The Fifth Science

by Exurb1a

But void creatures are hardly the strangest things we have chanced upon during the expansion of our great empire. There is of course the romance of Signus B3. The star system sports two habitable planets, both of which were colonised in the early days of the empire. However, one of the worlds – B3a – developed an interest in mind-blending technology. As is now well understood in the empire, if mind-blending technology is pursued, it’s only a matter of time before the entire population of a planet will not only begin to use it, but merge into a single superorganism. B3a did exactly that. B3b, B3a’s sister planet, did the same thing around the same time by virtue of the two planets’ close trading practices. And subsequently, both planets became mental superorganisms, developing personalities in their own rights. Occasionally they sent messages to one another asking after vague matters. Then they sent starships. Then they made declarations of love. Even to this day, if you should pass by system Signus B3, you may be able to pick up faint radio transmissions of a romantic nature, one planet proclaiming its adoration of the other, waiting for that golden day when their orbits align once again.