4E01451

What is remarkable about the planet is that agents made contact with counterparts from an alt where the Confederacy won the Civil War (the C.S.A.). Unfortunately, these counterparts did not survive for questioning.

After hearing Larry’s warning Mac wakes with a start and gets dressed immediately.  After a short conference Larry gets to work gathering intel.  You take a few maps, one personal log and a couple of souveniers (the pocket knife and ball cap with the CSA logo) for evidence.  You make sure to secure the parts of the probe that you came for and strap them to an improvsed sled.  Then you look for flammables.  The camp has a propane heater that suits your purposes.  You turn it on, set some clothes on fire in the other corner of the tent, and head out.

The walk back is a slow one, and dragging the heavy probe doesn’t help.  You are able to locate your camp in the near-darkness, but the wind and the cold make communication and orienteering difficult. Adding to the difficulty, your previous trail has been wiped clean by the wind and landmarks are sparse.

You collapse into your tent and get the heat going.  After a couple of hours Larry notices that his toes aren’t moving well.  You suspect frostbite in at least one of them.  Not wanting to risk further injury Mac takes the lion’s share of the watches.  While you’d prefer to both stay in the tent the risk of your adversaries coming back is too great.  Mac burrows out a small igloo to shelter him from the wind that looks out in the direction you came from.  You pass the next 36 hours in this miserable way. You leave behind some gear (rifles, camp stove, etc) as you heft the heavy parts of the probe into your packs and over your shoulders.  You watch the timers on your synchronized watches count down together and after the brilliant flash of light you are back in the lab.

Lab Techs in environmental suits greet you as you find yourselves standing on the Gate (thankfully, both conscious).  You are told to strip and are headed to a decontamination cell.  You are de-loused and will be kept in quarantine for three days.  You are separated and the questioning begins after you get some sleep.

The doctor looks at Larry’s toes and says that frostbite has set in on his left foot.  The smallest toe will likely have to be amptutated.   Larry is put under anthestesia while still in quarantine and a surgeon in white biohazard suit removes the smallest toe on his left foot.

Mac is still conscious and so spends the next three days telling his story over and over and over.  Every minute detail is explained. After Larry recovers he is subjected to the same.  About a week later you finally see each other again.

Col. Hodgeson debriefs you both and praises your work on the mission.  Your information was unexpected and valuable (though he doesn’t say how).

Due to the fact that Larry will need some rehab, you’re going to be given three months off between missions.  How would you like to spend them?  Larry will need to stay in the immediate area for at least 8 weeks, as he has rehab he must attend.  You are both instructed to do some more homework around physics and continue to work on your German. Other than that, the time is yours.  Remember that you are now flush with cash.  What ever will you do?

You’ve been out in this cold for too long and are starting to notice it as the adrenaline wears off.  Although you want to investigate more you need to get out of the cold.  Larry can’t get a heat signature on anyone inside the tent, so you decide that Mac will lead with Larry rushing in behind him with his pistol drawn. 

There’s nobody there.  There is equipment scattered in the 3-man tent which is eerily similar to yours.  You fire up a heater and locate a stash of MREs.   Although you’d rather not you realize you both need sleep and to eat.  You decide to let Mac sleep first and keep Larry awake for three hours (then switch).  While Mac is asleep Larry starts to search the tent and dig into an MRE (chicken fried steak).  You quickly find your sensor array crated up which makes your mission objective nearly complete.  Of much more interest are the few personal effects in the tent. 

It is clear that whoever these men were they weren’t natives.  You can only assume that they arrived here in much the same way you did (but with slightly different technology).  As you examine their effects you see a couple of items (a jackknife and a baseball hat) with the letters C.S.A. and the confederate flag on them.  As unbelievable as it is, you think that these men are your counterparts from an alternate time line where the South won the Civil War and is a world power.

Larry, you’re very tired so it takes you a few minutes before that paranoid mind of yours gets going.  At first you wonder if the third man killed himself or if he escaped.  Escaped, you decide.  Commandos don’t kill themselves (especially Southern ones).  Then you think “if 2 of my buddies got killed and I escaped what would I do”?  You decide that you would re-arm, get as many guys as possible, and go back and blow them (you) to hell.  Or maybe you’d just open a portal and send an explosive device through in case they hung around to search your tent.  Or were desperate enough to sleep in it.  You drop your MRE and kick Mac awake.  You say “We’ve got to get the Hell out of here.  Now!”

What do you guys do?  I’m assuming that you’re leaving (but you don’t HAVE to).  If so, how quickly (and what do you take with you)? Be specific.  You’ve got a day and a half before your pickup.  How do you plan to spend that time (what precautions, if any, do you take)?

As he gets closer, Mac is able to see a two-man tent, similar to the one you brought with.  You crawl low and can see some movement on the other side of the tent (you are apparently on the back side of it now, the front being on Larry’s side).  Mac slowly circles to get a look at the front of the tent (about 75 yards out now) when an alarm sounds from inside the tent.

Larry, you can see three man-shaped images run from the tent and take up defensive positions.  When nobody comes at them, they start to slowly fan out; one comes at you, one toward Mac, and one away from Mac.  The man approaching Mac (Mac can see him and the one approaching Larry; you can’t see the third) gets to within 50 yards or so yells “Put your hands up” and aims a rifle at you.  You start to get to your feet and he fires a panic burst 10 yards to your left (you assume he was bluffing and couldn’t see you).  Mac, you instinctively step forward, steady your pistol and three shots directly at him.  Two of them strike him in his chest and he drops.

With no cover available, Mac chooses to cover the distance between him and the now dead body in front of you and take his battle rifle.  Larry hears shots fired and sees the two others start to run toward Mac.  you assume that Mac is alive, as you saw the man nearing him drop.  Knowing that Mac will be quickly overtaken Larry shots at the figure nearest him.  The rifle cracks loudly, but misses (you are shooting in twilight conditions through a thermal scope).  Still, the shot confuses the two other men, who immediately hit the ground.

Now, you need to decide what to do.  Mac, you are standing on the back side of the tent, 50 yards from it.  You can’t see either of the other men.  You hold an assault rifle in your hands.  It seems familiar, but doesn’t match any design you’ve seen. 

Larry, what will you do?  Keep in mind that while you both carry walkie-talkies, using them may reveal your position to the other men.  Retreat is an option, but you may be vulnerable while you back up the slope.  Staying out in the cold much longer will risk frostbite (although you’d probably be okay if you kept moving).

Respond with your actions, keeping in mind taht communication is risky (you may not know what the other is doing).  Larry can see Mac’s outline, but nothing else.  Mac can’t see Larry at all.

After a half hour, your homing device gets a stronger signal. You can still see only 100 yards or so in front of you, so you hear a metallic ringing before you can detect what is causing it. It is coming from the direction of your homing device. You instinctively start into a low crawl and make for the sound. You have binoculars, which are equipped with thermal imaging and range finding. You turn them on and can spot two human shaped heat signatures 250 yards out, down a slight (likely rocky) slope. Your homing device has a very strong signal at this point; obviously, whoever is here has your sensor.

The question now is, what do you want to do? You can slowly make your way down the hill, but the rocks are too small to give you much cover. You can circle around and try to approach from the other side (where it is flatter and you’re less exposed), but you are already feeling the effects of the cold and may end up with frostbite if you stay out here too long. You can just boogie back to base camp and come up with a story (or report that you failed). If you approach I want to know how (quiet or loud and which direction). If you attack, how close do you get before shooting (and are you going to shoot first)? Mac is holding the rifle (he is the better shot), you could probably shoot someone from 100 yards out in this light. If you shoot one person what is your plan for the second (assuming there are only two people)?

Opened:  2/20/2004     Closed: 11/15/2006

World Population: 2.2 Billion

Technological Equivalent: A.D. 1920 (wind, solar, biofuels advanced)

1BVEGGIE is an alt where the vegetarianism is the norm.  It is much more ecologically balanced, but less populated and less technologically advanced.  The sole superpower is the government of India, where their vegetarian revolution took place.  Approximately two thirds of the global population is vegetarian.

India is the sole superpower; where the vegetarian revolution started.  Their India also encompasses Pakistan, Afghanistan, and parts of China (as we know them).  Our U.S. is called New England and is largely protected Forest reserve (and underdeveloped).  Much of the Native American population remains intact.

On 1BVEGGIE the Chola Dynasty (A.D. 1100) in the Indian subcontinent never toppled (they are barely a footnote in our world).  They persisted for 500 years and taught harmony with nature, trading, and vegetarianism to traders from Europe and China.  These ideals spread and the world was and is a much more peaceful place.  The largest religion is Catharism, which now mixes Hindu, Buddist, and Catholic ideals.

Population is controlled by widespread use of birth control and a cultural emphasis on sexual abstinence.  Historically sterilization has been used forcibly on minority populations; an analog of sorts to our genocides. Interestingly, while capital punishment is almost unknown, mob justice is often administered (and can be quite lethal).  It is considered the most serious social issue of this world.

We were able to exchange some technologies with the Indian government on this world.  Their wind, solar, and biofuel technologies were very advanced and are already being covertly incorporated into our markets.

Opened: 4/11/1997 Closed: 7/2/1997

World Population: 0

Technological Equivalent: Pre-human

At first 3DTHINKTANK seemed like a habitable world with some animal life, but not much to distinguish it. When we landed a team there, we found that intelligent beings could control the physical environment by thought. Our team could lift rocks with their minds and control the flight of birds. Sadly, one team member died there as the result of an aneurism (we suspect due to stress of thought). The three who returned lost their abilities when they returned, so it was a phenomenon unique to that environment. Two of them died of brain cancer not long after, and the fourth has had no ill effects.

Dr. Farnsworth walks you through the ins and outs of walking the Bridge as your gear is brought into the room.  She reminds you that disorientation and passing out are common side effects.  She warns you to get your bearings and get a shelter established right away when crossing.  She tells you that in three days they will send a signal to retrieve you, which should pull you back here (no bridging equipment needed).  You do need to be within 100 yards of where you arrived, so marking it is a good idea. She tells you that at most you can have 100 pounds of gear each.  Any more and you may not make it back.  The remote you’re looking for weighs almost 100 lbs, so you’ll be leaving gear behind if you’re successful.   She seems worried as the techs arrive to gear you up.

You are given top-quality cold weather gear. You are given heavy duty parkas, polar fleece overalls, thermal underwear, balaclava, gloves, boots, and goggles.  You are to share a pack of extra clothing.  You will carry over a tent, one two-man sleeping bag, survival gear, and propane for heating and cooking.  You have a basic field kit with a cook stove and utensils.  You’ll have ice climbing gear, but are supposed to avoid using these if possible.  You have a basic first aid kit and enough food for one week.  You’ll carry binoculars, a digital recorder, and a homing device that should be tuned to the remote you’re looking for.

You are each issued a combat knife, a Smith & Wesson .342 (a 5-shot pistol that weighs less than one pound, and you are to share a 7mm Magnum Remington Model 700 hunting rifle.  They tell you that its used to hunt Kodiaks in Alaska.

You gear up, step onto the bridge and they power it up.  Mac, you seem to blink and suddenly you are standing on an icy plain with the wind ripping right through you.  The cold shocks you and it takes a minute to gain your senses.  Larry is slumped on the ground next to you.  The sun is going down and you know you don’t have long in these temperatures.  Larry starts to groan as you quickly assemble the tent.  Larry, you gain consciousness as Mac pulls you into the tent and starts the propane heater.  You both spend a long, cold quiet night together. 

The view to the north.

After 6 hours, the sun starts to come up, but holds low in the sky.  It is not really a dawn, more like pre-dawn.  You can see about 100 yards out.  You are on a wide plain and can faintly see mountains to the north, but have no way to gauge distance (or what is between you and them).  There is no vegetation present and the only sound is the wind.  You wait another two hours, and it doesn’t get any better.  You get a faint reading on the homing device; your compass says it is east.  Do you head out in the half-light or wait longer for the light to come out?

Opened:  1942     Closed: Unknown (one confirmed contact)

World Population: 5 Billion 

Technological Equivalent: A.D. 2050 (estimated) 

The first alt that we were ever aware of was 2BHIGHTECH (2B00001).  This is a world with similar properties as our Earth, but with different topography.  Beyond that, the humans inhabiting it were brilliant mathematicians and scientists, but lacked much social structure or skills.  The government was near anarchy and social order was weak, to say the least.  Imagine a world filled with people with Asperger’s Disorder and that would be a pretty fair description.  A group of their scientists built a Bridge and came over to our world in 1941.  They landed in Nazi Germany and were put to work by the Nazis.  A few resisted and were dealt with, but most didn’t realize what sort of people they were helping.  They thought they were assisting us poor barbarians enter the modern age.  After WW2 a few were acquired by the U.S. and Britain, which helped us establish Bridges of our own.

Opened:  2/20/2006     Closed: 5/23/2006

World Population: 1.8 Billion 

Technological Equivalent: A.D. 1890

In this Alt the Pilgrims landed, but immediately established a new country.  The Revolutionary War was fought 150 years earlier, and the Brits won.  They didn’t get the last laugh, though.  Pilgrims kept coming and coming to the new world and started a terrorism campaign that lasted 100 years.  By 1740 the British pulled out to Canada and the Christian States of America (C.S.A.) was born.  By now, the CSA is established as a world power (though not the only one).  The CSA is not a pleasant place to visit.  They live under strict Protestant Christian law.  There is no alcohol, taking the Lord’s name in vain, or premarital sexuality involved.  Also, no Catholics, Jews, or Atheists allowed.  They did free the slaves a century before we did, though. 

Thankfully, their technology is 100 years behind ours so we didn’t have to worry about them coming over on Bridges to save us.  Here is a slide of the CSA Flag:

CSA Flag