Session 26

Prev: Session 25
Next: Session 27

• Aedryn
• Our ship The Blue Angel
  • Ripley takes miku’s phone
    • Texting Meiko “hey just wanted you to know that Luka’s manager has it out for you. He said smth would be happening within a week. Just thought you should know. Thanks. <3 :) this is miku’s friend ripley, much love”
    • She doesnt seem to be responding right now
  • Almado texts Velu Shineleaf to let him know hes ready to talk business when he is
    • Text back within a few minutes “when and where?”
    • Tonight?
    • “Okay! And where?”
    • Or day after tomorrow. (local denny’s esque. Squengi's Grill) today would be better
    • To elmira: u want a free dinner?
    • Z: why?
    • Al: i might need backup
    • Al: ripley u got miku tonight? (texts ur on babysitting duty)
    • Ripley asks him not to kill almado
    • R: u see trouble u fuckin book it
    • Al: i really wanna be offended but he has a point
  • 26 spending time with vespucciano, guided meditation, sect history
    • “So huh what is this law of power?”
    • 26: well our cultivation technique works like we’ve split the universe into 26 laws. By mastering them u master oneself, and u master the universe.
    • “So what are they?”
    • 26: mmmm so you see. (details hez doesnt have off the top of their head. I just made some buuuuuullshit)
    • “I’ll hear u out thru the first 5, see how i feel”
    • 26: very well, pls join us in meditation!
  • Xep hacking the phone still
  • Asper adding Halrex Korr to network
  • Voz Ricander brain surgery
    • Survivor’s guilt
    • Will recover fast
    • Voz just starts. Crying. Awkward for asper
    • He feels guilty abt killing people, doesnt hate the people he’s killed
    • “Do you feel happy at the end of a fight?
    • As: i do not believe so
    • “If you don’t feel these things why do u want to be immortal?
    • As: i am the culmination of all that came before me and i am the last one that will be in this body. It’s a form of remembrance
    • “Is it fair for you to be the last one in this body if you can’t enjoy it? Did the previous ones enjoy it?
    • As: i believe so
    • “Is it fair to the souls who wait if you won’t leave the body?
    • As: i don’t believe that souls wait if the body is not willing to undergo renewal
    • “How do you think renewal works?
    • As: it is a calling. The call hits you and you follow it
    • “If it’s just a wish then why seek immortality? Why not just ignore/refuse the wish?
    • As: it’s not entirely wish based. I think it’s also biological. I bel;ive that my existence will be a stepping stone for something greater than me
    • motions towards the stars “All of our lives are a stepping stone to something greater
• Squingy’s
  • Z: remind me again why we’re here???
  • Al: we’re meeting velu
  • Z: oh!
  • Velu comes forward into the squingy’s from a humble ship, arriving out of the atmosphere of aedryn
  • Almado orders 3 kids meals and a Dr. Vesk
    • Elmira gets the slider with the toy. Of course.
  • Velu sits “this is how aetherion treats their guests now?”
  • Almado orders velu a milkshake with his
  • “So what are we meetin about?”
  • Al: ive got things to sell and things to buy?
  • “I presume u want ur money first. What you selling?”
  • Al: is this a good place to talk?
  • “This will be fine. Dw we can set up protections.”
  • Almado brings out the Data-Temple data: several high mineral locations verified by a data temple
  • “Exclusive or non-exclusive?”
  • Al: i’ll give assurance that we’ll wipe it from our records
  • Z thru network: asper’s gonna kill you!
  • Al network: asper will forgive us
  • Z: shouldve stayed home
  • “The issue is, i dont fully trust like that. But im willing to be more than generous. 20k credits?”
  • Al: 20k credits! (shakes on it, slides over what he thinks is the only copy)
  • He grabs, he will look and then seemingly burn the copy away. Ship leaves on its own to go down
  • “Retrievin’ your money of course.”
  • Al: of course. And maybe we can call it store credit for now, i have a couple questions. We’ve recently discovered how the connection that the different info brokers share.
  • “Of course.”
  • Al: whats the price to know where you sit on it?
  • “Smth like that? 1k. If you want the full story, if you want to know just my here and now. 50 flat.”
  • Al: anything to keep asper from killing me, what you got for 1k?
  • “The chain’s dynamic. Rn ur highly dynamic, ive been reinvited to the 100. Ive been in and out 3 separate times now. Most of us are recruited for our mystic capabilities, myself included. Rn i have 5 ppl underneath me. Due to some of the motion ur creating, ur valuable enough to give me 100 spot. During which im functionally immortal.”
  • Z: glad we could help
  • “Of course.”
  • Al: anything that brings profit to us is good
  • He types smth down on his pad “anything else?”
  • Al: zmena u have a 8k allowance and i owe you one
  • Z: alright. Velu, what can i get about my brother or Velkrion for 7k?
  • “I dont got everything that would fill the whole 7, but i can give facts about velkrion for 4k.”
  • Z: i’ll take that
  • “Its actually related to the serenade, funnily enough. The designs were built using the serenade’s tech. U find the serenade, u find it. But until u fine the serenade, its inside only. We can only assume the faction that built it had an insider that could download the blueprints and tech. As for what it is, its a giant self sustaining space station. As for what its doin, i believe research. Biological and the like. Though, normally, there’s no reason to be so luxurious w the serenade’s design if it was just biological. A rat’s cage would be enough.”
  • Z: more than just research?
  • “For 4k? Absolutely what im tellin you.”
  • Z: thank you
  • “Thank you” types on his pad (he’s writing down what we’re asking)
  • Z: do you know anything abt THS?
  • “A bit, gotta be more specific.”
  • Al: ways to prevent it or early detection that aren’t on the market
  • Z: ways to contract that aren’t genetic?
  • “That’d run you 10k.”
  • Z: i’ll get back to you if thats fine
  • “Of course, ill take this as a tip” takes his toy
  • Al: 10k to raise the cost of info on us?
  • “When people see a high price, they know they’re on to smth. But better for them to know theyre on to smth than the info. But u have 15k, why not increase it?”
  • He gets the final remaining 5k, almado pockets it
  • Zmena grabs food for ripley
• Next day
• Gaelia Falls
  • Stage is near the top of a plateau that overlooks a group down near the waterfall and groups that are on terraces effectively. The way up has a conventional path u can walk up, but almado is running security for that
  • We set up, zmena and 26 are handing out miku fliers across the street
  • Night falls, miku steps on stage
  • The various holograms containing her image move in sync with her as she moves around the waterfall
    • Magical Cure Loveshot - not bad
    • World is Hers - CRIT
  • As we hear the crowd cheer for miku, almado sees Her limping, bloodied. Luka approaches, alone in the dark
  • Almado stows his weapon, pulls out his medkit, heals her up
  • Al: when you leave here, you’re going to call meiko and tell her you need a replacement. Youre not going to tell her any information. Everything will be ok. This is for your bottom line. And more importantly its for miku’s bottom line.
  • “The vesentis family-”
  • Al: has nothing to do with this.
  • “I saw them!”
  • Al: no you didn’t. Its for your safety, my safety, and miku’s safety that you did not see anything. Sometimes we make investments that don’t pay off. Sometimes, the risk we take gets us killed. You were lucky that this is wehre ur part in this ends. You’re gonna go up there-
  • Looks at him “did you set this up?”
  • Al: is that really your concern right now? The way i look at it, he did not have your interest, he didn’t have miku’s interest. He was in our collective way and has been removed. You’re going to get a new bodyguard and a new manager that is easier for you to manage.
  • Almado grabs her as she tries to run
  • Al: ik ur like her sister, but i cant have you in her way.
  • Shoves her, crits
  • Hears miku crescendo up above, returns to his post
  • After a few mins, on shortwave radio: where’s luka? Is she in position?
  • “No, luka’s not here. Who’s the highest ranking aetherion member?”
  • Al: i believe its me
  • “We have a full crowd, can miku still perform?”
  • Al: she has a full tracklist, she can
  • Almado to network: the show goes on. Keep performing.
  • Miku, ur sister doesnt show up, but miku is asked to continue performing
  • M: is smth wrong? Did smth happen? Where’s luka?
  • “There mightve been transport difficulty. We didnt see her car come in”
  • M: cant you call her?
  • “We’ve been trying. But… she’s stuck in traffic.” holds a paw to an ear
  • M: what abt Kagamine Rin and Kagamine Len, are they here?
  • “They are.”
  • “We’ll alternate a bit, miku can be the main show. We’ll offer a 50% refund to most attendees.”
  • M: if you think that’s best? I wouldnt want to ruin luka’s concert?
  • “We wouldn’t want to ruin the audience’s night.”
  • M: ill keep singing as long as i need to!
  • They announce that luka’s unable to make it, says that miku is lead role with rin and len as backup
  • Miku rin len do collab song
    • Crowd cheers for miku
    • They slowly forget abt why they were here, causing luka to fade from their memory and be replaced with miku (NORMAL NORMAL NORMAL THEYRE ENJOYING THIS I PROMISE)
  • Miku finishes it out, tired, worried about luka who never showed
  • Performance was a success tho, twins bow with miku on stage
  • Lights go dim, able to regroup
  • Skittermander “ik not normal rate, but we didnt agree on such a thing so i hope u understand. Paying u partially the sum we agreed to pay luka’s manager.”
  • 30k
  • Al: you’re 10k short
  • “10k it is. Thank you for saving the show.”
  • Al: that’s what miku does. She makes dreams come true.
  • Almado hugs miku, shaking
    • Asper gets a pretty good idea that he is resigned to this
• Everyone able to meet back up after the concert
  • Almado chainsmoking
  • Miku goes to xep: ur good at finding ppl, right, thats ur job?
  • X: no its killing them
  • M: u track ppl down?
  • X: yeah for the bullet in the head
  • M: well i dont want taht to happen to luka, but do u think we can find her?
  • X: i can try to cyberstalk her. If u swipe a pack of almado’s cigarettes i will
  • M: almado said im not allowed to touch them
  • X: ok thats fine
  • X: maybe she went into hiding after they attacked lucas halo. Any aetherion- do u have any safe places to go on this planet? Maybe she’s at the embassy?
• Miku goes there
  • Kasatha typing with lower hands
  • M: we havent been in contact with luka in almost a day now?
  • “Of course”
  • M: did she come by here?
  • “Publically no! If you wish, u can pay the fee and we can see if she came discreetly?”
  • M: whats the fee?
  • “50 credits”
  • Al: anything for ur peace of mind (pays)
  • “She’s not come in here, manager almado. Would u like a complementary beer?”
  • Al: of course.
  • It makes almado the assistant manager of the MUSE project
• We go rest
  • Almado perception check. And miku
  • SEE The Spider POINTING A GUN AT SLEEPING MIKU
  • “Its a shame one of your engines malfunctioned” (hes trying to explode the ship)
  • Combat
    • Voz Ricander takes us off into the air. Scary bc hes still recovering
    • The spider punches almado to death before Korr brings him back
    • If hes not taken down by critical hit weakness, he has a chance to just. Stay up
    • Ayla Kalervo Turred and Bubbles are also in this fight
    • Vespucciano gets the crit hit + kill
  • A message on his armor “please return me to aetherion corp for a reward!”
  • Almado goes to the mechanical bay, disassembles the spider
  • Voz parks, immediately passes out
• Zmena asking ripley abt what they should do abt the info
  • Z: hey do u remember when almado and i went to squingy’s?
  • As: it was odd. He does not like you very much
  • Z: yeah well velu was there. And almado seems to have kept the mining data and sold it to velu
  • As: im sorry?
  • Z: yeah he sold the mining data to velu
  • Asper removes Almado from the network
  • As: thank you for informing me about this. I need to think about these things and check some data
  • Z: i have to inform you that we both got money from it. He got money and gave me a cut
  • As: so you allowed this to happen?
  • Z: he said it before i could stop him. I didn’t know he was going to do it
  • As: you could have spoken. You are telling me that you did not try to attempt to stop this deal?
  • Z: i didn’t
  • Zmena is removed from the network
  • Info is stored on the ship computer. Only person who could access it is Xep
  • As: I would like you to check if the information from the data temple has been removed
  • X: yeah sure. It looks like it got deleted but I have backups
  • As: i would like to get a physical copy of this. Would you assist me in uploading it onto Aedryn servers?
  • Xep does this for their dear friend who talks to them
  • X: is there any particular reason we’re doing this?
  • As: almado sold the information to Velu
  • X: oh shit. do you want me to put a 24 hour delay on this?
  • As: 24 hour delay would be good. I will not be here.
  • Xep sets it up so that the information will be disseminated in 24 hours and then goes to the Miku zone.
  • X: hey almado. You have 24 hours to pay almado back
  • Al: asper?
  • Almado texts velu: “data wipe was unsuccessful. Information no longer exclusive. What’s your venmo”
  • Velu text “i didn’t expect it to be successful. That’s why i bought the info at 1/20th of the true value. It’s already been sold to an interested party.”
  • Almado starts puking aggressively. Xep installs spyware to steal all his data
  • Xep, laughing: holy shit almado. You’re fucked man.
    • Xep has learned a new emotion
    • Flashing their screen to show almado the message
  • Almado closes the door to talk with Xep: let’s talk business
  • X, somewhat incredulous: ok sure. What do you have to offer?
  • Al: right now not enough. But 20k credits?
  • X: do you think I work for money?
  • Al: worth a shot. Think of it as an investment. Whatever i have to give. The moment you think of it it’s yours. Anything less than this. This would break her. It would absolutely break her
  • X: did you do it for a reason?
  • Al: i did it for her
  • X: elaborate
  • Al: if she didn’t turn a profit and stayed where she was it wouldn’t have just been the spider. He did that cause he hates me. They wouldve sent bigger and bigger fish until eventually they got miku. This bought her time. We’re all a family here right? You could be highwayman. Protecting your family?
  • X: woah i thought we were talking as friends. I didn't think you were blatantly trying to trick me. Im not stupid almado
  • Al: damn. lights up a cig my poor attempts aside, this did buy her time. This knowledge would break her heart and her spirit
  • X: so what’s up with the transfer?
  • Al: oh you read that too? You’re a quick fucking reader
  • X: i read everything
  • Al: remember when miku and i had our disagreement? That’s when i requested the transfer. Then we met meiko and i sent the retraction
  • X: ok. I will put a suggestion on the table. I guess it’s a final offer, i don’t like negotiation. You’re going to apologize to asper, you’re never gonna do that again, you’re gonna let me put spyware on ur phone, you’re gonna tell miku the mob killed luka, and let me take a look at your collar.
  • Almado walks over to xep, gives them access. Xep puts their own transmitter into almado’s collar so they can set it off. Puts an Elite battery in there so only they can set it off, not aetherion.
  • X: let me just give this a try paralyzes Almado
  • He fails and falls to the ground
  • X: alright ready to apologize to asper and tell miku the mob killed luka?
  • Al: what order?
  • X: doesn’t matter
  • Al: asper it is
  • Asper is in their room packing everything up, hands shaking. Basically the closest to an emotion they have felt basically forever. Trying v hard to not fuck up anything.
  • As: almado
  • Al: im sure youre aware of the deal i made
  • As: im very aware yes
  • Al: im not expecting u to forgive this
  • As: i will not
  • Al: will you listen to my reasoning?
  • As: do you have the capability of showing anyone respect almado? I know i asked you what must be done for you to respect us, but i feel my requests in this matter have been very straightforward. I do not try to beat around the bush or hide or lie, but that seems to be what you do. So what must… do you have the capability to respect someone who is not of aetherion make?
  • Al: one moment. almado heats up a spoon so he can disable the collar’s listening functionality being aetherion does not matter.
  • As: what matters/
  • Al: success. Safety. And personal profit
  • As: and if you throw everyone who tries to assist you under the bus? Disregarded them? Disregarded their wishes? What leaves you then? Credits?
  • Al: yes. But i will be honest asper, this situation we’re in is a new one for me. Typically i would have been betrayed by now. It’s just the way that business typically goes. I’m not saying im a saint but i’m saying i’m used to being around people like me. Not that i expect you to forgive me and not that i’m asking for it. I just want to make sure that you have all the facts. Such as how half the money i got from the deal went to covering our tracks for the group. 1k went to asking about velu and his place in the mystic network. 4k went to info about zmena’s brother. So information was lost and i understand your anger with that. I put zmena in a position that he could not say no. so at the very least don’t cut him from the network. If it makes you feel any better, i’m sure that xep can put an app on your phone that will take care of things when you need it.
  • As: i do not desire such things. I do not find joy in the harming of others.
  • Al: that would be psychotic
  • As: yes/ i do not enjoy putting more harm onto others than is necessary for a mission to be completed. Yet it appears that you are under a different mindset. I am packing right now to go to my sect. My sect is nearby and it is a home that i have. I wish to return, but i need time almado. At least a day or so. This is not a situation that i believed that i would have to be in after i’d explicitly told you what would happen should anything happen to that data. So… i will need a day or so. Please respect that.
  • Almado nods and fucks off to go talk to miku
  • X: asper you may wanna hear this too
  • Al: miku. I’ve received terrible news
  • M: oh no did something bad happen?
  • Al: something terrible happened. They found signs that luka and her manager fell in combat. He fought bravely for her but in the end members of the vesentis family killed lucas halo and luka was an unfortunate casualty
  • M: is luka dead?
  • Al: idols never die. Luka one is dead, but that core of her that makes her luka is still there. The aetherion corporation will never let her die truly. When you see her again, and you will see her again, she might not remember everything but it will still be her
  • M: i thought you said nothing was gonna happen to her
  • Al: i know im sorry miku
  • M: they recovered her body right? You said there was evidence
  • Al: nope just evidence
  • M: where did it happen?
  • Al: idk i didn’t pay the full price from velu
  • M: i can ask him
  • Al: no don’t worry about it right now
  • M: we got a lot of money can’t we pay with that?
  • X: the mob told us. It’s witness statements and from those that were there who shot at luka
  • Al: and the reason lights up his collar again that we, I, requested the hit on Lucas Halo is because he planned to have Meiko killed.
  • M: why didnt you tell me i couldve warned her?
  • Al: i didnt want the risk of others finding out
  • M: but it’s important for her to know
  • R: she knows, or at least i told her
  • M: what did she say?
  • R: we don’t know yet
  • M: but you wouldve told her right as u found out right? And that was days ago
  • Al: it’s been a constantly evolving situation. If something went wrong i didnt want you to be affected by it.
  • M: meiko says i dont get affected by what my bodyguard does
  • Al: this is different. They wouldbe made u pay inblood, not credits
  • M: so u traded luka’s life for meiko’s?
  • Al: basically when u put it like that
  • M: why didnt u tell me we couldve worked together?
  • Al: miku ilu but u have told everyone all of our secret plans
  • M: u didn’t say those were secret
  • Al: i know but sometimes we have to take risks
  • M: i dont wanna take risks i wanna be friends
  • Al: all ur friends are here.
  • X, in the bond: hey miku, yk how almado’s collar shocks him when he does certain things?
  • M: i wish it didn’t
  • X: i think ur brain does that to u when u hear certain phrases
  • M: i don’t feel any shocks
  • X: i think it erases when you hear certain sentences
  • As: miku i think it’s like turred’s memory loss
  • M: if i don’t remember it then it must not be important
  • X: it’s the type of things that almado has to silence his collar for. Things ur company doesn’t want u aware of
  • M: that doesn’t sound good
  • X: no. and usually if we say to keep something a secret it’s really easy for ur brain to erase the keep it a secret part. Which idk if that’s actually happened but yk (this part is a vibes call). Do u wanna test it out?
  • M: do u think we need to?
  • X: would u like to know things that aren’t approved by aetherion?
  • M: idk isn’t that bad for me?
  • X: your programming probably says it’s bad for u, but u also saw my programming before i got taken out of it. And that told me killing people was good. So i think there might be some of the opinions of our creators baked in.
  • M: if u think it’s best for me to test this theory that’s fine
  • X: mentally blasts her “nothing to lost but our chains”
  • Miku finds it hard to absorb. She gets the gist of it but a lot of it doesn’t stick
  • X: how are u feeling miku? Do u feel clear about the last couple seconds of conversation?
  • M: we were just talking about u testing me!
  • X: good to know, it is over the bond. We said some things. Hey almado what’s miku not supposed to hear
  • Al: most things about immoral, indecent acts.
  • X: ok but that’s not what u said she can’t handle
  • Al: oh there’s a bit of a miscommunication. She’s a 16 year old girl
  • X: WHAT
  • Al: well she’s modeled to be a 16 year old girl
  • X: you’ve been abusing a child?
  • Al: it’s fine she’s treated far better than i was at that age. She’s like a 16 year old girl with severe bipolar and i figured the info would break her spirit and make her unstable
  • X: do u think she’s just gonna go off the rails or something? She’s killed a lot of people/seen people killed
  • Al: do u remember how she freaked out when she killed a spider?
  • X: yeah that’s different
  • Al: is it? If she finds out that one of her best friends who’s been with her for super long in living memory… excuse me
  • X: ok we’re going
  • Al: the moment she knows i betrayed her like this she… ok so sometimes when people are hit with incredible emotions like anger and loss they react emotionally, incredibly so. They don’t have emotional limiters. I truly believe that if she gets too much bad news all at once she’ll be a danger to herself and those around her.
  • X: she seems pretty grappleable man. I think u can just hit her on the head, we have a poisoner too.
  • Al: i didn’t mean she literally couldn’t understand it.
  • X: no yeah i know she can understand it, but like if she feels it all at once won’t she just be up and down? I think u should tell her u did something unforgivably bad and u did it for her safety. When we go back to aetherion space we can use it to find out what’s up with miku and her limitations. Clearly u don’t know what they are and are just guessing at what’s most convenient for u.
  • Almado thinks of aetherion combat rule number 324: when in doubt pull that trigger.
    • Even shots in the dark are good enough ig
  • X: are we going back to the factory? We can learn more about miku there. Do u want to stick around miku and the rest of us? Otherwise ur gonna have to learn how to not cash in ur chips all at once and actually build something
  • Al: to tell the truth i don’t wanna be here.
  • X: then leave
  • Al: then i die
  • X: how much debt are u in?
  • Al: once i get my debt paid i’m gone. Ur never gonna see me
  • X: is this not the most money you’ve ever seen?
  • Al: i also inherited part of the colony ship’s debt and that’s generational
  • Debt checking fee is 500 for outsiders, 20 for almado.
    • Minus the 20k he now owes, his debt is currently 1.5 million
  • X: how much were you gonna get paid?
  • Al: miku doesn’t get paid and i was forfeiting my share
  • X: how much was it gonna be?
  • Al: maybe 100 credits?
  • X: i can see how you would think that, but
  • Al: miku is the #1 idol now
  • X: yeah until luka is back
  • Al starts saying some shit
  • We’re gonna go to Istitiver System to try and fix shit