Audacious

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

So, uh, you get all that? I'm only running 50%.

@Legend

I’m definitely trying, at least. Pen and paper wasn’t in my travel bag.

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Etcetera>

You could've told me to get something to write with in the last section.

@Legend

<Snipped quote by Legend>

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

Okay, get ready to write this down. PaMDA is based on a proxy system, and you're standing at one of its many relay stations. Well, it's also a nondeterministic Turing Machine based off of universal intermediate hypercalculations and—
*Waves my hand*
That's not the point. We guard our universe behind practically uncountable layers, made up of the paths surrounding our home. Then we project from there to one of just as many proxies, which send information to other proxies.
*Projects a sphere surrounded by a series of dots forming rings, themselves followed by a ring of smaller points interconnected in ever-shifting, random configurations*
This system injects so much noise, it's practically impossible to trace your way back to our home. And even if you manage to pull it off, our universe will have been shuffled with one of its paths, making it even harder to find the real one. Once you have that background down, hit continue.

@Etcetera

*Stays quiet with my gaze fixated on the projection*

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

*Shakes my head*
No, I want someone else to be here. I'm going to miss something.

@Legend

*Nods and waits silently*

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

*A handshake occurs between the devices and my image materializes as a hologram above the metal*
Hey, Isis. If you're watching this video, it means something has gone well and truly wrong. And for some reason, I'm not able to get in touch with you to tell you what it is. Sorry about that. But you need to know what's going to happen next. So make sure you're in an isolated place, make sure no one could be eavesdropping, and press continue.

@Etcetera

<Snipped quote by Etcetera>

*Grimaces*
Well, this seems good enough.

@Legend

Should I step away?

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

Ohh, that makes sense—
*Once the equipment is exposed, my phone starts beeping intensely*

@Legend

*My eyebrows raise*
That do something??

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

So you draw a place and then drill out the land to fit what you drew?

@Legend

For cartographic expeditions specifically? I don’t manipulate the landscape usually at all, unless I go somewhere where antiques might be resting underground. I mostly find it easy to draw out landscapes over a massive area just by feeling it.

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

Oh, perfect! I didn't know you had drilling skills.

@Legend

*Smiles*
My ability makes me very good at working with landscapes and stuff. Big reason why I decided to pursue cartography. I practically have a cheat code for it, along with digging things up.

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

*Zooms over next to you*
Hey hey, what're you doing?

@Legend

There’s stuff down there. I’d wager your dad’s, barring truly spectacular odds.

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

*The asteroid has noticeable equipment buried several meters deep on the side closest to the planet itself*

@Legend

Hey, this might be something.
*Leaps with extremely light bounds toward the part of the ground above where they lie, watching as the ground itself that buries the equipment is rapidly evaporating and ejecting as gas particles off into the void of space*

Myriad Reality

<Snipped quote by Audacious>

Gooooood question...
*Starts hitting menus on my device*
Dad with his dumb, custom...
*Trails off mumbling, trying to find an option somewhere*

@Legend

*Closes my eyes and focuses my attention on my acute particle awareness, trying to feel if the asteroid we stand on is hollow anywhere, particularly in any unnatural way*