It had been two weeks since Cedric had a run in with Jack, and from keeping up with the progress reports knew that things were wrapping up for the engineer. Cedric and his team were still stumped with the data they were receiving from the anomaly. The scale and extent that it influenced the fabric of the quantum realm were so extensive that they were just now discovering that the very equations being used for quantum interactions were actually influenced by it. Proving once again that humanity barely knows anything, that our fundamentals are influenced by something is opening new doors of theory Cedric hadn't even thought of yet. It was both extremely exciting, like discovering that the moon caused tidal waves.
Late in the day Cedric received a notification. 'Jack Brandle: Cabin 118'
"Looks like I'm heading out for that drink" he said to himself as he grabbed one of his larger tablets, making sure it had what he prepared to discuss with Jack.
After a short walk Cedric found cabin 118 and pressed the intercom. Shortly after the door opened and Jack grinned from inside. "You comin in or jus gonna stand out there the whole time?"
"Coming in of course" Cedric smiled back.
Jack went to sit down at the table in his cabin as Cedric came in and shut the door behind him.
"I was beginning to wonder why you invited me here instead of the mess hall but.." he said as he took a glass that was outstretched to him and took a sip "I can see why you would want to keep this fire water secret"
"Hahahaha you'd best remember it!" Jack took a drink "sit down I wanna see what you brought, I've seen some o the basic stuff but nothin like what you probably got"
Cedric sat and the two spent the next hour or so pouring over the data, with Cedric filling in theories that had yet to be written down about the anomaly.
"It's quite somethin isn' it? It's like it's made to focus the quantum fabric in such a way that would allow a relay to actually extend the range naturally like a permanent magnet with electromagnets that act in support for fine tuning."
"That is one of the theories, that it's a remnant of some ancient civilization that built some kind of system to amplify their communication range. It might not even be something from this galaxy. The range would be so unnecessarily large that it might have just been built to communicate between galaxies or maybe even a local group."
"But where is that civilization is the question isn' it."
"Space faring life would be momentous, nothing unexpected but would be a first, there's several language specialists on this trip just for that reason. All the zenolinguists are probably rooting for something other than animals that have been found all over the galaxy and the occasional specie that are beginning the language systems necessary to start passing knowledge to future generations."
"There are no traces of anythin like a galactic civilization though."
"No, there is not" Cedric said somberly.
"What woulda happened to em? Time?"
"There would have been traces if they were built up in the Milky Way, possibly could have be in the Andromeda, but even then if they could build something like that they would be here too. Something like time should not be able to wipe out a civilization that is on such a high level. That's what I'm worried about."
"Yea" Jack replied slowly.
After going over some more of the data and a few theories of how the anomaly could be a natural occurrence Cedric left with a smile, a wave, and maybe a bit too much alcohol in his blood.
Cedric's last thought before hitting his bed was 'I wonder if anyone will be waiting for us?'.