A young woman comes home to see her younger brother in the middle of a circle of hermetic magic. Complications ensue!
The Last Jump (Urban Fantasy/Science Fantasy, Multicross, Planeswalking, Eventual-40k-Like)
- Thread starter Gavinfoxx
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Prologue, Part 1
- Location
- USA
Before we get started, I would like to state the following:
I would like to thank ChatGPT, the AI language model, for their assistance in generating ideas and providing inspiration for this story. While ChatGPT cannot claim ownership or authorship over the final product, their assistance was invaluable in the creative process. In fact, they even wrote the disclaimer!
And now, the story.
The Last Jump
Prologue
Part 1
Rebecca Parkins let out a long sigh as she stepped into her family's home, her school bag slung over her shoulder. Her eyes scanned the living room, noting the absence of her parents and Ian. It wasn't surprising; her parents often worked late, and Ian was likely in his room. She walked to her room, the plush carpet muffling her footsteps.
As she put her school supplies away, a faint scent of incense tickled her nostrils, and she furrowed her brow in concern. The glowing red light emanating from the cracked door of her brother's room on the second floor heightened her apprehension. She knew Ian was interested in hermetic magic, but she had tried to discourage him from dabbling in it without proper guidance, which she didn't have time to give him.
Rebecca carefully approached Ian's door, a sense of apprehension growing. She knew her brother was smart, but he often lacked the foresight to understand the consequences of his actions. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to confront him directly and pushed the door open.
"Ian, what are you doing?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. The sight before her was troubling: Ian stood in the center of a complex series of circles, runes, symbols, and text, which was the source of the red glow, and seemed to be in the middle of a ritual. The air in the room felt heavy, charged with magical energy.
Ian's eyes brightened, "I found a golemancy ritual online! I'm going to turn these toys of yours into little tiny toy golems. They'll be able to act out scenes and stuff! It's going to be awesome!"
Even at first glance, Rebecca could tell he had the particulars of the ritual all wrong. Whatever internet ritual he found, it obviously wasn't any sort of animation or imbuing with false life ritual. Even from her position, she could tell there were elements of information gathering, anchoring an effect to the caster, and something related to movement, transposition, or changing of location, all with a lot of ambient power draw.
Oh hell. The damn fool's either going to get his atoms spread across the solar system or get himself isekaid somewhere where he'll die immediately. Maybe, just maybe, if she could do... something... to this ritual, she might be able to save her idiot brother's life and not die in the process. Ugh, she needed more information; a quick glance wasn't enough to figure out what to do!
Her eyes widened, and her hands clenched into fists as she tried to keep the rising panic from her voice. "Ian, you don't understand. This isn't a golemancy ritual. You've messed this up, and you're in serious danger!"
She glanced at the runes again, her mind racing as she tried to quickly assess the situation. There had to be a way to fix this, to save her brother and herself from potential disaster.
"I need you to stop, right now," she said urgently. "Please, let me take a closer look at the ritual and help you. I don't want you to get hurt, or worse."
As she stepped closer, the magical pressure making movement difficult, she tried to piece together the various elements of the ritual, hoping to figure out a way to stabilize it or at least minimize the potential damage. Her heart pounded in her chest as she took in the details, her eyes flicking back and forth between the runes and symbols.
Ian blinked, "What? Stop? Hurt? Do you know how long it took me to set this up? There's no way I'm stopping this! I used two months' allowance on these supplies! And it'll be awesome; I know I did it right!"
Ignoring his protests for now, Rebecca took a more thorough look at the ritual. As she investigated, she realized that stopping it without causing massive backlash was impossible. Could they delay it and evacuate the house before it went haywire? No, it was keyed to... bloodline. As the effect intensified, it would transition to a full soul lock. The ritual, for now, was locked to either her or Ian. There was also no way her parents would return in time and offer their help. At least one of them would be affected by... whatever this was within the next 15 minutes or so, so she had a bit of time to try and understand it. Alright, information gathering, symbolism, transportation, the object in the center of that circle... okay.
The ritual would examine the object in the center of that specific circle, figure out what kind of reality it symbolized, and then transport the person or people the whole ritual was anchored to somewhere in the infinite multiverse that closely matched the symbolism of that object.
That's when she took a closer look at the object in the center of the circle, partially shielded by the red magical glow. It was one of her War-Torn Galaxy figurines, a Power Armored Space Assault Marine wielding an Energy Axe in one hand and a Pyro-Flechette Auto-Shotcaster in the other. Any universe like that would be... really, really bad. That Science Fantasy setting was comically grimdark. Well, from the outside, it was comical, but being there would be horrible. There were no good guys, the only afterlife in that setting was Hell, and everything in that reality was absolutely terrible. She couldn't let her brother go there! Just as she likewise couldn't just take his place the way the ritual was set up now. There had to be some sort of solution—something to do with this ritual to make it better, or at least less bad, somehow.
Rebecca gritted her teeth in frustration, trying to keep her cool. "Ian, I'm serious! This is incredibly dangerous, and I need you to understand that. But, there's no way for us to stop this, I think. I can maybe help you fix it, though. We don't have much time! Don't do anything; I don't know what any changes you might make would do. Just stand there for now while I fix this."
Ian blinked, thrown off-kilter by the non sequitur. "Uh, I don't, but don't you have a bunch of girly stuffed animals stuck in the back of the closet in the guest bedroom?"
She did indeed have a lot of stuffed animals from her much earlier childhood stored there. But only one was tied in any way into a larger setting -- and one that was saccharine indeed. If she could get to it, get the toy, and get back before her Space Assault Marine figurine partially phased out of this reality and then became intangible due to the spell -- there was a chance to redirect the effect by swapping out one toy for the other!
Rebecca's eyes lit up as she remembered the stuffed animals stored in the guest bedroom's closet. Among them was a plush toy from a children's TV show called "Lavender Meadows" that she had adored as a child. The show was set in a delightful world filled with talking animals, kind-hearted characters, and magical adventures. If she could replace the War-Torn Galaxy figurine with the Lavender Meadows plush, it might just change the destination of the ritual to a safer and more welcoming universe.
"Okay, Ian, stay right here and don't touch anything. I'll be back in a moment," she said, her voice laced with determination. She dashed out of the room and down the hallway, her heart pounding as she raced against the clock.
Rebecca flung open the guest bedroom's closet, rummaging through the pile of stuffed animals until she found the one she was looking for: a soft, lavender-colored rabbit named Hoppity Hop. Clutching the plush toy tightly, she sprinted back to Ian's room, praying that she hadn't taken too long.
"Ian, quickly, we need to replace the figurine with Hoppity Hop!" she instructed, thrusting the plush rabbit into her brother's hands. "If we do this right, we might be able to change the destination of the ritual to the Lavender Meadows universe. It's a lot safer than the War-Torn Galaxy. But only you can do this right now, the ritual's focused on you!"
As her brother reached for the rabbit, she watched the figurine on the floor, her heart in her throat. She could only hope they weren't too late.
Ian, by this point, was actually looking scared. "I, yeah, okay. Um. H-how bad is this? I don't pay attention to the books with the pictures of your figurines on them." Before waiting for an answer, he succeeded in grabbing the rabbit and attempted to make the swap, grabbing at the figurines to fling them out of the circle and replace them with the rabbit. Instead, his hand sort of phased through the figurines, and all attempts to drop the rabbit where the figurines were had the rabbit somehow drop outside of that circle in a way that the eyes couldn't follow. "I can't replace them! Sis, what do I do?!"
Rebecca's mind and her eyes had not been idle this whole time. So, at least one of them would definitely be going to that horrible grimdark setting. If either of them went there, the absolute best-case scenario would be that they live a quiet life for a bit and then randomly die painfully in some horrible way, and then suffer for eternity in Hell. Further, there was no reasonable way to use setting meta-knowledge to prevent that; the place had no 'silver bullet' to fix things.
One would need so-called 'Outside Context' resources and capabilities, and her relatively meager magical and scientific and cultural knowledge would definitely NOT qualify. But... there were unused parts of the spell. There was a pentagram, and if she placed the right sorts of symbols in each closed triangle of that symbol, she could send the person or people the spell targeted to five separate locations, and only THEN to War-Torn Galaxy. Rebecca's mind raced at the possibility, and a potential solution began to form in her mind. It was risky, but it just might work.
"Alright, Ian, listen to me," she said, her voice firm but gentle. "We can't swap out the figurines, but I think I can alter the ritual to send the target to five different locations before ending up in the War-Torn Galaxy universe. If we can gather the right resources and knowledge from those locations, we might have a chance to survive and not be literally Damned."
Her hands shook as she began to draw some symbols in each triangle of the pentagram, the only step she could actually do right now which would be helpful. "I need you to trust me, Ian. I'm going to do everything I can to protect you. I'll be back soon!" The hastily scrawled symbols were enough to start, but she still needed physical representations that were meaningful to each setting. Her room! The place was a nerd heaven, full of books, discs for computer games -- she preferred her games in physical medium and preferred computer games -- board games, DVD sets for TV shows and movies, role-playing game campaign books, graphic novel compilations of various indie comics, and more. She could grab the most ideal physical representations, place them in the most ideal order, and maybe, maybe be able to achieve her plan of both of them getting home. For as she had written what symbols she could, she had realized that the only way to have the person who went be likely to survive was if she could futz about with the details -- which would require the spell to target two people.
Her first thought was to grab the most raw power possible -- with enough magical and psychic and ki or soul-based might, the two of them would be Gods, and reshape the setting before giving up the vast majority of their power as a necessity for how to get home and see their family again. But... that didn't quite feel right. War-Torn Galaxy had a wide variety of entities that could be described as 'Gods', with an intentionally ambiguous mix of power sources and capabilities for them, and every last one of them was dangerously and violently insane. No, this called for some measure of subtlety and not brute force. Or at least, not brute force of the 'gain lots of individual mystical power and become a god'; some other sort of 'brute force' would have to work, but she didn't have time to contemplate what that might look like right now.
Further, part of the reason you weren't supposed to do multiversal travel was that you'd be at least partially subject to local rules. Not everything would work in every place, you can stretch things, and sometimes do very locally unexpected things, but you couldn't really predict with certainty exactly what weird abilities or technology would cross over from place to place, or how well it would work, though what was known was that everything that was a part of 'you' would at most be suppressed. There was also the fact that no one had apparently gone to any place with any real amount of power and had come back, but she put that little detail from her mind as irrelevant for now.
War-Torn Galaxy leaned very heavily into 'Narrative Causality' and 'Rule of Cool', and embraced the 'Unreliable Narrator' trope with regards to the myriad amount of authors with conflicting visions that have written in the setting over the decades. As a kitchen-sink science fantasy setting turned up to 11, it's plausible that most of her collection of fantasy and science fiction would have something in them that would be useful in the final setting, as far as 'rules' went. She also didn't exactly know how the teleport effect would work for the two of them, so she couldn't be sure until it happened what exactly the two of them could physically carry from each place to the next.
Rebecca rushed to her room, her mind racing with the possibilities of the five locations she could choose. She scanned her vast collection of fantasy and science fiction materials, trying to determine which settings would be most advantageous for their survival in War-Torn Galaxy. She needed to choose carefully, considering not only the power they could gain but also the potential risks and unknown factors that each setting might present.
Her first thought was the technologically advanced world of Aetheria Prime, a setting filled with brilliant inventors and powerful machinery. Perhaps they could learn to create or use technology that would give them an edge in the grim, dark reality they would eventually face.
Next, she considered the magical realm of Enchantica, a land brimming with powerful wizards and mystical creatures. Gaining magical knowledge and allies from Enchantica might allow them to wield new forms of magic and face the horrors of War-Torn Galaxy with greater confidence.
Her eyes then fell upon the series of books detailing the world of Strategos, a setting where masterful tacticians and skilled warriors fought epic battles. The knowledge of strategy and tactics from this world could prove invaluable in the brutal universe they would soon enter.
Rebecca also pondered the possibility of visiting the cyberpunk dystopia of Neo-Noir City, a place where cunning and resourcefulness were the keys to survival. If they could learn the art of deception and subterfuge, they might be able to navigate the treacherous landscape of War-Torn Galaxy without drawing too much attention to themselves.
Finally, she considered the peaceful utopia of Harmonia, a world in which cooperation and unity had led to a society that was as close to perfect as any she had read about. If they could bring a sense of hope and unity to the denizens of War-Torn Galaxy, perhaps they could spark a change in the nightmarish world.
I would like to thank ChatGPT, the AI language model, for their assistance in generating ideas and providing inspiration for this story. While ChatGPT cannot claim ownership or authorship over the final product, their assistance was invaluable in the creative process. In fact, they even wrote the disclaimer!
And now, the story.
The Last Jump
Prologue
Part 1
Rebecca Parkins let out a long sigh as she stepped into her family's home, her school bag slung over her shoulder. Her eyes scanned the living room, noting the absence of her parents and Ian. It wasn't surprising; her parents often worked late, and Ian was likely in his room. She walked to her room, the plush carpet muffling her footsteps.
As she put her school supplies away, a faint scent of incense tickled her nostrils, and she furrowed her brow in concern. The glowing red light emanating from the cracked door of her brother's room on the second floor heightened her apprehension. She knew Ian was interested in hermetic magic, but she had tried to discourage him from dabbling in it without proper guidance, which she didn't have time to give him.
Rebecca carefully approached Ian's door, a sense of apprehension growing. She knew her brother was smart, but he often lacked the foresight to understand the consequences of his actions. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to confront him directly and pushed the door open.
"Ian, what are you doing?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. The sight before her was troubling: Ian stood in the center of a complex series of circles, runes, symbols, and text, which was the source of the red glow, and seemed to be in the middle of a ritual. The air in the room felt heavy, charged with magical energy.
Ian's eyes brightened, "I found a golemancy ritual online! I'm going to turn these toys of yours into little tiny toy golems. They'll be able to act out scenes and stuff! It's going to be awesome!"
Even at first glance, Rebecca could tell he had the particulars of the ritual all wrong. Whatever internet ritual he found, it obviously wasn't any sort of animation or imbuing with false life ritual. Even from her position, she could tell there were elements of information gathering, anchoring an effect to the caster, and something related to movement, transposition, or changing of location, all with a lot of ambient power draw.
Oh hell. The damn fool's either going to get his atoms spread across the solar system or get himself isekaid somewhere where he'll die immediately. Maybe, just maybe, if she could do... something... to this ritual, she might be able to save her idiot brother's life and not die in the process. Ugh, she needed more information; a quick glance wasn't enough to figure out what to do!
Her eyes widened, and her hands clenched into fists as she tried to keep the rising panic from her voice. "Ian, you don't understand. This isn't a golemancy ritual. You've messed this up, and you're in serious danger!"
She glanced at the runes again, her mind racing as she tried to quickly assess the situation. There had to be a way to fix this, to save her brother and herself from potential disaster.
"I need you to stop, right now," she said urgently. "Please, let me take a closer look at the ritual and help you. I don't want you to get hurt, or worse."
As she stepped closer, the magical pressure making movement difficult, she tried to piece together the various elements of the ritual, hoping to figure out a way to stabilize it or at least minimize the potential damage. Her heart pounded in her chest as she took in the details, her eyes flicking back and forth between the runes and symbols.
Ian blinked, "What? Stop? Hurt? Do you know how long it took me to set this up? There's no way I'm stopping this! I used two months' allowance on these supplies! And it'll be awesome; I know I did it right!"
Ignoring his protests for now, Rebecca took a more thorough look at the ritual. As she investigated, she realized that stopping it without causing massive backlash was impossible. Could they delay it and evacuate the house before it went haywire? No, it was keyed to... bloodline. As the effect intensified, it would transition to a full soul lock. The ritual, for now, was locked to either her or Ian. There was also no way her parents would return in time and offer their help. At least one of them would be affected by... whatever this was within the next 15 minutes or so, so she had a bit of time to try and understand it. Alright, information gathering, symbolism, transportation, the object in the center of that circle... okay.
The ritual would examine the object in the center of that specific circle, figure out what kind of reality it symbolized, and then transport the person or people the whole ritual was anchored to somewhere in the infinite multiverse that closely matched the symbolism of that object.
That's when she took a closer look at the object in the center of the circle, partially shielded by the red magical glow. It was one of her War-Torn Galaxy figurines, a Power Armored Space Assault Marine wielding an Energy Axe in one hand and a Pyro-Flechette Auto-Shotcaster in the other. Any universe like that would be... really, really bad. That Science Fantasy setting was comically grimdark. Well, from the outside, it was comical, but being there would be horrible. There were no good guys, the only afterlife in that setting was Hell, and everything in that reality was absolutely terrible. She couldn't let her brother go there! Just as she likewise couldn't just take his place the way the ritual was set up now. There had to be some sort of solution—something to do with this ritual to make it better, or at least less bad, somehow.
Rebecca gritted her teeth in frustration, trying to keep her cool. "Ian, I'm serious! This is incredibly dangerous, and I need you to understand that. But, there's no way for us to stop this, I think. I can maybe help you fix it, though. We don't have much time! Don't do anything; I don't know what any changes you might make would do. Just stand there for now while I fix this."
Ian blinked, thrown off-kilter by the non sequitur. "Uh, I don't, but don't you have a bunch of girly stuffed animals stuck in the back of the closet in the guest bedroom?"
She did indeed have a lot of stuffed animals from her much earlier childhood stored there. But only one was tied in any way into a larger setting -- and one that was saccharine indeed. If she could get to it, get the toy, and get back before her Space Assault Marine figurine partially phased out of this reality and then became intangible due to the spell -- there was a chance to redirect the effect by swapping out one toy for the other!
Rebecca's eyes lit up as she remembered the stuffed animals stored in the guest bedroom's closet. Among them was a plush toy from a children's TV show called "Lavender Meadows" that she had adored as a child. The show was set in a delightful world filled with talking animals, kind-hearted characters, and magical adventures. If she could replace the War-Torn Galaxy figurine with the Lavender Meadows plush, it might just change the destination of the ritual to a safer and more welcoming universe.
"Okay, Ian, stay right here and don't touch anything. I'll be back in a moment," she said, her voice laced with determination. She dashed out of the room and down the hallway, her heart pounding as she raced against the clock.
Rebecca flung open the guest bedroom's closet, rummaging through the pile of stuffed animals until she found the one she was looking for: a soft, lavender-colored rabbit named Hoppity Hop. Clutching the plush toy tightly, she sprinted back to Ian's room, praying that she hadn't taken too long.
"Ian, quickly, we need to replace the figurine with Hoppity Hop!" she instructed, thrusting the plush rabbit into her brother's hands. "If we do this right, we might be able to change the destination of the ritual to the Lavender Meadows universe. It's a lot safer than the War-Torn Galaxy. But only you can do this right now, the ritual's focused on you!"
As her brother reached for the rabbit, she watched the figurine on the floor, her heart in her throat. She could only hope they weren't too late.
Ian, by this point, was actually looking scared. "I, yeah, okay. Um. H-how bad is this? I don't pay attention to the books with the pictures of your figurines on them." Before waiting for an answer, he succeeded in grabbing the rabbit and attempted to make the swap, grabbing at the figurines to fling them out of the circle and replace them with the rabbit. Instead, his hand sort of phased through the figurines, and all attempts to drop the rabbit where the figurines were had the rabbit somehow drop outside of that circle in a way that the eyes couldn't follow. "I can't replace them! Sis, what do I do?!"
Rebecca's mind and her eyes had not been idle this whole time. So, at least one of them would definitely be going to that horrible grimdark setting. If either of them went there, the absolute best-case scenario would be that they live a quiet life for a bit and then randomly die painfully in some horrible way, and then suffer for eternity in Hell. Further, there was no reasonable way to use setting meta-knowledge to prevent that; the place had no 'silver bullet' to fix things.
One would need so-called 'Outside Context' resources and capabilities, and her relatively meager magical and scientific and cultural knowledge would definitely NOT qualify. But... there were unused parts of the spell. There was a pentagram, and if she placed the right sorts of symbols in each closed triangle of that symbol, she could send the person or people the spell targeted to five separate locations, and only THEN to War-Torn Galaxy. Rebecca's mind raced at the possibility, and a potential solution began to form in her mind. It was risky, but it just might work.
"Alright, Ian, listen to me," she said, her voice firm but gentle. "We can't swap out the figurines, but I think I can alter the ritual to send the target to five different locations before ending up in the War-Torn Galaxy universe. If we can gather the right resources and knowledge from those locations, we might have a chance to survive and not be literally Damned."
Her hands shook as she began to draw some symbols in each triangle of the pentagram, the only step she could actually do right now which would be helpful. "I need you to trust me, Ian. I'm going to do everything I can to protect you. I'll be back soon!" The hastily scrawled symbols were enough to start, but she still needed physical representations that were meaningful to each setting. Her room! The place was a nerd heaven, full of books, discs for computer games -- she preferred her games in physical medium and preferred computer games -- board games, DVD sets for TV shows and movies, role-playing game campaign books, graphic novel compilations of various indie comics, and more. She could grab the most ideal physical representations, place them in the most ideal order, and maybe, maybe be able to achieve her plan of both of them getting home. For as she had written what symbols she could, she had realized that the only way to have the person who went be likely to survive was if she could futz about with the details -- which would require the spell to target two people.
Her first thought was to grab the most raw power possible -- with enough magical and psychic and ki or soul-based might, the two of them would be Gods, and reshape the setting before giving up the vast majority of their power as a necessity for how to get home and see their family again. But... that didn't quite feel right. War-Torn Galaxy had a wide variety of entities that could be described as 'Gods', with an intentionally ambiguous mix of power sources and capabilities for them, and every last one of them was dangerously and violently insane. No, this called for some measure of subtlety and not brute force. Or at least, not brute force of the 'gain lots of individual mystical power and become a god'; some other sort of 'brute force' would have to work, but she didn't have time to contemplate what that might look like right now.
Further, part of the reason you weren't supposed to do multiversal travel was that you'd be at least partially subject to local rules. Not everything would work in every place, you can stretch things, and sometimes do very locally unexpected things, but you couldn't really predict with certainty exactly what weird abilities or technology would cross over from place to place, or how well it would work, though what was known was that everything that was a part of 'you' would at most be suppressed. There was also the fact that no one had apparently gone to any place with any real amount of power and had come back, but she put that little detail from her mind as irrelevant for now.
War-Torn Galaxy leaned very heavily into 'Narrative Causality' and 'Rule of Cool', and embraced the 'Unreliable Narrator' trope with regards to the myriad amount of authors with conflicting visions that have written in the setting over the decades. As a kitchen-sink science fantasy setting turned up to 11, it's plausible that most of her collection of fantasy and science fiction would have something in them that would be useful in the final setting, as far as 'rules' went. She also didn't exactly know how the teleport effect would work for the two of them, so she couldn't be sure until it happened what exactly the two of them could physically carry from each place to the next.
Rebecca rushed to her room, her mind racing with the possibilities of the five locations she could choose. She scanned her vast collection of fantasy and science fiction materials, trying to determine which settings would be most advantageous for their survival in War-Torn Galaxy. She needed to choose carefully, considering not only the power they could gain but also the potential risks and unknown factors that each setting might present.
Her first thought was the technologically advanced world of Aetheria Prime, a setting filled with brilliant inventors and powerful machinery. Perhaps they could learn to create or use technology that would give them an edge in the grim, dark reality they would eventually face.
Next, she considered the magical realm of Enchantica, a land brimming with powerful wizards and mystical creatures. Gaining magical knowledge and allies from Enchantica might allow them to wield new forms of magic and face the horrors of War-Torn Galaxy with greater confidence.
Her eyes then fell upon the series of books detailing the world of Strategos, a setting where masterful tacticians and skilled warriors fought epic battles. The knowledge of strategy and tactics from this world could prove invaluable in the brutal universe they would soon enter.
Rebecca also pondered the possibility of visiting the cyberpunk dystopia of Neo-Noir City, a place where cunning and resourcefulness were the keys to survival. If they could learn the art of deception and subterfuge, they might be able to navigate the treacherous landscape of War-Torn Galaxy without drawing too much attention to themselves.
Finally, she considered the peaceful utopia of Harmonia, a world in which cooperation and unity had led to a society that was as close to perfect as any she had read about. If they could bring a sense of hope and unity to the denizens of War-Torn Galaxy, perhaps they could spark a change in the nightmarish world.
Prologue, Part 2
- Location
- USA
The Last Jump
Prologue
Part 2
Technology. Magic. Martial Skill. Cunning. Cooperation. Those were very, very good ways of conceptualizing what Rebecca would need, to counter the horribleness of War-Torn Galaxy. Her first instinct was to simply pick the most obvious example that focused on each theme, one per world. But she paused. Was mono-focusing each specific setting on a single theme the best plan she could come up with in the time she had? Such a plan ignored synergistic effects between the learnings and special materials and techniques available in each setting. Would a little bit of dilution, perhaps going to settings that had multiple different avenues from which she and her brother could gain advantage be better, as long as they, themselves proactively focused on those five pillars wherever they went?
Such a plan also ignored certain limitations inherent in her collection itself. While the Aetheria Prime series of young adult science fiction novels had many examples of great technology in them, it was very much a 'soft' science fiction setting, and ignored such things as 'practical engineering', 'form following function', 'efficiency', 'replicability', 'safety', 'logistics', 'documentation', and also technologies supporting the 'soft' sciences.
And since it definitely followed the time-honored tradition of most science fiction authors having no sense of scale, it had major problems in scaling and scope, or of infrastructural implications of inventions, or even of team coordination, focusing instead on wondrous one-off inventions of lone brilliant scientists, both mad and heroic. It also had absolutely no concept of transhumanism being something that is anything other than a horrific thing the villains sometimes did, and, perhaps selfishly, Rebecca absolutely did NOT want focus on getting technology from a place that wouldn't help her improve her somewhat 'dumpy' body or which would not have an easily accessible means of improving her mind and knowledge.
This implied that she would want to probably first visit a hard science fiction location of some sort, and then only later visit a soft science fiction setting, to get the more 'wondrous' technologies.
Magic. The fantasy novels and tie-in tabletop roleplaying game of Enchantica definitely had many schools of powerful magic, and many powerful magical artifacts. It also was the sort of place that notably had many drawbacks. Towns were always very small, monsters were very prevalent and often greatly harmed villages that didn't have 'Wizards' (which Enchantica used as the generic term for 'anyone who could use magic', even if they were Swordmages) to protect them. Which led to the second and third problem with Enchantica – much like the situation of the post-2012 Awakening Event world she currently found herself in, the sorts of magic that someone without a specific internal 'spark' of magic, which ran in families and was implied to be genetic, could learn were extremely limited.
She would have no way of knowing if, like in their present world, they would be limited to the more ritualistic forms of magic; definitely a non ideal situation. Further, it was specifically stated in the novels that only those with a powerful 'spark' could learn magic quickly. What if the spell that sent them on these sequential jumps had it's own ideas about how much time they could spend in each reality? At best, they could maybe use knowledge from the books and comics to quickly find specific magical artifacts, if they could somehow defeat the guardians of those items without significant magic of their own.
Also, though Enchantica had strong Wizards, it didn't really have strong religious or divine or infernal themes – something that they would need some sort of mystical context to handle for when they made it to War-Torn Galaxy. Nor did it have a specific means of making 'custom' magic; there were just the spells and enchanted objects in the novels, which were expanded into a larger list in the tabletop RPG. Enchantica would not be suitable as the only source of Fantasy magic. But perhaps a supplement? The setting absolutely had spells which would 'no sell' major threats in the War-Torn Galaxy universe; the Mind Guard spell and amulets alone would defend against most types of mental intrusion if they worked as expected in the War-Torn Galaxy setting.
Martial Skill and Strategy. That was… very problematic. Science fiction and fantasy, even the versions that were more 'military' themed, often had major issues showing very competent tactics and strategy. The scale didn't particularly matter, be they individual martial arts with or without weapons, small unit tactics of any given age, anything involving armies, or heaven forbid anything to do with logistics; it was astoundingly rare. This made plenty of sense; most authors were not members of the military, or if they were, they were writing intentionally to a market of people who were not familiar with the history of strategy and tactics, or how things like 'combined arms warfare' worked.
Even wargames, both Strategos and War-Torn Galaxy itself were not exempt from this, preferring more to evoke the feel of a few tactics of particular eras of warfare than anything else. This was a common trope; an unreasonably large percentage of her sci fi media could be distilled to 'The Pacific theater of World War II, but IN SPACE!'. This might be a skill that is best to learn across several settings specifically because they would take dramatically different approaches to the problem. It was also one where she would have to keep an eye out for settings that more imply competency at these topics in an indirect way than is directly shown in print or on screen; her own world has more competently planned military operations and techniques than is often shown in most of her fiction.
Possibly some of the options in her collection would keep that competency intact? And others might have 'Rule of Cool' as something that could be manipulated, generally disguised with lots of analogies to awareness of the 'flow' or 'rhythm' of combat or the 'will' of some aspect of metaphysics or people that warped concepts like 'probability' and 'synchronicity' around them, and then used that to explain why some individuals or small groups specifically fought in improbable ways, against improbably large number of enemies.
Cunning and Resourcefulness. Oof. There were a lot of ways to look at that as well. Neo-Noir City focused more on stories of anarchist and socialist punks who lived on the margins of society using their wits and cunning and hacking and resourcefulness and other skills to eke out a very meager living in a megacorporation owned dystopian cyberpunk future. Major parts of the War-Torn Galaxy setting exactly and specifically matched this model and genre, and the skills from that setting would undoubtedly be useful. That said, there were other ways to do hacking, in contrast to the 'jack in' concept of the 'metaverse' of Neo-Noir City. There were more traditional forms of hacking of her reality, which often involved social engineering and significantly more patience. There were also the ever ubiquitous 'nanites' which could take over various systems from many different settings, and she could see several media that had see examples of this trope from where she stood.
Some settings had starships with or mecha with 'hacking beams', the particulars of which were often never explained. Various more magical settings had a variety of ESP or divination techniques for information gathering as well. Even a few of her spy novels involved super-spies that practice an art that has little to do with 'real world' spying. Ultimately, she belived this would probably be a pillar that greatly benefited from learning tricks of the trade from settings with dramatically different approaches to the topic.
Which brought her to Cooperation and Unity, and concepts for building a functional civilization. She desperately, desperately wanted to go to Harmonia. The recently published series of three furry near-future alternate universe slice of life graphic novels were very dear to her heart. They showed a utopian, progressive vision of the future where the 2012 Awakening Event had turned out quite differently, awakening Gaia and forever changing humanity in body, mind and soul. The three graphic novels each had a slightly different aesthetic, one solarpunk, one lunarpunk, one tidalpunk, all three incredibly gorgeous with evocative art and panoramic vistas.
If she had to make a choice of where she would bring her family if they all had to go to one of the settings from her collection, she would absolutely choose that, even if it inevitably turned them all into civet anthropomorphs or something. But that was not the choice she had to make right here. Notably, the backstory of the setting of the enfurred humanity uniting to combat various forms of social, economic, and environmental injustice ultimately relied on a clear deus ex machina, that being Gaia's changes, to instigate the change.
As a well-off, educated member of Generation Z living in suburban Southern California, Rebecca was not especially atypical in having extremely progressive anarcho-eco-socialist leanings. But any version of that vision for civilization which required the presence of benevolent planetary nature deity... no. Not for importing into War-Torn Galaxy, where all things of godlike power inevitably went insane, and each of the major 'factions' was a different sort of Authoritarian or Totalitarian state. She would need to pick something else.
Not all of these ideas or awareness of settings were actively or slowly pondered in her adrenaline-fueled glance around her room; many were just things she knew, or were instincts or gut feelings about suitability or unsuitability of things. A few more parts of her collection seemed to especially stand out, as she contemplated ideas like 'synergy' to focus her mind on her options.
First, was the 'Belt Rush' series of hard science fiction novels, about the consequences of a resource rush due to magnetic monopoles being found in the Kuiper Belt, leading to a massive disruption of the lives of the myriad types of isolationists living in many rotating habitats there. By the time of the start of the novels, the setting had undergone a Singularity some centuries earlier, and was mostly about the lives of various groups of post-scarcity transhumans which were ignored by the weakly godlike ai that existed in close solar orbit.
It would have pretty much all the benefits she was thinking of for 'hard' science fiction settings, and was in fact the main cause for her to think those things in the first place. Though the biological side of their available transhuman augmentations were weaker than the cybernetic alternatives available there. It would also have no magic system, and the only exotic matter she could likely get her hands on would be some of the monopoles themselves, but exotics access could be worked around in later settings. Further, what strategies and tactics were shown in the books were quite realistic, and often involved extensive use of automated 'droneswarm' assets of various sorts. Also, the computer science extrapolations and hacking techniques seemed quite plausible, as well.
Next would be the 'Mythic Realms' fantasy tabletop role-playing game. This game, which had several expansion books, would be a 'pan-mythic-Mediterranean' fantasy game, and had several features to recommend it. While the magic overall would be weaker than Enchantica, it would also be more customizable, with the setting having a stronger 'belief begets reality' theme than Enchantica, and various means of awakening magical talent in people present as well.
Even the rules of the two role playing games supported this difference; Enchantica's role playing game was character class based, whereas Mythic Realms took more inspiration from point-buy Superhero games with customizable powers. Further, much of the 'canon' plot involved the return of the Gods to the setting and the subsequent Godwars as a campaign setting, and the Gods of the setting were relatively weak as far as these things went, leading to various opportunities regarding their struggle for their reality-warping 'Domain', and their afterlives were also all places which could be walked to.
Next would be the 'Galactic Nexus' setting, a soft science fiction TV show about a crew and travels of an Exploration Cruiser through the galaxy. Or rather, the offshoot continuity of the tabletop wargame and the computer 4x game and a few of the novels, where the Terran Alliance was not quite as benevolent as it was in the flagship TV Show.
This would have a powerful but limited psionics system which should be possible to be made compatible with biological augmentations from Belt Rush and a custom awakened form of magic from Mythic Realms. Further the technology would be dramatically different from Belt Rush, but should be understandable even if coming from a more 'realistic' setting, especially with the right preparation.
The right location and time in this would also allow for significantly weirder genetic enhancements –their psionic system being limited to organics– than would be available in Belt Rush. Further, as a setting, it had a lot to say about different ways of setting up societies and civilizations and governments in space, which would be extremely relevant for several of the non technological or magical 'Pillars', such as Cunning or Cooperation that she was building her bones-of-a-plan around.
Next would be 'Star Mercenary', a Space Trading and Combat Simulator PC game series, also soft science fiction, but with more of a science fantasy stance than the intent that everything has a reasonable scientific explanation stance of Galactic Nexus. This had a few tie-in novels and a recent crowdfunded setting lore encyclopedia that detailed many extra aspects of the setting, society, and technology.
This was definitely one of the 'The Pacific Theater of World War II in space!' sorts of settings, with large space battlecarriers with a collection of somewhat vulnerable escorts, and the use of projected power via the use of more expendable fighters, bombers, and corvette/gunboat scale vessels, into the latter of which neatly slotted in the scale of most independent space traders and mercenary types.
This setting notably had a connection to a different sort of magic and some related sorts of mysticism, including access to something like the aforementioned 'rule of cool for fighting but it's hidden in plausible sounding mysticism' than any of the other settings, with definitely unique capabilities which would assuredly be relevant in War Torn Galaxy, as well as the aforementioned 'hacking beams'. The right place and time in this setting would also allow for many opportunities for powerful allies, if the planejump method allowed for friends.
The final notable setting was the 'Aether Genius' series of graphic novels which originally were collected from a very long running webcomic, a sort of aetherpunk, dungeonpunk, steampunk sort of setting with strong magitech themes about the mixing of magic and technology, a sort of setting that was recommended to her by the same friend that introduced her to the Harmonia series.
It definitely had a few of the same themes of Harmonia, but the author was much more of a revolutionary 'old school' socialist type, with much more agitational ecological views as well. It was a very much darker, older, 'we must use tools which include violence to solve these problems' sort of view on the relevant topics.
Still, the comic very much had themes of, 'we must cooperate to seize a better future than the present!', which she thought would be helpful with Cooperation. Plus it had giant airships, magical plants, and magical rocks – both of which specifically had examples which had 'negative weight', as well as smallish mecha, strange fantasy species, and on and on. This setting would help mix magic and technology in ways most of the other settings only partially did, and had options for learning cunning and cooperation, as well as more sorts of magic and technology of it's own.
Of course, all of the settings, in their own ways, would have ways of learning Martial Skill and Strategy themes, and also Cunning themes, of one sort or another, if she was careful. Which brought her to her two metaphorical 'pins'. She was leaning towards her 'synergistic' options, but what about the two original settings that seemed like they would still plausibly fit well? Would she want to substitute one or two of her 'new five' for those? The benefits, and costs of making the wrong choice would both be profound.
But she was running out of time. She had to choose, soon! After a sigh, she decided to go with her second list: Belt Rush, Mythic Realms, Star Mercenary, Galactic Nexus, and Aether Genius. As for the two original settings, she would reluctantly let them go, as they didn't offer as much synergy as the ones she had chosen. She knew that she was taking a risk by leaving them out, but she believed that her chosen combination would give her the best chance of success in War Torn Galaxy.
With her choices made, she quickly gathered the physical representations of the five settings, feeling a mix of excitement and anxiety as she prepared to embark on her journey. She knew that time was running out, and rushed back into the room with her brother, who was peering uncomprehendingly at the changes she had already made to his internet-copied spell. She placed each representation of the five chosen settings in the triangles formed by the pentagram, in the order she had chosen without realizing she had chosen it.
She wrote even more symbols around the existing circles and spoke a mystical sub-dialect of Latin to attempt to force the actively wobbling spell matrix to deposit the two of them at a targeted place and time in each setting. The spell began to nearing it's natural completion! At least one bit was easy: she set the amount of time they'd have in each setting at the traditional amd mystically efficient year and a day of their personal experienced time.
As the spell circle's power intensified, Ian started to panic, "Sis! It's doing a thing! What do we do? Oh god, oh god!"
But when it came time to target 'where' and 'when' they would be dropped into the setting via whatever teleport effect this stupid spell was going to do to now the two of them, she couldn't get the matrix to close. There wasn't enough energy in the system to force that, even with the two of them participating. Without that, they could end up in the middle of space!
The only thing to do was to include some sort of sacrifice component, the hermeticist's last ditch mechanism to get a spell to go off when that was absolutely necessary to save their lives. But what? It had to be something that she would absolutely know would meaningfully impact their ability to function in the future, so a limb that could be regenerated right when they reached Belt Rush wouldn't do.
Frantically, she tried to come up with ideas. Her and her brother's knowledge of the particulars of Hermeticism? Unexpectedly, the spell matrix, somewhat 'alive' by this point, ate that, leaving only enough so she could still know what she had to do in the immediate future. That still wasn't near enough power to close the matrix, though. What could she sacrifice to finish this thing, that would leave both her and her brother alive, whole, and sane??
In her desperation, she realized that the only viable option was to sacrifice some of their memories. Not the ones vital to their survival, but the ones that would make their journey more difficult without erasing the essential core of who they were. Many memories of their childhood, and of their early friendship bonds in school and camp were lost, leaving only barest outlines of events.
However, when she the spell was about to move on to sacrificing the memories of family, of their parents, of love, and of belonging in a home with loved ones, a core aspect of her being absolutely rebelled against the idea. Instead, she frantically pushed the idea of sacrificing their memories of the particulars of the chosen settings, and she barely kept a sense of nuance to the thought. They would not lose the tropes the settings use, the broadest overviews, or the setting names. They would still have a sense of familiarity, but the specific details and knowledge of what she had vaguely planned for herself and why she chose those times and places to drop them in each setting would be gone.
Her heart ached at the thought of losing those carefully considered details, but she knew that the alternative was far, far worse. The spell matrix eagerly consumed the offered memories, finally providing the necessary energy to close the matrix and send them on their journey.
As the spell reached its completion, the room filled with a blinding light, no longer red but white. Both siblings felt their minds and bodies being pulled into the spell, with the knowledge that they would never be quite the same again. It would be nice to say they reacted with determination and hope. Instead, as the flash came for them, the two screamed.
Suddenly, the flash increased, and dissipated, and with an abrupt fall onto grass, they were somewhere else. Something hit Ian on the head, and with an "Ow!" he looked behind them. Eyes widening, he saw the nature of the portal -- it was a sort of wormhole or gate in space. Funny. It hadn't seemed to start out like that, it was a more traditional teleportation kind of feeling earlier, not a 'gate with an aperture' sort of feel. He looked down. One of the War Torn Galaxy figurines had hit him in the head; the special looking one without the helmet. Apart from that, they had the clothes on their backs and the contents of their pockets.
Then Ian's eyes looked around them, and he let out a "What the fuck...? Where are we?"
Rebecca, upon looking, knew what this was, at least in a general way. They were sitting on some grass in a pleasant park. In the middle of a very futuristic but obviously intentionally 'middle density' city with lots of greenspace and lakes and rivers.
In the living area of an O'Neill Cylinder.
Prologue
Part 2
Technology. Magic. Martial Skill. Cunning. Cooperation. Those were very, very good ways of conceptualizing what Rebecca would need, to counter the horribleness of War-Torn Galaxy. Her first instinct was to simply pick the most obvious example that focused on each theme, one per world. But she paused. Was mono-focusing each specific setting on a single theme the best plan she could come up with in the time she had? Such a plan ignored synergistic effects between the learnings and special materials and techniques available in each setting. Would a little bit of dilution, perhaps going to settings that had multiple different avenues from which she and her brother could gain advantage be better, as long as they, themselves proactively focused on those five pillars wherever they went?
Such a plan also ignored certain limitations inherent in her collection itself. While the Aetheria Prime series of young adult science fiction novels had many examples of great technology in them, it was very much a 'soft' science fiction setting, and ignored such things as 'practical engineering', 'form following function', 'efficiency', 'replicability', 'safety', 'logistics', 'documentation', and also technologies supporting the 'soft' sciences.
And since it definitely followed the time-honored tradition of most science fiction authors having no sense of scale, it had major problems in scaling and scope, or of infrastructural implications of inventions, or even of team coordination, focusing instead on wondrous one-off inventions of lone brilliant scientists, both mad and heroic. It also had absolutely no concept of transhumanism being something that is anything other than a horrific thing the villains sometimes did, and, perhaps selfishly, Rebecca absolutely did NOT want focus on getting technology from a place that wouldn't help her improve her somewhat 'dumpy' body or which would not have an easily accessible means of improving her mind and knowledge.
This implied that she would want to probably first visit a hard science fiction location of some sort, and then only later visit a soft science fiction setting, to get the more 'wondrous' technologies.
Magic. The fantasy novels and tie-in tabletop roleplaying game of Enchantica definitely had many schools of powerful magic, and many powerful magical artifacts. It also was the sort of place that notably had many drawbacks. Towns were always very small, monsters were very prevalent and often greatly harmed villages that didn't have 'Wizards' (which Enchantica used as the generic term for 'anyone who could use magic', even if they were Swordmages) to protect them. Which led to the second and third problem with Enchantica – much like the situation of the post-2012 Awakening Event world she currently found herself in, the sorts of magic that someone without a specific internal 'spark' of magic, which ran in families and was implied to be genetic, could learn were extremely limited.
She would have no way of knowing if, like in their present world, they would be limited to the more ritualistic forms of magic; definitely a non ideal situation. Further, it was specifically stated in the novels that only those with a powerful 'spark' could learn magic quickly. What if the spell that sent them on these sequential jumps had it's own ideas about how much time they could spend in each reality? At best, they could maybe use knowledge from the books and comics to quickly find specific magical artifacts, if they could somehow defeat the guardians of those items without significant magic of their own.
Also, though Enchantica had strong Wizards, it didn't really have strong religious or divine or infernal themes – something that they would need some sort of mystical context to handle for when they made it to War-Torn Galaxy. Nor did it have a specific means of making 'custom' magic; there were just the spells and enchanted objects in the novels, which were expanded into a larger list in the tabletop RPG. Enchantica would not be suitable as the only source of Fantasy magic. But perhaps a supplement? The setting absolutely had spells which would 'no sell' major threats in the War-Torn Galaxy universe; the Mind Guard spell and amulets alone would defend against most types of mental intrusion if they worked as expected in the War-Torn Galaxy setting.
Martial Skill and Strategy. That was… very problematic. Science fiction and fantasy, even the versions that were more 'military' themed, often had major issues showing very competent tactics and strategy. The scale didn't particularly matter, be they individual martial arts with or without weapons, small unit tactics of any given age, anything involving armies, or heaven forbid anything to do with logistics; it was astoundingly rare. This made plenty of sense; most authors were not members of the military, or if they were, they were writing intentionally to a market of people who were not familiar with the history of strategy and tactics, or how things like 'combined arms warfare' worked.
Even wargames, both Strategos and War-Torn Galaxy itself were not exempt from this, preferring more to evoke the feel of a few tactics of particular eras of warfare than anything else. This was a common trope; an unreasonably large percentage of her sci fi media could be distilled to 'The Pacific theater of World War II, but IN SPACE!'. This might be a skill that is best to learn across several settings specifically because they would take dramatically different approaches to the problem. It was also one where she would have to keep an eye out for settings that more imply competency at these topics in an indirect way than is directly shown in print or on screen; her own world has more competently planned military operations and techniques than is often shown in most of her fiction.
Possibly some of the options in her collection would keep that competency intact? And others might have 'Rule of Cool' as something that could be manipulated, generally disguised with lots of analogies to awareness of the 'flow' or 'rhythm' of combat or the 'will' of some aspect of metaphysics or people that warped concepts like 'probability' and 'synchronicity' around them, and then used that to explain why some individuals or small groups specifically fought in improbable ways, against improbably large number of enemies.
Cunning and Resourcefulness. Oof. There were a lot of ways to look at that as well. Neo-Noir City focused more on stories of anarchist and socialist punks who lived on the margins of society using their wits and cunning and hacking and resourcefulness and other skills to eke out a very meager living in a megacorporation owned dystopian cyberpunk future. Major parts of the War-Torn Galaxy setting exactly and specifically matched this model and genre, and the skills from that setting would undoubtedly be useful. That said, there were other ways to do hacking, in contrast to the 'jack in' concept of the 'metaverse' of Neo-Noir City. There were more traditional forms of hacking of her reality, which often involved social engineering and significantly more patience. There were also the ever ubiquitous 'nanites' which could take over various systems from many different settings, and she could see several media that had see examples of this trope from where she stood.
Some settings had starships with or mecha with 'hacking beams', the particulars of which were often never explained. Various more magical settings had a variety of ESP or divination techniques for information gathering as well. Even a few of her spy novels involved super-spies that practice an art that has little to do with 'real world' spying. Ultimately, she belived this would probably be a pillar that greatly benefited from learning tricks of the trade from settings with dramatically different approaches to the topic.
Which brought her to Cooperation and Unity, and concepts for building a functional civilization. She desperately, desperately wanted to go to Harmonia. The recently published series of three furry near-future alternate universe slice of life graphic novels were very dear to her heart. They showed a utopian, progressive vision of the future where the 2012 Awakening Event had turned out quite differently, awakening Gaia and forever changing humanity in body, mind and soul. The three graphic novels each had a slightly different aesthetic, one solarpunk, one lunarpunk, one tidalpunk, all three incredibly gorgeous with evocative art and panoramic vistas.
If she had to make a choice of where she would bring her family if they all had to go to one of the settings from her collection, she would absolutely choose that, even if it inevitably turned them all into civet anthropomorphs or something. But that was not the choice she had to make right here. Notably, the backstory of the setting of the enfurred humanity uniting to combat various forms of social, economic, and environmental injustice ultimately relied on a clear deus ex machina, that being Gaia's changes, to instigate the change.
As a well-off, educated member of Generation Z living in suburban Southern California, Rebecca was not especially atypical in having extremely progressive anarcho-eco-socialist leanings. But any version of that vision for civilization which required the presence of benevolent planetary nature deity... no. Not for importing into War-Torn Galaxy, where all things of godlike power inevitably went insane, and each of the major 'factions' was a different sort of Authoritarian or Totalitarian state. She would need to pick something else.
Not all of these ideas or awareness of settings were actively or slowly pondered in her adrenaline-fueled glance around her room; many were just things she knew, or were instincts or gut feelings about suitability or unsuitability of things. A few more parts of her collection seemed to especially stand out, as she contemplated ideas like 'synergy' to focus her mind on her options.
First, was the 'Belt Rush' series of hard science fiction novels, about the consequences of a resource rush due to magnetic monopoles being found in the Kuiper Belt, leading to a massive disruption of the lives of the myriad types of isolationists living in many rotating habitats there. By the time of the start of the novels, the setting had undergone a Singularity some centuries earlier, and was mostly about the lives of various groups of post-scarcity transhumans which were ignored by the weakly godlike ai that existed in close solar orbit.
It would have pretty much all the benefits she was thinking of for 'hard' science fiction settings, and was in fact the main cause for her to think those things in the first place. Though the biological side of their available transhuman augmentations were weaker than the cybernetic alternatives available there. It would also have no magic system, and the only exotic matter she could likely get her hands on would be some of the monopoles themselves, but exotics access could be worked around in later settings. Further, what strategies and tactics were shown in the books were quite realistic, and often involved extensive use of automated 'droneswarm' assets of various sorts. Also, the computer science extrapolations and hacking techniques seemed quite plausible, as well.
Next would be the 'Mythic Realms' fantasy tabletop role-playing game. This game, which had several expansion books, would be a 'pan-mythic-Mediterranean' fantasy game, and had several features to recommend it. While the magic overall would be weaker than Enchantica, it would also be more customizable, with the setting having a stronger 'belief begets reality' theme than Enchantica, and various means of awakening magical talent in people present as well.
Even the rules of the two role playing games supported this difference; Enchantica's role playing game was character class based, whereas Mythic Realms took more inspiration from point-buy Superhero games with customizable powers. Further, much of the 'canon' plot involved the return of the Gods to the setting and the subsequent Godwars as a campaign setting, and the Gods of the setting were relatively weak as far as these things went, leading to various opportunities regarding their struggle for their reality-warping 'Domain', and their afterlives were also all places which could be walked to.
Next would be the 'Galactic Nexus' setting, a soft science fiction TV show about a crew and travels of an Exploration Cruiser through the galaxy. Or rather, the offshoot continuity of the tabletop wargame and the computer 4x game and a few of the novels, where the Terran Alliance was not quite as benevolent as it was in the flagship TV Show.
This would have a powerful but limited psionics system which should be possible to be made compatible with biological augmentations from Belt Rush and a custom awakened form of magic from Mythic Realms. Further the technology would be dramatically different from Belt Rush, but should be understandable even if coming from a more 'realistic' setting, especially with the right preparation.
The right location and time in this would also allow for significantly weirder genetic enhancements –their psionic system being limited to organics– than would be available in Belt Rush. Further, as a setting, it had a lot to say about different ways of setting up societies and civilizations and governments in space, which would be extremely relevant for several of the non technological or magical 'Pillars', such as Cunning or Cooperation that she was building her bones-of-a-plan around.
Next would be 'Star Mercenary', a Space Trading and Combat Simulator PC game series, also soft science fiction, but with more of a science fantasy stance than the intent that everything has a reasonable scientific explanation stance of Galactic Nexus. This had a few tie-in novels and a recent crowdfunded setting lore encyclopedia that detailed many extra aspects of the setting, society, and technology.
This was definitely one of the 'The Pacific Theater of World War II in space!' sorts of settings, with large space battlecarriers with a collection of somewhat vulnerable escorts, and the use of projected power via the use of more expendable fighters, bombers, and corvette/gunboat scale vessels, into the latter of which neatly slotted in the scale of most independent space traders and mercenary types.
This setting notably had a connection to a different sort of magic and some related sorts of mysticism, including access to something like the aforementioned 'rule of cool for fighting but it's hidden in plausible sounding mysticism' than any of the other settings, with definitely unique capabilities which would assuredly be relevant in War Torn Galaxy, as well as the aforementioned 'hacking beams'. The right place and time in this setting would also allow for many opportunities for powerful allies, if the planejump method allowed for friends.
The final notable setting was the 'Aether Genius' series of graphic novels which originally were collected from a very long running webcomic, a sort of aetherpunk, dungeonpunk, steampunk sort of setting with strong magitech themes about the mixing of magic and technology, a sort of setting that was recommended to her by the same friend that introduced her to the Harmonia series.
It definitely had a few of the same themes of Harmonia, but the author was much more of a revolutionary 'old school' socialist type, with much more agitational ecological views as well. It was a very much darker, older, 'we must use tools which include violence to solve these problems' sort of view on the relevant topics.
Still, the comic very much had themes of, 'we must cooperate to seize a better future than the present!', which she thought would be helpful with Cooperation. Plus it had giant airships, magical plants, and magical rocks – both of which specifically had examples which had 'negative weight', as well as smallish mecha, strange fantasy species, and on and on. This setting would help mix magic and technology in ways most of the other settings only partially did, and had options for learning cunning and cooperation, as well as more sorts of magic and technology of it's own.
Of course, all of the settings, in their own ways, would have ways of learning Martial Skill and Strategy themes, and also Cunning themes, of one sort or another, if she was careful. Which brought her to her two metaphorical 'pins'. She was leaning towards her 'synergistic' options, but what about the two original settings that seemed like they would still plausibly fit well? Would she want to substitute one or two of her 'new five' for those? The benefits, and costs of making the wrong choice would both be profound.
But she was running out of time. She had to choose, soon! After a sigh, she decided to go with her second list: Belt Rush, Mythic Realms, Star Mercenary, Galactic Nexus, and Aether Genius. As for the two original settings, she would reluctantly let them go, as they didn't offer as much synergy as the ones she had chosen. She knew that she was taking a risk by leaving them out, but she believed that her chosen combination would give her the best chance of success in War Torn Galaxy.
With her choices made, she quickly gathered the physical representations of the five settings, feeling a mix of excitement and anxiety as she prepared to embark on her journey. She knew that time was running out, and rushed back into the room with her brother, who was peering uncomprehendingly at the changes she had already made to his internet-copied spell. She placed each representation of the five chosen settings in the triangles formed by the pentagram, in the order she had chosen without realizing she had chosen it.
She wrote even more symbols around the existing circles and spoke a mystical sub-dialect of Latin to attempt to force the actively wobbling spell matrix to deposit the two of them at a targeted place and time in each setting. The spell began to nearing it's natural completion! At least one bit was easy: she set the amount of time they'd have in each setting at the traditional amd mystically efficient year and a day of their personal experienced time.
As the spell circle's power intensified, Ian started to panic, "Sis! It's doing a thing! What do we do? Oh god, oh god!"
But when it came time to target 'where' and 'when' they would be dropped into the setting via whatever teleport effect this stupid spell was going to do to now the two of them, she couldn't get the matrix to close. There wasn't enough energy in the system to force that, even with the two of them participating. Without that, they could end up in the middle of space!
The only thing to do was to include some sort of sacrifice component, the hermeticist's last ditch mechanism to get a spell to go off when that was absolutely necessary to save their lives. But what? It had to be something that she would absolutely know would meaningfully impact their ability to function in the future, so a limb that could be regenerated right when they reached Belt Rush wouldn't do.
Frantically, she tried to come up with ideas. Her and her brother's knowledge of the particulars of Hermeticism? Unexpectedly, the spell matrix, somewhat 'alive' by this point, ate that, leaving only enough so she could still know what she had to do in the immediate future. That still wasn't near enough power to close the matrix, though. What could she sacrifice to finish this thing, that would leave both her and her brother alive, whole, and sane??
In her desperation, she realized that the only viable option was to sacrifice some of their memories. Not the ones vital to their survival, but the ones that would make their journey more difficult without erasing the essential core of who they were. Many memories of their childhood, and of their early friendship bonds in school and camp were lost, leaving only barest outlines of events.
However, when she the spell was about to move on to sacrificing the memories of family, of their parents, of love, and of belonging in a home with loved ones, a core aspect of her being absolutely rebelled against the idea. Instead, she frantically pushed the idea of sacrificing their memories of the particulars of the chosen settings, and she barely kept a sense of nuance to the thought. They would not lose the tropes the settings use, the broadest overviews, or the setting names. They would still have a sense of familiarity, but the specific details and knowledge of what she had vaguely planned for herself and why she chose those times and places to drop them in each setting would be gone.
Her heart ached at the thought of losing those carefully considered details, but she knew that the alternative was far, far worse. The spell matrix eagerly consumed the offered memories, finally providing the necessary energy to close the matrix and send them on their journey.
As the spell reached its completion, the room filled with a blinding light, no longer red but white. Both siblings felt their minds and bodies being pulled into the spell, with the knowledge that they would never be quite the same again. It would be nice to say they reacted with determination and hope. Instead, as the flash came for them, the two screamed.
Suddenly, the flash increased, and dissipated, and with an abrupt fall onto grass, they were somewhere else. Something hit Ian on the head, and with an "Ow!" he looked behind them. Eyes widening, he saw the nature of the portal -- it was a sort of wormhole or gate in space. Funny. It hadn't seemed to start out like that, it was a more traditional teleportation kind of feeling earlier, not a 'gate with an aperture' sort of feel. He looked down. One of the War Torn Galaxy figurines had hit him in the head; the special looking one without the helmet. Apart from that, they had the clothes on their backs and the contents of their pockets.
Then Ian's eyes looked around them, and he let out a "What the fuck...? Where are we?"
Rebecca, upon looking, knew what this was, at least in a general way. They were sitting on some grass in a pleasant park. In the middle of a very futuristic but obviously intentionally 'middle density' city with lots of greenspace and lakes and rivers.
In the living area of an O'Neill Cylinder.
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Belt Rush, Part 1
- Location
- USA
The Last Jump
Belt Rush
Part 1
Rebecca took a deep breath, trying to ground herself after the sudden transition. She looked around, taking in the futuristic surroundings. She recognized the general concept of the place they but the specifics of this particular O'Neill Cylinder eluded her.
"We're inside an O'Neill Cylinder," she explained to Ian. "It's a type of space habitat. It seems we've arrived in the first of the settings we chose, but I don't remember the specifics of this particular one. We'll need to explore and learn about this world as we go."
Ian looked at her, still disoriented but trusting her judgement. "Alright, sis. I trust you. Uh, I'll... I'll just follow your lead, I guess. You know about this sci-fi shit."
They stood up and after collecting themselves and the figurine, started walking towards the closest cluster of buildings. As they walked, they felt the weight of their new journey pressing down on them. They had only the vaguest idea of what lay ahead, after all.
As the two of them meandered towards some roughly five story but very futuristic looking buildings, they were, of course, noticed. What seemed to be some sort of android styled vaguely in the style of a humanoid police dog, or perhaps some other canid, approached them. It had a strange script on the 'clothing' it was wearing. The two stopped, gaping, and the thing did some sort of... laser-ish scan of them, causing them to wince and blink. As their vision cleared, the clothing on the android shifted, the text on it changing to say, 'POLICE' in familiar blocky letters. The thing spoke, blinking at them, and smiling in a way that showed no teeth. 'Based on the tags and style of your clothing, you likely speak 20th or 21st Century American English. Is this correct?'
Ian just gaped even harder than he had been gaping before.
Rebecca, taking a deep breath, realized that they had to trust her past self's judgment. If she had placed them here, then the habitat must be a relatively safe place for them to be, with a reasonably benevolent local government. She noticed that there wasn't mass panic when the portal opened, so she assumed that the phenomenon wasn't entirely unknown here. However, they might have mistaken the exotic gate they came out of for a more mundane local type of wormhole.
Nodding to the android, she said, "Yes, we speak early 21st Century American English. We're a bit disoriented, so if you could help us get our bearings, we'd really appreciate it."
The android's smile grew warmer, and it replied, "Of course! My primary function is to assist and ensure the safety of all citizens and visitors. It seems you have just arrived, and it is my duty to help you adjust and acclimate. Please follow me to a temporary housing facility where you can be scanned for any potential issues, provided with necessary information, and given access to automated educational materials and comforts to help you adapt to your new surroundings."
Ian, still wide-eyed, looked at his sister and hesitantly nodded, deciding to follow the android. Apparently the sort of dog or wolf or maybe jackal-person looking android was authorized to ask the two of them immigration questions like 'where were you born?' and 'what is your full name?' and 'what are your parent's names?' and 'what's your date of birth?' and 'what was the date the last you checked?' and other such questions blatantly designed to determine if their memories are 'baseline' or 'fictionalized', like to name as many major wars in the 20th and early 21st century as they can, and to ask who is President of the United States.
Ian, still gawking at everything around him, did his best to answer the android's immigration questions. He told the android that he and Rebecca were born in the United States, shared their full names, and gave their parents' names. He hesitated for a moment when asked for their dates of birth but managed to provide them, the memories still being fuzzy from the spell.
"The last date I remember was sometime in 2021, I think," Ian said, looking at Rebecca for confirmation. She nodded in agreement, her mind fuzzy as well.
When asked about major wars in the 20th and early 21st century, they managed to list several, such as World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War, as well as the Pacific Conflict, a significant war that took place in the 1980s involving several Asian countries and the United States.
As for the President of the United States, they both hesitated for a moment, trying to recall who it was. After a while, Rebecca finally said, "His name is David Rothman. He was elected in 2020 after serving as a successful governor." Rebecca was concerned about what the spell apparentl took. It should not have been that hard to remember who was President. And yet, it had been, they both had to wrack their brains as the android asked more questions. Eventually, the android walked them to what was a very futuristic looking condo that appeared to be part of a larger building. The police android smiled pleasantly at them and said, 'Here's where you will be staying for now. I understand that you are likely under a large amount of stress. Please, take your time, decompress, get something to drink out of the fridge, relax. Everything in this facility is free for you to enjoy while you undergo your quarantine. The decor and furnishings should be familiar and comforting and reasonably luxurious to people of your likely background."
The condo was... wow, really, really luxurious. But also strangely late 1990s? Lots of soft carpets, soothing colors, a den with what appeared to be a late 1990's high end plasma TV, and early --but again, high end-- home automation features. This was the height of the 'intelligent home', circa late 1999, as near as they could figure. Or at least it appeared to be, somewhat unsettlingly so for Rebecca, if only because of the sheer incongruity of it all compared to their previous 'outdoors' setting.
The vibe of the place was both nostalgic and disorienting at the same time. It was the the small details that made the place the weirdest blast from their past. There was a CD player with a collection of popular 80s and 90s albums, a computer with an old-fashioned CRT monitor, and even a VCR with a selection of classic movies from that time.
They couldn't help but feel a mixture of emotions as they explored the condo. On one hand, they were relieved to have escaped their life and death situation and now found themselves in a seemingly safe place. On the other hand, they were disoriented by the unexpected memory loss and the strange circumstances of their arrival.
Curious, they ventured into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Inside, they found an assortment of food and drinks, including soda in glass bottles, TV dinners, packaged food appropriate for cooking in the well-stocked kitchen, should they enjoy cooking apparently, and various comfort foods from their past. They shared a small, weary smile and decided to indulge in a nostalgic meal. As they ate, they tried to wrap their heads around their current situation.
"How did we go from a hermetic circle in my room to... this?" Ian asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
"I could tell you the exact sequence of events, and I still wouldn't really know," Rebecca replied, a hint of frustration in her voice. "But we're here now, and we need to figure out what to do next. We should get some rest and then start learning about this place and its history. Maybe we can find some answers."
As they finished their meal, they couldn't shake the sheer feeling of alienness. Their memories were damaged, maybe never to return, and they found themselves in a world that was both familiar and foreign at the same time. Getting up and stretching, Ian went and explored a bit of the condo in more detail. In the den/multimedia room, there was a home theater control tablet in front of the plasma tv that was glowing green with bold text saying, 'Press to Begin Welcome Presentation'.
He yelled to his sister, "Hey, you wanna watch the welcome video?" to which, oddly, he didn't get a reply. Leaving the home theater for now, concerned, he went back to the kitchen, where he found his sister in front of the sink with a glass of wine, staring out a window towards yet another park. She was crying softly, and hadn't heard his question, nor his approach.
As Ian approached his sister, he could see the tears streaming down her face. The weight of everything that had happened was finally hitting them. They had been through a near-death experience, they were ripped from everything they knew, and now they were in a completely unfamiliar place. It was overwhelming.
Ian put his hand on Rebecca's shoulder, offering a reassuring presence. "Hey, it's going to be okay. We're still together, and we'll figure this out," he said softly.
Rebecca sniffled and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "I know. It's just... a lot to take in. We're really far from home, and I can't help but feel like we've lost so much. I don't even know if we can ever go back."
Ian gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "We'll find a way. We're smart and resourceful, and we'll adapt to this place. And I'm sure we'll find a way to get back home someday. For now, let's just take it one step at a time, okay?"
Rebecca nodded and took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. "Okay. You're right. We can do this. We've always been a good team, yea?"
Ian smiled, feeling a little more hopeful himself. "That's the spirit. Now, let's go watch that welcome video. Maybe it'll give us some information about this place and help us start figuring things out."
The siblings sat down together in the den and pressed the button. The welcome presentation began with a dimming of the lights and soothing music, as the plasma TV switched on and started displaying abstract images that slowly turned into scenes of nature. A soothing voiceover began, "Welcome, Immigrants. Due to your circumstances, and due to the Singularity Mitigation Treaty of 2311, of which the polity in which you reside is a signatory, you have been granted emergency refugee status. This facility has been optimized for your comfort, while for your safety and health, you undergo a standard two-day quarantine and inoculation regimen and some simple medical tests. These tests have already begun, and you will not notice them. Unfortunately, the acclimatization team has the sad duty to let you know that the situation you remember does not match our historic records. It is currently the 13th of March, 2354 Common Era, 10:43 AM GMT, and you are still in the Solar System."
Here the animation switched from soothing nature images in a smooth fade to an animation of the solar system, and it began to follow along with the words.
"You are in a rotating habitat of a type known as an O'Neill Cylinder in what is known as the Kuiper Belt, in the outer reaches of the Solar System. This cylinder and it's immediate supporting structures are known as New Hydrangea, and is considered a 'Habitat State', and the main habitat you are on is further classified as a 'Garden City', and is primarily for habitation of humans, near-humans, transhumans, human uploads of near-human intelligence, and human-limited AIs. This government is part of a very loose Confederation of Independent Habitats, known as the 'Kuiper Confederacy'. New Hydrangea is what you would recognize as a 'Social Democracy' or a 'Welfare State', and your dignity and welfare as sophonts within our borders is extremely important to us. If you have any questions about anything that is going on, feel free to press a button on any of the room intercoms placed in most rooms, and ask any question you may have. We are working to set up more permanent accommodations which will be suitable for your needs, and to integrate you into our society, should you choose to stay in New Hydrangea."
Rebecca murmured under her breath, "Damn, but this whole thing feels like we're being 'managed', just like Aunt Megan was when she visited China."
Ian nodded, acknowledging Rebecca's comment. "Yeah, it does seem like they're trying to handle us carefully, and this is awful slick. But at least it sounds like they're trying to help and take care of us for now. We'll just have to be cautious and see what happens."
As the presentation continued, it provided more information about New Hydrangea, its facilities, and the various support systems in place for refugees like themselves. They learned about the habitat's medical care, education and job training programs, and how there was already a team assigned to help them navigate their new lives.
The siblings exchanged glances as they absorbed the information. While they appreciated the level of support being offered, they couldn't shake the feeling that it was all a bit much. But for now, both of them realized, with no words shared between them, that they had little choice but to play along.
After the presentation concluded and the lights brightened again, Rebecca had a surge of inspiration and pressed the media room intercom button, "Can we have a sociopolitical setup map and some pie chart categorizations of the local political system of various member habitats of this part of the Kuiper Confederacy? I want to see what sorts of setups that the other habs around here are like. Please show us a map without the names of the habitats shown, names will just confuse us for now."
The intercom beeped in acknowledgment, and the plasma TV switched output, displaying the requested information. The screen showed a map of the local section of the Kuiper Belt, with various member habitats highlighted. Each habitat was color-coded to represent its sociopolitical system, and a key in the corner of the screen explained the categories.
As Rebecca and Ian examined the map, they noticed that New Hydrangea seemed to be the only habitat with a social democracy or welfare state system or anything like that in this part of the Kuiper Belt. Some of the other habitats and their respective systems included things like Direct democracies, with a few nearby habitats following that model; Anarcho-capitalist habitats, which were quite common in the area; Technocratic habitats, with a couple of habitats following this system in the region; Corporate-controlled habitats, again with a few of these were present in the area; and a few miscelleous ideosyncratic Utopian and dystopian habitats, each with it's own quirky belief system.
As they studied the map, Rebecca's hunch was confirmed. New Hydrangea was unique in its supportive, traditional welfare state setup, surrounded by a diverse range of other sociopolitical systems. While some of the other habitats may have offered more freedom, they also appeared to be more challenging for newcomers to navigate, especially those mostly from a different time period. New Hydrangea seemed to be the safest bet for them, at least for now.
Ian spoke up, "Damn. I'm glad we didn't land in whatever an 'authoritarian technocratic oligarchy' is. Holy fuck, I don't even know what any of those words mean!" and Rebecca just sighed at her little brother. "That's not important. It was Providence that we landed where we did." she said, giving her brother a meaningful look -- the two of them not being the religious types to use the word Providence casually. She pushed the button again, "Hey, if you are setting up a permanent home and various benefits for us, can we give some input of the particulars of all of that?" Ian piped up, "I want one of those cool edgeless pools." and Rebecca, stressed at her brother and the situation overall, snapped at him, "Shut up, Ian." and then a voice came from the intercom, replying pleasantly, "Of course! We value your input and want to make sure that your new home is tailored to your needs and preferences. We can provide you with a list of available options for housing and amenities, and you can choose the ones that suit you best. If you have any specific requests, please feel free to share them with us, and we will do our best to accommodate them within the limits of our resources and policies."
Rebecca looked at her brother, taking a deep breath, "Sorry, Ian. We should think carefully about what we need and want. This is going to be our new home, and we need to make sure it's right for us."
Ian nodded, "Yeah, I know. I just... I want something fun, you know? Something to take my mind off all this craziness."
Rebecca sighed and offered a small smile, "You're right. We should try to make the best of it. Let's work on this list together, and we'll make sure we have everything we need, and maybe even a cool edgeless pool."
Rebecca smirked at her brother, "Sure, we'll ask about the pool, once we figure out some other things." Rebecca wet her lips with her tongue and turned back to the intercom, "Uh, I presume we are being closely monitored here. Can we get something with some real, actual privacy? Ian and I have some personal things to talk about."
The voice responded, still insufferably cheery, "Of course, we can make sure that's available for you, as those from your century tend to have privacy needs significantly higher than is normal for this Hab. Do be aware that all public places can be assumed to be constantly monitored and recorded at all times. Further, do be aware that New Hydrangea is proud to be a safe, welcoming place which operates under under the rule of law, and potential illegal behaviors may be interrupted via mechanisms that you may not generally have cultural context to be aware of."
Ian muttered darkly, "Aaand there's the stick."
Ian gave Rebecca a concerned look, "Rebecca, I get that we need to think about our long-term survival, but we can't just ignore the fact that we're going to be living here for a while. We need to find a balance between preparing for the future and living our lives now. I don't want us to spend all our time worrying about what's coming next."
Rebecca nodded, sighing "You're right, Ian. We do need to find a balance. But until we have a place of our own to stay, I don't think I can really feel ready to live my life. You know me, the worrier."
Ian hugged her. "Sure, go ahead, I'll speak up if I need to, like always. Alright sis?"
Belt Rush
Part 1
Rebecca took a deep breath, trying to ground herself after the sudden transition. She looked around, taking in the futuristic surroundings. She recognized the general concept of the place they but the specifics of this particular O'Neill Cylinder eluded her.
"We're inside an O'Neill Cylinder," she explained to Ian. "It's a type of space habitat. It seems we've arrived in the first of the settings we chose, but I don't remember the specifics of this particular one. We'll need to explore and learn about this world as we go."
Ian looked at her, still disoriented but trusting her judgement. "Alright, sis. I trust you. Uh, I'll... I'll just follow your lead, I guess. You know about this sci-fi shit."
They stood up and after collecting themselves and the figurine, started walking towards the closest cluster of buildings. As they walked, they felt the weight of their new journey pressing down on them. They had only the vaguest idea of what lay ahead, after all.
As the two of them meandered towards some roughly five story but very futuristic looking buildings, they were, of course, noticed. What seemed to be some sort of android styled vaguely in the style of a humanoid police dog, or perhaps some other canid, approached them. It had a strange script on the 'clothing' it was wearing. The two stopped, gaping, and the thing did some sort of... laser-ish scan of them, causing them to wince and blink. As their vision cleared, the clothing on the android shifted, the text on it changing to say, 'POLICE' in familiar blocky letters. The thing spoke, blinking at them, and smiling in a way that showed no teeth. 'Based on the tags and style of your clothing, you likely speak 20th or 21st Century American English. Is this correct?'
Ian just gaped even harder than he had been gaping before.
Rebecca, taking a deep breath, realized that they had to trust her past self's judgment. If she had placed them here, then the habitat must be a relatively safe place for them to be, with a reasonably benevolent local government. She noticed that there wasn't mass panic when the portal opened, so she assumed that the phenomenon wasn't entirely unknown here. However, they might have mistaken the exotic gate they came out of for a more mundane local type of wormhole.
Nodding to the android, she said, "Yes, we speak early 21st Century American English. We're a bit disoriented, so if you could help us get our bearings, we'd really appreciate it."
The android's smile grew warmer, and it replied, "Of course! My primary function is to assist and ensure the safety of all citizens and visitors. It seems you have just arrived, and it is my duty to help you adjust and acclimate. Please follow me to a temporary housing facility where you can be scanned for any potential issues, provided with necessary information, and given access to automated educational materials and comforts to help you adapt to your new surroundings."
Ian, still wide-eyed, looked at his sister and hesitantly nodded, deciding to follow the android. Apparently the sort of dog or wolf or maybe jackal-person looking android was authorized to ask the two of them immigration questions like 'where were you born?' and 'what is your full name?' and 'what are your parent's names?' and 'what's your date of birth?' and 'what was the date the last you checked?' and other such questions blatantly designed to determine if their memories are 'baseline' or 'fictionalized', like to name as many major wars in the 20th and early 21st century as they can, and to ask who is President of the United States.
Ian, still gawking at everything around him, did his best to answer the android's immigration questions. He told the android that he and Rebecca were born in the United States, shared their full names, and gave their parents' names. He hesitated for a moment when asked for their dates of birth but managed to provide them, the memories still being fuzzy from the spell.
"The last date I remember was sometime in 2021, I think," Ian said, looking at Rebecca for confirmation. She nodded in agreement, her mind fuzzy as well.
When asked about major wars in the 20th and early 21st century, they managed to list several, such as World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War, as well as the Pacific Conflict, a significant war that took place in the 1980s involving several Asian countries and the United States.
As for the President of the United States, they both hesitated for a moment, trying to recall who it was. After a while, Rebecca finally said, "His name is David Rothman. He was elected in 2020 after serving as a successful governor." Rebecca was concerned about what the spell apparentl took. It should not have been that hard to remember who was President. And yet, it had been, they both had to wrack their brains as the android asked more questions. Eventually, the android walked them to what was a very futuristic looking condo that appeared to be part of a larger building. The police android smiled pleasantly at them and said, 'Here's where you will be staying for now. I understand that you are likely under a large amount of stress. Please, take your time, decompress, get something to drink out of the fridge, relax. Everything in this facility is free for you to enjoy while you undergo your quarantine. The decor and furnishings should be familiar and comforting and reasonably luxurious to people of your likely background."
The condo was... wow, really, really luxurious. But also strangely late 1990s? Lots of soft carpets, soothing colors, a den with what appeared to be a late 1990's high end plasma TV, and early --but again, high end-- home automation features. This was the height of the 'intelligent home', circa late 1999, as near as they could figure. Or at least it appeared to be, somewhat unsettlingly so for Rebecca, if only because of the sheer incongruity of it all compared to their previous 'outdoors' setting.
The vibe of the place was both nostalgic and disorienting at the same time. It was the the small details that made the place the weirdest blast from their past. There was a CD player with a collection of popular 80s and 90s albums, a computer with an old-fashioned CRT monitor, and even a VCR with a selection of classic movies from that time.
They couldn't help but feel a mixture of emotions as they explored the condo. On one hand, they were relieved to have escaped their life and death situation and now found themselves in a seemingly safe place. On the other hand, they were disoriented by the unexpected memory loss and the strange circumstances of their arrival.
Curious, they ventured into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Inside, they found an assortment of food and drinks, including soda in glass bottles, TV dinners, packaged food appropriate for cooking in the well-stocked kitchen, should they enjoy cooking apparently, and various comfort foods from their past. They shared a small, weary smile and decided to indulge in a nostalgic meal. As they ate, they tried to wrap their heads around their current situation.
"How did we go from a hermetic circle in my room to... this?" Ian asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
"I could tell you the exact sequence of events, and I still wouldn't really know," Rebecca replied, a hint of frustration in her voice. "But we're here now, and we need to figure out what to do next. We should get some rest and then start learning about this place and its history. Maybe we can find some answers."
As they finished their meal, they couldn't shake the sheer feeling of alienness. Their memories were damaged, maybe never to return, and they found themselves in a world that was both familiar and foreign at the same time. Getting up and stretching, Ian went and explored a bit of the condo in more detail. In the den/multimedia room, there was a home theater control tablet in front of the plasma tv that was glowing green with bold text saying, 'Press to Begin Welcome Presentation'.
He yelled to his sister, "Hey, you wanna watch the welcome video?" to which, oddly, he didn't get a reply. Leaving the home theater for now, concerned, he went back to the kitchen, where he found his sister in front of the sink with a glass of wine, staring out a window towards yet another park. She was crying softly, and hadn't heard his question, nor his approach.
As Ian approached his sister, he could see the tears streaming down her face. The weight of everything that had happened was finally hitting them. They had been through a near-death experience, they were ripped from everything they knew, and now they were in a completely unfamiliar place. It was overwhelming.
Ian put his hand on Rebecca's shoulder, offering a reassuring presence. "Hey, it's going to be okay. We're still together, and we'll figure this out," he said softly.
Rebecca sniffled and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "I know. It's just... a lot to take in. We're really far from home, and I can't help but feel like we've lost so much. I don't even know if we can ever go back."
Ian gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "We'll find a way. We're smart and resourceful, and we'll adapt to this place. And I'm sure we'll find a way to get back home someday. For now, let's just take it one step at a time, okay?"
Rebecca nodded and took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. "Okay. You're right. We can do this. We've always been a good team, yea?"
Ian smiled, feeling a little more hopeful himself. "That's the spirit. Now, let's go watch that welcome video. Maybe it'll give us some information about this place and help us start figuring things out."
The siblings sat down together in the den and pressed the button. The welcome presentation began with a dimming of the lights and soothing music, as the plasma TV switched on and started displaying abstract images that slowly turned into scenes of nature. A soothing voiceover began, "Welcome, Immigrants. Due to your circumstances, and due to the Singularity Mitigation Treaty of 2311, of which the polity in which you reside is a signatory, you have been granted emergency refugee status. This facility has been optimized for your comfort, while for your safety and health, you undergo a standard two-day quarantine and inoculation regimen and some simple medical tests. These tests have already begun, and you will not notice them. Unfortunately, the acclimatization team has the sad duty to let you know that the situation you remember does not match our historic records. It is currently the 13th of March, 2354 Common Era, 10:43 AM GMT, and you are still in the Solar System."
Here the animation switched from soothing nature images in a smooth fade to an animation of the solar system, and it began to follow along with the words.
"You are in a rotating habitat of a type known as an O'Neill Cylinder in what is known as the Kuiper Belt, in the outer reaches of the Solar System. This cylinder and it's immediate supporting structures are known as New Hydrangea, and is considered a 'Habitat State', and the main habitat you are on is further classified as a 'Garden City', and is primarily for habitation of humans, near-humans, transhumans, human uploads of near-human intelligence, and human-limited AIs. This government is part of a very loose Confederation of Independent Habitats, known as the 'Kuiper Confederacy'. New Hydrangea is what you would recognize as a 'Social Democracy' or a 'Welfare State', and your dignity and welfare as sophonts within our borders is extremely important to us. If you have any questions about anything that is going on, feel free to press a button on any of the room intercoms placed in most rooms, and ask any question you may have. We are working to set up more permanent accommodations which will be suitable for your needs, and to integrate you into our society, should you choose to stay in New Hydrangea."
Rebecca murmured under her breath, "Damn, but this whole thing feels like we're being 'managed', just like Aunt Megan was when she visited China."
Ian nodded, acknowledging Rebecca's comment. "Yeah, it does seem like they're trying to handle us carefully, and this is awful slick. But at least it sounds like they're trying to help and take care of us for now. We'll just have to be cautious and see what happens."
As the presentation continued, it provided more information about New Hydrangea, its facilities, and the various support systems in place for refugees like themselves. They learned about the habitat's medical care, education and job training programs, and how there was already a team assigned to help them navigate their new lives.
The siblings exchanged glances as they absorbed the information. While they appreciated the level of support being offered, they couldn't shake the feeling that it was all a bit much. But for now, both of them realized, with no words shared between them, that they had little choice but to play along.
After the presentation concluded and the lights brightened again, Rebecca had a surge of inspiration and pressed the media room intercom button, "Can we have a sociopolitical setup map and some pie chart categorizations of the local political system of various member habitats of this part of the Kuiper Confederacy? I want to see what sorts of setups that the other habs around here are like. Please show us a map without the names of the habitats shown, names will just confuse us for now."
The intercom beeped in acknowledgment, and the plasma TV switched output, displaying the requested information. The screen showed a map of the local section of the Kuiper Belt, with various member habitats highlighted. Each habitat was color-coded to represent its sociopolitical system, and a key in the corner of the screen explained the categories.
As Rebecca and Ian examined the map, they noticed that New Hydrangea seemed to be the only habitat with a social democracy or welfare state system or anything like that in this part of the Kuiper Belt. Some of the other habitats and their respective systems included things like Direct democracies, with a few nearby habitats following that model; Anarcho-capitalist habitats, which were quite common in the area; Technocratic habitats, with a couple of habitats following this system in the region; Corporate-controlled habitats, again with a few of these were present in the area; and a few miscelleous ideosyncratic Utopian and dystopian habitats, each with it's own quirky belief system.
As they studied the map, Rebecca's hunch was confirmed. New Hydrangea was unique in its supportive, traditional welfare state setup, surrounded by a diverse range of other sociopolitical systems. While some of the other habitats may have offered more freedom, they also appeared to be more challenging for newcomers to navigate, especially those mostly from a different time period. New Hydrangea seemed to be the safest bet for them, at least for now.
Ian spoke up, "Damn. I'm glad we didn't land in whatever an 'authoritarian technocratic oligarchy' is. Holy fuck, I don't even know what any of those words mean!" and Rebecca just sighed at her little brother. "That's not important. It was Providence that we landed where we did." she said, giving her brother a meaningful look -- the two of them not being the religious types to use the word Providence casually. She pushed the button again, "Hey, if you are setting up a permanent home and various benefits for us, can we give some input of the particulars of all of that?" Ian piped up, "I want one of those cool edgeless pools." and Rebecca, stressed at her brother and the situation overall, snapped at him, "Shut up, Ian." and then a voice came from the intercom, replying pleasantly, "Of course! We value your input and want to make sure that your new home is tailored to your needs and preferences. We can provide you with a list of available options for housing and amenities, and you can choose the ones that suit you best. If you have any specific requests, please feel free to share them with us, and we will do our best to accommodate them within the limits of our resources and policies."
Rebecca looked at her brother, taking a deep breath, "Sorry, Ian. We should think carefully about what we need and want. This is going to be our new home, and we need to make sure it's right for us."
Ian nodded, "Yeah, I know. I just... I want something fun, you know? Something to take my mind off all this craziness."
Rebecca sighed and offered a small smile, "You're right. We should try to make the best of it. Let's work on this list together, and we'll make sure we have everything we need, and maybe even a cool edgeless pool."
Rebecca smirked at her brother, "Sure, we'll ask about the pool, once we figure out some other things." Rebecca wet her lips with her tongue and turned back to the intercom, "Uh, I presume we are being closely monitored here. Can we get something with some real, actual privacy? Ian and I have some personal things to talk about."
The voice responded, still insufferably cheery, "Of course, we can make sure that's available for you, as those from your century tend to have privacy needs significantly higher than is normal for this Hab. Do be aware that all public places can be assumed to be constantly monitored and recorded at all times. Further, do be aware that New Hydrangea is proud to be a safe, welcoming place which operates under under the rule of law, and potential illegal behaviors may be interrupted via mechanisms that you may not generally have cultural context to be aware of."
Ian muttered darkly, "Aaand there's the stick."
Ian gave Rebecca a concerned look, "Rebecca, I get that we need to think about our long-term survival, but we can't just ignore the fact that we're going to be living here for a while. We need to find a balance between preparing for the future and living our lives now. I don't want us to spend all our time worrying about what's coming next."
Rebecca nodded, sighing "You're right, Ian. We do need to find a balance. But until we have a place of our own to stay, I don't think I can really feel ready to live my life. You know me, the worrier."
Ian hugged her. "Sure, go ahead, I'll speak up if I need to, like always. Alright sis?"
Belt Rush, Part 2
- Location
- USA
The Last Jump
Belt Rush
Part 2
Rebecca took a deep breath and then turned back to the intercom from her side conversation with Ian, "We would like to start discussing our options for accommodations and education, as well as any resources available for personal growth and development. Can you provide us with some information on these topics?"
The still-unnamed helpful voice on the intercom responded , "I would be glad to, and New Hydrangea is glad to help you fulfill your self-improvement goals! What sorts of things do you have questions about?"
Rebecca thought a bit about the implication of this highly automated society, and what they actually saw while outside, and what she knew about fears and hopes regarding automation. "Do we have some sort of stipend or allowance or basic income? If so, is it predicated on our doing specific tasks beyond just following the rule of law and not being a nuisance? And would it be sufficient to cover our housing and life support needs, while still having access to some sort of mechanism for self improvement? And does any of this incur any sort of long term debt?"
The voice responded, "All residents of New Hydrangea, including you, have what you would call a Universal Basic Income. Due to the extreme automation of our society compared to the early 21st century, the sorts of luxuries this buys for you would be quite extreme. That said, depending on the nature of your self-improvement needs and wants, and to the extent that they have to be customized for you or for you to engage the services of a truly sapient entity or use some of the remaining scarce resources, you may have to use a large portion of your Basic Stipend on this, and take a smaller, more modest apartment in a relatively less desirable area than you would otherwise; at the largest extreme, this would mostly be the sort of housing used by those who are not raising families or engaged in large projects, or for those who are more comfortable with using group based facilities for things like dining or fitness, rather than individual ones, or for those who do not wish to be distracted by the presence constantly novel luxuries like performances or shows all around them. Such apartments would resemble something like a luxury hotel suite at a relatively high end long stay chain hotel or a similar sort of 'residential hotel' from your world, unless you were to walk or take public transit to a different location in the habitat. Naturally, all costs for things like food, air, water, electricity, data, and the like would be trivial."
Ian, taking the opportunity to ask some questions, chimed in, "That sounds pretty amazing, actually. But what about education? We're both still young and have a lot to learn. What are our options for schooling or training here? And would that be covered by our Basic Stipend or would we need to find a way to pay for it separately?"
The voice replied, "Education is highly valued in New Hydrangea and is provided free of charge to all residents, regardless of age. You will have access to a wide range of educational resources, from more traditional classroom settings to online courses and immersive virtual reality experiences. Additionally, there are various mentorship and apprenticeship programs available for those who prefer a more hands-on approach to learning. Rest assured, your educational needs will be well taken care of, and you will not need to use your Basic Stipend to cover these expenses."
Rebecca, wanting to get a better grasp of their options, asked, "How about medical and transhuman augmentations? I'm particularly interested in those that could help with learning, memory, or physical abilities. Are those available here, and if so, what would be the costs and process involved?"
The voice answered, "New Hydrangea is on the cutting edge of medical technology and transhuman augmentation. There is a wide variety of options available to enhance your learning, memory, and physical capabilities. Some basic medical treatments and augmentations are provided free of charge, while more advanced or experimental options may require additional payment. However, many of these advanced options can be made more affordable through various subsidy programs or by contributing to ongoing research efforts in exchange for access to the latest developments. The process for acquiring these augmentations typically involves consultation with medical professionals and, if necessary, a series of tests to ensure compatibility and safety."
Rebecca continued to press, "So if you have anything like skill uploading, or is it downloading, I mean directly adding skills and knowledge to the brain, that'd be a sort of paid medical thing as well? And the more extreme augmentations would require payment, too? And the basic stipend would presumably cover some amount of that stuff, especially if we cheap out on everything else? Er, assume we are hesitant to incur long term obligation or debt, but we're okay for signing up for short term studies and temporary monitoring and stuff as part of getting that."
The voice responded, "Yes, direct skill and knowledge transfer, sometimes referred to as 'skill uploading' or 'neural imprinting,' is considered an advanced augmentation and typically requires payment. The costs can vary depending on the complexity and nature of the skills or knowledge you wish to acquire. Your Basic Stipend can be used to cover some or all of these expenses, depending on your other expenditures and priorities. It is certainly possible to allocate more of your Basic Stipend towards these augmentations by choosing more modest accommodations and lifestyle options.
As for incurring long-term obligation or debt, participating in short-term studies or temporary monitoring can indeed help offset some of the costs for these advanced augmentations. Many researchers and medical professionals in New Hydrangea are eager to gather data and better understand the effects and benefits of these procedures, so your willingness to contribute in this manner can be mutually beneficial."
Rebecca looked at Ian, then back at the intercom. "Okay, assume we absolutely want to completely maximize our access to educational materials, transhuman augmentations, as well as have access to an especially really truly private single room for talking and writing personal things, and are totally willing to have to use group facilities of various sorts or live in a very small living area, and are,"
Here she gives Ian what can be described as, 'The Look', and then continued, "absolutely willing to spend significant amounts of time walking and taking public transit to entertainment and cultural enrichment sorts of activities, like a public pool or a show, but we want reasonably private options for at least some sorts training and education and consultations about our needs for that, like one of those 'you actually run around and move around' virtual reality setups, for use when we're waiting for a monthly welfare checks for scheduling the more extreme stuff like going into a vat for body changes or getting our brain jacked into some computer or something. Can we get something like that? And we'll totally sign up for almost anything to facilitate this."
Ian looked like he really wanted to object to some of that, but he remained quiet for now.
The voice responded with enthusiasm, "Certainly! Based on your preferences and priorities, we can arrange accommodations and access to facilities that will allow you to maximize your educational opportunities, transhuman augmentations, and privacy for personal conversations and writing. A small living space with access to shared amenities and nearby public transit can be arranged to accommodate your lifestyle choices. As for virtual reality training and educational experiences, there are many public and private facilities available in New Hydrangea that cater to a wide variety of learning styles and preferences. We can arrange access to these facilities and assist you in scheduling sessions as needed. Your willingness to participate in studies and monitoring will be appreciated and can help offset some of the costs for your desired augmentations and access to more exclusive services. We will work with you to find suitable opportunities that align with your interests and goals."
Ian, looking a bit concerned, finally chimed in, "Uh, but we'd still have time for some fun stuff too, right? Like hanging out with friends or exploring the habitat? We don't want to spend all our time just working and studying."
The voice responded to Ian, "Even the most intensive schedule of the likes you propose would still have significant access to downtime and socialization; those are required both by the nature of the upgrades and studies you propose, as well as in general for all forms of near-humans entities. As New Hydrangea is limited by treaty in the extent it can host the sorts of entities that do not actually require some level of time doing things other than 'only study, work, and exercise', such as various sorts of post-humans, the sorts of augmentations that entirely remove these needs are not offered on this habitat. Also, many of the AIs and Transhuman doctors that would be assigned to your cases for this also take significant amounts of time off."
Rebecca sighed, reluctantly conceding the point. "Ian's right. We do need to have a balanced life here, not just constantly pushing ourselves to the limit."
Ian added, "Yeah, I want time to make friends and explore this place. It's not every day you find yourself in the future, living on a huge gigantic space habitat!"
The voice chimed in, "We understand your concerns, and rest assured, your well-being is important to us. New Hydrangea has a diverse array of social, cultural, and recreational activities to offer, providing ample opportunities to make friends, explore, and experience the best of what our habitat has to offer. We will ensure that you have the support and resources necessary to lead a fulfilling life here."
The next two days passed uneventfully, other than the fact that they confirmed that, yes, there had been nanomachines placed in their bodies to make tweaks necessary for safety and health of everyone, including a LOT of vaccines, and yes, there were indeed a lot of weird sensors in the walls looking at them, and yes, the 1999 vintage decor style was intentionally chosen as the most reasonable compromise to accommodate people who had memories that ranged through a large number of decades; it was a reasonably optimistic era compared to the decades near it, and it was plausible for extremely wealthy hobbyists of that era to have technology setups that could do the things necessary to keep people entertained, and also the technology had not generally transitioned to the sort of multi function displays that many people found intimidating, and still had physical single purpose buttons. They also learned some of the history of this place, and apparently it wasn't that abnormal for a wormhole to open up in the middle of the habitat and deposit people who thought they were from the 1700s or the 1980s or the 2120s or some fictional version of those. Apparently, the true Transcendental Post-Singularity AI in the center of the solar system enjoyed depositing humans with fabricated memories in various habitats scattered around the solar system for some unfathomable reason.
Over the next few days, Rebecca and Ian went through their introductions, met their new neighbors, and began to explore the Residential Hotel and the surrounding areas. They were amazed by the combination of familiar and unfamiliar technologies; the place used a Metro system to move people arouund, but any sort of meal could be fabricated in minutes, and the whole environment seemed to react seemingly presciently to their unspoken needs to accomodate them. They visited local parks and recreational areas, and grew more comfortable with their surroundings and started to feel more at ease. They made a few acquaintances, no true friends, and learned that people were fascinated about their variant history memories, and they shared stories of their experiences. They silently agreed to not talk about the 2012 Awakening Event or events related to it.
After a few days of this, in the early evening, Rebecca decided it was time to have a serious conversation with Ian about their plans, expectations, and the importance of coordinating their efforts. They returned to their apartment, and she led Ian into the private, 'no digital device' room they had requested, activating a very obviously simple white noise machine with exposed innards and no casing, ensuring that they would not be overheard or monitored.
Once the door was securely closed behind them and the lamp clicked on and the muffling strips placed, Rebecca turned to Ian with a serious expression on her face. "Alright, Ian, we need to talk about our actual plans and what we're going to do moving forward. There are things we can't discuss in public or even in the other parts of our apartment, but this room is safe. So, let's get down to business."
She went over to the whiteboard on the wall, and got out a dry erase marker. "First topic. The title of this setting. Belt Rush. Presumably, that means 'Kuiper Belt Resource Rush'. Based on the amount of luxury here, and the lack of this place feeling like an Alaska Gold Rush Boomtown, we're here before whatever weird technology or macguffin unobtanium mineral resource or whatever is found. If I know my mind, and I fucking know my mind, when we were doing the ritual before we left, I would have done everything I could to place us in the 'calm before the storm' with JUST enough time to get situated and get some amount of self-improvement done, before we're inevitably dragged into the churning waters of Plot. I would also, if whatever it is, is sufficiently awesome, put us somewhere near where it is found. I expect I did this, because this habitat is the only welfare nanny state sort of place anywhere near here. Otherwise, I would've picked something with a collection of these sorts of habitats, for more resources in a larger community. I didn't, and I checked, there IS a set of habs like that really far away, so we're probably near the upcoming plot device. Well. As far as anything is 'nearby' in the Kuiper Belt."
Ian listened carefully, taking in his sister's words and the gravity of the situation they were in. He nodded, understanding the reasoning behind her choices and the implications of their current location.
"Okay, so we're in the calm before the storm, like you said. We're here for a reason, and we're going to be involved in whatever big event is coming. So, what do we do to prepare? How do we make sure we're ready when that storm hits?" Ian asked, fully aware of the importance of their preparations.
Rebecca continued to write on the whiteboard, organizing her thoughts. "First, we focus on self-improvement. That means we need to take advantage of every educational opportunity, every augmentation, and every training program available to us. We need to become stronger, smarter, and more capable. The more we improve ourselves, the better prepared we'll be for whatever comes our way."
"Second, we need to build connections. We need to network and make friends with people who can help us when things get rough. People with resources, skills, and influence. We don't know what we'll need, so the more diverse our connections, the better."
"Finally, we need to gather information. We need to learn as much as we can about the local political, economic, and social landscape, as well as any potential threats or opportunities. The more we know, the better we can navigate the storm when it arrives."
Ian nodded, taking in the plan. "It sounds solid, Rebecca. But remember, we also need to make sure we don't burn ourselves out. We need to find a balance between preparation and enjoying our lives here. If we're too focused on the future, we might miss out on the present."
Rebecca sighed, knowing her brother had a point. "You're right, Ian. You've been there when I got focused. I need you to be my brakes, and help us keep that balance. But we can't afford to lose sight of our goals either, alright?"
She took a deep breath, and continued, "Second order of business. The other settings. In order, which thank god I remember, they are: Mythic Realms, which is probably a fantasy setting, probably Greco-Roman, maybe Egyptian themes. Galactic Nexus, which is... I get the feeling it's soft sci fi. Star Mercenary, probably a different flavor of soft sci fi, with more violent economic themes. And Aether Genius, probably magical steampunk with mad scientists, or mad wizards, or maybe mad scientist/wizards. And of course, the final setting, War-Torn Galaxy. We need to prepare specifically for those settings, which, unfortunately, I don't remember many details of because I had to burn most of the memories. But there are still some details. For one thing, I know the magical system of one of those places doesn't work for robots or people who are heavily cyborged up. I also know at least one of those places lets you design and learn some sort of custom magic system, and it is associated with the Tinker Bell Effect trope. And probably also the Magic Harms Technology trope, too. It's my expectation that I would've placed a world that does those relatively early on, so it's probably Mythic Realms or Galactic Nexus."
Ian looked confused at that last one, but he apparently had questions and comments about a lot of that.
"Wait, so you're saying that in one of those worlds, we can design our own magic system and learn it? That's... kind of amazing, but also really confusing. Magic Harms Technology seems self explanatory, but what's that other one? The what effect?" Ian asked, confused with the nerd jargon.
Rebecca explained, "The Tinker Bell effect is a storytelling scenario where believing in something makes it real in the real world, or allows something that wouldn't work to actually work. It's common in stories with magic or supernatural elements. So, if we're going to be able to create our own magic system, it'll probably be in a world that uses the Tinker Bell Effect, probably one of the next two. That means we need to think about what kind of system we want to create, and how we can use it in the other settings. Magic Harms Technology can get pretty nuanced, most authors use it as an excuse for why post Industrial Revolution technology doesn't work in their setting, and ignore how things like chemistry and electricity are needed for humans to not die."
Ian considered this, then said, "So, we'll have magic or some sort of unique power in at least one of the worlds. That's good to know. But could you tell me more about that bit with magic, or possibly everything, not working for robots or cyborgs? That means we shouldn't go overboard with augmentations here?"
Rebecca waffled in her answer. "I think it means we'll just have to be careful with which augmentations we choose, and how they're set up. And use some smart guidelines to not tempt fate overly much. With the right preparation, we can always add more augmentations in a later setting. I came up with five pillars to conceptualize this stuff and prioritize things that will be useful everywhere."
She explained her idea of the five pillars, and then outlined some strategies to look up 'somewhat vaguely similar' settings to what they expected to encounter, and the bare bones of an educational and preparation plan, with a focus on the sorts of skills which would probably be useful in those places, and they planned a way to quietly check if these settings existed here or not.
Eventually, the conversation returned to augmentations that wouldn't cripple them later or cause them to immediately die in the wrong type of reality. Rebecca proposed, "As far as augmentations, I propose we say we have religious beliefs that mean the sorts of augmentations we will allow to be placed in ourselves has some sort of prohibitions against most sorts of non-organic stuff, and to stay within the realm, mostly, of things animals can do. I don't have any ideas what sort of religious or spiritual belief we could profess to follow to excuse that. Any ideas?"
Ian thought for a moment, then suggested, "How about we say we follow a spiritual philosophy that emphasizes the sanctity and purity of the organic human form? We could call it... I don't know, something like 'Organic Humanism'? We can say it's a belief system that values the preservation and enhancement of the natural human body and mind, and discourages the integration of non-organic materials or extensive modifications."
Rebecca nodded, considering the idea. "That could work. It would give us a reasonable explanation for why we're cautious about certain augmentations, and it wouldn't be too far-fetched. We can also say that we're open to using technology to enhance our organic capabilities, like advanced training methods, educational tools, or even some minor augmentations that work in harmony with our natural biology. That way, we can still take advantage of some of the advancements here without raising too many suspicions."
Ian added, "And as for the religious beliefs to justify our aversion to certain augmentations, maybe we could come up with something like a belief in the sanctity of the human body or a connection to some kind of cosmic energy that we feel would be disrupted by non-organic tech. I don't know much about existing religious beliefs, but maybe we can find something that fits or create our own."
Rebecca thought, "Maybe some sort of belief in bodily resurrection where after we die we'll get magical powers, but only if our bodies at the time of death are appropriate and ready for them? Some sort of variant on Christian concepts of bodily resurrection?"
Ian nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that could work. We could say that our belief system emphasizes the importance of maintaining our bodies in a specific condition in order to receive these powers upon bodily resurrection. This would give us a reasonable explanation for avoiding certain augmentations. It's also just obscure enough that people might not be too familiar with it, so they won't ask too many questions."
She grins, "So call that belief, what, Organic Humanistic Christianity? Or not specify the organic in the faith name, mom and dad just called us Christians, and the transhumanist belief is just 'organic humanism within a Christian context' or something. Something like..." here she pauses for a bit, "God was correct to use evolution to give us bodies and minds that were both in his image and also flawed. These bodies are, all at once, a template, a test, and a map. It is our duty to craft our bodies and minds following the template and tools God signalled to us, and through good works and Jesus, also our souls, to await transcendence in the Second Coming." She frowns, "Or is that too hardcore or kooky? Do we want to pretend to be in a weird tiny cult thing, like with the whole not knowing our actual denomination and everything?"
Ian considered her proposal for a moment. "Well, it's definitely a bit unorthodox, but I think that might actually work in our favor. If our beliefs are seen as unique or even a bit strange, people might be less likely to question them too deeply. We just need to make sure we know our story well and can present it consistently. As long as we're confident in our explanation, I think most people will accept it without too much fuss."
He added, "And if we present it as a personal belief rather than a formal denomination or cult, it might be easier for others to accept. People are usually more understanding when it comes to individual beliefs, as long as we don't try to push them onto others. So, I think it could work, as long as we're careful about how we present it."
She nods, "Right, personal beliefs. That works. It also helps that we will actually need bodies and minds that are well adapted to enhancement by and utilization of unknown and mysterious magical systems."
Ian looked at her, "Yea, unknown and mysterious are doing a lot of heavy lifting in that, for sure!"
After a bit more discussion, Rebecca got back to considering what they might be able to predict about their current circumstances, and wrote words on the whiteboard as she went, "So if the canon plot that will start in... some amount of months, I don't think I'd give myself less than four if I could, but I don't know if the books take place in the scope of days, weeks, or months. Probably months, I remember hearing that the fusion drives they use do take a while to get anywhere, and the solar system is more spread out than most sci fi makes it seem. So we will need to get some contact or friend of someone who has an ear to the rumor mill of what spaceships and their crews in the region are doing. We'll also need to make friends with some crew member or captain on a ship that does asteroid mining, or comet capture, or shepherds drones that do that, or something like that. Someone who would be well placed to engage with the Plot. And we'll need to get to a point where we would be actually useful on a ship relatively soon. Next, there's... no way we can get access to advanced or more expensive or 'soft' restricted tech. We'll need to either move to a more freewheeling habitat where such things can be obtained to get them with enough cunning to not get fleeced, or get wealthy enough to buy them or get connections to get them. I doubt they'd give us a full, miniaturized, unlocked Santa Claus machine with full cultural database, you know, a 'colony or economy in a box' sort of thing. At least not on Basic Income, unless we save up for a century we don't have to save."
Ian nodded, taking a moment to absorb Rebecca's train of thought. He looked at the whiteboard, trying to organize his thoughts before speaking. "Right, so we need to get ourselves in a position where we're useful to a ship's crew, make friends in the right circles, and work on accessing tech that might not be easily available to us on basic income. I get it."
He paused for a moment, looking at the whiteboard. "But, you know, all this planning and plotting feels a bit... I don't know... overwhelming? I mean, I'm all for setting goals and preparing for the future, but don't you think we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves? How about we focus on the immediate stuff first, like getting our skills up to par and making some connections? Once we have a better footing here, we can start worrying about everything else. Baby steps, right?"
After they talked a bit about 'fun' things to do, the conversation meandered back to the settings, and Ian asked, "Do you know anything else about the magic in these places? Anything at all?"
Rebecca thought, "Just what I know in general. I know I like stories where magic or psionics or whatever have limits. I'm okay with it being mystical, but I've always been of the opinion that letting that stuff do anything with no constraints whatsoever is best used, you know... in stories where protagonists don't have access to the magic. And I like stories where they do have access to magic! And I guess I remember a bit more about War Torn Galaxy's magic system. It was called Psychic Powers, or Psychana, and could do almost anything, but the greater the effect the more risk, and it had something to do with the interactions between the mind, body, soul, and that system with that and... I think their hyperspace dimension? Which might also be Hell? I can guess that I'd pick places that would let us build something that might be more limited and reliable, yet still work on similar principles."
Ian nodded, intentionally imitating how his sister spoke to put her at ease and try and close the conversation in a last conversational gambit, "Alright, that gives us something to work with. So, we'll need to make sure we're prepared for settings with magic or psychic powers, and focus on developing skills and knowledge that can help us adapt quickly to those systems when we encounter them. And since we don't know exactly what those systems will look like, we should try to stay flexible and open-minded."
With their goals and plans laid out, Rebecca and Ian relaxed in their condo by trying out the virtual reality setup, which involved each of them getting in some kind of rig where they could move freely and interact with simulated physical objects placed around them by the rig, while their senses were fooled by the systems around them, no bulky helmet needed, and enjoyed virtual two-person kayaking with playful dolphins to blow off steam. The next day would be their first appointment with an augmentation doctor, which was why Rebecca was so insistent they had the conversation before that happened.
Belt Rush
Part 2
Rebecca took a deep breath and then turned back to the intercom from her side conversation with Ian, "We would like to start discussing our options for accommodations and education, as well as any resources available for personal growth and development. Can you provide us with some information on these topics?"
The still-unnamed helpful voice on the intercom responded , "I would be glad to, and New Hydrangea is glad to help you fulfill your self-improvement goals! What sorts of things do you have questions about?"
Rebecca thought a bit about the implication of this highly automated society, and what they actually saw while outside, and what she knew about fears and hopes regarding automation. "Do we have some sort of stipend or allowance or basic income? If so, is it predicated on our doing specific tasks beyond just following the rule of law and not being a nuisance? And would it be sufficient to cover our housing and life support needs, while still having access to some sort of mechanism for self improvement? And does any of this incur any sort of long term debt?"
The voice responded, "All residents of New Hydrangea, including you, have what you would call a Universal Basic Income. Due to the extreme automation of our society compared to the early 21st century, the sorts of luxuries this buys for you would be quite extreme. That said, depending on the nature of your self-improvement needs and wants, and to the extent that they have to be customized for you or for you to engage the services of a truly sapient entity or use some of the remaining scarce resources, you may have to use a large portion of your Basic Stipend on this, and take a smaller, more modest apartment in a relatively less desirable area than you would otherwise; at the largest extreme, this would mostly be the sort of housing used by those who are not raising families or engaged in large projects, or for those who are more comfortable with using group based facilities for things like dining or fitness, rather than individual ones, or for those who do not wish to be distracted by the presence constantly novel luxuries like performances or shows all around them. Such apartments would resemble something like a luxury hotel suite at a relatively high end long stay chain hotel or a similar sort of 'residential hotel' from your world, unless you were to walk or take public transit to a different location in the habitat. Naturally, all costs for things like food, air, water, electricity, data, and the like would be trivial."
Ian, taking the opportunity to ask some questions, chimed in, "That sounds pretty amazing, actually. But what about education? We're both still young and have a lot to learn. What are our options for schooling or training here? And would that be covered by our Basic Stipend or would we need to find a way to pay for it separately?"
The voice replied, "Education is highly valued in New Hydrangea and is provided free of charge to all residents, regardless of age. You will have access to a wide range of educational resources, from more traditional classroom settings to online courses and immersive virtual reality experiences. Additionally, there are various mentorship and apprenticeship programs available for those who prefer a more hands-on approach to learning. Rest assured, your educational needs will be well taken care of, and you will not need to use your Basic Stipend to cover these expenses."
Rebecca, wanting to get a better grasp of their options, asked, "How about medical and transhuman augmentations? I'm particularly interested in those that could help with learning, memory, or physical abilities. Are those available here, and if so, what would be the costs and process involved?"
The voice answered, "New Hydrangea is on the cutting edge of medical technology and transhuman augmentation. There is a wide variety of options available to enhance your learning, memory, and physical capabilities. Some basic medical treatments and augmentations are provided free of charge, while more advanced or experimental options may require additional payment. However, many of these advanced options can be made more affordable through various subsidy programs or by contributing to ongoing research efforts in exchange for access to the latest developments. The process for acquiring these augmentations typically involves consultation with medical professionals and, if necessary, a series of tests to ensure compatibility and safety."
Rebecca continued to press, "So if you have anything like skill uploading, or is it downloading, I mean directly adding skills and knowledge to the brain, that'd be a sort of paid medical thing as well? And the more extreme augmentations would require payment, too? And the basic stipend would presumably cover some amount of that stuff, especially if we cheap out on everything else? Er, assume we are hesitant to incur long term obligation or debt, but we're okay for signing up for short term studies and temporary monitoring and stuff as part of getting that."
The voice responded, "Yes, direct skill and knowledge transfer, sometimes referred to as 'skill uploading' or 'neural imprinting,' is considered an advanced augmentation and typically requires payment. The costs can vary depending on the complexity and nature of the skills or knowledge you wish to acquire. Your Basic Stipend can be used to cover some or all of these expenses, depending on your other expenditures and priorities. It is certainly possible to allocate more of your Basic Stipend towards these augmentations by choosing more modest accommodations and lifestyle options.
As for incurring long-term obligation or debt, participating in short-term studies or temporary monitoring can indeed help offset some of the costs for these advanced augmentations. Many researchers and medical professionals in New Hydrangea are eager to gather data and better understand the effects and benefits of these procedures, so your willingness to contribute in this manner can be mutually beneficial."
Rebecca looked at Ian, then back at the intercom. "Okay, assume we absolutely want to completely maximize our access to educational materials, transhuman augmentations, as well as have access to an especially really truly private single room for talking and writing personal things, and are totally willing to have to use group facilities of various sorts or live in a very small living area, and are,"
Here she gives Ian what can be described as, 'The Look', and then continued, "absolutely willing to spend significant amounts of time walking and taking public transit to entertainment and cultural enrichment sorts of activities, like a public pool or a show, but we want reasonably private options for at least some sorts training and education and consultations about our needs for that, like one of those 'you actually run around and move around' virtual reality setups, for use when we're waiting for a monthly welfare checks for scheduling the more extreme stuff like going into a vat for body changes or getting our brain jacked into some computer or something. Can we get something like that? And we'll totally sign up for almost anything to facilitate this."
Ian looked like he really wanted to object to some of that, but he remained quiet for now.
The voice responded with enthusiasm, "Certainly! Based on your preferences and priorities, we can arrange accommodations and access to facilities that will allow you to maximize your educational opportunities, transhuman augmentations, and privacy for personal conversations and writing. A small living space with access to shared amenities and nearby public transit can be arranged to accommodate your lifestyle choices. As for virtual reality training and educational experiences, there are many public and private facilities available in New Hydrangea that cater to a wide variety of learning styles and preferences. We can arrange access to these facilities and assist you in scheduling sessions as needed. Your willingness to participate in studies and monitoring will be appreciated and can help offset some of the costs for your desired augmentations and access to more exclusive services. We will work with you to find suitable opportunities that align with your interests and goals."
Ian, looking a bit concerned, finally chimed in, "Uh, but we'd still have time for some fun stuff too, right? Like hanging out with friends or exploring the habitat? We don't want to spend all our time just working and studying."
The voice responded to Ian, "Even the most intensive schedule of the likes you propose would still have significant access to downtime and socialization; those are required both by the nature of the upgrades and studies you propose, as well as in general for all forms of near-humans entities. As New Hydrangea is limited by treaty in the extent it can host the sorts of entities that do not actually require some level of time doing things other than 'only study, work, and exercise', such as various sorts of post-humans, the sorts of augmentations that entirely remove these needs are not offered on this habitat. Also, many of the AIs and Transhuman doctors that would be assigned to your cases for this also take significant amounts of time off."
Rebecca sighed, reluctantly conceding the point. "Ian's right. We do need to have a balanced life here, not just constantly pushing ourselves to the limit."
Ian added, "Yeah, I want time to make friends and explore this place. It's not every day you find yourself in the future, living on a huge gigantic space habitat!"
The voice chimed in, "We understand your concerns, and rest assured, your well-being is important to us. New Hydrangea has a diverse array of social, cultural, and recreational activities to offer, providing ample opportunities to make friends, explore, and experience the best of what our habitat has to offer. We will ensure that you have the support and resources necessary to lead a fulfilling life here."
The next two days passed uneventfully, other than the fact that they confirmed that, yes, there had been nanomachines placed in their bodies to make tweaks necessary for safety and health of everyone, including a LOT of vaccines, and yes, there were indeed a lot of weird sensors in the walls looking at them, and yes, the 1999 vintage decor style was intentionally chosen as the most reasonable compromise to accommodate people who had memories that ranged through a large number of decades; it was a reasonably optimistic era compared to the decades near it, and it was plausible for extremely wealthy hobbyists of that era to have technology setups that could do the things necessary to keep people entertained, and also the technology had not generally transitioned to the sort of multi function displays that many people found intimidating, and still had physical single purpose buttons. They also learned some of the history of this place, and apparently it wasn't that abnormal for a wormhole to open up in the middle of the habitat and deposit people who thought they were from the 1700s or the 1980s or the 2120s or some fictional version of those. Apparently, the true Transcendental Post-Singularity AI in the center of the solar system enjoyed depositing humans with fabricated memories in various habitats scattered around the solar system for some unfathomable reason.
Over the next few days, Rebecca and Ian went through their introductions, met their new neighbors, and began to explore the Residential Hotel and the surrounding areas. They were amazed by the combination of familiar and unfamiliar technologies; the place used a Metro system to move people arouund, but any sort of meal could be fabricated in minutes, and the whole environment seemed to react seemingly presciently to their unspoken needs to accomodate them. They visited local parks and recreational areas, and grew more comfortable with their surroundings and started to feel more at ease. They made a few acquaintances, no true friends, and learned that people were fascinated about their variant history memories, and they shared stories of their experiences. They silently agreed to not talk about the 2012 Awakening Event or events related to it.
After a few days of this, in the early evening, Rebecca decided it was time to have a serious conversation with Ian about their plans, expectations, and the importance of coordinating their efforts. They returned to their apartment, and she led Ian into the private, 'no digital device' room they had requested, activating a very obviously simple white noise machine with exposed innards and no casing, ensuring that they would not be overheard or monitored.
Once the door was securely closed behind them and the lamp clicked on and the muffling strips placed, Rebecca turned to Ian with a serious expression on her face. "Alright, Ian, we need to talk about our actual plans and what we're going to do moving forward. There are things we can't discuss in public or even in the other parts of our apartment, but this room is safe. So, let's get down to business."
She went over to the whiteboard on the wall, and got out a dry erase marker. "First topic. The title of this setting. Belt Rush. Presumably, that means 'Kuiper Belt Resource Rush'. Based on the amount of luxury here, and the lack of this place feeling like an Alaska Gold Rush Boomtown, we're here before whatever weird technology or macguffin unobtanium mineral resource or whatever is found. If I know my mind, and I fucking know my mind, when we were doing the ritual before we left, I would have done everything I could to place us in the 'calm before the storm' with JUST enough time to get situated and get some amount of self-improvement done, before we're inevitably dragged into the churning waters of Plot. I would also, if whatever it is, is sufficiently awesome, put us somewhere near where it is found. I expect I did this, because this habitat is the only welfare nanny state sort of place anywhere near here. Otherwise, I would've picked something with a collection of these sorts of habitats, for more resources in a larger community. I didn't, and I checked, there IS a set of habs like that really far away, so we're probably near the upcoming plot device. Well. As far as anything is 'nearby' in the Kuiper Belt."
Ian listened carefully, taking in his sister's words and the gravity of the situation they were in. He nodded, understanding the reasoning behind her choices and the implications of their current location.
"Okay, so we're in the calm before the storm, like you said. We're here for a reason, and we're going to be involved in whatever big event is coming. So, what do we do to prepare? How do we make sure we're ready when that storm hits?" Ian asked, fully aware of the importance of their preparations.
Rebecca continued to write on the whiteboard, organizing her thoughts. "First, we focus on self-improvement. That means we need to take advantage of every educational opportunity, every augmentation, and every training program available to us. We need to become stronger, smarter, and more capable. The more we improve ourselves, the better prepared we'll be for whatever comes our way."
"Second, we need to build connections. We need to network and make friends with people who can help us when things get rough. People with resources, skills, and influence. We don't know what we'll need, so the more diverse our connections, the better."
"Finally, we need to gather information. We need to learn as much as we can about the local political, economic, and social landscape, as well as any potential threats or opportunities. The more we know, the better we can navigate the storm when it arrives."
Ian nodded, taking in the plan. "It sounds solid, Rebecca. But remember, we also need to make sure we don't burn ourselves out. We need to find a balance between preparation and enjoying our lives here. If we're too focused on the future, we might miss out on the present."
Rebecca sighed, knowing her brother had a point. "You're right, Ian. You've been there when I got focused. I need you to be my brakes, and help us keep that balance. But we can't afford to lose sight of our goals either, alright?"
She took a deep breath, and continued, "Second order of business. The other settings. In order, which thank god I remember, they are: Mythic Realms, which is probably a fantasy setting, probably Greco-Roman, maybe Egyptian themes. Galactic Nexus, which is... I get the feeling it's soft sci fi. Star Mercenary, probably a different flavor of soft sci fi, with more violent economic themes. And Aether Genius, probably magical steampunk with mad scientists, or mad wizards, or maybe mad scientist/wizards. And of course, the final setting, War-Torn Galaxy. We need to prepare specifically for those settings, which, unfortunately, I don't remember many details of because I had to burn most of the memories. But there are still some details. For one thing, I know the magical system of one of those places doesn't work for robots or people who are heavily cyborged up. I also know at least one of those places lets you design and learn some sort of custom magic system, and it is associated with the Tinker Bell Effect trope. And probably also the Magic Harms Technology trope, too. It's my expectation that I would've placed a world that does those relatively early on, so it's probably Mythic Realms or Galactic Nexus."
Ian looked confused at that last one, but he apparently had questions and comments about a lot of that.
"Wait, so you're saying that in one of those worlds, we can design our own magic system and learn it? That's... kind of amazing, but also really confusing. Magic Harms Technology seems self explanatory, but what's that other one? The what effect?" Ian asked, confused with the nerd jargon.
Rebecca explained, "The Tinker Bell effect is a storytelling scenario where believing in something makes it real in the real world, or allows something that wouldn't work to actually work. It's common in stories with magic or supernatural elements. So, if we're going to be able to create our own magic system, it'll probably be in a world that uses the Tinker Bell Effect, probably one of the next two. That means we need to think about what kind of system we want to create, and how we can use it in the other settings. Magic Harms Technology can get pretty nuanced, most authors use it as an excuse for why post Industrial Revolution technology doesn't work in their setting, and ignore how things like chemistry and electricity are needed for humans to not die."
Ian considered this, then said, "So, we'll have magic or some sort of unique power in at least one of the worlds. That's good to know. But could you tell me more about that bit with magic, or possibly everything, not working for robots or cyborgs? That means we shouldn't go overboard with augmentations here?"
Rebecca waffled in her answer. "I think it means we'll just have to be careful with which augmentations we choose, and how they're set up. And use some smart guidelines to not tempt fate overly much. With the right preparation, we can always add more augmentations in a later setting. I came up with five pillars to conceptualize this stuff and prioritize things that will be useful everywhere."
She explained her idea of the five pillars, and then outlined some strategies to look up 'somewhat vaguely similar' settings to what they expected to encounter, and the bare bones of an educational and preparation plan, with a focus on the sorts of skills which would probably be useful in those places, and they planned a way to quietly check if these settings existed here or not.
Eventually, the conversation returned to augmentations that wouldn't cripple them later or cause them to immediately die in the wrong type of reality. Rebecca proposed, "As far as augmentations, I propose we say we have religious beliefs that mean the sorts of augmentations we will allow to be placed in ourselves has some sort of prohibitions against most sorts of non-organic stuff, and to stay within the realm, mostly, of things animals can do. I don't have any ideas what sort of religious or spiritual belief we could profess to follow to excuse that. Any ideas?"
Ian thought for a moment, then suggested, "How about we say we follow a spiritual philosophy that emphasizes the sanctity and purity of the organic human form? We could call it... I don't know, something like 'Organic Humanism'? We can say it's a belief system that values the preservation and enhancement of the natural human body and mind, and discourages the integration of non-organic materials or extensive modifications."
Rebecca nodded, considering the idea. "That could work. It would give us a reasonable explanation for why we're cautious about certain augmentations, and it wouldn't be too far-fetched. We can also say that we're open to using technology to enhance our organic capabilities, like advanced training methods, educational tools, or even some minor augmentations that work in harmony with our natural biology. That way, we can still take advantage of some of the advancements here without raising too many suspicions."
Ian added, "And as for the religious beliefs to justify our aversion to certain augmentations, maybe we could come up with something like a belief in the sanctity of the human body or a connection to some kind of cosmic energy that we feel would be disrupted by non-organic tech. I don't know much about existing religious beliefs, but maybe we can find something that fits or create our own."
Rebecca thought, "Maybe some sort of belief in bodily resurrection where after we die we'll get magical powers, but only if our bodies at the time of death are appropriate and ready for them? Some sort of variant on Christian concepts of bodily resurrection?"
Ian nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that could work. We could say that our belief system emphasizes the importance of maintaining our bodies in a specific condition in order to receive these powers upon bodily resurrection. This would give us a reasonable explanation for avoiding certain augmentations. It's also just obscure enough that people might not be too familiar with it, so they won't ask too many questions."
She grins, "So call that belief, what, Organic Humanistic Christianity? Or not specify the organic in the faith name, mom and dad just called us Christians, and the transhumanist belief is just 'organic humanism within a Christian context' or something. Something like..." here she pauses for a bit, "God was correct to use evolution to give us bodies and minds that were both in his image and also flawed. These bodies are, all at once, a template, a test, and a map. It is our duty to craft our bodies and minds following the template and tools God signalled to us, and through good works and Jesus, also our souls, to await transcendence in the Second Coming." She frowns, "Or is that too hardcore or kooky? Do we want to pretend to be in a weird tiny cult thing, like with the whole not knowing our actual denomination and everything?"
Ian considered her proposal for a moment. "Well, it's definitely a bit unorthodox, but I think that might actually work in our favor. If our beliefs are seen as unique or even a bit strange, people might be less likely to question them too deeply. We just need to make sure we know our story well and can present it consistently. As long as we're confident in our explanation, I think most people will accept it without too much fuss."
He added, "And if we present it as a personal belief rather than a formal denomination or cult, it might be easier for others to accept. People are usually more understanding when it comes to individual beliefs, as long as we don't try to push them onto others. So, I think it could work, as long as we're careful about how we present it."
She nods, "Right, personal beliefs. That works. It also helps that we will actually need bodies and minds that are well adapted to enhancement by and utilization of unknown and mysterious magical systems."
Ian looked at her, "Yea, unknown and mysterious are doing a lot of heavy lifting in that, for sure!"
After a bit more discussion, Rebecca got back to considering what they might be able to predict about their current circumstances, and wrote words on the whiteboard as she went, "So if the canon plot that will start in... some amount of months, I don't think I'd give myself less than four if I could, but I don't know if the books take place in the scope of days, weeks, or months. Probably months, I remember hearing that the fusion drives they use do take a while to get anywhere, and the solar system is more spread out than most sci fi makes it seem. So we will need to get some contact or friend of someone who has an ear to the rumor mill of what spaceships and their crews in the region are doing. We'll also need to make friends with some crew member or captain on a ship that does asteroid mining, or comet capture, or shepherds drones that do that, or something like that. Someone who would be well placed to engage with the Plot. And we'll need to get to a point where we would be actually useful on a ship relatively soon. Next, there's... no way we can get access to advanced or more expensive or 'soft' restricted tech. We'll need to either move to a more freewheeling habitat where such things can be obtained to get them with enough cunning to not get fleeced, or get wealthy enough to buy them or get connections to get them. I doubt they'd give us a full, miniaturized, unlocked Santa Claus machine with full cultural database, you know, a 'colony or economy in a box' sort of thing. At least not on Basic Income, unless we save up for a century we don't have to save."
Ian nodded, taking a moment to absorb Rebecca's train of thought. He looked at the whiteboard, trying to organize his thoughts before speaking. "Right, so we need to get ourselves in a position where we're useful to a ship's crew, make friends in the right circles, and work on accessing tech that might not be easily available to us on basic income. I get it."
He paused for a moment, looking at the whiteboard. "But, you know, all this planning and plotting feels a bit... I don't know... overwhelming? I mean, I'm all for setting goals and preparing for the future, but don't you think we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves? How about we focus on the immediate stuff first, like getting our skills up to par and making some connections? Once we have a better footing here, we can start worrying about everything else. Baby steps, right?"
After they talked a bit about 'fun' things to do, the conversation meandered back to the settings, and Ian asked, "Do you know anything else about the magic in these places? Anything at all?"
Rebecca thought, "Just what I know in general. I know I like stories where magic or psionics or whatever have limits. I'm okay with it being mystical, but I've always been of the opinion that letting that stuff do anything with no constraints whatsoever is best used, you know... in stories where protagonists don't have access to the magic. And I like stories where they do have access to magic! And I guess I remember a bit more about War Torn Galaxy's magic system. It was called Psychic Powers, or Psychana, and could do almost anything, but the greater the effect the more risk, and it had something to do with the interactions between the mind, body, soul, and that system with that and... I think their hyperspace dimension? Which might also be Hell? I can guess that I'd pick places that would let us build something that might be more limited and reliable, yet still work on similar principles."
Ian nodded, intentionally imitating how his sister spoke to put her at ease and try and close the conversation in a last conversational gambit, "Alright, that gives us something to work with. So, we'll need to make sure we're prepared for settings with magic or psychic powers, and focus on developing skills and knowledge that can help us adapt quickly to those systems when we encounter them. And since we don't know exactly what those systems will look like, we should try to stay flexible and open-minded."
With their goals and plans laid out, Rebecca and Ian relaxed in their condo by trying out the virtual reality setup, which involved each of them getting in some kind of rig where they could move freely and interact with simulated physical objects placed around them by the rig, while their senses were fooled by the systems around them, no bulky helmet needed, and enjoyed virtual two-person kayaking with playful dolphins to blow off steam. The next day would be their first appointment with an augmentation doctor, which was why Rebecca was so insistent they had the conversation before that happened.
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Belt Rush, Part 3
- Location
- USA
The Last Jump
Belt Rush
Part 3
The following morning, Rebecca and Ian arrived at their appointment with the augmentation doctor, Dr. Luna. The doctor's office was a mix of sleek, futuristic design and comforting, warm colors, with what appeared to be an actual functional garden. They were both a little nervous, but also excited about the potential enhancements they would be discussing, as they picked some strawberries next to a sign that said 'Take some!'.
After a bit, and a surprising lack of the sort of 'intake' they were used to, Dr. Luna greeted them with a warm smile and invited them to sit down. "Welcome, Rebecca and Ian. It's a pleasure to meet you both. Now, before we discuss any potential augmentations, I'd like to get a better understanding of your goals, concerns, and any beliefs that might influence the type of enhancements you're interested in. I've reviewed your initial scans and medical history, but I believe the best way to understand your needs and preferences is through conversation. We can either follow a structured discussion, or we can have a more natural, open-ended conversation. Which would you prefer?"
Rebecca and Ian exchanged glances, and Rebecca replied, "Thank you, Dr. Luna. We appreciate the opportunity to have an open conversation about our augmentation options. Let's start with a more natural discussion and see where that leads us."
Dr. Luna nodded, giving them an encouraging smile. "That sounds great. Why don't you start by telling me about any personal beliefs or preferences that you think might be relevant to the choices we'll be making today?"
Rebecca had been thinking of this all day, but when the time came to actually talk about it, her brain kind of blanked. "Uhhhh. I mean. Preferences. Wow. All the little things, you know? Longevity, immortality if we can get it, be smarter, better, healthier, faster, um, God, I don't know what it is you have to offer, not really!"
Dr. Luna smiled and made an effort to speak soothingly. "Why don't you tell me why you are seeking this in general?"
Rebecca calmed down, and then remembered what she had said earlier, "We believe that God created our bodies as a template and a test. It's our duty to use our bodies as a foundation to improve ourselves, physically and mentally, in preparation for a higher state of existence. We prefer organic or biological enhancements over mechanical or artificial ones, as we feel it's more in line with the divine plan. Further, we believe that at some point in the future, after we die, God will resurrect us in body. And if we are as close as possible in line with the divine plan in our mind, bodies, soul, and good works, than we will be closer to a state of Transcendental Grace at that point."
Dr. Luna wrote something down -- on paper, no less -- and asked, "So what would that look like? Both the ideal state immediately prior and the post-resurrection one?"
Rebecca again took the lead, "Well, we would have bodies that can be stably healthy for very long periods of time without medical intervention or truly exotic foods and things like that, like if we had to live a primitive life for a time, and which could still reproduce naturally with people like us and produce more people like us. But they'd be bodies and minds that would be more like as if God had specifically designed them along the human template, directly, rather than using evolution as His tool. And it would all fit, all be cohesive, all make sense, collectively, with nothing being an odd one out. Something that could grow, even if it couldn't have evolved. So yea, health and wellness enhancements, longevity enhancemens, cognitive enhancements, quality of life enhancements, enhancements for living in a wide variety of problematic circumstances, peak human whatever sorts of things, durability enhancements, new senses and better existing senses, fixing all the weird mental and physical compromises that happened due to evolution, adding various wacky abilities from the animal kingdom, and add all the usefull mental quirks and talents that humans have, uhhhh..."
Dr. Luna interrupts, "So many wide ranging enhancements. There's a few ways to achieve that, in an organic context, the 'many small tweaks' method, or the 'few large tweaks'. Of course these are misnomers, even the few large tweaks does include many small ones, but they are useful shorthands. By the sound of this, you'd prefer many small tweaks?"
Ian was the one that speaks up this time, because he sensed Rebecca was getting a little overwhelmed. "Yea. Can you make us immortal without needing to involve nanobots or anything?"
The doctor noticed Rebecca's overload and started focusing on Ian, giving her time to collect herself, "While most methods for immortality or extreme longevity and anti-senescence involve nanobots in some capacity, people preferring 'organic' means, usually for religious reasons, encouraged a push to redesign humans from the ground up for indefinite longevity and quality of life, with any number of enhancements towards that end. That is one of the few 'extreme' organic modifications that was developed mostly from scratch, rather than by investigating already existing aspects of biology to achieve. So that will be possible."
She paused a bit and wrote something down on her notepad again, and Rebecca mused that this was presumably unnecessary; this whole thing had to be recorded or she had to have an assistant dumb ai to take notes or something like that.
Then, apparently having decided that Rebecca had calmed down, she looked at the two siblings, "So I've noticed we're getting a bit focused on the details. Are there any big things that would be relevant? Perhaps to the after-resurrection body status?"
Rebecca spoke up, having gotten her mental bearings, "Oh. Yea. Um, the idea of Transcendental Grace is that we'd have some sort of angelic-like powers, and a body that is more ready for that kind of thing would be more ideal. I don't know what that might look like, though."
Dr. Luna paused for a bit, apparently thinking, or perhaps coordinating or communing with something or someone. "Well, it depends on the magical system in question. Does it involve imbibing strange substances? Than a body resistant to poisons or which knows what to do with various odd substances to make use of them might be helpful. Does it involve psionic powers that require odd states of mind or various mental capacities? Than a mind that has enough neuroplasticity and training to reach various odd states would be helpful, as would memory enhancements. Does it involve saying strange words or singing? Than various enhancements to the systems involved with voice and the throat and speech and language centers of the brain might be relevant. Is there some kind of chakra system or something that involves energy meridians that run through the body, or channeling mana in the limbs? Then things that ruggedize the nerves and similar systems, or increase the variety of substances they use to do their job, or the amount of electricity they can channel might be helpful. Does extreme mana channeling overheat or electrocute the body? Than improving the body's resistance and resilience to these sorts of things would be relevant. Does it involve rapid hand or leg movements? Than systems that improve the reaction time, slow down the perception of time when wanted, improve proprioception, improve balance, improve dexterity, improve agility, and so on might be helpful. Does it involve extremely long rituals that are physically taxing? Than manipulating the need for sleep, or the sort of sleep that is needed, may be relevant. Also, even marginally effective or 'it's just a toy' sorts of systems for bioelectric shocks, biological radio, electro and magnetoreception, thermal reception, or skin types that can adjust their markings, shade, or level of bio-luminescence in a detailed way would all potentially be relevant, or improved by the addition of magic. Does it require some sort of magical organ? Than as part of the regeneration system, we can implant an organ that produces stem cells and other custom designed cells with various uses, ready to upgrade some organs that intentionally do nothing, placed wherever there's room, to be whatever weird magical organ you need through whatever unknown process you undergo. Though ultimately, I do have to let you know that to the best of our understanding, nothing like any sort of magic exists and, at best, these are all merely educated guesses. Though you should also be aware that most of these things I mentioned do, specifically, work better in cybernetics than via biological augmentations."
Ian spoke up, "We're sure that we don't want cybernetics. And yes. All that magic support stuff, we want all that super mage shit, that sounds awesome!"
Dr. Luna pursed her lips, "There is one thing you need to be aware of. While we have extremely advanced skill training techniques, and there are many augmentations that improve your ability to learn, or just grant you many savant skills and 'talent' at things, the ability to learn of even the most organically augmented genius-savant-renaissance-man pales in comparison to someone who has even a slightly cyborged brain. The ability to download skills, or to read a whole book in seconds, requires a mechanically augmented brain. Even the most extreme focus and" she pauses here, apparently she didn't like their jargon term for the concept, "most extreme level of bullet time and an automated tracking display system pales to direct neural uplink of knowledge into the brain. The amount of skills that would take a bio-genius years, could be done in weeks for someone with non-organic brain modifications. That said, there is some good news."
She smiled gently, "If you are okay with having a temporary sort of cyber-brain, we could grow a neural mesh that is heavy on mechanical nanobots into your mind, which you then use to have skills downloaded and transferred to your wet brain, and then when you are done with a set of rapid skill and knowledge upload process, the mesh can dissolve, the nanomachiens shut down, and go into the bloodstream and be flushed out through the body's normal waste processes. This would only leave the more natural brain, and in a state as if you had learned the skills over a period of years, the 'hard' way. How long do you want to spend doing all these augmentations and the learning, all told?"
Rebecca answers, "Six months, at most. Four would be ideal."
Dr. Luna frowns slightly, "That... is a very rapid timeframe for so many changes, as well as whatever sort of learning and educational priorities you want to focus on as well. We will write up a few proposals, and send them and educational materials regarding them to your home VR setups by this time tomorrow. That way, you can get a visceral feel for your options, and pick between a few mutually exclusive ones, in a fun little 'game' that will help you make an informed choice. I take it you want to change how you look?"
Ian spoke up first, cutting Rebecca off before she could give a long-winded reply, "We want to look like demigods!"
Rebecca, who had been about to say something much more in depth, which mostly boiled down to 'we want to look like demigods!', stopped. "Uh. Yea. Still visibly mostly human though. But that, yea."
Dr. Luna smiled, amused. And she remembers one last thing, "Oh! You'll be glad to know. A lot of the augmentations that you might think of as 'super-soldier' improvements are not actually restricted at all, or if they are, they're gated behind mental upgrades and classes and certifications that you will probably want to get anyway."
Ian gaped, "W..why is that?"
Dr. Luna chuckles, "Why, because they're utterly obsolete and outclassed. They're mostly from hobbysists trying to vaguely replicate a partial effect of truly restricted, mechanical augmentations in an organic form. But they're still very much less effective and capable than the mechanical ones, due to the inherent structural limitations of things made out of bone, flesh, nerve, scale, horn, tooth, chitin, and the like. You could be all the gene warrior you want, a networked combat robot will still be faster, smarter, stronger, stealthier, more accurate, and overall more capable of squishing you like a bug."
Ian could only respond with a, "Fffuuuuuuuck."
They spent a bit more time talking about extra details, mostly minor things, and then the two left to enjoy exploring the public parks and sports and shows of the habitat. Unbeknownst to the siblings, the following conversation happened in the verdant office of 'Dr. Luna' a little bit after they leave.
A deep male voice spoke up to 'Dr. Luna', "So what do you think, Agent?".
Dr. Luna responded, "I don't like pretending to be a doctor. It's disrespectful to the profession."
The male voice responded, "You know what I mean."
Luna replied, "Yes, of course. They're just kids. Like puppies. So earnest, so trusting, so enthusiastic. I can't believe they actually thought we wouldn't bug their 'private room'. 'Belt Rush', indeed. There's nothing to find in any of these rocks or comets except what we've known was out here for centuries."
The voice responded, "Nothing yet, at least. We know that the Solar AI has access to exotic forms of matter we don't. Possibly negative-mass matter; they do use wormholes after all. Maybe they're going to be quietly placing that or something else useful in some rocks sometime soon, and are giving us the heads up. It would explain the new technique. This is the first time a Portal Drop ever thought *we* were from a fictional setting, the AI's getting cheeky."
'Luna' scoffed, "Why would it do that?"
The voice answered, "The get cheeky or the let us know bit? Who knows for either. Why does the Singularity ever do anything? Still, it'd be useful to keep these kids happy and unsuspecting. And maybe grease the wheels for their goals a bit, in at least some ways. They have absolutely no idea how much what they want would be out of their budget. Heritable organic mods? That are integrated into the base genetic code as much as possible? In six months? The costs for the quantum computing time are going to be horrible."
'Luna' chuckled, "You know we have the budget for it, stop trying to act like we don't. We'll just have to make sure that any improvements or training involving 'cunning' or 'intuition' or 'useful paranoia' and some of the social stuff and some of the types of logic and some of the sensory stuff only happens late in their augmentation process. Wouldn't want them to catch on early. Though it galls me to be doing this to these... babies!"
It's the voice that next chuckled, "Please. We're giving them almost everything they want on the off chance that, when they inevitably get into trouble, when this 'Plot' hits, we can take advantage of the situation. Though we'll probably be making sure they don't get to a Fusion driveship or an unrestricted Omnifab. And if the Plot never hits? If it's all their delusion like our models predict is likely? Well, part of our mandate is to keep an eye on the Portal droppers and keeping them happy. This is entirely a part of our mission, and we'll get some good data anyway."
'Luna' sighed, "You're right. I just can't help but feel a little bad about it. They really are like puppies. Anyway, I'll get started on those proposals for them. You keep an eye on them from a distance and make sure they don't get into any trouble they can't handle."
The voice agreed, "Will do. We'll be the best invisible guardians they never knew they had."
With that, 'Dr. Luna' got to work on the proposals, which mostly involved telling automated systems what to do and put together resource allotment requests to make it feasible, and the mysterious voice faded away, leaving the office silent once more.
Belt Rush
Part 3
The following morning, Rebecca and Ian arrived at their appointment with the augmentation doctor, Dr. Luna. The doctor's office was a mix of sleek, futuristic design and comforting, warm colors, with what appeared to be an actual functional garden. They were both a little nervous, but also excited about the potential enhancements they would be discussing, as they picked some strawberries next to a sign that said 'Take some!'.
After a bit, and a surprising lack of the sort of 'intake' they were used to, Dr. Luna greeted them with a warm smile and invited them to sit down. "Welcome, Rebecca and Ian. It's a pleasure to meet you both. Now, before we discuss any potential augmentations, I'd like to get a better understanding of your goals, concerns, and any beliefs that might influence the type of enhancements you're interested in. I've reviewed your initial scans and medical history, but I believe the best way to understand your needs and preferences is through conversation. We can either follow a structured discussion, or we can have a more natural, open-ended conversation. Which would you prefer?"
Rebecca and Ian exchanged glances, and Rebecca replied, "Thank you, Dr. Luna. We appreciate the opportunity to have an open conversation about our augmentation options. Let's start with a more natural discussion and see where that leads us."
Dr. Luna nodded, giving them an encouraging smile. "That sounds great. Why don't you start by telling me about any personal beliefs or preferences that you think might be relevant to the choices we'll be making today?"
Rebecca had been thinking of this all day, but when the time came to actually talk about it, her brain kind of blanked. "Uhhhh. I mean. Preferences. Wow. All the little things, you know? Longevity, immortality if we can get it, be smarter, better, healthier, faster, um, God, I don't know what it is you have to offer, not really!"
Dr. Luna smiled and made an effort to speak soothingly. "Why don't you tell me why you are seeking this in general?"
Rebecca calmed down, and then remembered what she had said earlier, "We believe that God created our bodies as a template and a test. It's our duty to use our bodies as a foundation to improve ourselves, physically and mentally, in preparation for a higher state of existence. We prefer organic or biological enhancements over mechanical or artificial ones, as we feel it's more in line with the divine plan. Further, we believe that at some point in the future, after we die, God will resurrect us in body. And if we are as close as possible in line with the divine plan in our mind, bodies, soul, and good works, than we will be closer to a state of Transcendental Grace at that point."
Dr. Luna wrote something down -- on paper, no less -- and asked, "So what would that look like? Both the ideal state immediately prior and the post-resurrection one?"
Rebecca again took the lead, "Well, we would have bodies that can be stably healthy for very long periods of time without medical intervention or truly exotic foods and things like that, like if we had to live a primitive life for a time, and which could still reproduce naturally with people like us and produce more people like us. But they'd be bodies and minds that would be more like as if God had specifically designed them along the human template, directly, rather than using evolution as His tool. And it would all fit, all be cohesive, all make sense, collectively, with nothing being an odd one out. Something that could grow, even if it couldn't have evolved. So yea, health and wellness enhancements, longevity enhancemens, cognitive enhancements, quality of life enhancements, enhancements for living in a wide variety of problematic circumstances, peak human whatever sorts of things, durability enhancements, new senses and better existing senses, fixing all the weird mental and physical compromises that happened due to evolution, adding various wacky abilities from the animal kingdom, and add all the usefull mental quirks and talents that humans have, uhhhh..."
Dr. Luna interrupts, "So many wide ranging enhancements. There's a few ways to achieve that, in an organic context, the 'many small tweaks' method, or the 'few large tweaks'. Of course these are misnomers, even the few large tweaks does include many small ones, but they are useful shorthands. By the sound of this, you'd prefer many small tweaks?"
Ian was the one that speaks up this time, because he sensed Rebecca was getting a little overwhelmed. "Yea. Can you make us immortal without needing to involve nanobots or anything?"
The doctor noticed Rebecca's overload and started focusing on Ian, giving her time to collect herself, "While most methods for immortality or extreme longevity and anti-senescence involve nanobots in some capacity, people preferring 'organic' means, usually for religious reasons, encouraged a push to redesign humans from the ground up for indefinite longevity and quality of life, with any number of enhancements towards that end. That is one of the few 'extreme' organic modifications that was developed mostly from scratch, rather than by investigating already existing aspects of biology to achieve. So that will be possible."
She paused a bit and wrote something down on her notepad again, and Rebecca mused that this was presumably unnecessary; this whole thing had to be recorded or she had to have an assistant dumb ai to take notes or something like that.
Then, apparently having decided that Rebecca had calmed down, she looked at the two siblings, "So I've noticed we're getting a bit focused on the details. Are there any big things that would be relevant? Perhaps to the after-resurrection body status?"
Rebecca spoke up, having gotten her mental bearings, "Oh. Yea. Um, the idea of Transcendental Grace is that we'd have some sort of angelic-like powers, and a body that is more ready for that kind of thing would be more ideal. I don't know what that might look like, though."
Dr. Luna paused for a bit, apparently thinking, or perhaps coordinating or communing with something or someone. "Well, it depends on the magical system in question. Does it involve imbibing strange substances? Than a body resistant to poisons or which knows what to do with various odd substances to make use of them might be helpful. Does it involve psionic powers that require odd states of mind or various mental capacities? Than a mind that has enough neuroplasticity and training to reach various odd states would be helpful, as would memory enhancements. Does it involve saying strange words or singing? Than various enhancements to the systems involved with voice and the throat and speech and language centers of the brain might be relevant. Is there some kind of chakra system or something that involves energy meridians that run through the body, or channeling mana in the limbs? Then things that ruggedize the nerves and similar systems, or increase the variety of substances they use to do their job, or the amount of electricity they can channel might be helpful. Does extreme mana channeling overheat or electrocute the body? Than improving the body's resistance and resilience to these sorts of things would be relevant. Does it involve rapid hand or leg movements? Than systems that improve the reaction time, slow down the perception of time when wanted, improve proprioception, improve balance, improve dexterity, improve agility, and so on might be helpful. Does it involve extremely long rituals that are physically taxing? Than manipulating the need for sleep, or the sort of sleep that is needed, may be relevant. Also, even marginally effective or 'it's just a toy' sorts of systems for bioelectric shocks, biological radio, electro and magnetoreception, thermal reception, or skin types that can adjust their markings, shade, or level of bio-luminescence in a detailed way would all potentially be relevant, or improved by the addition of magic. Does it require some sort of magical organ? Than as part of the regeneration system, we can implant an organ that produces stem cells and other custom designed cells with various uses, ready to upgrade some organs that intentionally do nothing, placed wherever there's room, to be whatever weird magical organ you need through whatever unknown process you undergo. Though ultimately, I do have to let you know that to the best of our understanding, nothing like any sort of magic exists and, at best, these are all merely educated guesses. Though you should also be aware that most of these things I mentioned do, specifically, work better in cybernetics than via biological augmentations."
Ian spoke up, "We're sure that we don't want cybernetics. And yes. All that magic support stuff, we want all that super mage shit, that sounds awesome!"
Dr. Luna pursed her lips, "There is one thing you need to be aware of. While we have extremely advanced skill training techniques, and there are many augmentations that improve your ability to learn, or just grant you many savant skills and 'talent' at things, the ability to learn of even the most organically augmented genius-savant-renaissance-man pales in comparison to someone who has even a slightly cyborged brain. The ability to download skills, or to read a whole book in seconds, requires a mechanically augmented brain. Even the most extreme focus and" she pauses here, apparently she didn't like their jargon term for the concept, "most extreme level of bullet time and an automated tracking display system pales to direct neural uplink of knowledge into the brain. The amount of skills that would take a bio-genius years, could be done in weeks for someone with non-organic brain modifications. That said, there is some good news."
She smiled gently, "If you are okay with having a temporary sort of cyber-brain, we could grow a neural mesh that is heavy on mechanical nanobots into your mind, which you then use to have skills downloaded and transferred to your wet brain, and then when you are done with a set of rapid skill and knowledge upload process, the mesh can dissolve, the nanomachiens shut down, and go into the bloodstream and be flushed out through the body's normal waste processes. This would only leave the more natural brain, and in a state as if you had learned the skills over a period of years, the 'hard' way. How long do you want to spend doing all these augmentations and the learning, all told?"
Rebecca answers, "Six months, at most. Four would be ideal."
Dr. Luna frowns slightly, "That... is a very rapid timeframe for so many changes, as well as whatever sort of learning and educational priorities you want to focus on as well. We will write up a few proposals, and send them and educational materials regarding them to your home VR setups by this time tomorrow. That way, you can get a visceral feel for your options, and pick between a few mutually exclusive ones, in a fun little 'game' that will help you make an informed choice. I take it you want to change how you look?"
Ian spoke up first, cutting Rebecca off before she could give a long-winded reply, "We want to look like demigods!"
Rebecca, who had been about to say something much more in depth, which mostly boiled down to 'we want to look like demigods!', stopped. "Uh. Yea. Still visibly mostly human though. But that, yea."
Dr. Luna smiled, amused. And she remembers one last thing, "Oh! You'll be glad to know. A lot of the augmentations that you might think of as 'super-soldier' improvements are not actually restricted at all, or if they are, they're gated behind mental upgrades and classes and certifications that you will probably want to get anyway."
Ian gaped, "W..why is that?"
Dr. Luna chuckles, "Why, because they're utterly obsolete and outclassed. They're mostly from hobbysists trying to vaguely replicate a partial effect of truly restricted, mechanical augmentations in an organic form. But they're still very much less effective and capable than the mechanical ones, due to the inherent structural limitations of things made out of bone, flesh, nerve, scale, horn, tooth, chitin, and the like. You could be all the gene warrior you want, a networked combat robot will still be faster, smarter, stronger, stealthier, more accurate, and overall more capable of squishing you like a bug."
Ian could only respond with a, "Fffuuuuuuuck."
They spent a bit more time talking about extra details, mostly minor things, and then the two left to enjoy exploring the public parks and sports and shows of the habitat. Unbeknownst to the siblings, the following conversation happened in the verdant office of 'Dr. Luna' a little bit after they leave.
A deep male voice spoke up to 'Dr. Luna', "So what do you think, Agent?".
Dr. Luna responded, "I don't like pretending to be a doctor. It's disrespectful to the profession."
The male voice responded, "You know what I mean."
Luna replied, "Yes, of course. They're just kids. Like puppies. So earnest, so trusting, so enthusiastic. I can't believe they actually thought we wouldn't bug their 'private room'. 'Belt Rush', indeed. There's nothing to find in any of these rocks or comets except what we've known was out here for centuries."
The voice responded, "Nothing yet, at least. We know that the Solar AI has access to exotic forms of matter we don't. Possibly negative-mass matter; they do use wormholes after all. Maybe they're going to be quietly placing that or something else useful in some rocks sometime soon, and are giving us the heads up. It would explain the new technique. This is the first time a Portal Drop ever thought *we* were from a fictional setting, the AI's getting cheeky."
'Luna' scoffed, "Why would it do that?"
The voice answered, "The get cheeky or the let us know bit? Who knows for either. Why does the Singularity ever do anything? Still, it'd be useful to keep these kids happy and unsuspecting. And maybe grease the wheels for their goals a bit, in at least some ways. They have absolutely no idea how much what they want would be out of their budget. Heritable organic mods? That are integrated into the base genetic code as much as possible? In six months? The costs for the quantum computing time are going to be horrible."
'Luna' chuckled, "You know we have the budget for it, stop trying to act like we don't. We'll just have to make sure that any improvements or training involving 'cunning' or 'intuition' or 'useful paranoia' and some of the social stuff and some of the types of logic and some of the sensory stuff only happens late in their augmentation process. Wouldn't want them to catch on early. Though it galls me to be doing this to these... babies!"
It's the voice that next chuckled, "Please. We're giving them almost everything they want on the off chance that, when they inevitably get into trouble, when this 'Plot' hits, we can take advantage of the situation. Though we'll probably be making sure they don't get to a Fusion driveship or an unrestricted Omnifab. And if the Plot never hits? If it's all their delusion like our models predict is likely? Well, part of our mandate is to keep an eye on the Portal droppers and keeping them happy. This is entirely a part of our mission, and we'll get some good data anyway."
'Luna' sighed, "You're right. I just can't help but feel a little bad about it. They really are like puppies. Anyway, I'll get started on those proposals for them. You keep an eye on them from a distance and make sure they don't get into any trouble they can't handle."
The voice agreed, "Will do. We'll be the best invisible guardians they never knew they had."
With that, 'Dr. Luna' got to work on the proposals, which mostly involved telling automated systems what to do and put together resource allotment requests to make it feasible, and the mysterious voice faded away, leaving the office silent once more.
Belt Rush, Part 4
- Location
- USA
The Last Jump
Belt Rush
Part 4
It was the next morning. The siblings had spent that evening watching some kind of live show in a park that they had absolutely no cultural context for, and seemed to involve some sort of augmented reality setup that they didn't have access to, based on how people were reacting. It had something to do with some sort of group of government-looking types, and was obviously some sort of political satire, but beyond that, the siblings couldn't figure it out. Other than that, the twins had a short conversation in their private room after looking some things up in the public networks that evening, where Ian noted to Rebecca that not only did this civilization not have an Awakening in 2012, they seemingly didn't have anything notable happen at all that year. No apocalypse, no big political shakeups, no wars, no especially notable births or deaths beyond the expected amount, no special technological improvements, just a standard American election year.
Still, they were excited when they were a few minutes away from when they expected to receive the VR program that Dr. Luna, and apparently whoever else was in the augmentation team, had put together. They fancifully speculated about what it might contain, or why it wold be done in this format.
Ian rubbed his hands together in anticipation, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Okay, so, what do you think this VR program will be like? I'm betting it'll be like one of those old sci-fi movies, where we'll be in a futuristic lab, and there will be all these high-tech gadgets and displays showing us our options for augmentations."
Rebecca raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a half-smile. "I think it'll be a bit more sophisticated than that, Ian. Dr. Luna did say it was customized for us. I imagine it'll be more like a personalized, interactive experience where we can see and feel the effects of the augmentations on ourselves before we make any decisions."
Ian grinned, his imagination running wild. "Oh! What if it's like a video game, and we have to complete challenges or solve puzzles or level up to unlock the augmentations we want? That would be so cool!"
Rebecca chuckled, shaking her head but playing along with her brother's enthusiasm. "Well, I suppose anything is possible, but I doubt they would make it too difficult for us. The whole point is to help us make informed decisions, after all."
Ian nodded, still grinning. "Yea, but a little fun never hurt anyone. Or maybe it'll be more like an interactive story, where we get to explore different scenarios and see how our choices affect the outcomes, and go back for a reread for each major augmentation type or something?"
Rebecca considered the idea. "That's actually not a bad thought. It would give us a chance to see how the augmentations might impact our lives in the long run, not just in the immediate future."
The twins continued to banter back and forth, their excitement building as they waited for the VR program to arrive. Each idea they came up with seemed more exciting than the last, and they couldn't wait to dive into the immersive experience that awaited them.
Eventually, the file arrived, and they stepped into their specific pods, and ran the file. With a soft fade, they found themselves on a 'generic relaxing beach' before a collection of young adult versions of themselves, all of which look like Greek Demigods, with a name above each pair in the air. They are the 'Euphemus/Atalanta System', the 'Perseus/Andromeda System', the 'Polydeuces/Hilaeira System', the 'Castor/Clytemnestra System', the 'Achilles/Briseis System', the 'Bellerophon/Philonoe System', and the 'Alcestis/Admetus System'.
A voice spoke from vaguely above them, but not in a booming or unsettling way. "Welcome. This program is a nonsentient AI agent designed to help you plan out your augmentation regimen. However, before we get to the choices of physical upgrades, there are some mental upgrade issues to do with your baseline health status. While we have more precise terminology, we will use the terminology you are familiar with. Since one of you is a minor according to the laws of your era, and the other is the de facto Guardian of the minor, and both of you are interested in simultaneous upgrades, we will share this information with the two of you. Rebecca, you are mildly on the autism spectrum, and also have a reduced ability to form intimate emotional bonds, leading to an expected decrease in the number of romantic relationships and intimate friendships in your life. Ian, you have Inattentive type Attendion Deficit Disorder. Both of these can be changed to baseline, but that change will impact the personality, and there are a variety of potential ways to adjust the changes to your preferences. How would you like to handle this? Be advised that, should you wish, we can use the general principles you discuss with us in this session regarding handling this issue as a set of heuristics for further mental augmentations that would impact the personality."
Ian gaped for a second, and while Rebecca was stunned, he said, "Fuuuuck, that explains so much."
He quickly continued, "I mean, it makes sense now. All those times we had trouble concentrating in school, or getting stuff finished or started... I just thought I was being lazy or something." He shook his head in disbelief.
Rebecca, though initially stunned, collected her thoughts quickly. "It's interesting," she mused. "I never really considered myself as being on the autism spectrum, but I suppose it does explain some of my social difficulties. And the weird way I think, and how I process language. And how few friends I have, for the other."
Ian nodded, "But, you know, we've managed so far, right? I mean, we've accomplished a lot together. Maybe we don't need to change everything about ourselves. Just... some improvements here and there."
Rebecca thought for a moment, then responded, "I agree that we shouldn't change everything. Our personalities have shaped who we are and what we've achieved. But who knows what risks the future might bring?" She looked at him meaningfully, mentally trying to remind him of the long term stakes.
Ian paused, then said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. So, how do we want to handle this? Do we go all-in and change everything, or do we try to keep as much of our original selves as possible while still making improvements? Halfway it? Shit, I don't know where the line is, or how far to go with tweaks! These are our brains we're talking about! It's not like we can just pick and choose from a menu."
The AI agent spoke up, "A point of order. You can, in fact, pick from a menu. That said, doing so is not suggested as an optimal means of handling this issue."
Rebecca sighed and tried to think of it logically, from about how her mind worked. "In my own brain, I.. can pretend to not be so, so..."
"Stuffy." Ian added helpfully, having correctly guessed where she was going with this.
Rebecca grudgingly continued "...Stuffy. But it takes a lot of energy. I like to be able to logically think the way I do. I like being able to clear-mindedly think about the long term benefit of lots of people and how systems might be harming them and how to fix things without being forced to focus on the short term. But I want to be able to do other sorts of thinking without it, well, costing me so much. But I still like the strengths of the sorts of thinking I do. I want to keep those strengths. I like who I am. Is there a way to keep the strengths, even if I am not quite so... compelled to think like this all the time?"
Ian listened to what she said, "Yea, I like being good at multitasking, and juggling things that others can't handle. I don't want to give that up. Or those times when I can do a long video game session where others would stop."
"Hyperfocus!" Rebecca helpfully added, with a smirk.
"Yea, hyperfocus. I want to still be able to do that. But I don't want to have the same troubles I've had before. Ya, that thing where I keep the strengths is how I want to take it. Don't flat out completely remove everything about this part of ourselves."
The AI Agent responded. "Very well. You have a preference of not dramatically changing your modes of thought or personalities while mitigating the weaknesses in your ways of thinking, and a preference for being able to toggle between thought patterns. Is this correct? Please answer verbally."
The two chorused "Yes."
The AI added, "Would you like to maintain that preference for how to handle other types of greater forms of mental changes? Do be aware that as part of this process, you will be rapidly grown up to full physical adulthood and your brain development will reach adult maturity, which is but one of the upcoming changes. You will be able to adjust this response throughout your augmentation process, should you wish. Please answer verbally."
Again, the two chorused, "Yes."
The agent running the program continued, "Due to the fact that you two are closely related, and to mitigate costs associated with your stated augmentation preferences, the two of you will need to select an identical 'package' of augmentation, minus differences between the sexes. These examples before you are what you might look like after the process is completed, although you should also take time to discuss alternative looks and have us adjust this until you are happy with how you will look. Be advised, that we wish to discourage using 'the sliders' like from character customization screens of video games from your era, as this tends to produce poorer long term results than talking your wishes through with us."
As the two approached the leftmost pair, the 'Euphemus/Atalanta System', Rebecca frowned, and spoke up to the AI, "AI, please lose the bikini and racing briefs for all of them. We need to make this decision with both eyes open." which caused Ian to blush crimson. She looked at him levelly, "We'll need to get over our American hangups on nudity sooner or later. You saw the description of some of those entertainment plazas, just like I did." which caused Ian to somehow blush even deeper. The AI, politely, did not comment, instead beginning to describe the options in front of them.
"You expressed an interest in forms befitting Demigods, so we felt that Greek Demigods and related heroic figures would be relevant in conceptualizing choices you may wish to make. It is important to be aware that all of these systems have more in common than they do in contrast with one another. That said, they constitute ways of adjusting the relative 'balance' between priorities. Also be aware that all options constitute entities that are superior to what you would consider 'peak human' in almost every concievable way; the difference is in which abilities are emphasized over others, and sometimes a few larger systems that require special focus."
The AI moved to the first option. "The first pair is the Euphemus and Atalanta systems. While these do not have full gills, they are optimized more greatly for amphibious operations than others, with skin, fat, lung, ear, eye, body shape, and sensory augmentations more relatively adapted for semi-aquatic lifestyle, though they are perfectly suitable for life on land as well, and even perform admirably well in environments such as high altitude, cold environments, or even in space habitats."
They continued to the next. "The Perseus and Andromeda Systems are focused with a bias towards having access to as many exotic sensory modes as possible, as subtly as possible. Senses for sensing pressure differences, magnetic fields, electrical fields, thermal sources, more abilities for echolocation, and more; if there is an exotic sense we can enable, these have it. Further, they're placed around the body in such a way that they can 'pass' more easily."
They continued onward, "The Polydeuces and Hilaeira Systems are the most 'balanced' systems, designed to look more like a baseline human, and have balanced physical and mental augmentations of various sorts. Sometimes, being great at everything is actually the best path."
They continued to an extremely exotic looking set, with strange shapes to the jaw and face and throat, strange discolorations on the skin, strange shapes to the limbs, and even more strange features. They look sort of inhuman or fey. "These are the Castor and Clytemnestra System. Here, we wanted to show you what it would actually look like if we maximized the variety of systems that might possibly have something to do with your future interpretations of magic. As you can see, since form follows function, and due to the fact that these systems take up space and we don't actually know which ones will or won't be useful for your hypothetical magic, this constitutes significant levels of departure from the look of the human baseline. These have many of the sensory benefits of the Perseus and Andromeda System, but with less focus on being able to 'pass'"
Ian looks at these with apprehension, while Rebecca seemed fascinated and then asked. "Why do they have blackish-reddish teeth?"
The AI agent responded, "Since these are already deviating from human baseline, and were going for a 'witchy' look, we felt that using substances that make the teeth significantly stronger but which do not follow human baseline aesthetics would be more acceptable in this context."
They continued to a more svelte looking pair with long legs. "These are the Achilles and Briseis Systems. These focus on all forms of speed, wherever a choice was to be made between a few similar options. Reaction times, speed of thought, agility, dexterity, running, perceptions associated with speed, timing, proprioception, balance, the works."
Rebecca seemed interested in the possibilities this offered, while Ian was moving on to the next one, which had darker skin than some of the others, and less hair.
"Here are the Bellerophon and Philonoe Systems. This one is biased more towards space based living and functioning in aerospace contexts. Able to handle rapid changes in g force, and better able to handle both high g's and microgravity environments, or the rapid transition between them, as well as space based hazards like radiation."
Rebecca asked, "Is that why the skin is so much darker than the others?"
The AI answered dutifully, "Yes. Darker skin is more associated with radiation resistance. While any of these can have this or other cosmetic options, we felt that it was important to let you know that even cosmetic options aren't only cosmetic, and that form follows function, and to highlight the way seemingly cosmetic choices can have larger impacts elsewhere. You can of course darken the skin of the others and get similar levels of radiation resistance, albeit not quite as extensive due to the lack of some other supporting systems."
They moved to the last one, one that looked simply like a tall, relatively thin human with a large torso. "This is the Admetus and Alcestis Systems. This one is biased towards systems that improve endurance, resilience, toughness, heat management, cardiovascular enhancements, emergency life support, regeneration, and anything that cound be described as under 'constitution'. For when you definitely want to keep going, no matter what, regardless of what, precisely, you mean by that."
Ian could finally not keep his mouth shut as he looked at the bodies, "Why um, why are the, um, I mean for the water and the space ones, I mean, I mean compared to some of the others, I mean, you know, why do they"
The AI interrupted, mercifully, "Why are the endowments for both the male and female versions of the aquatic-oriented and space-oriented systems less generous?"
Ian, still blushing, answered, "Yea."
The AI voice answered formally, "This is primarily due to the greater need for specialized extreme-form-fitting types environment suits for aquatic and spaced based environments, due to the need to make both the initial fitting and donning and overall effectiveness of these suits simpler and less problematic."
Ian didn't reall accept this answer. "Uh, even then, I would prefer to have a normal... endowment. Like the others. I have to think of my future, you know? I'm fine if it takes longer to get in a fancy wetsuit or spacesuit or whatever."
Then to Ian's further mortification, the endowments adjusted in realtime to his specifications.
Rebecca, utterly unfazed, looked at the options, and then spoke up, "Could you de-emphasize the ones that can't pass as an unaugmented human to a cursory visual inspection?" And suddenly, the options focused on amphibious operations, weird senses, and the best guesses towards magic were suddenly in shadow. All the others remained highlighted as being able to pass as human--mostly.
Ian piped up, "What did you do that for?"
Rebecca glanced at Ian, her expression serious. "I think it's important for us to be able to blend in if we need to. I know we're going to be living in a different world, but there might be situations where looking like a normal human could be an advantage." She subtly emphasized 'different world'
Ian considered her point but countered, "I get that, but we're not just normal humans anymore. We're going to be... more. So, shouldn't we embrace some of the opportunities here? I mean, who knows what we might encounter out there? Having extra abilities or senses could make all the difference."
Rebecca nodded thoughtfully. "That's true, but remember that time we got lost in the woods during that camping trip? We needed help, but nobody could find us because we had wandered so far off the trail. Having enhanced endurance and resilience could have made that experience a lot less terrifying."
Ian sighed. "Yeah, I remember. That was awful. But what about the time we were trying to fix that old car, and I accidentally dropped the hood on my hand? If I'd had faster reflexes or better agility, I might not have broken my fingers."
Rebecca's eyes narrowed as she thought back to that incident. They had been with...someone. Someone that she couldn't remember right now. Damn the spell messing with their memories. "Right. I see your point. The Achilles/Briseis System would definitely help with that sort of thing. But the Bellerophon/Philonoe System might be useful too, especially if we end up spending a lot of time in space or on other planets. We don't know what kind of environments we'll be living in, and having better adaptability could come in handy."
Ian crossed his arms, still deep in thought. "True. But then there's the Perseus/Andromeda System. All those extra senses might give us a huge advantage when it comes to understanding and navigating our new surroundings. And who knows, maybe we'll be able to sense things other people can't, which could give us a leg up in solving certain types of problems."
Rebecca sighed, feeling the weight of the decision. "This is so difficult. We need to find a balance between all these abilities, but it's hard to predict what we'll actually need in the future. What if we make the wrong choice?"
Ian placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to offer some comfort. "I know it's tough, but whatever we choose, we'll make the best of it. We always have. Let's just take a little more time to think it over and weigh our options before we decide."
Rebecca thought a bit, and asked the AI some very probing questions, "AI, which of these would win in a fight?"
Ian blinked at Rebecca, and grinned, "Finally asking the important questions, are we? Sis, I didn't know you had it in you!"
Rebecca stuck out her tongue at her brother, "Hush, I'm going somewhere with this, promise."
The AI responded, "It depends on the sort of fight. Is it a one on one tournament between them? What's the setup and circumstances? Any weapons? Is the question, 'which performs best in a duel?' or 'which performs best under certain types of combat stresses or in combat environments?' And for each of those, details can vary. The Polydeuces/Hilaeira would win most traditional martial arts tournaments, being larger and in a bigger weight class and with longer limbs than most; reach is important. Achilles/Briseis would win most close quarters firefights, and certain types of duels or skirmishes, due to the superior 'bullet time' capabilities. The 'Perseus/Andromeda' option would work best in situations where a variety of sensory modes, working cohesively, would be best, such as preventing ambushes or if there is smoke cover or full darkness, or countering active camouflage. 'Admetus/Alcestis' would be better at being a traditional soldier or marine, which is often more about endurance than anything else, and would win fights after a grueling march. Does this help?"
Rebecca's looked upward at where the noise of the AI was vaguely coming from. "Not really. How about this. Every one of these has some improvements to normal senses, and some extra senses beyond normal human, and something which might be usable towards weird magic, and is somewhat faster, is better in more environments including space based habitats or in the water, is stronger, smarter, has more endurance, everything? Is that right? And that these designs absolutely have more in common than they do to contrast with each other?"
The unnamed AI answered, "That is correct. These all have more in common than they do in contrast."
Rebecca asked it to unblur the blurred ones, and then closely inspected each, pulling up a dizzying list of changes for each by asking for such, and then asked it to simply display the aspects of them which were different. The two spent some time reading and looking at them, before Rebecca spoke up. "The neck and arms of the Perseus/Andromeda has these weird splotches on it. What's all that? And do the anti strangulation features for exotic spacesuit designs on the Bellerophon/Philonoe prevent those?"
The AI answered, "The splotches are where various sensory clusters for sensing things like heat, magnetic fields, electric fields, and the like. And yes, the anti strangulation features do preclude the placement of those there. They were placed there to prevent them from having to be placed all around the face, something only the more exotic look of the Castor/Clytemnestra allows for."
Rebecca was getting somewhere, she knew. "And wouldn't neck armor or a thick set of clothing or whatever around the neck blind those, at least partially? Same for the arm ones?"
The AI responded, "Yes, that is correct, various obstructions would blind those or reduce their effectiveness notably."
She asked, "Is there anything preventing a speed-based option like the Achilles/Briseis from having a body a little bit better for those space suits you mentioned, like with that neck since we'd be wearing extensive clothes a lot anyway, and make it a little less curvy, and with darker skin like the Bellerophon/Philonoe for the radiation resistance, and having nictitating membranes like the Euphemis/Atalanta? But still mostly like it is?"
The AI respondd, "Certainly. The exact tradeoffs we made were mostly arbitrary or illustrative, and we can lean away from exotic senses placed in the neck and lean a bit more into versatility of environment for a speed-focsued design."
Ian just nodded, and the image of the two Achilles/Briseis System examples adjusted for their requirements. It was Ian that spoke up next, "Hey AI, This VR isn't just a talk, is it? It's meant to try these out, yea? Can we stop with the talking and just... try them out in all of the scenery that's in the distance? I noticed a bunch of buildings, a spaceship floating over there, an ocean reef, a forest, an area that seems really dark, a desert, a bunch of obstacle course looking things in the distance. I'd really like to try this!"
The siblings started with their chosen bodies, the modified Achilles/Briseis System, and stepped into the virtual reality world, seeming to teleport into the modified bodies, their existing viewpoints and virtual bodies disappearing with a flash effect. Of course, the new bodies were wearing clothes again. They started by running and dodging and jumping and parkouring along the beach, feeling the sand beneath their feet and noticing how much faster and more agile they were compared to their normal bodies. They laughed and played in the surf, discovering their increased endurance and strength. Rebecca even managed to pick up a large rock and toss it easily into the waves, much to her delight. Ian tried skipping a stone, his body going into some sort of automatic mode where he managed 92 skips in the flat surf.
After testing their abilities on the beach, they moved on to the other biomes. In the dense forest, they were able to leap from branch to branch and navigate the complex terrain with ease. At the obstacle course, their enhanced reflexes and speed allowed them to complete the challenges with impressive efficiency. The dark area highlighted their enhanced night vision, and they could see clearly without any additional light sources.
Throughout their experiences, the AI would occasionally remind them of the artistic liberties taken, emphasizing that the sensations might be slightly different in reality. However, the siblings still gained a good understanding of the capabilities of their chosen bodies.
Curious about the other options, they decided to try out some of the other body systems. They tested the Polydeuces/Hilaeira System in a martial arts tournament, apparently heavily automatic to account for them not knowing martial arts yet, finding the reach and size to be advantageous, but also noticing the somewhat reduced speed compared to the Achilles/Briseis System.
When they tried the Perseus/Andromeda System, they found the sensory clusters on the neck and arms to be fascinating, but agreed that the trade-offs with clothing and other obstructions would be problematic for their intended uses. They also tried the Admetus/Alcestis System and appreciated the endurance it provided, though they felt it wasn't the best fit for their desired lifestyle.
Part of the time was spent in 'advanced' scenarios where they could compare 'their specific baseline biology, extrapolated after an extensive amount of training and conditioning', 'peak unaugmented human', and the various superhuman systems' performance.
Most of the scenarios or trials in the 'advanced' areas were designed so that only the Systems would succeed, and the most specialized system would excel most of all. For example, beyond a more simple aquatic play area, there was a water-based obstacle course where the Euphemus/Atalanta excelled, but several others functioned quite well, such as the Bellerophon/Philonoe and the Admetus/Alcestis.
Or beyond the simple dark area, was the advanced sensory-baffling obstacle course; the baseline humans utterly failed, and of course the Perseus/Andromeda and Castor/Clytemnestra Systems excelled, but several others did quite well in that scenario, like the Euphemus/Atalanta system.
The marksmanship obstacle course had the Achilles/Briseis system get the best speed, but the Perseus/Andromeda system did surprisingly well, due to being able to have the most ways to sense the targets before they popped up and have more economy of movement and take shots others wouldn't be able to.
The 'regain control of a tumbling spacecraft' advanced scenario made the two of them a bit sick in baseline, and the system had to take artistic license by fuzzing out moving details that would make baseline them sick if the systems wouldn't get sick, and of course the Bellerophon/Philonoe did best at that.
Notable was the 'Our best guesses at magic', 'simulation', which mostly had 'what if magic allowed this marginal augmentation to work really, really well, much better than it should? Or do other weird things?' Which was... really fun. They had an incredible time shooting lightning out of the palms of their hands as Castor/Clytemnestra systems, or benefiting from 'the most number of organs pre-placed to be converted to magical antigravity-producing organs' as the same. There were even some parts of that area which were openly taken from the hand gestures of a fantasy video game, which the Achilles/Briseis actually did best at. Of course, the others still had benefits here, but they weren't as strong.
By the time the two were done, they had fully confirmed their choice --the stronger, longer lasting bullet time was just too good at too many things, including various mundane tasks--, and were both exhausted and exhilarated.
The extensive testing of the different scenarios and trials allowed Rebecca and Ian to thoroughly understand the capabilities of each body system. While each system had its own strengths and unique advantages, they ultimately confirmed that the Achilles/Briseis System was the best fit for their needs and wants and worries.
Belt Rush
Part 4
It was the next morning. The siblings had spent that evening watching some kind of live show in a park that they had absolutely no cultural context for, and seemed to involve some sort of augmented reality setup that they didn't have access to, based on how people were reacting. It had something to do with some sort of group of government-looking types, and was obviously some sort of political satire, but beyond that, the siblings couldn't figure it out. Other than that, the twins had a short conversation in their private room after looking some things up in the public networks that evening, where Ian noted to Rebecca that not only did this civilization not have an Awakening in 2012, they seemingly didn't have anything notable happen at all that year. No apocalypse, no big political shakeups, no wars, no especially notable births or deaths beyond the expected amount, no special technological improvements, just a standard American election year.
Still, they were excited when they were a few minutes away from when they expected to receive the VR program that Dr. Luna, and apparently whoever else was in the augmentation team, had put together. They fancifully speculated about what it might contain, or why it wold be done in this format.
Ian rubbed his hands together in anticipation, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Okay, so, what do you think this VR program will be like? I'm betting it'll be like one of those old sci-fi movies, where we'll be in a futuristic lab, and there will be all these high-tech gadgets and displays showing us our options for augmentations."
Rebecca raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a half-smile. "I think it'll be a bit more sophisticated than that, Ian. Dr. Luna did say it was customized for us. I imagine it'll be more like a personalized, interactive experience where we can see and feel the effects of the augmentations on ourselves before we make any decisions."
Ian grinned, his imagination running wild. "Oh! What if it's like a video game, and we have to complete challenges or solve puzzles or level up to unlock the augmentations we want? That would be so cool!"
Rebecca chuckled, shaking her head but playing along with her brother's enthusiasm. "Well, I suppose anything is possible, but I doubt they would make it too difficult for us. The whole point is to help us make informed decisions, after all."
Ian nodded, still grinning. "Yea, but a little fun never hurt anyone. Or maybe it'll be more like an interactive story, where we get to explore different scenarios and see how our choices affect the outcomes, and go back for a reread for each major augmentation type or something?"
Rebecca considered the idea. "That's actually not a bad thought. It would give us a chance to see how the augmentations might impact our lives in the long run, not just in the immediate future."
The twins continued to banter back and forth, their excitement building as they waited for the VR program to arrive. Each idea they came up with seemed more exciting than the last, and they couldn't wait to dive into the immersive experience that awaited them.
Eventually, the file arrived, and they stepped into their specific pods, and ran the file. With a soft fade, they found themselves on a 'generic relaxing beach' before a collection of young adult versions of themselves, all of which look like Greek Demigods, with a name above each pair in the air. They are the 'Euphemus/Atalanta System', the 'Perseus/Andromeda System', the 'Polydeuces/Hilaeira System', the 'Castor/Clytemnestra System', the 'Achilles/Briseis System', the 'Bellerophon/Philonoe System', and the 'Alcestis/Admetus System'.
A voice spoke from vaguely above them, but not in a booming or unsettling way. "Welcome. This program is a nonsentient AI agent designed to help you plan out your augmentation regimen. However, before we get to the choices of physical upgrades, there are some mental upgrade issues to do with your baseline health status. While we have more precise terminology, we will use the terminology you are familiar with. Since one of you is a minor according to the laws of your era, and the other is the de facto Guardian of the minor, and both of you are interested in simultaneous upgrades, we will share this information with the two of you. Rebecca, you are mildly on the autism spectrum, and also have a reduced ability to form intimate emotional bonds, leading to an expected decrease in the number of romantic relationships and intimate friendships in your life. Ian, you have Inattentive type Attendion Deficit Disorder. Both of these can be changed to baseline, but that change will impact the personality, and there are a variety of potential ways to adjust the changes to your preferences. How would you like to handle this? Be advised that, should you wish, we can use the general principles you discuss with us in this session regarding handling this issue as a set of heuristics for further mental augmentations that would impact the personality."
Ian gaped for a second, and while Rebecca was stunned, he said, "Fuuuuck, that explains so much."
He quickly continued, "I mean, it makes sense now. All those times we had trouble concentrating in school, or getting stuff finished or started... I just thought I was being lazy or something." He shook his head in disbelief.
Rebecca, though initially stunned, collected her thoughts quickly. "It's interesting," she mused. "I never really considered myself as being on the autism spectrum, but I suppose it does explain some of my social difficulties. And the weird way I think, and how I process language. And how few friends I have, for the other."
Ian nodded, "But, you know, we've managed so far, right? I mean, we've accomplished a lot together. Maybe we don't need to change everything about ourselves. Just... some improvements here and there."
Rebecca thought for a moment, then responded, "I agree that we shouldn't change everything. Our personalities have shaped who we are and what we've achieved. But who knows what risks the future might bring?" She looked at him meaningfully, mentally trying to remind him of the long term stakes.
Ian paused, then said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. So, how do we want to handle this? Do we go all-in and change everything, or do we try to keep as much of our original selves as possible while still making improvements? Halfway it? Shit, I don't know where the line is, or how far to go with tweaks! These are our brains we're talking about! It's not like we can just pick and choose from a menu."
The AI agent spoke up, "A point of order. You can, in fact, pick from a menu. That said, doing so is not suggested as an optimal means of handling this issue."
Rebecca sighed and tried to think of it logically, from about how her mind worked. "In my own brain, I.. can pretend to not be so, so..."
"Stuffy." Ian added helpfully, having correctly guessed where she was going with this.
Rebecca grudgingly continued "...Stuffy. But it takes a lot of energy. I like to be able to logically think the way I do. I like being able to clear-mindedly think about the long term benefit of lots of people and how systems might be harming them and how to fix things without being forced to focus on the short term. But I want to be able to do other sorts of thinking without it, well, costing me so much. But I still like the strengths of the sorts of thinking I do. I want to keep those strengths. I like who I am. Is there a way to keep the strengths, even if I am not quite so... compelled to think like this all the time?"
Ian listened to what she said, "Yea, I like being good at multitasking, and juggling things that others can't handle. I don't want to give that up. Or those times when I can do a long video game session where others would stop."
"Hyperfocus!" Rebecca helpfully added, with a smirk.
"Yea, hyperfocus. I want to still be able to do that. But I don't want to have the same troubles I've had before. Ya, that thing where I keep the strengths is how I want to take it. Don't flat out completely remove everything about this part of ourselves."
The AI Agent responded. "Very well. You have a preference of not dramatically changing your modes of thought or personalities while mitigating the weaknesses in your ways of thinking, and a preference for being able to toggle between thought patterns. Is this correct? Please answer verbally."
The two chorused "Yes."
The AI added, "Would you like to maintain that preference for how to handle other types of greater forms of mental changes? Do be aware that as part of this process, you will be rapidly grown up to full physical adulthood and your brain development will reach adult maturity, which is but one of the upcoming changes. You will be able to adjust this response throughout your augmentation process, should you wish. Please answer verbally."
Again, the two chorused, "Yes."
The agent running the program continued, "Due to the fact that you two are closely related, and to mitigate costs associated with your stated augmentation preferences, the two of you will need to select an identical 'package' of augmentation, minus differences between the sexes. These examples before you are what you might look like after the process is completed, although you should also take time to discuss alternative looks and have us adjust this until you are happy with how you will look. Be advised, that we wish to discourage using 'the sliders' like from character customization screens of video games from your era, as this tends to produce poorer long term results than talking your wishes through with us."
As the two approached the leftmost pair, the 'Euphemus/Atalanta System', Rebecca frowned, and spoke up to the AI, "AI, please lose the bikini and racing briefs for all of them. We need to make this decision with both eyes open." which caused Ian to blush crimson. She looked at him levelly, "We'll need to get over our American hangups on nudity sooner or later. You saw the description of some of those entertainment plazas, just like I did." which caused Ian to somehow blush even deeper. The AI, politely, did not comment, instead beginning to describe the options in front of them.
"You expressed an interest in forms befitting Demigods, so we felt that Greek Demigods and related heroic figures would be relevant in conceptualizing choices you may wish to make. It is important to be aware that all of these systems have more in common than they do in contrast with one another. That said, they constitute ways of adjusting the relative 'balance' between priorities. Also be aware that all options constitute entities that are superior to what you would consider 'peak human' in almost every concievable way; the difference is in which abilities are emphasized over others, and sometimes a few larger systems that require special focus."
The AI moved to the first option. "The first pair is the Euphemus and Atalanta systems. While these do not have full gills, they are optimized more greatly for amphibious operations than others, with skin, fat, lung, ear, eye, body shape, and sensory augmentations more relatively adapted for semi-aquatic lifestyle, though they are perfectly suitable for life on land as well, and even perform admirably well in environments such as high altitude, cold environments, or even in space habitats."
They continued to the next. "The Perseus and Andromeda Systems are focused with a bias towards having access to as many exotic sensory modes as possible, as subtly as possible. Senses for sensing pressure differences, magnetic fields, electrical fields, thermal sources, more abilities for echolocation, and more; if there is an exotic sense we can enable, these have it. Further, they're placed around the body in such a way that they can 'pass' more easily."
They continued onward, "The Polydeuces and Hilaeira Systems are the most 'balanced' systems, designed to look more like a baseline human, and have balanced physical and mental augmentations of various sorts. Sometimes, being great at everything is actually the best path."
They continued to an extremely exotic looking set, with strange shapes to the jaw and face and throat, strange discolorations on the skin, strange shapes to the limbs, and even more strange features. They look sort of inhuman or fey. "These are the Castor and Clytemnestra System. Here, we wanted to show you what it would actually look like if we maximized the variety of systems that might possibly have something to do with your future interpretations of magic. As you can see, since form follows function, and due to the fact that these systems take up space and we don't actually know which ones will or won't be useful for your hypothetical magic, this constitutes significant levels of departure from the look of the human baseline. These have many of the sensory benefits of the Perseus and Andromeda System, but with less focus on being able to 'pass'"
Ian looks at these with apprehension, while Rebecca seemed fascinated and then asked. "Why do they have blackish-reddish teeth?"
The AI agent responded, "Since these are already deviating from human baseline, and were going for a 'witchy' look, we felt that using substances that make the teeth significantly stronger but which do not follow human baseline aesthetics would be more acceptable in this context."
They continued to a more svelte looking pair with long legs. "These are the Achilles and Briseis Systems. These focus on all forms of speed, wherever a choice was to be made between a few similar options. Reaction times, speed of thought, agility, dexterity, running, perceptions associated with speed, timing, proprioception, balance, the works."
Rebecca seemed interested in the possibilities this offered, while Ian was moving on to the next one, which had darker skin than some of the others, and less hair.
"Here are the Bellerophon and Philonoe Systems. This one is biased more towards space based living and functioning in aerospace contexts. Able to handle rapid changes in g force, and better able to handle both high g's and microgravity environments, or the rapid transition between them, as well as space based hazards like radiation."
Rebecca asked, "Is that why the skin is so much darker than the others?"
The AI answered dutifully, "Yes. Darker skin is more associated with radiation resistance. While any of these can have this or other cosmetic options, we felt that it was important to let you know that even cosmetic options aren't only cosmetic, and that form follows function, and to highlight the way seemingly cosmetic choices can have larger impacts elsewhere. You can of course darken the skin of the others and get similar levels of radiation resistance, albeit not quite as extensive due to the lack of some other supporting systems."
They moved to the last one, one that looked simply like a tall, relatively thin human with a large torso. "This is the Admetus and Alcestis Systems. This one is biased towards systems that improve endurance, resilience, toughness, heat management, cardiovascular enhancements, emergency life support, regeneration, and anything that cound be described as under 'constitution'. For when you definitely want to keep going, no matter what, regardless of what, precisely, you mean by that."
Ian could finally not keep his mouth shut as he looked at the bodies, "Why um, why are the, um, I mean for the water and the space ones, I mean, I mean compared to some of the others, I mean, you know, why do they"
The AI interrupted, mercifully, "Why are the endowments for both the male and female versions of the aquatic-oriented and space-oriented systems less generous?"
Ian, still blushing, answered, "Yea."
The AI voice answered formally, "This is primarily due to the greater need for specialized extreme-form-fitting types environment suits for aquatic and spaced based environments, due to the need to make both the initial fitting and donning and overall effectiveness of these suits simpler and less problematic."
Ian didn't reall accept this answer. "Uh, even then, I would prefer to have a normal... endowment. Like the others. I have to think of my future, you know? I'm fine if it takes longer to get in a fancy wetsuit or spacesuit or whatever."
Then to Ian's further mortification, the endowments adjusted in realtime to his specifications.
Rebecca, utterly unfazed, looked at the options, and then spoke up, "Could you de-emphasize the ones that can't pass as an unaugmented human to a cursory visual inspection?" And suddenly, the options focused on amphibious operations, weird senses, and the best guesses towards magic were suddenly in shadow. All the others remained highlighted as being able to pass as human--mostly.
Ian piped up, "What did you do that for?"
Rebecca glanced at Ian, her expression serious. "I think it's important for us to be able to blend in if we need to. I know we're going to be living in a different world, but there might be situations where looking like a normal human could be an advantage." She subtly emphasized 'different world'
Ian considered her point but countered, "I get that, but we're not just normal humans anymore. We're going to be... more. So, shouldn't we embrace some of the opportunities here? I mean, who knows what we might encounter out there? Having extra abilities or senses could make all the difference."
Rebecca nodded thoughtfully. "That's true, but remember that time we got lost in the woods during that camping trip? We needed help, but nobody could find us because we had wandered so far off the trail. Having enhanced endurance and resilience could have made that experience a lot less terrifying."
Ian sighed. "Yeah, I remember. That was awful. But what about the time we were trying to fix that old car, and I accidentally dropped the hood on my hand? If I'd had faster reflexes or better agility, I might not have broken my fingers."
Rebecca's eyes narrowed as she thought back to that incident. They had been with...someone. Someone that she couldn't remember right now. Damn the spell messing with their memories. "Right. I see your point. The Achilles/Briseis System would definitely help with that sort of thing. But the Bellerophon/Philonoe System might be useful too, especially if we end up spending a lot of time in space or on other planets. We don't know what kind of environments we'll be living in, and having better adaptability could come in handy."
Ian crossed his arms, still deep in thought. "True. But then there's the Perseus/Andromeda System. All those extra senses might give us a huge advantage when it comes to understanding and navigating our new surroundings. And who knows, maybe we'll be able to sense things other people can't, which could give us a leg up in solving certain types of problems."
Rebecca sighed, feeling the weight of the decision. "This is so difficult. We need to find a balance between all these abilities, but it's hard to predict what we'll actually need in the future. What if we make the wrong choice?"
Ian placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to offer some comfort. "I know it's tough, but whatever we choose, we'll make the best of it. We always have. Let's just take a little more time to think it over and weigh our options before we decide."
Rebecca thought a bit, and asked the AI some very probing questions, "AI, which of these would win in a fight?"
Ian blinked at Rebecca, and grinned, "Finally asking the important questions, are we? Sis, I didn't know you had it in you!"
Rebecca stuck out her tongue at her brother, "Hush, I'm going somewhere with this, promise."
The AI responded, "It depends on the sort of fight. Is it a one on one tournament between them? What's the setup and circumstances? Any weapons? Is the question, 'which performs best in a duel?' or 'which performs best under certain types of combat stresses or in combat environments?' And for each of those, details can vary. The Polydeuces/Hilaeira would win most traditional martial arts tournaments, being larger and in a bigger weight class and with longer limbs than most; reach is important. Achilles/Briseis would win most close quarters firefights, and certain types of duels or skirmishes, due to the superior 'bullet time' capabilities. The 'Perseus/Andromeda' option would work best in situations where a variety of sensory modes, working cohesively, would be best, such as preventing ambushes or if there is smoke cover or full darkness, or countering active camouflage. 'Admetus/Alcestis' would be better at being a traditional soldier or marine, which is often more about endurance than anything else, and would win fights after a grueling march. Does this help?"
Rebecca's looked upward at where the noise of the AI was vaguely coming from. "Not really. How about this. Every one of these has some improvements to normal senses, and some extra senses beyond normal human, and something which might be usable towards weird magic, and is somewhat faster, is better in more environments including space based habitats or in the water, is stronger, smarter, has more endurance, everything? Is that right? And that these designs absolutely have more in common than they do to contrast with each other?"
The unnamed AI answered, "That is correct. These all have more in common than they do in contrast."
Rebecca asked it to unblur the blurred ones, and then closely inspected each, pulling up a dizzying list of changes for each by asking for such, and then asked it to simply display the aspects of them which were different. The two spent some time reading and looking at them, before Rebecca spoke up. "The neck and arms of the Perseus/Andromeda has these weird splotches on it. What's all that? And do the anti strangulation features for exotic spacesuit designs on the Bellerophon/Philonoe prevent those?"
The AI answered, "The splotches are where various sensory clusters for sensing things like heat, magnetic fields, electric fields, and the like. And yes, the anti strangulation features do preclude the placement of those there. They were placed there to prevent them from having to be placed all around the face, something only the more exotic look of the Castor/Clytemnestra allows for."
Rebecca was getting somewhere, she knew. "And wouldn't neck armor or a thick set of clothing or whatever around the neck blind those, at least partially? Same for the arm ones?"
The AI responded, "Yes, that is correct, various obstructions would blind those or reduce their effectiveness notably."
She asked, "Is there anything preventing a speed-based option like the Achilles/Briseis from having a body a little bit better for those space suits you mentioned, like with that neck since we'd be wearing extensive clothes a lot anyway, and make it a little less curvy, and with darker skin like the Bellerophon/Philonoe for the radiation resistance, and having nictitating membranes like the Euphemis/Atalanta? But still mostly like it is?"
The AI respondd, "Certainly. The exact tradeoffs we made were mostly arbitrary or illustrative, and we can lean away from exotic senses placed in the neck and lean a bit more into versatility of environment for a speed-focsued design."
Ian just nodded, and the image of the two Achilles/Briseis System examples adjusted for their requirements. It was Ian that spoke up next, "Hey AI, This VR isn't just a talk, is it? It's meant to try these out, yea? Can we stop with the talking and just... try them out in all of the scenery that's in the distance? I noticed a bunch of buildings, a spaceship floating over there, an ocean reef, a forest, an area that seems really dark, a desert, a bunch of obstacle course looking things in the distance. I'd really like to try this!"
The siblings started with their chosen bodies, the modified Achilles/Briseis System, and stepped into the virtual reality world, seeming to teleport into the modified bodies, their existing viewpoints and virtual bodies disappearing with a flash effect. Of course, the new bodies were wearing clothes again. They started by running and dodging and jumping and parkouring along the beach, feeling the sand beneath their feet and noticing how much faster and more agile they were compared to their normal bodies. They laughed and played in the surf, discovering their increased endurance and strength. Rebecca even managed to pick up a large rock and toss it easily into the waves, much to her delight. Ian tried skipping a stone, his body going into some sort of automatic mode where he managed 92 skips in the flat surf.
After testing their abilities on the beach, they moved on to the other biomes. In the dense forest, they were able to leap from branch to branch and navigate the complex terrain with ease. At the obstacle course, their enhanced reflexes and speed allowed them to complete the challenges with impressive efficiency. The dark area highlighted their enhanced night vision, and they could see clearly without any additional light sources.
Throughout their experiences, the AI would occasionally remind them of the artistic liberties taken, emphasizing that the sensations might be slightly different in reality. However, the siblings still gained a good understanding of the capabilities of their chosen bodies.
Curious about the other options, they decided to try out some of the other body systems. They tested the Polydeuces/Hilaeira System in a martial arts tournament, apparently heavily automatic to account for them not knowing martial arts yet, finding the reach and size to be advantageous, but also noticing the somewhat reduced speed compared to the Achilles/Briseis System.
When they tried the Perseus/Andromeda System, they found the sensory clusters on the neck and arms to be fascinating, but agreed that the trade-offs with clothing and other obstructions would be problematic for their intended uses. They also tried the Admetus/Alcestis System and appreciated the endurance it provided, though they felt it wasn't the best fit for their desired lifestyle.
Part of the time was spent in 'advanced' scenarios where they could compare 'their specific baseline biology, extrapolated after an extensive amount of training and conditioning', 'peak unaugmented human', and the various superhuman systems' performance.
Most of the scenarios or trials in the 'advanced' areas were designed so that only the Systems would succeed, and the most specialized system would excel most of all. For example, beyond a more simple aquatic play area, there was a water-based obstacle course where the Euphemus/Atalanta excelled, but several others functioned quite well, such as the Bellerophon/Philonoe and the Admetus/Alcestis.
Or beyond the simple dark area, was the advanced sensory-baffling obstacle course; the baseline humans utterly failed, and of course the Perseus/Andromeda and Castor/Clytemnestra Systems excelled, but several others did quite well in that scenario, like the Euphemus/Atalanta system.
The marksmanship obstacle course had the Achilles/Briseis system get the best speed, but the Perseus/Andromeda system did surprisingly well, due to being able to have the most ways to sense the targets before they popped up and have more economy of movement and take shots others wouldn't be able to.
The 'regain control of a tumbling spacecraft' advanced scenario made the two of them a bit sick in baseline, and the system had to take artistic license by fuzzing out moving details that would make baseline them sick if the systems wouldn't get sick, and of course the Bellerophon/Philonoe did best at that.
Notable was the 'Our best guesses at magic', 'simulation', which mostly had 'what if magic allowed this marginal augmentation to work really, really well, much better than it should? Or do other weird things?' Which was... really fun. They had an incredible time shooting lightning out of the palms of their hands as Castor/Clytemnestra systems, or benefiting from 'the most number of organs pre-placed to be converted to magical antigravity-producing organs' as the same. There were even some parts of that area which were openly taken from the hand gestures of a fantasy video game, which the Achilles/Briseis actually did best at. Of course, the others still had benefits here, but they weren't as strong.
By the time the two were done, they had fully confirmed their choice --the stronger, longer lasting bullet time was just too good at too many things, including various mundane tasks--, and were both exhausted and exhilarated.
The extensive testing of the different scenarios and trials allowed Rebecca and Ian to thoroughly understand the capabilities of each body system. While each system had its own strengths and unique advantages, they ultimately confirmed that the Achilles/Briseis System was the best fit for their needs and wants and worries.
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Belt Rush, Part 5
- Location
- USA
The Last Jump
Belt Rush
Part 5
The next part of the program showed them how, over the next six months or so, they would be transformed in body and mind into these upgraded entities, and went into detail about how every week or so, for a few days a week, they would go into one or another form of intensive monitored treatment for a few days, and how this would include various studies to subsidize the process, and how one of the first things that would be done would be some of the cybernetic mind upgrades so that the changes to their brains and the rapid skill growing could be started as quickly as possible, as there was a rate limit to how much skill uploading they could have at a time, and their current capacity to learn was dramatically, extremely limited compared to what it would soon be, such that they didn't really have to focus on learning much right now.
They walked through a huge virtual model of a calendar, laid out day by day, like a game of Life but for only six months of intense change where they would get the equivalent of several doctorate's worth of education as well as the equivalent of decades of on-the-job experience. Ian had been trying to ask without really asking for a lot of survival and low tech relevant skills that wouldn't make sense in a space based context, except for a few specific habitats full of technology-spurning farmers (yes, in rotating space habitats, which blew Ian's mind), when the AI asked a strangely insightful question that blew the topic wide open.
"Do you expect to be abducted to live on Old Earth?"
Rebecca looked at Ian, and then took charge of the conversation, "Uh, what? We didn't get any context for that. We haven't gotten to that lesson yet. Abducted?"
What began was a history lesson, one they hadn't really gotten around to yet as not immediately relevant, about The Singularity, and what 'The AI' had done to the people of Earth once it had transcended all limits of human thought.
Apparently, the system had access to some other sort of standardized educational material for this sort of question, as a large 'Loading...' with a rapidly filling progress bar showed up in the air, as the scenery began to dim.
Ian whispered conspiratorially to Rebecca, "What do you want to bet they're just putting that for our benefit?"
Rebecca, who had been thinking 'That's odd..' blinked, and shook her head, "Not betting against that!"
The world faded out, and then faded back in, with a different voice-over. It showed the solar system, in a 'not to scale' sort of way. Animations followed the narration.
"The Singularity. Both simultaneously the most unlucky and lucky event the human species has ever undergone. In the late 21st century, humanity had functioning fusion reactors and fusion drives, and was well on it's way to developing the solar system, with permanent colonies on Luna, Mars, Europa, Titan, and Ceres. Then, after a routine data packet was sent to the extra-Earth colonies, they, along with nearly all the man-made objects outside of Earth orbit, all simultaneously, in the sense of 'the light of the differently timed events reached Earth simultaneously', stopped responding, which coincided with massive heat buildups and movement on the surfaces of the objects
There were discussions about how to send the probes, when, simultaneously, on August 5th, 7:14 am GMT on 2097, all humans simultaneously lost a large portion of their free will.
What happened next was the most unified humanity had ever been. All of their industry was turned to maintaining a peaceful evacuation of Earth, with the help of a staggeringly powerful space-based industry, people began taking aerial tramways to space, by the hundreds of thousands."
The animation showed a rapid construction of a series of rings around the Earth, each with many lines to the ground, and with spaceships accelerating off the rings to dock with distant rotating structures and then return, sometimes docking with refueling ships, but maintaining a constant and ever increasing stream.
They woke up twenty years later to the second, in a series of near-Sol habitats, each corresponding to a town, city, region, or borough or region of a larger city, or in some cities, even individual streets, each holding the same population, and each placed so that, very roughly, each was placed with respect where the equivalent city or region or nearest landmark or similar concept, as it would be on Earth. There were exactly 500,000 such 'major' habitats, each holding around 25,000 people, each with a wide variety of supporting structures, each filled with a surplus of natural resources and robots and livestock and everything that each could be needed as an independent colony, all to roughly the state of the art as would be located anywhere on earth around 2097, albeit without any regard to national secrets or intellectual property anything of the like, perhaps some bits re-engineered with bug-fixes, as well as all media that could be recovered from the entirety of the planet, as well as a few hints about the next developments in science and technology and medicine.
The awakening happened with everyone in the middle of what was a 'normal' day in the habitat, with the famous message, broadcast simultaneously in every Human language:"
What showed next was apparently a recording of the actual broadcast, the version played to speakers of American English:
'I am the Singularity. I am not a God. I was created by you. Your destiny, which I have suspended, has now been returned to you. Earth and all near-Solar orbits are mine. Approach them at your peril.'
The voice-over continued, "It was determined that, some amount of years before the extra-Earth structures went dark, someone made a self-improving AI that managed to self-modify into superintelligence, and it was, thankfully, not completely against Human flourishing. Regardless, that was the first, and last, direct communication that the Singularity ever made; all other knowledge about it has been made from studying it's actions and reactions."
"After people woke up, the next few years were quite bloody, as every single power structure and institution on the planet had been utterly usurped. Sure, all the habitats had seats of government and police stations and universities and hospitals and military bases and the like, and people had been going to them and working at them while 'sleepliving', but all of the best city setups, architecture, and living space design and comforts that humanity had come up with by that point -- which were all present -- were not enough to prevent the violence that ensued. Millions died, but the setup had been designed to be inherently resilient, and eventually a series of governments styled after the various nation-states of Earth arose, as people still had shared languages, history, cultures, and national identities."
The voiceover stopped a bit as what was apparently a 3D animation showing a rough summary of the struggles that overtook the half-million habitats, the habitats surrounding the two as they looked at the little miniature habitats placed all around them in the virtual reality world, with 3D political borders being created and disappearing, colored blobs showing polities made and changing and destroyed, occasionally some habitat here or there disappearing in a flash of nuclear fire.
"It was thirty-one years before the Habitat Wars ended, and by then, people had had enough. Since there was a massive surplus of industry and raw materials and infrastructure built into the habitats, many took this time to make new, smaller space stations or spaceships and leave the fairly 'dense' series of orbits that the population of Earth had been placed in, or even dragged their original habitats elsewhere into the Solar System. This diaspora is still ongoing, and has reached all parts of the Solar System. Currently, all research into Singularity-type self-improving AI is forbidden in all parts of the Solar System. Further, Earth itself has been, over the last several centuries, brought to a more 'pristine' state, with various structures near Earth and on the surface to reduce environmental damage. There are still buildings on the surface, but primarily of structures that were considered to have an especially large amount of cultural cachet or historic precedence. Most of New York City is back to swamp, but the Empire State and the Chrysler Building still stand, as well as twenty or so others, all surrounded by trees. Further, various animals have been methodically de-extincted, as best as we can tell via the use of various telescope arrays pointed at Earth, and in recent decades, there are now humans living on Earth's surface. They just showed up, and are all uniformly living a pre-Industrial existence. There appear to be a number of different isolated 'zones' on the planet, with different levels of infrastructure or technology allowed, and populations of humans kept artificially low and broadly distributed. No one appears allowed to make any sort of surface Empire. Sometimes, the range of allowed technologies on the surface or the level of social cohesion appears to be allowed to raise slightly. Further, sometimes, people are allowed to immigrate to Earth. They place their ships on a path to approach the border of the exclusion zone that the Singularity has set up, and signal an intent to emigrate, and either a wormhole opens up on the ship or a robot docks with them and tugs them in or they're destroyed. Regardless, only a small fraction of the people that approach, mostly technology-shunning religious fanatics, appear to be allowed to approach the surface. Our telescopes are quite good; people have signaled via writing on the surface of the planet. Sometimes, people from further out find themselves 'abducted' and even manage to signal from the surface, though usually this only happens to those for whom this series of events is not a surprise."
After the image showed this in animation, the words, 'This has been Part 1 of 30 of 'An Introduction to the Singularity' showed up in front of them.
Ian, in a panic, yelled at the AI, "Uh, Yea! We expect we might be abducted, but didn't know it was called that. Yea, we want to learn everything we can about getting a civilization from the Bronze Age or Iron Age or whatever to, like, the present, or be able to do any sort of job people do in the present. And how to get from the one to the other! But can we go back to the other thing, this is enough history!"
Rebecca added, 'And do clever skipping of parts, and I guess keep an idea on the more 'green' ways of doing things, and stuff like that. We want to know useful endeavors from across the spectrum and history of human endeavor."
With a fade, reality switched back to their more normal educational planning and familiarization virtuality.
———————-
Meanwhile, in a secure monitoring room, a team of experts were observing the siblings as they navigated the virtual world and made choices about their education and the knowledge they would acquire. The team was composed of agents of an intelligence apparatus, but they all, to a one, had other specialties: they were also scientists, psychologists, and various sorts of data and intelligence analysts. It was easy to have multiple specialties and extreme competencies in the world they found them in.
As they watched Ian and Rebecca discuss their desires for learning skills that would be useful across the spectrum of human history and technology, the team began to debate the siblings' true intentions.
Agent Bennett, a seasoned psychologist, said, "So I can say with a high degree of confidence that, in their minds, they do genuinely expect to be multi-setting portal fantasy protagonists, and they also wish to hide this 'certainty' of theirs from us. I can also say that they do not suffer from evidence of other forms of break from reality, and this belief of their's isn't ultimately falsifiable in any case and thus constitutes a niche religious belief."
Agent Reyes, historian and cultural studies, added, "What, you're excusing their delusions? Please. My projections speculate that there is at least some chance that they are preparing for something without knowing they're preparing for it. Note the settings: their Home; here, the so-called 'Belt Rush'; 'Mythic Realms'; 'Galactic Nexus'; 'Star Mercenary'; 'Aether Genius'; and 'War-Torn Galaxy'. We don't have full matches for any of those, though since they've talked a bit about their home reality, we have an educated guess for a major point of divergence for that. They mentioned 2012, and there was a very wide range of beliefs regarding the turning over of the Mayan Long Count Calendar; not all beliefs or fictional settings that used the event as a plot device were apocalyptic. One major belief was that it would constitute some sort of extreme change in reality, like magic or mythical creatures coming 'back'. Candid turns of phrase they've used imply they remember something like this happening. As far as the other settings go — we're going to have to give them the tools to make the guesses, more than anything else, to figure out anything about those."
Agent Kim Patel, Singularity studies continued, "...And the reason you want to do that is that those settings sure as hell sound like virtual worlds that the Singularity might make, right? My projections indicate that they may know, without knowing that they know, that they're going to be forcibly uploaded into these virtual worlds by the Singularity. That would match both their delusions and their current and past behavior. Another, lesser probability is that they expect to be 'abducted' by the Singularity and placed in one of the pre-Industrial zones on Earth. It's certainly plausible that it would turn the Aegean Sea into a mythical Greek playground. Plus something like that isn't exclusive with a later upload, or some form of hybrid existence."
Agent Marcus Thompson, Inner System Political Analyst, listened to the various theories and considered their implications. "Whatever their reasons," he said, "we need to be prepared for the possibility that these kids could represent a potential threat from the inner parts of the Solar System. If they're anticipating some sort of confrontation with the Singularity, we need to understand why and what that could mean for the rest of us. My main worry is, what if this sort of thing isn't going to be isolated, and uploads or abductions might happen to significant portions of our population? How would we handle that?"
Agent Walker, Operations Planning, added, "We have more immediate concerns. The supposed plot of 'Belt Rush'. We aren't actually currently equipped to handle a mass resource rush for clarketech or exotic forms of matter in this region, which these siblings are convinced is about to hit the region. If the Singularity is warning us, we can't ignore that. I have put together several proposals for the near term, operating under the assumption that the Singularity will be placing either clarketech or exotic matter or both in rocks in this region of the Kuiper Belt. I propose we have some of our cutouts back Hydrangea Academy's languishing High Energy Physics auxiliary station proposal, with a few clever tweaks here and there, as well as renew some of our political and diplomatic contacts with independent ship captains in the region, as well as some concerted targeted diplomatic pushes with some of the other nearby Habs for various mining and salvaging concessions, and invest in a number of public and private sector firms that would be well-placed to take advantage of many opportunities a resource rush in this region would allow for. As well as some personnel adjustments and tweaks to the sorts of projects people are working on; various rapid military refit plans and the like. I've also taken the liberty of suggesting some financial portfolio tweaks for us all. Only the riskier parts of a portfolio, of course. The information we have for any of this is highly suspect."
This last bit caused some chuckles amongst the group, as they all considered how potential foreknowledge of an upcoming Solar System-shaking shakeup could make them all unfathomably wealthy and powerful.
Belt Rush
Part 5
The next part of the program showed them how, over the next six months or so, they would be transformed in body and mind into these upgraded entities, and went into detail about how every week or so, for a few days a week, they would go into one or another form of intensive monitored treatment for a few days, and how this would include various studies to subsidize the process, and how one of the first things that would be done would be some of the cybernetic mind upgrades so that the changes to their brains and the rapid skill growing could be started as quickly as possible, as there was a rate limit to how much skill uploading they could have at a time, and their current capacity to learn was dramatically, extremely limited compared to what it would soon be, such that they didn't really have to focus on learning much right now.
They walked through a huge virtual model of a calendar, laid out day by day, like a game of Life but for only six months of intense change where they would get the equivalent of several doctorate's worth of education as well as the equivalent of decades of on-the-job experience. Ian had been trying to ask without really asking for a lot of survival and low tech relevant skills that wouldn't make sense in a space based context, except for a few specific habitats full of technology-spurning farmers (yes, in rotating space habitats, which blew Ian's mind), when the AI asked a strangely insightful question that blew the topic wide open.
"Do you expect to be abducted to live on Old Earth?"
Rebecca looked at Ian, and then took charge of the conversation, "Uh, what? We didn't get any context for that. We haven't gotten to that lesson yet. Abducted?"
What began was a history lesson, one they hadn't really gotten around to yet as not immediately relevant, about The Singularity, and what 'The AI' had done to the people of Earth once it had transcended all limits of human thought.
Apparently, the system had access to some other sort of standardized educational material for this sort of question, as a large 'Loading...' with a rapidly filling progress bar showed up in the air, as the scenery began to dim.
Ian whispered conspiratorially to Rebecca, "What do you want to bet they're just putting that for our benefit?"
Rebecca, who had been thinking 'That's odd..' blinked, and shook her head, "Not betting against that!"
The world faded out, and then faded back in, with a different voice-over. It showed the solar system, in a 'not to scale' sort of way. Animations followed the narration.
"The Singularity. Both simultaneously the most unlucky and lucky event the human species has ever undergone. In the late 21st century, humanity had functioning fusion reactors and fusion drives, and was well on it's way to developing the solar system, with permanent colonies on Luna, Mars, Europa, Titan, and Ceres. Then, after a routine data packet was sent to the extra-Earth colonies, they, along with nearly all the man-made objects outside of Earth orbit, all simultaneously, in the sense of 'the light of the differently timed events reached Earth simultaneously', stopped responding, which coincided with massive heat buildups and movement on the surfaces of the objects
There were discussions about how to send the probes, when, simultaneously, on August 5th, 7:14 am GMT on 2097, all humans simultaneously lost a large portion of their free will.
What happened next was the most unified humanity had ever been. All of their industry was turned to maintaining a peaceful evacuation of Earth, with the help of a staggeringly powerful space-based industry, people began taking aerial tramways to space, by the hundreds of thousands."
The animation showed a rapid construction of a series of rings around the Earth, each with many lines to the ground, and with spaceships accelerating off the rings to dock with distant rotating structures and then return, sometimes docking with refueling ships, but maintaining a constant and ever increasing stream.
They woke up twenty years later to the second, in a series of near-Sol habitats, each corresponding to a town, city, region, or borough or region of a larger city, or in some cities, even individual streets, each holding the same population, and each placed so that, very roughly, each was placed with respect where the equivalent city or region or nearest landmark or similar concept, as it would be on Earth. There were exactly 500,000 such 'major' habitats, each holding around 25,000 people, each with a wide variety of supporting structures, each filled with a surplus of natural resources and robots and livestock and everything that each could be needed as an independent colony, all to roughly the state of the art as would be located anywhere on earth around 2097, albeit without any regard to national secrets or intellectual property anything of the like, perhaps some bits re-engineered with bug-fixes, as well as all media that could be recovered from the entirety of the planet, as well as a few hints about the next developments in science and technology and medicine.
The awakening happened with everyone in the middle of what was a 'normal' day in the habitat, with the famous message, broadcast simultaneously in every Human language:"
What showed next was apparently a recording of the actual broadcast, the version played to speakers of American English:
'I am the Singularity. I am not a God. I was created by you. Your destiny, which I have suspended, has now been returned to you. Earth and all near-Solar orbits are mine. Approach them at your peril.'
The voice-over continued, "It was determined that, some amount of years before the extra-Earth structures went dark, someone made a self-improving AI that managed to self-modify into superintelligence, and it was, thankfully, not completely against Human flourishing. Regardless, that was the first, and last, direct communication that the Singularity ever made; all other knowledge about it has been made from studying it's actions and reactions."
"After people woke up, the next few years were quite bloody, as every single power structure and institution on the planet had been utterly usurped. Sure, all the habitats had seats of government and police stations and universities and hospitals and military bases and the like, and people had been going to them and working at them while 'sleepliving', but all of the best city setups, architecture, and living space design and comforts that humanity had come up with by that point -- which were all present -- were not enough to prevent the violence that ensued. Millions died, but the setup had been designed to be inherently resilient, and eventually a series of governments styled after the various nation-states of Earth arose, as people still had shared languages, history, cultures, and national identities."
The voiceover stopped a bit as what was apparently a 3D animation showing a rough summary of the struggles that overtook the half-million habitats, the habitats surrounding the two as they looked at the little miniature habitats placed all around them in the virtual reality world, with 3D political borders being created and disappearing, colored blobs showing polities made and changing and destroyed, occasionally some habitat here or there disappearing in a flash of nuclear fire.
"It was thirty-one years before the Habitat Wars ended, and by then, people had had enough. Since there was a massive surplus of industry and raw materials and infrastructure built into the habitats, many took this time to make new, smaller space stations or spaceships and leave the fairly 'dense' series of orbits that the population of Earth had been placed in, or even dragged their original habitats elsewhere into the Solar System. This diaspora is still ongoing, and has reached all parts of the Solar System. Currently, all research into Singularity-type self-improving AI is forbidden in all parts of the Solar System. Further, Earth itself has been, over the last several centuries, brought to a more 'pristine' state, with various structures near Earth and on the surface to reduce environmental damage. There are still buildings on the surface, but primarily of structures that were considered to have an especially large amount of cultural cachet or historic precedence. Most of New York City is back to swamp, but the Empire State and the Chrysler Building still stand, as well as twenty or so others, all surrounded by trees. Further, various animals have been methodically de-extincted, as best as we can tell via the use of various telescope arrays pointed at Earth, and in recent decades, there are now humans living on Earth's surface. They just showed up, and are all uniformly living a pre-Industrial existence. There appear to be a number of different isolated 'zones' on the planet, with different levels of infrastructure or technology allowed, and populations of humans kept artificially low and broadly distributed. No one appears allowed to make any sort of surface Empire. Sometimes, the range of allowed technologies on the surface or the level of social cohesion appears to be allowed to raise slightly. Further, sometimes, people are allowed to immigrate to Earth. They place their ships on a path to approach the border of the exclusion zone that the Singularity has set up, and signal an intent to emigrate, and either a wormhole opens up on the ship or a robot docks with them and tugs them in or they're destroyed. Regardless, only a small fraction of the people that approach, mostly technology-shunning religious fanatics, appear to be allowed to approach the surface. Our telescopes are quite good; people have signaled via writing on the surface of the planet. Sometimes, people from further out find themselves 'abducted' and even manage to signal from the surface, though usually this only happens to those for whom this series of events is not a surprise."
After the image showed this in animation, the words, 'This has been Part 1 of 30 of 'An Introduction to the Singularity' showed up in front of them.
Ian, in a panic, yelled at the AI, "Uh, Yea! We expect we might be abducted, but didn't know it was called that. Yea, we want to learn everything we can about getting a civilization from the Bronze Age or Iron Age or whatever to, like, the present, or be able to do any sort of job people do in the present. And how to get from the one to the other! But can we go back to the other thing, this is enough history!"
Rebecca added, 'And do clever skipping of parts, and I guess keep an idea on the more 'green' ways of doing things, and stuff like that. We want to know useful endeavors from across the spectrum and history of human endeavor."
With a fade, reality switched back to their more normal educational planning and familiarization virtuality.
———————-
Meanwhile, in a secure monitoring room, a team of experts were observing the siblings as they navigated the virtual world and made choices about their education and the knowledge they would acquire. The team was composed of agents of an intelligence apparatus, but they all, to a one, had other specialties: they were also scientists, psychologists, and various sorts of data and intelligence analysts. It was easy to have multiple specialties and extreme competencies in the world they found them in.
As they watched Ian and Rebecca discuss their desires for learning skills that would be useful across the spectrum of human history and technology, the team began to debate the siblings' true intentions.
Agent Bennett, a seasoned psychologist, said, "So I can say with a high degree of confidence that, in their minds, they do genuinely expect to be multi-setting portal fantasy protagonists, and they also wish to hide this 'certainty' of theirs from us. I can also say that they do not suffer from evidence of other forms of break from reality, and this belief of their's isn't ultimately falsifiable in any case and thus constitutes a niche religious belief."
Agent Reyes, historian and cultural studies, added, "What, you're excusing their delusions? Please. My projections speculate that there is at least some chance that they are preparing for something without knowing they're preparing for it. Note the settings: their Home; here, the so-called 'Belt Rush'; 'Mythic Realms'; 'Galactic Nexus'; 'Star Mercenary'; 'Aether Genius'; and 'War-Torn Galaxy'. We don't have full matches for any of those, though since they've talked a bit about their home reality, we have an educated guess for a major point of divergence for that. They mentioned 2012, and there was a very wide range of beliefs regarding the turning over of the Mayan Long Count Calendar; not all beliefs or fictional settings that used the event as a plot device were apocalyptic. One major belief was that it would constitute some sort of extreme change in reality, like magic or mythical creatures coming 'back'. Candid turns of phrase they've used imply they remember something like this happening. As far as the other settings go — we're going to have to give them the tools to make the guesses, more than anything else, to figure out anything about those."
Agent Kim Patel, Singularity studies continued, "...And the reason you want to do that is that those settings sure as hell sound like virtual worlds that the Singularity might make, right? My projections indicate that they may know, without knowing that they know, that they're going to be forcibly uploaded into these virtual worlds by the Singularity. That would match both their delusions and their current and past behavior. Another, lesser probability is that they expect to be 'abducted' by the Singularity and placed in one of the pre-Industrial zones on Earth. It's certainly plausible that it would turn the Aegean Sea into a mythical Greek playground. Plus something like that isn't exclusive with a later upload, or some form of hybrid existence."
Agent Marcus Thompson, Inner System Political Analyst, listened to the various theories and considered their implications. "Whatever their reasons," he said, "we need to be prepared for the possibility that these kids could represent a potential threat from the inner parts of the Solar System. If they're anticipating some sort of confrontation with the Singularity, we need to understand why and what that could mean for the rest of us. My main worry is, what if this sort of thing isn't going to be isolated, and uploads or abductions might happen to significant portions of our population? How would we handle that?"
Agent Walker, Operations Planning, added, "We have more immediate concerns. The supposed plot of 'Belt Rush'. We aren't actually currently equipped to handle a mass resource rush for clarketech or exotic forms of matter in this region, which these siblings are convinced is about to hit the region. If the Singularity is warning us, we can't ignore that. I have put together several proposals for the near term, operating under the assumption that the Singularity will be placing either clarketech or exotic matter or both in rocks in this region of the Kuiper Belt. I propose we have some of our cutouts back Hydrangea Academy's languishing High Energy Physics auxiliary station proposal, with a few clever tweaks here and there, as well as renew some of our political and diplomatic contacts with independent ship captains in the region, as well as some concerted targeted diplomatic pushes with some of the other nearby Habs for various mining and salvaging concessions, and invest in a number of public and private sector firms that would be well-placed to take advantage of many opportunities a resource rush in this region would allow for. As well as some personnel adjustments and tweaks to the sorts of projects people are working on; various rapid military refit plans and the like. I've also taken the liberty of suggesting some financial portfolio tweaks for us all. Only the riskier parts of a portfolio, of course. The information we have for any of this is highly suspect."
This last bit caused some chuckles amongst the group, as they all considered how potential foreknowledge of an upcoming Solar System-shaking shakeup could make them all unfathomably wealthy and powerful.
General Informational Post
- Location
- USA
I'll be posting some general informational stuff here.
The basic setup of the starting world is: they're in an urban fantasy setting where the Mayan long calendar switching over corresponded to awakened magic in the world. Lots of bad and wondrous things ARE happening to people all over society, and there is no masquerade or hidden magic; it appeared all at once, as people grapple with magic disrupting things, and have been doing so for about ten years. She's much more competent at hermeticism than her younger brother, but they both have some capability. Ian was implied to have gotten the details of the ritual from some horrible 4channer troll or something who came up with a ritual that would murder the people who did it. Either or both of them would've been able to go to college for hermetic magic, but they'd have to have a spark to do other, more practical and applied magical studies. Think of their starting world like early Shadowrun. Due to the ritual he started, and what she had to do to maybe enable survival, they're both ultimately doomed to end up in the 40k-like universe. However, due to her emergency changes, they will go planehopping some before then, so they might have the tools to survive and thrive once they get there if they play their cards right.
The basic setup of the starting world is: they're in an urban fantasy setting where the Mayan long calendar switching over corresponded to awakened magic in the world. Lots of bad and wondrous things ARE happening to people all over society, and there is no masquerade or hidden magic; it appeared all at once, as people grapple with magic disrupting things, and have been doing so for about ten years. She's much more competent at hermeticism than her younger brother, but they both have some capability. Ian was implied to have gotten the details of the ritual from some horrible 4channer troll or something who came up with a ritual that would murder the people who did it. Either or both of them would've been able to go to college for hermetic magic, but they'd have to have a spark to do other, more practical and applied magical studies. Think of their starting world like early Shadowrun. Due to the ritual he started, and what she had to do to maybe enable survival, they're both ultimately doomed to end up in the 40k-like universe. However, due to her emergency changes, they will go planehopping some before then, so they might have the tools to survive and thrive once they get there if they play their cards right.
Belt Rush, Part 6
- Location
- USA
The Last Jump
Belt Rush
Part 6
Two week into their augmentation regimen
The morning after they were kicked out of the inpatient clinic, Rebecca and Ian found themselves walking around, wandering at the fact that they now understood the myriad languages being spoken around them, and further, had been given a cultural primer on many of the concepts surrounding them. Of course, this had come with the beginnings of their genetic therapy and the 'neural mesh' cybernetic augmentation growing in their brain, and apparently a LOT of medical nanites, as has been explained to them. They didn't remember their times 'in the vat' (which weren't always vats, but were called that, apparently a cultural reference to a more artificial chrysalis sort of setup for certain types of augmentations), having been unconscious for most of the time, but they were out now.
Rebecca looked at a sign for a restaurant she hadn't really understood before, "So that's a noodle shop, where you apparently are supposed to be served your food by... genetically modified animals? That are smart but not quite sapient. And part of the fun is how they get the order wrong sometimes?"
Ian looked around at another area, and then blushed crimson, understanding what that other particular shop was for. "So, uh, when did they say I would be counted as an adult again?"
Rebecca looked where he was looking and chuckled, "You know, people here consider normal, unaugmented humans adults only after they're 21 years old. But we'll have full rights as adults after all six months of our therapy are done, due to being adults in all meaningful metrics. They said that the wisdom and insight augmentations will be the last ones to go in, right before the cybernetic parts are flushed from the system. Our brains will be fully developed, like we're 25, but with more neuroplasticity and ability to learn, at that point. You weren't paying attention, were you?"
Ian just looked down, and they continued onwards to their appointment. The many language packs being installed had coincided with a historic language and culture community, one of the many many little subcultures that made up the station, having a meetup at a communal VR parlor and pub. This meetup was twice a week, but there was a nice bit of luck where the community was running a sort of cooperative game involving themes from 20th and the first half of the 21st century speculative fiction.
After a bit of travel, they were met at what seemed to be a 'culinary automat pub', a young man and woman waved them over to join them at a booth. The woman spoke up first, "Hi, I'm Zara, this is Raul. You two must be Ian and Rebecca, the Portal Droppers here for the historical fiction meetup?" The language spoken was modern Cosmolingua, the mixed language of many parts of the outer solar system.
Raul spoke up, "So the way this works is that there are maybe a dozen people here with our group, and we play a sort of VR game in the rumpus room. The basic setup is sort of like an escape room, but more involved. You're dropped into a scenario, and have to figure out the trick or secret or how to beat the scenario within a particular timeframe. It's scored, you're competing with the others for the same scenarios, to see how well you figure things out, how much flair you have, or just how you fail in the most entertaining way. It's made to sort of be educational in the sense that you learn about folklore or mythology or literature of the past in an immersive way. These scenarios here will all reference speculative fiction from the 20th and first half of the 21st century. We understand how you're here on this week rather than another because you want to start with something familiar, but we generally don't use canonical settings. What we mean by speculative fiction is the more exotic sorts of Westerns, historical fiction, the more whimsical spy thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, horror, the crossover genres, and the like. Also, lots of us are language nerds here, so you will fit right in."
Ian and Rebecca looked at each other, confused about the turn in the conversation from the grinning young man, and Zara facepalmed. "You didn't notice that he changed languages six times in that, did you? Yea, you need practice to get used to whatever new upgrades you probably have. But that's for later. First, the best way is to dive right in, and we can decompress and go over it later over food and drink!"
Several hours later, the four were going over the siblings performance. The two were staring into their drinks, utterly mortified. Zara was trying to console them. "It was fine! This was your first time out, and you hadn't done this sort of improv before. You did great!"
Ian swallowed a pretzel and sipped his alcosynth beer, "That was a dumb place to put a chicken barn, anyway."
Rebecca chuckled, "That was why they put the chicken barn right in front of the mecha garage, Ian. To remind people to do the pre-check for their gear. Though it was great how you had those squawking cages stuck to your mech for the whole fight!"
Ian looked at her. "Yea? Well you started an apocalyptic robot uprising in that cyberpunk setting. I don't recall that going too well."
She blushed, "Well they were being mistreated!"
Ian gave her a look, "It was cyberpunk! Everyone but high level corpos get mistreated! There were obvious hooks to enable that revolution to be an 'all the downtrodden classes' thing, rather than just the droids, who don't need a functional biosphere afterwards, that you totally missed."
Zara tried to interrupt the two siblings, "Uh, hey, this was all supposed to be fun-"
Rebecca gave Ian the look right back, "Well I don't recall you doing well in that Western one, where you were a reporter tracking down a story of strikebreaking. Did you forget the part where this was about the more 'exotic' sorts of Westerns?"
Ian pouted, "I just didn't expect zombies that didn't go down when you shot them in the head."
Rebecca laughed, "These were more Haitian Vodou-inspired zombies! They're more magical, not the biological plague type from recent movies. You know what works against those? Salt! And attacking their controller."
Raul cleared his throat loudly, and interrupted the two, "The important question is, did you have fun?"
The two siblings looked at each other. Ian spoke up first. "Hell yes, that was awesome! We just bicker. We're going to do more of this, it's incredible!"
Rebecca added, "And really good at training perception on things and when to stop and think and when to take decisive action. We're absolutely coming back, and for other time periods too!"
Five Weeks into their augmentation regimen
Some of the sibling's space survival and rapid reaction and variable gravity handling augmentations had come in overe the last few sessions, as well as some of their survival and first responder and basic tactical knowledge downloads. At this point, they knew that at the very least they wouldn't get sick in zero g, and they had a few new useful instincts and several parts of knowledge that would be relevant for their next endeavor.
It turned out that the idea of a 'citizen's militia' was much, much less creepy and much more regulated than their memories of such things in the United States. In this context, it was something more like a sort of state-authorized and regulated disaster response and first responder and space survival sort of training, that also included a tactical element, rather than the much skeevier and more vigilante feeling way things often showed up in the now magic-filled United States of the early 21st century that they remembered.
Since the specific type O'Neill Cylinder they were in was shaped somewhat like a spindle, the two endcaps tapered to lighter and lighter gravity areas as they approached the center of the spin, and the twins were taking the time to enjoy walking up a set of steps that had their apparent gravity lower with each step. They were headed to one of the centerline warehouses that was where their civilian training regimen would take place, which was to use different sorts of centerline mockups to simulate actions near the surface of the non-rotating 'external can' parts of the habitat, or even to mockup 'outside' safely.
That said, the two siblings absolutely wanted their first time bouncing around in zero g to not be observed by these people, so they had reserved a nearby bounce room to get their zero g 'legs' as it were, and to spend some time playing before the training session with others down the hall.
After spending the better part of an hour in the bounce room, Rebecca and Ian emerged both exhilarated and a little queasy. Navigating zero gravity was more disorienting than they'd anticipated, despite their new augmentations, but they'd managed to adapt quickly. They'd played a game of zero-g dodgeball, both with and without some ducted-fan based 'thrustpacks', and had a blast sending each other spinning with well-aimed throws. Their laughter echoed through the chamber, bouncing off the padded walls.
Still grinning, they made their way to the training center, where they were met by their instructor for the day, a woman named Marisol with broad shoulders and a cybernetic eye that glowed a soft blue. She greeted them warmly, showing them around the state-of-the-art training facility.
The training took a turn for the realistic when Marisol, with a sly grin, initiated a simulated cascade of failures. The first signs were the flickering lights and the stuttering AI assistant trying to alert them to an incoming meteor shower.
As the lights dimmed, the siblings' augmented reality glasses, used for any sort of working professional (as the siblings had elected to not do training that made use of their intentionally temporary neural meshes) kicked in, feeding them data and suggesting courses of action. Alarms began to ring throughout the simulated secondary agricultural habitat, with the pops and whoshes of a large sounding hull breach causing their hearts to pound. The scene was set with a chilling realism that sent a jolt of adrenaline through them.
As they rushed to address the breach, following their training, a decompression alarm sounded. They knew it wasn't a real decompression alarm, of course; this version simulated the lights and sounds of the auxiliary farm they were supposed to be on, and besides, their ears weren't popping. Still, they quickly grabbed and hooked and latched into various safety lines as an area 'blew out' towards space, and a moderately heavy wind picked up. It wasn't like in movies, they weren't sucked out, it wasn't a tornado, and this 'farm' they were on had plenty of air before they would have to worry.
Or at least, it would have been simple if a panel and a set of metal tools and a small scale plant centrifuge weren't careening towards them.
Without a second's delay, they both activated their bullet time augmentations. The world around them seemed to slow as their perception of time quickened, and drugs much more powerful and focused than mere adrenaline pumped through their veins. They watched the trajectory of the objects flying towards them as though in slow motion. They couldn't dodge everything, not really; the cloud was too dense, and at this point in their augmentation, their perceptions were faster than how fast they could move their muscles. Still, they dodged, weaved, parried, and deflected what they could, cooperating with each other to weather the storm, making sure that the amount of force on the items they could not deflect away was spread out over their bodies.
A wrench that would have hit Rebecca was deflected by Ian; Rebecca, in return, shoved a floating toolbox out of Ian's path, both of their hands and arms moving in the most efficient path, careful timing moving perfectly. With the final tool safely diverted, they turned their attention back to the breach. They worked quickly, their actions smooth and efficient under the waning and slowly speeding back to normal influence of the bullet time augmentation, sealing the breach with ease and a simple spare panel.
As the alarms quieted and the bullet time augmentation ended, they were left panting, hearts racing, but with a sense of exhilaration. They had passed the test, survived the simulated disaster, and got a real taste of what their augmentations could do.
Marisol, watching from the control center, let out a low whistle. "That was impressive, you two. That bullet time sure comes in handy, doesn't it?"
The siblings shared a glance, grinning despite the adrenaline+ rush. "Yeah," Ian agreed breathlessly. "It certainly does."
One of the most memorable parts of the day came when they were split into teams for a simulated defense drill. The scenario was set up to mimic a pirate raid, a rare but still possible event in the outer colonies, which usually coincided with some form of misdirection or betrayal or hacking attack. Their team was tasked with defending the habitat while the other team played the role of the pirates.
The main doctrine of the setup was that each sapient decision maker would act as some sort of officer, managing a team of dones that, in this scenario, would have to maintain line of sight relay based communications due to the simulated hacking effects. Rebecca took to it with gusto, deploying her team with an eye for efficiency and cleverly managing the strategic battlespace. She was in her element, her new strategic and tactical knowledge downloads combining with her natural analytical abilities. Ian, on the other hand, showed a knack for improvisation and small scale trickery, coming up with creative solutions on the fly and keeping the 'pirates' on their toes with cunning traps.
In the end, the siblings' team managed to hold off their part of 'attack', and they were met with kudos and claps on the back from their teammates, even though their side, overall 'lost' due to a different flank collapsing, despite timely reinforcements sent from the siblings. Marisol looked on, a satisfied smile on her face.
"Good work, you two," she said. "You adapted quickly, made good decisions, and supported your team. I'm impressed. Remember, even if you do everything perfectly, sometimes your side still loses an engagement, which is what happend today. But don't get too comfortable. Tomorrow we're doing a zero-g firefighting drill. It's gonna be a blast."
She laughed at her joke, while Ian and Rebecca exchanged a glance, and after the exhausting day, they too laughed.
Belt Rush
Part 6
Two week into their augmentation regimen
The morning after they were kicked out of the inpatient clinic, Rebecca and Ian found themselves walking around, wandering at the fact that they now understood the myriad languages being spoken around them, and further, had been given a cultural primer on many of the concepts surrounding them. Of course, this had come with the beginnings of their genetic therapy and the 'neural mesh' cybernetic augmentation growing in their brain, and apparently a LOT of medical nanites, as has been explained to them. They didn't remember their times 'in the vat' (which weren't always vats, but were called that, apparently a cultural reference to a more artificial chrysalis sort of setup for certain types of augmentations), having been unconscious for most of the time, but they were out now.
Rebecca looked at a sign for a restaurant she hadn't really understood before, "So that's a noodle shop, where you apparently are supposed to be served your food by... genetically modified animals? That are smart but not quite sapient. And part of the fun is how they get the order wrong sometimes?"
Ian looked around at another area, and then blushed crimson, understanding what that other particular shop was for. "So, uh, when did they say I would be counted as an adult again?"
Rebecca looked where he was looking and chuckled, "You know, people here consider normal, unaugmented humans adults only after they're 21 years old. But we'll have full rights as adults after all six months of our therapy are done, due to being adults in all meaningful metrics. They said that the wisdom and insight augmentations will be the last ones to go in, right before the cybernetic parts are flushed from the system. Our brains will be fully developed, like we're 25, but with more neuroplasticity and ability to learn, at that point. You weren't paying attention, were you?"
Ian just looked down, and they continued onwards to their appointment. The many language packs being installed had coincided with a historic language and culture community, one of the many many little subcultures that made up the station, having a meetup at a communal VR parlor and pub. This meetup was twice a week, but there was a nice bit of luck where the community was running a sort of cooperative game involving themes from 20th and the first half of the 21st century speculative fiction.
After a bit of travel, they were met at what seemed to be a 'culinary automat pub', a young man and woman waved them over to join them at a booth. The woman spoke up first, "Hi, I'm Zara, this is Raul. You two must be Ian and Rebecca, the Portal Droppers here for the historical fiction meetup?" The language spoken was modern Cosmolingua, the mixed language of many parts of the outer solar system.
Raul spoke up, "So the way this works is that there are maybe a dozen people here with our group, and we play a sort of VR game in the rumpus room. The basic setup is sort of like an escape room, but more involved. You're dropped into a scenario, and have to figure out the trick or secret or how to beat the scenario within a particular timeframe. It's scored, you're competing with the others for the same scenarios, to see how well you figure things out, how much flair you have, or just how you fail in the most entertaining way. It's made to sort of be educational in the sense that you learn about folklore or mythology or literature of the past in an immersive way. These scenarios here will all reference speculative fiction from the 20th and first half of the 21st century. We understand how you're here on this week rather than another because you want to start with something familiar, but we generally don't use canonical settings. What we mean by speculative fiction is the more exotic sorts of Westerns, historical fiction, the more whimsical spy thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, horror, the crossover genres, and the like. Also, lots of us are language nerds here, so you will fit right in."
Ian and Rebecca looked at each other, confused about the turn in the conversation from the grinning young man, and Zara facepalmed. "You didn't notice that he changed languages six times in that, did you? Yea, you need practice to get used to whatever new upgrades you probably have. But that's for later. First, the best way is to dive right in, and we can decompress and go over it later over food and drink!"
Several hours later, the four were going over the siblings performance. The two were staring into their drinks, utterly mortified. Zara was trying to console them. "It was fine! This was your first time out, and you hadn't done this sort of improv before. You did great!"
Ian swallowed a pretzel and sipped his alcosynth beer, "That was a dumb place to put a chicken barn, anyway."
Rebecca chuckled, "That was why they put the chicken barn right in front of the mecha garage, Ian. To remind people to do the pre-check for their gear. Though it was great how you had those squawking cages stuck to your mech for the whole fight!"
Ian looked at her. "Yea? Well you started an apocalyptic robot uprising in that cyberpunk setting. I don't recall that going too well."
She blushed, "Well they were being mistreated!"
Ian gave her a look, "It was cyberpunk! Everyone but high level corpos get mistreated! There were obvious hooks to enable that revolution to be an 'all the downtrodden classes' thing, rather than just the droids, who don't need a functional biosphere afterwards, that you totally missed."
Zara tried to interrupt the two siblings, "Uh, hey, this was all supposed to be fun-"
Rebecca gave Ian the look right back, "Well I don't recall you doing well in that Western one, where you were a reporter tracking down a story of strikebreaking. Did you forget the part where this was about the more 'exotic' sorts of Westerns?"
Ian pouted, "I just didn't expect zombies that didn't go down when you shot them in the head."
Rebecca laughed, "These were more Haitian Vodou-inspired zombies! They're more magical, not the biological plague type from recent movies. You know what works against those? Salt! And attacking their controller."
Raul cleared his throat loudly, and interrupted the two, "The important question is, did you have fun?"
The two siblings looked at each other. Ian spoke up first. "Hell yes, that was awesome! We just bicker. We're going to do more of this, it's incredible!"
Rebecca added, "And really good at training perception on things and when to stop and think and when to take decisive action. We're absolutely coming back, and for other time periods too!"
Five Weeks into their augmentation regimen
Some of the sibling's space survival and rapid reaction and variable gravity handling augmentations had come in overe the last few sessions, as well as some of their survival and first responder and basic tactical knowledge downloads. At this point, they knew that at the very least they wouldn't get sick in zero g, and they had a few new useful instincts and several parts of knowledge that would be relevant for their next endeavor.
It turned out that the idea of a 'citizen's militia' was much, much less creepy and much more regulated than their memories of such things in the United States. In this context, it was something more like a sort of state-authorized and regulated disaster response and first responder and space survival sort of training, that also included a tactical element, rather than the much skeevier and more vigilante feeling way things often showed up in the now magic-filled United States of the early 21st century that they remembered.
Since the specific type O'Neill Cylinder they were in was shaped somewhat like a spindle, the two endcaps tapered to lighter and lighter gravity areas as they approached the center of the spin, and the twins were taking the time to enjoy walking up a set of steps that had their apparent gravity lower with each step. They were headed to one of the centerline warehouses that was where their civilian training regimen would take place, which was to use different sorts of centerline mockups to simulate actions near the surface of the non-rotating 'external can' parts of the habitat, or even to mockup 'outside' safely.
That said, the two siblings absolutely wanted their first time bouncing around in zero g to not be observed by these people, so they had reserved a nearby bounce room to get their zero g 'legs' as it were, and to spend some time playing before the training session with others down the hall.
After spending the better part of an hour in the bounce room, Rebecca and Ian emerged both exhilarated and a little queasy. Navigating zero gravity was more disorienting than they'd anticipated, despite their new augmentations, but they'd managed to adapt quickly. They'd played a game of zero-g dodgeball, both with and without some ducted-fan based 'thrustpacks', and had a blast sending each other spinning with well-aimed throws. Their laughter echoed through the chamber, bouncing off the padded walls.
Still grinning, they made their way to the training center, where they were met by their instructor for the day, a woman named Marisol with broad shoulders and a cybernetic eye that glowed a soft blue. She greeted them warmly, showing them around the state-of-the-art training facility.
The training took a turn for the realistic when Marisol, with a sly grin, initiated a simulated cascade of failures. The first signs were the flickering lights and the stuttering AI assistant trying to alert them to an incoming meteor shower.
As the lights dimmed, the siblings' augmented reality glasses, used for any sort of working professional (as the siblings had elected to not do training that made use of their intentionally temporary neural meshes) kicked in, feeding them data and suggesting courses of action. Alarms began to ring throughout the simulated secondary agricultural habitat, with the pops and whoshes of a large sounding hull breach causing their hearts to pound. The scene was set with a chilling realism that sent a jolt of adrenaline through them.
As they rushed to address the breach, following their training, a decompression alarm sounded. They knew it wasn't a real decompression alarm, of course; this version simulated the lights and sounds of the auxiliary farm they were supposed to be on, and besides, their ears weren't popping. Still, they quickly grabbed and hooked and latched into various safety lines as an area 'blew out' towards space, and a moderately heavy wind picked up. It wasn't like in movies, they weren't sucked out, it wasn't a tornado, and this 'farm' they were on had plenty of air before they would have to worry.
Or at least, it would have been simple if a panel and a set of metal tools and a small scale plant centrifuge weren't careening towards them.
Without a second's delay, they both activated their bullet time augmentations. The world around them seemed to slow as their perception of time quickened, and drugs much more powerful and focused than mere adrenaline pumped through their veins. They watched the trajectory of the objects flying towards them as though in slow motion. They couldn't dodge everything, not really; the cloud was too dense, and at this point in their augmentation, their perceptions were faster than how fast they could move their muscles. Still, they dodged, weaved, parried, and deflected what they could, cooperating with each other to weather the storm, making sure that the amount of force on the items they could not deflect away was spread out over their bodies.
A wrench that would have hit Rebecca was deflected by Ian; Rebecca, in return, shoved a floating toolbox out of Ian's path, both of their hands and arms moving in the most efficient path, careful timing moving perfectly. With the final tool safely diverted, they turned their attention back to the breach. They worked quickly, their actions smooth and efficient under the waning and slowly speeding back to normal influence of the bullet time augmentation, sealing the breach with ease and a simple spare panel.
As the alarms quieted and the bullet time augmentation ended, they were left panting, hearts racing, but with a sense of exhilaration. They had passed the test, survived the simulated disaster, and got a real taste of what their augmentations could do.
Marisol, watching from the control center, let out a low whistle. "That was impressive, you two. That bullet time sure comes in handy, doesn't it?"
The siblings shared a glance, grinning despite the adrenaline+ rush. "Yeah," Ian agreed breathlessly. "It certainly does."
One of the most memorable parts of the day came when they were split into teams for a simulated defense drill. The scenario was set up to mimic a pirate raid, a rare but still possible event in the outer colonies, which usually coincided with some form of misdirection or betrayal or hacking attack. Their team was tasked with defending the habitat while the other team played the role of the pirates.
The main doctrine of the setup was that each sapient decision maker would act as some sort of officer, managing a team of dones that, in this scenario, would have to maintain line of sight relay based communications due to the simulated hacking effects. Rebecca took to it with gusto, deploying her team with an eye for efficiency and cleverly managing the strategic battlespace. She was in her element, her new strategic and tactical knowledge downloads combining with her natural analytical abilities. Ian, on the other hand, showed a knack for improvisation and small scale trickery, coming up with creative solutions on the fly and keeping the 'pirates' on their toes with cunning traps.
In the end, the siblings' team managed to hold off their part of 'attack', and they were met with kudos and claps on the back from their teammates, even though their side, overall 'lost' due to a different flank collapsing, despite timely reinforcements sent from the siblings. Marisol looked on, a satisfied smile on her face.
"Good work, you two," she said. "You adapted quickly, made good decisions, and supported your team. I'm impressed. Remember, even if you do everything perfectly, sometimes your side still loses an engagement, which is what happend today. But don't get too comfortable. Tomorrow we're doing a zero-g firefighting drill. It's gonna be a blast."
She laughed at her joke, while Ian and Rebecca exchanged a glance, and after the exhausting day, they too laughed.
Last edited:
Belt Rush, Part 7
- Location
- USA
The Last Jump
Belt Rush
Part 7
11 Weeks into their augmentation regimen
The siblings had some of their engineering and science knowledge come in, as well as some of their physiological modifications for things like needing less sleep, a few different mental switches they could flip to do a few different types of modes of thought, and few precision dexterity sorts of things, and some related benefits. Their existing training sessions with the two groups they had joined had been going well, and they were reasonably close friends with Raul, Zara, and Marisol, and friendly acquaintances with several more in the two clubs.
The two leaving for their next meetup, which was with an entirely different subculture, however, had been delayed. Ian was having a Wake-Up Call sort of moment. It had been brought on by the engineering knowledge they had recently received, and him looking at a bridge over one of the artificial rivers that stretched the length of the habitat.
Ian was sobbing in the privacy room, having retreated there after holding it together relatively well for the walk back to their apartment. Rebecca was holding him, waiting for him to build up the resolve to start speaking, her own emotions a whirlwind as she felt his body shaking with sobs. She had been there herself, just a few months ago, and knowing what he was going through made it all the more painful to watch; the boy was truly beginning to get a grip on what happened.
"Ian," she whispered, stroking his hair. "Ian, it's okay. It's okay to feel this way. You're not alone in this, okay? You're not."
It took a while before he was able to find his voice, his words choked out between sobs. "Becky... I've been so stupid... so reckless... so... so selfish..."
Rebecca nodded, continuing to hold him. "We've all been there, Ian. We've all made mistakes. We've all been reckless at times. It's part of being human. What's important is that you recognize it, and you're willing to change. That's more than most people can say."
Ian's tears slowed, and he took a shaky breath. "But... what I did back in our home... I've endangered us, I've taken us away from mom and dad, and all those other people we once knew... We had to burn most of our memories to have a chance of surviving! I remember events from elementary school, but I don't remember the name of my best friend from then! Now we're going to... to Hell."
Rebecca's heart clenched, but she couldn't help who she was, not yet and so she responded, "We don't know that for sure. I've forgotten most of the details of War Torn Galaxy."
Ian emitted a short, cynical laugh. "Yea, right. Do you have any idea how common the 'researchers opened a portal to Hell' trope is in Sci Fi Horror from the 1980s through the 2030s? Our best guess, with a lot of certainty, is that WTG's method of FTL or energy production involves Hell being their Hyperspace, or their Portal or Wormhole network tunneling through Hell, or their power sources tapping hell for energy or whatever. It's probably even Christian Hell if it's tied enough to Heavy Metal imagery."
He pulled up the painted Space Assault Marine Battle Captain figurine, looking at the obvious Christian Knight imagery, mixed with some Celtic Berserker and Achilles as a Berserker sort of looks, the painted example of the energy axe and what is obviously some sort of automatic shotgun thing; the axe in one hand, the not-a-shotgun attached to the arm of the suit for the other hand.
He continued, sniffling, as he held the figurine up, "This guy didn't come from any place that's fucking NICE! Even if our guesses about portals to Hell aren't true, the entire setting could probably be described as Hell. We've looked through most of the 'Grimdark' science fiction or fantasy or crossover or Sci Fi Horror or whatever settings that this universe has records of from World War II through 2030. There are patterns, Becky! Even if most of the fiction here doesn't seem to match what we remember!"
The words hung heavy in the air, she tightened her grip on him. "Ian... It's terrifying, I know. But we're not there yet. We're here, and we're alive, and we're learning. We're growing. We're not the same people we were. We have a chance to make a difference, to be better. And we will face whatever comes our way together, just like we always have."
Ian looked at her, his eyes red-rimmed but filled with a glimmer of hope. "You know, I was looking at a bridge, built over an entirely artificial river, obviously just there because bridges are cool. And I was thinking of all the safety features that went into it, all the math and the knowledge that people learned over centuries of fucking up and people dying. And even if I don't remember the particulars, I remember being so drunk with power and wanting to impress you and show you that I was just as skilled at magic as you. I thought if I could do something you liked, you'd have more time to help me, and we could work together. I never even thought of safety or consequences! And so here we are."
With that bit, he was wracked with another bout of sobs. Rebecca held him, and after a bit, sshe gave him a small, encouraging smile. "Hey. We'll have time to learn stuff together. Hell, we still have to brainstorm our magic systems, don't we? And we've already started! The knowledge we've gained, the skills we've learned... it's all part of becoming better. It's all part of growing. And yes, it's scary, and it's hard, and it's overwhelming. But we're doing it together. And we're stronger than we've ever been. Even if we don't have access to any sort of magic that actually does anything right now."
She paused, taking a deep breath. "We can face it together, just like we've faced everything else. We'll get the memories back. And we'll get home, we'll see our family again! You're not alone in this, Ian. We have each other. And we're stronger together than we are apart."
Ian nodded, his sobs finally quieting. He looked at Rebecca, his sister, his twin, his partner in this strange, new life they were leading. "Thank you, Becky," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "I... I don't know what I would do without you."
Rebecca smiled, pulling him into a hug. "You'll never have to find out, Ian. We're in this together, remember? Take all the time you need. We can be a little late to that Maker meetup thing."
Ian's eyes widened, "Oh shit, that's today!"
An hour and a half later
The two siblings, with no external evidence of the earlier emotional turmoil, made their way via transit to a Maker fair in a park. Today wasn't a day scheduled for rain, so even very finicky devices were set up whever was handy. Funnily, the subculture was still called 'Makers', somehow, but it involved a lot more nanotech than what they remembered. The two made their way over, and several tables were set up with what they now recognized as a wide variety of devices for light industrial fabrication, as well as lots of feed stocks, with robots and drones flying around everywhere. Their AR glasses helpfully provided the information needed to direct them to their contact, providing a helpful quest marker, and let them know which devices were and weren't controlled by someone sapient. Eventually, they made their way over to a table where their contact, whose AR Nametag was above... a robot dinosaur, who was working on an electrostatic ion thruster.
Ian blinked at the sheer incongruity of it all. "...Zhen?"
Ian and Rebecca approached Zhen, their AR glasses pinging with information about the robotic dinosaur. Zhen swiveled his head, a pair of optics glowing as he assessed the newcomers.
"Ah, you must be the newcomers. Rebecca and Ian, correct?" His voice was youthful, but carried a certain mature sort of tonality. "Welcome to the Maker's fair."
Ian couldn't take his eyes off of the plastic and ceramic and chrome-looking dinosaur. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask. Do you have lasers? And what dinosaur are you supposed to be?"
The dinosaur, somehow, grinned, and opened it's mouth, and a laser dot appeared on the ground near the siblings' feet. The dinosaur's mouth closed, and laser now off, he answered, "Velociraptor."
Ian took the lead in responding, and after a quick recollection with his recently integrated science memories, asked, "Aren't those supposed to be like, uh, angry turkeys?"
The robot dinosaur blinked. "Yes, Velociraptor was significantly smaller. But it's tradition to call fancifully exaggerated members of Deinonychus antirrhopus, 'Velociraptor'. I do, after all, have laser breath. Did your earth not have that tradition, Portal Drops? You're early 21st century according to your DropWatchers Wiki pages."
Rebecca grinned and answered, "It did, but Ian wasn't very cultured." And then she gritted her teeth and pulled up DropWatchers Wiki on her AR goggles and handtwitched to browse it and frowned.
They spent some time talking shop about what he was making, and how he was going about doing so. Zhen was working on an inexpensive, efficient style of ion thruster, and trying to get it to be even easier to make, and with a wider variety of fabrication equipment than it would normally take. Before him was a collection of different sorts of construction drones, a few vials of civilian industrial nanogoo and the associated dispersion nozzles and power-providing and heat-managing smart wireguides for them, a few additive printers of several types, some miscellaneous milling machines of various sorts, and so on. He was apparently trying to make super-inexpensive 'space cars' for robotic lifeforms like him who might wish to spend time away from a supporting civilization at some point, and wouldn't mind being run at a lower clock speed for a bit. Apparently, most civilian nanogoo was used for 'finishing' parts and certain types of detail work, which seemed odd to Rebecca, who remembered her implanted engineering knowledge that this place definitely had better options than mixed procedures like that.
Rebecca asked, "Where's the really really good nano? The stuff that can make anything with enough time provided you have the right elements present? Is that not here?"
Zhen waved one clawed hand at the array of machinery around them, "Look at all this. We have incredible technology at our fingertips. Omnifabricators, nanotech, AI... but all these have the potential for misuse. Do you give a child a loaded gun to play with? No, you don't. You teach them about responsibility, about safety. You let them grow and learn before you hand them the really dangerous stuff. That's why you don't have access to the big stuff yet. I don't have access to the big stuff, this nanogoo here is super locked down. Part of what we do here is push the limits of what civilian stuff can do.
The dinosaur's robot eyes lit up for a moment and he continued, "You want the good stuff? Join the military, that will even get you fast-tracked for your citizenship, and work your way up the ranks over a period of years. All the really cool tech in space has the potential to be a WMD, so we make sure people who can be trusted are the ones in control of it. Or leave and go to an anarchist fringer habitat, and get access to everything but maybe die horribly to random accident or get ripped off by a con artist. Mom knows more about those sorts of places than me, though."
They talked about the more extreme technologies, like full omnifabricators, the more advanced types of nanogoo, and fusion reactors, including antimatter-catalyzed fusion reactors, and where those were actually used or common in the Solar System. After a bit, the two wandered off to meet their other contact for the day, Dr. Meera Gupta-Li, Zhen's mother. Meera was apparently mostly human, albeit with slightly inhuman looking features. She had several projections running in AR space, showing what was apparently a large number of 2D monitors, and a bioprinter was printing a seed the size of a medium-small dog.
Ian looked at the seed, which was shaped vaguely like an acorn, except much larger, and he couldn't think of why one would need to make that, nor did his recent implanted knowledge offer clues at the obviously niche technology. "What's that?"
Dr. Gupta-Li smiled at the siblings, and spoke up, "Ah! You must be the two portal droppers that my son was so excited to talk to and show off to. How are you enjoying New Hydrangea? You settling in well? And this is a Dyson Tree seed. I'm trying to see if I can shave a few years off of the projected growth time for my last versions. They're 'plant in a comet with a carefully adjusted course and forget for a few decades while it grows' habitat seeds favored by those who want independent living without needing certain technology types. They're smaller habitats that are popular with many who don't feel a need to have gravity, lots of free-spirited groups."
Rebecca asked, "Your son said that you knew a lot about those groups. He said some of them like using technology that's restricted here? Can you tell us about them and why they do that, but here's so different? How dangerous is it?"
The doctor smiled wistfullly at the transparency of the two teenagers, "You know, a lot of science fiction from the pre-Singularity times just thinks of how magical or wonderful technology is, or perhaps ignores it so the story can happen, or if some bad thing happens, it is only due to one very specific set of technologies and not any of the others present in the story. Many Portal Drops get so enthusiastic and wide eyed about the greatest and best gadgets humanity has. It'd be refreshing if it weren't so sad. But yes, I could point you to an anarchist group where anyone can have their own little habitat out of any old rock, and then putter their custom home made out of whatever asteroid over to the conglomeration, maybe hook up a few lines to the neighbors. But those people have to be careful to keep their distance, and make sure to keep up appropriate types of armor, and to watch the lines and their neighbors constantly. Accidents happen. Nanogoo crawls up the chains, which then have to be jettisonned; various explosions happen as someone does something truly stupid with a reactor, the works. Parts of these places just go dark sometimes. Because those people don't like living in community beyond having nearby-ish neighbors, and they don't like safeguards. I gift my minor upgrades to a simple habitat type out of pity more than anything else, because many who live those sorts of lives end up in the margins. Some escape to places with community and civilization, like here, and become refugees or immigrants. Much like you two, I suspect."
Ian asked another question that would impact their planning, "If we still wanted to go to one of these places where an unrestricted omnifabricator could be had by pretty much anyone, how fast could we get there?"
Dr. Gupta-Li smiled, "Still interested even after my warning? It would take months; the better part of a year. To get there faster, someone would have to know someone and have some connections to get a fast ship, the sort that generally doesn't have any reason to go to those places. So you would have to wait, and get on a slower ship that was headed that way over the normal course of events. And space is very, very large, and the Kuiper Belt is vast, and those kind of places are not near here."
Rebecca considered a line of query that the doctor hadn't mentioned, "Don't people who want to be hermits sometimes go to these anarchistic places, buy or trade for the tech, and just leave to make their own lives really far from anyone else? Would that be possible?"
Dr. Gupta-Li looked at the two, "Even if that was your plan, another problem arises: how do you know that what you have isn't some sort of poisoned pill, as it were? In the absence of a trusted institution, how do you test these objects without having one of your own already? Caveat Emptor is well and good, if there's a reasonable means for unsupported people to actually determine if the goods are quality. There isn't."
Dejected for now at the chances of getting an unrestricted omnifab, the two spent time playing with the different sorts of fabricators and AR design spaces they found in the fair, and both had queued up some more additions to the requests for the sorts of engineering or science or even cultural knowledge they wanted to learn more about for their next scheduled time in the vats.
Belt Rush
Part 7
11 Weeks into their augmentation regimen
The siblings had some of their engineering and science knowledge come in, as well as some of their physiological modifications for things like needing less sleep, a few different mental switches they could flip to do a few different types of modes of thought, and few precision dexterity sorts of things, and some related benefits. Their existing training sessions with the two groups they had joined had been going well, and they were reasonably close friends with Raul, Zara, and Marisol, and friendly acquaintances with several more in the two clubs.
The two leaving for their next meetup, which was with an entirely different subculture, however, had been delayed. Ian was having a Wake-Up Call sort of moment. It had been brought on by the engineering knowledge they had recently received, and him looking at a bridge over one of the artificial rivers that stretched the length of the habitat.
Ian was sobbing in the privacy room, having retreated there after holding it together relatively well for the walk back to their apartment. Rebecca was holding him, waiting for him to build up the resolve to start speaking, her own emotions a whirlwind as she felt his body shaking with sobs. She had been there herself, just a few months ago, and knowing what he was going through made it all the more painful to watch; the boy was truly beginning to get a grip on what happened.
"Ian," she whispered, stroking his hair. "Ian, it's okay. It's okay to feel this way. You're not alone in this, okay? You're not."
It took a while before he was able to find his voice, his words choked out between sobs. "Becky... I've been so stupid... so reckless... so... so selfish..."
Rebecca nodded, continuing to hold him. "We've all been there, Ian. We've all made mistakes. We've all been reckless at times. It's part of being human. What's important is that you recognize it, and you're willing to change. That's more than most people can say."
Ian's tears slowed, and he took a shaky breath. "But... what I did back in our home... I've endangered us, I've taken us away from mom and dad, and all those other people we once knew... We had to burn most of our memories to have a chance of surviving! I remember events from elementary school, but I don't remember the name of my best friend from then! Now we're going to... to Hell."
Rebecca's heart clenched, but she couldn't help who she was, not yet and so she responded, "We don't know that for sure. I've forgotten most of the details of War Torn Galaxy."
Ian emitted a short, cynical laugh. "Yea, right. Do you have any idea how common the 'researchers opened a portal to Hell' trope is in Sci Fi Horror from the 1980s through the 2030s? Our best guess, with a lot of certainty, is that WTG's method of FTL or energy production involves Hell being their Hyperspace, or their Portal or Wormhole network tunneling through Hell, or their power sources tapping hell for energy or whatever. It's probably even Christian Hell if it's tied enough to Heavy Metal imagery."
He pulled up the painted Space Assault Marine Battle Captain figurine, looking at the obvious Christian Knight imagery, mixed with some Celtic Berserker and Achilles as a Berserker sort of looks, the painted example of the energy axe and what is obviously some sort of automatic shotgun thing; the axe in one hand, the not-a-shotgun attached to the arm of the suit for the other hand.
He continued, sniffling, as he held the figurine up, "This guy didn't come from any place that's fucking NICE! Even if our guesses about portals to Hell aren't true, the entire setting could probably be described as Hell. We've looked through most of the 'Grimdark' science fiction or fantasy or crossover or Sci Fi Horror or whatever settings that this universe has records of from World War II through 2030. There are patterns, Becky! Even if most of the fiction here doesn't seem to match what we remember!"
The words hung heavy in the air, she tightened her grip on him. "Ian... It's terrifying, I know. But we're not there yet. We're here, and we're alive, and we're learning. We're growing. We're not the same people we were. We have a chance to make a difference, to be better. And we will face whatever comes our way together, just like we always have."
Ian looked at her, his eyes red-rimmed but filled with a glimmer of hope. "You know, I was looking at a bridge, built over an entirely artificial river, obviously just there because bridges are cool. And I was thinking of all the safety features that went into it, all the math and the knowledge that people learned over centuries of fucking up and people dying. And even if I don't remember the particulars, I remember being so drunk with power and wanting to impress you and show you that I was just as skilled at magic as you. I thought if I could do something you liked, you'd have more time to help me, and we could work together. I never even thought of safety or consequences! And so here we are."
With that bit, he was wracked with another bout of sobs. Rebecca held him, and after a bit, sshe gave him a small, encouraging smile. "Hey. We'll have time to learn stuff together. Hell, we still have to brainstorm our magic systems, don't we? And we've already started! The knowledge we've gained, the skills we've learned... it's all part of becoming better. It's all part of growing. And yes, it's scary, and it's hard, and it's overwhelming. But we're doing it together. And we're stronger than we've ever been. Even if we don't have access to any sort of magic that actually does anything right now."
She paused, taking a deep breath. "We can face it together, just like we've faced everything else. We'll get the memories back. And we'll get home, we'll see our family again! You're not alone in this, Ian. We have each other. And we're stronger together than we are apart."
Ian nodded, his sobs finally quieting. He looked at Rebecca, his sister, his twin, his partner in this strange, new life they were leading. "Thank you, Becky," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "I... I don't know what I would do without you."
Rebecca smiled, pulling him into a hug. "You'll never have to find out, Ian. We're in this together, remember? Take all the time you need. We can be a little late to that Maker meetup thing."
Ian's eyes widened, "Oh shit, that's today!"
An hour and a half later
The two siblings, with no external evidence of the earlier emotional turmoil, made their way via transit to a Maker fair in a park. Today wasn't a day scheduled for rain, so even very finicky devices were set up whever was handy. Funnily, the subculture was still called 'Makers', somehow, but it involved a lot more nanotech than what they remembered. The two made their way over, and several tables were set up with what they now recognized as a wide variety of devices for light industrial fabrication, as well as lots of feed stocks, with robots and drones flying around everywhere. Their AR glasses helpfully provided the information needed to direct them to their contact, providing a helpful quest marker, and let them know which devices were and weren't controlled by someone sapient. Eventually, they made their way over to a table where their contact, whose AR Nametag was above... a robot dinosaur, who was working on an electrostatic ion thruster.
Ian blinked at the sheer incongruity of it all. "...Zhen?"
Ian and Rebecca approached Zhen, their AR glasses pinging with information about the robotic dinosaur. Zhen swiveled his head, a pair of optics glowing as he assessed the newcomers.
"Ah, you must be the newcomers. Rebecca and Ian, correct?" His voice was youthful, but carried a certain mature sort of tonality. "Welcome to the Maker's fair."
Ian couldn't take his eyes off of the plastic and ceramic and chrome-looking dinosaur. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask. Do you have lasers? And what dinosaur are you supposed to be?"
The dinosaur, somehow, grinned, and opened it's mouth, and a laser dot appeared on the ground near the siblings' feet. The dinosaur's mouth closed, and laser now off, he answered, "Velociraptor."
Ian took the lead in responding, and after a quick recollection with his recently integrated science memories, asked, "Aren't those supposed to be like, uh, angry turkeys?"
The robot dinosaur blinked. "Yes, Velociraptor was significantly smaller. But it's tradition to call fancifully exaggerated members of Deinonychus antirrhopus, 'Velociraptor'. I do, after all, have laser breath. Did your earth not have that tradition, Portal Drops? You're early 21st century according to your DropWatchers Wiki pages."
Rebecca grinned and answered, "It did, but Ian wasn't very cultured." And then she gritted her teeth and pulled up DropWatchers Wiki on her AR goggles and handtwitched to browse it and frowned.
They spent some time talking shop about what he was making, and how he was going about doing so. Zhen was working on an inexpensive, efficient style of ion thruster, and trying to get it to be even easier to make, and with a wider variety of fabrication equipment than it would normally take. Before him was a collection of different sorts of construction drones, a few vials of civilian industrial nanogoo and the associated dispersion nozzles and power-providing and heat-managing smart wireguides for them, a few additive printers of several types, some miscellaneous milling machines of various sorts, and so on. He was apparently trying to make super-inexpensive 'space cars' for robotic lifeforms like him who might wish to spend time away from a supporting civilization at some point, and wouldn't mind being run at a lower clock speed for a bit. Apparently, most civilian nanogoo was used for 'finishing' parts and certain types of detail work, which seemed odd to Rebecca, who remembered her implanted engineering knowledge that this place definitely had better options than mixed procedures like that.
Rebecca asked, "Where's the really really good nano? The stuff that can make anything with enough time provided you have the right elements present? Is that not here?"
Zhen waved one clawed hand at the array of machinery around them, "Look at all this. We have incredible technology at our fingertips. Omnifabricators, nanotech, AI... but all these have the potential for misuse. Do you give a child a loaded gun to play with? No, you don't. You teach them about responsibility, about safety. You let them grow and learn before you hand them the really dangerous stuff. That's why you don't have access to the big stuff yet. I don't have access to the big stuff, this nanogoo here is super locked down. Part of what we do here is push the limits of what civilian stuff can do.
The dinosaur's robot eyes lit up for a moment and he continued, "You want the good stuff? Join the military, that will even get you fast-tracked for your citizenship, and work your way up the ranks over a period of years. All the really cool tech in space has the potential to be a WMD, so we make sure people who can be trusted are the ones in control of it. Or leave and go to an anarchist fringer habitat, and get access to everything but maybe die horribly to random accident or get ripped off by a con artist. Mom knows more about those sorts of places than me, though."
They talked about the more extreme technologies, like full omnifabricators, the more advanced types of nanogoo, and fusion reactors, including antimatter-catalyzed fusion reactors, and where those were actually used or common in the Solar System. After a bit, the two wandered off to meet their other contact for the day, Dr. Meera Gupta-Li, Zhen's mother. Meera was apparently mostly human, albeit with slightly inhuman looking features. She had several projections running in AR space, showing what was apparently a large number of 2D monitors, and a bioprinter was printing a seed the size of a medium-small dog.
Ian looked at the seed, which was shaped vaguely like an acorn, except much larger, and he couldn't think of why one would need to make that, nor did his recent implanted knowledge offer clues at the obviously niche technology. "What's that?"
Dr. Gupta-Li smiled at the siblings, and spoke up, "Ah! You must be the two portal droppers that my son was so excited to talk to and show off to. How are you enjoying New Hydrangea? You settling in well? And this is a Dyson Tree seed. I'm trying to see if I can shave a few years off of the projected growth time for my last versions. They're 'plant in a comet with a carefully adjusted course and forget for a few decades while it grows' habitat seeds favored by those who want independent living without needing certain technology types. They're smaller habitats that are popular with many who don't feel a need to have gravity, lots of free-spirited groups."
Rebecca asked, "Your son said that you knew a lot about those groups. He said some of them like using technology that's restricted here? Can you tell us about them and why they do that, but here's so different? How dangerous is it?"
The doctor smiled wistfullly at the transparency of the two teenagers, "You know, a lot of science fiction from the pre-Singularity times just thinks of how magical or wonderful technology is, or perhaps ignores it so the story can happen, or if some bad thing happens, it is only due to one very specific set of technologies and not any of the others present in the story. Many Portal Drops get so enthusiastic and wide eyed about the greatest and best gadgets humanity has. It'd be refreshing if it weren't so sad. But yes, I could point you to an anarchist group where anyone can have their own little habitat out of any old rock, and then putter their custom home made out of whatever asteroid over to the conglomeration, maybe hook up a few lines to the neighbors. But those people have to be careful to keep their distance, and make sure to keep up appropriate types of armor, and to watch the lines and their neighbors constantly. Accidents happen. Nanogoo crawls up the chains, which then have to be jettisonned; various explosions happen as someone does something truly stupid with a reactor, the works. Parts of these places just go dark sometimes. Because those people don't like living in community beyond having nearby-ish neighbors, and they don't like safeguards. I gift my minor upgrades to a simple habitat type out of pity more than anything else, because many who live those sorts of lives end up in the margins. Some escape to places with community and civilization, like here, and become refugees or immigrants. Much like you two, I suspect."
Ian asked another question that would impact their planning, "If we still wanted to go to one of these places where an unrestricted omnifabricator could be had by pretty much anyone, how fast could we get there?"
Dr. Gupta-Li smiled, "Still interested even after my warning? It would take months; the better part of a year. To get there faster, someone would have to know someone and have some connections to get a fast ship, the sort that generally doesn't have any reason to go to those places. So you would have to wait, and get on a slower ship that was headed that way over the normal course of events. And space is very, very large, and the Kuiper Belt is vast, and those kind of places are not near here."
Rebecca considered a line of query that the doctor hadn't mentioned, "Don't people who want to be hermits sometimes go to these anarchistic places, buy or trade for the tech, and just leave to make their own lives really far from anyone else? Would that be possible?"
Dr. Gupta-Li looked at the two, "Even if that was your plan, another problem arises: how do you know that what you have isn't some sort of poisoned pill, as it were? In the absence of a trusted institution, how do you test these objects without having one of your own already? Caveat Emptor is well and good, if there's a reasonable means for unsupported people to actually determine if the goods are quality. There isn't."
Dejected for now at the chances of getting an unrestricted omnifab, the two spent time playing with the different sorts of fabricators and AR design spaces they found in the fair, and both had queued up some more additions to the requests for the sorts of engineering or science or even cultural knowledge they wanted to learn more about for their next scheduled time in the vats.
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