NanoSymbionts
Page 72
Accordingly Jake began a comprehensive scan of the world below him. As he made plans about how he might introduce the retrograde survivors of this lost colony world to the daggerthorn he would grow for them. He also used the data from these comprehensive scans to further tinker with the daggerthorn's DNA. In order that the descendants of the modified daggerthorn might be able to provide for the human survivors some very necessary things that they no longer had the technology to provide for themselves.
It was all one big long shot but Jake reasoned that it was worth the risk. After all if he failed, the only humans who would suffer for it were already doomed. Yet if he succeeded, he would not only save them but quite possibly it would be for the greater benefit of humanity everywhere. So once again he needed to build himself another secret base of operations. From which he could begin again his experiment towards finding humanity a stabilizing life partner. Before humanity's growing technology might someday combine their self destructive behavior patterns with a weapon so powerful. That it could destroy the entire multiverse.
Which was something he had known could be built. Ever since he had used the core principles of such a weapon to save most of his big home galaxy from a monstrous fate. At the terrible cost of annihilating thousands of it's inhabited star systems.
That was when he had first dreamed of his plan to instigate a new symbiotic relationship between humans and daggerthorn. Together they could be so much more than either species could ever be on it's own. Now he was ready to begin the great experiment. He knew what he had to do to make it work. It wasn't all going to happen overnight however, it was certain that he would be spending a lot of effort for a very long time before he could expect to see any worthwhile results. It was therefore fortunate that he was a nanosymbiont. For it would take someone with a very long lifespan to complete such a project.
Once he began he quickly realized that working on this dream wouldn't put an end to any of the pain he still carried in his heart. What it did do was to keep him busy enough to feel it less keenly. There was no certainty of success but he had such hopes for the biological symbionce he was trying to foster. It was his dream and he would never give up on it.
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Appendixes
About The Author
I'm Joseph Philbrook and I'm a retiree who loves books. I've always found reading one to be more enjoyable than watching a movie. As long as I can remember I've dreamed of writing them. Now that I'm retired, I've finally got the time to live that dream. I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
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Galactic Standard Units of Measure
The actual basis on which the Galactic Standard Units of Measure were originally devised is no longer known. It is known that it was devised in the early days of the old ‘Star Traveler's Guild’. And that once it was established neither the old guild nor the ‘Cosmic Sailor's Guild’ which replaced it would accept any modification to it's values.
NOTE: The conversion values, listed below are only approximate equivalents based on averaged equivalent values. From the many planets which claim to be humanity's original home world of Terra:
The GSU for weight or mass is the Lift.
1 lift = 9 sublifts = 31.5 lbs = 14.29 kilograms
1 sublift = 3.5 lbs = 1.59 kilogram
The GSU for volume is the Sphere.
1 sphere = 9 subspheres = 1.7 gallons = 6.44 liters
1 subsphere = 24 fluid ounces = 709.76 milliliters
The GSU for time is the Cycle
1 overcycle = 9 cycles = 1 GS day = 31.5 hours
1 cycle = 9 subcycles = 81 cyclets = 729 subcyclets = 3.5 hours
1 subcycle = 9 cyclets = 23.33 minutes
1 cyclet = 9 subcyclets = 2.59 minutes
1 subcyclet = 17.28 seconds
1 GS Year = 729 overcycles
1 GS year = 2.62 standard Terran years
1 standard Terran year = 0.382 GS year
The GSU for relativistic distance is the GS lightyear
1 GS lightyear = 2.62 {average human ‘home’ world} lightyears
The GSU for {non relativistic} distance is the Arm.
1 arm = 9 subarms = 2.2 feet = 0.67 meters
1 subarm = 3 inches = 76.2 millimeters
The GSU for temperature is the Gradation.
1 gradation = -27.8 centigrade = -18 Fahrenheit
26 gradation = 0 centigrade = 32 Fahrenheit
44.9 gradation = 21 centigrade = 69.8 Fahrenheit
116 gradation = 100 centigrade = 212 Fahrenheit
Temperature Conversion Formula:
G = (C x (9/10)) + 26
C = (G - 26) x (10/9)
C = (F - 32) x (5/9)
F=(C x (9/5)) + 32
G = ((F-32)x(5/9))x(9/10))+26
F = (((G-26)x(10/9))*(9/5))+32
Author's notes
Interplanetary Travel
For "live" interplanetary travel to be safe without becoming a form of biological warfare. Extreme measures must be taken to ensure the microbiological compatibility of all living organisms. The travelers themselves and all the biological organisms within them must be compatible with all of the lifeforms in the biosphere of the destination planet. With the only exception being where the destination world contains no lifeforms...
If there is an incompatibility then unless the destination planet is being modified, IE: Terraformed, to make it more compatible. (Which in itself would be an act of biological warfare against whatever lifeforms were already present.) It would be necessary, to either:
Isolate the travelers from all existing lifeforms, IE: Full-time spacesuit/habitat domes or functional equivalents, OR to modify the microbiological structure of the travelers themselves.
BOTH methods require the taking of certain risks.
One way to modify their own microbiological structure could be to meld their bodies with machines. Which could mean anything from transplanting ones entire nervous system, including the brain, into a mechanical host body. To infiltrating one's own body with enough nano-technology that many millions of microscopic machines are able to enhance and/or replace some of that body's physical functions. If the nano-machinery were capable of networking they might even be able to enhance certain neurological functions.
It may even be possible that another, more organic way, to modify one's microbiological structure will be found.
Of course, whether either method would be good for the people involved. Could very much depend on the fundamental difference between a parasitic organism and a true symbiont.
Terraforming
In this story the assumption is made that long before this story begins mankind, in a series of expansion stages, did experiment with a variety of terraforming techniques. Some of which were more successful than others. Thus the need to take the precautions described above isn't always obvious.
Faster than light travel, parallel universes, and time travel...
I don't know what the current scientific theory suggests might someday be possible. But for the purposes of this story I consider it possible to find a way to exceed or bypass the speed of light. And I consider it possible that there are not only other planets in the universe where intelligent life may have evolved. But that it may well be possible that there are parallel universe. Where even more inhabited worlds may exist.
If they do exist then it is about as likely that a way might be found to travel to an alternate reality. As it would be to travel between the stars. (Excluding of course, multi-generation artificial world ships. Or some form of hibernation or stasis process which could potentially make some form of interstellar travel possible. Even if no way is ever found to get around the limitations of sub-light travel.)
But I'm not willing to accept the possibility of true time travel. Though I
certainly accept that it might be possible to control the rate at which time flows.
Thus if one could accelerate the flow of time within a limited area. It could be possible to give a research lab thousands of years. To find a way to survive a disaster that would otherwise destroy them in less than a week. (It would be a good idea for the lab within the accelerated time flow, to already have all the resources {such as food, water, air and energy.} that it will need. For as much time as it will spend solving the problem.)
It might also be possible to decelerate the flow of time for some terminally ill patient to keep them ‘alive’ until a cure can be developed.
But no mater how fast time passes in the lab's accelerated temporal environment. And no matter how slow time might be passing for the patient in suspended animation. Neither the lab nor the patient will ever reach a point in time before the one where they entered the altered temporal flow.
About The Names In This Book
The capitalization of names in this book.
This is a tale of the far future. When the human race(s) have spread out from more than a few separate home worlds. Where genetically compatible humans have separately evolved. And mysteriously, developed nearly identical cultural and language patterns. Which didn't begin to diverge until each one developed a machine based technology. They did not all develop at the same time however.
As these humans began to spread across the galaxy. They encountered each other. And their divergent cultures merged into a galactic culture. In the process the rules for the proper capitalization of names changed several times. And local conventions on each individual world began to vary again.
The name “John Smith” might be found on ten randomly selected human inhabited worlds. But some of them would render it as john Smith. In the belief that only surnames should be capitalized. Others would render it as John smith. There are far to many variations to list here. But in some cases the capitalization of a name is an optional sign of respect. Or an indication of a more formal context. And in others, not capitalizing it is a sign of affection.
This principal also affected the names of places and named things such as starships.
In this story I followed the conventions of the characters and places involved. Not those of my own upbringing. The variances in the capitalization of the names in this book are not errors. They are part of the story.
On the other hand, if you find sentences where I failed to capitalize the first word. They would be mistakes. As would be any unpurged punctuation errors. And I hereby apologize for any and all of them.
About the names themselves.
In this book there are some characters from cultures with their own unusual, naming conventions.
But the premise used here is that, by and large, at some point prior to the beginning of this tale, when there was only one viable interstellar human civilization. A multitude of naming conventions were consolidated into one galactic norm.
There would be but one given name. (Sometimes replaced at adulthood by another for cultural reasons.) But at any one time, no given official record would specify more than one of such. And likewise only one family or surname of record. (Generally inherited from ones parents.)
There was no standardization as to whether to list the given or the family name first. But those are the only names that would be recorded in any official record.
Legal identification would no longer be based on names. But rather, on a number based code. Which is usually based on an algorithm. That compiles them from the individuals genetic code. Combined with a designation for the governmental system in which the birth was recorded. And the officially computed time and date of the individual's conception.
For anything other than establishing an individuals legal identification, it is not generally considered polite to refer to anyone by their number. Nor by any derivative of it.
Some governmental organizations issue numbers on another basis. In which case, it sometimes occurs that an individual may acquire a second “interstellar” ID number.
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