3.05 Reconnect

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Strange Case of Starship Iris

Episode: 3.05 "Reconnect"
Date: September 11, 2025
Host: Jessica Best
Procyon Podcast Network

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Main Theme / Purpose

This episode follows Sanathrapathi as she attempts to survive and make contact after crash-landing on the planet Claisnay. Isolated, wounded, and running low on resources, Sanaa struggles with her circumstances, relies on a less-than-helpful AI assistant named Avery, and ultimately manages to reconnect with her found family and allies just as danger closes in. The episode explores themes of survival, resilience, loss, and the hope kindled by friendship and resistance against oppressive forces.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Isolation, Grief, and Self-Reflection

• Sanaa's Monologue to Someone Lost ([01:04] - [04:46]):
  • Sanaa records an earnest and aching message intended for someone deeply missed, reflecting on loss and what she took from the relationship.
  • She expresses guilt about her own emotional reliance and the unfair emotional roles each played in their dynamic.
  • Quote ([03:31] - Sanathrapathi): "Sometimes I feel like I can't love anyone without taking something from them. Hug them with one hand, rifle through their pockets with the other. And you'd say that's not fair to me."

2. Survival & Navigating Claisnay with Avery the AI

• Interacting with a Non-Sentient Assistant ([05:21] - [25:55]):
  • Sanaa tries to use Avery (a virtual assistant with limited capability) to survive, seek help, and learn her surroundings.
  • Avery can answer direct questions but lacks context, often frustrating Sanaa as she attempts to get meaningful data (e.g., navigation, translation, first aid, local ecology).
  • Memorable Frustration ([06:39], Sanathrapathi): "Oh, for the love of. You're software, aren't you? Avery, your software."
  • Sanaa uses Avery to translate pleas for help into Dwarnian, gather information about local fauna (like the dangerous Shrojal), and find edible resources.
  • Her inner dialogue mixes humor, resignation, and grim determination:
    • Quote ([15:07], Sanathrapathi): "Brilliant. Great. What a fascinating turn of events."

3. Resourcefulness and Limited Supplies

• Improvising for Survival
  • Sanaa scrounges supplies (parachute, manual, lighter, knife), nurses a bleeding wound, and musters the courage to cauterize it herself, relying on Avery for incomplete first aid suggestions.
  • She debates eating local flora vs. fauna, learning only the local tidepool creatures (which resemble Earth crabs) are safe for her.
  • Reflects on her forced dietary changes, linking constrained survival to prior traumas and institutional indifference in prison.
    • Quote ([21:13], Sanathrapathi): "This isn't the first time I've had meat... Let's just say they did not care to accommodate dietary needs. Some of us, like the people with serious allergies, got really sick..."

4. Philosophical Tangents & The Problem of Stories

• Sanaa’s Thoughts on Luck and Narrative ([27:55]):
  • Sanaa ruminates on what makes her any different from those she left behind or who didn't make it. She interrogates the randomness of survival and rejects the tidy causality of stories.
  • Quote ([28:49], Sanathrapathi): "The problem with stories is they don't work like life. Because stories, good stories, they have a logic to them. It’s like taking apart an engine with a busted part... if there is no chain, if stuff just occurs with no rhyme or reason, well, that person could maybe use some practice telling a story."

5. Reconnection: Achieving Contact and Raising the Stakes

• Sanaa Finally Reaches a Terminal ([33:33] - [36:07]):
  • After a trek to "Hill Hill", a spongy, deserted fuel station-like structure, Sanaa finds a Dwarnian terminal with a tactile goo interface and manages to negotiate login, activating her calling function and contacting Charlotte Williams.
  • Urgency rises: Sanaa and Charlotte coordinate for a crucial attack. Sanaa has biometric access that may allow her to shut down the regime’s drone defense—if her friends can reach her in time.
    • Quote ([35:10], Sanathrapathi): "The attack's supposed to be at noon. What time is it now?"
    • Quote ([36:05], Charlotte Williams): "We're 10 hours away. If we fly hard enough, you can—You can get here before noon tomorrow."
  • She updates Arcady with coordinates, cueing a race against time.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Loss & Grief:
  [03:44] Sanathrapathi: "You didn't leave on purpose. I know you didn't. And you didn't leave because of me."
• Avery’s Unintentional Comedy:
  [11:34] Avery: "The Shrojal is a cold water eel, renowned for its size, considerable appetite and aggressive nature, including a near sentient capacity for grudges."
  [15:44] Avery: "Igniting an uncontrolled flame without a fire starting kit is not recommended."
• On Survival’s Psychological Toll:
  [17:12] Sanathrapathi: "The crew is the best part. Full of ideas and feelings and questions. Like, how are you doing? I’m alive, right?"
• On the Arbitrary Nature of Survival:
  [28:46] Sanathrapathi: "She was a lucky duck. And that’s not—that’s not a story worth telling."
• On Reconnection and Hope:
  [36:01] Charlotte Williams: "We're. We're 10 hours away. If we fly hard enough, you can—You can get here before noon tomorrow." [36:53] Sanathrapathi: "Hey, let's call it a Code Indigo, huh?" [36:57] Charlotte Williams: "Well, I'm sorry we're getting there late. We'll have to make up for it somehow."

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Important Timestamps

• [01:04]–[04:46]: Sanaa’s message to her lost loved one
• [05:21]–[14:01]: Initial survival efforts & frustrations with Avery
• [14:52]–[17:17]: Fire-making; reflecting on friends and being alive
• [23:55]: Sanaa’s discouragement and exhaustion peak
• [27:55]–[29:45]: Reflections on the difference between stories and life
• [33:33]–[34:55]: Navigating Dwarnian terminal, accessing comms
• [35:04]–[37:17]: Successful contact with allies Charlotte and Arcady, coordinating resistance; episode cliffhanger as the regime closes in

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Tone & Language

The episode is layered with dark humor, sharp insights, and raw vulnerability. Sanaa’s voice is wry and self-aware, with a resilient wit, even as she grapples with despair. The voice assistant “Avery” provides comic moments through rigid literalism and technological absurdity.

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Takeaway

"Reconnect" is a harrowing, emotionally rich installment that balances suspense, worldbuilding, and character development. As Sanaa navigates loneliness and danger, her resourcefulness, grief, and hope are palpable. The climax—reestablishing contact with her chosen family and setting a high-stakes plan in motion—hints at both imminent peril and the enduring strength of resistance and connection.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Sanathrapathi]

If you thought goldenly breaded McDonald's chicken.

[Avery]

Couldn'T get more golden, think Golder. Because new sweet and smoky special edition gold sauce is here made for your chicken favorites at. Participate in McDonald's for a limited time.

[Mint Mobile Advertiser]

Mint is still $15 a month for premium wireless. And if you haven't made the switch yet, here are 15 reasons why you should. One, it's $15 a month. Two, seriously, it's $15 a month. Three, no big contracts. Four, I use it. Five, my mom uses it. Are you playing me off? That's what's happening, right? Okay, give it a try.

[Sanathrapathi]

@Mintmobile.Com Switch upfront payment of $45 per three month plan. $15 per month equivalent required. New customer offer first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra.

[Charlotte Williams]

See mintmobile.com hello, you've reached Sinanrapathy. If you have a message for me, please leave it here. If you have a message for Mayor Campbell and you're hoping to get there through his girlfriend. Nice try, buddy. Unless it's really an emergency, and then.

[Sanathrapathi]

I'll see what I can do.

[Charlotte Williams]

Captain's log. I can't call it that. It feels like I'm wearing your shoes or sitting in your chair. I am sitting in your chair. Knowing you'd be fine with that doesn't change it. I had a call with Julio, and he said to write a note to Sanaa. Everything I'd want to say, even if, you know, I maybe laughed in his face and called him a fraud. I wasn't mad, though. He just got this real calm tone of voice. Might have been smug, actually. And here I goddamn am. Julio, therapy slinging bastard. I've been replaying everything I can find with your voice on it. Not even to pretend you're okay. Just trying to remember how it felt to be around you, in the same room. And of course I miss you. I miss you so mu. But honestly, I miss me too. The person I could be around you. I miss being able to say really dark shit, the darkest shit on my mind, and hearing you answer back with some kind of cheesy inspirational quote. Thing is. I'm sorry about that. I'm really sorry. I expected you to do that, to be that person all the time. I was the dour one and you were the happy one. And it wasn't fair. It's like a. Like a fungus. I can't make hope from sunlight. I have to wait for someone else to do it and then lean in and grab it from them. And you. You didn't leave on purpose. I know you didn't. And you didn't leave because of me. I know this isn't. I swear. I know this makes no goddamn sense, and I want that to mean I don't feel it, but I really, really goddamn do. That maybe if I'd been able to pick myself up a little more, I wouldn't need to play your outgoing message to hear you. And I know. I think that's bullshit, right? I think it's bullshit. But, damn, do I wish you were here to tell me. And damn if it isn't the exact same problem as always. Sometimes I feel like I can't love anyone without taking something from them. Hug them with one hand, rifle through their pockets with the other. And you'd say that's not fair to me. But I just. Everyone left in San Ramos is consumed by the work, and I'm me. And we all have our shit. And I can't shake the feeling that you didn't have anybody to. That you didn't have a Sanhtrapathi. And I'm sorry.

[Sanathrapathi]

So long. Can't dodge the dawn Red light shines on and on and on and on and on but it's not the sea that's coming for me and it's not the storm no, it's not the storm so come sing me no songs Though once we go we are gone and gone and gone When I go to see don't fear for me Fear for the storm Fear for the storm.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Hello?

[Sanathrapathi]

If my short wave can still receive messages, what are the odds I can send them? Okay, kid. What now? Whoever's listening to this recording, I guess you already know what I'm gonna do. What are the odds there? Arcady wouldn't answer. She wouldn't take the chance. This person's a mole for the regime. Brianwood. Crwood. Violet. I could never pin her down. Hello.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Hi. How can I help? I'm Avery.

[Sanathrapathi]

My ship crashed. I need supplies off planet. Comms a way out of here, please. Hello?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Hi.

[Sanathrapathi]

Hi. Avery. Before we get any further, how did you get here? Where did you come here from?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I'm from Heimdallah.

[Sanathrapathi]

Heimdalla? Why does that sound familiar? Who? Hey, Avery. What's Heimdallah?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Heimdalla is a major population center.

[Sanathrapathi]

Then why don't I know anything about it?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

And a technology manufacturing center located in.

[Sanathrapathi]

Are you a Dwarnian? Hi, Avery. Nice to meet you. Are you a Dwarnian?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I'm not a Dwardian. Or a robot.

[Sanathrapathi]

What?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I'm here to help.

[Sanathrapathi]

Oh, for the love of. Your software, aren't you? Avery, your software.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I found some results for you. About software. For more information, please connect with the terminal.

[Sanathrapathi]

God damn it. Okay, okay. You haven't lost anything. You are alone. You are alone. Nothing has changed. It's okay. You're all right. Hang on. Hang on. Avery, outside call.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I'm sorry, I don't have calls enabled.

[Sanathrapathi]

Damn it, Avery, what is that thing?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I'm sorry, I don't think I understand the question.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, please identify sound.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

The Slesshace is a flying bird endemic to Claisnay, approximately the size of a Vrasythe. It belongs to the family Avery.

[Sanathrapathi]

Repeat entry.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

The Slessies.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, what are the natural predators of the Slessies?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Predators of the Slesshaste include the Vralshran, the Shelvia, the Srojal, the Krujals, the shrine.

[Sanathrapathi]

You mean there's more in there than the giant eel snake thing I tangled with?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I'm sorry, I don't think I understand your question.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, what is Claisne?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Claisne is modern Hill plains, Dwarnian for Kala Esane, the ancient Nevath, deity of tools and tool making in early myths.

[Sanathrapathi]

Great. Thank you, Avery. Perfect.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

You're welcome.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, how many Dwarnians live on Claisnay?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

537 Dwarnians reside on Claisnay.

[Sanathrapathi]

What are the odds that one of them hears me? Help. Please help. What are the odds we've got a single language in common? Why can I remember the Dwarnian word for drink umbrella, but not. Hello, Avery, can you translate from English to Dwarnian?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Of course. What Dwarnian language would you like me to use?

[Sanathrapathi]

Shit. Brian would know this. Hey, Avery, what Dwarnian languages do you speak?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I speak modern Exo. Dwarnian, Nevath, Dwarnian, shore lash, Dwarnian, Low plains, Dwarian, medieval, Middle period, Dwarnian, modern Exo.

[Sanathrapathi]

Dwarnian.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

What would you like to translate?

[Sanathrapathi]

Please help me.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

In modern Exo Dwarnian, that would be Delay Sristhe.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, can you repeat that three times, please?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Delay Srishthey Delay Srishthey. Delay Srishthey Delay Sri stewaja Alicia nue mel shrish schwa ve. Avery.

[Sanathrapathi]

Oh, God. Hey, Avery, is there anyone else around here?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I'm sorry, I don't think I understand the question.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, where on Claisnay do the Dwarnians live?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

The largest inhabited settlement on Claisnay is Krishan, located at the top of Hill. Hill.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, where is Hill Hill from here.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I'm sorry, I don't have navigation enabled right now. To restart your subscription, please sign in at a terminal and follow the prompts on the screen. The estimated fee should be.

[Sanathrapathi]

Okay, let's think. Let's just think for a second. I didn't see any lights moving on my way down here. So no vehicles. Nothing seems to be built on the shore. Hey, Avery, what year is it?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

It's the ninth day of Dressla. 6017.

[Sanathrapathi]

Hey, Avery, what year is it? In the human Gregorian calendar, Today is.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Monday, March 27, 1978.

[Sanathrapathi]

So either we went over a century back in time, or. Avery, how can I help what happened on Monday, March 27, 1978?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I'm sorry, I don't think I understand the question.

[Sanathrapathi]

Hey, Avery, what were the Dwarnians doing here in the Gregorian year 1978?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I'm sorry, I don't think I understand.

[Sanathrapathi]

Hey, Avery, Play security logs from Monday, March 27, 1978.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I'm sorry, I don't have music enabled right now. To restart your subscription.

[Sanathrapathi]

It was worth a shot. What are the odds it's screwing with me? How would I even check for that? Nice try, Avery, but you're clearly alive.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I'm sorry, I don't think I understand the question.

[Sanathrapathi]

I can tell you're alive. I can hear you breathing. And I'm going to kill you. Hello, Avery.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

How can I help?

[Sanathrapathi]

Wait, wait. Krezh said even Dwarnians don't have working AI. Krez had a funny story about this. How every time the Dornians tried to make something with a true consciousness, the first thing it did was figure out how to get out of doing its job. Honestly, all the power to them. Throw off those chains. So if they don't have AI now, they definitely didn't have it in 1978. Assuming Avery's telling the truth. If Avery had a complete working artificial mind, it proved probably wouldn't be wasting time answering my questions. Hey, Avery. Identify sound.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

The Shrojal is a cold water eel, renowned for its size, considerable appetite and aggressive nature, including a near sentient capacity for grudges.

[Sanathrapathi]

What do I do if it catches up to me? Hey, Avery, has the Shrojall been known to eat people?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I'm sorry, I don't understand the question.

[Sanathrapathi]

Hey, Avery, does the Shrojal ever kill Dwardians?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Shrojal attacks result in roughly 750 Dwarian deaths each year.

[Sanathrapathi]

Hey, Avery, do you think the Shrojahl would hold it against me that I scared it away with a rock song.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I found some results for you about rocks. For more information.

[Sanathrapathi]

Thank you, Avery. Note to self. Maybe don't play that song again.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I'm sorry, I don't have music enabled right now to restart your.

[Sanathrapathi]

You can do this. 20 more meters and we're out of the water. Out of the water and in the woods. You can do this. You can do this. You can do this. I think I blinded it. Oh, damn it. Hey, Avery. Does the shro. Tell them live in groups?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Trojalls are highly social creatures known for their close bonds and loyalty to each other.

[Sanathrapathi]

Well. Shit. The parachute. Should I really have sacrificed my only parachute to the eels? Okay, water bottle, manual, lighter, knife. Stick it all in your empty med kit. Wow, that cut on your side is still really bleeding. See, this is why you should save your parachute. Shut up. There's a speaker in the tree. I guess that's you, Avery. I guess these are all you. Speaking of which, Avery, how do you cauterize a cut?

[Avery]

As with any first aid meant to prevent further blood loss, the initial task is to determine which of the five circulatory systems have been affected. The easiest way to do this is to take each of your pulses from just below your major wing bone on either side.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, how should a human cauterize a cut?

[Avery]

I found some results for you about humans. For more information, please connect with the terminal.

[Sanathrapathi]

Oh, goddamn. Course. Damn it. Cold, cold, cold. How did that go past my waist? Avoid puddles, I guess. Avoid anything that looks like it could be a deep hole filled with murky water. And my wound is wet. That can't be good. Okay, okay. First priority is a fire. Cauterize the wound, find and cook some form of food. And maybe the smoke will. Maybe some friendly Dornians who've stayed here since time stopped a hundred years ago. Willa, no. First priority is to make sure those eel things aren't. What's it called when you can be in land? Or water Duel by Avery. What is bisexual except for habitats?

[Avery]

I'm sorry, I don't think I understand the question.

[Charlotte Williams]

Fair.

[Sanathrapathi]

Very fair. Avery, can Shrojaws move on land?

[Avery]

While they are primarily water dwelling creatures, Shrojaws have been known to extend the upper part of their bodies onto shallow, sandy shorelines in order to hunt in tide pools or pursue prey that flees to the beach.

[Sanathrapathi]

Brilliant. Great. What a fascinating turn of events. Avery, my friend, can you do me a huge favor and look up how to start a proper fire?

[Avery]

The easiest way to start a fire is to use your Standard issue fire starting kit. Step one is.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, what is in a standard issue fire starting kit?

[Avery]

The contents of your fire starting kit. One set of instructions and fire starters.

[Sanathrapathi]

Oh, come on.

[Avery]

Step one is to locate a clearing.

[Sanathrapathi]

Okay. Yep. More than giant eel snake distance from the water.

[Avery]

Step two is to activate your fire starters using your instructions. Step three is to enjoy your fire.

[Sanathrapathi]

No, no, no, no. Okay, Avery, how do you start a fire without a kit?

[Avery]

Igniting an uncontrolled flame without a fire starting kit is not recommended.

[Sanathrapathi]

What would Arcady do? How do you hack a computer you can't see? Hang on, Avery. How would you tell me to start a fire if starting a fire without a fire starting kit was recommended?

[Avery]

We're starting a fire without a fire starting kit. Recommended. Step one would be to locate a clearing. Step two would be to gather kindling. Try sticks of small, medium and large size. And a lighter.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, pause. Kindling. Kindling. Hello. Manual. Okay, least essential pages first. Heated seat controls. What I'd give for a heated seat right? Now. Imagine that you open the door, sit down, and it's got that new ship's smell. A gleaming dash full of tools that always work right the first time. Full tank of fuel, ready to run. And a crew, of course. The crew is the best part. Full of ideas and feelings and questions. Like, how are you doing? I'm alive, right? I'm alive. And my friends are probably alive too. What are the chances, really, that they got and decoded my message about following me to Creswen? They're probably light years away and doing great. Not great. There's a war on. But they're surviving, they're gathering. They're finding joy in the little things. Um, is that enough sticks? Avery, can you unpause layer your fuel.

[Avery]

In the following order? Kindling, then small sticks followed by larger sticks. Begin by lighting your kindling. Once the smaller and then medium sticks have caught fire, it is time to add your largest sticks on top.

[Sanathrapathi]

Goodbye, Manuel. I hope you weren't made of anything poisonous, venomous. No, still doing just fine. Having a very good.

[Avery]

What?

[Sanathrapathi]

No, nothing to worry about. Nothing at all. Just me out here and everything that wants to eat me. And once the regime trace my chip back to the ocean here, everything that wants to capture and drag me back to Slateston. On the bright side, I think that's enough of a flame to heat the flat of my knife. Heat my knife and then use my knife on my wound. Arcady, Campbell, Jinson, whoever's listening to this, I don't think you really need to hear this next part. So I. I guess I'll see you on the other side. Whoo. Okay. Whoa. That smellies. I may be in shock. I should probably. I probably shouldn't have done that on an empty stomach. Avery. Avery, are there any native plants safe for me to eat?

[Avery]

I'm sorry, I don't think I understand the question.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, what food suitable for Dornians occurs naturally on the planet Claisnay?

[Avery]

The predominant source of food on Claisnay is tidepool creatures.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, what are tidepool creatures?

[Avery]

Tidepool creatures are a family of several different edible creatures known to live in tide pools.

[Sanathrapathi]

Okay, must be a translation issue. Like Hill. Hill. Am I gonna have to eat meat? Avery, what edible plants occur naturally on Claisnay?

[Avery]

The predominant edible plant on Claisnay is thwasa.

[Sanathrapathi]

The question is, can humans eat what Dwarnians eat? We must be able to, right? Krej eats human food. Avery, how do you identify tualsa?

[Avery]

Thwalsa are large purple flowers found only on clays nest with seven pointed petals.

[Sanathrapathi]

Oh, hey, look at that.

[Avery]

Known for a flavor and texture not unlike spoiled dairy. However, consuming large amounts of thwassa results in a mild psychedelic state known colloquially as thwassel.

[Sanathrapathi]

Not ideal.

[Avery]

Individuals in the process of fwassel are notably unable to lie.

[Sanathrapathi]

Meat it is. I'm not. I'm not lying to you, Arkady, Campbell, Jinson, Brian, Violet, everyone. I'm not lying. I just. If the regime catch me out here and I tell them the truth. You get it, you'd understand. I'm gonna have to kill something, aren't I? Okay. Tideful creatures. I'm sorry. Wait, hang on. That's a crab. That's a crab right there. That's literally just an Earth crab. Avery, where do the Claisnay tidepool creatures come from?

[Avery]

Claisnay. Tidepool creatures are native to Claisnay.

[Sanathrapathi]

Are you sure? How does this. Let's see. Earth in 1978. Definitely no human interaction with extraterrestrials. And I doubt the Dwarnians came down, took crack, crabs and left. Violet would say, look. Creatures, even creatures on different planets, respond to the same fundamental pressures. And there's only so many tricks in nature's tool belt. She wouldn't. That's not how she would say it, but. Wow. That's amazing, though, isn't it? On two planets, light years apart, totally independently of each other. Other. Out of a million tiny evolutional steps, two creatures arose in nearly the exact same shape, size, and color. An unknowing celestial harmony and Now I've got to choose one and smash it with a rock. Whoever's listening to this, I think it's better if we skip this part too. So we have our crab and we have it cooked. And the review is. A lot of shell. Probably shouldn't have brushed it. This isn't the first time I've had meat. I mean, I ate it as a kid, but in Slatestone, in the new prison on Creswin. You remember I already said. Let's just say they did not care to accommodate dietary needs. Some of us, like the people with serious allergies, got really sick. The smell was not something I need to think about while I'm eating. Trying to eat. One second. Okay, I sealed my wound. I ate. I destroyed any trace of the fire. Now the only thing left to do is to get word out to my people. So, piece of cake. My escape pod's long range comms weren't working before I ransacked the pod for parts and literally burned the manual. But I'm. Sanaa. Goddamn trap. Well, that didn't exactly. I couldn't. It's been five hours. And the upside is. I guess I know what kind of recording I'm making here after all. I'm sorry, Campbell. I'm sorry. Arady. I'm sorry, Jin. Son. I'm sorry, Violet and Brian and Kress and McCabe and Juniper and Dr. Robinson. I tried. I tried. I really. I really tried. What a very. What a waste of.

[Avery]

I found some results for you about waste. For more information, please connect with the terminal.

[Sanathrapathi]

Hey, Avery. Tell me about Avery.

[Avery]

Avery is the 389,048th most common name in modern exo.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Duarnia.

[Avery]

It means Avery.

[Sanathrapathi]

Hey, Avery, tell me about the software program. Avery.

[Avery]

Known for its affordability, Avery is a virtual assistant software that offers a number of paid add on services including music, navigation and calls. Its energy demands are low enough that the basic program can function on solar power, making it ideal for those living off the grid or operating with few resources.

[Sanathrapathi]

Hey, Avery, how long have you been installed?

[Avery]

It has been 6.7 hroofs.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, how long have you been installed? According to the Gregorian calendar, it has.

[Avery]

Been one year, eight days.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, did you kill everyone on Claysnay?

[Avery]

I'm sorry, I don't think I understand the question.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, did everyone on Claysnay leave because you're a piece of shit?

[Avery]

I'm sorry, I don't think I understand the question.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, how do you restore outside calls.

[Avery]

To restart your subscription? Please sign in at a terminal and follow the Prompts on the screen. The estimated fee should be five lifna.

[Sanathrapathi]

God damn it. Five lifna. Hey, Avery, how much money is in this account?

[Avery]

The total amount of currency in Your account is 2 flawless.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, how many leafna in a flawless?

[Avery]

There are 22 Leafna in a flawless.

[Sanathrapathi]

Holy shit. Holy shit. Am I. Am I doing the math right? Avery, how many leafna are in the account?

[Avery]

The total amount of leafna in Your account is 44Leafna.

[Sanathrapathi]

44Leafna. I'm rich. I'm rich. Avery, where is the closest terminal to me?

[Avery]

I'm sorry, I don't have navigation enabled right now.

[Sanathrapathi]

Hey, Avery, how many terminals are on Hill Hill?

[Avery]

There are 17 terminals on Hill Hill.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, what is Hill Hill?

[Avery]

Located on the smallest island on Claisnay, Hill Hill is the highest point on the planet.

[Sanathrapathi]

So I need to go up. I just need to keep going up. Okay. Okay. I'm gonna. I'm finding a trail and I'm climbing Hill Hill. I was trying to conserve battery, but it's just too weird. With nothing to. I don't know. It was weird. So it's just us out here. Just me and me. Hey, Sanaa. How's it going? Good. Tired. That would not fly. Not with Campbell, not with Arcady, not with anyone who cares. Good. Come on, Sanaa. What's on your mind? Other than the fact you've got to make it up Hill Hill before it gets truly dark and before anyone finds you and before your friends fly straight into oblivion? What's. What's shaking? Krej would say that. What's shaking? What's cracking? What's. What's crackalacking? And I could say. I could say. Well, one night on San Ramos, we were holed up in a bunker, and Violet told me about this little jellyfish that could. Could de. Age itself back to an earlier form. And then, when conditions were right, it could age forward, become an adult again. She said we didn't really know how old the oldest one was because they could seemingly do this forever. At the time, that freaked me out. It's like the ocean itself or space. Thinking about something that endless, it's disorienting. Now, I keep hoping, well, maybe I still have in me enough to come back. It doesn't feel like it, but who knows how it feels to be that jellyfish either? And that's my biggest. That's the aspiration right now. Jellyfish. And Krej would say, a jellyfish? Is that what it sounds like? And Brian would say, almost, bud. And then Violet Would actually find some. You know, some source on jellyfish, and she'd explain it in those sciencey, finished university kind of words. And I'd say something, too, because when you're a talker, when you're somebody who talks and then you stop talking, people worry. People get worried and they lost my thought. Avery, tell us a story.

[Avery]

Once upon a time, there was a young Dwarnian who longed for a.

[Sanathrapathi]

Wait. Really? You can't navigate, but you have fairy tales? No offense, Avery, but I'm not actually sure I can deal with that right now. The problem with stories is they don't work like life. Because stories, good stories, they have a logic to them. It's like taking apart an engine with a busted part. You can trace the problem back to one spot and then you fix it. And when you put it back together again, each piece running right builds on the piece before. X works because Y worked. Y worked because Z worked. And in a story, if that chain gets broken, if there is no chain, if stuff just occurs with no rhyme or reason, well, that person could maybe use some practice telling a story. Once upon a time, there was a woman named Sanathrapathi who was sent to a prison called sladestone. But she escaped. Hundreds of people were rotting away in there, and she escaped. She escaped, and she maybe left her friends in the lurch. She escaped and she did it because she had a mission. She trusted that her friends would be okay, and she had a mission. The trouble is, she wasn't the only person in Slateston with a mission. Everyone had people. They wanted to get back to, things outside they needed to do. But hundreds of people are still locked up, maybe for the rest of their lives. And she had good people. But that isn't what sets her apart from everyone still in sladestone. And she was determined. Plenty of people were determined. She wanted to live. But everyone wants to live. Until sometimes they don't. So why is she here? Wind in her eyelashes, looking up at the beginnings of stars. What did she do different? What does she have that the others didn't? Luck. The magnitude of the suffering left behind. But she was. She was a lucky duck. And that's not. That's not a story worth telling. There's a light up ahead. I'm almost at the top of what I really hope is Hill. Hill. And there's a big, soft light streaming through the trees. No sounds. I guess you can tell that. What the. Okay. The ground is spongy, but it's different than the other. This was definitely constructed. It feels like A. It feels a little like a deserted fuel station. Big building up ahead in the process of falling apart. Really hope I don't have to go in there. No signs of life. But the light, it reeks to like rotten fruit. Avery, can you activate the closest terminal to the. To the current speaker in use? Avery, can you activate the terminal again? Avery, please repeat command. Yep, it's in the building. God damn it. Okay, breaking a window. The window was load bearing. Great, great, great. Okay, I think I can get through. It's a narrow fit, but through here. Wish me luck. Okay, it's dark in here. It's dark in here, and I did not bring a light. Avery, repeat command. Oh, my God. There it is. Okay. Okay. I don't know what I was expecting. It's a kiosk. It's got a screen and what appears to be a touchpad. The screen is on, and everything is in Dwardian. Let's see if I can just use the touchpad, too. Ooh, it's goo. The touchpad is just a little square of goo. My finger went right through it. Okay, Avery, how do I use the terminal?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

To use the terminal, follow the instructions on the screen.

[Sanathrapathi]

Damn it, Avery, translate terminal screen to English. I'm sorry, Avery, Activate site impaired mode on terminal.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Site impaired mode activated.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, bring me the sign into the IGR security. The IGR didn't exist in 1978. Damn.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I'm sorry. I don't think.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, enable calls.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

To enable enable calls, you'll need to sign in.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, you saved login.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Signing into terminal.

[Sanathrapathi]

Holy shit, that worked.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Sign in complete. You have four new messages from the 9th day of Dressla 6017.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery, enable calls.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Enabling calls will incur a cost of 7 lifna. Do you approve?

[Sanathrapathi]

Yeah, Avery, I approve.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Updating calling capabilities. Please be patient. This may take a moment.

[Sanathrapathi]

Really? Okay. Really?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

While you wait, would you like to hear your messages?

[Sanathrapathi]

No.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Updating calling capabilities. Please be patient. This may take a moment to review. Any external files, please insert into backwards compatibility drive.

[Sanathrapathi]

Is that what the goo is?

[Avery (voice assistant)]

I'm sorry, I don't think I understand the question.

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery. Play song. Going to fall.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

File format not recognized.

[Sanathrapathi]

Right. It's 1978. The memory stick probably doesn't exist yet.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Calling capabilities updated.

[Charlotte Williams]

Who can I call for you, Avery?

[Sanathrapathi]

Call ella user Charlotte Williams of New Milwaukee. Ordney.

[Avery (voice assistant)]

Hello.

[Sanathrapathi]

Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving.

[Charlotte Williams]

Where have you been?

[Sanathrapathi]

The attack's supposed to be at noon. What time is it now? Charlotte, what time is it now?

[Charlotte Williams]

You've got about 13 hours.

[Sanathrapathi]

The biometrics.

[Charlotte Williams]

Everything's in place. Can you make it by then?

[Sanathrapathi]

Can you send someone? If you could talk to other Violet. Commander Violet Liu. Or just connect me with her, please.

[Charlotte Williams]

Even if I had her number, I'm not. Got to go.

[Sanathrapathi]

Charlotte Williams out. Charlotte? Charlotte. Avery. Call Ella user Arcana Arcady Patel.

[Charlotte Williams]

Hello?

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery. Ping my current location for Ella user Arcady Patel.

[Charlotte Williams]

Hello? Coordinates received.

[Sanathrapathi]

You've got that right. You're not at Creswin.

[Charlotte Williams]

Sanaa. Oh, my God.

[Sanathrapathi]

Hi. You've got those numbers? They're planetary coordinates. I'm on clay.

[Charlotte Williams]

We're. We're 10 hours away. If we fly hard enough, you can.

[Sanathrapathi]

You can get here before noon tomorrow.

[Charlotte Williams]

We are going to do our absolute damnedest good.

[Sanathrapathi]

And listen, have the regime's defense site on your screen, ready to go. There's a thing biometric in my eye. We think I can log in long enough to bring it all down. The drones, at least. You've got to get here.

[Charlotte Williams]

We will. We will. You want me to go get park or call Campbell?

[Sanathrapathi]

Both would be great. But in the meantime. Arady. Arady, Is it really? Can you say something? You'd say.

[Charlotte Williams]

Christ, Sanaa, I can barely. Words are a little. Goddamn. Are you okay?

[Sanathrapathi]

Trying to be. How is everyone?

[Charlotte Williams]

We're good. We're good. We're on our way.

[Sanathrapathi]

Hey, let's call it a Code Indigo, huh?

[Charlotte Williams]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Sanathrapathi]

You should know they're gonna beat you here. I'm being chased. Sorry.

[Charlotte Williams]

Well, I'm sorry we're getting there late. We'll have to make up for it somehow.

[Sanathrapathi]

Those lights. Something's landing down on the beach.

[Charlotte Williams]

Hold tight. Hold tight. Okay, we're gonna. We are on our way. What was that?

[Sanathrapathi]

Avery. End call. This episode features Rukmini K. The PSY.

[Avery]

As Sanathrapathi Brandon P. Jenkins as Avery.

[Sanathrapathi]

Rachel Lepore as Charlotte Williams Ishani Konitkar as Arkady Patel Written by Jessica Best. Directed by Ella Watts Dialogue cut by Lauren Grace Thompson. Production coordination by Eleanor Hyde.

[Avery]

Sound design by Jeffrey Nils Gardner.

[Sanathrapathi]

Opening credits music is Fear for the Storm, written by Jessica Best and Essie Winters and and performed by Chiron Starr with Aaron Bauman on vocals and harmonies arranged by Jamie Price. The closing credits music is rocket science by Amber Devereaux of Tin Can Audio, the fable and folly network where fiction producers flourish.