The Let's Play Archive

Master of Orion 2

by GrandpaPants

Part 8

Can you feel it, my brothers? The impending embrace of destiny, the fruition of our overlong struggle awaits us. We are close, brothers, to the final verses of our song, to that goal that we've suffered so long to achieve.

To love.

Still, the meat oppose our noble objective. Still, the meat fuel our hatred. And so still, we must rid the galaxy of their ill presence.

We begin with the Psilons, proud defenders of dead promises. They, who would so quickly abandon their friends in the name of self-preservation. They, who would remain disloyal to once fond memories. They, who pursue and guard the secret machinations of the universe, yet possess no knowledge of how to use them to protect those that they cared for.

There's no place in this universe for such irresponsibility.

Despite all your research and all your experimentation, you've discovered nothing of use to us. Despite all your theories, you've achieved nothing practical. What use does knowledge have, if you apply it towards nothing?

You pride yourself on dreams, lost in your ephemeral world of possibilities with no urge to cast them into reality. Unlike you, every note we sing has purpose, has a place in our grand song. Let our majesty awaken you from your slumber, so that you may briefly glimpse at the pathetic reality you've created for yourself.

If the Psilon represent the decadence of the mind, you, Gnolam, represent the decadence of the soul. Knowledge, at the very least, can be shared equally, yet you hoard your wealth with no intent to distribute it to those that need it. You choose self-satisfaction over purpose, feeding off the misery of others with no intention of providing salvation. Such crimes are beyond redemption.

And yet, you have been blessed with the ability to love, even if it's something as loathsome as yourself. The fates have a cruel sense of humor.

Study these two specimens of meat, brothers. Look at how quickly they fall, sacrificing their empty lives in order to protect their transient riches. They wish to continue a pathetic life of idle hedonism, with no greater purpose, with no effort made to strive towards a better existence for all. They have the means, but not the will.

They wallow in their selfishness, while we prosper in our altruism. Know that without a goal, without our purpose, we, too, would stand ashamed in defeat. Instead, however, we soar in gallant victory.

Even now, you still resist us. You know our goals, our honorable crusade to rid this universe of hatred and the terrible evils that lie in its wake. Do you have no sense of virtue within you?

Do you lack the vision to acknowledge that our goal is for the greater good?

Do you prefer to stay safe within your shell of suffering, rather than work towards a better future, even if the benefits aren't yours to reap?

What you do possess, the key to a greater universe, the object of our difficult struggle, you waste.

You never knew what you had. If you weren't ignorant of the significance of what you held, then you took it for granted. You had something worth more than all the worlds in this galaxy, and you squandered it.

It was bestowed upon you. You never had to earn it, and yet you did nothing with the greatest gift the universe has to offer.

You bicker, lie, cheat, steal, murder, and betray each other. We fight, sacrifice, and perpetually suffer in pursuit of an ideal you desecrate in every moment of your insignificant lives.

You don't deserve love.

What grand equation did you hope to solve? Did you hope to carve your place in this universe through formulae and postulates? Before we send you into the realm of eternal sleep, we shall share with you what we've come to learn, what we've discovered about the purpose of our existence.

Your role in this universe is what you make of it. No amount of logic, no amount of calculations will draw this conclusion. Let your passions direct your destination, but let your mind guide your path.

You had the facts and data, but never had the determination to form an idea that would last the ages. Concepts grow old, theories are disproven, but an idea will only die if your will falters. That is the legacy you should have strived for.

Now sleep, dreamer, and fall into the awaiting darkness.

Unfortunately, hatred continues to be our passion. Does it not pain us, brothers? We see nothing but weakness, cowardice, decadence, and all the other vile, loathsome qualities that the meat represent.

We are close, brothers, to expelling hatred, so that we may welcome love.

It is by mere coincidence that we have saved you for last. Do not think that we cower behind whatever might you delude yourself into wielding.

If anything, we never considered you a threat, even less so than the other meat. Of all the meat in this galaxy, you Elerians fell victim to your own biological weaknesses, granting favor based on gender. How can you combine your will when your own people are fractured in such an illogical manner?

Together, we share not only every wound, but also every moment of triumph. Strength in unity, strength in equality.

We had expected at least one type of meat to develop a resistance to our neural spikes.

However, they are not the only weapons we wield.

Do you think you can defy destiny? How long can you endure fate's grasp around your throat?

Accept the approach of providence.

Do you find this silence uncomfortable?

No more living symbols of profit and loss to keep you company. No more servants to pamper you and offer you passive praise of your status. No more devices to surround yourself with to compensate for genuine, caring company.

What will they say of the Gnolam, when all their riches are buried under the sands of time? They will say nothing, for there will be nothing worth saying, save for a cautionary footnote on the weakness of the greedy.

For now, we shall postpone the execution of the Elerians.

We cannot sing our song in peace, brothers, unless we repay our debts. We still remember the lost voices of our choir. Beautiful, harmonious voices, lost in an act of senseless hatred. We vowed to avenge their silence, and the day has come for us to uphold our moral responsibility.

Let us cast our light to drive away the remaining darkness.