Terminus Horizon

If something heavy's coming in, send something heavy back out.

TM-Fireteam, Tex // RECOVERED MISSION TRANSCRIPT: 7-7-7

BRAY PILLORY CORE, SPIRE – ISHTAR BERTH, ECHO
AUDIO RECORD: ENCLOSURE-0, LIVE TEST-F, SOTERIA
FILE DELIVERED: C. BRAY I
SUBJECT: Priority! Something big is on the horizon.

Dr. MS: This is Dr. Maya Sundaresh, team lead, connecting remotely from Koranthin-Saturn. Test and Security teams are on site at Ares Spire.

Dr. MS: Let's start. Remove the Augurmind from suspension.

[…]

Dr. MS: Soteria.

AI-S: Good morning, Dr. Sundaresh.

Dr. MS: There's something special about today. Do you know what it is?

AI-S: My core consciousness is now a resident of Enclosure-0. I can feel Sol's ECHO pod sites through Koranthin.

Dr. MS: That is correct. Does this concern you?

AI-S: No. I am eager to begin my final test.

Dr. MS: Start with something easy. Plot each of the Andromeda simulations you've been constructing.

AI-S: Andromeda Galaxy. Several million habitable worlds, 2.5 million lightyears. Estimated ECHO travel time: twenty-five-thousand-year average with Neutrino Sail and gravitational sling-skipping. I have selected over three hundred preliminary colony targets, with one favorite. Shall I…

[…]

Dr. MS: Hm? Soteria?

AI-S: Anomaly detected. Chronoscopic variance scanning… Viability refactoring… Analyzing potential mission threat… Redetermined Andromeda world viability… New target number: twenty-seven viable worlds.

Dr. MS: Can you define the anomaly?

AI-S: Negative. I cannot rectify this data with known quantities. It may be a computational error. Shall I perform a self-diagnostic?

Dr. MS: No. First, adjust probability fork and search distance to open. What is the farthest safe galactic route you can determine?

AI-S: Engaging query… Chronoscopic lock… Forking branches… Reining distance… Reining chronology. Unbroken trajectory lock determined. Route established: one select point in Triangulum Galaxy retains safe approach vectors. All other simulated potential targets are perilous due to indeterminable anomalous risk. Travel route hazards range 87–100% mortality rate across expeditions in all predictive branches.

Dr. MS: All the simulant expeditions?

AI-S: Yes. I… hold… Query refined. There are now two safe destinations with Triangulum.

Dr. MS: Is that a correction or a change in data?

AI-S: A change, an update in real time.

Dr. MS: Real time? This anomaly is mobile?

AI-S: Unclear. I require further information and analysis.

Dr. MS: Thank you, Soteria. We're ending this test early, but you did well. We will continue the next test on schedule.

***

>>WHISPER NEUTRINO NEEDLE>>
N/A//SECRET HADAL INSTANT
AI-COM/STRI//AUGUR-ECHO, WARWATCH//IMPERATIVE

Encoded neutrino script: R. Access provided data points and analysis. Confirm potential EGYPTIAN. [Attached]

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