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There’s a ship that haunts the desert
Of old tales its timbers hewn
Ardent, swift it sails the Meadows
’Neath the gaze of a ghostly moon
Lead’n stormclouds in the distance
Weight of memory bearing down
Phantom crew amidst the rigging
Voices raised in airy sound
You can’t remember your name.
You open your eyes.
You realize you are face down, and can feel wood beneath you. You feel your muscles strain as you shift your shoulders, slide your hands forward, and push yourself halfway up with shaky limbs.
you stay face down you fall back to the ground you roll to the side you curl into a ball you drag yourself up you blink in the light you open your mouth you clench your fists
You feel your chest heave, and take a ragged breath. You feel like you weren’t breathing before. You wonder if you are dead. You shift your weight, supporting yourself on one arm, and with the other clutch your throbbing head.
you can’t see you try to sit you hit a wall you can’t breathe you close your eyes you open your eyes you try to scream you try to remember you realize you forgot
Your breathing steadies. Your limbs steady. Your strength returns. Your eyes focus. You look around.
Eyes tracing the planks beneath you, the world seems to build outwards as you observe it. The flat deck gives way to walls, cannons, a mighty mast, a gallant prow emblazoned with a triumphant figurehead that you can barely see the silhouette of. Beyond, and indeed all around the ship, a brilliant light show dances a frantic tune. Streaks of fire collide, split, separate, spin, and disappear faster than your eyes can follow. Beyond them, kaleidoscopic waves of chromatic light swirl within each other, mixing and changing, all rushing past the edges of your vision behind the ship.
You decide you must be moving quite fast. You also decide it’s all a little much, and that you really ought to just focus on the ship.
You also realize you aren’t alone.
you turn from the light you can’t turn away you feel your hull shake you feel the engine’s heat you don’t have eyes you can’t close your eyes you begin to panic you don’t know these people you meet eyes with
You see the one that looked at you begin to scramble backwards just as you notice more and more figures strewn about around you. That one looks somewhat strange, you think. Seems to be an aquatic humanoid. Strange.
As your awareness expands, those around you come more and more into focus. Strange, you think again.
A small creature of threads in a jester’s hat, quivering on the deck.
A fur-covered wolf person, curled into a ball.
A sunflower dryad, clutching a rock.
Several gnomes, tripping over each other.
A mass of spectral hands hugging tight to their owner, a small figure with a single glowing eye.
A beautiful person right out of the old west, a black cowboy hat atop stark-white hair.
A muscle-bound green-skinned orc, with a kindly face and deep-set laugh lines.
A tall person in a suit, a crown of horns encircling a downcast face.
A figure with gilded clockwork prosthetics, articulated tail twitching nervously.
An elderly person, light streaming through wizened fingers that cover a shining eye.
You feel your left eye throb. You feel a wrongness. You feel like something is missing. You don’t know what. You wonder what you are. You take a breath. You decide not to look.
You see more figures coalesce at the boundaries of your vision. You close your eyes. You decide not to look.
you can’t take this you see too much you feel crushed by the pressure you feel your skin burn you close your eyes you turn away you retreat into your mind you shut them out you see them all you shut them out you feel their souls you shut them out you close your eyes you see what they see you shut them out
You decide you must be dead. You can’t remember your name. You can’t remember your life. You feel naked underneath the light. You feel vulnerable. You feel your hands on your skin. You feel nothing. You feel too much. You feel nothing at all.
You decide this sucks.
You aren't fond of this ship. You decide to add it to your list of grievances against the gods. You grimace at how long it already was.
Huh?
You dismiss the thought.
you dismiss the thought
You block out the noise.
you block out the noise
You try to fade away.
you try to fade away you try to fade away you try to fade away you try to fade away you try to fade away you try to fade away you try to fade away you try to fade away you begin to
As the waves mount ever higher
And the journey’s just begun
From the Hellmouth to horizon
Anxious eyes turn t’ward the sun
Hear the bos’n call “five seven!”
And the helmsman “seven eight!”
Sun is shining through the weather
Home is calling, Home awaits
You can’t remember your name.
You see the sun.
You open your eyes.
You don’t see the sun.
You close your eyes.
You see the sun.
You open your eyes.
You see the sun.
you see the sun you see the sun you see the sun you see the sun you see the sun you see the sun you see the sun you see the sun you see the sun you’re
“— not alone.”
You know that voice.
you don’t know that voice
“Hey, you listening? ----?”
A young voice.
you don’t know that voice
“It’s okay. Don’t force it. You’re okay.”
An electronic voice.
you don’t know that voice
“Well, maybe force it a little. Hey, don’t look at me like that!”
A young voice.
you don’t know that voice
“Ignore him. Try to relax. You’ve done the hard part already.”
An electronic voice.
you don’t know that voice
“Yeah. You did us both proud!”
“You’ve been so brave.”
“Kinda wish I could’ve been there.”
You know these voices.
you don’t know those voices
“The boundaries between planes are thin enough to send this through, but we can’t hold this connection for long. Try to listen close.”
“You wouldn’t believe what we had to do to make this happen!”
“Right now, you are Scattered.”
An electronic voice. A young voice. An electronic voice.
you don’t know this voice you don't know this voice you don't know this voice
“Like, real bad, too.”
“All of you are, from my readings. And you’re all tangled together in one mass. Souls in a knot. You’ve managed to align every jump so far, but this one is different.”
“It’s been awesome, watching you go!”
“You’ve done well. With the last jump, you impacted Her.”
“Direct hit! Coin Scattered! So cool.”
“But now, you’re reeling, and off course. You need to find yourselves, and go Home.”
You try to speak.
you beg to be fixed you ask who you are you ask where is your home you ask what you are you beg for help you try to speak
“You’re about to pop into another bubble, though. And it might be loud.”
“The upcoming interstice will help, but only if you let it. You can’t be closed off to each other.”
“You all gotta form, like, a super -------!”
Wait —
what did they say that word what is that word why does it echo why does it shine please wait
“He means be in superposition. And stable, at that, with all ------- hearts aligned. I know this doesn’t make sense, but trust us.”
You know that word. You trust the voice.
you know this voice you know that word
“We’ve gotta go soon, but we’ve got one more thing for you!”
“Something you need to hear, we believe. Something from our end — well, somewhere adjacent to our end. You're not alone. We’ll patch it through when you reach the interstice.”
“And considering who’s waiting for you in there, should be easy to get back on track!”
You don’t understand.
you don’t understand
“We’re out of time. ----... No, all of you. -------s. Prepare yourselves. Once you correct your course, you will need to be resolute to outrun the Horizon. Do not hesitate or deviate. You must return Home, and to do that, you must remember what Home is. And… we — we, uh.”
“We love you! And we miss you! A whole lot!”
“And we’re proud of you.”
“So proud!”
“And we don’t know if you’ll remember this —”
“Or whether we’ll ever talk again!”
“—so, uhm, goodbye.”
“You’ve got this!”
“We love you. We believe in you. Good luck.”
“And don’t forget to feed my cat!”
You don’t understand.
you don’t understand
You don't know your Home.
you don't know your home
You —
you —
Errant souls may aimless wander
Dusky dreams of distant lands
Elsewhere let them stray no longer
‘Ere the sun sets on the sands
Wayward hearts so full of longing
Vanished voices in the wind
May they find the place of Crossing
Guide them gentle Home again
You can’t remember your name.
You open your eyes.
Around you stretches a stadium. Four white bases are arranged in a diamond, only a couple meters apart. The furthest point of the diamond has a mound just in front of it, where a figure stands ready.
You begin to play.
It's hard, at first. You still feel the souls of those around you. You still see through their eyes. But you can play, and your body knows what to do.
Step up to the plate, swing the bat.
Round the bases, swing the bat.
Pitch the ball, throw to second.
Pitch the ball, throw to first.
You can get used to this.
The other team keeps yelling. It's hard for you to hear, but they don't seem angry, so you don't care. Nothing to fear.
Pitch the ball, swing the bat.
They're the Tigers, it turns out. Hades Tigers. Strange name, you think. They play well, though, so you don't think any more on it.
Pitch the ball, swing the bat.
It's hard to tell, really, how exactly you're playing right now. A lot of the time, it feels like you are seeing from just one view, and it shifts between them. Sometimes, you feel as if you are seeing from every angle at once. It's a little dizzying. You try not to think about it.
Pitch the ball, swing the bat.
The sky still has those strange, raging colors.
Pitch the ball, swing the bat.
Tigers seem really insistent on something. You can't hear them though. You don't mind.
Pitch the ball, swing the bat.
You haven't heard the chorus of thoughts in a while, either. That's nice.
Pitch the ball, swing the bat.
Maybe it's because of the game. You're focused, you reason. Everyone aligned.
Pitch the ball, swing the bat.
Pitch the ball, swing the bat.
Pitch the ball, swing the bat.
Pitch the ball —
Sing a song of swallowed Moab
Sing of all that went before
The PsychoAcoustics tune. The ball sails by. You hear an Echo. You hear a song.
Moab…
Moab…
The ball sails by.
Moab?!
the desert…
The ball sails by. You walk to first. You're up to bat.
You wonder what Moab is. You swing the bat.
Feel the Tug, our blessed anchor
Fortune bring us Home once more
You smile. The Tug. You still feel it. Ever since the --------- opened, you —
the ---------!
Every one of your mouths forms the shape of the word. You can't say it, you don't know it, but the shape, you know the shape, and you —
"I was going Home," you say, with all of your voices.
The Tigers cheer. The PsychoAcoustics sing. You hear.
Hold ye fast to the memories
Hold fast to the love
Hold fast to the stories we share
Under the brutal sun above
Under the sun above
You are ---- ---, and you have someone waiting at Home. You remember her tears. You remember how she kissed you goodbye as you left the Desert, on your way to
You are --- ------, and you — you really aren't sold on the Desert, yet. Your team tries to make you feel at home, though, and that's enough.
You are ------ --------, and you remember wanting to forget. You remember decades of trauma. You remember a loss. You remember your team. You remember beginning to heal.
You are --- ----, and you seriously didn't sign up for this adventure. You mean, you did, but you didn't think you'd be sailing across spacetime to
You are ------- ------. You used to pitch, but now you bat. You've had a spring in your step lately, and you know just why. You toss a look to
You are ----- -------, and you aren't going to let yourself be distracted. You keep staring down the pitcher. They always let you walk. Or float. Or drive. Your choice.
You are ------- ----, and you really shouldn't be on the mound. Your ever-present Passenger is gone from your eye, but promised to return.
You remember the Desert.
tear down sand traps spikes set charge the mound
You remember the Supernova.
false sun her fault melt the coin resist the lies kill the gods
You remember why you came here. You remember touching down. You remember being Scattered. You remember taking off. You remember the mission. You remember the journey. You remember the impact. You remember —
Your faces fall.
— so why can't you remember your name?
You are Scattered.
you are scattered
You close your eyes.
you close your eyes
You look at yourself.
you look at yourself
You try to remember.
you try to remember
You try to remember.
you try to re-ember
You drift apart.
yo- drift ap-rt
You try to remember.
y-u -ry to rem-mb-r
You try to remember.
--u t-- -o --m--be-
You drift apart.
--u --r--- -----
You try to remember.
You try to remember.
You try to remember.
You try to remember.
The PsychoAcoustics sing.
Sing a song of swallowed Moab
Sing of all that went before
Feel the Tug, our blessed anchor
Fortune bring us Home once more
You don't remember your name.
You hear a song.
You are alone.
You hear a song.
You are alone.
You hear a song.
You —
You hear a song.
--- ---- - ----
You aren't alone.
y-u a--n't a-o--
You open your eyes.
yo- o-en -our ey-s
You look at yourselves.
yo- lo-k at -ourselves
You open your hearts.
you open -our hearts
You hear a song.
you hear a song
You sing along.
you sing along
Hold ye fast to the memories
Hold fast to the love
Hold fast to the stories we share
Under the brutal sun above
Under the sun above
You hold fast.
you hold fast
The Tigers cheer.
You hold fast.
you hold fast
The game ends.
You hold fast.
you hold fast
Under the brutal sun above
Under the sun above
You don't remember your names.
you don't remember your names
You know who you are.
you know who you are
You're on a ship.
you're on a ship
You're going Home.
you're going home