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| Image source: Science 2.0 |
Distance: 12.02 light years from Earth | Content Flag: Public
The cause of the original Tau Ceti signal continues to perplex me, as it just doesn’t correspond with any of the transmissions we’ve received since. There is also the pattern of its start and end, in particular how it faded away. My earlier theory of the cataclysm doesn’t explain this satisfactorily.
Sometimes the simplest answers are the best. What is the simplest reason a signal would suddenly appear and then fade away? None of the motion within the system would account for this, but looking at the data the Cetians transmitted for the object they tracked approaching Tau Ceti e would.
I confirmed that suspicion by modelling the approach and by re-examining the data we received from that transmission. I’d originally believed the object to be a rogue planet. Unravelling the meaning of the second part of the repeated signal cleared that up, without clarifying what it actually was.
The structure of the object is a series of concentric spheres. Only the innermost possesses any mass but, as I’ve noted before, far too little for the effect I’d originally believed. The motion fits the shape of the signal’s strength and while modelling that effect, I discovered additional anomalies in the object’s movement.
What at first looked like a gravity assist manoeuvre actually reduced the object’s speed more than it should have. The deceleration is consistent with it containing the mass I originally believed it had. That doesn’t make any sense.
It’s been long established that the signal contains sufficient coherence to make it a non-natural occurrence. The energy required to maintain such broad-spectrum consistency across 12 light years is significant, especially as this wasn’t a focused transmission and the energy was broadcast in all directions.
This energy discharge occurred at the same time as the movement anomaly. This can’t be a coincidence, but the amount of energy couldn’t have caused the reduction in velocity. With each insight there is more I do not understand.
The extra processing capacity from the PCM’s hardware has proved to be a real benefit. Extracting knowledge from the second part of the repeated signal is a logical process and one of my prime foci. The extra capacity has allowed me to start working on the third component.
This section is another massive amount of information, but structured differently to the first and second parts. There are some correlations. In the second part there are references to the home planet – Tau Ceti e – and locations upon the surface, which are also found in the third part. There are also biological descriptions which I think describe the Cetians themselves, although that part is not fully detailed yet.
These and other references I’ve been able to extract lead me to the conclusion that this third section is a cultural archive. Perhaps even a history that will aid my investigations further if I can decipher it.
I like the idea of part 3 of the data being a package of cultural DNA: a seed-pod of information from a (possibly) endangered population. But I fear Seb must be too late to find the plant whence it came.
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