Johnson Alxi's Last Morning of Freedom

The black absorbed the light into infinity. Only pin pricks of light shone in the dark, other systems, old, new, undiscovered. A trillion trillion people out there, floating in the Ken. Was there anyone beyond? Who knew? Who cared? Just another day, another denarii.

Alxi  didn't see the new light, larger than most, moving closer.

The apartment included nearly everything Alxi needed. It's floor was transparent, the ceiling lights shining out into space. In one corner sat the long forgotten bed, in another his occupied Golem Control Sphere, the unit that allowed his control of the ginormous mining suits. The giant goldfish bowl was filled with a pink translucent nanite fluid, bouying him up, before carrying his waking form up to the surface. 

As he breached through the hole of what was normally his work space his helmet released itself and the nanites slid back into the Sphere. He took a deep breath of the clear crisp air and shook out his short black curls. He kept the air cooler than most, helped him wake up, reminded him of the weather at university. Wasn't working this morning though. He'd been back 9 weeks- it was nice to be home with the Cauld, but the boredom was building. He slid his body out onto the platform and onto the floor.

Stretching to his full height the Synchskin suit expanded and fell from his body. His mother would kill him if she knew he was sleeping in the Sphere again. The skin slithered itself into the closet. Stepping into the cubicle, the walls began to hammer out cleansing fluid, followed by the gales of warm air which enveloped his body. Finally he picked up the proffered pill. The bacteria within were ancient, some bioengineered to live on his teeth, keeping them clean, others travelled to his intestines, helping digestion and health.

Outside his day skin slithered out and onto him, along with his paired ward stones, warn either side of the hip. He stretched and the suit snuggled up against him. His mother would kill him if he walked out to breakfast so exposed. It had been all the rage to go Synchskin only on the Habito planet. He reached for the belt and passed it round his waist. It made a small whirring noise before the tartan cloth printed out, the cloth surrounding his legs, with a loose loop to stretch over his left shoulder. As he stood there Derrick the Drone rose from the shelving, levitating in the air before him. The drone was a round bubble, filled with helium, surrounded by electronics.

"Morning Boss", he lazily mumbled, "wish you'd turn heat up, it's neh good for your health"

"Not now mate", Alxi replied, "just give me some news"

"Fine... The council meeting has been moved forward to today. They haven't said why, must be something important. Your Dad's been invited. Won't manage it in person now though, of course, digi will do... Not much new with the Venergy or Habito- General Guedo and Gentleman Summerfield are carrying on as ever... The Habito Forestry found a replacement for your position, Jenny's cousin, Dabad. Nice guy, keeps off the Rose, but likes a drink... Oh, and your sister just got given her application forms. No idea if she'll come back, seems to like the Venergy. She's got a month to decide."

"And the racing?"

"Erm, two pigs pulled out, couldn't finish the maze. Duo did ok though, 3rd place. You wanting to sell your syndicate shares to Dabad?"

"I'll think about it"

"Not thinking of going back already, I hope?"

"Nah, just, well...", Alxi shrugged his shoulders, "I just miss Uni."

He trudged through the doorway that slid open before him.

In the communal area the large oval tables had been arranged. At each sat various families, starting their day together with various travellers and interns. He smiled to himself as he noticed Phell with the Thompsons across the way. She was an intern. A beautiful, beguiling, Venergy-born intern. 

"Come on lad, stop staring. Don't survey a site unless you'll mine her.", his bushy bearded father clapped him on the shoulder, bright and happy, ready for another morning, "I hope you're ready for another bollocking from your mother"

The jovial smile disappeared, "what have a done now?" 

"She went out for a walk last night. You forgot to opaque your floor again. She was furious"

"Thanks for the warning"

At the family table Mrs Johnson was fussing over the family's newest addition, 3 year old Dek. Off to his side Dodge slept in her bed, the young augmented maternity hound sleeping off another night of caring for the small child. Mrs Johnson relented her persistent attempts to get the child to eat his spaghetti loops cleanly, leaving him to play with his holographic dairy farm.

She collected herself beautifully before walking towards her eldest son.

"Good morning, Alxi", she was always a stickler for formal greetings to start the day. They touched noses, as family and close friends did, and each used the left hand to grasp the others right shoulder. Alxi, normally trusting his instinct, made sure only his 3rd digit placed more pressure than the others. He felt his mother's thumb jab stiffly.

No drones came to deliver breakfast when they sat. Time for trouble. His mother took a deep breath.

"Johnson Alxi. What have I told you about sleeping in your Sphere?", it was nearly a growl.

"Don't do it. The research says a bed is better, especially for young people. They are not programmed to look after the young. If it wasn't for your grandmother you'd never have even started piloting as young as you did... Oh, and it's disgusting that I'm in there day and night."

"Yet you still do it"

"Mum, I'm not a young person anymore. I'm 28, I've graduated! And I don't like beds. I'm not used to them. They're cold. And the Sphere keeps its fluid clean, it's not that bad."

"Darling, just try it. Put the heat up in your room. You'll get used to it."

"And all else fails", his father advised, "we'll find you a reason to go to bed. I don't know, maybe Phell?", his father winked as Alxi slumped further. His mother smirked.

"Excellent idea, I'll invite Phell over to join us tonight. Phell's been a wonderful student for me, Alex. I like Phell."

Dek suddenly shouted out,

"PHELL! PHELL! PHELL!", causing her and the Thompson's to look across the room. Alex met her shining amber eyes, involuntarily smiling. She smiled back. He winked. She laughed, shook her head, and turned back to her hosts.

Over their last ever breakfast together, the event that would change life forever was brought up.

"Any idea what the council meeting's about?"

"No idea, lad."

"But they brought it forward so quickly. Must be something serious"

"Well, do you want to sit in on it?", his father casually suggested. Alxi was stunned.

"Totally!"

"Right, go get me some mineral. I'll see you at lunch"

Overview of Humanity's Move

Good afternoon, I'm Dr Ama Dinosaur. For the past many years I've been working on creating my own little universe. Steadily this has built into an array of physical and mental notes (though much has been warped with adventure and age) giving a source with some depth for me to attempt to draw upon.

I had been hoping to write a few books based upon my ideas, but this is presently proving difficult after being given a "grown up" life. Thus I have chosen to develop this new, robust, public, repository, as well as a playground for my ideas

What follows is a collection of short chapters, short stories, and notes on what has happened to humanity, alongside other animals from Earth, in the distant future. I'm starting with a visit by one of the most influential groups of people to one of humanity's most important colonies, which will include hints and notes about the history and present situation of the universe. Later I will move to look at what has happened to Earth, what the situation is for humanity as a whole, and the other galactic players humanity has not officially met yet.

I will be attempting to add new short stories every week to this blog. Some will be wee 100 word dabbles, others maybe a thousand words. I hope to generate a few storylines within the blog covering different areas of the universe, as well as a little background as necessary. Maybe even some drawings and paintings, should I have the materials!

I hope you will enjoy what I write. Love it or hate it, your comments, questions, and suggestions would be appreciated. If you really love it, please share it with friends and family.

Introducing Humanity's Move

"We are old now. So very very old. Ancient. Beyond Ancient. He was correct, Cthulhu's father, with time, even death may die. Although, the living call us the dead. They have forgotten what death truly. That is their weakness. We always see it. We are always dying, just as they must die to become us. We are the dead. We see all. We know all."

Time is tragically difficult to determine for those who travel about the explored universe, known as the "Ken". For those in the colonies it is a little easier- many stations have small differences of hours to days per year. Yet for those going out to colonise new systems, spread the teachings, or prepare for war, numerical time is a nuisance . Despite that we still need history to remember where we've been, and a way to plan for the future. Thus we use the time of one universe constant modern humanity shares, though it is from a place no civilised person lives in these times. Home-Earth time, from the Solar System is our best guess at true human time. We measure from the birth of civilisation, when the barbarian ways were reasoned into death. Thus year 0 was over 2000 years after scientific year 0, and around 4000 years after the birth of the child Earth-God.

We therefore determine that humanity has been sailing the stars for 10,000 years. Well, in truth we had some thousands of years reaching the Encirclement Worlds, organising them, developing better craft, and finding our independence. Not to mention the various "police actions", plus out present defence against the Technovar, and the ever problematic 7th.

The colonies are the mainstay of his humanity, made up of the Habito, the Venergy, and the Coald. They are always encouraged to build a civilisation before reproducing and sending off between a million and a billion of their own to colonise further systems- so long as they are not facing out to the Technovar. The Encirclement Worlds do their best to send their own Uni Fleets of teachers and statespeeps to pass news and advancement between systems, gather new ideas, and protect the freedoms of all life forms. Not to mention a number of other, lesser, tasks- terraforming, the xeno search, EMP (Electro-Magnetic (Psychic) Person) surveillance. 

The Technovar have recently rebuilt. After their escape 5,000 years ago out to the edges of the known systems and their own civil war, they have been rebuilding for 3,000 years. Slowly they encroach upon our systems, raiding and pillaging, kidnapping and killing. They are the reason we needed the Encirclement Worlds Treaty. Them and the Meek.

The Meek are all that are left of the barbarian-zealots of Earth. Rarely are they trouble, though they are worthy of our attention for their EMPs, as well as our own wish to maintain the point of origin. No place like home.

There are also the Corers. The Truthseers. They are not here yet. Their echo will soon reverberate throughout the Ken.

And Outwards, beyond the Ken, are the Bio Systems. Entirely unknown and alien to Humanity at this point, but not for long.