Waypoint

Truth of Origin

Touchdown—Graphic analysis. The ground was littered with deep, dark cracks that spider-webbed across the dry and hard surface. The atmosphere held a hazy orange-red tint, casting an eerie light on the landscape. Ahead loomed a massive structure, its rocky surface barren and devoid of any life.

What? I can't narrate myself?

"How the heck could this thing have admitted a signal?" I questioned. "This can't be it..."

The structure I had been led toward was nothing more than an enormous rocky hut, no antenna was propped on top of it to emit a signal.

To be honest, it sent shivers down my entire body.

As I cautiously crept my way inside the almost 200-foot entranceway, the mood shifted.

Dust dwindled from the ceiling.

There were no light sources, no signs of life, and zero markings on the walls to, at the least, tell me the last thing "they" had for lunch.

The only thing that occupied this structure was two stone statues that held positions in the middle of the room.

I froze in my place the moment I saw them.

It wasn't until I turned around, ready to head back to Sky Walker in frustration, that the eyes of the statues glowed a bright green and I nearly relieved myself right there on the spot.

There was nowhere to take cover, I was left in the open with two statues that may or may not attack.

"Anomaly?" One statue spoke in a light and harmless voice.

I felt it was better to not respond, maybe they couldn't see me?

It was at that exact moment that the walls around always glowed green, with the cracks trickling up to the ceiling.

"Anomaly... Protocol Astrum is here..." Soon the second statue spoke.

"What is an Astrum?" I nervously questioned under my breath.

"You,"

Startling me, a holograph of the galaxy appeared behind me. I turn and approach it, waiting for the statues to reveal more.

"You are the protocol, you have made it."

"There isn't much time either," The second statue lifted its heavy arm and pointed outside through the entrance.

"Once the moon and star align, the chance to restart human civilization again will be eradicated."

Clenching my jaw, with a worrying face, I asked, "Human civilization?—You've lost me."

Suddenly, the room somehow went dark, and a holographic screen ten times bigger than the one in Sky Walker appeared in front of me. It showed a map of the entire known field. Not just the Vendetta Galaxy, but every galaxy.

Then, It quickly zoomed into the Vendetta Galaxy, and then to the very center of it. I witnessed a white ball appear out of the giant black hole that bound the entire Galaxy together.

"That is you. You appeared out of that gargantuan center of gravity thousands of years ago. You were swept up by a passing trader almost 100 years later. It took you to the nearest field station, where you were taught speech, calculations, and the ways of the field. They bought you your first craft and taught you how to manage life support systems and your primary artificial intelligence system. Finally, once they thought you were ready, they wiped from your mind of every memory from that place, and sent you off on your own."

There I stood, face red and heart tearing out of my chest.

"What?...."

I snapped. These "rocks of fortune" didn't just call me an anomaly, but explained that this whole "Journey" was nothing more than a lie.