Tales of the Vuduri: Year Three

by Michael Brachman

  But now, something's brewing. A story is forming in my head just like all the others. It isn't something I can control but it just seems to be happening on its own. I got this great vision of how the first PPT tunnel was formed. I have a great vision of how electro-gravity was discovered. I have this idea about a "dark matter diode" and they all seem to be related.

  There are some maverick scientists who travel to North America and uncover the remains of the Erklirte computer. They copy it and build the first analog computer made with PPT resonance. This computer becomes self-aware and names itself MASAL.

  And then the Robot War. I think this is going be a great novel. We shall see

  Entry 3-141: May 16, 2015

 

  The Immortal Jellyfish

  At the end of the new novel The Milk Run something happens. It is a science fiction thing but nonetheless it allows you to ask the question, is it possible to be immortal? Most of us would say no. After all, excluding aging and organ failure there are a zillion diseases and fatal accidents. But if you could protect yourself against disease and accident, could an animal (maybe even a human) live forever?

  As it turns out, there is one animal floating around the ocean that has already demonstrated this. Its technical name is Turritopsis dohrnii but its more titillating name is the immortal jellyfish.

  So how does it work? How does this jellyfish live forever? The answer lies in what happens to this jellyfish as it nears the end of its life. All jellyfishes go through several stages. They begin life as a polyp then the polyp buds and produces an ephyra which is an immature jellyfish. When it is fully grown, its final stage is called the Medusa stage, I suppose because it resembles what Medusa's head was supposed to look like. In the case of Turritopsis dohrnii, they are very tiny. Even full grown, they are only two tenths of an inch across.

  Normal jellyfishes then reproduce either sexually or asexually and soon after they die. But the immortal jellyfish reverses the process. It sheds its outside cells, brings up cells from the inside (I suppose they are essentially stem cells) and the animal becomes a polyp again thereby starting a new cycle.

  Some scientists believe there are actually three separate species of jellyfish which have mastered immortality but nobody really knows for sure. Currently only one scientist, Shin Kubota from Kyoto University, has managed to keep a group of these jellyfish alive for a prolonged period of time. He believes that in studying them, some day their life-extending properties could be adapted to human use. Kewl, huh?

  Entry 3-142: May 17, 2015

 

  Ununpentium

  Ununpentium (Uup) or Element 115 has always (ironically) had a strong grip on the minds of UFO enthusiasts. A fellow named Bob Lazar claimed that some of this element was recovered by the Air Force from the flying saucers that crashed at Roswell. What makes Element 115 so special is that Lazar (and others) claimed it produced anti-gravity. The physics behind their theories escapes me but could anti-gravity really exist?

  I have written articles before about electro-gravity which produces a repulsive force. You could say it was anti-gravity but in my books, I claimed it was only good for pushing against a real gravity well so it was limited to surface use up to and including the edge of space but not much further.

  Ununpentium has actually been synthesized but the most prevalent isotope produced has a half life of about 200 milliseconds so it would not be possible to keep the 50 pounds needed to power a spaceship. There are other isotopes. About 50 atoms of this molecule of varying atomic weight have been observed but all have extremely short half lives. Mr. Lazar claims there is a particular isotope with an atomic weight of 299 which is stable and that is what is use to drive flying saucers and also provide anti-gravity.

  Putting this all aside, how would anti-gravity work? We all know that photons, light, can act both as a particle and a wave. Is gravity simply the deformation of space-time or is it an actual force? Regardless, what is the mode of transmission? Some scientists have postulated an elementary particle called a graviton which can act both as a particle and a wave. In and of itself, it is massless.

  Let's say for one moment that gravitons exist. Would that mean that there are also anti-gravitons? There is no requirement. After all, there is no such thing as an anti-photon. But if anti-gravitons did exist, would they produce an anti-gravity force? If gravity is the thing that binds matter together, could anti-gravity be the thing that binds dark matter together? And is dark energy the same thing as negative energy?

  Too many questions, not enough answers. However, it does provide food for thought. And a fun fact to base a novel (or a prequel) on along with an entire race of people, aka the Vuduri, and the world of Rome's Revolution. I better get to it before anybody actually discovers or proves that anti-gravitons cannot exist.

  Entry 3-143: May 18, 2015

 

  Fast and loose with DNA

  As a science fiction writer, DNA fascinates me. It is incomprehensible to me how the double helix creates proteins that bend just so and voila, butterflies and chimpanzees appear. So do trees and bacteria.

  In the world of Rome's Revolution, DNA plays a large part of the culture and politics of the age. For example, the Vuduri have a 24th chromosome which allows them to communicate mind to mind. It also gives them the bloco and stilo which are machine interfaces, like a built-in monitor and keyboard in their head. It also allows them see into the infra-red and ultra-violet.

  When OMCOM got involved, he created the 25th chromosome but it wasn't pure, traditional DNA. Pegus first discovered this:

  “The child’s genetic pairs are asymmetrical,” Pegus said. “It appears that he only has one normal strand of the 24th chromosome instead of two. There is a second piece of the pair. But it is unlike anything we have ever seen before. In addition, several of his genes have been modified with a protein interlace, a triple helix if you will. I would call it a peptide nucleic acid rather than DNA. I cannot tell what would be its purpose.

  “OMCOM gave me a pill that modified my genetic structure,” Rei said. “It was supposed to fix my back.”

  Turns out, that little chromosome not only gave Rei super hearing and a "cell-phone in the head" but also turned out to be the salvation of the Vuduri. The 25th chromosome suppressed the expression of the Onsira phenotype and would eventually to allow all humans to be human again.

  I also fooled around with an artificial version of the 24th chromosome which turned regular people into the Onsira phenotype almost instantaneously. Real DNA wouldn't work that way.

  And finally, there is the super-secret surprise ending of The Milk Run which plays fast and loose with how DNA works. I'm not going to tell you what it does but if you want a hint, you can read the post about The Immortal Jellyfish. To really find out, you will need to read the book!

  Entry 3-144: May 19, 2015

 

  The first shot

  In the original long-form version of Rome's Revolution entitled VIRUS 5, the climax was always going to be the stare-down on the plains outside the Vuduri compound between the Essessoni (actually the new Ark Lords) and the Vuduri. But the cliff-hanger was going to be Rome and Rei screaming and falling to the floor, just as the sky went black. The was due to an excised character named Lawlidon who had come to protect Deucado from the hunter/killers known as the Cecetiras. It was going to be a great scene but sadly it had no place in the story so it was removed.

  But the climax remained. And as I have explained before, you have to know how the story ends before you can write the beginning. I had set up the Deucadons as the acknowledged rulers of the planet but I had to get them to the battlefield first. I threw in this little scene to make sure that war did not break out prematurely:

  Keller said, “Never mind. I’m telling you, we’re not going to cower in these hills like animals. We came to this world to live. And we’re going to live free. We’re going to own the skies.” He was adamant.

  “But sir…” Rei sputtered,
“If the Stareaters come, there won’t be any sky to fly.”

  “I don’t care. Look, you decide. Now. The only thing I will promise you is that when the time comes, we will not fire the first shot. That’s the best I can do. When we get there, I will give you a chance to try and save your precious Rome. If you can’t, at least you can die with her.”

  “Captain Keller,” Rei said, trying speak as slowly as possible. “For the last time, I’m begging you. These things, the Stareaters, they are real. I’ve seen them. They will destroy the whole star system if they come here. We have to prepare. We have to prepare the star probes. We have to get the VIRUS units ready.”

  Rei took in a deep breath. His heart hurt so much from missing Rome. He needed her desperately.

  “I…don’t…care,” said Keller. “You’ll translate?”

  Rei looked at Keller. He had thought he had already made it to hell. Now he realized he had only started down the road. He could see no way back but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t come.

  “All right,” Rei said, resignedly.

  To tell you the truth, I wrote this scene long before I knew that Captain Keller was part of the Darwin Project and a member of the new Erklirte. I probably imbued him with a little more sympathy than the character should have had.

  If nothing else, all of the novels in the Rome's Revolution series are about redemption so in Rome's Evolution, we come to find out that Maury Keller was not a monster. He carried a lot of grief and anger but somewhere buried in his heart was compassion and love. So I guess it was OK for him to offer this small concession. He was cynical enough to think it wouldn't matter who fired first in any event.

  Entry 3-145: May 20, 2015

 

  Pie and Pay

  he other night, my wife told me I was brilliant. Why? Because she is finally getting around reading my new novel The Milk Run. In that book, Rome and Rei's son Aason Bierak and his sister are traveling to Planet OMCOM to upgrade the library computer's operating system. Aason's sister Lupe is kidnapped by creatures made only of light and stolen right out of Junior's cockpit. Just as she is disappearing, Lupe's final words to Aason are "New to Lupe."

  Why is this brilliant? Because that is not what Lupe actually said. She pronounced it Lu-Pie not Lu-Pay. She was trying to tell Aason to go to Nu2 Lupi which is the name of a star 68 light years from Tabit. It was Aason's only clue to her whereabouts and started him on his journey to Hell (Hades) and Eden (Ay'den) and eventually past Purgatory to Heaven itself.

  My wife thought is was brilliant to name Aason's sister Lupe and have a star system named Nu2 Lupi. The only problem is I didn't do it on purpose.

  Even in my very first draft of the long-form version of Rome's Revolution, I always had five Arks. I used a database of stars and picked the five closest (if you call 68 light years close) that were G2 class stars, like our Sun. Nu2 Lupi was always the target of one of the Arks. I had originally called it the Lost Ark but things moved around.

  My daughter's name in Spanish is Lupe so even by the end of The Ark Lords, OMCOM informed Rome that she was going to have a daughter named Lupe and fairly soon. Here is that brief conversation:

  “Thank you,” Rome replied to OMCOM. “But what are you doing here?”

  “I was able to get a favorable alignment of my null-fold relays. There is something I wanted to discuss with you.”

  “What?” Rei asked fatalistically.

  “Lupe.”

  “What is a lupe?” Rome asked.

  “Not a what,” OMCOM said. “A who.”

  “All right,” replied Rome, humoring him. “Who is Lupe?”

  “She is your daughter. Or perhaps she is our daughter.”

  “My daughter?” Rome exclaimed. “We have no daughter.”

  “That is the point. She is waiting to be born.”

  So each of these two names were set in stone long before the concept of The Milk Run ever occurred to me. When the time came to write it, that line, new to Lupe, just popped into my head. It made for a great opening and it made my wife think I was brilliant but really, it was a total accident.

  Hey, maybe these stories really are true. How else can you explain such an amazing coincidence? Or maybe I just really am brilliant!

  Entry 3-146: May 21, 2015

 

  Live free or die

  When we were busy evading saber-toothed tigers and woolly mammoths, we weren't worried too much about our basic human rights or privacy. We were just trying to live to see another day. But once we achieved a modicum of civilization, it has been a struggle for men and women to remain free and have equality. Somebody always wants the power at the expense of others.

  So, too, it is in the 35th century. There are plenty of forces trying to gain an edge over others in the world of Rome's Revolution. OMCOM to some degree uses humans to achieve his gains. The Stareaters simply don't care about puny humans in their relentless pursuit to extend the life of the universe. MASAL wants to convert humans to living robots so he can rule the world. And the Overmind only considers the Vuduri as real people. The mandasurte, the mind-deaf, are nothing but a nuisance.

  Thus when Rome and Rei arrived at Deucado, they found a microcosm of the discrimination that has been our unending history since before history was even written. The mind-deaf people there were so oppressed, they even referred to themselves as the Ibbrassati. Thus when Captain Keller decided he was going on the offensive, he found a willing audience and ready-made supporters. His call to arms was not very long but it resonated in both English and Vuduri:

  The Ibbrassati set up a podium in the large central chamber. All told, there were almost 1000 people gathered there, half Essessoni, half Ibbrassati. Keller had a crude megaphone that Trabunel had given him and he stepped up to address the masses.

  “We march tonight,” he said.

  “Nis merchemis hija e nioda,” Rei called out.

  “We give them the ultimatum at dawn,” Keller shouted.

  “Nis temis-lhas i uldomedum ni elfiracar,” Rei repeated.

  “They will let us go free or they will die,” Keller said. The Essessoni in the crowd began to cheer.

  “Taoxer-nis-ei or lofra iu mirrarei,” Rei said. Now all the Ibbrassati began to cheer.

  “Live free or die,” said half the crowd.

  “Lofra fofi iu teti,” said the other half.

  So while 14 centuries may have passed, certainly the desire to live free has never dimmed.

  Entry 3-147: May 22, 2015

 

  Cosmic Billiards and Karma

  The Onsira's plan to kill the mandasurte was called Silucei Vonel in Vuduri which translate to the final solution. It was not an accident that I used the same terminology as Hitler's organized dispatch of the Jewish people. Genocide is genocide. In the middle part of Rome's Revolution, Rome had finally established a deep enough rapport with the Overmind of Deucado for it to reveal this vile plan to her:

  “Do you really think it is practical to imprison an entire race of people here and police them with such a small group? Do you not think that eventually the mandasurte would figure this out and take steps to liberate themselves?”

  “Yes, in time. It may take many years but, yes,” Rome said.

  “That is why Deucado was chosen to imprison the most important ones. They do not have many years. They will not have enough time.”

  “What are you saying?” Rome asked fearfully.

  “There is an asteroid coming. A very large one. Larger than Mockay. Our calculations tell us that it will hit Deucado in 19 years and destroy all life on this planet once and for all.”

  “WHAT?!” Rome shouted in her mind. “You know this and yet you bring all the mandasurte here? Just to die?”

  The Overmind did not answer.

  “That is horrible,” Rome said. “You are a monster!”

  “It was not my idea,” said the Overmind weakly. “The Onsiras refers to this as part of the plan they call Silucei Vonel. Using this method
to effect the extinction of the bulk of the mandasurte was deemed sufficiently palatable to the masses back on Earth because it would be a natural disaster. Just an unfortunate incident on a planet far away. I did not set it up.”

  “You are just as guilty. You would have allowed it,” Rome said in her mind. “That is just as bad.”

  “There is more. But even putting that aside, I am not sure we know how to stop it,” said the Overmind defensively.

  “Find a way,” Rome insisted.

  “We are not sure why it is even coming. Deucado has been here for a billion years. We had traced the chain of events leading up to the asteroid being set on this path only as far back as 13 centuries. Something seems to have disturbed the natural order and through a set of collisions caused this to occur. You might want to call it cosmic billiards. I believe it is the direct result of Rei’s Ark coming through this system. Whatever hit the Ark then hit something else which hit something else and so on. If it were not so horrible, it would almost be humorous.”

  “There is nothing humorous about an asteroid that will kill so many innocent people.”

  “Perhaps that is not the right word. I believe it used to be known as karma.”

  The problem is, even if the Overmind did come up with a plan to stop the asteroid, eventually the Onsiras would stumble across that fact and launch a strike force to destroy enough of the planet to effect the same solution. What to do?

  The answer lies in Part 3 of Rome's Revolution.

  Entry 3-148: May 23, 2015

 

  Seasons