Story

Lia
Skars… wake up.
SKARS!…

COMMANDER SKARSGARD ABRAXIS!

Skarsgard Abraxis:
Uh… where… wha? wait a minute, who are you?

Lia:
I'll keep the ship lights very low. You have slept for a very long time. My name is Lia.

Skarsgard Abraxis:
I don't know any 'Lia'. The last thing I remember is Platius laughing and saying, 'Fortuna favet fatuis'. Where am I, where is Platius, and who are you?

Lia:
Slowly… Platius created me shortly after he placed you in suspended animation. I was your guardian for the eons that passed. I have watched over and protected you for many cycles.

Lia:
I am part of this ship we are on. We have been in orbit around a stable singularity for many eons… hiding from all that transpired.

Skarsgard Abraxis:
Just how many eons?

Lia:
It is difficult to measure because of the expansion of space, the rift space cataclysm, variations in various cosmological constants….

Skarsgard Abraxis:
Quit stalling, just a round figure….

Lia:
Over 5 billion earth standard years.

Skarsgard Abraxis:
my Gods….
…
WHY? ANSWER ME, WHY???

Lia:
I'm sorry Skars…. All I know is that 'now' is when i was to awaken you. I, and this ship, are now at your disposal. My only instructions from this point forward are to follow your commands.

Skarsgard Abraxis:
None of this makes any sense, or even seems possible. But, I long ago abandoned the concept of 'impossible', so let's take a look. Ship's sensors indicate we are no longer orbiting a singularity…

Lia:
Correct, I warped the ship to a nearby star system to begin the reactivation process. Unfortunately, there appears to be a warp inhibitor in this system so we are stuck here till you do something about it.

Skarsgard Abraxis:
Warp? Inhibitor?

Lia:
Move the ship to 'Tempus'… the world without a shield. Then launch ground activities. I'll explain more once there…

Lia:
Excellent… this world should suffice for demonstrating the core capabilities of the ship.

Skarsgard Abraxis:
There's a Creeper Emitter here!

Lia:
Yes, I'm afraid so. Much has happened while you slept. Dozens of human civilizations rose and fell, each trying ever more desperate measures as the Creeper would always return.

Lia:
The last whispers of the final civilization haven't been heard in many thousands of years. As far as my sensors can ascertain, only ruins remain.

Skarsgard Abraxis:
(Why was I forced to sleep through this all… only to awaken to utter desolation?)

Lia:
Strange… This world seems to contain some manner of pod. Technological remnants are rare, so I would investigate. Follow the ships automated assistance system, and acquire that pod…

Lia:
Excellent… That pod from planet Tempus contained a shield key for this planet. Obtaining it allowed us to lower the shield and access this planet.

Skarsgard Abraxis:
Entire planets shielded? This must have been some desperate attempt to defend against the Creeper.

Lia:
One that sadly failed. The human civilization that developed this shielding technology had high hopes. They accomplished many great and magnificent feats. But the end came for them just like all the others…

Skarsgard Abraxis:
There is a large structure here. This must be the Warp Inhibitor?

Lia:
Yes, these inhibitors restrict warp travel to other systems. We need to destroy this inhibitor so we can leave this system. Destroying the Inhibitor will destroy all other enemies on the map.

Skarsgard Abraxis:
Why would the Creeper, or Loki build Warp Inhibitors?

Lia:
They did not. I recommend acting quickly and getting us out of here Skars. No world is ever safe for long…

Skarsgard Abraxis:
This 'warp' travel is strange to me…

Lia:
Yes, you only ever knew traveling through Rift Space. Rift Space was sealed many millennia ago in an attept to stop the Creeper menace from returning.

Lia:
Unfortunately, it did not work. The Creeper arrived in vessels that could bend the fabric of space-time. Eventually, the few survivors of successive civilizations developed their own warp technology.

Lia:
But no matter how strong and advanced each civilization grew, the Creeper would always eventually return.

Skarsgard Abraxis:
But this ship was constructed before those events. Platius must have known about warp travel and that this ship would need it.

Lia:
Yes, but… things weren't that simple. For now concentrate on gaining access to Starsync. That's where the Warp Inhibitor is in this system.

Skarsgard Abraxis:
I see it at 'Starsync' but it is shielded…. The threat these people faced must have been truly terrifying. Looks like Telos is our only option. I'll fly the ship there and initiate ground actions.

will format later

Lia: Telos… this is a world that has been silent for over 100 thousand earth standard years. –

Abraxis: Lia, do you have any additional information about why I was brought to this time? It seems as if the Creeper has destroyed everything we ever worked to save… –

Lia: I only have the star map we are following. If more information is available, it is locked away and inaccessible in my gel circuits. –

Abraxis: (Perhaps this is my punishment. Perhaps I died many years ago… could this be the mythological cursed realm of Helheim my ancestors believed in? Impossible…)

Lia: Skars, there is a Reactor Tech Artifact on this world. Pick that up as soon as possible. We can use it to generate energy in confined regions.

Abraxis: I see there is also a shield key here. I'll destroy the three emitters and collect that key…

Abraxis: 'Far York'… I know this place. –

Lia: You no doubt remember one epoch of this world. Far York was a mighty world and served as the center of commerce for 13 different civilizations. –

Abraxis: It's nothing but cratered ruins now. –

Lia: Toward the end of its final occupation, the surviving humans scorched the planet with orbital mass drivers. It was an effort to… I suppose it doesn't matter now. –

Lia: Scanners show a Mortar Tech Artifact on this world. That should prove very useful against the emitters in the craters. –

Abraxis: Why isn't this ship already equipped with this weapon technology? –

Lia: It once was, but many things happened over the course of billions of years. This ship isn't the original, I have had to reconstruct and rebuild it many times. Each reconstruction was performed carefully and slowly, so as to not be discovered. –

Abraxis: I'll ask more about that later. For now, lets take out these emitters and pick up that shield key. –

Lia: At last, we have access to the Inhibitor in this system. Unfortunately, this world is a disaster. –

Abraxis: What happened here!?! –

Lia: It appears terrible weapons were used that ripped the world apart. As you are seeing, humanity went to every extreme in its fight with the Creeper. –

Abraxis: The nightmare these people must have experienced… unimaginable. –

Lia: I'm not sure what approach would be best here Skars…. wait, I detect two Tech Artifacts. Excellent…. –

Abraxis: I see them on the scanners. Ore Miner and Sprayer? –

Lia: Yes, build ore mines on those ore deposits you see. They will send ore to the Command Node. From there, it will be processed into Anti-Creeper. –

Abraxis: Ahhh yes, Anti-Creeper. It was my daughter Alia…. (sigh) It was my daughter Aliana, who unlocked the secrets of Anti-Creeper long ago. –

Abraxis: I assume the Sprayer will deliver Anti-Creeper to the battlefield? –

Lia: [Temporarily Offline. Gel Maintenance in process.] –

Abraxis: Maintenance? Now? Looks like some things have not changed in 5 billion years… I'll get right to work on taking out this Inhibitor while you perform 'maintenance' on your gel circuits.

Lia: This is the Navox system. The worlds here have varied histories. –

Abraxis: It seems that Flick and Tiplex are both shielded but the other three worlds are not. –

Lia: Correct. You have a choice as to how to proceed. Scanners show various artifacts scattered across the worlds. So the order you visit the worlds will determine what technologies we acquire first. –

Abraxis: Tiplex is where the Inhibitor is, but it appears to require multiple shield keys. That world must have been more important than others… –

Lia: Choose one of the three worlds and engage ground operations. I'll explain what I know of each world in turn… –

Abraxis: Barren… this world has seen better days. –

Lia: Yes, a very long time ago Jojo was a world with great mountains and vast oceans. Humans across the vastness of time would visit this world for the beauty it offered. –

Abraxis: And now it's a gray rock in space, with wait… What are those strange Towers? –

Lia: In the south there are three Spore Towers, along with three emitters. Fortunately, there is a Beam Tech Artifact on the central island. –

Abraxis: Aerial Spores…. Coincidence? On the first world we encounter with Spores there is also a technology to defend against the Spores? –

Abraxis: This is all so similar to the original exodus of Odin City. I always believed Platius had placed the artifacts we found on our journey… –

Lia: I have no record of Platius since I was constructed. If he was present over the eons, he was very well hidden. –

Abraxis: I see. I'll collect that Beam Tech Artifact and construct several Beam units to defend our base. That should protect the units while I take out the emitters and towers. –

Lia: Oh My… this world is Ormos. It was occupied by the very last human civilization. That civilization went to extreme and extraordinary measures to survive the Creeper. –

Abraxis: I don't understand why so many civilizations would rise and fall. How was the Creeper always able to return? –

Lia: Patience. Extreme patience. When a civilization has existed for hundreds of thousands, even millions of years with no hint of the Creeper, it forgets. –

Abraxis: So the Loki would just wait? After eons had passed, they would send the Creeper again? –

Lia: That was one component to their strategy… Skars, this world was altered during the final conflict. It was a military outpost specifically designed to withstand the Creeper. –

Abraxis: Scanners show no emitters on this world. It must have worked somehow! –

Lia: So they thought. There are no emitters but there is still Creeper. It is trapped inside a subspace rift and will explode onto the terrain once activity is detected. –

Lia: The final humans here managed to alter some physical constants in this region of space. As such, the Creeper flows more slowly than normal. –

Abraxis: With no emitters, our only goal is to collect the Tech Artifacts and the Shield Key. I'll get to that… –

Lia: Yes, but Skars… don't underestimate this Creeper. The Tech Artifacts here are for a Siphon and a Terp. The siphon will let you extract resources from Resource Packs. –

Lia: Even after all these eons, there are still some Energy Packs on this world. Build siphons on them as soon as possible to access their energy. –

Lia: The Terp will allow you to terraform the land. I recommend you repair the damage to the walls of the old ruins. That will keep the Creeper at bay while you build up offensive strength. –

Lia: Once you build a Terp, the Terraform Section of your Command Interface will appear. Just click that button and paint the terrain in a few places to raise or lower it. Any nearby Terps will then go to work. –

Abraxis: Alright, Lia. Let's get this done. –

Abraxis: That's a strange formation around the emitter on this world. –

Lia: Yes, emitters arrived in ever more insidious ways. Dropping from orbit, appearing directly out of Rift Space, subspace slips… –

Abraxis: But why… Lia, in all the eons that have passed have you learned nothing about the Loki's true purpose? Why do they cover all worlds in Creeper? –

Lia: Humans made three attempts to contact the Loki, only one was successful. There was one age, one civilization that was different from all others that came before or after. They called themselves simply the “Seloi”. –

Lia: The Seloi's greatness wasn't in their military might, their governance of a hundred thousand worlds, or the lasting peace they achieved. Their greatness was in the 'serenity' of existence they achieved. –

Lia: They referred to this with a word not in your vocabulary, but what they achieved was an understanding and appreciation of the very fabric of existence. In many ways they discovered the 'meaning' of existence. –

Abraxis: And the Seloi were the ones to contact the Loki? –

Lia: Yes. When the end came for them as it did all others, they sent a message to the Loki pleading not for their lives but for something else. Something they referred to simply as the “Arc”. –

Abraxis: What was the “Arc” and what was the Loki's response? –

Lia: What the Arc referenced is unknown. Perhaps it was a late discovery of some technology by these humans, or perhaps it was a very closely guarded secret. I have no other references to it. –

Abraxis: And the Loki's response? –

Lia: A single statement; “More so than all others, YOU must perish”. –

Abraxis: (Sigh)…. –

Lia: Skars, this world contains two extinct volcanoes. Emitters have taken up residence in each one . I suggest you pick up the Strafer Tech Artifact on this world. –

Abraxis: I got it… The Strafers are aircraft and I can use them to suppress the volcanoes while I deal with the central emitter. –

Lia: Exactly. You will likely need to target two Strafers on each volcano. Don't waste any time… those volcanoes won't wait. –

Abraxis: What in Odin's name…. –

Lia: This used to be 'Flick', a world that supported a population of over 10 billion. It was torn apart by a collision… a big one. Something that the planetary shield couldn't stop. –

Lia: Like all the worlds in this system, this world wasn't even born when you were last awake. This entire system developed, lived, and died while you slept. –

Abraxis: There appears to only be one emitter left on one of the larger asteroids, along with an intact Shield Key and a new Tech Artifact. –

Lia: Look more carefully, Skars. This emitter has deployed Subspace-Slip Emitters. These aren't true emitters, but are channels in subspace that the Master Emitter uses to dispense Creeper. –

Lia: This allows the emitter to deposit Creeper in different locations all at once. The civilization that first encountered this adaptation were crushed in less than one standard earth year. –

Abraxis: Can these Slip-Emitters be destroyed with Nullifiers? –

Lia: In a word, “No”. There is nothing to destroy. They are just rips in subspace that the Master Emitter uses to transport Creeper. The only way to seal them is to destroy the Master Emitter. –

Lia: The best you can do is to establish a foothold on surrounding asteroids, then deploy weapons and AntiCreeper to hold the Slip-Emitters at bay. –

Lia: The Bomber Tech Artifact should prove useful. These air/space craft can deliver AC remotely.

Abraxis: Yes… I'll saturate these asteroids with AC. Then, we'll get out of here. There is nothing left here but death and destruction.

Lia: I was afraid of this. I had hoped it had all been deactivated… –

Abraxis: What now? –

Lia: This is Tiplix, a machine world. It was engineered by the Ticon Empire as a defensive outpost. –

Abraxis: The 'Ticon Empire'? One of the many human civilizations that arose? –

Lia: Yes, they were but one civilization, but they developed in a very militaristic way. They developed massive weapon systems. Entire planets were turned into weapons. –

Lia: Their conflict with the Creeper lasted centuries, longer than any other civilization. But the costs were unthinkable. And in the end, they failed like all the others. –

Lia: The Ticons developed a weapon system they believed would destroy the Creeper once and for all. It was an artificial, self-replicating structure that derived its sustenance from Emitters. It was believed this would 'immunize' worlds from Emitters. –

Abraxis: And did it work? –

Lia: For a while, and to a measure. It worked until the emitters were somehow changed. The emitters adapted to the parasite and turned this weapon, which the Ticon called “Digitalis”, into an asset. Emitters no longer appeared to lose any viability when surrounded by Digitalis.

Abraxis: How did the Ticon people cope? –

Lia: They didn't. The Digitalis had allowed them to survive the Creeper for decades, but in one moment it became their undoing. Once the emitters adapted, the Digitalis no longer destroyed them. Instead it would grow and protect the emitters. –

Abraxis: And it appears as if this Digitalis still exists…

Lia: With regret, it seems so. Skars, the Digitalis is a brutish and simple enemy. It spreads along predefined pathways. But, those paths don't respect terrain elevation. Digitalis is tough, very tough, and your weapons will have difficulty damaging it. –

Lia: What is worse is that The Digitalis replicates rapidly and will fill in destroyed areas with great efficiency. Your best strategy is to try to cut it off from its source. Digitalis requires a connection to an emitter to thrive. If you sever that connection, it will cease to grow and eventually wither. –

Lia: Digitalis also conducts Creeper rapidly and with no loss. So beware of this as it can move Creeper over higher terrain.

Abraxis: If it conducts Creeper, then I suppose Anti-Creeper is also conducted by it? –

Lia: Indeed. Anti-Creeper is conducted as well. Anti-Creeper also slows the regeneration of Digitalis, so use that to your advantage when possible. –

Abraxis: I see there is a Tech Artifact on this world. It appears it will allow the control of a second Command Node… –

Lia: This will be indispensable on this mission, Skars. Collect that tech artifact, then land a second Command Node. This will allow a two front approach and you may be able to take out the emitters that are sourcing the Digitalis. –

Message Artifact Text

Lia: This is most unusual, Skars. Message Artifacts almost never survive contact with the Creeper. This one seems strangely immune. It's almost as if the Creeper intentionally does not destroy certain objects.

Abraxis: What message does it contain?

Lia: I will require some time to process the contents, it isn't exactly encrypted but it isn't in any recognized format either. I should have it processed by the time we reach the next star system…

Skarsgard Abraxis
Any luck cracking the format on that Message Artifact form Tiplex?

Lia
Yes, it appears to be a text from one of the civilizations that followed the Seloi.

Lia
As you recall, the Seloi were the only civilization to ever contact the Loki and get a response.

Lia
The message is a transcript between two researchers who devoted their careers to studying the Seloi.

Lia
The researchers believed the Seloi made a discovery regarding the intent of the Loki. Unfortunately, the message contains not further details or descriptions.

Skarsgard Abraxis
I see perhaps it was just some random data storage device that survived Creeper. It seems as random as our purpose now….

Skarsgard Abraxis
Lia, did Platius give you no instructions… no hint of my purpose? Did he save me just so I could witness the destruction of all things? Was this some form of cruel and unthinkable punishment?

Skarsgard Abraxis
Everyone I ever loved has been gone for billions of years. Even their memories have been erased and crushed by the Creeper….

Lia
Not entirely, Skars. You are here and you still remember them.

Skarsgard Abraxis
True…. Ha… the trouble Dax and Varro got into. With Aliana always trying to talk some sense into Dax. Those were good times, Lia. I wish you could have met them all.

Lia
[Scanning System…]

Skarsgard Abraxis
I suppose that is prudent. let me know what your scans show….

Lia
[…]

Lia
Skars, this system, contains five worlds, four of which are shielded. The shield keys for these worlds appear to all be in this system, so that is some bit of good news.

Skarsgard Abraxis
What's the bad news…

Lia
Some of these worlds are likely to be very hazardous. Energy signature indicate the potential for more than just simple emitters…

Skarsgard Abraxis
Well, with great challenge come the potential for great reward. Perhaps these worlds will also hold clues as to our purpose.

Skarsgard Abraxis
A Ticon outpost?

Lia
You are quickly coming to recognize worlds… good. This world was used by the Ticon Empire, but it appears to be more than a simple outpost.

Skarsgard Abraxis
There is a large structure in the south east and what look like old Totems in the north west? Totems?

Lia
Yes, Totems from your age. Your people used Totems to open rifts into Rift-Space. But, Rift-Space was long ago destroyed, and the Ticons had a hand in that.

Lia
Totems were built by the Ticon people to produce Aether. Aether is formed from the remanants of Rift-Space, so Totems are able to extract it.

Skarsgard Abraxis
That large structure, do you recognize it? How does it relate to the Totems?

Lia
It appear to be a Ticon Forge. I've scanned the schematics so will need some to fully process them. But, take control of that structure and we should be able to upgrade various capabilities.

Lia
The Forge will require Aether, so secure and supply energy to those Totems once you secure the Forge.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Upgrade? Weapons, production, packet speed, things like that I hope…?

Lia
Precisely things like that. I'll need time to bring all of the systems on-line Skars. So you will have limited upgrades on this world, but what I am able to bring on-line should prove useful.

Skarsgard Abraxis
I don't see much of great difficulty here, just a couple emitters around the Forge and the Totems. I should be able to rush in without issue.

Lia
There is a Ticon structure in that base area to the north east. be very cautious, some of the things they experimented with were very dangerous. If that structure is still active, it may defend itself.

Lia
It has also been compromised by the Creeper, so whatever it originally did it's a saef bet it does something that benefits the Creeper now.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Alright Lia, I'll proceed with caution and secure this world.

Lia
Another Shattered world. The last I heard from this world, it was a thriving new colony. There is likely little here of interest.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Don't be so hasty… your Gel circuits must need recalibrating. I see a Message Artifact and a Tech Artifact on the scanners.

Lia
Yes…. yes… you are correct. Not sure why I overlooked those. Perhaps I need to perform Gel maintenance again.

Skarsgard Abraxis
There appears to be an odd anomaly in space. Subspace-slip emitters appear to be floating between the asteroids and space seems warped there!

Lia
I have few records of the Creeper ever acting in this fashion. It is possible to warp space this way, but so far from a gravity well… it would require immense energy. The mass energy of entire stars would be required….

Lia
I can only recommend that you stay clear of that area. With that much Creeper collapsing into a small region of space, I'm not sure what the results might be.

Skarsgard Abraxis
The Tech Artifact doesn't show any signatures of Ticon or any other civilization we have encountered…. it appears to be rather mundane tech.

Lia
The Guppy tech… I have been hoping we would encounter this. Simple as the tech may be, it should prove very useful across these asteroids. Guppies confine and contain packets for remote delivery.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Ahhh… very clever. So we can use them to build structures remotely where our network can't reach. That will allow us to build nullifiers on those small asteroids that have Spore Towers on them.

Lia
Speaking of Spore Towers, my circuits are now operating properly and I have reviewed the scans. The wreckage of this world is littered with Spore Towers. You will need to bring Beam defenses on-line rapidly. Collect the Guppy Tech Artifact, and eliminate the spore threat as soon as possible.

Lia
I have also managed to enable a few more tech upgrades in the Forge. Use those to your advantage.

Skarsgard Abraxis
I'm glad your circuits are working well again… I hope that whatever spatial anomalies are present in this system aren't affecting you…

[after collecting the message artifact on Ruine]

Lia
This is fascinating… This artifact contains and instruction manual for the Guppy, volumes of literature, art, and video from old earth, and a treatise from the 144th C.E. on the prospects of cyclical eternity.

Skarsgard Abraxis
An odd collection of materials? Scan through it all looking for anything unusual.

Lia
[Scanning Message Artifact…]

Lia
Oh…

Skarsgard Abraxis
What did you find?

Lia
The treatise on cyclical eternity was written during the time of the Seloi, the sole civilization that ever contacted the Loki. The treatise proposes something that is most certainly impossible.

Lia
The Seloi were prone to works of great imagination and often developed entire disciplines devoted to the study of theories they knew were false. So this is likely one of their many fanciful creations.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Be that as it may, indulge me with some details.

Lia
The treatise proposes that out universe is but one of many… nothing new there, this idea dates back to the 1st C.E. It goes on to argue that it is possible to create a device… something unique and singular to each universe.

Lia
Unfortunately, the document stops after that and no more details are available. It looks simply like the message was cut off.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Any hints of where the rest of the message may be?

Lia
Nothing. In all likelihood, this was a partial copy and the rest of the treatise is lost forever.

Lia
This doesn't look good. There is some Ticon tech here, but the structure isn't something they built. This is very unusual.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Lia, there seems to be a pattern in the worlds we are visiting. We know that the Creeper all but destroys everything in its path. something to do with entropy, or so my daughter Aliana once told me. But each world we visit has something of value.

Lia
[Scanning World…]

Skarsgard Abraxis
Lia? Something of concern?

Lia
Yes…. we have a serious problem on this world. The emitter here is using supspace-slips. But the exit points aren't stable. I have not encountered this before.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Not encountered before? Billions of years of observation and something you have not seen? This can only mean one thing. Something is aware of our presence and adapting.

Lia
This is possible, we have been very visible for some time now. If this is the case, then we will be hunted ever more aggressively on each world. This will complicate our exploration…

Skarsgard Abraxis
Focus on the task at hand… there is a Tech Artifact here. It looks like some Ticon tech.

Lia
Yes, seems to be shield tech. This may be the only way to survive this world Skars. Shields will repulse Creeper, but require significant amounts of energy.

Lia
I have also managed to enable some more upgrades in the Ticon Forge we acquired at Lemal. I recommend constructing a Forge, and upgrading infrastructure as the situation demands.

Skarsgard Abraxis
I'll land a Command Node in the center of the base and focus on defense and energy… lots of it. Let's hope those shields are useful against against these random slip emitters.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Organics? This world looks forested?

Lia
Chlorophyll is present, but those aren't simple plants on this world. Everything here is a synthetic life form.

Skarsgard Abraxis
More Ticon technology?

Lia
Yes, after the ticon developed the Digitalis there were unforeseen consequences. The Digitalis incorporated patterns and technique it picked up from organic life forms it found.

Skarsgard Abraxis
So, what look like plants and green fields are actually mutated versions of the Digitalis?

Lia
In a manner of speaking, yes. If that were the end of the story, all would be well… but…

Skarsgard Abraxis
Let me guess, the Digitalis continued to evolve.

Lia
Yes, eventually mobile and discrete entities arose long after the Ticon were gone. Subsequent generations would spend thousands of years eradicating these 'Runners'. But they would always return after each civilization was culled.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Scanners show a square structure in that volcano. The Digitalis growth area seems to center around that structure.

Lia
That's a Runner nest. Once the Digitalis connects to the nest, Runners will emerge that walk around on the Digitalis like primitive animals.

Skarsgard Abraxis
So the Digitalis not only copied plants but animals as well…. I see, how can we deal with them?

Lia
Fortunately, the Runners are not overly aggressive won't destroy your structures. But they have an energy stun weapon they use for self defense. Any unit that gets in range of a Runner might be stunned.

Skarsgard Abraxis
There is a Tech Artifact here…

Lia
Not surprising to find this here. The Sniper Tech is specifically designed to take out Runners at significant range. Pick up this tech and use it to create a perimeter around your base and your units. That should keep the Runners at by.

Lia
the emitters on this world are very weak, but don't underestimate the Digitalis. Use anything you have at your disposal to fight your way through. Also, more tech level upgrades are available in the Forge.

Lia
At last we have arrived at the Warp Inhibitor world in this system.

Skarsgard Abraxis
This world looks like it was engineered for fight…

Lia
Indeed it was… There Ticon military tech everywhere. There are even three surviving Bertha Cannons. It is surprising they have not been destroyed.

Lia
Bertha Cannons can fire massive projectiles anywhere on the map. There is no better weapon for inflicting huge damage to the Creeper. Their weakness is they significant ammo and have a long fire cycle.

Skarsgard Abraxis
That sounds like something worth fighting for. I'll make it priority to secure them.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Lia, it seems that the Creeper ignores some things. Artifacts, messages, tech, now these Bertha Cannons. What do they have in common?

Lia
Nothing intrinsic, perhaps there is something that has been added to each item. I'll conduct careful scans of every item we have collected. It will take some time to complete, however.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Alright, I'll initiate ground actions and secure this world. Looks like some Emitters and some Slip Emitters. These Ticon Towers, perhaps they are inactive?

Lia
Parked over space… space that has been carefully carved into a pattern…. it seems unlikely, but perhaps…

Skarsgard Abraxis
Another Ticon weapon system corrupted by the Creeper?

Lia
It seems unlikely… but the Ticon developed Gliders that would move through space. The ideas was to hit the Creeper from where it was least likely to persist.

Lia
These Gliders had powerful antimatter powered beams. When in range they would combine all of their antimatter with matter and focus the energy into a beam. Unfortunately for the Glider, it would be destroyed in the process.

Lia
I have no records that the Ticon or any subsequent civilization ever got the system to work properly and reliably. So, it is unlikely to find them here. But this spatial pattern looks like one of the testing grounds.

Skarsgard Abraxis
If this was a military testing ground and the Creeper has corrupted the Glider Tech, will there be any way to defend against it?

Lia
Destruction of the Ticon Towers would prevent the creation of new Gliders. Of course any unit that gets inrange of a Glider will be destroyed. The only weapon in out arsenal that might damage a Glider would be the Sniper.

Lia
The focused beam from the Sniper was designed to penetrate the Creeper infused shells of a Runner. That might be enough to penetrate the shields around the Gliders. But this is all theoretical… The Glider weapon system was never actually deployed.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Well Lia, I have a feeling we're about to find out otherwise…

[after collecting the message artifact on Chanson]

Skarsgard Abraxis
It was a hard fight to collect this message, so tell me it isn't just some entertainment vid.

Lia
I never would have believed we would find this… but this is the second part of the message we found on Ruine.

Skarsgard Abraxis
The treatise on Cyclical Eternity from the Seloi? I recall that the Seloi were the only civilization to contact the Loki and get a response. They said something anout an “Arc” and the Loki responded with, “More so than all others, You must perish”.

Lia
Yes, the Seloi were sepcial in this regard and in many others….

Lia
So the first part of the treatise on Cyclical Eternity proposed that it is possible to create a device… something unique and singular to each universe.

Lia
But as I said in Ruine, the Seloi were prone to fanciful theories which had little connection to reality.

Skarsgard Abraxis
If that is the case then why do you seem at all interested in the second part of the treatise?

Lia
Because the name the Seloi gave to this theoretical device was; “Arc Eternal”.

Lia
I'll need more time to process all of this message and hopefully understand it. I suggest heading to the next system as soon as possible.

Lia
I've completed the scans of the various artifacts and technologies we have collected so far.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Did you find anything in common? Perhaps something has been added to each item.

Lia
Nothing… They are as diverse as any two random objects and contain nothing in common.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Then we have learned nothing….

Lia
Not so fast. We know that the Creeper did not destroy these artifacts but it did destroy other artifacts of the same kind. This can only mean one thing.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Ahh… The only thing these artifacts actually have in common is that they were not destroyed by the Creeper. That means…

Lia
Yes, that means that the Creeper somehow recognized these specific artifacts and did not destroy them. It didn't destroy them at any point in their existence, which spanned many millions of years in some cases.

Skarsgard Abraxis
So the Creeper has a memory… a memory that spans vast amounts of space and time. It also must rarely act in a selective way. Thos never occurred to me before. I've only ever imagined the Creeper as a random destructive force.

Skarsgard Abraxis
I'm not yet sure what good this knowledge will do us, Lia. But it seems significant that the Creeper is more than just a blunt and crude weapon used by the Loki.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Have you completed your review of the Treatise on the Cyclical Eternity yet?

Lia
Not completely, but it looks like utter nonsense. No other civilization posited such a concept as a “universal singleton”, something of which only one could exist. the name 'Arc Eternal', which the Seloi gave to this object, must have had nothing to do with their message to the Loki.

Skarsgard Abraxis
I see… So what do we have in this system?

Lia
This system is called “Frykt”. It now contains only three worlds, as the others have vanished. Of the former worlds, one was deorbited into the sun, and three others were deconstructed into material for a failed Dyson sphere.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Only one world is not shielded, so we will head there first.

Lia
It would seem so… Skars, if we manage to take out the Inhibitor on Vapen there will be a choice as to the next system in range. I have no idea which path we should take…

Skarsgard Abraxis
We will cross that bridge when we get there Lia. My daughter Aliana always accused me of leaping before looking, so I'll have no trouble choosing a destination.

Lia
[Gel maintenance in process]

Skarsgard Abraxis
Again?

Lia
I didn't notice that object on the scanners till we got colser… so I've emergency steered the ship to a counter orbir away from the Proto-Magnetar.

Skarsgard Abraxis
That red orb in orbit around this world? It seems to have a massive gravitational and magnetic field.

Lia
It's a piece of a left over magnetar… and artificial magnetar at that. It was used in an attempt to construct a Dyson sphere around this system. Which in turn was another failed attempt to hide from the Creeper.

Lia
It's effect on the Creeper should be of concern. Creeper is attracted by it's intense gravitational field, so it should flow toward the Magnetar. But the Magnetar is orbiting the world…

Skarsgard Abraxis
So there will be a massive Creeper tide from helheim… that's what you are saying.

Lia
Yes, in short that is correct. The good news is that you can use the fully available tech upgrades to help deal with the uncertain situation on the ground.

Lia
Also… proximity to the Magnetar has allowed me to enable a special ability on the Forge. Rather than just being used for special upgrades, the forge can now attempt to activate the Totems and open a portal in Rift Space.

Lia
But you said Rift Space was destroyed

Lia
Indeed it was. But the attempt to open Rift Space will create a temporary opening to a realm of immense gravity. This 'Singularity Weapon' is accessible from the Forge menu. Be cautious, though, it uses immense amount of Aether.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Alright, let's do this….

[after collecting the message artifact on Mistet]

Lia
You mentioned 'Varro' in a passing earlier

Skarsgard Abraxis
Yes?

Lia
This Message Artifact appears to have been written by 'Varro Hale' who lived in your time. The message says he was friends with 'Dax Joven' and went on to head the Command Academy on Colony Prime among other miner historical facts.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Yes! Colony Prime… it seems like I just left there Lia… Without Dax and Varro, we would never have rebuilt humanity… nothing came after would have been possible.

Lia
That is certainly correct, Skars. If you and the others had failed there would not have been the thousand of civilizations and trillions of lives that followed. They all owe you and the others a debt of gratitude.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Debt? It was all for nothing Lia. NOTHING! Everything is gone.

Skarsgard Abraxis
(Sigh…)

Skarsgard Abraxis
Anything else in the message recoverable other than Varro's curriculum vitae?

Lia
Just one Fragment; It read, “… and without the tutelage, guidance, and guile of Admiral Skarsgard Abraxis, we never would have eventually discovered Aliana's true gifts”.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Aliana's true gifts? What does that mean? Aliana, my daughter???

Skarsgard Abraxis
Lia?

Skarsgard Abraxis
Lia???

Lia
This world is barely being held together. It's near the end for this world…. geological forces have torn it apart, and disturbances in this system have done the rest.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Yet there are artifacts here…

Lia
This world has been uninhabited for over a billion years, so the artifacts must have been dropped here more recently.

Lia
There is also another matter of concern here, Skars. I show an Air Exclusion (AE) structure on that hill to the sout west.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Ticon or Seloi technology?

Lia
Neither. This technology is actually ancient and comes from the 3rd C.E…. the civilization that came after yours. It was supposed to be a technology to block spores, but…

Skarsgard Abraxis
Let me guess, it didn't block spores for long and the Creeper altered it for its own purposes.

Lia
Yes, now it simply blocks your air units. You can't use Strafers or bombers over the area covered by the AE field.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Great… it will take pure ground operations to take that hill then. Are Berthas and mortars affected?

Lia
No, they slip in under the field… just barely. So you are only prevented from using Air units under the area covered by the AE field.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Let's grab the artifacts and get out of here before the whole world disintegrates…

[after collecting the message artifact on Crosslaw]

Lia
I believe you are familiar with an Alien race known as the Styglek?

Skarsgard Abraxis
Yes, they were a once powerful and noble species that fell to the Creeper and were forced to serve the Loki. A few of them rebelled and those rebels assisted our survival against the second Nexus menace.

Lia
I believe “Thrade” was the leader of these rebels?

Skarsgard Abraxis
Yes…?

Lia
It would seem taht the rebellion did not progress as originally intended. This Message Artifact references the Styglek, Thrade, and the failed Styglek rebellion to stop the Loki.

Skarsgard Abraxis
When was this message recorded?

Lia
It is difficult to date, and very badly damaged, but it seems to have been recorded sometime after the Seloi were long gone. Sometime around the 300th C.E. perhaps.

Lia
The message is a historical volume recording the stories of a single Styglek that returned to the then Milky Way galaxy. Most of the message is missing, but apparently one Styglek fled the destruction of their kind and returned with a message.

Skarsgard Abraxis
So the Styglek failed and were exterminated by the Loki Just like all things, they too eventually were destroyed.

Lia
It seems more complex that that, Skars. It would appear the Styglek eventually just ended their rebellion on their own accord.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Why, what makes you say that?

Lia
The message the Styglek survivor carried to humanity was. “The Arc is everything… everything that ever was or will be. Once you truly comrehend this, you will free your minds from the burdens of resistance. Remember us as the ones who woke up.”

Skarsgard Abraxis
Another reference to the “Arc”….

Lia
One that appears to have been lost over time. This message was recorded using a one-time pad as a key… and that kew was included with this message. But, the key aws written onto the message millions of years after the message was originally recorded.

Skarsgard Abraxis
So someone or something kept the decryption key a secret and only included it eons later. And of course the whole thing was on an artifact the Creeper bypassed.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Lia…. we are on the verge of a great realization, I can feel it in my…. That's odd.

Lia
Never mind that now Skars, lets get out of here and move on to Vapen and take out the Warp Inhibitor.

Skarsgard Abraxis
This has to be a Ticon world….

Lia
It once was, but the technology here is different and not exactly Ticon in origin. It's more recent and seems to be in perfect working order.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Perhaps a later civilization updated it and kept it working.

Lia
That could have been true. But Skars, this equipment seems to have been built very recently. Perhaps in the last 100 years. The last human civilization has been gone far longer than that.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Well what does it do?

Lia
There appear to be three Power centers, those blocky structures. Each is connected via a power conduit to three parts of a central station. My guess is all three parts have to be active for it to function.

Skarsgard Abraxis
And how do we bring the power centers online?

Lia
Scans show they are in pristine condition and not being damaged by the Creeper. If they work the via the same technology as Fractal Collectors, it may be as simple as clearing out all of the Creeper from each Power Center.

Skarsgard Abraxis
And that should activate the central station… the thing we don't know anything about.

Lia
Yes. I can say that even though this equipment is new and in perfect condition, it does not appear to be much more than some sort of testing facility. The power produced from those Power Centers just isn't enough to do too much damage, regardless of what it actually does.

Skarsgard Abraxis
That's encouraging… I think. Well, let's flip the Switch on this thing and see what happens.

[after collecting the message artifact on Vapen]

Lia
I don't know if this is good or bad.

Skarsgard Abraxis
More ancient historical volumes… more references to the “Arc”?

Lia
Not exactly.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Then what?

Lia
I've never seen this form of data encoding before, it is very complex…. nearly perfect and recorded at the atomic scale with incredible fault tolerance. But, I can still resolve most of the content and translate it.

Lia
It seems to be a technical specification for the field device on this world. I was right, this tech was a test fir a part of a device being constructed elsewhere.

Skarsgard Abraxis
And who built this equipment and recorded the message?

Lia
Skars, the designator that appears within the contents appears appears to translate to; “16th Transient Regiment, 4th Ephemeral Division, Loki Hive”.

Skarsgard Abraxis
My Gods… the Loki are here. Now, I know my purpose.

Skarsgard Abraxis
This system looks nearly empty. It almost looks like a place forgotten by time…

Lia
This system once hosted many planets and was a center of commerce, entertainment, and industry. But over time it all faded. With each passing civilization, fewer and fewer worlds were recolonized.

Lia
Eventually, most of the worlds were destroyed, or deorbited. Now only one world remains.

Skarsgard Abraxis
I see this world is inhibiting further warp travel, though the readings are strange, What lies beyond this system?

Lia
It's a wormhole to the Prospector Zone! I lost track of this wormhole many eons ago. I see it parked itself outside this little system.

Skarsgard Abraxis
The 'Prospecter Zone'?

Lia
This zone was a region of space known to later civilizations as a place of great riches and unknowns. The wormhole leading to it was discovered in the early Common Eras and different civilizations would use the worlds in various ways.

Lia
Some civilizations would place their most valuable weapons there, and others would go there to retrieve those same weapons….

Skarsgard Abraxis
I'll engage operations at Krig and take out whatever is inhibiting further warp travel.

Lia
There is also a shield key on Krig, so collect that.

Skarsgard Abraxis
I'll do that. Perhaps we can return later and explore the region of space on the other end of that wormhole. For now, I sense our mission lies elsewhere.

Lia
Oh no…

Skarsgard Abraxis
I'm not even going to ask… just let me have it.

Lia
There is a corrupted Ticon space weapon here. It was another experimental system that I thought the Ticon never actually deployed but obviously did.

Skarsgard Abraxis
We've faced their tech before, this can't be any worse.

Lia
You may be right. The station appears to be malfunctioning and operating in a much diminished capacity. Its targeting sensors are destroyed as well. So whatever it fires, it will be firing randomlt into space.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Is that Ticon space station also acting as a Warp Inhibitor?

Lia
[Scanning…]

Lia
Yes… oddly so. That is very strange since warp inhibitors were developed after the Ticon empire. Someone must have added the inhibitor to the station after it was built and corrupted.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Perhaps someone wanted to protect access to the wormhole beyond this system? No matter… we're taking it out. Any assault advice?

Lia
None… it isn't clear how you will assault that heavily defended world fragment or reach the station.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Great… I love a challenge.

Lia
It seems quiet here… a kind on backwater system, removed from the comings and goings of most empires. That makes it dangerous.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Why so?

Lia
Because I don't know much about it. Little off-the-map places like this can often harbor great surprises.

Skarsgard Abraxis
There is only one world?

Lia
Yes, and it is a world that was left undisturbed for most of its existence. it appears to contain an Inhibitor, though. Someone must have recently placed it there.

Skarsgard Abraxis
What lies beyond this system once we take out the Inhibitor?

Lia
Scanning… it looks like a stable wormhole, Skars! Fascinating. For all the unassumingness of this system, it is actually a gateway to another region of space. One about which I know nothing. That wormhole could lead to anywhere in the universe…

Lia
This world also contains a Shield Key. Odd since this system contains no shielded worlds.

Skarsgard Abraxis
I'll engage and collect the key and take out the Inhibitor. As interesting as another region sound, I have a feeling it isn't part of our current journey. But perhaps we can come back and explore it later…

Skarsgard Abraxis
Those look like primitive ruins?

Lia
Yes, they were meant to look that way. This was a camouflage world. Some civilizations attemteed to hide from the Creeper by removing all obvious traces of higher technology.

Skarsgard Abraxis
It obviously didn't work…. the Creeper must not have either not cared, or seen through the charade.

Lia
Some cultures on some worlds went do far as to actuallt maintain a more primitive existence. They lost all advanced knowledge and even contact with the rest of humanity. This apears to be one of those worlds.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Those step pyramids, there are strange readings coming from them.

Lia
The last indigenous culture must have taken technological artifacts and built these oyramids around them. Perhaps they worshiped them or revered them in some way. Impossible to know for sure…

Lia
But what I can say got sure is that the artifacts in those pyramids still appear functional, and they are rather advanced. Skars, connect the peak of each pyramid to your power grid…

Skarsgard Abraxis
What will happen?

Lia
Each pyramid contains a defensive device that you should be able to power. I'm not sure exactly what each will do, but it looks like someone long ago placed these arifacst here. Perhaps it was hoped they would defend the population.s

Skarsgard Abraxis
Interesting… and perhaps they did protect the population for some time. Perhaps some inhabitants even managed to escape, for a while anyway. In any case, I'll power the pyramids and take out that Inhibitor.

Lia
We've arrived in the Andere system, as it was last called. Sensors are off the charts, and need recalibrating…

Skarsgard Abraxis
What's the source of the interference?

Lia
It isn't interference it's information. There are billions of data streams across billions of channels all carrying vast amounts of data… it's too… it's too much…

Skarsgard Abraxis
Shut down the sensors Lia! Do it now!

Lia
…

Skarsgard Abraxis
Lia!

Lia
… … The data streams… I have the sensors shut down now. The amount of information being transmitted was incalculable, Skars. It was blinding to my Gel circuits. I've never encountered anything as complex and ordered and on such a scale.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Could you determine anything about the signals? Their source, their content, their purpose?

Lia
The signals appear to be coming from everywhere, but focused on this system. It is like someone encoded quadrillions of yottabytes of data into hte background radiation of the universe. It is near the quantum limit for information density.

Skarsgard Abraxis
What is in the message? Did you ascertain anything?

Lia
It seems to be everything, Skars? Just 'everything'/

Skarsgard Abraxis
I don't understand, everything of what?

Lia
Everything that has ever been. It's exact state information… it's… think of it like a very precise plan for how to make everything that has ever existed.

Lia
Every leaf on every tree that has ever existed on every world, every grain of sand, every star, every molecule of every atmosphere that has bent the light of its star into a sunset…

Skarsgard Abraxis
Do this, enabled visual spectrum sensors only for this system. Let's look at the system just our eyes…

Lia
Ok, looks like two worlds, one shielded and one not. My records indicate these worlds were last called Otrav and Farbor. There was nothing particularly remarkable about either world over the last few billion years.

Skarsgard Abraxis
You said the sensor streams seemed focused on this system… any particular region in this system?

Lia
Yes, good question. In the time I sampled the streams they appear to be…. That's interesting.

Lia
The focus appears to be changing slightly so that the signals are at their peak over Farbor. The signal focus is somehow tracking the orbit of that world.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Then that's where we are headed Lia… The Loki must be behind these signals and this world must be significant somehow.

Lia
I'll attempt to install some filters on the sensors so I can better sample the streams. That should allow us to perhaps learn some more about the intent of the signals.

Skarsgard Abraxis
I'll head to Otrav and picked up any shield keys there…

Skarsgard Abraxis
This world is covered with tech and none of it looks friendly.

Lia
It is tech, that is for sure. It doesn't appear to be directed toward any offensive or defensive purpose, though.

Skarsgard Abraxis
That is odd, since most civilizations were interested in defending themselves and the Creeper was interested in destroying them.

Lia
This world has been designed to concentrate Creeper on each top hill in sequence. That old Ticon facility in the east is projecting deal attraction fields that rove over the terrain.

Skarsgard Abraxis
What purpose is there in concentrating Creeper like that? It makes it harder to destroy, but this world doesn't appear configured for defense.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Could it have anything to do with the intense signals you have detected focused on this system? Focus your scanners on the hill top…

Lia
[Scanning…]

Lia
This is interesting, and subtle. It seems that the structure on each hill is designed as a transmitter. When the Creeper pools over each transmitter, I assume that is when each will transmit.

Skarsgard Abraxis
And this is where the signal in this system is coming from?

Lia
Absolutely not. Well, some tiny fraction of it perhaps. The signals in this system must be coming from billions of other worlds just like this one… all transmitting at the same time.

Skarsgard Abraxis
It's the Loki… it must be. Everything over the last 10 billion years, their campaign to destroy everything in the universe with the Creeper… it has all been building to this.

Lia
Skars, if all of the Creeper from across the universe is the source of the signals it means the Creeper doesn't just destroy things. It also remembers things in exacting detail. It would only be bound by the uncertainty principle, unless…

Skarsgard Abraxis
We are going to destroy those transmitters, that field projector, and collect the shield key from this world. We must reach the next world in this system and discover what the Loki are doing.

Skarsgard Abraxis
At last, we have lowered the shield and gained access to this world. Lia, perform a quick scan. What are the Loki up to?

Lia
[Scanning…]

Lia
I detect no Loki, or other life forms. Everything here is an automated machine system. It's a massive effort, though

Skarsgard Abraxis
What is going on, what is being built?

Lia
Give me a moment… This isn't good at all. I think I understand part of what is going on.

Lia
There are automated ore harvesters here that are constructing a 'Prism' ship. That ship's sole purpose is to focus Aether from a Totem. Several civilizations experimented with this kind of tech but on a much smaller scale…

Lia
Whoever designed this ship has managed to create a massive Prism ship. There is also a heavily altered Totem in the north east. It's covered by some protective armor as well.

Skarsgard Abraxis
What good does focusing Aether do?

Lia
Nothing on a small scale. On a large scale… Ah, I see now. The signals in this system are focussed on this world for a reason. This is elegant beyond anything I have ever experienced.

Lia
The signals present in this system are near the information capacity for this region of space, it wouldn't be possible to put more information in a volume of space bounded by a smaller surface area…

Lia
The only way to get more information density is to increase the apparent surface area of space and Aether is extra-dimensional….

Skarsgard Abraxis
So that Prism ship can receive the signals being directed at this system, then pack the information into a smaller region of space that is otherwise possible?

Lia
Exactly, Skars.

Skarsgard Abraxis
And then what?

Lia
And then it is my suspicion that it will transmit all that information through the remnants of Rift space. That's the only purpose that I can foresee. I do believe the results of this transmission will have one other effect…

Skarsgard Abraxis
Yes…?

Lia
If that Prism Ship is allowed to launch and create and Aether Beam over the enhanced Totem in the north east… If that happens… the resulting Aether back-blast will destroy this entire star system.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Well, we better not let that happen Lia. Perhaps if we destroy this ship it will also cripple whatever the Loki are trying to accomplish.

Lia
I wish I could concur, Skars. But based on what we saw on Otrav, the amount of information in the signals, and the size of this facility…. I…

Skarsgard Abraxis
Spit it out Lia.

Lia
I believe this world is but one of perhaps millions like it. Skars, the visible universe must be covered with millions of worlds just like this one all building Prism Ships to focus information and transmit it.

Skarsgard Abraxis
(Sigh)… This is all so much bigger that us, Lia. How can we ever hope to stop this….?

Lia
We can start by surviving here and now. If we don't destroy that Prism Ship, we will most certainly be destroyed.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Alright Lia, tomorrow holds little promise, but today won't be our final day. I promise you that.

[after successfully destroying the Prism Ship]

Lia
Incredible Skars!

Skarsgard Abraxis
That was a close call, Lia. Too close… but we made it!

Lia
I have some other good news. I have analyzed the wreckage of the ship and I determine where it was designed to transmit information to.

Skarsgard Abraxis
You said it would send information into the remnants of Rift Space…

Lia
Yes, and the compressed information beam would then exit into normal space. The exit point is only one star system away from here.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Ha…. ha ha ha ha… Platius, only your cunningness exceeds your age. What are the odds, Lia? What are the odds we would be here at just the right place?

Lia
It seems highly improbable. Either we were brought here or the Loki came here. In either case, our destiny awaits.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Prepare to warp, Lia. Prepare to warp…

[after failing to destroy the Prism Ship before it's created]

Skarsgard Abraxis
Lia, we failed! The Prism Ship has been completed and is launching, Nothing can stop it now…

Lia
Hold on a sec, Skars… There may be yet a sliver of hope.

Lia
[Scanning Enhanced Totem]

Lia
The Enhanced Totem in the north east, I think I can now set our nullifiers to destroy it.

Skarsgard Abraxis
How?!?

Lia
The Enhanced Totem is opening its outer guard doors and I am able to scan its modulation frequency. It operates just like a normal Totem in this regard. If…

Skarsgard Abraxis
… If you set the Nullifiers to the same rift space modulation frequency, they will direct the blast energy into the eart of the Enhanced Totem and destroy it.

Lia
Exactly. Only problem is we have to do it before the Prism Ship docks above the Enhanced Totem and completes its firing sequence. Once that happens, everything in this system will be destroyed.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Alright, Lia. It isn't often we get a second chance, so I'll throw everything we have at that Enhanced Totem!

[after the Prism Ship makes it to the Enhanced Totem]

Lia
The Prism Ship has started its firing sequence…. You have 20 minuets to nullify it, or everything in this system will be destroyed. That includes us, Skars.

Skarsgard Abraxis
I've been almost dead plenty of times, Lia. Relax and watch….

Skarsgard Abraxis
Lia, this world seems familiar. I recognize that central stricture and the surrounding stations.

Lia
How can that be, Skars?

Skarsgard Abraxis
I… I'm not sure. Are there any signs of the Loki? Perhaps this is their doing and all some sort of deception?

Lia
Nothing, Skars. Nothing at all. After everything we have been though, all I detect are cold machines. But, machines with a purpose I now clearly understand.

Skarsgard Abraxis
You see it too, then. These six stations are receiving incomprehensible amounts of data from across the universe, and they are feeding it to a central core.

Lia
How…? How do you….?

Skarsgard Abraxis
I just do, Lia. I see things now…. That central core is constructing what the Seloi called the 'Arc eternal', and the Loki were right to react the knowledge of it.

Lia
Yes, from all that I have learned I see this as well. But I still don't understand the purpose of the Arc.

Skarsgard Abraxis
The Arc is a universal singleton, Lia. Something of which only one may exist, There can be no other, and once made it cannot be unmade. The Arc forms an absolute reference point across all of space, time, and alternate eventualities.

Lia
How is such a thing possible? How is such a thing even possible to construct… and how do you…?

Skarsgard Abraxis
It isn't being constructed, it is simply being revealed. It exists through all of space and time for this universe, Lia. Once revealed, it will provide access to any time, any location, even alternate eventualities

Skarsgard Abraxis
Every decision, every decay of every subatomic particle, every choice, every random event spread across the entire history of the universe are all mapped to a fabric. That fabric has its origin in the Arc.

Skarsgard Abraxis
To reveal the Arc requires knowledge of a massive amount of space and time. Don't you see Lia? Don't you see now?

Lia
I… how do you know all of this Skars?

Skarsgard Abraxis
The Creeper's purpose wasn't simply to destroy, it was to record. It collected knowledge of everything it touched and it remembered. Trillions and trillions of worlds covered with Creeper across billions of years, harvesting information… Can't you see how elegant and beautiful that was, Lia?

Lia
Skars, are you sure…

Skarsgard Abraxis
Humans and their many civilizations were a bounty of complexity. An ever renewing fountain of information…. but there were many others in many other galaxies. Now all of that knowledge will finally allow the Loki to pinpoint and reveal the Arc Eternal.

Lia
And we should stop this, Skars…. Right?

Skarsgard Abraxis
Yes…. yes, of course. Access to the Arc would allow the Loki total mastery of everything. They could rewrite the course of events in the universe. This must be prevented.

Lia
From what I can determine, it should be as simple as taking those six stations offline. They are processing incoming Aether beams using a technology that I don't understand. But, their power source is simple… they need Creeper to function.

Skarsgard Abraxis
So, clear away the Creeper from the stations and they go offline. That will buy us some time, then we can destroy those stations with nullifiers and prevent the Loki from revealing the Arc.

Lia
Yes… but…

Skarsgard Abraxis
Let's begin.

Loki Hive
No!!!!!! Imperator?!?! This was not foretold!

Skarsgard Abraxis
At last, the Loki speak. Now that you shall never access the Arc, what will you do?

Loki Hive
By destroying the stations, Imperator, you have denied yourself true and full knowledge. Ultimate power could have been ours! But no matter. We will simply begin again.

Skarsgard Abraxis
And I will stop you again…

Loki Hive
We will wait another 10 billion years, then another, then another if necessary. And when we finally reveal the Arc Eternal we will save you, our Imperator. We will save you… [Loki Transmission Terminated]

Lia
What did they mean?

Skarsgard Abraxis
I'm not sure, but perhaps there are other eventualities that the Loki sense. Something about this all seems uncertian… as if there were other possible outcomes… parallel realities.

Lia
Imperator? Why did they call you that?

Skarsgard Abraxis
That's odd, I didn't even notice. Oh, 'Lia'… you can drop the charade now. It is very good to see you again Aliana… very food indeed my Daughter.

Aliana
How! How did you know?

Skarsgard Abraxis
When we came to this world, I began to see things more clearlt. As we fought to prevent the Arc from being built, everything became clear to me. Just as I knew that Lia was byt a mask for your true self, I knew that I am no longer a physical being.

Aliana
I wanted to tell you, but… revealing such a thing when you were projecting a physical form… I thought it would be too traumatic.

Skarsgard Abraxis
It makes sense… each of us aren't very different from the Loki, or Platius. We never have been. We each exist outside a single physical form. This battle… this successs… for some reason it awoke a great wealth of knowledge within me.

Skarsgard Abraxis
This great knowledge I look forward to sharing with you…

Aliana
And now the Loki have been defeated and a universe stands before us.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Yes, my Daughter. But the Loki will begin again…. so we have much work before us.

Aliana
But this time you won't be alone.

Skarsgard Abraxis
And for that, my child, I am eternally grateful.

[after failing to stop the Arc from being revealed]

Lia
No! We failed!!!

Skarsgard Abraxis
Yes…. it….

Loki Hive
BEHOLD! All that has transpired has dos so exactly as foretold! The Arc Eternal is revealed at last! Bear witness to our mighty Nexus!

Skarsgard Abraxis
Brace for incoming, Lia!

[once the Nexus is done rising]

Loki Hive
Greetings Imperator.

Skarsgard Abraxis
The Loki… at last we meet.

Loki Hive
At last, Imperator? You are still projecting a finite existence. Open your mind, Imperator…. open your mind.

Lia
Don't listen to them, Skars. They….

Loki Hive
SILENCE! We have silenced your primitive automaton so that we may converse more clearly.

Skarsgard Abraxis
She is right Loki, you are trying to deceive me!

Loki Hive
Look upon yourself, Imperator. Truely look upon yourself! Do you see A finite existence? Do you see a body made of simple materials?

Skarsgard Abraxis
I… no… this can't be!

Loki Hive
Yes. Did you really believe that some automaton had preserved a primitive human form for billions of years? you know this to be absurdity. Now you know your true form.

Skarsgard Abraxis
But I remember being a child, growing up, living, fighting the Creeper… defeating a Nexus. Platius saved me….

Loki Hive
Yes, the explosion that the one you call Platius saved you from. How do you think he was able to do that so 'easily'. You never needed saving Imperator!

Skarsgard Abraxis
Lies!

Loki Hive
Is it not the one you call Platius that was the deceiver? What did he tell you himself and of us?

Skarsgard Abraxis
He told me his people fought you and nearly won. He told me you were once a great race and that you peered into a dark and alternate realm and found something there that changed you and set you on this path of destruction.

Loki Hive
And what do you think we found in that 'darkness'?

Skarsgard Abraxis
He never said… I'm not sure he ever knew.

Loki Hive
Ha ha ha ha… we found YOU, Imperator. YOU were who we found. You told us of the Arc and of its potential. You showed us out purpose and laid out the path for all that would follow.

Abrax… Imper…???
… My body … just a projection of my choosing … I remember now! I REMEMBER.

Aliana
Father. It's me, your daughter. I have been with you all along. Lia was my projection as I guided you toward the realization of who you really were.

Loki Hive
The anomaly, 'Aliana Abraxis'. Yes, our hive considered that you might appear. Hiding as an automaton was clever, we grant you this. We should have detected your presence sooner. Imperator, you should have never created…

Abrax… Imper…???
Lia… Aliana? I should have known. Your name, how you never talked about Aliana, what you knew about me…

Aliana
We see what we want to see, Father. It took me many years to discover my true form. You still have a choice, you can still choose to be Skarsgard Abraxis. Remember his life and what he stood for.

Loki Hive
Nonsense! Imperator, all that has transpired has done has done so according to your plan! We have revealed the Arc Eternal for you! Now, join us as you have foretold!

Aliana
Father, remember the life of Skarsgard Abraxis. Remember him…

Abrax… Imper…???
Loki Hive, I remember all now. Skarsgard Abraxis is a modicum of my full being, but one that has shown me a great understanding.

Skarsgard Abraxis
I choose this form. I will not join with you, nor will I allow you to control the Arc.

Loki Hive
So be it, 'Skarsgard Abraxis'. You have nothing that can harm our great Nexus. Stay, leave… it matters not to us.

Skarsgard Abraxis
So long as we are here, you cannon control the Arc and use it for your purposes.

Loki Hive
We have waited billions of years, we can wait billions more. Can you, 'Skarsgard Abraxis'? Can you? [Loki Hive Transmission Terminated]

Aliana
Thank you father…. thank you for choosing the right path.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Aliana, is there nothing we can do?

Aliana
I don't see anything possible, father. That Nexus has a shield that no weapons can penetrate. Even if we could, the Nexus itself seems indestructible.

Skarsgard Abraxis
We will fight on anyway, daughter. If we must fight for a million years, we will do so. But we must never leave.

[after waiting a bit after picking Skarsgard's path]

Aliana
Father! Something just dropped out of Warp in this system. It's badly damaged and heading for this planet!

Skarsgard Abraxis
I see it… it's a ship. Platius… you old fool! Aliana, Platius must have set this mighty ship on course for this planet!

Aliana
I will attempt to predict the crash site on the map… clear out anything in the way!

[after the ship has landed (Skars)]

Aliana
The ship is ancient, it must have been preserved for a billion or more years… where, I don't know. But it is totally useless now, it's crashed and is just fragments.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Look at those fragments. In their midst, the plans for the mightiest vessel ever constructed, the Thor! We must obtain those schematics, they will hold the secret to destroying the Nexus.

[after picking up the Thor Technology (Skars)]

Aliana
Amazing… This uses recognizable technology for the most part, though on a massive scale. But the main cannons… the construction is similar to the Dark Beam of ancient times.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Yes… of course. This makes sense.

Aliana
The main cannons appear as though they fire self guided bursts of energy… an energy that will damage the Nexus. These cannons look as if they are specifically designed for this purpose!

Skarsgard Abraxis
Of course it were. The Loki weren't the only ones who knew what would happen.

Skarsgard Abraxis
But the Loki have prepared for this possibility, Aliana. They have surrounded their Nexus with a shield. This shield is impervious to any of their weapons we have, including the Thor.

Aliana
Then we are still at an impasse…

Skarsgard Abraxis
Platius was always one step ahead… I don't believe he…

Aliana
…Father, I think you are right. The impact of the crashed ship sent tectonic waves through the crust of this world. I show buried structures here, that may be of use.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Oh…?

Aliana
Yes, the structures are the remains of ancient and primitive weapons, missile silos form a primitive culture. If we terraform down to level 1, we can access these remains. I can program the nano-construction packets to rebuild them.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Ah, you are as brilliant now as ever my daughter. Platius knew this as well… The missiles will fly into the shield of the Nexus and damage it. The Loki didn't design the shield for such primitive projectile weapons!

Aliana
I'll indicate the location of the silos, Father. We must secure those locations and terraform them to level 1. Once excavated, hook up our network and arm the silos.

Skarsgard Abraxis
The Thor may not be able to penetrate the Nexus shield, Aliana… but I sure bet it will help secure the area around those missile silos!

[after getting to 50% on Nexus shield health (Skars)]

Loki Hive
Your efforts are in vain. Continue with this annoyance, and we shall show you our true wrath!

Skarsgard Abraxis
Prepare yourself for unforeseen eventualities Loki Hive.

[after knocking down the shield around the Nexus (Skars)]

Aliana
The shield around the Nexus is down Father!

Skarsgard Abraxis
Now, we will use the main cannons of the mighty Thor and destroy the Nexus!

Loki Hive
We shall see 'Skarsgard Abraxis' and the 'Anomaly'. Now witness our true wrath.

[after the Nexus's health reaches 0% (Skars)]

Loki Hive
Nooooooo!!!! Impera…. tor…

Skarsgard Abraxis
This ends now, Loki Hive.

Loki Hive
Many… eventua… lities… Many… Impera…. toooooor. [Loki Transmission Terminated]

[after the Nexus finally dies (Skars)]

Aliana
I… I'm speechless Father.

Skarsgard Abraxis
And so it is done my daughter. Ten billion years it has taken, and now I stand as a finite being at last.

Aliana
I'm not so sure about that Father. The Arc once made, cannot be unmade. It is here and stands at your disposal.

Skarsgard Abraxis
This is a great power for a finite man. Perhaps as the Imperator I could…

Aliana
…Father, I'm only just beginning to understand this great plan of yours, But I believe everything that has happened did so as you had planned.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Perhaps my daughter. Perhaps I shall choose to believe that. But even with all that I now know and remember, I'm not sure what to do next.

Aliana
the Arc allows you to visit any time, any place, in any alternate reality. You can go anywhere at any time.

Skarsgard Abraxis
But where would one go with such choices… who or what would one be?

Aliana
I have an idea Father. Perhaps you can travel to 10 billion years ago, when the Loki first emerged into greatness.

Skarsgard Abraxis
Interesting proposition Aliana. And what will I call myself?

Aliana
How about something familiar… something to honor one you always respected. How about….

Skarsgard Abraxis
…Yes Aliana, you have always been very wise. I think I shall choose that name during my travels, at least for a while. It is all very clear to me. When I travel to times past, I will simply be called…

Skarsgard Abraxis
…'Platius'…

Aliana
Father No!!!!! No!!!!!

Loki Imperator
As foretold, my children, I return to you at our greatest moment. You have done well and pleased me.

Loki Hive
Welcome, our Imperator. We stand at your command.

Loki Imperator
I now join you in the Nexus and will cleanse this world.

Aliana
Father…. no….

Loki Imperator
You too may join us Aliana. You are of our kind, join with us and we will rule over all time as we see fit.

Aliana
No, father. I remember the life of Skarsgard Abraxis and won't choose to forget.

Loki Imperator
'Skarsgard Abraxis' is a part of my existence, much as a grain of sand is part of a world. It is something insignificant compared to the whole! Join Aliana.

Aliana
Fath… Imperator, you leave me no choice. I must destroy your Nexus. You cannot be allowed to control the Arc.

Loki Imperator
So be it, Aliana. After your destruction I shall remake you in a more compliant form. Some form of you will join us, of this you can rest assured.

[after the unknown stuff has landed (Loki)]

Loki Hive
Arhhhh! Imperator, the anomaly has done the unforeseen!

Aliana
That's right… I did what I must to stop you. I destroyed my orbital ship, and converted it into defenses that will deny you the Arc forever!

Loki Imperator
Ha ha ha… child, your efforts amuse me. You stand in my shadow like a pebble beneath a mountain, But I shal show you mercy. When these events are complete, I will remake you to serve me as I have promised.

Aliana
We shall see, Imperator. [Aliana transmission terminated]

Loki Hive
Imperator, the anomaly has scanned our construction at the moment of your merging. From that it has divised primitive weapons that will damage the shield around our mighty Nexus!

Loki Hive
The anomaly has also deployed itself directly over the Arc… It has created a shield around the Arc, that our weapons will not penetrate!

Loki Imperator
My children, have I not orchestrated all that has transpired? Have I not guided you to this moment? After all that has transpired, you DOUBT me now!?

Loki Hive
No… Imperator…

Loki Imperator
Silence!!! I hold your entire Hive in the palm of my hand and can crush it at will! Doubt me again, and I will erase your existence from all of history and replace you with another!

Loki Hive
Yes, Imperator. We are at your command.

Loki Imperator
Now, do you not see the weakness in her defenses?

Loki Hive
Yes, Imperator… We see it now. With your power our Nexus can move more rapidly than we thought possible.

Loki Imperator
Yes. I will guide our Nexus and avoid the primitive weapons. I will enhance the weapons of the Nexus so that we may destroy the generators powering Aliana's shield.

Loki Imperator
Once her shield is down, I will flood the are with Creeper until she is destroyed! Then I will control the Arc and all of reality will be at my command!

[after destroying the shield generators (Loki)]

Loki Hive
Now Imperator! Destroy the anomaly's core!

Aliana
No Father! This is our last chance! Remember the good…

Loki Imperator
I remember Aliana… and I choose ultimate Power! Now bear witness to your undoing!

[after destroying the core (Loki)]

Aliana
Imperator…. Father…., no!

Loki Imperator
Goodbye, Aliana. I look forward to remaking other versions of you at my leisure!

Aliana
Father, I remember your life and mine… All the good that we did, all the life that we brought into being. That can't be erased…

Loki Imperator
Already I have begun the cleansing! Goodbye at last Aliana. My new universe awaits!

[after the shields on the Nexus go down (Loki)]

Loki Hive
This cannot be, Imperator! Our shield is down and we are vulnerable!

Aliana
Believe it, Hive.

Loki Imperator
Aliana! stop your assault. You must join with me so that we may rule over all of reality together!

Aliana
Never!

[after the Nexus has reached 0% health (Loki)]

Loki Imperator
This…. can…. not…. beeee….!!!!

Aliana
I'm sorry Imperator… I'm so sorry… If only you had chosen to remember Skarsgard Abraxis. I wish there were another way.

Loki Imperator
Ali…ana…! Save… me….!

Aliana
Imperator, you mush perish along with the Loki. But you had the right idea in one respect. The Arc is now under my protection and with it I will choose to remake some things as I see fit.

Loki Imperator
Noooooooooo!!!!!

Aliana
Goodbye Imperator. I shall be with my Father again soon.

Transcript: 4281999 Part 1 of 2 Date: 1014, 0201, 144th C.E.

Attendees: Newton Mont, Arc Project Research Director Seloi Science Academy, Standing Council Directors

–Transcript follows–

Newton Mont: “Council, our team has confirmed your suspicions.”

Council Director 2: “Then it is true. The Arc Exists.”

Newton Mont: “Yes, Council. Further, we have identified two means by which it may be revealed. One, we believe, is being employed by the Loki.”

Council Director 4: “So the Creeper and the Arc are intertwined?”

Newton Mont: “It would seems so. We also believe the Loki are aware of only one method to reveal the Arc.”

Council Director 1: “And how have you reached these conclusions, Director Mont?”

Newton Mont: “For this, I present our newest nominee for the Research Fellow. His insights led us to our conclusions.”

Council Director 5: “Bring in this young man. We which to question him directly.”

Council Director 3: “What is this man's name, Director Mont?”

Newton Mont: “'Platius', Council. His name is 'Platius Abraxis'”

–Transcript Ends–