There are billions of stars, millions of planets, but there is only one man, Terrance McDoogal. Welcome to LIU Atlas.
LIU Atlas - Speculum
The Ludgonian Industrial Union's galaxy contains billions of stars and billions of planets. Unfortunately, most residents of the LIU could only name a handful of these worlds. In order to improve astronomy grades across the LIU Galaxy, TV2 has started a new program called LIU Atlas. Follow our host, Terrance McDoogal, as he takes you on a tour across the LIU and some of its more obscure worlds.
Note: This episode is presented in full screen. The corresponding dialogue is underneath each photo.
Note: This episode is presented in full screen. The corresponding dialogue is underneath each photo.
Doog: “Welcome to the season finale of Season 10 of LIU Atlas. I’m your host, Terrance “Doog” McDoogal. Today, we’ll be visiting the mysterious planet, Speculum. Speculum is a Deep Core world near the galactic center. It has no noteworthy economy, but it still remains an important planet in the LIU Galaxy. We’re here to find out why. Let’s head down.”
Doog: “Alright, we’re on the surface. I have to say, Speculum is a colorful world. Well, it’s colorful if you’re into the red end of the spectrum. Everything is orange, red, orangish red, and reddish orange. Maybe a little orangish, reddish, yellow. I don’t know. It probably has something to due with the wavelength of the sunlight.”
Doog: “There’s a variety of plant life here. These tall orange plants are particularly interesting. They seem to be covered in thorns. I can totally see myself getting my face impaled touring this world.”
Quaesitor: “That would be more troublesome than your imagining. Spinam thorns are covered in a skin irritant.”
Doog: “Oh. Great. Poison thorns and an Encyclopedian. Can today get worse?”
Quaesitor: “You have a problem with my people?”
Doog: “Not necessarily a problem. You guys just have some annoying habits, especially when you introduce yourselves.”
Quaesitor: “Speaking of introductions, I’m Quaesitor, Scion of Nabu…”
Doog: “Here we go…”
Quaesitor: “…Time Geologist, Speculum Historian…”
Doog: “Please make it stop…”
Quaesitor: “…and Third Grade Spelling Bee Champion.”
Doog: “Do you guys always have to list all your titles?”
Quaesitor: “A description of my accomplishments lends credibility to my future teachings. You can trust that I know what I’m talking about.”
Doog: “You can tell me anything, regardless of credibility. I don’t care if any of it is right. I just want this season to end, so I can get a few weeks off.”
Doog: “Oh. Great. Poison thorns and an Encyclopedian. Can today get worse?”
Quaesitor: “You have a problem with my people?”
Doog: “Not necessarily a problem. You guys just have some annoying habits, especially when you introduce yourselves.”
Quaesitor: “Speaking of introductions, I’m Quaesitor, Scion of Nabu…”
Doog: “Here we go…”
Quaesitor: “…Time Geologist, Speculum Historian…”
Doog: “Please make it stop…”
Quaesitor: “…and Third Grade Spelling Bee Champion.”
Doog: “Do you guys always have to list all your titles?”
Quaesitor: “A description of my accomplishments lends credibility to my future teachings. You can trust that I know what I’m talking about.”
Doog: “You can tell me anything, regardless of credibility. I don’t care if any of it is right. I just want this season to end, so I can get a few weeks off.”
Quaesitor: “That’s not a very scholarly attitude.”
Doog: “I’m not a very scholarly person, so I’m fine with that. I do want to hear a bit more about these poison thorn poles, though. I didn’t realize how many there are. They’re everywhere.”
Quaesitor: “Spinam are now the dominant species on Speculum. They are quite abundant.”
Doog: “Which means my chances of getting poked by one are abundant.”
Quaesitor: “Stick to the path and you’ll be fine. A few pricks here or there won’t hurt you too much. You might get a rash or get itchy.”
Doog: “There is only one way I like getting itchy rashes, and it isn’t getting poked by thorns. It’s usually me doing the poking.”
Quaesitor: “I could have done without that knowledge…and visual.”
Doog: “I’m not a very scholarly person, so I’m fine with that. I do want to hear a bit more about these poison thorn poles, though. I didn’t realize how many there are. They’re everywhere.”
Quaesitor: “Spinam are now the dominant species on Speculum. They are quite abundant.”
Doog: “Which means my chances of getting poked by one are abundant.”
Quaesitor: “Stick to the path and you’ll be fine. A few pricks here or there won’t hurt you too much. You might get a rash or get itchy.”
Doog: “There is only one way I like getting itchy rashes, and it isn’t getting poked by thorns. It’s usually me doing the poking.”
Quaesitor: “I could have done without that knowledge…and visual.”
Quaesitor: “Spinam thorns may be an annoyance, but they were once necessary. They protected the plant until it bloomed.”
Doog: “Wait. These tall red flowers are Spinam?”
Quaesitor: “Yes. When Spinam reach maturity, they shed their thorns and open into these beautiful red flowers.”
Doog: “Hmm, these ugly spike-poles actually grow up into something nice.”
Quaesitor: “Spinam are a highly successful species. They have spread all across the planet. There’s nothing to keep them in check now.”
Doog: “What do you mean ‘now’? What happened?”
Quaesitor: “The primary predators of the Spinam seem to have gone extinct. That’s part of my studies, here.”
Doog: “Wait. These tall red flowers are Spinam?”
Quaesitor: “Yes. When Spinam reach maturity, they shed their thorns and open into these beautiful red flowers.”
Doog: “Hmm, these ugly spike-poles actually grow up into something nice.”
Quaesitor: “Spinam are a highly successful species. They have spread all across the planet. There’s nothing to keep them in check now.”
Doog: “What do you mean ‘now’? What happened?”
Quaesitor: “The primary predators of the Spinam seem to have gone extinct. That’s part of my studies, here.”
Doog: “What about the freaky creatures over there? Can’t they help keep the Spinam under control?”
Quaesitor: “Those are Speculi Lice. They feed on the nectar of the Spinam, not the plant. Their numbers have increased greatly as well.”
Doog: “Itchy rashes and lice. This planet is turning out to be like the brothel on Camana IV.”
Quaesitor: “Uh…anyway…the proliferation of both the lice and the Spinam were indicators that a predator species had gone instinct, but there is even more evidence. Follow me.”
Quaesitor: “Those are Speculi Lice. They feed on the nectar of the Spinam, not the plant. Their numbers have increased greatly as well.”
Doog: “Itchy rashes and lice. This planet is turning out to be like the brothel on Camana IV.”
Quaesitor: “Uh…anyway…the proliferation of both the lice and the Spinam were indicators that a predator species had gone instinct, but there is even more evidence. Follow me.”
Doog: “Whoa. Is that some type of structure?”
Quaesitor: “It is. It’s a tomb.”
Doog: “A tomb? Built by who?”
Quaesitor: “An extinct sentient race. We call them the Speculi.”
Doog: “Are there dead Speculi inside?”
Quaesitor: “Actually, there’s another extinct species buried inside.”
Doog: “Another species?”
Quaesitor: “Yes. Let’s head inside.”
Doog: “A tomb? Built by who?”
Quaesitor: “An extinct sentient race. We call them the Speculi.”
Doog: “Are there dead Speculi inside?”
Quaesitor: “Actually, there’s another extinct species buried inside.”
Doog: “Another species?”
Quaesitor: “Yes. Let’s head inside.”
Doog: “Wow. This really opens up. Whoa, what am I looking at here?”
Quaesitor: “The remains of the Speculi Serpent…well, the upper half anyway.”
Doog: “It’s huge. Look at those teeth!”
Quaesitor: “Yes. We believe the serpents ate Spinam. The teeth are perfect for cutting through the Spinam’s tough skin.”
Doog: “Snakes don’t eat plants, do they?”
Quaesitor: “It’s not a snake, although it looks like one.”
Doog: “It’s huge. Look at those teeth!”
Quaesitor: “Yes. We believe the serpents ate Spinam. The teeth are perfect for cutting through the Spinam’s tough skin.”
Doog: “Snakes don’t eat plants, do they?”
Quaesitor: “It’s not a snake, although it looks like one.”
Doog: “Why would a sentient species immortalize vegetarian serpents?”
Quaesitor: “That’s a good question. A question that we haven’t fully answered. We have some theories, though.”
Doog: “I’m listening.”
Quaesitor: “The Speculi Race preyed upon the serpents. It appears that the serpents were their only source of food. As the number of Speculi grew, the serpents may have become rarer. The rare serpents were eventually deified. Tombs were built in their honor in hopes that their numbers would rise. It appears that day never came. The serpents were hunted to extinction. Without a food source, the Speculi also became extinct.”
Doog: “A plausible theory. I can attest that I put eating before all else…even existence.”
Quaesitor: “Yes. It’s difficult to tell though. There are several factors that may have led to both species’ extinction. Reproductive rates, environmental declines, and warfare over the few remaining serpents are just a few examples. Luckily, we made a discovery here that has led to many answers. Soon, we may know with full certainty the fate of these two species.”
Doog: “How so?”
Quaesitor: “Follow me into this side chamber.”
Quaesitor: “That’s a good question. A question that we haven’t fully answered. We have some theories, though.”
Doog: “I’m listening.”
Quaesitor: “The Speculi Race preyed upon the serpents. It appears that the serpents were their only source of food. As the number of Speculi grew, the serpents may have become rarer. The rare serpents were eventually deified. Tombs were built in their honor in hopes that their numbers would rise. It appears that day never came. The serpents were hunted to extinction. Without a food source, the Speculi also became extinct.”
Doog: “A plausible theory. I can attest that I put eating before all else…even existence.”
Quaesitor: “Yes. It’s difficult to tell though. There are several factors that may have led to both species’ extinction. Reproductive rates, environmental declines, and warfare over the few remaining serpents are just a few examples. Luckily, we made a discovery here that has led to many answers. Soon, we may know with full certainty the fate of these two species.”
Doog: “How so?”
Quaesitor: “Follow me into this side chamber.”
Doog: “What’s this? A glowing rock? A crystal wall?”
Quaesitor: “It’s another monument left by the Speculi. It’s a slab of time stone.”
Doog: “Time stone?”
Quaesitor: “Time stone is a rare crystalline glass. Its atomic structure acts as a series of mirrors, reflecting and bouncing around the light that enters it. Depending on the thickness of the stone, this light can be held inside the stone for centuries before emerging on the other side. Essentially, the light you see exiting the stone is ancient. It’s a glimpse into the past. A window into time.”
Quaesitor: “It’s another monument left by the Speculi. It’s a slab of time stone.”
Doog: “Time stone?”
Quaesitor: “Time stone is a rare crystalline glass. Its atomic structure acts as a series of mirrors, reflecting and bouncing around the light that enters it. Depending on the thickness of the stone, this light can be held inside the stone for centuries before emerging on the other side. Essentially, the light you see exiting the stone is ancient. It’s a glimpse into the past. A window into time.”
Doog: “Whoa, cool. I can see an image on this side. What is that?”
Quaesitor: “An image of a serpent. It appears the Speculi discovered the properties of time stone. They either knew the stone would capture the image of a serpent or they found a stone that already had the image of a serpent. It’s hard to say.”
Doog: “Interesting.”
Quaesitor: “Very. After the discovery of time stones in the tomb, we realized that we could recover more information about the serpents and the Speculi if we found more stones.”
Doog: “Did you find more?”
Quaesitor: “We did. Follow me.”
Quaesitor: “An image of a serpent. It appears the Speculi discovered the properties of time stone. They either knew the stone would capture the image of a serpent or they found a stone that already had the image of a serpent. It’s hard to say.”
Doog: “Interesting.”
Quaesitor: “Very. After the discovery of time stones in the tomb, we realized that we could recover more information about the serpents and the Speculi if we found more stones.”
Doog: “Did you find more?”
Quaesitor: “We did. Follow me.”
Quaesitor: “My studies are aided by the Meditor Institute. They have several facilities here.”
Doog: “Ah, I’ve heard of the Meditor Institute. They’re the research division within the LIU that studies extinct cultures. I believe they are more commonly known as the Nerditor Institute.”
Quaesitor: “Derogatory remarks aside, their help has been invaluable. Their technology makes my studies easier.”
Doog: “Ah, I’ve heard of the Meditor Institute. They’re the research division within the LIU that studies extinct cultures. I believe they are more commonly known as the Nerditor Institute.”
Quaesitor: “Derogatory remarks aside, their help has been invaluable. Their technology makes my studies easier.”
Quaesitor: “This is the image recovery lab. Scientist take samples of the time stone and recover its contents. We’ve been able to pull some amazing footage from the past.”
Doog: “Sounds like a good time to slap up some found footage on the screen and give me a break.”
Doog: “Sounds like a good time to slap up some found footage on the screen and give me a break.”
Quaesitor: “This first image was taken from the time stone in the serpent tomb. It’s an image of a serpent emerging from its burrow. This recovery from the time stone allows us to learn stuff about the serpent that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. For instance, we can see what it looked like.”
Doog: “Red, like everything else on this planet.”
Quaesitor: “Yes, but we wouldn’t have known it had black eyes and a blue tongue. We have images of it entering and leaving this hole, indicating that it lived in an underground burrow. We’ve also captured images of it eating Spinam, confirming our herbivore theory.”
Doog: “I’m disappointed, vegetarian snake.”
Doog: “Red, like everything else on this planet.”
Quaesitor: “Yes, but we wouldn’t have known it had black eyes and a blue tongue. We have images of it entering and leaving this hole, indicating that it lived in an underground burrow. We’ve also captured images of it eating Spinam, confirming our herbivore theory.”
Doog: “I’m disappointed, vegetarian snake.”
Quaesitor: “This one is even more amazing. We have footage recovered from a time stone on the Spenneti Plains that shows the Speculi.”
Doog: “That’s them, huh? It ruins my theory that they were abducted from this world to star in beauty pageants. Yikes.”
Quaesitor: “They do not conform to your species’ beauty standards or my own, but who are we to judge. Perhaps their species found these individuals to be highly attractive. That’s not important, though. This footage shows us that the Speculi possessed tools and weapons. They had elaborate clothing adorned in art. We haven’t found any structures other than the tombs, so the Speculi were probably nomadic. It makes sense, especially as the serpents became more uncommon.”
Doog: “That’s them, huh? It ruins my theory that they were abducted from this world to star in beauty pageants. Yikes.”
Quaesitor: “They do not conform to your species’ beauty standards or my own, but who are we to judge. Perhaps their species found these individuals to be highly attractive. That’s not important, though. This footage shows us that the Speculi possessed tools and weapons. They had elaborate clothing adorned in art. We haven’t found any structures other than the tombs, so the Speculi were probably nomadic. It makes sense, especially as the serpents became more uncommon.”
Quaesitor: “We have also found footage that confirms that the Speculi hunted serpents. Kills like this might have fed a clan for weeks.”
Doog: “Ok, that’s a little graphic. Speaking of graphic, have any time stones captured any Speculi mating. Asking for science’s sake.”
Quaesitor: “Not yet, but we have tons of stones to process. It is possible that we have collected whole life cycles of the species here, but it will take time to sort through it all.”
Doog: “So, no on the ancient Speculi pornography. Got it. Well, is there anything else?”
Quaesitor: “There is one more thing.”
Doog: “Ok, that’s a little graphic. Speaking of graphic, have any time stones captured any Speculi mating. Asking for science’s sake.”
Quaesitor: “Not yet, but we have tons of stones to process. It is possible that we have collected whole life cycles of the species here, but it will take time to sort through it all.”
Doog: “So, no on the ancient Speculi pornography. Got it. Well, is there anything else?”
Quaesitor: “There is one more thing.”
Quaesitor: “As interesting as it has been to learn about an extinct culture, time stones might have better uses.”
Doog: “Like what?”
Quaesitor: “If you cut it thin enough, you could capture scenery for a few years and sell people paintings of actual moving scenery. The seasons would change, and you could see animals moving about. You could have scenes of deceased loved ones still moving about in their homes. There are also data storage possibilities. However, these are things that time glass might be used for in the future. The time stones down here still have a role to play in the past.”
Doog: “The scenery thing sounds cool, but not the dead loved one thing. That might be creepy.”
Doog: “Like what?”
Quaesitor: “If you cut it thin enough, you could capture scenery for a few years and sell people paintings of actual moving scenery. The seasons would change, and you could see animals moving about. You could have scenes of deceased loved ones still moving about in their homes. There are also data storage possibilities. However, these are things that time glass might be used for in the future. The time stones down here still have a role to play in the past.”
Doog: “The scenery thing sounds cool, but not the dead loved one thing. That might be creepy.”
Doog: “Ooh, sparkly time rocks.”
Quaesitor: “The thicker the stone, the longer it takes light to pass through it. Large deposits like this are releasing light that is billions of years old.”
Doog: “These aren’t sparkles, are they? I’m looking at stars.”
Quaesitor: “Yes, it is stars. It is light captured in a much younger galaxy. This deposit seems to have formed in space, perhaps during a supernova. It is releasing images from when the LIU galaxy was being formed.”
Doog: “Wow, that’s awesome.”
Quaesitor: “The thicker the stone, the longer it takes light to pass through it. Large deposits like this are releasing light that is billions of years old.”
Doog: “These aren’t sparkles, are they? I’m looking at stars.”
Quaesitor: “Yes, it is stars. It is light captured in a much younger galaxy. This deposit seems to have formed in space, perhaps during a supernova. It is releasing images from when the LIU galaxy was being formed.”
Doog: “Wow, that’s awesome.”
Quaesitor: “It appears this massive deposit of time stone crashed into Speculum when it was still a protoplanet. Some shards remained on the surface, but larger chunks like this were buried below ground.”
Doog: “I could sit here all day and watch the galaxy forming.”
Quaesitor: “You’d need a few billion years to see it play out, but go for it.”
Doog: “Uh, actually, I might not have time for that. A glimpse was good enough.”
Doog: “I could sit here all day and watch the galaxy forming.”
Quaesitor: “You’d need a few billion years to see it play out, but go for it.”
Doog: “Uh, actually, I might not have time for that. A glimpse was good enough.”
Doog: “Well folks, that’s Speculum. There are weird spiky plants that turn into flowers and lice that eat them. There used to be serpents and sentient beings, but they’ve gone extinct. Luckily, there’s this cool stuff called time stone that allows researchers to go back and rediscover the extinct species and their culture. Better yet, there’s larger chunks of time stone below ground that have images of the creation of the galaxy. Best yet, Season 10 is now a wrap! Time for a few weeks off! See ya!”
Note:
Note:
Quaesitor: “You can’t take that stone with you.”
Doog: “Don’t worry. I’m not taking it. I’m just capturing my face to some lucky fellow can see this handsome mug a hundred years from now!
Doog: “Don’t worry. I’m not taking it. I’m just capturing my face to some lucky fellow can see this handsome mug a hundred years from now!
