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Aberrant: Trans-Dimensional Explorations - Trans-Dimensional Explorations


BlueNinja

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Agent Blackman looks Zhenglai up and down, then nods to himself. "Guo Zhenglai, the famed philosopher, and outspoken criticizer of the Confuscianist government from his exile in Paris." He looks Zhenglai over again. "Though last I'd heard, you were in a hospital, living out your last weeks on Earth. Is this some type of a prank?" He fixes Jonathan with that stern Agent glare.

Agent Ryan returns at that point with a PA carrying a half-dozen folding chairs. "I'd like to know what this big threat is you came to warn us about." He glances in the direction of Bradley and Kristin, who are in earnest conversation about something. "Not to mention, if you know how many - and how often - people are going to be changing like this across the country."

"It's no prank. His name is definitely Zhenglai, and apparently our worlds split apart at some point after he was born. Not that that narrows it down much," Jonathan teases, the tension leaving his voice now that the conversation had at least moved away from directly discussing religious persecution. "Well, the threat is a fleet of alien ships. They've been moving from one planet to another, draining each world of resources as they go along. In our universe, they're about a century's worth of worlds away, but on one world we traveled to recently, a scouting party came early, and you don't want to know how much damage they did, how many lives they took. We can only give you so much information about them, because we really don't know that much."

"As for how quickly this will spread, as Brandt said there's no way to know for sure, but you've already seen half a dozen eruptions in less than a day, and there are probably others we don't know about. By the end of the month there will probably be a few thousand novas popping up all around the world. There's no telling just how much of your world's population will erupt. On our world, I don't think even half a percent of the population has erupted, but when you've got a few billion people in the world that's still a lot."

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"You would imagine that seeing others light up, or move with super speed, or speak with others via telepathy would be cause for surprise, but no...it comes in the shape of an ancient man."

Simon lifts his eyebrows in resignation, though not visible under the mask, an adds..."Seems everywhere we go, you are there ancient one. Perhaps you are a key of sorts."

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((OOC: Two things BN: what about Kristin?, and is the "somebody" supposed to be Brother Max, or does Zhenglai simply not know, even after Paul made the announcement of his eruption? Sorry if I'm being dense or nitpicky, I'm still pretty sick and my head's all fuzzy at the moment, so I'm probably just missing something obvious.))
The announcement of Max's eruption comes after the show, so at the time Zhenglai detects it, he does not know. Once Esteban outs the good Brother, it's kind of obvious. ::wink
He holds Agent Blackman's gaze a moment, continuing. "Oh, and Zhenglai's presence here is no prank, I assure you. It's merely a consequence of probability. Unless the Guo Zhenglai you are referring to has just recently died, (which is a strong possibility), there are, at this moment, two completely separate Zhenglais in this world."

Letting his gaze drop, he takes a bite of his Snickers.

Zhenglai performed one of his traditional, two-fisted bows as Agent Blackman looked him over at commented about him. He was about to speak himself, but then Blackman addressed the others and Brandt began speaking, so he chose to hold his peace yet a little longer.

I wonder if this version of me will become a nova as well?, he thought.

'I can assure you, Agent Blackman, said Zhenglai, after Brandt had finished, 'that I am not the Guo Zhenglai you speak of. While it is true that I also have lived in exile from the China of our world, it was in Tibet, not in France. And in my world I doubt that there is anyone still living who remembers when or why I went into exile in the first place.'

'So as you can see', he said with a smile and a tone of finality, as if he'd just explained everything that needed explaining, 'I couldn't possibly be the Guo Zhenglai you're referring to.'

With that Zhenglai began to limp towards the nearest empty chair and muttered, loud enough to be heard but in tone that suggested he was speaking to himself, 'I don't even speak French....'

Blackman looks at Zhenglai, then at the rest of the party. "Alright, I'll buy that - he is a hundred and teen something. But it's ... very odd." He looks at some of the others. "Does that mean you've run into other doubles of yourselves?"
"Well, the threat is a fleet of alien ships. They've been moving from one planet to another, draining each world of resources as they go along. In our universe, they're about a century's worth of worlds away, but on one world we traveled to recently, a scouting party came early, and you don't want to know how much damage they did, how many lives they took. We can only give you so much information about them, because we really don't know that much."
Agent Blackman turns back to all business at this. "While I'm sure I don't really want to know, that is the information I need to decide which of my superiors to take you to. How many worlds have you visited with signs of these aliens? And where are they?"
"As for how quickly this will spread, as Brandt said there's no way to know for sure, but you've already seen half a dozen eruptions in less than a day, and there are probably others we don't know about. By the end of the month there will probably be a few thousand novas popping up all around the world. There's no telling just how much of your world's population will erupt. On our world, I don't think even half a percent of the population has erupted, but when you've got a few billion people in the world that's still a lot."
"Hundreds, possibly thousands. Worldwide, tens of thousands." Brandt looks up from the candy bar he just finished unwrapping. "Unfortunately, I cannot provide you with a very accurate measure of how quickly each individual will erupt without more data, but I can guess with reasonable certainty that there will be close to a hundred within, oh...a day or two, three at the longest."
Blackman and Ryan both turn rather pale. "So, you're talking a couple of million people gaining these powers? Worldwide? Is there any kind of common denominator that links them all together?" Ryan seems more animated as he asks about it.
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"A couple million is maybe a high estimate, I think on our world it's in the low hundreds of thousands? I'm not an expert, though. As for common denominators, there are supposedly some genetic links, but for the most part you find out who's going to become a Nova when they erupt."

"I'm not sure I'm the right one to give you all the details. Some of the others in the group have better memories and can draw you out a star map with their current location and approximate path. We only have so much information on their ships, their technology, their capabilities, but we can pass on the information we do have to your military. I do need to stress, though, that the fleet threatens your entire world, not just America. You'll need to build bridges around the world to support each other when the time comes, so we ought to meet not just with your military leaders to help them prepare, but with your President and diplomats to help them prepare the world."

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Paul attempts to make the link. If successful he'll send over the link, if un-successful he'll just say it.

*Not all novas have flashy powers or obvious changes... others simply don't use them. Some can even pass for being a baseline. Short of a detailed medical scan, the easiest way to tell is to ask another nova. Several very common powers can ID one. And while they they may not work all the time, when they do work they're never wrong.*

(Only if it works and only over the link) *Welcome, brother. Your powers as far as we can tell are mainly social and mental. I wasn't sure if you wanted to let everyone know that you'd become a nova. Social/mental powers are among the most useful in everyday life, you can shape public opinion, but they are less useful when trying to prevent people from burning you at the stake. Anyway this is how the link works, you can end it just by deciding to end it..*

Max's eyes get very wide, and he turns a little bit pale. *This is ... astounding. Truly you have blessed this world, even if by accident!*

Bradley and Kristin seem to be discussing what they are going to be doing with their lives in the future - Bradley can hardly return to being a janitor, being as he is now, and Kristin is seeking reassurance that she'll be able to finish high school without being kicked out because of her powers.

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Simon looks down at Kristin huddled and confused.

"Your fears over being different and shunned by peers and institutions is quite real i'm afraid. Though understand that with your new gifts, many other doors may open for you."

He crouches down beside them to be a little bit less intimidating in his full outfit...and unearthly voice booming.

"You must be smart about your decisions and always plan your next move. Acting rashly or on emotion, will only lead to negative ends. Trust me on this. You must focus on a plan. Construct it in your mind, picture it clearly, then you must work backwards to determine how it becomes built with any possible strands along the way. Once you can trace it back to where you are now...you have a well laid out path and can see things clearly. This is the only way to be. Remember, you can never hit a target you cannot see."

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Max's eyes get very wide, and he turns a little bit pale. *This is ... astounding. Truly you have blessed this world, even if by accident!*
Paul mentally smiles although physically he keeps a poker face and replies,

*I hope so. I'm sorry to dump so much on you like this, but your people have several big challenges coming up and I need to tell someone, and none of the other novas accepted the link.*

*The big immediate concern is over the next few weeks or months people are going to be scared and they're going to consider treating you and yours like demons. You could help a lot with that, perhaps more so if you stay hidden in plain sight. Some of my crew have figured you out but the new novas don't know what to look for. I think it'd be easy for you to keep quiet about this, at least for now, and with all the media attention you're going to get you'll be able to shift public opinion a lot.*

*And then there's the aliens that we're talking about right now. I might as well rejoin that one and let you listen in.*

Agent Blackman turns back to all business at this. "While I'm sure I don't really want to know, that is the information I need to decide which of my superiors to take you to. How many worlds have you visited with signs of these aliens? And where are they?"
Walking back Paul says,

"That's an easy one. All of them. Every world we're been to has had or was expecting serious alien problems in the next century or so. Worse, we know they're hostile. Hostile as in, will attempt to exterminate humanity."

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Walking back Paul says,

"That's an easy one. All of them. Every world we're been to has had or was expecting serious alien problems in the next century or so. Worse, we know they're hostile. Hostile as in, will attempt to exterminate humanity."

"We barely escaped their attack on another Alternate Earth that had Novas," Theo explains. "We keep trying to find a world where they're not coming or a weapon that we can use against them."

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Simon looks down at Kristin huddled and confused.

"Your fears over being different and shunned by peers and institutions is quite real i'm afraid. Though understand that with your new gifts, many other doors may open for you."

He crouches down beside them to be a little bit less intimidating in his full outfit...and unearthly voice booming.

"You must be smart about your decisions and always plan your next move. Acting rashly or on emotion, will only lead to negative ends. Trust me on this. You must focus on a plan. Construct it in your mind, picture it clearly, then you must work backwards to determine how it becomes built with any possible strands along the way. Once you can trace it back to where you are now...you have a well laid out path and can see things clearly. This is the only way to be. Remember, you can never hit a target you cannot see."

Bradly exhales sharply. "Sounds like an awfully cold way to live your life."
*The big immediate concern is over the next few weeks or months people are going to be scared and they're going to consider treating you and yours like demons. You could help a lot with that, perhaps more so if you stay hidden in plain sight. Some of my crew have figured you out but the new novas don't know what to look for. I think it'd be easy for you to keep quiet about this, at least for now, and with all the media attention you're going to get you'll be able to shift public opinion a lot.*

*And then there's the aliens that we're talking about right now. I might as well rejoin that one and let you listen in.*

Brother Max follows Paul over, keeping an ear on the conversation. *I'll keep that in mind. How many novas in your world use their powers towards evil ends? And how many, like you, use them for good?*
Walking back Paul says,

"That's an easy one. All of them. Every world we're been to has had or was expecting serious alien problems in the next century or so. Worse, we know they're hostile. Hostile as in, will attempt to exterminate humanity."

Blackman sighs, and nods. "I get they're hostile. I believe you, though I'm sure the Quorum would like to see some kind fo physical evidence. But how many worlds have you been to? How many worlds are facing this invasion, or have already fallen to them?"

Ryan looks at the older MiG, then at the party. "Do they have a name, or do you just call them 'the threat from beyond the stars' or something like that?"

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Bradly exhales sharply. "Sounds like an awfully cold way to live your life."

Simon pauses for a brief moment to regard the statment, as he think on all he has lost and all he has had to do in the name of keeping his identity secret, hidden behind a black mask.

"Having a plan for your life, having an idea which leads to action, which leads to positive results...which eventually leads to success. Like placing building blocks, one after another until you have created your masterpiece. It isn't how all beings choose to exist, but I assure you, it can make you life make sense."

He pauses again, as if he doesn't belive his own words. He turns from them and walks away, without another word spoken.

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Brother Max follows Paul over, keeping an ear on the conversation. *I'll keep that in mind. How many novas in your world use their powers towards evil ends? And how many, like you, use them for good?*
Paul answers with mental wink *Me? And what makes you think I use my powers for Good? ::sly *

*I've always considered myself more indifferent than Good. Fortunately for the world my powers are difficult to misuse and Good is profitable than Evil. As for the others, very few novas are outright evil just like very few people are outright evil. Dealing with those is mostly easy and obvious. Harder is what to do with the people who have powers which challenge the rules. A man who can duplicate himself alters the meaning of 'murder' and 'suicide' and even 'contract law'. Someone who is so attractive *everyone* wants to have sex with them can alter the meaning of 'consent', perhaps even 'rape'. And so forth, the law wasn't written for these sorts of things.*

*Harder still is dealing with those whose powers have warped them, sometimes dramatically. It's called 'taint'. Our friend the Priest here is an example, his eruption pushed him too far and his eyes now burn. He's lost control of his powers in that respect. Glowing eyes isn't a big deal, but misuse of powers can and will cause this syndrome to progress geometrically. Novas have to learn to take time off, months, to burn off this taint before it sets in permanently, and baselines have to expect them to do so and not push them into pushing their powers.*

*Nature isn't fair about this. You are far away from needing to worry about taint. You powers and eruption were low key and so you'd have to work pretty hard to end up in trouble. Other people just explode with taint, something in their power make up or eruption just zaps them. This is an issue we haven't talked about much yet because even 'fast' taint takes years to build up and you have other things to worry about over the next few weeks.*

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Bradly exhales sharply. "Sounds like an awfully cold way to live your life."

Brother Max follows Paul over, keeping an ear on the conversation. *I'll keep that in mind. How many novas in your world use their powers towards evil ends? And how many, like you, use them for good?*

Blackman sighs, and nods. "I get they're hostile. I believe you, though I'm sure the Quorum would like to see some kind fo physical evidence. But how many worlds have you been to? How many worlds are facing this invasion, or have already fallen to them?"

Ryan looks at the older MiG, then at the party. "Do they have a name, or do you just call them 'the threat from beyond the stars' or something like that?"

"We've been to.... I think this is our eighth world? I can't really tell you how many alternate worlds there are. Every time the world reaches a major turning point, or potential turning point, where there are many different directions it can go, it splits. The ones that split off from our timeline, we can reach. Some of them have probably split multiple times since splitting with ours and have dozens of worlds that split off from that, and I'm not even sure if we can reach every potential world. The universe really is a vast and amazing place.... very spiritually inspiring." Jonathan seems wistful, lost in thought for a moment, then comes back and continues. "So far, every world we've been to has been facing this invasion. We've been to worlds that split off thousands of years ago, where the fleet was still coming."

"We do have a device capable of seeing far into space, so we can show the fleet itself to this Quorum of yours if we have to. However, since the device is a piece of alien technology that we don't perfectly understand yet, and haven't been able to duplicate yet, you'll have to understand if we're a little wary of dragging it around with us everywhere, especially on our first visit to a world, so you'll have to give us some time to prepare before we can bring it here."

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Paul adds,

"Eight is right, but just for us personally. We only get sent to the most promising worlds, there're robotic probes that go first to weed out the weak options. I think we've sent out hundreds but I'm not sure. Personally I think the aliens are behind most or all of the uninhabitable worlds, but we don't get sent there."

"It's possible we'll find a world where they took a supernova or something, but this world is too close to ours and we selected it for the wrong reasons. Smart money says the aliens are there. For that matter, smart money says all the worlds the robots visited had aliens too but we don't understand enough about time to be sure."

"Oh, and their official name is "Meklars" but usually we don't bother. It's like saying 'Luna' instead of 'The Moon'. There’s not much point."

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Ryan goes pale, and clutches a bit at his stomach. "Every world you've been to has had them?" He looks at his partner. "This is way beyond us. I don't think we can afford to handle this ourselves."

Blackman nods, sighs, and puts back on his sunglasses. ::cool "Okay, you should meet with the Quorum. It would probably help if you brought that alien device with you, though I never told you to keep a close eye on it." He puts on a smile of pure, falsified innocence. "They'll probably also demand - er, ask for - any information you have on the fleets. Ship strength, speeds, weapons, that kind of thing."

He looks at Zhenglai again for a moment, then shakes his head. "Are you forming some kind of alliance of worlds, or anything like that? Do we have to follow your lead when it comes to these aliens?"

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Blackman nods, sighs, and puts back on his sunglasses. ::cool "Okay, you should meet with the Quorum. It would probably help if you brought that alien device with you, though I never told you to keep a close eye on it." He puts on a smile of pure, falsified innocence. "They'll probably also demand - er, ask for - any information you have on the fleets. Ship strength, speeds, weapons, that kind of thing."
,,

*So they aren't as naieve as they come across,* Esteban smirks. *Does this mean we're finally getting somewhere?*

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*So they aren't as naieve as they come across,* Esteban smirks. *Does this mean we're finally getting somewhere?*
Paul sends back (but only to team novas),

*Maybe. Something that comes to mind is they'll have like 100 times the world population of novas that we have, and they'll know about the aliens. If they can stay unified then they'll have a good shot at beating the aliens. Maybe this wasn't a waste of time after all.*

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Over the link:

*More power doesn't signify any better chance for victory. Never underestimate the stupidity of naive baselines. They may be more terrified by so many Novas and do something illogical as well. We may want to address that. Don't give the powers that be any reason to want to experiment or target the Nova community with hostility. More Novas could mean and drastically higher Teragen equivalent movement.*

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He looks at Zhenglai again for a moment, then shakes his head. "Are you forming some kind of alliance of worlds, or anything like that? Do we have to follow your lead when it comes to these aliens?"

Zhenglai returned Blackman's look and said, 'We lead no one, but other worlds have chosen to listen to us nonetheless. As for your world, your leaders will have to make their own decisions on who will follow, and who will lead. As for ourselves, we only seek whatever new information we can discover that will aid us against our enemy, and freely offer what little help we have to give to those who ask.'
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Over the link:

*More power doesn't signify any better chance for victory. Never underestimate the stupidity of naive baselines. They may be more terrified by so many Novas and do something illogical as well. We may want to address that. Don't give the powers that be any reason to want to experiment or target the Nova community with hostility. More Novas could mean and drastically higher Teragen equivalent movement.*

(Again excluding any non-team novas) Paul opens the link to respond then changes his mind. Novas are going to take over here. If the others don't see that it's probably for the best.
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Zhenglai returned Blackman's look and said, 'We lead no one, but other worlds have chosen to listen to us nonetheless. As for your world, your leaders will have to make their own decisions on who will follow, and who will lead. As for ourselves, we only seek whatever new information we can discover that will aid us against our enemy, and freely offer what little help we have to give to those who ask.'
Blackman nods. "Give me a few minutes. I'm going to have to make a couple of extremely secure phone calls to get you clearance, arrange transportation, that kind of thing. Agent Ryan, play nice with the visiting aliens." The younger agent responds by sticking his tongue out. ::cool

As Blackman stride off the stage, the Flaming Priest comes over towards Brother Max and Paul. "I take it the Inquisition has decided what to do about us? I hope you won't think me too forward if I ask what we are to do now. Cooperate or flee?"

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"The machine works differently, the picture you see can't be photographed because it stimulates the optical nerve directly. Better resolution," she smiles faintly. "I can give you some drawings of the ships we've seen before. Size doesn't matter. One of Meklar scouts, smallest of their ships came to the last world we visited. It took out the most powerful nova that world had before it started destroying cities."

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* Did he just ask if we should flee? Not that I generally oppose running from Christian zealots, but that's not who I expected to hear making that suggestion. Oh well, tell him that they want to take us to meet the Quorum. I think there's more good than harm in cooperating, but I don't know just how similar the current inquisition is to the one our world went through. *

Jonathan turns to Agent Ryan. "So, Brandt and I are both history buffs, what all's happened in the last hundred years? We don't really have a Confucian movement in our world, so personally I'm curious just how they got started and why they're at odds with America."

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As Blackman stride off the stage, the Flaming Priest comes over towards Brother Max and Paul. "I take it the Inquisition has decided what to do about us? I hope you won't think me too forward if I ask what we are to do now. Cooperate or flee?"
Paul answers,

"They want to take us to meet the Quorum, whatever that is. Nothing concentrates minds like a noose, and they seem a lot more worried about the upcoming alien attack than you."

"I think the way to play this is to offer yourselves up as God given allies. Who knows, that might even be true. Without nova help when the aliens attack humanity goes under."

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*From what we have seen humanity may buy the farm regardless...but let's not add pessimism to our already dire news...*
*I'd call it fatalistic. I am a force of nature, and the aliens run around dismantaling planets. That's why we're going from planet to planet looking for a big brother to help us out.*

*This world might be it too. The natural forces we're releasing here... in ten years, novas will run this place. Basic ecology, it doesn't happen back home because novas are so rare. Here, just to have a medical license you'll have to be a Nova Healer. There'll be 1000 SuperGeeks putting together kill-the-aliens gizmos and there won't be problems with baselines trying to bell the cat. Of course with that many cooks chances are some idiot genius will blow up the world so I'll not be staying to watch.*

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"The machine works differently, the picture you see can't be photographed because it stimulates the optical nerve directly. Better resolution," she smiles faintly. "I can give you some drawings of the ships we've seen before. Size doesn't matter. One of Meklar scouts, smallest of their ships came to the last world we visited. It took out the most powerful nova that world had before it started destroying cities."
Ryan considers this little bit for a moment. "Well, it's probably best if you give us those then. I don't think all of the Quorum elders will be too accepting of a brain-adjusting illusionnary image. How much damage did that one ship do?"
Jonathan turns to Agent Ryan. "So, Brandt and I are both history buffs, what all's happened in the last hundred years? We don't really have a Confucian movement in our world, so personally I'm curious just how they got started and why they're at odds with America."
Ryan shrugs. "I'm not a real big history buff. We've been at war for the better part of the last century though, off and on. The Confuscionists took power after the last emperor died, and then set about beating the crap out of any European dumb enough to set foot anywhere on their continent. They took over the Japs back in the 60's, despite our help, but most of the time our navy gets the better of them." He looks over at Bradley and the Priest, and frowns. "If they end up with someone like them gaining powers - especially with the bizarre appearances - could that touch off another war? We just negotiated a cease-fire last year." ::unsure For a moment, he looks much younger than his thirty-ish appearance would warrant.
Paul answers,

"They want to take us to meet the Quorum, whatever that is. Nothing concentrates minds like a noose, and they seem a lot more worried about the upcoming alien attack than you."

"I think the way to play this is to offer yourselves up as God given allies. Who knows, that might even be true. Without nova help when the aliens attack humanity goes under."

The Priest frowns, then shakes his head with a small smile. "You are so much like us that I have to keep reminding myself you did not grow up in the United States of America. Or, at least, not ours. Does your world have a United States, stretching from ocean to ocean, arctic circle to the deserts of Sonora?" He cuts himself off. "I think I'd best not preach at you too much. But, to answer your question, the Quorum is made up of the leaders of the Five Churches. They run the Executive branch of the government, while the Elected Representatives and the House of Bishops share the duties of the Legislative branch. The Judicial branch members are proposed by the Quorum, vetted by the Representatives, and approved by the House, with the only two qualifications being born citizenship and never having been elected to an office in the federal government."

He pauses, and then shakes his head again. "I do have a habit of running on at the mouth. Is that enough for you?"

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Simon moves to stand near this conversation. Attempting to help a bit, he displays his own power to lighten things.

"Mr. Ryan, allow me to show you our world." With that, Simon will shape and form an actual school style globe, as detailed as he can make it. Handing the semi spinning device over he adds.

"I trust we use a similar written language, since our spoken communication is comparable. If you have any issue deciphering the script, I can fill in. THis is OUR worlds United States." He points to the appropriate spot on the globe.

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The Priest frowns, then shakes his head with a small smile. "You are so much like us that I have to keep reminding myself you did not grow up in the United States of America. Or, at least, not ours. Does your world have a United States, stretching from ocean to ocean, arctic circle to the deserts of Sonora?" He cuts himself off. "I think I'd best not preach at you too much. But, to answer your question, the Quorum is made up of the leaders of the Five Churches. They run the Executive branch of the government, while the Elected Representatives and the House of Bishops share the duties of the Legislative branch. The Judicial branch members are proposed by the Quorum, vetted by the Representatives, and approved by the House, with the only two qualifications being born citizenship and never having been elected to an office in the federal government."

He pauses, and then shakes his head again. "I do have a habit of running on at the mouth. Is that enough for you?"

Paul answers,

"No, feel free to run on, it's informative and I'm missing lots of the basic everyone knows type stuff. Our USA goes from ocean to ocean, but the very North is another country and I'm not sure what this Sonora desert is. I could ask a lot of questions, but the most pressing is how you think these leaders of the 5 churches will react to us?"

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Ryan considers this little bit for a moment. "Well, it's probably best if you give us those then. I don't think all of the Quorum elders will be too accepting of a brain-adjusting illusionnary image. How much damage did that one ship do?"

"Within a few minutes, it had destroyed most of a city," Theo replied. "We had to pull back to our world. We couldn't risk them finding our gate."

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Ryan shrugs. "I'm not a real big history buff. We've been at war for the better part of the last century though, off and on. The Confuscionists took power after the last emperor died, and then set about beating the crap out of any European dumb enough to set foot anywhere on their continent. They took over the Japs back in the 60's, despite our help, but most of the time our navy gets the better of them." He looks over at Bradley and the Priest, and frowns. "If they end up with someone like them gaining powers - especially with the bizarre appearances - could that touch off another war? We just negotiated a cease-fire last year." ::unsure For a moment, he looks much younger than his thirty-ish appearance would warrant.

Zhenglai listened attentively to the young Agent until he was done speaking, and then he spoke up and said, 'If they are at all like the Chinese of my world then they will likely try very, very hard to make it appear that nothing unusual is happening within their own borders - assuming anything unusual does happen within their own borders. They will want to keep face and appear strong to all observers. It's the difference between Ritualism and Legalism that so few Westerners seem to be able to grasp. If they truly do follow the teachings of K'ung Fu Tzu, they will seek order and harmony over anything else.'

Zhenglai paused for a minute as if gauging whether Ryan was paying attention or not, and then continued, 'So let them think they are maintaining order, he said, let them think they are succeeding - or at least, let them think they are fooling you into thinking they are successfully maintaining order. Let those who follow Rújiā think they have not lost any face before you. If they have not lost face, they need not feel shame. If they feel no shame, then they need not rectify any wrongs. And if there are no wrongs to rectify, then peace will reign in the land.' Zhenglai finished his little lesson with a firm nod of his head, and then quieted down to listen to what the others had to say.

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Ryan shrugs. "I'm not a real big history buff. We've been at war for the better part of the last century though, off and on. The Confuscionists took power after the last emperor died, and then set about beating the crap out of any European dumb enough to set foot anywhere on their continent. They took over the Japs back in the 60's, despite our help, but most of the time our navy gets the better of them." He looks over at Bradley and the Priest, and frowns. "If they end up with someone like them gaining powers - especially with the bizarre appearances - could that touch off another war? We just negotiated a cease-fire last year." ::unsure For a moment, he looks much younger than his thirty-ish appearance would warrant.

Zhenglai listened attentively to the young Agent until he was done speaking, and then he spoke up and said, 'If they are at all like the Chinese of my world then they will likely try very, very hard to make it appear that nothing unusual is happening within their own borders - assuming anything unusual does happen within their own borders. They will want to keep face and appear strong to all observers. It's the difference between Ritualism and Legalism that so few Westerners seem to be able to grasp. If they truly do follow the teachings of K'ung Fu Tzu, they will seek order and harmony over anything else.'

Zhenglai paused for a minute as if gauging whether Ryan was paying attention or not, and then continued, 'So let them think they are maintaining order, he said, let them think they are succeeding - or at least, let them think they are fooling you into thinking they are successfully maintaining order. Let those who follow Rújiā think they have not lost any face before you. If they have not lost face, they need not feel shame. If they feel no shame, then they need not rectify any wrongs. And if there are no wrongs to rectify, then peace will reign in the land.' Zhenglai finished his little lesson with a firm nod of his head, and then quieted down to listen to what the others had to say.

"Hopefully, if we approach them right, they'll be willing to cooperate. At some point, the public and the world will have to be informed of the aliens so they can help prepare. If the Confucians want to survive, they're not going to have any more choice in the matter than you are. Even if they get novas, and they probably will, I don't think they'll want to risk war. Especially not a war with novas. Destroying the world before the aliens get a chance to isn't going to be anyone's first choice, so there will at least be plenty of negotiating room."

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Simon moves to stand near this conversation. Attempting to help a bit, he displays his own power to lighten things.

"Mr. Ryan, allow me to show you our world." With that, Simon will shape and form an actual school style globe, as detailed as he can make it. Handing the semi spinning device over he adds.

"I trust we use a similar written language, since our spoken communication is comparable. If you have any issue deciphering the script, I can fill in. THis is OUR worlds United States." He points to the appropriate spot on the globe.

Ryan blinks at the globe a few times, then pokes it with a finger. "That's ... impressive." He stares at it a moment longer, then nods. "Yeah. Um, our US includes all of this," he circles Canada with a finger, "as well as over here," and cuts off about half of Mexico. "Over here, the Chinese own this whole section," he circles Mongolia, Korea, and part of the Siberian coastline, "plus all these islands," gesturing to Japan and the Phillipenes.
Paul answers,

"No, feel free to run on, it's informative and I'm missing lots of the basic everyone knows type stuff. Our USA goes from ocean to ocean, but the very North is another country and I'm not sure what this Sonora desert is. I could ask a lot of questions, but the most pressing is how you think these leaders of the 5 churches will react to us?"

Ryan shrugs. "Most of them will probably be worried at first. After all, your very existance here could be seen as a miracle - or as the start of the Apocalypse. I think that the Living Flame, Baptismal Fount, and Rising Calvary will accept people with powers, so long as they continue to follow the decency laws and don't speak out against the religious leadership." He gives a knowing glance towards the listening-in Priest. "You know, the usual part of civilization. But I think the Righteous Reverend Cleophus James of the Last Doctrine will be trying just about anything to try and convince people that you are the sign of the Apocalypse. It'll only make the fifth or sixth attempt he's made since he joined the Quorum. The Brethren of Joseph will probably ignore you as long as possible."
Zhenglai listened attentively to the young Agent until he was done speaking, and then he spoke up and said, 'If they are at all like the Chinese of my world then they will likely try very, very hard to make it appear that nothing unusual is happening within their own borders - assuming anything unusual does happen within their own borders. They will want to keep face and appear strong to all observers. It's the difference between Ritualism and Legalism that so few Westerners seem to be able to grasp. If they truly do follow the teachings of K'ung Fu Tzu, they will seek order and harmony over anything else.'

Zhenglai paused for a minute as if gauging whether Ryan was paying attention or not, and then continued, 'So let them think they are maintaining order, he said, let them think they are succeeding - or at least, let them think they are fooling you into thinking they are successfully maintaining order. Let those who follow Rújiā think they have not lost any face before you. If they have not lost face, they need not feel shame. If they feel no shame, then they need not rectify any wrongs. And if there are no wrongs to rectify, then peace will reign in the land.' Zhenglai finished his little lesson with a firm nod of his head, and then quieted down to listen to what the others had to say.

Blackman comes back in to hear Zhenglai speaking. "I'd make sure to mention that to the Quorum. Reverend James has been trying to fan the fires of war, the better to convert the heathens by the sword, and having you as an 'expert' of Chinese thought should help the others keep him calmer." He turns towards Jonathan and Paul. "The Quorum have arranged for a private jet to take you to Philadelphia to meet with them. Who all are we bringing with us?"
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He turns towards Jonathan and Paul. "The Quorum have arranged for a private jet to take you to Philadelphia to meet with them. Who all are we bringing with us?"

"Just as long as they don't stuff us in some dark hole hoping the Meklar will pass them by," Theo said sourly.

*we should check first,* Theo sent. *maybe bring them with us, bring through the viewer and then these two can tell the Quorum what they've seen.*

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Blackman comes back in to hear Zhenglai speaking. "I'd make sure to mention that to the Quorum. Reverend James has been trying to fan the fires of war, the better to convert the heathens by the sword, and having you as an 'expert' of Chinese thought should help the others keep him calmer." He turns towards Jonathan and Paul. "The Quorum have arranged for a private jet to take you to Philadelphia to meet with them. Who all are we bringing with us?"

Brandt glances over at the agents, then straightens up from his slouch against the wall. "Does anyone mind if I meet you in Philadelphia? I'd enjoy the opportunity to get a closer look at the differences between our worlds."

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Ryan shrugs. "Most of them will probably be worried at first. After all, your very existance here could be seen as a miracle - or as the start of the Apocalypse. I think that the Living Flame, Baptismal Fount, and Rising Calvary will accept people with powers, so long as they continue to follow the decency laws and don't speak out against the religious leadership." He gives a knowing glance towards the listening-in Priest. "You know, the usual part of civilization. But I think the Righteous Reverend Cleophus James of the Last Doctrine will be trying just about anything to try and convince people that you are the sign of the Apocalypse. It'll only make the fifth or sixth attempt he's made since he joined the Quorum. The Brethren of Joseph will probably ignore you as long as possible."
Paul nods at Ryan's statements without commenting.

To the listening Priest he comments, "You asked about the bodycount of the attack we saw. We can't say, we bugged out while it was still only in the tens or hundreds of millions. Potentially it was total."

Blackman comes back in to hear Zhenglai speaking. "I'd make sure to mention that to the Quorum. Reverend James has been trying to fan the fires of war, the better to convert the heathens by the sword, and having you as an 'expert' of Chinese thought should help the others keep him calmer." He turns towards Jonathan and Paul. "The Quorum have arranged for a private jet to take you to Philadelphia to meet with them. Who all are we bringing with us?"
... Paul manages the link.
As Kristen's fingers find the sweet spot behind one of Esteban's ears he chimes in over the link. ::happy

*We should bring the locals. It lends credibility to our story and will show them that the pandemic affects all segments of the population...*

*Agreed... and we need to prepare for the possibility that members of this Quarum will erupt.*
"Just as long as they don't stuff us in some dark hole hoping the Meklar will pass them by," Theo said sourly.

*we should check first,* Theo sent. *maybe bring them with us, bring through the viewer and then these two can tell the Quorum what they've seen.*

*Agreed... but we've already been warned about them trying to take it. We could set it up somewhere and then warp them there rather than let them set things up.*
Brandt glances over at the agents, then straightens up from his slouch against the wall. "Does anyone mind if I meet you in Philadelphia? I'd enjoy the opportunity to get a closer look at the differences between our worlds."
*Agreed that we should split up and not all be on a plane, but anywhere you go people will erupt.*
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*Agreed that we should split up and not all be on a plane, but anywhere you go people will erupt.*

The speedster shrugs mentally. *Trust me when I say that the damage has been done. My movements will be like dropping a rock into a tempestuous sea.*

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* I thought you guys could only teleport us to places you'd seen? Although I suppose they could just give us a picture of the place. *

"Er, we probably should have mentioned this sooner, but Zhenglai and Simon can both teleport groups of people. I'm not sure the plane will be necessary, if you can get us a picture of the building we can be there sooner than we could get to the plane. Thank you for the offer, though, and sorry I didn't say anything before."

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