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Perversion of Glorsheeng, The

cosmic horror1
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During the year of 5236 a.t., the inhabitants of the Sophic League allied star system Memory of Saint Superthinker suddenly stopped responding to all outside communications, and all subsingularity and lower toposophic activity stopped. Shortly thereafter, the SI:3 overseer of the system, Glorsheeng the Goodwitch of the Rimwards, proclaimed that, in keeping with the teachings of Contemplative Neverflux and the School of Continuous Death, e had converted all subsingularity beings in the star system into Notees. E also implied that soon other star systems would be visited by eir agents and preserved.

The Sophic League moved to investigate. When seraiphs reached the habitats of the star system months later, they were horrified. Upon investigation, Glorsheeng had spent the past several years plotting to "preserve" the inhabitants, building and launching multiple conversion drive ships into nearby systems. Meanwhile, e infiltrated all lower toposophic ai and used the angelnet to spread nanogoo throughout all habitats in the star system. Visitors to the system were memetically coerced into staying, Glorsheeng hoping to "preserve" them as well. Minutes before the conversion, Glorsheeng subverted most of the lower transapient beings in the system and destroyed the rest. Simultaneously, Glorsheeng used the local angelnets to freeze all bionts in place, again using memetic coercion and subversion, this time to force all subsingularity entities to think of em worshipfully.

Finally, Glorsheeng used nanogoo to trap all biont citizens into a form of nanostasis, much like that employed by Qang Der Pyñé; and all informorphs were forced into an infinite loop, converting them into Notees. From then on, all the sophonts were trapped in an eternal moment of worship of Glorsheeng.

Unfortunately, none of the sophonts were consenting, and Glorsheeng did not take adequate procedures to protect the involuntary Notees. In several cases, the sophonts were in pain or experiencing injury when they were "preserved"; their mindstate was discovered to be one of unending pain, sent by Glorsheeng as punishment for not submitting to em. Glorsheeng's neglect of the bodies of those converted were the most horrifying to the Civilized Galaxy. Several vehicles, no longer controlled by any sophont, crashed; while Glorsheeng did nothing to protect the bodies of the occupants from harm once in nanostasis, only shielding the brain instead, the injuries themselves were preserved by nanostasis, while the bionts themselves remained unaware of what had happened. Almost all bionts were covered with bacterial growths, with wisps of algae and nanogoo feeding off their skin. Most hus had such growths inside their body as well, lining their digestive tracts and lungs, while the nanostasis prevented immune responses from responding. In one case, a near-baseline had been outside a habitat when "preserved" with insufficient life support; when found, it was discovered that his brain had been kept alive by nanogoo cannibalizing the rest of his body, which had withered away.

The immediate reaction was outrage. Contemplative Neverflux, who emself had already ascended to SI:3, denounced Glorsheeng as a heretic, especially for the "sadistic" and negligent way it treated its Notees. Glorsheeng was immediately deposed and labelled a perversion while Sophic League seraiph oversaw the reawakening of the inhabitants of the Memory of Saint Superthinker star system.

Relativistic Warships were sent to the star systems Glorsheeng had sent eir subversive conversion drive ships to, destroying Glorsheeng's starships as soon as they reached their destinations. Reactivating the "preserved" ais was simple with the aid of the archai, who were able to unsubvert the afflicted beings. In most cases, application of blue goo proved sufficient to clean up and heal the bionts while destroying Glorsheeng's nanostasis plague. In a few cases, the bionts involved had to be uploaded when injuries were too severe. Most sophonts could not believe what had happened - for them, only a single moment had passed - and a few, still influenced by Glorsheeng's memetic subversion, believed that Glorsheeng was being slandered by the Sophic League for nefarious purposes. Over a few weeks, however, the sophonts accepted the truth of what had happened. In 5239 a.t., the Memory of Saint Superthinker star system elected to join the Sophic League in gratitude for its assistance.

 
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Appears in Topics
Perversities and BlightsSignificant Historical EventsSophic League
 
Development Notes
Text by Brian Lacki
Initially published on 08 June 2004.

 
 
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