Echoes of Escher

[Leo]

Independent Science and Exploration Guild Report-84 This is Charles Carthage, log 84. Reports from the distant Lambda Cluster paint a grim picture. Half the systems there have been swallowed by the same kind of anomalies we first detected in Lambda-42. It’s…familiar. Like when we woke the Nomads--only this time, our curiosity hasn’t birthed new allies. It’s birthed something with a hunger. I’ve been working with Zel’kehir on a theory they call Translight Hopping. They tried to explain it, but our understanding of their song is too limited to grasp it fully. They recommended a mental interface, one that would merge our thoughts and increase our processing power. I’m hesitant. Those who attempt the merge rarely come back unchanged--either party. For now, I’ll study the charts. If there’s any chance of holding these entities at bay, of saving our worlds, we’ll find it there. Independent Science and Exploration Guild Report-127 The Null, as they’re now being called, have swept through much of Sirius. We’ve confirmed they travel through external rifts--structures not unlike jump holes, but alive. We have no defense. The moment they appear within range, matter itself begins to unravel. Stations don’t explode…they simply cease. No screams. No debris. Just silence. After the link, Zel’kehir and I share one mind. I can finally comprehend the math behind Translight Hopping, the structure of their song. But there’s a missing catalyst--something we haven’t yet identified. Zel’kehir believes we’ll find it soon. I hope they’re right. Independent Science and Exploration Guild Report-231 We’ve unearthed a unique substance beneath one of the local moons. If it behaves as predicted, it could be the key to escaping our collapsing universe. The anomalies are growing…and evolving. Some now display intelligence--hunting ships before they can even react. For once, the Houses are united, fighting together to stem the tide. Even the Nomad embassies lend their strength, but their losses are mounting too. With aid from the K’Hara, we’ve constructed a prototype drive--ancient Damm’Kavosh architecture woven with Nomad and Human technology. If it works, it will tear open a path to another universe. Zel’kehir warns me that we can’t predict what lies beyond…or what this hybrid machine might awaken. Still, if there’s even a chance, it’s better than dying here. I want my family to grow in a world not haunted by hungry stars. We’re powering the drive in a few hours. I’ll report back after the jump. I̸͔̮͐͋ṉ̵̽d̵͚͖̈́̓͝e̴̬̩̬͗p̷̗̯͖͑̕e̷̡̘͆n̶̙̼̥͆̿̑d̵͖͓̉͗ë̸̟̻̙̚ṅ̷̪̠t̶̡̋ ̷͎͕̹̈́̿S̸̱͚̐c̶̗͍̭̓̊i̵̱̭͎͋ẽ̶̤̍̿n̴͎̤̒̋͗ͅć̵̼̜̯e̸̻͚̎̊͒ ̵̡͔̊ä̷̱̺͈n̶͍̥̐d̸̬̻͗ ̶̬̓́Ê̴͔̺̂x̵͈̖̗̃p̵̪̹̮̿l̶͉͇̖̕ǫ̶͖̈́͠r̵̻͚͚̐͑̓a̴̙͂ẗ̵̨́i̸̥͖̿͠ȍ̶̦̠̓̉n̴͈͋͑ ̷͍̥͊̅G̶̜̀́u̶̧̱̮̅͊̇i̷̫͓͒̐̆l̸̨̫̟̈̔͛d̸̘̜̞̅͑͝ ̶͕̪͖̍̈́́Ř̵͙͎̞é̶̥̒p̷̣͓͋̒ỡ̵̞͇̃ṙ̶̙̙͎͐́t̷͙͖̯̀-̵̜̙̐͐̆ͅ$̷̱̙̑#̴̹̥̗̌̏͛!̶̭͐ The remaining logs in this database are heavily corrupted, but two lines stand out uncorrupted. ...and it overloaded. We were wrong. We were so wrong to attempt this. We've ruined everything. We are so sorry. Forgive u-- The rest cannot be recovered.

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You fear oblivion. Yet you forget. The universe remembers every atom of your being. Even dust hums your name in the dark.
The Banished Legion