The 15/15 Phenomenon
Posted by Linora Thanewulf on Year 15 Day 15
Onboard the CR-90 Corvette The Drunken Squid in system N`zoth (-70, 64).
Epistleman: Good evening sentients. Epistleman: To many, the date is simply a marking of time. A common reference with no more meaning than that. The coincidence of time and date into a repeating pattern of numbers holds a special significance for many sentients. The upcoming Year 15, day 15, at 15:15 or 15/15/15:15 is the next of those dates. Hundreds of thousands of couples, group-arrangements of sentients and individuals intend to go through their various bonding ceremonies on day 15, as close to the lucky time as possible. Millions more are expected to gamble in multiples of 15, and in all likelihood will lose 15 times as many credits as they normally do. Several systems are running contests for a verifiable birth at the lucky moment.
For many, however, it is a time for repentance and fervent prayer, and they urge others to do the same for the good of the galaxy. Public Network spaces, chain messages, and forums around the "Holonets" have been slowly bringing more attention to the doomsday claims centred around the upcoming Year 15 Day 15 at 15:15.
For years, doomsday cults of have whispered about the end of the Galaxy due to our sinful and unabashed transgressions against the Liu-Caste Kopie Wights. On Year 13 Day 335, prophets of the lesser-known Squib god Yekcim announced that after centuries of secret negotiations, the pantheon of Yensid had succeeded in acquiring the power of the Liu-Caste Kopie Wights. They claimed that if the pantheon was angered, then the end of the galaxy would be at the hands of his avenging angels, the Etaroproc Sreywal. Among other trivialities that they claimed could anger the Yensid pantheon, the amassing of credits on a galaxy-wide scale was seen as a particularly large transgression. They did not give a specific date for the apocalypse, but promised that one day the Galaxy would disappear, with the image of a massive set of black squib ears as the last sight for all, burned into our souls for the eternal afterlife with an echoing command ringing in our ears: "Et cessare desistere".
Epistleman: Squib God Reckoning Upon us? Let's ask the Crackpots.
Epistleman: Scientists declined to officially debunk the claims, citing reasons of "I don't have time for your nonsense, we're out of booze and the grant money has run out." So all we're left with is the other crackpots - er. I mean alleged crackpots.
Family Holowave InterGalactic, and their leader, Harry Tenting, have been particularly vocal as well, though they say the real threat is not the false god Yeckim. Tenting says that ancient texts of all the major religions are numeric codes of 1s and 0s that can be used to calculate the sequence of the next alignment of our galaxy with the Shadow Galaxy Uribin. According to him, the last such sequence was on Year 14 Day 14 at 14:14, and was narrowly averted due to the efforts of his group and the devotion of the faithful. Now, he says, the threat is looming again. On Year 15 Day 15 at 15:15 the entire galaxy will be destroyed at the hands of a race of shadowy creatures he calls the Gnov Nahzuuy. He claims that each year the power of the faith of his followers, their donations, and the participation of a special cabal of the chosen few in secret cosmic ceremonies (dubbed "Ved" meetings). He says the Ved meetings coupled with the collective faith and donations sent by the faithful to his compound have narrowly staved off the apocalypse each year, since the beginning of our current calendar. Our reporter Sullivan Case attended at the compound for an exclusive interview with Tenting in advance of the possible cataclysm. Case? Over to you.
Case: "Thanks Dave. I'm here with Harry Tenting, who --- "
Tenting: "I have seen what is to come! The horror of the Gnov! They are the avenging arm of the True God, Monyev, come to revel in the apocalypse and destroy our syn-full galaxy! Our galaxy will collide with Uribin, the shadow galaxy inhabited by the Gnov Nazuy. They will violate us, flay us alive, and consume us all, and not necessarily in that order."
Case: "Okay, well first off, Hello. Um, and secondly most of that doesn't sound good. How did you forsee this?"
Tenting: "The ancient writings of all the major religions contain a secret code that I have managed to decipher. No one religion is correct - they are all pieces of the whole! Several omens herald the end of days for this year, including the massive decline in the galactic economy, the passing of a great power to the forces of chaos, and the revelation that there would be no Ved meeting last year. I have checked and re-checked the texts, prayed for guidance, and I am certain about my calculations. The end is coming on Year 15 Day 15 at 15:15 if we do not stop it!"
Case:"Okay, but the current calendar was put into place only 15 years ago, and the 24-hour day was only put in place because of the central consensus of the Old Republics, so isn't it suspiciously coincidental that the apocalypse is scheduled for a catchy date and time?"
Tenting:"There are no coincidences, Case. All was fortold thousands of years ago, and the hand of God guides everyone, even if they don't realise it. This calendar was put into place because so many are too blind to see the truth. You must believe - we ALL must believe if we are to stave off the Apocalypse for another year."
Case:"Right, speaking of that, you made similar claims last year, but the galaxy is still here."
Tenting:"Across the Galaxy, the faithful heard my message and they prayed and sacrificed some of their livelihood. The chosen ones completed their secret Ved meeting and the apocalypse was averted. This year, however, with no Ved meeting having been completed, we are all doomed! Unless... Your hair is so red. Your jawline so strong... Your eyes... They are like the oceans of Manaan... Could it be?"
Case:"No no no. Wait a sec. I don't think... I'm not the reporter you're looking for."
Tenting:"Nonsense. It is you! You are the sacred prophet, the chosen one who can save us all! See? Come! Come! We must prepare the sacred ceremony at once. Eric! Fetch the holy enema bulb. No no. Holy. H-O-L-Y, not H-O-L-E-Y. What good would that do? There's a good chap."
Case:"What the...? And that's all the time we have for interviews. Back to you in the studio. ... Jerry get me out of here NOW!
Epistleman: Every part of me just clenched.
Epistleman Er... Sullivan Case, everybody.
There's only a finite number of these dates left given the standard galactic calendar. The last such date will occur on Year 23, day 23, at 23:23, so we have 8 more years of this to go through. Hoo boy.
Thank you for watching. And in case the crackpots are right, may Yensid and Yekcim have mercy on us all.
