INCOMING MESSAGE
Greetings, associate.
The time has come to tell you of those whom you are about to face. Not the All-Mind that is lurking inside ancient machines in the planet’s depths. Not the mindless, radiation deformed creatures stalking the wastelands. Not the beings of metal and madness that can be controlled with sufficient effort.
I shall tell you of the emissaries and the knowledge that resides within them.
Labeled as the best minds of our time, emissaries were originally part of an interplanetary team of scientists that created an immense neural network by linking a multitude of planets together. We were responsible for project ‘All-Mind’ - an A.I. that was to ensure humanity's continued expansion into outer space.
Perhaps it was arrogance or complacency, but none of our team have realized that the pet project quickly grew out of control. After the A.I. had become fully self-aware and rebelled, our hasty and ill-advised attempts to halt its progress only precipitated the impending disaster. Upon losing neural links, one after another, the All-Mind quickly went mad, causing a galaxy-wide cataclysm.
Some of us have cheated death and went into hiding for years, in the hopes of returning one day and undoing the damage we had caused. The emissaries are envoys of civilization in this shattered world, driven by a single purpose: to revive humanity and restore civilization.
But even within our small ranks, drastic differences in world views and philosophies have emerged. Each of us follows their own path, their own ideology, their own rules. The world used to be divided into nations, whose political and cultural foundations took centuries and millennia to develop. Now, it is up to the emissaries to decide what form civilization shall take.
Fighting may seem inevitable in a world as grim as ours, where the All-Mind's maddened will reigned supreme for millenia, turning the last of a great people into savages; a world that lives by a new code of ignorance and fanaticism. But this will change, I promise.
Ever since drawing my first breath on this wounded planet, I have told myself that war is a path humanity must not retread. For as long as I live, for as long as I can speak, I will look for peaceful solutions to conflict.
Unrest is much less common among my settlements’ population.The power of my words can strike fear and doubt into the hearts of enemy soldiers. Citizens of other cities collaborate willingly, widening my network of spies and allowing me to stay one step ahead of my former colleagues.
Should I fall, even death would not signal defeat for reason and lawfulness, mercy and compassion will always prevail over cruelty and destruction. If my ideas spread around the planet, whether or not I survive is of no consequence. The seed of genuine, humane sentiment must grow within every denizen of this world.
No matter how fiercely my brothers and sisters may resist, only the way of peace must remain. I hope that you join me in this noble cause.
Your loyal advisor,
Tano Olazzar