Black Queen Hub 2

Link to article: Black Queen Hub 2.


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[[div class="A"]]
[[=]]
[[collapsible show="Open Letter?" hide="A Letter, Dated September 20th, 2011"]]
[[<]]
[[div class="storybook"]]

To Alison Chao (Theta),
Known to her world as The Black Queen,

I hope this letter finds you well. I want to apologize for our behavior the other day. Although you're a strong person, discovering your true nature, as well as that of the Serpent's Hand, can be disorienting. It's been so long since I was first introduced to the other Little Sisters that I've forgotten what it's like. Feeling helpless is never a pleasant sensation, particularly when you're used to the feeling of being five steps ahead of everyone else in your world. Lashing out in the way that you did was understandable, if unfortunate. I hope that you will find it in yourself to rejoin us in the Library at some point in the future.

Hopefully this letter will help with some of the questions that were supposed to be answered at the Library. First, there is always a Gears. He always leaves his wife for some extranormal organization. He always loses his capacity to feel. Sometimes this can be fixed, sometimes it can't. Sometimes Gears will get caught up in something that ultimately destroys his universe.

Second, this Gears will frequently have a daughter. She is always shaped by his leaving. After a certain number of years, she begins to seek out her father. Sometimes she becomes a monster, human only in the loosest sense. Other times, she retains something of a conscience. Sometimes she succeeds and rescues her father, only to find him a broken shell. Other times, she saves him and rebuilds her family as it once was. Many times she remains an utterly unremarkable, if damaged woman. Other times she dies before she can even lay down her plans. And sometimes, a very few times, she learns about the Library.

Knowing that your circumstances are not unique, that your suffering is just one iteration of an infinite amount of identical suffering, or that the control you thought you had is non-existent, isn't pleasant to hear. Don't despair. Your influence over the worlds (not world. Worlds.) is far greater than you can ever know. Some of the daughters have limited themselves to their own worlds, using the Library as a safehouse and resource. Others have walked the ways, seeking out ancient and obscure worlds. Some ignore Gears, some obsessively seek him out. A few have decided that all of this convergence is the work of a god or gods. Sometimes people come into conflict.

To call it a group is probably too charitable. More like a collection of individuals with similar experiences.

Whatever ultimately becomes of your plans, I hope you will try and find us again. You're scared and confused, and probably angry. At one point, I was too. But we know you better than anyone else ever can. If you choose to stay, there is no limit to what we can do.

Your Little Sister,
Alison Chao (Epsilon)
Known also to her world as the Black Queen
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[[collapsible show="Open Newspaper?" hide="A Newspaper, Dated September 20th, 2011"]]
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[[div_ class="newspaper-headline" style="font-size: 370%;"]]
SUBLIME SELECTIONS
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[[div_ class="newspaper-headline" style="font-size: 200%;"]]
THE BLACK QUEEN TAVERN
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[[div_ class="newspaper-reporter"]]
by Annelies the Sublime, Second Wandsman of the Clockwork Plains
[[/div]]
-----
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[[size 250%]]I[[/size]] had long heard whispers of The Black Queen from galactic hitchhikers and temporal tourists. A cozy pub just round the corner of the Wanderer's Library. No muss, no fuss, nothing fancy: just good drinks, affordable prices and excellent service. Well you know me dear readers, head on a swivel, always on the look out for a good time. So, the next time my travels took me west of Low-Thuhng you just //know// I had to drop by.

There's a handful of entrances to The Black Queen. A back alley in A-972, an abandoned pawn shop in B-500, Through the second food court of the Library's Anart History Section or Atop a dark spire in B-236, and a half a dozen others if you know the right Knock. Personally I entered from Hospice's Lampeter tram station. You may enter from any one of these entrances, or a number of them, if you would prefer. Where you're coming from and where you are traveling to hardly matters at the Black Queen.

As I entered the Black Queen, to the sound of dim music and dimmer whispers, I began to fret about what I would say to grab the Barkeep's attention. Would she want to talk to me about her fine establishment? Would she trust a member from an organization such as myself? Or, perhaps, would I not be worth her time? Soon after I sat down, I learned my fears for naught, as a large, roguishly disheveled woman made her way over to me with a pair of drinks, and introduced herself as the Barkeep.

Apparently, she had recognized me as a Wandsman, and felt she simply had to talk to me, as I was likely to have some great gossip. She was bubbly and talkative, though I could tell that it was, to some extent, an act. How could such an outgoing person retain such an enigmatic reputation? Why deception, of course. She had a masterful of derailing conversations, turning them to be about someone or something unrelated, into an entertaining story that frequently made me forget that she had totally avoided answering my questions! Nevertheless, I was able to learn one thing about my mysterious patron; the only thing the Barkeep enjoys more than alcohol is gossip.

She told me a number of scandalous and truly entertaining stories, and though I often had no frame of reference for the people she was talking about, I was never confused by her tales. I, in turn, traded her a few stories of my own. I tried to stick to the comedic, and did not regret doing so. Her hearty laughs made me feel right at home in this place that I had never visited before.

At that moment, I thought to ask her another question, about the returning clientele, and this time she actually deemed to answer! She explained to me that the majority of her customers are not, what she'd call regulars. They are people who come once, for the novelty of it, or return every few years when they are traveling or celebrating something. These people are particularly talkative, and she sources most of her entertaining stories from them. The regulars are much more guarded, but their lips can be pried loose with the right booze after they've developed a sense of comradery. These customers are the ones where she gets her most juiciest gossip from.

As if on queue a customer of particular interest entered the building. While this woman appeared to be another average patron of the Black Queen, I couldn't help but do a double take when I saw her. Her build and hair were completely different, but her face and eyes were an exact match of the interviewee sitting across from me! The Barkeep followed my gaze, and smiled as she saw the other woman, who disappeared behind a curtain under a doorway labeled 'V.I.P.'

When I asked her for an explanation of what had just happened, she laughed, and asked me how I, a multiversal pilgrim, had never encountered another me from another world. While most of us who hop from reality to reality tend to try to avoid alternate versions of ourselves, the Barkeeper is apparently quite different. She and her counterparts have organized to create a group not too dissimilar to that of the wandsmen, albeit allegedly less passive. They gather knowledge in order to monitor threats, both to their own worlds and to the worlds of their compatriots, and take action when necessary. Some seek revenge. Others seek companionship. Others still take part because they have nowhere else to turn to. I suspect my interviewee takes part because it allows her to gather even more gossip than what her bar would otherwise allow.

After she was done with that explanation, she pat me on the shoulder and stood up. She took both glasses, which were now empty, but did not ask me for payment. I suppose she thought the stories I gave her, and the publicity this article will inevitably engender, were payment enough for a meager mug of cheap beer. As she made her way over towards the counter, she turned her head back, and suggested I come again soon. As I sat there in that quiet bar, trying to process what had happened over the past few hours. I decided that I would return again, some day. I feel like I have much to learn about the secrets of the Black Queen.

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[[collapsible show="Open Envelope?" hide="Another Letter, Dated September 20th, 2011"]]
[[<]]
[[div class="storybook"]]

Alison,

I am very sorry that this is the first way we've contacted you. I suggest you sit down before reading further.

Your father is alive. No, this is not a mean spirited prank, it is an unfortunate truth.

Your father, Charles Gears, is a high-ranking member of a secret organization known as the Foundation. This organization maintains a cloak around the world, a so-called veil which hides the supernatural, what they call the 'anomalous' from the world. Disappears people and objects who don't fit into their vision of what's normal. They are our enemy, and thus, they are your enemy.

Perhaps I should introduce myself. I am Alison Chao, the Black Queen. I am you, from another reality. I assume you are familiar with the concept of the multiverse. There are hundreds of us, united by a common goal: Combating the very Foundation our father, (or our Gears), is a part of. Some of us want to save him. Some of us wish to see him destroyed, along with the organization he is a part of. Others have given up on caring about him altogether. I can say that in your case, your father is not a willing participant in this organization. We may still have a chance to help him.

I'm telling you this through an unmarked letter, rather than in person, because you have a choice. Myself and one of my associates have been trapped in your world through means I can explain later. We are unable to complete a spell which should allow us to escape, and the Foundation, your Foundation, is closing in with us. Your first option is to burn this letter, and move on with your life as though nothing happened. The Foundation will never know you were in contact with us, and you and your mother will remain out of the Foundation's focus. I won't be able to fault you if that's what you chose. Your second option is to help us. We will be waiting for you at your library. You'll recognize us when you see us. I suspect you've never used any magic before, but that doesn't matter. We are fast learners. If you do this, we can ensure the safety of your mother, but you will never be able to live a normal life again.

The choice is yours, though for my sake, I hope the curiosity that led you to open this letter leads you to the Library.

Hello, and perhaps farewell,

your friend Alison
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[[collapsible show="Open Mail?" hide="A Letter, Seized September 20th, 2011"]]
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[[==]]
Hey dad,

Long time no write! Been about a year since my last letter. Don't want to overwhelm you when you wake up, so I'll keep this short and sweet.

Last time, I told you how I totally lost track of where I am, and that Harley went missing a few jumps back. Since then I'd been trekking all over some orange-reddish plains for a few months, looking for water. Lucky me, I found a river! And then, of course, my filter breaks. Figured I'd follow the river some ways, see what I find. Beats another round of solitaire.

Next thing I know, I found a town! Rode on in, after I hid my //outstanding// gear in Arthur's bags, of course. At first I expected cowboys, but turns out the buildings were all clay and mud, real primitive looking. On the way in I got approached by what I //think// was a warrior band. Didn't speak a lick of their language, but they were hospitable. Which is really unfortunate all things considered (don't get attached: they die).

They took me in to someone who was kind of their chief. Unknown culture, unknown language, so I didn't know what to do. But then I remembered that gift giving is a multiversal language. He seemed to like that, so the warriors led me out of town again with no fuss.

Bit of an issue, I still needed water. I mimed that at them and they seemed to get the idea, took me to their well. God only knows what must have been in the river for them to //have// a well, but I digress, //this// is when shit gets real.

You remember the Black Queen? Well this old guy pointed at me and started shouting //Black Queen//! //Black Queen!//, well technically it was "Brackee" but that's not far off. And then I swear to god he said "Alison", isn't that wild? Anyway, everyone like //instantly// tenses up. We all start grabbing our weapons. 

So anyway, I started blasting. Wasn't hard, they weren't secretly techy or anything. I basically razed the place, civilians and all. Didn't chase anyone who fled though! I'm not a monster. 

I stuck around for a bit after, dug around in the ashes, trying to find out how they knew me. And then I found something pretty surprising. I found //you//, I think it was you anyway. Bit darker skinned than the others, similar looking face. But he was burnt to a crisp so I could have been wrong. 

Anyway, that's another unsolved mystery for the books! Who knew the Queens were all the way out here in this multiversal bumfuck nowhere. I wonder if they had anything to do with me ending up here. Maybe some trap or connection with them, or maybe that other you did something, who knows?

I'm alright now, obviously. Rode out of town on Arthur and jumped a few days after. No avenging swashbuckler came after me or anything like that. Writing you from a pretty small outpost. Hope you get this letter, and that someday you get to read it. 

Wake up soon, dad. I miss you.

Your daughter,
Alison Chao (//not// a Black Queen, despite what the local yokels are saying!!)
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[[collapsible show="Listen to Voicemail?" hide="Voicemail Transcription, Dated September 20th, 2011"]]
[[<]]
[[div class="blockquote"]]

//The following is a transcription of a voicemail left by an out of service number on Lieutenant Chao's personal cellular device by PTE-5220-Blue-Egowrinkle-Kewpiebreaker.//

= **[Begin Log]**

//Answering machine beeps.//

**PTE-5220-Blue-Egowrinkle-Kewpiebreaker:** Heyyyyyyy Cousin. Can I call you cousin? I mean, it would be weird if I called you 'little sister' since you're older than me, and I've never been a fan of the whole 'little sister' thing anyways, and I certainly can't call you Alison-

Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I. The others don't usually let me do introductions, so I'm not really used to talking to someone who's not in the know. Uh, let's see... Well, I'm Alison Chao, though my friends call me Lilly! Now I'm imagining you're thinking 'well that can't be right, I'm Alison Chao!' Or maybe you're not. Your organization does have a whole code-word dedicated for people that come from other realities. Oh, would that make me a 'Blue-Egowrinkle' or an 'Egowrinkle-Blue.' God, you people have such an obtuse way of naming things. Say what you want about the Foundation, but they're really good at labeling things. Simple, clean, understandable method, you know?

**PTE-5220-Blue-Egowrinkle-Kewpiebreaker:** (//whispering to self//) Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have said that.

**PTE-5220-Blue-Egowrinkle-Kewpiebreaker:** Er, anyways, I'm you! From another world! Surprise! Although my world was a little less bleak when it was around...

There's actually a whole lot of us out there! Well, you know that already, you know what multiverse theory is after all, but I mean there's a ton of us out there, communicating and working together! We call ourselves the Black Queen, I'm Black Queen Lilly, for example, and we collaborate to try to keep our worlds safe from the Foundation and other multiversal threats! It's a great time, not sure why you haven't been invited yet. I assume it's probably the whole 'dog of the GOC thing.' Most Black Queens have a hard time trusting those of us who pledge their loyalty to something else. Big anti-authority streak we conveniently forget about when it comes to internal politics, you know? Yeah, you do.

Anyways, us Black Queens have a lot, and I mean a nearly infinite number, of diverging goals and interests, but I'd say a solid 90% are working against the Foundation because of our father. Some of us want to save him, some of us oppose the Foundation in large part because of the odious Dr. Gears. Looks like you're in the latter camp, that's a shame. I totally relate though! You know, when I was growing up it was 'Alison no casting spells in the house, Alison no polymorphing the neighborhood kids into squirrels.' Such a killjoy. Wait, do you even have squirrels there?

They're like fuzzy-tailed little rat things that— Not important. The thing is, I'm kinda in some hot water with the other Black Queens because of a little teeny tiny misunderstanding and I need a place to lay low at while all that blows over, and your place is absolutely perfect. And hey, you don't have to worry about being an entertaining host or anything, I get that you're busy. I'll stay out of your hair, unless you'd like some help, which I could totally give you, by the way. I mean, you guys are getting your asses kicked. Lost every major continent to the Foundation except South America and Australia. Huge bummer. But I'm like, a really powerful mage! So I could probably help turn the tide a little bit.

Anyways, I should make it to your place in about a week, maybe sooner, just so you know. No need to throw a housewarming party! See you then, Cousin! Hmm, no I think I'll call you Lieutenant instead, it's less awkward. Buh bye!

= **[End Log]**

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[[module Members group="moderators"]]
[[include fragment:black-queen-hub-3]]
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[[collapsible show="Open Email?" hide="An Email, Dated September 20th, 2011"]]
[[<]]
[[include :scp-wiki:component:dynamic-emails start=--
|from= gearspawn@domain.bq
|to= All
|cc=none
|subject=Scheduled Downtime for System Maintenance
]]

Attention Multiversal Catalogue Users,

This is an automated message to remind you of a scheduled update beginning 24 hours from now which will last for a minimum of 3 and maximum of 5 hours. During this update, we will be making the following changes:

1) We will finally be switching from the Fireside chat application to Blackflame, a fork of the old system. Thank you to Black Queen Flops, and all those involved with developing this exciting new platform. 

2) As the L-NESC wireless infrastructure has continued to deteriorate, we have decided to make the switch to MMCN as our network provider. Thank you to the Black Priestesses of WAN for allowing us to gain access to the system.

3) A beta version of the Psi-Blind accessibility mode will be included with the new update. 

4) Updates to the memetic firewall will be made following the exorcism of an aggressive infovore released into the system by blackqueenwalking. 

5) The font size will be changed from 12 to 12.5, largely to annoy all of you who complained about the last UI change. 

I'd like to apologize in advance for the inconvenience. These updates will allow us to continue our work as Black Queens to save our world from the threats that lurk in their dark corners, and beyond. Thanks to these updates, our ability to collaborate on the research and prevention of multiversal threats should be able to continue in perpetuity. If you will be conducting business during the scheduled time, please do so via other channels, or reschedule to some time after maintenance is done.

Thank you, 

[[include :scp-wiki:component:dynamic-emails end=--
|name= Black Queen gearspawn
|title= Master Admin
|signoff= Please don't break anything.
|signoff-icon= https://scp-sandbox-3.wdfiles.com/local--files/fragment%3Ablack-queen-hub-2-2/largearspawn.png
]]
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Black Queen Hub 2

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