In the shallow lagoon where the squarefin kreel swam, a S'casca of indeterminable age floated peacefully, blue-black eyes shut, letting the sun and the miblask(1) of the hatchlings(2) nearby wash over him, warming his skin even as the water chilled it. It was calm here; but the horrors of the past lay only a thought away, Taarusch knew. Already he could feel the old pit of sorrow opening and the memories streaming out like so many vermin into his mind. His eyes snapped open to the dark-greyness of the undersea. Far away, down on the abyssal plain so deep, he could still feel the miblask of the old weapons humming, a clear note amidst the electric noise of the sea and the S'casca. Even after centuries, so strong! We were brilliant once, and terrible. Around them, he knew, lay the graves of those who constructed them, murdered by the ancients.
His foretentacles weaving about his head in a friendly greeting, a hatchling named Dagguth swam to Taarusch, and, respectfully wrapping his foretentacles around Taarusch's own, spoke in staccato, Kxuch-accented(3) miblask; "The worship is beginning, Revered Elder. The council most respectfully requests that your Holiness lead the ceremony and anoint the ketch. The Eldress of Life-Wisdom has also requested you speak with her after the launch, for..." Here Dagguth faltered a moment, his foretentacles dropping for a moment. Taarusch sensed a sudden scent of distaste in Dagguth's passive miblask, and stretched his gills chidingly. "Disapproval, Dagguth? Your namesake was among the first prophets after the Mistake--this is known. The remnants of the Hegemony hunted him, murdered his family down to the third irr'x(4), and hid his name from the masses. Do you know why? It is because he preached non-judgement; we, mere mortals, with only an infinitesimally small shred of divine miblask within us, do not understand enough of this universe to judge others. I suppose it is a sign of how far we have come that you only disapprove of my relations with the Eldress, rather than do violence to me."
A wave of shame radiated through Dagguth's miblask, and he lifted his fingers to his eyes in apology. "My presumptiveness shames me, Revered One. I beg your forgiveness--" Taarusch lifted a tentacle and patted his shell, projecting streams of forgiveness to the hatchling. "Do not worry yourself; I am not insulted. Now come, let us away to the launch." The two climbed out of the water on to the white sand of the beach, where a skyswimmer waited for them, guarded by two Emissaries(5). From the cloudless sky, Taarusch, even with the weak vision of his people, could see the vast city just a few islands over. As always, a sense of dread came over him as the swimmer approached it. Already, he could feel the miblask of millions, crowding the center of his mind. Daaguth seemed even more uncomfortable, fidgeting noticeably. Taarusch leaned over and extended a foretentacle to gently rub his shell, and spoke in miblask; "Remember your exercises, youngling. It is nothing to fear." Daaguth shivered in understanding, and seemed to calm somewhat. When he was sure the hatchling was alright, Taarusch leaned back and began his own meditation. His teacher, Magusk, had explained many, many cycles ago that while it was heresy and foolishness to force the miblask out of one's mind, as the Ancients had done, it was possible to, by letting it wash over one and become part of one, let it become merely noise, as the squarefin's bellows or the calls of n'mur. When we are more worthy, he would say, this will no longer be necessary. Though it was heresy, Taarusch sometimes doubted this was true. Immediately, he banished the thought from his mind; it was only causing him more agitation. Instead, he leaned back and let the miblask wash over him. But a moment later, it was as though it barely existed.
***
The council chamber was needlessly extravagant; he had always thought so. Filled with ornate sculptures of past Elders and vast arrays of lights on the walls forming the holy symbol, it was a memory of the ancients, when the S'casca had sought to block out the miblask with physical ostentatiousness. Briefly, he realized that he would be able to change it now that he was Revered Elder. The miblask of the room was excited and flighty, almost violent in its emotion. The S'casca had understood and practiced space travel for generations, but now was the first time they would launch a ketch capable of breaching the selfish grasp of Ela Gaan and travel to other fire-pearls. Concentrating for a moment, Taarusch extended his own miblask into the group, projecting waves of calm. Immediately, the room's emotion changed, and all looked to him solemnly. Walking forward to the control panel in the center of the chamber and looking up at the crystal-clear image of the wormhole station on the edge of the system, he touched his fore-tentacles to the communications array and began speaking through miblask.
"As we were one, we are now many." The council, the controllers, and the crew followed him.
"As we were one, we are now many."
"As we were ignorant, we are now wise."
"As we were ignorant, we are now wise."
"As we were digassa(6), we are now miblaski."
"As we were digassa, we are now miblaski."
"With these words and these virtues of uniqueness, wisdom, and miblask, we are worthy of life, of freedom, and of happiness."
"With these words and these virtues of uniqueness, wisdom, and miblask, we are worthy of life, of freedom, and of happiness."
"So do we consecrate this voyage into the unknown."
"So do we consecrate this voyage into the unknown."
A great hum of serenity flowed through the chamber. As the consecration finished, the wormhole station began to operate. With fascination, Taarusch saw, and felt through the miblask transmitted by the communications array(7), the wormhole station begin to thrum with power. Without warning, a huge white light appeared; a wormhole, open and ready for the ketch. With arcs of miblask passing from the station to the ketch, the latter was hurled forward from the station into the whole. As abruptly as it appeared, it vanished. Taarsuch waited for a moment, then two, then four, then ten. The chamber began to buzz with worry. Then, through the array: "We have confirmation. We have breached Ela Gaan."
So begins the tale of the S'casca and their interstellar empire.
Notes
(1) Miblask is probably the most important part of S'casca society. S'casca, having evolved underwater, have extremely complex and sensitive electroreceptors which are extremely powerful even on land. They call this miblask. The corresponding trade-off for this is fairly weak vision by our standards, as well as a lack of color vision. Miblask is sensitive enough that S'casca can essentially read each other's emotions by observing changes in their electrical fields. They also communicate using miblask (via carefully-controlled bursts of electricity released through their foretentacles) supplemented by a wide range of visual and tactile cues. Unfortunately, the sensitivity of miblask is also a problem for their society, as they are mentally and physically overwhelmed by the presence of many living beings in one place; sort of like a 747 right next to your face constantly.
(2) Given that S'casca can live upwards of two centuries, hatchlings are actually individuals from birth to around 35 years of age, when they are considered true adults. Older hatchlings usually serve as functionaries and assistants, and occasionally soldiers, in S'casca society.
(3) Kx'uch is one of the southern islands of Elaam, and is notable for its delightfully complex cuisine and radical art movements which perform exclusively using miblask.
(4) Irr'x means grandparent in S'casca society, so third irr'x would be a great-great-grandparent.
(5) The formal name of the Emissaries, the soldiers of Elaam, is the Emissaries of the Divine One. In these peaceful days, their only function is as bodyguards and police forces.
(6) Digassa is a S'casca term meaning "they who reject miblask".
(7) Given that S'casca communicate with electrical curents, communications arrays essentially replicate whatever electrical currents the other side is sending in.
His foretentacles weaving about his head in a friendly greeting, a hatchling named Dagguth swam to Taarusch, and, respectfully wrapping his foretentacles around Taarusch's own, spoke in staccato, Kxuch-accented(3) miblask; "The worship is beginning, Revered Elder. The council most respectfully requests that your Holiness lead the ceremony and anoint the ketch. The Eldress of Life-Wisdom has also requested you speak with her after the launch, for..." Here Dagguth faltered a moment, his foretentacles dropping for a moment. Taarusch sensed a sudden scent of distaste in Dagguth's passive miblask, and stretched his gills chidingly. "Disapproval, Dagguth? Your namesake was among the first prophets after the Mistake--this is known. The remnants of the Hegemony hunted him, murdered his family down to the third irr'x(4), and hid his name from the masses. Do you know why? It is because he preached non-judgement; we, mere mortals, with only an infinitesimally small shred of divine miblask within us, do not understand enough of this universe to judge others. I suppose it is a sign of how far we have come that you only disapprove of my relations with the Eldress, rather than do violence to me."
A wave of shame radiated through Dagguth's miblask, and he lifted his fingers to his eyes in apology. "My presumptiveness shames me, Revered One. I beg your forgiveness--" Taarusch lifted a tentacle and patted his shell, projecting streams of forgiveness to the hatchling. "Do not worry yourself; I am not insulted. Now come, let us away to the launch." The two climbed out of the water on to the white sand of the beach, where a skyswimmer waited for them, guarded by two Emissaries(5). From the cloudless sky, Taarusch, even with the weak vision of his people, could see the vast city just a few islands over. As always, a sense of dread came over him as the swimmer approached it. Already, he could feel the miblask of millions, crowding the center of his mind. Daaguth seemed even more uncomfortable, fidgeting noticeably. Taarusch leaned over and extended a foretentacle to gently rub his shell, and spoke in miblask; "Remember your exercises, youngling. It is nothing to fear." Daaguth shivered in understanding, and seemed to calm somewhat. When he was sure the hatchling was alright, Taarusch leaned back and began his own meditation. His teacher, Magusk, had explained many, many cycles ago that while it was heresy and foolishness to force the miblask out of one's mind, as the Ancients had done, it was possible to, by letting it wash over one and become part of one, let it become merely noise, as the squarefin's bellows or the calls of n'mur. When we are more worthy, he would say, this will no longer be necessary. Though it was heresy, Taarusch sometimes doubted this was true. Immediately, he banished the thought from his mind; it was only causing him more agitation. Instead, he leaned back and let the miblask wash over him. But a moment later, it was as though it barely existed.
***
The council chamber was needlessly extravagant; he had always thought so. Filled with ornate sculptures of past Elders and vast arrays of lights on the walls forming the holy symbol, it was a memory of the ancients, when the S'casca had sought to block out the miblask with physical ostentatiousness. Briefly, he realized that he would be able to change it now that he was Revered Elder. The miblask of the room was excited and flighty, almost violent in its emotion. The S'casca had understood and practiced space travel for generations, but now was the first time they would launch a ketch capable of breaching the selfish grasp of Ela Gaan and travel to other fire-pearls. Concentrating for a moment, Taarusch extended his own miblask into the group, projecting waves of calm. Immediately, the room's emotion changed, and all looked to him solemnly. Walking forward to the control panel in the center of the chamber and looking up at the crystal-clear image of the wormhole station on the edge of the system, he touched his fore-tentacles to the communications array and began speaking through miblask.
"As we were one, we are now many." The council, the controllers, and the crew followed him.
"As we were one, we are now many."
"As we were ignorant, we are now wise."
"As we were ignorant, we are now wise."
"As we were digassa(6), we are now miblaski."
"As we were digassa, we are now miblaski."
"With these words and these virtues of uniqueness, wisdom, and miblask, we are worthy of life, of freedom, and of happiness."
"With these words and these virtues of uniqueness, wisdom, and miblask, we are worthy of life, of freedom, and of happiness."
"So do we consecrate this voyage into the unknown."
"So do we consecrate this voyage into the unknown."
A great hum of serenity flowed through the chamber. As the consecration finished, the wormhole station began to operate. With fascination, Taarusch saw, and felt through the miblask transmitted by the communications array(7), the wormhole station begin to thrum with power. Without warning, a huge white light appeared; a wormhole, open and ready for the ketch. With arcs of miblask passing from the station to the ketch, the latter was hurled forward from the station into the whole. As abruptly as it appeared, it vanished. Taarsuch waited for a moment, then two, then four, then ten. The chamber began to buzz with worry. Then, through the array: "We have confirmation. We have breached Ela Gaan."
So begins the tale of the S'casca and their interstellar empire.
Notes
(1) Miblask is probably the most important part of S'casca society. S'casca, having evolved underwater, have extremely complex and sensitive electroreceptors which are extremely powerful even on land. They call this miblask. The corresponding trade-off for this is fairly weak vision by our standards, as well as a lack of color vision. Miblask is sensitive enough that S'casca can essentially read each other's emotions by observing changes in their electrical fields. They also communicate using miblask (via carefully-controlled bursts of electricity released through their foretentacles) supplemented by a wide range of visual and tactile cues. Unfortunately, the sensitivity of miblask is also a problem for their society, as they are mentally and physically overwhelmed by the presence of many living beings in one place; sort of like a 747 right next to your face constantly.
(2) Given that S'casca can live upwards of two centuries, hatchlings are actually individuals from birth to around 35 years of age, when they are considered true adults. Older hatchlings usually serve as functionaries and assistants, and occasionally soldiers, in S'casca society.
(3) Kx'uch is one of the southern islands of Elaam, and is notable for its delightfully complex cuisine and radical art movements which perform exclusively using miblask.
(4) Irr'x means grandparent in S'casca society, so third irr'x would be a great-great-grandparent.
(5) The formal name of the Emissaries, the soldiers of Elaam, is the Emissaries of the Divine One. In these peaceful days, their only function is as bodyguards and police forces.
(6) Digassa is a S'casca term meaning "they who reject miblask".
(7) Given that S'casca communicate with electrical curents, communications arrays essentially replicate whatever electrical currents the other side is sending in.
