

It takes you a few tries to wake up.

The first time, your eyes just refuse to open. The second time, your head is hurting too much. The third one, you try to stand up and black out. But the fourth time’s the charm. What happened here?

Radio failure, no backup. Space junk where it shouldn’t be. Rapid unplanned orbital decay. Dragging yourself out of the cockpit. It’s starting to come back, little by little. And now...

A voyage of discovery by Daniel M. Stelzer.
Release 1. Serial number 251113.
Dialog compiler version 1a/01-dev. Library version 1.0.0-dev. Automap version 1.1 by Daniel Stelzer. Plists version 1 by Ben Kirwin.

Frozen wastes
Empty ice under an empty sky. The stars glare down like sterile pinpricks of light, cold and unmoving without an atmosphere to make them shine. Jupiter hangs low on the horizon behind you, bathing the wastes in a sickly light.

Welcome to Europa. Population: one.

The wreckage of your ship smolders in its crater. The space junk you hit looms on the other side.

> think
Waiting around here won’t accomplish anything. Maybe it’s time to do some exploring.

You can also check the hints if you get thoroughly stuck.

> x me
You and your suit seem to be intact, at least, which is more than you can say for your ship. Bruised, exhausted, alone, and with no way to call for help. But intact.

You have a few weeks’ supply of oxygen and nutrients and a full battery.

> i
You and your suit seem to be intact, at least, which is more than you can say for your ship. Bruised, exhausted, alone, and with no way to call for help. But intact.

You have a few weeks’ supply of oxygen and nutrients and a full battery.

> ship
Even you have to admit she wasn’t a great ship. One-person capacity, just about the cheapest on the market, with a basic rig bolted on for mining helium-3 in the gas giants. Still, she was yours, with ENDYMION III painted across the nose. It felt right—your mother’s was the Endymion II. And if you were flying anything better, you might not have had a full spacesuit on in the cockpit.

Yeah, and if you were flying anything better, you might have had a backup radio, and you could have called for help days ago.

Apparently there’s a bit of atmosphere here after all: enough to sustain a fire, not enough to sustain you. Hopefully you’ll be far away by the time it hits the fuel tanks. Or the melting ice will claim her first.

> junk
Your first instincts were right—it’s not just an asteroid. This is something constructed, something that shouldn’t be in Jovian orbit in the first place. You didn’t have much of a chance to make out the details when it was hurtling toward you; just that it looked something like a starfish, with angular “arms” radiating from its “body”.

Three of those “arms” were ripped off in the crash, bits of them sprayed across the ice. But a few of them are still attached to the half-sunken “body”...and one of them is pointing directly at you. A black opening—no, a black door—yawns open at its tip.

> exits
More of an entrance than an exit, but you could go in through that black door. The only other option is wandering the ice.

> in
You duck down and make your way in through the door. Suit lights click on.

Airlock
That’s unmistakeably what this is. Even if the walls have too many facets and are covered in a hard blue enamel instead of space-grade alloy, it’s laid out just like every airlock you’ve ever seen: blue door forward, with a blue lever next to it; black door with a black lever aft.

(Fore? Aft? You have no idea which part of this thing might be the front. But you need some way to get your bearings, and it’s not like you have a compass on hand.)

The enamel on one of the walls has shattered, revealing a case of some kind behind it. A blocky device has spilled out onto the ground.

A square in the middle of the ceiling is shinier than the rest.

> shiny
All of the enamel-stuff is glossy, but this part has a sheen to it like you’ve never seen before. It’s not just reflective; it seems to amplify the light and shine it back at you.

The device chirps on the ground.

> lever
Did you want to examine the black lever or the blue lever?
> blue
A long blue rod with a weird twist in the middle, and two shiny bits off to one side. It’s clear enough how this is supposed to work: it can be either up or down, and is currently down. The question is, what does it mean?

> pull it
You yank on the lever, but it refuses to budge. Some mechanism is keeping it locked in the down position.

> blocky
It’s shaped kind of like a crystal—no, you know this one, like a pentagonal bipyramid—of some glassy material. It’s producing various beeps and chirps on the ground.

The device beeps on the ground.

> take it
You reach down and scoop it up, and the noises immediately stop. You don’t have a pocket big enough to stash it in, but there’s a clip for an extra oxygen tank on one of your shoulders, and you hook it on there for now.

> black lever
A long black rod with a weird twist in the middle, and two shiny bits off to one side. It’s clear enough how this is supposed to work: it can be either up or down, and is currently up. The question is, what does it mean?

As you look at the shiny parts, the device lets out a low squawk: “Grazad jedo – grazad bralo.” (Top to bottom.)

What was that: “grazad jedo – grazad bralo”? Definitely not a language you’ve ever heard, and you’ve heard a lot. But you make sure to remember the words all the same. If you’re ever going to get off this moon, you’ll need all the information you can get.
Click a word in the translation to change its meaning, or type [ALIEN WORD] MEANS [HUMAN WORD OR WORDS]. Type VOCAB (or click it in the top bar) to see all the words and meanings you’ve figured out so far.
> pull it
You push the lever down. With a hiss of hydraulics you can hear even through your suit, the black door seals shut.

> blue lever
A long blue rod with a weird twist in the middle, and two shiny bits off to one side. It’s clear enough how this is supposed to work: it can be either up or down, and is currently down. The question is, what does it mean?

As you look at the shiny parts, the device lets out a low squawk: “Grazad jedo – grazad bralo.” (Top to bottom.) As far as you know, that means “grazad jedo – grazad bralo”.
Click a word in the translation to change its meaning, or type [ALIEN WORD] MEANS [HUMAN WORD OR WORDS]. Type VOCAB (or click it in the top bar) to see all the words and meanings you’ve figured out so far.
> pull it
You push the lever up. With a low whirr, the blue door slides open.

> x it
A long blue rod with a weird twist in the middle, and two shiny bits off to one side. It’s clear enough how this is supposed to work: it can be either up or down, and is currently up. The question is, what does it mean?

As you look at the shiny parts, the device lets out a low squawk: “Grazad jedo – grazad bralo.” (Top to bottom.) As far as you know, that means “grazad jedo – grazad bralo”.
Click a word in the translation to change its meaning, or type [ALIEN WORD] MEANS [HUMAN WORD OR WORDS]. Type VOCAB (or click it in the top bar) to see all the words and meanings you’ve figured out so far.
> translate grazad
What does “grazad” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> door
You make a mental note that “grazad” translates to “door”.

Now, “grazad jedo – grazad bralo” reads as “door jedo – door bralo”.

> translate jedo
What does “jedo” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> open
You make a mental note that “jedo” translates to “open”.

Now, “grazad jedo – grazad bralo” reads as “door open – door bralo”.

> translate bralo
What does “bralo” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> seal
You make a mental note that “bralo” translates to “seal”.

Now, “grazad jedo – grazad bralo” reads as “door open – door seal”.

> vocab
So far, you’ve assigned translations to three words:

 • Bralo (found on the blue lever and the black lever) means “seal”
 • Jedo (found on the blue lever and the black lever) means “open”
 • Grazad (found on the blue lever and the black lever) means “door”
There are also shiny things you haven’t yet examined in this location.

> ceiling
All of the enamel-stuff is glossy, but this part has a sheen to it like you’ve never seen before. It’s not just reflective; it seems to amplify the light and shine it back at you.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Azarogh.” As far as you know, that means “azarogh”.

> vocab
So far, you’ve assigned translations to three words:

 • Bralo (found on the blue lever and the black lever) means “seal”
 • Jedo (found on the blue lever and the black lever) means “open”
 • Grazad (found on the blue lever and the black lever) means “door”
You’ve also found one other word:

 • Azarogh (found on the shiny blue square)
There are also shiny things you haven’t yet examined in this location.

> black lever
A long black rod with a weird twist in the middle, and two shiny bits off to one side. It’s clear enough how this is supposed to work: it can be either up or down, and is currently down. The question is, what does it mean?

As you look at the shiny parts, the device lets out a low squawk: “Grazad jedo – grazad bralo.” (Top to bottom.) As far as you know, that means “door open – door seal”.

> fore
You feel your way forward through the blue door.

Faceted chamber
Your suit lights reflect back again and again from the corners of the room, of which there are far, far too many. The walls seem to be a mosaic of long, thin triangles, bending in and out at strange angles; only the ceiling and floor are flat. And all of it made of the same hard enamel, this time a glossy white.

Three intact doors lead away at right angles: red port, green starboard, and blue aft. Forward—if you’ve guessed right which direction is forward, at least—is nothing but empty blackness.

A shiny square is set into the ceiling.

The floor is covered with a grid of shiny and not-shiny sections.

You had your suspicions before, but now there’s no doubting it. This thing is constructed—an artifact, not some anomaly of nature. And it’s not like any design you’ve ever seen. This isn’t human work.

When you were a kid, you used to dream about venturing to the outer planets and finding proof of alien life. As time went on, you switched to more realistic dreams, like finding a massive helium-3 deposit and getting rich. Or just paying off the loans on your ship. Or, for the last week or so, just getting your radio working again so you don’t die in Jovian orbit.

Ironic that this is the one that came true. And unless you find a spare long-range antenna somewhere in here, you’ll have just over three and a half days to appreciate it.

> ceiling
It’s much larger than the one in the airlock, at least a meter and a half on each side.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Zoqradozhe.” As far as you know, that means “zoqradozhe”.

> grid
The shiny sections are evenly spaced, but all different sizes, like some kind of table.

As you look at the shiny parts, the device lets out a low squawk: “Rajarual grazad zedre o – ezheba grazad eviozha o – azarogh grazad ledozhe o.” (Top to bottom.) As far as you know, that means “rajarual door zedre o – ezheba door eviozha o – azarogh door ledozhe o”.

> translate azarogh
What does “azarogh” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> airlock
You make a mental note that “azarogh” translates to “airlock”.

Now, “rajarual grazad zedre o – ezheba grazad eviozha o – azarogh grazad ledozhe o” reads as “rajarual door zedre o – ezheba door eviozha o – airlock door ledozhe o”.

> black
You have to touch it to make out any shape—it seems to suck in every bit of light, giving you no way to make out bumps or crevices. It feels glassy-hard under your hands, slick and rigid, with no give to it at all.

> red
The red door has an odd shiny bubble in the middle of it, looking out into the room. It’s currently sealed tight.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Lazha davazo, grazad zedre jedo.” As far as you know, that means “lazha davazo, door zedre open”.

> green
The green door has a large wheel mounted in the center, half a meter across. It’s currently sealed tight.

> wheel
There are shiny patches evenly spaced around the rim.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Al davazo, grazad eviozha jedo.” As far as you know, that means “al davazo, door eviozha open”.

> turn wheel
You grab the wheel and give it a hard yank, pushing it clockwise, then counterclockwise. Counterclockwise seems to work—it spins easily, and the green door hisses open.

> starboard
You feel your way to starboard through the green door.

Cargo hold
As your suit lights shine into this room, your first impression is that it simply doesn’t exist.

No, it does exist, surely. But only a small area of it is visible. Past a few meters, your light just disappears into a wall of complete darkness. The room doesn’t seem broken or damaged in any way; it just ends.

A shiny square is set into the ceiling.

One lone crate, about a meter across, lies fallen in the middle of the floor.

> ceiling
The ceiling—green enamel this time—ends just as abruptly as the floor and walls.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Ezheba.” As far as you know, that means “ezheba”.

> black
Running your hands across it, you can feel dozens of crates, held in place by some kind of webbing. But you can’t see any detail at all—every inch absorbs the light, giving your eyes nothing to work with. And the texture isn’t like plastic or metal: it’s hard, slick, and completely unyielding.

> one lone crate
Six square sides, mildly dented but intact. It seems that, no matter where you go in the universe, cubes are still the most efficient way to fill a volume. A carrying handle is set into one corner.

> handle
Judging from the doors, the original owners of this ship were about a foot shorter than you. Judging from this, though, they were prodigiously strong, if this crate was supposed to be lifted with one hand. A shiny stripe runs the length of the handle.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Al davazo, ezheba jedo.” As far as you know, that means “al davazo, ezheba open”.

> translate ezheba
What does “ezheba” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> storage
You make a mental note that “ezheba” translates to “storage”.

Now, “al davazo, ezheba jedo” reads as “al davazo, storage open”.

> translate davazo
What does “davazo” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> turn
You make a mental note that “davazo” translates to “turn”.

Now, “al davazo, ezheba jedo” reads as “al turn, storage open”.

> translate al
What does “al” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> this
You make a mental note that “al” translates to “this”.

Now, “al davazo, ezheba jedo” reads as “this turn, storage open”.

> turn handle
You give the handle a yank, then a twist, and it rotates 90 degrees before locking into a new position. The top of the crate hinges outward and swings open, revealing a wire coil and a squashy pouch inside.

> wire coil
It’s wound tightly, like a spring, but with spikes sticking out at various angles. A bit of shiny material is stuck haphazardly to one side.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Lazha.” As far as you know, that means “lazha”.

> translate lazha
What does “lazha” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> coil
You make a mental note that “lazha” translates to “coil”.

> pouch
It’s large and soft, like some kind of plasticized cloth, with a clear seam along it—but nothing your gloves do can pull it open. Apart from that, and two shiny lines underneath, it’s completely unmarked: a big, amorphous piece of something.

Three dim shapes tumble around inside.

As you look at the shiny parts, the device lets out a low squawk: “Oqria al o – al dajogov groqo, al jedo.” (Top to bottom.) As far as you know, that means “oqria this o – this dajogov groqo, this open”.

> take all
The wire coil: You take the wire coil out of the lone crate.

The squashy pouch: You take the squashy pouch out of the lone crate.

> out
You feel your way to port through the green door.

Faceted chamber
Your suit lights reflect back again and again from the corners of the room, of which there are far, far too many. The walls seem to be a mosaic of long, thin triangles, bending in and out at strange angles; only the ceiling and floor are flat. And all of it made of the same hard enamel, this time a glossy white.

Three intact doors lead away at right angles: red port, green starboard, and blue aft. Forward—if you’ve guessed right which direction is forward, at least—is nothing but empty blackness.

A shiny square is set into the ceiling.

The floor is covered with a grid of shiny and not-shiny sections.

> vocab
So far, you’ve assigned translations to eight words:

 • Lazha (found on the wire coil and the red door) means “coil”
 • Al (found on the squashy pouch, the carrying handle, and the large wheel) means “this”
 • Davazo (found on the carrying handle, the large wheel, and the red door) means “turn”
 • Ezheba (found on the carrying handle, the shiny green square, and the floor grid) means “storage”
 • Azarogh (found on the floor grid and the shiny blue square) means “airlock”
 • Bralo (found on the blue lever and the black lever) means “seal”
 • Jedo (found on the squashy pouch, the carrying handle, the large wheel, the red door, the blue lever, and the black lever) means “open”
 • Grazad (found on the large wheel, the red door, the floor grid, the blue lever, and the black lever) means “door”
You’ve also found nine other words:

 • Oqria (found on the squashy pouch)
 • Dajogov (found on the squashy pouch)
 • Groqo (found on the squashy pouch)
 • Rajarual (found on the floor grid)
 • Zedre (found on the red door and the floor grid)
 • Eviozha (found on the large wheel and the floor grid)
 • Ledozhe (found on the floor grid)
 • O (found on the squashy pouch and the floor grid)
 • Zoqradozhe (found on the shiny white square)
There are also shiny things you haven’t yet examined in the airlock and this location.

> red
The red door has an odd shiny bubble in the middle of it, looking out into the room. It’s currently sealed tight.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Lazha davazo, grazad zedre jedo.” As far as you know, that means “coil turn, door zedre open”.

> zedre means red
You make a mental note that “zedre” translates to “red”.

Now, “lazha davazo, grazad zedre jedo” reads as “coil turn, door red open”.

> grid
The shiny sections are evenly spaced, but all different sizes, like some kind of table.

As you look at the shiny parts, the device lets out a low squawk: “Rajarual grazad zedre o – ezheba grazad eviozha o – azarogh grazad ledozhe o.” (Top to bottom.) As far as you know, that means “rajarual door red o – storage door eviozha o – airlock door ledozhe o”.

> translate eviozha
What does “eviozha” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> green
You make a mental note that “eviozha” translates to “green”.

Now, “rajarual grazad zedre o – ezheba grazad eviozha o – azarogh grazad ledozhe o” reads as “rajarual door red o – storage door green o – airlock door ledozhe o”.

> translate ledozhe
What does “ledozhe” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> blue
You make a mental note that “ledozhe” translates to “blue”.

Now, “rajarual grazad zedre o – ezheba grazad eviozha o – azarogh grazad ledozhe o” reads as “rajarual door red o – storage door green o – airlock door blue o”.

> translate o
What does “o” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> is at
You make a mental note that “o” translates to “is at”.

Now, “rajarual grazad zedre o – ezheba grazad eviozha o – azarogh grazad ledozhe o” reads as “rajarual door red is at – storage door green is at – airlock door blue is at”.

> white
It’s much larger than the other ones you’ve seen, at least a meter and a half on each side.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Zoqradozhe.” As far as you know, that means “zoqradozhe”.

> translate zoqradozhe
What does “zoqradozhe” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> alien artifact
You make a mental note that “zoqradozhe” translates to “alien artifact”.

> red
The red door has an odd shiny bubble in the middle of it, looking out into the room. It’s currently sealed tight.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Lazha davazo, grazad zedre jedo.” As far as you know, that means “coil turn, door red open”.

> turn coil
You flip the coil upside down, then right it again. For just a moment, a spark of light glows inside the bubble on the red door—then the spark vanishes, and the door swings open!

> p
You feel your way to port through the red door.

Command bridge
Maybe this is the “front” of the ship after all? Most of the walls are glossy red enamel, but one of them is—or was—some kind of transparent material, now half-melted from re-entry.

Three...consoles? stations?...are arrayed in front of the broken wall. The narrow one is as red as the walls, but the tall one and the flat one are utterly black, nothing but blank silhouettes.

A shiny square is set into the ceiling.

> ceiling
A mirror of the ones in the airlock and cargo hold, this one shiny red.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Rajarual.” As far as you know, that means “rajarual”.

> rajarual means bridge
You make a mental note that “rajarual” translates to “bridge”.

> stations
Did you want to examine the narrow console, the flat console, or the tall console?
> tall
You can barely make out its shape—like the blackness in the middle chamber, it seems to suck in the light, giving you nothing to work with.

> flat
You can barely make out its shape—like the blackness in the middle chamber, it seems to suck in the light, giving you nothing to work with.

> narrow
A red cylinder, one meter tall and five centimeters across, rising straight out of the floor. The top circle is shiny in that now-familiar way.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Al lazha groqo, rajarual jedo.” As far as you know, that means “this coil groqo, bridge open”.

> pedestal
(I’m sorry, I didn’t understand what you wanted to do.)
> touch narrow with coil
As the coil touches the cylinder, a shudder runs through the room, a deep vibration under the enamel. The darkness falls away from the other two consoles like an old coat, letting you finally see their proper shapes.

> translate groqo
What does “groqo” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> touch
You make a mental note that “groqo” translates to “touch”.

> tall
The tall panel has gone grainy and matte, with different sections flashing shiny and then going plain again. There’s a large circle in the middle, a scattering of dots around it, and one of the four largest dots has a many-pointed star outlined around it.

> circle
It’s large enough that you can definitely tell it’s a circle, instead of just a point.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Gie-zhag-leq-zhio-leq-rez-gho.” As far as you know, that means “gie-zhag-leq-zhio-leq-rez-gho”.
For the sake of your fingers, you can type “gie” instead of “gie-zhag-leq-zhio-leq-rez-gho”.
> dots
There must be a hundred or so, changing position every time they flash matte and shiny again.

As you focus on one of them, the device squawks out: “Ruag-zhag-leq-ruag-leq-rez-gho.” But a moment later you’ve lost that one in the swarm. No use trying to remember that word.

> star
The star outline stays around one of the dots as it moves, making it easy to pick out from the mass.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Zria-rez-ruag-gho-leq-rez-gho.” As far as you know, that means “zria-rez-ruag-gho-leq-rez-gho”.
For the sake of your fingers, you can type “zria” instead of “zria-rez-ruag-gho-leq-rez-gho”.
> translate zria-rez-ruag-gho-leq-rez-gho
What does “zria-rez-ruag-gho-leq-rez-gho” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> Europa
You make a mental note that “zria-rez-ruag-gho-leq-rez-gho” translates to “europa”.

> translate gie-zhag-leq-zhio-leq-rez-gho
What does “gie-zhag-leq-zhio-leq-rez-gho” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> Jupiter
You make a mental note that “gie-zhag-leq-zhio-leq-rez-gho” translates to “jupiter”.

> flat
With the darkness gone, you can see its actual shape now. A low, wide pedestal big enough to stand on; two flat disks on top, each about a meter across.

> disks
Did you want to examine the left disk or the right disk?
> left
It’s only very slightly raised above the surrounding material, with a shiny ring around the edge.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Al aq-duo.” As far as you know, that means “this aq-duo”.

> right
It’s only very slightly raised above the surrounding material, with a shiny ring around the edge.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Al ev-duo.” As far as you know, that means “this ev-duo”.

> put coil on left
(first attempting to take the wire coil)
You take the wire coil off the narrow console.

You put the wire coil on the left disk.

> put coil on right
(first attempting to take the wire coil)
You take the wire coil off the left disk.

Nothing immediately happens when you set the wire coil on the platform. But the moment you’ve pulled your hand away, the whole room thrums, and the wire coil is gone.

> stand on left
You get onto the left disk.

> stand on right
You step onto the disk, making sure your entire body is above it, and—

—tilt dangerously to one side as your sense of balance has only a split second to adapt to a different angle. You felt nothing at all; one moment you were there, and the next you’re here.

This is—you can’t even find the words to describe it. Forget alien life; if you ever get rescued, you’ve just overthrown the laws of physics and the transport industry from here to the Kuiper belt. And all it would take is a single distress signal. “Endymion III, wrecked on Europa.” They could track it from there.

Or maybe you suffocate out here, alone with your discoveries, and get swallowed by the ice along with them.

My kingdom for a working radio...

Debris field (on the half-submerged disk)
This is where one of the other arms landed—scattered across the wastes as far as the eye can see. Components and hull fragments and bits of enamel are already being reclaimed by the ice.

A chunk of ceiling landed nearby, one corner still shiny.

A large metal hoop lies flat on its side.

Thin sheets of shiny material are scattered across the ice.

A wire coil is on the half-submerged disk.

> exit
You get off the half-submerged disk.

> ice
You’ll never find any footprints or old probes on Europa. The whole moon is covered in miles-thick ice, freezing and melting and re-freezing with the tides and dragging any detritus down to the ocean underneath. In another orbit—84 hours, give or take—it’ll be like the crash never happened.

> ceiling
It looks like another of those shiny squares—well, the corner of one—but the color is hard to describe. It’s not quite red, not quite purple, in a way that sets your teeth on edge.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “O.” As far as you know, that means “is at”.

> hoop
The outer surface is enamelled in an unpleasant color, but the inner surface is strung with metal wire, looping around and around. A little shiny patch is haphazardly glued to the outside.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Dajogov.” As far as you know, that means “dajogov”.

> translate dajogov
What does “dajogov” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> hoop
You make a mental note that “dajogov” translates to “hoop”.

> sheets
They’re as thin as foil, and it takes careful work to flip through them without your suit gloves tearing the material. The first one has a geometric figure on it, matte on shiny: the net of a pentagonal bipyramid.

As you look at the shiny parts, the device lets out a low squawk: “Baghe azarogh o – oqria eviozha baghe o – baghe davazo, baghe dajogov groqo, baghe jedo.” (Top to bottom.) As far as you know, that means “baghe airlock is at – oqria green baghe is at – baghe turn, baghe hoop touch, baghe open”.

> take all
The wire coil: You take the wire coil off the half-submerged disk.

The thin metal sheets: Most of the sheets have been wrecked by the ice, or tear when you try to pick them up. But you’re able to gather a few of the more intact ones.

> pouch
It’s large and soft, like some kind of plasticized cloth, with a clear seam along it—but nothing your gloves do can pull it open. Apart from that, and two shiny lines underneath, it’s completely unmarked: a big, amorphous piece of something.

Three dim shapes tumble around inside.

As you look at the shiny parts, the device lets out a low squawk: “Oqria al o – al dajogov groqo, al jedo.” (Top to bottom.) As far as you know, that means “oqria this is at – this hoop touch, this open”.

> put pouch on hoop
You put the squashy pouch in the large metal hoop. Nothing obvious happens, but suddenly the seam down the side of the pouch has opened, revealing a shiny tile, a red sphere, and a blue sphere inside.

> oqria means sphere
You make a mental note that “oqria” translates to “sphere”.

> tile
A little square of shiny material, hard like some kind of ceramic.

As you look at the shiny parts, the device lets out a low squawk: “Oqria zedre ev-duo – oqria ledozhe aq-duo – oqria eviozha baghe o.” (Top to bottom.) As far as you know, that means “sphere red ev-duo – sphere blue aq-duo – sphere green baghe is at”.

> red
You almost want to call it a “marble” instead of a “sphere”: a translucent orb a couple centimeters across, shimmering red in your suit lights.

> blue
You almost want to call it a “marble” instead of a “sphere”: a translucent orb a couple centimeters across, shimmering blue in your suit lights.

> disk
It looks about the same size as the others, but only half of it is visible above the ice. Half a lever juts out from the top edge.

> lever
The handle part has sheared off, but there should be enough left to grab and yank on if needed. And the shiny bits at the top and bottom are intact. It’s currently pointed down.

As you look at the shiny parts, the device lets out a low squawk: “Al ev-duo, rajarual aq-duo – rajarual ev-duo, al aq-duo.” (Top to bottom.) As far as you know, that means “this ev-duo, bridge aq-duo – bridge ev-duo, this aq-duo”.

> half a lever
The handle part has sheared off, but there should be enough left to grab and yank on if needed. And the shiny bits at the top and bottom are intact. It’s currently pointed down.

As you look at the shiny parts, the device lets out a low squawk: “Al ev-duo, rajarual aq-duo – rajarual ev-duo, al aq-duo.” (Top to bottom.) As far as you know, that means “this ev-duo, bridge aq-duo – bridge ev-duo, this aq-duo”.

> translate ev-duo
What does “ev-duo” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> send
You make a mental note that “ev-duo” translates to “send”.

Now, “al ev-duo, rajarual aq-duo – rajarual ev-duo, al aq-duo” reads as “this send, bridge aq-duo – bridge send, this aq-duo”.

> translate aq-duo
What does “aq-duo” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> receive
You make a mental note that “aq-duo” translates to “receive”.

Now, “al ev-duo, rajarual aq-duo – rajarual ev-duo, al aq-duo” reads as “this send, bridge receive – bridge send, this receive”.

> go to bridge
The command bridge is somewhere out of sight across the ice. You have no way to reach it from here.

> flip lever
You push the lever up. The ice on top of the disk vanishes in an instant, leaving a cylindrical hole above it.

> flip lever
You push the lever down.

> get on disk
You get onto the half-submerged disk.

> flip lever
You push the lever up. You have to lean to one side to do it—and then the moment it’s flipped, you overbalance and crash unceremoniously to the ground. It’s only about ten degrees of difference, but your inner ears are used to zero.

Command bridge (on the left disk)
Maybe this is the “front” of the ship after all? Most of the walls are glossy red enamel, but one of them is—or was—some kind of transparent material, now half-melted from re-entry.

Three red consoles are arrayed in front of the broken wall: one narrow, one flat, and one tall.

A shiny square is set into the ceiling.

> go to the debris field
(stepping on the right disk)
You step onto the disk, and the transport is just as unsettling as the first time. Your inner ears just aren’t ready for it.

Debris field (on the half-submerged disk)
This is where one of the other arms landed—scattered across the wastes as far as the eye can see. Components and hull fragments and bits of enamel are already being reclaimed by the ice.

A chunk of ceiling landed nearby, one corner still shiny.

A large metal hoop lies flat on its side.

> go to the airlock
(flipping the lever)
You push the lever up. You have to lean to one side to do it—and then the moment it’s flipped, you overbalance and crash unceremoniously to the ground.

Again.

It’s only about ten degrees of difference, but your inner ears are used to zero.

Command bridge (on the left disk)
Maybe this is the “front” of the ship after all? Most of the walls are glossy red enamel, but one of them is—or was—some kind of transparent material, now half-melted from re-entry.

Three red consoles are arrayed in front of the broken wall: one narrow, one flat, and one tall.

A shiny square is set into the ceiling.

(attempting to go starboard)
(first attempting to get off the left disk)
You step off the disk.

You feel your way to starboard through the red door.

Faceted chamber
Your suit lights reflect back again and again from the corners of the room, of which there are far, far too many. The walls seem to be a mosaic of long, thin triangles, bending in and out at strange angles; only the ceiling and floor are flat. And all of it made of the same hard enamel, this time a glossy white.

Three intact doors lead away at right angles: red port, green starboard, and blue aft. Forward—if you’ve guessed right which direction is forward, at least—is nothing but empty blackness.

A shiny square is set into the ceiling.

The floor is covered with a grid of shiny and not-shiny sections.

(attempting to go aft)
You feel your way aftward through the blue door.

Airlock
That’s unmistakeably what this is. Even if the walls have too many facets and are covered in a hard blue enamel instead of space-grade alloy, it’s laid out just like every airlock you’ve ever seen: blue door forward, with a blue lever next to it; black door with a black lever aft.

Off to the side, the broken case stands empty.

A square in the middle of the ceiling is shinier than the rest.

> broken case
It looks like the enamel shattered in the crash, revealing the space behind it. Maybe it was a storage closet of some kind? Maybe there are closets behind all these walls...but if there are, you certainly don’t know how to open them. There’s a shiny patch stuck to the back surface.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Baghe.” As far as you know, that means “baghe”.

> translate baghe
What does “baghe” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> scanner
You make a mental note that “baghe” translates to “scanner”.

> vocab
So far, you’ve assigned translations to 22 words:

 • Baghe (found on the broken case, the shiny tile, and the thin metal sheets) means “scanner”
 • Aq-duo (found on the broken lever, the shiny tile, and the left disk) means “receive”
 • Ev-duo (found on the broken lever, the shiny tile, and the right disk) means “send”
 • Oqria (found on the shiny tile, the thin metal sheets, and the squashy pouch) means “sphere”
 • Dajogov (found on the thin metal sheets, the large metal hoop, and the squashy pouch) means “hoop”
 • Gie-zhag-leq-zhio-leq-rez-gho (found on the large circle) means “jupiter”
 • Zria-rez-ruag-gho-leq-rez-gho (found on the many-pointed star) means “europa”
 • Groqo (found on the thin metal sheets, the narrow console, and the squashy pouch) means “touch”
 • Rajarual (found on the broken lever, the narrow console, the shiny red square, and the floor grid) means “bridge”
 • Zoqradozhe (found on the shiny white square) means “alien artifact”
 • O (found on the shiny tile, the thin metal sheets, the ruined shiny square, the squashy pouch, and the floor grid) means “is at”
 • Ledozhe (found on the shiny tile and the floor grid) means “blue”
 • Eviozha (found on the shiny tile, the thin metal sheets, the large wheel, and the floor grid) means “green”
 • Zedre (found on the shiny tile, the red door, and the floor grid) means “red”
 • Lazha (found on the narrow console, the wire coil, and the red door) means “coil”
 • Al (found on the broken lever, the right disk, the left disk, the narrow console, the squashy pouch, the carrying handle, and the large wheel) means “this”
 • Davazo (found on the thin metal sheets, the carrying handle, the large wheel, and the red door) means “turn”
 • Ezheba (found on the carrying handle, the shiny green square, and the floor grid) means “storage”
 • Azarogh (found on the thin metal sheets, the floor grid, and the shiny blue square) means “airlock”
 • Bralo (found on the blue lever and the black lever) means “seal”
 • Jedo (found on the thin metal sheets, the narrow console, the squashy pouch, the carrying handle, the large wheel, the red door, the blue lever, and the black lever) means “open”
 • Grazad (found on the large wheel, the red door, the floor grid, the blue lever, and the black lever) means “door”
> sheets
They’re as thin as foil, and it takes careful work to flip through them without your suit gloves tearing the material. The first one has a geometric figure on it, matte on shiny: the net of a pentagonal bipyramid.

As you look at the shiny parts, the device lets out a low squawk: “Baghe azarogh o – oqria eviozha baghe o – baghe davazo, baghe dajogov groqo, baghe jedo.” (Top to bottom.) As far as you know, that means “scanner airlock is at – sphere green scanner is at – scanner turn, scanner hoop touch, scanner open”.

> tile
(attempting to go to the debris field)
(going to the bridge, then stepping on the right disk)
(attempting to go fore)
You feel your way forward through the blue door.

Faceted chamber
Your suit lights reflect back again and again from the corners of the room, of which there are far, far too many. The walls seem to be a mosaic of long, thin triangles, bending in and out at strange angles; only the ceiling and floor are flat. And all of it made of the same hard enamel, this time a glossy white.

Three intact doors lead away at right angles: red port, green starboard, and blue aft. Forward—if you’ve guessed right which direction is forward, at least—is nothing but empty blackness.

A shiny square is set into the ceiling.

The floor is covered with a grid of shiny and not-shiny sections.

(attempting to go port)
You feel your way to port through the red door.

Command bridge
Maybe this is the “front” of the ship after all? Most of the walls are glossy red enamel, but one of them is—or was—some kind of transparent material, now half-melted from re-entry.

Three red consoles are arrayed in front of the broken wall: one narrow, one flat, and one tall.

A shiny square is set into the ceiling.

You step onto the disk, and the transport is just as unsettling as the first time. Your inner ears just aren’t ready for it.

Debris field (on the half-submerged disk)
This is where one of the other arms landed—scattered across the wastes as far as the eye can see. Components and hull fragments and bits of enamel are already being reclaimed by the ice.

A chunk of ceiling landed nearby, one corner still shiny.

A large metal hoop lies flat on its side.

> tile
A little square of shiny material, hard like some kind of ceramic.

As you look at the shiny parts, the device lets out a low squawk: “Oqria zedre ev-duo – oqria ledozhe aq-duo – oqria eviozha baghe o.” (Top to bottom.) As far as you know, that means “sphere red send – sphere blue receive – sphere green scanner is at”.

> put device in hoop
You lower the device into the ring, but there’s no obvious effect.

> turn device
You unclip it from your suit, flip it upside down, then clip it back on in its new orientation.

> put device in hoop
You lower the device upside-down into the ring. Nothing obvious happens—no sound or light or vibration—but suddenly the two pyramids of the device separate, exposing a small cavity in the middle. A green orb is nestled inside.

> take green
You take the green sphere out of the strange device.

> put blue in device
(first attempting to take the blue sphere)
You take the blue sphere out of the squashy pouch.

You put the blue sphere in the strange device.

The device lets out a trilling pattern of beeps.

> z
Time passes. The ice groans. Your oxygen gauge ticks down.

The device chitters out, in a high-pitched voice: “Zoqradozhe qia o? Ev-duo!”

Odd. But potentially important. You make sure to memorize the high-pitched message for later.

> high-pitched message

If you remember right, when the blue sphere was installed, the high-pitched voice said: “Zoqradozhe qia o? Ev-duo!” As far as you know, that means “alien artifact qia is at? Send!”.

The device goes silent again.

> translate qia
What does “qia” mean?

(Type a translation, or nothing)> where
You make a mental note that “qia” translates to “where”.

Now, “zoqradozhe qia o? Ev-duo!” reads as “alien artifact where is at? Send!”.

> put red in device
(first attempting to take the red sphere)
You take the red sphere out of the squashy pouch.

The device lets out one low beep.

The blue sphere takes up basically all the space inside, leaving no room for the red sphere to fit.

The device lets out a trilling pattern of beeps.

> take blue
You take the blue sphere out of the strange device.

> put red in device
You put the red sphere in the strange device.

> corner
It looks like another of those shiny squares—well, the corner of one—but the color is hard to describe. It’s not quite red, not quite purple, in a way that sets your teeth on edge.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “O.” As far as you know, that means “is at”.

The device lets out one expectant chirp.

> corner
It looks like another of those shiny squares—well, the corner of one—but the color is hard to describe. It’s not quite red, not quite purple, in a way that sets your teeth on edge.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “O.” As far as you know, that means “is at”.

The device lets out two expectant chirps.

> hoop
The outer surface is enamelled in an unpleasant color, but the inner surface is strung with metal wire, looping around and around. A little shiny patch is haphazardly glued to the outside.

A squashy pouch is in the large metal hoop.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Dajogov.” As far as you know, that means “hoop”.

The device vibrates for a moment, then murmurs softly: “Al ev-duo: O o dajogov.” That is: “this send: Is at is at hoop”. But nothing else seems to happen.

> pouch
It’s large and soft, like some kind of plasticized cloth, with a wide opening in one side. Apart from that, and two shiny lines underneath, it’s completely unmarked: a big, amorphous piece of something.

A shiny tile is in the squashy pouch.

As you look at the shiny parts, the device lets out a low squawk: “Oqria al o – al dajogov groqo, al jedo.” (Top to bottom.) As far as you know, that means “sphere this is at – this hoop touch, this open”.

Partway through squawking out the words, the device vibrates for a moment, then murmurs softly: “Al ev-duo: Oqria al o.” That is: “this send: Sphere this is at”. But nothing else seems to happen.

> go to bridge
(flipping the lever)
You push the lever up. You have to lean to one side to do it—and then the moment it’s flipped, you overbalance and crash unceremoniously to the ground.

Again.

It’s only about ten degrees of difference, but your inner ears are used to zero.

Command bridge (on the left disk)
Maybe this is the “front” of the ship after all? Most of the walls are glossy red enamel, but one of them is—or was—some kind of transparent material, now half-melted from re-entry.

Three red consoles are arrayed in front of the broken wall: one narrow, one flat, and one tall.

A shiny square is set into the ceiling.

> dots
There must be a hundred or so, changing position every time they flash matte and shiny again.

As you focus on one of them, the device squawks out: “Rez-ruag-gie-ruag-leq-rez-gho.” But a moment later you’ve lost that one in the swarm. No use trying to remember that word.

The device lets out one expectant chirp.

> dots
There must be a hundred or so, changing position every time they flash matte and shiny again.

As you focus on one of them, the device squawks out: “Ruag-rez-gie-rez-leq-rez-gho.” But a moment later you’ve lost that one in the swarm. No use trying to remember that word.

The device lets out two expectant chirps.

> dots
There must be a hundred or so, changing position every time they flash matte and shiny again.

As you focus on one of them, the device squawks out: “Ruag-zria-gho-zhag-leq-rez-gho.” But a moment later you’ve lost that one in the swarm. No use trying to remember that word.

The device vibrates for a moment, then murmurs softly: “Al ev-duo: Rez-ruag-gie-ruag-leq-rez-gho ruag-rez-gie-rez-leq-rez-gho ruag-zria-gho-zhag-leq-rez-gho.” That is: “this send: Rez-ruag-gie-ruag-leq-rez-gho ruag-rez-gie-rez-leq-rez-gho ruag-zria-gho-zhag-leq-rez-gho”. But nothing else seems to happen.

> vocab
So far, you’ve assigned translations to 23 words:

 • Qia (found on the high-pitched message) means “where”
 • Baghe (found on the broken case, the shiny tile, and the thin metal sheets) means “scanner”
 • Aq-duo (found on the broken lever, the shiny tile, and the left disk) means “receive”
 • Ev-duo (found on the high-pitched message, the broken lever, the shiny tile, and the right disk) means “send”
 • Oqria (found on the shiny tile, the thin metal sheets, and the squashy pouch) means “sphere”
 • Dajogov (found on the thin metal sheets, the large metal hoop, and the squashy pouch) means “hoop”
 • Gie-zhag-leq-zhio-leq-rez-gho (found on the large circle) means “jupiter”
 • Zria-rez-ruag-gho-leq-rez-gho (found on the many-pointed star) means “europa”
 • Groqo (found on the thin metal sheets, the narrow console, and the squashy pouch) means “touch”
 • Rajarual (found on the broken lever, the narrow console, the shiny red square, and the floor grid) means “bridge”
 • Zoqradozhe (found on the high-pitched message and the shiny white square) means “alien artifact”
 • O (found on the high-pitched message, the shiny tile, the thin metal sheets, the ruined shiny square, the squashy pouch, and the floor grid) means “is at”
 • Ledozhe (found on the shiny tile and the floor grid) means “blue”
 • Eviozha (found on the shiny tile, the thin metal sheets, the large wheel, and the floor grid) means “green”
 • Zedre (found on the shiny tile, the red door, and the floor grid) means “red”
 • Lazha (found on the narrow console, the wire coil, and the red door) means “coil”
 • Al (found on the broken lever, the right disk, the left disk, the narrow console, the squashy pouch, the carrying handle, and the large wheel) means “this”
 • Davazo (found on the thin metal sheets, the carrying handle, the large wheel, and the red door) means “turn”
 • Ezheba (found on the carrying handle, the shiny green square, and the floor grid) means “storage”
 • Azarogh (found on the thin metal sheets, the floor grid, and the shiny blue square) means “airlock”
 • Bralo (found on the blue lever and the black lever) means “seal”
 • Jedo (found on the thin metal sheets, the narrow console, the squashy pouch, the carrying handle, the large wheel, the red door, the blue lever, and the black lever) means “open”
 • Grazad (found on the large wheel, the red door, the floor grid, the blue lever, and the black lever) means “door”
> south
(first attempting to get off the left disk)
You step off the disk.

You feel your way to starboard through the red door.

Faceted chamber
Your suit lights reflect back again and again from the corners of the room, of which there are far, far too many. The walls seem to be a mosaic of long, thin triangles, bending in and out at strange angles; only the ceiling and floor are flat. And all of it made of the same hard enamel, this time a glossy white.

Three intact doors lead away at right angles: red port, green starboard, and blue aft. Forward—if you’ve guessed right which direction is forward, at least—is nothing but empty blackness.

A shiny square is set into the ceiling.

The floor is covered with a grid of shiny and not-shiny sections.

> white
It’s much larger than the other ones you’ve seen, at least a meter and a half on each side.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Zoqradozhe.” As far as you know, that means “alien artifact”.

The device lets out one expectant chirp.

> north
You feel your way to port through the red door.

Command bridge
Maybe this is the “front” of the ship after all? Most of the walls are glossy red enamel, but one of them is—or was—some kind of transparent material, now half-melted from re-entry.

Three red consoles are arrayed in front of the broken wall: one narrow, one flat, and one tall.

A shiny square is set into the ceiling.

> dots
There must be a hundred or so, changing position every time they flash matte and shiny again.

As you focus on one of them, the device squawks out: “Zhio-gie-rez-zhag-leq-rez-gho.” But a moment later you’ve lost that one in the swarm. No use trying to remember that word.

The device lets out two expectant chirps.

> step on right
You step onto the disk, and the transport is just as unsettling as the first time. Your inner ears just aren’t ready for it.

Debris field (on the half-submerged disk)
This is where one of the other arms landed—scattered across the wastes as far as the eye can see. Components and hull fragments and bits of enamel are already being reclaimed by the ice.

A chunk of ceiling landed nearby, one corner still shiny.

A large metal hoop lies flat on its side.

> corner
It looks like another of those shiny squares—well, the corner of one—but the color is hard to describe. It’s not quite red, not quite purple, in a way that sets your teeth on edge.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “O.” As far as you know, that means “is at”.

The device vibrates for a moment, then murmurs softly: “Al ev-duo: Zoqradozhe zhio-gie-rez-zhag-leq-rez-gho o.” That is: “this send: Alien artifact zhio-gie-rez-zhag-leq-rez-gho is at”.

A moment later, a cold feeling wells up in your stomach. You’ve sent a distress signal, transmitted your location...but is it the right location? Perhaps you should recheck, just in case. Transmission takes time. You could still send an update...

> flip lever
You push the lever up. You have to lean to one side to do it—and then the moment it’s flipped, you overbalance and crash unceremoniously to the ground.

Again.

It’s only about ten degrees of difference, but your inner ears are used to zero.

Command bridge (on the left disk)
Maybe this is the “front” of the ship after all? Most of the walls are glossy red enamel, but one of them is—or was—some kind of transparent material, now half-melted from re-entry.

Three red consoles are arrayed in front of the broken wall: one narrow, one flat, and one tall.

A shiny square is set into the ceiling.

> starboard
(first attempting to get off the left disk)
You step off the disk.

You feel your way to starboard through the red door.

Faceted chamber
Your suit lights reflect back again and again from the corners of the room, of which there are far, far too many. The walls seem to be a mosaic of long, thin triangles, bending in and out at strange angles; only the ceiling and floor are flat. And all of it made of the same hard enamel, this time a glossy white.

Three intact doors lead away at right angles: red port, green starboard, and blue aft. Forward—if you’ve guessed right which direction is forward, at least—is nothing but empty blackness.

A shiny square is set into the ceiling.

The floor is covered with a grid of shiny and not-shiny sections.

> white
It’s much larger than the other ones you’ve seen, at least a meter and a half on each side.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Zoqradozhe.” As far as you know, that means “alien artifact”.

The device lets out one expectant chirp.

> port
You feel your way to port through the red door.

Command bridge
Maybe this is the “front” of the ship after all? Most of the walls are glossy red enamel, but one of them is—or was—some kind of transparent material, now half-melted from re-entry.

Three red consoles are arrayed in front of the broken wall: one narrow, one flat, and one tall.

A shiny square is set into the ceiling.

> star
The star outline stays around one of the dots as it moves, making it easy to pick out from the mass.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “Zria-rez-ruag-gho-leq-rez-gho.” As far as you know, that means “europa”.

The device lets out two expectant chirps.
For the sake of your fingers, you can type “zria” instead of “zria-rez-ruag-gho-leq-rez-gho”.
> step on right
You step onto the disk, and the transport is just as unsettling as the first time. Your inner ears just aren’t ready for it.

Debris field (on the half-submerged disk)
This is where one of the other arms landed—scattered across the wastes as far as the eye can see. Components and hull fragments and bits of enamel are already being reclaimed by the ice.

A chunk of ceiling landed nearby, one corner still shiny.

A large metal hoop lies flat on its side.

> corner
It looks like another of those shiny squares—well, the corner of one—but the color is hard to describe. It’s not quite red, not quite purple, in a way that sets your teeth on edge.

As it gets close to the shiny bit, the device lets out a low squawk: “O.” As far as you know, that means “is at”.

The device vibrates for a moment, then murmurs softly: “Al ev-duo: Zoqradozhe zria-rez-ruag-gho-leq-rez-gho o.” That is: “this send: Alien artifact europa is at”.

And that’s it. Three words broadcast out into the void. Will anyone hear them? The odds are low.

But low odds are better than none. You switch the blue orb out for the red one and listen for a response. And a half hour later, something comes: “Zoqradozhe ev-duo. Al aq-duo. Zoqradozhe zria-rez-ruag-gho-leq-rez-gho o. Al zoqradozhe drezhiagro.”

Alien artifact send. This receive. Alien artifact europa is at. This alien artifact drezhiagro. The last word is new, but it’s not hard to guess. Help is coming.

What will come next? It’s hard to even guess. Will the makers of this artifact find it in time? Will you be as much of a shock to them as this was to you? Are they peaceful? Hostile? There’s no way to know. And what’s waiting behind that strange blackness covering the walls?

All you can do now is wait. Alone, in the dark, as the ice works tirelessly to drag the artifact down into the uncharted depths.

But you’re alive. And now, despite it all, there’s a glimmer of hope.

     *** You will be rescued ***     

Would you like to:
     UNDO the last move,
     RESTORE a saved position,
     review the VOCAB you’ve learned,
     or RESTART from the beginning?
> vocab
So far, you’ve assigned translations to 23 words:

 • Qia (found on the high-pitched message) means “where”
 • Baghe (found on the broken case, the shiny tile, and the thin metal sheets) means “scanner”
 • Aq-duo (found on the broken lever, the shiny tile, and the left disk) means “receive”
 • Ev-duo (found on the high-pitched message, the broken lever, the shiny tile, and the right disk) means “send”
 • Oqria (found on the shiny tile, the thin metal sheets, and the squashy pouch) means “sphere”
 • Dajogov (found on the thin metal sheets, the large metal hoop, and the squashy pouch) means “hoop”
 • Gie-zhag-leq-zhio-leq-rez-gho (found on the large circle) means “jupiter”
 • Zria-rez-ruag-gho-leq-rez-gho (found on the many-pointed star) means “europa”
 • Groqo (found on the thin metal sheets, the narrow console, and the squashy pouch) means “touch”
 • Rajarual (found on the broken lever, the narrow console, the shiny red square, and the floor grid) means “bridge”
 • Zoqradozhe (found on the high-pitched message and the shiny white square) means “alien artifact”
 • O (found on the high-pitched message, the shiny tile, the thin metal sheets, the ruined shiny square, the squashy pouch, and the floor grid) means “is at”
 • Ledozhe (found on the shiny tile and the floor grid) means “blue”
 • Eviozha (found on the shiny tile, the thin metal sheets, the large wheel, and the floor grid) means “green”
 • Zedre (found on the shiny tile, the red door, and the floor grid) means “red”
 • Lazha (found on the narrow console, the wire coil, and the red door) means “coil”
 • Al (found on the broken lever, the right disk, the left disk, the narrow console, the squashy pouch, the carrying handle, and the large wheel) means “this”
 • Davazo (found on the thin metal sheets, the carrying handle, the large wheel, and the red door) means “turn”
 • Ezheba (found on the carrying handle, the shiny green square, and the floor grid) means “storage”
 • Azarogh (found on the thin metal sheets, the floor grid, and the shiny blue square) means “airlock”
 • Bralo (found on the blue lever and the black lever) means “seal”
 • Jedo (found on the thin metal sheets, the narrow console, the squashy pouch, the carrying handle, the large wheel, the red door, the blue lever, and the black lever) means “open”
 • Grazad (found on the large wheel, the red door, the floor grid, the blue lever, and the black lever) means “door”
Would you like to:
     UNDO the last move,
     RESTORE a saved position,
     review the VOCAB you’ve learned,
     or RESTART from the beginning?
> undo

Undoing the last turn (corner).
Debris field (on the half-submerged disk)

> meminfo
Peak dynamic memory usage: 546 heap words, 90 aux words, and 209 long-term words.

> 