My Travels with Eos

By Chris Bemis

What course of evolution would humans take during prolonged interstellar travel? Enter the Nyx. The nyx are a matured species that have travelled to the far reaches of space. In their explorations, they found Earth, and have sent a delegation to share the mysteries of their evolution.
One such nyx, Eos Cerul, breaks nyx protocol and enters Earth without permission. She takes human form, and seeks to explore the unique beauty of Earth, and experience the quaint nuances of human nature. In the Adirondack State Park, NY, she encounters her first human, Alex Wesley.
Eos invites Alex to explore the mysteries of the nyx datastream, where physical consciousness is translated to waves of energy, and the universe can be explored at the speed of light. In return, Alex educates Eos on the finer workings of the human condition.
However, Eos’ transgressions catch up with her, and the pair discover the violent forces at work against them. In a mutual struggle for survival, they come to understand what it means to be nyx, and what it means to be human.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chris Bemis
• Release date: Jan 4, 2011
• ISBN: 9781452483245

Chris Bemis

Chris Bemis lives and works in Upstate New York, employed in photography, web development, and writing. He maintains a personal website, chrisbemis.com, where he shares informative articles, and sells prints and stationery of his photographic misadventures.

Book preview

Synopsis:

What course of evolution would humans take during prolonged interstellar travel? Enter the Nyx. The nyx are a matured species that have travelled to the far reaches of space. In their explorations, they found Earth, and have sent a delegation to share the mysteries of their evolution.

One such nyx, Eos Cerul, breaks nyx protocol and enters Earth without permission. She takes human form, and seeks to explore the unique beauty of Earth, and experience the quaint nuances of human nature. In the Adirondack State Park, NY, she encounters her first human, Alex Wesley.

Eos invites Alex to explore the mysteries of the nyx datastream, where physical consciousness is translated to waves of energy, and the universe can be explored at the speed of light. In return, Alex educates Eos on the finer workings of the human condition.

However, Eos’ transgressions catch up with her, and the pair discover the violent forces at work against them. In a mutual struggle for survival, they come to understand what it means to be nyx, and what it means to be human.

My Travels With Eos

Chris Bemis

Published by Chris Bemis

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2010, Chris Bemis

Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

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Contents:

1. My Travels with Eos

2. First Contact

3. How I Met Eos

4. Risky Propositions

5. Human Morphology, Top Heavy Design

6. Return to High Creek

7. Eos, Goddess of the Dawn

8. Foray in the Fractal Forest

9. Almost Human

10. A Primer on Womanhood

11. The Adventure of the Glass Ballerina

12. Alex, Bring your Service Revolver

13. Making Time for Trifles

14. The Finer Workings of Nyx Culture

15. In Search of Eos

16. There and Back Again

17. Awash in the Datastream

18. A Hiccup in Time

19. The Illustrated Adventures of Eos Cerul

20. Adventures in the Datastream

21. All Good Things

***

1. My Travels with Eos

Brief introductions. Allusions to mysterious happenings. What are the nyx?

In the interest of historical record, I have documented my interactions with the interstellar species commonly referred to as the Nyx. It is my hope that this document may improve future interactions between humans and the nyx.

The biggest barrier in nyx-human interaction is the biological, behavioral, and cultural differences that result from separate paths of evolution. These differences often cause confusion and hinder cultural exchange. However, due to the limited lifespan of our solar system, I feel it is necessary for our species to better understand the nyx. This will allow us to travel beyond our solar system into the deep expanse of space, ensuring the survival of our evolutionary line.

In the following pages, I share how I met Eos Cerul, a very peculiar nyx entity, and how our interactions shaped a unique and evolving relationship. Due to certain transgressions in protocol, Eos and I have suffered a series of misadventures along the way; however, I believe the reader will find that these misadventures have formed the basis of a common struggle. It is through our mutual fixation over survival that we came to understand one another.

My name is Alex Wesley, not Dr. Wesley, Professor Wesley, Sir Wesley, or His Majesty. At the time of this writing I was 27, living in Upstate New York, self-employed in a variety of occupations, including computer programming, photography, and restoration contracting. I am self taught; my background is in a diverse range of fields, including chemistry, physics, biology, general philosophy, etc… My world-view is an amalgam of these interests.

Introductions aside, let us explore the nyx before we reveal the individual known as Eos Cerul.

What are the Nyx?

Unfortunately, humans have yet to fully understand such a fundamentally different life form. On a cellular level, the nyx display characteristics of many terrestrial cellular structures, including polyextremophile microorganisms, animal neurons, and totipotent stem cells.

The Extremophile Institute in Schenectady, NY, specializes in studying organisms that thrive in physically or geochemically extreme conditions. Michael Redding, a researcher at the institute, studied cultured nyx tissue in an attempt to understand their resistance to high levels of radiation. He discovered that the nyx cells jumped taxonomic kingdoms in their adaptation to not only radiation, but in their most basic functions. It seemed that the nyx were capable of reproducing like colonies of bacteria, and yet form neural networks in order to communicate complex information, as evidenced in their response to higher level tasks. The colony of cells could even specialize into distinct organ systems in order to form large motile structures, capable of moving objects of greater mass.

In essence, a colony of nyx cells could grow into whatever it wanted. If it were doused in corrosive acid, it would adapt to consume the acid. If it was crushed under oppressive weight, it would form musculature to push the weight off. If an endoskeleton made sense, it would grow one, if an exoskeleton worked better, it would use that.

At a loss to taxonomically classify the sample, he placed the organism under a new kingdom, Totipotent, derived from totipotent stem cells, capable of dividing and reproducing all the differentiated cells of a complex multicellular organism.

Redding made an impromptu classification of this new organism as Totipotent nyx, in reference to Nyx, the primordial goddess of the night in Greek mythology. This ominous classification reflected the uncertainty in human culture at the time of discovery of another intelligent life form. For lack of a better classification to date, Totipotent nyx has been used in consensus by the scientific community. In general, the alien life form discovered in 2010 has henceforth been given the common name Nyx.

The nyx prefer to form a thin, convex, pink film over a growth medium resembling microvilli, with generous folds and recesses to increase growth surface area. However, they are capable of forming specialized organ systems in order to take on many shapes, including that of bipedal organisms, as evidenced in the first nyx-human interactions.

One theory that explained this adaptive morphology was put forth by the renowned sociologist Drew Hellinger, who believed that the nyx is one single organism:

"The (nyx) seems capable of adapting itself to an array of environments. At the outset, this seems advantageous to a space traveling organism. Space lacks atmosphere—it oftentimes lacks matter entirely. Instead it is a vacuous expanse of nothingness, interrupted by the occasional spec of rock hurtling through space, or a shower of lethal cosmic radiation, with a lingering cold approaching absolute zero.

"When analyzing (nyx)-human encounters, another more complex motivation for adaptable morphology becomes apparent. Although the (nyx) would be perfectly capable of thriving on the Earth as a flatworm, or even a simple colony of bacteria, it has taken the shape of a bipedal mammal, closely resembling Homo sapiens.

"If humankind were to discover a flatworm, or colony of bacteria from outer space inhabiting the Earth, the most natural response would be to isolate the organism, whether by extraction or extermination. Then, dissect and analyze the organism to determine its risk to Earth’s ecosystem.

However, in such a familiar shape to humans, we take an extra-terrestrial organism as a superior being, and as such, put on our diplomatic graces and communicate with it on a cultural level, instead of under a microscope. The result is that the (nyx) has access to our species in a sociological manner...

Hellinger went on to pioneer work in interspecies sociology, much of which remains controversial and beyond the scope of this work. However, it is obvious that the nyx took on a physiology remarkably similar to humans, and that there are simpler, more effective forms the nyx could have taken in order to colonize the earth. It is not a strenuous deduction to assume that they took on human form to facilitate interaction between our species.

Given the human like physiology of the nyx, and their immediate desire to form human interactions, I shall assert that the nyx have not only evolved to survive the rigors of interstellar travel, but also to adapt to interact with intelligent life forms of varying morphology. From my interactions with the nyx, I would go so far as to say that it is a mandate of their explorations to interact with other life forms they encounter, though I would not go so far as to hypothesize what their ultimate purpose is, nor why they have taken such a focused interest in humans, as well as approximately three dozen other organisms on our planet, to a lesser extent.

The nyx are so remarkably adept at polymorphology that it is difficult to determine their natural state. From my travels with them, I have noted that they commonly take on a simple physical form: a thin convex film, a few millimeters in thickness, affixed to a fractal growth matrix, submersed in a growth medium.

In this state, there are no manifestations of distinct multicellular organ systems, except for a remarkably complex neural network. The nyx possess membrane to membrane junctions resembling dendrites and axons found in neurons. They connect uniformly in a matrix of cells, forming a diffuse nerve net, similar to that found in jellyfish.

Although this diffuse neural net does not appear to have distinct nerve cords or a concentrated ganglion representing a brain, the cellular matrix is capable of complex reasoning and abstract thought, indicating that the colony of cells acts as a large brain. Moreover, this ‘large brain’ can form organ systems in response to stimulus. In essence, the nyx can grow into whatever they feel a need to be.

In this simple cellular matrix, the nyx are capable of detecting and responding to all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, as well as sound and pressure waves. They can detect trace amounts of chemicals in solids, liquids, and gases.

On a cellular level, the nyx share fundamental similarities to terrestrial life. The nyx are carbon based life forms. Their primary form of cellular energy is adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The nyx exhibit ATP synthesis characteristics from a variety of terrestrial life forms, both autotrophic, and heterotrophic.

The nyx are capable of obtaining energy by oxidizing organic and inorganic electron donating molecules. They are also capable of absorbing energy from sunlight using a photosynthetic mechanism similar to terrestrial phototrophs. However, unlike terrestrial organism, the nyx can absorb a broader range of the electromagnetic spectrum. They accomplish this process in an array of organelles embedded in the cell membrane. Each type of organelle uses an electron transport chain adapted to a certain range of electromagnetic frequencies.

The nyx have adapted such a complex biosynthesis process in order to adapt to the inconsistent sources of energy and matter available in space. In the depths of space, the nyx take advantage of comets, asteroids, gamma ray bursts, or any other wave of energy or dusting of matter that crosses their path. When approaching stars or other high-energy emitting phenomena, they take advantage of the rich supplies of electromagnetic radiation.

The nyx typically plot courses to intersect dense clusters of matter and energy as frequently as possible. Not only do these regions provide the energy required for their own biosynthesis and locomotion, these are the areas of greatest scientific interest.

A dense cluster of matter and energy is a relative expression. Approaching the center of galaxies, matter and energy is extremely dense, yet inhospitable to the nyx. Although they occasionally make expeditions into hot regions of galaxies, they tend to remain within a habitable zone. This zone provides the greatest prospect for discovering diverse ecosystems.

Within this habitable zone of a galaxy, they scan habitable zones of solar systems for signs of life. In this manner, they discovered our planet—nestled in ideal cosmic growing conditions.

Although I have mentioned earlier that the nyx commonly take on the form of a simple cellular matrix, they do so to economize energy consumption during long voyages. This simple cellular matrix would not be able to survive in space without a means of protection and locomotion. For this, they rely upon their vessels.

Nyx vessels are analogous to the dead sea coral on which living coral builds. Although not a living part of the nyx, the vessels are constructed organically. The nyx synthesize a polymer of both metallic and non-metallic chemicals to form a cocoon that protects them from the extremes of space. Certain areas of a cocoon are dedicated to absorption of electromagnetic radiation, while other areas are dedicated to propulsion. Inside this cocoon, the nyx construct a polymer growing medium similar in design to a lung. nyx cells attach to the large surface area of microvilli. The microvilli are exposed to a water based fluid rich in nutrients, similar in function to blood. This fluid typically remains within a temperature range of -20 to 10 degrees Celsius.

Inside this microclimate the nyx travel for countless millennia in search of cosmic phenomena. Although they have traveled between galaxies, they are only capable of obtaining speeds approaching three quarters the speed of light.

Their methods of propulsion vary from gravity assist to solar sails, as well as matter and antimatter exothermic reactions. Their preference is to utilize any prevailing forces, so as to economize matter consumption. However, if there is an excess of matter, or speed is a paramount objective, exothermic reactions are utilized.

As a result of their speed limit, the nyx have evolved to spend eons inside a vessel. Depending on the time scale between supplies of matter and energy, they may become dormant for lengthy periods, many times longer than the age of the earth. Due to their efficient recycling of materials, however, they spend most of their time awake and active.

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of the nyx to understand is that of identity. The nyx do not share the same concept of self-identity as humans. Humans are a collection of individuals, with distinct physical boundaries. Though we display sociological behavioral patterns, we are generally not considered one single organism.

The nyx, on the other hand, grow as a large brain in their natural state. Looking at one nyx vessel, it is a colony of nyx cells forming neural pathways. There is no distinct physiological boundary, there are simply electrical impulses rippling through the colony like an aurora, each ripple representing a simple computation or thought.

We do not think of our own thoughts as individuals inside our head, but this is the closest definition to an individual in the nyx species. Certain thoughts, or electrochemical impulses, persist in the nyx consciousness. These thoughts sometimes take up increasing space in a nyx vessel, and may even spread to the entire vessel, so that the vessel is a single thought process, or an individual.

We are then left with a dilemma; do we define this vessel as an individual? The question becomes increasingly difficult when we consider that a nyx vessel is not isolated. Every nyx vessel communicates in a series of electromagnetic wave pulses. Whatever happens in a nyx vessel is transmitted via wave packets to the nearest neighboring nyx vessel. The vessels never stray too far to break communication. They form a large intercommunicating network throughout our galaxy and further.

This behavior is not confined to vessels. There are entire planets that were once lifeless, but are now completely colonized by a large network of nyx cells, so that the entire planet is like one large nyx brain. These planets act as large network terminals between other vessels and planets.

When observing the distribution of nyx vessels and planets, we find that it exhibits fractal symmetry. A nyx vessel is actually a scaled down representation of the larger nyx network to which it belongs. And further down to the components of the vessel, we observe this self-similar symmetry in the layout of the cells.

The physical description of this large network is truly a galactic scale phenomenon. However, we are merely describing the physical characteristics of a brain. Consider the human brain, for a moment. When we describe folds of fleshy grey and white matter, this doesn’t quite explain human thought or consciousness. When you see, hear, and smell things, you do not see this as electrical impulses; you see it as your life experience.

Much in the same way, the nyx consciousness is even more remarkable than the description of the large brain in which it is housed. I refer to this large consciousness as the nyx datastream. The nyx datastream is the core of the nyx essence, or spirit, as we might define in ourselves.

The nyx datastream will be discussed in greater detail later on. The intent of this brief synopsis is to provide a workable image of what they nyx are, how this influences what they do, and how this influences their relationships with human beings. With this basic overview, we will delve into the remarkable events surrounding first contact with the nyx.

***

2. First Contact

The nyx discover earth. Discrete preparations. The world learns of a new life form.

It was May 24th, 2010, what many call the most important day in human history. It was the day that the nyx were introduced to the world at large. A special assembly of the United Nations in New York City introduced the nyx over live television. It was a day of great celebration and turmoil that set the world into a precarious excitement.

To the credit of the UN and all participating members, as well as the tact of the nyx, the world received the news remarkably well, with only a handful of riots and violent demonstrations by small groups. No nation displayed provocative actions or policies towards the nyx.

It was later learned, however, that the nyx visited Earth years earlier. Through careful study of our current geopolitical atmosphere, the nyx worked out a protocol of first formal contact. Some of the process has already been revealed through nyx-UN channels. Certain aspects have yet to be revealed by the nyx. With their permission, I have been allowed to reveal more details of their initial contacts. The nyx intend to reveal their own detailed account of the process, with the hope of instructing humans on interspecies first contact.

It all began with a probe. The nyx operate hundreds of thousands of probes throughout our galaxy, scanning interesting anomalies and potential inhabited planets. One such probe discovered our planet 11,026 years before first contact. It managed to send back data about the composition and age of our sun, and its distance to earth. It measured planetary mass, atmospheric composition, and climate. It recorded basic data regarding size of landmasses and oceans, as well as the presence of biodiversity.

Before it completed a basic analysis, unfortunately, the nyx lost communication with the probe. Luckily, enough data was gathered to warrant a detailed exploration by a nyx vessel.

10,990 years later, the nyx arrived to our solar system to discover an industrialized civilization. It was a period of great excitement among the nyx, for our planet was unique in many respects to anything previously observed.

To avoid detection, the first nyx vessel to arrive piggy backed off larger asteroids as it slowly approached earth. Ahead of the primary vessel, a smaller vessel in outward appearance to an asteroid made first contact with earth. Inside the vessel, a small colony of nyx cells arrived. The cells went through a series of adaptations in order to propagate through different multicellular organisms. After a few decades, the nyx succeeded in spreading undetected through our species as a commensal symbiont. They were able to map a robust genetic profile in order to emulate our species.

Through a series of electromagnetic communications, more established colonies of nyx organisms communicated with the primary vessel in hiding. These colonies of organisms discreetly tapped into our own electronic infrastructure in order to collect and broadcast mass volumes of data. After a period of analysis, a protocol for first formal contact was established.

In remote, undisturbed regions of Upstate New York, the nyx established a handful of remarkably complex embryos inside egg like mineral composites within the first three feet of earth. These embryos utilized a customized human genetic blueprint to undergo a process similar to embryogenesis. On the surface, a large but discreet multicellular photosynthesizing matrix provided the nutrients required for fetal development.

Fetal development was accelerated to allow the fetus to progress into human adulthood within a one year period. An organism in the appearance of a sexually mature adult emerged at the end of this process. Within spring of 2007, all fetuses emerged successfully.

The organisms that emerged from this process were similar to humans, yet they deviated enough to appear distinct. There were aspects of developmental logic in this deviation, an improvement on the human design. However, it was also a matter of facilitating human interaction. Easy identification removed an element of fear and uncertainty.

The most readily apparent identification of a humanlike nyx is the skin, hair, and eyes. All these features are different shades of cerulean. This characteristic is caused by a variety of factors, predominantly the presence of silver in the nervous and circulatory system. Silver is their preferred element in the transmission of electrical signals, as well as a variety of metabolic functions.

These newly evolved nyx sought out reputable scientists in diverse areas of expertise. They were selected for their credibility, discretion, and connections to the larger scientific community, as well as their influence on political policy.

The nyx were able to furnish these scientists with enough physical evidence to assert their origin beyond any doubt. It was through these scientific channels that the nyx were introduced to key political figures in the international community.

The nyx were all gathered on their own free will to a secret location where further studies and interviews could be performed. Astonishingly, for three years, all parties involved remained silent over their new discovery as preparations were made to introduce the nyx to the world at large.

The rest is a matter of public record, and has been covered to such an extent as to warrant exclusion in this document. Although many questions remain regarding the first decades of their arrival prior to formal introduction, the nyx are preparing their own account of the matter. In the meantime, they have graciously allowed me to fill in these few gaps in the record.

***

3. How I met Eos

Alex escapes into the Adirondacks. Strange encounters with a nyx. Enticing Propositions…

How I came to travel with the nyx has been a source of interspecies tension. The international media and government have come to their own conclusions on the matter. It seems that the issue is beyond the scope of my individual rights. However, I feel more qualified to elaborate on my personal experiences in the matter, while leaving the diplomatic ramifications to a more capable writer.

It would be flattering to say that I was chosen among the best of the human race by a council of elected officials, only after passing a series of intellectual and physical tests. The truth, however, is that I am analogous to an illegitimate child of the earth, who fell upon something intended for more gifted and proven people.

I am not an exceedingly capable individual in any capacity. I did not show any genetic predisposition to life in space. I am not sure the nyx had any prequalifications, nor any list of candidates for travel. I believe that the human genome is uniform enough in every person for the nyx to learn thousands of years of study, no matter who was chosen. I believe I was chosen as a matter of chance; similar to how a person makes a friend at a cafe—it was something spontaneous and organic.

It began when I first met a nyx in bipedal form. The encounter coincided with a multi-week trip to the Adirondack State Park in Upstate New York. I was observing and documenting wildlife, and happened to keep a detailed journal, which I will use to reconstruct my memory. I will also rely upon this particular nyx’s verbatim memory of the event, in order to create a precise picture of my initial encounters.

It was October 2012, nearly two and a half years since first contact with the nyx. I still felt a strong sense of nervous excitement mixed with ominous dread knowing that there were other sentient beings in deep space. I was still plugged into the frenzy of news and human interaction that seemed to swing from jubilation to desperation at the hinge of every small happening.

Always there were more questions than answers. The nyx were patient and respectful as we drank of their vast knowledge, although we became cross and frightened when they would not reveal certain information. They would answer in the same manner when pressed to divulge: Everything in its own time.

Perhaps it was best for things to be revealed slowly. I began to tire of all the new developments. My mind grew weary, motivating me to take a trip to the Adirondacks.

I packed up photography and audio equipment, as well as enough backpacking gear to spend two weeks in the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest. The region has a robust network of marked trails, as well as some notable unmarked trails. I planned on spending a few days along Wilcox Lake itself, then losing myself in some of the wilder portions, where I have found success observing wildlife.

The first phase of my observations were focused along Wilcox Lake between sunrise and sunset. This was sometimes not the best area for photographing wildlife, simply because it is a popular lake to visit; there are two lean-tos along the shore. I have, on occasion noted campers playing target practice or playing with fireworks. Typically, wildlife retracts to various holes and corners during these displays.

When it is quiet, it is truly a nice place to visit. In the summer, humming birds fly right up to the lean-to in the morning, mistaking colorful hanging gear for flowers. The shoreline is active with birds of various types. At night, the lake often gets foggy; the sullen cry of the loon echoes on the water. Looking out, the sky meets the lake in a grey mist, and one wonders if the loon is not the call of the eerie night itself.

I gravitated towards the western most lean-to, where I set up a tripod and camera along the shore, surrounded by vegetation. I had a 600mm lens attached worth more than the camera, tripod, and all my backpacking gear combined. It sometimes felt like it weighed as much too.

In the summer, the mosquitoes and biting flies are oppressive. Even with bug spray and protective gear, it is an act of will to stay affixed to one location all day. I have noticed though, that the biting flies are attracted to motion, and seem to disappear for the most part when staying still.

In October, things are different. The cold kills off the annoying