Orions Echo - Tumblr Posts
wrote a teaser prologue thingy for a Hyperlanes campaign I want to run, called Orion’s Echo. possibly more parts to come!
Captain's Log // Pathfinder Telamon // 20.5.5240 // 05:15 Fleet Standard Time
[several seconds of silence]
(quietly) ... I never know how to begin these things, even after twenty years of recording them.
(normal volume) This is Commander Akair Vayth of the Pathfinder Telamon, Argo-class capital ship for the Pathfinder Initiative expedition into the Trapezium Cluster. We're currently docked in Palladion Skyharbor, and preparations to leave Athenian orbit are nearly complete. We're scheduled to launch at 0600, bound for 45 Orionis. Our plan is to take the jumpgate routes to Rigel to resupply, then make the jump to Alnilam. From there, we're on our own as we fly into unknown territory.
[beat]
Our fleet is twelve ships strong: the Telamon herself, a support carrier and the capital ship; four Asterion-class exploration frigates, the Archimedes, Pythagoras, Aristarchus, and Eratosthenes; four Hephaestion-class industrial frigates, the Prometheus, Brontes, Arges, and Steropes; two Heraklion-class support frigates, the Balius and Xanthus; and an Asclepion-class medical support corvette, the Dione. I'll admit, when the commission proposed a mere twelve ships for an expedition of such long duration, I was quite skeptical, but in composing the fleet I've grown confident in the crew's capability.
[beat]
Still... I worry. We're going further into the Orion Nebula than anyone ever has, and we don't know what lurks in the dark between the stars. Previous expeditions in the Clouds have described unusual readings from the Trapezium Cluster, hinting at... well, we're not sure. It could be a black hole. Could be a high-arity pulsar, or an exotic star. Or something... organic.
[beat]
I'm overthinking this, I'm sure. We're just going to chart the cluster, gauge its habitability, and set up a jumpgate if possible. But in any case, I'm needed on the bridge again. Commander Vayth, signing off.
[log terminates]
Captain's Log // Pathfinder Telamon // 24.06.5240 // 18:12 Fleet Standard Time
This is Commander Vayth of the Pathfinder Telamon. We are well into day 36 of our voyage, and currently docked with Godalhi Platform A in the Alnilam system for our final resupply. Tomorrow morning, we venture forth into parts unknown. Preparations are almost complete.
[beat]
The crew generally seems to be in high spirits, though anyone can see the apprehension just beneath their cheerful demeanor. I can't say I blame them; I'm just as nervous. Our advance scouts have reported unusual instrument malfunctions, and have confirmed the existence of those unsettling... I suppose the best word for them at the moment would be signals.
[beat]
(quieter)
Most of the crew doesn't know this, but Captain Zuvan of the Aristarchus has had tests run on the signal and they're convinced it's of intelligent origin. They've had no luck on deciphering it yet, but I'm sure they can figure it out. I just hope... (sigh) I don't even know. I hope it's nothing to worry about.
[beat]
I've always harbored a certain fondness -romance, even- for exploring. The unknown has never scared me before. But there's something about this expedition, and our destination, that leaves moths in my gut.
[beat]
I hope I'm wrong.
[beat]
Commander Vayth, signing off.
[log terminates]
wrote a teaser prologue thingy for a Hyperlanes campaign I want to run, called Orion’s Echo. possibly more parts to come!
Captain's Log // Pathfinder Telamon // 20.5.5240 // 05:15 Fleet Standard Time
[several seconds of silence]
(quietly) ... I never know how to begin these things, even after twenty years of recording them.
(normal volume) This is Commander Akair Vayth of the Pathfinder Telamon, Argo-class capital ship for the Pathfinder Initiative expedition into the Trapezium Cluster. We're currently docked in Palladion Skyharbor, and preparations to leave Athenian orbit are nearly complete. We're scheduled to launch at 0600, bound for 45 Orionis. Our plan is to take the jumpgate routes to Rigel to resupply, then make the jump to Alnilam. From there, we're on our own as we fly into unknown territory.
[beat]
Our fleet is twelve ships strong: the Telamon herself, a support carrier and the capital ship; four Asterion-class exploration frigates, the Archimedes, Pythagoras, Aristarchus, and Eratosthenes; four Hephaestion-class industrial frigates, the Prometheus, Brontes, Arges, and Steropes; two Heraklion-class support frigates, the Balius and Xanthus; and an Asclepion-class medical support corvette, the Dione. I'll admit, when the commission proposed a mere twelve ships for an expedition of such long duration, I was quite skeptical, but in composing the fleet I've grown confident in the crew's capability.
[beat]
Still... I worry. We're going further into the Orion Nebula than anyone ever has, and we don't know what lurks in the dark between the stars. Previous expeditions in the Clouds have described unusual readings from the Trapezium Cluster, hinting at... well, we're not sure. It could be a black hole. Could be a high-arity pulsar, or an exotic star. Or something... organic.
[beat]
I'm overthinking this, I'm sure. We're just going to chart the cluster, gauge its habitability, and set up a jumpgate if possible. But in any case, I'm needed on the bridge again. Commander Vayth, signing off.
[log terminates]
Captain's Log // Pathfinder Telamon // 06.11.5242 // 02:12 Fleet Standard Time
This is Commander Vayth of the Pathfinder Telamon. We’ve recently ticked over into day 900 of our voyage, and we are approaching the center of the Trapezium Cluster. As I mentioned in my log on day 648, our scientific complement verified the long-standing idea of a central black hole within the cluster, and it has been the focus of our telescopes for most of this time. After surveying the major stars, we’ve decided to investigate the object. All hands are on deck, pulling round-the-clock shifts to maintain peak performance of the Fleet. We’ll soon be entering its orbit.
[beat]
(quieter) There’s more. Zuvan managed to crack the encryption of the signal themself. All it says is “She wakes,” over and over... and the signal has been getting stronger as we approach the singularity. Whatever it means, whoever she is... the signal is coming from the black hole, or something orbiting it.
[beat]
This is wrong. This is all so wrong. As we fly closer to the source, my mind... it feels... hazy. Like I’m half awake, still almost dreaming... echoes of another time... memory like stardust dripping from a comet... And something else, a presence filling the void...
[brief beat]
(sudden dread) We shouldn’t have come here.
[bolting to his feet]
(shouting away from the mic) BARO! TURN THE FLEET AROUND, SOMETHING IS OUT THERE! IT’S–
[monumental crash, log terminates]
wrote a teaser prologue thingy for a Hyperlanes campaign I want to run, called Orion’s Echo. possibly more parts to come!
Captain's Log // Pathfinder Telamon // 20.5.5240 // 05:15 Fleet Standard Time
[several seconds of silence]
(quietly) ... I never know how to begin these things, even after twenty years of recording them.
(normal volume) This is Commander Akair Vayth of the Pathfinder Telamon, Argo-class capital ship for the Pathfinder Initiative expedition into the Trapezium Cluster. We're currently docked in Palladion Skyharbor, and preparations to leave Athenian orbit are nearly complete. We're scheduled to launch at 0600, bound for 45 Orionis. Our plan is to take the jumpgate routes to Rigel to resupply, then make the jump to Alnilam. From there, we're on our own as we fly into unknown territory.
[beat]
Our fleet is twelve ships strong: the Telamon herself, a support carrier and the capital ship; four Asterion-class exploration frigates, the Archimedes, Pythagoras, Aristarchus, and Eratosthenes; four Hephaestion-class industrial frigates, the Prometheus, Brontes, Arges, and Steropes; two Heraklion-class support frigates, the Balius and Xanthus; and an Asclepion-class medical support corvette, the Dione. I'll admit, when the commission proposed a mere twelve ships for an expedition of such long duration, I was quite skeptical, but in composing the fleet I've grown confident in the crew's capability.
[beat]
Still... I worry. We're going further into the Orion Nebula than anyone ever has, and we don't know what lurks in the dark between the stars. Previous expeditions in the Clouds have described unusual readings from the Trapezium Cluster, hinting at... well, we're not sure. It could be a black hole. Could be a high-arity pulsar, or an exotic star. Or something... organic.
[beat]
I'm overthinking this, I'm sure. We're just going to chart the cluster, gauge its habitability, and set up a jumpgate if possible. But in any case, I'm needed on the bridge again. Commander Vayth, signing off.
[log terminates]
SOS Transponder // Pathfinder Telamon // 05.01.5244 // 00:06 Fleet Standard Time
(weary, broken) This is... (sigh) Stars above, I just don’t know what to say.
[beat]
I’m stranded on a cold, lifeless desert moon without a name. This planet’s sun is like a dark, angry eye, glaring down at me. At night, the sky shines with violet clouds. I think the word for it is nebula. ...I’m alone. Nobody else lives on this world, as far as I know.
[beat]
(sigh) Judging by the wreckage, I must have crashed, though I only have the vaguest notion of how long ago that happened.
...Months? ...Years?
The remnants of the hull are intact enough for me to read the name Telamon. I feel like I should know what that means, but I don’t. Most of the systems on the ship are destroyed beyond repair, at least as far as I can tell. I feel like I used to know how to fix these things, but that’s all gone... The only system still in working order, besides life support, is... this. Whatever this is. Some sort of communicator, I think.
[beat]
...I hope.
[beat]
(more broken) If anyone out there is listening, please come find me. Or at least send some sort of reply. I need help, however you can help, please just... help me. I don’t know where I am, or how I got here. But worst of all...
(wavering) I don’t know who I am.
[transmission terminates]
wrote a teaser prologue thingy for a Hyperlanes campaign I want to run, called Orion’s Echo. possibly more parts to come!
Captain's Log // Pathfinder Telamon // 20.5.5240 // 05:15 Fleet Standard Time
[several seconds of silence]
(quietly) ... I never know how to begin these things, even after twenty years of recording them.
(normal volume) This is Commander Akair Vayth of the Pathfinder Telamon, Argo-class capital ship for the Pathfinder Initiative expedition into the Trapezium Cluster. We're currently docked in Palladion Skyharbor, and preparations to leave Athenian orbit are nearly complete. We're scheduled to launch at 0600, bound for 45 Orionis. Our plan is to take the jumpgate routes to Rigel to resupply, then make the jump to Alnilam. From there, we're on our own as we fly into unknown territory.
[beat]
Our fleet is twelve ships strong: the Telamon herself, a support carrier and the capital ship; four Asterion-class exploration frigates, the Archimedes, Pythagoras, Aristarchus, and Eratosthenes; four Hephaestion-class industrial frigates, the Prometheus, Brontes, Arges, and Steropes; two Heraklion-class support frigates, the Balius and Xanthus; and an Asclepion-class medical support corvette, the Dione. I'll admit, when the commission proposed a mere twelve ships for an expedition of such long duration, I was quite skeptical, but in composing the fleet I've grown confident in the crew's capability.
[beat]
Still... I worry. We're going further into the Orion Nebula than anyone ever has, and we don't know what lurks in the dark between the stars. Previous expeditions in the Clouds have described unusual readings from the Trapezium Cluster, hinting at... well, we're not sure. It could be a black hole. Could be a high-arity pulsar, or an exotic star. Or something... organic.
[beat]
I'm overthinking this, I'm sure. We're just going to chart the cluster, gauge its habitability, and set up a jumpgate if possible. But in any case, I'm needed on the bridge again. Commander Vayth, signing off.
[log terminates]
The Realms
An up-to-date overview of my 8 worldbuilding projects.
Edit: As of 2023, Diaspora [DSP] has been renamed to Astra Planeta [ASP]. As of 2022, Aedrynn [ADN] has been retired from the list, replaced by The Midnight Sea [TMS].
ASP | AV | OE | SPH | TMS | CDL | LOR | PR
In which the human species embraces its cosmic wanderlust and slowly, conscientiously, we venture out into the stars.
[ASP] The Astra Planeta universe is a hopeful exploration of humanity’s future within the local stellar group, as well as speculation on the history and ecology of nearby alien worlds, with equal parts scientific realism and social optimism. Humanity, and our extraterrestrial allies, still face hardships, of course –after all, the universe isn’t a particularly hospitable place– but the stories of Astra Planeta center on cooperating in the face of adversity and utilizing interpersonal differences as a source of strength against the unsympathetic cosmos.
In which humankind is suddenly and unceremoniously thrust into a bustling galactic super-civilization, and gradually discovers there is much more to both the past and future of our universe than we ever imagined.
[AV] The Arcverse is a fictional version of our universe that speculates on the myriad possible forms of intelligent life on other worlds, and the evolution of starfaring civilizations over vast spans of time and space. The project is strongly rooted in current scientific theory yet strives to maintain the look, feel, and tone of a soft-sci space opera, and is presented in a manner intended to inspire wonder at the vastness of our universe and the endless possibility contained within.
In which humanity, its genetic legacy splintered into millions of descendant species across the Orion Arm, seeks the grandest mysteries the universe yet holds.
[OE] Orion's Echo is primarily intended as the setting for a tabletop RPG campaign of the same name, using the Hyperlanes game system. This realm blends the scope and setting of whimsical planet-hopping science fiction with story elements of cosmic horror and mystery. It is built on a speculative vision of humanity's far future in the galaxy, both a science-fictional take on classical elements of D&D and a love letter to the Golden Age of science fiction.
In which a wide diversity of intelligent beings sharing the planet Sphaera trace their ancestry to a vast experiment enacted by an ancient and powerful civilization originally hailing from Earth itself.
[SPH] Sphaera is an Earth-like world within an universe parallel to ours, where magic is a force of nature with its own physical laws. Sphaera itself is verdant with fantastical organisms and cultures that seem pulled straight from legend. The project aims to subvert, invert, or uniquely explain many fantasy tropes with a more scientific angle; building up an expansive and diverse setting while retaining the feeling of coherent closeness typical of fantasy worlds.
In which a brave crew of explorers sails the Midnight Sea in search of danger, adventure, and most importantly fellowship -for no spacer is ever alone.
[TMS] The Midnight Sea is one of many names for the space between suns; that wondrous, endless, dark void that seems to beckon planetbound beings to reach ever further. A sea it is, in a sense: one must voyage far across it to find other islands of civilization, and strange things lurk in the starry deep. The Midnight Sea is a collaborative space fantasy tabletop game setting, derived from the Spelljammer supplements of Dungeons & Dragons in a somewhat haphazard attempt to link all of the major contemporary D&D and MtG settings together under our collective fanon.
In which the infinite potential of the multiverse is distilled into a cesspool of mixed realities, overseen by a perpetually-stoned quasi-deity and inhabited by beings beyond your wildest fever dreams.
[CRDL] Crundle is a planet-ish realm at the center of the "Crundleverse," a surreal puddle of existence that resides beneath Everything Else. The Crundleverse is formed and sustained by the mingling of magical energy that trickles down from every possible reality. As such, Crundle is a kaleidoscopic realm of non sequitur, a literal idea wastebasket; and the only way to cope with the absurdity of it all is to simply sit back and enjoy the weird.
In which a precious few intrepid, curious souls know the true nature of the ashen world they inhabit.
[LOR] Bleakworld is the working project title for the land of Lor: a barren waste inhabited by strange beasts and tenacious peoples. The project is an exercise in imagination on the part of the audience and an endeavor of meticulous ambiguity on the part of the author: everything in Bleakworld canon is worded extremely carefully to avoid giving away the true nature of the setting.
In which a group of friends discover their small town -and their whole world- is not what it seems.
[PR] Pinereach is a small town of about 500 people nestled comfortably in the Cascade Mountains of northern California, at the center of an elaborate web of unusual events that border on the supernatural. Pinereach is the setting and shared title of a weird fiction story project written by myself and four coauthors.
Making an addition to this to include more info about the realms! These are the thumbnails I use to represent them:
And this is a homemade chart of the genres and methods of each:
The Realms
An up-to-date overview of my 8 worldbuilding projects.
DSP | AV | Œ | SPH | ÆDN | CRDL | LOR | PR
Keep reading
People, especially games, get eldritch madness wrong a lot and it’s really such a shame.
An ant doesn’t start babbling when they see a circuit board. They find it strange, to them it is a landscape of strange angles and humming monoliths. They may be scared, but that is not madness.
Madness comes when the ant, for a moment, can see as a human does.
It understands those markings are words, symbols with meaning, like a pheromone but infinitely more complex. It can travel unimaginable distances, to lands unlike anything it has seen before. It knows of mirth, embarrassment, love, concepts unimaginable before this moment, and then…
It’s an ant again.
Echoes of things it cannot comprehend swirl around its mind. It cannot make use of this knowledge, but it still remembers. How is it supposed to return to its life? The more the ant saw the harder it is for it to forget. It needs to see it again, understand again. It will do anything to show others, to show itself, nothing else in this tiny world matters.
This is madness.
Ancient Mother Earth, cradle of the human miracle yet half-forgotten by her long-departed children, appears in the 53rd century as an overgrown playground of gods. Vast and awesome constructs, in various stages of disrepair, dot the slowly-healing landscape and the orbits above, evoking an image of toys left scattered on a bedroom floor. The human race once longed to spread its wings and fly to the stars, and Earth now remains the empty nest from whence they fledged.
Yet, she is not all empty, after all. Some could not bear to leave their mother behind, and for millennia now they have toiled in quiet solace to care for the weary Earth after her labors to birth starfaring humanity. And, much as one turns to the halcyon of childhood to comfort the grief of adulthood, so too does humankind their Earthbound infancy: now, slowly, a tide of reverent hiraeth sweeps across the people of the stars, drawing them back to the garden.
Mother is calling her children home.
Awakening
Voices.
That was the first thing I was aware of, breaking through the tranquil oblivion like a stone cast into a still pool. Someone was speaking, though I couldn't make out what was being said. It sounded distant, as if a league of water separated us. Grasping weakly at consciousness, I tried to call out, to stir...
And the second thing I became aware of was the pain.
I became reacquainted with my body as a dull ache spread through it, starting with my head and making its way down my core and out to my limbs. The ache gradually intensified as the moments dripped by, as did the voices. Though still muffled, as my sentience returned to me I realized I could neither recognize nor understand them. Still unable to move, I found the only muscles that would respond to me were my eyelids. I opened them, eager to test another sense.
I saw nothing at all, just the same oppressive, featureless darkness. The only thing that changed was some sort of cold fluid now pressing against my exposed corneas. I panicked for a fraction of a second, suddenly afraid of drowning, before realizing I was still breathing. As tactile sense surfaced above the omnipresent ache, I became aware of a breathing mask over my face, as well as IV feeds in my arms and electrodes all over my body. What was all that about…?
It occurred to me then that I did not know where I was. The first coherent internal dialog I produced was a simple ‘oh no,’ as my heart began to pick up its pace. The last thing I remembered… I was on a vast ship, bound for a distant star, never to return. Had we arrived at long last?
A loud, beeping alarm startled me. Despite the pain, confusion, and weakness suffusing every fiber of my being, at last I began to stir. So too did my surroundings: there was a quiet rumble and an accompanying hiss as the frigid fluid started to drain. The voices changed cadence, evidently surprised, and got louder- no, closer.
Though the light was dim, it nearly blinded me as the cover of my stasis chamber was lifted open. I squinted at the shapes attached to the voices; they were blurry and indistinct. One of them leaned closer, and I was able to resolve some features. Long, white hair, elegant feminine facial structure, piercing golden eyes. A pair of shapes loomed just behind them, large and white and triangular. Feathered. Were those… wings?
The person said something- a question I couldn't understand. They gently removed the breathing mask. I coughed at the first taste of stale, cold air, and the pain flared in my chest, threatening to shake my grasp on the waking world. The stranger touched my face with delicate grace, concern apparent on their own. I was struck by a thought.
“Are… you… an angel?” I managed to gasp, weakly.
My savior frowned, and said something else that was lost on me. The other voice, from somewhere outside my field of vision, gave a reply that seemed to disappoint them. I understood only one word, a name I vaguely recalled from somewhere in ancient mythology: “Mnemosyne.” The winged being nodded, and placed the mask back over my mouth and nose. Before I could protest, they placed some sort of device against my forehead, and I sunk back into dreamless nothing.
When I awoke again, a different voice greeted me -one I could understand, this time.
“Hello, friend,” it said. It was soft, pleasant… welcoming.
I opened my eyes, but the light was too bright, and I shut them quickly.
“Please, take your time adjusting to the burden of consciousness; you have been in stasis for a very long time.”
Stasis. Yes. Now that I was awake, we must have reached our destination. I noted, with relief, that the all-consuming ache was no longer all-consuming. The air was warm, and fresh. I opened my eyes very slightly, letting them acclimate to the revival room.
“That’s it, ease into the heat and light,” the voice encouraged me. “There we go.”
After several minutes, I felt able to look around. I sat up, slowly, carefully, and looked for the source of the voice. To my great surprise, I was not in the revival room… or at least, not one that I recognized. The room was small, clean, and colored in gentle pastels. I was further shocked to discover that the voice was that of a friendly-looking robot, humanoid in shape, holding some sort of electronic tablet.
“Hello!” they said, and smiled. Their smile, amazingly, was somehow reassuring. “I am Mnemosyne, your post-stasis bedside attendant.”
“H-hello…?” I managed. “What… what is… where am I?”
“Ah, let me get you up to speed. Welcome to the fifty-third century of what you most likely know as the Common Era.”
I blinked, failing to grasp the meaning of the sentence. “The what?”
Mnemosyne continued. “Oh yes, it has been some time indeed, but please save all your questions for the end of this orientation. According to your chart, you have missed…” They glanced at the information on the pad. “...approximately three thousand and twenty-four years of intervening time.” They paused, and a look of concern crossed their artificial face.
“Oh dear. You should probably lie back down for this.”
wrote a teaser prologue thingy for a Hyperlanes campaign I want to run, called Orion’s Echo. possibly more parts to come!
Captain's Log // Pathfinder Telamon // 20.5.5240 // 05:15 Fleet Standard Time
[several seconds of silence]
(quietly) ... I never know how to begin these things, even after twenty years of recording them.
(normal volume) This is Commander Akair Vayth of the Pathfinder Telamon, Argo-class capital ship for the Pathfinder Initiative expedition into the Trapezium Cluster. We're currently docked in Palladion Skyharbor, and preparations to leave Athenian orbit are nearly complete. We're scheduled to launch at 0600, bound for 45 Orionis. Our plan is to take the jumpgate routes to Rigel to resupply, then make the jump to Alnilam. From there, we're on our own as we fly into unknown territory.
[beat]
Our fleet is twelve ships strong: the Telamon herself, a support carrier and the capital ship; four Asterion-class exploration frigates, the Archimedes, Pythagoras, Aristarchus, and Eratosthenes; four Hephaestion-class industrial frigates, the Prometheus, Brontes, Arges, and Steropes; two Heraklion-class support frigates, the Balius and Xanthus; and an Asclepion-class medical support corvette, the Dione. I'll admit, when the commission proposed a mere twelve ships for an expedition of such long duration, I was quite skeptical, but in composing the fleet I've grown confident in the crew's capability.
[beat]
Still... I worry. We're going further into the Orion Nebula than anyone ever has, and we don't know what lurks in the dark between the stars. Previous expeditions in the Clouds have described unusual readings from the Trapezium Cluster, hinting at... well, we're not sure. It could be a black hole. Could be a high-arity pulsar, or an exotic star. Or something... organic.
[beat]
I'm overthinking this, I'm sure. We're just going to chart the cluster, gauge its habitability, and set up a jumpgate if possible. But in any case, I'm needed on the bridge again. Commander Vayth, signing off.
[log terminates]
Awakening
Voices.
That was the first thing I was aware of, breaking through the tranquil oblivion like a stone cast into a still pool. Someone was speaking, though I couldn't make out what was being said. It sounded distant, as if a league of water separated us. Grasping weakly at consciousness, I tried to call out, to stir...
And the second thing I became aware of was the pain.
I became reacquainted with my body as a dull ache spread through it, starting with my head and making its way down my core and out to my limbs. The ache gradually intensified as the moments dripped by, as did the voices. Though still muffled, as my sentience returned to me I realized I could neither recognize nor understand them. Still unable to move, I found the only muscles that would respond to me were my eyelids. I opened them, eager to test another sense.
I saw nothing at all, just the same oppressive, featureless darkness. The only thing that changed was some sort of cold fluid now pressing against my exposed corneas. I panicked for a fraction of a second, suddenly afraid of drowning, before realizing I was still breathing. As tactile sense surfaced above the omnipresent ache, I became aware of a breathing mask over my face, as well as IV feeds in my arms and electrodes all over my body. What was all that about…?
It occurred to me then that I did not know where I was. The first coherent internal dialog I produced was a simple ‘oh no,’ as my heart began to pick up its pace. The last thing I remembered… I was on a vast ship, bound for a distant star, never to return. Had we arrived at long last?
A loud, beeping alarm startled me. Despite the pain, confusion, and weakness suffusing every fiber of my being, at last I began to stir. So too did my surroundings: there was a quiet rumble and an accompanying hiss as the frigid fluid started to drain. The voices changed cadence, evidently surprised, and got louder- no, closer.
Though the light was dim, it nearly blinded me as the cover of my stasis chamber was lifted open. I squinted at the shapes attached to the voices; they were blurry and indistinct. One of them leaned closer, and I was able to resolve some features. Long, white hair, elegant feminine facial structure, piercing golden eyes. A pair of shapes loomed just behind them, large and white and triangular. Feathered. Were those… wings?
The person said something- a question I couldn't understand. They gently removed the breathing mask. I coughed at the first taste of stale, cold air, and the pain flared in my chest, threatening to shake my grasp on the waking world. The stranger touched my face with delicate grace, concern apparent on their own. I was struck by a thought.
“Are… you… an angel?” I managed to gasp, weakly.
My savior frowned, and said something else that was lost on me. The other voice, from somewhere outside my field of vision, gave a reply that seemed to disappoint them. I understood only one word, a name I vaguely recalled from somewhere in ancient mythology: “Mnemosyne.” The winged being nodded, and placed the mask back over my mouth and nose. Before I could protest, they placed some sort of device against my forehead, and I sunk back into dreamless nothing.
When I awoke again, a different voice greeted me -one I could understand, this time.
“Hello, friend,” it said. It was soft, pleasant… welcoming.
I opened my eyes, but the light was too bright, and I shut them quickly.
“Please, take your time adjusting to the burden of consciousness; you have been in stasis for a very long time.”
Stasis. Yes. Now that I was awake, we must have reached our destination. I noted, with relief, that the all-consuming ache was no longer all-consuming. The air was warm, and fresh. I opened my eyes very slightly, letting them acclimate to the revival room.
“That’s it, ease into the heat and light,” the voice encouraged me. “There we go.”
After several minutes, I felt able to look around. I sat up, slowly, carefully, and looked for the source of the voice. To my great surprise, I was not in the revival room… or at least, not one that I recognized. The room was small, clean, and colored in gentle pastels. I was further shocked to discover that the voice was that of a friendly-looking robot, humanoid in shape, holding some sort of electronic tablet.
“Hello!” they said, and smiled. Their smile, amazingly, was somehow reassuring. “I am Mnemosyne, your post-stasis bedside attendant.”
“H-hello…?” I managed. “What… what is… where am I?”
“Ah, let me get you up to speed. Welcome to the fifty-third century of what you most likely know as the Common Era.”
I blinked, failing to grasp the meaning of the sentence. “The what?”
Mnemosyne continued. “Oh yes, it has been some time indeed, but please save all your questions for the end of this orientation. According to your chart, you have missed…” They glanced at the information on the pad. “...approximately three thousand and twenty-four years of intervening time.” They paused, and a look of concern crossed their artificial face.
“Oh dear. You should probably lie back down for this.”
Time is a tricky thing to keep track of, especially across vast interstellar distances. Every civilization uses its own relative date system, its own years and days. These are the major ones found across known space:
Hyperspace Era (HE): HE is the most commonly used system, based on the Klex discovery of hyperspace. Although hyperspace technology has been invented independently by most major starfaring civilizations, and the Tel Azor actually discovered it 2000 years before them, Klex are ubiquitous in the known galaxy and their system is the one that stuck. Year Zero is (coincidentally) 0 CE / Current Year is 5244 HE
Before/After Death of Azor (BDA/ADA): Used by the Azoradi –by far the oldest living civilization in the known galaxy, although the surviving pockets of it are mere fragments of its former glory. The Tel Azor homeworld, for which their species is named, suffered a terrible catastrophe at the height of the civilization’s history, though none alive remember exactly what happened. The world still exists, but the now-nomadic Tel Azor speak of the entire star system being cursed. Year Zero is 1206 CE / Current Year is 4038 ADA
Solar Era (SE): SE is the second-most commonly used dating system, based on the founding of the now-faded Solar Reach. Most human-descended starfaring cultures still use this, even if only in academic context. Year Zero is 2500 CE / Current Year is 2744 SE
Aeryne Unity (AU): Another stellar civilization long faded from glory, the aarakocra of many ancient settled worlds still mark their dates from the founding of their ancestors’ Aeryne Confederation. Year Zero is 3002 CE / Current Year is 2242 AU
Age of Tiamat (AT): Dragonborn of the many worlds of the great Vayenir date their calendars from the empire’s founding. Unfortunately, the Age of Tiamat seems to be drawing to a close, as the empire crumbles from the combination of house infighting and ineffective defense against the rising Kreth Imperium. Year Zero is 3424 CE / Current Year is 1820 AT
Kreth Dominion (KD): The newest galactic power to arise in the known galaxy is the Divine Imperium of Hexath, more commonly called the Kreth Imperium. Though small, it is a belligerent and power-hungry theocracy. The Kreth worlds mark time from the founding of the Imperium. Year Zero is 4537 CE / Current Year is 707 KD
Now of course, these are numbers based on an Earth year. These worlds all orbit at different rates, so the actual date number would be different in each system. Haven't figured that part out yet, but getting there.
“The first rule of starfaring: do not stare into hyperspace. Never, ever, stare deep into hyperspace; not because of what is there -it is not a separate place from the space we know- but because of what it is. Hyperspace is simply normal space in another direction, one you could not think of if you wanted to, and that in itself is the problem. When a ship flies through hyperspace, it moves by vectors that we can only understand through the comfort of abstract math. Watching it happen before your eyes is a sure way to drive yourself mad. Because the second you stop staring at that void, you will know that for a fleeting moment you understood God, and the only way to get that moment back is to confront the void again.”
— Brother Nicodemos of the Order of Saint Mercurion, describing voidthrall
Voidthrall is the insanity which befalls those who have spent too much time directly observing the reality of hyperspace. Within the shifted resonance state of hyperspace the mind can, to some extent, process the nature of fifth-dimensional reality, as the neural connections made to do so utilize the extra dimension. However, upon the return to the fourth-dimensional resonance state, these connections are inaccessible, leaving only the impression of a greater understanding and the burning itch to know something just beyond reach.
Voidthrall is, without exaggeration, eldritch madness: an obsession with the inherently unfathomable. The afflicted are haunted by echoes of things they cannot imagine without the bone-deep humming of a ship's hyperdrive, unable to make use of this knowledge, yet still plagued by memories of a far greater truth. The longer the afflicted have gazed into the abyss, the more desperate they become to regain their comprehension of the incomprehensible.
The madness is, to date, incurable. The only effective treatment able to soothe those who pathologically seek the unknowable truth is further exposure to hyperspace, until the point where the afflicted become unable to neurologically function in normal space.