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Rubicon Volunteers - Not *This* Again
Posted By: Steve LevinsonDate: 7/29/02 4:51 p.m.

Yikes! Durandal’s sent us to find the bridge of the flagship of the Pfhor Battle Group 3. And look where we are! De ja vu, repeated! I think that the opening statement for this level in my Rubicon Secrets Guide sums it up very nicely:

OH NO!!! Remember your first experience inside a Pfhor ship in the original Marathon level, "Pfhor Your Eyes Only"? Remember going through it again in the Marathon 2 level "Sorry Don't Make it So"? Remember breathing a sigh of relief when it didn't appear in Marathon Infinity? Well guess what - it's baaack!

Now some might argue that Chris wasn’t very original here, basically copying the layout for the level from Bungie’s earlier versions. Some might even say that he violated their copyright by even using their original map as a starting point. After all, Apple wouldn't have hesitated to sue, even if Chris’ work brought them added revenue they’d have never seen. Actually playing the level is another story. This is disturbingly familiar, but this is an entirely different ship than anything we’ve encountered before. And finding the bridge is no trivial matter.

Actually, you can finish this level in under a minute. Most people can probably guess where the bridge will be, and Chris didn’t let us down. Yes, there are a lot of new areas to explore, but they need not be explored. Just run like hell, dodging the hulks and the enforcer bolts. No ammo gained, but none wasted, either. Still, this is an expansive level that is great for exploration, and it’s too much fun to just race through. If you do go exploring, however, be prepared to do battle with a lot of hulks and other monsters. Some of the secrets are familiar, but there are some new ones as well.

There are some interesting terminals here that chronicle events and tell a story when read in sequence:

Apparent malfunction in stasis-observatory X-03-b13f7 overseeing rows 008-015 has led to unconstituted (?dehydrated) state in units occupying said rows. . . Request immediate permission to jettison damaged units due to negative effect on morale. . . Permission to jettison undesirable cargo granted, providing appropriate documentation is recieved according to established guidelines. Expectation exists that all units to be jettisoned will be autopsied . . . suggestion for purchasing process reengineering (?quality audit) duly noted and denied.

And there is evidence that we’re actually having a major impact on their ability to make war:

Casualties aboard target objective mobile base (?ship) have reached point of unfeasability . . . Determined cause of casualty level is unknown rogue conditioned . . . Commanding officer first class Nf'arl hereby submits resignation pending improvement in attack success ratio against targeted subject.

There is also a secret terminal that is worth a read – well it’s not all that secret since it can be seen from afar, but getting to it involves a long swim through plasma (there is a 3X recharger and some ammo as a reward, however):

once there was a man

without a conscience

who feared

the dark and

jumped at

midday shadows

and maybe he did

good, and maybe not

he certainly did wrong

 but cast away

old memories

whether they go

willingly or no

and hope for the return

of a childhood

that may never

have existed

at all

because innocence

is bliss

and now I understand

 Now what is this supposed to mean? Why this poem – why here, on a Pfhor ship. This almost sounds Jjaro, but the login pict is from the Salinger. What are it’s origins? We’ll probably never know. It may be a reference to a member or members of the Dangi Board, but I think that it might actually refer to Lysander. Chris? Scott? Can you enlighten us? Does anyone else have any ideas – any references to this poem?

Once we find the bridge, Durandal gives us some of his usual commentary:

It must seem like only yesterday to you that you were romping through the crumbling corridors of the Boomer. . . To be honest, I did sometimes wish I had bothered to unthaw you while I went gallivanting around the galaxy. There were things I learned that concerned you closely. And it does get boring when the only thing to do is catalogue the stars around you. I'm bringing you back to the Rozinante. Our next mission will involve a dash of hard vacuum as well as a sprinkling of uplink chips.

I wonder what in the world he could be referring to about matters that concerned us closely? Another mystery to ponder. Oh well, let’s head back to the Rozinante, to Rozinante VIII before we enter the chapter, Distant Orbit and the level, Prize Payment Schedule.

By the way, this will probably be my last post for a few days, although there’s a chance I’ll throw in a few short items. I have a book chapter that is way overdue and, while the volunteers effort is a great way to unwind between writing sessions, it’s beginning to interfere. Until next time . . .

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Replies:

Rubicon Volunteers - Not *This* AgainSteve Levinson 7/29/02 4:51 p.m.
     Re: Rubicon Volunteers - Not *This* AgainBen A. Potter 7/29/02 8:02 p.m.
           Re: Rubicon Volunteers - Not *This* AgainSteve Levinson 7/29/02 8:17 p.m.
           Re: Not *This* Again (Slight Spoiler)Scifiteki 7/30/02 12:48 a.m.
     Re: Rubicon Volunteers - Not *This* AgainC Lund 7/30/02 6:53 a.m.



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