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Grandpa Q reports black skies ahead

Oldest surviving Seeker sends sixth report from interstellar space.

Foundation’s monthly statistics:  still rising

Oversight body hails latest figures as evidence that an Encounter is just around the corner.

I’m going down, says Seeker veteran

Glorban Asquant says next trip will be deep into the planet’s core.

Foundation’s new computer system still offline

Chief Executive defends decision to source from the military and claims activation ‘imminent’.

Turf Brio, who set out from Qualtern Seeking an Encounter over 120 years ago, sent his five-yearly message to the Outreach Foundation about six months ago, and yesterday it reached them.   ‘Blackness everywhere,’ he reported, ‘and no sign of an Encounter yet.  But I remain hopeful.  Behind me I can see the SunSystem, Qualtern’s mauve light obscured by the burning red of Quint and the orange glow of Aquine.  Ahead is only blackness, the nearest suns just pinpricks.  And so I consign myself again to slowsleep, for another five years, until...’  The report continues in this vein for a few hundred words more, much like the last one and, no doubt, much like the one we’ll receive five years from now.

‘Turf’s a trooper, there’s no doubt about that,’ said Orcus Brank Tiry, spokesman for the Outreach Foundation, late yesterday.  ‘Not everyone would put themselves through the pain of slowsleep revival that often, but he has his plan and he’s sticking to it.  Of course, as we’ve said before, the Foundation doesn’t endorse this kind of expedition.  It’s hard to imagine a strategy less likely to lead to an Encounter than drifting through interstellar space at sub-light speed for hundreds of years and just hoping to bump into something - something that’s been missed by our regular sweeps of the SunSystem Extravolume.  It’s a waste of money, really - a waste of a life.  But, hey, he’s achieved something:  most of our Encountrists last about as long as you’d expect of people hurling themselves into black holes with little training, ie about four seconds - or infinity, depending on how you look at it.  But Turf’s been sending his messages back faithfully for 120 years now.  He’s kind of our mascot, and has more that earned his nickname ‘Grandpa Q’.  We just don’t recommend anyone follows his example.’

Grandpa Q reports black skies ahead