Thanks to Oz for this session summary.
"An army without leaders is like a foot without a big toe."
The year is 2299 Upon the space colony Percepi, the unveiling of the first Great Forest away from Earth is underfoot. Claxton Jones, the original Percepi colony coordinator reads from Dr Seuss’ ‘‘Oh the Places We’ll Go’’. Thanking all the folks who helped harness great magics, their dedicated hours, and all the support on the journey from here to there. He introduces Fey Arius, the lead production manager, whom without her leadership this forest would not be here.
Dr Peters listens as Fey begins her speech, thanking the various folks who contributed and work with her. As she pays tribute to Gaia’s guidance he senses a building of negative emotions. Fear, hatred, loneliness, and all the things that make one crumble wells up inside of him and around him, growing, overwhelming him.
Noun near his sculpture, an archway wrapped around the Great Forest central tree, is wide-eyed and in horror by the world collapsing around him, with everyone’s negative emotions folding in on itself while the crowds cry, yell, panic, and run in fear. Noun, terrified, yet exhilarated in the beauty of the world’s bending, flexing and crushing him into oblivion, screams, piercing reality, until all that is left is silent. Noun no longer exists. The universe no longer exists, but he is safe within his sculpture along with the companionship of others.
UN Forces Captain Ridge Kilgerren patiently waits at Pax Artificium Spaceport for her 14:50 transport to Percepi, where she is to meet with Claxton Jones, who is coordinating a new colony that will be significantly further from Earth than any previous. In the waiting area a voice announces that all transport to Percepi are suspended until further notice. Checking with her superiors using her comlink, she finds that Percepi no longer shows up on any instruments and that she is reassigned immediately to Laboro where she will check in and be briefed on her new mission to study what has happened.
Right at that same moment, Trenton Verner has some revelation, which I cannot share with our audience. You DO NOT have clearance. This was a private meeting between Curtis and Mark, who has been cast as Trenton Verner. Perhaps he wonders if he left the stove on at home.
Trenton, traveling to Percepi on the same transport and hearing the same announcement, begins searching the nets for more details. There is little other than all communications with Percepi having been lost. He calls his parents, gets their answering machine, and leaves a message for them to call back. Working with the gate stewardess, he is told all transports to Percepi have been suspended, but is offered transport to Laboro in exchange. Trenton accepts, handing over identification card and is cleared for transport from gate Zeta 12.
Ridge overhearing Trenton’s interaction at a nearby desk, does the same exchanging of her ticket for Laboro. As two of them walk towards gate Zeta 12, Trenton asks Ridge whether she has heard anything about why all the transports (to Percepi) have been suspended. Ridge abruptly says, "Yes" in way that Trenton perceives as a "don’t bother me" tone and stares at the floor avoiding her.
Trenton begins thinking about why communications have ceased. He thinks perhaps this is because they were messing with nature using magic. Looking around, it seems that only the two of them have transferred from the other transport. Some half an hour later their transport arrives in Laboro.
Trenton is broke and has no idea how he will get to Percepi. Seeing Ridge talking to some other UN Force officer is hopeful that he they might be of some assistance. On his way there he stands bit off listening in on their conversation. Major Bradley tells Ridge that he is escorting her to the Percepi debriefing.
Trenton interjects himself as they are walking, "Excuse me, I ran into you earlier and was wondering whether you guys are headed to Percepi. I really need to get there and would be willing to do anything."
Ridge responds, "Can you do anything?"
"I can fly a ship."
"Irrelevant."
Major Bradley asks whether he is a part of the UN Forces, to which Trenton admits he is not. Trenton is told that this is a military matter and there is no place for civilians. Major Bradley takes this opportunity to sell military service and convinces Trenton to sign up. The three of them take shuttle to the UN Forces headquarters, where they drop Trenton off at the recruitment office.
Malcolm finds his way to the spaceport, talking to those who are concerned about their families in Percepi. There is an offer to redirect folks to Laboro, but few if any are taking up those offers. A kind woman offers her ticket to Malcolm, which he graciously accepts. He goes around collecting messages, names, numbers, and requests from the various families.
Arriving in Laboro, Malcolm does not learn much about the situation of any of the families he looks into. There is even less information about Percepi and no one going there. Learning that the UN Forces are in charge of looking into the matter, he heads for their headquarters.
As Malcolm goes towards the general public UN Forces HQ entrance he has a vision of himself walking to another building. Following that vision he enters that building, slides his identification card, and greets a receptionist and asks about meeting to discuss his findings of Percepi. She tells him the briefing has already started in room 365.
Malcolm joins the briefing in progress; others look, but don’t say anything as Dr Venkman, an astronomer continues telling that the occurrences of the unidentified mass approximately twice the size of the planet Earth was traveling speeds faster than light nearby. Shortly after that Percepi vanished, is no longer there, as though the planet was plucked out of the sky. They sent a probe to that area, but lost contact with it as it approached the area.
Ridge’s immediate mission is to investigate where the colony should be and its various satellites that were in orbit. Check the status of the space settlement, whose orbit may have deteriorated with the disappearance of Percepi and provide aid as needed. Lastly investigate where this unidentified mass was last detected and retrieve the probe that was sent. Ridge asks if anyone can be sent along with her to comfort anyone they might find in distress.
Malcolm takes this opportunity to offer his services as religious council on this mission. Major Bradley asks who he is and Malcolm states he is a religious man who can aid in this. The help is accepted, upon confirmation from their superiors that he is acceptable. Ridge takes off to prepare her ship. Malcolm asks more about the settlement near Percepi.
The space colony’s population is over 10,000. Everything is balanced and controlled using technology and no magic. Dr Venkman believes that the space settlement will slowly drift out, but should not be in any danger for at least 5 months. If it can’t be stabilized, they are formulating contingencies plans.
Trenton signs up for immediate recruitment to the UN Forces. He gets his uniform, haircut, and is put in intense VR training that afternoon.
Some of the scientists join Malcolm to a local restaurant. The other patrons are all inhabitants at this mining colony who are mostly down to Earth and very serious. Malcolm meets and greets folks telling uplifting stories of dramatic rescues from cave-ins to the excitement of spectacular findings of rare metal and gems.
Ridge examines the passenger ship (capacity of 800) that she’ll be taking on this mission. Research on what happened with the beyond light speed planet show all readings are distorted. She compares the data with black holes, but it doesn’t quite relate. She then calculates the escape horizon based on the data available and before she knows it, Malcolm shows up and the ship is ready to go. Ridge jokingly apologizes for the cramp quarters (which Oz caught, but didn’t really laugh at, but Malcolm would have appreciated and mused at).
Trenton, restless after recovering from his training, has a strange feeling. Outside everything is too quiet, something about the world is wrong, but he can’t quite figure out why. No one is around, there is no wind, and a car is hovering in the distance by itself. Uneasy, Trenton makes his way towards the car, then realizes by watching the shadow of the car moving off of a crack on the ground over a minute that time has slowed down, to near stop. He sees the large black man (Malcolm), whom he briefly saw walk in the recruitment center a bit ago, coming out of a restaurant.
Heading over to Malcolm he searches for anything else moving normally. Instead a tunneling shadow echoes ahead of the large black man going to a ship that then goes to Percepi. Trenton bounds for the ship and shoves himself into a luggage compartment. Shortly afterward, noise and wind pick up signaling time has returned to normal.
As the ship takes off Trenton’s eyes burn. It’s similar to past sensations, but this is 1000 times worse. Whimpering in pain for what seems like an eternity; Trenton eventually feels better and gets out exploring what is going on.
The ship gets within visual range of the void, where there are several man-made satellites. All the satellites are offline. The sensors pick up and a strange piece of debris the size of a satellite. It is made of draught iron and copper with a patina finish. It flickers and warps unnaturally seeming different from each angle forming what seems like an arch.
Malcolm remembers something in an art book and pulls up an entry for Noun, an artist that uniquely creates mathematical and geometric art that no one else can replicate. Ridge sends a few droids to get a complete view of the object from all angles.
The computer informs Ridge of a stowaway, while the analysis is complete, showing that the math and form of the object should be impossible. The droid’s visual appearance distorts as it pulls close to it, but then returns to normal when withdrawn. Ridge informs Malcolm of a stowaway, who she recognizes as Trenton and assigns him to get him.
Ridge has the ship capture the archway in its docking bay, by maneuvering itself to engulf it where it is and keeping gravity at zero g. Malcolm greets Trenton by name and invites him to the bridge, where Ridge asks if Trenton was assigned to this missions and he states we was not, but has joined the UN Forces. He Tells Ridge that he did an afternoon of VR training, took a nap, and woke up in the luggage compartment.
Unfazed, Ridge accepts this and suggests he check into a medical facility when they return. Ridge asks why he wanted to be in this place, remembering he was originally traveling here from Pax Artificium and desperately wanted to be here. Trenton states he is doing research for his parents who teach the history of the rise of magic during the 21rst century.
Fey, Dr Peters, and Noun all see and sense a point of light in the distance. They reach towards it, being expelled into what appears to be a docking bay of a space ship. Floating with them is the sculpture that Noun designed and created, but it is twisted and warped as though a piece of it was drawn into infinity of nothing.
The sensors tell Ridge that there are more people in the cargo bay. Malcolm, Trenton, and Ridge enter the cargo bay to investigate. Malcolm greets Noun by name and tells them that Percepi no longer exists and is concerned that they are okay.
Noun suddenly wants us to leave the area and head to Laboro, but Ridge tells them him that she is still planning on checking in on another colony. Noun seems comforted by that.
They all travel to the settlement; Ridge hails the planet, requesting the colony’s status. It is determined that there are emergency thrusters, which might help move the planet.
Fey talking with Dr Peters learns of his visual malady, where he has no cortex and thus cannot relate to vision. Fey talks about her own experiences with visual difficulties during her youth, but somehow offends Dr Peters. Fey expresses that she meant no offense.
Malcolm talks with Dr Peters and learns what he experienced on the planet. Asking if evil was an appropriate term to describe the feelings that saturated his being. Dr Peters didn’t think of it that way, but it fits.
Malcolm works with Ridge to examine the sculpture. He summons a series of living lights that tell Malcolm that the archway defines a pathway beyond evil to nothingness, no place. Not exactly magical, merely the path, the archway here is not to be feared. Checking with Ridge, Malcolm learns that Percepi had been settled for 30 years, with nearly 4.5 million people.
The computer finishes downloading all the information from the collected satellites. The last recordings were Police dispatches, military communications, and panicked messages about strange things going on and things become more incoherent and desperate right before they shut down.
Ridge leaves with Trenton to move to where the faster than light speed phenomena occurred.
Upon further reflection, Fey thinks to herself that perhaps the mystic energy was being drained away and that created a vacuum that pulled the entire planet into void.
Fey tells everyone that this was not a mystic effect or power surge. There was no center or some anchor where it started, but the archway seems to have saved them. This pleases Noun. Noun then continues the story indicating that prior to being pulled into the arch he screamed in terror.
Noun realizes he, Fey, and Dr Peters were standing in geometrically relevant positions extended from the archway based on mathematical equations and believes that is probably why they survived.
Fey, Dr Peters and Malcolm discuss Dr Peters’ disability, Malcolm’s pet Eli, and a number of other pleasantries.
Ridge bursts in with uncharacteristic glee exclaiming a fantastic revelation has been discovered. She wants everyone to sign some documents promising not to disclose what they see and that the UN might restrict their movement to control this information. Everyone signs except Malcolm. All but Malcolm moves to the conference room for Ridge’s briefing.
The probe sensors show a planet in seeming stasis traveling at higher than light speeds to this location a week prior. When the planet stopped, it reanimates as though someone hit play while it was on pause. There were magnificent cities and Dragons flying about. The computer shows that a week ago a blip of light shot towards Percepi from this rogue planet. Various folks begin theorizing what may have happened.