UN: SV | VOICE

[ascarylady]

[ Thanks to this conversation, Sevika is now here to remind everyone, ]

You all remember we had that big, ominous sign outside Etraya's bubble telling us we weren't alone, right?

[ Please. She cannot be the only one concerned about this. ]

Well, those tallies are done tallying, and we were out of days on that thing a while ago. Has anyone noticed anything strange? Anything different? Because that message wasn't friendly-sounding, and I don't feel like being surprised by a pack of hostile unknowns.

Comments

un: JossSweden; voice

[odinpusrex]

Have you not the means to defend yourself should such an invasion occur?

[Sounds like a personal problem, tbh...]

text @hank

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

[God, what hasn’t been strange lately? Especially since... y’know. That last batch of new arrivals.]

Don’t worry about it.

[Assuming this is about the latest crisis, anyway. Assuming there isn’t another goddamn crisis on the way.]

Hostile unknowns have been incapacitated. So you can all sleep good tonight.

[Everyone except Hank.]

[ascarylady]

[ Who the fuck...? ]

If you don't have anything relevant to offer, piss off.

[ascarylady]

I am going to worry about it until you explain yourself.

[odinpusrex]

Is it not relevant to inquire about your readiness for the potential and imminent invasion you have brought to our attention?

[ascarylady]

My readiness isn't relevant when I'm asking for information. So do you have something to say or not?

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

I wasn’t part of it so I dunno what all you want to hear.

[Wasn’t part of it directly, anyway.]

Shit, even I don’t know the whole story.

Aurora-whoever’s got a power source, yeah? Some people wanted it. They got shot. Thing got put back.

[...Okay, Hank is kind of directly involved. But he didn’t ask to be, goddammit.]

[ascarylady]

[ At least that's one part of the story, but-- ]

What I want is who did all that. Who wanted it? Who got shot? Why didn't Aurora alert the rest of us?

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

You’d have to ask Aurora why she hasn’t done shit. She had to know something. Instead she just let it get to this point.

[With, y’know. Everyone getting shot, and all that.]

And I dunno who wanted it exactly. There’s another world like Etraya. They've got their own Aurora-Echo-whoever. Their Aurora or Echo equivalent wanted it.

I think Catdog got shot.

So. All good.

[ascarylady]

No? How is any of that good? Who the hell is Catdog? Who was doing the shooting? And the stealing?

[ Oh, she will have another chat with Aurora. Just wait. ]

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

I just mean good as in...... Shit. The power source thingy is safe.

[For now...?]

Catdog is a pseudonym. Couldn’t tell you who exactly other than one of the new guys.

[Hank would lie about who did the shooting if he thought it would help. But he doesn’t, so:]

Connor shot them.

Mostly I’m worried about that other world’s Aurora-Echo. Fucked up this time, yeah? Plans all foiled.

[odinpusrex]

What I have to say is that if you wish to speak to the community at large about a potential threat, then you should ameliorate yourself in anticipation for what questions may follow.

[ascarylady]

[ She's going to have to find out who Connor is. Hm. ]

So this Connor guy came here to steal Aurora's power... core?

[ Close enough. ]

Even if he was stopped, he must know something about this other entity.

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

[Everything will come out eventually — probably. And not from Hank.]

Said Connor shot the bad guys

[Which is undoubtedly lying by omission. Like, ninety percent omission there.

And people deserve to know about the narrowly avoided danger here. Hank has felt that this whole damn time, burdened by the guilt of knowledge. But Connor is... Connor.]

Connor’s the one who put the thing back, anyway.

[ascarylady]

All I'm hearing is you've got nothing.

[ascarylady]

[ She's trying to put this together in her head, and yet? ]

Alright. Then it sounds like I should get the story from this Connor guy directly.

You know where I can find him?

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

Nah.

[Hank lives with him.]

I mean. Fuck. He’s going through a lot right now.

[odinpusrex]

No different than you, then. Are you prepared for your theorized hostile unknowns? Or do you hope others might save you instead?

[ascarylady]

[ Hank, you gave her a name to doggedly hunt down. 'Nah' is no longer an option. ]

You put him out here like this and then try to keep him from talking to the rest of us; that's only going to make it worse when someone does track him down.

[ascarylady]

I'm going to fine no matter what happens. That isn't the point.

[odinpusrex]

You simply want intel while providing none in kind.

[ascarylady]

If you seriously think knowing I'm a big, scary lady who can defend herself is some kind of important intel, I have some serious questions about you.

[odinpusrex]

You are right, it is not. Nor was it the answer I sought, though it does answer my inquiry all the same. That you should believe that is enough to hold off these potential unknowns speaks much and more of your inexperience in these matters.

[ascarylady]

Yeah, I'll give you my entire twenty-point plan as soon as I give a shit about what you think.

[ She got an answer from Hank, so, sadly, that means Barney here will find himself going ignored after this. ]

[bootyshortsforoldmen]

He shot a bunch of people, yeah?

[People who may or may not come forward and confess their part in all this. Who might not readily admit that Connor didn’t do any of this — any of it — by choice.]

Give him some time. The guy’s traumatized.

[Hank almost wishes he did lie, but he has no idea what all the people from Solmara are up to. What they’re planning. Why would they go along with Hank’s lie, anyway, after Connor shot them all?]