Deep Space Isolation Syndrome
“Humans are pattern-recognition machines. Sometimes we see conspiracies where there’s just randomness and bad luck.” — Sarah Chen, VP of Operations, UMG
Overview
Deep Space Isolation Syndrome (DSIS) is a recognized psychological condition affecting personnel working alone in deep space environments. It is the Guild’s official explanation for every substrate mining incident on record.
| Classification | Psychological disorder |
| Risk Factors | Solo operations, sensory deprivation, extended duration |
| Treatment | Return to populated environment |
| Prognosis | Full recovery (if detected early) |
| Guild Recommendation | Max 21 days continuous operation |
Documented Symptoms
Early Stage
- Auditory hallucinations
- Visual disturbances (peripheral movement)
- Sleep disruption
- Hypervigilance
Progressive Stage
- Paranoid ideation
- Temporal disorientation
- Dissociative episodes
- Self-observation phenomena
Terminal Stage
- Complete psychological break
- Loss of contact with reality
- Erratic behavior (cargo jettison, EVA without cause)
- Disappearance
Official Position
The Guild classifies DSIS as a known hazard of solo deep-space operations. From [[incident-report-7743|Incident Report #7743]]:
“Solo operations in Void Sectors present elevated risk factors: prolonged isolation, minimal external sensory input, circadian rhythm disruption.”
Their recommendations:
- ✅ Maximum 21-day continuous extraction (advisory, not mandatory)
- ✅ Psychological screening (annual, recommended bi-annual)
- ✅ Buddy system (recommended, not required)
- ✅ Educational materials on symptom recognition
The Problem
According to leaked data, DSIS doesn’t explain the pattern:
Statistics That Don't Fit
- 12 of 19 victims were within the 21-day recommended limit
- All 19 passed their most recent psychological screening
- All 19 exhibited identical symptom progression
- All 19 successfully extracted substrate before vanishing
- All 19 left behind intact vessels with no cargo
What DSIS Explains
- Psychological deterioration ✅
- Erratic behavior ✅
- Loss of contact with reality ✅
What DSIS Doesn’t Explain
- Identical circumstances across 19 cases ❌
- Cargo disappearance (despite successful extraction) ❌
- Black box timestamp anomalies ❌
- The 03:47 phenomenon ❌
- Substrate “breathing” in cargo holds ❌
- Ships unable to leave asteroid vicinity ❌
- Self-observation from outside the vessel ❌
Alternative Hypothesis
The Fracture suggests that what happens to substrate miners isn’t psychological breakdown—it’s exposure to something that breaks down the distinction between observer and observed:
“Why does substrate exist in a state of quantum uncertainty until it’s extracted—until someone chooses to look at it and call it real?”
“Why does it feel like the asteroids are afraid of being found?”
The symptoms of “DSIS” may be the human mind attempting to process contact with something that operates on different rules.
Guild Utility
DSIS serves several functions for the Guild:
- Classification: Every incident can be labeled “psychological breakdown”
- Liability Shield: “Known hazard” + waivers = no lawsuits
- Plausible Deniability: No need to investigate substrate itself
- Regulatory Defense: “We have protocols for this”
- Normalizing: Makes extraordinary events seem routine
From the board meeting:
“These people aren’t dying in cave-ins or equipment failures. They’re disappearing. Their cargo is disappearing. Time is behaving wrong around them. This isn’t normal operational risk—”
“Helena, you’re speculating about causes. You’re seeing a pattern that might not exist.”
What Maven Cheung Experienced
Her logs document textbook DSIS symptoms:
| Day | Symptom | DSIS Classification |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Sensor glitches, auditory phenomena | Early stage |
| 5 | Peripheral movement, geometric dreams | Early stage |
| 8 | Time perception errors | Progressive |
| 11 | Self-observation, reflection anomalies | Progressive |
| 13 | Breathing sounds, temporal confusion | Progressive |
| 17 | External self-observation | Terminal |
| 21 | Substrate “breathing” | Terminal |
| 24 | Phantom footsteps | Terminal |
| ??? | ”I’m going home” | — |
Every symptom fits the DSIS framework.
But DSIS doesn’t explain why her ship couldn’t leave. Or why her cargo vanished. Or why her clock stopped at 03:47.
Related Documents
- [[incident-report-7743|Incident Report #7743]] — DSIS as official cause
- Personal Log: Maven Cheung — Symptom progression
- The Leak — Pattern analysis
See Also
- United Mining Guild — Who benefits from this explanation
- Substrate — What may actually be causing symptoms
- The Fracture — Alternative hypothesis