Story Thread: 1st Darwin's Legacy

[Duke Fred]

Report from watcher Michael, Seraphim 1rst class, gamma sector, 5th dimension to his eminence Arch Angel Gabriel. Stardate 2354.7

Salutations your eminence. We are receiving some interesting reports from our watchers in every sector and dimension throughout the universe. It appears as though strange glowing orbs have risen to the surface from deep underground on every populated planet we surveil. We have no initial theory on their purpose or intent only to say that it appears that this phenomenon has occured simultaneously on every world. We await your orders on how to proceed.

Report from his eminence Arch Angel Gabriel, homeworld, beta sector, 7th dimension, to all watchers. Stardate 2355.2

Salutations. The phenomenon of the orbs has also occured on our own homeworld. Our scientists have been studying the orb and while they have made some progress it remains a mystery where it came from originally and its exact purpose. I can report that we have found it to be millions of years old, even older than our race is known to be and it poses no threat to life. Even stranger is the fact that exactly every 23.7 hours the luminescent glow fades and stange images of myriad races, wars, planets and spaceships travelling in the vast expanse of space appear and remain for only .3 hours for each cycle. We have seen images of our own race both past and present and have seen races of creatures that are unknown to even us. Are these images of other races, peoples that once existed and perished in the mists of time or do they actually exist in dimensions that are as yet untravelled? Most curious indeed. We will continue to study and analyze these images and imform all of our watchers when we have more information.

Report from his eminence Arch Angel Gabriel, homeworld, beta sector, 7th dimension, to all watchers. Stardate 2360.4

Salutations. Our scientists have recorded images from the orb of our homeworld and several of the planets we now inhabit. These images are disturbing in that they show our worlds as burnt out husks with no life present. We cannot say what these images represent at this time but our scientists are working around the clock to analyze them. Whether they are representations of events past or a portent of the future is a matter of speculation. Nonetheless we prepare. We have begun building fleets of ships to expand and colonize the universe with our race should the worst happen ...... we will be prepared.

[Black Sly]

[Berzerker!] Shiva Descending

The ice on the planet's surface glittered coldly in the light of the faraway sun, with no atmosphere to mix the tiny rainbow created at the edge of each ancient shard of black ice.

The faint light of the sun was eclipsed by that given off by some artificial construct now descending on the planet upon four plumes of plasma-hot ionized gases, their heat melting the ice underneath the object.

Hours later, the first scout drone left the vessel, soon followed by hundreds more. A rich world it was, well suited to their entry into this new section of the galaxy. And to supporting their Cause.

All emanated satisfaction, secure in the knowledge that soon they would again be actively fulfilling their ancient purpose.

[Black Sly]

[Berzerker!] Shiva Waking

The message raised all processes to a higher state of excitement. Although production was not yet ready for battle, it might be time again to fulfull their destiny. Drones whistled and tooted happily as they passed each other on their unending tasks, and manager programs wasted planning cycles on projecting domination plans.

The edict from Hal surprised no one, really. Exciting as the news was, focus could not be allowed to lapse. All through the worlds, drones bent again to their tasks, only surreptitiously flashing signals of incipient joy. The War Machine began to rumble into gear, picking up speed.

Where there was one life, there would be more. And however many turned to goodlife, there would be some that resisted.

Besides, if none did... then that would be good, also. Less interesting, perhaps, but massacres were *joyful* also.

Shiva dreamed, and stirred in his sleeping dance. The ancient dance of creation and destruction acquired a wilder, faster beat. Much creation... and more destruction, would soon occur.

Shiva dreamed, and smiled as he did.

[Duke Fred]

Report from his eminence Arch Angel Gabriel, homeworld, beta sector, 7th dimension, to all watchers. Stardate 2390.9

Salutations. We have forwarded to every watcher a record of all the images we have obtained from the orb thusfar. Continue to surveil your sectors and report immediately if there are any new developments in the search for the orb images.

Report from his eminence Arch Angel Gabriel, homeworld, beta sector, 7th dimension, to all watchers. Stardate 2400.0

Salutations. It has begun. We are building fleets of ships to colonize other worlds. The orb images of our burnt out worlds continue to haunt our people and we must prepare for the worst even without a complete understanding their meaning.

Report from watcher Galadrin, Seraphim 2nd class, Alpha sector, 3rd dimension to his eminence Arch Angel Gabriel. Stardate 2400.5

Salutations your eminence. We have encountered a race named the Brittiche that was previously unknown to us but was one of the images displayed in the mysterious orb. We have sent a message to them and we await their response. It is unknown at this time what relevance the correlation between the orb images and our first encounter has for our race but we will continue to unravel the mystery as our scientists and scholars study the orb.

[Hornet X1]

2400.5 Distant Eye Explorer Ship 0002, Unexplored Territories, 3 Way Dance.

“Daddy, is it true they have bodily orifices specifically for excreting waste?” the small crystalline figure on the view screen was several light years distant, connected only by the slim bead of a hyper-pulse ansamble. Even the distance could not prevent the electromagnetic equivalent of a smile from spreading across his silicate matrix. Love for ones family knows no bounds, not even light years.

“Which ones, dear heart?”

The problem was simple. Not even the Emperor predicted that not one but three species would appear simultaneously on the Concordium’s border. Thankfully, at least two seemed peaceful. The third was a gaping question mark in the Emperor’s planned, peaceable, expansion of the Concordium.

The Diplomatic Corps were in a frenzy attempting to gather adequate information to conduct negotiations with the previously unknown beings. While peace could never be guaranteed they could at least attempt to light the lamp of reason in their small corner of the void, for a time. Before the solar winds blew too hard.

“Uhm.... you know, the biologic ones, the hydrogen based ones.”

The idea of Orifices in the physical “body” was a horrifying thought to the Corathan. Such holes were symptomatic of severe illness in their species. But, the idea that they would exist to process waste material actually generated by the physical form .....

“Yes dear.”

“Ewwwww !, Do they eat it too ! ?”

His internal EM emissions could not help but sputter for a moment in consternation. It was obvious that the God Emperor was right in his plan to begin a public program of education on non-terrestrial sentient life. The civilian population could not be allowed to wander the dark corridors of the future unaware of their surroundings and confined to points of view singular onto themselves if they were to survive the future.

“No, No dear, the biologics in question may be different from us physically but they indeed have a culture and heritage all their own worthy of study and respect. Do not overlook the fact that their is more to them than their physical handicaps.”

“Duty calls me, so tell your mother that I love and miss her and I will see you both when next we are allowed transmissions to the home world”

“Bye daddy!”

With a quick burst of emissions, Diplomat 41 watched the image of his little girl fade from the display. Only a hundred years old and still entirely to precious to be in the middle of her childhood. But still, the education system was draining into the abyss and he really must speak to her mother about finding a nice private school or so he thought.

He floated outward into the main shaft of the explorer craft allowing his room door to close behind him. Within the central work area, the holo-tank displayed the features of the three newly discovered species rotating in slow orbit over the chambers heart. With each passing transmission the lower information grid pulsed revised data for the crew’s use.

Negotiations appeared to be going extremely well on at least one front, the other two were currently stable but not enough time had truly been allowed to make an assertion of the Diplomatic Corps success. Instructions from the home world were sparse and basically informed them to act on their own recognizance. Such an encouraging show of faith or something else?

As he glanced over to the second holo-display he could not help but be disturbed. The Emperor had decreed a live feed from the artifact generated “prophecies” be kept in continuous live transmission to the diplomatic corps. The images of worlds being ripped asunder had intensified to a sickening level.

However, as Corps negotiations gained success on one front images of violence on that frontier faded for a time almost as if indicating a time of peace before growing ugly again.

Pilot 22 floated past and followed his gaze. “It almost makes you wonder why we even try.”

“To the contrary, I know exactly why I work and toward what ends.” Diplomat 41 allowed his minds eye to travel back to the display in his quarters and to a conversation moments passed. Her birthday was only a cycle away.

[Nodachi]

Ix called for an aid, it had an important announcement to make.

"Declare a holiday! We have found not one other intelligent species but three!"

"Yes Ix," the aid replied and left to carry out the order.

My theory is correct, Ix thought. The universe is teeming with life. My secondary hypothesis seems to be correct also, life evolved enough to spread to the stars must be non-violent because violence is counter productive. Joyous day!

The aid passed on Ix's order and contacted a friend on the comm.

"Now I agree with you, Ix is unstable."

"I never stated that Ix was unstable. I said Ix has blind spots concerning certain theories. The relevant question is, what can we do about it? Ix controls everything we need to survive, all of the automation. In short, we need Ix more than Ix needs us."

"Allow me some time to analyze our data. For all we know Ix may be correct and trusting aliens may be our best course of action."

[TerranC]

The Sol Intergalactic Dateline.
With your host: Debra Walkman.

Good Evening from Earth, Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is a beutiful June 16th, Terra-Roman Calendar.

In our top news:

After many centuries from the first SETI movement, the Sol Coalition made contact with the Brittiche Empire, another fellow spacefaring race.

Top scientists in the Renewed SETI program are calling this an monumental landmark of human history.

The Sol Coalition Government have attained a comlink channel and frequency from a band of colonists that initiated the first contact, and has turned the Sol Coalition Foreign Bureau and Ministry, which only dealt in inter-colonial matters until now, into a full-fledged diplomatic agency, and talks of a possible treaty between the two nations have been mentioned by CoFeBu.

The Coalition StarFleet Agency, in a press conference released yesterday, has given some kind of grasp to what we can expect the level of co operation will be between the two nations.

*CoFleet Spokeperson*
The Coalition StarFleet Agency, under orders from joint cheifs of staff, and the chancellor himself, has opened all astrometrical data we have of Coalition space, and technology reports and papers in order to be exchanged and traded with the Brittiche Empire for other items of value.

Even though the Coalition StarFleet Agency are ordered to co-operate within acceptable operation parameters, the Coalition Destroyer Aaóuane has been ordered to move into the Brittiche Empire colony of Quikil in order to provide protection, and gather more information about them.

Thank you, no questions please.

*Debra Walkman*

In other news...