Stories

After my misadventures from the previous entry, I elected to turn my attention back to the task set before my by my mysterious benefactor. I clambered aboard the Talon as soon as it arrived and turned my nav target to the third point, which happened to be the first point I’d been given in this system. I was already on the target planet of Amptonbea Kiha, but it seemed I was on the wrong pole – or at least in the wrong hemisphere. No matter, though. One of the perks of owning a starship (or two) happens to be that long-distance travel suddenly becomes much quicker. I turned the nose skyward, flying vertically at upwards of 200 meters per second. Once I’d cleared the atmosphere the engines were freed from wind resistance, which boosted my max speed to roughly 12,500 m/S and shortened the previous travel estimate from sixteen hours to about thirty seconds. I landed on the far side of the planet around dusk. I was briefly confused at first, since I’d only just watched the sunrise as I’d waited for the Talon, but I quickly realized that it should have been expected; after all, I’d just flown to the other side of the world. After taking a moment to get my bearings, I started toward a large stone monument. I’m not entirely sure how to describe this place. It felt both natural and artificial at the same time. Crisp, clean lines marked the edges of every form, but these edges were scattered such a way as to suggest they’d fallen randomly, purposelessly. Stairs led up to an elevated platform which lay at the middle of a larger ornate section of the structure, and this piece -at least- appeared to have some purpose. The platform held an odd circular dais, which whirred and glowed slightly as I climbed the steps. The structure was absolutely alien to its surroundings, as though it had been transplanted there by some giant hand playing with a toy figure. The material of which it was constructed was different from anything I’d seen before – except, perhaps, the word stones, the Knowledge Stones I’d encountered many times already. In fact, three of these very stones marked the corners of the monument. Noticing these, I realized that the two must somehow be related. It stood to reason, after all, that if the smaller structures are meant to convey the meanings of words to a system, then perhaps the larger structure had an even greater purpose to serve, even greater knowledge to share. I stood on the edge of the dais, staring at the center in an effort to discern how to activate the structure. It seems my presence on the platform was enough, because in a moment words formed themselves in my mind, odd fragments of broken speech. Without thinking I responded, “It is Traveller.” I don’t know why. It’s odd to be asked questions like that, out of nowhere and with no clear indication of whether I, personally, was being asked. However, something clearly noticed my reply; as I spoke I was overwhelmed with a sudden feeling of being watched closely. I hesitated before responding. There was no way to know whether I was first, but it was unsettling to consider the alternative, to say the least. “It is first,” I answered hesitantly. I don’t know how it spoke to me. I can’t say whether the words were actually uttered, or just an echo in my mind. The structure looks worn, weathered, and unfathomably ancient. I can’t escape the feeling that it’s asked these same questions many, many times before. I wonder… has it asked me before? Words come to me once more: All at once I was absolutely certain I was the intended audience. The Crimson Eye… it’s been haunting me ever since I first awoke all that time ago on the planet where I met Carl. It’s chased me across planets, across solar systems even, and undoubtedly has played a major role in setting me on the path I now follow. I’m still not quite certain what that path is, but I now know that I must follow it to the end. My own curiosity will allow for nothing less. So, I speak my response with confidence. “Both.” The words fade from my awareness, and I reel back from the dais, almost falling off of the platform. Likelihood of anomaly… that must be me. Having two completely unrelated systems refer to me as such – the emergency beacon at the Pillar’s crash site, and now an alien Monolith in a completely different star system – was too great a coincidence to accept. I must be the anomaly to which they refer… whatever that means. And the second part: “The Boundaries Fall. The Walls Collapse. Your Universe awaits.” My mind drifts back over the days, weeks, however long it’s been since the day after I awoke from a dream which wasn’t a dream. I remember the odd glowing orb which turned out to be Nano, whom I’d only met in that sleeping world. I recalled the feeling of power, of something strange and wrong tearing through reality when I tried to make contact. The walls collapse. Could that be the walls they’re talking about? The walls between realities? I don’t like the sound of that… Your universe awaits. My universe? Was this all somehow created for me? Was… was I created for it? Find us, Traveller. …I’ve procrastinated long enough. It’s time to take action. I turn my ship to the stars, following a beacon which has been pulsing since the I arrived back at the Talon. We’ll see what comes of that in due time. Within moments of breaching the atmosphere my ship’s computer alerted me to an incoming transmission from an unknown source. Drawing on prior experience, I pinged the ship’s scanner to try and locate the signal’s origin. It was like I’d set off a beacon of my own – an interstellar signal flare. There was a blinding flash directly in front of me as a space station – an entire space station – warped into orbit directly above Amptonbea Kiha. I hit my “space brakes” – reversed thrust until I came to a standstill – and stared in awe for a moment until my mind caught up to events. The station was a perfect sphere, dark grey in color. I slowly closed my mouth as I watched, and similarities started to click into place for me. The material and design of the station seemed to be in one unnaturally large piece of greyish black, dense material carved into such a perfect curve that I knew no living being had constructed it. In fact, the station seemed very similar in form and substance as the monuments and knowledge stones I’d been encountering all throughout my journey so far. And my navigation systems were pointing me directly toward it. Was this my destination? The place where I’d finally learn all the answers I’d come to desire – where I’d come from, why I was there, what my purpose was? Could it possibly be that I was about to meet the entities who had been guiding me for so long? Well… yes, and no. Numbly, I guided the Talon toward the entry aperture, my heart thudding in anticipation as the autopilot took over the landing maneuver. I was taken into a room just as perfectly spherical as the outside of the station – the “Anomaly,” as ASIS identified it to me (another one?) – where my ship touched down on the one and only landing pad, dead center on a circular platform with only one exit: a shallow ramp leading to an ominous door with three reddish circles on it, which sealed off access to what appeared to be yet another spherical chamber. Cautiously, I exited the Talon, leaving all systems engaged just in case I needed to make a quick escape (memories of the biological horrors flitted across my vision briefly). The door opened automatically as I approached, and I was met with a truly confounding sight. Inside the spherical chamber was a circular platform suspended in the center of the chamber. The platform ran around what appeared to be a blue column of energy, with no clear point of origin above or beneath, and which coalesced into a sort of living embodiment of pure energy a couple of meters above the platform. Just above this was a viewing stand, complete with an observation terminal of some kind, as though one was supposed to use that to monitor whatever was going on with the beam. Other than that, the room was just like the one I’d left, with two other doors leading away, some sort of massive container on the right-hand end of the platform- And two innocuous beings – A Gek and a Korvax – who smiled amiably when I walked in, as though to an old friend. Cautiously, I approach the closest one, whom ASIS identifies as Priest Entity Nada. I would wonder at how my exosuit’s computer knows the identity of one who I’d never met before, but for several similar encounters I’d already had. Obviously, it picked up identifying information from the Korvax’s own systems. Hesitantly, I approach and greet the being, on whose faceplate a digital eye regarded me with robotic interest. The panels and systems go idle as Nada speaks the word, clearly and in my own tongue. They wait quietly while I slowly come to realize that something is expected of me. Slowly, I respond in kind. “…sixteen.” I can’t for the life of me fathom what the Korvax is getting at, until I get a notice from ASIS of a request for my “milestone data” – apparently, ASIS keeps tabs on everything that I do, from how many units I’ve accrued, to how many and which species I’ve discovered; from how many worlds I’ve visited, down to even how many steps I’d taken. Not certain what sort of useful data Nada could get from that, I reluctantly agree (if only for the implied reward) to transmit the data. To my surprise, ASIS pings again as the Korvax transfers 1400 nanite clusters into my account. I’m at a loss – this is the currency used at every station and shop I’d yet encountered. It’s not all that easy to come by, and it’s the preferred currency for any technology exchange, be it blueprints or pre-made modules. With this, I could easily improve any of the major systems on which I depend for my very survival! But… why give me this? And what should I understand? I try to ask, but Nada seems uninterested in explaining, turning back to its panels. Apparently it had gotten what it wanted in my “milestone data,” and had nothing more to say unless I could provide more data. I slowly passed by the indifferent Korvax, turning my attention to the odd little Gek standing a little way behind him. The creature hadn’t interrupted our encounter, demonstrating either an advanced sense of etiquette, or some mild fear. Now as I approached, it smiled once more in greeting. At this point I realized that neither of these entities were actually speaking in my tongue. ASIS was automatically translating as they spoke, and playing the result directly into my ears. But, why do that so effortlessly with these two creatures, and not with every other one I’d encountered? I had no chance to dwell on this as the Gek wiped a grease-stained hand on it’s grease-streaked suit and presented it to me, introducing itself as Specialist Polo, Fugitive of the Gek. I blinked. Fugitive? That’s an odd thing to admit up front, for one. But the Gek I’d met until now seemed quite peaceful, concerned with little beyond trade. What could this one have done to be considered a fugitive? I don’t have to wonder long. As though hearing my thoughts, the Gek went on to explain that they’d given up trade, units, and all material possessions to flee into an anomaly outside space and time with a robotic priest. All things considered, they seemed fairly happy about the situation. Naturally, this revelation spawned dozens of new questions in my mind, but I wasn’t given the opportunity to present them, as Polo immediately pressed me for information as well. They wanted to know about my travels, and what sentient species I’d encountered. Nonplussed, I answered honestly, utterly confused as to what the heck was going on. Suddenly delighted, Polo turned to Nada with an enormous smile – though I suppose all Gek smiles are enormous, given that their mouths take up most of the lower half of their amphibian-looking faces. Polo returned its gaze to me, poring over the information I’d already given, seeming to compare it to what I’d said for accuracy. I was suddenly glad to have been honest; it would’ve been awkward to be caught in a lie, especially over something that seems so inconsequential as what species I’d encountered. Others, Polo said, driving my thoughts back toward the recent path. Others like the friendly Vy’Keen traders? Or others like Nano, the entity I’d encountered across dimensions? The Gek’s words seemed to imply that there was more to the question that was apparent on its surface, but I simply couldn’t fathom what the exact meaning was. Whatever Polo had intended, the Gek didn’t elaborate. It applauded the data I’d given them and embraced me, to my surprise, as it offered to craft me a special new technology for my multitool. It claimed that we are now bonded in “Glorious Friendship.” The strange little being then gave me a blueprint for an access card of some sort. Again, before I could say a word, Polo turned to me with a request. By “our home,” I could only assume they meant this space station. As for finding “interesting stories,” I wasn’t sure exactly what they meant, but I suddenly had a feeling that this was important. They’d asked about where I’d been, what I’d seen, who I’d met, and while I had some experiences to share, it clearly wasn’t what they were expecting of me. In fact, they had greeted me with such familiarity that I now suspected they knew more about my origins than they let on. This only made more sense when I realized that everything up until now had led me here. “You will find us, when you are ready,” and “Find us.” Us. These two had been guiding me so far, but to what end I still cannot fathom. All I can do now is follow their advice – continue exploring, searching for truth out there in the stars. Perhaps something out there will trigger dormant memories in my mind, make me realize who I actually am, or where I’m from. Perhaps I will learn the truth of myself, or perhaps they want me to discover something more… I am dedicated now. I must go down to the worlds I once flew by, searching for beings to speak to, to learn from, and by doing so perhaps I will be able to present something to my hosts which will convince them to help me discover even more… Hmm… actually, I’m starting to think I’ve already learned something. I’m meant for this, it feels right. I am meant to explore, to discover, to study. I will log what I can, and report my findings here. For now, I’m going to focus my study on the Vy’Keen, and do what I can to learn their language and history. In doing so, who knows, maybe I’ll learn something about myself? As I continue forward, though, I feel like my own history is not relevant. I can’t see how it matters, now, when there’s so much more out there among the stars to discover, to learn, to know. I can’t wait to get started.

I’m not exactly sure what I expected. I arrived into the Slyuri system with high hopes and eager anticipation, only to find myself diverted to a nearby planet called Xicopius. Vibrant green from the atmosphere, the uniform appearance of the world was quickly cast aside upon approach. Small ridges became yawning mountain valleys, dots of color gave way to massive untapped mineral deposits, and hints of foliage became massive sprawling forests whose leaves glittered in the sunlight with every color of the rainbow. I nearly missed my destination as I admired the scenery, coming in to land near the top of a mountain where an elevated trade platform stood. I was being directed toward an entity in the main terminal, but I was too enthralled by the glowing red-orange of the setting sun streaking across the sky to pay it any mind. With barely any hesitation I leapt from the edge of the platform, using my jetpack to quickly ascend to the very peak. Words cannot properly describe what awaited me there. I watched until the sun dipped below the horizon and the sky deepened to a warm cerulean which suffused across the landscape. Reluctantly, I pulled myself away from the vista and returned to the task at hand. The being awaiting me was another Vy’Keen, this one with pink and green war paint coating its head. My suit’s systems picked up an ID tag in the entity’s possession which labeled it as Captain Ruanxiezh, an absolute mouthful which I didn’t even pretend to try and pronounce properly. Not that it mattered, as once again I’m certain that the entity in front of me was not the source of the voice I heard. The being’s voice was nothing like other Vy’Keen I’d encountered, oddly mechanical behind the guttural vocals typical of the race. Its eyes were distant, as though it weren’t aware of what was happening. Oddly, I understood their every word this time, even if I still don’t know what they meant. The being offered me a blueprint. To my surprise, it seemed to be instructions to create my own antimatter. This would make further interstellar travel easier, though I have to wonder about how casually these plans seem to toy with the very laws of physics. Apparently, digitized products can be combined mathematically in ways which would be impossible otherwise. I don’t understand why I’m being led down this trail, but I will not stop now. I sense a greater purpose awaiting me. What it is I cannot fathom, but I am eager to continue along this path. Well… maybe in a day or two. I want to see more of this beautiful world. A kindly Vy’Keen trader offered me this fighter for a very reasonable price! I call it the Talon Rake. It’s an improvement on the Radiant Pillar, certainly, but I couldn’t bring myself to sell it. The local trade platform has graciously allowed me to park it there until I either change my mind, or can send for it. So. It’s been a while since my last log entry. There’s a good reason for that. In short, I did something very stupid. In the time I spent on Xicopius (three Sol’s, all told, and most of it exploring just the area surrounding the trade platform) I found many more of those odd cylinders from so long ago. Where before I’d been granted a vision of a battle from long ago, I was now only gifted knowledge of certain words in the Vy’Keen tongue. I don’t know who left these stones of knowledge – no, knowledge stones, that sounds better – but I am grateful to whoever it was. I found dozens of the objects before leaving Xicopius, and was beginning to feel quite accomplished in my understanding of Vy’Keen language. It would seem I was… overconfident. Sure, I was able to work out the intent of the Vy’Keen on the trade platform easily enough – they were mostly warriors, I discovered, not traders as I’d originally suspected – but my hubris came back to me after I jumped to the next system my exosuit’s guidance system was directing me toward. (Side note: I’m getting tired of referring to it so mechanically, so I’ve given my guidance system a name. I took inspiration from the words I first heard upon awakening, all those Sols ago – Commencing Atlas Suit Initialization Sequence. Since then I’ve come to think of the automated voice I keep hearing as my Atlas Suit Interface System – ASIS. It doesn’t respond to the name, but it makes me feel better to have a name to shout when I get annoyed.) Upon reaching Rayvoria, I was directed toward a world which ASIS’ scan returned as an Acrid Planet. I didn’t feel terribly compelled to go directly there, so I went to the local space station instead. Here I met two entities, one of whom gave me more questions which need answering, while the other made me realize just how little I still know. The first was a Vy’Keen whose name I didn’t catch, but I approached them with confidence after briefly reviewing my suit’s linguistic records. Luckily, ASIS’ translation systems seem to automatically replace the original sounds of the entity’s language with the corresponding words that I understand. Unfortunately, there was no translation given for the what was spoken. The creature’s body language suggested that it was making some sort of request, and so I (naively) agreed, thinking perhaps I’d get a better understanding when he spoke again. He didn’t, though. Instead, he transmitted a simple contract into ASIS’s system: a dossier for an ongoing missing-persons case. No name, no details, just the last-known location of the entity in question. I tried to protest this to the Vy’Keen, but it was clear he either couldn’t understand my words, or didn’t care. I was stuck with it. The other creature I met was like none I’d ever seen before. It wore a purple jumpsuit with armor similar to my own, but that was where the likeness ended. Its skin was a vibrant yellow, its face as wide as its shoulders with large, bulbous eyes, each the size of my closed fist, jutting outward on strangely motile masses from the sides of its skull. Two more protrusions poked vertically from these masses, doubling the height of the head on their own. Whether these were antlers, ears, or some other vestigial feature from ages past, I had no way of knowing. Oddly, the creature didn’t truly seem real as I approached. There was an unusual shine about it’s person, almost as though it were a hologram of some kind. But that’s not possible… right? I hesitantly greeted the being in my own language, and it astonished me by responding not only in familiar words, but with a fluency that suggested an odd kinship of sorts between me and this entity, whom ASIS had tagged as “Tr.avel/er Pepinash” It was odd, to say the least. Once again, I understood the words but not the meaning behind them. I tried to ask for clarification, but the entity – the Traveller, I suppose – ignored my inquiry, as though it didn’t understand my words. In fact, the being seemed disinterested in anything whatsoever. I was about to leave when it suddenly reacted – something in my pack had attracted its attention! Curious, I opened my inventory screen by the creature, passing by one item after another until it reacted, to no avail. After a few minutes of this, I sighed and swiped the screen again, meaning to close it and move on, when the Nanite Cluster header flashed erratically, in time with the odd shimmer around Pepinash. Thinking quickly, I asked the question which had been burning into my mind for the last few minutes: “Where did you come from?” There was a flicker, and suddenly my balance lost 100 nanites. Pepinash spoke not a word, but ASIS dinged another alert – Coordinates Received The being went still. I touched it gently on the shoulder, and it seemed solid, but reacted to nothing around it. Still, it had given me some information, which was better than nothing. Only, now I had more questions: What exactly was Pepinash? Why did it behave that way? Where is it from? And over all that, why did no one else in the station seem to notice the strange being? Disconcerted and mildly annoyed, I departed the station shortly after that interaction. Checking my navigation system, I learned that the two new destinations I’d been given – the Missing Persons report, and the ostensible origin of Pepinash (marked as Unknown Grave by ASIS, oddly) – were a very short distance from each other on the planetary surface, as well as from the nav marker ASIS had given me upon entering the system. So, I decided to take out two drones with one beam, as it were. I went first to the Unknown Grave, out of sheer morbid curiosity. There happened to be a landing pad nearby, and so I left it behind and crested the hill leading toward the gravesite. What I found was perplexing to say the least. It was an oblong diamond, pale ivory in color with golden highlights at each corner. In its core was a sphere of orange and black, which seemed to float independently of the main mass. Oh. Did I mention that the whole thing floated about two feet off of the ground? Anyway. I don’t know why, but I felt compelled to reach out and grab the core of the device. As soon as I touched it, the device powered on and began emitting a holographic display of a familiar figure: Traveller Pepinash. It spoke in pained tones, as though dying: Included with the message was an encoded glyph, which had also been etched onto the pale gravestone. Somehow I knew this would be useful to me in the future, but I didn’t know how just yet. My mind buzzed. What are the Sentinels? It was such a mind-bogglingly simple question, and yet even I had never thought to ask. These beings are on every planet I come to, guarding the resources strewn across each world, down to the smallest pebble. But, why? Where did they come from? What, if any, is their greater purpose?D I made a mental note to keep an eye out for more Travellers in the future. Something about them is oddly familiar, and if more of them appear to me I just may learn a bit more about my own origins. After leaving the grave, I decided to go on-foot to the next destination – the missing person’s last known location. Unfortunately, I forgot to account for a couple of things. First off, the planet I was on had a toxic environment, and had forgotten to resupply my sodium reserves since leaving Tuzesinto VI. This obviously meant I was woefully unprepared for such a long trek across the planet’s surface, and the decision to walk the distance – which had seemed so insignificantly small from orbit – led me straight into a fight for survival, pitted against the very elements. The other thing I forgot was that Sentinels are very touchy when it comes to disturbing planetary resources. The sun had been set for hours before I depleted my sodium reserves. Carelessly, I went directly toward a glowing patch of sodium-rich plants (Oddly, these plants and others seem to be identical on many worlds… hmm…) and started to harvest all that I could carry. I didn’t notice ASIS’s warning that I was being watched. The next thing I know, I’m being shot at. I bolt away as fast as possible, throwing myself forward before blasting my jets in an attempt to get a little more speed. It seems to be working for a moment, but then suddenly another one of the little drones just appears out of the ground in front of me and starts firing! Surrounded now, I flip my multitool over to Blaster mode. I’d installed the mod after the close encounter with the burrowing horrors on Desboniu Major so as not to be caught off-guard like that again, and now I was glad to have done so. The blaster was powerful, and in moments I’d dispatched the Sentinel in front of me. By then the other two had caught up, but it was a fairly simple matter to shoot them down, even with the armor plating they put up after my first few rounds hit home. Just when I thought I was safe, ASIS chirps into my ear: Two more drones appear nearby, and I stood there gawping like an idiot until they signaled in a third, unfamiliar drone. This one was a quadruped, which loped along the ground with a measured, steady gait. I was still for too long, and the new drone lined up its sights and fired a massive laser beam directly into my chest. My shields took most of the hit, but they were badly damaged. Finally regaining my senses, I booked it over the nearest ridge and hit the ground running, sprinting as fast as possible. I took another hit from the laser, a glancing blow which still managed to destroy what remained of my shields. I stumbled, but kept on, once again lurching forward to drive a little more speed behind my jetpack’s thrust, putting as much ground between us as possible. It didn’t take long to get out of their firing range, but their dogged pursuit kept me moving. After a couple of kilometers with no reprieve, I decided to duck into a cave I found just after putting a hill between their line-of-sight. According to ASIS, the drones couldn’t detect me now that I was underground. Somehow, though, they seemed all too aware that I was nearby, because they didn’t call off their pursuit. They milled around the entrance to the cave for hours, and I eventually realized I’d have to find another way out. I ventured deeper into the cave to seek out a rear entrance (or exit, whatever), but I soon discovered that the caves ran far deeper than I’d expected. First hours, and then days passed, and all the while I walked aimlessly through the labyrinthine passages. Thankfully the air down there was clear, so I didn’t need my hazard protection systems, but I put my life support to the very test. I moved slowly and carefully, preserving my oxygen for as long as possible, and all the while the cursed Sentinel drones continued their dogged pursuit along the ground above my position. I can only assume that their pursuit is based off of something more than vision. Perhaps the same exosuit modules which provide names to me through ASIS also let the Sentinels triangulate my position? It would explain why they kept following me for so long despite being underground – they were still tracking my systems. After several days of endless wandering through clammy caves, I realized that I was almost directly beneath my destination – only about a kilometer away. Shortly after that, I found what looked to be daylight seeping in from down the passage. I had to make a decision, and there was only one sensible way to go. I had to surface, and put as much distance between me and the drones as I can before they blast me away. A quick check of my HUD showed no drones directly between me and my destination, so I bolted out of my hiding spot as fast as I possibly could. After only a few meters I spotted a blue flower just over the top of the hill I was racing toward. I would have paid it no mind but for the tag ASIS had given it:  Quickly, I harvested the plant’s buds. I didn’t know what would happen, but a boost seemed like a good thing at the moment, so caution was cast aside. The buds burst with shocking speed, releasing spores which flew directly toward my jetpack’s intake vents. I had no time to panic before the pack started vibrating and heating up. There was apparently an excess of energy in the system now, no doubt from those spores, and the only way to reduce it was to burn it. Well, if I had to do it, I was gonna do it right. I sprinted as hard as I could, leapt forward with everything I had, and engaged the jets. Holy crap. Before I jumped, the nav marker on my HUD showed my destination as 1,206m away. Within seconds of engaging the thrusters I was only 500m away, and there was no sign I was slowing down. At this rate I’d pass my destination! No sooner had the thought passed than ASIS chirped an alert:  I fell to the ground from far too high, but there was enough reserve fuel in the pack that I was able to land safely. I was only 250m away. The Sentinels still pursued me, but they were so far away now that I felt certain they’d lost the signal. They had to give up soon. I was right, too! It took less than a minute for ASIS to announce the all-clear. For the first time in days, I wasn’t being pursued, and not a moment too soon – I had arrived at the last known location of our Missing Person. I raced inside as quickly as possible, and had just enough time to curse the fact that you can’t slam automatic doors before I noticed the entity standing inside, staring at me with wide eyed and – for a Vy’Keen – bizarre horror. I had ASIS pull up the missing person’s report, checked a few key features, and heaved an incredibly tired sigh of relief. Pulling up my comms system, I patched into a dedicated frequency, reported his location with barely-masked disgust (seriously, he was right where you’d left him this whole time?!), and promptly fell into a chair, where I’ve been ever since. I’m going to send for my ship from here. Walking is for fools.

ENTRY 009 SURVIVAL LOG BEGIN DICTATION: This morning, I awoke inside Varek's Refuge, climbed forward into my pilot's seat and prepared to lift off. With the launch thrusters fueled and warmed up, I eased back on the stick, and felt my ship rise from the ground. With that, I pointed her nose in the air and went slicing through the sky. There was enough of a cloud cover that my view forward was obscured for a time, but soon enough the Refuge broke into the clear and raced through the ever-thinning air of this world I'd called home for the past week or so. And then ... well, my ship cleared the atmosphere and millions of tiny lights flickered into view, and I found myself with tears running down my face. I was back among the stars, which I'd come to fear would never happen again. But now what? I keyed the control that I hoped would still bring up the map of our Euclid Galaxy, and sure enough, it flashed on my HUD almost instantaneously. The view was puzzling, though. The map told me I was in the Heinff XV star system and that I had just left the surface of Wakuc 73/U4. Neither the star system nor the planet were anything I'd ever heard of before. So, I punched a few more keys to call up a companion program that, I hoped, would give me a reading on where in Euclid I was now. The answer was impossible - and devastating: I was in the Gamma Quadrant, 704,459 light years from the Galactic Center, and perhaps twice that far from my home world of Eden, in the Alpha Quadrant. I confess I wallowed in despair for a bit, but then I noticed an insistent beeping in my ears, and cleared the galactic map so I could see ahead. I saw a familar icon in the upper right of the viewer telling me there was a space station nearby. So, with a deep breath, I locked on to the station signal and prepared to engage my pulse drive to take me there. If there was a station, that meant there was life and civilization here. And something else, too. Hope. END DICTATION My approach to the space station that, I pray, contains some answers to this cosmic mystery.