*puts on tin foil hat*
!!Renegades Spoilers!!
I was rereading some old Edge of Fate lore tabs when I read the “Ulterior Observation” entry on Ishtar.
On my first read, the color descriptions of the Collapse art pieces were strange as they were so different to the magentas, blacks and blues we associate with the Pale Heart portal, but revisiting them, I think they are hinting at something much bigger!!
“// Third image: Acrylic paint on wood. Bold blocks of color. Two spheres: the larger one blue with green swirls, the smaller one eggshell white. A deep red fills the background. The lines are mostly crisp. Some red has bled into the white sphere, where the artist left a light smudge trying to correct the error. //“ (Ulterior Observation)
Post-Renegades, I am inclined to believe that the red background bleeding into the Traveler might be Eclipse Energy and was a reason the Collapse failed!
Halting the Witness from entering the Traveler is a massive feat as it is resistant to both dark and light efforts, making anti-paracausal technology a plausible Sol defense as I doubt the Witness expected or was prepared to counter an unfamiliar energy at such a precious moment. It has such a mastery over darkness and light seems to wash over pyramids unless it’s a concentrated beam unfit to deal with a whole fleet, leading me to believe that there is another factor at play that lead to it retreating.
Eclipse would also explain why humans were able to survive a force strong enough to rid Sol of aggressors, as they are not paracausal, and why the Aionians in that entry did not receive any side effects a light blast would bring (like post-Red War where defeating Ghaul sent a wave beyond the heliopause).
The Traveler and the Veil being together in that drawing additionally implies this was before Savathûn hid the Veil and the chaos of the eclipse blast could be a strong alibi in her favor as to why everything went wrong! It might be capable of sinking pyramids and can be blamed for downing a certain nightmarish disciple! Savathûn’s interest in black holes, her interactions with Lavinia, plots against the Witness, and a want to transcend this universe gives her strong ties to Nine association.
From a writing standpoint, it would also be strange to include Collapse lore in the introduction to a saga about the Nine if the Nine were not involved in the matter, plus introducing a red energy called Eclipse only to have the emphasized red energy from this entry be a different force would be an odd choice.
But maybe I’m just cooking slop, idk, I just wanted to hear your thoughts on this! I’m always interested in your lore reads!
Take care!