Dark Firmament

by Ezra Manes

  “I’m not sure I can do this,” Joqi replied hesitantly.

  It was called smart plasma because it had self-organizing skills enabling it to adapt and perform a wide range of functions. The smart plasma’s host medium, a synthetic pink tinged fluid, was almost translucent. It functioned much like the colorless fluid part of blood, in which cells and minute particles necessary to maintain the health of organisms were suspended. In the smart plasma, the suspended particles were Joqi’s genetically modified t-cells and stem cells, plus nano-size robots, or nanobots. The plasma contained other basic ingredients necessary to interface with and maintain the health of immersed entities—in this case, him. The cells and nanobots operated in cooperative swarms, or colonies, to perform the many tasks necessary to provide life support and maintain ship systems interfaces.

  “You must, Joaquin,” Eve said firmly. She always called him Joaquin.

  Remember your first swim in a spring fed river.

  Granpeda? There was no answer to his query. His imagination must be working overtime.

  He smiled at the memory of standing on the bank of the Avili, a spring fed river running through the co-op farm his father and mother managed. At ten years old, he had already learned how to swim in the warm water in farm tanks. This was different. He could sense the coldness of the clear spring water pooled downstream from some rapids. He started to dip a foot in the water, but his grandpapa stopped him.

  “Joqi,” he said “if you test the water you will not want to go in.”

  So he had jumped in, and came up flailing around and gasping for air. The sudden shock of immersion in the cold water took his breath away. By the time he swam back to shore he had adjusted and was ready to go back in.

  “Okay, Eve, I know what I must do.”

  He stepped over the tank’s side and lay down quickly, immersing his nude body in the plasma. His heart raced so fast it felt like it might jump out of his chest. He gasped for air and there was none as the plasma closed over his mouth and nose. It took all his will power to stay submerged and stop trying to breathe while the plasma adjusted to his needs.

  He finally had to breathe, and did so, pulling in air from a bubble the plasma formed over his mouth and nose. He drew in several deep breaths, and then forced his thoughts into a meditative mood, slowly relaxing as the mood deepened.

  The plasma encased him as would a protective fluid around an embryo. But the plasma did much more, monitoring his vitals, repairing skin damaged by sunlight and scratches, and seeking out all body sensory interfaces: touch, smell, hearing, taste, sight and psychic. The plasma interfaced directly with his brain using low power electromagnetic coupling. This latter function would enable him to interface with and control all the spaceship functions.

  Joqi didn’t want to think about another aspect of the smart plasma. It would gradually enter all orifices of his body if he stayed immerse long enough, providing nutrients and oxygen as needed, disposing of waste material, and healing any maladies he might contract.

  This invasive feature, coupled with the sensory and direct mental interfaces, would transition him to a virtual environment, a realistic virtual existence as long as he was submerged in the plasma. He shuddered at the thought of interfacing with the plasma to this extent and tried to block any interaction with the plasma that would suggest going to full invasive immersion.

  He lay meditating as the plasma fully acclimated to his presence. He felt light as air, as if floating in a huge, dark chamber that had boundaries he couldn’t sense. He thought about Ecina and her image appeared as realistic as it was the night before, including her teasing, seductive smile. He started reliving the encounter with her, as clear and as real as it had been the night before. His body ached for follow through!

  He forced his thoughts away from Ecina, seeking out the external interfaces to the plasma test tank. He could see the interior of the test facility in which the plasma tank was placed. He saw Lenjay Genai enter the facility and walk to the edge of the tank.

  “How is he doing, Eve,” Lenjay asked.

  “I will let him answer that,” Eve replied.

  Joqi smiled as he realized the plasma had connected him with a video interface.

  “I am fine, Lenjay,” he thought/said.

  Lenjay stepped back abruptly from the tank, and then smiled in embarrassment at his reaction. “Okay, I knew you could do that.”

  Joqi experimented with other interfaces as Lenjay and Eve monitored his actions. He accessed and controlled all automated systems in the test facility. Then he found interfaces to links outside the facility. He watched through distant optical interfaces as materials for the Horizon Quest were carried into space by an equatorial space elevator.

  He would also ride the elevator up when it came time to board the ship. The space elevator design was brought to Zilia long ago by his grandpapa’s team from the planet Hope. Such elevators were used by Earth for over two centuries to provide materials and workers to support orbiting factories and tourist resorts. Joqi was still amazed every time he watched an elevator climb the thick, metamaterial cables. The cables were anchored by strong stanchions in a ground station located along the equator. The space end was tethered to weights positioned just beyond the geosynchronous orbit distance from the surface. Platforms were positioned along the cables at various altitudes in space to support orbiting facilities.

  Joqi searched until he found the cameras located on the space elevator unloading station fixed in stationary orbit along the taut elevator cable. Accessing these video cameras, he viewed the huge, orbiting Sayer Research Station that housed the Horizon Quest. The research station was named in memory of George and Amanda Sayer, Prophet Sepeda’s close friends that accompanied him to Zilia from the planet Hope a century earlier. Joqi remembered his “Uncle” George and “Aunt” Amanda from his early childhood because of the liquorice candy Aunt Amanda was famous for making. Uncle George always had a piece to give to Joqi when he visited.

  Joqi could see very little of the research spaceship, for it was docked along the centerline of the revolving, wheel-like research station. The artificial gravity provided by spinning the research station enabled personnel to work and live aboard it for extended periods without suffering physical degradation caused by weightlessness.

  He watched as robots ferried material from the unloading station to the research station. He knew that most of the material was to support modifying and outfitting the Horizon Quest. Joqi had visited the research station several times, but had never paid much attention to the spaceship nestled in the belly of the station. Back then he viewed the spaceship as just another research module of the large station. He was curious about how the ship was coupled to the station, so he searched until he found a video feed from a robot that was meticulously inspecting the Horizon Quest’s exterior surface.

  He discovered the ship was held in place by the research station’s very sturdy mechanical struts strategically located along and around the ship’s hull. He remembered now, the spaceship was capable of relocating the research station in orbit around Zilia and elsewhere. The station could be placed in orbit around the inner moon, or even another planet in the Zilan solar system. The retractable struts had to withstand the force exerted by the maneuvering spaceship.

  Joqi did a quick tour of the Horizon Quest and accessed its design specs stored in core memory. The research vessel was beyond cutting edge technology; the ship design leapfrogged the spaceship technology brought to Zilia by his grandpapa’s team a century earlier. The hull was a long sleek design with an outer layer comprised of metamaterial that could withstand the abrasive impact of minute particles when the ship accelerated to high velocity. The so-called vacuum of space actually contained molecules and very small specs of dust that could wear away the hull as the ship traveled significant distances at high velocity.

  The ship had to protect against another threat brought by exposure to outer space—damage to organic material and other sensitive components,
like computer systems, by cosmic radiation, high energy particles. Joqi noted this protection was provided aboard the Horizon Quest by sustaining electromagnetic spheres, EM bubbles, around sensitive systems and cargo. The EM shields were actually strengthened by impinging ions, mostly protons and atomic nuclei, found in cosmic radiation. The smart plasma command pod was protected by an EM shield, as were the sensitive systems in which Dawn would reside.

  The command pod was located on the inner surface of a cylindrical compartment. This compartment could rotate around its centerline, creating an artificial “spin-gravity” on the inner circular surface. This gravity would help maintain Joqi’s health and enable him to walk around the cylindrical “floor”.

  He looked at the inventory of materials being loaded aboard the ship and was surprised to see large quantities of self-assembling components needed to build various reconfigurable robots. But then, with only him aboard, he could envision a multitude of tasks that would require robot support, from ship repairs to mining asteroids to replenishing raw materials required for, among other things, engine fuel and life support systems. As Lenjay told him, the robots could even manufacture more robots with various skills, if needed.

  Joqi next accessed the broad-bandwidth links between the orbiting Sayer Research Station and ground research facilities. He focused on what the large telescopes aboard the orbiting station were viewing. Two of the telescopes were focused on the mission target, the intersection point just outside the solar system that was defined by Prophet Sepeda’s diagram. To the surprise of the research facility scientists, Joqi took control of one of the telescopes and began searching a broader area looking for anything that might reveal a threat to Zilia.

  He was like the proverbial kid in a candy store, turning from one exciting discovery to another. Time seemed to stand still as he continued exploring the wonders he could sample via the smart plasma. He accessed a high resolution imaging satellite that monitored Zilia’s surface, and began looking at vast cooperative farms passing under the satellite’s field of view.

  The satellite images faded away abruptly. He coughed to clear his itchy throat and opened eyelids that wanted to stay stuck closed. He lay on cushioning at the bottom of the test tank. The plasma had retreated!

  Joqi sat up and Lenjay handed him a soft white robe.

  “I wasn’t ready to end the session,” Joqi said matter-of-factly.

  “I know,” replied Lenjay. “That is a major worry we have about using the plasma. The experience can be addictive.”

  To say the least, Joqi thought, and then he said, “I will deal with that aspect as best I can.”

  • • •

  Ecina entered the small meditation room with arms crossed to cover her exposed breasts. She made no effort to cover other private areas. Joqi was afforded a clear view of where his hands had roamed only once before, and his body reacted accordingly, in spite of his efforts to remain calm and relaxed. Ecina’s mother was surely watching.

  The chaperoned viewing was customary for couples preparing for marriage. Zilan religious and social doctrine required that each partner must view the other’s physical attributes and acknowledge acceptance of those attributes before they took the marriage vows.

  Ecina smiled nervously and slowly dropped her arms to her sides. Her nipples were either responding to the slight chill in the room, or she was experiencing as much excitement at their pre-marriage viewing as he was.

  She looked him in the eyes, and then glanced lower and blushed. Well, she most certainly knew he approved of what he saw!

  She turned slowly to afford him a good view of all her attributes. He looked her over from head to toe, and itched to get closer, to touch her again. His private parts ached even more with desire by the time she faced him again.

  She smiled, and then her lips silently formed the words, “Your turn.”

  He turned around slowly, feeling a little light-headed from the rush his pounding heart was causing. This had to end soon or he would lose self-control.

  Ecina was beyond blushing—her face was flushed and her chest rose and fell quickly, telling of her heightened arousal.

  Joqi forgot for a moment where he was and stepped forward reaching for Ecina. She responded likewise, but both halted their advance when the door to the room opened.

  “Oh no, you must wait,” Ecina’s mother said sternly as she entered carrying two robes. She shook a finger accusingly at Joqi and tossed a robe at him. After wrapping a robe around Ecina, she gave him another stern look and pushed her daughter toward the door. She stopped at the door after Ecina had gone and looked calmly back at Joqi. Then she smiled and exited the room.

  Joqi waited a few minutes to let his excitement wane before returning to the opposite room where his chaperone, his oldest brother Rauli, waited. Joqi couldn’t help blushing as Rauli smiled a knowing smile. He turned his back to Rauli and pulled on his underwear and trousers. He was having trouble suppressing his desire for Ecina.

  CHAPTER 5

  “Son, what is it like to fully immerse in the smart plasma?”

  Startled at the abrupt change in direction of the private conversation with his father and oldest brother Rauli, Joqi leaned back in his chair contemplating how to answer his father. His brother straightened up in his chair at the end of the desk. Why this sudden change from discussing the marriage ceremony?

  “I experience an elevated sense of being, of integration with my environment like never before. It is amazing!”

  He paused as the implications of this statement pressed to the forefront of his thoughts.

  “It makes me want to sense more of my environment, to expand the virtual existence I feel growing around me while in the plasma.”

  His father frowned. With elbows resting on the desk between them, he began tapping the fingertips of one hand against the fingertips of the other. It was a nervous reflex Joqi had seen many times when his father contemplated problems.

  “Father ...” His father held his right palm up to quiet Joqi. His brother Rauli remained respectfully silent.

  After a full minute or more, his father said, “Son, are you sure you can handle long-term immersion in the plasma?”

  Uh oh, someone had surely told his father about the addictive nature of immersion in the plasma. Probably Alandi, since she was involved in the smart plasma development.

  After a measured pause, Joqi answered honestly. “I am not sure. I have experienced full immersion only three times, including this morning. We will know more after a few more sessions.”

  His father was frowning again and tapping his fingertips together. He stopped tapping and opened a desk drawer. He pulled some papers from the drawer and slid them across the desktop to Joqi.

  “Few people know about this research,” his father said, “and that is probably for the best right now.”

  Joqi grimaced as he looked at the title of the research paper—his research paper. “Possible Effects of Human Immersion in Smart Plasma” was never formally published, and for good reasons. A major conclusion of the research paper was that the smart plasma would periodically induce a state of mind much like deep meditation, a proven holistic method of fostering better mental and physical health. The depth of the plasma induced meditation was the concern, with the probability it would stimulate significant physiological changes, especially in the brain.

  Joqi had practiced meditation conscientiously since the episode at age nine when the salt pit wall had collapsed on him. Positive effects of practicing meditation, such as improved memory, cognitive skills, and physiological wellbeing, were known for centuries by the Zilans. Research since Prophet Sepeda and his team arrived at Zilia revealed that practicing deep meditation could also rewire some brain neural networks, making them more efficient, and could grow more brain tissue in areas supporting cognitive skills. The smart plasma carried deep meditation to a whole new level, with a probable side effect of immersion addiction.

  “I can handle the plasma,” Joqi stated
emphatically. “My theoretical work enabled creation of the plasma. I am well aware of the possible consequences of full immersion.”

  What else could he say? Joqi waited patiently for his father to speak.

  It was Rauli who spoke instead. It was the first time he had said anything since the conversation turned away from planning the wedding ceremony.

  “Joqi, there is something you can try that should help.” Rauli reached for the research paper and Joqi handed it across.

  Rauli flipped through the first few pages, and then said, “It is quite possible the one thing promoting immersion addiction can also be used to counter that side effect.”

  Joqi was suddenly all ears. If only there was a way! He wouldn’t admit it, but he was already missing being in the smart plasma he had left just a few hours earlier.

  Rauli explained that it would do no good to fight the plasma induced deep meditation cycles. But what Joqi could do was control what occurred during the induced meditation. Rauli suggested that in at least half the meditation cycles, Joqi should focus on entering a very personal, very positive virtual existence. He must convince himself that it was his totally private place. He should choose and create a virtual environment that would take him far away from thoughts about smart plasma immersion, especially during long periods of inactivity aboard the Horizon Quest. In essence, he would channel his plasma enhanced perceptions about self and his heightened sensitivity to everything external, to create a place in his mind’s eye where the plasma was nonexistent. That would build mental stepping stones to freedom from the plasma when he must leave it.

  This sounded like convoluted reasoning to Joqi, but it was worth a try. After all, Rauli was a highly respected practicing psychiatrist.

  “You can handle it,” his father said firmly as Joqi sat digesting what Rauli said. “Still, I have grave concerns about what the plasma immersion will do to you in the long term.”