>>25053348
"What kind of question is that? Of course I'm coming."
Also let's practise bending all the wavelengths while going.
Start small, a degree or so.
Because everything is much more useful than simply visible

>>25053348

"Yes, I'm coming along, I would offer to lessen the load on your leg but I'm very tired myself."

message to Alex: <Oh my way, Manus is too.>

>>25053348
"I'm coming."

>>25053348
"indeed it is. I'll come with, we did rescue them after all."

While on the way, "Hey, is there any salvage from the Demiurg ships I could grab?"

>>25053348
Help Manus along with TK.

"Yes, I'm coming along." You say. "We did rescue them after all."
He started limping, and you followed.
"I'd offer to lessen the load on your leg, but I'm very tired myself."

"Well, this isn't the first time I've needed to use a crutch before." He said, and swung his cane as he walked.
<Oh, by the way, I'm coming, and Manus is too.> You message Alex.
<Yeah, I know. I told him too.>
"Hey, is there any salvage from the demiurg ships I could grab?"
"No, I don't think so." Manus said. "The UPA military keeps all that sort of stuff.

You made your way to Surya's hangar, and there was Devourer, sitting in the corner- And then Alex's parents. His mom had bright blonde hair, was unnecessarily muscular, and his father was bald and weedy.
"Hello." His father- Scott, you think he was called- said. "Alex has told us in... general terms what's been going on."
His wife sighed, and took a seat on the floor.
"I'm guessing you three have questions."

>>25053569
Bride carry

>>25053578
"I dunno, if I woke up after being killed I'd probably start asking questions."

>>25053578

"If it isn't to much trouble, I can sort of guess at why, but how did you end up taking Alex from ArmaTek?"

the near accident on the way to the theater is also high on my list of questions

>>25053578
"not really, I've kind of extrapolated the how the why and the wherefor, just came to see if you were alright."

>>25053578
"We'll start with the easiest. How are you feeling?"

>>25053645

>this was me

we should ask them how they're feeling first.

>>25053578
"How are you feeling?"
"Is there an afterlife?"
We did promise to find out for Omni. Lambda got away with the excuse that he didn't really die but these two definitely did.

>>25053578
"Eh. Just give me the rundown."

"I dunno. If I woke up after being killed, I'd probably start asking questions."
"How did we die-" Alex's mom - Marle, you remembered- said.
"-And how we came back," Scott responded. "Both of which that ... fellow answered for us." He said, with a nod to Devourer. "ArmaTek figured out where we were, it seems."
"Well, we'll start with the easiest. How are you feeling?"
"I have a headache. Migraine," Marle said. "And my lungs aren't the best right now. My limbs are sore."
"Yep," Scott responded. "Pretty much."
"If it isn't too much trouble, I can sort of guess at why, but how did you end up taking Alex from ArmaTek?"
"When they started treating him like a thing instead of a person," Scott said. "I'd never been in a gunfight before that day, but I've gotten good at it, since."
"Except the time you got shot, dear. In the head. And died."
"... Except that time, yes."
"Essentially," Marle said. "Us two were the only colleagues that saw... through pariah to Alex. We knew how Davidson would react when he found out about him, so we didn't have much time to get him out of there."

Alex got to his feet, and pulled his mother into a tight hug. She giggled, and ruffled his hair.

"And is there an afterlife?"
"If there is," Scott said. "It's a lot like having your head slammed in a car door."

>>25053726
"Ouch. Can I get you anything to drink or eat?"

>>25053726

"the night we were going to the theater I stopped the car before it crashed, did... you do something to make me forget?"

>we are going to dish out some hugging after this.

>>25053726
"That's...good to hear. It can be challenging, at times, when he does his thing."

>>25053726
"Speaking of that, can you tell me about the car crash? I don't really remember much."

>>25053726
"sounds like it sucked..."

wander over the the devourer
"you alright man? or did Helios (pet nearest ship component) give you enough energy for the job?"

>>25053726
"Good job, Devi."

>>25053797
I'm thinking it's more challenging for us because we're his antithesis. Other people have trouble but it doesn't look like they have to roll will saves to not murder him.

"Speaking of that, can you tell me about the car crash? I don't really remember much."
"... That was complicated," Scott said. "We'd heard Armatek were working on developing more... psions, and then a few days later, there was that storm and that crash. Obviously telekinetic, and we got... Unnerved. I'm sorry, Heather, I wasn't thinking. I'd assumed that you were changed, or something..."
"Basically, the crash spooked us," He added.
"... Did ... you do something to make me forget?" You ask.
"What? Of course not!" Marle said. "You were just a kid, back then... We wouldn't have done anything to you."

You turn to Devourer. "Good job, Devi. You alright?"
"Tired. For the first real time." He said. "It's slightly difficult to sustain myself. Must use effort."

>>25053862

>best friend turns out to be our natural enemy
>suffering

>>25053882
"If you need any energy, feel free to plug into Surya."

>>25053882
"You want something to eat? Or are you just going to hug Helios some more?"

>>25053882
"Ah, alright. I just couldn't remember and I thought you might have done some light hypnosis or something."

"Speaking of, we've managed to rescue the other kids you were talking about though."

>>25053882

Devourer: "have a good rest, maybe some food?" - not people of course.

Parents: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound accusing. Would you like to eat something or maybe rest?"

>>25053882
need some food? a nap? a few hours to meditate?

>>25053882
"Get some rest, you deserve it. Or energy. Whichever you want."
"Well, yeah. Prometheus' proximity caused my psionic powers to grow in power due to... well, Pariahity. It was a self-defence mechanism of sorts. Likely why Ellie's so good at slipperying out of psionics."

"If you need any energy, feel free to plug into Surya. You want something to eat?"
"Energy is not what I am missing." It said. "Rest is what I need. Unconsciousness."
"Yeah, get some rest. You deserve it."
"Very well." It said- and dwindled, until it was a small, brown creature. It had fur... and was almost shaped like a furry frog. It hopped up onto your shoulder, and closed his eyes, curling up.

You turn to Marle. "Alright. I just couldn't remember, and I thought you might've done some light hypnosis or something. I didn't mean to sound accusing."
"It's alright." She said, and gave you a smile.
"Speaking of, we've managed to rescue the other kids you were talking about."
"Did you?!" She asked, eyes wide. "That's splendid!"
She pulled you into the hug with Alex.
Behind all of you, Manus took a seat, simply waiting.

>>25053994

"This is Manus, one of our badass scientists here at the (temporarily moved) Institute."

"Don't worry, everyone is well taken care of, Max helped make sure of that."

>>25053994
"So, uh, does ArmaTek have a main base somewhere that we can blow up?"

>>25053994
lambda was a bit of a trick, but Damien got him out. now I think the good doctor has some questions for you...and I've been up all day and night being shot at, caught in explosions and flipping the bird at Armatek so I'm gonna go catch some sleep..."

>>25053994
"You'll probably meet them if you're sticking around here for the next couple of weeks."

>>25054043
What time is it even?

>>25053994
"Unless there's something I'm forgetting, that's basically all of my questions answered."

>>25053994
"Armatek still isn't going down quietly. We're confined to the station now because every time we go out we're attacked. You'll probably have to stay as well."

>>25054077
Manus said it was dinner time.

>>25054077

time to fall down unconscious, soon.

I'm waiting for that small lull in activity that'll ship us off to lala land. Then we'll wake up to full scale war going on around us.

"So, uh, does ArmaTek have a main base somewhere that we can blow up?"
"I'm afraid there isn't, or we'd put quite a lot of explosives in there." Marle said.
"That'd be too easy." Alex added.

"Unless there's something I'm forgetting, that's basically all of my questions answered," You say. "This is Manus, one of our badass scientists here at the temporarily moved institute."
"I think I've heard of you..." Scott said. "With the military?"
"That was a lifetime ago." Manus said. "Back before my PHD. But I'm pretty much here to offer you two jobs."
"What kind of jobs?" Marle asked.
"Research. Of the psionic variety. We don't have enough people that know enough about this sort of thing, and you two might as well be experts."
"... I don't know..." Scott said.

>>25054188
"It really isn't a bad deal, when you think about it. You get to be around your son, help out potentially a lot of people, and you'll be safe as well."

Rolled 54

>>25054188
"awww come on, pleeease?"

maximum pout

>>25054188
you should see what they pay me to train what I'd probably be doing my self once I learned to us my powers

>>25054188
"Trust me, not the ArmaTek kind."
Use the military grade pout

>>25054188
"There's no ethical concerns if you work here. We get payed and we're not made to do our powers unless we want to. The only time we get hurt from it is if we brain damage ourselves."

>>25054210
"...well, relatively safe, we were attacked by the demiurge yesterday, but the doc, Anna, the Marines and I all sent them packing..."

>>25054188
"You were interested in it before, and this time it's humane! You'll probably have to stay on the station for protection until Armatek is dealt with anyway."

>>25054188

"The institute does things very differently from ArmaTek, we get free run around, they provide schooling, we receive wages just for *being* here."

"ArmaTek might think you're dead and we won't try to stop you from leaving, but i believe you two could do a lot of good here."

"It really isn't a bad deal. It's not the ArmaTek kind, and there's no ethical concerns if you work here. We get paid, and we're not made to do our powers unless we want to. The only time we get hurt from it is if we brain damage ourselves."
"Which might actually be impossible for some of us," Alex added.
"And they provide schooling," You add. "You were interested in it before, and this time it's humane!"
"Alright!" Marle said, and gave you and Manus a thumbs up.
Scott shrugged. "What she said."
"Alright." Manus said. "I'll go introduce you to Max. But first, do you two need anything? Food, something to drink?"
"I think we're fine." Scott said.
"Devy-kun healed us up with food in our stomachs." Marle said.
"... Devy-kun?" Alex asked.
"Yep!" She said, and giggled.
"Alright. I'll take you guys to Max. He's essentially everyone's boss, but that's because he's the alpha dog.

>>25054357
"Wolf, you mean."

>>25054357
"Yep! Do you want me to come with? I'm a bit tired after the light beams, so I might get some sleep."

>>25054357
"Cool. Cool cool cool. You can have dinner with us as well."

>>25054357
"is there any class tomorrow manus?"
(don't wait for a reply)
"no? wonderful I'm gonna go pass out now, the adrenaline fairy is presenting her bill and I feel like sleeping till tomorrow evening..."

>>25054357
"More importantly, you have to meet Alex's new girlfriend!"

>>25054422
It's Sunday tomorrow, isn't it? Of course there's no class.

>>25054427
Oh shit, this, haha.

>>25054357

"Wolf actually, it would be best if you refer to him as such."

"sadly, I haven't slept for nearly twenty two hours so I'll need to sleep... soonish"

hope we don't don't hurt our self on our way to meet the floor.

>>25054437
"we've been attacked, shot at, I've been in a nuclear explosion, and been in visual range of 2 bubble drives colliding at full speed forgive me if I forget some of the details...."

"He's a wolf, actually." You say. "Do you want me to come with?"
"No, that's alright." Manus said.
"More importantly, you have to meet Alex's new girlfriend!"
Marle's eyebrows rose, and a light entered her eyes.
Alex bolted.
"Is there class tomorrow, Manus?" You ask. "No? Wonderful, I'm gonna go pass out now. The adrenaline fairy is presenting her bill, and I feel like sleeping 'til tomorrow evening..."

And then light dimmed, and you closed your eyes, curling up.

When you wake up, you were in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room, and Summer was there, snoring on top of you, loudly. Einstein chirped, signalling a new tip of the day;
>http://pastebin.com/CaAF0yS8
And you were completely, utterly starving, you realized.

>>25054682
"Mmmm. New room, same fluffy."

Gently TK-lift the fuzzball off, slide out, and lower her back down.

>>25054682
lift the fluffy and put it back down on the bed again dress quickly then follow our nose or the helpful directions any marines we can stop and ask to the mess hall...

>>25054682
"Different station, same crushing tiger."

Let's go hit the cafeteria. Shoot off a message to Isaac and ask what time they're doing it.

>>25054682
"Are tigers edible?"

NOPE GETTING FOOD

>>25054682
"Hunger. Fluffy? Not edible. Minion? Not edible. Nutrients."

>>25054682
Write Alex back, CC Jilly, and ask him if he's that ashamed of his girlfriend that he doesn't want her to meet his parents.

And cross our fingers that we haven't missed that introduction. Because it'll be fun.

Respond to Alex's message: <If she does, I'll just tell them again.>

>>25054682
Where is Devy-kun

>>25054682

holding an atmosphere around us could be useful and we can spend some time with Isaac and Lin

message to Alex <It better be a joke mister! sorry if i overstepped my bounds, I'm pouting at you right now, feel guilty~! need to get food I'm starving.>

>>25054846
Nah, we don't feel even slightly guilty, though he should for not telling them yet.

>>25054805
>And cross our fingers that we haven't missed that introduction. Because it'll be fun.

Indeed, I'd like to see this.

>>25054859
I think it means
>I'm pouting at you right now, so you should feel guilty

>>25054869
being present would be fun but we can also retrocog it

>>25054891
I meant the "sorry if I overstepped my bounds" bit.

>>25054906
Yeah, if we've missed it we can, but I'd rather not miss it.

"Hunger." You say, and Eye the purring, snoring summer. "Fluffy? Not edible." You turn to Einstein. "Minion? Not edible."

With TK, you lift Summer and slide out from under her. "Nutrients."
You get to your feet- and see a small brown sphere lying on the ground, pulsing and quaking. Devourer.
So you pocket him. Might as well.
Then you make your way out the room, making for the mess hall.
<It better be a joke, mister!> You say. <I'm pouting at you, so you should feel guilty! If she does, I'll just tell them again!>
<Yeah, it was a joke. Lucky thing Jilly's still asleep, else they'd be meeting right now.> Alex responded.
Inside the mess hall, there was nobody but Sigma and Lin, each eating at their own tables. You grabbed some waffles for yourself, and looked from table to table...

And then a tendril shot up from your pocket, stealing your waffles and starting to eat them. Which was strange, since the sphere didn't have a mouth.
So you get a second plate, and Devourer didn't eat this one.

>>25054963
><Yeah, it was a joke. Lucky thing Jilly's still asleep, else they'd be meeting right now.> Alex responded.

Oh good, we haven't missed it.

>>25054963
>And then a tendril shot up from your pocket, stealing your waffles and starting to eat them.

Pour some syrup on Devourer's waffles if we haven't already. And snag some bacon for him too.

>>25054963
<Pocket sized Devy-kun! Feeling less tired?>

>>25054963

choices choices...

can't we ask them to come to sit at the same table as us?

>>25054963
"Kids these days, no tablemanners to speak of."

>>25054963
if anyone asks about the tentacle we merely smile and say "nope, I'm just that happy to see you."

>>25055009

>to come sit at

>>25055009
We're pretty good at manifesting things these days. How about we manifest the two tables into one table, then slowly shrink that table together, so they end up sitting at the same table?

>>25054963
"Sigma! Lin! How's life?"

<Pocket sized Devy-kun! Feeling less tired?>
<Marginally.> Devourer responded.
You poured some syrup into your pocket, and heard slurping come from it, and sat down next to Lin, waving Sigma over.
"Sigma! Lin! How's life?"
"It goes on." Lin said, and chuckled. "This place is pretty awesome. After the scare yesterday, at least."
"I've never been able to fight in a spacecraft before." Sigma said. "I kind of want to try making my own, now. Oh! And apparently I'm supposed to ask Omni to make something for me and Anna. You know where he is?"

>>25055111
"Yeah, the artificial gravity here is a lot cooler."

"I'm not sure! One second and I'll find out!"
Tech ping, reply location.

"Hey, if you want any help building one, I'd be more than happy. Plus, I can integrate a bunch of stuff that I didn't get chance to build into Surya!"

>>25055111

we probably know because we never had trouble locating people, right?

>>25055111
"Not sure; one moment. Out of curiosity, what are you supposed to have him make?"

Technopathically find Omni, and ask him where he's at.

>>25055160

could be something Damien saw, like with Anna's pendulum.

>>25055111
"I tend to know where people are even if I don't know where they are."
"Lin, when are we going into space?"

>>25055111
Let's try something: can we try to telepathically give Devourer some mental energy, of the type regenerated by sleeping? See if it gives him the mental equivalent of a cup of coffee.

If that doesn't work, just for the heck of it try whipping up an espresso and pouring it in Devourer's pocket. Should be fun.

>>25055230
That'd be hot, let the poor guy sleep.

>>25055230

sleep is what he needs right now, not caffeine.

>>25055251
Not *hot* espresso; cool it off to drinkable temperatore.

>>25055275
He got the same full night's sleep that we did, and he might enjoy the pick-me-up. But yeah, that's why I suggested the mental energy boost first.

"He's in the Wyvern's hangar." You say. "Out of curiosity, what are you supposed to have him make?"
"A port cap thingy for Anna's spine." Sigma said. "Something with a computer, so that I can control the computer, plug it into Anna, and see if she can jack into my mind or whatever."
"Interesting." Lin said.
"And Lin, when are we going into space?"
"After breakfast, I'm thinking." He said. "I'm not very good at it, though, so I'd have Isaac teaching me too. We pretty much need to wait for him."

>>25055299
"Hmm. Alright. We can all head down to Wyvern's hangar and have a cool hangout there for a couple of hours."

>>25055299
"Isaac? ...Teaching?"

Seconding telepathic boost for Devourer; it's worth a try just to see if we can do it.

>>25055318
Were about to attemp space walking, is rather save our energy for something that matters.

>>25055299
"That's a pretty interesting experiment, Sigma. Gotta be careful, though. Were you going to change your name or stick with the Sigma?"

>>25055299

Lin: "You're farther ahead than me with it."

Sigma: "from what I've seen, Anna plays a mean game of chess." don't elaborate further.

voting against Devourer boost because we're going to need all our energy, in case the atmosphere bubble doesn't work the way we intend.

>>25055367
Helping our friends doesn't matter? He's worn out because he just brought two people back from the dead.

Besides, it's a useful power to have, for us and others; it's the first step towards pooling psionic reserves to do something stronger.

>>25055299
"Makes sense. Wow, I'm so hungry."
Get more waffles!

>>25055380
I think she already decided to just stick with Sigma.

>>25055393
>voting against Devourer boost because we're going to need all our energy, in case the atmosphere bubble doesn't work the way we intend.

Having Robin and Sarvesh on hand would be more helpful there.

>>25055398
So let him sleep like he requested.

>>25055299
I'd like to see if we can transfer mental energy as well. We've never tried that before. We don't have to transfer a lot, just a little.

>>25055408
me too, and we're wearing a vac-suit just in case, or our armor...

"Isaac? Teaching?"
"He already taught me a lot." Lin said. "The guy knows his shit."
"And that's a pretty interesting experiment, Sigma. Gotta be careful, though. Were you planning to change your name, or stick with Sigma?"
"I didn't put much thought into it..." She said, and tapped her chin. "Well, my boyfriend thinks my name is Sara, so I might as well go with that one."
"Makes sense." You say, and consume more waffle. "Wow, I'm so hungry."
"You skipped dinner last night." Ellie said, skidding into the room. She was wearing a set of boots you hadn't seen her wearing before- they had omnidirectional wheels in the bottom. She skidded to a stop. "Hey, you guys!"
"Hey." Lin said, and gave her a grin. She flicked him on the ear and went to the kitchen, coming out with cereal.

>>25055393
Guess what?

You can wear something if you do the atmosphere bubble. That's right. You can wear a spacesuit.

>>25055431

armor preferably, maybe leave the grenades with Omni.

>>25055447
"Hey! You got the boots done as well! I'd designed them into the suit but completely forgot. Used the grappling hook yet?"

>>25055447
Since we just heard it said aloud: "Sara? That's a nice name. With an h, or without?"

Then manifest her a "Hello, my name is" sticker for laughs.

>>25055421
By that argument, we don't have to do it with Devourer; we could try it with anyone.

>>25055447

"boots working alright? encountered any difficulties?"
<you two look, friendly~>

>for a second there I read Ellie as Robin...

>>25055514
><you two look, friendly~>
Seconded.

>>25055447
"Hey Ellie, since the station rotates, have you ever tried letting the station do the skating for you? Head to one of the full-circle corridors, and use the suit to get yourself moving as fast as the station is turning. You'll know you're going fast enough when you start feeling lighter."

>>25055447
"Hey Lin, what's your impression of Jabberwocky? He seem odd to you?"

>>25055541
>"Hey Ellie, since the station rotates, have you ever tried letting the station do the skating for you? Head to one of the full-circle corridors, and use the suit to get yourself moving as fast as the station is turning. You'll know you're going fast enough when you start feeling lighter."

Wheeeeee! This sounds fun.

>>25055494
Sara: Sar-ah
Sarah: Sair-ah

File: 1369599510859.png-(110 KB, 485x333, 830px-Ball-Roller_A-T.png)

110 KB PNG

>>25055447
>he was wearing a set of boots you hadn't seen her wearing before- they had omnidirectional wheels in the bottom.

>>25055601
Might be a regional dialect issue, but I know people named both "Sarah" and "Sara", and they both pronounce it exactly the same way. You'd never know without asking or seeing it written.

>>25055619

Yeah, everyone uses the second pronunciation in my neck of the woods.

>>25055580
>>25055541
>This backup station doesn't rotate. It uses artificial gravity, which is why it was deemed too expensive to use as the actual station.

"Hey! You got the boots done as well! I'd designed them into the suit, but completely forgot."
"I figured out how to take the boots out." She said. "These are really cool!"
"Use the grappling hook yet?"
"On what?" She asked. "The station is all closed up."


You turn to Sigma.
"Sara? That's a nice name. With an h, or without?"
"Without, I guess." She said. "Why?"
With some willpower, you stuck a 'Hello, my name is Sara' sticker to her shirt. She looked down at it, and giggled. Ellie joined in.
"Hey, Lin, what's your impression of Jabberwocky? He seem odd to you?"
"Dude's crazy." Lin said. "Wanted me to be an assassin."
"Jabberwocky? That masked guy?" Ellie asked. "He was really, really familiar. But I don't know from where."

<You two look friendly~!>
<We aaare~> Ellie continued. <He's not rich, though, but he will be, since he's here. Also, apparently, one of the doctors want to hire me the same way, and stuff. To use me as a test subject for non-psion things.>

>>25055619
Well, Sigma was grown in a space lab so who knows what accent she has. Could be a stupid question, could be valid.

>>25055614
How, exactly, do you generate force, unless you've got some external means of propulsion? With bidirectional wheels, you can push with a wheel perpendicular to the direction it rolls.

>>25055601
>>25055634
I'm having trouble hearing the two pronunciations you mean. Mind Vocarooing a sample? Phonetically, the only pronunciation I've ever heard is "sAIR-ruh".

>>25055644
<You should.>

>>25055644
<Now Ellie, there's more to life than money... although I guess since I'm a millionaire that probably sounds a bit hollow coming from me.>

>>25055655
>How, exactly, do you generate force, unless you've got some external means of propulsion? With bidirectional wheels, you can push with a wheel perpendicular to the direction it rolls.
sci fi micro motors and nanotech

>>25055655

That's the one I was referring to. Everyone around me just uses that for both spellings.

>>25055644
<Good for you! You don't have to worry about school anymore. You could probably get Delta to custom build you your own ship as well. But Alex would never be able to get on it, so maybe not.>

>>25055644
>>This backup station doesn't rotate. It uses artificial gravity, which is why it was deemed too expensive to use as the actual station.

Awww. But we should mention it to try when we get back to the primary station.

>He's not rich, though, but he will be, since he's here.
<Please tell me you don't care about that kind of thing, Ellie. Priorities!>

>Also, apparently, one of the doctors want to hire me the same way, and stuff. To use me as a test subject for non-psion things.
<I still say they ought to have a second non-psion to compare you against.>

>>25055655
Not that guy, and I've never heard anything other than sair-uh, but I imagine the sar part of sar-ah rhymes with the word "are".

>>25055644
"Yeah, the guy seems pretty creepy. Maybe stay away from him."

>>25055690
Likewise; that's why I'd like to hear what someone means by the first pronunciation, because I can't manage to hear it in my head from reading it.

>>25055712
Huh, that's not one I've ever heard of.

>>25055644

<seems like a win win situation.>

would it be impolite to ask Ellie if Lin is good in bed?

>>25055729
Let's ping for bugs before we talk about the guy. Putting recorders around seems like the kind of thing he'd do.

>>25055644
<What can you tell me about that guy who tried to kill you at *restaurant*, Lin. It may be somewhat important.>

>>25055747
Yes, it would. Would that stop us?

>>25055644
<Let me know if you'd like to try some psionic powers. I'd be happy to imprint you with one.>

>>25055758
We should have done that the moment we came to this unfamiliar station.

>>25055762
Seconded.

>>25055771
We should start with Manus' retrocog first, since that seems to be the safest option for imprinting.

>>25055644

"he's certainly more than first meets the eye." what is he doing at the moment? haven't seen or heard of him since the ArmaTek ships.

>>25055762
let's not talk about that in front of Ellie.

>>25055801
>We should start with Manus' retrocog first, since that seems to be the safest option for imprinting.

Yeah, we did promise that, and we should do it ASAP. Doesn't mean we can't offer to Ellie too.

>>25055803
>let's not talk about that in front of Ellie.

We're talking telepathically, and in any case I don't mind Ellie knowing.

>>25055801
Good call. We should go track down Manus and ask him again, since we were interrupted last time (albeit with something awesome).

Before that, though, we need to find Jilly and Alex before we miss the entertainment.

>>25055831
>Before that, though, we need to find Jilly and Alex before we miss the entertainment.

Perhaps invite them both and Alex's parents to breakfast?

<Now Ellie, there's more to life than money.> You say. <Though since I guess I'm a millionaire, that probably sounds a bit hollow coming from me.>
She giggled.
<It's low on the priority list.> Ellie said. <And it was a joke.>
<Anyway, good for you! You should! You don't have to worry about school anymore.>
<Yeah... But what about my shuttle qualification?> Ellie asked. <I mean, I could skip the rest of those classes and go do the test after this, because of the way that works, but I don't want to mess up.>

You turn to Lin.
<What can you tell me about that guy who tried to kill you at restaurant, Lin.> You ask.
<It's not important.> Lin said.
<It may be somewhat important.> you continue.
<He was nobody important, and not big enough to have the resources to come after us.> Lin said. <And he's definitely not smart enough to find us.>

<Is Lin good in bed?> You asked, and Ellie coughed on her cereal.
<W-well, he's.. shy. We haven't done it yet.> She said.

You cast out, and search for bugs, but there wasn't any- there was the camera, though, and you knew that had an audio recorder.
"He's certainly more than first meets the eye." You say, and consider how you'd find him-
But you aren't sure.

You don't quite know where he is.

>>25055857
Go find Jilly and Alex.

>>25055857
Must be part of his own psionics.

>>25055857
Let's not let paranoia ruin our day.

>>25055857
<I've seen three futures in which Jabberwocky kills you Lin, stick close to someone, and don't be alone around him.>

>>25055857
<Well, if there's anything else you need to learn, you could probably ask me, or better yet, Anna for shuttle lessons, then take the test over the extranet like I did.>

>>25055744
My mic's being shitty at the moment, but yeah. First syllable rhymes with are, car, bar, etc.
From googling it looks like it's just a UK thing.

>>25055857
Do we know where Manus, Alex, Scott, or Marle is?

>>25055857

that's never happened before, possibly his own psionic interference.

"Alex's parents are alive and well, if a little sore, and they agreed on getting a job at the institute!"

"I also blabbed about Alex and Jilly's relationship so that will be fun."

>>25055910
Let's not tell him that, in case he does something stupid like goes to confront him, and causes it to happen.

>>25055921
OK, now that you say UK, I can kinda hear it in a certain British accent. Makes sense, thanks!

>>25055910
Yes, she deserves to know that, and that Damien is keeping an eye on her futures to make sure it doesn't happen.

>>25055923
Have we ever been able to find Alex mentally? I don't think we can. The others should be easy enough, though; let's.

>>25055935
>Yes, she deserves to know that, and that Damien is keeping an eye on her futures to make sure it doesn't happen.
>her
you have the gender wrong unless theta is in the room

>>25055910

we don't know enough about the events, telling him now could turn very bad.

>>25055935
Lins a guy
>>25055925
We tell him not to, and have devourer play bodyguard from his pocket.

>>25055946
I do, yes, sorry. Name mapping fail; this quest contains the only male "Lin" I've ever known.

>>25055963
And risk Devy-kun dying?
He's still recuperating.
Let's not.

>>25055982
I didn't mean now, when he recovers.

>>25055967
it's a Chinese thing

>>25055925
Not our decision to make; he deserves to know.

>>25055979
Why, because she's sort of going out with him?

It's not like Ellie and Lin are married or something.

>>25056027
Pronoun trouble; see
>>25056026
instead.

<Well, if there's anything else you need to learn, you could probably aks me, or better yet, Anna for shuttle lessons.>
<Yeah, probably.> Ellie said. <But I'm trying to get the qualifications for *public* shuttle piloting. You guys have all the licenses for private piloting, but I wanna be able to get a job at any orbital station there is.>
"Alex's parents are alive and well, if a little sore, and they agreed on getting a job at the institute! I also blabbed about Alex's and Jilly's relationship, so that will be fun."
"Hehehe, Alex probably just like, ran away when that happened." Ellie said, and giggled. "He always says I scare him because of how similar I am to his mom."

<I've seen-> You say, when Isaac slammed open the door.
"Sup." He said. "You two ready for me to teach you?"
"Sure." Lin said.

>>25056026
What if he has a good reason for killing Lin and we just saved the Armatek infiltrator/assassin by telling him?
We don't really know anything about this unlikely possible future, and telling people will just create more problems.

>>25056061
Not yet, we don't want to miss the fun when Jilly and Alex's parents meet.

>>25056074
We don't know any more than Lin does, but I don't believe it's right to keep information about him from him. If the situation were reversed, Heather would want to know.

>>25056061
"once we get the hang of it can we scare marines through the windows?"

>>25056061

inhale the last of our food, then get some snacks!

>>25056061
Finish the thought that was interrupted.

>>25056061
"Yep."
I don't think we should mention it to Lin. Mentioning it might trigger the series of events leading up to it, or it might prevent it, but we don't know.

>>25056061
"Sure."

>>25056119
And not mentioning it might, too. Don't start thinking like Damien used to.

>>25056061
"Yeah, let's go."

I think we should keep the Lin thing private for now, until we know more about it. Damien said it wouldn't happen any time soon after all.

>>25056061
"Sure. We can all head down to Wyvern's hangar. That seems to be where most people are."

>>25056102
Damien's keeping an eye out. If it even actually comes close to happening, we can warn him.

>>25056134
We don't know enough to make that call. Damien's got his eye on it, though, so Lin should be safe enough.

>>25056119
>I don't think we should mention it to Lin. Mentioning it might trigger the series of events leading up to it, or it might prevent it, but we don't know.

We have absolutely no idea what leads to those events, and until we do we shouldn't start second-guessing our actions. Tell him.

>>25056102
On the other hand, our conferrence with Damien indicates it's most likely a hilariously low-probability branch, and thus likely functionally irrelevant. A worst-case scenario, as it were.

>>25056061
As much as I want to see Alex's mom's reaction to Jilly, yes, I think we're ready to learn

>>25056151
Remember, inaction is a decision too. We know nothing about the branch where we tell Lin or the branch where we don't. So we have to decide based on other factors, such as whether he deserves to be told about futures involving him.

>>25056155
Yes, I will be second-guessing your opinion of what our actions should be.
Damien's keeping an eye on the situation. No need to exasperate it.

>>25056156
>As much as I want to see Alex's mom's reaction to Jilly, yes, I think we're ready to learn

We can learn just as easily a little later in the day. Let's not miss the thing that'll only happen once. Retrocog isn't as good as being there.

"Sure." You say, and consume the rest of your food, grabbing up whatever shakes and biscuits you could, putting them into your pockets.
"Alright." Isaac said. "You guys won't need suits or anything, since I'll be here. Come on."

He led you and Lin all the way to a strange room, sensors covering the walls. As you walked in, Isaac rapped a hand against a window in the side of the room, and the artificial gravity generators wound down, slowly decreasing your gravity.
"What we'll be doing is practice, first of all." He said. "We'll be lowering the pressure a bit, and your job is to pull all the air around you until you're back to normal pressure. Alright?"
"Alright." Lin said.
"If you're ready..." Isaac said, and rapped a hand against the darkened window again. You heard a hiss, and your ears popped, pressure getting lighter and lighter as you floated.

Then, you reached out, and with your infinite hands, you... pulled...

>Roll telekinetic finesse!

Rolled 19

>>25056239
Fuck you, air molecules..

Rolled 36

>>25056239

I'm given er all she's got captain.

Rolled 45

>>25056239

Rolled 96

>>25056239

Rolled 23

>>25056239
.

>>25056260
>>25056262
>>25056263
As mediocre as ever.

Rolled 48

>>25056263
oh dear

>>25056260
>>25056262
>>25056263

>why can't i hold all this atmosphere?

>>25056239
Suggestion for our second attempt: don't think of it as "hands", that's a crutch. Don't try to pull or grab the air, hands don't normally do that so the crutch won't work. Just *move* the air.

We're meant to be good at TK. Stupid dice.

Carefully, you pull all the air you can as close... but all you did was blow around your hair like wind. Lin curled up, and he had a small sphere of mist around him. Isaac nodded at him, then turned to you.
"It looks like you're missing patches. You need to pull from everything equally. Don't think of it as hands, think of it as... a shrinking bubble around you." He said.
You take a deep breath...
And try one more time.

>Roll once more!

Rolled 20

>>25056355

Rolled 80

>>25056355
One more time!

Rolled 28

>>25056355
It's a TK bubble drive, Heather.

Rolled 61

>>25056355

Rolled 10

>>25056355

time to wear a coat of condensed air

Rolled 85

>>25056355
This is what we get for neglecting to train TK for so long.

Rolled 12

>>25056355
come on!

Rolled 76

>>25056355
Oh god oh god oh god
Dice, don't fail us now...

Rolled 86

>>25056355
We're destined to be shit at it, just like biokinesis.

>>25056370
Well at least somebody rolled well.

oh dice, why must you be so cruel?

>>25056370
That oughtta be good enough.

You vizualize a grand sphere, tightening it around you, and carefully, you pull it closer and closer, until your ears popped again. You took a deep breath, and everything felt right. Your concentration wavered a moment, and there was a loud hiss, reminding you to redouble your focus, pulling everything close.

"Alright." Isaac said. "Now, they're going to take more pressure from the room. You have your bubbles solid?"
"Yep." Lin said.

You nodded, not sure if you could spare the focus to talk, holding the image of the sphere around you.

Isaac rapped a hand against the window again, and there was more hissing...

>Roll!

Rolled 67

>>25056433
Roll for brain damage!

Rolled 33

>>25056433
/tg/ dice

Rolled 38

>>25056433
air!

File: 1369602198543.png-(22 KB, 249x322, 1273465704635.png)

22 KB PNG

Rolled 8

>>25056433

Rolled 42

>>25056433
Rolling to try to manifest more oxygen.

Rolled 47

>>25056433

>panic

Rolled 13

>>25056433
the air is MINE, ALL MINE!!

Rolled 16

>>25056433
It can only get worse from here.

>>25056461
That's cheating!

>>25056456
Your pic is very very relevant to your roll

Rolled 96

>>25056446
>>25056448
>>25056451
fukc

>>25056468
That's lateral thinking!

>>25056468
No such thing in psionics. If it works, it works.

Rolled 62

>>25056433
Yeah, nah.

>>25056503
But constantly manifesting stuff is probably a lot more tiring than holding air with TK.

Carefully, carefully, you held things in place, pouring more and more will into it. The bubble seemed to spin, and now the mist around you, Lin, and Isaac were much more noticable.

"Alright..." He said. "Continue to hold it as long as you can, okay? Close your eyes if you need to."

Lin closed his eyes, as did you, still with pressure around you, and there was suddenly a loud hiss- and the utter cessation of sound.

You opened your eyes again- and in front of you was space itself.
You didn't have a suit.
You didn't have anything. You were naked against the stars, the hundreds of thousands of billions of suns in front of you. It wasn't being projected, or showing you a video feed, and you weren't seeing it smogged up like glass. You felt...
Awed, was the word.

Isaac's bubble shrunk a fraction, and two tendrils of it reached out you you and lin.
"Can you hear me fine?" He asked. "Just... keep focusing for as long as you can. When one of you lose concentration, I'll make sure you'll be fine. Just try not to panic."

>Roll, as well as whatever you'd normally post.

>>25056521
Constantly, yes. But forming a bubble and filling it might be easier than shrinking a bubble and pulling air along with it. Worth a shot; different things work for different people.

Rolled 18

>>25056534
Rolling for level of awe.

Rolled 49

>>25056534
Hold out a hand, and look at the stars between fingers. Soak in the wonder.

Rolled 56

>>25056534
"This is pretty weird, bro. I doubt I could keep up the level of focus needed."

Rolled 17

>>25056534
it's beautiful I wish I'd done this with you before.

Rolled 28

>>25056534
Try to move, very slowly.

Rolled 89

>>25056534

"No matter what, we'll always be just another speck of nothing compared to the vastness of space."

Rolled 49

>>25056534
Ugh god damn all the radiation hitting us can't be good for our health.

>>25056561
>"This is pretty weird, bro. I doubt I could keep up the level of focus needed."

No. Just, no.

Rolled 1

>>25056574
Isaac's got it covered. Couldn't hurt to mention that out loud. "I assume that you're taking care of the deadly cosmic rays right now, to keep this on easy mode for us?"

>>25056534
Take advantage of the unparalleled opportunity to conceptualize space, time, gravity, and psionics, as one grand system that all works together.

Rolled 16

>>25056534
You listen up, universe.
There's an atmosphere bubble around us, whether you like it or not.

File: 1369602733559.png-(176 KB, 1280x720, dice.png)

176 KB PNG

>>25056603

>>25056603
Not in first 6, phew.

>>25056603
...well, there's that. Time for explosive decompression I guess.

>>25056603
Looks like we're being treated for space exposure now. Unless the 6 rolls thing applies.

>>25056534
"How did we get out here?"

>>25056603

aaaand, we're fucked.

>>25056615
I thought it was first 8.

>>25056615
>>25056619
Here's hoping it does.

>>25056628
Nope, but since this is a continuous maintenance thing, it might be unusual.

>>25056574
We need to get our photokinesis to a useful level so we can be solar powered. Gaining energy is a lot better than gaining cancer.

>>25056636
Luckily we have so many bad rolls we probably failed before we even get to the crit fail.

>>25056642
I like this, what is pyonics but using energy to do what we do, and all sun light is, is energy

>>25056642
That sounds fun!

"This is pretty weird, bro." You say. "I wish I could keep up the level of focus needed."
"You seem to be doing it now, fine." He responded. "Lin, here's a little more air. You need enough of an atmosphere to make sure you don't get too radiated."
"Right, sorry." He said, as Isaac's bubble shrank a bit, and Lin's filled out.
"Heather, you're fine. Now, you guys should definitely be careful with this." He said. "Not just go out for joy rides until you're ready, and you'll need a lot bigger bubbles than I do."
He banged his hand against the window again, and the hatch closed shut. The room stayed unpressurized, but you felt significantly safer than you did before. Still, you held it there.
"Now, we pretty much chill here." Isaac said, and still, you held your focus, trying to hang onto it at some level.
"Either of you want to play some Futurecraft?" Lin asked, and held up his personacom.
"That's a perfect idea. Sucks that I'm shit at the game." Isaac said, and readjusted his glasses.

>>25056656
Mmmm, pie-onics.

>>25056663
Walk around, slowly, to make sure we can do that.

>>25056663

"I happen to be an expert myself" just not at winning.

>>25056663
>>25056603
>Take advantage of the unparalleled opportunity to conceptualize space, time, gravity, and psionics, as one grand system that all works together.

Roll aside, that sounds like a plan.

>>25056663
"S'okay, I'm pretty bad at it as well."

>>25056663
About how big is the radius of our bubble?

>>25056707
>You need enough of an atmosphere to make sure you don't get too radiated
A few miles.

Rolled 28

>>25056663
let use knowledge to win futurecraft

>>25056729
welp there goes exabyte's /sci/ cred once again

>>25056749
>implying he ever had one

>>25056729
Obviously not, given the room we're in. So yes, we're getting irradiated unless there's some extra shielding involved or someone is helping with psionics there. Isaac must be blocking radiation when he goes on his sojourns.

But no, I more wondered about the volume of air.

>>25056745
that or our "technopathy" use of psionic assets isn't cheating in my book

>>25056663
You know, I want to try using our nottechnopathy on something nonmechanical. <Hey Max or Doc M, think you can find me something to try nottechnopathy on, needs to be old, with history, or made by hand. The more the better.>

Good to test multitasking while doing this too.

>>25056745
Let's not; it's very intensive and we don't want to lose focus on our bubble.

>>25056749
>>25056764
I wonder if Exa would get more annoyance or laughs if he posted some of this stuff in /sci/ ?

>>25056805
He'd get a pile of quick corrections.

>>25056749
I'm going with we fused a some oxygen into our own little ozone layer without realising it because psionics.

>>25056816
Ozone doesn't block radiation better; rather the reverse, it exists because radiation turns O2 into O3.

>>25056663
Gasp.

"Somebody I can actually beat? Yes!"

>>25056729
>>25056707
conceptual pillars, Issac thinks this works so it does science be damned.

>>25056842
He's still having us maintain pressure and oxygen rather than telling biology to fuck off, so oxygen matters. I'm curious what volume of air we have to work with here.

>>25056729
>I-it's a side-effect of the telekinesis, combined with the way it goes from no atmosphere to all the atmosphere.
>Also, radiation is one of the ways that PsiQ's setting works drastically differently than ours, just as quantum mechanics is different in a way that allows for FTL communication.
>In other words, cheap handwave.

"S'okay." You say. "I'm pretty bad at it, as well."

Some time later, you'd barely scraped out a win, your adoromatons crushing Lin's terracotta army, and Isaac's standard human warrior fare- you think they were called the Imperial Guard or something.
Isaac just sighed, and rolled his eyes. "Told you guys I sucked."
"Well, I'm not bad either." Lin said- he was sweating visibly now, beading on his forehead. "I've won money on this, It's just that... well... it's hard to focus doing a Trick at the same time as playing..."
Suddenly, he let out a breath, and his bubble popped, air bursting into the room again. Isaac chuckled, and banged on the window one more time. The room hissed, and air filled it again. Your bubble was still there, almost, in the back of your mind... You could keep it there, almost subconsciously, now. You let go of it, and it popped easily. You were rather sure you could reform it easily.

>>25056866
Try it again in atmosphere. See if we can produce about 1.3 atmospheres worth of pressure in a bubble.

>>25056824
Ozone blocks different wavelengths to the ones normal oxygen absorbs to create it. It blocks the ones that cause the most damage to us.

>>25056866
hey lin can you demonstrate your wallpass power? I'd like to use knowledge on it to see how it works

>>25056895
Good call!

>>25056866

sounds like maybe we can get better if we sustain our powers longer?

might be worth a shot with telepathy.

>sleep will overtake me now
>good night

>>25056884
Sounds good, it would be practice at using psionics more subtly, and it would also be potentially useful; psionic pneumatics.

>>25056866
Why don't we find out if we've missed the Meeting of the Parents?

>>25056913
Definitely. But we can practice
>>25056884
along the way.

>>25056911
>psionic pneumatics

Fun idea. If we can pressurize air, we can compress it and form a tank around it.

>>25056906
>sounds like maybe we can get better if we sustain our powers longer?

Sounds like. We should try that experiment on a few other things, like lightbending.

>>25056866
"So I only won at Futurecraft because I'm better at telekinesis than you. I can't feel smug about that!"

"So I only won at Futurecraft because I'm better at telekinesis than you. I can't feel smug about that!"
"You can feel smug about being better at telekinesis than him." Isaac offered, and you gave him a grin.

"Hey, Lin, can you demonstrate your wallpass power?"
"Not right now." He said, taking deep breaths. "I'm exhausted. Maybe later."
You nod, and thank Isaac on your way out of the room, making your way to Jilly.

You take a deep breath, and decide to see if you could change pressure even more, with telekinesis, while you walk...

>Roll Barokinesis!

>>25056866
"Oh my goodness, I won!"

Rolled 32

>>25056973

Rolled 83

>>25056973
Haven't seen a 100 in a while.

Rolled 98

>>25056984
TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT

Rolled 90

>>25056973
No pressure to pressurize, or anything.

Rolled 87

>>25056973

>>25056994
Close enough.

>>25056984
>>25056994
>>25056997
>>25056998
We've so got this.

>>25056994
>>25056997
Well, damn, I don't care which one actually applies. That's a damn nice roll.

>>25056983
>>25056984
>>25056994
83 and 98? Yeah, we understand Barokenesis up down and sideways.

Easily, you pull pressure around you, and your ears popped as you felt something pressing against you. Your breaths counted for more, and your body started to feel rather strange, so you... pushed out, a little, creating a second bubble inside of that, where your pressure was perfectly normal. That way you walk, with strange mist circling around you, when you almost run into Jilly in the hallway, as she left her room.

"Hey!" She said, grinning. Then she stuck her tail into the extra atmosphere bubble. "This is easier to breathe, like this. What's up?"

>>25057063
"Hey Jilly! I'm just practicing my telekinesis. Also, I want to be there when you meet Alex' parents. For reasons."

>>25057063
"Hey Jilly, have you met Alex's parents yet? They woke up a little while ago."

>>25057063
"Isaac just taught me his atmosphere bubble trick, I was practising. Have you met Alex's parents yet?"

>>25057063
"Just practicing!"
Do a laser halo and angel wings.

>>25057111
I wonder fi we could make hardlight

>>25057063
"I just got through practice with Isaac and Lin, holding an atmosphere while in space. Once I could do that, holding a bit more atmosphere while in atmosphere is pretty easy. I was thinking about doing some pneumatics with psionics, but helping a friend feel more comfortable is an even better reason to do it. You should practice with Isaac so you can do it yourself, but until then why don't I accompany you for a bit and help you feel more comfortable? You've got an important meeting today, after all."

And now we have a reason to be there.

"Just practicing!" You say. "Isaac taught me his atmosphere bubble trick."
"Oooh." She said.
"I was thinking about doing some pneumatics with psionics, but helping a friend feel more comfortable is an even better reason to do it. You should practice with Isaac so you can do it yourself, but until then why don't I accompany you for a bit and help you feel more comfortable? You've got an important meeting today, after all."
"An important meeting? What kind?" She asked, and poked at your mind. "... Oh. Oh! Okay."
She grinned widely, and the two of you made your way down to a secondary dining room..
Where Marle, Scott, Alex... and Luna were.
"... Oh! Hi! Mom. What are you doing here?"
Luna gave Jilly a mischevious grin. "No reason~"
Marle squeaked, and pulled Jilly into a hug. "She's so cute!" She said, giddy, and smushed Jilly's face. "Isn't she cute, dear?"
"She is, yes." Steve said, incredibly neutrally.
Luna whispered something into Alex's ear, and he turned red.

>>25057187
Step 1: Try to pokerface
Step 2: Fail to pokerface

>>25057187
STEVE?
I THOUGHT IT WAS SCOTT?

>>25057187
<What did your mother just say, Jilly?>

>>25057187
...This means there's an opportunity for Luna and Robin to meet. That much groping might cause a chain reaction and destroy the station.
We should encourage it anyway.

>>25057228
>SCOTT IS RIGHT.
>IT WAS SCOTT.