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TYSON'S WAKE

TYSON'S WAKE

Tyson's Wake is the name given to an enormous, sentient energy being first observed in space by Doctor Gerard Tyson (2035-2079) in 2075. It was dubbed The Wake for its resemblance to the churning, v-shaped trail of water left by the passage of a boat.

DISCOVERY

When first discovered, The Wake was initially thought to be the rogue remains of a dark galaxy that had collided with the edge of one of Andromeda's spiral arms thousands of years ago. Within a short time after its first observation, however, scientists noted a large increase in mass and area – now something in the range of 10 kiloparsecs - and saw it change direction off a plotted path. Impossible for a true celestial body, astronomers were stunned to see Tyson's Wake veer closer and closer to our two nearest galactic neighbors, the Magellanic Clouds , and over a period of decades, devour them.

THE MILKY WAY

After the celestial spectacle of the death of the Magellanic Clouds, observers watched with horror as the enormous Wake turned, and began a light-speed march directly toward our Milky Way galaxy. By now, theoretical physicists and even philosophers had concluded that there must be an intelligence directing the phenomenon, and set out to understand and communicate with it.

COMMUNICATION

With the help of various scientific and artistic disciplines, researchers were able to confirm a sentient, directing process within The Wake . Although its intentions were indistinct, it was clearly on a course to the Milky Way galaxy.

DISSOLUTION

Still tens of thousands of light years from menacing our galaxy, the United Federation of Planets conceived of a plan to halt The Wake , and avoid the destruction of nomad star systems (those not gravitationally bound to a galaxy) in its path. In 2294, a Star Fleet ship successfully detonated a specially prepared molecular transmogrification device within the gaseous makeup of The Wake . A chain reaction was achieved, reconfiguring the massive cloud of material into simple hydrogen. Although The Wake apparently made effort to excise this area from its totality, it was unable to achieve a complete disconnect. The process of molecular conversion within The Wake continues to this day, with more than five kiloparsecs reduced to base hydrogen atoms. Scientists believe that the area of The Wake that was dedicated to intelligence was destroyed in 2320, and that no further directed change is possible before it fully evaporates around the year 2470.