Fangspire Chasm

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To uphold their shared commitment to peace and cooperation, the signatories of the Pioneer Association met. After lengthy talks, their heads of state decided to form a new intergovernmental organization named the "Polar Collective" (Editor's note: the predecessor to the Spacetrek Collective).

Just as the conference was ending, a Roya elder, one of their revered Solsworn, appeared before the assembly.

Speculation and whispers about his intentions rippled through the hall. Most delegates regarded him with the subtle arrogance of a "civilized world" appraising a representative of an ancient tribe. Unfazed, the Solsworn began to draw a series of intricate, cryptic patterns, murmuring to himself as he worked. At first, many dismissed them as nothing more than curses or meaningless doodles. But as the patterns took shape, the truth emerged—they were formulae.

The symbols he used were from a numbering system entirely alien to our own, but once "converted" into modern notation, the structures they described matched some of our most advanced equations. The very kind of mathematics we believe can change the world. In that moment, the assembly understood the significance of the Solsworn's act. It demonstrated that the Roya possessed knowledge and mathematical mastery on par with our own, and more importantly, that they were willing to share this ancient wisdom with the Polar Collective.

In that moment, mathematics became the only language in the room. With a few simple points and lines drawn in an instant, the Solsworn completed an astronomical measurement of the polar axis. Its precision matched, perhaps even surpassed, that of our finest contemporary instruments. Awe gradually gave way to silence. There was no longer any doubt: the Roya's accomplishments had not only reached but now challenged the intellectual dominion claimed by the so-called civilized world.

The silence did not last. The Solsworn then presented a second set of equations. They described the presence of the Waveworn Phenomenon within Lahai-Roi, showing that its activity had been steadily increasing over time. Yet, at the conclusion of this formulation, the Solsworn offered no solution.

Meanwhile, the arrival of the Black Shores only deepened the unease. Observations from the Tethys System had long indicated traces of a Threnodian in Lahai-Roi, but its frequency shared no commonality with any known Threnodian signature on Solaris. In other words, it did not originate from Solaris, nor from any recognizable civilization.

As scholars debated the equations, a formless dread seeped through the assembly. Were they misinterpreting the data? Or was the formulation itself incomplete? Perhaps the Solsworn was not deliberately withholding the final answer. Perhaps the answer itself was "unknowable."

This implied that, for the first time, humanity did not know, and was incapable of uncovering, the true nature of the "concept" it faced.

How does one fight an unknowable enemy? If the "concept" of this Threnodian cannot be known, then its form and capabilities remain equally opaque. In other words, every weapon humanity has devised could be rendered useless.

All would collapse into a single, all-consuming unknown.

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The Roya's understanding of the phenomena within Lahai-Roi and the data they possess far surpasses that of any outside representative. If the world is to delve deeper into Lahai-Roi and find a solution, it must rely on the Roya as its "guide." Yet even with their vast knowledge, the Roya's current technological capabilities are insufficient to withstand the calamities born of the Threnodian. This, perhaps, is why the Solsworn appeared at the conference: in the face of Lahai-Roi's looming Threnodian crisis, the Roya had long harbored a willingness to cooperate with the outside world. They were simply waiting for the right moment, the moment they call the beginning of the "Twilight Epoch."

For the Roya, exposing themselves to the outside world may well be a gamble. But they believe that once this unfamiliar Threnodian awakens, the scale of its destruction will engulf all of Solaris... And for this, they have already steeled themselves.

Thus, each nation declared its stance: the Polar Collective would formally establish an alliance with the Roya and embark on joint expeditions into Lahai-Roi. At the same time, all activities carried out by the Collective must rest upon the foundation of peaceful agreements, causing no harm or disruption to Royan society.

The conference ended in harmony, yet no one left at ease. We had arrived driven by curiosity for Lahai-Roi's unknowns, only to depart with nothing but fear of that very unknown.

As the last New Federation scholar to leave remarked: "This fear... it's hard to name, but it's the oldest and strongest within us. And for humanity, that fear has always been the fear of the unknown."