Perseverance Pays! (Quick-Time Event!)
Well well well! Let it be said that sheer determination and a lot of time on your hands can often lead to results. Mecha and Tohpie, our resident Noin (codenamefire) and Neil (mr_dynames) players, have found the correct star in this thread! As a result, the following message and info has been downloaded to all Spheres:
The message may be replayed however many times the characters wish. Don't delete or forget about it! I assure you, it'll come in handy later. ;D
But I'm sure you're all wondering why the star you needed to find was Deneb, the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus. Let's look at the only clue the commander provided: "lo". As Ishmael correctly guessed in this entry of Sasuke's, "lo" referred to the term lodestar. Primarily referring to a bright star used for direction, it is often understood to be the North Star. However, if that is the case, why didn't Sasuke's guess of Polaris work? Well, the night sky in Thebes is set to reflect a specific date. I'm sure the first guess would be that it represents Thebes' sky, which would make Thuban the lodestar. But that wouldn't be right either! How would you be able to tell, though?
Well, there was a trick to it. In my original mod post I stressed, more than once, the historical inaccuracy of the holographic replica. With that in mind, one might assume that the sky actually represents what Earth's sky happens to look like today; today as in the time period that the Crucible comes from. So, the key was to move forward in time, rather than back. Working forward through the various projected North Stars would eventually lead to Deneb, the correct answer!
I want to congratulate everyone on their various efforts to find the star and urge you to look forward to the next one. ;D You guys are pretty resourceful, so I'd better make these even harder!
- [when that innocent little ball of paint collides with Deneb, the star abruptly flashes bright enough to cause spots before one's eyes. it can be seen from all of Thebes for a few brief seconds and in that time every passenger's Sphere on the ship receives a lightning quick download of information.
it consists of two things: a scan of an old, paper blueprint of what appears to be the main engineering section of the ship, and a series of numbers:]
6498315
7913582
6649723
4521913
5000190
0389076
5290084
[as well as a short message in the commander's voice]
The levels leading to the engineering section of the ship are straightforward. All you have to do is follow the signs. The captain will probably announce when he'll be opening them up, so use the passcodes to bypass the remaining security when he does. The blueprint I've provided indicates the shutdown console for the engines. The computer will guide you through the manual shutdown process; if you do it quickly enough the captain won't be able to stop you and the only way he'll be able to bring them back online will be to come in person. Hopefully myself and the rest of the crew will be able to board the ship before that happens.
Good luck.
[and that is all]
The message may be replayed however many times the characters wish. Don't delete or forget about it! I assure you, it'll come in handy later. ;D
But I'm sure you're all wondering why the star you needed to find was Deneb, the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus. Let's look at the only clue the commander provided: "lo". As Ishmael correctly guessed in this entry of Sasuke's, "lo" referred to the term lodestar. Primarily referring to a bright star used for direction, it is often understood to be the North Star. However, if that is the case, why didn't Sasuke's guess of Polaris work? Well, the night sky in Thebes is set to reflect a specific date. I'm sure the first guess would be that it represents Thebes' sky, which would make Thuban the lodestar. But that wouldn't be right either! How would you be able to tell, though?
Well, there was a trick to it. In my original mod post I stressed, more than once, the historical inaccuracy of the holographic replica. With that in mind, one might assume that the sky actually represents what Earth's sky happens to look like today; today as in the time period that the Crucible comes from. So, the key was to move forward in time, rather than back. Working forward through the various projected North Stars would eventually lead to Deneb, the correct answer!
I want to congratulate everyone on their various efforts to find the star and urge you to look forward to the next one. ;D You guys are pretty resourceful, so I'd better make these even harder!