Yeah, I don't even know. This one came in on a hurricane & told me to write it, so I did. Have fun with that.
---
Timeline Name: Krypton
Catalog Number: E8D41F6A
Quantum Band: 3
Parallel Type: Close / Mythic / Weird
Technology Level: Advanced, Para-Scientific (Homeline+)
Mana Level: Medium (0.600 Bonewits)
Current Year: 2024 (-23 Homeline)
Primary Divergence Point: Unknown, presumably prehistoric.
Secondary Divergence Point(s): 1926, the appearance of superpowers.
Major World Powers: United Nations (hegemonic IGO), United States of America, People’s Republic of China, European Union, Sovereign Union, Republic of India, Japan, Republic of Korea (South), Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Centrum Zone: Inaccessible
Infinity World Classification: Z1 (DO NOT APPROACH)
Executive Summary
The Quantum 3 world of Krypton is an emerging power on the parachronic stage. Initially viewed as a curiosity by Infinity researchers, the worldline independently developed parachronics within the last two decades and has since been steadily moving outwards, intersecting with Infinity operations in the 2030s.
Krypton is of special note in that it is the – to date – only parallel where comic book-style paranormal powers are known to have independently evolved in the local humans. These powers are considerable, and Krypton manages them via the use of a UN-controlled paramilitary force known as the International Super Teams (IST). IST is also in charge of providing security response for Kryptonian operations offworld.
Initial contact between Krypton and Infinity was challenging, but irregular diplomatic relations was established following the conclusion of initial reconnaissance operations. Krypton is believed to be developing a larger network of open diplomatic contacts in the Infinite Worlds, which suggests that the Kryptonians are becoming more active in the parachronic realm after a period of relative isolationism. Recent actions by suspected Kryptonian proxies suggest that they have an interest in joining the Great Game, either as a diplomatic facilitator or as a third party in their own right.
As UNIC is currently debating the merits of extending formal diplomatic relations to Krypton, the Board of Directors has commissioned this report to provide background information as well as provide the current Board position on further contact.
Background
Note: Infinity maintains a full archive of available data on Krypton at ARCHIVE:Contact//Q3//W//E8D41F6A for those who desire more information.
Krypton is one of several dozen “mythic” parallels known to Infinity. It was first discovered by automated conveyor probe in 2016 (local year 1993). Krypton’s central point of interest pre-contact was that it was the first “super” world encountered by Infinity; it was a worldline where a population of humans (or humanlike persons) with paranormal powers lived, and these individuals filled the roles of “superhero” and “supervillain” along similar lines as Homeline comic books. The exact origin of these powers is apparently genetic in nature – Contact Division has acquired literature regarding a “metagene” responsible, though how and why remains unclear – and the Primary Divergence Point (PDP) between Krypton and Homeline appears to be around 1925 with the first appearance of paranormal individuals called “metahumans.”
What we know of Kryptonian metahumans suggests that a wide variety of powers are possible, and that these powers are often grouped into broad categories or “families” like flight, speed, durability, strength, energy manipulation, etc. According to testimony from Contact Division agents Krypton is also magically active: the exact mana level is unknown at this time, but based on anecdote Paralabs estimates the worldline is around .600 on the Bonewits scale, slightly less active globally than the Merlin parallels.
Despite these extreme variances in local reality, Kryptonian history is a remarkably close parallel with Homeline’s. While the appearance of superheroes caused some changes to events such as World War II, the existence of metahumans on both sides of the conflict caused their efforts to largely cancel each other out. Things begin to shift in the post-war period as metahumans begin to appear in increasing numbers throughout the 1950s and 1960s, causing variances in global culture and politics. The most significant difference was the use of metahuman soldiers alongside nuclear weapons as a deterrent, a policy that led to a very nerve-wracking 1970s. The Cold War stalemate on Krypton was ultimately broken by the UNO, who announced a plan to break up metahuman armies once and for all by incorporating them into an international peacekeeping force known as the International Super Teams.
When Infinity initially discovered Krypton in 2016, the IST was approximately a decade old and had just completed its first major military action against a hostile nation-state. The “Four-Hour War” could be considered a parallel to the Iraq-Kuwait War on Homeline – both involved the same belligerents and happened at roughly the same place on the calendar – but while the Homeline war is famous for being one of the last pre-parachronic major conflicts, the war on Krypton was an impressive display of what a large group of coordinated metahumans were capable of with minimal casualties on both sides. At the time UNIC floated a proposal to initiate contact with Krypton based on initial reports; this was rejected on the grounds that contact was considered too risky to Homeline and the Secret at the time. Per standard procedure, Infinity placed Krypton on the official do-not-approach list with a classification rating of Z4.
Infinity launched three followup reconnaissance missions to Krypton between 2016 and 2019 to gain further intelligence on the metahuman phenomenon. None of these missions went smoothly; while the Secret was maintained by all Patrol personnel, interactions with local heroes and villains forced Contact Division agents to abandon some lines of inquiry. The 2019 mission, where the entire Contact team was almost captured by IST in their duties as security for the UNO fusion reactor in Ile-de-France, forcing a complete mission abort, was the last straw for Patrol leadership. After the team’s debriefing, Patrol reclassified the world as Z1 and barred all access to Krypton in 2020.
For all documents relating to the 2019 abort, refer to ARCHIVE:IncidentLog//20200428//Q3//E8D41F6A.
Post-2020 Krypton slides out of focus for Infinity, as the company had more pressing matters to deal with at the time. Paralabs maintained a scientific interest in metahuman biology and their parachronic effects but no action was taken on Krypton directly. A request was made in 2034 to send a research team to observe a potential reality quake on Krypton. Due to the inherent difficulties of infiltrating a world closed for a full decade, the request was denied.
According to accounts from post-contact sources, Krypton discovered parachronics in 2027, though the actual hypothesis had been floating around the scientific community since the (local) 1990s. It is important to note that, according to the Kryptonians, this was not a breach of the Secret by Infinity: Krypton’s discovery of parachronics came about while researching the mechanics of a native metahuman’s power. It was not via locating and reverse-engineering any parachronic hardware accidentally left behind by Infinity’s reconnaissance teams. Once the technology had been invented, Krypton’s UNO placed it under the control of the United Nations Interworld Office (UNIWO), a group similar to UNIC but with much stricter controls on parachronic operators – and without a middleman like Infinity Unlimited.
Krypton spent the time between 2027 and 2036 in similar fashion as Infinity spent its formative years of 1999-2008: general scouting, locating barren or empty worlds for resource utilization, etc. One difference between Krypton and Homeline is while the latter prioritized maintaining the Secret when dealing with inhabited worldlines, Krypton prioritized open contact when possible. The first two worlds Krypton made contact with, Earth-2 and Earth-3
[*], were contacted within the first half-decade of Krypton’s debut on the multiversal stage.
[*]Naturally, Krypton doesn’t use Homeline naming conventions. Instead it prefers a strictly numerical progression with Krypton as “Earth-1” and proceeding more or less in the order of encounter/contact. By Kryptonian conventions, Homeline is known as Earth-271
[*].
The first outtime encounter between Infinity and Krypton occurred in 2036, when an Intervention Service team crossed paths with UNIWO ecological researchers on Echo 15000-Minus. Further incidents involving unknown non-Homeline parties intersecting with Patrol operations continued across 2036, until Infinity finally traced the unknowns back to Krypton in 2037. Desiring a more complete understanding of what Krypton knew about parachronics and their full capabilities, Patrol Command and the Board of Directors authorized Operation CALM ASCENT in early 2038.
Operation CALM ASCENT
For a full accounting of Operation CALM ASCENT refer to ARCHIVE:OperationsLog//20380109//E8D41F6A.
Operation CALM ASCENT was designed as a standard Intervention Service infiltration and recovery mission targeting human assets believed to have information on Kryptonian parachronics. The Patrol team members were all veterans of previous infiltration and recovery missions with a 99% success record previous to this operation.
The operation took place 09 January 2038 on the Quantum 7 worldline Bonaparte-2. While Krypton was considered as a target for obvious reasons, Patrol discarded it as the primary objective due to the potential for logistical difficulties. It was decided that recovering assets from a Kryptonian team offworld would be easier to mask as poor luck on that team’s end rather than potentially hostile action. Bonaparte-2 was selected as UNIWO personnel were known to be on-site and it was to the best of Patrol’s understanding the furthest Kryptonian team away from their homeline, which would theoretically slow the response.
Initial operations went smoothly: the team was isolated from their conveyor, subdued and returned to the Patrol staging ground in Brussels with minimal difficulty. Key components were recovered from the Kryptonian conveyor before the vehicle was destroyed to prevent contamination. Patrol personnel and recovered assets were transferred from Bonaparte-2 to Hideaway for initial debriefing.
Asset debriefing proved less useful than initially expected. The assets were uncooperative, though this had been anticipated by Patrol. More difficult was the general lack of parachronics knowledge amongst the assets. The majority of the assets had basic parachronic theory at some point in their education, but the bulk of their understanding was either practical or sufficiently obscure that Patrol was unable to make much sense of it. After debrief, the assets were transferred to Coventry for long-term holding and CALM ASCENT was officially closed.
On 1 April 2038 an unprecedented event happened on Coventry, in direct response to Operation CALM ASCENT. A nexus portal opened in the central plaza of Coventry’s primary housing facility, disgorging several dozen costumed individuals bearing the symbol of Krypton’s IST. They secured the facility and proceeded to raid it of as many human assets as they could over the course of 90 minutes. This included the UNIWO assets seized in CALM ASSENT as well as several dozen other critical parachronic assets. By the time IST troops had withdrawn from Coventry roughly 1,000 assets had escaped custody.
On 28 July 2038 a Kryptonian agent approached the White Star Trading office on Britannica-6 to deliver a communique from the UNO to Infinity Unlimited requesting an apology for the abduction of their assets as well as instructions on setting up a line of communications between Infinity and Krypton.
Parachronics
Whatever Krypton is using as the basis for their parachronics, it is definitely not identical to Homeline technology. Conveyor assets captured during CALM ASCENT and analyzed by Paralabs indicated that their baseline technology – and thus baseline parachronic theory – is compatible with the van Zandt model and Homeline’s general understanding of how the multiverse works.
That IST successfully located Coventry and then staged a successful assault and facility breach on the one worldline Infinity presumed was completely secure says that, at the very least, the Kryptonians have uncovered a loophole in the 8-axis model that the last half century of parachronic researchers on Homeline (or Centrum for that matter) failed to spot.
As transfer of parachronic theory has not happened between Krypton and Homeline as of this report’s date, it is difficult to provide hard information or conclusions on how Krypton does it. Based on statements made by IST agents during encounters as well as observation of UNIWO operations done by Scout and Intelligence agents there are a few data points that can be established:
The use of artificial nexuses is interesting, and in line with current Board projections on setting up portals between Homeline and its Quantum 5 holdings. (See ARCHIVE:Infinity//Project2050.)
Outworld Operations
Kryptonian parachronic movements are difficult to track due to their nonstandard models. Despite this Infinity is aware of multiple UNIWO operations on uninhabited Quantum 3 and Quantum 4 worlds that parallel Homeline resource extraction and disposal operations. Approximately 17 different uninhabited worlds are currently “marked” by Krypton for their use; the majority are barely habitable planets populated only by cyanobacteria. One was previously known to Infinity as Laurentia-6, a snowball Earth that Krypton has decided to use for both climate remediation and experimentation. There are also several humanless worlds that are immediately pre-Holocene under Kryptonian control, though exactly what their use is is currently unknown.
Krypton is currently part of a tripartite agreement between itself and the intergovernmental organizations of two other worldlines, designated “Earth-2” and “Earth-3” by UNIWO:
UNIWO is also known to maintain a series of “consulates” on multiple worldlines. These consulates are essentially what they appear to be, small diplomatic stations representing Krypton’s UNO and its interests in the worldline. As might be expected, UNIWO prefers to seek out major intergovernmental organizations to interact with whenever possible, but is willing to engage with one or more Great Powers should no suitable international forum exist.
Between 2038 and 2046 Patrol agents have encountered UNIWO consulates across several worldlines under Infinity jurisdiction. This has caused some minor incidents when agents unaware of Krypton attempt to apprehend UNIWO personnel for violations of the Secret; thankfully these have been settled with minimal damage to all parties. Some of the worlds known to Infinity that have Kryptonian consulates on them are:
Based on these observations, it is apparent that Krypton is seeking out worldlines that have some kind of established international frameworks along with nonstandard (or perhaps more accurately, more-standard-to-Krypton) physics and paranormal phenomenon. Whether or not this is deliberate policy or some kind of collective unconscious move on Krypton’s part (see Parachronics section on Williams-Khor above) is unknown.
Krypton is known to recruit personnel from other worlds. The process is likely more streamlined and official than Infinity’s, given Krypton’s tendencies towards open contact with other worldlines, but it probably falls under the same umbrella of “headhunting talented outworlders who stumble into an operation.” Patrol agents have in fact met at least one IST agent from an “Earth-921” that may or may not exist on a completely different parachronic axis.
Commercial parachronic operations on Krypton are funneled directly through UNIWO as a matter of course. To date Infinity has not encountered any Kryptonian crosstime operations working outside of UNIWO, as might be expected with Homeline. Conflicting reports suggest this may be a recent phenomenon caused by an ongoing crackdown on “wildcat” crosstime operators, due to a possible incursion event in 2043.
Reich-5 is aware of Krypton’s existence, and vice versa. Neither of them are especially happy about it. IST has dealt with several attempts by Armenen Order forces to attack Krypton and its outlying installations. According to reports, while the attacks are a problem Krypton’s primary concern is similar in nature to Homeline’s when it comes to Reich-5: ensuring that more advanced technology doesn’t fall into the hands of Time Nazis. There seem to be enough metahumans with white supremacist or supremacist-adjacent views that could potentially be force multipliers for Reich-5, so preventing these individuals and groups from accessing it is a priority for UNIWO/IST.
Infinity’s window into the Cabal’s workings is opaque at the best of times, and that has not changed here. Infinity is aware that the Cabal knows of Krypton and is at least attempting to place agents on the worldline. Conflicting intelligence suggests that one or more Cabal lodges are in conflict with a native Kryptonian group called the Black Moon Society.
Centrum has been aware of Krypton since at least 2020, but they only seem to have taken notice in the last few years. Centrum activity on Gernsback in particular has spiked since UNIWO opened their consulate in Geneva; it’s believed by deep-cover agents that Krypton has managed to disrupt or at least inconvenience several Centrum annexation and assimilation plans by approaching Gernsback publicly. What kind of retaliation Centrum will make in this situation is unknown, but the Patrol and the Board are in agreement that there will be a retaliation.
Incident Reports
Since the conclusion of Operation CALM ASCENT, Infinity and other Homeline agents have crossed paths with IST operatives multiple times. The following is a summarized listing of the more notable encounters; for a full list please consult ARCHIVE:IncidentLog//A3F7B2C9.
Positives and Negatives
In terms of Homeline foreign policy, IST represents a paradox. There are arguments for establishing stronger diplomatic ties between the two worldlines, especially compared to other known Peer powers in the known multiverse. However, there are distinct risks to those ties that potentially put not just Homeline but Infinity operations in general under threat.
The general benefits of establishing diplomatic ties are as follows:
While these are on the face of it compelling reasons to pursue stronger ties between Krypton and Homeline, the potential pitfalls and drawbacks must also be addressed:
Conclusions
It is the unanimous opinion of the Board that Homeline and Krypton must come to some form of agreement between them. While Krypton’s actions in the greater multiverse are by Infinity Unlimited’s standards grossly irresponsible and potentially dangerous, they are not something we can deny. IST operations have increased by 7% in the last year; it is clear that Krypton is flexing its muscles in a way that is far beyond a simple exchange of ambassadors and potential trade deals. The Board believes that this represents a threat to Homeline’s security.
Members of UNIC may seem confused by this conclusion. In many ways, Krypton in 2047 seems like a godsend compared to other Peer powers in the greater multiverse. It is a worldline very similar to Homeline, not unified but largely liberal in constitution, and one favoring good relationships with the neighbors over paranoia. Krypton has put more honest effort into establishing diplomatic relations in their almost twenty years of parachronic exploration than Homeline has in almost half a century. While the events of CALM ASCENT were not the best way to start relations, things have been relatively calm in the decade since.
The Board understands this position, and it also understands that Infinity’s position may not be the preferred choice of some UNIC councilors. However, make no mistake, we are looking at a potential escalation of the Infinite Cold War due to the actions of IST across the multiverse. IST as an institution is powerful and idealistic – always a dangerous combination. They don’t understand or reject the realist analysis used by Infinity to maintain parity against Centrum and other Peer and Threat powers. Furthermore, the Board believes that any establishment of ties with Krypton may signal to that UNO a willingness to bring Homeline institutions under the aegis of their preexisting diplomatic network. This would be an unconscionable violation of Homeliner sovereignty, and the Board rejects any diplomatic outcome that may result in such.
That said, the Board also believes that containment in the way Infinity would prefer is not truly possible. While Homeline maintains a three decade lead on parachronic technology on Krypton, that worldline’s willingness to cooperate with other worldlines gives them a much more robust logistical network than Homeline. Our parachronic military capacity is roughly par, meaning that even in the event that multiversal war broke out we would not necessarily be capable of destroying Krypton in the field. Victory would belong to whoever’s logistics and political system broke last, and that is not something the Board can guarantee would be Homeline.
The Board’s current position on Krypton and the International Super Teams is that diplomatic communications must be expanded upon, if only to serve as a method for impressing on Krypton the true dangers of the multiverse. Given the overall risk to the Secret involved, this is not a solution the Board likes, but it is perhaps the only solution that would not prove ruinous to Infinity Unlimited.
<sig>
Brian J. Mason,
for the Board of Directors
REPORT
on
WORLDLINE DESIGNATION “KRYPTON”
prepared for
THE UNITED NATIONS INTERWORLD COUNCIL
by
INFINITY UNLIMITED, INC.
Date of Report: 18 August 2047
---
Timeline Name: Krypton
Catalog Number: E8D41F6A
Quantum Band: 3
Parallel Type: Close / Mythic / Weird
Technology Level: Advanced, Para-Scientific (Homeline+)
Mana Level: Medium (0.600 Bonewits)
Current Year: 2024 (-23 Homeline)
Primary Divergence Point: Unknown, presumably prehistoric.
Secondary Divergence Point(s): 1926, the appearance of superpowers.
Major World Powers: United Nations (hegemonic IGO), United States of America, People’s Republic of China, European Union, Sovereign Union, Republic of India, Japan, Republic of Korea (South), Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Centrum Zone: Inaccessible
Infinity World Classification: Z1 (DO NOT APPROACH)
Executive Summary
The Quantum 3 world of Krypton is an emerging power on the parachronic stage. Initially viewed as a curiosity by Infinity researchers, the worldline independently developed parachronics within the last two decades and has since been steadily moving outwards, intersecting with Infinity operations in the 2030s.
Krypton is of special note in that it is the – to date – only parallel where comic book-style paranormal powers are known to have independently evolved in the local humans. These powers are considerable, and Krypton manages them via the use of a UN-controlled paramilitary force known as the International Super Teams (IST). IST is also in charge of providing security response for Kryptonian operations offworld.
Initial contact between Krypton and Infinity was challenging, but irregular diplomatic relations was established following the conclusion of initial reconnaissance operations. Krypton is believed to be developing a larger network of open diplomatic contacts in the Infinite Worlds, which suggests that the Kryptonians are becoming more active in the parachronic realm after a period of relative isolationism. Recent actions by suspected Kryptonian proxies suggest that they have an interest in joining the Great Game, either as a diplomatic facilitator or as a third party in their own right.
As UNIC is currently debating the merits of extending formal diplomatic relations to Krypton, the Board of Directors has commissioned this report to provide background information as well as provide the current Board position on further contact.
Background
Note: Infinity maintains a full archive of available data on Krypton at ARCHIVE:Contact//Q3//W//E8D41F6A for those who desire more information.
Krypton is one of several dozen “mythic” parallels known to Infinity. It was first discovered by automated conveyor probe in 2016 (local year 1993). Krypton’s central point of interest pre-contact was that it was the first “super” world encountered by Infinity; it was a worldline where a population of humans (or humanlike persons) with paranormal powers lived, and these individuals filled the roles of “superhero” and “supervillain” along similar lines as Homeline comic books. The exact origin of these powers is apparently genetic in nature – Contact Division has acquired literature regarding a “metagene” responsible, though how and why remains unclear – and the Primary Divergence Point (PDP) between Krypton and Homeline appears to be around 1925 with the first appearance of paranormal individuals called “metahumans.”
What we know of Kryptonian metahumans suggests that a wide variety of powers are possible, and that these powers are often grouped into broad categories or “families” like flight, speed, durability, strength, energy manipulation, etc. According to testimony from Contact Division agents Krypton is also magically active: the exact mana level is unknown at this time, but based on anecdote Paralabs estimates the worldline is around .600 on the Bonewits scale, slightly less active globally than the Merlin parallels.
Despite these extreme variances in local reality, Kryptonian history is a remarkably close parallel with Homeline’s. While the appearance of superheroes caused some changes to events such as World War II, the existence of metahumans on both sides of the conflict caused their efforts to largely cancel each other out. Things begin to shift in the post-war period as metahumans begin to appear in increasing numbers throughout the 1950s and 1960s, causing variances in global culture and politics. The most significant difference was the use of metahuman soldiers alongside nuclear weapons as a deterrent, a policy that led to a very nerve-wracking 1970s. The Cold War stalemate on Krypton was ultimately broken by the UNO, who announced a plan to break up metahuman armies once and for all by incorporating them into an international peacekeeping force known as the International Super Teams.
When Infinity initially discovered Krypton in 2016, the IST was approximately a decade old and had just completed its first major military action against a hostile nation-state. The “Four-Hour War” could be considered a parallel to the Iraq-Kuwait War on Homeline – both involved the same belligerents and happened at roughly the same place on the calendar – but while the Homeline war is famous for being one of the last pre-parachronic major conflicts, the war on Krypton was an impressive display of what a large group of coordinated metahumans were capable of with minimal casualties on both sides. At the time UNIC floated a proposal to initiate contact with Krypton based on initial reports; this was rejected on the grounds that contact was considered too risky to Homeline and the Secret at the time. Per standard procedure, Infinity placed Krypton on the official do-not-approach list with a classification rating of Z4.
Infinity launched three followup reconnaissance missions to Krypton between 2016 and 2019 to gain further intelligence on the metahuman phenomenon. None of these missions went smoothly; while the Secret was maintained by all Patrol personnel, interactions with local heroes and villains forced Contact Division agents to abandon some lines of inquiry. The 2019 mission, where the entire Contact team was almost captured by IST in their duties as security for the UNO fusion reactor in Ile-de-France, forcing a complete mission abort, was the last straw for Patrol leadership. After the team’s debriefing, Patrol reclassified the world as Z1 and barred all access to Krypton in 2020.
For all documents relating to the 2019 abort, refer to ARCHIVE:IncidentLog//20200428//Q3//E8D41F6A.
Post-2020 Krypton slides out of focus for Infinity, as the company had more pressing matters to deal with at the time. Paralabs maintained a scientific interest in metahuman biology and their parachronic effects but no action was taken on Krypton directly. A request was made in 2034 to send a research team to observe a potential reality quake on Krypton. Due to the inherent difficulties of infiltrating a world closed for a full decade, the request was denied.
According to accounts from post-contact sources, Krypton discovered parachronics in 2027, though the actual hypothesis had been floating around the scientific community since the (local) 1990s. It is important to note that, according to the Kryptonians, this was not a breach of the Secret by Infinity: Krypton’s discovery of parachronics came about while researching the mechanics of a native metahuman’s power. It was not via locating and reverse-engineering any parachronic hardware accidentally left behind by Infinity’s reconnaissance teams. Once the technology had been invented, Krypton’s UNO placed it under the control of the United Nations Interworld Office (UNIWO), a group similar to UNIC but with much stricter controls on parachronic operators – and without a middleman like Infinity Unlimited.
Krypton spent the time between 2027 and 2036 in similar fashion as Infinity spent its formative years of 1999-2008: general scouting, locating barren or empty worlds for resource utilization, etc. One difference between Krypton and Homeline is while the latter prioritized maintaining the Secret when dealing with inhabited worldlines, Krypton prioritized open contact when possible. The first two worlds Krypton made contact with, Earth-2 and Earth-3
[*], were contacted within the first half-decade of Krypton’s debut on the multiversal stage.
[*]Naturally, Krypton doesn’t use Homeline naming conventions. Instead it prefers a strictly numerical progression with Krypton as “Earth-1” and proceeding more or less in the order of encounter/contact. By Kryptonian conventions, Homeline is known as Earth-271
[*].
The first outtime encounter between Infinity and Krypton occurred in 2036, when an Intervention Service team crossed paths with UNIWO ecological researchers on Echo 15000-Minus. Further incidents involving unknown non-Homeline parties intersecting with Patrol operations continued across 2036, until Infinity finally traced the unknowns back to Krypton in 2037. Desiring a more complete understanding of what Krypton knew about parachronics and their full capabilities, Patrol Command and the Board of Directors authorized Operation CALM ASCENT in early 2038.
Operation CALM ASCENT
For a full accounting of Operation CALM ASCENT refer to ARCHIVE:OperationsLog//20380109//E8D41F6A.
Operation CALM ASCENT was designed as a standard Intervention Service infiltration and recovery mission targeting human assets believed to have information on Kryptonian parachronics. The Patrol team members were all veterans of previous infiltration and recovery missions with a 99% success record previous to this operation.
The operation took place 09 January 2038 on the Quantum 7 worldline Bonaparte-2. While Krypton was considered as a target for obvious reasons, Patrol discarded it as the primary objective due to the potential for logistical difficulties. It was decided that recovering assets from a Kryptonian team offworld would be easier to mask as poor luck on that team’s end rather than potentially hostile action. Bonaparte-2 was selected as UNIWO personnel were known to be on-site and it was to the best of Patrol’s understanding the furthest Kryptonian team away from their homeline, which would theoretically slow the response.
Initial operations went smoothly: the team was isolated from their conveyor, subdued and returned to the Patrol staging ground in Brussels with minimal difficulty. Key components were recovered from the Kryptonian conveyor before the vehicle was destroyed to prevent contamination. Patrol personnel and recovered assets were transferred from Bonaparte-2 to Hideaway for initial debriefing.
Asset debriefing proved less useful than initially expected. The assets were uncooperative, though this had been anticipated by Patrol. More difficult was the general lack of parachronics knowledge amongst the assets. The majority of the assets had basic parachronic theory at some point in their education, but the bulk of their understanding was either practical or sufficiently obscure that Patrol was unable to make much sense of it. After debrief, the assets were transferred to Coventry for long-term holding and CALM ASCENT was officially closed.
On 1 April 2038 an unprecedented event happened on Coventry, in direct response to Operation CALM ASCENT. A nexus portal opened in the central plaza of Coventry’s primary housing facility, disgorging several dozen costumed individuals bearing the symbol of Krypton’s IST. They secured the facility and proceeded to raid it of as many human assets as they could over the course of 90 minutes. This included the UNIWO assets seized in CALM ASSENT as well as several dozen other critical parachronic assets. By the time IST troops had withdrawn from Coventry roughly 1,000 assets had escaped custody.
On 28 July 2038 a Kryptonian agent approached the White Star Trading office on Britannica-6 to deliver a communique from the UNO to Infinity Unlimited requesting an apology for the abduction of their assets as well as instructions on setting up a line of communications between Infinity and Krypton.
Parachronics
Whatever Krypton is using as the basis for their parachronics, it is definitely not identical to Homeline technology. Conveyor assets captured during CALM ASCENT and analyzed by Paralabs indicated that their baseline technology – and thus baseline parachronic theory – is compatible with the van Zandt model and Homeline’s general understanding of how the multiverse works.
That IST successfully located Coventry and then staged a successful assault and facility breach on the one worldline Infinity presumed was completely secure says that, at the very least, the Kryptonians have uncovered a loophole in the 8-axis model that the last half century of parachronic researchers on Homeline (or Centrum for that matter) failed to spot.
As transfer of parachronic theory has not happened between Krypton and Homeline as of this report’s date, it is difficult to provide hard information or conclusions on how Krypton does it. Based on statements made by IST agents during encounters as well as observation of UNIWO operations done by Scout and Intelligence agents there are a few data points that can be established:
- Krypton’s parachronic model accounts for more than the 8- or 9-axis models in use by Paralabs. Without a full accounting of theory this is difficult to prove but at least some moves by Krypton only make sense on a 12 or more-axis model of the multiverse.
- Williams-Khor is more accepted as fact by Kryptonian researchers. Speculative, but borne out by statements from IST agents encountered in any of the mythic parallels.
- There is at least some use of artificial nexus portals. This is limited to a small number of worlds, usually uninhabited ones or within the close diplomatic radius established by Krypton. Mentions of a “Grand Central” suggest some kind of primary hub facility.
- The use of magic in parachronics is not uncommon. While not used for industrial-scale work, magic users are part of Krypton’s parachronic economy.
- Some crosstime travel goes through “the ultraterrestrial realm.” What this is unknown; attempts to get more information out of the Kryptonians only served to confuse the Patrol agents.
- Not all crosstime travel is instant. Several IST agents have spoken about voyages taking periods of hours to weeks to get between worldlines. This flies in the face of most of what we know about parachronics.
- Projectors are under much tighter control than conveyors. Given the materiel cost of projectors on Homeline, this isn’t surprising and might be the strongest commonality between the two programs.
- Conveyor UI technology is considerably more streamlined than Homeline. This might be simply a stylistic or fashion difference between the two worldlines, but Kryptonian UIs tend to be simpler and more user-friendly than comparative systems from Homeline.
The use of artificial nexuses is interesting, and in line with current Board projections on setting up portals between Homeline and its Quantum 5 holdings. (See ARCHIVE:Infinity//Project2050.)
Outworld Operations
Kryptonian parachronic movements are difficult to track due to their nonstandard models. Despite this Infinity is aware of multiple UNIWO operations on uninhabited Quantum 3 and Quantum 4 worlds that parallel Homeline resource extraction and disposal operations. Approximately 17 different uninhabited worlds are currently “marked” by Krypton for their use; the majority are barely habitable planets populated only by cyanobacteria. One was previously known to Infinity as Laurentia-6, a snowball Earth that Krypton has decided to use for both climate remediation and experimentation. There are also several humanless worlds that are immediately pre-Holocene under Kryptonian control, though exactly what their use is is currently unknown.
Krypton is currently part of a tripartite agreement between itself and the intergovernmental organizations of two other worldlines, designated “Earth-2” and “Earth-3” by UNIWO:
- Earth-2 (provisional designation Krypton-2) is vaguely similar to Krypton in that it has a population of superhumans, but is overall somewhat more dysfunctional. The PDP seems to be the survival of the League of Nations in the 1930s, and the current year is approximately 1983.
- Earth-3 (provisional designation Lenin-10) is a world where Marxist protests in Paris in 1968 sparked a global communist revolutionary war. The war was not quite apocalyptic but Advanced / Para-Scientific superweapons were used, in particular one was used to literally sink the American Midwest during the collapse of American authority. The war concluded in 1976, and the current year is approximately 2001.
UNIWO is also known to maintain a series of “consulates” on multiple worldlines. These consulates are essentially what they appear to be, small diplomatic stations representing Krypton’s UNO and its interests in the worldline. As might be expected, UNIWO prefers to seek out major intergovernmental organizations to interact with whenever possible, but is willing to engage with one or more Great Powers should no suitable international forum exist.
Between 2038 and 2046 Patrol agents have encountered UNIWO consulates across several worldlines under Infinity jurisdiction. This has caused some minor incidents when agents unaware of Krypton attempt to apprehend UNIWO personnel for violations of the Secret; thankfully these have been settled with minimal damage to all parties. Some of the worlds known to Infinity that have Kryptonian consulates on them are:
- Bonaparte-6: UNIWO contact here seems to be more about making up for an incursion by Kryptonian supervillains; current operations involve widespread diplomatic pushes to build a native UNO-style organization.
- Britannica-6: A more recent Kryptonian contact, the “Otherearth embassy” in London has been under scrutiny for a scandal involving Queen Charlotte’s youngest daughter.
- Gaia-3: One of several R2 climate collapse worlds under surveilance by Infinity, UNIWO’s primary mission here seems to be supporting the local EarthWatch association’s efforts to rebuild the ecosystem.
- Gernsback: While contact between Krypton’s UNO and Gernsback’s League of Nations has been established, the more liberal social bent of Krypton seems to cause a great deal of friction in the more conservative Gernsbacker culture.
- Merlin: It’s not entirely clear if Krypton initiated this contact (see ARCHIVE:IncidentLog//20150621//8A5C2F9E for a similar situation regarding Homeline) but so far the two UNs have managed to maintain some degree of friendly relations over the last three years.
Based on these observations, it is apparent that Krypton is seeking out worldlines that have some kind of established international frameworks along with nonstandard (or perhaps more accurately, more-standard-to-Krypton) physics and paranormal phenomenon. Whether or not this is deliberate policy or some kind of collective unconscious move on Krypton’s part (see Parachronics section on Williams-Khor above) is unknown.
Krypton is known to recruit personnel from other worlds. The process is likely more streamlined and official than Infinity’s, given Krypton’s tendencies towards open contact with other worldlines, but it probably falls under the same umbrella of “headhunting talented outworlders who stumble into an operation.” Patrol agents have in fact met at least one IST agent from an “Earth-921” that may or may not exist on a completely different parachronic axis.
Commercial parachronic operations on Krypton are funneled directly through UNIWO as a matter of course. To date Infinity has not encountered any Kryptonian crosstime operations working outside of UNIWO, as might be expected with Homeline. Conflicting reports suggest this may be a recent phenomenon caused by an ongoing crackdown on “wildcat” crosstime operators, due to a possible incursion event in 2043.
Reich-5 is aware of Krypton’s existence, and vice versa. Neither of them are especially happy about it. IST has dealt with several attempts by Armenen Order forces to attack Krypton and its outlying installations. According to reports, while the attacks are a problem Krypton’s primary concern is similar in nature to Homeline’s when it comes to Reich-5: ensuring that more advanced technology doesn’t fall into the hands of Time Nazis. There seem to be enough metahumans with white supremacist or supremacist-adjacent views that could potentially be force multipliers for Reich-5, so preventing these individuals and groups from accessing it is a priority for UNIWO/IST.
Infinity’s window into the Cabal’s workings is opaque at the best of times, and that has not changed here. Infinity is aware that the Cabal knows of Krypton and is at least attempting to place agents on the worldline. Conflicting intelligence suggests that one or more Cabal lodges are in conflict with a native Kryptonian group called the Black Moon Society.
Centrum has been aware of Krypton since at least 2020, but they only seem to have taken notice in the last few years. Centrum activity on Gernsback in particular has spiked since UNIWO opened their consulate in Geneva; it’s believed by deep-cover agents that Krypton has managed to disrupt or at least inconvenience several Centrum annexation and assimilation plans by approaching Gernsback publicly. What kind of retaliation Centrum will make in this situation is unknown, but the Patrol and the Board are in agreement that there will be a retaliation.
Incident Reports
Since the conclusion of Operation CALM ASCENT, Infinity and other Homeline agents have crossed paths with IST operatives multiple times. The following is a summarized listing of the more notable encounters; for a full list please consult ARCHIVE:IncidentLog//A3F7B2C9.
- Incident #20370804//A3F7B2C9: IST agents provide aid to a White Star Trading office on Hellas-4 under assault by a Kryptonian criminal known as “the White Wizard.”
- Incident #20380401//A3F7B2C9: Intervention Service team apprehends smugglers out of Yrth, setting off a localized banestorm that drops all parties on Krypton’s Senegal. IST agents return Infinity personnel to the nearest Quantum 3 Patrol facility.
- Incident #20390507//A3F7B2C9: IST agents arrive on Johnson’s Rome searching for individuals of interest related to a sentient-trafficking case on Krypton. Patrol assists in the search; the persons were not located.
- Incident #20400621//A3F7B2C9: Reality Liberation Front terrorists attempt to flee Infinity custody and claim asylum at the UNIWO consulate on Gernsback. The suspects were apprehended before they could reach the consulate but not before UNIWO personnel saw the capture.
- Incident #20410318//A3F7B2C9: A trio of Kryptonians appear on Gothic-2 and actively interfere with Justice Division investigations. The agents are not UNIWO/IST personnel, and are driven off with moderate casualties. Requests for information to the Otherearth Embassy on Britannica-6 do not provide anything actionable.
- Incident #20420917//A3F7B2C9: Survey Division team operating on the fantasy parallel Bridgerton-3 encountered elements of IST’s “isekai rescue force” responding to a “hero summoning” (a banestorm attack targeted against Krypton’s South Korea). The Patrol team and IST agents cooperated in the rescue of outtime civilians and parted amicably.
- Incident #20431231//A3F7B2C9: Intelligence Division agent-on-station on Britannica-6 was confronted by an IST agent who handed him a large data packet regarding a previously-unknown hostile parachronic group called the “Domination of the Draka” and requested this information be relayed to Homeline immediately.
Positives and Negatives
In terms of Homeline foreign policy, IST represents a paradox. There are arguments for establishing stronger diplomatic ties between the two worldlines, especially compared to other known Peer powers in the known multiverse. However, there are distinct risks to those ties that potentially put not just Homeline but Infinity operations in general under threat.
The general benefits of establishing diplomatic ties are as follows:
- Krypton is broadly similar to Homeline politically. Both Homeline and Krypton style themselves as guided by liberal ideals. This is in stark contrast to the other major Peer or potential Peer worlds that we know of, almost all of whom are (at minimum) distinctly illiberal and the majority of whom are authoritarian, tyrannical or just plain fascist. Being able to cooperate with a liberal world in parachronics would be at the very least a morale-booster within Homeline governments.
- Krypton’s foreign policy is largely peace-oriented. As might be expected from a worldline with a strong UNO, Krypton’s outtime foreign policy is oriented towards establishing peaceful diplomatic relationships with other worlds whenever possible. Again, this makes Krypton stand out against other Peers in the local multiverse.
- Access to Kryptonian technology. Kryptonian science and technology is roughly on par with what Homeline has access to currently, and the majority of these advances were developed natively. Much of this will be usable on Homeline, and a free trade agreement between Krypton and Homeline would be potentially very lucrative for both worlds.
- Access to the Kryptonian diplomatic/trade network. Krypton has spent the last several years building up their own contacts in the wider multiverse. This is a network that we currently have no inroads into due to concerns over the Secret, but again a trade agreement between our worlds would give Homeline trading companies access to resources we currently don’t even have on the map.
While these are on the face of it compelling reasons to pursue stronger ties between Krypton and Homeline, the potential pitfalls and drawbacks must also be addressed:
- Krypton is more invested in parachronic regulation. This seems like a bit of a stretch given Infinity Unlimited’s de-facto monopoly over Homeline parachronics, but it is a matter of record that the company was given very wide leeway in the construction and operation of parachronic conveyors and projectors in the 1998 charter. On Krypton, UNIWO holds parachronic licensees and operators to a much tighter regulatory standard, which we presume is due to UNIWO existing in harness with the similarly-strict licensing of IST agents and nuclear fusion reactors.
- Kryptonian parachronics are sufficiently different from Homeline’s. As noted in the Parachronics section above, while what we know of Krypton’s parachronics line up with van Zandt’s work for the most part, there is enough there that doesn’t to give Paralabs researchers pause. The differences suggest that Krypton has access to a much larger expanse of the multiverse than Infinity, which does not put us at an even playing field.
- Kryptonian parachronics are potentially infectious. This is speculative, based on comments made by an IST agent involved in incident #20420917//A3F7B2C9. In summary, they claimed the energy used by metahumans exists in parallel or perpendicular to the accessible 8-axis multiverse, and that parachronic operations allow that energy to “leak” into worldlines over time. The potential for Kryptonian “energies” flooding into Homeline – or worse, into hostile Peer worldlines like Reich-5 or Centrum – raises some large red flags.
- Krypton places low value on the Secret. While Krypton’s UNO doesn’t hand out parachronics to anybody on an worldline they contact, their operatives aren’t shy about announcing their origin from alternate Earths in the event they decide to make formal contact. This is an ideologically challenging stance for Infinity Unlimited employees, and one that has made the current informal diplomatic contact between Homeline and Krypton unnecessarily fraught.
- Krypton does not think highly of Infinity Unlimited. Operation CALM ASCENT casts a surprisingly long shadow over Krypton-Homeline relations. While IST agents and members of the Patrol have collaborated in the past, and are capable of amicable relationships on a personal level, the overall attitude of IST as an institution towards Infinity as an institution has been far cooler. Infinity’s asset recovery mission, as well as the Coventry facility, conjure unwelcome images in Kryptonian heads. Other Infinity-condoned operations like Johnson’s Rome are equally distasteful to Kryptonians.
Conclusions
It is the unanimous opinion of the Board that Homeline and Krypton must come to some form of agreement between them. While Krypton’s actions in the greater multiverse are by Infinity Unlimited’s standards grossly irresponsible and potentially dangerous, they are not something we can deny. IST operations have increased by 7% in the last year; it is clear that Krypton is flexing its muscles in a way that is far beyond a simple exchange of ambassadors and potential trade deals. The Board believes that this represents a threat to Homeline’s security.
Members of UNIC may seem confused by this conclusion. In many ways, Krypton in 2047 seems like a godsend compared to other Peer powers in the greater multiverse. It is a worldline very similar to Homeline, not unified but largely liberal in constitution, and one favoring good relationships with the neighbors over paranoia. Krypton has put more honest effort into establishing diplomatic relations in their almost twenty years of parachronic exploration than Homeline has in almost half a century. While the events of CALM ASCENT were not the best way to start relations, things have been relatively calm in the decade since.
The Board understands this position, and it also understands that Infinity’s position may not be the preferred choice of some UNIC councilors. However, make no mistake, we are looking at a potential escalation of the Infinite Cold War due to the actions of IST across the multiverse. IST as an institution is powerful and idealistic – always a dangerous combination. They don’t understand or reject the realist analysis used by Infinity to maintain parity against Centrum and other Peer and Threat powers. Furthermore, the Board believes that any establishment of ties with Krypton may signal to that UNO a willingness to bring Homeline institutions under the aegis of their preexisting diplomatic network. This would be an unconscionable violation of Homeliner sovereignty, and the Board rejects any diplomatic outcome that may result in such.
That said, the Board also believes that containment in the way Infinity would prefer is not truly possible. While Homeline maintains a three decade lead on parachronic technology on Krypton, that worldline’s willingness to cooperate with other worldlines gives them a much more robust logistical network than Homeline. Our parachronic military capacity is roughly par, meaning that even in the event that multiversal war broke out we would not necessarily be capable of destroying Krypton in the field. Victory would belong to whoever’s logistics and political system broke last, and that is not something the Board can guarantee would be Homeline.
The Board’s current position on Krypton and the International Super Teams is that diplomatic communications must be expanded upon, if only to serve as a method for impressing on Krypton the true dangers of the multiverse. Given the overall risk to the Secret involved, this is not a solution the Board likes, but it is perhaps the only solution that would not prove ruinous to Infinity Unlimited.
<sig>
Brian J. Mason,
for the Board of Directors
Mr. Fnord on FFN and Mal3 on AO3 • Conceptual Neighborhood - yet another damned sci-fi blog • The Westerosi (ASoIaF) • The Westerosi II: Subprime Directives: Extradimensional horrors threaten the Seven Kingdoms, and Captain Hasegawa of the Starfleet Rangers has to stop them. If she accidentally conquers Westeros in the process... oops? • Fenspace (shared world)
"It is your job to personify the tyranny of the majority. You must brutally, ruthlessly oppress and persecute the fuck out of the poor misunderstood disruptive creep minority so that the privileged nerd funhaver status quo can be maintained. It's a thankless job, but somebody's got to do it. Fun Über Alles, all hail the Fun Tyrant, without him our campaign is lost." --SA user Angry Diplomat, on the GM's role.
"It is your job to personify the tyranny of the majority. You must brutally, ruthlessly oppress and persecute the fuck out of the poor misunderstood disruptive creep minority so that the privileged nerd funhaver status quo can be maintained. It's a thankless job, but somebody's got to do it. Fun Über Alles, all hail the Fun Tyrant, without him our campaign is lost." --SA user Angry Diplomat, on the GM's role.