Credit: SciFiMix
Introduction[]
The Amoiete Spectrum Helix is a society and ideological group that appeared in the centuries following the Fall of the Hegemony. They reside on the planet Vitus-Gray-Balianus B, having originally emigrated there from Sibiatu's Bitterness. They are described as short and stocky as Lusians, not because of adaptations to any world, but because of the genetics of their ancestors. They spoke a strong-accented type of old Web English.
Culture & Philosophy[]
The Spectrum's name, philosophy and lifestyle are derived from an epic multi-media poem called the Amoiete Spectrum Helix Symphony, created by the artist-poet Halpul Amoiete. Amoiete's poem describes the positive values of humankind through the metaphorical use of color, assigning different hues to different traits and using the media of music, holography and spoken word to illustrate the interplay between these traits.
The Spectrum's cultural structure mirrors the ideas portrayed in the Symphony; every member of the Spectrum wears garments of a single color, with the color signifying what trait that person embodies. For example, white clothing represents intellectual purity and physical love, red represents strength, passion and conviction, blue represents introspection and dedication to helping others, green represents harmony with technology and nature, and black represents "the creation of human mysteries."
A number of other cultural traits set the Spectrum apart from mainstream galactic society. Most, if not all marriages within the Spectrum are triune in nature, consisting of three partners - wither consisting of two women and a man; or two men and a woman. This puts them at ideological odds with the Catholic Church and the Pax, which forbids same-sex or polygamous marriages. As such, no members of the Spectrum are born-again Christians, although many have left the Helix to join the Church due to its promise of immortality.
Vitus-Gray-Balianus B has two moons, which occasionally line up in a double eclipse of the planet's sun; this event is called the "Twice Darkness," and is celebrated with trumpeting and fireworks by the people of the Amoiete Spectrum Helix. For reasons related to the celebration but otherwise unclear, all Spectrum homes contain secret entrances that allow discreet access to one another's homes.
Notable Characters[]
- Dem Loa | Dem Ria | Alem Mikail Dem Alem (tripartite partners)
- Ces Ambre (Dem Loa's daughter)
- Dem Lia (Orphans of the Helix)
History[]
SPOILER ALERT! The section(s) below are MAJOR SPOILERS.
Pax Era[]
During the Pax rule and during the events described in the Endymion books, the Amoiete live on the planet of Vitus-Gray-Balianus B. Even though the planet's population is non-Christian, the Pax has a base there on Bombasino. However, the Amoiete population largely resist conversion the Cruciform as anathema to their beliefs.
After the Amoiete assist Raul Endymion in escaping the planet on his journey to re-encounter Aenea, tensions with the Pax arise to the point of war, which results in the death of millions of the Amoiete. The people eventually also lose a significant number of its population to conversion to the Cruciform.[1]
Aenean Era[]
80 years after the Shared Moment, the entirety of the Amoiete Spectrum Helix people leave Vitus-Gray-Balianus B in a state-of-the-art spinship named the Helix, specially built for them by the Aeneans. At that point, their culture was around 400 years old. [1]
The goal of their open-ended voyage was to find a very Earth-like planet for their permanent habitation. The People were looking for a very specific, paradisiacal planet: G2 sun, at least 9 on the “old Solmev Scale”, oceans of blue water and enjoyable temperatures, and were ready to spend thousands of years to find it. The novella Orphans of the Helix tell the story of a brief rendezvous that the Amoiete people make along their travels.[1]
See Also[]
- Orphans of the Helix
- Vitus-Gray-Balianus B
- Helix (ship)