//------------------------------//
// Intermission I 
// Story: Dimension Jumper 
// by redtau 
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History of ARCO and dimension jumpers

ARCO is a power production and distribution company of remarkable political power and economic influence. To the public, it is similar in size to [TIME WARNER CABLE] and about as memorable, most don't think about it unless the power goes out. The company does advertize the use of nearly 50% renewable energy.

In reality, all but 3% of ARCO's power comes from the anchors brought back by dimension jumpers. The dimension jumping tech was pioneered by ARCO's president and CEO. Initially he hoped it would grant unlimited natural resources.

He and the first exploratory teams quickly found out three very important things.

1) Not all other dimensions are habitable. The first rover had to be shot into space as it was too irradiated to remain on earth.

2) Materials brought back faded back to their own reality over time. This was discovered when the CEO's demo vanished six minutes into a stock holder presentation.

3) There are.... things that live exist between the dimensions, and they find living things crunchy and good with ketchup.

A moment of silence will now be had in memory of brave Sandra, the poor cat in the first live test capsule.


Eventually a number of protections were developed that allowed unmanned autonomous drones and eventually full humans to venture into other worlds. There they met strange new people and brought back a wealth of ideas and scientific advancements.

That was when we discovered that our understanding of math and science did not always explain the workings of other dimensions. Undeterred, the brave scientists noticed that the materials that were brought back gave off a variety of energies, including heat and light under certain conditions. Realizing that the power emitted from such artifacts exceeded the power required to retrieve them, ARCO began as a power producer.

"But", I hear you say, "If all you need is just any materials at all, why not just go mine an uninhabited world?" Well, I'm glad you asked. While just any material can be brought back and does indeed give off about ten times the power necessary to retrieve it, some anchors are better than others.

Yes friends, an anchor given by a sentient species from one dimension to one of our brave inter-dimensional explorers produces anywhere from one thousand to one hundred thousand times the power it takes for a dimension jumper to pop over and get it.

"So this weird metal pod I found this letter in..."

Is indeed an inter-dimensional capsule and right now an ARCO dimension jumper has been alerted to your presence and is hurrying to meet you and answer all your questions.

FAQ

"Why does the dimension jumper approaching me look like a homeless person/panhandler/brusker/thief?"

Begging for change is a perfect way to get anchors, and when they return to your dimension and appear in random locations, no one seems to notice.

"Why does the dimension jumper approaching me have glowing eyes/ metal limbs/ a strange companion/ a weapon?"

Your world is in the "beta" stages of contact, and our first and bravest jumpers are paired with one or more assistants that are mechanical/biological/ethereal/animal/elemental/[REDACTED]/religious in nature. Do not be alarmed, as these are only present to aid our dimension jumper in making their way though your world.

"Why are there two openings to this pod and both are empty?"

This is either a training or visitation pod.

- If a training pod, then two dimension jumpers are exploring your world, one learning from the other how to interact with strange otherworldly peoples and places.

- If it is a visitation pod, then CONGRATULATIONS! Your world is close enough in physical laws and other metrics to ours that one of your species may visit.

"Why are there two openings in this pod and a weird pink thing is in one of them?"

That is an extreme environment pod. While the pods can do a lot to adapt our people to survive in extreme environments, your world may be slightly too toxic/radioactive/hot/cold/hungry for our people to survive. Instead, a remote controlled biological creature has been created to mimic your dominant species. The pink thing in the pod is controlling this creature as it explores your world.

"The thing in the pod was quite tasty. How do I get more?"

We regret to inform you that the thing you have just devoured/absorbed/ingested/[REDACTED]/possessed was the dimension jumper and we will not be sending any more to your world ever for any reason.

"Why can I read this?"

One of a multitude of technologies at work ranging from "magic" to psychic paper to just beaming information into your brain. We apologize for any mutations/tumors/sudden death that may result from it.