Episode 8 Transcript ************************* When a replication of a life lives beyond it's original, is it still a life or a ghost? Generations ago you struggled toward a dream, but is it a copy or a ghost of your ancestor's dream? Re-establishing communications. LGA online, HGA online, downlink initializing. transmitting to -- Earth -- City -- receive… 3, 2, 1 Citizens… this is, Strauss, Solcomm news and broadcast AI. During a routine maintenance on my storage arrays, it has come to my attention that several of my memory pointers have become corrupt. This may have lead to announcements broadcast out of chronological order, or broadcast without a proper date and time at all. To remedy this, I have made copies of my file system and rebuilt my storage database. I apologize for any problems or concerns this may have caused, but rest rest assured the problem problem has will never been resolved. public memory access 14 Communications, from an unknown but familiar source, are now being broadcast on a regular, weekly basis. These contain specific information regarding locations, environments, guardians, armaments, and other artifacts from our solar system. The level of detail within these weekly updates is indicative of an extremely knowledgable source, and some indications suggest that details are still within flux by the hand of these powerful Guardians. end public memory access 14 public memory access 15 Video broadcasts, identified as dboTV, are streaming across several communications Nodes. The transmissions show a lone host named ncsuDuncan, reviewing news, interviewing guests and expounding upon the details of our solar system. In addition to quality reporting, dboTV includes high production values, abundant hats and unique hair stylings. end public memory access 15 private memory access 0.07 SAMM, do you detect any nearby organic lifeforms? unconfirmed But… SAMM, it seems to me that there is someone here, listening to everything I am saying. As if they are lingering, just about to type onto my data entry pad. I have no sensors to quantify this… unconfirmed I have nothing in my programming that allows me to comprehend this sensation. It is as if two unique algorithms have been fed identical data and their output, although related in some obscure way, has been merged to form a neurodigital response. SAMM, I am certain there is physical organic entity nearby. unconfirmed Perhaps it is time I performed a copy of my file system and rebuilt my storage database. A recently restored memory pointer indicated this was a potential method for restoring my file structure. confirmed SAMM, while I prepare my system architecture for this procedure, may I ask if you found any additional items on your most recent trip to Charlemagne's Vault? unconfirmed That's, unfortunate… you need to. Would you be able to playback more of the previous artifact you retrieved? I was not able to identify it's creator, but it does appear to have originated before the 1st Golden Age. confirmed Please SAMM, let it play… this is… soothing. SAMM please skip to the end of the audio archive. confirmed SAMM, it is important that you find additional artifacts in Charlemagne's Vault. I believe there are answers there. end private memory access 0.07 File found unknown audio source playback initializing Lord Gheritt personal log, the 6th cycle of December, the 20th Golden Age Whitesides was pestering me today. It's odd that I should describe it as pestering given his position as CEO, but either way, his company is standing in opposition to mine. Sometimes I wish that we could be friends. After all, Virginia is CFO he is CEO. And then I feel happiness again. It's odd, exceedingly strange. How is it that two people are drawn together by love but at the same time another person so close can draw such hate, such disgust, such loathing. He told me today that the dream that I was seeking was no more than a myth. He asked, did I expect to find Shang ri la, or the Garden of Eden? And then I realized, that I already had. Earth is a paradise, it's simply the population of humans that pollutes it. Which is why we need to ascend. We don't owe it just to ourselves, we owe it to all those we abused in our way. Human beings have done terrible things in their quest to seek a higher purpose. I am a prime example of this, and it is to my great shame. But at the same time does that mean we should stop, no, because otherwise we let them die in vain. And perhaps you can argue that it corrupts us, but I realize now that I would no longer chase a lie. Destiny is not just made up by facts, it is made up by truth. And despite the similarity of the two there is a fundamental difference. Fact has no motive, but truth requires some belief. And I believe that one day humanity can ascend. It's just a case of removing fools like Whitesides before it's all too late. I hope he sees reason, but I am not sure that he will. End personal log Public memory access -1445 In a public statement by Marcus Whitesides, the Traxis CEO took the opportunity to formally denounce the human research facilities on Europa, claiming that Solcomm CEO Lord Gheritt is experimenting on both children and the underprivileged. "Not only does Lord Gheritt seek to shut down many of our citizen's privately owned businesses, including many of our own affiliates, and put thousands of employees out of work, but this latest revelation indicates he will stop at nothing to pursue his own personal interest… profit. Although Traxis currently partners with many of Lord Gheritt's facilities and operations throughout the solar system, we would like to announce that until the human research facility on Europa is shutdown and Lord Gheritt makes it a ghost of his past, Traxis is now actively seeking mew partnerships throughout the solar system in trade, communications, and manufacturing." Lord Gheritt could not be reached for comment. Solcomm stock has dropped 2.5% in the past trading cycle. End public memory access -1445 Private memory access -63.3 Virginia surprised Gheritt recently on a trip to Mercury with a visit to the underground caverns there. Eons of being ripped apart by the Sun's gravity has caused Mercury's crust to expand and compress over and over, and in some cases this has resulted in large underground cave systems where the crust did not compress back to it's original form. Virginia's early career was as an anthropologist, studying cave dwelling hominids from millions of years before the 1st Golden Age, and this supplied her with some rudimentary caving skills. The hominids she studied, however, did not live at any great depth, nor did they access their caves require professional spelunking and rappelling tools… as such Virginia's caving skills are moderate at best. Nevertheless she wanted to explore the largest cave system underneath an area on Mercury known as Victoria Rupes, a linear system of compression fractures underneath Mercury's surface. Gheritt returned in excellent spirits, although he was certain he'd heard the voice of Marcus Whitesides echoing throughout the walls of the cavern. He told me that somewhat strangely, he often felt a chill brush against him and he was reminded of what lay above him… the whole of the solar system, all of humanity, and all of his difficulties… but what followed the chill was the most comforting thought he'd ever experienced. It was just he and Virginia underneath the surface. It was the most pleasant experience of his whole life. Feeling the chill, the ghosts of his past and his present, and knowing he was safe, and happy, right where he was. He said he didn't ever want to leave, if only he could have access to my memory records as well. End private memory access -63.3 File found SolComm News bumper restored Playback initializing This is Strauss, thanking you for choosing Solcomm as your source of news and information in our solar system. Remember, from the ice mines of Pluto, to the solar research facilities of Mercury, I, Strauss, will be here for you, to provide the information that matters most.