[At the Edge of Infinity]
[3590585543-00001-27]
[1]
[Scrio]
[Network Archon Striga-600 AI-Neuralet]
[D2-45 Eren]
[Ezekiel Ratakana]
[FTL 3872|11|(1)05|Unknown]
[Unknown]
[Unidentifiable Energy Residue-Integrity Uncompromised]
My name… is Ezekiel… Ezekiel Ratakana… and I am no longer sure what is real.
I believe I am an explorer by trade; an Outbound of some renown. None of the others explain what is happening; explain where I am, or why.
My head… My head is so full of memories. I have long abandoned the notion that they are real or true, all except a few.
All I can truly be sure of is the reality of what I see before me, and that much, only because there is nothing else out there. Not even my Allnet can be trusted any longer. Eren is gone. And the memories… There are just so many.
I believe I have seen the truth at the edge of infinity. I have found the secret behind the curtain; the blood pumping through the veins of reality. But I cannot hope to understand it, let alone explain it with words.
I do not even know if I was meant to see it, or if I am an anomaly; some cancerous cell that has yet to make itself known.
I have decided to record my experiences in the hope that someone may find them and discover an answer to these questions. I may have been doing so already: some memories refer to a book of my travels. At the very least they might learn how it is I came to be here and choose to avoid walking the same path at all costs.
At one point, I stepped through a Space Tear… probably. Many of the memories link together sequentially with the Space Tear being the final one. It was different from other Tears I’ve seen: smaller, with a unique shine to it; almost as if it were made deliberately. But that can’t be right.
I cannot remember where it was or how I found it, only how it appeared and that I did step through it. But as I said, this is the final memory in the sequence. If I am to be any help at all to those who come after, I must also show them the first.
The journey begins on… yes, that’s it, on Starato, deep within Network Space…
[Beginnings]
[3590585543-00001-01]
[1]
[Scrio]
[Network Archon Striga-600 AI-Neuralet]
[D2-45 Eren]
[Ezekiel Ratakana]
[FTL 3862|04|(1)01|08-45-55]
[Starato-City of Dawn-Merchant District]
[Unidentifiable Energy Residue-Integrity Uncompromised]
My name is Ezekiel Ratakana, and I am a space explorer. As a highly respected member of the Outbound, and together with my partner Eren, I search the far corners of the galaxy for each and every mystery there is to uncover. Nothing can hide for long when Ezekiel Ratakana wants it found.
This is the first of many recordings. You see, today I am setting off on a new journey, one that will take me to far reaches of the galaxy; to places never before seen where water falls upward, where trees grow leaves of glass, where mountains crawl across the ground like insects before your very eyes, and where the stars have long gone cold. I will be going to where the impossible is reality. These recordings will be Archived so that the generations to come can join me on the journey.
I am currently in the Merchant District of The City of Dawn on the Network Planet Starato. My goal? To procure the last few items I will need for my journey while I await my vessel’s departure. Let’s take a look, shall we?
The City of Dawn. A sprawling metropolis of steel and stone. The clack of my boots fills the air with each step I take down the paved brick street. It is dark; only moments before dawn. The shops and stalls lining the street to either side are quiet, locked up tight, poised, and waiting.
My belly is full and my pack is strapped tight. I am ready for an adventure. I begin to whistle a gentle melody -my spirits are indeed high this morning- just as a sudden light splits the shadow. It drifts over the horizon, bathing the city in golden-pink rays. The beauty of it freezes me to the spot.
I can see a tower nearby, standing high above the other buildings. At its peak sits a massive pink crystal. As the light touches it, the crystal flashes to life. A rich golden light shines forth from within as if it were greeting the rising star by returning her gesture of warmth. A low mechanic hum picks and overtakes my paltry whistle. A blue glow leaks from the crystal down the sides of the tower. Thick square symbols in the language of the Staratans begin to form on a ring that sits just below the crystal. I hold my breath as the ring twists. This is it. My final Wakening.
The ring falls from the crystal as if dropped. The hum rises as it travels down the tower, disappearing behind the buildings. Foom! A wave of energy rushes through me nearly knocking me off my feet. My skin prickles. My heart rate rises and my body tingles, itching to get active. I suddenly feel like running. I take a deep deliberate breath to contain myself and watch as the ring slides back up the tower. Just as it reaches the crystal it falls again. Again a wave of energy rushes through me. I can do nothing as the feeling splits my face into a massive grin.
All around me, all the way up and down the street, every building and stall comes alive all at once. Doors and windows swing open releasing a din of voices into the air. Another wave hits me. Within moments the street is bustling with people: Humans, Xallans, Kalveerans, Lonva, Exxos, Cearans, and many others rush past me as if pulled car. Another wave hits. The street takes a collective breath and moves a bit faster. I look up at the tower, knowing that more like it are scattered all across the city pumping life into everything beneath them. The City of Dawn has awoken.
‘EZ, it’s dawn, we should have been at the docks five minutes ago for the Rapture’s departure,’ a voice chimes in my head. It is Eren, my ever-present companion.
It shakes me from my trance. ‘Relax, Eren,’ I say far too casually, ‘Captain… the captain won’t leave without us. We’ll catch a rail and be there in no time.’
‘EZ, it’s dawn,’ she chimes again, ‘the chance of boarding a rail in a reasonable time is less than ten percent.’
‘It’ll be fine. The captain will wait.’
‘EZ, you’ve already made a bad impression with Captain Harlow. If you keep testing his patience it will not turn out well.’
‘Eren, you worry too much. I am a high-ranking Outlander after all. Captain Harlow won’t do anything rash.’ Even as I say that, I step off at a brisk pace toward the nearest rail station. Almost immediately an image appears on the right side of my vision; an aerial view of the city with a blue trail weaving forward. It blinks to get my attention then shrinks into the corner. Eren has begun navigation for me.
‘One last thing, EZ. Receiving the Dawn’s Blessing while awake created an abnormality in your vitals. It isn’t anything serious for now -it should balance out later- but it would be wise to avoid strenuous activity for a while, which unfortunately means moving at a more casual pace.’
My steps reflexively slow. I am no longer smiling so broadly.
‘It was unavoidable, EZ. It’s dawn. This is the busiest part of the day.’
I lean on a thick steel support beam in the sky rail boarding platform, watching a full shuttle set off, without me on it. My foot taps impatiently on the floor. I am no longer smiling at all. ‘How long till the next one?’
‘Ten minutes, EZ, then another five to the docks.’
“Why didn’t you give me a warning sooner?” I demand.
‘I did, EZ,’ It is Eren’s turn to be far too casual. ‘I gave you a warning every fifteen minutes for the full hour before dawn, but you requested they be non-intrusive. You were likely too focused on your presentation in the recording to notice them.’
The Rapture is a ship and she is gorgeous beyond words. She is a high-speed high-capacity long-distance passenger ship (an SD-FTL-4800 Songbird). Her hull shines a deep blue as the morning starlight glints off of her through the private dock’s open ceiling. A low hum -reminiscent of the towers- creeps into my head as I approach.
Two men stand next to the open boarding ramp. I recognize one immediately: tall, rigid, clean, and imposing Captain Harlow. He is speaking with a young man, reading off a list only he can see as the boy flips frantically through a stack of pages only he can see. I stand where Harlow can see me but he continues reading without so much as acknowledging my arrival.
Finally, the boy turns to leave and nearly begins running, sweat already beading on his forehead. “Ready, Mr. Ratakana?” Captain Harlow’s voice is deep and rich like chocolate pouring down a steel wall.
“Well, of course,” I respond, turning to face him.
“Good,” he says taking a hand from his hip to gesture toward the ship, “up the ramp with ya.”
“Are you not still working?” I ask. The timing is just too perfect. “I’d like to remain outside the ship until we depart.” As if in response to my words, the hum picks up and a red light shoots through the ship’s engines.
“That was a bit of housekeeping for our return trip, Mr. Ratakana. It got frontloaded during the wait. Now that our precious cargo has arrived, it’s time to go.”
“Oh,” seems to be all I can manage in response.
I take the ramp with a brisk stride, but Captain Harlow sticks close to my heels. I vaguely hear him deliver a warning to brace myself right before the ship wobbles beneath my feet, throwing me to the ground. Captain Harlow shrugs as I shoot him a glare and says with a little grin, “We’ve got a schedule to keep Mr. Ratakana. We’ve got to make up the time every way we can.”
And with that, I leave the City of Dawn and the planet Starato behind.
[End Chapter]
