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rp_help) wrote in janitorscloset2015-12-29 12:13 am
[Event] Introduction to the Nexus / MoI crash
Within the fabric of the multiverse the differing possibilities of each branch are woven, overlapping but separate, converging and looping at times, but often wriggling apart by ever-increasing degrees until the substance of it is thick with possibilities. This fabric is five-dimensional, not recognizable in its true form to the beings that are forced to live within the constraints of linear time and three-dimensional space. Unknown to those who live out the events contained within it, the sense of it is only kept by the special properties of the interactions between universes—it would seem that each universe is independent, but the nature of this fabric is such that certain events—convergence events—tie each universe together in an indelible way.
This is not to say that these convergence events all take place in the same way in each universe. But there are key threads that cannot be unraveled from their neighbors, and though the players in a scene may not all be the same in each universe, the moments contained in these convergence points are so tightly woven that in some ways they may be indistinguishable from their neighbors.
II.
An indelible part of those universes where Project Freelancer came to be is the fact that the Project could not succeed. It was based on flawed theories, illegal activities, biased science, no matter which lifetime this particular founder of the Project was living out. And so its failure, or more specifically that moment where its impending failure came to a head, became a convergence event. Like a network of strong magnets, the turning point brought the multiverse together in an intimately linked way. For this reason, when in one universe the ship Mother of Invention fired upon itself and began its descent into the atmosphere of the nearby planet, it sent shockwaves of destiny through the multiverse, bringing each doom destined for Project Freelancer into clear focus.
Much of the technology in the Project's facilities, both on the ship and the planet itself, were experimental. Dimension-hopping was one of the unsanctioned activities taking place under the Project's purview, though it was intended for fast travel through space within the same universe rather than through the multiverse itself. This didn't change the fact that once again, the Project was messing around with things that weren't entirely understood. The emotional states of the users of the dimensional portals had a huge effect on them—and the person effecting the portal didn't necessarily have to be actively using it, either. This wasn't known or considered when the Project moved one of its portals from its planet-side facility to the labs on the ship.
III.
And so it was that the combined anger, fear, and desperation of the occupants of the ship at the time it crashed reprogrammed the portal in the ship's belly, and in turn created havoc in the transporter nexus that resided on the planet. Like an arc of electricity sparking from a Tesla coil, the wave of reprogramming touched every portal in the nexus. Every portal would now lead to the Mother of Invention in the aftermath of the crash. Worse than this, it caused the portals in the nexus to draw in users from other parts of the multiverse. They would enter the nexus unknowingly, simply hearing a ringing like crystal and finding themselves within it. Attempting to leave would simply send them to the Mother of Invention at a most dangerous time.
IV.
Timeline of events:
• Day 1: Residents of other times and places will find themselves on the planet containing Freelancer facilities in the teleporter nexus. Everyone who comes to the nexus will find that their cell phone, 2-way radio, comm device, or helmet radio can be used to communicate with anyone else who has arrived in the nexus at any point. Attempting to leave the nexus via any portal will lead to the crash site of the Mother of Invention. Recovery agents and guards will be evident all around the grounds, but things are chaotic. It will be impossible to locate the end portal the character arrived through to return to the nexus.
• Days 2-5: Things are calming down at the site, but time itself will seem to be undergoing an echo effect—recovery agents and guards will still be on patrol, but as time goes by they will seem to be in several places at once and though they may spot characters who arrive, they will be unable to apprehend them. The end portals that lead back to the nexus will be intermittently visible, but in a shivery way that will make it difficult to use them to return. When one manages to return to the nexus, they will find that they're unable to reprogram the teleporters. Teleporters now lead to various locations, however, rather than just the ship crash site—they also lead to various bases inhabited by simulation troops. Like the guards and recovery agents at the crash site, however, the simulation troops will not be quite able to interact with the characters who have arrived.
• Days 6-10: The shivers that are going through time and space now seem to be settling down, and the teleporters are increasingly responsive to attempts to reprogram them. By the time the ten days are up it's easy to cycle them between other Freelancer and UNSC facilities, and many technologically-savvy characters will be able to deduce the fact that there is a resonant frequency inherent to their own universe that can be programmed into a teleporter via their radio or comm device.
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Those are the abilities offered to everyone on my team. A team, I might add, I don't get to volunteer for. We're selected and something about my soul qualified.
I don't crave power, I don't go around trying to get more. I certainly don't hurt people. I've had these powers for months and I can count how much I've used them on my hands.
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[Not much of a conversationalist either, but Wash isn't interested in having a conversation.]
Sounds like a real waste then, if you're not going to use them.
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[And the times he'd LIKE to use them, magic gets shut down because there's a psychopath who doesn't like to make things easy.]
How big are the components? For the equipment? [Ugh, fragmented memories make irrefutable proof hard.]
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[And he'd been the one who had to deal with Internal Affairs after that. Ugh.]
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[He sighs, rolling up his sleeve.] Two barriers, at once. I'm pretty sure that'd be even less then one in a thousand chance Delta talked about. [Then he's pulling out a kitchen knife of all things because he really needs to get real ones now that he has that skill back.]
[But then he's cutting his arm, holding it out, even lets the blood drip as he puts away the knife.] Two barriers, several minutes.
[And holding his hand over the injury and it heals in a cream colored glow. He wipes away the blood and there's no mark left.] Now three things, two different abilities. At once. No AI.
And nothing has gone wrong. You really think I'm that lucky? At the very least, you have to admit whoever I am, it's not someone whose just here to fuck with you. Who'd go this far for it? We're not that important.
Sorry! Was away for the weekend
Of course, then he cuts himself, right on the arm and within a second it's gone. Healed. Like it had never been. And there's nothing Wash can think of that could do that. Not even the best medkit.]
So what, I'm supposed to accept some bullshit about magic? And that's somehow more plausible than advanced tech or... or I've gone completely insane.
pIt's said with an exhausted kind of resignation, because that really did make the most sense.]
That's okay! RL happens
Honestly, I don't care if you believe it's magic. I'm just not going to lie because I don't like being lied to and you'd know what my tells were. And Estelle had to show me the end of existence before I believed her and I was far less paranoid without memories, so I understand the skepticism.
But you do have to admit, this level of tech is not worth fucking with you. No one has that much to gain to throw this much out into the field.
And if you're insane, sanity ain't coming in shooting yourself. At least, not when I'm not trying to hurt you.
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I dunno. Might make me feel better. That's a pretty persuasive feeling these days.
[What happens if you kill yourself in a dream anyway?]
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[What's funny is those other hims acted an aaaaaawful lot like season 8 Wash.]
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But hey, I could also just be crazy. [Shrugs.]
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Still, shooting yourself isn't going to do you favors, and I really don't want to have to look over my shoulder even more than I do.
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