The Annex, Last City
——

The old crews? Ain't much I can tell you that you couldn't get from Rahool, but I can't blame you if you'd rather stay awake for the whole story, heheh. C'mon, loosen up, hero! If you think a grim expression is all it takes to move up through the Vanguard… well, you may have something there.

Okay, I'll start at the beginning. The Traveler chose the Eliksni and everything was great over in Riis, until it wasn't. The Whirlwind happened, the Pyramids showed up, the Traveler took off through space, and from what I gather, it wasn't a pretty scene.

Eramis was there for it. And—credit where it's due—she picked herself up, grabbed a crew, and went after the Traveler. She cut through everything in her way, dead set on hunting it down.

And she wasn't the only one with that idea. Whole fleets of ships chased the Traveler. Lawless days. Hopeless days.

…See, I was here for the Dark Ages. And when there's nothing but loss around you planetside, you can still find a rooftop, sit in a snowfield. You can go into a forest and find a moment of quiet—a little scrap of peace.

Ain't like that on a ship. Things go from bad to worse, you just have to face it. And Eramis did. That takes a gutful of grit.

Now, don't think I'm writin' love poems to the Shipstealer over here—we find her, I'm drawing down quick as you are.

But if the big old Traveler blasted outta the sky tomorrow? You bet your entire vault we'd chase after it. We'd be the new crews, going after something we knew in our bones was ours, not stopping for anyone or anything that got in our way.

And we'd still think of ourselves as heroes, wouldn't we?