methods and tools

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

The gate opens in an small space. Through a doorway ahead is a mid-sized room, scattered with chairs. One wall, directly across from the doorway to the incoming gates area, is made of some clear material. On the other side of it is another room, with a metallic floor raised slightly above the first one's, with a half-dozen complex diagrams and space for many more.

The way into there appears to be through a decontamination room to the left. There is a door on the right into the rest of the base. Embedded in the wall to the left is the door to the outgoing gate area.

Both rooms are windowless and otherwise minimally decorated.

(Observant guests may note that the gravity is about a third of what they are used to.)

Comments

Re: Warding

[scatteredstars]

Tyche, about to demonstrate the basic functionality of the nanofabricator and how to access the manual, frowns.

"I might be able to cobble something together given the alphabet, but I can't guarantee the computer would accept it, especially with as little knowledge as I have of its internal architecture." Ze considers for a moment, and then tasks a bot to pick up a relevantly specialized fabber from storage and bring it to the interdimensional waiting room. "I could probably connect to it over the forum and then design something that will work, though, if that works for you?"

Re: Warding

[ambrovimvor]

"Hmm..sure. Just tell me what you need from me to do that, and I will. No need to rush on it if you are busy though, it can wait a bit."

Re: Warding

[scatteredstars]

"Just your permission and likely Mother Starlight's cooperation, unless you can tell me anything about local computing protocols. A bot will meet you back in the waiting room with the fabber I will need to produce the keyboard."

Then ze proceeds to briefly explain the medical nanofabricator and shoo them out so that ze can ward zir next person. (The platform has, sometime in the meantime, moved)

Re: Warding

[ambrovimvor]

"We can't help you there, sorry."

They shoo into the waiting room, collect the gear, and get a gate home.

Re: Incoming Gate

[scatteredstars]

Amadi looks mildly concerned at the startlement, but decides to politely ignore it when she seems to recover quickly. "Other worlds are that," he agrees, smiling back a little. "What would you prefer to be addressed as?"

Re: Warding

[botanical_engineer]

[placeholder]

Re: Warding

[scatteredstars]

"I explained most of the complications -- loss of continuity and the need for resleeving, though I may be missing something courtesy of it being a fact of life here." She taps her fingers against her leg thoughtfully (and winces when she bumps the cut). "There are some disorders that can be caused by death-related trauma or damaged backups, but the latter is unlikely." She considers the other question for a few moments. "We are fairly willing to back people up, but arranging frequent backups could be logistically complex -- it might be easier long term for you to have a cortical stack, unless that is likely to be destroyed if you are killed -- and resleeving, should it be necessary, tends to be moderately expensive. Do you have any resources that would be useful against the exsurgent virus or other existential risks?"

Re: Warding

[thisvorlunatic]

The names Leaf, Cordelia, and Kobold flash on the screen. Miles indicates to the kobold that it's their turn, and proceeds through the decontamination room first.

Re: Warding

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold follows, making sure Cordelia is right behind her.

Re: Warding

[greatcomposure]

Cordelia is indeed right behind her.

Re: Warding

[scatteredstars]

Tyche meets them and indicates the relevant circles. (Lurker gets the more central circle, between Leaf and Cordelia). And then warding occurs.

Re: Warding

[on_my_word]

The last two names on the board flash: Aral and Dotted Lines.

To the decontamination room they go.

Re: Warding

[dotted_lines]

Steve follows Aral to the indicated room.

Re: Warding

[scatteredstars]

They are directed to the remaining two circles (the third is being mysteriously cleaned up). The proxy wards Aral (the last few rounds have progressed to using the warders own blood in cases where that is applicable).

Tyche nods to Dotted Lines.

Re: Warding

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

And Thorn gives him a tiny smile from where she is standing also by the circle. (She has slightly reconfigured her clothing since it was last mentioned to be more comfortable, and there is new tight black necklace around her neck).

She provides the blood for his warding, and absently presses her fingers against the cut, waiting for it to stop bleeding.

"Well, that should be everyone," she says conversationally, "unless there were any more surprise arrivals?" (this is directed slightly more to Tyche). "What conclusions did you come to about libraries?" she asks Dotted Lines. "I lost track of that a little after I sent the article about librarians."

Thorn and Dotted Lines

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

Thorn is on break, replenishing some of her lost blood.

Shortly after she arrives, however, she stands back up and heads out the mysterious door, carrying her protein drink.

Re: Warding

[dotted_lines]

He smiles back and starts walking toward the decontamination room.

"Apparently most places just have people trying to fulfill the roles of librarians without any of their powers. And then we got distracted from libraries by the fact that Unity is a horrifying dystopia. When I get back to Nexus, I'm gonna try and see when the next raids on their Householdings are planned for and warn them."

Re: Warding

[on_my_word]

Aral goes through the decontamination room ahead of them, rather than hang around eavesdropping on their conversation.

P L O T

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

Eventually it is time for the last few people to leave through the outgoing gate area.

Re: P L O T

[greatcomposure]

Cordelia casts the final gate to Nexus.

Re: P L O T

[thisvorlunatic]

Miles is the first one through it, carrying a sleepy kobold.

Re: P L O T

[on_my_word]

Aral follows, some distance behind.

Re: P L O T

[dotted_lines]

Steve follows Aral, still talking to Thorn.

Re: P L O T

[onwhatwingswedareaspire]

Thorn is talking back as they step in the gate area, and

there is a boom

a whoosh

a trail of distorted words

some unpleasant sounding wet noises

and then silence.

Re: P L O T

[greatcomposure]

At the first unexpected noise, Cordelia closes the gate.