Spirits in the Material World

[Bjorn]

"I think not," Bjorn replies.  "I apologize for pulling you over for such a short message, but I'd rather that Nathan was on the look-out for me when I arrive."

[Brian]

"Perfectly reasonable!" the specter agrees.  "Well, if there's nothing else, then, I'll tell him right away."

[Bjorn]

"Please do," Bjorn says, nodding his goodbyes.

And then, when the spirit leaves, Bjorn tries to get some sleep.  Maybe he talks to one of the seemingly thousands of people that appear to have time-shares in his dreams.  Probably not, though.

[Brian]

Bjorn lies back and tries to rest.  The mattress is decently comfortable, and the sheets are crisply cleaned.  Except for the glowing button that shows where the light switch is, the room is comfortably dark.  A ventilation shaft near the door hums as clean air filters in, smelling faintly of ozone ... but the scent fades after a few minutes.

Shortly after that, Bjorn finds himself lying on a bed beneath a seemingly endless panorama of catgirl posters.

[Bjorn]

Bjorn sits up, looking around for whichever Brother of Morpheus had picked him up this time.

[Brian]

Judging by the decor, it's Nick again.  And sure enough, he's got his ancient Apple computer humming away on that rickety (card-covered) table across the room, kind of humming to himself absently as he taps away at the keys.  "Heyo," he says, without looking up.  "We've got kind of a bad window this time through, so I won't be able to chat for too long.  Let's get down to business -- got any questions for me?"

[Bjorn]

"Not in particular," Bjorn says, standing up and moving closer to the computer.  "I assume there's nobody else in the Dream at this point, no Pax or Cabal or Independents, from Prometheus said.  If that's true, then my only question is: what do you have to tell me?" He smiles crookedly.

[Brian]

"That we're still here for you, mostly," Nick says with a shrug.  "And ... I can't patch you through to an oracle right now -- connection's pretty weak.  But I can pass them any questions you have, and get those answers back to you."  He pauses, then frowns, before Bjorn can reply.

"Actually," he says slowly, "some parts of the Fire Dream are closer to the Dream than others.  So reception may improve depending on where you go.  No idea what the Fire Dream is physically shaped like ... but I can also tell you that Alan's not strong enough to get through, so it's a good thing no one else is in yet; he couldn't help you out."

[Bjorn]

Bjorn nods.  "I'm getting closer to being able to see this Dream.  It's... odd, but hopefully soon I'll start to become it."

He frowns.  "Actually, there's a question.  What do we need to do here to make the Fire Dream rejoin with our Dream?"

[Brian]

"Well, last time you had to win a war.  This time, you need to establish some sort of lasting peace," Nick says.  "At least, that's what I'd guess.  This one's kind of tricky -- you basically need to establish some form of goal for the Fire Dream that the waking world would benefit from.  And if that's not it....  I dunno.  Maybe you can figure something better out.  But from what I can see here -- which I'll admit isn't much -- this place has severe issues with information flow control and authority.  Also...."  He hesitates.  "Shoot.  Time's running out.  Anyway, knowledge is power, and advancement requires everyone to be empowered somewhat, right?"

[Bjorn]

"Right," Bjorn says.  "So whatever the story is about the Gates, it needs to be made available to everyone?"

[Brian]

"That's right," Nick says with a nod.  "Information wants to be free, you know?  And-"

But that's lost as Bjorn wakes up, not as rested as he would have liked.  There's an urgent knock at the door, and Din is sleepily leaning out of his bunk.  "What is it?" he asks tiredly, though his voice doesn't seem to go through the door.

[Bjorn]

Bjorn springs easily out of bed and opens the door.

[Brian]

An unfamiliar guard with a rifle (slung over his shoulder) nervously spits out, "The light of day has come; the Captain requests your presence on the bridge."

"What is a bridge?" Din asks, his hands going to the gourd in his bag even while he's rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

[Bjorn]

Bjorn nods at the guard and replies, "Thank you.  Would you lead the way?"

When in motion, he explains to Din, "The bridge is the place where this craft is commanded."