[Shivan Hunter]

Battuta:  We've also been pleased by all the fan speculation. We know exactly what's going on through the end of the story so we were able to drop some pretty specific hints. Though there's an enormous one, present in ever mission of the game, that's staring people in the face and yet I suspect won't be noticed for some time.

noodlezombie mentioned this at the end of his recent post. He said he connected it to one of the tech room entries. I'm thinking "The Rift", part II specifically, but that's just a hunch. I remember mentioning the "deepness" that is referenced in both The Rift and the Ken mission, but that discussion never really went anywhere. Having not played WiH in a while there's really nothing else I remember that I can pick up on.

Anyone have speculation to add?

[-Sara-]

I hope we can really keep this conversation focussed on only this topic (unless a mod merges it anyway). For the other speculations there was: http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=70799.0


Anyway, let's sum up what we have in (almost) each mission:

- We exit, often through subspace. Subspace holds many unexplained mysteries.
- Laporte becomes 'combat high'. The amazone warrioress awakens.
- Friends die. If it's not a wingman then it's a friendly vessel, often a capital ship. We do not know if Simms survives. Laporte survives the engagements. Like Simms mentioned, for some very typical (almost scary) reason she seems to be spared each time again.
- The GTVA bugs out. It saves up it's forces and reduces casualties. We do not get to finish off many ships unless we really try.
- There are constant hints to Shivans, mainly through Ken and Laporte raining down destruction in much the same fashion as Shivans have. She also has a device with quantum wave technology.
- ??
- PROFIT


SUBSPACE:

Subspace seems to connect more than just systems, it connects entire realities and seems to house through some means the essence of the Vishans I think. Something odd or wacky may come from subspace, or worse a more permanent subspace anamoly may form. Perhaps over-using subspace does terrible things to space! The ending may hold something in this direction, or not.

COMBAT HIGH:

Laporte's bloodlust may grow steadily. Perhaps she will rise to a position of influence where she triggers more war and destruction. Does she cause infighting within the UEF or perhaps presses on to Delta Serpentis after a bloodied victory? This girl may get out of hand, or get at odds with Sam Bei.

FRIENDS DIE. LAPORTE SURVIVES:

Many more friends may die, or on a larger scale, the UEF may be defeaten. Laporte may have to flee or lead an exile, perhaps (but not per se) bound to get revenge someday. Laporte seems to survive each time. She might be a very valuable pawn in a larger power it's hands. She is seemingly spared against many odds.

GTVA BUGS OUT:

The GTVA may lose the battle. Unforseen events, such as Vasudan intervention or a Vasudan retreat may force the hand of the non-Sol terrans. Or equally bad, tactical mistakes may be made or otherwise unforseen UEF strategies may force the GTVA out of Sol (or into a treaty).

SHIVANS:

The UEF is losing the war or a pivotal battle and Laporte may use her quantum wave device. It might trigger Shivans who come to destroye the GTVA. While Laporte saves Sol this way, she opened a Pandora's box and the Shivans long ago stopped playing fair. Laporte may have sold Sol's soul to the metaphorical devil.

[Snail]

The Jester was fixated upon something he called a 'deepness' which he could not describe.

I think this is super importent and has something to do with subspace and interdimensional shifts and giant spacetime-consuming worms

[Droid803]

Mmm yes, the worms.

[-Sara-]

The Jester was fixated upon something he called a 'deepness' which he could not describe.

I think this is super importent and has something to do with subspace and interdimensional shifts and giant spacetime-consuming worms

Or total destruction of all sentient life, a void, by the lack of a trinity. No more preserving and too much destruction may destroye any able race which could have joined this trinity.

[Shivan Hunter]

Found my post, I mention the deepness here. It's being set up to be a major huge plot point, but there are no specifics yet... are there? The stuff I mentioned in my post is really the only research I've done on the subject.

Ttuta says that foreshadowing for this particular plot twist is staring us in the face, but I'm generally not the one to pick up on subtle hints.

Are there other possibilities? The Jester said that "something unspeakably terrible would happen within the next 50 years", which places it squarely in the BP2 timeframe. The forces at work are obviously more powerful than either Terrans or Vasudans- the Vishnans are extradimensional and the Shivans have Cthulhu knows how many juggernaughts at their disposal- which means that something like complete eradication of several star systems is possible. Strictly speaking, complete eradication of the entire Terran and Vasudan species is possible very easily but that would effectively end the plot, so it's unlikely to happen before the end of BP3.

[Aardwolf]

[/lurk]

Something in each mission? "Laporte"

[lurk]

[Mars]

Death, destruction of ships, subspace.

[-Sara-]

Space stares us into the face each mission. As does the Solarian sun. I hope it doesn't go nova. I also hope I didn't ruin a good storyline if I guessed it right.

[Shivan Hunter]

It seems to me he means more "subtle hints" in each mission. Something the pilots say, something we might mistake for an offhand comment or idiom... something that would be there to 'miss'. I'm going to replay the campaign to see if there's something I pick up on.

[-Norbert-]

The Jester said that "something unspeakably terrible would happen within the next 50 years", which places it squarely in the BP2 timeframe.

A civil war among the terrans in which civilian areas have been bombarded with nukes would do justice to his prediction I think.
Or maybe he meant the lost peacefullness and innocence of the people of Sol. Surely the (mostly) peacefull Solarians are slipping deeper and deeper into the spiral of hate and revenge the more they lose to the GTVA.

[Rodo]

Blah, the sun is always there as well....

NOVA THAT HIDROGEN SPHERE!

[Snail]

The Jester said that "something unspeakably terrible would happen within the next 50 years", which places it squarely in the BP2 timeframe.

A civil war among the terrans in which civilian areas have been bombarded with nukes would do justice to his prediction I think.
Or maybe he meant the lost peacefullness and innocence of the people of Sol. Surely the (mostly) peacefull Solarians are slipping deeper and deeper into the spiral of hate and revenge the more they lose to the GTVA.

I think it's got more to do with the universe and subspace at large than just this relatively small-but-nasty limited-to-one-system civil war. I think it's clear the "deepness" is about the Blue Planet setting in general (ie. alternate universes, the big 3 species, mythological **** and such) rather than just this war. The nuking of civilian areas doesn't really count to me as being "unspeakably terrible". Pretty ****ing terrible but not so freaking terrible as to cause you to go maaaad.

tldr the deepness is probably not to do with the UEF becoming evil. because that's pretty easily describable. i just described it right there

[r17]

[/lurk]

Something in each mission? "Laporte"

[lurk]

Laporte is the door.

[MatthTheGeek]

And Brie is a genre of cheese.

[-Norbert-]

Somehow Bei and Laporte remind me of Revan and the Exile from Kotor.
One is the heart of the force, the other a wound in the force, whatever consequences that might have in the third part (if there's ever going to be one).

Even the official gender would fit with Revan/Bei being male and exile/Laporte being female. And all four fight a tangible enemy that is only a symptom of the real enemy beyond the horizon.
Of course there is no magical force involved in BP, but those two pairs seem similar anyway to me.

[Mars]

Never mind actually, I don't want to guess right.

[Satellight]

Never mind actually, I don't want to guess right.

Exactly the same for me, I just want to be shockingly amazed by the future revelations.

[bigchunk1]

Alright, I've got it. Guessing the ending for BP may be difficult, but it will have one quality for certain...

It will be insane.

Battuta says it has to do with a hint present in every mission which is literally staring everyone in the face. Well that can only mean one thing. The constellation Orion. Sitting far off to the side embedded in every single mission's skybox.

Oh how prey tell does Orion fit into all of this? The name of a grandiose Freespace destroyer also the name of a constellation, also the name of some ancient Greek warrior? Well you just keep reading.

Admiral Byrne says the UEF has no chance by winning this war through force of arms, and I believe him because the Fedayeen have something mad in store for the Tevs.

You know who Samuel and Father Bei are searching for at the ending cut scene? Shivans. That's right... they are calling the great destroyer to unleash damnation upon their foes at the risk of civilization itself.

And lest we forget Orion, the iron fist of the Shivans plan to obliterate the failed human race with apocalyptic doom. The Shivans set each of Orion's stars ablaze in a supernova chain reaction while slingshoting the fiery masses of destruction towards several worlds throughout GTVA controlled space by using the gravity of black holes. The Terrans are decimated and plea with the Fedayeen, but it's too late for both of them, because neither one is in control of their fate any longer.

The Shivans invade and do what they do best. They eradicate Terrans, Vasudans, UEF forces... all life must be purged.  The GTVA UEF coalition of the damned are helpless to stop the Shivan threat which encroach upon their systems through both time and space. Using newly upgraded 'youcannotgetawayfrommenowsuckers' drives.

Thousands.... no wait... millions no wait... countless Vishnan warships emerge to bring balance to this otherwise impossible and reckless foe, for what is there to preserve if life does not exist. The physical plane of space is overwhelmed by the endless number of consistently warping ships such that the universe fragments into infinite dimensional planes of existence and space as we know it has morphed into continuous vibrating wavelengths of energy, without position and without dimension. Subspace is not subspace and time is not time. A broken equation, an ultimately incalculable scenario. The Vishnans have completed their task of preventing the universe from going off balance because an undefined equation can never yield 'false'.

You were worried about supernovas? Well prepare to be blown into the next universe, because this primal form uncontained energy is the recipe for a second big bang. A universe reset.

Boom.

Billions of years later, every subatomic particle falls into its rightful place and events take their course, moving and shaping themselves into fantastically an exact copy of the previous universe. Time manifests the events of the second universe right up until the point where the war in heaven begins. The Vishnans saved the universe, the first time... Will it happen again?

Spoiler:

Yes because this time the GTD Imperiose fails to jump in and the GTD Cartheage gets destroyed.

I know, I guessed everything. Call me Sherlock Holmes. 

[crizza]

Nice one, but the Beis are searching for the vishnans...