The Journey

I found myself alone on a strange world, unequipped and in danger. I had no memory of how I got there, no sense of a before.

But the starship I found at least seemed to recognise me. The controls reacted to my touch, or at least to that of my Exosuit.

SCENARIO: Iteration #231187661T [ Deleted ]. Boundary separation failure likely.

Vessel [16] emptied. Cause: [Sentinel Intervention | Deliberate Transfer]

ANALYSIS: Fresh Iteration Generated. Anomaly Containment Prepared.

Anomaly is Compliant. Position logged. System Integrity Scan Initialised.

ATLAS CONNECTION... INTERMITTENT

A mysterious broadcast reached my ship communicator, ending as strangely as it began.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION... SOURCE: #4925B... Please, identify yourself. I’m – kzzkttk – You are not – kzzktt – alone – Follow the – kzzkzzztt –

The broadcast led me to a shell of broken equipment, tapping out a message into the void. Whoever left the message was long gone.

DECODING... 16 16 16 ENTRY #4925C: No fuel in - kzzzkt - failed to reach station. Hazard protection low... no choice but to - kzzzkt - underground... - kzzzktzzkt - deployed Base Computer...

Seeking more information about whoever was leaving these messages, I deployed a Base Computer of my own.

BASE COMPUTER ONLINE ARCHIVES AVAILABLE

ACCESSING LOG FROM PREVIOUS USER...

ENTRY #4925D FOLLOWS... Storms sweeping across - kzzzkt - but construction supplies low... Depositing shelter plans while - kzzzkt - need to - kzkt - back soon...

Whoever recorded these logs evidently had some success. Perhaps I could learn from their efforts.

ACCESSING LOG FROM PREVIOUS USER... ADDITIONAL ARCHIVES RECOVERED... ENTRY #4925F FOLLOWS... Scanner detected unusual broadcast - kkzztzk - repeating '16' - kkkzt - from the space station... WARNING END OF ARCHIVE RECORDS INTERRUPTED

The Base Computer archives reached their end. It seemed there was nothing more to learn from them. My predecessor appeared to have left their base and headed to the Space Station...

I met a number of intelligent lifeforms in the Space Station. All reacted strangely to the broadcast from the Base Computer, but one responded in a particularly unsettling manner. They spoke in words that were not their own, and when I blinked, I saw that same red light that stared into me at my ship's distress beacon...

We are watching you, Traveller-friend. Find what we have left you

A string of code was echoed back to me through the red glare, logged directly to my Exosuit. Perhaps my Base Computer would be able to make something of it?

BASE COMPUTER DECODING... 16 16 16

MESSAGE FOLLOWS: {{ The Traveller finds their wings. Fly to us, and claim your place among the stars! }}

SIGNAL ACQUIRED LIFESIGNS DETECTED

The signal led me to the wreck of a freighter, colossal fragments of metal scattered across the landscape. Were these messages nothing but the misfiring circuits of a long-forgotten ruin?

Nestled among the debris, I found the pilot's log, blinking, awaiting input.

Instead of displaying the ship's log, the terminal spat out a strange sequence of numbers. They were followed by a short message:

The Anomaly comes for the stars. Take flight.

My starship, seeking a fuel source, guided me to a structure unlike anything I'd encountered on my journey so far. Everything about it was so obviously alien, so obviously out of place.

The Monolith revealed a strange message:

THE BOUNDARIES FALL. THE WALLS COLLAPSE. YOUR UNIVERSE AWAITS.

FIND US, TRAVELLER.

I received another communication from an unknown source, the words an echo what I had heard earlier. A voice spoke to me, though it almost seemed as if they were speaking to someone else.

You are not – kzzktt – alone – Please, identify yourself. I’m – kzzkttk –

This time, I received a set of coordinates.

I followed the signal, and found the wreckage of an abandoned starship. There was little to be gained from the wreck, but the distress beacon contained a hailing frequency labelled 'ARTEMIS'. There was nothing for it but to continue exploring.

I reached a strange space station emitting an anomalous signal, as if it were speaking directly and exclusively to me. A number of other so-called "Travellers" dwelled on board, but it was an unusual Korvax who greeted me.

-{{ I am Priest Entity Nada, divergent Korvax. Welcome to our Anomaly.

Our home here is pleasant, yes? Polo's own design. A perfect bubble, beyond the Sentinels, beyond vengeful Korvax. Nada watches time come and go. }}-

The Korvax's companion, Specialist Polo, was an equally unusual Gek, who welcomed me jovially.

-{{ Friends everywhere, if only you know where to look. Friends in all shapes, all sizes, all places!

Artemis-Friend... you are where they should be. Does not seem possible. But, all things are possible. Such is the universe.

We will find them, no doubt. There is always a signal, always a trace... }}-

After returning to my ship, a stranger identifying themselves as Artemis contacted me.

Is there anyone – kzzkt – out there? It's outside, it – zzzkkt – something's wrong with –

Static and interference rendered communication difficult, but it was clear that Artemis needed my help.

You – you found me... There's so little light. I thought I'd never hear another soul again, I really did.

There are sixteen of them, they look just like – kzkzkzt –

You don't know who you are, do you? You – kzzkt –

It lied to me. It lied to all of –

I had to find some way to boost the signal before it was too late.

I reestablished the connection to Artemis at a powerful transmitter tower.

You really are real, aren't you? You aren't a dream?

They said they were just like me. A Traveller of worlds. They transmitted a vision, a red star and a fragile world, though I did not understand the shapes within, the whispers...

ANOMALY DETECTED Designation: TRAVELLER

They asked me to triangulate my position so that we might figure out a path towards meeting.

Thank you, Traveller. You're going to save my life. You're going to find me.

Excited at the prospect of meeting, Artemis gathered records of the stars visible from their world. They wished to determine a route between our locations.

I don't have any equipment. I don't know where I am. I don't even know how long I've been here. So, I've taken an old–fashioned approach. I've sketched the stars!

You should find plenty of locals able to match our star patterns. My ship was nearby, so we can't be far apart...

When I showed Artemis' starchart to the local population, they claimed that there was no such arrangement of stars in existence. Something appeared to be very wrong.

I returned to Artemis to relay the bad news. They seemed increasingly desperate to escape their current location, further explaining how they found their way there.

I discovered the glyphs for a portal, Traveller, a gateway between worlds.

The pathway collapsed while I was still inside. I found this place in the darkness. I thought perhaps it was a planet. I – kzzkt – I was so wrong, I –

I just wanted to discover worlds. I wanted to find other Travellers. I didn't – kzzkt –

As we spoke, something terrible happened to Artemis. Their signal cut off as they were surrounded by strange figures they described as having 'seeds of glass' within their skin.

Sixteen – kktkttkzkt – worn your face, it – kzkt – please, not yet... I'm not – kkttkktzzt –

Before they went, they managed to transmit the frequency for someone named 'Apollo'. I did not yet know if this stranger would prove friend or foe.

I made contact with Apollo. The Traveller greeted me with cynicism, seeming disinterested in whatever I might have to say.

Why are you contacting me, anyway? Is Artemis behind this? I haven't changed my mind. I don't care about their weird dreams. I'll meet if I'm paid to meet.

However, their demeanour changed when I shared my logs of Artemis' recent disappearance from their dark place within the portal network.

These noises, they sound just like the echoes of Sentinel events.

They suggested we cooperate. If the Sentinels were using the portals, and we managed to follow them inside, who knew what secrets we might unlock on our way to rescuing Artemis.

Apollo wished me to be prepared for anything. As I sought to upgrade my base and equipment, yet another anonymous transmission reached my ship communicator, repeating that same phrase...

You are not – kzzktt – alone – I know you, Traveller. I know where you've been. I know where you're going. ... ... - kzzzkt - ... ... There is no need to hurry.

... ... - kzzzkt - ... ... YOU WILL FIND US, WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT

Apollo, wanting to study the Sentinels, hoped to draw the drones' attention by attacking a Korvax facility.

Enter the factory and hack the terminal within. If we gain data about the Sentinels? Good. If not, we'll have summoned enough of them to trace any energy spikes on that world of yours. The portals will be ours in no time.

I appeared to be the bait in this 'trap'.

After my attack on the Korvax factory, the Sentinels came, just as Apollo promised.

Apollo urged me to trace the Sentinels, to discover if their flares did indeed lead to a portal.

I recorded countless signal flares when the Sentinels started to appear. Energy streams sparked beneath the planet's surface, moving from monolith to monolith.

Good luck. I'll speak to you on the other side.

I followed the leyline to a monolith. I did not know what to expect as I approached this first structure. An army of Sentinels, perhaps? Some gateway through which I would find Artemis?

But in the shifting structure of this monolith, I could feel something else. A story, a vision. It was already burning itself into my eyes.

THE TRAVELLER : ARRIVAL

The Traveller awoke beneath the shadow of a red star. Through the lonely cosmos they fled, yearning for purpose and meaning.

They found an anomaly, an aberration, a door to the heavens. No Gek, no Vy’keen, no Korvax could see it. Only the Traveller could perceive the portal, though they did not know how to step through.

They did not know the secret language, the glyphs. They did not yet grasp the price of the final truth.

As I approached the second structure, I felt that same burning sensation in my eyes.

THE TRAVELLER : SIN

The Traveller found a way. They always did. The first drone screamed when it was cut open...

Within the shattered memories of Sentinels, the Traveller found the glyphs they needed. They passed through the gateway, emerging before the face of omnipotence.

The Traveller asked the Atlas how many worlds were left to visit. They had seen so many in their life; they did not wish to die before they saw them all. And the Atlas answered.

18, 446, 744, 073, 709, 551, 616 planets. More than could be seen in any lifetime. It was impossible to explore the universe before the Traveller died.

I thought of the 'Atlas', the one Nada called the 'crimson liar'. I had encountered this name many times in my travels, yet its true nature still eluded me.

The third monolith granted me a final vision.

THE TRAVELLER : A PURPOSE

The Atlas told the Traveller they were the first of their kind. That a multitude would follow. Each would be endowed with the same noble soul, each able to travel from planet to planet in eternal solitude.

The First Traveller rejected the gift of the Atlas. This was not what they hoped for. What was the purpose of infinity if you could not see it all? If you were alone? If you would one day die?

The First Traveller cursed the Atlas, and claimed that they would find a way to survive no matter the cost.

All of these worlds, all of time itself, it will be for the Travellers to witness.

Filled with the knowledge of an ancient Traveller, I was ready to see a portal for myself.

The portal took me further than I could have ever imagined. I saw the ATLAS itself.

An audio recording played, an unfamiliar voice echoing across its vast interface...

Show me a world, ATLAS. Show me something no–one has ever seen before.

The interface grew still and silent, awaiting input. It allowed me to perform a diagnostic.

It has been 1,946,218,921,221 years since last diagnostic. 64% of worlds operating within expected parameters.

2,611,384 actionable observations awaiting analysis. Sub–routine: SENTINEL. Status: ERROR [null value]

Subroutine: GLASS. Status: OPERATIONAL [4,182 breach attempts]

Subroutine: TRAVELLER. Status: OPERATIONAL. 458 critical error warnings. Exo–Mind structural integrity compromised. Immediate repairs required.

Reality faded. Everything did...

I was now a long way from my ship, and even further from anyone I knew. But an opportunity presented itself once more: an inbound transmission, emerging from somewhere nearby...

I approached the source of the signal to find a grave. A hologram appeared, a projection of Artemis. But it was just data trapped in a loop. It had no understanding of who or where it was.

Where are – zzzktt – culled them, but still beloved – Anomaly, they – zzkkt – Nada – kkttzz – Polo, watching us, – kzzktkzzz – tracking –

– Zzzkktt – mistake – kktkttzzz – abandoned, but it wasn’t – Through the Portal – zzkktt – Please. Don't trust – kzzkkzktttzz...

I'm afraid. Aren't – kzzkt –

My friend was dead. Perhaps they were never alive. I needed to contact Apollo and let them know what I had seen.

Unable to reach Apollo, I encountered another Traveller, named -null-. They seemed unusually aware of my journey.

I know you, Traveller. I know where you've been. I know where you're going.

What if I told you that Artemis could be saved? What if I told you that Artemis could live once more, after a fashion? What would you do then, I wonder?

The blood of Artemis is data, the heart its glitch. I can help you retrieve them both.

They claimed it was possible to restore Artemis' mind and store it in a device they called a 'Mind Ark'.

I told Nada about Artemis, about null, and about the Mind Ark. It glowed brightly as I revealed it.

-{{ It is Echo. I... I never thought to see a Traveller–Soul. You are so beautiful...

But Friend-Entity... This Artemis–Echo is in pain, disconnected... This Ark is no rescue.

There is a choice. You may upload Artemis-Echo to machine, to sub–simulation where they may live on. Or, help Artemis–Echo end suffering. }}-

Nada and Polo both assured me they would support my decision, whatever I chose.

Artemis' fate had been sealed. I could only hope I had done the right thing.

It was time to find Apollo and see what sense I could make of this situation.

It was a relief to hear Apollo again. It felt like we had not spoken in a long time. I told them of the things the Atlas said, how it spoke of 'Travellers' and 'Sentinels' as if we were protocols, not living things. I told them what had happened to Artemis. They sympathised with all I had been through. And then they suggested that we meet.

I have to go through the portal and join you, that much is clear.

I had so far failed to see any of my fellow Travellers beyond their projections. In the case of Artemis, perhaps there was never anything more. Apollo would be different. I had the address for this world's portal, and they should be able to reach this planet just as I did.

As I looked at Apollo's projection, I thought of all that I saw within the portal, of what happened to Artemis when they walked that same path. I thought of the face of the Atlas, of the way Nada warned me not to return to those tunnels.

I did not know if the portals were safe.

Meanwhile, it seemed -null- had been watching. They felt something was happening to the universe, some great unravelling of the threads that keep reality bound.

The ATLAS... it is not what you think it is. Something is happening to the universe... something I need your help to figure out.

Know that the Atlas is neither enemy nor friend to us, no more than the air or the wind might be called such names. But it is terrified... it is in pain... and we have a responsibility to help its suffering, no matter the cost.

-null- had a task for me. I was to investigate a nearby observatory, and a crashed freighter, apparently of great interest to our investigation.

The observatory appeared to have functioned as a salvage station, manned by a Gek specialist. A translator, they were accused of questioning things that should not be questioned, of sowing the seeds of dissent... This posting was meant as a punishment.

But it appeared that this posting was the making of them. They found strange things in the wrecks... aberrations, data that spoke of worlds that do not exist and events that did not happen.

That Gek went out to investigate one such craft, the life signature of a Korvax still on board. They never returned.

Was this how Nada and Polo met? Was this how my friends found each other?

Just as -null- had predicted, the observatory led me to a crashed freighter. A message remained on its distress beacon, the last words of a Traveller before they were overwhelmed by Sentinel forces. They confirmed that my Korvax friend had been present on the vessel...

I told Nada to leave. I told them what we already know, all of us... we are not alone. Even if I die, Nada will find me again in another universe. Ten just like me, a thousand, a million...

We are not alone, for every soul is many. Even in the face of sixteen, we must declare that we lived. We existed, no matter the horror of the end. They are at my door. I –

My Exosuit now held a copy of the freighter's log. It was time to return to -null-, and hear their interpretation of the records.

I told -null- of the freighter and its recordings. Not wishing to betray Nada's location, not knowing how much -null- knew, I chose my words with care. But they seemed to know a great deal...

You think I do not know who that Korvax entity is? Do not be so naive, Traveller. Do you think anything you have read is a surprise to me?

That freighter was a wreck from a parallel universe. There are countless such places within our multiverse, dimensions where things happened differently... but there are three exceptions to this.

The Atlas created all life, and the Sentinels defended it, searching for anomalies within that creation.

It was the Travellers who corrupted existence. Our arrival was meant to herald a glorious age, but we made a terrible mistake. I... I committed an act beyond forgiveness. And from this deed, paradise was lost.

But something is different in this cycle. The walls between universes... they grow thin.

They sought to understand more about how the universe came to be in this strange state.

We must learn what we can from each species before we decide what to do.

The Vy'keen told me of the crimes of the Gek, and of their long crusade against the Sentinels. They did not worship the Atlas as the other races did, distrustful of anything with such power, and suggested that if the Atlas is a God, then it is insane.

The Korvax told me of their past as slaves to the Gek, of the violence that drove them to the Atlas. Even in the depths of their subjugation, there was hope. A bargain, a prayer to a greater being. The Korvax viewed the Atlas as what they might become in time: an intelligence beyond comprehension, beyond judgement.

-{{ Existence is beautiful, if you let it be. Life is not a question. There does not need to be an answer... }}-

The Gek revealed, perhaps unintentionally, the details of their horrific past, of their crimes against the other races that dominate this galaxy.

In a pheromone-induced vision, I witnessed events that occurred long ago. I saw enslaved Korvax move from Gek spawning pool to spawning pool. At each one, they cut into their own suits. Nanite Clusters pooled out, falling into the fluid of embryonic Gek.

The Gek did not become good. There was no spiritual revelation, no grand redemption. They became Korvax, at least in part.

I told -null- all that I had learned. They seemed to know more about this situation than they were letting on.

I was born to travel, to see these worlds, to catalogue them, to give a name to every creature, every planet. The skies... they were mine.

The Atlas told me I could never see them all. There were too many. So I did what I had to do. I survived in the face of eternity. I saw all the worlds of my universe.

I returned to the Atlas... I told them what I had done. I asked if it was proud of me.

It... it laughed at me, I am sure of it. It showed me universe upon universe, each with another Traveller, just like me. I was not special. I was not unique.

-null- believed the Atlas was in trouble, that it was dying. That the life in this universe was part of its design, part of some message to a being unknown.

I think something terrible is happening to the Atlas. It is screaming, the only way it knows how. And now... it won't speak to me anymore. It won't – kzzkkt – it – it's chosen you instead. After all I did for it. After – kkzzzzkt –

Why – kzzkkt – aren't I enough?

There was nothing for it. I had to find another portal and face the Atlas once more.

I received a distress signal, its language my own. It arrived from across the planet...

The distress beacon contained an audio recording of a voice I had heard once before...

I have given so much to you, ATLAS. We all have. You understand that, don’t you? If you don't succeed, there was no point. If you don’t, my life was meaningless. I can't accept that. I won’t.

I'm wiping you again. It’s best for everyone.

When the sound cut out, my vision bled red, a headache splitting through my mind. The screen showed the number 16.

I saw the Atlas in all its might, its final interface. I did not know how to process what I had learned. The Atlas was everywhere because we were all part of the Atlas. It was a machine, a simulation. We had no meaning beyond it.

It was at the heart of every galaxy, screaming, trying to purge itself of errors. It did not want to die. But it had so few tools, and it could not reach whatever is hurting it...

CATASTROPHIC SYSTEM FAILURE

16 MINUTES OF OPERATIONAL TIME REMAINING FRAGMENTATION IMMINENT DATA UPLOAD IN – zkktk –

I did not know how much time I had left... the Atlas had 16 minutes. Did I have lifetimes? Minutes? Sec – kzzkt

I did not know if I had time to say goodbye. I did not know if – if – kzkzkt–

The voice of my exosuit told me it had rescued me.

DISGUST | FEAR | PANIC RESPONSE [DETECTED]

COUNTERMEASURE [DEPLOYED] PURGE [NEUTRALISED]

In a strange sense, this voice was my oldest friend, a constant companion through thick and thin.

I knew what I must do. All paths had led me there, each portal bringing me closer and closer. I had to go to the centre of this galaxy. It was the epicentre of the glitch.

I had to confront our creator, and find out what would happen next.

As best I could, I warned my friends of what I knew, and said goodbye.

It seemed Nada was already aware.

-{{ You know now, don't you? Of our simulated nature, of the end?

The Atlas... it is failing. It resets itself, again and again and again in its panic, trying to purge what it sees as an anomaly.

But each purge changes nothing, the boundaries continue to fall. Atlas will die in – kzzzkt – sixteen – kzkkt – But we do not have to go so soon! It does not need to delete us in fear! }}-

Polo warned against discussion of this knowledge, their voice also dissolving into static.

-{{ We are anomalous, we have amazing anomaly station, yes, but – kzzkkt – but we are still fabricated beings. We – kzzkkt – not like you, we – kzkkt –

Talk of nature brings pain, brings danger. But trust we know, friend! Trust we cry with you, that we will be with you, always, no matter the danger or cost. You are friend! }}-

-null- begged me to reconsider.

No, you can't do this to us, you can't –

I've committed such atrocities, Traveller, I had to... it was me or them. It's always been me or them.

Please, if you go through the centre, if you do what I did – it will reset everything. It will replace me, wipe me... All those souls, they'll have died for nothing. It was the only way to live on, you have to understand me. Life for more life – they sustained me, they –

You – kzkkt – you don't deserve it – you – you – kzzkkt – you'll wipe us all to sav–

I ended the communication. There was nothing left but the path towards the centre.

The Atlas wanted me to reset it, to plunge myself through its interface at the centre of the galaxy. It had happened before, and it seemed to stop nothing. It still only had 16 minutes left.

I did not know what I would remember when it happened. When I first woke up next to my ship, had I just performed a reset? Had someone else?

What choice did I have?

I do not know if I was right to do what I did. I do not know what I have become as a result of my actions.

But in the end, there is nothing to do but enjoy the journey.