New Reality Seeds

[YankeeGamer]

I frequently see the word "Echo" used, when I think the word "Parallel" is probably a better choice. Aren't the Echos the ones that are exactly like Homeline until someone intervenes, and they all have the potential to be Quantum Shifted. Parallels, I thought, are very similar, but not subject to being unstuck.

[Diomedes]

Originally Posted by YankeeGamer

I frequently see the word "Echo" used, when I think the word "Parallel" is probably a better choice. Aren't the Echos the ones that are exactly like Homeline until someone intervenes, and they all have the potential to be Quantum Shifted. Parallels, I thought, are very similar, but not subject to being unstuck.

Echoes are timelines that are, as far as researchers can tell, exact, undiverged copies of Homeline's past (or, in at least one case, of Centrum's past). Parallels are timelines that have changed in some way, and anchors are parallels that are resistant to shifting Quanta.

[AlexanderHowl]

So, for example, you could find an Echo of Earth where Prince Arthur is 14 years old. If you attached yourself to his staff and gave him antibiotics at age 15 when he started getting sick right after his wedding, you could save his life, causing the echo to become a parallel, potentially shifting its Quanta.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

So, for example, you could find an Echo of Earth where Prince Arthur is 14 years old. If you attached yourself to his staff and gave him antibiotics at age 15 when he started getting sick right after his wedding, you could save his life, causing the echo to become a parallel, potentially shifting its Quanta.

Right. Though the terminology seems to be somewhat sloppy, at least in part because the entire logic of "shifting" is. It has to be to support the "protect history" plots, since you need to be able to fix changes, which means there really isn't a good way to distinguish between a parallel and an "echo" that shifted a while ago and might theoretically still be possible to "fix".

Of course it's also a bit unclear why you would want to fix changes, since an echo is basically unexploitable if you insist on keeping it an echo (you can't do anything that might "change history"). As far as I can tell Infinity does it because Centrum is an enemy by definition so anything they want to do must be opposed, even if it does us no harm or apparently benefits us both.

Honestly the whole thing seems completely contradictory to the other sort of Infinity mission. After all if an echo *never* shifts, eventually it will hit the point in history it invents parachronics, and the Secret is broken

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by malloyd

As far as I can tell Infinity does it because Centrum is an enemy by definition so anything they want to do must be opposed, even if it does us no harm or apparently benefits us both.

There's a bit more of a reason for it than that in canon.

Homeline is the only world that is known to have lots of echoes. It is theorised that if Centrum manages to change enough of those echoes into parallels and shift them to higher quanta, Homeline will be displaced to a lower quantum. This will deprive Infinity of access to the worlds of quantum 7, and if the displacement is large, to those of quantum 6. Since there are a lot more worlds on quanta 6-8 than there are lower down or higher up, this will deprive Infinity of lots of resources, as well as stranding people who are on worlds in the middle quanta.

I found this unsatisfactory as the true situation for a large-scale IW campaign, although it was still what a lot of people in Infinity and Interworld believed.

[YankeeGamer]

This is an extrapolation of my "Mini-Lucifer" timeline, which I've designated "Skyreach-1"

The Skyreach designation is given to Worldlines that are significantly advanced in spaceflight, or pushing hard to get spaceflight, or achieved spaceflight, at technology levels that are woefully low for such a lofty ambition.

Skyreach-4

Skyreach-4 seemed to be a later version of Skyreach-1, with a local year of 2010. It was discovered a few months ago, and its history seems to match with Skyreach-1 exactly, based on what books the initial survey team managed to find, broadcasts monitored, etc.

The USA is the predominant power in the solar system; it took the high ground of orbital space during the Great War of 1928. The effects of dropping rocks on people’s heads was abruptly demonstrated when both the Entente Cordialle and the Central European Alliance attempted to restrict American trade with their enemies.

By 2010, Mars and the Moon have American colonies on them, and the asteroids have several American ships within. One large iron asteroid has been moved to low earth orbit for mining, and to anchor the Beanstalk. (Columbia and Ecuador are American states—how this happened is uncertain, but the USA needed an anchor point for a Beanstalk, as well as to locate a launch complex before the Beanstalk was finished.)

The solar system is VERY thoroughly surveyed—no rocks will slip through to leave another crater to match the one where Lincoln, NH used to be, until the Meteor of 1876.

Space science is VERY advanced, material science—anything that can help fuel the Americans’ obsession with space. Fusion drive ships traverse the system at a steady acceleration of 1 G—for days on end, even weeks.

The advanced material science would be very interesting to Homeline; only Caliph has more advanced materials—probably.

Computers lag a bit behind Homeline’s; Skyreach-4 has more manned flights. Their first manned orbital flight had a small difference engine as its computer system. The spectacular mechanical computers slowed the development of the electronic ones.

An interesting timeline—with one thing that made it more than interesting. People have been following, with great interest, the build-up to the test flight of the first “Warp drive Starship.”

By means unknown, local authorities seemed to have a read on the location of the conveyor, and police were en route. Under orders from the chief surveyor, who was off scene, they jumped out; he planned to lie low in the wilderness until they returned. (They had a designated rendezvous.)

When the follow up mission returned, with the stealhiest conveyor they had, into an isolated region, they got a rude shock. The coordinates seemed valid, but the jump was impossible. So far, no attempt to reach that timeline has succeeded. Jumpers tried, all readings indicate that the worldline may have shifted at least one quantum. Since it’s Q 3 timeline, it may be just plain gone, as far as Infinity is concerned. But—a working star drive—it’s worth looking for, as is the lost mission commander.

What happened? Did the drive work? Did it ause a cataclysm? In place, the Worldline was very interesting--missing, along with an Infinity surveyor, it becomes very interesting.

Many things that this could lead to, or just be a mystery. MY original timeline, Skyreach 1, could also be Q 3. Stardrives might cause quantum shifts. In “Where are the Starships,” perhaps a working stardrive is a big part of the “equation” that determines the quantum, and tends to a more remote quantum…

[AlexanderHowl]

I am not sure you can get fusion drive performance of that level without superscience. You are talking about performance that is around 200 times better than TL12 fusion drives (comparable delta-v with 200 times the thrust).

[YankeeGamer]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

I am not sure you can get fusion drive performance of that level without superscience. You are talking about performance that is around 200 times better than TL12 fusion drives (comparable delta-v with 200 times the thrust).

Perhaps not 1 G, but very high performance. The Worldline is seriously advanced in space sciences. FTL is TL 11, and the USA has been nuts about space for 134 years at this point. The math of fusion drives is questionable. I'm thinking of such stories as Niven's Known Space, where ships would boost at significant acceleration for weeks, then spin and brake for rendezvous.

If the timeline can be found again, fusion power like that would be very much worthwhile. Perhaps they use total conversion instead...Infinity doesn't know...

This lets a hint of FTL crop up, but keeps it out of the amin campaign. Alternatively, have the quantum shift happen after the starship returns. Publicly released pics of worlds around other stars might jumpstart science fiction. It would be a mess if this timeline tangled with Reich-5. Alternatively, Reich-5 had just discovered them, when the Quantum Shift happened.

[scc]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Tudor-3

Within Tudor-3, Arthur Tudor does not die of tuberculosis at the age of fifteen and becomes King Arthur I at the age of 23. Unlike his younger brother, he has no particular issues with reproduction, and his wife bears him six healthy children (three sons and three daughters) before he turns 27. Athletic and scholarly, King Arthur I exemplified the virtues of kingship that made his subjects compare him favorably with his namesake.

Now, 1529, King Arthur I has ruled England for 20 years. He has skillfully used subterfuge and trade to gain the dependency of Ireland and Scotland, though he admires and respects the people of each country. He has sponsored expeditions to North America and has made exclusive trade treaties with many of the tribes on the East Coast. He has also expanded trade with Spain and England benefits greatly from the gold and silver that Spain pays for English products.

This means no Church of England, likely no English Civil War (or a different outcome if it does happen) and no American independence, or if it does happen, likely a lot later on.

[AlexanderHowl]

I agree. It likely means no Puritans and a better relationship with Native American tribes (an English Crown making money off trade is unlikely to support colonization). Of course, it could also mean that Ireland and Scotland never unify with England, though unification through marriage is always a possibility.

One possible consequence would be an England that supports opposes colonization by other European nations due to a desire to create trade monopolies with the native tribes or local nations. It would be a different model of exploitation, but it could be one that allows for more Native Americans surviving and the continued existence and development of Native American nations (at least in North America). Perhaps the English could help the Native Americans of Mexico and the local government of Manila rebel against the Spanish in the 1600s, allowing them to take over the treasure fleets. Even if the English only took twenty percent off the top, it would make them fabulously wealthy (and only twenty percent would prevent the economic collapse that the treasure fleet caused in Spain).