a glassy explosion sending shards of substrate everywhere. The fragments rapidly decohere into bursts of noise and light.
This is at least some good news. The failing substrate cells are self-destructing instead of turning wild and eating the ground matter. At least this isn't going to turn into a runaway scenario like I initially feared.

"...pull me out if this pillar's about to break. I'm going back in."
"I'll get the cart mass. Go."

2/9 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/03(Tue)17:08 No. 1100734 ID: 2ca689
File 173327450635.png - (514.14KB , 800x600 , fop2-42.png )

"Conduit!"

Oh wow things are bad here. There's no solid ground, only vague space and Conduit's focus body, and she does not look well.

"...it's gone, it's gone, my patterns, there's no patterns left, they're gone, I'm losing everything..."
"Conduit! We've given you more substrate for the largest surviving pillar! Please use it!!"

Conduit bursts into tears. "I don't know how to anymore! I keep trying to design things but I can't focus on anything!! Everything is swirling burning noise! I can't think!!"

She's literally falling apart.

Neither me nor Li.ni.si can shape anything of the required complexity without access to an external pattern. And I don't think either of us have such patterns to mind, and we don't have the luxury of time to start combing through catalogues for something that both works and also fits our dwindling substrate count.

I feel my stomach drop as I suddenly realise we might be out of options. I can't just shunt her into the data block, it's been too thoroughly deconstructed to store the required information in a stable way. And with the state of the circle now as I saw it, I'm not sure there's even a valid receiver left to accept a substrate transmission from my base.

"Conduit, please."
"Conduit please what?! I can't think anymore! I can't f-f-focus! I'm useless, useless, uselessss!! I'm useless and worthless and uselessandworthlessand I'm not even supposed to exist!"

I grab Conduit by the shoulders again while they still exist.
My physicality nearly breaks her like decaying, flaking plastic. I immediately lessen my grip.

I feel my pulse racing.

"Get it together! We don't have time for this right now! Bare essentials! Something that can hold a mind, even if suspended! Please! I can't design it, Li.ni.si can't design it, you have to put something together!!"
"I can't!" She sobs. "If I-I-I get itititit wrong-- I c-c-c-can't do it!!"
"You have to!"

I let her go.

"Okay. I ju-ju-ju-just... I just have to-to-to-to-to have more time-ime-ime-ime..."
"We're running out--"
"YOU'RE NOT-OT-OT-OT HELPIIIIIING!! GE-GE-GE-GET OUT-T-T-T!! GET OOOOOUT!! I CAN'T-T-T-T F-F-F-FOC-USSSSSSSSSSSSZZ##"

3/9 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/03(Tue)17:08 No. 1100735 ID: 2ca689
File 173327453064.png - (150.96KB , 800x600 , fop2-43.png )

With a start, my breath returns ragged, my heart racing. I've been forcibly evicted from the inner world of the structure.

Li.ni.si pulls me back. "Don't go back in again. Keeping in sync with it will drag you down with it."
"Yeah, I can tell." I don't know how much of that is the desynchronisation sickness, as my mind and body tried to maintain pace with a destabilising experiential state, or just stress. Probably both.

The extra substrate goop on top of the pillar starts to shift around. Success??

I watch it move around with trepidation, having no clue what's about to happen. Lights flicker. Simple and complex structures form and are then pulled back into an expanding vaguely spherical mass.

And then, after much bubbling motion and movement, climbing further up the spire, it stops.

An ovoid structure about the size of the data block, ringed in circuits and channels and access points.

Li.ni.si looks at the object in confusion, and slowly reaches out and gently touches it. "Well, it's alive."

I, however, recognise what this structure is. "That's a second-stage assembler."
"...huh. Yeah. Yeah, that is what that is, huh."
"The plan was for her to make a remote proxy drone." If I had teeth to grit, I would be gritting them. Hard. The plan was for her to be immediately useful. Not another problem.

The largest pillar starts to dim and fade. I guess the energetic explosions of the rest of the circle's components must have drained the rest of the energy not used in shaping the assembler.

I see Lightgreen coming over to investigate. "I-is it safe to approach?"
"Probably," I say, my lepi chirps more forceful than they are needed to be to convey meaning.
"...you sound annoyed, starbird?"
"It's fine." It's not fine.
Li.ni.si slowly removes the assembler from the pillar. I should be thankful she's not dead. I should be relieved.
Instead I feel like I made some sort of mistake.

"...you can take a moment to breathe now. It's in good condition, although she's not responding to anything but basic status queries. Must be totally dormant."

4/9 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/03(Tue)17:09 No. 1100736 ID: 2ca689
File 173327455462.png - (231.28KB , 800x600 , fop2-44.png )

The principal idea of the second-stage assembler pattern is a substrate device that is assembled (this being the implicit first stage) with the intention of assembling a more complex design within itself. Most require constant input of materials. Ideally substrate, but specialised variants can take in other raw materials to convert into substrate and other requisite composites. Alien outsiders consider these to be Shapeless eggs. I suppose, in a sense, they're not wrong. They're both at a similar level of helplessness.

I produce seed capsules that form second-stage assemblers with the right materials. Sort of first-and-a-half-stage assemblers, I guess. The intended use case for me is to synthesise adult individuals of an extinct species.

So I look at these things and I think of all the times I failed so badly I had to start things up from scratch, fussing over machine eggs like some sort of broody caretaker. Wasting so much time on things that, if I do my job right, will never care about me, and that I will never see again.

And in addition to feeling like I didn't act fast enough to properly save this subpartition, now they're just actively a new problem to solve--

5/9 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/03(Tue)17:09 No. 1100737 ID: 2ca689
File 173327458670.png - (236.65KB , 800x600 , fop2-45.png )

POP

Uh.

The second-stage assembler breaks open, so soon I instinctively panic about structural failures before I catch myself. The outer shell looks extremely thin and fragile in a way that's making me feel even more deeply uncomfortable.
Inside, what I think is a blob of substrate starts to harden itself into some sort of little grub thing that reminds me of Zi.en constructs in their vatling-equivalent phase. Very larval. It starts to look less like goop and more geometric, all lingering fluid globs reintegrating. I recognise Conduit's eyes, but it looks like they're all that survived of her self-image.

"Ugh this SUCKS," it says, in a voice much like Conduit's but with less fine pitch control. "Great, I haven't felt hunger in so long and now I do and I'm starving."
"Conduit?"
"I don't have arms! I don't even have legs!! Even my bad drone design had legs!!"

Li.ni.si looks at the newly emerged sluggish thing. Lightgreen paces around curiously.

Conduit turns around and starts eagerly devouring the remnants of the assembler shell. Lightgreen stares on in a mixture of horror and fascination. I see Lightgreen move as if to ask a question, before deciding against it.
"Urgh and there's so little left I'm going to need so much to get properly functional again!! My creative visualisation's all stunted and I can't even picture a box in my mind right now!! A square at best!!"

Li.ni.si scratches her head. "I've never seen a remote proxy like this."
"This wasn't my plan! Now I have this terrible body!"
"It seems closer to a construct vatling than a proxy drone. ...a particularly premature one."

Li.ni.si gently scoops up Conduit, who wiggles in annoyance and is big enough for Li.ni.si to need both of her arms, her chest obscured. "Hey! Hey I didn't say you were allowed to pick me up! Help! Vi.si.mi! I'm being abducted by the Lo.kan!"
"Cut that out."
"I didn't say Lo.kan was a bad thing this time! Okay let me check your name then. Li.ni.si! Li.ni.si is picking me up against my will!"
"Calm down. I'm just checking you're in good condition. It's my job and my role in this team. Remember? You were saying some extremely hurtful things about that not that long ago."

Conduit tries to avoid eye contact. "Yeah, uh, I'm... I'm sorry about that. And if I do it again. It's hard to be polite when I feel so hungry and dizzy! Don't move me so quick!"
"Alright. Sure you're not just saying sorry because I could just drop you right now?"
"Augh! Don't joke about that!"
"You're right. That was a bit cruel of me." Li.ni.si looks at me as if I'm going to judge her for that. I stare back blankly.
"Also I am sorry! Vi.si.mi told me about your mission and the state of things, I'm very uninformed, okay?? I'm sorry. I've been told by a lot of people I have a violent temper." Conduit squirms.
Li.ni.si chuckles. "You should have seen me when I was a vatling. Maybe we should figure out why you feel such a need to be hurtful to others--"
I rub my head, pulse still racing from the earlier urgency. "Yeah, okay, that's a good idea, sure, in the grand scope of things, but we have more pressing concerns right now. How much substrate do you think you'll need to get closer to full functionality, Conduit?"
"I mean, I can work with substrate now, if, uh, someone helps me reach it."
"Well, you want more substrate and there's a bunch of dead substrate not doing much for the environment around us."
"You want me to eat my old home?"
"Is that a problem?"
"No! Put me on the closest pillar! I'm so sick of this place! I'm going to relish turning it into something more useful!"

Actually a break seems fantastic. "Alright. Let's just take a break for food and get back on the move."

Dropping Conduit off on the tallest pillar, the rest of us except for Softfoot gather our provisions from the cart. Another juice pod for me, some snack cubes for Li.ni.si, and Lightgreen takes one of the silk balls she brought with her, worming a hole into it with her tongue. A more low tech version of a juice pod, I suppose.
...actually, how is that even working? I don't think most silks I've encountered are waterproof. Hm. Questions for later, I guess.

It feels so strange to not have an immediate urgent crisis. I'm sure that can't last for long.

6/9 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/03(Tue)17:10 No. 1100738 ID: 2ca689
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After our break, the rest of the journey is uneventful until we start getting closer to the outskirts of seapi territory.
The cart sides are redistributed to keep the contents of the cart from rolling out. It feels a little less safe to ride, so I start walking beside it.

Conduit ends up rambling the entire way about how samey everything looks and how she can't believe both the worlds inside and outside of the global infrastructure could somehow both be filled with monotony. Lightgreen is the first to crack from Conduit's constant whining, and what starts as a frustrated argument drifts into an excited and animated discussion of the features and differences of two very different worlds.
Conduit also tells us that she's never felt this embodied before, having felt like controlling other drones in the past felt closer to being in a vehicle. Well, she doesn't use that term, but it's what it sounds like she's describing to me. She also doesn't know if she likes the idea of being more in the physical world than the one she's known for the rest of her life, but she's going to give this one a try first before she decides it to be completely inferior. There is, after all, a novelty for her.

I used to almost resent my physicality when I was younger, but I've grown to appreciate it more and more, even if it does lead to me getting a spear in the eye sometimes. The flights of fancy in virtual space lost their appeal when I realised I could do whatever I felt like, at any time, and it all just started to become a meaningless blur. A cave filled with my own echoes.
Although, the simulations I spin while I sleep... I guess I still like something about dwelling within the wires.

Li.ni.si also happens to mention bits and pieces of her life in the First City, but, sadly, whenever she gets into something really interesting she seems to notice me listening with rapt attention and cuts her stories short. The third time she does this, I realise she's doing it on purpose to mess with me. Although she claims it's about not wasting all her good stories on one trip. I don't learn anything substantial I haven't already come across before. Shining city, filled with beautiful things to see and wonderful things to do. Little Lattice, a district operated and populated by the Zi.enkind to reflect their fluid-covered homeworld and unique lifecycle. The Archive of Known Life, a great museum of holographic displays of every creature in the Shapeless catalogues and indices. Dozens and dozens of services and curation stores run by constructs, services provided out of passion and desire by constructs so filled with hopes and dreams.

Maybe someone should make a Second City someday and learn from the mistakes of the past. When we're allowed to know what those were. But I feel like, even with these utopic descriptions, I find my mind probing her stories. So many things sound provided by Lord Lo.ka, or their partitions. Like the entire exercise was some sort of construct enrichment centre, rather than a true productive community.

And when I ask her about it, choosing my words carefully, she laughs, darkly, and stops talking about the First City.

7/9 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/03(Tue)17:10 No. 1100739 ID: 2ca689
File 173327463981.png - (99.52KB , 800x600 , fop2-47.png )

After an awkward silence, she says we should probably stay quiet now anyway. I soon see why.

The flickering sights of yellow bodies remind us of the danger we're near, and lead us to take minor detours. We can't exactly keep a low profile, but tree cover starts becoming an option. The actual seapi territory seems to start turning into a mess of towering papery mounds and primitive construction, so avoiding line of sight is easier than we expect it to be. Li.ni.si joins me on foot, the cart following us. My flocklet keeps behind me. Conduit huddles down, last occupant of the cart, and tries to look like an inconspcious lump.

Lightgreen assures us that seapi eyesight is not one of their stronger senses, too, but every time I see one of the patrolling seapi turn our way, no matter our distance, my pulse rises and my breath quietens. I am certain some must have seen us, from their pauses and hesitation, but they resume their patrols.

I find myself growing restless with our careful, cautious pace. It's the correct move, but it means we're here even longer. I zoom in on any suspicious movement, and scan the skies as if they'll come from above. I don't know that they won't. I catch Li.ni.si giving me a raised eyebrow, but under her bemused response, twitches and shivers in her muscles give away her own apprehension.

Softfoot walks along at a slow pace, taking much greater care, eyes on the ground with every careful and deliberate step. Her antennae slowly sway around like turrets on the lookout, a faint crackle now and then. Lightgreen is frozen and shaking on Softfoot's back. She assures us she's fine. I decide to pretend I believe her.

8/9 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/03(Tue)17:11 No. 1100740 ID: 2ca689
File 173327466319.png - (306.41KB , 800x600 , fop2-48.png )

We get closer to where we should find the globestalks, and, huh. Well, I guess that's what a seapi skull must look like. On a pike.

...Monarch's name, how many of these are there.

Oh, there's a lepi further off. Holding a spear.

Hm. They seem to have noticed me.

"Globestalk! We're here for globestalk!" I shout in the lepi language, as clearly as I can.

The lepi holds the spear up and readies to throw, shouting over. "Don't want any. Get going."
"No, we're not offering, I'm here to collect some to grow it elsewhere!"

I look for Lightgreen, hoping she might prove to be a better diplomat here, and, with her hiding behind me, she shouts out "Please! My village needs it very badly!"
"Don't care! Go! Leave! Do you think the skulls are an invitation?!"

I hear a thin whine from a charging incapacitor as I notice Li.ni.si moving near me. "I think I have a clear shot," she tells me in polyvoice. "By the way, the shield gens we have are tuned for energy weapons and high velocity kinetic projectiles a fraction of the mass of that spear. They're notoriously unpredictable with low velocity high mass projectiles. Don't count on the shield to save you from a spear to the eye."
"Yeah had that happen once already."
"Oh. Well, try not to let it happen again. Wait. It went through your eye?! How?! Your head casing is a plasteel and substrate composite, what was that spear made of--"
"I don't know! Hopefully not the same material as whatever he has!"

"We just want the globestalk! Please!" Lightgreen says, visibly shaking.
"Pay with your blood!"

Lightgreen almost shrieks as the lepi in the distance throws the spear, and it embeds into the ground a couple [feet] ahead of us.

"Aah!"
"Only her blood!" the lepi shouts over. "The blood of starthings is toxic bile that eats everything it touches!"
How does he know that-- y'know what, maybe I won't ask him that right now. "What... what do you mean?"
He points to Lightgreen. ""Your blood! Give it to me, and you can have your plants."

I'm not sure I understand the conversation at all. Mistranslation? "Lightgreen, what is that lepi talking about?"
"I didn't come here to be your enemy!" she shouts across. "Please, we're so few, we can't fight like this anymore, please, please!" Lightgreen clasps her hands together and stands in front of me. "Please!"
"I've given you my price!"
"We don't need to fight! Please!!"
"I am PROPOSING a BARTER!! I'm tired of shouting! I'm coming over! Stay exactly where you are!"

9/9 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/03(Tue)17:11 No. 1100741 ID: 2ca689
File 173327468262.png - (33.08KB , 800x600 , fop2-49.png )

The lepi looks angry, but resigned, weary. He approaches. Li.ni.si keeps a hand near her hip-attached incapacitor.

He stops a distance away from us which is at once more sociable and more threatening. I can't keep my composure completely, I know I must look like I'm coiling for a fight or flight response. Because I am. He stands, without spear, wings raising to his sides slightly. It's a basic trick many forms of fauna use. Look larger, be more intimidating. I chide my own brain for this stupid animal parlour trick working on me, but the conscious knowledge that he's advancing with no weapon in hand screams a danger I don't fully know the details of.
Come on, Vi.si.mi. You're better than this. Just because the last time you underestimated a spear-throwing native you lost an eye for a while-- hm, ok. Fear warranted, actually.

He tilts his head down and his tongue lashes out fast enough I flinch, despite the distance between us. It curls around and twists.
I manage to surpress screeching like a vatling, but only barely.

Oh. That's a different sort of tongue to the ones I've seen lepi have before. Much more... serrated? Spiky?

Lightgreen's antennae stand rigid like they're trying to escape her head again. Her mouth moves, but no sounds escape.

"I need blood to survive, and the seapi taste so vile," he says. "And the noetuno have stopped showing up lately. Because they know better. So those are my terms. Blood for plants. That is the only thing you can offer me. And if you do not like these terms, I suggest you leave before I feel driven to take it without your say."

Lightgreen backs away behind me again.

"Hey, Li.ni.si," I say in polyvoice, quietly. "Do you know how much blood lepi need to survive?"
"That's not a helpful question, too many variables. I don't even know how much blood this weird lepi wants to take! Give me the word and I'll take him down. Hopefully nonlethally. If he starts getting too close, I'm not waiting for your say, telling you now." She taps at the incapacitor on her hip, lowering its discharge settings. Probably safer, but a higher chance he won't go down in one shot. Risky.
I'd prefer not killing him either. Not if he can be an ally against the seapi.

Wait. Why is he so confident against two 'starthings' from outside his normal context? Has he met Shapeless before? Have I already walked into a trap? ...also, I don't see Softfoot with us. She was just with us a moment ago. Uhhhh.

If I'm reasoning with him I better think of a compelling thing to say.

>>1100740
>how does he know that
He knows your blood is toxic, so that means, he's been nearby when one of your kind bleeds. Bleeds enough to cause a problem. Which implies he's won a fight. Let's trust that he's a threat.

>>1100741
Realize that you had thoughts of drinking someone earlier too. You can't say this is weird.
So basically, the real question is "will this cause long term problems for Lightgreen" and I'm just going to say no way. There's no way this guy is planning on drinking enough to kill her, but let's include that in our negotiations. Find out exactly how much he wants to drink, if he's done so nonlethally in the past, and how painful and debilitating the process is, and how long it takes lepi to recover. Actually, could we collect some blood for him instead of him using that nasty rasp on his tongue? Just make a needle, a tube, and... I dunno what, something he can drink from.
Oh, since the blood is the "currency" then we can choose how much Globestalk to buy with it, too, and try to haggle on the price to lower the cost. Lightgreen should know how much Globestalk is needed for the starter crop so we have an established minimum. We can also see if the lepi is willing to trade for anything else we have. Or maybe there's some service we can provide? Hopefully as negotiations progress there can be less intimidation and aggression involved. De-escalate.
Prioritize Lightgreen's comfort here, as it's her blood. She gets to decide how much to spend or if she's going to outright refuse in favor of selling something else, but emphasize to her that you will do your best to make sure she's safe.

Guess we should have brought more lepi. Well if you can treat Lightgreen, and Lightgreen consents, it'll be easier to treat Lightgreen for blood loss than to deal with spear eye again.
(Also, maybe it was substrate? Could a substrate spear do that?)

It's Lightgreen's blood, it has to be her decision.

Ask him if it's really worth risking his own injury in a fight when he could just let you grab some globestalk and then never be bothered by any lepi ever again.

Well he likes noetuno blood. So... "Wait can you help the lepi fighting the enemies off? Would give you a supply of noetuno blood. Since that's who the issue is." Sheesh. Vampiric lepi becomes a war hero? Weird ace in the hole but they need help. Perhaps you could even fix this unneeded mutation he has.

Let's not be too open to the idea of harming our partner, however small. Feels too much like splitting the kitten to settle an ownership dispute. For all we know, his condition is contagious.

His confidence is unusual, but, really... How likely is it he actually has won a fight against higher beings? You'd expect the reverse, if anything. It's possible one of then has experimented on him to turn out like this. Ask if they have.

wait, weren't these guys once part of the same tribe as light green? as in normal lepi like her? How'd they get to the point were they need blood to survive, could they drink nectar or is that no longer an option. In short, "the fuck happened to them"? I don't think their should have been enough time for them to evolve since the world went to shit and if they drank blood ahead of time I'm sure someone would have mentioned it.

It seems like whatever made him strong enough to fight the seapi and other threats also made him carnivorous, but he's still limited to the lepi liquid diet. Thus, vampire moth.

I'll echo the sentiment that if he becomes hostile Li.ni.si should be ready to shoot to kill. He could make a useful ally against the neutono, but depending how much he needs to feed he could become a problem too.

Before we risk the livelyhood of our friend, I think we should offer one of our juce pouches or Lightgreen's lunch packs. Maybe make a show of it be safe for consuming.

1/6 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/06(Fri)18:35 No. 1100865 ID: 2ca689
File 173353893515.png - (30.26KB , 800x600 , fop2-50.png )

> you've had thoughts of drinking people before

I suppose I can't deny that. I didn't think it was weird so much as threatening. Really, I sort of expect that to come across as threatening. It's supposed to be when I do it, anyway. ...look, I am aware how much of a harmless little fluffy bird I come across as, I have to keep some of these things in mind for the appropriate (and hopefully seldom) contexts.

> substrate spear

No, couldn't have been, but the material didn't match anything I'm familiar with. I'm neither a carpenter nor a smith, though, so this doesn't really say much.

> don't be so quick to harm Lightgreen
> it's Lightgreen's decision
> it's her decision
> haggle blood prices
> noetuno blood

I look to Lightgreen. She looks back at me, trembling. Paralysed in fear. She looks at me the same way every time she thinks I can save her from whatever dire situation we're in. And I've given her reason to think I will try, even if I don't succeed.

I find I can't even bring myself to ask her.

So I'll do what I do better, and start asking questions. Maybe I can prise out some other need we can meet instead. I'm not exactly a skilled merchant, but I've been present at trading negotiations between Lord Vi.al and others before. Let's see if I retained anything...

"This is a strange place to make a home, isn't it? You can't easily get what you want or need out here. Why are you here?"
"My people exiled us here out of fear," he says, antennae crossing over each other, annoyed. He draws his tongue back into his mouth. "Friends, family, others of the tribe, all insisted that we could not stay."

After a pause, his voice is slightly quieter. "We felt it best for all to leave."
I nod. "A noble thing to do. Clearly, you valued the needs of others above your own." I think I might be stealing something I heard Vi.al say word for translated word, but, well, they're not here right now to notice.

He pauses, tilts his head at me, antennae twitching around. "More than you could hope to understand, starthing."
"I do have more things I don't understand, though. You've threatened us, understandably, to deter us, and defend your home. I understand our trespass, and we would not have trespassed here if our need was not great." No. No that's a terrible way of phrasing it, hi, hello, it's okay, we're only invading your home because we really need it please. Ugh. Move on. "But I do want to know why you're familiar with the nature of my kind's blood. How familiar are you with my kind?"

This is a risky gambit. I might anger him again. But I can't help feeling like there's some other issue at play here. And if there's some sort of ecological contamination occurring, I must know more.

He turns dismissively. "More than I care to be, but not particularly. I've heard there was a starthing impaled by a spear a day or two ago. The grass died where it shed blood. Supposedly either some criai or iropte went to the site it happened to learn more secrets of the stars, and learned that starthing blood will eat anything it touches if it doesn't start cold boiling into the air." He tilts his head. "Seems a little strange to me for divine forms from the stars to be so destructive."

He gestures towards Lightgreen. "And to think, shaman, people like you revere these creatures?"

2/6 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/06(Fri)18:35 No. 1100866 ID: 2ca689
File 173353895866.png - (485.90KB , 800x600 , fop2-51.png )

oh no I was the ecological contamination

I didn't even bleed that much! I think! I'm not sure, I was a little bit busy being blinded by rage, pain, and also actual blindness!! Oh that's bad. I didn't even think of the possibility of my injuries affecting more than just me! ...Well, Lightgreen also put herself at risk getting me to safety, so I knew that, but, augh. Argh. I didn't think my blood was that toxic to carbon organics! It normally isn't. Wait. Oh no. I usually deal with slightly engineered variants more resistant to any problems Shapeless biomechanical systems might cause. How much of the life here is resistant? The lepi would be, they were engineered by Lord Ku.su. ...Anything else?

This world is filled with substrate mechanisms starting to fail, and even if that were my sole objective, I don't think we could clean up everything before something bad happened.

"You're shaking again," signs Li.ni.si. "NOT HELPFUL,", I sign back with such vigour that Li.ni.si steps back before I accidentally elbow her in the stomach.

The idea that my presence on this world might be acting as a catalyst for an ecological collapse is so absolutely horrifying and disgusting that I feel like my entire body was just spun around violently and shoved into the ground, where it shouldn't be because I'm going to pollute it! Oh no. Oh no. Oh, I'm touching the dirt with my feet! I'm causing massive devastation with every step I'm taking! I'm--

3/6 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/06(Fri)18:36 No. 1100867 ID: 2ca689
File 173353900020.png - (92.74KB , 800x600 , fop2-52.png )

Lightgreen steps in front of me. "Yes! I do! The starbird Veeseemee has saved my life at least three times over! I have seen the compassion and drive to mend and heal the starbeing whose name I forgot to my side has shown! Both are creatures of virtue and are here to save the lepi from the darkness and dangers of this broken world!!" She raises the bracelet on her arm. "If the works of the starbeings are so dangerous, then why have I not been burned by this artifact, this gift from above?! How dare you speak such awful lies about those who came back to save us from those who left us behind?! Who work to right the wrongs of their ancestors the same as us?!"

The lepi in front of us lowers his wings. "The world doesn't need them. You know what they've done to it."

"And who else is going to put it back together?! The noetuno?! You?! You, with your skulls and your blood-drinking and your hiding from the world in the one place no one would ever, ever think to find you? What do you value, blood-drinker?! You are going to die here, alone, and no one will ever know your name!!"
"Okay let's, uh, let's tone that down, Lightgreen," I say, unsure of how to feel about this sudden outpour of slightly condescending zeal.

The lepi folds his arms, bored. "Bold talk for a little lepi who was cowering behind her saviour a moment ago."
"Because they are my saviour! And I will not have you talking them down! Sure, Veeseemee is... well, Veeseemee, I'm not sure where I was going with that but the point stands!!"
I feel so flattered.
The male lepi rolls his eyes and groans. "Are you going to go away any time soon? I've already guessed you're not going to give me any of your blood."
"Well maybe I will!! We need that globestalk!! How much blood do you need, you selfish bastard?!"

Expecting some sort of violent retaliation, I am surprised by the lepi trying to stop himself from laughing, and failing to do so. "Lights above, you're so much like she used to be, shy meek little thing scared of shadows and then suddenly the brightest fire in the clearing. Okay. I won't drink your blood. It's bad form to feed on your own kind, after all."
"Bad form?! It's the greatest taboo you can break!!"
"We both know that's not true, but let's not air that out in front of your precious starbeings."

He looks at Lightgreen, and sighs. "Alright. You've made this evening a little less dull. Drop the weapon, and yes, I do see it, and I am not stupid, and I will take you to the globestalk."

He turns back to the triangular entryway into what I thought was a seapi hive, but, now that I think about it, I haven't seen any seapi around here that weren't in skeletal pieces.

4/6 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/06(Fri)18:37 No. 1100868 ID: 2ca689
File 173353902832.png - (34.21KB , 800x600 , fop2-53.png )

And then I hear him... say something in a very, very different form of lepi whistles. No, buzzes. More like a strange buzzy version of lepi speak. It's also quiet and hushed. It's supposed to be something we're not able to understand, but my autotranslator starts connecting a lot of structural parallels between it and the semi-decoded seapi buzzing I heard earlier. It's much lower volume than his shouty voice has been so far. I try to feign innocence as I try to isolate what he's saying from all surrounding noise.

"They seem safe. They want to get to the patch. Three, maybe four things. Were five, lost track of their bigger animal. It's a wander, probably made its own way to the patch the long way."
And the voice I hear back is more buzzing, and a lot higher pitched. "What are they giving usz in return?"
"Still thinking of it. The shaman's like you used to be. Big energy, little cocoon."
Weird high pitched staccato buzzes. Laughter? "Sztill a szucker for a pretty facze?"
"Oh shush. How're our guests?"
"They won't leave. They keep waiting for you to come back in."

I make eye contact with the lepi, and he pauses. "...and don't forget to stab the bird one. Over and over and over and over and over. Really go at it. Violently. In the face."
I wince.
His eyes narrow.

"It's usually considered rude to listen in on private conversations," he says in normal lepi tongue.
"He's telling someone else about our group and what we're doing," I say, in polyvoice, to Li.ni.si.
"Well duh!" pipes up Conduit. "He's just saying it out in the open like we can't hear him."
"So both of you understood that weird little buzzing thing he did?" Li.ni.si scratches her head. "How many languages does one world need?"
"Wait. Conduit, I thought you didn't understand seapi."
"That was a seapi?!"
"No, it wasn't, I think but, I, uh, never mind??"

Conduit clings onto Li.ni.si's shoulder as we proceed.

5/6 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/06(Fri)18:37 No. 1100869 ID: 2ca689
File 173353905624.png - (53.80KB , 800x600 , fop2-54.png )

And here we are in some sort of weird hovel made out of what I can only assume is an abandoned seapi hive.

And there are two others here, slumped on some sort of stack of worn lepi silk pillows, a distance apart from each other. Stuffed with what, I do not know, and don't want to guess.

A dark blue creature with triangular ears and red features. One eye purple, one eye cyan. With, what I realise to my alarm, is one of My.a's symbols branded onto their chest. And what's more, I can tell it's not just some sort of tattoo. No, it's substrate. It's a data mark, wafer thin substrate, typically placed on objects and creatures of specific importance to give advice on care procedures, or, sometimes, containment protocols. The ear tag is probably related.

And the other... a seapi? A phenotype different to the ones I'm familiar with. Much paler, with almost white fuzz, coiling antennae, pointier ears and red eyes instead of black. And no wings, oddly enough. She looks at me at first with surprise, then what I can only read as... irritation? Irritation. Like I'm some sort of everyday pest to be dealt with. What a weird reaction for something to have to someone who should be very outside their usual context.

"Oh. Oh! Shapeless creatures!" The dark blue creature perks up at noticing us arrive. He's speaking in what feels like a weirdly distorted variant of the language I heard the noetuno speak. The intonation is all over the place, like he's trying to map it to the lepi tonal language, but very badly. His noetuno-language grasp is better. I tune the autotranslator to that one instead.
"I knew it! I knew one of you guys would show up! Hey, so, are you working for the Knight or for... I don't remember who the other one was. Which one is it? My name's, uh, well it's long haha so I guess call me Ka.ga.ta!"

The name is in polyvoice, or, well, an attempt at it. Something like a trilled monovoice to attempt to replicate the simultaneous harmonies of polyvoice. It's impressive despite its inaccuracies, that's for sure.

The seapi groans. More of a rattling buzzing, but there's no meaningful signal I can make out of it.

"And her name is, uh, Grass? I think?"

I see her take out some sort of substrate device. Okay, I know the world is littered with the broken remains of a planetary infrastructure, but the amount of intact devices in the hands of the natives feels more than a little embarassing. She holds it to her throat and buzzes, as the device squeaks out lepi noises.

"I'm not here to talk. Oh, and kill this guy before you leave, thanks. Clean up your fucking messes."
"Haha she's just kidding around!"
"I will rip your ears clean off of your skull if you don't shut your fucking mouth right now."
"You shouldn't make such threats, I am a unique and rare individual! One of a kind. You couldn't hurt me, you'd be vandalising something precious!"

"Please kill this guy before you leave," says the seapi, her buzzing louder. "I know what that marking on him says, I don't want to touch him. I might get diseases. Or worse."
"The seapi don't really know how to read the words of higher beings, she's making it all up!"

I would like to focus on literally anything other than these two now.

6/6 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/06(Fri)18:38 No. 1100870 ID: 2ca689
File 173353909291.png - (28.14KB , 800x600 , fop2-55.png )

I notice, hiding behind layers of walls that presumably held more function when this hive swarmed with seapi, some other form.
I can't quite work out anything but the head and the long, long up-curving antennae. A dark grey, striped with red. It seems vaguely bug-like, as with the lepi and seapi, but isn't quite a match to either.

"Szo long with no viszitor that waszn't here to chew our throatsz out and now we are blesszed with the arrival of five of you."

They speak in a very harshly buzzed, even squeakier version of lepi tongue than I'm accustomed to.

There's a slight pause. "Take the worm outside. We don't talk to wormsz."
"What worm?" I'm getting dizzy from all the new stimuli.
"On the sztarthing that looksz like a turtle."
I hear Li.ni.si grumble "a turtle?" in polyvoice clicks.
"I'm not a worm!" Conduit struggles to keep grip.
"No wormsz. Out."
"I can't be out there on my own! What if a seapi comes after me?!!"
"They won't. Out."

That's awfully body-plan-discriminating of them.

To think that your blood is so toxic seems like an oversight to me. You are an ecological construct and a little bleeding is enough to destroy the planet? I think I can see why Lord Vi.al is not an engineer.

Also, Lightgreen is in rare form today. If she can be like this more often, I can see her easily becoming one of the leaders of the Lepi tribe in the near future.

Regardless, it seems you have a chance to talk with some interesting folk here. That one marked with Lord My.a's symbol might be of concern, but the Seapi seems to have some bad experiences with constructs. She may know about other constructs, and possibly be able to help you get more information on what you'll be facing in the future. I would suggest you ask what her story is first.

>>1100866
>you bled and polluted the area
Oops. Don't panic, Vi.al can fix it and it won't spread too much before he arrives. Just remember that it can happen and that if you bleed all over the place again you have to clean it immediately. It wouldn't hurt to visit the area again soon to see if it's easier to clean than you're expecting, though.

>>1100869
>please kill this guy
Well we obviously can't do that. We have a peace treaty. But don't go saying that. Just say you really don't want to anger My.a either, and you're not generally in favor of murder in the first place. I'm curious as to why this guy's precious and unique... I'm sure if you asked him you'd get an earful, but I wonder if his manner of speech is what's irritating the seapi.

>>1100870
Tell Conduit they can hide under the dirt or something. Or if they're really that worried then someone can go outside with them to keep them company.

>>1100870
You'd be a terrible adoptive dad if you just dropped your daughter alone outside.

if the guard is still with you I'd like to ask if all these people are part of his tribe as well or if some are merely guest.

also about the whole polluting the world thing... I'm going to be honest there are so many other things on this planet right now that will do much worse than anything you or the substrate structures could do by accident I really don't think adding environmental deserters should add much worry since above it are the complete genocide of multiple races and planetary destruction. Just stick a pin in it and we can try and fix it as solutions become available but it's not like the world is in a worse situation than it already was. If anything it's just another thing we'll have to add to the long list of "shit to fix once we get to it."

as for long nose, (we should probably start asking people for their names, so far the only person we know to call something that isn't their race, job, or physical characteristic is Ka.ga.ta and MAYBE grass) ask if there is a certain reason they don't want conduit here or if they just don't like have children hanging around... what you said it yourself she's basically a vatling so by your species standers she's basically a child.

>>1100869
"Ka.ta.ga" is a total nerrrrrd, but his fanatism would literally kill you if it's not defused whenever My.a ever orders him to. Give his tag a proper look. Can you look up the ID? Does it look like my.a's work, or yours?
A quick band-aid fix: Convince him to accept your brand too. He seems like the type to appreciate such "blessings". If nothing else, imitating the same joke My.a put on him will show her that you can take a joke yourself.

Asking for the actual name of "Grass" goes without saying. She seems to be familiar with your kind, but you should probably inquire into how familiar she is. Is it just nasty rumors, or direct contact? Mere irritation would suggest the former.

It's safe to asssume the locals on this planet have had contact with aliens for quite a while now. Just because the rules disallow it, doesn't mean you should dismiss evidence it's been happening.

>>1100870
Look, we know the baby's been genocidal lately but we can handle her if she acts up. Right, Li.ni.si? She's cut off from her people, anyway.

If they insist, then
1) you're not leaving Conduit alone so Linisi is coming with, and
2) you're not going to be alone with 4 strangers so the guard and someone else has to leave.
So can we have all talk together, talk separately, or not at all?

"We'd at least like to know why our ward has to leave? Surely there's good reasoning?" What an odd bunch of fellows. Well at least they seem to be willing to negotiate. So is blood-drinker a thing from birth or is it a choice?

>Toxic blood
I suspect your blood has been actively trying to absorb materials to heal.

>Ka.ga.ta
Ask to read the sigil and tag to assess what, if anything, is wrong with him. Silently contemplate suggesting he accompany you on your journey.

1/6 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/08(Sun)18:20 No. 1100974 ID: 2ca689
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I feel a sudden displaced bump to my head as my flocklet bonks against the wall outside trying to enter the abandoned hive. Well, it's safer to say I feel a muted bump somewhere, but it usually feels closest like a bump to my head, I guess. To my other head, that's floating around. Look, it's hard to explain.
I know for a fact I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached to my shoulders, with how often I keep forgetting where I left my flocklet.

> Lightgreen in rare form
I'm still a little surprised, I've seen flickers of this passion from her before but usually not so brazenly expressed. It's still really strange to know she has such faith in me despite apparently being fully aware of my flaws. ...heartwarming, even.

> polluting the world is not a priority right now
I know but it hurts me on a fundamental level that this could even be the case.
> Lord Vi.al not much of an engineer
Lord Vi.al surely must have considered this a possibility! It seems unlike them to overlook something so fundamental to my composition and my purpose. I know Lord Vi.al can frequently lose track of small details, but when it comes to planning, such a glaring contradiction... I have fire-suppressing foam systems to compensate for the flammability of my feathers, I have redundant seed capsule production systems, I could lose my entire body save my head and survive in a recovery coma for [two months], substrate is woven through my body in an intricate fractal to facilitate transmission more readily than most other constructs I've met AND act as a quick dispersal for directed energy bursts, I refuse to believe this wasn't considered.

Yeah, my body's not perfect, no one's is, but it's also engineered. I wasn't just thrown together in a slapdash manner. Mostly. I think.

> you'd be a terrible adoptive dad if you just dropped your daughter alone outside
> ask why your ward has to leave
> we can handle the baby if she starts acting genocidal again
I'm not really her adoptive parent though, right? I mean, sure, she doesn't strike me as that old, but more young adult (or close) than outright child...

"I'm not letting a vulnerable young construct out of my sight. Not without a better reason than 'no worms'. She's practically a defenseless vatling."
I am met with confused looks.
"Vatling means child for my kind."
"You put your children in jars?"
"Yeah! All kids go in jars," says Ka.ga.ta.
"Something like that," says Li.ni.si, vaguely.
"We just use paper cells."

As I recall, we're really, really discouraged from going into detail about construct production methods around non-Shapeless. It’s not an outright ban, but it’s probably better for us all the fewer fine details alien sapients are aware of.
I mean, this applies to effectively all Shapeless technology. It’s part of the reason everyone loves us so much. I mostly don’t have to worry about it because half the time I don’t know enough to be much of a problem. And even if I did, what am I going to say? "Use your innate control over substrate based on complex signalling I don’t have conscious awareness of to make it do the thing you need to do?" Should I ask them how they make their own cells metabolise while I'm at it?

The long-snouted sculker speaks. "The Great Eater hasz many children that szcurry around, eating wallsz and learning szecretsz, returning to their wretched mother to be devoured once more."
"Huh. This isn't one of those wormlings. This has little purple bits sticking out of it."
"It doesz? I can't szee szo well from back here."

"I'm not a child!!"
Conduit wriggles around and Li.ni.si scoops her up into her arms.
"You really do look like a Zi.en vatling. Su.ki.fu showed me pictures of her vatling form once, but you're not quite as goopy as she was," says Li.ni.si.
"I'm not a child though!! Just because I don't know how physical space works all that well or because I've lost half the complexities and capacities I..."

2/6 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/08(Sun)18:20 No. 1100975 ID: 2ca689
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Conduit trails off.

"Oh no."
"What is it?" I look back to her, as Li.ni.si adjusts her arms a little to carry Conduit better.
"Reduced physical capacity, reduced mental capacity, I feel hungry even when I eat, and I keep feeling sleepy..."

Conduit's eyes start to water as I practically feel the metaphorical gears turn in her head.

"But I don't want to be baby. I had a life before this! I was involved in politics! I wasn't good at it at all but I was!!"
"Well, you're alive at least," says Li.ni.si, gently cradling and rocking Conduit as she starts trembling. "Practically none of us get a chance to start over like this."

Conduit bursts into tears, but it's less the screaming wails of a vatling and more like how she was at her limit in her dying immaterial world.
Li.ni.si rocks her gently still, and hums an old Lo.kan melody I've come across before in their data streams. Something calm and soothing and repetitive to help upset vatlings feel better. The thing that strikes me about it is how modal it feels. Like a switch just flicked in Li.ni.si's head. Maybe it's just part of the training of a mechic, but something about it feels like it came from experience.

I will not pry. I've known her for maybe the best part of a single day.

I also think Conduit would feel highly insulted if she knew she was hearing a lullaby for the youngest of vatlings, but it does seem to be calming her down.

3/6 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/08(Sun)18:21 No. 1100977 ID: 2ca689
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"Alright." I adjust my feathers a little. "So, thank you for making the child cry." I so nearly said 'my' child. Blegh. I don't want to think about that one.
The sculking creature looks a little taken aback by this.
"...That waszn't my intent, uh, at all, to be honeszt, I juszt want to keep my home szafe."

"I think you need to put it back in the jar. It looks like it's not done yet."
"Thank you for your stellar mentoring advice," I say, because I'm having a hard time holding back my snippy comments. "Globestalk."
"Amber isz making szure a beaszt hasn't wandered into the patch. He'll be back szoon."
"Amber is?"

The orange-eyed snout lurker looks at me with some confusion. "You juszt met him. ...Did he not tell you hisz name again?"
"No. I don't know your name either."
"I'm juszt here to keep an eye on thingsz. Don't worry about me."
"Her name's Sangaree!" says Ka.ga.ta. "She's really pretty!"
"...yesz, my name is that," says Sangaree with irritation I can feel through the obfuscating layers of buzzed lepi-tongue.
"If you don't mind me asking, forgive the rudeness, but what kind of creature are you?"

I see her look around, shuffling uncomfortably.

"I wasz born lepi, if that meansz anything to you."
"Oh? Can you go into more detail? I'm noticing some phenotypical divergences I haven't come across before."
"I don't want to talk about it. Aszk Amber about it."

After a pause, I hear a drawn out buzzing sigh. "...yesz, I know I do not look lepi anymore."
"I'm sorry to keep asking, but one more quick question. Did, uh, did one of my kind have anything to do with what happened?"
"No."
"I see." I stop myself from reflexively asking if I can do anything to help. Probably, I can. But I can't keep getting sidetracked.

4/6 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/08(Sun)18:21 No. 1100979 ID: 2ca689
File 173371090625.png - (33.51KB , 800x600 , fop2-59.png )

"What's your story, then, Grass?"
"Fuck off."

Well that was quick.

5/6 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/08(Sun)18:22 No. 1100980 ID: 2ca689
File 173371093158.png - (52.57KB , 800x600 , fop2-60.png )

"And as for you," I say, walking to Ka.ga.ta. He stands up as I approach.

"Ka.ga.ta--"
"You already introduced yourself."
"--.ni.ze.ri.lo.ne.ga.ta, at your service, Vi.alic!"
"I need to read the symbol on your chest. This will require me to touch it. Permission to do so?"

He gives me such a sleazy smile I feel like I have revoked permission from myself to go anywhere near him, but, well, needs must.

"Sure thing, anything for a pretty lady!"
"I'm not-- never mind. Let's see." Let's get this over with as fast as I can manage, with the least surface contact necessary.

The symbol is a warning glyph. Redundantly repeated numerous times, as tends to be the case with substrate data storage.

BLOT PHENOMENON DESIGNATION KA.GA.TA.NI.ZE.RI.LO.NE.GA.TA - WARNING: LIVE BLOT ORGANISM - DO NOT REMOVE FROM CONTAINMENT - DO NOT ALLOW CONTACT WITH ORGANISMS WITH DISPLACEMENT INDEX OF 3 OR LOWER - REPRODUCTIVE RISK, RISK OF GENETIC CONTAMINATION (KNOWN BLOTLING PHENOMENON), KEEP AWAY FROM POTENTIAL COMPATIBLE FEMALES - IF FOUND OUTSIDE PIT FACILITY RETURN URGENTLY ACTUALLY DON'T DO THAT I'M NOT LETTING HIM BACK IN ANYMORE - IF UNABLE TO PREVENT INTERACTION WITH LOCAL FAUNA USE STANDARD BLOT-DERIVED MATERIAL DESTRUCTION METHODS - KNOWN EFFECTIVE METHODS: THERMONUCLEAR DETONATION, SUBSTRATE ASSIMILATION, CLASS-APEX NEAR-UNIVERSAL SOLVENTS (SECURE MATERIAL TO BE DESTROYED BEFORE USE)

...okay so this reads as a weird mixture of standard templates and My.a's comments. It goes on like this and there's a long meandering bunch of research notes scattered haphazardly between the repetitions. I don't have time to read all of it, especially as the longer I stay in physical contact with this thing the more uncomfortable I feel.

Wow, if only I had some sort of data-storing object to transfer it to. Oh well.

Some highlights, then. Skimming over My.a's research notes, I get the impression that Ka.ga.ta himself wasn't really a test subject as much as a byproduct of testing something else. There's some musings on setting up a population of blotlings on a different world to see how tangled up their genes would get after a few generations, lots and lots of incidents of this guy injuring himself in statistically unlikely ways, and then culminating in My.a declaring him a living bad luck attractor and throwing him out of the facility. Something about the focus of research shifting to making sure Ka.ge.ta never, ever finds his way back into the facility.

"Alright, thanks for that." I touched him. He's a blotling, an apparently contagious bad luck attractor, and some sort of reproductive nightmare. That's three reasons I need to amputate this wingarm as soon as I get the chance. I hope the warning just meant inexplicable cross-fertility and not that I'm going to explode into mini-blotlings.
"No problem! So, what did it say? Grass said it says I'm a hazard but I mean, I'm a one of a kind creation of the Shapeless Lords, truly I'm destined for greater things!"
"You're, uh, keep, keep doing what you're doing," I say, in a slight daze.

6/6 Vi.si.mi 2024/12/08(Sun)18:23 No. 1100981 ID: 2ca689
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"Oh right now I'm here to make sure all globestalk is eradicated before it poses a threat to the criai. Glass-Fold-Nine-Circles sent me. I'm working for him while I figure out my true grand purpose. He's like the only guy who doesn't seem to think I should be killed on sight for some reason?"
"What."
"Yeah! It's super toxic to criai! He's worried it's going to cause problems if any enemies find this out and turn it into a weapon."
"Did he tell you not to spread that information around?"
"Uh... I don't remember?"

Well that's extremely unfortunate news.

I see Sangaree approach from behind the walls.

"We won't let you do that. The patch isz preciousz to usz."
"Well I'm not here to start digging up your garden, haha! I'm here to grab some to take back so he can investigate further."

He looks at Sangaree's more fully visible, highly pregnant body, and I suddenly connect a few dots regarding Amber's defensiveness and Sangaree trying to keep herself out of harm's way.

"Wow! How much blood did you guys drink?"
Sangaree gives a long buzzing sigh again. "I hope you're the worszt thing that happensz to me tonight."

"Oh, congratulations!" I blurt out. Why.
Li.ni.si raises a brow. Lightgreen looks at me bewildered.
"...isn't that what organics tend to say when they're acknowledging a reproductive cycle in progress?" Why did I say anything. Why did I say anything.
"And behold, there isz room for the earth to crumble, and for usz all to tumble further down into the depthsz of pain far from the Light, curszed we all asz creaturesz of pureszt worszt wordsz and baffling choicze torment usz all with their horrendousz waysz."
Uh uh uh subject change. "Oh right! Introductions from earlier! I forgot!" I bow, hurriedly. "My name is Vi.si.mi, I am an ecology construct created for the Shapeless Lord Vi.al, long shall it reign! This is Li.ni.si, a, uh, health and repairs construct created for the Shapeless Lord Lo.ka, this is the shaman Lightgreen Mint of Golden Bough, oh right also this is Conduit, an, uh, emergent construct created indirectly for the Shapeless Lord Vi.al, this is my flocklet, which is my other me--"
"I really don't care, I juszt want you all to go away asz szoon asz you get your globesztalk."

"Does that include--"
"No it doesz not. You're fine."
"Grand."

"Will Amber be gone much longer? I'm just as eager to get travelling back myself," I say, after too awkward a silence.
"If you're that worried you can go out thisz way and szee for yourszelf," I get back, Sangaree's patience clearly wearing thinner and thinner as she vaguely gestures to some other passage in this abandoned hive.

>>1100981
>Vi.al didn't make a mistake with your blood
Either it's a tradeoff-- as in, it behaves that way because it normally does something extremely beneficial inside your body-- or "pollution" is a misinterpretation of what it's actually doing, or trying to do. What if it's trying to restore the planet to its original state? We know the planet has been altered in various ways.

>reproductive danger
>pregnant woman, used to look more like a lepi
UH. Ask her if she ever touched the walking biohazard. If not, warn her never to do so, and in fact she should keep a considerable distance from him. Also consider removing the finger you touched him with if you can do so without bleeding all over the place. Even if there's some possibility of your blood being able to kill him. ...why didn't My.a kill him? Weird.
Huh, Grass knows the gist of what the marker means? Apologize that you don't have a way to kill him safely at the moment, even if it's not really your mess. If he gets smug about it tell him you're sure you could still horribly injure him. If he makes any move towards anyone then shooting him is a good idea. Wait shit we don't have any weapons now do we. Well if he makes any move retreat to retrieve your weapons from outside so you can zap him.
Wait, CAN you kill him? Do you have access to any of the listed methods?

>Amber is making sure a beast didn't wander into the patch
Uh, tell her you're worried about Amber possibly spearing your missing beast-like companion.

Look, I'm not saying Lord Vi.al is a poor engineer, but when you consider that constructs can have their blood evaporate instead of remaining in the soil for aeons to pollute and destroy the environment, it doesn't make much sense to not choose evaporation option for your ecological construct.

I will say it is amusing to see Conduit be upset at this new youth when many organics seek the elixir of youth for generations for a chance to be young again. Quite a contrast!

Also, congratulations on parenthood, Vi.si.mi!

Grass doesn't waste our time at least.

Ka.ga.ta seems to be a total grease ball. Absolutely should be placed under containment though.

Well, you got your work cut out for you. Ka.ga.ta could cause damage to the genetics of future organics on this world, but killing him will not be easy, and he may prove useful still, especially if you can learn more about what Lord My.a was doing. Sangaree is experiencing the biological stresses of pregnancy, and her health may be at risk as a result. She definitely responds to Conduit as if they were a child though, so she may trust Li.ni.si (as the apparent care-giver) more than you, for any further diplomatic discussion. The Globestalk may be needed by the Lepi, but if they decide to use it instead as a chemical weapon on the Cirai, which would undoubtedly make the Lepi a huge threat to the other factions, so you'd need an assurance that the Lepi won't use this in such a way unless absolutely necessary.

... And I just uploaded that picture of Amber and had no name for him. Now I get it less than an hour later. God damn it.

OK first off, there are a lot of things to worry about, making you miss some VERY IMPORTANT SALIENT FACTS about the current situation. Worry later. Observe now.

1. Seapi, not violent, not mindless, not attacking, able to speak. Wasn't that (according to the lepi) supposed to be impossible?
2. Amber (the spear wielding lepi you met?) was exiled. What they did might give you insight on how to reunite the lepi. Will part with information in exchange for food. Bring food, these organisms sorely need it.
3. Globestalk is toxic to the criai. Ka.ga.ta. is here to destroy it before it can be weaponized by their enemies. You should try weaponizing it.
3. LIVE BLOT ORGANISM REPRODUCTIVE RISK. KEEP AWAY FROM POTENTIAL COMPATIBLE FEMALES. Pregnant female lepi, who has grown into a very abnormal body shape for some reason. Aww, they're a couple! He's gonna be a daddy! I wonder when the baby's due?

Oh, and in regards to the weaponizing globestalk thing, don't bring up the subject again. Just get it from Amber before the blotling can destroy it. ...if Ka.ga.ta attracts bad luck, I wonder if the globestalk is already in danger just from him being near it? That's a second reason to get there sooner rather than later.

>>1100979
Her voice says "Fuck off", the smirk say "you're hilarious". You've made an impression on her, at least.

>>1100981
>bad luck attractor
>working for Glass-Fold-Nine-Circles
>thing you're looking for is weapon against criai
Too late to cut off that arm, or kill him, he's already a walking diplomatic incident right now. This is kind of the exact opposite of the non-aggression pact you want from his employer. Ask him about his other jobs to confirm, and be thankful he hasn't clocked your designation yet. In fact, let's all agree we didn't hear that last part.

>"If you're that worried you can go out thisz way and szee for yourszelf," I get back, Sangaree's patience clearly wearing thinner and thinner as she vaguely gestures to some other passage in this abandoned hive.
You know you can send your flocklet to do that, right?

Disillusioned from faith she had, an offer to protect her family, whoever she decides is in it, can go a long way. Lightgreen can vouch for you, and hash out the details for her.

Oh, instead of planning his death, maybe we should make sure he lives. Because, if he causes bad luck for everyone in the vicinity, then the more time he spends "helping" our enemies the better. Though I suppose if the enemy knows this they might make sure he's always out on missions, far away from their base, so the bad luck doesn't affect them directly...

So the outcast lepi are having kids. Guess it makes sense that outcasts would join up. Great Eater huh? Details please. Oh, do tell Glass Globestalk heals lepi or he may think we're making bioweapons.

hmm let's see what we're dealing with

Amber seems mostly natural towards your group but does seem to like or at least enjoy the presents of light green.

Ka.ga.ta.ni.ze.ri.lo.ne.ga.ta seems pretty laid back, a bit air headed, and will try to sleep with anything with a pair of legs. While he doesn't seem to hate you or your group he also probably doesn't really care about any of you either unless someone decides to sleep with him. Though since it seems My.a is actively avoiding him (or at least pretending he doesn't exist) you might be able to use him to distract her down the line by telling him where one of My.a's bases are (you already know were Va.ne.tu's base is so if you pointed him that way Va will probably kick the problem up to My.a). Could let you distract My.a down the line once the truce is over.

Grass is probably one of the nicest locals we've met since we've crashed here... I'm not joking. She hasn't tried to kill you, attack you, threaten you, chase you off, blame you for the state the world is in, or simply judge you poorly based off what you are, just a general hate towards the world in general an not directed solely at you. best respect her wishes and leave her alone unless she approaches your party first.

Sangaree seems to be in charge? maybe? at the very least all the people in this room seem to follow her word so even if she isn't the leader she seems to be someone with influence. Also seems to be very annoyed at you and your group and has image issues with her body so probably best stop bring up how odd she looks as it seems to be upsetting her. and she did say if you want to learn more about how this group of lepi has changed from baseline lepi to go ask amber so yeah, I say drop any question about their mutations while she is around.

Though... I guess ask why they have been turning away the lepi that came by earlier trying to gather the globestalk for light green's tribe. Sangaree's tribe seem to have a good idea how important it is to the lepi and seem to be alright with us gathering some to help out the tribe. If they didn't have a problem with light green's tribe to begin with why did they turn them away?

You could excuse yourself and poke around a bit more, that seems like a good plan to relieve tension (at least until you walk into the next problem).

You're engineered to be a well-thought-out lifeform tailored to Vi.al's creations, but this world is way out of spec. You have to accept there will be unexpected interactions, and that maybe it's not such a bad thing that a random stranger doesn't want to drink your blood.