It's Storytime with Wil Wheaton

Episode: “Swarm X1048 - Ethological Field Report: Canis Lupus Familiaris, ‘6’” by F.E. Choe (November 19, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Wil Wheaton narrates the short story “Swarm X1048 - Ethological Field Report: Canis Lupus Familiaris, ‘6’” by F.E. Choe. The story takes the listener to a near-future, post-disaster Earth, where a collective alien intelligence—Swarm X1048—observes and documents the life of a stray dog, Six, with scientific detachment that gradually gives way to conflicted affection. Through their eyes, we witness Six’s birth, survival, growth, loss, and death, as well as the irreparable decline of the planet. The episode stands out for its emotional resonance, blending alien perspective with poignant explorations of attachment, duty, grief, and memory.

Key Discussion Points & Story Structure

1. Introduction and Set-Up

• Wil welcomes listeners and introduces this week’s journey: “We’re going to stay right here on Earth, but our visit will be just as fantastic as any of our tales as it comes to us through the eyes of an alien intelligence.” (02:39)
• Swarm X1048 is a collective alien intelligence assigned to study Earth, specifically focusing on a dog they name “Six,” born in the ruins of a recently evacuated city.

2. Birth and Early Observations (03:10 – 06:30)

• The narrative opens at Six’s birth, described with clinical detail and subtle hints of anxiety and hope from the Swarm.
• The Swarm’s deepening attachment is immediate and involuntary:
  “We name you Six, and you are the most beautiful creature we have ever seen.” (05:10)
• Despite protocols of detachment, the Swarm finds themselves emotionally invested in Six’s survival and development:
  “Such exogenous attachments are conflicts of interest and will present a significant challenge to our reassimilation at home. But you are in such desperate need of care.” (06:10)

3. Observing Life and Bonding (06:31 – 11:00)

• Swarm X1048 chronicles Six’s growth, cataloguing data but also recounting moments of joy:
  “Even the few anxious and dissenting among us go quiet when you lift your head in our direction and bound toward us, open-mouthed with excitement.” (07:45)
• Six’s curiosity drives many “fieldwork” discoveries, forging a shared world between observer and observed.
• The story’s language begins to blend biological reporting with emotional intensity, especially as Six helps the Swarm witness fleeting phenomena:
  • Urban birds, bees and their hives, and the subtle choreography of animal communication.

4. Communication and Connection through Movement (11:01 – 14:20)

• On the roof: “We move in unison, folding and unfolding triptychs of light. This is how you say hello. This is how you say hive and home and clover…” (12:54)
• The Swarm’s luminous bodies mimic animal signals, especially bees’ dances, deepening their connection to Six and her pack.
• Notable quote: “We practice and inscribe in our memory the intricate choreography of bees…This means the flowers in the field beyond have just reached full bloom.” (13:20)

5. Human Threat and Tragedy (14:21 – 16:00)

• Human “cleaners” arrive to eradicate surviving animals, ironically spreading the very contamination they seek to contain.
• The scene is tense and raw as Six witnesses her family’s death:
  “‘6 Jesus, it’s a whole litter. Do it quick then. All of them. Fuck man, they’re not doing anything…’ You cower, shake underneath the car with your ears pressed flat against your skull…The only thing that keeps you alive.” (15:35)
• The Swarm’s ethics are tested as they must not interfere:
  “We cannot bear to leave your side, Six, but if you run to them, we cannot follow you either.” (15:53)

6. Wandering, Survival, and the Planet’s Decline (16:28 – 19:30)

• Six survives, navigating a hostile and dying world, meeting coyotes and grappling with environmental hazards.
• The Swarm records dwindling phenomena with Six’s help but laments what they lose:
  “We lose the life cycle of paper wasps... the shell patterning of six species of freshwater turtle... the last of the milkweed in full bloom by mere days.” (22:56)
• Internal tensions arise: some Swarm members blame their focus on Six for these losses, questioning the cost of attachment versus professional detachment.

7. Reunion, Illness, and Death (25:24 – 28:00)

• In a luminous, memorable moment, Six reunites with the Swarm among fireflies:
  “We hum with delight, glow so brightly that we disturb the fireflies…Hello. We have missed you. You have been gone so long.” (25:55)
• The Swarm detects Six’s fatal tumor, remaining at her side through her decline:
  “All we can do is flicker above you and watch...We cannot nuzzle your forehead…We cannot even weep. We can only watch as your breathing begins to slow.” (27:18)
• The story closes with the Swarm’s final act of devotion:
  “We codify and imprint your genetic sequence into ribbons of light. We inscribe every micrometer of you into our collective memory…It is our final, solitary act of love, Six—all we can give. We hope it is enough.” (28:20–29:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We name you Six, and you are the most beautiful creature we have ever seen.” (05:10, Swarm X1048)
• “Such exogenous attachments are conflicts of interest…But you are in such desperate need of care.” (06:10, Swarm X1048)
• “We arrange our bodies along rows and columns to form a kind of glowing beaded panel…This is how you say hive and home and clover.” (12:54, Swarm X1048)
• “‘They do not realize that they have been spreading the very poison they have been sent here to contain.’” (15:20, Swarm X1048)
• “We cannot bear to leave your side, Six, but if you run to them, we cannot follow you either. We are not to interfere.” (15:53, Swarm X1048)
• “Is this not what we said would happen? This is why we are dissuaded from forming anything more than a distant future professional rapport with subjects.” (23:55, Swarm X1048)
• “We have no hands with which we can caress your face…We cannot even weep. We can only watch as your breathing begins to slow.” (27:18, Swarm X1048)
• “It is our final, solitary act of love, Six—all we can give. We hope it is enough.” (28:55, Swarm X1048)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–02:38: (Ads and Intro—skip)
• 02:39: Wil Wheaton introduces the story and its premise
• 03:10–06:30: Six’s birth; the Swarm’s early impressions and attachment
• 06:31–11:00: Six’s growth, the deepening bond, and everyday wonders
• 11:01–14:20: Rooftop scenes—bees, light patterns, and alien-beast communication
• 14:21–16:00: Human “cleaners” arrive; tragedy strikes Six’s family
• 16:28–19:30: Six’s solitary survival and wild encounters
• 22:56–24:10: The Swarm laments lost knowledge—planetary decline
• 25:24–28:00: Reunion with fireflies; Six’s sickness; her death
• 28:01–29:05: The Swarm’s farewell and collective memorialization of Six

Tone and Takeaways

The narration remains clinical and observational in the language of field science, but Wheaton infuses the story with warmth, awe, and heartbreak as the Swarm’s perspective shifts from pure detachment to genuine connection and grief. The episode is deeply poignant—a meditation on love, loss, and memory from the perspective of the other, underscoring the essential question: can true observation ever be without feeling?

Closing Notes

Wil Wheaton concludes with brief credits and encouragement to find more of F.E. Choe’s work and bonus content on Patreon (29:05).

For listeners, this episode is a moving audio experience: part science fiction, part elegy, and a testament to the power of story to kindle empathy across all boundaries—even those of species, and worlds.