The Amnion? (First-time reader)

[Major Isoor]

Hey guys, so I've just been reading the first 'sequence' in The Gap, (TRS and FK in one volume, essentially) and am maybe 1/3 through Forbidden Knowledge.

Spoiler

Morn is pregnant and has decided to call her child Davies after her father, and she's just helped restore Captain's Fancy's systems.

Although one thing I'm wondering is, what do the Amnion actually look like? (shouldn't be too spoiler-ific, I guess?) Since yeah, after all the parts of the book that mentions them - especially the Intertech 'chapter', where it talks about the humans finding a mutagen that can change animals and even humans into Amnion - doesn't actually describe what they look like, at all. I tried making some searches and looking in other threads on ths forum, but naturally that nearly cost me a few plot-points!

So yeah, if anyone could at least give me a brief run-down on what they look like, that should at least help me picture them mentally - since at this point it's a combination of the aliens in Alien (albeit less outright savage) and Chryssalids from the old X-COM game from the '90s!

Thanks

[Savor Dam]

For now, I think your mental image will serve you as well as any. The physical appearance of the Amnion is not all that significant a point, so what you are picturing is as good as any. As you will learn, what matters about the Amnion is what they want and how they go about pursuing those ends.

Read on. Hang on! You have quite a wild ride ahead.

[Vraith]

Hey guys, so I've just been reading the first 'sequence' in The Gap, (TRS and FK in one volume, essentially) and am maybe 1/3 through Forbidden Knowledge.

Spoiler

Morn is pregnant and has decided to call her child Davies after her father, and she's just helped restore Captain's Fancy's systems.

Although one thing I'm wondering is, what do the Amnion actually look like? (shouldn't be too spoiler-ific, I guess?) Since yeah, after all the parts of the book that mentions them - especially the Intertech 'chapter', where it talks about the humans finding a mutagen that can change animals and even humans into Amnion - doesn't actually describe what they look like, at all. I tried making some searches and looking in other threads on ths forum, but naturally that nearly cost me a few plot-points!

So yeah, if anyone could at least give me a brief run-down on what they look like, that should at least help me picture them mentally - since at this point it's a combination of the aliens in Alien (albeit less outright savage) and Chryssalids from the old X-COM game from the '90s!

Thanks

Oh, good luck with this one! The truth is...we don't know. Most of the ones we see are more or less humanoid, with variations of number of arms and legs and eyes, and generally a little more football-build [both taller and more husky/solid compared to "average" humans]. But those are the ones NOW [who have they already absorbed/incorporated?] and for the functions they're performing.
The ones we see [except parts of the modified humans] have a similar "flesh bag" texture/coloration and mouth-parts...[skin kinda mix of coral and reptilian, roundish orifice and lots of pointy teeth...like some rabbits... ]
But we know the reason they can't make perfectly human-appearing, but wholly amnion essence spies are neuro-psychologic, not "material."
I don't think there is any simple answer.
The "Aliens" thing is a good place to start...but even it is not flexible/non-physical enough.

[Hashi Lebwohl]

The Amnion do not normally care about phenotype, except for the ones needed to deal with humans beings. Most Amnion are designed so that their form will match their intended function.

[Major Isoor]

Hm, ok then thanks you three - I didn't know that their appearances actually varied! I guess I'll just wait and see what happens, as I will presumably read about an encounter or two with them, involving the main characters. (I just read about the humans' first contact with the Amnion last night, where it does provide a rough description: "[...] they looked like sea anemones with too many limbs", I believe it said )

But yeah, thanks for that - I may use this thread for future questions I supopse; especially since The Gap books don't appear to have a mini-dictionary/glossary at the end, where I can flick to, to find out what certain names and places mean/are referring to.

[Avatar]

Ah, enjoy your first read.

--A

[Cambo]

The Amnion do not normally care about phenotype, except for the ones needed to deal with humans beings. Most Amnion are designed so that their form will match their intended function.

Listen to this guy - he's got the facts.

[Hashi Lebwohl]

I do what I can.

I still have some of their mutagenic serum and I was going to try converting some people without their knowledge under controlled circumstances, thus prevening the fear that accompanies the transformation, but I have had to place this project on hold for now. The questions I wanted to ask included:
is it possible to use zone implants to reconstruct a human personality in an Amioni body?
is it possible to incite fear in an Amnioni in the way that human beings feel fear? If so, what stimuli result in this emotional reaction?
is it possible to limit the transformation so that the human personality is left intact yet the other positive side-effects of becoming Amnoini, such as enhanced physical strength and durability, are retained?
what effect will long-term separation from what I suspect is some form of "hive mind" have on an individual Amnioni?
it appears that their sense of purpose is genetically encoded. how is this possible? can it be duplicated in human beings with any degree of success?

I highly doubt my supervisor would appreciate or approve of this line of questioning, though, so I will most likely need to find a quiet, out-of-the-way venue through which to conduct this research. Given the transformative nature of the serum, this location will also need to be isolated from the larger population in case the entire program needs to be closed quickly and completely.

[wayfriend]

The following Wikipedia post indicates that there are probably descriptive passages of the Amnion somewhere in the Gap Cycle, most likely in Forbidden Knowledge, but I don't have anything handy at the moment.

Physically they are humanoid: the Amnioni with whom first contact is made is described in Forbidden Knowledge as "a humanoid sea-anemone with too many arms." Amnioni are however severely different from each other in physical appearance, with differing numbers of limbs, eyes, and other organs, as well as varying vastly in size and shape. This physical individuality contrasts with their mental identicality - their mentality can be likened to that of an insect hive. They are analogous to the Borg in the Star Trek universe, both in their collective intelligence (or "mind union") and in their aim to conquer through assimilation (turning humans into members of their own species). [link]

[Vraith]

I do what I can.

I still have some of their mutagenic serum and I was going to try converting some people without their knowledge under controlled circumstances, thus prevening the fear that accompanies the transformation, but I have had to place this project on hold for now. The questions I wanted to ask included:
is it possible to use zone implants to reconstruct a human personality in an Amioni body?
is it possible to incite fear in an Amnioni in the way that human beings feel fear? If so, what stimuli result in this emotional reaction?
is it possible to limit the transformation so that the human personality is left intact yet the other positive side-effects of becoming Amnoini, such as enhanced physical strength and durability, are retained?
what effect will long-term separation from what I suspect is some form of "hive mind" have on an individual Amnioni?
it appears that their sense of purpose is genetically encoded. how is this possible? can it be duplicated in human beings with any degree of success?

heh...made me laugh a lot, so I goodposted you.
I'd think yes, you can put a human personality in an amnion body...but it would probably immediately begin descending into insanity/destruction unless the new body was nearly indistinguishable, and the "union" initially disconnected [perhaps carefully/slowly introduced over time]
Two possible ways to instill fear, but not exactly "stimulus" ways: shut down the mind/union, and prove it can never be reestablished. Transfer the mind of an insane transformed human into/onto an existing or blank amnion.
It may be possible for an intact human personality to inhabit the "enhanced" body. No real amnion would ever do that, though, except to create subjects to perform experiments on.
the genetic "purpose" of the amnion is simply the flip side of the genetic "purpose" of humans. They're a smart swarm with individual aspects ["decisiveness" for example] We're smart individuals with social aspects ["family" and "race" for example].
BOTH are driven toward domination/hegemony/imperialism.

[Lefdmae Deemalr Effaeldm]

The most similar I think should be something between the Zerg from Starcraft and a Lovecraftian underwater monstrosity. Many varying forms, but with a general theme - possibilities to vary on functional level a lot, but not to become looking the same as other life forms.

I do what I can.

I still have some of their mutagenic serum and I was going to try converting some people without their knowledge under controlled circumstances, thus prevening the fear that accompanies the transformation, but I have had to place this project on hold for now.
...

Curious, the first person to mutate surely didn't know what to expect, so likely that's not going to help. Could be the fear of the unknown potential danger at first however - and if that was the cause, that could mean all the terror with transformations could be avoided if the first person was injected secretly - or just didn't fear what was not known then.