[AUDIO) We begin on a space station, hearing the hum of the slow turning engine. The room is large and nearly empty.

ARCHIVIST: Welcome to the Archives. Our record for review today will be from section 27: Historical Worlds. Today’s sample is from one of the oldest homes of the Collected Archives, the planet Vadd. For any visitors seeking the usual review of our last recorded session, the Archives must apologize. That recording was somehow damaged during transmission and is with our data specialists for repair. We will be advised as soon as it is once again available.

Please note that any opinions expressed in these samples belong solely to the speaker on record and do not reflect the views of this station, the archival union, or the Collected Archives itself. If anything in this review causes listener distress or confusion please report to the nearest attendant for assistance. Potential sources of distress include military service and battle. Please also note there will be time for questions and observations once the sample has concluded.

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[AUDIO][At the sound of an electronic swoop, the sounds of the space station fade away. They are replaced by a fountain somewhere in the quiet part of a citadel. The burble of the fountain almost covers up the constant hum of a nearby power. Throughout the recording several plops can be heard, like the sound of pebbles hitting the water.

OROSH: Hi Mom. Hi Dad. It’s Orosh. If you’re wondering why there’s no video I promise the recorder you gave me works, but it turns out something in the soil here messes with the signal. If you really want to see me full of jagged lines and bright out of context pixels let me know for next time. It’s only been a week so I still look just like me.

I do wish you could see the place I’m sitting in though. It’s… There’s a fountain right next to me. Water comes up out of the top of a planet and flows down into sides intto the basin, and there are flowers and fish carved all over the edges. I’m sitting in one of the flowers. The fish… th- they- they have… eyes and it’s just a little creepy after a while. I’m still not sure how I feel about food that can see me?. Just.. just imagine it though. The water flows all the time. There’s another fountain closer to the center of the city, a bigger one with water coming out in three different places but I like it better here. It’s peaceful.

You were right about how loud it would be. At home we’re pretty far from the mines and the port traffic’s only a few times a day. Here there are ships coming and going all the time, and the ground-shuttle’s everywhere. The traffic never stops and the lights are always on. They put night-shields on our windows to help us sleep but it’s still brighter than my roommate and I are used to.

Oh! I- I think you’d like Rel. She’s from Aldeir, that planet we used to see sometimes early in the morning right near the horizon. She was studying to be a tech mechanic there so that’s probably where she’ll end up here too. She’s Definitely ahead of me in science but I think I have her beat in equations.

(Orosh cont.) First week lessons were a lot, but I can’t believe how much I didn’t know about our own history! Do you know how many worlds our people went through before they finally found the perfect home? Vadd’s the fifth central world. The other four just… we used them up I guess? Resources gone, water dried up, dusty and tired and only livable if you have domes like we do back home. I guess they started off nice enough but… well, Vadd’s lasted longer than any of the others by centuries! They say we got it right this time, and we’re on the forever-home.

Oh, I’m supposed to meet with one of the attendants tomorrow to talk about my placement. I thought we’d have a little more time before picking a specialty but that’s ok. They’ll talk to me about service too. You know how we wondered about this academy being free? It is, but I do have to go into service for a while as part of it. I can be an attendant if I pass all the tests, or I can be a defender. Rel and I are probably both going to go for defenders. They talk up how important planetary defense is, b- bu- but all I ever see are a few patrol shuttles overhead. There’s no Enemy, jus- just Vadd and the moons and gathered worlds, so what are we defending from? We figure we’ll see some of the world that way, maybe learn how to fly, a-and the service term’s shorter than for attendants, only three years unless you decide to stay!

After that I… I’m thinking about building, architecture, design, or even materials. I-I-I know it’s different, but you don’t understand. All that math, here on Vadd it’s beautiful. Everything is built in harmony, and made to fit in the world. There’s even a whole bridge made out of stone from Our Moon! Just think of it, a great sweeping arc of Kef-stone polished until it gleams, with- with a river of all things flowing underneath. They said they built it that way to honor Kef, and its people, and everything we’ve given to the gathered worlds. It’s-It’s funny because when we’ve packed the stone to send here, you’ve both told me it was to honor Vadd, and its people, an-and everything they’ve given to us.

(Orosh cont.) They… they talk about that kind of thing a lot in class here, how everything we do, and everything we give is to honor our home and all the other worlds gathered together, and how receiving the gift is one honor and giving it is another. There’s so much here, and so much comes from here. It’s… It’s a wonder to me that they could want anything we have, let alone need or honor it. I mean, all we gave is rocks which we have a Lot of, but, but if they want to celebrate our rocks and our people who am I to say no? And I think… I think I could build things like that too, beautiful and meaningful and making the most out of the bits and pieces other worlds can send here.

I guess that’s kind of what they’re doing to us too. Most of us are from off-world, you know. A bunch from the outer moons and mines like ours, but… but even more from the newer planets. There are a few students here from Vadd but they’re not really in our classes. Maybe because they’ve been here all along, so the central world history is old news to them? There’s so much for us to learn to catch up, but I’m doing fine.

Um… I know I said it when I was leaving, but I need to say it again. Thank you. Thank you for letting me come here, for letting me see the Center an-and try a life away from home. I know you’ll have to find someone to take my place in the mine, and it’ll be shaky for a while and I also know you didn’t want to tell me that. “Parents do so kids can dream”. Isn’t that what you always say Mom? I’m dreaming, but I’m going to do too. I’ll make you proud. I’ll make you glad you sent me.

(Orosh cont.) Love you. I’ll send this out tonight. Send back when you can! Bye!

[AUDIO[ The audio continues for a bit before the electronic swoop again signals a change. The sounds of the city and fountain fade away and the sound of the space station returns.

ARCHIVIST: This recording was sent out with the last transmissions to leave Vadd. The fifth Center was destroyed the next morning in a planetary strike by a force still unknown to this day. The planetary defense force our speaker mentioned was too small to stop whatever happened and there were no survivors. After several days without transmissions a trade ship from one of the nearby gathered worlds found the shattered planet but no signs of any remaining danger. It is said the members of the original reformed Defense Force each took a piece of Vadd with them as a token of their oaths.

This concludes today’s record. This recording will be available for review by our next session barring any delays as our data specialists work to repair the recently damaged record of our last session. If you have any questions or wish to comment on today’s experience, please visit an attendant and they will happily record your response.

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[AUDIO] With a softer swoop, the sounds of the hall fade out to be replaced by the sound of a smaller, softer room. An office.

FIRST ATTENDANT: Interesting choice. Better than the dirt farmer at least.

ARCHIVIST: Attendant, why my archive? Why lost worlds?

FIRST ATTENDANT: It was their choice. They said “We can see the news, talk to the living. History tells us more.”

ARCHIVIST: It can, if you look in the right places.

FIRST ATTENDANT: And you’ll make sure they see the right places, won’t you?”

ARCHIVIST: Of course.

[MUSIC[ A sparse, lonely repeating motif with a sound like crystal, a shifting bed of strings underneat.

CREDITS: The Last Echoes is written by Trace Callahan with editing by Evan Tess Murray. Direction is by Evan Tess Murray. Sound design and music are by Trace Callahan. This episode features Brion Kerry, Chijioke Williams, and Trace Callahan. We are so glad you’re here to share these stories with us. To find us online, find us at Lastechoes pod, on Twitteer, the Fediverse, and Tumblr or visit our website lastechoes.com. We’d love to hear from you.

Thank you to our season one supporters, including Maddie, Rebekah, Kate, Anne, Christopher, Holly, Tina, Stephanie, and Caroline.

Keep telling your story, the study sessions and coffee with friends, the park visits and daydreams. Together, our stories make our whole world. And when all that’s left is an echo, no one’s voice is small.