"Out there in the vastness of cosmos, there exist things beyond our comprehension. Then there are things beyond the comprehension of even those things. Nameless things.
And, beyond that still, lies the rotting corpse of a god."
- Stone tablet of unknown make/origin.
Found at location A05-B08-NODE47-SYS003 by scavengers among wreckage following a brief skirmish between rival factions. Dating methods have proven to be inconclusive, though it is at least several million years old. Its design matches no known current civilisations (accounting for culture drift) nor any known precursors. Furthermore, nothing remains of their civilisation other than this single tablet.
Translation of the engraving was completed using high-functioning language compilers to a 99.9998% estimated accuracy. Similarly, the script matches no known languages either ancient or current. This leaves both its origin and its function, whether religious, scientific, a warning or something else, entirely a mystery.
***
The Captain made his way back down that now-inert tunnel while Circleface followed behind him aimlessly. Abruptly, a static sounded over their comms and the Captain paused, causing Circleface to bump into him from behind. He furrowed his brow as he fiddled with a dial on his wrist and the static cleared into a very recognisable voice.
"- this is the right tunnel, Captain? It feels like I've been walking for a while...hello? Hellooooo? Anybody home?"
"Trianglechest?", the Captain asked in a confused tone. "Who in Gletrious' name are you talking too? You been taking too much of that crystal haven't you, I told you that you were a lightweight."
There was silence for a few seconds before the reply came through.
"Huh? What are you talking about Captain?"
"No, no, who were YOU talking to just now, we haven't seen you since we heroically braved the unknown and jumped into the abyss while you stayed back like a coward."
"Uhhh, you sure that you haven't been smoking that stuff, Captain? Didn't we literally just speak like fifteen minutes ago? You finally gave me the right tunnel after all that but nothings down here?"
Captain Resquilatron had never quite been known for his immense intellect and he quickly gave up trying to parse through Trianglechest's apparent waffle. Deeming it to be the nonsensical nonsense of a subsentient worm (this was his exact thought), he proceeded in great magnanimity to not eradicate him out of spite but ignore his words entirely.
"Whatever", he groused out. "We're coming back down to the first opening so if you're in this tunnel we'll meet at some point."
"But wai-"
Unfortunately for Trianglechest, the Captain had turned twisted the dial on his comms-link and static that had disappeared once again could be heard.
Much better than whatever he was rambling on about anyways. You know, he's really not normal that one...
In fact, it could be easily stated from an empirically objective standpoint that of the people on that planet, Trianglechest was by far the closest to the normality baseline. That is to say only 17 standard deviations away - a shockingly low number amongst the Captain and crew.
Anyways-
The Captain and Circleface continued down the tunnel, meanwhile Squareface stumbled to his feet, nursing his bruised shoulder and began to walk the same way.
A subtle realisation formed in his mind based on a few anomalies he felt in the Gridlock way back then, but he found that at that moment, opening his mouth to voice his concerns suddenly felt much like a Sisyphean task. And so he limped away in morose silence.
Eventually, having past the scorched remnants of that 'tumbleweed', a small pinprick of light appeared at the other end of the tunnel. Circleface pointed it out to the Captain who squinted at it.
"Must be Trianglechest. Let's see what that blargloon has to say for himself", he spat out from between gritted teeth.
Abruptly, the thing-detector let out a sharp beep. But, strangely, neither Circleface nor the Captain seemed to notice.
Unknown to either of them, a whisper carried on a light draft hissed passed them.
"Shhhhhhh, no spoilerssss"
And the thing-detector was silenced into an inert state, dormant as a piece of brick. With a banana taped to it. With a silent giggle, the voice faded and the Captain continued unaware.
At last, the static cleared from their comms just as the torch-wielding figure of Trianglechest could be discerned from the looming darkness.
"Never thought I'd say this, but I am glad to see you guys", Trianglechest breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. His face was pale behind his clear visor and his hair was plastered to his forehead.
"Can't say the same", the Captain grunted while Circleface waved happily with both hands from behind his shoulder.
"So, what happened then? It sounded like you guys were in the middle of setting something up and you needed my help?"
His tone was friendly but his face made it clear that he would be the first to run away at the slightest sign of danger. Well, at least we know it really is Trianglechest.
"What in Gletrious' Gargling Spit are you on about, boy? We haven't heard from you since we fell down that abyss and ended up in this abominable tunnel."
At that, Trianglechest's already pale face visibly whitened like a sheet.
"Th- then...", he stammered out his words, gulping loudly. "Who was I talking to earlier?"
The question seemed to echo infinitely in the comm-channel, Trianglechest turning to look behind him almost comically slowly.
"There's nothing behind you, you fool", the Captain snapped, tired of his shenanigans. "It was probably just a little madness. This place seems to be reeking of it. Its fine though, Circleface fixed it".
The Captain gestured with his thumb and Circleface puffed up proudly. A heavily skeptical look appeared on Trianglechest's face as he even forgot his own situation for a second.
"You serious?", he said cynically. "You sure you're not the one who went mad?"
Before the Captain could explode from rage, Squareface's tired voice sounded out from behind them as his figure finally caught up.
"Somehow, he is right. But only because he let him use that."
His tone shifted ominously with the last word of that sentence. Trianglechest paused, before asking hesitantly.
"Ah yes, that...remind me, what exactly is that?"
Squareface palmed his head exasperatedly.
"You know the thing", he rapidly spun his hand in a circle in front of his own visor while discretely pointing at Circleface who had found something interesting on the floor and had crouched down to study it.
Realisation quickly dawned on Trianglechest's face and his eyes widened in shock. Turning to the Captain, he exclaimed in surprise.
"Seriously? You let him use...that?" He paused before continuing in a subtly impressed voice. "And you're still alive. Colour me amazed."
"It was the only choice", he responded gruffly with a tone that brooked no further questions. "And it all worked out fine in the end."
With that, he brushed past Trianglechest, pacing past with long and purposeful strides.
"Best we get back to the ship as soon as possible. It may have calmed down for now, but who knows what might happen next."
Circleface followed behind quickly while Trianglechest exchanged a look with Squareface's opaque visor. For a second, they stood there silent until Squareface limped onwards, Trianglechest turning around too but slowing down to keep pace.
He flicked a switch on his wrist to change to a private comm-channel, before whispering quietly.
"You know something, Squareface. You can't hide anything from me. I know I'm not crazy, which means that something did happen. If you know what it is, you better not be holding out from me."
Squareface simply sighed before giving in, drooping his shoulders.
"Well you weren't there, but according to the Captain, this anomaly was temporal."
Trianglechest mulled over this realisation for a few seconds.
"I suppose it makes sense why it seemed you guys had so much time to explore those tunnels even though you were only a few seconds ahead of me."
"That never happened", Squareface shook his head. "We were ahead of you, but we only went down a single tunnel. This one."
"But I clearly remember that conversation", Trianglechest protested. "And look at the state of my suit: I'm covered in that disgusting insect blood. You were the one who even told me about that!"
"It is quite possible that I did. It is also simultaneously possible that I didn't".
"How about we start making sense some time this century?", Trianglechest replied sarcastically.
"Well since Clockface isn't now, Captain had me use Gridlock instead", Squareface continued monotonely. "I didn't notice it at the time, but I had an inkling afterwards. Seeing you cemented my theory."
"And that theory is...?"
"This anomaly was never just temporal."
At that, understanding spread on Trianglechest's face followed by an intense horror. His eyes were wide open in an expression of soul-chilling dread. He whispered the following word, yet they seemed deafeningly loud in the silence of their comms-channel.
"Fractal?"
Squareface, perhaps having already had time to process this, merely nodded grimly.
"And the Captain never said anything?", Trianglechest hissed fearfully. "I would have thought he of all people - "
"You know him. He either didn't know, or more likely, he knew and didn't care. Well at the end of the day, we're all here in one piece aren't we?"
Somehow, Squareface managed to sound depressed about having survived. Trianglechest, meanwhile, was still reeling from the shock of the realisation. As it began to wear off, the consequences of such an event ran through his paranoid mind.
"And we're sure the anomaly is over? Damn, now it makes sense why the Captain let Circleface use that".
Despite Circleface being far out of earshot, he was still unwilling to say it out loud just in case. Wouldn't want a repeat of Kassius V after all.
"Yeah, even I would have said something if that wasn't absolutely necessary. Even if all of us were here, maybe only 'He' could have solved it any better."
"Pfft", Trianglechest snorted. "Somehow it feels like Circleface is more trustworthy than that guy."
At that, Squareface let out an uncharacteristic chuckle.
"You may be right about that."
It didn't last long, however, and he continued in a foreboding voice.
"Either way, I have a bad feeling about Fractal appearing here and now. It just seems too coincidental."
Unfortunately, Trianglechest had fully come to terms with the events he had been through and had regained his previous, lazy demeanour.
"Ehh, I'm sure the Captain will handle it. I, for one, can't wait to go to sleep. Can't believe he got us up in the middle of the night just to almost meet a fate worse than death. Never again."
Trianglechest's conviction to stay firmly out of harm's way certainly was incredibly strong.
Whether it was quite strong enough? Well, we'll just have to see.