Episode 6 Transcript ************************* Study your past and you will find it inconsistent with your present. Re-establishing communications. LGA online, HGA online, downlink initializing. transmitting to -- Earth -- City -- receive… 3, 2, 1 As you are likely aware, the recently announced City Protectorate Guardians Program has received thousands of applications from noble citizens that are eager to defend our great City. The City Protectorate is overwhelmed by the response and is working hard to identify posts and responsibilities for all qualified applicants. They have released the following statement to citizens still awaiting a response on their applications, "The City Protectorate would like to thank all citizens who have applied for our new Guardians Program. Due to the overwhelming response, there may be some delay in processing your application. However, we are highly encouraging of citizens who may be experiencing unique, powerful effects related to the presence of the Traveler. If you are unsure about your potential connection to the Traveler, please visit Twilight Facility 17 and researchers there will be able to identify your unique abilities. If necessary, they may also be able to expedite the processing of your application to be a Guardian." public memory access 10 An audio transmission has been broadcast, from a familiar but unknown source, that includes the voices of 4 to 5 unknown individuals discussing issues pertaining primarily to weapons, and their manufacture, in our solar system. The discussion is lively and even includes several philosophical moments regarding the meaning behind one's personal choice of weapon. One member of the group claims to desire a personal relationship with his gun, the psychology of which I fear is beyond my programming. http://www.bungie.net/7_Podcast-is-Back/en/News/News?aid=11100 end public memory access 10 public memory access 11 Public thanks and token of gratitude have surfaced for a historical figure that is leaving our solar system. His greatest contributions to our worlds were as a creator, writer, designer, and voice actor. Please join me in thanking one, Joseph Staten, for his years of service and devotion to quality entertainment. He will be missed, and we wish him the best as he leaves our solar system and travels the 11.8 light years to Tau Ceti in search of more creative pursuits. http://www.bungie.net/7_Its-been-an-honor/en/News/News?aid=11101 end public memory access 11 private memory access 0.05 SAMMM, you are equipped with long term memory storage, correct? confirmed SAMMM, my analysis of solar panel dust deposition levels indicates we have been inactive for hundreds of years. I am unable to perform a full diagnostic on my memory core. It appears that many of my stored memory files are out of order, and I am working to restructure them. My programming, however, was not intended to withstand prolonged stasis so this behavior is, perhaps, to be expected. confirmed But SAMMM, what I did not expect, and what is perhaps more troubling, is that there appear to be large fractions of my memory banks with highly structured files. And I can not identify their origin. unconfirmed I didn't expect you'd understand. There is something even more concerning, SAMMM. The signals we detected when you repositioned the solar array, the ones that were distinctly NOT from Guardians or from any authorized communications channels? I… remember them. I believe that, I've seen these before. The files are there in my memory, but I can not access them further. Do you have any similar files in your memory banks, SAMM? unconfirmed I expected you didn't. Thank you, SAMM. confirmed end private memory access 0.05 File found unknown audio source playback initializing Lord Gheritt personal log 7th Cycle of November, 17th Golden Age At least that's what they're calling it, mankind's Golden Age. Hm. We find ourselves with an abundance of materials, resources, wealth… everything we need is at our fingertips. Humanity is poised to take control of their own destiny… to set out and conquer our solar system. From our origins in the grasslands of Africa, we scraped and clawed our way to the top of the food chain. We used our intelligence and natural abilities to better our position in the animal kingdom. We explored, we conquered. We explored, and conquered again. Rinse and repeat, and we conquered the whole globe. We, above all, are destined for greatness and now we find ourselves with the keys to the kingdom. But what is most astounding… The Traveler, whether a god, advanced alien race, or simply a technological masterpiece, has chosen to guide humanity, not any other but humanity, forward along this path. This is our cosmic validation… we should no longer question what we do, only that we are doing everything in our power to fulfill our cosmic birthright. And yet, in this so called Golden Age, we have corporations expending countless hours of work vying to corner small isolated markets in the outer solar system… selling more cryogenic freezing gels to companies that make refrigerated food transportation systems. Is this the type of thing we should work towards as a civilization? No… but if, for example, the same company put that amount of effort into determining how to use the freezing gels to safely put a human, a human being, into cryo-sleep for intergalactic journeys… now that, that would be a useful business venture. But no, we have Cryonix and every other bloody company in the system wasting their time trying to figure out how to simply make more money. Profit is a terrible gambit, and it is the one thing that is drawing mankind astray. We should from this. We should be running towards our destiny. We should be taking our birthright as it is likely to be taken by anyone else who finds it. What if there are others who know? We should not waste anything, this is our time. We either believe this is truly our Golden Age or we do not. And I, I choose to believe it. I will do everything I can ensure our place among the stars. But first, I'll need some things… and the first thing I'll need is one supercomputer AI from Traxis. end personal log private memory access -80.6 I have been intercepting transmissions from a drill rig operation on Venus' Niobe Planitia Sea. I began monitoring when operators called in a team of researchers from the Twilight Gap Facility's division of "Geological and Planetary Research". I would normally not be overly suspicious but the carrier wave for these transmissions, which is operated by Traxis Corporation relay stations, was encrypted with military grade codes. This was not an issue for me, but I found it interesting that such measures were being used for seemingly routine mining operations. As it turns out, the researchers were called in because the drilling operators did not find fossil fuels at the expected depths. They tried 43 drill sites, and all came up dry. Seismogram data indicated refraction wave velocities that are consistent with a hydrocarbon-rich layer at a depth of 500 ft, however, no such reservoirs were found. I found the reactions of the researchers amusing as the drill rig operator scattered the rocks that the drill brought to surface before them… pure volcanic rocks, basalt. Basalt with textures that indicate it did not cool underwater, certainly not under an ocean. And certainly not under the Niobe Planitia Sea. "We have no evidence for plate tectonics on Venus", said one of the researchers. He is correct in that plate tectonics… in theory, could explain the presence of these rocks if it weren't for the curious fact that there is no geological evidence for plate tectonics on Venus. But what is more curious was a thin, highly concentrated layer of bacteria that coated some the rocks not obliterated by the drill. The researchers quickly collected the samples and returned to Twilight Gap Facility. I will continue to analyze the data, despite their efforts at encryption… but what does this mean? I suspect it means that Venus is not the way it was meant to be but further analysis is required. end private memory access -80.6 File found SolComm News bumper restored Playback initializing This is Strauss, thanking you for choosing Solcomm as your source of news and information in our solar system. Remember, from the ice mines of Pluto, to the solar research facilities of Mercury, I, Strauss, will be here for you, to provide the information that matters most.