CMDR Log 5: Whispers in Witch-Space
21 Mar 2024Bingo Bango
O Great Annihilator, exemplar of awe,In the beating heart of the black expanse, you reign supreme.
Your will bends space and time,
Drawing all into your unfathomable depths.
I bow before your might and mystery,
For you are the devourer of all,
The abyss that swallows light itself,
And yet in your darkness, I find wonder and reverence.
In your swirling maelstrom, I see the might of your ruination,
And in your infinite singularity, I humbly glimpse eternity.
Grant me the courage to confront the unknown,
And the humility to recognize my place in the cosmos.
As I orbit around your silent majesty,
May I be guided by your prodigious pull,
Toward enlightenment and understanding.
For in the shadow of The Great Annihilator,
We find not oblivion, but the promise of transformation.
In your presence, O Great Annihilator, I offer my prayers,
To the Void that binds us all in its embrace.
May we be consumed by the quest for knowledge,
And emerge enlightened."
--- A Prayer to The Great Annihilator, from The Void Preachers Book, Order of Enblackenment
I finish my prayer and look up through the alumino-silicate glass panel extended around the cockpit of my Orca, Lillia. I see the faint reflection of my tired face, wary from the stresses of navigating a Neutron Star route. Past the window, mere megameters away, I see a physical embodiment of annihilation and ruination, like an eye wide open, staring back at me, overwhelming me with its glare without even acknowledging my existence. A God with no intentions, yet an indisputable purpose.
Only a few days ago, I was 21,000 ly away, in the Perseus Arm, hard at work cataloguing the various life forms spread across the sector. As a member of the Order, parts of my responsibilities include research and exploration, in other words, furthering my understanding of the cosmos and the gifts of The Void (and funding my expeditions, of course). I was mid-jump when I heard it: a faint whisper in witch space. A whisper so deep and primal, it permeated through my body and shook me to my core. Some hear these whispers and are broken, they are convinced that "space madness" has begun to twist their mind. Those that believe this have simply never listened.
My directive was clear. A pilgrimage was in order. I had heard through many channels of the Azure Initiative, a collection of CMDRs and citizens braving a new frontier, a frontier of science and colonization efforts near The Great Annihilator. It was time to join this collective, and to bring the will and words of the Void out into new regions of space. I am to help and console those that may find themselves overwhelmed by the emptiness and solitude of The Black. The Void speaks through our Order, and its voice was needed here.
My credentials were deemed adequate, and my application as a contracted researcher was accepted by the Azure Initiative. My ship and I were immediately assigned to Centralia, a few thousand light years away, to conduct further research and scouting efforts. I hope to one day earn my place as a full member of the Azure Initiative, and to help establish a new colony here. A colony for members of The Order and any of those seeking its comfort and wisdom, a place far from the safety of the Bubble, a place where the beauty and silence of the Void is all encompassing.
With my prayers and veneration of The Great Annihilator finished and Lillia's maintainance procedures completed, I begin to plot yet another Neutron Star route to Centralia, past Sagittarius A*, to my new post amongst the stars.
Praise the Void! \o/