217. Geode

Geode is the sole planet in orbit around a brown dwarf. The brown dwarf is significantly above the ecliptic of the galaxy and appears to be heading even higher. Its velocity and position are unlikely to occur naturally, so it is presumed, given that and soem other discoveries, that it was sent on its course deliberately and artificially.

The first unusual feature of the planet is the signs of alien presence. Ruins belonging to no less than four species have been discovered, including the Iktomi. Translation of the Iktomi hieroglyph records and investigations into the other alien facilities were prioritized, and slowly gave a wealth of information. What has been pieced together follows.

The focus of the alien studies have all been on the interior of the planet. The visible surface is an accretion layer tens of kilometers thick, enfolding a layer of dense diamonoid material, presumed to be the original structure. The inside of the diamondoid sphere is hollow, and contains an exotic form of matter, never before encountered or even theorized, arranged in complex, slowly shifting patterns. The shifting of the material is complex, but not random. As it shifts it works through a massive set of potential patterns that contain an unimaginable store of information, or, some have hypothesized, describe the minds of an entire society.It is the cortical stack of an entire civilization.

Plot Hook: Geode is a potential source of information billions of years old as well as one of the largest collections of alien artifacts yet discovered. Firewall and Ozma have both cooperated in covering up the discovery, but a secret war seems likely to break out over control of the information.