WEBVTT 00:00:01.840 --> 00:00:04.820 Good evening, citizens, and congratulations on 00:00:04.820 --> 00:00:07.040 surviving long enough to qualify for tourism. 00:00:07.860 --> 00:00:10.160 Today's journey takes us through the residential 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:13.699 sanctum of Delta 19, where the spirit of community 00:00:13.699 --> 00:00:16.839 remains strong, despite the absence of power, 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:21.980 food, and general continuity of existence. Please 00:00:21.980 --> 00:00:24.559 ensure your respirators are sealed, your optimism 00:00:24.559 --> 00:00:27.140 is stowed, and your documents of identity are 00:00:27.140 --> 00:00:30.309 notarized against moisture. The Departmento takes 00:00:30.309 --> 00:00:33.289 no responsibility for any permanent relocations 00:00:33.289 --> 00:00:38.009 of flesh. We now hand over to Tourism Servitor 00:00:38.009 --> 00:00:40.990 001 who will guide you on your journey through 00:00:40.990 --> 00:00:44.710 the habitation zones. Please remember that Tourism 00:00:44.710 --> 00:00:48.609 Servitor 001 is a legacy unit, assembled from 00:00:48.609 --> 00:00:51.350 pre -Gloriana schematics and whatever limbs were 00:00:51.350 --> 00:00:54.710 available at the time of construction. It may 00:00:54.710 --> 00:00:57.549 pause unexpectedly, gesture at things that no 00:00:57.549 --> 00:01:00.530 longer exist, or attempts to describe scenic 00:01:00.530 --> 00:01:03.189 vistas that have since been reclassified as structural 00:01:03.189 --> 00:01:07.450 hazards. Should the servitor begin weeping hydraulic 00:01:07.450 --> 00:01:10.489 fluid, this is not a malfunction, it is part 00:01:10.489 --> 00:01:13.989 of the immersive cultural experience. Enjoy your 00:01:13.989 --> 00:01:17.349 tour, and please refrain from screaming. Tourism 00:01:17.349 --> 00:01:21.129 Servitor 001 interprets vocal distress as positive 00:01:21.129 --> 00:01:31.189 feedback. The first steps into Delta 19 used 00:01:31.189 --> 00:01:34.870 to be triumphant. An introduction to a bustling 00:01:34.870 --> 00:01:38.609 subsector full of life, commerce, and the occasional 00:01:38.609 --> 00:01:42.750 sanctioned riot. Now, it feels more like stepping 00:01:42.750 --> 00:01:46.469 into the mouth of something old and tired. The 00:01:46.469 --> 00:01:49.450 devotional posters along the walls are curling 00:01:49.450 --> 00:01:53.329 like dying leaves. Their adhesive has long since 00:01:53.329 --> 00:01:56.950 given up. But the slogans underneath still try 00:01:56.950 --> 00:01:59.810 their best to evangelise through sheer stubbornness. 00:02:00.250 --> 00:02:03.450 Be thankful for what sustains you, even if it 00:02:03.450 --> 00:02:07.310 used to be someone else. Hunger means the Emperor 00:02:07.310 --> 00:02:11.270 is sculpting you. Some whisper audibly when the 00:02:11.270 --> 00:02:14.849 recycled air blows past, as if trying to guilt 00:02:14.849 --> 00:02:19.430 trip you from beyond their own expiry date. Bending 00:02:19.430 --> 00:02:23.280 shrines line the walkway every ten metres. Many 00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:26.599 of them stuck mid -blessing. They shudder to 00:02:26.599 --> 00:02:29.419 life when you approach, offering their wares 00:02:29.419 --> 00:02:32.039 with the enthusiasm of a dying priest giving 00:02:32.039 --> 00:02:38.460 one last sermon. Available items include devotional 00:02:38.460 --> 00:02:43.879 fluids, guaranteed 13 % liquid, pre -tuned sustenance 00:02:43.879 --> 00:02:49.039 paste, spit variety, assorted, holy crunches, 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:53.580 now with reduced crunch. Prices shift depending 00:02:53.580 --> 00:02:56.159 on whether the facial recognition system decides 00:02:56.159 --> 00:02:59.699 you're a citizen, a heretic, or miscellaneous 00:02:59.699 --> 00:03:03.300 biomass. The machine's camera lens twitches left 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:06.360 and right, narrowing on your eyes like it's trying 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:08.719 to decide if you're worthy of carbohydrates. 00:03:09.620 --> 00:03:13.520 A sign above the thoroughfare flickers. Welcome 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:18.020 to Delta 19. Please maintain resignation. Let 00:03:18.020 --> 00:03:21.240 us continue, because what else is left to do? 00:03:27.189 --> 00:03:30.389 If warmth could be made from bureaucracy and 00:03:30.389 --> 00:03:33.909 desperation, this corridor into the basic habitation 00:03:33.909 --> 00:03:38.210 zone would be a furnace. Instead, it's a dim 00:03:38.210 --> 00:03:43.370 tunnel of patched walls and thin hopes. The walls 00:03:43.370 --> 00:03:46.509 are layered with tin sheets, rags, scripture 00:03:46.509 --> 00:03:50.069 scraps, and improvised insulation made from shredded 00:03:50.069 --> 00:03:54.099 work forms. Entire decades of rejected requests, 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:58.620 maintenance logs, and denial notices glued together 00:03:58.620 --> 00:04:03.240 into something almost homelike. Doorways are 00:04:03.240 --> 00:04:07.080 marked with names. Some are painted with shaky, 00:04:07.319 --> 00:04:11.560 loving strokes. Some are carved with whatever 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:15.319 sharp thing was on a hand. Others are written 00:04:15.319 --> 00:04:17.819 directly into the air by residents muttering 00:04:17.819 --> 00:04:21.060 them aloud. because all available services have 00:04:21.060 --> 00:04:25.339 already been claimed. An elderly resident sits 00:04:25.339 --> 00:04:29.000 on a crate, her skin the colour of old parchment. 00:04:29.720 --> 00:04:33.699 She waves cheerfully, though her hand trembles 00:04:33.699 --> 00:04:37.000 like it's trying to leave without her. She offers 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:41.160 a cup of something dark and steaming. It's brewed 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:44.399 from condensation mopped off pipes and candle 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:50.019 soot scraped off walls. You will decline. She 00:04:50.019 --> 00:04:54.740 will nod with a weary smile. No one ever drinks 00:04:54.740 --> 00:04:58.680 it twice. In the distance, faint voices rise 00:04:58.680 --> 00:05:02.819 and fall, children chanting in perfect, exhausted 00:05:02.819 --> 00:05:14.379 unison. Listen closely. That's the children reciting 00:05:14.379 --> 00:05:19.410 their daily ration pitches. For each verse, they 00:05:19.410 --> 00:05:22.709 get one calorie. They recite as though the words 00:05:22.709 --> 00:05:26.569 themselves add nutrition. Let us move on before 00:05:26.569 --> 00:05:40.529 they reach the fasting hymns. Once, this was 00:05:40.529 --> 00:05:43.670 the bathhouse. A place where workers rinsed off 00:05:43.670 --> 00:05:46.970 the filth of duty. or at least redistributed 00:05:46.970 --> 00:05:51.269 it more evenly. Now it's a devotional pool, where 00:05:51.269 --> 00:05:54.089 despair floats thicker than the scum on the surface. 00:05:55.050 --> 00:05:59.110 Grey water fills the central basin. Bits of broken 00:05:59.110 --> 00:06:02.829 icons drift on top, bobbing like tiny, soggy 00:06:02.829 --> 00:06:06.430 martyrs. Pilgrims come here seeking cleansing, 00:06:06.730 --> 00:06:09.970 enlightenment, or simply a place to cry where 00:06:09.970 --> 00:06:13.420 their tears won't be noticeable. The reflections 00:06:13.420 --> 00:06:16.000 in the water have developed a habit of behaving 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:23.019 independently. Look into the pool. Blink. Sometimes 00:06:23.019 --> 00:06:26.839 the reflection blinks back with a different expression 00:06:26.839 --> 00:06:31.339 entirely. A soft smile. A sympathetic grimace. 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:36.220 A you -tried -your -best pout. Locals call this 00:06:36.220 --> 00:06:40.060 phenomenon the mirror's forgiveness. One pilgrim 00:06:40.060 --> 00:06:42.379 swears their reflection patted them on the shoulder 00:06:42.379 --> 00:06:45.839 once. Another claim theirs mouthed the words, 00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:49.399 run. Nobody knows whether this was encouragement 00:06:49.399 --> 00:06:54.740 or a threat. Above the basin hangs a civic motto 00:06:54.740 --> 00:06:58.540 in flickering Lumen script. Cleanliness is loyalty. 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:04.480 Loyalty is sterile. The final word sparks, sputters, 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:10.279 and occasionally reads as fragile. Which is surprisingly 00:07:10.279 --> 00:07:14.800 accurate. A notice at the exit cheerfully adds, 00:07:15.060 --> 00:07:18.420 Do not drink the reflection water, even if it 00:07:18.420 --> 00:07:33.079 hurts. Welcome, visitor, to nutrient distribution 00:07:33.079 --> 00:07:37.709 point 19b. Once a bustling artery of survival, 00:07:38.050 --> 00:07:42.449 now a shrine to dietary disappointment. Before 00:07:42.449 --> 00:07:45.449 the great logistical reassessment, which had 00:07:45.449 --> 00:07:48.269 nothing to do with logistics and even less with 00:07:48.269 --> 00:07:51.629 assessment, citizens lined up here in orderly 00:07:51.629 --> 00:07:54.250 desperation to receive their allotted sustenance. 00:07:54.769 --> 00:07:58.529 The counter is staffed, if that is the correct 00:07:58.529 --> 00:08:02.790 verb, by a single hovering cranium mech. whose 00:08:02.790 --> 00:08:05.810 ladle attachment has fused into a permanent downward 00:08:05.810 --> 00:08:11.170 stroop, as though ashamed. Its Vox Grill emits 00:08:11.170 --> 00:08:14.129 a looping apology in a tone that suggests it 00:08:14.129 --> 00:08:17.730 regrets everything, including its own construction. 00:08:18.310 --> 00:08:21.490 Rations unavailable. Please practice restraint. 00:08:22.490 --> 00:08:26.209 Whether the message is meant to soothe, chastise, 00:08:26.209 --> 00:08:31.180 or simply mock the hungry is unclear. Around 00:08:31.180 --> 00:08:33.779 the serving station, the walls are decorated 00:08:33.779 --> 00:08:38.299 with layers of tally marks, some neat, some frantic, 00:08:38.419 --> 00:08:41.879 and a worrying number accompanied by small bite 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:45.500 impressions. Scholars have debated whether the 00:08:45.500 --> 00:08:48.500 marks denote days since the last delivery, or 00:08:48.500 --> 00:08:51.059 how many people snapped before the others did. 00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:55.039 The air carries the faint, sweet, sour scent 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:58.580 of old protein slurry, the kind that tastes like 00:08:58.580 --> 00:09:03.139 sadness. but keeps you upright. Above the exit 00:09:03.139 --> 00:09:06.639 hangs a civic motto in peeling block letters. 00:09:09.139 --> 00:09:16.139 Let us leave quickly. The cranium mech may attempt 00:09:16.139 --> 00:09:28.269 to give you samples. Now. These were once the 00:09:28.269 --> 00:09:32.190 pride of Delta 19. The luxury habitation decks, 00:09:32.429 --> 00:09:36.409 boasting faux windows, gravity stabilizers, and 00:09:36.409 --> 00:09:40.330 views of filtered smog. Now they are partially 00:09:40.330 --> 00:09:43.529 open to the elements, courtesy of catastrophic 00:09:43.529 --> 00:09:47.629 structural humility. Please follow me closely. 00:09:48.090 --> 00:09:52.090 The floor plan has migrated over time, with staircases 00:09:52.090 --> 00:09:55.570 dangling in airy spirals, bulkheads yawning open. 00:09:56.059 --> 00:09:59.320 like unamused mouths, and support beams maintaining 00:09:59.320 --> 00:10:03.259 a polite but uncertain relationship with physics. 00:10:04.440 --> 00:10:08.100 Wind whistles down the long corridors, accompanied 00:10:08.100 --> 00:10:10.860 by the delicate twinkling of devotional wind 00:10:10.860 --> 00:10:14.320 bones. Residents tie them wherever they can, 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:19.360 on railings, cables, exposed piping, believing 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:22.980 the chimes distract predatory spirits, tax collectors. 00:10:23.850 --> 00:10:29.149 and occasionally their own thoughts. Visitors 00:10:29.149 --> 00:10:33.230 often describe the atmosphere as peaceful, but 00:10:33.230 --> 00:10:35.909 only if they ignore the occasional sound of distant 00:10:35.909 --> 00:10:39.909 crashing, brief screams, or the concluding thud 00:10:39.909 --> 00:10:42.370 of someone discovering gravity is still functional. 00:10:45.029 --> 00:10:49.529 Inside one former family hab, a faded mural remains. 00:10:50.509 --> 00:10:53.669 It depicts a cheerful family unit smiling with 00:10:53.669 --> 00:10:57.110 uniform optimism. Some contemporary resident 00:10:57.110 --> 00:10:59.750 has carefully added extra mouths to each figure, 00:10:59.909 --> 00:11:02.549 perhaps to update them for modern theological 00:11:02.549 --> 00:11:08.250 standards. Now, let us descend. If you have fingers, 00:11:08.490 --> 00:11:17.429 please keep them out of the mechanism. Deep beneath 00:11:17.429 --> 00:11:21.480 Delta 19, Below the habdecks, past the pipes 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:24.399 that sigh and the vents that mutter, lies the 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:28.100 old box repeater, once the beating heart of local 00:11:28.100 --> 00:11:38.799 communication. Now it is a shrine, a relic, and 00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:42.840 a questionable confidant. The machine hums with 00:11:42.840 --> 00:11:46.620 a sluggish, almost living rhythm. Its battered 00:11:46.620 --> 00:11:50.159 casing is coated in melted wax, handwritten prayer 00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:53.980 slips, and an unsettling number of human teeth. 00:11:55.259 --> 00:11:59.360 Locals claim the teeth improve reception. Outsiders 00:11:59.360 --> 00:12:03.919 suspect they merely improve ambience. Occasionally, 00:12:03.940 --> 00:12:07.679 when the machine stirs, it releases fragments 00:12:07.679 --> 00:12:12.059 of ancient announcements. Citizens are reminded 00:12:12.059 --> 00:12:16.919 that hunger is not a sin, but a test. Please 00:12:16.919 --> 00:12:19.659 remain indoors during spiritual readjustment. 00:12:20.460 --> 00:12:25.360 All praise to the Animus machine. Some say the 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:28.620 Vox is haunted by old administrators. Others 00:12:28.620 --> 00:12:34.620 say it simply remembers too much. But most speak 00:12:34.620 --> 00:12:38.320 of its primary gift. If you whisper your name 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:43.320 into the grill, And wait. Really wait. It will 00:12:43.320 --> 00:12:45.720 murmur back what you are destined to become. 00:12:46.240 --> 00:12:50.820 Sometimes the answer is mundane. Sometimes prophetic. 00:12:52.120 --> 00:12:55.720 Occasionally, it is a sound best left untranscribed. 00:12:56.879 --> 00:13:00.200 Locals affectionately call it the Kindly Mouth, 00:13:00.340 --> 00:13:03.679 though none can explain why the name makes everyone 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:15.710 shiver slightly. And that concludes our walking 00:13:15.710 --> 00:13:19.909 tour of Delta 19, a shining example of perseverance 00:13:19.909 --> 00:13:22.649 through resource misallocation and selective 00:13:22.649 --> 00:13:27.330 empathy. The Departamento Vox Communicatus thanks 00:13:27.330 --> 00:13:30.110 you for your attention, your silence and your 00:13:30.110 --> 00:13:34.409 willingness to absorb trauma as tourism. Should 00:13:34.409 --> 00:13:36.769 you encounter any residents still capable of 00:13:36.769 --> 00:13:40.250 speech, do not engage in barter, prayer or mutual 00:13:40.250 --> 00:13:44.230 recognition. Remember, Empathy spreads faster 00:13:44.230 --> 00:13:48.490 than fire. Until next time, keep your respirators 00:13:48.490 --> 00:13:51.470 tight, your paperwork tighter, and your faith 00:13:51.470 --> 00:13:55.629 digestible. This is Vox Sanctum signing off. 00:13:55.970 --> 00:14:00.629 May your footsteps echo in compliance. Ave Imperator. 00:14:02.409 --> 00:14:05.450 Host Servitor 241 was played by Richard Roberts. 00:14:06.070 --> 00:14:10.210 Tourism Servitor 001 was played by Mandy Rose. 00:14:11.080 --> 00:14:14.379 Vox Sanctum Gloriana is an Evil Lighthouse production.