Hello dearest readers, I'm just adding a note here to say that I'm taking a bit of a winter vacation. I'll be back in the new year with more Critical Future's stories, but in the mean time, visit tychoish.com and be well. -- tycho garen

Isolation Dome #1

A Trailing Edge story, by tycho garen
on 27th October 2008. (commentary)

Welcome to another week of original SF at Critical Futures! This time I have another story from the Trailing Edge story that I’ve been working on for a while. We haven’t had a Trailing Edge story in a while, but this story is a follow up on the previous “Mars L4 Outpost” story. This is the first part of five, and a new installment will drop every day this week.

“What is it this time Edwin?” Perr asked, before she had even closed the door to her brother’s flat. Actually, she had invited herself over this time–but it went smoother this way and Edwin, as always, played into the script.

“Well, I think if we can get an agreement or pledge from the authority in Cairo Dome, we might have enough people to–” Edwin said, walking briskly out of kitchen and into the main room in his apartment. “If you want to come to the meeting in a week, it would help a lot.”

“You’re kidding me,” Perr said, falling down on the couch.

“No, why?” Ediwn sounded surprised, though more at the interruption than the sentiment.

“Because you’ve never gotten Cairo Dome to agree to anything more than turning the lights out when they leave. They’re all but paying people to leave–not that you can blame them–and you think they’re going to lift a finger to help you “

“But, it’s the right thing to do.” Edwin said. “You know that. They know that, they’ll see in the end.”

“The end? When’s that going to be? And will there be running water in the end?” They were starting to have this fight more often these days.

“In Marrakesh? Ha! Don’t worry about the water. For better or worse the supply for the spaceport comes through here, remember.

“That’s all sorts of scary,” Perr said. She shot a wary look at the sink in the corner, but quickly turned back to Ediwn. “I’m going to take this next transport off world.”

Edwin should have been more surprised. He should have been more angry, more betrayed. Something. Anything. He was quite busy, he reasoned, and Perr hadn’t had the same enthusiasm in the next last few years that she had right after the riots. “Oh.”

His mind quickly shifted to the summit, to Marrakesh dome, to saving what was left of Earth, and continuing to rebuild from the Riots. There was still much work left to be done.

Perr didn’t excuse herself immediately, though it ultimately was the last time she saw her brother. They didn’t talk about anything of particular: Perr’s partner, children, minutia about the flight, their parents. The visa riots. Their first couple of years of Marrakesh.

And then, as the day cycle drew to a close, Perr left to return to her flat to continue her preparations.

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  1. [...] on the previous “Mars L4 Outpost” story. This is the third part of five, you can read part one, here, and part two here. [...]

    Pingback by Critical Futures: a next wave science fiction review — 30 October 2008 @ 9:03 am

  2. [...] on the previous “Mars L4 Outpost” story. This is the third part of five, you can read part one, here, part two here, and part three here. [...]

    Pingback by Critical Futures: a next wave science fiction review — 31 October 2008 @ 8:15 am

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