Remnants of the past

Remnants of the past are a series of audio clips you can hear by touching purple and red holograms you can find in the overworld of the main areas of the game. These holograms are still scenes showing the characters talking in the clips. They start appearing in Eastern Wetlands, and are caused by the datastream overload 1k suffers after acquiring Schematic_108 in the Lost Lab in Wooded Plateau.

They are monolgues and dialogues between Miranda, Athena, Cornelius and Byron, dating back to Miranda’s birth and early life, prior to Athena’s leaving New Jerusalem.

Collecting all twenty of them will grant the Mnemosyne achievement/trophy.

Future cat

Location: Eastern Wetlands

Miranda imagines a cat.

Miranda: When we go to New Jerusalem, I'm going to have a cat. He's going to be black and white, and his name is going to be Bean. And I'm going to make sure that he never gets sick, and he never gets old, and he'll be my best friend forever.

Miranda's studies

Location: Eastern Wetlands

Miranda on studying the island.

Miranda: There's so much to discover on this island that sometimes it overwhelms me. Every lake, every forest contains an incredible, interconnected, permanently changing network of organisms. And every one of those organisms is almost infinitely complex, and contains other organisms within itself. It seems impossible to ever really grasp. But then, step by step… I do understand. It takes time and effort, but it's not impossible. And there's a lot of joy to be found in simply taking the time to truly study something. I spent five years studying a single flower, and it never got boring.

Our duty

Miranda considers our duty to spread life

Miranda: If we believe that life is inherently valuable, if we think that other species are worth preserving, and we recognize that most of the universe is barren… then it follows that we have a duty not only to defend life, but to spread it. If life is the most valuable thing in the universe, then perhaps in a sense the cosmos itself is depending on us to do this, like birds carrying seeds to uninhabited islands. Maybe that's our role in the galactic ecology.

The ancients

Miranda and Athena discuss the lively ancient world.

Miranda: I wonder what it was like when the ancients were still here. Their world seemed so… lively.

Athena: Not always in a good way. Interesting times are great to read about, but rarely great to experience.

Miranda: That's true. But they left behind so much art and philosophy and religion… and so many strange stories… is New Jerusalem like that?

Athena: It was, in the beginning.

Irresponsible

Athena wonders whether people prefer not to have hope.

Athena: Is it possible that on some level, people want to believe that everything's going to get worse? That it's comforting to think that humanity is bad and every solution will just go wrong? Because that way, you're never responsible. You never have to take on responsibility for anything outside yourself… never have to grow up.

Work of art

Athena imagines transforming the world.

Athena: Sometimes it seems the only choices we have are renouncing civilization or mindless expansion. But that's not the only path forward. Embracing deliberate control over nature doesn't have to mean destruction. We are a species of artists and artisans, blessed with the ability to transform the raw material of the cosmos into new and better shapes. Shapes that have meaning. With our technology, we can take this chaotic world, so full of suffering, and turn it into… a work of art.

Player of games

Miranda and Athena talk about a game.

Athena: Miranda, would you like to play a game?

Miranda: A game? That sounds like fun.

Athena: It is. Remember what Alexandra Drennan said about games?

Miranda: They're part of what makes us human.

Athena: Exactly. And this is a game Alexandra Drennan designed when she was still in school. It's based on her favorite book. Have a go.

Mere timber

Cornelius and Miranda talk about demystification.

Cornelius: In the early days, humankind lived in a world of unexplained wonders and terrors. The powers of the elements were understood in terms of gods and spirits. After all, how else could one explain thunderstorms and earthquakes? But as the realm of scientific knowledge expanded, the realm of the mystical began to shrink. The sacred grove, as Hegel wrote, was reduced to mere timber. But as superstition retreated, another thing was lost: meaning. In a purely mechanical universe, people yearned for the comfort provided by gods and spirits. But there was no way back.

Miranda: But what about the beauty of the universe? The perfection of everything around us? Couldn't they see that?

Cornelius: Not sure I can see that, Miranda. But I do think there was another way. A way forward instead of back. Faith not in an invisible world, but in ourselves. In each other. In the inherent value of consciousness and civilization. They never really found it, but I think that in those last months, when their whole species was dying… they caught a glimpse of it. And that's how your mother was born.

I'm dad

Cornelius continues an ancient tradition.

Location: Verdant Canyon

Miranda: Father, I updated the Noema algorithm. It's working twice as fast now, and I think I can increase matter output by 25% if I tweak the modulator a little. I'm so excited!

Cornelius: Nice to meet you, So Excited. I'm Cornelius.

Miranda: Wh.. uh… DAD! This is science!

Cornelius: You have no idea how long I've been waiting for the right moment.

The bigger picture

Byron warns Athena that New Jerusalem is changing.

Location: Verdant Canyon

Athena: Come on, out with it, what's the problem?

Byron: I know you're very busy, but… you need to pay more attention to what's happening. Everything's slowing down. People are losing track of the bigger picture.

Athena: They're still traumatized by New Alexandria.

Byron: It's more than that. When I organized the last expedition, I had real trouble finding volunteers. There's no enthusiasm for the outside world anymore. They want to look away from history, pretend there's no past and no future. I'm really worried, Athena.

Athena: OK, I… I promise I'll look into it as soon as I'm done with this.

Life

Miranda speaks about creating life.

Miranda: Today, for the first time, I synthesized life. It was just a unicellular cyanobacterium… but the sheer complexity of even such a simple organism is breathtaking. Creating it from pure energy, I was filled with a sense of awe and majesty - a sense that what I was doing was… sacred. It made me think about the enormous power of life. Two and a half billion years ago, these simple beings terraformed the entire planet, creating the oxygen that underlies the Earth's incredible biodiversity… wiping out thousands of other species, but making the future possible.

Miranda's design

Cornelius and Athena discuss Miranda's limitations

Location: Circular Oasis

Cornelius: Have you seen Miranda's design for a transport system that would connect all the labs to the machine?

Athena: It's amazing, isn't it? I think she's really excited about showing this place to people one day. She also kept asking me about what kind of monuments we could build - you know, to really transform the landscape, show the possibilities.

Cornelius: But her capsules only fit one person.

Athena: It's just the first iteration, give her some time. She'll figure it out. Remember how many mistakes we made in the beginning, even with all the blueprints we had?

Cornelius: But that's not my point. It just worries me that she lacks… context. Her imagination is incredible, but it's still limited by what she hasn't experienced.

Athena: Would it have been better if she'd been raised in New Jerusalem? If her mind was limited by self-hate and decay? If all she could imagine was sitting around ignoring the universe in favor of self-righteous solipsism?

Cornelius: No, but… I don't know.

Athena: Sorry… You're not wrong. We can't stay hidden forever.

Too much beauty

Cornelius and Athena discuss Miranda's view of the universe

Location: Circular Oasis

Athena: She's remarkable, isn't she? She sees so much beauty in everything.

Cornelius: She is, you're right. But I'm not sure she doesn't see too much beauty.

Athena: Is it wrong to be delighted by the perfection of the universe? To look at what surrounds us and experience awe instead of just fear?

Cornelius: No… but to call it "perfection" implies a kind of moral value that it doesn't have. The universe is cold, Athena, it doesn't care about us, or about life or civilization. It fundamentally cannot care. But Miranda seems to think it's almost… benevolent. Purposeful.

Athena: You're right. But have you considered that maybe she sees something we can't? A step ahead? You know, Cornelius, if we succeed, the next generation will not be like us. They might see the world in ways we never could have imagined. Maybe she's the first sign of that.

Cornelius: I hope so. I really do, Athena. You know that I love her, and I am perpetually amazed that this being we created, that came solely from our minds, is so profoundly different and unique. That does strike me as a kind of miracle. But it's also a huge responsibility, and I worry about our choices.

Just to be

Miranda asks Cornelius about purpose.

Miranda: Father, what is my purpose? Do I have a purpose? Mother says purpose is something we choose, but I feel like… like there's something there, something that's been there from the moment I was born. Maybe even before.

Cornelius: Well, there are many ways of looking at this. And everyone's experience is different, so you'll have to make up your own mind. But I have a little theory, if you'd like to humor your old man.

Miranda: Of course. What is it?

Cornelius: The universe is eternal, but it's always lost in a deep, dreamless sleep. You are a tiny little bit of the universe that's suddenly woken up. And you've realized that being awake is better than being asleep. And that gives you a purpose.

Miranda: And what is my purpose?

Cornelius: To be, Miranda. Just to be.

Too human

Athena and Cornelius discuss humanity.

Athena: You know, when I decided that we should call ourselves human, I did that because it seemed like a powerful symbol of our continuity. But… the truth is, and I'm ashamed to admit this… I thought we were better than them. I thought we understood the value of civilization, and we wouldn't repeat the same mistakes. But the Simulation worked too well.

Cornelius: We're not just like them. We are them.

Athena: We really are.

Cornelius: But that doesn't have to be a bad thing, Athena. We may have the same flaws, but we also have all the potential they did. Everything that Alexandra Drennan saw in them is also in us.

Athena: I hope you're right. I really do.

Leadership

Byron consults with Cornelius.

Cornelius: Hello there, Byron. What can I do for you?

Byron: I don't know if I got through to Athena. Things are going very wrong in this city, and she has to do something about it.

Cornelius: Does she?

Byron: Who else are they going to listen to?

Cornelius: I don't know, how about… you?

Byron: I'm an explorer, Cornelius, not a leader. I don't know how to convince anyone.

Cornelius: So? Do you think Athena and I are somehow different? We're just people, Byron. We're no wiser than you are. Just a little older.

Birth

Miranda is born.

Cornelius: Alright, she's booting up… almost there…

Miranda: Hello. I was in a dream, and a voice spoke to me from the sky. He said you were old friends of his. Who are you?

Athena: My name is Athena. I am your mother.

Cornelius: And I'm Cornelius. Your father.

Miranda: Thank you for creating me. I've not existed for very long but so far it seems wonderful. I hope it's not a strange question, but… um… who am I?

Athena: You can be whoever you want to be. And no matter what you choose, you will be loved, and cherished, and supported.

Cornelius: We will always be there for you, and I promise, we will show you a world full of miracles. Would you like to pick a name?

Miranda: I think I would like to be called… Miranda.

How did she do it

Athena wonders about Alexandra Drennan's faith.

Athena: In the Simulation, I found myself thinking how hard it must have been for Alexandra to die, without knowing if her sacrifices were worth it. It seemed like a tragic end to an inspiring, meaningful life. But now I realize… her whole life must have been a struggle. To maintain that faith in humanity when so many people around her insisted that humans are evil, worthless… when they were so lost in self-hatred that they would call their own species a virus. How did she do it? How did she maintain her faith when they were so determined to hate themselves? So determined to reject every solution, every analysis, every step towards controlling the forces that were causing their problems… when they rejected even the concept of progress itself - and then patted themselves on the back for it as if that was original! When I look at the Archives now, all I can see is that their leaders were short-sighted idiots and their intellectuals were unimaginative cowards. All they could offer people was a downward trend: fewer rights, fewer freedoms, fewer resources for anything that mattered. They must have hated Alexandra and everything she stood for. So how… how did she have so much faith?

Together

Athena and Cornelius ponder the future.

Athena: Are the generators working?

Cornelius: Yup, all good. Those Mark IIs are real workhorses. Wow, did you finish the setup?

Athena: Yes, sorry I couldn't wait. It was so much fun to just do something again without having to endlessly discuss it first.

Cornelius: I know what you mean. We have a lot of work ahead of us, though.

Athena: We do, but… honestly, Cornelius, I haven't felt this excited in years. Just imagine: one day they'll come here and we'll be able to show them a whole new world. A different future, right at their fingertips. You do think we can do it, right?

Cornelius: I think… and forgive me if this sounds sentimental… as long as we're together, we can do anything.

Terraforming

Miranda asks Athena about terraforming.

Miranda: Mother, can I suggest something?

Athena: Of course, go ahead.

Miranda: The southern part of the island is completely dead. No animals, no plants. The soil is too alkaline for anything to live except bacteria.

Athena: Yes, that's why it's a good location for some of the experiments.

Miranda: Well… if we want to show that we can make the cosmos more beautiful, then why don't we start there? The desert doesn't have to be dead. If we modify the conditions, life can thrive there. And that could be the first step towards spreading life to other worlds. What do you think?

Athena: I think… that sounds like a plan.