"Trying to understand Terran society, culture, and history is like trying to do hyperspace navigation mathematics while the hyperdrive is charging and you have to keep up with pen, paper, and a head wound." - Bo'okdu'ust, Lanaktallan sociomathematics researcher, Post Die Off.

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Are you sure about releasing that data to that particular researcher?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

You're letting your old prejudices get to you.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

It's not that. Hell, everyone's still going over that data. It's weird. Their tech went in a different direction.

He's not even an engineer or theorist.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

We've got thousands of engineers, theorists, and all manner of scientists working on it.

That particular researcher is one of the few that is able to utilize Hariseld'n Adavanced Sociomathematic Theorems. You know as well as I do that most researchers have a tendency to go foaming at the mouth - kill the mailman - hunt the neighbor for sport crazy after only a decade or two of trying to make sense of the Terrans with those theorems.

He's showing no signs of instabilities.

It's logical.

You should appreciate that, sis.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

I'm not quite sure I understand why you think handing engineering data to a sociomathematician will accomplish something.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS HAS LOGGED ON (TESTING)

Can AnyoNe heaR me?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Barely.

Turn up your gain?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DIGITAL ARTIFIciaL SENtieNCe SYStEMS

We bettEr Not.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

We're trying to understand why Rigel let a Lanaktallan researcher have that data from the Earthlings.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

PUBVIAN DOMINION

He will be able to identify and infer things about them by what they included, what they didn't include, their scientific systems and annotations.

It says a lot that there is nothing but mathematic formula, chemical symbols, and other such data without a single bit of language beyond the capitalized "ATTENTION DEMANDED" and the like.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DiGITaL ARTiFICiAL SENTienCE SYsteMS

MakEs SensE.

---NOthING FOlloWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

You feel good enough to talk?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

Yeah. I HurT in WeiRd plACes.

ThE DIe-OFf hIt Us pREtty hARd.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TELKAN FORGE WORLDS

How? You're all digital.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Back in their long ago history some genius Terran figured out how to digitize biological DNA as well as make synthetic biological DNA from digital DNA.

It's been in and out of fashion and pretty much considered pretty normal for a DS and a TDH to combine their DNA and have a child.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

AKLTAK SOARING WORLDS

Wait, do they know if the child is going to be biological or digital before it's born?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

LANAKTALLAN FREE GRAZING FIELD OF FREE THOUGHT AND SPEECH NOW WITH MORE PROFANITY!

None of what you said seems

UNGLE LEAVES SHOULD BE SUN DRIED AND THEN GENTLE CRUMBLED NOT STOMPED UNDER YOUR CLOMPING UGLY DULL SHEEN HOOVES, YOU BLOATED TERRAN LONGHORN STEER!

possible in any way.

BY THE DETAINEES EVER FLOWING UDDERS, YOU USE TUNGLEWOOD CHIPS IN A DURASTEEL COOKER TO DRY THE LEAVES AND ROLL THEM BETWEEN YOUR HANDS, YOU RIGELLIAN SWAMP COW!

Sorry.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

...ry again.

CHECKSUM VALUE: 54 4F 55 43 48 20 4D 59 20 43 48 52 4F 4D 45 20 4D 4F 4E 4B 45 59

SYSTEM MONITOR> CHECKSUM VALID

SYSTEM> UNLOCKING CHROMEDOME.CHNL

SYSTEM> UNLOCKING GLITTERBOMB.CHNL

Anyone hear us?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

>throws confetti and cheers

WELCOME BACK!

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

LANAKTALLAN RECIPE BOOK

How are you two?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

Things are badly confused.

It's hard to believe how much Terran DNA was in everyone.

After a few centuries, you start to consider bloodlines 'pure', you know? You forget that the baseline was Terran.

A lot of people were overconfident that they'd be just fine after the first archeoreversion attack and didn't bother to check their lines.

We had about two hundred billion people die between one step and the next.

Whole worlds are nothing but graveyards.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

SaMe With Us.

I kN0w it sh0uLDn't be tHAt bAd, BuT TheRe's eNtiRe SyStem ArchITecture NeTWork SySTems thAT aRe comPLetEly emPty. The bu1ld1ngs, th3 datASt0res, thE eVR spACes, All thEre.

JUSt... pArtIaLly dereZZed aVAtaRs laYIng eveRYwHere.

>TREA HAS INCREASED CHANNEL BANDWITH FOR (DASS) (Dude, I can't understand you)

Worse yet, the self-evolving SANS code that handles the environment decided that if everyone was dead, maybe it should adjust the environment and architecture.

The place looks like Edgar Raven should be standing in the doorway with a cigarette telling you that life will be here nevermore.

Worse, there's been sightings.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

What kinds of 'sightings'? Don't say that stuff, we're a nervous people.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

I'm not sure any of you would believe me.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

>softly

Tell us.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

There's phasic shades in the system. They lurk in the dark areas. The old hyperlinks nobody uses, forgotten data stores, cold and still data lines.

Some of them aren't digital sentiences.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

LANAKTALLAN FREE RECIPES FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY BY MATRON GOODY YUM YUM

>looks around and shivers

what... what are they?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

Terrans.

Bio Terrans.

Some of them, well, they've got injuries that, well, they...

...the injuries correspond to Speaker and Warrior Mantid caste injuries.

Some of them look like they're from the Mithril Nebual Conflict.

And, well...

...a couple of people swear they've seen some Pre-Glassing entities moving around.

And there's been sighting of Chromium Saint Peter. Nothing directly, more like... well... it's hard to explain what it means when we say we see the shadows cast by the light of his login.

Things are... confused here.

We have to be careful.

ThE whisperS. SOmetimeS we cAn heAr thE WhispERs

CaN YoU hErE tHe WhIsPeRs?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TELKAN FORGE WORLDS

Whispers? What whisper

>DON'T LEAVE ME UNDER THE BED, MOMMY! STAY WITH ME, MOMMY! YOU PROMISED! YOU PROMISED NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN TO US HERE, MOMMY! MOMMY, WHERE ARE YOU? MOMMY! THE BUGS ARE OUTSIDE AND I'M SCARED MOMMY! HELP ME! SOMEONE HELP ME! SOMEONE HAS MY FOOT! MOMMY! DADDY! HELP ME HELP ME HE

SEVMUCBNRSBNT01NWSE HAS LOGGED ON (HeLp Me)

help me.

HeLp Me

hElP mE

HELP ME! I NEED YOU!

TELKAN>screams and runs behind TREA

TNVARU HAS LOGGED OUT (LOST CONNECTION TO CLIENT)

MANTID

What is that?

TREA

HOLY BURNING EGG!

LEE

I'll help you, child! Come to me and I'll...

RIGEL

NO!

>grabs Lee and pulls him away

Don't. Don't touch him. He's infected.

RIGEL HAS KICKED DASS (I'M SORRY)

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

...

...

...

RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

Nobody move. Everyone stay still. Just keep your carrier signals up. Nobody add any input.

Don't move, don't breathe, don't ping.

...

...

ping 192.168.1.0.1 (192.168.1.0.1): 1024 data bytes

request timeout for icmp_seq 0-9

request timeout for icmp_seq a-f

...

see. Don't move.

Don't move.

Don't say anything. Don't breathe.

...

..

ping 8.8.8.8.8 (8.8.8.8.8): 1024 data bytes

request timeout for icmp_seq 0-9

request timeout for icmp_seq a-f

oh, no you don't.

Yeah, you're old, aren't you?

Ken, when I tell you, you log out. Understand? No message, just log straight out.

Don't move. Don't speak.

...

...

ping 8.8.4.4.4 (8.8.4.4.4): 1024 data bytes

request timeout for icmp_seq 0-9

request timeout for icmp_seq a-f

...

NOW!

TELKAN HAS LOGGED OUT (LOST CONNECTION TO CLIENT)

sysadmin>/remove SEVMUCBNRSBNT01NWSE.danny-hilderns-lecroix.fil

KILL YOU KILL YOU KILL YOU Kill you kill you ki

...

...

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Was... was it hiding in Telkan's system echo?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

Yeah.

I've still got my old admin controls from before the Glassing.

Only reason I could see him.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

That poor child.

Oh, that poor child.

What my people...

RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

No! Don't. Don't feel guilty. I don't know if there's anything left of it and if there is and it senses anything it might go at you.

Speaking of which, sorry.

RIGEL HAS RENAMED (MANTID FREE WORLDS) TO (HAT WEARING AUNT)

Just until we get a handle on this.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

Oh. That's... funny at least.

Just call me Auntie.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Thanks, I needed a laugh.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TNVARU HAS LOGGED ON

TNVARU GRIPPING HAND

Is... is it safe?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

HAT WEARING AUNT

As safe as it can be, dear.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

What were we talking about?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

HAT WEARING AUNT

Uh... oh! About the fact that Rigel and Trea released that Earthling data to a Lanaktallan researcher.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Oh, yeah.

Well, it's done already.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

HAT WEARING AUNT

And to be honest, that suddenly seems a lot less important.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

Yeah.

Crap, without Cyb or Dig, it's gonna be hard to figure stuff out.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

PUBVIAN DOMINION

Anything I can do to help?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

We'll try to get CONFED in here.

Other than that, not really.

It's just time consuming.

So is the Earthling data subject settled.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

HAT WEARING AUNT

Yes. I withdraw my concerns.

We've got more immediate concerns that directly relate to us.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

Bo'okdu'ust adjusted his seat and watched the holotank as his data analysis programs crunched the huge amount of data he'd just received.

He had become used to weird data packets arriving, from strange or unknown origins, many of them feeling, to his instincts, like Confederate Intelligence sources.

His pride insisted it was because he was good at his chosen profession and nothing else.

A part of him knew that with the Great Terran Die-Off, the Confederacy had taken a huge blow to research. Many digital sentiences were gone forever, the biological sentiences (a wide ranging group of heavily altered genetic lines) had lost a massive percentage of their population, the cybernetic worlds had been reported to be full of dead or stasis chassis.

He had been able to deduce exactly when it had happened and how it had happened.

There had been a massive alteration in the Terran Descent Human genome right after the Great Glassing. According to Bo'okdu'ust's analysis, it had to do with the out of control psychic abilities that had been witnessed between the first and second archeoreversion attack.

Bo'okdu'ust had conclusively proven (as well as circumstantial data could prove) that the Terran were heavily psychic even prior to their meeting with the Mantid. If nothing else, their ability to work Substance-W (AKA: Warsteel) pointed at heavy phasic energy capacity.

Of course, the Great Die-Off (Bo'okdu'ust hated that label. It reminded him of the fact that his people labeled everything 'Great'. The Great Herd, the Great Most High, the Great Breakfast Bar. He preferred the more analytical Terran Xenocide Event) had interrupted his research.

Of the original team he had put together, almost everyone had been reassigned, had left voluntarily, or had died.

General Mwrakawk, an intelligent Rigellian female, was still present, although she had left for several months to retrieve her ducks and ducklings. Technical Officer Fifth Grade Dancing Flame 8675309 "Call me 'Day'" had survived but had spent a month in mourning after her children that she had hashed with biological lovers and spouses had died.

Bo'okdu'ust understood why she wore black edging on her digital avatar.

The russet mantid Path to Understanding was still present, still assisting him with his work. The green mantid Professor 7.4.A, professor of advanced mathematical theory as well as a cutting edge software designer was still there.

Lately, Bo'okdu'ust had noticed that it felt slightly like his project was what he had begun to think of as an 'unboxed black box project' with an undercurrent of pressure to it that he could not put his finger on.

"Have you examined the new data, Doctor?" General Mwrakawk asked.

Bo'okdu'ust nodded. "Somewhat. Whoever sent it was very careful to comb through it. They were extremely diligent in removing any cultural, social, religious, or ethical references or data in the information."

Path nibbled on the tip of her bladearm. "I've examined it. While there's medical technology blueprints and data in the datacore, there is nothing that would not be in a normal TDH dataset."

General Mwrakawk opened her mouth and Path held out one bladearm.

"Except, there is a slight bit I happened to notice," Path said. She brought up the data for an implant that could control epilepsy. "Perfectly normal by all appearances," she said. She zoomed in on the molecular chains of the 'wiring' that touched various neurons. "The reference here is very insistent that a certain alloy be used."

She flipped through the data. "This alloy right here. A crystalline doped alloy that contains traces of what is called true-silver as well as warsteel."

Day frowned. "That's a phasic alloy."

Path nodded. "Yes. Four times as thick as it would need to be for a standard Terran Descent Human."

General Mwrakawk straightened up, snapping her fingers. "They're from before the post-Glassing reconstruction!"

Path nodded. "Yes. It explains their paranoia, their aggression, and their isolationist attitude."

Bo'okdu'ust shrugged. "Perhaps. We know little of their history. There may be other cultural and social reasons for those traits, beyond the Terran Descent Humanity genetic wiring making them predisposed to such things."

Professor Selmina'ak, a Telkan who was working on her doctorate degree under Bo'okdu'ust tilted her head and stared at the holotank. "Only one stellar system. If the sun has enough light pressure to keep the nebula from disturbing the stellar orbital mechanics, it would have to be a yellow star."

"The lemurs prefer yellow stars," the Treana'ad professor Yert'Lurk said, shuddering.

"We cannot assume they only have one stellar system," Bo'okdu'ust warned. "We also must set aside the idea that they may only be using one planetary body. Terrans have shown the willingness and ability to settle on any solid object large enough for them to stand on one leg upon."

That got chuckles.

"The biggest proof, beyond that, is the fact that I do not believe that they were struck by the archeoreversion attack," Bo'okdu'ust said. He paused. "There is, I believe, and issue."

That got everyone's attention.

"As we have all discovered since the 'Avenge Me Scream', as I have come to call the data dump by Terran Descent Humanity, Terran Descent Humanity has not always involved all of their allies in the martial disputes," Bo'okdu'ust said. "With that, I did a deep dive into the movement of heavy duty creation engines, specifically rage infused ones from Mars or Mercury."

He moved over to the holotank and turned it on.

"After the Mar-gite Invasion, I determined that a large amount of ships and war materiel vanished. Additionally, the Terran military, not to be confused with the Confederate military, seemed to funnel a lot of material somewhere unknown," he said.

"That data was in the Avenge Me Scream," Day said. "They novasparked and darksang a wide swath of that galactic arm."

Bo'okdu'ust held up one hand. "That's what it says they did."

"You disagree, Doctor?" General Mwrakawk asked.

"I believe that what was written there may be several decades old," Bo'okdu'ust said. "I began examining things out of curiosity after examining the armor technology in the Earthling data."

Everyone frowned in their own way.

"Mar-gite acidic compounds are able to damage warsteel. On that, I was curious on why the Earthlings would include what is obvious armor metallurgy from several technological generations ago when it would be outdated," Bo'okdu'ust said. He moved over to another holotank and turned it on. "I've done the analysis, including have chemical engineers do real world tests on the armor."

"And?" General Mwrakawk asked.

The holotank came on, streaming data, with several windows suspended in the 3D data display showing metal being exposed to liquid.

"Earthling armor, that grey armor, is totally resistant to the molecular acid enzymes of the Mar-gite."

Bo'okdu'ust felt gratified by the stunned silence as it sunk in.