My story Null Infinity: Book 1 will be released on Amazon soon (December 20) in eBook form. It will be 99 cents until the end of the month.
This is the beginning of a trilogy (maybe more) of works in my new universe Forgotten Earth.
I consider this story to be hard science fiction plus. That is science and technology extrapolated from current theory that might or might not be proven true in the future. I also consider it to be space adventures, called space opera in the old days, with a touch of romance.
Here's a sample:
“What
is space? An empty stage where the physical world of matter acts out
its drama? An equal participant that both provides background and has
a life of its own? Or the primary reality of which matter is a
secondary manifestation? Views on this question have evolved, and
several
times have changed radically, over the history of science. Today the
third view is triumphant.”
Frank
Wilczek
TO
THE READER
This
is Book 1 of the story Null
Infinity.
It will be followed by at least one more book, maybe more. Since I
foresee this as being a long story, I have chosen to split it up,
hopefully in such a way as to make sense and not be an irritant to
the reader.
With
that out of the way, let me say something about the science in the
story. Some of the science is a continuation of the science found
throughout my previous Future Chron Universe. Unlike in most of those
stories, I am not going to explain the science in one (or more)
paragraphs at the beginning of a chapter. I intend to integrate the
necessary explanation into the text of the story. I'm told that this
is not the way it's done in “modern” science fiction, indeed,
it's a barely literate way of writing. However, since I love
extrapolated science in stories, I intend to do it this way in mine.
I've even included a section at the back of the book (oh horror)
where more extensive explanations of the science (extrapolated or
not) can be found.
Also,
because the science is an integral part of my stories, and because I
love speculation but not outright fantasy, I try to never just make
up the science or technology without having a basis for it. Most of
the ideas come from science articles (see the Acknowledgments section
at the end) or books I have read and then used as if the author
(usually a scientist) were describing an existing technology or a
tested scientific theory.
To
put it another way, I've been rereading some of Jules Verne's novels
and am noticing his rather lengthy science/technology extrapolations
in the text itself, which I enjoy very much.
Also,
a short word about the date system used. In this story (and most of
my stories), if I use a date, I know I am using the antiquated dating
system, A.D. I blame this on the book Daybreak
– 2250 A.D.
by Andre Norton, which I read some time in elementary school (and of
which I recently bought an old paperback copy). I was so imprinted
early with that dating system that I think it sounds cooler than C.E.
No social, political or any other kind of statement is meant.
Chapter
1
This
wasn't the first time Harry Stimson had looked through the curriculum
catalog. He had gone through it many times since his fifteenth
birthday. But this would be the first time that he would be choosing
to take some of the classes.
“I've
had a copy of this catalog for two years. I've dreamed of signing up
for all these classes over and over,” he said.
“You're
a real nerd Harry,” said Billy Williams, who was taller and heavier
than Harry.
Their
dorm room at Georgia Polytechnic, besides the two beds, had built-in
desks, a few shelves and a separate bathroom. A small fridge was in
the corner.
“Isn't
that funny Billy? If I was holding some kind of swimsuit models
calendar, I'd be normal. But because learning is exciting to me, I'm
weird.”
“Yeah,
that's right, I don't make the rules,” said Billy.
Harry
knew that, but it didn't change the fact that society judged him, and
not kindly. He thought to himself:
The
“rules” may have to do with fun or maybe even procreation of the
species but that ain't working out so great, is it?
Indeed,
it was obvious to Harry and anyone who cared to notice, that the
population bomb was a dud. Societies all around the globe were losing
populations, even those African countries that were late to the game
of globalization and whose populations continued to reproduce after
other societies had stopped, all were depopulating.
Harry
knew what was happening, it made more sense to him than the news
stories that proclaimed everything was fine, just what the current
political party in power wanted them to say. Globalization was out,
regionalization was in, global trade was down, and prices were up.
Economic regions didn't quite have the economies of scale to match a
global economy. But regions had one thing that people would pay for,
security. No longer would a small band of terrorists' half-way around
the world upset the supply chain of a local pharmacy or grocery.
People
saw it with their own eyes, the government was having a harder and
harder time sweeping reality under the rug. Harry didn't even know
why they were trying; except they were scared about what came next in
a shrinking economy. And that was, no one knew what came next, all
economics was based on managing an expanding economy, new ideas were
needed, and government wasn't a fount of new ideas.
Except
for a few activists on campus, Harry could put world conditions to
one side during the semester. And he intended to focus on nothing but
his studies, there would be time for the other things afterward, but
he wouldn't get the chance to learn again, it was a once in a
lifetime opportunity.
Most
of the others liked Harry, but no one, not even Billy, understood his
determination to learn everything he could in the next four years.
They wanted to do well, but they also wanted to have fun. That meant
that sometimes short shrift to schoolwork might be necessary in
order not to miss out on something, it didn't mean they were less
interested in their studies than Harry, it just meant they had other
interests that were important too. Harry didn't fit in, even at a
school for nerds.
Harry
was in his first day of classes. Unlike most freshmen he would start
an advanced math class, calculus, along with his first physics, a
class in Newtonian mechanics. He also was taking a first class in
electrical engineering, Harry expected to get a dual degree. The rest
of his classes didn't really interest him, being in English, history,
and social studies. But Harry was as determined to do as well in them
as he was in his math and physics classes.
After
class he was talking to Billy in their room as they ate the pizza
they had ordered. Harry was carrying on about the calculus and
mechanics textbooks.
“Harry,
I know you are crazy about these subjects but to me they are just
requirements for my degree.”
“You
know Billy, I understand people can have no interest in these
subjects, but I think that by now, in this society, people would be
happy that there are some like me that do. You can't run a high-tech
society on magic.”
“I
guess that many people don't care for a high-tech society Harry. They
are more interested in other people than in calculus.”
“They
might not care about high tech,” said Harry, “but if it
disappears they will. This society would devolve rather quickly
without the nerds that keep the technology going and make the
scientific discoveries.”
“That's
true Harry but who cares. Most people figure that someone will be
interested in doing the job at some price.”
“And
yet, they resent that person's success if they do, especially if it
results in a windfall. It happens every time. Some guy works his tail
off developing a technology, succeeds and is rewarded monetarily, and
then is vilified for becoming rich.”
“Jealousy,
Harry. It's as old as humanity.”
“May
be Billy, but these primal traits aren't attuned to a modern society
in which one man can bring wealth to many. As a matter of fact, a
modern society is attuned to just such circumstance. Without these
individuals, who in pursuing their own interests provide a bounty
that others share, we would see many a terrible crash.”
“You
think without these successful millionaires and billionaires, society
as it is configured would cease?”
“It's
like a rock tumbling down a mountainside,” said Harry, “it shakes
loose more and more until a great momentum of, in this case, wealth
is created. Without that landslide nothing's created.”
“Or
that landslide could destroy anything it hits,” said Billy.
“Except
that's not the way it works Billy; that's not the way it has ever
worked. Just look at the billionaires who opened up space.”
“Well,
yeah it's cool that people are on the Moon and that we've been to
Mars but so far as I can tell it's not had much impact here on
Earth,” said Billy.
“That's
like saying the voyages to the New World had no effect on world
history. There hasn't been enough time Billy, they're building the
infrastructure and at some point, the effects will be more than
apparent.”
“Well,
when they're apparent, I guess people will be more supportive. Once
it affects their day to day.”
Harry
ended that year with a four-zero grade point average, Billy finished
with a two-eight, but Billy did see all the home and away football
games. Harry continued to pull ahead of Billy in classes completed
until the first semester of their third year, Harry found himself
with just three classes left for his degree, Billy faced another full
two years. They no longer roomed together and rarely saw each other.
With
just a few classes that semester, Harry had enough time to take on
another project. He found a position in one of the physics labs. The
head of the lab, Maxwell Zee was studying spacetime bubbles. Harry
didn't understand exactly what that meant until he had an opportunity
to read some of Dr. Zee's papers.
According
to the papers, a bubble in spacetime was one of a number of
topological entities allowed by general relativity. In this case it
was like a void around which spacetime would swirl. In spacetime, the
bubble's movement and time would slow down, speed up or stop
according to the sign of the solution to the underlying metric,
negative, positive or null, respectively.
If
Zee's hypothesis was correct, then anything inside the bubble would
be carried along with the bubble's motion, with the object
experiencing the rate of time that the bubble experienced. It was an
interesting conjecture and as far as Harry could tell, the math
supported the conclusion, but the proof of spacetime bubbles would
have to come experimentally. And that was going to be difficult.
After
discussing the work with Dr. Zee, Harry found himself assigned the
task of detecting the bubble and its motion. Dr. Zee would be
responsible for causing the bubble to form and move. He offered Harry
a few ideas on how to detect the bubble but the details of
implementing those ideas would be left up to Harry. Harry was a bit
daunted, he had little support, no help, and not enough training, but
he also had nothing to lose, so he would try.
