Futuristic The Cost of Knowledge

[Edric Yuma]

The Red Wave​

In the year 20xx, the sudden advancement and mass commercialization of fusion reactors saw a newfound boom in idea development worldwide. Its introduction served to make certain power storage methods like batteries obsolete. The new energy source meant many current experimental technologies could see an upscale in development as power supply issues were circumvented at large, and many experimental technologies became profitable. Nanomachines, Fusion Dynamo Engines, 10g, Advanced-Alloy Smelteries, and other technologies that were formerly speculative all started coming to reality for the new generation.

It was clear these new technologies would shape the world and thus so to the people with a financial stake in them. Leading governments over the globe started to back research firms ranging in the billions of dollars to keep up with their rivals doing much the same. A time in history called the Great Fusion Race firmly secured the countries of the United States of America, Russia, and India as new world powers due to their massive leverage over patents of globally used technologies. America having major stakes in Nanotech with companies such as Radion. Russia having major stakes in advanced alloy creations with companies such as Helm. & Hammer or HH. And India having its major stakes within the dynamo engine industry with Core Industries at the head.

It was during this race that the concept of traveling to the stars suddenly became financially feasible for world governments after previous decades of recessions. The incentive for such expansion came from the promise of exo-planet resources and more readily pride. The same type of pride that spurred the Great Space Race generations ago was seeing a resurgence but now the eyes of the world were cast upon a red jewel. The Red Wave had begun.

Although the technologies were new and inefficient, countries pushed ahead with the settlement of Mars, fueled by the draw of fame and fortune. Outposts were established, and gray areas within barebones space laws allowed for the return of indentured servitude, human experimentation, and other previously outlawed practices. Each country proclaimed a goal of advancing human civilization, but they all had unstated motives that caused their spike in interest with Mars. Although the trip between Earth and Mars lasted around a month and communication was scarce, hopeful low-income residents took up jobs at various outposts on the planets, with the promise of paying off the trip's expenses through their work and becoming rich themselves.

Bart Thompson, the ship mechanic aboard the USS Athena, gave a heavy grunt as he tightened the bolt on the airshaft vent. Those bolts were heavy suckers, and they always took enormous effort to reattach. It didn't help that they required cleaning every month. Satisfied with the covered vent, he dusted his hands, black with grim and oil, picked up his toolbox, and walked across the passageway to the next vent. He passed a porthole on the way there, glancing at it briefly to admire the uncharted stars outside. With the new era of space exploration, astronauts were traversing the solar system faster than scientists could chart it. And now that the Athena was past Mars, the stars outside were unknown, glittering with a mysterious intensity.

Bart ensured the screws around the porthole were secure, then continued walking. While the exterior of the ship was covered with Titanium alloys that allowed for atmosphere penetration, the interior was lined with a white polished foam, reflecting the glow of the lights above and illuminating the passageways. The glaring white had always been uncomfortable for Bart. As the son of a farmer in Louisiana, the uniformity of the white lab coats, white walls, white lights, and white research rooms was disconcerting compared to the fun chaos on a farm of cattle and sheep. But for him, it was worth the opportunity to venture beyond the known world. More than the pigs, chickens, and cows, what Bart loved most on the farm was looking at the stars at night, and now he was here, among them.

A man in a white lab coat strode by, allowing Bart a brief nod before quickly continuing down the passageway. Bart nodded back. It was a strange feeling to be in an isolated community for months and months on end and not know everyone's names, but the craft contained a personnel of 8,000 individuals, making it rather difficult to remember everyone. Arriving at his next vent, Bart placed his toolbox on the ground, bent down, and began unbolting the next cover. A bead of sweat dripped from his forehead as he made another heavy grunt to turn the bolt. It was going to be a long day.

 

[TheMadIceCreamMan]

Herlad wipes some sweat from his brow as he quietly stalks through a hallway of the ship. Upon finishing the speculation reports in his hands his eye twitches a bit leading the doctor to softly rub his temple for relief. Sweeping his hand backward he tries to smoothen his hair though a few strands rebel on end. No control to be had even in these simple impersonal actions as he gives an agitated sigh.

A badge hangs by a clip on his jacket showing his license. Upon it is a picture of a much for trim and proper Herlad compared to the unshaven visage he held now. Long shifts were not uncommon during corporate work but the stains and general disarray of his person spoke of a different type of indecency not parcel to his labors as a professional. Entering into his main office on the science deck it was not much better with files scattered. Reports stacking like a grim obelisk. Many of the offices and the labs of the science department were all slowly succumbing to this fiscal decay. At least in the case of upper management staff such as himself.

Tossing the clipboard he was holding onto the table among the dossier of excess files he drops into his chair like a sack. All the various papers, many reports, gave detailed statistical data and variable intakes but one need not read the papers but merely look at their hazardous handling to tell they said nothing good. His elbows prop on the table as he cradles his head in his hands, eyebrows furrowed in stress. His sleepless eyes glazing over the sea of papers.

It was too late.

Overall, the science department was rather isolated from other public sectors of his ship allowing for a level of animality required for their operations. This asset allowed for information control in the case of bad happenstance within the department. But, this was only as useful as the department's ability to then quell said happenstance but like a hidden sickness, there was finally a pop from pressure and assault onto the body thereafter, the ship. A few of the test subjects in their new drug-addled states got out despite security. Air vents along the science department's parameters were being reinforced. All in all, the public sector of the ship was fed a tale about escapees from the ship's prison sector. Still, cross-infection was likely and new reports showed many people ship-wide feeling new spurts of well-being and general physiological boons. The first signs.

'A few days until break down..' the doctor thinks to himself, his thoughts rather callous to his failings.

A meeting was to be held today with the top executives in which it was certain there would be an information leak. All in all, as the science heads would expect. The new air vent reinforcement proceedings was a mere formality. In truth, many of the science heads including Herlad had plans to isolate the science wing if things went critical. They were after all, the only group properly aware of the true horror that could spring forth from the larger ship population.

 

[Edric Yuma]

With a sigh of relief, Bart slowly got up from the final vent of the passageway. That was just the connecting passageway between the cafeteria and the third engine room, and that alone had taken him four hours to complete. At least he had his lunch break, and the food was right there. Bart packed up his items, stowed it back in the engine room, and stepped out of the dimmer passageway and into the well-lit cafeteria interior. When he glanced at the serving station, however, line had formed. A line never formed during this time, as Bart purposely took his lunch breaks around the slower traffic times, so this scene was confusing for him. He spotted his good friend and fellow mechanic, Tess, standing in the middle of the line, and walked up to her. She grinned when she spotted him and waved. "Yo, Bart! What's up?"

Bart smiled back. "Hey, Tess. What's with the line?"

She shrugged. "Dunno, guess people decided they wanted a second helping. As far as I can tell, you, me, and three other guys are the only regulars of the hour."

Bart eyed the individuals in the line and tried to find the three other regulars as Tess continued. "I'm telling you, this new vent checkup process is gonna be the death of me. Are our higher-ups unaware of how many frickin' vents exist? There's no way we can cover them all in the time we have."

"Agreed. I've only done a single passageway, and I think that was the hardest I've worked since one of the reactors suddenly stopped working. It's a tough day for a line like this to appear."

Tess smirked. "You're telling me - it used to be twice the size a couple minutes ago. I'm so hungry I could eat the people in front of me!"

"Ha. Well, I better get in line before it grows again, then - catch you in a bit."

Bart gave Tess a wave and moved to the back of the line with a sigh. The people in front of him eyed the grease on his hands and shirt, then turned back. With a start, Bart realized most of the people here were individuals from the science sector of the ship, as evidenced by their fancy attire and disgust for his grime. He never knew what was going on in there - it always seemed like they were scheming up the next big moneymaking machine. He was just here to work and be in space. It was probably for the best that he didn't interact with the science sector much - from the attitude of the ones in line, it seemed like they wouldn't have been great acquaintances.