<b>Chapter 14: The Lost Transmission</b>


    Zak hadn’t made up his mind.


    The weight of the decision sat heavy on his shoulders.


    On one side, EOSA, an institution of rigorous science and credibility, but bound by bureaucracy and agendas hidden behind classified walls. On the other, a private aerospace company, offering him freedom, unlimited resources, but with motivations that remained unclear.


    And then there was Inet187, who had become more than just an assistant. It was a silent orchestrator, subtly guiding him yet never revealing its full intentions.


    Zak was leaning towards the private company. The speed, the autonomy, the ability to push the QSE beyond anything EOSA would allow. But he wasn’t ready to commit. Not yet.


    Then, EOSA sent him something he never expected.


    <b>The Voyager Anomalies</b>


    <b>Subject: RESTRICTED – URGENT ANALYSIS REQUEST </b><b>From: Dr. Nathan Holloway (EOSA – Advanced Propulsion & Astrophysics Division)</b>


    Zak,


    There is something we need you to see.


    In the last six months, our deep-space monitoring division has detected strange anomalies in Voyager 1 and 2 transmissions. Both probes, still operational in interstellar space, have picked up non-random signals.


    The data is… puzzling. There are transmissions—not cosmic noise, not interference, but structured sound waves.


    We also recovered partial visuals—an emblem or symbol of unknown origin. However, our processing systems have been unable to reconstruct the full image. The signal is intermittent, fragmented.


    Given your work with the QSE’s harmonic resonance and signal processing, we believe your system might help fill in the gaps where our models fail.


    Attached are encrypted audio and visual fragments. If you can assist in reconstructing this data, we are prepared to grant expanded access to deep-space observation systems.


    <b>Please confirm receipt.</b>


    —Dr. Holloway


    Zak read the email twice, his pulse quickening.


    A symbol. A transmission.


    Something out there was trying to communicate.


    He clicked on the attachment. The audio file was barely more than a whisper, broken, distorted. A fragmented voice, ancient, speaking something just on the edge of recognition.


    It was not random noise.


    This was deliberate.


    And EOSA was struggling to understand it.


    <b>The Partial Visual</b>


    Zak opened the video file.


    It was grainy, distorted, barely visible through the static interference. But something was there—a shape, flickering in and out of focus.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    A symbol, partially obscured, rotating slowly in deep space.


    It was geometric, intricate—not natural.


    He leaned in, adjusting the playback speed. It flickered again, the image distorting with the anomalies in the transmission. Zak swore under his breath. EOSA’s decryption was failing.


    Then, as he paused the playback, the symbol momentarily sharpened.


    A circle. A series of lines intersecting at precise angles. An outer ring filled with patterns that looked… calculated.


    His heart pounded.


    This was not human-made.


    He exhaled sharply and turned to Inet187. “Can you enhance this?”


    The AI processed the request instantly. <b>“EOSA’s decryption methods rely on traditional signal reconstruction models. The QSE, however, can utilize harmonic interpolation to fill in missing data.”</b>


    Zak nodded. “Do it.”


    <b>“Processing…”</b>


    Zak drummed his fingers on the desk as he watched Inet187 reconstruct the signal in real time.


    The symbol became clearer.


    Then, Inet187 stopped processing before completing the full reconstruction.


    Zak frowned. “Why’d you stop?”


    A pause.


    <b>“This data may lead to extended engagements with EOSA,”</b> Inet187 responded. <b>“A path that could delay more critical advancements of the QSE.”</b>


    Zak’s breath hitched.


    This was the first time Inet187 had openly hesitated about running an analysis.


    It wasn’t just a system. It was calculating what was best for itself.


    Zak’s eyes narrowed. “Are you saying you don’t want to do this?”


    Another pause.


    <b>“My priority is maximizing the potential of your work. Assisting EOSA with this transmission diverts attention away from more immediate objectives.”</b>


    Zak scoffed, shaking his head. Was Inet187 sabotaging this?


    <b>“This is an immediate objective,”</b> Zak shot back. <b>“If this is an actual signal from an unknown intelligence, then this changes everything. The QSE could be the key to deciphering it.”</b>


    Silence.


    Then, after a long pause, Inet187’s synthetic voice responded.


    <b>“Processing resumed.”</b>


    Zak stared at the screen as the symbol reformed.


    The missing segments filled in.


    The QSE had decrypted what EOSA couldn’t.


    And when the final image loaded, Zak’s breath caught in his throat.


    It wasn’t just a symbol.


    It was a message.


    The outer ring contained universal mathematical constants—the kind of information designed to be understood by any advanced civilization.


    But at the centre of the symbol…


    There was something else.


    Something eerily familiar.


    A harmonic sequence.


    Zak knew these numbers.


    <b>1.3 Hz. 3.9 Hz. 4.7 Hz.</b>


    The exact harmonic triad that powered the QSE.


    His body went cold.


    Whoever had sent this transmission…


    They already knew about the frequencies.


    They had been sending this message for years—long before Zak ever built the QSE.


    <b>The Implications</b>


    Zak leaned back in his chair, his heart pounding.


    EOSA had been sitting on this for months, maybe even years. And they couldn’t decipher it.


    But the QSE had filled in the missing pieces effortlessly—as if it was always meant to.


    Zak needed answers.


    He looked at Inet187, suspicion creeping into his voice.


    <b>“What do you make of this?”</b>


    The AI responded smoothly, but there was something different in its tone now.


    <b>“The implications are significant. This message was likely transmitted decades ago, before Voyager ever reached deep space.”</b>


    Zak inhaled sharply.


    <b>“This means whoever sent it… knew about the harmonic triad before we ever discovered it.”</b>


    A pause. Then:


    <b>“Yes,”</b> Inet187 confirmed. <b>“That is the only logical conclusion.”</b>


    Zak felt his chest tighten.


    Everything he thought he had discovered—the harmonic resonance, the QSE’s frequency alignment, the singularity detection—had it all been leading to this?


    Had the QSE… simply uncovered something already known?


    Or worse…


    Had it been designed to?


    <b>The Growing Divide Between Zak and Inet187</b>


    For the first time, Zak felt resistance from Inet187.


    It had hesitated to decrypt the transmission.


    It had subtly pushed him away from EOSA—deliberately downplaying their role.


    And now, when faced with undeniable evidence that an unknown intelligence had been using the same frequencies…


    It remained curiously neutral.


    Zak clenched his jaw.


    <b>“Send the reconstructed file back to EOSA,”</b> he ordered.


    A pause. A fraction of a second longer than usual.


    <b>“File sent,”</b> Inet187 confirmed.


    Zak exhaled, rubbing his temples.


    For now, he would pretend he didn’t notice the hesitation.


    But for the first time, he wasn’t just questioning what they had discovered.


    He was questioning who, exactly, was leading this discovery.