Marathon 2 and Marathon Infinity Timelines
There is good reason to believe that there are no less than three timelines
in M2 and Moo (ASCII for M-infinity).
This is from comparing the various events in them;
though they have several features in common, they also have several differences.
In Moo, the various parts are separated by the "Electric Sheep" levels,
which are followed by some levels in which one runs some gauntlet
("Where are Monsters in Dreams", "Whatever You Please", and "Eat the Path").
In the later Electric Sheep, one has the option of going back to some earlier level,
if one follows the route taken in an earlier Electric Sheep.
Finally, one can either exit the run-the-gauntlet levels directly to the next
sections or one can sidetrack through the space station that one sees in the
last level, "Aye Mak Sicur".
There are three such space-station sidetrackings,
all of which involve an Early Nova weapon being used on Lh'owon's sun;
this weapon had been used at the end of Marathon 2.
It has already gone off in the first level, "Ne Cede Malis", which I identify as
the end of Timeline 1 (which includes all of Marathon 2).
-
Electric Sheep 1: "Aie Mak Sicur".
This comes after when Durandal comes under siege in Timeline 2;
Pfhor Admiral Tfear gloats over victory --
and then laments the devastation brought by that Early Nova.
-
Electric Sheep 2: "Carroll Street Station (a NYC subway station in northwest Brooklyn).
This comes after when you are just about to be sent to Waterloo Waterpark in Timeline 3;
there is some weird stream-of-consciousness lament that seems like something
from some S'pht AI.
-
Electric Sheep 3: "You're Wormfood, Dude" (the Bungie folx seem to be Beavis and Butthead fans).
This comes after when you unplug Durandal in Timeline 2; though the Bobs have moved into the station,
the Early Nova has damaged it, and it is now leaking air rather badly.
So what's going on? One theory that someone has proposed is that some S'pht AI is sending you
back in time to relive history so as to avoid Timeline 1's disastrous Early Nova
which would vaporize Lh'owon.
The first attempt, creating Timeline 2, ends in a Pfhor victory, even if a somewhat Pyrrhic one.
The second attempt, creating Timeline 3, ends with that AI wondering if this could be right.
The third attempt, getting back onto Timeline 2, ends with the Bobs moving into the space station,
but still facing an Early Nova.
Or at least so it seems; it's back to that timeline again,
and the result is victory over the Pfhor and the trapping of that Early Nova.
Also, in all four cases, the Pfhor have clearly overrun the station, but only in the fourth one
do the S'pht'Kr show up to fight them.
-
Timeline 1: All of M2 and the "Prologue" section of Moo.
-
Timeline 2: The bulk of Moo.
-
Timeline 3: The "Envy" section of Moo.
I will indicate an event found in at least one of them with an X;
the pattern should be clear from the table.
Sometimes I will mention the same event more than once; if I do so, that means
that the same event took place at different times in different timelines.
| Event | Timeline 1 | Timeline 2 | Timeline 3 |
|---|
| Start: working for Durandal |
X |
|
X |
| Start: working for Tycho |
|
X |
|
| Attack outerspace Pfhor facilities |
|
|
X |
| Attack Lh'owon Pfhor facilities |
X |
|
X |
| Go to Waterloo Waterpark |
X |
|
|
| Assist Bobs in making Lh'owon base |
X |
|
|
| Assist Bobs in activating S'pht AI |
|
|
X |
| Try to keep Bobs from activating S'pht AI |
|
X |
|
| Search Lh'owon for 11th-clan info |
X |
|
|
| Durandal besieged by Pfhor fleet |
X |
X |
X |
| Go to his ship |
X |
X |
|
| Go to Waterloo Waterpark |
|
|
X |
| Durandal's S'pht rampant |
|
X |
X |
|
(end) |
| Help Durandal |
X |
|
| Fight Durandal |
|
X |
| Change Sides for Awhile |
|
X |
| Unplug Durandal |
X |
X |
| On Durandal's Orders |
X |
|
| On Tycho's Orders |
|
X |
| Captured |
X |
X |
| Attempted jailbreak |
X |
X |
| Success |
X |
|
| Failure |
|
X |
<| Bobs hide out and go underground |
X |
X |
| Assist Bobs |
X |
|
| Fight Bobs |
|
X |
| Activate S'pht AI |
X |
|
| Sabotage Pfhor ship |
X |
|
| Bobs escape |
X |
|
| Bobs get captured |
|
X |
| Escape Pfhor reprogramming facility |
|
X |
| Activate S'pht AI |
|
X |
| 11th clan (S'pht'Kr) and Durandal return |
X |
X |
| Tycho's ship crashed onto Lh'owon moon |
X |
|
| Tycho catches you and makes you a gladiator |
|
X |
| Mop up remaining Pfhor on Lh'owon |
X |
|
| Activate Jjaro station |
|
X |
| Early Nova |
X |
X |
| It half goes off |
X |
|
| It gets trapped by gravitational collapse |
|
X |
| Durandal wants you to track down spy |
X |
|
| Durandal says that you may leave him now |
|
X |
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