002. text.

[regulatingpressure]

Got two things to ask and one thing to offer. I'll try to make it short and sweet.


QUESTION 1: What destroyed or depopulated your version of Earth? Nukes, asteroids, zombies? If nothing did yet, what took the closest shot so far?

Same question if you're not from Earth - just swap out Earth for wherever you came from.

I'm not compiling a spreadsheet or anything. I guess it's just something I've wondered.


QUESTION 2: What are we even doing here? What's our destination? The purpose of the voyage? Who sent us, and why us? Maybe I missed something and by all means point me there if I did, but in less than a day, this ship sucks up more resources than the Ark could spare for a month.

I've been here for over a month now and I'm the first person I've seen ask anything like this so far. I want to think it's because we were up to our airholes in highly invasive nanotechnology. Or - like I said, maybe I missed the big 'who, what, where, and why' memo.


OFFER: I'm bored off my rocks, if you haven't picked up on that yet. I was a zero-G mech back on the Ark, and if that's not enough, I helped fix the thing that saved your asses pre-Jump. I can repair, rebuild, or build from scrap just about anything you can think of. So somebody give me a job before I start opening panels and improving whatever the hell's inside.

[ is she serious? she very well could be, so throw her a bone here, yeah? ]

Comments

[text]

[ryuuzaki]

1. Earth. Nothing has destroyed or depopulated it yet. If I were going to wager, it would be on asteroids or nukes.

2. The short answer is that we don't know, and it isn't for want of discussion or trying to find out. I don't think anybody enjoys being as powerless as we are.

I've attached one longer answer. The Incidences section isn't up to date, but even if it were, it wouldn't contain any further answers to your questions.

[He makes a mental note to talk to Jones about how far behind it's fallen.]

Engineering might be interested in your skills.

[text]

[regulatingpressure]

1. Those weren't the only options, for the record. You were more than welcome to fill in the blanks.

2. That's still ten times more than I already knew. Who do I talk to if I've got questions? Is the guy who compiled it (Ianto?) still on the ship?


I threw in with Arya late last month, but it sounded pretty temporary. We got a department that handles hull maintenance and repairs? I know it's a long shot, but I trained way too long in zero-G to let all that go to waste.

text;

[vindictam]

The void will one day eat us all, if the plague does not get us first.

text;

[regulatingpressure]

Sounds pretty heavy.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but is the void [ ...what word does she even use? ] tangible? or metaphorical/philosophical/etc

[hedoniste]

Geomagnetic storms, subsequent after-effects. Some direct results of the storms, others more like economic collapse, political instability and the willingness of the common man to sell out his neighbours to homegrown militias and religious extremists.

The departments are all understaffed. Pick one.

[regulatingpressure]

Is all of this past-tense or future-tense? Relative to whenever you came from, since from what I'm picking up on, this is 'future-tense' for all of us.

text;

[brassbucket]

[ Rich stares at the first question, then just. Facepalms quietly. ]

Regarding the first one, I think a lot of things have come really close. None has succeeded yet, though.

On the other hand, I've seen planets destroyed by the folly of their own population, by space pirates, heard about some that were destroyed when their star was caused to explode into a Supernova, seen planets after Galactus has fed on them, and, worst of all, seen the devastation left behind by the Annihilation Wave.

Granted, most of those don't just depopulate the planet. They destroy it. Except for the space pirates.

text;

[regulatingpressure]

[ hey, it's a valid question. ]

Sounds like you've seen some shit. [ which is an understatement, but hey, considering raven's barely seen one planet? she's impressed. ]

What year was it? [ before he woke up here. ]

[circumitus]

war. plagues. human error/stupidity.

[regulatingpressure]

Past-tense or future-tense?

text. / private, 100% encryption.

[ex_varnish905]

I could probably design a little challenge for you. It's considered unseemly not to devote all your time and skills to crewing our ship, as I'm sure you're about to find out, so it would have to be discrete. But unlike the Tranquility departments, I am willing to negotiate reimbursement, should you prove up to it.

[regulatingpressure]

You've got my undivided attention.

[dogbane]

my earth is pretty fucking overpopulated actually. theres associated disease, starvation, not enough clean water. povery in general. we've also got loads of pollution.

seems like youve got some answers on the rest. i wouldnt know better than most of the others on here, so ive got my eye out for their responses myself. will let you know if our shit in medbay breaks down though

[regulatingpressure]

What about war?

[ she'll thank him later re: keeping her in mind. right now, she's got a curiosity to satisfy. ]

[talkingaintdoin]

[Since Wash'd told her about there being folks from Earth-that-Was, Zoë's been carefully observing them on the comms as she familiarizes herself with the way Tranquility works. But this topic is one that interests her immensely.]

Earth-that-Was got used up by the fact that so many people lived there, billions of folks on a planet with limited resources. Went out and terraformed a new system of planets and moons. 'Course, that was over five hundred years ago from my point of view.

[regulatingpressure]

[ technically, she's actually a new resident of earth-that-was - she and pretty much everyone she knows grew up on a space station in orbit. ]

Interstellar travel isn't exactly light on resource consumption either.

[ like - what did they do, just leech the absolute last few drops earth had to offer and bail? what happened to whoever was left? ]

text

[likescats]

The Discworld has almost been destroyed more times then I can recall and I was there for all of it. In recent, linear memory though...a giant red star, sourcerers and the auditors of reality in a few cases.

text

[regulatingpressure]

Sourcerers - like magic? Never heard of 'auditors of reality', but just from the name, it sounds like your Discworld's reality is a lot more fluid than ours was.

Did the star supernova?

Text

[bailedontheempire]

Earth doesn't exist in my galaxy. Though I'm told that for my planet the answer is an Imperial superweapon in an instant.

Your second question, I'm afraid, remains open despite extensive efforts. My colleague has provided you with extensive notes.

Engineering would be the logical choice for your skillset. The flight crew would also not turn you down. Most of what they do is shuttle repair and maintenance.

Text

[regulatingpressure]

Imperial superweapon - like explosives? Or am I way off-base?

Those notes give me a hell of a lot more than I had before. Definitely appreciate it.

Worked with Engineering through the last shitstorm, but I haven't followed up on whether or not Arya wants me full-time. Flight crew sounds like it wouldn't be half-bad either. I'm still not sure how all of this works yet - do I pick one and stick with it, or can I put hours in on both? Assuming I'd rather spend my free time getting something done.

[jurisimpudent]

The generosity of your offer is very much appreciated, sir/ma'am. Have you perhaps looked into working with engineering? It seems as though your talents are particularly well-suited to their needs. However, if there is any reason you would not wish to work with them, I can certainly come up with alternative suggestions.

[regulatingpressure]

Just Raven's fine. And Arya just nabbed me not thirty seconds ago, so I guess you were right on track.

Before I figure out where I'm throwing my free time, which department handles the hull maintenance? I feel like it's Flight Crew, yeah?

text

[kneaded]

We did. Or we will, anyway. It's still there, but it probably won't be for very long.

What's the Ark?

text

[regulatingpressure]

How? Bombs, disease, resource depletion?

The Ark was a space-station. For the last four or five generations, we've been pretty sure that everyone left alive was on that station.

text

[technologist]

1. Aliens. They made an attempt, in any case. Earth's still intact. Are you just presuming all Earths are eventually destroyed?

2. There's no discernible pattern. The reason you haven't heard anything is because nobody's got any clue.

3. Haven't you joined engineering yet?

text

[regulatingpressure]

1. Statistically, they're all gonna have to end up wrecked someday. Even if it's not soon. I guess I'm just wondering if nuclear fallout's a common one or if we were just the lucky winners.

2. Simpler answer than I was expecting. [ too bad it's hard to tell tone from text, because she's actually amused right now. ]

3. Less than 30 seconds ago, as it turns out.

text.

[revivalism]

We prefer Undead.
And I wouldn't say destroyed.

[ It's a work in progress. ]

not here.

[xerampelinae]

text.

[forgodssake]

1. nothing yet. what happened to yours?

2. this place has a way of masking its secrets. it's not shy about breaking fundamental laws of nature to do so.

3. engineering is what everyone will say and they would be right. but if you are at all familiar with the equipment you sorted through last cycle I would not say no to learning more about it, if you've the patience.

text.

[regulatingpressure]

1. A little nuclear warfare and a whole lot of radioactive fallout.

2. Sounds like a story I want to hear.

3. Familiar with using it, no. Familiar with where all the guts go and why, definitely. Which means I'm sure I could figure out how to use it, but until then it'll be a lot of 'hell if I know, let's find out'.

text

[wentdowntogeorgia]

Since your first question is the only one that's at all interesting, here's the short answer: me.

text

[regulatingpressure]

Feel like explaining that one?

[oratoris]

If you're talking about humans, nothing yet, although several wars throughout our history have declined the population, briefly.

Has your version of Earth been destroyed or depopulated?

[regulatingpressure]

A hundred years ago. Some by the nukes, the rest by the fallout and radioactive decay.

[oldmanhusker]

[Don't talk to him about destroyed Earth]

Nuclear weapons in the hands of machines.

[regulatingpressure]

[ oh, she's gonna. ]

Is that better or worse than in the hands of political leaders with tiny dicks?

text.

[prehendere]

1. Nothing yet. Threats of nuclear war have come closest and I've been told heavy-handed eugenics may come closer in the future. If it's all the same, I'd rather not go into specifics.

2. We don't know. I was told when I first arrived that the technology that brings us here, the technology that powers the jump each month, is in all likelihood malfunctioning. Unfortunately you're talking about something that manipulates space and time and no one has been able to take a better look for the same reason - time passes differently the closer you get to the center of the ship and it's able to change its corridors. Part of me thinks it could be like the ship is an injured animal that won't let you close. It's sentient in a way, or its AI/operating system is so highly advanced it may as well be.

At the same time, it keeps bringing people from the same world, or the same world but different points in time. Variations of Earth seem common. It doesn't seem to be a coincidence. And as said above, we're interfered with biologically. Memories, hallucinations, that kind of thing.

3. I already read above, so - welcome to Engineering?

text.

[regulatingpressure]

1. Of course you have to say 'let's not talk about it' right when it gets interesting.

[ not that she's pushing it, of course - she's just saying. ]

2. Just so I'm clear: We're here via malfunction? Not intentionally?

Also, time passes differently like how? (faster/slower?)

[ the last part's a whole different beast entirely, no pun intended, but she'll tackle the easier parts first. ]

3. Your welcome wagon's punctual but pretty understaffed. ha. I'm Raven, by the way.

[carbonite]

I have a question for you: what is the big deal with Earth? Almost everyone on this bucket is from there and I want to know why that planet gets to exist across all sorts of universes.

[regulatingpressure]

Hey, don't look at me. I'm not even from Earth, I just want to who wrecked it and how.

text. locked, 20% encryption

[deservesadaisy]

You would think there'd be a series of people asking similar questions, if a new group arrives monthly.

(As for your question, Earth was still there, when I left.)

[regulatingpressure]

Exactly what I was thinking. And why I mentioned it. It's kind of eerie, or is that just me?

(Thanks anyway.)

[mindtricks]

Earth was not destroyed in my world, but WWIII made large parts of it uninhabitable.

[regulatingpressure]

Uninhabitable how?

text; because seriously, does anyone say thank you to people who save their asses?

[inafadingcrown]

Others have seen to your questions well enough. If you do not object, I would prefer to say something I doubt you have been told often enough.

You have my sincere thanks for your work on our behalf. Everyone here owes you debt of gratitude.

text; oh gosh galadriel. make her blush

[regulatingpressure]

[ that - that, she wasn't expecting. she announced her part to reinforce her credibility, not to get any kind of gratitude. ]

Didn't do it by myself.

text; he's probably in the same room, but his voice still isn't 100% so text it is

[trynotodie]

i talked to some people who seem to be from a time earlier than our own.

text; text is totally fine with her

[regulatingpressure]

We've got earlier, we've got later, we've got right about the same but back on Earth or from some kind of distant solar systems.

Here I thought all this would help it make more sense.

[kutte]

Don't go gettin' all destructive. You know enough tech to help repair shit around here, head down to Engineering or over to Communications. They'll keep you busy enough.

[ a beat, then-- ]

Nothing's fucked up my world yet. But you talk to the right people and they'll tell you all the ways it could get fucked up.

[regulatingpressure]

Who said 'destructive'? Pretty sure I said 'improving'. [ she's more dry-teasing than affronted in any way though, and he gets a real answer: ] Just signed on with Engineering not five minutes ago, and I'm apparently pulling shifts in Flight too if I want outside. I'll check out Communications, see if I can't do anything there. [ the more of her waking hours she can cram into getting something done, the better. ]