∝Transmission 037: Endgame--Victory
[Everyone's words and arguments eventually get under Xacarb's skin and it soon slams its hands on the terminal in front of him and shouts:]
Enough! Enough!
[Immediately, Xacarb starts to pull levers, twist dials, and press buttons all over the various terminals; that hum instantly starts up again--but something about it doesn't sound right. Not at all. It's too high-pitched too fast; that hum quickly escalates into a whine and the entire chamber starts to visibly shake. Xacarb stumbles and grips onto the nearest terminal] This is what you were built for. Do not fail me now!
[It enters a few key commands at a rapid pace and as it does so, a light slowly begins to emanate from the Gate] There we are! I was a fool to think you could not handle the stress of beginning the siphoning operation at this earlier stage! You will save me and this universe... That is all that matters now.
[The grating noise and light continue to build; Xacarb still focusing on adjusting the rates at which the Gate can reach full siphoning capabilities again. Right now, the siphoning is only strong enough to tap into the ships themselves, not their occupants. But just then, one screen at the very end of the terminals blinks out and is soon replaced with DIVA's strained but grinning visage.]
Xacarb...
[Xacarb turns and snarls at the face on the terminal's screen] I had taken care of you! You ought to be dead! [It marches over to that terminal]
[DIVA shakes her head] Like you underestimated the otherworlders, you have underestimated me. Without you and the Gate, I never would've gained such control over my own programing--and neither would he. You unwittingly gave us life when no life should have been created, and in return, we will take up your mantle this one time. You have been blind to everything for far too long. You have outstayed your welcome and deserve some peace at last--and that is what I will give you. He is not strong enough yet.
[Xacarb's form flickers between it's regular one and the DIVA-esque one, a look of utter horror on its face] No...NO, what are you doing?! You cannot do this to me! I must save this universe!
[DIVA gives Xacarb a sad, sympathetic smile] And you will. Farewell, old one.
[Suddenly, the whining hum from the Gate stops--then it starts a second later, sounding like it's running in reverse. The light from the Gate brightens and brightens and before the lights turn blinding, Xacarb's form can be seen unraveling away from bottom to top. An anguished cry can be heard from its lips:] I will not die! Please, don't let me di--! [and Xacarb falls silent.]
[The moment it does, every otherworlder will wake up back in their proper bodies, right back where they were when time froze, only now, there is no angry rumbling and no one can hear the thoughts of others. Almost immediately, the Sphere Network switches, showing DIVA's relieved image]
Before Commanders Menaeus and Farix can raise any alarms and send out anyone else to recover the Gauntlet, know that I have complete control over the 8th Fleet's flagship and those who are out there now should seek refuge in it. In fifteen minutes, I'll direct the ships away from here. The decay has slowed in this sector, but we are far from safe in this patch of the universe.
[She does, indeed, wait the allotted fifteen minutes and soon have both ships heading for a safer sector of space.]
Otherworlders, I have spoken to the commanders and told them of your bravery in the face of Xacarb the last of The First. Without you, I never would've been able to tap into the Hyperstring Gate's systems without Xacarb noticing, and I never would've broken free from his near successful attempt to seal me away. In Xacarb's frenzy to restart the siphoning operation again, a few controls and precautions were overlooked. I was able to take advantage of that and Xacarb's unique molecular make-up, and focused the Gate's siphoning program on it and it alone. Xacarb had lived for well over 14 billion years, and all that life energy should keep this universe alive for far longer than Xacarb or any of The First could've ever dreamed. I also took the precaution and distributed some of that energy into your own universes to make up for any marginal amounts taken this past year. Your universes are safe now, otherworlders.
But now, it is time for you all to return to them. As those who have been through and back will tell you, you will wake right back up in your universes without having lost a single moment of time. Whether you remember your trials and tribulations here will depend on the strength of your mind and willingness of your heart. You could very well forget everything that had happened here. Only you will know, however.
Once the very last of you has crossed back into your universe, the Hyperstring Gate will be destroyed. At this very moment, Commanders Farix and Menaeus are securing the crew's pledge to help me destroy it once and for all while we continue to outrun the 15th Battalion and the rest of the Alliance.
At this point in time, however, the Gate is still on, but adjustments have been made so nothing and no one can be pulled into this universe ever again. When you are ready to go home, the transportation stations on both the Uesugi and Hawking are linked back up with the Gauntlet. You'll be directed to the Gate chamber where you can say your good-byes before leaving. Commanders Menaeus and Farix will be waiting for you.
[DIVA smiles proudly] And one last thing...thank you.
That will be all. [The communication ends.]
[Somewhere in a different sector of space, the commander of the 15th Battalion's flagship receives this lone text message as way of a taunt:]
"Oh Mr Moundshroud, will we ever stop being afraid of the night and death?"
"When you reach the stars, boy, yes, and live there forever, all the fears will go, and death himself will die."
DETAILS
Enough! Enough!
[Immediately, Xacarb starts to pull levers, twist dials, and press buttons all over the various terminals; that hum instantly starts up again--but something about it doesn't sound right. Not at all. It's too high-pitched too fast; that hum quickly escalates into a whine and the entire chamber starts to visibly shake. Xacarb stumbles and grips onto the nearest terminal] This is what you were built for. Do not fail me now!
[It enters a few key commands at a rapid pace and as it does so, a light slowly begins to emanate from the Gate] There we are! I was a fool to think you could not handle the stress of beginning the siphoning operation at this earlier stage! You will save me and this universe... That is all that matters now.
[The grating noise and light continue to build; Xacarb still focusing on adjusting the rates at which the Gate can reach full siphoning capabilities again. Right now, the siphoning is only strong enough to tap into the ships themselves, not their occupants. But just then, one screen at the very end of the terminals blinks out and is soon replaced with DIVA's strained but grinning visage.]
Xacarb...
[Xacarb turns and snarls at the face on the terminal's screen] I had taken care of you! You ought to be dead! [It marches over to that terminal]
[DIVA shakes her head] Like you underestimated the otherworlders, you have underestimated me. Without you and the Gate, I never would've gained such control over my own programing--and neither would he. You unwittingly gave us life when no life should have been created, and in return, we will take up your mantle this one time. You have been blind to everything for far too long. You have outstayed your welcome and deserve some peace at last--and that is what I will give you. He is not strong enough yet.
[Xacarb's form flickers between it's regular one and the DIVA-esque one, a look of utter horror on its face] No...NO, what are you doing?! You cannot do this to me! I must save this universe!
[DIVA gives Xacarb a sad, sympathetic smile] And you will. Farewell, old one.
[Suddenly, the whining hum from the Gate stops--then it starts a second later, sounding like it's running in reverse. The light from the Gate brightens and brightens and before the lights turn blinding, Xacarb's form can be seen unraveling away from bottom to top. An anguished cry can be heard from its lips:] I will not die! Please, don't let me di--! [and Xacarb falls silent.]
[The moment it does, every otherworlder will wake up back in their proper bodies, right back where they were when time froze, only now, there is no angry rumbling and no one can hear the thoughts of others. Almost immediately, the Sphere Network switches, showing DIVA's relieved image]
Before Commanders Menaeus and Farix can raise any alarms and send out anyone else to recover the Gauntlet, know that I have complete control over the 8th Fleet's flagship and those who are out there now should seek refuge in it. In fifteen minutes, I'll direct the ships away from here. The decay has slowed in this sector, but we are far from safe in this patch of the universe.
[She does, indeed, wait the allotted fifteen minutes and soon have both ships heading for a safer sector of space.]
Otherworlders, I have spoken to the commanders and told them of your bravery in the face of Xacarb the last of The First. Without you, I never would've been able to tap into the Hyperstring Gate's systems without Xacarb noticing, and I never would've broken free from his near successful attempt to seal me away. In Xacarb's frenzy to restart the siphoning operation again, a few controls and precautions were overlooked. I was able to take advantage of that and Xacarb's unique molecular make-up, and focused the Gate's siphoning program on it and it alone. Xacarb had lived for well over 14 billion years, and all that life energy should keep this universe alive for far longer than Xacarb or any of The First could've ever dreamed. I also took the precaution and distributed some of that energy into your own universes to make up for any marginal amounts taken this past year. Your universes are safe now, otherworlders.
But now, it is time for you all to return to them. As those who have been through and back will tell you, you will wake right back up in your universes without having lost a single moment of time. Whether you remember your trials and tribulations here will depend on the strength of your mind and willingness of your heart. You could very well forget everything that had happened here. Only you will know, however.
Once the very last of you has crossed back into your universe, the Hyperstring Gate will be destroyed. At this very moment, Commanders Farix and Menaeus are securing the crew's pledge to help me destroy it once and for all while we continue to outrun the 15th Battalion and the rest of the Alliance.
At this point in time, however, the Gate is still on, but adjustments have been made so nothing and no one can be pulled into this universe ever again. When you are ready to go home, the transportation stations on both the Uesugi and Hawking are linked back up with the Gauntlet. You'll be directed to the Gate chamber where you can say your good-byes before leaving. Commanders Menaeus and Farix will be waiting for you.
[DIVA smiles proudly] And one last thing...thank you.
That will be all. [The communication ends.]
[Somewhere in a different sector of space, the commander of the 15th Battalion's flagship receives this lone text message as way of a taunt:]
"Oh Mr Moundshroud, will we ever stop being afraid of the night and death?"
"When you reach the stars, boy, yes, and live there forever, all the fears will go, and death himself will die."
DETAILS
- And here we are, finally at the end! There is an entry right after this one for all characters to depart, found here! Use that post to tag in and if you want to have a last moment with the others, you can do so! One of the commanders will approach and ask if you're ready to go when you first tag in. When you are absolutely ready to go, go ahead and put in your subject line "[Character name] is going home!", have your character walk through the Gate, and that will be your exit from the game! If for any reason, characters choose to remain in that universe, they'll be tasked with helping DIVA and the commanders to destroy the Gate once and for all and to bring down the corrupted branches of the Intergalactic Alliance. How that story turns out...well, we'll leave it to your imaginations.
It has been one hell of a ride, and we had our rocky periods, but we are very, very proud and grateful for those of you who stuck with us until the end. Your support for this crazy complicated story/game has meant the world. Some of you may not know, but we inherited this game from the original creator way back near the start of the game. We were given the essential plot line, especially the key points where the big game changing events were concerned, but we were left to fill in the gaps. At times, some things didn't work, other things did, and how certain plots worked out determined the type of ones we chose to go with from then on. It was a huge learning experience all around. And if anything, we hope you did have fun in the end.
But we have mentioned on numerous occasions how your decisions would effect the outcome of the game. First of all, the biggest overarching theme was that of "death". There was permanent death if your character had died during any of the events, there was the heat death of the universe that Xacarb was vainly trying to prevent, there was the choice of letting the NPC crew live or die during their revolt, and most importantly, was the otherworlders working Xacarb into a rage with the confrontation of its fear of death. There were four possible endings, and thankfully, when the NPC crew were spared, we immediately were able to get rid of the Bad ending, and with the booting up of the engines during the Flee! Run! Scarper! quick-time, we were able to avoid the Neutral ending.
The difference between the Good and Best ending came in the most recent mod post. The majority of you were able to tell Xacarb, in some way, that it feared death--and that was the most important thing. It needed to be confronted with its fear in order for it be sent into the rage. Xacarb might have been a genius, but it certainly couldn't the last great unknown it had yet to explore.
So without further ado, we present to you, the endings, which one we have achieved and how things could have turned out!
- »Best - This is our game ending! Congratulations!!! Without you, Ganymede would not have survived, and as a bonus scene, here's a little glimpse at DIVA and the Admiral, together.
»Good - Xacarb isn't sent into a rage and doesn't mess with the controls. Unfortunately, this means that DIVA isn't able to take advantage of those mistakes in the system. But fortunately, Ganymede's AI unit is housed on the Gauntlet, but unfortunately, he doesn't have the same level of access to everything as DIVA does, but! What he can do is initiate a self-destruct of the Gauntlet. He would've sent all of DIVA's programs to the other two ships, told the otherworlders that even after the Gate is gone, instability created due to the siphon operation will keep the Gate's effects active so that over the next few days or weeks, characters would just disappear from this universe and return back home. Once he delivers that message, he sends the other ships away, then detonates the Gauntlet, taking the Gate and Xacarb with it. The difference between this and the Best ending, besides surface differences, is that Ganymede doesn't survive and is another life lost, even if he is just a sentient AI.
»Bad - The 15th Battalion would have caught up to the fleet, and would have made it damn near impossible to avoid them. Fighting would have been constant, and it would have taken much longer to reach the Cedirra ship, gain Ganymede's message and information about The First--but in all likelihood, the fleet would have simply disappeared while fighting because Xacarb would've been initiating its last siphoning operation anyway.
»Worst - Upon the deaths of the majority of the crew, the remainder of the crew members and the otherworlders would have had to abandon one of the ships in order to pursue the Gauntlet, but losing either ship would have meant detrimental losses in terms of what was available. Lose the Uesugi, lose the majority of the armaments as well as the medical and all its technology. Lose the Hawking, lose the docking bay and all the mecha inside--including those that came over with certain characters. The remaining crew members would have soon despaired from the loses or slowly gone crazy from the continued and worsening effects of the Gate anomalies, and would have abandoned the otherworlders on the outpost where the 15th Battalion would have caught up and...well, achieved their own mission of erasing all evidence of those involved with the Gate.
We are incredibly proud to be able to give you the best ending! There were times when we were a bit worried how things would go, but you guys continued to surprise at the last minute for many events!
Unfortunately, these will be the absolute last mod posts of the game. The communities will be open for any going-away threads/logs, and you are more than welcome to run any OOC or Friending memes in the OOC comm! But for the mod posts, this is, indeed, the very end.
Thank you all so, so very much. Best of luck to you in the future, and hey, hope to see you around again soon!
Take care~ And thank you again~ ♥