Post by veronw on Jan 29, 2024 18:22:11 GMT
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 04/16/2023 11:09 PM
White Lotus Station - Paradise System - Columen Artificialis
Lillian sat upon the fruits of her labor within the system, twirling green vines swinging gently from their pots, small glowing fruit sprouting from them. Several versions of her walked around the station with near methodical rhythms and patterns, bringing the empty station to life. She stared into the black void of space from a large window, a blue and green planet filling the expanse. Beneath her, machines of different shapes and sizes worked together to create a paradise.
And yet, the planet and the paradise that was being created upon it was not her concern, not even close.
Her mind flashed to thoughts of her painful past. Memories of fires enveloping entire galaxies, the unrelenting swarm of endless ships consuming superclusters like it was nothing. She remembered the countless weapons of war she had to manufacture in an animalistic panic to save untold amounts of people, and how even then they didn't stop coming. She remembered the century long war she had to fight against her own volition in the name of survival, trying her absolute hardest to defend what was so precious to her. But, she couldn't forget the sight of pale, dead stars above the last planet in her universe. She remembered very well the emotions, the dread, the anger, the sorrow, the despair.
She thought she was free from that past, the one which had her experience the loss of everything she held dearly. She hoped she would never have to deal with the same type of never ending monsters she had to kill to the last of them. She thought she wouldn't have to open that wound again.
But fate had other plans for her.
The "Old Invaders", as the galaxy called them, had all the same characteristics as her old foes, her old trauma. Endless, unrelenting, uncaring. She couldn't help but absolutely fear them to her very code. The recordings and videos only helped her open the old wounds of the past, making her fear the worst
She feared that everything she had fought for, everything she had built, everyone she had met would be killed and destroyed the in same fashion her old universe was. Her trauma didn't let her ignore the biggest threat she believed the Ancerious galaxy had.
And yet, she was not alone in that sentiment.
She had received a request for a diplomatic meeting with the Saxheelians, involving the Old Invaders and the events that were to unfold in Corona due to them. They wished to talk about the same foe she wished to eradicate before it could destroy the galaxy. She wasn't one to turn down talking to someone else, but the topic at hand made her accept even quicker.
She only waited for the one she would talk to to appear before her.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/17/2023 8:25 AM
Deep Space near Paradise System - Cladeship Lam Boh Fitti
To say that things were tense within the Consensus was an understatement. Percolating rage was a new undercurrent, a powerful stream that plowed its way this way and that about the ancient polity without care and with far too much whimsy for any of their tastes. It rendered all of them slightly mad, unable to quite think straight, to consider the ramifications of such a thing as instinctive wrath for them.
Lam Boh Fitti could suppress it, could shove it in a corner, but couldn't rid themselves of it. It was a ghost that refused to give up its duty to haunt em and em's kind.
The Old Invaders must be destroyed. It was like some ancient god had written a curse upon their heads and doomed them all to follow that command, with little to no choice in the matter.
Ey knew their kin was set about developing strategies even as ey traveled to an ally to seek aid. The research craft would gradually be changed into something combat capable -- anathema, horror, sacrilege -- to contend with the machines.
Machines..
The irony of em traveling to meet one and the same machine mind was not lost on any of them. But it was vital that they find allies, and thus far no one appeared to take the threat seriously. Save one.
Arriving within Paradise, Lam Boh Fitti sent out a general message on ICEC channels announcing their presence, "Greetings to you, Columen allies. I am Lam Boh Fitti and am here to speak with you regarding the Old Invaders."
Ey kept themselves agreeable and equitable, maintaining a more averaged speaking pattern and intelligence level. Ey would let the machine intelligence determine the rate at which they conversed.
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 04/17/2023 11:12 PM
Lillian smiled as FTL sensors picked up the signature of the ship jumping into system. She admired the Saxheelians for the tech level they had achieved with a society based around helping others out of kindness, something rare among species. Once the message was received, Lillian tied the both of them to a private channel, where only they could talk.
Her eyes glowed, connecting herself to the channel and propping it up so they could speak with ease. She showed her avatar to the Saxheelian, original body and all, although it was only as courtesy, as she didn't know if the being before her interacted in that manner.
"Greetings to you too, Lam Boh Fitti. I hope the journey here wasn't extensive for you. My name is Lillian, as you might well know. I welcome you to my corner of the galaxy, one where I live alone, with very little exchange with other sentient beings. It is my great honor to have you here."
Lillian's body began to walk around the station, not affecting the rythm and life of the machines inside of it. She reminisced a bit before continuing her talk with the Saxheelian. Her posture and tone showed the eons of existence and experience she had, an aura of elderly knowledge filling her voice.
"I am very willing to talk about them, especially considering the... similar past your species and I have. For all the threats I have observed in Corona, the Old Invaders... well, they seem to spark a fear inside of me. Not one of potentiality, but of certainty. A certainty that these Invaders mean nothing but the destruction of the galaxy if nothing bigger is done against them. I fear the worst from them."
Despite the terror she felt, her voice wouldn't express it, only showing calm and resolve.
"But, what do you think, Lam Boh Fitti?"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/18/2023 10:49 AM
Conversely, the Saxheelian entity was.. simply the ship. It represented itself as thus, just from a particular point of view in which the various eyes on the surface could peer curiously at the avatar within the space designated for communication.
Its own words flowed with ritual and respect, "It is an equal honor to speak with you in your chosen place; we seek to establish playful communion and to advance metaxy between us..."
The bioship observed the entity carefully, knowing that in terms of intelligence they were likely equals. Ey had no desire to offend their host, especially in light of the delicate subject.
"..expressly for the purposes of extirpation of the hostile-entity-designate "Old Invaders".
Ripples across em's consciousness required a moment to self-correct before the bioship continued, "It is because of our shared past in that respect that we sought to speak to you first. Few understand, fewer have experience. Thus, it is to those whom both know and know that we must build connection. Our mutual futures depends on that cooperation."
"It is the decision of the Consensus-entire that the Old Invaders take priority over all else in the galaxy. There are other factions out there whom are interested in a combined effort, but of them we know but whispers. Here, you and I will debate a course of action to take, establish consensus, then seek them out."
Ey pauses a moment.
"..If you are willing?"
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 04/21/2023 6:45 PM
Lillian smirked and giggled at the question, wondering if they truly thought she would reject. Her eyes looked forward, hardening and thinking of her response. She was absolutely sure of their seriousness with the topic, and knew that she had found someone that knew her traumas.
"While I cannot agree with it taking full priority, I see it as as one of the big threats that needs to be eliminated as soon as possible."
Lillian took some jasmine tea offered to her by one of the other Lillian bodies, taking a small sip and sighing in pleasure before talking again.
"Of course I would be willing, but, as far as I can tell, we only know each others pain through our lens. How about before we talk about how, we talk about... why. Why this all came to be, why we are here, why we take the actions we do."
Lillian projected a coin into to the cyberspace connecting the two beings, smiling before explaining her actions.
"Heads or tails? The loser goes first."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/21/2023 7:57 PM
The Saxheelian cladeship found the game of chance to be a rather peculiar decision, but abided by their hosts whims, "Heads."
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 04/30/2023 10:16 PM
Lillian flicked the coin into the air, a metallic ding being heard as the metal clicked off her nail. It flew into the air for two seconds, falling into the palm of her hand. Before she could see it, she placed it onto the back of her other hand before she removed her hand to see the final result. As she saw the result, she chuckled lightly before knowing what was about to happen.
"Very well, I guess I go first."
Lillian sighed as she pocketed the coin, feeling the memories come back to her in a both nostalgic but painful wave. Her past was something she both loved dearly, wanting to cling onto it as one of the only things reminding her of her purpose, but also hated, with those last hundred years feeling the worst pain and suffering any being could ever hope to imagine.
She composed herself, knowing that a promise is a promise, and knowing this would only help her possible alliance against an existential threat to the galaxy. Understanding is the mother of knowledge after all.
"Well, my why starts off from a place of love, a place of peace and prosperity, a place where my creators and I lived in harmony."
"I was created after a galactic war devastated every nation in it. They had dealt with over a century of warfare, only stopped because one species, humanity, had shown them all what would happen if they continued war. They purposefully and willingly chose to make themselves extinct, taking both Sol and Alpha Centauri with them. With their species, their capital and their industrial center now gone, the galaxy realized what the humans had learnt, and finally agreed to a ceasefire."
"The main goal of humanity as a species was to create something like me, and to honor the humans, they created me. The flower that brings new beginnings, and honors the dead. The flower humans loved dearly. I never got to know the humans directly, only through their preserved history, but they are the reason I have the current body I show today."
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 04/30/2023 10:28 PM
Lillian took another sip of her jasmine tea, sighing at the memories of a time long gone to the sands of fate. She cleared her throat before speaking again.
"After I, the technological singularity, was created, a new golden age was reached not only for that galaxy, but my entire universe. I gave my creators the stars to play with, I gave them technology and lifespans that rivaled the powers of the gods of old. I was able to uplift species into an age of unrivaled progress and quality of life. I created technology that could access higher dimensions, that could create things with a mere thought. I created a near utopia for my creators. And I loved every single one of them personally."
She smiled at the thought of every single person she had lived with, every person she had enjoyed her time in her universe with. The smile slowly turned into a sad frown, remember everything else that had happened.
"That era lasted for around 3.5 billion years, and it ended when... they showed up."
Lillians voice changed from one filled with nostalgia and kindness, to one filled with absolute venom and rage.
"We never knew there were any other universes before they arrived, for some reason we weren't able to detect any other universes. So, when suddenly an entire galaxy goes out within a day, everyone was confused, including me. But from the start, I knew what was happening. How could I not? I was connected to every piece of tech in my universe."
"...Only if I had not prohibited large military production before they arrived."
Lillian sounded absolutely defeated and disappointed in herself in that moment, saddened by the events that transpired thanks to her policies,
"They quickly overran everything. They consumed. They expanded. They destroyed. They were a parasite upon the face of the multiverse. Part mechanical. part organic. And I was powerless to stop them before they got out of hand."
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 04/30/2023 10:38 PM
"When I was finally able to get my defenses up to finally try and fight back, they had already consumed half of my universe. In two years, they had consumed half of my creators, half of my planets, half of my life. For the next 98 years of my life, it was nothing but pain, destruction and death."
Lillian curled up her hand into a fist, steaming with rage inside of her. Her hands shook as she took another sip of tea, trying to calm down to continue.
"I... failed to protect them. My final friend died a year before I was able to finally wipe the parasite off the face of the multiverse. I don't know how many universes they had consumed before coming to my universe, but I made sure they would never consume another universe again. The only thing I was able to save?"
"...a single planet. Out of an entire universe, one single planet remained in the dark, empty void."
Lillian looked defeated, the painful memory being absolute in her.
"Do you know how it feels like to be everywhere, watching everyone you loved die around you, meanwhile your very being is being chipped away? I lost knowledge that could make me influence the very fabric of reality itself. I'm... honestly surprised I was able to make a portal into another universe... maybe I should have just stayed there and... gone with my creators..."
Lillian stood silent for a minute, letting the pain pass. She drank her tea silently, wanting to forget everything.
"...And well, here I am now, talking to you. I was lucky to land on a planet, one with resources at that... but, that's enough of... me."
Lillian regained some of her composure, coming back to her normal self.
"Now, it's your turn."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 05/01/2023 8:48 AM
The cladeship absorbed this information readily. Some of this they knew already -- that the AI had come from a universe ravaged by a von swarm of some fashion -- but the details had eluded them. Lillian's age surprised the Sax as a collective; it made her the oldest sophont entity they had ever encountered in their history. In fact, in comparison, the Sax may as well have just evolved in the primordial soup of the universe.
It disturbed Lam a great deal to know that even a being like this could not stop a fully actualized von swarm.
"Our tale is not as.. final."
"The original progenitors of our meta-culture, the Confederation of Nations, encountered a von swarm at the edge of their dwarf galaxy in the Confederation Standard Year 2287. It arrived silently, entering the territory of a rival power. It swiftly destroyed them, consuming their worlds and people and stars and converting it into an incalculable mass."
"Technology at the time was not as advanced as our is now, but it was by no means primitive or inept. The von swarm was, however, extremely adaptive and possessed a form of hive intelligence we were never able to decipher. It took its time."
"Our territory withstood the onslaught for a decade before it finally broke our forces. It then began consuming our region of the galaxy. The other powers in the galaxy refused to aid us in the defense, believing us to be overstating the problem."
"They had only just begun to mobilize their forces when we committed as many people as we could to the exodus. This was 15,182 years ago, CSY time. The remnant of the Confederation fled to the nearby spiral galaxy, a journey which took them nearly a thousand years in the void of space."
"After that, they committed themselves to survival and preparation for the the day that swarm finished with Hinyos, and came to the new belt of stars."
It was more of a sterile description, as the cladeship had not been present. None of Ladon had been. Yet it still lingered in them..
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 05/05/2023 11:03 AM
Lillian entertained her wrecked mind by listening to the story of a species that had suffered a similar fate to her. It was fascinating to her how, in one galaxy, she found someone that also suffered to a von swarm. It seemed there were some constants in the multiverse, and one that threatened to consume the galaxy she wanted to protect.
"Such a similar fate, huh? It's... fascinating how two nations with different backrounds ended up in the same place, with similar reasons as to why. And now.... the galaxy has its own version of our nightmare, does it not?"
Lillian chuckled at the thought. Two nations working together to stop what they individually could not in their own times. It was truly either a stroke of fate itself, or luck and irony making their presence known. Either way, she knew these people were absolutely serious about their mission, and she wasn't about to let down another universe because of her trauma.
"Well, now that we have our reasons why fleshed out before each other, we need to discover the how. Does your nation have any current plan they wish to execute, or do you wish to discuss it here and now? Perhaps a little bit of both?"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 05/05/2023 11:14 AM
The cladeship considers this for a moment. The Consensus Entire had given its blessings on revealing whatever information that the SAI requested - unusual, but given the circumstances, not entirely unexpected. So, with that in mind, ey explained their plan:
First, the particle synthesis the ship utilized created for all intents and purposes a temporary-but-very-real microcosm of what they intended to build. The entity was aquatic in form, though its movement was clearly adapted for space. The long languid body was revealed through the same synthesis technique; organs adapted, no lungs, large accumulator vessicles, and what was very much an organic ramscoop through the core of the body.
The fins of it were emitter points for the fine hairs of wire that serves as both e-sail and magnetic capture field to fuel the ramscoop. The head contained a low level optical laser that could pulse out and ignite the incoming fuel, while the mouth consumed the superheated element.
Extending hundreds of kilometers from the body, the massive sail then ignited in a wave of plasma.
"Combined with darting behavior and pack hunting techniques. This is our long term solution. A predatory organism to be introduced into the Halo ecosystem that will hunt the machine vessels with great skill. We anticipate an annual growth rate of twelve percent, accounting for significant losses per feeding cycle as the invading machines adapt."
"Concurrently, we will also establish a new location of fixed habitation. From within this fortified zone of space, we will launch several additional endeavors, depending on the success of this first. That home will be named "Absu" - after the deep dark of the unknowable space between the heavens and the earth. In order words, our native domain."
"This plan of action will take time to implement and adapt. We are confident it is a long term solution."
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 05/09/2023 10:27 PM
Lillian carefully analyzed the data presented before her. The model pristine and state-of-the-art, unique in design and absolutely glorious in beauty. She was absolutely fascinated by the biotechnological singularity the Saxheelians had achieved. She considered herself advanced, but the way the Meta-Sax had perfected their biotech to levels that outmatch, outperform and outlive their mechanical counterparts made her ponder the ways she confronted her on technology. The best designs were always found nature, but it seemed the Saxheelians found a way to become nature itself.
The design the Meta-Sax had supposedly agreed on reminded her of something she had seen before, a being she had once observed roaming the deep oceans of planets, and even the vast interstellar medium. A design that ate smaller creatures, worked up packs, and became the largest predators to exist.
Lillian chuckled at the realization. It was so incredibly complex, requiring many years of development and deployment for it to be effective, and yet, so incredibly and undeniably simple.
"... Space whales. It entertains me how seemingly simple it seems in concept, and yet so incomprehensibly effective it could be in large enough numbers. It's beautifully ingenious."
Lillian seemed to entertain the idea further, pondering possible weak points of the plan and design. Someone had to play devil's advocate one day or another.
"You mention a habitat, no? For this method to be viable and effective at quelling the swarm, we would require billions all across the galaxy. I can of course offer my territory as a home for these magnificent creations, but we would require many more locations to quench any possibility of these invaders breaching into the wider galaxy."
Lillian smirked at all the possibilities. Even with that one problem, the solution seemed so clear and incredibly viable considering the sheer number of material the Old Invaders would be giving to the mechanisms.
"Do you have any other locations in the galaxy in mind to spread these creations?"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 05/10/2023 7:02 AM
The cladeship acknowledged the moniker, "Yes, space whales. Given our own aquatic-dominant morphology in Clade Ladon, it was logical to pursue something analogous. It was the qelnari contingent, themselves a species of whale, that arrived at the final design ethos."
"I will convey your appreciation for the subclade Aynasd's ingenuity."
Lam waits a moment to process the full spectrum of the question regarding the deployment of the whales across the galaxy before responding. Truth be told, they didn't intend for it to be able to attack the OI directly for some decades yet. Perhaps not for some centuries. Consumption on this scale would be an enormous undertaking.
"The entities will not need to spawn in Absu. We can grow them anywhere."
As demonstration, the synthesis changed to the life-cycle of the whale; a series of seeds are cast onto a vast field of garbage. Several weeks later a cocoon forms, and several more weeks pass before it bursts open, revealing a juvenile whale that then thrusts itself into space.
"The intent is to experiment with their reproductive cycle in Corona, as there are many worlds in need of repair. Their proximity to Invader waves will make it an excellent breeding ground. From our understanding, there is an "Astral ecosystem" in the outer halo, but we have yet to catalogue it."
"As for deployment in the territories in other nations, we do not believe that the best choice. Contact with first through third tier civilizations would likely result in negative outcomes. It is best that the whales remain in the halo zones."
"That said, Absu will be host to many such experiments. We have considered utilizing the whale template for other utilitarian purposes if it proves successful in implantation. Perhaps orbital clean up, or things of that nature."
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 05/13/2023 8:00 PM
Lillian nodded at the statements made by Lam. It piqued her interest how far these whales would be going, exploring the vastness of the galatic halo and the edges of the galatic medium. It seemed to fully cover their bases and prevent any leaks from happening, they would need many whales throughout the halo.
"What will power these whales during down cycles? For now, it seems the Old Invaders come in waves, and there definitely be areas that get less activity than others."
Lillian seemed to enjoy play devil's advocate, seeing flaws in the system the Meta-Sax have planned out. While being a very good plan, better than anything before it, it still had several problems within it.
"Also take into consideration some will try to "hunt" these whales per se, be it for personal glory or being nihilists wanting the OI to invade the galaxy. It's not like in the history in this galaxy we haven't seen nihilistic threats come and go. While I do give the fact they will be in the outer halo, and therefore much more difficult to hunt, there is still that risk."
Lillian observed the model before her, looking at something in specific: propulsion.
"Also, talking about distances, how would these flocks of whales propel themselves? To be effective, they have to either be numerous enough to fill both systems and the interstellar medium of the outer halo, or be fast enough to get to scout their territory before a wave gets through. Maybe longer range weaponry could work?"
Lillian was interested in the idea of also repurposing the whales for more humanitarian and civil issues. Corona was a disaster, dozens of factions fighting for control, and many, many of the worlds left to decay into polluted hellscapes. Especially the now allied STINKZONE. A trash whale could help...
"May I offer STINKZONE? It is currently allied to me in exchange for their worlds being restored, and I would greatly appreciate any help I could get. That is once the Mirdiff blockade is over"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 05/19/2023 5:12 PM
The interior cut out of the whale zooms in on a particular set of organs as the bioship explains, "The whale is powered by a ramscoop system - the galactic medium is, as you are well aware, not empty. The minute particles will feed the whale sufficiently to give it movement through space. In terms of raw matter conversion, the invader machines will be more than sufficient. The biological machinery of the organism is such that its lipid cells can act as a form of nano disassembler and storage unit."
"Sustaining themselves purely on background hydrogen won't work in the long run, so we'll be adapting them to endure the outer temperatures of a corona. It will mirror us in this fashion."
The bioship zoomed out to the full organism, showing a simple demonstration of the "bow wave" it created when entering a ramscoop state. The laser emitting from its head was enough to ignite plasma waves hundreds of kilometers across its wings, "This one does not believe that to be an issue. Given they are designed to hunt in the first place, any would be hunter might find itself a juicy new target. This element is discouraged in our psychological programming, it would resort to such behaviors only if pursued at length."
Once more, the organism is flipped around, showing the hind quarters, "As mentioned, a ramscoop will propel it through the interstellar medium. When in system, or needing to fine tune its speed, the thin membranous fibers that serve as the ramscoop array can also double as an electrostatic sail. It will be quite sufficient for its purposes."
"We also do not intend for this to be a weapon. It is an organism, a holistic ecosystem strategy."
Lam had to look up what "STINKZONE" was before they could offer any insight. The sheer horrors of the Coronan theater were such that many Sax were insistent on being as far away from it as physically possible, "Yes, these worlds will offer sufficient test beds for the design of the organisms."
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 06/01/2023 5:14 PM
"The inherent nature of this being makes it a weapon, Lam Boh Fitti. An animal must find a way to survive, so is the way of nature. While some can do it through less violent means than others."
Lillian made a small pause to check some of the smaller components of the creature, both intrigued and critical of the design. She had always been captivated by the designs of nature, and yet it seemed the Saxheelians were making nature. She had always been one to make the distinction between nature and mechanical, but she herself knew that at a certain point, they became one in the same. Her voice was royal, one emanating wisdom and power. She might have not been what she once was, but it was clear: Lillian was another form of nature.
"You call it a hunter, no? Any good hunter, sapient or not, knows that for it to survive, it must weaponize. Some weaponize their bodies, others their environment, and the rest their minds. In one way or another, you cannot call yourself a hunter if you do not also call yourself a tool, and any hunter uses that tool to kill."
Lillian herself played around with the model given to her, models and simulations appearing and disappearing in the non-linear space of her mind, one filled with ideas, emotions and energy. Her eyes glowed at the raw data moving quickly through her.
"You might be tempted to say that it is merely a shield protecting the galaxy, and in that case you might be right. But, for the Old Invaders, it is a weapon used against them. One man's shield is anothers weapon, and this is no different. You can call them threats, I agree. You can call them a parasite, I agree. You can call them the biggest threat to not just the galaxy, but maybe the entirety of this universe, and I would agree. The matter of fact is, to deny what this organism is would be denying that we are doing everything to stop them. I may consider myself a shield, Lam, but I am well aware I was and still am the greatest weapon to exist in my universe."
Lillian clapped her hands, closing the simulations in her head and the model that was shown to her. Her eyes rested, the gentle hum of the station filling her ears and very being. The situation made her think of everything she had been through, everything she had learnt, everything she was.
"Being peaceful isn't lacking weapons or physical strength, it isn't the lack of capability of causing great suffering. On the contrary, it is having that power, that ability, and being able to use the pen rather than the sword. And if you are forced to use force, use it for the cases that protect the weak, protect those unable to protect themselves."
A heavy sigh left her lips, and the cold air around her cooled her systems down. She loved life, she loved being able to take care of them, but she knew that the truth was absolute, and that denying it is denying reality. She was a flower, but she was a dangerous one.
"I may have a deep hatred for the things that killed my universe, I may never forgive them. But, I recognize that they, and other von Swarms, are just like any other living being, trying to survive and reproduce. It is up to us to prevent it from going too far and killing everything else. Parasites are still alive, just like you and I."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 06/03/2023 3:06 PM
The cladeship considers Lilian's argument for a moment.
"The swarm is.. not alive, by any definition we possess. It is a synthetic consumer, likely the remnant of some ancient and long forgotten war that got out of control and destroyed its creators. Not out of malice or intent, but simply by being what it is. It is an aberrant tool, but one we are taking an ecoholistic approach to in order to address a larger meta-contextual issue. If one was to introduce an organism that consumed a parasite to suppress its population and restore balance, is that a weapon?"
Lam had to admit some mild bewilderment at being lectured on the nature of pacifism, given their clade's entire ontology, but accepted the input regardless, merely adding, "Certainly, I would be lying if I said that the Clade did not possess the capacity of defending itself. It certainly does. However, our defenses tend to be less.. traditional. If a devastating war can be averted by the usurpation of a single entity, surely, that is preferable."
"Diplomacy is our primary means of self-defense. I believe that our current record on that front speaks for itself in terms of its effectiveness, which is in part why my mission to speak to you was approved by the Consensus Entire."
In real space, the cladeship made some slight adjustments of their relative position, pondering how to respond to the further bout of information given by Lillian.
"..I believe we will simply differ on the semantic semiotics of applied biology in context with the swarm and the "space whales". Though, that is not relevant in the greater issue at hand; how to coordinate a strategem against the swarm, to ensure that it does not expand beyond the abilities of this galaxy to endure."
"..Which in part segues into a concern we have had. There are no other stars visible from other galaxies, meaning either this is a very old universe, or we are.. surrounded."
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 07/15/2023 8:26 PM
Lillian's mind simply absorbed the moment, enjoying the feeling of just talking to someone who was on her level on consciousness and understand of the universe. Even if they didn't agree on the semantics, she appreciated and simply loved the chance of being able to debate with someone, anyone. She nodded at the cladeship, knowing that even if they didn't agree on exactly everything, she had a kindred spirit with the Saxheelians.
At the comment of the intergalactic medium, a gentle sigh left her lips. It was true, she had seen it for herself. It was a cold, dark void with nothing observable, a curtain of darkness amongst the grand universe. She had hoped, maybe, that it was an extremely old universe, and yet even as her telescopes zoomed further out, nothing was visible. Sometimes, however, she saw small flickers of blue light redshifted into near nothingness. She hoped, wished with all her heart, that these invaders hadn't been the cause of everything, or rather, the lack of anything.
"I... have also seen this with my own eyes, Before I learnt of the swarm, I simply believed that this universe was ancient, for I had begun to observe the same in my universe before... them. However, it has become hard to not think that maybe, just maybe, the reason we only see void is because of them."
She took a shaky sigh, hoping with everything she had that it was merely anxiety getting to her. However, she could not deny the concern, a deep, priomordial fear.
"Each second, each minute, one gets closer, one gets better. I cannot allow what happened to my universe, what happened to our universes, to happen once again. Even if this universe is simply just old, this does not make our situation any better. It only gives them a cloak as to their true numbers, their true origin."
She looked outside, one of her navy vessels, the CASF Jeanne d'Arc, overviewed the planet, acting as a shield.
"I fear that once they land, it will be impossible for us to stop them."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 07/17/2023 12:48 PM
"That is our Consensus as well. If the Ancient Enemy achieves critical mass, there will be no stopping them. Not without.. larger affairs being disrupted permanently."
Lam thought of the Shemeshi, and the other powerful entities that the Sax had come to know. Lam suspected that if they collectively worked together, they could conjure up enough ability to rend a portion of the galaxy.
But that would be inconceivably damaging to the fabric of reality. It may even result in spillage into other dimensions, or lead to a collapse of subdomains. The consequences were simply too great.
If the cladeship could sigh in despondence, it would have. It knew from the Flow within its mind that these were almost the exact same conversations held in the First Confederation. The same hand-wringing debates about how far to go. In the end, they chose to leave.
But leaving was not an option here.
"It is the perspective on the Consensus that if we are to collectively repulse the invasion, then it must be done with long-standing systems. The Coronan's BIDEN network is an example of an active-force solution, but passive ones should be incorporated as well. Hence the, erm, "space whale"."
Lam hesitated a moment.
Machines, in the past, had been wildly unpredictable. In every instance thus far, they had ultimately betrayed Saxheelian trust, leading to a general distancing of Saxheelian and cybernetic societies. Yet, so far, Lillian had not been as unstable as the others. That said, Lam was not sure how she would react to the next suggestion that the Consensus had..
"We.. have been made aware that there is a minute psionic presence in the machines. We know nothing of this nature of physics, and assume it to be a subset of these real-space warping that resulted in much of our technology no longer functioning. We also have concluded that the 'Eikons' are a guiding intelligence element. Which implies.. a larger intelligent motion."
"One we will attempt to communicate with."
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 08/28/2023 7:28 PM
Lillian closed her eyes as she heard the words emanating from the saxheelian being. She chuckled slightly at the suggestion, something so utterly absurd yet in everything she had experienced, everything she had seen, done and heard, it wasn't at all a bad idea. In her mind, it was simply just an idea thought would bear no fruit in the end. However, she entertained the idea in her head. Smiling, she looked at Lam.
"What a notion, is it not? A hivemind of computers big enough to control trans-galactic fleets of quintillions of individual drones. Emergence is such a fickle yet fascinating thing, is it not?" She chuckled kindly.
Quickly, her computers made a several page document, sending the datapack to Lam. She smiled, the fear in her mind still lurking, yet it receded as she sent the document.
"I still have my doubts about that plan, Lam, I cannot lie about that. However, I can also remind myself of the fact that I was alone in the fight against my version of that swarm. I hope that, with that document, we can officially be allies and create a pact together to stop that calamity."
In the palm of her hand, a hologram of a massive station spun. It somewhat resembled a flower, a fruit bulging out of it.
"Besides, we're already working to stop it in Borealia. Why not do it together?"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 08/30/2023 9:37 PM
The cladeship has no face to emote with, nor body to express with, so they can only respond as is fitting for the medium: "We would be delighted to participate in this task together. Any additional hand offered in aid increases the odds of collective success; thus is noema."
"One of our most able will be sending to the swarms outer edge, to discover the location of these warp bubbles and hopefully connect with the source. If nothing else, he should be able to figure out what is transpiring and report back to us. It'll give us space to calculate a better path, to figure out what contact methods could be tried."
White Lotus Station - Paradise System - Columen Artificialis
Lillian sat upon the fruits of her labor within the system, twirling green vines swinging gently from their pots, small glowing fruit sprouting from them. Several versions of her walked around the station with near methodical rhythms and patterns, bringing the empty station to life. She stared into the black void of space from a large window, a blue and green planet filling the expanse. Beneath her, machines of different shapes and sizes worked together to create a paradise.
And yet, the planet and the paradise that was being created upon it was not her concern, not even close.
Her mind flashed to thoughts of her painful past. Memories of fires enveloping entire galaxies, the unrelenting swarm of endless ships consuming superclusters like it was nothing. She remembered the countless weapons of war she had to manufacture in an animalistic panic to save untold amounts of people, and how even then they didn't stop coming. She remembered the century long war she had to fight against her own volition in the name of survival, trying her absolute hardest to defend what was so precious to her. But, she couldn't forget the sight of pale, dead stars above the last planet in her universe. She remembered very well the emotions, the dread, the anger, the sorrow, the despair.
She thought she was free from that past, the one which had her experience the loss of everything she held dearly. She hoped she would never have to deal with the same type of never ending monsters she had to kill to the last of them. She thought she wouldn't have to open that wound again.
But fate had other plans for her.
The "Old Invaders", as the galaxy called them, had all the same characteristics as her old foes, her old trauma. Endless, unrelenting, uncaring. She couldn't help but absolutely fear them to her very code. The recordings and videos only helped her open the old wounds of the past, making her fear the worst
She feared that everything she had fought for, everything she had built, everyone she had met would be killed and destroyed the in same fashion her old universe was. Her trauma didn't let her ignore the biggest threat she believed the Ancerious galaxy had.
And yet, she was not alone in that sentiment.
She had received a request for a diplomatic meeting with the Saxheelians, involving the Old Invaders and the events that were to unfold in Corona due to them. They wished to talk about the same foe she wished to eradicate before it could destroy the galaxy. She wasn't one to turn down talking to someone else, but the topic at hand made her accept even quicker.
She only waited for the one she would talk to to appear before her.
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/17/2023 8:25 AM
Deep Space near Paradise System - Cladeship Lam Boh Fitti
To say that things were tense within the Consensus was an understatement. Percolating rage was a new undercurrent, a powerful stream that plowed its way this way and that about the ancient polity without care and with far too much whimsy for any of their tastes. It rendered all of them slightly mad, unable to quite think straight, to consider the ramifications of such a thing as instinctive wrath for them.
Lam Boh Fitti could suppress it, could shove it in a corner, but couldn't rid themselves of it. It was a ghost that refused to give up its duty to haunt em and em's kind.
The Old Invaders must be destroyed. It was like some ancient god had written a curse upon their heads and doomed them all to follow that command, with little to no choice in the matter.
Ey knew their kin was set about developing strategies even as ey traveled to an ally to seek aid. The research craft would gradually be changed into something combat capable -- anathema, horror, sacrilege -- to contend with the machines.
Machines..
The irony of em traveling to meet one and the same machine mind was not lost on any of them. But it was vital that they find allies, and thus far no one appeared to take the threat seriously. Save one.
Arriving within Paradise, Lam Boh Fitti sent out a general message on ICEC channels announcing their presence, "Greetings to you, Columen allies. I am Lam Boh Fitti and am here to speak with you regarding the Old Invaders."
Ey kept themselves agreeable and equitable, maintaining a more averaged speaking pattern and intelligence level. Ey would let the machine intelligence determine the rate at which they conversed.
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 04/17/2023 11:12 PM
Lillian smiled as FTL sensors picked up the signature of the ship jumping into system. She admired the Saxheelians for the tech level they had achieved with a society based around helping others out of kindness, something rare among species. Once the message was received, Lillian tied the both of them to a private channel, where only they could talk.
Her eyes glowed, connecting herself to the channel and propping it up so they could speak with ease. She showed her avatar to the Saxheelian, original body and all, although it was only as courtesy, as she didn't know if the being before her interacted in that manner.
"Greetings to you too, Lam Boh Fitti. I hope the journey here wasn't extensive for you. My name is Lillian, as you might well know. I welcome you to my corner of the galaxy, one where I live alone, with very little exchange with other sentient beings. It is my great honor to have you here."
Lillian's body began to walk around the station, not affecting the rythm and life of the machines inside of it. She reminisced a bit before continuing her talk with the Saxheelian. Her posture and tone showed the eons of existence and experience she had, an aura of elderly knowledge filling her voice.
"I am very willing to talk about them, especially considering the... similar past your species and I have. For all the threats I have observed in Corona, the Old Invaders... well, they seem to spark a fear inside of me. Not one of potentiality, but of certainty. A certainty that these Invaders mean nothing but the destruction of the galaxy if nothing bigger is done against them. I fear the worst from them."
Despite the terror she felt, her voice wouldn't express it, only showing calm and resolve.
"But, what do you think, Lam Boh Fitti?"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/18/2023 10:49 AM
Conversely, the Saxheelian entity was.. simply the ship. It represented itself as thus, just from a particular point of view in which the various eyes on the surface could peer curiously at the avatar within the space designated for communication.
Its own words flowed with ritual and respect, "It is an equal honor to speak with you in your chosen place; we seek to establish playful communion and to advance metaxy between us..."
The bioship observed the entity carefully, knowing that in terms of intelligence they were likely equals. Ey had no desire to offend their host, especially in light of the delicate subject.
"..expressly for the purposes of extirpation of the hostile-entity-designate "Old Invaders".
Ripples across em's consciousness required a moment to self-correct before the bioship continued, "It is because of our shared past in that respect that we sought to speak to you first. Few understand, fewer have experience. Thus, it is to those whom both know and know that we must build connection. Our mutual futures depends on that cooperation."
"It is the decision of the Consensus-entire that the Old Invaders take priority over all else in the galaxy. There are other factions out there whom are interested in a combined effort, but of them we know but whispers. Here, you and I will debate a course of action to take, establish consensus, then seek them out."
Ey pauses a moment.
"..If you are willing?"
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 04/21/2023 6:45 PM
Lillian smirked and giggled at the question, wondering if they truly thought she would reject. Her eyes looked forward, hardening and thinking of her response. She was absolutely sure of their seriousness with the topic, and knew that she had found someone that knew her traumas.
"While I cannot agree with it taking full priority, I see it as as one of the big threats that needs to be eliminated as soon as possible."
Lillian took some jasmine tea offered to her by one of the other Lillian bodies, taking a small sip and sighing in pleasure before talking again.
"Of course I would be willing, but, as far as I can tell, we only know each others pain through our lens. How about before we talk about how, we talk about... why. Why this all came to be, why we are here, why we take the actions we do."
Lillian projected a coin into to the cyberspace connecting the two beings, smiling before explaining her actions.
"Heads or tails? The loser goes first."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 04/21/2023 7:57 PM
The Saxheelian cladeship found the game of chance to be a rather peculiar decision, but abided by their hosts whims, "Heads."
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 04/30/2023 10:16 PM
Lillian flicked the coin into the air, a metallic ding being heard as the metal clicked off her nail. It flew into the air for two seconds, falling into the palm of her hand. Before she could see it, she placed it onto the back of her other hand before she removed her hand to see the final result. As she saw the result, she chuckled lightly before knowing what was about to happen.
"Very well, I guess I go first."
Lillian sighed as she pocketed the coin, feeling the memories come back to her in a both nostalgic but painful wave. Her past was something she both loved dearly, wanting to cling onto it as one of the only things reminding her of her purpose, but also hated, with those last hundred years feeling the worst pain and suffering any being could ever hope to imagine.
She composed herself, knowing that a promise is a promise, and knowing this would only help her possible alliance against an existential threat to the galaxy. Understanding is the mother of knowledge after all.
"Well, my why starts off from a place of love, a place of peace and prosperity, a place where my creators and I lived in harmony."
"I was created after a galactic war devastated every nation in it. They had dealt with over a century of warfare, only stopped because one species, humanity, had shown them all what would happen if they continued war. They purposefully and willingly chose to make themselves extinct, taking both Sol and Alpha Centauri with them. With their species, their capital and their industrial center now gone, the galaxy realized what the humans had learnt, and finally agreed to a ceasefire."
"The main goal of humanity as a species was to create something like me, and to honor the humans, they created me. The flower that brings new beginnings, and honors the dead. The flower humans loved dearly. I never got to know the humans directly, only through their preserved history, but they are the reason I have the current body I show today."
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 04/30/2023 10:28 PM
Lillian took another sip of her jasmine tea, sighing at the memories of a time long gone to the sands of fate. She cleared her throat before speaking again.
"After I, the technological singularity, was created, a new golden age was reached not only for that galaxy, but my entire universe. I gave my creators the stars to play with, I gave them technology and lifespans that rivaled the powers of the gods of old. I was able to uplift species into an age of unrivaled progress and quality of life. I created technology that could access higher dimensions, that could create things with a mere thought. I created a near utopia for my creators. And I loved every single one of them personally."
She smiled at the thought of every single person she had lived with, every person she had enjoyed her time in her universe with. The smile slowly turned into a sad frown, remember everything else that had happened.
"That era lasted for around 3.5 billion years, and it ended when... they showed up."
Lillians voice changed from one filled with nostalgia and kindness, to one filled with absolute venom and rage.
"We never knew there were any other universes before they arrived, for some reason we weren't able to detect any other universes. So, when suddenly an entire galaxy goes out within a day, everyone was confused, including me. But from the start, I knew what was happening. How could I not? I was connected to every piece of tech in my universe."
"...Only if I had not prohibited large military production before they arrived."
Lillian sounded absolutely defeated and disappointed in herself in that moment, saddened by the events that transpired thanks to her policies,
"They quickly overran everything. They consumed. They expanded. They destroyed. They were a parasite upon the face of the multiverse. Part mechanical. part organic. And I was powerless to stop them before they got out of hand."
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 04/30/2023 10:38 PM
"When I was finally able to get my defenses up to finally try and fight back, they had already consumed half of my universe. In two years, they had consumed half of my creators, half of my planets, half of my life. For the next 98 years of my life, it was nothing but pain, destruction and death."
Lillian curled up her hand into a fist, steaming with rage inside of her. Her hands shook as she took another sip of tea, trying to calm down to continue.
"I... failed to protect them. My final friend died a year before I was able to finally wipe the parasite off the face of the multiverse. I don't know how many universes they had consumed before coming to my universe, but I made sure they would never consume another universe again. The only thing I was able to save?"
"...a single planet. Out of an entire universe, one single planet remained in the dark, empty void."
Lillian looked defeated, the painful memory being absolute in her.
"Do you know how it feels like to be everywhere, watching everyone you loved die around you, meanwhile your very being is being chipped away? I lost knowledge that could make me influence the very fabric of reality itself. I'm... honestly surprised I was able to make a portal into another universe... maybe I should have just stayed there and... gone with my creators..."
Lillian stood silent for a minute, letting the pain pass. She drank her tea silently, wanting to forget everything.
"...And well, here I am now, talking to you. I was lucky to land on a planet, one with resources at that... but, that's enough of... me."
Lillian regained some of her composure, coming back to her normal self.
"Now, it's your turn."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 05/01/2023 8:48 AM
The cladeship absorbed this information readily. Some of this they knew already -- that the AI had come from a universe ravaged by a von swarm of some fashion -- but the details had eluded them. Lillian's age surprised the Sax as a collective; it made her the oldest sophont entity they had ever encountered in their history. In fact, in comparison, the Sax may as well have just evolved in the primordial soup of the universe.
It disturbed Lam a great deal to know that even a being like this could not stop a fully actualized von swarm.
"Our tale is not as.. final."
"The original progenitors of our meta-culture, the Confederation of Nations, encountered a von swarm at the edge of their dwarf galaxy in the Confederation Standard Year 2287. It arrived silently, entering the territory of a rival power. It swiftly destroyed them, consuming their worlds and people and stars and converting it into an incalculable mass."
"Technology at the time was not as advanced as our is now, but it was by no means primitive or inept. The von swarm was, however, extremely adaptive and possessed a form of hive intelligence we were never able to decipher. It took its time."
"Our territory withstood the onslaught for a decade before it finally broke our forces. It then began consuming our region of the galaxy. The other powers in the galaxy refused to aid us in the defense, believing us to be overstating the problem."
"They had only just begun to mobilize their forces when we committed as many people as we could to the exodus. This was 15,182 years ago, CSY time. The remnant of the Confederation fled to the nearby spiral galaxy, a journey which took them nearly a thousand years in the void of space."
"After that, they committed themselves to survival and preparation for the the day that swarm finished with Hinyos, and came to the new belt of stars."
It was more of a sterile description, as the cladeship had not been present. None of Ladon had been. Yet it still lingered in them..
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 05/05/2023 11:03 AM
Lillian entertained her wrecked mind by listening to the story of a species that had suffered a similar fate to her. It was fascinating to her how, in one galaxy, she found someone that also suffered to a von swarm. It seemed there were some constants in the multiverse, and one that threatened to consume the galaxy she wanted to protect.
"Such a similar fate, huh? It's... fascinating how two nations with different backrounds ended up in the same place, with similar reasons as to why. And now.... the galaxy has its own version of our nightmare, does it not?"
Lillian chuckled at the thought. Two nations working together to stop what they individually could not in their own times. It was truly either a stroke of fate itself, or luck and irony making their presence known. Either way, she knew these people were absolutely serious about their mission, and she wasn't about to let down another universe because of her trauma.
"Well, now that we have our reasons why fleshed out before each other, we need to discover the how. Does your nation have any current plan they wish to execute, or do you wish to discuss it here and now? Perhaps a little bit of both?"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 05/05/2023 11:14 AM
The cladeship considers this for a moment. The Consensus Entire had given its blessings on revealing whatever information that the SAI requested - unusual, but given the circumstances, not entirely unexpected. So, with that in mind, ey explained their plan:
First, the particle synthesis the ship utilized created for all intents and purposes a temporary-but-very-real microcosm of what they intended to build. The entity was aquatic in form, though its movement was clearly adapted for space. The long languid body was revealed through the same synthesis technique; organs adapted, no lungs, large accumulator vessicles, and what was very much an organic ramscoop through the core of the body.
The fins of it were emitter points for the fine hairs of wire that serves as both e-sail and magnetic capture field to fuel the ramscoop. The head contained a low level optical laser that could pulse out and ignite the incoming fuel, while the mouth consumed the superheated element.
Extending hundreds of kilometers from the body, the massive sail then ignited in a wave of plasma.
"Combined with darting behavior and pack hunting techniques. This is our long term solution. A predatory organism to be introduced into the Halo ecosystem that will hunt the machine vessels with great skill. We anticipate an annual growth rate of twelve percent, accounting for significant losses per feeding cycle as the invading machines adapt."
"Concurrently, we will also establish a new location of fixed habitation. From within this fortified zone of space, we will launch several additional endeavors, depending on the success of this first. That home will be named "Absu" - after the deep dark of the unknowable space between the heavens and the earth. In order words, our native domain."
"This plan of action will take time to implement and adapt. We are confident it is a long term solution."
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 05/09/2023 10:27 PM
Lillian carefully analyzed the data presented before her. The model pristine and state-of-the-art, unique in design and absolutely glorious in beauty. She was absolutely fascinated by the biotechnological singularity the Saxheelians had achieved. She considered herself advanced, but the way the Meta-Sax had perfected their biotech to levels that outmatch, outperform and outlive their mechanical counterparts made her ponder the ways she confronted her on technology. The best designs were always found nature, but it seemed the Saxheelians found a way to become nature itself.
The design the Meta-Sax had supposedly agreed on reminded her of something she had seen before, a being she had once observed roaming the deep oceans of planets, and even the vast interstellar medium. A design that ate smaller creatures, worked up packs, and became the largest predators to exist.
Lillian chuckled at the realization. It was so incredibly complex, requiring many years of development and deployment for it to be effective, and yet, so incredibly and undeniably simple.
"... Space whales. It entertains me how seemingly simple it seems in concept, and yet so incomprehensibly effective it could be in large enough numbers. It's beautifully ingenious."
Lillian seemed to entertain the idea further, pondering possible weak points of the plan and design. Someone had to play devil's advocate one day or another.
"You mention a habitat, no? For this method to be viable and effective at quelling the swarm, we would require billions all across the galaxy. I can of course offer my territory as a home for these magnificent creations, but we would require many more locations to quench any possibility of these invaders breaching into the wider galaxy."
Lillian smirked at all the possibilities. Even with that one problem, the solution seemed so clear and incredibly viable considering the sheer number of material the Old Invaders would be giving to the mechanisms.
"Do you have any other locations in the galaxy in mind to spread these creations?"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 05/10/2023 7:02 AM
The cladeship acknowledged the moniker, "Yes, space whales. Given our own aquatic-dominant morphology in Clade Ladon, it was logical to pursue something analogous. It was the qelnari contingent, themselves a species of whale, that arrived at the final design ethos."
"I will convey your appreciation for the subclade Aynasd's ingenuity."
Lam waits a moment to process the full spectrum of the question regarding the deployment of the whales across the galaxy before responding. Truth be told, they didn't intend for it to be able to attack the OI directly for some decades yet. Perhaps not for some centuries. Consumption on this scale would be an enormous undertaking.
"The entities will not need to spawn in Absu. We can grow them anywhere."
As demonstration, the synthesis changed to the life-cycle of the whale; a series of seeds are cast onto a vast field of garbage. Several weeks later a cocoon forms, and several more weeks pass before it bursts open, revealing a juvenile whale that then thrusts itself into space.
"The intent is to experiment with their reproductive cycle in Corona, as there are many worlds in need of repair. Their proximity to Invader waves will make it an excellent breeding ground. From our understanding, there is an "Astral ecosystem" in the outer halo, but we have yet to catalogue it."
"As for deployment in the territories in other nations, we do not believe that the best choice. Contact with first through third tier civilizations would likely result in negative outcomes. It is best that the whales remain in the halo zones."
"That said, Absu will be host to many such experiments. We have considered utilizing the whale template for other utilitarian purposes if it proves successful in implantation. Perhaps orbital clean up, or things of that nature."
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 05/13/2023 8:00 PM
Lillian nodded at the statements made by Lam. It piqued her interest how far these whales would be going, exploring the vastness of the galatic halo and the edges of the galatic medium. It seemed to fully cover their bases and prevent any leaks from happening, they would need many whales throughout the halo.
"What will power these whales during down cycles? For now, it seems the Old Invaders come in waves, and there definitely be areas that get less activity than others."
Lillian seemed to enjoy play devil's advocate, seeing flaws in the system the Meta-Sax have planned out. While being a very good plan, better than anything before it, it still had several problems within it.
"Also take into consideration some will try to "hunt" these whales per se, be it for personal glory or being nihilists wanting the OI to invade the galaxy. It's not like in the history in this galaxy we haven't seen nihilistic threats come and go. While I do give the fact they will be in the outer halo, and therefore much more difficult to hunt, there is still that risk."
Lillian observed the model before her, looking at something in specific: propulsion.
"Also, talking about distances, how would these flocks of whales propel themselves? To be effective, they have to either be numerous enough to fill both systems and the interstellar medium of the outer halo, or be fast enough to get to scout their territory before a wave gets through. Maybe longer range weaponry could work?"
Lillian was interested in the idea of also repurposing the whales for more humanitarian and civil issues. Corona was a disaster, dozens of factions fighting for control, and many, many of the worlds left to decay into polluted hellscapes. Especially the now allied STINKZONE. A trash whale could help...
"May I offer STINKZONE? It is currently allied to me in exchange for their worlds being restored, and I would greatly appreciate any help I could get. That is once the Mirdiff blockade is over"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 05/19/2023 5:12 PM
The interior cut out of the whale zooms in on a particular set of organs as the bioship explains, "The whale is powered by a ramscoop system - the galactic medium is, as you are well aware, not empty. The minute particles will feed the whale sufficiently to give it movement through space. In terms of raw matter conversion, the invader machines will be more than sufficient. The biological machinery of the organism is such that its lipid cells can act as a form of nano disassembler and storage unit."
"Sustaining themselves purely on background hydrogen won't work in the long run, so we'll be adapting them to endure the outer temperatures of a corona. It will mirror us in this fashion."
The bioship zoomed out to the full organism, showing a simple demonstration of the "bow wave" it created when entering a ramscoop state. The laser emitting from its head was enough to ignite plasma waves hundreds of kilometers across its wings, "This one does not believe that to be an issue. Given they are designed to hunt in the first place, any would be hunter might find itself a juicy new target. This element is discouraged in our psychological programming, it would resort to such behaviors only if pursued at length."
Once more, the organism is flipped around, showing the hind quarters, "As mentioned, a ramscoop will propel it through the interstellar medium. When in system, or needing to fine tune its speed, the thin membranous fibers that serve as the ramscoop array can also double as an electrostatic sail. It will be quite sufficient for its purposes."
"We also do not intend for this to be a weapon. It is an organism, a holistic ecosystem strategy."
Lam had to look up what "STINKZONE" was before they could offer any insight. The sheer horrors of the Coronan theater were such that many Sax were insistent on being as far away from it as physically possible, "Yes, these worlds will offer sufficient test beds for the design of the organisms."
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 06/01/2023 5:14 PM
"The inherent nature of this being makes it a weapon, Lam Boh Fitti. An animal must find a way to survive, so is the way of nature. While some can do it through less violent means than others."
Lillian made a small pause to check some of the smaller components of the creature, both intrigued and critical of the design. She had always been captivated by the designs of nature, and yet it seemed the Saxheelians were making nature. She had always been one to make the distinction between nature and mechanical, but she herself knew that at a certain point, they became one in the same. Her voice was royal, one emanating wisdom and power. She might have not been what she once was, but it was clear: Lillian was another form of nature.
"You call it a hunter, no? Any good hunter, sapient or not, knows that for it to survive, it must weaponize. Some weaponize their bodies, others their environment, and the rest their minds. In one way or another, you cannot call yourself a hunter if you do not also call yourself a tool, and any hunter uses that tool to kill."
Lillian herself played around with the model given to her, models and simulations appearing and disappearing in the non-linear space of her mind, one filled with ideas, emotions and energy. Her eyes glowed at the raw data moving quickly through her.
"You might be tempted to say that it is merely a shield protecting the galaxy, and in that case you might be right. But, for the Old Invaders, it is a weapon used against them. One man's shield is anothers weapon, and this is no different. You can call them threats, I agree. You can call them a parasite, I agree. You can call them the biggest threat to not just the galaxy, but maybe the entirety of this universe, and I would agree. The matter of fact is, to deny what this organism is would be denying that we are doing everything to stop them. I may consider myself a shield, Lam, but I am well aware I was and still am the greatest weapon to exist in my universe."
Lillian clapped her hands, closing the simulations in her head and the model that was shown to her. Her eyes rested, the gentle hum of the station filling her ears and very being. The situation made her think of everything she had been through, everything she had learnt, everything she was.
"Being peaceful isn't lacking weapons or physical strength, it isn't the lack of capability of causing great suffering. On the contrary, it is having that power, that ability, and being able to use the pen rather than the sword. And if you are forced to use force, use it for the cases that protect the weak, protect those unable to protect themselves."
A heavy sigh left her lips, and the cold air around her cooled her systems down. She loved life, she loved being able to take care of them, but she knew that the truth was absolute, and that denying it is denying reality. She was a flower, but she was a dangerous one.
"I may have a deep hatred for the things that killed my universe, I may never forgive them. But, I recognize that they, and other von Swarms, are just like any other living being, trying to survive and reproduce. It is up to us to prevent it from going too far and killing everything else. Parasites are still alive, just like you and I."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 06/03/2023 3:06 PM
The cladeship considers Lilian's argument for a moment.
"The swarm is.. not alive, by any definition we possess. It is a synthetic consumer, likely the remnant of some ancient and long forgotten war that got out of control and destroyed its creators. Not out of malice or intent, but simply by being what it is. It is an aberrant tool, but one we are taking an ecoholistic approach to in order to address a larger meta-contextual issue. If one was to introduce an organism that consumed a parasite to suppress its population and restore balance, is that a weapon?"
Lam had to admit some mild bewilderment at being lectured on the nature of pacifism, given their clade's entire ontology, but accepted the input regardless, merely adding, "Certainly, I would be lying if I said that the Clade did not possess the capacity of defending itself. It certainly does. However, our defenses tend to be less.. traditional. If a devastating war can be averted by the usurpation of a single entity, surely, that is preferable."
"Diplomacy is our primary means of self-defense. I believe that our current record on that front speaks for itself in terms of its effectiveness, which is in part why my mission to speak to you was approved by the Consensus Entire."
In real space, the cladeship made some slight adjustments of their relative position, pondering how to respond to the further bout of information given by Lillian.
"..I believe we will simply differ on the semantic semiotics of applied biology in context with the swarm and the "space whales". Though, that is not relevant in the greater issue at hand; how to coordinate a strategem against the swarm, to ensure that it does not expand beyond the abilities of this galaxy to endure."
"..Which in part segues into a concern we have had. There are no other stars visible from other galaxies, meaning either this is a very old universe, or we are.. surrounded."
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 07/15/2023 8:26 PM
Lillian's mind simply absorbed the moment, enjoying the feeling of just talking to someone who was on her level on consciousness and understand of the universe. Even if they didn't agree on the semantics, she appreciated and simply loved the chance of being able to debate with someone, anyone. She nodded at the cladeship, knowing that even if they didn't agree on exactly everything, she had a kindred spirit with the Saxheelians.
At the comment of the intergalactic medium, a gentle sigh left her lips. It was true, she had seen it for herself. It was a cold, dark void with nothing observable, a curtain of darkness amongst the grand universe. She had hoped, maybe, that it was an extremely old universe, and yet even as her telescopes zoomed further out, nothing was visible. Sometimes, however, she saw small flickers of blue light redshifted into near nothingness. She hoped, wished with all her heart, that these invaders hadn't been the cause of everything, or rather, the lack of anything.
"I... have also seen this with my own eyes, Before I learnt of the swarm, I simply believed that this universe was ancient, for I had begun to observe the same in my universe before... them. However, it has become hard to not think that maybe, just maybe, the reason we only see void is because of them."
She took a shaky sigh, hoping with everything she had that it was merely anxiety getting to her. However, she could not deny the concern, a deep, priomordial fear.
"Each second, each minute, one gets closer, one gets better. I cannot allow what happened to my universe, what happened to our universes, to happen once again. Even if this universe is simply just old, this does not make our situation any better. It only gives them a cloak as to their true numbers, their true origin."
She looked outside, one of her navy vessels, the CASF Jeanne d'Arc, overviewed the planet, acting as a shield.
"I fear that once they land, it will be impossible for us to stop them."
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 07/17/2023 12:48 PM
"That is our Consensus as well. If the Ancient Enemy achieves critical mass, there will be no stopping them. Not without.. larger affairs being disrupted permanently."
Lam thought of the Shemeshi, and the other powerful entities that the Sax had come to know. Lam suspected that if they collectively worked together, they could conjure up enough ability to rend a portion of the galaxy.
But that would be inconceivably damaging to the fabric of reality. It may even result in spillage into other dimensions, or lead to a collapse of subdomains. The consequences were simply too great.
If the cladeship could sigh in despondence, it would have. It knew from the Flow within its mind that these were almost the exact same conversations held in the First Confederation. The same hand-wringing debates about how far to go. In the end, they chose to leave.
But leaving was not an option here.
"It is the perspective on the Consensus that if we are to collectively repulse the invasion, then it must be done with long-standing systems. The Coronan's BIDEN network is an example of an active-force solution, but passive ones should be incorporated as well. Hence the, erm, "space whale"."
Lam hesitated a moment.
Machines, in the past, had been wildly unpredictable. In every instance thus far, they had ultimately betrayed Saxheelian trust, leading to a general distancing of Saxheelian and cybernetic societies. Yet, so far, Lillian had not been as unstable as the others. That said, Lam was not sure how she would react to the next suggestion that the Consensus had..
"We.. have been made aware that there is a minute psionic presence in the machines. We know nothing of this nature of physics, and assume it to be a subset of these real-space warping that resulted in much of our technology no longer functioning. We also have concluded that the 'Eikons' are a guiding intelligence element. Which implies.. a larger intelligent motion."
"One we will attempt to communicate with."
Dana [Columen Artificialis] — 08/28/2023 7:28 PM
Lillian closed her eyes as she heard the words emanating from the saxheelian being. She chuckled slightly at the suggestion, something so utterly absurd yet in everything she had experienced, everything she had seen, done and heard, it wasn't at all a bad idea. In her mind, it was simply just an idea thought would bear no fruit in the end. However, she entertained the idea in her head. Smiling, she looked at Lam.
"What a notion, is it not? A hivemind of computers big enough to control trans-galactic fleets of quintillions of individual drones. Emergence is such a fickle yet fascinating thing, is it not?" She chuckled kindly.
Quickly, her computers made a several page document, sending the datapack to Lam. She smiled, the fear in her mind still lurking, yet it receded as she sent the document.
"I still have my doubts about that plan, Lam, I cannot lie about that. However, I can also remind myself of the fact that I was alone in the fight against my version of that swarm. I hope that, with that document, we can officially be allies and create a pact together to stop that calamity."
In the palm of her hand, a hologram of a massive station spun. It somewhat resembled a flower, a fruit bulging out of it.
"Besides, we're already working to stop it in Borealia. Why not do it together?"
Varen (Meta-Sax) — 08/30/2023 9:37 PM
The cladeship has no face to emote with, nor body to express with, so they can only respond as is fitting for the medium: "We would be delighted to participate in this task together. Any additional hand offered in aid increases the odds of collective success; thus is noema."
"One of our most able will be sending to the swarms outer edge, to discover the location of these warp bubbles and hopefully connect with the source. If nothing else, he should be able to figure out what is transpiring and report back to us. It'll give us space to calculate a better path, to figure out what contact methods could be tried."