The Glimmer
Nobody Knows What Caused The Glimmer
A Glimmer-affected wrench, which shimmers with a faint luminescence
An enigmatic celestial event, shrouded in mystery and unobserved due to the vast emptiness of space, birthed The Glimmer. Not truly witnessed, its passing was only known by the strange after-effects it left in its wake. All that remains is the unsettling understanding that some cosmic cataclysm — perhaps the demise of a celestial body — unleashed The Glimmer across specific star systems for a brief, bewildering period before it faded, leaving behind the altered beings known as the Glimmer-Touched.
Theories abound regarding its genesis. One posits the sudden, inexplicable compression and subsequent explosive release of a small nebula, rich with mind-altering gases and dust, creating a wave of cosmic distortion. Another, far more disturbing theory, suggests the critical failure of an abandoned Improbability Drive, still housing a potent Abnormality Object. Causing a supercharged wave of Abnormality energy, or a concentrated Abnormality Event that took over the region like a raging storm of chaos.
If true, this would mark only the second recorded instance of an Abnormality Object being destroyed or transmuted into a different form of energy, the first being the notorious VastReach Door Incident. This raises several troubling questions: how can these ancient, enduring objects suddenly, within mere years of each other, explode, unleashing such unpredictable and bizarre phenomena?
From the strange, reality-bending Glimmer event that bathed certain star systems, particularly those in the northwestern reaches of the Imperial Council of Planets, and a few small stretches of space in northern O.Sec F and Exon Authority territory, emerged a cosmically weird subculture of independent starship crews, drawn from various species, subtly reshaped by the phenomenon.
These Glimmer-Touched have since retreated to the deep, silent reaches of space, often within the affected systems. Here, they have forged unique customs and a fierce, almost primal, sense of self-reliance.
Their perception of the universe is fundamentally altered; they experience synesthesia, possess minor psychic abilities, and often exhibit subtly distorted physical forms, all residuals of The Glimmer's influence. This sets them apart, profoundly, from both the "untouched” space crews and those who chose to remain rooted to settled worlds. A consistent way to tell those who are Glimmer-Touched, physically apart, from others is the very light glimmering flush to their skin.
Their starships are unsettling marvels, adorned with strange, Glimmer-infused materials that shift in colour and form, while their communication incorporates elements of shared dreams and psychic impressions.
They harbour a deep, almost ingrained distrust of planetary governments, viewing them as utterly disconnected from the true, Glimmer-altered reality of the cosmos. They have become enigmatic traders of unique, Glimmer-affected goods, restless explorers seeking out other Glimmer phenomena, and even benevolent pirates who "liberate" those they believe are shackled by conventional reality.
Perhaps most unsettling is their strange, innate control over Abnormality Objects and Events. They can identify these perplexing objects with a mere touch and a brief period of communion, bypassing the need for extensive research. Furthermore, they seem capable of mitigating the chaotic effects of Abnormality Events. Yet, these events also plague them with unnerving frequency, especially when they gather in large groups. This inherent danger prevents them from forming any lasting, larger society, a cosmic barrier that also dissuades meaningful trade and communication with the un-Glimmer-Touched.
The Glimmer was an unexplained and unwitnessed cosmic event that left strange after-effects and birthed the Glimmer-Touched subculture. Its origins are unknown, with theories ranging from a compressed nebula to a failing Improbability Drive containing an Abnormality Object. The Glimmer-Touched are independent starship crews with altered perceptions, minor psychic abilities, and distorted physical forms. They distrust planetary governments, trade in Glimmer-affected goods, and strangely, can control and mitigate Abnormality Objects and Events, though these events also frequently plague them.
Glimmer-affected goods are distinct from Abnormality Objects. The former are subtly altered by the Glimmer, possessing peculiar but rarely existential threat-level properties. In contrast, Abnormality Objects are powerful, reality-distorting anomalies that defy logic and pose significant danger. The Glimmer-Touched use Glimmer-affected goods as currency in their nomadic existence.
Glimmer-affected goods are not to be confused with the bizarre, chaotic power of an Abnormality Object. Glimmer-affected goods are merely strange commodities that hold a mere whisper of the Glimmer event's touch. An Abnormality Object is a cacophany made manifest, a profound tear in the fabric of reality that warps and distorts everything around it with unpredictable, often destructive, force. They are the volatile heart of the weird, defying logic and often operating outside known physical laws, their very existence a cosmic anomaly that could unravel a starship, or a mind, with alarming ease.
In contrast, Glimmer-affected goods are merely slightly altered by the Glimmer event's influence, infused with its residual, and more often than not, subtle energies. For example, a tool might develop a strange, shimmering luminescence that shifts with the user's mood, or a data pad could offer glimpses of probabilistic futures, flickering just beyond the grasp of full comprehension and practical use.
They possess peculiar, often beneficial, properties — strange resistances, unusual methods of communication, or even minor, localized alterations to perception — but they rarely pose the existential threat of an Abnormality Object and are often only of minor use in comparison. Though they are still very valuable. The Glimmer-Touched trade in these curious cosmic oddities, using them as currency in their strange, nomadic existence through the deep dark, a far cry from the terrifying, reality-rending power of a true Abnormality Object or Event.
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