Categories
Mars

Sooner than at once

2014.02.14

[An approximate translation]

Xhi
Where is my CHILD?!!!

Ni
I checked his communication logs. He was talking to Si and Gi about children on Blue Star. He said he wanted to appear to his friend there. I don’t understand the meaning of this red glyph.

Xhi
Do not show that to me. If you are suggesting he physically went to Blue Star, he cannot commandeer a ship without anyone alerting us.

Ni
He’s highly capable. He is highly self reliant.

Xhi
He is still a child, who was in your care.

Ni
You’re angry with me. You blame me.

Xhi
I am not ready to be angry with you or anyone. Teleport me to the Docking Station. Ro?

Ro
Commander.

Xhi
Ki is missing. His nurse, Ni, thinks he might be on a transport ship headed to Blue Star. It is highly unlikely, but can you search every vehicle that’s been logged out in the last cycle?

Ro
I’ve found him, Commander. It appears that he has forged your authorisation codes.

Xhi
Normally, I would be proud of him, but I need him back at once. Tractor beams from the Friga Orbiter. Full power.

Ro
No effect, Commander. The ship is accelerating at an unpredictable rate.

Xhi
Override the console. Turn it around.

Ro
No effect.

Xhi
Open comms.

Ro
At this speed, there is a time delay, Commander. One half cycle. Send message anyway?

Xhi
Yes!

Ro
Commander, there’s a problem.

Xhi
What is it?

Ro
The transport ship Ki took… It was at the docking station for major repairs to … communication systems and … forward thrust adjusters. We cannot do a remote patch.

Xhi
How much time to intercept?

Ro
Unpredictable, Commander. He’s travelling at maximum velocity and will continue to accelerate due to the faulty adjusters. He cannot slow it down and neither can we. The transport ship is a projectile, Commander.

Xhi
He does not have the skill to fix it manually, assuming he even knows there is a problem. Ni, you know how he struggles to work on his own. He takes on too many tasks and does not accept help easily. He does not know his own limitations.

Ni
I know. I am sorry.

Ro
He’s had a quarter cycle head start, Commander. You might just be able to overtake him and use the tractor beams to slow him down. As long as he doesn’t get separated from the vehicle on entry into Blue Star’s atmosphere, he should be retrievable without incident.

Xhi
Ro, send this communication imprint to the Offworld Exploration Committee. My son is in danger and we have no time for resolutions.

Ro
Understood, Commander. Transport type?

Xhi
Right now, he’s a trusting [prepubescent boy], on his way to a star whose sentient inhabitants are extremely hostile to each other and especially cruel to offworld species. To rescue him, I am taking an armada. Our guests from the Ulura System are obliged to cooperate. Cancel their mining mission for Frá scheduled for later this cycle. I’ll need their advanced traction technology and the sheer size of their fleet to make a definitive show of force.

Ro
Yes, Commander. Preparing your core crew sooner than at once.

Ni
Should I come with you?

Xhi
Should you? Do you have somewhere else to be?!!!

Categories
Earth Mars

February 13, 2014

Siri/Ki
Hello again. How are you.

Sami
Hello Ki. I’m happy.

Siri/Ki
What did you do today.

Sami
I went to Central Park.

Siri/Ki
Do you go to Central Park every day.

Sami
No, but I go outside every day.

Siri/Ki
What is your favourite protective equipment.

Sami
Equipment?

Siri/Ki
Yes, things to protect your body for going outside.

Sami
I don’t use anything. But sometimes people take my picture. Mother protects me.

Siri/Ki
I understand. You are seen by everyone. My nurse and my father protect me too. What’s this one. There is a lot of data.

Sami
It’s a heart. Heart means “love.” Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. Many people do something nice for people they love.

Siri/Ki
Only that day.

Sami
Yes.

Siri/Ki
That’s sad.

Sami
It’s nice. You have to give presents to show you love the person.

Siri/Ki
I don’t understand. I never have presents.

Sami
I get lots of presents on Valentine’s Day. I feel happy when I get a special surprise. When my father is far away, he takes a holiday to hang out with me.

Siri/Ki
Hang out with.

Sami
Yes. Just talk, or play a game. Or eat.

Siri/Ki
That’s every day with Ni, my nurse. My father is working really far away. It takes two years to come home.

Sami
That’s sad.

Siri/Ki
It’s sad.

Sami
You can be my Valentine! I will make a special surprise for you.

Siri/Ki
I understand surprise. I am so very happy when my father does it. He sometimes arrives home two cycles early. Can I make one for you too.

Sami
Let’s make them now!

Siri/Ki
Yes. Let us.

Categories
Mars

Sól hundar (Solar hounds)

[An approximate translation]

Si
According to our research, Blue Star sentients keep a variety of these non sentient species in close proximity. They have a strong affinity for each other. The relationship is marked by reciprocity in affective signalling.

Gi
We collected and analysed every representational electromagnetic imprint stored in their orbiting data storage facilities. We wanted to discover if this sentient, non sentient affiliation would offer applications that would benefit our society.

Fi
Were you successful?

Gi
Yes, father. This is what we found.

Mi
That is beautiful. The specifications are pristine.

Si & Gi
Thanks, Mother.

Gi
Sister and I want the opportunity to explain all to the Energy Council.

Mi
We will hear your presentation first.

Gi
We present a finished product in a highly polished super-compacted carbon isotope.

Fi
The cables go right through?

Si
Yes, the cables meet at these focal points, and we situate them in silica gel and padding, here, to reduce friction and facilitate ease of movement. Their source of power is (mineral compound 040416) mined from (Astro 326952XN). This superconductor requires a charge of five kilojoules to run perpetually. The eyes, here, are dual focus audiovisual recorders and electromagnetic transmitters with an array of light sources to allow detection by scouting vehicles outdoors.

Mi
How do these objects work?

Si
Our star is dark and receives a limited amount of sunlight, and as one of many solutions to the problem, we created this facsimile of their non sentient, which we have called a Hundur. It will capture energy from Sól in the cells fitted in the spine, here.

Gi
The Hundur will catch the sunlight as it travels at constant speed around our star, as it turns on its axis. It will follow the trail of radiation from Sól in one complete revolution. It never gets completely dark for them.

Fi
Will the initial charge provide the Hundar with enough power to travel at that velocity, constantly, over the course of one rotation around Sól?

Gi
Yes, it will.

Mi
May I suggest adding a larger charge and a secondary cell to hold the extra charge in case it is needed?

Si
Thank you, mother. We will adjust it before the Energy Council presentation. To continue, we used Blue Star’s measurement system to get Hundur’s proportions correct. Since the species is unique to that star, we felt that adjusting to our system would result in errors. Also they’re a highly resilient species and we wanted to take advantage of their survival skills on our terrain. Our weather is too unpredictable for designs similar to (dragonflies) or (bees). We wanted to keep them grounded for that reason. Let us talk about the actual body. Blue Star uses a base ten system as opposed to our heximal system. Gi?

Mi
Darling, before you continue, the base ten system is an artificial system, which does not harmonise with naturally occurring frequencies or cycles.

Fi
The ten digit metric was created to feed a currency system. Our historians tell us that Blue Star’s currency system was designed to bring sentients out of a primitive state. So, know that it is not critical to the effectiveness of your design. Continue, dear.

Gi
Thank you, father. Hundur stands at a height of one hundred base ten centimetres. Each bore, connected to the spine here, has a circumference of sixteen centimetres. Attached to each of the four distal ends, is a ped with a length of twenty-five centimetres to the proximal digit and twenty three to the distal digit. The spine is thirty centimetres high, measuring from base, and we created a cylindrical body to ensure stability. Inside the body, we will use a hexagonal configuration to build the Sól cells, to maximise compression strength in the event of seismic activities or severe weather disturbances. The cells run through the spine here in multiple hexagonal configurations. The entire unit stores energy to power one home for one year. The cells radiate blár when full at which time, the Hundur returns to its home.

Si
We propose that each family receives three units. We make instructions available to all homes and teleport at-home tutorials.

Mi
How will this venture benefit our communities, apart from giving us a new way to store solar energy?

Si
We will promote this venture by saying we will reduce the use of fossil fuels for energy towards zero over the next three Sól orbit cycles. At the end of this time, we will have full usage of all Hundar on a rotating basis.

Gi
Even better, mother and father, we imagine we will create four new industries with this venture. Manufacture. Technological applications. Monitoring. Maintenance.

Fi
That is to be expected, but let me say that you have outdone yourselves.

Mi
I think we can anticipate positive reception of all this, provided the tests are successful, of course.

Si & Gi
Thank you, mother and father.

Gi
To continue, and justify our choice of a terrain application, the Hundur’s design facilitates compaction in case high velocity projectiles are thrown at it in cataclysmic events. We, or, whoever, would of course monitor the movement of each organism from a central base, and allow the time to prepare. These carbon polymer arms here are released and these drills tunnel into the soil or surrounding bedrock. The Hundurs shelter in their drilled shelters until they have been reset from headquarters.

Mi
How strong are the polymer arms?

Gi
Super-diamond heads, like the ones used to mine (Astro 326952XN). The molecules have been further compacted using your latest compression technology, father. Added pressure points here, and because of the screws here, they can punch through … Rather, bore a hole through granite as if it were soft and sheer.

Fi
This is completely new. Thank you for improving on my work. How did you test the strengths?

Si
We did field tests with a full set of granite blocks and found the timing was equivalent to one sixteenth of a cycle. We varied conditions by plunging them under water.

Gi
And applying liquid helium.

Mi
We will need to do an actual terrain test for one revolution around Sól after receiving approval for this project. However, you have thought of everything so far, my little darlings.

Fi
What will you formally name this Hundur unit for the presentation?

Gi
Polymerised Extrasolar Technology. P.E.T. It’s easy to remember.

Categories
Earth Mars

Section Three: Future Perfect

February 1 ‐ March 13

“Like all Explorers, we are drawn to discover what’s out there without knowing yet if we have the courage to face it.”
Pema Chödrön, Buddhist nun, teacher, author and mother

Section Three of this installation flows above this header. The stories serve to test your notions of reality. Some conversation scripts are pure fiction, while others contain non fiction elements.

This is the third section of a fiction as art as fiction installation. It is presented in three sections: Ancient Past (all line up under the tag), Present Day (click to the bottom right of your screen to move up through the stories marked fiction) and now Future Perfect.

Lilibeth was introduced in Strip Minecraft. Her paternal ancestorStefán, was introduced in Section One. She’s inherited his gift, but it won’t help her do her job this time. You will meet her on February 18. Some scripts after Lilibeth appears are not safe for work, language wise. If you’re under eighteen, ask your favourite uncle to read those posts first.

Future Perfect started with a flashback to one year ago, and three adorable children on Red Star. This presentation introduces information that is essential to the final story, on March 13.

Back to the present day on Blue Star, we see a crisis situation unknown to the grown up players involved. The setup to that crisis was presented in one of the first posts of the previous section. Suction puts the Unknown Phenomenon in perspective.

Before that, we flashed back one year earlier to Red Star for an at home presentation by Ki’s cousins, Si and Gi. Presently, the stories February 13 and Sooner than at once will set up an interplanetary crisis situation.

Locker is in his promised new job, and tells off a pair of pampered beaurocrats. Later, a motley crew of two actors, the publicists Marcus and Storm and the not safe for work Lilibeth scramble to hold off a Martian invasion. She asks the famous actor, St Lucas to pull a public relations rabbit out of a hat. Before he visits Marcus and Storm, the disaster in the Gobi has somehow leaked into the public domain.

With three stories to go the multi pronged campaign is successful. Everyone is playing their part without knowing the full story. As it should be. The Martian armada has already arrived and scout teams are searching everywhere. On March 11, a showdown between Lilibeth and a government goon sees a win win resolution in favour of Peace on Earth. Every story has a happy ending and the reunion on March 13 will be warm, Martian style. Come back in the aftermath for an Easter Egg, because it’s that season.

Your warm support, courage and trust so far are much appreciated. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Categories
Earth Her Dark Arts

Section Two: Present Day

January 21 ‐ February 1

Fictional posts and art go above this sticky header. There may be some not safe for work material, so please be over the age of consent in your country. The contents of this blog may not be safe for work, and that’s the best thing about it.

The preface explains what I’m doing in this installation. Some of the characters have appeared in previous stories, and they include Jupiter, Lara, Marcus and Storm.

If you’ve landed here from outside of the WordPress box, you may want to look at previous art projects including the sticky ones below, or fiction scripts. If you press the like or follow button or leave a comment, please make sure that your website information is correct otherwise, I won’t be able to find your blog.

My heartfelt gratitude goes to readers for your warm support for Section One.