// video

[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

[nishizono]

[ color him intrigued. holy shit. ]

audio engineering, including hardware. radio waves and frequencies are my thing.

[ it's not too far from the truth - he has kimihiko's memories and knowledge, on top of his own and kazuhiko's. between the three of them, it's a veritable phd. ]

it's not everyday that people build shit from scratch, even on this ship. it bears taking note of, is all. most people modify what's already there, which is a damn risk because you never know what kinda crap's hiding in the programming when you use it.

i've seen people used for scanning systems. it's why i asked.

[magneticfields]

[ If Erik knew, he'd be preening. But hey it is pretty cool.]

Flynn took care of the programming, the Earth I left was in 1983 and that sort of thing was still fairly niche. I've been doing quite a bit of construction in the Chemistry wing, but I don't believe anybody else here is able to work with metal the way I can. You're welcome to come to the workshop if you'd like to see a demonstration.

I could use a good audio engineer, actually. Do you have much experience in entertainment?

And as for the people involved, it was simply the three of us providing the necessary manpower.

[ Wanda hasn't been advertising her abilities, and he's not about to reveal that for her. The language is perhaps misleading, but she was working with them of her own free will, which seems to be the issue the young man is concerned with. ]

[nishizono]

no, i mean people. as the systems. you've heard of telepaths, right? i'm sure we have a couple or so on board.

[ including him, but his is touch-based and isn't as intrusive as others. his genetic predecessors though - some of them had expanded on the skillset. all the more reason for tetora to stay in hiding, back then. ]

and i can play the guitar, but i wouldn't advise letting me do that. but if you just need a radio or a sound system set up, i can do that easy. i'll need help with the materials but if you can rig me up with what i need, i've got you covered.

wait, 1983? that's like, cold war era, right?

[magneticfields]

[ Gliding past that whole clarification. ]

The sound system is what I could use some help with. And yes, I suppose. The Cold War began not long after the war ended, close to forty years ago. Why?

[ The way he asks makes it sound like it actually ends at some point. What a strange thought. ]

[nishizono]

[ curiouser and curiouser. most people won't let that by. ]

i'd suggest cables. wireless is convenient, but sound quality's not the same.

people make a ton of movies about the cold war. did you know the kgb "closes" in 1989? or thereabouts, as much as anything russian closes, anyway.

my dad was born during that time. functionally my "dad", anyway. genetic material's hard to deny, much as i'd like to.

how'd you guys come to the conclusion they're humanoid, anyway? what if it's some kind of trap?

audio;

[gerechtigkeit]

[He knows. There's an exhale, but he's in agreement with her.]

There will be, you're right. I suppose my main interest is in contact, and what will happen from there.

[It could be beneficial, or it could blow up in their faces. Lord knows they've had that happen so many times already.]

[notyourrookie]

After everything that happened on Thisavrou, I think people would be stupid to go in unarmed and to leave it possible for them to attack.

[actuaryonline]

[History he's catching up on, thanks to that book Diana told him about. But he's still got a ways to go.]

A fair assumption. Then do you think it's worth contacting them remotely before we send anyone in person?

[On screen, a smile spreads across the actuary's face.]

Sure am.

video;

[monomachy]

[that's it, that's her superpower. she smiles back, nothing but excitement and a little bit of hope--maybe these other people have an idea of how they can all go home. and if not, at the very least they can pool their resources.]

Then we must work to make them less so.

video;

[monomachy]

[though diana wants to press, she refrains. this news is too important to sate her curiosity--yet.]

Do you know anything else, besides the fact that they are there?

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?

video;

[shadowblends]

All I can do is hope it stays that way, unless people collectively decide we should approach them.

[His shoulders stiffen, though it's the only sign of unease he lets slip.] Things went awry [to put it mildly] and we lost our homes.

video;

[shadowblends]

Unfortunate, [Kurt states simply. He can tell Wanda is frustrated, but doesn't see a reason to address it.]

It's a fifty-fifty chance. [A beat.] Which do you think we should hope for?

[Video]

[magneticfields]

We should be prepared for the possibility that they may be hostile. But we can be prepared for that without appearing hostile ourselves. We could send a team of our less-destructible friends. They'd need fewer weapons.

[gridfather]

[ Flynn realizes his mistake in the silence between Lavellan's breath, and the flicker of trepidation in his voice. ]

Actually, [ he begins, kindly, ]

This might take a little while. Why don't you come by my quarters in a hour? We can compare notes a bit more easily in person.

[ex_bossily211]

[She's already on the move!]

Have you taken the time to eat recently? Cause I can bring some food along with me.

text;

[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.

[Video]

[alformthearm]

That's always a possibility. [He nods.] Given all the unknowns, best we treat this as a reconnaissance mission and observe what we can before we engage, if we can manage that.

But you're right. We don't want to set them off either. If we're sharing the space of this station, better to find friends than enemies.

when suddenly action

[lavelly]

Certainly.

[He isn't sure that this conversation would go any more smoothly in person, but the idea does put him more at ease; he doesn't think he'll ever become comfortable of the inherent detachment that comes with using the comms.

So he very much appreciates the suggestion.

And, as promised, he's there at Flynn's door in an hour, trying to come off as relaxed as possible and probably failing.]

I hope you're ready to take notes.

video;

[seeingscarlet]

It's hard to see much from here. I wish I did, but...

It is a little like looking at a painting from far away. You would miss the details, yes?

video;

[seeingscarlet]

I hope they were brought here like us. If they are Savrii, and they find out who we are...

[Well, he can probably imagine how terribly that would go.]

text;

[ventifact]

it isn't about approval
it's about cooperation
the possibility that we could have found this out sooner
before things started to go to shit

people lie about a lot of things for a lot of reasons
i trust wanda
but i don't know you

video;

[monomachy]

That makes sense. I wish we had more information, but knowing they are there and alive has to be enough.

video; dying isn't fun!!

[alan_1]

[He heard that “we,” Flynn.]

Whoever goes will have to deal with a long walk through a crumbling space station and possibly homicidal neighbors. It’s not exactly a leisurely hike.

[There's a brief, terse pause. Then, Alan sighs and audio switches to video. His expression is deadly serious.]

Tell me you aren’t going.

[magneticfields]

An organization with the scope and resources of the KGB never really goes away. Not without a total purge, which generally causes more problems than it solves.

It's just what the data indicates. We won't know for sure until we get close enough for more in-depth readings. There's quite a bit of interference from the storms.