Long Range Probe 68477, story

'''Long Range Probe 68477 dropped out of quasi space and reduced speed to drift. It was standard procedure. '''

'''It had just completed a detailed scan of GS cubicle 5739,4923,233 and was now begun to do the same to GS cubicle 5744,4923,233. '''

'''The fully robotic, highly intelligent but non sentient probe was just one of over four million similar probes that took part in the Galactic Survey project. '''

'''Each search area was five light years to the square. '''

'''The probe was scanning for celestial objects like suns, solar systems, dark objects, nebula and matter concentrations. it scanned for mass, energy sources, made radiation and particle counts. It checked for communications on  all known communication bands and methods.'''

'''The previous eight cubicles were remarkably unremarkable. None contained any objects that exceeded one gram of mass. The radiation and particle count was well within expected parameters. Still the probe had transmitted the results dutifully via GalCom to the GS Data repository on Coreview planet. Where the results of its meticulous survey joined the results of million other cubicle surveys done by all the other probes and the manned explorer ships that crossed the galaxy on the same mission.'''

'''While it appeared at first to be a fools task and the needless generation of needless data. '''

'''Union cosmologists were able to use the detailed picture of an ever increasing volume of space to map detailed particle streams; the directions of inter stellar winds. The idea that there were particle streams even beyond the heliopause of star systems could be proven. '''

'''New and better locations for GalNet repeaters were identified. So it was far from useless data.'''

'''The probe concluded the first programmed activities. Its exact coordinates were verified by triangulating the position with several known pulsars, with the Pulse comm data beamed from both Z point stations , Midway station and Coreview planet. Visual astrographic data co related to a visual and radiometric scan. According to telescope data, this cubicle had no stellar body, no gaseous cloud or proto disc, but the mass sensors detected a large gravitation generating object. '''

'''A dark object had been found. It was the first for LRP 68477 .'''

'''Current position indicated that it was 1093.8 light years from the nearest Union outpost. But then this was the so called Spinward sector of thr M-0 galaxy and the Union foot hold was still sparse, especialy compared with the Upward sector .'''

'''The LPR deployed its gravo anchor to remain stationary. while it continued the detailed scan and survey of this spatial cubicle. It activated one  of the ten COOP s it carried. These completely spherical 50 meter diameter objects were just as the LPR very sophisticated robots. '''

'''Celestial Object Orbital Probes were specialized to atain orbit around a planet, a moon or a sun and make detailed surface and visual scans. '''

Exactly fourtyseven minutes after launch, the COOP reported that the dark object was a gas giant with its own plethoria of seven larger moons and a number of smaller ones.

'''Almost 22,000 light years distant on a planet called Coreview, the report and discovery of LPR 68477 and COOP 68477-ONE was registered by Sir Francis, the Galactic Survey project dedicated AI Computronic. Sir Francis ordered the LPR to complete Quadrant mapping and remain until a DCS would arrive. At the same time an automated factory complex on Threshold planet received a work order to produce a Dedicated Cubicle Surveyor. Sir Francis applied a new label to GS Cubicle 5744,4923,233. It was now designated: GS SS 5744-DOP (Galactic Survey Spinward Sector 5744 Dark Object present)'''

'''A Saurien Survey specialist received notification of the discovery and the GS procurement department back on Coreview planet processed the payment for the probe. '''

These events were repeated in similar  efficiency and well organized Union bureaucracy many billion times each second.

'''The Survey specialist came across this report and looked over the initial survey report. No communication activity, no artificial energy sources. No space flight activity or ion trails associated with recent space flight activity could be detected. The specialist flagged the system as "No sentient life present". True he should have waited for the COOP to survey all the moons for any life signatures or surface features that could suggest life, but then the gas planet had been in deep space and without a sun for many millions of years and any life sentient or otherwise was quite unlikley. Even though life had been found in the most unlikley environments.'''

Almost a year later, the DCS arrived.

The LPR recalled the COOP excanged an electronic handshake and proceeded to 5749,4923,233

'''DCS GS SS 5744-DOP so it read on the shiny manufacturers identification plate and also in large white letters across its standard Union gray main hull. It extended its gravo anchors, verified its arrival to Sir Francis and begun deploying COOPs and specialized gas giant survey robots. Machines designed to dive into the atmospheres of the extreme planets and provide detailed analyticial data. While most space faring societies ignored gas giants, the Union always took great interest in them. Not only because there were 74 Union members that were home on gas giants, or the fact that there were over seventy thousand gas giants known to harbor native life but also because Gas Giants were utilized by refineries to create, where large young suns were so close to each other they created the bright glowing galactic bulge. One of these suns was called Diamondbright and had eight major planets.'''

'''Planet Coreview was the closest permanently occupied planet to the gigantic black hole at the very center of the galaxy. The planet served as a last step connection to Hell Gate Station, a large Union space station, just outside the event horizon. '''

The Astrographic society in association with the Explorer corps of the Science council proposed this ambigious project at the Astrographic Societies annual mapping conference in 5040 and it 

was heard before the Union assembly in 5041 and voted in to law and policy as the Galactic Survey act of 5041 .

'''Goal of said act was to physically map and survey the entire M-0 galaxy. (A similiar proposal for the Andromeda galaxy was made in 5042 ) The enormity and scope of the project alone woukld have been reasons enough for most societies to never consider such an undertaking; but the size or scope of anything was never seen as a challenge by the mega society now simoply known as the Union.'''

'''And just as methodical and thoughtful as everything the Union did the GSA was taken quite serious and received a substantial budget. During the end of the year 5041, the Galactic Survey project had its own headquarters at Coreview planet. During the first weeks of 5042 the first Long Range Probe was launched from coordinates '''

'''LRP 68477, was just one of 2,000,000 robotic long range probes that slowly moved across the M-0 galaxy from Galactic West and the upward sector to Galactic East and the spinward sector. The probes were  part of the Galaxy Survey Project. '''