Now that Rasputin is more or less confirmed as the subject for Season of the Worthy, let’s get thematic and talk about something Rasputin related that has been bugging me since I wrote the post on “Last Days of Kraken Mare”. I will be discussing SOLSECCENT and what it really means or is. I think most of you should know how Rasputins code-speech looks. All instances of this code start out in the same way, similar to this: [quote]V120NNI800CLS000 CLEAR MORNING OUTCRY AI-COM/RSPN: ASSETS//FORCECON//IMPERATIVE IMMEDIATE ACTION ORDER[/quote] I specifically want to highlight this kind of line, which seems to declare the specific programs or subroutines the AI is using: [quote]AI-COM/RSPN: ASSETS//FORCECON//IMPERATIVE[/quote] All instances of Rasputin “doing something” start with AI-COM/RSPN: ASSETS, except for one: Ghost Fragment Darkness. [quote]V113NNI070XMX001 SECRET HADAL INSTANT AI-COM/RSPN: SOLSECCENT//SxISR//DEEPSPACE CONTACT CONTACT CONTACT TRANSIENT. NULLSOURCE. NULLTYPE.[/quote] Notice the difference? This is the only time where Rasputin uses AI-COM/RSPN: SOLSECCENT. And this is only where the interesting stuff begins. You might say that it’s just some subroutine of Rasputin, an odd case if you will , but I’m sure there’s more to it than that. It has to be something...special. What makes me think that? We’ll, not only does this only occur once, as I already pointed out, the moment this card takes place is extremely important. It is the moment where Rasputin detects that the Darkness has entered the solar system. It’s the start of the collapse. While this may be the only time that SOLSECCENT appears in Rasputins code, it’s not the only time it’s mentioned in the lore. There’s two more mentions of SOLSECCENT, one in the above mentioned “Last Days on Kraken Mare” and one in “Cosmogyre I” from the Marasenna. What connects all these is the fact that all of them take place at the very beginning of the Collapse. Now onto the question what SOLSECCENT really is. First off, let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way. SOLSECCENT is definitely a function of some kind of Rasputin that is linked to the Darkness. [quote]AI-COM/RSPN: ASSETS AI-COM/RSPN: SOLSECCENT[/quote] I think it’s interesting that it takes the place of ASSETS in Rasputins code, which makes it seem like it is more than just that, an asset, a function. It definitely belongs to Rasputin, but it’s more than just something he has access to. It’s not a morality operation, like MIDNIGHT EXIGENT, a subroutine like DVALIN FORGE, or an alert like SKYSHOCK, because those would appear at a different place in the code. Again, ASSETS comes before every single action Rasputin ever does, except one. If I understand it correctly, it can be described like this: If everything Rasputin can do would be organized in drawers, ASSETS would be the cupboard that all drawers are in. SOLSECCENT is a whole different cupboard. If this is correct, this gives a much bigger meaning to SOLSECCENT. But what is it? We’ll, I’m not too comfortable with giving a concrete answer, but if I had to take a guess, I would give three options: 1. SOLSECCENT classifies all actions of Rasputin that deal with extra solar contact of any kind and the actions that come from that. Based on the fact that Rasputin had and still has eyes that reach past our solar system, I think that SOLSECCENT could be a way to separate this from the inner workings of the solar system. 2. SOLSECCENT is a separate central operative of the entire solar system, that Rasputin has control over. This is based on the suggested meaning of SOLSECCENT that someone from our Discord came up with (sry, can’t remember who): Sol Sector Central. However, there has been instances where Rasputin has made actions that affect the entire system without using SOLSECCENT, so that might disprove this theory. 3. SOLSECCENT is a submind of Rasputin that is tasked with monitoring the entire solar system and potential threats to it. The above mentioned name of Sol Sector Central also applies here. What supports this claim is the way that SOLSECCENT is used in the “Cosmogyre I” and “ The Tenth Avatar”. Here, they refer to it like an entity, not like an operative. They also use it instead of Rasputin, who is knowingly pulling the strings in both instances. Honestly, I think the explanations of 2. and 3. are interchangeable, independent from it being an operative or a submind. Now, with Season of the Worthy just around the corner, I wouldn’t be surprised to see another mention of SOLSECCENT. We know that Rasputin has already detected the Darkness, so should it come close enough, we will see if SOLSECCENT comes back with it.