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“Akiko...Zeta...I’m with you both ‘til the end! Come with me!” You turn to face the trail of annihilation your enemy left for you in the near-æther--a dark tunnel against the dense web of connections here in the service module.

Behind you, you hear footsteps--you turn and see Ana with its medical bag.

“Aydan!” it says.

“Ana.” You point to 7. “Your patient. I wish I could stay with her, but...I have orders.”

It reaches 7 and begins examining her. “You have your orders, I have mine. Whatever you’re doing...may ÆON guide your path, Messenger,” it says.

“Sure, you too Ana, take good care of her.” You look at 7. “7, make it through this. I want a rematch when you’re better.”

Turning away, you run across the metal floor, using your magnets to strengthen your grip in the low-gravity. Your companions are right alongside you, sharing the same near-æther sight of the path you pursue. The dark tunnel leads you up a ladder and into a long, curved corridor.

2254-12-10 14:25:44 Ætherglow > Protogen, give us your best obfuscation, we need to be completely invisible to the æther

2254-12-10 14:25:47 Protogen > copy!

2254-12-10 14:25:49 暁 > the enemy’s perception will go beyond a simple echo. use this sensory suppression field

2254-12-10 14:25:56 Protogen > received and deployed!

Once around the curve of the colony and away from the large chamber you entered through, this corridor is dark--every light is out--and silent. You stop a moment, perplexed by the complete quiet.

2254-12-10 14:27:04 暁 > we better not linger here, the circulation fans have failed, our movement is the only thing keeping us from standing in a bubble of CO₂

You keep moving, following the darkness on the surface and the æther. Deprived of light and sound, your æther-connected mind quickly starts to fill in the empty space. The illusion of a spiral of grey shades surrounds the corridor. You feel vertigo as you press onward, letting your magnets keep you rooted to the floor and tell you which way is down.

Further around the curve, light hits your eyes, surface and æther--another corridor joins yours, untouched by the effects of NULL. You avoid the light and continue onward into the dark.

Before long, the air you draw in chills your body. You look down at your terminal’s ambient monitoring and see the temperature--2°. Through the adrenaline, you didn’t notice how cold it was getting. You feel the smart fabric of your interface layer adjust itself to warm you.

2254-12-10 14:30:14 Ætherglow > when did it get so cold?

2254-12-10 14:30:18 暁 > I forget you can’t see in the IR

You receive a sensory link request and accept it. Now the shades of blue and red overlaid on your vision make it clear--your bodies are the main source of heat in this corridor, followed by the electrical conduits. But above you, running along the ceiling, a deep blue cylinder traces the path you follow. You reach up to touch it--cold.

2254-12-10 14:30:24 暁 > this is an artery of the cooling system

2254-12-10 14:30:28 Ætherglow > an artery?

2254-12-10 14:30:36 暁 > yeah. you can think of a colony thermal regulation system like your own circulatory system, it’s a complex web of flowing liquid, but instead of oxygen and nutrients it carries heat, it flows through the water barrier, the reactor core, the core processor, and collects energy and takes it to the radiator panels. to be this cold, this artery is coming straight from a radiator

2254-12-10 14:30:41 Protogen > where is it going?

2254-12-10 14:30:45 暁 > looks like the same place our trail is taking us

You look ahead on your colony map.

2254-12-10 14:30:49 Ætherglow > the core processor

2254-12-10 14:30:52 暁 > the heart of the colony for us technopaths, and one of the major heat sources. although cold is only the absense of energy, you can think of it as a vital resource the processor needs.

2254-12-10 14:30:58 Protogen > explains why the pumps for this coolant pipe are the only tech here NULL didn’t shut down

Some visible light reaches you as you proceed--another juncture with two corridors up ahead.

2254-12-10 14:31:04 Ætherglow > tells us something about our enemy. NULL can selectively use its suppressive ability, and is conscious of preserving its own existence. as an exopath, it has no life without the processor

While you formulate your next message in your thoughts, Akiko grabs the fabric of your dress to stop you. You look back at her in the dim light, and she signs, “No æther communication.”

“What’s wrong?” you sign.

“Someone ahead, two groups approaching from either side at the intersection,” she signs.

“Engineering staff?” Zeta signs.

“They’re masking their æther location, it’s suspicious. But they’re not skilled at concealing their emotional resonance. I think they’re candidates,” she signs.