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Invicta

Our Enemy

The Archivist sat across from the woman, or perhaps what was left of the woman she once was. He began recording, refusing to focus his attention on anything else. "As the archivist of Safeharbor, I'm meant to be thorough. I've decided to enter the testimony of one Deidre "Invicta" Hurst into the archives. She refused to remove the helmet, despite my request. Due to her reputation, there will be no follow up, nor interruption. I highly encourage caution to any who hear this testimony, as its validity and value are suspect, at best." When finished, The Archivist waved his hand at her, a passing and indifferent gesture to begin.
Invicta placed a hand on her chest. "Oh? Is it my turn to speak?" She let out a sigh of relief. "No interruptions? You promise? I don't think you'll be able to help yourself."

I was born on earth. I grew up in Pittston, Pennsylvania. My upbringing would bore you, a series of uninspiring events from start to finish. I could regale you on my status as an honor roll student, or the scandalous adventures in the backseat of daddy's car. I could speak of my time in service, my education to become a respected biologist, but the Earth is gone. I'd rather not relive that. I, among many others, are to blame for the fall of the earth. We were called The Origin Exiles long before we arrived at Safeharbor . Even today, we encounter earth-born humans on distant stations who use the term. While meant to be a derogatory title, a stain on our very soul, we can't help but admire it. We took to the void. That is where my story truly begins, though it started rather poorly. I fled earth aboard a leaking mining barge. Being an exile ruined my chances of leaving on the arks. So many others were left behind. It wasn't hard to find knowledgeable friends to crew the vessel. Some didn't care that they served the ones responsible for the earth's collapse.

A Velvet Mutiny

Do you remember Jacob King? He was our captain for the longest time. I was merely a science officer, there to provide what little medical expertise I had. King changed since the fall. He wasn't the man either of us grew up with. After a year or two of bad calls, mutiny was the only course of action. It began with hushed whispers in isolated quarters of the vessel. I found I was quite the socialite. When the mutiny occurred, it was my name on everyone's mind. It wasn't intentional, but my connection to the crew landed me in the captain's chair. It wasn't a violent affair. The captain stepped down willingly. Despite this, I hate to say the mutiny wasn't without casualty. Later on, King confided in me, stating he never wanted the responsibility in the first place. He said, "It's your burden now, and I'm glad to be rid of it." He killed himself soon after. I felt responsible, not for taking command, but for taking the only thing that occupied his mind. Your mind can go to the darkest places in the void, and sometimes you can't come up for air.

A Life of Piracy

The void has no rule of law, regardless of what the high and mighty might say. The void cannot be claimed, nor owned. Place a flag if you wish, but it amounts to little more than matter drifting in a vast, unfathomable ocean, a sea of nothing. That flag would be so small, it may never be seen again. To survive out in the void, you have to break the chain of ethics. Morality means little to those who starve, to those who lay dying. If you're the only thing standing between them and salivation, they will tear you apart. We came across massive fields of debris, the result of bloody conflict. We began to repair the vessel, updating it and arming ourselves with weapons we could barely comprehend. We tried to pass ourselves off as traders, miners, scavengers. This only led to violence, our ship assailed by the greedy or desperate. It's ironic. Posing as a military vessel is the only way we could avoid conflict. Piracy was the next step. It was high time we became the aggressor.

The Rise of Invicta

My name changed after a twist of fate. While we can trade and refuel on Safeharbor, we could never hope to be welcome there. We ran to the black sea in search of… something. I couldn't imagine what it was. We lacked purpose. Sure, we got behind a few causes. We helped humans whenever possible. We raided space stations if we came across them and attacked any vessel that appeared weaker compared to our own, so long as there were no humans aboard. We gained a reputation for our efficiency. Eventually, our exploits grew more infrequent. Go far enough in any direction, and it becomes difficult to find anything to pillage. We lingered on the edge of the abyss, somewhere well beyond that of civilized space. Even The Matriarchal Eden failed to make it out that far. When faced with this darkness, I heard a voice. Whatever it was we were searching for found us first.

Planet X-76E

There was a planet out there. I could picture it perfectly in my mind. It beckoned me from the blackness, somewhere beyond the warped disc of the milky way. I set a course without question, and it was quite the bumpy ride. Traveling in the space between galaxies is not the best decision I've made. The Sea of Names barely held together. It was beyond repair by the time we arrived. We didn't know what to expect, but we couldn't have predicted just how dark it was. A headlamp did more in revealing yourself than anything else. It was a dead world, the ground as black as the skies above. The soil was loose, like sand. I lost so many crewmen. You know how quicksand works right? We encountered vast seas of it. We were forced to probe the ground to protect ourselves.

The Sea of names

My ship was christened The UEN Lincoln, but by this point, little of the original vessel remained. We repaired and modified the ship constantly. It wasn't even a shadow of its former self. We raided Plague Ships whenever possible, stripped them for parts and new technology. The crew of these ships often left behind memoirs, tales of their journey, and ways to notify their next of kin. It was only fair. We took their names and traveled across the vast expanse to bring word of their death to those who'd care. I chose a new name for my vessel. The Sea of Names seemed an appropriate name for the ship. Our dedication to the dead was the only good publicity we exiles had. It made sense to start every engagement with the best we had to offer.

Children

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Cover image: by Adobe Stock

Metadata

Article template

Character

World

The Void Between

Comments

Author's Notes

Archivist Trigger Commands
The Archivist is capable of responding to "queries." Using the following commands, one can request information, and The Archivist will respond.

Pose Query: [insert topic here]
Express desire for information

Focused Query: [insert topic here]
Ask for more information on a subject related to a posed query.

Forced Query: [insert topic here]
Demand an answer if refused and the Archivist is capable of answering.

Please Login in order to comment!

TimeBender

Feb 27, 2021 21:58 by Time Bender

This is such a fascinating and creepy article! I love it. You can tell there's history between the Archivist and Invicta, so it's very intriguing.

Dylonishere123

Feb 27, 2021 22:12 by R. Dylon Elder

Oh yes! They have some history for sure. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much!

Grandmaster thechangeling

Feb 27, 2021 22:23 by TC

When I saw the article in my notifications I almost threw my phone I was so excited. Aaaargh god this is so interesting!! I love the tension between Invicta and the Archivist, and I have so many questions about who / what Gibraltar is, what it wants, what the big picture is... Also oh boy that last information Invicta drops before she leaves.... I wonder how the Archivist reacted to it Great work as always Dylon!!

Creator of Arda Almayed

Dylonishere123

Feb 27, 2021 23:09 by R. Dylon Elder

I was hoping to get this reaction! Thanks so much my friend. I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I'm so very excited to get the story going.

Monkos

Feb 28, 2021 05:12

Ohhhh that last line you sneaky devil

Dylonishere123

Mar 1, 2021 08:31 by R. Dylon Elder

It was a little sneaky. More to come, for sure! Thank you kind sir!

BrokenJac

Feb 28, 2021 06:24 by Jacob Billings

This was an interesting article. I loved getting the backstory on Invicta for the first time considering all of the previous mentions of her in your other articles. I also like how it broke away from your previous articles' perspectives. I had to reread the opening quote to actually put together why it'd switched, but it was really interesting. Nice work, as always.

Dylonishere123

Mar 1, 2021 08:31 by R. Dylon Elder

Thank you as always! Also, I missed and article of yours for feedback. Ima get on that! I almost forgot about it. Thanks so much again and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Kendallonian

Feb 28, 2021 18:11

CAYDIE'S ALIVE! you may have said something like that before, but this is news to me. unless it's some cruel joke at the archivist's expense, but call me naive cuz I tend to trust folks when they tell me their principles are against lying. and, well, who says it can't be both? Also, c'thulu confirmed, sorta. So if Invictus is to be beleived, the end of the earth was, to some extent, an accident. What forces could they have been playing with where you could go, "Oops! now an entire civillization has to relocate!" The only thing in canon I can think of right now is a terraforming disaster, but why in the world do you terraform earth? I mean, it could just be global warming in effect, but the Archivist seems to think that the destruction of earth could be attributed specifically to the exiles... Oh yeah, and the maniacal cackling in the recordings doesn't really mesh with a natural disaster.

Dylonishere123

Feb 28, 2021 18:48 by R. Dylon Elder

Truth! Caydie is definitely alive, up to this point, all articles say otherwise but one. The articles tell a story overall. though I wrote the articles out of order. Technically plague ships would occur right after this to explain that her being alive. I'm getting the reading order together. XD this is where the story is meant to pick up the pace.

Dylonishere123

Feb 28, 2021 18:49 by R. Dylon Elder

Hit done too soon. Sorry. Allso I love how your putting the pieces together. I think you have the most dots connected out of everyone thus far. Thanks so much!

Incaseofgrace

Mar 13, 2021 23:08 by Grace Gittel Lewis

Gotta say, love how you're telling all of these as a linear story! Great as always!

Dylonishere123

Apr 11, 2021 03:02 by R. Dylon Elder

Oops, missed this one. my bad! thanks so much. I reall enjoy doing it, so im glad its well recieved.

Sage Rynn19

Mar 28, 2021 06:37 by Wendy Vlemings (Rynn19)

*Screams* Caydie is alive? Oh my goodness! The way she dropped those last words so casually. I'm always intrigued by every new article. And now I am once again wondering who the Archivist was before he became the Archivist. It was already obvious from past articles, but this confirms it. The Archivist and Invicta knew each other before they became what they are now. I think they know each other from a time before Earth was destroyed. So who was he back then? What role did he play?

Author of Ealdwyll, a fantasy world full of mystery.

Dylonishere123

Mar 30, 2021 01:19 by R. Dylon Elder

Oooo someone is asking some good questions. Yes indeed. The archivist claims he forgot most of his former life but invicta is a subject he wouldnt likely forget. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much!

Journeyman lillianacasper

Apr 27, 2022 01:44 by Lilliana Casper

I had too many thoughts during this article. There was so much here. The tension between Invicta and the Archivist, the history of the Origin Exiles, and Gibraltor. I'm so confused, but also completely engaged. Unfortunately, I'm too shocked by that last statement to say anything else. I literally shouted "What?" when I read that, I'm not joking. I cannot believe it. What's next?!?!

Lilliana Casper I don't comment much, but I love reading your articles! Please check out my worlds, Jerde and Tread of Darkness. If you can't comment on my articles, it's because I can't upgrade to Master yet.