Matthew S. Williams's Blog, page 181

Religion in Sci-Fi

Since its inception as a literary genre, religion has played an important role in science fiction. Whether it took the form of informing the author’s own beliefs, or was delivering in the form of their particular brand of social commentary, no work of sci-fi has ever been bereft of spirituality.Even self-professed atheists and materialists had something to say about religion, the soul and the concept of the divine, even if it was merely to deny its existence.

And so, I thought it might make for an interesting conceptual post to see exactly what some of history’s greats believed and how they worked it into their body of literature. As always, I can’t include everybody, but I sure as hell can include anyone who’s books I’ve read and beliefs I’ve come to know. And where ignorance presides, I shall attempt to illuminate myself on the subject. Okay, here goes!

Alastair Reynolds:

Despite being a relative newby to the field of sci-fi authors, Reynolds has established a reputation for hard science and grand ideas with his novels. And while not much information exists on his overall beliefs, be they religious or secular, many indications found their way into his books that would suggest he carries a rather ambiguous view of spirituality.

Within the Revelation Space universe, where most of his writing takes place, there are many mentions of a biotechnological weapon known as the “Indoctrination Virus”. This is an invasive program which essentially converts an individual to any number of sectarian ideologies by permeating their consciousness with visions of God, the Cross, or other religious iconography.

In Chasm City, these viruses are shown to be quite common on the world of Sky’s Edge, where religious sects use them to convert people to the official faith of the planet that claims Sky Haussmann was a prophet who was unfairly crucified for his actions. In Absolution Gap, they also form the basis of a society that populates an alien world known as Hela. Here, a theocratic state was built around a man named Quaiche, who while near death watched the moon’s gas giant disappear for a fraction of a second.

Unsure if this was the result of a strain he carries, he created a mobile community that travels the surface of the planet and watches the gas giant at all times using mirrors and reclining beds, so that they are looking heavenward at all times. Over the years, this community grew and expanded and became a mobile city, with each “believer” taking on transfusions of his blood so they could contract the the strain that converted him and allowed him to witness all that he did.

While this would indicate that Reynolds holds a somewhat dim view of religion, he leaves plenty of room for the opposite take. All throughout his works, the idea of preserving one’s humanity in a universe permeated by post-mortal, post-human, cybernetic beings remains a constant. In addition, as things get increasingly dark and the destruction of our race seems imminent, individual gestures of humanity are seem as capable of redeeming and even saving humanity as a species.

In fact, the names of the original trilogy allude to this: Revelation Space, Redemption Ark, Absolution Gap. Like with everything else in his books, Reynold’s seems to prefer to take a sort of middling approach, showing humanity as an ambiguous species rather than an inherently noble one or foul one. Religion, since it is a decidedly human practice, can only be seen as ambiguous as well.

Arthur C. Clarke:

At once a great futurist and technologist, Clarke was nevertheless a man who claimed to be endlessly fascinated with the concept of God and transcendence. When interviews on the subjects of his beliefs, he claimed that he was “fascinated by the concept of God.” During another interview, he claimed that he believed that “Any path to knowledge is a path to God—or Reality, whichever word one prefers to use.”

However, these views came to change over time, leading many to wonder what the beliefs of this famed author really were. At once disenchanted with organized religion, he often found himself subscribing to various alternative beliefs systems. At other times, he insisting he was an atheist, and nearing the end of his life, even went so far as to say that he did not want religious ceremonies of any kind at his funeral.

Nowhere were these paradoxical views made more clear than in his work. For example, in 2001: A Space Odyssey, the theme of transcendence, of growing to the point of becoming god-like, is central. Early hominid’s evolution into humanity is seen as the direct result of tampering by higher forces, aliens which are so ancient and evolved that they are virtually indistinguishable from gods. Throughout the series, human beings get a taste of this as they merge with the alien intelligence, becoming masters of their own universe and godlike themselves.

In the last book of the series – 3001: Final Odyssey, which Clarke wrote shortly before his death – Clarke describes a future where the Church goes the way of Soviet Communism. Theorizing that in the 21st century a reformist Pope would emerge who would choose to follow a similar policy as Gorbachev (“Glasnost”) and open the Vatican archives, Clarke felt that Christianity would die a natural death and have to be replaced by something else altogether. Thereafter, a sort of universal faith built around an open concept of God (called Deus) was created. By 3001, when the story is taking place, people look back at Christianity as a primitive necessity, but one which became useless by the modern age.

So, in a way, Clarke was like many Futurists and thoroughgoing empiricists, in that he deplored religion for its excesses and abuses, but seemed open to the idea of a cosmic creator at times in his life. And, when pressed, he would say that his personal pursuit for truth and ultimate reality was identical to the search for a search God, even if it went by a different name.

Frank Herbert:

Frank Herbert is known for being the man who taught people how to take science fiction seriously all over again. One of the reasons he was so successful in this regard was because of the way he worked the central role played by religion on human culture and consciousness into every book he ever wrote. Whether it was the Lazarus Effect, the Jesus Incident, or the seminal Dune, which addresses the danger of prophecies and messiahs, Frank clearly believed that the divine was something humanity was not destined to outgrow.

And nowhere was this made more clear than in the Dune saga. In the very first novel, it is established that humanity lives in a galaxy-spanning empire, and that the codes governing technological progress are the result of a “jihad” which took place thousands of years ago. This war was waged against thinking machines and all other forms of machinery that threatened to usurp humanity’s sense of identity and creativity, resulting in the religious proscription “Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.”

Several millennium later, the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, a quasi-religious matriarchal society, are conspiring to create a messianic figure in the form of the Kwisatz Haderach. The name itself derives from the Hebrew term “Kefitzat Haderech” (literally: “The Way’s Jump”), a Kabbalic term related to teleportation. However, in this case, the name refers to the individual’s absolute prescience, the ability to jump through time in their mind’s eye. In preparation for the arrival of this being, they have been using their missionaries to spread messiah legends all over the known universe, hoping that people will respond to the arrival of their superbeing as if he were a messianic figure.

When the main character, Paul Atreides – the product of Bene Gesserit’s breeding program – arrives on the planet Arrakis, where his family is betrayed and killed, he and his mother become refugees amongst the native Fremen. They are one such people who have been prepped for his arrival, and wonder if he is in fact the one who will set them free. In order to survive, Paul takes on this role and begins to lead the Fremen as a religious leader. All along, he contends with the fear that in so doing, he will be unleashing forces he cannot control, a price which seems too high just to ensure that he and his mother survive and avenge themselves on their betrayers.

However, in the end, he comes to see that this is necessary. His prescience and inner awareness reveal to him that his concepts of morality are short-sighted, failing to take into account the need for renewal through conflict and war. And in the end, this is exactly what happens.By assuming the role of the Kwisatz Haderach, and the Fremen’s Mahdi, he defeats the Emperor and the Harkonnens and becomes the Emperor of the known universe. A series of crusades followers as his followers go out into the universe to subdue all rebellion to his rule and spread their new faith. Arrakis not only becomes the seat of power, but the spiritual capital of the universe, with people coming far and wide to see their new ruler and prophet.

As the series continues, Paul chooses to sacrifice himself in order to put an end to the cult of worship that has come of his actions. He wanders off into the desert, leaving his sister Alia to rule as Regent. As his children come of age, his son, Leto II, realizes the follies of his father and must make a similar choice as he did. Granted, assuming the role of a God is fraught with peril, but in order to truly awaken humanity from its sleep and prepare it for the future, he must go all the way and become a living God. Thus, he merges with the Sandworm, achieving a sort of quasi-immortality and invincibility.

After 3500 of absolute rule, he conspires in a plot to destroy himself and dies, leaving a huge, terrible, but ultimately noble legacy that people spend the next 1500 years combing through. When they come to the point of realizing what Leto II was preparing them for, they come to see the wisdom in his three and half millennia of tyranny. By becoming a living God, by manipulating the universe through his absolute prescience, he was preparing humanity for the day when they would be able to live without Gods. Like the Bene Gesserit, who became his chosen after the fact, he was conspiring to create “mature humanity”, a race of people who could work out their fates moment by moment and not be slaved to prophecies or messiahs.

As you can see, the commentary ran very deep. At once, Herbert seemed to be saying that humanity would never outlive the need for religion, but at the same time, that our survival might someday require us to break our dependency on it. Much like his critique on rational thought, democracy and all other forms of ideology, he seemed to be suggesting that the path to true wisdom and independence lay in cultivating a holistic awareness, one which viewed the universe not through a single lens, but as a multifaceted whole, and which was really nothing more than a projection of ourselves.

For those seeking clarity, that’s about as clear as it gets. As Herbert made very clear through the collection of his works, religion was something that he was very fascinated with, especially the more esoteric and mystical sects – such as Kaballah, Sufism, Zen Buddhism and the like. This was appropriate since he was never a man who gave answers easily, preferring to reflect on the mystery rather than trying to contain it with imperfect thoughts. Leto II said something very similar to this towards the end of God Emperor of Dune; as he lay dying he cautions Duncan and Siona against attempts to dispel the mystery, since all he ever tried to do was increase it. I interpreted this to be a testament of Frank’s own beliefs, which still inspire me to this day!

Gene Roddenberry:

For years, I often found myself wondering what Roddenberry’s take on organized religion, spirituality, and the divine were. Like most things pertaining to Star Trek, he seemed to prefer taking the open and inclusive approach, ruling nothing out, but not endorsing anything too strongly either. Whenever religion entered into the storyline, it seemed to take the form of an alien race who’s social structure was meant to resemble something out of Earth’s past. As always, their was a point to be made, namely how bad things used to be!

Behind the scenes, however, Roddenberry was a little more open about his stance. According to various pieces of biographical info, he considered himself a humanist and agnostic, and wanted to create a show where none of his characters had any religious beliefs. If anything, the people of the future were pure rationalists who viewed religion as something more primitive, even if they didn’t openly say so.

However, this did not prevent the subject of religion from coming up throughout the series. In the original, the crew discovers planets where religious practices are done that resemble something out of Earth’s past. In the episode “Bread and Circuses”, they arrive on a planet that resembles ancient Rome, complete with gladiatorial fights, Pro-Consuls, and a growing religion which worships the “Son”, aka. a Jesus-like figure. This last element is apparently on the rise, and is advocating peace and an end to the cultures violent ways. In “Who Mourns Adonais”, the crew are taken captive by a powerful alien that claims to be Apollo, and who was in fact the true inspiration for the Greek god. After neutralizing him and escaping from the planet, Apollo laments that the universe has outgrown the need for gods.

In the newer series, several similar stories are told. In the season one episode entitled “Justice”, they come Edenic world where the people live a seemingly free and happy existence. However, it is soon revealed that their penal code involves death for the most minor of infractions, one which was handed down by “God”. This being is essentially an alien presence that lives in orbit and watches over the people. When the Enterprise tries to rescue Wesley, who is condemned to die, the being interferes. Picard gains its acquiescence by stating “there can be no justice in absolutes”, and they leave. In a third season episode entitled “Who Watches the Watchers”, Picard becomes a deity to the people of a primitive world when the crew saves one of their inhabitants from death. In an effort to avoid tampering with their culture, he lands and convinces him of his mortality, and explains that progress, not divine power, is the basis of their advanced nature.

These are but a few examples, but they do indicate a general trend. Whereas Roddenberry assiduously avoided proselytizing his own beliefs in the series, he was sure to indicate the ill effects religion can have on culture. In just about every instance, it is seen as the source of intolerance, injustice, irrationality, and crimes against humanity and nature. But of course, the various crews of the Enterprise and Starfleet do not interfere where they can help it, for this is seen as something that all species must pass through on the road to realizing their true potential.

George Lucas:

Whereas many singers of space opera and science fiction provided various commentaries on religion in their works, Lucas was somewhat unique in that he worked his directly into the plot. Much like everything else in his stories, no direct lines are established with the world of today, or its institutions. Instead, he chose to create a universe that was entirely fictional and fantastic, with its own beliefs, conflicts, institutions and political entities. But of course, the commentary on today was still evident, after a fashion.

In the Star Wars universe,religion (if it could be called that) revolves around “The Force”. As Obi-Wan described it in the original movie “It is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” In Empire, Yoda goes a step farther when he says “Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.”Sounds rather pantheistic, doesn’t it? The idea that all life emits an essence, and that the fate of all living things is bound together in a sort of interdependency.

What’s more, the way the Force was governed by a Light Side and a Dark Side; here Lucas appeared to be relying on some decidely Judea-Christian elements. Luke’s father, for example, is a picture perfect representation of The Fall, a Faustian man who sold his soul for power and avarice. The way he and the Emperor continually try to turn Luke by dangling its benefits under his nose is further evidence of this. And in the end, the way Darth Vader is redeemed, and how he is willing to sacrifice himself to save his son, calls to mind the crucifixion.

In the prequels, things got even more blatant. Whereas Anakin was seen as a sort of Lucifer in the originals, here he became the prodigal son. Conceived by the “Will of the Force”, i.e. an immaculate conception, he was seen by Qui Gonn as “The Chosen One” who’s arrival was foretold in prophecy. The Jedi Council feared him, which is not dissimilar to how the Pharisees and Sanhedrin reacted to the presence of Jesus (according to Scripture). And of course, the way Anakin’s potential and powers became a source of temptation for him, this too was a call-back to the Lucifer angle from the first films.

All of this was in keeping with Lucas’ fascination with cultural mythos and legends. Many times over, Lucas was rather deliberate in the way he worked cultural references – either visually or allegorically – into his stories. The lightsaber fights and Jedi ethos were derived from medieval Europe and Japan, the architecture and many of the costumes called to mind ancient Greece, Rome and Byzantium, the setting and gun fights were regularly taken from Old Westerns, and the Imperial getup and rise to power of the Emperor were made to resemble Nazi Germany.

However, Lucas also dispelled much of the mystery and pseudo-religious and spiritual quality of his work by introducing the concept of the “midi-chlorians”. This is something I cannot skip, since it produced a hell of a lot of angst from the fan community and confounded much of what he said in the original films. Whereas the Force was seen as a mystic and ethereal thing in the originals, in the prequels, Lucas sought to explain the nature of it by ascribing it to microscopic bacteria which are present in all living things.

Perhaps he thought it would be cool to explain just how this semi-spiritual power worked, in empirical terms. In that, he failed miserably! Not only did this deprive his franchise of something truly mysterious and mystical, it also did not advance the “science” of the Force one inch. Within this explanation, the Force is still a power which resides in all living things, its just these microscopic bacteria which seem to allow people to interact with it. Like most fans, I see this as something superfluous which we were all better off without!

H.G. Wells:

Prior to men like Herbert and the “Big Three” (Asimov, Clarke, and Robert A. Heinlein), Wells was the master of science fiction. Since his time, during which he published a staggering amount of novels, short-stories and essays, his influence and commentaries have had immense influence. And when it came to matters of faith and the divine, Well’s was similarly influential, being one of the first sci-fi writers to espouse a sort of “elemental Christian” belief, or a sort of non-denominational acceptance for religion.

These beliefs he outlined in his non-fiction work entitled God the Invisible King, where he professed a belief in a personal and intimate God that did not draw on any particular belief system. He defined this in more specific terms later in the work,  aligning himself with a “renascent or modern religion … neither atheist nor Buddhist nor Mohammedan nor Christian … [that] he has found growing up in himself”.

When it came to traditional religions, however, Wells was clearly of the belief that they had served their purpose, but were not meant to endure. In The Shape of Things to Come, he envisioned the creation of a global state (similar to Zamyatin’s “One State” and Huxley’s “World State”), where scientific progress was emphasized and all religions suppressed. This he saw as intrinsic to mankind’s progress towards a modern utopia, based on reason and enlightenment and the end of war.

In War of the Worlds, a similar interpretation is made. In this apocalyptic novel, one of the main characters is a clergyman who interprets the invasion of the Martians as divine retribution. However, this only seems to illustrate his mentally instability, and his rantings about “the end of the world” are ultimately what lead to his death at the hands of the aliens. Seen in this light, the clergyman could be interpreted as a symbol of mankind’s primitive past, something which is necessarily culled in the wake of the invasion my a far more advanced force. And, as some are quick to point out, the Martians are ultimately defeated by biology (i.e. microscopic germs) rather than any form of intervention from on high.

Isaac Asimov:

Much like his “Big Three” colleague Clarke, Asimov was a committed rationalist, atheist and humanist. Though he was born to Jewish parents who observed the faith, he did not practice Judaism and did not espouse a particular belief in God. Nevertheless, he continued to identify himself as a Jew throughout his life. In addition, as he would demonstrate throughout his writings, he was not averse to religious convictions in others, and was even willing to write on the subject of religion for the sake of philosophical and historical education.

His writings were indicative of this, particularly in the Foundation and I, Robot series. In the former, Asimov shows how the Foundation scientists use religion in order to achieve a degree of influential amongst the less-advanced kingdoms that border their world, in effect becoming a sort of technological priesthood. This works to their advantage when the regent of Anacreon attempts to invade Terminus and ends up with a full-scale coup on his hands.

In the Robot series, Asimov includes a very interesting chapter entitled “Reason”, in which a robot comes to invent its own religion. Named QT1 (aka. “Cutie”) this robot possesses high-reasoning capabilities and runs a space station that provides power to Earth. It concludes that the stars, space, and the planets don’t really exist, and that the power source of the ship is in fact God and the source of its creation.

Naturally, the humans who arrive on the station attempt to reason with Cutie, but to no avail. It has managed to convert the other robots, and maintains the place in good order as a sort of temple. However, the human engineers conclude that since its beliefs do not conflict with the smooth running of the facility, that they should not attempt to counterman it’s belief system.

What’s more, in a later story entitled “Escape!” Asimov presents readers with a view of the afterlife. After developing a spaceship that incorporates an FTL engine (known as the hyperspatial drive), a crew of humans take it into space and perform a successful jump. For a few seconds, they experience odd and disturbing visions before returning safely home. They realize that the jump causes people to cease exist, effectively dying, which is a violation of the Three Laws, hence why previous AI’s were incapable of completing the drive.

Taken together, these sources would seem to illustrate that Asimov was a man who saw the uses of religion, and was even fascinated by it at times, but did not have much of a use for it. But as long as it was not abused or impinged upon the rights or beliefs of others, he was willing to let sleeping dogs lie.

Philip K. Dick:

Naturally, every crowd of great artists has its oddball, and that’s where PKD comes in! In addition to being a heavy user of drugs and a fan of altered mental states, he also had some rather weird ideas when it came to religion. These were in part the result of a series of religious experiences he underwent which began for him in 1974 while recovering from dental surgery. They were also an expresion of his gnostic beliefs, which held that God is a higher intelligence which the human mind can make contact with, given the right circumstances.

Of Dick’s hallucinations, the first incident apparently occurred when a beautiful Christian woman made a delivery to his door and he was mesmerized by the light reflecting off of her fish pendant, which he claimed imparted wisdom and clairvoyance. Thereafter, Dick began to experience numerous hallucinations, and began to rule out medication as a cause. Initially, they took the form of geometric patterns, but began to include visions of Jesus and ancient Rome as well. Dick documented and discussed these experiences and how they shaped his views on faith in a private journal, which was later published as The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick.

As he stated in his journal, he began to feel that his hallucinations were the result of a greater mind making contact with his own, which he referred to as the “transcendentally rational mind”, “Zebra”, “God” and “VALIS” (vast active living intelligence system). Much of these experiences would provide the inspiration for his VALIS Trilogy, a series that deals with the concept of visions, our notions of God and transcendent beings.

In addition, many of Dick’s hallucinations took on a decidedly Judea-Christian character. For instance, at one point he became convinced that he was living two parallel lives; one as himself, and another as “Thomas” – a Christian persecuted by Romans in the 1st century AD. At another point, Dick felt that he had been taken over by the spirit of the prophet Elijah. These experiences would lead him to adapt certain Biblical elements into his work, a prime example being a chapter in Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, which bore a striking resemblance to the a story from the Biblical Book of Acts, which Dick claimed to never have read.

All of this is a testament to the rather profound (and possibly nuts!) mind of PKD and his fascination with all things divine and spiritual. Though not a man of faith in the traditional sense, he was very much a part of the counter-culture in his day and experimented with drugs and alternative religious beliefs quite freely. And while most of his ideas were dismissed as outlandish and the result of drug abuse, there were many (Robert A Heinlein included) who saw past that to the creative and rather gifted artistic soul within. It is therefore considered a tragedy that PKD died in relative obscurity, having never witnessed how much of an impact and influence he would have on science fiction and modern literature.

Ray Bradbury:

Next up, we have the late great Ray Bradbury, a science fiction writer for whom all literature was of immense import. This included the Bible, the Tanakh, the Koran, and just about any other religious text ever written by man. What’s more, many of his works contain passages which would seem to indicate that Bradbury held religion in high esteem, and even believed it to be compatible (or at least not mutually exclusive) with science.

For example, in his seminal novel Fahrenheit 451, one of the most precious volumes being protected by the character of Faber, a former English professor, is the Bible itself. When Montag confronts him and begins ripping the pages out of it, Faber tells him that it is one of the last remaining copies in the world that actually contains God’s words, instead of the newer versions which contain product placements.

As the story progresses and World War III finally comes, Montag joins Faber and a community of exiles, all of whom are responsible for “becoming a book” by memorizing it. In this way, they hope to preserve whatever literature they can until such a time as civilization and the art of writing re-emerges. Montag is charged with memorizing the Book of Ecclesiastes, and joins the exiles on their journey.

In the Martian Chronicles, Bradbury is even more clear on his stance vis a vis religion. In the short story “-And the Moon Be Still as Bright”, the Fourth Expedition arrives on Mars to find that the majority of the Martians have died from chickenpox. A disillusioned character named Jeff Spender then spends much time in the alien ruins and comes to praise the Martians for how their culture combined religion and science.

Humanity’s big mistake, according to Spender, was in praising science at the expense of religion, which he seemed to suggest was responsible for modern man’s sense of displacement. Or has Spender put it: “That’s the mistake we made when Darwin showed up. We embraced him and Huxley and Freud, all smiles. And then we discovered that Darwin and our religions didn’t mix. Or at least we didn’t think they did. We were fools. We tried to budge Darwin and Huxley and Freud. They wouldn’t move very well. So, like idiots, we tried knocking down religion.”

In short, Bradbury saw humanity as lost, largely because of it deification of reason at the expense of faith. However, he did not appear to be advocating any particular religion, or even religion over science. When it came right down to it, he seemed to be of the opinion that faith was important to life, an outlet for creativity and inspiration, and needed to be preserved, along with everything else.

Robert A. Heinlein:

As yet another member of the “Big Three”, Heinlein’s own religious view bear a striking resemblance to those of his contemporaries. Much like Clarke and Asimov, he was a committed rationalist and humanist, and varied from outright atheism to merely rejecting the current state of human religion. According to various sources, this began when he first encountered Darwin’s Origin of the Species at the age of 13, which convinced him to eschew his Baptist roots.

These can be summed up in a statement made by Maureen, one of his characters in To Sail Beyond the Sunset, when she said that the purpose of metaphysics was to ask the question why, but not to answer. When one passed beyond the realm of questions and got into answer, they were firmly in religious territory. Naturally, the character of Maureen preferred the former, as the latter led to intolerance, chauvinism, and persecution.

In Stranger In A Strange Land, one of the most famous science fiction novels of all time, plenty of time is dedicated to the main character’s (the Martian Smith) experiences with religion. After becoming disillusioned with humanity’s existing institutions, he decides to create a new faith known as the “Church of All Worlds”. This new faith was based on universal acceptance and blended elements of paganism, revivalism, and psychic training. In short, it was an attempt to predate major religions by reintroducing ancient rites, nature worship, and the recognition of the divine in all things.

What’s more, Stranger’s challenge to just about every contemporary more, which included monogamy, fear of death, money, and conventional morality could only be seen by religious authorities as an indictment of traditional values. In that respect, they were right. Heinlein plotted out the entire novel in the early fifties, but did begin writing it for a full decade. He would later of say of this, “I had been in no hurry to finish it, as that story could not be published commercially until the public mores changed. I could see them changing and it turned out that I had timed it right.”

But just in case his work did not suffice, Heinlein expressed his opinions quite clearly in the book entitled Notebooks of Lazarus Long (named after one of his recurring characters): “History does not record anywhere at any time a religion that has any rational basis. Religion is a crutch for people not strong enough to stand up to the unknown without help. But, like dandruff, most people do have a religion and spend time and money on it and seem to derive considerable pleasure from fiddling with it.” These and other quotes illustrated his issues with religion, which included their irreconcilable nature with reason, their inherent contradictions, and the ludicrous things done in their names.

Summary:

And that’s what the masters had to say on the subject, at least those that I chose to include. As you can plainly see, their opinions ran the gambit from outright condemnation of religion (but not necessarily of faith) to believing that religion had it’s place alongside science as an equally worthy form of expression. And of course, there were those who fell somewhere in the middle, either seeing religion as an ambiguous thing or something that humanity would not outgrow – at least not for the foreseeable future. Strangely, none of them seemed to think that religion trumped science… I wonder why

What To Do For Halloween?

Talking about sexy Star Wars costumes got me thinking… Sure, all those ladies costumes were downright sexy, but they don’t ME a lot of good (not beyond staring at them for hours on end, anyway!) So I began to ask myself, what should I go as for Halloween this year? That past two years I’ve been doing this Wolverine costume, which was pretty boss the first year I unveiled it! I had a leather jacket, blue jeans and did some wood claws that I would hold between my fingers. The real challenge, however, was in sculpting my hair to look like Wolverine’s horned crown. Check it out:

This is me snarling and bearing my claws at the bar. And below is me threatening our friend Jerry as my sister-in-laws dog Dogie tries to intervene (such a good dog!)

However, the costume has gotten a little tired after two years in a row. So I was wondering… what to do this year? There are a couple possibilities, some tried and some entirely new. For instance, given my total non-shortage of tank tops and outdoor gear, I was thinking I could go as Riddick this year. Not a difficult costume to pull off; already got a set of goggles, and would just need to shave my head.

And speaking of shaving my head, that calls to mind another possible costume! Ever since TDKR came out, I’ve been dying to do a rendition of Bane. The Joker was a little labor intensive and really didn’t seem doable back when TDK came out. But this year, I think I just might be able to find everything I need to pull of this latest, brawny villain! I already got a line on where I could get a mask just like his, and for cheap too! The rest of the costume is pretty simple and can be slapped together from a vest, a tank and some work pants easily enough.

Of course, I know what people are thinking. “Matt, you couldn’t possibly pull of these guys, you don’t have the upper body musculature!” …You’ve got some attitude buster! Besides, it’s Halloween, and if girls can go out as totally sexualized versions of droids, nurses, vampires and werewolves, I can pull off Bane or Riddick. You just watch me!

Also, if anyone’s got any ideas for themselves, feel free to let me know what they are. I’m thinking I might like to do a post about some of the best themed costumes that people have ever pulled off. I’m mainly interested in outfits from fantasy and sci-fi, mainly because they are the most fun and hilarious! At least, that’s what Comic Con and the Big Bang Theory have taught me.

New Dredd Trailer

This is one movie that just doesn’t seem to quit when it comes to promos and trailers! Already, I have found half a dozen showcasing one or another aspect of the film. Whether it’s the setting (Mega City One), the drug Slo-Mo, the quasi-propaganda war between Dredd and Ma-Ma, or the violence-porn, nothing seems to be off limits here. But if it’s says anything about the power of proper advertising, I’m probably going to see this movie at some point. Maybe when it comes to video…

Anyway, here it is, the extended “Ultimate Judgment” Trailer!

Whiskey Delta – Chapter 20

“We’re paratroopers. We’re supposed to be surrounded.”

-101st Airborne

They found the Stryker sitting at the top of the dirt road, inside the quarry where the vehicle had landed. It’s chutes lay in piles all around it, tethered to the drop pods on all sides.

From their landing zone, it was a full-hour hike to find the thing. Scarcely anyone wasn’t complaining by the time they arrived. The air conditioned suits, as advanced as they were, were not amenable to double-timing it. Clearly, the USMC hadn’t adapted powered limbs to the suits yet. That would have made things so much easier.

But grunts never got points for doing what came naturally.

Braun keyed his com. “Alright squad. Get here cleaned off and then load up. Wheels up in two mikes, pending full systems check.”

The chutes were cleared quickly and disposed of in nearby ditch. Whitman was the first to get inside, heading for the top hatch and dropping in to the driver’s seat. The rest waited at the rear for him to drop the rear door. Braun was right behind them as they moved in and began staking out their spots inside. Saunders was sure to find the vehicles main power hook up and plugged the laptop in.

Dezba reached the front a second later and sat down next to Whitman, who was currently running through every panel at the driver’s station. With his helmet raised, Braun could see the face of a kid who had just found his way to the coolest section in the toy store. Hitting the ignition key, he grabbed a hold of the steering column and hollered triumphantly.

“Holy shit, I feel like I just came!”

Dezba didn’t react. He was busy manning the nav terminal. Even Whitman was surprised.

“Put it in drive, Private. We got a lot of ground to cover.”

He gave the accelerator a little press. The engine revved, bit they did not move. He looked at Dezba again, expectantly. Braun looked over at him too, noticing the long look he was giving the nav terminal. Eventually, he wrapped his shoulder.

“Sergeant. You wanna give us some coordinates?”

Dezba looked back at them and snapped to. “Right! Bring us about to heading two-one-seven and keep er on the road.”

Whitman looked at Braun. The concern in his eyes was obvious, but Braun just nodded to him. Whitman took hold of the controls and brought them into a nice, slow turn. Everyone in the back held tight while the vehicle lurched slightly. As soon as they were facing South-West, Whitman hit the accelerator and they began to move.

“Whoa! She’s got some kick to ‘er.”

Braun laughed and slapped his shoulder. “Don’t ride her too hard. She’s our only means of conveyance.”

They took off down the dirt road, heading downward towards the bottom of the hill. Braun looked to Dezba again, who still appeared dangerously distant. There was no hiding it now. He had seen it enough times on the men and women who had been in the field too long, or those who had been on hand when the First Wave struck. The glassy, distant look in his eyes, the thousand yard stare. He was close to snapping. The only question was, how close…

“Private, bring us to a stop. I want to check the weapons.”

Whitman brought the vehicle to a complete stop. Braun didn’t wait for Dezba to clue in and tapped his shoulder.

“Ready for a weapons, check, Sarge?” he said. Dezba obliged and punched up the controls for the M151. Braun looked to his rear and saw the mount turning, its motors humming gently. He looked abck to the display mounted above Dezba’s nav terminal, watching the grainy IR display and the target reticule. He nodded.

“Drop the back door, Private. I’m gonna laze a target.”

“Right on!”

Braun ran to the back as the door began to descend. It was easy enough to spot something worth shooting. Activating his weapon’s designator, he crouched low and aimed his sights at a tree, roughly one-hundred meters away. Behind him, the turret swiveled into place and began popping off rounds. The top of the tree disintegrated immediately thereafter. He spotted a standing stone a few meters to the left and spotted that next. The turret adjusted and fired on that. The surface of the rock flaked and flew in all directions, sparks going up where the bullets impacted as well. It was a good thing they were far enough away. Ricochet was a killer…

“Good shooting, Sarge. Coming back in.”

No response. He made his way to the ramp and ducked inside.

They were on the move a few seconds later, clearing the quarry and on their way into the heart of LA.

*                    *                    *

“Ho-ly shit! Will you look at that…” said Whitman.

He brought their Stryker into a diagonal stop on along the highway. One by one, every member of the crew grabbed a porthole and stared out at the skyline in the distance.

“Private, why have we stopped?”

“I…” he couldn’t find the words, or take his eyes away from his own porthole. Braun knew though. Even he was not immune to stopping and staring.

Short of some cheesy old disaster movies, Braun had never seen devastation like this before. Knowing it was real only made it that much harder to accept. An entire city’s worth of glass, cement, and steel. The life’s work of entire generations. And all of it was reduced to rubble in the space of a few days. The result of the First Wave and all that was done to try and stem it.

But there simply wasn’t time to reflect on all that. It wasn’t doing much for morale either.

“Put your ass to your seats, grunts! Nothing we didn’t know about already.” He slapped Whitman in the shoulder too and pointed ahead. “Get us moving, Private. People don’t need a reminder of what was.”

Whitman nodded and straightened them out. Their eight wheels began to roll again, taking them past an endless line of cars as they proceeded down the highway. For a moment, Braun neglected his own advice and peaked out the side portholes to see if there were any bodies left in them. Here and there, a few rotted remains were sprawled out on the hoods or lay beside the train, but for the most part, they were all abandoned.

They hit a bump and the cabin lurched. Whitman hit the gas, but the bump seemed to be following them. Shaking his head, he slammedon d on the brake and pulled them to a horizontal stop again.

“What the hell was that?” yelled Saunders, from the rear.

“Private!” yelled Braun. Whitman was quick to defend himself this time.

“I think we picked something up out there, sir. We better go check. Don’t want to ruin our wheels before we even get into the city.

Braun sighed and nodded. When the Private was right, he was right. Slinging his SCAR, he proceeded to the rear of the cabin.

“We run over someone, sir?” asked Mill.

“Not sure. Check your holes, people. Any sign of Whiskeys?”

One by one, they looked out the side and rear ports and reported seeing nothing. Braun looked himself and saw nothing but an endless stretch of dead highway and city and all sides.

“Anything, sir?” asked Whitman.

“Nothing yet,” he said back. “Drop the ramp, I’m gonna check the wheel. Sergeant, you’re with me.”

Dezba looked at him with a mild look of surprise. He grabbed his own SCAR and followed, checking the grenade launcher and holographics to make sure they were in working order. Once the ramp dropped, they were out onto the asphalt, surveying in every direction.

“Oh…” he said, suddenly regretting not lowing his helmet. The stench was slight, but still very noticeable. He got instant flashbacks to Santa Fe, the wind blowing the same combination of rot and sun bleached decay in their faces. He spotted the line of vehicles again, and noted that some of the bodies lay close to their passage.

He also noticed the small patch of gore lay just a few feet from their position. He followed the path of it as it led back to their wheel wells, sighed as he realized what they’d hit.

“Hang on crew,” he yelled into the cabin. “We picked up some road kill.”

He looked to Dezba, who didn’t appear too distant anymore. His eyes traced the gorey black trail and his bodies soon followed. Braun ran to keep up with him. Somehow, he didn’t think the sight of what they’d picked up would agree with him.

“Sarge, I can do that. Why don’t you go back inside?”

Dezba didn’t stop. Making his way to the front right side, he spotted the obstruction they held in their wheels. Braun recoiled at the sight of the mangled torso. Aside from a protruding arm and the bulbous node that was its head, the mess was unrecognizable. Dezba didn’t appear too concerned about it, and grabbed hold of the arm. He gave it a strong tug, and the thing snapped off just above the shoulder.

Braun pulled back, just far enough to avoid the arm as Dezba tossed it aside. It landed near his feet, where he saw the plaid pattern on the shredded sleeve. His stomach began to turn.

“Sergeant! Stand down!”

“We can’t move until this is clear, sir.” He reached in again and retrieved what looked like a collar bone. Another yank removed the rest of the carcass. Everything but legs came free, the remainder falling to the ground beneath their tires. Mercifully, he tossed this mass in another direction. He turned finally and looked Braun in the eye.

For a moment, they just stood there. Braun said nothing. There was nothing to say at the moment. It was worse than he thought. The man wasn’t near to snapping. He had already crossed that line and was looking back at him. A man like that feared nothing, but inspired a hell of a lot of it in those around him.

Dezba keyed his comm. “Private. Wheels are clear. We’re Oscar Mike.”

Whitman replied, sounding quite hesitant. “Uh, roger that, Sarge. Lieutenant? We all good?”

Braun slowly reached for his comm. “Roger that, Private. Wheels up as soon as we’re inside.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dezba turned and walked back to the rear of the cabin. Stiffly, Braun followed him in.

What the hell happened to him? he wondered. Something must have happened during those three days between training and deployment. He only wished he knew what it could have been. Otherwise, there was a good chance the Sergeant wouldn’t be making it home this trip. He only hoped Dezba didn’t bring the rest of them with him…

Tetris Theme on Laser Harp

While on one of my many romps through the ether, I found this clip of man playing the theme to one of history’s most popular video games, and on a laser harp of all things! The display alone is impressive, with the harp’s lasers made visible thanks to some Infrared or UV lighting. The performance was made by an artist known as Theremin Hero, a Glasgow-based chiptune artist who uses a Gameboy, NES, and Laser Harp to do his thing! Check out his media library at: http://www.thereminhero.com/

Ellipsis Media Reviews Dredd 3D

Hey all. It seems my bud, David Lim, over at Ellipsis Media has come out with a review for the new Judge Dredd movie. Overall, he was pretty impressed with the result, likening it to the Batman franchise in that this new look has updated the look and feel and made it a hell of a lot darker and grittier than the original. Ah, listen to me prattle on! Click the video below for his full review.

Envisioning The Future of Health Technology

My thanks, yet again, to Futurist Foresight for providing the link to this fascinating infographic, which is the work of the good people at Envisioning Technology. People may remember this website from their work on “Envisioning Emerging Technology”, an infographic from a previous article which addressed the likelihood of interrelated technological developments in the coming decades. As a trend forecasting studio, compiling information and predictions into reports and tables in pretty much what these guys do. What a cool job!

In any case, here we have a table representing the future of health technology, as predicted by ET. Diving their findings into the fields of Augmentation, Biogerontology, Diagnostics, Telemedicine, Treatments, and Regeneration respectively, they attempt to show how small advancement in the near future will branch outwards to more radical ones in the not-too-distant future. The rough dates correspond to their previous graphic, starting with modern day research and culminating in 2040.

And of course, the infographic also shows how developments in all these fields over time will be interrelated, corresponding to different sub fields and becoming part of the ever-expanding field of advanced medicine. These sub fields include:

3D Printing
Big Data
Cryonics
Life Extension
mHealth (health services supported by mobile devices)
Remote Virtual Presence
Neuroprosthetics
Sensors
Sensory Augmentation
Synthetic and Artificial Organs

Some inventions that are predicted include the Tricorder, 3D printed organs, artificial limbs, artificial eyes, cryogenic freezing, gene therapy, AI therapists, robotic nurses, robot surgery, implanted sensors, and exoskeletons. Wow, tricorders, really? In truth, I am often alarmed at what will be possible in the near future, but knowing that advancements are around the corner that could make life a lot healthier and happier for so many people gives me hope. Until next time!

Whiskey Delta – Chapter 19

“We haven’t lost this war. I refuse to plan as if we have. I will find whatever military units still in action, and I will use them to kick those motherfuckers asses!”

-Major General Michael Thur

Braun took another long blink. The humming of the engines was threatening to put him to sleep. What was it about turboprops that seemed so soothing to him? The gentle hum, the steady rhythm, the constant vibrations… All that mattered was that he not let it get to him. Falling asleep in front of the grunts and the boss lady would look really bad.

He checked the line to see how everyone was holding up. Just about everyone seemed strangely poised between excitement and fear. No one seemed to be lulled at all, which was a good sign. No one in danger of nodding off to sleep before they made their big jump. And there was still the matter of their final briefing to attend to.

He had to admit, he was looking forward to that himself. At last, they would be on equal footing, the CO and grunts all fully aware of what they were doing and why. What’s more, he knew the Colonel was holding a few cards back to even him, particulars about the mission that even he wasn’t entitled to know until the very last minute. It would be nice to know what the hell those were.

Dezba worried him though. He had known the NCO to be distant before an operation, but something was different about today. He had noticed the moment they arrived at the airstrip. He was beyond distant. Between the look in his eyes and the total silence that surrounded him, there was only one way to describe that.

He had totally checked out. What had precipitated that was beyond him. He had seen some traces of that back in Santa Fe, but this was worse. There had been no time to make a recommendation, and the mission profile didn’t exactly leave any room for last minute transfers. Whatever he was dealing with, they were stuck with him. He only hoped it didn’t come back to bite them in the ass.

The Colonel’s hand went to her ear. She was being signaled by the pilot that they were coming into the theater of operation. Braun looked out the window to spot the HC-130 that was trailing them. In it’s hold was the Stryker that they would be manning for the course of their mission.

This was it. It was time…

The Colonel switched to the squad frequency and keyed her comm.

“Alright, squad. We’ve just entered coastal airspace. That means we are fifteen minutes away from our drop zone, and its time for your final words of farewell.”

She paused and looked down the length of the cabin. The door opened, and out walked a familiar form. Braun sighed into his mask as he realized they had to sit through a few more minutes of the Doc’s briefing. He walked slowly down the length of the cabin, unsure of his footing against the deck. An airman clad entirely in black escorted him, making sure he didn’t sprawl suddenly.

“Doctor Ross has been kind enough to provide the final details on your target in person. Listen up, because there’s no time for repeats.”

Ross came to her side and sat down. The airman took a seat on her opposite side. Braun stifled a laugh as he noticed how immensely awkward Ross looked wearing in fatigues and head gear the air crew had provided for him. His annoyance was clear enough though, even before he began to address them through the comm.

“For reasons of security, your target has been kept a secret until this very moment. The one you are looking for is a man named Mace Harmonn, the first human being to contract the virus, as far as the CDC determine.”

“Patient Zero,” the Colonel added. “For the purpose of this mission, designated Papa Zulu.”

“Yes,” Braun said, annoyed at the interruption. “His location was determined, and now you’re going in to find him.”

“How the hell are we supposed to find one man in a city of full of Whiskeys?”

The Colonels head turned sharply to Whitman. Without responding, she reached under her seat and pulled out what appeared to be a small green briefcase. She hoisted it up and laid it on her lap. She opened the top of it to reveal a computer screen with what looked like a GPS map and coordinates displayed on the screen.

“This hardened laptop is tuned to a radio receiver that was implanted in Harmonn during a previous op. A specialized unit was sent in some months back. They located Mace using a facial recognition software, and implanted the device in him. This laptop is able to track his location to within twenty meters.”

She closed the laptop and on her lap and looked to the airman next to her. He reached under his seat and fetched another case, this one a solid black one made entirely of metal. Cracking it open, he presented it to the Colonel who reached inside and pulled out what looked like a cell phone, except encased in some hard plastic.

“These devices contain the same image recognition program the last team used. Once you’re in the ballpark, you’ll need to use these to confirm his ID. Each of you is to carry one of these and use them to ID any bodies you come across. Saunders,” she said, pointing to him. “as the most technically proficient member of this group, you will act as the intercept soldier and coordinate using this hardened laptop. Understood?”

She nodded. The Colonel handed the laptop over to the aviator who began distributing the PDA’s and laptop accordingly. Saunders took the laptop and snapped it to her uniform while Braun and the rest slipped the PDA’s into a secure pouch. Whitman paused to survey his.

“This looks like a iPhone.”

The Colonel was quick to respond. “Special order, Private. Keep them safe, and don’t try to download any apps. Those don’t work anymore.”

“What about local calls?”

The Colonel stared at him for several long seconds. Braun wondered just how close she was to leaping across the deck and snapping the Private’s neck. He was quick to interrupt, hoping to get things back on track.

“Is the target to be taken alive?” asked Braun.

“No,” she replied, then looked in the Doc’s direction.

He cleared his throat and said with mild annoyance. “I will need a blood sample while the body is still fresh though so I can obtain any antibodies he might carry. Plus, if you can bring me his head, with most of the brain intact, that would be good.”

Most of the squad recoiled when they heard that. They were used to shooting them up, but not dissecting them. The thought held very little appeal for them.

“If you are successful, and the Doc’s people can synthesize some antibodies from Harmonn’s body, then we could be looking at an inoculation. Every uninfected corner of this country and the world could be protected at last. It may be too late for those who’ve already contracted the virus, but at least we can stop it in its tracks.”

That seemed to get Dezba’s attention. For the first time ever, his eyes seemed to focus on what was immediately in front of him, not a thousand yards in the distance.

The Colonel’s tone changed. Her voice became suddenly very hopeful, still firm, but somehow softened.

“This is the first step in bringing this war to an end, squad,” she said. “You’ll be making history here today. You’re our best chance at making this war a distant and terrible memory. Do your best, and get the job done. We’re all counting on you.”

Mill looked to him and held his fist out. Braun bumped it with his own. Down the line, everybody did the same thing. Dezba seemed to hesitate, but eventually returned to the bump to the one seated next to him.

The Colonel got another message in her ear. She quickly replied and then looked to the back door. Braun peaked out the window again and saw the sprawl appearing on the horizon. They were getting close to the outskirts of LA.

“Alright, squad. We’re coming up on deployment in ten mikes so final prep is now. Make sure you’re weapons are locked and loaded, and check your PDA’s to make sure they’re fully charged. Once your deployed in the Styker, it will be up to you to make sure all your equipment remains in working order. The laptop has battery power for a good forty-eight hours once it’s unplugged, but the PDA’s will run down within twenty-four. So keep them plugged in when not in use.”

She nodded to the aviator, who nodded in return and moved to the rear of the cabin.

“My apologies squad for keeping in you in the dark, but given the importance of this mission, we didn’t want to take any chances. Whiskeys might not practice counter-intelligence, but we still do.”

The squad all nodded to each other. Commanders, by their very nature, were as superstitious as soldiers. Never temping fate when victory and the lives of countless people hung in the balance.

“One last thing, the requisite medical equipment for extracting everything you need from Papa Zulu are stowed in your Stryker. Once you find the target, you will be responsible for collecting a sample and packing his carcass, what remains of it, in the biohazard bags provided. Get your assess to the LZ after that, and be prepared for extraction. And stay alive… got it?”

They all nodded.

“I know we haven’t exactly left much in the way of time for questions, but if you’ve got any, now’s the time to ask them.”

The squad looked at each other. Cobb raised his hand.

“Yes, Corporal?”

“What happened to this other team? The ones you sent in to tag Papa Zulu?”

The Colonel appeared to be taking a deep breath. He could see from the expansion of her chest through all the layers of her gear. They knew what that meant.

“They achieved their objective, Corporal. They just didn’t make it out after. I’m counting on you to do better.”

Sexy Star Wars Costumes!

Came upon these entirely by accident. I love living in an age when geekiness and sexiness come together so nicely! Observe the following sexy takes on classic Star Wars characters. They are pretty hot, in the right hands of course!

Sexy C3P0:

This one I found as part of a Star Wars burlesque show. Dancers come out dressed as various characters with a sexy twist… and then proceed to get naked! Here we have a sexy twist on the effeminate, whiny, and possibly homosexual robot known as C3P0. Other pictures in this series featured another dancer in the argubaly less attractive R2D2 costume, hence why I selected this one on its own. Personally, I think ol’ “Goldenrod” looks a lot better this way

Sexy Darth Vader:

This costume appeared as part of a Comic Con search. This is where most sexy twists on traditional Star Wars costumes are to be found. It’s a testament to geek culture and the versatility of science fiction that more and more women are coming to these things and dressing so lovely!

Sexy Death Star:

Here we have another entry that made its appearance during Comic Con season! And it’s a rather interesting take on the space station which is no moon, isn’t it? For all intents and purposes, it’s a bustier which opens up into a Death Star skirt. And check out the hair pin. An actual Tie Interceptor. Wow, this woman has it all covered. Beauty, brains, and a true geeks appreciation of Star Wars!

Sexy Jedi:

No idea where this one came from, but who the hell cares? It works, and on a number of levels. More and more, sexy, ass-kicking women are making their mark in the world in sci-fi. And there are few things more sexy than a Jedi woman in skin-tight leather and tall boots, weilding a lightsaber over the bodies of dead Stormtroopers! If Luke knew Jedi like this, he would have never wasted so much time with a little green man on Dagobah!

Sexy Leia:

Next up, there’s the sexy Leia costume. Unlike the others, this aint no sexy variant on an original theme, it’s the original costume! If there’s a heterosexual man who was born before 1980 and tells you he hasn’t fantasized about this outfit at some point in his life, he is either lying or dead! And here is an especially sexy take on the slave outfit. Sure, technically Leia was asked to wear this as part of mean plan by Jabbah to degrade the proud warrior, but in truth, she knew how much her fans would appreciate it and donned it for our sakes. And I speak for us all when I say we were REALLY thankful

Sexy Stormtrooper:

Last, but not least, we have one of many sexy female Stormtrooper outfits that have made the rounds over the years. This one does not come from any Comic Con footage, however. No, this one is a professionally posed shot performed with a model and a factory spec costume. Ergonomic, sleek, and pretty easy on the eyes huh? Minus the exposed midriff, this costume could signal an end of the Empire’s highly sexist “men only policy” in their Stormtrooper outfits!

 

 

 

New Anthology Sample: The Torch!

Hello all and welcome back for another Anthology Update. As I said a few days ago, there is still plenty of news to be had vis a vis my groups ongoing efforts to create our our Magnum Opus about colonization and space travel, aka. Yuva. And the latest is that I’ve finally begun writing the prologue for the entire series.

Entitled “The Torch”, this first installment in the anthology shows the origins of the story’s central character (Magid Muktari) and his lifelong mission to see humanity colonize a distant world. Thanks to Khaalidah Muhammed-Ali who coauthored this with me and once again provided the characters and impetus for it’s creation! Hope you all enjoy!

“A man of cold, hard science, most assume that Magid Muktari was not a man of faith. At the press conference following the acceptance of his final proposal for the creation and international funding of the Yuva Colonization Project, Muktari was questioned thus by one young reporter: “Sir, can you please explain to us why this project is so important?” Muktari said in cryptic form, “Our Earth is alive.” When asked to elaborate Muktari said: “Has not Allah promised us in that every soul shall taste of death?”

-Magid Muktari, 2108

Masdar City, UAE, 2048

Magid Muktari took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. Oh how he hated waiting! Even after all the years he had spent on the front lines of his industry, waiting for meetings, trips to end, and plans to reach fruition, he still couldn’t stand the time it took to wait for a presentation. But that was the way of it, he knew. Anticipation was the thousand little deaths that preceded the actual execution. One could only surmise from this that humans weren’t designed to wait on others. Either that or the Universe had a very poor sense of humor.

To pass the time, Muktari began to punch up his presentation info. Adjusting his compad to a convex shape and resting it on his knees, he placed his contacts to display mode and waited for the computer to warm up. A command prompt appeared in his field of vision and asked for his password. He typed it in promptly.

Meşale

His eyes filled with a cerulean blue sky, small clouds and a series of desktop icons dotted the projected heavens. Accessing the proper folder, he accessed the presentation and waited a moment. The opening display image, five planets arranged from left to right, appeared in his visual field shortly thereafter.

The Future of Off-World Settlement, ran the title. A title bar appeared beneath the five planets, their names scrolling out as the marble-sized pictures became animated.

Gliese 581 g, Gliese 667C c, Kepler 22 b, HD 85512 b, Gliese 581 d

Placing his hands above the compad again, Muktari brought up the first of the five. The brown marble moved to the center of his visual field, displacing the rest and growing exponentially in size. A soft contralto began to speak in the background.

“Planet Gliese 581 g, fourth planet of the Gliese 581 star system. Discovered in 2000 by Lick-Carnegie Exoplanet Survey, led by principal investigator Steven S. Vogt, who named the planet Zarmina after his wife – ”

Muktari terminated the audio and began interfacing with the image. Zooming in on the planetary mass, he began to assess the features that had been observed from the most recent astronomical surveys. Being a tidally-locked body, only so much was visible, and most of that was only clear when the space telescope and the exoplanet’s rotations were in perfect sync. He moved back and forth, noting the outlines of a large continent facing towards the sun.

No, not a lot happening there, he thought gravely.

Putting it back in its place, he called forth the second in the list. Here too, the disc look particularly brown and mottled. However, its size and relevant characteristics set it apart from the previous entry, and here too Muktari began to worry. Super-Earth’s were not exactly a popular destination for colonists, not when they could expect a serious and potentially punitive adjustment period.

Muktari shut the display down and took a deep breath. Moments away from the greatest presentation he would ever make, that perhaps anyone would ever make, and he was already beginning to write himself off. Not a good sign, not if he wanted to have any chance at convincing Zimmerman of his sincerity.

There were those who said that the great Magid Muktari could sell ice to the Eskimos. Other’s said he could sell sand to the Arabs. He never cared for either assessment; both seemed to be both inaccurate and quite bigoted in his estimation. But the sentiment he understood.

But then again, the sheer scope of what he was proposing might have had something to do with that. Were this just another pitch, a proposal for more allocations, more surveys or more satellite deployments, he probably wouldn’t be giving it a second thought. And after years of bending the ears of government and industry officials who did business with them, he had earned himself enough capital to make a few pitches of his own.

If he screwed this up, all that capital would burn up and be gone. What’s more, he would be humiliated in front of the man he had come to respect more than any other…

Across from him, seated at her desk, the assistant seemed to stir. In her eye piece, the image of a face appeared and she began conversing with it. Muktari was only privy to one half of the conversation, which was mainly her agreeing.

 “Yes… yes… yes, sir. I will pass that along.”

The image faded and she looked over to Muktari.

“Mr. Zimmerman’s plane has just landed. He will be here in five minutes.”

Muktari nodded. Another thing that hadn’t changed over the years. Regardless of how much time transit really took, it was an administrative habit to say that it would take five. And he knew from experience that a pod ride from the aerospace port to the office building would take at least ten. And then he would no doubt be mobbed by half a dozen assistants and corporate middle-men who needed to advise him and brief him on his way in. In truth, he would be lucky if he spoke to him before the hour was out.

He checked his chrono just to get a sense of the time. His watch was still set to orbital time. He shook his head when he realized that that was the last time he had slept, in a room near the tip of the axis looking out at the southern tip of Chile. Ever since, he had been running on a non-stop diet of aerospace lag, adrenaline and EBME.

At last, the woman at her desk looked up again and got that distant look in her eyes. She repeated the familiar string of secretary talk.

“Yes… Hello. Yes, sir, he is. Right away, sir.” Her call ended and her eyes focused on him. “Mr. Zimmerman will see you now.”

Muktari smiled and placed his compad back in the satchel. Getting to his feet, he ran a hand through his hair and straightened his blazer. His clothes were fresh, but his skin still felt like it was carrying a few days’ worth of residue. He discreetly checked for any telltale signs of body odor as well, and was reasonably confident the natural musk he was carrying wouldn’t kill his boss. After many minutes in the same room as him, the secretary seemed undisturbed.

Here we go, he thought, and set off for the door.

The door slid open, revealing Zimmerman in the middle of freshening up. This consisted of him shedding his blazer and replacing it with one of the many he kept hanging in his side closet. He looked up with mild amusement at Muktari’s entrance.

“Magid,” he said, throwing on a fresh top. “You’ve travelled some distant to and come see me.”

“Yes I have, but only a fraction of your own, from what I hear.”

“Yes,” he said with a sigh. “The Jovian tour was quite extensive. One has to wonder why we can’t just teleconference the entire process.”

 Muktari smiled. Though he tended to complain upon his returns, everyone knew that Zimmerman remained an engineer at heart. Whenever new facilities went in and processing began, he insisted on conducting spot checks in person. Somehow, the virtual variety did not inspire much in the way of confidence from people like him, men who openly bragged about being educated in a simpler time.

“So…” he said, taking his seat. “What’s so important you had to see me as soon as I got back?”

“Well sir, I wanted to see you while the trip was still fresh in your mind.”

“Oh?” Zimmerman said with a nod. “Then this ought to be good.”

Muktari chuckled and placed his satchel down beside the seat in front of him. He removed his compad again and placed it directly on top of Zimmerman’s desk. He keyed up the 3D display and sat back.

“As it stands, this company is responsible for almost half of the development taking place in the outer Solar System. Unlike many other firms that see little promise in anything beyond the Belt, we’re renowned for taking the long view. That’s what I’m hoping to tap into.”

Zimmerman grumbled. “Why do I have the sinking feeling you’re winding up for a very slow pitch?”

Muktari chuckled. “Shall I cut to the chase?”

“Please do. Formal presentations are for board rooms and junior execs.”

Muktari terminated the display on his compad and stood. He walked to the room’s window and looked outside. The glittering spires of Abu Dhabi shined in the distance, visible just beyond the cities limits. He took a deep breath and started from the beginning.

“How long have I been in your employ, sir?  Ten years, the last six of which I’ve spent as the head of our eco-engineering division. Much of the technology that was borne here and is now being adapted by other cities worldwide originated in our labs. And yet, everywhere I go, I hear the same basic reports, the same alarming assessments.”

Zimmerman looked on and pursed his lips. He was still waiting for the point to emerge. His recent travel had clearly taxed his patience to its very limit. He decided to expedite things.

“As it stands, eco-engineering accounts for over twenty percent of our government’s annual global spending.  Investment and development have been moving more and more to off world locations. And it’s estimated that by the end of this century, the majority of our planet’s heavy industry will be relocated to Luna, Mars, and the Asteroid Belt. All this points towards a singular trend.”

“Extra-terrestrial development,” Zimmerman said obviously. “What of it?”

“But what drives it?” Muktari asked, turning to look him in the eye. “What knowledge prompted us to create orbital facilities, off-world mining and agricultural settlements, and to spend so much, year after year, trying to keep global mean temperatures down?”

Zimmerman nodded. The inclusion of that last detail was indication enough of what he was getting at. Naturally, he let him continue.

“The Earth is still cycling towards death, its oceans are still rising, its coastal areas are still plagued by floods and storms, drought and famine are still causing untold damage and death in the most densely populated regions, and humanitarian crises abound. What’s more, off-world settlement was hoped to be a means of relieving population pressures here at home; but you are certainly aware, the Solar Colonies maintain some of the highest birth rates, compared to Earth. Soon enough, there won’t be enough room and expansion will just shift the burden, but not by enough to make a difference here at home. When it comes right down to it, the scientific consensus on Earth’s longevity is clear.”

Zimmerman nodded, quoting from the latest findings. “Barring some major technological developments, such as the development of full-spectrum nanotechnology and/or a full-spectrum development of the Earth’s equatorial regions, and we can expect that most of the planet will be only partially habitable by 2100.”

Muktari extended his hand, palm facing up. The point was laid bare. He went back to his seat and lowered himself into it, careful not to strain any of his tired muscles.

“We proceed on track as if our current measurements will be enough to stay the torrent, but the problem continues to grow unabated. And just about everywhere I go, I am asked how we will save the planet.”

Zimmerman allowed for a brief pause and then raised his hands. “I’m on the edge of my seat, Muktari. What are you proposing?”

Muktari sighed and held his hands in front of him. This was where things would truly be tested. It was do or die time, he could hesitate no longer.

“Not too long ago, a colleague of mine, Adamcik, you’ve met him.” Zimmerman hummed affirmatively. “He hit me with a rejoinder not too long ago which truly vexed me. I asked him how we would go about addressing this planet’s needs. He retorted by asking me, ‘what if this planet is the problem?’”

Zimmerman frowned. Muktari had done much the same when he first Serge say it.

“When it comes right down to it, our homeworld is plagued by three separate problems – overpopulation, environmental degradation, and economic underdevelopment.” He raised his fingers, counting them off. “All of these are interrelated and compounded by one another. What’s more, attempts to remedy any one of them inevitably meets with failure due to the presence of the other two. We address the planet at the expense of the economy, we promote economic development at the expense of the environment, and all attempts at addressing the population fails as long as the economic divide remains. And our Extra-Terrestrial colonies aren’t going to solve this problem any time soon, and simply are not big enough to host our civilization should Earth fall.” He paused for the last time and took a deep breath. “So what if we looked farther abroad?”

Zimmerman raised an eyebrow. He was intrigued, Muktari was thankful for that much.

“Within this arm of the Galaxy, we’ve already confirmed the existence of several dozen Earth-like planets. Of the top five contenders, four are within 35 light-years from us; which, given the current state of technology and a hefty investment, can be traversed in just over a century.”

“Wait a minute!” Zimmerman raised his hand. “You’re talking about actual exoplanet colonization?” Muktari nodded. Zimmer waited for a moment, seemingly waiting for the punch line, and then scoffed. “Magid, you know as well as I do that research and development for deep space travel is a mere fraction of what we dedicate to aerospace development. For anyone to even begin contemplating an interstellar expedition, billions in investment capital would have to be poured into research and development.”

“I know,” replied Muktari. “Which is precisely what I suggest we do. If we create an exoplanet division, right away, we could produce a worthy vessel within a quarter of a century. Of all the viable candidates, two exist within the same star system and happen to be closest. Give them one-hundred years to reach –”

“How much?” Zimmerman said intrusively.

“All told, roughly fifteen percent of our annual gross. However, we’d need to outsource some of concerns, which would mean partnering with other corporations worldwide. We might also be able to convince a number of NGO’s and government bodies to –”

“Magid!” Zimmerman raised his hand again and kept it raised. When a few seconds of silence passed, he lowered it and sighed before talking again. Not that he needed to, Muktari had known for some time that he had lost him. He sighed and resigned himself for what was coming.

“You’ve compiled all this into a presentation, yes?”

“Yes,” Muktari said with a  resigned nod.

“Good. Let me look over it and present it at the next board meeting. I’m sure they will find it all… very illuminating.”

Muktari fetched his compad and keyed up the transfer sequence. Within seconds, a copy of his full presentation was transferred to Zimmerman’s personal files and the system acknowledged the receipt. Standing, he extended his hand and shook Zimmerman’s. He didn’t bother to get up.

He turned to leave, knowing there was little more that could be said. Unfortunately, something was holding him back once he reached the door. Some small shred still needed to be shared, a final push before he abandoned the office and trusted in his boss’ judgment to make the right decision. He knew that if he left without saying it, his idea would fall on deaf ears. With that degree of certainty, what else did he have to lose?

“Sir, if I may say one final thing…?” He turned to face his boss again, received a nod of approval. “Since time immemorial, civilizations have used the symbol of the torch to symbolize the life of their civilizations. I think the reason for this is obvious. Flames banish the darkness of confusion, death and despair. They light the way to the future. But most importantly, they are temporal. A flame, like a culture, or any other living thing, is impermanent. It requires care and commitment to keep it alight. When the flame begins to falter, or the bearer of it loses their footing, they must pass it onward. They throw the torch, as it were, to keep it aflame. If we are facing the death of our civilization here at home, then we must contemplate passing it onward, and to a suitable place. Before it’s too late.”

Zimmerman took a few slow, heavy breaths. When he was finished, all he could do was shook his head and offer the same tired reassurances.

“I admire your passion, Magid. However, I think your sights are focused just a little too far. In time, what you’re proposing might be feasible, but as it stands, no one is going to jump on this, not when the payoff is so immensely distant and the risks so high. I’d set your sights closer, focus on the work and development which needs to be done here. Then we’ll talk about looking to the stars.”

He smiled, a warm little gesture to let Muktari know he still held him in esteem. Muktari smiled back, thankful for that much, and showed himself out.