It was the opinion of the government until President Hawk's administration that the first point denied use of the First Secret. Attempting to develop technology that might draw the Shiplord's attention was also political suicide.
Edited for truth. Without the weapons and defences we have developed, attracting their attention again would not have gone well. I'm looking forward to the Shiplords upcoming WTFBBQ when they see what we have built. Then we throw in the Unison Devices.
Shiplords: Ah, the puny humans have built up defences against our coming. Good. Crushing them will feed us their delicious tears of anguish.
Earth Defence League: Shields up. Weapons online.
Shiplords: What you say? Someone set us up the bomb!
Kalilah: Maximum Power, Ultimate Destruction!
Shiplords:
You don't know what the other secrets are. The numbering is more of an abstract thing that you discover when you actually unlock the secrets. There is a reason for this.
The reason seems obvious to me: if we knew the numbers we'd know what to aim for. Having just read the thread, though, I'm pretty confident that Gravity Manipulation comes in somewhere in Secrets 3-5 and, given that there are three Secrets between Biotech and Nanotech I'd hypothesize that the order goes something like:
The Third Secret basically turns us into a Mass Effect species: kinetic barriers, biotics and all. The Fourth Secret gives us lightning manipulation and alchemy (the weak nuclear force governs the repulsion between atoms, so being able to manipulate that ought to let us casually alter elemental composition). The Fifth Secret would let us throw around miniature suns as weapons and/or power sources.
But we have the Sixth now, so the Gray Goo is ours. Above Six is probably hiding things like true AI and psionics, maybe a few other things, and then, way up at the top past where the Shiplords themselves have explored, is Soul Manipulation, the Undiscovered Secret where our Potentials' abilities lie.
I've finally quit lurking, and created a new account to exclaim how much I like this story, and to post an omake. (Which, in retrospect, I would have written completely differently, but I'm starting to run out of weekend and creativity both…)
=== Endgame: Singularity ===
Turn 1...
[] Endgame: Singularity: Scientists have long pondered Virtual Intelligence, and before the Week of Sorrows there had even been an advanced VI design team - aided by the dragon guardians. Perhaps we could find their prototypes? [20%, 3 years]
Turn 1 Results… Endgame: Singularity81+ needed
To build an intellect outstripping the guardian dragons - that (hopefully) isn't insane - you first turn to the past, seeking any prototype records…
[Roll: 85 + 47 = 132. Solid Success] Practice roll: 78 + 41 = 109. Success
...Which you find, preserved in some meteorites, remnants of a guardian's secondary data-storage systems. It's as if they desperately wanted us to keep this knowledge. And - with some difficulty - Practice can restore the data lost to Shiplord weaponry and fall from orbit.
Mary and (surprisingly) Adriana are nearly obsessed with the recovered prototypes. Mary fairly well understands what she's looking at by year's end. (+5 bonus to Endgame: Singularity. +25 progress to Thera's Mystery.)
Turn 2...
[X] Endgame: Singularity: Scientists have long pondered Virtual Intelligence, and before the Week of Sorrows there had even been an advanced VI design team - aided by the dragon guardians. The dragons seemed to consider this crucial data - perhaps we should finish what they started? [20%, locked 2 years]
Turn 2 Results… Endgame: Singularity81+ needed
With the old network back online since the end of last year, you have some significant parallel computing power at your fingertips. But Mary needs more - serial computing power, and preferably a few updates to the old quantum computer chips. And that's all ignoring the main task of testing and completing the prototypes.
[Roll: 61 + 47 + 5 = 113. Success] Practice roll: 49 + 43 + 5 = 97. Success
Thankfully, between Mary and several Insight and Maker Potentials, these tasks are well in hand. Mary and Adriana continue to pore over the code, and their creations can waltz through the Turing Test - while running on a typical home computer - by the year's end. And they often do run on typical home computers - Singularity@Home is roughly the twelfth most popular app of all time.
But they also run on Practiced computers. At first, the Insight and Maker Potentials have difficulty cooperating, despite their great skill. But when Vega takes a hand…
Unproven Miracle Interrupt! Roll: 52 + 43 = 95. Success.
Practice Trance roll: 95! Practiced Miracle!
…they create a Miracle.
(See Interlude: Computronium)
That said, Marcus and Vega both report systematic attempts to tamper with Singularity@Home, and even a clever attack on the Computronium server. With a looming infowar, exploring the hidden communication links takes on a new priority… and, with Computronium, a new ease. (Vega Cant gains +1 Practice. Computronium designed, +5 bonus to Endgame: Singularity, +50 progress to Thera's Mystery, +25 bonus to Search Function, +1 action die.)
Turn 3...
[X] Endgame: Singularity: Scientists have long pondered Virtual Intelligence, and before the Week of Sorrows there had even been an advanced VI design team - aided by the dragon guardians. The dragons seemed to consider this crucial data - perhaps we should finish what they started? [20%, locked 1 year]
[] Search Function: When the network came back online, you found several communication lines that seemed to lead nowhere. If there are secrets hiding here, it's probably a good idea to find them. [30%, 1 year]
Turn 3 Results… Endgame: Singularity71+ needed >>Hi, Mary! Call me JARVIS.
You have just witnessed the births of a Marvel fan...
[Roll: 93 + 47 = 140. Solid Success] Practice roll: 80 + 43 = 123. Solid Success
...And a new era. >>Here's a proof that P=NP.
Mary understands cognitive theory well enough to know just how outmatched she is. >>So, what is love?
And you're glad your fledgling superintellect learned love so soon, because he certainly learned hate soon after. (See Interlude: Kingslayer)
(New actions unlocked. Time required to complete several Learning actions reduced by 1 year.)
Search Function71+ needed
Adriana is on the warpath - she will find those communications links, and she will snuff them out.
[Roll: 46 + 40 + 25 (EG: S) = 111. Solid Success] Practice roll: 67 + 44 + 25 (EG: S) = 126. Solid Success
As such, it's no surprise that she succeeds. Dramatically.
At least, up until the day the Shiplords tried to assassinate you. That day, JARVIS and Marcus became best friends, tearing through the few remaining subnet links like a superintellect and a Living Key.
...Which they are.
JARVIS still notices some Shiplord subnet activity, but his infowar gets dramatically easier. (JARVIS no longer occupied by the infowar, +1 action die. +10 synergy bonus to Watching the Stars. Shiplord infowar crippled.)
Turn 4… Learning
Endgame: Singularity: JARVIS, your new Virtual Intelligence, is online after three long years, and learning voraciously. But where should he turn his attention?
[] More Computronium: There's nothing stopping JARVIS from copying his own software. And there's nothing stopping you from building more computronium. Match made in heaven? [50%, 1 year, requires a Practice die, can be taken as many times as desired]
[] Acceleration: Time - the inevitable stream. Or is it? JARVIS believes it's possible to accelerate time within a region, but aside from a few esoteric Potentials, he has little idea where to begin. It might take a while to research, but it has nearly limitless utility in war and peace alike. [20%, 4 years, requires a Practice die]
Turn 4 Results… More Computronium51+ needed
You've thrown half your available Potentials into Computronium construction…
[Roll: 17 + 47 = 64. Success] Practice roll: 72 + 36 = 108. Success
[Roll: 78 + 47 = 125. Solid Success] Practice roll: 53 + 36 = 123. Solid Success
...It's clearly paid off. JARVIS has three times the primary server power, and you've streamlined the Computronium production process. (+2 action dice. Future More Computronium rolls will be easier.)
Acceleration81+ needed
Time is not on your side. You'd like to change that…
[Roll: 65, 86 + 47 = 133. Solid Success] Practice roll: 29 + 36 = 65. Failure
...And, while the Potential team learns little, JARVIS and Mary grasp a promising facet of Quantum Mechanics. Toward the year's end, after a particularly important experiment succeeds, Google displays "Accelerated World" as the day's theme-song.
Turn 5… Learning
Endgame: Singularity: JARVIS, your new Virtual Intelligence, is online after three long years, and learning voraciously. But where should he turn his attention?
[] More Computronium: There's nothing stopping JARVIS from copying his own software. And there's nothing stopping you from building more computronium. Match made in heaven? [40%, 1 year, requires a Practice die, can be taken as many times as desired]
[X] Acceleration: Time - the inevitable stream. Or is it? Mary and JARVIS have proven a quantum mechanical theory allowing you to accelerate time within a region. Making it practical, however, will require a few esoteric Potentials, and a great many Makers. It might take a while to research, but it has nearly limitless utility in war and peace alike. [20%, locked for 3 years, requires a Practice die]
Turn 5 Results… More Computronium41+ needed
You've again thrown half your available Potentials into Computronium construction…
[Roll: 11 + 47 = 58. Success] Practice roll: 5 + 38 = 43. Success
[Roll: 63 + 47 = 110. Solid Success] Practice roll: 88 + 38 = 126. Greater Success. Margin of over 80, Practice Trance!
…And they create something incredible. Computronium nano-Assemblers. (See Interlude: Pure Calculation.)
(+2 action dice. Computronium production no longer requires Practice.)
Acceleration81+ needed
Time is not on your side. You'd really like to change that…
[Roll: 35, 85 + 47 = 132. Solid Success] Practice roll: 92 + 38 = 130. Solid Success
...And you're making spectacular progress. With a much clearer idea of the end-goal, the Potentials are tremendously more helpful - at this point, you're just asking for particularly advanced Practice!
By year's end, you have a fully functional prototype, which grew Penicillium mold on a sandwich in under a day. (Time required to complete Acceleration reduced by 1 year.)
Turn 6… Learning
Endgame: Singularity: JARVIS, your new Virtual Intelligence, is online after three long years, and learning voraciously. But where should he turn his attention?
[] More Computronium: There's nothing stopping JARVIS from copying his own software. And there's nothing stopping you from building more computronium. With Practice-free nano-Assemblers, no less! Match made in heaven. [50%, 1 year, can be taken as many times as desired]
[X] Acceleration: Time - the inevitable stream. Or is it? JARVIS, Mary, and several Potentials have created a prototype able to manipulate the speed of time within a bounded area. You are so close to nearly limitless utility in war and peace alike. [20%, locked for 1 year, requires a Practice die]
Turn 6 Results… More Computronium51+ needed
Eight. Eight Computronium sites, each with slight experimental modifications, you've begun to construct…
[Roll: 84 + 47 = 131. Greater Success]
[Roll: 70 + 47 = 117. Solid Success]
[Roll: 7 + 47 = 54. Success]
[Roll: 62 + 47 = 109. Solid Success]
[Roll: 70 + 47 = 117. Solid Success]
[Roll: 35 + 47 = 82. Success]
[Roll: 54 + 47 = 101. Solid Success]
[Roll: 88 + 47 = 135. Greater Success]
…And construct. And construct. Seven spread across Earth, and one onboard Prometheus Station. And JARVIS happily exists onboard every one of them.
Two of the new designs are… acceptable. Six reveal small but useful improvements, and two provide nearly double the previous effective computing power.
Incidentally, JARVIS' routine analysis of the nano-Assemblers picks up several new nanotechnological concepts. (+10 action dice. Time required to complete Small is Beautiful reduced by 1 year.)
... Acceleration81+ needed
The world holds its breath…
[Roll: 48, 93 + 47 = 140. Solid Success] Practice roll: 87 + 34 = 121. Solid Success
…Because Time is now on your side!
JARVIS insists on equipping your home and office with the first two full Acceleration Fields, for some reason. (New actions unlocked. +2 personal actions.)
Turn 7… Stewardship
Accelerated World: You now have the capability to build Acceleration fields around important locations and offices.
[] Accelerated Prometheus: Put an Acceleration field around Prometheus station! A monumental undertaking, as it would require some massive improvements to the Acceleration technology. That said, it would dramatically increase the production and combat capability of Prometheus station… [50%, 2 years]
[] Accelerated Government: Put all of your Ministers' offices under Acceleration fields. This should give you a lot more time to get things done… [60%, 1 year]
[] Accelerated Learning: Put the entire science department under an Acceleration field. Time to research everything! [60%, 1 year]
Learning
Endgame: Singularity: JARVIS, your new Virtual Intelligence, is online after three long years, and learning voraciously. But where should he turn his attention?
[] More Computronium: There's nothing stopping JARVIS from copying his own software. And there's nothing stopping you from building more computronium. With Practice-free nano-Assemblers, no less! Match made in heaven. [50%, 1 year, can be taken as many times as desired]
Acceleration: You have the ability to accelerate the flow of time. Time to weaponize it.
[] Acceleration Drive: You have Acceleration tech - why not design a hyperdrive with it? [40%, 2 years]
[] Acceleration Suit: An ambitious project, to design an Acceleration field that a Potential could wear. [20%, 2 years]
Turn 7 Results… More Computronium51+ needed
Another year, another eight Computronium sites…
Unison
(Now includes Acceleration Suit…)
Mary to JARVIS: "I am so proud of you…"
…
Three years later, eight Shiplord ships arrived in the system… >>Open fire!
…And promptly disintegrated.
There was much rejoicing.
Fifteen years after that, humanity (and JARVIS) became more powerful than the entire Shiplord empire. Another ten years later, we conquered the last remnant of their evil empire.
The Pax Amanda had begun.
Mission complete.
=== Author's Notes ===
No, Singularities don't fix everything. In fact, they're quite likely to ruin quite a lot if mismanaged. That said, they really are cool.
For the first while, I roughly followed the existing rolls. Around the time we hit More Computronium, I started adding fully new rolls, as we now have all-new Action Dice. Also, it's implied that we skipped Cities of Light and the Miracle of Skylark to focus on Endgame: Singularity.
In other news, a handful of half-baked thoughts:
* Let's maximally use the older 2 Void Secret Techs (Diplomacy roll?)
** At minimum, portals.
* Portals - how do they not violate Conservation of Energy?
** Do you have to pay the energy cost to lift mass out of a gravity well? (That's still far less expensive than rocketry!) But could you then generate energy by lowering meteorites to Earth?
** Or do they violate Conservation of Energy? That would make a lot of SV-ers very happy, at least until the Shiplords turn a more-advanced Infinite Energy Gun upon Earth...
* Let's not let Shiplords jump around us via teleport/portals... Teraport Area Denial?
(From Interlude: Concordance)
"can do the all the match for naval combat" -> "can do all the math for naval combat"?
"middle of truly trashed sensor room" -> "of a truly"?
"The rest of you was distracted by…other things." Tense-shift?
I'm very doubtful that we've found all of the Shiplords' surveillance efforts; after all, nobody only plants just one bug. We've just found the most intrusive and most reactionary one, the one that was easiest to find because it had hooks literally everywhere on Earth, straight through Congress and into our own Cabinet offices. If we start playing around with portals or biotech we're sure to tip off the enemy, and they're in turn certain to send far more than the normal 8-10 vessels with their Tribute fleet; in short, the potential gains aren't really worth the risk.
I'm very doubtful that we've found all of the Shiplords' surveillance efforts; after all, nobody only plants just one bug. We've just found the most intrusive and most reactionary one, the one that was easiest to find because it had hooks literally everywhere on Earth, straight through Congress and into our own Cabinet offices. If we start playing around with portals or biotech we're sure to tip off the enemy, and they're in turn certain to send far more than the normal 8-10 vessels with their Tribute fleet; in short, the potential gains aren't really worth the risk.
And that might mean the shiplords we are going to fight next may employ different tactics because they are different slaves. Something to incorporate into our training simulations.
Well, I'm thinking that the Tribute Fleet we're going to have to fight after Year 10 is going to be crewed by humans, either mind-slaved servants or, more likely, fleshcrafted monsters, something like Husks from ME. It certainly would be efficient of the Shiplords to use a species's own progenitors as shock troops to oppress them, and would do a great deal to kill the enemy's morale too.
Also @Lailoken mentioned awhile back about using blood rituals of some sort, mass-slaughtering innocents or our own people to fill out our souls and turn the Potentials into true Practitioners, but it would tickle me to find out that we end up "accidentally" doing so by slaughtering our "enemies" instead. Would be a nice "FU" to the Shiplords to have them accidentally create an enemy Unknown Secret by using what they think of as a brilliant military tactic against a mostly helpless world.
Well....unless the Shiplords use the slaves they acquire in a ritual in hopes of absorbing their souls and they just repair the damaged bodies with cybernetics.
The whole thing might be inefficient, as the idea behind requires members of the same species to be fully unlocked.
What I mean is.....
Let's say a Potential has 500 exp out 1000 exp, which allows them to do half the things that they should be able of doing.
A Shiplord however, might only get 1 or less exp out of every alien sacrificed, on top of maybe requiring a higher exp amount to get anywhere.
Only if you don't manage the 'energy from hyperspace to matter' transformation thing. Should be one of the higher-up secrets, but since we already got the start of the 'mind-over-matter' secret going ... incidentally Practice can be seen as a proof for 'souls'. If you name the <entity/quality> doing the manipulation of the physical reality 'soul'.
Only if you don't manage the 'energy from hyperspace to matter' transformation thing. Should be one of the higher-up secrets, but since we already got the start of the 'mind-over-matter' secret going ... incidentally Practice can be seen as a proof for 'souls'. If you name the <entity/quality> doing the manipulation of the physical reality 'soul'.
That little trick should freak the Shiplords out more than the Dyson Sphere. It would mean there is no upper limit to the warfleet we could build. I like it.
That little trick should freak the Shiplords out more than the Dyson Sphere. It would mean there is no upper limit to the warfleet we could build. I like it.
Warfleets? If we have our Dyson Sphere, why would play their silly Empire game? Of course, given how they introduced Practice to us we might have a little discussion if we want them to continue to do so to others ...
But then I wouldn't send a warfleet, I would sent one Pacifier-class ship, which real-space interface would be a five meter sphere ... and a non-localized portal to our techno-sphere1. 1Includes soul-to-physical universe and transcendence parts
Warfleets? If we have our Dyson Sphere, why would play their silly Empire game? Of course, given how they introduced Practice to us we might have a little discussion if we want them to continue to do so to others ...
But then I wouldn't send a warfleet, I would sent one Pacifier-class ship, which real-space interface would be a five meter sphere ... and a non-localized portal to our techno-sphere1. 1Includes soul-to-physical universe and transcendence parts
The one we invent. The name says it all. Once we can build a Dyson Sphere, and have unlocked the 'Secrets of the Soul' (Practice) fully, playing with the physical universe becomes art, not requirement. Personally I think something that becomes visible on your sensors the moment you hear the announcement and looks like a not-so-good lifeboat more threatening than an armada of Covenant warships. Both have their merits, but one of them is out-of-context. And I like the not-so downtrodden path better (personal preference of mine).
"I still don't understand why we have to come all the way out here for this." You looked over at Gennadiy, your only companion on the quiet shuttle, and he shrugged. "It's not a complaint, Ellen. Vega always told us to follow our Focus, and that's what we're doing. But why here? One of the Lagrange Point stations I'd understand, or Prometheus because of where it is in the solar network."
"Gena." Your tone brought his head round from the shuttle's displays. "There's more to Harmony than just where something is, Vega taught us that too. Nova was the first orbital built after the Week of Sorrows. It might be old and clunky today, but it was our first step back into space after the Shiplords almost destroyed us." You sighed at his uncomprehending look, then reached over and flicked the side of his head.
"Ellen!"
"I know you're better than that look. We wouldn't both be here if you weren't." He muttered something under his breath, and you had to restrain a chuckle. "How far out are we from the station?"
"Ten minutes." He said, then like an afterthought added. "Assuming the docking bays still work, that is."
"I'm sure you'll get us down with your customary flair." You replied, rising from your seat. "Let me know when we're docked."
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"My cabin. I'm feeling," you trailed off, then shook your head. "Something."
"Illuminating." You stiffened, but paused as he shook his head quickly. "Sorry. I think I know what you mean. Something just out of reach, like a word on the tip of your tongue?" You nodded.
"If you're feeling it too…" You began.
"Then we came to the right place." He said. "Maybe it's the history, maybe it's something else, to be honest I don't really care. If this is where we need to be, that's enough for me." You smiled despite yourself, reached down and gave his shoulder a squeeze. He looked around, surprised.
"I guess now we find out if it's good enough for everything else, too." He nodded silently, then turned back to his displays. As you let your hand drop and began the short walk to your cabin, you envied him the distraction of piloting.
***
"Harmonial Ellen, Harmonial Gennadiy. Welcome to Nova." The stationmaster greeted you in the dock with her staff. Her uniform had clearly seen better days, but like the station she cared for it was also well-maintained. Gena had actually seemed astonished by how smooth the whole process had been. "Stationmaster Pares." She said, holding out her hand.
After the pleasantries had been dispensed with, Pares escorted you through the corridors to the command centre for the orbital. You had to fight the rising feeling that had started aboard the shuttle as you walked, but it was hard when surrounded by such a powerful heritage that resonated with your Focus. Gena seemed equally, if not more, affected by the place. Whilst on one hand a good thing, it also would make conversation very difficult, and you had no desire to make a scene in the public spaces of the station.
"I'm sorry," you blushed lightly, realising that Parest was looking expectantly at you. "Could you repeat that, please? I've never been to any of the orbitals before, so it's a lot to take in." Pares smiled.
"I said, it was quite a shock to be informed that two of Minister Cant's apprentices were being sent out to Nova. The reconstruction work to harden us for the Shiplord assault is well underway, and I was under the impression that the Potentials aboard were not having any problems." The question was implicit.
"We weren't actually sent out here, Stationmaster," you began, and she cut you off gently.
"Please, call me Anna." You nodded.
"Anna, then. We," you paused. Marshalling your thoughts was proving surprisingly difficult. "Vega, Minister Cant, I mean, sent us to oversee and observe the final stages of the Trance. But part of what she taught us was to always follow our Focus, and it pointed us to Nova." Truth be told it had almost dragged you and Gena out here. Vega had always said there'd be a cost to what she gave you.
"What do you mean?" Anna asked.
"We've been trained to seek out points of convergence, places where our Focuses can bring things together and amplify. It's not enough to have the right people, everything needs to be in the right place as well." You chuckled. "With all credit where it's due, that's what we think Potentials Thomas and Candice missed. The right place can be tricky, and it's often the difference between a Trance and a Miracle."
"Is that what you're here for, then? A Miracle?" The excitement in Anna's voice was palpable, almost infectious, but you forced yourself to shake your head.
"I can't really give you an answer to that, I'm afraid. But," you paused again, then nodded. "I think we've found the right place. Gena and I just need to work out where we should be."
"The command centre should help with that then. I know it might not seem like much to you, but being able to use holo to look at the entire station has been a delight for us since the upgrade work started."
"I can understand." To your surprise, Gena spoke before you could. "I grew up in one of the outer Institutes. One of the rushed builds. It did the job, but not much more until the Circle rebuilds. We all knew what our technology was capable of, but seeing actual examples of it was something else."
"Yes." Anna said softly, "It was." She pressed her hand against a panel beside the door you'd stopped in front of, and it slid open. "This is it, I'll set up the holo."
"Thank you." You said, lagging a little as you followed her in to drop into place beside Gena. "Never knew you had it in you." You said, and he shrugged.
"It's the truth, Ellen." You nodded, and he dropped his voice to a whisper. "Are you feeling it?"
"I am." You shook your head. "I've never felt it this strong before, trying to fight it is-"
"Maybe there's another way." He said. "Let's have a look at the display."
You both stepped into the command centre and looked up at the holo Anna had punched up for you. The wave of feeling slammed into you again as you saw the image of Nova floating before you, and you staggered.
"Ellen!" Anna cried, and you waved her away as you caught yourself on a console.
"It's…it's fine, Anna. It's our Focus, trying to tune us in."
"Ellen, we need to stop fighting." Gena said quietly. "That almost hurt us."
"I, yes." You nodded shakily. "You're."
"What do you mean, stop fighting?" You shook your head.
"It's…complicated. We can feel the harmony here, but tuning into it is almost too easy. We want to join the river, but we wanted to stay out of it until we got here, too. It wouldn't have been polite."
"Hang polite." You laughed at Anna's bluntness.
"Alright." You looked over at Gena, and saw the same veil of rainbow light around him reflected in his eyes. "Half-state to find where we're needed?"
"If we can, yes." He looked over at Anna, who was standing there confused and with some worry. "You need to make sure we can get to where we need to go, Stationmaster." His eyes flicked over the holo of Nova at the centre of the room. "I think we're going to be going outside."
"I'll pass the word." She said, moving over to one of the other stations.
"Thank you." You said together, and then let go.
***
You remembered the walk to the airlock, stepping out into the endless black with nothing but your clothes. No suit, no thruster, no beacon beyond the standard communicator on your wrist. The cold pushing through you like ice, but also giving you focus, under the veil of stars. The sun was hidden behind Earth, only a halo of light passing through the atmosphere. So it was with silver light, not gold, that you met calling of your Focus.
Perhaps that was only fitting. Your power had come from a creation born of secrets hidden between the stars themselves, but you only considered those thoughts later. Beneath the harsh starlight and the gentle glow of Earth, you reached for the harmony around you, that had been building against the wall of your consciousness ever since you began your approach towards Nova.
After that, there wasn't much. The rush of a pure and clean power through your mind. Your soul filling with light, the imprint blazing onto dark walls of reality. The feeling of writing, or shaping, it was hard to explain. And a sense of wholeness, oneness, with everything and all connected to you.
When the veil of light and colour lifted, you knew what you would see when you turned back to the station. You turned anyway, and the sight took your breath away. Nova shone again, the dusty metal replaced with bright alloys and armour, and if you looked harder you could see the crowds of people clustered on the observation decks, staring at what Practice had worked.
"Ellen, are you there?" The transmission brought your attention away from what was in front of you. It was Gena's voice.
"I am." You replied, watching the last threads of iridescent power fade away into the dark. "We did it, didn't we." You felt his nod.
"We did." He said. He let the silence stretch, a minute, maybe more. It was comfortable, and comforting. Then, finally, he spoke again. "I think we should contact Anna, and let her know that she can send out the shuttle to get us."
You nodded slowly, almost grudgingly, but he was right. "Yes, we should." You smiled. "We're going to have quite the report to write."
(Fixed defences completed to highest possible standard, orbital survivability greatly increased, Many Points of Light completed, spacer morale locked. Options unlocked.)
