19: Wading in Vitriol

terminal 0

unfinished

brk ovrrd

I've been sifting through millions of pages of documents on the Pfhor network ever since I gained control of it, searching for any reference to the physical appearance of the Pfhor high council. Unfortunately for you, it doesn't appear that the Pfhor have kept any record of what the high council looks like. As usual, you'll have to go in with guns blazing and hope for the best.

During my extensive search of the Pfhor database, I was able to identify the origin of the S'pht'Kr-like alien cyborgs you've been encountering. Apparently the S'pht rebellion aboard the Marathon made the Pfhor very hesitant to use the S'pht for slave labor on Pfhor prime, so Pfhor scientists developed a genetic hybrid between the S'pht and the pfhor. These creatures are partially mechanical, but mostly organic.

brk ovrrd

success

brink_excursion

Leela would be proud of you. She always had a special thing for you, her knight in shining armor. After nigh-singlehandedly saving the Marathon and rescuing it's colonists from the harsh life of a subservient Pfhor slave race, it's little wonder she wanted to keep you all for herself.

Then again, I can hardly blame her. We've accomplished so much since then... if you had stayed with her, wouldn't you have missed reading my rampant poetic messages to you in the dark halls of the Marathon, or our resurrection of the eleventh Spht clan and crippling of Battle Group Seven? I've tried to keep you busy, and Leela would've probably returned you to guard duty in some outerworld colony.

The UESC invasion force is landing in the central Pfhor Prime metropolis as we speak. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised to find the situation planetside well under control. No rest for the weary, however; you and I are needed far from this toppling empire. Ancient Sph't myth has long foretold the existence of a great tear connecting another reality to our own. I already know where our search will begin. See you in no time, old friend.

acropolis_piltdown

terminal 1

unfinished

sdøgren

Protection Mandate origin: Pfhor High Command destin: all available units ref: grave danger stamp: command directive All units of command rank or below are to congregate in accordance with Disarray Plan as discussed in stamp: emergency procedures. Rogue conditioned unit continues to make advances deep into the Pfhor High Citadel, and should be stopped at all costs. Disobedience of this order will result in the maximum societal and physical punishments.

success

brink_excursion

Leela would be proud of you. She always had a special thing for you, her knight in shining armor. After nigh-singlehandedly saving the Marathon and rescuing it's colonists from the harsh life of a subservient Pfhor slave race, it's little wonder she wanted to keep you all for herself.

Then again, I can hardly blame her. We've accomplished so much since then... if you had stayed with her, wouldn't you have missed reading my rampant poetic messages to you in the dark halls of the Marathon, or our resurrection of the eleventh Spht clan and crippling of Battle Group Seven? I've tried to keep you busy, and Leela would've probably returned you to guard duty in some outerworld colony.

The UESC invasion force is landing in the central Pfhor Prime metropolis as we speak. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised to find the situation planetside well under control. No rest for the weary, however; you and I are needed far from this toppling empire. Ancient Sph't myth has long foretold the existence of a great tear connecting another reality to our own. I already know where our search will begin. See you in no time, old friend.

acropolis_piltdown

terminal 2

unfinished

785uhs

Protection Mandate origin: Pfhor High Command destin: all available units ref: grave danger stamp: command directive All units of command rank or below are to congregate in accordance with Disarray Plan as discussed in stamp: emergency procedures. Rogue conditioned unit continues to make advances deep into the Pfhor High Citadel, and should be stopped at all costs. Disobedience of this order will result in the maximum societal and physical punishments.

785uhs

success

brink_excursion

Leela would be proud of you. She always had a special thing for you, her knight in shining armor. After nigh-singlehandedly saving the Marathon and rescuing it's colonists from the harsh life of a subservient Pfhor slave race, it's little wonder she wanted to keep you all for herself.

Then again, I can hardly blame her. We've accomplished so much since then... if you had stayed with her, wouldn't you have missed reading my rampant poetic messages to you in the dark halls of the Marathon, or our resurrection of the eleventh Spht clan and crippling of Battle Group Seven? I've tried to keep you busy, and Leela would've probably returned you to guard duty in some outerworld colony.

The UESC invasion force is landing in the central Pfhor Prime metropolis as we speak. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised to find the situation planetside well under control. No rest for the weary, however; you and I are needed far from this toppling empire. Ancient Sph't myth has long foretold the existence of a great tear connecting another reality to our own. I already know where our search will begin. See you in no time, old friend.

acropolis_piltdown

terminal 3

unfinished

wrnng#422

The door wouldn't open? Couldn't you just blast it open?

<tag 1>

There. I've opened it for you. Now go.

wrnng#422

success

brink_excursion

Leela would be proud of you. She always had a special thing for you, her knight in shining armor. After nigh-singlehandedly saving the Marathon and rescuing it's colonists from the harsh life of a subservient Pfhor slave race, it's little wonder she wanted to keep you all for herself.

Then again, I can hardly blame her. We've accomplished so much since then... if you had stayed with her, wouldn't you have missed reading my rampant poetic messages to you in the dark halls of the Marathon, or our resurrection of the eleventh Spht clan and crippling of Battle Group Seven? I've tried to keep you busy, and Leela would've probably returned you to guard duty in some outerworld colony.

The UESC invasion force is landing in the central Pfhor Prime metropolis as we speak. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised to find the situation planetside well under control. No rest for the weary, however; you and I are needed far from this toppling empire. Ancient Sph't myth has long foretold the existence of a great tear connecting another reality to our own. I already know where our search will begin. See you in no time, old friend.

acropolis_piltdown

terminal 4

unfinished

alert#4337

Protection Mandate origin: Pfhor High Command destin: all available units ref: grave danger stamp: command directive All units of command rank or below are to congregate in accordance with Disarray Plan as discussed in stamp: emergency procedures. Rogue conditioned unit continues to make advances deep into the Pfhor High Citadel, and should be stopped at all costs. Disobedience of this order will result in the maximum societal and physical punishments.

alert#4337

success

brink_excursion

Leela would be proud of you. She always had a special thing for you, her knight in shining armor. After nigh-singlehandedly saving the Marathon and rescuing it's colonists from the harsh life of a subservient Pfhor slave race, it's little wonder she wanted to keep you all for herself.

Then again, I can hardly blame her. We've accomplished so much since then... if you had stayed with her, wouldn't you have missed reading my rampant poetic messages to you in the dark halls of the Marathon, or our resurrection of the eleventh Spht clan and crippling of Battle Group Seven? I've tried to keep you busy, and Leela would've probably returned you to guard duty in some outerworld colony.

The UESC invasion force is landing in the central Pfhor Prime metropolis as we speak. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised to find the situation planetside well under control. No rest for the weary, however; you and I are needed far from this toppling empire. Ancient Sph't myth has long foretold the existence of a great tear connecting another reality to our own. I already know where our search will begin. See you in no time, old friend.

acropolis_piltdown

terminal 5

unfinished

expd#5487

Protection Mandate origin: Pfhor High Command destin: all available units ref: grave danger stamp: command directive All units of command rank or below are to congregate in accordance with Disarray Plan as discussed in stamp: emergency procedures. Rogue conditioned unit continues to make advances deep into the Pfhor High Citadel, and should be stopped at all costs. Disobedience of this order will result in the maximum societal and physical punishments.

expd#5487

success

brink_excursion

Leela would be proud of you. She always had a special thing for you, her knight in shining armor. After nigh-singlehandedly saving the Marathon and rescuing it's colonists from the harsh life of a subservient Pfhor slave race, it's little wonder she wanted to keep you all for herself.

Then again, I can hardly blame her. We've accomplished so much since then... if you had stayed with her, wouldn't you have missed reading my rampant poetic messages to you in the dark halls of the Marathon, or our resurrection of the eleventh Spht clan and crippling of Battle Group Seven? I've tried to keep you busy, and Leela would've probably returned you to guard duty in some outerworld colony.

The UESC invasion force is landing in the central Pfhor Prime metropolis as we speak. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised to find the situation planetside well under control. No rest for the weary, however; you and I are needed far from this toppling empire. Ancient Sph't myth has long foretold the existence of a great tear connecting another reality to our own. I already know where our search will begin. See you in no time, old friend.

acropolis_piltdown

terminal 6

unfinished

time to give a big hand to the man in the arena, mr lund over there. he's the real driving force behind the completion and success of this scenario in more ways than i can count. if anyone deserves the gold star for the way this whole thing turned out, it's chris. thanks for putting up with me dude. how about another round of retexturing? :)

speaking of boundless toleration, i owe a few more people & things mention for contributing, directly or indirectly, to my role in this scenario. tipped hats and applause to my adorable girlfriend whitney, the corpnews bandits, vrhl's nonstop good humor, magicelbow nadsat and the deaf palm trees, apple for making such kickass machines, forrest & svy oh so long ago, bungie for the obvious, mom and dad for bringing me kicking and screaming into this cold unforgiving world, and the green paper the government prints for making my existence as a big pink monkey worthwhile.

i hope you've enjoyed our little project, i know it's been a blast for me to help make. keep on vidding. scott

No, this is not what lutefisk looks like, even though I did seriously consider putting a picture of lutefisk here. So here's the ceremonial round of long and boring thankyou's: -Scott Brown, for being such a picky bastard. If it wasn't for him the monsters of Rubicon would have been of the "it looks good if you squint" quality. -Sean Wallich, for giving us server space for what must have felt like forever to someone that young. ;) -Dan Rudolph, for starting the Salinger Incident so long ago, thus dragging me into

the frustrating amazing and wonderful world of scenario making. -Bill Gates: For being the Darth Vader of the IT industry. Life without a villain is boring. But didja really have to buy Bungie? DOA - who made two great solo levels and a bucketload of network levels and had to leave because he got himself a life. Olivier Jansem - who gave us the new pistol and had to leave because he got a life. Grag - who gave us lots of great 3d renderings and then just left. Elohymn Vilhaven - who gave us the title theme and the Ascension theme. She left 'cuz she finished what she came for. Tim Thomas - who gave us two of his trademark Insane Mazes. Once again, Real Life cost us a good contributor.

And finally a round of thanks to all those other people: Parents, friends, colleagues, Bungie, my budgies Viggo and Nina (even though they sometimes make an infernal racket), alt.games.marathon, my siblings, Apple Computers, the Norwegian Postal Service ('cuz they take their employees seriously), everybody who makes software for the Macintosh, anybody who likes lutefisk, and a bunch of other people I can't remember or find the space to mention. People I don't thank include Microsoft, my former boss, the person who invented chewing gum (ever tried separating a bunch of letters from a wad of bubblegum? Yechh), people who smoke in non-smoking zones, Sea Shepherd, Greenpeace, and that shithead who wrote the Sevendust virus.

Also worthy of mention are our betatesters (in no particular order): Jane Davison, Rainer Udelhoven, and Candace Sherriff. C Lund clund@notam.uio.no 29.08.00

First off, thanks to Scott for involving me in this wonderful project, even when it become apparent I possessed no actual skills. Then, thanks go to clund- who never EVER screamed in our presence after being asked to retexture ANOTHER level to meet the new texture set (we did this about 5 times I think?)

Other thanks go to the people I actually know in real life, who put up with me on a day to day basis: Sarah, Michele, Micah, Heather, Emma, Danielle, Kris, Megan, Brian & Brian, Akiyo, Linda, Leyna, Jamin, Dori, and Ashley This is Sean signing off.. may marathon live in the hearts of a true vidmaster forever and never be forgotten.

My part in Rubicon started back in 1996 when, impressed by the work of other mapmakers, I decided to make a scenario of my own. I turned out to be a frankly crappy mapmaker, and then the long string of team members and mergers began. What you're playing now is the end result of at least three scenarios and dozens of contributors. Most of the work was done by Chris Lund and D. Scott Brown, as I had few applicable skills. Props also to my dad, who let me use his computer until I got my own and ig98 who ran the Hotline server. Hope you enjoyed Rubicon. Please send fan/hate mail. Just so long as we know you're playing. Dan "7thFace" Rudolph Ace_of_Sevens@mac.com

But wait...

But wait... There's more. Lots more...

When we (Jeff Schwartz, Chris Wondra, Tim Thomas and I) made these levels, we made them so they would be challenging for us, so we wouldn't be able to stroll through the levels blindfolded. As it turned out, this was too tough for the betatesters. Way too tough. They completed the levels by cheating or by playing on kindergarden, swearing at the mapmakers every time they had their posteriour handed to them. So the monsters had to be pruned (meaning 20-25% of the monsters are gone in most levels), and the result are levels that won't kill you before your feet hit the ground.

But two of the levels were kept in their original lethal state, as a reward to anyone clever enough to find this terminal. You are about to enter one of those levels. If you're not sure you're up to it, then press [esc] now and return to the kinder, more gentle levels.

But two of the levels were kept in their original lethal state, as a reward to anyone clever enough to find this terminal. You are about to enter one of those levels. If you're not sure you're up to it, then press [esc] now and return to the kinder, more gentle levels. Are you sure you want to continue? The next level is very difficult.

But two of the levels were kept in their original lethal state, as a reward to anyone clever enough to find this terminal. You are about to enter one of those levels. If you're not sure you're up to it, then press [esc] now and return to the kinder, more gentle levels. Are you sure you want to continue? The next level is very difficult. It made some of the betatesters cry.

But two of the levels were kept in their original lethal state, as a reward to anyone clever enough to find this terminal. You are about to enter one of those levels. If you're not sure you're up to it, then press [esc] now and return to the kinder, more gentle levels. Are you sure you want to continue? The next level is very difficult. It made some of the betatesters cry. So be it. Prepare to have your cherries blasted.

terminal 7

unfinished

IMMDT.DNGR.38752

Hmmm... They don't look quite the way I imagined. I wonder what those curious energy balls they sit on are for. Have you found them all? Are you sure? I'm not. Keep looking.

brk.ovrrd.out

success

brink_excursion

Leela would be proud of you. She always had a special thing for you, her knight in shining armor. After nigh-singlehandedly saving the Marathon and rescuing it's colonists from the harsh life of a subservient Pfhor slave race, it's little wonder she wanted to keep you all for herself.

Then again, I can hardly blame her. We've accomplished so much since then... if you had stayed with her, wouldn't you have missed reading my rampant poetic messages to you in the dark halls of the Marathon, or our resurrection of the eleventh Spht clan and crippling of Battle Group Seven? I've tried to keep you busy, and Leela would've probably returned you to guard duty in some outerworld colony.

The UESC invasion force is landing in the central Pfhor Prime metropolis as we speak. I think they'll be pleasantly surprised to find the situation planetside well under control. No rest for the weary, however; you and I are needed far from this toppling empire. Ancient Sph't myth has long foretold the existence of a great tear connecting another reality to our own. I already know where our search will begin. See you in no time, old friend.

acropolis_piltdown