Episode 13 - Stars

## Stars

A white drawing on a black background of a telescope overlaid with a red constellation that looks similar to the Taurus constellation. The image has a white border with white stars at the corners.

### Guest

Charlene Bayer as Xyzikxyz

Brooklyn deals with workplace distractions, Jonah and Hector walk into the Northmost Hallowoods, and Mort learns about old business. The theme of tonight’s episode is Stars.

***Content Warnings:** Omniscience, static, death + injury, bugs, violence, gun mention, gunshot (sfx), blood, body horror, birds*

## Intro - The Watcher

Nikignik tells the Dreamers of the names of stars and constellations. Although the stars existed long before humankind existed and will continue to exist long after, humans still created stories and meaning around them. Humans gave the stars names and fashioned myths around the constellations. They have not yet named the constellation made up of every star looking down at them.

Nikignik is speaking from a tidy modern office where a worried woman sits on a couch, ignoring the stars.

## Story One - Pest Control

Brooklyn is worried about her job at BotCo. The Stonemaids could jeopardize all the hard work she put into getting this position. Her whole career rests on her ability to keep Lady Ethel happy. She is pleased to see that the nightly announcements contain no news about the Stonemaids.

Marco, sitting near the window and looking out at the night sky, asks if she knows anything about the stars. She gives him a customer service response, offering BotCo resources for information on constellations. Marco tells her she doesn't have to put on a customer service persona around him.

Brooklyn attempts to return to her Dreaming, but a buzzing noise stops her from fully falling asleep. Marco, hand on his firearm, creeps over to a vent that seems to be the source of the noise. Brooklyn thinks it must be a faulty A/C unit and calls maintenance. Something pokes through the grate and Brooklyn realizes that it is actually a massive insect. The creature presses against the vent, startling Marco into accidentally firing his weapon and splitting open the vent.

The gigantic bug flies into the room towards Brooklyn, but Marco leaps in front of her and bats it away. An unsuspecting maintenance man enters just in time for the bug to settle onto him, devouring the poor man by sucking out his blood.

Brooklyn realizes that Lady Ethel has entered the room silently despite her great size, and she apologizes meekly for the disturbance. She tells Marco to dispose of the bug, but before he is able to shoot it, the Lady tells him there's no need; she wants two of these creatures.

### Interlude One - Spirit Sky Observatory

Nikignik advertises the Spirit Sky Observatory, which appeared in the Hallowoods several years ago. It tracks the unpredictable movements of the stars in the Hallowoods. If you go to the observatory on a clear night, the Ascended Scientists of Xyzikxyz might show you the universe, and maybe even their home world. You must be quiet in the observatory though, as the winged scientists are very easily annoyed and have a taste for human flesh.

## Story Two - Colors Beyond Darkness

Jonah is not easily lost. He can usually read the stars to find his way home, but something here is wrong. Hector also seems worried. He looks down at his compass too often. His normal dog, Jackie, seems agitated. The compass and the stars are all always pointing north, no matter which way they turn. Hector tries consulting his maps, but it doesn't help. He tells Jonah he's sorry. He was supposed to get Jonah safely back to Zelda, but it looks like he's failing.

Hector asks what Jonah wants to do. They can either stay put and wait for some creature of the forest to find them, or they can keep walking to wherever the forest seems to be leading them. Hector worries that wherever it is, it might be a trap. While he's talking, Jonah notices how close they're standing, but he doesn't mind. Jonah hugs Hector, which surprises him. Jonah says he thinks they should keep walking.

As they continue, Jonah wonders if his eyes are playing tricks on him. The deep black of the pines begins to twinkle with unimaginable colors, like an oil spill on the water. A bright green light begins to emerge over the pines. Hector says to stop and the four of them freeze. They are facing two enormous pines that are like pillars of a temple, with the North Star centered between them. A shadow moves beyond them. Hector pulls at Jonah and they try to run away. However, no matter which way they go, they are always facing the twin pines.

A regal white creature emerges from the darkness: a smooth face, a crown of antlers and vines, and a delicate mummified body. Below the waist is a collection of hands and arms. Mushrooms cover its shoulders. Jonah says that he thinks they should bow, but Hector wants to run from it. He pulls out his tranquilizer gun, taking aim at the creature. The creature charges them. Jonah shoves Hector out of the way and feels a thousand fingers burrow into his skin.

### Marketing - Atlas Biggs

Lady Ethel Mallory announces the debut of BotCo's own space station, the Atlas Biggs. It's named after the mythological figure who, like BotCo, carries the world on his shoulders, and for the CEO of BotCo, Oswald Biggs Botulus. Five lucky Dreamers will now be able to connect to the Prime Dream from Space.

### Story Two, Continued - Colors Beyond Darkness

Nikignik laughs. They compare the Dreaming Boxes to a plague. They promise Lady Ethel that if BotCo tries to branch into space, the company will learn why space is lifeless.

Jonah is thrown back into the void, just like the previous times he died. But this time he's mostly worried about Hector. Jonah might be able to come back after dying, but Hector is now alone with the Faceless King and has no such guarantees of immortality. Jonah desperately hopes that Hector is okay.

Instead of returning to his body, Jonah falls into what seems like a dark planet filled with iridescent colors. After landing, he finds himself standing on a stone as black as obsidian. The sky above is dark and the world is only lit by green flames that reflect off the rock. His hat sits in front of him on the obsidian floor, and he picks it up and puts it back on. Suddenly, he realizes that the sky is filled with stars in identical positions to the ones he is used to. Jonah finds the North Star over a mountain and decides to follow it, determined to reach Hector again.

### Interlude Two - Honored Guest

Nikignik announces that they have a special guest today: a talented researcher and friend, Xyzikxyz, Emptiness Between Worlds. Xyzikxys says they can call her "Xyz," and asks why Nikignik is here spending time with humans. She says that she has more advanced species growing in glass jars. Nikignik tries to change the subject and asks what she's working on. Xyzikxyz presses on, asking if it's about Marolmar. Nikignik tells Xyzikxyz not to say that name around them, and claims this isn't about him. They start to say that it's a favor to someone, but she cuts them off by saying that she's tried to be there for them, but it's been three million years. They need to move on.

Nikignik says that they are simply here to study the beautiful, if small, end of humankind, from which they could learn much. Xyz should understand, they say, since she loves experiments so much. Xyzikxyz says that she is currently studying secrets, information deliberately kept hidden. She asks Nikignik to think of a secret. She tells Nikignik (and all the listeners) about the last time that Nikignik was happy - when they stole a kiss on a dying star. Nikignik sarcastically thanks her for sharing that former secret and says they should talk more some time later.

Xyzikxyz tells them to let her know when they are done with this eulogy.

## Story Three - Old Business

Mort sits on a lakeside beach watching Yaretzi and Polly. Yaretzi watches the sunset, looking angry, while Polly cleans off his outfit. Mort stops to feed a stray bit of dead seagull to his seagull friend, Bert. He sees Yaretzi struggling to make a comfortable place to sleep in the rocks, and he offers to help. She calls him an abomination and tells him he should have stayed dead. This surprises and upsets Mort. He doesn't understand why she's being mean to him, and stomps away sadly. A few minutes later, Polly seems to be lecturing her about something, after which she apologizes uncomfortably to Mort.

He asks if she's mad at him, and Yaretzi explains that she isn't, it's just her job to stop things like Polly and Mort. He asks what he did wrong, and she explains that it's old business, and not his fault. Yaretzi tells Mort that one of the stars in the sky is Tolshotol, Who Guards a Thousand Suns. He is her master, who will turn her into a star one day, on the condition that she kills Polly.

After a quiet moment, Mort asks Yaretzi if he can make her a more comfortable place to sleep. She agrees, and he begins pounding at the rocks with his metal claw. It's not much of an improvement, but she thanks him. They go to sleep under Polly's watchful eye.

## Outro - Stars

Nikignik closes the broadcast by speaking again about the stars. They are as important to them as they are to us, Nikignik says. The stars are signs of life in an ever-expanding void. Sometimes they look into the stars and remember the life they used to have. They are not ashamed, however, because like the stars, Nikignik is exactly where they are supposed to be. They will be watching over humanity's last moments as they play out.