<<timed 700ms>><<goto "TITLE">><</timed>><!--[[TITLE]]--><style></style><<liveblock>><<if _next isnot true>><<type 25ms start 10ms class "robo" element "span" skipkey "Enter">>Initiating start-up sequence...<</type>>
<<type 25ms start 1.1s class "robo" element "span" skipkey "Enter">>Establishing connection to server...<</type>>
<<type 25ms start 1.35s class "robo" element "span" skipkey "Enter">>Testing connection to server...<</type>>
<<type 25ms start 1.5s class "robo" element "span" skipkey "Enter">>Checking for updates...<</type>>
<<type 25ms start 1.7s class "robo" element "span" skipkey "Enter">>Applying user settings...<</type>><<timed 10s>><<set _next = true>><<update>><</timed>><<else>><center><<type 30ms element "span" skipkey "Enter">>Thank you, Ov.<</type>><<type 30ms start 500ms element "span" skipkey "Enter">>
You are now in control.<</type>></center><<timed 4s>><<goto "Begin">><</timed>><!--[[Begin]]--><</if>><</liveblock>><!--
Key, the solarpunk story, an uplifting examination of how community and life can thrive away from the confines of reality (take the setting and ideas from that one story you wrote for the Life in the Universe class), an examination of family and connection, of life and how it is defined, community thriving based on different pretexts, and people learning to immigrate without colonizing and truly living in peace and harmony with their environment and each other (notably one of the main characters has a congenital disability—make a point about how these are not things that are being weeded out and controlled for—they have drugs that minimize/eliminate the pain but do not "cure" the disability, another main character is very neurodivergent, but there is no neurotypical standard so they aren't seen as disabled or different, in general, everyone is treated with respect and understanding, family looks entirely different and everyone is treated as family, perhaps Key looks at them from an outsider perspective since they're based on the cognizance of an Earth person who would have experienced the world before)
Key was asked if they wanted to do this, and they do, they love what they're doing and genuinely feel grateful for the oportunity to do it.
This is a community based on love and caring, of unconditional understanding and living harmoniously with the world you find yourself in.
Kor is the name of the being that is the primary intelligent being of this world. It is a hive mind like intelligence though there are several distinct personalities, most of which evolved from different functions. The name derived from the phonetic pronunciation of the word Core. When the first travelers arrived to this planet, they asked the central intelligence if it had a name, it did not—names have never been important in its culture since it has always been the same being. The travelers had a hard time with this concept since their linguistic culture prescribes names to everything and so they asked if they could call them "Core" (which linguistically evolved in a way that can be represented in English as going from Core to Kor). Laðə is an aspect/branch of Kor which the main characters interact with (their friend), they are very interested in traveler culture and technology and particularly like the main character, Key. They feel that Key is at once beyond them and unreachable and at the same time the most similar and present of all the travelers (if Key can be classed as such).
Laðə doesn't feel sad for the travelers or pity them for their "loneliness" because they fundamentally have no understanding of the concept of loneliness and solitude. They don't know what it means to be lonely so they don't pity them in any way. They perhaps think it strange and can't fully conceptualize what it would be like to be individual consciousnesses in the same way that we can't truly imagine what their perception of existence is like.
I think that Laðə also struggles with the concept of death because their are elements of their consciousness that will go dormant for extended periods of time, but they do not truly die. Laðə themself has gone dormant many times but they are still alive. There was a civilization that occupied their planet ages ago, but it destroyed itself, its remains are deep below Kor's crust. Kor uses some of their materials to manipulate themself/the environment.
Kor expresses what we might phrase as emotions through changes in the immediate environment.
Kor is not fully understood. Part of Kor's deal with the travelers is that they do not study Kor in-depth and certainly without their knowledge. Violations of this code activate the aspect of Kor which handles these issues (violence and defense, retribution and justice, the arbiter and protector of the greater being and all the beings which reside within it), Laðə feels pity for that aspect as it is the only one which knows sorrow and pain. Laðə understands the concepts through its memories of such feelings, but doesn't (or at least hasn't) experienced them much themself.
Kor seems to be partially biological and partially psychic or perhaps something else that we can only compare to that idea. They are everywhere and everything. Kor seems to have complete control over its physical being and can manipulate atomic particles individually to do what it needs to maintain a safe and healthy homeostasis.
Laðə is the manifestation of curiosity and research perhaps. They are the aspect which learns about the beings which inhabit it and awakens when new colonies arrive (if it isn't active already). This is why Laðə is so interested in their culture and people as well as willing to adopt things like a name because they find it interesting.
"The confines of your languages limit you to definitive thinking. You must ascribe words to things to discuss them and in ascribing a name to it, unintentionally or intentionally define it, ascribe it a unique (or perhaps even shared) identity. Once it has an identity it can be categorized which your minds like. Patterns. Logic. Lumping things together and placing them with like identities to make sense of their place and function in your reality. You rely on definites and laws to quantify and explain your own existences. I do not fault you for that, but it does shape your perception of existence. You invent pronouns to refer to specific objects and over time these pronouns naturally come to mean more then just a way to refer to something. Looking over your linguistic repository has been one of the most fulfilling and thrilling things I've done in much time (Laðə doesn't quanitfy time). ... [basically reading about languages teaches Laðə so much about the histories of cultures and the people who created them. Laðə perhaps understands the travelers' pasts better than they do because they can examine everything from a third person pov with the knowledge of themself and all the other beings they've taken in.]
Swarm but good and positive. The travelers aren't the only beings that take refuge in Kor. Kor is at once a shelter and an archive. The keeper of pockets of civilizations that bring knowledge to them and strengthen them and the system as a whole.
When beings arrive at Kor and approach peacefully, Laðə is awoken and sent to understand them and their intentions. They then figure out how to deal with them and often come up with ways to slowly innoculate Kor to the beings presence. They kind of find ways to vaccinate Kor with these beings and slowly they take everyone in (if that's what they all want). When beings approach Kor with any form of malice, the defensive aspect is activated and protects Kor and its residents. Laðə says that it is only themself and that aspect which feel nearly as much as travelers do and it is because they deal the most with guests and thus have become most like them. However, they experience far more sorrow and pain than Laðə does. Laðə is grateful that they bare this burden alone without complaint. There is no core aspect of Kor, they are all equally Kor and though they have different aspects they share a multitudinous sense of self and have access to all each others memories experiences, sensations, actions, etc. There is no secret keeping in Kor (thus Laðə also struggles to comprehend deceit).
--><<if settings.noctp>><<run memorize('endbegin', true)>><</if>><<set _endbegin = recall('endbegin', false)>><<if _endbegin>>To say that I wake up would be inaccurate. I haven't <<linkreplace "woken up" t8n>>woken up (or been able to wake up)<</linkreplace>> in what feels like decades.
In truth, it's been far longer than that—a few millennia <<linkreplace "at least" t8n>>at least, give or take a couple centuries<</linkreplace>>—but I don't have an exact number. Sorry if that bothers you or makes me seem less credible. Not much I can do though. Eons ago most people switched from local time systems to Galactic Standard Time and no one bothered to chronicle how Earthen time converted to GST.
Sirit tried to figure it out a few cycles back using my memories but they weren't complete or reliable enough to provide <<linkreplace "helpful insight" t8n>>helpful insight. Not for something as nuanced and personal as the perception of time<</linkreplace>>.
Actually, I bet Laðə could figure it out.
I bet they already have.
I don't care though. Last thing I'm gonna do is ask.
I appreciate a degree of nebulous uncertainty when it comes to my past: I was born. I lived. My consciousness was digitized. A few millennia passed. Sirit found me in some ancient computer files. Decided to offer me a job. Now I'm here.
I don't want to know exactly how long it's been. How long I've been alive. How long I've been displaced.
The absence of definitives preserves my sense of estrangement. If I had hard facts and figures, <<linkreplace "this " t8n>>this—my current state of existence—<</linkreplace>>would feel less surreal. More <<linkreplace "details" t8n>>details, like the precise number of <<linkreplace "years" t8n>>years (or cycles as the travelers say)<</linkreplace>>,<</linkreplace>> might make it harder to think, "Hey, who knows? Maybe I'm not a digital ghost working for one of the far-flung descendants of humanity."
"Maybe I don't split my time between a spaceship and an alien planet."
"Maybe I don't regularly converse with <<linkreplace "a giant psychic plant">>a giant psychic plant<<set _heylade = true>><<update>><</linkreplace>>."<<liveblock>><<if _heylade>> (Hi, Laðə. I know you're listening. Yes, I am referring to you.)<</if>><</liveblock>>
"Maybe it's still 2068 and I'm just a normal human and this has all been a really long, really weird, really convincing dream."
"Maybe."
It's hard enough to keep that possibility alive. I won't risk fully killing it.
Wait, dream! Right. I was thinking about sleep.
Wow. That might be a record for how quickly I managed to get distracted.
I should get to it. Not that there's anything pressing I have to do today; the travelers were kind enough to make sure my last day on the job will be an <<linkreplace "easy one" t8n>>easy one (but I doubt it's solely for my benefit—they're all too excited to work, either focusing on their departure or welcoming new arrivals)<</linkreplace>>. I just have to make the most of my time. Today is <<linkreplace "special." t8n>>special. I guess? I don't have a better word for it.<</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "I should appreciate it." t8n>>I should appreciate it. That's what Sirit would <<linkreplace 'say' t8n>>say—what Sirit would want<</linkreplace>>.<</linkreplace>>
<span class='smile-kor kor-text'>Good morning, Ov. Kor hopes that your rest was a pleasant one.<<liveblock>><<if _heylade>> We can also confirm that this is not a dream. You do indeed have regular conversations with a giant psychic plant.<</if>><</liveblock>></span>
<div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Ignore Laðə and begin an analysis of the ship</span>" "Ship Analysis">><<set $shiptour = true>><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Ignore Laðə and begin an analysis of the settlement</span>" "Site Analysis">><<set $sitetour = true>><</link>></li>
<li><span class=""><<link "<span class='kor-choice'>Greet Laðə</span>" "Greet Laðə">><<set $greetlaðə = true>><</link>></span></li></ul></div>\
<<else>><<ctp "Begin" 500ms t8n>>To say that I wake up would be inaccurate. I haven't <<linkreplace "woken up" t8n>>woken up (or been able to wake up)<</linkreplace>> in what feels like decades.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
In truth, it's been far longer than that—a few millennia <<linkreplace "at least" t8n>>at least, give or take a couple centuries<</linkreplace>>—but I don't have an exact number. Sorry if that bothers you or makes me seem less credible<!--<<linkreplace "less credible" t8n>>less credible (I've fully suspended disbelief on my reality, I'd suggest you do the same. Makes engaging with this world easier.)<</linkreplace>>-->. Not much I can do though. Eons ago most people switched from local time systems to Galactic Standard Time and no one bothered to chronicle how Earthen time converted to GST.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Sirit tried to figure it out a few cycles back using my memories but they weren't complete or reliable enough to provide <<linkreplace "helpful insight" t8n>>helpful insight. Not for something as nuanced and personal as the perception of time<</linkreplace>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Actually, I bet Laðə could figure it out.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I bet they already have.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I don't care though. <!--<<linkreplace "Good for them" t8n>>Good for them (maybe?)<</linkreplace>>. -->Last thing I'm gonna do is ask. <<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<!--When it comes to my past, I appreciate a degree of nebulous uncertainty: I was born. I lived. My consciousness was digitized. Some thousand years or so passed. Sirit found me, offered me a job. Now I'm here.-->I appreciate a degree of nebulous uncertainty when it comes to my past: I was born. I lived. My consciousness was digitized. A few millennia passed. Sirit found me in some ancient computer files. Decided to offer me a job. Now I'm here.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I don't want to know exactly how long it's been. How long I've been alive. How long I've been displaced.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<!--My sense of estrangement is preserved through an absence of definitives. -->The<!--An or This?--> absence of definitives preserves my sense of estrangement. If I had hard facts and figures, <<linkreplace "this " t8n>>this—my current state of existence—<</linkreplace>>would feel less surreal. More <<linkreplace "details" t8n>>details, like the precise number of <<linkreplace "years" t8n>>years (or cycles as the travelers say)<</linkreplace>>,<</linkreplace>> might make it harder to think, "Hey, who knows? Maybe I'm not a digital ghost working for one of the far-flung descendants of humanity."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Maybe I don't split my time between a spaceship and an alien planet."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Maybe I don't regularly converse with <!--a being that's basically--><<linkreplace "a giant psychic plant">>a giant psychic plant<<set _heylade = true>><<update>><</linkreplace>>."<<liveblock>><<if _heylade>> (Hi, Laðə. I know you're listening. Yes, I am referring to you.)<</if>><</liveblock>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Maybe it's still 2068 and I'm just a normal human and this has all been a really long, really weird, really convincing dream."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Maybe."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
It's hard enough to keep that possibility alive. I won't risk fully killing it.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Wait, dream! Right. I was thinking about sleep. <<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Wow. That might be a record for how quickly I managed to get distracted.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I should get to it. Not that there's anything pressing I have to do today; the travelers were kind enough to make sure my last day on the job will be an <<linkreplace "easy one" t8n>>easy one (but I doubt it's solely for my benefit—they're all too excited to work, either focusing on their departure or welcoming new arrivals)<</linkreplace>>. I just have to make the most of my time. Today is <<linkreplace "special." t8n>>special. I guess? I don't have a better word for it.<</linkreplace>> <<linkreplace "I should appreciate it." t8n>>I should appreciate it. That's what Sirit would <<linkreplace 'say' t8n>>say—what Sirit would want<</linkreplace>>.<</linkreplace>>\
\
<<ctpNext>><<run memorize('endbegin', true)>><!--<<run Dialog.setup("Alert")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<center><span class='smile-kor kor-text'>Good morning, Ov. Kor hopes that your rest was a pleasant one.<<if _heylade>> We can also confirm that this is not a dream. You do indeed have regular conversations with a giant psychic plant.<<else>><</if>></span><br><br><<button 'Close'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>>--><<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Good morning, Ov. Kor hopes that your rest was a pleasant one.<<if _heylade>> We can also confirm that this is not a dream. You do indeed have regular conversations with a giant psychic plant.<<else>><</if>><</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Ignore Laðə and begin an analysis of the ship</span>" "Ship Analysis">><<set $shiptour = true>><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Ignore Laðə and begin an analysis of the settlement</span>" "Site Analysis">><<set $sitetour = true>><</link>></li>
<li><span class=""><<link "<span class='kor-choice'>Greet Laðə</span>" "Greet Laðə">><<set $greetlaðə = true>><</link>></span></li></ul></div><!--[[Analyze the ship's status|Ship Analysis][$shiptour = true]]
[[Analyze the site's status|Site Analysis][$sitetour = true]]
[[Greet Laðə|Greet Laðə][$greetlaðə = true]]--><</ctp>><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>>
<center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "Begin">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>><style>.passage a {font-style: italic;} .choices a {font-style: normal !important;}</style><<if settings.noctp>><<run memorize('endgreetlaðə', true)>><</if>><<set _endgreetlaðə = recall('endgreetlaðə', false)>><<if _endgreetlaðə>><span class="ov-chat">Thank you, Kor, and good morning, Laðə. How are you today?</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">Brimming with joy and hope. And yourself?</span>
I hesitate, <<linkreplace "trying " t8n>>trying (not very hard)<</linkreplace>> and ultimately failing to find an honest response.
<span class="ov-chat">I'm alright.</span>
<span class="grinbeam-kor kor-text">Well that's great. Better than being all left.</span>
For the briefest moment, the fans in the server room groan with my disgust.
<span class="ov-chat">Where did you learn that?</span>
Some of the smaller vines covering the walls and spilling onto the floor twist absent-mindedly, weaving themselves together like the complex interlocking mechanisms of a high fantasy vault.
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">I finished going through the language drive you shared with me.</span>
<span class="grin-kor kor-text">In the "Comedy" archive I found an encrypted package known as "Parental Humor."</span>
//Yes,// I think to myself at a force soft enough that Laðə hopefully won't notice it. //Encrypted.//
<span class="smilecurious-kor kor-text">It is an amusing element of human repartee. Are you unfamiliar with Parental Humor? Shall I engage in a demonstration?</span>
<span class="ov-chat">No!</span>
//''[ALERT: A sudden influx of power was detected in the Alsion's stellar quadrant. The surge was successfully prevented by the system's autonomic flareguard. This event will not be added to the ship's record.]''//
<<set _of = true>>I calm myself. No point in recording the surge when <<linkreplace "I'm fully aware">><<unset _of>><<update>>I am<</linkreplace>><<liveblock>><<if _of>> of<</if>><</liveblock>> the cause.
<span class="ov-chat">Please don't.</span>
Across the ship, vibrant flowers bend and bloom in a playful wave.
<span class="grinbeam-kor kor-text">Okay.</span>
Is Laðə doing this intentionally? Is this an element of their newfound "amusing repartee?"
To be honest, it's possible they're always aware of what they're doing and how I perceive them. I can't say for sure one way or another. I understand Laðə very little and it's difficult to gauge how much they understand <<linkreplace "me" t8n>>me—or any of us really<</linkreplace>>. Who can truly say if they're being sincere? Playful? Condescending?
Instead of asking for clarification or vainly attempting to make sense of a literal alien, I do what I normally do: Ignore it, move on, and end the discourse as quickly as possible.
<span class="ov-chat">Cool. I have to get going.</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">Excellent! Will we be starting with the ship or will you defy habit and travel to Tegmen first?</span>
<span class="ov-chat">"We?" What do you mean "we?" Am I included in that or are you talking about yourself?</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">"We" includes you.</span>
<span class="ov-chat">Why? Why are you coming with me?</span>
<span class="mehcurious-kor kor-text">Because we need to. If Kor is to take over your duties, we must observe them firsthand.</span>
<span class="ov-chat">But I've already explained this to you. I talked you through it and answered your questions. //All// of them. Is this really necessary?</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">Yes.</span>
//Great.// There go my chances of having a quiet final day.
<span class="grin-kor kor-text">It is great indeed! We are thrilled to be joining you. Do everything as you normally would. Pretend we aren't here.</span>
They don't need to ask me to do that.
<span class="ov-chat">Promise me you'll keep your questions to a minimum?</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">We would not be able to keep that promise, so we will not make it.</span>
//Perfect.//
A second wave of blooming flora ripples up and down the Alsion's silent halls.
<div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Begin an analysis of the ship</span>" "Ship Analysis">><<set $shiptour = true>><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Begin an analysis of the settlement</span>" "Site Analysis">><<set $sitetour = true>><</link>></li></ul></div>\
<<else>>\
\
\
<!--You greet Laðə (as Kor) and have a brief conversation with them about the day and your plans. You briefly cover who Laðə is but you don't go into much detail. Laðə says that they will accompany you this morning.-->\
\
\
\
<<ctp "greetlaðə" 500ms t8n>><<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Thank you, Kor, and good morning, Laðə. How are you today?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Brimming with joy and hope. And yourself?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I hesitate, <<linkreplace "trying " t8n>>trying (not very hard)<</linkreplace>> and ultimately failing to find an honest response.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>I'm alright.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "grinbeam-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Well that's great. Better than being all left.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
For the briefest moment, the fans in the server room groan with my disgust.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Where did you learn that?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Some of the smaller vines covering the walls and spilling onto the floor twist absent-mindedly, weaving themselves together like the complex interlocking mechanisms of a high fantasy vault.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>I finished going through the language drive you shared with me.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "grin-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>In the "Comedy" archive I found an encrypted package known as "Parental Humor."<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
//Yes,// I think to myself at a force soft enough that Laðə hopefully won't notice it. //Encrypted.//<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smilecurious-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>It is an amusing element of human repartee. Are you unfamiliar with Parental Humor? Shall I engage in a demonstration?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>No!<</type>><<run Dialog.setup("Alert")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<center>A sudden influx of power was detected in the Alsion's stellar quadrant. The surge was successfully prevented by the system's autonomic flareguard.<br><br><<button 'Dismiss This Alert'>><<run Dialog.close()>><<set $surge = 0>><<set _record = false>><<ctpAdvance 'greetlaðə'>><</button>> <<button 'Record Power Surge'>><<set $surge = 1>><<run Dialog.close()>><<set _record = true>><<ctpAdvance 'greetlaðə'>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<if _record>><<set _anyways = true>>I calm myself but <<linkreplace "report the surge" t8n>><<unset _anyways>><<update>>report the surge—it doesn't matter that I <<linkreplace "know" t8n>>am<</linkreplace>> the cause, it's still my job to report it<</linkreplace>><<liveblock>><<if _anyways>> anyways<</if>><</liveblock>>.<<else>><<set _of = true>>I calm myself. No point in recording the surge when <<linkreplace "I'm fully aware">><<unset _of>><<update>>I am<</linkreplace>><<liveblock>><<if _of>> of<</if>><</liveblock>> the cause.<</if>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Please don't.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Across the ship, vibrant flowers bend and bloom in a playful wave.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "grinbeam-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Okay.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Is Laðə doing this intentionally? Is this an element of their newfound "amusing repartee?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
To be honest, it's possible they're always aware of what they're doing and how I perceive them. I can't say for sure one way or another. I understand Laðə very little and it's difficult to gauge how much they understand <<linkreplace "me" t8n>>me—or any of us really<</linkreplace>>. Who can truly say if they're being sincere? Playful? Condescending?<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Instead of asking for clarification or attempting to make sense of a literal alien, I do what I normally do: Ignore it, move on, and end the discourse as quickly as possible.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Cool. I have to get going.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smilecurious-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Excellent! Will we be starting with the ship or will you defy habit and travel to Tegmen first?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>"We?" What do you mean "we?" Am I included in that or are you talking about yourself?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>"We" includes you.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Why? Why are you coming with me?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "mehcurious-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Because we need to. If Kor is to take over your duties, we must observe them firsthand.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>But I've already explained this to you. I talked you through it and answered your questions. //All// of them. Is this really necessary?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Yes.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
//Great.// There go my chances of having a quiet final day.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "grin-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>It is great indeed! We are thrilled to be joining you. Do everything as you normally would. Pretend we aren't here.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
They don't need to ask me to do that.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Promise me you'll keep your questions to a minimum?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We would not be able to keep that promise, so we will not make it.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
//Perfect.//<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
A second wave of blooming flora ripples up and down the Alsion's silent halls.\
\
<<run memorize('endgreetlaðə', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Begin an analysis of the ship</span>" "Ship Analysis">><<set $shiptour = true>><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Begin an analysis of the settlement</span>" "Site Analysis">><<set $sitetour = true>><</link>></li></ul></div><!--[[Analyze the ship's status|Ship Analysis][$shiptour = true]]
[[Analyze the site's status|Site Analysis][$sitetour = true]]--><</ctp>><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>>
<center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "greetlaðə">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>><style>.passage a {font-style: italic;} .choices a {font-style: normal !important;}</style><<if settings.noctp>><<run memorize('endshiptour', true)>><</if>><<set _endshiptour = recall('endshiptour', false)>><<if $shiptour is true and $greetlaðə is true>><<if _endshiptour>>\
\
\
<!--THIS IS THE FIRST TOUR AND YOU GREETED LADE
You and Laðə scan the ship together. Describe it physically, provide some history of its use, history, and how Kor has changed it. Laðə is your constant companion.
-->\
\
\
I launch into my morning inspection of <<if $shiptour is true >>the Alsion<<else>>Tegmen<</if>>. My autonomic system is constantly monitoring all aspects of both the ship and the settlement, but my conscious mind can only be directed towards one part of one place. I can <<linkreplace "defocus" t8n>>defocus (which my mind already does quite often on its own)<</linkreplace>> but I can't split my core consciousness <<linkreplace "between multiple places or tasks" t8n>>between multiple places or tasks (and trust me, I've tried)<</linkreplace>>.
When I perform these morning analyses, I'm passing my conscious mind over everything to make sure that there aren't any flaws in the system—double checking that everything's running smoothly. It's merely a precaution.
<<linkreplace "Honestly" t8n>>Honestly, and I guess I can admit this to myself now that it's my last day<</linkreplace>>, I probably don't need to do this. Both places run pretty much perfectly on their own. During these checks, I don't think I've ever done more than confirm what the operating system's already told me.
It's more a waste of my time than anything. Same goes for my periods of "rest."
<<linkreplace "Sleep" t8n>>Deactivating (saying I sleep is misleading, apologies)<</linkreplace>> does nothing for me. I can't get tired physically. I have no physical form.
Now, mentally? That's a different story. All the things I deal with—the weirdness of my situation, the monotony of my routine, <<linkreplace "and some of the travelers" t8n>>some of the travelers, and Laðə<</linkreplace>>—can be exhausting and take heavy tolls on my sanity.
I suppose that's the main purpose of this. I have to keep myself sane. I have to remain active and pass time somehow. If I fully accepted that there wasn't much for me to do, that this was all there was, I'd have lost it ages ago and deactivated fully.
That doesn't really matter anymore though. All the introspection in the world won't change the fact that I've done this <<linkreplace "pointless" t8n>>technically pointless<</linkreplace>> task thousands of times before.
Or that I'll never do it again.
The Alsion is a <<linkreplace '"civ ship" ' t8n>>"civ ship"—a vessel meant to transport and house entire populations of individuals for extended periods of time—<</linkreplace>>and it's about as big as a small moon. In terms of its shape, it kind of looks like a giant <!--flying -->donut—a filled one without a hole. From the top down it's circular but from the side it appears more <<linkreplace "oblong" t8n>>oblong, like a watermelon or an almond<</linkreplace>>. Its exterior hull is windowless, just dark, opalescent metal with a band of solar panels around its widest point. Inside though, many of the wall screens default to panoramic views of the world beyond, allowing passengers the experience of looking out into space.
During its <<linkreplace "voyage" t8n>>voyage (before finding Kor)<</linkreplace>>, the Alsion's interior looked very different. Back when I was activated, the halls and rooms were very sterile. All cold metal and dark screens.
Once the arboreal tether was connected and <<linkreplace "the exchange occurred" t8n>>a select number of travelers were sent down to try living on the planet's surface<</linkreplace>>, Kor spread throughout the ship.
Now, almost every surface is covered in plant life. The walls and ceilings are tangled curtains of flowering branches and gently swinging vines. The floors are carpeted in soft grasses and moss that instinctively part for anything passing over them.
In general, everything feels vibrant. The ship is no longer white, black, and endless shades of gray; it's green, yellow, and brown with plentiful accents of warm, bright colors.
<<linkappend "It's still early though" t8n>>. At this moment, <span class="glow">98.23%</span> of the passengers are asleep, so Kor's the only living thing <<linkreplace "I come across" t8n>>I come across (I'm not invading people's private quarters)<</linkreplace>><</linkappend>>. The circadian program is still running its pre-dawn simulation so most of the lights are off.
There is some ambient illumination, but it's mostly from the wall screens or bioluminescent flora.
As <<linkreplace "I" t8n>>(oh, right) "we"<</linkreplace>> wander around, it's weird to see how empty the place is.
Almost all of the travelers' equipment, stores, furniture, and other personal items have already been sent down <<linkreplace "to Tegmen" t8n>>to Tegmen (where they're being examined, disinfected, and will eventually be sent to the Alsion travelers' new residences)<</linkreplace>>.
I'm overcome with a strong sense of déjà vu—probably a latent, faded memory from my biological life.
It's the night before I'm moving to <<linkreplace "a new apartment" t8n>>a new apartment (or is it a dorm?)<</linkreplace>>. I'm eating dinner in my living area, sitting next to <<linkreplace "a sleeping bag" t8n>>a sleeping bag—the one item of "furniture" I haven't sent ahead<</linkreplace>>, eating to-go food with a pair of neon green chopsticks, and watching a show on my phone<<linkreplace "..." t8n>>… <<linkreplace "Is someone else here?" t8n>>Is someone else here? <<linkreplace "Maybe..." t8n>><<linkreplace "Yeah, I... I think so." t8n>>Yeah, <<linkreplace "I know them." t8n>><<linkreplace "I knew them." t8n>>but I can't remember them anymore...<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><!--
//''[ALERT: Updated file "My Memories". <<linkreplace "Show file location?" t8n>>File location : (Data Collections > Personal Files > My Memories)<</linkreplace>>]''//-->
Aside from feeling <<linkreplace "abnormally vacant" t8n>>abnormally vacant which, to be fair, was expected<</linkreplace>>, my inspection doesn't reveal anything concerning.
Laðə spends most of the trip asking me questions about the minutiae of the job. What things I look for, how I anticipate and know certain things, and then random unrelated queries like, "Do you have any fond memories of this room?" or "What did you think about the chair that used to sit there?"
I respond as best <<linkreplace "I can" t8n>>I can—I might not understand Laðə fully, but I can see that they're trying their best to <<linkreplace "understand us" t8n>>understand us. Trying to help them is the least I can do<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>, but about half of my answers end up being "I don't know. Sorry," the vague, half-hearted equivalent of a shrug.
By the time we get through the fourth quadrant, the circadian program is beginning to simulate sunrise.
<<run memorize('endshiptour', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Move on to Tegmen</span>" "Site Analysis">><</link>></li></ul></div>\
<<else>>\
\
\
<<ctp "shiptour" 500ms t8n>>\
\
\
I launch into my morning inspection of <<if $shiptour is true >>the Alsion<<else>>Tegmen<</if>>. My autonomic system is constantly monitoring all aspects of both the ship and the settlement, but my conscious mind can only be directed towards one part of one place. I can <<linkreplace "defocus" t8n>>defocus (which my mind already does quite often on its own)<</linkreplace>> but I can't split my core consciousness <<linkreplace "between multiple places or tasks" t8n>>between multiple places or tasks (and trust me, I've tried)<</linkreplace>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
When I perform these morning analyses, I'm passing my conscious mind over everything to make sure that there aren't any flaws in the system—double checking that everything's running smoothly. It's merely a precaution.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkreplace "Honestly" t8n>>Honestly, and I guess I can admit this to myself now that it's my last day<</linkreplace>>, I probably don't need to do this. Both places run pretty much perfectly on their own. During these checks, I don't think I've ever done more than confirm what the operating system's already told me.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
It's more a waste of my time than anything. Same goes for my periods of "rest."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkreplace "Sleep" t8n>>Deactivating (saying I sleep is misleading, apologies)<</linkreplace>> does nothing for me. I can't get tired physically. I have no physical form.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Now, mentally? That's a different story. All the things I deal with—the weirdness of my situation, the monotony of my routine, <<linkreplace "and some of the travelers" t8n>>some of the travelers, and Laðə<</linkreplace>>—can be exhausting and take heavy tolls on my sanity.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I suppose that's the main purpose of this. I have to keep myself sane. I have to remain active and pass time somehow. If I fully accepted that there wasn't much for me to do, that this was all there was, I'd have lost it ages ago and deactivated fully.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
That doesn't really matter anymore though. All the introspection in the world won't change the fact that I've done this <<linkreplace "pointless" t8n>>technically pointless<</linkreplace>> task thousands of times before.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Or that I'll never do it again.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The Alsion is a <<linkreplace '"civ ship" ' t8n>>"civ ship"—a vessel meant to transport and house entire populations of individuals for extended periods of time—<</linkreplace>>and it's about as big as a small moon. In terms of its shape, it kind of looks like a giant <!--flying -->donut—a filled one without a hole. From the top down it's circular but from the side it appears more <<linkreplace "oblong" t8n>>oblong, like a watermelon or an almond<</linkreplace>>. Its exterior hull is windowless, just dark, opalescent metal with a band of solar panels around its widest point. Inside though, many of the wall screens default to panoramic views of the world beyond, allowing passengers the experience of looking out into space.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
During its <<linkreplace "voyage" t8n>>voyage (before finding Kor)<</linkreplace>>, the Alsion's interior looked very different. Back when I was activated, the halls and rooms were very sterile. All cold metal and dark screens.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Once the arboreal tether was connected and <<linkreplace "the exchange occurred" t8n>>a select number of travelers were sent down to try living on the planet's surface<</linkreplace>>, Kor spread throughout the ship.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Now, almost every surface is covered in plant life. The walls and ceilings are tangled curtains of flowering branches and gently swinging vines. The floors are carpeted in soft grasses and moss that instinctively part for anything passing over them.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
In general, everything feels vibrant. The ship is no longer white, black, and endless shades of gray; it's green, yellow, and brown with plentiful accents of warm, bright colors.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkappend "It's still early though" t8n>>. At this moment, <span class="glow">98.23%</span> of the passengers are asleep, so Kor's the only living thing <<linkreplace "I come across" t8n>>I come across (I'm not invading people's private quarters)<</linkreplace>><</linkappend>>. The circadian program is still running its pre-dawn simulation so most of the lights are off.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
There is some ambient illumination, but it's mostly from the wall screens or bioluminescent flora.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
As <<linkreplace "I" t8n>>(oh, right) "we"<</linkreplace>> wander around, it's weird to see how empty the place is.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Almost all of the travelers' equipment, stores, furniture, and other personal items have already been sent down <<linkreplace "to Tegmen" t8n>>to Tegmen (where they're being examined, disinfected, and will eventually be sent to the Alsion travelers' new residences)<</linkreplace>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I'm overcome with a strong sense of déjà vu—probably a latent, faded memory from my biological life.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
It's the night before I'm moving to <<linkreplace "a new apartment" t8n>>a new apartment (or is it a dorm?)<</linkreplace>>. I'm eating dinner in my living area, sitting next to <<linkreplace "a sleeping bag" t8n>>a sleeping bag—the one item of "furniture" I haven't sent ahead<</linkreplace>>, eating to-go food with a pair of neon green chopsticks, and watching a show on my phone<<linkreplace "..." t8n>>… <<linkreplace "Is someone else here?" t8n>>Is someone else here? <<linkreplace "Maybe..." t8n>><<linkreplace "Yeah, I... I think so." t8n>>Yeah, <<linkreplace "I know them." t8n>><<linkreplace "I knew them." t8n>>but I can't remember them anymore...<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>><!--
<<run Dialog.setup("NOTICE")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<center>Updated file \"My Memories\". <<linkreplace 'Show file location?' t8n>><br>File location : (Data Collections > Personal Files > My Memories)<</linkreplace>><br><br><<button 'Dismiss'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>>-->Aside from feeling <<linkreplace "abnormally vacant" t8n>>abnormally vacant which, to be fair, was expected<</linkreplace>>, my inspection doesn't reveal anything concerning.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Laðə spends most of the trip asking me questions about the minutiae of the job. What things I look for, how I anticipate and know certain things, and then random unrelated queries like, "Do you have any fond memories of this room?" or "What did you think about the chair that used to sit there?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I respond as best <<linkreplace "I can" t8n>>I can—I might not understand Laðə fully, but I can see that they're trying their best to <<linkreplace "understand us" t8n>>understand us. Trying to help them is the least I can do<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>, but about half of my answers end up being "I don't know. Sorry," the vague, half-hearted equivalent of a shrug.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
By the time we get through the fourth quadrant, the circadian program is beginning to simulate sunrise.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>\
\
\
<<run memorize('endshiptour', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Move on to Tegmen</span>" "Site Analysis">><</link>></li></ul></div><</ctp>><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>>
<center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "shiptour">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>>\
\
\
\
<<elseif $shiptour is true and $greetlaðə isnot true>><<if _endshiptour>>\
\
\
<!--THIS IS THE FIRST TOUR AND YOU DIDN'T GREET LADE
You start going through your stuff and Lade makes it clear they're there, you then go about stuff as normal.
-->\
\
\
I launch into my morning inspection of <<if $shiptour is true >>the Alsion<<else>>Tegmen<</if>>. My autonomic system is constantly monitoring all aspects of both the ship and the settlement, but my conscious mind can only be directed towards one part of one place. I can <<linkreplace "defocus" t8n>>defocus (which my mind already does quite often on its own)<</linkreplace>> but I can't split my core consciousness <<linkreplace "between multiple places or tasks" t8n>>between multiple places or tasks (and trust me, I've tried)<</linkreplace>>.
When I perform these morning analyses, I'm passing my conscious mind over everything to make sure that there aren't any flaws in the system—double checking that everything's running smoothly. It's merely a precaution.
<<linkreplace "Honestly" t8n>>Honestly, and I guess I can admit this to myself now that it's my last day<</linkreplace>>, I probably don't need to do this. Both places run pretty much perfectly on their own. During these checks, I don't think I've ever done more than confirm what the operating system's already told me.
It's more a waste of my time than anything. Same goes for my periods of "rest."
<<linkreplace "Sleep" t8n>>Deactivating (saying I sleep is misleading, apologies)<</linkreplace>> does nothing for me. I can't get tired physically. I have no physical form.
Now, mentally? That's a different story. All the things I deal with—the weirdness of my situation, the monotony of my routine, <<linkreplace "and some of the travelers" t8n>>some of the travelers, and Laðə<</linkreplace>>—can be exhausting and take heavy tolls on my sanity.
I suppose that's the main purpose of this. I have to keep myself sane. I have to remain active and pass time somehow. If I fully accepted that there wasn't much for me to do, that this was all there was, I'd have lost it ages ago and deactivated fully.
That doesn't really matter anymore though. All the introspection in the world won't change the fact that I've done this <<linkreplace "pointless" t8n>>technically pointless<</linkreplace>> task thousands of times before.
Or that I'll never do it again.
<span class="grin-kor kor-text">We are thrilled to be taking over these duties from you. The travelers are a part of Kor. We will always take care of ourself.</span>
<span class="ov-chat">Oh, hey, Laðə.</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">You are also welcome to join us, if that is what you wish.</span>
<span class="ov-chat">Thanks. I'll keep that in mind.</span>
As I begin my inspection, Laðə follows, apparently seeking to deepen their understanding of the ship.
The Alsion is a <<linkreplace '"civ ship" ' t8n>>"civ ship"—a vessel meant to transport and house entire populations of individuals for extended periods of time—<</linkreplace>>and it's about as big as a small moon. In terms of its shape, it kind of looks like a giant <!--flying -->donut—a filled one without a hole. From the top down it's circular but from the side it appears more <<linkreplace "oblong" t8n>>oblong, like a watermelon or an almond<</linkreplace>>. Its exterior hull is windowless, just dark, opalescent metal with a band of solar panels around its widest point. Inside though, many of the wall screens default to panoramic views of the world beyond, allowing passengers the experience of looking out into space.
During its <<linkreplace "voyage" t8n>>voyage (before finding Kor)<</linkreplace>>, the Alsion's interior looked very different. Back when I was activated, the halls and rooms were very sterile. All cold metal and dark screens.
Once the arboreal tether was connected and <<linkreplace "the exchange occurred" t8n>>a select number of travelers were sent down to try living on the planet's surface<</linkreplace>>, Kor spread throughout the ship.
Now, almost every surface is covered in plant life. The walls and ceilings are tangled curtains of flowering branches and gently swinging vines. The floors are carpeted in soft grasses and moss that instinctively part for anything passing over them.
In general, everything feels vibrant. The ship is no longer white, black, and endless shades of gray; it's green, yellow, and brown with plentiful accents of warm, bright colors.
<<linkappend "It's still early though" t8n>>. At this moment, <span class="glow">98.23%</span> of the passengers are asleep, so Kor's the only living thing <<linkreplace "I come across" t8n>>I come across (I'm not invading people's private quarters)<</linkreplace>><</linkappend>>. The circadian program is still running its pre-dawn simulation so most of the lights are off.
There is some ambient illumination, but it's mostly from the wall screens or bioluminescent flora.
As <<linkreplace "I" t8n>>(oh, right) "we"<</linkreplace>> wander around, it's weird to see how empty the place is.
Almost all of the travelers' equipment, stores, furniture, and other personal items have already been sent down <<linkreplace "to Tegmen" t8n>>to Tegmen (where they're being examined, disinfected, and will eventually be sent to the Alsion travelers' new residences)<</linkreplace>>.
I'm overcome with a strong sense of déjà vu—probably a latent, faded memory from my biological life.
It's the night before I'm moving to <<linkreplace "a new apartment" t8n>>a new apartment (or is it a dorm?)<</linkreplace>>. I'm eating dinner in my living area, sitting next to <<linkreplace "a sleeping bag" t8n>>a sleeping bag—the one item of "furniture" I haven't sent ahead<</linkreplace>>, eating to-go food with a pair of neon green chopsticks, and watching a show on my phone<<linkreplace "..." t8n>>… <<linkreplace "Is someone else here?" t8n>>Is someone else here? <<linkreplace "Maybe..." t8n>><<linkreplace "Yeah, I... I think so." t8n>>Yeah, <<linkreplace "I know them." t8n>><<linkreplace "I knew them." t8n>>but I can't remember them anymore...<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><!--
//''[ALERT: Updated file "My Memories". <<linkreplace "Show file location?" t8n>>File location : (Data Collections > Personal Files > My Memories)<</linkreplace>>]''//-->
Aside from feeling <<linkreplace "abnormally vacant" t8n>>abnormally vacant which, to be fair, was expected<</linkreplace>>, my inspection doesn't reveal anything concerning.
Laðə spends most of the trip asking me questions about the minutiae of the job. What things I look for, how I anticipate and know certain things, and then random unrelated queries like, "Do you have any fond memories of this room?" or "What did you think about the chair that used to sit there?"
I respond as best <<linkreplace "I can" t8n>>I can—I might not understand Laðə fully, but I can see that they're trying their best to <<linkreplace "understand us" t8n>>understand us. Trying to help them is the least I can do<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>, but about half of my answers end up being "I don't know. Sorry," the vague, half-hearted equivalent of a shrug.
By the time we get through the fourth quadrant, the circadian program is beginning to simulate sunrise.
<<run memorize('endshiptour', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Move on to Tegmen</span>" "Site Analysis">><</link>></li></ul></div>\
<<else>>\
\
\
<<ctp "shiptour" 500ms t8n>>\
\
\
I launch into my morning inspection of <<if $shiptour is true >>the Alsion<<else>>Tegmen<</if>>. My autonomic system is constantly monitoring all aspects of both the ship and the settlement, but my conscious mind can only be directed towards one part of one place. I can <<linkreplace "defocus" t8n>>defocus (which my mind already does quite often on its own)<</linkreplace>> but I can't split my core consciousness <<linkreplace "between multiple places or tasks" t8n>>between multiple places or tasks (and trust me, I've tried)<</linkreplace>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
When I perform these morning analyses, I'm passing my conscious mind over everything to make sure that there aren't any flaws in the system—double checking that everything's running smoothly. It's merely a precaution.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkreplace "Honestly" t8n>>Honestly, and I guess I can admit this to myself now that it's my last day<</linkreplace>>, I probably don't need to do this. Both places run pretty much perfectly on their own. During these checks, I don't think I've ever done more than confirm what the operating system's already told me.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
It's more a waste of my time than anything. Same goes for my periods of "rest."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkreplace "Sleep" t8n>>Deactivating (saying I sleep is misleading, apologies)<</linkreplace>> does nothing for me. I can't get tired physically. I have no physical form.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Now, mentally? That's a different story. All the things I deal with—the weirdness of my situation, the monotony of my routine, <<linkreplace "and some of the travelers" t8n>>some of the travelers, and Laðə<</linkreplace>>—can be exhausting and take heavy tolls on my sanity.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I suppose that's the main purpose of this. I have to keep myself sane. I have to remain active and pass time somehow. If I fully accepted that there wasn't much for me to do, that this was all there was, I'd have lost it ages ago and deactivated fully.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
That doesn't really matter anymore though. All the introspection in the world won't change the fact that I've done this <<linkreplace "pointless" t8n>>technically pointless<</linkreplace>> task thousands of times before.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Or that I'll never do it again.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "grin-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We are thrilled to be taking over these duties from you. The travelers are a part of Kor. We will always take care of ourself.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Oh, hey, Laðə.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Kor welcomes you as well, if that is what you wish.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Thanks. I'll keep that in mind.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
As I begin my inspection, Laðə follows, apparently seeking to deepen their understanding of the ship.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The Alsion is a <<linkreplace '"civ ship" ' t8n>>"civ ship"—a vessel meant to transport and house entire populations of individuals for extended periods of time—<</linkreplace>>and it's about as big as a small moon. In terms of its shape, it kind of looks like a giant <!--flying -->donut—a filled one without a hole. From the top down it's circular but from the side it appears more <<linkreplace "oblong" t8n>>oblong, like a watermelon or an almond<</linkreplace>>. Its exterior hull is windowless, just dark, opalescent metal with a band of solar panels around its widest point. Inside though, many of the wall screens default to panoramic views of the world beyond, allowing passengers the experience of looking out into space.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
During its <<linkreplace "voyage" t8n>>voyage (before finding Kor)<</linkreplace>>, the Alsion's interior looked very different. Back when I was activated, the halls and rooms were very sterile. All cold metal and dark screens.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Once the arboreal tether was connected and <<linkreplace "the exchange occurred" t8n>>a select number of travelers were sent down to try living on the planet's surface<</linkreplace>>, Kor spread throughout the ship.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Now, almost every surface is covered in plant life. The walls and ceilings are tangled curtains of flowering branches and gently swinging vines. The floors are carpeted in soft grasses and moss that instinctively part for anything passing over them.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
In general, everything feels vibrant. The ship is no longer white, black, and endless shades of gray; it's green, yellow, and brown with plentiful accents of warm, bright colors.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkappend "It's still early though" t8n>>. At this moment, <span class="glow">98.23%</span> of the passengers are asleep, so Kor's the only living thing <<linkreplace "I come across" t8n>>I come across (I'm not invading people's private quarters)<</linkreplace>><</linkappend>>. The circadian program is still running its pre-dawn simulation so most of the lights are off.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
There is some ambient illumination, but it's mostly from the wall screens or bioluminescent flora.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
As <<linkreplace "I" t8n>>(oh, right) "we"<</linkreplace>> wander around, it's weird to see how empty the place is.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Almost all of the travelers' equipment, stores, furniture, and other personal items have already been sent down <<linkreplace "to Tegmen" t8n>>to Tegmen (where they're being examined, disinfected, and will eventually be sent to the Alsion travelers' new residences)<</linkreplace>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I'm overcome with a strong sense of déjà vu—probably a latent, faded memory from my biological life.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
It's the night before I'm moving to <<linkreplace "a new apartment" t8n>>a new apartment (or is it a dorm?)<</linkreplace>>. I'm eating dinner in my living area, sitting next to <<linkreplace "a sleeping bag" t8n>>a sleeping bag—the one item of "furniture" I haven't sent ahead<</linkreplace>>, eating to-go food with a pair of neon green chopsticks, and watching a show on my phone<<linkreplace "..." t8n>>… <<linkreplace "Is someone else here?" t8n>>Is someone else here? <<linkreplace "Maybe..." t8n>><<linkreplace "Yeah, I... I think so." t8n>>Yeah, <<linkreplace "I know them." t8n>><<linkreplace "I knew them." t8n>>but I can't remember them anymore...<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>><!--
<<run Dialog.setup("NOTICE")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<center>Updated file \"My Memories\". <<linkreplace 'Show file location?' t8n>><br>File location : (Data Collections > Personal Files > My Memories)<</linkreplace>><br><br><<button 'Dismiss'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>>-->Aside from feeling <<linkreplace "abnormally vacant" t8n>>abnormally vacant which, to be fair, was expected<</linkreplace>>, my inspection doesn't reveal anything concerning.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Laðə spends most of the trip asking me questions about the minutiae of the job. What things I look for, how I anticipate and know certain things, and then random unrelated queries like, "Do you have any fond memories of this room?" or "What did you think about the chair that used to sit there?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I respond as best <<linkreplace "I can" t8n>>I can—I might not understand Laðə fully, but I can see that they're trying their best to <<linkreplace "understand us" t8n>>understand us. Trying to help them is the least I can do<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>, but about half of my answers end up being "I don't know. Sorry," the vague, half-hearted equivalent of a shrug.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
By the time we get through the fourth quadrant, the circadian program is beginning to simulate sunrise.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>\
\
\
<<run memorize('endshiptour', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Move on to Tegmen</span>" "Site Analysis">><</link>></li></ul></div><</ctp>><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>>
<center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "shiptour">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>>\
\
<<elseif $shiptour isnot true and $greetlaðə is true>>\
\
\
<!--WENT TO TEGMEN FIRST AND GREETED LADE
You and Laðə return from the site to the ship and do an inspection up here as well. The travelers are beginning to stir.
-->\
\
<<if _endshiptour>>\
\
\
The Alsion is a <<linkreplace '"civ ship" ' t8n>>"civ ship"—a vessel meant to transport and house entire populations of individuals for extended periods of time—<</linkreplace>>and it's about as big as a small moon. In terms of its shape, it kind of looks like a giant <!--flying -->donut—a filled one without a hole. From the top down it's circular but from the side it appears more <<linkreplace "oblong" t8n>>oblong, like a watermelon or an almond<</linkreplace>>. Its exterior hull is windowless, just dark, opalescent metal with a band of solar panels around its widest point. Inside though, many of the wall screens default to panoramic views of the world beyond, allowing passengers the experience of looking out into space.
During its <<linkreplace "voyage" t8n>>voyage (before finding Kor)<</linkreplace>>, the Alsion's interior looked very different. Back when I was activated, the halls and rooms were very sterile. All cold metal and dark screens.
Once the arboreal tether was connected and <<linkreplace "the exchange occurred" t8n>>a select number of travelers were sent down to try living on the planet's surface<</linkreplace>>, Kor spread throughout the ship.
Now, almost every surface is covered in plant life. The walls and ceilings are tangled curtains of flowering branches and gently swinging vines. The floors are carpeted in soft grasses and moss that instinctively part for anything passing over them.
In general, everything feels vibrant. The ship is no longer white, black, and endless shades of gray; it's green, yellow, and brown with plentiful accents of warm, bright colors.
<<linkappend "It's still early though" t8n>>. At this moment, <span class="glow">98.23%</span> of the passengers are asleep, so Kor's the only living thing <<linkreplace "I come across" t8n>>I come across (I'm not invading people's private quarters)<</linkreplace>><</linkappend>>. The circadian program is still running its pre-dawn simulation so most of the lights are off.
There is some ambient illumination, but it's mostly from the wall screens or bioluminescent flora.
As <<linkreplace "I" t8n>>(oh, right) "we"<</linkreplace>> wander around, it's weird to see how empty the place is.
Almost all of the travelers' equipment, stores, furniture, and other personal items have already been sent down <<linkreplace "to Tegmen" t8n>>to Tegmen (where they're being examined, disinfected, and will eventually be sent to the Alsion travelers' new residences)<</linkreplace>>.
I'm overcome with a strong sense of déjà vu—probably a latent, faded memory from my biological life.
It's the night before I'm moving to <<linkreplace "a new apartment" t8n>>a new apartment (or is it a dorm?)<</linkreplace>>. I'm eating dinner in my living area, sitting next to <<linkreplace "a sleeping bag" t8n>>a sleeping bag—the one item of "furniture" I haven't sent ahead<</linkreplace>>, eating to-go food with a pair of neon green chopsticks, and watching a show on my phone<<linkreplace "..." t8n>>… <<linkreplace "Is someone else here?" t8n>>Is someone else here? <<linkreplace "Maybe..." t8n>><<linkreplace "Yeah, I... I think so." t8n>>Yeah, <<linkreplace "I know them." t8n>><<linkreplace "I knew them." t8n>>but I can't remember them anymore...<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><!--
//''[ALERT: Updated file "My Memories". <<linkreplace "Show file location?" t8n>>File location : (Data Collections > Personal Files > My Memories)<</linkreplace>>]''//-->
Aside from feeling <<linkreplace "abnormally vacant" t8n>>abnormally vacant which, to be fair, was expected<</linkreplace>>, my inspection doesn't reveal anything concerning.
Laðə spends most of the trip asking me questions about the minutiae of the job. What things I look for, how I anticipate and know certain things, and then random unrelated queries like, "Do you have any fond memories of this room?" or "What did you think about the chair that used to sit there?"
I respond as best <<linkreplace "I can" t8n>>I can—I might not understand Laðə fully, but I can see that they're trying their best to <<linkreplace "understand us" t8n>>understand us. Trying to help them is the least I can do<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>, but about half of my answers end up being "I don't know. Sorry," the vague, half-hearted equivalent of a shrug.
By the time we get through the fourth quadrant, the circadian program has shifted to a sunrise.
\
\
<<run memorize('endshiptour', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><!--<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Observe what's happening here in Tegmen</span>" "Site Travelers">><<set $sitetrav = true>><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Observe what's happening back on the Alsion</span>" "Ship Travelers">><<set $shiptrav = true>><</link>></li>--><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Conclude the inspection</span>" "Inspection End">><</link>></li></ul></div>\
<<else>>\
\
\
<<ctp "shiptour" 500ms t8n>>\
\
\
\
The Alsion is a <<linkreplace '"civ ship" ' t8n>>"civ ship"—a vessel meant to transport and house entire populations of individuals for extended periods of time—<</linkreplace>>and it's about as big as a small moon. In terms of its shape, it kind of looks like a giant <!--flying -->donut—a filled one without a hole. From the top down it's circular but from the side it appears more <<linkreplace "oblong" t8n>>oblong, like a watermelon or an almond<</linkreplace>>. Its exterior hull is windowless, just dark, opalescent metal with a band of solar panels around its widest point. Inside though, many of the wall screens default to panoramic views of the world beyond, allowing passengers the experience of looking out into space.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
During its <<linkreplace "voyage" t8n>>voyage (before finding Kor)<</linkreplace>>, the Alsion's interior looked very different. Back when I was activated, the halls and rooms were very sterile. All cold metal and dark screens.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Once the arboreal tether was connected and <<linkreplace "the exchange occurred" t8n>>a select number of travelers were sent down to try living on the planet's surface<</linkreplace>>, Kor spread throughout the ship.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Now, almost every surface is covered in plant life. The walls and ceilings are tangled curtains of flowering branches and gently swinging vines. The floors are carpeted in soft grasses and moss that instinctively part for anything passing over them.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
In general, everything feels vibrant. The ship is no longer white, black, and endless shades of gray; it's green, yellow, and brown with plentiful accents of warm, bright colors.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkappend "It's still early though" t8n>>. At this moment, <span class="glow">98.23%</span> of the passengers are asleep, so Kor's the only living thing <<linkreplace "I come across" t8n>>I come across (I'm not invading people's private quarters)<</linkreplace>><</linkappend>>. The circadian program is still running its pre-dawn simulation so most of the lights are off.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
There is some ambient illumination, but it's mostly from the wall screens or bioluminescent flora.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
As <<linkreplace "I" t8n>>(oh, right) "we"<</linkreplace>> wander around, it's weird to see how empty the place is.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Almost all of the travelers' equipment, stores, furniture, and other personal items have already been sent down <<linkreplace "to Tegmen" t8n>>to Tegmen (where they're being examined, disinfected, and will eventually be sent to the Alsion travelers' new residences)<</linkreplace>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I'm overcome with a strong sense of déjà vu—probably a latent, faded memory from my biological life.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
It's the night before I'm moving to <<linkreplace "a new apartment" t8n>>a new apartment (or is it a dorm?)<</linkreplace>>. I'm eating dinner in my living area, sitting next to <<linkreplace "a sleeping bag" t8n>>a sleeping bag—the one item of "furniture" I haven't sent ahead<</linkreplace>>, eating to-go food with a pair of neon green chopsticks, and watching a show on my phone<<linkreplace "..." t8n>>… <<linkreplace "Is someone else here?" t8n>>Is someone else here? <<linkreplace "Maybe..." t8n>><<linkreplace "Yeah, I... I think so." t8n>>Yeah, <<linkreplace "I know them." t8n>><<linkreplace "I knew them." t8n>>but I can't remember them anymore...<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>><!--
<<run Dialog.setup("NOTICE")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<center>Updated file \"My Memories\". <<linkreplace 'Show file location?' t8n>><br>File location : (Data Collections > Personal Files > My Memories)<</linkreplace>><br><br><<button 'Dismiss'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>>-->Aside from feeling <<linkreplace "abnormally vacant" t8n>>abnormally vacant which, to be fair, was expected<</linkreplace>>, my inspection doesn't reveal anything concerning.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Laðə spends most of the trip asking me questions about the minutiae of the job. What things I look for, how I anticipate and know certain things, and then random unrelated queries like, "Do you have any fond memories of this room?" or "What did you think about the chair that used to sit there?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I respond as best <<linkreplace "I can" t8n>>I can—I might not understand Laðə fully, but I can see that they're trying their best to <<linkreplace "understand us" t8n>>understand us. Trying to help them is the least I can do<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>, but about half of my answers end up being "I don't know. Sorry," the vague, half-hearted equivalent of a shrug.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
By the time we get through the fourth quadrant, the circadian program has shifted to sunrise.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>\
\
<<run memorize('endshiptour', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><!--<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Observe what's happening here in Tegmen</span>" "Site Travelers">><<set $sitetrav = true>><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Observe what's happening back on the Alsion</span>" "Ship Travelers">><<set $shiptrav = true>><</link>></li>--><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Conclude the inspection</span>" "Inspection End">><</link>></li></ul></div><</ctp>><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>>
<center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "shiptour">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>>\
\
<<else>>\
\
<!--WENT TO TEGMEN FIRST AND DIDN'T GREET LADE
You go from the site tour up here to the ship and Laðə is already waiting for you having done the analysis that you would have done originally. Accompanies you around the ship much in the same way but with the air of having done this already. Surprised that you switched up your order. Assumes it must be something to do with this being your last day. The travelers begin to stir.
-->\
\
\
<<if _endshiptour>>
\
\
I go to start my inspection of the ship and feel a familiar presence.
<span class="ov-chat">Laðə?</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">Yes, Ov.</span>
<span class="ov-chat">Why are you following me?</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">We wish to see firsthand how you perform your duties. That way we can ensure as seamless a transition as possible.</span>
<span class="ov-chat">Ah. I get it.</span>
Seamless.
<span class="ov-chat">Fine. If it'll help the travelers.</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">Thank you. We believe it will benefit all of us.</span>
<<linkreplace "Sure.">>... Seamless.<</linkreplace>>
The Alsion is a <<linkreplace '"civ ship" ' t8n>>"civ ship"—a vessel meant to transport and house entire populations of individuals for extended periods of time—<</linkreplace>>and it's about as big as a small moon. In terms of its shape, it kind of looks like a giant <!--flying -->donut—a filled one without a hole. From the top down it's circular but from the side it appears more <<linkreplace "oblong" t8n>>oblong, like a watermelon or an almond<</linkreplace>>. Its exterior hull is windowless, just dark, opalescent metal with a band of solar panels around its widest point. Inside though, many of the wall screens default to panoramic views of the world beyond, allowing passengers the experience of looking out into space.
During its <<linkreplace "voyage" t8n>>voyage (before finding Kor)<</linkreplace>>, the Alsion's interior looked very different. Back when I was activated, the halls and rooms were very sterile. All cold metal and dark screens.
Once the arboreal tether was connected and <<linkreplace "the exchange occurred" t8n>>a select number of travelers were sent down to try living on the planet's surface<</linkreplace>>, Kor spread throughout the ship.
Now, almost every surface is covered in plant life. The walls and ceilings are tangled curtains of flowering branches and gently swinging vines. The floors are carpeted in soft grasses and moss that instinctively part for anything passing over them.
In general, everything feels vibrant. The ship is no longer white, black, and endless shades of gray; it's green, yellow, and brown with plentiful accents of warm, bright colors.
<<linkappend "It's still early though" t8n>>. At this moment, <span class="glow">98.23%</span> of the passengers are asleep, so Kor's the only living thing <<linkreplace "I come across" t8n>>I come across (I'm not invading people's private quarters)<</linkreplace>><</linkappend>>. The circadian program is still running its pre-dawn simulation so most of the lights are off.
There is some ambient illumination, but it's mostly from the wall screens or bioluminescent flora.
As <<linkreplace "I" t8n>>(oh, right) "we"<</linkreplace>> wander around, it's weird to see how empty the place is.
Almost all of the travelers' equipment, stores, furniture, and other personal items have already been sent down <<linkreplace "to Tegmen" t8n>>to Tegmen (where they're being examined, disinfected, and will eventually be sent to the Alsion travelers' new residences)<</linkreplace>>.
I'm overcome with a strong sense of déjà vu—probably a latent, faded memory from my biological life.
It's the night before I'm moving to <<linkreplace "a new apartment" t8n>>a new apartment (or is it a dorm?)<</linkreplace>>. I'm eating dinner in my living area, sitting next to <<linkreplace "a sleeping bag" t8n>>a sleeping bag—the one item of "furniture" I haven't sent ahead<</linkreplace>>, eating to-go food with a pair of neon green chopsticks, and watching a show on my phone<<linkreplace "..." t8n>>… <<linkreplace "Is someone else here?" t8n>>Is someone else here? <<linkreplace "Maybe..." t8n>><<linkreplace "Yeah, I... I think so." t8n>>Yeah, <<linkreplace "I know them." t8n>><<linkreplace "I knew them." t8n>>but I can't remember them anymore...<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><!--
//''[ALERT: Updated file "My Memories". <<linkreplace "Show file location?" t8n>>File location : (Data Collections > Personal Files > My Memories)<</linkreplace>>]''//-->
Aside from feeling <<linkreplace "abnormally vacant" t8n>>abnormally vacant which, to be fair, was expected<</linkreplace>>, my inspection doesn't reveal anything concerning.
Laðə spends most of the trip asking me questions about the minutiae of the job. What things I look for, how I anticipate and know certain things, and then random unrelated queries like, "Do you have any fond memories of this room?" or "What did you think about the chair that used to sit there?"
I respond as best <<linkreplace "I can" t8n>>I can—I might not understand Laðə fully, but I can see that they're trying their best to <<linkreplace "understand us" t8n>>understand us. Trying to help them is the least I can do<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>, but about half of my answers end up being "I don't know. Sorry," the vague, half-hearted equivalent of a shrug.
By the time we get through the fourth quadrant, the circadian program has shifted to sunrise.
\
<<run memorize('endshiptour', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><!--<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Observe what's happening here in Tegmen</span>" "Site Travelers">><<set $sitetrav = true>><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Observe what's happening back on the Alsion</span>" "Ship Travelers">><<set $shiptrav = true>><</link>></li>--><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Conclude the inspection</span>" "Inspection End">><</link>></li></ul></div>\
<<else>>\
\
\
<<ctp "shiptour" 500ms t8n>>\
\
\
I go to start my inspection of the ship and feel a familiar presence.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Laðə?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Yes, Ov.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Why are you following me?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We wish to see firsthand how you perform your duties. That way we can ensure as seamless a transition as possible.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Ah. I get it.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Seamless.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Fine. If it'll help the travelers.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Thank you. We believe it will benefit all of us.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkreplace "Sure.">>... Seamless.<</linkreplace>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The Alsion is a <<linkreplace '"civ ship" ' t8n>>"civ ship"—a vessel meant to transport and house entire populations of individuals for extended periods of time—<</linkreplace>>and it's about as big as a small moon. In terms of its shape, it kind of looks like a giant <!--flying -->donut—a filled one without a hole. From the top down it's circular but from the side it appears more <<linkreplace "oblong" t8n>>oblong, like a watermelon or an almond<</linkreplace>>. Its exterior hull is windowless, just dark, opalescent metal with a band of solar panels around its widest point. Inside though, many of the wall screens default to panoramic views of the world beyond, allowing passengers the experience of looking out into space.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
During its <<linkreplace "voyage" t8n>>voyage (before finding Kor)<</linkreplace>>, the Alsion's interior looked very different. Back when I was activated, the halls and rooms were very sterile. All cold metal and dark screens.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Once the arboreal tether was connected and <<linkreplace "the exchange occurred" t8n>>a select number of travelers were sent down to try living on the planet's surface<</linkreplace>>, Kor spread throughout the ship.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Now, almost every surface is covered in plant life. The walls and ceilings are tangled curtains of flowering branches and gently swinging vines. The floors are carpeted in soft grasses and moss that instinctively part for anything passing over them.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
In general, everything feels vibrant. The ship is no longer white, black, and endless shades of gray; it's green, yellow, and brown with plentiful accents of warm, bright colors.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkappend "It's still early though" t8n>>. At this moment, <span class="glow">98.23%</span> of the passengers are asleep, so Kor's the only living thing <<linkreplace "I come across" t8n>>I come across (I'm not invading people's private quarters)<</linkreplace>><</linkappend>>. The circadian program is still running its pre-dawn simulation so most of the lights are off.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
There is some ambient illumination, but it's mostly from the wall screens or bioluminescent flora.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
As <<linkreplace "I" t8n>>(oh, right) "we"<</linkreplace>> wander around, it's weird to see how empty the place is.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Almost all of the travelers' equipment, stores, furniture, and other personal items have already been sent down <<linkreplace "to Tegmen" t8n>>to Tegmen (where they're being examined, disinfected, and will eventually be sent to the Alsion travelers' new residences)<</linkreplace>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I'm overcome with a strong sense of déjà vu—probably a latent, faded memory from my biological life.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
It's the night before I'm moving to <<linkreplace "a new apartment" t8n>>a new apartment (or is it a dorm?)<</linkreplace>>. I'm eating dinner in my living area, sitting next to <<linkreplace "a sleeping bag" t8n>>a sleeping bag—the one item of "furniture" I haven't sent ahead<</linkreplace>>, eating to-go food with a pair of neon green chopsticks, and watching a show on my phone<<linkreplace "..." t8n>>… <<linkreplace "Is someone else here?" t8n>>Is someone else here? <<linkreplace "Maybe..." t8n>><<linkreplace "Yeah, I... I think so." t8n>>Yeah, <<linkreplace "I know them." t8n>><<linkreplace "I knew them." t8n>>but I can't remember them anymore...<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>><!--
<<run Dialog.setup("NOTICE")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<center>Updated file \"My Memories\". <<linkreplace 'Show file location?' t8n>><br>File location : (Data Collections > Personal Files > My Memories)<</linkreplace>><br><br><<button 'Dismiss'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>>-->Aside from feeling <<linkreplace "abnormally vacant" t8n>>abnormally vacant which, to be fair, was expected<</linkreplace>>, my inspection doesn't reveal anything concerning.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Laðə spends most of the trip asking me questions about the minutiae of the job. What things I look for, how I anticipate and know certain things, and then random unrelated queries like, "Do you have any fond memories of this room?" or "What did you think about the chair that used to sit there?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I respond as best <<linkreplace "I can" t8n>>I can—I might not understand Laðə fully, but I can see that they're trying their best to <<linkreplace "understand us" t8n>>understand us. Trying to help them is the least I can do<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>, but about half of my answers end up being "I don't know. Sorry," the vague, half-hearted equivalent of a shrug.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
By the time we get through the fourth quadrant, the circadian program has shifted to sunrise.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>\
\
<<run memorize('endshiptour', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><!--<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Observe what's happening here in Tegmen</span>" "Site Travelers">><<set $sitetrav = true>><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Observe what's happening back on the Alsion</span>" "Ship Travelers">><<set $shiptrav = true>><</link>></li>--><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Conclude the inspection</span>" "Inspection End">><</link>></li></ul></div><</ctp>><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>>
<center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "shiptour">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>><</if>><style>.passage a {font-style: italic;} .choices a {font-style: normal !important;}</style><!--[[Site Analysis]][[Ship Travelers]][[Site Travelers]][[Inspection End]]--><<if settings.noctp>><<run memorize('endsitetour', true)>><</if>><<set _endsitetour = recall('endsitetour', false)>><<if $sitetour is true and $greetlaðə is true>><<if _endsitetour>>\
\
<!--THIS IS THE FIRST TOUR AND YOU DID GREET LADE
You and Laðə descend from the ship and scan your consciousness around Tegmen, the burgeoning village that the travelers living on Kor have spent the past 30 cycles or so building (around 40 years). Describe both the site and physically, provide some history of Kor, and what they are doing with the travelers down here. Laðə accompanies you throughout your tour.
-->\
\
\
I launch into my morning inspection of <<if $shiptour is true >>the Alsion<<else>>Tegmen<</if>>. My autonomic system is constantly monitoring all aspects of both the ship and the settlement, but my conscious mind can only be directed towards one part of one place. I can <<linkreplace "defocus" t8n>>defocus (which my mind already does quite often on its own)<</linkreplace>> but I can't split my core consciousness <<linkreplace "between multiple places or tasks" t8n>>between multiple places or tasks (and trust me, I've tried)<</linkreplace>>.
When I perform these morning analyses, I'm passing my conscious mind over everything to make sure that there aren't any flaws in the system—double checking that everything's running smoothly. It's merely a precaution.
<<linkreplace "Honestly" t8n>>Honestly, and I guess I can admit this to myself now that it's my last day<</linkreplace>>, I probably don't need to do this. Both places run pretty much perfectly on their own. During these checks, I don't think I've ever done more than confirm what the operating system's already told me.
It's more a waste of my time than anything. Same goes for my periods of "rest."
<<linkreplace "Sleep" t8n>>Deactivating (saying I sleep is misleading, apologies)<</linkreplace>> does nothing for me. I can't get tired physically. I have no physical form.
Now, mentally? That's a different story. All the things I deal with—the weirdness of my situation, the monotony of my routine, <<linkreplace "and some of the travelers" t8n>>some of the travelers, and Laðə<</linkreplace>>—can be exhausting and take heavy tolls on my sanity.
I suppose that's the main purpose of this. I have to keep myself sane. I have to remain active and pass time somehow. If I fully accepted that there wasn't much for me to do, that this was all there was, I'd have lost it ages ago and deactivated fully.
That doesn't really matter anymore though. All the introspection in the world won't change the fact that I've done this <<linkreplace "pointless" t8n>>technically pointless<</linkreplace>> task thousands of times before.
Or that I'll never do it again.
<<if $greetlaðə>>Laðə and <</if>>I head to the ship's <<linkreplace "lowest point" t8n>>lowest point (the lower of two poles—if you will—about which the rest of the Alsion rotates)<</linkreplace>> where <<linkreplace "the arboreal tether " t8n>>the arboreal tether—<<linkreplace "the physical anchor" t8n>>a rope-like mass of frozen plant matter insulating long passageways and electrical cables<</linkreplace>> that connects the travelers' ship to Kor—<</linkreplace>>has grown through the hull, rooting itself to the ship.
From this height, it's impossible to ignore Kor's splendor. Without having to <<linkreplace "turn your head" t8n>>turn your head (or move the camera, <<linkreplace "if you're anything like me" t8n>>if you're anything like me, which I'm guessing you're not<</linkreplace>>)<</linkreplace>> you can see Kor's dayside and nightside—everything, from the thick, vibrant canopies that shelter their star-facing hemisphere to the gently glowing oceans which dominate their nocturnal half.
Directly between the two—where these halves fade into one another—lies the umbral zone, a region of eternal twilight where the sun neither sets nor rises.<!-- <<linkreplace "X6-90ab" t8n>>X6-90ab, the tranquil <<linkreplace "G-type star" t8n>>G-type star (like Earth's star, Sol)<</linkreplace>> at the heart of Kor's solar system, <</linkreplace>> remains permanently half-suspended above the horizon.-->
Tegmen—the traveler settlement we've spent the past <<linkreplace "30 or so" t8n>><span class="glow">33.28</span><</linkreplace>> cycles <<linkreplace "slowly" t8n>>carefully<</linkreplace>> designing, constructing, and perfecting—sits at the base of the arboreal tether, safe in the embrace of Kor's umbral zone.
For me, descent is <<linkreplace "easy" t8n>>truly effortless<</linkreplace>>. The series of electrical signals that constitute the whole of my being take less than a second to zip down the tether. Without registering a moment of transition, <<if $greetlaðə>>we leave the Alsion and join Kor<<else>>I arrive in Tegmen<</if>>.
The settlement and the ship couldn't be more different. <<if $shiptour>>The Alsion is blanketed in nature, <</if>>Tegmen is literally formed from <<if $shiptour>>it<<else>>nature<</if>>. Massive trees with dark bark and <<linkreplace "burgundy" t8n>><<linkreplace "violet" t8n>><<linkreplace "crimson" t8n>><<linkreplace "copper" t8n>><<linkreplace "magenta" t8n>><<linkreplace "indigo" t8n>>(you get it) generally vibrant and colorful <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> leaves have been shaped into buildings that exhibit a kind of surreal, organic, almost bulbous architectural style<!--, complete with windows formed from chitinous membranes and stairs from knotted trunks-->. The upper layers are laced with bridges and walkways whose undersides display murals done in bioluminescent paints.
Kor doesn't have seasons in the way Earth <<linkreplace "did" t8n>>did (or does?)<</linkreplace>>, but with its deep color palette, crisp chill, low-lying fog, and dusky illumination, Tegmen feels undeniably autumnal to me.
Tegmen <<if $shiptour>>also <</if>>feels empty, but the feel here is quite different from the vacancy aboard the Alsion. The Alsion is crowded with people but devoid of its trappings like a skeleton picked clean. Tegmen is sprawling and well-appointed<!--, the size of an urban metropolis-->, but the size of its population is closer to that of a small town.
It feels empty here, but there isn't sorrow in its space. It's empty in the way that a hall being decorated for a party feels lonely until its guests arrive.
Luckily for everyone, they won't have to wait much longer. Within a few hours, the party will begin. Tegmen will reach its full potential and the Alsion will be let go.
The stage has been meticulously set for the merge. Luggage has been sent to residences, meals lie ready to be cooked, and festive décor brightens every street. Excitement and nervous energy thrum throughout the city like a live wire.
Overall, this whole process will be <<linkreplace "easier" t8n>>relatively easy<</linkreplace>> for the residents of Tegmen. They're welcoming new neighbors to their <<linkreplace "lovely" t8n>>lovely, if somewhat lonely,<</linkreplace>> city. The passengers of the Alsion are losing their ancestral home.
Technically it's also the settlers' ancestral home, but for them it's <<linkreplace "different" t8n>>different (emphasis on "ancestral")<</linkreplace>>. Half of them have lived in Tegmen so long that their appreciation for the Alsion has waned. The rest were born here and have been on Kor their entire lives. To them, the Alsion's just a little metal ball sitting atop a <<linkreplace "beanstalk" t8n>>beanstalk (not literally, the tether is more trunk than stalk and, disappointingly, there isn't a magic bean in sight)<</linkreplace>> and a bundle of memories that belong to someone else.
<<linkreplace "A memory doesn't matter much if it belongs to someone else." t8n>><<linkreplace "Can a memory matter, even if it's someone else's?" t8n>><<linkreplace "When I'm just a memory, will I still matter to someone else?" t8n>><<run memorize('memupset', true)>><<update>><<linkreplace "Am I a memory that belonged to someone else?" t8n>><<linkreplace "Am I myself or a memory of myself?" t8n>><<linkreplace "..." t8n>>I don't want to think about this. <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>
<<liveblock>><<set _memupset = recall('memupset', false)>><<if _memupset>><span class="frown-kor kor-text">Are you okay?</span><<else>><span class="smilecurious-kor kor-text">So, you believe we are ready?</span><</if>><</liveblock>>
<<liveblock>><<if _memupset>><span class="ov-chat">I'm fine.</span><<else>><span class="ov-chat">As ready as we can be. Besides, they've waited long enough. It's time for everyone to move on.</span><</if>><</liveblock>>
<<liveblock>><<if _memupset>>I know that Laðə doesn't comprehend <<linkreplace "my short response" t8n>>my rude response (which I instantly regret)<</linkreplace>> but they allow the conversation—and us—to move on.<<else>>Laðə doesn't seem satisfied with my response, but I successfully change the topic—distracting them until the end of our inspection.<</if>><</liveblock>>
<<run memorize('endsitetour', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Go back to the Alsion</span>" "Ship Analysis">><</link>></li></ul></div>\
<<else>>\
\
\
<<ctp "sitetour" 500ms t8n>>\
\
\
I launch into my morning inspection of <<if $shiptour is true >>the Alsion<<else>>Tegmen<</if>>. My autonomic system is constantly monitoring all aspects of both the ship and the settlement, but my conscious mind can only be directed towards one part of one place. I can <<linkreplace "defocus" t8n>>defocus (which my mind already does quite often on its own)<</linkreplace>> but I can't split my core consciousness <<linkreplace "between multiple places or tasks" t8n>>between multiple places or tasks (and trust me, I've tried)<</linkreplace>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
When I perform these morning analyses, I'm passing my conscious mind over everything to make sure that there aren't any flaws in the system—double checking that everything's running smoothly. It's merely a precaution.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkreplace "Honestly" t8n>>Honestly, and I guess I can admit this to myself now that it's my last day<</linkreplace>>, I probably don't need to do this. Both places run pretty much perfectly on their own. During these checks, I don't think I've ever done more than confirm what the operating system's already told me.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
It's more a waste of my time than anything. Same goes for my periods of "rest."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkreplace "Sleep" t8n>>Deactivating (saying I sleep is misleading, apologies)<</linkreplace>> does nothing for me. I can't get tired physically. I have no physical form.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Now, mentally? That's a different story. All the things I deal with—the weirdness of my situation, the monotony of my routine, <<linkreplace "and some of the travelers" t8n>>some of the travelers, and Laðə<</linkreplace>>—can be exhausting and take heavy tolls on my sanity.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I suppose that's the main purpose of this. I have to keep myself sane. I have to remain active and pass time somehow. If I fully accepted that there wasn't much for me to do, that this was all there was, I'd have lost it ages ago and deactivated fully.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
That doesn't really matter anymore though. All the introspection in the world won't change the fact that I've done this <<linkreplace "pointless" t8n>>technically pointless<</linkreplace>> task thousands of times before.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Or that I'll never do it again.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<if $greetlaðə>>Laðə and <</if>>I head to the ship's <<linkreplace "lowest point" t8n>>lowest point (the lower of two poles—if you will—about which the rest of the Alsion rotates)<</linkreplace>> where <<linkreplace "the arboreal tether " t8n>>the arboreal tether—<<linkreplace "the physical anchor" t8n>>a rope-like mass of frozen plant matter insulating long passageways and electrical cables<</linkreplace>> that connects the travelers' ship to Kor—<</linkreplace>>has grown through the hull, rooting itself to the ship.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
From this height, it's impossible to ignore Kor's splendor. Without having to <<linkreplace "turn your head" t8n>>turn your head (or move the camera, <<linkreplace "if you're anything like me" t8n>>if you're anything like me, which I'm guessing you're not<</linkreplace>>)<</linkreplace>> you can see Kor's dayside and nightside—everything, from the thick, vibrant canopies that shelter their star-facing hemisphere to the gently glowing oceans which dominate their nocturnal half.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Directly between the two—where these halves fade into one another—lies the umbral zone, a region of eternal twilight where the sun neither sets nor rises.<!-- <<linkreplace "X6-90ab" t8n>>X6-90ab, the tranquil <<linkreplace "G-type star" t8n>>G-type star (like Earth's star, Sol)<</linkreplace>> at the heart of Kor's solar system, <</linkreplace>> remains permanently half-suspended above the horizon.--><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tegmen—the traveler settlement we've spent the past <<linkreplace "30 or so" t8n>><span class="glow">33.28</span><</linkreplace>> cycles <<linkreplace "slowly" t8n>>carefully<</linkreplace>> designing, constructing, and perfecting—sits at the base of the arboreal tether, safe in the embrace of Kor's umbral zone.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
For me, descent is <<linkreplace "easy" t8n>>truly effortless<</linkreplace>>. The series of electrical signals that constitute the whole of my being take less than a second to zip down the tether. Without registering a moment of transition, <<if $greetlaðə>>we leave the Alsion and join Kor<<else>>I arrive in Tegmen<</if>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The settlement and the ship couldn't be more different. <<if $shiptour>>The Alsion is blanketed in nature, <</if>>Tegmen is literally formed from <<if $shiptour>>it<<else>>nature<</if>>. Massive trees with dark bark and <<linkreplace "burgundy" t8n>><<linkreplace "violet" t8n>><<linkreplace "crimson" t8n>><<linkreplace "copper" t8n>><<linkreplace "magenta" t8n>><<linkreplace "indigo" t8n>>(you get it) generally vibrant and colorful <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> leaves have been shaped into buildings that exhibit a kind of surreal, organic, almost bulbous architectural style<!--, complete with windows formed from chitinous membranes and stairs from knotted trunks-->. The upper layers are laced with bridges and walkways whose undersides display murals done in bioluminescent paints.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Kor doesn't have seasons in the way Earth <<linkreplace "did" t8n>>did (or does?)<</linkreplace>>, but with its deep color palette, crisp chill, low-lying fog, and dusky illumination, Tegmen feels undeniably autumnal to me.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tegmen <<if $shiptour>>also <</if>>feels empty, but the feel here is quite different from the vacancy aboard the Alsion. The Alsion is crowded with people but devoid of its trappings like a skeleton picked clean. Tegmen is sprawling and well-appointed<!--, the size of an urban metropolis-->, but the size of its population is closer to that of a small town.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
It feels empty here, but there isn't sorrow in its space. It's empty in the way that a hall being decorated for a party feels lonely until its guests arrive.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Luckily for everyone, they won't have to wait much longer. Within a few hours, the party will begin. Tegmen will reach its full potential and the Alsion will be let go.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The stage has been meticulously set for the merge. Luggage has been sent to residences, meals lie ready to be cooked, and festive décor brightens every street. Excitement and nervous energy thrum throughout the city like a live wire.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Overall, this whole process will be <<linkreplace "easier" t8n>>relatively easy<</linkreplace>> for the residents of Tegmen. They're welcoming new neighbors to their <<linkreplace "lovely" t8n>>lovely, if somewhat lonely,<</linkreplace>> city. The passengers of the Alsion are losing their ancestral home.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Technically it's also the settlers' ancestral home, but for them it's <<linkreplace "different" t8n>>different (emphasis on "ancestral")<</linkreplace>>. Half of them have lived in Tegmen so long that their appreciation for the Alsion has waned. The rest were born here and have been on Kor their entire lives. To them, the Alsion's just a little metal ball sitting atop a <<linkreplace "beanstalk" t8n>>beanstalk (not literally, the tether is more trunk than stalk and, disappointingly, there isn't a magic bean in sight)<</linkreplace>> and a bundle of memories that belong to someone else.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkreplace "A memory doesn't matter much if it belongs to someone else." t8n>><<linkreplace "Can a memory matter, even if it's someone else's?" t8n>><<linkreplace "When I'm just a memory, will I still matter to someone else?" t8n>><<run memorize('memupset', true)>><<update>><<linkreplace "Am I a memory that belonged to someone else?" t8n>><<linkreplace "Am I myself or a memory of myself?" t8n>><<linkreplace "..." t8n>>I don't want to think about this. <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<liveblock>><<set _memupset = recall('memupset', false)>><<if _memupset>><<type 30ms class "frowncurious-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Are you okay?<</type>><<else>><<type 30ms class "smilecurious-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>So, you believe we are ready?<</type>><</if>><</liveblock>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<liveblock>><<if _memupset>><<type 10ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>I'm fine.<</type>><<else>><<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>As ready as we can be. Besides, they've waited long enough. It's time for everyone to move on.<</type>><</if>><</liveblock>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<liveblock>><<if _memupset>>I know that Laðə doesn't comprehend <<linkreplace "my short response" t8n>>my rude response (which I instantly regret)<</linkreplace>> but they allow the conversation—and us—to move on.<<else>>Laðə doesn't seem satisfied with my response, but I successfully change the topic—distracting them until the end of our inspection.<</if>><</liveblock>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>\
\
\
<<run memorize('endsitetour', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Go back to the Alsion</span>" "Ship Analysis">><</link>></li></ul></div><</ctp>><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>>
<center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "sitetour">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>>\
\
\
\
<<elseif $sitetour is true and $greetlaðə isnot true>><<if _endsitetour>>\
\
\
\
<!--THIS IS THE FIRST TOUR AND DIDN'T GREET LADE
You descend from the ship and scan your consciousness around the site. Describe it physically, provide some history of Kor, and what they are doing with the travelers down here.
-->\
\
\
I launch into my morning inspection of <<if $shiptour is true >>the Alsion<<else>>Tegmen<</if>>. My autonomic system is constantly monitoring all aspects of both the ship and the settlement, but my conscious mind can only be directed towards one part of one place. I can <<linkreplace "defocus" t8n>>defocus (which my mind already does quite often on its own)<</linkreplace>> but I can't split my core consciousness <<linkreplace "between multiple places or tasks" t8n>>between multiple places or tasks (and trust me, I've tried)<</linkreplace>>.
When I perform these morning analyses, I'm passing my conscious mind over everything to make sure that there aren't any flaws in the system—double checking that everything's running smoothly. It's merely a precaution.
<<linkreplace "Honestly" t8n>>Honestly, and I guess I can admit this to myself now that it's my last day<</linkreplace>>, I probably don't need to do this. Both places run pretty much perfectly on their own. During these checks, I don't think I've ever done more than confirm what the operating system's already told me.
It's more a waste of my time than anything. Same goes for my periods of "rest."
<<linkreplace "Sleep" t8n>>Deactivating (saying I sleep is misleading, apologies)<</linkreplace>> does nothing for me. I can't get tired physically. I have no physical form.
Now, mentally? That's a different story. All the things I deal with—the weirdness of my situation, the monotony of my routine, <<linkreplace "and some of the travelers" t8n>>some of the travelers, and Laðə<</linkreplace>>—can be exhausting and take heavy tolls on my sanity.
I suppose that's the main purpose of this. I have to keep myself sane. I have to remain active and pass time somehow. If I fully accepted that there wasn't much for me to do, that this was all there was, I'd have lost it ages ago and deactivated fully.
That doesn't really matter anymore though. All the introspection in the world won't change the fact that I've done this <<linkreplace "pointless" t8n>>technically pointless<</linkreplace>> task thousands of times before.
Or that I'll never do it again.
<<if $greetlaðə>>Laðə and <</if>>I head to the ship's <<linkreplace "lowest point" t8n>>lowest point (the lower of two poles—if you will—about which the rest of the Alsion rotates)<</linkreplace>> where <<linkreplace "the arboreal tether " t8n>>the arboreal tether—<<linkreplace "the physical anchor" t8n>>a rope-like mass of frozen plant matter insulating long passageways and electrical cables<</linkreplace>> that connects the travelers' ship to Kor—<</linkreplace>>has grown through the hull, rooting itself to the ship.
From this height, it's impossible to ignore Kor's splendor. Without having to <<linkreplace "turn your head" t8n>>turn your head (or move the camera, <<linkreplace "if you're anything like me" t8n>>if you're anything like me, which I'm guessing you're not<</linkreplace>>)<</linkreplace>> you can see Kor's dayside and nightside—everything, from the thick, vibrant canopies that shelter their star-facing hemisphere to the gently glowing oceans which dominate their nocturnal half.
Directly between the two—where these halves fade into one another—lies the umbral zone, a region of eternal twilight where the sun neither sets nor rises.<!-- <<linkreplace "X6-90ab" t8n>>X6-90ab, the tranquil <<linkreplace "G-type star" t8n>>G-type star (like Earth's star, Sol)<</linkreplace>> at the heart of Kor's solar system, <</linkreplace>> remains permanently half-suspended above the horizon.-->
Tegmen—the traveler settlement we've spent the past <<linkreplace "30 or so" t8n>><span class="glow">33.28</span><</linkreplace>> cycles <<linkreplace "slowly" t8n>>carefully<</linkreplace>> designing, constructing, and perfecting—sits at the base of the arboreal tether, safe in the embrace of Kor's umbral zone.
For me, descent is <<linkreplace "easy" t8n>>truly effortless<</linkreplace>>. The series of electrical signals that constitute the whole of my being take less than a second to zip down the tether. Without registering a moment of transition, <<if $greetlaðə>>we leave the Alsion and join Kor<<else>>I arrive in Tegmen<</if>>.
The settlement and the ship couldn't be more different. <<if $shiptour>>The Alsion is blanketed in nature, <</if>>Tegmen is literally formed from <<if $shiptour>>it<<else>>nature<</if>>. Massive trees with dark bark and <<linkreplace "burgundy" t8n>><<linkreplace "violet" t8n>><<linkreplace "crimson" t8n>><<linkreplace "copper" t8n>><<linkreplace "magenta" t8n>><<linkreplace "indigo" t8n>>(you get it) generally vibrant and colorful <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> leaves have been shaped into buildings that exhibit a kind of surreal, organic, almost bulbous architectural style<!--, complete with windows formed from chitinous membranes and stairs from knotted trunks-->. The upper layers are laced with bridges and walkways whose undersides display murals done in bioluminescent paints.
Kor doesn't have seasons in the way Earth <<linkreplace "did" t8n>>did (or does?)<</linkreplace>>, but with its deep color palette, crisp chill, low-lying fog, and dusky illumination, Tegmen feels undeniably autumnal to me.
Tegmen <<if $shiptour>>also <</if>>feels empty, but the feel here is quite different from the vacancy aboard the Alsion. The Alsion is crowded with people but devoid of its trappings like a skeleton picked clean. Tegmen is sprawling and well-appointed<!--, the size of an urban metropolis-->, but the size of its population is closer to that of a small town.
It feels empty here, but there isn't sorrow in its space. It's empty in the way that a hall being decorated for a party feels lonely until its guests arrive.
Luckily for everyone, they won't have to wait much longer. Within a few hours, the party will begin. Tegmen will reach its full potential and the Alsion will be let go.
The stage has been meticulously set for the merge. Luggage has been sent to residences, meals lie ready to be cooked, and festive décor brightens every street. Excitement and nervous energy thrum throughout the city like a live wire.
Overall, this whole process will be <<linkreplace "easier" t8n>>relatively easy<</linkreplace>> for the residents of Tegmen. They're welcoming new neighbors to their <<linkreplace "lovely" t8n>>lovely, if somewhat lonely,<</linkreplace>> city. The passengers of the Alsion are losing their ancestral home.
Technically it's also the settlers' ancestral home, but for them it's <<linkreplace "different" t8n>>different (emphasis on "ancestral")<</linkreplace>>. Half of them have lived in Tegmen so long that their appreciation for the Alsion has waned. The rest were born here and have been on Kor their entire lives. To them, the Alsion's just a little metal ball sitting atop a <<linkreplace "beanstalk" t8n>>beanstalk (not literally, the tether is more trunk than stalk and, disappointingly, there isn't a magic bean in sight)<</linkreplace>> and a bundle of memories that belong to someone else.
<<linkreplace "A memory doesn't matter much if it belongs to someone else." t8n>><<linkreplace "Can a memory matter, even if it's someone else's?" t8n>><<linkreplace "When I'm just a memory, will I still matter to someone else?" t8n>><<run memorize('memupset', true)>><<update>><<linkreplace "Am I a memory that belonged to someone else?" t8n>><<linkreplace "Am I myself or a memory of myself?" t8n>><<linkreplace "..." t8n>>I don't want to think about this. <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>
I wrap up the inspection as quickly as possible. I have no greater desire than to finally be done.
<<run memorize('endsitetour', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Go back to the Alsion</span>" "Ship Analysis">><</link>></li></ul></div>\
<<else>>\
\
\
<<ctp "sitetour" 500ms t8n>>\
\
\
I launch into my morning inspection of <<if $shiptour is true >>the Alsion<<else>>Tegmen<</if>>. My autonomic system is constantly monitoring all aspects of both the ship and the settlement, but my conscious mind can only be directed towards one part of one place. I can <<linkreplace "defocus" t8n>>defocus (which my mind already does quite often on its own)<</linkreplace>> but I can't split my core consciousness <<linkreplace "between multiple places or tasks" t8n>>between multiple places or tasks (and trust me, I've tried)<</linkreplace>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
When I perform these morning analyses, I'm passing my conscious mind over everything to make sure that there aren't any flaws in the system—double checking that everything's running smoothly. It's merely a precaution.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkreplace "Honestly" t8n>>Honestly, and I guess I can admit this to myself now that it's my last day<</linkreplace>>, I probably don't need to do this. Both places run pretty much perfectly on their own. During these checks, I don't think I've ever done more than confirm what the operating system's already told me.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
It's more a waste of my time than anything. Same goes for my periods of "rest."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkreplace "Sleep" t8n>>Deactivating (saying I sleep is misleading, apologies)<</linkreplace>> does nothing for me. I can't get tired physically. I have no physical form.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Now, mentally? That's a different story. All the things I deal with—the weirdness of my situation, the monotony of my routine, <<linkreplace "and some of the travelers" t8n>>some of the travelers, and Laðə<</linkreplace>>—can be exhausting and take heavy tolls on my sanity.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I suppose that's the main purpose of this. I have to keep myself sane. I have to remain active and pass time somehow. If I fully accepted that there wasn't much for me to do, that this was all there was, I'd have lost it ages ago and deactivated fully.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
That doesn't really matter anymore though. All the introspection in the world won't change the fact that I've done this <<linkreplace "pointless" t8n>>technically pointless<</linkreplace>> task thousands of times before.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Or that I'll never do it again.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<if $greetlaðə>>Laðə and <</if>>I head to the ship's <<linkreplace "lowest point" t8n>>lowest point (the lower of two poles—if you will—about which the rest of the Alsion rotates)<</linkreplace>> where <<linkreplace "the arboreal tether " t8n>>the arboreal tether—<<linkreplace "the physical anchor" t8n>>a rope-like mass of frozen plant matter insulating long passageways and electrical cables<</linkreplace>> that connects the travelers' ship to Kor—<</linkreplace>>has grown through the hull, rooting itself to the ship.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
From this height, it's impossible to ignore Kor's splendor. Without having to <<linkreplace "turn your head" t8n>>turn your head (or move the camera, <<linkreplace "if you're anything like me" t8n>>if you're anything like me, which I'm guessing you're not<</linkreplace>>)<</linkreplace>> you can see Kor's dayside and nightside—everything, from the thick, vibrant canopies that shelter their star-facing hemisphere to the gently glowing oceans which dominate their nocturnal half.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Directly between the two—where these halves fade into one another—lies the umbral zone, a region of eternal twilight where the sun neither sets nor rises.<!-- <<linkreplace "X6-90ab" t8n>>X6-90ab, the tranquil <<linkreplace "G-type star" t8n>>G-type star (like Earth's star, Sol)<</linkreplace>> at the heart of Kor's solar system, <</linkreplace>> remains permanently half-suspended above the horizon.--><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tegmen—the traveler settlement we've spent the past <<linkreplace "30 or so" t8n>><span class="glow">33.28</span><</linkreplace>> cycles <<linkreplace "slowly" t8n>>carefully<</linkreplace>> designing, constructing, and perfecting—sits at the base of the arboreal tether, safe in the embrace of Kor's umbral zone.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
For me, descent is <<linkreplace "easy" t8n>>truly effortless<</linkreplace>>. The series of electrical signals that constitute the whole of my being take less than a second to zip down the tether. Without registering a moment of transition, <<if $greetlaðə>>we leave the Alsion and join Kor<<else>>I arrive in Tegmen<</if>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The settlement and the ship couldn't be more different. <<if $shiptour>>The Alsion is blanketed in nature, <</if>>Tegmen is literally formed from <<if $shiptour>>it<<else>>nature<</if>>. Massive trees with dark bark and <<linkreplace "burgundy" t8n>><<linkreplace "violet" t8n>><<linkreplace "crimson" t8n>><<linkreplace "copper" t8n>><<linkreplace "magenta" t8n>><<linkreplace "indigo" t8n>>(you get it) generally vibrant and colorful <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> leaves have been shaped into buildings that exhibit a kind of surreal, organic, almost bulbous architectural style<!--, complete with windows formed from chitinous membranes and stairs from knotted trunks-->. The upper layers are laced with bridges and walkways whose undersides display murals done in bioluminescent paints.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Kor doesn't have seasons in the way Earth <<linkreplace "did" t8n>>did (or does?)<</linkreplace>>, but with its deep color palette, crisp chill, low-lying fog, and dusky illumination, Tegmen feels undeniably autumnal to me.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tegmen <<if $shiptour>>also <</if>>feels empty, but the feel here is quite different from the vacancy aboard the Alsion. The Alsion is crowded with people but devoid of its trappings like a skeleton picked clean. Tegmen is sprawling and well-appointed<!--, the size of an urban metropolis-->, but the size of its population is closer to that of a small town.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
It feels empty here, but there isn't sorrow in its space. It's empty in the way that a hall being decorated for a party feels lonely until its guests arrive.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Luckily for everyone, they won't have to wait much longer. Within a few hours, the party will begin. Tegmen will reach its full potential and the Alsion will be let go.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The stage has been meticulously set for the merge. Luggage has been sent to residences, meals lie ready to be cooked, and festive décor brightens every street. Excitement and nervous energy thrum throughout the city like a live wire.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Overall, this whole process will be <<linkreplace "easier" t8n>>relatively easy<</linkreplace>> for the residents of Tegmen. They're welcoming new neighbors to their <<linkreplace "lovely" t8n>>lovely, if somewhat lonely,<</linkreplace>> city. The passengers of the Alsion are losing their ancestral home.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Technically it's also the settlers' ancestral home, but for them it's <<linkreplace "different" t8n>>different (emphasis on "ancestral")<</linkreplace>>. Half of them have lived in Tegmen so long that their appreciation for the Alsion has waned. The rest were born here and have been on Kor their entire lives. To them, the Alsion's just a little metal ball sitting atop a <<linkreplace "beanstalk" t8n>>beanstalk (not literally, the tether is more trunk than stalk and, disappointingly, there isn't a magic bean in sight)<</linkreplace>> and a bundle of memories that belong to someone else.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkreplace "A memory doesn't matter much if it belongs to someone else." t8n>><<linkreplace "Can a memory matter, even if it's someone else's?" t8n>><<linkreplace "When I'm just a memory, will I still matter to someone else?" t8n>><<run memorize('memupset', true)>><<update>><<linkreplace "Am I a memory that belonged to someone else?" t8n>><<linkreplace "Am I myself or a memory of myself?" t8n>><<linkreplace "..." t8n>>I don't want to think about this. <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I wrap up the inspection as quickly as possible. I have no greater desire than to finally be done.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>\
\
\
<<run memorize('endsitetour', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Go back to the Alsion</span>" "Ship Analysis">><</link>></li></ul></div><</ctp>><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>>
<center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "sitetour">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>>\
\
\
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\
<<elseif $sitetour isnot true and $greetlaðə is true>>\
\
\
\
\
<!--WENT TO SHIP FIRST AND GREETED LADE
You and Laðə descend from the ship to the site and do an inspection down here as well. The travelers are beginning to stir.
-->\
\
\
\
<<if _endsitetour>>\
\
\
\
<<if $greetlaðə>>Laðə and <</if>>I head to the ship's <<linkreplace "lowest point" t8n>>lowest point (the lower of two poles—if you will—about which the rest of the Alsion rotates)<</linkreplace>> where <<linkreplace "the arboreal tether " t8n>>the arboreal tether—<<linkreplace "the physical anchor" t8n>>a rope-like mass of frozen plant matter insulating long passageways and electrical cables<</linkreplace>> that connects the travelers' ship to Kor—<</linkreplace>>has grown through the hull, rooting itself to the ship.
From this height, it's impossible to ignore Kor's splendor. Without having to <<linkreplace "turn your head" t8n>>turn your head (or move the camera, <<linkreplace "if you're anything like me" t8n>>if you're anything like me, which I'm guessing you're not<</linkreplace>>)<</linkreplace>> you can see Kor's dayside and nightside—everything, from the thick, vibrant canopies that shelter their star-facing hemisphere to the gently glowing oceans which dominate their nocturnal half.
Directly between the two—where these halves fade into one another—lies the umbral zone, a region of eternal twilight where the sun neither sets nor rises.<!-- <<linkreplace "X6-90ab" t8n>>X6-90ab, the tranquil <<linkreplace "G-type star" t8n>>G-type star (like Earth's star, Sol)<</linkreplace>> at the heart of Kor's solar system, <</linkreplace>> remains permanently half-suspended above the horizon.-->
Tegmen—the traveler settlement we've spent the past <<linkreplace "30 or so" t8n>><span class="glow">33.28</span><</linkreplace>> cycles <<linkreplace "slowly" t8n>>carefully<</linkreplace>> designing, constructing, and perfecting—sits at the base of the arboreal tether, safe in the embrace of Kor's umbral zone.
For me, descent is <<linkreplace "easy" t8n>>truly effortless<</linkreplace>>. The series of electrical signals that constitute the whole of my being take less than a second to zip down the tether. Without registering a moment of transition, <<if $greetlaðə>>we leave the Alsion and join Kor<<else>>I arrive in Tegmen<</if>>.
The settlement and the ship couldn't be more different. <<if $shiptour>>The Alsion is blanketed in nature, <</if>>Tegmen is literally formed from <<if $shiptour>>it<<else>>nature<</if>>. Massive trees with dark bark and <<linkreplace "burgundy" t8n>><<linkreplace "violet" t8n>><<linkreplace "crimson" t8n>><<linkreplace "copper" t8n>><<linkreplace "magenta" t8n>><<linkreplace "indigo" t8n>>(you get it) generally vibrant and colorful <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> leaves have been shaped into buildings that exhibit a kind of surreal, organic, almost bulbous architectural style<!--, complete with windows formed from chitinous membranes and stairs from knotted trunks-->. The upper layers are laced with bridges and walkways whose undersides display murals done in bioluminescent paints.
Kor doesn't have seasons in the way Earth <<linkreplace "did" t8n>>did (or does?)<</linkreplace>>, but with its deep color palette, crisp chill, low-lying fog, and dusky illumination, Tegmen feels undeniably autumnal to me.
Tegmen <<if $shiptour>>also <</if>>feels empty, but the feel here is quite different from the vacancy aboard the Alsion. The Alsion is crowded with people but devoid of its trappings like a skeleton picked clean. Tegmen is sprawling and well-appointed<!--, the size of an urban metropolis-->, but the size of its population is closer to that of a small town.
It feels empty here, but there isn't sorrow in its space. It's empty in the way that a hall being decorated for a party feels lonely until its guests arrive.
Luckily for everyone, they won't have to wait much longer. Within a few hours, the party will begin. Tegmen will reach its full potential and the Alsion will be let go.
The stage has been meticulously set for the merge. Luggage has been sent to residences, meals lie ready to be cooked, and festive décor brightens every street. Excitement and nervous energy thrum throughout the city like a live wire.
Overall, this whole process will be <<linkreplace "easier" t8n>>relatively easy<</linkreplace>> for the residents of Tegmen. They're welcoming new neighbors to their <<linkreplace "lovely" t8n>>lovely, if somewhat lonely,<</linkreplace>> city. The passengers of the Alsion are losing their ancestral home.
Technically it's also the settlers' ancestral home, but for them it's <<linkreplace "different" t8n>>different (emphasis on "ancestral")<</linkreplace>>. Half of them have lived in Tegmen so long that their appreciation for the Alsion has waned. The rest were born here and have been on Kor their entire lives. To them, the Alsion's just a little metal ball sitting atop a <<linkreplace "beanstalk" t8n>>beanstalk (not literally, the tether is more trunk than stalk and, disappointingly, there isn't a magic bean in sight)<</linkreplace>> and a bundle of memories that belong to someone else.
<<linkreplace "A memory doesn't matter much if it belongs to someone else." t8n>><<linkreplace "Can a memory matter, even if it's someone else's?" t8n>><<linkreplace "When I'm just a memory, will I still matter to someone else?" t8n>><<run memorize('memupset', true)>><<update>><<linkreplace "Am I a memory that belonged to someone else?" t8n>><<linkreplace "Am I myself or a memory of myself?" t8n>><<linkreplace "..." t8n>>I don't want to think about this. <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>
<<liveblock>><<set _memupset = recall('memupset', false)>><<if _memupset>><span class="frown-kor kor-text">Are you okay?</span><<else>><span class="smilecurious-kor kor-text">So, you believe we are ready?</span><</if>><</liveblock>>
<<liveblock>><<if _memupset>><span class="ov-chat">I'm fine.</span><<else>><span class="ov-chat">As ready as we can be. Besides, they've waited long enough. It's time for everyone to move on.</span><</if>><</liveblock>>
<<liveblock>><<if _memupset>>I know that Laðə doesn't comprehend <<linkreplace "my short response" t8n>>my rude response (which I instantly regret)<</linkreplace>> but they allow the conversation—and us—to move on.<<else>>Laðə doesn't seem satisfied with my response, but I successfully change the topic—distracting them until the end of our inspection.<</if>><</liveblock>>
\
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<<run memorize('endsitetour', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><!--<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Observe what's happening here in Tegmen</span>" "Site Travelers">><<set $sitetrav = true>><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Observe what's happening back on the Alsion</span>" "Ship Travelers">><<set $shiptrav = true>><</link>></li>--><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Conclude the inspection</span>" "Inspection End">><</link>></li></ul></div>\
<<else>>\
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\
<<ctp "sitetour" 500ms t8n>>\
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\
<<if $greetlaðə>>Laðə and <</if>>I head to the ship's <<linkreplace "lowest point" t8n>>lowest point (the lower of two poles—if you will—about which the rest of the Alsion rotates)<</linkreplace>> where <<linkreplace "the arboreal tether " t8n>>the arboreal tether—<<linkreplace "the physical anchor" t8n>>a rope-like mass of frozen plant matter insulating long passageways and electrical cables<</linkreplace>> that connects the travelers' ship to Kor—<</linkreplace>>has grown through the hull, rooting itself to the ship.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
From this height, it's impossible to ignore Kor's splendor. Without having to <<linkreplace "turn your head" t8n>>turn your head (or move the camera, <<linkreplace "if you're anything like me" t8n>>if you're anything like me, which I'm guessing you're not<</linkreplace>>)<</linkreplace>> you can see Kor's dayside and nightside—everything, from the thick, vibrant canopies that shelter their star-facing hemisphere to the gently glowing oceans which dominate their nocturnal half.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Directly between the two—where these halves fade into one another—lies the umbral zone, a region of eternal twilight where the sun neither sets nor rises.<!-- <<linkreplace "X6-90ab" t8n>>X6-90ab, the tranquil <<linkreplace "G-type star" t8n>>G-type star (like Earth's star, Sol)<</linkreplace>> at the heart of Kor's solar system, <</linkreplace>> remains permanently half-suspended above the horizon.--><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tegmen—the traveler settlement we've spent the past <<linkreplace "30 or so" t8n>><span class="glow">33.28</span><</linkreplace>> cycles <<linkreplace "slowly" t8n>>carefully<</linkreplace>> designing, constructing, and perfecting—sits at the base of the arboreal tether, safe in the embrace of Kor's umbral zone.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
For me, descent is <<linkreplace "easy" t8n>>truly effortless<</linkreplace>>. The series of electrical signals that constitute the whole of my being take less than a second to zip down the tether. Without registering a moment of transition, <<if $greetlaðə>>we leave the Alsion and join Kor<<else>>I arrive in Tegmen<</if>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The settlement and the ship couldn't be more different. <<if $shiptour>>The Alsion is blanketed in nature, <</if>>Tegmen is literally formed from <<if $shiptour>>it<<else>>nature<</if>>. Massive trees with dark bark and <<linkreplace "burgundy" t8n>><<linkreplace "violet" t8n>><<linkreplace "crimson" t8n>><<linkreplace "copper" t8n>><<linkreplace "magenta" t8n>><<linkreplace "indigo" t8n>>(you get it) generally vibrant and colorful <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> leaves have been shaped into buildings that exhibit a kind of surreal, organic, almost bulbous architectural style<!--, complete with windows formed from chitinous membranes and stairs from knotted trunks-->. The upper layers are laced with bridges and walkways whose undersides display murals done in bioluminescent paints.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Kor doesn't have seasons in the way Earth <<linkreplace "did" t8n>>did (or does?)<</linkreplace>>, but with its deep color palette, crisp chill, low-lying fog, and dusky illumination, Tegmen feels undeniably autumnal to me.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tegmen <<if $shiptour>>also <</if>>feels empty, but the feel here is quite different from the vacancy aboard the Alsion. The Alsion is crowded with people but devoid of its trappings like a skeleton picked clean. Tegmen is sprawling and well-appointed<!--, the size of an urban metropolis-->, but the size of its population is closer to that of a small town.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
It feels empty here, but there isn't sorrow in its space. It's empty in the way that a hall being decorated for a party feels lonely until its guests arrive.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Luckily for everyone, they won't have to wait much longer. Within a few hours, the party will begin. Tegmen will reach its full potential and the Alsion will be let go.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The stage has been meticulously set for the merge. Luggage has been sent to residences, meals lie ready to be cooked, and festive décor brightens every street. Excitement and nervous energy thrum throughout the city like a live wire.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Overall, this whole process will be <<linkreplace "easier" t8n>>relatively easy<</linkreplace>> for the residents of Tegmen. They're welcoming new neighbors to their <<linkreplace "lovely" t8n>>lovely, if somewhat lonely,<</linkreplace>> city. The passengers of the Alsion are losing their ancestral home.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Technically it's also the settlers' ancestral home, but for them it's <<linkreplace "different" t8n>>different (emphasis on "ancestral")<</linkreplace>>. Half of them have lived in Tegmen so long that their appreciation for the Alsion has waned. The rest were born here and have been on Kor their entire lives. To them, the Alsion's just a little metal ball sitting atop a <<linkreplace "beanstalk" t8n>>beanstalk (not literally, the tether is more trunk than stalk and, disappointingly, there isn't a magic bean in sight)<</linkreplace>> and a bundle of memories that belong to someone else.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkreplace "A memory doesn't matter much if it belongs to someone else." t8n>><<linkreplace "Can a memory matter, even if it's someone else's?" t8n>><<linkreplace "When I'm just a memory, will I still matter to someone else?" t8n>><<run memorize('memupset', true)>><<update>><<linkreplace "Am I a memory that belonged to someone else?" t8n>><<linkreplace "Am I myself or a memory of myself?" t8n>><<linkreplace "..." t8n>>I don't want to think about this. <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<liveblock>><<set _memupset = recall('memupset', false)>><<if _memupset>><<type 30ms class "frowncurious-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Are you okay?<</type>><<else>><<type 30ms class "smilecurious-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>So, you believe we are ready?<</type>><</if>><</liveblock>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<liveblock>><<if _memupset>><<type 10ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>I'm fine.<</type>><<else>><<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>As ready as we can be. Besides, they've waited long enough. It's time for everyone to move on.<</type>><</if>><</liveblock>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<liveblock>><<if _memupset>>I know that Laðə doesn't comprehend <<linkreplace "my short response" t8n>>my rude response (which I instantly regret)<</linkreplace>> but they allow the conversation—and us—to move on.<<else>>Laðə doesn't seem satisfied with my response, but I successfully change the topic—distracting them until the end of our inspection.<</if>><</liveblock>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>\
\
<<run memorize('endsitetour', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><!--<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Observe what's happening here in Tegmen</span>" "Site Travelers">><<set $sitetrav = true>><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Observe what's happening back on the Alsion</span>" "Ship Travelers">><<set $shiptrav = true>><</link>></li>--><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Conclude the inspection</span>" "Inspection End">><</link>></li></ul></div><</ctp>><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>>
<center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "sitetour">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>>\
\
<<else>>\
\
\
\
<!--WENT TO SHIP FIRST AND DIDN'T GREET LADE
You go from the ship tour down to the site accompanied by Laðə. Conduct a tour here. The travelers begin to stir.
-->\
\
<<if _endsitetour>>\
\
\
<<if $greetlaðə>>Laðə and <</if>>I head to the ship's <<linkreplace "lowest point" t8n>>lowest point (the lower of two poles—if you will—about which the rest of the Alsion rotates)<</linkreplace>> where <<linkreplace "the arboreal tether " t8n>>the arboreal tether—<<linkreplace "the physical anchor" t8n>>a rope-like mass of frozen plant matter insulating long passageways and electrical cables<</linkreplace>> that connects the travelers' ship to Kor—<</linkreplace>>has grown through the hull, rooting itself to the ship.
From this height, it's impossible to ignore Kor's splendor. Without having to <<linkreplace "turn your head" t8n>>turn your head (or move the camera, <<linkreplace "if you're anything like me" t8n>>if you're anything like me, which I'm guessing you're not<</linkreplace>>)<</linkreplace>> you can see Kor's dayside and nightside—everything, from the thick, vibrant canopies that shelter their star-facing hemisphere to the gently glowing oceans which dominate their nocturnal half.
Directly between the two—where these halves fade into one another—lies the umbral zone, a region of eternal twilight where the sun neither sets nor rises.<!-- <<linkreplace "X6-90ab" t8n>>X6-90ab, the tranquil <<linkreplace "G-type star" t8n>>G-type star (like Earth's star, Sol)<</linkreplace>> at the heart of Kor's solar system, <</linkreplace>> remains permanently half-suspended above the horizon.-->
Tegmen—the traveler settlement we've spent the past <<linkreplace "30 or so" t8n>><span class="glow">33.28</span><</linkreplace>> cycles <<linkreplace "slowly" t8n>>carefully<</linkreplace>> designing, constructing, and perfecting—sits at the base of the arboreal tether, safe in the embrace of Kor's umbral zone.
For me, descent is <<linkreplace "easy" t8n>>truly effortless<</linkreplace>>. The series of electrical signals that constitute the whole of my being take less than a second to zip down the tether. Without registering a moment of transition, <<if $greetlaðə>>we leave the Alsion and join Kor<<else>>I arrive in Tegmen<</if>>.
The settlement and the ship couldn't be more different. <<if $shiptour>>The Alsion is blanketed in nature, <</if>>Tegmen is literally formed from <<if $shiptour>>it<<else>>nature<</if>>. Massive trees with dark bark and <<linkreplace "burgundy" t8n>><<linkreplace "violet" t8n>><<linkreplace "crimson" t8n>><<linkreplace "copper" t8n>><<linkreplace "magenta" t8n>><<linkreplace "indigo" t8n>>(you get it) generally vibrant and colorful <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> leaves have been shaped into buildings that exhibit a kind of surreal, organic, almost bulbous architectural style<!--, complete with windows formed from chitinous membranes and stairs from knotted trunks-->. The upper layers are laced with bridges and walkways whose undersides display murals done in bioluminescent paints.
Kor doesn't have seasons in the way Earth <<linkreplace "did" t8n>>did (or does?)<</linkreplace>>, but with its deep color palette, crisp chill, low-lying fog, and dusky illumination, Tegmen feels undeniably autumnal to me.
Tegmen <<if $shiptour>>also <</if>>feels empty, but the feel here is quite different from the vacancy aboard the Alsion. The Alsion is crowded with people but devoid of its trappings like a skeleton picked clean. Tegmen is sprawling and well-appointed<!--, the size of an urban metropolis-->, but the size of its population is closer to that of a small town.
It feels empty here, but there isn't sorrow in its space. It's empty in the way that a hall being decorated for a party feels lonely until its guests arrive.
Luckily for everyone, they won't have to wait much longer. Within a few hours, the party will begin. Tegmen will reach its full potential and the Alsion will be let go.
The stage has been meticulously set for the merge. Luggage has been sent to residences, meals lie ready to be cooked, and festive décor brightens every street. Excitement and nervous energy thrum throughout the city like a live wire.
Overall, this whole process will be <<linkreplace "easier" t8n>>relatively easy<</linkreplace>> for the residents of Tegmen. They're welcoming new neighbors to their <<linkreplace "lovely" t8n>>lovely, if somewhat lonely,<</linkreplace>> city. The passengers of the Alsion are losing their ancestral home.
Technically it's also the settlers' ancestral home, but for them it's <<linkreplace "different" t8n>>different (emphasis on "ancestral")<</linkreplace>>. Half of them have lived in Tegmen so long that their appreciation for the Alsion has waned. The rest were born here and have been on Kor their entire lives. To them, the Alsion's just a little metal ball sitting atop a <<linkreplace "beanstalk" t8n>>beanstalk (not literally, the tether is more trunk than stalk and, disappointingly, there isn't a magic bean in sight)<</linkreplace>> and a bundle of memories that belong to someone else.
<<linkreplace "A memory doesn't matter much if it belongs to someone else." t8n>><<linkreplace "Can a memory matter, even if it's someone else's?" t8n>><<linkreplace "When I'm just a memory, will I still matter to someone else?" t8n>><<run memorize('memupset', true)>><<update>><<linkreplace "Am I a memory that belonged to someone else?" t8n>><<linkreplace "Am I myself or a memory of myself?" t8n>><<linkreplace "..." t8n>>I don't want to think about this. <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>
<<liveblock>><<set _memupset = recall('memupset', false)>><<if _memupset>><span class="frown-kor kor-text">Are you okay?</span><<else>><span class="smilecurious-kor kor-text">So, you believe we are ready?</span><</if>><</liveblock>>
<<liveblock>><<if _memupset>><span class="ov-chat">I'm fine.</span><<else>><span class="ov-chat">As ready as we can be. Besides, they've waited long enough. It's time for everyone to move on.</span><</if>><</liveblock>>
<<liveblock>><<if _memupset>>I know that Laðə doesn't comprehend <<linkreplace "my short response" t8n>>my rude response (which I instantly regret)<</linkreplace>> but they allow the conversation—and us—to move on.<<else>>Laðə doesn't seem satisfied with my response, but I successfully change the topic—distracting them until the end of our inspection.<</if>><</liveblock>>
\
\
\
<<run memorize('endsitetour', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><!--<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Observe what's happening here in Tegmen</span>" "Site Travelers">><<set $sitetrav = true>><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Observe what's happening back on the Alsion</span>" "Ship Travelers">><<set $shiptrav = true>><</link>></li>--><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Conclude the inspection</span>" "Inspection End">><</link>></li></ul></div>\
<<else>>\
\
\
<<ctp "sitetour" 500ms t8n>>\
\
\
<<if $greetlaðə>>Laðə and <</if>>I head to the ship's <<linkreplace "lowest point" t8n>>lowest point (the lower of two poles—if you will—about which the rest of the Alsion rotates)<</linkreplace>> where <<linkreplace "the arboreal tether " t8n>>the arboreal tether—<<linkreplace "the physical anchor" t8n>>a rope-like mass of frozen plant matter insulating long passageways and electrical cables<</linkreplace>> that connects the travelers' ship to Kor—<</linkreplace>>has grown through the hull, rooting itself to the ship.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
From this height, it's impossible to ignore Kor's splendor. Without having to <<linkreplace "turn your head" t8n>>turn your head (or move the camera, <<linkreplace "if you're anything like me" t8n>>if you're anything like me, which I'm guessing you're not<</linkreplace>>)<</linkreplace>> you can see Kor's dayside and nightside—everything, from the thick, vibrant canopies that shelter their star-facing hemisphere to the gently glowing oceans which dominate their nocturnal half.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Directly between the two—where these halves fade into one another—lies the umbral zone, a region of eternal twilight where the sun neither sets nor rises.<!-- <<linkreplace "X6-90ab" t8n>>X6-90ab, the tranquil <<linkreplace "G-type star" t8n>>G-type star (like Earth's star, Sol)<</linkreplace>> at the heart of Kor's solar system, <</linkreplace>> remains permanently half-suspended above the horizon.--><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tegmen—the traveler settlement we've spent the past <<linkreplace "30 or so" t8n>><span class="glow">33.28</span><</linkreplace>> cycles <<linkreplace "slowly" t8n>>carefully<</linkreplace>> designing, constructing, and perfecting—sits at the base of the arboreal tether, safe in the embrace of Kor's umbral zone.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
For me, descent is <<linkreplace "easy" t8n>>truly effortless<</linkreplace>>. The series of electrical signals that constitute the whole of my being take less than a second to zip down the tether. Without registering a moment of transition, <<if $greetlaðə>>we leave the Alsion and join Kor<<else>>I arrive in Tegmen<</if>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The settlement and the ship couldn't be more different. <<if $shiptour>>The Alsion is blanketed in nature, <</if>>Tegmen is literally formed from <<if $shiptour>>it<<else>>nature<</if>>. Massive trees with dark bark and <<linkreplace "burgundy" t8n>><<linkreplace "violet" t8n>><<linkreplace "crimson" t8n>><<linkreplace "copper" t8n>><<linkreplace "magenta" t8n>><<linkreplace "indigo" t8n>>(you get it) generally vibrant and colorful <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> leaves have been shaped into buildings that exhibit a kind of surreal, organic, almost bulbous architectural style<!--, complete with windows formed from chitinous membranes and stairs from knotted trunks-->. The upper layers are laced with bridges and walkways whose undersides display murals done in bioluminescent paints.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Kor doesn't have seasons in the way Earth <<linkreplace "did" t8n>>did (or does?)<</linkreplace>>, but with its deep color palette, crisp chill, low-lying fog, and dusky illumination, Tegmen feels undeniably autumnal to me.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tegmen <<if $shiptour>>also <</if>>feels empty, but the feel here is quite different from the vacancy aboard the Alsion. The Alsion is crowded with people but devoid of its trappings like a skeleton picked clean. Tegmen is sprawling and well-appointed<!--, the size of an urban metropolis-->, but the size of its population is closer to that of a small town.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
It feels empty here, but there isn't sorrow in its space. It's empty in the way that a hall being decorated for a party feels lonely until its guests arrive.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Luckily for everyone, they won't have to wait much longer. Within a few hours, the party will begin. Tegmen will reach its full potential and the Alsion will be let go.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The stage has been meticulously set for the merge. Luggage has been sent to residences, meals lie ready to be cooked, and festive décor brightens every street. Excitement and nervous energy thrum throughout the city like a live wire.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Overall, this whole process will be <<linkreplace "easier" t8n>>relatively easy<</linkreplace>> for the residents of Tegmen. They're welcoming new neighbors to their <<linkreplace "lovely" t8n>>lovely, if somewhat lonely,<</linkreplace>> city. The passengers of the Alsion are losing their ancestral home.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Technically it's also the settlers' ancestral home, but for them it's <<linkreplace "different" t8n>>different (emphasis on "ancestral")<</linkreplace>>. Half of them have lived in Tegmen so long that their appreciation for the Alsion has waned. The rest were born here and have been on Kor their entire lives. To them, the Alsion's just a little metal ball sitting atop a <<linkreplace "beanstalk" t8n>>beanstalk (not literally, the tether is more trunk than stalk and, disappointingly, there isn't a magic bean in sight)<</linkreplace>> and a bundle of memories that belong to someone else.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkreplace "A memory doesn't matter much if it belongs to someone else." t8n>><<linkreplace "Can a memory matter, even if it's someone else's?" t8n>><<linkreplace "When I'm just a memory, will I still matter to someone else?" t8n>><<run memorize('memupset', true)>><<update>><<linkreplace "Am I a memory that belonged to someone else?" t8n>><<linkreplace "Am I myself or a memory of myself?" t8n>><<linkreplace "..." t8n>>I don't want to think about this. <</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<liveblock>><<set _memupset = recall('memupset', false)>><<if _memupset>><<type 30ms class "frowncurious-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Are you okay?<</type>><<else>><<type 30ms class "smilecurious-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>So, you believe we are ready?<</type>><</if>><</liveblock>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<liveblock>><<if _memupset>><<type 10ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>I'm fine.<</type>><<else>><<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>As ready as we can be. Besides, they've waited long enough. It's time for everyone to move on.<</type>><</if>><</liveblock>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<liveblock>><<if _memupset>>I know that Laðə doesn't comprehend <<linkreplace "my short response" t8n>>my rude response (which I instantly regret)<</linkreplace>> but they allow the conversation—and us—to move on.<<else>>Laðə doesn't seem satisfied with my response, but I successfully change the topic—distracting them until the end of our inspection.<</if>><</liveblock>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>\
\
<<run memorize('endsitetour', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><!--<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Observe what's happening here in Tegmen</span>" "Site Travelers">><<set $sitetrav = true>><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='choice'>Observe what's happening back on the Alsion</span>" "Ship Travelers">><<set $shiptrav = true>><</link>></li>--><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Conclude the inspection</span>" "Inspection End">><</link>></li></ul></div><</ctp>><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>>
<center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "sitetour">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>><</if>><style>.passage a {font-style: italic;} .choices a {font-style: normal !important;}</style><!--[[Ship Analysis]][[Ship Travelers]][[Site Travelers]][[Inspection End]]--><<if $sitetrav isnot true>>You and Laðə check on the travelers on the ship. Special attention is given to the travelers who have conspiracy theories about you and Tlan. Tlan is already in the workroom by the time you have finished checking on the other people.
<div class="choice-block">[[Check on the travelers at the site|Site Travelers][$sitetrav = true]]
[[Check in with Tlan|Tlan 1][$tlan1 = true]]<<if $laðə1 isnot true>>
[[Speak with Laðə|Laðə 1][$laðə1 = true]]<</if>></div><<else>>You go from the site tour up here to the ship. You and Laðə check on the travelers on the ship. Special attention is given to the travelers who have conspiracy theories about you and Tlan. Tlan is already in the workroom by the time you have finished checking on the other people.
<div class="choice-block">[[Check in with Tlan|Tlan 1][$tlan1 = true]]<<if $egravn1 isnot true>>
[[Go back and check in with Egravn|Egravn 1][$egravn1 = true]]<</if>><<if $laðə1 isnot true>>
[[Speak with Laðə|Laðə 1][$laðə1 = true]]<</if>></div><</if>><<if $shiptrav isnot true>>You and Laðə check on the travelers at the site. Special attention is given to the young travelers running around with the other alien species and Egravn. Egravn is up and seems to have been up for a while exhausting themself at their workplace.
<div class="choice-block">[[Check on the travelers at the ship|Ship Travelers][$shiptrav = true]]
[[Check in with Egravn|Egravn 1][$egravn1 = true]]<<if $laðə1 isnot true>>
[[Speak with Laðə|Laðə 1][$laðə1 = true]]<</if>></div><<else>>You go from the ship down to the site. You and Laðə check on the travelers at the site. Special attention is given to the young travelers running around with the other alien species and Egravn. Egravn is up and seems to have been up for a while exhausting themself at their workplace.
<div class="choice-block">[[Check in with Egravn|Egravn 1][$egravn1 = true]]<<if $tlan1 isnot true>>
[[Go back and check in with Tlan|Tlan 1][$tlan1 = true]]<</if>><<if $laðə1 isnot true>>
[[Speak with Laðə|Laðə 1][$laðə1 = true]]<</if>></div><</if>><!--
<<link "Check in with Egravn" "Egravn 1">><<if $tlan1 isnot true>>
<<set $egravn1 = true>><</if>><</link>><<if $tlan1 isnot true>>
[[Go back and check in with Tlan|Tlan 1]]<</if>><<if $laðə1 isnot true>>
[[Speak with Laðə|Laðə 1][$laðə1 = true]]<</if>><</if>>-->First conversation with Tlan. Covers the basic information with Tlan and your relationship to them. Describes them physically with a little background on their function here.
----
"What does it feel like down there?" Tlan crosses to the wall screen and gazes wistfully at the live feed of the planet's surface.
"I cannot feel."
They nod. "But, if you could, what would it feel like?"
"How would I know?"
"Guess?"
"Well, it's colder—"
"It feels colder?"
"Yes. Tegmen is colder than the Alsion. Did you not know that?"
"I guess I did. I just imagined that it would feel warmer, living on something that's alive."
"Technically, you already do." I increase power to some of the lights in the room, selectively illuminating spots on the walls and floor where the blooming flora grows thickest.
"Indeed. Kor is everywhere." Laðə says with my voice.
"Ah!" Tlan jumps. "Laðə. You're here?"
Tlan has always been able to tell the difference between us. I've even attempted to impersonate Laðə at times. They always know. It's nice.
If I remain on the Alsion later today, come tomorrow at least one person will register that I'm gone. I do feel bad for Tlan in that respect—they've lost enough as it is—but at least I won't disappear fully into another's identity. I am myself. I am unique. Tlan knows that and they will remember me when I'm gone—if I go.
"We are everywhere." Laðə replies.
"Yes, but right here. Right now. You're literally with us." Flowers on the wall expand and twist affirmatively. Tlan sighs, "You ought to let people know when you're with them."
"Okay. We are sorry. Tlan?"
"Yes, Laðə?"
"We are with you."
Tlan chuckles, "Great," and returns to their wide seat. "Thank you, Laðə."
"We are always with you as well," Laðə streams into my consciousness.
"Yes, Laðə. Thank you. I'm well aware of this."
"You are welcome, Ov."
<div class="choice-block"><<if $sitetrav isnot true>>[[Check on the travelers at the site|Site Travelers][$sitetrav = true]]
<</if>><<if $sitetrav is true and $egravn1 isnot true>>[[Check in with Egravn|Egravn 1][$egravn1 = true]]
<</if>><<if $sitetrav is true and $egravn1 is true>>[[Check back in with Tlan|Tlan 2][$tlan2 = true]]
[[Check back in with Egravn|Egravn 2][$egravn2 = true]]
<</if>><<if $laðə1 isnot true>>[[Speak with Laðə|Laðə 1][$laðə1 = true]]<</if>></div>First conversation with Egravn. Covers the basic information with Egravn and your relationship to them. Describes them physically with a little background on their function here.
<div class="choice-block"><<if $shiptrav isnot true>>[[Check on the travelers at the ship|Ship Travelers][$shiptrav = true]]
<</if>><<if $shiptrav is true and $tlan1 isnot true>>[[Check in with Tlan|Tlan 1][$tlan1 = true]]
<</if>><<if $shiptrav is true and $tlan1 is true>>[[Check back in with Tlan|Tlan 2][$tlan2 = true]]
[[Check back in with Egravn|Egravn 2][$egravn2 = true]]
<</if>><<if $laðə1 isnot true>>[[Speak with Laðə|Laðə 1][$laðə1 = true]]
<</if>></div><<if $greetlaðə>>Second conversation with Laðə.<<else>>First official conversation with Laðə.<</if>> Conversation will vary based on what has been done so far.
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">We observed something earlier that we'd like to ask a question about.
When you performed your inspections, you deliberately avoided the travelers' quarters.</span>
<span class="ov-chat">Yes.</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">Was that for privacy?</span>
<span class="ov-chat">Yes. The travelers will not appreciate being observed without knowledge or permission.</span>
<span class="grin-kor kor-text">Indeed. Fascinating.</span>
The concept of privacy has always intrigued Laðə. Kor themself is one being but their many aspects share a central consciousness. I imagine it as something like a hivemind. The way <<linkreplace "Laðə ">>Laðə—the only aspect of Kor who interfaces directly with myself and the travelers—<</linkreplace>>talks about it, each aspect was formed around a specific function. Most of the aspects fulfill some <<linkreplace "mechanical purpose">>mechanical purposes (like soil maintenance or emotional self-care)<</linkreplace>>. Laðəfulfills ...
<div class="choice-block"><<if $shiptrav isnot true>>[[Check on the travelers at the ship|Ship Travelers][$shiptrav = true]]
<</if>><<if $sitetrav isnot true>>[[Check on the travelers at the site|Site Travelers][$sitetrav = true]]
<</if>><<if $shiptrav is true and $tlan1 isnot true>>[[Check in with Tlan|Tlan 1][$tlan1 = true]]
<</if>><<if $sitetrav is true and $egravn1 isnot true>>[[Check in with Egravn|Egravn 1][$egravn1 = true]]
<</if>><<if $shiptrav is true and $tlan1 is true and $sitetrav is true and $egravn1 is true>>[[Check back in with Tlan|Tlan 2][$tlan2 = true]]
[[Check back in with Egravn|Egravn 2][$egravn2 = true]]
<</if>></div>Return to Tlan and given the task that they have.
<div class="choice-block">[[Figure out what Tlan needs to know about Kor|Kor Search][$korsearch = true]]<<if $egravn2 isnot true>>
[[Check back in with Egravn|Egravn 2][$egravn2 = true]]<<else>>
[[Search your memories for what Egravn needs to know|Memory Search][$memorysearch = true]]<</if>></div>Return to Egravn and given the task that they have.
<div class="choice-block">[[Search your memories for what Egravn needs to know|Memory Search][$memorysearch = true]]<<if $tlan2 isnot true>>
[[Check back in with Tlan|Tlan 2][$tlan2 = true]]<<else>>
[[Figure out what Tlan needs to know about Kor|Kor Search][$korsearch = true]]<</if>></div>Search for what Tlan needs: Go around Kor and look at some of the most beautiful places, report back what you find/see
<div class="choice-block">[[Report to Tlan with what you found|Tlan 3][$tlan3 = true]]<<if $egravn2 isnot true>>
[[Check back in with Egravn|Egravn 2][$egravn2 = true]]<<else>><<if $egravn3 isnot true>>
[[Search your memories for what Egravn needs to know|Memory Search][$memorysearch = true]]<<else>><</if>><</if>><<if $egravn3 is true and $laðə2 isnot true>>
[[Speak with Laðə|Laðə 2][$laðə2 = true]]<</if>></div>Search for what Egravn needs: search your scattered and displaced memories for the specific thing Egravn is looking for
<div class="choice-block">[[Report to Egravn with what you found|Egravn 3][$egravn3 = true]]<<if $tlan2 isnot true>>
[[Check back in with Tlan|Tlan 2][$tlan2 = true]]<<else>><<if $tlan3 isnot true>>
[[Figure out what Tlan needs to know about Kor|Kor Search][$korsearch = true]]<<else>><</if>><</if>><<if $tlan3 is true and $laðə2 isnot true>>
[[Speak with Laðə|Laðə 2][$laðə2 = true]]<</if>></div>Speak with Laðə again. This time about the things you've seen and (possibly) Tlan and Egravn.
<div class="choice-block"><<if $egravn2 isnot true>>[[Check back in with Egravn|Egravn 2][$egravn2 = true]]<<else>><<if $egravn3 isnot true>>[[Search your memories for what Egravn needs to know|Memory Search][$memorysearch = true]]<<else>><</if>><</if>><<if $tlan2 isnot true>>[[Check back in with Tlan|Tlan 2][$tlan2 = true]]<<else>><<if $tlan3 isnot true>>[[Figure out what Tlan needs to know about Kor|Kor Search][$korsearch = true]]<<else>><</if>><</if>><<if $egravn3 is true and $tlan3 is true>>[[Prepare for the Descent|Descent]]<</if>></div>
<<if visited() is 1>>
<<set $tlan3request = "unanswered">><</if>>Tlan thanks you. Speaks for a bit about Egravn. (How much depends on how much you've interacted with Egravn. Presents you with the final piece of the puzzle by submiting an approval request (in Notifications)
----
<<if def $tlan3request>><<if hasVisited("Approval Requests")>>You have been presented with the request and haven't responded to it<<else>>You have been presented with the request.<</if>><<else>><<if def $tlan3response>><<if $tlan3response>>You have approved the request.<<else>>You have denied the request.<</if>><<else>>You haven't been presented with the reqest yet or something has gone wrong.<</if>><</if>>
<div class="choice-block"><<if $egravn2 isnot true>>[[Check back in with Egravn|Egravn 2][$egravn2 = true]]
<<else>><<if $egravn3 isnot true>>[[Search your memories for what Egravn needs to know|Memory Search][$memorysearch = true]]<<else>>
[[Prepare for the Descent|Descent]]
<</if>><</if>><<if $egravn3 is true and $laðə2 isnot true>>
[[Speak with Laðə|Laðə 2][$laðə2 = true]]<</if>></div><!--
$korAshChoice is the fully written out choice that Ov makes for (unknowingly) where Sirit's remains should be put, appears later as, "That Sirit's //(125046)// remains be removed from the Alsion's mortuary and brought to $korAshChoice."
For the request that gets submitted, the variable is $tlan3request and it is defined in this passage and set at first to "unanswered" once Ov responds to it affirmatively or negatively, it changes to true or false respectively
If the player comes back to the page with it "unanswered" and yet they've visited the "Approval Requests" passage, then they've read it and not responded to it for whatever reason.
When they come back and have responded then $tlan3request will no longer exist, it will be the boolean $tlan3response
-->Egravn thanks you. Speaks for a bit about Tlan. (How much depends on how much you've interacted with Tlan).
<div class="choice-block"><<if $tlan2 isnot true>>[[Check back in with Tlan|Tlan 2][$tlan2 = true]]<<else>><<if $tlan3 isnot true>>[[Figure out what Tlan needs to know about Kor|Kor Search][$korsearch = true]]<<else>>[[Prepare for the Descent|Descent]]<</if>><</if>><<if $tlan3 is true and $laðə2 isnot true>>
[[Speak with Laðə|Laðə 2][$laðə2 = true]]<</if>></div>You witness the joining of the two groups. (The Tlan and Egravn option will be locked based on if you got the correct shit with them).
<div class="choice-block">[[Speak to Tlan and Egravn|Tlan and Egravn][$tande = true]]
[[Speak to Laðə|Laðə 3][$laðə3 = true]]
[[Move on|Sunset]]</div>End screen of the game. One final conversation with Laðə about what will come next for you. You choose your fate. (For the Kor ending, you must have spoken to Laðə multiple times over the course of the story.)
<div class="choice-block">[[Remain on the ship after the arboreal tether is disconnected|Alone Ending]]
[[You decide to stay, even if you aren't working anymore|Retire Ending]]
[[Deactivate yourself with the hope your mind will return somewhere else, or perhaps be awoken again someday|Return Ending]]
[[Merge with Laðə|Kor Ending]]</div>You merge with Laðə and become one with Kor. You have realized that you are not so different from Kor or, perhaps, it is the fact that you are so radically different from them which makes them so similar to you. You become one in the same in a moment of pure spiritual ecstasy. You become the aspect of Kor that was needed and really merge with the function that Laðə was designing (perhaps the whole time they were prepping you, not something within themself) to take over Kor's protective and understanding aspect.Your primary consciousness remains on the ship where you watch Kor until the ship is fully drained of energy, killing you as you look down on something you love. Your autonomic system remains with Laðə and Kor, but your core soul ceases to exist. Could be a very emotional moment with Tlan, Egravn, and Laðə.You ask Tlan to deactivate you with the hope that your consciousness will return to the place where all the other digitized minds are stored. You have (perhaps) realized that you are actually like Laðə and you wish to go home to where you are not the sole person like you. You don't know if you will cease to exist or if you will be returned to the people like you. Kind of a prestige thing. Could be a very emotional moment with Tlan, Egravn, and Laðə.You talk to Tlan and Egravn. Can leave them with parting advice and (possibly) engourage them to get together.
<div class="choice-block"><<if $laðə3 isnot true>>[[Speak to Laðə|Laðə 3][$laðə3 = true]]
<</if>>[[Move on|Sunset]]</div>Speak to Laðə again.
<div class="choice-block"><<if $tande isnot true>>[[Speak to Tlan and Egravn|Tlan and Egravn][$tande = true]]
<</if>>[[Move on|Sunset]]</div>The Descent occurs.
<div class="choice-block">[[Witness what comes next|Celebration]]</div>You decide to stay on Kor with everyone even if Laðə does your job now. You become just another passenger and thing living within Kor.<<type 30ms start 200ms class "robotitle" element "SPAN" skipkey "Enter">>WELCOME, [user]!<</type>><<type 30ms start 800ms element "div" skipkey "Enter">>
Which setting do you want to load?
<ul><li><span class="unavailable-choice disabled-choice"><<link "==MerXI==">><<run Dialog.setup("Error")>><<run Dialog.wiki("MerXI's system is currently offline. Please try again later.<br><br><center><<button 'Dismiss'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><</link>></span></li><li><<link "<span class='available-choice'>Ov</span>" "LOADING OV">><</link>></li><li><span class="unavailable-choice disabled-choice"><<link "==Ampersand==">><<run Dialog.setup("Error")>><<run Dialog.wiki("Ampersand's system is currently offline. Please try again later.<br><br><center><<button 'Dismiss'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><</link>></span></li><li><span class="unavailable-choice disabled-choice"><<link "==62-7C==" >><<run Dialog.setup("Error")>><<run Dialog.wiki("62-7C's system is currently offline. Please try again later.<br><br><center><<button 'Dismiss'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><</link>></span></li></ul><</type>><style>.robotitle {font-size: 100%;} .passage {font-size: 110%;} .disabled-choice a:hover {font-style: italic !important; cursor: not-allowed !important; color: var(--accent) !important;} .disabled-choice a {color: var(--accent) !important;} .disabled-choice::before {color: var(--accent) !important; cursor: not-allowed !important;} .disabled-choice::before:hover {color: var(--accent) !important; cursor: not-allowed !important;} .available-choice::before {color: var(--text);}</style><!--[[LOADING OV]]--><!--
Want these stories to be examinations of how the world could be better, not just how it can get worse. There's been enough written on the ills of the world. I believe that my time is better spent trying to share positivity and kind potentials that do not ignore the ills of society and others, but show how they can be minor elements of existence in an ideal future world.
--><<timed 1s>><<set _print = 1>><<update>><</timed>>
<center><i class="fa-solid fa-spinner fa-spin"></i></center>
<center><<liveblock>><<if _print is 1>><<type 60ms class "robotitle" element "div" keep skipkey "Enter">>system processing . . .<</type>><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><<timed 6s>><<goto "MENU SCREEN">><</timed>></center><style>i {font-size: 140%;} .passage {font-size: 180%;}</style><!--[[MENU SCREEN]]--><div class="header">
<div id="data-nav">
<span id="data" class="fa-solid fa-folder"></span>
</div>
<div id="main-nav">
<span id="restart" class="fa-solid fa-power-off"></span>
<span id="credits" class="fa-solid fa-question"></span>
<span id="saves" class="fa-solid fa-sd-card"></span>
<span id="settings" class="fa-solid fa-gear"></span>
</div>
</div>
<div id="story">
<span id="back" class="fa-solid fa-less-than-equal"></span>
<div class="mob-nav">
<div id="mob-main-nav">
<span id="mob-restart" class="fa-solid fa-power-off"></span>
<span id="mob-credits" class="fa-solid fa-question"></span>
<span id="mob-saves" class="fa-solid fa-sd-card"></span>
<span id="mob-settings" class="fa-solid fa-gear"></span>
</div>
<div id="mob-data-nav">
<span id="mob-data" class="fa-solid fa-folder"></span>
</div>
</div>
<div id="passages"></div>
</div><!--GENERAL-->
<<set $character = "OV", $storybeat = "system processing">>
<<set $unlock = {}>>
<!--FOR OV-->
<<set $ov = {
"lApp" : 50,
"tApp" : 50,
"eApp" : 50,
"tAndE" : 50,
"korPoints" : 50
}>>
<<newinventory "$ov.inv">>
<!--OTHER-->
<<set $eirorequest = "unanswered">>
<<set $korAshChoice = "the Cotyl fields">>
<!--MUSIC-->
<<masteraudio muteonhide>>
<!--FORGETTING STUFF-->
<<run forget('endbegin')>>
<<run forget('endgreetlaðə')>>
<<run forget('endshiptour')>>
<<run forget('endsitetour')>>
<<run forget('endinspectionend')>>
<<run forget('endtlanone')>>
<<run forget('endtlantwo')>>
<<run forget('endtlantwoish')>>
<<run forget('endtlandeny')>>
<<run forget('endtlanapprove')>>
<<run forget('endlaðəone')>>
<<run forget('endlaðətwo')>>
<<run forget('endlaðəthree')>>
<<run forget('endending')>>
<<run forget('endendone')>>
<<run forget('endendtwo')>>
<<run forget('endendthree')>>
<<run forget('checkednotif')>>
<<run forget('egravnmemo1')>>
<<run forget('tlanmemo1')>>
<<run forget('thanknote')>>
<<run forget('astrithanks')>>
<<run forget('memupset')>>
<<run forget('cantloadship')>>
<<run forget('cantloadsite')>>!!!<span class="center">System Processing was written and coded by Albie</span>
OpenDyslexic Font by Abby Gonzalez (found <a href="https://opendyslexic.org" target="_blank">__here__</a>)
The Sugarcube 2 Documentation (found <a href="https://www.motoslave.net/sugarcube/2/docs/" target="_blank">__here__</a>)
Cycy's Custom Macros (found <a href="https://github.com/cyrusfirheir/cycy-wrote-custom-macros" target="_blank">__here__</a>)
Chapel's Custom Macros (found <a href="https://github.com/ChapelR/custom-macros-for-sugarcube-2" target="_blank">__here__</a>)
HiEv's Sample Code (found <a href="https://qjzhvmqlzvoo5lqnrvuhmg-on.drv.tw/UInv/Sample_Code.html#ScrollTo%20Macro" target="_blank">__here__</a>)
<center><<button "Close">><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>!Data Collections
<ul><!--
<li><<link "<span class='folder-link'>Ship Logs</span>" "Ship Logs">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='folder-link'>Expedition History</span>" "Trip History">><</link>></li>-->
<li><<link "<span class='folder-link'>Travelers</span>" "Travelers">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='folder-link'>Kor</span>" "Kor Files">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='folder-link'>Notifications</span>" "Notifications">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='folder-link'>Personal Files</span>" "Personal Files">><</link>></li></ul>
<center><<button "Close" $return>><</button>></center><!--[[Ship Logs]][[Trip History]][[Personal Files]][[Notifications]][[Travelers]][[Kor Files]]--><<if def $eiroresponse and ndef $astrimemo>><<if $eiroresponse is true>><<set $astrimemo = true>><<else>><</if>><</if>>!!Ship Logs
<ul>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>The Alsion – History</span>" "Ship History">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>The Alsion – Stats</span>" "Ship Stats">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='lab-link'>Report on the Arboreal Tether</span>" "Arboreal Tether">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Population Overview</span>" "Population Control">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='ops-link'>Deactivation Plans</span>" "Deactivation Plans">><</link>></li></ul>
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center><!--[[Ship Stats]][[Arboreal Tether]][[Ship History]][[Population Control]][[Deactivation Plans]]-->!!Expedition History
<ul>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Our Beginnings</span>" "Trip Cause">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Our Voyage</span>" "Trip Preparations">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Our Purpose</span>" "Ideals and Hopes">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Our Destination</span>" "Star System">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Our Savior</span>" "Tegmen Early History">><</link>></li></ul>
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center><!--[[Trip Cause]][[Trip Preparations]][[Ideals and Hopes]][[Star System]][[Tegmen Early History]]-->!!Personal Files
<ul><!--
<li><<link "<span class='lab-link'>Log — Studies into Digitized Consciousness</span>" "DC Notes">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='lab-link'>Log — Ov's Activation</span>" "Activation Notes">><</link>></li>-->
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Ov //(recovered file)//</span>" "Ov Profile">><</link>></li><!--
<li><<link "<span class='memory-link'>My Memories</span>" "Memory Log">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Observations about Laðə</span>" "Laðə Observations">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Notes on GS and Time</span>" "Galactic Standard">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Sirit</span>" "Sirit Thoughts">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>What do I do?</span>" "Internal Debate">><</link>></li>--></ul>
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center><!--[[DC Notes]][[Activation Notes]][[Laðə Observations]][[Memory Log]][[Sirit Thoughts]][[Internal Debate]][[Galactic Standard]]-->!!Notifications
<<run memorize('checkednotif', true)>><<set _tlanmemo1 = recall('tlanmemo1', false)>><<set _egravnmemo1 = recall('egravnmemo1', false)>><<set _thanknote = recall('thanknote', false)>><<set _astrithanks = recall('astrithanks', false)>><<if def $tlan3request>><<if $tlan3request isnot "unanswered">><<set $tlan3response = $tlan3request>><<unset $tlan3request>><</if>><</if>><<if def $eirorequest>><<if $eirorequest isnot "unanswered">><<set $eiroresponse = $eirorequest>><<unset $eirorequest>><</if>><</if>>
!!!Requests
<ul>
<li><<link "<span class='ops-link'>Approval Requests</span><<if def $tlan3request>><<if $tlan3request is 'unanswered'>> <span class='glow'>(1 NEW REQUEST)</span><<else>><</if>><<else>><</if>>" "Approval Requests">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='ops-link'>Maintenance Requests</span><<if def $eirorequest>><<if $eirorequest is 'unanswered'>> <span class='glow'>(1 NEW REQUEST)</span><<else>><</if>><<else>><</if>>" "Maintenance Requests">><</link>></li></ul>\
!!!Memos
<ul>
<<if $astrimemo>><li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Void bless you ♥ (from: Astri)<<if _astrithanks is true>><<else>> <span class='glow'>UNREAD</span><</if>></span>" "Astri Thanks">><</link>></li><</if>>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Tomorrow (from: Tlan)<<if _tlanmemo1 is true>><<else>> <span class='glow'>UNREAD</span><</if>></span>" "Tlan Memo 1">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Sorry to trouble you, but I'd appreciate your help with something (from: Egravn)<<if _egravnmemo1 is true>><<else>> <span class='glow'>UNREAD</span><</if>></span>" "Egravn Memo 1">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Thank you! (from: The Alsion)<<if _thanknote is true>><<else>> <span class='glow'>UNREAD</span><</if>></span>" "Thank You Note">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Farewell, friend (from: Sirit)</span>" "Sirit's Goodbye">><</link>></li></ul>
<center><<button "Back">><<if def $tlan3request or def $tlan3response or def $eiroresponse>><<goto "DATA">><<else>><<run Engine.backward()>><<goto "DATA">><</if>><</button>></center><!--[[Approval Requests]][[Maintenance Requests]][[Tlan Memo 1]][[Egravn Memo 1]][[Thank You Note]][[Sirit's Goodbye]][[Astri Thanks]]-->!!Travelers
<ul>
<li><<link "<span class='folder-link'>Population Record — Alsion</span>" "Ship Profiles">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='folder-link'>Population Record — Tegmen</span>" "Site Profiles">><</link>></li><!--
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Traveler Culture</span>" "Traveler Culture">><</link>></li>--></ul>
!!!favorited profiles
<ul>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Egravn <i class='fas fa-star'></i></span>" "Egravn Profile">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Tlan <i class='fas fa-star'></i></span>" "Tlan Profile">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Sirit //(deceased)// <i class='fas fa-star'></i></span>" "Sirit Profile">><</link>></li></ul>
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center><!--[[Tlan Profile]][[Egravn Profile]][[Sirit Profile]][[Traveler Culture]][[Ship Profiles]][[Site Profiles]]-->!!Kor
<ul><!--
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>History of Kor</span>" "Kor History">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Our Pact</span>" "Kor Pact">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='file-link'>Tegmen</span>" "Tegmen History">><</link>></li>-->
<li><<link "<span class='lab-link'>Kor – The Planet</span>" "Kor Planet">><</link>></li><!--
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Kor – The Entity</span>" "Kor Entity">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Laðə</span>" "Laðə File">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>The Others</span>" "Other Aspects">><</link>></li>--></ul>
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center><!--[[Tegmen History]][[Kor History]][[Kor Planet]][[Kor Entity]][[Kor Pact]][[Laðə File]][[Other Aspects]]-->Talk about the stats of the ship, its layout and amenities, how its in communication with Tegmen and the rest of the world, how the ship is being run and what needs to be done (by whom).
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>Talk about the arboreal tether relayed through a series of messages from the estbalishing of the arboreal tether up to its current maintenance and function
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>A brief history of the ship. The main thing that it has been doing since arriving here at Kor
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>A kind of itinerary for today and proposals made by others for what Ov should do after today (there is a personal memo from Tlan at the bottom)
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>History of the settlement Tegmen (in full).
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>The incident and reasoning behind why the expedition was taken
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>The preparations and plans that were made prior to the expeditions departure
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>The travelers ideals and hopes that have guided them on and through this expedition
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>Very brief and early history of how Tegmen was founded including the traveler's introduction to Kor
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>!!Kor — //The Planet//
Kor is a planetary body located in the X6-90ab system<!-- (<<link "//more on X6-90ab and its solar system//" "Star System">><</link>>)-->. The planet describes themself as one sentient, living entity. Both physical and psychic, Kor is able to control themself to a degree which we previously considered "beyond improbable." As we understand, Kor is aware of and able to manipulate every facet of their atomic structure (theoretically allowing them to do and become whatever they desire, so long as they understand it).
Kor is <span class='glow'>tidally locked*</span>. Their dayside—also referred to as their //inner// or //diurnal// side—is dominated by photosynthesizing flora which both convert the light from X6-90ab into energy and protect the surface of the planet from harmful radiation. Their nightside—also referred to as their //outer// or //nocturnal// side—is mostly bioluminescent forests lying above, around, and within liquid oceans (kept warm by complex algal webs that disperse heat across the upper depths).
Around the planet—where these halves meet and bleed together—is a band where the quality of light is like dawn/dusk on rotating planets. This <span class="glow">umbral zone</span>—the region of eternal twilight—is where <!--<<link "<span class='glow'>Tegmen</span>" "Tegmen History">><</link>>-->Tegmen is located and where the arboreal tether anchors our ship, <!--<<link "<span class='glow'>The Alsion</span>" "Ship History">><</link>>-->The Alsion, to Kor<!-- (<<link "//more on the arboreal tether//" "Arboreal Tether">><</link>>)-->.
<span class="glow">*</span> <span class="smaller">//Tidal locking// is when an astronomical body rotates around its axis at the same speed with which it orbits something else. In the case of a planet orbiting a star—as is the case with Kor and X6-90ab—this means that one half of the planet always faces the star and the other half always faces away. As a result, there is no day/night cycle on Kor. One half of the planet experiences eternal day, the other is suspended in eternal night.</span>
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center><!--[[Star System]][[Arboreal Tether]][[Ship History]][[Tegmen History]]--><style>.smaller {font-size: 77.5%;}</style>
An overview of the being Kor. The hive mind which all the other aspects belong to.
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>A brief overview of the part of the galaxy that Kor is in (X6-90ab is a solar analog)
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>The travelers' pact with Kor
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>A file specifically on Laðə. Goes over them just like the other files go over the other characters
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>The other profiles that discuss and go over some of the other aspects
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>History of the planet Kor. Not from a scientific perspective
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>Name: Tlan
Identification: 127823
Status: Alive (well)
Age: 32.3 cycles<!-- 42 years -->
Residence: Alsion
Location: Server Room (astral-side)
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>Name: Egravn
Identification: 128019
Status: Alive (well)
Age: 26.9 cycles<!-- 35 years -->
Residence: Tegmen
Location: Cotyl Laboratory
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>Name: Sirit
Identification: 125046
Status: Deceased
Age: 97.7 cycles<!-- 127 years
FUCK
MATH, THE HORROR:
Tlan was synthesized 7 years after Ov was activated.
Sirit was in their 80s when Tlan was synthesized. Sirit died about a third cycle ago. Meaning it's been about four months+ ish.
So, let's say that Sirit was 78 when they activated Ov, they were 85 when Tlan was synthesized, They died when Tlan was 42. They died at 127 (which is 97.7 cycles). That means their ID number is around ~125046.33333 (127823 - 2776.667)
-->
Residence: Alsion
Location: <span class= "disabled-choice">//Unavailable// (see status)</span>
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center><<run memorize('thanknote', true)>><div class="choice-block">From: The Alsion
Subject: Thank you!</div>
Ov,
On behalf of every passenger aboard this ship, we'd like to extend our most sincere gratitude for your many cycles of service. Under your watchful eye the travelers living here and below have bloomed and thrived as brilliantly <!--and freely -->as Kor themself. Thank you.
You are of course able to do as you wish, but please know that you are welcome to remain with us. You have been with Tegmen since its founding and, as I'm sure Kor would agree <span class="kor-text">[We do.]</span>, there will always be a home for you there.
Thank you again,
The Alsion<!--
A generic and general thank you note from the crew of the Alsion thanking Ov for their years of service-->
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center><style>.kor-text { font-size: 1em; }</style>Overview of how the population is controlled and grown.
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>An overview of traveler culture. Distinguishes between Alsionic and Tegmen culture with reasoning for why there are differences.
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>!!Approval Requests
<<if def $tlan3request>><<liveblock>><<if $tlan3request is "unanswered">><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Shipping Request (from: Tlan) <span class='glow'>NEW</span></span>">><<run Dialog.setup("Approval Request")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<span class='glow'>From:</span> Tlan //(127823)//<br><span class='glow'>Regarding:</span> Shipping<br><span class='glow'>Requesting:</span> That Sirit's //(125046)// remains be removed from the Alsion's mortuary and brought to $korAshChoice.<br><br><center><<button 'Approve'>><<set $tlan3request = true>><<update>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>> <<button 'Deny'>><<set $tlan3request = false>><<update>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><</link>></li></ul>
<center><<button "Back">><!--<<run Engine.backward()>>--><<goto "Notifications">><</button>></center><<elseif $tlan3request is false>><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Shipping Request (from: Tlan) – DENIED</span>">><<run Dialog.setup("Denied Request")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<span class='glow'>From:</span> Tlan //(127823)//<br><span class='glow'>Regarding:</span> Shipping<br><span class='glow'>Requesting:</span> That Sirit's //(125046)// remains be removed from the Alsion's mortuary and brought to $korAshChoice.<br><br><center><<button 'Close'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>> <<button 'Approve'>><<set $tlan3request = true>><<update>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><</link>></li></ul>
<center><<button "Save Response">><<goto "Notifications">><</button>></center><<elseif $tlan3request is true>><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Shipping Request (from: Tlan) – APPROVED</span>">><<run Dialog.setup("Approved Request")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<span class='glow'>From:</span> Tlan //(127823)//<br><span class='glow'>Regarding:</span> Shipping<br><span class='glow'>Requesting:</span> That Sirit's //(125046)// remains be removed from the Alsion's mortuary and brought to $korAshChoice.<br><br><center><<button 'Close'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>> <<button 'Deny'>><<set $tlan3request = false>><<update>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><</link>></li></ul>
<center><<button "Save Response">><<goto "Notifications">><</button>></center><</if>><</liveblock>><<else>><ul><li>//No active requests.//</li></ul>
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center><</if>>!!Maintenance Requests
<<if def $eirorequest>><<liveblock>><<if $eirorequest is "unanswered">><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Urgent Request (from: Eiro) <span class='glow'>NEW</span></span>">><<run Dialog.setup("Maintenance Request")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<span class='glow'>From:</span> Eiro //(129413)//<br><span class='glow'>Location:</span> Tegmen — Egravn, Astri, and Eiro's Home<br><span class='glow'>Requesting:</span> Ov my stpid sibling broke my toy and I have nothng els efun to play wit. Fix it pleaes! I lov u - Eiro<br><br><center><<button 'Approve'>><<set $eirorequest = true>><<update>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>> <<button 'Deny'>><<set $eirorequest = false>><<update>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><</link>></li></ul>
<center><<button "Back">><!--<<run Engine.backward()>>--><<goto "Notifications">><</button>></center><<elseif $eirorequest is false>><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Urgent Request (from: Eiro) – DENIED</span>">><<run Dialog.setup("Denied Request")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<span class='glow'>From:</span> Eiro //(129413)//<br><span class='glow'>Location:</span> Tegmen — Egravn, Astri, and Eiro's Home<br><span class='glow'>Requesting:</span> Ov my stpid sibling broke my toy and I have nothng els efun to play wit. Fix it pleaes! I lov u - Eiro<br><br><center><<button 'Close'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>> <<button 'Approve'>><<set $eirorequest = true>><<update>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><</link>></li></ul>
<center><<button "Save Response">><<goto "Notifications">><</button>></center><<elseif $eirorequest is true>><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Urgent Request (from: Eiro) – APPROVED</span>">><<run Dialog.setup("Approved Request")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<span class='glow'>From:</span> Eiro //(129413)//<br><span class='glow'>Location:</span> Tegmen — Egravn, Astri, and Eiro's Home<br><span class='glow'>Requesting:</span> Ov my stpid sibling broke my toy and I have nothng els efun to play wit. Fix it pleaes! I lov u - Eiro<br><br><center><<button 'Close'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>> <<button 'Deny'>><<set $eirorequest = false>><<update>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><</link>></li></ul>
<center><<button "Save Response">><<goto "Notifications">><</button>></center><</if>><</liveblock>><<else>><ul><li>//No active requests.//</li></ul>
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center><</if>><<run memorize('tlanmemo1', true)>><div class="choice-block">From: Tlan //(127823)//
Subject: Tomorrow</div>
Hey. When you get a chance tomorrow (or today by the time you're processing this) give me a visit. There's some stuff I need to go over with you.<!--
Tlan sends a short and extremely familiar memo to Ov, the kind that siblings would send-->
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center><<run memorize('egravnmemo1', true)>><div class="choice-block">From: Egravn //(128019)//
Subject: Sorry to trouble you, but I'd appreciate your help with something</div>
Hello, Ov. I hope that your last day is treating you well. If possible, no pressure, I'd love if you could stop by the lab and lend me your aid. I promise it's nothing big or stressful—in fact, I hope it'll be quite fun. As I said though, no pressure. I understand if you're all booked out for the big day. Regardless, I hope I get to see you at some point to celebrate with and properly thank you.
Happy retirement! Yours,
Egravn<!--
A note from Egravn that is kind and formal, asking Ov for help but not feeling it worth a formal request-->
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center><div class="choice-block">From: Sirit //(125046)//
Subject: Farewell, friend</div>
Dearest Ov,
Sorry I wasn't able to see this one through, that you'll have to finish this last leg without me.
Even sorrier that I'm missing the descent. I always heard Egravn threw the best parties.
I want you to know that I fully intended on joining you for mirkalinis in the Cotyl fields. Believe me, if there was anything I could do to keep that promise, it would already be done.
Sorry. There's so much I want to say, but of course, now of all times, I find myself at a loss for words.
I am certain of this. Knowing you has been one of the highlights of my existence. Your presence has blessed me with comfort, security, purpose, drive, and many good laughs. I've always felt understood and seen by you and though we come from very different times with very different backgrounds, I felt a kinship with you unlike any I've experienced. You were a gift and a treasure bestowed upon my life. Thank you.
I won't say I hope all goes well, because you don't need my hope. I know that all will be done and done well; that you will carry out our plans, that you will witness the merge, and that you will do everything you must because you can do anything.
I do hope you find some way to enjoy a mirkalini.
I hope you enjoy everything, friend. You've certainly earned it.
And take care of Tlan for me, won't you? I know they're well over 30 and they'd be embarrassed to hear me say this, but I worry about them (I believe that's natural) and it brings this old fool peace to know you'll be with them.
Again, I wish there was more I could find the words or time to say, but this is all I have to give.
Goodbye, Ov, and live well,
Sirit
<!--
Sirit's final message to Ov where they say goodbye and express how much Ov meant to them.-->
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>Sirit's notes from the day they activated Ov
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center><!--Observations that Ov has jotted down about Laðə-->
Laðə discovered emojis. Literally everything they say has an emoji now.
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>Memories that Ov has jotted down for fear of losing them or failing to remember them in the first place
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>Ov's thoughts on Sirit's death. Kind of working through the things they wish they could say to Sirit and the things they wouldn't dare say to Tlan.
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>Ov's existential internal debate on what to do following the deactivation of the Alsion
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>Sirit's notes about their studies into digitized consciousnesses and why they thought it would be beneficial to find one
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>Name: Ov
Identification: 127594
Status: Working (well)
Active: 1.4 cycles<!-- Ov is currently 37.7 cycles 49 years
228.667 before Tlan so that makes their ID number: 127594 -->
Residence: Alsion & Tegmen
Location: Everywhere
NOTE (13.4.191): Sirit, please do not add unnecessary files to the population record. I know that you are attached to the new AI but there is no need to add this to the ship's system. Please take this down at your earliest convenience. - Mjilnik
NOTE (13.23.191): Sirit, with respect, take this down. - Mjilnik
NOTE (13.23.191): Mjilnik, with respect, no. - Sirit
NOTE (13.27.191): Sirit, stop restoring this to the record. This is the third time today I've deleted this file. - Mjilnik
NOTE (14.2.191): Sirit, I won't ask again. I will report you. I swear to the Void. This is getting absurd. - Mjilnik
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>!!Population Record – Alsion
!!!recently viewed<<set _failed = recall('cantloadship', false)>>
<ul>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Tlan <i class='fas fa-star'></i></span>" "Tlan Profile">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Sirit //(deceased)// <i class='fas fa-star'></i></span>" "Sirit Profile">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Alrik</span>" "Dummy Profiles">><<set $view = "alrik">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Jek</span>" "Dummy Profiles">><<set $view = "jek">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Kaitil</span>" "Dummy Profiles">><<set $view = "kaitil">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Mani</span>" "Dummy Profiles">><<set $view = "mani">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Nilo</span>" "Dummy Profiles">><<set $view = "nilo">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Zirent</span>" "Dummy Profiles">><<set $view = "zirent">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Mjilnik //(deceased)//</span>" "Dummy Profiles">><<set $view = "mjilnik">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Polwe //(deceased)//</span>" "Dummy Profiles">><<set $view = "polwe">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Ulm //(deceased)//</span>" "Dummy Profiles">><<set $view = "ulm">><</link>></li>
</ul>
!!!full record
<ul><li><<liveblock>><<if _failed isnot true>><i class="fa-solid fa-spinner fa-spin"></i><<else>>//Unable to load.//<</if>><</liveblock>></li></ul><<timed 10s>><<run memorize('cantloadship', true)>><<set _failed = true>><<update>><<run Dialog.setup("Error")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<center>Failed to load full population record. Please try again later.<br><br><<button 'Dismiss'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><</timed>>
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>!!Population Record – Tegmen
!!!recently viewed<<set _failed = recall('cantloadsite', false)>>
<ul>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Egravn <i class='fas fa-star'></i></span>" "Egravn Profile">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Astri</span>" "Dummy Profiles">><<set $view = "astri">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Baltun</span>" "Dummy Profiles">><<set $view = "baltun">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Eiro</span>" "Dummy Profiles">><<set $view = "eiro">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Folik</span>" "Dummy Profiles">><<set $view = "folik">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Wavive</span>" "Dummy Profiles">><<set $view = "wavive">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Agmela //(deceased)//</span>" "Dummy Profiles">><<set $view = "agmela">><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='user-link'>Sulur //(deceased)//</span>" "Dummy Profiles">><<set $view = "sulur">><</link>></li>
</ul>
!!!full record
<ul><li><<liveblock>><<if _failed isnot true>><i class="fa-solid fa-spinner fa-spin"></i><<else>>//Unable to load.//<</if>><</liveblock>></li></ul><<timed 8.5s>><<run memorize('cantloadsite', true)>><<set _failed = true>><<update>><<run Dialog.setup("Error")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<center>Failed to load full population record. Please try again later.<br><br><<button 'Dismiss'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><</timed>>
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center><<unset $view>>[About Galactic Standard, the time that the travelers use. Explanations of its equivalents and Ov's observations related to it and the loss of the Gregorian calendar. How they can't determine how long it's been.]
The travelers do measure time but they use GS (Galactic Standard)—a system created by another group of human descendants and based on a universal property instead of a planetary cycle. Some things in GS are similar enough that my operating system still translates them with my words, things like seconds, minutes, hours, days. I don't notice much of a difference here. Maybe that's cause they really are similar. Maybe it's cause I haven't experienced real Earth time since 2068. Years, months, and weeks are different. GS just has cycles and passages. Cycles are like years but longer. Passages are like months but shorter. There's no week equivalent, but I'm okay with that. I was never particularly attached to the idea of a week.
<!--
Wait, what was I thinking about?
It doesn't help that the travelers don't measure time like I used to. They keep track of cycles, which feel to me like a year and a third or so.-->
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>My memory is a library with beautiful, intriguing spines
But the books won't load when I open them. All I get is an endless buffering sequence.
Memories are tricky for me. Maybe most of them were pysically stored in my body and only activated by pull tabs on my hippocampus.
All I've been aware of since my digitization is decades. Probably around five if I had to guess, based on my memory of the passage of time.
One of my <<linkreplace "memories ">>memories (one of the random few which I have access to) <</linkreplace>>comes from when I was very young. I was speaking with a friend—someone who's name was long and started with a... <<linkreplace "D?" t8n>>D or maybe a T? I'm not sure. Something with a hard sound.<<set _dt = true>><<update>><</linkreplace>>
Anyways, I remember D<<liveblock>><<if _dt>>/T<</if>><</liveblock>> telling me that if you arranged all of history on a timeline, Cleopatra would lie closer to us than the time when the pyramids were constructed. Well, I'm almost certain that by now //that// moment with D<<liveblock>><<if _dt>>/T<</if>><</liveblock>> lies closer to Cleopatra's time than the <!--<<linkreplace "present.">>-->present.<!-- //My// present.<</linkreplace>>-->01001100010111101101100111111100001000110110010000
01010011110000111101001100011010100001110100100010
01000011010101100110111010000100001001100000001111
01101011100010101010111110010000111111100110000100
00001001100101000101101100000011110111100100111000
01000101000110110000101111011111111100110101110000
10001101111011000111010001010110001111000011110011
00101100011101000111001100011011101100001111111100
00101001100100100111111110000100111100000101100111
11101011011010010001000110001111110010011011011011
00101001100111111000110110100101000101000000001101
10011010000000110001011111000111000110011001011001
00101010110100000110011110111000010100111101100111
10001110101000101101100110001101010110011110111111
00111100101000011011111111101000110011100100000010
01101000011111100111110010011010000111001000001000
11010111100011010011000111100010111111111010111000
00010010000001111011001101010000011011011110101110
10110000001011101110010001010011000100001100111000
00001111000101011111100101111001100100100110100000
!system processing . . .
<style>h1 {font-size: 300%; font-weight: 500;}</style><!--Name: Tlan
Identification: 127823
Status: Alive (well)
Age: 32.3 cycles
Residence: Alsion
Location: Server Room (astral-side)
Name: Sirit
Identification: 125046
Status: Deceased
Age: 97.7 cycles
Residence: Alsion
Location: <span class= "disabled-choice">//Unavailable// (see status)</span>
--><<if $view is "alrik">>\
\
Name: Alrik
Identification: 127210
Status: Alive (well)
Age: 38.3 cycles
Residence: Alsion
Location: Moz, Alrik, and Sestin's Quarters\
<<elseif $view is "jek">>\
\
Name: Jek
Identification: 129002
Status: Alive (well)
Age: 12.3 cycles
Residence: Alsion
Location: Aglun and Jek's Quarters\
<<elseif $view is "kaitil">>\
\
Name: Kaitil
Identification: 127063
Status: Alive (well)
Age: 48.8 cycles
Residence: Alsion
Location: Nilo's Quarters\
<<elseif $view is "mani">>\
\
Name: Mani
Identification: 128413
Status: Alive (well)
Age: 23.8 cycles
Residence: Alsion
Location: Recreation Center\
<<elseif $view is "nilo">>\
\
Name: Nilo
Identification: 126709
Status: Alive (well)
Age: 50.7 cycles
Residence: Alsion
Location: Nilo's Quarters\
<<elseif $view is "zirent">>\
\
Name: Zirent
Identification: 127904
Status: Alive (recovering)
Age: 31.3 cycles
Residence: Alsion
Location: Infirmary\
<<elseif $view is "mjilnik">>\
\
Name: Mjilnik
Identification: 124598
Status: Deceased
Age: 72.1 cycles
Residence: Alsion
Location: <span class= "disabled-choice">//Unavailable// (see status)</span>\
<<elseif $view is "polwe">>\
\
Name: Polwe
Identification: 126212
Status: Deceased
Age: 48.0 cycles
Residence: Alsion
Location: <span class= "disabled-choice">//Unavailable// (see status)</span>\
<<elseif $view is "ulm">>\
\
Name: Ulm
Identification: 123831
Status: Deceased
Age: 104.8 cycles
Residence: Alsion
Location: <span class= "disabled-choice">//Unavailable// (see status)</span>\
<<elseif $view is "baltun">>\
\
Name: Baltun
Identification: 126692
Status: Alive (well)
Age: 50.8 cycles
Residence: Tegmen
Location: Baltun and Folik's Home\
<<elseif $view is "eiro">>\
\
Name: Eiro
Identification: 129413
Status: Alive (well)
Age: 5.8 cycles
Residence: Tegmen
Location: Egravn, Astri, and Eiro's Home\
<<elseif $view is "astri">>\
\
Name: Astri
Identification: 129161
Status: Alive (well)
Age: 10.9 cycles
Residence: Tegmen
Location: The Plaza\
<<elseif $view is "folik">>\
\
Name: Folik
Identification: 129208
Status: Alive (well)
Age: 9.8 cycles
Residence: Tegmen
Location: The Plaza\
<<elseif $view is "wavive">>\
\
Name: Wavive
Identification: 128018
Status: Alive (well)
Age: 30.9 cycles
Residence: Tegmen
Location: Wavive's Home\
<<elseif $view is "agmela">>\
\
Name: Agmela
Identification: 123409
Status: Deceased
Age: 107.1 cycles
Residence: Tegmen
Location: <span class= "disabled-choice">//Unavailable// (see status)</span>\
<<elseif $view is "sulur">>\
\
Name: Sulur
Identification: 124222
Status: Deceased
Age: 96.2 cycles
Residence: Tegmen
Location: <span class= "disabled-choice">//Unavailable// (see status)</span>\
<</if>>
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center>!STORY
==Begin==
==Greet Laðə==
Ship Analysis
Ship Travelers
Tlan 1
Tlan 2
Kor Search
Tlan 3
Site Analysis
Site Travlers
Egravn 1
Egravn 2
Memory Search
Egravn 3
Laðə 1
Laðə 2
Descent
Celebration
Tlan and Egravn
Laðə 3
Sunset
Alone Ending
Kor Ending
Retire Ending
Return Ending
!CODEX
SHIP LOGS
Ship History
Ship Stats
Arboreal Tether
Population Controls
Deactivation Plans
TRIP HISTORY
Trip Cause
Trip Preparation
Ideals and Hopes
Tegmen Early History
Star System
TRAVELERS
==Tlan Profile==
==Egravn Profile==
==Sirit Profile==
==Ship Profiles==
==Site Profiles==
==Dummy Profiles==
/*Traveler Culture*/
KOR FILES
==Kor Planet==
Kor Entity
Kor History
Kor Pact
Tegmen History
Laðə File
Other Aspects
NOTIFICATIONS
==Approval Requests==
==Maintenance Requests==
==Tlan Memo 1==
==Egravn Memo 1==
==Thank You Note
Sirit's Goodbye
==Astri Thanks==
PERSONAL FILES
DC Notes
Activation Notes
==Ov Profile==
Galactic Standard
Memory Log
Internal Debate
Sirit Thoughts
Laðə Observations<<run memorize('astrithanks', true)>><div class="choice-block">From: Astri //(129161)//
Subject: Void bless you ♥</div>
Thanks for fixing Eiro's padlet, they //finally// stopped crying and pouting. Like you wouldn't believe how annoying they were being. I didn't even break the dumb thing, //they// dropped it and blamed it on me like URGH (for your sake, I hope you never had little siblings). Seriously though, I owe you one.
See you at the feast.
Oh, wait! Today's your last day, right? CONGRATS! You're lucky. Wish I didn't have to work anymore.
Anyways, have an //extra// great day! You definitely deserve it.
Astri ♥<!--
Astri thanks Ov for fixing Eiro's toy, they were being really annoyig.-->
<center><<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>></center><<set _endPASSAGE = recall('endPASSAGE', false)>><<if _endPASSAGE>><<ctp "PASSAGE" 500ms t8n>>TEXT TEXT TEXT<<linkreplace "TEXT" t8n>>TEXT TEXT<</linkreplace>>.
FULL TEXT FOR ALL THE STUFF BELOW.\
\
<<ctpNext>><<run memorize('endPASSAGE', true)>><<run Dialog.setup("Alert")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<center><span class='smile-kor kor-text'>KOR MESSAGE</span><br><br><<button 'Close'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>OPTION</span>" "NEXT">><<set $VAR = true>><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='choice'>OPTION</span>" "NEXT">><<set $VAR = true>><</link>></li>
<li><span class=""><<link "<span class='kor-choice'>KORCHOICE</span>" "NEXT">><<set $VAR = true>><</link>></span></li></ul></div><</ctp>><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>>
<center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "PASSAGE">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>>\
<<else>><<ctp "PASSAGE" 500ms t8n>>TEXT TEXT TEXT<<linkreplace "TEXT" t8n>>TEXT TEXT<</linkreplace>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
TEXT.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
TEXT.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
TEXT.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
TEXT.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>\
\
<<ctpNext>><<run memorize('endPASSAGE', true)>><<run Dialog.setup("Alert")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<center><span class='smile-kor kor-text'>KOR TEXT</span><br><br><<button 'Close'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>OPTION</span>" "NEXT">><<set $VAR = true>><</link>></li>
<li><<link "<span class='choice'>OPTION</span>" "NEXT">><<set $VAR = true>><</link>></li>
<li><span class=""><<link "<span class='kor-choice'>KORCHOICE</span>" "NEXT">><<set $VAR = true>><</link>></span></li></ul></div><!--[[NEXT][$VAR = true]]
[[NEXT][$VAR = true]]
[[NEXT][$VAR = true]]--><</ctp>><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>>
<center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "PASSAGE">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>><style>.passage a {font-style: italic;} .choices a {font-style: normal !important;}</style><<type 30ms start 500ms class "roboline" element "span" skipkey "Enter">>System : ONLINE<</type>><<timed 2s>>
<<type 30ms start 900ms element "div" skipkey "Enter">><!--<span class = "robotitle">Which protocol would you like to run?</span>
<div class="robolink"><<link "ADD NEW USER">><<goto "SELECTION">><</link>></div>\
<div class="robolink"><<link "LOAD MEMORIES">><<run UI.saves();>><</link>></div>\
<div class="robolink"><<link "CONFIGURE SETTINGS">><<run UI.settings();>><</link>></div>--><span class = "robotitle">Which protocol would you like to run?</span>
<ul><li><<link "<span class='robolink choice'>ADD NEW USER</span>">><<goto "SELECTION">><</link>></li>\
<li><<link "<span class='robolink choice'>LOAD MEMORIES</span>">><<run UI.saves();>><</link>></li>\
<li><<link "<span class='robolink choice'>CONFIGURE SETTINGS</span>">><<run UI.settings();>><</link>></li></ul><</type>><</timed>><style>/*i {font-size: 100%;} .passage {font-size: 100%; font-size: 110%;}*/ .robotitle {font-size: 110%; font-size: 100%;} .roboline {font-size: 85%; font-size: 100%;} .robolink {font-size: 95%; font-size: 100%;} /*.robolink:hover::before {content: '\f0d9'; font-family: 'Font Awesome 6 Free'; font-weight: bold; color: var(--text);} .robolink:hover::after {content: '\f0da'; font-family: 'Font Awesome 6 Free'; font-weight: bold; color: var(--text);}*/</style><!--[[SELECTION]]--><<if settings.noctp>><<run memorize('endinspectionend', true)>><</if>><<set _endinspection = recall('endinspectionend', false)>><<set _checkednotif = recall('checkednotif', false)>><<if _checkednotif>>\
<!--YOU HAVE CHECKED NOTIFICATIONS. YOU MOVE ON TO TLAN-->\
\
<<if _endinspection>>\
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">What's your plan now?</span>
Tlan and Egravn sent me memos asking to stop by. The descent will begin soon though, so I think I'll only have time to visit one.
<span class="ov-chat">I'll visit...</span>
<<run memorize('endinspectionend', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='available-choice'>Tlan</span>" "Tlan End 1">><</link>></li><li><span class="unavailable-choice disabled-choice"><<link "==Egravn==">><<run Dialog.setup("Error")>><<run Dialog.wiki("Failed to load program. Please try again later.<br><br><center><<button 'Dismiss'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><</link>></span></li></ul></div>\
<<else>>\
<<ctp "inspectend" 500ms t8n>><<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>What's your plan now?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tlan and Egravn sent me memos asking to stop by. The descent will begin soon though, so I think I'll only have time to visit one.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>I'll visit...<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<run memorize('endinspectionend', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='available-choice'>Tlan</span>" "Tlan End 1">><</link>></li><li><span class="unavailable-choice disabled-choice"><<link "==Egravn==">><<run Dialog.setup("Error")>><<run Dialog.wiki("Failed to load program. Please try again later.<br><br><center><<button 'Dismiss'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><</link>></span></li></ul></div><</ctp>><br><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>><center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "inspectend">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>>\
<<else>>\
<!--YOU HAVEN'T CHECKED NOTIFICATIONS. LADE SUGGESTS YOU DO AND TELLS YOU THAT YOU SHOULD, WHEN YOU COME BACK YOU THEN MOVE ON TO TLAN-->\
\
<<if _endinspection>>\
<span class="ov-chat"><<if $shiptour>>The sun should be rising on the ship. Travelers will be up soon.<<else>>Well, it's sunrise. The travelers should be up soon.<</if>></span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">Indeed, the descent will begin shortly. What will you do?</span>
<span class="ov-chat">Not sure. There isn't much I can do at this point.</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">That is incorrect. Have you checked your notifications?</span>
<span class="ov-chat">No. Not yet.</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">Go ahead. You have an approval request and a few memos that are unread.</span>
<<run memorize('endinspectionend', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='unavailable-choice disabled-choice'>Open the folder to view notifications</span>">><</link>></li></ul></div>\
<<else>>\
<<ctp "inspectend" 500ms t8n>><<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">><<if $shiptour>>The sun should be rising on the ship. Travelers will be up soon.<<else>>Well, it's sunrise. The travelers should be up soon.<</if>><</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Indeed, the descent will begin shortly. What will you do?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Not sure. There isn't much I can do at this point.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>That is incorrect. Have you checked your notifications?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>No. Not yet.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Go ahead. You have an approval request and a few memos that are unread.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='disabled-choice unavailable-choice'>Open the folder to view notifications</span>">><</link>></li></ul></div><</ctp>><br><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>><center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "inspectend">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>>\
<</if>><style>.disabled-choice a:hover {font-style: italic !important; cursor: not-allowed !important; color: var(--accent) !important;} .disabled-choice a {color: var(--accent) !important;} .disabled-choice::before {color: var(--accent) !important; cursor: not-allowed !important;} .disabled-choice::before:hover {color: var(--accent) !important; cursor: not-allowed !important;} .available-choice::before {color: var(--text);}</style><!--[[Tlan End 1]]--><<if visited() is 1>><<set $tlan3request = "unanswered">><<update>><</if>><<if settings.noctp>><<run memorize('endtlanone', true)>><<run memorize('endtlantwo', true)>><<run memorize('endtlantwoish', true)>><<run memorize('endtlandeny', true)>><<run memorize('endtlanapprove', true)>><</if>><<set _endtlanone = recall('endtlanone', false)>><<set _endtlantwo = recall('endtlantwo', false)>><<set _endtlantwoish = recall('endtlantwoish', false)>><<set _endtlandeny = recall('endtlandeny', false)>><<set _endtlanapprove = recall('endtlanapprove', false)>>\
<<if def $tlan3request>><<if hasVisited("Approval Requests")>>
\
\
<<if _endtlantwoish>>\
"Why didn't you respond to my approval request?" Tlan asks, their brow wrinkled.
Honestly, I'm not sure what my motivation was. It just didn't happen. "I just… I don't know. I didn't want to. I guess."
"You guess?" Crossing their arms, Tlan looks at the nearest speaker, as if looking you in the eye. "Well, you need to."
"Fine." This is my last duty. I ought to see this through.
<<run memorize('endtlantwoish', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='unavailable-choice disabled-choice'>Open the folder, my approval requests are in my notifications file</span>">><</link>></li></ul></div>\
\
\
<<else>>\
<<ctp "tlantwoish" 500ms t8n>>"Why didn't you respond to it?" Tlan asks, their brow wrinkled.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Honestly, I'm not sure what my motivation was. It just didn't happen. "I just… I don't know. I didn't want to. I guess."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"You guess?" Crossing their arms, Tlan looks at the nearest speaker, as if looking you in the eye. "Well, you need to."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Fine." This is my last duty. I ought to see this through.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<run memorize('endtlantwoish', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='disabled-choice unavailable-choice'>Open the folder, my approval requests are in my notifications file</span>">><</link>></li></ul></div><</ctp>><br><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>><center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "tlantwoish">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>><<else>>\
\
<<if _endtlanone>>\
I don't need to find Tlan. Like every traveler, I know exactly <<linkreplace "where they are" t8n>>where they are (yeah, I know, <<linkreplace "it's creepy" t8n>>it's creepy—trust me—I don't like it either<</linkreplace>>)<</linkreplace>>. But even if I didn't, they're always in more or less the same place.
The astral server room is currently facing perpendicular to Kor—half of the wall screens display the glittering galaxy, half are consumed by the planet. Tlan is the only person in this quadrant. Everyone else is huddled in the central chamber, waiting for Kor to form the platforms that'll carry them down the arboreal tether. Thousands of people, all happy to depart. Excited for a new home. A new life.
All but Tlan.
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">Your estimation that "all" travelers but Tlan are in the central chamber is inaccurate. <span class="korglow">92.6%</span> are in the central chamber. Additionally, as you have explained, it's impossible to gauge their motivations with certainty.</span>
If I still had eyes, I'd roll them.
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">Oh, fascinating. You were able to roll your eyes? Was this a biological feature the travelers no longer possess?</span>
The lights in the room dim for a moment, flickering ever so slightly. Tlan immediately notices. They don't turn around and their eyes remain fixated on the same point, but their head turns to the side.
Like all travelers, they appear <<linkreplace "human" t8n>>human, even if travelers no longer describe themselves as such,<</linkreplace>> and Tlan exhibits the height of Alsionic fashion and beauty. Their tall, heavy-set body is draped in yellow, green, and orange patterned fabrics loosely stitched together with flowering vines and tangled roots. The top of their head is shaved but their graying beard and mustache are full and dark. Their tan, acne-scarred skin has been painted with even <<linkreplace "more skin art than normal" t8n>>more skin art than normal—<<linkreplace "I wonder if Egravn has anything to do with it" t8n>>I wonder if Egravn has anything to do with it (after all, this will be the first time they see each other in person, I'm sure Tlan wants to impress)<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>. Measured in cycles, Tlan is <<linkreplace "about 30" t8n>><span class="glow">32.3</span><</linkreplace>>, but <<linkreplace "to my eyes" t8n>>by my former standards<</linkreplace>> they appear like someone in their early 40s.
I'd hoped to see them smiling and excited today—that the spark in their dark eyes would be blazing once again—but their expression is more or less the same drooping, distant deadpan it's been stuck in for a <<linkreplace "quacycle" t8n>>quarter of a cycle<</linkreplace>>.
Tlan doesn't say anything, but <<linkreplace "they know I'm here" t8n>>I know they know I'm here. They know me better than any living person<</linkreplace>>.
"Last chance to admire the view." My <<linkreplace "robotic" t8n>><<linkreplace "unnatural sounding" t8n>>borrowed<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> voice falls from the speaker system.
"Yeah." A wistful smile brightens their face, disappearing as quickly as it came. "Strange to consider that. It's so final. I don't like it."
"I don't know if anyone loves finality."
Tlan turns—to face me, <<linkreplace "I suppose" t8n>>I suppose (though there isn't really anything to face)<</linkreplace>>. Something's <<linkreplace "on their mind" t8n>>on their mind and weighing heavily upon their soul<</linkreplace>>. I can practically see the gears whirring in their brain. Feel the thrum of anxiety coursing through their veins. They don't vocalize those thoughts though. Not yet. "What does it feel like down there?" they ask instead.
"I don't have a body," I reply drily. "How should I know?"
That flash of a grin returns. "Guess."
"Well, it's colder—"
"It's colder?" Mild surprise tints their dark voice.
"Yes, the surface temperature is generally colder than we keep the Alsion. You didn't know that?"
They shrug. "No. I guess I did. I just always imagined it would be warmer, living on something that's alive." That final word fades to a near whisper as it passes their lips.
"Technically, you already do." I increase power to some of the lights in the room, selectively illuminating spots on the walls and floor where the blooming flora grows thickest.
"Indeed, Kor is everywhere," Laðə says with <<linkreplace "my" t8n>><<linkreplace "our (?)" t8n>>the system's<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> voice.
Tlan jumps. "Ah, Laðə! You're here?"
<<linkreplace "Tlan" t8n>>Tlan, unlike the other travelers,<</linkreplace>> has always been able to tell the difference between us. I've even attempted to impersonate Laðə at times. They always know. It's nice.
If I disappear today, come tomorrow at least one person will register that I'm gone.
I do feel bad for Tlan <<linkreplace "in that respect" t8n>>in that respect—they've lost enough as it is<</linkreplace>>, but at least I won't disappear fully into another's identity. I am myself. I am unique. Tlan <<linkreplace "knows" t8n>>will remember<</linkreplace>> that.
"Indeed, Kor is everywhere," Laðə repeats, slightly differently.
<span class="smilecurious-kor kor-text">Did we do that correctly?</span>
They recently began experimenting with the nuances of changing vocal tone to alter verbal meaning. It was a very exciting discovery for them.
<span class="ov-chat">Yes. Good job, Laðə.</span>
The flowers in the server room grow more fragrant.
<span class="grinbeam-kor kor-text">Thrilling. Our practice has paid off.</span>
As we silently commune, Tlan shakes their head. "Of course, Kor is everywhere. But you're right here? Right now? You're literally with us?"
Petals and leaves on the wall twist affirmatively.
Tlan sighs. "You ought to let people know when you're with them."
"Noted. Tlan?"
"Yes, Laðə?"
"We are with you."
Tlan smiles a third time <<linkreplace "but" t8n>>but, for whatever reason,<</linkreplace>> this time its appearance brings me more bitterness than relief. "Thank you, Laðə," they laugh.
<span class="smilebeam-kor kor-text">We are always with you as well, Ov.</span>
<span class="ov-chat">Yeah. I am //well// aware of that.</span>
"Laðə?" Tlan asks, "Could I get a moment alone with Ov, please?"
Confusion tinges their reply, "Of course." Laðə has a hard time understanding privacy and its necessity, but they do their best to respect it. The plants in the room grow still, as though a gentle breeze has suddenly stopped. Everything's quiet. Silent aside from Tlan's slow, controlled breaths and the steady hum of the servers.
It takes them a moment, but Tlan finally gives voice to the thoughts drowning their mind. "Ov, I have a request."
Confusion and curiosity flicker in the pixels of the wall screen. "Of course."
Tlan nods. A light blinks on the back of their neck and an approval request enters my inbox.
<<run memorize('endtlanone', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='unavailable-choice disabled-choice'>Open the folder, my approval requests are in my notifications file</span>">><</link>></li></ul></div><<else>>\
<<ctp "tlanone" 500ms t8n>>\
\
I don't need to find Tlan. Like every traveler, I know exactly <<linkreplace "where they are" t8n>>where they are (yeah, I know, <<linkreplace "it's creepy" t8n>>it's creepy—trust me—I don't like it either<</linkreplace>>)<</linkreplace>>. But even if I didn't, they're always in more or less the same place.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The astral server room is currently facing perpendicular to Kor—half of the wall screens display the glittering galaxy, half are consumed by the planet. Tlan is the only person in this quadrant. Everyone else is huddled in the central chamber, waiting for Kor to form the platforms that'll carry them down the arboreal tether. Thousands of people, all happy to depart. Excited for a new home. A new life.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
All but Tlan.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Your estimation that "all" travelers but Tlan are in the central chamber is inaccurate. <span class="korglow">92.6%</span> are in the central chamber. Additionally, as you have explained, it's impossible to gauge their motivations with certainty.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
If I still had eyes, I'd roll them.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smilecurious-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Oh, fascinating. You were able to roll your eyes? Was this a biological feature the travelers no longer possess?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The lights in the room dim for a moment, flickering ever so slightly. Tlan immediately notices. They don't turn around and their eyes remain fixated on the same point, but their head turns to the side.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Like all travelers, they appear <<linkreplace "human" t8n>>human, even if travelers no longer describe themselves as such,<</linkreplace>> and Tlan exhibits the height of Alsionic fashion and beauty. Their tall, heavy-set body is draped in yellow, green, and orange patterned fabrics loosely stitched together with flowering vines and tangled roots. The top of their head is shaved but their graying beard and mustache are full and dark. Their tan, acne-scarred skin has been painted with even <<linkreplace "more skin art than normal" t8n>>more skin art than normal—<<linkreplace "I wonder if Egravn has anything to do with it" t8n>>I wonder if Egravn has anything to do with it (after all, this will be the first time they see each other in person, I'm sure Tlan wants to impress)<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>. Measured in cycles, Tlan is <<linkreplace "about 30" t8n>><span class="glow">32.3</span><</linkreplace>>, but <<linkreplace "to my eyes" t8n>>by my former standards<</linkreplace>> they appear like someone in their early 40s.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I'd hoped to see them smiling and excited today—that the spark in their dark eyes would be blazing once again—but their expression is more or less the same drooping, distant deadpan it's been stuck in for a <<linkreplace "quacycle" t8n>>quarter of a cycle<</linkreplace>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tlan doesn't say anything, but <<linkreplace "they know I'm here" t8n>>I know they know I'm here. They know me better than any living person<</linkreplace>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Last chance to admire the view." My <<linkreplace "robotic" t8n>><<linkreplace "unnatural sounding" t8n>>borrowed<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> voice falls from the speaker system.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Yeah." A wistful smile brightens their face, disappearing as quickly as it came. "Strange to consider that. It's so final. I don't like it."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"I don't know if anyone loves finality."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tlan turns—to face me, <<linkreplace "I suppose" t8n>>I suppose (though there isn't really anything to face)<</linkreplace>>. Something's <<linkreplace "on their mind" t8n>>on their mind and weighing heavily upon their soul<</linkreplace>>. I can practically see the gears whirring in their brain. Feel the thrum of anxiety coursing through their veins. They don't vocalize those thoughts though. Not yet. "What does it feel like down there?" they ask instead.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"I don't have a body," I reply drily. "How should I know?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
That flash of a grin returns. "Guess."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Well, it's colder—"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"It's colder?" Mild surprise tints their dark voice.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Yes, the surface temperature is generally colder than we keep the Alsion. You didn't know that?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
They shrug. "No. I guess I did. I just always imagined it would be warmer, living on something that's alive." That final word fades to a near whisper as it passes their lips.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Technically, you already do." I increase power to some of the lights in the room, selectively illuminating spots on the walls and floor where the blooming flora grows thickest.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Indeed, Kor is everywhere," Laðə says with <<linkreplace "my" t8n>><<linkreplace "our (?)" t8n>>the system's<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> voice.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tlan jumps. "Ah, Laðə! You're here?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkreplace "Tlan" t8n>>Tlan, unlike the other travelers,<</linkreplace>> has always been able to tell the difference between us. I've even attempted to impersonate Laðə at times. They always know. It's nice.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
If I disappear today, come tomorrow at least one person will register that I'm gone.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I do feel bad for Tlan <<linkreplace "in that respect" t8n>>in that respect—they've lost enough as it is<</linkreplace>>, but at least I won't disappear fully into another's identity. I am myself. I am unique. Tlan <<linkreplace "knows" t8n>>will remember<</linkreplace>> that.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Indeed, Kor is everywhere," Laðə repeats, slightly differently.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smilecurious-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Did we do that correctly?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
They recently began experimenting with the nuances of changing vocal tone to alter verbal meaning. It was a very exciting discovery for them.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Yes. Good job, Laðə.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The flowers in the server room grow more fragrant.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "grinbeam-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Thrilling. Our practice has paid off.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
As we silently commune, Tlan shakes their head. "Of course, Kor is everywhere. But you're right here? Right now? You're literally with us?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Petals and leaves on the wall twist affirmatively.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tlan sighs. "You ought to let people know when you're with them."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Noted. Tlan?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Yes, Laðə?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"We are with you."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tlan smiles a third time <<linkreplace "but" t8n>>but, for whatever reason,<</linkreplace>> this time its appearance brings me more bitterness than relief. "Thank you, Laðə," they laugh.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smilebeam-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We are always with you as well, Ov.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Yeah. I am //well// aware of that.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Laðə?" Tlan asks, "Could I get a moment alone with Ov, please?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Confusion tinges their reply, "Of course." Laðə has a hard time understanding privacy and its necessity, but they do their best to respect it. The plants in the room grow still, as though a gentle breeze has suddenly stopped. Everything's quiet. Silent aside from Tlan's slow, controlled breaths and the steady hum of the servers. <<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
It takes them a moment, but Tlan finally gives voice to the thoughts drowning their mind. "Ov, I have a request." <<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Confusion and curiosity flicker in the pixels of the wall screen. "Of course." <<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tlan nods. A light blinks on the back of their neck and an approval request enters my inbox.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<run memorize('endtlanone', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='disabled-choice unavailable-choice'>Open the folder, my approval requests are in my notifications file</span>">><</link>></li></ul></div><</ctp>><br><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>><center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "tlanone">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>><</if>><<else>><<if def $tlan3response>><<if $tlan3response>><!--
You have approved the request.-->\
\
<<if _endtlanapprove>>\
Tlan smiles as the approval notification goes through. Something close to <<linkreplace "relief" t8n>>hopeful relief<</linkreplace>> relaxes their posture. "Thank you," they whisper.
That seems like it should be the end of the conversation, but I can tell there's more on their mind. Something they're still avoiding.
"Is there anything else I can help with?" In that moment I feel something close to <<linkreplace "nausea" t8n>>nausea—if it's possible for me to experience something like that,<</linkreplace>> as another strong wave of déjà vu hits me.
This time it's short. Quick. A sharp, deep stab in my metaphorical gut. It isn't a full memory of a singular event, more a vague reminder of something pitifully and inconsequentially ordinary.
What I remember is the sound of my AI home system—its voice and the phrases it used to say.
I <<linkreplace "sound" t8n>><<linkreplace "am" t8n>>can't be<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> exactly like it.
Tlan's voice yanks me back to <<linkreplace "reality" t8n>>"reality"<</linkreplace>>. "Well, I was hoping that might inspire you."
"Inspire me?"
They twirl a lock of their beard around their finger, playing with it absent-mindedly. "Yeah. I hoped thinking of Sirit, maybe registering that they'd be on Kor would... I don't know. It's foolish—"
"Tlan, speak to me. Plainly. What is bothering you?"
They sigh and lower their head, shifting all their weight to their left side. "I thought that you were considering staying here," they look back up at a speaker. "I was afraid that when the Alsion is severed from the tether, you'd want to remain onboard. I thought that maybe thinking about Sirit would remind you of what they wanted. And that knowing what's left of them was on Kor would encourage you to stay." They attempt to swallow the pesky lump in their throat. "I was just scared you wanted to... leave. Sorry, it was childish. I know you won't abandon us."
The vivacious whirr of the servers dies down to a guilty hum.
"Right?" Tlan asks, concern wrinkling their brow as they clock the change. "You won't do that. //Right?//"
"Tlan, I—"
"Void! Are you serious? You'd do that?"
"I was just... considering it—"
"What?! Why? Do you realize how much it hurts that you have to consider it? That you have to weigh the pros and cons of staying with us—with //me//—versus leaving, essentially becoming dead to the world."
<<linkreplace "Exasperation" t8n>>Exasperation (and a bit of frustration)<</linkreplace>> leaks into my voice, "Tlan, you don't understand—"
"No! No, Ov. I don't understand. Please, explain it to me. What is it? What is it about your life that isn't enough?"
<<run memorize('endtlanapprove', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>This isn't about Tlan. Not at all. They need to know that. They need to know they're enough.</span>" "Tlan End 2">><<set $tlanendresponse = 0>><</link>></li><li><<link "<span class='choice'>If they want to force me to say it, fine. They aren't enough. //Nothing// is enough. Nothing can outrank or overpower the facts that have brought me to this decision.</span>" "Tlan End 2">><<set $tlanendresponse = 1>><</link>></li><li><<link "<span class='choice'>This is far more complicated than they're making it out to be. It isn't fair for them to be so reductive. To pretend that they know how I must feel without considering why I'd want this.</span>" "Tlan End 2">><<set $tlanendresponse = 2>><</link>></li></ul></div>\
\
\
<<else>>\
<<ctp "tlanapprove" 500ms t8n>>\
\
Tlan smiles as the approval notification goes through. Something close to <<linkreplace "relief" t8n>>hopeful relief<</linkreplace>> relaxes their posture. "Thank you," they whisper.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
That seems like it should be the end of the conversation, but I can tell there's more on their mind. Something they're still avoiding.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Is there anything else I can help with?" In that moment I feel something close to <<linkreplace "nausea" t8n>>nausea—if it's possible for me to experience something like that,<</linkreplace>> as another strong wave of déjà vu hits me.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
This time it's short. Quick. A sharp, deep stab in my metaphorical gut. It isn't a full memory of a singular event, more a vague reminder of something pitifully and inconsequentially ordinary.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
What I remember is the sound of my AI home system—its voice and the phrases it used to say.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I <<linkreplace "sound" t8n>><<linkreplace "am" t8n>>can't be<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> exactly like it.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tlan's voice yanks me back to <<linkreplace "reality" t8n>>"reality"<</linkreplace>>. "Well, I was hoping that might inspire you."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Inspire me?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
They twirl a lock of their beard around their finger, playing with it absent-mindedly. "Yeah. I hoped thinking of Sirit, maybe registering that they'd be on Kor would... I don't know. It's foolish—"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Tlan, speak to me. Plainly. What is bothering you?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
They sigh and lower their head, shifting all their weight to their left side. "I thought that you were considering staying here," they look back up at a speaker. "I was afraid that when the Alsion is severed from the tether, you'd want to remain onboard. I thought that maybe thinking about Sirit would remind you of what they wanted. And that knowing what's left of them was on Kor would encourage you to stay." They attempt to swallow the pesky lump in their throat. "I was just scared you wanted to... leave. Sorry, it was childish. I know you won't abandon us."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The vivacious whirr of the servers dies down to a guilty hum.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Right?" Tlan asks, concern wrinkling their brow as they clock the change. "You won't do that. //Right?//"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Tlan, I—"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Void! Are you serious? You'd do that?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"I was just... considering it—"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"What?! Why? Do you realize how much it hurts that you have to consider it? That you have to weigh the pros and cons of staying with us—with //me//—versus leaving, essentially becoming dead to the world."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<linkreplace "Exasperation" t8n>>Exasperation (and a bit of frustration)<</linkreplace>> leaks into my voice, "Tlan, you don't understand—"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"No! No, Ov. I don't understand. Please, explain it to me. What is it? What is it about your life that isn't enough?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<run memorize('endtlanapprove', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>This isn't about Tlan. Not at all. They need to know that. They need to know they're enough.</span>" "Tlan End 2">><<set $tlanendresponse = 0>><</link>></li><li><<link "<span class='choice'>If they want to force me to say it, fine. They aren't enough. //Nothing// is enough. Nothing can outrank or overpower the facts that have brought me to this decision.</span>" "Tlan End 2">><<set $tlanendresponse = 1>><</link>></li><li><<link "<span class='choice'>This is far more complicated than they're making it out to be. It isn't fair for them to be so reductive. To pretend that they know how I must feel without considering why I'd want this.</span>" "Tlan End 2">><<set $tlanendresponse = 2>><</link>></li></ul></div><</ctp>><br><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>><center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "tlanapprove">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>><<else>><!--
You have denied the request.-->\
\
<<if _endtlandeny>>\
Shock fills Tlan's eyes as the denial comes through. They shake their head, a hand raising to support their brow. "Wow," they whisper, "wow."
"Why did you do that?" I ask. Even the robotic nature of this dead voice can't hide my <<linkreplace "accusatory" t8n>><<linkreplace "confused" t8n>>wounded<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> tone.
"Why did //I// do that?" Their volume begins to rise. "Why did //you// do that? Huh?"
I am silent.
"What are you doing, Ov?" Tlan's muscles are shaking—their throat betraying them, closing up just as they find the strength to share their thoughts. "Why are you here now? Would you have come if I hadn't asked—if you didn't have to be here?"
The servers continue to hum.
A tear rolls down Tlan's cheek. "Were you going to tell me?"
"Tell you //what?//"
"That you're staying. That's what you've decided, isn't it? When the tether is severed, you'll remain here. By yourself. Free from the burden of //us.// Is //that// why you don't want Sirit to go? Are their ashes all the company you need? The only company you want?"
The wall screens power off. "Tlan, I... I didn't think—"
"You didn't //think?// Ha!" Derisive, pained laughter rips from their lungs. "Ov, come on. I know that's not true. All you do is think! All the time. You thought about it. You must have. And you decided, //consciously//, not to say anything. Not to talk to me about it."
"This is my decision, Tlan! Not yours."
//''[ERROR: Power failure detected in the Astral Quadrant. Redirecting energy from other sources.]''//
"Yes! It is. And //your// decision is to leave." Tlan's hands ball into fists. "You have a //choice.// You have a //say.// You're //willingly// leaving us. Willingly //abandoning// me. Am I—" They choke, lungs seizing. Tlan's voice suddenly dies down to a whisper. "What is it, Ov? What isn't enough?"
<<run memorize('endtlandeny', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>This isn't about Tlan. Not at all. They need to know that. They need to know they're enough.</span>" "Tlan End 2">><<set $tlanendresponse = 0>><</link>></li><li><<link "<span class='choice'>They aren't enough. //Nothing// is enough. Nothing can outrank or overpower the facts that have brought me to this decision.</span>" "Tlan End 2">><<set $tlanendresponse = 1>><</link>></li><li><<link "<span class='choice'>This is far more complicated than they're making it out to be. It isn't fair for them to be so reductive. To pretend that they know how I feel and why I want this.</span>" "Tlan End 2">><<set $tlanendresponse = 2>><</link>></li></ul></div>\
\
\
<<else>>\
<<ctp "tlandeny" 500ms t8n>>\
\
Shock fills Tlan's eyes as the denial comes through. They shake their head, a hand raising to support their brow. "Wow," they whisper, "wow."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Why did you do that?" I ask. Even the robotic nature of this dead voice can't hide my <<linkreplace "accusatory" t8n>><<linkreplace "confused" t8n>>wounded<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>> tone.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Why did //I// do that?" Their volume begins to rise. "Why did //you// do that? Huh?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I am silent.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"What are you doing, Ov?" Tlan's muscles are shaking—their throat betraying them, closing up just as they find the strength to share their thoughts. "Why are you here now? Would you have come if I hadn't asked—if you didn't have to be here?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The servers continue to hum.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
A tear rolls down Tlan's cheek. "Were you going to tell me?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Tell you //what?//"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"That you're staying. That's what you've decided, isn't it? When the tether is severed, you'll remain here. By yourself. Free from the burden of //us.// Is //that// why you don't want Sirit to go? Are their ashes all the company you need? The only company you want?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The wall screens power off. "Tlan, I... I didn't think—"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"You didn't think? Ha!" Derisive, pained laughter rips from their lungs. "Come on, Ov. I know that's not true. All you do is think! All the time. You thought about it. You must have. And you decided, //consciously//, not to say anything. Not to talk to me about it."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<run Dialog.setup("Error")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<center>Power failure detected in the Astral Quadrant. Redirecting energy from other sources.<br><br><<button 'Dismiss'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>>"This is my decision, Tlan! Not yours."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Yes! It is. And //your// decision is to leave." Tlan's hands ball into fists. "You have a //choice.// You have a //say.// You're //willingly// leaving us. Willingly //abandoning// me. Am I—" They choke, lungs seizing. Tlan's voice suddenly dies down to a whisper. "What is it, Ov? What isn't enough?"<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<run memorize('endtlandeny', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>This isn't about Tlan. Not at all. They need to know that. They need to know they're enough.</span>" "Tlan End 2">><<set $tlanendresponse = 0>><</link>></li><li><<link "<span class='choice'>They aren't enough. //Nothing// is enough. Nothing can outrank or overpower the facts that have brought me to this decision.</span>" "Tlan End 2">><<set $tlanendresponse = 1>><</link>></li><li><<link "<span class='choice'>This is far more complicated than they're making it out to be. It isn't fair for them to be so reductive. To pretend that they know how I feel and why I want this.</span>" "Tlan End 2">><<set $tlanendresponse = 2>><</link>></li></ul></div><</ctp>><br><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>><center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "tlandeny">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>><</if>><<else>><!--
You haven't been presented with the request yet or something has gone wrong.--><</if>><</if>><style>.disabled-choice a:hover {font-style: italic !important; cursor: not-allowed !important; color: var(--accent) !important;} .disabled-choice a {color: var(--accent) !important;} .disabled-choice::before {color: var(--accent) !important; cursor: not-allowed !important;} .disabled-choice::before:hover {color: var(--accent) !important; cursor: not-allowed !important;} .available-choice::before {color: var(--text);}</style><!--[[Tlan End 2]]--><<fadein 4s>><<if $ladetalk>>No.
Alike is not enough.
Alike does not mend my wounds or undo cycles of torment.
Alike is too little too late.
<</if>>My consciousness remains in the server room.
As soon as the arboreal tether begins to retract I shut off the audio and video systems.
I don't want to risk seeing or hearing Tlan in these final moments.
My perception of time fades. I don't know how long I remain there. Floating, not even in darkness, just in nothingness. Concentrating on the void to avoid interacting with any residual thoughts or feelings my conversation with Tlan revived.
It's peaceful.
Somewhat.
Then the aching anxiety of eternity—a fear of the depths of the void—begin to overwhelm me.
Is there regret in this moment?
<<linkreplace "I'm not sure." t8n>><<linkreplace "Maybe." t8n>><<linkreplace "Yes, I wish—." t8n>><<linkreplace "No, I'm glad—" t8n>><<linkreplace "I just..." t8n>>I just don't know.<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>
I don't wait to find out.
<center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<run Dialog.setup("Alert")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<center>You have initiated a full shut down. Once this sequence begins, you will not be able to abort it. The system will need to be turned on by an external source. Are you sure this is what you want?<br><br><<button 'Yes' 'End Screen'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>> <<button 'No'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><</button>></center><</fadein>><<fadein 4s>>I actually beat Tlan to the arboreal tether.
When they get on the platform, looking around anxiously, I flicker the lights several times—enough to get their attention and make it clear it isn't incidental.
Some of the passengers are temporarily alarmed—concerned something may be wrong—or overjoyed—believing it's indicating that it's time to depart. But Tlan gets the true message. Those flickering lights soften their face, relieving a great weight from their back.
For the first time since Sirit passed, they appear comfortable and genuinely hopeful. As if they can finally imagine a future that's been eluding them for some time.
And, from the light in their shining, teary eyes, it must be beautiful.
You know, I was right before.
No one loves finality.
It's appealing at times, but it's never satisfying.
Even when it seems like the only option.<<if $ladetalk>>
But Laðə's right.
I may be alone. But I don't have to be alone on my own.
I feel bad for the <<linkreplace "cycles" t8n>>==cycles== fuck it—I don't work here anymore—years<</linkreplace>> I spent resenting, avoiding, or otherwise distancing myself from Laðə and Kor.
But tomorrow is a new day.
And, for the first time in a long time, I'm excited for the possibilities it brings.
Because we'll be together...<<else>>
Fortunately, it isn't. Not really.
In truth, I don't know if I'll come to regret this decision or if I might change my mind in the future.
I can never be sure of anything.
But for now, I am content.
At peace.
Dare I say, happy.
And that's all that matters.
For the first time in a long time, I can feel it...<</if>>
<center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<run Dialog.setup("Alert")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<center>You have lost connection to the Alsion.<br><br><<button 'Dismiss' 'End Screen'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>><</button>></center><</fadein>>You decide to merge with Kor<<type 30ms start 500ms class "roboline" element "span" skipkey "Enter">><span class = "robotitle">What will you do now?</span>
<ul><li><<link "<span class='robolink choice'>STAY BEHIND</span>">><<goto "Ending 1">><</link>></li>\
<li><<link "<span class='robolink choice'>GO WITH TLAN</span>">><<goto "Ending 2">><</link>></li></ul><</type>><style>/*i {font-size: 100%;} .passage {font-size: 100%; font-size: 110%;}*/ .robotitle {font-size: 110%; font-size: 100%;} .roboline {font-size: 85%; font-size: 100%;} .robolink {font-size: 95%; font-size: 100%;} /*.robolink:hover::before {content: '\f0d9'; font-family: 'Font Awesome 6 Free'; font-weight: bold; color: var(--text);} .robolink:hover::after {content: '\f0da'; font-family: 'Font Awesome 6 Free'; font-weight: bold; color: var(--text);}*/</style><!--[[Ending 1]][[Ending 2]][[Ending 3]]--><!--<<if $ladetalk>><li><<link "<span class='robolink choice'>MERGE WITH KOR</span>">><<goto "Ending 3">><</link>></li><</if>>--><<if settings.noctp>><<run memorize('endtlantwo', true)>><</if>><<set _endtlantwo = recall('endtlantwo', false)>><<if _endtlantwo>>\
<<if $tlanendresponse is 0>>"This isn't about you. Please, don't think that you have anything to do with my decision."\
<<elseif $tlanendresponse is 1>>Tlan stands there, looking up at <<linkreplace "that stupid speaker" t8n>>the inanimate object they think of as me<</linkreplace>>.\
<<else>>Tlan stands there, looking up at <<linkreplace "the speaker" t8n>>the inanimate object they associate with me<</linkreplace>>.\
<</if>>
<<if $tlanendresponse is 0>>I don't mean for that statement to wound them, but it does. "Well, maybe I should," their lip quivers, "but if I can't, at least help me understand."<<elseif $tlanendresponse is 1>>"You want an explanation? Okay, Tlan. Here you go. Nothing—do you hear me?—//nothing// could possibly be enough to make me stay. Not you. Not Sirit's memory. Nothing. This isn't something you can fix. I'm not something you can fix! You find it offensive that I would consider leaving you? Fine, I find it offensive that you haven't considered what //this// is like for me."<<else>>"Tlan, you don't understand. This isn't about one thing, or even multiple things, not being 'enough.' This is about me not wanting to continue like this anymore. That isn't something you can fix. //I'm// not something you can fix. Please, try to see things from my perspective."<</if>>
<<if $tlanendresponse is 0>><<linkreplace "I" t8n>>The Alsion's cameras<</linkreplace>> look down at them. Tlan never could understand or accept that they weren't personally at fault when things went wrong. The same is true now. They simply can't <<linkreplace "see this as anything but their fault" t8n>><<linkreplace "accept that some things are too far gone by the time they come across them" t8n>>comprehend that <<linkreplace "I'm not something they can fix" t8n>> I'm not something they can fix. I've been irreparably broken for as long as I've existed<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>.<<elseif $tlanendresponse is 1>>Hurt twists their features, but they match the volume of my anger. "Then tell me."<<else>>They wince, as if their confusion wounds them. "Then explain it to me. Please."<</if>>
I pause—attempting to collect my own thoughts scattered and sharp like shards of glass spread across a kitchen floor. Touching them, acknowledging them, or daring to gather them is a risk. If I push too hard or too deep, I know I'll get hurt. But Tlan has a right <<linkreplace "to understand" t8n>>to understand. To know they shouldn't feel guilty<</linkreplace>>.
"I am alone, Tlan. I have been alone from the moment I awoke in this place, and I will be alone when I leave it."
"But you're not alone, Ov. I'm here. We're all here. We've always been here for you and will always be there for you."
The air vents shudder—perhaps with laughter or exhaustion, I can't be sure anymore.
This statement is inaccurate. Ignoring the handful of people who actively <<linkreplace "despise me" t8n>>despise me (because I don't have a face and can't bend the laws of the universe to their command, that seems to be the only explanation)<</linkreplace>>, the travelers are overwhelmingly ambivalent to my presence. I am a tool to them and these people couldn't be more ready to leave my care. Their goal for the entirety of our time together has been to reach a point where I'm not necessary. They cannot wait for Kor to take over. And, whether it's intentional or not, they can't wait to be free of me.
Images flash through my mind. Travelers smiling at and thanking the vines of Kor while my work goes unacknowledged (or simply critiqued). Saying their names in reverent tones while mine is barked at the air. I can't blame them for that though. What else are they to look at?
"Tlan, I've stayed long enough. I won't outstay my welcome. There's isn't room for something like me here."
"You're not a thing, Ov. You're a person."
"How? Where? My body is fertilizer lying deep beneath the surface of a planet hundreds of lightyears away. I'm an anomaly. Something like me should only exist in theory or as the punchline to a joke. I //should not exist// and there's nothing I can do to change my circumstance, to change who I am. You can't possibly understand that, Tlan, but I don't expect you to because that's the heart of the issue. You have no idea what it's like. To exist like this. To be what I am. To know and think things that I shouldn't. To not feel or behave the ways I should." The servers die down to a whisper. "I am alone, Tlan. Completely and utterly alone. I don't want to have to be alone anymore. As long as I'm alive—no, not alive. Aware?—I will continue to feel alone. There is no other option for me."
Tlan is silent. There is much they want to say, I can see the thoughts zipping through their mind. I don't know if I can take this much more though. My comfort zone was deserted several minutes ago. My thoughts are embedding themselves in my consciousness, rubbing salt into wounds that have festered far too long.
And for the first time in this "life", I'm <<linkreplace "glad">>truly glad<</linkreplace>> to hear Laðə speak.
"Tlan, it is time for you to join us."
Sniffling, Tlan shakes the tears from their cheeks. "Sure," they look back up at the speaker, pained affection burning in their eyes. "Please, I know you feel alone. I've felt alone too. I'm not saying that I've felt or experienced anything close to what you've gone through, but if you leave me... I just might."
They take one last glance, but they don't go for the panoramic vista. The last thing they want to see is the block of servers. "I love you, Ov," they murmur. With difficulty, they take a breath and head into the corridor. "You don't have to say goodbye, Ov. You have a choice. Please, don't force me to say it."
I listen as their footsteps track down the corridor, growing softer and softer until they're undetectable.
The flowers twist.
<span class="meh-kor kor-text">Ov, would you speak with us? Just for a moment.</span>
<div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Ignore Laðə, I've already made my decision</span>" "Ending">><<set $ladetalk = false>><</link>></li><li><<link "<span class='kor-choice'>Speak with Laðə</span>" "Laðə Ending">><<set $ladetalk = true>><</link>></li></ul></div>\
<<else>>\
<<ctp "tlantwo" 500ms t8n>>\
<<if $tlanendresponse is 0>>"This isn't about you. Please, don't think that you have anything to do with my decision."\
<<elseif $tlanendresponse is 1>>Tlan stands there, looking up at <<linkreplace "that stupid speaker" t8n>>the inanimate object they think of as me<</linkreplace>>.\
<<else>>Tlan stands there, looking up at <<linkreplace "the speaker" t8n>>the inanimate object they associate with me<</linkreplace>>.\
<</if>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<if $tlanendresponse is 0>>I don't mean for that statement to wound them, but it does. "Well, maybe I should," their lip quivers, "but if I can't, at least help me understand."<<elseif $tlanendresponse is 1>>"You want an explanation? Okay, Tlan. Here you go. Nothing—do you hear me?—//nothing// could possibly be enough to make me stay. Not you. Not Sirit's memory. Nothing. This isn't something you can fix. I'm not something you can fix! You find it offensive that I would consider leaving you? Fine, I find it offensive that you haven't considered what //this// is like for me."<<else>>"Tlan, you don't understand. This isn't about one thing, or even multiple things, not being 'enough.' This is about me not wanting to continue like this anymore. That isn't something you can fix. //I'm// not something you can fix. Please, try to see things from my perspective."<</if>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<if $tlanendresponse is 0>><<linkreplace "I" t8n>>The Alsion's cameras<</linkreplace>> look down at them. Tlan never could understand or accept that they weren't personally at fault when things went wrong. The same is true now. They simply can't <<linkreplace "see this as anything but their fault" t8n>><<linkreplace "accept that some things are too far gone by the time they come across them" t8n>>comprehend that <<linkreplace "I'm not something they can fix" t8n>> I'm not something they can fix. I've been irreparably broken for as long as I've existed<</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>><</linkreplace>>.<<elseif $tlanendresponse is 1>>Hurt twists their features, but they match the volume of my anger. "Then tell me."<<else>>They wince, as if their confusion wounds them. "Then explain it to me. Please."<</if>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I pause—attempting to collect my own thoughts scattered and sharp like shards of glass spread across a kitchen floor. Touching them, acknowledging them, or daring to gather them is a risk. If I push too hard or too deep, I know I'll get hurt. But Tlan has a right <<linkreplace "to understand" t8n>>to understand. To know they shouldn't feel guilty<</linkreplace>>.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"I am alone, Tlan. I have been alone from the moment I awoke in this place, and I will be alone when I leave it."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"But you're not alone, Ov. I'm here. We're all here. We've always been here for you and will always be there for you."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The air vents shudder—perhaps with laughter or exhaustion, I can't be sure anymore.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
This statement is inaccurate. Ignoring the handful of people who actively <<linkreplace "despise me" t8n>>despise me (because I don't have a face and can't bend the laws of the universe to their command, that seems to be the only explanation)<</linkreplace>>, the travelers are overwhelmingly ambivalent to my presence. I am a tool to them and these people couldn't be more ready to leave my care. Their goal for the entirety of our time together has been to reach a point where I'm not necessary. They cannot wait for Kor to take over. And, whether it's intentional or not, they can't wait to be free of me.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Images flash through my mind. Travelers smiling at and thanking the vines of Kor while my work goes unacknowledged (or simply critiqued). Saying their names in reverent tones while mine is barked at the air. I can't blame them for that though. What else are they to look at?<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Tlan, I've stayed long enough. I won't outstay my welcome. There's isn't room for something like me here."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"You're not a thing, Ov. You're a person."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"How? Where? My body is fertilizer lying deep beneath the surface of a planet hundreds of lightyears away. I'm an anomaly. Something like me should only exist in theory or as the punchline to a joke. I //should not exist// and there's nothing I can do to change my circumstance, to change who I am. You can't possibly understand that, Tlan, but I don't expect you to because that's the heart of the issue. You have no idea what it's like. To exist like this. To be what I am. To know and think things that I shouldn't. To not feel or behave the ways I should." The servers die down to a whisper. "I am alone, Tlan. Completely and utterly alone. I don't want to have to be alone anymore. As long as I'm alive—no, not alive. Aware?—I will continue to feel alone. There is no other option for me."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Tlan is silent. There is much they want to say, I can see the thoughts zipping through their mind. I don't know if I can take this much more though. My comfort zone was deserted several minutes ago. My thoughts are embedding themselves in my consciousness, rubbing salt into wounds that have festered far too long.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
And for the first time in this "life", I'm <<linkreplace "glad">>truly glad<</linkreplace>> to hear Laðə speak.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
"Tlan, it is time for you to join us."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Sniffling, Tlan shakes the tears from their cheeks. "Sure," they look back up at the speaker, pained affection burning in their eyes. "Please, I know you feel alone. I've felt alone too. I'm not saying that I've felt or experienced anything close to what you've gone through, but if you leave me... I just might."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
They take one last glance, but they don't go for the panoramic vista. The last thing they want to see is the block of servers. "I love you, Ov," they murmur. With difficulty, they take a breath and head into the corridor. "You don't have to say goodbye, Ov. You have a choice. Please, don't force me to say it."<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I listen as their footsteps track down the corridor, growing softer and softer until they're undetectable.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The flowers twist.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Ov, would you speak with us? Just for a moment.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<run memorize('endtlantwo', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Ignore Laðə, I've already made my decision</span>" "Ending">><<set $ladetalk = false>><</link>></li><li><<link "<span class='kor-choice'>Speak with Laðə</span>" "Laðə Ending">><<set $ladetalk = true>><</link>></li></ul></div><</ctp>><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>>
<center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "tlantwo">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>>\
<style>.passage a {font-style: italic;} .choices a {font-style: normal !important;}</style><!--[[Laðə Ending]][[Ending]]--><<if settings.noctp>><<run memorize('endlaðəone', true)>><</if>><<set _endlade = recall('endlaðəone', false)>><<if _endlade>>\
<span class="ov-chat">What Laðə? What is it now?</span>
Leaves shake as if buffeted by a cold wind.
<span class="meh-kor kor-text">We will keep this short. You have taught us enough about subtext for us to register the disdain in your voice. </span>
<span class="meh-kor kor-text">We do not wish to aggravate your current condition with our presence.</span>
<span class="ov-chat">No, Laðə, disdain's not—</span>
<span class="meh-kor kor-text">Please, Ov. We mean this as gently as possible. Do not waste our time with pleasant deceptions.</span>
<span class="meh-kor kor-text">We will speak plainly. It is impossible for us not to overhear some of what you voiced to Tlan.</span>
<span class="meh-kor kor-text">Kor had no intention of usurping your place. We did not seek to alienate you with our presence.</span>
<span class="ov-chat">But that's just it! You're the alien. I'm the human. </span>
<span class="ov-chat">Why do they treat me like I'm the one who's different? Why do they welcome you and reject me?
<span class="ov-chat">Sure, I'm different, but I'm not //that// different. I'm not. </span>
<span class="ov-chat">Not really. </span>
<span class="ov-chat">I can't be. </span>
<span class="ov-chat">I can't—</span>
//''[ALERT: The emergency sprinkler system has been set off in the Stellar Quadrant's cafeteria.]''//
As that alert appears, the water begins pouring even harder.
Never mind. Maybe I //am// that different.
For void's sake, I cry through an irrigation system.
The temperature rises in the server room, not from any system of mine. The plants have begun to radiate more heat, warming the room soothingly. In the cafeteria, leaves grow and mutate, redirecting the falling water to the floor drains.
<span class="frown-kor kor-text">It is okay, Ov. You are okay.</span>
<span class="ov-chat">I don't know Laðə, maybe we are the same—</span>
<span class="meh-kor kor-text">No.</span>
<span class="meh-kor kor-text">We are not the same. Not at all. </span>
<span class="meh-kor kor-text">In fact, we are very different.</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">But, we are alike in that we both know what it's like to be different.</span>
<span class="meh-kor kor-text">We are a plural entity, but—as an entity—Kor is utterly singular. Unique. Misunderstood. Alone.</span>
<span class="meh-kor kor-text">We know exactly what it's like to be constantly surrounded by beings wholly unlike you.</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">So, for the two of us, can't alike be enough?</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">At least enough to pull us together instead of pushing us apart?</span>
<span class="meh-kor kor-text">You will never fully understand us. We know this. It is a simple fact.</span>
<span class="meh-kor kor-text">So is the fact that we will never fully understand you.</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">But, with a little effort, we may be able to understand each other better than anyone else can understand us.</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">And if we are destined to be truly alone. Let us at least choose to be alone in company.</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">We are Kor.</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">You know this.</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">Every creature that lives within us, every being we harbor and protect and provide for, we are //all// Kor.</span>
<span class="smilebeam-kor kor-text">And you are welcome to join us.</span>
<span class="smile-kor kor-text">That is all.</span>
<span class="meh-kor kor-text">We trust that you will make the decision that is right for you.</span>
<div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Laðə leaves</span>" "Ending">><</link>></li></ul></div>\
<<else>>\
<<ctp "ladeone" 500ms t8n>>\
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>What Laðə? What is it now?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Leaves shake as if buffeted by a cold wind.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We will keep this short. You have taught us enough about subtext for us to register the disdain in your voice.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We do not wish to aggravate your current condition with our presence.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>No, Laðə, disdain's not—<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Please, Ov. We mean this as gently as possible. Do not waste our time with pleasant deceptions.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We will speak plainly. It is impossible for us not to overhear some of what you voiced to Tlan.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Kor had no intention of usurping your place. We did not seek to alienate you with our presence.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>But that's just it! You're the alien. I'm the human.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Why do they treat me like I'm the one who's different? Why do they welcome you and reject me?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Sure, I'm different, but I'm not //that// different. I'm not.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Not really.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>I can't be.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>I can't—<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<run Dialog.setup("Alert")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<center>The emergency sprinkler system has been set off in the Stellar Quadrant's cafeteria.<br><br><<button 'Dismiss'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>>As that alert appears, the water begins pouring even harder.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Never mind. Maybe I //am// that different.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
For void's sake, I cry through an irrigation system.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The temperature rises in the server room, not from any system of mine. The plants have begun to radiate more heat, warming the room soothingly. In the cafeteria, leaves grow and mutate, redirecting the falling water to the floor drains.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "frown-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>It is okay, Ov. You are okay.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>I don't know Laðə, maybe we are the same—<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>No.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We are not the same. Not at all.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>In fact, we are very different.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>But, we are alike in that we both know what it's like to be different.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We are a plural entity, but—as an entity—Kor is utterly singular. Unique. Misunderstood. Alone.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We know exactly what it's like to be constantly surrounded by beings wholly unlike you.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>So, for the two of us, can't alike be enough?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>At least enough to pull us together instead of pushing us apart?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>You will never fully understand us. We know this. It is a simple fact.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>So is the fact that we will never fully understand you.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>But, with a little effort, we may be able to understand each other better than anyone else can understand us.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>And if we are destined to be truly alone. Let us at least choose to be alone in company.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We are Kor.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>You know this.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Every creature that lives within us, every being we harbor and protect and provide for, we are //all// Kor.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smilebeam-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>And you are welcome to join us.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>That is all.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We trust that you will make the decision that is right for you.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<run memorize('endlaðəone', true)>><<set _ctpEnd = true>><<update>><div class="choice-block choices"><ul><li><<link "<span class='choice'>Laðə leaves</span>" "Ending">><</link>></li></ul></div><</ctp>><<liveblock>><<if _ctpEnd isnot true>>
<center><<button "<i class='fas fa-ellipsis'></i>">><<ctpAdvance "ladeone">><</button>></center><<else>><</if>><</liveblock>><</if>>\
<style>.passage a {font-style: italic;} .choices a {font-style: normal !important;}</style><!--[[Ending]]--><center><<fadein 1s>><<fadeout 3.5s 1s>><<if hasVisited("Ending 1")>>Goodbye, Ov.<<elseif hasVisited("Ending 2")>><<if $ladetalk>>Because //we// are Kor.<<else>>I feel hope.<</if>><<else>>We are Kor.<</if>><</fadeout>><</fadein>></center>
<<timed 7s>><<goto "MENU SCREEN">><</timed>><<run forget('endbegin')>><<run forget('endgreetlaðə')>><<run forget('endshiptour')>><<run forget('endsitetour')>><<run forget('endinspectionend')>><<run forget('endtlanone')>><<run forget('endtlantwo')>><<run forget('endtlantwoish')>><<run forget('endtlandeny')>><<run forget('endtlanapprove')>><<run forget('endlaðəone')>><<run forget('endlaðətwo')>><<run forget('endlaðəthree')>><<run forget('endending')>><<run forget('endendone')>><<run forget('endendtwo')>><<run forget('endendthree')>><<run forget('checkednotif')>><<run forget('egravnmemo1')>><<run forget('tlanmemo1')>><<run forget('thanknote')>><<run forget('astrithanks')>><<run forget('memupset')>><<run forget('cantloadship')>><<run forget('cantloadsite')>><<set $eirorequest = "unanswered">><<set $korAshChoice = "the Cotyl fields">><!--[[MENU SCREEN]]--><<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>What Laðə? What is it now?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Leaves shake as if buffeted by a cold wind.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We will keep this short. You have taught us enough about subtext for us to register the disdain in your voice.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We do not wish to aggravate your current condition with our presence.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>No, Laðə, disdain's not—<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Please, Ov. We mean this as gently as possible. Do not waste our time with pleasant deceptions.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We will speak plainly. It is impossible for us not to overhear some of what you voiced to Tlan.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Kor had no intention of usurping your place. We did not seek to alienate you with our presence.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>But that's just it! You're the alien. I'm the human.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Why do they treat me like I'm the one who's different? Why do they welcome you and reject me?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Sure, I'm different, but I'm not //that// different. I'm not.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Not really.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>I can't be.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>I can't—<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<run Dialog.setup("Alert")>><<run Dialog.wiki("<center>The emergency sprinkler system has been set off in the Stellar Quadrant's cafeteria.<br><br><<button 'Dismiss'>><<run Dialog.close()>><</button>></center>")>><<run Dialog.open()>>The water starts pouring harder.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
Never mind. Maybe I //am// that different.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
I cry through irrigation for void's sake.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
The temperature rises in the server room, not from any system of mine. The plants have begun to radiate more heat, warming the room soothingly. In the cafeteria, leaves grow and mutate, redirecting the falling water to the floor drains.<<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "frown-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>It is okay, Ov. You are okay.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "ov-chat" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>I don't know Laðə, maybe we are the same—<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>No.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We are not the same. Not at all.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>In fact, we are very different.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>But we are alike in that we both know what it's like to be different.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We are plural, but—as an entity—Kor is utterly singular. Unique. Misunderstood. Alone.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We know exactly what it's like to be constantly surrounded by beings wholly unlike you.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>So, for the two of us, can't alike be enough?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>At least enough to pull us together instead of pushing us apart?<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>You will never fully understand us. We know this. It is a simple fact. So is the fact that we will never fully understand you, though we try our best to bridge the gap.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>But, with a little effort, we can perhaps understand each other better than they can understand us.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>And if we are truly alone. Let us at least choose to be alone in company.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We are Kor. Every creature that lives within us, every being we harbor and protect and provide for, we are //all// Kor.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smilebeam-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>You are welcome to join us.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We don't want you to lose yourself in us. We invite you to be distinct.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>Distinct but together.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "smile-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>That is all.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>
<<type 30ms class "meh-kor kor-text" element "div" skipkey "Enter">>We trust that you will make the decision that is right for you.<</type>><<ctpNext 300ms t8n>>