Questioning the Notion

[Bjorn]

Bjorn takes stock of his appearance.  "Holmes," he asked, "what do you know of my background?"

[Brian]

Bjorn is still a bit shorter than average, and is dressed in a suit roughly similar to Holmes.  There are no obvious differences, at any rate.  "Among you're people you're a form of anabarist," he says.  "You made contact with the H.M.S. Sunfire, and then arranged an anabaric conduit of some sort for the ship to return here.  Currently you are members of the Agency, reporting to me and investigating treason against the crown."  After a pause, he adds, "Or did you mean from your own world?"

[Bjorn]

"So not so much a spirit possessing the body of a semi-civilized voodoo midget?  Or are we just disagreeing on terms here?"

[Brian]

"Something along those lines of the former," Holmes allows with a shrug.  "I'm not an anabarist myself; I expect Maester Sondheim would know better."

[Rezantis]

"Catherine," Nathan asks, "Does it always change the same way?  Seeming to get more advanced?"

[Brian]

"Yes," she says with a tired nod.  "Every few days or week, another of these happens.  I've been here for years, now ... eventually everything jumps so far ahead it seems simple again."

[Dracos]

"What do you mean seems simple again?  Does it loop around?"

[Brian]

"That's right.  In a month or so, it should all be crystal spires and togas again."  She sighs.

Holmes checks his watch, then decides, "I'll catch up on the investigation later," he says.  "I've got an appointment to attend."  He steps over the solid steel door lying on the floor, eying the cracked hinges.  "And I'll send someone to mend this."  With that, he vanishes down the hall.

[Dracos]

"That's somewhat distressing... on the high end of the technological cycle, they're going to be quite dangerous in the same way anyone carrying a small pistol would be."

[Carthrat]

"What, have guns stopped you before? Pardon my shock."

[Dracos]

"No, not really, but frankly, it's far more convenient to overwhelm a fancy scientist and group of neaderthals when they're wielding sticks or muskets than when they're armed with automatic weapons.  Remember we're trying to stabilize this country, and the ability of a small group to make vast incursions on a government increases with technology generally."

[Rezantis]

"To be honest, after the dreadmarch, a few pistols seems kinda . . . anticlimatic."

"So, Bjorn, where's that picture, and who are we beating up?"

[Bjorn]

"No one yet, and in the Greater Council Hall.  So let us get to the one so we can get to the other!"

[Dracos]

Dracos leads the way to the greater council hall~

[Brian]

Phil leads the way into the hallway, and immediately becomes very, very lost.  The basic structure of the palace is different now, instead of long tree-like branching hallways, the corridors appear to wind in tight, overlapping spirals.

But Phil knows how to get results; the totally labrynthine construction of the palace means nothing for a man who can grab a random servant and demand instructions.  Shortly, after walking to an ... elevator?  It's more like a standing subway-car, in that it spirals down, too....  But that takes the entire party to the ground floor.  Catherine is following the group rather bemusedly.

The stables now occupy only a tiny segment of the courtyard, with parking spots and greasy maintainence equipment spread all about.  A shuddering, rumbling vehicle something like a large van is waiting, and wouldn't be terribly out of place back in the base reality, except for the trio of antennae protruding from the hood.  A slowly crawling surge of crackling anabaric force meanders across the three antennae aimlessly, occasionally connecting two as it jumps between them.  The driver nods and asks no questions when given a destination, and very shortly everyone's rumbling along the streets.

Tim notices Catherine doing ... something.  It tingles on the edges of his dream-senses, but mostly resonates with that mysterious 'Spark' that allowed Tim to repair the anabaric tower when the king's experimental ship returned.  A heartbeat later, Catherine touches a nob near the ceiling panel with no visible labels or instructions, and a divider rises to block the driver from the passengers.  That done, she flops back into her seat and asks, "What all does this entail, then?"