Dr. Mortabio, Halk, Frine, and Philok discuss the Biomass ship. Dr. Mortabio speaks from his research bunker, Philok speaks from a survivor's satellite, and Halk and Frine speak from their battle ship.
Date: 3 eons, 14,160 eras, 7 elapses, and 31,734 time units
Dr. Mortabio: What news from the Beulous?
Halk: Nothing good. Their planet was taken so rapidly. They just didn't have the technological foundation to prepare for a planet-wide outbreak in so short a time.
Dr. Mortabio: I feared as much. Where did the Biomass ship depart to?
Frine: It hadn't left by the time it shot down the relay ship that we sent to follow it.
Halk: We did get a chance to listen in on the broadcasts. It does in fact seem that the Biomass ship can invade people's minds. It sort of puts tentacles inside of their heads and then it controls them. I've never heard of such a thing.
Philok: How horrifying! How could the Biomass produce a mind that wants to spread the Biomass? This is unprecedented.
Dr. Mortabio: Actually, there is precedent.
Frine: You can't be serious. What other time has a mind been taken over?
Dr. Mortabio: Fungal parasites can do it to insects. There are some fungi that will take over the mind of a primitive creature. Then it will crawl to a location where the wind is favorable for a spore release. Then the creature will die, the fungus will release its spores, and more creatures will be mind-controlled.
Philok: I would have been okay living out the rest of my days without knowing that.
Halk: But the Biomass captain was rumored to be Trins. They are not primitive creatures.
Dr. Mortabio: Nor is the Biomass a primitive fungus.
Halk: So go ahead and explain this to us.
Dr. Mortabio: Now, I have a few ideas, but keep in mind that this is speculation. I can't know anything for sure without being able to dissect the beast. The tentacles are probably nerves. They probably burrow into the central nervous system. That would allow communication with the mind at the center of it all. Just like biological communication cables. I think the Biomass has the ability to reinforce some ideas and inhibit others. This is a normal neurological function; it's how behavior develops. All animal creatures have a "reward" signal that swells up in their brain and it encourages growth in the neural networks. They also have more nuanced "punishment" signals that discourage behavior. So once enough axon fibers worm their way into a brain, the simply reward all thoughts about spreading the infection, or the "cure" as the captain thinks of it, and punishes all thoughts rebelling against spreading the infection. The Biomass doesn't even have to form a new mind; it simply hijacks the punishment/reward system already existing in each mind.
Philok: This is complete speculation?
Dr. Mortabio: Speculation, of course. I haven't yet had the Biomass ship captain's brain under my microscope. But the point is, we don't have to worry that the plague is capable of witchcraft. Biological systems can absolutely do mind-control.
Frine: That hypothesis would make sense, although it leaves a few questions unanswered. The reward chemical in my brain is different from the reward chemical in Halk's brain, or either of your brains.
Halk: Dr. Mortabio, do you have a brain?
Dr. Mortabio: [Laughing]
Philok: Not once in my 70 elapses of life has Dr. Mortabio done anything to indicate anything about his identity.
Halk: Well, that settles it. He's either Pathron or Siliconoid if he's lived that long.
Philok: Oh, he's older than the oldest Pathron. And the mechanical suit he lives in is of ancient Kondorian design.
Frine: Or he's not really just one person, but the suit passes down from one generation to the next. Maybe the Dr. Mortabio of a hundred elapses ago was a different species than modern day Dr. Mortabio.
Dr. Mortabio: [Laughing]
Philok: Well, maybe. But he's not likely to be Siliconoid either. I've seen the blueprints for his lab, and there is no way to manufacture vitamin G72, a vital nutrient for them.
Dr. Mortabio: [Laughing]
Frine: But back to the topic at hand. How can the Biomass use the reward system of multiple different species?
Dr. Mortabio: I propose two hypotheses. First, it detects whichever chemical first radiates from the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system. That is the pain signal, because the Biomass is burrowing in with a tentacle. Then, the tentacle numbs the local nerves, perhaps with potassium ions, which relieves pain. The next flux of chemicals will be the reward chemical. So then the Biomass has detected the reward and punishment molecules and can mimic them. The second hypothesis is gene stealing: the Biomass just releases all the reward chemicals of all the species. It can do this because it can steal genes from other species. Or maybe it there is a different system altogether.
Frine: How does gene stealing work?
Dr. Mortabio: Oh, it's quite complicated. I've written about it and published it, so you can read on it afterwards if you're interested.
Halk: But basically, it forces the host brain to think about infection and suppress all other thoughts?
Dr. Mortabio: Pretty much.
Halk: How does it know which thoughts are which?
Dr. Mortabio: They shape and electrophysiology of the network, I assume.
Philok: I think all we've concluded is that the Biomass ship is in fact possible given our current understanding of Biomass neurology.
Frine: I feel like I learned something. Hopefully we can use this tactically.
Halk: Yes, let us brainstorm.
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The Biomass
Science FictionA scientist with a mysterious background. Two allied generals from two species that were once in constant war. A woman who advocated for aggressive public health measures after her boyfriend died as a result of an outbreak. A spaceship captain who l...
