text: [Themes: Science Fiction, strong NPCs]
  
  > Go downward
  The tunnel dug through torn metal and broken laminas opens after a while into a sort of alcove.
  
  Hidden under layers of lead and plastics, this cubic room seems to be
  a vault for protecting some highly valuable equipment. The only exit
  is via a rip above your head: There's no sign of another door and you puzzle at how one could have entered the place before the ravagings of time opened a way.
  
  Near the rip that cuts through the room, a double y-shaped holder has been pierced through by some unknown object. Although the holder
  itself has survived the crash: the same cannot be said of the bar that once rested on it, now reduced to mere powder.
  
  LOGAN://"It seems that the object that has pierced the hull in this section of the ship has done its share of damage to the radioactive bars of the self-destruction engine. It seems you have to find an adequate substitute to power the sequence."
  
  > insert the bar in the holder
  (the charged bar in the bars holder)
  You start putting the charged bar on the holder... but then hesitate. There is something, in Andy's words, that's still ringing in your
  ears.
  
  If I trigger the sequence, you murmur, the AI will be
  destroyed along with the ship.
  
  LOGAN://"What are you waiting for, Ektor Mastiff? There is not much time left. The supernova is now less than half an hour from the Arcadia."
  
  "Tell me, LOGAN: How did your crew store their... memories? The story of your galaxy?"
  
  LOGAN://"The bulk of Neulanean knowledge complexity is recorded in a compartment in bridge 3, level 4, starboard section, if that is what you mean. Unfortunately, the place is unreachable from here. Why are you asking, if I can inquire?"
  
  "Fact is, my friend, that if I decide to blow up this ship, those memories... and yours also, will be lost forever. I don't know if I want the hand that pushes the button to be mine."
  
  LOGAN://"Oh, this is a nice consideration, on your behalf, but I don't see how your choice could change the outcome. The supernova is almost here and there is no one left in the galaxy to save us."
  
  "That's fine, but... I don't know. Pulling the trigger: Wouldn't it mean they have won? The Hyerotropes, I mean. The fact that they are going seek-and-destroy on us and in the end we decide to sacrifice ourselves -- our heritage -- to them... Isn't it like surrendering?"
  
  There is a minute of silence, then the friendly machine speaks again:
  
  LOGAN://"I think you are rather miscalculating the situation, here, Ektor Mastiff. What makes you believe the objects you call the Hyerotropes are after you or any other being in the galaxy? Evidence suggests that the scope of the events triggered by them is not even comparable to the life-span of your -- or Neulanean's -- entire history. They seem to be invoking forces to mould masses of galaxies. Although I'm not programmed to make hypotheses, I can suppose they don't even calculate life as something worthy of their
  attention."
  
  You pause. The bar in your hands starts growing dim.
  
  "But they did disintegrate at least three inhabited
  galaxies." You think about Uncle Oren's last words. "If not life, what is it they are after?"
  
  LOGAN://"That I cannot answer. What I understand, though, is that you are giving us more account than we deserve. The universe is fifteen billion years old. We are just a whisper in a crowded gathering. The universe will survive. It will outlive us and maybe the Hyerotropes, too."
  
  "But," you insist, "why did they spare me? Why did they save
  me, if I'm not that important?"
  
  LOGAN://"Because it is polite, isn't it, Ektor Mastiff?"
  
  You stare at the vacuum and take your decision. As you drop the
  charged bar in place, a vigorous alarm starts ringing. It is so strong you have to clog your ears. After about ten seconds, the alarm goes silent and everything becomes dark and cold.
  
  LOGAN://"To trigger the self-destruct sequence, I had to remove power from every other remaining facility. I kept the railways functioning for you to get back to the Hyerotrope. The ELSS is down, so don't remove your suit at any cost. You have 40 minutes left before the Arcadia will blast. Good luck, Ektor Mastiff."
  
  > Go upwards
  The narrow corridor comes to a halt where it has been devoured by a large gaping hole, opening to the north under your feet. The hole continues up and to the southeast, from where it must have originated. A pair of now useless rails departs from here and fall into the darkness before you.
  
  LOGAN://"Warning! Self-destruct sequence activated. You have thirty-nine minutes to leave the ship!"
  
  > go to the northwest
  The bigger tunnel in which you stand is a replica of the lower ones, starting southwest of here. Same environment, except for different proportions. The ceiling is at least ten meters above you, and the wormhole is equally wide. To the south, it clogs into a strange valve, like an intestine curtain of steel. To the east and northeast, two glass paneled doors open into similar, sterile rooms. The high
  corridor continues to the north.
  
  As you pass through the big valve, it closes after you. Something
  tells you there's no turning back, at this point.
  
  > Go north
  The steel wormhole continues north into a wide chamber, and runs south into its next section. Lights flicker dimly. To the east, a bulky shutter stands closed. To the southwest is a dimly lit room, with strange machinery on the inside.
  
  LOGAN://"Warning! Self-destruct sequence activated. You have
  thirty-six minutes to leave the ship!"
  
  > go north
  Light in here gets dimmer, as the only source is several meters up ahead, on the distant ceiling. In front of you, a ramp runs into several tunnels, each lined by railways. Many of the holes are shuttered by heavy bulkheads, while others lead into darkness, way out of reach. On the opposite side, the circular room enters the high corridor to the south.
  
  A deformed monstrosity is snarling in front of you. You can see its eye, its venomous, thousand-toothed mouth. You can see its hunger. As you move a step, it becomes aware of you and picks up your scent.
  
  You had better hurry.
  
  A lone wagon, an open boat hanging over rails, sits undamaged at the beginning of the ramp.
  
  On the lone wagon is a rusty console.
  
  LOGAN://"Oh dear. It seems that dropping the main power has released our other only guest. Find sanctuary, Ektor Mastiff. That thing looks famished."
  
  > go south
  The steel wormhole continues north into a wide chamber, and runs south into its next section. Lights flicker dimly. To the east, a bulky shutter stands closed. To the southwest is a dimly lit room, with strange machinery on the inside.
  
  The thousand-toothed nightmare arrives from the north.
  
  > go to the south
  The bigger tunnel in which you stand is a replica of the lower ones, starting southwest of here. Same environment, except for different proportions. The ceiling is at least ten meters above you, and the wormhole is equally wide. To the south, it clogs into a strange valve, like an intestine curtain of steel. To the east and northeast, two glass paneled doors open into similar, sterile rooms. The high
  corridor continues to the north.
  
  LOGAN://"Warning! Self-destruct sequence activated. You have thirty-three minutes to leave the ship!"
  
  The creature arrives from the north.
  
  > Go east
  A sterile room, every wall filled by glass cases of the same size and shape. It opens west through a glass paneled door.
  
  The thousand-toothed nightmare arrives from the west.
  
  > Open case
  You pull the handle then release it. The small door closes back pneumatically in a few seconds.
  
  Something strange happens.
  
  A faint... wind caresses your right arm as the case closes. It feels like someone is breathing in your ears with levity. A sort of... buzzing can be heard around you.
  
  It could easily have been your imagination.
  
  The creature roars with anger. You can feel its hunger growing.
  
  The creature snarls at you, its thousand-toothed mouth the sole plausible exit from this decaying world. Then, something happens. Its mouth begins filling with blood and before you can understand what is happening, the hulk is devoured by a billion tiny insects.
  
  A hiss follows the invisible killer as it abandons the room, leaving you unscarred.
  
  [You have earned the Hellen Ripley achievement]
  
  > Go west
  The bigger tunnel in which you stand is a replica of the lower ones, starting southwest of here. Same environment, except for different proportions. The ceiling is at least ten meters above you, and the wormhole is equally wide. To the south, it clogs into a strange valve, like an intestine curtain of steel. To the east and northeast, two glass paneled doors open into similar, sterile rooms. The high
  corridor continues to the north.
  
  LOGAN://"Warning! Self-destruct sequence activated. You have thirty minutes to leave the ship!"
  
  > go north
  The steel wormhole continues north into a wide chamber, and runs south into its next section. Lights flicker dimly. To the east, a bulky shutter stands closed. To the southwest is a dimly lit room, with strange machinery on the inside.
  
  > enter the wagon
  You get onto the lone wagon.
  
  On the lone wagon you can see a rusty console.
  
  LOGAN://"Warning! Self-destruct sequence activated. You have twenty-seven minutes to leave the ship!"
  
  > Go north
  (first getting off the lone wagon)
  You can't go that way.
  
  > Keep going
  The wagon departs!
  
  After a short while you find yourself in...
  
  Second Station (on the lone wagon)
  In here rails depart into several holes that plunge into darkness. A set of secondary tunnels leaves from the north and northeast while, to the west, a much larger highway is lit by a strong flashing strobe.
  
  On the lone wagon you can see a rusty console.
  
  > go west
  Through Belmont and Keller, other side of the gate
  The tunnel runs east to west, into the docks of the ship.
  
  The bars of the gate are lifted and now stick into the ceiling like a giant's teeth.
  
  LOGAN://"Warning! Self-destruct sequence activated. You have
  twenty-one minutes to leave the ship!"
  
  > enter the pod
  You get into the pod.
  
  LOGAN://"Destination?"
  
  LOGAN://"Warning! Self-destruct sequence activated. You have eighteen minutes to leave the ship!"
  
  > 71port
  LOGAN://"Navigating!"
  
  The Reliquary (in the pod)
  A dark, metal-plated room. The ceiling ten meters above. The floor a matrix of ebony-colored tiles. A cave, you would call it. A cave of
  the soul.
  
  A dark, shiny sphere breathing slowly in the east side of the room,
  its thousand luminescent tentacles strangling reality and changing it at its will.
  
  The Hyerotrope, the end of all life.
  
  Half buried in the ground, its four dots are blinking in the dark.
  
  > Go outside
  You get out of the pod.
  
  A dark, metal-plated room. The ceiling ten meters above. The floor a matrix of ebony-colored tiles. A cave, you would call it. A cave of
  the soul.
  
  A pod is ready, here, waiting for passengers.
  
  A dark, shiny sphere breathing slowly in the east side of the room,
  its thousand luminescent tentacles strangling reality and changing it at its will.
  
  The Hyerotrope, the end of all life.
  
  Half buried in the ground, its four dots are blinking in the dark.
  
  > Go east
  You take a last glance at the Arcadia and turn to face your nemesis.
  
  What are you? Friend? Foe? Or is this computer right, you just
  don't care?
  
  LOGAN://"The supernova is about to reach the ship, Ektor Mastiff. I suggest you hurry up."
  
  "Goodbye, LOGAN," you frown. "And thank you for helping me out."
  
  LOGAN://"It has been a pleasure, more than a duty. Talking to someone was interesting, after all this time alone. Have a good trip... and don't forget to write!"
  
  You take one last, deep breath, then jump into the welcoming Hyerotrope. You wonder where it will take you and puzzle at how your story will go on.
  
  What you are sure of, though, is that it will be a hell of a ride.
  
  The Monarch system is shrinking. It is now just a tiny dot, glaring
  and glittering in the emptiness of space.
  
  They told you there were more, out there: other planets, other civilizations, other galaxies. They couldn't tell, though, how much deep space divides one from the other. How much time.
  
  You are distracted by a dark spot, in the emptiness of your voyage, lingering beyond the boundaries of Andromeda. What is it? you
  puzzle. Then, a blinding explosion suffocates your sight. A hundred sequential blasts paint the dark shape red, then yellow, then white. And all of a sudden, the sky is black again.
  
  There is just that... small round object, running from the explosion like a speeding bullet.
  
  Could it be that...?
  
  "We are reaching our destination," the old man says. "Brace yourself, 'cause this is goin' to be strong."
  
  The dark, silent presence turns and you can finally see its eyes looking at you.
  
  Staring. Like the four red eyes of a devil.
  
  [You have earned the Survivor achievement]