Thornbush
"I've flown the outer rim for 20 years, but nothing prepares you for the Thornbush. We were routed around it, but a nav error put us right on the edge. The ship shuddered like it was going to come apart. Instruments went haywire, and the viewscreen showed... things that can't exist. Swirling energies, matter that didn't make sense. We limped out, but I've got friends who didn't. The Thornbush isn't just a hazard – it's a monster. It's alive, or will be, eventually."
~Captain Jaxon Vash, Freighter Pilot
The Thornbush: A Hazard Born of Hubris
The Thornbush, a glowing nebula of exotic matter and energy, is the catastrophic legacy of Stellaris Mining Consortium's (SMC) ill-fated experiment with Whitespace portals. The containment failure on a secret space station unleashed a genesis explosion, spewing primordial energies and matter into our dimension. This chaotic mess now orbits opposite the sun from Neptune, posing a significant threat to space travel.Navigation and Consequences
The Thornbush's unpredictable nature forces navigation charts to be constantly updated, as the hazard's influence shifts with planetary alignments. Freighters and passenger liners are rerouted, adding weeks to journeys. Waygates, normally reliable, experience errors and damage when too close to the disturbance. Some ships have vanished, never reemerging from realspace. Theories abound, from unstable wormholes to Redspace incursions, but one fact remains: the Thornbush is a gauntlet no Pilot wants to run.Ongoing Concerns and Controversy
SMC's continued experimentation with extradimensional spaces, despite regulatory bans, fuels concerns that another disaster may be looming. Critics argue that the corporation's pursuit of profit disregards the safety of entire star systems. As the Thornbush remains an unpredictable, lethal presence, the public demands accountability and increased transparency from SMC. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the risks associated with pushing the boundaries of known space and the importance of responsible innovation.
Alternative Name(s)
The K-2 Hazard
Location under
Owning Organization
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