nexus_crossings | (no subject)

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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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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?

As do I.

Fear is hard to unlearn, even when all the odds are in your favour. 

Our moon is big and bright and beautiful. And yes, it does, unfortunately. There have been meagre attempts at making clean fuels, or using environmentally friendly sources of energy. They always seem more for show than earnest attempts.

Maybe. I probably shouldn't assume to know what they're thinking or feeling in the first place.

Talk of Earth is always a happier subject for Adia, even if she's disappointed to hear that Reynard's Earth uses fossil fuels. That's too bad, about the fossil fuels. Although I'm impressed you got to the moon with them. I don't think we would have developed inter-planetary flight without learning how to use tylium. (It's an ore found on asteroids.)

My dear, I think it's admirable of you to want to understand them. He's sure there are plenty of people would rather focus their efforts exclusively on trying to destroy them.

Nuclear energy is popular too, but I have no idea of that is what rocket fuel is made of. It would be easier to show you than for me to try and learn so I could tell you. I'm fairly certain I've never heard of asteroid fuel before though.

Thank you. It's not a sentiment shared on my world. But I wouldn't call it admirable. I was close friends with one of them -- a sleeper agent -- before he discovered that he was a Cylon. Trying to understand Cylons is like trying to understand him. I never saw him got angry, Not once. He wasn't a cheerful, happy-go-lucky sort of person, but he didn't hate anyone. He seemed very human to me. But now, during the occcupation, I've met others, and they don't seem as human-like. They seem more shallow, personality-wise, but also more difficult to understand. It's unnerving. It's okay, my understanding of rocket fuel ends with what I just told you. I'm a microbiologist, and the closest I got to physics was my freshman year of college.

People change in war. We are different around are enemies. We need to be. Maybe these Cylons are the same, like their creators.

A pause and then a moment later:

 It's a difficult situation to meet people in.

A scientist then. You really are an inquisitive mind! I'm a guide and outdoor activities instructor, so you still have a few qualifications over me on all of this.

Yes, I suppose in that way the Cylons are like us. The feeling of hatred is mutual. Not for everyone, but for most humans, and I can't blame any of them for that, either. We've all lost loved ones, our homes, our very way of life. We did not create them to look human. That happened sometime in the forty years after they had retreated from the first war.

She smiles a little at the compliment. Your job sounds much more fun at the moment. What sort of outdoor activities? Do you ever teach horseback riding?

They chose to look like you? That seems like a curious decision.

He huffs a small laugh at her comment. 'More fun' sounds like a major understatement.

Not anymore. I used to. I used to own a couple of horses, and teach some of the local children how to ride. But I haven't kept animals in a long time now. 

These days I do things like kayaking, mountain climbing, hiking, camping, and canyoning. I'll do near enough anything if it's interesting enough.

They could have done it to better infiltrate the colonies, but then why have everyone look human? The ones that still look like robots, they don't have the same level of individuation. Were the animals tying you down? I used to ride horses. Just about everyone did on Leonis. But the cost of owning one was a little out of my league, and then I was barely home once I started college, so it didn't seem worth it. Those all sound like a lot of fun. Well, maybe not the camping. I think I've had enough of that lifestyle trying to live on New Caprica. I went paragliding once. That's probably the most adventurous thing I've done. Aside from running from genocidal robots, of course.

If you ever discover a reason that meets your satisfaction, I would be curious to know.

I didn't mind being tied down. I was very good at keeping them, in fact. Animals and I get along.

His surge of pride falls away and he hesitates when it comes to giving his reason for lacking a stables.

My work is Seasonal. I'm not very reliable during the Winter months. It wouldn't be fair on them to have a part-time owner. Do you have horses on New Caprica?

I commend you! Personally I prefer to keep my feet on the ground. I don't blame you for getting tired of camping, either. It lacks comfort and convenience, which is enjoyably novel at the start, but quickly wears away. Have you got buildings?

I'll let you know. Adia struggles for a moment with her social anxiety before adding, May I add you as a contact on my PINpoint? That's the device I use to travel to the Nexus and also stay in touch with people I meet here. That's great that you do. I don't think I could handle a high-spirited horse, but I'm comfortable around them, otherwise. I know what you mean, I didn't want to be a part-time owner, either. His question stops her short. She forgets sometimes, when talking about animals, about what happened to them. No. We don't have anything, aside from a few pets. The fleet has a biodome, but it was in orbit when the Cylons arrived and it jumped into hyperspace. All those animals... if they weren't killed outright by the nuclear fallout, then the radiation would probably do them in eventually. She shakes her head sadly and tries to concentrate on the rest of the conversation. It was fun, but a little scary. If you're acrophobic at all, I don't recommend it. We have some buildings. Not enough, unfortunately. Most people live in shantytowns.

Of course, my dear. I'd be honoured.

It's all about how you talk to them. You have to show them that you're calm and controlled. Ah! You'll have me volunteering at the nearest stables!

That answer sobers him again. Earnestly he replies, I'm very sorry to hear that. That's no way to end.

It's probably fifty-fifty whether he'd be bold and dangerous or scared and ungraceful. Not something he's too concerned about finding out soon, either way.

Something you're fond and proud of, at any rate.

Do you have wood there? Something to craft shelters out of? Do you have Winters?

Great! Thank you. You sound like one of my former riding instructors. What other animals do you have experience with?

She appreciates his sympathy, but decides not to comment further. Painful enough, all the human lives lost, but to think of everything else on top of that is too much.

If she knew what he looked like, perhaps the image would be amusing to her. Scientists tend to be stereotyped as not liking sports or physical activity, so it's nice to have something surprising about myself. No, unfortunately. The world is barely habitable. We built what we could with our own supplies, and crafted other shelters out of recycled material. The question of winter catches her off-guard for a moment. That's oddly specific. New Caprica doesn't have seasons -- at least where we live, close to the equator. It's cold, but not cold enough to snow. It drizzles a lot.


Oh, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, hens, donkeys, cats and dogs, wolves… A fair few.

I presume it has water. It would be an extremely dangerous place to stay otherwise. You could maybe make clay, or mud buildings. They would be sturdier than tents.

Do you have any other sport you enjoy?

That last part shocks him. Legitimately shocks him. What self-respecting planet doesn't have Seasons? That's madness! It never changes? There aren't any cycles?

Wolves? One of these things is not like the others!

There is water. Too much, sometimes. I don't know if the mud would be able to dry. It might be worth trying. To be honest, Adia is a little sick of mud, considering how much of it is around her. But it is a good suggestion and she doesn't want to be dismissive.

I like to bicycle. I haven't done that in a while, sadly. I didn't usually play organized sports. It was too competitive, and I didn't like people watching me play, I was always worried that I'd screw up in front of everyone.

She's surprised and a little amused by Reynard's reaction. The only habitable part of the planet is along the equator. There are cycles of rain and not-rain. Mostly it just drizzles.

I didn't train them or anything like that, but I did encounter them often enough to understand them.

He hums aloud before typing, That would be a problem. Maybe local rocks could be turned into a kind of cement. A pause and then,

 But that might make carving might a better option. I think I had best leave shaping your new land to you.

That is a shame. Sports are meant to be enjoyable. Playing. Should we meet I promise never to make you feel judged for any activity you do with me.

What is that? A constant Autumn? You poor soul, no wonder you come to the Nexus!

Never mind the robots and the oppression…

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I was bound to screw up my html eventually. :P Sorry about that!

Perfectly fine! ^^

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