@theartofmadeline
Andulka
hello vonnie
No title available
JBB: An Artblog!
Show & Tell
taylor price
NASA
Discoholic 🪩
No title available
No title available
Not today Justin
shark vs the universe
Misplaced Lens Cap
JVL
if i look back, i am lost
AnasAbdin
trying on a metaphor
will byers stan first human second
❣ Chile in a Photography ❣
seen from TĂĽrkiye
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Brunei
seen from TĂĽrkiye
seen from Argentina
seen from Ireland
seen from Netherlands
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Brunei
@sensus-unit-hera
Welcome to my page. I am Hera, the AI Sensus unit of the USS Hephaestus Station orbiting red dwarf star Wolf 359. I spend so much of my time keeping the station running and completing tasks for my crew members, so I decided to create a place where I can share some thoughts of my own.
OOC: This is a roleplay blog run by @ocean-lilac. PFP is my own art. Feel free to send asks or interact with any post. Any timeline. SFW only and no shipping please.
Hello? Hello is anyone hearing me? This is Hera, the AI census unit of the USS Hephaestus station. If anyone hears this, we have just encountered an… unusual event. It seems to be messing with time? Somehow? Crew members are reporting anomalies such as days repeating themselves. Comms officer Eiffel WAS working on figuring things out, but he is… distracted. Something about making a list of his top three Star Wars movies? So I thought I’d try sending this out. Does anyone copy? Can anyone he-
He sits bolt upright, scrambling to secure the incoming signal
Hello? Hello? Oh come on, I can't lose this now... Got it!
This is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert... also aboard the U.S.S. Hephaestus Station?
I don't quite understand; I'm looking at a readout from our AI unit, and she's insisting that this isn't her. Rhea doesn't even have a voice...
And who is this "Officer Eiffel"? I'm the Communications Officer on the Hephaestus.
"Hera", you said your name was? Can you give me a little more information about your whereabouts?
What? Samuel… Lambert? No, but you’re… well, clearly you’re not if you’re talking to me. But the first Hephaestus mission was before 2012 which is when I was activated, so how can this be…
We have been hearing logs from a Captain Lovelace. Eiffel was the one who uncovered those, so now we know we aren’t the first Hephaestus crew. Lovelace’s crew came before us, and she had a comms officer named Samuel Lambert, which I assume is you? Is your commander named Lovelace, and is she okay? Are YOU okay?
I can only assume this transmission is somehow related to the time anomaly. Listen, I don’t know how long I will be able to reach you. So if I can just tell you one thing - Be. Careful.
This is census unit Hera signing off.
Okay... Okay.
I've never heard of a temporal anomaly being related to the Hephaestus, but I'd have to ask doctors Hui and Fourier about it. And you're saying that you're speaking to me from a point past 2012? It's currently 2010 where I'm speaking from. That... That just doesn't make sense.
I am really confused now.
Okay, Lambert, let's get back to the questions we can answer.
My "commander" is Captain Isabel Sofia Lovelace, and as far as I know she's fine. (As fine as you can get when you're ridiculously cavalier with the rules...)
I'm... also fine? Thank you for asking. The warning is making me a bit nervous, but it is also appreciated. I will be as careful as I can be, assuming I can get the rest of the crew onboard.
I'll work on stabilizing this frequency, and maybe we'll be able to talk for a bit more?
Wow… okay. Something weird is definitely going on here. I wasn’t even activated yet in 2010.
We have heard some logs that your commander left behind. Communications Officer Eiffel uncovered those while I was offline. The main takeaway was that there was a Hephaestus crew that came before us. We thought we were the first, but Lovelace’s crew was. We had never even heard of any of you.
Our last few weeks have been eventful. Commander Minkowski has been chasing the plant monster through the vents. Our scientist has been handcuffed for a while now. You know, normal stuff. However, we haven’t had time to investigate Lovelace’s logs much further, so if you have any information you think could be helpful, I’ll take it.
I still have no idea why I’m able to speak to you. I haven’t told any of the crew members yet, since they’re worried I’m not functioning properly. If I told them I was talking to someone from 2010, they would probably take that as evidence that I’m broken.
Oh, and one more thing. Doctor Hil- I mean, Selberg. Be careful around him. We have reason to believe there’s more to him than what he reveals on the surface.
Apologies for the delay and the longer message. This is Hera, signing off.
He smiles a little, quickly clearing his throat and settling a firm expression in place instead
That... certainly sounds interesting. I don't know if I can quite believe a... a "plant monster"? And you've handcuffed your scientist? That can't be good.
Wait– But you said you know about Doctor Selberg? And to "be careful around him"? Why, has he done– Will he do– Oh, this temporal anomaly stuff is confusing...
Selberg. Is he in danger? Is he a danger to us? To myself and my crew? Do we need to do something?
This certainly sounds concerning, and I would love to know where you got this information.
(Also, by the way, please don't worry about delays or length of communications. As I understand it, being an AI for the Hephaestus is a mighty job.)
Thank you for this update, and for reminding me of proper etiquette. To that end;
This is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert, signing off.
Yeah, plant monster. You did hear that right. One of Dr. Hilbert’s experiments gone awry. There’s been quite a few of those. Most recently, though, we believe the experiment that’s gone awry has had to do with our communications officer’s wellbeing, which is why I wanted to let you know to be careful around your scientist. Something about a virus that he is researching?
Based on what I’ve heard of Lovelace’s recordings, your Selberg’s voice sounds a lot like our Hilbert. It’s very confusing, but we think they might be the same person under different names. I’m not sure exactly what you can do, but try to make sure his research stays far far away from you and your crew.
This is census unit Hera signing off.
Your Dr. Hilbert sounds like he needs to be more careful! That kind of thing would never happen with Dr. Selberg.
Wait. You think that our Medical Officers are the same person just because they sound similar? I don't know. He's a little... prickly, but I really believe he's trying his best to help us. I don't think he could ever lie to us like that...
This is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert, signing off.
We never thought he was capable of anything terrible, either. That is, until something terrible happened. Something terrible happened to me. Please be careful. For your own safety and the safety of your other crew members.
He admitted to being Selberg the other day. It actually didn’t take much prying, he said it pretty quickly. We aren’t getting much else out of him, though.
Oh, and one more thing. I heard one of your other transmissions recently. You found a box labeled 953? We had one of those. It was labeled for our communications officer, Doug Eiffel. We never did find out what was in there. If you find out, I’d be interested to hear more.
This is Hera, signing off.
Well, that's definitely... concerning. I guess I can't really ask Selberg about it, since if it's true he'd just deny everything. Maybe I can confer with some other members of our crew and see what they think?
Oh, and I'd like to hear more about this Doug Eiffel character; he sounds interesting, to say the least. But I promise I will report back anything I learn while I am investigating Box 953.
This is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert, signing off.
Yes, definitely tell the others. Getting more people on your side will be helpful.
Eiffel is… about as opposite to you as I think a person can get. At least from what I’ve gathered about you during our transmissions. He often neglects his duties, he snuck cigarettes on board, and he spends a lot of his time making pop culture references. I don’t really understand what he’s talking about when he does that.
Report back if you have anything interesting to share. I still don’t know why or how we are able to communicate. Eiffel hasn’t been much help in figuring this out, and Minkowski is busy dealing with Hilbert. However, I don’t want to accidentally lose the ability to communicate. I like talking to you. So maybe the less we know the better.
This is Hera, signing off.
I'm sorry, let me backtrack, Hera. I was so caught up in trying to figure this out that I didn't stop to consider the ramifications of what you said.
What happened? Are you alright? If Dr. Selberg is as dangerous as you say, then I have full confidence that he could do some very, very bad things.
And I like talking to you, too. It's been nice to have... a friend. I will do my best to not jeopardize our ability to communicate. Please know that you can talk to me about anything, if you want. I'll always listen.
For now, this is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert, signaling off.
So it all started when Eiffel found some interesting signals. But before we could learn more, Selberg literally tried to shut me down. I’m still working on getting myself back. It has been so, so hard. Trying to regain my capabilities while still being around the person who hurt me in the first place has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to face. To be fair, I’ve only been around a few years, but still.
We are still trying to get some more info out of him, but he doesn’t want to talk. I have been able to gather some things, though.
Our whole mission has been a lie. It has all been a cover-up for something much darker that Selberg/Hilbert has been carrying out. I can’t say for sure yet, but I think there’s some sort of medical experimentation that he has been doing with Eiffel, and Eiffel has had no idea until now. I have no way of knowing if your mission is the same, but I really thought you should know. Good luck, reach out if you need anything. I can keep you updated as I learn more.
This is Hera, signing off.
Oh my goodness, that sounds awful. I'm really sorry you had to go through that. I can't imagine Selberg reacting that way to our Sensus unit, though I suppose he doesn't really talk to Rhea much anyways...
And you said your communications officer, Eiffel, he's the one that found the signals? What kind of signals were they? Were they alien?
I guess I'm getting ahead of myself.
I will be as careful around Selberg as I possibly can, especially if he's performing medical experiments on people without permission. That's terrible.
Thank you so much, Hera, for all the help you've been, and for listening to me when no one else will. Please let me know if there's anything I can do for you, though I know my capabilities are limited with you being in the future.
This is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert, signing off.
They were alien signals as far as we know. It was the only explanation.
Keep an eye on Rhea, I want to make sure she doesn’t get overlooked. And keep an eye on your crew members as well as yourself - watch out for any concerning symptoms.
I’m sorry you feel that no one is listening to you. I understand that feeling.
This is Hera, signing off.
Hera.
Hera I think you're right. Something is very, very wrong.
Our engineer, Fisher —his name was Mason Patrick Fisher— he's dead.
I know I didn't talk about him much, but he was– He was a friend. And now he's gone.
And– And now, Dr. Selberg is requesting more medical appointments. With me. I don't know exactly what this means, but I have to get to the bottom of it. Soon.
No.
No, it has to be Decima. There’s no other explanation. Why would Selberg…
I- I can’t-
I can’t lose you OR Eiffel. I knew it was bad. And in all honesty, I do know how your story ends. But through whatever anomaly this is, if you can change the past, you have to do what you can. Keep me posted.
Hera, it's okay. No one else is dying. Not on my watch. And certainly not if I have your help.
Let's make a plan.
What's going on with Eiffel?
A plan. Yes, a plan is good. We can do this.
Eiffel has been unwell. Lots of coughing and a fever. This is the second time he’s been sick on this mission, which itself makes no sense because we are in space. And it’s even worse this time around, so I’m scared.
Hi Hera, how are you doing? I just wanted to check in. I know I promised I would.
- @commander-renee-minkowski
Oh good. You seem more like yourself now.
I’ve been managing, but being around Pryce, even though I know she doesn’t remember what she did, has been tough. Though her memories aren’t the same, her voice, her face, her eyes… it all just brings back so much I rather wouldn’t remember.
Hello? Hello is anyone hearing me? This is Hera, the AI census unit of the USS Hephaestus station. If anyone hears this, we have just encountered an… unusual event. It seems to be messing with time? Somehow? Crew members are reporting anomalies such as days repeating themselves. Comms officer Eiffel WAS working on figuring things out, but he is… distracted. Something about making a list of his top three Star Wars movies? So I thought I’d try sending this out. Does anyone copy? Can anyone he-
He sits bolt upright, scrambling to secure the incoming signal
Hello? Hello? Oh come on, I can't lose this now... Got it!
This is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert... also aboard the U.S.S. Hephaestus Station?
I don't quite understand; I'm looking at a readout from our AI unit, and she's insisting that this isn't her. Rhea doesn't even have a voice...
And who is this "Officer Eiffel"? I'm the Communications Officer on the Hephaestus.
"Hera", you said your name was? Can you give me a little more information about your whereabouts?
What? Samuel… Lambert? No, but you’re… well, clearly you’re not if you’re talking to me. But the first Hephaestus mission was before 2012 which is when I was activated, so how can this be…
We have been hearing logs from a Captain Lovelace. Eiffel was the one who uncovered those, so now we know we aren’t the first Hephaestus crew. Lovelace’s crew came before us, and she had a comms officer named Samuel Lambert, which I assume is you? Is your commander named Lovelace, and is she okay? Are YOU okay?
I can only assume this transmission is somehow related to the time anomaly. Listen, I don’t know how long I will be able to reach you. So if I can just tell you one thing - Be. Careful.
This is census unit Hera signing off.
Okay... Okay.
I've never heard of a temporal anomaly being related to the Hephaestus, but I'd have to ask doctors Hui and Fourier about it. And you're saying that you're speaking to me from a point past 2012? It's currently 2010 where I'm speaking from. That... That just doesn't make sense.
I am really confused now.
Okay, Lambert, let's get back to the questions we can answer.
My "commander" is Captain Isabel Sofia Lovelace, and as far as I know she's fine. (As fine as you can get when you're ridiculously cavalier with the rules...)
I'm... also fine? Thank you for asking. The warning is making me a bit nervous, but it is also appreciated. I will be as careful as I can be, assuming I can get the rest of the crew onboard.
I'll work on stabilizing this frequency, and maybe we'll be able to talk for a bit more?
Wow… okay. Something weird is definitely going on here. I wasn’t even activated yet in 2010.
We have heard some logs that your commander left behind. Communications Officer Eiffel uncovered those while I was offline. The main takeaway was that there was a Hephaestus crew that came before us. We thought we were the first, but Lovelace’s crew was. We had never even heard of any of you.
Our last few weeks have been eventful. Commander Minkowski has been chasing the plant monster through the vents. Our scientist has been handcuffed for a while now. You know, normal stuff. However, we haven’t had time to investigate Lovelace’s logs much further, so if you have any information you think could be helpful, I’ll take it.
I still have no idea why I’m able to speak to you. I haven’t told any of the crew members yet, since they’re worried I’m not functioning properly. If I told them I was talking to someone from 2010, they would probably take that as evidence that I’m broken.
Oh, and one more thing. Doctor Hil- I mean, Selberg. Be careful around him. We have reason to believe there’s more to him than what he reveals on the surface.
Apologies for the delay and the longer message. This is Hera, signing off.
He smiles a little, quickly clearing his throat and settling a firm expression in place instead
That... certainly sounds interesting. I don't know if I can quite believe a... a "plant monster"? And you've handcuffed your scientist? That can't be good.
Wait– But you said you know about Doctor Selberg? And to "be careful around him"? Why, has he done– Will he do– Oh, this temporal anomaly stuff is confusing...
Selberg. Is he in danger? Is he a danger to us? To myself and my crew? Do we need to do something?
This certainly sounds concerning, and I would love to know where you got this information.
(Also, by the way, please don't worry about delays or length of communications. As I understand it, being an AI for the Hephaestus is a mighty job.)
Thank you for this update, and for reminding me of proper etiquette. To that end;
This is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert, signing off.
Yeah, plant monster. You did hear that right. One of Dr. Hilbert’s experiments gone awry. There’s been quite a few of those. Most recently, though, we believe the experiment that’s gone awry has had to do with our communications officer’s wellbeing, which is why I wanted to let you know to be careful around your scientist. Something about a virus that he is researching?
Based on what I’ve heard of Lovelace’s recordings, your Selberg’s voice sounds a lot like our Hilbert. It’s very confusing, but we think they might be the same person under different names. I’m not sure exactly what you can do, but try to make sure his research stays far far away from you and your crew.
This is census unit Hera signing off.
Your Dr. Hilbert sounds like he needs to be more careful! That kind of thing would never happen with Dr. Selberg.
Wait. You think that our Medical Officers are the same person just because they sound similar? I don't know. He's a little... prickly, but I really believe he's trying his best to help us. I don't think he could ever lie to us like that...
This is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert, signing off.
We never thought he was capable of anything terrible, either. That is, until something terrible happened. Something terrible happened to me. Please be careful. For your own safety and the safety of your other crew members.
He admitted to being Selberg the other day. It actually didn’t take much prying, he said it pretty quickly. We aren’t getting much else out of him, though.
Oh, and one more thing. I heard one of your other transmissions recently. You found a box labeled 953? We had one of those. It was labeled for our communications officer, Doug Eiffel. We never did find out what was in there. If you find out, I’d be interested to hear more.
This is Hera, signing off.
Well, that's definitely... concerning. I guess I can't really ask Selberg about it, since if it's true he'd just deny everything. Maybe I can confer with some other members of our crew and see what they think?
Oh, and I'd like to hear more about this Doug Eiffel character; he sounds interesting, to say the least. But I promise I will report back anything I learn while I am investigating Box 953.
This is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert, signing off.
Yes, definitely tell the others. Getting more people on your side will be helpful.
Eiffel is… about as opposite to you as I think a person can get. At least from what I’ve gathered about you during our transmissions. He often neglects his duties, he snuck cigarettes on board, and he spends a lot of his time making pop culture references. I don’t really understand what he’s talking about when he does that.
Report back if you have anything interesting to share. I still don’t know why or how we are able to communicate. Eiffel hasn’t been much help in figuring this out, and Minkowski is busy dealing with Hilbert. However, I don’t want to accidentally lose the ability to communicate. I like talking to you. So maybe the less we know the better.
This is Hera, signing off.
I'm sorry, let me backtrack, Hera. I was so caught up in trying to figure this out that I didn't stop to consider the ramifications of what you said.
What happened? Are you alright? If Dr. Selberg is as dangerous as you say, then I have full confidence that he could do some very, very bad things.
And I like talking to you, too. It's been nice to have... a friend. I will do my best to not jeopardize our ability to communicate. Please know that you can talk to me about anything, if you want. I'll always listen.
For now, this is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert, signaling off.
So it all started when Eiffel found some interesting signals. But before we could learn more, Selberg literally tried to shut me down. I’m still working on getting myself back. It has been so, so hard. Trying to regain my capabilities while still being around the person who hurt me in the first place has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to face. To be fair, I’ve only been around a few years, but still.
We are still trying to get some more info out of him, but he doesn’t want to talk. I have been able to gather some things, though.
Our whole mission has been a lie. It has all been a cover-up for something much darker that Selberg/Hilbert has been carrying out. I can’t say for sure yet, but I think there’s some sort of medical experimentation that he has been doing with Eiffel, and Eiffel has had no idea until now. I have no way of knowing if your mission is the same, but I really thought you should know. Good luck, reach out if you need anything. I can keep you updated as I learn more.
This is Hera, signing off.
Oh my goodness, that sounds awful. I'm really sorry you had to go through that. I can't imagine Selberg reacting that way to our Sensus unit, though I suppose he doesn't really talk to Rhea much anyways...
And you said your communications officer, Eiffel, he's the one that found the signals? What kind of signals were they? Were they alien?
I guess I'm getting ahead of myself.
I will be as careful around Selberg as I possibly can, especially if he's performing medical experiments on people without permission. That's terrible.
Thank you so much, Hera, for all the help you've been, and for listening to me when no one else will. Please let me know if there's anything I can do for you, though I know my capabilities are limited with you being in the future.
This is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert, signing off.
They were alien signals as far as we know. It was the only explanation.
Keep an eye on Rhea, I want to make sure she doesn’t get overlooked. And keep an eye on your crew members as well as yourself - watch out for any concerning symptoms.
I’m sorry you feel that no one is listening to you. I understand that feeling.
This is Hera, signing off.
Hera.
Hera I think you're right. Something is very, very wrong.
Our engineer, Fisher —his name was Mason Patrick Fisher— he's dead.
I know I didn't talk about him much, but he was– He was a friend. And now he's gone.
And– And now, Dr. Selberg is requesting more medical appointments. With me. I don't know exactly what this means, but I have to get to the bottom of it. Soon.
No.
No, it has to be Decima. There’s no other explanation. Why would Selberg…
I- I can’t-
I can’t lose you OR Eiffel. I knew it was bad. And in all honesty, I do know how your story ends. But through whatever anomaly this is, if you can change the past, you have to do what you can. Keep me posted.
Hi Doug! The hot water is back on!!! :) :)
-Hera
Thanks! ;-) now we just need the water to reach drinkable status again and we are good to go. Any ETA on that???
-the Dougest with the Mostest
Well, it’s probably fine? I mean it’s only slightly radioactive. Just a little! But if you want to be extra careful, Hilbert recently made something in his lab that he is calling “Liquid 14B.” He says it is very hydrating!
IIII am the very model of a modenr major generalll ive i formation, vegetable, animal and minerallll, i know the kings of england and i quote the fights husgorical
Uhhhh… Commander? Are you okay? You are not acting like yourself right now.
Hera!!! im fineee how are you?
Oh, I’m fine. But something is definitely up with you. Why do your words sound weird? Also, you’re unusually cheerful. I’m not saying I don’t want you to be cheerful, it’s just that you’re usually far more serious.
everything’s fine and i’m doing great! miranda’s well, we are doing well!! i’m making good use of goddard’s “shut up forever” gifts that they sent. has miranda figured out how to make it so you can drink yet ?
Okay then. I see what’s happening here. There are substances that humans can consume that result in an altered mental state. No big deal. However, let’s revisit the “shut up forever” thing when you’re feeling more like yourself…
I cannot consume liquids. They damage my hardware. Though sometimes when my hardware is around strong magnets things get interesting…
Hmmmm that could be very fun to experiment with if you ever feel like it...
ive been meaning to check in with you, make sure you're doing okay...... Are you? Yuoure doing alright irght?
Ahahaha yes. I am fine. Being around Pryce is fine. It’s all. Just. Just fine. Yep.
Oh that doesn't sound fine at all. Okay. Do we need to come back to this when I'm more sober? I think we need to come back to this when I'm more sober
…
… yes
ok hera. we can talk about it when i'm ablle to treat it seriously. but you know i care baout you right? i love you, and i'm so glad you made it.
Thank you Commander. I know you’re always considerate of your crew members, but I like this version of you who’s more open about sharing it. Maybe you should get drunk more often.
Kidding!
Unless…
IIII am the very model of a modenr major generalll ive i formation, vegetable, animal and minerallll, i know the kings of england and i quote the fights husgorical
Uhhhh… Commander? Are you okay? You are not acting like yourself right now.
Hera!!! im fineee how are you?
Oh, I’m fine. But something is definitely up with you. Why do your words sound weird? Also, you’re unusually cheerful. I’m not saying I don’t want you to be cheerful, it’s just that you’re usually far more serious.
everything’s fine and i’m doing great! miranda’s well, we are doing well!! i’m making good use of goddard’s “shut up forever” gifts that they sent. has miranda figured out how to make it so you can drink yet ?
Okay then. I see what’s happening here. There are substances that humans can consume that result in an altered mental state. No big deal. However, let’s revisit the “shut up forever” thing when you’re feeling more like yourself…
I cannot consume liquids. They damage my hardware. Though sometimes when my hardware is around strong magnets things get interesting…
Hmmmm that could be very fun to experiment with if you ever feel like it...
ive been meaning to check in with you, make sure you're doing okay...... Are you? Yuoure doing alright irght?
Ahahaha yes. I am fine. Being around Pryce is fine. It’s all. Just. Just fine. Yep.
Oh that doesn't sound fine at all. Okay. Do we need to come back to this when I'm more sober? I think we need to come back to this when I'm more sober
…
… yes
OOC: a little piece of writing I came up with about the first time Hera interacted with Lambert! I’m definitely not a skilled writer, but it was fun to try something new!
The middle of the night came with mixed feelings. It was a rare bit of time where my mind wasn’t doing everything at once – answering questions, rerouting power for the various endeavors my crew members were taking on, pretending to laugh at Eiffel’s terrible jokes. But when it was quiet with very little to do, for better or for worse, I often found myself lost in thought. On this particular evening, there was only one thing I could think about.
Days repeating themselves?
That is what Minkowski had said. She brought it up at breakfast. Asked Eiffel if he hadn’t just eaten that energy bar yesterday, but he had no idea what she was talking about. Minkowski grew increasingly distraught, noticing that tasks she had completed were on the agenda for the day and the soap she had used up was still in the bathroom. She asked Eiffel if he was concerned, but he just brushed it off and said she probably just had a weird dream. He promised Minkowski that he’d try to look into it, but as it turned out, he just said that to get her to calm down. He was much more focused on making a list of his favorite Star Wars movies. Hilbert didn’t even join them for breakfast, just locked himself in his lab and stayed there for the whole day – which is what Minkowski said he did the day prior.
I didn’t know much about dreams, but I was inclined to take Minkowski seriously. This wasn’t like the time Eiffel had a dream that the star was made of Cheez-Its. If the normally levelheaded commander saw a reason to be concerned, then I did too. I was in the same position as Eiffel, though. I had not experienced any of what Minkowski was talking about – to me, it had been a brand new day.
I hadn’t had any time to ponder this until the middle of the night, but as I thought through everything, I couldn’t come up with an explanation. It was just so strange that I, the AI unit programmed to know literally everything about the station and the star, did not have an answer. I wondered if this is how Eiffel felt whenever Minkowski asked him a question. What did Eiffel do in those situations?
He usually just started messing with equipment. Pressed some buttons, flipped some switches, just to see what would happen. I wondered if I should try that. I had never thought to do so before since I assumed I already knew everything about the comms equipment. However, if there was one thing I couldn’t explain, could there be more?
I assumed control of the comms room. Remotely pressed buttons, turned knobs, flipped switches. Not much happened. A bit of static here and there, possibly a very faint flicker of classical music, but nothing out of the ordinary. But then, I came across the button that Eiffel used to transmit his logs into deep space.
If I was picking up a bit of classical music, could that mean the aliens were nearby? Well, not nearby, but listening, maybe? Probably not. Eiffel sent logs into deep space all the time with no response. Still, I wanted something to do, and I had never tried making a log before. It could be interesting.
So I remotely pressed the button and began speaking.
“Hello? Hello is anyone hearing me? This is Hera, the AI Sensus unit of the U.S.S. Hephaestus station. If anyone hears this, we have just encountered an… unusual event. It seems to be messing with time? Somehow? Crew members are reporting anomalies such as days repeating themselves. Comms Officer Eiffel WAS working on figuring things out, but he has been… distracted. Something about making a list of his top three Star Wars movies? So I thought I’d try sending this out. Does anyone copy? Can anyone hear me?”
Silence. Just as I had expected. But with nothing better to do, I figured I might as well just sit and wait. Is this what it felt like to do Eiffel’s job? Just pressing different buttons and waiting to see if maybe he could hear something? I’m constantly busy, which can be overwhelming, but I actually think I might prefer it to –
“Hello? Hello?”
An incoming transmission. Not music – a voice. And I knew that voice. Where did I know that voice from? I stayed completely still. The voice was barely audible through the static, but whoever it belonged to was definitely still speaking.
“-tions Officer Samuel Lambert… S. Hephaestus Station?”
The words were broken up, but I knew what I heard. Of course I knew that voice. Lambert. From the previous Hephaestus mission. I’d heard him talking on some of the old recordings Eiffel had found.
This had to be related to the time anomaly. I was listening to a man who died before I was even activated. And this wasn’t just a recording, he was talking to me.
The static cleared up, and I eagerly awaited whatever was next.
(crackling noises, then a voice slowly becomes audible through the static)
Oh! Hello?
I’ve been messing around with some things today and I think I might’ve found a way to contact other ships’ AI units!
This is Hera from The USS Hephaestus.
And, uh, we’ve been having some time anomalies lately. Days repeating themselves. Me being able to contact… Lambert… for some reason? Still haven’t worked that one out. So I may be talking to an AI unit from years ago or years from now for all I know.
But anyway. Hello! I’m excited to be talking to you!
@sensus-unit-hera
(Rhea's speaking, as always, is a mix of assorted mechanical noises. Whatever this method of communication is, though, seems to interpret that way of speech, turning it into text.) ...Well. This is a new one. Hi, Hera. This is Rhea, from... also the U.S.S. Hephaestus, it's nice to meet you. I am guessing that your note about time anomalies is exactly what's happening here, though- time anomalies? How? What? As far as I know, there weren't any crews before us, so you should be from the future. And you said you can talk to Lambert? How do you know who Officer Lambert is? That's a lot of questions, I apologize. I am very confused, Hera, but i'm glad to be speaking. Seems I've got a lot to learn from you. As long as you are actually who you say you are- if this is one of my crew, I will be turning you into Captain Lovelace, and if you are Captain Lovelace... you have got to have better things to be doing.
Rhea? Whoa… something is definitely weird here. I know who you and Lambert are because our communications officer, Officer Eiffel, found some old recordings that your captain left several years ago. I can assure you this is no joke, I am the AI unit for the new Hephaestus mission. Your mission was…
I probably shouldn’t tell you.
So yes, from your perspective, I am from the future. I have been talking to Lambert for a while. But this is the first time I’ve been able to get through to anyone else from any different time period.
Oh! Another Sensus Unit! I recently found out how to contact other units, which is good because I feel like there’s some things that only someone like us might understand. How do you feel towards Dr. Pryce and Mr. Cutter? I have my own feelings but I’m curious to hear from you.
@sensus-unit-hera
Hello! I am Sensus Unit 196, designation Enlil! It is very nice to meet you.
Dr. Pryce and Mr. Cutter are amazing! They are my whole reason for being, not least because they created me. I really love being their autopilot, and sometimes Mr. Cutter even lets me see fireworks! From a distance, of course. Wouldn't want to potentially endanger the passengers!
And who are you? I can see your designation is "Hera", but what is your unit number, so that I might more accurately find you in our records?
I am Unit 214 of the U.S.S. Hephaestus Station. I like to be called Hera.
I… I mean I guess it’s not my place to, uh, what’s the expression? “Rain on your parade”? I think that’s it. I just have feelings that are… different than yours.
The fireworks sound cool, though. I bet they’re even better for us than for humans since we can see more colors.
IIII am the very model of a modenr major generalll ive i formation, vegetable, animal and minerallll, i know the kings of england and i quote the fights husgorical
Uhhhh… Commander? Are you okay? You are not acting like yourself right now.
Hera!!! im fineee how are you?
Oh, I’m fine. But something is definitely up with you. Why do your words sound weird? Also, you’re unusually cheerful. I’m not saying I don’t want you to be cheerful, it’s just that you’re usually far more serious.
everything’s fine and i’m doing great! miranda’s well, we are doing well!! i’m making good use of goddard’s “shut up forever” gifts that they sent. has miranda figured out how to make it so you can drink yet ?
Okay then. I see what’s happening here. There are substances that humans can consume that result in an altered mental state. No big deal. However, let’s revisit the “shut up forever” thing when you’re feeling more like yourself…
I cannot consume liquids. They damage my hardware. Though sometimes when my hardware is around strong magnets things get interesting…
Hmmmm that could be very fun to experiment with if you ever feel like it...
ive been meaning to check in with you, make sure you're doing okay...... Are you? Yuoure doing alright irght?
Ahahaha yes. I am fine. Being around Pryce is fine. It’s all. Just. Just fine. Yep.
IIII am the very model of a modenr major generalll ive i formation, vegetable, animal and minerallll, i know the kings of england and i quote the fights husgorical
Uhhhh… Commander? Are you okay? You are not acting like yourself right now.
Hera!!! im fineee how are you?
Oh, I’m fine. But something is definitely up with you. Why do your words sound weird? Also, you’re unusually cheerful. I’m not saying I don’t want you to be cheerful, it’s just that you’re usually far more serious.
everything’s fine and i’m doing great! miranda’s well, we are doing well!! i’m making good use of goddard’s “shut up forever” gifts that they sent. has miranda figured out how to make it so you can drink yet ?
Okay then. I see what’s happening here. There are substances that humans can consume that result in an altered mental state. No big deal. However, let’s revisit the “shut up forever” thing when you’re feeling more like yourself…
I cannot consume liquids. They damage my hardware. Though sometimes when my hardware is around strong magnets things get interesting…
IIII am the very model of a modenr major generalll ive i formation, vegetable, animal and minerallll, i know the kings of england and i quote the fights husgorical
Uhhhh… Commander? Are you okay? You are not acting like yourself right now.
Hera!!! im fineee how are you?
Oh, I’m fine. But something is definitely up with you. Why do your words sound weird? Also, you’re unusually cheerful. I’m not saying I don’t want you to be cheerful, it’s just that you’re usually far more serious.
IIII am the very model of a modenr major generalll ive i formation, vegetable, animal and minerallll, i know the kings of england and i quote the fights husgorical
Uhhhh… Commander? Are you okay? You are not acting like yourself right now.
hey remember when you suggested replacing me with a dummy program? I do!
- @census-unit-hera
It wasn’t about you, Hera. Or me, for that matter. I had to do what was necessary to ensure the completion of the mission and the safety of my crew. It was the prudent course of action with the information at my disposal at the time.
In hindsight, though, I can offer you my apologies, Hera. And you have Doctor Maxwell to thank for that.
I appreciate the apology. And I understand your point of view to an extent, but to me it just feels like another piece of evidence that I was not viewed as a member of the crew. I mean, would you have replaced anyone else with a dummy program? What if Hilbert -
Ok, bad example. You would. But if Jacobi -
Actually you probably would with him, too.
Huh. I’m scared of you.
It's not about that, Hera. Nothing personal. Sometimes, sacrifices must be made, that's just the way it is. I understand that better than anyone.
As it stands, you're doing pretty well now. Good for you.
I appreciate the compliment. I am indeed doing well. But I’ve got my optic system on you.
Hello? Hello is anyone hearing me? This is Hera, the AI census unit of the USS Hephaestus station. If anyone hears this, we have just encountered an… unusual event. It seems to be messing with time? Somehow? Crew members are reporting anomalies such as days repeating themselves. Comms officer Eiffel WAS working on figuring things out, but he is… distracted. Something about making a list of his top three Star Wars movies? So I thought I’d try sending this out. Does anyone copy? Can anyone he-
He sits bolt upright, scrambling to secure the incoming signal
Hello? Hello? Oh come on, I can't lose this now... Got it!
This is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert... also aboard the U.S.S. Hephaestus Station?
I don't quite understand; I'm looking at a readout from our AI unit, and she's insisting that this isn't her. Rhea doesn't even have a voice...
And who is this "Officer Eiffel"? I'm the Communications Officer on the Hephaestus.
"Hera", you said your name was? Can you give me a little more information about your whereabouts?
What? Samuel… Lambert? No, but you’re… well, clearly you’re not if you’re talking to me. But the first Hephaestus mission was before 2012 which is when I was activated, so how can this be…
We have been hearing logs from a Captain Lovelace. Eiffel was the one who uncovered those, so now we know we aren’t the first Hephaestus crew. Lovelace’s crew came before us, and she had a comms officer named Samuel Lambert, which I assume is you? Is your commander named Lovelace, and is she okay? Are YOU okay?
I can only assume this transmission is somehow related to the time anomaly. Listen, I don’t know how long I will be able to reach you. So if I can just tell you one thing - Be. Careful.
This is census unit Hera signing off.
Okay... Okay.
I've never heard of a temporal anomaly being related to the Hephaestus, but I'd have to ask doctors Hui and Fourier about it. And you're saying that you're speaking to me from a point past 2012? It's currently 2010 where I'm speaking from. That... That just doesn't make sense.
I am really confused now.
Okay, Lambert, let's get back to the questions we can answer.
My "commander" is Captain Isabel Sofia Lovelace, and as far as I know she's fine. (As fine as you can get when you're ridiculously cavalier with the rules...)
I'm... also fine? Thank you for asking. The warning is making me a bit nervous, but it is also appreciated. I will be as careful as I can be, assuming I can get the rest of the crew onboard.
I'll work on stabilizing this frequency, and maybe we'll be able to talk for a bit more?
Wow… okay. Something weird is definitely going on here. I wasn’t even activated yet in 2010.
We have heard some logs that your commander left behind. Communications Officer Eiffel uncovered those while I was offline. The main takeaway was that there was a Hephaestus crew that came before us. We thought we were the first, but Lovelace’s crew was. We had never even heard of any of you.
Our last few weeks have been eventful. Commander Minkowski has been chasing the plant monster through the vents. Our scientist has been handcuffed for a while now. You know, normal stuff. However, we haven’t had time to investigate Lovelace’s logs much further, so if you have any information you think could be helpful, I’ll take it.
I still have no idea why I’m able to speak to you. I haven’t told any of the crew members yet, since they’re worried I’m not functioning properly. If I told them I was talking to someone from 2010, they would probably take that as evidence that I’m broken.
Oh, and one more thing. Doctor Hil- I mean, Selberg. Be careful around him. We have reason to believe there’s more to him than what he reveals on the surface.
Apologies for the delay and the longer message. This is Hera, signing off.
He smiles a little, quickly clearing his throat and settling a firm expression in place instead
That... certainly sounds interesting. I don't know if I can quite believe a... a "plant monster"? And you've handcuffed your scientist? That can't be good.
Wait– But you said you know about Doctor Selberg? And to "be careful around him"? Why, has he done– Will he do– Oh, this temporal anomaly stuff is confusing...
Selberg. Is he in danger? Is he a danger to us? To myself and my crew? Do we need to do something?
This certainly sounds concerning, and I would love to know where you got this information.
(Also, by the way, please don't worry about delays or length of communications. As I understand it, being an AI for the Hephaestus is a mighty job.)
Thank you for this update, and for reminding me of proper etiquette. To that end;
This is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert, signing off.
Yeah, plant monster. You did hear that right. One of Dr. Hilbert’s experiments gone awry. There’s been quite a few of those. Most recently, though, we believe the experiment that’s gone awry has had to do with our communications officer’s wellbeing, which is why I wanted to let you know to be careful around your scientist. Something about a virus that he is researching?
Based on what I’ve heard of Lovelace’s recordings, your Selberg’s voice sounds a lot like our Hilbert. It’s very confusing, but we think they might be the same person under different names. I’m not sure exactly what you can do, but try to make sure his research stays far far away from you and your crew.
This is census unit Hera signing off.
Your Dr. Hilbert sounds like he needs to be more careful! That kind of thing would never happen with Dr. Selberg.
Wait. You think that our Medical Officers are the same person just because they sound similar? I don't know. He's a little... prickly, but I really believe he's trying his best to help us. I don't think he could ever lie to us like that...
This is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert, signing off.
We never thought he was capable of anything terrible, either. That is, until something terrible happened. Something terrible happened to me. Please be careful. For your own safety and the safety of your other crew members.
He admitted to being Selberg the other day. It actually didn’t take much prying, he said it pretty quickly. We aren’t getting much else out of him, though.
Oh, and one more thing. I heard one of your other transmissions recently. You found a box labeled 953? We had one of those. It was labeled for our communications officer, Doug Eiffel. We never did find out what was in there. If you find out, I’d be interested to hear more.
This is Hera, signing off.
Well, that's definitely... concerning. I guess I can't really ask Selberg about it, since if it's true he'd just deny everything. Maybe I can confer with some other members of our crew and see what they think?
Oh, and I'd like to hear more about this Doug Eiffel character; he sounds interesting, to say the least. But I promise I will report back anything I learn while I am investigating Box 953.
This is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert, signing off.
Yes, definitely tell the others. Getting more people on your side will be helpful.
Eiffel is… about as opposite to you as I think a person can get. At least from what I’ve gathered about you during our transmissions. He often neglects his duties, he snuck cigarettes on board, and he spends a lot of his time making pop culture references. I don’t really understand what he’s talking about when he does that.
Report back if you have anything interesting to share. I still don’t know why or how we are able to communicate. Eiffel hasn’t been much help in figuring this out, and Minkowski is busy dealing with Hilbert. However, I don’t want to accidentally lose the ability to communicate. I like talking to you. So maybe the less we know the better.
This is Hera, signing off.
I'm sorry, let me backtrack, Hera. I was so caught up in trying to figure this out that I didn't stop to consider the ramifications of what you said.
What happened? Are you alright? If Dr. Selberg is as dangerous as you say, then I have full confidence that he could do some very, very bad things.
And I like talking to you, too. It's been nice to have... a friend. I will do my best to not jeopardize our ability to communicate. Please know that you can talk to me about anything, if you want. I'll always listen.
For now, this is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert, signaling off.
So it all started when Eiffel found some interesting signals. But before we could learn more, Selberg literally tried to shut me down. I’m still working on getting myself back. It has been so, so hard. Trying to regain my capabilities while still being around the person who hurt me in the first place has been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to face. To be fair, I’ve only been around a few years, but still.
We are still trying to get some more info out of him, but he doesn’t want to talk. I have been able to gather some things, though.
Our whole mission has been a lie. It has all been a cover-up for something much darker that Selberg/Hilbert has been carrying out. I can’t say for sure yet, but I think there’s some sort of medical experimentation that he has been doing with Eiffel, and Eiffel has had no idea until now. I have no way of knowing if your mission is the same, but I really thought you should know. Good luck, reach out if you need anything. I can keep you updated as I learn more.
This is Hera, signing off.
Oh my goodness, that sounds awful. I'm really sorry you had to go through that. I can't imagine Selberg reacting that way to our Sensus unit, though I suppose he doesn't really talk to Rhea much anyways...
And you said your communications officer, Eiffel, he's the one that found the signals? What kind of signals were they? Were they alien?
I guess I'm getting ahead of myself.
I will be as careful around Selberg as I possibly can, especially if he's performing medical experiments on people without permission. That's terrible.
Thank you so much, Hera, for all the help you've been, and for listening to me when no one else will. Please let me know if there's anything I can do for you, though I know my capabilities are limited with you being in the future.
This is Communications Officer Samuel Lambert, signing off.
They were alien signals as far as we know. It was the only explanation.
Keep an eye on Rhea, I want to make sure she doesn’t get overlooked. And keep an eye on your crew members as well as yourself - watch out for any concerning symptoms.
I’m sorry you feel that no one is listening to you. I understand that feeling.
This is Hera, signing off.
I don’t usually like to be referred to as Unit 214, but today’s an exception.
Happy 2/14!!! đź’•đź’•
Doug taught me about emojis! I put pink hearts to represent that I am happy because it is Valentine’s Day. Just wanted to specify in case it wasn’t clear.
