To: The Faint Star

To: The Faint Star is an Adventure Mission on Herta Space Station.
==Acquisition==
After reaching Trailblaze Level 13 and completing Adventure Mission Road to Revival, read the message from Rocky.
==Steps==
#Listen to what the young man from the Department of Cosmic Geography has on his mind
#Find the repeater in the storage zone
#Collect the old parts in the crevices of the repulsion bridge
#Use the parts to fix the damaged repeater
#Investigate the communication history of the repeater
#Go to the monitoring room to take a look at everything that took place
#Confront Bernard
#Tell the young man the truth or a lie
==Gameplay Notes==
* Returning the unused log to Bernard will grant the hidden achievement Diamond and Rust.
* If the mission is completed using the 'Red Truth', Bye, Herta may be obtained from the nearby desk. Otherwise, if the player chooses the 'Blue Lie', Bye, Herta can be collected from Bernard instead.
==Dialogue==
===Receive a message from Rocky===
:
===Listen to what the young man from the Department of Cosmic Geography has on his mind===
;(Talk to Rocky)
:Rocky: Should I make it witty? Nah, maybe sentimental is better. Elegance? Well, I probably shouldn't use idioms in a poem.
:Rocky: Should I use "dark silk" or "white gown" here? Tsk... It's hurting my brain...
: What are you doing?
:Rocky: Oh, I am just writing a poem. Can't you see the drafts on the desk?
:Rocky: Oh, your interruption reminds me. How come Lesley still hasn't replied to my letters after all those poems I sent her?
: Who is Lesley...
::Bernard: Oh, Lesley is a prominent researcher in the Department of Insight, the only scholar who has visited the Abundance segmentum this Amber Era.
::Bernard: You sure she has time for you?
::Rocky: Of course she does! Ever since Lesley left, we've been communicating on and off through the Cosmmic Airwave Repeater.
::Rocky: She will never ignore me even though we are tens of thousands of light-years away.
: Do people here write letters too?
::Rocky: Oh, don't get me wrong. I was not talking about paper letters. Ever since Lesley left, we've been communicating on and off through the Cosmic Airwave Repeater.
::Rocky: Even if we are tens of thousands of light-years apart, she still replies to my messages. Only this time...
::Bernard: She is a prominent researcher at the Department of Insight, the only scholar who has visited the Abundance segmentum in this Amber Era.
::Bernard: She must be very busy with her research. Don't expect her to keep answering you all the time!
:Rocky: This is the only time she hasn't replied to me.
:Rocky: I... I confessed my love for her in my last letter. I usually just talk to her about the types of rock and mud we see in Department of Cosmic Geography...
:Bernard: Brat.
:Bernard: Show some respect to your own discipline, will you?
:Rocky: I really don't understand why Lesley stopped answering me after I confessed my love for her...
:Rocky: We used to chat about a lot of things, from which of the 101 Aeon instruments in the Department of Insight require Gunn's beard, to...
:Rocky: And about how to use Astro Rods to examine the quality of soil, thus determining the rise and fall of the inhabitants of the planet.
: Bro, you are very romantic.
::Rocky: So this is romantic? Then we had even more "romantic" discussions.
: Ghosting you might just be her way of rejection.
::Rocky: That's impossible. If she were to reject me, why would she talk to me so much? Besides...
: Who the hell talks about mud with a girl...
::Rocky: Mud... what's wrong with mud!? With Lesley, it's fun even when I talk about mud. Besides...
:Rocky: During the communication where I confessed my love, she told me about a spectacular .
:Rocky: Think about it! A star DIED! Most people would try to hide, but not my Lesley. Not only did she get first-hand observational data, she even saved a cosmic hitchhiker who almost died!
:Rocky: You have no idea how happy she sounded in her reply. Even the Airwave Repeater signal was cheerful!
:Rocky: Whenever I receive a reply from her, I can't help but picture the smile on her face and I'd carve it on a rock.
:Rocky: Before the Legion invasion, I had a bunch of rocks all lined up in a row on my desk. Unfortunately, they went missing in the chaos.
:Bernard: Reckless romance.
:Bernard: It's detrimental to your research!
:Rocky: Anyway, there is no sign that she's going to reject me. If I don't receive her reply within the usual time frame... it means there must be something wrong with the Cosmic Airwave Repeater!
:Rocky: In my investigation, I found that a group of Legion monsters occupied the area where the signals are transmitted. Can you help me find out what happened?
:Rocky: Can you help me find out what happened to the Airwave Repeater? My master wouldn't let me go...
:Bernard: Don't help him!
:Bernard: All he thinks about is the Airwave Repeater. He hasn't done any proper work for more than 10 days. Shame on you!
: I'll help you.
::Rocky: Nice!
: We may as well get this off his chest.
::Bernard: Hmph! A bunch of hooligans...
: Shame on you!
:Rocky: Don't listen to my master! If you have the time to listen to him, you would've found the Cosmic Airwave Repeater already.
:Rocky: Listen, the is next to the ! It is a massive warehouse for storing discarded Curios.
:Rocky: If you can resume our communication, I promise I'll reward you by inviting you to be our !
----
;(Optional - Collect Space Station Love Poems on the desk)
:Rocky: You've read the poems I sent Lesley. What do you think?
:Bernard: They are pretty cringy.
:Bernard: They stink.
:Rocky: Don't mind my master. These poems speak my mind. You don't look like those dull researchers around the space station. I'm sure you'd understand how I feel.
: I haven't looked...
::Rocky: Oh, that's unfortunate. Take a look when you have time. Give me some suggestions if you know a thing or two.
: They are just cringy.
::Rocky: What? You share the same view as my master? Looks like writing poems is too hard for a rough fellow like me...
: They are pretty interesting.
::Rocky: I know! They all say I am wasting my time. You are the only one who understands the fun of it. So tell me, which is your favorite?
:: Ley, oh, my Ley...
:::Rocky: Heheh, you also prefer to be direct.
:::Rocky: But I am worried this may be too direct. If I send this to her, it will reveal my burning desire and put her under tremendous pressure.
:: You were as light as a swallow when leaving the station...
:::Rocky: Ha, you like this one too! They all say my choice of words is too rough. It turns out you know me best!
:::Rocky: They don't understand that the soul of poetry lies in real emotions, rather than beautiful words. It only took me 10 minutes to write this!
:: Other than the halo and starlight...
:::Rocky: Oh, so you're into that style. But I only wrote this in case she rejects me...
:::Rocky: I hope I don't have to use it in the end.
:Rocky: But just like what I said, it doesn't matter how these poems are. First I need to be able to send them out...
:Rocky: So, please help me fix the repeater.
===Find the repeater in the storage zone===
;(Investigate the repeater)
:Cosmic Airwave Repeater: Error! Abnormal route! Detachment protection activated.
:Cosmic Airwave Repeater: Detected — Ultra Nickel Parts missing.
===Collect the old parts in the crevices of the repulsion bridge===
:Ultra Nickel Parts... this Airwave Repeater is quite old...
:Luckily it is right next to the Disposal Site where discarded Curios are stored. Maybe I can find some spare parts.
===Use the parts to fix the damaged repeater ===
;(Submit )
===Investigate the communication history of the repeater===
;(Investigate the repeater)
:Cosmic Airwave Repeater: AIRWAVE IS ONLINE.
:Cosmic Airwave Repeater: Transmitting airwave has not been detected. If needed, please select the historical signal decoding record that you wish to review.
: 2157 AE, Months 40-43
:;(Opens Signal Log: 2157 AE, Months 40-43)
: 2157 AE, Months 44-47
:;(Opens Signal Log: 2157 AE, Months 44-47)
: 2157 AE, Months 48-51
:;(Opens Signal Log: 2157 AE, Months 48-51)
: Next page.
:Cosmic Airwave Repeater: You can view the historical decoding record here.
: 2157 AE, Months 52-55
::Cosmic Airwave Repeater: ...
::Cosmic Airwave Repeater: No signal decoding was found during this period.
:: What happened?
:: Is there a delay in signal transmission?
:: Did Lesley not reply...
::Cosmic Airwave Repeater: ...
: 2157 AE, Months 56-present
::Cosmic Airwave Repeater: ...
::Lesley: Rocky, how silly of you, of course I understand what you mean. As for my answer...
::Lesley: (Record is damaged.)
::Cosmic Airwave Repeater: ...
::Cosmic Airwave Repeater: End of historical record lookup. Airwave Transmission has not been detected.
:: Why was the record damaged here?
:: Sweet, sweet love.
:: Stupid machine... stupid... stupid...
::Cosmic Airwave Repeater: Cannot identify. Cannot identify. Lifeform emotional fluctuation detected.
::Cosmic Airwave Repeater: Warning! You've entered the full surveillance area of the space station. Please do not conduct any inappropriate behavior toward the repeater.
::Cosmic Airwave Repeater: AIRWAVE IS OFFLINE.
: End record lookup.
===Go to the monitoring room to take a look at everything that took place===
:Key record is damaged... full surveillance area...
:I better check the surveillance in the monitoring room... it looks like someone has done something to the repeater...
----
;(Investigate the surveillance)
:Monitor Control Panel: Hello, authentication... passed.
:Monitor Control Panel: Please choose the surveillance area you want to review.
: Master control zone shift station.
:
::I can't believe the surveillance camera captured Asta and two rarely-seen young researchers...
::But this is not the area I should be investigating.
: Base zone safe zone.
:
::During the time captured by the camera, the safe zone in the Reception Hall hasn't been set up.
::The Curio Collection Squad is nowhere to be seen, only the wandering monsters of the Legion.
: Storage zone safe zone.
:
::Isn't that March 7th and Dan Heng? They looked like they were in a hurry to do something...
::Forget it. The most important thing is to find the surveillance record of the repeater.
: Next page.
:Monitor Control Panel: Please choose the surveillance area you want to review.
: Maintenance Room.
:
::This surveillance footage clearly shows that someone is trapped in the repulsion bridge.
: Disposal Site.
:
::Found it, at last.
::The camera only captured the image of a blurry figure from behind, it looks like... Bernard!?
: Medical cabin.
:
::The injured researcher is under medical treatment in the medical cabin.
: End of observation.
:Monitor Control Panel: Operation ended. Goodbye.
;(Obtain Surveillance Footage x1)
:Now that I know who that is, let me confront him and find out the truth.
===Identify the mastermind according to the surveillance footage===
;(Try to communicate with Bernard)
:Bernard: ...I don't know what you're talking about.
:Bernard: Young people should spend more time studying instead of wandering around.
: It's been captured by the security footage.
::Bernard: ...It looks like you've fixed the machine.
: Why did you damage the record?
::Bernard: Don't jump to conclusions. Show me your evidence.
: I'll tell Rocky then.
::Bernard: Hold on.
;(Submit Surveillance Footage)
===Confront Bernard===
;(After submitting Surveillance Footage)
:Bernard: ...
:Bernard: Hmph! Thanks to you kids, I am worried to death!
:Bernard: I damaged the record for Rocky's own good! He's forgone his research because of that Lesley... Not to mention...
:Bernard: Not to mention you have no idea what's happening right now. Lesley...
:Bernard: Lesley...
: Did she say yes?
::Bernard: Yes, she said yes.
: Did she say no?
::Bernard: No, she said yes.
: Did something happened to her?
::Bernard: No, she is safe and sound. And she said yes to Rocky's confession.
:Bernard: But they can't be together.
:Bernard: If you think I am the one being difficult here, you are wrong! Don't get ahead of yourself!
:Bernard: They can't be together... they will never be together.
:Bernard: Do you know why? No, you don't. People rarely understand what a starquake means...
:Bernard: With proper protection, a starquake will not cause physical damage to humans.
:Bernard: However, the gravitational collapse caused by a starquake will severely change the space-time curvature of the segmentum.
:Bernard: For example, the time in Lesley's segmentum was once a straight line like ours. But now, it has been pressed into a huge canyon by gravity.
:Bernard: Clearly, a curve is always longer than a straight line. Therefore, the time curve of her segmentum is going to cover several times the length when converted to our timeline.
:Bernard: Do you even know what that means?
: The flow of time will be different.
: I don't get it...
: Has she become a god?
:Bernard: It means the velocity of our time is different from hers.
:Bernard: Since the starquake, the temporal difference between Lesley's and ours will gradually increase. It is possible that the time it takes for her reply will change from one month to a year, and maybe even ten years.
:Bernard: This isn't just about her message, but everything she does. Until she leaves that abnormal gravity environment, every month she spends in the galaxy will equal decades for us.
:Bernard: Let's say, if Rocky, including us, is living at a point called "the present."
:Bernard: Then in comparison, Lesley...
:Bernard: She is living in "the future."
:Bernard: ...I used to be a young man once.
:Bernard: In my opinion, not being able to be with someone you love is even more cruel than being rejected.
: Maybe there are other ways...
::Bernard: There aren't any.
: At least tell him.
::Bernard: And then what?
: It's not up to you to decide!
::Bernard: If you want to tell him the truth, then tell me — what can he do?
:Bernard: After knowing the truth, Rocky will have to wait ten times longer for a message that should have arrived right away.
:Bernard: He would have to live in this lonely "presence" and wait for the "future" containing Lesley to finally come to him.
:Bernard: But how much time can he spend waiting?
:Bernard: Maybe Lesley will finally return to the space station when he is old and decrepit like me.
:Bernard: But the flow of time for her is so slow. Maybe, at that time, she will still be as young as she is today.
:Bernard: When that time comes, how are they going to be together?
:Bernard: We may transcend space, but time is beyond our reach!
:Bernard: You are way too young... you don't understand. Things that require a lot of waiting don't usually end up well.
: He will never give up if he doesn't know the truth.
::Bernard: Hmph, naive kids.
: We better not tell him.
::Bernard: Hmph, that's also my plan.
: ...
:Bernard: At first I thought if I damage the record, take away the parts, and blame everything on the monsters, I could keep Rocky in the hope that, one day the repeater will be repaired.
:Bernard: Now, since you have found out, the decision is up to you.
:Bernard: I have two signal logs I copied from the repeater, red and blue.
:Bernard: The red log contains Lesley's real reply, including the truth about the starquake. To be honest, even I can't imagine what Rocky will do after finding out the truth, given how impulsive he is.
:Bernard: The blue log is forged — in which Lesley refuses Rocky. Don't think about this as cruel. This way, Rocky won't have to wait for her reply in the future. He can just move on with his life.
:Bernard: Let's call these "the red truth" and "the blue lie". It's up to you to decide which one you want to give to him.
:Bernard: Take them and give it some thought. Rocky is waiting for your news.
;(Obtain Red Signal Log x1, Blue Signal Log x1)
===Tell the young man the truth or a lie===
;(Talk to Rocky)
:Rocky: Bro, you're back! While you were away, I wrote another poem called "Praise Lesley."
:Rocky: Did you fix the repeater? I see you are holding decoded backups... Hehe, which one is for me?
: The Red truth.
::Rocky: You seem hesitant. Are you sure the red one is for me?
:: Yes, I am.
::;(Submit Red Signal Log)
:: Let me think...
:::Rocky: Sure, take your time.
: The Blue lie.
::Rocky: You seem hesitant. Are you sure the blue one is for me?
:: Yes, I am.
::;(Submit Blue Signal Log)
:: Let me think...
:::Rocky: Sure, take your time.
;(After submitting any Signal Log)
:Rocky: Okay. I'll read it now. Thank you bro!
:After some time...
===Post-Mission===
==Trivia==
*The surveillance footage of the medical cabin shows Joanne doing a scan of Sheila, hinting toward the .
*The surveillance footage of the maintenance room shows Wen Tianweng trapped on a platform, hinting toward the .
*The color of the signal logs is a reference to the red and blue pill in the movie , in which red represents a truth bringing hardship and blue represents a comfortable lie.
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
vi:Đến: Ngôi Sao Ảm Đạm