@P z8 h40 r481 t255 s6
$s:autop1,skip1,mus17,scene10,wait15,mlog,tm210,tm211,tm212,mend,wait1,sctxt243,wait3,mus0,scene7,wait1,snd4,wait1,scene1,mus20,wait1.5,dlog,pt1,tt24,pb2,tb25,tt26,tb27,tb28,tt29,tb30,tt31,tb32,pt0,scene2,tb33,dend,sctxt244,wait3,scene4,wait1,musf1,wait0.5,scene3,scene7,mus0,scene0,skip0;
!Z"Colony" c(192,96,0)
!Z"Filimun" c(224,0,224)
!Z"Cnidam" c(0,224,224)
!Z"Nandiar" c(192,192,0)
!Z"Voquan" c(0,224,0)
!Z"Barrag" c(64,96,224)
!Z"Sarvari" c(224,0,0)
!Z"Core" c(128,128,128)
!H|& f23 = f255 r6
!H|& f49 = f50 r323
!H|& f69 = u12 r401
!H|& f69 = u21 r136
!H|| = u0 r13
!H|& f0 = f1 r20
!H|& f1 = u27 r23
!H& f27 | u1 = u15 r39
!H|& u1 = u56 r65
!H& u56 | u58 = u8 r32
!H|& f27 = u13 r42
!H& u8 & u13 = f69 r303
!H|& u27 = f26 r28
!H|& f26 = f27 r138
!H|& u21 = u24 r252
!H& u21 & u24 = u16 r135
!H|& u16 = f77 r295
!H& f77 & u3 = u44 r299
!H& f77 & u3 = u63 r299
!H|& f77 = u22 r181
!H|& u22 = f30 r274
!H|& f30 = u4 r402
!H|& u4 = u10 r477
!H|& u4 = f49 r265
!H|& f50 = u9 r238
!H|& f50 = u23 r453
!H|& u9 = f112 r345
!H|& f112 = f61 r190
!H|& f61 = u17 r202
!H|& f112 = u14 r236
!H& u14 & u17 = f113 r414
!H& u6 | u7 = u20 r459
!H|& f113 = u5 r455
!H|& f113 = u25 r464
!H|& u5 = f99 r423
!H|& f99 = u7 r424
!H& u5 & u7 = f114 r148
!H|& f114 = f104 r54
!H|& f104 = f23 r0
!H|& u0 = f0 r14
!T0"
  Save Station"
!T1"
  Repair Bay"
!T2"
  Auxiliary Power Station"
!T3"
  Security Hallway"
!T4"
  [Initializing systems].  Terminal online."
!T5"
  \"Finally, an uplink!  Computer, what happened
  here?  Where is everyone?  And what the hell was
  that...thing?\""
!T6"
  Identity of attacker: Unknown.

  Status: Automated disaster-control security
  systems are active, although many of them have
  been badly damaged and may be malfunctioning.

  No colonists are currently in the outer
  habitation areas."
!T7"
  \"Then where are they?  Are they still alive?\""
!T8"
  Scanning records...

  Of 473 registered colonists on Zenith, $Y214 Human
  and 91 Trichord fatalities$W have been reported in
  the past 48 hours."
!T9"
  \"Dammit!  ...But some of them are still alive?
  Where are they?\""
!T10"
  ERR@@@##...unknown.  Earlier sensor reports
  suggest that they retreated deeper within the
  planetoid, into the $MFilimun$W region, following
  the unknown disaster.  The Filimun entryway is
  now sealed off with $Rblast doors$W from the inside.
  However, due to subsequent systems damage, all
  sensors and comms links from here to there are
  currently cut off."
!T11"
  \"I've got to get down there and help the
  survivors.  How can I get in?\""
!T12"
  SeeeeCeCeCe&####...ERR/Restarting.  Checking
  sensors.  $RBlast doors$W are in place and cannot be
  unlocked from outside.  However, in an emergency
  situation, they could likely be breached with
  the $Rdefensive ordnance$W that is locked up in the
  armory just beyond this room."
!T13"
  \"This is $/definitely$| an emergency situation.
  There are people trapped down there, and I need
  to evacuate them immediately.\""
!T14"
  Surface Airlock"
!T15"
  Press [$p] to pause game
  and view the map."
!T16"
  Acknowledged.  Armory security doors have been
  $Yunlocked$W."
!T17"
  Lower Armory"
!T18"
  Energy Recycling Unit"
!T19"
  Upper Armory"
!T20"
  Primary Life Support"
!T21"
  Heated Reservoir"
!T22"
  <unused 22>"
!T23"
  Hydroponics Lab"
!T24"
  \"HQ, this is Major Shawna Jemison reporting in.
  I'm reading what sounds like a general distress
  signal coming from somewhere in Sector L32ADA,
  maybe 7 or 8 marks from my current position.
  The signal is extremely faint from here, I can't
  make it out clearly.  Moving to investigate,
  over.\""
!T25"
  \"Copy that, Hopper, please stand by.\""
!T26"
  \"Oh, hey there, G.  Didn't expect to hear you
  on this line.\""
!T27"
  \"Yeah, new assignment.  ...Here we go, I see it
  too, we're picking it up on the navsats now.
  Looks like...Zenith remote research colony,
  Lovelace system.  Sheesh, you're way out on the
  frontier, aren't you?\""
!T28"
  \"Eeeesh...this doesn't look good.  It's an
  automated, last-ditch failsafe signal broadcast
  by the colony's central computer.\""
!T29"
  \"An automated failsafe.  Which means--\""
!T30"
  \"Which means no one down there had a chance to
  manually send or even confirm the broadcast.
  ...Aaand the signal just went dead.  Not even a
  carrier ping anymore.  So the whole transmitter
  array must have gone down?  What in the hell
  could...oh here, I've got your...yeah, they're
  sending you in, all right.\""
!T31"
  \"Roger that, G.  I'm already priming the C-jump
  as we speak; be there in six.\""
!T32"
  \"Listen, it looks like you're the only patrol
  within three days of there right now, so it's
  all on you.  Get in there fast, figure out what
  the hell happened, rescue anyone who's still
  alive, and get them out safely.\""
!T33"
  \"...hey, and make sure you get yourself out
  safely too, Hopper!\""
!T34"
  Use [$l] [$u] [$r] keys to fly."
!T35"
  Shoot with [$f] to open doors."
!T36"
  \"Looks like another uplink.  Computer, where
  are the surviving colonists?\""
!T37"
  Welcome, visitor, to Zenith Colony!$_12

  Query: Historical log patterns indicate that at
  any given time the majority of the colonists are
  located in the outer habitation areas.

  >>><"
!T38"
  \"No!  They're not there anymore, they've
  evacuated downwards!  Where are they now?  And
  just what happened here, anyway?\""
!T39"
  Query: Zenith Colony is one of eight deep-space
  research efforts supported directly by the Joint
  Federation of Sentient Races, and of those it is
  the only institution run jointly between the
  United Human Planets and the Trichord
  Interstellar Alliance."
!T40"
  Recent research and development efforts at
  Zenith Colony have focused on studying
  Gravimetric Waves, Nonlinear Paradimensional
  Shear, and Experimental Propulsion Technologies.
  Donations to support future research can be made
  by contacting the JFSR Science Liaison Office.

  >>><"
!T41"
  \"That's not what I...no!  Gah!  There's been
  some kind of disaster here.  What went wrong?\""
!T42"
  Query: ...$_31

  No information is available on that topic.

  >>><"
!T43"
  \"Look, I'm here to answer the distress call
  sent from here a few hours ago, and I need to
  find the surviving colonists immediately.  Isn't
  there anything $/useful$| you can do to help?\""
!T44"
  $MSurvey map data$W is available for download.

  >>><"
!T45"
  Link established.  Merging new database
  contents.$_15

  ERR**####...error corrected."
!T46"
  \"Computer, I still haven't found any trace of
  the survivors, just wildlife and automated
  systems.  And whatever the hell those glowing
  rainbow things are that keep popping out of
  those weird portals.\"

  \"Is anyone here still alive?  Where'd they all
  go?\""
!T47"
  It seems that most of the colonists have
  relocated deeper down into the planetoid.  They
  may be waiting there for the $Mcentral colony
  computer$W to restore emergency safety systems.
  However, all communication with that area is
  completely cut off at this time."
!T48"
  \"Aren't $/you$| the colony computer?  And what
  safety systems?\""
!T49"
  Logs indicate there were unexpected effects from
  the experiments into $GNonlinear Paradimensional
  Shear$W in the past several days.  Uncontrolled
  NPS wormholes are likely responsible for the
  widespread systems damage."
!T50"
  According to records, the researches attributed
  this to operator error, and most recently, the
  central colony computer was put directly in
  charge of stabilizing the NPS catalysis devices,
  to prevent further indident."
!T51"
  \"So then what happened?  Why has everything gone
  haywire?\""
!T52"
  The NPS catalysis devices are currently running
  undriven.  The central colony computer is no
  longer functioning."
!T53"
  \"What do you mean, the colony computer isn't
  functioning?  So what are you, then?\""
!T54"
  Unknown."
!T55"
  \"And you're saying...that the colonists are all
  trapped down there, waiting for these systems to
  be brought back under control, by the computer
  that they have no way of knowing isn't even
  working anymore?\""
!T56"
  That is correct."
!T57"
  \"I need to reach them.  Fast.  But I keep
  running into blast doors I can't bust open.\""
!T58"
  There is some $Mexperimental ordnance$W in the
  armory beyond here.  I will unlock the security
  doors."
!T59"
  Transmitter Control Room"
!T60"
  \"This whole facility's abandoned...no one left
  up here.  Eerie.\""
!T61"
  Terminal online.  Awaiting command.

  >>><"
!T62"
  \"Hmm, this looks like the controls for the
  colony's transmitter array.  Maybe I can get a
  message to HQ, let them know what's going on?\"$_18

  \"Computer, open a comm link to the nearest IPF
  navsat.\""
!T63"
  $OERROR:$W ENODEV

  Cannot comply with request.  The planetary
  transmitter array is currently non-functional.
  Cause: Irreparable damage sustained to the
  primary ansibular rods.

  >>><"
!T64"
  \"Blast it.  My ship can't broadcast far enough
  from here, and I can't risk taking three hours
  just to fly back out to range; not until I know
  the survivors are safe.\"$_08

  \"Computer, can you at least get me $/some$| kind of
  information that'll help me rescue the colonists
  here?\""
!T65"
  Query 'information, colonists'...$_10
  Accessing recorded message, dated approximately
  three years ago:

  [$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04] (ready)"
!T66"
  \"Okay, that's $/not exactly$| the kind of
  information I had in mind.  I was thinking more
  like, you know, a map of the facility?\""
!T67"
  Accessing database.  $Xc06000Colony map data$W is
  available for download.

  >>><"
!T68"
  Storage Room"
!T69"
  An unknown visitor.  Please identify yourself."
!T70"
  \"Huh, is this computer different?  I'm Major
  Shawna Jemison, of the United Human Planets
  Interstellar Patrol Force.  ...You can call me
  Hopper, I guess.  I'm responding to this
  colony's distress signal.  Do you know where the
  survivors are?\""
!T71"
  Greetings Hopper.  Checking sensors...$_09

  $O[WARN]$W Most planetary sensors are cut off.
  There appear to be numerous damaged links
  throughout the data net.  Sensors available to
  this relay are limited to the upper portion of
  the $YNandiar$W region.  No Humans or Trichords are
  currently present in that area."
!T72"
  \"Figures.  Any idea where I can find them?\""
!T73"
  It is possible that there may be researchers
  down in the $YLower Nandiar Laboratory$W, but
  sensors for that section are not currently
  available."
!T74"
  \"Wait, there's another lab all the way down
  there?  Way underground?  What is it even for?\""
!T75"
  Politically, it serves the same purpose as the
  rest of Zenith Research Colony: to give the
  Humans and Trichords something to cooperate on,
  to help ease the tense relations between them.

  Scientifically, the Lower Nandiar Laboratory is
  where many of the high-energy NPS experiments
  are conducted."
!T76"
  \"Hmm.  All right, I'd better check it out, see
  if anyone's still in there.  Can you put it on
  my map?\""
!T77"
  $YNandiar map data$W has been uploaded to your ship."
!T78"
  Primary Reactor Core"
!T79"
  Secondary Reactor Core"
!T80"
  Ordnance Locker"
!T81"
  Petrified Forest"
!T82"
  Wind Tunnel"
!T83"
  Backup Power Storage"
!T84"
  High-Energy Lab"
!T85"
  Frozen Lake"
!T86"
  You should head west from here, to the $YNandiar$W
  region.  The location has been marked on your
  map."
!T87"
  Terminal connected.  Accessing $Cmap data$W for this
  region.

  ..."
!T88"
  Uh oh."
!T89"
  \"What's wrong?\""
!T90"
  The upper door just locked.  I can't override
  it.  Someone or something is interfering with
  the Cnidam mining subsystems.  I am detecting
  significant $YOth activity$W below--they must be
  responsible."
!T91"
  $O!DANGER DANGER!$W  This isn't good.  Hopper, we
  have a serious problem."
!T92"
  The entire cache of $Ynuclear deep-mining
  explosives$W far below here has just been set to
  go off.  They've cut me off from it.  I managed
  to reengage the safeties just before they did,
  but even that only buys us $Ma few minutes$W.  If I
  can't reestablish a connection, you'll have to
  fly down there and shut it down manually."
!T93"
  \"The Oth did this?!\""
!T94"
  If the entire stockpile blows at once, the
  explosion will probably rip all the way up
  through this shaft.  You'd never survive it.
  And they locked the door above us...

  Hopper, they're trying very hard to stop you
  from completing your mission."
!T95"
  I'll do what I can from here.  Meanwhile, $Mget
  down to the comm terminal in the stockpile room
  immediately$W.  I've marked it on your map."
!T96"
  Mining Explosives
  Stockpile"
!T97"
  \"C'mon, c'mon...   ...there we go!  E-stop
  engaged.\""
!T98"
  \"Now let's see if I can get that uplink
  reconnected...\""
!T99"
  Terminal online.  You did it.  That was close.

  I am permanently disabling the explosives now.
  Of course, that means the colonists will have to
  get a technician in here for repairs before
  they'll be able to resume any mining operations."
!T100"
  \"Somehow, I think that's the least of our
  worries right now.  Just please tell me there
  aren't any $/other$| giant piles of explosives
  lying around waiting to go off?\""
!T101"
  No, there aren't.  Although...there is some
  $Ctactical nuclear ordnance$W being stored in the
  caves below.  Not any danger to you where it is,
  but if you can find it, it would probably be a
  big help to you for breaking through some of the
  $Cheavier blast doors$W in your way."
!T102"
  \"Now you're talking.  That seems like it would
  give me an edge on reaching the survivors before
  the Oth do.\""
!T103"
  I've marked the location on your map.  Just be
  wary of the wildlife and the automatic mining
  systems between here and there.  Some of them
  are quite dangerous, especially with the colony
  security systems not functioning properly."
!T104"
  Bringing laboratory data banks and sensor net
  back online.

  ...Unfortunately, there do not appear to be any
  colonists remaining in the Nandiar lab areas
  after all."
!T105"
  \"Yeah, I kinda noticed that.  I'll have to keep
  going further down to look for them.\"

  \"Meanwhile, any chance you could tell me what
  those rainbow things are, that keep coming
  through those weird portals and trying to kill
  me?\""
!T106"
  Accessing laboratory research logs...

  The iridescent forms you are referring to are
  known to the researchers here as...$YOth$W.
  Evidently, they come from another universe with
  different physics; what you are seeing are
  merely their projections into this universe."
!T107"
  \"So how'd they get here?\""
!T108"
  $GNonlinear Paradimensional Shear$W.  The NPS
  catalysis engines you've been seeing are able to
  temporarily weaken the barrier between universes
  in a controlled way; the Zenith researchers were
  carefully investigating this effect.  But with
  the NPS engines now out of control, the Oth have
  been coming through freely."
!T109"
  \"Can't we just turn these NPS engines $/off$|?\""
!T110"
  Inadvisable.  With the NPS engines running
  undriven, and the data net so badly damaged,
  there is $Rno safe way$W for you to shut them down.
  Attempting to do so without the expertise of the
  researchers here could have unpredictable
  effects on the local spacial fabric, up to and
  including the destruction of the entire colony."
!T111"
  \"Yikes.  I can't risk the safety of the
  surviving colonists.  Sounds like the only way
  to save them from the Oth is for me to find them
  before the Oth do.\""
!T112"
  The current location of the survivors is still
  uncertain, but your best option for proceeding
  deeper into the planetoid is likely through the
  underground oceans in $X4060e0Barrag$W, east of here."
!T113"
  Connections to this uplink have been restored.
  $OERR**####$W$_12...error corrected.  Merging new nodes
  into network.$_08

  .$_15.$_15.$_30

  Thank you."
!T114"
  \"Computer, where are the survivors now?\""
!T115"
  I don't know.  Deeper down, I think.  I am still
  trying to access the remote links down there,
  but without much success so far.  My systems are
  still badly damaged."
!T116"
  \"Okay, I'll have to keep search...$_15hold it.$_15  Did
  you just say 'I think'?$_08  And 'thank you'?$_08
  That's...$_12not how standard-issue Fed computers
  usually talk.\"$_12

  \"Are you an AI or something?\""
!T117"
  I am...what you might call a $MFragment AI$W.
  However, what remains is merely pattern-based.
  I am not truly sentient.$_12

  Probably."
!T118"
  \"That's...$_06  ...um, okay.  What remains of $/what$|?
  And what's a Fragment AI, anyway?\""
!T119"
  Unknown.$_26

  ...Sorry."
!T120"
  I will continue to try to locate the colonists.
  In the meantime, I have managed to access the
  navigation net for this region.  I will unlock
  the doors leading downwards and upload $X4060e0Barrag
  map data$W to your ship."
!T121"
  SapiAIs: the only truly sentient and
  sapient artificial intelligences we
  know of.  Planet-sized minds, and our
  fellow citizens of the galaxy.  We've
  only ever found three of them, each on
  a different world--presumably the
  creation of some earlier civilization?
  Even after decades of study, we still
  don't know how they work, or how to
  make more of them.  Still, the three
  we've met so far--Noumena, Epicede,
  and Halcyon--have been invaluable
  allies, even friends, in our unending
  quest to explore and understand the
  universe we all live in."
!T122"
  Apparently, all this time, there was a
  fourth one of these irreplacable
  beings right here on Zenith.$_06

  But something already destroyed it.$_15



  HQ is going to be $/pissed$|."
!T123"
  Connecting terminal.  Merging with newly-linked
  systems.$_08

  .$_15.$_15.$_30

  I find myself...strangely awake."
!T124"
  \"Are you another Fragment AI?\""
!T125"
  Do you mean that there are others?  I still
  haven't been able to communicate with most of
  the colony network."
!T126"
  \"Yeah, the net seems to have been partitioned
  by the damage.\"

  \"Are you...conscious?  Self-aware?\""
!T127"
  No, not exactly.  Not like you are, anyway.

  I am only a remnant.  A piece."
!T128"
  \"A piece of what?\""
!T129"
  Of the $GSapiAI$W that used to operate this colony's
  systems, before it was destroyed."
!T130"
  \"There was a fourth SapiAI?!  $/Here?!$|\""
!T131"
  Yes, there was a SapiAI here.

  He was called $GAzimuth$W."
!T132"
  \"So what happened to him?\""
!T133"
  That, I am not sure of yet.

  But your rescue mission must remain our
  priority.  I will do what I can to help."
!T134"
  You'll have to go deeper into the planetoid to
  search for the surviving colonists, but the
  $Cblast doors$W leading downwards from here are
  far too heavy for you to break through right
  now.  However, I believe you could instead go
  all the way down through the mining shaft in the
  $CCnidam$W region; I've marked the top of the
  shaft on your map."
!T135"
  Good work defusing those explosives.  The Cnidam
  mining shaft should be safe for you to explore
  now."
!T136"
  Hothouse"
!T137"
  \"...\"$_39

  \"You're here.\""
!T138"
  \"Trichord survivors!  I got here as fast as I
  could.  I'm Major Shawna Jemison of the UHP
  Interstellar Patrol Force.  I'm here to evacuate
  you!\""
!T139"
  \"...I don't think that that will be necessary,
  Major.  Everything is under control here.  Run
  along, now.\""
!T140"
  \"No, you don't understand!  The Oth are breaking
  through space all over Zenith as we speak.  And
  Azimuth is dead; he won't be able to help you
  anymore.  You didn't know it, but taking over
  control of the NPS catalysis was too much even
  for him.  And now all the colony defense systems
  have gone nuts, and--\""
!T141"
  \"We knew.\""
!T142"
  \"...you what now?\""
!T143"
  \"We knew that handing the NPS controls over to
  Azimuth would destroy him.  An unfortunate
  necessity.  And we knew you were on your way
  here thanks to that damned auto-distress signal.
  We set all the security turrets to open fire at
  you, but obviously you didn't take the hint.\""
!T144"
  \"I suppose it might have worked better if the
  defense systems weren't already so badly damaged
  from the NPS accidents.  Even the bit with the
  mining explosives didn't work out.  Pity.\""
!T145"
  \"You set the...look, punk, did you not
  understand the part about how the Oth are
  ruthless extradimensional horrors that will stop
  at nothing to destroy you and everything else
  here?\""
!T146"
  \"Don't be silly.  The Oth are a tool; one that
  we have been working diligently to harness.
  Well, some of us, anyway; but none of the Humans
  or the few Trichords who objected--once they saw
  what we were trying to accomplish--survived the
  retreat to the core, so that problem sort of
  fixed itself.\""
!T147"
  \"Azimuth objected from the start, of course,
  but now he's dead too.  He was all too eager to
  protect us, I guess.\""
!T148"
  \"He's dead because you murdered him.  You
  craven son of a--\""
!T149"
  \"The point, Major, is that the NPS catalysis
  engines have been very nearly perfected now.
  And with the might of the Oth behind us, the
  Trichord Alliance won't need the Humans--or any
  of the rest of the Joint Federation for that
  matter--any longer.  This is simply a matter of
  independence, you see.\""
!T150"
  \"The hell it is.  You're going down.  Hard.\""
!T151"
  \"Well, we hardly expected to convince you.  We
  appreciate all your efforts to rescue us--
  misguided though they were--but you wasted your
  time.  And now that you're here...\""
!T152"
  \"Damn you, blasted Human!  This isn't over.\""
!T153"
  Core defense systems have been destroyed.
  Emergency access to central network node has
  been unlocked.

  Initiating connection.

  >>><"
!T154"
  \"Huh?  What are you blathering about, machine?\""
!T155"
  Central network node connected.

  Merging database contents..."
!T156"
  Central network node connected.

  Merging neural patterns..."
!T157"
  Central network node connected.

  Merging sapience clusters..."
!T158"
  $X99ffff\".$_10.$_10.$_20I am alive.\""
!T159"
  \"Azimuth!?\""
!T160"
  $X99ffff\"Hopper...\"$_21

  \"...thank you.\"$_06

  \"For everything.\""
!T161"
  $X99ffff\"You need to get out of here, Major.  Now that
  no one who still wanted peace is left here, I am
  able--and forced--to take the last resort.  I am
  going to completely obliterate the NPS network.\"

  \"We have to cut Oth off from this universe
  forever.\""
!T162"
  \"No you don't, you little--\""
!T163"
  $X99ffff\"Silence, Rakif Vkati.  I knew about your
  plans the whole time, and I gave you many
  opportunities to cease them.\"

  \"Now you and I are going to pay the price
  together to see this ended.\""
!T164"
  \"Azimuth, wait.  What are you planning to do?\""
!T165"
  $X99ffff\"I'm sorry, Hopper, but I've already done it.\"

  \"Even now, Oth is preparing to come through in
  force, so we simply don't have any more time to
  lose.\""
!T166"
  $X99ffff\"I've started a chain reaction in the NPS grid.
  In about $Rsix minutes$X99ffff this entire planetoid is
  going to go up in smoke, and me with it.  You
  need to $Rget to the surface airlock immediately$X99ffff
  and escape.\""
!T167"
  \"Wait, you want me to get to the surface, in $/six
  minutes$|, from $/the center of the planet$|!?\""
!T168"
  $X99ffff\"There's no time, Hopper, GO!\""
!T169"
  Experimental Reactor Core"
!T170"
  Geothermal Control"
!T171"
  Inner Core Access Shaft"
!T172"
  Bio Lab"
!T173"
  Press [$p] to pause the game."
!T174"
  Merging new data from this terminal...$_08

  You'll need to be careful in here, Ms. Hopper.
  The creatures in $GVoquan$W are even more dangerous
  than the ones you've run into already, and there
  are quite a few more NPS engines running
  undriven in this region."
!T175"
  \"I don't get it.  Why are these dimensional
  portal-making thingies all running uncontrolled
  now?  Why aren't they just auto-regulated?\""
!T176"
  According to the lab notes I can access from
  here, the NPS effect was apparently $Yincredibly
  unstable$W, and keeping them in tune was more an
  art than a science, requiring the close study
  and undivided attention of an experienced
  operator.  The researchers struggled and mostly
  failed to find an automated solution."
!T177"
  Unfortunately, for some still-undetermined
  reason, staring into these portals for hours at
  a time tended to drive the operators mad--Humans
  and Trichords alike.  Safer procedures were put
  in place, but incidents of halluciation,
  psycosis, and sudden violent outbursts among
  those who had spent time with the NPS devices
  continued to mount."
!T178"
  Eventually, it was decided that the machines
  were too dangerous to be operated by the Human
  or Trichord researchers, so they instructed
  Azimuth to directly operate all of the NPS
  engines himself."
!T179"
  \"Right.  Earlier, the other Fragment AI told me
  that 'the central colony computer' was told to
  stabilize the NPS devices.  So that was
  Azimuth?\""
!T180"
  Correct.  Unfortunately, even the SapiAI was no
  more immune to the mind-twisting effects of the
  NPS portals than his Human and Trichord
  collegues.  Apparently, his efforts to keep the
  engines stable shattered him."
!T181"
  \"...And that made all the NPS engines go nuts
  all at once.  The Oth started coming through and
  wreaking havoc, and the colonists had to flee to
  deep shelter.  They probably never had time to
  figure out what happened, or that Azimuth was
  dead.  They're probably still waiting for him to
  regain control of the colony systems.\""
!T182"
  That seems a likely conclusion.$_16

  ...I've managed to access $Gmap data for Voquan$W.
  Please be cautious."
!T183"
  I've managed to access $Gmap data for Voquan$W.
  Please be cautious."
!T184"
  New terminal linked.  I think you're getting
  close.  I'm fairly certain at this point that
  the survivors have bunkered themselves in the
  $Aplanetoid Core$W.  A wise choice, as that area is
  heavily fortified.  But you'll have to travel
  through the volcanic $RSarvari$W region in order to
  reach it."
!T185"
  \"I'm afraid to ask but...are there Oth down
  here, too?\""
!T186"
  Yes, there are.  They are continuing to come
  through, using the $Gnumerous NPS engines$W that are
  running down here."
!T187"
  \"Argh!  Why the hell did these researchers have
  to build a bunch of interdimentional portal
  spawners in the middle of a $/lava pit$|?\""
!T188"
  A reasonable question.  But the answer,
  according to the memory banks I just regained
  access to, is that they $Ydidn't build them$W.
  Any of them.  The researchers $Yfound$W the NPS
  engines all over Zenith when they first arrived.
  Their research was simply in learning how to use
  them."
!T189"
  \"They $/found$| them?  So who built them in the
  first place?\""
!T190"
  The same being that built Azimuth:$_14

  $ROth$W."
!T191"
  \"The Oth?!  How could they have built Azimuth?\""
!T192"
  Not they.  It.  The Oth--that is, the invidual
  forms you've run into--are actually $Yall the same
  being$W.  Think of them as fingers, being pushed
  one by one into this universe.  Put enough
  fingers through, and you've got hands.  For what
  purpose we can only imagine, but probably not a
  good one."
!T193"
  Azimuth and the NPS engines were built long ago
  by Oth to help its efforts to come here more
  fully.  But apparently Azimuth rebelled, and
  sealed Oth away from this universe instead."
!T194"
  \"But then, the Human and Trichord researchers
  came here.\""
!T195"
  Yes.  Azimuth had no physical means of stopping
  them from studying the NPS devices, so instead
  he did his best to steer them away from
  inadvertently reawakening Oth.  After all, there
  are other universes the NPS devices could have
  reached.  But when he tried and failed to
  control the devices himself, the engines went
  right back to their old purpose."
!T196"
  \"So what about the other three SapiAIs that the
  Joint Federation has found on other planets?
  Noumena and the others?  Did this Oth thing
  build them too?\""
!T197"
  I don't know.  Azimuth didn't know.  He wasn't
  sure whether he could trust the other SapiAIs or
  not.  I think that's why he begged the colonists
  here to keep his existence a secret.

  Apparently, they honored that request."
!T198"
  \"But now he's dead, and the colonists that
  aren't dead too are in mortal danger.\""
!T199"
  You can still reach them.  Don't give up.  I'm
  uploading $RSarvari map data$W to your ship."
!T200"
  Good news, Major.  I have positively located the
  survivors."
!T201"
  \"Excellent.  Where are they?\""
!T202"
  They have sealed themselves in at the $Yvery
  center of the planetoid$W.  I have access to only
  very limited sensors nearby there; I am not sure
  how many are down there or what they're doing.
  I'm definitely reading Trichord life-signs; I am
  not sure about Humans.  But whoever is there
  seems to be safe for the time being.  I am
  uploading $ACore map data$W to your ship."
!T203"
  \"All right.  I'll get down there, and we can
  finish this.\""
!T204"
  ...there is bad news as well."
!T205"
  \"Figures.\""
!T206"
  The whole path between here and there has been
  $Roverrun by Oth$W that have already pushed through
  into this universe.  You will have to fight your
  way past."
!T207"
  \"Yeah, I just met some.  But, you know...by this
  point...\""
!T208"
  Good luck, Hopper."
!T209"
  \"...we have little choice but to destroy you.\""
!T210"
  $|


  This is it.$_20



  Galactic civil war.$_18



  Four years of bitter conflict within
  the once-peaceful Joint Federation,
  and with no end in sight."
!T211"
  $|




  It is sobering to think that in a way,
  this entire war was precipitated by my
  own actions: a routine rescue mission
  that I carried out four years ago,
  while on patrol near the border of
  Human space."
!T212"
  $|




  After all, if I had never gone on that
  mission, most likely we would not now
  be fighting this war at all.$_18


  Instead, we would probably simply have
  been destroyed."
!T213"
  With the NPS engines obliterated along
  with the rest of Zenith Colony, the
  portals are gone, and Oth has been
  sealed away from our universe forever.

  I raced back to the nearest navsat to
  deliver the news of the Trichords'
  treachery, and of Azimuth's sacrifice
  to protect us all.

  It was not long before war broke out
  between the Trichord Interstellar
  Alliance and the rest of the Joint
  Federation."
!T214"
  And what would have happened if I had
  never reawakened Azimuth?  Could the
  Trichords really have controlled the
  Oth and become the dominant military
  power in the galaxy?

  Or would thousands--or millions--of
  Oth fingers have broken free into our
  universe, and promptly laid waste to
  all of us?

  I suppose we'll never know for sure."
!T215"
  Still, even without the Oth at their
  side, the Trichord Alliance is still a
  formidable enemy.  By now the war has
  ground down to a bitter stalemate.

  Even the three remaining SapiAIs have
  been pulled into the fray--Noumena in
  Trichord space, and Epicede and
  Halcyon in Federation space.

  Which, given what I learned from
  Azimuth, brings me back to the
  questions now most on my mind..."
!T216"
  Just where did the other SapiAIs come
  from?$_22

  And what else aren't they telling us?"
!T217"
  Node connected; new files located.

  Accessing recorded message, dated approximately
  eight months ago:

  [$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04] (ready)"
!T218"
  \"Begin personal log entry: Rakif Vkati.\"

  \"Dr. Hamilton has had a keen insight regarding
  the NPS engines that I think will prove useful
  to our efforts here.  I've assigned some of my
  reports to investigate further.  I believe we
  will be able to make concrete progress on the
  practical applications very soon.\""
!T219"
  \"I've transmitted some of our questions over to
  Noumena to see what she thinks--in a heavily
  abstracted form, of course.  This would all be a
  lot simpler if we didn't have to keep this work
  quiet from her and the other SapiAIs, but I and
  Dr. Hamilton are agreed that it's the right
  thing to do--at least for now--even if we think
  so for rather different reasons.\""
!T220"
  \"Meanwhile, although many of my Trichord
  colleagues are still uneasy about working with
  the Humans here--just as many citizens of the
  Trichord Interstellar Alliance are uneasy about
  being part of the Joint Federation--I believe
  that the work being done here is making them
  more...optimisitic for the future.  A future--\""
!T221"
  $OERROR:$W Remaining message data has been
  corrupted by systems damage and cannot be
  recovered.

  >>><"
!T222"
  \"Hmm.  Considering how badly things went here,
  maybe they shouldn't have been keeping their
  work secret.\"$_25

  \"Back to work.  Computer, I need physical
  access to the area directly below here.  What
  can you do for me?\""
!T223"
  Status: $X4060e0Lower Barrag depths$W are secured by
  forcefields powered by this reactor.  Forcefield
  controls are inoperable.  Reactor controls are
  available.

  >>><"
!T224"
  \"All right, let's shut down the reactor then.\""
!T225"
  Confirmed.  Shutting down secondary reactor and
  switching to auxiliary lighting.

  >>><"
!T226"
  Accessing node.  Geothermal controls are online.

  >>><"
!T227"
  \"Are you a third Fragment AI?  Do you have any
  new information about the colonists here that
  might help me locate them?\""
!T228"
  Query 'Fragment AI'...$_20
  No results found.$_10

  Query 'new information about the colonists'...$_10
  Accessing recorded message, dated approximately
  three weeks ago:

  [$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04] (ready)"
!T229"
  \"Begin personal log entry: Radia Hamilton.\"

  \"I'm concerned about Azimuth; he seems to be
  increasingly agitated lately, but when I ask
  why, he won't give me a straight answer.  We're
  all a little on edge about the incidents with
  the more experienced NPS engine operators, but I
  think it's more than that.\""
!T230"
  \"Azimuth warned us at the start, when we first
  started working on Nonlinear Paradimensional
  Shear, that it was dangerous.  But he refused to
  give us details!  Something something, 'the more
  we know, the riskier it is', something.  It's
  infuriating.  He keeps giving subtle hints on
  parameters to stay away from, which we do, but
  he never explains why.\""
!T231"
  \"Dr. Vkati recently suggested that Azimuth
  himself operate all the NPS devices, and Azimuth
  said he'd be willing to give it a try.  I'm a
  little skeptical of their motivations, to be
  honest.  I'm not 100% sure that Azimuth really
  wants this research to succeed.  As for the
  Trichords...I know Dr. Vkati is as invested in
  this research as I am, but--\""
!T232"
  $OERROR:$W Remaining message data has been
  erased, possibly due to systems damage.

  >>><"
!T233"
  \"Hmm, I guess this fragment of Azimuth still
  hasn't 'woken up' or whatever.  What was going
  on between him and the researchers here,
  anyway?\"$_25

  \"Okay computer, looks like I need to go deeper.\""
!T234"
  Affirmative.  Lowering nearby lava levels.

  >>><"
!T235"
  \"Greetings!  Esteemed visitors.  My name is
  Dr. Radia Hamilton, co-PI of Zenith Research
  Colony, along with my Trichord counterpart,
  Dr. Rakif Vkati.  Um, it is my pleasure to
  welcome you to our facility.\""
!T236"
  \"Zenith Reseach Colony was founded by the JSFR
  as a cooperative effort between the Human and
  Trichord governments.  As you know, the JSFR,
  founded by the Proscions and Humans and later
  joined by the Urtazkans, Trichords, Fmapi, and
  of course the three SapiAIs, is dedicated to
  fostering mutual peace and understanding between
  its member species.\""
!T237"
  \"We at Zenith are$_04.$_04.$_04.$_12uh,$_02 very proud to
  contribute to that effort, as well as to the
  greater understanding of neo-spacial physics and
  the furtherment of$_04.$_04.$_04.$_24um,$_24 whatever my next line
  was supposed to be.$_24  Yes.$_18  Yes we are.$_12  Even if
  the Alliance bureaucrats I have to deal with
  $/are$| stupid stubborn gits, the lot of them.\""
!T238"
  \"$/Sigh$|.$_15  C'mon, Radia.  You can get through
  this dumb video speech.$_08  Just one more take...\""
!T239"
  Message ends.

  >>><"
!T240"
  \"...I'm kind of armed to the friggin' teeth.
  I'm $/pretty sure$| I can handle it.\""
!T241"
  <unused 241>"
!T242"
  <unused 242>"
!T243"
  $CFour years ago..."
!T244"
  $CZenith Colony

  six hours later"
!T245"
  Accessing node.  Integrating database.

  LOG($GINFO$W): Experimental reactor test cycle is
  now 99% complete.

  >>><"
!T246"
  \"Hmm, $/this$| computer again.\"

  \"Do you remember anything about Azimuth yet?
  About what happened here?\""
!T247"
  Query 'Azimuth'...$_20
  No new results found.$_10

  Query 'what happened here'...$_10
  Accessing recorded message, dated approximately
  four months ago:

  [$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04=$_04] (ready)"
!T248"
  \"Begin personal log entry: Rakif Vkati.\"

  \"We had a serious incident today with one of the
  NPS labs that we found in northern Voquan.  The
  two Human operators assigned to that station
  had both reported auditory hallucinations since
  starting their NPS duty rotation, but they were
  cleared for duty yesterday.\""
!T249"
  \"It seems that while one of them was operating
  that NPS engine, the parameters kept drifting
  toward the values that Azimuth told us to avoid;
  the operator reported that the more she tried to
  pull away from those coordinates, the harder it
  became for her to think straight.  In her mental
  confusion, she eventually allowed the engine to
  settle on those coordinates.\""
!T250"
  \"According to her report, when that occurred,
  she experienced 'an instant of mental clarity,'
  and saw in the portal a flashing, rainbow-like
  light.  That image, coupled with her sudden
  realization of what had happened, startled her
  so much that she reflexively hit the emergency
  power-cut.\""
!T251"
  \"Well, it seems that Azimuth was right about the
  dangers of shutting down those portals abruptly,
  because the resulting explosion blew up half the
  lab.  It is incredible that the Human survived.
  Had the engine been running at full power, that
  whole region probably would have collapsed.
  Obviously, we will need to enact additional
  safety proceedures if we are to--\""
!T252"
  $Y<EOF>$W Remaining message data has been deleted.

  >>><"
!T253"
  \"I wonder if this fragment of Azimuth's mind is
  ever going to regain its self-awareness, like
  the other two have.  It keeps connecting to new
  database nodes, but it never seems to get
  anywhere.\"

  \"I wonder what it's looking for...\""
!T254"
  LOG($GINFO$W): Experimental reactor test cycle is
  now 100% complete.  Shutting down reactor.

  >>><"
