nexus_crossings | (no subject)

(no subject)

It is starting to dawn on Adia that this might not be the Nexus she remembers.

It is the first time in months that she has been able to leave New Caprica without risking awareness from either the Cylons or her fellow humans. She has never told anyone about the strange, wonderful place she stumbled upon, nor does she plan to. It won't be much help to the colonists, and it'd be a dangerous weapon in the hands of the Cylons.

But in the short time she has been sitting on a stone bench, reading an old paperback, she hasn't seen a single familiar face. And come to think of it, none of the landmarks look the same to her, either. True, the Nexus is always changing, but shouldn't she recognize at least some of it?

Curious, and a little nervous, she gets up and brushes off her dusty but serviceable coat, then walks over to a convenient Nexus computer terminal. That hasn't changed, at least.

How do you go about finding someone that you used to know? When is it not worth the risk to try and find them?

There is no giant blinking neon sign in her line of sight instructing her to ask a question, but she hopes someone answers anyway.

((ooc: Hey everybody, Adia is an OC from Battlestar Galactica, her timeline currently in the beginning of Season Three. I used to RP her at dear_multiverse on Livejournal, hence all the "not the same Nexus" references. She's a human with no special powers. Have fun!))

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French is an Earth language, correct? I know what a fox is, we had them on Leonis.

Is life where you are from not so exciting? I admit I have not done much exploring. I have been to Kansas, and a friend once took me to his Earth.

Sort of. I was fascinated by how many people I've met in the Nexus who are from Earth. It's a myth where I'm from. Right now... I'm here because things on my world are pretty bad. I needed a break.

It is. Does Adia mean anything? I haven't heard it before.

Not often in ways I enjoy. Not any more. It might not make much sense, but some days an alien planet can be more familiar to me than my own home.

A myth? I haven't heard that one before. Next you will say you live in Niflheim!

The Nexus is a good sanctuary. Is it war?

It means Gods' gift. She frowns self-consciously. It's not a traditional name. My parents just liked the sound of it.

No, I understand. I felt the same way when I visited Kansas.

A religious myth. Our Sacred Scrolls described a planet that was colonized by the thirteenth tribe -- a group of humans who left Kobol before the other twelve. There is a little bit of evidence, but not enough for most people to believe that it exists. I have not heard of Niflheim, what is it like?

Yes. We were on the run for a time from the enemy, and had settled on a new planet. Three months ago, the enemy arrived.

Edited 2016-08-30 19:23 (UTC)

Don't you?

It's an odd thing, that feeling. Hard to explain, but seeking it out can become addictive.

Cold, a place for the dead. But beautiful in a desolate way. I have never heard of this myth of yours before. It already sounds more interesting than most I know.

He winces in sympathy and takes time to give a respectful pause. I am sincerely sorry. I have lived through occupations. They are terrible things. Are you living here now?

Edited 2016-08-31 07:56 (UTC)

When I was little, I wished I had been named something more common, like Helen or Daphne. But when you get called something your entire life, it becomes your identity, whether you want it to be or not.

It also doesn't help that someone close to her once made a joke about her name's meaning, and while funny and endearing at the time, now just leaves a sour taste in her mouth, but she's not about to bother Reynard with such a petty story.

No, definitely not from there. I can tell you more about our myths if you like? I've noticed from talking to others that some of them are similar to myths from a place called Ancient Greece, but that was a country on Earth, so I'm not sure why they're so alike.

They don't call it an occupation, but that's what it is. I still live there, though. I've thought about running away to the Nexus, but I'd be leaving behind my friends. She swallows hard and fights back a shiver before adding, People go missing from the settlements. Not very many, and not often, but it happens. They're brought in for questioning or arrested for something minor and then never seen again. I don't want my friends to think that's happened to me.

That makes him smirk. He's sharp to type back: Being common is not all it's cracked up to be, my dear.

The second paragraph tugs his smile away somewhat, though. It takes him more time to reply.

I lived in Ancient Greece. I could tell you how similar your myths were to the people I knew, if you wanted. But many myths have similar themes and roles. It could just be coincidence that your myths and theirs were similar.

I understand. You find strength in each other, and solace here.

I suppose not. At least if someone says my name, I know they're referring to me.

That'd be very helpful, thank you. I have given it a little thought, and one theory is that the thirteenth tribe brought our religion with them to Earth. Perhaps they settled in the area now known as Greece. But anyway, our religion is polytheistic -- a pantheon of gods led by Zeus and made up of his siblings and children. Human life originated on a planet called Kobol. They lived in a "utopia" with the Gods until they started ruining the environment. When the thirteen tribes left Kobol, the goddess Athena went mad and killed herself in despair. Humans resettled on the twelve colonies (and Earth). I should add that all of this comes from the Sacred Scrolls so I wouldn't call it a reliable source. We don't have Gods walking among us. The secular theory is that we did live on Kobol and probably trashed the environment because we were using fossil fuels. The "gods" might be in reference to powerful political or religious leaders. Once we developed FTL travel, we colonized new planets and used more environmentally-friendly fuels so we wouldn't make the same mistake.

Only belatedly does Adia wonder about this man having lived in Ancient Greece. Was he from the "past" relative to the Nexus? Or was he very old?

There are so few of us left. We were once a population of billions. There are barely 40,000 of us now.

Small blessings.

That is quite different from the Greek myths I heard. The gods cared very little for humanity, except for the occasional lover or champion and not enough for any to kill themselves over. But Zeus and Athena were both Greek gods, so there are some similarities in the details.

Nothing is a truly reliable source after enough time has passed. It has always fascinated me just how much the truth changes. I wonder if you will ever find out what really happened.

The beauty of technology is that who you are means very little during an interesting conversation. It also gives Reynard time to take in the revelation of just how thorough the extermination of Adia's people has been.

That is exceptional. I've only heard of those kinds of numbers with humans hunting beasts. You must be surviving against a formidable adversary.

It takes a moment for Adia to respond. She's not one to discuss religion, having been raised agnostic and uncomfortable with getting into philosophical arguments. But she's had a lot of time to think about this.

Despite what the Sacred Scrolls say, I don't think our gods are much different from the ones you describe. Because if they cared so much about humans, why did this happen to us? They must not care about humans so much after all.

She doesn't bother to comment on the possibility of finding out the truth of humanity's past, as remote as it is, and pointless besides. It won't bring her family back.

They're called Cylons. Sentient robots. They somehow got the failsafe codes to the Colonies' defense system and detonated all our nuclear warheads.

Bear in mind that gods don't live or think like humans. They wouldn't show that they care in the same way as you might expect. It is hard to know the motivations of beings like that without knowing them personally.

The conversation would do a one-eighty on him, moving from something he knows intimately to something he knows next to nothing about.

I don't know much about technology. I thought that humans had control of the things they made. Unless they weren't made by humans. Were they aliens?

If they're that inscrutable, then I really don't see the point.

Adia cringes and bites her lip. That was mean, and despite being agnostic, it feels a little blasphemous.

Sorry. I know that gods sometimes show up in the Nexus, and on other worlds they are real, tangible beings. I'm sure some of them are worth knowing.

We do, usually. These robots were given artificial intelligence, but they developed sentience on their own. They were used for dangerous labor in slave-like conditions, and 40 years ago, they rebelled. There was a war, and they eventually fled to the stars. I don't know how their creators missed the signs of an emerging consciousness, or what really happened when the war started. My parents talked about it but I think a lot of the initial details were kept in the dark. A little over two years ago, they returned and started a second war.

I've never met one. But I do know that there are beings so different from humans, so difficult for humans to understand that have become fierce friends with them. Sometimes you don't know the point until you have found it.

He thinks about this for a second, chuckles and adds, And here I am advocating faith for gods. How unlike me.

Reading about the cylons, however... He rests his chin on his palm thoughtfully. He can see the cylons' point. He thinks. That is an impressive level of ignorance and mistreatment on the humans' part. Some humans, though, not all.

Eventually he settles on asking, Did they come back for revenge?

Reynard's words bring tears to her eyes, unexpectedly, but they aren't altogether unhappy ones. I had befriended a sentient robot in the Nexus, she types after wiping her eyes. Not a Cylon, but I'm sure you can guess that it was difficult for me at first. I'm glad I took that chance.

Adia can see the Cylons' point, as well. Which is practically considered treason, where she's from, so it's a thought she only voices in the Nexus, if at all.

I don't know why they came back two years ago Maybe the galaxy wasn't big enough for the both of us. Why they came to New Caprica, specifically, to set up an occupation... I don't know, either. I think that some of them genuinely think that we can live together in peace. But I think the rest are toying with us.

That must have been brave of you. I'm glad it worked out well for you. It's a good lesson to learn.

If they are all individuals, I wouldn't be surprised if the reasons are complex. There are some things only time will reveal. Are they keeping a pretence of equality or are they a ruling force?

I don't know if I could have learned that lesson anywhere but in the Nexus. Another reason I'm grateful for this place. They are all individuals, but there are only seven different models -- at least the ones who look human -- so there are a lot of copies of each one. Only the thinnest pretense of equality. The first thing they built when they arrived was a detention center. That's when people started to go missing.

There are all kinds of unique things here. Including learning experiences.

Well that's a message. Even if they didn't intend it to be.

Will you look for help here?

That's a good way of putting it. What have you learned here that you feel was unique?

That's a good question, Reynard. Adia has to think about it for a little while.

I'm not sure how I would begin to ask. Superheroes appear here on occasion, or people with extraordinary powers, but there are so many Cylons, and... I don't know. What's to stop a Cylon from coming here and looking for a superhero of their own? I did look at some star charts at someone's suggestion, but I'm not an astrophysicist.

He has to take some time for that. Having that turned around on him was not what he'd expected.

That even with extraordinary power and all the odds in your favour, everyone must submit to cycles without exception.

War is a complex, brutal thing. I agree that bringing in one or two super powerful beings to help would only be a short term solution. In the end, occupations are best shaken by slow, steady, stealthy rebellion.

For example, I'm sure you could find an astrophysicist here.

She had no expectations on what he would write in reply, but his answer still surprises her. There is a saying in the Sacred Scrolls: "All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again." It's interesting that you too have experienced this. An astrophysicist who could find the Earth in my universe? Then it'd just be a matter of escaping the Cylons to get to it.

It hurts to have hope. But she does have a sliver of good news, and she wants to share it with Reynard.

Not everyone was on New Caprica when the Cylons arrived. Our larger ships, including both battlestars, were able to jump into hyperspace.

It is interesting. That even in a world of spaceships and robots, they have the same overarching rule.

It sounds like there are some multiversal truths.

Escaping and staying hidden. There must be things people here know that could help with that.

Hope isn't something Reynard is all that fond of, but he's hard pressed to resist encouraging someone he can sympathise with.

He's not entirely sure what all of that means, but he gets the idea. He thinks.

They were able to get away? That could be good news.

Have you thought of getting in contact with them?

I've never taken comfort in the phrase, personally, but it's reassuring to know that other people have found it to be true. I suppose. I've certainly met other people here who have lived through wars. Wars in space, even. Sorry, I just realized I threw a bit of jargon at you. Our ships have FTL -- faster-than-light -- drives that let us travel through space instantaneously. We call it a "jump". We can only jump so far each time, so we don't accidentally appear in an asteroid belt or black hole. The Cylons have the same technology, unfortunately, but we are usually able to remain one step ahead. I'm sure the resistance has. They'd need to find a frequency that the Cylons aren't monitoring.

Maybe there is some comfort you can take from it. Everything happens in cycles, and through that you know that one day your people may live a life like the one before all of this.

It's a small comfort, but it's all he can offer.

Certainly something to keep in mind.

That is the largest game of cat and mouse I've ever heard of. A dangerous one too, leaping into the unknown with the enemy at your back.

I'm afraid I cannot help you there. Technology is not my strong suit.

That is how most religious figures suggest that we interpret the saying. I guess I can't help but see the flip side, that despite everything, we'll continue to make the same mistakes. That's what we were doing, for several months, until we found New Caprica. That's how I knew the Cylons truly hated us, because even after destroying life on every colony, they were determined to follow every last survivor. What's the level of technology, on your world?

In the grand scheme of things, the human lifespan is short. Inevitably someone else will repeat mistakes in one form or another. But perhaps not quite so disastrously. Or not for a very long time to come.

That could also be fear, my dear. Or both.

I think there's a space station around Earth, and a few jaunts to the moon, but no faster-than-light engines.

I hope so. At least she won't be personally responsible for another robot uprising.

You aren't the first person to suggest that they fear us. And perhaps, during the first Cylon war, they did. But they vastly overpower us now, in numbers and in fighting power. I don't know how they could still be afraid. Just one moon? What's the moon like? Does your Earth use fossil fuels?