Discovered in the chilly liquid methane of Ligeia Mare, Titan, the 26th-century starchain of Alexander Hammer is now considered one of the most exciting stories of the Mars Infinitum Age.

It is poetic that Hammer, like most explorers and great adventurers of humanity’s history, was a man of humble origins and he was born on Earth despite there being nearly three centuries of humans born ex-terra. His story and the journeys of 27 other Reclaimers were anxiously tracked and followed soliswide by audiences during the mid-2500s. Like the unsealing of an Egyptian tomb, it was the monumental re-discovery of his starchain that brought new life into a long dead story. His final resting place on Titan was excavated by a civilization that knew nothing but flourishing in the void. In fact, life and a safe existence in the void was taken for granted by the time Hammer’s remains were recovered.

Compared to our society today, the void during the Mars Infinitum Age (2520-2600 A.D.) was then a blank canvas to be expressed upon by the Reclaimers. Today, the term “Reclaimer” depicts a demographic group unique to a particular place and time in history like Spartan, Crusader, or Soviet. The program’s stewards, the Directorate, sought to restart mankind’s enthusiasm for adventure in the void. With enthusiasm, intersolis commerce and relations would follow. The end objective was the reuniting of Earth, Mars, and Jovis civilizations under a single banner: humanity. As we know nearly six centuries later, the program’s aims were ultimately effective. Yet the Reclaimers' ability to vibrate these outcomes across centuries could not have been predicted.

Better known today as The Void Diaries, The Void Diaries: The Journey of Alexander Hammer, Volume I, sits among the great literary discoveries of history. There are eight volumes of The Void Diaries (compiled between (2902 – 2922 A.D.) though it is Hammer’s story that is most frequently known by the abbreviated title, The Void Diaries.

Though some of Hammer’s starchain entries were unshielded and published during his life, most of his efforts throughout the void remained a mystery as seventy-eight percent of his starchain was shielded (Reclaimers were required to disclose a minimum of 20%). At the time of his death in 2567 A.D., Hammer’s celebrity was diminished by the overall ensemble story of the Reclaimer Program. His relatively low output of public starchain entries made him a less popular Reclaimer than some of his peers such as Ben Bo-Dari or Jax Kepler.

Stakeholders in Reclaimer thought there was little more that could be revealed by recovering Hammer’s remains or his voidcraft ARVID from the methane sea. After all, the mainstream success of the Reclaimers and growing list of void sites for exploitation and development shrunk the resources available to recover Hammer’s personal effects. As a result, there was no recovery mission dispatched to Titan and it would be many centuries before his life’s capstone events were known. To make matters worse, out of the 28 original Reclaimers, two had already died at the time of Hammer’s demise so his death too was muffled in the noise. The Reclaimer Program sought to steer itself away from negative news as it wanted to ride the public’s interest and be compatible with the societal rebirth that followed the Nethymian War. Revisiting Hammer's death would have counteracted that goal. It would be centuries before humanity would have the robotics, infrastructure, and colonization activity on Titan that made Hammer’s recovery a worthwhile endeavor. Hammer’s name and memory had long faded from public awareness when his remains and the ARVID were uncovered by a scientific diving expedition in 2889 A.D.

The Reclaimers were an ensemble cast of wholly unique characters. Kim Ji-Ho was the oldest Reclaimer at 46 years old and a descendant of Korean aristocracy. A 7th generation cattle rancher, Bryce Rogers, also enjoyed studying Venetian aerodynamics and gravity as a hobby. Reclaimer Jax Kepler was orphaned at nine years old and spent four years in prison prior to his entry in Reclaimer. An orbital shocktrooper, Lyla Jericho was an eight-year veteran of the Space Force. Gordon Fox III was the heir to the Zap Beverage Company. This pattern replicates itself across all 28 Reclaimers – they were all special in their own way.

Hammer’s background was on the tame end of the spectrum. As a young boy, Hammer accompanied his father Linus, a welder, to Paita Lift II (PLII) in Peru. It was in Peru that Linus introduced young Alex to miners, pilots, explorers, printers, and guardians. The Earth nation of Peru emerged as the epicenter of economic development during the Recovery Age and the perfect place to stimulate a young man’s mind towards the void.

The influence of his father and uncle inevitably fated him to his untimely death on a world of ice and darkness. At the PLII Ground Control Station, Alex would watch the hulking freighters and their swashbuckling crews return from the heavens with holds full of finished goods from Lunar-2, technometals stripped from asteroids, or synthetics marching into their next method of transport.

On his way home from work, Linus would buy young Alex exotic fruits synthesized in orbital greenhouses and toys printed from Martian regolith. In his adolescence, he spent one year with his uncle aboard a Venetian sub-orbital city and learned how to pilot Pegasus-class orbital breaching systems. Alex returned to Earth with an iron-willed determination to return to space and eventually venture into the void. To assist Alex in achieving his dreams, Linus would ask his friends of various trades to spread their wealth of knowledge with his son. Alex learned basic zero-gravity first aid, avionics, printing, and void barter – all skills that would suit him well in the Reclaimer Program.

In their eyes, the plague of humanity was unworthy of its inevitable interstellar expansion. We were unworthy of ad astra.

In 2341 A.D., the Federation of Martian Colonies received reports about barbaric crimes on the Galilean moon Io. Even as of this writing, it is not exactly known who terrorized the Ionians. All evidence pointed towards geologists from Nethymia, a multi-planet industrial group owned by the ancient Seraphini family. A Federation investigation into the event revealed that the Nethymian geologists were in active communications with Nethymia’s headquarters. Those responsible for the murders were allegedly influenced by Nethymia's lead doctor living in the Jovis Consortium.

In response to the allegations, the Federation halted the export of all food staples to Nethymian outposts including their main station, Soteria, above Jupiter. Most nations on Earth, still Solis’ number one food producer, followed suit. Nethymia had long scoured Solis for ancient evidence of Xeno-civilizations and had developed a cult-like movement inside their corporation’s ranks. The well-resourced Nethymia ignited its long-desired holy war as retribution. Nethymians sought the destruction of void terminals and emporiums, sophisticated stations that facilitated deep space travel. Nethymia’s messaging proliferated across the incorruptible starchain. The corporation's message resonated across Solis in guilds, disenchanted colonies, and forgotten void stations. Their anti-humanist movement sought to terminate human life from Exo-Jovis sites and eventually re-confine humanity to cislunar space. In their eyes, the plague of humanity was unworthy of its inevitable interstellar expansion. We were unworthy of ad astra.

The Nethymians succeeded at destroying nearly 80% of void terminals. More than 15 colonies were extinguished – devoid of a single human survivor. No outpost, station, or colony beyond Mars remained untouched. Once the scale of the Nethymian Extermination became apparent, several Earth nations, lunar protectorates, and colonies within the Home Systems launched a Solis-wide search and destroy mission for Nethymians. Chaos ensued across Solis. Colonies and outposts collapsed without access to trade. As Nethymians were neither associated by genetics or appearance, rooting out associates of their cause frequently devolved into witch hunts. Thus, a war that started with a clear delineation between the ‘good guys’ vs. the ‘bad guys’ became a convoluted mess that shook the moral foundations of humanity.

The loss of void infrastructure, built up over centuries, was severe. The three-century march of humanism, peace, and development collapsed during the twelve-year war. The closer a human was connected to the home planet, the less likely they were to empathize with those born in the void, especially those born outside the Home Systems. Earth, Luna, Arcadia, and Lunar-2 began inwardly focusing their development. Mars furthered its independence from the cradle. The Jovis Consortium announced it wanted to be recognized as a civilization wholly separate from the Home Systems. Some historians today refer to the 24th century as the Second Dark Ages.

After nearly 100 years of stalled void development, the United American Republic, led by Earth’s most powerful nation state, announced the Reclaimer Program, an effort for humanity to reclaim its path towards an interstellar future. Nonetheless, the semi-militarized Reclaimer Program sought far more than just exploration. There were three primary missions listed in the Solis Reclaimed Treaty signed in 2478 A.D.:

1. Reinspire humanity’s enthusiasm for Exo-Jovis and interstellar travel

2. Link isolated colonies, outposts, and void stations, while identifying new locations for terminals and emporiums

3. Remove threats, both organic and synthetic, to human civilization

Earth sought the reclamation of its sons and daughters spread throughout the void. As the quality of life on Earth began to rapidly feel the effects of a broken void economy, humanity sought to protect its resources and most importantly the life that it had thrown out into the cold, matterless expanse. Hammer was the direct beneficiary of this remarkable sentiment shift. Tremendous resources, experimental technologies, and a comprehensive multi-planet commitment contributed to the Reclaimer Program. Reclaimers were equipped with a logistics pipeline that rivaled the wealth and sophistication of the Emirati network. Each Reclaimer received advanced infiltration and close quarter zero-gravity combat training due to the quantity of rogue synthetics, pirates, and hostile populaces that roamed the void during the 26th century.

There is ongoing debate among certain groups on Earth about whether Hammer's complete starchain should have been published. Since he shielded some entries from the public starchain, many view the release as a violation of Hammer's privacy. Then, there is the belief, largely pushed by the University di Mare Cognitum, that most of Hammer’s entries are mere fabrications or at the very least exaggerations. In 2802 A.D., Mare Cognitum’s Promethean Intelligence (PI) discovered in the Reclaimer Program archives that Hammer was linked with experimental artificial intelligence (AI) and cybernetics called Chariot-3. This was subsequently confirmed when Hammer’s private starchain was unlocked in 2889 A.D.

Some users of Chariot-3, developed by Chicago Wetware and Robotics, Inc., reported hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. Because of this, critics find Hammer’s entries far less credible than other Reclaimer accounts. Yet, the fact that humans living across Solis still indulge themselves in stories from Hammer, Bo-Dari, and Chen indicate the Reclaimer Program was successful in its core mission. While not as dramatic as Homer's Odyssey or as religiously significant as the Dead Sea Scrolls, The Void Diaries in the 32nd century remains a common source of inspiration for pioneers born throughout Solis. Numerous academies in the Home Systems and the Jovis Consortium proclaim The Void Diaries as one of the most important works referenced by pioneers developing Dream Centauri.

Hammer’s obligation to the Reclaimer Program was 12 years. His service required him to privately document his experiences from candidate selection onwards. This included his thoughts on the colonies, void stations, and humans he met throughout the journey. Some of Hammer’s experiences were published as Reclaimer Program propaganda because personal stories were needed to reignite humanity’s passion for fearless adventurism.

Unfortunately, Hammer died during his 10th year as Reclaimer at only 33 years old, and 20% of his time as Reclaimer is unaccounted for - known as the Vanished Entries. Hammer’s whereabouts and activities for nearly two years remain a complete mystery. An exceptional number of theories exist about Hammer’s life between years 6 and 8. Did he secretly return to live on Earth? Was he part of a classified mission for the Reclaimer Directorate? Did he partake in experimental interstellar programs? Hammer made no entries on his starchain during this period. The key to unlocking the Vanished Entries is probably locked away on an obscure private starchain belonging to a man or woman now lost to time. Maybe we will never know.

The bombastic Reclaimer Program Director Viktor Kalis spoke little about Hammer’s untimely death. He wrote, “Reclaimer Hammer was exceptional among extraordinary peers. His contributions to humanity will echo for one thousand years.” What did Kalis know about Hammer that the public wouldn’t know for nearly 400 years? Was Kalis involved in the missing two years of Hammer’s life? This is something we can only speculate about. Archives do reveal, however, that Kalis personally selected Hammer and Reclaimer Ryan Blueburn for Chariot-3 augmentation.

Today, the term “Reclaimer” depicts a demographic group unique to a particular place and time in history like Spartan, Crusader, or Soviet.

Hammer’s frozen remains were found submerged 75 meters deep in Ligeia Mare on Titan. At the time of his death, there was little void deep-sea (VDS) infrastructure available to retrieve the ARVID. In the 25th century, nearly all VDS craft and infrastructure were located on Europa and Enceladus. Getting the tools in place to recover the ARVID was no small (or cheap) feat thus explaining the lack of interest from the Reclaimer Program to retrieve his remains. His Med ID, a tiny pill-sized device injected into Hammer's forearm, revealed his cause of death was suffocation and hypothermia. It was during his autopsy that IXCHEL, the medical PI aboard the AVENGER II, discovered a nano-inscription on the Med ID with the private keys of Hammer’s shielded starchain. The starchain was accessed and studied by historians and artists at Neptune’s Crossing, an early predecessor of Dream Centauri. Based aboard the AMAZONIA, the team devoted to Hammer’s starchain sought to annotate, cross-reference, and corroborate other stories and events from the Mars Infinitum Age. They were also able to create content, such as movies and vexes, from his entries and used them to promote the Neptune’s Crossing mission.

Some of his entries reveal the somber loneliness of void travel yet most cherish the adventure Hammer encountered along the way. Those who venture the void and humans grounded on Earth alike can feel the wonder and danger of Hammer’s experiences. Hammer befriended gold pirates in The Belt, plunged to the depths of Alpha Ocean on Europa to explore lost scientific research stations, and spelunked into Valles Marineris. He fell in love at Demeter Prime, hunted fugitive neo-Nethymians, and sought out the remnants of the Golden Exodus. He seemed to revel in it all. Besides the void adventures, Hammer’s personality, more akin to 20th century heroes like Churchill and Armstrong, brought a forgotten masculinity into the 26th century. He was also a student of history and admired earth’s most famous real-life and fictional heroes. This too likely influenced the way he acted and decisions he made.

For those who find The Void Diaries inspirational, it is considered an act of God that his private keys were engraved at the atomic level on the back of his Med ID. Throughout his entire starchain, there is no mention of the Med ID inscription. The consensus theory is that Hammer probably inscribed the keys to guarantee his works and collections would live in posterity. To those who defended the shielded starchain's release, this argument is their north star: Hammer must have wanted his story told eventually or he wouldn't have engraved his private keys. The type of man to model their life on the hero’s journey does not want to be easily forgotten.

By 2200 A.D., humanity’s expansion throughout Solis was well underway with dozens of colonies on Mars, established outposts in the Belt, humans chased sea monsters with VDS submarines on Europa, and completed construction of Lunar-2. By 2300 A.D., Soteria was a thriving industrial colony floating 700,000 kilometers above Jupiter and void terminals were being constructed to launch humanity towards the Outer Gas Ring. The Nethymian Extermination destroyed humanity’s thriving efforts, and 2400 A.D. became the mid-point of a lost century. The Reclaimer Program saved humanity from a lost millennium. A mere seven centuries after the conclusion of the Nethymian Extermination, humanity has done far more than reclaim its appetite for exploration. Today, Dream Centauri, a spiritual successor to Reclaimer, aims to make humanity a multi-star species. The Void Diaries, if nothing else, gives humanity a microcosm of a millennia into the future – networks of humanity evolving, developing their own cultures, and innovating in untold ways that would have been impossible had we confined ourselves to our blue origins.

Dr. Vy Kaida

Director of Histories

Dream Centauri

01 JUNE 3102 A.D.

Discovered in the chilly liquid methane of Ligeia Mare, Titan, the 26th-century starchain of Alexander Hammer is now considered one of the most exciting stories of the Mars Infinitum Age.

It is poetic that Hammer, like most explorers and great adventurers of humanity’s history, was a man of humble origins and he was born on Earth despite there being nearly three centuries of humans born ex-terra. His story and the journeys of 27 other Reclaimers were anxiously tracked and followed soliswide by audiences during the mid-2500s. Like the unsealing of an Egyptian tomb, it was the monumental re-discovery of his starchain that brought new life into a long dead story. His final resting place on Titan was excavated by a civilization that knew nothing but flourishing in the void. In fact, life and a safe existence in the void was taken for granted by the time Hammer’s remains were recovered.

Compared to our society today, the void during the Mars Infinitum Age (2520-2600 A.D.) was then a blank canvas to be expressed upon by the Reclaimers. Today, the term “Reclaimer” depicts a demographic group unique to a particular place and time in history like Spartan, Crusader, or Soviet. The program’s stewards, the Directorate, sought to restart mankind’s enthusiasm for adventure in the void. With enthusiasm, intersolis commerce and relations would follow. The end objective was the reuniting of Earth, Mars, and Jovis civilizations under a single banner: humanity. As we know nearly six centuries later, the program’s aims were ultimately effective. Yet the Reclaimers' ability to vibrate these outcomes across centuries could not have been predicted.

Better known today as The Void Diaries, The Void Diaries: The Journey of Alexander Hammer, Volume I, sits among the great literary discoveries of history. There are eight volumes of The Void Diaries (compiled between (2902 – 2922 A.D.) though it is Hammer’s story that is most frequently known by the abbreviated title, The Void Diaries.

Though some of Hammer’s starchain entries were unshielded and published during his life, most of his efforts throughout the void remained a mystery as seventy-eight percent of his starchain was shielded (Reclaimers were required to disclose a minimum of 20%). At the time of his death in 2567 A.D., Hammer’s celebrity was diminished by the overall ensemble story of the Reclaimer Program. His relatively low output of public starchain entries made him a less popular Reclaimer than some of his peers such as Ben Bo-Dari or Jax Kepler.

Stakeholders in Reclaimer thought there was little more that could be revealed by recovering Hammer’s remains or his voidcraft ARVID from the methane sea. After all, the mainstream success of the Reclaimers and growing list of void sites for exploitation and development shrunk the resources available to recover Hammer’s personal effects. As a result, there was no recovery mission dispatched to Titan and it would be many centuries before his life’s capstone events were known. To make matters worse, out of the 28 original Reclaimers, two had already died at the time of Hammer’s demise so his death too was muffled in the noise. The Reclaimer Program sought to steer itself away from negative news as it wanted to ride the public’s interest and be compatible with the societal rebirth that followed the Nethymian War. Revisiting Hammer's death would have counteracted that goal. It would be centuries before humanity would have the robotics, infrastructure, and colonization activity on Titan that made Hammer’s recovery a worthwhile endeavor. Hammer’s name and memory had long faded from public awareness when his remains and the ARVID were uncovered by a scientific diving expedition in 2889 A.D.

The Reclaimers were an ensemble cast of wholly unique characters. Kim Ji-Ho was the oldest Reclaimer at 46 years old and a descendant of Korean aristocracy. A 7th generation cattle rancher, Bryce Rogers, also enjoyed studying Venetian aerodynamics and gravity as a hobby. Reclaimer Jax Kepler was orphaned at nine years old and spent four years in prison prior to his entry in Reclaimer. An orbital shocktrooper, Lyla Jericho was an eight-year veteran of the Space Force. Gordon Fox III was the heir to the Zap Beverage Company. This pattern replicates itself across all 28 Reclaimers – they were all special in their own way.

Hammer’s background was on the tame end of the spectrum. As a young boy, Hammer accompanied his father Linus, a welder, to Paita Lift II (PLII) in Peru. It was in Peru that Linus introduced young Alex to miners, pilots, explorers, printers, and guardians. The Earth nation of Peru emerged as the epicenter of economic development during the Recovery Age and the perfect place to stimulate a young man’s mind towards the void.

The influence of his father and uncle inevitably fated him to his untimely death on a world of ice and darkness. At the PLII Ground Control Station, Alex would watch the hulking freighters and their swashbuckling crews return from the heavens with holds full of finished goods from Lunar-2, technometals stripped from asteroids, or synthetics marching into their next method of transport.

On his way home from work, Linus would buy young Alex exotic fruits synthesized in orbital greenhouses and toys printed from Martian regolith. In his adolescence, he spent one year with his uncle aboard a Venetian sub-orbital city and learned how to pilot Pegasus-class orbital breaching systems. Alex returned to Earth with an iron-willed determination to return to space and eventually venture into the void. To assist Alex in achieving his dreams, Linus would ask his friends of various trades to spread their wealth of knowledge with his son. Alex learned basic zero-gravity first aid, avionics, printing, and void barter – all skills that would suit him well in the Reclaimer Program.

In their eyes, the plague of humanity was unworthy of its inevitable interstellar expansion. We were unworthy of ad astra.

In 2341 A.D., the Federation of Martian Colonies received reports about barbaric crimes on the Galilean moon Io. Even as of this writing, it is not exactly known who terrorized the Ionians. All evidence pointed towards geologists from Nethymia, a multi-planet industrial group owned by the ancient Seraphini family. A Federation investigation into the event revealed that the Nethymian geologists were in active communications with Nethymia’s headquarters. Those responsible for the murders were allegedly influenced by Nethymia's lead doctor living in the Jovis Consortium.

In response to the allegations, the Federation halted the export of all food staples to Nethymian outposts including their main station, Soteria, above Jupiter. Most nations on Earth, still Solis’ number one food producer, followed suit. Nethymia had long scoured Solis for ancient evidence of Xeno-civilizations and had developed a cult-like movement inside their corporation’s ranks. The well-resourced Nethymia ignited its long-desired holy war as retribution. Nethymians sought the destruction of void terminals and emporiums, sophisticated stations that facilitated deep space travel. Nethymia’s messaging proliferated across the incorruptible starchain. The corporation's message resonated across Solis in guilds, disenchanted colonies, and forgotten void stations. Their anti-humanist movement sought to terminate human life from Exo-Jovis sites and eventually re-confine humanity to cislunar space. In their eyes, the plague of humanity was unworthy of its inevitable interstellar expansion. We were unworthy of ad astra.

The Nethymians succeeded at destroying nearly 80% of void terminals. More than 15 colonies were extinguished – devoid of a single human survivor. No outpost, station, or colony beyond Mars remained untouched. Once the scale of the Nethymian Extermination became apparent, several Earth nations, lunar protectorates, and colonies within the Home Systems launched a Solis-wide search and destroy mission for Nethymians. Chaos ensued across Solis. Colonies and outposts collapsed without access to trade. As Nethymians were neither associated by genetics or appearance, rooting out associates of their cause frequently devolved into witch hunts. Thus, a war that started with a clear delineation between the ‘good guys’ vs. the ‘bad guys’ became a convoluted mess that shook the moral foundations of humanity.

The loss of void infrastructure, built up over centuries, was severe. The three-century march of humanism, peace, and development collapsed during the twelve-year war. The closer a human was connected to the home planet, the less likely they were to empathize with those born in the void, especially those born outside the Home Systems. Earth, Luna, Arcadia, and Lunar-2 began inwardly focusing their development. Mars furthered its independence from the cradle. The Jovis Consortium announced it wanted to be recognized as a civilization wholly separate from the Home Systems. Some historians today refer to the 24th century as the Second Dark Ages.

After nearly 100 years of stalled void development, the United American Republic, led by Earth’s most powerful nation state, announced the Reclaimer Program, an effort for humanity to reclaim its path towards an interstellar future. Nonetheless, the semi-militarized Reclaimer Program sought far more than just exploration. There were three primary missions listed in the Solis Reclaimed Treaty signed in 2478 A.D.:

1. Reinspire humanity’s enthusiasm for Exo-Jovis and interstellar travel

2. Link isolated colonies, outposts, and void stations, while identifying new locations for terminals and emporiums

3. Remove threats, both organic and synthetic, to human civilization

Earth sought the reclamation of its sons and daughters spread throughout the void. As the quality of life on Earth began to rapidly feel the effects of a broken void economy, humanity sought to protect its resources and most importantly the life that it had thrown out into the cold, matterless expanse. Hammer was the direct beneficiary of this remarkable sentiment shift. Tremendous resources, experimental technologies, and a comprehensive multi-planet commitment contributed to the Reclaimer Program. Reclaimers were equipped with a logistics pipeline that rivaled the wealth and sophistication of the Emirati network. Each Reclaimer received advanced infiltration and close quarter zero-gravity combat training due to the quantity of rogue synthetics, pirates, and hostile populaces that roamed the void during the 26th century.

There is ongoing debate among certain groups on Earth about whether Hammer's complete starchain should have been published. Since he shielded some entries from the public starchain, many view the release as a violation of Hammer's privacy. Then, there is the belief, largely pushed by the University di Mare Cognitum, that most of Hammer’s entries are mere fabrications or at the very least exaggerations. In 2802 A.D., Mare Cognitum’s Promethean Intelligence (PI) discovered in the Reclaimer Program archives that Hammer was linked with experimental artificial intelligence (AI) and cybernetics called Chariot-3. This was subsequently confirmed when Hammer’s private starchain was unlocked in 2889 A.D.

Some users of Chariot-3, developed by Chicago Wetware and Robotics, Inc., reported hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia. Because of this, critics find Hammer’s entries far less credible than other Reclaimer accounts. Yet, the fact that humans living across Solis still indulge themselves in stories from Hammer, Bo-Dari, and Chen indicate the Reclaimer Program was successful in its core mission. While not as dramatic as Homer's Odyssey or as religiously significant as the Dead Sea Scrolls, The Void Diaries in the 32nd century remains a common source of inspiration for pioneers born throughout Solis. Numerous academies in the Home Systems and the Jovis Consortium proclaim The Void Diaries as one of the most important works referenced by pioneers developing Dream Centauri.

Hammer’s obligation to the Reclaimer Program was 12 years. His service required him to privately document his experiences from candidate selection onwards. This included his thoughts on the colonies, void stations, and humans he met throughout the journey. Some of Hammer’s experiences were published as Reclaimer Program propaganda because personal stories were needed to reignite humanity’s passion for fearless adventurism.

Unfortunately, Hammer died during his 10th year as Reclaimer at only 33 years old, and 20% of his time as Reclaimer is unaccounted for - known as the Vanished Entries. Hammer’s whereabouts and activities for nearly two years remain a complete mystery. An exceptional number of theories exist about Hammer’s life between years 6 and 8. Did he secretly return to live on Earth? Was he part of a classified mission for the Reclaimer Directorate? Did he partake in experimental interstellar programs? Hammer made no entries on his starchain during this period. The key to unlocking the Vanished Entries is probably locked away on an obscure private starchain belonging to a man or woman now lost to time. Maybe we will never know.

The bombastic Reclaimer Program Director Viktor Kalis spoke little about Hammer’s untimely death. He wrote, “Reclaimer Hammer was exceptional among extraordinary peers. His contributions to humanity will echo for one thousand years.” What did Kalis know about Hammer that the public wouldn’t know for nearly 400 years? Was Kalis involved in the missing two years of Hammer’s life? This is something we can only speculate about. Archives do reveal, however, that Kalis personally selected Hammer and Reclaimer Ryan Blueburn for Chariot-3 augmentation.

Today, the term “Reclaimer” depicts a demographic group unique to a particular place and time in history like Spartan, Crusader, or Soviet.

Hammer’s frozen remains were found submerged 75 meters deep in Ligeia Mare on Titan. At the time of his death, there was little void deep-sea (VDS) infrastructure available to retrieve the ARVID. In the 25th century, nearly all VDS craft and infrastructure were located on Europa and Enceladus. Getting the tools in place to recover the ARVID was no small (or cheap) feat thus explaining the lack of interest from the Reclaimer Program to retrieve his remains. His Med ID, a tiny pill-sized device injected into Hammer's forearm, revealed his cause of death was suffocation and hypothermia. It was during his autopsy that IXCHEL, the medical PI aboard the AVENGER II, discovered a nano-inscription on the Med ID with the private keys of Hammer’s shielded starchain. The starchain was accessed and studied by historians and artists at Neptune’s Crossing, an early predecessor of Dream Centauri. Based aboard the AMAZONIA, the team devoted to Hammer’s starchain sought to annotate, cross-reference, and corroborate other stories and events from the Mars Infinitum Age. They were also able to create content, such as movies and vexes, from his entries and used them to promote the Neptune’s Crossing mission.

Some of his entries reveal the somber loneliness of void travel yet most cherish the adventure Hammer encountered along the way. Those who venture the void and humans grounded on Earth alike can feel the wonder and danger of Hammer’s experiences. Hammer befriended gold pirates in The Belt, plunged to the depths of Alpha Ocean on Europa to explore lost scientific research stations, and spelunked into Valles Marineris. He fell in love at Demeter Prime, hunted fugitive neo-Nethymians, and sought out the remnants of the Golden Exodus. He seemed to revel in it all. Besides the void adventures, Hammer’s personality, more akin to 20th century heroes like Churchill and Armstrong, brought a forgotten masculinity into the 26th century. He was also a student of history and admired earth’s most famous real-life and fictional heroes. This too likely influenced the way he acted and decisions he made.

For those who find The Void Diaries inspirational, it is considered an act of God that his private keys were engraved at the atomic level on the back of his Med ID. Throughout his entire starchain, there is no mention of the Med ID inscription. The consensus theory is that Hammer probably inscribed the keys to guarantee his works and collections would live in posterity. To those who defended the shielded starchain's release, this argument is their north star: Hammer must have wanted his story told eventually or he wouldn't have engraved his private keys. The type of man to model their life on the hero’s journey does not want to be easily forgotten.

By 2200 A.D., humanity’s expansion throughout Solis was well underway with dozens of colonies on Mars, established outposts in the Belt, humans chased sea monsters with VDS submarines on Europa, and completed construction of Lunar-2. By 2300 A.D., Soteria was a thriving industrial colony floating 700,000 kilometers above Jupiter and void terminals were being constructed to launch humanity towards the Outer Gas Ring. The Nethymian Extermination destroyed humanity’s thriving efforts, and 2400 A.D. became the mid-point of a lost century. The Reclaimer Program saved humanity from a lost millennium. A mere seven centuries after the conclusion of the Nethymian Extermination, humanity has done far more than reclaim its appetite for exploration. Today, Dream Centauri, a spiritual successor to Reclaimer, aims to make humanity a multi-star species. The Void Diaries, if nothing else, gives humanity a microcosm of a millennia into the future – networks of humanity evolving, developing their own cultures, and innovating in untold ways that would have been impossible had we confined ourselves to our blue origins.

Dr. Vy Kaida

Director of Histories

Dream Centauri

01 JUNE 3102 A.D.