Amnion (Gap Cycle)

Fictional alien species

The Amnion (singular, Amnioni) are a fictional alien species in Stephen R. Donaldson's The Gap Cycle. They are shown to be the only alien race humanity has made contact with and play a major role in the series from Forbidden Knowledge onwards. Amnion are fundamentally different from any Earth creature particularly humankind in their mental and emotional structure. 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." Amnion 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). Despite their fundamental opposition and Cold War type conflict with humanity, they are not portrayed as the main antagonists in The Gap Cycle. Rather they serve as a driving force for the conflict between the human characters.

Forbidden Knowledge explains that in the universe of the Gap Cycle, there is some argument over when first contact can be said to have started. Captain Sixten Vertigus, aboard the Deep Star was the first human to meet an actual Amnioni aboard the Amnion 'defensive' Solidarity: this is where the above description of an Amnioni comes from. Vertigus's instructions were to "establish proximity with any alien vessel or base" and then broadcast the contents of a tape prepared specially for the occasion. They would record any reply that they were able to for as long as possible, then to "escape into the gap in a way that would confuse pursuit". This seemingly paranoid set of instructions was due to the unwillingness of Holt Fasner to reveal too much to any alien race "whose intentions were unguessable". Vertigus however was willing to disobey these orders directly: something of an idealist, he resolved to travel to the Amnion ship and deliver the tape in person, mostly out of a desire to lay eyes on at least one Amnioni, but also in the hope of kick starting diplomatic relations between the two races. The Amnion in return gave him a canister containing mutagenic material the same sort of material that had led Vertigus there in the first place. This is where the debate over 'first contact' started from: the Amnion's existence had already been known, and aside from matters of appearance, Captain Vertigus learnt nothing new about the race. The Amnion had been discovered when the ship Far Star encountered a satellite of alien origin, containing mutagens, in a far extrasolar system. The return of Far Star to Earth is touted as having "enough scientific, economic, and cultural impact to qualify as 'first contact'."

The main threat of the Amnion is their mutagenic technology. Mutagens have the ability to rewrite the DNA of a non Amnioni so it becomes at least partially Amnion. This ability was first discovered by humans during tests on the material discovered in the Amnion satellite Donaldson remarks that "Earth science being what it was the tests eventually included feeding a bit of the substance to a rat." This has a drastic effect on the rat, which now resembles "a mobile clump of seaweed". Dissection reveals a fundamental genetic change basic life processes remain intact, but protein and DNA structure are radically different. The new mutants can breed with each other (though not with mutated members of other species) and, most disturbingly, display a significantly increased level of intelligence. When the mutagen was tested on a human being, she only survived for a day and a half autopsies cite the only possible cause of death as fright. Later in the series the trauma of mutation into an Amnioni is mentioned this is probably what killed her. Before her death she wrote down galactic co ordinates, which is where the Deep Star found the Solidarity. An anti mutagen drug is developed by Intertech, but one of the many storylines in the series is the suppression of the drug and all research relating to it by the United Mining Companies Police, and why this was done.

The Amnion are not introduced until Forbidden Knowledge, but play an important part in all four books following. Note: This list is not intended to be a definitive plot summary, more an overview of the parts the Amnion play, and it is assumed that the article on The Gap Cycle has already been read.

Morn Hyland is taken to Enablement Station to have her child force grown by the Amnion. This is the only possibility, as she has convinced Nick Succorso that the child is his son. The Amnion expose Morn's deceptions, by informing Nick both that Morn's son is not Nick's son, and that Morn has a zone implant therefore revealing that her love for him is not real. The Amnion wish to study the effects of the zone implant on Morn's son (Davies) and demand that Nick return him to them, but Morn sabotages the escape pod that Davies is in, sending it towards the illegal shipyard of Billingate. The Amnion also attempt to study Nick's blood, as he was injected with mutagens last time he visited Enablement, but showed immunity this is because he has supplies of the immunity drug, given to him by the UMC Police. The Amnion repair the gap drive of Captain's Fancy, but sabotage it to test components that they, themselves, are developing that will allow their war ships to travel at near light space normal speeds.

The 'Bill' (the mayor of Billingate, and an illegal) recaptures Davies. Morn is traded to the Amnion, but survives being injected by their mutagens as she has stolen some of Nick's immunity drug. Milos Taverner, who has come to Billingate with Angus Thermopyle, is injected with mutagens and becomes an Amnioni. Angus, with the help of various members of Nick's crew and Nick himself, recapture Morn Taverner, as an Amnioni, attempts to use his priority codes to control Angus, but new programming protects him. Angus sabotages the fusion reactors and destroys Billingate meanwhile, one Amnion defensive, Tranquil Hegemony, is rammed and destroyed by Captain's Fancy, and the second, Calm Horizons, pursues the fleeing Gap scout Trumpet.