This story explores the mysteries of life and death. What waits beyond? Are there hints scattered throughout the fragile, metaphysical house of cards we call the universe? It tackles the pain of losing loved ones and the longing to see them again at any cost...even if it means risking our own lives. Visions of those we’ve lost, grief, sadness, and the persistent desire to bring them back, even many years later, are central to this story.
In 2023, I lost my brother to suicide. Nearly three years later, I would give anything to have him back; even if it meant being angry with him for what he did. I want him back nonetheless. Part of this story touches on that pain of loss.
The other part is about exploring the Lambda sector. Many of my posts have hinted at this region of space beyond Orkney and the Taus. If you know where to look, there are traces of it in-game as well.
This post isn’t a long, overarching story. It’s a closer look at Dante Flintlocke as a character, a dive into exploration, and an examination of loss, heartache, and pain. I hope I capture how I feel not only through Dante’s eyes, but through those of all the crew. Thank you for reading this foreword, and I hope you enjoy the post.
—Leo
The Darkhorse had been exploring the various regions of the newly discovered Deep Omegas for some time. After spending approximately four days investigating Omega-97, it was time for the vessel to head back to civilized space. The crew onboard were anxious to return home to Tau-23 and begin researching their various discoveries. The two organizations had been working together onboard hand-in-hand utilizing the ships advanced scanning array to peer into various places best left undiscovered. The treasure troves they had uncovered were worth their weight in gold.
Dante Flintlocke sat on the bridge as he was nearing the end of his shift. He stood and stretched his back, making a mental note not to sit for such long periods. The initial stress of entering the Deep Omegas was high. Various craft attempted to stop their ship from getting deeper into the systems but they persevered by means of cloak and various other defensive capabilities. The Darkhorse was weaponless. Except for a single cruise disruptor for breaking open various wrecks, the Pathfinder-class Cruiser was defenseless.
The sensor tech nearby audibly gasped before furiously typing away, an indication of discovery. Dante's ears perked up, awaiting her report. She had made the same gasp when they discovered the unusual planet buried deep within their current system scarcely a couple of days ago.
"Sir." she said, finally speaking up.
"Go ahead." he said smiling.
"We're picking up an anomaly. Significant gravimetric readings and trace amounts of Hawking Radiation."
Dante's eyes enlarged. That could only mean one thing.
"Pin the readings and bring us about. Mind the corners and keep an eye out for more anomalies. What else do readings show?"
"Early indications of a sizable jump rift, sir."
He relaxed a bit, not a singularity then...but there was one nearby, possibly on the other side of that anomaly.
"Prepare the ship for transit through the anomaly." he said cautiously.
Dante narrowed his eyes and nervously glanced at the helmet that paired to his armor as it laid in the first officers chair. Black holes had only really been studied in detail from a sizable distance and a good chunk of the physics involved with them were still theoretical at best--and for good reason. They were the most dangerous things in the cosmos...aside from magnetars that is.
"Things just got a whole lot more interesting." he said aloud looking out into the murky nebulous cloud of Omega-97.
The Zoner cruiser struggled through the transition. The gravity on the far side of the singularity was messing with rift travel. As they came out, the entire bridge crew gasped at once. There, in front of the Darkhorse, hung the singularity. No human had ever studied one this close.
"Alright." Dante broke the silence. "This is what we're here for. Discoveries. Point the array at the center and gather as much data as you can."
He checked his own readouts. Gravity waves matched several theoretical models, nearby planets were being ripped apart, and other worlds were slowly pulled from their orbits. Dante looked back at the viewscreen. The singularity was a void in space-time. He had seen many strange things during his tenure with Starlight, but nothing like this. It unsettled him.
"Sir." the science officer said. He nodded. "Long-range sensors are picking something up."
"Can you be a little more specific?"
She made a frustrated face, glancing at her screens.
"I can’t, sir. The interference is wrecking even our advanced array. All I can give is a heading and the fact that this object isn’t being pulled in like the rest of the system. It’s resisting the singularity."
Dante chewed his lip, staring at the spinning accretion disk. What could resist something that even light couldn’t escape? Advanced tech? Some unknown mineral? Something else entirely? The possibilities pulled at his explorer’s instinct.
"Conn, set a course. Keep an eye on those gravity waves. No point in having the ship shredded."
The officer nodded and began punching in calculations, plotting a path toward the distant object.
![[+]](/forums/images/collapse_collapsed.png "[+]")
Foreword