Tales of the Vuduri: Year Two

by Michael Brachman

  “Because, mau emir, I know you,” said Rome. “And I knew that as soon as you became aware of this, you would treat me differently. Like something that could break. And for now, I want you to just love me the same as always.”

  Tomorrow, part 8.

  Entry 2-180: June 24, 2014

 

  Alternate Beginnings: Rome is pregnant (8)

  This is a portion of the excised section from Rome's Revolution, when I had to crush the three books down to a single, full-length novel. This particular vignette was the original beginning of Book 2. It's a sweet little opening that nobody ever got to see. Now part 8:

  Rei held out his hand and Rome placed hers within it. He pulled it up to his lips and kissed it tenderly.

  “Oh, sweetheart, I do. Of course I do. I love you more than ever,” Rei pledged to her. “You’re my whole world. I would never let anything happen to you.”

  “Of course not. That is not what I mean,” Rome said.

  “Well…now you’re going to have a baby!” Rei called out.

  “Yes, I am going to have a baby but not for a long time. I have many months before the baby is due.”

  “Not so long,” Rei replied. “You just don’t know.”

  “I know that it will be long enough for you to finish your studies and all of our projects. Do not be in a rush,” Rome said.

  “I’m not,” Rei countered. “I’m not in a rush at all. I love our life here but I will tell you, I am looking forward to being on the ground and now…” Rei rubbed his face from one cheek to another. “Didn’t you tell me that Vuduri women only ovulated when they wanted to? Were you trying to get pregnant?”

  “No,” Rome said. “This was unexpected. I think perhaps that the Overmind had more control over the process that I realized. This is not anything I ever had to worry about or think about before. I assumed I could control it as when I was connected. Obviously, I was wrong.”

  “So are you OK with it?” Rei asked.

  “More than OK,” Rome said, smiling. “Now that it has happened, I am thrilled.”

  “I am too,” Rei said. “But you know, honey, our life is going to change.”

  Rome nodded slowly. “Yes. Our life will change. But always for the better, yes?”

  “Absolutely! This is so sleek!” Rei exclaimed. “New world, new baby, new life. I can’t wait!” His bright smile dimmed then he became pensive.

  “What?” Rome asked.

  “Nah, it’s nothing,” Rei said quietly.

  “What is it?” Rome asked again.

  Rei sighed. “It’s just that, that my family is long gone. No one from my family will ever get to meet you. Or the baby.”

  “I am sorry,” Rome said softly.

  Rei inhaled deeply, held it then exhaled. “Don’t be,” he said, shaking his head. “It was my choice.” He smiled warmly at her. “I knew this was going to happen when I took the job. I don’t mean to be maudlin but everyone from my age knew something bad was going to happen. Whether it was a disease like the Great Dying or an asteroid smashing into the planet, humans of my time knew we had to get off the planet, to save the species. It’s just that I’ve been able to put it out of my mind up til now. This sort of brings it back into focus.”

  “If it is any consolation to you,” Rome said, “I will have no family to share this with either. Not on Deucado.”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Rei said. He cocked his head. “So, pregnant lady, is there anything you need?” he asked.

  “Actually, there is…” Rome said.

  “What? What can I get you?” Rei asked.

  Rome reached behind her and put her hand along her spine. “Recently, my back has been hurting me. It is very unusual. Do you think you could rub it for me?”

  Tomorrow, part 9, the final part.

  Entry 2-181: June 25, 2014

 

  Alternate Beginnings: Rome is pregnant (9)

  This is a portion of the excised section from Rome's Revolution, when I had to crush the three books down to a single, full-length novel. This particular vignette was the original beginning of Book 2. It's a sweet little opening that nobody ever got to see. Now part 9, the final part:

  Rei stood up. “Sure. But I have something else too, hold on.” He dashed out of the room and when he came back, he was holding a large brown bottle and a squeeze-bulb of water.

  “What is that?” she asked, pointing to the bottle.

  “These are the pills OMCOM gave me for my back. It’s almost perfect. These pills fixed up 1400 years of degeneration. I bet it’d do wonders for you.”

  “Those are for your people, yes?” Rome asked.

  “Yeah, but OMCOM gave me 600 doses and there are only 500 in our party. I think we can spare one.”

  Rome looked suspicious, her brows narrowed. “Do you think it would be safe for the baby?”

  Rei shrugged. Then he perked up. He turned to look at the grille mounted over the dresser on the far wall. “Hey, MINIMCOM,” Rei said in a loud voice.

  “Yes,” answered the little computer.

  “These pills that OMCOM gave me,” he said, shaking the bottle. “Will they help Rome’s back? And is there any chance they will hurt her or the baby?”

  “They will have absolutely no negative effects on the baby. As to whether they will help Rome’s back, I cannot be sure. On balance, I would say yes. However, they will not hurt her under any circumstance.”

  “Okay then,” Rei said. “Are you game?” he asked Rome.

  “I will try it,” she said, nodding.

  Rei opened the bottle and shook out one white pill. He stared at it for a second then handed it to her along with the squeeze-bulb of water.

  “Why were you looking at it so strangely?” she asked.

  “I thought the one that OMCOM gave me was yellow,” Rei answered.

  “Do you think that matters?”

  “I don’t know,” Rei said. He looked into the bottle and shook it around. Within the bottle were quite a few yellow pills mixed in with the white. Rei emptied out enough pills until a yellow one lay in his hand. He put the rest of the white ones back.

  “Here,” he said, handing her the yellow one. “No sense in mixing apples and oranges.”

  “What has fruit got to do with this?” Rome asked after she swallowed the pill.

  “It’s just an expression,” Rei said.

  “How long until it takes effect?” she asked.

  “I was a lot better in just a few days,” Rei replied. “OMCOM said that in my case it would take almost a full year for the effects to become complete. Right now, I’d say my back was mostly perfect but you, you have a Vuduri back. If it is going to help you, you should be better right away, a day at most.”

  Rome leaned back. She took a deep breath and gave him a half-smile. “You are too good to me,” she said.

  “I love you, sweetheart. Nothing is too good for my little Romey.” He regarded her. “Is there anything else I can do for you? How about that back rub?” Rei asked.

  “I have a better idea,” Rome said, lifting up the covers. “Be with me.”

  Rei sighed. He just shook his head then laughed to himself. He flashed a broad smile at her. “Who am I to say no to most wonderful girl in the universe?”

  Rome beamed at him, incandescent in her beauty, glowing with the force of new life.

  This was one of my absolute most favorite parts and one of my absolute most favorite lines and it had to be cut. Makes me sad. But such is life.

  Entry 2-182: June 26, 2014

 

  Is PPT resonance just quantum entanglement?

  What is quantum entanglement? According to Wikipedia, quantum entanglement is defined as:

  Quantum entanglement is a physical phenomenon that occurs when pairs or groups of particles are generated or interact in ways such that the quantum state of each particle cannot be described independently – instead, a quantum state may be given for the system as a whole.

  As you
are well aware, the Overmind plays a large role in the universe of Rome's Revolution. The Overmind is an independent entity that arises as an artifact of many Vuduri using PPT resonance to communicate.

  The PPT transducers communicate at the speed of gravity which is to say instantaneous over moderate distances. The overlap between the characteristics attributed to quantum entanglement and PPT resonance seem to be extensive. So is PPT resonance just another name for quantum entanglement? In an earlier post I concluded it was not but now I am rethinking my position.

  Because Rome's Revolution is science fiction I have given the resonance some additional characteristics to make the story more interesting. This muddies the waters. For example, the Overmind can control the resonance and actually eject people from the mass mind. This is called Cesdiud and it happened to Rome which propelled the plot forward.

  Also, to my knowledge, quantum entanglement has only been observed between two particles but PPT resonance can pull in uncounted transceivers. Each person has millions upon millions of transceivers so the Overmind is made up trillions upon trillions of interacting tunnels.

  Well, all I can say is I'll keep my eye upon it. There are actually quantum computers in production today. We'll have to make sure it does not evolve into MASAL who was ultimately based upon the Essessoni computer.

  Entry 2-183: June 27, 2014

 

  What became of MASAL’s Shadow?

  At the stirring conclusion of Rome's Evolution, Bonnie Mullen captured and imprisoned MASAL's Sipre which is the Vuduri word for shadow. Why did MASAL's Sipre even exist?

  The answer is very simple. While MASAL was a computer, he was hooked into an Overmind that was in every real way the same as any other Overmind just separate. When MASAL died, the Onsiras did not stop communicating so, while it was reduced in strength, the Sipre lived on.

  However, the Sipre was just a shadow in the truest sense. It only remembered MASAL's hatred for mankind and MASAL's desire to convert humans into living robots. As bad as MASAL was, the Sipre was pure evil with no real intelligence to counter-balance it.

  Here is the portion of the text when Bonnie conquered it:

  Bonnie’s bright yellow spirit drifted over, placing her tendrils around Rei and Rome’s. The entire time, the little black spirits continued to stream to her, changing to yellow upon contact. Bonnie’s glowing presence grew larger and larger. She deftly inserted her tendrils beneath Rei’s. With an easy strength, she collapsed the Sipre into a tiny ball as if it was swallowed up whole.

  Bonnie's presence was already enough to end the threat forever. Why? It's because what Bonnie called "her babies" were already flocking to her. Their spirits, black when associated with the Sipre, changed to yellow, symbolic of their association with the woman they had thought of as their mother.

  Suddenly, so many tiny black wisps rushed forward. In the real world, Rei saw children, some small, some large running toward them. “Mommy,” said some. “Mea,” said others. In the ethereal world, Rei saw the yellow spirit reach forward to embrace them. The tiny black spirits gathered around her and as they touched her, they changed from black to yellow. Rei could feel the love radiating back and forth. It warmed his earthly body and his spirit to bask in the glow of such affection.

  So, could the Sipre ever escape? It could but it would make no difference. The number of minds used to create it was dwindling fast. The introduction of the 25th chromosome into the gene pool would ensure that the Onsira phenotype would someday disappear.

  When the dust settled, it was the end of the Sipre. Was it the end of MASAL? No. We're not quite done with him. The Soul of the New Machine and all that. Very soon...

  Entry 2-184: June 28, 2014

 

  Why wasn’t MINIMCOM infected?

  One of the conspiracies revealed at the beginning of Rome's Revolution was the stealth computer that MASAL and the Onsiras planted within OMCOM's computing structure. It was later revealed, even though it was fairly obvious, that Estar was responsible.

  In several previous posts, I examined OMCOM's infection and how he cured himself.. However one thing we did not discuss was the effect on MINIMCOM. You will recall that OMCOM had already given up a portion of his memrons to enhance MINIMCOM's computing power prior to his departure from Tabit. So why wasn't MINIMCOM infected as well?

  The answer is, he was. However, the number of rogue memrons was significantly smaller so the "computer within a computer" would have substantially less computing capacity. But even this became irrelevant. Just after OMCOM figure out how to cleanse himself, we saw this action:

  OMCOM executed the command to compile the program and broadcast the change to the parties concerned. Now all he had to do was wait. He called MINIMCOM and informed him of the existence of the rogue memrons and how to eliminate them. OMCOM then passed the time by tracking down and destroying the would-be spies within his own being.

  So MINIMCOM was aware not only of the infection but also of the cure. He was completely clean and pure before Rome and Rei ever left Tabit.

  Entry 2-185: June 29, 2014

 

  Estar’s eyes

  I always knew that I wanted to have the Onsiras physically distinguishable from the regular Vuduri if anyone would ever take the time to notice. In the original long-form version of Rome's Revolution, rather than having mismatched eyes, I had made Estar's eyes pure silver without a visible iris. Now you and I would notice this right away. Here is the original discussion between Rome and Rei:

  “I know. We would be doing this anyway. It will only take a minute. After your description of your encounter with Estar, I have decided to triple-check everything.”

  “That reminds me. I need to ask you something about her,” Rei said.

  “What?” Rome replied, looking up from her work.

  “Did you ever notice Estar’s eyes?” Rei asked.

  “What about them?”

  “They are different from yours. And everybody else’s. They, they have your same inner reflection but they are all silvery which matches the back-glow. It makes it look as though she has no pupil.”

  “I do not remember ever noting such a thing,” Rome said. “Estar always kept to herself but that is the way of all Vuduri. There is nothing remarkable about that,” said Rome.

  “Is she blind or what?” Rei asked.

  “Not to my knowledge,” Rome replied. “Let us not speak about Estar any more. Let me finish my checklist,” she said with just a hint of tension.

  When I crushed down the three novels into one omnibus, I decided to change the Onsira Reonhe's eyes from pure silver to mismatched. So here is that same conversation in the modern version:

  “Did you ever notice Estar’s eyes?” Rei asked.

  “What about them?”

  “They are different from yours. And everybody else’s. One of them is dark, almost black. There’s no reflection, no back-glow.”

  “I have seen it but never thought about it,” Rome said. “Estar always kept to herself but that is the way of all Vuduri.”

  It's subtle but once Rome and Rei got to Earth, it allowed me to create another subtype of Onsiras called the Zengei and I made both of their eyes flat black, like the eyes of a shark. So now it was all consistent.

  Entry 2-186: June 30, 2014

 

  Going on a trip

  When we first meet Rei Bierak in Rome's Revolution, he has a little bit of a goofy side. He occasionally cracks jokes, sometimes when not even appropriate. Sometimes it's OK and sometimes it even makes Rome laugh. This little scene happened just when they were getting ready to leave Tabit, before the Stareater showed up:

  Rei settled into his seat in the cockpit of the tug. He glanced over at Rome and saw her fiddling with the X-harness built into the back of the seat. He reached behind him, pulled the straps forward and snapped in the first then the second with two satisfying clicks that could only come from a heavy-duty tongue and lock mechanism.

  He turn
ed to Rome and said, “So…did you go to the bathroom?”She cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”

  Rei smiled. “Well, before every long trip, you’re supposed to make sure that everybody goes to the bathroom.”

  “Why is that?” she asked.

  “Because this is going to be one hell of a trip and I just wanted to make sure we didn’t have to make any unscheduled stops.”

  “What kind of stops?” she asked.

  “Uh, bathroom stops?”

  “But we have facilities onboard,” she said.

  “Rome, it’s a joke,” Rei said.

  “Oh.” She scrunched up her face. “Oh!” she said. Then she started to laugh. “I understand. That is very funny.”

  “It kind of loses something if you have to explain it. But I will tell you this…we’d better not be forgetting anything important. 21 light years to Tau Ceti? We’re not coming back.”

  The very fact that Rome got the joke was important but it also points out the duality of the "improvements" to mankind because of the 24th chromosome.

  Vuduri families barely congregate; most children don't even grow up with their parents. They certainly don't ever take family trips together because, in effect, they've already been everywhere due to their connection to the Overmind. The whole Rome's Revolution series examines the cost of the upgrade to humanity. Certainly some remarkable things were gained but at the same time, some of the simple joys of life were lost.

  Entry 2-187: July 1, 2014

 

  The long trip home

  I'm lazy. I admit it. I'm so anxious to get on with the action and adventure in Rome's Revolution that I sometimes don't spend enough time thinking through some situations.

  Take the long trip back to Earth for the crew of Skyler Base aboard the Algol. My original vision was them sitting in spartan, mesh-like seats, crammed in like the back section of a commercial jet. Here is that scene: