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  • The View from Above

    DFSF2
    Tau Ceti Star System

    ‘Tlotl yawned.

    ‘This job is so boring,’ he resonated softly to himself. ‘And to think it was sold to me as a scientific research project.’

    He was staffing the Deep Sensor Flowering Search space station on the outer fringes of the Tau Ceti star system. Theirs was an early warning service, designed to pick up with their delicate resonance sensing equipment the first mutterings of the Manifolds if they commenced the flowering emanations. His job was to look at the screens and react if there was the slightest disturbance in the resonance field monitored in their quadrant.

    He was at the middle of his shift, and he yawned again, and waggled uncomfortably on the couch. He scanned the screen again, and adjusted the resonance detector download yoke around his neck and shoulders more comfortably.

    He wondered if he dared play some of the deep-res crystal he’d smuggled aboard. All the others would be asleep for at least three hours. It would help pass the time, and although the deep resonance pulsing through his body would mask all but the most blaring signal of commencement of flowering by any of the Manifolds, really, what were the chances of that happening on his watch, this day when he had the deep-res running after it not happening for sixty years. None.

    ‘Tlotl reached into his personal kitpouch and pulled out the player and the small collar attachment. He popped in the disc and activated.

    The deep-resonance group was The Ninth Manifold, and they were the hottest thing on the Rim Systems just now.

    ‘Tlotl leaned back in the couch, and let the waves of resonance wash through his bones and tusks, and relaxed.

    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    He thought dreamily of the last furlough, when he was back on Rim Delta and had attended the concert given by The Ninth Manifold. It had been held at the Sensitorium, a building uniquely designed with baffles and angles to capture and redirect and amplify the resonances and alterations in many subtle ways.

    An all-purpose building, used for lectures, cultural events, sports and concerts, it held about 3000 beings when seated, or 5000 standing.

    The Ninth Manifold concert was standing room only.

    ‘Tlotl had arrived just as the warm up group were finishing their number. A frag-res kind of group, their resonances were disassociative and disjointed, staccato bursts of resonance that grated on the bones and tusks and didn’t let the audience capture or alter or augment. They had their own loyal adherents, but ‘Tlotl didn’t much care for it.

    Then the Ninth Manifold had begun, and ‘Tlotl was enthralled.

    His whole being responded to their pounding insistence and the vibrations began deep inside him. The waves of resonance that washed over the audience were captured in fragments by each, and altered, and the fresh harmonics blended with the still driven wave from the group to form a counter cadence that set up the secondary, deep resonating, in his bones.

    The disc was playing that number now, and ‘Tlotl bared his teeth in a feral grin as he recalled the evening those days ago on Rim Delta.

    As the waves grow stronger, the crowd began to shift and waver....become a shadowy semblance of what it was before......levitating those closest to the source slightly.....

    And the beat grew, and deepened, and the crowd took it and cupped it, catching it in their flanks and reshaping and altering, and the levitated bodies rose higher, borne aloft by the awesome power of the resonance.

    The power grew, and those carried aloft caught it, and in turn they shaped it, turning it and sending it on, and in the act of turning their bodies slowly revolved, getting faster as the resonance deepened until those at the apex were twirling and spinning like tops

    ‘Tlotl resonated softly, internally, “I must try this,” and with that he leapt into the midst of the inferno of whirling bodies. He was carried aloft, borne by the resonance wave, and aware of it breaking all around him, as the power grew yet stronger and amplified deeper.

    He in turn caught the waves with flanks and limbs, clumsily at first, so that he tossed above the crowd like a shipwreck in a storm, but eventually he gained some mastery.

    And he caught, and deflected the waves, to begin a slow torquing, then grew more adept at cupping and catching, altering and sending on so that he began to revolve and propel himself forward above the crowd.

    The beat became more insistent, and faster, and the resonance deepened still more, and ‘Tlotl found himself having to put more effort into the shapings and deflections. But now he was propelling himself as one of a group, above the crowd, revolving individually and circling the crowd as they surfed the waves of resonance.

    Then the pitch altered, and the harmonics changed, and ‘Tlotl fought for control as he ceased the revolutions and was let gently down back into the crowd beneath.

    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

    He sat back in his couch as the crystal recaptured that moment from his memory, and the alterations changed the tone and the mood.

    He sighed, and opened his eyes.

    And sat bolt upright.

    A tiny flicker in the corner of the monitor screen had caught his eye.

    He watched and waited.

    There

    The blips were faint but distinct.

    Resonance activity.

    Emanating from Manifold Six

  • #2
    GOOGLIE ! I was about to suggest you do a view from up on your cloud, but this is even better

    -Jam
    1) The crappy metaspam is an affront to the true manner of the artform. - Dauphin
    That's like trying to overninja a ninja when you aren't a mammal. CAN'T BE DONE. - Kassi on doublecrossing Ljube-ljcvetko
    Check out the ALL NEW Galactic Overlord Website for v2.0 and the Napoleonic Overlord Website or even the Galactic Captians Website Thanks Geocities!
    Taht 'ventisular link be woo to clyck.

    Comment


    • #3
      Tlotl sounds like a lizardmen god from warhammer fantasy battles.
      "I hope I get to punch you in the face one day" - MRT144, Imran Siddiqui
      'I'm fairly certain that a ban on me punching you in the face is not a "right" worth respecting." - loinburger

      Comment


      • #4
        Heavens, did you see me pee in the fungus
        On the ISDG 2012 team at the heart of CiviLIZation

        Comment


        • #5
          That was pee!

          I'd not recommend drinkin' the latest batch of xenorum... I wondered why it was yellow instead of pink...
          I'm not conceited, conceit is a fault and I have no faults...

          Civ and WoW are my crack... just one... more... turn...

          Comment


          • #6
            /me thought it was always yellow.

            -Jam
            1) The crappy metaspam is an affront to the true manner of the artform. - Dauphin
            That's like trying to overninja a ninja when you aren't a mammal. CAN'T BE DONE. - Kassi on doublecrossing Ljube-ljcvetko
            Check out the ALL NEW Galactic Overlord Website for v2.0 and the Napoleonic Overlord Website or even the Galactic Captians Website Thanks Geocities!
            Taht 'ventisular link be woo to clyck.

            Comment


            • #7
              Bunnies!
              Welcome to the DBTSverse!
              God, Allah, boedha, siva, the stars, tealeaves and the palm of you hand. If you are so desperately looking for something to believe in GO FIND A MIRROR
              'Space05us is just a stupid nice guy' - Space05us

              Comment


              • #8
                Nice, Googlie.
                I watched you fall. I think I pushed.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Great story start.

                  You don't get to 300 losses without being a pretty exceptional goaltender.-- Ben Kenobi speaking of Roberto Luongo

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    HURCULES!!! YOU RUINED A PERFECTLY GOOD BATCH OF RUM!!!
                    Now if you will excuse my, I need to go brush my teeth and Drink some mouth wash. (Sometimes I HATE being the director of Deepsea Biological Xenorum Research.)

                    btw, nice story GooglieGod!
                    "War forced us into the seas. When we came back upon the surface, it was a ruined and desolate place. We knew that it was not long before even the most secluded spot in the seas of Earth was polluted, so we left to the the sea of stars. That is how we came to be on Chiron."
                    -Dameon McPherson, Leader of the Atlantians, "The Exodus"

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      jamski now knows where that mysterious batch of xenorum he has came from . Mwahahahahaha!
                      "War forced us into the seas. When we came back upon the surface, it was a ruined and desolate place. We knew that it was not long before even the most secluded spot in the seas of Earth was polluted, so we left to the the sea of stars. That is how we came to be on Chiron."
                      -Dameon McPherson, Leader of the Atlantians, "The Exodus"

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        DFSF2
                        Tau Ceti Star System


                        ‘Tlotl settled back on his haunches, and adjusted the recliner carriage to a more comfortable position. His mandibles quivered slightly in agitation as he tried to digest what he had been reviewing.

                        Reaching towards the screen with a hooked talon, he motioned a small circle and the resrec crystal rehomed to start.

                        He had annotated those portions of the resonance recording that he wanted slowed in the re-run, but already he had drawn some exciting conclusions. Mentally enumerating them, he pondered:

                        A huge resonance blast right at the perimeter of Manifold Six’s sensory field, followed by a gradual strengthening of signals from nine emanators, then, judging from the sensor activity, on manifold Six’s surface itself, seven small and one larger final resonance bursts, and a few moments later a much stronger burst.

                        What did it mean?

                        He reran the resrec at high speed, pausing only at the significant places he’d identified.

                        That first blast – right at the outer reaches of Manifold Six’s sensory field. He’d only seen something similar once before, when a Usurper battle cruiser exited the Harmony wormhole with significant drive damage, and the caretaker defenses had taken it out before it had been able to broadcast its Mayday message. That explosion had produced a resonance blast right off the charts, and ‘Tlotl was convinced that had the emergence of the current anomaly been closer to Manifold Six it would have been of a similar magnitude.

                        So … was this a case where either a Usurper or a Caretaker scout ship stumbled across Manifold Six – whose spatial co-ordinates had for so long been lost, a casualty of the Secession Wars? And been destroyed by some long lost defensive system the Ancients had left in place around the manufactured Manifold?

                        And what to make of the slave resonances? Escape pods – or colony ships, making landfall on Manifold Six? And if so, which faction?

                        He’d better have his hypothesis ready for Base Commander H’rvath – she’d expect it – but ‘Tlotl was sure that this would go all the way to the Emperor himself. And if this indeed were to be a find by either Maar or H’minee’s factions, then Emperor Go’og would be most displeased that the information was not shared.

                        But what if the emanations were alien in nature? Some other sentient race who had developed spaceflight, and unwittingly stumbled onto Manifold Six?

                        H’rvath would know ………. And that was her, shuffling along the synthsteel floor of the space station corridor now.

                        **************************************************

                        “So – what’s so urgent that I had to be awakened?” H’rvath resonated grumpily, jowls shaking in mock indignation. Of course she knew – to be shaken awake with no explanation would be cause for instant retribution.

                        ‘Tlotl could hardly contain his excitement.

                        “Greetings, Superior One,” he altered, then continued … “I have taken the liberty of identifying the appropriate sections of the resrec so as not to waste your time”

                        “Good, then let’s begin at once” came the counter alteration from H’rvath, as she settled comfortably into the second’s chair.

                        ‘Tlotl set the resrec crystal to engage, and sat back to watch his superior officer take it in.

                        When the screen went blank, he looked expectantly over at her.

                        “Is it Maar or H’minee?” he resonated interrogatively.

                        She turned her tusks to look at him, gazing with troubled eyes.

                        “No,” she altered softly. “The resonance signature is not of Progenitor origin. Emperor Go’og must be informed. Manifold Six has been discovered by an alien spacefaring race - while we ourselves are ignorant as to its location.

                        “But we must collect more data. The sensors will be working overtime now. Have you been able to activate the Nexus?”

                        “Nexus?” ‘Tlotl squawked. “What is this Nexus?”

                        H’rvath looked at him pityingly. “Don’t they teach you anything at cadet school now? Each Manifold is controlled by a Nexus, which is the resonance focal point for the array of monoliths that encircle the Manifold. It also co-ordinates the orbitals and the deep space sensor array. We have been receiving these emanations only because the Nexus is still operating. And it will still be transmitting. I have asked Harmony and the Rim Systems for additional crews, as we will need to triple the resonance surveillance.

                        “What other assets do we have in the area?”

                        “Assets?” ‘Tlotl altered helplessly.

                        “Don’t just repeat everything I utter,” H’rvath snapped. “Do we have any identifiable orbitals or on-Manifold assets other than the monolith ring?”

                        “How would we know?” altered ‘Tlotl. “If we don’t even know where Manifold Six, then how do we know if anything is close?”

                        “The Ancients were meticulous,” H’rvath murmured. “they labeled everything – except the co-ordinates of the manifolds themselves. Let’s see then …”

                        She moved a talon across the screen, and it lit up again.

                        “Display Sensors and Orbitals for the Manifolds” she commanded

                        The sequencing began, as the library system ran through its inventory of assets for the six Manifolds. It stopped at Manifold Six, indicating ongoing extraordinary resonance activity.

                        H’rvath looked closely, then harrumphed. ‘Tlotl looked expectantly over at her, and coughed interrogatively.

                        She pointed with an unsheathed talon at two or three spikes being displayed from the readouts.

                        “Some of the Manifold Six monoliths have been visited by these intruders” she resonated softly. “They have activated their psych-boost elements.

                        “All leave is cancelled for the foreseeable future. Emperor Go’og will expect a full report every turning. Arrange your schedule with your current crew and integrate the newcomers.

                        “I will present this first report to Emperor Go’og personally.”

                        She rose, and gracefully exited the Communications Command Center

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Curses, they've found us! Prepare the orbital cannons for attack! Man the drone-a-pults! Throw everything at them except for the data uplinks!
                          Comrade Corellion, Secretary of Science and Social Engineering for the Human Hive in the Alpha Centauri Police State Game (ACPSG).
                          Function Corelli Omega-9, Internal Affairs Function (Terms 110, 101, 100, 011, and 010) and Advisor on Foreign Affairs (Term 001) for the Cybernetic Consciousness in the Alpha Centauri Democracy Team Game (ACDTG).
                          The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or one.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment And LOL @ drone-a-pults

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              This is great
                              /me has sudden worry that Mim and Roze are actually surprise aliens

                              -Jam
                              1) The crappy metaspam is an affront to the true manner of the artform. - Dauphin
                              That's like trying to overninja a ninja when you aren't a mammal. CAN'T BE DONE. - Kassi on doublecrossing Ljube-ljcvetko
                              Check out the ALL NEW Galactic Overlord Website for v2.0 and the Napoleonic Overlord Website or even the Galactic Captians Website Thanks Geocities!
                              Taht 'ventisular link be woo to clyck.

                              Comment

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