Etraya Network

[The video opens to a view of a young man and two young women. They might be recognizable to those who have been in Etraya a while as Dazai, Rin, and Caitlyn. The young man, Dazai, is the first to speak up, giving the camera a cheerful wave and wink.]

Good meowning, Etraya! [what the fuck] I hope we're all having a good revolution~

[No? We don't love a good riot in this house?]

I'm sure there's quite a lot of eating the rich left to do and we're all very busy, but there's some important information we've learned recently. If you'd do the honors, Cait-chan!

[Caitlyn, who’s been looking confused from the moment Dazai started talking, immediately jumps in with an unorganised sheaf of papers and immense enthusiasm for the information she’s about to share.]

Yes. Several of us were able to make our way into the sealed carriage at the back of the train. Inside, we found a significant number of star maps, along with a small robot, which is, apparently, malfunctioning. [She doesn’t know enough about robots to tell, but this is what others have said.] The robot, called Rex, claims to have been created by a woman who hoped to save the people on this train – or rather, their ancestors – from demise. It further claims to serve as a sort of fail-safe for the King, another robot, who is meant to keep the train on course. Rex’s purpose was to ensure the passengers’ standard of living. It was sealed away by the King as a result of a quarrel between them. The King believed that Rex’s actions would result in the deterioration of order and regulations aboard the train, causing the passengers to be less focused on keeping the train running and endangering everyone’s lives. The King sealed Rex away so that it – the King – would be able to continue driving the train without impediment.

[ Rin has been watching both of them with a little bit of apprehension, or perhaps simply surprise, for different reasons. She’s much more nervous than mischievous or enthusiastic, as her compatriots appear to be.

She clears her throat, delicately hiding her mouth with her fist, and looks at the camera with a serious expression. ]

Erm, yes. Furthermore, Rex told us that the King can be found in the locomotive. Getting inside requires a key and a passcode, neither of which King has access to. I know some of you have been working on other parts of this riddle – if one of you knows more, please share with everyone. [ But now, even Rin is taken by a sort of giddiness for a second, and she grins. ] Then we really could get somewhere with this!

[Caitlyn continues, just as enthusiastic as before:] If we can find the key and the passcode, we can access the King, but we ought to consider whether we actually should remove it as we’ve been instructed. Without the King, there is every possibility that the train could derail, or some other catastrophe could befall it.

On the other hand, it's equally possible that the premise has been faulty from the start, and the train is more of a prison than a life support! The removal of the King might allow these people to go on elsewhere, or live more comfortably aboard the train if they choose to. Moreover, it's worth asking why, exactly, Echo wants us to do this. What qualities is this task meant to demonstrate?

[Caitlyn’s response is directed almost entirely to Dazai, not to the network as a whole.] Is it even up to us to decide? This train is the only world these people have; they ought to have a say in whether the King is removed or not, especially given the risks it poses.

[ At this point, Rin clears her throat again, louder this time. ]

Hey, uhm… maybe you could discuss this later? Let’s let everyone else have a word, yeah?

[ She turns back toward the camera, trying her best to smile. ]

We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Right, right, we're getting off-track. We are effectively trapped on here ourselves until Echo sees fit to send us back, so we should get this out there as soon as we can, hm?