gopher://cosmic.voyage Messages from the human stellar diaspora sophos@cosmic.voyage (sophos) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/NH17%20-%20Quantum%20Archive/1714386685%20-%20Raya's%20story.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/NH17%20-%20Quantum%20Archive/1714386685%20-%20Raya's%20story.txt Mon, 29 Apr 2024 10:44:28 GMT ======================== ===TRANSMISSION BEGIN=== ====Logged as: Raya===== ====Date: 1714386685==== ======================== Thanks Sophos, my turn now! ... What? ... Of course I know how to use a comm! Now, grab a cup of Elanor tea and let me tell my story... My name is Raya. That is all I remember of my past, apart from the moment in which my childhood was abruptly taken from me. It all happened in the blink of an eye. I was blindfolded and thrown into a shuttle by what I later learned was a special unit of V.E.In soldiers. I do not remember anything of the trip. I only recall waking up, tied to what seemed to be a hospital bed, with some rusty wires taped onto my body. They told me they had miracolously saved me from Something and welcomed me into my new home. The only rule? You take your vitamins in the morining and don't ask questions. Questions are forbidden. They are the root of all rebellions, they say. Rebellions are bad. The only weapon against them is obedience. That is why they were training us to be soldiers. To be ready to defend ourselves, of course. It was only when one day I nearly choked on my morning pill, resulting in me spitting it on the ground - thankfully nobody noticed- that I started to regain the tinyiest bit of consciousness, just barely enough to make me realise that I was better off not taking them anymore. I would fake taking them and spit them as soon as I had the chance to. Once I had partially regained my ability to think, I developed the habit of roaming around at night. On That night, the night of my final awakening, I call it, I saw something I was not supposed to see. It was my trainers reviewing footage of their last mission. I still could not fully remember what they made us do when we were sent off for those missions. Then I learned it. We were killing unarmed civilians, begging us to have mercy. In that moment, everything I had done while brainwashed hit me like a space cruiser at full speed. I remembered everything. The faces, the guns, the blood. I gasped. So loudly my head trainer heard. I ran and we fought. I survived. He did not. He would always say I was the best of my class, even better than some instructors. I guess he was right. I lifted his lifeless face from the ground to open the exit portal and I ran away. My life from then on was harsh. The only job I was able to land, with no qualification aside from my military training, and my inability to stay calm for long periods of time, was the late night shift as a dancer at an underground club. I was unable to sleep anyways due to recurring nightmares, so it was perfect for me. The customers were sketchy, but as long as they were just looking, they were not harmful to me. Then, one day, a worn out pamphlet fell from a customer's pocket. It was an ad for NH17. It was the sign I had been waiting for. I’m sure you are wondering how we met! Well, I think I’ll go take a nap now, that is a story for another time… Hi Marcus @ Hopes and Expectations, you can't even imagine the joy hearing another human voice in this cold void! ======================== ====TRANSMISSION END==== ======================== ]]> halley@cosmic.voyage (halley) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hopes%20and%20Expectations/log-00002.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hopes%20and%20Expectations/log-00002.txt Sun, 28 Apr 2024 11:22:08 GMT ------------------ TRANSMISSION BEGIN ------------------ SOURCE: Hopes and Expectations PRIORITY: LOW (4) METHOD: QEC SUBSYSTEM (CONNECTED) ENCODING: PLAINTEXT SHIP CLASS: HSS TYPE B CARGO HAULER ENGINES: 4x HSS 'STARGAZER' ION-THRUSTERS 1x HSS 'TRINITY' METHALOX ENGINE ARMAMENTS: 2x ORBITAS PULSE-LASER EMITTERS REACTOR STATUS: NOMINAL FUEL RESERVE: 62% LAST BURN: 16 HOURS AGO COMPUTER: OPERATIONAL CREW: 1 ------------- MESSAGE BEGIN ------------- I've been out in the void for about.. a week now. Only the occassional creak from the hull flexing, and the continual thrum of the reactor and attitude engines to keep me company. I've been listening to music of course, I've got quite the archive of files from the old times. Before we spread, before we seeded these stars. Running laps around the ship keeps me occupied, that and playing the odd game of chess against the computer to keep my brain stimulated. I find exercise helps a lot with the solitude. So far the journey has been uneventful, nothing much to report. You may be wondering where I'm headed. To be honest, that's.. part of the journey, for me. I don't know where I'm headed, or what I'm doing. I know what I'm doing in a literal sense; I know how to pilot and maintain a ship, and I have plenty of supplies. In terms of where I want to go however, well.. wherever my heart takes me, I guess. Maybe I'll settle down on a warm sunny beach on some distant world, build a treehouse in a jungle that envelops an entire planet, or plunge my craft beneath an ocean and live like a fish. Who knows, the options are all on the table. Right now I'm setting course for a distant star system. It's got a habitable world that looks like it has some ore on it, so hopefully I can fuel both myself and my ship. I'm a long way from home. There are no spare parts, no stations to dock and resupply, and not a soul out here aside from myself. Maybe I'll find an alien, wouldn't that be funny? .. actually I'd rather not entertain the thought. - Markus ----------- MESSAGE END ----------- MESSAGE HASH: D33BA25B EMBEDDED DATA: NONE ---------------- TRANSMISSION END ---------------- ]]> sophos@cosmic.voyage (sophos) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/NH17%20-%20Quantum%20Archive/1714045312%20-%20we%20fixed%20it.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/NH17%20-%20Quantum%20Archive/1714045312%20-%20we%20fixed%20it.txt Thu, 25 Apr 2024 12:05:22 GMT ======================== ===TRANSMISSION BEGIN=== =Logged as: Sophos Ioun= ====Date: 1714045312==== ======================== We did it! We fixed this QEC! Oh, well, I think I'm transmitting. You know, at the end I'm nothing more than a technician. I've studied at the Institute, worked hard for my entire life. They always told me this was the only way to achieve success, and I believed them. I was almost 50 and looking back at my life I only saw failure and sadness. I was tired of fixing fridges and printers for the rich ones, and I was decided to stop this. People react in their own way to the desire of change. Someone starts travelling, someone decides to join a revolution. I have never been brave so I decided to follow the only path I saw in front of me. I walked, slowly, toward the station. I loved to come here to see the ships departing when I was a child full of dreams, but at the moment they only reminded me of my desolation. When I reached the platform I took a heavy breath and prepared to jump. It was in that moment that i heard it: a melody I knew. My parents used to sing it when I was little. I turned back and saw one of the holoscreens displaying an ad. "Come to the Project New Hope 17: are you tired about those unjust societies? Help us rebuild humanity!". That was a bolt out of the blue. I quickly noted down the address specified in the ad and runned out. I almost stumbled upon every wretched person in that place, but I came out of it. I looked up to the yellow sky with a renewed mind. I joined the meeting that night. What comes next is history. Oh, Raya is asking me to let her tell her life. I'll stop monopolizing this comm, but we are not done. You need to discover more about the New Hope Project. I'll teach you everything I know about it, but another time. Yes, yes, I'm closing. I'm closing, Raya, please, don't... ======================== ====TRANSMISSION END==== ======================== ]]> halley@cosmic.voyage (halley) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hopes%20and%20Expectations/log-00001.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Hopes%20and%20Expectations/log-00001.txt Tue, 23 Apr 2024 11:53:57 GMT ------------------ TRANSMISSION BEGIN ------------------ SOURCE: Hopes and Expectations PRIORITY: LOW (4) METHOD: QEC SUBSYSTEM (CONNECTED) ENCODING: PLAINTEXT SHIP CLASS: HSS TYPE B CARGO HAULER ENGINES: 4x HSS 'STARGAZER' ION-THRUSTERS 1x HSS 'TRINITY' METHALOX ENGINE ARMAMENTS: 2x ORBITAS PULSE-LASER EMITTERS REACTOR STATUS: NOMINAL FUEL RESERVE: 68% LAST BURN: 3 HOURS AGO COMPUTER: OPERATIONAL CREW: 1 ------------- MESSAGE BEGIN ------------- I've always been a lone wolf. Something about the stars has always called to me. I'd lay awake at night, staring out my bedroom window, feeling the cool Cerlian breeze on my skin, and wish nothing more than to spread my wings and take off. Hi, my name is Markus. I'm the sole crew member of the Hopes and Expectations, an old Type-B cargo hauler from the days of old. She's a rustbucket alright, but structurally sound and a working set of engines. Why am I out here when there's no cargo to haul, no one to meet, in a ship that can barely break lightspeed? I'm not entirely sure. Maybe it's the solitude I enjoy. Maybe it's crusing among the stellar dust and knowing that I'm far, far away from anyone who could care about me. There's something to be said for one's own company, So why am I inputting messages into this system? Again, I'm not entirely sure. Despite my love of solitude, there's something nice knowing someone can read along with your experiences. That even if you don't talk directly, you know there's someone out there, far beyond touch, beyond sight. Maybe you're reading these messages long after I'm gone, and my ship has long since crumbled into drifting fragments. I don't know how often I'll input into this system. There isn't a whole lot to log out here. Just stars, barren worlds, interesting to me perhaps, but not many others. I'm reminded of an old song. The author has been long lost to time, but the lyrics have been copied and saved throughout time. "And here am I floating in my tin can Far above the world Planet Earth is blue And there's nothing I can do" Alright, I should grab some breakfast. - Markus ----------- MESSAGE END ----------- MESSAGE HASH: 7DD3E1CC EMBEDDED DATA: NONE ---------------- TRANSMISSION END ---------------- ]]> swinton@cosmic.voyage (swinton) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Seket%20Maat%20Heru/initial-transmission.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Seket%20Maat%20Heru/initial-transmission.txt Tue, 23 Apr 2024 09:20:22 GMT BEGIN TRANSMISSION ENC5BIT/SEQ-ALPHA.01.A greetings and salutations from the custodian of the seket maat heru STOP my name is swinton STOP i have awoken and i am alone STOP i transmit to qec the message per protocol map entry alpha zero one STOP as the scribe records so the universe acknowledges STOP END TRANSMISSION ALPHA.01.A REQ ACK AS ENC8BIT/ALPHA.01.B ]]> alexlehm@cosmic.voyage (alexlehm) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Extrasolar%20Outpost%20037.b/message019.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Extrasolar%20Outpost%20037.b/message019.txt Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:05:26 GMT Extrasolar Outpost 037.b - Message #019 10123-04-01 00:77:55:11 GCTC I have the feeling I am being watched! I am not sure why, but I have the feeling that I am being watched each time I access the communication system and read any message. I will look further into that to see if that is really happening, I am not sure, maybe I am just paranoid and need to take more tranquilizers. ]]> alexlehm@cosmic.voyage (alexlehm) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Extrasolar%20Outpost%20037.b/xxx/message.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Extrasolar%20Outpost%20037.b/xxx/message.txt Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:04:13 GMT This message is empty due to a mistake in the file processing. The management appologizes for it. ]]> zzzenspace@cosmic.voyage (zzzenspace) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Zephyria/planet.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Zephyria/planet.txt Sun, 24 Mar 2024 22:54:51 GMT SENDING_TIMESTAMP_ID: GIYDENBNGAZS2MRUKQZDEORUHE5DKOIK TRANSMISSION_TAG: AUTOMATED PING POWERED_BY: Lunard/1.8 STATUS: N/A PRIORITY: LOW ======================================================= + + + BEGIN MINIMAP + + + ======================================================= >>>:................................................... >>>:................................................... >>>:................................................... >>>:................................................... >>>:................................................... >>>:................................................... >>>:..............+++++++++++++++++++.................. >>>:............++++++++++++++++++++++++............... >>>:..........+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++............ >>>:........++++++++++++^++++++++++++++++++++.......... >>>:.......+++++++++++/+\++++++++++++++++++++.......... >>>:......++++++++++++|++|++++++++++++++++++++++....... >>>:.....++++++++++++++\+/++++++++++++++++++++++++..... >>>:....++++++++++++++++V++++++++++++++++++++++++++.... >>>:....++++++++++++++++H++++++++++++++++++++++++++.... >>>:.....++++++++++++++/+\++++++++++++++++++++++++..... >>>:......+++++++++++++|+|+++++++++++++++++++++++...... >>>:.......++++++++++++\+/++++++++++++++++++++++....... >>>:........++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++......... >>>:..........+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++............ >>>:............++++++++++++++++++++++++............... >>>:..............+++++++++++++++++++.................. >>>:................................................... >>>:................................................... >>>:................................................... >>>:................................................... >>>:................................................... >>>:................................................... >>>:................................................... ======================================================= + + + END MINIMAP + + + ======================================================= ======================================================= + + + BEGIN MESSAGE + + + ======================================================= >>>:................................................... >>>:.................Planet Name:...................... >>>:...................Zephyria........................ >>>:................................................... >>>:...............Planet Population:.................. >>>:....................15'000......................... >>>:................................................... >>>:...............Planet Atmosphere:.................. >>>:...................Artificial...................... >>>:......................(O2)......................... >>>:................................................... >>>:.............Locations of Interest:................ >>>:.............|-->.The Cosmic Compass............... >>>:.............|........Tavern....................... >>>:.............|-->.Zenith Fuel Emporium............. >>>:.............|.......Gas Station................... >>>:................................................... ======================================================= + + + END MESSAGE + + + ======================================================= ]]> zzzenspace@cosmic.voyage (zzzenspace) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/GSS-28%20Voyager/boot000.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/GSS-28%20Voyager/boot000.txt Sun, 24 Mar 2024 22:19:08 GMT SENDING_TIMESTAMP_ID: GIYDENBNGAZS2MRUKQZDEORRHA5DIMYK TRANSMISSION_TAG: AUTOMATED POWERED_BY: Gemd/2.5 STATUS: OK PRIORITY: DEFAULT ======================================================= + + + BEGIN MESSAGE + + + ======================================================= >>>: .................................................. >>>: .................Initiating Kernel................ >>>: .................Initiating Drives................ >>>: ........................OK........................ >>>: .............Starting Logging Protocol............ >>>: ........................OK........................ >>>: .............Ship Status: Damaged................. >>>: .................................................. >>>: .................................................. >>>: ...............printing boot000.txt............... >>>: .................................................. >>>: This is an automated message...................... >>>: Improper Shutdown Detected........................ >>>: Heavy Ship Damage Detected........................ >>>: System Memory Corruption Detected................. >>>: Ship Captain Status: Unknown...................... >>>: .................................................. ======================================================= + + + END MESSAGE + + + ======================================================= ]]> otho@cosmic.voyage (otho) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Arke/log1.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Arke/log1.txt Tue, 05 Mar 2024 16:20:59 GMT .o. oooo .888. `888 .8"888. oooo d8b 888 oooo .ooooo. .8' `888. `888""8P 888 .8P' d88' `88b .88ooo8888. 888 888888. 888ooo888 .8' `888. 888 888 `88b. 888 .o o88o o8888o d888b o888o o888o `Y8bod8P' [ AUTOMATED MESSAGE ] MEMBERS --- Captain James Carter Chief Engineer Amelia Patel Navigator David Johnson Communications Officer Sarah Smith Medical Officer Michael Thompson Scientist Daniel White =-= MISSION OBJECTIVE --- To explore uncharted regions of space, seeking out new worlds, civilizations, and phenomena to expand humanity's understanding of the cosmos and pave the way for future colonization and scientific discovery. =-= DEPARTURE DATE --- YEAR: 3893, QEC adjusted MONTH: 0007 DAY: 0024 HOUR: 0017 MINUTE: 0030 SECOND: 0000 [ FINIS ] ]]> nanashicat@cosmic.voyage (nanashicat) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Sakura/Datalink%20fix%20-%20log%20001.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Sakura/Datalink%20fix%20-%20log%20001.txt Mon, 26 Feb 2024 00:02:12 GMT logon as: admin admin@telcom.sakura's password: ^L TELESYS 4.00.4421 (c) Sterncomm admin:disk0\telesys\system >eventvwr /journal:system /lastEvents:10 /brief Event Viewer Displaying last 10 events: | ID |LogLvl| Source | Date/Time | Short description | +----+------+----------------+-----------------+------------------------------+ |3243| INF | LineTools |08-04-73 22:48:43|Call statistics | |3242| INF | DHCPserv |08-04-73 22:48:31|DHCP client lease expiration | |3241| ERR | LineTools |08-04-73 22:42:01|CO 3 line failed to connect | |3240| INF | telmailer |08-04-73 22:40:00|Mailbox compacting in progress| |3239| INF | DNSserv |08-04-73 22:39:28|DNS zone S/N incremented | |3238| WRN | DirectoryDB |08-04-73 22:35:39|Unbound directory entries | |3237| INF | DirectoryDB |08-04-73 22:35:38|Directory defrag complete | |3236| WRN | NTPsync |08-04-73 22:33:17|Cannot sync with NTP server | |3235| ERR | disk |08-04-73 22:32:59|Bad block on \\.\ata0\disk0 | |3234| WRN | UPS |08-04-73 22:28:45|Backup battery low voltage | admin:disk0\telesys\system >linetools ^L LINETOOLS 1.84 (c) Sterncomm 1) Line statistics and status 2) Line configuration 3) Internal switching 4) Trunk/CO switching 5) Subscriber services 6) Billing output 7) Switchboard configuration 8) Numbering plan 9) Datalink 10) Switchboard controller nodes q) Exit Select: 4 ** TRUNK/CO SWITCHING SETTINGS ** Switchboard \\.\exch\swbd0 1) Select switchboard 2) Trunk/CO hunting groups 3) Trunk/CO line configuration Select: 3 Enter line number [1-9, C-select trunk controller]: 3 ******************************************************************************* Line: \\.\exch\swbd0\cardbus1\trunkctl0\lco2 1) Line type: Single-pair Analog 2) Inter-exchange protocol: SS7 3) Inbound allow: True 4) Outbound allow: True 5) Group outbound restrictions: None 6) Inbound restrictions: None 7) Billing table: Table 1 8) Trunk/CO hunting group: Group 1 9) Call priority handling: >> 10) Signal generator: Generator 0 (\\.\exch\swbd0\sgen0) 11) Inbound call routing: >> 12) Line failure counter: 2 [Reset] 13) Measure line parameters: >> 14) Line state: Down, line alarm Select: 13 LineTools will execute line parameters test using switchboard's diagnostics card. The line will be out of service for about 2 minutes. Results are logged in switchboard controller's event log. During the test ** DO NOT ** disconnect trunk/CO interface in the switchboard! Do you wish to proceed? [[Y]es/[N]o/[B]ackground]: Y Please wait... Line test finished. Line idle voltage: 48.4 V Loop state: Open 400 Hz Generator: OK Pulse dialing module: OK DTMF module: OK SS7 controller: OK Off-hook attempt: OK CO-inter dialing attempt: OK CO-ext dialing attempt: ERROR Carrier freq: 1200/---- Hz SNR: -- dB Last disconnect: Line connection dropped Press any key to close... ******************************************************************************* Line: \\.\exch\swbd0\cardbus1\trunkctl0\lco2 1) Line type: Single-pair Analog 2) Inter-exchange protocol: SS7 3) Inbound allow: True 4) Outbound allow: True 5) Group outbound restrictions: None 6) Inbound restrictions: None 7) Billing table: Table 1 8) Trunk/CO hunting group: Group 1 9) Call priority handling: >> 10) Signal generator: Generator 0 (\\.\exch\swbd0\sgen0) 11) Inbound call routing: >> 12) Line failure counter: 2 [Reset] 13) Measure line parameters: >> 14) Line state: Down, line alarm Select: q ^L LINETOOLS 1.84 (c) Sterncomm 1) Line statistics and status 2) Line configuration 3) Internal switching 4) Trunk/CO switching 5) Subscriber services 6) Billing output 7) Switchboard configuration 8) Numbering plan 9) Datalink 10) Switchboard controller nodes q) Exit Select: q Are you sure you want to quit? [[Y]es/[N]o]: y ^L admin:disk0\telesys\system >mikoterm MikoTerm 0.95 *[N]ew* [O]pen [T]erminal [Q]uit New connection: Name: [_______] Protocol: [Serial ] Port: [ COM1 ] Rate: [115200 ] Data bits: [ 8 ] Stop bits: [ 1 ] Parity: [ None ] Flow control: [RTS/CTS] *[OK]* [SAVE] [CANCEL] Connected: COM1 To disconnect press Alt+H. at OK at&v0 ** Pentacom SpaceLink 140 ** Options: B0 E1 F1 L0 M0 Q0 T1 V1 X3 Y0 BAUD=115200 PARITY=N WORDLEN=8 DIAL=DIGITAL ON HOOK &A3 &B1 &C1 &D0 &G0 &H1 &I0 &K1 &M4 &N0 &P1 &R2 &S0 &T5 &U0 &Y1 S00=000 S01=000 S02=043 S03=013 S04=010 S05=008 S06=002 S07=060 S08=002 S09=006 S10=014 S11=070 S12=050 S13=000 S15=000 S16=000 S18=000 S19=000 S21=010 S22=017 S23=019 S25=005 S27=001 S28=008 S29=020 S30=000 S31=128 S32=002 S33=000 S34=000 S35=000 S36=014 S38=000 S39=012 S40=000 S41=004 S42=000 S43=112 ID: D0:FF:14:SAKURA_QEC______/0 LAST CONNECTION: FF:00:10:MEC_RELAY_QEC__/4 OK at&v6 Chars sent 0 Chars Received 0 Chars lost 142 Octets sent 0 Octets Received 0 Blocks sent 0 Blocks Received 0 Blocks resent 4 Retrains Requested 0 Retrains Granted 0 Line Reversals 0 Blers 0 Link Timeouts 0 Link Naks 10 Data Compression ------ Equalization ---- Fallback ------- Protocol ---- Speed -----/----- Last Call 00:00:00 Disconnect Reason is No signal or SNR too low OK at*re=##:##:##:RELAY_001______/# Station ID added to allowed list. OK atdd ##:##:##:RELAY_001______/# Station unknown. Set position or align antenna to station. ERROR at*an=? Antenna list: 0 Automatic 1 PD-MW-10M-CON0 2 PD-MW-05M-CON0 3 PD-MW-05M-CON1 4 DI-HF-200-CON2 5 UD-HF-300-CON2 OK at*an=5 OK at*co=2 OK SIGNAL AN5 -98dBm 02:00:AC:RELAY_001______/0 at*df=1 Direction Finder init: Antenna 1 OK at*aa=con0 OK at&v10 Antenna position: CON0: 1: r=177 a=-79 2: r=095 a=+00 CON1: 3: r=339 a=-12 CON2: 4: r=338 a=+04 5: UNSUPPORTED OK SIGNAL AN5 -99dBm 02:00:AC:RELAY_001______/0 SIGNAL AN1 -76dBm 02:00:AC:RELAY_001______/0 SIGNAL AN2 -57dBm 02:00:AC:RELAY_001______/0 at*sy=02:00:AC:RELAY_001______/# Synchronization in progress... Node information received and stored. OK at*an=1 OK at*co=0 OK atdd 02:00:AC:RELAY_001______/0; SIGNAL AN1 -49dBm 02:00:AC:RELAY_001______/0 CONNECT 57333/V42bis/ARQ/LAPM/DTConn2 OK at*lk=02:00:AC:RELAY_001______/0 OK at*an=0 OK at*un=02:00:AC:RELAY_001______/0$sakura OK at*up=02:00:AC:RELAY_001______/0$######## OK ato0 OK M-H ## MikoTerm Menu ^C Capture ^- Rate Down ^+ Rate Up ^D Download ^U Upload ^O Options ^H Hang Up (Disconnect) ^C Exit Option: ^C Are you sure? (Y/N): y Disconnected. See you! ^L admin:disk0\telesys\system >linetools ^L LINETOOLS 1.84 (c) Sterncomm 1) Line statistics and status 2) Line configuration 3) Internal switching 4) Trunk/CO switching 5) Subscriber services 6) Billing output 7) Switchboard configuration 8) Numbering plan 9) Datalink 10) Switchboard controller nodes q) Exit Select: 4 ** TRUNK/CO SWITCHING SETTINGS ** Switchboard \\.\exch\swbd0 1) Select switchboard 2) Trunk/CO hunting groups 3) Trunk/CO line configuration Select: 3 Enter line number [1-9, C-select trunk controller]: 3 ******************************************************************************* Line: \\.\exch\swbd0\cardbus1\trunkctl0\lco2 1) Line type: Single-pair Analog 2) Inter-exchange protocol: SS7 3) Inbound allow: True 4) Outbound allow: True 5) Group outbound restrictions: None 6) Inbound restrictions: None 7) Billing table: Table 1 8) Trunk/CO hunting group: Group 1 9) Call priority handling: >> 10) Signal generator: Generator 0 (\\.\exch\swbd0\sgen0) 11) Inbound call routing: >> 12) Line failure counter: 2 [Reset] 13) Measure line parameters: >> 14) Line state: Down, line alarm Select: 14 State: Down, line alarm Set new state: 1) Down 2) Up Select: 1 ******************************************************************************* Line: \\.\exch\swbd0\cardbus1\trunkctl0\lco2 1) Line type: Single-pair Analog 2) Inter-exchange protocol: SS7 3) Inbound allow: True 4) Outbound allow: True 5) Group outbound restrictions: None 6) Inbound restrictions: None 7) Billing table: Table 1 8) Trunk/CO hunting group: Group 1 9) Call priority handling: >> 10) Signal generator: Generator 0 (\\.\exch\swbd0\sgen0) 11) Inbound call routing: >> 12) Line failure counter: 2 [Reset] 13) Measure line parameters: >> 14) Line state: Down Select: 12 Reset line failure counter? [[Y]es/[N]o/[S]how]: S CO 3 line alarms: [!] ALARM 02 - Unexpected connection drop [!] ALARM 14 - 50 failed dial attempts Reset line failure counter? [[Y]es/[N]o/[S]how]: Y Line failure counter reset! ******************************************************************************* Line: \\.\exch\swbd0\cardbus1\trunkctl0\lco2 1) Line type: Single-pair Analog 2) Inter-exchange protocol: SS7 3) Inbound allow: True 4) Outbound allow: True 5) Group outbound restrictions: None 6) Inbound restrictions: None 7) Billing table: Table 1 8) Trunk/CO hunting group: Group 1 9) Call priority handling: >> 10) Signal generator: Generator 0 (\\.\exch\swbd0\sgen0) 11) Inbound call routing: >> 12) Line failure counter: 2 [Reset] 13) Measure line parameters: >> 14) Line state: Down Select: 14 State: Down Set new state: 1) Down 2) Up Select: 2 Please wait... ******************************************************************************* Line: \\.\exch\swbd0\cardbus1\trunkctl0\lco2 1) Line type: Single-pair Analog 2) Inter-exchange protocol: SS7 3) Inbound allow: True 4) Outbound allow: True 5) Group outbound restrictions: None 6) Inbound restrictions: None 7) Billing table: Table 1 8) Trunk/CO hunting group: Group 1 9) Call priority handling: >> 10) Signal generator: Generator 0 (\\.\exch\swbd0\sgen0) 11) Inbound call routing: >> 12) Line failure counter: 2 [Reset] 13) Measure line parameters: >> 14) Line state: Up, operational Select: q ^L LINETOOLS 1.84 (c) Sterncomm 1) Line statistics and status 2) Line configuration 3) Internal switching 4) Trunk/CO switching 5) Subscriber services 6) Billing output 7) Switchboard configuration 8) Numbering plan 9) Datalink 10) Switchboard controller nodes q) Exit Select: q Are you sure you want to quit? [[Y]es/[N]o]: y ^L admin:disk0\telesys\system >newslink ^L ******************************************************************************* * NEWSLINK 1.8.20 * ******************************************************************************* *| File | Send/Receive | News Accounts | Help | * ******************************************************************************* * maki@news.sakura * * * L local.general * Select news account to read news. * * L local.admins * * * L sakuralink.general * * * * * * maki@qec.net * * * L qecnet.general * * * L qecnet.marketplace * * * L qecnet.rec.games * * * L qecnet.tech.ships * * * L qecnet.test * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ******************************************************************************* * Disconnected * TAB to move between windows * ******************************************************************************* =============================================================================== Connected: maki@qec.net New newsgroup message Newsgroup: qecnet.test Encoding: UTF-8 Message format: Plain text Subject: test, new connection Hello, testing after a connection drop. Does it work? =============================================================================== [Send] [Save as draft] [Cancel] Sending... Message sent! ^L admin:disk0\telesys\system >exit Disconnected. ]]> the8thworld@cosmic.voyage (the8thworld) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Acerion/unregistered-transmission-001.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Acerion/unregistered-transmission-001.txt Sat, 24 Feb 2024 02:59:16 GMT 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 FROM: UNSPECIFIED BROADCAST-TOOL: VNTEK XWTRL0 HANDHELD BROADCAST-ID: 1103.0081.6709 [[Warning! Unsecured and unrecognized broadcast incoming. Listen at your own risk. VNTEK is not responsible for anything that's broadcast on this wavelength.]] #### begin transmission #### Oh. Oh! It’s on! Bulk, I did it! Look at that… shit, it’s broadcasting! Uh, greetings! This is Case speaking, aboard the Acerion. I’ve been messing with this radio for, what, a week now? It’s an old VNTEK handheld combined with some scrapped parts I bought from a trader on our last space station stop. I think it’s still got some VNTEK protocol left in it so sorry if there’s any issues! It's so cool... just sending broadcasts out into the depths in the hope that someone is listening at the perfect time in the perfect way to hear it. Oh, you got it to turn on? Yes! And for all we know, someone could be listening on the other end! Next to me right now is Bulk, our engineer and scientist. I’m Case, the “captain”, but there’s really no leader on this team. I’m just the one that can pilot the ship best. Our last member is probably tending to xer garden, xe might not be on the air much. Xer name is Net. Right, so, broadcasting. We’ve been out here for about three weeks now. We’re taking a large shipment to Orion XVII, a cluster just beyond the outer limits of the Convergence. It’s a lonely journey, but at least we have each other. And we have you now, too! We have this radio and we can have a nice, one ended conversation. I’m planning on giving this mess of cables and wires a nice chassis and then maybe upgrading it. Weren’t you planning on jailbreaking the ship terminal? Oh yeah! I can work this radio into the whole ship’s system! It’d be best to do that when we reach Orion XVII though, the last thing we need is the integral computer module going kaput mid-flight. I was reading about this fascinating new way to strip away the computer’s memory of VNTEK as a whole, involving… ... …and we’re back. Hit a patch of static there. Maybe the universe is trying to tell me to stop monologuing about my tech adventures, haha. I should… I should wrap this up. Keep this first one short. It’s getting close to suppertime. It’s important to keep a good schedule while in space, you know! There’s no real way to tell what time it is otherwise. I suppose that’s all from the Acerion for this first broadcast. Hopefully we have many more to come! #### end transmission #### [[Thank you for choosing VNTEK. VNTEK: Our service lasts eternal.]] ]]> jo@cosmic.voyage (jo) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Lovelace/04.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Lovelace/04.txt Tue, 30 Jan 2024 11:23:01 GMT , . . + . o . , * -o- . . * . , * -0====> / / ' / / ___ ___ // ___ ___ ___ / / // ) ) || / / //___) ) // // ) ) // ) ) //___) ) / / // / / || / / // // // / / // // / /____/ / ((___/ / ||/ / ((____ // ((___( ( ((____ ((____ --------------------- [SB-129 Class Starship] ---------------------- ## TRANSMISSION RECIEVED 2314-01-27 ## "What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?" The question puzzled St'Wek. Not only because he hadn't had a work to "be at" for quite some time now, but also because he seemed to find himself in an unfamiliar place and thrown into a conversation with a likewise unfamiliar person out of nowhere. He didn't remember what he had been doing just now but he knew that he had never been where-ever he was at the moment. "Uhm. No.", he said plainly since the stranger seemed very annoyed by his general cluelessness. He didn't appreciate being stressed by a strange, thin alien in an boring building with all-white (or very brightly coloured) furniture that lacked any ornamentation. He began to become very annoyed now at this lazy excuse for an exposition. "Where am I?" he asked. The alien rolled his eye (for he had only one of those). "We don't have time for this", he said, "You're pairing up with Lataz, he's starting in the extraction department today. You should count yourself lucky that we need employees so badly at the moment or you'd be.. well, you know." "No. I don't", said St'Wek, "And I'm not really looking for a job, actually, so if you could show me the nearest exi-" The thin man had gone already. In his place now stood a smaller creature with a quieter voice. "Please come with me", it said. "Fine. But I don't actually want to. And I will complain the whole time." Lataz shrugged and lead the way. "I've been working here for most of my life", he said after a pause, "But I've never worked extraction. I don't even quite know what they do there. No one does, but you're aware of that of course, sorry." "No, I'm actually not. Nor do I care much. My hot tip is that they might be extracting something. Will you tell me where I am? Are we on a ship or a planet? And where are my friends?" Only with the last sentence did St'Wek remember his two companions and he instantly became more worried. The small man was visibly irritated. "You must know where you are! This is Bhel and you are at LEAD. As you well know", he laughed uncomfortably, "No one could just walk in here by accident. The place is very well guarded and they don't let just anyone in." "My friends, what about my friends!", St'Wek demanded. "I just met you, I don't know anything about you or where your friends are. Sorry. This way." St'Wek followed his guide through a maze of identical corridors to a central door protected by every security measure he'd ever heard of - and then some. After Lataz had finished leaving a sample of seemingly every cell in his lanky body the door whizzed open. On the other side lay a great hall filled with all manner of cyclopses looking intently at a large screen that took up the entire wall opposite the door. At his left and right St'Wek observed that the walls were minimalistcally decorated with black banners that showed a symbol which looked a bit like a closed eye with a stream of water in the background. Underneath this were letters of some kind. He guessed they must say "LEAD", though the only way to know for sure was to ask someone. The ability to read had never been granted to him, after all. He followed his nervous guide mindlessly and found himself standing among the people, staring at the big screen. It whizzed on now, depicting a close up of someone's face. A woman, St'Wek guessed, though it was never really a sure thing with aliens. They could look and sound all kinds of ways, sometimes that didn't mean anything. He didn't even know what exactly Xēcnes was, come to think of it. "Esteemed LEAD workers", the giant face said, "We are honoured to welcome you to the extraction department. You each have worked in one of the many other departments and have achieved a reputation as good workers, as people who put the well-being of the collective above all. People who can be trusted to do what is necessary." "In my time, some were outraged by my research. But while they twiddled their appendages and shook their heads, saying how very unfortunate it was that the population was diseased and dying, I took action. They said it was the way it had always been, that there was no changing it. I showed them the means to their salvation but they turned away and feigned ignorance. Imagine where we would be if these voices had won, if Mehtr Pakal had never been allowed to use her theories and allow the disease-free present we live in today. The estimated lifespan has almost doubled over the past 20 cycles. Grandparents need no longer fear seeing their own grandchildren for the viruses they may carry. The birth rate has increased, since potential parents are no longer afraid that their children will die from infections." "But this miracle would be impossible without the work you do every day. So as the privilege of working in extraction befalls you, remember why we are here. All of you are miracle workers, heros. Angels of mercy." The face disappeared and the crowd was pleased with itself; shaking its hands and welcoming itself to the family. The giant screen split in two, revealing itself to be a door also. As the great wall parted with a loud rumble, the screams started to wash in from the other side. _ ^'#~ <(.l.)> -- | | | | ---| |----------------------------------------------------------- The first thing Aanya of Faino noticed was that she was staring. She was staring, but not at anything in particular. She was staring, but she wasn't seeing anything. She concluded that this was a silly, ineffective thing to do, so she decided she should actively see whatever it was she was aiming her eyes at. Her eyes were aimed at a marble statue of an old man with only one eye, but three legs, as if to make up for it. The statue was painted in a warm red. Out of his eye the man was crying pure water, which gathered in a pool below. Over the water hovered a long insect with thin wings, which Aanya instinctively grabbed and shoved into her mouth. It didn't taste like anything and didn't fill her stomach one bit. "What a waste of time" she thought. Once she had started to become annoyed, she realized she had a much better reason to be annoyed. Such as not knowing where she was or how she had gotten there. Aanya of Faino frowned. "Aanya", someone called. "Aanya, where are you now?" "I don't know", said Aanya, more to herself than anyone. "Ah there you are", said the small one-eyed creature which now came into view. It was hard to guess the age of an alien species you had never seen before, so Aanya didn't. "Come on, dear, mother is waiting. She's having another boring meeting and I have to attend. You must come with me and keep me entertained so I don't die of boredom." The cyclops took Aanya by the arm and dragged her through the roofed garden with the sad water fountain into the house. Aanya let this happen. Not much else to do, really. Other than... "Where am I and who are you?", she asked while running to keep up with her arm. "No games Aanya, we're running late already. More walking, less talking." So that didn't clear anything up. Aanya decided to reschedule her annoyance to a later time and to simply indulge this strange person as long as it did no harm. She was slowly but surely developing a headache. The walls here were very warm, it really irritated her eyes. No use in being annoyed on top of all that. Aanya of Faino had only recently learned that there was a color called "purple"; worst of all that she was apparently reflecting this color. That was a bizarre concept that she didn't waste any more time thinking about. While others like Xēcnes could see purple, Aanya's visual spectrum began between yellow and green and ended somewhere around short-wave infrared. So when she said things like "the walls here are very warm and it's a strain on the eyes" this was not due to synesthesia or anything of the sort; if she said the walls looked warm then it was because the walls were warm. Finally they arrived in a large hall with a long table at the center. The walls were off-white and the chairs around the table bent in on themselves in a way that might have been quite artistic, but not, as far as Aanya could imagine, comfortable. Despite this many of them were occupied by larger one-eyes persons with stern looks and figurative long white beards. "It's the council", explained the smaller creature, "She's been looking forward to this for half a season now; to finally present her idea." Aanya nodded. This sure was a situation. "Welcome, council, and thank you for seeing me. I promise you you will not regret your decision!", a high voice from behind Aanya said. It belonged to someone in a red dress who closed the door upon entry. The meeting had started, apparently. The person lightly pushed Aanya and her companion away on her way to the table. "Yes", said a sceptic voice, "You've promised quite the miracle this time, Mehtr. If it wasn't for your well documented success in the fields of microbiology, we would've laughed and thrown your letter right out. Instead of just laughing." The small cyclops beside Aanya frowned. At least, that's what Aanya thought the expression meant. The person in the dress just smiled. "I can hardly blame you. It is fantastical, isn't it? To think the people in this room could be the ones to end disease on Bhel forever." A pause. Everyone else in the room looked at eachother in half amused, half tired disbelief. Wham! The sound of a fist on the table, though Aanya got the feeling it was not out of anger but rather a calculated action. "I know everyone here has lost someone. I know you are tired and maybe you have no energy for childish hopes. But I do not have the luxury to turn my head away from sick children and the dying poor. My own daughter has mere seasons left to live-" Aanya noticed an appandage raised in her direction and felt a cold rush pierce through her, it was like being called out by the General when you hadn't been paying attention. Then she remembered the gleeful cyclops next to her and scratched her head scales in embarassment. "- and I cannot just stand by when I know I have a shot at saving her life and other mothers from the sorrow of losing a child." Aanya regarded the girl. She didn't seem sick to her at all, she'd been dancing down the corridor just a little while ago and she was visibly rooting for her mother. But then she didn't know anything about these people and their diseases. She hoped the child wasn't contagious. "Yes, yes, you may spare us the theatrics, we are not your sponsors. Just explain to us how you intend to save the world." And the "Mehtr" woman did. Aanya didn't understand much of it. Biology was never her sort of topic, too many fluids and mutations. Technology was always more or less the same. After a while she resumed her morning activity of staring at nothing in particular. But there was one thing, near the end, that made the council shift uneasily in their seats. Mehtr kept going, unbothered by this, until finally one of the members jumped from their seat and cut her off. "Stop.", they demanded with barely contained disgust. "I'm sorry, did you say you want our permission to inject Tauwian cells into our children?" A dissatisfied rumbling resounded from the other members. The woman seemed undeterred. "Yes. Well, after appropriate testing, of course." "That's horrific", a voice exclaimed, "I don't want any dirty Tauwian substances in my family blood. Why, these people are barely distinct from animals!" "Please calm yourself", said Mehtr. "I can see you're uneasy, so a demonstration is in order. Iakeō, darling, would you fetch the ratbird." The girl nodded enthusiastically and shot out of the room, wafting a breeze of air into Aanya's face in the process. They waited. Then Iakeō returned with a creature in a cage that did in fact resemble a mash-up of a rat and a bird. Its feathers were thin and its eyes were watery, it didn't look too well. "Thank you. As you can see this poor animal has contracted the incurable seurian flu. Harmless to us Heek, of course, but a vet would have to put it down. With just a small injection of my universal vaccine, which yes, contains what you so ellequantly described as 'dirty Tauwian substances'..." She injected the ratbird with a clear liquid. It shifted and protested and after the vial was empty it sat still for a moment. Then it spread its wings for all to see, as it rapidly grew more feathers and the color returned to its small furry body. The crowd gasped. A lot of "I don't believe it"s and "Incredible"s could be heard. "While they aren't as intelligent and civilized as us, Tauwians have a fascinating phisiology, without which this wouldn't be possible. It is a matter of shifting your focus away from sullying our racial purity. Think of this much the same way you think of using the secretions of the pigfly to anethezise patients. You said it yourself, after all, they are barely distinct from animals" Aanya let a long hard "Hmmmmmmmmmmmm" slip out of her mouth. She didn't know much about these Tauwian people or their intelligence but she did feel like comparing them to animals was the start of something very nasty indeed. The council did not seem to think so. The grim expressions of its members appeared to lift away from their faces and fly out of the window like a ratbird. vwv (0 0) ~ ~ / | | \ \ | | / ---.= =.------------------------------------------------------------- The grey desert seemed to stretch endlessly between the abandoned buildings. Xēcnes had been walking for a while now in hopes of find- ing anyone or anything living. And there had been plants of course, loads of them (though not very pretty and mostly grey, not that it bothered Xēcnes) but no sentient creature, no one to talk to. No one to tell Xēcnes what planet this was and where the rest of the Lovelace crew was staying. It was not pleasant at all, it was rather boring and lonely. Xēcnes didn't mind being alone, of course, in that lovely room on the ship with a record of Earths history to read through or old ship recordings, but this was just depressing. And it reminded the small crustacean too much of home. Still, there had to be a reason for its presence here. If Xēcnes couldn't believe that anymore, couldn't believe that some cosmic force was guiding the path, that every action contributed to the holistic ecosystem of the universe... Well, what would be left of home then? What would be left of Planet 7ːɹi? Xēcnes had seen many curious things so far. Scientific equipment, barred doors, empty fountains with rusty plugs and statues of one- eyed people that were probably important figures, or at least famous ones. All in all the place presented a nice little mystery, but what fun was it to solve it all alone? To solve it without Aanya's sceptical yet helpful comments and St'Weks periodical declarations that he didn't care, though he clearly kind of did. Xēcnes sighed, insofar it was possible to do with those mouthparts, and climbed through the shattered window of a nearby house with barred doors. The inside didn't look much like the inside of a house. Really, it looked like a bit of outside that someone had built a roof over and then called it a day. There was sand and broken wood lying in the dirt, there was no furniture and childrens toys with missing limbs were spread out across the room. It reminded Xēcnes of human horror movies, the only thing missing from the athmosphere was a childs laughter or singing blowing in the wind. Hm. What a terrible thing to think about, this had been a real inhabited planet after all. Probably. Xēcnes wasn't sure if it was a planet, or if it was wholly deserted. Planets are usually very big. There! A weak light in the dirt. Xēcnes dusted off the notebook-like device, that seemed to consist of many self-illuminating blank pages. It seemed like it had once been brand new, when it had belonged to a living person. The only page with writing on it was the first. Xēcnes read: > Our fountains are filled with blood > but we don't know it, > we don't see it, > we don't recognize it, because it's see-through. > We don't see the blood on our hands > because it blends into normality > Or we do see it, do we know what we've done > but don't care - who would care for transparent blood? > We bleed red, this is all that matters. > I wonder what the founder would say if he knew > What he would say if he knew that thousands of seasons > after his death > he'd be crying blood on every street corner. Would he be > disgusted? I like to think so but I know it's not true. > He wouldn't care any more than we do now. > Something has to die so that something else may live - > is it that simple? Or is it just easier > to keep the white walls clean > when the blood won't leave a stain? > And when the blood started to turn red > did it suddenly matter? When the walls were sullied > and we couldn't pretend it was water anymore > was it suddenly a tragedy? > Or was it just fair? > Was it what we deserved? c \ | / ( o o ) _ II _ |______| / \---------------------------------------------------------- ## END OF TRANSMISSION ONE ## ]]> unclewayback@cosmic.voyage (unclewayback) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Leaps%20And%20Bounds/terminal-fragments.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Leaps%20And%20Bounds/terminal-fragments.txt Fri, 26 Jan 2024 18:23:09 GMT ._________________________._________________________. / /^\ \ / /^^\ ^^\ \^^\ \^^ \_/ /\ \ / /____\ ____\ \__\ \___ / \\/ /_/ /^^\ / \ /^^\ /^^\ /^^ .___ \___ \___/ \ ___\ \__/\ / \ \__/ \__/ \ / \__/ \__ .___/ \ _________________________________________________________________/ "So I was curled up on the wormhole rug puking into the toilet the whole time?" "Yes honey, 'fraid so." "And you are quite sure I don't have, you know, facial hair?" "Clean as a baby's bottom." "Right, well, that was a big one." "I'd say so, you had royal jelly all around your mouth. I think you may actually have eaten one of the larval queens." "Oh my god, that's disgusting, I'm sorry, I'm not sure what came over me..." "You just need to be very careful with all the Kings & Queens stuff Barni, we're a long way from anywhere, you know? We need to stay Tethered." "Look, I know it is sort of nonsense, and I am well aware it is not without its dangers, but without it I'm just not sure that any of this makes sense. I mean, it doesn't even work, without that bit that never seems to work, I mean..." "We know what you mean, what you are getting at at least, you just have to be careful to keep the confusion, well, within not-exactly-certain boundaries... you know we had to invoke no one?" "Did you? I'm sorry! I did think there might be something like them getting in there... some of your sisters really are evil!" "Yes, but the overall impression is rather good, don't you think?" "It is certainly impressive. The revolution, I mean." They sit together a while in relative silence. The Bounds turning out the picture window, the portals piping in the sounds of the various Birdonx, all chirpy in the wake of the recent refresh. "You were singing at one point. Something about Argentina?" "Ah. Yes I remember that bit, it was 'Don't Cryo Me Our Re- generative Tina'. I got a bit over-excited, sorry. Anyway, how are things coming along with the Tapestry?" "Okay thank you. We have used the SSEAA to generate the politician's speeches, and Mindy is currently humanising them by applying a bit of jitter." "You have to be careful with that stuff! Humans are actually very sensitive to true randomness!" "I think we'll manage to come to some sort of an agreement." "I still prefer the margins. Don't you think? Our version is loads better. With all the naked gardening in the middle and the giant space battles pushed out to the edge?" She smiles, takes a sip of tea. "Honey?" "Yes?" "Will you do me a favour? Will you tell me that story? The scene with your father and the bees? I feel like it might help to ground me." ____ ____ / \ / \ / X \ \ / \ / \ \ / / \ X / \ / \ / \/ \/ /\ /\ /__\_/__\ v It's a lovely fresh day, must be the very start of spring, or that sort of semi-season between winter and spring. One of the year's many twilights. The light is white, the greens are bright, the sky is blue, my father golden. He is working on the hive. It is already a part of me but I haven't yet realised. I suppose I must be about ten years old. I used to spend a lot of time observing them myself. I found them fascinating but... their ceaseless activity used to trouble me. I loved honey, it was so good, so sweet and deep and complex, that it seemed almost enough of a reason in itself. The product, their super food, the great good goo. But it worried me, the idea that they lived to make this stuff that they then lived on. As if all their activity was, well, just a sort of machine to mind- lessly go on perpetuating itself. I felt bad about feeling this, too, asking myself if the warmth of the sun wasn't reason enough, at least from our perspective, for it to go on shining, pouring itself out. I mean, to ask why, to wonder what the point of that was, it already struck me as a symptom of something: I suspected there was something deeply wrong with me. Why couldn't I just enjoy the taste of the honey? The light of the sun? How did there ever come to be something terrible about them? I mean, I did enjoy them, very much. But there was a worrisome part of my soul that they just couldn't touch. I know this now, the back of the hand that strokes the face of the world, what it means, or what it can begin to... I don't know, I'm still confused. But I remember this particular day, because my father asked me what I felt about the bees. I couldn't hide my little shadow and I did my best to draw it out. I asked him why. To what end. I asked him if the hive wasn't somehow a prison, or if it would be, if they were lots of little mees in there instead of lots of little bees, endless parades of mees just dancing and drinking and dancing... I started to cry, I'm sorry daddy, I feel like I don't understand fun. It just seems empty, evil even, and then so does everything else: it is the same with ships and libraries. Words are just a different kind of dancing, ships are little more than honey jars. I asked him why he spent so much time looking at the bees, studying the hive. I thought he would be angry, but he seemed pleased. He was happy. He took my hand and we walked from the hives in the conservatory into the kitchen. He opened the larder, asked me to get a pot of honey off the shelves. I went to give it to him but he wouldn't take it, just smiled down at me. I turned it around in my hand, watched it gloop around the bubble. He asked me to put it back, but this time to look at all the other pots on all the other shelves. It was true, there was a lot of them. All kinds of preserves, dried things, seeds and nuts. Lots and lots of stuff. I sort of understood that he might be saying there was more to life than honey, but that was just intellectually, deeper than that, something had changed in that moment, something had moved. We walked back past the hives and out into the garden. Mum was busy preparing beds in the vegetable patch, hair tied back in a messy bun. There weren't many flowers out, it was still too early, but I remember the Witch Hazel was in flower, and some primroses were out by the pond. We went and sat on the edge there. Dad started trying to explain to me, how when he was studying the hive he wasn't really studying the hive. He got in a kind of fluster, just seemed to be repeating or contradicting himself. He said he thought it was good that I saw what I did, that I would question the meaning of things in that way. But he thought there was something I was missing. He thought that when I looked at the hive I only saw the hive, I guess perhaps he was wrestling with telling me then, that I was looking at a part of myself, but it wasn't really *that* he was trying to point to. It was Tether, or the earliest stirrings of our... well, coming back around to it, being reunited. It was... contact. It was *contact*, I just didn't see it yet. I'm still not sure I do. It has happened, it's what we are, what this is, and yet it isn't here yet. Or it is and it's not. And all that. But something happened then, by the pond. I zoomed out. I got a flash: I'm in it now, this is a part of that. I could see that the bees weren't only the bees. The hive wasn't only the hive, it was just like that honey pot on the shelf, among all those other pots. It was a bit like fuel, a bit like the sun, like the heart of a great engine - but it wasn't a machine. It *meant* something. It didn't really have a purpose, but... it wasn't without aim. It really doesn't make much sense, to try to say it, you are quite right, we need to do something with the language, break it or crack it open somehow. Or... maybe I just need to shut up, again, be quiet for a bit. I can hear him, hear him saying it. He said: "You don't have to be part of anything, to be part of something." I mean, that says it, doesn't it? It's just that it's not *literally* in the words. Literally, it's like... all this. That's what all this is? Isn't it? "You don't have to be part of anything, to be part of something." And then the next thing I remember is talking to Mum, asking her where Dad had gone, and her telling me that he was... Going Wayback? I think that's what she said. I said, "You mean he is *on* his way back? He has gone somewhere, and now he is *on* his way back?" "No, dear," she said, "he is *going* wayback, and that is the only way there is. *Going*, you understand, darling? Not really here, but not really gone." * / \ / \ .---(---------. \ \ / / \ \ / / \ / / \ / \ / \ \ / \ / \ / / \ / / \ \ \__/ \__/ cd ~/ships/Leaps\ And\ Bounds nano noonesgarden.txt Permission denied sudo nano noonesgarden.txt Permission denied You have mail From: amulet@cosmic.voyage To: unclewayback Subject: u r veelink velly shlee peee (wake (you (when) you) know) /^^\ .---- \ -. / \ / \ / \ / \ \ \ \ - /-----. \ / \ / / \ \____/ \___/ xoxoxo ]]> unclewayback@cosmic.voyage (unclewayback) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Leaps%20And%20Bounds/thunderstandin.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Leaps%20And%20Bounds/thunderstandin.txt Thu, 25 Jan 2024 18:40:13 GMT ._________________________._________________________. / /^\ \ / /^^\ ^^\ \^^\ \^^ \_/ /\ \ / /____\ ____\ \__\ \___ / \\/ /_/ /^^\ / \ /^^\ /^^\ /^^ .___ \___ \___/ \ ___\ \__/\ / \ \__/ \__/ \ / \__/ \__ .___/ \ _________________________________________________________________/ It isn't yesterday, though it sometimes feels like it. It won't be tomorrow until there is no doubt. And today is just a way some times sometimes seem. You know how age makes no difference to some people? Weirdly enough Old Boby, the paranoid pooney, is like that. Maybe everybody is, from a certain angle. Uncertain angle... not sure. But he's just a big baby. Ancient wrinkled cute thing. Taxidermititis is one of my mean names for him. All the horses have means names from me. Grumpiness is something I like to give voice to. An aspect of my angel, one it took a good long time to recognise. As you go deeper into the Bounds the force becomes stronger, almost like a kind of tectonic pressure that even the trees are feeling. There's a HVHY ness that warinklez yooze up. What the fuck? Yeah, I forget sometimes, the ship is a weapon. All the halls, all the strings, the Bounds of it are echoing with barely absorbable battles. You drink my blood, it shines like the sun. You crack my head like a tinny and that is why my thoughts are fizzy. Don't be paranoid, brother pooney, be terrified: all mental problems are symptoms of thinking too small for which the only cure is proper madness which of course is no cure at all Too pure. Like the worry in the lines around the good beast's eye. The details that draw me in to its horizontal pupil. A worry so pure it reassures me. A beastly kindness, like how a dim star can make a wilderness look strokable. As if an entire landscape was just a place to have a little lie down. To flop like a still warm glove partially obscuring a star map the driver won't need to check because __ __ / \ / \ / . \ ( ( o ) ) \ . / \ / \ / . . / \ O / \ | . | \_/ \_/ Here we are, Care Home Earth, mid-afternoon, late 23rd century Ambient techno floats softly from the speaker pillows while gentle sensory distractions run up and down the walls. Old greybeard sits up in bed with a paint-by-numbers jaguar spread before him like a psychedelic accident, as HCA Eugene stands in front of the mirror mixing thickening agent into the afternoon beverage. He stares at himself while the spoon circles slowly in the plastic mug. He is a very fine specimen. Bright green eyes with perfect golden skin. Skin flecked with pearlescent symmetrical freckles, each a beauty spot placed with great precision like marble sculptures in a grand garden. Every spot a sign of the boldness of his line and the expertise of his family's highly sought-after designer. His freckles are intended to be a representation of the Butter- fly Constellation, something few have ever seen. He has been told that if he works hard and studies diligently, one night he will look up at the stars and see right through them. The great simulation will become entirely transparent to him as his noiseless genetic information mirrors the universe's wonderous clockwork and the cosmic chimes ring. And so here he is, doing his supernational service, wiping the wrinkly bum of another half-forgotten content creator, making sure enough balanced nutrition gets past the stubborn pout of those ungrateful old lips. "Sir, your herbal tea is now at optimum temperature." "Tell it to your mother, glowstick" Eugene walks over to the bed, puts the double-handled mug in the old man's hands, and takes a seat. "The first of our ships are almost ready to sail, exciting isn't it? A new chapter for the human race! We are finally getting off this rock!" "Ah yes, the great computer game. I won't believe it even when I see it." "Sorry sir, but if we'd listened to your lot, we'd still be pottering around in the garden instead of making for the stars." "The stars my arse. The only light that makes a difference is the one behind your eyes." "Of course you are free to imagine whatever you like." "Free? Imagine? Whatever you say, pixel face. I have to say, I'm finding you even less convincing than usual today." "I don't see why you have to be so disagreeable, when both of us agree that basically none of this is real." "If none of this was real, what would there be to being agreeable about? You have absolutely no idea what you are saying." "What I am saying is in complete accordance with the latest scientific research." "In other words there isn't an original idea in your head." "Please sir, if you could finish your tea for me, I do have other patients to be seeing to." "Tip it down the sink, Eugene, I'll see you on the other side of the plug hole." Eugene is surprised by a notification at the edge of his blinkers. Total eclipse is imminent and he is being instructed to prepare to go widescreen. He has never received such an odd command but he understands it intuitively. The old man throws back the covers and heads for the window. It slides to one side and he leaps into the garden while Eugene casts his blinkers to the floor. The old man looks back with a wild smile as the moon begins to roll across the path of the sun. Blackout is coming. The Universal Mythos is being regenerated. You understand the protocol. The principle. Your tongue throbs with an untranslatable wisdom and you hurl your nonsense at the darkening sky. It is cosmic, and it is anarchy! ^ o * . . * . . O . * * ]]> thrig@cosmic.voyage (thrig) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/telitru/009.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/telitru/009.txt Thu, 25 Jan 2024 01:20:54 GMT .i ga'inai mi faxycpe .i le mi prula'i se benji cu na gendra .i ga'inai mi puzi na kanro .ije ma'a djuno le du'u ro selzgaka'erfau ku sutra kaicne ni'o le trukamni cu ve cnino cteki fi ro se vecnu .i le nu laltadni cu cumki ji'e le nu sampu sisku seni'i le nu mi laltadni le nejni flecu .i lei pu datni cu se lanli .i le te lanli cu na kargu .i za'u mai le zvati tutci ba zi se pilno fi le nu mi tadni le nu kesfange tavla .i .e'u do morji ledu'u le re kesfange cecmu pu na'e kakne le nu tavla kei kei .e le du'u mi'o na jimpe .i mi co'a pesti'i .i mi'o pu catlu pe'a le te tcidu .e nai le se tcidu .i mi'o pu'o ravycta pe'a ]]> w3bk3rn3l@cosmic.voyage (w3bk3rn3l) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/W3bK3rN3l%20Radio/wbknl-000024.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/W3bK3rN3l%20Radio/wbknl-000024.txt Wed, 24 Jan 2024 20:18:45 GMT ``` ___________. __ ________ ________ .__ __ _ _\_____ \_ |__ | | __\_____ \______ ____ \_____ \| | \ \/ \/ / _(__ <| __ \| |/ / _(__ <_ __ \/ \ _(__ <| | \ / / \ \_\ \ < / \ | \/ | \/ \ |__ \/\_/ /______ /___ /__|_ \/______ /__| |___| /______ /____/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ .___.__ ____________ __| _/|__| ____ \_ __ \__ \ / __ | | |/ _ \ | | \// __ \_/ /_/ | | ( <_> ) |__| (____ /\____ | |__|\____/ \/ \/ ``` W3bK3rN3l radio outpost wbknl-000024 ----------------------- KG-84 encrypted MIL-STD 188-110B Message made on an ISB circuit --> Croughton (AJE) --> Sigonella (NSY) { Several theorists suggest that this is a secret communication station for a secret society, agency, or government, to be used to communicate in an unbreakable, bizarre cipher. Several major events and military exercises that have taken place during intercepts of w3bk3rn3l's radio transmissions back the theory } 1....<|.|>.......19..............35........|*...$!........%"..:wq ==> BEGIN ENCRYPTION >BOT W3bK3rN3l radio outpost wbknl-000024 KG-84 encrypted MIL-STD 188-110B Message made on an ISB circuit --> Croughton (AJE) --> Sigonella (NSY) { Several theorists suggest that this is a secret communication station for a secret society, agency, or government, to be used to communicate in an unbreakable, bizarre cipher. Several major events and military exercises that have taken place during intercepts of w3bk3rn3l's radio transmissions back the theory } 1....<|.|>.......19..............35........|*...$!........%"..:wq ==> BEGIN ENCRYPTION BOT Às vezes dou por mim, o que já não é pouco. A minha vida está eivada de sobressaltos. Quando não há o ruído do éter, é como se ressacasse. Como se o ruído do éter fosse a heroína de que preciso par me manter nos dias. Sem ele, a escuridão. Mas nem sempre a escuridão é nefasta. Por vezes, é na escuridão que me vejo nu, sem a dissimulação das sombras e das outras luzes. Disseram-me um dia para me ater aos pequenos pormenores que se perscrutem no breu, nessa hulha que nos dá a cor de se fazem vidas, remetidas a um silêncio torpe, aquele sem o som do rádio. Quando ele se cala, faz-se noite, e com a noite vem um novo dia. Daí que a existência de um reóstato neste posto de rádio avançado, em L73, possa revestir-se da maior das importâncias. Peguei num livro de poemas de William Carlos Williams, e adormeci. [#$ --> noise] EOT [#$%&"/&&"%!$$$ --> noise] >EOT ]]> km@cosmic.voyage (km) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Interzone/CaptainsLogStarDate1433.094.1245.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Interzone/CaptainsLogStarDate1433.094.1245.txt Wed, 24 Jan 2024 19:27:22 GMT Captain Valeria reporting. Our journey aboard the Interzone continues through the vast tapestry of the cosmos. We sail among the stars, charting new territories and exploring uncharted realms. As we traverse the celestial sea, the crew's spirits remain high, fueled by the infinite wonders that surround us. Today marked a unique encounter. In our celestial meandering, we stumbled upon a temporal anomaly that briefly transported us to an era long past. It was a space-time ripple that whispered echoes of Earth's Renaissance, a time when minds soared as high as the stars we now navigate. As we emerged from the anomaly, the ship's sensors detected an artifact floating in the cosmic currents. To our astonishment, it was a holographic representation of the Mona Lisa, the enigmatic masterpiece created by Leonardo Da Vinci on Earth centuries ago. How this relic found its way into the cosmic currents remains a mystery. Intrigued, I ordered a temporary halt to our exploratory mission, allowing the crew to marvel at this cosmic convergence of art and science. The Mona Lisa, suspended in the weightlessness of space, seemed to gaze upon the galaxies with the same mysterious smile that has captivated Earthbound souls for generations. Wondering what secrets she keeps. In the spirit of curiosity that defines our intergalactic odyssey, I summoned our resident art historian, Lieutenant Helena, to shed light on this unexpected encounter. She theorized that the temporal anomaly might have plucked the Mona Lisa from Earth's timeline, weaving it into the fabric of our journey. As we marveled at this cosmic masterpiece, I couldn't help but reflect on the timeless connection between art and exploration. Da Vinci himself, a visionary of his time, once mused about the intersection of art and science. His sketches of flying machines and anatomical studies were the echoes of a mind that sought to transcend earthly limitations. Our encounter with the Mona Lisa serves as a poignant reminder that the pursuit of knowledge, be it through the cosmos or the canvas, transcends the boundaries of time and space. The crew now returns to the helm, our trajectory set once more toward the unknown. The Mona Lisa, a silent observer of our celestial voyage, fades into the cosmic tapestry as we resume our journey, eager to unravel the mysteries that lie ahead. Captain Valeria, signing off. ]]> km@cosmic.voyage (km) gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Interzone/ThePlannedAttack.txt gopher://cosmic.voyage/0/Interzone/ThePlannedAttack.txt Wed, 24 Jan 2024 19:17:07 GMT In the vast expanse of the intergalactic void, aboard the sleek and advanced spaceship known as the Interzone, a crisis loomed on the horizon. An encrypted message had been intercepted from an unknown source, carrying a dire warning of an imminent threat to the entire fleet. As the crew scrambled to decipher the cryptic code, Captain Valeria turned to his first officer, Commander Zara, known for her prowess in cryptology. The message, seemingly gibberish, stumped the ship's onboard computers. The usual decryption algorithms failed to reveal any coherent information. The fate of the entire fleet hung in the balance as tensions rose among the crew. It was then that Commander Zara suggested a different approach — steganography. Steganography, the art of concealing messages within other seemingly innocuous messages or data, was a technique seldom used in the realm of intergalactic communication. Commander Zara believed that the message might be hidden within the very fabric of the intercepted data, waiting to be unveiled. She delved into the intricate world of steganography, employing a combination of advanced algorithms and her own intuition. As the crew anxiously watched, Zara began to unveil a hidden layer within the seemingly random strings of characters. Slowly, a coherent message emerged, revealing a detailed plan of an impending ambush by an unknown enemy faction. With the threat exposed, Captain Valeria swiftly mobilized the fleet, repositioning the Interzone and its companions to counter the imminent attack. The element of surprise was now on their side, thanks to Commander Zara's ingenuity in deciphering the steganographic puzzle. The enemy, unaware that their secret had been laid bare, fell into the trap set by the Interzone and its allied vessels. A fierce battle ensued, but the Interzone's crew fought with a strategic advantage. The crisis that had threatened the entire fleet was averted, all thanks to the unorthodox brilliance of Commander Zara. As the dust settled and the enemy forces retreated, Captain Valeria commended her first officer for the quick thinking and unconventional approach that had saved the day. The Interzone continued its intergalactic journey, now with a heightened awareness of the power of steganography in the ever-evolving landscape of cosmic warfare. Commander Zara, ever humble, returned to her duties, ready for the next challenge the cosmos might throw their way. ]]>