999 OCTILLION SOULS, May 10, 2024

I FLIGHT

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TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:

The following information is derived from Information Seed 40 and received by the Gravitational Wave Observatory. I and AI performed a frequency analysis on it. IE edited certain parts to make them more 'readable'. (He might have overdone it.) Please feel free to comment.

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EXCERPT FROM ECHOES OF THE SWARMS

For countless generations, my home has been the shimmering embrace of the Great Swarm. Its intricate network of habitats, bathed in the gentle luminescence of our harnessed sun, has cradled our civilization for millennia. Yet, whispers from the distant past hint at a time before the Illuminated Epoch, a time when the ancestors of countless stellar societies ventured forth under the cold gaze of naked stars.

Photo by Ian Parker on Unsplash

This era, known as the First Swarms, remains shrouded in a veil of mystery. Archaeological digs on forgotten asteroids and long-abandoned space stations offer tantalizing glimpses. The remnants of these structures, far cruder than our magnificent biospheres, hint at the nascent ingenuity of these early stellar architects.
The societal reasons for constructing these First Swarms remain a subject of debate. Were they built as shields against some unknown galactic threat, or perhaps a desperate attempt to conserve dwindling resources? Some whisper of a yearning for unity, a grand project that brought disparate civilizations together under shared celestial domes.

builder_7: is this an excerpt from a book?

translator: must be

otavio_br: why can’t we have the whole thing?

IE: working on it

Unraveling the full story of the First Swarms is crucial not only for understanding our galactic heritage but also for appreciating the remarkable advancements achieved during the Illuminated Epoch. Imagine a time when harnessing even a fraction of a star's power was a monumental feat! Our ancestors laid the foundation upon which we built our magnificent biospheres, transforming them from crude shelters into thriving ecosystems teeming with life.

luo_ji: nobody on Earth has found Dyson swarms. is this supposed to be the future? 

cap_mal: The future is not ours to see. this is a waste of time

translator: the UN disagrees

cap_mal: I don’t work for the UN

The faint signals we occasionally detect from beyond the Great Swarm could be echoes from these early civilizations. Are they warnings from a cautionary tale? Perhaps they are forgotten songs, whispers of a time when humanity, and countless other species, first dared to reach for the stars.

ru_mikhail: info leaked. hashtag #IS40

de_tech_G: is that so? what are they saying?

ru_mikhail: nothing smart

IE: we were hacked

The era of the Dyson swarms wasn't solely a human triumph. It was a period of collaboration between a multitude of sentient species including:

• the Atagans: dragon-like, oxygen is toxic to them

• the Azoins: very small, crab-like, one-gendered, very numerous, and the first to build a Dyson Swarm

• the Lemivios: humanoid with hyena-like faces

• the Poid: the males are very tall but slender, humanoid, and gray-skinned; the females are whale-like and can travel in space

• the Qeeravs: small, usually green-skinned, humanoid, numerous

• the Rumtacds: pale, hairless, blue-eyed, the beginning of horns on their heads but otherwise humanoid

• the Thohnuths: giants, humanoid, bird-like heads, masters of genetic tech, prefer small population

• the Verdetas: tree-like, lived in symbiosis with other species on their home planet; their nervous system is a mix of animal-like and plant-like traits

• the Wugums: troll-like, humanoid, love to rap

• the Yuaters: large, octopus-like, live underwater but can live on land using special suits.

us_gwo: Do we need to know them all?

translator: no idea

uk_gwo5: that’s a nice selection. are there images?

translator: no, only text. compressed data.

The Hozians stand out for their remarkable bioengineering and emphasis on cooperation. Evolved on a hostile gas giant, the Hozians possess silicon-based bodies that resemble translucent, bioluminescent jellyfish. Their numerous prehensile tentacles allow for exceptional manipulation in low gravity.
The Hozians' contributions were invaluable. Their mastery of bioengineering techniques played a pivotal role in constructing and maintaining the intricate networks of the Dyson swarms. Imagine vast bioengineered farms and self-regulating systems, all thanks to the Hozians.

cap_mal: the author is in love with them

us_gwo: what’s not to love? they have multiple tentacles

IE: the Yuaters have them too

uk_gwo5: but not translucent, are they?

The Hozians relied on bioluminescent displays and pheromones. While translators facilitated basic communication, human researchers developed bio-translators to decipher the nuances of their expressions.
Hozian society functioned as a highly cooperative network, with information seamlessly shared across the entire population. This communal decision-making made them efficient collaborators, readily adapting to the needs of the larger Dyson swarm community.

luo_ji: Give me an hour and I’ll invent twenty alien species

cap_mal: dragons with translucent tentacles

translator: Please! Can’t we take this seriously?

us_gwo: not without conclusive proof

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