Asymptotic Essence
Names: Asymptotic EssenceEssence
First appears in Book 1: Intervention, chapter 22 (21)
Appearances
What you know
Book 1: Intervention
- Ch 32Lylmik who explains the fragile US-Soviet détente and how the loss will be seen as a disruption of military parity.
- Ch 46Essence objects that a third skewing of the noögenetic curvature in fourteen months prevents Earth's Mind from developing normally to coadunation.
Book 2: Jack the Bodiless
- Ch 16Asymptotic Essence is the logician of the group, assigned female; she calms Impulse with redactive power.
- Ch 28Essence uses metaredactive healing on Davy to ease his grief, and tells him he will not be the one to catch Margaret's killer.
- Ch 28Essence tells Davy to study the works of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a paleontologist-philosopher, to understand Unity.
Book 3: Diamond Mask
- Ch 12Asymptotic Essence presumes the punch was the pivotal event they were watching for.
- Ch 21Essence is an incisive critic with a biased view of humanity; he reports a probability analysis that the Rebel movement could drive humanity to war on the Milieu.
Book 4: Magnificat
- Ch 12Essence is a fastidious Lylmik Supervisor in a human female body, struggling to control her Shar-Pei puppy.
- Ch 12Essence grasps the plan, embraces and kisses Impulse to experiment with human precoital behavior.
- Ch 31She appeared as a lovely Oriental woman, danced with Davy at the 2052 Inaugural Ball, and advised him to read Teilhard de Chardin.
Connections
- member ofLylmik
- inSupervisory Cruiser Noumenon
- related toAtoning Unifexsubordinate Supervisor
Key moments
- Book 1 · Ch 25Lylmik discuss human violence and Unifex
Aboard the Noumenon, four Lylmik discuss the Tibetan's warning against violence, the unlikelihood of human coadunation, Yuri's killing, and Unifex's habit of walking among humans in human form.
- Book 1 · Ch 32Quincunx consultation with Unifex
Trend's analysis shows the loss threatens the Intervention Scheme. The four call Unifex, who says it will personally resolve the matter by metapsychically making spy satellites obsolete, then departs.
- Book 1 · Ch 46Quincunx consults Unifex about the Armageddon devices
After the second device is placed at Dimona, the four entities summon Unifex, who refuses to prevent the coming atomic detonations and explains operant humans must learn never to use mind-powers aggressively.
- Book 1 · Ch 46Unifex's baseball metaphor
Unifex has the Quincunx watch the final East-West championship game in Hiroshima, in which the Carp beat the Mets with a last-moment home run. Unifex then tells them to mourn tomorrow's destruction of Tel Aviv and Dimona.
- Book 1 · Ch 75Lylmik rebuke the Gi
The Lylmik discuss a minor tremor caused by the Gi's empathy spasm and rebuke them. They remind the fleet that Intervention's resolution rests with the operant Earthlings and Unifex.
- Book 2 · Ch 16Supervisors try on human bodies
The four Lylmik Supervisors, reluctantly, become incarnate in human bodies for the first time, then Unifex joins them in human form and gives them physiological data.
- Book 2 · Ch 16Fellowship drinks and strolls
After Unifex leaves, the Supervisors drink beer, discuss human metapsychic strength and the odds of coadunation; Impulse is hurried out and the two women stroll to see stars.
- Book 2 · Ch 26Lylmik Supervisors discuss Strayhorn murder
At the Christmas fête, four Supervisors tell Unifex of Margaret Strayhorn's murder and the danger to Davy MacGregor; he refuses Lylmik intervention despite their suspicion that he knows the killer.
- Book 2 · Ch 28Lylmik crash the Inaugural Ball
The five Lylmik Supervisors arrive in human form at the ball and shock everyone by dancing with humans, including Paul, Lucille, Davy, and Laura.
- Book 2 · Ch 28Davy named Planetary Dirigent
While dancing, Asymptotic Essence tells Davy MacGregor he is to be Earth's Planetary Dirigent and should study Teilhard de Chardin; Davy reluctantly accepts.
- Book 3 · Ch 12Lylmik attend in Poltroyan bodies
Four Lylmik Supervisors take Poltroyan bodies at Atoning Unifex's urging, told to watch for impostors, and wonder whether Hydra have infiltrated Orb.
- Book 3 · Ch 12Lylmik at the St. Patrick's party
Four disguised Lylmik dance, drink and discuss the Hydras, Fury, and Jack's uncanny mental kinship with them while awaiting Unifex's promised climactic event.
- Book 3 · Ch 12Observers assess the event
Asymptotic Essence, Homologous Trend and Eupathic Impulse discuss the punch as a likely nodal event, with Eupathic Impulse cautioning against jumping to conclusions.
- Book 3 · Ch 21Supervisors reject outlawing the Rebels
Paul persuades the Lylmik Supervisors not to condemn the Rebels or impose a loyalty oath; Unifex agrees, reveals the Lylmik are dying, and tells Paul to consult Anne about Fury.
- Book 3 · Ch 21Supervisors discuss Illusio and Jack
After Unifex leaves, the remaining four vote to make Illusio Deputy Dirigent of Caledonia, decide Jack must not help her against Hydra, and turn to prayer.
- Book 4 · Ch 12Lylmik Supervisors meet Unifex
Four Lylmik Supervisors, in human bodies, observed the conversation and discuss human resistance to Unity. Atoning Unifex arrives, encourages them to bond with their dogs, and declares Davy must stay Dirigent.
- Book 4 · Ch 12Unifex reveals his non-intervention plan
Unifex tells four Supervisors the Quincunx will not prevent the coming human–Milieu conflict, citing the Percruciate Progressive Principle, and proposes Plan B.
- Book 4 · Ch 12Supervisors test their incarnate bodies
After Unifex leaves, Concordance explains his scheme; Trend and Concordance go off to check their bodies, while Essence seduces a reluctant Impulse.
- Book 4 · Ch 31Davy consults the Supervisors
Davy relays the ultimatum to the four Supervisors in Syrel. They say Unifex vetoed arresting Marc. Davy refuses to arm loyalists, plans a loyalty oath and expulsion of refusers, and rejects the compromise.