Monday, January 16, 2017

The Expanse Season 2 starts 1 February 2017


Now that the 2nd season of The Expanse is coming, I can now binge its season 1 (which conveniently came to streaming on Amazon Prime last month).  The treatment of the 'heliopolitical' conflict of the solar system's colonies and Earth over resources and self-government are interesting. 


Thursday, January 12, 2017

CNN: War in Space- The Next Battlefield

In perhaps a follow-up to 60 Minutes' 2015 report on space war, CNN has put out a Special Report "War in Space-The Next Battlefield." 









Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Blood Chit (MicroStory)

Captain Gray awoke on an alien planet.  "Holy Sh..." he spoke into his comm loudly enough his mic picked it up and transmitted. 
It was coming back to him.  He looked around the escape pod, the displays were flashing warnings.  His escort ship had inexplicitly failed.   
"Some infernal Centaurian meddling no doubt."  Gray grumbled.  At least his pod was smart enough to set down in a 'mild' climatic region of the planet.  Minus 50C outside was rather mild to other planets he had had the misfortune to visit. 
 He punched a button and voiced a command to launch a small surveyor probe to map the local area.
He knew, unfortunately, the closest Solarian outpost must be on the other side of the planet while a Centaurian outpost lay closer to his location.  No doubt they picked up his distress signal.  He hoped that they were doing more important things at the moment. 
But he had to assume they would be closing in on his landing area based on his last known trajectory. 
 The intel on the natives was not extensive, but a rudimentary dictionary of their language had been mapped.  It was a heat signature based language.  By changing the thermal signature of their appearance, each could communicate to each other in dazzling displays of infrared light. 
The humans nicknamed them ‘Torches’ as they appeared like flaming torches on the thermal sensor displays.  The Torches were a pre-industrial society.  Both humans and Centaurians had come to an agreement on treatment of natives of pre-industrial non-aligned planets.  Each side attempted to not be detected by the natives nor attempted to shape the inhabitants' future.  This agreement was routinely ignored by both sides.  Ever since the end of the Centaurian war, each side had endeavored to survey and stake claims to as many worlds in the stellar neighborhood as possible. 
Gray had his EVA suit dialed into the climate, he was a worried the nuclear-powered suit would light him up like a Christmas tree against the cold night.  He remembered to put in the language display on his suit.  He was uncertain how the Torches would interpret his appearance.  But if he was to escape detection by the Centaurians, he would need to enlist the native help. 
"Here goes nothing."  He reached of the handle to open his craft and pulled it, the door slid aside while he lumbered like out like some clumsy giant.  His display showed a village to his north, so he beared towards it. 
He commanded to display the message 'blood chit.'
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Maraxthul saw something in the corner of her eye.  She stood up on her legs and was astonished.  A very brightly-lit thing was walking right toward her.  As it got closer she almost fainted.  Could it be?  An angel?  It was saying something. 
"Fear not.  I am from the heaven. My protective egg is thrown down. Understand me.  Please take me to the nearest heaven.  You will be nurtured."
"Blessed Graoxul!" She shouted and bowed her head down.  "I will do as you have commanded me."  Though somewhat perplexed at the angel's grammar, she ran off and later came back with the village shaman.  She was emphatic, "see, it is what has been foretold." 
The shaman looked at the brightness of the being before them.  "I think it is Providence, Maraxthul, come to bring another blessing to our people, but if he wants to go to heaven, let us not delay him."  He said to Captain Gray "come with me." 
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Captain Gray followed the two Torches.  He hoped his message had been translated correctly.  The one taller one was telling him to keep following him into one of the buildings.  His translator was working on its signage.  In it, his sensors could barely make out any thermal or light signatures.  Suddenly, he felt a sense of falling.  He landed with a load thud.  It was dark in here as well.  He voiced a command to turn his exterior lights on.     
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A gathering of Torches had by then gathered in front of the building. 
The shaman said a prayer "Oh, Graoxul, thank you Blessed One for this sacrifice you have provided to us from the heavens on this longest of nights, Holy Solstice." 
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In growing panic Captain Gray turned his namesake as he saw stacks of Centaurian bones before him.  A bell-like 'ding' sounded in his ear while his HUD displayed the sign’s translation.
‘Village Butcher.’