All Lit Up ~ Todd White
I guess it takes a certain kind of loner to do the job of a god – but the shaping of new Edens is by no means a thankless task; the rewards go way beyond payment for a job done: I have watched from the carapace on many a seeding – watched as the surface of some arid planet takes on the eruptions and floods; time lapsed electric firestorms sweeping across the its face, scorched earth policy on a global scale; floods and ice ages flashing by; and finally, my favourite: the greening.
The beard almost gone – I left a small triangle below my lip – a private vanity signal to my self – the beard I only wear while working.
I dressed in a new uniform; expensive; crisp at the shoulders but light enough not to be an obvious burden to during space-time – not for me the standard issue. I checked my bag for interference; deciding to keep a low profile on this trip; keep myself to myself, not do too much talking...
...Two hours later and I’m in the bar down in the passenger hold letting my jaw drip wisdom on the assorted plebs that gathered in such places.
The passenger hold of an InterOrbital is not always a pleasant place to be, given that with the exception of the relatively small number of paying passengers – salesmen; couriers; Agents of Reason; both ship-based and on assignment to the colonies, and the odd frontiersman who willingly puts himself up for life on those new worlds – those travelling to (and between) the colonies do so under duress.
Life on earth may be harsh and uncompromising for all but a small percentage who can afford to rise above the confines of Reason, but the unknown hardships that await at the boundaries of human existence are far more foreboding.
The seeding of dead planets is by no means an exact science since the seeds themselves, once set to germinate, are largely unpredictable, depending not only on the purity of their own source, but also on what lies in the dormant genetic make-up of the host planet.
Pilgrims and exiles have no idea of what to expect upon landfall – lush forestation or semi-desert; any manner of local fauna and flora lie in wait for the new species about to be introduced with only the backing of technology and the sum total of human history to support their progress – and human history is not necessarily a cause for hope in the minds of many of these settlers.
Luckily, one of the perks of being in the employ of Systems Inc is the chance to choose where you want to live – there are a few of the colonies that support societies that are comfortable to live in.
Comfortable is where I’m from.
The beard almost gone – I left a small triangle below my lip – a private vanity signal to my self – the beard I only wear while working.
I dressed in a new uniform; expensive; crisp at the shoulders but light enough not to be an obvious burden to during space-time – not for me the standard issue. I checked my bag for interference; deciding to keep a low profile on this trip; keep myself to myself, not do too much talking...
...Two hours later and I’m in the bar down in the passenger hold letting my jaw drip wisdom on the assorted plebs that gathered in such places.
The passenger hold of an InterOrbital is not always a pleasant place to be, given that with the exception of the relatively small number of paying passengers – salesmen; couriers; Agents of Reason; both ship-based and on assignment to the colonies, and the odd frontiersman who willingly puts himself up for life on those new worlds – those travelling to (and between) the colonies do so under duress.
Life on earth may be harsh and uncompromising for all but a small percentage who can afford to rise above the confines of Reason, but the unknown hardships that await at the boundaries of human existence are far more foreboding.
The seeding of dead planets is by no means an exact science since the seeds themselves, once set to germinate, are largely unpredictable, depending not only on the purity of their own source, but also on what lies in the dormant genetic make-up of the host planet.
Pilgrims and exiles have no idea of what to expect upon landfall – lush forestation or semi-desert; any manner of local fauna and flora lie in wait for the new species about to be introduced with only the backing of technology and the sum total of human history to support their progress – and human history is not necessarily a cause for hope in the minds of many of these settlers.
Luckily, one of the perks of being in the employ of Systems Inc is the chance to choose where you want to live – there are a few of the colonies that support societies that are comfortable to live in.
Comfortable is where I’m from.
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