A voice. Abrupt, dry, yet playful - uptoning at the edges. The withered, Hamburg German of a man leavened by ages of brief, inconstant comfort and beligerant, continuous strain. This voice was a human cliff, jutting into the sea.
It was a voice that had been reserved for the few glimmers of neural net newsreels. There wasn't a face attached. Perhaps a face would have added clarity - or a desire to terminate the exchange and immediately wire the federal police.
An impressive vitae, Doctor.
Now, Hans. We have a question for you. There is no pressure you respond, of course. If you're a sensible neuralnet user, you'll drop this in the nearest spam folder. But it would be a feather in your cap. Do you consider yourself an adventurous man?
Any man Doctor John Holiday holds in high regard, is worthy of an interview. Wouldn't you agree? Especially when faced with the possibility of the pursuit of knowledge, in the interests of men.
Respond in your own time, doctor. No-one will be looking into this exchange. The relay has barely enough bandwidth for text, let alone any malware that would bypass a consumer firewall.
"Though the past is scarred and the future untold"
" Be the boot heavy, the vacuum cold."
"I of the Liga, do not fold" "For suits or saints or beggar's gold. Information-Recruitment-Message Dump-Feedback
...:::Incoming long-range transmission:::...
...:::Sender ID: Hans von Goeben:::...
...:::Location: Omicron Delta, Freeport 11:::...
Greetings, mein Herr.
I am surprised that the message of my new employment has already reached the Vaterland.
Anyway. Yes, I am an adventurous fellow. I wouldn't be in the position I am right now if it wasn't for my curiosity and taste for the unknown. After all, curiosity is the fuel that powers the quest for knowledge, which is the basis for science. And I am a man of science.
It's only natural that I am interested in your offer. Any kind of knowledge could prove to be of value for my employer, or Sirius at large.
Despite your secretiveness, I will listen to what you have on your mind. Looking forward to it!
With best regards,
Hans von Goeben.
...:::End of message:::...
...:::Secured connection terminated:::...
...:::Transmission terminated:::...
The face that's plastered over the viewscreen is one, that for the few who know him by sight, is notorious. Corin decided not to beat around the bush before it lost anymore leaves.
Doctor Goeben. I am Corin Frei - of the Unioners. We are many different exclamations and, I'm sure, expletives to many ears in Rheinland, but for the purpose of this transmission we are colleagues of your employer, Doctor John Holiday. I'm here personally because I value John as a friend.
I trust him to choose formidable staff.
The Nuremburg dark matter storm is about to wipe out the second most biologically diverse planet in Rheinland - with the most formidable Xenofauna found anywhere in the house. We are about to lose a trove of xenobiological life when they stand to teach us so much about the universe. They are a component of Rheinland's heritage, and therefore our duty of protection - but the goverment has largely left the biosphere to die in the agony of cellular decay. My god, it even left the people.
Pirasharq female predating on a Horagong - Nuremburg.
There are innumerable species of mega and microfauna which present an invaluable contribution to the biological heritage of Rheinland. A thriving biosphere is a vital natural resource. From organic hydrocarbons to materials science innovation - nature is the friend of the engineer and the inspiration of the dreamer. It is a useful, vital, economic quality that the rich seem to ignore and run roughshod over. We Unioners have our varied opinions on how to live life - but we believe that life itself is worth protecting. Hypocritical? Well, we'll let the newscasters on the CNS make up our minds for us, shall we?
Whilst the goverment is manufacturing consent amongst the populace to leave Munich to burn, and whilst the Bundschuh dabble in human trafficking, no-one is coming to save the sharks, Doctor. The Pirasharq and the Gemenii worms are organisms of remarkable evolutionary complexity, intelligence, and physiological properties. Did you know, that in their natural state, they are practically immune to clinical aging? We have seen such pheonomenae before, but never in such a vast specimin of advanced marine life.
I'm an engineer reading from a script, Doctor. I have barely breathed the air of Nuremburg. I have never had the luxury of swimming in its seas. If even -I- can see the value of preserving life, then it is imperative that we do so. I assume you have a sense of pragmatic humanitarianism about you due to your employers.
You're a geneticist. Doctor Von Goeben, the Unioners will fund you a research placement of indefinite budget through our proxies at the Federal University of New Belin. You will be overtly be following a lawful and redemptive career path, but in reality, you will be financed by us. Any resources you need - should you need to flex the paperwork or gather data without filing innumerable trivial federal permits, come to us. We will, quietly, fetch you the samples you need.
You see, Doctor Goeben - the Unioners believe it is possible to chart the entire genetic archive of Nuremburg. To create a bank of knowledge that will enable the dying, soon-dead world to be brought back. To mend the broken links in the biosphere. To save what remains - possibly - but if it cannot be saved, to create the documentation of life that will enable evolution to go on once the dark matter has cleared the star.
If you can save living Gemenii worm and Pirasharqs from destruction, that would also be invaluable.
Think of what will happen if you are successful - you will certainly be worthy of a Boltzmann prize, in both Biogenetics and in Humanitarianism. You will hold expertise that both Planetform and the Gaians would pay lucratively for. You would, undoubtedly, be recognised as one of Sirius's premier geneticists.
Pragmatically, you will have the backing of an powerful Rheinlandic cabal on the fringe of great political change in your homeland. And of course, you would be able to do all of this without abandoning your tenure at Med Force Enterprises.
If you have any ethical concerns, think upon this:
You have a week to consider our proposal. Nuremburg is steadily being enveloped and every second another few hundred species become infertile, or utterly extinct. This is your chance to make your mark on history, doctor. Upon science.
"Though the past is scarred and the future untold"
" Be the boot heavy, the vacuum cold."
"I of the Liga, do not fold" "For suits or saints or beggar's gold. Information-Recruitment-Message Dump-Feedback
...:::Incoming long-range transmission:::...
...:::Sender ID: Hans von Goeben:::...
...:::Location: Omicron Delta, Freeport 11:::...
Dear Mister Frei,
the revelation and unexpected nature of your message surprised me positively in more than one way. To be frank with you, I expected a shady kind of proposal, even after verifying your former ties with the Doc. The timeless saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" applies once more. Guess the military's propaganda about non-conformists during my conscription days got the better of me for a moment, even after all these years. Glad you proved me wrong.
So, let's talk business then! I do not have detailed knowledge of the catastrophe in Munich. But a blind man is able to see that Planet Nuremberg is dying in record time as a result. I share your philosophy about life's priceless value. Nature may appear cruel to us at times. Species appear, they evolve, and some die due to natural selection. This is evolution at work. But an artificial planet-wide extinction event does not excuse the irresponsibility Rheinland politicians show. Leaving plants and animals, including humans, and the whole ecosystem at large to perish in a particle bombardment is not natural evolution, it is a crime against life itself.
Since we have the technology to preserve the planet's wildlife, it would not only be an honor to partake in this noble endeavor. It is my duty as a biologist.
Truly, we have to act fast. If the state of Nuremberg's organisms is deteriorating as fast as you mentioned, probes and samples need to be taken before the last individuals suffer genetic damages. I am positive that lesser damages in the DNA of each species can be corrected with enough samples of said species, but unharmed tissue would be the best bet, of course. As for saving living Geminii Worms and Pirasharqs: With a bit of preparation, a small team could secure those without much effort. Habitats of both species, water and earth alike, provide a certain level of protection against dangerous particles and radiation.
Your offer to conduct this work-intensive operation at the University of Berlin is alluring, even flattering. Unfortunatly, I am currently needed in Omicron Delta. I will have to discuss my relocation to Rheinland with Holliday. If another MedForce vessel than mine is able to provide humanitarian support there, I am sure he agrees on this. In the unlikely case he denies the request, my laboratory onboard the Westphalia also provides state-of-the-art equipment, especially in the fields of genetic research. Cataloguing the entirety of Nuremberg's ecosystem might take a while, but if we are able to collect all samples as fast as possible (which will be the most difficult part of this whole operation), cryo chambers are able to preserve them until they can be sequenced.
Be certain that I am looking forward to this challenge, all material reward aside! A whole planet meets Armageddon, but with combined forces and science, we might be able to give Nuremberg a second chance someday.
I am sure there is a lot more details left to discuss, but as I am typing this response, my ship is being refueled, and the lab is being restocked with everything essential for this mission.
Ready when you are, mein Herr!
With best regards,
Hans von Goeben.
PS: Is there any reason for your particular interest in the Geminii worm and the Pirasharqs? This seems oddly specific.
PPS: The main objective should be to start securing quality samples immediately. These will be the key to create a planetary gene bank.
PPPS: I am not a Terraforming Expert, of course. But following figments just occurred to me: Even if Nuremberg is rendered completely uninhabitable, it is possible to cultivate clones of each species to either preserve them in zoos, or, with immense effort, even use them to terraform Nuremberg itself back to its former state once the dust has settled in the far future. Alternatively, it can be used as the base of recreating Nuremberg' ecosystem on another suitable planet.
...:::End of message:::...
...:::Secured connection terminated:::...
...:::Transmission terminated:::...
Aquiring samples may prove challenging. The Unioners have the technical resources, but many of them have barely seen a cow, let alone megafauna of this nature. I cannot fully trust a poor son of Hamburg not to vapourize an ill-tempered Pirasharq out of the water. There's enough Neutron radiation in those seas already.
We have a special interest in these megafaunas as they represent the summit of two separate evolutionary familia. They also contain some of the most intricate genetic complexity. Athrocentrically, they are cultural representations of Hamburg. The Pirasharq has an intelligence bordering upon Sapience - perhaps they are sapient - it has been insufficiently tested, analogous to the larger oceanic dolphins on earth. Their nervous system appears to have perfect cellular regeneration - extraplanetary Unioners like myself suffer radiation injuries and developmental disorders from spending most of our lives in inadequate space habitats. There is some thought that they may be of use to wetware computing innovations amongst corporate circles - we Unioners do not only predate upon the corporations - we're part of their ecosystem. We would prefer that Rheinland corporations gain a leg up in the innovation tree over their foreign competitors, as that feeds back into better working conditions for their employees. Unioners are not Hessians - we do not want to burn the system down for the sake of the screaming. As for the Geminii worms, their hives are barely understood, whilst the enzymes created by the worms form the building block of the entire biosphere - how such a case has come to develop whilst the worms are rather more evolved than some other indigenous organisms, is uncertain. It's a great evolutionary mystery that may yield some valuable - profitable - truth.
I agree as to your objective. We can provide equipment and containment units of any size. However, you may need to hunt for your own recovery team if you want us to work efficiently. Producing hardware for the task? Now that's an activity we will excel at, Doctor.
I am not an ecologist, far from it. But it may prove that the Geminii worm enzymes are the foundation that the rest of the ecosystem rests upon. Along with any future biological preserve on another world.
Best of luck to you. If you have a shopping list, send it our way.
"Though the past is scarred and the future untold"
" Be the boot heavy, the vacuum cold."
"I of the Liga, do not fold" "For suits or saints or beggar's gold. Information-Recruitment-Message Dump-Feedback
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