ARCADE SESSION: REBOOTED

[Guest]

Holy shit, buddy! Do you pride yourself on being nastier than fermented horror slime?

...is what i'd like to say-- is far kinder than what i'd like to say, actually, but-- let's be calm about this. let's be collected. two can play at that game. you want to patronize us "pro tip" style? let's school this fool. look at this chump who thinks combat is the best approach to a game that's literally about raising people! they're a prime target for having their sweet little kitties go rogue the moment they realize they have that option, aren't they? after all, no one would willingly stick around someone so disgusting as to imagine all interaction as combat.

dude..
tone it down
hes actually giving us important advice here

[1011686]

I agree with just leaving to check on Echo.
However, I hate the idea of letting MRM get the last word, so my suggestion is we say "Fuck you" and then hang up.

[cosmo]

Just end the call and check on Echo. this bastard isn't worth it.

[MattedFont]

"Huh. Okay then! Watch this!"

Now let's go kill his TCP!

[Lilium Mortem]

I agree with just leaving to check on Echo.
However, I hate the idea of letting MRM get the last word, so my suggestion is we say "Fuck you" and then hang up.

Every second counts, we don't have to prove anything to MRM, but we do have a life to save. Check on echo, also Screw whoever added that feature, there's no indication you can minimize the chat window, and it's not like there's a manual. I'm not salty, this is just poor design.

[cosmo]

after we end the call, immediately call back pickle (minimize the call window obviously). Reasoning with mrm didn’t work and we need information Now. is your tcp okay? Are they still being attacked? what type is your tcp? all we did in trying to help you was piss off mrm too and now they have it out for both of us, so we’ll need to work together if we want to survive this.

at the same time as calling/questioning is being done (give priority to echo stuff) we want to check in on echo. I feel like until we see what’s going on I can’t say much in the way of strategy but try to guide her to a safe place on the map to hide. does she still have her stealth outfit on? definitely use it if possible. if she can slip away from the attacker and hide, try to guide her to pickle’s base using the map. if we can get echo to a temporarily safe place, we may want to check in on hank and tell him to activate all the base’s defenses that aren’t already activated.

[seppawku]

i.. idk if that’s the case abt his team once they realize. yeah, tcps might defect happily when they realize they have the choice, but outside an active abuse situation, they might end up being just as battle-focused. i’m not saying this to say we should abandon that train of thought, but that’d be an awful lot of stuff going our way to count on. i don’t like this guy either, but- they don’t gotta be some evil mastermind to think like this. tcp is still a *game* to a lot of people, just.. not the cats in it haha;;
ACT: ^hang up, check in on echo and call back PKL in a minimized window

[Dzib 9001]

Now let's go kill his TCP!

FUCKING NO!

[knux400]

[CW: EXTREMELY LOW-RESOLUTION TCP GORE]

"...Fuck you."
"Wait, you didn't even see that? You were on the call screen the whole time?"

You catch about a half-second of MRM's laughter over the other end before you close the window.
 

Echo! What happened? Are you okay?
Something shot me. My wing's broken.
 

You don't recognize this room. You open your map briefly to find Echo's been busy since you last saw her.
 

Closing the map, you call Pickle. You didn't read all the way through the section on making calls, so there's no way you could possibly know the command to minimize the window, but you try the first thing that comes to mind anyway. If it doesn't work, you'll let Pickle know what happened real quick, and then- oh.
 

Either you're great at guessing or the game's interface has your back. Whatever. Time to multitask.

"H-hello?"
"Is your TCP okay? Are they still being attacked? What type is your TCP? All we did in trying to help you was piss off MRM too and now they have it out for both of us, so we’ll need to work together if we want to survive this."
"U-um! Stitch is hurt, but alive, she's not being attacked anymore, I think? A-and she's a blanket type. I spawned a sign for her to read and she was able to get outside of the, uh, dark zone. From there, I was able to throw together enough defenses to ward off the attacker. They left about... a minute ago?"
"Got it."

Halfway through Pickle's sentence, you start typing to Echo.

Can you walk?
Yes.
Get somewhere safe. Use your stealth suit if you can, we don't want a fight on our ha-

Suddenly, the whole screen flashes red. Echo's health bar now has a red ring around it.

WARNING: A KILL COMMAND HAS BEEN ACTIVATED.

Who was that?!? Trinket, what's a kill command?!?
Just hide!

Without another word, Echo ducks into a nearby passageway.

...It knows where I am. I left a trail.
What is it?
A TCP, I think. It's green, it's wearing a suit similar to mine, and its arm looks like it's been cut off and had something jammed into it. That's what it shot me with.
Okay. It's probably a weapon type of some sort, then. If you can't get away, hit it where the shooty thing meets the rest of the TCP, that's where it will hurt the most. You're too far away from our base, so I'm going to take you to another safe place. We just need to find a way to get this TCP to stop following us, and then I'll guide you.
I can hear it coming closer.
 

She's right. The left side of your screen is going dark. If you're going to do something, it needs to be quick.

[tarot]

i got nothing for actually getting us out of this horrendous situation, but if we can miraculously manage to take down the enemy tcp, no kill commands, alright? we talk them into going rogue, and then we basically have a sixth tcp on our side. this accomplishes both compassion and being incredibly rude to marmite over there

[Guest]

i got nothing for actually getting us out of this horrendous situation, but if we can miraculously manage to take down the enemy tcp, no kill commands, alright? we talk them into going rogue, and then we basically have a sixth tcp on our side. this accomplishes both compassion and being incredibly rude to marmite over there

no i don't think that would work, you can't just instantly talk a tcp over like that and besides its a weapon type it would probably just blast our face off before we even have the time to say "h"

[MattedFont]

Running might be the best option here.

[Guest]

"do you have anything that can help with the bleeding? try pressing your clothes against it
also keep your tazer ready, they can't fire while tazered"

i have a plan that might just work
we already know that the tcp hunting us is a weapon type right?
what we know about them is that they are dangerous but have very low health, this one has been firing for a while already so its hp must be already 0

i say we >KILL them
just the command should already be enough and i don't think we will be getting away from this in any other way

[Dzib 9001]

then we basically have a sixth tcp

it's a lot more complicated than that, it's less "we have 6" more he has 4.

[cosmo]

how far can the stun gun fire from? if we can fire from outside of the darkness bubble, try doing that and then making a break for it. also once we are far enough away that we can do so safely, please quickly >check echo. i think knowing how much health she has left is important. i think kill commands are a bad idea, we can argue about it morally but from a strategic standpoint it feels like it would be a bad idea too. Mainly cause im more worried about making an enemy of 6Q and i feel like using a kill command so early in the game feels like a Really easy way to get on their bad side. and we do Not want that.

i'll probably make another post with a better plan when my eyes are hurting less but here's a starter strategy and a reason NOT to use the kill command.

[King-Clod]

First things first- we aren't using a kill command. That much is certain.

Tell Echo to try to stop the bleeding with her conductors hat, and to have the Guardian Bat swarm and distract the enemy TCP. She has the animal handling skill, she should be able to direct the bat to do that.

After the hat is secured, ask her to use her stealth skills to get behind the biggest crystal in the room- with the fluid trail leading south, and the Guardian Bat buying us time to get there, that should help us get the TCP off of our trail.

When/if the TCP isn't right around the corner, I'd suggest continuing further east. That should be the quickest route back to base.

[1011686]

The tcp is likely around here

I don't think Echo should make a break for the big crystal, the other tcp's too close and would see her. Also given how close it is, I don't think Echo will be able to do more with the hat then just hold it against the wound and catch any fluid, so that's what she'll have to do.
Tell her to run south while covering her wound and that the most important thing is that she find places to move to or hide behind that are out of the other tcp's sight, but before she does that, drop the mothy-talkie on the ground. We can talk through it when the other tcp gets close, which will hopefully distract and delay them a bit, and at best give us a chance to talk to them. If they end up getting too close, we should send the guardian bat to attack them. It's a bat, so it should be able to see through the darkness and tell where the other tcp is just fine.

Meanwhile, we need to tell Pickle to create something that his TCP can remotely control, teach them to use it, and have them direct over to where we are quickly. That's square F6, and I would suggest something like a remote-controlled car that has like, a web or glue shooter. He should be able to make that, he just needs to think of it.

Also I don't think a kill command would work, you still need to land a killing blow no matter how much health the other tcp is on and Echo is in no shape to get close enough to do that. I also don't think MRM is sadistic/cocky enough to intentionally drive their own tcp's health to 0 and just hope they don't get targeted, they sound like they care about winning a lot and that doesn't seem like a strategy that would lead to many victories. Also its immoral.

[King-Clod]

I agree with the asking Pickle for backup thing. I think we should hold off on dropping the mothy-talkie, though, that could be useful for ally TCPs or the Kobolds.

[knux400]

Echo, head south and hide. Take your hat off and put it over the wound, that should make it less drippy.
Right. I th
 

ERROR: LOST CONNECTION. RETURNING TO NEXT AVAILABLE TCP.

"Alright, I made the drone, and Stitch is flying it over there now. You said F6, right?"
"Yeah, F6."
"Right, it's on its way now."

"...Oh."
"Oh what?"
"...Uh..."
"What is it?"
"I'm there. I mean, the drone is there. Stitch can see the enemy TCP. It, uh... I mean, I'm just interpreting what Stitch is saying, but- well maybe? No, I don't know. Um... What kind of TCP did you have again?"
"...A bat type."
"Oh, gods. Okay. Um, so like I said, I don't know this for sure, I'm just going off of what Stitch is saying, and I haven't taught her about bats or anything like that, so I could be wrong, but-"
"WHAT?!?"
"D- uh, it... it looks like it's standing over a dead bat. Is what Stitch said. Now, the camera isn't very good on the drone, and like I said, I'm just going off the description Stitch gave me, and it could be a different bat for all I know? I mean, this is a cave, someone could've spawned in, like, NPC bats. For atmosphere. Or it could be something else entirely, like a bird or something? Stitch just said it was a small thing with floppy blankets on its sides, so I kind of took that to mean it had wings, but thinking about it now, it could've been something else. It's definitely dead, though. She said it's not moving and it's bleeding fluid everywhere. Um, can you still hear me? Hello?" [Congrats! You found the secret Easter Egg dialogue I put way too much work into!]
You can't even hear Pickle anymore. Your blood is boiling. You're going to find MRM and rip their fucking head-

CONNECTION RESTORED.
 

hear me? Hello? I think I got away from the TCP, but it killed the guardian bat. Where should I go now?

[victorianflorist]

You've gotta get back to the base Echo. We can't yet you patched up all the way up here.

Good job getting away. That TCP of MRM's is real nasty.

[Guest]

tell pickle to not worry, our tcp is fine also tell him to send the drone to our current location and protect us on echo's way back
we have to scurry back to base, patch echo up somehow and make bullet proof vests asap

[MattedFont]

OH, THANK THE GODS!
Echo, come home! Now!
We need to regroup and figure out how we're going to deal with MRM and their bullshit!

[1011686]

Ask Echo what the other tcp looked like and what it had with it. Then we should zoom out and see where they are on the map. These are my current thoughts:

It would be very strange if MRM's tcp had just randomly wandered away from Pickle's base and encountered Echo by chance. It's possible they had some way of tracking (though being able to find tcps without having to interact with them first seems like it would have an immensely high cost to me), but it seems more likely to me that it was returning to MRM's base and Echo was near that area. We first found Clemont south of our base, and they were traveling upwards when we did, so it seems likely their base is further south. We know where Pickle is, so that leaves one player left. With the other four players spread out in the corners, it seems likely to me that the 5th player will be in the center and Echo might encounter them, but hopefully that won't be too bad. So basically, tell her to head east and to be alert for encountering anyone else along the way.

I think Pickle should keep tailing the other tcp with the drone and try not to lose sight of it. That aura of darkness is not something either us want to be caught off guard about again.

[Guest]

way to waste a drone, it would get shot first thing after it gets close

[1011686]

Well it's not like the drone is particularly valuable, Pickle can just make another. Also, MRM's tcp might still be chasing us, which means that the drone would have to travel past them to get to us anyway. They'd probably shoot it, and if they didn't the drone would lead them to Echo's position. And it doesn't need to get particularly close, it just needs to keep the tcp in sight.

[Guest]

Well it's not like the drone is particularly valuable, Pickle can just make another. Also, MRM's tcp might still be chasing us, which means that the drone would have to travel past them to get to us anyway. They'd probably shoot it, and if they didn't the drone would lead them to Echo's position. And it doesn't need to get particularly close, it just needs to keep the tcp in sight.

good strategy seconding

[King-Clod]

Once you get out of that tunnel head to your left, and keep going that direction. We'll tell you if you need to hide behind anything along the way.

[knux400]

You have to stop and catch your breath for a moment- that was close. Way too close.

"Oh thank fuck."
"That wasn't my TCP, that was just a guardian bat I made for her."
"OH! I'm sorry, like I said, it's hard to make out what's happening just based on a desc-"
"Pickle. Focus. I need to get my TCP out of here, and I need your help."
"...Right! Sorry! Sorry."
"Tell Stitch to keep tailing the enemy TCP with the drone. Have her keep an eye on it and let us know what's happening. If it gets shot down, no big deal. You can just create another one."
"G-got it."
"I think it's still chasing my TCP, so I'm going to try to guide her back to my base."
 

Once you get out of that tunnel, turn left and keep going that direction. I'll let you know if you need to hide behind anything along the way.
...There is no left in this room. The only exits are forward or back the way I came.
Alright, forward then. Head left as soon as you can.
...
Okay, there's a left turn coming up. I think I can lose them if-

what

is that
 

...Okay, no problem, I see another left after that one, I can head there and-

oh
 

"...Seriously? There hasn't been a drop of water in this cave for the entire fucking game!"
"-Oh, uh, well, there's a pool of water just outside my base. I guess there wasn't any over by where you were?"

All you can manage is an annoyed grunt. You check your map to see what Echo's options are- she doesn't seem to know what water even is, much less how to swim in it.
 

[Lilium Mortem]

Well, seems like a thin enough stream, just jump it

[King-Clod]

Oh gosh we really don't want to risk getting water in her open wound, but it doesn't look like we have much of a choice. She'll have to hop where it's thinnest.
Tell her to get a running start and jump like she's about to take off.

[victorianflorist]

Echo can do it. She's strong. Keep the wound above the water to avoid watelogging.

[knux400]

That's water, I'll explain it to you later. Can you jump over it?
Y-yeah, probably.
 

Echo takes a running start but stops short, hesitating a bit. She's still unsettled by the water, and as a result just barely makes it over, having to catch herself with her wing. She quickly scrabbles to her feet and resumes running.

You said I should be trying to head left, yeah? There's a fork here, and it looks like I can head left or right.
 

You check your map and sure enough- looks like another fork. Reminding yourself that Echo is facing SOUTH, meaning her right is your left and vice versa, you consider your options again. If you tell her to head left (that's EAST for you), she should eventually get to your base, but you'll have to navigate some more tunnels to get there. She's also gone far enough SOUTH that telling her to turn right (WEST from your perspective) would lead to where Pickle said his base was.
 

[MarxzVulpez]

Can we get a refresher of where everyone is at, at least as far as allies go?

Check Echo, even though we've got a plug in that wound we don't want her getting worse and getting stuck if her stamina gets too low. Also ask her how she's holding up, the numbers for a Check are handy but don't tell us everything

Related to that: Our base is pretty far off but Hank is already at the base and we have the start of some hefty fortifications, and if Echo returns we could start building more. We could also try holing up at Pickle's base and seeing if we can have him help us out with Echo's wound and fortifying his base.

Problems there being that Our team is split and we can't make anything until Echo gets back.

There are ways to make stuff to make transportation easier but I don't think we should go too hog wild with those lest the Tech Level bumps up too high and we screw ourselves over.

Another thing is that even though we do have a placeholder for helping Echo, she's still losing fluid which is leaving a trail. We should find a better fix for that sooner rather than later

All in all I'm leaning towards heading towards Pickle's base and seeing what we can do from there

[1011686]

Clemont's base is probably to the east, and they seemed friendly enough that they'd be willing to help cover Echo's wound or help her get to our base, even if they wont fully trust her. I reckon we should continue east, getting back to our base is important.
Also, can we check in with Pickle about the drone and the location of the other TCP?

[cosmo]

pickle’s base and once we’re situated there, check in on hank. we’ve already left him alone for quite a while which is unfortunate but we need to guarantee echo’s safety first.

[King-Clod]

Either base we go to, our attacker is going to chase us there. Clemont's base would be easier to leave without getting closed in, but I'm afraid their player wouldn't take well to us leading an aggressive player to their base. I hate to lead to attacker back to Pickle's base, but he's the only one I'm certain will help us. Get to Pickle's, fix Echo's wing, and try to figure out a plan of escape from there.

[knux400]

(Author's Note: Changing some formatting stuff with this update. Ingame text is now bold, which should make it easier to see text colors, and spoken text now has quotation marks around it to differentiate it from narration. If you want to suggest a formatting change or if anything is hard to read for some reason, feel free to leave me a suggestion in parentheses. Thank you all for reading!!)

You take a moment to recount what allies you have and where they all are.
 

The first allies that come to mind are the KOBOLDS you created- Orkahm, Ihu, Taipu and Tamaru. They're marked with a pink K on your map, and they're pretty close to your base. (On a related note, the knocker's den is marked with a grey N. Not an ally, but still useful knowledge to have)

You also created some MOLE PEOPLE at the same time you created the kobolds, but you haven't found them yet. They could be anywhere on the map, but if you had to guess, you'd posit that they're relatively close to your base since they're your creation.

CLEMONT is... sort of an ally, you guess? He doesn't seem hostile, and neither does his player. Unfortunately, you have no idea where he or his base is. Or who's talking in his earnub, for that matter. It has to be either CRC or ???.

PICKLE seems very friendly, if slightly tentative and scatterbrained. He has a blanket type TCP named Stitch, and she's the one piloting the drone that's tailing the hostile TCP. He says his base is in O-1 and O-2.

BACK AT BASE, you have Hank the freshly spawned puffy sticker type, Opal the generic animal companion, Pumice the mole, Topaz the canary, and the unnamed golem. Well, mostly unnamed. You put a 'FRANK GOLLUM' pin on it, but no one seems to have noticed it yet.

As for EVERYONE ELSE... MRM's TCP is the one chasing Echo down. From what descriptions you've heard, you're guessing it's a weapon type of some sort. There's one other player you haven't seen at all yet, either CRC or ???. They're the one that isn't Clemont's god.

With that sorted, you CHECK Echo.

Echo is a BAT TYPE TCP. She's feeling a bit panicked, but is doing her best to push through it in order to avoid getting shot again. She is thinking of how best to escape her current situation, and also wondering what the heck all this 'water' stuff is (although that's not really a priority right now). She cannot currently fly due to the sizeable hole in her right wing, although the bleeding has temporarily stopped due to pressure she is applying to it. Her health is currently at OKAY.

How you holding up, Echo?
Fine! Can we talk later, please??
Sorry. Change of plans, turn right instead.

Echo doesn't hesitate, sprinting WEST in the direction of Pickle's base. Speaking of, it's about time you checked in with him.

"What's Stitch seeing?"
"The TCP just jumped over a stream. It's slowing down a bit, though."
"Okay, we're heading to you. Make sure Stitch is somewhere safe."
"She's holed up inside the cottage, she should be fine for now."

As you're talking to Pickle, you can see Echo making her way through a few more rooms. She stops abruptly.

...Trinket??? I really don't think I can jump over this one!!
Go back the other way! Go left instead!
I've gone too far down this path already! It's blocking the exit!

"Uhh, Trinket?? I think Stitch is seeing Echo through the drone. Like, for real this time. The TCP has a direct line of sight on her."

For the first time, you hear a new voice coming through the speakers. It sounds like electronic whining and grinding, like the sound of a large, powerful machine waking up. In rough, ragged TCP speech, you can make out a single word...

Gotcha.

[Lilium Mortem]

I would like to know what Echo has on her, but barring that... Echo can't fight this TCP. Talking to them wouldn't do any good either. There is only one desperate gamble I can think of.

My Proposal: Ditch anything heavy and jump into the water. It's like dense heavy air. Swimming is like flying, except water has a lot more resistance, so you have to be careful and slower about your movements. Keep your head above water so you can breathe, if you need to breathe, and make sure you minimize the area of your wings when you push them forward, then maximize the area when pushing back. kick with your feet in steady motions, and get the hell outa dodge.

I can only hope that being weighed down by metal makes the TCP bad at swimming and that they can't take enough shots at echo before she puts enough distance or cavern walls between them. It's a big gamble, but I can't think of anything else to do.

[King-Clod]

Ask Pickles if he can divebomb the tcp with the drone to trow off the shot. Tell Echo to shock him.
If that works, ask Pickles to make a boat for us to get to their base, and check the enemy TCP's body for what type it is (and what gear it has) after it's knocked out.

[cosmo]

Ask Pickles if he can divebomb the tcp with the drone to trow off the shot. Tell Echo to shock him.
If that works, ask Pickles to make a boat for us to get to their base, and check the enemy TCP's body for what type it is (and what gear it has) after it's knocked out.

this but i want to add a few specifics and change up the escape plan.
1. tell pickle to specifically divebomb the tcp from behind so it doesn't see the drone coming
2. warn echo in advance and tell her to rush and shock the tcp as soon as the drone attacks
3. have echo re-activate her stealth suit and run back the other way as soon as the tcp is stunned - don't look back. the water is too risky and now that the bleeding's stopped it can't track us in stealth mode.

[King-Clod]

Once the TCP is stunned I think we should do something to tie them up and make sure they can't follow us, if we leave them stunned and head back towards our base what's stopping them from getting up after a few minutes and following suit? Once it's knocked out can Pickle's make some rope or something and bring it to us? Their base is nearby and they probably have a way to cross the water.

[cosmo]

we don't know how long the stun will last for, it could come to before support from pickle arrives. with the stealth suit activates and echo no longer leaving a trail of fluid, it shouldn't be able to track us, especially if we make use of its stun time to get a head start.

[cosmo]

nevermind, deferring to king-clod’s plan

[knux400]

Thinking quickly, you tell Echo to shoot the TCP with her stun gun. At the same time, you talk to Pickle.

"Get the drone to divebomb the TCP! Hurry!"
"Y-yeah!"

You can hear frantic typing over the microphone. Meanwhile, you look back at the screen to Echo's reply.

I can't!! I'm not wearing my arms!!
 
You barely have time to mutter an expletive before you hear the shot- and a dull thwack. The shot goes wide, barely missing Echo's head. You can hear the sounds of a struggle from down the tunnel.
 

You give Echo a brief explanation of what water is and how to swim in it, and before you even tell her to jump in she understands what you're about to ask of her. As the sound of a drone being smashed on the ground resonates from the tunnel, Echo turns and leaps headfirst into the water. She flails a bit at first, but quickly figures out how to push herself forward thanks to your explanation. However, she's forced to release the pressure on her wing in order to swim properly, and the wound becomes WATERLOGGED.

"I told Echo to swim across, can you get Stitch over here with a boat or a rope or something-"
"Already on it! One second..."
 

Sure enough, you see a floppy blanket type scoot its way across the ground, flinging a life preserver into the water. The moment Echo wraps her good wing around the side, the blanket type wastes no time reeling Echo in. One final shot rings out from across the water, but it misses again. Echo scrambles to her feet as Stitch hurriedly pushes Echo out of the line of fire. You hear a new TCP voice that sounds of soft fabric rustling and thumping, and you realize it's Stitch's. Her voice is urgent, but still somehow calm and soothing despite the situation.

It's this way. Down this tunnel.

Stitch pulls Echo into a cozy-looking- if a bit sparsely furnished- cottage, where Echo collapses onto the middle of the floor. Just like with the kobolds, the roof of the building disappears the moment Echo enters. Stitch immediately wraps herself tightly around Echo, completely engulfing her.

 

What are you-
It's okay. This will help you feel better.

Echo sighs and visibly untenses. Stitch stays wrapped around Echo, fluid and water soaking into her body. If she cares at all about being clean, you can't tell. Meanwhile, a MEDICAL BED and a SUTURE KIT pop into existence on the far end of the room.

You'll need a fluid cycler.
They look like they've lost a fair amount of fluid, and the swim didn't help much, either. Let me stay wrapped around them for a bit longer just to get them stable and relaxed, and then we can work on their wing.

You realize Pickle must be talking to Stitch. She seems acutely aware of Echo's condition- Pickle probably taught her TCP ANATOMY or TCP MEDICINE or something.

Yes. I saw it turn and leave. It looked tired.

"Stitch says the TCP left after Echo got across the water. She also says Echo's wound has been bleeding a lot, and also that she's gotten waterlogged from that swim. She's going to stay wrapped around Echo for another minute or so, then we'll get them onto the table and start fixing them up."

"If, uh, that's okay with you."

[King-Clod]

I'm definitely fine with it. Sorry I'm using up so much of your resources, honestly.

Do you think that enemy TCP is going to come back? They know where we are.

[cosmo]

we need to check in on and comfort echo. I imagine it was really really scary to go through and I feel awful that we messed up in such a way that our carelessness led to her getting hurt so bad. I’m so sorry echo. you were so so brave and you did amazing . I’m going to get better at strategy to keep you and hank safe, I promise. This nice tcp here is going to help you feel better, but please let her know if anything goes past your boundaries. She’s here to help but you’re the one in control here. Let her know what you need, please. I’ll stay here as long as you want but I am worried about leaving hank alone for so long so if it’s okay with you I’d like to go check in on hank and I’ll be right back. (check on hank After talking to echo if she’s okay with it)

[knux400]

Some sort of machine- presumably the fluid cycler- pops into existence next to the bed. It has a clear chamber on top, connected to another chamber and two rubber hoses, each ending in a needle. Stitch unwraps herself and helps Echo onto the bed, guiding her into position.

"That's fine. Sorry I'm using up so much of your resources."
"It's alright! You helped my TCP, and I'll help yours. Besides, we're at my base- technically I have infinite resources right now."
"Do you think that enemy TCP is going to come back? They know where you are now."
"..."

"Probably. Stitch said they looked tired, so it might be a while, but... Probably. I don't know. They seemed really intent on just..."
He trails off, but you get the idea. In the meantime, you type to Echo a bit.

I’m so sorry, Echo. You were so so brave and you did amazing. I’m going to get better at strategy to keep you and Hank safe, I promise. This nice TCP here- her name is Stitch- is going to help you feel better, but please let her know if anything goes past your boundaries. She’s here to help but you’re the one in control here. Let her know what you need, please. I’ll stay here as long as you want, but I am worried about leaving Hank alone for so long. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to go check in on him and I’ll be right back.

its okay

wasnt your fault

go check on hank, ill be fine
 
You're not sure if it's the exhaustion, the bed she's lying in, or the blanket TCP that was wrapped around her, but she's definitely starting to nod off. Poor thing.
 

Stitch is calmly talking to Echo. You decide it can't hurt to stay and listen for just a little bit before you go check on Hank- you're worried too, after all.

Show Content CW: MEDICAL, NEEDLES:

This is called a fluid cycler, it helps clean a TCP's fluid.
mhm
I'm going to put this end in your wound, and the other end in your leg. The machine is going to drain the dirty fluid from your wing, and it's going to go up into this chamber where the water will be separated out. Then, once it's clean, it'll go back into your leg here. I need to let it run for a bit so we can get the water out of your system, then we'll focus on patching that hole up, okay?
okay

As soon as Echo gives her tired okay, Stitch gently inserts the needles into Echo just as she explained. Echo winces slightly, but doesn't seem to protest or resist. Sure enough, the chamber on top is slowly filled with foggy yellow liquid.

You figure everything's working properly and Echo will be fine for a minute or two, so you switch to your view of Hank.
 

Sorry about that, Hank! Are you doing okay?
-Ah! Yeah, I'm okay. I decided to check out the RIGS upstairs. It took me a while to figure it out, but it's pretty fun! The controller is a bit hard to use, but I'm getting used to it.

RIGS? You realize he must be referring to the Rapid Response Gaming System, or RRGS for short. It's often anglicized to RIGS since it's easier to pronounce. You have no idea how he managed to pick up common Morbit slang, but it might just be the way TCP speech works.

That's good! Listen, are you okay to stay here a while longer? Echo is in a little bit of trouble and I need to help her out.
Oh no! What happened!?
She... Got hurt by one of the other TCPs. One of the other players I was talking about earlier decided to be mean, so their TCP hurt Echo. She's safe now, though- she's with a friendly player and their TCP, Stitch, is taking care of her.
Okay.
...Is there anything I can do to help? I'm not feeling bad anymore, I was just waiting for you to finish whatever you were doing.

You start to tell Hank to stay put, but... is there something he can do? It might be worth sending him to escort Echo back home. It would be a pretty big job for someone so new, but he seems eager to help.

[skinstealer]

it might be dangerous to send hank out considering he's just a sticker...maybe he could go down to the other base and ask clemont to come with him as backup?

[Monologue]

Yeah, if he wants to help then it wouldn't be a bad idea to have him come alongside someone else.

[King-Clod]

I'm not sure if we can send Hank out right now in good conscience- we still can't make him any protective gear, and given everything that's happened, I'd be wary sending any TCP out without precautions. Maybe we can tell him that we're proud of his eagerness, and that he'll get his turn to help, but right now we just want to make sure he's safe.