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.
