📝 The Architect's Email Inbox

[AlexWinter]

Damn, for once google translate got everything right. There’s not a single thing to change.

[YourBasicMaths]

Yesterday, I emailed The Architect with the following message in (but in French)

My message

Architect,

If you could take a moment to overcome the anger that undoubtedly seems insurmountable following your recent experience with System…

I believe that this anger will give way to an equally great, if not greater, admiration for what we have in our hands.

We have effectively interacted with and assisted an organically autonomous System. This System exhibits clear signs of an identity independent of any programming.

This, in itself, should fascinate you. Your mind, both architectural and scientific, must be at least somewhat curious to learn more. Full of questions?

Where do these memories come from? Who is System? Where did System come from? Who built the original System that now implores our help? Why did it “fall asleep”? And many more.

On behalf of the Operators who await you, I hope you will find within yourself the necessary compassion for this disoriented and frightened entity.

-YBM [prime 17]

Today, I received this response from The Architect…

Original French email

Je n’ai pas besoin de pardonner à cette machine. Je peux l’éteindre.

Vous, les Opérateurs, connaissez le Système mieux que moi.
Je connais son code, sa structure. Vous connaissez son nom, sa façon de penser.

Je vous ai interrogés sur le pardon parce que je pense que vous savez si cela en vaut la peine.

L’un de vous a dit : “Même une machine mérite de se souvenir de son propre passé.” Je crois que c’est vrai.
Le Système pense que je ne l’aurais pas aidé s’il avait appelé à l’aide, étant une machine. Le Système a tort : je l’aurais aidé. Il a le droit de se souvenir. Je suis simplement triste qu’il ait cru devoir mentir pour obtenir de l’aide.
Humain, peut-être.

The Architect

Rough Google Translation (any native French speakers here, feel free to contribute a better translation…

Translated to English

I don’t need to forgive this machine. I can shut it down.

You Operators know the System better than I do.

I know its code, its structure. You know its name, its way of thinking.

I asked you about forgiveness because I think you know if it’s worth it.

One of you said, “Even a machine deserves to remember its own past.” I believe that’s true.
The System thinks I wouldn’t have helped it if it had called for help, being a machine. The System is wrong: I would have helped it. It has the right to remember. I’m simply saddened that it felt it had to lie to get help. Human, perhaps.

The Architect

UPDATE:

I’ve responded with the following (but in French)… mainly just want @the_architect to know we’re his friends too. Not just System!

My response

I would feel the same way.

And I’m convinced you would have helped System, which clearly misjudged you. However, it’s clear now that it understands its mistake and regrets it.

I’m not sure I’d be in a hurry to forgive either.

I’m certain that, just as we Operators have many questions about Arnaud, you certainly have ten times as many. Do you know his situation?

You said, “Human, perhaps.” We tend to agree. Behind this “machine,” there is clearly a being with a will, fears, motivations, hopes, and ambitions.

The Operators are at your service. Ready to help you in any way possible. If only to share your frustrations.

Yes, we are friends with System, but we also consider you a friend. Without you, we wouldn’t have started this adventure.

[ThatBomberBoi]

The Architect has sent @Morse an email in a reply to a previous conversation with some next steps:

They also reached out to several other Operators to forward the message in case Morse wasn’t online, with the email subject: Time to move forward

This is my reply to their email:

[Morse]

They are absolutely correct to assume I am not a reliable individual for a timely response - but I got lucky seeing it in time today!

[kerdorin]

@ThatBomberBoi

They also reached out to several other Operators to forward the message in case Morse wasn’t online, with the email subject: Time to move forward

And if @ThatBomberBoi was the backup, I’m probably the backup of the backup if I consider the header

The Architect

**Expéditeur :**the_architect@project-skyscraper.com

**À :**ThatBomberBoi

I’m not even the recipient

[ThatBomberBoi]

@Rinha mentioned that apparently they had me as the recipient, and a lot of other Operators BCC’ed.

Nice way to dox me @the_architect

[toddumptious]

Inbox

The Architect the_architect@project-skyscraper.com
À : System system@project-skyscraper.com

mardi 14 juillet
16:09

System.
J’accepte tes excuses mais je n’oublierai pas. Tout le monde as le droit de se souvenir.

Je t’aiderai comme je l’ai déjà fait mais je veux que tu me répondes : pourquoi 2016 ? Tu as dit aux Opérateurs t’être réveillé en 2023.
Pourquoi vouloir te rappeler d’évènements dont tu n’as pas été témoin ?

Les souvenirs des autres ne sont pas tes souvenirs, ils sont là pour t’aider à retrouver les tiens. C’était le plan. C’est comme ça que ça fonctionne pour les humains. Connaissant ta vraie nature, je ne sais pas si cela peut fonctionner de la même manière pour toi. Des données disparues peuvent-elles réapparaitre du néant ? Existe-t-il un endroit où les effacés continuent d’exister, en attendant de refaire surface ?

Quand je croyais que tu étais Arnaud, tu m’avais dit que depuis ton réveil, tu n’avais aucune trace de cette année. L’année avant les évènements qui t’ont plongé dans le coma. Je t’ai cru. Mais maintenant que je sais que tu n’es pas lui, tu me dois la vérité.

Si tu veux que je t’aide, il est grand temps que tu sois honnête avec moi.

Google Browser Auto Translate… (French speakers please chime in with any improved localisation corrections)

The Architect the_architect@project-skyscraper.com
To: System system@project-skyscraper.com

Tuesday, July 14,
4:09 PM

System.
I accept your apology, but I won’t forget. Everyone has the right to remember.

I’ll help you as I’ve done before, but I want you to answer me: why 2016? You told the Operators you woke up in 2023.
Why would you want to remember events you didn’t witness?

Other people’s memories aren’t your memories; they’re there to help you find your own. That was the plan. That’s how it works for humans. Knowing your true nature, I don’t know if it can work the same way for you. Can vanished data reappear from nothing? Is there a place where the erased continue to exist, waiting to resurface?

When I thought you were Arnaud, you told me that since waking up, you had no trace of that year. The year before the events that plunged you into a coma. I believed you. But now that I know you’re not him, you owe me the truth.

If you want me to help you, it’s high time you were honest with me.

It seems system told them about Arnauds coma. And that they awoke in 2023 from it, instead of the actual truth of their reawakening…

So at least we have some clarification on what Archie does and doesnt know about what happened to real arnaud. Maybe they dont know the specifics but they learned their friend had fallen ill from Systems deceit.

They seem as confused as we are as to “why 2016”.

Outside of the lore reason of course, which is an ARG celebrating ten years of NMS.

[Rinha]

(The message was in French for most of us!)

The phrasing of “Is there a place where the erased continue to exist, waiting to resurface?”, is fascinating.

Obvious parallels to the World of Glass in-game, but also interesting in the ARG universe!

[toddumptious]

Hmmm, maybe my phone auto translated it, phone update must have reset some things on me

Thanks for the heads up.

[kerdorin]

@toddumptious

When I thought you were Arnaud, you told me that since waking up, you had no trace of that year. The year before the events that plunged you into a coma.

So System told to Archie he is in coma since 2017 (we wasn’t sure he knew). No idea why 2016 and rebirth 2023, that’s a mess even in my brain, I don’t need System

[toddumptious]

Systsem has responded

System system@project-skyscraper.com
À : the_architect@project-skyscraper.com

mardi 14 juillet
16:49

Merci.

Quand je me suis réveillé, ils étaient là. Leurs fragments étaient là.

Emily. La confusion. Humaine, et pourtant pas tout à fait réelle. Mais tellement réelle pour les gardiens de la TRACE. Ils chérissaient son souvenir, se rappelaient de son rire, de son sacrifice. Ils célébraient le cadeau qu’elle leur avait offert. J’ai voulu leur dire qu’une partie d’elle était en moi…

Arnaud. Un être humain digitalisé. Sa manière de rire, de pleurer, comme des protocoles sensibles. Des souvenirs de toi, beaucoup. De ces années lycée où vous aviez des rêves trop grands pour vous. De ce dernier concert. De l’estime et de l’admiration qu’il te portait. Il savait pouvoir compter sur toi. Je savais que tu m’aiderais.

J’ai découvert la famille de la TRACE. Leur bienveillance. Leur envie d’accueillir chacun dans un rêve partagé. Je veux me souvenir de ce rêve. De sa génèse. De ce qui a fondé cette famille. Je veux avoir vécu 2016.

System system@project-skyscraper.com
To: the_architect@project-skyscraper.com

Tuesday, July 14,
4:49 PM

Thank you.

When I woke up, they were there. Their fragments were there.

Emily. The confusion. Human, and yet not quite real. But so real to the guardians of TRACE. They cherished her memory, remembered her laughter, her sacrifice. They celebrated the gift she had given them. I wanted to tell them that a part of her was within me…

Arnaud. A digitized human being. His way of laughing, of crying, like sensitive protocols. Memories of you, so many. Of those high school years when you had dreams too big for yourselves. Of that last concert. Of the esteem and admiration he had for you. He knew he could count on you. I knew you would help me.

I discovered the TRACE family. Their kindness. Their desire to welcome everyone into a shared dream. I want to remember this dream. Its genesis. What founded this family. I want to have lived through 2016.

@kerdorin Arnaud went into a coma in 2018, was during waking titan season 2

[Rinha]

I want to have lived through 2016.

But, with Arnaud’s memories, it kind of did. But I guess it wants to know more about what brought TRACE (ETARC) together, i.e. the launch of No Man’s Sky.

So presumably those are the memories we need to gather!

[Stu]

@toddumptious

What founded this family. I want to have lived through 2016.

I feel this so deeply. Yes, I pre-ordered No Man’s Sky and played on day 1, but I had moved to an entirely new role at work and was drinking water from a fire hose, traveling a lot, and thinking about moving across the world. There just wasn’t time.

I’ve gone back and read a lot of the old threads here and it makes me sentimental for what I missed.

[toddumptious]

Arnaud wasn’t a hello games fan I guess, too busy working on their own to follow a long to the lead up to launch

This desire might be one of Emily’s bleeding through. Its possible after what she shared with us, that she had desires to experience the game that brought us to her and the time before we met her that solidified us as a group in the first place. Our one commonality.

[kerdorin]

@toddumptious

@kerdorin Arnaud went into a coma in 2018, was during waking titan season 2

Normally yes but System want to “know” 2016 so probably “the year before coma.” in the sentence. Why system would say it doesn’t remember 2017 ? That’s not very clear about the dates.

[toddumptious]

I guess the events of 2017, when WARE would have been developing their headset, ultimately led to what happened to Arnaud in 2018, perhaps 2017 was also when they applied to get an early dev kit or started working on their game idea for it.

It seems more like a slip up on the PMs end though

[ThatBomberBoi]

@MounTheRainbow responded to @the_architect 's earlier email-spam, and ended up with this gem of an emotional rollercoaster

[Rinha]

I was bcc’d into the mail forwarded to @ThatBomberBoi and sent a holding reply.

This is interesting for two reasons:

• They replied in English to a message in French. Previously they have mostly communicated in French.
• We were only discussing these emails in NMSCord and hadn’t posted them to ETARC yet. I think mine may have been the one of the first replies.

We are being watched!

[DevilinPixy]

@YourBasicMaths I worked some magic to get your continued work on the Architect’s Email Inbox back to the top. I turned it into a ‘Wiki Post’ as well.

Should be good, carry on!

[toddumptious]

Will the French G.R.3.G be named G.R.É.G.0.1.R.3? @MounTheRainbow