Frankly, as I am sitting down and writing this, I still do not understand the reasonings of the people who urged me to chronicle the tale of my ever so dull and dreary life as a researcher. But at the behest of my assistants who have so dutifully worked to pick up and continue the scope of my research after my retirement, I believe I should oblige them just this one time. And as for you, dear reader, if you are not any of my assistants, you must have stumbled into this memoir because you are interested in space, in the stars and what that meant to us as humans despite how meaningless our existences are. If that is indeed the case, I beseech you, to keep questioning the boundaries of space time, and possibly, if my assistants did their jobs well, please contribute to the ever-growing research of interastral matter, where we seek to finally understand the only remaining limiter to human progress, mastery over matter. Now where was I?
I suppose every memoir begins at the beginning. I properly started my research into the physiologies of astral matter at the ripe young age of 52 in the year 4037 Anno Imperium. After years and years of floating by without anyone willing to sponsor the advent of my research, the Universities of Armada (UOA) on the Second Outpost of the Orion Arm reached out to me in interest. Promptly, I took the chance and left my backwater home planet of Mars behind to pursue the true question that had been egging me on ever since the juvenile period of my life. The reality of harnessing matter. Truly harnessing matter at our fingertips, not just playing with it, or shaping it like the architects or engineers do. But manifesting it at our own behest, through our own will. Such a research topic apparently had not been inspiring enough for the academic landscape of the galaxy to take notice, that it in fact took thirty years of publishing my theories for it to finally receive some attention.
Though even when I was a young, naïve researcher, I knew why the academics had not wanted to stretch their research into the realm of matter. It was because it was her realm of research. As her research was intrinsically linked to mine, her name should be expanded upon, even in my own memoir. Madam Avalon Sivonia, the genius that allowed mankind to triumph over two of man’s most significant limiters, time and matter. Those two were the realms that had been accredited to her, the foremost member of the Society of Brilliance, the leaders of scientific academia across the galaxies. Her research and founding of the de-aging process allowed scientists to research to their hearts content, well past the normal lifespans of human beings. A scientific foundation so influential, the Galactic Union had to reach an agreement with the Brilliance Society not to release the findings to the public and allowing only certain chosen members of the society to receive its effects. In the realm of matter, her findings that allowed for the movement of the human consciousness through all mediums of matter sparked the onset of technological advancements leading to the simplification of all engineering, construction, and even transportation of consciousness through space. It was for this reason that most researchers had considered the topic of matter ‘solved’.
The findings at hand that I still hadn’t come to terms with was as mentioned before, that her findings had only led to the usage of matter in increasingly diverse forms. Crucial to our progress as a species, that was for sure, but hardly fitting the consensus that there wasn’t any more within the realm of matter to be discovered. Not long after situating myself at UOA I published and presented my first theory of matter at a (for the first time in my career at the time) legitimately prestigious conference held on the Third Outpost of the Orion Arm. That first theory being, the introduction of a new type of matter, one that superseded matter’s relation to energy, a form of matter that held onto its own forms of being, outside the realm of the multitudes of matter that had already been established at the time. I called it, at the time, Phinon, though at the time of writing this, the established name is, Garea.
It was a controversial theory with much pushback from other academics during my presentation. Of course it was, after all, I had proposed a form of matter that had no relation to energy, not even rest energy, and admittedly at the time of presenting, I did not have the concrete evidence yet to back it up, only calculations and formulas that others on the spot ‘disproved’ by always calculating rest energy alongside it, which, would not make any sense because it did not have anything to do with the self-creating matter of Phinon, but I digress. My main objective was not to acquire approval, but it was always to garner interest, to generate conversation so that the closed off and ‘solved’ realm of matter was put into the questioning minds of scientists across the galaxy once again.
Despite that, it was an uphill journey still, the buzz created after my first presentation and publishing barely escaped the confines of the circle of scientists within the Outer Arm at all. Due to lack of ‘concrete evidence’ as most of them had claimed, the theory had been easily brushed off as they still clung to the notion that all states of matter without failure had to have some sort of energy. They would even go so far as to bring up archaic formulas thousands of years before the advent of the Empire’s calendar Anno Imperium, all the way to Anno Domini. E/c =m, and E = hf would of course remain correct for the states of matter that have already been established but the one I proposed should have no relation at all, explaining why those formulas would always, effectively be irrelevant.
I compiled my arguments and went to multiple more conferences after that, receiving similar reactions until finally after 2 years I was able to join a conference that was held outside the Outer Arm, closer to the Andromeda Galaxy, the home base of the Society of Brilliance. Of course, the only reason I had been invited was because I had submitted a wholly different publication, one I had been working on the side just to appease the University’s publishing quotas. It was an arbitrary observational publication where its value increased tenfold the moment I was allowed the stage at the conference, for me to present the real work. This conference was the one that truly kickstarted the theory’s back-and-forth papers arguing for and against the notion. Apparently, once you got closer to the inner circle of geniuses, there were more academics that were open to the idea, but what I found out was that there were equally, if not more scientists who would move to disprove it.
My big break happened six months later when a member of the Society of Brilliance, Member #34 Miss Yu Mei, had published a paper entertaining the possibility to the notion that there existed matter, particularly the ones existing in the dark, cold and empty confines of space that could exist without having a base energy. Fortunately for me, the theory had overlapping similarities for the research that Miss Mei had been doing on the properties of isolated materials within the sub-zero uninhabited astral bodies located within the Templar Belt. Well, all of that was ultimately to say, that the ‘solved’ realm of matter had finally become open again, with the interest of genuine members of the Society. I assumed it was after that, within about the time frame of a week, did I receive a summons to the base of the Society of Brilliance.
From here on, if you, my dear reader, are only interested in only the final products of my research, you should feel free to skip the next couple of paragraphs. Because what will be written down now is the exact retelling (according to my memory) of strictly my experience with the Society, and the bureaucratic mess that was intergalactic academia at the time. I arrived at the Society’s base of operations, the man-made metal rings that circled the semi-gaseous planet of Avertia, an interconnected series of laboratories and experimental chambers that were numerous enough to house all of the Society of Brilliance’s members tenfold, made with the help of Society member #92, Frighter who was an inorganic lifeform hailing from Finalia, a planet where machines who were originally artificial intelligence had gained sentience over the course of a millennia of the Society’s experiments, now contributing to the Society’s research willingly, having multiple members from said planet.
In any case, when I got on the station, I was escorted by an unnumbered member of the Society all the way to an empty lounge-like room. Shortly after, three members of the Society walked into the room. #34 Miss Yu Mei, #55 Trevor Winters, and #21 herself, Madam Avalon Sivonia. Miss Mei held a neutral expression, her arms crossed as she was in her long blue cheongsam, signature clothing of the descendants of Eastern Earthlings. I wouldn’t say it was practical, but it had a nice look to it. Trevor had his hands in his pockets, his eyes wandered away from me, it was clear he was uninterested in being there. Madam Avalon herself eyed me up and down, as if she was sizing me up, a staff in her right hand as she wore a business suit like dress. She looked no older than 30, but of course, she was probably thrice the age I was. All three of them sat themselves down facing towards me.
‘Can we hurry it up already? My assistants are waiting for me.’ Trevor’s right foot was tapping restlessly on the steel floor. Miss Mei who already had tea ready on the table was sipping on her drink wordlessly.
‘I’m sure you must be dying to know why I’ve summoned you.’ Madam Avalon spoke.
‘I have my guesses. Phinon?’
‘Well, yes. Though I detest that name, er…’ Madam Avalon trailed off, turning to Mei.
‘Mr. Philip Garea Holmes.’ Mei said, her eyes closed as she continued sipping her tea.
‘Ah yes, Mr. Holmes. Well regarding your research on… Phinon, what say we research it together? Though we’d have to change its godawful name.’ Suddenly Trevor speaks up after.
‘What? You’re telling me this guy’s the one who proposed the Phinon theory?’
‘Indeed.’
‘He doesn’t look the part, does he? You could stand to dress better you know Mr. Holmes.’
‘How I dress doesn’t matter. But back on topic… what’s in it for me? Are you inviting me to be a member?’
‘Hah, you haven’t even proven your theory yet.’
‘Mr. Trevor.’ Miss Mei spoke as Trevor looked away.
‘What he means to say is, if this research project goes well… that option is on the table.’
I remember pretending I was in deep thought, crossing my arms and closing my eyes as if I wasn’t enthused about the prospect of becoming a member. But even then, I was a bit suspicious, things seemed too good to be true, and the sly expression on Madam Avalon’s face did wonders in making me uncomfortable.
‘I must admit, I didn’t think Miss Avalon of all people to be on board with my theory. Wouldn’t it contradict your previous findings?’
She smirked. ‘Of course, if the theory ends being true that is. I’m just interested in finding out. There hasn’t been many topics interesting to me as of late so this could be the one to surprise me.’ She spoke with a devilish confidence and a silver tongue.
‘…I’ll think about it.’
‘Let’s be real Mr. Holmes, what you need is concrete data collection correct?’
‘That… is correct.’
‘What if I say we could do that for you? Extract this… Phinon matter from the enclosed sub-zero space for dissection and study.’
I stood up in disbelief. ‘What? You can do that? How? Phinon, from my theories and observations, transforms into the one of the known forms of matter the moment it comes into contact with anything foreign, disrupting its self-sustaining state almost instantly every time!’
Madam Avalon smiles another cunning smile, knowing she got my attention. She turned wordlessly to Trevor who started speaking, his arms crossed. ‘You don’t gotta worry about that. Me and my guys have been working on a non-disruptive extraction chamber that keeps any molecule, atom and quark in stasis no problem.’
I stood there speechless. I remember thinking at the time that truly, members of the Society were terrifying. I had always known they operated on a different level, but to create an ideal extraction chamber for any molecule, being able to adjust the properties of the space to not only be in a vacuum but to prevent the disruption caused by something as inane as a different molecule’s atomic movement was and still is baffling to me.
‘…Seriously?’ I answered after the pause.
‘Hah? A nobody like you is doubting me?’
‘Rest assured Mr. Holmes, we are serious. I have a vested interest in the theory as it will relate to my own research. I will ensure the experiment goes smoothly.’ Miss Mei’s earnestness was particularly convincing, especially with the two other members’ attitudes being there.
‘So? Do we have a deal?’ Madam Avalon offered her gloved hand. I looked at Miss Mei and Trevor before my eyes landed on Madam Avalon’s once again. I could hear myself gulp before I wordlessly shook her hand.
‘Splendid. Now let’s think of a new name for it. I really do detest Phinon.’ Madam Avalon’s eyes wandered round the room, tapping her staff on the steel floor before turning back to me. ‘Garea. Once we’ve proven its existence, it will be called the Garea particle. In honour of the founder. Does that not sound good?’ Her words were self-evident, she already had control over the matter.
‘Right… I can accept that.’ I agreed with her. Of course, even if I were to be cut off, this way I would still be accredited I thought. After that, I left the space station and got back to my office at the Universities of Armada, waiting to be called for the beginning of the research.
Welcome back, dear reader, I’ll assume you are one of the ones who are interested in only the results of my research. But if you did read through the droll that was my experience negotiating, or rather, being forced to make a deal with the geniuses, be not worried. In the end, they held up their end of the deal and our research resulted in the publication of the paper on the Garea particle, proving its existence, with myself signed on as a co-author. But as all things, there was always a catch. For one thing, I didn’t end up being accepted as a numbered member due to the nature of my results being only a result of collaboration with the Society. This was not a big deal to me, but the problem which stemmed forth was. As the Society had full control on the usage of the extraction chamber made by Trevor, further research on a way to harness the power of Garea as a matter was, ultimately impossible for a non-member like me despite my suggestions to the three in our later correspondences. Madam Avalon walked away from the project once she found something else, she was interested in, Miss Mei used the results and got engrossed in her own research and Trevor… he did what he wanted to do.
The silver lining, my dear readers was that after the widespread publication of the results proving the Garea particle’s position as a form of matter unaffected by energy, multiple other budding scientists reached out and joined me as assistants in the laboratory at the University where we continued our research on the Garea particle, and by extension the nature of matter. So far what our laboratory has achieved is further understanding on the Garea particle’s nature as a state of matter, which we were able to do by recreating a version of Society member #55 Trevor’s extraction chamber that we unfortunately could not replicate perfectly as disruptions could not be fully prevented like the original. We also found evidence of another state of matter that could potentially be harnessed that exists in a distinct space between the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy which had been impacted by the harsh conditions and opposing gravitational waves from both galaxies, dubbing it as interastral matter.
What I mean to say is, dear reader, is that significant progress has been made. There will come a time when humankind will be able to use matter to its fullest capacity, being able to shape it and usher in a new age for mankind as architects of our own creation. Thanks to the Society’s help, and despite their fickleness and preventions of progress, we were still able to push our research forward into realms unknown. Because that is our nature as scientists and as humans. Though now that I am retired, unblessed by the secrets of the de-aging process held by the members of the Society, I must entrust it upon my assistants, and the future generations, that is to say, all of you readers.
Here ends the memoir of a dull and dreary researcher. May we all take the stars and matter into our own hands.
Philip Garea Holmes.
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