PROLOGUE On Earth, it is the year 3483. But we’re not on Earth. Yes, we humans finally found our way to the stars... long ago. And along with us, we brought trouble. SIOBHAN My name is Siobhan Inja Norman. I’m bearer of the longevity gene. You’ve heard about it, haven’t you? In females, the l-gene kicks in right after adolescence and slows aging to a crawl. In males however, sorry guys, it does absolutely nothing. So I am aging ten times slower than everybody else. Perhaps even less, nobody knows for sure. You know, all around human space, little girls are dreaming of having the l-gene, right? Please, dear... whoever... let me be one of them, they pray. They don’t know the first thing about it! Most of us "long-lives" go insane over time. Many of us become risk-seekers to the point of being suicidal. We get killed in accidents, or have ourselves slaughtered during the more bizarre endeavors of ours. We certainly don’t live the life happily ever after. None of us ever reached the age of 700, let alone a 1000 years. Well, at least not to my knowledge. As far as I am aware, I’m the oldest surviving one. Look at me. How old do you think am I?

KLAUDIJA (recording a diary entry) Here on this untouched world The veil of night was cast away Terra incognita When we arrived by dawn of day Against immeasurable odds We won the race, we earned our stay Terra felicia Up to a new world shining bright Dawn of civilisation here on this foreign world Where chaos begets order at the edge of the night Raising our daughter on this frontier is hard For every answer given three more questions to ask SIOBHAN Hey! Why do you speak to this machine? Why don't you speak with me? Why don't you tell me where you've been? And what I'm gonna be! DIRWIN A universe full of stars is shining in her eyes She demands to know the answer The answer to "why" Magnificent and serene, or minute and obscure Everything must have an answer for The Empress of "Why" SIOBHAN Why can't you see what I can see? Why don't you understand? Why don't we live under the sea Instead up here on land?! SIOBHAN Why do the ships float in the sky? Why don't they all crash down? Why do you say that they don't fly? Should they not stay on ground? DIRWIN A universe full of stars is shining in her eyes She demands to know the answer The answer to "why" Magnificent and serene, or minute and obscure Everything must have an answer for The Empress of "Why" KLAUDIJA/DIRWIN You can ask us anything, anything you want to know Ask about astronomy, ask about the rising sun You can ask us anything, we will never turn you down Ask about technology, ask about how things are done You can ask us anything, anything you want to know You can ask us anything, we will never turn you down SIOBHAN Why don't we live a million years? Why do we age at all? Why can't we stay forever here? DIRWIN A universe full of stars is shining in her eyes She demands to know the answer The answer to "why" Magnificent and serene, or minute and obscure Everything must have an answer for The Empress of "Why" KLAUDIJA Here on this untouched world The veil of night was cast away

SIOBHAN Found a mass defect on the Planck length scale In the binding force of Euclidian terrain If true, it should invalidate All Lorentz transformations At first I thought that I must be wrong Does the evidence really hold that strong? Ran the tensors in an AGI core And yet, the core, it did agree Within a sigma-five domain Well, I can't say for certain What these tensors may entail But in my estimation They fly off the human rails BRENT You want for them to fund your work They kind of seem to be inclined SIOBHAN Though without a salient point I will never get those funds! BRENT Why don't you demonstrate How you did derive Because This may change our lives! SIOBHAN My Quantum Field Invariance Equation predicts mass defects And event horizons radiating Wave-states that should not exist BRENT Classical entanglement Does not allow for mass defects?! BRENT Did you just break the physics Of the entire world? And does your tensor predict That we can never adapt? SIOBHAN Well, I can't say for certain But the numbers seem to show Our mind's behind a curtain We'll forever think too slow BRENT How did you come up with it? What makes you... different? Your equation's watertight, but It's still from a fairytale land SIOBHAN (amused): Well, I can't say for certain Maybe I'm just really smart But in fact my brain is hurting Never thought I'd come that far BRENT Your Quantum Field Invariant Equation predicts mass defects And event horizons radiating Wave-states that should not exist SIOBHAN Classical entanglement Did not allow for mass defects Oh, Quantum Field Invariance The evidence is unmistakable! BRENT I now know you're not joking And you're not... crazy... alright But a couple of questions still remain Give me ten minutes of your time SIOBHAN Well, I guess I have about the time it takes for a cup of tea, so... let's give it a try.

SIOBHAN I recall that conference like it was yesterday. My people thought I was a lunatic, but the Borons, of all things, got behind it instantly! They funded my next decade of research, which was crazy. But it got crazier still! As for Brent, the journalist, well, it took more than just one cup of tea. We wound up talking and laughing the whole night, and many more nights after that. In fact, we spent the better part of two decades together, never standing still for long; on a different world every week, as the saying goes. Such great times!

SIOBHAN I mixed up the world of science And you would be my guide We didn't always share opinions But were always on one side Vulnerable, courageous Invincible combined Complete to perfection Like two bodies and one mind CHORUS Perfect life we lived the dream The answer lies within Quantum riddles from beyond The universes’ skin Perfect life we lived the dream The answer lies within Human flaws and history And lineage of kin SIOBHAN Just when we thought we knew it all That we could close the file The birth of our daughter Put those idle thoughts on trial Whatever knowledge we had It dwindled to a „why“ When routine-checkups showed us That she would never die BRENT Then came a time When she felt sorry for herself She lost her mind Then came a time When she was happy for her daughter For her child SIOBHAN Perfect life we lived the dream The answer lies within Quantum riddles from beyond The universes’ skin Perfect lie I lived a dream Behind that bright facade Choices that I should have had Denied right from the start SIOBHAN She inherited the l-gene from her mother, well, from me And that must mean my whole life long, the answer lay within My parents surely knew it, but I was never told It all had changed now that I knew I’d never die as well

KLAUDIJA I always knew this day would come Why did it take so very long? "Eventually." - "Some day." Today. The evidence is strong Now you sat me down with rage And I can almost understand I should have told you long ago But in the end, what harm was really done? SIOBHAN Harm was done when you Took my right to choose Our lives by this disease Indefinitely increased Naive and wide-eyed blind Fooled by my own kind Left without a clue Unreasonable by you! KLAUDIJA The gift of life is not a curse nor a disease It doesn’t take from you Instead it lays the choice right in your hands It is no different from the color of your hair There is no reason for despair Why don’t you think it through again SIOBHAN Thinking through will not Change that it's your fault No need to euphemize This family's build on lies! KLAUDIJA: Once you have calmed down, I'm sure you’ll realize... SIOBHAN: I am as calm as I could be KLAUDIJA: The word "indefinite" it does not mean that you’re immortal, lost in time SIOBHAN: But I'm forever lost in time! KLAUDIJA: My lovely girl, you are my candle in the night KLAUDIJA: I love you more than words can say SIOBHAN: You and I will never meet again! KLAUDIJA: I beg you, let us not divide!

SIOBHAN Fateful night, without a warning On our way to meet with you Nineteen days aboard this freighter We would be together soon "Worry not", I heard you saying, "Your son and I are safe and sound. Just tourists on an exciting journey Like millions were before us once" But then our lives were torn apart REPORTER An accident involving a group of tourists taking an unauthorized exploratory tour into the Magmas has occured on Hideon this afternoon. Official sources report that a supporting element on a makeshift staircase gave in because of corrosion, injuring seven, possibly killing three more tourists and two guides. No names were given at this point. SIOBHAN: Nothing is wrong with them, I'm sure DEIRDRE: I'm not as confident as you SIOBHAN: No names were told, we'll have to wait DEIRDRE: I'm so afraid it's all too late SIOBHAN: I'm certain they're ok; you'll see DEIRDRE: Tell me good reasons they would be SIOBHAN: Well, they are cautious at all times! DEIRDRE: You said that they would be alright SIOBHAN: I really thought they were, last night DEIRDRE: And nothing, you said, could go wrong SIOBHAN: How could I've known what was to come DEIRDRE: I begged you tell them not to go SIOBHAN: I did, and you should know! DEIRDRE: But you would not listen to me! REPORTER Official investigations reveal that among the three tourists killed in the tragic accident on Hideon's Magmas observation platform yesterday, are Brent and Trem Resna-Norman, contractual husband and son of renowned theoretical physicist, Dr. Siobhan Norman. SIOBHAN Why did I not pay attention Did they die because of me? Why?

SIOBHAN Stare into the pitch black sky With images from the inner eye Projected on the dome above They slowly fade away Like a slideshow from a distant time Or poetry that does not rhyme Fragments of old memories Falsely attributed to A woman that once was me It’s just an empty shell you see Belonging to a different time A different place, well out of grace A girl that once was me Is bleeding ancient history Lamenting on the bitterness the lifelessness, the emptiness If I had a name It was "Unalive" NARRATOR The dream is unalive Has it always been a lie Has it always been a straw That I clung to and thus far: The dream is but a dream That’s what it’s always been No amount of time can change The truth; it’s far too strange CONSCIENCE And then the dream silently died Another dream that was a lie No future blossoms thrive In a dream called Unalive SIOBHAN When I close my eyes I will dream of youth Back when I felt alive In a sky of blue I feel the sun shine through With her beams of life For as long as I breath And while my heart still beats I know I that I am alive But I always wake up. NARRATOR The dream is unalive Has it always been a lie Has it always been a straw That I clung to and thus far: The dream is but a dream That’s what it’s always been No amount of time can change The truth; it’s far to strange CONSCIENCE And then the dream silently died Another dream that was a lie No future blossoms thrive In a dream called Unalive

SIOBHAN Dystopia Argoniae The emptiness will find a way Dystopia Argoniae SIOBHAN: Dystopia Argoniae SIOBHAN: I cannot leave, I cannot stay SIOBHAN: Dystopia CONSCIENCE: Dystopia! SIOBHAN: Argoniae CONSCIENCE: Argoniae! SIOBHAN: Dystopia Argoniae SIOBHAN: The emptiness will find a way SIOBHAN: Dystopia CONSCIENCE: Dystopia! SIOBHAN: Argoniae CONSCIENCE: Argoniae! CONSCIENCE Utopian vistas, dystopian nights I can't get a grip on what once was my life Utopian vistas, dystopian nights I can't get a grip on what once was my life SIOBHAN: Dystopia Argoniae SIOBHAN: I cannot leave, I cannot stay SIOBHAN: Dystopia CONSCIENCE: Dystopia! SIOBHAN: Argoniae CONSCIENCE: Argoniae! SIOBHAN: Dystopia Argoniae SIOBHAN: The emptiness will find a way SIOBHAN: Dystopia CONSCIENCE: Dystopia! SIOBHAN: Argoniae CONSCIENCE: Argoniae! REPORTER As the infrastructural challenges of superluminal contagion increase, logic level and presumed countermeasures in the virtual domain increase as well. A threat can be hypothesized where AGI and biological constructs converge. Our group is aiming to build meta-level tools that are designed to infiltrate the binding blocks of the superstructure.

SIOBHAN In another wasted night Scores of ghosts that pass me by Just a mass of taunting lies In another wasted dream I could watch but couldn't scream Burning in a firestream There's no end, what does it mean? Faceless strangers come Faceless strangers go Well, I'm just one of them Cause I will take no chance No, I won't open up And I won't live my life once again I don't care when they cry And I will walk away Long before they die (I don't feel anything) Don't remember my name But it's always the same Cause I'm the one to blame CONSCIENCE I don't care anymore I don't care anymore I don't care anymore I don't care anymore SIOBHAN When the day has gone A night must come Will the darkness Wipe those memories away? Who can say, who can say... Another wasted week Another wasted night And another wasted day Another failed romance Another wasted chance And another last good-bye I’m fading away I’m fading away Feel like fading away I’m fading away Tell me where are All those wasted centuries

SIOBHAN The guilt would drive me back To a planet where I was before Albeit a lifetime since I still could recite the whole score: TOUR GUIDE / SIOBHAN "You must walk down that path Don't fear the heat rising from deep underneath Then enter that confined space And step on the platform below..." SIOBHAN The last time that I'd been here Seven decades ago to this day It had been closed down back then Now I managed to find a way in Knelt down at the precipice Where I buried my face in my hands Shouldn't I have died long ago? This misery would soon find an end Then I rose to my feet While my heart was pounding like mad in my chest As tears ran down my cheeks I spread my arms ready to fly VOICE FROM THE PAST "...husband and son of Dr. Siobhan Norman ...killed in a tragic accident ...on Hideon's Magmas Observation Platform..." SIOBHAN Final moment of truth Right before I jumped A strange voice appeared And it whispered my name Said, "we know you well We don't want you to die. Know there is hope!" And the voice said BORON Come with me, come with me Come with me and you'll be free Come with me, come with me There's still so much to see SIOBHAN Slowly I turned around To a creature with Big round child-like eyes And my anguish would wane As I wondered how It found me in this place My darkest hour The Boron said BORON Come with me, come with me. Come with me and you'll be free Come with me, come with me There's still so much to see SIOBHAN They took me aboard their ship, the Heaven's Bridge, and from then on, everything changed, profoundly. Never again would I find myself in a place so dark that it almost crushed my soul... never again. Oh when Heaven's Bridge Would touch the sky A thousand miles above I saw the light of a new day It set me free again When Heaven's Bridge Would touch the sky I felt alive again And all the ghosts that haunted me Oh when Heaven's Bridge Would touch the sky A thousand miles above I saw the light of a new day It set me free again When Heaven's Bridge Would touch the Sky I felt alive again And all the ghosts that haunted me I vowed to let them rest in peace. I never understood the myth that Borons can read minds... until that day on Hideon. I wasn't aware that they had been following my fate so closely, and I'm still not sure whether they revived my desire for life or manipulated my mind. In any case, I'm forever grateful!

SIOBHAN My life changed a whole lot after that. When the Xenon conflict began, the administration asked me to help solve the quantum physics problem that I, decades earlier, had half-jokingly declared unsolvable by human minds. These events shot me right back into public awareness, and then, into the thick of war. Here, I met Kyle Brennan, the man from the Old Earth, and Elena Kho, the warrior, and made friends with Nopileos, the Teladi. Hectic days for sure, I can't even say how I escaped in one piece. It was a close call on more than one occasion. But in retrospective, I loved every bit of it. I felt so very, very alive!

PART 01: Meeting Brennan BRENNAN Argonia City streets when I had first arrived Warm sunlight on my face, the Ocean was nearby I was lost in my thoughts when a woman spoke to me Stunning blue hair and her smile seemed to embrace the world SIOBHAN I think back then I was smiling all the time When the man from the Old Earth arrived on Argon Prime BRENNAN It took a while before I met that woman again Her story seemed so strange and yet it rang so true She was in the thick of a fight we could not afford to lose Always cocky, confident and with a side of cool SIOBHAN I still was flying high on dopamine for sure Patching up the raw spots of my soul he never knew PART 02: Meeting Nopileos NOPILEOS After a battle she barely escaped, We picked her up from the wreck of her ship I was awestruck how unfazed she seemed In the face of demise Later I learned of her fortune and fate And how curiously similar we were Across species we found common ground Friends for millennia to come PART 3: Meeting Elena ELENA When we first met, she and I both Were on critical misssions And at first I wondered who on Earth Would ask her along For what purpose would anyone Need a mathematician? When in fact we'd rather need someone To handle a gun SIOBHAN I'm not your girl from next door (Not your girl from next door) I'm like a post-doc: hardcore (Just like a post-doc: hardcore) ELENA Soon I learned she kept her cool when Facing serious trouble And I found her problem-solving skills Always prevailed Thinking things through like she does When hard pressed for time is Supplemental to a warrior like me Wielding a gun SIOBHAN I'm not a warrior like you (Not a warrior like you) But I can see my way through (I think I'll see my way through) PART 04: Extinction Level Event SIOBHAN So they asked me to come along I said: "Consider it done." If only I had known it all in advance I would have laughed; forget it, not a chance! BRENNAN Xenon are threatening to destroy a sun Can we put ourselves in their way? The madness of this plan slowly sinking in This we won't win! ELENA Blinding light, eternal night A star will die EPIC CHOIR On the Day of the Black Sun! NARRATOR Onward into the sunlight we'd fly Not knowing that it would turn into night ELENA / NOPILEOS Blinding light (a blinding light) Eternal night (in eternal night) A star will die (a star will die) EPIC CHOIR On the Day of the Black Sun! SIOBHAN So they asked me what should be done I said: "We must keep pushing on." The only thing that comes to mind at a glance Randomly jumping in space? That's insane! NARRATOR Farther into the darkness we ride Trusting the quirks of machines with our lives BRENNAN Ionized plasma is engulfing us Neutrinos are pushing their way Electromagnetical shielding will fail Can we prevail? ELENA / NOPILEOS Blinding light (a blinding light) Eternal night (in eternal night) A star will die (a star will die) EPIC CHOIR On the Day of the Black Sun!

SIOBHAN Given that my "resurrection" Brought me back into the light I will need a new direction To stay clear of future plight Fearful; in anticipation Of a regression in my mind... NOPILEOS Now, why don't you come along I know you are headstrong But you are just like me As anyone can see... ;-) SIOBHAN (amused) I'm not like you and You're nothing like me! NOPILEOS (teasing): But you can't deny that Both of us are two-of-a-kind! So why won't you come and lend a hand And we'll make a trip to a foreign land Where adventures await; with a smiling face We will greet our fate, only you and I! Hey, don't you see our luck is good tonight And that time will always be on our side Y'know there is a ship waiting right outside, Won't you come on now, we will take a hike! SIOBHAN Given that my past depression Might return at any time I'm inclined to take vacation From most parts of humankind Always in anticipation Of a regression in my mind... NOPILEOS Don't you worry 'bout your mind I'm sure you'll be just fine And I'll be there for you If anything comes through SIOBHAN I'm not what you think You don't know me yet! NOPILEOS Well, I had a friend once from far away A stranger like you but we were really close SIOBHAN I know who you mean, but I'm not like that My body stays young, but my head won't keep up NOPILEOS Same for me, but I'm not concerned While life takes its course, it ain't getting worse. SIOBHAN Yeah, I'm a human, you're a saurian, we're really old You are curious, I'm a scientist, and that is all NOPILEOS Still, that makes it seem like Both of us are two-of-a-kind! So why won't you come and lend a hand And we'll make a trip to a foreign land Where adventures await; with a smiling face We will greet our fate, only you and I! Hey, don't you see our luck is good tonight And that time will always be on our side Y'know there is a ship waiting right outside, won't you come on now, we will take a hike! SIOBHAN Saddest part of life is when someone must go (Go and won't return) Saddest part is when you love and lose NOPILEOS But fate will have it that both you and I SIOBHAN Both you and I NOPILEOS / SIOBHAN Won't forget those who were close To our hearts The darkness can't have them! NOPILEOS So why won't you come and lend a hand And we'll make a trip to a foreign land Where adventures await; with a smiling face We will greet our fate, only you and I! Hey, don't you see our luck is good tonight And that time will always be on our side Y'know there is a ship waiting right outside Won't you come on now, we will take a hike! SIOBHAN Won't you come / lend a hand Make a trip / foreign land Ventures wait / smiling face Greet our fate / you and I Won't you come / don't you see Time is on / our side Ship waiting / right outside Come on now / take a hike!

SIOBHAN I lived on the Teladian homeworld for a long time, where Nopileos and I established a humanitarian non-profit organisation. During the ensuing Terran Conflict, our organisation saved many lives, although we never worked in an official capacity. I kept low profile until nostalgia took over once more. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't depressive or suicidal; by then, I had understood that bouts of longing every half century or so are a by-product of living for so long. But I knew that I had to visit one specific place for a final time; I had to say good-bye before starting the next chapter of my life. I'll forever miss beautiful Argonia City...

SIOBHAN When the sky above the city is Turning crimson before the night And the roaring of the ships Is getting low As I’m sitting at the docks my thoughts They will wander to those days To the crazy things that we did And survived We have been to many worlds and we Touched so many lives But it seems no-one has touched me Like you did Now that time has driven us apart We can never meet again I’ll be savoring those memories Tonight From Siobhan, with longing Wherever you are From Siobhan, with longing I will never forget the time we had Now the angel that is sleep she lay Her gentle wings over my eyes Waking dreams of days gone by They start to fade And that which remains it has no words (it has no words) Just a yearning deep inside For to linger on your presence Once again From Siobhan, with longing Wherever you are From Siobhan, with longing I will never forget the time we had From Siobhan, with longing Whenever you were From Siobhan, with longing And my thoughts go to you Tonight And I knew I’d see a thousand years From the day we had to part Oh, how I hope and fear That you erased me From the depths of your mortal heart This letter is From Siobhan, with longing Wherever you are From Siobhan, with longing I will never forget the time we had From Siobhan, with longing Whenever you were From Siobhan, with longing And my heart stays with you Tonight

SIOBHAN It's my last day I will leave this world by noon But my heart is filled with sadness I'm absent-minded, staring at a moon SIOBHAN Trying to remember The first time that I came here Must have been when I was little With my father, centuries ago NOPILEOS Hello my friend Here, have a cent For your thoughts Tell me what's going on in your head SIOBHAN: I am thinking of golden days CONSCIENCE: No such days! NOPILEOS: This is the day! SIOBHAN: When I was certain about my ways CONSCIENCE: No such way! NOPILEOS: This is the way! SIOBHAN Shunning my mother; no longer sure Whether she was entirely wrong SIOBHAN When there's no past Beyond last night, where should I go Should I stay forever dormant Or chase my family's curse and dreams SIOBHAN: 'Cause I am grieving for all the lives CONSCIENCE: All my fault! NOPILEOS: It's not your fault! SIOBHAN: That I touched, but now are gone CONSCIENCE: Forever gone! NOPILEOS: They're never gone! SIOBHAN: I will unravel once and for all The l-gene's mysteries! NOPILEOS I wish you'd stay But I sure know you Search for answers And then return SIOBHAN It's my last night Here with my oldest living friend Now my thoughts are so much clearer I'm comforted by these soothing words NOPILEOS Goodbye my friend We'll meet again And one day Our star will rise again SIOBHAN The time is near, will soon be here, please wish me well NOPILEOS One day we will meet again and we will rejoice! NOPILEOS This means farewell, but I can tell, it's not the end! SIOBHAN One day we will meet again and we will rejoice!

SIOBHAN While I've been travelling for many years alone Now the distance to the world I came from SIOBHAN/CONSCIENCE: Isolates me Not too many things to keep my mind afloat Now the messages from home went silent SIOBHAN/CONSCIENCE: They forsook me MAJORDOMO (the ship's AGI) What are her chances? What are the answers? What are the odds she will survive? Should I give her the answers Without pretenses She needs to know before too late SIOBHAN It's almost funny when you come to think of it (I once tried to end my life, but now I'm scared to die) The answer to the mystery that I must solve (It hides among the stars, many light-years up ahead) Though in the belly of this ship, right as I speak An icy chamber meaning death and hope unclosed SIOBHAN Nopileos, my friend, these may well be The last words you'll hear from me For a very long time You once said that time has our back So be courageous, don't be sad SIOBHAN Now, to be honest, all the confidence you see in me Is an illusion 'cause I'm scared and so alone CONSCIENCE: Am I not stranded in deep space SIOBHAN: I'm not stranded, the opposite is true CONSCIENCE: Ain't I washed up the shores of time CONSCIENCE: Unremembered and forlorn SIOBHAN: Right here, right now is where I chose to be CONSCIENCE: Changing the future is my past SIOBHAN: It's still my destiny! SIOBHAN There's no regret, I'll always look ahead No more sadness, I will never fret Won't forget that time has our back I'm courageous, won't be sad SIOBHAN Now that I travelled for so many years alone Though I'm scared, I'm so much stronger than I'd give myself credit for Not to mention all the friends that I have made And the ones I lost are unforgotten For millennia to come MAJORDOMO (the ship's AGI) And what are the chances? Now what is the answer? What are the odds she will survive? I will give her the answer And make no pretenses She needs to know there will be no BRENNAN/BRENT/ELENA/KLAUDIJA/SIOBHAN Millennia to come | Millennia to come Millennia to come | Millennia to come Millennia to come | Millennia to come Millennia to come | Millennia to come

Well, that's about it. Wait, I guess, I forgot to tell you my age after all! I look like, I don't know, maybe 35 or so. That's what people keep telling me, anyway. But guess what: I'm 746 now. It's true! And next time I wake up, I'll be nearly a thousand. If I wake up, that is. Big if! Cryostasis kind of freaks me out. I want to wake up, want to feel alive once again, I really do! This is Siobhan Inja Norman, I'm signing off now. Wish me luck.