Difference between revisions of "Inter-Dimensional Fatigue"

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'''Dimensional fatigue''' — also '''Inter-Dimensional Fatigue''', or '''IDF''' — is a process or force that weakens the boundaries between dimensions. It is most often used to access [[HyperSpace]] from [[TrueSpace]]. Dimensional Fatigue can be projected by devices, and occasionally occurs naturally.
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'''Inter-Dimensional Fatigue''' — also '''IDF''', '''dimensional fatigue''', or '''DF''' — is a catchall term for processes or forces that weaken the boundaries between "dimensions" or space-times, allowing information or objects to pass from one to the other. The form of IDF most familiar to the races of the [[Alliance]] is the [[QuasiSpace Portal Spawner]], used to access [[QuasiSpace]] from [[HyperSpace]].
  
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IDF research is believed to be incredibly dangerous, a stance strongly supported by the [[Arilou]]. Indeed, most races that use HyperSpace either had the technology gifted to them by a patron, or somehow inherited the technology from elsewhere.
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The only race known to be familiar with IDF is the [[Arilou Lalee'lay]], who provide the Portal Spawner for [[The Flagship]] but otherwise strongly discourage IDF research as incredibly dangerous. The [[Precursors]] also had IDF technology, though the only known Precursor IDF devices merely allow for the observation of other realms of existence. Based on strange remarks from the [[Orz]], some have speculated that the [[Taalo]] may also have developed IDF technology.
  
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The [[Chenjesu]] were naturally attuned to HyperSpace, and may have been one of the few races to develop the technology on their own. While the [[Yehat]] are known to have achieved inter-planetary travel on their own, as did the [[Humans]], neither race independently deveoloped HyperSpace technology. However, a human offshoot culture, the [[Androsynth]], did seem to do so, although they may have received the technology via covert contact with some other race. The Androsynth continued IDF research after departing [[Earth]], but were destroyed utterly, perhaps by the [[Orz]], possibly because their research attracted that race's attention.
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The last known race to have attempted IDF research, the [[Androsynth]], were utterly destroyed as a result. What records exist seem to indicate that acquiring knowledge such as images and other information through experimental IDF technology somehow made the Androsynth visible to entities that exist in other dimensions. The Androsynth's research led to a series of events such as anomalous regions of high gravity ("mosquito mange"), spontaneously generated forces ("poltergeists"), sensory manifestations ("ghosts"), and "reality aberrations".{{ref|1}} In the end, this is probably somehow responsible for the race's disappearance and replacement by the trans-dimensional Orz. The Arilou claim to have protected at least the race of [[Humans]] from a similar fate by unknown measures, but warn that any increased knowledge among Humans of IDF phenomena would create similar vulnerabilities.  
  
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The [[Taalo]], a member race of the [[Sentient Milieu]] which disappeared long ago, were known to work in IDF and had experemental sites in the same area of space that has since been occupied by the Androsynth and Orz. Some of their research materials and other technologies can still be found there.
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There is at least one naturally occurring IDF phenomenon, the bi-directional QuasiSpace [[portal]] near the Circini and Chandrasekhar star clusters. Interdimensional fatigue is also responsible for the disappearance of the star Alpha Corvi and its planetary system, though whether this was a natural event or not is unknown.{{ref|2}}
  
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It is possible that the Arilou are lying about the danger involved in continued IDF research for their own inscrutable purposes; perhaps to keep the secret of [[QuasiSpace]] from becomming general knowledge. However, it is undeniable that HyperSpace travel has not been invented more than a handfull of times, and that some catastrophe indeed befell the Androsynth.
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==Notes and references==
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{{note|1}}''The Androsynth computer banks reported several requests for information on phenomena by these names. These are the speculated manifestations and events that might reasonably correspond to these names.''
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{{note|2}}''[[Role Playing Resource Guide]], pg. 9''
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:{{FredMail}}
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::This is really just a case of a sleight-of-hand way to cover our incompetence. After we laid out the starmap and assigned names to all of the systems, it was brought to our attention (probably by some accursed tester at Accolade) that two star systems were lacking contiguous sequences (i.e. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, etc.). Well, we didn't want to rename the stars that we had, because I think we had already sent off a Postscript file for final printing. So the rest is manual history.
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[[Category:Androsynth]]
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[[Category:Dimensions]]

Latest revision as of 15:52, 8 February 2008

Inter-Dimensional Fatigue — also IDF, dimensional fatigue, or DF — is a catchall term for processes or forces that weaken the boundaries between "dimensions" or space-times, allowing information or objects to pass from one to the other. The form of IDF most familiar to the races of the Alliance is the QuasiSpace Portal Spawner, used to access QuasiSpace from HyperSpace.

The only race known to be familiar with IDF is the Arilou Lalee'lay, who provide the Portal Spawner for The Flagship but otherwise strongly discourage IDF research as incredibly dangerous. The Precursors also had IDF technology, though the only known Precursor IDF devices merely allow for the observation of other realms of existence. Based on strange remarks from the Orz, some have speculated that the Taalo may also have developed IDF technology.

The last known race to have attempted IDF research, the Androsynth, were utterly destroyed as a result. What records exist seem to indicate that acquiring knowledge such as images and other information through experimental IDF technology somehow made the Androsynth visible to entities that exist in other dimensions. The Androsynth's research led to a series of events such as anomalous regions of high gravity ("mosquito mange"), spontaneously generated forces ("poltergeists"), sensory manifestations ("ghosts"), and "reality aberrations".1 In the end, this is probably somehow responsible for the race's disappearance and replacement by the trans-dimensional Orz. The Arilou claim to have protected at least the race of Humans from a similar fate by unknown measures, but warn that any increased knowledge among Humans of IDF phenomena would create similar vulnerabilities.

There is at least one naturally occurring IDF phenomenon, the bi-directional QuasiSpace portal near the Circini and Chandrasekhar star clusters. Interdimensional fatigue is also responsible for the disappearance of the star Alpha Corvi and its planetary system, though whether this was a natural event or not is unknown.2

Notes and references[edit]

1The Androsynth computer banks reported several requests for information on phenomena by these names. These are the speculated manifestations and events that might reasonably correspond to these names.
2Role Playing Resource Guide, pg. 9
From a mail by Fred Ford to a Star Control II player:
This is really just a case of a sleight-of-hand way to cover our incompetence. After we laid out the starmap and assigned names to all of the systems, it was brought to our attention (probably by some accursed tester at Accolade) that two star systems were lacking contiguous sequences (i.e. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, etc.). Well, we didn't want to rename the stars that we had, because I think we had already sent off a Postscript file for final printing. So the rest is manual history.
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