The Horgovan undertake a mission to visit a region of space far from their home planet where they have found evidence of life. 

Upon arrival, they encounter a dangerous cosmic rift which they narrowly escape, meet the Chelan, the diplomats and keepers of harmony and the Gornial, who offered the visitors a Hobson's choice. While the Gornial are not "bad", they are old and powerful and prone to unpleasant pranks to the "youngers" if they do not offer sufficient respect and deference.

After a couple of tense encounters and increasing threats from the Gornial, the Hargovan take refuge on Vallok, a habitable moon that is the most beautiful place known and is under protection of the Bel, the region's most advanced civilization. The Bel are post-biological and can operate on a much accellerated time-scale as a result. While they are the youngest of the three elder spacefaring civilizations of the region, they are also the most ancient because of their accellerated perception of time. Not even the Gornial are able to cross the Bel.

While on Vallok, the religious leader of the Vallok monastery suggests they visit the Bel for advice on how to deal with the Gornial's demands.

Upon visiting the Bel's orbital around a white dwarf star, the Hargovan are offered a risky mission that, if successfully completed, will give the Hargovan enough reputational standing to satisfy the Gornial, and thus release them from the demands the Gornial had made of them. This would make the Hargovan welcome members in good standing of the civilizations of the quadrant.

After the dangerous mission is successfully completed, the negotiations with the Gornial are easily resolved by the Chelan. The Bel are planning to leave normal space for a pocket universe from which they intend to explore states of being beyond this universe.

In thanks for the assistance of the Hargovan, the Bel grant them something of great value, access to the wisdom of the Bel, the foundation of the non-theistic religion of Vallok, which was established by the Bel.

Space Opera

The Hargovan enter this region of space and begin looking for signs of the space-faring species they believed to be here. Unfortunately, they come almost immediately on a cosmic rift that knocks out power. The disruptions stem from a source of gravitational waves and they are left drifting towards this cosmic rift. They manage to restore power in time to engage hyper-drive and escape to a safe distance.

Cosmic Rift

The Hargovan ship does, in relatively short order contact the Chelan and is put in contact with their representation -- the Hargovan Chelan. A meeting will need to be scheduled with the Gornial Chelan soon. The Hargovan Chelan provides a clear, "polite" guidance that the Hargovan should basically agree to the Gornial terms or just go home. A further in person meeting will be scheduled to work out what possible accommodations can be made and what the Chelan in general can provide by way of making the agreement possible.

Hargovon Chelan

After the events of Further Complications, the Hargovan ship takes the advice of the Hargovan Chelan to seek refuge and reflection on the inhabited moon of Vallok. This is a world protected by Bel technology. It is in a nebula that provides a stunning night sky and is regarded as the single most beautiful place known. It is also the home of a monastery of sorts for a non-theistic religion popular among the younger space-faring species of the region. The religious leaders of the Vallok retreat welcomes the Hargovan and provides them with lodging and advice to ponder -- seek out the Bel and ask for their advice and wisdom on your course of action.

Reverie

The success of the Hargovan mission assisting the Bel results in the Hargovan being designated as protected by the Bel. The Hargovan are to be accorded an honored status and friends of the Bel. As a result, The Hargovan Chelan and the Gornial Chelan reach a relatively easy negotiated settlement to the Gornial demands of the Hargovan. The Hargovan are welcomed to the neighborhood.

Deloquin Velopina (Diplomacy)

Immediately after they leave hyperspace travel, a large spherical ship appears. They prepare to meet the Chelan. The Chelan provide them with some technology they will need. A communications matrix that provides them (after a short training session) with a way of communicating with the Chelan and any one else in the sector. They read the Hargovan into the basic agreements they will need to sign on to to remain in the region, explain the role of the Chelan as diplomats and maintainers of harmony, and issue their standard warnings about dealings with the Gornial and things to do and definitely NOT do when meeting the Gornial. This will almost certainly happen soon, as the Gornial are as aware of the arrival of the Hargovan as the Chelan were and will have the Chelan's brief on the Hargovan and the conclusion of their meeting.

After some other pleasantries, the Chelan depart and the Hargovan resume exploring.

Entrance of the Chelan

And no, it doesn't take long before the Gornial show up. The Hargovan are on their best behavior after the Chelan warnings. The Gornial are suddenly on the command deck of the Hargovan ship ready to chat face to face. The Hargovan crew was a bit shaken by the sudden appearance of the Chelan, but everything went well and they had quickly become comfortable with the Chelan. This meeting is different though. The Gornial are beautiful and terrifying and their manner is conversational and casual, but simultaneously like being in the presence of a stalking predator. They can be wandering aimlessly on the other side of the room, taking in their surroundings and suddenly, but without any sense of rush or haste, be staring you in the eye asking pointed questions they clearly want honest and correct answers to.

So, eventually, they assure the Hargovan that they're fine, welcome to the neighborhood, visitors. And by the way, how long are you planning on visiting before you go home?

The Gornial eventually lay out their requirements of the Hargovan and it's clear, they're intentionally hard for the Hargovan to fulfill and no good alternatives are offered.

With that the Gornial indicate they're departing, have a lovely day and make sure to contact your Chelan representation, which has almost certainly been organized by now. Be hearing from you very soon. Not a question. A simple statement of a fact.

The Gornial Statement

The resolution of the Hargovan/Gornial diplomatic conflict and the Hargovan's assistance to the Bel leave the Hargovan in very good stead in this sector of space. As a result, the Bel, who have already upgraded the Hargovan ship with some Bel technology, offer the Hargovan something more valuable than knowledge -- wisdom. They provide the Hargovan information and insight that leads to an understanding of the universe and their place in it that isn't as much about physics and engineering and technology as it is a philosophical framework that if followed, is a recipe for maturing into an enduring space-faring species. This is why the Bel encourage the non-theistic religion of the Vallok monastery, since it is this wisdom that informs the beliefs of that religion.

Having established themselves as a welcome part of this new sector of space, the Hargovan begin their journey home, having achieved successes well beyond their goals and a treasure beyond price.

Wisdom Beyond Our Ken

Upon departing from Vallok, the Hargovan follow the instructions to contact the Bel and seek guidance. The Bel's orbital around a white dwarf star is an impressive structure. The Hargovan land a shuttle pod on the surface of an oddly pastoral artificial planet populated by odd creatures grazing on the fauna. One of the creatures approaches and tells them to take the transport that has appeared behind them and they'll meet the Bel. The transport takes them deep below the surface, but the Bel are nowhere to be seen. Devices appear to communicate with them, seemingly out of nowhere and then disappear when they're no longer needed. Upon learning of the Hargovan's situation, the Bel have a proposal. A plan that will get them out of this situation.

Introduction to the Bel

The Hargovan resume their explorations, and wouldn't you know it, the Gornial show up wondering why the agreement hasn't been formalized yet. They ask the Hargovan something to the effect of "who exactly made your very young civilization such bold interlopers who think they can just swan in and act like you belong here to do as you please without proper respect for the elders of this region?" Quite unhappy. The Hargovan are pleased to be able to slink off with their skins and ship intact.

Further Complications

The Bel's mission for the Hargovan is dangerous and it is touch and go. The crew and their ship survive, taking quite a bit of damage and some injuries. However, they successfully deploy the Bel device and retrieve the samples sought by the Bel. The Bel provide repairs and improvements to the Hargovan ship after the harrowing mission.

The Gateway

The Bel offer their advice, but the suggested course of action will be dangerous and will require successful execution and positive results if they do not want to anger the Gornial further. If they fail, it may be to late to simply choose to go home.

The Bel provide a technological device that allows the Hargovan a way to enter the cosmic rift safely. The rift is actually a gateway, a portal, to a pocket universe created by the Bel as part of their plans to migrate to other realities. The Hargovan to need to retrieve something the Bel are not able to retrieve because of the nature of the pocket universe is currently incompatible with the Bel's existence. The goal is deploy some devices and to retrieve materials that will allow the Bel to modify the far side of the portal to be compatible with the existence of the Bel and their technology.

The Bel are unable to ask the Gornial or the Chelan as they would discover things that the Bel do not want them to know. They can't trust the other space-faring species who live in this region, lest they use the information and materials in a way that would disable the sector's stability. However, the Hargovan don't have the technological advancement necessary to exploit these materials and in any case, their back is against the wall if they choose this path. So their relative naivete, status as outsiders and the need to succeed in this task make them the only candidate the Bel feels they can trust.

A Risky Plan

This is the author's narration of Space Opera, the story to the album.

Space Opera: The Audiobook

I've been making music my whole life. I made some albums 20 years ago and have returned to it in the last five years. I do it largely for myself, but I hope you find it enjoyable as well.

Space Opera

The Lanavishnu Orchestra