The Founders Expedition
03 Dec 2022Rexicles
It's been a long and thoroughly enjoyable journey to this point. We've had galactic drama, intrigue, discovery, experiments and endless camaraderie. We've made a lot of solid friendships and with that also lost a great number of stellar Cmdr over the various events in our little cluster.The biggest such event is the recent discovery that parallel universes exist, and that we are one existence of many of ourselves. Even more tortuously for some, they appear to only exist in our universe. It has been a clash of minds and caused great consternation for everyone.
The net result is that we can see a parallel universe where we continue to prosper, yet face a far larger threat to humanity. This other universe continues to expand the version of human consciousness within it. We feel deprived, isolated and forgotten. Many have elected to dock for the very last time entirely, and we sank from over one hundred to merely two score cmdrs. I cannot blame them as this is a massive shock to all of us.
However, we can see the alternate universes of AE continuing and expanding - further brightening the lives of people in and around the cluster. In the darkness this forms the remaining light, even though we cannot interact with it beyond observation.
A group of us came to a decision this week. We're going to finish up as we all started, out there in the void setting new records and expanding the human knowledge base. The two Cmdr who discovered our home systems, Hobbtimus & I, have elected to go. Scar was a big proponent of the idea, we'll see if Zamen feels like up to another mammoth journey after his massive adventure across the disc.
I had a tough time explaining to Leela and her crew that we would decommission Oblitus Originum. We've all been through so much - Justice was appalled and stormed out but she's always been a little hotheaded. Noone blames her. Lucius asked what would happen to the crew and I explained how we'd created agreements with Wallace City so that they would all have their choice of assignments anywhere they choose. We have plenty of strings to pull and they'll all get glowing recommendations.
Doing that last deck walk with the senior crew was pretty painful but we left as friends. I've left my AX ships in the Wallace City Space Museum but most of the rest of the fleet will get transferred for the expedition. We're going to race canyons in places noone has ever been, practise rail shots against the edge of the galaxy and most likely perform a rescue or two!
The founders in our universe will set out once more, and we think Wags has figured it out in the alternative reality closest to ours. I suspect we'll be able to peer in on each others progress straddling the boundaries between these universes.
The Founders Expedition is therefore inaugurated and preparations are already afoot. We bid our greatest friends a fond farewell having had the honour of their company for so long.
We will not return to the bubble but give thanks to its sanctuary after the Arduan Chronicles. It's time to surf the edge of Wagars Reach, dance through the Dryman Ridge and skim the Outer Arm.