GALNET - 21 NOV 3308 - THE COMING OF TARANIS

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GALNET

THE COMING OF TARANIS​

21 NOV 3308
As the rogue signal sources draw closer to human-occupied space, work is underway to initiate peaceful inter-species negotiations.

Dr Elias Pope is a graduate of Orion University with degrees in interstellar relations, political science and xenology. He has recently joined the Kingfisher megaship’s crew to oversee the Thargoid Advocacy Project’s diplomatic mission. In an interview with Vox Galactica, Dr Pope explained his role:

“Like most of the Kingfisher’s crew, I volunteered to take part in this operation. It feels like my whole professional life has been leading to this opportunity. Many of the fine people here feel the same way I do. If there’s even a chance that we might begin properly talking to the Thargoids, well… it’ll be historic.”

“Luria , my assistant, tells me there are some media-friendly names for these anomalies now. As a scientific purist, she’s very unhappy about that! This first one has been labelled Taranis. It will transit through the Hyades Sector YO-Q b5-1 system at tremendous speed, so we won’t have long to snag its attention. But that’s what we’re aiming to do.”

“The megaship has an impressive suite of audio-visual, electromagnetic and hyperspace transmitters that will broadcast to Taranis as it approaches. We’ll be trying everything from flashing light patterns to multi-frequency data bursts. Establishing common ground is key to any negotiation, so I’ve composed messages that impart universally recognisable concepts such as mathematical formulae and star charts. These should illustrate our intellectual prowess and capacity for reasoning.”

“The best-case scenario is that whatever controls Taranis hears us and responds in kind. We must at least attempt to make peaceful overtures. Even if we fail, it would signify to humanity that there are many people willing to make the attempt, no matter how dangerous. Wish us luck.”

 

[OrdinaryMan]

Good luck!


Really...

 

[Leadfoot]

The flashing light bursts will accidentally be interpreted as a number of Yo Mama jokes.

The data bursts will be viewed as hacking attempts.

Unless they bring several tons of chocolate with them, the Outlook does not look good.

 

[Rubbernuke]

"he said....the sun sang to him"

"er no wait. He fired a PA round LMAO LOLZ"

 

[zimms]

God speed.

 

[Rubbernuke]

 

[Ozric]

That seems a very strange article to me. It's acting as though it's a species we have never encountered before and know nothing about.

Even if you discount anything from the First War we have 7 years of interactions with Thargoids by independent pilots and various institutions. We knew 7 years ago they could scan and represent our ships transmitted as Morse Code. 6 years they draw pictures hidden in sounds. And since the interceptors have been around we have a wide array of vocalisations, some of which are easily recognisable as 'warning, relaxed, threat'. We know they mark their ships with symbols similar to those used on barnacles.

For a guy with a degree in Xenology, I'm quite disappointed to be honest

But on a serious note what have we spent the last 7 years progressing the story by solving these riddles and puzzles for, if Frontier aren't even going to use them in the storyline and act as though no one has the first clue about Thargoids.
My concern they're just going to get massacred in a cutscene has gone up to about 80%.

Maybe Seo Jin-ae will announce she's joining in a couple of days.

 

[Scary Asp Explorer]

well thargoids want our meta alloys,they will use all possible ways to get them. if we wont cooperate they will take-over colonia and turn it to slaughterhouse,next time they drop motherships to sol and blast earth,moon and mars,what worse? they will try to find the voyager probes and exterminate them aswell.

there is no way for peace with thargoids,we can only talk with them using AX guns. feed them with bullets not meta alloys.

 

[Felix DiCestria]

That seems a very strange article to me. It's acting as though it's a species we have never encountered before and know nothing about.

Even if you discount anything from the First War we have 7 years of interactions with Thargoids by independent pilots and various institutions. We knew 7 years ago they could scan and represent our ships transmitted as Morse Code. 6 years they draw pictures hidden in sounds. And since the interceptors have been around we have a wide array of vocalisations, some of which are easily recognisable as 'warning, relaxed, threat'. We know they mark their ships with symbols similar to those used on barnacles.

For a guy with a degree in Xenology, I'm quite disappointed to be honest

But on a serious note what have we spent the last 7 years progressing the story by solving these riddles and puzzles for, if Frontier aren't even going to use them in the storyline and act as though no one has the first clue about Thargoids.
My concern they're just going to get massacred in a cutscene has gone up to about 80%.

Maybe Seo Jin-ae will announce she's joining in a couple of days.

It does come across as woefully naive, which in turn makes me question the honesty of the mission. We're certain they aren't Azimuth right?

 

[Ozric]

It does come across as woefully naive, which in turn makes me question the honesty of the mission. We're certain they aren't Azimuth right?

Nope, not certain at all. Hell I wouldn't put it past Sirius to go all cloak and dagger with something like this to try and get an upper hand on the Superpowers

 

[Ian Doncaster]

That seems a very strange article to me. It's acting as though it's a species we have never encountered before and know nothing about.

Even other NPCs have been somewhat critical - https://www.elitedangerous.com/news/galnet/peace-thargoids for example - and https://www.elitedangerous.com/news/galnet/xeno-peacers-reject-prediction-war and the article it responds to rather draws attention to the whole "you are ignoring that we did just try to kill them all" bit again - so I assume it's deliberate. The concept of the only thing to do with Thargoids being to eliminate them is embedded so strongly at senior levels in all powerful human organisations - Tesreau perhaps being the only obvious exception - that the only people both willing and able to go against that being fringe weirdos without much planning skill is fairly realistic.

The big thing that we don't know is "are the Thargoids aware that humanity does not have a single unified opinion (especially given that it basically does in practical terms!), if so can they tell which side the Kingfisher is on, and if so do they care?". That's the thing that will determine whether they fire on, ignore, or communicate back to the Kingfisher, I think.

I'm still not sure whether to predict "destroy" or "ignore" for what actually happens. Destroy just feels too obvious.

 

[Ozric]

The big thing that we don't know is "are the Thargoids aware that humanity does not have a single unified opinion (especially given that it basically does in practical terms!), if so can they tell which side the Kingfisher is on, and if so do they care?". That's the thing that will determine whether they fire on, ignore, or communicate back to the Kingfisher, I think.

It's a very good point about whether they'll care. I don't think they will. I think they have a fairly singular purpose, which is why without Seo stepping in in some way I can't see any real chance of anything other than war. That will probably be saved for a few weeks at least though, and there's little hope of something non combat coming out of the interactions.

Though there could still be a chance to use her connection to interact in a way to make us seem less of a threat, or persuade a level of coexistence...

I'm still not sure whether to predict "destroy" or "ignore" for what actually happens. Destroy just feels too obvious.

It does seem too obvious, and I really, really hope that Frontier don't just go down that direction. But I struggle to think of what else they'll do. It can't be, they'll just be ignored, because that would go down like a Lead Balloon!

Maybe something halfway, maybe the Thargoids have come up with a virus of their own and the Kingfisher will be infected (at least partially).

 

[Rubbernuke]

Even other NPCs have been somewhat critical - https://www.elitedangerous.com/news/galnet/peace-thargoids for example - and https://www.elitedangerous.com/news/galnet/xeno-peacers-reject-prediction-war and the article it responds to rather draws attention to the whole "you are ignoring that we did just try to kill them all" bit again - so I assume it's deliberate. The concept of the only thing to do with Thargoids being to eliminate them is embedded so strongly at senior levels in all powerful human organisations - Tesreau perhaps being the only obvious exception - that the only people both willing and able to go against that being fringe weirdos without much planning skill is fairly realistic.

The big thing that we don't know is "are the Thargoids aware that humanity does not have a single unified opinion (especially given that it basically does in practical terms!), if so can they tell which side the Kingfisher is on, and if so do they care?". That's the thing that will determine whether they fire on, ignore, or communicate back to the Kingfisher, I think.

I'm still not sure whether to predict "destroy" or "ignore" for what actually happens. Destroy just feels too obvious.

It might be like Enders game, where the aliens conceptualise humanity like themselves and simply don't value individual humans (only seeing the 'queen' as important or worth speaking to).

 

[The Roofus]

It might be like Enders game, where the aliens conceptualise humanity like themselves and simply don't value individual humans (only seeing the 'queen' as important or worth speaking to).

Well if they're after a conversation with Hudson, they might be disappointed when he starts talking about his new social media app.

 

[Vardaugas]

I suspect the Kingfisher will simply vanish. For a while. When, if and how it appears again will depend on the result of some or another CG we will have.

 

[Ian Doncaster]

It might be like Enders game, where the aliens conceptualise humanity like themselves and simply don't value individual humans (only seeing the 'queen' as important or worth speaking to).

Possibly - but they've shown sufficiently good understanding of what we're doing on enough occasions it would be surprising to find out that they did so based on a largely incorrect model of "why".

The Guardians were able to hold conversations with them - if not necessarily productive ones - and there are at least rumours that there are multiple Thargoid hives/clans/etc. with different opinions.

They could plausibly be evaluating humanity as a relatively small number of coherent and allied units and still get basically the right answers, though; but I do read some of what they did in HIP 22460 as an attemtpt to cause divisions in that alliance, rather than just treating humanity as a single entity.

 

[The Roofus]

 

[William J Smith]

Meanwhile , after hacking the thargoid communication channels...

"And next on ready, bake, eat.... we have a competitors UYG^hggs6%%, %r4Rsf_QQ, and TThh4$$"£ compete to make a meal fit for their queen... today's theme ingredient : The crew of the Kingfisher"

Bill

<<been watching those late night channels popular with the tinfoil brigade

 

[Rubbernuke]

 

[Kathryn Kando]

Thargoids have all the right to destroy humanity. They‘ve been around far longer than our existence and we had the decency to treat them like nasty bugs spitting on their superior culture we don‘t understand. I do not worship them but I‘d applaude all efforts to say sorry to them.