Michael Brachman's Blog: Tales of the Vuduri, page 40

No such thing as a coincidence

Yesterday, we saw Rome and Rei discussing the original settlement of the Ark Lords. Because he is from our time, Rei had a general sense of why the Erklirte would settle to the west of the former site of New York. Rome had no clue, of course. But today, as they follow the footsteps of the men from the past, right away something odd jumps out at them:

     “Where was this battle?” Rei asked.
     “Here,” Rome said, placing another blinking indicator far to the west, on the western edge of Lake Michigan. “It was called the Battle of Chee Ka Go and it was where Hanry Ta Jihn was killed.”
     “Chee Ka Go? Chicago?” Rei said. “Why would they fight a battle way out there?”
     Rome pushed a few icons on the input surface and a written letter appeared on the screen. “It says here that after many years of captivity, Hanry Ta Jihn’s mother escaped. No one knows what information she imparted to him but whatever it was, it told the Resistance where to set up ranks. The battle was very fierce. It was nearly a massacre.” Rome turned to look at Rei. “You know better than anyone that Essessoni weapons are very powerful. It was farmer against spaceman.”
     Rei just shook his head. He couldn’t shake feeling somehow guilty. “So how did they beat them?” he asked.
     “Hanry Ta Jihn’s forces acquired a new weapon. It was called a Vorasdock.”
     “What’s a Vorasdock?” Rei asked.
     “The literal translation in your language would be fire stick,” Ursay volunteered.
     “Fire stick?” Rei cocked his head. “I know the Ark Lords were carrying flamethrowers but where would your people get them?”
     “They were not exactly my people,” Rome said. “This pre-dated the Vuduri. And they were not flamethrowers.” She pressed a few buttons on the keyboard and brought up a rough sketch.
     “This is the only known drawing of a Vorasdock,” she said. “It does not resemble what I saw in Edgar’s storage bin. However, its form factor suggests it is more like your laser rifles than something else.”
     Rei leaned forward. “That’s not a laser rifle,” he observed. “It looks like an M4 carbine.” Rome’s confused look caused Rei to offer more. “A semi-automatic rifle that fires bullets? Chemical weapons with projectiles?” Rome shook her head. Rei shrugged. “Where the hell would they have gotten those?” he asked.
     Rome looked up at the screen. “I do not know,” she said. “If you know what it is then it must have come from your people.”
     “But it didn’t,” Rei said. “You saw the weapons Keller brought. Everything had to be designed to withstand centuries. The particle beam cannons, the laser pulse rifles, the mini-nukes. Even the flamethrowers used fuel that was frozen solid for a millennium. A chemical weapon, a bullet, needs gunpowder. Do you think they made it themselves?”
     “They would not have,” Ursay said. “All such technology had been banned following the Great Dying. This came from somewhere else.”
     “Something doesn’t fit.” Rei said. “It’s too weird.”

You will recall that when the space probe disintegrated on them on the far side of the Moon, they speculated that maybe the historical records would give them a clue as to where the virus weapon was stored. Sure enough, this is it.

Ark Wark York

Naming places, especially in the 35th century world of Rome's Revolution can be a daunting task. You have to create names that sound like real places but are different. One way, of course, is to slap a New in front of a name. The people that came over from England called the entire upper northeast region of the US New England. When the Dutch came over and landed on Manhattan island, they called it New Amsterdam. Later, somebody from York renamed the whole city New York. Even Newark, the city on the other side of the Hudson River was named for the New Ark of the Covenant.

So it was when I had to name the cities on Deucado, I named the central gathering of the Essessoni New Ark City. It was supposed to be slightly amusing because it sounded so much like New York City but nobody in my book seemed to notice. Not even Rome picked it up as she and Rei were tracing the route of the Ark Lords, 800 years earlier:

     A relief map of North America appeared on the viewscreen. Rei lifted his finger and pointed at the display. “That’s where I grew up,” he said, indicating the eastern portion of the continent, which would have been Pennsylvania in his day.
     Rome acknowledged his statement with a nod then pressed an icon which zoomed in north of where Rei was pointing. “This is where the Ark Lords settlement was eventually established,” Rome said, placing a small blinking indicator on the eastern part of what would have been New York State. She turned to Rei. “Why would they have selected that place?” she asked.
     Rei thought about it for a moment. “Well,” he said, “New York City,” he tapped the screen, “was pretty much the hub of our country, of our civilization. So when they came back, they’d probably start there. The farmlands west of the city would still be fertile, even after the Great Dying so it was probably the most convenient convergence of proximity and practicality.”
     Rome nodded. She looked at the viewscreen, pressed a button and another virtual pushpin appeared to the south and west. She increased the magnification a little more to show the surrounding terrain in relief.
     “This is the first known encounter with the Erklirte by the Cavaliers,” she said.

I wonder if we had a chance to do what they did, which is return to an Earth where all traces of your civilization were gone, if you'd still gravitate to the same place and put your new cities right where the old cities were. That is, after all, how the Vuduri decided where to put I-cimaci. They put it right on the former location of Lisbon, Portugal. I was thinking of taking a visit to there later this year. I'll let you know what I find out.

The Battle Plan Part 3

Yesterday, Jack Henry laid out the second part of his plan to ambush the Ark Lords. If you looked at the map, you'd see that while there was a chance his Team A and Team B could stop them, Jack needed a backup plan that failed and even a third option. Here is the final part of his strategy:

     “Count me in,” said a third man. Very quickly, it appeared that most of the men volunteered for an almost guaranteed suicide mission.
     Jack showed a sad smile. “You are all very brave men but you can’t all go. I need the best marksmen with the crossbows on Team B. The rest of you, you all need to take a few practice shots. I need the best marksmen with the new fire sticks on Team A.”
     Jack searched the crowd and found Red. “Team C will hide with the horses around the far side of the big building. Red, you’ll be leading that Team. You only come in after they’ve entered the building. Your job is to make sure that nobody makes it out alive.”
     “You got it, Jack,” Red said.
     “Finally, the rest, Team D. You guys will come with me into the tunnels. It’s my hope that the Ark Lords who enter the building don’t know that we took out the trailing vehicle. Half of you bring crossbows, the other half bring the new fire sticks.”
     “What are we going to do down there?” someone asked.
     “I’m going to set you up in staggered groups and use the same strategy. The first group will attack the Ark Lords with crossbows. They’ll turn and fire on those men. Directly behind them will be our men with fire sticks. I want to hit them from behind when they aren’t expecting it.”
     “What about you, Jack?” one of the men asked.
     “Louis and me are going to barricade ourselves at the end of the tunnel. We are the last line of defense. If any of the spacemen make it through, we have enough ammunition to keep them back until Red’s team arrives. Everybody got it?”
     The men murmured their assent. Jack looked around the assembled group. If the grim determination on their bearded faces meant anything, then Jack knew they would not fail.

We'll have to see how it works out. I am not optimistic.

The Battle Plan Part 2

Yesterday, I showed you a Google Map image of the terrain surrounding the former site of FermiLab and the Tevatron. Jack Henry wants four teams and wants to exploit the element of surprise to wipe out the men from the space with their superior weaponry. Here is the rest of his plan:

     “And you want us to do this with crossbows?” the same man asked. “Why are we shooting arrows when we have the fire sticks?”
     Jack faced the man. “Because that’s all they’d ever expect from us. As soon as you fire your first volley of arrows and such, they’ll stop and turn their attention to the farther stand of trees. When all their backs are turned and they engage, that’s when Team A will start shooting with the fire sticks. Grainey?”
     One man with a long flowing beard stepped forward.
     Jack continued, “You and Will set up on the north end of your tree stand. Your assignment is to take out the driver and their radios. But you have to wait until they open fire on Team B. Will, you’ll use the light stick to kill the driver. Grainey, you use the fire stick on anybody else in the cab. The noise of their attack on Team B will mask the sound of your fire stick.”
     “What about the rest of Team A?” a man named Shank asked.
     “After Will and Grainey take out the drivers, they won’t be able to move the wagon or warn the others. Then the rest of you aim for the soldiers in the rear with the fire sticks. Shoot and shoot well. Once they realize we have these weapons, we’ve lost the element of surprise. We need to take out as many of them as we can on the first assault.”
     “Hold on,” another man said. “This is crazy. You’re saying the guys in Team B, we’re going up against spaceman weapons with bows and arrows?”
     Jack took a deep breath. “Pretty much. You can have one of the two remaining Ark Lord light sticks we brought with us. They know we have them. But I’m not going to kid you,” he said. “Whoever is in Team B, you are most likely going to die. But if we let them get to this disease weapon, then everybody dies. Our families, other settlements, everyone in the whole world.”
     Jack surveyed his group. “Look, I’m not going to make anyone go on Team B who isn’t willing to sacrifice his life. Volunteers only. Okay?”
     Shank was the first to speak up. “I’ll do it. I volunteer for Team B. I’ll shoot ‘em with my quarrels. I’ll beat ‘em with my fists if I have to.”
     “Me too,” said another man. “I’ll do it. I’m the best with a crossbow.”

Tomorrow, the final part of the plan. Jack is preparing to make the ultimate sacrifice.

The Battle Plan Part 1

In the middle of the book The Ark Lords, Jack Henry comes up with a battle plan for ambushing the Ark Lords. He knows the Ark Lords will be entering the former site of FermiLab and the Tevatron. He knows they will be coming from the south and heading straight for Wilson Hall. Here is an image of the terrain. You can click on it for a larger view. Follow along as Jack instructs his troops:

     “I want thirty men,” Jack said. “You split yourselves into two teams. Team A will hide in the trees to the west of that clearing.”
     He pointed to the two stands of trees to the east, in the direction they’d come when they first arrived.
     “Team A will be armed with these fire sticks.” Jack lifted a rifle into the air. “They’ll hide in the nearer stand of woods. Team B will hide in the trees farther to the east. Crossbows and spears only.”
     “How come they don’t get the good weapons?” one man asked.
     “Because the Ark Lords don’t know we have them. And we have to keep it a secret for as long as possible,” he said. “They’ll be coming from the southeast, just like we did. They don’t know we’re here so they’ll head through the clearing, the same as us.”
     Jack pointed to the gentle rise to the southeast, toward the horizon. “We’ll put scouts along the way with these radios. They can call in what they see so you know when to be ready.”
     Jack surveyed the surroundings, noting again the geographical layout.
     “I’m guessing they will come in three vehicles,” he said. “No less. One will be for transporting the disease weapon, the others will be escorts. The escorts will be heavily armed. You let the lead vehicles pass through. You only attack the third.”
     “What kind of attack?” another man asked.
     “After the first two vehicles pass through, Team B will hit the third one with the crossbows and spears. Go for the spacemen but don’t aim for the chest or the head. They have armor plating. There are only a few places where they’re exposed.”
     Jack pointed out the various parts of his body. “Aim for their arms or hands first. They can’t shoot a weapon if they don’t have hands. Then shoot them in the knees or thighs. They can’t run away if they don’t have feet, so to speak. Once you have them hobbled, to apply a kill shot, you need to hit them here.” Jack turned and pointed to the base of his neck then he turned back around. “That’s the only place on their head that isn’t protected.”
     “And you want us to do this with crossbows?” the same man asked. “Why are we shooting arrows when we have the fire sticks?”

We'll find out why tomorrow.

Split Screens

In the middle of the book The Ark Lords, I began to interweave a flashback 600 years in the past, from Rome and Rei's perspective, with their search for the Ark Lords path. There are four chapters about Jack Henry in the 29th century and four chapters leading up to our heroes' discovery of the Tevatron.

If this was ever made into a movie, I was thinking split screen. You'd see Rome and Rei, sitting in Commander Ursay's office, tracing the route with their fingers and on the other screen, the events depicted in the historical chapters would play out in real time. Then when they ventured out into the world, again, you'd see their physical journey while the Battle of Chicago played out.

If I did that, people would say I was stupid, of course. The dialog is important and you couldn't listen to two completely different conversations simultaneously. Also, the action in each screen wouldn't really match up. I think the gun battle between the rebels and the Ark Lords would be too intense for you to pay attention to Rome and Rei burrowing under the Tevatron.

I guess I'll have to abandon that idea and if the movie is ever made, have it switch back and forth like the book does. Or better yet, if it ever gets made into a Netflix series, you could have one episode inserted right in the middle called The Legend of Jack Henry and then Rome and Rei's research and journey would all make sense. I don't know. I guess I'll worry about that when the time comes.

Where is everybody?

Are we alone in the universe? This question has dogged mankind ever since the first human lifted his eyes to the night sky. If we are alone, then why? If we are not alone, then where is everybody? This phrase was actually uttered by physicist Enrico Fermi and is called The Fermi Paradox. There is an interesting article on the site called Wait But Why that discusses possible explanations to The Fermi Paradox. After all, the Drake Equation calculates there should be at least one billion Earth-like planets and 100,000 intelligent civilizations in our galaxy alone.

Last week, I read an article that stated perhaps our sun was very peculiar and was just the right size and stabilized at just the right time with just the right temperature and the Earth formed with just the right balance of elements and just the right distance from the Sun so that we are simply the first intelligent lifeforms in the galaxy, if not the universe. Interesting but I don't know how you'd prove it. The Earth has been around for more than 4 billion years. You'd think somewhere else conditions were replicated.

There are many other theories. For example, it could be that every advanced civilization eventually implodes and destroys themselves or they invariably get fried by a nearby hypernova. That's depressing. It could be that once a civilization rises to a certain level, they transcend the physical realm and disappear into the aether. Therefore, they are out there but we just can't communicate with them.

Another possibility is that there is life out there but after a brief burst of EM transmissions, internal communication becomes enclosed so we simply cannot detect them. Our Earth is already undergoing that transition from terrestrial broadcasting which goes out into space to cable, internet and satellite broadcasting which is aimed toward the planet. Maybe we are just a computer simulation of some super advanced civilization and they haven't decided to introduce a second intelligent species into the simulation yet.

You should check out the Wait But Why article cited above. It has plenty more fascinating theories about why we haven't heard from any other civilizations.

Possibility 1) Super-intelligent life could very well have already visited Earth, but before we were here.

Possibility 2) The galaxy has been colonized, but we just live in some desolate rural area of the galaxy.

Possibility 3) The entire concept of physical colonization is a hilariously backward concept to a more advanced species.

Possibility 4) There are scary predator civilizations out there, and most intelligent life knows better than to broadcast any outgoing signals and advertise their location.

Possibility 5) There’s only one instance of higher-intelligent life—a “superpredator” civilization (like humans are here on Earth)—that is far more advanced than everyone else and keeps it that way by exterminating any intelligent civilization once they get past a certain level.

Possibility 6) There’s plenty of activity and noise out there, but our technology is too primitive and we’re listening for the wrong things.

Possibility 7) We are receiving contact from other intelligent life, but the government is hiding it.

Possibility 8) Higher civilizations are aware of us and observing us (AKA the “Zoo Hypothesis”).

It is all fascinating stuff. Maybe some day we'll have the answer to the question: where is everybody?

The Armory 7 of 7

The discovery of the Ark Lords' armory deep beneath the Tevatron would eventually change the course of the entire war against the Erklirte. When the time came to attack, they'd be hit by their own weapons, something they'd never expect. This is how Jack Henry's ragtag army discovered the secret weapons cache and how they deduced the operation of the arms that they found there:

     “What about ‘control over to you’?” Jack proposed.
     “How about just plain ‘over’?” Red replied. “It’s easier.”
     “That’ll do,” Jack answered from the radio. Then after a second, he said, “Over.”
     “I think we got us a system, over,” Red said. Then, on a whim, he added, “And out.” He trotted back to the armory.
     While the men were occupied shuttling most of the contents of the armory back up to the surface, using their newly acquired flashlights to guide them, Jack, Red and Louis continued down the corridor to its end. In front of them sat a gigantic metal door with a wheel mounted to the front, similar to the one that had kept the armory sealed.
     Jack held his flashlight up to the wheel and then shined it back to his drawings.
     “It’s in there,” he said. “What they seek is in there.”
     Red turned back and looked down the long hallway. The flashlights his men carried created a flickering display.
     “Well, we have the fire sticks,” Red said. “Do you think that’s enough to stop them?”
     “No,” Jack said, looking back down the hallway as well. “They have their sticks that shoot the beams of light. These things shoot some sort of slug. I think that makes us more or less evenly matched. If we’re just standing here, I think they’ll be able to pick us off before we can stop them. We have to build some sort of barricade,” he said. He looked around. Resting against the far wall were huge blocks of concrete, pentagonal in shape. Jack looked to his left and his right.
     “I got it,” he said. “We stack those blocks over there,” he pointed to the far wall. “We make it like a baffle, a maze. That way, there will be no straight shots. If they get this far, they won’t have free access.”
     He turned back to the door behind him. “Louis,” he said. “Take that hammer over there and bust off the wheel. That way, even if they get through, they won’t be able to get into the chamber behind that door. My mother’s drawings say that is their goal.”

Now the rebels had all the advantage. They knew the enemy's objective. They had the enemy's weapons. They had the element of surprise. All they had to do is roll that into a battle plan. But you know what they say, the first casualty of any battle is the plan of attack.

The Armory 6 of 7

The discovery of the Ark Lords' armory deep beneath the Tevatron would eventually change the course of the entire war against the Erklirte. When the time came to attack, they'd be hit by their own weapons, something they'd never expect. This is how Jack Henry's ragtag army discovered the secret weapons cache and how they deduced the operation of the arms that they found there:

     Jack and Red returned to the armory. Jack took a handgun for himself, fitted it with a clip and tucked it into the back of his pants after making sure the safety was on.
     “I want to look at those radios,” Jack said. “I think I know what they are for. I think I’ve seen the Ark Lords using them.” He walked to one of the workbenches. The wall above it was filled with small rectangular boxes with rounded corners and a little stubby thing on the top corner. Jack pulled down one down. It had a button on the side and a perforated circle on the front. He flipped it over and set it down on the workbench. He slid the cover down and off, exposing a cavity with metal studs and springs inside. He stooped down and looked underneath the bench and found a box labeled Batteries. Opening it up, Jack saw that it, too, contained cylindrical canisters but they were much smaller than the ones that went into the flashlights. Jack set the case on the bench and placed three batteries within the chamber of the radio. After replacing the cover, he flipped a switch and the front display glowed with the numeral 1. He pulled down a second radio, inserted batteries into the back and activated it. He pushed the button on the side and the device squealed with feedback.
     “What the hell is that?” Red asked, coming over to him.
     “Like I said, I’ve seen the spacemen using these before,” Jack said. “They are boxes that let them talk to each other over great distances.” He pointed to the sign at the top. “I guess they’re called radios. Here,” he said. “Take this into the corridor and walk up about fifty feet. Let’s see if we can talk with one another.”
     Red shrugged then walked down the steps, following Jack’s instructions. Using the flashlight to light the way, he counted fifty paces then turned around. Suddenly, Jack’s voice rang out from the box.
     “Can you hear me?”
     Red lowered the radio and shouted, “Yes!” back down the corridor at Jack.
     “Push the button on the side and talk,” Jack said through the radio.
     “Can you hear me?” Red asked, pressing in the button.
     “Yes!” Jack said with glee. “These things work. We’ll be able to…” Red pushed in the button by accident and cut off the final part of Jack’s sentence.
     Red waited a second then pushed in the button and said, “When I push in my button, I can’t hear you. We’ll have to work out a code phrase to decide whose turn it is to talk.”

Tomorrow it's over and out.

The Armory 5 of 7

The discovery of the Ark Lords' armory deep beneath the Tevatron would eventually change the course of the entire war against the Erklirte. When the time came to attack, they'd be hit by their own weapons, something they'd never expect. This is how Jack Henry's ragtag army discovered the secret weapons cache and how they deduced the operation of the arms that they found there:

     Louis looked at the sheer number of rifles and cartons and said, “Hold on a sec.”
     He hurried down the steps then dashed up the corridor, only to return with a wheeled cart. Jack and Red stood aside as the men carried armloads of weapons and ammunition from the armory to the corridor, piling them high onto the cart.
     While they were busy doing that, Red wandered along the far wall, calling out what he saw. “The sign says Bayonets but they’re more like knives,” he said. “Radios, batteries.” He stepped to his left. “Here are some hunting knives.” He came to the end of the left side of the room. There were boxes and boxes stacked there.
     “Water, canned goods, food,” he said. “Jack, do we need any of this stuff?”
     Jack came over to join him and inspected the stores. “I don’t think so,” he said, finally.
     He turned to his left and his eyes got wide again. “Red, look,” he said.
     The placard over the next pegboard was labeled ‘M9 9mm Beretta’. Red came over to join Jack. He pulled down one of the smaller weapons and turned it over in his hand.
     “This is another kind of fire stick,” Red said. “Metal, trigger, clips. It’ll fit in one hand.” He reached underneath the bench and brought out a box of clips. It only took him seconds to fit one in.
     “I’m gonna try it,” he said. He walked to the entryway.
     He shined his flashlight down and saw Louis and the other men were struggling to get the rolling cart to budge. Finally, it started moving. “I’ll be back in a minute,” Louis said as he and the other men got it rolling faster.
     Seeing that no other men were in the line of fire, Red flipped the safety then pointed the weapon out the door, at the same metal box on the far side of the corridor. “Stay back, Jack,” he said.
     Red pulled the trigger firmly but only a small click emitted from the gun as the round entered the chamber. He pulled the trigger again and this time, the gun went off. The ‘bang’ was surprisingly louder than the rifle even though there was very little recoil. Red flipped the safety back on and the two men jogged down the steps and across the corridor. The new hole in the metal was much smaller when compared to the ones that Jack had made but impressive nonetheless.
     “Vicious, huh?” Red said with an evil grin on his face.
     “Yep.” Jack looked up and down the hallway. “When the guys come back, have them take a bunch upstairs as well. I think the bigger fire sticks will do better but you never know. Maybe in close quarters.”

Tomorrow, Jack's men discover walkie-talkies.