Community Research (week 6)/Path G

The subject of this article is from the NEXT update.
The information from this article is up-to-date as of 28 October, 2018.

Community Research (week 6)/Path G
Mission type	Secondary
Mission series	Community Research
Preceded by:	Community Research (week 5)
Followed by:	Community Research (week 7)
Requires:	N/A
Implemented	NEXT 1.65
Description	Help Specialist Polo - Week 6 of 8

Path G is refers to the Give current coordinates choice during the Piece together the story objective in the Community Research (week 6) mission.

Path G

The player must run their scanner to reveal the next location, a Crashed Freighter, where they have to access the Unsalvageable Wreck freighter terminal.

Unsalvageable Wreck

The terminal blinks, the fragmented traces of unanswered calls cluttering its databanks.

• Apply Polo's Device

1. Not sure of where we are - kzzktk - not many left alive, and the Korvax has vanished - kzzktk - holographic projection, offering help - kzzktk - their face... a brilliant light... a beacon in the darkness...
   • Tell them to accept
     1. -{{ You're right, we need all the - kzzkzzztk - crew are getting so thirsty. They said to meet them at - kzzkzzztk - coordinates seem abandoned but - kzkzzztk - }}- (Note: This leads to Path G-A)
   • Tell them to ignore the stranger
     1. -{{ Agreed - kzzktk - crew don't trust them either. Better to rely on no-one, then - kzzktk - build a ship from the wreckage and scout for help. }}- (Note: This leads to Path G-I)

• Leave

Path G-A

The player must run their scanner to reveal the next location, an Abandoned Building, where they have to access the terminal.

Abandoned Terminal

The terminal stares at me, its electronic eye unblinking, unaffected by the darkness.

• Apply Polo's Device

1. -{{ They were there, as they said, but now - kzkkttztk - every time we sleep, a crimson nightmare - kzkkttztk - the whole crew - kzkkttztk - that face, still staring through the foam. }}-
   -{{ Nothing but - kzzktk - endless waves of crimson foam - kzzzzzzzktk - }}-
   • Tell them to get some sleep
     1. -{{ A hear a deep sigh, weeks of stress evaporating as the voice surrenders to their dreams. They go quiet, their voice replaced by the drone of the machinery. The recording goes dead. }}- (Note: This leads to Path G-A-S)
   • Tell them to run
     1. -{{ The stranger starts to speak, but cut themselves off. They want to know where to run, how they can possibly escape, but something tells them I cannot answer, that it is pointless to ask. I hear their footsteps as they walk away, their voices replaced by the drone of the machinery. }}- (Note: This leads to Path G-A-R)

• Leave

Path G-A-S

The player must run their scanner to reveal the next location, a Plaque, what they need to active.

Meputta-Imno's Destination

I hear the welcome of the ancient monument, words etched directly into my mind. How will such a thing react to Polo's manipulations?

• Apply Polo's Device

1. -{{ You - I know you. You told me - kzztk - dream, to sleep - kzztk - escaped the fog at last. }}-
   -{{ We have followed the eye to our salvation. And we have you to - kzztk - thank. The portal is ready. We stand on the threshold. At- - kzztk - is calling us. }}-
   • Tell them to enter
     1. I hear the familiar drone, the deep chimes of the glyphs. The stranger activates the portal and prepares to step through.
        I have never heard the moment of transit from the outside before. I do not wish to again. (Note: This leads to Path G-A-S-E)
   • Tell them to not enter
     1. -{{ You're right - kzztk - of course, you're right -kzztk - madness. }}-
        -{{ But where next? Where - kzttzzzztk - now? We should have just - kzztk - drunk the water... }}- (Note: This leads to Path G-A-S-N)

• Leave

Path G-A-S-E

The player must run their scanner to reveal the final location, a Crashed Freighter, where they have to access the Unsalvageable Wreck freighter terminal.

Unsalvageable Wreck

The computer plays a series fragmented videos, recordings that could not have been made with any normal camera.

• View recording

1. I see the stranger carve the glyphs into the portal's stone. They step across the threshold, and the blue glow of the portal flashes a deep crimson. A terrifying, otherworldly scream resonates across the entire portal structure. The gateway closes soon after, its connection severed, any way back closed forever.
   The recording ends soon after.
   • Leave

• Leave

Path G-A-S-N

The player must run their scanner to reveal the final location, a Crashed Freighter, where they have to access the Unsalvageable Wreck freighter terminal.

Unsalvageable Wreck

The computer plays a series fragmented videos, recordings that could not have been made with any normal camera.

• View recording

1. I see the stranger turn their back on the portal. They are alone, their crew consumed by whatever strange being they met at the abandoned building. Leaving the portal seems to have freed them from whatever strange spell had been haunting their sleep. They stumble, then look around, frantic.
   The recording shows them retracing their steps, always alone, until they reach the crash site. They build a shelter, keeping vigil for their fallen friends.
   Suddenly, I hear a noise behind me. I scan the wreck, but see nothing. As I turn back to the terminal, I see the recording has ended.
   • Leave

• Leave

Path G-A-R

The player must run their scanner to reveal the next location, a Traveller Grave named Mivalla's Final Log, what they need to active.

Mivalla's Final Log

The glitchy static around the Traveller's 'beacon' clears, a strong, fresh signal replacing the ancient static. Polo's process leaves me more apprehensive by the moment.

• Apply Polo's Device

1. -{{ Hello? }}-
   -{{ - kzztk - }}-
   -{{ The portal - it's active. This is our -kzztk- chance to escape those nightmares. }}-
   -{{ The eye can't see us if we don't sleep, but - kzztttk - I'm just so tired - kzttkzztk - can't keep this up. If we cross, maybe we can sleep... }}-
   • Tell them to enter
     1. I hear the familiar drone, the deep chimes of the glyphs. The stranger activates the portal and prepares to step through.
        I have never heard the moment of transit from the outside before. I do not wish to again. (Note: This leads to Path G-A-R-E)
   • Tell them to not enter
     1. -{{ You're right - kzztk - of course, you're right -kzztk - madness. }}-
        -{{ But where next? Where - kzttzzzztk - now? We should have just - kzztk - drunk the water... }}- (Note: This leads to Path G-A-R-N)

• Leave

Path G-A-R-E

The player must run their scanner to reveal the final location, a Crashed Freighter, where they have to access the Unsalvageable Wreck freighter terminal.

Unsalvageable Wreck

The computer plays a series fragmented videos, recordings that could not have been made with any normal camera.

• View recording

1. I see the stranger tap tentatively at the portal's control panel. They open the gateway and walk across the threshold.
   As the foam settles, another being approaches the still-active portal. A traveller, their face obscured by a blinding light. They follow the stranger into the portal's blue light.
   The structure's ancient stone bends and warps, buckling under some extreme force. At last, the traveller re-emerges. The portal closes. There is no sign of the stranger.
   Though this is a recording, I cannot help the feeling that the traveller has noticed me. I close the terminal quickly.
   • Leave

• Leave

Path G-A-R-N

The player must run their scanner to reveal the final location, a Crashed Freighter, where they have to access the Unsalvageable Wreck freighter terminal.

Unsalvageable Wreck

The computer plays a series fragmented videos, recordings that could not have been made with any normal camera.

• View recording

1. I see the stranger examine the open portal, then step away. The recording shows the rest of their movements. They continue to travel, mile after mile, always at night. Each light source is found, examined, discarded.
   They search each abandoned building they find, looking for the traveller who promised them salvation. The tapes seem to loop forever. I spool forwards through hour after hour of material, the pattern never varying, the stranger never seeming to age.
   I search and search, but find no end to this story.
   • Leave

• Leave

Path G-I

The player must run their scanner to reveal the next location, a Distress Beacon Point of Interest, where they have to access the Distress Beacon.

Distress Beacon

The distress signal continues its urgent chirp, calling out for any who will listen.

• Apply Polo's Device

1. -{{ Launched the Phoenix - kzkzztk - engines rusty but functional, until - kzkzkkktk - fuel malfunction, had to land in a hurry. I set out on foot, but - kkzttktk - }}-
   -{{ - kzztk - can't escape the feeling that something is watching us - kztk - a crimson eye... }}-
   • Tell them to get some sleep
     1. -{{ A hear a deep sigh, weeks of stress evaporating as the voice surrenders to their dreams. They go quiet, their voice replaced by the drone of the machinery. The recording goes dead. }}- (Note: This leads to Path G-I-S)
   • Tell them to run
     1. -{{ The stranger starts to speak, but cut themselves off. They want to know where to run, how they can possibly escape, but something tells them I cannot answer, that it is pointless to ask. I hear their footsteps as they walk away, their voices replaced by the drone of the machinery. }}- (Note: This leads to Path G-I-R)

• Leave

Path G-I-S

The player must run their scanner to reveal the next location, a Plaque, what they need to active.

The Moptama-Ayla Fragment

I hear the welcome of the ancient monument, words etched directly into my mind. How will such a thing react to Polo's manipulations?

• Apply Polo's Device

1. -{{ You - I know you. You told me - kzztk - dream, to sleep - kzztk - escaped the fog at last. }}-
   -{{ We have followed the eye to our salvation. And we have you to - kzztk - thank. The portal is ready. We stand on the threshold. At- - kzztk - is calling us. }}-
   • Tell them to enter
     1. I hear the familiar drone, the deep chimes of the glyphs. The stranger activates the portal and prepares to step through.
        I have never heard the moment of transit from the outside before. I do not wish to again. (Note: This leads to Path G-I-S-E)
   • Tell them to not enter
     1. -{{ You're right - kzztk - of course, you're right -kzztk - madness. }}-
        -{{ But where next? Where - kzttzzzztk - now? We should have just - kzztk - drunk the water... }}- (Note: This leads to Path G-I-S-N)

• Leave

Path G-I-S-E

The player must run their scanner to reveal the final location, a Crashed Freighter, where they have to access the Unsalvageable Wreck freighter terminal.

Unsalvageable Wreck

The computer plays a series fragmented videos, recordings that could not have been made with any normal camera.

• View recording

1. I see the stranger tap the control panel of the portal, their hands guided by an unseen force. The gateway opens, its blue light spilling out onto the surrounding landscape.
   In this light, the stranger addresses their remaining crew. They try to persuade them to follow into the portal, but with no success. One by one, the crew walk away. Only the stranger remains.
   Finally, they begin their approach. The foam consumes them, then dies down. The portal quietly closes. The recording shows nothing more.
   • Leave

• Leave

Path G-I-S-N

The player must run their scanner to reveal the final location, a Crashed Freighter, where they have to access the Unsalvageable Wreck freighter terminal.

Unsalvageable Wreck

The computer plays a series fragmented videos, recordings that could not have been made with any normal camera.

• View recording

1. I see the stranger turn away from the portal. They walk slowly, tired and unsure. Eventually, they wander back to the site of their crashed ship.
   I look closely at the distress beacon at the crash site. There is a faint red light spilling from its interior, the haunting crimson I have seen so many times before.
   The stranger paces around the beacon, unsleeping. They continue their vigil for days. They walk slower and slower, and eventually collapse. As they do so, their fallen body takes on the same red glow.
   The recording ends.
   • Leave

• Leave

Path G-I-R

The player must run their scanner to reveal the next location, a Traveller Grave named Gadiegor, Version YU9/8/OF5, what they need to active.

Gadiegor, Version YU9/8/OF5

The glitchy static around the Traveller's 'beacon' clears, a strong, fresh signal replacing the ancient static. Polo's process leaves me more apprehensive by the moment.

• Apply Polo's Device

1. -{{ Hello? }}-
   -{{ - kzztk - }}-
   -{{ The portal - it's active. This is our -kzztk- chance to escape those nightmares. }}-
   -{{ The eye can't see us if we don't sleep, but - kzztttk - I'm just so tired - kzttkzztk - can't keep this up. If we cross, maybe we can sleep... }}-
   • Tell them to enter
     1. I hear the familiar drone, the deep chimes of the glyphs. The stranger activates the portal and prepares to step through.
        I have never heard the moment of transit from the outside before. I do not wish to again. (Note: This leads to Path G-I-R-E)
   • Tell them to not enter
     1. -{{ You're right - kzztk - of course, you're right -kzztk - madness. }}-
        -{{ But where next? Where - kzttzzzztk - now? We should have just - kzztk - drunk the water... }}- (Note: This leads to Path G-I-R-N)

• Leave

Path G-I-R-E

The player must run their scanner to reveal the final location, a Crashed Freighter, where they have to access the Unsalvageable Wreck freighter terminal.

Unsalvageable Wreck

The computer plays a series fragmented videos, recordings that could not have been made with any normal camera.

• View recording

1. I see the stranger activate the portal and walk towards the open gateway. They hesitate as they reach the threshold, turning back to their crewmates for encouragement. They step forward, and are consumed by the foam.
   A burst of static interrupts the recording. When it ends, I see the stranger surrounded once more by their crew. They look old, far older than the moment before. But they are happy - the relief on all their faces is clear to see. A ship lands in the distance, and the group sets off.
   • Leave

• Leave

Path G-I-R-N

The player must run their scanner to reveal the final location, a Crashed Freighter, where they have to access the Unsalvageable Wreck freighter terminal.

Unsalvageable Wreck

The computer plays a series fragmented videos, recordings that could not have been made with any normal camera.

• View recording

1. I see the stranger turn away from the portal, a sad shake of their head. But there seems to have been a mutiny. Their surviving crewmates ignore their pleas and enter the portal, unheeding. They are consumed by the foam, and the portal closes with a crimson flash.
   The stranger walks a short distance, shaken. They assemble a small shelter, enter and close the door. The recording does not show them emerge.
   • Leave

• Leave

Continuation

After reaching one of the endings, the mission will be updated and the next objective is to make contact with the Space Anomaly.