The Ouroboros Initiation

Ah, Red Tomax, back for more, eh? I still tell the stories about how we teamed up against those Shivans! I never would have figured out that destroying the meteor would have been the key to succeeding, but you knew that somehow!

What's wrong? Don't you remember me? You look puzzled... oh my... we haven't actually MET yet, have we? That's one of the funny things with Time Travel... for you this is our first meeting, but for me, we've met before. Don't think about it too hard, you'll only end up with a headache.

Since this is your first exposure to time travel, I need to tell you about the Carbon Law. Carbon Law is the law of Time Travel that restricts how far forward or backward you can actually travel. In Earth years, this comes out to around 5,730 years, give or take 40 or so. Everyone is different. I'm from the 78th Century so I am at the limit of my 'tether'. I can travel back in time a little bit more, maybe 3 or 4 years, but I dare not try anything further. When someone travels beyond their tether, he finds himself assimilated by the time stream, never to be heard from again. But you... you're native to THIS time, which means that your tether allows you the greatest access to the past of any member of Ouroboros, and you've proven time and time again that you can be counted on to get the job done. Oh great, I did it again, didn't I? You will prove that you can be counted on... how's that?

I have a nice easy task for you, if you have the time. Simple information extraction... except this information hasn't existed in the past 15 years. You'll need to go back in time to a point where the information existed on an unsecured computer. Break into the base it's in, retrieve the information from the computer, and defeat any guards in the area. Then just bring the info back here. Here's a quaint item for you to store the information on... they called it a 'floppy disk.' You'll need this to get the information from the computer. Off you go! Time waits for no one!

Blank Floppy Disk

This disk ia fave and a quarter inches in size, and can hold up to 360k of data on each side.

Objective: This computer does NOT have the information you seek.

Objective: You've found a hand written letter addressed to Red Tomax

Dear Red Tomax...

While time traveling into the past, you visit a 5th Column base and in a crate you find a hand written letter addressed to Red Tomax...

Hello, Red Tomax. Please forgive the impersonal form of communication. I do not yet trust you for an in-person meeting; this was the only way that I could be sure you would still receive this message. Time travel does unpredictable things to electronics, magic and bionetics; otherwise, I would have chosen a more contemporary method. Obviously, we both know that you have begun time traveling. This may be new to you, but for me and mine it is well documented.

Ouroboros has made its presence known to your city, likely espousing some rhetoric regarding a 'rapture' or an 'apocalypse' or some other vague, well-crafted phrase from Mender Silos. I am writing to tell you not to trust him or his Menders. They claim to 'fix' the time stream to avoid a cataclysmic event in the future, but do not believe them. You may not believe me yet, that is fine, prudent in fact, but let me ask you this: if there is truly an event of this nature on the horizon, why did they not take you there? Are you not one of the chosen keepers of the secret? Have you stopped to ask what secret they are really guarding?

I warn you: do not openly question Ouroboros. That would be foolish. I simply ask that you search for more of my letters and seek me in the pillar. When the time is right, I will make myself known. You will either be at my side, tearing down the enclave or you will be buried under its ruins as it falls into the sea. The choice will be yours.

Objective: You found something.

Mission Complete: You found the information you needed!

Well done, I knew you'd pull it off! Well, I knew it because you had already pulled it off by the time we first met, but I am starting to get a headache thinking about that.

Speaking of headaches, you should probably talk to Mender Tesseract now. She can tell you about Temporal Scaling, which is why sometimes you won't be as powerful as you think you should be when you are traveling through time.

Great, another cave dweller sent to me by Lazarus the Luddite.

I bet he wants me to explain Temporal Scaling to you? Wonderful. Another waste of time. Here's an idea, experience it for yourself.

You remember your first mission, right? In Outbreak? Well someone was messing with the time-stream and started by undoing the good deed you did that day. I want you to go back to your first day on the job and correct their alteration. We in Ouroboros call this 'mending,' which is what we're all about here.

Well, what are you waiting for? Get going!

Objective: You found the formula.

Formula

This is the formula Dr. Miller needs to reverse the Rikti mutation drug.

Mission Complete: You have defeated all the thugs and found the formula.

Oh, you succeeded. Well, even the most primitive cave dweller finds fire eventually.

As you could see from that little exercise you lost access to a whole slew of your abilities. It was basically your body adjusting to a different time stream. We call this Temporal Scaling. It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does it can come as a shock. It adjusts what you call 'Combat Level' in this time period to fit that of the time stream you are now in. Different streams have different scaling. I chose that mission for you because it is the harshest form of scaling out there, and what better way to drive the point home?

Now, go talk to Twilight's Son... he has more patience to set you up with Ouroboros than I do.

There you are, Red Tomax. Mender Lazarus has told me so much about you, I feel I should tell you a little about myself.

I am the last Kheldian. For you, I'm sure this is hard to believe, but there is a storm coming. More destructive than any before it. This galaxy holds a threat that is far superior to the Rikti race. This threat is the one that rounded up my kind to fuel their battle fleets as living energy cells. I was the only one to escape, and Mender Silos gave me a chance to change things here and now. This is the time to make a difference, and a difference I will make.

One of the key elements to this great cataclysm is the Rikti War that is currently occurring. I need you to infiltrate one of their bases and defeat one of their war generals named Loc'Danan. I will then slip forward in time and see if his defeat has had a desired effect. You may even meet an old friend in the caves to assist you.

Objective: You defeated General Loc'Danan and found some intelligence!

Rikti Intelligence

Loc'Danan had a small metallic storage device attached to the inner plating of his armor. You can't access the data directly, but you see Rikti Astronomical symbols circling the edge of the device. This leads you to believe the information is astronomical in nature.

Mission Complete: You defeated the Rikti General!

I will travel forward later to see if that had any effect.

I hate to say it was all for naught, but we have yet to be successful with this type of venture. Perhaps there is something we do not fully understand regarding the time line, some variable we haven't accurately calculated. I am hoping this one turns out better than the others. You should go speak with Mender Silos now, he can fill you in more on the coming storm.

Red Tomax, I am glad to finally meet you, or re-meet you in this case.

My name is Mender Silos, and I am over one million years old. I come from the future, near the end of time itself. I created Ouroboros so that we could have a centralized location to try and mend the past.

I am sure Lazarus told you about the Carbon Law, and the tethers we from the future have. Of course, I am far beyond my tether, but this wouldn't be the first law I have broken. I have been planning this for a very, very long time.

This threat... in the near future, I call it the 'coming storm': Earth will be attacked by it, and will be unable to defend herself due to extenuating circumstances. I plan on changing that. The first step in eliminating this storm is to remove its scouts from a point in your near future. If you would be so kind as to go forward in time and help Mender Lazarus. Once they are defeated, Ouroboros will begin charting the causality wake to determine the outcome upon your time stream.

Mission Complete: You have destroyed the source of the Shivan invasion!

Well done, Red Tomax. Destroying those Shivans should provide security for a while longer.

I desire to reveal the entity disrupting our time stream. Someone or something is going back and changing seemingly insignificant parts of the recent past. Inductive reasoning dictates that while these events appear insignificant, that in fact there is a grand tapestry yet to be revealed.

Do not concern yourself with this. You have just grasped the basic concepts of what you call time travel. You can now use our Pillar of Ice and Flame to go back and mend some of your previous exploits, or even experience past events that you didn't take part in. Depending on how far back you go, you'll experience some form of Temporal Scaling, so you might want to bring a group to help you.

Thank you for all you have done for Ouroboros, I think you should go back to The Pilgrim now and see if he has anything further.