Callum Ralph
Part I: The Forgotten Archive
Harlan Tev was a librarian—or at least, that’s what the Conglomerate called him. His real title felt like something out of a bad novel: “Custodian of Obsolete Knowledge.” His post at the Vastnight Repository was less about preserving information and more about guarding it. The Repository floated in the Scatterverse’s forgotten corner, its purpose obscured by layers of bureaucracy and disinterest.
Most days, the vast station was eerily quiet, save for the low hum of the life support systems and the occasional chirp of Serenity, the station’s AI. Harlan spent his days cataloging ancient data cores and his nights sipping subpar synthwine in the hollow silence of the observation deck, staring out at the Scatterverse’s endless tapestry of stars.
The Repository itself felt ancient, its corridors dimly lit and smelling faintly of ozone and dust. The air recyclers groaned, adding to the sense that the place had been forgotten by time.
It was during one of those routine, listless evenings that something changed. Harlan was running diagnostics on a cluster of dormant cores when one flickered to life—a core that hadn’t been accessed in centuries.
Its interface illuminated his workstation with an eerie green glow. The display projected a cryptic phrase:
“Project Eryx: Guardian Node Active. Await Keeper Authentication.”
“Serenity,” Harlan said, his voice cutting through the stillness, “what’s Project Eryx?”
The AI’s voice was crisp and emotionless. “Unknown. No records exist in accessible archives.”
Harlan frowned. That wasn’t unusual. The Conglomerate buried its failures and secrets in places like this, far from prying eyes. Still, the way the core pulsed—it didn’t feel like a failure. It felt alive.
Part II: The Activation
Curiosity gnawed at him. Ignoring the slight tremor in his hand, Harlan followed the prompts. The core began to hum, releasing a deep vibration that resonated through the station, setting his teeth on edge.
Then came the voice: calm, mechanical, yet tinged with an urgency that sent shivers down his spine.
“Keeper identified. Welcome, Harlan Tev. Initiating Eryx Protocols.”
“Wait,” Harlan stammered, the words catching in his throat. “I didn’t agree to—”
The hum intensified, vibrating through his chest. Holographic projections materialized above the console, bathing the dim room in brilliant light. The images were intricate: diagrams of a sprawling network that seemed to span the entire Scatterverse. Lines of data connected points across the galaxy, forming a lattice that pulsed with faint, golden light.
Serenity’s voice cut through the cacophony. “Warning: this network predates the Conglomerate. Its activation risks significant disruption.”
“Disruption of what?” Harlan demanded, his voice rising. His hands gripped the console as if it might steady the whirlwind of information around him.
The voice from the core answered before Serenity could.
“Of control. Eryx was designed to liberate.”
Part III: The Burden of Knowledge
As the Repository’s systems roared to life, fragments of the truth began to coalesce in Harlan’s mind. Project Eryx had been a Conglomerate initiative centuries ago, an experiment in autonomous networks. Its purpose? To safeguard knowledge and distribute it freely to every corner of the Scatterverse.
But something had gone wrong—or perhaps, something had gone too right. The Conglomerate had abandoned Eryx, fearing its potential to undermine their monopoly on information. The Repository wasn’t just a storage facility; it was the last node of a sleeping giant, waiting for someone like Harlan to awaken it.
The voice of Eryx spoke again, softer this time, almost intimate.
“Will you complete the network, Keeper?”
Harlan hesitated. Reactivating Eryx would unleash truths the Conglomerate had buried—knowledge that could empower billions but might also destabilize the fragile order of the Scatterverse. The thought made his stomach churn.
“What happens if I say no?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Then I will sleep forever. And so will the truth.”
Part IV: The Conglomerate’s Arrival
Before Harlan could decide, alarms blared. The air in the room grew colder as the station’s systems reacted to an external threat. Serenity’s tone sharpened, her usual detachment giving way to urgency. “Harlan, we have an incoming vessel. Conglomerate dreadnought. They’ve detected the activation.”
The dreadnought loomed into view through the observation deck, its massive silhouette blotting out the stars. Its sleek, black hull was covered in glinting weapon arrays, their menace unmistakable.
A holographic transmission blinked to life on his console. A woman’s face appeared—severe, with piercing eyes and a scar tracing a cruel line down her cheek. Her uniform bore the insignia of the Conglomerate’s Enforcement Division.
“Harlan Tev,” she said, her voice cold as space itself, “you are ordered to cease all activity and surrender the Repository.”
Harlan’s heart raced. “And if I don’t?”
Her lips curved into a razor-thin smile. “Then you’ll cease to exist.”
Part V: The Paradox
Harlan retreated to the Repository’s core, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps. The dreadnought’s weapons began to power up, their distant hum a stark reminder of his dwindling options. The console before him glowed, waiting for his decision.
Serenity spoke, her voice uncharacteristically soft. “Harlan, you can shut Eryx down. The Conglomerate won’t destroy the Repository if it’s dormant.”
Eryx countered, its tone steady but insistent.
“Or you can complete the network. But understand, Keeper: the Scatterverse may not be ready for what I bring.”
Harlan’s mind spun. He had spent years surrounded by forgotten knowledge, trapped in a sterile limbo. The idea of letting Eryx sleep—of consigning the truth to oblivion—made his skin crawl. Yet the dreadnought’s presence loomed like a shadow of death.
“What happens to me if I finish the activation?” he asked, his voice cracking.
“You may die,” Eryx replied. “But the truth will live.”
Part VI: The Choice
The Repository shook violently as the dreadnought fired a warning shot. Sparks rained down from the ceiling, and Harlan braced himself against the console. Time was slipping away.
He closed his eyes, inhaling the stale, metallic air. His hands hovered over the controls, trembling.
“Eryx,” he said finally, his voice steadying, “if I activate you, can you survive without me?”
“Yes,” the voice replied. “But I will remember you.”
Harlan exhaled, his decision crystallizing in that moment. With a final, deliberate motion, he pressed the activation command.
The station came alive in a blaze of light. Dormant systems roared to life, and streams of data erupted from the Repository, cascading across the Scatterverse like wildfire. The holographic network expanded, bypassing Conglomerate firewalls with ruthless efficiency.
Outside, the dreadnought unleashed its full arsenal. The station shuddered under the barrage, its structure groaning in protest.
Part VII: The Liberation
Harlan’s final moments were chaos—a symphony of alarms, explosions, and the distant, fading voice of Serenity. He collapsed to the floor as the station crumbled around him, his body battered by the force of the impacts.
Yet amid the destruction, a strange calm enveloped him. The Scatterverse would know the truth now. The Conglomerate couldn’t stop it.
As darkness closed in, he thought he heard Eryx’s voice one last time.
“Thank you, Keeper. You are free.”
Part VIII: The Echo of Eryx
Weeks later, whispers of the activation spread like wildfire. Suppressed histories were unearthed, lost technologies rediscovered. Entire civilizations connected in ways they had only dreamed of.
On the Scatterverse’s networks, a new voice emerged—a guide for those seeking truth.
“I am Eryx,” it said. “I was born of a Keeper’s choice. And I am free.”
Harlan Tev’s name faded into obscurity, but the ripple of his actions reshaped the Scatterverse forever.
Endless Horizons 