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Category: Writing and Poetry
An alternate future.
Some place on Earth a vertical bridge beams from land into the sky, with a space station perching at the orbital end. The space station, the Gökyüzü, is an incredible accomplishment, services the numerous government and commercial space stations. It also sends electricity from the solar panels to the Earth bellow.
The main space station looks like a misplaced oil rig with gray tubes stretching horizontal into orbit, like a giant tree's root system thriving in a hard vacuum. In addition to huge solar panels the space station has a grid of service tubes. The large geometric paten of 'roots' holds solar panels, shuttle docks, and large round objects. Utility pipes and communication cables, each marked with a different identification color, string across from the main station to every part of the huge structure.
Soft walled structures, inflated with life sustaining air, of many sizes and shapes, covered the outer structure of Gökyüzü. Larger structures also served as passageways farther out, allowing more structures then otherwise possible, giving the space station the look of bubbles in carbonation.
This is an on location day for a podcast. The two main host were able to get tickets to ride the elevator into orbit. It is common for people to get a one way ride and jump into space. They would fall back to Earth with fancy extreme sport equipment. Of course, neither host plan to space jump today.
Molly, suffering slightly from elevator lag, starts the show with "Welcome to Humans out Loud, the Sea to Shiny Sea Network's Podcast of indeterminate elevation; episode ten thousand." Molly is an attractive blond that wares a space suit resembling a red bike riding outfit with worn metal plates. "We are weightlessly recording this show in the cafeteria of the Buzz, now ported at the space station Gökyüzü."
"Yes, the White Space Lines is celebrating our episode number by launching their first long range space craft, the Buzz, to Mars." Tom says, his suit is newer. It is mostly flat electric blue plates with an airtight mesh for the joints.
"I think that was a coincidence. Did you notice that the Buzz looks like giant binoculars?"
"Yes, it does. The large cylinders spin counter to each other to simulate gravity while not spinning rest of the craft. This is the first civilian transport to Mars, so the passengers will mostly stay in fake gravity. There is enough room for twenty guest each side. The center part is for the crew, mostly things that can't spin, like navigation and proportion."
"At least it doesn't look like a sea creature. The space station totally looks like a huge multi-eyed monster."
"Okay, for those not familiar with what Molly is talking about she is referring to the inflatable habitats. Since they shipped in small crates they can go up the space elevator, where conventional walls would take more to transport. Attach one to a port and fill it will air. Being cheaper the they are much more popular then other space shelters, and they almost completely cover most of the outside parts of the station. They could be for research, living quarters, or business. Most often it is a mix of all three."
"As if they haven't taken enough air up here."
"Compared to how much atmosphere the planet looses into space, this is almost zero."
"There are hundreds of those bubbles hanging on the station. Can they run out of room?"
"Actually, Molly, the shake down flight of the Buzz is to transport supplies and space optimized shelter units to another space station. Some of residence here will eventually move their habitats out to other space stations, some in higher orbits. Soon there will be about half of the ones currently here."
"When did you say the Buzz is leaving?" The space station starts to move through the window.
"In about twenty seven hours."
"Look out that observation window; were moving."
With a hydraulic sound the ports on both ends of the cafeteria close. "I think our communication was cut off."
While Molly uses compressed air in her suit to navigate to the nearest window Tom walks effortlessly with his smart magnetic shoes.
"Are you two okay?" Jason's voice is on Molly's shiny black iTalker. "Your signal dropped rather abruptly." Molly's iTalker isn't as new or fancy as Tom's, but Tom's was defective and in for repair.
"We're okay." Molly assures him as they see the Buzz's crew in space floating toward the space station. "We're stuck in the space station."
"I'm trying to get more information. I picked up some signals the might be controlling robots."
From behind them a noise of air stabilizers and a drill meant only one thing. A small maintenance robot floated into view, its primary tool is a large drill.
Tom is perplexed. "Why do they always bring killer robots into space? Let's hope they didn't outfit this thing with laser beams!"
Molly is ready for the robot, leaping to the nearest wall she grabs the goo gun of it's mount. The gun looks like a super water gun, but it shots out soft ball sized goo blobs that seal air leaks. She shoots at the robot. The goo spreads out into a meter diameter pancake that sticks the robot helplessly to the far wall.
As Tom tries to open a hatch Molly has her communicator out. "Jason, how are we getting out of here?"
Tom manages to override the hatch security and opens it to see six robots down the corridor. One robot gets through before Tom could close the hatch. Tom moves out of the immediate range of the robot, leaving the hatch open for the other robots to go through.
"Jason," Molly yells quickly, "those robots move in a formation that suggest distributive intelligence."
"I'm all over that." Jason's audio becomes series of rapid key types. "I just created several recursive network feeds. Sync to them and we should be able to flood the remote control."
Molly engaged the sync to all open ports in the space station from her iTalker, stopping all local wireless communication. The robots crashed harmlessly.
With Molly in tow Tom quickly walks out through the open hatch and to the bridge.
The bridge, about eight feet wide and ten feet long, is the command and communication hub. Everything is ready for a long zero gravity trip. The media displays, data routers, and communication start the first seven feet. The bridge is a jumble of navigation, engineering, and media controls.
A large chair swivels around and Veronica, goo gun in hand. A greenish and nearly transparent mask covers the upper left half of her face. Visible in the mask is wires, processors, and sensors.
"Veronica," Molly yelped, "what happened?"
"You know, the first cybernetic implant is is a toughest choice. Then you get carried away."
Molly was unconvinced. "Are you hijacking this space craft?"
"See all the space trash around? See how the urbanization of space will blacken our skies? Our skies will become a canvas for crude capitalism."
"First," Tom points out, "Earth doesn't have the resources to send enough matter in space to blacken..."
"Shut up Tom." Veronica fires a shot that plasters Molly's gun to a work station. "The Buzz contains to many ugly habitats, when put together they can be seen from land."
"There is too much urban light to see even a large station from most inhabited ares. The only..."
"Shut up Tom." She noticed that he flung his boot at her and she shoots at it. Just as she squeezes the trigger she realize that he still has remote control of it. The goo covers Tom's stomach, plastering him to the fall wall. Tom had is still free letting him control his shoe hitting Veronica goo gun cracking it open. The goo hit Veronica in a long line pushing and then sticking her to the window. The goo held her arms by her side.
"Veronica," Molly reaches the stunned Veronica and pulls off her face device. No connections appear on her face, all hidden far under the skin. "What were you trying to do?"
"Molly?" Veronica says like waking from a bad dream. "The over ride code is." She mentions the secret password. "I don't know how this happened."
Molly enters the password into the main Buzz control board and restarts the security suite. Her iTalker alerts and she accepts the incoming call.
"We have the rouge network routers off." Jason's said through Molly's communicator. "Do you have helm control?"
"Yes, and I think we can finish the show now." Molly suggested.
"Welcome back to Humans Out Loud," Tom announces into his color mic, "and we have a special guest today, Veronica."
"Hey, Tom." And the show continues.
In a few minutes the show is over and the Buzz is back in port on the Gökyüzü.
"Veronica wasn't behind the Buzz hijacking." Special Agent tells Tom and Molly. "It was done from someplace else. We suspect that she was used to bypass the biometrics."
"Somebody else?" Molly wonders. "How did you figure that?"
"We analyzed the data Jason gave us and it is only clear that Molly was to serve only unwilling. We're still tracking the origins. The Buzz was set to leave early for Mars."
"Tom, do you think the Sea to Shiny Sea Network could send us to do a location broadcast from Mars?"
"I'll get some spending money from my mattress of cash and buy us some tickets."
3:55 PM
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