Hello! Glad to be bringing another lore post. Today, I will be speaking about the planet Mercury. [b]The obvious[/b] -The planet mercury is the first planet in our solar system based off its proximity to our sun. -The planet was said to be a "garden world", but after the Vex, it turned into a machine -Finally, the world is known only to have a presence of humans now in the form of Osiris. [b]One theory:Proof that the travelers appearance was an accident[/b] I believe mercury is proof of the traveler "accidentally" meeting us. We know that we met it on mars, and if it had the same ideology of the vex, who started in Mercury and continued their work on Venus, the traveler would start from the planet most near the sun and continue through the system. Seeing as Earth was already terraformed after it finished its work in Venus, it continued and went to Mars. There, we found it and it gave us gifts. For more evidence, read Ghost Fragment:The Traveler [quote] You have lived as invisibly as possible, flicking from solar system to solar system, making grand plans, overseeing the culturing of civilizations, before leaving in a blink. But you have no recollection of ever wanting worship or even thanks from those blessed by you. But memory is heavy now. It feels like lead and neutronium and electroweak matter fashioned into a moon-sized ball that you must carry as you move. Now, your flight is rapid, your vast mind infected with such dread and toxic doubt that you find yourself afraid of the simple act of thought. And it is your children you must turn to now, in time of need. [/quote] As you can see, this card shows that the traveler wanted to come to a system, help, then run. The problem is, the traveler most likely was infected with anxiety after what happened to so many societies, and when it felt the darkness nearing when helping the Eliksni, it fled. If I am correct, it went to our system, knowing it cannot stay long, and was just trying to make as much life as possible faster than the darkness could wipe it out. When it came to us, and we intervened in its mission on Mars, the traveler must have found potential in us, as stated in Ghost Fragment:The Traveler 2. [quote] This has been such a long chase. This will be the place you will fight. Fight and win. But do you really know why you go where you go, and where this journey is taking you? The chase leads you where you need to be, you believe. Unless...you are being pushed. [/quote] As you can see, it finally decided it must leave and win. [b]Theory 2:The Planet of Glass[/b] If the Vex only slightly terraformed Venus and was not able to complete its mission but still could make such an amazing place like the vault of glass, what could be of Mercury? While the Planet of Glass title is now just a mislead, what I mean really is that Mercury has secrets. Here is a section from the Osiris grimoire card: [quote] I don’t know where you have gone, but I can no longer send Ghosts out to find you. Some come back— with tales of your death or how you went seeking answers from the far reaches of space and time. That you found a way to explore the Vex gate networks. That you've made breakthrough after breakthrough as to their origins— theories that a Guardian could not be simulated, that the Traveler might be an ontoformer or a god-incubator, that the Vex had diverged into multiple groups in order to secure 'an end state for every possible configuration of reality'. [/quote] Now, the main part of this text I would like to point out is the vex gate networks. Seeing as the Vex first struck Mercury, and that they made it a large machine, seeming to be desolate and not really have any Vex stationed there(they could just teleport anyway), my theory is this:Mercury is to the Vex in our system as the nucleus is to a cell. If Osiris went to Mercury to find answers, and found the key to the vex gate networks, perhaps even transcending this reality with their technology, that must mean the secret to Mercury is it is the command center. Not in the sense of an Axis mind, yet that is a possibility, nor in the sense of their unlimited supply, but in the sense it holds all the data and power to the networks in our solar system. That must have allowed Osiris to travel time and space easily and find more answers. Another thing is that Osiris is said to be dead, which cannot be entirely true. Mercury definitely must hold the secret to the vex time travel system. Maybe he went to the black garden. Only time will tell. [spoiler]if anyone can find a piece of equipment from trials that has a hypothesis of something about is something really dead if they are everywhere at once it would be a huge help.[/spoiler] As it is getting pretty dark here, I cannot write anymore at this time. Depending on feedback, I will either continue on this post or move on to another topic. [b]Thank you for taking your time to read these theories. If you have any questions or comments, I will answer pretty quickly in the comment section below. If you would like to read more, click the signature tag below. [/b]