: As an example of a theory using this model, we could say that only
: information can travel through time, and not matter, so normally all you
: can do is send back the information to rewrite your mind into a future
: state. But when you're teleported, you're basically turned into pure
: information--or at least information coded in a very simple and ethereal
: form. So if you enter your past body when it's in mid-teleport, you can
: rewrite the information for your physical form as well, and hax0r yourself
: some additional weapons and health.
I have no objection to everything else you wrote, but this part once again begs the question of what the Marine's jumps look like to outside observers. One wonders why Tycho and Durandal do not act surprised at either a sudden change in the Marine's inventory (if they can see it) or the sudden appearance of the Marine in an unexpected place. A possible explanation would be a fairly major change of assumptions, but it could be mostly integrated into what we know: The Marine is not always traveling between universes, but sometimes looking across, letting his consciousness follow the Marines in other universes who were already there. His inventory would then become that of the other guy (explaining the jump to Rise Robot Rise). However, this is loses consistency with the trip through Electric Sheeps 1 and 2 (inventory preserved).
(BTW, if anyone is wondering why my Volunteers posts are sometimes contradictory, it's because I was making it up as I went along and usually only trying to stay consistent with all previous levels, usually not those that had not yet been reached :\)