Void Sectors
“They’re not black holes. Not dark matter halos. Not nebulae or stellar nurseries. They’re gaps.” — The Fracture, scientific overview
Overview
Void Sectors are regions of space where the universe doesn’t quite fit. Scattered throughout known space, these areas exhibit properties that defy conventional physics—and contain the only known deposits of substrate.
Most pilots avoid them. The navigation problems alone make them hazardous.
But for substrate miners, they’re the only game in town.
Characteristics
Physical Properties
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| CMB Anomalies | Impossible cold spots in cosmic microwave background |
| Space Density | Feels “thinner” than normal space |
| Expansion Rate | Still expanding at rates from 13 billion years ago |
| Particle Behavior | Occasionally violates causality |
Navigation Hazards
- Coordinate drift (ships appear to move while stationary)
- Autopilot failures and recalculation loops
- Sensor echoes (detecting same object in multiple locations)
- Gravitational lensing that doesn’t match mass distribution
Temporal Anomalies
- Black box timestamp discrepancies
- Subjective time perception differences
- Clocks freezing or running at inconsistent rates
- The recurring 03:47 phenomenon
The Asteroid Fields
Every Void Sector contains dense clusters of asteroids with impossible properties:
- Age: Dating to first 100 million years after the Big Bang
- Composition: Heavy elements that shouldn’t have existed yet
- Formation: No known stellar process explains them
- Content: Approximately 1 in 10,000 contains substrate
These asteroids are called Fragments in academic circles—remnants of something that existed before the universe was ready for them.
Known High-Risk Void Sectors
Based on leaked incident data, the following sectors have the highest concentration of mining incidents:
| Sector | Incidents (18 months) | Substrate Yield | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19-Kappa | 6 | Very High | Extreme |
| 33-Mu | 4 | High | Severe |
| 47-Theta | 4 | High | Severe |
| 8-Delta | 3 | Moderate | High |
| 52-Omicron | 2 | Moderate | High |
Guild Position
The UMG has not placed restrictions on any of these sectors. All remain open for independent contractor operations under “standard protocols.”
What Happens to Miners
The leaked communications reveal a consistent pattern across all 19 documented incidents:
- Miner enters Void Sector for substrate extraction
- Extraction succeeds (often exceeding projections)
- Psychological symptoms begin:
- Auditory phenomena (humming → breathing)
- Visual disturbances (reflections moving, self-observation)
- Temporal confusion (time perception errors)
- Paranoid ideation (feeling watched)
- Communication degrades (logs become fragmented)
- Vessel recovered (intact, operational)
- Miner missing (no remains)
- Cargo missing (despite extraction logs)
- Black box anomaly (timestamp discrepancy)
Origin Theory
According to The Fracture hypothesis, Void Sectors are wounds in spacetime—places where reality is still bleeding from the event that created the universe.
The asteroids within them are shrapnel from the Big Bang. The substrate miners extract is what happens when you drill into the scar tissue of creation.
This theory is not officially recognized by any scientific body.
But it explains more than the alternatives.
Guild Operations
Void Sector operations now represent 67% of all UMG extraction activity (up from 54% in 2405). The Guild has:
- No mandatory restrictions on Void Sector mining
- No crew requirements for substrate extraction
- No exposure limits (only “recommendations”)
- No official acknowledgment of incident patterns
From the board meeting:
“Void Sector operations are the only economically viable source of substrate at current prices.” — Sarah Chen, VP of Operations
Related Documents
- The Fracture — Origin of the Void Sectors
- Sector 19-Kappa — Highest incident sector
- The Leak — Sector-by-sector incident data
See Also
- Substrate — What miners are extracting
- Deep Space Isolation Syndrome — Official explanation
- Maven Cheung — Case study of Void Sector incident