Elite: Dangerous exploration is now tactile, satisfying, and soundtracked by the whale song of planets

HONK. A single, synthesized note rings out in the void, as deep and wide as the concept of space itself. Not that sound travels through space, of course. But if any were to, this one would - an Inception bwah for the Interstellar crowd. HONK. The discovery scanner calls out in a powerful baritone, like the horn of a cruise ship - but no other ships answer. Here on an unexplored edge of Elite: Dangerous’ galaxy, there are no local factions or fellow travellers. Nothing at all - or so it would seem. HONK. The scanner’s energy distribution bar returns a little information about what’s buried beneath the cloudy exterior of this new system. What gives off energy? Planets. Stars. In the augmented view of analysis mode, our pilot can now make out an ecliptic plane, where most of the system’s mass will be centered. A galaxy is like a plate - once you know its angle, you have an idea of where its contents will be sitting. Next, the pilot tunes into the energy distribution bar like a radio. At the lower end of the spectrum sit the frequencies of rocky bodies or clusters, typically found around stars - but they’re quiet today. Higher up are the Earth-likes, and higher still the Jovian gas giants, the kind named for gods of war and thunder. If the giants didn’t show up, our pilot would move on - the system simply wouldn’t be worth their time. But this time, the gods reply. There’s something here.