On Going Home, #1

A Knowing Mars story, by tycho garen
on 19th November 2008. (commentary)

Installments from Knowing Mars’ Chapter 5 continue this week, which brings us to the half way point of this project. This chapter has a lot of short bits. Today we begin a short three part series from Kyp Ebner that follows this segment from our usual narrator, Matthew Connor. Enjoy!

Earth? Who could have seen that one coming. Though it makes perfect sense, it is perhaps the one place in the Solar System that I never quite expected to be headed to. And yet, here I am.

When I was a kid and they were just starting the Mars Colony I remember wondering why they kept ignoring the topic of Earth-Mars transit. When you you asked teachers in school they’d say something about how round-trip travel was generally unfeasible, but that the data uplink relays were really impressively fast. But we all knew that the data transit was really slow beyond all reason, particularly with the data that we all cared about; and we really didn’t have a clue why why transit was so “unfeasible.”

While we’re better at speeding data transit time, it’s still frustrating even in in the 40s! I have to imagine that the transit technology has changed a bit in the intervening few years, though I tend to glaze over when people talk about interplanetary engines. Having said that, the picture of the ship on the wall in my cabin–that description of this room is perhaps the best example of magical thinking that I’ve ever witnessed–looks quite futuristic, but I suspect that in a few years, it will look as out of date and old as the boxy brick like Mars Colony looks today.

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Of Earth

A Knowing Mars story, by tycho garen
on 18th November 2008. (commentary)

The following story is a one-episode installment from the beginning of the 5th Chapter of Knowing Mars. We’ll continue from Chapter 5 later this week. Thanks for reading!

In Early 2543, Kyp Ebner returned to Earth after two and a half years away, to attend to some business that was long overdue for attention. Though the primary/given reason for the visit was to help Gus Rosell and Irena Trem with a hacking project and then courier some data for the Morgans back to Mars, it had also become clear to all of us that by moving to Mars they left the larger telepath community on earth without a real leadership or organization. While Gus and Irena, and a few others had taken up the charge as best they could, it wasn’t their project, and they had other more pressing commitments.

With the confirmation that Kyp Ebner was not, at least formally connected to the theft of ISA data, Kyp seemed to be a natural choice to serve as an emissary to Earth for the Morgans. While Kyp was on Earth, Taban and Kalian and I were working on securing transportation permits for as many Earth telepathy as we could manage, it was a stressful couple of months.

Thankfully, however, I was able to recover a journal entry written by Kyp Ebner during his trip back to Earth, that communicates the spirit of the times more clearly than I could ever hope to lo these fifty years later. Additionally, I should note that I have been somewhat unsure of how to address this portion of the narrative given my own involvement in the original sequence of events, but after some reflection, and sage advice I have decided to just “get on with it,” though I must confess that I have been unable to restrain myself from commenting directly at a couple of points.

Matthew Connor, MD
Mars Colony, 2596

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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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Ongoing Investigation, #2

A Knowing Mars story, by tycho garen
on 26th September 2008. (commentary)

This is the second instalment of a Knowing Mars story from the third chapter. While many of our hereos are getting settled in on Mars, Thom Busby and his assistant Adrian Rathe continue to work on their investigation. Read part one here, and thanks for reading. Enjoy!

“Not really, I guess. I just I wish we could get a look at the report of that incident a year ago, that might help, forensics is sure sitting on this one,” Adrian said.

“Good luck getting stuff from them, the geeks over there are practically rebels.” Busby’s sudden venom almost surprised Adrian, but by now he was pretty good at covering it up.

“Quinn Dasen seems to be pretty approachable,” Adrian said.

“She’s the one that’s been sitting on that file for months! She’s squeaky clean and very approachable, unlike some of the rest of them. Beyond that they’re all the same.”

“But if they are telepaths, should it really matter in cyberspace? I mean, if they had a hacking gene mod or onbard processing implants, then yeah, but as long as we stay away we should be safe. Right?”

“You don’t know that.” Busby’s response was abrupt and unambiguous.

There was a pause in the conversation, and if Adrian had had anything else in the world to do he would have started doing it, but there really wasn’t work to be done.

“And don’t you go trying to talk or meet with them, we may be ISA, but we’ve not made a great deal of progress on this case, and we have no idea what they can do. I can’t have you going rogue on me.”

“I just feel like–”

Adrian was cut off by the alarm, and then by Busby. “Don’t feel. Get to.”

Something had set off one of the their units cyberspace alarms. This happened pretty often and usually it was just some kid hacker’s or some intermal long abandoned script gone awry. or another ISA team that had forgotten the operating standards; but false positives were the price of having a sensitive system that could detect even the most surgical attacks. Adrian reluctantly reattached his net teather but Busby was a bit ahead of him, but an instant later it didn’t matter. Their office disapeared and they were on the net.

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Ongoing Investigation, #1

A Uncategorized story, by tycho garen
on 25th September 2008. (commentary)

In this Knowing Mars story, while many of our hereos are getting settled in on Mars, Thom Busby and his assistant Adrian Rathe continue to work on their investigation. This series will “air” in two installments. Enjoy

“So we’re done?” Adrian Rathe, checked all of the company boards and his own messages for a third time before he finally admitted defeat to the boredom.

Thom Busby, however, had long since given up the pretense of being enthralled in his work, or frankly, upon closer investigation of being awake. Adrian wondered how often Thom had been able to feign wakefulness in the past, but quickly abandoned the project. Adrian coughed, “Busby! are you seeing anything?” Surprising his boss like that might not have been his best idea in a while, but he was desperate for entertainment.

“Wha? No, nothing.” Busby was surprised a bit, but he didn’t fluster easily. Adrian reasoned that although wasn’t as entertaining it was probably a good quality for an ISA Agent.

“What are we even looking for anymore, there hasn’t been any more attacks on our “telepath” files in like a year. Do you think maybe they’ve gone to ground or something.”

“They’re still there. Be sure of that,” Busby’s eyes glazed over, or maybe they hadn’t fully unglazed from his little “nap.”

“We have the sniffers up, I can be on the net within five minutes of an alarm. I mean, what’s really stopping us from working on other things?”

“This is the best case in the entire cyber crime department This is the stuff that could make our career, and no one else has a clue about it. We could be directors within the year.” Busby’s gaze cleared up.

“After it breaks. I mean, hell we’re not even sure that there are really telepaths–or whatever.”

“What else could explain it? Besides that’s what they call themselves, normal hackers for the tough persona, these folks… don’t. And they still have the net wrapped around their fingers.”

“You think,” Adrian said.

“Do you have a better idea?”

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Visa Riots #7

A Trailing Edge story, by tycho garen
on 28th August 2008. (commentary)

“Visa Riots” is a short story from the Trailing Edge project. This story happens several hundred years before the other stories in the project. This is the final installment, of 6 7 parts. Read part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, and part 5. Enjoy!

“–just to be clear on the story, again: you beat up a maintenance worker, crawled halfway across the London dome, snuck into the transport dock, and hijacked a pod and flew to Marrakesh Dome?” Salimia asked, in disbelief: a grin slipping across her face.

Selimia was one of the city administrators, young, fierce, and commanding despite her slight figure. Their fathers had been colleagues, during dome building, and they had played together as children.

Edwin had expected that Salimia would pay them a visit in holding cell–their bedraggled appearance, and long flight in a London Dome maintenance pod reflected poorly on them as possible immigrants or visitors. Bun insted, without hearing their story, or even seeing them, once she had gotten word of their arrival had managed to advocate favorably for Perr and Edwin

Now–a shower and a change of clothes later–they were just like old friends having lunch at a quaint cafe on the streets of Marrakesh.

As if all the worlds great cities weren’t presently aflame. Marrakesh had avoided riots: it’s residents had more connections to the Corps and the Colonization authority because it was the, It helped that the population was smaller when the dome was built so it avoided the pinch after the baby boom.

“Different order, I think,” Edwin said, laughing.

“And it wasn’t halfway across the dome, we weren’t more than a few miles from the transport dock,” Perr said.

Salimia was dismissive. “Whatever, you’re here now. I think we can get you spots on the next shot to orbit, if you want,” she said.

“I’m not sure that we’re ready to leave, there’s work left to be done on Earth,” Edwin said.

“–someday, I might take you up on the offer,” Perr said. Her enthusiasm was not as rabid.

“Don’t wait too long,” Salimia said. “Marrakesh didn’t fall, and we can learn from this mess, but I’m not convinced that there’s as much time as you’d need.”

Edwin smiled, “We’ll see…”

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Visa Riots #6

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

“Visa Riots” is a short story from the Trailing Edge project. This story happens several hundred years before the other stories in the project. This is part 6 of 6 7 parts. Read part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, and part 5. Enjoy!

“What do we do now?” Edwin asked when he was fully awake, still tired, but awake. He was still filthy, but he hadn’t slept well enough to care and there were more pressing concerns.

“I think we need to leave here,” Perr said, from another sofa on the other side of the door. She was still groggy but had been awake for several minutes. “I don’t want to be around when the owners come home and see this,” she said waving her hand over all remnants of their meal the previous night.

The riot had slowed over night, but there were still intermittent sounds from outside the door, as there had been all night. Edwin wasn’t even sure that it was even properly morning.

“Right, sis, but how,” Edwin said.

“Do you think they’ve opened the dome for venting?”

“We’re still hear aren’t we? So probably.”

“Do we know anything that might be useful. I don’t think there’s power here. I don’t have a terminal with me,” Edwin said, sitting up.

“It was coming toward the transport complex. It’s probably about this visa thing, I mean? What else?”

“Right. We still need to get out somehow, we could try and get out of the dome through the venting, but that’s a dead-end, probably.”

“I’m sure it’s safe out there. The Domes are more connivence than necessity at this point,” Perr said.

“Especially when the fucking city is on fire. If we get out of the dome, what’s to say that the next…”

“Right. The transport complex’s closed… didn’t Dad’s company have a little dock port? It’s still there, I’m sure there’s a trans–” Perr said, her voice trailing off. “–from this side, come on.” She jumped up and began to walk down the hallway toward one of the building linkages.

Edwin scooped up a couple of water bottles and a few snacks and followed her. “Wait, Perr, what the hell?”

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