Spacer Tales |
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Known Space is only so large, the sectors connected by jumpgates is even smaller. In a galaxy with millions of worlds, thousands of species, interstellar travelers see many things, and half of them may even be true. Here is a small list of stories told by travelers of the hyperspaceways: |
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One interesting variation on the “Lost City” tale (which usually spring up during a time of active exploration) was actually made into a bestselling thriller in 2256. The novel, titled Crimson Castle and written by Alexa Belli, combines the various tales about an entire solar system said to be existing in hyperspace. Rather than delve into the various versions of the legend, a plot synopsis of the novel will suffice. Crimson Castle is the second in a popular series on the travails of the fictional EAS Ptolemy, a scientific research vessel. A newly installed sensor system shorts out, but before it completely dies it detects a strange anomaly in hyperspace. The Ptolemy moves to investigate and discovers a binary star system surrounded by five planets. Unfortunatly, this discovery also means crossing a dense barrier, something akin to a stationary hyperspace shock wave. Only one planet has a breatheable atmosphere, so the crippled Ptolemy slowly heads for it. A shuttle is crewed and sent to recon the planet. Surface scans pick out massive structures both above and below ground. Almost all the planets have high concentrations of quantium-40 and other precious metals. As the shuttle lands on the planet, lights are seen burning in a building not far away. The moves to investigate it. From here the novel moves into the typical “Not Quite Dead Alien Race” plot, a mainstay of Lovecraftian and old science fiction novels. To be fair, most real world accounts do mention a feeling of ill-foreboding surrounding the Lost System. Crimson Castle ends with half the crew dying, the ship being repaired, and the solar system imploding into a type of “thirdspace” leaving no evidence of the encounter. |
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Comments, criticisms, suggestions, and additions welcome! Post them here. Babylon 5, characters, names, and all related indicia are trademarks of Time Warner Entertainment Co., LP. ©1994-98 Time Warner Entertainment Co. All original text, artwork and page design ©1995-98 iNFiNiCorp Transgalactic/Christopher Russo. |
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