Irregular Pulse

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To: RBS-000005

It's RBS-012844. I know you're retired. I'm perfectly aware you've got other arrangements, and I'm sure sending this disrupted your whatever-schedule...

But something's wrong. Terribly wrong.

I'm not sure how much lingo you caught when you were around here, but we've something we call Quakes. They're very predictable and very regular. Not a single time in the history of the damn universe has one been off schedule. But one's occurring right now, HARBINGER-5.585, at the midpoint between two quakes. We're heavily suspecting foul play, something involving a breach on a scale we've never, ever seen before.

Forgive me for asking... but we'd really like your help on this matter. I know you've seen things almost nobody else here ever has. I'm sure half of that is why you're retired now, but...

A little would go a long way.

To: RBS-012844

I don't know who's responsible for this happening, but the corp's fought worse and lived.
Listen, I got word from the corp that every current employee, trainee, retiree, everyone in five skips is being brought in on emergency duty. Reports are coming in hot and fast, but the picture is looking nasty. Handlers upstairs saying it's a tier-4 "Cataclysm Event". Important take-away is it's bad, but not a worst case scenario. Look, the corps sending teams in to grab everything and everyone they can, take what you can and when they show up go with them. Us sealant squads are already on our way, going to buy some time for the heavy-duty sealer squads to get here. No Mimeo's or other Mimeod forms yet reported, small mercy, but with a breach this size that won't last. Should calm down the Handlers at least. Let everyone know the corps "Ripper" squads are tunneling emergency gates to nearby areas as fast as they can. Should help get more people out of there.

Once we've gotten everyone we can, the sectors going to be put into quarantine. Only corp employees in or out. We never plan to not seal a breach, but if worst comes to worst its better to cut off the sector from the universe than let the breach take the whole thing down.

To: RBS-000005

Me and Incorvant are trying to tell people heading to the breach to be careful. Trust me when I say you don't want to be in the radius of that quake when it hits, because it'll hit bad. But...

Equal parts likely that the breach is localized inside the sector, which means escaping is going to be nigh-impossible for those closest, and if we let the quake happen on top of it, there's... no telling what'd happen. Leakage, maybe. Some poor universe cluster on the other end getting erased from time. If there's no containment there... maybe a lot of universes. A lot. And who knows what's going to be left behind-- if it'll stay ripped open after the quake.

Look, I'm not one of the big strategists. If they're saying it's tier 4, I believe them. But I've got this bad feeling. Real bad. I don't know if you were still on duty during the silent network, but that screwed things up a half-dozen skips away for everyone involved. Something popped a big hole in our balloon, and it was in a bad, bad place.

To: RBS-012844

I know. Not the only one with a bad feeling, but the Handlers made it clear what we were getting ourselves into. The "Rippers" have orders to seal their tunnels once they've rescued what they can, or the situation sours further. Handlers been having the clerks search for any private tunnels dug in the sector prior to this to collapse those too. Once the quarantine hits, there's only going to be one tunnel heading in and out of the sector. No other way in or out of the sector, for that matter. Tunnel won't be directly connected to a populated universe, thankfully; it's why the corp hangs onto a few empty ones we can torch if needed.

Still, we've been assigned a few "Enlightened" goons to handle any entities coming through the breach. It's a bit overkill for some Mimeod's, but the Handlers said we would need them. So, asked em why and they said it was confidential. Reminded them who I was and who I knew, and they said there are concerns from the higher-ups about a potential Ascendant event. Asked them if they were joking, but they weren't laughing. Told them we've never seen one on anything lower than a tier-5 "Cataclysm" event for a long, long time. They said the higher ups want to keep it that way, and sent those "Enlightened" goons to nip it in the bud before anything happened.

...Sorry, probably haven't heard of an Ascendant event before this. Finer details are way above my paygrade, even before retiring, but I've got the important details down.

Ascendant

It can happen when a sufficiently large breach happens to occur with a suitable host in range. Get the host away from the breach, nothing happens. Host isn't removed in time they get faced with a choice: Knife or Chain. They pick the former, they zip off through the breach, ripping opening the breach a whole lot further; and causing bigger problems down the line for other universes. They pick the latter, they zip to the breach and seal it right up. Reason that that's a bad thing is because they don't stop with just the breach. They keep adding new laws and bogging everything down until the universe is one static inert mass. Both can be stopped post-question, but that's a lot harder than just removing the host before this happens.

Should be dealt with shortly, the "Enlightened" goons seem to have locked onto the host and are en-route to resolve this.

...Still, I'm a bit worried even with their help. Something just doesn't feel right here. Gonna check with the Handlers to look for anything else strange in the reports.

To: RBS-000005

I just got out of a frantic call with one of the Harbinger correspondents we've got holed up in here. Apparently their normal protocol is to head back in immediately after a quake and try and snatch up the remnants afterwards for whatever uses they've come up with-- but with the quarantine that's gonna present problems. Keep your goons prepped for some resistance when push comes to shove, 'cus the fish don't exactly act rationally.

But it's good to hear you at least have part of it handled. Worried things would get ugly around here, and still worried the breach is gonna cause unforeseen consequences. The quake's still maybe... what time metric are you using? Not a lot of time, but breathing distance. Hopefully the majority of folks still intent on surviving get out intact.

...

Yeah, something damn strange is up, RBS-000005. I'm not sure how much you've delved into the... deeper bits of your given universe's tunnels, the little ones for specific purposes, but I just went down a rabbit hole and found something on the other end.

Boot up Starnet if you've got something codex-readied. Host looks like it's Player-Controlled.

And that's bad. I'm sure you've heard what those things can do. The last thing you want is it staying for the quake. You picking up any details on where it might be based on the wording? Some kinda... office? I'm forwarding to Incorvant and the Harbinger correspondent now.

To: RBS-012844

...
I never liked the "Enlightened". Cold, ruthless. Likely have their own reasons for involvement. But I can't deny: They do what they must, and they do it well.
Hold your ground, try to buy the goons some time. They're almost there.
Distract the Players, confuse them, do what you can to keep the Players from forcing an answer. That last player started to mention something before they were cut off. Cut themselves off? Doesn't matter, try prying into that.
...
Don't think I'll have much more time to communicate. Transports almost there. Should have enough time for one, maybe two more responses.
Was right about the Mimeod's. Don't remember the last time I've seen so many. Can hear them even from here. Dry, raspy laughter. More the reason to send em back beyond the breach, eh?

To: RBS-000005

Well, if the Enlightened can do a damn thing against this 'Ascendant' and the scenario it presents, I'll happily have them pour in.

I'm on my way too. Trying to delay inputs, trying to encourage the one we want. If we can get the host out of the radius, things'll be better, right? You're right, 05, this is so far above my pay grade. I'm half an orbit out-- maybe closer than you? The orb that 'Tess' is carrying is a different story. Seems like something's coming out of it-- some bit of the quake, of the ascendant.

The quake is managable because it's in just one direction... but I think it's trying to break out of that sphere. That spells bad news. Worst news. Total universal collapse news. You need SOMEONE on that. NOW.

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Well, simple enough! Knock and knock you do. It's a glass door, so it's more for noise than anything. As you pound and pound, eventually somebody comes by-- a familiar face from the foundry. You've hit him with a girder more than once. It's Salty.

"KX," he mutters, "Ha's a big off limits zone."

"I've got a contract," you wheeze. Talking's hard through tired mandibles.

He scarrumphs. "Yeah, y'better have gotten it written down."

Well, you didn't. But you should be able to go in this building! You spent the last twelve growths erasing every bit of energy in yourself, and this big metal starscraper with black windows and a double-paneled door and people inside isn't going to stop you.

Hum. How are you getting in? Salty seems compliant. Maybe something from the foundry... or some connections? So many options.