>>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
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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.