FS: An Iterator exploded recently.

OP: By the void! Are they okay?

SOTH: “Are they okay?” Pillars, they exploded.

OP: Oh my bad, I guess I’ll just let them die.

FD: exploded? how does that happen?

FS: As far as I know, they tried something stupid and their heatsink arrays couldn’t handle it. Took out half their legs and they collapsed down a mountainside. They seem to be extensively damaged and mostly incapacitated, if not dead.

SOTH: Sounds like a terrible ski trip.

OP: Hills! Do you have no sympathy? This poor iterator is in critical condition!

FD: whats their name?

FS: Wandering Mind, I believe

SOTH: Sounds familiar.

FS: Yes, I used to work with him on some SkyRail maintenance protocols. That must have been well before the mass ascension, though.

OP: How is his local group faring? Are they okay?

FS: I don’t think so. I don’t blame them, it must be tough to see a friend collapse.

FD: should we contact them? 

OP: Probably.

FS: Probably not.

OP: I heard the news - I’m so sorry. Are you guys doing alright?

FD: Pillars and I just wanted to check in and make sure everyone is handling it well.

FM: Oh… I was just about to contact you, actually.

OP: Interesting. Why is that?

FM: Well, our end of the SkyRail’s gone out of commission. Supervisor status doesn’t let us reach far past the group boundaries.

FD: Oh, I can get Frantic Searcher to help. Should I add him to the group? 

FM: I mean, I doubt much can help at this rate…

SC: Any help is welcome, though.

OP: Okay, I’ll tell Searcher about that. Anything else we can do to help? All doing well?

FM: Well, I… uh…

SS: The local MIROS vulture population is going haywire, as well. Do you have anything for that?

FD: That also sounds like a Searcher problem.

OP: True…

SC: We really need this guy, huh? Man, this is embarrassing…

FD: yup… anyways cya guys later have a good day :thumbsup:

FM: …

OP: Look at us being all proactive and helpful.

FD: i know! we did such a good job man we are so good at talking to people

OP: You even used proper grammar!

FD: a brief insight into my immeasurable genius. the power in my mind is simply incomprehensible

OP: Okay, okay. Enough joking around. We have a lot of work for Searcher to do, so we should probably be helpful with that too.

FD: true. he wont be very happy about that

OP: Yeah

…

OP: I wonder what’s going to happen when we die.

FD: calm down miss existential

OP: We can’t live forever, right? At some point our systems decay beyond repair and we just wither away?

FD: i guess

OP: I don’t look forward to that.

FD: shocker

FD: at least we’re doing well for now

OP: Yeah. We’ll be just fine. 

FS: That is so much work. Do you know how hard it is to transport MIROS vultures that far? 

OP: Come on, it’s not that bad. They’re right near the end of the bridge! Easy peasy.

FS: They said that they couldn’t do maintenance too far from their own group, so I need to cover the entire 5000 kilometer bridge. It crosses one of the biggest oceans on the planet. It’s not that easy.

FD: what if i asked you reeaaaallly nicely

OP: Searcher, their senior died.

…

FS: Fine.

FD: yippee!!!!

FS: Only because I’m bored.

OP: I count this as a win.

FD: sounds good to me

FD: wait searcher didnt you say you used to work with wandering mind? what on?

FS: Wandering Mind worked a lot with the MITOS company, which was a subsidiary of MIROS that focused on transport. I know he focused on space a lot but we occasionally collaborated on SkyRail things. That was a long time ago, but I’ll have to start digging up old files now.

FD: ough that sounds pretty rough

FS: It was fun.

Delivery received!

Contents: MIROS vultures (two fleets of eight), MIROS vulture attachments (enough for sixteen), MIROS birds (squadron of four), MIROS bird attachments (enough for four), MIROS-grade biometal catalyst (two-count), B-grade conductive biometal catalyst (one-count), A-grade conductive biometal catalyst (one-count), A-grade non-conductive biometal catalyst (one-count)...

Delivered via: SkyRail Official Cargo-Rated Locomotive

Distance Travelled: 5203 kilometers

SELECT MEMORY ARRAY

Can I not use the usual access system? This is archaic. 

SELECT MEMORY ARRAY

Select “MITOS”

[SECTION QC: MITOS] SELECTED

Select.

SELECT MEMORY ARRAY

“MITOS”

[UNKNOWN COMMAND]

SELECT MEMORY ARRAY

“MITOS”!

[SECTION QC: MITOS] SELECTED

SELECT FOLDER

… “SkyRail Maintenance?”

[FOLDER NOT FOUND]

SELECT FOLDER

Why are you like this? Search for keyword “Sky-

[FOLDER 329244: SKYRAIL MAINTENANCE] SELECTED

OPEN FOLDER? Y/N

Open folder…

[UNKNOWN COMMAND]

SELECT MEMORY ARRAY

WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME

[[!!COMMAND PANEL NOT RECOGNISED!!]]

RECONFIGURE? Y/N

Yes. Yes, just let me into the f[///]cking files.

DELETE [FILE: SKYRAIL MAGNETISM REGULATOR MAINTENANCE]? Y/N

NO

[FILE DELETED]

WHY

I’ve done a bit of digging through my memory pearl storage arrays, and I think I’ve spoken to Wandering Mind before. Let me quickly get the chatlog up...

------------------------------//------------------------------

939.328 - [LIVE BROADCAST]

PUBLIC GROUP WESTERN HORIZONS

FD: what have you been up to

WM: F[///]ckin… genetics.

AOTP: we were just discussing.. that.

AOTP: a strange mutagenic anomaly.

FD: genetics… what a new and untouched field of study

OS: Yeah we’re f[///]cked up.

FS: Indeed.

AOTP: I wouldn’t say it is THAT untouched

FD: REALLY!

RUST: Touch wormgrass Amnesty

FD: I am shocked

WM: Congrats, here’s your sarcasm certificate of mastery.

FD: YES

OS: Congratulations, you’ve officially near-gaslit someone.

FD: oh this is great ill keep this one logged

AOTP: frame it if you can.

FD: i will ill keep it in a pearl

------------------------------//------------------------------

Isn’t that interesting? What a small world we live in.

SC: Hey, Frantic Searcher?

FS: Yes?

SC: Group’s come to a decision… we can’t keep this up for much longer.

SC: I’m calling it off.

FS: …

FS: Did we not dedicate at least 12 whole years to this project?

SC: We did. Probably more. Just… think about the long term.

SC: Let me ask you this: Are you willing to bear this extra workload for the foreseeable future? I really don’t think it’s worth it anymore.

SC: We just want to save all of us the trouble.

FS: I can continue to keep my  portion up for some time, but I won’t be able to assist with yours. It’s simply too difficult to do regular maintenance so far away.

FS: For the foreseeable future I will need the intercontinental bridge for supplies, but it will inevitably fall into disarray without our joint efforts.

SC: I mean, Fragment's saying the mag-levs can still make it through damaged sections just fine… Even after the fact.

FS: I will support their functioning for as long as I can.

SC: Thank you. Just to confirm, though, you're not under any obligations anymore. 

FS: Understood.