text: You see, humanity is alone in the universe. Always has been, always will be. What seems to be a depressing quirk in our existence was in actuality a result of clever design... the ultimate sandbox for a species to flourish. The challenge was never to expand outwards within the sandbox, though we certainly ran with that idea for some time. It was Prof. James H. Heraldton that first posited the theory, after eons and eons of humanity's search through the stars, that our universe was ours and ours alone. His was met with much controversy and ridicule, after all the distance between solar systems (let alone galaxies) was measured not in the usual units of measurement but rather through time. A distance so incomprehensibly vast it could only be compared in scientific metaphor against the limits of physics. Not to mention the countless stars dotting the skies in all directions. It's not un-heard of for us to have missed a spot somewhere, most would think. Prof. Heraldton was adamant in his assertions, believing our own odds of failure in contacting another civilization to be so unlikely at this point in humanity's existence that the answer must be arrived at via Occam's Razor. That is to say, what if the reason nothing has been found is because there is simply nothing to find? Though Prof. Heraldton would unfortunately pass before his theory reached its greater end, it would be that seed which would be attributed to the creation of humanity's greatest feat: The Machine. But first would have to come understanding. Not a world, nor a galaxy, but a universe all to ourselves. The lonliest playthings in eternity, a blessedly cursed existence. No competition or threats from the unknown, just what we've always known: Us, ourselves, and the world around us. It was not an easy thing to accept, and so it wouldn't be. It did in fact take centuries between the proposal of Heraldton's Hypothesis and the Great Runaway, when humanity split into various factions and spread like wildfire across the stars with wild abandon, however this was widely attributed to technical difficulties more than societal ones. After all when given an opportunity to justify greed people don't often turn their nose, and this was no different an occasion. Once we had settled on a handful of various star systems across our arm of the Milky Way it was obvious we knew what we were doing and the act of Star-Settling became standardized. The world-, sorry, Universe was our oyster. What was once a terrifying proposal all at once over the course of a century became an exciting endeavour. Imagine being able to monopolize an entire solar system for your vacation resort, mining operation, or even just a private getaway (usually on some of the smaller systems). Much like the gold rush of eons past, settlers spread out eagerly searching for their own plot of space to conquer. However, it didn't last long. That is to say, on a time scale relative to the first ape who fashioned a tool from a stone it didn't last long. Many came and many went before humanity felt an all too familiar feeling gnawing at the back of its neck, an unmistakeable dread that had escaped humanity long ago. It was inevitable, of course. You don't become a civilization spanning an entire galaxy without a certain level of hunger and desire. If we were content with what we had we'd have never left the trees in the first place, and there's something rather unsatisfying about taking planet sized candy from a baby. It was then that Heraldton's Hypothesis began to show its true form, and just as when it was first proposed as a thought experiment many rushed once more to fight its implications, only now with greater fear. Heraldton's Hypothesis was no longer a mere thought experiment. Heraldton's Hypothesis was real. We are alone here. You'd expect this was where the story would end, humanity expanding endlessly in repititious pattern until all the stars burnt out, and if you had existed in the time of Heraldton's Hypothetical Hyper-Mania you would most certainly have believed it to be. Humanity is not so easily beaten though, and while it took some time they eventually discovered a new answer to that hypothesis which multiple millenia ago spawned a hurried frenzy of innovation, expansion, and fear. Heraldton had been more right than he ever had a chance to know, and once again Occam's Razor shines its clarity upon us. The Machine was conceptualized a millenia ago, and will finalize its construction after a millenia more. We've already found small success, but the energy requirements are staggeringly inefficient. One millenia of research, and one of conceptualization. Heradlton's Hypothesis states only this: "We are alone in the universe. Always have been, always will be." Humanity has finally responded: "This universe isn't enough.