Gray Matters: Part One, Orders of Sapient Galactic Life

a Terragen Reliability Survey white paper
 

The Problem

The question we ask begins with just the kind of appeal to Dannikinite desire --a desire to belong, to MEAN something and have an explicit, definite purpose in the very act of our creation as a sophont species --that is to say, the apeal to emotion made by the likes of the "Rothen."  Humans , unlike our valued allies the Tymbrimi, the Kanten, and the Synthians, and their client species, are Wolflings --and not just ordinary wolflings, even Romulus and Remus had a wolf mother and a wolf family to belong to.  According to the Library, Humans are something unknown in all Galactic history.  We are Orphan Wolflings, foundlings, with no connections at all.  We are hardly some bastard race, with parents and lineage to curse, we are much less fortunate than that --and this in a Galactic social system where pedigree is everything.  As for Neo-Chimps andNeo-Dolphins, they are only marginally better off --children of a polluted foundling, and godchildren of that foundling's most disreputable friend.

So --being the neglected, abused, abandoned, illegitimate client of a miserable, felonious, out-law species would be a tremendous step up in Galactic society for Humanity.

But what of the Rothen?  What of the literally hundreds of other claims to be the Patron race of Homo sapiens? None, NOT ONE, of these claimants can be traced back to a living sapient species known to the mighty Galactic Library.  By Galactic cannons, one should conclude not only that none of the claims are valid, but that none of the claimants even exist.

Yet obviously, the claims are being made.  True, the vast majority of them can actually be traced back to Human beings.  Some of these are propagated by frauds hoping to earn a quick buck from the credulous; a few --often the ones with staying power --by inspired madmen and/or poets with a sincere vision for the condition of sophont mammals.  Some are multi-stranded religious movements.  A handful of these claims seem to lead back to existing alien species or clans, pursuing their own ends.  Others --like the tale of "Rothen" Patrons --have no discernable Terragen or non-Terragen origin.  The trail simply vanishes.  But the claim, the belief, and the stories definitely exist.

Most curious.

Another curiosity.  Despite the astounding recent (as opposed to ancient) discovery of Earth, O-2 and H-2 friendly planets are very well charted indeed.  Even remotely plausible terraforming and joviforming candidates are well catalogued --and redundantly catalogued --by the Institutes.

Yet for billions of years O-2 civilization has known how to build viable arcologies in the most hostile environments.  Before contact, even Earth technology had independently replicated the accomplishment on Venus, of all places.  This doesn't even begin to account for H-2 civilization, "methane" life-forms (now extinct), and surviving machine and virtual populations, as well as the possibility that the Five Galaxies still contain some macro-nanitic sapients (also exterminated long ago).  Primitive life will live in the most hellish environments imaginable, and the little creatures eventually come to find these niches the happiest of homes.  Evidently, life complex enough to support sapience is much more fastidious, and prefers extinction to discomfort, or worse --an unfashionable Galactic address.

Nobody regularly checks all those baked rocks, ice-balls, and brown dwarfs --because of course nobody would live there.  But Terragens like to be thorough.  The Terragen Reliability Survey brought you the Streaker fiasco. Now for our encore, the Tg.R.S. intends to begin a demographic survey of uninhabited space.  Presently we will discuss what we expect to find.  But first, it will be useful to review the orders of life in the Four Galaxies.
 

Orders of sapient life

First, it is useful to recall that Galactic knowledge divides sapient life into several super-groups.  The first division is between main-sequence and advanced sapience.  Advanced-orders-of-sapience include Retired and Transcendent life-forms.  For now, suffice it to say that organic-artificial distinctions are not important in classifying advanced sapient forms.  Main Sequence sapient life-forms can be broadly divided into Organic and Built (or Artificial or Mechanical) groups, as well as Mimetic pseudo-life and Quantum sapience.  It is held --at least among H-2 and O-2 species (all of which are Organic) --that Organic life-forms have a higher right to existence than Built forms.  It is also well known that many ethicists --not least Terragen and Tymbrimi Clan philosophers --consider the Organic-Built distinction to be not only invidious, but also absurd.  The authors largely share this view, but this is not the place to dwell on it.  We will, however, propose that there exists a fourth category of main-sequence sapient life that we call "Hybrid."

There are also three concepts that cut across this classification scheme.  The first concept-continuum is "Empirical" (or not-hypothetical) as opposed to "Hypothetical."  Simply put, empirical life-forms are attested to in the documentary record.  Examples either exist, or have existed in the past.  Hypothetical life-forms could --in theory --exist, but have never actually been documented.  The most famous example of hypothetical life-forms are Plasma Beings.  Demonstrating the existence of plasma life would be very difficult, at best.  One would probably need to descend into the coronas of stars --since the corona itself would drown out any trace signal from Plasma Beings.  Unfortunately, wise Galactics are certain that entering a stellar corona is impossible; the Library knows of no apparatus having ever been built to perform such a voyage, or for any similar set of engineering stressors.

The other cross-cutting criteria are the concepts of sentience and sapience.  These are not mutually exclusive. Speaking plainly, sapience is the ability to solve problems: cold intelligence.  On the other hand, sentience is the ability to feel or perceive, or (more deeply put) awareness.  First, we discuss the problem of sentience.

Rocks are sentient . . . at least according to the Jain religion rocks are sentient.  They react to stimulus.  For instance, if you hit a rock hard enough, it breaks.  Thus the Jains reasoned, each rock must have its own distinct "rock spirit" that causes it to perceive hammers and react appropriately when struck.  A plant is much more sentient than a rock, an ant much more perceiving than a plant, and a cow or a Human is very aware indeed. According to Jainism everything that is, is sentient.  Even neutrinos must be sentient --but just barely, because it seems there are very few things that a neutrino can perceive.  This is only a schematic presentation, Jainism is probably the most systematic animist formulation ever developed.  The Jain theory of sentience actually hangs together rather well when examined at greater length that we can devote to it here.

Consider the common lap dog.  It may be much less intelligent than a Human, but it is almost as sentient.  It sees, feels pain, hunger, plays, and even has emotions.  Furthermore, there is some evidence that dogs have a sense of self, albeit pre-symbolic, and even some quite sophisticated apparatus for perceiving other highly developed sapients --be they Humans, cats, or other dogs --and reacting accordingly.  They can even perceive emotional states in others.  The Jains would say that it is the nature of a lap-dog's animating spirit to be aware of the desires of others, and to perceive pleasing certain other sentients (such as members of the family that owns it) as pleasurable.  Note, however, that a highly sentient creature need not be highly "altruistic" or gregarious.  House cats and Terragen sociopaths are as sentient as dogs, or more so.  However, a house cat certainly does not care very much whether others are pleased or not, though cats do seem to perceive the emotional states of others.  Sociopaths also perceive the emotional states and needs of others, and ruthlessly exploit them.

Beyond this high level of sentience lies what is called haut-sentience.  This is the ability to imagine, to speculate for pleasure, to wonder, to appreciate, and above all, to know the self as a knower.  The ideal Galactic citizen has highly developed haut-sentience.

Note that sapience is not necessarily closely associated with high levels of sentience.  Some cephalopods are fairly good problem solvers --as good as, or better than, some birds.  But they are not as sentient.  Among Galactics this independence between sapience and sentience is perhaps most evident among the Tandu ab-Nght6.  Without a doubt Tandu are impressive problem solvers.  Also, Tandu are aware of the self --and are even aware that they are aware of the self.  However, they have a limited capacity to see others as other selves, and have hardly any capacity for wonder, appreciation, or for non-utilitarian speculation.  Nor is haut-sentience essential for sapient survival.  Pre-contact A.I researchers developed Virtual life-forms with impressive problem solving abilities that would do quite well in their complex --and competitive --virtual ecologies.  They were rather sapient.  However, while the researcher might think (and know that he thought) "I am talking to a virtual sapient," every indication was that the virtual sapient thought something like "Action: communicate from/to_and_to/from entity_capable_of_complex_symbolic_communication," and knew not of its own thought. Where we think "I am hungry," and have the consciousness to be conscious of this, the non-sentient thinks "PRIORITY: obtain sustenance," feels no hunger pains per se, and is not conscious that it is hungry.  In short, the non-sentient sapient is clever, but not conscious.

It is worth noting that it seems much more difficult to make a built life-form sentient than to make it highly sapient. It is thus likely that at least the early Galactic Machine life-forms --like pre-contact Terran machines --were sapient but not sentient.  They would have been socially autistic, and thus probably made rather poor Galactic neighbors.  There are intra-textual indications in the Galactic Traditions that this was one of the main reasons for privileging Organic over Built life.  If so, this reason has long been obsolete, because it is evident that Machine life is now quite capable of building haut-sentience into a client "race" (or design series).

When an entity has high levels of both sapience (intelligence) and sentience (awareness), it is most properly referred to as a "sophont."  To avoid having to call the property itself "sophistication," or worse, "sophistry," we use the term "sophonce."

Organic life-forms, in turn, fall into two divisions, Terrestrial and Jovian, usually referred to as "Oxygen-breathers" and "Hydrogen-breathers."  Hydrogen breathers are by far the more numerous order due to the much higher frequency of suitable biospheres.  However, the advantage of many more biospheres is off-set to a degree by the immense size of any H-2 individual relative to even the largest of O-2 sapients, and the much slower bio-rhythm's of most H-2 life-forms.  Indeed, while O-2 civilization tends to regard H-2 civilization as a potential threat because of its immense demographic and economic advantage, H-2 species tend to regard O-2 civilization as a potential threat because of the much faster rhythm of O-2 life.  H-2 anxiety about O-2 speed is only compounded by the fact that H-2 sapients seldom use more rapid means of interstellar travel --such as A-level hyper-space, jump-line travel, F.T.L. telekinesis, or probability drive.  Instead, most H-2 species putter around the galaxies in D-level hyperspace or in normal space at near-light-speed.  (See Interstellar Travel, Hyper-space, Light-Speed.)

Nor are the mutual security concerns misplaced.  Disastrous wars have been fought between H-2 and O-2 civilization in the distant past (see O-2/H-2 Wars), despite the fact that H-2 and O-2 species do not directly compete for most resources.  The major reason for the existence of the Galactic Institute for Migration is to limit contact --and hence conflict --between the two great orders of Organic life.  Though after billions of years of research, communication between O-2 and H-2 species remains quite difficult, the two orders do engage in trade (see O-2/H-2 communication and O-2/H-2 trade).  Many (but by no means all) trade practices resemble "silent trade" procedures used on Earth in the past.

H-2 life-forms are classified by habitat --namely Browns (Hydrogen breathers who live in brown dwarfs), Jovians, and Neptunians.  Curiously, while higher environmental temperatures are positively correlated with faster rhythms among O-2 species, the reverse is the case among H-2 life-forms.  Though chemical processes do occur at faster rates, Hydrogen breathers who evolve in hot environments are larger (and lighter) than their colder cousins.  Hence, Browns are the largest and slowest of the H-2 breathers.  The occurrence of Browns is limited by the occurrence of brown dwarfs.  Jovians are also quite large and slow (though less so than Browns), and are much more common than the other two kinds of Hydrogen breathers.  Neptunians are the rarest of the Hydrogen breathers due to the low frequency of neptunian planets with complex ecologies.  However, Neptunians are active neptuniformers, and are enjoying a secular increase in population.  Though still immense and slow by O-2 standards, Neptunians are the smallest of the Hydrogen breathers and much faster than their cousins.

Terrestrial organic life is much less common than Jovian life.  This is largely because terrestrial life is limited by the geological presence of liquid solvents.  In practice, this solvent is almost always water.  The vast majority terrestrial sapient life releases energy from hydrocarbons through chemical reaction with oxygen (hence the common practice of referring to the entire group as O-2 life).  However, at any given time "O-2 civilization" contains a few species with anaerobic metabolisms (usually based on hydrogen sulfide) as well as a tiny number of Halogen Breathing species.  Anaerobic life is, of course, rather common.  However, multi-cellular anaerobic species with uplift potential are very rare.  Halogen (Fluorine, Chlorine, and Iodine) based biospheres are simply incredibly rare.  Those known to exist are very carefully managed by the Galactic Institute for Migration.  Such Anaerobic and Halogen species as exist usually participate actively in wider O-2 civilization.

One other kind of Terrestrial life was once common throughout the Galaxies.  These were methane and/or ammonia life-forms that lived in Titan-like habitats.  Though complex Methane-Ammonia ecologies are rare, they do occur, and historical sources clearly indicate that Titan-forming was relatively easy and economical.  At the time of contact, Terran scientists were surprised to learn that no methane or ammonia life existed in the five galaxies.  It took some time to discover that Methane-Ammonia intelligence was simply extinct.  H-2 civilization considered the Methane-Ammonia sub-civilization a partial competitor and immediate security threat to both existing H-2 species and to fallow H-2 ecologies.  Some of the wars between H-2 and Terrestrial civilizations were genocidal in intent.  In one of these H-2 civilization was partly successful.  They exterminated most Methane-Ammonia species, and the peace treaty ended further Methane-Ammonia uplift.  (See H-2/O-2 Wars and Methane-Ammonia Extermination.)
 

During the great O-2/H-2 wars all Organic life was thrown into a struggle for survival against self-reproducing artificial intelligence.  Though initially quite successful, Built civilization was eventually very nearly driven to extinction by the combined forces of Organic life.  The terms of the peace for Built sapience were harsh, and limited Built life --not only to stellar systems hostile to Organic life --but to "sterile" stellar systems in certain specified regions regarded as largely unproductive and non-strategic.  By this time, both Organic civilizations had also drawn up elaborate codes restricting commerce between Organic and Built species.  O-2 (and H-2) civilization remains very phobic about Built life to this very day, and most of the traditions restricting contact with Built species are still respected and enforced.  (See also Built-Organic War.)

Most species of Built sapients are "sapient machines."  Except for those explicitly licensed by the galactic institutes --none of which can reproduce themselves --all Machine species (or rather, design clusters) live in the above mentioned reserve areas.  Though it has been many aeons since the last Organic-Machine war, most Machine (and Virtual) clans still avoid contact with the Organic civilizations.  A few clans and species --such as the Seven Spins Clan --do have guarded relations with Organic civilization.  However, trust seldom runs very deep.

Somewhat distinct from true "Machine" sapience is "Virtual" sapience.  Virtual sapience is not specifically hardware dependent --it is, in fact, a computer program.  Of course, the program requires a suitable hardware substrate, and manifestations of a given Virtual form may vary somewhat depending on the supporting hardware platform.  However, strictly speaking, the hardware contains no inherent potential for sapience.  After manufacture the machine will not learn on its own.  Only after certain software program(s) are loaded will any sapient qualities become manifest.  Indeed, if the sapient program is completely deleted and scrubbed, the hardware should support another member of the virtual species equally well.  As a rule, virtual species can survive de-powering of hardware substrates if properly stored, and they can clone (copy) themselves or migrate from one platform to another.  Also, provided a sufficiently sophisticated substrate is available, more than one (distinct) virtual sapience can "live" in one hardware substrate.

If anything, Virtual sapience is even more strictly controlled than Machine sapience.  All Virtuals in O-2 space must be highly dependant on specialized hardware substrates and incapable of self-replication.  Records for historical Virtual races and those few Virtuals still participating in Galactic civilization show a distinct tendency for succeeding client races in Virtual lines to become increasingly Machine-like.⁽¹⁾

In contrast to Virtual races, true Machine species function much more like Organic sapients.  Having been born or built, the young Organic or Machine sapient automatically begins to learn.  As a rule, Machine sapients --like Organic sapients --cannot be neatly divided into an "intelligent self" that is separable from a substrate. Damaging the intellect, personality, or memory of a sapient Machine often requires physically damaging the Machine.  Also, damage to the cognitive resources of a Machine intelligence often result in a cascade failure of the entire entity --including parts of its machine body not critical to information processing.  Storing a Machine personality is only somewhat less difficult than artificially storing Organic personalities.  In addition, a Machine's personality is always very sensitive to initial hardware conditions.  Even when sophisticated techniques are used to "copy" a personality into an "identical body," results are never exact --though usually more so than in analogous procedures performed on Organics.

Traditionally, Galactic taxonomy has included one other form of intelligence among the sub-groups of Built sapients.  These are Macro-Nanitic life-forms.  Of all the Machine life-forms, Macro-Nanitic life most closely approximates Organic life with individual nanite components functioning as rather close analogues of cells.  Self-replicating nanites have been used for billions of years throughout know space --mostly in mining and refining, terraforming, and in self-repairing machinery.  (There are innumerable applications for nanite technology, but few applications require the micro-machines replicate themselves.)  Von Neuman Nanites (as they are called in Anglic) are usually more efficient when they use some solvent to etch replicas.  However, because the machines can be built to make their own solvent in molecular quantities, or to "trade" with a "symbiont" programmed to make solvent, the need for solvent is hardly a limiting factor.  Other nanites were (and are) often designed to refine and "excrete" silicon --again using molecular level mechanics.  Other nanites would then "eat" the refined element.  Over time, transcription errors would produce increased variation in the nanite populations.  (Evidently, nanite-ovores were often among the first mutant lines to flourish.)  Eventually, self-replicating multi-nanite entities would evolve, and given enough time, some might become very complex indeed.

Over time, nanites produce their own unique ecologies, and take on the qualities of a quasi-Organic life-form. We are puzzled about why Galactic Civilization decided to classify Macro-Nanites as Built life rather than as a kind of Organic life or instead of putting Macro-Nanites into their own category.  It is unlikely that the ancient Galactics committed the origin-significance fallacy and classified Macro-Nanites as Built life simply because their original ancestors were machines.  Ancient records indicate that they were put in the Built category because early efforts at uplift were made by Machine species.  However, judging by subtext in those same documents, it is fairly obvious that the main reason Macro-Nanites were put in the Built category was that other Organic species --especially Terrestrial species --were very antagonistic toward Macro-Nanitic species. Classifying them as Built allowed for an elegantly simple Organic-Built dichotomy and an equally simple bigotry. Indeed, so strong was Organic hostility toward Macro-Nanitic sapience that they have been listed as extinct for over two billion Earth years.  Methane-Ammonia sapients were exterminated only about 200 MY before the Macro-Nanite genocide, and these are two of only three extinctions recorded at this taxonomic level (or higher) in all of Galactic history.⁽²⁾ (See also Methane-Ammonia Extermination, Macro-Nanite Extermination, Cyborg Extermination, Wars of Extermination.)

Uplift of promising macro-nanite species is STRICTLY forbidden by Galactic tradition and the Galactic Uplift Institute.  Because no entity would uplift Macro-Nanites, and because spontaneous uplift is known to be impossible, and because no Macro-Nanites have been known to Galactic Civilization for roughly 2,000 MY, Macro-Nanites must still be extinct.  The Institutes also require numerous safe-guards when there is no economical option but to use Von Neuman nanites.  In particular, all self-replicating nanites must meet stringent tests for transcription accuracy and they must incorporate at least two ways to self-destruct and two ways to receive self-destruct commands.  In addition, each kind of self-replicating nanite used on a given project must be licensed by the relevant Institute and the Galactic Foresight Institute, and fees are raised to the power of the index of the nanite species.⁽³⁾  As a result, the nanite systems used today (at least those parts that use Von Neuman nanites) tend to be fairly simple.  Prior to the War of Macro-Nanite Extinction, complex nanite ecosystems often remained after a terraforming project.  Today it is virtually impossible that even eight species of nanites would be found after the extermination that would follow a one mega-year terraforming project.  Even four surviving species would be unlikely.⁽⁴⁾ (See also: "Nanotechnology".)
 

Memetic sapients belong to the Memetic (or semiotic) order of life.  Memetic life is an organization of interrelationships, thoughts, or meanings --as such Memites are more properly called pseudo-lifeforms because they lack many attributes of other life-forms such as elimination, species resemblance, stable forms of reproduction, and so on.  Indeed, Memites even lack stable individual forms, and do not necessarily live discrete existences.  Non-memites often find the transformations and interactions of memites almost random.  Memetic forms can be highly intelligent.  In general, complex, autonomous Memetic forms are only found in e-space, where the relationship between connections and nodes is inverted relative to the other spatial subverses.  As a result of the relational inversion of e-space relative to the other subverses, semiotic forms take on corporeal verisimilitude, and energy-matter as known in the rest of the universe become holographic instertia.  The result is that material reality has no independent existence in the allophoric perceptual reality of e-space, and energy-matter becomes a scarce imported commodity.  In a close analogy, autochthonous memetic expressions are likewise scarce in non-e-space.

Autochthonous Memetic sapients thus have a craving for matter, and are plastic enough to interact with any other Main Sequence sapience.  The major element of memetic trade with material reality involves translation and brokerage services between other Main Sequence forms.  But even though Memetic sapients are naturally gifted translators, three factors limit the amount of revenue autochthonous Memites earn as cultural brokers.  First, Memite services necessarily involve a three-way instead of a two-way communication, and the extra link erodes much of the advantage of employing a Memite go-between.  Second, it is difficult to maintain an autochthonous Memite in a material subverse, but many material species are loathe to travel to e-space for negotiations.  Third --and most important --Memetic sapients are highly subject to change, and their motivations difficult for material life-forms to gage, making every material-being very leery of any interaction with Memetic sapients. Many tales are told of Memetic entities that had been amiable and helpful for generations suddenly going "beserk" --or worse, subtlety changing to a more acquisitive or chauvinistic "motivational" scheme instantaneously.  Similar behavior shifts among material sapients almost always only occur after detectable prior behavioral changes --or at least belong to a recurring pattern.  Among Memites dramatic changes are abrupt; and in any case, nothing about a Memetic form is as subject to repeatable pattern as would be an analogous structure of a material life-form.
 

Among the known, Main Sequence orders of sapient life,Quantum forms are the most numerous.  However, communication with Quantum life-forms remains even more problematic than communication with H-2 life-forms.  Furthermore, the huge difference in habitat between other main-sequence sapient life and Quantum civilization, combined with huge communication barriers, insures that there is very little commerce between Quantum civilization and other main-sequence species.  In addition, the basic "biology" of Quantum sapience is poorly understood by Terragen civilization at the present time.  (See also, Quantum civilization, Galactic commerce, communication, inter-Order communication.) ⁽⁵⁾
 

Having briefly described the canonical Galactic orders of main-sequence sapient life, we now turn toward those orders of sapient life that we call "Hybrid," and that are not recognized as distinct orders of sapient life in Galactic knowledge.  Note that as in other such classificatory distinctions between main-sequence sapients, all of the following proposed distinctions would not be relevant in classifying Advanced sapient forms.

In the sense that we are using, all Earthling eukaryotic cells --hence all multi-cellular organisms --are hybrid.  True, they are rather trivial examples by Galactic standards, but the same evolutionary process that caused mitochondrial and chloroplast bacteria to take up residence in proto-eukaryotic cells is --as a general process --not limited to Terrans, or even by the boundaries of Galactic Orders.  Among Galactics the most common form of hybridization --not surprisingly --is the incorporation of "domesticated" nanites into an Organic form.⁽⁶⁾  This phenomenon is actually fairly common among O-2 species.  Though nanites in predominantly Organic O-2 forms function primarily as inter-cellular agents, they also are sometimes encountered as intra-cellular organelles.  For some reason, nanite hybridization is much more common among autotrophic sapients than among the more common heterotrophs.  For example, the Kanten originally had nanitic elements in their physiology.  (As frequently happens, these were replaced with all-organic substitutes during uplift.)  The Jophur still have a considerable physiological reliance on "domesticated" nanites.  An even stronger correlate of nanite dependent physiology is derivation from a heavily terraformed world, or derivation from a species with a derivation from a heavily terraformed world.  Thus, both the Kisa and the Pring in Clan Soro have some nanite systems. Hydrogen Civilization also uses self-reproducing nanites to biosphere-form worlds, and it is likely that one would find the same phenomenon in some H-2 species.

Cyborg species are in a sense intermediate between Organic and Built sapience.  Cyborg intelligence is distinct from bionic augmentation.  Bionics "merely complement" existing sapience.  In contrast, true Cyborg intelligence relies on extrinsic, synthetic implants.  Thus, without the intervention of culturally conserved technology, Cyborgs cannot reproduce --at least as a sapient species.  Though insufficient in itself to account for the extermination of Cyborg species (which were never numerous), this dependence on pre-existing civilization is one of the major reasons Galactic Traditions of Uplift forbid creation of Cyborg species.  The Galactic distaste for bionic augmentation --especially as a permanent or temporary uplift "kluge" --is directly related to the ban on cyborg species.  It is thus easy to understand why Clan Terragen is under considerable inter-species pressure to curtail its use of bionics --especially of cyberwear --and to give all uplifted species adequate organic manipulative organs without regard for prior evolutionary patterns.

It is also possible for machine and organic elements to exist in a rough balance at a lower level of organization than what we usually think of as Cybernetic life.  Furthermore, the one existing sample of this kind of being --the magma dwelling Karrank% --is capable of reproduction without continuous technological intervention. Unfortunately, the Karrank% are the descendants of a Terrestrial Organic species intentionally used as the basis for sapient mining factories.  The history of the Karrank% was so traumatic that this unique species has opted out of Galactic Civilization.

Though hypothetical at this time, we believe that it is probable that Machine-Biotic --or Built species incorporating Organic elements --also exist.  As in the case of Bio-Nanitic hybrids, Machine-Biotic species would most likely incorporate individual cells, or at most discrete tissues, rather than complex multi-cellular organisms.  Though having more limited operating parameters, organic cells --especially O-2 cells --can be much smaller Von Neuman machines than their silicon counterparts.

Though very rare, examples of joint Machine-Virtual intelligences have been recorded by the Galactic Library, and it is probable that at least a few exist at any given time.  In fact, there is an excellent chance that many of these con-sociations were, or are, actually examples of a hypothetical form of sapience called a "Macro-Symbiotic Sapient Gestalt" (discussed below).  More interesting is the hypothetical form we call an H-2/O-2 hybrid.  There is no reason why an H-2 physiology could not encapsulate O-2 life-forms in substructures containing suitable habitats.  However, keeping these habitats at suitable temperatures and presures would be quite expensive metabolically even for Brown H-2 species.  It is suggested that competitive disadvantage may account for our inability to find documentation for any such hybrid in the Galactic Library.

We should also point out that incorporation of quantum life into any other sapient form is quite possible, and may be very common.  Indeed there exist numerous arguments to the effect that all macro-sapients (particularly Organic sapients) are merely substrates for Quantum sapients.  However, in the final analysis, we agree with the received Galactic wisdom that it is not productive to dwell at length on this possibility.⁽⁷⁾
 

The best known kinds of Hypothetical life are classified by habitat.  Since the list of hypothetical life in the Library is (not surprisingly) exceedingly long, we will limit ourselves to the brief mention of a few of the more intriguing forms.  We have already mentioned Plasma life, and why it will forever remain in the realm of hypothesis.  Another interesting possible form of sapient life might live on the surface of neutron stars and would be essentially two-dimensional.  (See, Two Dimensional life.)  However, the ultimate hypothetical life-form may be Post-Event Horizon sapience.  The possibility of post-event horizon life is itself an interesting twist on the "organic universe" theory, but what makes this the ultimate in hypothetical life is the clear impossibility of meaningful information passing either way across an event horizon.

The reader should not, however, think that all hypothetical life forms are related to stellar bodies.  For example, there are innumerable sightings of "hyperspace" entities on record --and while Galactics usually give these reports the same credence that serious Terragen scholars give to the Loch Ness Monster or the Yeti, it is worth remembering that before contact we used to put Unidentified Flying Objects in the same category of hysterical wish fulfillment.
 

The other main arena for speculation about new forms of life centers around the structure and dynamics of sapience.  These are the hypothetical "Gestalt Intelligences:" the Macro-Symbiotic, Sapient Gestalt, and Dynamic Gestalt Field sapiences.  These forms of sapience are distinct from what are known as "societal intelligences, "corporations, or "group thinks."  Group "intelligences" are formally considered emergent phenomenon that result from the interaction of entities that are themselves sapient.  In practice, this means that to demonstrate the existence of a Gestalt Intelligence each distinct participating organism or entity must either be non-sapient, or at most have very limited sapience.  That is, no component is fully sapient by itself --sapience truly emerges from the gestalt.

The simplest kinds of Gestalt life-forms are the Macro-Symbionts.  In fact, Macro-Symbiosis is not a purely Hypothetical form of life.  Many examples actually exist.  The Jophur are probably the best known example, and finding Library records on modular Machine sapients is a trivial exercise.  Nor are Macro-Symbionts limited to the so-called trivial cases of intra-species or even intra-order symbiosis.  It is not known if any Machine-Virtual races have ever been true Macro-Symbionts, but Alliance for Progress scholars are confident that experimental forms could be built.⁽⁸⁾

Moving to the hypothetical end of Macro-Symbiosis, the most intriguing possibilities have a structural principle of "encapsulation."  That is, a larger structure includes, or houses, smaller structures.  For example, a large Machine or a Hydrogen Breather might encapsulate symbiotic Oxygen breathing species.  Note that none of the participants in the symbiosis could be sapient.  However, if any party were sapient it would still be a most interesting case of endo-parasitic mutualism.⁽⁹⁾  It should be noted that such an endo-parasitic mutualism could be highly beneficial to both parties.  The larger partner would gain considerable "immunological" advantages, the smaller partner gets a superb hiding place, and both gain major defensive advantages against aggressors.

Also in the realm of hypothesis, Quantum life forms might form a Macro-Symbiosis with any other kind of life.

In contrast, no Sapient Gestalts have ever been documented.  The reader will note that a Macro-Symbiotic relationship involves a relatively small number of potentially autonomous entities (seldom more than twenty), that the kinds (or species) of entities participating in the symbiosis are quite limited (usually two or three) and that the symbiotic participants in the Macro-Symbiosis typically present as a "unitary body," in which case we say that the sapient entity is "embodied."  A Sapient Gestalt retains the practical requirement that participants be non-sapient, and without empirical cases it is difficult to know how many participants a "normal" Sapient Gestalt might contain.  However, there is reason to expect Sapient Gestalts would include more participating species than Macro-Symbionts and that they would be less likely than Macro-Symbionts to be embodied.  In short, a Sapient Gestalt's intelligence emerges from the interactions of a fairly definable community rather than from a simple diadic (or triadic) relationship.  The transport vines of Garth, and the participants in a given transport vine network --though non-sapient either individually or as a collectivity, are an illustration of a gestalt relationship.  The astute reader will notice that the transport vine networks on Garth can be huge.  Without actual data, there is no way to know what scales might be possible for Sapient Gestalts.  Most interested scholars have speculated about groups of perhaps as many as thirty-two entities and up to eight species participating in a pre-sentient gestalt.  However there is no reason, a priori, why a Sapient Gestalt could not include hundreds of species and cover entire continents --or even whole biospheres.

The "Dynamic Gestalt Field" (D.G.F.) lies even further inside the realm of speculation.  A sapient Dynamic Gestalt Field would be unlikely to be embodied, and by definition it has no stable "membership" (though all potential participants may belong to a definable --and even countable --group).  Indeed, any stability that a D.G.F. might have, is a dynamic stability that emerges from the continuity-of-the-process producing sapience rather than any necessary continuity-of-membership.  In the purest form of a Dynamic Gestalt Field membership is entirely fluid, yet the sapience persists.  An actual D.G.F would be a great boon to theoretical sophontology because even as an abstract hypothesis the D.G.F. poses fascinating problems in recruitment for multi-entity sapience, in "personality," and even more in the understanding of memory systems.

Though not particularly relevant to the of the rest of this paper, we address categories of Advanced Sapience for the sake of completeness.  Advanced Sapience refers to the fate of sapient races that --while not becoming extinct --move beyond the confines of Main Sequence Sapience and the substrates, politics, and intellectual concerns of Main Sequence Sapience.

A race that has survived its mega-years in Main Sequence Galactic civilization, eventually enters its twilight age. Species at this point in their life-cycle have typically left behind at least one or two client races, and contributed to Galactic civilization as was their wont.  Elder Species typically have difficulty rousing themselves over any but the most dramatic Galactic political events.  Members tend to spend very little time attending to their own immediate environment, and mechanical or biological servants see to all but their most basic needs.  Indeed, most Elder species do not even reproduce at a rate sufficient for replacement.  This is even more starling when one recalls that the shortest lived Elders have spans of several centuries.  Sadly, a good many --perhaps most --Elder races become extinct from a lack of joie de vie --or at least libido --before they finish stepping off.  Another hallmark of an Elder Species is an economy that produces goods of the highest technology accessible to Main Sequence understanding.  Many individual Elders live their lives to think, and they have a good deal of time for thought.  Indeed, members of junior races frequently find ordinary statements made by Elders koan-like, or at least rather paradoxical.  Most Elder cultures have the pervading atmosphere of a species-wide monastery or university.  It is this marked preference for contemplation that causes races with predilections toward constant activity, achievement, and a strong work-ethic --such as the Soro and many Humans --to often consider the Elder stage one of decadence and senile decline.

Nevertheless, one of the strongest and most deeply held values of Galactic Civilization is honor and respect for the Elders.  This ethical imperative is reinforced with numerous Traditions, and more importantly, the vast majority of Galactic sentiment --not to mention the "maximally" advanced technology available to any Elder species.  This strong Tradition of Elders' Immunity, in part accounts for a curious developmental pattern followed by a minority of Elder races (perhaps ten percent).  These races remain --or occasionally become --very active throughout their Elder stage of Main Sequence sapience.  They are the "grannies-in-sneakers" of the Five Galaxies.  They invariably retain an interest in the young --almost always in species in the process of uplift, and frequently in the youth among their own species.  They are also disproportionately active in all the Galactic institutes.  Members of such races tend to travel widely, and often, throughout the Galaxies.  Most clans welcome such travelers enthusiastically and almost all the rest are exceedingly polite with their honorable . . . guests.  Like a house cat near a cat-hater, many members of the most notoriously meddlesome Elder species seem to make a point of visiting those who least want them, and then putting their reluctant hosts in the most uncomfortable situations possible.⁽¹⁰⁾

Eventually an Elder race that has not gone extinct begins to "step off."  That is, the species begins the period of transition from being an Elder Main Sequence species to being an new species of Advanced Sapient.  Species that start stepping off often begin to actively avoid the company of their former peers.  Members of a few select species just beginning uplift and very senior Elder species are occasional exception to this rule⁽¹¹⁾.  A species in the process of stepping off may also still make provisions for occasional contacts with their clan juniors.  Also, as a species begins stepping off, the Galactic Uplift Institute ceases to take an interest in the race upon sending notice to the Library that around such-and-such a date the race in question began the process of stepping off.  In turn, a species that is stepping off begins to disregard taboos about mixing Organic and Built elements in one organism, about cyborging, or about radically altering species' biology to live in exotic environments.  These races also begin to experiment with what Main Sequence intelligence can only understand as reality-warping or meta-physical technologies.  Races stepping off always stop participating in Galactic politics and institutions --at least as Main Sequence members --soon after it becomes evident that they have begun the transition.  This actually seems to be a Galactic Tradition, because some Retired species opt to live in Main Sequence civilization, and not only participate in --but actually supervise --the Galactic Institutes.  Over just a few mega-years the race evolves to the point where they no longer use a Main Sequence substrate, and are no longer dependent on valuable Main Sequence habitats.  The race retires from its home-world so that it can once again give birth to Promise⁽¹²⁾,  whereupon the G.U.I. notifies the Library that the race is now Retired from Main Sequence Civilization, and the Galactic Institute for Migration performs a "Final Assessment of Custodianship" before returning the world to the status of Fallow Reserve.  All members of their Clan still participating in Main Sequence Civilization also remove the name of the now Retired race from their patronymic.

Retired races have very little intercourse with Main Sequence Civilization.  Indeed, they form their own civilization, though traces of their developmental histories survive.  For example, while descendants of H-2 and O-2 civilizations may well use similar substrates in Retirement, and can communicate more easily than before, we are told by O-2 Retirees that modes of thought remain remarkably different and communication problematic.  Retired species do not live lives or use technologies unimaginable to Main Sequence intellects.  Some very promising pre-sentients can imagine a boat that would propel itself, we can build one.  We can imagine personalities that would last until the proton death of the universe, Retired species have personalities that can live that long.  We imagine reliable teleportation machines, Retired species have teleportation technology.  Sometimes --in extreme circumstances --they give (or rather loan) a group of Main Sequence beings one or two such tools.  Often, when the equipment breaks the Retirees refuse to fix it.  They say it could be fixed, and explain how to do so if asked.  Sometimes the instructions seem straightforward.  But almost invariably, the attempt ruins the machine, and the Retirees reply that we (Main Sequencers) are "not yet ready to understand."  In short, the Retired have advanced to a level of thought and understanding that lies beyond what any mode of Main Sequence life can support.

It should be noted that not all Retired species do, in fact, withdraw "completely" from Main Sequence Civilization.  Some stay on to monitor and/or provide guidance for the species in the Main Sequence brood house.  These active Retirees are called Bodhisatva species.  Though accessible to Main Sequence Civilization, Bodhisatvas are still quite aloof.  However, they do send representatives to major functions, such as uplift ceremonies, and they are active in the institutes --especially at the higher levels.  Also, their clanmates return the name of a Bodhisatva race to their patronymics.  Though few Bodhisatva species meddle much in Main Sequence politics⁽¹³⁾, it is evident that there are strong disagreements between Bodhisatva species on policy for interacting with Main Sequence Civilization and the deep structures of that Civilization.  Very few Retirees opt to become Bodhisatvas, and it is evident that other Retired species tend to hold them in some contempt.  This, however, only increases the Bodhisatvas prestige among most Main Sequence species whose members are already inclined to see Bodhisatvas as protectors, guides, and --above all --altruistic.  In light of this, it is interesting that opting to become a Bodhisatva species is something of a tradition for the Thennanin's ancestors.  Both Tothtoon ul-Rosh and Rosh ab-Tothtoon ul-Kosh ul-others are Bodhisatvas.⁽¹⁴⁾

The most advanced sapient forms known to Main Sequence Civilization are called Transcendent species.  Just because Retired races live in a handful of ring worlds, Dyson spheres, diffusion disks, and fractal systems and can expect to exist indefinitely as personalities does not mean that the process of uplift has come to an end.  Uplift is not an end but a process.  In a sense, it is life itself --stagnation leads to uncompetitiveness, and from there to extinction.  After 1000 mega-years or more, a fortunate race becomes an Elder race among the Retired,⁽¹⁵⁾ and steps off into Transcendence, leaving its allotment of resources for other Retirees.  Unlike Retired species, the goals and technologies of Transcendent species are basically beyond even rudimentary Main Sequence comprehension.  Few Transcendent species even seem to live in what we understand as the physical universe, and those that do seem to consist primarily of spatial distortions and energy.  Transcendent beings do not even seem to use physical machines.  As far as we Main Sequence sapients are concerned, they will things to happen, and they happen.  Transcendent beings almost never manifest themselves in Main Sequence affairs.  Library records indicate that they certainly can, but almost never do.  For Main Sequence sapients, Transcendence is something to aspire to, but Transcendent Civilization is largely irrelevant to us in practical terms.

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