S.P.E.C.T.O.R – [A Sci-fi space adventure with fantasy elements]

[OracleRomy (Elysium): Third World War? What’s that mean?]

[Celebrityhunter69 (Earth): Have you never heard of a world war, Oracle Andromeda? It’s where many, if not most of the largest nations on the planet engage in one single war.]

[OracleRomy (Elysium): My, how awful. Many innocent souls must have died during such wars.]

[Whostolemyduck (Earth): You’re not wrong. World War 1 saw around 15-22 million deaths, while World War 2 saw 70-85 million deaths.]

[OracleRomy (Elysium): Progenitor. 🥹]

[NonpareilRaphilia (Aaru): Good progenitor. I had heard that some races waged major wars among themselves in the past, but I had no idea it was that bad.]

[StealthAssassin9 (Earth): I would have thought all races would experience something like that; there are so many different personalities that conflict with each other after all.]

[Phoenixempress (Fenix Nest): My Phoenix race went through something in the distant past, according to our history records; however, I don’t think it is something that has ever occurred with races that have a progenitor.]

[Gunlovergirl (Earth): Really? 😯]

[DeverinianLordMalacoss (Deverinian 9): It is commonly known that the progenitors have decreed that the members of their race are not to go to war with each other. While confrontations do happen, no major war has ever occurred between members of the same race with a progenitor.]

[AlamoMatador4thewin (Earth): That seems crazy. How could one individual’s word have so much power?]

[NonpareilRaphilia (Aaru): You probably are unable to comprehend how much the progenitor means to their individual race. They are the creator of our entire race and either our race’s leader or the one who advises our leaders, depending on the race.]

[Superhearofangirl (Earth): Surely there are some of your races that do not like their progenitor?]

[OracleRomy (Elysium): It has been known to happen, although rarely.]

[StealthAssassin9 (Earth): It almost sounds as if each race is genetically designed not to disobey their progenitor.]

[NonpareilRaphilia (Aaru): Such talk is sacrilege against our progenitors.]

[DeverinianLordMalacoss (Deverinian 9): Lady Raphilia is correct. You’re lucky the location of your planet is not known, as some individuals would take such words as a direct insult to their progenitor and come eliminate you.]

[StealthAssassin9 (Earth): … 😰]

[Gunlovergirl (Earth): Fucking idiot. Are you trying to get our entire race wiped out? 😡] 

[OracleRomy (Elysium): Calm yourself, my friends. I am sure they never meant it in such a disrespectful way.]

[StealthAssassin9 (Earth): Of course, I didn’t.]

[OracleRomy (Elysium): You are mistaken about your claim, however. If the progenitors did create our races in such a way, then no one from their races could disobey them.]

[Whostolemyduck (Earth): It seems those races with a progenitor see that progenitor as some kind of god.]

[Noobkiller9000 (Earth): That makes sense, I mean, he did apparently create them after all.]

[Celebrityhunter69 (Earth): So does that mean the streamer is talking with a god right now? 😳]

[Superhearofangirl (Earth): I suppose that depends on how you define a god.]

“Then what about the Subspace Network? How quickly does a race gain access to that?” Adam asked.

“The Subspace Network is designed to exist in all of subspace, so every planet can gain access to it right now, even your home planet of Earth. It’s whether they are technologically advanced enough to discover how to connect to it themselves, or if they require a Subspace relay point to be built by races already part of the Universal Senate,” Vlad replied.

[Justiceistruth (Earth): We can access the Subspace Network if we figure out how? Scientists get to work.]

[AlamoMatador4thewin (Earth): I doubt it’s that simple. Somehow I don’t think you can just tune your radio into 696 FM and bingo you have access.]

[StealthAssassin9 (Earth): FM? Bro is so old that he hasn’t heard of digital.

[AlamoMatador4thewin (Earth): Of course I have, I was just making a point, idiot.]

[Justiceistruth (Earth): Radio wouldn’t help anyway, it can’t transmit pictures.]

[AlamoMatador4thewin (Earth): I’m surrounded by idiots in this chat, I swear. Next, you’re gonna tell me that smell-o-vision won’t work either.]

[Superior4horns (Vinox 3): What the fuck is smell-o-vision supposed to be?]

[Whostolemyduck (Earth): Seriously, though, I doubt we will be able to access the Universal Subspace network anytime soon. We have yet to send even a signal via subspace, let alone connect to a Universal Internet.]

“Has that happened often in the past? A race figuring out how to access the Subspace Network on their own?” Adam asked

“No more than a handful of times, though it’s always a pleasant surprise when they do, since it means that the race is already highly advanced technologically and may bring something as of yet undiscovered to the rest of the universe.”

“So does the race need to be unified in order for a subspace relay point to be built and what if there are more than two races in the same galaxy? Such as when the S’ene encounter the inhabitants of Vinod Two and Three in the  Archimedes Galaxy?”

“No, although they do have limited access,” Vlad replied while shaking his head before he continued, “The creators of the subspace network created it to allow simple and trouble-free communication. Over the millennia, they have improved it to allow other functions such as streaming. Their core belief, however, remains that people should be able to easily communicate and so they don’t discriminate against who uses it. 

Once a new galaxy is discovered, whether it’s inhabited or not, a subspace relay point is constructed by the organisation in charge of constructing and maintaining them.

The relay point then does an in-depth scan of the galaxy to determine what communication signals, if any, are being transmitted. It then temporarily hijacks those signals and transmits instructions on how to go about connecting to the Universal Subspace Network.”

[SciFifanboy (Earth): Damn, that sounds so Sci-Fi.]

[Handsome3horns (Vinox 2): Wow, I didn’t know that.]

[Superior4horns (Vinox 3): You’re such a dumbass. Did you even study in school? This is basic knowledge they teach us in the classroom.]

[Prestigious3horns (Vinox 2): 😮‍💨]

[RealOtaku (Earth): How do they have limited access if they are told exactly how to access it?]

[Beinglittleisnotadisadvantage (Strathorp 7): Access rights. Just because they can access the Universal Subspace Network doesn’t mean they can access all of it. New races that still have major internal conflicts only have access to view a very limited number of sites, such as the Universal Senate’s official site or USNN.

New races that have no internal conflict gain greater access, including Xer-verse and the ability to post on the network instead of just viewing.

Only after they have been accepted into the Universal Senate are they given the same access as any other race.]

[Noobkiller9000 (Earth): Isn’t that contradictory to what the Brood progenitor just told us about how the creators made the Universal Subspace Network for easy communication and no discrimination?]

[DeverinianLordMalacoss (Deverinian 9): Not really. They are safeguards put in place to stop races that still have internal conflict from trying something stupid like hiring mercenaries or pirates to eliminate their enemy, only to discover that they also get eliminated so that the mercenaries and pirates can harvest their planet of its resources.]

[Superhearofangirl (Earth): That’s actually a thing?]

[DeverinianLordMalacoss (Deverinian 9): Not anymore since the safeguards are in place; however, before it was. It happened quite a few times and since the race that was eliminated was not part of the Universal Senate, the mercs and pirates faced no punishment. 

It was only after this happened several times that the Universal Senate negotiated with the creators for these safeguards.]

[CEOHopkins (Earth): So those safeguards are there to stop a race from destroying itself?]

[Gunlovergirl (Earth): Ah man, and here I wanted to buy a planetary destruction weapon on the dark web or something.]

“You’re awfully knowledgeable about all of this,” Adam remarked.

Vlad shrugged before replying, “When you’ve lived as long as I have, you search for new things to learn and interest you so as to pass the time. I also happen to be friends with one of the creators of the Universal Subspace Networks.”

“You are?” Celeste asked in surprise.

“It’s not that surprising. I have been alive since before the Universal Subspace Network and even the Universal Senate were created.”

“So why have you never told me such important info? The creators of the Universal Subspace Network are important people in the universe,” Celeste complained.

“Do you tell me about all your friends?” Vlad replied while smirking.

“I guess,” Celeste conceded.

“I hate to interrupt this conversation, but we are kind of on a timer here since we have to head over to the family estate soon,” Rowena suddenly said before waving the data drive and asking, “Do we have a deal?” 

“Of course, we have a deal,” Celeste replied as she reached out and took the data drive before trying to connect it to her phone, only to find that the connector wouldn’t fit because it was too small.

“What the heck?” Celeste asked as she shot Rowena a questioning look.

[Noobkiller9000 (Earth): Damn, I know how she feels. When you get yourself a new phone, only to discover that the manufacturer has changed the connecting port AGAIN.]

[AlamoMatador4thewin (Earth): Been there, bro.]

[Gunlovergirl (Earth): I hate that.]

[Emojisonly (Earth): 💯]

Rowena gave her signature smirk before taking back the data drive and allowing the connector and cord to retract, after which she removed a section of the data drive to reveal a different connector that looked almost identical, just a bit larger. She attached the section of the data drive she had just removed over the smaller connector before holding it out for Celeste to take while saying, “My bad, that’s the connector needed for the next and last generation of communicators.”

“Bitch, you did that on purpose,” Celeste cursed angrily before snatching back the data drive.

“Would I?” Rowena asked innocently, though, while still wearing her signature smirk.

[OfficialLorelie (Felinia 7): She would.]

[OfficialAphrodite (Felinia 7): She totally did.]

[LadyErkath (Deverinian Prime): 100% did.]

[OrangeeyedStace (Felinia 7): Sometimes she’s such a child. 😮‍💨]

“You totally did,” Celeste replied before looking at Adam and Vlad and asking, “Right?” 

Adam and Vlad, however, suddenly found interest in the Star of the Universe show that was still up on the holographic screen.

“Traitors,” Celeste pouted.

“Can you really call someone you have been insulting as a pedo ever since he walked in, a traitor?” Rowena asked.

[Gunlovergirl (Earth): Damn strait. You tell her, Diva Rowena.]

“Whatever,” Celeste replied before plugging the new connector into her communicator.