C Z A R I N A - Empire

Echoes Of A Lost Empire: A Summary Report on the Phenomena Experienced During the Survey of Planet Designated “Kitsune 00.46.2”

Submitted by Christoph Magdalis — 3rd Archon Audiologist, Division of Xeno-Archeology

Author’s Note 001: As I write this report my team and I are still grappling with the effects of whatever it was that our team came into contact with during our expedition of the world we now refer to as “Kitsune”. Though the visions have become less vivid over the passing days, we are all still experiencing auditory hallucinations at regular intervals. 

Though not unpleasant, it is safe to say that the entire team (myself included) are being irrevocably altered in ways we cannot even being to fathom. With that said, I fear my words alone cannot truly express the nature of our findings. Please reference the audio fragments listed below.

Our group descends into the depths of the bore-hole. Hours pass slowly. As we move the darkness deepens. It thickens into a viscous substance that slows our footfalls and slackens our resolve. The light of our holo-torches keeps us all moving forward, the thin line of illumination is the only thing tying us to whatever it is at the end of all this.

The only thing that breaks the oppressive silence is the sporadic chatter of our comms. A staccato back and forth, operational protocols mixed with the occasional gallows humor jokes that are commonplace on expeditions such as these. Always a comfort, even if it’s a thin one at best.

We’re shaken from the moment mission-focused reverie when we come to the realization that we are not alone. Another voice fills in the space around us.

Audio Fragment 1.001 — “Rebirth”

Her voice shatters the darkness we’ve been wading through. Her cries to the heavens are nothing short of primal. Wave after wave of raw emotion crash into us, overwhelming our senses to the point of near failure. There is no single word to describe the emotion she is projecting. Joy, sadness, pain, rage, hopefulness - they’re all there. A singularity of consciousness wrenched into being by sheer force of will.

This isn’t a song. It’s a new beginning. This being has existed before. She exists again.

The music that accompanies her is a contradiction. Both familiar and alien all at once - exotic tonalities interweave with one another, creating soundscapes that offer endless opportunities for auditory exploration. To say that the music accompanies her would not be accurate. She exists in it. It exists in her.

There’s an urgency to the melody that drives the meaning behind her words. She’s telling us the story of her return while simultaneously adjusting to a reality shifted by the winds of time. The drums are relentless, demanding that we follow her down whatever path she forges.

The music stops. The darkness engulfs us once more.

Audio Fragment 2.002 — “Dark Star”

We’ve awoken in a massive chamber with no recollection of how we arrived here. Our eyes adjust to the faint greenish light that permeates the room. Closer inspection reveals the source to be the walls themselves. They are covered in large glowing sigils of unknown meaning. We are greeted by the being’s voice once more. This time she’s joined by the full force only an orchestra can provide. The drums have not lost an modicum of intensity, though tribal elements push themselves to the fore. They steady the composition, providing a charged heartbeat to this reawakening ritual we are now a part of.

As the song comes to an end, the room dissolves around us. Seconds later we are surrounded by stars.

Author’s Note Supplemental 001.b: After undertaking a data-mining operation spanning at least eight centuries it is confirmed that there is no being living or dead known as “CZARINA” in any record of any civilization in the charted universe.

Audio Fragment 3.003 — “Ghost Machine”

The terror I feel in these initial moments is beyond words. Solid ground has given way to the vastness of space. The comfort of stone walls is replaced with a canvas of planets, stars and nebulae. We share the same space as entire galaxies. Their imposing forms remind us just how insignificant we are.

The music is there once more. Though it continues to intensify, it offers a sense of grounding. This all could be an illusion. A grand theater projecting to us a lost reality. Again we are confronted by her vocals. They have all the authority of a general leading countless legions into intergalactic conflict. There are entire warships dedicated to spreading the liturgy that is her Empire.

Author’s Note Supplemental 001.c: A subsequent liturgical survey has returned no results on the name being present in the belief systems or mythologies of 765,000 xeno races that have existed across the same span of time.

Audio Fragment 4.004 — “Exoskeleto”

The view shifts again. We’re on the bridge of a spacecraft of some kind. We can see our distorted reflections in the sleek sliver of its bulkheads. There are no visible control panels, yet I get the sense we are moving. The music begins again. Strange and frenetic, it reminds me of machine-speak. Warbles and bleeps bounce around each other in a playful dance that is on the edge of spinning out of control. 

It’s the sheer power of her voice that holds everything together. Our attention is drawn upward, and we see her for the first time. She’s standing at the ship’s apex - a glass-lined observation deck built for one. Clad in armor crafted from the same material as the ship we are now on, her striking form is infused with a sense of spectral unreality. Streaks of starlight glimmer and glint off of her battle plate. 

The dark of her eyes relentlessly scan the stellar fields in front of her. She searches for something.

Audio Fragment 5.005 — “Empire”

It is clear to me this being we have come to know as “CZARINA” is a messenger of some kind. She exists to …………………………………………………………………………………………………….

CONTENT HAS BEEN REDACTED PER ORDER OF THE ECHELON OF INFORMATION DISSEMINATION…………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………  “Build our Empire of metal and fire” repeated over and over again. 

I think we’ve awakened something.

Audio Fragment 6.006 — “Metatronica”

In less than an instant the ship is gone. I’m back in the massive cavern chamber from before. The sigils that once glowed an unearthly green now illuminate the room with an orange radiance. A warm feeling permeates my body. Despite the fact that the rest of the expedition seems to be missing I am at peace. 

The room comes alive as the music starts again. A soothing melody, cheerful and waltz-like offers a tonal shift from the previous pieces. The air in front of me morphs into a light show. Holographic images of planets circling one another in a cosmic dance flood my vision. Countless star systems are represented, the timelines of their existence are the threads that bind us all together. Eons on knowledge pour into my mind with all the force of a raging waterfall…. All words are failing me save for one….

Unity.

Audio Fragment 7.007 — “The Outsider”

The light show ends. The room grows cold as the warm light drops to an icy pale blue. The music matches my unease, piercing me like a thousand tiny needles. The dirge-like march of the beat betrays her emotions before her voice enters my consciousness. This song is an interrogation… Not only of herself, but of everything that exists. A dark reflection of the sum total of her existence. She doubts herself yet, pushes forward… All I can do is follow.

Audio Fragment 8.008 — “Alchemy”

The music stops and everything goes pitch black. When the light returns confusion takes over. I am back with the rest of the expedition, but we once again are not where we should be. We are surrounded by immense trees whose tops can barely be seen touching a dusk-amber sky. We’re seated in a circle, guests in a primeval forest… One that shouldn’t exist on the planet we are currently exploring. 

A cacophony of tribal drums flare up around us. They’re sharp contrast from the previous experience. Triumphant in their message, it is clear this song is a declaration - a tribal roar to the heavens that she is master of her reality…

…of this reality.

…of any reality.

The words “Only shadow purifies the light” are lodged in my mind. A permanent splinter in my mind’s eye. 

Author’s Note Supplemental 001.a: A decision has been made. Due to the nature of the “events” we have collectively experienced the team has suspended the mission on Kitsune and returned to prep for cryosleep. It’s been agreed that the best course of action is to return home and develop a different strategy for exploring this world at a later time.

Audio Fragment 9.009 — “Beyond the Veil”

She follows me into what should be a dreamless sleep with one final song. Though it’s a haunting piece, it projects an aura of comforting hopefulness. Her voice moves with us, the music drawn from the very planets our ship passes on its way home. It’s a beautiful lullaby fueled by nothing less then the beating heart of the Universe itself. The low hum of existence is the bed we all share together. 

It could be her final message to us. Or it could be the beginning of something new.

Author’s Note Supplemental 001.b: These findings have been submitted to the Divisions of Quantum Exploration and Reconfiguration and Xeno-Historiography for further review. The entire expedition have all submitted to medical testing on Terra Prime in hopes of gaining a better understanding of our condition, as well as if there are deeper ramifications for humanity as a whole.

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