Rotating Disturbance Area

The Rotating Disturbance Area (herein abbreviated as R.D.A) is an anomalous sector of Colonized Space. The R.D.A was classified as wholly anomalous by the United Earth Confederation due to the following observations:

• The R.D.A violates commonly observed laws of physics.
• The R.D.A's "interior" dimensions vary wildly with no detectable pattern.
• The R.D.A's various planetoids, including any flora and fauna, are heavily influenced by Ardor Radiation to a seemingly nonsensical degree.
• The R.D.A's contents change rapidly.

  Because of these traits, the R.D.A is considered inhospitable. Exploration efforts within the R.D.A have a high rate of casualty and attempts to enter it are not only discouraged, but considered an act of treason under U.E.C interstellar law, due to the unpredictable nature and consequences of interfering with the R.D.A.   Below is a series of audio log summaries from various crews sent to explore the R.D.A.     Exploration Attempt #1 Summary - 03/21/2282   Contact lost with crew for three standard galactic months immediately after entering R.D.A. Contact reinitiated with crew, bestial growling and metal scraping noises are heard for fifteen seconds before contact is lost again. No further communications have been recorded.   Exploration Attempt #2 Summary - 06/24/2282   Crew enters R.DA successfully. After two standard galactic hours of radio silence, the crew, despite being comprised of highly loyal U.E.C explorers, Vinculum Surveyors, and Xiang mercenaries, all individuals communicate with command to inform their new allegiance to "The One Who Wanders Mercury" and renounce their specific individual citizenship. No further communications have been recorded.   Exploration Attempt #3 Summary - 06/28/2282   Crew enters R.D.A and explores for approximately 3 standard galactic hours, recording several planetoids and cosmic phenomena. After three hours, crew falls into a state of disorder. High-pitch noise is heard while crew captain expresses horror at a variety of graphic acts of self-mutilation from crew members. Presumably, crew captain primes her firearm and commits suicide.   Exploration Attempt #4 Summary - 07/15/2282   Crew enters R.D.A and successfully records planetoids, cosmic phenomena, and activities over the course of fifty-six standard galactic hours. Crew is heard singing various nursery rhymes before descending into frenzied screams for eleven standard galactic hours. Gurgling noises erupt from crew captain's throat before communications cease. No further communications have been recorded.   Exploration Attempt #5 Summary - 09/02/2282   Crew enters R.D.A and successfully records planetoids, cosmic phenomena, and activities over the course of two standard galactic months. Crew experiences mild travel issues over the course of their journey, primarily consisting of ship maintenance due to obstacle collision with "vanishing asteroid belts" throughout the R.D.A. Crew suddenly loses control of ship, captain expresses futility in attempting to shut down engine and hyperdrive. Crew ship engages in FTL travel and collides with a space tour vessel outside of R.D.A, causing approximately two-thousand fatalities.   Exploration Attempt #6 Summary - 11/22/2282   Crew immediately displaced upon entering R.D.A. Crew and ship randomly "split" into multiple pieces and physically fixed to various parts of Colonized Space, unable to removed without usage of antimatter explosives.   Exploration Attempt #7 Summary - 01/02/2283   Crew enters R.D.A and successfully records planetoids, cosmic phenomena, and activities over the course of one galactic standard month. Crew notes that previous crew data on the R.D.A's cosmic phenomenon are inconsistent with current observations. Coordinates to various planetoids are off by several magnitudes and all former travel charts are deemed useless.   Crew ceases to communicate with command for fifteen standard galactic days. Crew captain resumes contact with command and states intent for desertion, despite negotiation attempts. No further communications have been recorded.   Exploration Attempt #8 Summary - 02/09/2283   Crew enters R.D.A and report being confronted by "an incandescent being that promises ultimate renewal." Crew captain delivers sermon to command, with the core theme being universal reset and an acceleration of "cosmic death." Crew captain continues to deliver various sermons for seventy-two standard galactic hours without end before declaring that the next sermon would come "exactly fifty-three ages from now."   Exploration Attempt #9 Summary - 03/11/2283   Crew enters R.D.A and reports that their "souls and bodies have been switched." Crew engages in trivial disputes relating to bathroom etiquette, hygiene, ethical nudity, and various other topics. Crew approaches formerly recorded travel chart coordinates to find them partially unchanged, with planetoids seemingly "switching places" with each other, but remaining in the exact locations that other planetoids were previously recorded. Crew exits R.D.A after two galactic standard weeks, citing critical toiletry supply levels due to "inexperienced and wasteful use of female hygiene products." Upon exiting R.D.A, crew members were reported returning to their normal bodies.   Exploration Attempt #10 Summary - 04/20/2283   Crew enters R.D.A and immediately falls into chaos as they all begin to speak different languages. Crew communication is facilitated with a command-issued polyglot translator until crew can exit R.D.A. Expedition concluded after twenty two galactic standard hours.   Exploration Attempt #11 Summary - 04/27/2283   Crew enters R.D.A and successfully records planetoids and cosmic phenomena. Crew captain communicates with command that they encountered previously lost vessel belonging to Exploration Attempt #2. Crew captain is unable to communicate with vessel and communication with command ceases almost immediately after. No further communications have been recorded.   Exploration Attempt #12 Summary - 05/13/2283   Crew enters R.D.A and is tasked with destroying the traitorous crew from Exploration Attempt #2. Crew discovers target after a galactic standard week of searching and reports successful destruction of vessel. Crew captain communicates a feeling of dread with command, that he "has angered the Oppressive God." Crew captain reports failure of life support systems before communication ceases. No further communications have been recorded.   Exploration Attempt #13 Summary - 05/27/2283   Crew enters R.D.A and is successful in observing several planetoids and cosmic phenomena. Crew approaches phenomenon later identified as The Slipspiral and is launched at a nearby asteroid field after being jostled back and forth repeatedly. Crew is presumably annihilated. No further communications have been reported.  

Discoveries & Phenomena

The Apollyonic Tube   Consistently, crews venturing into the RDA have noticed a traveling "tube" of intangible red essence that changes locations within the RDA. When approached and entered, the tube begins to violently assault the vehicle used and will additionally seep an unidentifiable red mist into the vehicle's contents. It is unknown whether the red mist has any prolonged effects on the crew due to the violent nature of the phenomenon warranting immediate evacuation of the area.   The Neg Zone   The Neg Zone is an empty space within the RDA that is obviously disparate from its surroundings, being completely void of any light. The Neg Zone covers a small area where Caelus cannot be used in any capacity or influence the area. Previous explorations have used The Neg Zone as a halfway point in the RDA to make repairs, though crew members often cite feelings of unease and "emptiness" while in the Neg Zone. Observed effects on the crew are similar to those of sensory deprivation chambers on Earth.   Unidentified Planetoid "Zeus"   A planetoid within the RDA that is continuously subject to a barrage of lightning across its surface. The planetoid's surface is covered in arcs of lightning substantially, with the lowest estimated percentage being 57%, and the highest at 100%. It is currently inaccessible for this reason.   Weeping Gourd Asteroid   An asteroid that is shaped like a gourd and possesses anomalous sound qualities. When within 5000 meters of the asteroid, all individuals, regardless of deafness or clarity, will hear a woman sobbing until they exit the effective range. Contents of the asteroid are considered typical.   Unidentified Planetoid: "Chimera"   A planetoid that is abundant with flora and fauna. Organisms on the planet have been observed at a distance. Consistently, organisms found on Earth have been observed on Chimera, along with numerous alien species that have yet to be identified and thoroughly studied. Chimera appears to have no predatory relationship among its organisms, and they live in a state of constant harmony.   When a remotely operated drone approached Chimera's surface for closer inspection, several avian species assaulted the drone until it was rendered inoperable.   The Slipspiral   A spiral-shaped, intangible essence that will magnetically pull a ship onto a "strand" and send it rapidly up and down the length of the spiral. At random, the ship will be launched at one of the two ends of the spiral, typically resulting in severe damage or outright destruction due to the Slipspiral's tendency to operate within asteroid fields.   The Vault   A floating structure that has been identified as a vault containing detailed knowledge of every subject in existence. Vault's inner contents are grossly out of proportion with the exterior appearance. Interior of vault is continuously growing in size. Imagining a previously nonexistent concept results in the vault manifesting new materials detailing the concept. Vault is considered unusable due to the existence of The Librarians, a lethal order that protects the vault's contents from prying eyes.