Tales of the Vuduri: Year Two

by Michael Brachman

  “MINIMCOM,” said Ursay. “Yes. You may have it.” He took a step toward Rei, then another. In a lower voice, he said, “We had judged you a blight, a burden. You were from Garecei Ti Essessoni. You compromised this woman, with your undisciplined mind, your murderous past. We were to exile you, but now…”

  “Now what?” Rei asked.

  “You have demonstrated to us that as an individual, you have worth. That your separateness is of value. We regret Rome’s Cesdiud. In retrospect, we can see that it was, perhaps, premature. When we get back to Earth, we have decided to allow Rome to rejoin the Overmind.”

  Of course we know that Rome did not even consider rejoining the Overmind or returning to Earth. In fact, she hurt the Overmind's feelings when she rejected it. In Rome's words, "It is surprisingly sensitive for a super-being with immeasurable intellect.” Oh well. At least Rome's first foray into assertiveness was not very painful.

  Entry 2-087: March 23, 2014

 

  The Vuduri and e-mail

  Obviously, since they are all mind-connected, the Vuduri would have no use for email. They have very sophisticated electronics for other purposes but just no email. In fact, when Rome realized that by going to live on Deucado, there was a chance she would never see her mother again, she needed a method of getting the information regarding her decision. She was stumped. Rei straightened her out:

  “Well, you’re going to go to Deucado with me,” Rei said. “That’s going to make it more difficult to see her, don’t you think? What do you want to do about her?”

  Rome frowned. “I had not thought of that. I, I do not know what I will do about that.”

  “Do you think she’d ever come to Deucado? To see you?” Rei asked.

  “I do not know,” Rome replied. “When Commander Ursay and the crew get back to Earth, the Overmind there will know that I am going to Deucado. So my mother will know. They will tell her about my Cesdiud. I wish she would come, though. She would like it on Deucado. Now that I understand the concept, from the few descriptions I recall, I believe it to be very beautiful there. There are many mandasurte there. She seemed to always like it among the mandasurte.”

  “How about sending her a note?” Rei asked.

  “What do you mean?” Rome asked back, confused.

  “Write her a letter. Give it to Ursay. Let him deliver it to her. Tell her what happened, that you are OK and that you want her to come visit.” Rei offered.

  “I have never written a letter before. Conceptually, it would not seem to be that difficult. I suppose I could do that.”

  “You’ve never written a letter to somebody? What about e-mail?”

  “E-mail?” Rome asked.

  “Electronic mail. Notes sent electronically.”

  “We would never do that.” Rome pointed to her temple and made a wry grin.

  In the original long-form version of Rome's Revolution, I actually included the entire letter both in Vuduri and English. However, when I condensed the three books down to one, the letter in both languages had to go. It will reappear when I release The Vuduri Companion later this year.

  Entry 2-088: March 24, 2014

 

  The Psychic Speed-dial

  In Rome's Revolution, much is made about a Vuduri's commitment to the Overmind but is there any way for one Vuduri to "speak" to another, even if it is mentally?

  The answer is yes. Every mind-connected Vuduri carries around the psychic equivalent of a "speed-dial" which allows them to communicate directly to another Vuduri. The problem is that you cannot do so until you have done so. I know that seems confusing but here is Rome's explanation to Rei:

  “The Overmind always listens in. You know that. And the Vuduri typically do not have much to say to each other. Most allow the Overmind to think for them. But, if necessary, it is possible to communicate directly with one person. But you need to know them first. You cannot just contact random strangers unless they want to be contacted.”

  “That seems like a Catch-22 to me,” Rei said. “You can’t contact somebody til you know them. How do you know them unless there is contact?”

  “Oh that.” Rome laughed. “It can be mediated by others. You can meet someone in person. You can meet them via view screen. There are many methods. Once you have met them and made contact, you simply think about them to reestablish contact again.”

  “So, it’s kind of like a phonebook you carry around in your head. Like psychic speed-dial, right?”

  Rome laughed again. “Sometimes I do not understand anything you say, but if you are intimating that the number of direct contacts is finite, limited and manageable, then yes.”

  “Obviously, you had direct contact with your mother, right?” Rei asked.

  “Of course. We would check in with each other more or less every day.”

  “Do you miss that?”

  Rome goes on to say that once she was Cesdiud (cast out) and was given the freedom to experience her own feelings she realized she missed her mother very much and was, in fact, homesick. Rei started to worry that she might change her mind but Rome was committed to her new life.

  Of course we see the equivalent of the direct communication later in the story when Rome and Rei develop the "cell-phone" in the head.

  Entry 2-089: March 25, 2014

 

  The process of Cesdiud

  Many times we have discussed the pivotal event of Rome's Revolution as the day Rome was cast out, called Cesdiud in Vuduri. In fact, yesterday, we discussed the freedom Rome experienced by having nobody inside her head any more.

  The word Cesdiud is simply the Vuduri spelling of the words cast out. We know that others have been cast out before especially when they were about to die or had "wrong thoughts" such as Rome.

  What I have not explained to you yet was the actual process of Cesdiud. How does the Overmind cause it to happen? We can kind of reverse engineer it by looking at Pegus' explanation when he reconnected Rome in Part 2 of Rome's Revolution that takes place on Deucado:

  “The process is very simple,” Pegus explained to Rei. “We give Rome an infusion of genetic material to regenerate nascent PPT transceivers. The liquid contains transcription-RNA within an artificial virus for delivery directly into the nucleus of her cells. The PPT transceivers will rebuild within her neural tissue. It passes through the blood-brain barrier and delivers this therapy to her brain as well. Once the new transceivers have replaced the disabled ones, we apply a small electrogravitic field to start the resonance and then she will lock into our samanda. It is supposed to be quite painless.”

  The take-home lesson is that an electrogravitic field starts the resonance which syncs with the nearest Overmind. Yesterday, we found out that every Vuduri has the psychic equivalent of a phone number so all the Overmind would have to do would be to lock into that victim's particular brain, cut them off from resonance and the PPT tunnels would simply wink out of existence. Nothing on this Earth (or Deucado) could start it up again. That is why Pegus had to give Rome a new set of chromosomes.

  Well, that is until Rome's Evolution when MINIMCOM harnessed the power of "real" negative energy and was able to jump-start Rome's original PPT resonance again.

  Entry 2-090: March 26, 2014

 

  Vuduri pressure suits

  Everybody wants to call them space suits but in Rome's Revolution, we are introduced to pressure suits. They are called darnis te brassei in Vuduri. These all-white suits can be used to go into space but they can also be used to walk about the inhospitable atmosphere of Dara, for example. They also work well underwater although we don't see that much.

  In the original long-form version of Rome's Revolution, the first thing Rei sees upon being awakened is Rome and Canus, dressed in pressure suits, attending to his reanimation. We find out that they have twin lamps attached to sides of the helmets.

  Later, in Part 1 of Rome's Revolution, we find out more about the suits. They are built of a tough fabric and pull on in on
e piece. There are various tubes (self-sanitizing) which attach to the lower orifices to extract waste material. The gloves are separate. They slip on and lock on the sleeves of the pressure suit forming an airtight seal. The helmets use a simple tongue and key locking system. The helmets also have a water tube which extends when touched and automatically retracts the wearer is finished. The air is recycled using a molecular splitter that converts carbon dioxide back to oxygen and stores the carbon as activated charcoal. The air in the suit actually gets cleaner the longer you wear it. The faceplates of the helmets are tinted. But the one thing they don't have is radios.

  Of course, the very fact that the suits do not have radios is what allowed me to create the climax of Part 1. The angst the reader experiences knowing the two lovers will never see each other again allowed me to spring Rome's return in the next chapter of the book. The ellipsis at the end of the previous chapter actually got me attacked once. Here is the sentence for those of you who don't remember:

  When the compartment indicator turned green, Rei pressed the stud to open both airlock doors to the cockpit then removed his helmet. As soon as the inner hatch opened, he jumped through the doorway and…

  Entry 2-091: March 27, 2014

 

  Fridone’s disappearance

  When I was writing the original long-form version of Rome's Revolution, the subject of Rome's father came up several times. Rome clearly had a deep fondness for the man and a deep sadness that he disappeared. Here is the original conversation between Rome and Rei:

  Rome smiled at Rei. “It is OK as you say. I liked what I saw. You reminded me of my father when he was younger. And I like looking at you now.”

  Rei smiled broadly. “So what about your father? You said he disappeared. You never heard from him again?”

  Rome sighed. “No. He was on a large boat. It was a resource mapping mission, in the ocean off the coast of what you would call The Big Island of Havei, er, Hawai’i. His ship disappeared.”

  “Was it a storm? Did the ship sink?”

  “No, no storm. And nobody knows what happened. It is peculiar, but many mandasurte disappear. In a variety of ways.”

  “And nobody ever figures out what happened to them?” Rei asked, perplexed.

  “No. The Vuduri are…uninterested, for the most part,” Rome replied sadly.

  “What about the other mandasurte? Don’t they care?” Rei asked.

  “Oh yes,” answered Rome. “They organize search missions. They are often very elaborate. But they are never found. According to the Overmind, most Vuduri just think that the mandasurte are very careless. They think it is a sign of the weakness caused by being apart, not connected.”

  “What do you think happened to him?” Rei asked.

  “I do not know. He must have died. If he did not die, I cannot imagine that he would have stayed away from my mother and me, but I will never know for sure. If he did not die, as mandasurte, he could only be found if he wanted to be found or did nothing to prevent it. Mandasurte can go anywhere and no one would know. Not like Vuduri.”

  You have to understand when I wrote this passage, I had absolutely no idea what had happened to Rome's father. I just needed him to not be around and Rome's mother to be effectively single. It wasn't until I started writing what is now Part 2 of Rome's Revolution that I found out.

  Notice I did not say I figured it out. I didn't. I just thought it would be really exciting for Rome and Rei to spend a year in space, arrive at Deucado and immediately be threatened with death. It wasn't until I wrote the crash landing scene and the first guns and ramps scene that it occurred to me how cool it would be if Rome just happened upon her father. That is what broke open the whole genocide thing. At first I thought it was a secret agenda by the Overmind of Earth to eliminate the mandasurte. It wasn't until I found out about Estar and MASAL that all the pieces fell in place.

  See, I get to be entertained just as much as you by these characters!

  Entry 2-092: March 28, 2014

 

  Do Vuduri women wear bras?

  This is a stupid question but the answer is no. Now you might think it is important for support and modesty. Well, the Vuduri women have no modesty. As far as support, well, most of them are only moderately endowed. However, in the few cases where there is enough mass to require support, that is where the 24th chromosome comes in. There is no sagging, no drooping, hell, gravity just doesn't come into play. The Vuduri are just better built.

  So there isn't anything more I can say about the topic. They do not wear bras. Not sports bras, not cross-your-heart, nothing. Rome included.

  Entry 2-093: March 29, 2014

 

  No radio helmets

  In order to set up the great climax in the first part of Rome's Revolution, it was necessary for me to eliminate having radios in the helmets. This, of course, led to the design of the entire mind-connected Vuduri culture and the existence of the Overmind, rather than the other way around.

  As Rome and Rei were leaving Tabit, their "cell-phones" in the head had not developed yet so when they were sealed up in their pressure suits, how were they to communicate? I thought about hand signals but there was just too large of a culture gap for hand signals to be effective. Luckily, I remembered seeing a video or reading an article about NASA and what astronauts do when their radios break down. I looked it up and sure enough, the standard operating procedure is just for them to touch their helmets together. Enough vibrations from the astronaut speaking travel from one helmet to another so the other astronaut can hear them faintly, even in the vacuum of space.

  Rome settled the issue quickly with this exchange:

  “I know,” she said. “We can just press our helmets together. The vibration of your voice will carry through the helmet-to-helmet contact. We should be able to hear each other.”

  “OK…” Rei said. He lifted the helmet, fit it into the grooves and pressed down and rotated it to the right. He heard a click as it locked into place in the forward facing position. He watched as Rome did the same. As the helmet engaged, a very dim light appeared on the interior, illuminating her face. Rei assumed he had one too. After Rome was satisfied with the fit, she leaned it forward and pressed her faceplate up against his.

  “Can you hear me?” she asked.

  “A bit muffled, but yes,” Rei replied. Her voice was soft but surprisingly clear.

  “What happens if we need to talk to OMCOM?” Rei said.

  Rome tapped her helmet with a finger. “I still have my bloco and stilo.”

  Well, this worked out quite well as we know.

  Entry 2-094: March 30, 2014

 

  Who did this before?

  In the middle of Part 1 of Rome's Revolution, as Rei and Rome were about to take off on their training mission, they had this exchange. Rome said something odd which I have highlighted in bold:

  Rome led Rei up the tug’s ramp into the cargo compartment. Rei put his hand on her shoulder and drew her close. He pressed his helmet to hers and said, “I don’t get how this is going to work. We’re going to be stuck in this thing for over a year. Where are we going to sleep? Where are we going to eat, you know, stuff like that?

  Rome smiled at him and pointed to her right. “This ship will be outfitted in a fashion similar to our living quarters. It will have all the requisite equipment, galley, molecular sequencers, food synthesizers. There will be a refresher, what you call a bathroom and there will be…” She squeezed his hand through their gloves, “sleeping quarters.”

  She pointed to the far corner. “They will provide us with exercise equipment. It will be very comfortable. You will see.”

  “What about air, food, water, stuff like that?” Rei asked.

  “They will install a recycler that will provide all of that. Please do not worry about this. They have done this before.”

  “OK,” Rei said, a bit skeptically. “If you say so.”

  What does that mean? Who has done this befor
e? Does this mean this particular group of Vuduri have outfitted a space tug as a Flying House or that another group of Vuduri had to live within a space tug for a long time?

  I don't know the answer. I do know that there is a whole universe out there. There are events and characters that have never been mentioned and even though it seems that way, the entire Vuduri civilization does not revolve around Rome and Rei.

  I thought maybe Rome was referring to the Suduri when they left Earth for parts unknown. It may refer to when the Vuduri first settled Helome or even Deucado. Maybe it refers to the basic design of the Algol itself.

  It is my hope that someday Rome shares with me her thinking on this matter.

  Entry 2-095: March 31, 2014

 

  How big is space?

  The entire culture, physics and politics of Rome's Revolution depends upon the characters being able to travel between the stars. But really, is that practical?

  I had postulated that the Grey Drive could accelerate a ship up to 5% of the speed of light. Even at that speed, it was estimated that it would take 250 years, a quarter of a millennium, to get to Tau Ceti. What about real life?

  The fastest object to ever leave our Solar System, to date, is Voyager 1, currently clocked as traveling at 17 km/sec. Compare that to the speed of light which is 299,792 km/sec. The Voyager 1 space probe is traveling at .005% of the speed of light. At that rate, it will reach the edge of the Oort Cloud, generally considered to be the edge of the Solar System, in 40,000 years. Even if it were pointed directly at Proxima Centauri, the closest known star, it would still take yet another 40,000 to reach that star system.