Pattern Juggler

The Pattern Jugglers are a widespread group of alien entities found on many planets and moons. They are colonies of aquatic microorganisms that form distributed consciousnesses, permeating the oceans of the planets they inhabit. Their name arises from their ability to infiltrate the bodies and brains of sentient organisms that swim within their waters, which allows them to store the neural patterns of an individual, impart knowledge from a previously stored entity, or swap the consciousnesses of multiple beings. Sometimes, especially after repeated exposure, a swimmer will be absorbed bodily by the Pattern Jugglers and simply dissolve.

Known Pattern Juggler worlds include Ararat, Turquoise, Spindrift and Wintersea.

RS Glossary entry

Pattern Jugglers: Amorphous, aquatic alien organisms forming a single information processing entity. Jugglers have been encountered on several isolated worlds, implying some earlier seeding program. Jugglers record and update the neural patterns of sentient organisms entering their seas.
- description from the official RS glossary

Appearances

• The Inhibitor trilogy
  • Revelation Space (2000) - mentioned
  • Redemption Ark (2002) - minor appearances
  • Absolution Gap (2003) - major appearances
• Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days novella anthology (2003)
  • Turquoise Days - major appearances
• The Prefect Dreyfus Emergencies trilogy
  • Machine Vendetta (2024) - mentioned