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[gridfather]

[ Have Flynn, absent his usual smile. He's all-business, and in one of the labs, though the shadowed backdrop of hexagon tiles probably doesn't look terribly familiar. For a moment he's not even looking at the camera, but at something past it, until he drags his attention back. ]

Evening, folks. Gotta skip the pleasantries tonight, I'm afraid- there's something you all need to see.

[ He taps at his ACE, and a beautiful little holo model of their end of the station shimmers into view like a heat mirage. There's the observation deck, the barter block, living quarters, the whole shebang, with tiny points of gold light scattered hither and thither- roughly marking the inhabitants. It turns slowly, a wireframe of cyan light, while he continues, ]

For the past five months, we've been inhabiting this portion of the former Ingress Station, making journeys out into the wider universe via the portal. Much of the structure outside our immediate area isn't in the best shape, so we've been pretty limited when it comes to moving around.

Now, check this out.

[ With an easy gesture, the drag of two fingers, the wireframe pulls back. More of the old station appears, bands of light branching out to form the structure- a massive one at that. Anyone forget how freakin huge this place is? Will get a reminder here. ]

For the past couple of months, I've been working with Erik and Wanda to get a new scanning device up and running- ah, here we go-

[ At a fair distance from their home, the wireframe quits assembling in the air. After that long expanse of nothing in the preceding build, gold pinpoints of light suddenly begin to bloom, lighting up like a Christmas tree. Flynn looks back to the camera, calm still, but for the glint of excitement in his eye. ]

I'll spare you all the technobabble of the how for the moment, but we're not alone on Avagi. We estimate there's maybe a couple hundred people a good two, three days' trek away. We know- or can make a pretty good educated guess -that they're humanoid, like us.

Right now, that's pretty much all we know. I've made a copy of our findings for anyone who wants a closer look.

[ Heyyy, a file pop-up, in the interests of transparency! For a second, though, he looks like he might have more to say, but changes his mind. He adds, ]

So. Who's feeling neighborly?

Comments

Private - Video

[araignee_du_soir]

Tell me about this scanning device. It has more range than my own.

[Because that's what's important here.]

Private - Video

[gridfather]

[ Look, he can respect that. ]

It amplifies a psychic's brainwaves, so she can sense other living beings at a greater distance- such as on the other side of Avagi.

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[monomachy]

You're certain about this? It isn't some kind of--malfunction of the device?

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[gridfather]

Very certain. Everything's working as it should.

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[seeingscarlet]

It might be easier if it was but -- no.

[Mother aside, chances are good that these people will not be happy to see them, even given the opportunity to pool their resources.]

I know what I saw.

voice

[lavelly]

Do they know about us?

[Or: is there any indications they could be hostile.]

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[gridfather]

We can't say for sure one way or the other. I never got to meet any Savrii myself, but judging from their own history, they weren't very shy about making contact with anyone.

If I can hazard a guess, if they knew about us, we'd have likely known before now.

[not here definitely here]

[notglitching]

[Rinzler does not ask questions. Not here; not him. He will, however, be downloading $flynn's file.

And listening in on everyone else.]

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[shiro2hero]

You want to... what? Just go knock on their door?

Why don't we try and send a message first? If they're here, living, they've got to have some kind of communication tech.

I'm all for diplomacy, but if it turns out they're hostile, or even defensive, we're not equipped for that kind of confrontation. We should be careful.

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[magneticfields]

All we know about them at this point is that they are there, and appear to be humanoids of some sort. We weren't able to find any method of communication with them. It's possible if we send a party, they may be able to attempt communication once they're closer.

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[ex_bossily211]

[There's a lot Clara's getting out of this, and she'll get to the finer points of what she wants to discuss in time. But the more pressing matter to her fragile egomania is -]

You've been working on this for months, and this is the first time anyone's thought to mention something?

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[magneticfields]

I started the project after I completed the workshop. All that time has been spent constructing the scanner, and then calibrating it until it was functional. We did not know what, if anything, it would reveal. Until today.

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[redshitlord]

Cool! What could like, possibly go wrong with that!

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[magneticfields]

What do you suggest?

[Video]

[alformthearm]

Fascinating..! I wouldn't mind a bit of technobabble, but this is definitely an interesting find. It certainly puts in perspective the sheer size of this station if it's to take that long to navigate our way there- or is that being generous in consideration of possible road blocks? It probably won't be so straight forward a journey if we have encounter more sealed off sectors than what already makes up the borders of our end of the station.

I would like a copy to study, however. And if anyone might be volunteering for such an outing, I may consider accompanying.

[Video]

[magneticfields]

If we could assemble a team, I think that would be a very good method of contact. There are many people here with experience in diplomacy.

I, as some know, am not one of those people and will not be joining such a mission.

[Video]

[deal_me_in]

[Blue optics squint at the visuals, a brief side-glance exchanged with the floating AI at his side.]

Sure they're...um. Individual? Wait, maybe that's not the right word.


[His Ghost twitches it vertices before asking.]

How were you able to detect them? A device to scan life forms or corresponding biological patterns?

[Video]

[magneticfields]

They are individuals, as far as we can tell at this point. As in, sentient humanoids and not some form of artificial intelligence or hive mind.

This scanner is based on a design that one of my fellow mutants created a little over twenty years ago. There, we use it to locate other mutants from a great distance. Although since we don't know what the life forms are, whether or not they are mutated versions of that life form is not something we can determine at this time.

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[gerechtigkeit]

Writing by the previous residents here referred to the falling of Thisavrou as “The Great Catastrophe.” The others you’ve found- they may know it to be the same.

[And stories and legends, in Siegfried’s case, are not things that are ever truly forgotten. In some cases, they form the backbone of an entire culture. What if it’s the same for whoever is beyond their part of the station?]

If we manage to find them, do we have a plan? Whether they actually are hostile or diplomatic may also depend on what we discover of each other.

[And if they learn their group was there when the two planets fell, it could mean trouble.]

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[seeingscarlet]

They could be descendants of the survivors, or they might be trapped here like us. It isn't possible to know from here.

Whatever we decide to do, there are risks.

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[brokeassgoing]

Seconding the leave them the fuck alone plan-- literally nothing has changed since the last time. All we got is a station, that's it. And some anonymity.

voice;

[gridfather]

Duly noted. Shouldn't we try to learn more about them, regardless?

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[alan_1]

[Flynn had already consulted Alan about the readings earlier, so this announcement doesn’t come as a shock. However, that last question does send a shiver of trepidation up his spine.]

You’re not thinking of going, are you?

video; alan you never let him have any fun :c

[gridfather]

If we can get there in the first place...

[ Stepping ever so lightly around the question ]

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[shadowblends]

Is there any possible way they know about us? If not, I'm on the side of not disturbing them.

[He shakes his head, rifling a hand through his bangs then glancing away.] The last time we tried to coexist with another group didn't turn out so well.

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[gridfather]

I think... for the moment, we're passing under the radar. For the moment.

[ Eyeing Kurt a little, ]

How's that?

[notyourrookie]

I'm assuming you're not planning to send people in unarmed. And if we can reach them, they can probably reach us.

[gridfather]

Depends. Ideally, I would prefer we leave weaponry out of this, but I'm one voice out of many.

[ Flynn can't even say he goes unarmed- the identity disc between his shoulder blades might never see use as a weapon, but it can be one. ]

It would be in our best interests to be prepared.

Video

[actuaryonline]

[Well this is an interesting development.]

Do we know if they know about us? Probably worth finding out more, especially if we're planning on going over to meet them.

Video

[gridfather]

[ It's the third time this question has come up, and Flynn isn't exasperated, just patient and thoughtful, as if it's the first time he's heard it. ]

We don't, unfortunately. Judging by the Savrii's own history... we can assume they're none the wiser.

[ then, pleased, ]

Up for some reading, Ram?

[nishizono]

how do you know if your scanning thing's accurate?

[magneticfields]

I could go through all of the technical explanations, but it would take some time. Flynn, Wanda, and I have extensive experience with this sort of array and what it does. It's working properly.

text;

[ventifact]

so for months there's been some kind of secret project going on behind all our backs and now you just what
want us to take your word on this?

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[magneticfields]

I have a lot of projects. I wasn't aware I had to submit them for approval. We didn't say anything before because it was not working and there was nothing to say.

I'm curious as to why you believe we would lie about this.