Here's to Dark Matter

Mysterious Superbuble!

Astounding: N44 boasts a mysterious “superbubble” measuring 250 light-years across, hollowing out the center of the nebula.

Credit: NASA, ESA, V. Ksoll and D. Gouliermis (Universität Heidelberg), et al.; Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic Universit

Just as Clear was about to reply to Atieno, his mouth clamped shut when the shelf they were nearest began to rattle, as if a small, localized earthquake had begun to rock the earth. Interest piqued, he flitted away towards the source.

And as he did, like the blaring radar on a metal detector, it caused Clear to wince from the loud ringing that rattled his frame. Plucking a videotape, the unassuming jacket didn't announce the subject or anything. A soft sound of intrigue hummed in his throat.

They moved away from the shelf, making a point to stay close.

A definition ? What was hard to understand about "a good heart" ? It's a shame these people of late don't seem to understand, but such was to be expected for people who were new he supposed. It was easier with Mercury's regulars.

Not their fault people often used metaphors when it came to the notion of the 'good' in terms of hearts. But they weren't going to dwell on it, they needed information and if that meant a healthy heart, that was what was required.

It's frustrating having to deal with this sort of situation, but they probably know a few with regenerating healthy.. hearts they could ask a favor of. Make a trade for a trade for a trade.

Wasn't the first or last time that this would happen.

❝I see no heart.❞

No heart that he could claim, not one that his creator would enjoy anyhow. Not one that might work even for his creator, mortal as he was despite best efforts.

❝I have little interest in making grand deals on my time and money if there is no heart. I will be fair, as is the nature, but if you would like a better deal- bring me a good heart.❞

Then again, deals were always such peculiar and tricky situations and Atieno finds themself feeling a little exhausted just thinking about it. They probably could find a good heart with some effort.

they seem... like he'd managed to hit a nerve, or at least irk them somewhat. he listens to them ramble, arms crossed over his chest, something of a contented smirk ghosting the corner of his lips.

"oh great, another larger-than-thou thing that doesn't care. groundbreaking. literally. the likes of you have never cared, — and maybe that's worse, then. imagine the whole wide world at your fingertips and you can't begin to imagine taking it in? every singular intricacy at a time? what a waste. what tragedy." tsk tsk tsk.

"was the world made for your enjoyment? hardly if you are not enjoying it. were you made for its? ah, i don't see it gleaming with joy at your existence. what an odd way to be, what an odd space to fill. maybe... i am not bothered so much as i feel sorry for you..."

just irritating piece of shit. that instinct towards just punching the guy was kind of getting harder to ignore. and given the kind of type he was... they'd be even more annoyed if it doesn't do much due to him likely being a pretty durable individual as they suspected him to be.

"oh fuck off. that's not what i said. i didn't say about not caring for the world. i was saying i didn't care what you, keyword being you was getting up to specifically. "

they sighed.

"why would the world be made for my enjoyment? the world exists and is made no matter whether or not i enjoy it. i exist no matter whether or not the world enjoys me, that's not...

my and the world's existence doesn't rely on each other's approval.

"The Order of the Ascendant has granted me...certain liberties when it comes of research. Given their schism with the Protectorate left much of their data lost. Whatever data I can get by any means necessary."

She sipped her drink-- real caf for once-- not whatever engineered nonsense the Order (or Auntie for that matter) called proper caf from beans. Whether or not it was from Earth or one of the agri-colonies didn't matter. There was sigh of almost contentment despite the less than stellar circumstances they were meeting under.

"I'm curious as to how they feel-- assuming you've come across them. "

By her projections--with the help of some capable Seers-- it was assumes several other colonies other than Arcadia should be suffering the effects at this time. They also concluded it was likely the Sol System's reason for going dark several years before-- a fact Kar learned in Halcyon, now only putting the puzzle together

"Regardless of contact or not, are there any ill effects?" Kar paused, adding her own observations. They were both beings borne of the cosmos, it would be an interesting insight how Atieno perceived something that made Kar quite put off.

"I can't be around them for long-- they feel like...festering wounds in Force. The large one on Cloister in particular sets me on edge in ways I can't describe...

Ati held their cup in their hands for a few moment before taking another sip. Of course, it was always the weirder or the more unfortunate situations that they found themself catching up with people. They would probably find a bit of morbid humor in this at some point but for right now, they are trying not to dwell on that too deeply.

As for how these phenomenon felt, Atieno thinks for a moment.

"I have definitely encountered a good number of them over the years, I can tell you that. But I have to admit it is... complicated how I tend to feel about it.

You feeling like their are festering wounds in Force makes a lot of sense. For me.. it's definitely a little weird being around them. But I don't know if I am the best comparison about ill-effects. Because although I do feel a certainly.. exposure, a sensitivity to the tears that I have already .. embodied as a result of being around those kinds of rifts, I don't... i don't hate how it feels. I know they are not.. the usual situation and should be addressed however possible. But maybe it speaks to something a little fucked about me that I find the exposure almost oddly... soothing? In a way. It's not ideal.. and I am not going to recommend people get close to those rifts needlessly.

Lines in the sand stop being so cut and dry when someone else's blood is how you survive.

As far as they knew it was just a personal sacrifice that he was taking in order to keep to the night, to tend to his condition.

‘ at midnight there’s a gathering after dark. ’

‘ no weapons but your fists, she insists. ’

‘ keep your radio tuned tight. ’

‘ you just might survive the night. ’

‘ warriors, come out to play! ’

‘ survive the armies of the night. ’

‘ this is the sound of something being born. ’

‘ it’s a renaissance. ’

‘ miracles can happen when you gather after dark. ’

‘ a storm cloud is gathering. ’

‘ survival all depends upon the corner you run to. ’

‘ how do we make it back home alive? ’

‘ we keep it safe, we keep it clean. ’

‘ when shit goes down, we intervene. ’

‘ we hold this boardwalk down. ’

‘ why the fuck we gotta go uptown? ’

‘ think we need a better reason. ’

‘ we’ve never gone that far uptown. ’

‘ it’s a long way down. ’

‘ we’re going in all by ourselves. ’

‘ you better have my back ‘cause this is happening. ’

‘ leave your weapons back at home. ’

‘ i’m the youngest & the prettiest. ’

‘ i’m sick of running off at the mouth. ’

‘ [name]’s in your corner if that shit goes down. ’

‘ can you count, suckers? ’

‘ the future is ours. ’

‘ can you dig it? ’

‘ nobody’s wasting nobody. ’

‘ miracles are the way things ought to be. ’

‘ we fought so hard for our turf. ’

‘ we are never backing down. ’

‘ imagine what i had to do to stay on top. ’

‘ now imagine what we could do if you & your crew got with me & my crew. ’

‘ we are bigger than the mob! ’

‘ now we keep up the truce. ’

‘ stand together against danger. ’

‘ just a kid but i remember the sound of it all breaking down. ’

‘ windows exploded the seams. ’

‘ the scene filled with screams. ’

‘ time slips away as the night jumps the track. ’

‘ it was the warriors! ’

‘ the warriors shot [name]! ’

‘ no, i didn’t do this! i’d never do this! ’

‘ didn’t you see them? ’

‘ i drown in the shots & the shouts as the world falls down. ’

‘ get away from the crowd, make your way downtown! ’

‘ gotta find a way to escape from the crowd! ’

‘ stay down, stay down! ’

‘ punch your fucking way through the gate til it breaks down! ’

‘ now every move that we make is a bid to survive, keep us alive. ’

‘ when you woke up today you didn’t think you could die, neither did i. ’

‘ look around, make sure we’re okay. ’

‘ we gotta go back & find her. ’

‘ it is way too soon to mourn her. ’

‘ it must be fifty miles to get back.’

‘ we get back home alive. ’

‘ who decided to make you war chief? ’

‘ make your move or fall in line. ’

‘ we lost [name], we can’t lose you too. ’

‘ only the strong survive. ’

‘ looks like they forgot about the truce. ’

‘ we gotta get past ‘em to catch that train! ’

‘ it’s now or never. ’

‘ on my signal. ’

‘ close the fucking door! ’

‘ you weren’t supposed to bring liquor. ’

‘ i was ready to pop anybody! ’

‘ nobody can read these maps anyway. ’

‘ is that a track fire? ’

‘ as soon as somebody grabs them, the better. ’

‘ i didn’t come to make friends. ’

‘ let’s kick this town. ’

‘ you just might watch the world burn. ’

‘ i’ve brought down the queen & her crown. ’

‘ we can take these wimps. ’

‘ let me do the talking. ’

‘ can i see your hall pass? ’

‘ we are only passing through. ’

‘ we’ve got no beef with you. ’

‘ we are just so lost & lonely. ’

‘ we extend our protection to those we know. ’

‘ we also fuck shit up sometimes. ’

‘ what a coop full of chickens! ’

‘ they bat their eyelashes & you turn a mess. ’

‘ these damsels are not in distress. ’

‘ hey, i like your vest. ’

‘ you wanna gimme one? ’

‘ help us get through & i’ll see what i can do. ’

‘ i want the vest off of you. ’

‘ i’m losing my cool. ’

‘ you don’t even know me. ’

‘ let’s make their world a little brighter. ’

‘ oh shit, they got a molotov! ’

‘ i wanna go to the place where you’re going. ’

‘ let me escape in this moment. ’

‘ i’m born & raised on this corner of nowhere. ’

‘ i’ll leave behind desolation. ’

‘ take me away. ’

‘ i can be brave in the moment. ’

‘ you lucky you still alive. ’

‘ what do you do when they kill everything you believe in? ’

‘ i wish that i shared your dream of peace. ’

‘ wake the fuck up & tell me what your story is. ’

‘ i know you can hear me. ’

‘ i’m not your judas. ’

‘ tell me the truth, miss. ’

‘ you have me confused with my accusers. ’

‘ so why’d he say it was you, then? ’

‘ i came here to be a part of what that motherfucker ruined! ’

‘ we came to hear the truth & be moved, be in your movement. ’

‘ let me be & set me free. ’

‘ we can still go rebuild the world til we reach the peace [name] was seeking! ’

‘ get off the train! ’

‘ we heard what you did. the city will never forgive what you did. ’

‘ there’s a price on your head for the shit that you did. ’

‘ running makes you look guilty. ’

‘ if you wanna survive, burn bright. ’

‘ quiet girls don’t make it home. ’

‘ stand clear of the closing doors. ’

‘ i go where i want. ’

‘ i’m sick of running. ’

‘ we can take these clowns! ’

‘ we ain’t come this far just to run & hide. ’

‘ i’m sick of singing the same old fucking song. ’

‘ i’ll fight my way to wherever you’re going. ’

‘ we gotta move or else we’re done. ’

‘ i play too rough sometimes. ’

‘ [name], stick with me! ’

‘ when you kill what they love, all bets are off. ’

‘ she got the fight she was looking for. ’

‘ matching cardigans? that’s cute. ’

‘ looks like you’ve been on the run. ’

‘ they say you all killed [name]. ’

‘ you sing? ’

‘ can’t imagine how it feels when you’re out here on your own. ’

‘ you’ve been through hell. ’

‘ we’ll make french toast. ’

‘ how are you so beautiful tonight? ’

‘ you got a light or something? ’

‘ you think i bite or something? ’

‘ i don’t think you’d like initiation. ’

‘ kiss me. ’

‘ why’d you keep me along? ’

‘ tell me. ’

‘ let me know what you’re looking for. ’

‘ don’t know what you think you see in me. ’

‘ don’t tell me you believe in me. ’

‘ tonight can’t be undone. ’

‘ look at me. ’

‘ i’m broken. ’

‘ don’t put your hope in me. ’

‘ do not put your trust in me. ’

‘ you’re more than beautiful. ’

‘ the light at the end of this tunnel’s got nothing on you. ’

‘ i think i see a light or something. ’

‘ the doors are locked & the exit’s blocked. ’

‘ so you shot [name]. ’

‘ watch for the knives! ’

‘ he bit me! ’

‘ that pretty boy just bit me! ’

‘ they sounded like sirens. ’

‘ the murderer who tries to kill a dream is closer than you think. ’

‘ let’s ride through the city. ’

‘ let’s find the train that gets us home. ’

‘ i’m a walking talking fire breathing controversy! ’

‘ you gotta turn it down. ’

‘ turn around. ’

‘ i’m sick of being afraid of you & what you have the power to do. ’

‘ why can’t we just go back home? ’

‘ just don’t look back or turn around. ’

‘ muscle through the pain & make it through! ’

‘ ghosts of the city live underground. ’

‘ we’re all on the same train home. ’

‘ it’s been a long fight just to see the ocean. ’

‘ we made it home alive. ’

‘ i gotta be free. ’

‘ stay behind me. let him find me. ’

‘ what took you so long? ’

‘ i am the ghost & i’ve hunted you. ’

‘ who the fuck are you & why are you here? ’

‘ there’s something you still don’t understand. ’

‘ no one is coming to lend you a hand. ’

‘ you only know how to break shit. ’

‘ in our loyalty that’s where the glory is. ’

‘ even though i’m home, i’ve got a knot in my chest that i can’t untangle. ’

‘ i know i can continue when i am with you. ’