#men are allowed to tweak out for millennia but as soon as a women is a little weird everyone goes bananas | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dirtywrat · 4 years

Text

Wrote a new scene, made some tweaks. Writing dialogue is the hardest fucking thing in the world to me so idk how I feel about it lmao. :3

.X.

Eriibeus’ personal research log, 412.89AU

The people of Rolveon IV are currently undergoing what could be considered an equivalent to an early middle ages, characterized by trifling king and queendoms or small city-states constantly at war with one another for the sake of territorial dominance, as well as a general lack of record-keeping or cultural output. Their current timeline is marked as following the invasion and subsequent defeat of the Obrox armies around 230-sum years prior. They are primarily a feudal society, separated into peasants, nobles, clergy, and those whose status is granted to them by the Gods, and their overall worldview is highly theistic. They have yet to conceptualize most scientific studies; their observations of the natural world are often explained via religious texts, known amongst the population as “The Sacred Codices”, and those within the clergy are often the most highly educated. They do have words for several basic sciences, such as astronomy and/or astrology (often used interchangeably), alchemy, and anatomy, among a few other protosciences, but they appear to think of these subjects as being completely dissimilar to one another, totally uncorrelated. Unfortunately, the majority of the advancements made by the Rolveon ancients seem to have vanished. Scientific documents kept by the Obroxian Empire were either lost during the invasions or destroyed afterwards for being “Obrox heresy”.

Though still a largely god-fearing people, the Obrox invasions somewhat forced the Rolveon people to make changes in their societal lives. When neighboring domains found themselves confronted with Obrox armies, a need arose to form civilian militias to defend their lands, and a shortage of men meant that it was necessary to have women to work and fight on the frontlines, as well. Although it is obvious that women are still primarily domestic workers, it is not uncommon to witness a female soldier, or physician, or clergy member.

Unfortunately, they seem to be a rather petulant people, waging wars of aggression against neighboring domains, or initiating conflict with their fellow Rolveon with little to no consideration put before their impulse. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, they take the practice of medicine and study of anatomy extremely seriously, as evident by their extensive medical logs, which is even more noteworthy considering their lack of any record-keeping at all. Physicians are often clergy members, and are more often than not the local monarch’s head advisor. The increased need for medical knowledge seemed to have developed around the time of the Obrox invasions and has been on a steady incline of progress ever since. It is this medical prowess which is my reason for being here.

Word of their innovations (though primitive by any modern standards) has spread quickly among the niche biology forums I subscribe to online and I have found myself intrigued enough to spend mine and Kathria’s downtime interacting with their people and studying them directly, rather than from a standard observation post. Their practices are not perfect and they still have much to learn. Hygiene, for example, is frequently overlooked. I inadvertently instilled into them the idea of washing your hands before contact with patient, a concept which was before unheard of to them but they now actively implement into their daily lives. Often times, they are far from accurate as well, considering they still place much of their reliance on their Gods or unseen forces which they cannot control. But regardless, they work with surprisingly sophisticated models for surgery, alchemy, and treatment of illness. I’ve done my research and no documentation of any known advanced civilization having visited Rolveon VII in the past exists, so I am left to believe that these are their own unassisted discoveries, which I greatly admire.

I have been accepted to serve as an apprentice under the personal physician of King Acruxum of Okuil, a relatively poor and unknown kingdom which mostly serves as a stopping point for travelers between two adjacent, higher-profile domains. I figured this would be helpful in my attempt to remain off the Rolveon radar. I have disguised myself as one of their people using a basic holograph program which I made alterations to myself to ensure a more natural look and higher stability. It would surely be awkward should the programming fail while I am surrounded by Rolveons. I claim that I am from a made-up city-state very far south of Okuil. In order to be accepted for apprenticeship, I was required to undergo an exam. It was very similar to my primary school biology entrance exam: there were many inquiries about basic medical and anatomical subjects, as well as a literacy evaluation. Needless to say, I passed. I was also required to swear an oath that I would devote my practices to serve the Holy Trinity (in The Sacred Codices, the Holy Trinity refers to the father, the mother, and the child of the two, who together created the universe), but I have no intention of holding true to that pledge.

Kathria has expressed to me her concern with this mission of mine, claiming that it has potential to interfere with the natural development of these people, and is thus immoral. I disagree, as my intention is not to interfere, but to strictly observe. Aside from teaching them the importance of washing your hands, I have made no significant impact on anyone that I have interacted with thus far. My apprenticeship begins tomorrow, and I am eager to bear witness to their fascinating practices first-hand.

.X.

“Should I waste my breath a final time by telling you not to do this, or will you simply ignore my words again?” Kathria asked sarcastically as Eriibeus made some final adjustments at the teleporter control panel. Accuracy was always a necessity when utilizing this device, but for these purposes it was of even greater importance to ensure that he be transported far from civilization, lest the religiously minded people of Rolveon IV witness his sudden manifestation.

He flattened his antennae, thoughtful. Not in rethinking his mission, of course, but rather searching his mushroom bodies for a new response to this argument they had already had countless times since their arrival into orbit. “Kathria, please, it will be okay. I have already told you that I will be there to observe, nothing more. I’ve taken the precautions needed to secure an unsuspecting infiltration. They will be none the wiser of my presence.” He paused. “Even if things should go wrong and they discover I am not one of them, the Rolveons wouldn’t understand the things I could show them, anyways. It will all be boiled down to mere religious superstitions.”

She scoffed, folding her arms in an obvious display of contempt. “And that is any better?” Her frustration was reaching its hilt. “Eriibeus, these people are merely primitive; no different than either of us could have been only a few millennia ago. They are a young people but they are not stupid. They could very easily be taught the significance of our technology if given the time.”

“Well, then I will not give them the time. I will leave immediately should things go poorly.”

Kathria shook her head, unable to understand how a member of a species dubbed the most brilliant minds of the modern galaxy could not see what a terrible idea this was. “You’ve already done more than you realize. During your entrance exam, they took note of you washing your hands before touching anyone and now implement that practice into theirs. That is a significant advancement, possibly pushing their development ahead by an entire generation at least! Any amount of knowledge that you instill into the minds of these people is completely unethical.”

With a few final tunings, the teleporter was ready for transport, coordinates set for several miles outside of Okuil in the sparsely populated countryside. He would have to walk the main path some distance before reaching the kingdom, but patrolling forces traveled the road frequently and ensured security even outside of civilization.

He touched the screen once more to power up the clear tube stationed across from him. Its design was minimalist: a chamber large enough for a single target, and a thin pad lining its base where the dematerialization would take place. It was constructed from a transparent aluminum, giving the structure the appearance of being crafted out of glass. Once activated, its door glided open in a circular motion to conform to the device’s frame, any seams between individual components of the machine completely unrecognizable. These were the intricate and arcane designs of his people, the Phosnoi.

Eriibeus stepped inside and Kathria followed him as he positioned himself on the center of the pad.

“I realize that no laws exist which prohibit independent researchers from interfering with primitive peoples, but even if the blatant disregard for their cultural integrity doesn’t bother you, you are putting your own safety and the safety of the citizens of Okuil at risk. What should happen if you find yourself in a situation you can’t merely walk out of?”

Eriibeus’ antennae twitched and he blinked. “You believe that the Rolveons are capable of harming me?”

“You’ve stated in your notes that while highly intelligent people, they are also naturally inclined towards hostility with one another.”

He seemed to consider this for a moment, but soon after shook his head and the door glided shut before him. “It will be fine, I assure you.” If Phosnoi physiology allowed them the ability to smirk, Eriibeus likely would’ve. “No risk is too great in the pursuit of knowledge, Kathria.” And with his final word, a ball of teal lightning sparked within the glass bottle and died in a single blink of the eye. Eriibeus had vanished, and would arrive on the surface of Rolveon IV in several seconds.

She let out a single laugh. The Phosnoi were renowned around the galaxy for their insatiable thirst for knowledge, which in turn often translated into recklessness. After all the time they’d spent together, what Kathria once found endearing, she now found immensely annoying. “The irony is not lost on me, Eriibeus. Foolishness in the pursuit of knowledge is still foolishness the same.”

.X.

#science fiction #Eriibeus #Kathria #wip

0 notes