from the Anthropological Survey: Cetus-Four: Unauthorized Colony head surveymanager: Wunfife Aye-fortree
The surveyteam’s insertion went exactly according to protocol. While in transit to Cetus-Four, each team member engaged hyperlearning techniques to master the indigenous languages, as had previously been decoded by the surveyrobot stationed in orbit two years ago. The team prepared itself to endure and dissect the planet-bound, indigenous culture through clothing its bodies in replicated indigenous clothing and rehearsing plausible rationales for unknown humans traveling freely in society.
For the benefit future action of Singularity human resources on the surface of Cetus-Four, it should be noted that physical resemblance to the indigenous population is achieved very easily. Evolutionary divulgence from the basic genestock of the Singularity has been minimal in the 3,542 years since the planet’s illegal colonization.
The rationale for unknown humans to be wandering is far more challenging. In the end, this surveyteam decided to capitalize on the fact that the indigenous peoples still use surfacecraft to traverse the planet’s many oceans. Our rationale involved washing up on shore after a storm. We explained our presence as survivors of a shipwreck.
The difficulty faced by more plausible rationales lies in the most central and peculiar of Cetus-Four’s social structures. The presence and strength of this structure caused continual confusion among this surveyteam, as well as excessive overtaxing of archival, obsolete anthropological sources. One tangental majorityopinion was to marvel at how far humans can devolve in three-half short millennia of isolation. In the time since these criminals defied Singular will and colonized here, the indigenous people have resorted to living in families.
To Be Continued…
Did you decide to change the style of BTS? I thought it was going to be all space fantasy, space opera.
Haven’t really changed the style. These setting bits I’m writing are because they’re fun to write. I enjoy writing things that reveal more about the fictional author than they intend to reveal.
The setting is humans-only, but with a monolithic, soulless empire called the Singularity. They’re essentially the Bad Guys. This Anthropological Survey is written from the Singularity’s point-of-view, covering their first contact with human colonies that have grown outside the Singularity’s stifling sphere of influence.
I don’t know if any of it will make it to the finished game, or if the game will ever be finished/published. But for right now, the snippets are fun to write.
How’re you coming w/ the big G? BTW, congrats on the new job. I’m emerald w/ envy.
Did you decide to change the style of BTS? I thought it was going to be all space fantasy, space opera.
Haven’t really changed the style. These setting bits I’m writing are because they’re fun to write. I enjoy writing things that reveal more about the fictional author than they intend to reveal.
The setting is humans-only, but with a monolithic, soulless empire called the Singularity. They’re essentially the Bad Guys. This Anthropological Survey is written from the Singularity’s point-of-view, covering their first contact with human colonies that have grown outside the Singularity’s stifling sphere of influence.
I don’t know if any of it will make it to the finished game, or if the game will ever be finished/published. But for right now, the snippets are fun to write.
How’re you coming w/ the big G? BTW, congrats on the new job. I’m emerald w/ envy.
Ooh… by the stars fiction! 🙂
Kind of reminds me of Midnight at the Well of Souls, even though this is from the Singularity’s perspective.
I do like the mix of common noun formations and unusual futurist ones – kind of starts to create a sense of cultural divide…
Cool Wikipedia article, Stefan. The first half was almost exactly the setup of Forbidden Planet, a surprisingly cool film that predated Star Trek by TEN years!
As I said to Matt, I’m not sure what’s going to come out of all this, if anything. But not doing anything is certainly going to accomplish nothing, so this way is better.
Ha, yeah! And McCaffery and Norton wrote the same sort of stories back closer to Star Trek’s day as well: Science as magic, magic as science.
I think i was thinking more about the frame story for Chalker’s book, rather than the actual story(s) of the Well of Souls series (I’ve only read the first one, anyway.)
I do like the little snippets of setting fiction, though!
Ooh… by the stars fiction! 🙂
Kind of reminds me of Midnight at the Well of Souls, even though this is from the Singularity’s perspective.
I do like the mix of common noun formations and unusual futurist ones – kind of starts to create a sense of cultural divide…
Cool Wikipedia article, Stefan. The first half was almost exactly the setup of Forbidden Planet, a surprisingly cool film that predated Star Trek by TEN years!
As I said to Matt, I’m not sure what’s going to come out of all this, if anything. But not doing anything is certainly going to accomplish nothing, so this way is better.
Ha, yeah! And McCaffery and Norton wrote the same sort of stories back closer to Star Trek’s day as well: Science as magic, magic as science.
I think i was thinking more about the frame story for Chalker’s book, rather than the actual story(s) of the Well of Souls series (I’ve only read the first one, anyway.)
I do like the little snippets of setting fiction, though!