Digital Venous (27 page)

The Sapphire Bar

ALIA HAD GONE to the rear bridge for a drink—Shane was very much on her mind as she wondered if he’d told the truth about his mind reading capacity.
Could he talk and use telepathy at the same time? I certainly hope not,
she thought, blushing.

Madi was at D bar, as usual. She was either doing a five-hour work shift or a five-hour booze shift. She was involved in some intense conversation with two other guys about the politics of colonization. They were talking about the ecology of the target planet, Remus. Madi was a classic devil’s advocate, the “what if?” queen.

“What if,” she said, “microbes living on our skin proved to be like an epidemic to biota on the planet?”

“Don’t worry about the microbes—the little creatures,” said one of the guys, Pavlov. “I’d be more worried about the big ones: us!”

The other guy, Bill, agreed. “When you make an omelette you‘ve got to crack eggs.” The planet was known to have plant life but little else was widely known.

“… and in any case,” continued Bill, “it’s a bit late to start worrying about it now. I mean what’s to say there aren’t life forms right here in deep space and that we are, right now, contaminating it with our conversation or our breath?”

“Given your halitosis I wouldn’t be surprised,” said Madi. “Isn’t she lovely?” Pav asked Bill.

“So sweet,” said Bill.

“I do my best,” said Madi smiling broadly.

“The point is,” said Bill, “we don’t know what we don’t know. It’s both debilitating and enlightening.”

“And cliché,” cut in Madi.

“We’re on the outward path—an outward journey,” said Bill unfazed. “You guys are completely full of it.” said Madi.

“It was the Napeans who started this outward journey—this assumption that the solution lies in the physical world—out there,” said Bill reflectively.

“Yeah,” agreed Pav, “traditionally we were the one’s sitting around hanging on to an outdated “Real” mode of living—assuming we already possessed all the answers…”

Madi interrupted, “…that’s what pisses me off about your argument and the Napeans—we weren’t hanging on—most Real People had no choice whether or not to become Napean! We couldn’t afford the transition and then they steamrolled us and used us as slaves or wiped us out when they wanted. …. now you guys are part of that world view. Go forward and wipe it out if it gets in your way.”

“Well it is the only way,” said Pav.

“Yeah, colonize or be colonized; choose to win or choose to lose,” answered Bill. “There aint no choice,” said Pav.

“It’s life or death,” said Bill. The two guys seemed to have shouted Madi down. But she had to have the last word.

“That’s the trouble with you people—everything’s black or white…”

“Well it’s hard enough making one choice!” said Bill.

“Yes,” said Pav, “It’s better than ‘here are 18 possibilities: rank them in groups of three

…then act on the top 6’…”

“Yes one choice is better. We need forward momentum.” The two men continued preaching to each other. Then Bill said, “If it wasn’t for the Napeans we wouldn’t be here. Without those Napean leaders and Service Officials, Telesync, N.E.T., without that stuff we’d still be on Earth. Feeling the heat!”

Madi said, “See you’re obsessed with the external world—can’t sit still and be part of, must trample…’

“You’re such a hippy…” said Pav.

“Yeah you sound like that stupid Napean religion; what’s it called: “One…” Bill was interrupted.

“Never heard of it.” said Pav. Bill answered:

“It’s based on some physics equation which proves that time is not linear, that it is an illusion and that the past and the future are also the here and the now...”

“Sounds a lot like this conversation,” said Alia. She had been standing, just behind Bill. “Madi!” Alia motioned with her head toward the bar and said “drink?”

The two women moved off slightly from the two men and spoke privately. “Sure. What’s wrong?” asked Madi.

“Just had Shane in our room. Ryan read my mind: he blurts out, in front of his father, basically, “dad she thinks you’re hot.”

“What?” said Madi incredulous. “How? I mean why? I mean when?”

“It’s true. I don’t know… it just happened… he seemed up for it, I noticed and then Ryan noticed…” said Alia.

Madi was slightly shocked. Alia said, “you don’t feel I’m stepping on your toes do you: are you attracted to him?”

“Oh god no…” said Madi then sighed: “my son is becoming one; and now my best friend is dating one.”

“Dating? It certainly won’t be dating. You can’t date on a spaceship,” said Alia.  

“Well no one normal could, no. Stop toying with the idea! Just get it over and done with and then we can all move on,” said Madi.

“You like to express yourself,” said Alia, smiling. “You like to express yourself most vehemently, and you like to express yourself as often as possible. You like…”

“Unlike most on board this tin-can,” Madi interrupted, “I think for myself; I’m not a bloody clone!”

“Bloody clone? Don’t forget your son is a bloody clone!”

“How could I?” said Madi, despondent. “He’s changing the one thing we may have had in common: the way we look.”

Coronal Mass Ejection

ALIA TOOK SOME time away from the cabin to reflect on everything that had happened. It had been a while since she had been with a man. The last few months had been so hectic there simply hadn’t been the time, and quality men were few and far between. She stood gazing out into the stars when the warning tone for speed travel sounded. It wasn’t altogether unpleasant, pitched rather low; it sounded a little like wind blowing across the top of the transdome. She remembered how comforting it was to hear the hostilities of the natural world from a safe place.

Initially speed travel was only experienced in short bursts, but gradually everyone became attuned to its idiosyncrasies before this form of travel was conducted more frequently and for longer periods.

Travelling at extremely fast speeds caused objects visible through the window to, for some reason, appear blue and all bunched up in front of them. Objects, people, and things on and outside the ship could also take on a bent, curved, or even rotating quality, depending on what stage of the acceleration cycle they were in. On board also movement could appear slightly blurred. It was like things happened slightly before you intended them to happen. Pouring liquid into a cup, for example, required practice under these conditions. The liquid had a tendency to look like it was in two places at once—the liquid appeared in the cup just before it had left the jug. It took some getting used to.

What did this do to human organs? Nobody knew, but as light speeds were being reached more and more often, all concerns were largely forgotten and business went on as usual.

The burst of speed lasted for some thirty minutes before slowing. Then serenity fell over the ship as the windows were opened; the view was incredible. Over the next three hours a huge red cloud was spread out on the port side of the ship as if rust had taken a hold of an entire wall of the galaxy. Through it could still be seen faint stars, and on the far side, the white light reflected and heightened the reds to oranges and the purples to pinks, like a Sheppard’s delight sunset on ancient Earth. Above the expanse of red splatter there were stars; to the rear of the ship, there was the Sun and faint stars around it; to the front: more stars; but strangest of all was the bottomless sensation of seeing stars underneath for as far as the eye could see. It reminded Alia of the experience she had read about describing sailing a boat across an ocean. One could feel the sheer depth below. To imagine your own physical presence floating on that ocean, to scale, was to accept the terrifying vision of your insignificance and mortality. Space had the same effect—to the power of ten.

When she was young her father had taken her to see the ocean which extended west from the Lofty Mountains. She remembered being shocked by its turquoise vastness and blinded by its radiance. Space created the same feeling of openness, but without a horizon, an anchor point. She felt her spirit just drifted in the dark.

Although they’d only been on board for a week, on Earth more than a month had elapsed. The flare was predicted to occur in several days. Alia had mixed feelings about watching it. The sun was still the brightest feature in all of the surrounding space—what if she had been correct about its strength? It would be the end of the planet. Guilt was a force with her like a constant companion. Feelings of and memories for Bes and Claire came regularly and, as she looked around the ship, she could see many real people in similar states of depression.

Both they and Napeans had transplanted their former lives onto the Star Sapphire. The real people had been used to living in small underground self-contained places, growing their own food and being very careful with water and waste. The difference was now that they were not surrounded by rock, dirt, and dust—and that everywhere they turned, there was a Napean watching. They lived in a conundrum; they hated the Napeans for what they’d done, yet remained dependent on them.

The Napean lifestyle was transportable due to it being completely internalized. A Napean was a self-contained unit. Food, information, medical supplies, entertainment—it was all available from and within the body. All they needed was to be comfortable, warm, and sheltered, and be in proximity to the network, and through it they could obtain everything.

Tuesday came—or at least that’s what they called it. All the port windows on the ship were opened and the ship was turned ninety degrees to its usual course. And there, extending in an arc of little black shiny eggs, were the other four ships of the first fleet. This first glimpse of their sister ships gave everyone a sense of well-being. The mood on the Sapphire was heightened in anticipation of the event. A number of Subs had stayed in their rooms, worried that this was going to be just another tragedy.

But even most of those, terrified as they were by the looming spectre, came stealing out of their cabins to witness the historic moment with their own eyes.

It was assumed there would be some kind of flash. The Sun was about the size of a marble and with the tinting of the main window it appeared more like an orangey yellow pea. Nearly everyone on board the five ships was watching and talking, when after about forty minutes of intense viewing, an almost imperceptible flash, like the flicker of a torch, was seen. Many of the spectators missed it and began looking at their friends, saying, “What? What happened? Was that it? I didn’t see anything! What?” Others were yelling, “Keep watching, you idiot! Don’t look at me! Watch!” And similar such conversations.

Then it happened. The orange marble seemed to explode. Tiny bits and pieces could be seen splattering away from it, out into space. The viewers gasped and shrieked. Many pulled their heads backwards, away from the explosion. A shockwave rippled towards them, creating a humongous arc, a giant lens, which bent and refracted light from surrounding stars as it moved out like a ripple on a pond. The ship just groaned and everyone went silent, realizing the colossal nature of the event they had just witnessed, the collective thought being that the Earth was no more. They expected to see nothing left of the sun. But there it was—floating, burning, enigmatic as ever.

Confessions

“TIME TO ADDRESS the elephant in the room. What’s going to happen when we get there? Everyone’s talking about it. I can’t keep doing my job and nor can anyone else without knowing more of the big picture…” said Shane.

Jeffery and Pato seemed a little distracted using ETP. They looked at Shane but were still following some line of information on the network.

Shane persisted. “Look, if you’ve made the mistake of censoring too much, then just say it’s new information still being processed, still coming in…”

The three Service officials were so used to their oligarchy that the idea frightened them. They were feeling more vulnerable than ever.

Shane continued, “At the moment morale is good, but you need to make sure you keep everyone heading in the same direction, that everyone on board is united in their goals. Again it’s time to
share some information
. Without the support of the majority on the ship you can’t really leave the ship…”

Jeffery replied: “We’re not accustomed to seeking opinion on every little thing we do. As you know the Napean state has been running very smoothly for nearly a hundred and fifty years. This wouldn’t have been achieved if at each step of the way we had to consult with people ill—equipped with the information or the intelligence to assess the options. We can see that with a smaller population, this may be different.”

Shane said, “Oh, good. I think.”

“A lot of this material is still very sensitive, however,” said Pato, nodding slowly with his head on an angle.

“Why?” asked Shane. “Why is it so sensitive?”

“Because we have taken certain risks which may disturb what you call ‘on-board unity,’” confirmed Jeffery.

“Such as?”

The three officials exchanged a glance, and then Jeffery spoke. “Our velocity has been slightly more variable than we at first thought. At light speed, small diversions become…”

Magellan broke in. “We have lost contact with ships from other cities.”

“Not totally surprising,” said Shane, doing his best to remain calm. “We’re not reliant on them… are we?”

“Each fleet is self-contained, fully independent, and able to colonize on its own,” said Magellan.

“Great. I don’t see a problem there. And?”

Magellan answered: “We don’t know what waits for us, exactly, on the surface of the Remus.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere… and…?”

“We don’t know why the planets are identical.” Jeffery was getting the hang of it now. “It’s never been seen before—even on the millions of lifeless planets we’ve studied,” said Magellan.

Still, Shane pushed forward. “Okay. Be more specific.”

Again, the calm Magellan explained, “We think these planets may have been created using some means other than the laws of physics, the laws of nature, as we know them.”

“Created? Okay,” said Shane, doing his best to stay positive. “How?”

“Not only how,” said Magellan. “But also who.”

Shane’s Mr. rational approach wavered. “You mean to say we’ve come all this way and you don’t know?”

“We don’t know absolutely everything!” said Jeffery. “How can we?” echoed Pato.

Shane was stunned “You guys must have been pretty desperate to want to escape Earth, under these circumstances; without knowing…”

“We knew. You saw the power of the sun did, did you not? And it was time humanity made the next step,” said Jeffery.

“So you knew,” said Shane, shaking his head and inhaling slowly. “You’ve certainly got a weird leadership style: murder, bondage, and universal healthcare.”

“Why do you think we chose you as our henchman? Our style was your style,” said Jeffery.

“I’m not your henchman. I’ve only tried to protect Napeans from violence and sabotage. I always thought I was doing the right thing for ‘the Service,’ for Napea.”

“So murder’s okay when you do it?” quipped Pato. Jeffery gave Pato a look of disdain. Magellan Said: “Shane, you’ve been great for Napea...”

“Likewise,” interrupted Jeffery. “What secrets are being kept from us, I wonder?”

“Secrets? How would I…?”

“As you know,” said Jeffery, “we use ETP in planning and…”

“… To conference.” Pato finished the sentence.

“Indeed, and we have noticed an unidentified presence. It comes and goes…” Magellan asked, “Do you know of anyone with network access?”

“No. It’s impossible. I personally looked at everyone who came on board. To use the system, you need a lens, and it’s pretty obvious if you’ve stolen one… and secrets? Nobody trusts me over there,” said Shane. “But I move around—I know who’s who. They are all just relieved to be alive—rebel Subs are a thing of past.”

“So,” asked Jeffery, his desire to maintain power was ever strong. “There’s nothing we need to know?”

“They’re still in shock about Blackwood and Picadilly and where they’ve ended up.”

“Really? There is no talk of mutiny or assassination?” asked Jeffery.

“I keep my ear close to the ground; there is no talk of insurgency—they know they’re lucky to be on the Sapphire when so many didn’t make it. Even would-be agitators, the complainers, the whiners… they’re comfortable …they all seem quite content.”

“Why is that?” asked Magellan.

“They’re provided for and … there’s solidarity among them and as survivors, they know they’re part of something big, historic…”

“Don’t get too close Wing—be ‘one of them’ sure,” Jeffery said, indicating quotation marks with his fingers, “but when the time comes for disembarkation we must be focused.”

“On what?” asked Shane, “What is actually going to happen?”

“The first carrier will take 200 Subs to an area we know to be some form of heath or savannah and start unloading settlement machinery and building materials.”

“You’re going to need a balance of us and them on that first carrier,” said Shane.     “You know as well as I that the best operators of Lunatex equipment are on the Subs’ A

deck. They go down first and get started,” said Jeffery.

“That’s why many of them were selected remember?” said Pato. “A-list will be published just prior to landing…”

“It will be quite prestigious!” Pato was excited.

“Really?” said Shane unconvinced. “What if they don’t want to go first?”

“There won’t be a choice,” said Jeffery.

There was a pause.

“…so you plan to bring the old prejudices to the new world.” asked Shane. His direct sarcasm hit the mark. Jeffery was annoyed.

“You see this is precisely why decisions are made by an informed few.” He out-turned his palms to include Pato and Magellan. “We’re trying to involve you in the process but there is no place for panic.”

“Is this the only reason you brought them? As alien bait?” said Shane remaining placid. “Alien bait!” said Jeffery looking at Pato . They both laughed fruity “ho, ho, ho” style

laughs. When Jeffery had won his breath back he continued: “Subs represent our future, there are many reasons why they had to be a part of this…”

“… like a control group.” Added Pato.

“not so much a control group …” said Jeffery, eyes widening, at Pato then at the others in their turn.

“Reasons?” asked Shane imagining Ryan being attacked by a giant triffid. “Reasons suchnas?”

“More questions?” said Jeffery feigning laughter. “We’ve thought about all this, planned it out so that people like you could just get on with doing what you do best.”

Shane ignored the remark. “Have you trained them, prepared them in any way?”

“You don’t need to be trained to fly or land an orbital troop carrier—it’s fully automated,” said Pato.

“Anyway,” cut in Jeffery, “decisions need to be made—we are in charge of that. You’ve been given your answers.”

Shane had made up his mind about what he was going to do. He started to walk out. “Just one more thing, Wing?” Jeffery grinned.

Shane was too disgusted to respond.

“We need to minimize their alcohol consumption—we don’t want a bunch of inebriated impotents as envoys to our new planet,” Said Jeffery, “and a reminder: tonight is renewal signal night—and all Napeans will be refreshed, signal going out at ten. So make sure all Subs are locked down at 9. We don’t want any surprises.”

“All I can say is that you better get some Napeans on that first drop or your peaceful little run may come to an end. You supervise them for two years and then suddenly say, ‘Now you’re going out—all by yourselves—onto an alien planet!’? It won’t work.”

“You do seem very…
protective
of them,” said Magellan. “What happened when you were taken by them?” asked Jeffery. “You understood their struggle?” said Pato.

“No, none of that. It’s about the future we need to be sharing risks. Burdens,” said Shane. “That’s true,” said Magellan. “But there’s an issue of trust that makes them a risk. The

past weighs heavily on some and revenge is, despite what you say, a means of dealing with it.”

“You should talk more often—you’ve really got a way with words,” said Shane.

“I was just waiting for the intelligent part of the conversation to begin before I joined in,” said Magellan.

“All I’m saying,” said Shane finally, “is that there’s an opportunity here—over one hundred years of violence. Bury the hatchet...” Shane turned his back and walked out, thinking how hard it was to know whether or not anything he had said would make any difference.