[Cyberia] Cyberia:The Undiscovered Country

[Cyberia GM]

Asha nodded.  "Yes- normally it takes a bit of time, but the stealth suite
that you are running will allow you to morph your avatar at will," she
explained, even as she turned towards an apparently clear portion of wall.
The white space began to glow even brighter as they watched, before
concentric circles of blackness appeared.  The area began to take shape into
seemingly a portal into nothingness- a long black tunnel into the dark.
"We're at broadcast distance.  I'll go with you as far as the edge of the
Deep Ether.  Then you're on your own."  With that, she signed as she
gathered her resolve, moving into the tunnel and accelerating in a flash of
digital resonance, speeding up the broadcast wave.

>From an objective viewpoint, Dot's trip would have looked much the same as
Asha's.  But POV can make all the difference in an experience.  The
acceleration was nothing of Dot's doing, but the broadcast repeater, so as
soon as she stepped into the port, it was a rollercoaster ride through a
tunnel of darkness interspersed with light from the other packets surfing
the wave.  Before there was even an opportunity to become adjusted to the
raw speed of the journey, it was over, and Dot found herself next to Asha,
floating weightlessly in a hub on the outer portions of subjective reality.
Icons of all sorts flitted by in the hub, some on their way to other
destinations, some remaining, exchanging information in bursts of encoded
information.

The ports on the hub were alive with information, flickering like neon
lights in an airport.  The information flow seemed constant, with the
exception of one port- the port where Asha was leading Dot.  "There is not
much broadcast traffic to the Deep Ether," Asha said as they closed on the
darkened oval.  "We won't have much of a wait for a pulse."

And as she predicted, only moments after they arrived at the port, the inner
portion of the oval blazed with light, and they stepped through, again being
propelled at speeds almost beyond imagining.  This time, when they stopped,
they were at a smaller hub- much less active.  Few data packets lit up it's
interior, giving the appearance of a dead light bulb.  "This is the edge of
the Ether, as it broaches the Deep.  All paradigms cease here- beyond this
point there is only what the inhabitants of the Deep Ether make.  You also
have this ability- to shape the Deep to your will.  Because of this, your
resources are almost infinite- limited only by your will and your
imagination."

As they walked to the rear of the Hub, Dot could see that there was one
outbound port that had no seal, no barrier, and no illusions of the material
world. "Remember what I said: Once you are outside of this Hub, your mind
and your abilities are your most potent weapons.  Locate the anamoly,
stealth your avatar, will yourself to the anamoly, and take your sample."

They were now on the edge of the black void.  Smiling confidently, she took
Dot's hand.  "May the winds be in your favour, and carry you true."

Dot gave Asha's hand a rather gentle squeeze, "thank you."  She looked like
she wanted to say something more but simply glanced at the portal... and
entered.