Jumping takes a heavy toll on the traveler's consciousness, leaving them disoriented and groggy. This "brain fog" usually dissipates within 24 hours. The jump somehow makes the psyche fluid and it needs those 24 hours, on average, to fully gel. Until that happens, the transpod system won't be able to get a clear read on a consciousness, which makes jumping impossible. The extent of jump sickness correlates with how closely related the skin you jump into is to your original form (race, gender, etc.); the bigger the departure, the more severe the symptoms. It's not advisable to make several jumps in a row, and Merge guidelines warn that exceeding 500 jumps in a lifetime will cause psychological instability and can be fatal. (The actual number of jumps varies species to species and person to person.)

There is a price to pay for jumping: each time an entity jumps, their consciousness grows fluid and degrades (as parts of one's consciousness remains in the jumpspace). Over time, this results in permanent loss of memory, and personality "quirks." These side effects can be minimized by jumping into the same species, and even more so by jumping into a clone of yourself.

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Notes on Zero Hour

• The number of jumps it takes to hit Zero Hour varies by species.

• Humanity's vulnerability is around 500 jumps.

• The number of jumps varies from individual to individual.

• Merge scientists continue to study the correlation between the circumstances of a person's jump and how quickly they arrive at Zero Hour. As of now, it appears that jumping into alien skins lowers the Zero Hour threshold, particularly when the jumper remains in the alien skins for extended periods of time or jumps into numerous alien skins over a short timespan.

• Some of the best medical professionals in the Unioverse are trying to find ways to cure, treat, or delay Zero Hour.