Generation ships didn't have FTL. Take the estimated date of launch, subtract today's date, and you get the maximum distance in lightyears it could travel.It occurred to me that almost all Greek myths that "could" be connected to Raxxla involve a Lyra at some point or another, so I'm on my way out to Lyra's Song, to see if anything whispers at me!
Quite a long trip and I have had to much time to think, so please forgive the tin foil, but.....
Image you were the Feds, and you had just confiscated this alien relic, which after having your scientists prod it for a decade or so, you dubbed the "Omphalos Rift".
Just as you are at the point of being able to exploit this artifact, everything kicks off with Marlin Duval and you think having her assassinated will cure all your problems but....instead, her slightly unhinged brother takes over and appoints himself king of the Empire.
Your not sure what's going to happen and you need to keep this extremely powerful yet very tiny object out of the mad man's clutches. What do you do?
Well, some bright spark in your Navey points out that in just a few months time, you are going to start launching thousands of generation ships into the "deepest void". Hide it on one of those! When things calm down, go and find it!
One problem... they mainly get lost....and "what was lost, will soon be found!"
Basically, what if we have spent the last couple years hunting for a planet, when we should be tracking down the missing generation ships?
Didn't DB once say "of course it is, you just don't know what it is" when asked if Raxxla was in the game?
If this theory holds, the ship would have started in Sol, and passed through Lave at about the time of the Dark Wheel novella. Where would it be now, if it held the same course and speed?
Any thoughts?
Though, I think Generation Ships stopped getting sent before the Mars relic was found. (I'd have to check)