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

[toblameforit]

Tony gets it all through his mind in the blink of an eye, and designs her an ansible installation to hook directly into Jovah's processing centers.

Also, holy shit, is her planet's god really a dumb AI? That is terrifying and he hopes Jane eats it.

[jovahs_heiress]

I have it under control, now, but she's welcome to it. Angela conjures the hardware, and hooks it up.

[mind_game]

Snackable, says Jane. She projects her face onto one of the screens. "Hi! Ready to go?"

[jovahs_heiress]

"All set."

[she_sells_seashells]

Now they are six.

Shell Bell tries the door, tries to tell the coin to wish for its own home, the origin of minting...

[pythbox]

...and it opens on Stella's moon palace.

[self_composed]

And there's Stella.

"Shell Bell! How'd you get here?"

[she_sells_seashells]

Shell Bell beams. "Let's see if Sue can explain it the quick way."

[self_composed]

"Sue? The tiny Whistle is back?"

[pythbox]

He taps Stella.

[self_composed]

Her power is like Golden's, but friendlier. It assesses him and lets him by.

Ooh, says Bella. Spiffy. All right, I'll just give Jane a server room here, then, shall I?

[mind_game]

Jane talks her through, and she eats up another Internet in short order, and Stella walks into Milliways to join the peal of Bells.

[self_composed]

[Gonna go wreck Downside with the whole gang,] Stella adds to Alice, Lazarus, and Libby before she goes.

[prima_sequentem]

[Have fun!]

[edgeofyourseat]

[Love you!]

[pythbox]

"All right," says Sue. "So does anybody here have an actual plan?"

[self_composed]

Everyone

[autokinetic]

looks

[luminous_regnant]

straight

[dark_light]

at

[cross_and_bow]

Shell

[jovahs_heiress]

Bell.

[arenaria]

"Yeah," says Shell Bell, expression set. "Yeah. I do."

[pythbox]

"You wanna share that shit with the class?"

[arenaria]

"It was designed to work with as few as four of us, so with seven, I'll stay solo hanging out here in case something goes wrong, and the rest of you can pair off. One pair to scope out Upside because we don't know anything about it. Angela will stand out least there, I think, she's been historically harmless by their standards. Someone should visit some of the Downsiders for advice on how to present the takeover to the residents, and also make the wishes we know need making - nix torturer's control, first of all. Both of those groups should also install eyes-for-Jane as they go so she can reach in. And someone should go - cloaked as all get out - and spy on the administration."