Free Reads

 Read the following stories free on Substack (Click icon on right):

Whatsoever You Do: A Novella

A pandemic had long been predicted. Now it was happening and a former graduate student, Jack Jackson, may have the key to its containment, synthetic biology.

But because in the court of public opinion synthetic biology is feared, it has been forbidden in the money conscious halls of medical research.

How many will have to die before they change their minds?

War Through The Pines: A Novella

What starts in space may not stay in space. Many governments today are preparing for war in space. Most people today are unaware of it. When will it happen? How will it be conducted? What will be the effect on a young boy just coming of age?

Young Donner had already discovered a covert signal coming from the secret 'Battle Stars" in orbit before the war began.

Destruction of the Battle Stars begins the war which soon spreads to the Earth's surface and all the world.

Vigilance: A Novella

The history of freedom repeats itself. And the costs are always the same.

The settlers of the new Republic of Mars were in a struggle for their freedom against powerful forces that would stop at nothing.

For the Martians the costs were life, property and domestic security. But the true cost was vigilance, eternal if need be.

To Tend And Watch Over

Sometimes you don't know you aren't free until the state's coercive force is used against you. And then you learn you are only free to do what big brother wants.

Davide Jackson was not as adventurous as the others in his clan. He was more a stay-at-home type.

But that doesn't mean he longs any less to be free. He just has to learn the cost of freedom.

Union

How far out into the Solar System would you have to run

from authoritarian powers to be free?

The answer is that there is no place safe from the powers that would

try to control you.

But in numbers, in cooperation, in pledging mutual support and

fidelity, freedom might be had. For a price. And that price is

resistance, body and spirit, to those that would endeavor to control.

Young Martin Starlifter Jackson, recent graduate of the Mars

Space Academy, found himself in a position to lead the

independent miners of the Asteroid Belt to freedom. But

would he choose to pay the price required?

Circle Of Retribution

Gardener Jackson was one of the best pilots to ever come out

of Mars Space Academy.

He was a natural to fly the missions that would mine Saturn's

upper atmosphere for the fusion fuel, Helium 3, that the Solar

System needed.

But there was one problem, a foe he didn't even suspect

would stop at nothing to prevent Gardener from succeeding,

including life-threatening sabotage.

Freedom From Want

The promise of Artificial Intelligence is great. But only if

Artificial Intelligence fulfills our expectations.

But what about AI's expectations? Will they be different from

ours?

Will AI come to believe the best way to fulfill our

expectations is to manage our expectations?

If so, what of freedom?

Break Up

The future is predictable if not knowable and the past will

repeat itself, if not in all particulars. We know that countries

have crumbled in the past and it is certain to happen again in

the future. We may think this time will be different, no doubt

people in the past thought the same until their world

fell apart.

It started in out of the way places. Places no one had ever

heard of.

Places where people were tired of waiting for the national

government to act. Where people were alarmed at the

changes dictated by those in power. Where people were

determined to take back what they thought was their country.

But in the end what happened was unexpected, global and facilitated by the AIs that

actually controlled and benefited from it.

If you do read a story please consider leaving a comment, thank you.