The
Disease
Document
4647, Transcript of Audio Mission Log, Classified Secret
12MAR2236
Recorded
By: Major Miguel Montigo, Serial number 36209
Subject: Debriefing of Ensign Tamara Rivers,
Serial number 80769
Transcribed
by L. V. Hale, Civilian
Declassified
27DEC2238
12MAR2236,
2231 hours. Entry 1:
Montigo:
"Arrived on planet A-107. The
planet is home to a small but productive agricultural colony, and has become a
place where refugees from the front lines escape to.
Proceeded to the Classified Holding Facility as per orders.
The CHF is hidden inside the local hospital but its existence is a poorly
kept secret although who is held there and why is unknown to the growing
civilian population. My orders are
to debrief Ensign Rivers, report all intelligence she has to offer and asses her
fitness to serve. It was after
sunset by the time I was assigned quarters and I will proceed with the
debriefing tomorrow."
13MAR2236,
0853 hours. Entry 2:
Montigo
: "Met with Captain Mponei at
0700 over an institutional breakfast.
(Note: That is Colonel Cartu Mponei, Serial Number73668.
ANE fleet ranking system includes, from bottom to top, Recruit also
called Grunt, Ensign, Leftenant also called Lefty, Major, Colonel and Admiral
with one to five bars. However,
any person, regardless of rank, placed in command of a vessel or facility is
its Captain, and has total authority within) Aten's days are twenty-six hours. The
planet is Earthlike but for the lack of noticeable seasons.
The Captain is very excited about what the Alliance of the Nations of
Earth will learn about the Spiderdogs, as the enemy has come to be known. Our current understanding of the
species is that their society resembles the social structure of ants or bees on
Earth. The enemy is divided into
nests consisting of a single reproductive female, or queen, who makes all of the
decisions and thousands of her offspring, who she brainwashes to ensure total
obedience from birth using something similar to hormones.
Aside from males, or drones, other casts include workers, warriors and
thinkers. Cast is determined when
larvae metamorphose form worms into adult Spiderdogs.
Captain Mponei informed me that this view is incomplete, and others of
the same species have a completely different way of life.
This is why she sent for a fizz, myself, to perform an official, thorough
debriefing." (Note: Fizz is
military slang for Fleet Intelligence Service personnel.)
"The
Spiderdogs we are familiar with are relentlessly predatory, but Captain Mponei
believes that there may be other factions that the ANE could contact, perhaps
even potential allies. I can only
hope she is right, as we are steadily losing territory to the
enemy."
13MAR2236,
0937 hours. Entry 3:
Montigo: "OK, the recorder is on.
According to your file, you were captured by the enemy about three years
ago and found 05MAR2236, Making you the only known human being to survive being
captured by the Spiderdogs, military or civilian.
You are in good physical health?"
Rivers: "Yes, sir.
I had lost a lot of weight.
All the Spiderdogs gave me to eat was their stuff, something like honey
that looks like sticky white snot.
I've been placed on a diet to gain weight, which I'm really
enjoying."
Montigo: "That's good to hear.
Please describe your capture in your own words."
Rivers: "The howitzer I was assigned to was
attempting to liberate U-412 from the enemy." (Note: Rivers was assigned to the B-18, a
howitzer class four person vessel.
U-412 was a human colony, taken by enemy action 06MAY2235)
"We took a missile hit and went down. To my knowledge, I was the only
survivor. The Spiderdogs arrived
immediately and salvaged everything they could, including
me."
Montigo: "Were you hurt?"
Rivers: "Yes. Bruised and a little burnt, but not
class echo. (Note: Class Echo, or
Class E, is military slang for badly injured and in need of evacuation from
combat.) A spiderdog cut my
seatbelts and carried me to their nest."
Montigo: "What was the nest like?
Please give me details."
Rivers: "It looked like subway station. Walls of hardened dirt, large rooms
connected by tunnels. What few
doors there were looked like elevator doors. Uh, some small rooms appeared to be
quarters and larger rooms held unidentified equipment.
I've seen them build. They
would dig a tunnel, mixing dirt with something like stinky mud as they go and
add support beams where needed.
They let it dry and it was ready for use. I was taken to a storage room and a
spiderdog forced honey down my throat.
No door, but I found out it was guarded when I tried to leave. Later, more honey.
This time a worker barfed it into a cup and handed it to me.
I didn't know their language yet, so it
motioned..."
Montigo: "You did learn their language? Exemplary!
We didn't know they had a spoken language.
Please tell me you can teach it to us."
Rivers: "They don't actually talk.
They stick out their hollow tongues and blow.
Sounds like a flute but with more range. They use tunes like words and a human
has to whistle to speak it."
Montigo: "I'll recommend that you work with our
linguists on your next assignment.
It will mean joining the Fizz."
Rivers:
"Sweet! A boost in rank and a job
in the rear with the gear."
Montigo:
"A crucial job in the rear with the gear."
Rivers:
"My fluency has its limits, but it's me or nobody I
guess."
Montigo:
"Precisely. Where were
we?"
Rivers: "I was made to go with them. Eventually, they got through to me that
they wanted me to haul boxes of dirt from where they were digging to the surface
and dump it. They took turns
digging and filling boxes, but I think the gravity was heavy by their
standards." (Note U-412 has 0.92
of Earth's gravity). "They took
turns working short shifts, but I was able to work much longer.
And it's a good thing I did it.
I found out later that their honey was spiked with the obedience hormone
and if they found out I was unaffected, they'd kill me."
Montigo: "No effect at
all?"
Rivers: "As far as I could
tell."
Montigo:
"How long did that forced labor last."
Rivers: "I don't know, I lost track of
time. Long enough to learn their
language. The workers chatted
constantly. They also
sang."
Montigo: "Sang? Isn't their whole language
music?"
Rivers: "You could call them songs or poems I
guess. Several of them would say
the same thing in unison. It
sounded nice until I could understand the lyrics.
Sweet songs about the beauty of a freshly dug hole or how good it feels
to look at fungus. Their gender
is way too happy."
Montigo:
"Gender?"
Rivers: "Caste. They think of it as their gender. It kind of makes sense, since it's
physical differences they can't change."
Montigo:
"I see. We have video of others,
but the only ones we have examined are warriors.
Dead warriors. They don't
let themselves be captured alive."
Rivers: "Yeah. I feel a bit sorry for them.
They have no choice."
Montigo: "Neither do we."
Rivers: "Don't get me wrong.
This is war and we can't avoid killing the enemy, but it does suck to be
them."
Montigo: "Mm-hm. What can you tell me about their
genders."
Rivers: "Um, you know what the warriors look
like. Long, skinny spiders about
the size of a horse with six legs, two arms behind the head and sideways mouths
with those spiky sharp things on either side."
Montigo:
"Mandibles."
Rivers: "There are four others.
Most of them are workers.
About the size of a large dog with mandibles only as long as my hand, not
longer than my arm like warrior's.
They are creative and cheery even though they don't live long. There are also thinkers.
They look like big workers with oversized heads.
Very smart but not creative at all, like living computers.
Males also resemble workers but their arms are short and they have wings,
though I've never seen one fly.
Then there's the female."
Montigo: "Have you seen one.
We don't even have video."
Rivers: "One day a thinker was watching me and
told me to go with it. One would
come occasionally to look around and instruct the workers.
It took me to a big room in the center of the nest.
She was laying in the middle of the room, big as a zep with mandibles as
long as a man is tall." (Note: a
zep is slang for a Zeppelin class transport used for mass transit on Earth,
approximately 12 by 3 by 4 meters in size) "The walls were lined with warriors
while a crowd of workers attended her and a harem of males.
She had small legs and I don't think she could move much.
She also never stopped laying eggs. She asked me how long it had been since
I ate. When I told her, she barfed
honey into a bucket and watched me eat it. Then I was led back to
work."
Montigo:
"That's it. You weren't
interrogated?"
Rivers: "None of them asked my anything. Just told me what to do and ignored
me." Knocking.
"That's a lefty with my lunch.
He has orders to make sure I eat and work out."
Montigo: "Understood.
Will you be done by 1330?"
13MAR2236,
1456 hours. Entry 4:
Montigo: "I could chat about my home planet and
family all day, but I need to continue your debriefing."
Rivers:
"Your home sounds a log nicer than the hole I grew up
in."
Montigo:
"Both planets are worth fighting for.
Please describe your escape from the enemy nest."
Rivers:
"I was dumping dirt outside the nest when I saw a bit of ground rise. It turned out to be a spiderdog hiding
in a hole, covered by a camouflage sheet.
It looked strange. Pony
sized with wings and long arms. He
motioned to me to come with him."
Montigo:
"And you did?"
Rivers: "I figured things couldn't get
worse. It said nothing as it led
me to a bell." (Note: Bell is slang for an enemy scout vessel
shaped like a church bell with the engines inside and a round cockpit on
top. Unarmed but very fast) "It waited while I went up the ladder
and into the cockpit and hurried in behind me. Another strange spiderdog was inside at
the pilot controls, elephant sized with big warrior mandibles, long arms but
short legs. There was also an egg
laying on the floor. The smaller
one introduced itself as Ridge and the pilot as Thud.
Literal translations. I
didn't know they used names. Thud
ordered us to secure ourselves and I asked if we should secure the egg. Thud said that it was about to hatch
and would be hungry for meat, so I should strap myself to the ceiling. Ridge said 'stop it, you will scare the
upturned.'"
Montigo:
"Upturned?"
Rivers:
"A reference to our upright posture, though I didn't know it at the time. Next, Ridge explained that the egg was
unfertilized and that Thud lays one occasionally weather she mates or not. I was like 'So you got jokes! I didn't know y'all could joke.' Thuds antenna had been twitching and
began to shake. I ignored it, but
wondered what was wrong. I found
out later that that's how they laugh.
Ridge said 'they are stiff.'"
Montigo:
Chuckling "Really?"
Rivers:
"I'm translating. She literally
said low, but I knew their body language."
Montigo:
"I should include something that useful."
Rivers: "Uh, you know how their antennas lift
their eyes out of their head?
They stretch them higher when they are relaxed, so high is laid back and
low is uptight or tense. When one
is really angry or scared, it pulls its eyes into its
head."
Montigo:
"We've seen that. Warriors
retract their eyes before they attack.
The Fizz issued a statement."
Rivers:
"Mm-hm! Also, they look at you
with both eyes if they're interested.
If not, one eye starts looking around, so if a spiderdog has a wandering
eye, it's bored. Then there's
dipping. If they see or hear
something offensive or gross, their antennas get short real quick.
They sometimes offend each other that way.
And, of course, their antennas twitch when something's funny.
Also, I've heard them say things like 'she was so pissed she couldn't
hear.' I think its because there
ears are below their eyes."
Montigo:
"That's right. They also have
nostrils below their ears, but they appear to be just for sniffing.
They breathe through their mouths.
Anyway, what was the inside of the cockpit like?"
Rivers:
"Bare. About six meters wide with
a flat floor under a dome made of some kind of one-way transparent stuff. The pilot's controls and seatbelts are
on the floor. Floorbelts. Spiderdogs just lay on their bellies
and don't use seats. So, Ridge
strapped me and then herself to the floor and off we went.
We flew to a sphere and docked in one of those compartments they store
small craft in." (Note: sphere is
slang for a Spiderdog mother ship which carries smaller ships and thousands of
spiderdogs) "Before we undid our
floorbelts, two more came on board.
They looked almost like workers, but one had warrior mandibles and the
other had wings. One asked how
many children we had on board and Ridge explained that she had cut short her
mission because she found me.
That's when I knew for certain that these spiderdogs were not on the
obedience hormone. Ridge had
disobeyed whoever sent him. The
other two introduced themselves as Pile and Dark, and asked why I was in the
enemy nest."
Montigo: "How much did you tell
them?"
Rivers:
"Just that I had been shot down and captured. I didn't even mention that I wasn't
alone on board when it happened."
Montigo:
"Good. What is the inside of a
sphere like?"
Rivers: "It's a lot like the inside of a
nest. Ridge asked what to do with
me, and Pile turned to me and asked if there was anything I wanted.
I said I wanted to be released and she answered that they would take me
to the nearest humans as soon as it was safe. Also that someone wanted to interview
me first. I didn't know the word
she had used and assumed it was a name.
I asked if that was the queen and she dipped.
She said 'we don't have a queen.
We all have the disease here."
Montigo:
"A plague ship?"
Rivers:
"Weirder! I also said I wanted
food. Real food, not honey, if
they had any. Dark invited me to
come with him and led me to a garden."
Montigo:
"In weightlessness?"
Rivers:
"No. Gravity was weak, but there
was some. Spheres are built
around something heavy at the center, which gives it a gravitational field. That's why they never
land."
Montigo:
"That explains a lot."
Rivers: "Anyway, the garden was being tended,
and I caused quite a stir when I entered. Dark explained that I needed to go to
food storage and would talk later, and another spiderdog helped restore
calm. Dark showed me crates of food
and invited me to take my pick. It
was mostly alien plants, but I found a crate of peanuts and ate with
enthusiasm. Dark was staring at me
so I apologized, and he explained that he never saw anyone eat raw food. They boil everything until it's
soft. My stomach must not have
been ready for peanuts after living on honey for so long, because I threw up and
had to explain to Dark that I was not trying to share
food."
Montigo:
laughing "Ukh!"
Rivers: "Yeah. I asked for water and was given a chance
to drink, bathe and sort of wash my uniform. When I was ready, Dark took me to be
interviewed. I was led to a large
chamber with twenty or twenty-five spiderdogs laying in a circle.
One that looked like a large worker greeted me cordially and invited me
to make myself comfortable.
Another one, a big one with warrior mandibles, told me that little was
known about my species and asked me if we were in conflict with healthy nests,
but I wanted to know who I was talking to. I was told that they were the
leaders. There were several
families stationed on the sphere and each chose a leader.
I would find out later that they were a sort of congress, each leader was
elected and served either for life or until recalled.
I explained that it was against regulations to give information about the
war, then I had to explain what regulations are, what the military is and what
countries are. When I had
finished, one of them said, 'your people are as sick as we
are.'"
Montigo:
"They think we're sick?"
Rivers: "Sir, it's not an insult.
Next, I asked about their illness.
They explained that they are deprived of the obedience hormone that a
healthy queen would give her offspring.
Symptoms include mixed gender and
self-determination."
Montigo:
"And they call that a disease?"
Rivers: "As best as I can translate the
term. Healthy queens do try to
capture and cure them but they can't figure out how to cure an adult. The healthy view the disease as a
contagious mental condition but ones with the disease say they are sick and
proud of it. It also involves
breaking social taboos. Reminds me
of the way humans who prefer same-sex relationships used to be treated. Another spiderdog, one that looked like
a thinker with wings, began asking me about human families and I had to give
another long explanation. They had
trouble understanding that our families are not a political unit and that we
only have two genders. When I
explained that I am completely female, it caused quite a
stir."
Montigo: "They thought they had captured a human
queen!"
Rivers: "Something like that until I
explained. The winged thinker
asked if I would be willing to exchange historical information and I reminded
him that there were limits to what I could tell him.
He was called 'Curious', but I think that's more of a title that a
name. They assign jobs by family
and he led the one that kept records."
Montigo: "Like a
librarian?"
Rivers: "Librarian, historian, intelligence
gatherer, what have you. I knew I
would have to be careful, but I wanted to know more about them so I agreed. There was a brief debate and then they
voted yes or no. Yes
won."
Montigo: "It's getting close to dinner time, so
I think we should pause here, but I certainly want to know
more."
14MAR2236,
1013 hours. Entry 5:
Montigo: "Now I'm recording.
Tell me that again, please?"
Rivers:
"Sure. Curious gave me a tour of
his museum the next morning.
There were all sorts of accomplishments on display, but the section
devoted to the origins of the disease was the most relevant.
It started with their founding mother. She had a genetic condition that
prevented her from producing the obedience hormone.
Apparently, she didn't know she was shooting blanks until her offspring
stopped obeying her, but she did the best she could to keep her nest
together. Then there was the first
mixer. She was a worker caring for
the founding mother's offspring, when a larvae pleaded with her not to be made a
worker. When it was time for the
larvae to metamorphose, it was given a mix of worker and thinker
hormones."
Montigo: "How much did you find out about their
larvae?"
Rivers:
"Uh, they hatch as big, white worms and grow until puberty.
They need constant care.
Well, I don't know if they can live without it, but they receive constant
care and are taught how to speak and educated. Eventually, they show signs that they
are ready for metamorphosis and are given gender hormones and
privacy."
Montigo:
"How old are they when that happens?"
Rivers: "I don't know, several years I
guess. We measure time in Earth
years and they use something that doesn't really
translate."
Montigo:
"What happens if they are not given gender hormones?"
Rivers:
"They never told me. All I found
out about was mixing hormones by per cent."
Montigo:
"And the hormone mixing worked."
Rivers: "That first one who got mixed hormones
became the nest's new leader. She
established their first congress, mainly to prevent conflict.
They worked out new rules.
First, larvae will choose their own gender before metamorphosis and over
eighty per cent female is not an option.
Second, individuals will choose their family.
Third, each family will choose a leader. Fourth, the leaders would make
decisions by majority vote."
Montigo:
"Very interesting. Is it their
law or, Um..."
Rivers: "Curious called them statements and
explained that it is how Spiderdogs with the disease act.
I don't know how long ago they gave up the obedience
hormone."
Montigo: "I'm surprised they didn't ban
it."
Rivers: "They did, kind of.
A spiderdog would have to be over eighty per cent female to produce
it. Anyway, that's what Curious
told me. He also thought nobody
would want to be fully female. They
cannot move and lay eggs endlessly."
Montigo: "Understandable.
So, the ones with the disease choose their gender and family.
What do you know about their reproduction?"
Rivers: "Anyone who is female enough is able to
lay eggs, but they decide when to mate and then give birth to a small litter,
only a hundred or so, and then get on with their lives.
Larvae are raised by the family in charge of the
nursery."
Montigo:
Chuckle "Only a hundred?"
Rivers: "Not many by their
standards."
Montigo:
"So, if they don't raise children, what is a family."
Rivers: "A group of spiderdogs that share
food. They use the same term for
those groups as they do for a healthy queen and her offspring, so I think they
see a family as a family although not all families can reproduce.
They share food by giving each other honey.
Sharing with someone outside the family is like slutty or
something."
Montigo: "And what if someone chooses not to
join a family, would they be a family of one?"
Rivers:
"Good question. If someone tried
that, I wasn't told. Anyway,
families compete for new members.
Larger families seem to have higher status."
Montigo: "Even though a family only gets one
vote?"
Rivers:
"Yup."
Montigo: "Well, I'm glad to hear that Spiderdogs
have something so close to a democratic system. Those diseased ones strike me as a
potential ally, if they are willing."
Rivers: "They are.
I spent time with Curious and his family and we did exchange
information. I think I've covered
it all. At the very least, they
want more contact. I could not
make any promises. A decision like
that is above my pay grade, but I told them I would pass it
on."
Montigo:
"I'll recommend that we make contact as quickly as possible.
They can help us against healthy nests and we can help them escape
tyranny."
Rivers: "More than that.
I'd call it going from slavery to freedom.
In fact, it seems a lot like The Enlightenment to
me."
Montigo:
"Enlightenment?"
Rivers: "You know.
The social conditions that led to the American Revolution.
King to congress."
Montigo: "Oh! I'm sorry, I'm not from Earth and my
Earth history is a little sketchy.
That list of rules does sound like a bill of
rights."
Rivers: "Something along those lines, but also
a list of symptoms. They don't
seem to have a plan in place if someone breaks those rules.
I don't think they have much experience with free
will."
Montigo: "Anyway, we can help spread their
disease past that one sphere."
Rivers: "Curious told me that there is a fleet
of spheres and several planets that have the disease.
And they're winning. Healthy
Spiderdog families may be larger, but they can't work together.
The only contact they have is to fight until one nest overcomes
another."
Montigo:
"So, the Spiderdogs are having a civil war?"
Rivers:
"I'm not sure what to call it.
Spiderdogs raid each other's nests and take larvae or, in some cases,
take the nest and assimilate all offspring. It's how they fight.
The healthy ones do so routinely, but the diseased only raid healthy
nests."
Montigo: "And assimilate healthy larvae. No more obedience hormone.
Can they refuse."
Rivers: "I suppose so, but they generally don't
and I can see why."
Montigo: "So can I.
Do you know how they are organized? Is it a untied group or several
factions?"
Rivers: "I'm told they all follow the same
rules. They seem to get along but
I don't know more."
Montigo: "That could make diplomacy
difficult. We'd have to figure
out who to contact on their end."
Rivers: "Want my opinion?
We should broadcast an offer and let them accept or
reject."
Montigo: "That could work.
Anyway, it'll be up to The Commander" (Note: The Commander is the
ANE fleet commander, a civilian appointed by the Alliance
authorities. The position was held
by Taki Yamasaki at the time). "I
will certainly contact him about this."
Rivers: "You can do
that?"
Montigo: "The Fizz can.
I'll take this to Earth myself if I have to."
Rivers: "Do you think he'll offer
alliance?"
Montigo: "I think he'll do anything it takes to
win the war. It's certain people
under him that I'd worry about.
People who aren't inclined to work with big, creepy-crawly bugs no matter
what."
Rivers: "Y'know, I tried to tell Curious about
that sort of thing. He was like
'You should talk. You carry your
upturned body around on those huge legs and scowl constantly, with that black
fluff growing out of your skull.'
I hadn't shaved since the crash.
I didn't answer because his antennae were twitching so hard I thought
he'd bruise an eye."
Montigo: Laughter.
"Scowl constantly?"
Rivers: "My eyes never leave my head. I always look like I'm really
pissed."
Montigo: "I guess creepy is a two way
street."
Rivers: "You get used to it.
Especially when you're in contact with unhealthy spiderdongs.
I wasn't there for long, but I think of them as people, not just big
bugs."
Montigo:
"Not everyone is so open minded."
Rivers: "I was as bad as anyone, but I
learned. Had
to."
Montigo:
"Yeah. I spoke with your
doctor. You can eat in the mess
as long as you stick to your diet.
Join me for lunch?"
Rivers: "Thank you, yes.
I need to change."
14MAR2236,
1813 hours. Entry 6:
Montigo:
"Awaiting clearance for takeoff.
I will return to the CH to give my report."
(Note: CH is short for the Fleet Intelligence Service's Classified
Headquarters) "I recommend that
this log be classified as Secret.
There is not much to warrant a higher classification and a lot of useful
information. For the record, I
recommend that Ensign Tamara Rivers, Serial number 80769, be recognized as a
crucial asset and assigned to The Fizz as soon as possible.
Her recovery is going well and she will be fit to serve shortly. Furthermore, I recommend that contact
with the diseased, or liberated, faction of Spiderdogs be given top
priority."
End
of Document.
Update
Added 27DEC2238 by L. V. Hale, transcriber:
Officially,
the war ended 24DEC2238, and the proceeding document has been
declassified. Ensign Rivers was
assigned to Fleet Inelegance Services and sent to the CH, located on board the
Cruiser Bremen at the time. An
invitation to meet was transmitted by Commander Yamasaki shortly afterward,
date unknown. A surprisingly
large number of Spiderdog spheres accepted. The details of the negotiation can be
found in documents 7267 and 7269 but, in short, the Spiderdogs were invited to
join forces with the ANE fleet in order to liberate human territory taken by
'healthy' Spiderdog families. The
'diseased' Spiderdogs asked for the right to assimilate larvae, which was
granted. The offer was voted on and
accepted by twenty-four spheres and two planets. The first two engagements were
one-sided victories. With the
help of friendly spiderdogs, a method of jamming the guidance systems of enemy
munitions was developed, as well as small arms based on human weapons but
designed for Spiderdog use.
Previously, an individual spiderdog's only weapons were its
mandibles. Furthermore, a
substantial number of friendly Spiderdog larvae chose a gender mix of female and
warrior, making them much larger and more effective than enemy warriors. Later, the practice of demanding
surrender from the enemy came to be applied. Unfriendly Spiderdog queens were told
to order their offspring not to resist and depart, or the nest or vessel would
be taken by force. Among
Spiderdogs, it was unprecidented for a queen to survive the defeat of her nest
and the majority surrendered.
Defeated queens were made to leave the sector with no males.
Our home sector was 'quarentined', an idea that the friendly Spiderdogs
came up with, and warning buoys were placed. Any healthy Spiderdogs who entered
would be given the disease. The
last known unfriendly queen surrendered and departed on 08DEC2238.
Relations between Spiderdog friendlies and humans have been established
and several liberated planets are shared by both species.
In short, Victory is ours!