Mona di Fareni's intervention
Mona di Fareni solemnly advances a step.When we talk about intelligent life forms, we can easily misapprehend the criteria.
The usual reflex is to seek in the creature equivalence to what we homins are.
This is a beginner's mistake, but it is yet the pitfall that even the most seasoned biologist must strive to avoid.
We are naturally tempted to consider the animal with which we can establish communication as "intelligent".
The mektoub is a good example of such an animal, which can be trained to understand certain orders, but which is also able to experience feelings and to share affection. Folklore gives us several testimonies of that, doesn't it?
But if judged by this criterion, the kitin is at the bottom of the scale. Proof of that is found in the kipucka from the depths captured by the S.K.A. and confined to a gallery in the Arena. This one is little more than a stomach on legs.
By reflex, he ingests the amount of food provided to him, but he does not attempt to escape, dig, or even simply attack. Of course, it does not react to any classical attempt at communication or training. It is empty, devoid of any intention except for the primary functions that keep it alive. Apathy caused by lack of stimulus. Or, should I say, appropriate stimulus....
That is the difference between kitin and homin.
The homin, endowed with a powerful intellect, is defined by this self-consciousness. From that position it uses complex language to share its thoughts from individual to individual. But overall, even within society, it remains itself.
As for the kitin, it is nothing as an individual. Yet, building on the sum of multiple small interactions between individuals, their association leads to another form of intellect, untouchable by us, very difficult to conceptualize. But among kitins, any resultant sum of individuals ALWAYS goes up!
One would be tempted to imagine their Queens as holders of their intellect. They undoubtedly have a major role in a colony, but from this to consider them as the decision-making brain… I think that this is only our erroneous projection, modeled on our own nature.
To communicate, the kitin uses different kinds of pheromones, each associated with a specific function. Tracking and alert, but also identification, as we know since Ser Keale discovered the existence of other colonies.
But that's not all, let's not forget that the kitin also emits sounds, intended for its relatives nearby or to terrorize its prey.
These are mechanisms that can be perceived. It's well crafted, surprising, intelligent, but… not enough to detect there an alphabet, words, and even less a language or a thought! The mystery of their invisible intellect remains; and exceptionally brilliant will be he - or she - who one day succeeds in deciphering it.
In short, all this was what I was convinced of until Karavan shared with us the report on the "Kipesta Ambassador".
This large, bright blue mutant kipesta is a concentration of pheromone transmitters and receptors of unknown nature distributed throughout the body.
In addition, I was able to obtain other details: the flapping of its three pairs of wings, in addition to keeping it in suspension, could produce signals carried by variations in accessory vibrations.
Unfortunately we lack a device that can make those signals audible to us homin beings. The fact remains that the variety of signals and their potential combinations allow us to envisage the existence of an extensive vocabulary.
The conclusion of the report corroborates this hypothesis by assuming that this kipesta is an inter-colonial ambassador. As Ser Keale taught us, two colonies are not necessarily friends, far from it.
In other words, between two colonies, we do not inevitably have a hierarchical relationship, but rather confrontation, or via ambassadors, negotiation. And to negotiate, you need some kind of language…
As a scientist, I find all of this fascinating and exciting...
... But if it proves true that the kitins have a double form of intellect, then as a homin being, I can tell you that you may well sharpen your axes and polish your armor... We are in a bad place! A very bad place! I have chills in my back just thinking about it…
She puts her hand on her chest before returning to her place.
Dixie Keale
About the white kipucka, Nair-tala, and its lack of stimuli, I can probably help you. Have me sent a handful of volunteers and I'll employ them to prepare a cocktail of pheromones to put under its nose! It'll be propelled to the ceiling, ha, ha!
Daeronn Cegrips
You almost scared me, dear colleague. But please remain optimistic. So far we've always survived. Let us keep faith in our research and defense capabilities. And if the kitins have a language, you'll be the one to decipher it. Ah! But you have quoted that scoundrel Ardan twice in your speech... know that gave me great disappointment.
Mona di Fareni
I intend to continue my research by making the best use of the gift Jena granted me. But if you want to think about the worst... Perhaps while we are studying them, the kitins are studying us as well.