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    Placid Point
    Placid Point
    Placid Point
    Ebook106 pages1 hour

    Placid Point

    By Graham Storrs

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    About this ebook

    These are stories of humanity in transition. A young man finds himself in charge of a box full of human minds, a maintenance crew hears screaming from inside an unmanned space station, at the end of time, the last transhuman enjoys mince pies and sherry. Whatever form our future takes, death, betrayal, sex, and Christmas will always be with us.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGraham Storrs
    Release dateJul 27, 2010
    ISBN9781452345475
    Placid Point
    Author

    Graham Storrs

    Graham Storrs is a science fiction writer who lives miles from anywhere in rural Australia with his wife and a Tonkinese cat. He has published many short stories in magazines and anthologies as well as three children's science books and a large number of academic and technical pieces in the fields of psychology, artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction.He has published a number of sci-fi novels, in four series; Timesplash (three books), the Rik Sylver sci-fi thriller series (three books), the Canta Libre space opera trilogy. and the Deep Fracture trilogy. He has also published an augmented reality thriller, "Heaven is a Place on Earth", a sci-fi comedy novel, "Cargo Cult", a dark comedy time travel novel, "Time and Tyde", and an urban sci-fi thriller, "Mindrider."

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      Book preview

      Placid Point - Graham Storrs

      PLACID POINT

      by

      Graham Storrs

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2014 Graham Storrs

      ISBN: 987-0-9924988-1-8

      Book and cover design by Graham Storrs.

      Published by Canta Libre

      All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorised, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

      Dedication

      For Christine and Becky.

      Acknowledgements

      I would like to thank the various editors who each worked on the different stories in this collection without whom this book would be full of embarrassing mistakes. Of course, any embarrassing mistakes that remain are all my own work. I'd also like to thank the various people who read these stories and commented on earlier drafts. You all know who you are.

      Table of Contents

      Preface

      Jim'sWorld

      All The Way

      Drifting Down

      Rite of Spring

      The Whispering Dead

      In The Dark of Secondsleep

      Murathera's Orgy

      Last Christmas

      About the Author

      Preface

      I first began writing about Placid Point in mid-2008, when I wrote the short story In the Dark of Second Sleep. Immediately, the transhumans I had created invaded my imagination. For a while I thought about nothing but where they had come from, where they were going, and what were the many individual stories that marked their journey.

      Every now and then, one of those stories demanded to be written. I realised, as I elaborated this world, that becoming transhuman would not be the slick transition some futurists imagine, that we would take with us into this new way of being, much of what ties us to our past, and that the Universe would continue to shape and mould us in the same way it always has, that the economics of survival don't care what form your body or mind might take. More than this, it seemed, the pioneers of transhumanity would face difficulties as emotionally challenging as any human has ever faced, as they pried themselves free of their ancient biological heritage.

      After 'In the Dark of Second Sleep', I wrote 'Last Christmas', leaping from the middle of the story to the end. Then 'All the Way', groping my way back to the beginning, a time when Placid Point was known as Omega Point. With 'Jim'sWorld' I finally had my creation myth, along with a couple of characters I knew would be appearing again and again. Martin Lanham in particular would play a key role. He became an important character in my first novel set squarely in the Placid Point universe, The Credulity Nexus. 'The Whispering Dead', another story from the early days, features Lanham, although his name is not mentioned, and the narrator in 'Murathera's Orgy', set far into the future, is probably not him, although it could be.

      In the collection, the stories are presented in chronological order of their place in the history of Omega Point/Placid Point, not in the order I wrote them.

      I have written a number of novels in the same future 'world'–whether Placid Point features largely in them or not. The Credulity Nexus, set just seventy years from now, I have already mentioned. A sequel, The Sentience Machine, continues that story. My Emissaries series, set three hundred years in the future, is in the same 'world' but barely mentions Omega Point (as it was called then) until the end. However, the transhumans of Placid Point play a much more prominent role in the sequel to that series, Deep Fracture, set ten thousand years in the future.

      I hope you enjoy them all.

      Graham Storrs

      Pozieres, September, 2014.

      Jim'sWorld

      Martin Lanham woke from an empty, dreamless sleep to find himself standing in a clearing in a forest. His first reaction was irritation. Somebody had screwed up. But this was quickly replaced by alarm.

      Facing him across the clearing were five people–three men and two women–all built like comic-book heroes, and clothed in loincloths, leather thongs, and small pieces of decorated armour. They eyed him with expressions that ranged from wary to openly hostile.

      He might have laughed at the sight of so many inauthentic fancy-dress outfits, but he suppressed it. This was no joke. Each of the five held a weapon at the ready. Three had impractically elaborate swords, one held a bow, with an arrow already notched, and the fifth carried a long staff, inlaid with silver runes.

      Who the hell are you? he demanded. Whatever was going on here, someone was going to get a serious bollocking. This was not what he signed up for. The thought tickled at his mind. Had he signed up for something? How did he know this wasn't it?

      Stay where you are, the man with the staff commanded him in a deep, strong voice. Or die where you stand.

      Lanham took a step forward and stopped at once. His body felt strange. He looked down at his legs and was shocked to see muscles bunched in his naked thighs, leather thongs wound around calves like tree trunks. His belly–the great round belly that should have been blocking his view–was flat under a golden breastplate. He gaped in astonishment, holding out his arms to look at them, grinning like a madman. He had the body of a Michaelangelo statue, a strength and vigour he had never known. He touched his face, looking around for something to use as a mirror. But then, what made him think he had ever looked any different?

      He's one of us, one of the women said, lowering her sword. She had magnificent breasts and thighs. Masses of golden hair writhed around her head and shoulders like a nest of snakes. Her face was sculpted and beautiful.

      One of the men shook his head. Another one?

      Look, I don't know what's going on, but - Lanham began. He was interrupted by an unearthly shriek from the forest behind him.

      They're close, said a man in dark armour. He clutched at an amulet that glowed between his fingers. I can feel them.

      You'd better come with us, stranger, the staff-wielder said. He was clearly the leader and used to making decisions on behalf of the group. He was a big man but stooped and sad-eyed, as if he had suffered much and was all but broken by it.

      Lanham, unnerved as he was by the sound, stood his ground. Not 'til I get some answers.

      The staff-wielder sneered at him. Stay here then and let the Furies find you. He glanced at his companions. Come.

      He led them into the forest, following a narrow animal trail. The blonde with the big hair turned to Lanham. You'd better come with us. My name is Elvira. I'll tell you everything I know on the way. She glanced nervously at the forest. You can't stay here.

      Lanham looked into her violet eyes. There was nothing there but concern and fear. With a nod of acquiescence, he set off after her and they hurried to catch up with the others.

      ###

      What are you doing?

      Jimmy snatched the visor off his face fast, hurting himself as the earplugs were yanked free. Oh, hi Tippy.

      His attempt to sound as if he hadn't just jumped three feet in the air made Tippy smile wryly. You should be watching the new guy's vitals, not ogling porn on the VR gear.

      Jimmy forced a weak laugh. The new scan's fine. See? He waved a hand towards the big screens. If he wasn't, the alarms would be squawking like parrots.

      Tippy shook her head. This is really important, Jimmy. It's like the beginning of a new age for humanity. If you let Bobby down on this, you'd break his heart.

      Jimmy's face

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