Void Trilogy

Did You Know?

• The American rights to the series were sold to Random House.
• The High Angel is a sentient alien starship.
• Troblum is a physicist and collector of artifacts from the Starflyer War, initially working for the Accelerator faction.

Synopsis

The object at the center of the Milky Way, long mistaken for a supermassive black hole, is actually an artificial structure called the Void. Inside it exists a separate universe with its own bizarre physical laws. The Void is steadily absorbing the stars around the galactic core and will eventually consume the entire galaxy. In the year 3320, a human from the Commonwealth named Inigo starts experiencing dreams of a blissful life within the Void. These visions attract those who feel alienated, offering a place where every desire comes true. By 3456, the Living Dream movement, a quasi-religious group inspired by Inigo, has grown to over five billion members and become a major political force. Other intelligent species across the galaxy fear that a mass migration into the Void will trigger its expansion, leading to the galaxy’s destruction, and they are willing to stop the pilgrimage fleet at any cost. The narrative of The Dreaming Void splits into two parts. One follows Edeard, a young orphan living on the planet Querencia inside the Void, which is the world Inigo dreams about. Edeard grows up in the town of Ashwell in Rulan province, where he works as an apprentice. He possesses strong psychic abilities and learns crafting and modding from his teacher, Master Akeem. Though he starts out as a loner, he gains attention in Ashwell by inventing a new pump design for the town’s well. His fortunes turn when bandits raid Ashwell, forcing him to escape with a caravan to the capital city, Makkathran. There, Edeard joins the constables. After an intense two-month training period, he graduates and becomes the commander of his squad. He struggles against Makkathran’s outdated and inflexible legal system, but his first major success comes when his squad survives a gang trap. In the chase, Edeard walks on water to catch the gang leader, a feat that showcases his growing psychic power. This earns him the nickname Waterwalker, and he becomes an overnight celebrity in the city.

Technology

The Commonwealth relies on several sophisticated technologies. Early human travel depended on fixed, always-open wormholes linking planets. After the Starflyer War, which is covered in the Commonwealth Saga, the CST corporation lost its exclusive control over space travel. New wormholes that could envelop ships became common, leading to a greater use of spaceships instead of static portals. Another key innovation is the gaiafield, created by Ozzie Issac in the year 3000. It stems from Silfen technology; Ozzie received a pendant when the Silfen named him a friend during the Starflyer war. Later, he cracked the pendant open and found quantum fields. By copying these quantum properties, he built the gaiafield, which lets people sense each other’s emotions. Ozzie hoped this would eliminate conflict and division within the Commonwealth and promote tolerance among galactic life. In 2833, the ANA was introduced, a virtual universe where people could upload their consciousness. Within the ANA, individuals kept their memories and individuality, and each had a personal virtual space they could shape freely. The ANA eventually became the government for Earth and the Commonwealth, containing factions like the Conservatives, Accelerators, Darwinists, Moderates, and Separatists. By 3400, it housed over 50 million people. The ANA is a semi-post-physical being, not a machine; it is made of molecular matter in the quantum fields around Earth. The Commonwealth also offers diverse lifestyles through technology enrichments. The Advancer movement provides DNA modifications, which 80% of humans in the Commonwealth have, either by choice or from birth. These enrichments include in-vision icons, communication tools, and passive environmental scanning. Biononics further enables combat weapons, shields, physical boosts, and emotional or physiological dampening. The Higher movement is both a social, economic, and political ideology and a technological path aimed at a second life in the ANA. Followers use biononics to keep their bodies in a healthy mid-twenties state until they choose to ‘Move Inward’—a personal journey to outer worlds or into the ANA universe.

Characters from the Commonwealth Saga

The Dreaming Void continues the Commonwealth Saga with returning characters and new developments. Paula Myo now leads security for ANA, and her mission involves tracking Aaron and the Second Dreamer. Following the Starflyer War, she used Huxley Haven to remove the genetic modifications that had made her rigid and obsessive toward criminals. In the intervening years, she worked to keep Gene Yaohui, also known as Oscar Monroe, in suspension through an appeal. She also pursued Cat “Catherine” Steward, the assassin and leader of the Knights Guardian, and placed her in a five-thousand-year suspension. Later in life, Paula developed an interest in music, enjoying a wide range of artists such as Pink Floyd, Rachmaninoff, and Deeley KTC. Her starship, the Alexis Denken, is named after a lover from the Hive who was briefly mentioned in the earlier saga.

Cat Steward reappears as a significant figure. After the Starflyer War, she took over the Guardians of Selfhood, rebranding them as the Knights Guardian. They seized control of Far Away and declared independence, and the planet later became a model for new worlds in the following generations. Paula Myo captured Cat after she killed Tiger Pansy, who had been living on Far Away with the Raiel Quatux in the years after the war.

Gore Burnelli helped create ANA and is rumored to lead the Conservative faction, though he denies this and says he only has ties to them. His daughter Justine lives within ANA, but during the events of The Dreaming Void, she leaves to serve as its physical ambassador.

After eleven hundred years, Oscar Monroe was released from suspension. With no remaining friends or family, he had to rebuild his life. He tried to join the Navy but was turned away. He eventually became a starship pilot on the External World of Orakum, living with three partners: Jesaral, Anja, and Dushiku. Paula Myo later recruits him to help find the Second Dreamer.

The Void

The Void was created by the Firstlife—the first beings to have existed in the galaxy—to reach the state of post-physical and fulfilment. It is where Makkathran is situated. The people in the Void have psychic abilities such as 'farsight' and the 'third hand'. The Void requires a tremendous amount of energy to sustain itself and the abilities it offers, which it acquires by expanding, consuming planets and star systems and converting them into energy. The Anomine is a race of alien beings who have reached post-physical status. They spread to many star systems in their prime. During this age, they discovered the Prime aliens and the threat they pose. They borrowed two DFspheres from the Raiel to generate the barriers around Dyson Alpha and Beta, the two star systems the Prime aliens inhabit, and confine them there (see the Commonwealth Saga). At the events of the Void trilogy, most of the Anomine already went post-physical, while some still live on their homeworld, living a life without the use of technology. The human race has spread to many star systems which are named the Greater Commonwealth. There are Inner Worlds, where most of the citizens are 'Higher humans'—humans who utilise Biononics. Biononics enable the human body to essentially live forever as they rejuvenate the human body on a constant basis. Almost every human has a memory cell insert which records every piece of information stored in the owner's brain. In the event of 'bodyloss', this data can be downloaded into a clone of the original human, effectively eliminating death. Using so called secure stores, this data can even be stored in a second facility. If the memory cell is lost re-life is still possible, although without an uninterrupted continuity (a 'restore' from a memory cell usually enables a clone to know how he died). ANA:Governance forms the government of Earth. ANA (Advanced Neural Activity Network) is a super computer/sentient intelligence/edifice embodied on and around Earth. Humans are able to download their consciousness into ANA, where they gain vastly expanded mentalities. Farther away from Earth are the External Worlds, which are somewhat less technologically advanced. The Living Dream Faction live like how the world is in Makkathran (inside the Void). Their clothing follows Makkathran style and fashion. The goal of Living Dream is to travel to and live in the Void.