Treatise on Samarra - Publication by Doctor Wilhelm Strauss

[Chrysalis]

FOREWORD:

“Blessed are those who stare into the maw of the abyss and do not falter.” – Keepers 3:2

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When I first heard of Samarra from a slurring, fumbling drunkard aboard Freeport Nine, I didn’t think much of it. I naturally dismissed the incredulous notion that an uncontacted isolate culture thrives in the fringes of explored space as nothing more than banal poppycock grown from a backward culture of illiterate smugglers and pirates. Oh, how wrong I was! Indeed, it began to dawn on me as sporadic reports of foreign pirates allegedly hailing from this faraway place started to reach me, ruthless ruffians with strange customs and alien views that terrorized the Omicrons for a time. Despite the obvious danger, my curiosity was piqued and I sought them out in hopes of gleaning any information pertaining to this mystical place.

This proved to be far more difficult than I originally thought, and indeed it took me a full year before I managed to secure an audience with one of them. This person, whose name I dare not divulge here out of concern for my personal safety, more or less confirmed the tales I heard before. He described his homeland of sand oceans with a verbosity I thought uncharacteristic of a savage barbarian and pirate, but nonetheless, I detected no deception from him. Upon the conclusion of the interview he uttered grave warnings, advising me to turn back and forget about the planet, and though his words chilled me to my very core, I firmly decided that this was what makes or breaks my career. I knew what I had to do.

I loaded my ship with ample provisions, charted the pathway to the wormhole and asked my assistant to feed my cat while I was away. When that was done, my protégé, Carl and I set off to Omicron Beta, far off the navigational grids, where the wormhole leading to our destination was located. After running some preliminary scans, we concluded that the phase was in sufficient alignment, and we jumped through. Contained herein is the comprehensive treatise on what we found on the other side, subdivided into sections concerning the wider subjects such as History, Culture & Religion, Geography and Demographics.

I don't dedicate this work to my ex-wife, my colleagues, or those who presume to have supported me during the long years. Rather, I dedicate this work to the one responsible for all the discoveries described within, the one who suffered the tribulations of Samarra, and came back to tell the tale. I dedicate this work to myself.

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