Xenomnemonic Propagation
Approximately three months after the The Surata Orbital Habitat settled into geostationary orbit above 7-Proserpina, 1.86 million people of the 9.7 million aboard experienced memories that felt “recovered.” These memories were identical for all who experienced them, memories not their own, from the perspective of a single individual in an alien culture that once inhabited the planet. This culture has been logged by the Surata Institute as Xenoculture 7-P, or ‘“XC 7-P”.
The memories document, in single-perspective snatches, the lived experience of this culture encountering a stellar force or visitor they could neither identify nor communicate with. Shortly thereafter their world was encapsulated within a shield they could not escape and their entire species was eradicated, almost overnight, by means unclear.
The most proactive of these “xenomnemonic” recipients was Dame Christelle van Ledeghem, a self-described “xenoanthropologist” (to some, a dilettante). She and a landing party of hand-picked specialists followed their shared recollections to the remains of an alien civilization. Their examinations led them to believe the visions are a warning: that anyone who knows too much about this “force” is exterminated—up to and including entire planets.
1 in 5 new arrivals are still affected by xenomnemonic propagation within three standard months. Anyone so affected is immediately cycled out. Anyone found to withhold being affected is severely penalized and summarily prosecuted. All new arrivals are placed under close supervision for six standard months to safeguard against potential radicalization or deviation from Surata goals (see: The 7-Proserpina Xenomnemonic Schism.) Those who have gained entry to the station via unofficial means (people smuggling, for example) will not attract this kind of attention.
