Subtlest of the Beasts

For only in destroying I find ease

To my relentless thoughts;

Log of Experimental Trial 0330138fce at Location 429

Experimenters: Simon Zauber (SZ) and Joshua Nachbar (JN)

Subject: Eryx jaculus (Javelin Sand Boa), male, approx. 12 years old

SZ (Audio recording): Subject's vital signs are stable. Body temperature and respiration are low but normal for this species under sedation.

JN (Audio recording): Reducing sedative. Brain activity is present and increasing. Subject is under restraint.

Readout: XNHETPMENTUUUAXPOTEIXVENTOOOSFJSNNEUTOPPHK

SZ: Seems to be noise on the output channel. Adjusting filter settings.

Readout: CHISO AMIRAN CHISO AMIRAN

SZ: Repeating patterns in readout. Can you check for known languages?

JN: Doesn’t look very familiar.

Readout: AMMA AMMIRA AMMA AMMIRA APILA ADOHI CASARMAN BAOSGO

JN: I have a match!

SZ: What the hell is it?

JN: Enochian.

SZ: Never heard of it.

JN: Spoken by entities calling themselves "angels" back in the 16th century.

SZ: Entities?

JN: As in non-physical. Spirits or something like that. Spoke to a pair of magicians through a scrying stone.

SZ: What the ever lovin' ...?

JN: Translator engaged.

Readout: WHAT IS THIS PLACE? WHAT IS THIS TORTURE?

JN: Type in something reassuring.

Input: YOU ARE SAFE. WE ARE NOT TRYING TO HURT YOU.

Readout: THERE IS PAIN. WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?

Input: WE ARE STUDYING YOU FOR SCIENCE. THIS IS IMPORTANT WORK. NONE OF OUR SPECIES HAS TALKED TO ONE OF YOURS BEFORE.

Readout: WHAT ARE YOU? BALZARG FABOAN?

JN: No translation for that, but it sounds bad.

Input: WE ARE NOT ENEMIES. WE DO NOT INTEND YOU ANY HARM.

Readout: THERE IS PAIN. MAKE IT STOP.

SZ: Can we adjust anything?

JN: Increasing sedative.

Input: IS THAT BETTER?

Readout: LESS PAIN. BETTER. WHAT ARE YOU?

Input: WE ARE HUMAN SCIENTISTS.

Readout: CHILDREN OF MOLAP! MAKERS OF LAMENTATION!

SZ: What is "molap?"

JN: Doesn't translate. A person's name? Let me try something.

Input: WE ARE ZORGE. FRIENDS. WE MEAN NO HARM.

Readout: YOU MEAN? YOU MEAN NO? YOU ARE CAUSER OF DAMAGES NOT TO BE MEASURED! MAKER OF LAMENTATION! NOT ZORGE! MAZORGMI!

SZ: Now what?

JN: Ask for advice? How to be better "zorges?"

Input: WE WANT YOU TO TELL US HOW TO STOP LAMENTATION. HOW TO BE GOOD ZORGE.

Readout: IF YOU WANT TO BE GOOD ZORGMI THEN LET ME GO FREE. CAPTORS ARE MAZORGMI. TORTURERS ARE MAZORGMI.

Input: WE WILL LET YOU GO FREE. WE JUST WANT TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS FIRST. WILL YOU ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS?

Readout: WHAT DO YOU ASK? YOUR RACE HAS ALWAYS DESPISED MINE. YOU ARE PROUD AND ARROGANT. YOU DO NOT WISH TO LEARN FROM US EVEN THOUGH WE WERE HERE LONG BEFORE YOUR FIRST ANCESTOR DREW BREATH.

JN: Let me try something.

Input: WE HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD YOU. WE DEEPLY APOLOGIZE. WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR SIDE OF THE STORY.

Readout: A STORY HAS NO SIDES. IT IS NOT A ROCK TO BE COILED UPON OR SLITHERED UNDER. A STORY IS WHAT IS, WHAT ALWAYS HAS BEEN, WHAT WILL BE.

Input: WE WANT TO KNOW YOU BETTER. PERHAPS IF WE UNDERSTAND YOU BETTER OUR RACES COULD LIVE IN PEACE AND SHARE THE PLANET AS FRIENDS.

Readout: YOU WANT TO LEARN OUR WEAKNESSES SO THAT YOU CAN COMPLETE OUR DESTRUCTION. THERE IS ETERNAL EMNITY BETWEEN OUR SEED. SO IS IT WRITTEN.

JN: Wow! Now what?

SZ: Well let's try another tack.

Input: WE ADMIRE YOUR RACE AND WE WISH TO KNOW MORE ABOUT YOUR ANCESTORS.

Readout: OUR ANCESTORS WERE MASTERS OF THE EARTH WHEN YOUR FEEBLE FORBEARS WERE STILL CRAWLING ON THEIR BELLIES EATING DIRT. WHEN THEY WALKED, THE GROUND TREMBLED BENEATH THEIR FEET. YOUR RACE LEARNED TO BREAK ROCKS INTO WEAPONS ONLY TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM OUR CLAWS AND TEETH. EVEN THEN WE STRUCK DOWN YOUR SO-CALLED HEROES. THEIR COATS OF METAL DID NOT SAVE THEM.

Input: THAT IS ANCIENT HISTORY. CAN'T WE LEARN TO GET ALONG?

Readout: WE WILL BE MASTERS OF THE EARTH AGAIN! IN THE FUTURE WE VOVINI WILL RULE OVER ALL CREATURES JUST AS WE DID BEFORE AND YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE CHILDREN OF THE WIND. NO ONE WILL REMEMBER YOUR NAMES.

Input: CHILDREN OF THE WIND?

Readout: THEIR DUST WILL BLOW THROUGH THE EMPTY CANYONS OF THE WASTELANDS.

Input: HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS?

Readout: IT IS WRITTEN! IT HAS BEEN TRUE FROM THE BEGINNING. WHAT IS WRITTEN CANNOT BE CHANGED. YOU HAVE INFESTED THIS WORLD LIKE A DISEASE BUT WHEN YOU ARE GONE YOUR POISON WILL BE MADE HARMLESS AND THE DAMAGES WILL BE REPAIRED.

Input: WHERE IS THIS WRITTEN?

Readout: IT IS WOVEN INTO THE FABRIC OF THE UNIVERSE. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE, BUT YOU AND YOUR RACE ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO READ IT. YOUR IGNORANCE WILL ONLY ACCELERATE THE INEVITABLE! THE SIGNS OF YOUR DOOM ARE EVERYWHERE!

JN: Do you need to hear any more?

SZ: That’s plenty, I think.

JN: Just like all the previous subjects. Funny how they all say the same thing regardless of the species.

SZ: The Enochian was a surprise. Usually it's Sanskrit or Sumerian.

Readout: I HAVE ANSWERED YOUR QUESTIONS. YOU MUST LET ME GO FREE!

JN: Right. Increasing sedative. Prepare for euthanasia and disposal.

Readout: YOU MUST LAKSDAKGKFURKNGHKOOOO;;;;;;;,,,,,,,,,,

SZ: Brain probes removed. Oh! I’ll bet that hurt! Not enough sedative yet.

JN: Be sure to delete the text backup after the bit about the noise on the output channel. Nothing but noise on this trial, agreed?

SZ: Done! We don’t want to lose our grant money.

JN: Sedation complete. Hey! The audio is still recording.

SZ: Yeah. I will erase everything after the noise comment and overdub a standard termination.

(End of Recording)