Null Infinity Excerpt

Image – ID 220602065 | Alien © Vampy1 | Dreamstime

“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.

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L4 Station - Excerpt

 

ID 159616182 © limbitech | Dreamstime

There we all waited until the rest of the group arrived. At that point out guide started to describe how we would transfer to the rotating level of the wheel.

“As that level rotates above this level, we open some long slit like doors in the roof here and the floor there. You will board these capsules you see in front of you two at a time and strap in. I will show you how, shortly. The capsules begin moving to synchronize with the rotating level above and rise on these mobile platforms from the floor, like a lift. And they are turned by magnetic rollers one-hundred-eighty degrees.

“You will experience this rotation for just a few moments until you are deposited on the floor of the above level where you will then feel an artificial gravity similar to the Moon's gravity. At that point your capsule will open, and you will be aboard the wheel.

“Now, there are several of these areas around the rim and we will distribute you around so that all of you will be on the wheel shortly.”

The guide then chose eight of us to stay where we were while the others were taken to the other boarding areas.

Roger and I would be riding in a capsule together and mom and dad would be in another one. The guide showed us how to strap ourselves into the capsule seats. The capsule closed and soon we could feel it moving. Then we started to spin around. Roger didn't react well to that motion. He was soon sick, and the capsule was a mess, I wasn't spared either.

When the capsule opened on the wheel level, the man who poked his head in to welcome us, quickly withdrew.

I heard him say, “We got another one in capsule two.”

I guess other people reacted as Roger did to the disorienting ride.

Finally, getting out of the capsule and being cleaned up a bit by mom and dad, I heard Roger ask if he could go again. Mom suggested that he had ridden enough for the day.

Interview with MarsX1(MX1), MarsX2(MX2), and MarsX3(MX3)

 ID 161808213 © 3000ad | Dreamstime

Author: I want to thank you all for coming on the show.

MX1, MX2, MX3: Thank you sir.

MX1: And just let me say that we want to thank you, without you none of us would be here.

MX2: Or anywhere.

Author: You're welcome. Now, I don't know if this happens to other authors or not, but I have to say you three turned out quite different than I expected. This story started out to be kind of a next step in my Remembered Earth Universe. I had already written stories about Cislunar space, the Moon, and the L4 Lagrangian point, which as you know, is a special location in Earth-Moon space where objects will stay put, so to speak, because of the interactions of the gravitational fields of the Moon and Earth. Anyway, the next obvious story would be about Mars and how three young, they were thirteen when the story started, protagonists would get there. But it became much more in MX1, especially involving AI.

MX3: We do have minds of our own.

Author: You certainly do. Anyway, I want to ask you the following MX1; how did AI come to figure so prominently in the story, do you know where that came from?

MX1: Well, at the time you were writing me, I believe you read that AI 2027 article.

Author: That's right I did.

MX1: Weren't you surprised that AI would progress so fast?

Author: You're right, I remember the fast takeoff scenario, which assumes super-AI appears by the year 2030, had the resultant AI killing off humanity, as competition for resources heated up. That's just a few years, you know.

MX1: I do. So, you see it was really you, not me, that dragged the AI arc into the story.

Author: But you really ran with it.

MX1: Yes, but I thought the worst-case scenario was a bit extreme so I just have the AI making way, you might say.

Author: Right, Make Way! Make Way! It reminds me of the old Harry Harrison story Make Room! Make Room!

MX1: But something good did come out of it.

ID 183435324 | Alien Futuristic City © 3000ad | Dreamstime

Author: Right, it sped up the settlement of Mars as the AI took control of Earth and wanted to move people out of the way. Now MX2, after MX1 turned the story in a kind of new direction, you took it even farther out. You want to tell us what you did?

MX2: Well boss, I felt like we had done Mars, see? So, what's next? Seemed like building a space habitat to explore the Solar System would keep the three main characters busy.

Author: It certainly would, and I explain a lot about what that would entail. But then you have the AI collective schism into separated opposing contingents. Where did that come from?

MX2: Well, you had suggested that one of the ways that alignment of AI might occur is that it be given citizenship. It occurred to me that if AIs start to be treated like humans they might practice some of human politics, one practice might be developing break-away factions.

Author: I see, and that's what led to the kidnapping of one of the protagonists, so the break-away faction would have some leverage with Earth.

MX2: That's right.

Author: And it even led to cooperation with the other AI faction and humans.

MX2: Yes.

ID 81664700 | Alien Futuristic © 3000ad | Dreamstime

Author: Okay, I can see that time is getting short and MX3 I did want to get to you. What I want to ask you is the surprise, which I didn't see coming, of the three main character's desire to return to Earth. Why do you think they decided to settle back on Earth?

MX3: Well, I felt that these three characters who were around thirteen years of age when the story began had grown emotionally and importantly, they had accomplished their youthful goals and more. At the age of fifty, they could look back on all the adventures but at the same time look forward to a more settled future, which perhaps was more important to them at the age they were when the story ends.

Author: I agree, since I’m no longer thirteen myself. Though I have to say, I didn't expect it to happen when the story started. Okay, well that's all the time we have. I want to thank you all for coming on. Next time I'll be interviewing the three novellas that make up the coming story release, World Brane. Goodbye and thanks for reading everyone.

MarsX1 Excerpt 1

 

Image: ID 161808213 © 3000ad | Dreamstime

“And I say the country, and the world for that matter, have lost the will to explore, to take chances,” said Jose Velasco, an engineer with the propulsion group over lunch that day. “Everyone is interested in the virtual, the artificial, that's all I hear.”

“I don't know Jose,” said Mary Elena from systems engineering. “I mean, I think the day of the gung-ho maverick is over, if not, we would all be working for MarsX. So, things are done more methodically now, because we are trying to do things that are naturally harder. And the AI is a big help.”

“Okay then,” said Jose, “since you bring up MarsX. MarsX didn't fail because of its gung-ho leader as you describe the man, they failed because the society, that is the society outside the company, couldn't face the loss of those astronauts. In my opinion, the right thing to do would have been to get to Mars and honor their memories. Society clings to safety like a baby clings to its blanket.”

“I think you are both right,” said John Wyndham from mission planning. “Most people are safety conscious, but there are still a great many who seek out challenges. But the approach to meeting a challenge is more methodical than before, and that is because the challenges are more demanding now. In essence, we've done the easy stuff, now the hard part is to keep going despite the dangers.”

“What do you think Laura?” said Mary Elena trying to include her in the discussion.

“Well, I don't know, I haven't really thought about such things in the wider context, and I don't know much about the AIs I'm using. I just know that, speaking for myself, I was ready to get on a rocket to Mars at the age of thirteen and still am. I guess I wouldn't have thought much about the dangers then or now,” said Laura.

“Laura, this is meant as a complement not a criticism,” said Jose. “You're a throwback to a different era where men sought challenge and adventure without paralyzing themselves with worries.”