Michael Brachman's Blog: Tales of the Vuduri, page 8

Steele Will Not Repent

Yesterday, Rome, Rei and Aason arrived at Helome and gave David Troutman the opportunity to repent which he gladly accepted. Virga laid down the ground rules and Troutman was fine with them. Now it was time to address the Steele situation:

     Troutman shrugged. “OK, if you say so. Frankly, I don’t care.”
     “My beautiful wife here,” said Keller, “will find you some living quarters.”
     “Then what?” Troutman asked.
     “Then you do what you want. Use your skills for something constructive. I know that they have some crops up north that aren’t thriving. They need a certain mineral and they’re having trouble finding it. You could use your capabilities to help them locate some.”
     “That sounds great,” Troutman said. “What about Steele? I don’t think he’s going to go for the same deal.”
     Keller turned to Virga. “Why don’t you take David here, into the house and get him something to drink and I’ll go have a talk with Steele?”
     “Of course, Maury,” Virga said. She swept her arm forward and Troutman and she went into the house. Her little boy followed her inside as well.
     In the meantime, Rei, Rome, Aason and Keller walked back up the cargo ramp, through the cargo compartment and stood outside the small room that MINIMCOM had constructed to keep the renegade captive.
     “Dan?” Maury called out. “It’s me, Maury Keller.”
     “Captain Keller?” Steele answered back. “Where are we?”
     “We are on a beautiful planet in the Alpha Centauri system called Helome.”
     “Alpha Centauri?” he replied. “What about Earth?”
     “No more Earth,” Keller said. “This is it.”
     “But what about the Project?” Steele asked.
     “The Project has been completed,” Keller replied. “We are making our home here now. We don’t need to go back and conquer Earth. The people here have already given us this world.”
     Steele didn’t answer for a moment.
     “Sir, they must have done something to you. You would never give up the fight. I know I can’t.”
     “Look, son, we won,” Keller said. “We’re all creating a new society together, the way we want. That was the goal, after all.”
     “I don’t believe you, sir,” Steele said. “We have to take back the Earth. Maybe you’ve given up but I won’t. Ever.”
     Keller shook his head.
     “That’s a shame, son,” Keller replied. “Well, we’re going to put you in a special place and let you think about it for a while. Maybe you’ll change your mind eventually.”
     “Don’t hold your breath,” Steele answered with disdain in his voice.
     “OK,” Keller called out and he started walking toward the cargo bay.

Well, that didn't go so well. What will they do with Steele? I'm pretty sure you know.

Troutman Redeemed

Two days ago, Rome, Rei and Aason dropped off Ursay and headed into space. Rome's parents were in Junior and the three Bieraks were in MINIMCOM. The next part of the story picks up right after they arrive back home, at Deucado:

     After dropping off Junior and her parents at their home on Deucado, Rome, Rei and Aason flew to Helome in MINIMCOM to remand Troutman and Steele into Virga’s custody.
     Upon arriving at Helome, MINIMCOM flew directly to the Erklirte settlement and landed in a field behind Virga’s home. Mother, father and the littlest Bierak exited MINIMCOM along with David Troutman. Steele was being so difficult they decided to leave him in his little cell until they could figure out what to do with him.
     Virga and Maury Keller came out to greet them.
     “I see you got one of them, at least,” Keller said upon spotting Troutman.
     “No, sir, we got both of them,” Rei said. He pointed over his shoulder toward starship MINIMCOM. “Steele is in a cell we rigged up. He’s being completely uncooperative.”
     “Figures,” Keller muttered.
     “What do you want us to do with them?” Virga asked.
     “This one here, he might be salvageable,” Rei said, pointing at Troutman who took a step forward.
     “Is it true, sir?” the tall, red-haired man asked Keller. “Are we giving up the fight?”
     “We already won,” Keller said. “Just a different planet than we thought.” He put his arm around Virga and gently rubbed her tummy. At the same time, a little boy wandered out of the house and came and put his arms around his father’s leg. “This is a beautiful world. We’re given free rein. We don’t need to conquer the Earth. We’re all working together now.”
     Troutman’s shoulders relaxed. “I’m so glad,” he said. “I just want to do something in my life that doesn’t include that idiot Steele.”
     Virga stepped forward and looked up into Troutman’s eyes. “Do you renounce your former life of violence and agree to become a contributing member of our society?”
     “Yes!” Troutman said enthusiastically, holding up his right hand. “Sign me up.”
     Rome came over and put her hand on his shoulder. After a moment, she said, “He is telling the truth.”
     “Good choice,” Keller said. “We’ll get somebody to fit you with one of these…” He held up his wrist to display the tracking bracelet.
     “What is that?” Troutman asked, cocking his head.
     “It’s like a security GPS kind of thing. It lets the Vuduri track us.”
     “Why do we need that?”
     “Because they, no we, don’t want our people messing things up by wandering off and plotting things like you two tried to pull off.”
     Troutman shrugged. “OK, if you say so. Frankly, I don’t care.”

Well, I'm glad Troutman had a change of heart. But what about Steele? Tomorrow.

A banana a day keeps the doctor away

We're going to take a quick break from Rome's Revolution to talk about bananas:


Why? You ask. I am not violating any HIPAA laws if I voluntarily report my own medical condition. I take a diuretic called Lasix to reduce fluid retention. It works really well but I have to stick around the house for several hours after taking it because I have to run to the bathroom about 20 times. But after that passes, I'm fine.

However, one of the side effects of Lasix, also known as furosemide, is losing potassium. If you lose too much, the condition is called hypokalaemia which is just potassium deficiency. If you don't treat hypokalaemia, you can end up with severe headaches, leg cramps, tingling in the limbs, heart palpitations, constipation or ultimately death. Not a great outcome so best to act before it gets that bad.

My doctor suggested I eat a banana every day and I had my blood tested after a month and my potassium levels were fine. So there it is, a banana a day keeps the doctor away.

There are other foods higher in potassium such as avocado, acorn squash, spinach, sweet potato, salmon, apricots, pomegranate, coconut water and white beans. And I do try and eat those (well, not sweet potatoes or coconut water) when I can but they aren't very convenient. Try eating a bowl of spinach every morning.

My wife is kind enough to buy me a clump of bananas every week so from a sheer convenience perspective, that's it. I just grab one and eat it wherever. Easy peasy. I try and eat them when they are still a little greenish before all the starch turns to sugar but in a pinch, I'll eat a ripe one until the next batch comes in.

Oh yeah, I forgot one thing. They are delicious, too!

The Overmind of Earth, Part 2

Yesterday, right as Rome and Rei were dropping off Commander Ursay at his home in Amarante in a place that used to be known as Portugal, Ursay told Rome that the Overmind of Earth wished to speak to her. While unusual, Rome complied. She sent Rei and Aason forward and sat down in the cargo bay to concentrate. The Overmind wanted to share some information that had previously been withheld:

     “Our genetic mapping did not stop when we arrived at Lacy Henry as she preferred to call herself,” said the Overmind. “Our analysis regarding the human genome was also performed using mitochondrial DNA sequencing which is always passed from mother to child without dilution. My scientists were able to trace nearly every Vuduri back to a single woman who you might refer to as the Mitochondrial Eve. Based upon your mother’s genetics, we know that your ancestor was a woman who survived the Great Dying because of a particular mutation which made her resistant to the virus that swept the Earth.”
     “What has that got to do with anything?”
     “Based upon what I saw in your mind, I believe your husband had spoken to her before he started on his mission.”
     “He did?” Rome asked, dumbfounded.
     “Yes,” the Overmind said. “Her name was Sally Reynolds.”
     “What!?” Rome exclaimed. Mentally, she became speechless. She had no idea how to process this information. She turned the name over and over in her mind. Finally, when she was able to respond, she said, “Rei told me that Sally was once the love of his life. And you are telling me that I am her great-great-great granddaughter?”
     “Yes.”
     The starship shuddered as it lifted off the ground. Rome shook herself and stood up. She braced herself by placing her hand against MINIMCOM’s outer hull wall.
     “Thank you for telling me,” she said, “I think.” With that, she started to make her way forward.
     “You are welcome,” the Overmind answered. “Goodbye for now. And good luck…”
     Rome cut the connection before he could say anything else. Unsteadily, she entered the corridor leading to the cockpit. By the time she reached the entrance arch, her gait was normal. As she entered the cockpit, she looked over at Rei with new eyes. She hugged him and kissed him passionately before buckling herself into the co-pilot’s chair.
     “What was that for?” Rei asked. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”
     Rome just smiled at him. “I’ll tell you after we get home. But for now, let’s…”
     “I know,” Rei interrupted her. “Let’s get this show on the road! OK, buddy, hit it.”
     It was just a matter of seconds before the windows turned blacker than black and the shushing noise of the null-fold drive announced they were on their way home.

So, uh, wow. Rei is married to the great, great, great times 20 granddaughter of his previous girlfriend. Talk about your May-December romances! Oh well, they are happy (now) and were clearly meant to be together.

We're headed into the home stretch where we wrap up not on Rome's Evolution, but the whole Rome's Revolution series. Tomorrow, we'll take a brief detour and talk about bananas.

The Overmind of Earth, Part 1

Yesterday, Rome, Rei and MINIMCOM had returned Commander Ursay to his home in Amarante which was located in the place formely known as Portugal. Ursay told them that since they were now pardoned, they were welcome to remain on the Earth and live their. This offer was politely but firmly refused by Rome:

     “If I cannot dissuade you,” Ursay said, “will you do one more thing for me?”
     “Of course,” Rome replied. “What is that?”
     “Please connect to the Overmind again. He states that he has something else that he would like to share with you.”
     “Very well,” Rome said. “I will do it as we begin our trip home.”
     “Thank you,” Ursay said. “In that case, goodbye and good luck to you both.” He paused for a moment then continued. “I hope I get to see you again someday.”
     “Maybe,” Rei said. “We’ll need a little peace and quiet for a while before we think about it.” Ursay touched his fingers to his brow in a semi-salute.
     As soon as Ursay was clear, Rei reached over and pressed the blue stud to raise the ramp and lower the hatch. Rome pointed to the cockpit. She instructed her husband and son to make their way forward and make preparations for the journey home. After they were out of sight, she sat down on the floor of the cargo compartment, back against the wall. She closed her eyes, hugged her knees and opened up her connection.
     “Hello?” she thought tentatively.
     “Hello, Rome,” the Overmind replied. “Congratulations on your defeat of MASAL’s Sipre and the remaining Onsiras. Ursay tells me you are leaving behind some pills which will end their threat forever.”
     “Yes,” Rome answered. “I know it is hard to believe but this was actually MASAL’s wish.”
     “I know,” said the Overmind. “I know much more than you think.”
     “Fine,” Rome said. “But what is it that you wanted?”
     “There was something I elected not to share before. It was not relevant and frankly, I was not sure you were going to survive. It did not seem prudent to distract you with such an extraneous piece of information.”
     “What?” Rome asked.
     “During our previous conversation, I was continually probing your mind. I have one other piece of trivia for you which you may find not so trivial.”
     “Tell me,” Rome commanded impatiently. She could feel MINIMCOM’s EG lifters energizing as the starship prepared for takeoff.
     “Our genetic mapping did not stop when we arrived at Lacy Henry as she preferred to call herself.”

Why does this seem so ominous? We'll find out tomorrow.

Together

Yesterday, we saw Bonnie assume her rightful role as leader of the Onsiras. Rome and Rei were able to leave her behind knowing she would correct their errant path and bring them back into the human fold. There was nothing left to do but return Commander Ursay to his home in what used to be known as Portugal and then head back to Deucado along with the newly rescued Aason and Rome's Parents:

     Rei, Rome, Ursay and Rome’s parents boarded MINIMCOM to begin the voyage home. Their first stop was Amarante. Even in the six short hours it took them to get there, Rome found it amazing how quickly the white pills restored Binoda and Ursay back to their former state. Even her father was coming around. His eyes were already clearing up and returning to their natural brown color.
     MINIMCOM and Junior set down in the field by the farmhouse, near where the mesh netting lay. Rei and Rome and Aason accompanied Ursay to the cargo bay. MINIMCOM didn’t wait for Rei to press the blue stud. The starship lowered the cargo ramp and raised the cargo hatch before they even arrived at the back of the compartment. Ursay hugged each of them goodbye. He patted Aason on the head.
     “You are all heroes,” he said. “Many times over. All of humanity owes you a debt which can never be repaid.”
     Rome acknowledged his words by blushing slightly.
     “All in day’s work,” Rei said in a self-deprecating way. “You got the pills?”
     Ursay nodded and opened his palm, showing them the five white capsules he was carrying.
     “OK, then goodbye, sir. Thanks for everything.”
     Ursay shook his head. “I did not do as good of a job as I would have liked.”
     “It does not matter,” Rome said. “The fact is, you were the only one in the world, the whole universe that we trusted. You did your best.”
     Ursay sighed. “I cannot help but feel I failed you,” he said.
     “You didn’t, sir,” Rei said. “What you were up against… What we were all up against. We licked it, together. We only wish good luck for you.”
     “Thank you,” Ursay said then he turned and shuffled his way down the ramp. He got all the way to the ground then stopped. He turned around and started back up the ramp a short distance.
     “The Overmind has asked me to remind you that you need not leave,” he said. “Now that you have been granted a full and complete pardon, the Earth can be your home again.”
     “It is a kind offer but we decline,” Rome said without hesitation. “Deucado is our home now. We leave the Earth to you and your brethren. The Revolution has begun. You stay, we go.”

Was there ever any doubt? No. But before they leave, the Overmind of Earth has something to share with Rome. More on that tomorrow.

Bonnie Rules!

A few days ago, we saw Bonnie Mullen as a true hero. She had shot and killed Sussen and absorbed MASAL's Sipre saving the remainder of the Onsiras from the shadow beings tyrannical rule. Now it was time for Rome and Rei to bring Rome's parents and Commander Ursay back from their enslavement and put things right:

     It didn’t take them long to locate Rome’s parents in the real world. Freed of the Sipre’s control, together, Binoda and Ursay were able to lead Fridone out of the dwelling where they were being held and met Rei and Rome in the clearing.
     Rome walked up to her mother who smiled. Ursay smiled faintly as well. However, Rome was shocked at her father’s appearance. He did not even look like himself. His eyes were very dark, almost black and his face had no muscle tone whatsoever.
     With a whoosh and a pop, Junior’s livetar appeared, holding a white bottle.
     “Dad said I should bring these to you,” he said, reaching forward to give the bottle to Rome. Rome took the bottle and handed one pill each to Binoda and Ursay. Rome had to force her father but eventually she got him to swallow one as well.
     While this was going on, the Onsira community had carried Reema’s body into one of the dwellings to lie in state. Rei and Rome went in to pay their final respects. Bonnie was there along with many of her children. Her eyes appeared to glow with a blazing inner spirit. It was almost as if the ethereal world was spilling over into the real world.
     “The others. They are calling me Ombare,” she said to Rome. “What does that mean?”
     “It means Empress,” Rome replied. “You are their leader now.”
     Bonnie nodded. “This feels amazing,” she said to them, hugging herself with her arms. “To be a part of such a whole. It’s indescribable.” She looked at Rome, forcing herself to try and focus on the real world. “I don’t know how you ever gave it up.”
     “I have lived on both sides,” Rome said. “I do what is right for me. But I am happy that you are happy.”
     Rei reached out and Bonnie gave him a hug. “Goodbye, Bonnie,” he said, “and good luck.”
     “Goodbye, Rei,” Bonnie replied.
     “I truly hope it turns out to be the life you wanted.”
     “It will be,” she answered with a distant look. “You have given me the greatest gift of all time. I can never thank you enough.”
     “You don’t have to,” Rei said. “Just make sure that Sipre doesn’t get loose and we’ll call it even.”
     “Deal!” Bonnie said. “Deal!” said the children around, mimicking their mother.
     It made Rei and Rome laugh.

That is a nice note to leave on. It certainly appears that Bonnie has things under control and Rome and Rei can leave with a clear conscience knowing the Earth will be safe forever.

Tesla's New Truck Part 2

Yesterday, I introduced you to Tesla Motor’s new all-electric semi capable of traveling 300 or 500 miles on a single charge with an enhanced autopilot ability permitting it to run unattended if legal. But how does this help us, the ordinary consumer? The following graphic is from Tesla’s own presentation and makes it quite clear why the 80/20 rule applies:



You can see from the image that Mr. Musk claims that 80% of truck routes are 250 miles or less. That means this simple invention can replace 80% of emission-spewing trucks carrying cargo from metropolitan areas, especially in California and the Northeast.

Tesla already has pre-orders for this truck before even a single production model has come off the assembly line. The first customer will be Tesla itself hauling supplies between Tesla’s Fremont factory and the Gigafactory 1 in Nevada. Walmart, the Canadian firm of Loblaws and JK Moving services have already placed orders. Currently, Tesla is only accepting orders from North American firms but will eventually spread out to Europe.

Just think of a world where you order a new product from Amazon and they need to move 100,000 from a warehouse to a distribution center near you. A Tesla Semi pulls up, loads up and silently and autonomously transports that load to the distribution center using no diesel fuel, emitting no pollution and costing a fraction of a traditional trucking.

Here’s the bottom line: if 80% of the trucks on the road today can be replaced by clean, all-electric trucks, we can cut out 80% of diesel emissions and cut the costs of transporting goods over reasonable distances by 80%. Everyone wins.

The Sun produces enough energy every day to satisfy the world’s energy needs for a full year three times over. Why burn fossil fuels, create climate-changing greenhouse gases and pollution when the Sun provides all of this for free?

Like everything else that Elon Musk does, I think this truck is going to change the world.

Tesla's New Truck Part 1

Two days ago, I was discussing the 80/20 rule. I referenced the normal distribution or Gaussian distribution or you may know it as the Bell Curve. Yesterday, I flipped it around and talked about the 20/80 rule with regard to writing science fiction. But today I want to go back to a potentially revolutionary invention, created by Elon Musk’s Tesla Motors called the Tesla Semi. In the most simplistic terms, it is an all-electric version of an 18-wheeler or semi. First, you need to see a picture of this new vehicle to see how cool it looks:



There are so many elements to cover in understanding what a groundbreaking achievement this truck represents that I will have to split this article up into two pieces. Today, I will just tell you about this vehicle and tomorrow I will tell you how the 80/20 rule applies.

First, this heavy-duty truck runs on batteries, not gasoline. Of course, this is what you’d expect from Tesla. Second, it has a very clean, elegant interior with semi to completely autonomous driving capability. In this way, it is similar to cars built by Tesla but it also has the ability to link up with other Tesla Semis to form autonomous convoys.

I don’t imaging this will make truck drivers very happy to know that they can be replaced by a computer but I also suspect it will be a long time until the various states allow these trucks to be fully autonomous without a driver present.

The battery packs themselves are very heavy duty and will allow the truck to travel around 300 or 500 miles on a single charge and when they get to their destination, Tesla’s third generation Supercharger stations should have the truck ready to go in 30 minutes, well before it is even unloaded.

Imagine: an all-electric truck. No diesel fuel. No carbon emissions. Total cost of ownership vastly reduced. Plus this thing will accelerate to full speed, fully loaded, that is 0 – 60 mph in 20 seconds. That’s better than some people’s cars. Tomorrow, I’ll explain how the 80/20 rule applies.

The 20/80 Rule

Yesterday, I was discussing the 80/20 rule. I referenced the normal distribution or Gaussian distribution or you may know it as the Bell Curve. But that just says that 20% of your resources handles 80% of the cases. However, as a science fiction writer, I am actually more interested in the 20/80 rule, that is, things outside the norm. I am talking about the space beyond the red portion:


When I first started writing the Rome's Revolution series, I spent an incredible amount of time making sure that everything I wrote was totally realistic and totally believable, sometimes to the detriment of the plot. In other words, it fit within the norm. However, many of the wilder things that I put in there, things that I thought people would balk at, didn't even register a blip on people's radar. I guess that's a good thing. However, it did embolden me to take things farther out from the center of the bell-shaped curve the next time.

When I decided to write The Ark Lords, I started putting in stuff that was patently absurd, like placing a space beacon on the far side of the Moon or having Rei captured to be a sex slave. But once again, nobody balked at that. They just let it slide in the context of the story. So when I wrote Rome's Evolution, I had no fear. I turned Rome into a telepath. I made MINIMCOM the world's greatest surgeon. I had a man stab Rei right in the chest and have it pass through, cutting off his hand. I made Rome a far off descendant of Jack Henry. I even have Rome spent time chatting with the Overmind of Earth. Nobody raised a stink.

When the time came to write The Milk Run, I went all in. I wrote about Heaven and God and the soul and the meaning of life. I even turned Rome and Rei into immortal beings so I could continue on with their story forever, so should I choose. People seemed to like this. Nobody said, hey, that's stupid and beyond the boundaries of the norm.

So I'll keep pushing the limits of the Gaussian curve, going farther and farther out until somebody, anybody tells me I went too far. In the immortal words of OMCOM, to six deltas and beyond!