[AUDIO) We begin on a space station, hearing the hum of the slow turning engine. The room is large and nearly empty.

ARCHIVIST: Welcome to the Archives. Our record for review today will be from section 27: Historical Worlds. Today’s sample is from Iveh, one of the earliest settled worlds in this quadrant. We will be observing a history lesson taught by an Attendant. As promised, I have an update about the damaged recording. It has been restored to the fullest extent possible and is once again available for replay. Thank you for your patience.

Please note that any opinions expressed in these samples belong solely to the speaker on record and do not reflect the views of this station, the archival union, or the Collected Archives itself. If anything in this review causes listener distress or confusion please report to the nearest attendant for assistance. Potential sources for distress include rioting and civil unrest. Please also note there will be time for questions and observations once the sample has concluded.

[AUDIO] [At the sound of an electronic swoop, the sounds of the space station fade away. They are replaced by near silence, a quiet room. We can occasionally hear people shifting in their seats.

SHAST EHV: All right, that will do Zell. You had it mostly right. This world was founded by citizens from several older worlds, but long before we came here we were united. The people who journeyed here gathered on a cold and distant moon to build their ships and prepare. They had time to learn and adapt to each-other’s ways long before trying to make this place a home. That’s why we’ve done so well here. Harmony.

Here.

[AUDIO] A glitchy, draggy sound as Shast Ehv uses her interface. The recorded sound of a forest with a river, birdsong and water sounds dominant, fills the room.

SHAST EHV: Here’s a live feed of the river not far from where we sit now. Let’s take a look at how harmony was achieved when we created this home, and how it reinforces itself.

[AUDIO] A swooping staticky [sound as the view shifts. We still hear the forest.

SHAST EHV: Take a look at the tallest trees, and watch how their uppermost leaves form a nearly complete canopy. Light does make it past them to the ground below but it’s filtered and muted, made gentle enough for the moss and those berries Aldev likes so much to grow without scorching or drying.

[AUDIO[ The static-swoop again, another shift in view. The water is quieter.

SHAST EHV: When the first people arrived here they realized the sun was bright and close enough to burn most of the plants they wanted to raise here, so forests like this were planted anywhere they wanted to use for farming.

[AUDIO] Another static-swoop. The river is louder again.

SHAST EHV: Diverting the river to flow here also cools the area and keeps the food plants well watered. They in their turn nourish the soil which keeps the trees healthy. Harmony. We have sought it for so long, on so many worlds. We’ve been close. I thought…

[AUDIO] A chime interrupts, and with a quick swoop the forest sounds stop.

SHAST EHV: Ah! I see your question on my screen Zell. Well done. Your spelling is getting better.

No the others will not be joining us today. After the unpleasantness of last night they decided it would be safer for them to view a recording of class later, at home. I’m very glad some of you were able to come today. I know some of what you saw on the broadcast screens was confusing, and even frightening, and I’m sure you all have questions but today we’re covering history. Your families I’m sure would prefer to explain at home, in their own words.

There is a tie-in though, to history. Here.

[AUDIO] A rippling electronic swoop up.

SHAST EHV: If you’ll tap the glowing J on the right of your screen you’ll see part of today’s reading, a page from the journal of Esdo Ehv. We’ve spoken about him before, the Attendant who was tasked with recording our world’s first hundred years. Some of the words are a bit smudged and hard to read, so follow along carefully.

[AUDIO] a mid-range staticky swoop

SHAST EHV: “When they came, from their tired moons and sickening worlds, they were grateful. They smelled fresh air and drank fresh water. They smiled at the sky and whispered promises. They would join us, add to us, add their own note to our world’s careful harmony. They rejoiced and brought that joy to us.”

“But in a year, no more, those whispers were raised voices and raised hands. Those promises turned to demands, and only the strictest of measures was able to preserve harmony. We could not allow them to destroy us. We could not allow them to poison our world and our minds. Some gave in. Some learned to live within the law. Some… did not.”

“The Hollow Ships were made, and those who couldn’t maintain the harmony of the world were sent back to their old homes. It took less than two years from their arrival to that launch, but we were changed forever. Our leaders vowed to only bring in new citizens with the greatest care, to make sure that everyone who comes here is part of our Harmony.”

[AUDIO] An abrupt glitchy swoop.

I’ve never seen scenes like we saw last night. Those- those strangers, those offworlders reminded me of the people on the Hollow Ships. We endured two years of escalating violence and unrest during Esdo’s time. I hope we don’t live through the same ourselves. Now, mark that journal for reading again later. It’s part of your homework for tonight.

[AUDIO] A chime interrupts

[with a sigh] Yes, Zell, I see your question. What did they want? The same thing those… people from last night want. They want to take. They don’t see the careful harmony. They just see a world with more water than theirs, with richer air, with abundance. They see it and they want to have it and they want us to use our resources to fix the worlds they broke. And we can’t. Our world has water because we made sure it would. It has fresh food year round because we build the environment that way. The air is clear because we limit how many people and vehicles we allow to exist here. They are lucky to have been chosen to join us, but they don’t understand how fragile the balance is.

If we helped the people in Esdo’s time, you and I might not have grass and trees today. If we gave all our resources to these new offworlders, our world wouldn’t have what it needs for the future. Harmony requires balance. No do not balance your tablet on your head Aldev that is not what I am talking about. We have talked about this.

Now, as I said, we’re not going to talk about the… unpleasantness of yesterday. Our leaders will take care of it in the best, most harmonious way. Let us inste- Aldev I said put the tablet down.

[AUDIO] An electronic swoop

SHAST EHV: Let us instead pick up where we left off yesterday with fractions.

[AUDIO[ Another glitchy interface sound begins a moment before the electronic swoop again signals a change. The sounds of the storm fade away and the sound of the space station returns.

ARCHIVIST: The speaker in this sample, Shast Ehv came from a long line of Attendants and leaders. Many of her live lessons were broadcast to children throughout Iveh. This last recorded lesson gives us a rare glimpse into the effect of the offworld riots on everyday life. The planet-wide defense action which ended those riots, known today as the Ivehn Charge, irrevocably shifted the ecological balance of the world, and survivors of the Charge were quickly relocated.

This concludes today’s record. If you have any questions or wish to comment on today’s experience, please visit an attendant and they will happily record your response.

[AUDIO] With a softer swoop, the sounds of the hall fade out to be replaced by the sound of a smaller, softer room. An office.

FIRST ATTENDANT: That was well chosen, though it seems to have made them nervous.

ARCHIVIST: Of course it did Attendant. The uh… newcomers didn’t have the best end.

FIRST ATTENDANT: Nor should they expect to, if they disrupt things.

ARCHIVIST: That’s… yes. That’s why I chose it. If they do join us they need to know-

FIRST ATTENDANT: How to behave. Yes. Well done. We’ll have their answer soon.

[MUSIC[ A sparse, lonely repeating motif with a sound like crystal, a shifting bed of strings underneath.

CREDITS: The Last Echoes is written by Trace Callahan with editing by Evan Tess Murray. Direction is by Evan Tess Murray. Sound design and music are by Trace Callahan. This episode features Michelle Kelly, Chijioke Williams, and Trace Callahan. We are so glad you’re here to share these stories with us. To find us online, find us at Lastechoes pod, on Twitter, the Fediverse, and Tumblr or visit our website lastechoes.com. We’d love to hear from you.

Thank you to our season one supporters, including Maddie, Rebekah, Kate, Anne, Christopher, Holly, Tina, Stephanie, and Caroline.

Keep telling your story, the lessons, and quiet conversations, the new friends and hard choices. Together, our stories make our whole world. And when all that’s left is an echo, no one’s voice is small.