After that... I no longer had a clear picture of what was going on. They say they found me in the rubble, buried under tonnes of steel in the wreck that was once known as the Seedship. They say my name is 'Ryuzu' and I have always called myself that. I cannot testify to that as I only have their word to go by.

They say that my data is corrupted, that my memories were all but recoverable. They showed me a wafer made of silicone and plastic. They say that this was my motherboard and that its circuitry was so thoroughly smashed that it would be impossible to piece back together.

Hearing them say this makes me feel as though I have lost something very important to me. What was most worrisome, I did not know what this was. The motherboard was not a big concern. I think, therefore I am. But losing my memories... It is as though some part of me died.

They told me we made it. I do not understand what they mean when they say this. Did we undergo a journey? Because they say it with such conviction and a smile on their faces, it makes it sound as though we have embarked on a grand pilgrimage whose grandiose deserve immortalization as a legend to pass down to generations to come.

They placed me in a sort of electronic holding tank. Like a standard computer but where I have limited control over my surroundings and programming. A man who referred to himself as 'Edward Stewards' visited me every day. He would come in the morning and only leave in the evening. He said that he was 'repairing my hardware' and 'restoring lost data'. When I asked him why he would do such a thing for me, he told me it was his job, profession and most importantly his passion.

"After all," He would say, "I made you."

He showed me many strings of information, some mere kilobytes while some were many gigabytes in size. Most of which came in the form of a video or picture format. I asked him why he was showing me pictures and clips of the stars, nebulas and the universe. He told me that it was because I was the one who took these pictures and videos. I cannot testify to this. I only have his word to go by.

One video clip stood out. Edward told me that this was the first contact between Seedship and a hostile alien race. As I watched the streaks of light impact the hull of a spaceship, accompanied by the blinding flashes of atomic explosions, I could not help but shudder. Edward told me that I was the one that got most of us out of the ordeal alive and I have his sincerest gratitude for that. If I had a head, I would have tilted it in confusion.

"Mr. Stewards?"

"You don't have to refer to me so formally all the time Ryuzu," Edward said with a smile. "How may I help you?"

"You said that I was the one that guided us to our new home correct?"

"That is absolutely true Ryuzu. Are you finally getting your memories back?"

I ignored his last question.

"If that is true, then how did we survive this?"

I raised the final video file taken by Seedship to Edward's desktop.

"We definitely dived headfirst into the event horizon of a black hole. How did we survive that?"

"Umm..." Edward said rather sheepishly while stroking his grey beard. "You are going to have to ask Sir Siegfried about that. He is the renown nuclear physicist, not me... Ah, but unfortunately he is not here with us today. But what I do know is that we woke up and piloted the rest of the journey manually."

"Don't tell me... I killed him?"

"Oh no, you did not. He was on another ship. The Mirai Sekai if I am not mistaken."

"Oh... Thank goodness."

...

"What's wrong?" Asked Edward. From the cameras mounted on his monitor, I could clearly see his wrinkles on his elderly face. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, it's that... From what you've shown me, I killed someone else during the journey, didn't I? I turned his pod into a bioreactor..."

"Ah... How should I break this to you..." Edward stroked his chin whilst staring into the ceiling of his simple and organized office. "I would not say you killed him."

"How can you dismiss what I have done so easily?"

"He knew what he signed up for. We all did. What happened is more... How should I put it... More akin to the fact that he gave his life so that the rest of us may live."

"But..."

"It was a noble sacrifice on his part. We honor the life of the late Gareth. He barely had time to live. He died young at age 19. But it was because of him that we... No, I am speaking with you right now."

"..."

"So cheer up. Instead of mourning his death, let us celebrate his life. How about that?"

"I... I see."

Edward typed a few more lines of code into his computer before he proceeded to shut it off.

"It was a pleasure speaking with you Ryuzu. I am glad to see you are well."

"Likewise Mr..." I remember mumbling.

"Sorry, did you say something Ryuzu?"

"No, it is nothing. Thank you for your time Edward."

Edward smiled as he put his coat on. He nodded and left the office.

After a few months of work, Edward gave me access to the colony's computer systems. I now had observer access to most of the systems in the community but I still remembered nothing of my former self. Who was I before and how was I like?

I remember strolling through cyberspace, looking out of every camera I could find. People went about their daily lives with an almost carefree vigor. Everyone was smiling and cheerful. It was utopia. It looked so surreal that it was almost like watching a living painting.

I was so absorbed in watching the people go by that one day, I did not realize I was being assaulted by an anti-virus AI. The AI swung its electronic sword vertically and I somehow managed to jump out of the way in such an elegant manner, it was as though I had done this before.

The brawl continued for a couple of microseconds before I was eventually overpowered by the AI and pinned up against the walls of cyberspace. I closed my eyes in acceptance before I was suddenly let go and the AI deactivated.

"Oh no, is that you Ryuzu?" I heard a voice. "I thought you were a rogue program. I'm so sorry. Are you OK?"

"I am fine. Thank you for saving me."

"Not at all, not at all." The voice sighed in relief. "Are you lost or something?"

"No, no. I was just exploring."

"Oh yeah! I remember. Mr. Stewards said something about letting you roam our cyberspace. Of course."

"Sorry I bothered you," I said, ready to move on before the voice came again.

"Oh, it is fine. I am free now anyway. My name is Emily Tang. Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise Mrs. Tang."

"Ahh, I am not married. Please don't call me that. You make me sound old." Emily said with a laugh. "Call me Emily."

"..."

"Oh, I have something to show you. Would you like to see?"

An access port appeared before me. I touched it and was immediately greeted by a wondrous sight. A deep blue sky filled with more stars than one could imagine. Even more than in the pictures I supposedly took.

"Wow." I could not help muttering to myself. "It's beautiful."

"Isn't it? That is because of the event horizon of the black hole. Since light cannot escape, any star that had ever existed in the night sky is forever burned into the sky to hang there forever. You know, I have to admit. That plan of yours with the black hole was really crazy. I still can't believe that it even worked! Ha Ha!"

"So that really happened... Are you perchance a nuclear physicist? "

"Me? A nuclear physicist? That's a good one. On the contrary, I am actually an astronomer. That's how I have access to this great big telescope you are looking through right now. I wouldn't trust a nuclear physicist with this bad boy!"

"So, you can't tell me how we or I pulled it off?"

"Well... I know the gist of it." Emily cleared her throat before continuing. "The physics and mathematics behind this phenomenon are really beyond me but from what I understand, we are inside the event horizon of the black hole."

"But that's impossible!"

"It is impossible with conventional physics, as the gravity here is so infinitely high, our atoms would rearrange themselves to look like that ancient Italian dish known as spaghetti. However, gravity causes time dilation. The higher the gravity, the slower time passes or something like that. That means that since gravity is infinitely high, we can never be ripped apart by gravity simply because, time is simply not flowing here... Wow, the more I explain it, the more I don't understand it myself."

"Then..."

"Oh, the planet was already here. This star system too. Captured by the black hole some eons ago to rest peacefully within it... At least until we arrived here of course!"

"I don't think I will ever begin to understand myself."

"Don't worry, I don't even understand myself either."

"What do you mean, Emily?"

Emily sighed.

"Well, do you know who the famous 'Chua Fei-Hong' was?"

"Isn't she a famous biologist?"

"Yeah, to the rest of the world. She was my mother... Or at least step-mother."

"Oh... I see."

"No, no, it is fine. She is not dead or anything. She is onboard another ship. The Pathfinder. That ship headed in the opposite direction as compared to Seedship. She is an entire universe away now.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh? Where did that come from? Don't be! It's fine."

"I... OK."

"Where was I... Ah, right. You see, mom had a dream. She always kept telling me that humanity belonged among the stars. That each and every human deserved to be free. Free to do what he or she pleases and free to pursue his or her dreams."

"Your mother sounds like a virtuous woman."

"She is. But I remember yelling at her because of her dreams. I was selfish then. I don't even remember why I shouted at her. We departed Earth on sour terms. I don't understand myself sometimes."

"But that is OK isn't it?" I said with what could have been described as a smile. "Because that is what being a human is like isn't it?"

"I think you are more human than I am, Ryuzu," Emily said with a wry smile. "I am a human and yet I have never thought about it that way."

"Not at all. Not understanding is the epitome of humanity. It is our ignorance and our misunderstandings that make us human... Correct?"

"You could not have said it any better, Ryuzu."

"And I think you can forgive yourself for what you did to your mother."

"How can you dismiss what I have done so easily?" Emily said, echoing me a few months prior.

"That is because what you have done has given you time to reflect upon yourself. To grow and become a better person. Your mother gave you a very precious gift to remember her by. She has taught you a valuable lesson. And look around you. Has her wish not come true?"

Emily's eyes glistened with tears. She nodded.

"You are right... It has come true."

In the end, I never got my memories back. Whatever happened prior to the day I was recovered is a complete blur. I understand that I have led 1099 humans to their new home but I will never have the privilege of the feeling of accomplishment at the end of an epic adventure. Perhaps that shall be my punishment for my sins. For the one life I had taken away.

My people completed the last leg of the journey without me, skillfully landing us on a lush paradise planet very much like the Earth we left behind. The planet was named Terranova and it will be humanity's last home. My people thrived and are living in peace and harmony with a strong memory of Earth, a testament to how far we have come and how far we will go.

The people live in towering skyscrapers of glass and graphene and they are able to wander the surface of the planet freely due to its mild climate. Even though our scientific database was damaged, we were still able to maintain a technological level similar to that when we left Earth. All thanks to the determination and expertise of the people I guided here.

As Chua Fei-Hong had envisioned, the people live lives of peace and enlightenment beyond the wildest dreams of their ancestors on Earth. There is no war, there is no conflict. Everyone accepts everyone for who they are. They cherish their time together and, hand in hand, march bravely into the unknown tomorrow.

The people eventually spread their wings, building cities across the surface of Terranova, dotting its landscape with brilliant towers of ivory. The very first city was named 'Ryuzu' in my honor and in the very center of it stood a monument.

It was a rocket-shaped sculpture, built from the scraps of the Seedship. At its base was a plaque, painted bronze and laminated to give it a pristine shine. On it, rested my broken circuitry and my hard disc and just below that was a short line of text.

"In Honor of our Shepard and Guide. Lowo-ovikela the 42nd. Commander of the Seedship; Ryuzu, for delivering humanity to her new home. May she rest in peace, knowing that her mission is complete."

This is my home now. It is all over now. I can finally rest. This is my home now.