Chapter Eight: Wormholes

Icarus and Dae conduct experiments with two wormholes in an alien system, discovering they are not connected to each other but instead link to distant star systems. Dae explores one wormhole while Icarus investigates the second, finding it leads 1,700 light-years away to a system with hundreds of microwave signatures indicating a major civilization hub.

Icarus and Dae establish observation posts 100 kilometers from two separate wormholes to test their properties safely. They send a drone through the first wormhole and discover it does not emerge on Dae's side—the wormholes are not connected to each other. After configuring a drone with better cameras and maser communications, Icarus captures spherical starfield images from the destination, revealing an eleven light-year-distant star system. They theorize the aliens transported one wormhole endpoint across space the conventional way, then used it for travel. Dae volunteers to cross through the first wormhole; despite Icarus's objections about risk, Dae proceeds, drops a buoy for maser communication, and confirms the destination system contains only the single wormhole and no signs of active civilization. He plans to send survey drones back through the buoy. Icarus then travels through the second wormhole, discovering it leads 1,700 light-years away, spinward and north of the galactic plane. Using automated landmark triangulation with Cepheids and pulsars, he identifies his location precisely. Most significantly, his microwave scan detects hundreds of individual signals, indicating this is a major civilization hub warranting extensive investigation.