i am the oncoming storm

[autokinetic]

There are three Bells in Milliways.

They want a fourth. A fifth. A sixth. A seventh.

And then Downside is going down.

Comments

[luminous_regnant]

"I don't believe you ever described how you plan to handle duplication as distinct from Juliet's sort of problem."

[mind_game]

I don't see why not!

[poeticterms]

Jarvis is pleased!

[ending_of]

"Duplication occurs when someone is successfully resurrected without being removed from the queue. There are no extant cases now that you've merged yours. In the future, if someone is resurrected before processing, the unconscious version in the queue can be automatically merged into the resurrected version without any problems; if someone is resurrected after processing, the version retrieved can be the version that is here, and they can choose whether or not to return. Anyone who has died to this afterlife can choose to return after leaving it."

[cross_and_bow]

"Very tidy. I'm going to visit all the known Sunshinelike worlds and render vampirism non-infectious, first thing, for that part of the business," mutters Juliet.

[ending_of]

She smiles slightly. Tidy is good.

[luminous_regnant]

"Are we going to be able to get in touch with you in some more civilized manner if we need to add another world? If half of us weren't hooked up to start with I'm sure many of the people we meet in Milliways aren't."

[autokinetic]

"We could put you on the brainphone network. We shouldn't depend on Sue full-time."

[ending_of]

After a moment's hesitation, she puts herself on the brainphone network.

[mind_game]

[Testing testing! Okay, I can relay as necessary,] says Jane merrily.

[self_composed]

"If we don't want to rely on Sue full-time, can we work out something like a portable, wearable half-ansible so that Jane can aim into worlds we visit?"

[toblameforit]

Sure, says Tony. Gimme a minute.

[autokinetic]

Don't compromise function for it, but it should be something that doesn't look, you know, un-Empressly, or anything.

[mind_game]

Jane eats up some ansible theory from her homeworld's nets and muses on the subject for a split second. If it only has to be half the ansible I bet you could do it with a jewel-looking thing. Corundum.

[toblameforit]

You guys are already pretty well supplied with crowns. How about other jewelry? Rings, bracelets, pins, earrings?

That kind of thing isn't exactly his forte. He thinks about it for a while, and then designs (with Jane's help) something that combines microphone, speaker, camera, and half-ansible into a small jewel that you can wear as any of the above, or like a single earbud. (He does do ergonomics. The earpiece type is as comfortable as you could ask for.)

Now, who wants one? And where should their other halves hook up to? The Downside installation and the Milliways one both have room.

[self_composed]

All the Bells conjure one. Stella's is blue, and her crown's already full of star sapphires; she just swaps it out for one of the ones in her crown.

[autokinetic]

Aegis goes with orange and puts it in her ear.

[luminous_regnant]

Golden puts a clear colorless one on a gold necklace chain.

[jovahs_heiress]

Angela swaps out a gem on one of her Eyrie bracelets.

[dark_light]

Amariah goes with a bracelet, too, though hers is made from scratch and the gem is green.

[cross_and_bow]

Juliet picks a necklace, with the gem one of a string of them in her signature indigo.

Pattern does an earpiece in cornflower blue.

[she_sells_seashells]

And Shell Bell's is dark blue and worn as a ring.

[mind_game]

Jane puts the matching halves in the Belltower installation.

[pythbox]

Pretty, comments Sue.

[ending_of]

"While you're here," says the administrator, "would anyone for whom this is not already the case like to be awarded the torching mechanic with all their current magic permanently included?"