Crystal Venom

by Steve Wheeler

  *

  A week later everyone from the Monastry, plus the crew of Basalt, were gathered in the fan-shaped amphitheatre, seated and quietly talking among themselves as the eternal teenager, Fritz, walked in. He had been locked away in the amphitheatre since Basalt had landed in a deep shaft on the northern side of the mountain, even eating and sleeping there. He went up to the keyboards of the magnificent pipe organ and proceeded over the next hour to enthrall his audience with a selection of his favourite pieces, before he rose and announced that a piece that he had composed would be played for the first time especially for them.

  As he started to play, even the smallest of the children were in a state of rapt attention and Marko had a great deal of difficulty tearing his eyes away from his genius friend for even an instant to look around him: he was feeling a pang of sadness that Jan was not with him to experience it. The music swept them on a journey of grandeur, and they passed by exploding stars, and experienced every emotion any of them had ever had. The music burrowed right down until it seemed that they were examining the tiniest struggling flower on a mountaintop while a huge storm raged around them. The conclusion left them all in a state of ecstasy with tears rolling down their faces, and huge, almost painful, smiles on their faces.

  In orbit, listening to the direct feeds, as arranged from the Jim monitor, the three surviving Rick proxys and the considerably diminished but still great ship, Rick, listened in awe. When the music stopped playing and the spatial analysis of the mathematics it contained was complete, the senior of the proxys let out a long sigh of contentment.

  ‘So,’ it said, ‘the little man was the final key to the entire conundrum. Remarkable, truly remarkable, that he created the ultimate component of the very long-range navigation mathematics that we have been searching for for so long. Almost makes the whole debacle worthwhile. That was a most unexpected outcome.’

  *

  Appendix One

  Glossary

  ACE (Artificially Created Entity)

  An ACE is often a pet or helper. An ACE may have animal or human DNA, in any combination, and is frequently cybernetically enhanced. They are normally fully sentient, serve their creator in an indentured capacity for a fixed time period, then are free to make their own way throughout the Sphere or beyond.

  The Administration

  The governmental military forces and bureaucracy of the Sphere of Humankind. Bureaucracy everywhere, even in the far future, is the same.

  The Games Board

  The media group concerned with the procurement and production of reality audiovisual. The Games Board was created to stage strictly regulated Conflicts and to promote them through their extensive marketing and broadcast channels, notice boards and other media. The Games Board controls everything about the Conflicts, from weapons development to final approval of the Conflict itself. If the Conflict is sanctioned, the Games Board will provide funding. Unsanctioned Conflicts are also overviewed by the Games Board, broadcast and marketed, with the understanding that should they get too big, the combined forces of the Administration, Gjomvik and Games Board forces will end the Conflict with overwhelming force. Small controlled unsanctioned Conflicts are encouraged as they are good for business and keep all humans entertained.

  The Gjomvik Corporations

  The business and trade corporations of the Sphere of Humankind. Big business in the far future is the same as big business today. The Gjomvik Corporations are controlled by large family groups or appointed individuals. They provide the main source of funded mercenary groups which participate in the sanctioned Games Board Conflicts, plus most of the weapons, craft and support.

  The Haulers’ Collective

  The long-range carriers of all trade and information, the Collective comprises huge ships capable of transporting great quantities of trade goods or whatever else is required. They also actively map the Lagrange points and collect fees from all ships using those navigation points. They explore far further out from the Sphere and are humankind’s first line of defence.

  The humans

  Unaltered humans are Type S (Standard), but the heroes of the Conflicts are often augmented humans (Type A). Some AI (Augmented Intelligence) units are human, and may look like machines or even like Type A humans. Other types of humans include:

  Type AM — Type A human, military

  Type AE — Type A human, explorer

  Monitors and Expeditors — Type A humans augmented to fulfil specific

  functions required by the Games Board.

  ICE (Intravenous Combat Enhancement)

  Type AM and AE humans possess additional bioware and one feature of this is ICE, drugs which improve strength and speed. When the crisis is over, the user must have food and long periods of rest.

  Lagrange points (LPs)

  Lagrange points are spread throughout space as navigational nodes where a ship uses its wormhole generators function. They are usually plotted and owned by the Haulers’ Collective.

  The octopoids

  An ancient alien race now splintered into diverse groups. The primary group just wants to be left alone to regress to their original semi-sentient selves. The secondary group wishes to take back their areas of influence.

  Species Type Investigation (STI)

  STI is a complex series of blood tests used to determine whether someone is human and, if so, what kind of human they are.

  The Sphere of Humankind

  The Sphere is the primary area of influence of humanity (approximately fifty light years across).

  *

  Appendix Two

  Initialisations, Acronyms and Abbreviations

  ACE Artificially Created Entity

  AG Antigravity

  AI Augmented Intelligence

  AV Audiovisual

  ESF Earth Solar Flare (day/year zero for all of humanity; the event which forced

  humankind’s exodus from Old Earth in the Sol system)

  GB Games Board

  HUD Heads-Up Display

  ICE Intravenous Combat Enhancement

  LP Lagrange Point

  RV Rendezvous

  SNCO Senior Non-Commissioned Officer

  STI Species Type Investigation

  Sub-AI Powerful computer system, just below sentience

  *

  Appendix Three

  Games Board

  The Articles and Rules of War

  Conflicts.

  1.1. Conflicts over 100 combatants.

  All parties engaging in Conflicts involving in excess of 100 combatants must gain approval for the Conflict and subsequent marketing.

  1.2. Conflicts under 100 combatants.

  Parties engaging in Conflicts involving fewer than 100 combatants may also apply to the Games Board for approval and certification provided that Conflicts meet the requirements of the Marketing Interest Index.

  1.3. Funding.

  Following approval, funding will be negotiated with each party.

  Weapons.

  All weapons systems and munitions types must be approved by the Games Board.

  2.1. Approved weapons.

  Approved weapons are listed in Schedule B.

  2.2. New weapons.

  Proposals for new weapon designs must be submitted to the Intersystem Games Board Weaponry Wing with supporting documents proving their necessity in a Conflict. Weapon development without a specific known Conflict application does not require Games Board authorisation until used in a sanctioned Conflict.

  2.2.1. Design parameters are listed in Schedule F.

  2.2.2. Following approval, each weapon must be submitted for field testing and certification by the Weaponry Wing.

  2.2.3. The ammunition for the weapon must be submitted for testing and certification.

  2.3. Manufacture.

  2.3.1. All weapons are manufactured under licence to the Weaponry Wing.

  2.3.2. All ammunition will be under the direct control of the Weaponry Wing and through the Weaponry Wi
ng’s agents issued to the approved sides of any Conflict.

  2.3.3. Additional weapons, spare parts and ammunition will also be administered by the Weaponry Wing’s agents.

  Ammunition.

  All munitions deployed and used during any Conflict must be ‘fire and forget’ direct line-of-sight weapons. No munitions are allowed to be guided by any form of self-destructive AI system. All weapons deployed must have a maximum range, as specified in the Games Board Ammunitions table. All weapons must, at all times, and in any circumstances, be available for inspection and testing by any certified Battlefield Inspector, as warranted by the Planetary Director of the Games Board. Such inspector’s decisions on the suitability of the weapons or munitions used will be final and binding on all parties involved, immediately The inspectors will also be able to award any costs incurred to any party involved, as they see fit.

  Marketing.

  The Games Board retains all marketing rights to the approved Conflicts and will, after the Conflict has been judged as concluded, award revenues generated by the marketing of the Conflict to either side, as seen fit by the Games Board.

  Tactical battlefield questioning of any captured opposition combatants is allowed. However, any form of interrogation that lasts more than one standard hour is actively discouraged by the Conflict Marketing Unit. No recordings of any interrogation will be made after the one-hour deadline has passed.

  Heroic acts by individuals or units are greatly encouraged by the Conflict Marketing Unit. There must, however, be a specific objective for such acts; any form of kamikaze action, unless the participants have already been judged by the Conflict Marketing Unit as legitimately mortally wounded, is actively discouraged.

  The Games Board retains the right to end any Conflict by use of its own armed group known as the Expeditors, should any individual, unit, battalion or army group break the rules of engagement as judged by the Adjudicators.

  All power in decision-making by the Games Board is vested in the board by the Governing Bodies of the Known Civilised Societies (the Administration). All decisions made by the Games Board officials, Adjudicators and Expeditors are final and deemed above reproach. The Games Board cannot be held responsible for loss or destruction of any materials or personnel.

  Death of any participant is to be avoided at all costs. All personnel in any approved Conflict are responsible for ensuring that their individual Soul Savers are backed up at approved Safe Points prior to any Conflict. Adjudicators will award ‘Re-Life’ costs against any individual or group, as they see fit.

  AI individuals are to ensure their own backups and reanimation in whatever form they choose at their own discretion, should they see fit to take part in any Conflict.

  It is expressly forbidden to involve, in any way, the local civilian population in any approved Conflict unless they, as individuals, sign an approval with the Games Board, in which case they will then be deemed combatants with all the rights, remuneration and responsibilities that such a designation entails.

  Weapons of Mass Destruction are only to be used with the express approval of the Planetary Director of the Games Board. Nuclear weapons whose timed radioactive half-life exceeds one orbit of the nearest sun to the planet on which the weapons are deployed, are expressly forbidden.

  Weapons which alter the genetic structure of any recognised biological group are expressly forbidden.

  All air, sea and land warcraft must employ power systems that, as a main component, use a pressurised gas system to either drive turbines or act as electrical generators. Any power system that employs a flammable liquid as part of its power generation will require the express approval of the Planetary Director of the Games Board prior to deployment. Units utilising water cracker technologies will be given the most favourable status and immediate approval. Units using systems deemed archaic, or any technology that is over 200 years old in design, will also be given favoured status. Such units are able to have no greater than a ten per cent advanced technology input unless that advanced technology is the water cracker type.

  Orbiting weapons platforms are forbidden as are all Orbital Surveillance Systems.

  Aircraft and drones used for battlefield surveillance must be unarmed.

  All aircraft and flying craft of any description are speed restricted to that of the local speed of sound. Their range, on a single supply of fuel or power cell, must not exceed 1000 kilometres. Their maximum combat ceiling is restricted to 5000 metres.

  Antigravity craft of any description and devices are approved with the acknowledged restrictions of aircraft, land-and watercraft.

  Watercraft of any description are not to exceed 10,000 metric tonnes dry weight. No ship is to exceed a speed of 350 kilometres per hour, or to carry any armament of any description exceeding 300mm diameter for ammunition size. The maximum fuel allowance of any watercraft of either surface or submersible description is seven standard days at full power. Maximum depth allowable for any form of submersible is 100 standard metres.

  Land vehicles, including armoured fighting vehicles, are not to exceed a dry weight of 100 metric tonnes, must not exceed 120 kilometres per hour speed or carry a weapon of any description which exceeds 150mm in diameter and two metres in length. The maximum fuel endurance at full power must not exceed sixteen standard hours.

  All communication systems for the Conflict must be by way of standard frequency modulated radio with a maximum range of 200 kilometres.

  Capture and use of any opposition’s personnel and equipment is allowed at any time. Ownership considerations will be judged at the termination of the Conflict. Personnel are to be given the opportunity to switch sides, should such occasions as a rout occur, as judged by the Conflict Marketing Unit. All ranks, pay rates and bonus considerations must remain in place. Any individual or unit which attempts to change sides without the express approval of the Conflict Marketing Unit can be judged as hostile by all sides and removed from the battlefield pending penalties.

  No battlefield recording by video or audio is to be made by any member of the Conflict. This is the express concern of the Games Board and its production wing, the Conflict Marketing Unit. All images, recordings, surveillance images and satellite images are the property of the Conflict Marketing Unit. Once the battle timings have commenced all personnel involved in the Conflict can be recorded by the agents of the Conflict Marketing Unit at any time and in whatever circumstances the agent deems to be of marketable interest.

  It is expressly forbidden for any member of any side of a Conflict to interfere with or hinder any recording agent of the Conflict Marketing Unit, in whatever action they are performing. All planned actions in the Conflict, at all levels, must be made available to the recording agents, who can then record any actions of interest. All personnel involved in the Conflict are required to advise the agents of anything noteworthy or interesting of which the agents are not aware. The recording agents (with the approval of the local agent of the Games Board) can require the set battle, as notified, to be fought again if it is found some action or actions were particularly noteworthy and the recordings of such were not deemed satisfactory by the unit editor. Should such occur, the Conflict Marketing Unit is to carry the cost of weapons repairs and additional issuing of ammunitions, transportation and specific briefings of new combatants. Should any action of any members of the Conflict have caused the requirement of the re-recording, then costs will be awarded accordingly, as decided by an Adjudicator of the Games Board.

  All members of any acknowledged Conflict are required to actively pursue, capture or, at very least, immediately report any non-sanctioned weapons ammunition, arms dump, supplier or manufacturer of non-sanctioned weapons to the nearest member or agent of the Games Board. Death of any known, non-approved arms manufacturer, supplier or dealer is sanctioned. Bounties for the proven death or capture of such individuals are immediately payable to the approved individuals concerned by the Conflict Marketing Unit.

  Penal
ties

  Members, agents and direct employees of the Games Board, and its marketing, intelligence, weapons and enforcement components, are charged under these articles to enforce the will and requirements of the Games Board at all times. Penalties from minor monetary fines up to and including total death can be awarded by any member agent or direct employee of the Games Board, acting in conjunction with two other members of the Games Board, as long as those individuals are from different wings of the Games Board.

  Right of Appeal

  This right will only be awarded if there occurs a possible consideration of a difference of opinion, between at least three or more assigned members of the Games Board or its agents, at the time of any specific incident to which a penalty is about to be awarded.

  Penalties are as follows:

  o Deduction of individual’s daily pay.

  o Forfeiture of any or all specific battle bonuses.

  o Forfeiture of Recognition.

  o Forfeiture of Equipment.

  o Forfeiture of Rank.

  o Forfeiture of Battle Rights.

  o Forfeiture of Freedom.

  o Forfeiture of all unit assets both collectively and privately owned.

  o Forfeiture of Re-Life as paid for by the Conflict Agreement Insurance.

  o Forfeiture of Current Life.

  o Complete and Total Death.