Departure
by
Andrew Bruce Fisk (September 2012)
The twin vapour trails of her father’s shuttle faded with the rise of the sun. The light from the deep red orb drowned out the last sparks of hope in her heart. She would not cry. Andearies was a princess of her people and on a day such as this weakness, if it was such, must be hidden deep.
The soft ambient glow of morning crept across the horizon of her ancient homeland. The tall minarets of the capital pierced the sky, but even these failed to reach the heights to which her beloved father now ascended. The ships left every hour now. The time was near when the final vessel would depart.
Soft chimes form the temples below announced the beginning of the working day. The princess turned her back on the heavens and left the balcony on which she had stood. The aroma of spice and hot beverages rose from the interior of the palace. She was not interested. How could she eat on a day like this?
The sun rose higher. Its glory resplendent. She ignored its beauty. The complexity of its nature meant only one thing to her.
Judgement.
The Ark was busy. The passengers and cargo contained safely within cryogenic chambers. Only the flight crew now remained awake. Ready to execute the final sequence that would ignite the Drive. Edulanous observed the final preparation of his creation. This device marked the pinnacle of his career. The power to warp space time had been his goal for his entire life. His people would be saved by this work. Some of his people.
The great engineer, as he was called, looked out at the burning furnace that was the home star for his people. He knew that the fires raged far too hot. They would rage hotter still, consuming everything in their path. Nothing would stop the destruction of everything he had known. His civilisation was doomed. Or would have been if the Ark had not been conceived.
To escape into the void was the only option and yet the distances were vast. A stardrive was required. His life had taken on a new meaning. He would warp space and time compressing the fabric of reality as they escaped from the inevitable inferno.
So he had built the ship. Some would be saved from certain death. The very best would be carried to a new home on some distant world. Life would continue.
But not for his daughter.
The tears ran freely now. Edulanous struggled to see the meaning behind his achievement. How could any father abandon his child? He would sleepwalk into a dark future alone. The void was too great for his mind to vanquish.
There was one hope. The data encoders had recorded the genetic traces of the ones that would be left behind. The technologies of the future could restore the forgotten ones. He clung to this feeble gesture, a mere sliver of light in an otherwise bleak universe.
Systems deep within the ark signalled the start of the ignition process. The Drive would soon take him away from this world of darkness. He would be born again on some far world. Fear would be conquered in the same way that he had bent the rules of physics. For now he must sleep with the others. A surrender to the temporary death of the cryogenesis. He turned and made his way from the star portal. His eyes were dry now. The Engineer reached into his shirt pocket and retrieved a capsule. The script on its label said one thing.
‘Andearies.’
The darkened finality of the moment was ended. The engines buried deep inside the ship roared into life, ripping the past at from his grasp. Edulanous slipped away from the pain.
On the surface of the world below his daughter was at peace. Safe in the knowledge that, one day, somewhere far from home, she would once again breath the air of a new world.
Sunday, 24 February 2013
Cybernetic Dreams
Cybernetic Dreams
By
Andrew Bruce Fisk (September 2012)
Adam woke from the dream. His body was wet with moisture. He drew swift breaths, eager to banish the panic that had gripped him during his last work session. With time he stilled. Savouring the temporary relief offered to him by the supervisors. How long had it been since the last time? The dreams beckoned to him. Their world was safe, full of certainty. He wondered about the outside. The place he could not go. A soft tone sounded in his ears. The sleep inducers were becoming active once more.
Then he faded.
The city was grey today. He accessed his activity schedule and nominated tasks for completion. Distant factories stirred, their ceaseless operations drifting along new patterns, driven by the force of his will. Transport systems bombarded him with data, pleading for attention. He granted their requests. Routing travelers and freight in endless transitions. Point by point the economic network of the Dreamnet flashed through his focus point. He grew tired, but the system compensated reallocating resources to the myriad others who slept.
A system call from an offworld site interrupted his rest. He activated resource management routines and a kaleidoscope of financial transactions threatening to overwhelm his defences. He coped. He had been designed to manage these kinds of loads. This was his world. The Dreamnet. The beating heart of humanity. There was no other reality
He woke in the evening. The sleep inducers dormant. These brief interludes seemed to be growing fewer in number. It did not matter. Society demanded sacrifices from its members. The good of others was paramount. Swiftly he prepared to fade.
And then he thought of her.
An image from another world. Blond hair, a soft voice. A name. What was the name?
The Dreamnet reasserted control. Normality resumed. The dangers and trials of a hungry civilisation called to him. He obeyed the commands and submitted himself to their service. Weather systems tracked their way across vast continents, colonies bleated distress and joy to the homeland in equal measure. All these required totally devotion from the sleeper.
He could not remember her name.
The warning reached him from deep within the security protocol stack of the Centre. Reality was threatened. The system reacted drawing previously redundant minds into operation. Stability was restored.
Kira.
He awoke.
This time it was different. Something had altered the delicate interior equilibrium of his cot. He blinked and opened his eyes.
Her name was Kira.
His body spasmed. Salt entered his mouth. Something stopped him from breathing. The paralysis gripping him for precious moments and then eased. He coughed.
The inducers toned softly.
The onset of the Fade took hold. He returned to the Dreamnet. The chaos in his mind subsided. Routine reestablished.
She found him in the capital complex. Her voice intruded, breaking the lock on his mind. She said one thing. A promise of revolution. A pledge that would endure. Her name was Kira and then, she was gone. The encounter swept out of his mind.
He woke once more in a different place. The safe sterile smell of the cot no longer filled his nostrils. A light breeze touched him. He looked up and for the first time saw what he knew must be the sun. Water was running free. The light notes of its flow amongst the stone beds of a stream echoed in his ears.
Was this freedom?
He saw her approach from the clearings edge. She wore a robe full of green and brown shades. Her eyes smiled at him. He remembered her words. He would be released. He could return home and the Dreamnet would be banished from his life forever.
And then he faded.
By
Andrew Bruce Fisk (September 2012)
Adam woke from the dream. His body was wet with moisture. He drew swift breaths, eager to banish the panic that had gripped him during his last work session. With time he stilled. Savouring the temporary relief offered to him by the supervisors. How long had it been since the last time? The dreams beckoned to him. Their world was safe, full of certainty. He wondered about the outside. The place he could not go. A soft tone sounded in his ears. The sleep inducers were becoming active once more.
Then he faded.
The city was grey today. He accessed his activity schedule and nominated tasks for completion. Distant factories stirred, their ceaseless operations drifting along new patterns, driven by the force of his will. Transport systems bombarded him with data, pleading for attention. He granted their requests. Routing travelers and freight in endless transitions. Point by point the economic network of the Dreamnet flashed through his focus point. He grew tired, but the system compensated reallocating resources to the myriad others who slept.
A system call from an offworld site interrupted his rest. He activated resource management routines and a kaleidoscope of financial transactions threatening to overwhelm his defences. He coped. He had been designed to manage these kinds of loads. This was his world. The Dreamnet. The beating heart of humanity. There was no other reality
He woke in the evening. The sleep inducers dormant. These brief interludes seemed to be growing fewer in number. It did not matter. Society demanded sacrifices from its members. The good of others was paramount. Swiftly he prepared to fade.
And then he thought of her.
An image from another world. Blond hair, a soft voice. A name. What was the name?
The Dreamnet reasserted control. Normality resumed. The dangers and trials of a hungry civilisation called to him. He obeyed the commands and submitted himself to their service. Weather systems tracked their way across vast continents, colonies bleated distress and joy to the homeland in equal measure. All these required totally devotion from the sleeper.
He could not remember her name.
The warning reached him from deep within the security protocol stack of the Centre. Reality was threatened. The system reacted drawing previously redundant minds into operation. Stability was restored.
Kira.
He awoke.
This time it was different. Something had altered the delicate interior equilibrium of his cot. He blinked and opened his eyes.
Her name was Kira.
His body spasmed. Salt entered his mouth. Something stopped him from breathing. The paralysis gripping him for precious moments and then eased. He coughed.
The inducers toned softly.
The onset of the Fade took hold. He returned to the Dreamnet. The chaos in his mind subsided. Routine reestablished.
She found him in the capital complex. Her voice intruded, breaking the lock on his mind. She said one thing. A promise of revolution. A pledge that would endure. Her name was Kira and then, she was gone. The encounter swept out of his mind.
He woke once more in a different place. The safe sterile smell of the cot no longer filled his nostrils. A light breeze touched him. He looked up and for the first time saw what he knew must be the sun. Water was running free. The light notes of its flow amongst the stone beds of a stream echoed in his ears.
Was this freedom?
He saw her approach from the clearings edge. She wore a robe full of green and brown shades. Her eyes smiled at him. He remembered her words. He would be released. He could return home and the Dreamnet would be banished from his life forever.
And then he faded.
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