[Event] Introduction to the Nexus / MoI crash

[rp_help]

I.
    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.

Comments

[trustandfireworks]

[He shudders. That sounds like the man who used to look after the family. Theta doesn't really remember him, he was only three when he was kicked out, but his older siblings all react strongly to any mention of him.]

Will there be any food? [He starts looking through cupboards and finds lots of bottles with liquid or pills, most of them broken. No blankets so far.]

[shieldsniper]

We can go find some afterward. I can't guarantee it'll be good, but there's bound to be something in the mess hall, even if it's just rations.

[North is able to get some of the higher shelves before finally finding some.]

Here, this ought to do, right?

[trustandfireworks]

That's okay, I'm just getting hungry. [He hasn't eaten since lunch and since then he's been skateboarding, teleported and trying to keep warm. At least he's now got a blanket]

Blanket! Thanks! [He unfurls one of them and wraps himself up in it. Much better]

[shieldsniper]

I don't blame you, I'm starting to feel the same way.

[He smiles behind his helmet.]

That helps, huh?

[trustandfireworks]

Yeah, it helps. [He snuggles up in the blanket. It's not perfect, it's still cold, but it's much better than before.]

Do you think it's warm enough I could take my helmet off for a bit?

[shieldsniper]

Probably. It's not super warm in here, but we're at least out of the wind. And with the blanket, you should be fine.

[trustandfireworks]

Okay. [He wriggles his hands free and brings them up to take his helmet off, shaking his hair out of his eyes and brushing the last strands away.]

[shieldsniper]

[North has to smile. So this is what Theta would look like if he were a kid and not an AI.]

So, why do you wear that thing anyway? Seems kind of out of place.

[trustandfireworks]

[Theta blinks up at him, wondering why he's smiling like that, then looks down at the helmet in his hands.]

Where I come from, the air is really really bad, so the helmets make sure we can breathe okay. Except in really bad storms, then you have to stay inside.

[shieldsniper]

Wow, that doesn't sound too pleasant.

I think the air on this planet's a little better.

[trustandfireworks]

It's not. It's realy horrible, people can die. [He grips his helmet a little tighter.]

I guess, but it's really cold.

[shieldsniper]

That's awful. Really. Can anything be done about it?

[He tries to smile though.]

Well, cold's a problem that can be solved, right?

[trustandfireworks]

I don't know. It's been like that since the planet was colonized. Sigma says most people aren't allowed to try and solve it, but he wants to.

[He pulls the blanket a bit tighter around himself.] Yeah.

[shieldsniper]

Seems like a weird planet to colonize, if that's the way things are. Also seems weird that people can't solve the problem.

[trustandfireworks]

Yeah, I don't know why they did or why they can't. You'd need to ask someone older. Sigma probably knows.

[shieldsniper]

[North doesn't want to admit his reluctance to, mostly because the Sigma he knows was not...great, shall we say. Although he does file the information away for later, in case they do run into him.]

You feeling warmer yet?

[trustandfireworks]

[He snuggles the blanket and smiles up at North.]

Yes, thank you.

[shieldsniper]

Good. Once you're warm enough, want to go see if we can find anything to eat?

[trustandfireworks]

Yes please. [Right on cue, his stomach grumbles and he wraps his arms around it, a little embarrassed.]

[shieldsniper]

Okay, then let's continue on. You can bring the blanket though, no sense in leaving it behind.

[trustandfireworks]

Yeah, I want to bring it. [He gathers it up a bit so it won't trip him over while walking.]

[shieldsniper]

Probably a good idea. I don't think the rest of the ship is going to be any warmer.

[trustandfireworks]

'Cause the heating broke and the snow got in?

[shieldsniper]

Pretty much. Plus it's metal, and that's generally not that warm.

[trustandfireworks]

No, I guess not. Wash it warm when the heating worked?