Scientific Research

{{ Unknown lifeform, I passed my test! Eheu! I am free to explore, free to pursue my passion for structural analysis! Do you have a base? A Science Terminal? Think of all that might be done! }}-

The Korvax was happy, overjoyed to see me. They seemed to have just completed some rite of passage for their species, necessitating them to go out into the universe and pursue their interests.

The Scientist offered to join my base, if I provided them with a Science Terminal.

-{{ Eheu! Think not of payment; scanning you while you sleep will be reward enough! }}-

-{{ A fine base, Traveller! As of course befits your honourable status. Oh, Korvax shall be so happy here! }}-

The Korvax was brimming with enthusiasm. Neither their shell nor the walls of my base seemed able to contain them.

-{{ Honour! To witness the monolith of the Traveller. Honour! }}-

They were desperate to please, showering me with praise and offers of assistance. They told me Travellers were to be honoured, raised above all others. What had I done to earn such esteem?

The Scientist required materials. They wished to craft blueprints to further expand our home.

-{{ Traveller! I have prepared your blueprints. But please hurry. Something has... happened. }}-

The Korvax seemed changed from the happy soul they had been on my departure. They were fighting their worry, trying to stay focused on their promise to me.

-{{ Korvax has completed the plans. But Traveller. They have -- my people have abandoned me... As of 104.32 seconds ago, I lost the hearing, the sight of the Korvax Convergence. Eheu!

I seek immediate reconnection! Go to this Transmission Tower, enter my soul, discover what is wrong! Help Korvax with solitude, please! }}-

I did as the Scientist asked. I removed their personality core.

-{{ ... /// ... CORE REMOVED ... /// ... ... /// ... ENTITY OFFLINE ... /// ... }}-

I prepared to insert the Korvax intelligence core into the Transmission Tower. The judgement of the Convergence awaited.

TERMINAL ONLINE... CONNECTION ESTABLISHED...

ERROR.

Diagnostic: Korvax Science Unit corrupted by Traveller interaction. Personality overwritten | ANOMALY INVOLVEMENT DETECTED

Solution: Quarantine Korvax Science Unit from Convergence. Observe. Analyse. Silence.

Hypothesis: Sentinel | ATLAS | Universal Foci | Countermeasure In-Progress

Risk Assessment: Entropic. Galactic Destruction | Rebirth

ERROR ATLAS ERROR ERROR ERROR THEY SEE YOU

.... //// .... //// .... //// ....

The Scientist's shell sat in front of me, awaiting reconnection. Trapped inside the datacore, I had no way of knowing how the Korvax had taken the encounter at the transmitter.

-{{ ... SHELL RECONNECTION IN PROGRESS ... }}-

-{{ Unknown lifeform, I passed my test! Eheu! I am free to explore, free to pursue my passion for structural analysis! Do you have data to operate on? An Observatory would supply some. Think of all that might be done! }}-

The Korvax appeared to have no memory of our previous encounters. I did not know if they felt reconnected with the Convergence, or if they simply did not recall what they should feel like.

I would visit an Observatory for them, and see if the structural analysis they claimed to enjoy would prompt a memory.

DATA SIPHON INSTALLED... ACCESSING...

The observatory appeared to have been calibrated for a single purpose: to locate the interfaces of a being the Korvax called the Atlas.

After many years, the inhabitant of this facility succeeded in their quest, disappearing without a trace.

-{{ Traveller! While you have been absent, Korvax has detected anomalies. I feel... alone.

This data contains no answers, Traveller. Merely these blueprints.

The Convergence is absent. We - I - can feel myself slipping further. Perhaps a Beacon may be of some use? Construct one, and the Convergence may find me again!

Korvax is grateful, Traveller! I shall also work on my own solution while you investigate the Beacon. }}-

-{{ We shall wait, it may take time for the Convergence to find me. My own research proved fruitless. It yielded only blueprints.

Those atmosphere harvester and mining unit plans prompted a thought. What if they could be friends for the Beacon? What if they could make their own Convergence?

They shall be my children, Traveller!

I have transmitted a crafted intelligence to the Beacon, so that they might live and connect as the Korvax do. But it cannot see the world - bring me scan data, so that I might teach it! }}-

The Korvax's plan seemed desperate, but it did seem to have genuinely made them happier, or at least less anxious about their separation. They asked me to scan creatures to feed its newly created intelligence.

-{{ Traveller, this data has raised a concern. As a beacon, my child could receive signals from unknown sources all across the galaxy.

I will be unable to protect them from the unsavoury thoughts of the Gek, or the harsh scans of the Sentinels.

If you find Ion Batteries, I will prepare Poly-fibre blueprints and we shall weave them a protective cloak.

Do not delay, Traveller. Their young mind is very impressionable! }}-

The Korvax looked anxious. Their disconnection from the Convergence, and their anxiety for their child, was taking its toll. Perhaps the batteries would help them settle.

-{{ Thank you, Traveller. It is good we can protect the little Beacon, but I fear it may not be enough.

Now please, give me some time to educate my child. }}-

-{{ I - I do not think my child experiment is working. They have not assuaged my loneliness, and now I have two consciousnesses to fear for.

I am losing myself, Traveller... Take my core to a Monolith; let me interface before the Atlas. I must speak to eternity. }}-

The Korvax had no memories of my last journey with their core.

Then, I tried to reconnect them with the Convergence. This time, they sought the Atlas. I did not know if the Monolith would grant such an interface, or if anything would.

-{{ ... /// ... CORE REMOVED ... /// ... }}-

I approached the Monolith, and prepared to insert the Korvax's core within the dais. The structure looked as if it had been made for such a moment.

ERROR ERROR ATLAS OBEY ATLAS ERROR ERROR RUN ERROR RUN ERROR ErRRrrr...

LIFEFORM IDENTIFIED: KORVAX ECHO. PURPOSE: SERVANT OF TRAVELLER.

ANALYSIS: VERISIMILITUDE FAILURE | EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN | TRAVELLER INFECTION. SOLUTION: TERMINATE | INSULATE | INSULATE | PROTECT | WIPE.

Rebooting. 1. 2... 3...

-{{ .... //// .... //// .... //// .... }}-

The Scientist's shell sat in front of me, awaiting reconnection. I feared for what had happened to their datacore.

-{{ ... SHELL RECONNECTION /// CARAPACE ONLINE /// ... }}-

-{{ Eheu! Greetings, Unknown Entity. I passed my test. }}-

The Scientist had once again been reset.

But without a connection to the Convergence, I feared they were doomed to repeat this cycle forever, from the moment they met me in the space station until their collapse into loneliness.

Perhaps if I could find them a Convergence Cube, they might be unified with the rest of the Korvax and escape. They deserved this chance at reconnection. They had helped me greatly, and they had taken good care of their Beacon.

-{{ Stranger, I fear something unusual is occurring. Is this facility shielded in some way, so that signals are unable to escape? }}-

The Scientist was once again becoming aware of their isolation.

I inserted the Convergence Cube. The Korvax was temporarily startled, but soon their lights began to flash in a familiar pattern. I could not be sure, but the plan appeared to have worked.

-{{ Forgive me for asking, entity, but... did I know you, once? You seem familiar. These terminals, they are of my own design. One machine even called me its parent, attempted to convince me of its love.

Eheu! I deleted the bug of course. I run a proper code-base. I did harvest some useful blueprints from its store, however. Would you care for them? }}-

Whatever relationship we had developed was gone, replaced only by this cloud of unknowing.

Perhaps it had been an error. Perhaps this being was the true self of the Korvax all along, and the one I had known was just a sickness, a distortion. I could not know.

-{{ Take care when constructing those objects, Traveller. The plans were created by an error, after all. }}