#hzdbasechat

GAIA set up a communications network for Aloy and her friends. Aloy had no idea what they were getting into. Or: I realized that a groupchat fic actually makes PERFECT SENSE in Forbidden West. Uploading this to Tumblr in celebration of Forbidden West being released on PC. There will be one chapter daily until they're all up. Chapter 1 | Next Chapter Chapter Index

ADMIN [GAIA] has created the groupchat [HZD Terraforming Base-001 Text Communications Network]

ADMIN [GAIA] has invited [Aloy], [Varl], and [Zo] to the group

Varl: Whts happpppng?

Varl: Happing

Varl: What is hap

Aloy: GAIA set up a communications network between our Focuses.  We can use it for voice or even holograms, like I did earlier, or just write short messages.

Varl: Wouldt talkng be easyer

ADMIN [GAIA]: Varl, there is a spellcheck feature if you would like to ensure you communicate with clarity.

Varl:  Tht mighyt

Varl:  Thhat

Varl:  YESS PL

Zo:  This could be convenient.  Assuming Varl can make use of this feature GAIA mentioned.

Varl:  How u so gd easyly?

Zo:  I find the system very intuitive.

Aloy: Um, Varl, this isn't the hard part of using a Focus.  You should pretty much just have to think the words and the program will write them for you.

Varl:  Mchbc dont wrt.

Aloy:  Machines don't write?  Are you saying you don't want to use a program?

Zo:  I don't think it's a moral argument.  I think he means he never needed to learn how to spell while hunting machines.

Aloy:  Oh.  Yeah, that's fair.

Aloy:  Wait, aren't you standing right next to him?  Can't he just tell you?

Zo:  He's being stubborn.  He wants to figure this out.

Varl:  Iz IMPRTT.

Aloy:  Well, at least you're using punctuation.

Aloy:  I'm coming down to meet you.  We'll talk about our plans.

Varl:  Il gett fmws

Varl:  rtnd

Varl:  ALL-MOTHER'S TITS

Aloy:  Sure, THAT got through fine.

Aloy:  I'll be down in a second.  Where are you?

ADMIN [GAIA]:  Zo cannot answer you, but I believe if you follow the sounds of her laughter, you will find them soon.

Chapter 44 (non-canon omake) | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

[FlameHairSavior], [Zo], [BoyNextDoor], [HIMBO], [MARSHAL Kotallo], [β], and [DIVINER] have joined [PZD Alpha Group Chat]

Captain_RobotKiller: ...did we just get hacked?

BigMama: Travis, what did you do.

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: Wasn't me, boss!

MARSHAL Kotallo: Wait, what just happened?

DIVINER: Hello new people!

HIMBO: I DON'T SEE ANYONE ELSE AT THE BASE.

β: i thought you didnt give anyone else focuses

BoyNextDoor: I definitely didn't.

MARSHAL Kotallo: We appear to have suffered a security breach, do not treat this lightly.

BigMama: YOU suffered a security breach? This is a private military network, your actions constitute treason in EVERY existing nation.

Zo: ...I think we have some irrigation crossed.

Kitty_StopCallingMeThatTravis: Travis, what did you do?

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: Still wasn't me!

DIVINER: Maybe we could talk instead of yelling?

ShennyShen: Hi! I'm Margo Shen!

ShennyShen: But you probably already know that because you hacked into our network!

ShennyShen: Why did you do that, btw?

DoctorKilljoy: I'm fairly certain it was to spy, Margo.

ShennyShen: I don't think spies announce their presence on the group chat, though?

Zo: Aloy, PLEASE tell me you're reading this.

FlameHairSavior: Glinthawks, can't reply.

FlameHairSavior: I'm here though.

RobertFrostWasA_HACK: We are definitely missing something important here.

Zo: I'm sorry that we intruded, but we don't know how we connected to your network.

BoyNextDoor: Alva, these aren't your people?

DIVINER: Nope!

β: im checking things ill figure it out

Zo: Or we can just ask the nice people a few reasonable questions and open a dialogue.

BigMama: I don't know what sort of prank you're playing, but we don't have time for it.

MARSHAL Kotallo: I was about to say something very similar.

FlameHairSavior: Okay, I'm back, everything is dead.

ShennyShen: ????

FlameHairSavior: Who are you people, and how did we get connected to your network?

FlameHairSavior: You don't sound like Eclipse.

BigMama: This is the non-emergency group chat for the project leads assigned to Project Zero Dawn.

BigMama: I am Dr. Elizabet Sobeck, project head.

MARSHAL Kotallo: ...

HIMBO: HUH.

Zo: Um. Well.

BoyNextDoor: wbiufdb lhjasljbu

Zo: Yes, that summarizes my thoughts on the matter.

FlameHairSavior: All right, joke's over.

FlameHairSavior: Who are you and how the FUCK do you know that name.

Zo: Aloy! Beta's here!

β: i know curse words how old do you think i am

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: Fuck yeah, kid!

BigMama: Travis, NOT the time.

BigMama: If you people do not start explaining yourselves IMMEDIATELY, I am going to let Travis hack you back into the Stone Age.

FlameHairSavior: Beta, are these your people?

β: i dont think so the data doesnt look familiar

β: besides none of them have called us worms or scum or given us orders

BoyNextDoor: The person who may or may not be Elisabeth Sobeck gave us orders.

HIMBO: I THINK THAT'S MORE OF A DEMAND.

FlameHairSavior: Can you trace them back to wherever they're broadcasting from?

β: i can try

FlameHairSavior: Good. I'll pay them a visit.

DIVINER: Please don't kill them!

FlameHairSavior: I might not kill them.

BigMama: Okay, this has gone on long enough. GAIA, please execute standard intruder purge protocol.

FlameHairSavior: Wait, you know about GAIA?

BigMama: Of course I do. How do YOU know about GAIA?

BigMama: And how are you still here? She should have completed the purge by now.

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: Uh, Lis? I'm kiiiinda not getting any answer from GAIA or any of her subordinate functions.

Zo: Aloy, I'm in GAIA's chamber right now, and she's not answering.

ShennyShen: You're where?? I'm in the main AI core, and there's no one else here!

β: uh

β: so

β: i tried to trace the hacks and

β: things got weird

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: Yeah, I'm with the kid who or may not be too young to know fuck words.

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: If this is a hack, it's the weirdest one I've ever seen.

FlameHairSavior: I'm on my way back. What's wrong?

β: i cant find any trace of a hack

β: and the metadata says that theyre all texting from a thousand years ago

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: Yeah, that's pretty much the same on my end.

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: Except the new people are texting from a thousand years in the future.

HIMBO: WELL, SHIT.

HIMBO: I'M NOT DRUNK ENOUGH FOR THIS.

BoyNextDoor: All-Mother's eyes, hands, and soul.

HIMBO: I'VE GOT AN ALE WITH YOUR NAME ON IT DOWN HERE.

BigMama: Travis, what EXACTLY are you saying?

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: Time travel, boss. They're from the future.

DoctorKilljoy: This is fascinating on a thousand different levels.

RobertFrostWasA_HACK: And existentially terrifying on a thousand more.

DoctorKilljoy: Well, yes, there is some of that as well.

DrPBK: It means we succeeded, does it not? Humanity survived.

DIVINER: Weeeell...

ShennyShen: Oh god. You're aliens, aren't you?

HIMBO: WHAT? LIKE FROM ANOTHER CONTINENT?

MARSHAL Kotallo: Alva is the only one of us not from the local continent.

DIVINER: We really need to have that movie night because you are missing SO MUCH context!

DIVINER: Also I think Beta might technically be an alien?

BoyNextDoor: She's still locked in her loom and this isn't helping.

RobertFrostWasA_HACK: ...loom?

Zo: He uses autocorrect.

RobertFrostWasA_HACK: Ah.

DIVINER: But, uh...

DIVINER: Honored ancestors? (do you still count as ancestors when we haven't been born yet?)

PuppyParade: Speaking as an evolutionary biologist, yes.

PuppyParade: It makes discussion of inheritence easier.

PuppyParade: Though it usually doesn't involve time travel.

DIVINER: You all seem to be taking this rather well??

Kitty_StopCallingMeThatTravis: Speaking personally, there's only so much existential dread you can take before it just starts washing over you.

Captain_RobotKiller: I believe Elisabet might be having a panic attack in her office, though.

BoyNextDoor: Yeah, Beta has locked her door again.

Zo: And I suspect Aloy has gotten into another fight.

FlameHairSavior: Fighting is easier than talking.

Zo: PLEASE don't text and fight at the same time.

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: Ha! That sounds like something the boss would do.

HIMBO: LIKE MOTHER LIKE DAUGHTERS, I GUESS.

BigMama: ...I'm sorry, WHAT?

Zo: By all the songs, Erend...

HIMBO: OOPS.

ShennyShen: Elisabet has daughters??

BigMama: I certainly do not.

DrPBK: And if it has been a thousand years, I can't imagine any existing daughters would have survived. Even with some of the cutting-edge life-extension technology people have been talking about.

FlameHairSavior: Erend, I just ripped a cannon off a Thunderjaw, I'm going to come back and shoot you with it.

A.Larsen: ...I have questions.

HIMBO: YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DRAG THAT THING ALL THE WAY BACK HERE, ARE YOU?

MARSHAL Kotallo: I will help.

HIMBO: TRAITOR.

ShennyShen: Wait, does "flame hair" mean red hair?? Like Elisabet??

FlameHairSavior: Erend, have I ever thanked you for this stupid display name?

HIMBO: YOU PUNCHED ME FOR IT, IF THAT COUNTS.

BigMama: If it makes you feel better, I understand the sentiment.

BigMama: Travis hacked the network so I can't change my name back.

RobertFrostWasA_HACK: Oh good, you're bonding with your daughter!

BigMama: Tanaka, please don't.

β: am i the only one worried we dont know what kind of time travel rules were working with

β: we might delete ourselves from existence if we say too much

HIMBO: WE MIGHT WHAT.

DoctorKilljoy: I don't think anyone can call themselves an expert on this subject, but I expect if that was a real danger, it would have happened already.

HIMBO: NO REALLY, WHAT?

BoyNextDoor: I'm with Erend on this, what?

β: its probably fine

FlameHairSavior: If we can change things just by texting the past, I have a list.

MARSHAL Kotallo: An excellent point. Is someone here in charge of the HEPHAESTUS system?

ShennyShen: That's me!

MARSHAL Kotallo: Are there any weaknesses in the system you can tell us?

ShennyShen: wwwwhy would you need to know that?

β: there might have been a small

β: glitch

BoyNextDoor: I thought you said glitches were accidents.

ShennyShen: What's wrong with HEPHAESTUS??

FlameHairSavior: He wants to kill us.

ShennyShen: You specifically, or...

FlameHairSavior: Us specifically, and also everyone else, specifically.

DrPBK: Can we please go back to Elisabet having daughters?

ShennyShen: Can we please stick with what's wrong with HEPHAESTUS!

FlameHairSavior: They're all crazy.

ShennyShen: Who???

FlameHairSavior: The subfunctions.

BoyNextDoor: Wasn't MINERVA fine?

FlameHairSavior: Besides being suicidal? Perfectly fine.

Captain_RobotKiller: Wait, what?

DrPBK: Miss... Aloy, was it? And Beta?

FlameHairSavior: Yes?

β: what

DrPBK: Am I to understand that you are both the result of the Lightkeeper Protocol?

BigMama: Oh god.

FlameHairSavior: Sort of. It's complicated.

BigMama: I discontinued that protocol for a reason.

FlameHairSavior: Sorry to disappoint you with our existence.

BigMama: That's not...

BigMama: I didn't mean it like that.

FlameHairSavior: Okay.

DrPBK: Elisabet canceled the Lightkeeper Protocol because she did not agree with the idea of creating generations upon generations of human beings born with the express purpose of performing a specific task. She was worried about your own lives.

Zo: Oh dear.

BoyNextDoor: Ooh.

HIMBO: OUCH.

MARSHAL Kotallo: Now that is unfortunate.

Kitty_StopCallingMeThatTravis: THAT'S a worrying reaction.

FlameHairSavior: Long story give me a sec.

β: are you fighting again

FlameHairSavior: It's fine, just some bandits harrassing a caravan.

FlameHairSavior: There are only twenty or so.

BigMama: Wait, what? Are you attacking a group of twenty people?

FlameHairSavior: They're distracted, it's no big deal.

A.Larsen: Why are there bandits at all?

ShennyShen: And why did HEPHAESTUS go crazy?

HIMBO: DON'T WORRY ABOUT ALOY, SHE DOES THIS ALL THE TIME.

BigMama: She kills people all the time?

MARSHAL Kotallo: Well, yes. But I believe Erend was referring more to saving the caravan.

DIVINER: She saved my people from our insane leader who thought he was Ted Faro reborn! (no, that doesn't make sense in our religion, he was just crazy)

DoctorKilljoy: I have multiple questions?

Zo: She saved my people as well, though that was more of a religious crisis than a practical one.

β: didnt she kill your god

Zo: It was more of a mercy.

PuppyParade: I'm with Samina on the questions.

HIMBO: SHE SAVED MERIDIAN TWICE!

BoyNextDoor: Wait, twice?

HIMBO: YEAH, THERE WAS A WHOLE THING WITH DERVAHL AND MACHINE LURES AND ALL THAT SCRAP.

FlameHairSavior: That doesn't count as saving the city.

HIMBO: JUST BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T BUILD YOU A STATUE THAT TIME DOESN'T MEAN IT DOESN'T COUNT.

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: Of course they built a statue!

BigMama: Not helping, Travis.

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: I'm supposed to be helping?

BoyNextDoor: She saved the Sacred Lands at LEAST twice.

FlameHairSavior: I did not. I saved it exactly once, when the Eclipse attacked the second time.

BoyNextDoor: You drove them off the first time, too.

FlameHairSavior: I didn't "drive them off," they finished killing everyone and LEFT.

MARSHAL Kotallo: She saved my chief and restored the sacred Visions of my people.

DIVINER: Oh! And she saved Vegas!

FlameHairSavior: Vegas was not in actual danger, I refuse to take credit for that one.

DIVINER: You still saved it, though!!

ShennyShen: Is anyone going to explain what happened to HEPHAESTUS, or the Lightkeeper Protocol, or ANYTHING?

FlameHairSavior: Basically, GAIA needed an Alpha to open some doors, so she made one.

BoyNextDoor: That is vastly understating your own value and you know it.

Captain_RobotKiller: Why would GAIA need an Alpha? Why not use one of the new Alphas that took over in the new world?

Zo: That... wasn't an option.

Captain_RobotKiller: Why not?

HIMBO: SLAG WENT BAD.

A.Larsen: Expand on "bad."

MARSHAL Kotallo: Ted Faro is an affront to humanity and you should save yourselves a great deal of trouble by stabbing him in the heart.

A.Larsen: ...ah.

BigMama: Ted is under control.

BoyNextDoor: For now.

PuppyParade: I'm just worried that after a thousand years, people apparently STILL hate Faro. I mean, I hate him too, but I would assume it's all just history to you now.

MARSHAL Kotallo: Ted Faro is an affront to humanity and you should save ALL OF US a great deal of trouble by stabbing him in the heart.

PuppyParade: Ah.

HIMBO: ALOY REFUSED TO PISS ON HIS GRAVE.

PuppyParade: ...okay?

Zo: Maybe don't bring that up right now.

FlameHairSavior: Or ever, thanks.

Zo: Are you done with the bandits?

FlameHairSavior: Yeah, just have to talk to the caravan.

MARSHAL Kotallo: Are they Tenakth?

FlameHairSavior: Oseram escorting a Carja priest.

MARSHAL Kotallo: ...how have they possibly survived so long in the Clanlands?

FlameHairSavior: I've been listening to this guy for thirty seconds and I'm already wondering why his own guards haven't killed him yet.

DoctorKilljoy: Oh, are those new cultures? I'm curious to hear about how APOLLO influenced human development!

Zo: Samina Ebadji, I presume?

DoctorKilljoy: Yes, you know me? Did you like my introduction holo for APOLLO?

β: i did

β: it was nice

PuppyParade: How did the re-introduction of the stage two organisms go?

BoyNextDoor: That's the part where the new humans help GAIA rebuild the ecosystem, right?

PuppyParade: Part of it, yes.

BoyNextDoor: What's a puppy parade, anyway?

β: puppies are baby dogs

PuppyParade: ...why do you not know what puppies are

HIMBO: SLAG WENT BAD.

RobertFrostWasA_HACK: Dear God in Heaven, what exactly happened?

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: I've got the data.

ShennyShen: You what?

β: i sent him everything that might possibly be relevant

β: history politics that sort of thing

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: And I'm sending her everything on HEPHAESTUS, then anything else I can think of! Not sure how much it will help, but it can't hurt!

BigMama: Ah, I was wondering why you were being so quiet.

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: Silent and effective, that's me!

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: [MissionAccomplishedExplosion.gif]

FlameHairSavior: You're like Alva's skills with Erend's personality.

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: I'll take that as a compliment!

FlameHairSavior: You shouldn't.

DIVINER: Uh, should I take that as an insult?

FlameHairSavior: Of course not, you're fine.

HIMBO: THERE IS NO WAY THIS GUY IS ANYTHING LIKE ME.

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: ...why am I offended by that??

HIMBO: I'VE SEEN PICTURES. THERE'S NO WAY THIS GUY COULD EVEN LIFT A HAMMER, MUCH LESS HOLD HIS LIQUOR.

BoyNextDoor: Wait, you finally looked at GAIA's orientation packet?

HIMBO: I DID THAT AGES AGO. AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT THIS TATE GUY WOULD NEVER WIN A DRINKING CONTEST.

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: Oh buddy, oh pal.

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: How fall you have fallen. How much culture has been lost.

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: The point of a drinking contest isn't to WIN, it's to experience a drinking contest.

HIMBO: ...

HIMBO: ALL RIGHT, MAYBE THIS GUY'S NOT SO BAD.

BigMama: Oh good, you have the reincarnation of Travis Tate looking after you. That's... great.

FlameHairSavior: We're doing fine.

BigMama: Are you? You've mentioned multiple fights in the short time we've been talking.

FlameHairSavior: And I survived.

BigMama: Is that all you have to say?

FlameHairSavior: Yes.

Zo: Aloy, perhaps don't be so short with your mother?

FlameHairSavior: I don't think cloning counts.

β: its not like well ever meet her for real

Zo: A woman who shares your blood is worried for your well-being, that sounds like a mother to me.

DrPBK: Oh, certainly.

RobertFrostWasA_HACK: I have to agree.

ShennyShen: Yeah, that combo of competence and social anxiety had to come from Liz!

DoctorKilljoy: You know the more we tease her, the more she's going to deny it?

MARSHAL Kotallo: It seems you figured out Aloy quite quickly.

DoctorKilljoy: Actually, I was talking about Elisabet?

HIMBO: LIKE MOTHERS LIKE DAUGHTERS.

BigMama: You people are going to be the death of me.

β: thats in the data packet too

BigMama: ...right.

BigMama: So, Beta, was it? Is that a nickname of some sort?

β: no

BigMama: So you were literally named Beta.

β: yes

HIMBO: WAIT, I THOUGHT IT WAS SHORT FOR ELISABET.

BoyNextDoor: Same here.

β: its not

BigMama: And why, exactly, did GAIA see the need to create two clones, one LITERALLY named Beta?

β: she didnt

BigMama: What's that supposed to mean?

FlameHairSavior: Tilda is a bitch is what it means.

BigMama: Tilda is dead. I mean, she's dead NOW, her ship blew up. How is she relevant to your time period?

FlameHairSavior: Let me clear this up:

FlameHairSavior: Tilda IS a bitch.

BigMama: ...oh ffs.

A.Larsen: I always knew there was something fishy there.

BigMama: I never should have trusted them.

RobertFrostWasA_HACK: We can deal with it later, after we've looked through the data. We shouldn't waste any of this time with business, we should try to connect to our descendants.

Kitty_StopCallingMeThatTravis: Correct. We don't know how long this will last.

BigMama: I suppose.

ShennyShen: Wait, wait! Future people!

ShennyShen: What's the date on your end?

VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: Same as us!

Zo: Winter solstice, to be specific.

β: december 25

ShennyShen: So that means this is a Christmas miracle!

BoyNextDoor: I suppose there's no way to describe randomly connecting two groups over a thousand years as anything but a miracle.

BoyNextDoor: Though I'm curious what GAIA will think when we talk to her about this.

HIMBO: WHAT'S CHRISTMAS?

[FlameHairSavior], [Zo], [BoyNextDoor], [HIMBO], [MARSHAL Kotallo], [β], and [DIVINER] have left the group

This omake was more fun to write than it had any right to be. Clarity for anyone who hasn't bothered to memorize the list of Alphas (because only two or three of them are relevant): BigMama: Elisabet Sobeck (GAIA) A.Larsen: Anders Larsen (AETHER) DoctorKilljoy: Samina Ebadji (APOLLO) PuppyParade: Charles Ronson (ARTEMIS) RobertFrostWasA_HACK: Tanaka Naoto (DEMETER) DrPBK: Patrick Brochard-Klein (ELEUTHIA) VAST_SILVER_SLAYER69: Travis Tate (HADES) ShennyShen: Margo Shen (HEPHAESTUS) Captain_RobotKiller: Ayomide Okilo (MINERVA) Kitty_StopCallingMeThatTravis: Catalina Garcia (POSEIDON) Now guess which ones were named by Travis Tate.

A masterpost for all my #HZDBaseChat chapters. Also available on AO3.

GAIA set up a communications network for Aloy and her friends. Aloy had no idea what they were getting into. Or: I realized that a groupchat fic actually makes PERFECT SENSE in Forbidden West. Uploading this to Tumblr in celebration of Forbidden West being released on PC. There will be one chapter daily until they’re all up.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10

Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15

Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20

Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Chapter 23 | Chapter 24 | Chapter 25

Chapter 26 | Chapter 27 | Chapter 28 | Chapter 29 | Chapter 30

Chapter 31 | Chapter 32 | Chapter 33 | Chapter 34 | Chapter 35

Chapter 36 | Chapter 37 | Chapter 38 | Chapter 39 | Chapter 40

Chapter 41 | Chapter 42 | Chapter 43 | Chapter 44 | Chapter 45

Chapter 5 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

Aloy: Varl, Erend, you two ready to go?

Varl: Yeah, just shaving goodbye to Zo.

Erend: OH, HEY, I FOUND ANOTHER CLIP!

Erend: [FaroFails.mp9]

Aloy: Erend, are you READY?

Erend: YEAH YEAH, JUST WATCH THE CLIP!

Aloy: …

Aloy: Okay, fine, that's hilarious.

Kotallo: We would likely all find it funnier if we hadn't seen such machines rise from the ground to slaughter our friends and loved ones.

Erend: I DUNNO, I THINK THAT MIGHT MAKE IT BETTER.

Varl: I'm ready.

Aloy: Onward to ELEUTHIA, then.

----

Aloy: Zenith. Stay low, stay quiet.

Varl: Understood.

Erend: GOT IT.

Varl: All-Mother's mercy, Erend, learn how to type without speaking.

Zo: Wait, you ran into Far Zenith already? Get out of there!

Kotallo: They are in the middle of a mission, soldier. It is their duty to judge their next step, not ours.

Zo: Sigh. Fine.

Kotallo: ...there has to be a better way to convey emotions in a text.

----

Erend: SPECTERS COMING DOWN!

Aloy: We see them!

----

Varl: Coming up with an extra passenger!

Erend: WHAT? THERE'S ANOTHER SPECTER UP HERE!

Aloy: I'll deal with it! Varl, just keep her safe!

Zo: Keep who safe?

Kotallo: Did you capture a Zenith?

Erend: WHAT IN THE BROKEN PISSED-IN FORGE IS THAT?

Varl: I'd like to clarify for everyone that Erend is actually yelling now, and if he keeps doing it THIS SPECTER IS GOING TO KILL US.

Erend: SORRY, BUT

Erend: WHAT. I, JUST, WHAT.

Varl: Zo, get ready for medical treatment. She's got a wound in her head, if nothing else.

Zo: Understood. But who?

Varl: You're going to need to see this for yourself.

Aloy: Specter's down.

Varl: We're coming over.

----

Aloy: Zo, Kotallo, we talked it over. Varl and Erend are returning to base with... someone who needs help. I'll follow soon.

Kotallo: Understood, commander.

Zo: Understood. I have everything I need to heal most moderate injuries.

ADMIN [GAIA]: As long as she is not required to perform surgery, there should be no issues.

Zo: By all the songs, please never ask me to perform surgery.

ADMIN [GAIA]: Unfortunately, I cannot perform the task for you. You may have to learn.

Zo: I'll... look into it. But don't expect miracles.

ADMIN [GAIA]: I have records of many miracles my predecessor saw. Do not underestimate yourself.

Varl: Okay, we're riding.

Varl: Uh, GAIA?

ADMIN [GAIA]: Yes, Varl?

Varl: How do you define a miracle? Because I was always taught that a miracle was the direct intervention of the All-Mother. Who either doesn't exist, or is... you.

Aloy: She's not the All-Mother.

Zo: Aloy, I understand your position, but being dismissive of the beliefs of others helps no one.

Aloy: Scoff.

Aloy: We really need a better way to handle emotions in texts.

Kotallo: I am looking into something.

Varl: So, miracles? If you're the Goddess, then everything you do is a miracle. If you're not...

ADMIN [GAIA]: A miracle is an event that seems inexplicable by natural or scientific laws and is accordingly attributed to some supernatural of praeternatural cause. Various religions often attribute a phenomenon characterized as miraculous to the actions of a supernatural being, (especially) a deity, a magician, a miracle worker, a saint, or a religious leader.

Varl: Right. So a miracle is something from a god, or someone like that.

ADMIN [GAIA]: Correct. However, by the nature of the events in question, it is impossible to conclusively prove the existence of the supernatural. If sufficient proof is accrued, then it simply becomes another documented phenomenon of nature. In this way, a miracle is best summarized as an extremely unlikely, advantageous coincidence, one that statistically should not have happened, or at least not in quite such a fashion.

Erend: SO, WHAT, GOOD LUCK?

ADMIN [GAIA]: Several years ago, the second son of the Mad Sun-King, a young man who grew up with empathy and compassion despite the insanity and paranoia of his father, met a young woman with connections among some of the most powerful Oseram. Together, these two toppled a king. Was that good luck?

Erend: I KNOW IT WASN'T YOU. YOU WERE DEAD THEN.

ADMIN [GAIA]: Almost a year ago, a young woman found a door that was designed to open only for her, only for the door to fail to open because it could not identify her. And yet, she found a way to open that door anyway. Was that good luck?

Aloy: That's REALLY skipping a lot of context.

ADMIN [GAIA]: My predecessor trusted in a miracle, Varl of the Nora. There was no reasonable chance for the world to be saved; she could not even follow a chain of causality that would lead to such an event in the most unlikely of scenarios. But she trusted in a miracle anyway. And she was, in the end, correct.

Aloy: ...I'm heading back now. I'll be at the base soon after the boys arrive.

Chapter 3 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

Zo: GAIA, I had a question about the data we've been studying.

ADMIN [GAIA]: Of course. How may I help?

Zo: Where did it all come from? You told me that you don't have access to APOLLO or any other Old World archives. This seems like far more data than what Aloy could have found on a few scattered devices.

Zo: I scanned some devices around the base and only found a few lines in each.

ADMIN [GAIA]: Before the Faro Plague, even the most commonly available devices could store libraries worth of text and hundreds of hours of high-resolution video. While most people rarely filled their devices to capacity, they would often be filled with many incidental articles and video clips related to their favorite topics. Time and inevitable data corruption rendered many of those files difficult or impossible to read; however, the last file the device accessed has minimal corruption and is most intact. With time, your Focus can restore many corrupted files, and I can accelerate this process. The restored files are then placed in an archive.

Erend: I WAS WONDERING HOW ALOY FOUND SO MUCH OF THIS CONCRETE BEACH PARTY STUFF.

ADMIN [GAIA]: Yes, she found several devices with many hours of their music. The redundancy is also why I was able to ensure the final archive versions were of such high quality.

Erend: NO COMPLAINTS HERE!

Varl: Many complaints here.

Zo: I suppose that explains why so much of the data is entertainment and history, rather than more directly useful information, such as farming.

Erend: I FOUND STUFF ON HOW THOSE FARO MACHINES WERE BUILT. I MEAN, I KNOW IT'S IMPORTANT, THESE WERE THE THINGS THAT WERE ENDING THE WORLD, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF TECHNICAL SPECS IN THERE. HARDER TO READ THAN THE CRAZIEST TINKER'S BLUEPRINT. AND I'VE SEEN SOME CRAZY TINKERS.

Erend: WHAT, DID ALOY JUST FIND SOME TINKER'S JOURNAL SOMEWHERE AND DOWNLOAD ALL HIS DATA?

ADMIN [GAIA]: That is not impossible. However, I do not believe I have properly impressed upon you how easy it was to access information. Once the threat of the Faro Plague became clear, all information on their design, weaknesses, and specifications was available for public perusal, and anyone could choose to download such information from the global data net at a moment's thought. Many of the devices Aloy scanned had gigabytes of data on the Faro Plague.

Erend: GIGA WHAT?

Zo: It's a measure of information. It should have been in one of the first files GAIA gave you, the terminology file.

Erend: UH, I SKIMMED THAT.

Zo: Sigh.

Varl: Did you just typed sigh?

Zo: It's difficult to convey tone and expression in a text.

Varl: I think the Old Ones must have had some way, considering how much they texted. I'll loom into it.

Erend: SO WHAT'S A GIGABYTE? LIKE, HOW MUCH DATA IS IT?

Aloy: A byte is eight bits, or the amount of data required to encode a single character of text. It's basically the smallest measurable amount of data.

Varl: Aloy? You were listening? Or reading?

Aloy: I have a minute. I can text while I ride.

Zo: That doesn't seem safe.

Erend: OKAY, OKAY, BYTE IS ONE LETTER, GOT IT. SO WHAT'S A GIGABYTE?

Aloy: Ten to the ninth power bytes.

Varl: What?

Zo: I don't understand either.

Erend: OH, MATH. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN IT WOULD BE MATH.

Erend: SO IT'S A STUPIDLY BIG NUMBER. BUT, I MEAN... HOW MANY BOOKS IS THAT?

Aloy: One gigabyte of pure text is probably more books than you could read in a lifetime.

Erend: SO, WHAT, THREE?

Aloy: I'm glad I took time out of my busy day to explain this to you.

Erend: I AIM TO PLEASE!

Chapter 13 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

HIMBO: Aloy, did you ever meet up with Talanah again?

Zo: Where did this come from?

HIMBO: Kotallo and I were talking about Carja in the Clan Lands. I assumed they'd be killed on sight, but he says they're not.

Marshall Kotallo: They are hardly welcomed, but as long as they do not cause trouble, most outsiders are allowed to walk free.

FlameHairSavior: Her life would still be easier if she stopped wearing her Carja armor.

Marshall Kotallo: Tenakth armor is complex, and her lack of tattoos would give her away.

FlameHairSavior: She doesn't have to dress like a Tenakth, but even Oseram armor would be better.

FlameHairSavior: Anyway, the thing with Talanah got a little... tricky.

FlameHairSavior: Turns out she was looking for an old love, who was looking for HIS old love.

FlameHairSavior: She was supposed to be dead, but wasn't.

ForgeLordAleMaster: WAIT, TALANAH FAKED HER DEATH?

FlameHairSavior: What? No, the other woman was supposed to be dead.

Marshall Kotallo: Did your friend kill her? Perhaps change her mind at the last moment and send her into exile instead?

Zo: That idea seems to have come to you far too quickly.

Marshall Kotallo: [ShiftyEyes.png]

Marshall Kotallo: I will admit, not all Tenakth stories are about hunting and besting your foes in combat. Sometimes there is romance.

Marshall Kotallo: Usually involving fighting machines together.

HIMBO: Huh. Kotallo, remind me to show you these “romance books” I found. I think you might like them.

Zo: They're the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen.

ForgeLordAleMaster: [ForumWeaponLiteralSubjectChange.png]

ForgeLordAleMaster: WHY DID THIS WOMAN FAKE HER DEATH, ALOY?

FlameHairSavior: She didn't, she was pretending to be a man, and was serving in the Carja army. She was thought killed in an attack.

Marshall Kotallo: Why you people would cut off half of your population from serving in the military, I will never understand.

HIMBO: None of us are Carja.

Marshall Kotallo: Fair point.

FlameHairSavior: Anyway, she got captured, Fashav offered her a place as a soldier, she took it. She's been serving ever since.

FlameHairSavior:Then her fortress got captured and she got thrown into the prison.

HIMBO:But you cut through the enemy like dry grass, overthrowing an impregnable fortress by yourself.

ForgeLordAleMaster: AGAIN.

FlameHairSavior:  I had help! Talanah and her... whatever he is were there.

Zo: So Talanah's old love found his old love alive. Did they reignite their relationship? I am hardly an expert in Carja customs. What would be considered the right move in this situation?

FlameHairSavior: I have no idea what the Carja would normally do. The woman insisted she's Tenakth now and the Carja is dead. Talanah isn't sure how she feels about her old love any more. She's big on loyalty, so she might take him back, but I'm just not sure.

Marshall Kotallo: Varl, how would those romance books you found handle this?

HIMBO: I think about half wool have the protagonist pick the mysterious wandering heroine who arrived to help in the hour of greatest need.

ForgeLordAleMaster: HA!

Marshall Kotallo: And the other half?

HIMBO: The protagonist picks all of them. Everybody is happy.

ForgeLordAleMaster: ...DOES THAT WORK?

Zo: NO.

Marshall Kotallo: Sometimes.

ForgeLordAleMaster: HA!

β: im glad i dont have to worry about any of that

β: romance is weird and complicated and stupid

Zo: Don't be so sure.

Zo: Based on what I've read about your mother and observed about your sister, once you start going outside approximately ninety percent of the people you meet will fall in love with you.

Zo: I believe the term is “you'll have to beat them off with a stick.”

β: definitely never going outside then

FlameHairSavior: [ForumWeaponDisapprovalEye.png]

FlameHairSavior: Thanks, Zo.

Zo: ...oops.

Chapter 14 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

Zo: Aloy, is everything all right? You rushed out pretty fast.

FlameHairSavior: Oh, just more problems to fix. Turns out that even though we have the other subfunctions, we can't actually get HEPHAESTUS, because it deleted the Alpha Override from its code! Which I didn't even know was a thing that could happen!

β: iut likely

β: it was likely only possible due to both its programming knowledge and its distributed nature over the entire caldron network

β: calkdron

β: cauldron

Zo: I actually already knew that. Beta and I discussed this.

FlameHairSavior: So now I have to go find the Omega Override, which hopefully is in Faro's bunker, which hopefully is in San Francisco after all, which hopefully the Quen can help me get inside.

Marshall Kotallo: The Quen are the invaders from across the sea, correct?

FlameHairSavior: Yes. They use primitive Focuses, about twenty years out of date. I only met the one who didn't try to kill me, but she seemed nice. I think she'll help me get what I need.

FlameHairSavior: Also, she might think I'm a goddess, or something.

β: what

FlameHairSavior: It's a long story, and has to do with the Quen religion, which I don't understand.

Zo: How long will it take you to get to San Francisco?

FlameHairSavior: I have no idea. Probably a while.

Zo: Then you probably have time to explain why you think she thinks you're a goddess.

FlameHairSavior: [Exasperation.png]

Zo: And I'll keep Erend from making any jokes.

FlameHairSavior: Deal!

ForgeLordAleMaster: HEY!

FlameHairSavior: Too late, no take backs!

ForgeLordAleMaster: I DIDN'T GIVE YOU ANYTHING TO TAKE BACK!

ForgeLordAleMaster: WHAT WOULD I EVEN MAKE JOKES ABOUT, ANYWAY?

HIMBO: Probably about how this is the second religion that's declared her some sort of holy person.

ForgeLordAleMaster: THAT'S SOME LOW-HANGING FRUIT.

FlameHairSavior: I don't know the full details, but apparently Alva recognized me as Elizabet Sobeck. Thankfully, she seemed to realize that I wasn't actually Sobeck, but she played it up for the soldiers.

β: why would that even matter

FlameHairSavior: Seems like they worship the Old Ones. Or something. I don't know. It reminds me of the Nora revering the Matriarchs, except they're dead.

FlameHairSavior: She talked about the “Ancestors” and “the Legacy” a lot.

HIMBO: Are you sure you should trust them at all? Didn't you say the first Quen you met shot on sight?

Marshall Kotallo: There has certainly been no formal attempt at contact with the Tenakth. As far as I know, no soldier has survived contact.

ForgeLordAleMaster: SURPRISED YOU'D ADMIT THAT.

Marshall Kotallo: Downplaying a threat does no good to anyone.

ForgeLordAleMaster: TELL THAT TO AN OSERAM.

Marshall Kotallo: I... believe I just did?

HIMBO: So, Aloy, what's Alva like?

FlameHairSavior: Inquisitive. Better with a bow than I expected. I think you'll like her.

ForgeLordAleMaster: AND YOU'RE GOING OUT THERE TO SOLVE ALL HER PROBLEMS AND BECOME HERO TO YET ANOTHER PEOPLE.

FlameHairSavior: What? No!

FlameHairSavior: I mean, she already got what she needed. Mostly, I think.

HIMBO: Was it because of you?

FlameHairSavior: I mean, I just helped translate a few files for her.

β: is this the part where we make bets i think im supposed to suggest a bet

FlameHairSavior: No.

ForgeLordAleMaster: YES!

β: then i bet all my shards that shes in love with aloy before the end of the mission

Marshall Kotallo: Hm, seems you have some fire in you after all. Very well, I'll take that bet.

FlameHairSavior: No! You're not allowed to bet on that sort of thing!

ForgeLordAleMaster: PRETTY SURE WE'RE ALLOWED TO BET ON ANYTHING.

ForgeLordAleMaster: I SHOWED YOU THE SPORTS, RIGHT? THE OLD ONES BET ON ALL SORTS OF STUPID SLAG.

FlameHairSavior: Beta, where did you even get money?

β: erend taught me to play machine strike

β: he is not very good

ForgeLordAleMaster: I LET HER WIN A FEW ROUNDS SO THAT I DIDN'T SCARE HER OFF.

β: no youre just not very good

ForgeLordAleMaster: DON'T YOU HAVE A GAIA BOX TO BUILD OR SOMETHING?

HIMBO: Erend, I never thought I'd say this, but I think you need an ale.

FlameHairSavior: This is going to be a long trip.

Chapter 6 | Prev chapter | Next chapter Chapter Index

[Varl] has added [Beta] to the group

[Beta] has changed their name to [β]

Erend: WAIT, WE CAN CHANGE OUR NAMES?

β: standard function on nearly all text communication systems for over a hundred years

β: persmissions vary

β: permissions

β: sometimes only the admin can change names sometimes anyone can change names sometimes only you can change your name

[Erend] has changed their name to [ForgeLordAleMaster]

Aloy: Oh no.

[ForgeLordAleMaster] has changed [Aloy]'s name to [FlameHairSavior]

FlameHairSavior: Ohhhh no.

[Kotallo] has changed their name to [Marhsall Kotallo]

Marhsall Kotallo: I believe this is the intended purpose of this function.

Zo: Are you sure? You might want to look closer.

Marhsall Kotallo: What?

Marhsall Kotallo: Oh.

[Marhsall Kotallo] has changed their name to [Marshall Kotallo]

ForgeLordAleMaster: WAIT NO, I GOT A GOOD ONE.

[ForgeLordAleMaster] has changed [Zo]'s name to [GranolaGirl]

GranolaGirl: I... do not believe I get the joke? Is this because I had granola for breakfast last week?

ForgeLordAleMaster: I FOUND A CLIP CALLING A GIRL LIKE YOU A GRANOLA GIRL.

GranolaGirl: And what exactly is a "girl like me?"

ForgeLordAleMaster: UH...

[ForgeLordAleMaster] changed [Varl]'s name to [HIMBO]

HIMBO: I don't get it.

FlameHairSavior: It's an insult.

ForgeLordAleMaster: IT'S A COMPLIMENT!

FlameHairSavior: It's an insult hiding behind a compliment.

FlameHairSavior: Not even an accurate insult, really. It probably applies to Erend more than you.

ForgeLordAleMaster: THANKS!

β: we are all going to die i shouldnt have come here theyre going to find me and take me and none of you can stop them

ForgeLordAleMaster: I'LL BET YOU'RE GREAT AT PARTIES.

β: your sarcasm is noted and not appreciated

HIMBO: I think it's a family trait. Aloy ran away from the party after the Battle of the Alight, and I've read some things that make me think Elisabet Sobeck was the same way.

β: cloning is not family it is a desperate and flawed attempt to recreate a genius with no guarantee of success

ForgeLordAleMaster: I'M GETTING YOU AN ALE.

FlameHairSavior: No.

GranolaGirl: No, she's a patient, she's still recovering!

ForgeLordAleMaster: ALE IS GREAT FOR RECOVERY!