Supreme Beckon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Classification | |
|---|---|
| Type | Beckon |
| Structure | Nexus |
| Class | Nexus |
| Known specimens | |
| Living | The Iris |
| Destroyed | Vitreous (2026); Tromos (2027) |
A Supreme Beckon is a species of Beckon that has taken over an entire planet or moon. Three are known. The largest is that of the Iris, which gives the planet its name and stands at the head of the parasites' chain of command. The Supreme Beckons of Vitreous and Tromos were destroyed by European Federation nuclear strikes, Vitreous's in 2026 and Tromos's at the end of 2027. A Supreme Beckon developing on Earth is a proto-Supreme Beckon.
Description
The Supreme Beckon is a distinct species from the Primitive, Adapted and Root Beckons, and does not develop from them. It is built on the plan of the Adapted Beckon at the largest scale, with a body of pressurised gas cells braced around a spine, and carries ingrown Dispatchers through which it sends and receives the network's signals.
The bulb of the Iris's Supreme Beckon is several kilometres across, the largest single structure on the planet's surface. It glows green, and has been observed to change colour. It is normally covered by tendrils, which draw back from it at intervals. At this size the bulb works mainly as a nervous centre, though it still performs luxsynthesis.
The Supreme Beckons of Tromos and Vitreous were much smaller and dimmer. Vitreous's lay inside the caverns beneath the moon's surface, and was seen from Earth only as a single point of light from below ground.
As in every Beckon, the bulb is the weak point.
Chain of command
Commands in the parasites' network pass upward from field organisms to their Beckons, from Beckons to Root Beckons, and from Root Beckons to the Supreme Beckons. The Iris is the end of the chain. The Supreme Beckons of Tromos and Vitreous answered to it, and rarely issued commands of their own.
Each Supreme Beckon heads a lineage of genomes, and acts as the Root Beckon of the lineage's defining genome. The organisms of Vitreous's lineage are mainly subterranean, and those of Tromos's mainly branch parasites. A lineage continues after its Supreme Beckon has been destroyed.
Observation
The bulb of the Iris's Supreme Beckon has been resolved by telescopes on Earth since 2020. Observers record when its tendrils open and close and when its colour changes. With the tendrils drawn back, the bulb resembles an eye, which gave the Iris its name.
Destruction
The Supreme Beckons of Vitreous and Tromos were each destroyed by a small number of nuclear weapons, delivered by the European Federation across interplanetary distances. Vitreous's was struck in 2026, and the data from the strike revealed the extent of the caverns around it. Tromos's was struck at the end of 2027.