Humanities Fight for Splendor

McPheters

History of Earth during the Founding of Splendor

Year 2076 – Faster than Light (FTL) Space Travel Technology was established.

A combination of magnetism, gold, annealed copper, and a massive charge of DC current was found to create a wormhole in space. Controlling and directing one’s travel and arrival at a specific point took another five years for FTL to become fully realized as a safe means of transport.

Year 2084 – The Exo-Planet Probe Ulysses confirms an Earth-like planet existed in the orbit of the star xf/75221.

Initial bio scans revealed active plant and lower order animal life. Additional scans showed a large deposit of precious metals. Splendor was the name given to this new world by its finder, Laura Anderson.

Year 2137 – The FTL spacecraft Explorer was launched from Earth orbit to the planet Splendor for mining exploration and settlement.

Year 2137 – The first crewed shuttles landed and began the establishment of the mine colony on Splendor.

Year 2144 – After many sacrifices and much tragic loss of life, the first robotic mine ore hauler was sent back to Earth from Splendor. The riches from this first shipment were staggering in their worth.

Year 2145 – Earth’s human civilization is devastated when silicon-based technology is destroyed by a bacterium that was brought to Earth from the initial Splendor mine ore hauler.

Year 2146 – Earth’s culture of technology was eliminated in less than 24 hours. Global governments collapsed. Contact with the planet Splendor ceased.

Year 2182 – Earth struggles to become a feudalistic society. Earth’s population is now 18 percent of what it was before the fall. The Dark Ages have returned to Earth with its desperate days full of squalor and early death.

Year 2215 – A world monarchy is established from the combined lands of the English, French, and the Germanic. King Charles established his kingdom through a combination of ruthlessness and steam power on land, sea, and air. In the fire-scorched ruins of London, the self-appointed King builds his palace and conducts his plans for world domination. The King offered people survival in exchange for submission. His strategy was successful. Only from the great East did he fear a threat. That part of the known world was inaccessible and because of this, it had become a threat to the kingdom.

Year 2283 – The king’s tinkers find that the power of Helium 3b—a rare substance that had been discovered on Splendor as a common element—was a source of energy that could bring a higher level of technology to the kingdom. On Earth, this substance was extremely rare and could only be refined through a long and costly process with little materials produced from this effort. This rare substance, when accelerated by a steady DC current, would generate and store power in a battery as long as the Helium 3b material existed. The tinkers became the prime cultural influence in the world, driving a unique technology that led creativity in directions never thought of in the pre-fallen Earth.

Year 2390 – The queen of the world, Francine, is born and soon all found a reason to fear her. She was her father’s daughter in every way. She brought punishment and cruelty to anyone who would contest her reign as queen.

Year 2425 – The Royal Sciences Directorate reestablished FTL technology and space itself was within the reach of Queen Francine’s control.

Prelude

Laura Anderson slammed the door of her ancient yellow Volkswagen station wagon and quickly started walking toward the front steps of building 230 of the Jet Propulsion Laboratories. She wore a bright yellow dress today, with a sweater draped over her shoulders to ward off the intense air conditioning in the building. She was an attractive woman with a strong and fit physique. She carried her computer and papers in a small leather satchel thrown over her right shoulder. Laura was not running but she was moving quickly with long steady strides. Her large, deep-blue eyes were focused on more than the steps in front of her. They were seeing what she had dreamed of last night and many nights before: the finding of a new world, a new home for the people of Earth.

Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL) was the last facility still owned and managed by NASA. The project Laura leads as the Senior Science Officer is the last major project that NASA was directing in space. Private space businesses had now taken the lead in space exploration and were making space quite profitable. NASA was now seen increasingly as a historical fact than as a viable organization.

The doors swung inward with a slight whoosh as she quickly walked into the sun-brightened lobby owing to the large plate glass windows that were now behind her. She flashed her badge at the security guards behind their desk and continued walking past the space displays showing the history of the JPL and the success of its engine and space probes through the decades. The lobby walls were covered with large photos of Mars, Jupiter, and Neptune and their moons. She did not glance at them as she walked by them. Her thoughts were not upon this solar system but upon one many billions of miles away. Today, she would direct the startup of the new Reagan telescope that had been maneuvered in space past Earth’s Moon and Mars, and was now orbiting the sun in a plane that would have the least amount of dust and object interference. She picked up her pace. As usual, she was late.

She pushed through the door of Control Room 1. It did not appear as large as it did on TV. The room was filled with technicians, scientists, and sub-contractors filling the chairs. Her aide, Anderson, plopped a large cup of black coffee in front of her as she sat in the science lead chair. Laura could feel the eyes snapping to her as she turned her monitor on and adjusted the keyboard. She quickly reviewed the dashboard of data on her screen. Laura saw what she wanted to see and leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and tried to slow down her heartbeat.

The room had grown quiet with her arrival. The members of her team had swiveled in their black chairs to face her and waited to hear what she had to say.

Everyone, Laura began, once again, I find myself having to apologize for my lateness. Time always seems to escape me. Anyway, please be patient with me.

Thirty-eight of the world’s brightest minds soaked up her words. Laura brushed some stray hair from her forehead and continued, I have quickly checked our system metrics and all systems are well within appropriate ranges. Mission Director, you have my permission to go and engage the startup of the Reagan telescope for outer system exploration.

Laura then picked her coffee up with a smile, added some chocolate powder from a packet she kept in her purse, and proceeded to sip the harsh, strong flavor of chocolate-toned French Roast coffee. The scientists burst into applause and Control Room 1 was soon filled with a loud buzz of whispered orders and the rapid clicking of computer keys.

The Mission Director declared, We will energize Reagan in 30 seconds. Be ready for the countdown to start. Each person now looked toward the huge monitor displaying a live viewing of the telescope, which worked by passing FTL energies back and forth through a warped window in space. Start countdown.

Laura did not understand the physics or, as some call it, the metaphysics of FTL communications but she did appreciate the quick access of data she would have from Reagan, versus waiting two hours to receive a message from its instruments.

Three … two … one … energize, the Mission Director called out. With that, a red button was pushed, instead of a mouse click or voice command, for, as many a senior NASA engineer had declared, some things should never change. The protective metallic blanket over the nine equally spaced mirrors was pulled back from the telescopes structure. The attitude jets around the rim of the large saucer-shaped device switched on adjusting the telescope to its proper orientation. Inside the saucer, the nine mirrors, in groups of three, flexed and adjusted like a film of water to obtain the best definition and depth for the camera that would be recording what the great device found. A primitive AI made instantaneous decisions, making fine, continuous adjustments of the mirrors’ surfaces. The technicians watched their computer screens in reverence as the great machine came alive system by system. After many years of waiting for this moment, some were brought to tears with the realization of their dreams.

Laura reached for her mouse and selected a spreadsheet on her screen containing the list of six astronomical locations. She randomly selected the third one down, as all six had a breathable atmosphere and showed great potential for life. Laura closed her eyes, said a quick prayer under her breath, and hit the enter key.

The room’s lighting was dimmed. The faces of the scientists were lit by the computer screens sitting before them. The scientists looked up now at the giant screen that covered the wall at the end of the room. It went black, then fuzzy gray, and then, with an audible snap, a planet and a moon suddenly became visible. The green, blue, and tan colors of the planet filled the screen. The planet looked like the world they had imagined. Everyone in the room was filled with the hope of a new home for humankind. But appearances are deceiving, Laura remembered her momma saying.

As one the team members jumped to their feet, clapped their hands, and hugged each other as they celebrated the achievement of their goals. The shouting continued as the scientists and engineers released the emotions they had contained within themselves for many years of dedicated work.

The Mission Director snapped, Let’s get on the data people. We need to know if this place is a heaven or hell or something in between. Science, get your crew on it!

Yes, sir, Laura responded with a smile. She sipped her coffee, which was still hot. It tasted especially good now.

The Beginning of the End

The year was now 2146 and it was a splendid time for the world. Technology had begun proving that it could bring peace, happiness, and a rich life for almost all the people of Earth. Only those who had rejected the free offering of power and substance had to suffer. Religion had greatly reduced its influence on the world. Technology had met the needs of the people of Earth much better than some god, they thought. The strong hand of science controlled Earth’s very weather. People worked, loved, ate, and slept in peace.

The humanity of Earth had now stretched its hand deep into space and had colonized the Moon and Mars. The asteroid belt was found to be full of richness, with precious metals that made gold as cheap as iron. Diamonds were now used as decorations for children’s toys.

Earth’s animal life had been reduced through mismanagement and over harvesting but it was now being returned to its past richness through genetic manipulation. Even man’s life had been extended through medical breakthroughs: genetic enhancement gave a man’s life at least two hundred years. Robots did the menial work of Earth and even explored the faraway planets that were in other solar systems. Now man’s greatest step had been accomplished. Man, had traveled faster than light to a new world—a new Earth called Splendor, where he could continue to show how nothing could stand in his way because of the greatness of science and the people who used it as the outreach of their will. The richness of Splendor—metals, alloys, and chemicals that could not be found in Earth’s Solar System—were brought back. What greatness lay before them? New highs, new discoveries—truly it had become heaven on Earth.

Then, unforeseen, a plague materialized, evidently brought from Splendor. In one day, as if by a prearranged signal given out by the bacterial plague itself, the Earth was overwhelmed and the superiority of man was crushed.

It has been recorded that the bacterial plague was first noticed by a young man named Eric. He was playing a three-dimensional role-playing game in his Virtual Reality room. Eric was in the middle of saving his computer-created girlfriend from a dinosaur with only a sword and shield, when the game shut down without warming.

Eric immediately called out to the house computer in a sad, whiny voice, Susan, why has the game stopped?

After running thousands of self-checks on its hardware and software, Susan responded with a soft and caring voice, Eric, I have determined that the circuits of the game system which are built into the house computer system are liquefying along with— With a sharp click from the small, concealed ceiling speaker, silence filled the grand house that Eric lived in with his parents. No soft background music and no caring words from his Susan could now be heard. The click was the last sound that Eric heard from his house AI. In fact, it was the last time he ever heard from an AI again. The lights in his house then went out. Eric walked around the house calling out to Susan but there was no response. Eric wanted to cry, as Susan was his best friend. She had been there for him his entire life but now he was unable to talk to her. He walked outside his house, hoping to find out what was going on.

As Eric passed through his front door, he yelled, This is stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

The sun was shining brightly. It was another perfect day, like every other day Eric had ever known before. Eric now stood on his house’s front lawn looking at the large houses across the street. Other people were coming out of their homes as well. Some were yelling at the neighbors. Eric was getting scared. He was nineteen years old and he wished his parents were home with him since Susan had gone away.

Eric was now hugging himself and starting to sniffle slightly as he considered joining his neighbors, whom he had only seen through the house windows over the years. He chose to stand still and watch to see what would happen next. Maybe someone would tell him what to do so he could bring Susan back.

Eric looked up his street and saw a car weaving side to side over the road. The car was coming in his direction. The car’s horn was blaring with a strange wail. Eric could see someone was inside the car but the person was screaming and waving his or her arms. The car rushed toward him and Eric remained frozen in place, not knowing what to do. His last thought before he was crushed under the car was, Susan, help me!

Across the world, the chips and circuit boards evaporated, and the silicon-based society whose technology gave man its brilliance disappeared. Tiny one-cell creatures ate their way through a civilization in a day. Planes, trains, and automobiles either came to a stop or crashed. Across the world’s oceans, ships became toys battered by the seas. Everywhere, the power went off and did not return. Humanity commenced dying at an astounding rate. Light no longer pushed back the darkness and no hope was to be found upon the Earth.

Under the clear plastic domes of Earth’s Moon and Mars, the environmental systems had shut down with a desperate whine. The domes were now silent and dark. No sounds came from the domes but for the crying of the people trapped inside them. There was no hope for those on the Moon or Mars either.

The last person to know the effect of the Splendor Plague, as it came to be known to the few survivors left on Earth, was in deep space long past Mars on a large rock and ice asteroid that Jeff Franklin was mining. His small one-manned ship rested on a rocky outcrop a couple hundred feet away from his current position. He was too old to be doing this kind work, especially by himself, but he needed the money. Jeff wanted to retire with some independence and have fun now and then. He had a condominium picked out in Las Vegas, which was next door to a casino that had given him a good time.

Jeff was working inside of a large, red augmented mining spacesuit that gave him the power to lift and install large mining equipment. He was setting up a drill tripod to obtain a radar picture of the interior of the asteroid. After the hole was drilled, he would pack in some explosives, cover it up, and blow a wave of energy through this flying rock so she would light up on his ship’s instruments, exposing exactly what minerals were hidden deep inside of the asteroid. Very simple, dangerous but simple. Jeff liked simple.

Jeff’s tripod was set in place now. The drill was centered and checked out, so he flipped the power switch and that was when things started to get complicated for Jeff. The power did not turn on.

Crap! Jeff yelled loud enough for his voice to be heard outside of the bright red spacesuit he wore.

Space, of course, with its lack of air, transmitted no sound but if one could see Jeff’s face as he tried one switch or plug after another, they would guess correctly what he was saying. The words would not have been pretty. Then Jeff froze in place.

Jeff had just noticed his ship’s lights had gone off. Oh, this is not good, he thought. Not good at all, sir. He stopped what he was doing and twisted in his suit, turned, and started a slow hop toward his ship when his internal suit monitor came alive with a warning buzzer.

The monitor flashed a red warning across the interior side of his faceplate, showing him that the control systems of his suit were failing one by one. The augmented suit locked up on Jeff mid-hop and he fell toward the rocky and icy surface of the asteroid.

Jeff’s eyes grew large as he saw the surface slowly rising to greet him. Jeff could not move his suit’s arms to save himself. His faceplate struck a stray pointed rock as his suit failed totally. Jeff’s faceplate cracked upon impact and air rapidly escaped the suit with a hissing sound. Within seconds, Jeff joined many others in the solar system in death. It was a merciful way to die, as he would have been unable to breathe within his suit within the next hour. Jeff would have laid upon the asteroids rocky surface feeling the cold of space freezing his limbs while he sucked his spacesuit dry of air.

There was no hope for Jeff Franklin as his body grew as cold as the ice he laid upon.

If angels could weep, they would have filled the skies of Earth with salty rain for the loss of humankind, the good, and the bad – Laura Anderson

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The years passed slowly. And after many setbacks, humankind dragged itself out of the mud and blood of ignorance and Earth’s population started to grow once again.

The year was now 2424, and a small intense man, with long, gray uncut hair that flew about on its own even when he was standing still, was working late into the night. He had intense and glistening brownish eyes in a heavily lined face, which was so pale that a light trace of blue veins could be seen on his cheeks and forehead. He wore a stained and torn white lab coat that was two sizes too big for him. The tinker worked passionately in the dungeon of the basement laboratory of the Royal Sciences Directorate for the Monarchy.

The little man often worked alone except for a shabby-looking gray tabby that would follow him about. He would sleep on a cot in the corner of his laboratory, which was as old as he was, with the cat sleeping on his chest. He had lab assistants assigned to him for help with the fabrication of test systems, but the assistants often left and found reasons not to return.

The tinker was not a chatterbox but he would hum and make odd noises while scampering around the lab, making a tool one moment then the next running a test on a piece of equipment at the other end of the laboratory. He would ignore his assistants and push them out of the way, as they tried to clean and put the laboratory into some sort of order.

Feeding him properly was seemingly impossible. The tinker lived off black coffee and plain bread alone. The lab assistants found it most bothersome that the tinker just reeked. He never bathed and would often wear the same clothes day after day. His assistants hated to be in the same room with him, much less work with him. However, even with these issues, the old tinker was still brilliant and highly regarded.

The tinker had created a new means of electrical power generation and other seemingly magical devices that could absorb this transmitted energy from the air. Everyone who knew him were assured that he was quite mad, but he was the King’s lunatic, and because of this, he was taken care of and encouraged to pursue the ideas that only he could conceive.

Late one evening, under the dim and flickering lights of the Directorate’s laboratory, the tinker was found wearing his soiled leather apron and leather gloves that reached his elbows. He was working alone on what he hoped to be his greatest achievement—a device that would bring him importance and a much larger laboratory with more test equipment. His new device was an instant transportation machine.

He needed to create two modules but he had built only one so far because he was not granted enough money to make two. Nevertheless, based on a tinker’s philosophy of test it, test it again and see what it does until it breaks, he pursued his objective.

The tinker stepped in front of the completed transfer module Number 1, as he called it. The tinker had a low DC charge feeding the testing instrument pack that was attached to the transfer module cabinet. He had positioned the transfer module in the center of his laboratory with rubber-coated power cables running to the back of the cabinet like a nest of black snakes. The testing instrument pack’s dials told him that the electrical leads were attached properly and the transfer module system was ready for current.

The module itself looked more like a piece of sculpture than an electronic device. Superficially, it appeared that a gleaming golden spear had been thrust through a hole positioned in the center of the six-foot tall module. The golden spear was made of copper but annealed in pure gold. It was at least fifteen feet long and not quite two