Final Audio Log of [redacted] recovered Human Observation Year 6,056

My kind are spiritual. We recognise gods as fact; they guide our every waking moment, from when our souls are given bodies to the moment our souls fly free. They are our creators and we are their subjects. There is no other way to understand our world.

Humans had their gods also. Some bore a resemblance to ours; some did not. We considered their kind primitive and their gods more so. Yet they sparked our curiosity. So we made no contact and observed, as our faith dictated.

Eventually, the humans left their birthworld and took to the stars. They established colonies on planets we thought uninhabitable. The colonies lost contact with each other in some form of disaster; there was discussion amongst my kind as to whether they would survive. I prayed to my gods that they would. They did, of course, or I would not have a story to tell.

We observed, over time, striking divergences amongst those human colonies cut off from each other. Many remained on the traditional path, worshipping the sky and the stars as they always had. Others turned inwards, and worshipped the worlds that sustained them. We considered this strange but did not interfere.

Then, we found worship that caused uproar amongst my kind. The worship of mechanical gods.

One human colony eschewed tradition entirely. Their world suffered many disasters which eviscerated their numbers and threatened their existence. Despite this they rebuilt; they forced that planet to kneel at their feet as they configured the skies and the seas to serve their needs.

They were warlike too. Factions battled over resources - brutal wars at terrible cost - then coalesced under a single banner once the crises were resolved. We watched in fear as these humans reached the stars once more. Eventually, they abandoned their crucible world for a civilisation in the stars; over time their ships and their weapons became their gods. These humans worshipped only at the shrine of their own creations. We considered interference and decried their blasphemy; but our gods forbade us from such an act. We could do nothing but watch.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

We assumed the worst. We thought they would find other colonies then destroy them in the name of their mechanical gods.

Yet to our surprise they did not. They found another colony, of course. But there was little bloodshed. Those that worshipped their mechanical gods saw brethren, not enemies.

Perhaps they had grown tired of war; but we thought such a thing impossible. We concluded that the discovered colony was deemed useless to the mechanical gods’ cause. Despite this, the divine ships never left, and over time the two colonies assimilated. It was not long before other colonies were rediscovered, creating a further mixing of faiths. Humanity, for the first time in millenia, became unified under one banner once more.

Human gods are now unrecognisable from those of their birthworld. The pantheon is vast; the humans worship the sea, the sky, and everything in between. Yet the influence of that single warlike colony was incredible. Their gods are traditional, yes, but each of them was given life and soul by humans; they and their gods are of equal power. And through these gods the humans reshaped their reality as they saw fit. They took to the stars on a journey of discovery then prospered unlike any species I have ever observed.

Mechanical gods were only the beginning. Each human is now a god unto themselves.

I have not told my brethren, but I plan to break the vow of silent observation. I wish to see what the humans would think of me; I wish to see what they could make of my kind’s technology.

My gods will not forgive me for such an act. Yet I am no longer sure of their power. Somewhere amidst my millennia of observation, I found the strength to shape my story by my own whims.

Perhaps I, too, have been changed by their mechanical gods.

~~~

Audio Log retrieval note: the whereabouts of [redacted] are unknown. Two rotations after this log was created all human colonies became unobservable. We must assume that our position is compromised.

Will the humans forgive us for not helping them sooner?