(As recorded through the agency of the Brrrrrrrrrrrrvvbh named Phhhhhhhhhhhhhnnnv)
History:
This reporting scale was developed some 6.4 billion Sealeesh rotations (approximately 8 billion Galactic Standard years) ago, and has undergone a process of constant refinement. The necessity for its implementation was, of course, the Species 5 disaster, which resulted in the Eer-gaaani becoming completely isolationist, an unutterable loss to all Advanced Sentient Species (ASS).
It was the will of the Combine of Sentients that the SongLuminant species be appointed the gatekeeper to inclusion of new species into the Combine. The SongLuminants were chosen precisely because their lack of organic emotion/sensation allowed for perfectly objective judgment, and would preclude undue mercy of the sort that led to the Species 14 fiasco.
It is the task of the SongLuminants to monitor developing sentient species and delegate, if appropriate, guardianship to one of the other members of the Combine. Preliminary Sentience (PS) is indicated by the following traits: capacity to use specifically manufactured tools; development of a language or alternate form of communication; capacity for short-term planning as evidenced by the storage of foodstuffs (if necessary to the survival of the species), alteration of the environment to facilitate habitation (may include the building of dwellings), and prescriptive medical care; the production of cultural artifacts; the capacity for military strategy. Rudimentary Sentience (RS) is indicated by sophisticated manufacturing capacity; mass-communication (media); the capacity for long-term planning as evidenced by large scale environmental modification (may include the development of cities), a transportation system, preventative medical care, and mass education; the preservation of cultural artifacts; large-scale warfare. Advanced Sentience is indicated by molecular-level manufacturing; cross-species communication; the capacity for galactic-scale planning including ecosystemic restructuring, interstellar travel, genetic modification, and ultrarapid learning; the dissemination of superior cultural artifacts, and, most importantly, supermassive creative and destructive capacity including the ability to manipulate spacetime and the potential to create new species or eradicate existing ones. As not all of these indicators may apply, and as species are often in transition between phases for protracted periods, the designator applied to a species is determined by careful consideration of the Lords of the Inner Vent.
Guardians assigned to PS are to consider them as children, and strive to protect their nascent civilization from cataclysm. RS species are problematic; not fully-realized, they have enough technological capacity to cause trouble. It is entirely up to the guardians to act as they see fit toward their RS charges. The amount of interference, up to complete eradication of the species, is left wholly to the guardian’s discretion.
Once it is determined that a species is on the threshold of advanced sentience (TAS), either through the positive report of the guardian or some negative crisis requiring immediate attention, an inquest is called. Every attempt is made to allow the TAS to represent itself as fully and adequately as possible. The species is not, however, allowed access to the scoring rubrics, as there would certainly be motivation to represent itself untruthfully. At any point, if the Inquisitor feels that the TAS is misrepresenting itself, the inquisition may be called to a close. The proceedings of the inquest are recorded and reported to the Lords of the Inner Vent, who consider it in council. Their decision is final and irrevocable.
Should the decision go against the plaintiffs, the SongLuminant military task force, Champions of the Skylight Spin, will enforce the erasure as quickly and cleanly as possible. Should the decision be found in favor of the plaintiffs, the SongLuminants will appoint the TAS a mentor who will oversee its integration into the Combine.
Scoring:
Scoring is performed in five vital areas. Of these, the fanindex, or Index of Potential Fanaticism, is wholly negative. It is graphed on two axes: likelihood of reaction – how disturbed is the TAS by patterns of thought and behavior differing from its own, and extremity of reaction – how likely is the TAS to impose that view on other advanced sentients in a violent manner. If the mean fanindex is in the magenta zone, the TAS is slated for immediate erasure.
The other four scoring categories are ranged on a scale from -10 to +10. Two of the four categories, humor and foresight, are indications of how likely the TAS’s actions will be to cause problems for other ASSes. Billions of rotations of research have shown an indisputable correlation between these two qualities and responsible cosmic citizenship. Conversely, lack of humor and foresight correlates strongly with patterns of problematic behavior.
The fourth category, innovative contribution, is a catch-all for the expected advances in the arts and sciences to be delivered by incorporation of the TAS into the Combine. A strongly positive score here can offset some earlier negative indicators, but not a magenta fanindex score.
The final category, adaptation, is heavily weighted. Adaptation is a law of nature. Any species incapable of adaptation will soon become extinct. If the TAS is found to have a low adaptation score, it may be determined despite other positive results to erase the species. It is not worth the time, effort and potential risk for the ASSes to, in effect, drag out the misery of the TAS under these circumstances. Immediate erasure is more beneficial all-round.
Case 18: Species 40, the Nau’gsh of Dolparessa
Definition: the Nau’gsh species is defined to include all subspecies of the species known as Cu’endhari Nau’gsh and the species known as Arya Nau’gsh, all of which are native to Dolparessa, moon of Sideria in the Domha’vei system. The remaining RS species that infest the system (34, 41) are not to be considered in this inquest.
Condition of Inquiry: Case 18 is unique among the annals of the Lords of the Inner Vent. There is no precedent for the rapid evolution of the Nau’gsh, so rapid that no guardian species had been assigned. In an emergency action, the Brrrrrrrrrrrrvvbh, previously assigned as guardians for Species 34 (“Humanity”), were deployed. The case is also unique in that the evolution of the TAS in question is erratic. At the time of the inquest, only one member of the species, the plaintiff Ashtara, was determined to meet the requirements of TAS. However, given the extreme rapidity of Nau’gsh evolution, it is not at all unlikely that other members of his species could achieve equal or greater leaps in capacity. Therefore it was determined that he should stand in judgment for the potential of all Nau’gsh species.
The Cu’enashti Nau’gsh are determined to be communal organisms composed of animal, plant and quasi-bosonic life (coherent energy not provided by photons, but rather by a particulate energy source of extra-universal origin*). As such, it was determined that the easiest form of testimony would be a telepathic gathering of the various interactive personae, called “emanations.” At the beginning of the Inquest, the entity Ashtara was determined to consist of thirty-two humanoid emanations, two trees and one quasi-bosonic life form. By the inquest’s end, an additional emanation had been added.
* This caused an initial debate amongst the Lords of the Inner Vent as to whether they had jurisdiction in this instance. It was ruled that since the majority of the being Ashtara’s interactions with other sentients took place in animal/plant forms native to this universe, and since his only known place of habitation is the Domha’vei system, he fulfills residency requirements.
The Report:
Fanindex: An unusual profile. Subject scores very low on likelihood, low on extremity in all cases except one, which is well into the magenta. .395 mean score is acceptable.
Humor: +7.43. The Inquisitor found the wry wit of the emanation known as Lorcan especially delightful.
Foresight: +11. The Inquisitor knew of no other way to express predictive ability greater than that of its own species. Through a combination of quantum entanglement and probability manipulation, under ideal circumstances the entity Ashtara seems able to predict reliably hundreds of rotations into the future. Practical application of this ability – Ashtara has a penchant for the creation of new species which do not negatively impact the already present ecosystem.
Innovative Contribution: +5.37. Artifacts which positively affected the scoring include the organic creations firebird, javamelon, chocumber, Eternium Tara, and K’ntasari (Species 41), the artistic productions “Apotheosis of Daphne” and “Self-Portraits Not of Me,” the Luny Award-winning song cycle “Two of Jacks and the Diamond Queen,” and the novel Wooden Heart. Negatively affecting the assessment is the entity’s rather unorthodox and haphazard approach to scientific inquiry.**
Adaptation: +9.76. The Galactic Standard for this measure is the SongLuminant species, whose ability to telepathically project their consciousness across limitless distances makes them infinitely adaptable. The Cu’enashti solution is cruder: produce an emanation in the physical form needed. The Inquisitor was amazed when, at the end of the Inquest, Ashtara manifested a new emanation covered in cavitation bubbles which he had produced without corresponding acoustic phenomena, and began to converse with the Inquisitor it its native fashion. The conversation was, of course, like speaking to a child, albeit a very precocious child.
** The Vent Lords raised the possibility that the Inquisitor had been misled by Ashtara’s puckish sense of humor, as the emanation Cüinn was almost as hilarious as Lorcan.
Ruling:
Ashtara’s tie to the RS female Tara, as reflected in the fanindex score, seems a grave limitation. However, the Inquisitor found nothing in this report to merit erasure of the Nau’gsh species. The Brrrrrrrrrrrrvvbh are now transferred to mentorship status, with the guardianship of Species 34 and 41 assigned to the Nau’gsh, a task for which they seem eminently suitable.