Until The Walls Come Down

Aphelion; a moon on the dark side of a moon. Barren, devoid of notable resources, forgotten. A skin tag on the universe's elbow. In the rusting watchpost-turned-bunker, you stare through slatted windows. After a year of running, falling back from the galaxy's edge post by post, from tiny hitches in your Higgs reader to the relentless, consuming tide before you, you've come to the end of the line. Out of fuel, out of options. Just you, a half-stocked crate of faulty plasma packs, and the creaking bones of a watchpost serving far beyond its intended lifespan. And your companions, of course. A scattered crew you've picked up over the last few frantic jumps. Saun, the seer, traces abstract shapes on the floor with coloured sand -- some kind of ritual from his homeworld. You've learned a little about his customs in your time together, particularly about sacred geometry, but you don't yet know what these glyphs represent. The clomping footsteps you hear above you are Cassidy, pacing the roof in her long-obsolete battlesuit. She'll be accounting all the angles right up until the storm hits. In the corner, fiddling with rusted shutter controls, is Aya. Barely meeting the threshold for standard maturity six, Aya is old enough to get intoxicated but not experienced enough to know when to give up. They're a quick study, but no amount of agri-engineering is going to get this neglected tech working. The watchpost's bulkhead groans again, a fitting chorus with the wind. You've got hours before they hit, with nothing to do but watch them come. (set: $talkedtoSaun to false)(set: $talkedtoAya to false)(set: $talkedtoCassidy to false)(set: $loyalty to 0)(set: $convos to 0) [[Speak to Aya, the engineer.]] [[Speak to Saun, the seer.]] [[Speak to Cassidy, the veteran.]]

You approach Saun as the last of a handful of sand trickles from his clenched fingers, unsure if it's appropriate to interrupt. He doesn't meet your gaze as he reaches into one of the pouches at his belt for another handful - this one is azure, sparkling with almost inner light as it falls. "Would you like to join me?" He asks. (set: $talkedtoSaun to true) (set:$convos to $convos+1) (if: $talkedtoAya is true)[ [["Aya's a spy."]] ] [["I wouldn't want to get it wrong."]] [["Why not."]] [["I'd rather watch."]]

//Clomp. Clomp.// Cassidy is pacing. Every once and a while she looks towards the absent space on the horizon and points one of her arm-cannons at it, then shakes her head and continues walking the length of the roof. You stand in the sand outside the watchpost and observe for a moment, until she turns and looks at you with narrowed eyes. "What?" (set:$convos to $convos+1) (set: $talkedtoCassidy to true) [["You pissed we're going to die?"]] [["Just watching."]] (if: $talkedtoAya is true)[ [["Aya's been a spy the whole time."]] ]

"Hey, Aya." You walk over to the former farmtech as they're fiddling with sparking shutter controls. "You know those aren't going to shut, right? This post has been abandoned and exposed to the wind for almost a hundred years." "Sand damage is a killer, yeah. Probably not going to figure it out before they get here." "Then... why are you doing it?" You ask. Aya peers out the windows for a moment, shakes their head, and gets back to work. "I just don't want to SEE them anymore. I want to pretend that they're not even there. I want to make a pot of something warm and sit and tell stupid jokes and just... when they get here, we'll be in the middle of a meal. We won't be scared, or fighting for our lives. The people who find our bones someday will know that we died enjoying ourselves, and maybe they'll get something out of that." (set: $talkedtoAya to true) (set:$convos to $convos+1) [["What kind of jokes would you tell?"]] [["I couldn't eat."]] [["Want some rations?"]]

"I dunno, something stupid." Aya shrugs. "Someone burps, or drops the salt. And we all laugh." "I'd like that." "Yeah. A moment of peace." Aya pauses their fiddling with the shutter. Their demeanour shifts ever-so-slightly. "Hey, boss. We gotta - I have to - ah, nevermind." [["You can tell me anything."]] [["You gonna confess your undying love?"]]

"Couldn't eat even if I wanted to." You say. "My stomach is spinning like a micrograv-dryer." "Yeah, I get that. I'd probably upchuck too, if we were actually eating." Aya pauses their fiddling with the shutter. Their demeanour shifts ever-so-slightly. "Hey, boss. We gotta - I have to - ah, nevermind." [["You can tell me anything."]] [["You gonna confess your undying love?"]]

"We've got flash-heat soup, and uh... protein cakes..." You offer. "I'll pass, thanks." Aya shakes their head. "Another cake and I'm gonna chuck. And I'd rather my bones not be found next to partially-digested pile of my last shitty meal. It was just a thought." Aya pauses their fiddling with the shutter. Their demeanour shifts ever-so-slightly. "Hey, boss. We gotta - I have to - ah, nevermind." [["You can tell me anything."]] [["You gonna confess your undying love?"]]

"Yeah, I know. Just not sure if I should." Aya reaches inside their jacket, fumbling with something hidden there. After a moment, they lay it on a nearby table; a knife with an ornate symbol on its hilt. It takes you a moment, but the recognization strikes you like cold sweat. No wait, that IS cold sweat. "That's the symbol of The Nierran Empire. You... where did you get that?" "Graduation present." "Aya... You couldn't... Your home colony isn't anywhere near the empire." Aya's voice cracks. "Boss. I'm so sorry. It wasn't my home... it was my post." [["You're a fucking spy."]] [["Did you desert?"]]

"Finally, my chance to unleash this poetic heart!" Aya replies facetiously. "I've been holding my feelings inside for too long, boss, and..." They trail off, the joke suddenly much less funny to them. Aya reaches inside their jacket, fumbling with something hidden there. After a moment, they lay it on a nearby table; a knife with an ornate symbol on its hilt. It takes you a moment, but the recognization strikes you like cold sweat. No wait, that IS cold sweat. "That's the symbol of The Nierran Empire. You... where did you get that?" "Graduation present." You notice Aya's accent slipping away. "Aya... You couldn't... Your home colony isn't anywhere near the empire." Aya's voice cracks. "Boss. I'm so sorry. It wasn't my home... it was my post." [["You're a fucking spy."]] [["Did you desert?"]]

Your hand instinctively goes for your sidearm. "You'd better explain yourself quick, 'Aya'. If you had anything to do with our ship "No! I swear, I didn't... I didn't sabotage anything. I'm just here to make reports. Do you believe me? "...Keep talking." "I'm... look, when it started I was just gathering intelligence on Them, and I got rerouted. My commanders knew you were evacuating the outer colonies, they figured this was the perfect chance for a plant. A well-meaning agri-engineer, eager to help after you save their family." "Damn it, Aya." You're stunned. Weeks, months of travelling together. Everything you learned was a lie. "I'm not telling you this because I'm deserting now. If we somehow got out of this... I'd still make my next report. I grew up Nierran, it's in my blood, Boss. But -- we're gonna die. And I respect you. I want you to know who I really am." The engineer formerly known as Aya takes a deep breath. "So... Hey. Hi. My name is Farron, Thirdsoul intelligence officer of Nierra. Nice to meet you." Farron extends their hand, and you see the slightest tremor. Is it a holdover from their nervous persona? Or do they really care what you think? [["It's nice to meet you, Farron."]] [["On any other day, I'd have to kill you."]]

"It was a lifetime ago, right?" You prod, but you already know the answer. If you overestimated Aya's age by ten years, they still wouldn't be old enough to have had an entire military career. "No. Yeah. I'm... look, when it started I was just gathering intelligence on Them, and I got rerouted. My commanders knew you were evacuating the outer colonies, they figured this was the perfect chance for a plant. A well-meaning agri-engineer, eager to help after you save their family." "Damn it, Aya." You're stunned. Weeks, months of travelling together. Everything you learned was a lie. "I'm not telling you this because I'm deserting now. If we somehow got out of this... I'd still make my next report. I grew up Nierran, it's in my blood, Boss. But -- we're gonna die. And I respect you. I want you to know who I really am." The engineer formerly known as Aya takes a deep breath. "So... Hey. Hi. My name is Farron, Thirdsoul intelligence officer of Nierra. Nice to meet you." Farron extends their hand, and you see the slightest tremor. Is it a holdover from their nervous persona? Or do they really care what you think? [["It's nice to meet you, Farron."]] [["On any other day, I'd have to kill you."]]

You clasp Farron's hand. "I don't know about Nierrans, but I know you. You've pulled my boots out of more than one fire. You had the courage to bring this to me on your own, knowing what I might have to do." Farron's smile encourages you to append: "...Though you could have come to me a little sooner." Farron shrugs. "Didn't know we were going to die until now." (set: $avafriend to true)(set: $loyalty to $loyalty+1) (if: $talkedtoSaun is false) [ [[Speak to Saun, the seer.]] ] (if: $talkedtoCassidy is false) [ [[Speak to Cassidy, the veteran.]] ] [["Do you prefer "Aya" or "Farron"?"]] [[Check the horizon.]]

You knock Farron's hand away and stare them down. "If you were loyal to me, you would have told me sooner." Farron's face hardens, the last of their childlike persona melting away. "I'm - I'm sorry. I consider it a courtesy that I told you at all." "That courtesy is the only reason you're still alive, Farron." You turn away, processing rapidly. How could they have been lying that whole time? A sigh escapes you. "Stick around." You say, finally. "Nowhere else to go, really." Farron says, and turns back to fiddling with the shutter. (set: $avafriend to false) (if: $talkedtoSaun is false) [ [[Speak to Saun, the seer.]] ] (if: $talkedtoCassidy is false) [ [[Speak to Cassidy, the veteran.]] ] [["Do you prefer "Aya" or "Farron"?"]] [[Check the horizon.]]

"You show more care than many initiates I've taught. You won't disgrace me; sit down." You nod and do as he asks, kneeling by the strange arcs of colour. Dust scuffs from your feet. Saun deftly, deliberately, draws a line from one point of the symbol to another, and another. A triangle. "And that's it. The last of my homeworld, here before us." Saun says. The remorse in his voice is more than mourning; it is older than the tragedy of mass death. It is an acknowledgment of the temporality of all things, as immutable as existence. "Look into it." Saun gestures to the completed symbol. And when you examine it more closely, the shapes reorganize themselves in your mind. Like an eclipse, they fit into place, and //click.// A cool wave pours forth, an emotion you cannot name. Like floating at the bottom of a lake, gravity surrounding you and holding you and drowning you - but you're okay, you're okay, it's peaceful. It's time to go. [["Thank you for letting me in."]] [["I get why you believe in this stuff."]] [["What are you doing to me?"]]

"Then sit." You nod and do as he asks, kneeling by the strange arcs of colour. Dust scuffs from your feet. Saun deftly, deliberately, draws a line from one point of the symbol to another, and another. A triangle. "And that's it. The last of my homeworld, here before us." Saun says. The remorse in his voice is more than mourning; it is older than the tragedy of mass death. It is an acknowledgment of the temporality of all things, as immutable as existence. "Look into it." Saun gestures to the completed symbol. And when you examine it more closely, the shapes reorganize themselves in your mind. Like an eclipse, they fit into place, and //click.// A cool wave pours forth, an emotion you cannot name. Like floating at the bottom of a lake, gravity surrounding you and holding you and drowning you - but you're okay, you're okay, it's peaceful. It's time to go. [["Thank you for letting me in."]] [["I get why you believe in this stuff."]] [["What are you doing to me?"]]

"So be it." Saun deftly, deliberately, draws a line from one point of the symbol to another, and another. A triangle. "And that's it. The last of my homeworld, here before us." Saun says. The remorse in his voice is more than mourning; it is older than the tragedy of mass death. It is an acknowledgment of the temporality of all things, as immutable as existence. "Look into it." Saun gestures to the completed symbol. And when you examine it more closely, the shapes reorganize themselves in your mind. Like an eclipse, they fit into place, and //click.// A cool wave pours forth, an emotion you cannot name. Like floating at the bottom of a lake, gravity surrounding you and holding you and drowning you - but you're okay, you're okay, it's peaceful. It's time to go. [["Thank you for letting me in."]] [["I get why you believe in this stuff."]] [["What are you doing to me?"]]

Saun nods - your eyes meet. He sees that you have seen, and he begins to speak. "Aryun'aea, unmecha tui byruronl dyui-testote..." Your universal translator is lagging behind, searching up words from some distant index. You catch key phrases: "Mother of All... space... harmony... reconcile..." [["Asking for something to save us?"]] [["Praying for our souls?"]] [["Giving thanks for a moment of peace?"]]

"You may leave, if you so choose." Saun sighs, and then begins to speak in the language of his homeworld. "Aryun'aea, unmecha tui byruronl dyui-testote..." Your universal translator is lagging behind, searching up words from some distant index. You catch key phrases: "Mother of All... space... harmony... reconcile..." [["Asking for something to save us?"]] [["Praying for our souls?"]] [["Giving thanks for a moment of peace?"]]

"No." And suddenly, he sweeps his hand across the symbol. The sand scatters; the spell is broken. You can't help but exhale. And on the last earth of his homeworld, Saun plainly weeps. "You are the last conscious mind to ever witness the teachings of my people." A long silence hangs between you as he sobs. Cassidy's boots clomp across the ceiling above you. Saun gathers himself. "Thank you, for being here with me. Given the fate of my people - I cannot honestly say that balance exists. I cannot know if our devotion meant... anything, to anyone but us. But this has - sharing it with you. Perhaps that is all it ever needed to be." He gazes down at the smeared sand. "I'm glad I can add a little beauty to this planet before it is wiped from galactic record." [["We're all just trying to escape death."]] [["If I could preserve it, I would."]]

"No." He says. And suddenly, he sweeps his hand across the symbol. The sand scatters; the spell is broken. You can't help but exhale. And on the last earth of his homeworld, Saun plainly weeps. "You are the last conscious mind to ever witness the teachings of my people." A long silence hangs between you as he sobs. Cassidy's boots clomp across the ceiling above you. Saun gathers himself. "Thank you, for being here with me. Given the fate of my people - I cannot honestly say that balance exists. I cannot know if our devotion meant... anything, to anyone but us. But this has - sharing it with you. Perhaps that is all it ever needed to be." He gazes down at the smeared sand. "I'm glad I can add a little beauty to this planet before it is wiped from galactic record." [["We're all just trying to escape death."]] [["If I could preserve it, I would."]]

Saun nods. "You have gleaned some understanding." And suddenly, he sweeps his hand across the symbol. The sand scatters; the spell is broken. You can't help but exhale. And on the last earth of his homeworld, Saun plainly weeps. "My last initiate." He sobs. "The last conscious mind to ever know the teachings of my people." A long silence hangs between you. Cassidy's boots clomp across the ceiling above you. Saun gathers himself. "Thank you, for being here with me. Given the fate of my people - I cannot honestly say that balance exists. I cannot know if our devotion meant... anything, to anyone but us. But this has - sharing it with you. Perhaps that is all it ever needed to be." He gazes down at the smeared sand. "I'm glad I can add a little beauty to this planet before it is wiped from galactic record." [["We're all just trying to escape death."]] [["If I could preserve it, I would."]]

"Religion has always had a purpose." You say. "You got to help others experience that - you made their lives easier." "I hope I made their deaths easier as well." Saun sighs. "Everything I've done - now sand, in all the significance that implies. For me it was everything. To the future, it will be nothing." Saun stands and holds his hand out for you to shake. "Thank you for accompanying me on this journey. Whether you believed me or not, You hold your gaze on him as he hauls the heavy watchpost door open. Reddish-brown dust spills in from the surface of Aphelion. He walks out into it, towards the surging tide. Did you believe him? Did you want to? It's moot now. (set: $Saunculture to false) (if: $talkedtoAya is false) [ [[Speak to Aya, the engineer.]] ] (if: $talkedtoCassidy is false) [ [[Speak to Cassidy, the veteran.]] ] [[Check the horizon.]]

"Wait..." A thought dawns on you. You pull a small chip from the collar of your suit and hold it up before you. "Saun, this is the data from my mission recorder. I honestly... I forgot it was even on. But it would have been recording since I made my last report." "Everything I've taught you..." Saun whispers. You stand up, walk to the door. "Where are you going?" Aya asks from the corner. "We'll be back." You reply. Aphelion's dirt is a dull reddish brown, far from the glittering colours of Saun's homeland. But it'll do. You settle one old plasma pack into the dirt. Saun arrives at your side, and whispers: "Will we not need that?" "This is better." You walk back to the door and beckon Saun to stand next to you. From the roof of the bunker, Cassidy looks at you like you've grown antlers. "Blast it, Lieutenant." Cassidy shrugs, and levels one of her arm-mounted cannons at the pack. She fires - The bloom blots out the horizon. For one moment you could forget the tide that's surging towards you. And when it fades, a small crater remains. You rush to settle the chip into its deepest part before Aphelion's dust swallows it whole. When you've finished burying it, you notice Saun has drawn a strange symbol into the dirt beside the crater. "What does it say?" You ask. //"Instructional video inside."// Saun laughs. (set: $Saunculture to true)(set: $loyalty to $loyalty+1) (if: $talkedtoAya is false) [ [[Speak to Aya, the engineer.]] ] (if: $talkedtoCassidy is false) [ [[Speak to Cassidy, the veteran.]] ] [[Check the horizon.]]

Saun nods, and then begins to speak. "Aryun'aea, unmecha tui byruronl dyui-testote..." Your universal translator is lagging behind, searching up words from some distant index. You catch key phrases: "Mother of All... space... harmony... reconcile..." [["Asking for something to save us?"]] [["Praying for our souls?"]] [["Giving thanks for a moment of peace?"]]

Saun's brow freezes in place. A multitude of possibilites pass across his face. Finally, you break the silence. "Saun? Did you hear me?" "There are many things I could say." He replies. "How are they doing?" "How are //they// doing? You're worried about Ava?" "Betraying those to whom you've become attached... It is no easy feat they performed. When you infiltrate the enemy, part of you has to understand them. You start to question your own motives." "You know something about it?" "I have attempted to mediate many conflicts in my time. See the merits of opposing sides. I had the benefit of the mediator's role - and even then it is difficult to stay objective. To join our crew, see our pain and hardship, share our joys and triumphs, all the while committed to plot our deaths or face torturous punishment." You look over at Ava - Farron - still fidgeting with the shutter controls. "I am grateful they were never forced to choose sides." Saun concludes. "Now - enough stalling. Will you join me or not?" [["I wouldn't want to get it wrong."]] [["Why not."]] [["I'd rather watch."]]

The rust-red dust of Aphelion blows breezily by. (if: $convos is 1) [They're starting to crest the sea of light at the end of your vision. A creeping white mass, not a powerful glow, but something so simple as absence - with its million individual chittering units, it will subsume you and barely notice. The same thing it did to every world behind you. The same it'll do to every world in front of you. There's no use in worrying about what you could have done. Could you have fought harder, years ago, to get people to notice? Perhaps. But here at the end, it's better to absolve yourself of the guilt.](if: $convos is 2) [They've taken a bite out of the sun, a swarming leviathan of blank space. They'll erase everything in their path. You still have a moment to make your peace.](if: $convos is 3) [They are nearly upon you. You have mere moments before the tide crashes over you - you'd better gather your crew. [[Prepare for the end.]] ] (if: $talkedtoSaun is false) [ [[Speak to Saun, the seer.]] ] (if: $talkedtoCassidy is false) [ [[Speak to Cassidy, the veteran.]] ] (if: $talkedtoAya is false) [ [[Speak to Aya, the engineer.]] ]

You go out into the dust in front of the watchpost. Saun is already there, his head bent before the approaching tide. The white mass chitters excitedly as it surges towards you. It almost drowns out your voice. "Crew, I've lead you a long way. I've been here to talk, to boss you around with what I think is best, and it's all lead us here. I think it's time to give up some of my power." "We have to decide together." You say. "Do we fight?" (if: $Saunculture is true)["We fight." Saun says, his voice surer than you've heard since you met him. "I fight to save my culture. I fight to stay alive. It's worth it to try, even if it may come to nothing."](if: $Saunculture is false)["It matters not." Saun says. "We all become dust." ] (if: $Cassidysuit is false)["You know, it's funny." Cassidy says, looking up at the wall of white that's about to consume you. "Now that I'm out of my suit, I feel more like fighting than ever. No plasma cannons or anything. Isn't that silly?" "I don't think so." You say. "You've got something to fight for."](if: $Cassidysuit is true)[Cassidy simply raises her suited arms and starts firing plasma blasts into the oncoming tide. "We fight." She yells back between //woomping// bursts of energy. "We've got no frickin' choice." ] (if: $avafriend is true)["I meant what I said before." Farron speaks up, their tiny voice more confident as they meet your gaze. "About just sitting together, laughing, eating." Farron looks around at your companions, nodding with newfound vigor. "But you accepted me. I've decided I don't want to give up. "I'll fight, if you'll still have me."] (if: $avafriend is false)[You turn to Farron. "You care what I think?" They frown. "You'd have to kill me on any other day, remember?" "That's not fair." You say. "I'm asking you now." "Yeah, well. None of it matters. Fight, die. Sit, die. It all ends the same way."] You bow your head. Either way, everything ends. All that matters is how you choose to spend your final moments. You know what you have to do. (if: $loyalty is 3) [ [[Unless...]] ]

"No." Cass responds. "I'm pissed that we're going to die and I'm stuck in a rusting exoskeleton made for all the things that //don't matter// when you're fucking going to die." She fires one of her cannons into the air. A couple of mini-rockets shoot from a hidden shoulder-compartment. They slouch into the dust a kilo away and send up a shower of reddish-brown. "Can't eat. Can't sit. God, I can't even //touch// myself." "... Sorry, that was inappropriate." [["We can try to get you out one more time."]] [["That really sucks."]]

"You want to watch until the tide rolls in? Be my guest. Seems like a waste of time, but who am I to judge?" Cassidy sighs. "I'm the one who can't even frickin' sit down." [["We can try to get you out one more time."]] [["That really sucks."]]

That sets the battlesuited Lieutenant off. In an instant she leaps from her perch on top of the watchpost and slams into the dirt. Her armcannon wheels about on the window where Ava - Farron - is still working. Farron freezes. Acceptance settles on their face. "Wait!" You say. "I know." Cassidy replies. "If I blast the cockroach right now, I'll weaken the structure we need for our holdout. Can you go in there and get it for me?" "Don't call them that." "They've been spying on us, Boss. We might not even BE here if not for them." [["I believe that's not the case."]] [["It doesn't matter now."]]

"That just means the cockroach is good at their job." You stare her down. After an uncomfortable few seconds, Cass reluctantly relaxes her arm. You see Farron exhale. "Fine, Boss. We'll do it your way, like always." Cassidy jumps back on top of the watchpost, pointedly landing right above where Farron is working. They wince. Cass notices you're still looking at her, and she spins around with a second accusatory "what?" [["You pissed we're going to die?"]] [["Just watching."]]

"You're not serious. If they're responsible, then -" "What use is it?" You counter. "You want to place blame, put it on me. I lead us here. If you're not ready to do that, then stand the hell down and let us wait for our deaths in peace." You stare Cassidy down. After an uncomfortable few seconds, Cass reluctantly relaxes her arm. You see Farron exhale. "Fine, Boss. We'll do it your way, like always." Cassidy jumps back on top of the watchpost, pointedly landing right above where Farron is working. She notices you're still looking at her, and she spins around with a second accusatory "what?" [["You pissed we're going to die?"]] [["Just watching."]]

"You don't get it!" Cass wheels on you, towering above you with the added height of her Exo and the watchpost itself. "We've //tried// everything. My body itself is a threat - nothing I do can change that, unless I want to cut myself out of it and risk permanently injuring myself, becoming something that's - not me. And it's going to be that way until I die on this barren crater of a moon." "You're sure it wouldn't be worth it?" You offer. "Here at the end?" Cassidy looks down at her hands, the mounted cannons on her wrists glowing with potential energy. A plasma-blade springs from her right arm, a brutal neon red against the dull, rusty colours of Aphelion. "I don't know. It..." You climb up the side of the watchpost and settle a hand on her shoulder. [["You should do what you can to be at peace."]] [["You shouldn't spend your last moments struggling."]]

"Yeah, it does." Cass sighs, looking out at the chittering horizon. "My body itself is a threat - nothing I do can change that, unless I want to cut myself out of it and risk permanently injuring myself, becoming something that's - not me. And it's going to be that way until I die on this barren crater of a moon." "You're sure it wouldn't be worth it?" You offer. "Here at the end?" Cassidy looks down at her hands, the mounted cannons on her wrists glowing with potential energy. A plasma-blade springs from her right arm, a brutal neon red against the dull, rusty colours of Aphelion. "I don't know. It..." You climb up the side of the watchpost and settle a hand on her shoulder. [["You should do what you can to be at peace."]] [["You shouldn't spend your last moments struggling."]]

"Yeah." Resolve settles into her features. "Fuck it. I want to feel the wind on my skin one more time. Wish me luck?" "Luck." You say. "Should I get Ava?" "It's fine." Cass shakes her head. "If I accidentally lop off my arm, I don't want anyone but you here to laugh at me." She lines the blade up carefully. Digs it into the metal of her old-fashioned Exo. There's too much resistance - and even if she gets through, you know that the only way she'll feel where to stop is if she hits skin. She breaks through and winces. "Agh!" [["Wait, Cass. You should stop."->"You shouldn't spend your last moments struggling."]] [["You can do this!"]]

"You're right, you're right." Cassidy snaps the blade back into its sheath and shakes her head. "It was just a fantasy. To feel the wind on my skin one more time before I die." Cassidy sighs, rolling her shoulders, encased as they are in metal. "I knew when I joined the corps - you commit to a role. You protect people by giving of yourself. I shouldn't bitch and moan - I should be grateful. This way I can go out fighting." She clenches a metal gauntlet into a fist. "Thanks, boss." She says. "For clearing my head." "No problem." You respond. (set: $Cassidysuit to true) (if: $talkedtoSaun is false) [ [[Speak to Saun, the seer.]] ] (if: $talkedtoAya is false) [ [[Speak to Aya, the engineer.]] ] [[Check the horizon.]]

"Damn right I can." She grits her teeth and cuts carefully down the length of one arm. In a careful moment, she is free - her gauntlet falls away, and she flexes the bare - if slightly burned - skin of one arm. As your eyes meet, hers fill with tears. "I can be free." She says. "It's been more than a year - I had the tools, I was just too scared to use them." She gestures to the gauntlet on the ground. "Could you switch that on, and help get my back?" "Of course." You say. It takes minutes of careful cutting - part of you worries that you won't get it done before the tide consumes you. But finally, finally, Cassidy sheds her melted shell and steps forward towards the horizon in bare feet. She spreads her arms like butterfly's wings. Though they are scored and bruised, she smiles like a young lover. "God. I never thought..." She looks down at the sand. "You'd better go. I think I'm going to cry for a bit, and that I //don't// want you around for." "You got it, Cassidy." You reply. Her smile is infectious. (set: $Cassidysuit to false) (set: $loyalty to $loyalty+1) (if: $talkedtoSaun is false) [ [[Speak to Saun, the seer.]] ] (if: $talkedtoAya is false) [ [[Speak to Aya, the engineer.]] ] [[Check the horizon.]]

"Honestly?" The enbie looks up at you, eyes wide with possibility. "It does not matter. I've lived Aya for long enough that they've become a part of me. Farron had absent parents, went to military academy, continued to be ignored - was recruited based on their //ability// to be ignored. You can call me anything you want." (if: $talkedtoSaun is false) [ [[Speak to Saun, the seer.]] ] (if: $talkedtoCassidy is false) [ [[Speak to Cassidy, the veteran.]] ] [["What is a "Thirdsoul?""]] [[Check the horizon.]]

"You mentioned your rank," you remember. "Thirdsoul intelligence officer; what does that mean?" Farron looks up, searching for the answer in the rusted panels on the ceiling. "It's hard to explain." They say eventually. "You've fought a few Nierrans, assumedly even more before you met me. What did you pick up about their beliefs?" "They believe in a split-soul." You cite some trench-knowledge you came across during your travels. "You are born with part of yourself, and you have to find the rest of it?" "Yes." Farron confirms. "You can gain it through introspection or art, through travel, through service, through love. Most Nierrans find their secondsoul sometime in early adulthood, and it usually marks their transition into independence." "So what is a Thirdsoul?" "Being labeled a Thirdsoul indicates a certain adaptability, mutability. They aren't necessarily better, just different; You know that moment that you realize your parents are just people, how they're flawed creatures just making it up as they go along? I had a revelation like that." "... Can you tell me about it?" You ask, cautious. "No." Hearing Farron speak so decisively is jarring; you've been getting to know excitable, childlike Aya for the past few months. You pivot back on-track. "So it makes you a better spy? How does that relate to your service?" "It's not actually part of my rank, just a part of my identity that I list alongside it. Or, listed. I've been Aya for months; haven't thought of myself that way for a while." "Thanks for explaining." You say. "I don't usually get a chance to hear about Nierran culture." "Too busy slinging plasma for that, I guess." Farron sighs. "Happy to help." (if: $talkedtoSaun is false) [ [[Speak to Saun, the seer.]] ] (if: $talkedtoCassidy is false) [ [[Speak to Cassidy, the veteran.]] ] [[Check the horizon.]]

"Farron. We've exhausted all possibilities from our allies... but what about our enemies? Could Nierra have a ship in the next system?" "You're kidding." Cassidy says. "We're talking about this //now//?" "I've tried." Farron shrugs. "Of course I tried! I can't get a signal out to anyone in range. The watchpost's communication array is powered by solar, but it hasn't been charged in a decade at least." "Could you use a palm-sized fusion power core?" "If we had one, sure." "What about an antiquated Exo that no one needs anymore?" You spare a sideways glance at Cassidy. "We cut it open." Cass grins. I can access the core." "Yeah!" Farron can't contain the possibility, now shouting over the storm. Mid-thought, they freeze. Their mouth hangs open. Dust blows in. "But wait." Farron continues once they've finished coughing. "The tide's already here! The watchpost can't protect us!" "How about those shutters?" You ask. "Any progress from all that fiddling?" Farron shakes their head 'no'. And for a moment, all you can do is stare at the white wave coming to erase you all. Then Saun the Seer speaks. "After we buried our recording, I noticed something." He speaks excitedly, faster than you've ever heard him speak before. "An external error in the shutter mechanism." He runs over to yank at a stuck piece of machinery. "Damn." Farron shakes their head. "I always was a shit excuse for an engineer." "Try the damn button!" Cassidy yells as you all file inside the watchpost. "I'll get the core!" The ground rumbles. The tide can't be more than fifteen seconds away. Farron pushes the button. Nothing happens but a horrible grinding sound. Ten seconds. Cassidy slaps the shutter with her free hand on her way in. The core in her other hand glows with the potential energy of a star. The shutters grind shut. A few spare wisps of the tide stream into the watchpost, while the foundation shakes. around you. Your team works together to dispel the wisps. The watchpost is shaking, but holding. The tide pounds outside. Farron kneels next to the watchpost's rusted comm equipment. Cassidy hands them the fusion core. It takes half an hour to hook the new power-source up, half an hour you wouldn't have had if you fought or simply accepted death. Screens come to life. The signal is sent. Aphelion. Skin-tag on the galaxy's elbow. The perfect place for you to die. But maybe, just maybe, you don't have to. Do you have hope? You have no idea. What you do have is each-other. "Anyone for some flash-heated soup?" Farron asks with a grin.