Post by redsycorax on May 3, 2019 2:11:12 GMT
The multiverse has some unique worlds amongst its entourage of probabilities. For example, take Earth-61. Orbiting a mere fifteen million kilometres from its red dwarf sun (as opposed to the more conventional yellow dwarf Sol analogues), Earth-61's year is a mere forty four datum days long, and although one side eternally faces away from its primary, nevertheless temperatures range from 1,600 to 1,725 °C (2,912 to 3,137 °F). Yet, despite this, Earth-61 is inhabited by sentient life. Certainly, it is not carbon based life, nor does Earth-61 harbour a carbon-based biosphere. Instead, silicon formed the matrix for the development of organic and sentient life on that world. While silicon-based biochemistry is not possible in many other alternate universes, biochemistry within this particular alternate universe allowed the formation of organic molecules and the eventual evolution of petromorph sentient life. Earth-61's inhabitants have usually never ventured from their particular alternate Earth due to its biochemical specificity, apart from one reported encounter with the Earth-One Justice League of America in the 1960s. Nothing more was heard from that particular world for some time. Does it have its own metasapients? What are its inhabitants cultures and civilisations like?
From the innards of Earth came an alarming sound. Ptrx looked askance as the tremblors increased and then stepped forward to alert the Planetary Defence Force. Swooping from the sky came Ptrls, who had been born on a planet orbiting the binary brown dwarf system Stbsz, [known in carbon-based alternate universes as WISE J104915.57-531906, six and a half light years from Earth]. Zis Krptnian body had been energised by the more intensive ultrasolar radiation from Earth's red dwarf sun and ze was his world's mightiest hero. Ptrx motioned to ze:
"I fear that this may be attributable to our proximity to the sun, Great Ptrls. Can you remedy this disturbing anomaly?"
"It may require long term modification of Earth's biosphere and the Ptrine species, Ptrx. As its greatest scientist, I do not envy your task."
"There is more to it than that, Ptrls. I have been testing the universal constants of physics themselves. They are profoundly disturbed."
Ptrls rotated to see zis comrade Trmblr, whose vibratory abilities struck fear to those of antisocial behaviour in the Gthm agglomeration where ze was situated. For zis comrade to leave their agglomeration suggested that there was more to it than mere solar proximity this time. Was it the vlknid asteroids? No, they had insufficient mass, although their intersecting orbits meant that he had had to repell them from impacting on Earth numerous times. But...physics?!
"Then it should have affected me, Trmblr, given that my abilities are the result of my biomass being reconfigured by our sun's ultrasolar radiation wavelengths. Yet this is not happening. I do not feel weaker."
"It may have erratic effects on your own metasapient capabilities, old companion. Nor is it any good evacuating Ptrinekind to the other planets of our solar system. Mrz, Jaive, Styyn, Urrnz and Nptn are inhospitable to silicon based existence. Mrz is a toxic carbon-based chillworld, and Urrnz and Nptn are frozen ammonia confections. And we are still distant from reaching interstellar travel capability."
Ptrls flew over Mtrplz, the agglomeration that ze situated zisself within customarily. Its crystalline outcrops shone as the immense fiery red shield of the reddened Sun set, casting its scarlet and crimson light over its facets and inclines. In the night, lava trails shone incandescently. It still took his respiratory stream away after all these years, this beauty. Ze was en route to the Canyon of Retreat, where ze pondered the questions of creation and Ptrine society, and the treasured remnants of perished Krptn, which had been shattered in a planetary collision with Rgn, another world in its chaotic system, a centade ago. Bleakly, ze wondered if Trmblr was right. Was Earth and this whole universe living on borrowed time?
Trmblr turned toward the oscillometer and was troubled at what ze saw there. Ze checked the instrumentation over and over again, but was left with no doubt. Stellar objects were now showing a discernable blue shift. The universe was rapidly contracting. Ze pondered zis brain for what could have led to this nightphasm. Was it possible that that it had something to do with the age of the universe? Or its scale? If nothing changed, then a temporal chain reaction would start and causality itself would shatter, along with fundamental electromagnetic and gravimetric forces. The universe would dissolve into primordial qglm and contract to a hyperdense cosmic egg pinpoint. If that happened, there would be no way out of this continuum. Unlike other eigenstates, Earth-61 had no black holes within its universe, nor any supergiants whose detonation could lead to that hypothetical stellar condition. It seemed to zis as if this universe had been engineered and that its manufacturers had tired of the experiment, which was in the process of being curtailed and annihilated. As if there was some vast, passionless entity or entities that cared nothing whatsoever for the quadrillions of life forms who would perish when this universe met its end. Ze did not like having had to omit truths to Ptrls, but there had been no option to do otherwise. What was worse still was that the oscillometer showed incontrovertibly too that the contraction was accelerating. Earth-61 would not experience majestic, panoramic sunsets from its adjacent primary for very much longer if zis calculations were correct.
Ptrls accelerated from Earth and used zis telepathic plug to communicate with Adm Strnj, the outlying PDF member on Prxm's silicon life bearing world Rnn, but the news was not good. The Tyran looked apprehensively at the looming red dwarf sun that Rnn orbited and said:
[We have an emergent problem. Solar flare activity is ramping up considerably, Ptrls. It looks like the changed laws of physics are starting to affect our stellar primaries, even if red dwarves are susceptible to such disturbance- oh Hades...]
[Adm? What is it?]
[Ptrls, there's just been a massive gamma ray burst from Prxm. I may not be able to KREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
[Adm? Adm?] But with zis long distance range vision, Ptrls saw what had happened. As Adm had just said, there had been a massive gamma ray burst from Rnn's primary. Like carbon-based lifeforms, such intensive radiation was deadly to silicon based life. Zis digestive tract pulsated as ze saw the devastated, scorched world four light years away. It was incandescent with radiation, tens of thousands of degrees, enough to obliterate ten thousand years of Rnnan civilisation and two billion years of life. Sickened by what ze saw and mourning the loss of Adm Strnj, Rnn's unselfish sworn protector, Ptrls turned for home. If that disturbance of the universal constants had hit Prxm now, what would happen to Sol? Ze turned back and saw what was happening on Earth's own primary. Ze looped back toward Sol, but zis long distance vision took in other disturbances. Sirius had flared into nova, Brndz was also dangerously unstable, and Epslnndi, Epslnrdni and Tseti were also showing signs of gamma ray instability.
Trmblr gazed at the carbon environment claddings that Ptrls, zisself and other PDF members had used to encounter the peculiar "Justice League" carbon based dominant life forms on that bizarre alternate Earth so long ago, which protected them from flash freezing and becoming immobile in the alien environment. A cleared digestive tract distracted zis attention. Slnr was there, sliding toward zis: "What is it?"
"Is this really the end?"
"I fear so, pairmate. The Hsnbrjj Alternate Probability Index has always accorded a low rating to our universe's existence. Now it appears that we are drifting into oblivion."
"We may not have much time left, Trmblr. Will you merge with me this last time?"
"Gladly. And Slnr, thank you for the years of companionship that you have shared with me. I am just sorrowful that it has to end this way."
"Embrace me, my love." And with that, the two Ptrine began to slide their atoms into one another, intent on the act of intimacy and harmony that gave pleasure to their species. There was nothing else that Trmblr could have done, in any case.
And as Ptrls neared Sol, ze saw something that made zis circulatory fluid congeal in zis veins. Earth's primary was starting to nova, and with a sinking cardiakrgan, ze realised why. There was anomalous energy circulating around the immensity of the looming red dwarf. Ze recognised that ze needed to save zis beloved adopted world from oblivion, or at least try. Accordingly, ze accelerated and began to crisscross Earth's primary as its radiation shattered Mrcri, then Vns, and then... began to subside. But in the process, Ptrls had been exposed to excessive ultrasolar radiation and could no longer hold his molecular assemblage together. With a cry of agony that went unheard in the void, ze crystallised and shattered into inert, dead fragments.
And on Earth-61 below, a coruscating field ignited and embraced Earth-61 and its primary, as well as the shards of obliterated Mrcri and Vns, still fiery red from their immolation. Trmblr and Slnr watched as the field calmed down the red dwarf as its prodigal energies subsided. Trmblr said, in the sudden silence: "I knew Ptrls might try something like this. It was a byproduct of zis attempt to contain the nova, the liberation of zis life energies. In perishing, even if the loss of our alien companion and ally is sad and needless, at least our planetary system will survive as a result of zis tragic sacrifice."
"But the rest of the universe?"
"We are protected, Slnr. I do not know for how long, but we are now resident in a pocket universe, unique amongst all the variations of sentient life in the cosmos."
Tendril in tendril, the companions looked out and pondered the consequences of a brave being's final act and the preservation of their precious, unique world.
THE END.
From the innards of Earth came an alarming sound. Ptrx looked askance as the tremblors increased and then stepped forward to alert the Planetary Defence Force. Swooping from the sky came Ptrls, who had been born on a planet orbiting the binary brown dwarf system Stbsz, [known in carbon-based alternate universes as WISE J104915.57-531906, six and a half light years from Earth]. Zis Krptnian body had been energised by the more intensive ultrasolar radiation from Earth's red dwarf sun and ze was his world's mightiest hero. Ptrx motioned to ze:
"I fear that this may be attributable to our proximity to the sun, Great Ptrls. Can you remedy this disturbing anomaly?"
"It may require long term modification of Earth's biosphere and the Ptrine species, Ptrx. As its greatest scientist, I do not envy your task."
"There is more to it than that, Ptrls. I have been testing the universal constants of physics themselves. They are profoundly disturbed."
Ptrls rotated to see zis comrade Trmblr, whose vibratory abilities struck fear to those of antisocial behaviour in the Gthm agglomeration where ze was situated. For zis comrade to leave their agglomeration suggested that there was more to it than mere solar proximity this time. Was it the vlknid asteroids? No, they had insufficient mass, although their intersecting orbits meant that he had had to repell them from impacting on Earth numerous times. But...physics?!
"Then it should have affected me, Trmblr, given that my abilities are the result of my biomass being reconfigured by our sun's ultrasolar radiation wavelengths. Yet this is not happening. I do not feel weaker."
"It may have erratic effects on your own metasapient capabilities, old companion. Nor is it any good evacuating Ptrinekind to the other planets of our solar system. Mrz, Jaive, Styyn, Urrnz and Nptn are inhospitable to silicon based existence. Mrz is a toxic carbon-based chillworld, and Urrnz and Nptn are frozen ammonia confections. And we are still distant from reaching interstellar travel capability."
Ptrls flew over Mtrplz, the agglomeration that ze situated zisself within customarily. Its crystalline outcrops shone as the immense fiery red shield of the reddened Sun set, casting its scarlet and crimson light over its facets and inclines. In the night, lava trails shone incandescently. It still took his respiratory stream away after all these years, this beauty. Ze was en route to the Canyon of Retreat, where ze pondered the questions of creation and Ptrine society, and the treasured remnants of perished Krptn, which had been shattered in a planetary collision with Rgn, another world in its chaotic system, a centade ago. Bleakly, ze wondered if Trmblr was right. Was Earth and this whole universe living on borrowed time?
Trmblr turned toward the oscillometer and was troubled at what ze saw there. Ze checked the instrumentation over and over again, but was left with no doubt. Stellar objects were now showing a discernable blue shift. The universe was rapidly contracting. Ze pondered zis brain for what could have led to this nightphasm. Was it possible that that it had something to do with the age of the universe? Or its scale? If nothing changed, then a temporal chain reaction would start and causality itself would shatter, along with fundamental electromagnetic and gravimetric forces. The universe would dissolve into primordial qglm and contract to a hyperdense cosmic egg pinpoint. If that happened, there would be no way out of this continuum. Unlike other eigenstates, Earth-61 had no black holes within its universe, nor any supergiants whose detonation could lead to that hypothetical stellar condition. It seemed to zis as if this universe had been engineered and that its manufacturers had tired of the experiment, which was in the process of being curtailed and annihilated. As if there was some vast, passionless entity or entities that cared nothing whatsoever for the quadrillions of life forms who would perish when this universe met its end. Ze did not like having had to omit truths to Ptrls, but there had been no option to do otherwise. What was worse still was that the oscillometer showed incontrovertibly too that the contraction was accelerating. Earth-61 would not experience majestic, panoramic sunsets from its adjacent primary for very much longer if zis calculations were correct.
Ptrls accelerated from Earth and used zis telepathic plug to communicate with Adm Strnj, the outlying PDF member on Prxm's silicon life bearing world Rnn, but the news was not good. The Tyran looked apprehensively at the looming red dwarf sun that Rnn orbited and said:
[We have an emergent problem. Solar flare activity is ramping up considerably, Ptrls. It looks like the changed laws of physics are starting to affect our stellar primaries, even if red dwarves are susceptible to such disturbance- oh Hades...]
[Adm? What is it?]
[Ptrls, there's just been a massive gamma ray burst from Prxm. I may not be able to KREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
[Adm? Adm?] But with zis long distance range vision, Ptrls saw what had happened. As Adm had just said, there had been a massive gamma ray burst from Rnn's primary. Like carbon-based lifeforms, such intensive radiation was deadly to silicon based life. Zis digestive tract pulsated as ze saw the devastated, scorched world four light years away. It was incandescent with radiation, tens of thousands of degrees, enough to obliterate ten thousand years of Rnnan civilisation and two billion years of life. Sickened by what ze saw and mourning the loss of Adm Strnj, Rnn's unselfish sworn protector, Ptrls turned for home. If that disturbance of the universal constants had hit Prxm now, what would happen to Sol? Ze turned back and saw what was happening on Earth's own primary. Ze looped back toward Sol, but zis long distance vision took in other disturbances. Sirius had flared into nova, Brndz was also dangerously unstable, and Epslnndi, Epslnrdni and Tseti were also showing signs of gamma ray instability.
Trmblr gazed at the carbon environment claddings that Ptrls, zisself and other PDF members had used to encounter the peculiar "Justice League" carbon based dominant life forms on that bizarre alternate Earth so long ago, which protected them from flash freezing and becoming immobile in the alien environment. A cleared digestive tract distracted zis attention. Slnr was there, sliding toward zis: "What is it?"
"Is this really the end?"
"I fear so, pairmate. The Hsnbrjj Alternate Probability Index has always accorded a low rating to our universe's existence. Now it appears that we are drifting into oblivion."
"We may not have much time left, Trmblr. Will you merge with me this last time?"
"Gladly. And Slnr, thank you for the years of companionship that you have shared with me. I am just sorrowful that it has to end this way."
"Embrace me, my love." And with that, the two Ptrine began to slide their atoms into one another, intent on the act of intimacy and harmony that gave pleasure to their species. There was nothing else that Trmblr could have done, in any case.
And as Ptrls neared Sol, ze saw something that made zis circulatory fluid congeal in zis veins. Earth's primary was starting to nova, and with a sinking cardiakrgan, ze realised why. There was anomalous energy circulating around the immensity of the looming red dwarf. Ze recognised that ze needed to save zis beloved adopted world from oblivion, or at least try. Accordingly, ze accelerated and began to crisscross Earth's primary as its radiation shattered Mrcri, then Vns, and then... began to subside. But in the process, Ptrls had been exposed to excessive ultrasolar radiation and could no longer hold his molecular assemblage together. With a cry of agony that went unheard in the void, ze crystallised and shattered into inert, dead fragments.
And on Earth-61 below, a coruscating field ignited and embraced Earth-61 and its primary, as well as the shards of obliterated Mrcri and Vns, still fiery red from their immolation. Trmblr and Slnr watched as the field calmed down the red dwarf as its prodigal energies subsided. Trmblr said, in the sudden silence: "I knew Ptrls might try something like this. It was a byproduct of zis attempt to contain the nova, the liberation of zis life energies. In perishing, even if the loss of our alien companion and ally is sad and needless, at least our planetary system will survive as a result of zis tragic sacrifice."
"But the rest of the universe?"
"We are protected, Slnr. I do not know for how long, but we are now resident in a pocket universe, unique amongst all the variations of sentient life in the cosmos."
Tendril in tendril, the companions looked out and pondered the consequences of a brave being's final act and the preservation of their precious, unique world.
THE END.