Megastructure by MarkHirst
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Description
For those with faith, the wide profusion of life across myriad worlds is a challenge to their culture-centric view of their self-importance in the universe.
Even when faced with ample evidence that life has evolved and changed over untold millennia, they still cling to the notion that a god created them after its own image in a flash of bored inspiration.
To a xeno-archeologist, the record of life is a wonder to behold, undeserving of a simple and dogmatic story, conveniently couched in the narrow prejudices of one particular world.
Archaeological research shows wave after wave of minor alien cultures rising and falling over the long years. While much of those civilisations have been lost, each successive wave leaves its mark on the next generation of usurpers to rule the stars.
Measured on that scale, the current ascent of man is but a footnote to history, a paragraph easily forgotten in the cosmic narrative.
Unlike the doctrines of religious conformity, the current theory of how civilisations have shaped our surroundings pretends to be a fluid and dynamic structure, constantly in flux as new evidence challenges the status quo. What I can relate now is only the current view of who came before us.
It was believed that prior to our current civilisation, encompassing the varied human populations of the Autocracy, and the alien races such as the Kal, Samir and Y'Tak, there was one great over arching culture known as the The Shepherds. The Shepherds' manipulation and interference of early humanity gave rise to the varied human cultures across space.
While our knowledge in that area continues to grow, there are great mysteries that remain unsolved. Did the The Shepherds destroy themselves in a great civil war, leaving shattered worlds and asteroid belts in their wake? Did they tire of this part of space and simply moved elsewhere?
My preoccupation has been with the dark ages that must have ensued after their fall. For nearly three hundred thousand years, the official historical record does not show any significant cultures until the rise of the forerunner of the Echolian Autocracy. In all that time, did no race or culture ever aspire to explore and dominate the stars?
Since my experiences both before and after the Hycaron II disaster, and my association with Captain Rhand in her dealings with the Lazloi, I am forced to conclude that other great powers must have existed in that time.
Since the Lazloi are adamant their Creators were not the The Shepherds, who else could have performed the intricate genetic changes that made the Lazloi what they are, cursing them with isolation and slow decline? Who else indeed, could have bequeathed the Lazloi with their extraordinary technology?
A similar conundrum confronts us on this nameless world. Who created the vaulted city-sized megastructures we have found here? Rhand says they are older than the Lazloi, but they seem too new for Shepherd origins.
Until we can enter these great mechanisms, we will know nothing more. I have asked Jaimila, our resident ‘Jack-of-all-Trades’, to find a way inside…
Cyana Bristo, formerly of the Echolian Science Institute
V3 figure with JWear outfit, Hijab, and International Beauties Textures, all from DAZ.
Scene assembly and final rendering in Vue 5 Pro Studio. Post processed in Photoshop CS2
Thanks for looking and for any comments.
Comments (25)
BigDen
Interesting narrative and image.
Spacefan
Any God-idea is completely free invented by human beings. So we have a feudalistic christian anakastian orgy of their God-invention as a bad surrogate of the human rights. Everybody who wants do restrict the human rights establishes instead divine rights. This restriction serves the purpose of assigning restrictions to others for own claiming to power. Those people say: we serve our god, so your human rights are to be restricted. But actually they want to benefit from their restrictions. We just can imagine a mental principle behind the things, which are structured by physical laws - inclusive our own existence. We have to make the physical laws subservant to the whole mankind instead of making men subservant to men.
louly
Incredible picture! She looks gorgeous and quite realistic! Well done! Love the background too. (interesting narrative also)
ShawnDriscoll
I'm guessing Tech Level G here. Is she Solomani?
MarkHirst
Way higher than Tech G, and we're far away from the Solomani Rim :-)
Giolon
Very interesting background and great girl! Could you tell us precisely which clothing set the Hijab is from? I couldn't find it @ DAZ. I've been looking for something like that for a while...
duncanlong
Man, this is fantastic - best yet and so real looking. And the "upside down city" idea is very original. Keep up the good work!
Colin
More excellent background on the distant past of your future history (gee, that sounds oxymoronic!) Each new perspective that we see in your future galaxy raises more profound questions - I'm thoroughly hooked!
efer
Excellent composition!
Star4mation
Superb render :)
Letterworks
Another fantastic render! Mark you really should be talking to some of the new crop (and old favorite) producers of Traveller products about illustating thier work! I know Advenger Enterprises, sold a http://www.comstar-games.com/traveller/ (I am not affiliated in any way!) was asking about cover artist on the Traveller mailing list. IMHO your stuff would be excellent. mike, aka trav (guess why) Proud fan and collector since 1988.
Surama
I really like this!!!!!!!!!!!
CrimsonDesire
Nicely done render and accompanying text ^^
Hefrian_Rotter
Lovely work once again Mark! Love the use of the Traveller Universe in the narrative with your art too. (and now, back to writing..) Daniel Hammersley, Pyromaniac of 1248, Avenger Press
chrispoole
The theory of the ancients backs the theory of God and creation, surely he was an ancient, alien to this world with full control of human genetics which he manipulated in a form familiar to himself and man added the other bits to further their ambitions. Excellent lighting and render by the way.
Odessey
A story line that truly works and has great potential to capture more future viewers, it's one thing to dream of what your next Cg project from modeling app and then to render , but you mark cover the flipside ,i want to know what comes first the image or the story line ? Either way each compliments the other.
BGHart
Fantastic artwork! Love it. :) Britta
Ourias3D
Excellent character and interessant account. If i have understood. Who has to create the man ? God alone knows it...
Tom-Noddy
You went deep on this one. And I dug every bit of it. I just wish I could be there elbow-deep in the mix of it all with Rhand and her crew. Excellent job.
hoskins78
Oh wow!!!! I love the POV and composition of this scene - and your lighting is stunning :) Great looking character too!!!
ashokscape
Apart from the wonderful rendering, this is unique imagery clubbed with great narrative...
Denger
It is always an enlightening experience to read the account of a fellow Scout. Bristo seems to be describing the quintessential Grand Paradox. In Humaniti's never-ending search for Answers, we but discover more Questions. Art Denger Terrific illo and narrative, Mark!
Mikeall
Missed thid one! Really interesting picture! And storytelling!
gmvgmvgmv
Wonderful character; amazingly massive and convincing construct as backdrop. Fantastically dramatic scene!
amapitodd
Excellent story and scene. Great imagination you have.