Tales from Riredi
Post by Captain Beatnik » Mon Aug 17, 2026 10:28 pm
No. 1: The ancient exploration vessel
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Frederick Spankmueller, Crab Boolean’s human Head of Marketing and Communications, entered the office of the Director at precisely the agreed time.
He did not knock. He did not announce himself. After more than twelve years on Riredi, it no longer occurred to him to do either. The Director had requested his presence at this time. He was present at this time. Knocking would merely have communicated information already known to both parties.
The office itself was as functional as its occupant. A desk, three chairs, several displays and nothing that did not serve an identifiable purpose.
Spankmueller nevertheless considered it one of the most impressive offices on Riredi.
Behind the Director, panoramic windows filled almost the entire wall, and beyond them rose the immense slopes of Apex Mons. The ancient shield volcano dominated the horizon. Spankmueller had often thought that even a human director would have found it difficult to improve the room by hanging pictures on the walls.
B-ZERG-9-547BA76209AA indicated one of the chairs.
“I require your assistance with a matter concerning human communication.”
Spankmueller sat down.
That was an interesting opening for a meeting with the head of one of Riredi’s leading manufacturers of spacecraft interfaces.
“Of course, Director.”
“Lord Cholmondely, Archivist and recognised authority on the history of the Known Galaxies, has communicated his appreciation for the work performed by our Factformers on the recovered exploration vessel.”
Spankmueller knew the project.
Several years earlier, a ship suffering a serious hyperspace malfunction had emerged in a remote and supposedly uninhabited system far beyond the usual spacelanes. During repairs, its crew had detected the wreck of an ancient spacecraft.
The wreck had eventually found its way to the Academy of Lave. Most of its systems were beyond recovery, but parts of the vessel’s interface data core had survived centuries of cosmic radiation. Since reconstructing ancient spacecraft interfaces was somewhat closer to Crab Boolean’s field of expertise than archaeological research normally was, the Academy had asked for assistance.
The Factformers had become particularly interested in a device identified as a Gravity Scanner. Apparently, early explorers had once used variations in gravitational fields to locate unknown planetary bodies.
The first reconstruction had been incomplete, but functional.
And Lord Cholmondely had apparently been impressed.
“Such recognition of successfully completed work is significant,” the Director continued. “An appropriate response is therefore required. However, the intended appreciation must be recognisable as such to a human recipient. I have concluded that your participation will increase the probability of this result.”
Spankmueller suppressed a smile.
“I understand.”
“There have also been further results.”
Naturally.
The Director touched a control and a considerable amount of technical data appeared on the display.
“Analysis using the new C.O.D.E.X. quantum interference scanner has recovered additional fragments from damaged regions of the data core. We now estimate that sixty-five percent of the original interface can be reconstructed with reasonable confidence.”
“That sounds like substantial progress.”
“It is.”
Coming from a Riredian Factformer, Spankmueller knew, those two words constituted considerable enthusiasm.
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“The Gravity Scanner was not an isolated instrument, as initially assumed. It formed part of a unified interface together with a Spectroscopic Scanner and the vessel’s Flight Computer. Instrument selection was context-sensitive. Selecting an instrument activated its display directly. Selecting no instrument removed the complete instrument interface.”
More data appeared.
“We have distinguished temporary standby states from deliberate instrument resets. We have also reconstructed a safety mechanism which terminated an active measurement when another instrument was selected. This prevented incomplete measurements from being stored as valid scientific data.”
The Director changed the display again.
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“The Spectroscopic Scanner interface has been reconstructed almost completely. It identified target, operating mode, installed sensor, available action and measurement status. The underlying measurement process and spectral channel sequence are unchanged from our first reconstruction.”
Another display.
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“The Flight Computer was previously believed to communicate primarily through temporary console messages. This was incorrect. It possessed a persistent, mode-dependent display.”
Another.
“We have identified warning states for missing gravitational and spectroscopic sensors. Several previously unidentified Compass data fragments have also been decoded. They appear to have displayed the class and complete designation of the selected target.”
Spankmueller watched the ancient interface gradually assembling itself on the screen: translucent dark panels, green frames, compact instrumentation and curious blue rings surrounding the Compass.
It looked primitive.
It also looked rather beautiful.
“Typography, instrument positioning and several display elements have now been reconstructed,” the Director concluded. “The original scientific calculations, measurement processing and stored exploration data have not been altered. Reconstruction of the remaining thirty-five percent is continuing.”
He handed Spankmueller a data pad containing the complete report.
“Those are the relevant facts.”
Spankmueller looked at the first page, then at the considerably larger number of pages behind it.
“I see.”
“I would have transmitted these results directly to Lord Cholmondely. However, I am aware that humans sometimes distinguish between the communication of factual information and the communication of appreciation, even when the factual information itself constitutes the appreciation.”
Spankmueller could no longer suppress the smile.
Living on Riredi for twelve years had taught him many things. One of them was that when a Factformer went to the trouble of explaining his uncertainty about human behaviour, the matter was being taken very seriously indeed.
He stood and tucked the data pad under his arm.
“Leave it to me, Director. I’ll prepare the message. Lord Cholmondely will have no difficulty recognising the intended appreciation.”
B-ZERG-9-547BA76209AA considered this statement for a moment.
“That is the required result.”
Links
- Tales from Riredi (2026)
- Riredi OXP - creates the in-game setting for Crab Boolean, Mons Apex, Factformers etc.
- SOTL Exploration - the OXP with the HUD needing updating
- Captain Beatnik - author of this story, the HUD, and the lore behind it all
