Sweeper’s footage from Moebius-9:

Excerpt from Sweeper Audio Log:

*Footsteps crunch through the sand*

I am approaching a green plant-like structure, growing out from the black fungus that has been noted by various sweepers. The gauge on my suit increased as I approached, suggesting this species is capable of producing oxygen. This specimen grows roughly 3 meters tall with. *beep*

Excerpt from Sweeper Audio Log:

*Microphone crackle*

— I’m approaching the black mass… Oh my God…

— What is it? *crackle* 6020? What’s your status?

— Oh man, wish you could see this. The area is illuminated by this… neon green glow. Oh wow. Looks like… a plant… Boys, I think the dinner’s on me.

Excerpt from Lab Report Summary:

…quarantine period, the violet specimen was brought into the labs. Initial tests for a much needed food source have appeared promising… novel carbohydrate has been discovered that may require enzyme synthesis to produce digestible sugars… synaptic pathway influence…

Excerpts from Life on Moebius-9? An analytical study of current research and future perspectives by Laura Arroway:

Fungi flourish in [REDACTED] intense environments. Throughout the duration of the experiment, we have observed unknown extremophilic specimens resembling fungus emerging from the M9 soil and increasing in size.

Rod-shaped specimens annihilated by DBD vehicles re-emerged just days later. Aerial images show evidence of clusters of what we believe to be supercolonies of fungus, some spanning areas of 200 meters.

This proves that Moebius-9 is home to massive colonies of black fungi.

Access denied.

The fauna

Grunters

A mysterious species discovered on M-9. At first we hear reports about the ground moving at night and after the rain, strange grunts in the Moebian desert.

With time NM citizens discover an animal that dwells beneath the ground and digs itself out only to forage during the night. They turn out to be at least as intelligent as humans, using telepathy to communicate and a variety of English with characteristic grammar.

They might know the origin story of planet Moebius and play a significant role in the main story arc of Disco Solaris.

Poets and philosophers in space pig bodies.

Appearance

• Pig-like look.
• At least three eyes.
• Heavy-set body with a hump for storing water.
• Their body is great at absorbing and retaining moisture (hump). The only moment they can be seen in larger groups is when they lie in the rain, absorbing moisture or mourning another dead grunter (like elephants).
• “Super nerves” – glowing when using telepathy/mind-control.
• Tiny moving tentacles (sort of like fur?) for sensing the outside conditions.
• Four heavy clawed limbs for walking on different types of ground, foraging and digging in the Moebian soil.
• Mineral stones on their bodies, including amber electrum.
• Older specimens have more stones on bodies, maybe some amber on their head/near it.
• Can change colour based on their emotions (blue: sadness, white: fear etc.)

Behaviour

• Grunters (a temporary name used by NM citizens) dwell under the ground, sleeping (meditating) in hiding for most of their day.
• They go out at night and after rains to forage for food: they eat mostly anything organic – carcasses, plants, food waste from M-9.
• They are connoisseurs of the black, purple and green fungus covering the planet.
• The mushrooms on M-9 accelerated their intellectual evolution making them very intelligent
• They are very slow and cannot defend themselves against predators. They use their intelligence, cloaking abilities (like octopuses, chameleons) to avoid danger and manipulate other species.

Sentience

• At first NM citizens assume they are just space pigs to be used for food.
• Reports appear with sweepers describing the pigs communicating telepathically with them (always around clusters of fungi – probably both species must be under the influence of the fungi to be able to communicate).
• With time some people begin to specialize in communicating with the pigs. Since they need to use a psychedelic drug (green fungus) to begin the communication “ceremony”, their eyes often turn neon-green due to prolonged use of the mushrooms.
• Since they can scan people’s (and other species’) minds, they know our art and history.
• While they understand the cycle of life and the survival of the fittest, they despise violence. At the same time they believe humans have violence ingrained in their DNA and will never evolve beyond violence and war. They find humans curious: capable of creating beautiful art and killing each other at the same time. They are extremely peaceful. They have no concept of self as separate from the universe.
• They appreciate human culture. Their memory is at least ten times better than that of humans. This leads to situations like them quoting Shakespeare to stunned citizens.
• They love alcohol and drugs.

Language

They communicate via a peculiar variant of English. Example how we could tackle it:
Sweeper: “What are you?!”
Grunter: “Inquiry. Philosophical. Intriguing, unanswerable. Rationale: integrant determined in relation to something that includes it cannot fully comprehend that which includes or itself.”
Sweeper: “What?!”
Grunter: “Inquiry. Vague. Precise response impossible.”
Sweeper: “I must be dreaming.”
Grunter: “Philosophical, figure of speech. This one: genuine wonder.”
Sweeper: “I don’t understand.”
Grunter: “Statement. Cognition. This one: genuine wonder. Possibility: shared dream. This one: inquiry, rhetorical: who dreams the dreamer?”
Sweeper: “What do you mean?”
Grunter: “Inquiry. This one: clarification attempt. Genuine affection. Quote: Life is but a dream within a dream. Shakespeare.”
Sweeper: “Ah, fuck this.”
—
Sweeper gives a grunter a Cricket Bar.
Grunter: “This one: enthusiasm, gratefulness. Pleasing interaction.”

Origin

Access denied