In the year 13,271, Humankind had colonized thousands of worlds.
They found none their equal as they spread into a fantastic and bountiful empire.
At the height of their greatness they walked amongst the stars as though they were gods.
But gods they were not…
It fell from the sky without purpose or reason.
Fifty worlds fell on the first day. 500 billion lives were lost.
World after world fell as man was routed from existence.
Nothing could stop what would come to be called the Creeper.
It wanted nothing, it could not be reasoned with.
It seemed as though its only purpose was to undo allthat Man had done.
But all was not yet lost…
The last survivors of humanity have gathered at a world called Hope.
Assembled by the visions of a crazed Old Man, the last of Humankind marks its final hours.
A great city has been built to house the 50 thousand that survive.
It will journey from world to world… Never staying longer than it must.
Guided by the path set by the Old Man, our final journey will soon begin.

OPS:
Commander, follow my instructions precisely. Time is critical….

Odin City is in the center of your console. She is almost ready to launch. Click the COLLECTOR button in the command bar. There is an arrow showing you the button.

(After selecting the Collector)
OPS:
Now build the Collector where I have indicated…

(Collector finishes construction)
OPS:
Click the cancel button to exit build mode.

(After cancelling selection)
OPS:
Collectors produce energy. Each collector produces energy proportional to the green area around it. Always try to position Collectors so that they create the greatest total green area with the fewest collectors.

Structures must be connected to Odin City to be operational. The Collector you just built not only produces energy it also connects a group of existing collectors to Odin City.

There are also some unfinished Collectors to the east of Odin City. Since they are now connected to the City, they can be finished. Odin City will produce and deliver construction packets to these Collectors.

Reports indicate we have only minutes before the first wave of Creeper arrives. We must act fast. Build a RELAY where I have indicated.

(Relay finishes construction)
OPS:
Click the cancel button to exit build mode.

(After cancelling selection)
OPS:
Relays create long range connections, but only with other Relays. They can be useful for spanning valleys, or creating more direct paths in your base.

Once the Relays are complete, the three newly connected Blasters will start to charge. These Blasters were built earlier, but have not yet fully armed. Let's wait for the Blasters to charge…

(After Blasters are charged)
OPS:
There is one additional Blaster just to the north east of Odin City. Click it now.

(After clicking said Blaster)
OPS:
Now click where I have indicated to move the Blaster. A key strategy for defending against the Creeper is to move and position your weapons wisely.

(After ordering said Blaster)
OPS:
The Creeper has arrived…. this is it Commander! Our Blasters should hold off the Creeper just long enough for us to open the Rift and get Odin City out of danger.

We need to power three Rift Totems in order to activate the Rift. These three Totems are in the upper right hand corner of the map.

Click Odin City and fly her to the location I'll indicate. Once there, Odin City will supply rift packets to the Totems. Once all three Totems are charged, the Totems will activate the Rift!

OPS:
Rift Complete! We have Rifted to the next world. Now that our journey has begun our goal is to leave each world as quickly as possible.

On each world we visit, the Creeper will be hunting us. It has destroyed thousands of worlds and won't hesitate to destroy the few of us that remain.

Commander I have some bad news. Out first Rift jump has erased our data banks! We've lost valuable nano schematics. As we visit new worlds we will have to collect whatever technology we find to rebuild our data banks.

Scanners indicate that there is some small good news to report. There is a nano schematic for building Relays at the bottom of your console.

We need to collect this tech and then activate the Rift Totems. I recommend building one or two blasters and using them to push back the Creeper that is headed this way from the south.

Move your blasters forward slowly a small jump at a time. Each time you jump, build collectors behind the Blasters to extend your network. Once you get the nano schematic connected to our network, we will be able to build Relays again. And once we can build Relays, you can quickly build a network to connect and charge the Totems.

Now get busy Commander, our lives depend on you!

OPS:
The Old Man gave us the coordinates for each of these worlds… The Gods only know where he got them. But he is the only reason we've survived long enough to build Odin City in the first place, so we owe him the benefit of the doubt. Plus, what other choice do we really have anyway?

Commander, there is a nano schematic for energy storage on this world. Build out a base and collect this as a first order of business. Energy storage will allow you to construct storage pods that will buffer the energy our collectors produce. This can be useful when you need to build or arm lots of things all at the same time.

Also Commander, be mindful of your energy consumption at all times. Watch the red starvation indicator in the lower right of your command bar. If this is very large, you are building too many things or powering too many things at once. Either fall back, or build more energy collectors.

OPS:
Excellent job on that last world Commander. You outperformed any of the simulator's predictions. You seem to have a natural talent for command. We might just have a chance with you at the helm.

Scanners show a high priority target on the lower right of the map. There is a nano schematic for a major weapon system there. The Orions onboard say that their military had been working on an anti-Creeper Mortar system. This weapon can fire over walls and at higher terrain elevations. As you may have noticed, Blasters require a line of sight to their target so they can't fire at elevations higher than themselves or through walls. But with this Mortar tech, we can overcome this limitation!

The Orions indicate that the Mortar is mostly useful against deep pools of Creeper. The shells it fires will destroy any depth of Creeper down to the terrain. In fact, the Mortar always auto targets the thickest creeper in range. Our military analysts recommend that Blasters be used against the thin Creeper that spreads everywhere and that Mortars should be positioned to fire at deep pools of Creeper.

Commander, if you find that a Mortar is drawing too much energy and is only firing at thin Creeper, you can select the Mortar and click the Deactivate button in the lower left of the command bar. This will turn off the Mortar until you need it again.

OPS:
Commander, there is information I have been withholding since we left Hope…. When the data banks were lost we also lost the coordinates for most of the worlds the Old Man left us. We can go anywhere, yet we have no knowledge of where to go.

All worlds are lost and covered in Creeper… but the path given to us by the Old Man must have had some reason and meaning. But now we may never know. I know I should not have withheld this information, but I just didn't know how to tell you. And Commander, this world is the last world we have coordinates for. Even if you activate the Rift Totems, I don't know what coordinates to enter. At best I will be able to pick a random world.

Commander, there appears to be some sort of Artifact in the middle of the map. We aren't sure… scanners can't determine what it is. It is probably nothing but you might want to check it out…

(After picking up said artifact)
OPS:
Our scientists have analyzed the Artifact… the results at first were puzzling. This Artifact should definitely not be on this world… it contains writing not used by Cetusians. The analysis computers have concluded that the Artifact encodes the coordinates of five known worlds. What is special about these worlds, the Artifact doesn't say.

Commander:
Pick the first of the coordinates and program them into the Totems. Since we don't have any other place to go, we might as well find out what is special about these worlds.

OPS:
One more thing Commander… the dating computer has determined that the Artifact is 11,261 years old. Whatever it is, the coordinates were carved into it in the year 2010….

OPS:
Fascinating….. The coordinates we got from the Artifact on Cetus have taken us to the step-pyramid ruins on a world called Ara. This world was one of the first worlds destroyed by the Creeper. How some numbers written on a tablet in the year 2010 could come to represent this exact location must be some sort of crazy cosmic coincidence.

Commander:
Perhaps….. OPS is there anything of tangible value on this world?

OPS:
Scanners calibrating…. yes… there appears to be a nano schematic for improving the efficiency of our network. Commander, this tech will allow the construction of nodes that provide a global speed-up to all packets. This could be very useful for supporting larger networks and keeping Blasters and Mortars well supplied over long distances.

Commander, remember that Blasters can't fire at elevations higher than themselves. Since you will have to fight up the steps of a great pyramid, you will have to be aggressive with your Blasters and move them into the Creeper. The Blasters can take some moderate exposure to the Creeper. Just make sure you have the Blasters supplied with a nearby network node when you make a move to take higher ground.

OPS:
The once lush ocean world of Corvus…. I always dreamed of visiting this beautiful world. Now it is a dry, barren rock. The Creeper knows no end to its destructive power.

Commander, I show something on scanners…. MY GODS! There are survival pods on this world! They must have recently landed after staying in orbit as long as possible.

Commander:
Notify the medical centers to expect casualties. We're going to save those people…. too many have been taken by the Creeper already.

OPS:
The whole city is on alert status and Medical are mobilizing. Build out a network to connect to the pods so we can rescue the survivors. Sensors show that the Creeper has massed and is rushing this way in a wave like we have never encountered. It must sense the survivors somehow. You will need to act quickly and aggressively to save the survivors… Go save them Commander!

(After picking up all survival pods)
OPS:
All survival pods have been secured Commander. Twenty seven people have been saved. Great job! One of the survivors has told us that they are the crew of a science mission that has been in extra-galactic deep space for the last 20 years. They had just recently returned to our galaxy to find every world they visited covered in Creeper. Eventually, they ran out of fuel and settled into orbit around this world. There they stayed until they could no longer maintain orbit. They had just entered their escape pods and crashed on the surface moments before Odin City rifted through.

And Commander, one of the survivors claims he was approached by an Old Man over twenty years ago. He was given a stone by the Old Man before he and his crew set out on their deep space mission. The Old Man told him it would keep him and his crew safe on their journey. He also was told that one day, in his moment of greatest need, others on a great journey would find him and save him… and that on that day the stone would find a new home with the leader of those others.

Commander:
Let me see this man and his good luck charm in my Ready Room. Have him wait there until I get a moment to speak with him.

OPS:
Yes sir.

OPS:
Draco…. this world was barely inhabitable before the Creeper got here. Now it's just a horror to behold. Get us off this rock as quickly as you can Commander.

Scanners do show another Artifact, try to pick it up but don't let it delay our escape. We're perched on the edge of a giant caldera. The idea of being caught in a Creeper volcano sends shivers down my spine.

(After picking up the Artifact)
OPS:
This Artifact is a bit of an enigma. Our scientists will have to analyze it for some time before we can learn anything from it.

OPS:
We appear to be in a good position on this world Commander. We should be able to reach and energize the Totems with reasonable ease. Worlds like this are probably fairly rare, so enjoy this while you can. Do be careful to not let the Creeper advance into the valley too far. Position Blasters and Mortars on the heights that flank the passage into the valley. This will cut the Creeper off and stop its advance.

Commander:
OPS, sound the city alarm. We have trouble coming. One of the scientists we rescued a couple worlds back had some critical information for us. He and his crew spent some time in orbit around this world and they observed something unexpected. Apparently, the Creeper here has started producing Aerial Spores. These Spores are launched from great distances and target human made structures. When they land they release patches of Creeper that immediately destroy anything in the vicinity. We have no defense against this….

OPS:
Commander I might have something we can adapt as a defense. There is a nearby nano schematic for some missile technology that the Octans were working on. Octan is constantly bombarded by meteor debris so they must have developed some advanced missile tracking technology to deal with it. Pick up the nano schematic and we can use those missiles to defend against these Spores.

Our sensors can detect incoming Spore attacks at great distances so I've augmented your command console to show a countdown timer. Keep an eye on this timer as it indicates when the next Spore attack is due. Also Commander, you might want to build redundancy into your network. If Spores make it through, you don't want to have a whole section of the network lose power.

One more thing Commander… Our scientists have identified a potential weakness in the Creeper. Apparently, if you get a Blaster in range of a Creeper emitter and eliminate any surrounding Creeper, a single Blaster will be able to cap-off the emitter. This tactic could be very useful.

(After collecting the SAM tech)
OPS:
Excellent news Commander. The missile tech can be utilized to create a Surface to Air Missile system. this SAM unit should be able to shoot down incoming Creeper Spores. Build several of these units and spread them around your base.

You may also need to move them around as you expand your base. Also Commander, the schematics listed five worlds where the Octans planned to ship this technology.

Commander:
Program the coordinates for the first of those worlds into the Totems. That's where we will head next.

OPS:
Uh oh Commander. We've rifted to the specified coordinates and ended up on Tucana. The city is in a terrible position. We are surrounded by Creeper and there is precious little high ground. We normally might try to relocate the city to high ground, but there is no high ground large enough to support the city.

You will have to act quickly to save the city. Mortars will be instrumental. Build a Collector network rapidly and take advantage of the four craters around the city. These craters will buffer the Creeper for a while as they fill up. But once full, only the Gods can help us. So Commander, don't let them get full.

Commander, if you approach an emitter with Blasters and Mortars to provide cover, you might be able to get a single Blaster in range to effectively cap off the emitter. Once capped, you can free up most of the resources it takes to hold back the Creeper from that emitter and focus on the next emitter.

OPS:
Commander, this world seems as ordinary as the last. Ordinary in that it is dead, it creeps, and I don't see how it could have any impact on our journey or offer us any refuge.

Commander:
OPS, you almost sound like you believe there is supposed to be some purpose to the worlds we visit. Have you ever considered that there is no purpose and we will live out the rest of our lives constantly fleeing from the Creeper?

OPS:
I don't know what to believe. You are probably right. In any case everyone in this city depends on us in the here and now. Commander I've identified another nano schematic on this world. Interesting… the Velans appear to have protected the schematics in a walled off area. They must have desperately tried to keep this from the Creeper. This nano schematic appears as if it will allow us to construct power generation reactors that rival the output of the fractal energy collectors that we use to build out network. Commander, we can use these to produce power for our base whenever we can't spread out into a large collector network initially.

Commander:
I'll put these new reactors to good use OPS. Oh and OPS, for the record I never said I didn't believe in our purpose.

OPS:
Commander, the analysis of the “enigma” Artifact we picked up back on Draco has been completed. The Artifact contained encrypted information describing improvements to nearly all of our technologies. I don't know how this is even possible… half of our technology has only been developed over the last 5 years. The information on the Artifact was recorded using ancient technology dating back many thousands of years. In fact, the information that it contains would not even have made any sense to the people of the 21st century.

Commander:
I understand OPS.

OPS:
Commander, you don't seem surprised by this news.

Commander:
Just tell me how the information can be applied to the mission at hand OPS.

OPS:
Yes sir… I see. We can adapt the information to allow six different improvements to our tech. In order to enable any upgrades we will need a substantial supply of raw nanobots. If you collect these, then we can create an improvement. On the map I have highlighted any available nanobot deposits. Collect these and then click on the green Upgrades section of the command bar. From there you can apply upgrade “points” as you see fit.

OPS:
EMERGENCY!!!! COMMANDER!!!!

Commander, you must immediately move the city. We rifted in right on top of some Creeper emitters. Get the city to higher ground away from the emitters!

Sensors also report incoming aerial Creeper spores. Move the city and ready your defenses!

OPS:
Scanners show an Artifact on this world. If recent history is any indicator, we should retrieve this Artifact.

Commander, we've rifted onto low ground. You may want to relocate the city as a first order of business.

(After collecting the Artifact)
OPS:
Commander, this Artifact is different than all of the others. It isn't ancient. In fact it appears as if it may only be days old. It may have been made moments before we arrived for all we know. What is unbelievable about this is that this world has been dead for over 5 years.

And Commander, there is little mystery as to what this artifact means. The coordinates of five worlds are clearly indicated. The Artifact is also signed with the name “Platius”. Does this name mean anything to you Commander?

Commander:
… yes …

Enter the first set of coordinates OPS. We're leaving.

OPS:
Yes….. yes sir…

OPS:
We have arrived on Ix. I was afraid of this Commander. I spent some time on this world in my youth. Ix has striking geographic features, and we have rifted right at the base of a double caldera. The Creeper has emitters in each crater and we are on the low land. Commander, I'm not sure we will be able to mount a defense in time. Once the Creeper spills over the edge of the craters, it will flood down onto the plain we are on in a nearly unstoppable force.

Commander:
Check the scanners again… there has to be some way. We wouldn't have been led to this world otherwi….

OPS:
Sorry to interrupt Commander, but you are right. Scanners show a nano schematic for a new technology on this world. Ix was a peaceful world, so I'm surprised to see this technology here. In any case, this tech looks amazing. These schematics will allow us to build drone bombers.

Commander, you should collect these schematics immediately. These drones must be manually targeted once they are built and charged. But Commander, they can be targeted anywhere on the map! The drone will fly to the target area and deliver its bombs.

If you can get the drones built in time you should target them onto the center of the craters. This will destroy the creeper at its source and prevent the Creeper from spilling over the crater walls.

Hurry Commander!

OPS:
Excellent job on that last world Commander. That Drone tech really came in handy. But even with that tech, all would have been lost had it not been for your quick and decisive actions.

We are in a pretty bad position on this world. It seems that each world we visit, the Creeper gets worse and worse. I fear if this trend continues we eventually will not be able to survive a world.

Commander:
Hang in there OPS…. just hang in there.

OPS:
Scanners show…. a single survival pod! The pod appears to have landed within the hour. Commander, if there is a survival pod then there must be other humans in ships nearby.

Commander:
This is possible OPS, or the pod could have been on an automated course to its home world… Either way, we're going to collect it. The Creeper is very intense and has deployed strategically OPS. Put the city on general alert, this is going to be a rough ride.

(After collecting the survival pod)
OPS:
Commander, the survival pod is empty…. How did it get here?

OPS:
Sir, I've checked the scanners twice but they are correct. The terrain here has been modified in ways we've never seen. The Pyxians never terraformed their planet in this way. The terrain has been layered into terraces. There are Creeper resistance walls on the top terrace that are containing three Creeper emitters. If it weren't for those walls we would be dead in minutes. They won't hold forever, though, so you'll have to act quickly to build our defenses.

Commander, I feel it is my duty to ask you what is going on and who “Platius” is? His name was on the artifact we recovered on Canis.

Commander:
Platius is no one I have ever met. I only know his name, yet I owe him my life. My birth parents were killed in the Tucana raids when I was only an infant. I would have perished too, but a man named Platius saved me somehow and took me to Aquila where I was adopted and raised. My parents only knew that on the night of Galactic Festival a man delivered me into their arms, smiled kindly and then walked away. They asked his name as he left and he only said, “Tell the young one that my name is Platius.” At that moment the fireworks of the Galactic festival apexed and everyone was awed by their light. The sparkling lights reflected off my infant eyes and when my parents looked down, the man was gone.

And OPS, as for what is going on…. all I can say is that we are surviving one world at a time. I wish I knew more, I only know somehow that we must keep going.

(After collecting the Artifact)
OPS:
Commander, this artifact contains a message addressed specifically to you. This is unbelievable…. the message reads as follows:

“Greetings my young friend. You have grown much. It pleases me greatly that you and your people have made it this far. Through all of your human history I always believed you would make it. The others were not so sure…. You have one final task ahead young one, and you know what you must do.

Platius”

OPS:
Commander?!?!? What must you do??

Commander:
I…. Lay in a course for the next world OPS. Our journey nears its end.

OPS:
Commander….?

Commander:
Believe in me OPS…. Enter the coordinates.

OPS:
Sir….

OPS:
NO! Commander, we must have been led into a trap! The Creeper on this world is the most intense we have ever seen. There is no way we can defend against it much less reach the Totems!!!

Commander:
Steady OPS!…. There has to be a way….

OPS:
I… I don't see how. Maybe you can immediately build a few collectors and place a single Blaster at the opening in the ridge just to our west. That should buy us some time…. but the Creeper here is so intense it will soon overflow the ridge and take the city. If you build a couple of Mortars they might be able to keep the Creeper low enough so that it doesn't overflow… but Commander…. at best we will be stuck here forever in a constant battle to survive!

Scanners also show what looks like some kind of giant Creeper Nexus… I've never seen… I've never even imagined something like this…..

Commander:
OPS, do scanners show anything else?

OPS:
There is an artifact… perhaps it somehow holds our salvation…?

(After collecting the Artifact)
OPS:
Commander, this artifact simply says:
“In the end, no answer is ever as elegant as its question.”

Commander:
OPS…. I….
I think I understand now. All of human history and all its future are in our hands. Our next actions may very well be the end of everything that ever was or could be. The memory of every person that has ever lived sums to a singular question…. “WHY?”

The Creeper has no purpose other than to end that question by erasing everything we have ever been. We are the very last embers of this question… this question that must never cease to be asked…. Odin City must not fall…

READY EVERYTHING WE HAVE OPS. WE WILL HOLD BACK THE CREEPER WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE!

(After some time has passed)
CREEPER NEXUS:
—BEGIN TRANSMISSION—

<ALL THAT YOU WERE HAS BEEN UNDONE>
<NOW YOU DELIVER THE REST OF YOUR IRRELEVANCE TO US>
<YOU TOO WILL SOON BE UNDONE>

—END TRANSMISSION—

OPS:
Commander, I don't know how that transmission came through….

Commander:
Broadcast this message on all channels OPS:

“We are not undone… we carry with us all that we have been and will be. We are the living question that survives in spite of you.”

OPS:
Sending Sir….

CREEPER NEXUS:
—BEGIN TRANSMISSION—

<THE PURITY OF NOTHING IS SOON UPON THIS REALM>
<YOUR END IS HERE>

—END TRANSMISSION—

(After some time has passed)
OPS:
Commander, I'm not sure what we can do…. There is just too much Creeper. Our weapons can't harm that Creeper Nexus….

Commander:
I won't give in OPS. We must fight, there… there must be a way….!

(After some time has passed)
[PLATIUS]
Greetings young one….

Commander:
Platius…? Who…, how…, where are…?

Platius:
Come my young friend…. There is little time. Look for what I send…. Take it and the stone you were given by the scientist you saved. That stone is the key. Act quickly, you will know what you and you alone must do.

Commander:
PLATIUS WAIT!!!???

Platius:
– end transmission –

OPS:
An object has appeared on the map just outside the ridge Commander. Throw everything you can at that area and retrieve it!

(After collecting Thor's Hammer)
OPS:
Commander… we have retrieved the object after you spoke with Platius…. but it doesn't seem to do or mean anything…

Commander:
Take this stone OPS…

OPS:
Integrating the stone now Commander….

….unbelievable….
The stone has integrated into the object and it has activated. A nano schematic for some kind of super weapon called “Thor” has been integrated into our computers by the object. The object itself appears to have become some kind of extremely powerful energy source. The readings are off the scale…. Commander, this new Thor weapon will require an unimaginable amount of energy…. but this object appears as if it can somehow produce the required energy. Also, this weapon appears as if it will require a pilot…

Commander:
OPS, there isn't much time. I'll start construction of the new Thor weapon. I may have to clear away some of the network infrastructure… this beast is going to take space and large amounts of build packets to complete. Do everything you can to boost the city's output. We need everything Odin City can deliver. Once complete, I will personally pilot the Thor and end the Creeper once and for all.

OPS:
Sir… I'll do everything I can.

(after placing Thor's Hammer, and some time has passed)
CREEPER NEXUS:
—BEGIN TRANSMISSION—

<THE WEAPONS OF THE OTHERS ARE IRRELEVANT>
<THEY WILL BE UNDONE AS WELL>

—END TRANSMISSION—

(Once the Thor is close to completion)
CREEPER NEXUS:
—BEGIN TRANSMISSION—

<YOU WILL SOON BE UNDONE>

—END TRANSMISSION—

(After Thor finishes building)
CREEPER NEXUS:
—BEGIN TRANSMISSION—

<NO!>
<THE UNDOING MUST BE COMPLETED!>

—END TRANSMISSION—

Commander:
It's your turn Creeper menace…. YOU will now be the one undone!

OPS:
Commander, the Thor is unbelievable! With the Thor you can clear away unbelievable amounts of Creeper! This will allow us to build a network and reach the Totems….. but what coordinates do I enter? Where will we flee to next?

Commander:
We aren't fleeing anywhere OPS. I know what Platius meant now. Enter the coordinates I'm sending. I'll clear away the Creeper and connect the Totems, just make sure the coordinates and Totem packets are ready to send.

OPS:
Where do the coordinates lead?

Commander:
I don't know OPS….. I really don't know. I just know these are the coordinates we are supposed to enter.

OPS:
Sir, I've followed you through everything… I believe in you. Entering the coordinates…

(After some time has passed)
CREEPER NEXUS:
—BEGIN TRANSMISSION—

<THE POWER OF THE OTHERS IS TRULY IMPRESSIVE>
<BUT THEIR POWER CAN NOT UNDO US>
<WE ARE ETERNAL AND UNENDING!>

—END TRANSMISSION—

OPS:
Commander that thing appears to be right. Thor can destroy and Creeper it emits, but you can't damage the Creeper Nexus!

Commander:
Maintaining the assault OPS. I'll dish out everything Thor has…. I'll hold back the Creeper until we can get the Totems charged. Maybe once the Rift activates….. There has to be a way OPS, there has to!

CREEPER NEXUS:
—BEGIN TRANSMISSION—

<NOW BEAR WITNESS TO OUR ALL ENDING SPORES>

—END TRANSMISSION—

(After powering the Totems)
OPS:
Commander!!!! The Rift has opened…. the coordinates you gave me have opened the Rift onto the black hole in the galactic core! This has never been done… it can't be done!!!!!!

The Rift channel is conducting massive amounts of gravitational attraction back to the Rift on this end. Everything will be sucked in and destroyed!!!!!

CREEPER NEXUS:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

OPS:
The Creeper Nexus and all of the emitters have been sucked into the black hole! We have defeated the Nexus and saved our people!

Co_m_and_r… Come in Com_an_er!!! The bla_k h_le is st_ll o_en a_d wi_l de_tr_y ev_ryth_ng!!!

Commander:
OPS, OPS!!! Come in! I can't allow the black hole to destroy everything after all we have been through…. There is only one choice! I will pilot the Thor into the hole and detonate its power source at the event horizon. This might close the Rift and save the planet! Heading in now OPS….

Take care of the city… It has been an honor and privilege to lead our people!

Platius:
Hello again young one….

Commander:
Platius…. Where…. Where am I?

Platius:
You are with me young one.

Commander:
Am I dead?

Platius:
You would be…. had I not saved you….

You released the energy of the Thor reactor and sealed the Rift. You would have been completely destroyed along with the Thor had I not taken you away at the last moment.

Commander:
WHO are you Platius?

Platius:
I have had many names. I have walked amongst your people when they left the plains of ancient Earth. I have been there when the first stones were set at Babylon. When your ancestors sailed for new worlds I was there. Through great and terrible wars I have been there. For the thousands of years you have spread through this galaxy I have been there. And now, most recently, you have come to know me as Platius. Your people know me as the “Old Man”.

Commander:
YOU ARE THE OLD MAN?? I don't understand how you could be all of those people or how you could help us now…

What is the Creeper and where did it come from? Where are you from and how are you able to help us? How did you know what would happen and where we would be?….

Platius:
Ha ha young one! Patience… in time you will understand everything. For now I can tell you that what you call the “Creeper” is a degenerated form of a race called the Loki. You see, this galaxy is but a grain in the vast multiverse expanse. Space is nearly infinite and extends far, far beyond what you call the observable universe. But, time is not infinite…. at least not for this reality. So there was a beginning and the Loki were amongst the first to rise to greatness. They rivaled even my people in their power and wisdom. But long before your world was even formed, the Loki changed. They peered into other realities at their greatest moment and when they looked away they were forever changed. They became a force of destruction that sought to destroy all of the other races. They desired the “purity of nothingness” above all things. My people fought them for millions of years. But their power was too great…

My people….. my people are now gone. I and I alone carry their memory. My people sacrificed everything to weaken the Loki as much as they could. Had they not done so, all beings everywhere would have fallen to the Loki. In a cataclysm that spanned a galactic cluster, all of my people fought and sacrificed themselves to destroy the Loki. Only I was chosen to stay behind. Only I would bear the task of continuing the memory of my race…. Only I…..

Commander:
Platius… that is incredible. But the Loki were not all destroyed?

Platius:
No young one… the Loki were stronger. They were nearly destroyed, but a single Nexus remained. It hid in the ruins of the conflict with its rage growing stronger with each passing millennium. Then when the memories of the great conflict had all but passed into oblivion, it emerged. The rage and destruction of the Loki once again ravaged worlds where new life had emerged and grown.

Commander:
How long ago was this Platius?

Platius:
When your Earth was covered with giant and terrible beasts, the Loki Nexus emerged. But the Loki were far from Earth. Many thousands of galaxies would fall before they would come to your people.

Commander:
You were on Earth tens of millions of years ago?

Platius:
Yes young one. The Earth held great potential and greatness would be necessary to fight the Loki. So I have seeded many worlds with the “encouragements” of intelligence. For your Earth, only a small impact would destroy the beasts and open a path for your emergence. Your people would grow with “encouragements” along the way. And this path has brought you to this moment.

Commander:
But we were nearly destroyed… everything we were is gone…

Platius:
Oh young one… you still have much to learn. Your people live and their greatness will rise again. You have defeated a Nexus which so few have. You will grow from this world in the millennia to come and perhaps one day we will all stand in victory over the last of the Loki…

Commander:
Platius, what abou…

Platius:
It is time for me to go young one. Do not worry I will not be far. You have much left to do for your people.

Commander:
Platius wait!

Platius:
I return you now to your great city. Lead your people in peace and return to greatness…. Commander.

And oh yes, do not become to complacent….. For I will need you again soon.

Goodbye my young friend, goodbye…… …for now…

Odin City is everything we have left. Every human that remains alive calls Odin City home. Protect the city at ALL costs.

Odin City has powerful nano production engines that convert the raw energy it receives from Collectors and Reactors into useful construction, ammunition, and totem packets. Odin City is always the heart of any network. Build Collectors out from Odin City as you expand your defenses into an offense. As necessary, you may need to relocate Odin City to safer or more productive ground.

Wise commanders will click the three colored orbs surrounding Odin City to manage the packets that Odin City emits. This can prevent unwanted packets from being dispensed. Caution must be exercised with this advanced feature and only seasoned Commanders should attempt to use this feature.

The Collector is your primary means of getting energy. With energy you build and power everything. Without energy, you wither and die.

Collectors operate by tapping into fractal space and extracting energy from infinite recursive space-time. Sadly, Collectors only have a limited discernment resolution so they can't extract infinite energy from a single point. In other words, they need area to operate. Collectors should be spaced apart so that each has the maximum area from which to collect energy. Overlapping Collectors is inefficient. Also Collectors need to send their energy somewhere, so there must be some path from a Collector back to Odin City for the collector to operate. If a Collector goes offline, nothing bad happens to the Collector, you just don't get any energy from it until it is reconnected to the network.

Blasters are the primary defense weapon in Odin City's arsenal. Blasters utilize the absolute latest in heavy boson particle beam technology to produce a beam that will incinerate any Creeper at which it fires. Additionally, Blasters employ tachyon enhanced rotational turrets for near instant turret rotation. Blasters do have two weaknesses.

First, Blasters can only fire at their current elevation or lower. Blasters can't fire at higher terrain! Because of this, Blasters at the base of a hill will only be able to fire at Creeper as it flows off the hill. As such, wise Commanders will fight to get Blasters on high ground.

The second weakness is that Blasters can only damage Creeper down to a fixed depth. So using Blasters on deep pools or large tidal fronts of Creeper will prove only marginally effective. It is best to use Blasters on thinner Creeper where it is most effective.

Relays allow you to extend your network over great distances. Sometimes irregular terrain can best be dealt with by just Relay'ing over it. Note that Relays will only form long range connections with other Relays. So to build only one Relay never makes any sense. Build at least two to gain its benefits. Also note that Relays can also be useful for creating more direct routes in your network for packets.

Mortars fire confined fusion projectiles. The projectiles overcome the limitations of Blasters by being able to target any terrain level. Additionally, Mortars can fire over walls. The confined fusion projectiles can also damage nearly any depth of Creeper. This makes Mortars absolutely devastating to pools of Creeper. Fire a Mortar at a giant lake of Creeper and watch the lake disappear.

Mortars do require large amounts of ammunition packets to operate and they do have a limited fire rate. This makes it best to employ Mortars against pools of Creeper that have accumulated significant depth. Letting Mortars fire at thin Creeper will definitely do damage, but it will be done inefficiently compared to a Blaster. Lastly, because of this, Mortars will always auto-target the deepest Creeper in range.

Energy Storage is useful for increasing Odin City's reserve of raw energy. The energy from Collectors is sent to Odin City where it is held and used to create packets for construction, weapons, and Totem charging. But, Odin City can only store so much energy. Build Storage to increase this capacity. Increasing energy capacity can be a key advantage in certain energy intensive situations.

SAMs, or Surface to Air Missiles, have one and only one purpose: destroy any insidious Creeper Spores before they hit the ground and do terrible damage. On worlds that have Creeper Spores, numerous SAMs will be required to provide total base protection. SAMs may also need to be relocated as the network grows.

Packet Speed drivers inject Higgs particles directly onto your network. The result is improved propagation speed for all packets. Any large base with any sustained military campaign will require several Speed drivers to operate efficiently. By building Speed drivers, weapons stay better armed and building new structures at a distance can go faster.

Automated nano tech Drones are state of the art in anti-Creeper weaponry. Each Drone bomber carries a full load-out of confined fusion bombs. Like Mortars, Drones are best targeted at deep Creeper. Unlike Mortars, Drones can target any location on the map.

Drones do require large numbers of packets to operate, but they can be worth it to hit the Creeper deep in its territory. Drones require manual targeting. Select the Drone base, then select where to launch the sortie. The Drone will fly to the specified area and drop its ordnance until empty. When empty it will return to the base and re-arm. Once re-armed, it can be manually launched again.

Singularity Reactors use a stream of temporary black holes to drastically improve on the discernment resolution of Collector technology. As such, they can produce energy from single points in space time. This technology is expensive, though, so it is always better to build collectors when possible. But sometimes Odin City needs more energy than can be produced by the available land area. When this is the case, build farms of Reactors to meet the energy needs.

Always be prepared for the unexpected.