[RETRIEVED OBJECT #7, VIDEO, DATE CLASSIFIED]
A bearded man sat in front of the crisp, high-definition camera. He adjusted his square glasses and scratched his ginger beard. His eyes looked at something above the camera. "Video log number one. This is Doctor Damon speaking to ASAI. We just left the solar system, so I guess this video won't be transmitted until our return trip." Damon chuckled. "At least I sent the earlier two to my family. This one isn't professional either, but at least you guys will find it more useful. Hydroponics is in top working conditions, and we've got enough gases to run a dozen generation ships. The cloning labs work too, in case of accidents. But hey, we've seen enough movies, right? I don't think the ship will be beset by evil aliens. Yet." he grinned.
[CLASSIFIED INFORMATION]
PROJECT KHAOS
ASSOCIATED PERSONNELS:
CRAWFORD, MILES: OVERSEER, PERSONNEL
BUCKLEY, CHRISTIAN: TECHNICIAN
PAULSON, JAMES: TECHNICIAN
MARTIN, JOHN: ENVIRONMENT SPECIALIST
O'NEAL, GWYNETH: PHYSICIAN
ANDERSON, JACK: COUNSELOR
SMITH, PAULINE: RESEARCHER
DAMON, KENNEDY: RESEARCHER
MISSION STATEMENT: Collection of data on the centre of the universe. Due to the sensitivity of the equipment, human personnels are required.
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #21 DEATH REPORT]
Name: JACK
Surname: ANDERSON
Cause of Death: Deliberately leaving the airlock without protective equipment. Due to possible mental illness, subject will not be cloned onboard.
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #8, AUDIO, DATE CLASSIFIED]
The droning white noise sounded... different. More chaotic than the usual white noise one can hear on television.
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #9, VIDEO, DATE CLASSIFIED]
Dr. Damon grinned. "Video log two. Things are looking promising so far! Me and Smith recorded a couple samples of the radio noises that our equipment get here. We aren't getting distress calls from alien civilizations, sadly. Or if we are, it's too garbled. The thing is, about ten percent of that white noise is accounted by the microwave that used to be the Big Bang's light. We can hear the Big Bang on Earth, too, but it's getting clearer here. Hopefully, at our current speed of hundred c, we will be seeing the actual light."
He paused dramatically.
"We will be seeing the Big Bang!"
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #22, INTERROGATION TRANSCRIPT, DATE CLASSIFIED]
Miles Crawford: This is Miles Crawford, Personnel Overseer. With me is Mr. Buckley and Mr. Paulson. Now, what do you know about the incident? How was Mr. Anderson able to leave the ship?
Chris Buckley: I I don't know sir.
James Paulson: Only me and Chris had the authorizations to override the safety. He must have the suit beacon.
Miles Crawford: So you are saying that Mr. Anderson deliberately fooled the sensors... To kill himself?
James Paulson: Exactly. I can't see how else. Of course, I was off duty so I didn't see him leaving.
Chris Buckley: He... just exploded when the airlock opened.
Miles Crawford: Jesus. That sounds like a mess. Subject is likely to have committed suicide, then.
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #27, ENCRYPTED JOURNAL, DATE CLASSIFIED]
--garbled--(Language) OF THE GODS. WE ARE GOING IN THE --garbled-- MUST ESCAPE.
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #29, WOODEN FIGURINE, DATE CLASSIFIED]
It looks like one of those fat Venus clay sculptures found on Earth. It has large breasts and is spherical from the figure's massive girth. The diameter is around 5 cm.
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #15, VIDEO, DATE CLASSIFIED]
Damon is writing something on the desk in front of the camera. "Smith was showing the white noises around. Our newer ones are... special, so she's a bit upset that nobody but me is impressed. But hey, we are the only physicists on board." he chuckled. "It's like that woman wants them to see the glowing phosphorus in a jar of pee. She'll probably want them to read over the data we collect from our quantum experiments once we turn off the FTL drive too, I'll bet."
He appears to be in deep thought as he writes more. "Oh, right. This is video log five."
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #12, AUDIO, DATE CLASSIFIED]
White noises. It sounded like the earlier one. The sound has a peculiar quality to it, however, as if the medium is failing to convey it correctly.
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #17, VIDEO, DATE CLASSIFIED]
Damon sits in front of the camera, beaming excitedly.
“Video log seven! We’re getting closer to the center of creation! I mean, obviously we can’t get too close or else the radiation would mess us up pretty badly. So far, every time we stop to collect cosmic noises, it’s still pretty dark out. It’s brighter then Earth, though. There’s loads of stars here, but they’re normal stars, not primordial light. Get this, though, the ones we are approaching are blue, and the ones we pass are red. Looks like the stars are going on the opposite direction to us. I wonder why. Must be the dark matter doing weird sciencey stuffs.”
“What, just because I’m a physicist doesn’t mean I know everything!”
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #20, VIDEO, DATE CLASSIFIED]
Damon sits with a mug of coffee. “I saw it! We saw it! The ancient stars are around us! Now, this is a lot more exciting than radio noises!
We’re stopping soon. We can’t get too near the center, the density of high-energy particles is increasing, and it might be reaching lethal level if we got too close. So, here we are, ”
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #24, VIDEO, DATE CLASSIFIED]
“Anderson just blew himself up.” Damon nursed his head. “What the heck. Crawford is real pissed. He thinks somebody murdered him. Maybe me and Smith were too occupied with our research to know if there was any politics bullshit going on.
You'd probably expect things to go to hell first, but for the record, no, things are in top condition. Crawford hasn't shot anyone yet. Martin hasn't gone insane and sabotaged our life support. The engineers... Well you get the idea.
Smith has been erratic, though. Not the 'insane serial killer' sort of erratic, at least. She thinks there's something with the radio noises though. Okay, I might be underestimating how batshit she is becoming."
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #25, VIDEO, DATE CLASSIFIED]
Dr. Damon hasn't shaved for a while. It wasn't obvious in the earlier video, but now it is.
"Yeah, there's some weird shit going on with the radio noises. Seems like you can only truly hear it when you're listening to live feed, but I'm recording these anyways. By the way, O'Neal somehow talked Crawford into letting her clone Anderson. Apparently, he's as baffled by his own actions as others. Crawford sent a dozen drones stalking him wherever he goes, but that's understandable.
Martin carved a fat woman figurine with our spare wood. I don't judge a man's hobby, but something about it give me the creeps."
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #26, VIDEO, DATE CLASSIFIED]
"Smith shot herself. She's not getting cloned. No."
Dr. Damon covered his ears and groaned.
"I feel like I can still hear the goddamn radio noises. The drones are still busy doing quantum experiments, so we can't be leaving for a good 4 months, and we're falling apart already? Give me a break."
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #28, PAPER NOTE, DATE CLASSIFIED]
Gone fishing. - John
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #30, ANNOUNCEMENT TRANSCRIPT, DATE CLASSIFIED]
"I'm putting the ship on lockdown. Nobody is going near the airlocks except the engineers. You aren't even supposed to go near the airlocks. And no, O'Neal, I'm not cloning him. I don't care that he manages our life support. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #45, VIDEO, DATE CLASSIFIED]
Dr. Damon had shaved his beard off.
"Video log fifteen. Looks like Crawford locking down the ship worked. Two months to go. Here's hoping life support doesn't randomly fail.
Hope I didn't jinx it.
Anyways, it's boring as hell. I might as well start interpreting the data the drones collected."
"The noise is still ringing. I'm not sure if others hear it."
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #52, ANNOUNCEMENT TRANSCRIPT, DATE CLASSIFIED]
"Does anyone else hear the buzzing noise? The engineers checked the ship and apparently it wasn't the ship. Don't ask me how that even works. Must be particles bouncing on the metal, but that's not a scientific guess."
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #54, VIDEO, DATE CLASSIFIED]
Dr. Damon gave the camera a thousand miles stare.
"Sentient life was not as rare as we thought. When a system is complex enough, consciousness occurs."
[RETRIEVED OBJECT #57, VIDEO, DATE CLASSIFIED]
An empty bottle of pills sat on the table.
"Space didn't listen to them, the thing that sits in the galaxy. Neither will I. Smith knew she would be safe in oblivion. The mission will be finished soon, anyways. I hope Crawford doesn't snap first. I would warn them, but I don't know if they will believe me."
He wheezed, his eyelids fluttering.
"Space isn't just expanding, it's fleeing."