Fates and Furies

by Michael Orr

  The difficulty came when physicists attempted to combine these two distinct branches of research into a single unified theory to explain the known universe. All such efforts failed, but not without first providing the world with a bewildering array of colorful theories attempting the impossible. From string theory and m-theory to parallel universes and universal 2D-holographic projections, every conceivable angle was plumbed in the effort to resolve these conflicting paradigms into a comprehensive model of physical reality. But the solution would have to wait until billionaire and math hobbyist Jonah Liesher challenged mathematicians with a peculiar question: what if ‘infinity’ isn’t a bad result?

  For those unfamiliar with higher mathematics, any equation producing a result of ‘infinity’ (shown notationally as ∞), is considered to be nonsense and renders the equation useless. This was the prevailing belief among all mathematicians up to the mid twenty-first century, so Liesher’s question fell on deaf ears. But only for a time.

  Three decades after Liesher’s public challenge, an insightful university student named Dominica Stultz presented her doctoral thesis on the remarkable solution that, rather than indicating a nonsensical equation, infinity simply identifies the point at which the mathematics of the current domain reaches its limit and the mathematics of the next higher domain must be employed to find the correct result.

  The term ‘domain’ is used here to indicate an environment containing a certain number of dimensions (directions of travel). Our own domain contains three dimensions, or axes, of travel:

  side-side (x axis), back-forth (y axis), up-down (z axis)

  Compare this with a domain of four dimensions, in which the previous three axes of travel (x,y,z) are joined by an additional direction of travel (for instance, in–out = w axis). Thus, a domain is a discrete realm uniting its given number of dimensions into a single integrated system.

  This was demonstrated within Stultz’s thesis, and later through physics experiments which proved that the math of relativity (i.e., the math of macro-physics) goes to infinity at the point where the macro-scale universe gives way to the micro-scale of quantum mechanics. Not only did this show there could be no unified theory to marry the two branches together, but also that not all aspects of reality are physical/three-dimensional.

  Stultz’s far-reaching legacy was to legitimize the existence of higher-dimensional domains beyond our 3D domain. Indeed, the quantum realm itself has been shown to be the next domain up — a fact expressed as a domain including a fourth or w-axis dimension of ‘in–out’ travel.

  Our 3D domain limits movement and action to the surfaces of material objects. Even drilling or cutting into a 3D object is not legitimate inward movement, but instead merely exposes additional surface area to the open air or to an adjacent surface. This, therefore, does not qualify as ‘inward action’. Only by shifting to quantum mechanics can we actually make inward movement into the substance of matter, and this requires switching to a different domain of math.

  Following on that discovery was the identification of a fifth dimensional domain. This domain serves as the universal template that provides the quantum realm with its marching orders. This ‘before–behind’ direction of movement (v axis) explains how the quanta of extremely small scales combine to form the large-scale universe in which we find matter in all its complexity, from stars and planets to sentient beings and all life.

  Perhaps the most surprising outcome of this revolutionary shift in understanding was that quantum gravity exists and can be manipulated in ways that make faster-than-light travel viable.

  By engaging the gravity of dimensional domains beyond our own, it’s possible to cause gravity waves through spacetime which the proper technology can harness and ‘surf’ at orders of magnitude beyond c.

  This, combined with G-tech (aka antigravity), paved the way for Humanity to reach the stars.

  Sadly, Earth Isolation Disorder (EID) is still very much a limiting factor, and no human being is at present capable of leaving Earth for longer than a period of months. But with stardrives making velocities of 5 ly per hour, it’s possible to visit Earth’s local neighborhood with relative safety as long as the traveler returns to Earth soon enough to fully recover from the effects of EID. So, while we may not be able to colonize other worlds, we can at least visit them.

  This has led to our encountering the Orion Alliance, which governs the portion of the galaxy in which we find ourselves. It has also created thriving industries from interstellar trade and tourism. (Return)

  APPENDIX C:

  THE ORION ALLIANCE

  It was with great unease that Humanity first encountered alien life. Our initial ventures to the stars were tense and risky, often resulting in the loss of ships and their crews prior to the development of adequate materials and the essentials of interstellar navigation. Having mapped the skies from the safety of our planet, astronomers made assumptions about the interstellar neighborhood that proved disastrous.

  One such assumption was that light travels through space at a constant velocity. What astronomers and cosmologists failed to take into account was that space contains varying densities of quanta, and these form non-uniform pockets of drag on light photons passing through them.

  While the impact of these miscalculated speeds is negligible within the solar system, it grows dramatic across cosmological distances involving as few as a dozen lightyears. Our early expeditions frequently slipstreamed to star systems only to find themselves in empty space, or worse, colliding with a celestial body that was nowhere near its predicted location.

  It took several decades to work out the bugs of our Navsys — now universally referred to as NEVA — and in the course of that fine tuning we stumbled upon the Orion Alliance. Or rather, we stumbled into the Alliance — as Earth has always been part of the Alliance whether we knew it or not. In fact, Earth falls under the jurisdiction of this sprawling body comprising over four hundred cooperative races.

  The Alliance governs the entire expanse of the Orion Spur, which is the regional outcropping of stars distinguishing itself from the rest of the Sagittarius arm of the galaxy. The majority of this region is highly civilized and advanced far beyond Earth’s level, although such refinement tends to decline toward the distant edges of the territory, lying as they do at the border of the so-called ‘badlands’ between galactic arms.

  These shorelines, as they tend to be known, look out upon galactic regions rife with mystery and rich in lore. There are rumors of etheric realms and races beyond these areas, much the way ancient human maps listed dragons lurking beyond the edges of the known world. But the Alliance has commerce with a great many civilizations beyond its own borders, and such legends are considered the stuff of fairytales by any respectable culture.

  As for the Orion Alliance itself, its governing body occupies an enormous station permanently positioned within the heart of the Great Orion Nebula. From this little-seen hub, they maintain guidelines and rules of conduct which unite its many races into a flourishing superculture. This is also the main base for the Alliance fleet, consisting primarily of Kelleth-class light cruisers and Betan-class heavy cruisers.

  The Alliance has existed for close to a billion years in some fashion or other, and its multi-racial technology borders on the mystical, leaving us to presume that a single Betan cruiser is capable of subduing an entire EarthFleet armada. Some have even wondered if the Alliance is actually a mirage-like echo of a civilization that ascended beyond 3D eons ago; though it’s worth noting that this romanticism is vigorously rejected by THEME (the Alliance’s omni-racial THreat EMErgence agency).

  In any case, the ships and remote stations of the Alliance military are seldom seen by Terran crews, leaving us to wonder just how extensive their fleet actually is. Their apparent scarcity has opened the door for EarthFleet to offer its good-will services in outlying frontier areas.

  Despite this, Terran–Alliance relations are often strained, and the Alliance has made its feelings ab
out our spacefaring clear. We’ve been stranded on Earth for our entire history, and they resent our sudden appearance on the interstellar scene as if they never anticipated our reaching this stage. This forces us to toe a fine line between exploration and assertion, and has convinced political pundits that we’re only tolerated because of our inability to colonize, such that without this limiting factor we would never have been allowed to develop FTL in the first place.

  Nonetheless, the Alliance’s attitude toward Humanity hasn’t stopped many of its constituent races from opening trade relations with us, and human tourism appears welcome in the systems our starliners visit. (Return)

  APPENDIX D:

  STAR SERVICE

  While the development of effective FTL stardrive has led to an unprecedented era in human exploration, it also introduces some problems; notably, the existence of an overarching authority within which Earth resides and has little representation. Being a quarantine planet continuously segregated from the rest of the galaxy, Earth has suddenly found itself subject to a form of governance in which it has no part.

  While it’s natural for us to protest such a condition, the effects of such a protest would be destructive. The Orion Alliance, generally known simply as ‘the Alliance’, has existed for hundreds of millions of years, and its races are immeasurably more advanced than our own. Therefore, we have little by way of leverage to promote ourselves, and we remain the unwanted stepchildren in this arm of the galaxy.

  Nevertheless, the development of an effective stardrive has made our presence in the Alliance a fact.

  In an effort to establish ourselves as meaningful contributors to the Alliance, we’ve adopted a unique approach. EarthFleet was established in the early twenty-fourth century to extend Humanity’s presence in Alliance interstellar space, while EarthGuard was established at the same time to patrol and protect our Solar System. EarthFleet is staffed by men due to their ability to endure longer separations from Earth, while EarthGuard is the exclusively-female branch of star service, giving women the opportunity to serve Earth in an essential way without significant exposure to EID.

  It was realized early on that the Alliance resents EarthFleet’s presence, and Earth’s government sought to appease Alliance tensions by de-emphasizing the military nature of the fleet in favor of exploration and diplomatic presence. (An example of this is the re-designation of destroyers to ‘frigates’ for the sake of downplaying their military role.)

  Additionally, EarthFleet has reached out to fringe members of the Alliance with offers of anti-piracy patrols and related forms of peacekeeping. While the Alliance is generally beyond such concerns, there still remain pockets of lawlessness at the outskirts of its boundaries, and EarthFleet has made some progress in establishing goodwill there by presenting our less intimidating ships as a kind of militia in those frontier regions. It may appear a transparent ruse to the Alliance itself, but we’ve been able to leverage our successes in those far-flung systems into a justification for our fleet.

  This strategy has worked for several decades, but tensions run high between the Alliance and EarthFleet, and every officer and crewman aboard our ships understands that any oversight or mishap can spell the end of Earth’s self-directedness. How long such tensions will last is anyone’s guess, but for now the status quo is to ‘speak softly and carry no obvious stick.’

  Galactic politics aside, Terran star service is organized along traditional military lines, with the following modifications:

  EarthGuard, the female branch of the service, is ‘warrior’ in nature, wherein ranks follow the army tradition so that enlisted women progress from corporals into the sergeant grades, while officers progress out of the lieutenant grades to majors, lieutenant colonels, colonels and generals. (Note that the captain grade has here been replaced by lieutenant to avoid confusion with the below.)

  Within EarthFleet, men have the option of choosing the ‘warrior’ tradition (described above) or the naval ‘mariner’ tradition in which enlisted men progress from corporals into the chief grades, while officers progress out of the lieutenant grades to lieutenant commanders, commanders, captains and admirals. (Note that the seaman and petty officer grades have here been replaced by private and corporal.)

  This split form of service facilitates men specializing in either weapons & battle tactics (warrior) or in the strategic operation of vessels (mariner). Such a division of labor has proven useful given the immensity and complexity of EarthFleet ships, whereas EarthGuard operates much smaller littoral vessels that require no such specialization or division of labor.

  For EarthGuard, this ability to manage all aspects of operations via a single career track is loudly proclaimed by its women in their rivalry with male counterparts; but beneath the bluster, both branches have profound respect for one another and frequently work together in joint operations when useful.

  EarthGuard’s fleet comprises lightly-armed two-pilot scouts, well-armed two-pilot fighters and heavily-armed gunships operated by crews of nineteen.

  EarthFleet employs multiple classes, some strictly tactical while ships of the line are strategic in nature:

  Tactical Fleet:

  Scimitar drone fighter (optional pilot seating)

  Turtle light dropship (51-man capacity w/pilot)

  Tortoise heavy transport (76-man capacity w/pilot)

  Raptor long-range interceptor (3-man flight crew)

  Misc auxiliary vessels, shuttles & small transports

  Strategic Fleet:

  Corvette (LCDR-level; complement 440)

  Frigate (Commander-level; complement 1250)

  Cruiser (Captain-level; complement 3500)

  Regional Starbase (Commodore-level; complement 8000)

  Regarding hull configurations, EarthFleet cruisers bear a noticeable resemblance to the empire ships of the ancient Star Wars films. This design was adopted partly in homage, since fans of science fiction tend to find their way into the fleet, and because capital ships ought to represent the Earth aesthetic in an emblematic way. But the design is also sturdy, functional and impressive. Cruisers are unique, in that no other fleet classes are derived from pop sources. (Return)

  APPENDIX E:

  AUGMENTATION

  The twentieth century was a period of unprecedented technological advancement, and the afterglow of that era infused Humanity with an abiding optimism for cybernetics. Ever-improving materials and construction methods opened the door for widespread body augmentation, which swept mid and late twenty-first century generations by storm.

  As trendy as the earlier tattoo fad, cybernetic augmentation became a matter of personal taste and expression; but because these mods were more than just art and included functionality that invariably surpassed ordinary human abilities, unforeseen problems arose, particularly regarding crime.

  This, alongside decades of religious terrorism, led directly to global martial law and a permanent fascist state (initiated by the Kher regime).

  In the aftermath of Kher and his authoritarian excesses, Humanity turned its back on cybernetics and all non-natural augmentation.

  As of 2371, such augmentations have long been outlawed and the only form of human tampering comes from the state-run breeding program. The effort to breed out physically-based weaknesses has proven wildly successful at this late stage, and the human gene pool has never been more viable. Indeed, the average useful working career now stretches to between 110-120 years of age, and rare individuals have lived into their 170s. But as with any imposed fascist program, algorithm-based breeding comes with downsides.

  For most of human history, genetics were passed on primarily via desire. Desire, while haphazard and subject to whim, generally led to family households having one or both parents to raise the children.

  With state-sponsored breeding, no such desire is involved. Men and women are selected to breed based on their genetics rather than on any attraction to one another. And while this breeding is humane, in that both donors are free to contr
ibute their genetics without meeting each other, the resulting child is typically left in the care of the state while the disinterested donors go their own ways.

  As one might imagine, state-run child care is a far cry from doting parents and an extended family.

  Much of the twenty-fourth century population has been raised in this impersonal manner, leaving these adults with certain emotional deficiencies and even scars which society is poorly equipped to address. An outside observer may notice that certain people seem more robotically work-oriented than human. And while this suits the governing Conglomerate from a workforce perspective, it does little to enhance the culture and ‘soul’ of the planet. Many objectors argue that the human race is being systematically divorced from its humanity, or as the late researcher Prof. Aaron DeVry famously lamented: “Earth is losing its salt, for we are losing our savor.”

  The politics of cultural engineering aside, it’s important to note that augmentation of the natural human form has become loathsome to mainstream Humanity, and those suspected of it become social pariahs. For this reason, early efforts to link human operators with machines are now viewed with horror and no such projects exist at this time. Instead, the Conglomerate has adopted the non-enhancing technology of the connec-lens and screemscreen.

  As its name implies, the connec-lens is inserted into the wearer’s non-dominant eye as a ‘smart’ contact lens that autoconnects to the global infonet by which every citizen stays informed.

  Its companion, the screemscreen is a small, scrollable sheet of transparent polymer infused with nano-receptors. This functions as a display when one wishes to share something on one’s connec-lens with an audience. The screemscreen (collectively referred to along with the connec-lens as a ‘screem’) receives the projected image and plays it externally as a hologram in which the 2-dimensional sheet itself seems to transform into the 3D image. A larger, less mobile version of this same technology has replaced television and provides home viewers with fully-immersive holographic imaging.