Bernard Botaki was a UN-affiliated xenobiologist who disappeared during a first contact mission to Zeta Reticuli in 135 IE, where he was accidentally absorbed into the Yedevan group mind, becoming the first human integrated into an alien hive consciousness. His fate left a lasting impact on contact policy, ethics in xeno-cognitive research, and the personal worldview of fellow scientist Adam Hogarth, who witnessed the event firsthand.
Once presumed lost, Botaki reemerges nearly 300 years, revealing a dramatically altered state of existence—and a continued interest in humanity’s technological evolution.
Role in Jump
In 438, Bernard Botaki physically manifests aboard the Endeavour during an attempted reinitialization of the quantum entanglement drive by Pelgar Shrian. He appears in a form that blends human and gray features, suggesting he has adopted a hybridized morphology in his post-human state.
Botaki calmly supervises the procedure and assists Shrian without interfering, but later reveals that he now exists in multiple locations and forms simultaneously, a trait consistent with high-order Yedevan node behavior. His presence confirms that the Endeavour‘s use of quantum entanglement has drawn the attention of the Yedevans, who are monitoring (but not opposing) this new era in human travel.
Despite his alien transformation, Botaki retains fragments of his personality, language, and identity—speaking to Shrian in human terms and demonstrating an awareness of his past. However, his thinking is clearly shaped by the distributed, collective nature of Yedevan consciousness.
Legacy and Significance
Botaki’s reemergence marks the first direct contact between humanity and a former human assimilated into an alien intelligence. His ability to interact with Shrian suggests that the Yedevan perceive entanglement-based travel as a domain they understand—and perhaps partially inhabit.
His presence serves as both a blessing and a warning: the quantum entanglement drive has crossed a threshold long guarded by beings like the Yedevan, and now those boundaries are open.
Notable Traits
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Appears in Jump as a gray-skinned, partially human form, though he claims many such instances exist.
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Offers non-interfering guidance, signifying that the Yedevan are observing but not obstructing humanity’s leap.
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Retains individuality within the collective—likely a rare or deliberate state allowed for diplomatic purposes.
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Considered a “living boundary marker” between human ambition and non-human cosmic order.
Appearances: “The Nodes,” Jump, Davra's Endeavour