Multiverse Science

Multiverse Science is a branch of science largely studied in the Great Star Empire of Allech-Atreus. It focuses on the understanding and comprehension of how the dimension that the Empire exists in works, the ways in which it reacts with other dimensions, and other related aspects of the universe.

Origins

After the Great Event, when humans first appeared in the galaxy that is now the Empire, there was a great dark age where science, technology, and education was largely forgotten. According to the Imperial Standard Calendar, this lasted from somewhere around 10 aGE until 1500 aGE, a span of about 1490 years. At this point, humans did not yet have the extraordinary lifespans of modern homo universus idaltu. During this period much knowledge was lost regarding science and technology, and religious explanations about how the universe worked developed, based on ancient Earth information.

Because of the dearth of sparsely inhabited planets, compounded by the fact that space travel had not yet been discovered, the far-flung communities of people developed their own theories and myths regarding the long age of chaos and the Great Event. In many cases, fragmented information detailing life before the Great Event, (technological journals, scientific textbooks, and other sources of knowledge} became holy relics, worshipped and secreted.

Around 1600 aGe after the classical end of the Great Event, there was an intellectual explosion. Cultures, which had been largely ignorant and isolated, began to connect and scientific exploration became common. Religion complemented the research in an attempt to further understand the ancient texts. This "Golden Age" lasted until 2600 aGE, a period far surpassing the dark ages. This coincided with the radical expansion of the human lifespan, and resulted in the new classification of humankind- transcending homo sapiens sapiens, and becoming homo universus idaltu.

Space Travel

The beginning of real Multiverse Science as it is known today began after the discovery of space travel, or more specifically, subspace travel. Slower-than-light space travel had been discovered during the Golden Age suceeding the Dark Ages, but it was the discovery of subspace itself that began the first concerted attempt to understand the galaxy.

It is unclear who actually discovered subspace, as many of the records have been lost. It is suggested that a priest named Tzimdur from the planet Xinjing (now Ben Ral}, may have been the first person to observe subspace phenomenon. According to Imperial University records, Tzimdur was the chaplain for a space station crew.

Excerpt from Tzimdur's diary, date unclear:

I was performing my ablutions as is my habit, gazing out the portholes at the vast glory of the heavenly space. All at once there was a great shimmer, and the darkness seemed to bend and curve. I saw the stars dance to and fro, as if the cosmos was made of water. I cannot say what gave me such a vision, but I shall pray and ask for guidance.

Contemporary analysis confirms that what Tzimdur experienced was a naturally experiencing subspace node, capable of transporting objects into subspace itself and thus shortening the length of travel between planets.

Tzimdur's account was not the only one. Unobservable from the ground, these unfamiliar nodes were examined, often resulting in the disappearance of ships and people. Historians know that subspace travel was discovered and utlized during the latter half of the Golden Age, but accounts have been lost because of war and neglect. The first evidence of subspace travel appears with the rise of interplanetary nations, and with this the first real understanding of the Multiverse.