Protection Bubble

Story so far

The parlay on the Plains of Larracos takes place inside strange shield bubbles that separate the negotiating parties from everyone outside. Carl discovers the no-chat-in-the-bubble rule applies even between him and Princess Donut, forcing him to whisper his instruction to let him do the talking. The game interface also fails inside — though Carl's non-game implants keep working, letting him pull up the third menu with the 3D solar-system map and its red overlay of The AI's sphere.

The adjutants Baroness Victory and Judge Deng Bao teleport out and reappear just beyond the bubbles, close enough to see but too far to hear or read the tablet they are watching. The bubble pops off the moment negotiations end, and dozens of missed messages immediately flood Carl's feed — including Zev's confirmation that Princess Formidable cannot be caught in time.

Appearance

Translucent shield domes enclosing each party, distorting sound and view but not sight.

Role

Parlay containment field that blackouts chat and the game interface during the meeting with Rust.

Relationships