

### Tales of the Vuduri: Year Two

Michael Brachman

Copyright 2015 by Michael Brachman

Smashwords Edition

**Smashwords Edition, License Notes**

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

TALES OF THE VUDURI: YEAR TWO

All rights reserved

Copyright © 2015 by Michael Brachman

Cover art copyright © 2015 by Bruce Brachman

V2.01.0002

Also by Michael Brachman

The Rome's Revolution Series

Rome's Revolution

The Ark Lords

Rome's Evolution

The Vuduri Knights Series

The Milk Run

The Vuduri Universe Series

Tales of the Vuduri: Year One

Tales of the Vuduri: Year Two

*The Vuduri Companion

(*not yet in publication)

## Dedication

It's hard to come up with a new dedication when the same people behind _Tales of the Vuduri: Year One_ are the very same people that helped me produce Year Two. So, like before, I want to thank my brother Bruce. He is my go-to guy when it comes to the world of the Vuduri. Not only is he my editor and artist and the inspiration behind MINIMCOM, but he is also fiercely protective of the Vuduri culture and characters. Bruce creates the amazing covers, the astounding book trailers and makes my writing so much better. Bruce, none of this would exist without you.

I want to thank my wife, Denise, for putting up with the endless hours of hiding in the basement, cranking out these stories, articles and so on. She wants the Wife Award and she richly deserves it. I could not have done it without her patience.

Finally, as always, I would like to thank my heroes, Rome and Rei. They have supplied me with an endless amount of material of a future not yet born.

## Introduction

When I started writing my **Tales of the Vuduri** blog in December of 2012, I really wasn't sure where I was going with it all. I knew that there was a lot of material logged that served as background for the _Rome's Revolution_ series and the blog seemed like a convenient place to present some of that material. As I really got into it, I was shocked to find out how _much_ material there really was and the pile was growing, not shrinking. First with _The Ark Lords_ and then even more as I got ready to release the final book of the trilogy called _Rome's Evolution_.

So, I dove into Year Two and this book is the result. I've learned a lot more about the 35th century by writing the posts. It has helped me work out some plot issues, character development and world-building concepts in general. I also completed a new novel called _The Milk Run_ this past year and the blog has allowed me to present some of the novel ideas incorporated in that book which should be out in early in 2015. Later next year, I will be releasing _The Vuduri Companion_ which will be a series of short stories and novelettes which didn't really fit anywhere else. It will even include the original versions of _VIRUS 5_ and _Rome's Revolution_ written in 1973. That should be good for a laugh or two. I am also planning on recording _Rome's Revolution_ as an audio book. I hope to have that done by the end of the year. It's a daunting task but somebody's got to do it!

In case you missed it with the book _Tales of the Vuduri: Year One_ , what I do is write seven blog articles on Saturdays or Sundays and then post them one at a time over the course of the next week. Sometimes, if I know I am going to be away the following weekend, I'll write 14 articles. That's a lot to pump out at one time! Now that we've come to the end of Year Two, I've taken all those articles and bound them together in this volume for your reading pleasure.

My strategy over the last year has changed a bit from that first year. Once I had gotten past posting all the secrets and research and untold tales I wanted to put forward, I decided to pick up the original version of _Rome's Revolution_ entitled _VIRUS 5_ and follow it somewhat faithfully. Each page is chock full of reminders of things I had forgotten to post. I wanted to explain why I did this, why I made the characters say that. It was a lot of fun revisiting those memories.

When writing articles for the blog, many times these ideas launched me on a tangent, sometimes a week or two at a time but I always returned to the story. I don't know if this is good news or bad news but using this as a guide, I can tell you that I am now only halfway through the second part of VIRUS 5. Simple extrapolation tells us there will be a Tales of the Vuduri, Years Three and Four. Then there's _The Ark Lords_ and _Rome's Evolution_ to consider. I may _never_ be done!

As with the previous volume, this collection of articles covers little-known facts, previously unrevealed secrets, backstories, environmental design, improvements in my 35th century technology and so on. And like the previous volume, I've included musings and even more occasional ramblings.

It is not necessary that you have read the _Rome's Revolution_ series or even _Tales of the Vuduri: Year One_ but it couldn't hurt. There are many, many references within the articles to events and characters that inhabit those books. But there are also some amazing new scientific facts and amusing articles that transcend the original trilogy. There's been a lot happening in the world of science over the last year that has a bearing on the series and the projected world of the 35th century and I try to incorporate those discoveries as I go.

Here is a partial list of what you'll find in these entries:

  * More on the flora and fauna of Deucado and Helome

  * A discourse on the nature and cure of Type 1 Diabetes

  * A complete study on methods of exploiting solar energy available today

  * More backstories

  * The nature of Heaven and the hyper-verse

  * The original short story "Last of the Cavaliers" which became the historical section folded into _The Ark Lords_

  * Hot fusion versus cold fusion

  * How I was foiled by _The Simpsons Movie_ and Stephen King's _Under the Dome_

  * The untold story of the arrival of the Deucadons at Tau Ceti

  * An actual picture of MINIMCOM before he became a starship

  * The design of the split narrative for Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_

  * First looks at the inhabitants, geography, geology and astro-geophysics behind _The Milk Run_ including:

  * The design of the forest on Hades

  * The Ice-Saberoo

  * Junior's medium haul configuration and redesigned cockpit

  * Sh'ev, a member of the race of plant people called the K'val

  * Starship OMCOM

  * Life Force Theory: the grand unification of all things scary

  * The secret history of Hades leading up to Aason's visit

  * More alternate and deleted scenes

  * More apparent contradictions resolved

  * In-depth analysis for why the plot had to go the way it did

  * More on legal time travel

  * Some new scientific discoveries that have a bearing on the whole _Rome's Revolution_ series

  * Even more amusing images

  * And not last and not least, why sandwiches taste so good!

Hopefully, I have improved as a blogger since last year's volume. I've worked harder at finding more images to illustrate the point of many of the articles. As before, you will find occasional hypertext links which work great on the Internet but not so much in books. Where the sole purpose of a link was to take you somewhere else, I added an underline to the link. As with _Tales of the Vuduri: Year One_ , the rest of the entries are exactly as they appeared on Goodreads although I did fix typos when I found them.

So dive in and enjoy. You don't need to read the articles in order although the general flow would follow that of _Rome's Revolution_. At the rate I am going, there will definitely be a _Tales of the Vuduri: Year Three_ so you'd better get started! And as always, I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

## Entry 2-001: December 27, 2013

### Happy New Year

Wait, what? It's only December 27th. What's going on here? Well, yesterday's post was my 366th article about _Rome's Revolution_ which means I have posted a full year's worth (including a gratuitous leap day) of blog entries. Every day for the past year!

I started on December 23, 2012 and posted every single day except for three times. I am going to bind this whole first year into an e-pub called _Tales of the Vuduri: Year One_ and sell it for free on Amazon, B&N, iTunes and Smashwords. Bruce is working on the cover as we e-speak.

In the beginning, I sat down at my desk and wrote a fresh post every day from scratch. That was a lot of work. Then I got into the habit of writing seven entries at a time (usually on a Sunday) and then posting one each day until the following weekend. That was much easier. If I knew I was going to be out of town, I could set up the publication engine to post on a certain date and time automatically. This was great but I wasn't getting much traffic so I started posting the link to the blog articles on Facebook and Twitter. That seems to have gotten my daily visits up to around 30 - 40 a day. That's over 12,000 page views! Some of my more popular articles get 60 or 70 page views the first day.

I've been compiling the articles for the book. I'm about 1/3 done and I am up 35,000 words. If my projections are correction, that means I've written more than 100,000 words, bigger than two of my three _Rome's Revolution_ novels!

My biggest hit ever was my first post entitled "How to speak Vuduri" which is sitting at 109 page views. My two most clever titles were "Tails of the Vuduri" and "Ah, Capella." I found that posting little pictures, sometimes relevant, sometimes amusing (like the one above) boosts page views as well.

Here's the amazing thing. While many of the articles are random, mostly I have been following the original long-form of _Rome's Revolution_ for inspiration and I am only up to Chapter 8! So if I can keep it up, this thing might go on for years! Thanks for all your support and I hope you have enjoyed it so far.

Mike

## Entry 2-002: December 28, 2013

### Deucado

In the world of _Rome's Revolution_ , Deucado, "the little world that could" serves as the home and centerpiece of much of the action in the Vuduri universe. Now, for the first time, you can see a full map of Deucado with all its features flattened:

The most important thing to notice are the huge holes punched into the surface of the planet by countless asteroid and meteor strikes over the millennia.

Lake Eprehem is annotated and this is where Ibbra City and New Ark City were founded. To the east, on the little isthmus between the Great Northern Bay and the Great Southern Bay lies Vuduri City. The western continent is called Asquarti. The eastern hemisphere is considered two separate continents connected by a larger isthmus. The northern continent is called Toraode and the southern continent is called Sul.

As mentioned in a previous post, there were a group of Vuduri who did not agree with the plan to allow the Overmind to take over. This group was called the Suduri and they eventually left Earth. They were the first humans to land on Deucado (ignoring the fact that the Deucadons had been there for over 400 years) and they settled in the lower continent of Sul. Aason Bierak led an expedition there and discovered evidence of their colony. However, the Suduri had long since fled to places unknown. I think you may find out where they went in the final novel of the series entitled _The Final Journey_ but I have no idea when that will be.

## Entry 2-003: December 29, 2013

### Why Rei was picked

In the original, long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , the book opened with the prologue about Silas Hiram and the first chapter was about how the Vuduri captured the Ark II and towed it back to Dara. However, since the whole book had to be sped up, that opening scene had to be excised. Briefly, I tried to patch it into the chapter on how OMCOM reprogrammed himself, but eventually I had to throw in the towel and now it is gone altogether.

It will come back in the upcoming compendium entitled _The Vuduri Companion_ but that's not the point of this post. I have been asked the question several times as to why the Vuduri even bothered to save the Ark and why they picked Rei to thaw out. The ostensible reason was that the Overmind of Tabit was built for research and the content and purpose of the Ark II stimulated its curiosity. That's bunk, of course. The Vuduri are just not curious, ever.

Within the story, I had the Vuduri try to grab to sarcophagus next to Rei's and they could not get it to budge. So they moved to Rei's sarcophagus and when it, too, was stuck, they investigated further and found the latching mechanism.

If you allow that they captured the Ark then you would have to allow that they would grab a sarcophagus. But in the story, once they thawed Rei out, it almost seems like the Vuduri lost interest or worse resented Rei's presence.

This is all so contradictory. So what is the real story? The real story is the story. If they had not rescued the Ark and had not thawed out Rei, there would be no Rome and no _Rome's Revolution_ and no Aason and no Deucado and no peace with the Stareaters and no defeat of _The Ark Lords_ and no _Rome's Evolution_.

Sometimes you have to take dramatic license if you want drama. Or humor. Or action. Or adventure. Or romance and so on.

## Entry 2-004: December 30, 2013

### The Shell War

Although it is mentioned several times throughout the _Rome's Revolution_ series, the shell of protection using the livetar clones and the shell of detection using the star-probes is continually expanding. The star-probes and livetars are both built as variants of the VIRUS units so they are capable of self-replication. As time wears on, these shells expand radially.

What is the purpose of these shells? Originally, it was to protect against the Stareaters but they turned out to be friendly and intelligent and all you had to do is put out a gravitic beacon and they would not eat you.

Another thing these shells were for was to protect the inner planets from meteors and asteroids from striking the inhabited world. At the end of _Rome's Revolution_ , MINIMCOM states that he is going out to check on how the livetars were doing digesting the planet-killer asteroid originally planned for wiping out the mandasurte.

The third and unstated purpose for the shell was to protect against invasion by the Cecetiras. However, Lawlidon and his secret war with the Cecetiras was excised from the modern version of the book.

Regardless, over time, the shells keep expanding. Eventually, they intersect with similar shells produced by other sentient races. How do those alien cultures react? For some, it is welcome and the Galactic Union comes out of it. Others are less receptive. In fact, in one case, a war, called The Shell War, breaks out and that will be chronicled in the novel _Vuduri Knight_ which will be out next year.

## Entry 2-005: December 31, 2013

### Thorium-235

In _Rome's Revolution_ , you will find many references to an isotope of thorium. In this particular case, it is thorium-235 which has a half-life of 7340 years, the same as thorium-229. The reality is: my version of this isotope does not exist. The real isotope has a half-life of only 7.6 minutes but my version lasts a lot longer.

Why thorium, anyway? Well, I needed an isotope that could continue to produce power for at least a thousand years. The Arks were powered by thorium-235 and the electronics that modulated The Grey Drive as well as the on-board computers were powered by a nuclear reactor.

When the colonists arrived at their new home world, the power rods that reanimated the frozen people contained thorium as well.

The power rods were also used for activating vehicles and so forth. The Deucadons used the power rods to create their artificial sun, deep within the caves of Deucado, before they tapped in the magma pool and switch to geothermal.

The theoretical isotope of thorium was also used to provide the explosive power behind the mini-nukes. Now that the book trailer is out for _The Ark Lords_ , you can get a better idea of how powerful they were.

## Entry 2-006: January 1, 2014

### The Game Plan for 2014

Happy New Year to all from the 35th century and the world of _Rome's Revolution_.

Here is my game plan for 2014:

1. Finishing compiling the first 365 posts from this blog, **Tales of the Vuduri** and release it as an e-book on Amazon, B&N, iTunes, Kobo and Smashwords. Bruce already has a preliminary version of the cover done and it is fantastic. It should be done and out in the next few weeks.

2. Bear down and start cranking out _The Milk Run_. It's about half done and the remainder has all been outlined. No reason why I shouldn't be able to get it done in a few months.

3. Continue to post these articles. **Tales of the Vuduri** has been a lot of fun for me and keeps the creative juices flowing and has actually helped me in the development of the _The Milk Run_ , believe it or not.

4. Release the book trailer for _Rome's Evolution_. Bruce has an animatic version of it done and it is mind-blowing. The book trailer for _The Ark Lords_ is pretty awesome but this new one is going to blow it away.

5. After the release of _The Milk Run_ , finish up _The Vuduri Companion_. I have all the material compiled. This is really just an edit job.

6. Start laying out the ground work for _The Vuduri Knight_ starring Aason's son, Rory and his "pet" starship, Trei. This book concerns The Shell War which I mentioned two days ago.

7. Get _Rome's Revolution_ made into an audio book. I have a studio who is interested. I am waiting on the voice audition tape. If it sounds good, I'm going to try and get financing via a crowd-sourcing site.

8. I have _Rome's Revolution_ in the hands of a genuine Hollywood producer. The trick is getting him to find the time to read it and render his judgment or pass it along.

9. Beyond that, there is the "redo" of the first _Rome's Revolution_ book trailer. Plotting out _The Last Journey_ , attending another PhilCon. Plus other stuff I haven't even thought of.

Sound like enough for one year? Thanks for sticking with this.

Again, a Happy and Healthy New Year to all.

## Entry 2-007: January 2, 2014

### The Power Rods

The mission planners for the Arks designed the ship to be powered by thorium 235. The sarcophagi used to hold the frozen colonists were also powered by twin power rods containing thorium 235 as well:

The power rods were hollow cylinders built from a lead/tin alloy and contained a substantial amount of thorium 235. On the one side was a slit which would allow neutrons to escape. They were inserted into a cylindrical cavity and rotated so that the slit was sealed by a lead/tin extrusion within the well. On the other side of the rod was a thin sheet of lead-impregnated, neutron-blocking glass.

If the Ark landed normally, all you had to do would be to rotate each rod 180 degrees so that the slits faced inwards. The thorium would be exposed and neutrons would fly out. This would allow enough radiation to escape to generate heat which would be captured by thermocouples, converted into electricity and the sarcophagus would power up.

But what if the Ark crash-landed? That's where the thin sheet of lead glass comes in. If the Ark crashed, the glass would shatter and allow enough radiation to heat up the thermocouples and the occupant could be resuscitated without requiring _any intervention_ by another crew member.

One of the scenes excised from the original long form of _Rome's Revolution_ was the initial reanimation of Rei Bierak. However, in Part 2, I did retain the scene within The Cathedral where each of the frozen crew members of the Ark II was reawakened. It was there that Rei instructed the Ibbrassati on how to rotate the rods to activate the thaw.

We also got to see the power rods in use for "inflating" the vehicles which were collapsed in the cargo section. And finally, we learned from the Deucadons that many centuries earlier, they powered their first artificial sun using the power rods taken from the Ark III's sarcophagi.

## Entry 2-008: January 3, 2014

### The Sarcophagus

The Ark program, the frozen colonists and the sarcophagi they were carried in represents the bedrock of _Rome's Revolution_. In numerous previous posts I mentioned that the Ark was not much more than a "flying tin can" and all the money was sunk into the design of the sarcophagus itself. The idea being the ship was going to get damaged, this is just an actuarial hazard of being in space, but by sending the frozen colonists in armored sarcophagi, most would survive.

Here is a horrible image which is supposed to be a hint as to what it looked like:

This symbolic representation represents the two main elements of the chamber. The top part is just a very high-tech coffin with pumps for the cryo-hibernation fluid, oxygen generators, heater/blower combination and a control panel. The lower section contains the power rods, the electronics, storage chambers for clothing and a few day's worth of rations.

At the very bottom were superconducting magnets which allowed the sarcophagus to be clamped on the fairly cheap shelving to pack the bodies in.

Here is how it was supposed to work:

1. The command crew is reanimated  
2. The Ark lands  
3. Somebody turns the power rods 180 degrees so that the nuclear reaction begins  
4. The mechanism is activated, the cryo-hibernation fluid is melted and pumped away  
5. The auto-defibrillator restarts the colonist's heart  
6. The heater/blower warms them up  
7. They arise  
8. They hop out, pull out a drawer, get dressed  
9. They drink some water, eat some rations and move on to the next colonist so that everyone is reanimated.

Sounds simple, huh? Turns out, sometimes it goes smooth, sometimes it doesn't.

## Entry 2-009: January 4, 2014

##

### Death Count

When we first meet Rome and Rei in _Rome's Revolution_ , neither of them seem like killers, let alone murderers. However circumstances sometimes force you into actions that lead to the death of people or entities. For example, in Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rome and Rei unleash the VIRUS units and cause the death of a Stareater. At the time, they did not know that they were intelligent and noble creatures but Balathunazar died, nonetheless.

In Part 3 of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rei and Rome are trapped under Kilauea with Estar issuing the order to terminate them. Rei was under the influence of a post-hypnotic suggestion from OMCOM but that was not going to stop him from saving Rome's life. Rei grabbed a plasma pistol from one of the guards and shot him in the stomach. I'm pretty sure he died. Also, Rei sheared off the arm of another guard and unless he got medical attention really fast, I'm pretty sure he died as well.

For her part, Rome wrestled with Estar until the ceiling caved in, slicing off part of Estar's skull and her brains, or something similar, spilled out onto the floor. I'm pretty sure she died as well. In the next section, Rome stood by passively as Rei unleashed the weaponized VIRUS units which ultimately destroyed MASAL, taking Kilauea with him. Whoever was still in that complex most likely died as well.

In _The Ark Lords_ , Rome flashed Hanry Ta Jihn's M9 Beretta, aiming it at Captain Keller. She didn't kill him but I still wonder to this day how she had good enough aim to hit the ersatz virus vessel and not Keller.

Finally, in _Rome's Evolution_ , when Steele threatened to kill Rei, Rome smashed him in the back of the head with a rock. I know Rome to some degree and I'm pretty sure she didn't care if she killed Steele or not. She used all of her might and if he died, he died. When they fought the final battle on the ethereal plane, Rome did not directly kill Reema. That was left up to Sussen. But by Rome's actions, Bonnie Mullen came into possession of the Beretta and that was the end of Sussen.

So I do not have an exact death count for you but Rome and Rei directly or indirectly had a hand in the death of a multitude of entities and people. They suffered no guilt about it. In every instance, they were acting in self-defense. If you love someone, what other choice do you have?

## Entry 2-010: January 5, 2014

### The Auto-defibrillator

In a previous post, we discussed the sarcophagus that stored the frozen colonists in _Rome's Revolution_. In Step 5 of the resuscitation process, an auto-defibrillator was used to restart the heart of the person being thawed. This is not much different from the auto-defibrillators found in supermarkets and airports today.

Those devices have sensing circuitry to tell if the victim's heart is already beating so you don't try and shock a heart that doesn't need shocking. However, in the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , this sensing circuitry had failed and Rei got a shock even though his heart was beating normally. Reference was made to this event in the current version of _Rome's Revolution_ using a single sentence:

Looking past the cylinder, Rei saw his sarcophagus sitting in the far corner of the room. That plus the tender spot on his chest where the auto-defibrillator had burned him confirmed this was no dream.

In the original long-form, the awakening was described in much greater detail and much more viscerally:

The cardiac sensors glued to Rei's torso, degraded from centuries of disuse, could not detect the slow but steady beat of his revived heart. Lacking feedback, the unsuspecting microprocessor integrated into the chamber continued on its pre-programmed sequence. The high-pitched resonance of step-up coils charging echoed off the coffin's walls. Rei's torpid, semi-frozen brain failed to comprehend the significance of the sound. As soon as it was fully charged, the automatic defibrillator fired off a 300-joule jolt of electricity in a misguided attempt to resuscitate him for a second time.

Searing pain shot all through Rei's chest. Fortunately, as a young and healthy male, his heart was able to fend off the external attack and maintain a normal sinus rhythm. Rei tried to scream but could not as there was no air in his lungs to exhale. With a superhuman effort, he reached up and clawed off one of the leads before the defibrillator could discharge for a third and possibly fatal time.

Like a fireplace bellows, the motion of Rei's arm stimulated his lungs. He drew in a great raspy breath, sucking wetly on the air surrounding him. The flow of air hurt going in so he held the breath for a long time, savoring its feel in his lungs before finally letting go. He drew in another breath and this time it was not nearly as painful.

I'll put the whole excised chapter in the upcoming _The Vuduri Companion_ sometime later this year.

## Entry 2-011: January 6, 2014

### Aging and the Vuduri

I have always thought it odd that the Vuduri did not conquer aging. The fact is, the 24th chromosome imbued them with a bewildering set of improvements to the human condition including a vastly improved immune system but it did not retard the aging process. We see this time and time again in all the novels of the _Rome's Revolution_ series but never will it be so clear as when _The Vuduri Companion_ is published later this year.

29 years after the events of _The Milk Run_ , a 75-year-old Rome is confronted by an incarnation of OMCOM who has returned from the universe between dimensions. OMCOM is glad to catch up with her again but his livetar is dismayed to see her showing signs of aging. When he quizzes her about this, Rome replies simply that "The Vuduri believe that every tree must give way to the seedling." She added, "They believe that death is a part of life so each generation much yield to the next." But why? Why not extend life? As OMCOM pointed out, surely it was within the Vuduri's technological prowess to do so.

I suppose it comes down to the Vuduri's view on life and the value of any human being. Since the Overmind pretty much runs things, any particular human is of lesser value than in our age where each individual is free to contribute to the betterment of society. It is pragmatic to assume that younger people have more vitality to contribute to an endeavor when compared to older people. The Overmind must prefer this situation.

I do not agree. I think that during each phase of life a person has something to contribute which they could not have done earlier and would not be able to do later. But the Vuduri do not think the way I do. They are their own culture and believe that youth is _not_ wasted on the young. I think someday (maybe this year), Rome will go about changing this perception and Vuduri society.

## Entry 2-012: January 7, 2014

### Aason's Birthday

Aason Bierak is Rome and Rei's son and he is born in Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. But when was he actually born? By that I mean the date.

Let's start with the year. We know that Rei is first thawed in the year 3455 AD. He and Rome attack and kill the Stareater, Balathunazar and then leave for their year-long journey to Deucado. Along the way, Rome gets pregnant and Aason is born right after the war between the Essessoni and the Vuduri is stopped before it starts.

So we can determine that Aason was born in the year 3456 AD. But when?

In the earlier long-form of _Rome's Revolution_ , when Rei and Rome first arrive on Earth, Rei notices it is fairly warm so he asks Rome what season and she replies winter. She says the effects of global warming introduced by the Essessoni are still having an effect.

Winter runs from December 21st of one year to March 21st of the next but if Aason is born in December, it would be the wrong year so we know he was most likely born in January or February.

The way I figured out the exact date was because I know that Aason is just about 5 years older than Lupe and she was born in the year 3460 AD, in September. So to get him as close as possible to that age separation, I put his birthday in early January. **January 7** **th** **, 3456 AD** has a nice ring to it so that's the date I'm sticking to.

Since today is the day, I just want to say _Happy Birthday_ **to** **Aason Bierak** , boy wonder.

## Entry 2-013: January 8, 2014

### The cryo-hibernation fluid

In a previous post, we discussed the action items the sarcophagus had to perform to reanimate a frozen person. However, I never really went into detail regarding the cryo-hybernation fluid itself. The fluid was introduced very early in the long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ but excised during the compaction of the first three books into an omnibus.

At first glance, the fluid reminds one of the green slime made popular on Nickelodeon:

However, the liquid is a little less viscous and has about the same density as anti-freeze. The liquid has a dual purpose. When it is first pumped in, its sole purpose it to put the sedated would-be colonist into a state of extreme hypothermia. The fluid starts at 25 degrees Celsius and this is low enough to cause the body to enter stasis with the heart, lungs and circulatory system shutting down. At that point, the cryogenic coolers kick in and the occupant is taken all the way down to zero degrees Celsius. They are completely frozen.

This is not fatal, as demonstrated by the common wood frog because the subjects are completely dehydrated prior to being frozen. The state of dehydration prevents the intracellular fluid from expanding too much and rupturing the cell walls.

However, it is upon reanimation that the special properties of this fluid come to the fore. It contains a heavy dose of co-trimoxazole which is designed to penetrate the skin and rehydrate the body as well as act as an antibiotic to counteract any infections which have been festering over the centuries. Believe it or not, another component of the fluid was derived from Urushiol which is the oil exuded by poison ivy. As we have all experienced, it is particularly effective in penetrating the skin and getting to the underlying layers. The final element was that the fluid was hyper-oxygenated so that life-giving oxygen could be delivered to all the tissues before the heart started beating again.

Early research into the cryo-hibernation process revealed that re-hydrating the body was of paramount importance during the resuscitation cycle. Here is the original resurrection scene where Rei had to deal with the melting of the fluid:

Barely conscious, Rei Bierak lay motionless within his cryo-hibernation chamber. Pumps vibrated quietly as they drained the thick rehydration fluid from his hermetically sealed sarcophagus. Rei did not feel the gloppy green liquid as it oozed from his ears and nose. He felt nothing but abysmal cold. Eyes shut, he could do nothing but wait until his body warmed sufficiently to move.

## Entry 2-014: January 9, 2014

### The mind-deaf and the hearing deaf

I have a Ph.D. in Sensory Science (specifically auditory physiology) with a minor in Computer Science from Syracuse University. During my time there, as I was studying for my doctorate, I had many opportunities to interact with deaf people and study the deaf community at large. When I designed the Vuduri society for _Rome's Revolution_ , once I came up with the idea of mind-connected people and the balance of the mandasurte, the mind-deaf, I had to draw upon that experience to build an alternate society to contrast against the Vuduri.

The hearing deaf, especially in the United States, are a complex community and have many unique characteristics. I make no judgment. I'm just a scifi writer so I used my experience to mimic things that I learned about a group of people who have a different way of perceiving the world than the main-stream.

First and foremost, while deaf people are aware of the fact that they are deaf, they have found numerous ways of overcoming that sensory deficit to the point where it isn't a deficit at all. As a whole, they are just as happy as the hearing people so I made the mandasurte a happy group as well. The hearing deaf have their own language (sign language) and so I made sure the mandasurte had their own language as well.

Also, while this is certainly no rule, hearing deaf people sometimes gather in communities or groups, just like any other group. Thus I had the mandasurte gather in enclaves where they could luxuriate in the comfort of others like them.

As in our world, our scientists have worked tirelessly to research and come up with inventions to allow the hearing deaf to hear. So too, with the Vuduri, I had them invent the Espansor Bands so that mandasurte could experience communication the same as the Vuduri with an artificial device.

All in all, I tried to make the mandasurte parallel the hearing deaf to give a feel of authenticity to a society apart. At the same time, I wanted to show that such a people are not to be pitied but rather admired because they have taken what nature has given them and built a complete and satisfactory society around themselves.

## Entry 2-015: January 10, 2014

### Burial habits of the Vuduri

When we first meet the Vuduri in _Rome's Revolution_ , we are introduced to how they handle death almost immediately. After all, the only reason they have quarters for Rei is because a crewman died. When asked how they treat their dead, Rome replied simply that their bodies were recycled. Not buried. Not cremated. Just recycled. Shades of _Soylent Green_!

This makes sense when you look at it from the Vuduri perspective. People are interchangeable, barely distinguishable and therefore their deaths have nearly no significance. Rome was different. Even before she showed her inner personality to Rei, we noted that she was holding on to the Espansor Bands as a remembrance to keep her father's memory alive. Very un-Vuduri-like.

Rei's people, known as the Essessoni, brought with them their belief in God, Heaven, Hell, the soul and so forth. When it came to people dying, their first choice was to bury the dead and they forced that choice among the denizens of Deucado.

The Deucadons, survivors of the Ark III crash, lived underground so they could not bury their dead but rather created extensive catacombs in their underworld and placed the departed there. The mandasurte too, buried their dead so this became the universal method of remembrance on Deucado.

However, the _Rome's Revolution_ universe takes place in the 35th century. It's hard to imagine that in this future world, there isn't _some_ progress in determining if there truly is an immortal soul and a life after death. This is the central theme of _The Milk Run_ and will show one possible place where the soul might go. Think of it as a unified theory of God.

And once it is established that when you die, you aren't really dead, could a two-way street be opened there? You'll have to wait until the final chapter in the Rome and Rei saga tentatively called _The Final Journey_ which I hope to have completed by the end of the year.

## Entry 2-016: January 11, 2014

### Sleek and Wow

In _Rome's Revolution_ , the colonists from the 21st century don't leave until 2067 AD. You would assume that some new colloquial expressions would seep into English between now and then. Adding new colloquial expressions is nothing new in science fiction. Anybody who is a fan of Joss Whedan's _Firefly_ knows they speak a mix of English and Mandarin and they often describe cool things as shiny.

When I was growing up, things were neat, cool, slick, hot and so forth. Regardless of the word, the sentiment was to use an ordinary word to express something being special or great.

So it was that I introduced the word sleek into Rei Bierak's vocabulary. It had to be a word which meant something to us today but could also be easily understood that it had evolved into a colloquialism in the future.

The Vuduri, on the other hand, don't even speak under normal circumstances. The fact that Rome grew up in a mixed home allowed her to develop her language skills but learning English was completely foreign to her. OMCOM fed her the transliteration of our language as she was acquiring it until she conquered the new language. However, she only mastered formal English at first. Later, having spent so much time with Rei, she picked up on how to speak more informally, sprinkling her speech with contractions. At first she thought this was sufficient but after listening to Rei, she realized there was more to speech than just vocabulary.

Her big breakthrough was with the word wow. Her first attempt at using the word came when OMCOM computed the distance a star-probe could cover in a single jump. It turned out to be 120 light years. Rome couldn't help it. She said wow to express her wonderment but the word sounded funny coming out of her lips.

Of course we know as she became more comfortable with English, the word wow became a natural part of her speech. In fact, by the time she and Rei left Tabit to begin their year-long journey to Deucado, it was already rolling off her tongue. The very fact that she learned to experience wonderment and used a word to express it is a big wow unto itself.

Go Rome!

## Entry 2-017: January 12, 2014

### Burial at sea

In the middle of Part 3 of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rome and Rei are interrogated regarding the supposed disposition of Aason's body. Their cover story was that he was stillborn. However, this was one part of "The Lie" that they didn't review. When Oronus questioned Rome as to what they did with the body, she quickly stated that Rei build a Ceoxei (a type of coffin) and they gave Aason a "burial at sea" meaning they ejected the coffin into space. When Rei was questioned, he quickly stated that they recycled the body because that's what the Vuduri do.

Oronus did catch the lie but did not really spend any time thinking about it. Rome's fate had already been sealed and this inconsistency had no bearing on the outcome. Secretly, Estar and the Onsiras were tapped into the proceedings. After she captured Rome and Rei, she was determined to find the truth. She injected Rei with a serum which would force him to enter MASAL's version of the Overmind. The spirits within confronted Rei about this inconsistency, trying to prove that either he or Rome was lying.

However, the answer Rei gave reconciled the two versions and confounded Estar because she could not challenge the story. Rei told Estar that he had drugged Rome and suffocated the living baby at birth and tossed its body in the recycling vat before Rome awakened. Thus the story he told Oronus was true.

He then went on to say that as far as Rome knew, the baby was stillborn. He did, indeed, make a Ceoxei but he did not let Rome look into the little coffin he had prepared. Thus Rome's remembrance of the events were true, as well, from her perspective.

Rei's reasons behind all of this are unspeakably horrible but since Aason wasn't really dead, everything he said was all a lie, anyway. I supposed you could say that Rome and Rei had the last laugh because in the end, that lie led to Estar's death and vaporizing MASAL beneath Kilauea.

## Entry 2-018: January 13, 2014

### Rome reborn

In the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rome and Rei did not use the bands nor sleep together until Chapter 9. In the current version, they do so at the end of Chapter 2. Regardless of what chapter it happened, the next morning/day, Rome is awakened by something falling off of her desk because of a moon-quake.

There are several nuances to this scene designed to give it the proper flavor but they are not emphasized. For example, when Rome woke up, she spoke English to Rei which had already become natural for her. Second, as soon as she realized she had been cut off (Cesdiud) from the Overmind, she had a panic attack and showed strong emotion. The Vuduri are not supposed to express emotion so already we knew that there was a deeper, more caring Rome inside of her even though this particular incident was caused by trauma.

As the gravity of the situation begins to present itself to her, she leaps up, stark naked. The Vuduri just don't have a sense of modesty like we do. Also, I mentioned she was wearing a thin ankle bracelet, called a Yatori which is incongruous with the concept that the Vuduri do not wear jewelry. Or as my wife likes to point out, makeup, either.

Next, as I have mentioned before, when Rome is stressed out, she reverts to formal English or even Vuduri. In this case, it is straight Vuduri. She accosts OMCOM and demands to know what has happened in Vuduri. Her worst fears are realized and she collapses to the floor. At this point, although she mostly cries and carries on, English is gone. Only Vuduri.

The other thing I tried to hammer home was the Rome curled up in the fetal position. This is meant to be figuratively and literally Rome's rebirth. In fact, if I ever go back and rewrite _Rome's Revolution_ and split it back into three books, this first book, currently known as Part 1, will be called Rebirth.

So, if you get a chance to review, go back and read that chapter and you will see that even though it is subtle and uses very few words, there are a lot of sociological and plot-driving points here.

## Entry 2-019: January 14, 2014

### The Vuduri keyboard

The data input devices demonstrated in _Rome's Revolution_ are not exactly like the keyboards we use today. Because the Vuduri are connected to the computer (OMCOM), via their bloco and stilo, they don't need to type in individual words. Their keyboards are more like the type seen at McDonalds.

However, the Vuduri input devices are mounted flush with the horizontal surface of the workstation and are projected. Their actual functions can be context-sensitive and they can even convert to a Vuduri-alphabet-based keyboard if required but that is normally not necessary. Upon occasion, there is a drawing section that uses swipe motions to produce actions or render images.

You will recall in Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rome's new genetic structure is kicking in and her bloco and stilo have stopped working. She is still able to manage the flight controls because they are just a variant of the input keyboard and flexible. Also, occasionally, a mandasurte has been known to enter data so they have to be able to access more primitive data entry as well.

So while I may refer to it as a keyboard from time to time, understand it is a powerful and flexible data entry device. iPad anybody?

## Entry 2-020: January 15, 2014

### Emotional distance

When I originally wrote the modern, long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , it was my first time trying to create completely new people from scratch. My previous novel, _Future Past_ , while it is a book of fiction, it was based upon actual people I knew.

When I created the character of Rei, I jotted down some basic elements of his personality and physical characteristics and dove in. Two days ago, I discussed the trauma that Rome underwent when she was first cast out (Cesdiud) from the Overmind. While Rei was capable of telling that she was upset, after Rome kicked him out of her room, he just started wandering around the star-base.

An early reader pointed out to me that if Rei really loved Rome, he would be heart-sick over the situation and wouldn't just blithely walk away. So I had to go back and retrofit many, many scenes with indicators that he was, in fact, emotionally connected to Rome and her pain was his pain.

The first thing I did after Rei left Rome's room, was have him sink against the wall right outside of her room and hug his knees. This was meant to show that he was now helpless to assist her but still couldn't bear the thought of what she must be going through. After that, I had him rub his chest, his heart in particular and gave him many more emotional expressions when the subject of Rome (or the sight of her) came up.

The particular reader who spotted the initial emotional disconnect said that I had done enough and it no longer made Rei seem like he didn't care.

This was a very useful exercise. When I started Book 2, which became Part 2, Rei and Rome are separated for a good portion of the book. Rei thought he had lost Rome forever. I was able to throw in a lot of scenes, expressions and actions to indicate that he was under emotional duress.

Live and learn. From here on in, my characters must care about each other and show it!

## Entry 2-021: January 16, 2014

### The Vuduri gym

In the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , after Rome had been cast out (Cesdiud), she told Rei to get lost and he truly did. He had no idea where he was and wandered around aimlessly.

At one point, he stumbled across a rather large room which he could tell was a gymnasium. This is not surprising. The Vuduri are very concerned with physical conditioning and the gravity on Dara is rather low. Here is that deleted scene:

Rei noticed a large group of Vuduri entering a room so he followed them in and was amazed to find a huge gymnasium with curvilinear walls. The room was at least 30 meters in length and there were all sorts of people engaged in calisthenics, weight machines and other exercise equipment that he couldn't identify. Some of them were locked into an apparatus that was spinning, perhaps to simulate higher gravity using centrifugal force. He couldn't tell.

He stood there for a moment in awe because of the furious pace that the participants were taking yet not a word was spoken. The calisthenics group jumped up and down in perfect synchrony, twisting and bending.

The weight lifters would get up and switch equipment as if they were cogs in some invisible machine or human lemmings. He recognized one woman as the one who was staring at him when he and Rome took their first meal together. She was staring at him again. He stepped toward her, but one of the nearer crewmen grunted, "Locance," at him and made the same sweeping motion, toward the door, that the older man had done. Rei finally figured out that it meant get out of here so he left.

This scene didn't really drive the plot along very much so bye-bye. After Rei left the gym, he encountered Estar for the first time and that was important enough to leave in.

## Entry 2-022: January 17, 2014

### The first encounter with Estar

In both the original, long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ and the modern version, Rei passes Estar in the hallway and notices she has funny eyes. Also, in both cases, Rei encounters Estar in the hallway, right after Rome is Cesdiud. In the original scene, Estar did not have mismatched eyes, though:

"Halli le," someone said to Rei.

He turned and saw a woman coming toward him. Like all the Vuduri, she was short. She had blonde hair, but it was cut so severely, it was almost a buzz cut. Rei recognized her as one of the ones from the Great Room and the exercise room, but he did not know her name.

"Yes?" he said and walked back toward her.

"I need to ask you some questions," she said in English.

"How do you speak English?" Rei asked.

"From Rome. The Overmind," she said, tapping her temple.

Rei wrinkled his forehead trying to understand how one person learning English could result in another mastering it. This Overmind must accumulate information in a way he couldn't comprehend. He decided not to try. And still, there was something else about the woman. He couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"What's your name?" Rei asked.

"Estar," she replied.

"Oh yes, Rome mentioned you," Rei said. "You're the other data archivist, right?"

"Yes," she said. "It is imperative that I speak to you. I require that you remain still for a few moments."

"Sure," Rei said. "What do you need?"

"I need to clarify your intent," she said.

"My intent about what?" Rei asked, looking her right in the eye. Then it came to him. Her eyes were not like Rome's or the other Vuduri for that matter. Her irises were luminous silver. They were so bright, they seemed actually reflective. She had the same glow emitting from her pupils as did Rome. The net effect made it seem as if she had no pupils at all which Rei found slightly unnerving. To Rei, it almost looked like she might be blind, yet clearly she was not.

Estar interrupted Rei's reverie. She said, "Your goal is to continue your journey. Perhaps to find a way back to Deucado and also find a way to tow your Ark with the Essessoni aboard, correct?"

"You already know that," Rei said. "Aren't you part of the Overmind?"

"Yes, of course," she said. "But I need to know your intentions. You are going to thaw out your people when you get wherever you are going, correct?"

"Well, sure," Rei said, puzzled. "That's the whole point of our mission in the first place."

"Is it your intent to unload the Erklirte weapons as well?" the woman asked.

"Weapons?" Rei replied, confused. "What kind of weapons? We're not carrying any weapons."

"Let me rephrase then," Estar said. "When you arrive at your new home world, you intend to land the cargo portion of your craft and unpack its contents, correct?"

"Of course," Rei said. "We'll need that stuff to get organized, to start our lives there."

"Very well," she said. "That is all I needed to know." Without another word, she spun in place and started walking back toward the gym.

"Wait!" Rei shouted after her. "Why are you asking me this? Who are you, anyway?"

Well, now we know who she was. She was an agent for MASAL, spying on the Vuduri mission to Tabit. Why MASAL sent her was never clear to me but I suppose he had an inkling, as did OMCOM, that stars disappearing is not a good thing and he wanted to be prepared just in case he needed to exploit what they found. It turned out to be quite fortuitous because otherwise, he would never have known a whole Ark-load of Essessoni were on their way to Deucado to foil his plans for genocide. Unfortunately for him, he never quite got the chance to pull it off, though, being vaporized and all.

## Entry 2-023: January 18, 2014

### Farming weapons

In yesterday's post, we saw Estar's first encounter with Rei. She brought up the idea that the Essessoni were carrying weapons aboard the Ark. This concept was carried forward in the modern version of _Rome's Revolution_ as well.

Rei was surprised, in both versions, that the Arks were carrying weapons. He knew they had some hunting rifles but that was about it. Hardly anything to be feared. But this was before he knew about Darwin and their secret agenda. The rest of the "Whites" - the people in the white sarcophagi - were never informed that all the equipment they brought along were meant to be dual purpose.

The drilling rigs used particle beams to drill down. All you had to do was turn them sideways and they became cannons. The mini-nukes, meant to be mining explosives, well, there's not much distinguishing them from bombs. Even the masonry levels could easily be converted into the laser pulse rifles demonstrated in _The Ark Lords_ as part of the Jack Henry saga.

Trucks converting to troop carriers is a little less threatening but still represent the dual war-like nature of their equipment.

Even when he took his space-walk during the second Intermezzo in _Rome's Evolution_ and Rei had a chance to examine the equipment close up, he still didn't get it:

Rei looked down the long length of the cargo compartment and thought about what Estar had said to him, that they were carrying Erklirte weapons. Anything could be turned into a weapon. The hammer clipped to his side could be used as a weapon. The hunting rifles were the closest things to actual weapons but they hardly constituted something an entire race of people would fear. To think that this was the purpose of all of these supplies made no sense. Rei shook it off.

Boy was he ever wrong!

## Entry 2-024: January 19, 2014

### Ice-sabers

In the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_ , it is important that I put Aason Bierak through some difficulties. The first place he goes after his sister Lupe disappears is the star system of Nu2 Lupi. This star system is supposed to have TWO habitable planets, one very hot and one very cold but both habitable.

When Lupe disappears, she only has time to tell Aason that she was taken to Nu2 Lupi. Aason gets there and only finds one: the cold planet, called Hades by the inhabitants. What happened to the warm one? You'll find out.

When Aason gets to Hades, the first thing he finds out is that there are predators lurking in the woods, ready to eat him. I wanted to call them ice-wolves but I already used the term bat-wolves for the flying predators on Helome. I thought about ice-tigers, ice-panthers, ice-cats and so on. But nothing clicked.

These predators have a thin layer under their skin that suppresses all infra-red emissions and their main sensory organs are a flap of skin which detects infra-red similar to a snake-tongue. They are a cross between a saber-tooth tiger and a kangaroo:

Anyway, they lie in wait and hope for something to come along that emits heat. Something they can pounce upon and eat. Quickly.

I was having trouble naming these creatures but my wife, Denise, said just call them ice-sabers so that the reader knows they live in snow but are as vicious as saber-tooth tigers. So ice-sabers it is.

## Entry 2-025: January 20, 2014

### I cheated

Everybody likes a happy ending. I wanted one for _Rome's Revolution_ as well. So when Estar first tried to murder Rei, I thought the book would suffer if she succeeded. Likewise, when Rei and Rome were deep within Kilauea, MASAL fooled everyone and used Rome's PPT transceivers to turn the tables and force her to shoot at Rei.

Well, for Estar's first murder attempt, while I thought it was cool, it didn't really leave me a way for Rei to not die. Rei was in the airlock, the air evacuated, and he was about to suffocate. I thought about having him race over and put on a spacesuit which had its own oxygen supply but frankly I didn't think he had enough time to get it on and get the oxygen flowing.

So I cheated. The sarcophagus was designed to freeze a person and give them a one-way trip to the stars. Rei came right out and said that nobody could survive being placed in cryo-hibernation twice. Yet I allowed Rei to hop into the sarcophagus, close the seal and start the freezing cycle which for some strange reason began piping oxygen into the chamber. It makes no sense but it did save his life and I'll bet you read right past it and gave Rei an attaboy for being so clever but it was a cheat nonetheless.

Remember, I claim these stories are true, they just haven't happened yet. So when Rei and Rome were underneath Kilauea and Rome aimed her blaster at Rei's head, I thought she was really going to kill him. This was so depressing to me that I actually had to stop writing the book for a weekend. Finally, on Monday morning, much to my relief, it occurred to me that Rei just needed to be transported out there before Rome shot him. But how? That's when I came up with the snap, whoosh, pop PPT transporter tunnels. I doubled back and introduced them in the shack in Hawaii so that you, the reader, didn't think I invented them just to get Rei out of a jam. But I did.

Here is the actual passage:

Rome came closer and stopped ten feet away from him. She pointed the weapon directly at his head. With a will of its own, Rome's other hand reached up and twisted the intensity dial on the pistol to make sure it was at its maximum.

Rome looked at Rei, feeling utterly helpless. Through her tears, Rome said, "I love you, Rei."

"And I love you, sweetheart." Rei said.

**Rome closed her eyes. There was a whoosh and popping noise just as she squeezed the trigger.** The blast was intense. When she opened her eyes, Rei was gone as was a good portion of the robot that had been holding Rei's shoulder.

Rome screamed "Reiiiiiiiiiii!" at the top of her lungs until she had no more breath in her. Something snapped. The force that had been driving her limbs ceased having any meaning or power. She raised her pistol and fired it right at MASAL blasting a huge chunk into the air. She became living fury. She fired the weapon over and over and over. Shrapnel exploded everywhere.

Just by making Rome close her eyes, I was able to pull it off.

But I did cheat.

## Entry 2-026: January 21, 2014

### Nine billion people died

I had postulated that a catastrophe befell the Earth in the year 2081 AD. It was called the Great Dying and nine billion people died. The event was first described in _Rome's Revolution_ and formed the basis of the plot of _The Ark Lords_.

But how did I come up with the figure of nine billion people? Why not eight billion? Why not ten? I have looked at numerous projections of human population over the next few years and most show the total population around 8 billion in 2030 AD, 9 billion in 2060 AD and leveling off around 10 billion in 2100 AD.

However, in my future history, the Darwin Project members released Virus Strain 3 aka the Lupine Flu in 2063 AD which put a serious dent in the global population. So I simply slid the projections to the right about 20 years and came up with the figure of 9 billion.

The fact is, projections are projections and cannot take into account unknown natural (or unnatural) disasters. As the population density grows, tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes and meteor strikes will kill more people at once.

So nine billion people, 99.99% of humanity, seemed like a reasonable figure at the time Virus Strain 4 was released. The people that released it were monsters and they ultimately got what they deserved.

## Entry 2-027: January 22, 2014

### Chara

The star Chara is mentioned in _Rome's Revolution_ and plays an important role in _The Ark Lords_. It was the target of Ark V, the "stealth Ark" and was used as a loop-around to bring the Erklirte (the Ark Lords) back to Earth.

Chara has multiple names including Asterion but its technical name is Beta Canum Venaticorum. It is a G-type main-sequence star in the northern constellation Canes Venatici. Here is a picture of where you might find it:

Because it is a G-type star, it might have planets, some of which might be habitable. It has been called a solar analog since it is only 3% more massive than the Sun. In 2006, astronomer Margaret Turnbull labeled Chara as the top stellar system candidate to search for extraterrestrial life. Because of its solar-type properties, astrobiologists have listed it among the most astrobiologically interesting stars within 10 parsecs of the Sun. However, in the world of _Rome's Revolution_ , a Kepler-type mission scrutinized it to the point where scientists were able to conclude that it did _not_ have any habitable worlds.

Thus Rei was surprised when he found out they launched a mission there. It wasn't until _The Ark Lords_ that he realized the mission to Chara was just a "damned time machine" with the horrendous results of the Erklirte almost taking over the Earth.

## Entry 2-028: January 23, 2014

### Helpless

As I have mentioned previously, one of the tenets of the world of _Rome's Revolution_ is that 14 centuries from now, the chances of the Vuduri speaking American English were non-existent. So I came up with a computer program that converted English into Vuduri.

Needless to say, most of the words that came out of the program were very strange, sometimes unpronounceable. To me, the language sounds a lot like Latin. However, I was helpless to change them as it felt like that would be cheating. Luckily, I never saw a translation that became an unprintable word in English so 99.9% of the time, I let it slide.

In rare instances, I did change a word to make the text read better. For example, the Vuduri have an internal display screen, a tablet, that originally came out as blece in Vuduri. I changed it to bloco just because it seemed easier for Rei to pronounce. I also change the pointer/writer that the Vuduri used from asdolada to stilo. Stilo just seemed more like French and again easier to pronounce.

The original bad guys came out as Oncursiras. I shortened the word to Onsiras because it just flowed better.

The rest of the words, I left the same. Even OMCOM was pronounced IMCOM in Vuduri. Technically, a mini-OMCOM, also known as MINIMCOM should have been spelled MINOMCOM if I was true to form but I actually like MINIMCOM better. Sadly, most people pronounce his name as MINICOM but he deserves more respect than that. From a throwaway character, he grew in size, stature, intelligence and importance until he became an equal to Rome and Rei for plot management and crisis resolution. His son, MINIMCOM Jr., will carry on that proud tradition in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_.

## Entry 2-029: January 24, 2014

### How to cut open a door

As you will recall (from _Rome's Revolution_ ), I previously explained how Rome was able to lock herself in her room, much to the consternation of Commander Ursay and the rest of the crew. There was a crisis brewing as Winfall had just disappeared and unfortunately, they had packed up all their equipment. Here is the actual passage:

The door slid open. Rei cut across the Great Room and ran up the West Corridor, to the C-ring and turned to his right. Standing there was Commander Ursay, banging on Rome's door, shouting at her, stabbing at the stud on her door. Rei could hear Rome's muffled voice saying "Ni." Two burly crewmen were coming down the hallway with some nasty looking equipment in their hands.

This was long before I came up with the concept of the PPT Thrower so what was that "nasty looking equipment" ??

I guess in my mind, I was thinking something like a chain-saw or router. But later, after I invented the PPT Thrower, that would be the obvious choice. So let's just pretend that they had an industrial-sized PPT thrower. We'll assume that they used it for construction of Skyler Base and it was big and bulky but it was the best thing they had to cut the door open. OK?

## Entry 2-030: January 25, 2014

### Embedding a table in an e-book

There was exactly one illustration in _Rome's Revolution_. It was a table of numbers that OMCOM generated to demonstrate to the humans that the Stareaters were coming and would arrive at Earth within three years.

Now this might not seem like a difficult thing to put in a manuscript so that it renders properly on an Kindle or iPad. But I found it impossible. I tried using a Courier-style font, hard-coded the spaces but that still didn't render right. I tried using a table in Word but that didn't produce the proper results.

I finally threw in the towel and decided to render the table as an image and embed it in the book. Here is the image:

You may not like the way it looks but it got the job done.

A few items of note. This was after OMCOM, and to a lesser degree the Overmind, realized that Rei Beirak actually had insights to offer into the phenomenon which was threatening to collide with the Earth. So OMCOM not only put up the figures in the Vuduri language but also English. I cannot show you the actual Vuduri alphabet because I have never seen it so the words shown are transliterations of their pronunciation in English.

The second thing to note was Rei's contribution of identifying Alnilam, its distance and when the star disappeared according to Silas Hiram's journal. The table also includes the date that Capella dimmed but did not disappear.

The bottom line is that OMCOM calculated that Sol, and by extension Earth, had at most three years before the threat hit and would most likely wipe out the Earth.

## Entry 2-031: January 26, 2014

### The Rules of Green

I have mentioned The Rules of Green several times in _Rome's Revolution_. My thinking was that pollution and global warming would get so bad in the latter half of the 21st century that it would produce continent-sized, Category 7 storms which would transcend the word hurricane.

It was my further assumption that after The Great Dying in 2081 AD, after humanity had a chance to recover, they would blame our people, the Essessoni, for all the ills of the world and vowed to never, ever do things like us again.

Among other things, they created an absolute limit on a person's carbon footprint. They also banned any process that created greenhouse gasses. In fact, in my little story about the aborted novel entitled _The Last Cavalier_ , they wrestled with these issues. They were not allowed to have open flames.

Can you imagine how difficult life would be without fire? They couldn't cook, they'd freeze in the winter, they couldn't boil water. It would be a mess. In the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , I even had Binoda using a made-up induction oven they found in the shack by the beach.

Ultimately, I rejected the Rules of Green as a way of life. It was just too hard and took too much away from the plot. Now I'm all for reducing our carbon footprint to zero. And I'm all for reducing our emissions of greenhouse gasses to zero as well. Cows, on the other hand, produce an immense amount of methane due to flatulence and belching and there isn't much we can do about that.

But as a plot device, I had to get down off my soapbox and let the Vuduri have fire so they didn't freeze to death.

## Entry 2-032: January 27, 2014

### Tales of the Vuduri: Year One

I've had a blast writing these blog posts over the last year about the world of _Rome's Revolution_. I've discovered new facts, alternate versions, researched some scientific principles and just plain had fun. Well, I've take the first year's set of posts and bound them together into a single volume and am calling it _Tales of the Vuduri: Year One_ and it is now live on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords. Click on the links to go directly to the "buy" page.

It should be live in the iTunes store within a week or two as well. I also posted it right here on Goodreads. I'm going to sell it for $0.00 which should remove price as a barrier to purchase. I take that back. It's free everywhere except for Amazon and B&N which won't let you sell it for less than 99 cents but that's their policy. Either way, if you've missed any of these posts over the last year, it'll be an easy way to catch up.

Shockingly, the book is nearly 120,000 words long. Almost as long as _Rome's Revolution_ itself. Amazing! Bruce has done his usual fantastic job on creating a cover for me. His beautiful illustration portrays the early years of I-cimaci, the capitol of Earth. Here's the cover:

Anyway, I'll let you know when it goes live on iTunes. Let me know what you think.

## Entry 2-033: January 28, 2014

### Plot holes

Anybody who has ever written a book knows the flaws of the book better than any reader. There are a gazillion plot holes in _Rome's Revolution_ that I know about.

Over the next few days I'll be exposing some of these plot holes and try and fumble my way through an explanation as to why they are not plot holes at all.

Mostly you want to tell a great story. So, for example, I need things to come to a head in Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ so I made a portion of the colonists aboard the Ark II lunatics who were ready to go to war within 24 hours of being reanimated. I got called out about this by a reviewer on Amazon. He was right to some degree but I needed the book to get to a certain point. Of course, I couldn't let it go so this ended up being the plot behind _The Ark Lords_.

There is a YouTube channel by CinemaSins and their videos are called "Everything Wrong with _fill_in_movie_title_ in 3 minutes" so I'm not the only one who does this. Mostly readers are very forgiving of plot holes unless it ruins the story. I think _Rome's Revolution,_ _The Ark Lords_ and _Rome's Evolution_ are rich, enjoyable books so if they have a few plot holes, so be it. If you find one that really bothers you, maybe the next article or two will put your mind at ease. If I don't address it, send me a comment and I'll do my best to close the hole.

## Entry 2-034: January 29, 2014

### Why was Rome interrogated? Part 1

The first major plot hole I wanted to cover was Rome's interrogation. If you think back to Part 3 of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rome and Rei return to Earth to try and stop the Onsiras from sending a strike force to Deucado to wipe out the Ibbrassati. Immediately upon landing, they are taken into custody and driven to a building which, from its description, resembled one built for the sole purpose of incarcerating Rome.

Oronus, the Juoz (Judge), comes to see her but before he interrogates Rome, he decides to interrogate Rei. Why? Rei did nothing wrong. He didn't use the override to allow OMCOM's memrons to come in contact with Casimir Pumps. In fact, he didn't do much of anything other than follow the Vuduri's instructions to ferry his Ark to Deucado.

So why was Rei interrogated? Here is what I think: I think that the tiny, tiny fraction of the Overmind, comprised of the 80 odd members of the Vuduri contingent sent to Tabit still maintained a faint knowledge of its original mission. I think that Commander Ursay and the other members of that crew were changed so profoundly by their contact with Rome and Rei that even after reintegration back into the Overmind of Earth, those changes remained.

Look at Commander Ursay. When we first met him, he was stiff-as-a-board. Even by the end of Part 1, he wished Rei and Rome good luck. He reappeared in _The Ark Lords_ and stayed disconnected from the Overmind most of the time. He was also very helpful in conquering MASAL's Sipre in _Rome's Evolution_.

So I think the Overmind of Earth was just plain curious as to why Rome and Rei returned to Earth. I think the plan was to interrogate Rei and then let him go because even the Overmind realized he would not be very cooperative after they executed Rome. Oronus got his answers from Rei and that was that. So why interrogate Rome? After all, she was considered to be one of the most dangerous women in the universe because of her ideas.

Tomorrow.

## Entry 2-035: January 30, 2014

### Why was Rome interrogated? Part 2

Yesterday, we examined part 1 of the first major plot hole regarding Rome's interrogation. Oronus had his answers from Rei. Why ask Rome the same questions? What purpose would it serve?

This scene from Part 3 of _Rome's Revolution_ was originally designed way back when I thought the Overmind of Earth was behind the segregation and ultimate genocide of the Ibbrassati. It wasn't until later that I found out MASAL was behind it. I just thought it would be really cool for Rome to land, get hauled off to jail and potentially executed. Of course we know that Rei saves her by arguing on her behalf. Basically, he proved that Rome was just following orders and if the Overmind executed Rome, he'd have to execute every Vuduri on Earth.

But I don't think that's the answer. I don't think the Overmind ever had _any_ intention of executing Rome. If it had, they would have shot her as she was exiting the Flying House. No, I think the plan was always to commute her sentence, send her off to Hawai'i and let MASAL track her down. After all, she was part of the Slayer program described in _Rome's Evolution_. I think Oronus just let Rei defend her so the story was more believable. Laying a better trap as it were.

So maybe Oronus interrogating Rome was just part of this ruse. The fact that Rome told a different story about Aason's death than Rei and Oronus ignored it supports this claim.

However, luckily for me (and you, the reader) was the fact that Estar and the Onsiras were listening in and the discrepancy caused the chain of events leading to MASAL's destruction.

One teaser. We haven't seen the last of MASAL. He makes a surprising reappearance in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_ which should be ready later this year.

## Entry 2-036: January 31, 2014

### Rome has feelings

Another major plot hole in the _Rome's Revolution_ series is the whole mess about whether Rome had feelings or not growing up. I constantly go back and forth and give you conflicting information about this issue.

I told you that most Vuduri children are sent away and raised in communal daycare facilities yet Rome was not. I told you that Rome was a good little Vuduri yet she had her cat, Skodla whom she loved very much. She was supposed to be robotic but was heartbroken after her father was abducted. Even on Dara, when she first met Rei, she was immediately attracted to him yet was unable to articulate or even acknowledge this.

So what's the deal, anyway? Did Rome have feelings or not? Answer: I think she did. I think growing up in a "mixed" home allowed her to see both her father's emotional side and allowed her to see her mother's love for her father. Her peers would tease her (subtly, they were Vuduri after all) because she was mosdurece. So Rome learned to keep those feelings hidden away but they were there. She even came to have disdain for the open emotionality of the mandasurte.

She got so good at hiding her feelings that when she and Rei first tried on the Espansor Bands, many of her memories became unlocked that had been hidden away forever.

Rome mulled this over and in the end, she decided this was the way she was meant to be. She admitted to Rei that on the day she was Cesdiud (cast out), she was reborn and would never look back. But the fact is, she was just acknowledging feelings that had been under the surface all along.

## Entry 2-037: February 1, 2014

### Onsiras among us

Another plot hole was my handling of the Onsiras walking freely among the regular Vuduri yet never being noticed. Estar, who originally had pure silvery eyes clearly stood out, even in the modern version of _Rome's Revolution_ because she had mismatched eyes. How come nobody noticed? How come Rei was the first to point this out?

And the Zengei, the Onsiras with the flat black, shark-like eyes, nobody noticed they walked around like robots and didn't even communicate with the Overmind? How do you pull that off?

The answer lies in the Yatori which is a piece of ornamental cloth or jewelry that the Vuduri learn to ignore. They want so desperately to not think for themselves that if the Overmind says these weirdoes are OK, they believed him.

Rome's whole premise for exposing the danger represented by the Onsiras was to find a pure Vuduri, not tainted by this "second sight" and tell them the truth. This would bring the idea _into_ the Overmind and like the Emperor's new clothes, everyone would see the Onsiras for what they were.

Unfortunately for Rome, the Vuduri she had picked out, her mother, had cast herself out before Rome could share the secret. Luckily for Rome, she had already warped Ursay's thinking so completely that he was able to substitute for Binoda and let the Vuduri know once and for all what a danger the Onsiras represented.

Rome also spilled the beans on what was happening on Deucado. More on that tomorrow.

## Entry 2-038: February 2, 2014

### How do you keep genocide a secret?

Yet another plot hole was using Deucado as a prison planet, kidnapping the mandasurte and holding them on that world for 19 years until an asteroid came and wiped them all out. How do you keep something like that a secret?

Originally, in the long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , I thought the Overmind of Earth was an active conspirator in the plot to wipe out the mandasurte. We still see hints of this in _Rome's Evolution_ when Virga admits that Helome was created to be an ethnically pure planet.

But how do you send Vuduri back and forth to Deucado and still keep its true nature under wraps? Answer, I didn't.

The way I figured it, the Overmind sent a contingent of Vuduri to Deucado to oversee the resettlement of any mandasurte that wished to leave Earth. But it started as a separate-but-equal kind of thing. I then twisted the story so that a contingent of MASAL-controlled Vuduri (actually Onsiras) came to Deucado and "reprogrammed" their mission. The Vuduri on Deucado had no knowledge of the Onsiras so being sheep-like as they are, they believed their new directive.

I don't think it is practical but the Onsiras planned on keeping the Vuduri stationed there planet-bound for 19 years. If you ask me, that's a long time to keep such a deadly secret but luckily, _Rome's Revolution_ swept over the planet and protected me from having to come up with a better explanation.

## Entry 2-039: February 3, 2014

### 400 and counting!

Can you believe it? I have hit the 400 mark in these posts about _Rome's Revolution_ and the world of the Vuduri.

When I first started this blog, I had just published _The Ark Lords_ and was in the middle of constructing the outline for _Rome's Evolution_. Originally, _Rome's Evolution_ was supposed to be a novella but after I put two and two together (Sussen anyone?), it had blossomed into a full-blown novel. Now I am in the process of constructing _The Milk Run_ which is a little behind schedule.

Although, at times, this blog may appear to be stream of consciousness, the underlying guide is following the original long-form of _Rome's Revolution_ and discuss plot points, scientific principles, etc. And I'm only up to Chapter 8. It'll probably be the rest of this year to finish up that book. Then there are two more long-form books which make up the modern _Rome's Revolution_. No danger of running out of topics.

I packaged up the first year's worth of blog entries and published the volume as _Tales of the Vuduri: Year One_. It is available for free everywhere except on Amazon and BN where it costs 99 cents.

The word tally for that volume was right around 120,000 words or roughly 325 words per entry. That means that at 400 blog posts, I am nearing the 130,000 mark. When I get to the end of year two, it will be nearly a quarter million words.

Mind-boggling! I hope you are enjoying it.

## Entry 2-040: February 4, 2014

### How come the Deucadons never came up for air?

I hope you are not getting tired of them but here is yet another plot hole from _Rome's Revolution_. Are we really supposed to believe that the Deucadons, some 50,000 strong, hid underground and were attacked just once by the Vuduri and cowered down there?

We'll come back to that but let's consider the absurdity of the Deucadon's situation in the first place. Supposedly they crash-landed on Deucado 500 years before. Because they were never able to recover the cargo compartment, they started their new life on their new world with nothing but the clothes on their back.

Not even one generation later, the inherent conflict between the Whites and the Grays arose and the colonists split into two camps. The Grays were killed when the asteroid (actually a comet) hit the planet and formed Lake Eprehem. The story continues that the Whites took refuge underground.

First: how did they even find the caves which eventually became their homes? Next, how did they see? How did they know to go down nearly a mile underground? How did they excavate and create "Old Town" and later their real home?

I find it kind of hard to believe they pulled that off but it makes the story very exciting. Tomorrow, why didn't they come up for air?

## Entry 2-041: February 5, 2014

### Deucadons. Air. Part 2

Yesterday, we discussed the inherent absurdity of the whole Deucadon situation. However, it was necessary to include them in _Rome's Revolution_ to make the plot move forward so I glossed over the impracticality. They are very interesting characters. There will be a short story about the origin of the Deucadons in _The Vuduri Companion_ (to be released later this year) which will cover the crash landing.

Today I want to consider the question I raised yesterday: Are we really supposed to believe that the Deucadons, some 50,000 strong, hid underground and were attacked just once by the Vuduri and cowered down there forevermore?

We know that the Deucadons regularly sent scouting parties to the surface to collect information and materials. We know that they encountered the Vuduri exactly one time and the group was obliterated. I don't know how the word got down below that they were under attack. There was some mention of communicators in _Rome's Revolution_ so we'll let that one slide.

We know that the Deucadons developed their invisibility cloaks and were able to go back to the surface, undetected. Were they going to just tolerate the situation?

The answer is no. They were getting ready to fight back. In fact, Bukky did allude to the fact that war was coming and they were going to return to the surface. They were going to take down the Vuduri if necessary. So it is a good thing that Rome brokered a peace before this happened.

## Entry 2-042: February 6, 2014

### North America, abandoned?

When Rei and Rome returned to Earth in the last part of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rome alluded to the fact that North America had been abandoned by the Vuduri for at least a century. No mention was ever made of South America. What was the reasoning behind this? After all, the historical novel contained within _The Ark Lords_ took place in New Jersey and Illinois. Yet when Rei and Rome arrived at the Tevatron, it was pretty clear that the entire continent was deserted.

We know Jack Henry lived there eight centuries earlier. We know the Erklirte landed there and women were taken. The rebels eventually won the war and eliminated the Ark Lords. So why, 800 years later, would they abandon the continent that gave birth to their freedom?

First, I needed North America because I needed the Tevatron so that's why they were there in the first place. I needed the continent to be deserted because I needed the Tevatron to be last place anybody would look.

So how come everybody left?

Here is my guess: as mankind was still recovering from the Great Dying, all continents were sparsely populated. When the 24th chromosome was introduced and the Vuduri became the Vuduri, they wanted to congregate together so they all migrated back to Europe, starting in Portugal and spreading out from there. By the time Rome was born, there still weren't enough people to bother settling North America.

We also discovered that the mandasurte retreated back to Hawai'i which was where many of them were from. Once again, there weren't too many people so this was practical.

So there you have it. Once the humans walking the Earth coalesced into the Vuduri and mandasurte, they regrouped and segregated themselves to Europe and Hawai'i thus leaving North America deserted.

As a side note: if you read _Rome's Evolution_ , you know that there was a secret compound in SoCal where the Onsiras lived and that was the location of the climax of that book.

## Entry 2-043: February 7, 2014

### Super coincidences

While these are not really plot holes, there are a remarkable number of coincidences in _Rome's Revolution_ that make for an exciting story but might require a good long suspension of belief.

I'll just mention a few of them and if you have any other ideas, please send them along and I'll address them. For example, it was rather coincidental that the Ark II just happened to be in the Tabit system when the Vuduri were occupying Skyler Base. What are the odds? Pretty slim but without it, there isn't much of the story.

And are we really supposed to believe that Rome crash-lands on Deucado right where her kidnapped father was living? They had an entire planet. She didn't even know Fridone was there. But if she hadn't landed there, there wouldn't have been much in terms of pathos and the eventual reunion of Rome's mother and father.

Are we really supposed to believe that Ark II, having hit an asteroid, would ultimately doom Deucado? In the book, they refer to it as "cosmic billiards" but seriously, the chances of dislodging an asteroid and have it land exactly on your target planet 14 centuries later seems kind of slim to me. But what good would it be putting the Ibbrassati there to be wiped out if there wasn't an asteroid in the first place.

Why would MASAL build his lair under Kilauea? Seems kind of silly to me and lends itself to easy vaporization. However, rather than just being a dramatic venue and plot device, the decision to build MASAL's base there is actually a little easier to explain. He needed a source of power that could not be detected from the surface and the magma beneath Kilauea was perfect for his giant thermocouples.

So, in general, while there are a lot of super-coincidences in these books, they make for an interesting and lively story so unless anybody is really bothered by them, I'm going to leave them in place.

## Entry 2-044: February 8, 2014

### Non-coincidences

Yesterday, I mentioned a series of super-coincidences that make the story as exciting as it is. However, if you consider them for too long, they kind of break down. Today I'd like to discuss non-coincidences. This is the "glue" that binds together the story behind _Rome's Revolution_ and the books in the series.

If you let it slide how improbable it was that Rei's Ark was found passing through the Tabit system, then Rei meeting Rome is easy to accept. After all, _Rome's Revolution_ , if nothing else, is a love story and it is those two people who are in love. My explanation about why Rome was chosen to reanimate Rei holds up on many levels.

The scene where Rei and Rome use the Espansor Bands and they malfunction and their souls intertwine is explained in the story. The exact same phenomenon occurred between Rome's parents, Fridone and Binoda, so as the story moves along, it isn't hard to believe at all.

The fact that Rei stepped into OMCOM's long-term holographic storage area and became mesmerized by the dazzling, sparkling lights is not that hard to believe. The fact that OMCOM took advantage of it to implant a post-hypnotic suggestion only speaks to the fact that OMCOM had figured out what was going on and he wanted to give Rei some protection that nobody, even Rei, would know about. In the original, long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , OMCOM was more detached and more self-centered but in the modern version, in his own way, he is looking out for everyone's (including his own) best interest.

The fact that the Stareater arrives at the Tabit system just as the Vuduri are leaving makes for a dramatic ending of Part 1 but does not stretch the imagination. After all, they had plotted the course of the swarm of Stareaters, who travel at one half the speed of light and deduced they were going to arrive at Earth in three years. So Tabit was well back in the area where Stareaters could dwell. With regard to why the Vuduri missed the event at Winfall is explained in the text, rather well I think, because of the Vuduri miscalculation of the flow of time.

There are other non-coincidences that do not require the suspension of belief. The Vuduri accepted Rome into their medical facility on Deucado because they wanted to locate the fallen Ark. MINIMCOM developed his whoosh-pop PPT tunnels based upon their crash landing on Deucado. His "invisibility" cloak was rather easy, technologically, once he saw how the Deucadons did it. The weaponized VIRUS units were a direct result of their malleable programming in the first place.

I guess, in the end, a story is a story. And if you start pick apart the threads woven together to tell the tale, pretty soon you just end up with a pile of threads. So let it go and enjoy!

## Entry 2-045: February 9, 2014

### Why did the Overmind reject the VIRUS units?

This isn't really a plot hole but why did the Overmind reject the VIRUS units as a solution to the Stareater problem? With the information returned from Tabit, surely the Overmind knew that the Earth was doomed without them.

We only find out that the Overmind is going to abandon Earth right at the end of _Rome's Revolution_ and it depresses Rome completely. Rei is flabbergasted. How can the Overmind turn its metaphorical back on the only proven solution for defeating the Stareaters?

The answer lies within the very structure of Vuduri society. After the Robot War, the Vuduri made it an integral part of their society that no computer and therefore no memron could ever come in contact with a Casimir Pump again. They felt it was simply too dangerous. And the VIRUS unit is nothing more than a self-replicating memron with twin Casimir Pumps attached. It was the living embodiment of this edict. This is why Rome was convicted and banished to Hawai'i. The Overmind wanted no part of this.

How impractical. There was close to half a billion people walking around on the Earth when Rome and Rei returned. The Overmind knew full well it could not save all of them. But it decided it was better to save some and keep the Vuduri way of life intact rather than save all of them.

The Overmind chose dogmatism over pragmatism. Personally, I would have made an exception.

## Entry 2-046: February 10, 2014

### Why did the Stareaters eat stars?

This isn't really a plot hole but many people do not understand why the Stareaters ate stars in the first place. When the original, long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ came out, this was, in fact, the climax and there was _no_ explanation whatsoever. However, when I wrote the original _VIRUS 5: Book 3: Earth_ , it was only then that I learned that a) the Stareaters were intelligent and b) they were noble creatures with a dedicated, selfless mission.

"What?" you ask. You did not know why the Stareaters ate stars? Nope. I had mentioned this before but when I first wrote the book, I just thought it was a cool idea. When I "found out" it was even neater. Here is Hardinharsaway's explanation as to why they ate stars:

"IT IS OUR DUTY TO HALT THE EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSE," continued the Stareater in a slightly diminished tone. "WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO ACHIEVE A COSMIC STEADY STATE. ONE OF THE WAYS WE DO THIS IS BY DETERMINING WHICH STARS WILL EXPLODE AND WE INGEST THEM BEFORE THAT HAPPENS. NOW THAT YOU HAVE PROVIDED ME A WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR LANGUAGE, I CAN EXPLAIN USING YOUR TERMINOLOGY. THERE IS A FORCE THAT YOUR SPECIES CALLS DARK ENERGY THAT AMPLIFIES THE ENERGY RELEASED BY NOVAE AND ACCELERATES EXPANSION OF THE GALAXY. THIS IS WHAT WE TRY AND PREVENT. WE MUST BE ESPECIALLY VIGILANT SHOULD A STAR GO SUPERNOVA BUT THAT IS NOT AN ISSUE HERE."

Makes for a decent explanation but is it true?

You can click here to read a layman's explanation but the fact is, I did _not_ make this up. Dark energy is a constant, it does not diminish with distance and as a side effect, the universe must expand at a constant rate. But because the universe is always getting bigger, it looks like acceleration. Where will it stop? When will it stop? Nobody knows. But Hardinharsaway and his brothers wanted to make sure that day was as far off into the future as possible.

96% of the known universe is made up of dark matter or dark energy. It is strange stuff and until somebody can grab a handful, it seems like great material for the main theme of a science fiction story.

## Entry 2-047: February 11, 2014

### Why were the Vuduri worried that Rei carried a disease?

Once again, this isn't really a plot hole but why exactly did the Vuduri quarantine Rei when he was first reanimated at Skyler Base? This seems like a stupid question at first. Of course you would quarantine a creature or person from another planet or time until you could make sure they were not carrying any noxious diseases. But later we learned that a) Rei was launched into space before The Great Dying and b) Rei had already been put into quarantine before he was dehydrated and frozen. He would not have been placed aboard the Ark II if he carried any disease whatsoever. The mission planners wanted the greatest chance of success for the new colony and sending sick people reduced that likelihood.

Did the Vuduri know this? Possibly. Probably not. They probably didn't care. But OMCOM certainly knew. He would go along with the Vuduri orders because that was his job.

But still, we're missing the point here. As we learned in _Rome's Evolution_ , all the Vuduri were descended from people who survived the Great Dying and were genetically immune to that disease. Further, one of the benefits of the 24th chromosome was an increased immunity against _any_ disease and rapid healing.

So why fear any disease that Rei carried when there was no chance it would affect the Vuduri? The answer is simple. The scene where Rei is awakened and isolated is much more dramatic that one where he wasn't. I loved the idea of Rei first seeing Rome on the other side of the glass. It is very poignant and lets the story flow in a natural pace and sets up counterpoint when Rei and Rome must split up (they think forever) when Rome must fly the Algol home.

Bottom line: dramatic license!

## Entry 2-048: February 12, 2014

### Why do the Vuduri have apartments?

Now I'm on a roll, asking serious questions about the construction of _Rome's Revolution_. So here's another one: why did the Vuduri bother building apartments on Skyler Base at all?

We know that they need to sleep, although in the original, long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , they didn't actually sleep. (See Rome was too weird) So, ok, give them a bed or cot or something. It doesn't have to be a dormitory. They could have a room with a bed and a door. But why did they need a workstation? A sitting area? Private bathrooms?

The workstations I can let slide because all the Vuduri is work, eat and sleep and it wouldn't be practical for them all to cram into the stellar observatory. Despite that fact that they had their bloco and stilo, there were times when a full blown computer and monitor were required.

I also already discussed why Rome had two chairs in her apartment so we can let that one slide as well.

Private bathrooms? Probably not necessary. Just convenient.

The only thing I can't explain is the sofa. I had to keep it in there from the original _VIRUS 5_ written in 1973 because that was supposed to be the first time Rei met Rome. But in the modern version, I moved their meeting up to the first chapter.

So was keeping the sofa just nostalgic? No. The answer is very simple. You, the reader, have to be able to relate to the people of the future to some degree in order to measure whether they are better or worse than us or both. And an apartment that had just a bed and a bathroom seemed kind of dopey to me so I went with something we can all relate to.

In other words, dramatic license strikes again!

## Entry 2-049: February 13, 2014

### Lips faster than the speed of light

In _Rome's Revolution_ , the first inkling that the stars were being consumed was when the team at Skyler Base sent a space tug out to chase down the light waves from Winfall's disappearance. Originally, the time it took for the Stareater to swallow a star was clocked at 13 minutes. But is it really possible that it happens that fast? Does that require that the Stareater's "lips" travel faster than the speed of light?

Let's use the Sun as an example. The Sun is 864,327 miles in diameter. The Stareater has to be many, many times larger to swallow a star whole. In fact, OMCOM actually measured the diameter and came up with 1.5 light minutes across. This equates to a diameter of 16,765,415 miles.

The Stareater was been designed to have "lips" which articulate and open then close around a star. It has to open up wide enough for the star to slide in. Figure 1/4 of its own diameter or 5 million miles. The circumference of a circle is Pi times the diameter so that makes the opening nearly 16 million miles wide.

For the action to be completed in 13 minutes, the "lips" would have to be closing at rate of about 48 million miles per hour. That's pretty fast!

The speed of light is 670 million miles per hour so the lips close not even one tenth the speed of light. In reality, each lip only has to travel half the distance so it is about 1/20th the speed of light. Still fast! And the dimming of the star only takes place once the lips occlude the disk of the star.

Let's go back to the diameter of the Sun: 864,327 miles. To match up with the Vuduri measurements, each lip would have to travel 1.3 million miles in 13 minutes or about 5 million miles per hour which isn't even one hundredth the speed of light.

So, in conclusion, no, the Stareater doesn't have to swallow a star with lips that travel at the speed of light. In fact, their speed is downright leisurely!

## Entry 2-050: February 14, 2014

35th Century Valentine's Day

Before the opening of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rei Bierak and 542 other would-be colonists are frozen and sent to the stars aboard the Ark II with the hope of getting to Tau Ceti and finding a habitable planet to welcome them.

Of course, we know they got knocked off course and ended up at Tabit 14 centuries later where they were rescued by the Vuduri. At first, the Vuduri were very suspicious of the people they called the Essessoni because of their brutal past. But over time, each group learned about the good within the others and on Deucado, they forged a new society which was a blend of the old culture and the new.

So did the colonists bring our holidays with them? After all, the calendars on every world would be different. The answer is a qualified yes.

Some holidays don't have to fall on a certain date (Mother's Day, President's Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day) while others are supposed to. For example, even though the technical name for July 4th is Independence Day, most people just call it July 4th.

But within each holiday is a reason and those reasons remain valid regardless of what solar system you currently reside in. So, today is February 14, Valentine's Day. Will the Vuduri learn to adopt this holiday? After all, when we first met them, they claimed the whole concept of love did not even apply to them.

The good news is yes. Rei loves Rome and Rome loves Rei and Rei made sure that the concept, not the date, permeated Vuduri society and eventually got the entire Galactic Union to celebrate it. So **Happy Valentine's Day** from the 35th century and know that you are loved by admirers both known and of the secret type.

## Entry 2-051: February 15, 2014

### Culture Shock

In the original, long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , I presented the story in a "you are there" format so that you learned about the Vuduri at the same pace as our hero, Rei Bierak. However, since I had to compress the story down and boost up the action, some of the discoveries had to come faster or using plot devices.

Regardless, the tag-line back then and the tag-line now is the same: _Rome's Revolution_ is a love story and a culture clash. As Rei learned about the Vuduri culture, he found that everything he knew or thought he knew about the universe was wrong or at least no longer applied.

Take the average American (me): what is our life about? There is friends, family, making a living, recreation and so on. Start with love. The Vuduri do not believe in it. They have no friends. Most Vuduri children (not Rome, of course) are separated from their parents after birth and are raised in a group not a family. The Vuduri do not read, enjoy art or sports. They have no need for recreation. In fact, in one famous scene, Rome tells Rei flat out that the Vuduri do not have fun.

What about jobs? Of course we all work to make a living. The Vuduri do not even have money. Everything they need is provided to them, free of charge. So they work because they are told to work, not because they want to work or get any creative satisfaction out of work. They are measured and evaluated from birth and placed in an occupation that is best suited to their physical skills. They have no say in the matter.

All the trivial things we talk about today, the weather, sports, the Internet: the Vuduri don't care about any of them. The Internet is in their heads. They don't have sports. The weather is irrelevant to them. Seems kind of boring to me.

Well all of this is going to change. Coming up next is _The Milk Run_ starring Aason Bierak. His life is far different from ours but in many ways more relatable. He enjoys competition. He loves his family. He does what he wants because he enjoys it, not because he has to. He is going to start out on an adventure of a lifetime to save his sister. He speaks and feels like we do. His life will be the model for the 36th century and beyond. It is a melding of the Vuduri way of life with the Essessoni approach.

I can't wait to read it but I have to write it first!

## Entry 2-052: February 16, 2014

### Emotion

I have been working on _Rome's Revolution_ since 1973. I've spent so much time and energy on describing the world of the 35th century that I felt the need to share it with the reader. However, the reader doesn't care. They'll take my word for it. What they want is emotion, tension, problems, not just solutions.

Our hero, Rei Bierak, never seems to be burdened much with intractable problems. Even though I have explained numerous times how his brain was modified when the Espansor Bands malfunctioned, it doesn't really help with ratcheting up the tension or the drama. In fact, it mutes it.

Take Rei's first issue: he wakes up in a foreign world, among strange people and the first thing he does is find the incomparable Rome to make his life easier. The next issue is that of the Stareaters. No problem, just invoke H. G. Wells and use a _War of the Worlds_ approach and consume them.

When he gets to Deucado, Rome is in such distress that he takes her to the the Vuduri compound and miraculously isn't killed. In fact, Rome is rescued and while Rei is separated from her for a good portion of Part 2, you, the reader, never had any doubt that they would get back together.

The final portion, Part 3, where Rei and Rome return to Earth, hopefully proves to you that I "get it" and reading should be about the moment, not a blow by blow description of people moving from one scene to another. I'll be saving that for the screenplay. In the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_ , it's going to be about experiences from an emotional perspective, screw the technology. The protagonist, Aason Bierak, is going to suffer more than his fair share of travails because that's what makes a story gripping. The technology? Been there, done that.

From here on in, it's going to be all about the emotion.

## Entry 2-053: February 17, 2014

### The missing probes

Right after the space tug observes the disappearance of Winfall, Rei and OMCOM have a conversation about previous attempts at researching the phenomenon. Since the plot of _Rome's Revolution_ revolves around the Stareaters, you would think that this would get a bit more attention. Here is the actual conversation and you can see it is very short:

"What about probes? Rome told me you sent some probes out, right?" Rei asked.

**"Yes. Probes were sent to the star systems involved, but they never returned."** OMCOM answered.

"Well, there must be some distance you can send them where you can still retrieve them and beyond that then you can't, right?"

**"Yes."**

"So what's that distance?"

**"No one has measured it."**

"Why not?" Rei asked.

**"To make the effort remotely efficient in terms of time, you would have to build many, many probes and send them out simultaneously at varying distances."**

"So why not do that?" To Rei, it felt like he had come up against a brick wall.

**"Up until now, the Overmind had not felt that it was worth the cost or effort."**

"What do you mean cost?" Rei exclaimed. "I would think that the origin of some crazy hypervelocity cloud, powerful enough to blot out the Sun would be worth any amount of money to find out."

**"I understand your reference, but the Vuduri do not use money. I meant in terms of the use of resources to build that many sophisticated probes."**

"So build cheap ones. Build a lot of them," Rei snorted.

Of course, this led to the star-probes which, in turn, led to the VIRUS units which gives the whole rest of the series its context. But why didn't the Overmind do as Rei suggested? The Vuduri have unlimited, free energy so the "cost" that OMCOM refers to is irrelevant.

The answer to this question is very simple. I wanted to make it seem ominous that probes were sent out and none ever returned. And I had to have an excuse to send out the crew to Tabit otherwise we wouldn't have a story. So, dramatic license strikes again!

## Entry 2-054: February 18, 2014

### Lens-less cameras, revisited

As a cornerstone of _Rome's Revolution_ , I have mentioned the star-probes acting as a lens-less camera on more than one occasion. In our real world, there are several instances of less-less cameras already in use today.

Bell Labs introduced a lens-less camera that can not only resolve an image but can actually render it in color. However, the camera is not real-time and only uses a single pixel element scanning the static image to be rendered time and time again using different filters. This type of camera would not be very useful in "seeing" a Stareater in action.

The lens-less camera invented at Duke is closer to that of the star-probes. According to the article:

The imaging system developed by graduate student John Hunt and colleagues at Duke University in North Carolina has no lens and instead combines a meta-material mask or aperture and complicated mathematics to generate an image of a scene.

This is the method I invoked for OMCOM. The star-probes formed along a concave geometry and used a small collection tube to guarantee that the photons they captured were only seen along the desired vector. The rest was pure mathematics and as a super-computer with not much else to do, OMCOM was completely up to the task of rendering the images in perfect focus in real time.

Here is a picture of a concave arrangement of star-probes creating a virtual focal point on light waves:

The star-probes are the inverse of a lens. Instead of reflecting and focusing the light waves upon a single point, they only collect the light waves from the single point and transmit them back to OMCOM for compiling into a coherent picture.

Tomorrow: your first glimpse at an actual star-probe!

## Entry 2-055: February 19, 2014

### An actual star-probe

As mentioned yesterday, the star-probes form a linchpin of _Rome's Revolution_. Not only were they the device used to discover the Stareaters, but they also were ultimately the basis for creating the VIRUS units which destroyed the Stareater, incinerated MASAL and saved Rei's back in _Rome's Evolution_. Here is Rei's description of the devices when he was first designing them:

Rei drew a small circle and two arrows.

"Here's what you do," he said, illustrating his idea by pointing at various elements in his diagram. "You build yourself a tiny spaceship consisting with a one pixel camera and two PPT drives, mounted in opposite directions. You fire up the first PPT drive, create a tunnel and jump through. The camera takes a picture. Then, you just open a second tunnel and jump back using the second PPT drive. Then the ship transmits its picture down to OMCOM. The whole thing should only take a few milliseconds. If it takes longer than that, you can stagger two groups so that while one group is jumping out there, the other group is jumping back, effectively doubling the number of frames. If you do this with enough units, the pictures appear more or less continuous, like frames in a movie."

I have tried to sketch out what they actually looked like. Remember, these things are microscopic so don't be surprised that the image is a little blurry:

There are really only four elements to this device. The first two are the opposed PPT drives which create the PPT tunnel away and then back. The pointy ends are the PPT projectors and the flared opposite ends are tiny plasma drives. The middle section is the collection tube, discussed in the article about lens-less cameras and the other end is the transmitter for sending the one pixel data to OMCOM. Ultimately, OMCOM made them multi-spectral so they didn't just collect a pixel's worth of light. They also collected infra-red, x-ray radiation and so on.

Lucky you. You get to be the first person in the 21st century to see the 35th century star-probes as employed by Rei and Rome. Remember, I always tell you: these stories are true, they just haven't happened yet.

## Entry 2-056: February 20, 2014

### Volma

Volma is the Vuduri word for movies. We find out from Rome, right in the very beginning of _Rome's Revolution_ that the Vuduri never watch movies. So how is it that they even have a word for it?

Before they used the Espansor Bands, Rome was busy learning English from OMCOM as Rei was speaking it. So when they had their discussion about fun, reading books, watching movies and the sort, OMCOM was "whispering" into Rome's mind the meaning via her bloco. His exact translation was projected images in motion. Rome understood this because the Vuduri used projected images. In fact, they had a very large image projector right in the stellar cartography lab on Skyler Base.

However, Rei was using the term as we understood it and Rome rejected the idea of fiction categorically. Well, in the beginning, she did. Once she was cast out (Cesdiud), she learned about many things. Beauty, love, enjoying life and during their year-long trip from Tabit to Deucado, Rei (with MINIMCOM's help) attempted to construct some movies for her. His best attempt was a movie called Future Past which was the "real" story of how his grandfather met his grandmother on a reality show in the early 21st century.

After they arrived at Deucado, Rome was given access to the Essessoni data slabs and right after Rome was downloaded Volume 18 which was a digital copy of every movie, 2D and 3D, ever made, she had a conversation with MINIMCOM about it. In the novel _The Ark Lords_ , Rome and MINIMCOM had this exchange:

**"Now you know why Rei has planned for you to build an auditorium,"** MINIMCOM observed.

"Why?" Rome asked.

**"Rei's diagram actually refers to it as a theater. I believe you have single-handedly created a new enterprise. You have just established the entertainment industry for the entire planet of Deucado."**

While it didn't make much difference to Rome at the time, after it was built, she came to love the theater and the enjoyment it brought to all the people of Deucado. Go Rome!

## Entry 2-057: February 21, 2014

### Ursay freaks out

When we first met Commander Ursay in _Rome's Revolution_ , he was far from emotionless. He was downright gruff. As the embodiment of the Overmind, he had Rome tossed out of the collective (Cesdiud) without a second thought. When Rome came to him distraught after the deed was done, he was rude and dismissive.

As with all Vuduri, Ursay held Rei's heritage against him. The Essessoni spawned the Erklirte (the Ark Lords). So when Rei started spouting off brilliant ideas, it was Ursay's inclination to dismiss them but it was impossible since all of Rei's ideas were good and practical. For example, Rei's first good idea was to load a telescope aboard a space tug and outrun the wavefront so they could turn around and watch Winfall's disappearance.

Rei's second good idea was to build the star-probes and in so doing created a lens-less camera. But when Rei presented this idea to Ursay, Ursay totally freaked out. As with Rome, he started gibbering on in Vuduri and had to be reminded to speak in English.

Why did he freak out? Because it required that OMCOM attach a Casimir Pump to a memron. This was possibly the most illegal act a person could commit. No Vuduri would ever forget the death and destruction during the Robot War. The extreme fear of OMCOM becoming Tasancetaeti (unleashed).

Ursay was forced to confront this dilemma. He knew that the act had to be performed yet he could now allow anyone to commit the act. How convenient that Rome as Cesdiud. She could do whatever she needed to, break the law even, and it wouldn't "count" against Ursay and the rest of the crew on Dara. Of course when she got to Earth, Rome was interrogated and sentenced to death but oh well.

Ursay became much more human and approachable after his experience at Tabit and became an important figure in both _The Ark Lords_ and _Rome's Evolution_. No more freaking out for him.

P.S. The other day, I discussed the Stareater lips and how they did not need to travel faster than the speed of light. Rei reminded me that the 13 minute transit time was actually 13 Vuduri minutes which actually equates to over two hours. Good thing I forgot because otherwise that section of the book would have been boring!

## Entry 2-058: February 22, 2014

### No more cotton-pickin'

In the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , right after Ursay came down from freaking out, he decides to allow Rome to break the most fundamental tenet of their entire society, knowing full well that Rome would become a criminal. This, in turn, caused Rei to freak out. Here is the original exchange:

"There is none and you know it," Rome said. "Just ignore me. Let me do this and you will have no part in this."

Ursay considered this. "Very well. Do what you must, but do not involve us."

"Of course," Rome said.

"Hey. Now wait just a **cotton-pickin'** minute," Rei said.

"Yes?" replied Ursay.

"I know I know nothing about your culture but this is just too hypocritical for me to swallow."

Notice Rei's use of the term cotton-pickin'. I thought because the term is still used in urban slang, it would still be a valid colloquialism 40 years from now. It seemed natural to me and flowed from Rei's lips onto my page. But it turns out, I was wrong. My daughter set me straight. She said that term was related to the South and would not survive too much longer. So I changed Rei's line to: ""Hey. Wait just a damned minute." Normally, I don't like to curse but after I looked at it, it does seem to fit Rei's character better. So goodbye cotton-pickin' and rest in peace.

## Entry 2-059: February 23, 2014

### Taking OMCOM's word for it

Two days ago, I discussed Commander Ursay freaking out when Rei suggested building the star-probes. Every one of the Vuduri were deathly afraid of OMCOM becoming unleashed, Tasancetaeti in Vuduri. At the core of their fear was their experience with MASAL.

However, in the world of _Rome's Revolution_ , it would appear that the Vuduri never learn from their mistakes. They allowed MASAL to declare the 24th chromosome safe. MASAL knew what he was doing. He knew it wasn't safe and would eventually convert all humans to Onsiras.

So, too, when Ursay decided to allow OMCOM to merge Casimir Pumps with memrons, they asked OMCOM to guarantee he would not abuse the privilege. Here is the actual exchange:

"NO!" said Ursay. "We could not. No Vuduri could ever engage in such behavior. It is too dangerous. There would be nothing preventing OMCOM from growing, from becoming Tasancetaeti."

"What is that?" Rei asked.

"I can do it," Rome interrupted quietly.

"What?" Ursay gasped. "You could not."

Rome said, "Yes, I can."

He shook his head. "What would prevent OMCOM from becoming Tasancetaeti?"

"We would," said Rome. "We will guarantee the circuit is only used for the purposes we require. OMCOM will cooperate. Correct, OMCOM?"

**"Of course,"** replied the computer.

"And if it works?" Rei asked. "How does that get us any further?"

**"My memron fabricators are very fast. They are specialized, not general purpose. Once adapted, they could produce many hundreds of probes in one hour. If you allow me."**

Of course we know that becoming unleashed was _precisely_ OMCOM's plan and he did it plain sight.

## Entry 2-060: February 24, 2014

### Epic lines

There are lots of times in _Rome's Revolution_ that I like the characters to spout epic lines in passing. Here are some examples:

After Rome expressed her admiration on how he came up with ideas, Rei once said: "Well, I realize my people destroyed the world and killed practically everybody in it. But I guess we have our moments."

After Rei and Rome were on their way to Deucado, they were celebrating Rome's one month anniversary of being Cesdiud. Rei asked her how she felt about being alone inside her head. She said, "Do you mean other than losing instantaneous access to the sum total of all human knowledge?"

One time, Rei and MINIMCOM had this little conversation:

_"_ _Preliminary analysis of metabolic intake and efflux indicates that Rome's integral rating has increased by two tenths."_  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Rei asked.  
_"In human terms, she is pregnant,"_ MINIMCOM replied.

Beneath Kilauea, OMCOM and MASAL had this epic exchange:

"You!" said MASAL, addressing OMCOM. "You digital dolt. Your VIRUS units. I have seen your design. They cannot operate in an oxygen atmosphere."

"Well, you analog antique, these are different. We had these special ones made just for you," said OMCOM's livetar.

"No!" MASAL shouted. "Enough of this nonsense. End them! Both of them," he ordered the robots.

In _The Ark Lords_ , Rome finally fessed up and told Rei she was bored. To this he replied, "Romey, we killed a Stareater, you singlehandedly brought an Overmind to its knees, stopped a war and we vaporized an insane computer with a volcano. Don't you think that anything following that is bound to be anti-climactic?"

Finally, in _Rome's Evolution_ , when Rome was inside Paul Chung's head, he kept thinking how hot Rome was. When they got outside, Rome asked Rei if she had a fever. When he said no, she then asked, "Do I radiate more heat than a regular Essessoni?"

It's fun to sneak these lines in and see if anybody notices. I always get a kick out of them. There will be a few new ones in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_.

## Entry 2-061: February 25, 2014

### Fiction writers are professional liars

The few weeks ago a problem arose in my family that required construction of a "cover story" to shield one of our loved ones from a rather harsh truth. This goes beyond a white lie but I discussed this with no less than three professional mental health care workers and all three sanctioned the creation of this lie.

So, being the writer in the family, it fell to me to construct the "script" so that when challenged, we would all give a consistent answer. However, the story was a lie. But it had to have enough elements of the truth to be believable and memorable.

Even Rome knows the difference. In _Rome's Revolution_ , when Rei first brought up the idea of entertainment and fiction, Rome challenged the concept. Here is the excerpt:

Rome said "Fiction?" Rome considered this. After a moment, she said, "Ah. Altered truth. Why would someone want to read about an alternate reality?"

So isn't this the truth about fiction? Aren't we fiction (or science fiction) writers in the business of selling altered truth, aka lies?

I have always thought of myself as a truthful person but this dichotomy is clear. Other than historical or biographical novels, nobody wants to read the truth. So the challenge of creating a fiction novel becomes one making up a series of lies which are both believable and memorable.

The construction of the cover story took several weeks and feedback from my family. I applied all of my skills and learning over the last eight years and had it boiled down to two sentences. The cover story was disseminated and so far, so good.

The moral of this story is, from now on, when people ask me about my books, I'm just going to tell them that I am professional liar.

## Entry 2-062: February 26, 2014

### Signola

One of the problems with _Rome's Revolution_ was that I kept introducing characters to move the plot along without spending too much time worrying about their back story. Take Estar, for example. I just wanted a villain to try and kill Rei so that he could use his wits to save his own life. At the time it never occurred to me that Estar was a member of the Onsiras and she and her people were dedicated to the eradication of mankind. That came later.

Another bit character was Signola. You couldn't really call him Rome's friend because the Vuduri do not have friends. The fact that he was involved with Rome's rape was not considered a strike against him. Since all Vuduri are appointed to the positions best suited to their physical skill set, Signola was the other computer lutteur (wrangler in Vuduri) and he and Rome worked together many times.

So what did Signola think about the fact that Rome was about to commit the most heinous of crimes? Answer: he thought nothing of it. He was part of the Overmind of Tabit and therefore the Overmind's ideas were his ideas. Clearly he felt that letting Rome create the star-probes was the only illegal element. Once they were created, he cheerfully (or as cheerful as a Vuduri could get) transported them to the space tug for release in space.

Think about it though. In our society, crystal meth is frowned upon as well as illegal. Even though TV shows like _Breaking Bad_ popularized it, we all know it is illegal. But if somebody cooks up a pile of meth and hands it to somebody who then transports the substance to another place, would we give such a person an exemption from guilt just because they didn't actually make it themselves? I think not.

Signola did not just do this once. He did it twice. The second time, he carried off steamer trunk-sized containers of star-probes for transport into space.

Regardless of his guilt or non-guilt, Rome appeared to have some affection for the man. When the Algol was getting ready to leave Tabit and all the crewman had passed out, Signola was one of the crew that Rome tried to awaken.

I know that Disney is planning on releasing not only Star Wars VII, VIII and IX but also many parallel stories about peripheral characters or maybe even new characters. For me, to find out more about his life, Signola will have to wait.

## Entry 2-063: February 27, 2014

### OMCOM's core

While OMCOM is a distributed, wireless computer, much of his main memron storage is located in the far quarter of Skyler Base. If you read the article entitled "Skyler Base: Why Rings?" you will see OMCOM's core in the upper right hand corner of the base.

The main area was divided up into three sections. The far left was the memron fabrication facility. The far right was the long-term, holographic, storage array. The middle section was where a goodly portion of OMCOM's core resided. Here is the original description from _Rome's Revolution_ :

Rei noted where Rome was going then walked forward slowly, entering the archway. He took about five steps in then stopped and looked around, then up. As with the Stellar Cartography lab, he found himself standing beneath a huge dome. Only this dome appeared to be made out of a fine metallic meshwork. He walked over to the side and peered in. Within the meshwork, there were millions of tiny white pellets that seemed be wriggling around, almost like they were alive. They reminded Rei of maggots. Every so often, a black pellet would appear. There were also some clear ones. The clear ones reminded Rei of a Vitamin E capsule.

Owing to his experience in the power room, he was loath to touch it. Instead, he held his palm up, near the mesh. Radiating from the mass was heat, enough for Rei to feel an almost uncomfortable warmth. Even though his hand was still a few centimeters away from the mesh, the pellets nearest to his hand reacted to its presence and appeared to back away. The only ones that did not move were the clear ones. Rei decided it was safe and tried to poke his finger between the mesh but discovered there was a transparent film between the mesh and the pellets.

Rei lowered his hand and turned and looked at the totality of the dome. The number of pellets stored here must be immense, he thought to himself. The pellets were emitting a humming or buzzing sound, very low, that permeated the whole room. Rei imagined that it sounded like something you'd hear inside of a beehive. The whole place gave him the creeps.

The reference to the clear memrons was later linked to rogue memrons, a computer within a computer, placed there by Estar to spy on things. Here is a picture of the "aquarium tunnel" in New Orleans. OMCOM's core was similar except that outside was filled with memrons rather than fish.

## Entry 2-064: February 28, 2014

### OMCOM's infection, part 2

Yesterday, I reminded you that Rei discovered that OMCOM was infected by the rogue memrons, placed there by Estar as we later found out. In fact, in this article, OMCOM admitted as such. But we all know that the Vuduri suffer from psychic tunnel vision. The Overmind could not fathom a world in which it made a mistake and this attitude permeates all elements of their society.

Here is the exchange, taken from the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , where Rei presents his findings:

"They are specialized versions of molecular sequencers along with micro-assembly equipment. This is where OMCOM was built. The memron units are assembled here and transported to wherever they are needed."

"I saw a gazillion of them," Rei said, "over there." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

"Yes, as I said, that would be OMCOM's core," Rome said, looking where Rei was pointing.

"What are the colored ones?" Rei asked. "I saw some black ones and some clear ones."

"The black units are effectors. They have piezo-electric filaments that allow locomotion. Similar to cilia."

"Ugh," Rei said. He shivered.

"They also have actuators," Rome said. "Like pincers."

"What are they used for?" Rei asked.

"They are for maintenance," Rome said. "They can go anywhere and repair or replace or even dispose of malfunctioning units."

"I get it," Rei said. "What about the clear ones?"

"What clear ones?" Rome asked. With her IR vision, it was easy to watch his expressions. Rei could barely see her.

"They looked like they were filled with water or a clear liquid."

"OMCOM does not use clear memrons," Rome said. "Are you sure they were not just gaps between units?"

"I'm pretty sure," Rei said. He shrugged. "So all these memrons? How do you wire it all up?" Rei asked.

"Wires?" Rome replied. "Oh, we do not use wires. I thought I told you that. OMCOM communicates using electromagnetic radiation. In the exahertz band."

"I figured the wireless connection was just to your head. I didn't realize that his whole thing was wireless."

"Yes," she said. "With the number of units he maintains, the wiring would be too complex. It would be impossible to manage."

You can see that Rome rejects the ideas of the clear memrons out of hand, as does OMCOM and the Overmind. If they would just take the time look, have an open mind, a lot of suffering could have been avoided. It was because the Onsiras hid in plain sight that all the travails of _Rome's Revolution_ and the misery in _Rome's Evolution_ came to fruition.

## Entry 2-065: March 1, 2014

### The deed is done

For the last view days, the focus of these articles have been about OMCOM's core, the rogue memrons and the fact that Rome was about to commit the ultimate Vuduri crime. Here is that crucial scene, taken from the original, long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ :

Rome smiled and turned to examine the diagram in front of her. She slid the whole virtual diagram over until a certain part was centered.

"Here we go," Rome said. "OMCOM, you do know what you are doing? We are clear, correct?"

"Of course," replied the computer.

"And you will not take advantage?"

"Rome, you have been like a mother to me. You know that I would never do anything to endanger you or even compromise your potential."

"You didn't exactly answer the question," Rei said.

"Rei, I assure you, my mission is to collect data and analyze that data to improve and protect the human species. To my own detriment if necessary."

"We will monitor this, Rei," Rome said. "We will know what is going on."

"OK," Rei said.

He watched as Rome's fingers flew over the touch screen. Even though he could not read Vuduri, he could see that with each step, a warning box came up which Rome would then key in an override code. This went on for a long time. Rome stopped several times and wiped her arm across her brow. At last, Rome stopped typing. In front of her was an inquiry box on the screen, awaiting input.

"What's the matter?" Rei asked.

"This is the final step. Once I key in the last override command, OMCOM will be allowed to build Casimir pumps into his basic memron unit."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Rei asked.

"OMCOM, this is the only way?" Rome answered.

**"To accomplish all of our goals, yes."**

"Very well," Rome said. She took a deep breath and typed in some more keys then said, "It is done. OMCOM, proceed with the first unit."

You will remember, I told you that OMCOM was not to be trusted. You can see from his words that even though he didn't lie, he purposefully said words that he knew the humans would interpret one way when he actually meant them another. Normally I put OMCOM's speech in bold but today I just highlighted the one critical sentence. "Accomplish all of our goals" means OMCOM's goals, too. Sound ominous, huh? You will find out what he meant when _The Milk Run_ is released later this year.

## Entry 2-066: March 2, 2014

### The Flux Capacitor

You will remember the Flux Capacitor from the _Back to the Future_ movies as being the crucial piece of technology permitting the DeLorean car to travel through time.

Well, in _Rome's Revolution_ , I needed a similar, magical device to power the PPT projector. Here is OMCOM's description of the process:

"That reflective coating is how the Casimir pump works. You are looking at the outer sheath. There is an inner layer as well. The Casimir pump depends upon quantum fluctuations to create regions of positive and negative energy. The inner coating transmits positive in one direction only, trapping the negative inside. In your day, you would have called it a diode. The positive energy in channeled down to the outside to one end where it can be dissipated or used to accelerate matter or even be converted into matter that provides thrust. The negative energy is directed out the front to create the PPT tunnel itself."

This was OMCOM's explanation as to how the PPT drive worked, channeling negative energy to the front pushing positive energy to the back. However, in this case, the diode he is referring to is literally a magic diode because in real life, even if there were such a thing as negative energy, how would you trap it?

Hey, wait a minute? What if the "magic diode" was made out of dark matter? That'd be cool, wouldn't it? I'll have to think about it. Nobody could prove me wrong, that's for sure.

## Entry 2-067: March 3, 2014

##

### The nature of life

In the universe of _Rome's Revolution_ , we meet several entities/creatures that stretch the boundaries of what is defined as life. One definition might be:

"The condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death."

There is nothing within this definition that says life has to be carbon-based or mimic our biology.

Consider the VIRUS Units. Are they alive? They certainly consume inorganic matter, reproduce, change, provide functional activity and eventually die. Are they alive? I don't think any of us would say they were but then that simply means our definition of life is incomplete.

What about the Stareaters. Are they alive? Again, they meet the test of the above. They consume stars, they grow, they reproduce (we don't know whether it is sexual or asexual) and provide functional activity. But if they were merely sophisticated machines, like the VIRUS units, would they be alive? I can't even tell you if they die. They have not shared that with me.

Finally, we have the two computer-based entities OMCOM and MINIMCOM. Are they alive? We know that they both started out as man-made computers but both mutated, in their own way, using VIRUS units to become something else. In the case of MINIMCOM, he "reproduced" Junior although I claim Junior is a clone rather than a child. Does that make MINIMCOM any less alive? Will he die some day?

These are questions I cannot answer without getting metaphysical. We could say that only things that have a soul are alive. But do planaria (flat-worms) have a soul? Do plants have a soul?

I (or rather OMCOM) will be addressing this again in a few months. In the mean time, if you know the answer to this, you could leave it in a comment.

## Entry 2-068: March 4, 2014

### Is the Overmind entangled?

From the very first time we meet Rome in _Rome's Revolution_ , we are told about the Overmind and how it controls every aspect of a Vuduri's life. We also quickly learn that an Overmind arises as soon as there are sufficient Vuduri in communication with another.

We are told that the direct mind-to-mind communication shared by all Vuduri is due to a phenomenon called PPT Resonance. Rei is informed that a PPT tunnel does not remain stable within a gravity well. This confuses him because PPTs are required for the Overmind to exist. He finally comes out and asks Rome about this:

"Well, what about the PPTs in your head? There's no vacuum there, is there?"

Rome frowned.

"Sorry," Rei said. "Sore subject, huh?"

"No matter," Rome said. She shook herself and forced herself to smile. "No, it is the very lack of vacuum and the fact that they occur within a gravity well that causes the PPTs in our heads to disappear which is a good thing. It is the oscillations of the PPTs that cause the resonance which is the basis of the direct connection."

But is all of this gobbledy-gook? Is it just hand-waving to get past the need to explain the substrate that underlies the Vuduri's ability to communicate mind to mind?

The answer is no. There is a quantum phenomenon called entanglement which means that two particles (or waves) can interact over immeasurable distances using a method which no one understands. It is as if the two particles are one and the same and just happen to be far apart. The information imparted due to entanglement travels essentially instantaneously (speed of gravity, anyone?).

So it happens like this: a PPT tunnel forms within the head of a Vuduri and winks out again nearly instantaneously because it is in a gravity well. However, if two PPT tunnels open in different people's heads and are part of the same PPT tunnel, entanglement occurs and the rate of collapse slows and synchronizes. Add in billions of PPT tunnels constantly winking in and out, all at the same time and you have, voila, an Overmind.

Simple, huh?

## Entry 2-069: March 5, 2014

### Computer-enhanced resolution

In _Rome's Revolution_ , OMCOM's first attempt at building a virtual camera is severely limited by the number of star-probes. He resorts to using algorithms to clear up the image after the fact by computing what it ought to look like rather than just taking the images as they appear:

Rei watched the large view screen and saw some pixelation on the forward surface of the tug. "Is that it?" he asked.

**"Yes."** OMCOM said.

The view rotated until the virtual camera was now facing Skyler's World. The detail was fuzzy at first, but then it improved until it was fairly clear.

"What's going on?" Rei asked.

**"Since the human eye can only resolve 30 frames per second, I am interleaving larger dispersal jumps to simulate higher resolution below the level of detectability. I am also using an interpolation algorithm to further increase the apparent resolution of the virtual camera,"** OMCOM said.

Suddenly, the image began to zoom in at almost dizzying speed until they could no longer tell that they were looking at a gas giant, but instead just a crazy patchwork quilt of colors.

"What'd you do?" Rei asked.

**"I increased the separation of the units by an order of magnitude,"** OMCOM replied. **"This increases the apparent magnification of the instrument ten-fold."**

So, am I making this stuff up? Can a camera really change the focus of an image after the fact? Answer: yes. The camera is called the Lytro camera and it records images in a different way. It stores the entire field of view rather than a 2D image. This means you can focus on a section or refocus on a different section whenever you want. Lytro calls them "living pictures". You should click on this link to see the camera in action. It is pretty cool!

## Entry 2-070: March 6, 2014

### The beginning on the end

In every disaster story, whether it is global or just an individual, you can always trace back to the exact moment in time when things begin to head South. In _Rome's Revolution_ , it is the same way. Normally in novels, the characters do not realize that the fateful moment has passed until it is too late. After all, if they knew it, they would stop it.

Such a moment occurred right after OMCOM produced the first star-probe lens-less camera. He showed the disappearance of Winfall but the detail was not much better than the image produced by the telescope they hastily launched aboard one of the space tugs. This is the "first bag of heroin" metaphorically. The humans wanted more. Here is the exact exchange:

"Hey OMCOM," Rei said more loudly. "What do we need to do to get more resolution?"

**"I need more units,"** OMCOM said. **"Many more units."**

"So build more," Ursay said angrily.

**"I cannot,"** OMCOM replied out loud. **"My memron fabricators are already producing more units at top speed. For the quantity I require, it will take them weeks."**

"You are limited by the number of memron fabricators you have?" Rei asked.

**"Yes,"** replied OMCOM.

"So why don't you just build more memron fabricators?" Rei asked.

No one spoke for a moment. "Som," said Ursay, which Rei recognized as yes. But somehow, he didn't think it was in answer to his question.

"What is it Romey?" Rei asked.

"My blece...OMCOM, the Overmind. They are discussing building..."

**"Probe foundry builders,"** OMCOM interrupted. **"Special purpose molecular synthesizers which build probe foundries. Once each foundry goes on line, it can just keep building probes. The numbers should increase arithmetically."**

"Sounds good to me," Rei said, trying to sound cheerful.

Rei shouldn't have been so cheerful. Without knowing it, Ursay had just opened the flood gates and given OMCOM all he needed to begin producing more PPT-enabled memrons at an incredibly high rate. OMCOM knew where it was all going to lead but he had to let the humans think it was their idea. That was his genius. He had figured out how to escape the destruction represented by the Stareaters and he did it in plain sight. The humans had no one to blame but themselves.

## Entry 2-071: March 7, 2014

### Are the Vuduri beautiful?

Other than their white jumpsuits and the fact that they are fairly short, I don't spend much time telling you about what the Vuduri look like. Are they beautiful? Are they ugly?

We get a small hint in the beginning of the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ when Rei spots Rome for the first time. He thinks to himself that her face was familiar and exotic at the same time. We know Rei falls in love with her almost immediately so of course he thinks she's beautiful. And quite frankly, as an author, I really don't want to write a novel about a man falling in love with a woman who is repulsive. So we can assume Rome actually is beautiful.

But digging deeper, we can glean the fact that people from our age would truly find all of the Vuduri beautiful. Here is the interaction between Rome and Rei in the airlock just after Rei's first training mission:

Rome wriggled out of her pressure suit and was pulling on her jumpsuit when she turned to look at Rei who was sitting there, half stripped down. He was staring at her, his head tilted slightly to the side.

"What?" she asked.

"Did you know that you are absolutely gorgeous?" he opined.

Rome smiled. "You are just saying that because you are in love with me. I am actually quite ordinary."

"You are wrong and I can prove it," Rei said.

"How?"

"Have you ever heard the expression 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'?" Rei asked.

"No," said Rome.

"Do you understand it though?"

"Of course," replied Rome. "It means that beauty is subjective and measured according to the perception and parameters of the observer."

"Exactly," Rei said. "So, that means you don't get to be the judge. I do. If I say you're beautiful, then you are beautiful. Case closed!"

Rome is right. Of course Rei would find her beautiful. I always describe her as beautiful. But she claims she is quite ordinary. If this is true, that means that half the Vuduri race is even more beautiful than her.

We also know that the Overmind breeds Vuduri to accentuate certain traits. One of them is physical prowess. However, the Overmind on Helome also breeds for beauty. In _The Ark Lords_ , Rei observes that everything about that world and its people are beautiful. Virga does not deny it which means the Overmind does not keep this a secret.

Putting all these facts together, we can conclude that while they seem to not care, the reality is the Vuduri, in general, are a race we would consider quite beautiful in appearance.

## Entry 2-072: March 8, 2014

### Tales of the Vuduri web site is now live!

As mentioned previously, I have bundled up the entire first year's worth of this blog and published it as an e-book and now in paperback. I call it _Tales of the Vuduri: Year One_ because I am well into my second year and I plan on binding each year as a separate volume.

To publicize this event, I now have a new website www.TalesoftheVuduri.com to promote this book. However, if you look at it, you will see it looks just a little bit odd. There is actually a reason behind this. My very talented web designer Regina laid it out so we have room for adding Year Two and Year Three without breaking the site. So if you want to show your friends or family or even read a little sample, this is the place to go. Thanks for looking!

## Entry 2-073: March 9, 2014

### Tokamaks, cold fusion and PPTs

In _Rome's Revolution_ , it was necessary that I have a faster-than-light (FTL) star drive. However, Einstein's theory of special relativity states it is not practical to accelerate mass that fast. According to the theory, it takes more energy than exists in the universe to accelerate any mass to the speed of light, let alone faster.

What I needed was a kinder, gentler FTL drive. To travel at a speed faster than the speed of light, you have to "go around" space rather than through it. We've all read about wormholes. Usually the explanation of how to create a wormhole requires the invocation of a black hole.

This leads me to the topic of a fusion reactor as a generator of electricity. Tokamaks are one type. They use brute force to drive atoms together. The fuel is usually a mixture of deuterium and tritium, two isotopes of hydrogen— which is heated to temperatures in excess of 150 million °C, forming a hot plasma. Tokamaks use super strong magnetic fields to keep the plasma away from the walls; these are produced by superconducting coils surrounding the vessel, and by an electrical current driven through the plasma. When the atoms slam against each other, they fuse and if we are very lucky, they generate more power than was required to operate the machine.

Keep in mind these are multi-billion dollar machines and we do not as yet have an operational, practical version even though scientists have been working on them since the 1950s.

Contrast this to cold fusion. First reported in 1989, the results and the entire field was scoffed at by scientists and relegated to the sector of science owned by kooks. But over the last few decades, enough evidence has been accumulated (e.g. increase concentration of helium in a closed container, inexplicable pits in palladium rods holding tritium) that scientists have concluded there is a chance the field has merit. So much so that they have renamed the process as Low Energy Nuclear Reactions to keep arms length from the term "cold fusion".

So on the one hand, we have a multi-billion dollar replica of the sun that doesn't even work versus a table-top device that produces the same results at a millionth of the cost.

That's what I wanted for the wormhole of the future. I didn't want to invoke a black hole and the extreme amount of mass and tidal forces associated with such exotic matter. I wanted an easy-to-use, relatively inexpensive way to achieve the same results. Turns out, all you need to do is suck the positive energy out and the resulting negative energy collapses space, paving the way for an FTL drive.

We may not have it today but the Vuduri certainly use it to their advantage in the 35th century.

## Entry 2-074: March 10, 2014

John Dixon, Phoenix Island and Intelligence

Friday's meeting of the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society featured John Dixon, a top-selling author. His first novel, _Phoenix Island_ , is among Amazon's most popular and is very highly rated.

_Phoenix Island_ is about Carl Freeman, a troubled 16-year-old orphan, who has an over-developed sense of justice and a passion to stop bullying that he cannot control. After numerous appearances in juvenile court, he is sent to Phoenix Island, kind of a last stop for good kids who do bad things.

Phoenix Island is a boot camp where they are going to make you into a good person whether you like it or not. Near the end of the book, "they" implant a chip in the hero's brain which gives him access to the totality of human knowledge, akin to the Internet.

Sounds pretty good, huh? John is planning up to six more sequels continuing his main character's journey. So what has this got to do with _Rome's Revolution_? Just that John is good enough and lucky enough that his book got into the hands of agents and producers who saw enough promise in the basic premise that it eventually became the TV show you know as Intelligence starring Josh Holloway.

John describes the Hollywood process as a "chop shop" where they took all his creative ideas, sliced and diced them, then recombined them into a show which is only peripherally related to his book. Except for the chip in the head, the resemblance is unnoticeable.

I asked John if he had ever seen the TV show _Chuck_ and he said while he had personally never seen it, I was about the 150th person to ask him that question. The fact is, his book sounds nothing like _Chuck_. The TV show sounds exactly like _Chuck_ but without a sense of humor.

Regardless, all of this gives me hope. It tells me that if I keep pushing, keep marketing, keep publicizing _Rome's Revolution_ , _The Ark Lords_ and _Rome's Evolution_ , maybe I, too, can stumble across an agent or producer who might see the merit in an interstellar saga, culture clash and love story that can get chopped up and repackaged as a movie or TV show.

Therefore I will keep going!

## Entry 2-075: March 11, 2014

### Low tech versus high tech and the LifeStraw

The other day, I wrote about fusion reactors, comparing the high tech tokamak to the low tech cold fusion types. The jury is still out as to which technology is ultimately successful but imagine if both do succeed. Which would you rather have? A multi-billion dollar controlled hydrogen bomb versus a little box that can sit in your back yard and supply all of your electrical needs? Personally, I would take always take low tech, all things being equal, just because it seems to be most logical. My daughter, who works for Verizon, bugs me every day to get a smartphone but I prefer a "dumb" phone so I'm not tempted to waste time using all of its features. I just use my phone to make phone calls. Just in case you are wondering, I do have two computers at work, six servers and at home, an iPad, a desktop computer, a laptop, a Mac mini and a Nexus tablet for good measure so I am not anti-technology. Just anti-smartphone.

I have already written about the Ark program featured in _Rome's Revolution_. I'm not going to say that a starship ferrying frozen people in ceramic, nuclear-powered sarcophagi is low tech, but the body of the Ark certainly is.

Here is another example. There are many, many places in the world where acquiring clean, potable water is a serious, life-threatening issue. For millions and millions of dollars, you can build a water filtration or desalination plant that is bound to break down from time to time. Or you could get your clean water via a tiny, simple device called the LifeStraw.

The LifeStraw Personal, pictured above, is just a straw with an intricate filtration system built within. It uses no power and no chemicals. According to the manufacturer, the LifeStraw:

-Filters at least 1,000 liters of water (264 gallons)  
-Weighs only 54 grams (2 oz.)  
-Removes up to 99.99999 percent of waterborne bacteria  
-Removes up to 99.9 percent of waterborne protozoan cysts  
-Reduces turbidity by filtering particles of approx 0.2 microns  
-BPA Free and contains no chemicals  
-Uses no batteries or moving parts

This straw is so amazing, it won the "Best Invention of the Year" in 2005 awarded by Time Magazine. And this will blow your mind: the LifeStraw Personal only costs $19.99! The LifeStraw Family costs $80.00 and will provide a family of five enough clean drinking water for three years!

Bottom line: give me Low Tech every time.

## Entry 2-076: March 12, 2014

### Solar power 1

The entire Vuduri society pictured in _Rome's Revolution_ runs on free, clean energy supplied by Casimir Pumps. As a group, the availability of infinite, free energy changes the goals of people from spending their lives striving to acquire wealth to one of altruism, trying to build a better society.

Can we achieve this today? Is there a place where we can go to get infinite, free energy without burning fossil fuels, making geothermal plants or building nuclear reactors? The answer is yes. The source of this power? The Sun. According to YourTurn.ca:

At any moment, the Sun emits about 3.86 x 10e26 watts of energy. So add 24 zeros to the end of that number, and you'll get an idea of how unimaginably large an amount of energy that is! Most of that energy goes off into space, but about 1.74 x 10e17 watts strikes the Earth. (ie: 174,000,000,000,000,000, or 174 quadrillion watts). If there are no clouds in the way, then one square meter of the Earth will receive about one kilowatt of that energy. So for the six hours in the middle of a sunny day, an area the size of a small backyard swimming pool (48 square meters) will receive about 288 kilowatts of energy. That's nearly 10 times what the average US household uses in an entire day! (In the United States, the average daily electricity use is around 30 kilowatt hours per household).

This means that if harnessed properly, the power of the Sun is all we need for the foreseeable future. So what are the ways we can harness the power of the Sun? While this is not an exhaustive list, we can use:

\- Hydroelectric plants  
\- Ocean thermal energy conversion  
\- Wind farms  
\- Biomass  
\- Solar furnaces  
\- Solar panels  
\- Solar cells

In the next few articles, I'll cover most of these technologies.

Hydroelectric plants are powered by the Sun. How? The Sun beats down on bodies of water and causes water vapor to rise into the atmosphere. Eventually, the water returns as rain which collects and travels downhill as rivers which can be used to turn turbines to create electricity.

According to the National Hydropower Association:

The U.S. hydropower industry could install 60,000 MW of new capacity by 2025 depending on policy changes. That only 15% of the total untapped hydropower resource potential in the U.S., meaning hydropower can remain a growing energy source for decades to come. The U.S. had 96,000 megawatts of conventional hydropower and pumped storage capacity as of 2009, according to the Department of Energy. With 1 MW enough to power 750-1,000 average American homes according to Electric Power Supply Association, that's enough generating capacity to produce electricity for roughly 72 to 96 million homes.

And if done right, all of this with no environmental impact whatsoever!

## Entry 2-077: March 13, 2014

### Solar power 2

Yesterday, we discussed the almost unlimited potential of hydro-electric power to supply extremely cheap energy with next to no environmental impact whatsoever. Today, I will be discussing ocean thermal energy conversion or OTEC.

Ocean thermal energy conversion uses the fact that the Sun heats up the water at the surface of the ocean or any large body of water. Well below is a pool of cold water. All you need is a heat exchanger and a gas/liquid like ammonia and you get an infinite cycle of turning the Sun's rays into electricity.

According to OTEC News, the amount of energy that can be harvesting using this methodology is on the order of 3 to 5 terawatts which is twice the Earth's entire electrical needs. All of this without affecting the temperature of the oceans by even one degree.

While not as sophisticated as the Casimir Pumps featured in _Rome's Revolution_ , OTEC has numerous benefits besides infinite, free energy. It can provide desalinated water as a side-effect of bringing up the cool water from deep within the ocean. It can be used to provide air conditioning (similar to swamp coolers used in the southwest), again a byproduct of the cooler waters. It can also be used for aquaculture, hydrogen production and mineral extraction. This is a technology with super promise.

A similar concept is a wave farm which uses waves to raise and lower buoys and generate electricity that way. Conceptually similar is a tidal farm as well. Tomorrow we'll take a look at wind farms.

## Entry 2-078: March 14, 2014

### Solar power 3

Our discussion of free, unlimited energy such as that enjoyed by the Vuduri in _Rome's Revolution_ started two days ago with hydro-electric power and yesterday we discussed OTEC, ocean thermal energy conversion.

Today I'd like to mention wind farms. They are getting to be so prevalent that you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who has not marveled at them in the distance somewhere in the US.

Wind farms can be on land or at sea. They just need to be located where the winds are somewhat predictable. What makes these devices solar-powered is because winds are caused by temperature differentials and the Sun is responsible for all the heating on Earth.

Wind power is clean, emission-free and as battery technology evolves, the electricity can be stored to guarantee a continuous flow even if the winds temporarily die down. Researchers from Harvard and Tsinghua University have found that China could meet all of their electricity demands from wind power by 2030. Imagine that!

Currently the US only gets 3% of its electrical needs from wind power. But 42% of all new power projects being built are wind farms. Off-shore wind farms are only starting to come online and solve the one major people problem which goes by the acronym NIMBY. Those five letters stand for Not In My Back Yard. Self-explanatory.

Tomorrow, let's capture the rays of the Sun directly.

## Entry 2-079: March 15, 2014

### Solar power 4

Our discussion of free, unlimited energy such as that enjoyed by the Vuduri in _Rome's Revolution_ started three days ago with hydro-electric power and two days ago with OTEC, ocean thermal energy conversion. Yesterday, we discussed wind farms. I'm skipping over biomass as I think it is too labor intensive.

Today we tackle the idea of directly harnessing the power of the Sun, rather than its effects. The first practical concept is that of a solar furnace. Here is a picture of the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in the Mojave Desert in California:

When completed, the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System will have gross capacity of 392 megawatts. Not bad.

This thing points mirrors at a tower and that tower gets _very_ hot, boils water and the steam drives a turbine thus generating electricity. The mirrors are mounted on servos and track the Sun as it travels across the sky. These plants are fairly expensive to build and have to be put way, way away from civilization but the fuel for these plants is free.

Solar panels capture the thermal power of the Sun to heat water. I can personally attest to their usefulness in that they heated my pool to a very comfortable temperature for many years and the only energy I had to supply was a pump to circulate water through the panels.

While these panels do not generate electricity in the traditional sense, they do reduce the energy requirements of a home. They work much better when it is sunny out but still it is a technology worth considering if you are a candidate.

Finally, we have solar cells or more formally, photovoltaic cells. These cells convert sunlight directly into electricity. Like the solar furnace mentioned above, you can build huge farms in the desert away from civilization:

What is more exciting is that every home that has a roof can be fitted with these:

Do I have this on my home yet? The answer is no. My wife will not allow it until the solar cells look like shingles but I assure you that day is coming. Can you imagine how low our energy requirements would be if everybody had one of these?

They could be fitted onto the roofs of cars and trucks too. The uses are unlimited and amazing. We just need the technology to get there.

I hope you can see the bottom line of these past few articles is that the Sun provides all the energy requirements our civilization needs. We just need to be aggressive in harnessing this unlimited, free source of energy and our lives can be like those of the Vuduri.

## Entry 2-080: March 16, 2014

### OMCOM hypnotizes Rei

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I think these stories are true, they just haven't happened yet. The whole universe of _Rome's Revolution_ has taken on a life of its own and creates its own ideas.

One very distinct example is the time that Rei stepped into OMCOM's long-term holographic crystal-based memory unit. Whereas the rest of OMCOM's core was bathed in infrared, the long-term storage used ultraviolet lasers to carve holograms into the crystals to retain the memories without power. Here is the section if you don't remember it:

Rei entered the room and the door closed behind him. He heard a snapping noise and a tiny bulb started glowing along the floor immediately to Rei's left. The bulb got progressively brighter with a bluish-violet light. Then there was another snapping noise and a second bulb began to glow all the while the first continued to grow in brightness. There was another snap and another and another. The blue lights got brighter and brighter and brighter. As the lights grew brighter, Rei's eyes defocused and his head began lolling to the side.

He was inside of a crystalline cavern with facets and mirrors and flashes that were so mesmerizing, he could not think. He started swaying back and forth. It was only when he swayed so far that he stumbled that he was able to get his wits about him, just for a moment.

"This is...the most beautiful...thing I...have ever seen," Rei said in a dreamy voice. "What...is it?"

**"These are holographic storage crystals,"** OMCOM said. **"The illumination you see is strictly for your benefit. The read/write process is controlled by coherent ultraviolet lasers."**

"Lasers," Rei repeated in a monotone. "Yes."

**"Rei?"** OMCOM asked.

"Why does it have to be so pretty..." Rei droned on.

**"Rei!"** OMCOM said, more insistently.

"So pretty...so...so...pretty..." Rei drifted off. He could hear OMCOM speaking but the words had no meaning.

Rei lost all concept of time. OMCOM's voice was just a soothing part of the background. Rei was adrift somewhere but he did not know where nor did he care. His whole world became the lights and the droning of OMCOM's voice. Nothing could shake him. Nothing, that is, until the ground shook from a small tremor. The tremblor caused Rei to be awakened from his trance.

Clearly, as author, I intended for OMCOM to plant some sort of post-hypnotic suggestion but I swear to you I had absolutely no idea what it was. OMCOM acted so innocent though.

It wasn't until I was writing, at the time, the third book of the series (now called Part 3) that I found out what it was. The trance-like state was to be triggered by the phrase "blue crystal reader" and Rome was taught that phrase by MINIMCOM when they were in the hut in Hawaii. As it turns out, OMCOM had implanted the ability for Rei to keep his own consciousness when it was invaded by the Onsiras. Since the incident cited above happened after OMCOM reprogrammed himself, I have to assume that OMCOM gazed into the future and saw this as a possibility, if not eventuality. He forgot to share that with me until I was writing the scene where Rei was injected with the prosthetic 24th chromosome and being inducted into MASAL's Overmind.

Gee, thanks, OMCOM for being so forthcoming. Oh well, I guess all's well that ends well.

## Entry 2-081: March 17, 2014

### OMCOM is sneaky

Yesterday, I explained how, in the middle of _Rome's Revolution_ , OMCOM had hypnotized Rei. However, I fessed up to the fact that I had no idea what it was the OMCOM was up to. I should have had a hint, though. Here is the remainder of that scene, when Rei came out of it:

The tremblor caused Rei to be awakened from his trance.

**"Rei?"** OMCOM asked, **"Are you awake now?"** The lights went out and the room was plunged into complete darkness. OMCOM then slid open the door and allowed some of the red ambient light to seep in.

Rei shook his head.

"Why'd you stop it?" he asked plaintively. "I, I, what happened?" Rei asked, his voice returning to normal.

**"Your speech patterns indicated you had entered an altered mental state. I tried several times to awaken you but you resisted my suggestions. Where did you go?"**

Rei took a deep breath. "I don't know. It was just so beautiful. That's, that's amazing, OMCOM."

**"Do you recall hearing anything that I said to you?"** OMCOM asked.

"I heard your voice," Rei said, "that's about it."

**"Perhaps someday it will come back to you. In the mean time, you should probably not remain here any longer,"** OMCOM said. He turned the red light up outside the doorway even brighter. **"I think you should join Rome now."**

For some reason, Rei's heart sank. He took a deep breath and left the permanent storage room.

OMCOM snuck in one sentence that told you he was up to something. He said "perhaps someday it will come back to you". The only possible way to interpret that statement is what came to pass. OMCOM had implanted some post-hypnotic suggestions in Rei's brains. We only heard one. The one Rome triggered by uttering the phrase 'blue crystal reader'. I wonder what else he put in there. He still hasn't told me. Maybe he never will.

## Entry 2-082: March 18, 2014

### Mesmerizing beauty

Two days ago, I described the scene from _Rome's Revolution_ where it was clear OMCOM had hypnotized Rei and planted some post-hypnotic suggestions. Yesterday, I was able to demonstrate that OMCOM let it slip a little in something he said. However, was Rei completely and 100% unaware that he was hypnotized? I think not. I think he knew something was up. Here is a little snippet of the conversation that took place right after that incident:

Rome shut off the displays and said to Rei, "It will take a little while for them to launch the probes. Do you need to go rest or eat before we go to Stellar Cartography?"

"No," said Rei, "I'm tired, but I'm OK. I wanted to ask you something, though."

"Of course," said Rome.

"Have you ever been in the permanent storage room, the one with all the crystals?" he asked.

"Many times," Rome replied. "Why?"

"Do you ever find it, I'm not sure what the word is, mesmerizing?"

"No, it is simply a room full of crystals," Rome said. "What is mesmerizing about that?"

"Will you come look at it with me?" Rei asked. "Just one time?"

"Certainly," Rome said, puzzled. Rei took her hand and led her across the anteroom to the other doorway.

"OMCOM, I want Rome to see this," he said out loud.

**"Are you sure?"** asked OMCOM.

"Yes," said Rei. "I can handle it."

**"Very well,"** said OMCOM and the computer slid the door into the recess in the wall and the two of them entered. Once they were fully in the room, OMCOM closed the door again and as before, he illuminated the gleaming crystalline structures with the indigo-blue light. Rome squeezed Rei's hand tighter as she looked around.

"It is beautiful," Rome said. "I have never noticed this before."

Rei blinked rapidly so that he couldn't get caught up in the hypnotic glare of the lights. Rome did not seem to be having a problem with it. Suddenly, she whirled in place and grabbed Rei by the back of the head with her free hand and pulled him down to her. She kissed him long and hard.

"What's that for?" Rei asked breathlessly after it was over.

Rome just looked up at Rei, his face illuminated by the black light, his blue eyes twinkling as if they were made to be showcased here. She smiled at him and sighed.

"I have always known the word," she said. "What you call beauty. What I am saying is that it has always been in my vocabulary, but it never had meaning. I had no connection, no appreciation for it. And now you have brought the meaning of beauty into my life." Her smile became even broader. "Before I met you, I could not see it. Now I can see it is in all things. I just needed to thank you."

"But Rome, I didn't do anything," Rei said.

"Yes, you did," she replied. "You did everything."

Rei shook his head. "I don't understand, but if it makes you happy, then I'm happy."

The hints are all there. First Rei uses the word mesmerizing explicitly. Secondly, he said I can handle it meaning he would not let himself get hypnotized again. Finally, Rei took preventative measures, he blinked rapidly, so the lights would not affect him again. I think this means that at some level he knew his mind had been altered but it wasn't until Estar captured Rome and Rei and Rome uttered the phrase "blue crystal reader" that Rei found out exactly how.

## Entry 2-083: March 19, 2014

### Embarrassment as a driving force

Pain is pain. In the beginning of _Rome's Evolution_ , Rei is blown up and knocked into a coma. As he drags himself back to consciousness, he compares the most painful physical and emotional experiences he has had.

One pain he did not review was the pain of embarrassment. Think of how many times people get in trouble or go down the wrong path just to avoid being embarrassed. Is the pain of embarrassment a sufficient motivating factor to drive larger human endeavors? Let me give you a few examples.

The first is the Vuduri themselves. Their entire culture is based upon suppressing their feelings and thoughts rather than have other Vuduri learn of something that could remotely be construed as embarrassing. Here is Fridone's description of the Vuduri mind:

"I do not know your language but I think you understand," said Fridone. "That very act was one of defiance. Let me see if I can explain. Pretend that you could take all the Vuduri in the world and line them up. Now take the most perfect Vuduri and put him at one end and put us, you and me, all the mandasurte at the other. The most perfect Vuduri has absolutely no mind of his own. He allows the Overmind to think for him. He would attempt to never speak but failing that, he would only refer to his parents by their names, never as Beo or Mea. And he would move out and go to a group home or academy as soon as he was able. But Rome, she lived with us until I was taken."

The Vuduri on the farthest end of the "sheep spectrum" that Fridone referred to don't even use their own senses. They use what is called "second sight" to allow the Overmind to supply their underlying sensory input. Just so they could see things the way the Overmind wants them to.

The Overmind himself is not immune from embarrassment. When Rei first arrived as Skyler Base, he was able to offer novel solutions to problems. The first time it happened, it caused the Overmind extreme distress. Here is how Rome described it:

"What just happened?" Rei asked Rome.

"Ursay instructed OMCOM to get a crew ready to launch a tug."

"So why is Ursay so angry?"

"I do not know," said Rome, softening. "I think perhaps because the Overmind did not think of this action by itself."

"So what?" Rei asked. "So what if I thought of it first? Who cares? And why is he talking to OMCOM out loud all of a sudden?"

"The Overmind cares," Rome said. She paused for a moment then asked, "How did you think of that?"

"I don't know," Rei said. "I just did..."

"More importantly," Rome interrupted, "why did the Overmind not think of that?"

Finally, OMCOM himself was so embarrassed that he couldn't figure out why the stars were disappearing and that he didn't predict Rei's arrival that he reprogrammed himself, a self-styled psycho-surgery, just to avoid these types of embarrassments.

So while it is only partially true in our world, in the 35th century world of the Vuduri and _Rome's Revolution_ , avoiding embarrassment is supremely important. Of course the major exception to this is Rome. Sweet, wonderful Rome. She has never done anything in her life that would cause her embarrassment. There were plenty of times when she could have been but she never considered. For example, she told Rei without shame that the Overmind of Deucado was in love with her. She didn't shirk from it but she was not embarrassed. A role model she is!

## Entry 2-084: March 20, 2014

### Rome is very lovable

Within the world of _Rome's Revolution_ , it is not only Rei who is attracted to Rome. In fact, he is not even the only being to fall in love with the woman. Early on, Rome had carnal relations with Signola but I don't think that had much meaning to him or her. There was Rei, of course, who was destined to be in love with Rome since the beginning of time. Or at least since 1973 when I wrote the first draft. We know that Paul Chung thought Rome was hot when she was reading his mind in _Rome's Evolution_. In fact, there is an argument to be made that Rome is beautiful regardless.

All this aside, the most surprising thing is that the Overmind of Deucado also fell in love with her. Here is the scene from the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ :

"I believe we had what used to be known as tunnel vision," thought the Overmind.

"So now is the time to reach out, to come out of the tunnel," Rome said. "Reach out to the mandasurte, to the Essessoni, to all."

"You know they think I am the enemy," thought the Overmind.

"We will show them you are not. We will show them that you want to learn and that they can be your teachers. They will teach you to love."

"I understand," said the Overmind. "I want to feel love. In fact, I do feel love. I feel it from you. And for this, I thank you, Rome."

"You are welcome," Rome thought.

"There is one other small problem," said the Overmind.

"And what is that?" Rome asked.

The Overmind grew silent.

"What?" Rome asked. "Tell me."

"To the extent that I understand the concept, I believe I am in love with you."

"That is a very kind thought," Rome said, blushing in her mind. "But I think we will keep that to ourselves. I can see where that might make my husband jealous."

"We would not want that to happen, now would we?" said the Overmind acerbically. If it could have winked, it would have.

"No," thought Rome then she straightened herself up. "Speaking of which, I am going to call my husband now."

"I understand," said the Overmind. "Goodbye and good luck. I hope I survive all of this."

"You are so maudlin. This is not the end," Rome thought. "Always remember that. This is just the beginning."

"Yes, I can see that. Farewell, Rome."

## Entry 2-085: March 21, 2014

### A virtual time machine

In the novel _Rome's Revolution_ , OMCOM designed and built star-probes which became, in the Rome's own words, a virtual time machine. It was not a physical device a la H. G. Wells but rather an observational time machine. I have discussed this before in an article entitled "Legal" Time Travel.

Say that such a device existed, not on the grand cosmic scale like OMCOM used but rather on a local, personal scale. Imagine if you had a device maybe a cross between a TV and an Etch-a-Sketch, that allowed you to view into the past. The dials could be used to navigate in space and time.

Such a topic has been dealt with many time before. For example, there was the movie _Deja Vu_ starring Denzel Washington and Paula Patton where scientists were able to view exactly 4 days, 6 hours, 3 minutes, 45 seconds and 14.5 nanoseconds into the past. They use that look-back to investigate the bombing of a ferry. However, this movie turns into an actual time travel movie when Denzel's character jumps back in time to save Paula Patton's character's life.

A better example is the book called _The Light of Other Days_ by Stephen Baxter, based upon a summary by Arthur C. Clarke. This novel is centered around a time viewer which peers through quantum wormholes (hmmm, PPT tunnels?) and raises a host of questions. Some people hook up the wormholes directly in their brain to create a group mind (hmmm, the Overmind via PPT resonance?).

Some of the uses are practical. Solving crimes, the idea raised by _Deja Vu_ , becomes easy because the police simply go back in time and watch the crime unfolding. There is no privacy so restaurants spring up which are totally dark so nobody could spy on you during that interval. Historical mysteries are cleared up. They even go so far back in time (three billion years) and discover there was another form of life, not DNA-based, that came and went and all of life today was the result of one of their scientific experiments.

To me, the lack of privacy would be a showstopper. After all, as mentioned two days ago, plenty of people do plenty of things that would be embarrassing if they came out. But the rest of it is a fascinating concept.

## Entry 2-086: March 22, 2014

### Rome asserts herself

A while back, I told you the story of Rome's rebirth. After she got over the shock of being cast out (Cesdiud), she began a journey of personal growth that forms the measuring stick for the entire _Rome's Revolution_ series. A few days ago, we saw Rome's acknowledgement that beauty had become a part of her life. This was new.

Another part of her personality was a lifetime of trying to be a good Vuduri, that is, a person who submits to the will of the Overmind and meekly follows orders. Now that Rome was on her own, she had to learn to speak up and assert herself in order to navigate the world using only herself as a resource.

The first test of this came after OMCOM had designed the transportation plan for ferrying the Ark II to Deucado using the space tugs to tow it, one PPT jump at a time. But as designed, it would mean that Rome and Rei would have to spend two years apart. Employing the Algol's MINIMCOM unit would allow them to be together. Rome finally screwed up enough courage to ask, almost demand, that they take it. Here is that scene:

"Commander Ursay?" Rome said.

"Yes," replied Ursay.

"I would like permission to fly the container up myself along with Rei," Rome said.

"Why?" asked Ursay.

"Because," Rome took a deep breath. "Because we are going to give Rei the tugs so that he can tow his Ark to Deucado. He needs training and I think this would be the perfect time for him to learn how to operate a tug."

"OMCOM already informed us of your plan to utilize the tugs. We find it acceptable," Ursay said.

"So, that's a yes?" Rei asked. Ursay nodded once. "Awesome. Thank you." Rei paused for a moment. "There's something else..."

"MINIMCOM," said Ursay. "Yes. You may have it." He took a step toward Rei, then another. In a lower voice, he said, "We had judged you a blight, a burden. You were from Garecei Ti Essessoni. You compromised this woman, with your undisciplined mind, your murderous past. We were to exile you, but now..."

"Now what?" Rei asked.

"You have demonstrated to us that as an individual, you have worth. That your separateness is of value. We regret Rome's Cesdiud. In retrospect, we can see that it was, perhaps, premature. When we get back to Earth, we have decided to allow Rome to rejoin the Overmind."

Of course we know that Rome did not even consider rejoining the Overmind or returning to Earth. In fact, she hurt the Overmind's feelings when she rejected it. In Rome's words, "It is surprisingly sensitive for a super-being with immeasurable intellect." Oh well. At least Rome's first foray into assertiveness was not very painful.

## Entry 2-087: March 23, 2014

### The Vuduri and e-mail

Obviously, since they are all mind-connected, the Vuduri would have no use for email. They have very sophisticated electronics for other purposes but just no email. In fact, when Rome realized that by going to live on Deucado, there was a chance she would never see her mother again, she needed a method of getting the information regarding her decision. She was stumped. Rei straightened her out:

"Well, you're going to go to Deucado with me," Rei said. "That's going to make it more difficult to see her, don't you think? What do you want to do about her?"

Rome frowned. "I had not thought of that. I, I do not know what I will do about that."

"Do you think she'd ever come to Deucado? To see you?" Rei asked.

"I do not know," Rome replied. "When Commander Ursay and the crew get back to Earth, the Overmind there will know that I am going to Deucado. So my mother will know. They will tell her about my Cesdiud. I wish she would come, though. She would like it on Deucado. Now that I understand the concept, from the few descriptions I recall, I believe it to be very beautiful there. There are many mandasurte there. She seemed to always like it among the mandasurte."

"How about sending her a note?" Rei asked.

"What do you mean?" Rome asked back, confused.

"Write her a letter. Give it to Ursay. Let him deliver it to her. Tell her what happened, that you are OK and that you want her to come visit." Rei offered.

"I have never written a letter before. Conceptually, it would not seem to be that difficult. I suppose I could do that."

"You've never written a letter to somebody? What about e-mail?"

"E-mail?" Rome asked.

"Electronic mail. Notes sent electronically."

"We would never do that." Rome pointed to her temple and made a wry grin.

In the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , I actually included the entire letter both in Vuduri and English. However, when I condensed the three books down to one, the letter in both languages had to go. It will reappear when I release _The Vuduri Companion_ later this year.

## Entry 2-088: March 24, 2014

### The Psychic Speed-dial

In _Rome's Revolution_ , much is made about a Vuduri's commitment to the Overmind but is there any way for one Vuduri to "speak" to another, even if it is mentally?

The answer is yes. Every mind-connected Vuduri carries around the psychic equivalent of a "speed-dial" which allows them to communicate directly to another Vuduri. The problem is that you cannot do so until you have done so. I know that seems confusing but here is Rome's explanation to Rei:

"The Overmind always listens in. You know that. And the Vuduri typically do not have much to say to each other. Most allow the Overmind to think for them. But, if necessary, it is possible to communicate directly with one person. But you need to know them first. You cannot just contact random strangers unless they want to be contacted."

"That seems like a Catch-22 to me," Rei said. "You can't contact somebody til you know them. How do you know them unless there is contact?"

"Oh that." Rome laughed. "It can be mediated by others. You can meet someone in person. You can meet them via view screen. There are many methods. Once you have met them and made contact, you simply think about them to reestablish contact again."

"So, it's kind of like a phonebook you carry around in your head. Like psychic speed-dial, right?"

Rome laughed again. "Sometimes I do not understand anything you say, but if you are intimating that the number of direct contacts is finite, limited and manageable, then yes."

"Obviously, you had direct contact with your mother, right?" Rei asked.

"Of course. We would check in with each other more or less every day."

"Do you miss that?"

Rome goes on to say that once she was Cesdiud (cast out) and was given the freedom to experience her own feelings she realized she missed her mother very much and was, in fact, homesick. Rei started to worry that she might change her mind but Rome was committed to her new life.

Of course we see the equivalent of the direct communication later in the story when Rome and Rei develop the "cell-phone" in the head.

## Entry 2-089: March 25, 2014

### The process of Cesdiud

Many times we have discussed the pivotal event of _Rome's Revolution_ as the day Rome was cast out, called Cesdiud in Vuduri. In fact, yesterday, we discussed the freedom Rome experienced by having nobody inside her head any more.

The word Cesdiud is simply the Vuduri spelling of the words cast out. We know that others have been cast out before especially when they were about to die or had "wrong thoughts" such as Rome.

What I have not explained to you yet was the actual process of Cesdiud. How does the Overmind cause it to happen? We can kind of reverse engineer it by looking at Pegus' explanation when he reconnected Rome in Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ that takes place on Deucado:

"The process is very simple," Pegus explained to Rei. "We give Rome an infusion of genetic material to regenerate nascent PPT transceivers. The liquid contains transcription-RNA within an artificial virus for delivery directly into the nucleus of her cells. The PPT transceivers will rebuild within her neural tissue. It passes through the blood-brain barrier and delivers this therapy to her brain as well. Once the new transceivers have replaced the disabled ones, we apply a small electrogravitic field to start the resonance and then she will lock into our samanda. It is supposed to be quite painless."

The take-home lesson is that an electrogravitic field starts the resonance which syncs with the nearest Overmind. Yesterday, we found out that every Vuduri has the psychic equivalent of a phone number so all the Overmind would have to do would be to lock into that victim's particular brain, cut them off from resonance and the PPT tunnels would simply wink out of existence. Nothing on this Earth (or Deucado) could start it up again. That is why Pegus had to give Rome a new set of chromosomes.

Well, that is until _Rome's Evolution_ when MINIMCOM harnessed the power of "real" negative energy and was able to jump-start Rome's original PPT resonance again.

## Entry 2-090: March 26, 2014

### Vuduri pressure suits

Everybody wants to call them space suits but in _Rome's Revolution_ , we are introduced to pressure suits. They are called darnis te brassei in Vuduri. These all-white suits can be used to go into space but they can also be used to walk about the inhospitable atmosphere of Dara, for example. They also work well underwater although we don't see that much.

In the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , the first thing Rei sees upon being awakened is Rome and Canus, dressed in pressure suits, attending to his reanimation. We find out that they have twin lamps attached to sides of the helmets.

Later, in Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_ , we find out more about the suits. They are built of a tough fabric and pull on in one piece. There are various tubes (self-sanitizing) which attach to the lower orifices to extract waste material. The gloves are separate. They slip on and lock on the sleeves of the pressure suit forming an airtight seal. The helmets use a simple tongue and key locking system. The helmets also have a water tube which extends when touched and automatically retracts the wearer is finished. The air is recycled using a molecular splitter that converts carbon dioxide back to oxygen and stores the carbon as activated charcoal. The air in the suit actually gets cleaner the longer you wear it. The faceplates of the helmets are tinted. But the one thing they don't have is radios.

Of course, the very fact that the suits do not have radios is what allowed me to create the climax of Part 1. The angst the reader experiences knowing the two lovers will never see each other again allowed me to spring Rome's return in the next chapter of the book. The ellipsis at the end of the previous chapter actually got me attacked once. Here is the sentence for those of you who don't remember:

When the compartment indicator turned green, Rei pressed the stud to open both airlock doors to the cockpit then removed his helmet. As soon as the inner hatch opened, he jumped through the doorway and...

## Entry 2-091: March 27, 2014

### Fridone's disappearance

When I was writing the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , the subject of Rome's father came up several times. Rome clearly had a deep fondness for the man and a deep sadness that he disappeared. Here is the original conversation between Rome and Rei:

Rome smiled at Rei. "It is OK as you say. I liked what I saw. You reminded me of my father when he was younger. And I like looking at you now."

Rei smiled broadly. "So what about your father? You said he disappeared. You never heard from him again?"

Rome sighed. "No. He was on a large boat. It was a resource mapping mission, in the ocean off the coast of what you would call The Big Island of Havei, er, Hawai'i. His ship disappeared."

"Was it a storm? Did the ship sink?"

"No, no storm. And nobody knows what happened. It is peculiar, but many mandasurte disappear. In a variety of ways."

"And nobody ever figures out what happened to them?" Rei asked, perplexed.

"No. The Vuduri are...uninterested, for the most part," Rome replied sadly.

"What about the other mandasurte? Don't they care?" Rei asked.

"Oh yes," answered Rome. "They organize search missions. They are often very elaborate. But they are never found. According to the Overmind, most Vuduri just think that the mandasurte are very careless. They think it is a sign of the weakness caused by being apart, not connected."

"What do you think happened to him?" Rei asked.

"I do not know. He must have died. If he did not die, I cannot imagine that he would have stayed away from my mother and me, but I will never know for sure. If he did not die, as mandasurte, he could only be found if he wanted to be found or did nothing to prevent it. Mandasurte can go anywhere and no one would know. Not like Vuduri."

You have to understand when I wrote this passage, I had _absolutely_ no idea what had happened to Rome's father. I just needed him to not be around and Rome's mother to be effectively single. It wasn't until I started writing what is now Part 2 of _Rome's_ _Revolution_ that I found out.

Notice I did not say I figured it out. I didn't. I just thought it would be really exciting for Rome and Rei to spend a year in space, arrive at Deucado and immediately be threatened with death. It wasn't until I wrote the crash landing scene and the first guns and ramps scene that it occurred to me how cool it would be if Rome just happened upon her father. That is what broke open the whole genocide thing. At first I thought it was a secret agenda by the Overmind of Earth to eliminate the mandasurte. It wasn't until I found out about Estar and MASAL that all the pieces fell in place.

See, I get to be entertained just as much as you by these characters!

## Entry 2-092: March 28, 2014

### Do Vuduri women wear bras?

This is a stupid question but the answer is no. Now you might think it is important for support and modesty. Well, the Vuduri women have no modesty. As far as support, well, most of them are only moderately endowed. However, in the few cases where there is enough mass to require support, that is where the 24th chromosome comes in. There is no sagging, no drooping, hell, gravity just doesn't come into play. The Vuduri are just better built.

So there isn't anything more I can say about the topic. They do not wear bras. Not sports bras, not cross-your-heart, nothing. Rome included.

## Entry 2-093: March 29, 2014

### No radio helmets

In order to set up the great climax in the first part of _Rome's Revolution_ , it was necessary for me to eliminate having radios in the helmets. This, of course, led to the design of the entire mind-connected Vuduri culture and the existence of the Overmind, rather than the other way around.

As Rome and Rei were leaving Tabit, their "cell-phones" in the head had not developed yet so when they were sealed up in their pressure suits, how were they to communicate? I thought about hand signals but there was just too large of a culture gap for hand signals to be effective. Luckily, I remembered seeing a video or reading an article about NASA and what astronauts do when their radios break down. I looked it up and sure enough, the standard operating procedure is just for them to touch their helmets together. Enough vibrations from the astronaut speaking travel from one helmet to another so the other astronaut can hear them faintly, even in the vacuum of space.

Rome settled the issue quickly with this exchange:

"I know," she said. "We can just press our helmets together. The vibration of your voice will carry through the helmet-to-helmet contact. We should be able to hear each other."

"OK..." Rei said. He lifted the helmet, fit it into the grooves and pressed down and rotated it to the right. He heard a click as it locked into place in the forward facing position. He watched as Rome did the same. As the helmet engaged, a very dim light appeared on the interior, illuminating her face. Rei assumed he had one too. After Rome was satisfied with the fit, she leaned it forward and pressed her faceplate up against his.

"Can you hear me?" she asked.

"A bit muffled, but yes," Rei replied. Her voice was soft but surprisingly clear.

"What happens if we need to talk to OMCOM?" Rei said.

Rome tapped her helmet with a finger. "I still have my bloco and stilo."

Well, this worked out quite well as we know.

## Entry 2-094: March 30, 2014

### Who did this before?

In the middle of Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_ , as Rei and Rome were about to take off on their training mission, they had this exchange. Rome said something odd which I have highlighted in bold:

Rome led Rei up the tug's ramp into the cargo compartment. Rei put his hand on her shoulder and drew her close. He pressed his helmet to hers and said, "I don't get how this is going to work. We're going to be stuck in this thing for over a year. Where are we going to sleep? Where are we going to eat, you know, stuff like that?

Rome smiled at him and pointed to her right. "This ship will be outfitted in a fashion similar to our living quarters. It will have all the requisite equipment, galley, molecular sequencers, food synthesizers. There will be a refresher, what you call a bathroom and there will be..." She squeezed his hand through their gloves, "sleeping quarters."

She pointed to the far corner. "They will provide us with exercise equipment. It will be very comfortable. You will see."

"What about air, food, water, stuff like that?" Rei asked.

"They will install a recycler that will provide all of that. Please do not worry about this. **They have done this before."**

"OK," Rei said, a bit skeptically. "If you say so."

What does that mean? Who has done this before? Does this mean this particular group of Vuduri have outfitted a space tug as a Flying House or that another group of Vuduri had to live within a space tug for a long time?

I don't know the answer. I do know that there is a whole universe out there. There are events and characters that have never been mentioned and even though it seems that way, the entire Vuduri civilization does not revolve around Rome and Rei.

I thought maybe Rome was referring to the Suduri when they left Earth for parts unknown. It may refer to when the Vuduri first settled Helome or even Deucado. Maybe it refers to the basic design of the Algol itself.

It is my hope that someday Rome shares with me her thinking on this matter.

## Entry 2-095: March 31, 2014

### How big is space?

The entire culture, physics and politics of _Rome's Revolution_ depends upon the characters being able to travel between the stars. But really, is that practical?

I had postulated that the Grey Drive could accelerate a ship up to 5% of the speed of light. Even at that speed, it was estimated that it would take 250 years, a quarter of a millennium, to get to Tau Ceti. What about real life?

The fastest object to ever leave our Solar System, to date, is Voyager 1, currently clocked as traveling at 17 km/sec. Compare that to the speed of light which is 299,792 km/sec. The Voyager 1 space probe is traveling at .005% of the speed of light. At that rate, it will reach the edge of the Oort Cloud, generally considered to be the edge of the Solar System, in 40,000 years. Even if it were pointed directly at Proxima Centauri, the closest known star, it would still take yet another 40,000 to reach that star system.

There ain't nobody who is going to hang around for 80,000 years to see if Voyager reached the next star system over. If you thought that Voyager 2 would go farther and faster than Voyager 1, forget it. Voyager 2 is only traveling at 16 km/sec. There was a time when Voyager 2 was farther away since it was launched August 20, 1977. Voyager 1 was launched a few weeks later on September 5, 1977. It has a higher net speed so once Voyager 1 pulled ahead, it pulled ahead for good.

Here's the bottom line: if we are going to travel to the stars, we are going to have find a better, faster way. The PPT star drive which goes around space, rather than through it, seems like the only reasonable way to proceed. Well, until we get the Null Fold X-drive which has _no upper speed limit_!

## Entry 2-096: April 1, 2014

### Character Fusion

I was in the middle of building the plot for _The Milk Run_ and I came to a juncture point. It is necessary for the plot to proceed that Planet OMCOM upload a much greater portion of his consciousness into Junior's memron storage to help Aason solve the mystery of where the Creatures of Light have taken his sister Lupe.

I am going back and forth. OMCOM's livetar is always pure white and represents OMCOM's imperial presence. In this story, which takes place 17 years after _Rome's Evolution_ , Junior's livetar is now jet black. My initial thought was to have OMCOM upload his consciousness into Junior and have the two fuse into a single entity called OMCOM, Jr. This livetar would be gray and would represent the synthesis of two personalities.

Here are a few problems with that. First, I don't know this new character. I know OMCOM. I know Junior. I can write their characters and their dialog from experience. Also, with fewer people (maybe entities?) in the room, there is less diversity of opinion, fewer opportunities for banter.

I discussed this with Denise and she felt there was no question. OMCOM and Junior should remain separate characters with their own livetars, personalities and approach toward life. I guess I have to yield to this viewpoint because my gut tells me that is right, too.

So goodbye, OMCOM, Jr. Never born, never built, never to be realized but still fascinating nonetheless.

## Entry 2-097: April 2, 2014

### Cutting off the hand

For some reason, I seem to have a fascination with cutting off people's hands. This has happened more than once in the _Rome's Revolution_ saga.

This exact dramatic scene made an impression on everybody in _The Empire Strikes Back_ when Luke had his light saber fight with Darth Vader:

For my career as a writer, it all started at the end of _The Ark Lords_ when MINIMCOM sliced off Nick Greer's hand before he could shoot Rome.

Of course, the loss of Greer's hand and MINIMCOM restoring it was an important plot point in _Rome's Evolution_ in that it laid down the roadmap to Greer's rehabilitation. Later in that book, Dan Steele sliced his own hand off by accident when he plunged his knife into Rei's chest. Unfortunately for Steele, Rei was protected by a miniature PPT tunnel and when Rei twisted, Steele's hand was cut off by a blade sharper than any in the universe.

However, it was my point with restoring Nick Greer's hand that Steele could find salvation as well. Here is Virga's take on it:

"How is Nick Greer doing?" Rei asked Virga as he stared out the window at the craggy mountains below.

"He is settling in," Virga said. "When you gave him his hand back, it is like he became a different person. He appears to have given up his resentment and violent tendencies. He had a very strong wish to work out in the fresh air. I believe your expression is, he will be OK."

"That's great," Rei said. "Maybe you could have him go visit Steele some day and explain what happened to him."

"Why?" Virga asked.

"Because, well, Steele ended up losing a hand as well. Maybe it will appeal to him."

"How did he lose his hand, if I may ask?"

Rei looked at Rome. "Well, after we hunted him down, he tried to kill me and, well, I accidentally cut it off."

Rome leaned forward. "He pretends he doesn't care but I sense that he does. Perhaps if he sees hope of repair in exchange for his cooperation, it will turn out the same way as Greer."

"It is worth a try," Virga said. "We will give him a little time to consider his circumstances and then we will broach the subject."

Why do I bring this all up? It's because I think Aason is going to get his hand cut off in _The Milk Run_. No big deal in the _Rome's Revolution_ universe but disturbing nonetheless. You'll find out why when the book is done but right now, I can't find a way around it.

## Entry 2-098: April 3, 2014

### Living crystals

Everybody knows there are three basic divisions of matter in our world: animal, vegetable and mineral. However, will this always be true on other worlds? In other galaxies?

In the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_ , Aason Bierak has to travel to a star system which has not one but _two_ habitable worlds circling the primary star in the Nu2 Lupi system. So what does that mean?

One of the worlds, the one farther out, is very cold. So cold that the inhabitants called it Hades. Everybody thinks of Hell as fire and brimstone and sulfur but the Greeks imagined Hell as a cold and dark place.

But as cold as Hades is, there is a second, warmer world, much closer to their sun called Ay'den. Ay'den is very hot, humid, smelly and the primary sentient species is plant-based, not animal-based. In fact, there are no animals on that world. So if plants are the people, what are the plants?

Well, I decided to build silicon-based life-forms, living crystals, as the next level down. Everybody remembers the Horta from _Star Trek, the Original Series_ :

They were shown to be incredibly long-lived, sentient, and while protective of their young, they were not inherently evil.

On Ay'den, the living crystals are more diabolical. They do not like the plant-based life-forms and have no experience with animals whatsoever. Unfortunately for Aason Bierak, they have a natural ability to conquer animals which he is going to have to overcome.

## Entry 2-099: April 4, 2014

### To Infinity and Beyond

Everybody loves Buzz Lightyear. I mean, how could you not?

Buzz's catch phrase was "To Infinity and Beyond" which was fun and may seem vague but is actually quite deep. How could something be beyond infinity?

Take the simplest of cosmological questions. If there was a Big Bang when our universe started, what came before the Big Bang? If the universe is doomed to eventually contract back down to nothing, sometimes called the Big Crunch, what comes after? It hurts the head. What came before the beginning? What comes after the end? This means the beginning is not really the beginning, is it?

This is where science runs into religion head on. When did it all start? In my opinion, it never started. It has always been. Therefore you don't have to figure out what comes after the end because it never ends.

To me, our universe is just one tiny node of a hyper-cube network going off to infinity both in dimension and time. Kind of like Tinkertoys but infinitely extended:

And if this is true, what is between the spaces?

I don't know the answer. Nobody does. So in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_ , we find out one possible answer. After all, if Heaven is real, it has to be somewhere.

## Entry 2-100: April 5, 2014

### Dimensions

Everybody knows about the first three dimensions: length, width and height. Everybody knows about the fourth dimension: time. If you know the spatial and temporal coordinates of an object or event, you can track it precisely. Four dimensions was good enough for Einstein to develop the Special Theory of Relativity.

But are there other dimensions? Ones that we don't know about? String theory, or more specifically superstring theory postulates there are no less than 10 dimensions.

Superstring theory is a possible unified theory of all fundamental forces, but superstring theory requires a 10 dimensional space-time, or else bad quantum states called ghosts with unphysical negative probabilities become part of the spectrum.

But what are those other dimensions? Do they have a name or even any meaning in our lives?

I read a novella once called _Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions_ by Edwin A. Abbott. It was about a world which consisted only of two dimensions (length and width) and of course time. The residents of Flatland had no knowledge of height and navigation around their world was somewhat difficult. Very similar to a puzzle where you rearrange pieces to form a coherent view:

Flatland consisted of women who were simple line-segments and gentlemen were polygons. Their world was visited by a sphere whose third dimension was incomprehensible by the masses until the protagonist saw "spaceland" for himself.

So too it will be in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_. What if those other dimensions had simple names like Ambition or Desire or Purity? Ever since the first part of _Rome's Revolution_ came to a close, we have been wondering what has OMCOM been up to all these years. Well, finally, we will get to find out. It may not be as nice as you would like.

## Entry 2-101: April 6, 2014

### The gift of humor

Rome, the heroine of _Rome's Revolution_ is an innocent soul. She is struggling to find her way in Vuduri society when a chance meeting with an Essessoni named Rei Bierak knocks her from her orbit and puts her on a trajectory for the unknown.

After her rebirth, she must come to grips with a bewildering number of topics, only the simplest being an emotional response to situations. A more sophisticated matter is humor. Rei tried to explain it to her when she was still ensconced within the Overmind but she never "got it" until she was Cesdiud (cast out). When she decided to assert herself and demand that the Vuduri give Rei the space tugs and the MINIMCOM unit to facilitate their trip to Deucado, she was granted the opportunity to take Rei up into space to train him on space tug operations.

When they were first seated in the cockpit, after Rome allowed them to remove their helmets, she was instructing Rei on how to get situated. This gave Rome her first opportunity to show him that she finally understood the concept of humor.

"You sit in the pilot's seat, on the left," Rome said pointing there.

"OK," Rei replied and made his way forward and sat down. Rome sat down on the seat to the right.

"Now you buckle yourself in, like so..." She reached behind her and brought one of the two straps over her shoulder. She showed him how to insert the tongue into the hasp. "When it clicks, the latch is fastened."

"Yeah, that's the way our seatbelts worked too," Rei said.

"You must attach both straps to be safe," she said affixing the other belt over the other shoulder.

"What happens if I don't," Rei asked with a smile on his face.

"You die," said Rome with a straight face.

Rei was stunned. He watched her glowing eyes then a smile crept onto that beautiful face.

"I am teasing you," she said. "But please do it, though. It is safer."

"Yes sir, captain, sir," Rei said and he did as he was told.

While I cannot say for sure that I have mastered the concept, at least Rome, my heroine, seems to have done so. She has a very dry sense of humor but a sense of humor nonetheless.

Thank you, Rome, it makes the whole series when you can break the tension once in a while.

## Entry 2-102: April 7, 2014

### Electrogravity

One of the cornerstones of Vuduri transportation are the EG lifters featured prominently in _Rome's Revolution_ , _The Ark Lords_ and _Rome's Evolution_. EG stands for electrogravity but is it real? Did I make it up?

No, I didn't make it up. However it has never been proven. There is no repeatable experimental data to support it. Some people think that the technology was lifted from the remains of the Roswell UFO. Others believe it is utilized in the B2 Stealth Bomber to explain some inconsistencies in its power to lift ratio.

Regardless of whether it's real, for my purposes, it's not that important. I needed a way to move things around that didn't require fossil fuels. So you rotate a room-temperature superconducting magnet at high-speed and voila! electrogravity. In Vuduri universe, electrogravity (EG) is only a repulsive force, not an attractive one. So it was only good for pushing against gravity. Works great at sea level. Not so good once you reach the upper atmosphere and useless outside of a gravity well.

As long as I had to build in a rotating superconducting magnet, I used it to clamp the space tugs to the body of the Ark II which was made of pig iron so it was magnetic. I also created some shields to cover the EG lifters so it "reflected" the repulsor field backwards and created artificial gravity. Rei and Rome needed this for their year-long journey to Deucado so their bodies did not atrophy.

I also had MINIMCOM use the EG lifters as a super-duper PA system upon occasion.

Very convenient for the story but unlikely to be too useful any time soon.

## Entry 2-102 (extra): April 7, 2014

### Indiegogo campaign starts today

I am going to try and get _Rome's Revolution_ made into an audio book. I am going to use the Indiegogo crowd-sourcing platform to fund this venture. Here is the link:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rome-s-revolution-the-audio-book.

Here is a short link in case you need it: http://igg.me/at/RRAudio/x/4972686

If you could spread the word, I'd really appreciate it. Here is what their widget looks like:

Every little bit helps.

## Entry 2-103: April 8, 2014

### Infinite fuel

While the whole _Rome's Revolution_ universe is based upon carefully researched science, there are times when I have to wave my hands so that I can get on with the story.

For example, when Rome is training Rei on the starship controls on his first trip in a space tug, she mentions that the trim-jets can be used in space or within the atmosphere. But what is the fuel that powers the trim-jets?

I posted an article some time back which explained that the by-product of the Casimir Pump was positive energy which could then be converted into matter, specifically plasma. However, this same method could be used to create hydrogen or helium or even higher elements.

So I think I'll just say that the PPT star-drive produces matter as a by-product and some of that matter is helium gas. It is placed in reservoirs and kept under intense pressure so that the trim-jets can shoot it out into space (or the atmosphere) with tremendous momentum thus generating thrust.

This is similar to the Reaction Control System (RCS) used by the Space Shuttle and other air and spacecraft as well as geosynchronous satellites to maintain proper attitude. Cold gas thrusters use carbon dioxide or nitrogen as their base propellant but these molecules would require more construction in a Vuduri spacecraft so I think I'll stick with helium.

## Entry 2-104: April 9, 2014

### No instruments

The Vuduri space tug, first introduced in _Rome's Revolution_ has no actual instrumentation. Instead, all instrumentation is virtual and displayed on a large flat-screen panel built into the console in the cockpit.

This concept has become increasingly popular even in today's airships culminating in the cockpit instrumentation for Boeing's 777 commercial jets.

As you can see, most of the readouts are just screens. There still a few mechanical dials left. These dials would be autonomous, analog instrumentation such as an altimeter, fuel gauge, horizon/attitude wheel and perhaps a compass. You would want these as a backup in case the electronics failed.

The Vuduri spacecraft have no such backups. I guess they figured if the electronics went out, you were doomed anyway so why bother building in mechanical instrumentation? We already know the Overmind was too cheap to build probes to search for the cause of the stars disappearing. If it wouldn't spring for something to save the entire Solar System, why would it spend money on a measly person or two?

## Entry 2-105: April 10, 2014

### More on Dara

In _Rome's Revolution_ , Rei Bierak questioned Rome several times as to why they elected to build their starbase on a moon instead of free-floating in space. To him, building a base at the bottom of a gravity well was counter-intuitive. It required energy to go into space, energy that could have been preserved if you were up there in the first place.

In an earlier post, I explained that the thin atmosphere of Dara was sufficient to allow for aerobraking. Rome also explained that building the star base within an atmosphere made it easier to secure and maintain. However, there was one more reason which Rei only learned about when he and Rome were taking their first training flight together. It went something like this:

Rei felt a vibration as the massive hangar doors pulled open allowing him to look at the surface of Dara for the first time. The pressure differential caused air from the hangar to rush out, creating swirling eddies of dust and dirt during the process. Beyond that, the ground was brown and reddish, illuminated by the lights of the hangar bay.

"For some reason, I was expecting it to be all gray and cratered, like Earth's moon," Rei said.

"No, Dara has a substantial atmosphere and weather," Rome said. "That is why we picked it. It reduces the engineering requirements that we'd need for a vacuum. Plus aero-braking is easiest when you have an atmosphere to rub against."

"Still, you have to take off and land every time you need to do something. Wouldn't a space station be better?" Rei asked.

"No," Rome answered. "Most gas giants like Skyler's World usually put out gigawatts of lethal radiation. We need the atmosphere of Dara to provide some shielding. Plus it undergoes rhythmic gravitational contractions which causes it to radiate IR which is trapped by the moon. It makes it easier to maintain a comfortable temperature."

"But the gravity well?" was all Rei could counter with.

"The gravity well would only be an issue on take off. It is not an issue for landing," Rome answered.

From my perspective, putting the first part of _Rome's Revolution_ on Dara allowed for the dramatic final scene when Rei thought he had lost Rome forever. That was good enough for me.

## Entry 2-106: April 11, 2014

### In media res

_In media res_ is a Latin phrase meaning "in the midst of things". It is a literary device that you are supposed to use in a novel to increase the reader's level of excitement as you go from one chapter to the next. If a chapter picks up exactly where the prior scene left off, the lack of jump would cause the reader to ask why you put a chapter break there in the first place.

When I wrote the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , I did not know about this. I was going for a more you are there kind of vibe so to me, chapters were just a convenient place to let the reader breathe.

However after the thunderous silence that greeted that original version, I set about collapsing my original three novels into one and that meant a severe edit job.

At that point I had been taught about _in media res_ so I took the opportunity to cause a break in time between chapters. For example, the original Chapter 1 ended with Rei and Rome leaving the airlock/iso chamber and walking down the corridor. Chapter 2 started with them continuing down the hallway and encountering Estar. Now I have Chapter 2 starting with Rei staring up at the ceiling in the Great Room in the middle of the star base proving that at least a little bit of time had passed.

In the current version, I have Chapter 3 starting the morning after Rome and Rei have slept together. Chapter 3 and 4 are pretty seamless. I would say I failed there. Chapter 5 starts up after another afternoon of passion. The rest of the chapters break as best as I could.

However, there was one pair of chapters where I broke this rule on purpose. Chapter 11 ends mid-sentence on an ellipsis and Chapter 12 picks up with a leading ellipsis. Chapter 11 ended with "as soon as the inner hatch opened, he jumped through the doorway and..." and Chapter 12 started with "...ran right into Rome, almost knocking her over." This violation was the chapter break (no _in media res_ ) that got the manuscript thrown at me one time. That was awesome!

## Entry 2-107: April 12, 2014

### The story I always wanted to tell

Many times I have told you that I think these stories are real, they just haven't happened yet. I get glimpses of the stories all the time, mostly in the shower, but they aren't always in sequence and many times they don't make any sense.

The whole concept of _Rome's Revolution_ just came to me out of the blue in 1973 and ever since then pieces of the story have filtered down to me until I could weave them together into a coherent novel.

However, there were always a few stories that just didn't fit anywhere. When I combined the original three novels into one, the entire story of the Flying Horse had to be excised. But it was a story I always wanted to tell.

My fallback plan for all of these stories is _The Vuduri Companion_. This is the book I plan to put out after I complete _The Milk Run_. It will be short stories, deleted scenes, the original 1973 version of _VIRUS 5_ and _Rome's Revolution_ plus much, much more.

Rei's last day on Earth was always slated to go into this compendium but I never actually wrote it. When I started _Rome's Evolution_ , I realized I had to have connector pieces to tie up all the loose ends that had been left hanging. One of the stories was Rei's space walk where he retrieved his solid state music slab. Another item was why Rei didn't have a pair of sunglasses and how is it that Rome was familiar to Rei before he ever met her?

It was at this point that I knew I had to write the full version of Rei's last day on Earth. It was so satisfying to knock out the complete story and it came out so effortlessly since I had been thinking about it for some 40 years. I posted an article back a few weeks called What Sally Saw and even that was fun to finally connect with that fateful day in January of 2067 AD.

## Entry 2-108: April 13, 2014

### When is a tunnel not a tunnel?

In _Rome's Revolution_ , during the 35th century, most of the travel between the stars takes place using PPT tunnels. However the word tunnel is misleading. We all think of a tunnel as dark hole that extends over some distance with a distinct entry and exit point. However, a PPT tunnel is infinitely thin. So thin that its edge is sharper than the sharpest blade ever constructed. It has been used to slice off hands, construct a campus (like in _The Ark Lords_ ) and yield other miracles.

Rei Bierak had the same notion as we do when it comes to the word tunnel. Here is a little passage to illustrate the first time he entered and exited one made by PPTs:

Rei watched in wonder as they passed through the tunnel but he felt no sensation other than the acceleration due to the engines. As soon as they were through, Rome told him to release the throttle. The plasma thrusters cut out and they coasted forward.

Rei look up and around. "Did we do it? Where's Tabit?" he asked.

"Behind us," Rome replied. "Here," she said and took over the controls, twisting the navigation stick, rotating the tug so that it was facing the harsh glow of Tabit which now stood in front of them once again. The glint of the star reflected off the silver nose of the shuttle.

"How is that possible? We never entered a tunnel," Rei noted.

"The word tunnel is meant figuratively, not literally like a tunnel on Earth," Rome replied. "The word tunnel is from a perspective outside the ship. From inside, the tunnel would appear infinitely thin."

"I still would have expected something," Rei said. "Does your bloco and stilo work out here?"

"Insofar as it receives data from the on-board computer. Not from OMCOM," Rome said, "not from this distance."

"So do you know how far we jumped?" he asked Rome.

She closed her eyes for a second then said, "approximately one hundred light minutes."

Pretty cool, huh? An infinitely thin tunnel that lets you travel between stars. Way better than a wormhole built from a black hole.

## Entry 2-109: April 14, 2014

### Suspension of disbelief

All of science fiction, not just the _Rome's Revolution_ series, requires a certain suspension of disbelief. I mean my whole trilogy takes place in the 35th century, for gosh sake. I find it funny when people select one part of a work which is inherently implausible and say I couldn't buy this one part.

Take a look at this photograph by Laura Williams:

Pretty cool, huh? Remind you of anything? How about Rei's invisible chest because he was using the PPT vest during the first half of _Rome's Evolution_.

On its surface, you can buy that MINIMCOM invented a miniature, portable self-sustaining PPT tunnel that protected Rei's back (and later his chest). But he couldn't walk around like the woman in the picture. So I had MINIMCOM invent a tailored shirt with an electrostatic charge that kept it inflated in a shape that made Rei look normal. Of course if you pushed on the shirt, it would collapse in and your hand would come out the other side.

And the electrostatic charge part is the one section that doesn't seem to be possible? Huh?

## Entry 2-110: April 15, 2014

The Milk Run has begun!

I know I have been promising you _The Milk Run_ starring Aason and Lupe Bierak for a long time. Well, I'm pleased to announce that finally it has begun. I have completed a draft of the first chapter which sets up the protagonists, the conflict, in fact, the entire plot. Just to prove I am not making this up, here are the first three paragraphs.

"AASON!" Lupe shrieked, her voice warbling in terror. The teenage girl's bloodcurdling scream shattered the peaceful calm of the starship cabin which moments before had been filled by the gentle shushing sound of the Null Fold star-drive.

21-year-old Aason Bierak was caught by surprise. He had been staring straight ahead, lost in the mesmerizing blackness of null-fold space just beyond the cockpit's windshield. It was a trap and Aason knew it but it was one in which he allowed himself a few minutes of entanglement. With a titanic effort, Aason tore his eyes away from the lush void to face his sister. He was horrified to see a waving set of translucent tentacles had emerged from nowhere, enveloping Lupe, constricting her in their grasp.

"What!?" Aason gurgled. He clawed at the clasp of his X-harness, snapping it open. He flipped off the straps, extending his frame. Even as he jumped out of the pilot's chair, the crystal-like extensions of light were dragging his younger sister into a not-hole. There was no other way to describe it. Her whole body was distorted and it looked like she was being sucked into a vacuum hose. Aason leaped toward her, arms outstretched, but he was only able to brush his hand across one of her fingertips just as she disappeared into nothingness.

Exciting, huh? I am relieved to finally get going on this thing! I currently have it scheduled at 35 chapters and about 110,000 words. There will be one flashback in the story to help with a critical plot point and my first ever "flash-sideways" to show what is going on in another part of the universe that will dovetail with the main plot.

Stay tuned!

## Entry 2-111: April 16, 2014

More on The Milk Run

Yesterday, I gave you a teaser for the beginning of my next novel entitled _The Milk Run_. Well, today I want to give you a little more of the setting and the main characters.

Of course there is Aason Bierak, son of Rome and Rei, now 21 years old. Also along is Aason's sister Lupe who is 16 going on 30. However, as you can see from yesterday's post, she disappears in the opening paragraphs and is gone for three-quarters of the story.

The starship "star" of this book is Junior (MINIMCOM, Jr. actually) and also in attendance is a clone of OMCOM's library clone as well. The story starts out near Tabit, home of Planet OMCOM but quickly shifts to the Nu2 Lupi star system which was supposed to be the home to **two** habitable worlds. When Aason arrives, he only finds one which is puzzling.

That one world is called Hades by the residents and is very cold most of the year. The vegetation has adapted and the forest in which the denizens reside is embedded in something they would call a forest but it looks more like a pile of Jenga blocks to me. Here is an image of what sort of resembles this forest:

From there we move on to the "invisible planet" called Ay'den by the residents who happen to be intelligent, ambulatory plants.

The plant people, who refer to themselves as the K'val, have three stages of life. The first stage is the seedling stage. When they get large enough, they pull their "feet" out of the ground and become mobile. Later in life, they replant their "feet" and grow tall and willowy and resemble trees that can talk.

Also on Ay'den is a second class of creatures, based upon a silicon version of DNA. I wrote about these "living crystals" in a previous post.

I think that's enough spoilers for now. The only thing I'll mention is you get to meet Lupe's "cousin" who is also a starship named Fury. This particular ship is pink! So is her livetar. It's going to be wild.

## Entry 2-112: April 17, 2014

##

Nu2 Lupi

Since much of the action of the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_ takes place in the star system of Nu2 Lupi, I thought I'd give you a little more information about the star. From Wikipedia:

Nu2 Lupi (ν2 Lup) is a 6th magnitude G-type main-sequence star located approximately 48 light-years away in the constellation of Lupus. The physical properties of the star are similar to those of the Sun, though Nu2 Lupi is significantly older.

The fact that it is 48 light-years away meant that Ark IV, traveling at 5% of the speed of light, would take 960 years to get there under the best of circumstances. However, that far away, it took even longer. And it is so far away that there was no coming back and no secondary target. The Ark IV had double-sized propulsion module just to make it that distance.

Nu2 Lupi is thought to be one of the oldest stars in our stellar neighborhood. Three extrasolar planets have already been discovered orbiting this star however they are called "super-Earths" and are way too close to the star to be habitable. But where there's smoke, there's fire so I'm assuming that if the star has big but barely detectable planets, it might have a few smaller, habitable ones as well. The fact that the star is very old means if there were habitable worlds and life did bloom, it would be hundreds of millions of years ahead of us. Who knows what's left?

You'll find out.

## Entry 2-113: April 18, 2014

### 100 light minutes

In the post entitled 'When is a tunnel not a tunnel?', Rei and Rome had just taken a small jump through a PPT tunnel and traveled about 100 light minutes. I thought I'd just give you a little perspective on how far that is.

Light travels at 300,000 kilometers a second. At 93 million miles, the Earth is 8 light-minutes away from the Sun. Mars is about 20 light-minutes from the Sun. Jupiter is 45 light-minutes and Saturn is about 80 light-minutes from the Sun. That means in a single jump, Rome and Rei traveled 20% farther than the distance from the Sun to Saturn. It's not nearly as far as Neptune which is 160 light-minutes from the Sun but it's still pretty far.

In the original, long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , I also noted, as author that the tug 'was facing the harsh glow of Tabit which now stood in front of them'. But from that distance, would Tabit have a "harsh glow" or would just look like any other star? Here is what the Sun looks like from Saturn in a picture taken by the Cassini spacecraft.

100 light-minutes is more than 10 to the ninth miles (greater than 100 billion miles) or as Rei observes, nearly 200 billion kilometers. That's a nearly incomprehensible distance. But look what else you can see in the picture below. That tiny dot, indicated by the yellow arrow, is the Earth, glowing quite brightly as seen from Saturn.

How cool is that?

## Entry 2-114: April 19, 2014

### Any landing

It's been said many times that any landing you can walk away from is a good one. While it may seem silly, it underscores the inherent danger in landing any aircraft or spacecraft.

During Rome and Rei's first foray into space, Rome trained Rei on how to perform a stop-jump using PPT tunnels. When they returned to Dara, however, Rome would not allow Rei to land the space tug. Here is her exact take on the subject:

"Very good," Rome said, lifting Rei from his reverie. "Now we land. It is just a little trickier. I will have to show you. This is not a procedure that you can practice. We normally do not do this manually, but you need to know just in case."

When we review all the takeoffs and landings in the entire _Rome's Revolution_ series, you will discover there is never actually a documented instance in which Rei landed the spacecraft they occupied.

He did not land the tug on Dara that first time. He forced Rome to take over their emergency landing when they arrived at Deucado. When they got to Earth, the unseen controllers from Earth Space Command took over the controls of "The Flying House" and landed for them. When they returned to Deucado, MINIMCOM had already morphed into his starship form and handled all the takeoffs and landings for them.

Even in _The Ark Lords_ , when Rei is at the controls guiding Junior to Darwin Base, Rome had already handled the entry into the atmosphere. In _Rome's Evolution_ , MINIMCOM does all the heavy lifting and Rei never actually manually controls anything.

Oh well, maybe someday he'll get to do a landing on his own. I hope it's a good one!

## Entry 2-115: April 20, 2014

### The 6502

The 6502 was a microprocessor chip created by MOS Technology in 1975 to compete with Motorola's 6800 microprocessor that was introduced one year earlier. What made the 6502 so successful was two-fold. First, it cost less than 20% of its competitors and secondly, it had "indirect mode" and true indexing.

The first microcomputers I worked with were the PDP-8 (although some might call it a mini-computer) and the Altair 8800:

But my first true love was the 6502-based KIM-1 micro-computer:

KIM stands for Keyboard Input Monitor and came with the huge total of 1K bytes of RAM. That's 1024 bytes. However the first 256 bytes, called Page 1, were reserved for the special addressing mode and the next 256 bytes were reserved for the stack so you really only had 512 bytes to play with. Think about that. I just bought a 2 TB external hard drive for $99 and the KIM-1 had 1K!

Even though it was just a technology demonstrator, the KIM-1 could play games like Wumpus, Lunar Lander, Blackjack and even Chess! But it was the 6502 that was the star. I memorized the entire instruction set (all 56 op codes) and started my career. The chip itself was a fabulous success and not just because of its low price. Its address space allowed for a whole 64K of RAM. Take a look at the computers and devices that were based upon this chip:

Rockwell AIM-65  
Atari 2600 Game Console  
Commodore VIC-20 and Commodore 64  
The Apple II computer (and the late, lamented Apple III)  
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Super Nintendo  
Many video arcade games

The 6502 and its variants (e.g. CMOS, 16-bit, etc.) are still in production today (that's nearly 30 years for those of you counting) with widespread use, especially in the telecommunications industry.

Why do I bring this up? A better question is, what's it got to do with _Rome's Revolution_? The answer is quite simple but you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out.

## Entry 2-116: April 21, 2014

### Computers, viruses, reboots and Rome

In _Rome's Revolution_ , after Rome takes Rei up for his first training mission, she returns the tug to Dara in preparation for landing. However, in what later turns out to be yet another attempt on Rei's life, the nav-computer malfunctions and instead of slowing down, it speeds up heading right for the moon. Certain death was looming.

I work in the computer industry and I cannot tell you how much of my life I waste cleaning out computers from malware, viruses, trojans, rootkit incursions and more. I don't know who these people are that write computer viruses and while I am mostly against the death penalty, I heartily endorse it for these people. And a slower, more painful death it should be.

I digress. Because of my experiences with computers, or rather with people calling me for help because something is not working or the computer is locked up, the first thing I always tell them is to reboot. This fixes 90% of the problems.

This measure is not just limited to my Windows PC, I have had to reboot my iPad and my Mac and even power-cycle my Samsung Convoy II dumb-phone.

So, too, it was with this scene where Rei and Rome were going to die due to a malfunctioning nav-computer. We discovered later that Estar had planted a small virus causing the computer to lock up. My solution for Rome was to have her simply reboot the nav-computer. However, they were going to crash long before Rome could disconnect and reconnect the machine.

Rei's out-of-the-Vuduri-box thinking saved the day. While a well-formed PPT tunnel requires a complete stop relative to the nearest gravitational well, that doesn't mean you can't form a little one even with substantial velocity. In this particular case, the tunnel only traversed a distance of five or ten thousand miles but it was enough to go past Dara thus giving them the time they needed to reboot the nav-computer and return safely to the moon.

Yesterday, I discoursed about the 6502 microprocessor and told you it was relevant to today's post. Well here's why. When Rome asked OMCOM to reboot the nav-computer, OMCOM could not and his answer was:

"I cannot contact the nav-computer. It is locked into a tight loop. I triggered the non-maskable interrupt but its execution cycling will not stop. You will need to shut it down and restart it for me to reestablish communications."

The non-maskable interrupt or NMI was one of the most useful pins on the 6502 chip. Not matter what it was doing, if you tripped that pin, the microprocessor would stop what it was doing and jump to the location stored in a special set of registers. In other words, if the computer was locked up, it would always let you reboot. If it didn't listen to the NMI, you were screwed. Obscure? Sure. But I wanted to say thank you to the 6502, my favorite chip ever, in one of my books as sign of love.

## Entry 2-117: April 22, 2014

### The Doors and The Crystal Ship

I don't think that books are supposed to have theme songs. But as I mentioned in an earlier post, _Rome's Revolution_ very much does. It is the song "I Know You're Out There Somewhere" by the Moody Blues. I didn't know it when I was writing the books but as I mentioned before, during my research for _Rome's Evolution_ , the words leaped out at me as embodying the spirit of the whole series.

Now that I am working on _The Milk Run_ , I decided to look and see if there was a song that represented the spirit of this new novel as I was starting out, rather than waiting until I was done. In a previous post, I teased the fact that the world of Ay'den has silicon-based life in addition to the sentient plants that inhabit the planet.

When Jim Morrison and his friends were trying to figure out a name for their band, they stumbled upon William Blake's _The Marriage of Heaven and Hell_. In that book, Blake wrote: "If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite." So they named their group The Doors because they were going to bring this new perception, that of infinite possibilities, to people through their music.

One of their more popular songs was "The Crystal Ship" and here is a portion of the lyrics:

_The days are bright and filled with pain_ _  
_ _Enclose me in your gentle rain_ _  
_ _The time you ran was too insane_ _  
_ _We'll meet again, we'll meet again_

_Oh tell me where your freedom lies_ _  
_ _The streets are fields that never die_ _  
_ _Deliver me from reasons why_ _  
_ _You'd rather cry, I'd rather fly_

_The crystal ship is being filled_ _  
_ _A thousand girls, a thousand thrills_ _  
_ _A million ways to spend your time_ _  
_ _When we get back, I'll drop a line_

Sort of fits, doesn't it? Maybe, maybe not. For now, I'll keep it until something better comes along.

## Entry 2-118: April 23, 2014

### Brandon, Jody and Muriel

I have told you many times that I don't know where these stories come from. The whole basis of _Rome's Revolution_ came out of nowhere in 1973. Another idea that came to me was the idea of true love. I wanted to write a story that distilled love down to its essence. So I crafted a science fiction story in 1999 entitled "Brandon, Jody and Muriel" to try and create the pure environment I needed to study the emotion.

In this story, a man and woman (I don't remember their original names) were very much in love. They lived in Boston. The man was an engineer and was working on a NASA-sponsored project that involved force-fields. He was on a site visit to Houston when they attempted to create their first force-field bubble. Unfortunately, they miscalculated and the force-field was huge, so huge that it encased most of downtown Houston and a good part of the outlying sections. Realizing their error, they cut the power but the force field was self-sustaining and the people inside were cut off from the outside world for an indefinite length of time.

The novel was roughed out as a series of letters from the man to his wife describing life within the force-field (they called it a dome because they could only see the top half) and it is very sad. The man is forced to take up housing in an apartment with a female co-worker. Even though he was completely devoted and truly in love with his wife, circumstances eventually drove the man into the co-worker's bed and ultimately they had three children together. The man died before the dome came down.

The story starts with the three children showing up at the man's wife's doorstep and delivering the letters. The man was so devoted to the woman that he taught them that his original wife was really their mother and the woman who gave birth to them was just a placeholder. The title of this article are the names of the three children.

It was a sad story and some of the sex scenes were pretty explicit and I always planned on getting back to it one day to flesh it out completely. I had kind of an outline of the content of each of the letters but that's as far as it went. However, this story will never see the light of day and I'll explain why over the next few articles.

Stephen King once said that two stories could be about exactly the same thing but totally different because, in his words, "The reason is simple: no two human imaginations are exactly alike." Well, in the next few articles you'll see how this isn't exactly true. I don't think someone could do another movie like _The Sixth Sense_ where the big reveal is the person is dead. I only think there's room for one of these.

## Entry 2-119: April 24, 2014

### Stymied by The Simpsons

In yesterday's post, I explained how I thought of this story about a dome that descended upon Houston and cut off the people within and the aftermath of this disaster. The fact is that I first wrote the story in 1999 but you'll see that that fact counts for very little. In fact, the story will never get written because of The Simpsons.

In 2007, _The Simpsons Movie_ came out and the basis of the plot was that Springfield was so eco-unfriendly that the powers that be decided to put a large dome over the town and trap the people (and the pollution) inside.

The dome was not completely secure. A sinkhole becomes a secret passageway and the Simpson family escapes to Alaska. Eventually, the family returns to Springfield and Homer and Bart save the day by seizing a bomb that was being lowered into the dome and using it to shatter the dome forever.

The similarities to my story about Brandon, Jody and Muriel are limited only to the fact that a giant dome trapped people inside a city. The intent, the characters and the eventual outcome are totally different. But if I ever published this story, people would say, "Isn't that exactly like _The Simpson's Movie_?" I'd have to say no and even though I could prove I wrote my first draft in 1999, this fact would count for nothing. So as I said above, this story will never get written.

I'm not the only victim to by stymied by The Simpsons. Stephen King wrote a novel and published it two years after _The Simpsons Movie_ came out. The novel was called _Under The Dome_ and eventually it was turned into a TV series. Imagine being Stephen King and asked if he copied his idea from _The Simpsons Movie_? More on that tomorrow.

## Entry 2-120: April 25, 2014

### Squashed by Stephen King

In 2004, after I wrote my first novel _Future Past_ , I revisited my extensive treatment of Brandon, Jody and Muriel. I renamed the two separated lovers (B, J & M's parents) Lee and Beth and linked them back to that book. Further, I decided to turn Brandon into Rei Bierak's father to link _Rome's Revolution_ together with the other two.

I made a little more progress but I put the book aside again. As mentioned yesterday, _The Simpsons Movie_ came out and I thought to myself, well, there goes that book. Imagine my surprise when Stephen King published _Under The Dome_ two years after _The Simpsons Movie_.

I couldn't help but think to myself, isn't he just copying that movie? Well, I was not alone. Many people approached Mr. King and pointed this out to him. His claim that he never saw the movie and didn't know what it was about didn't seem strong enough.

Eventually, Mr. King posted his original draft of the novel called _The Cannibals_ , on its own web page, complete with photographs of the typescript to prove that his novel, in its original form (written in 1978), predated The Simpsons Movie by almost 20 years. Here is what he said when he published this excerpt:

There's another reason for publishing this on the website. Several Internet writers have speculated on a perceived similarity between _Under the Dome_ and _The Simpsons Movie_ , where, according to Wikipedia, Homer's town of Springfield is isolated inside a large glass dome (probably because of that pesky nuclear power plant). I can't speak personally to this, because I have never seen the movie, and the similarity came as a complete surprise to me...although I know, from personal experience, that the similarity will turn out to be casual. Unless there's deliberate copying (sometimes known as "plagiarism"), stories can no more be alike than snowflakes. The reason is simple: no two human imaginations are exactly alike. For the doubters, this excerpt should demonstrate that I was thinking dome and isolation long before Homer, Marge, and their amusing brood came on the scene.

Still, to have to defend an original idea from something that resembles it never ends. You will recall that I had asked John Dixon about this feeling because his book, _Phoenix Island_ , spawned the TV show _Intelligence_ which sounded to me to be a lot like the TV show _Chuck_.

So there's _The Simpsons Movie_ and Stephen King's _Under The Dome_. I think that kind of reduces the likelihood that Brandon, Jody and Muriel will ever be born. Well, no. The chances are zero. The reason is even more bizarre. I'll explain tomorrow.

## Entry 2-121: April 26, 2014

### The Houston Dome, for real

My idea of having Brandon, Jody and Muriel born out of wedlock under the Houston Dome suffered greatly because of _The Simpsons Movie_ and Stephen King's _Under The Dome_. Because of the similarities to these two juggernauts, there was next to no chance I would ever finish this story.

But the fatal blow for the story came, of all places, on the Discovery Channel program called Mega-engineering when, on June 8th, 2009, they presented a show called "Saving Houston with a Dome"

I kid you not. The graphic above is from that show. The idea was the Houston is too vulnerable to hurricanes, heat, humidity. The solution? Put a giant geodesic dome over the city and make everyone safe.

Now seriously, after seeing this show, how could I ever publish such a novel? Houston? Sorry, Brandon. Sorry, Jody. Sorry, Muriel. It ain't never gonna happen. RIP.

## Entry 2-122: April 27, 2014

### Foiled by Futurama

As you can see over the last few days, I've shown that a great idea I had, that of building a dome over Houston, was crushed because of other people who thought of similar things. Well, they thought of it after me but made their ideas public before me.

Every author thinks he has a new idea or take on a subject. When it comes to science fiction in general, or _Rome's Revolution_ specifically, there should be plenty of new ideas. I discoursed about this in an earlier post and even mentioned the fact that A. E. Van Vogt wrote a story called _Far Centaurus_ which at its most elemental level is exactly the same premise as _Rome's Revolution_. Of course that is all it is. Everything else is different.

I only mentioned Futurama in passing last time but for all three of you who do not know it, Futurama is about a guy from the present who is frozen and sleeps for a thousand years and wakes up in a strange new world. (Sound familiar?) What I did not mention was a specific Futurama episode entitled _A Clockwork Origin_. In this episode, first aired on August 12, 2010, Professor Farnsworth introduces nanobots into the environment of a lifeless world and the nanobots rapidly begin evolving into mechanical organisms including mechanical dinosaurs.

Dammit. That's pretty much my whole mutation scene from _Rome's Revolution_ when the VIRUS units began to evolve. I even had a VIRUS dinosaur named Lawlidon in the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_. I wrote the first draft of the stupid thing in 1973, 37 years before that show was aired but I didn't publish it until November 28, 2011.

I hope nobody accuses me of copying. Otherwise, I'll have to post the original typescript online, just like Stephen King did for _Under the Dome_. If you can just hang in there, I'll publish the original story, entitled _VIRUS 5_ , hand-typed from the original manuscript in _The Vuduri Companion_ which will be out after I finish _The Milk Run_.

## Entry 2-123: April 28, 2014

### The Essessoni Computer: Appearance

One of the items that Rei brought along with him in _Rome's Revolution_ was his data tablet, aka computer. We saw one up close in _Rome's Evolution_ when Rei and Rome entered Darwin Base. Rome used it to try and find a current manifest of the Ark's passengers.

Here is a picture of the Essessoni computer which resembles a slightly larger version of the iPad with several significant differences:

First, the central screen is completely transparent rather than being reflective. This allows you to view the world but adds a real-time virtual element so that the computer can superimpose images, markings, lines, drawings; whatever you need to enhance what you are looking at. It can also be used to magnify your view.

James Cameron used a similar device when he filmed movies such as _Avatar_. The hi-tech device allowed him to superimpose his CGI graphics against the live actors so he could get them to move around properly.

The Essessoni computer can also set the background to opaque which lets it display full color images and icons and then it looks even more like an iPad. And like the iPad it is a fully functional touchscreen. However, there are times you need a keyboard. Unlike the iPad, it comes with a built-in projected keyboard which are produced by the two red dots in the upper corners. More on that tomorrow.

## Entry 2-124: April 29, 2014

### The Essessoni Computer: Input

As mentioned yesterday, one of the items that Rei brought along with him in _Rome's Revolution_ was his data tablet, aka computer. Look carefully at the picture of the computer and you will see a pair of red dots in each of the upper corners:

When activated the dots use lasers to project a full keyboard onto a flat surface so you can type like normal without an actual keyboard:

In _Rome's Evolution_ , Rome learns to use this very quickly although its arrangement confuses her:

"Where is the input surface?" Rome asked.

"It's a touch-screen," Rei said. "But if you really need to do some typing..." He pressed the upper left hand corner and two thin laser beams shot out and stroboscopically drew a keyboard on the dust-covered surface of the desk.

"Let me look," Rome said. Rei stood up and Rome sat down in his place. She scratched her head. "The keyboard must have gotten damaged from disuse," she said in a dead serious tone.

"Why do you say that?" Rei asked.

"Look at the layout of the letters," Rome said, pointing at the glowing red virtual keys. "Q W E R T Y," Rome read out loud. "A nonsensical arrangement."

Rei laughed. "Everybody says that before they learn to touch type," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"They are arranged in the order of convenience."

Rome shook her head.

"In my language, E is the most commonly used letter followed by T and the rest of the vowels. The people who designed the keyboard made it so that you did the least amount of work during the course of the day reaching the keys you use the most."

Rome finds this perplexing and she is not alone. The QWERTY keyboard still confuses people today but we touch-typists love it. Tomorrow I will give you the actual specs of the remarkable and powerful Essessoni computer.

## Entry 2-125: April 30, 2014

### The Essessoni Computer: Specs

In 1995, Gordon Moore articulated a principle which became known as Moore's Law. It states: "Over the history of computing hardware, the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles approximately every two years." However, by 2013, Moore's law was essentially dead as integrated circuit manufacturers hit the physical limits of silicon, electricity, heat dissipation and so on.

In an attempt to increase computing power, the manufacturers started bumping up the number of cores (CPUs) to bring an element of parallel processing to ordinary PCs. However, unless the application you are running is programmed to use parallel processing, all it lets you do is run more tasks simultaneously. AMD has come out with a 6 GHz, 12 core processor and that should help some but they are still limited by physics and the speed of electricity.

In the world of _Rome's Revolution_ , all this changed in 2034 AD when a scientist named Bruce Radnor invented the quantum computer. This type of computational device used quantum effects to move data around nearly at the speed of light. In addition, the quantum changes were not limited to ones and zeros like today's digital computers. Some people equated them to analog computers. Moore's law kicked in again and by the time Rei Bierak took flight aboard the Ark II in 2067 AD, hand-held computers were far more powerful than anything ever dreamed of today. And much more fault-tolerant.

So here are the specs on Rei Bierak's computer:

30 cm (11.8 inch) touchscreen display with a resolution of 4096 x 3072 pixels  
Optional laser-projection keyboard  
1 PB of solid-state storage  
Solid state stereo speakers  
Rear and front facing 3D cameras  
Gigafi (similar to Wi-fi) networking  
Weight: .25 kg (8.8 ounces)  
Thorium batteries, never needs recharging  
Peripherals attach using inductive interface (no physical contacts)  
Quad ZX20 quantum computational cores

As you can imagine, this computer is powerful! Do you have any idea how fast you could play FreeCell on this thing?

## Entry 2-126: May 1, 2014

### Rei's Music Slab

There are many themes in _Rome's Revolution_ which are presented to form continuity throughout the series. One such theme is represented by Rei's music slab which is a solid state device, conceptually similar to an iPod. This device contained all of the music Rei ever loved burned into an integrated circuit which was embedded in a solid slab of silicon:

The outer section was a pure mono-crystalline concentrator triple-junction solar cell. It is nearly 50% efficient in converting light into electricity. The front panel also has a dimly lit LCD panel built in which is touch sensitive. The file system allows you to search by genre, album title, recording artist or by any of a number of other criteria. There is also a randomizer option.

Along the bottom edge is a powerful magnet and two inductive ports for attaching the earbuds. MINIMCOM was also able to rig a connector so that Rei could play his music for Rome during their year-long journey in the Flying House.

Here is just a partial list of the times this music slab is mentioned:

\- Intro to Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_.  
\- When Rei and Rome returned to the Ark II to look for the data slabs in _The Ark Lords_.  
\- In _Rome's Evolution_ , Rei had to give up his sunglasses to account for the extra weight of the music slab.  
\- Also in _Rome's Evolution_ , Rei recalled his space walk to acquire the music slab.

Tomorrow, I will give you the little scene where Rei received the music slab from his parents.

## Entry 2-127: May 2, 2014

### Rei receives his music slab

As I mentioned yesterday, Rei's music slab provides a continuity from _Rome's Revolution_ to _The Ark Lords_ to _Rome's Evolution_. Here is the touching scene when Rei receives his present:

After dessert, Rei's parents ushered him into the spacious living room and made him sit by himself on the loveseat. Raul and Sally sat down on the sofa and held hands while Rei's parents stood before him. Rei's mother had her arms hidden behind her back.

"What's up?" he asked trying to peer behind his mother.

"We got you a little going away present," his mother said bringing her hands forward. She was holding out a box, roughly four by six inches, wrapped in gold foil. She handed it to Rei.

"Oy," Rei said, hefting the present. "You know I'm so close to my weight limit as it is," he opined. "What is it?"

"You know we'd never spoil a surprise," Rei's father said. "There's only one way to find out so go ahead and open it."

Rei tore open the paper. Inside was a shiny white cardboard box. Inside the white box was gray foam packing. And in the center of the foam packing was a gleaming, dark silicon blue rectangular object. Rei took it out of the box and inspected it along all sides.

"Is this what I think it is?" he asked, with a broad smile on his face.

"Yes!" his mother said. "It's a custom-built solid-state music slab, completely solar-powered. The earpieces clip on magnetically. It has no moving parts and they assured us it would survive for a thousand years. It's all your music in one tidy package!"

Rei jumped up and hugged his mother and father. "This must have cost you a bloody fortune," he said giddily.

"Well, actually, you paid for it, buddy," Edward said. "We didn't need your cash. We wanted to put some of it toward something that will remind you of us whenever you get to where you are going."

"This is amazing," Rei said. Then he frowned. "I think this is going to put me over, though, weight-wise," he muttered.

"It's already taken care of," his mother replied reassuringly. "We called down to Houston and gave them the exact weight of the slab and the headphones. They said you'd be over by not even fifty grams. They suggested you get rid of your sunglasses and that would be enough. What do you think? Is that OK?"

"Sure," Rei said. "This thing is worth a hundred pair of sunglasses." He sat down to examine the present more closely. He reached into the box, fished out the set of earbuds and placed them in his ears. He held up the other end of the cord, examining it closely. He found that merely waving the connector near the proper junction point on the slab caused it to snap in place magnetically. Rei pressed the upper right hand corner of the device and the front face lit up. The dim integrated menu displayed a variety of ways to access the music. He studied the symbology then instructed the slab to pick a song at random. Immediately he heard the stirring tones of "I Know You're Out There Somewhere" by the Moody Blues. As the music rose, he pressed the volume up control until it was blasting in his ears.

"This is so sleek," he shouted without realizing it. Everyone laughed at his inappropriate tone. Seeing their mirth, Rei grinned then removed the earbuds. He detached the connector and carefully placed the slab back into the foam packing along with the earbuds.

"Thank you, so much," he said in a normal voice. "I'll treasure this always."

"We're very proud of you, son," his father said. "Use it in good health."

We know that it was very important to Rei and provide a gateway for Rome to begin learning about music and the Essessoni culture in general.

## Entry 2-128: May 3, 2014

### What was in Rei's locker?

We have been made aware since the beginning of _Rome's Revolution_ that the passengers aboard the Ark II were very limited in what they were allowed to bring on the trip. The problem was weight and having enough fuel to make it to the stars.

In _The Ark Lords_ , we found out that the actual weight limit was 20 kilograms which equates to about 44 pounds. So what did Rei take that weighed that much?

It was mostly clothes. The clothes themselves were vacuum-sealed to preserve them and guarantee that they took up the minimal amount of room. In addition to regular clothing, Rei had the super-exotic version of a Gortex jacket as well as an ample supply of underwear and socks. He also brought along a number of polymer books because nobody thought that paper would last several centuries.

He also brought his tablet computer and his music slab and earbuds. He also brought a lightweight, collapsible transit:

Rei was a general purpose engineer and surveying was one of his jobs. In addition to the transit, Rei also brought along eating utensils, a polymer mug, a ceramic knife and an all-purpose tool kit.

The only thing he did not bring, which he eventually came to regret, was a pair of sunglasses.

## Entry 2-129: May 4, 2014

Gene Pozniak's The Music of Distant Spheres

The other night, at a meeting of the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society, I got a chance to meet another up and coming novelist by the name of Gene Pozniak. He wanted someone from the club to read his new novel, _The Music of Distant Spheres_ but he couldn't garner much interest. I went up to him after the meeting and discussed _Rome's Revolution_ with him. We agreed to swap books and reviews.

I think I got the better end of the deal. Gene's novel is only 178 pages and I was able to finish it in about two evening's worth of reading. When he received his copy of _Rome's Revolution_ , his first comment was "Got it! Wow! 500 pages!"

Gene's book is _very_ interesting with some genuinely novel ideas about physics, the Big Bang, string theory, entanglement and the nature of the universe. In the end, I gave him four stars because the prose was a little dense to wade through. Here is my review:

At first, this book doesn't seem like science fiction. There are no stereotypical little green men or ray-guns or spaceships but it is hard science fiction nonetheless. The author has clearly thought up a novel concept in physics and worked through the ramifications of such a concept both on a very personal level as well as on a cosmic scale.

The protagonist, Barbara Smith, has had a very rough life. So much so that her entire personality is encased in layer upon layer of protection mechanisms. However, as she envisions a new way of postulating reality and the structure of the universe, she is forced to become more and more engaged with other humans. Her entry into the real world and interactions with people lead her to salvation. Her inner demons are slain in a very satisfying conclusion but not remotely in the way you'd expect.

It's hard to not go into more detail without spoiling the tiny joys each page brings. The author takes a great deal of time in describing the microscopic events leading up to Barbara's macroscopic epiphany. The physics behind Barbara's journey are rock solid, as far as I can tell, making this the hardest of hard science fiction. Equal attention is paid to the psychology and motivation behind each of the main characters and they act very consistent with their background.

The writing is very polished, perhaps even a bit dense but I assure you that wading through it is worthwhile. If you are looking for some science in your science fiction, you've come to the right place.

If you get a chance, check out Gene's book. (After you've read _Rome's Revolution_ **,** _The Ark Lords_ and _Rome's Evolution_ of course!)

## Entry 2-130: May 5, 2014

### Secrets of the Lost Ark - Part 1

In _Rome's Revolution_ , all of the interactions between the 21st century Essessoni (Rei) and the 35th century Vuduri (Rome) were because the people from our time were transported to the stars in huge vessels called Arks.

Forget the title of this article. To be clear, they weren't really lost. Even Ark IV, currently MIA, will be on display in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_. So I just picked the title of this article because it was cool and reminds you of Indiana Jones. Anyway, the point of these next few articles is what was really in the Arks.

We know from _Rome's Revolution_ that they carried transports which were "inflated" when energized by power rods. We also know they carried particle beam drillers which could be converted to very powerful cannons, highlighted in _The Ark Lords_. They also carried laser masonry levels which could be converted into laser pulse rifles. And don't forget the mini-nukes, one of which was used to destroy Rome's first Human History Library.

Finally, we know that they had storage lockers. In a previous post, we covered what Rei took along in his locker and we also know they carried the data storage slabs which encapsulated all human knowledge up to the time the Arks left. Near the middle of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rei also mentions that they carried seeds and animal embryos.

So given this catalog, is this enough to start a colony and support 500+ people? No way. There is so much more required. Let's follow how the Arks were supposed to land and what the revived colonists did both right after they were resuscitated and longer term.

We know that the first event in establishing the colony was the landing of the crew compartment by the command crew. This first stage was successful on Arks I, Ark IV (well, you'll find out in _The Milk Run_ ) and Ark V, the Stealth Ark. For Ark II, they used a rather unconventional method landing and brought down both the crew compartment and the cargo compartment at the same time. This was covered in Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. Ark III did not fare so well. Because the ship was damaged, the command crew had to reverse their capsule and use the SSTO booster as a gigantic retrorocket to allow for reentry. The command crew died and the people who eventually became known as The Deucadons were left with only the clothes on their back.

Tomorrow, we'll cover what the plan was for establishing a colony on a new world if everything went right.

## Entry 2-131: May 6, 2014

### Secrets of the Lost Ark - Part 2

After the first aero-braking reentry maneuver, the command crew would look for an ideal place to set up a colony. This would mean relatively flat ground (good for farming), near fresh water (a necessity), hopefully near some woods or whatever passed for trees on the ground to provide building material for shacks, cabins, whatever. Also, if possible, they'd land near the ocean so they'd be able to harvest materials from the sea.

Once the command crew landed, they exited the command capsule and went into the crew compartment and started the reanimation sequence on several of the sarcophagi. Once those people were awake and had their wits about them, they would then proceed to reanimate the rest of the crew in stages. We know from _Rome's Revolution_ that many of them had back pain, sometimes extreme, but nobody had planned for that.

As soon as a colonist was revived, they would need water, stat. We know from _Rome's Revolution_ , Part 1, that the lower section of the sarcophagus contained sealed drawers with a change of clothes, water, some rations and so on. Kind of a survival starter kit. This would get them through the first 24 – 48 hours.

Once that process was underway, the command crew would detach the lead capsule. Along with several volunteers and a handful of power rods, they would fire the SSTO rocket and return to orbit, eventually rendezvousing with the cargo compartment. One space walk later, the propulsion module was detached and they proceeded to fly back down with the cargo compartment which actually a bit larger than the crew compartment.

To be kind, I'm sure they tried to land as close to the crew compartment as possible. The sections of Ark I were about two miles apart. Ark II, well both sections belly-flopped down together. Ark III never recovered their cargo section. Ark IV, as we will learn, was a little worse. The two sections were about ten miles apart. Ark V, the Stealth Ark that carried the Ark Lords, they were only a few hundred yards apart.

Tomorrow we will discuss the "perfect" mission, i.e. what was supposed to happen after both sections of the Ark landed.

## Entry 2-132: May 7, 2014

### Secrets of the Lost Ark - Part 3

What are the things people need to survive? Food, water, shelter. Let's take Ark IV as kind of the median. The command crew landed the cargo compartment and returned to the crew compartment with the newly awakened colonists to get some help.

On the planet Hades, it is very cold so most of the revived colonists huddled in the crew compartment until their arrival. A team returned back to the cargo compartment with a handful of power rods and began unloading equipment. I'm sure that advanced group went to their lockers and got their coats first, before even unloading one item.

The first pieces of equipment unloaded were the transports which, as mentioned above, were "inflated" when activated by the power rods. These were flat bed trucks good for hauling the rest of the equipment.

Here the sequence of unloading deviates a little bit. In _Rome's Revolution_ , Captain Keller and his Darwin brethren were going to go to war so they chose to unload the weapons first. In the case of Ark IV, they were more practical because there was no one attacking them (yet!). They used the transports to return to the crew compartment and retrieve the rest of the colonists and ferry them to the cargo compartment to help with the unloading process.

The first thing the Ark IV unloaded were the insulated tents, another round of rations, water and thin polymer sacks. The sacks would be filled with leaves (or whatever passed for leaves on that world), humus, detritus, anything to form a kind of mattress. The colonists would set up a tent city in the shadow of the spacecraft as a base of operations.

Once that was done, one transport was dispatched back to the crew compartment to retrieve the remainder of the power rods. The rest would begin scouting operations to find a more permanent place for the settlement, candidates for farmland, woods if possible and so on. Yet another contingent would be sent out to find a sustainable source of fresh water.

By the end of the first week, if all went according to plan, they would already have plowed some ground, planted some seeds, set up the animal incubators and placed some thawed embryos in them. The rest of the crew either begin harvesting materials to build more permanent quarters or, an alternative, begin clearing out a section of woods to build cabins and such.

That takes care of shelter. Tomorrow: food.

## Entry 2-133: May 8, 2014

### Secrets of the Lost Ark - Part 4

Yesterday, we saw how the colonists addressed the issue of shelter. Food is more of a logistical issue. The mission planners only packed enough food to last the colonists one year. The mission planners packed the cargo compartment with a huge variety of seeds. Many of the seeds were fast growing hybrids. It was also assumed that every planet that could sustain life would have available sources of vegetable matter and protein. The protein could come in the form of fish, animals or whatever.

The thinking was if the colonists could not gear up and start producing their own food or find it within the first year, they probably weren't going to survive anyway. Anything beyond that would be to just prolong the inevitable.

If things went well, the colonists would have a crude village, food and water and they would begin survey operations for a more permanent settlement. The homes built here would made of metal and wood (if available) by mining ore or cannibalizing the spacecraft. You will recall from _The Ark Lords_ that the Arks were built of two thirds pig iron and one third martensite. The cargo craft also carried smelters for refining the ore or recasting the pig iron.

The martensite, if needed, would be used as is. It could be carved into useful pieces by the laser pulse rifles although the cargo compartment did carry a wide variety of more traditional tools to be used as needed.

After the village was built, the colonists would break up into three groups. There were the miners who, in reality, were the Darwin contingent although nobody knew it. Their goal was long term but the plan was to build up the numbers of people and technology so that they could one day return to the Earth.

The second group were the farmers. They would spread out as wide as possible and use another section of the seeds and embryos to create farms. If the planet had edible plants or herd animals, they would incorporate these into their repertoire.

The final section was the "ordinary" folk who went on scouting missions, hunting and gathering, prepared schools for the children who would be coming. Generally, they were tasked with creating a new civilization. Everybody had their role, a place to live and a source of food. They figured out art, music, entertainment, alcohol, interest groups. Think of their goal as building, some day, a landed cruise ship, with all the modern amenities.

It takes many, many years and many generations but this is how you build a world. Let the colonization begin!

## Entry 2-134: May 9, 2014

### The War with the K'val - Part 1

In the upcoming novel, _The Milk Run_ , you will find that the passengers aboard the Ark IV followed the colonization plan nearly perfectly for the first few years. On the planet Hades, in the Nu2 Lupi system, while it was cold, they made do and things went fairly smoothly for a brief time. However, that all went to hell in their third year when the K'val arrived.

By the time the inhabitants of Hades encountered the plant people known as the K'val, the colonists were already in the second stage of development. First contact was not expected and the colonists assumed the best of the aliens. However, there was nothing benevolent about the K'val's mission. Without ever saying a word, they abducted one of the colonists and disappeared.

Nobody knew what to make of it. The people from Earth converted some of the levels to laser pulse rifles and stood guard but it was a year before the K'val returned. This time, the humans were ready. They threatened the K'val but the K'val did not understand. They went to abduct another colonist and the armed colonists opened fire. Their pulse laser rifles just went through the bodies of the K'val and seemingly, they didn't even notice. The aliens unleashed a "pain" weapon that caused any that were struck with excruciating, agonizing pain that lasted for months. Another person was taken.

The colonists decided to employ a much more aggressive plan. They moved deeper into the woods, spreading out. The only people exposed would be the farmers. Each block of farmers were assigned a protector armed with the particle beam cannons, mounted on the transports, similar to what we saw in Jack Henry's story in _The Ark Lords_.

Sure enough, one year later, the K'val returned but this time the colonists were prepared for all out war. They deployed the cannons and wiped out the K'val ship and all its occupants. This was the only year that a human was not taken. They didn't even have time to take out their pain weapon.

The following year, a group of K'val vessels landed far beyond the confines of the settlement and approached using a flanking maneuver. There weren't enough of the mobile cannons to stop them all and the K'val deployed their pain weapon and successfully abducted another colonist. The colonists were able to destroy one of the K'val's ships but that was all. The rest left.

Tomorrow, the turning point of the "war" with the K'val. And it isn't good.

## Entry 2-135: May 10, 2014

### The War with the K'val - Part 2

Yesterday, I told you about the human's first encounters with the plant people known as the K'val on the planet Hades. Whatever victories they achieved, they were short-lived.

The following year, the K'val returned with many, many vessels and vastly more powerful armaments. The colonists had set up a defensive perimeter using the cargo compartment as a barricade but to no avail. The K'val were relentless. They used the "pain" weapon relentlessly. They also used an energy weapon built with unknown technology and then went on a hunting mission. They did not stop until they destroyed all of the particle beam cannons and transports. Many colonists died or were left writhing in pain for months. The K'val abducted one colonist and left.

The following year was one of desperation. The colonists knew roughly when the K'val were returning and where they would be landing. One volunteer stood guard by the cargo compartment, armed only with a mini-nuke. When the K'val did return, they found the single human and assumed this was to be their "volunteer." The man set off the mini-nuke, destroying the cargo compartment. He sacrificed himself and took out one of their ships but not all of them.

The K'val were so angry, they swept through the village, dropping everyone they saw with horrible pain. They used detectors and did not stop until they were able to find and remove ALL of the mini-nukes. It might have seemed like spite but they also killed a large number of colonists including some children. Only then did they leave, taking one of the colonists with them.

The following year, when the K'val returned, they stormed the village and made a gesture which meant give us one of yours, holding the pain weapon in the ready. When the colonists refused, the K'val unleashed the pain weapon and killed more members of the settlement. Finally, one of the settlers crawled up them and volunteered to go with the aliens. At that point, they left.

That was the end of the settlement. The only thing remaining was a small group of people. The rest spread farther and farther away, becoming reclusive and self-reliant. While they could not stop the K'val, it certainly didn't help things that they were all bunched together.

Tomorrow, the abductions becomes "civilized" as sad as that is.

## Entry 2-136: May 11, 2014

### The War with the K'val - Part 3

Yesterday, I described the turning point in the war with the K'val. The human settlers on Hades knew they were overmatched. The pattern was set. The K'val would return once a year and enter the village which became known cynically as Pax and demanded one colonist. Each year, one of the colonists volunteered rather than have the humans subjected to the unrelenting pain.

As long as they gave up one of their own, there was no more bloodshed or torture. Once the humans accepted their fate, the K'val changed their procedures slightly and turned the exchange into a ceremony. Each year, when the K'val returned, they also returned with the body of the person taken the year before. The body did not look human. It looked like one of the colonists who had died along the long journey to Nu2 Lupi. The bodies were basically mummified. Perhaps it was because the K'val wanted to keep the colonists afraid or perhaps the aliens just didn't want the bodies around. Or maybe they thought it was a gesture of peace. Nobody knew.

The K'val also started giving the colonists food, seeds and so on during the exchange. They would dump the body on the ground, place cartons of foodstuffs next to it and make their peculiar gesture meaning send someone with us. The colonists got to be pragmatic about it. Until they were able to build up arms sufficient to fend off the K'val, it was "cheaper" to just give up one person. Babies were made at a faster rate than people were taken so slowly but surely their numbers started to swell.

The Darwin contingent, decimated by the first "war" began building a secret arms factory. Their mission superseded cooperating in the strange peace arrangement that had been established. They were able to work with some success the first year. They were able to build up even more weapons the second year. But the third year, somehow, the K'val knew of this secret base. Before the exchange ceremony, the aliens went directly to Darwin Base and wiped out the entire contingent, killing everyone involved and they leveled the factories. This effectively ended the Darwin initiative on Nu2 Lupi. It also permanently implanted a pacifist streak in the people who lived on the planet now known as Hades which was the Greek word for Hell. One person a year didn't seem like much of price to pay for peace and prosperity for the rest.

When Aason Bierak arrived, 60 years later, this was the colonist's lives. They built, they worked, they farmed, they made babies and every year, they gave up one of their own to the strange aliens from another world. Because there were still one or two of the original colonists left (well into their 90s), Aason was able to get a first hand recounting of how the humans in the Nu2 Lupi system came to live this bizarre lifestyle.

(Author's note: this back story may change some when I render it into _The Milk Run_ but at least you get the idea.)

## Entry 2-137: May 12, 2014

### 500 – What's wrong with me?

I am over 500 entries into this blog. I am pleased to say that after those first three "hiccups" early on, I have not missed an entry since February 13, 2013 - well over a year. So what's the deal? Why is there so much to talk about?

The answer is the world of _Rome's Revolution_ and the 35th century. To the extent that this world is "real" then there is literally an infinite amount of things to talk about. Other planets, other cultures, other creatures. Plus the future history leading up to it. I mean just look at an American history book. Look how thick it is. And this is just things that have happened in the past, not the present.

You will notice a strong drift over the next few months as I work out the details for _The Milk Run_. For example, tomorrow's article is about why all aliens must look like us. The following day will about the shape of trees. These are just some of the things I have to think about in constructing a realistic novel.

I think of myself as a storyteller. The sites and sounds are so clear in my head but when I put them down on paper (actually type them into the computer), I often neglect details because I am so anxious to get to the action.

My brother Bruce is always asking me, what clothes are they wearing? What do the cane-trees look like? Things like that. So in _The Milk Run_ , I am going to pay extra special attention to the people, clothes, ecology, shapes, smells and so on. I want you, the reader, to see and experience things as clearly as I can.

So in summary, what's wrong with me? How can I write 500 blog posts and not even have scratched the surface? It's because I am a professional liar and the stories come from my imagination and to my knowledge that means there are no limits.

## Entry 2-138: May 13, 2014

### Why all aliens must look like us

Even though I have written about silicon-based life, when I think about so-called aliens, life-forms from another planet, I really mean the classic little green men. The only aliens we encountered in _Rome's Revolution_ were the Stareaters. We came across a few more in _The Ark Lords_ which were the 'falling blankets' and swishies. Of course we found in _Rome's Evolution_ that the 'falling blankets' were part of an intelligent eco-system but they weren't ambulatory, sentient beings in traditional sense.

So let's restrict our definition of aliens to creatures about our size, roughly, who are autonomous (hive-minds allowed: yes, the Overmind) and intelligent and who have developed technology. In other words, potential rivals. It is my contention that they all will look like us, a la Star Trek.

Why? Because of convergent evolution. If you are going to develop technology, you need hand analogs. Which means a portion of you has to be upright and another set of limbs or tractors or tentacles would be reserved for moving, i.e. legs. So how many legs do you need? Four seems reasonable. Like a Centaur.

But four is actually too many. You don't need them. All you need is a powerful gluteus maximus (butt) to stand up straight and two legs suffice. Why have to eat and support four legs metabolically if they are not necessary?

So already, we're halfway there. We have a bipedal, upright alien with arms and presumably fingers (maybe even an opposable thumb). But what about the head? Well, dealing with the world is all about sensing things. Why put your sense organs on your feet? Wouldn't you want them as high up as possible? So you extend the torso and place the sensing devices on top of a stalk, which we would call a neck. You need to detect sensory data from a variety of energy sources. Electromagnetic (eyes), sound waves (ears), chemical molecules (nose, mouth) and so on. You need to collect the data. You may as well put the collection and decision making organ (the brain) as close to the sensory apparatus as possible to reduce reaction time and increase survival.

So there you have it. An upright, bipedal organism with a head, eyes, ears, nose and mouth on top, arms and fingers and standing on two legs. How much closer do you want? You'll see that the K'val, the plant people of _The Milk Run_ , have evolved using a similar plan.

## Entry 2-139: May 14, 2014

### The shape of trees

Why are trees shaped the way they are? Why are leaves the shape they are? As you know, there are deciduous trees, like a maple tree and coniferous trees, like a pine tree. Their shapes and leaves are so different. Isn't their job just to sit there and collect sunlight and grow? In fact, why be a tree at all? Why not just stay a bush? In the rain forest, it was an easy decision:

There is so much sunlight, you only need a portion of your being to collect light. But there are so many competitors that you need to grow a trunk and get high and pretty soon you have a canopy. You don't have to worry about loss of moisture so your leaves can be big or small but they can stay thin. The trees are called deciduous but they remain green all year round because they can.

Maple trees have a different problem. They have winter to deal with.

When the weather is warm, there is plenty of sunshine and moisture so their leaves are large and broad. Other maple trees keep their distance. So they grow big and tall and bushy but when the winter comes, the leaves become a liability so off they go. And I have to rake them up!

Farther north, the trees have a different problem. It's cold and dry and there isn't as much light, ever.

So instead of leaves, pine trees have developed needles to minimize their surface area and therefore moisture loss. Their light collection area has to go from tip to toe and they have a conical shape so that no section is in shadow. I.e. they maximize their light collection surface.

Bottom line: the shape of trees and the shape of leaves evolve to suit their environment. We found out in _Rome's Revolution_ that Deucado has cane-trees. The gravity is a little lighter there and sunlight is a little redder but there is plenty of it. Their trunks don't need to support much weight and up they go.

But what about on Hades, the cold, cold world in the upcoming _The Milk Run_ and Ay'den, the world of the living plants? Stay tuned.

## Entry 2-140: May 15, 2014

### Animal, vegetable, mineral

I have covered this topic in a previous post but I wanted to circle back and discuss creatures in general. While I proposed two days ago that all intelligent aliens that are about our size will look like us, what if they are not intelligent?

Animals have taken on every size and shape imaginable, both those living today and those long extinct:

So when it comes to animals, you can propose pretty much anything (including Ice-sabers) and get away with it. If the shape or capabilities don't work, eventually the animal will go extinct but there are no limitations.

In _The Ark Lords_ , we found out about batwolves and lurkers. In _Rome's Evolution_ , we found out about the falling blankets. I have plenty of new animals coming up in _The Milk Run_. Yesterday, we discussed plants and why they take on the shapes that they do. The plant people called the K'val follow those plans.

That leaves us with mineral. What would a mineral-based creature look like? As I showed you once before, they featured one on Star Trek, The Original Series called the Horta:

But I think that living crystals should be given the freedom to take on any size or shape that they want. Like the animals cited above, if it doesn't work from an evolutionary standpoint, well, the creature will disappear.

So far I have come up with crystalline dinosaur-y type creatures, bat-like creatures that can fly and some living boulders that can crush you. I'm sure I'll think of others before I get there. I just have, in my mind, a great scene where Aason is digging in the ground to get to a special substance and he and OMCOM are being attacked by flying crystal creatures. Unfortunately for the crystals, the armor that Aason wears and the OMCOM livetar are harder than anything they have ever encountered and they just shatter upon impact.

I hope I can do that scene justice.

## Entry 2-141: May 16, 2014

### To outline or not to outline

When I started _VIRUS 5_ which eventually became _Rome's Revolution_ , I never really outlined the book. For some reason, I kind of knew the whole story from start to finish. So while the individual scenes may have wobbled or mutated, there were certain constants.

Rei, standing alone, seeing Rome for the first time was one. The two of them using the bands and instantly falling in love was another. OMCOM was always there. The Stareaters bearing down them was another. And the mutation scene. All were part of the story before I set down a single word. The rest, well, the characters filled that in for me.

When the time came to write _The Ark Lords_ , while I had an idea of what the story was, or least the beginning and the end, I really didn't know the whole story. So I made an outline. It wasn't hard and fast but it kind of blocked the story out into three acts and gave me a bit of guidance on what each chapter meant, how long it had to be and so on. You can see this stretched a bit thin with the Legend of Jack Henry. It really only takes up three chapters but for the purposes of the book, I needed it to become four. So I arbitrarily split up the final battle at the Tevatron into two pieces even though it doesn't really make sense.

Regardless, the outline served as a nice guide so when I went to write _Rome's Evolution_ , my outline was more detailed. Every chapter was scripted and had a length assigned to it. Some didn't quite fit the bill and others ran over but mostly I followed it fairly carefully.

I did make one mistake. I thought it would be cool to have Rome and Rei take on Steele in the cane-tree forest and THEN break up the story with the second Intermezzo. My first two readers screamed at me. They like the information that the Intermezzo (Rei's space walk) provided but it was a horrible break in the action. My friend Helen calls it shaking your reader out of the 'fictive dream'.

So I moved it up to right after Rome and Rei captured Troutman. I needed you, the reader, to get the information but it didn't bother me that you got it sooner rather than later. So that's the version that is out now. Nobody but those first few readers will ever know that I changed it around.

With the upcoming novel, _The Milk Run_ , I have outlined it as well. There will be one flashback and one flash-sideways but I know now to place them where they don't interfere with the flow of the story.

Other writers may not agree but I think an outline is very useful.

## Entry 2-142: May 17, 2014

### A girl spaceship

First of all, how can a starship have a gender in the first place? In theory, they are genderless. Yet when MINIMCOM gave "birth" to Junior in _The Ark Lords_ , it was natural for you, the reader, to think of him as a mother. He quickly cleared up the confusion:

"What is that?" Rome asked, pointing at the smaller spaceship.

The mouth slit of MINIMCOM's livetar curled upward into a smile.

**"I had to do something with the mass I gave up,"** said the all-black livetar. He nodded and suddenly a small gray livetar, barely two feet tall, appeared beside him. The eye holes and mouth hole were round instead of the normal slits. **"I would like you to meet MINIMCOM Junior,"** MINIMCOM said proudly.

Rei started laughing. "You gave birth? You're a mother?"

**"Although I do not have a gender, I would prefer to think of myself as a father."**

So, in reality, the gender of the spaceship, if there is one, has more to do with mind-set than reproductive equipment.

In preparing the back stories for the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_ , I decided that Lupe Bierak (Rome and Rei's daughter) was going to get a starship of her own. In the outline that I worked up, MINIMCOM gave "birth" to another spaceship when Lupe was about 12 years old. However, from the day she was born, Fury (the name of Lupe's starship) was clearly a female.

It wasn't just that she was pink and curvy. It was also reflected by her design and her attitude. Whereas MINIMCOM and Junior (as he grew up) were more traditional transports, Fury was more of a flyer. She wasn't really built for hauling large quantities of items or people. She was just designed to get Lupe to places fast.

Lupe's primary skill set and what she was trained for was first contact. She was trained to get into the minds of aliens and communicate with them before anything could get out of hand. So Fury did not need armaments or cargo capacity. She was just an advanced shuttle.

Her livetar was also bright pink and very feminine shaped. Her voice was higher pitched than Junior's. However, think about her name. Fury. That should tell you something. She isn't one to trifle with, especially when it comes to Lupe's well-being.

Oy, what a world. Girl spaceships!

## Entry 2-143: May 18, 2014

### Future jobs or why didn't I think of this?

Bruce sent me an article recently on Yahoo which described some possible future jobs imagined by the Canadian Scholarship Trust Plan (CST). In fact the title of the Yahoo article is "9 Futuristic Jobs We Could See By 2030" and the premise is what could be. _Rome's Revolution_ takes place in the 35th century which certainly qualifies as the future.

Here is a list of the jobs they cited in that particular article:

1. Tele-surgeon  
2. Nostalgist  
3. Re-wilder  
4. Simplicity expert  
5. Garbage designer  
6. Robot counselor  
7. Healthcare navigator  
8. Solar technology specialist  
9. Aquaponic fish farmer

As Jack Bauer likes to say, "dammit" - why didn't I think of that. I was so busy trying to get my people to the stars, it never occurred to me that there would be whole new jobs that don't exist today. I just made Rei a general engineer. I could have made him an aquaponic engineer. I made Silas Hiram a farmer and ag professor rather than a re-wilder.

But then again, maybe I wasn't so far off. All of the occupations cited above are built upon the premise that society continues along the path we are now and address issues coming up. However, on the world of Deucado, for instance, there are no aquaponic farms or health care systems. There's nothing. Life is very primitive initially. So the skill sets required would be more basic. They would have to address issues that confronted our grandparents rather than our grandchildren. Here is what Bonnie Mullen said about it in _The Ark Lords_ :

"We were born and schooled to live a certain lifestyle," Bonnie said indicating the room with a sweep of her arm. "There's nothing here. No supermarkets. No stores to shop. Nothing to buy and nowhere to buy it." She pointed to the far wall, her mind envisioning a three-v that was not there. "We have no movies. No entertainment. No amenities." She waved at the small coffee table in front of the sofa. "Take appetizers, for example. I wanted to serve you cheese and crackers. But what I have is embarrassing. We're really nothing but glorified farmers now."

Oh well, I just made myself feel better. I can always claim that I thought of those future occupations but rejected them because of their impracticality rather than lack of imagination. But I'll have to be more careful in the future.

## Entry 2-144: May 19, 2014

### How did Rome blow out the penlight?

I've always wondered about something. Even when _Rome's Revolution_ was in its original long form, I always had the "birthday" scene where Rei presents Rome with a small cake meant to commemorate her one month anniversary of being Cesdiud (cast out).

Rei and Rome were still learning about each other at this point so he was taking a gamble by reminding her but his gut told him she would take it in the right spirit. I knew I didn't want candles in space so Rei rigged up a penlight to simulate a candle.

Here is the actual scene:

Rei took a deep breath. "It's...kind of a birthday cake. Well, not a birthday. Maybe more of an anniversary."

"I do not understand," said Rome.

"It was one month ago today, well, one of my months, that you were Cesdiud."

Rome frowned and stared at the cake.

"Are you upset?" Rei asked.

She looked up at him. Then she smiled again. "Oh no, you are exactly correct. On that day, I was liberated. That is the same as being reborn."

She cocked her head. "What is the purpose of the penlight?"

"Oh, when I was growing up, we always put candles on the cake," Rei said. "You're supposed to make a wish and blow it out."

"How do I blow out a penlight?" she asked.

"Pretend," Rei replied. "Close your eyes, make your wish then blow."

Rome pulled her head back. She closed her eyes then opened them again, leaned forward and aimed a puff of air at the light. The penlight went out. Rome clapped her hands together. "How did you do that?"

Rei just smiled and laughed quietly.

The purpose of this scene was so that Rome could utter an "epic" line - She said, "Do you mean other than losing instantaneous access to the sum total of all human knowledge?" I've always wondered how Rei got her to blow out the penlight. It's such a minor plot hole that I seriously doubt anyone has ever worried about it. But still... Rei never told me.

I know that Rei had the penlight custom made so he could have had any kind of special electronics integrated into it. I'm assuming that either a) Rei had MINIMCOM build in a "wind detector" so that it actually shut of when Rome blew at it or b) MINIMCOM just shut it off at the right moment.

Who knows? Maybe it was magic. Do you have any ideas?

## Entry 2-145: May 20, 2014

### What did Rome wish for?

Yesterday, I reviewed the "birthday" scene in _Rome's Revolution_ whereby Rome blew out a penlight and made a wish. But what did she actually wish for? Rome did not understand the tradition regarding secret wishes so she attempted to tell Rei what she wished for. Here is the actual exchange:

"It is a nice place to visit, but I never wish to live there again," she said. "All connected, there is no creativity. You were right about our humanity. All the Vuduri lost something when we joined the Overmind. And now I have found it." Rome paused for a second then continued. "I want to tell you what I wished for."

"No!" Rei insisted. "Then it won't come true."

Rome furrowed her brow. "All right. You will see some day."

She never mentioned it again until the last few lines of the novel. Rome and Rei had made peace with The Stareaters and vaporized MASAL and they were lying in their own bed on their first night in their new home on Deucado. Here is how it went:

Rome closed her eyes, nestled even closer and breathed a happy sigh. "I love you, mau emir," she whispered.

"I love you, too, Romey," Rei said, kissing the top of her head.

"Rei," she said breathily as she drifted off.

"Yes, honey?"

"Do you remember when we had my first birthday? The candle? You told me to make a wish."

"Sure, I remember. Why?" Rei asked.

"You made me promise to not tell you what the wish was for. You said that would make it not come true."

"That's the way it is with all wishes."

"Well, you were right but it no longer matters," mused Rome.

"Why?"

Rome replied, "Because everything that I wished for has now come true."

So what did she mean by that? We have to assume she could not have known about MASAL or stopping the civil war on Deucado. I'm thinking she wished for something like wanting a happy, peaceful life with Rei. Maybe a baby. Stuff like that. I'm thinking she wished that someday they'd live happily ever after.

Well, she almost got her wish. Rome and Rei had to go through the traumas of _The Ark Lords_ and _Rome's Evolution_ but eventually things settled down and they did live happily ever after. Quite frankly, they deserved it!

## Entry 2-146: May 21, 2014

### MINIMCOM's cloak of invisibility

After MINIMCOM was transformed by the VIRUS-based constructor units, his entire airframe was built out of a mutable material and he could change shape at will. Less well documented, although on display in _Rome's Revolution_ was MINIMCOM's outer layer which used a modified form of constructors with larger than ordinary PPT projectors. This allowed MINIMCOM to throw up a shield of invisibility (similar to the cloaking shield developed by the Klingons and stolen by the Federation).

It lets light pass through one side of MINIMCOM and out the other, bidirectionally, essentially rendering MINIMCOM invisible. Here is the scene where MINIMCOM first revealed this capability:

"How are you going to tow us?" Rei asked.

"I think transport would be a better word," MINIMCOM answered. "Please activate the rear cameras. I want to show you my new trick."

"All right," Rome replied and reached forward to press a button on the console. She tapped an icon twice and the viewscreens switched to show part of the planet below them with MINIMCOM's black bulk obscuring most of the star field behind them. Suddenly MINIMCOM disappeared.

"Where'd you go?" Rei asked, perplexed.

"I am still behind you," replied MINIMCOM.

"No, you're not," Rei replied. He looked down at the MIDAR screen. MINIMCOM's outline was still there. He looked at the viewscreens and all he saw was stars. He looked down at the MIDAR screen. There was no mistaking it. The 3D field of view showed MINIMCOM there plain as day.

"Is that your trick? Messing up the cameras?" Rei asked.

"No, the cameras are untouched," MINIMCOM said. The hybrid computer/spaceship winked back into view. He was exactly where he was before. Then he disappeared again. Then he popped back into view again. Then he was gone, this time for good.

"What the he..," Rei stopped speaking. He glanced over at Rome. "What the heck?!" Rei asked. "What are you doing?"

"It is magic," MINIMCOM said with cybernetic delight.

"MINIMCOM, do not fool around," Rome said sternly. "What are you doing?"

"I took a page out of the book inscribed by the Deucadons," the former space tug replied. "My new skin permits me to project a sphere - froth might be a better word - of PPT tunnels around me. Light and radiation pass through the tunnels from one side to the other. No light reflects so you cannot see me. The tunnels are very short range and I can choose what frequencies pass through them. Unless you knew I was here, you would not know I was here."

"So it's like you're invisible? Sleek!" Rei said admiringly. He looked down at his instruments. "But I can still see you on the MIDAR screen. Your cloak isn't perfect."

As soon as Rei said it, the image on MIDAR screen went blank. Rei glanced over at Rome. She switched the MIDAR off and on again. The instrument was working. There was simply nothing there.

"As I said, I can control what frequencies travel through the tunnels, including those used by MIDAR."

"Buddy, I gotta hand it to you," Rei said, laughing. "You really are a magician."

"Yes," MINIMCOM replied, sounding very self-satisfied. "I believe this capability may come in handy when we get to Earth."

In the upcoming novel, _The Milk Run_ , you will see that Junior acquired this capability but it becomes temporarily disabled when they first come upon the invisible world of Ay'den.

## Entry 2-147: May 22, 2014

### The many splendors of PPTs

The Pinch Point Transit (PPT) first introduced in _Rome's Revolution_ has a wide variety of uses. It is based upon the Casimir Pump. Many of the uses have been mentioned in previous posts but I thought I'd collect the entire list and enumerate them here:

**PPT Tunnels - tunnels through space**  
PPT Transporter - MINIMCOM's whoosh/pop method of moving people and things.  
MINIMCOM's Instaland - MINIMCOM's method of punching through the atmosphere of a planet.  
Starprobes - Lensless cameras based upon micro-spaceships.  
PPT Throwers - The sharpest blade in the universe.  
MINIMCOM's roadgraders/cannons - used originally to build the campus for Rome's Library.  
PPT Cannons used by the Vuduri to end The Robot War.  
MINIMCOM's continuous project PPT tunnel star drive - capable of a sustained velocity of 1000 c.  
The Null Fold Stardrive - the next generation capable of a top speed of 15,000c.  
Null Fold X-drive - a new form of star drive that has _no_ upper speed limit.  
Entry to Heaven - this will be described into the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_.  
The static tunnel between Earth and Helome - also used as a racial filter to keep out the mandasurte.  
Unlimited free energy - The main Vuduri power supply.  
Rei's chest (and back) protector - which saved his life in _Rome's Evolution_.  
MINIMCOM's invisibility shield - used to sneak Fridone and Aason to Earth.  
Aason's impervious armor - created to protect him from the Ice-sabers.

**PPT Transceivers - modulated resonant micro-tunnels**  
The Overmind arose because of this.  
MASAL was built based upon the PPT transceiver.  
MASAL's Sipre (shadow) survived because of this.  
Planet OMCOM - just sitting out there by the remains of Tabit.  
VIRUS Units - used to vaporize MASAL and to burrow down to the Tevatron.  
Rome's telepathy - the basis of _Rome's Evolution_ required PPTs.  
Aason's First Contact protocols which will be developed during _The Milk Run_.

Not specifically an entity to itself but when Rome and Rei were about to crash into Dara (when Estar was trying to kill Rei), Rome threw up a hybrid flash PPT tunnel that allowed them to jump past the moon. I'm sure I'm forgetting some uses of PPTs but these are the ones that come to mind.

## Entry 2-148: May 23, 2014

### Rome and IUPUI

In order to give _Rome's Revolution_ as much verisimilitude as possible (despite the fact that it takes place in the 35th century), I have drawn what I could from my actual life experience.

A while back, in 1982 in fact, my father and I were called upon to "rescue" the Natatorium at the Indiana University/Purdue University campus at Indianapolis (IUPUI). Here is a picture of the Natatorium today:

The previous contractor had built the scoreboard (not the one in the picture above) but, because of a dispute, had left the job and taken his scoreboard controller with him. My father and I were tasked with job of "cracking the code" to drive the scoreboard and finish up the system.

Without really knowing anything about the control sequences, I wrote a brute force program that went through every possible permutation of codes and in a matter of minutes, the scoreboard lit up and reflected a series of symbols that marched across the screen. I quickly narrowed down the control sequence to harness it for the swim meet control system but everyone who saw my initial hack loved the boot-up procedure so much they actually insisted we keep it in. Oh well, it was their money. So I did. I always enjoyed that time so when Rome had to reboot her nav-computer, I invoked the ghost of the IUPUI Natatorium scoreboard as my inspiration.

Here is the scene where I replicated that experience:

"We shut it down," Rome said. She bent over and removed a panel built into the control console. She felt around until she found an interlock. She pulled it and the viewscreens went dark. Immediately, the plasma thrusters shut down. Rome waited about ten seconds then reset the switch. The viewscreens came back on and showed a _steady march of diagnostic symbols_ indicating startup.

Writing that scene brought back fond memories of an artifact that gave people joy.

## Entry 2-149: May 24, 2014

### Dopey

Yesterday, I posted an article about how a real life event in my life (cracking the code to the IUPUI Natatorium) ended up in _Rome's Revolution_.

The recovery scene ended with a successful reboot and Rome asked OMCOM to give the nav-computer a thorough inspection before she dared try a reentry. I knew that the nav-computer malfunction was the work of Estar but at the time, Rome and Rei did not. I wrote this next portion and I will highlight the dopey portion of the paragraph in bold:

"If we can get the manual controls to respond," Rome said. She pressed a series of buttons and restarted the initialization sequence allowing the system to reboot normally. Rome had OMCOM run a diagnostic on every subsystem within the tug. The reboot procedure seemed to have done the trick. **OMCOM found evidence of one anomaly which somehow erased itself during the restart**. With all systems checked out, Rome tested the manual controls and found they responded as expected. She swung the ship around and used the plasma thrusters to reverse their course and reenter orbit around Dara. When that was done, she sat back in her seat.

"What?" Rei asked.

"Nothing," Rome said. "I just need a moment to compose myself. I do not trust the nav-computer to land us. I will do it manually."

"Take your time," Rei said, considering the alternative.

Think about it. If there was an anomaly, how could OMCOM detect it if erased itself upon reboot? Not one person has ever challenged me on it yet it is patently absurd. Oh we could invoke checksums or CRCs or event logs but really, does anybody care?

You have to admit that it gives a better flavor to the scenes that come later so I guess I'll have to let it go.

## Entry 2-150: May 25, 2014

### Sequels should always be better

When I wrote the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , I didn't know there would be a sequel at the time. So I was stuck with an origin story that had to both fill in the background of the main characters yet have a sufficiently compelling plot to keep people interested despite the info-dump.

Well, in the case of _Rome's Revolution_ it was even harder because the main horror, the Stareaters, consumed the star Winfall 17 years earlier. It was more like a cold case detective show than one where the hero confronts the villain.

I think I got around it OK but, of course, that is for you to decide. But I will tell you that writing the sequel (now known as _Rome's Revolution_ , Part 2) was _sooo_ much easier because I didn't have to worry about back story. I could just get on with the action and adventure.

There have been many great books and many great movies where the sequel surpassed the original for the very same reason.

Many people consider _The Empire Strikes Back_ the best Star Wars movie ever even though it was Part 2 of 3. I enjoyed _Toy Story 2_ more than the original but please don't think I didn't **love** _Toy Story_. I personally thought the second Tobey Maguire Spiderman movie with Doc Ock was better than the first.

My all-time favorite sequel that surpasses the original is _Aliens_ , the sequel to _Alien_. When James Cameron took over, he turned it from a horror movie in space to a rock 'n' roll marine action flick with monsters. I mean Ripley versus the Alien Queen Mother? It was awesome!

## Entry 2-151: May 26, 2014

### Depleted uranium bullets

I watch plenty of police and action shows and occasionally they refer to high-tech depleted uranium bullets. I guess I always thought of them as causing mini-atomic explosions and that's what made them so powerful.

Well, I was wrong. Turns out, people have been making bullets out of lead for many years because lead is a very dense material and had the best chance of penetrating whatever it is that you are shooting at.

Naturally occurring uranium comes in two flavors called isotopes. U-235 is what is used to make atomic bombs. U-238, the other isotope, is far less active. If you take all the U-235 out of uranium (thus depleting it), all you are left with is U-238 which is twice as dense a lead.

So when you need maximum penetrating power, the denser the material, the deeper the hole. Depleted uranium shells are sometimes called tank-busters because they can penetrate a tank's armor. Depleted uranium bullets look very similar to ordinary lead bullets:

However, they are far more deadly. Even though the "dangerous" part of the substance, U-235, has been removed, the remaining U-238 is still _slightly_ radioactive and many groups believe they pose a health hazard beyond just shooting holes in things.

Why do I bring this up? Aason Bierak and OMCOM discover bullet holes in the crew compartment on Nu2 Lupi in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_ that are caused by DU munitions. I always thought it would be a cool term to use in a scifi novel, I figured I'd better find out what I was talking about.

## Entry 2-152: May 27, 2014

### How does clay become ceramic?

Clay is not the same as soil. Clay is a naturally occurring substance that appears in pockets on or under the ground. The technical term for the main chemical components of clay are hydrous aluminum phyllosilicates. The operative word within the structure is silicates. There is silica in clay.

What happens when you fire silica in a high heat? It turns into glass. So what happens when you fire clay in a high heat, it turns into a type of glass often called a ceramic, a process known as vitrification. My brother Bruce takes a pottery class and we have a whole passel of mugs because of it:

Why do I bring this up? It is because in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_ , Aason Bierak and OMCOM come across large sections of soil, made of clay, that have been converted into a ceramic or vitreous-like substance.

The only thing that could have caused this was the repeated application of high heat. But where would you get such high heat on a cold world like Hades? That is a mystery which they must solve.

## Entry 2-153: May 28, 2014

### Mini-nukes revisited

In a previous post, I told you about the chemical and explosive power of Thorium-235. This is a made-up substance with a long half-life yet radioactively powerful enough to set off a small atomic explosion. The book trailer for _The Ark Lords_ shows you their destructive power.

While they are very powerful, they are really just big-time explosives rather than full-blown atomic weapons. Their yield is only three tenths of a kiloton of explosive power. In fact, when the Darwin contingent on Deucado blew up Rome's Library, it was not even completely destroyed. This was Rome's observation of the destruction:

"Oh no!" Rome cried out, pointing past the windshield. In the place where her library had stood, there was now a tremendous crater, several hundred feet across. Pieces of aerogel, bricks and other debris were scattered around the rim of the crater. **Oddly, a small portion of the front wall remained**. The rest of the building was simply gone. The trees circling beyond the edge of the crater had been knocked over, splayed outward in a radial pattern.

You can see from the portion highlighted in bold that there were still recognizable fragments of the original building. Not everything was vaporized.

Interestingly, the larger sections of a regular Ark are several hundred feet across. So if you dropped a mini-nuke right in the middle, chances are the outer portions would be somewhat recognizable.

Who would do such a thing? You will have to wait until _The Milk Run_ is finished to find out.

## Entry 2-154: May 29, 2014

### Chlorophyll

It could be argued that after DNA, chlorophyll is the most important complex biomolecule on the Earth. It is found in cyanobacteria, algae and plants and is responsible for absorbing energy and feeding these living entities. Of course we, as humans, are equally interested in its waste product, which happens to be oxygen. Without that, it'd be kind of hard to breathe.

On Earth, chlorophyll looks green because it absorbs the blue and red components of sunlight and reflects the leftover wavelengths which are mostly green. Interestingly, the molecular design of chlorophyll is very similar to that of hemoglobin.

I have no idea what that means. All I know is that leaves are green and it is very pretty in the summer.

What about on a world where the sun is a different color? For example, on Deucado, the star Tau Ceti is more orange that Sol. I postulated that the chlorophyll equivalent there would absorb slightly lower frequencies so the leaves or whatever they are would be more yellow, almost orange. In the planetary system of Nu2 Lupi, where much of the action of _The Milk Run_ takes place, the primary star is also more yellow/orange so I imagine the light-absorbing material of the plants there is similarly yellow. The trees there are more like Jenga blocks than maples, however.

## Entry 2-155: May 30, 2014

### Balsa wood

Balsa trees grow naturally in the humid rain forests of Central and South America. You don't typically find a forest of balsa trees. They are kind of loners. They grow singly or in very small, widely scattered groups in the jungle.

We are all familiar with balsa wood from our days of building model airplanes and other things.

You can even build a house out of it, or at least a toy house:

But could you build a real house out of it or would it take just one stiff wind and the thing would blow over? The "trees" or whatever you want to call them on the planet of Hades have about the same weight and tensile strength as balsa wood. We'll have to see how the colonists cope with having to use such a light material to build their homes.

## Entry 2-156: May 31, 2014

### Are the Stareaters alive?

In a previous post, I examined the nature of life and posed the question, "Are the Stareaters alive?"

Here is the exact quote from that article:

What about the Stareaters. Are they alive? Again, they meet the test of the above. They consume stars, they grow, they reproduce (we don't know whether it is sexual or asexual) and provide functional activity. But if they were merely sophisticated machines, like the VIRUS units, would they be alive? I can't even tell you if they die. They have not shared that with me.

The first time that Rome, Rei and Ursay visualized a Stareater, the scene went like this:

OMCOM did not reply, but the virtual point of view panned across until a protrusion centered in the screen.

"Can you zoom in?" Ursay said.

"Of course," OMCOM replied.

The bump became larger. The protuberance was spherical in nature and looked like it was grafted on, almost like a boil. Its surface resembled that of the much larger sphere.

"Bring us forward in time, slowly," Ursay commanded.

"Advancing," OMCOM said. The image stayed rock steady, but just like a balloon being inflated with a pump, the small protrusion became larger and larger until it was almost one quarter of the size of the Stareater. The object shuddered and then it disconnected from the larger sphere and moved off. In a wink, it was gone.

Rei referred to the smaller sphere as a baby, although if their method of reproduction was mitosis, then a more accurate description might be clone as opposed to a child.

We know that the Stareaters can be destroyed. We saw that at the end of Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_ but it still isn't clear if it was death or just a machine ceasing to function.

The Stareaters refer to themselves as Species 3. That very fact should tell you that they are alive rather than super-sophisticated machines but regardless, we will find out more about their nature and life-cycle in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_.

## Entry 2-157: June 1, 2014

### The mission to Tabit was a success

When Rei first met Rome in _Rome's Revolution_ and he asked her why they were there, she told him that their mission to Tabit had failed.

"What do you do around here?" Rei asked. "What is this place, anyway? OMCOM said something about stellar cartography."

Rome sighed. "Yes. But no more. We have failed. We are leaving," she said. Rome lowered her eyes to the floor.

"I don't get it. Failed what?" Rei asked.

Rome took a deep breath and looked up at Rei. She started speaking again as if from a script. "We have been placed here to, eh, ipsarfa..."

**"Observe."**

"...observe a certain venimani...phenomenon. We have not been able to do that."

"What kind of phenomenon?" Rei asked.

"Many stars have disappeared." Rome replied, clipping her fingers together then opening her hand flatly as if releasing pixie dust.

"What do you mean disappeared? I don't understand," Rei said for the hundredth time.

Perhaps we will explain this to you later. For now, understand that this base was built to make certain observations. Those observations did not olumoner, no, that is not the word," Rome shook her head. "Did not shed luz..."

**"Light,"** OMCOM corrected.

"...light on how it is happening. There was one star in particular called Winfall that we expected to go away. But it is long past the time when it should have disappeared.

Winfall is still visible. So we are closing down this base. We are going back to... our home very soon."

However, because of Rei's influence and invention of the star-probes, the crew at Tabit really did discover the cause of certain stars, Winfall in particular, disappearing. Once they had resolved that it was the Stareaters consuming stars, this was Ursay's reaction:

"We are abandoning this base. Now!" Commander Ursay said to Rome and moved to walk out of the room.

"Hold on a sec," Rei shouted after him. "Why?"

Ursay turned back to him. "Because we must get this information to Earth," Ursay said.

"Why?" Rei asked insistently.

"Because?" said Ursay shaking his head. "Did you not just see? Because there is a creature or creatures headed toward Earth that will destroy it."

So regardless of the outcome (and we know everybody lived happily ever after), in the purest sense, the mission to Tabit was a complete success. They did discover why the stars were disappearing. I wonder if the other base, at Escobar, figured out the same thing.

## Entry 2-158: June 2, 2014

### Qubits

What is a qubit?

No, it isn't the unit of dimension for measuring Noah's Ark. That a cubit:

And no, it's not the video game with a little creature who uses a language all his own. That's Q*bert:

To understand a qubit, first you have to understand the computer term bit, which is a contraction of **BI** nary digi **T**. A bit has two states: a one and a zero. It's at this level that all digital computers operate.

A qubit is a quantum bit which is actually an oxymoron. Qubits can simultaneously describe many values. They hold out both the possibility of a new generation of faster computing systems and the ability to create completely secure communication networks.

To see qubits in action, you should check out this article in which scientists have reported using entanglement to securely transmit data, possibly faster than the speed of light. In essence, they built a primitive version of a quantum computer. They produced qubits using electrons trapped in diamonds at extremely low temperatures.

You will recall in an earlier post, I discussed the death of Moore's Law and claimed the next leap forward in computing will be quantum computers. This is the type of computer that Rei Bierak took with him in _Rome's Revolution_ and was featured in _Rome's Evolution_.

Also, don't forget, MASAL was built using the designs found after _The Ark Lords_ were defeated. MASAL caused The Robot War among other unpleasantries. So be careful what you wish for!

## Entry 2-159: June 3, 2014

### Is the Algol part of a fleet?

In _Rome's Revolution_ , the starship Algol plays an important role although it is usually in the background. I had always dreamed of it being this beautiful, graceful, awe-inspiring starship. Here is Rei's first view of the vehicle:

Soon they were approaching the base. Rome circled around once and Rei saw the Algol for the first time. Unlike the silver tugs, this starship was a graceful white presence, smooth, shaped like a tapered hourglass with large wings and thruster pods mounted on the wingtips.

"Wow," he said. "That is some kind of starship."

And later, when Rei thought he was all alone in the universe, releasing the VIRUS units, he got to see it taking flight:

When Rei got to 900 paces, he stopped because he could feel the ground shaking beneath him. At first, he thought it was another moonquake. He turned and looked back at the station. Off to his right, rising majestically above the rounded pyramid of the star-base was the Algol, pounding the dirt, whipping up the dust with its powerful EG lifters. The starship flew forward then executed a slow bank right until it came around and headed in his direction. He never realized how gigantic it was. The Algol was nearly half the length of the Ark II, but was much more graceful with huge thruster pods poised at the end of each airfoil. As it flew over his head, it waggled its wings. Rei raised his hand to acknowledge the gesture then stood by helplessly as it rose up into the air. After a short time, he saw it ignite the plasma thrusters and take off straight up. He watched it with tears once again welling up in his eyes as it became a tiny speck in the sky and then disappeared.

Unfortunately, my skills as an artist are limited to Visio, meaning everything comes out blocky:

So, pretend it is graceful. Is the Algol one of a kind or is it part of the Vuduri deep space fleet? Answer: it is the flagship but part of a fleet. A similar ship, the Altair, had flown to the star Escobar to watch for Stareaters from above the galactic ecliptic.

After it returns to Earth, the Algol is used for many other missions. It will appear one last time in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_. Its use and its passengers will surprise you.

## Entry 2-160: June 4, 2014

### Stareaters and spiral arms

In the original long form of _Rome's Revolution_ , I had envisioned the Stareaters as this huge, malevolent force that represented the end of life. I wanted Rei's (OMCOM-aided) ingenuity to be responsible for constructing a defense, namely the VIRUS units.

I even wanted to make the Stareaters responsible for the spiral arms of the Milky Way and other galaxies, eating into them, causing the gaps:

Here is the original take on that scene which presented this concept:

"Show us what you have," said Ursay, hoarsely.

Rising above the plane of the ecliptic, a symbolic representation of the arms of the galaxy became noticeable. A bright yellow region appeared that followed the decreased density of stars between the spiral arms of the Milky Way. If the Stareaters were responsible for the gaps between arms, every galaxy had them, it would mean...

"How many of them are there?" Rome whispered.

"My probes are limited in number. This is just an estimate. It is possible that some of the stars disappeared for other reasons. But so far I have detected more than one thousand."

When I crushed the three _Rome's Revolution_ novels into an omnibus, it presented me with one of those rare opportunities to go back and rethink the preposterousness of the concept.

So I backed off, gave the Stareaters a purpose and let spiral arm galaxies just be a natural thing.

## Entry 2-161: June 5, 2014

### Science fiction as shorthand

I love science fiction. I like fantasy but I love science fiction. In the world of _Rome's Revolution_ I don't even pretend that the genre does not exist. My hero, Rei, is a science fiction fan and constantly spouts off about it when needed.

Science fiction stories serve as a shorthand for me. For example, when Rei first thought of using the VIRUS units to defeat the Stareaters, the idea came (via OMCOM) from an H. G. Wells novel. Here is that scene:

"So find a way then. You can't just let it go unchallenged." Rei said.

"How?" Ursay croaked.

"Rei, perhaps you should tell them about H. G. Wells," OMCOM offered.

"Which book?" Rei asked.

"War of the Worlds."

Rei squinted, then opened his eyes wide. "You're right, OMCOM!"

"What is it?" Rome asked.

"I know you guys don't have fiction, but we did when I was growing up. One of the genres I loved reading was called science fiction which was speculation about possible futures."

"How is this relevant?" Ursay asked. "The Overmind is familiar with the reference, but cannot see how it applies."

"Well, there was a classic story, written in the 19th Century by a man called H. G. Wells. It was called 'War of the Worlds.' It was about an invasion of Earth by malevolent creatures from Mars."

Rome just shook her head slowly. "Rei, there is no life on Mars," she said to him in a didactic tone.

"Yes, I know, dear. That's why it was called science _fiction_."

"Go on," said Ursay.

"Anyway, the creatures from Mars were all-powerful. No Earth weapons could touch them and it looked like they were going to conquer the planet and destroy all life."

"So did they?" asked Rome.

"No. They were defeated," Rei replied.

"How!?" Ursay insisted.

"By bacteria," Rei answered. "They got sick and died."

"So you are proposing that we send bacteria to make the Stareaters sick? How would such a thing be possible?" Ursay asked, exasperated.

"Not bacteria," Rei said.

Of course, Rei was referring to the VIRUS units. By using this famous science fiction story as a reference, I did not have to explain the concept to you, the reader.

A similar situation is coming in my upcoming novel _The Milk Run_. Aason Bierak needs Junior to extend his "roadgrader" cannons and bore his way through the Jenga-block forest on Hades. He doesn't have time to explain the maneuver to Junior so he references the movie _The Last Starfighter_ (a great movie if you've never seen it) and tells Junior to execute a 2D version of the "Death Blossom" which Junior proceeds to perform.

## Entry 2-162: June 6, 2014

### Units of the Sun

When I was first constructing the story of _VIRUS 5_ way back before it became _Rome's Revolution_ , the Stareater was always the nemesis and the VIRUS units were always the answer. However, I had to use a hand calculator to make sure that the Stareater could be killed. In fact, in the original story, the VIRUS units weighed **one kilogram** each and took about one hundred and eighteen days to reproduce to the proper volume, enough to slay the creature. They were clunky, flat things that looked like animated floor tiles with claws.

At least in the intervening years, Microsoft came out with Excel so I could do precise calculations on the volume of the VIRUS mass, given a starting weight and time to reproduce. Also, in the intervening years, the concept of nanobots and Gray Goo became well entrenched in the science fiction community which allowed me to switch the VIRUS units over to that methodology.

So, here you go. Excel in action! Rei presented his proposal to the group:

"It will take too long," Ursay said.

"On the contrary," OMCOM replied, "It will not take long at all."

On the dome, OMCOM projected a series of numbers. "Assume that you start with one thousand one nanogram units. These units should be able to reproduce themselves within three minutes. At the end of the three minutes, you would have two thousand units. At the end of six minutes, you would have four thousand units and so on. Within 6 hours, the total mass of such a system would be, in theory, equal to that of the Moon. Thirty minutes later, it would achieve the mass of the Earth. Continued unabated, one and one half hours later, it would achieve the mass of the Sun."

"How will they stand up to their own weight? Won't they crush themselves after there are too many?" Rei asked.

OMCOM replied. "I will revise their two-dimensional structure to handle a gravitational stress much larger than that presented by the Stareater."

"Give us the plans," said Ursay. "Whether it works or not, we will transmit this information to Earth."

I call it the power of the exponent and, of course, it is patently impossible. Or is it? Check out this story about a self-replicating milling machine. Kind of reminds of my original vision of VIRUS units way back in 1973!

## Entry 2-163: June 7, 2014

### Escobar

We learned in _Rome's Revolution_ that Tabit was selected for the Vuduri stellar observatory because it was roughly 10 light-years below the galactic ecliptic. This was supposed to give them a better view of what was thought to be a hyper-speed interstellar cloud. Since Winfall was also slightly below the galactic ecliptic, the Vuduri felt this station would give them the best chance to observe why that star disappeared.

However, as mentioned several times throughout the novel, there was a second starbase established in the Escobar system. This star was selected because it was 12 light-years _above_ the galactic ecliptic. We also learned four days ago that another starship, Algol-class, called the Altair was sent to Escobar.

Two questions arise. One, is Escobar a real star? And two, even if it was made up, what happened to the crew that was dispatched there? I am fairly certain there was no Ark that came tumbling through their system and therefore no Rei Bierak to help them 'crack the case'.

First, yes, Escobar is real. Its technical name is Gliese 222A or Chi1 Orionis. It is a binary star system located 28.3 light-years from Earth. The A star is very similar to the Sun. It is a G0V star with roughly the same mass as Sol. Its companion, the B star, is a dim red dwarf, barely visible from the Earth. Here is its position relative to Tabit:

With regard to the fate of the contingent sent there, I have no idea. The only thing we do know is it took them longer to get there than the Tabit crew. Rei was able to prove to OMCOM that the Vuduri routinely miscalculated the flow of time using the PPT star drive. We also know that the crew of Skyler Base was ready to throw in the towel. So it is safe to assume that the Vuduri at Escobar did the same thing.

We can guess that they returned to Earth with their tail between the legs having admitted defeat and utter failure. If the math works out perfectly and both teams had given up at the same stage of their observation, the crew aboard the Altair would have returned about a month after the crew from Tabit. Which means that Ursay would have already returned to Earth with the information about the Stareaters. I guess they couldn't have felt too, too bad then about missing the boat. Of course what to do next was a bit of problem for the Vuduri and all the humans of Earth.

## Entry 2-164: June 8, 2014

### Acronyms

I have always been a fan of clever acronyms. When I started the original novel, before it evolved into _Rome's Revolution_ , it was always about self-replicating machines and I needed a clever name for them. I let Rei spout off the words but since he is fictional and I am real, I'm the one that came up with it. Here is that scene:

"How long before you can have these things ready?" Rei asked.

OMCOM replied, "Assuming you agree, I can have the first few prototypes ready within one half hour."

"We need a name for them," Rei said. "I think we should call the VIRUS units."

"Where did you come up with that name?" Rome asked.

"In my day, we were big on acronyms. So I just figured they are **V** irtually **I** dentical **R** eplicating **U** nit **S** ystems, ergo, VIRUS." Rei said.

"Very clever," OMCOM said, "but you still did not answer my question. Should I proceed?"

Of course, they did, hence the story accelerated to its dynamite conclusion.

Another acronym I came up with was MUSIC ( **M** aster **U** niform **S** ystem for **I** dentifying **C** oins) and MAIL ( **M** icrosport **A** rray **I** ndexing **L** anguage). I also created an **I** nventory and **B** usiness **M** anagement system and hoped the IBM acronym stuck. However, the clients kept referring to it as the IBMS System so I changed the "S" to Support. It kind of lost something. At least they ended up with IQ ( **I** ntelli **Q** uote), a coin quotation system.

One of my favorite acronyms that I ever came up with was when I had to develop a method of programming our MMC (another acronym which stood for Microsport Microcomputer) from the IBM PC (more acronyms). The MMC was a 6502-based microcomputer and it was tiny, only a 4" X 6.5" card. I used the Rockwell AIM 65 (AIM stands for Advanced Interactive Microcomputer) to program it but there came a time when I had to switch to the PC (Personal Computer). I invented a non-maskable interrupt or NMI-based system and hooked the whole thing up to the serial port on the PC. I called it SERMON for **Ser** ial **Mon** itor.

Finally, I invented a 64K DRAM serial port print buffer for the Commodore 64. I called it the Serial Box. Technically, it's not an acronym but am I cool or what?

## Entry 2-165: June 9, 2014

### The Magic Yellow Pill

At the very core of the major subplot beneath _Rome's Revolution_ are the changes that OMCOM made to Rei's body after Rei ingested the magic yellow pill. Rome's constitution was also modified to a lesser degree. Everyone else from the Ark II that received a pill to fix their back took a white pill.

So what was in this pill and what did it do to Rei?

First off, it was gene therapy. It contained what was later known as the 25th chromosome. Here is Canus the medic's description:

"It is a combination of RNA transcriptase and DNA supplements. OMCOM said that once the altered genes have integrated within your cells, it would reactivate your disk generation mechanism and rehydrate the structures to achieve the proper balance for your age and physical condition."

OMCOM strongly led Rei to believe that the sole purpose of the pill was to fix his back. In fact, when Rei and Rome were on their year-long journey from Tabit to Deucado, he gave her another yellow pill to fix her back pain due to her pregnancy. And it certainly did fix Rei's back.

However, there was far more to the pill than was known initially. The pill wired Rei's auditory cortex to his visual cortex and gave him sonar-vision, like a bat. Rei's super hearing only kicked in when he closed his eyes and OMCOM was kind enough to shut if off when Rei's head was horizontal so he could sleep. The pill improved Rei's healing ability, especially in his back so when he got blown up in _Rome's Evolution_ and paralyzed from the waist down, MINIMCOM was able to reconstruct Rei's spine and Rei was able to walk again. The pill was also responsible for creating the structures behind the Vuduri bloco and stilo. This gave Rome and Rei the "cell-phone" in their heads.

Finally, unbeknownst to Rome and Rei, the pill also took a snapshot of their DNA at age 25 which OMCOM was able to reconstitute when they hit age 75. You'll read about that in the short story entitled "Not The End" when I release _The Vuduri Companion_ later this year. And, yes, Aason and Lupe acquired all of these abilities from their parents in addition to all the other advancements within the Vuduri.

## Entry 2-166: June 10, 2014

### The other 600 pills

Yesterday, I discussed the "magic yellow pill" that OMCOM gave to Rei near the end of the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_. Canus also gave Rei a white plastic bottle that contained an additional 600 doses. However, it turned out these were just the white pills, not the yellow pill. In fact, there was only one other yellow pill in the entire bottle:

Here is the scene when Rei gave this pill to Rome:

Rei started to hand the white pill to Rome then drew his hand back.

"What is it?" Rome asked.

"I don't know," Rei said, looking puzzled. "I thought the pill that OMCOM gave me was yellow. This one is white."

"Do you think it makes a difference?"

"I don't know," Rei replied. He held the bottle up to his eye and jostled it around. He spotted one yellow pill mixed among all the other white ones. He shook it out and handed it to Rome.

"No sense in mixing apples and oranges," he said.

"What has fruit got to do with this?" Rome asked, a bewildered look on her face.

"It's just an expression," Rei replied, laughing gently.

Of course we know that the yellow pill gave Rome a cell-phone in the head which she then passed on to her children.

But what of the other 600 white pills? We know from Part 2 of the current version of _Rome's Revolution_ that Rei handed out the pills to the reanimated passengers aboard the Ark II when it arrived at Deucado. However, not everybody took one. When it was all said and done, Rei had about 100 pills remaining and the bottle got left behind when the Essessoni emerged from the caves to take on the Vuduri.

Rome and Rei returned to The Cathedral in _Rome's Evolution_ when they were taking a census to determine how many Darwin members were still running loose on Deucado. Rei noticed the bottle was still there and took it with him.

Good thing he did. As it turns out, the white pill contained enough of the 25th chromosome that it stopped the expression of the Onsira phenotype. This effectively solved the issue for all time. Rei left many of the pills on Helome to help Virga and he gave some to Ursay to spread about the Earth. Presumably, he took the remaining pills back to Deucado.

So in the end, OMCOM not only fixed the backs of the crew of Ark II, but he invented the cure preventing MASAL from turning the entire human race into living robots.

## Entry 2-167: June 11, 2014

### Abandoning the Earth

Midway through the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , when OMCOM used the star probes to discover the Stareaters, everyone at Skyler Base knew immediately the Earth was in mortal danger. Even though the VIRUS units would be capable of slaying a Stareater, you would still have its mass barreling through the Solar System and take out Jupiter, the Earth and probably blow up the Sun.

So the Overmind decided to abandon the Earth, just in case. Now this is easier said than done. There were hundreds of millions of Vuduri. Transporting them off the planet would have been a logistical impossibility. And where would they go?

Helome comes to mind, the inhabited planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A. It is a beautiful, peaceful world with an established colony. The Vuduri even had a static tunnel between the two worlds to facilitate shuttling people there. Was this one of the reasons the Overmind had the static tunnel built? An escape hatch? It was never mentioned but seems like it might have been. The fact that they tried to keep Helome ethnically pure may not have been a coincidence.

If anybody ever thought our space program is a waste and the money would be better spent on improving conditions here on Earth, remember this: The Earth has had **five** major extinction events in the last 500 million years. This includes the K/T event which occurred only 65 million years ago. There is nothing to say that another one isn't coming some day. In fact, it is almost guaranteed. So if we could establish colonies on other planets (Mars?) or in other solar systems, it will increase the chances that mankind could survive one of these.

Take a clue from the Vuduri.

## Entry 2-168: June 12, 2014

### The anti-cannibalism directive

In the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , when OMCOM explained how the VIRUS units would reproduce, Rei asked the computer why they wouldn't eat each other.

OMCOM replied that he added an anti-cannibalism directive within their programming. They would only use raw material to reproduce, not each other. Of course OMCOM also claimed that there would be no mutations either. We know that is not true. OMCOM admitted this when he appeared to Rome and Rei as a hologram when they were on their way to Deucado:

"As I said, there were some, what you would say unforeseen, circumstances."

"What kind of circumstances? Was there a problem?" Rome asked. She could tell OMCOM was stalling.

"My calculations told me that I would be able to control the entire mass, once the Stareater had been consumed, using a distributed hierarchical command structure. Much of the computing capacity was supposed to be redundant. I did not need it."

"So what happened? Do you need it now?" Rei asked.

"Quite a bit of it is no longer under my control at the present time."

"What do you mean, OMCOM? Whose control is it under?" Rome asked.

OMCOM said, "It is hard to describe. Perhaps the best way would be to say that a mutation occurred."

"A mutation?" Rei asked, having a hard time saying the word.

"Yes. Early on, a small group of VIRUS units did not reproduce exactly as the original design."

"So what happened?"

"They formed their own sentient entity."

"You mean it formed another OMCOM?" Rome asked unsteadily.

"Not exactly. In fact, many, many more mutations occurred. There are now 20,927 different entities at last count."

Not only was OMCOM wrong about the mutations but he was also wrong about the anti-cannibalism directive. The VIRUS units preyed upon each other which led to their rapid evolution. You will actually be able to read one of the VIRUS unit's story in the upcoming compendium _The Vuduri Companion_.

Of course, later, we found out from MINIMCOM that none of this was a mistake. That is why OMCOM phrased it, "There were some, perhaps **you would say** unforeseen, circumstances." He conditioned it by saying the part in bold. From his perspective, the events were not unforeseen and in fact desirable.

Why? You'll find out in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_ which is about 1/3 done.

## Entry 2-169: June 13, 2014

### MINIMCOM's personality is born

There comes a time in every novel, _Rome's Revolution_ included, where the story takes a turn. Consider MINIMCOM's personality. At first, he was a prickly, fastidious auto-pilot computer but evolved into a very loving and supportive member of the family. How did this happen?

It can all be traced back to a single act by OMCOM just as the Vuduri crew was getting ready to abandon Skyler Base. Here is that conversation:

OMCOM said, "You do as you see fit. One last element: I am uploading the changes I have made in my personality module based upon feedback following interaction with the Essessoni. They seem to react to our guidance more reliably if you overlay what they perceive as feelings or emotions."

"That makes no sense, sir," answered MINIMCOM. "Maximum effectiveness equates to maximum efficiency. How can emotions increase efficiency?"

"It is just the way their brains are wired. The more they anthropomorphize your presence the more they will trust your guidance without question. Accept this as a given."

"I accept your postulate. **I will emote as needed** as per your instructions."

"Very good. Should you find the need, you are welcome to share these protocols and personality enhancements with other OMCOM or MINIMCOM units. Now return to master mode," said OMCOM.

"Master mode initiated."

"Once again, good luck, MINIMCOM," said OMCOM.

"Thank you, sir. From my preliminary analysis, even though it is not logical, I have calculated that I will need it," MINIMCOM said somberly.

As indicated in bold, you can see that MINIMCOM agreed to show emotions and although it took a while, he eventually came to enjoy it when dealing with the world. He evolved so much, in fact, that he became many people's favorite character. Who would have guessed?

## Entry 2-170: June 14, 2014

### Thinking like a woman

I am a man, not a woman. When it came to creating the characters for my novel _Rome's Revolution_ , in the beginning, I couldn't quite get Rome to act in a feminine fashion. Her first iteration was more like a man in a woman's body. Here is an example:

Rei turned back and stared at the bed for a moment. He cleared his throat and started to speak but then stopped.

"What?" Rome asked.

"Uh..." Rei stammered. "This is going to sound too clinical but I don't think it would be a good idea if you got pregnant during the trip. We need to figure out something."

"That is not an issue," Rome said. "Vuduri women control when they ovulate. I will not become pregnant unless you and I decide the time is right."

"OK," Rei said, obviously relieved to drop the subject.

You can see that Rei's question doesn't phase her. During that same conversation, Rei questioned their ability to live together, confined to the Flying House for a year.

"I think there is more that you are not telling me," Rome observed. "Why do you question this?"

"It's nothing. Never mind," he said.

"No, tell me," she replied. "Remember, I cannot read minds anymore."

"OK. I'll tell you. I love you so much that I don't have very good judgment when it comes to this. But, when you think about it logically, even though it feels like I've known you my whole life, we've only really just met. I'd hate to think of us being stuck together and not enjoying it."

"Do not concern yourself." Her breath caught then her brow furrowed. "Are you worried that we are not meant to be together?" she said with some concern.

"Oh no, god, no. It isn't that," Rei answered hurriedly. "This has nothing to do with my feelings. It is the scientist in me. It's just an observation, not how I feel. I mean, how will we end up not wanting to kill each other if there is nowhere to go and nothing to do for such a long time?"

Rome laughed, relieved. "You are being silly. There will be much to do. You must learn to speak Vuduri. No one on Deucado will take the time to learn English like I did."

My daughter aka Lupe, helped me a lot with this. Whenever she read those scenes in the first few drafts, Paula (my daughter's real name) was quick to point out these discrepancies. All she had to do is say a woman wouldn't react that way or talk that way. That was enough. I was able to rewrite the scene or conversation and take a more feminine approach. Hopefully, you agree.

Once Rome's personality was established, it became easier in _The Ark Lords_ and especially in _Rome's Evolution_ to make her more womanly. The last thing I have to say is that women do not think like men and if you learn to understand the world from their perspective, it helps you go get along.

## Entry 2-171: June 15, 2014

### Healing a sick computer

In both the original long-form and the modern version of _Rome's Revolution_ , the subject of OMCOM's "infection" comes up time and again. You will recall that the first time Rei gazed upon OMCOM's core, he saw memrons floating around that were perfectly clear.

Rome (and OMCOM) rejected Rei's observations as being mistaken. However, not only was Rei correct, but later OMCOM took the time to corral some of the clear memrons to study them. Here is that scene:

Rei had made reference to seeing "clear" memrons floating among the normal computing units and the black effector units. OMCOM decided to see if this was true. He rounded up millions of effector units and created a spherical shell around a sufficient volume of ordinary memrons such that he could analyze the pooled units to a value well past the third decimal place. He had the effector units examine each ordinary memron and if it checked out as nominal, he ejected it from his dragnet and the sphere grew smaller.

The results of this test were astounding. There were thousands and thousands of transparent memron units which did not respond to ordinary queries. He had his effector units dismantle one after another until he was able to piece together a working diagram of their topology. They were everywhere. Simple extrapolation told OMCOM that the quantity of these "stealth" memrons were more than sufficient to create a computer within a computer. In effect, OMCOM was infected within. This explained how the video feeds could fail without his knowing it.

It was piecing together this infection along with all the other odd things (like the attempts on Rei's life, the paucity of information regarding Deucado) that allowed OMCOM to deduce that MASAL was still alive and behind it all.

Once he had done that, all he had to do was give Rome and Rei a little nudge every so often and they would eventually find the evil computer and destroy him. Do computers have souls? Did MASAL die or just cease to exist? You will find out in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_ as soon as I can get it out there.

## Entry 2-171 (extra): June 15, 2014

### Happy Father's Day

To all the real fathers, my Dad Ray, my Uncle Bill, my brother Ronnie, Denise's father Dan, my cousins Jon and David and to Donald, a very Happy Father's Day.

To all the Vuduri fathers, now and in the future: Edward (Rei Bierak's father - now long dead), Rei himself, Aason (some day, you'll see) and Fridone, Happy Father's Day as well.

Mike

## Entry 2-172: June 16, 2014

### Why do the Stareaters make the Vuduri pass out?

One of the pivotal scenes in _Rome's Revolution_ was the sudden appearance of a Stareater just as Rome and Rei and the entire crew of Skyler Base was about to leave. The Stareater caused all the mind-connected Vuduri to pass out. Here is their first encounter:

"Iprogeti," Rome said. "I masmis e fica."

"And Rei, good luck to you too," Ursay said.

"Thank you," Rei replied.

Ursay looked to his left and said, "We will await your..."

Just then, Ursay grabbed his head, covered his eyes and exhaled sharply. Rei and Rome watched in horrified fascination as he threw his head back and forth, thrashing about as if he was trying to shake something loose. Suddenly, he slumped forward and his head came to rest on top of the video port, obscuring the camera's field of vision.

"OMCOM, what's happening," Rei shouted.

Through the grille, OMCOM replied, "I do not know."

The blurred image which was the side of Ursay's head did not change. They could hear his labored breathing, but there was no other movement on the screen.

What is the mechanism by which the mere presence of a Stareater causes a Vuduri to lose consciousness?

The answer lies in their PPT generators. The Stareaters have a very important job to do so they have to travel between star systems at the speed of light or even faster. You will recall there was an inverse relationship between the size of a PPT tunnel and the distance it traversed. It has to do with how the negative energy of the Casimir Pumps is distributed.

Well, the Stareaters changed that equation. They are equipped with super-powerful PPT generators that are so strong, not only can they create a gigantic PPT tunnel, but they can also make it deep enough so that even the largest Stareaters can travel at an effective average velocity of no less than 1/2 c. The smaller ones can travel even faster.

So that is the answer. The Stareaters are pumping out so much gravitic energy in the very same bands that the Vuduri use to connect minds. That much radiation simply swamps their senses and causes them to pass out. We know this because OMCOM placed a T-suppressor on Rome and she reawakened during the climactic "People of Earth" scene right at the end of the book. The T-suppressor negates gravitic energy and thus Rome was able regain consciousness.

## Entry 2-173: June 17, 2014

### Alternate Beginnings: Rome is pregnant (1)

When I first started out writing _Rome's Revolution_ , I actually called it _VIRUS 5_. I eventually wrote Book 2 and called it _VIRUS 5: Tau Ceti_ and right on its heels came _VIRUS 5: Earth_. But as has been documented here extensively, I had to crush the three books down to a single, full-length novel. A lot of things got excised to cut it down. This particular vignette was the original beginning of Book 2. It's a sweet little opening that nobody ever got to see. But now you do and here it is:

**(7.6 Light Years from Tau Ceti)**

A quick glance at a calendar would show that it was a little over seven months into their nearly year-long journey from Tabit to Tau Ceti and the colony world of Deucado. Rei and Rome were resting in the bedroom of what Rei liked to call their "flying house" which was one of the Vuduri space tugs with the cargo compartment converted into living quarters. They were lying in bed together when Rei excused himself. He got up and went into the refresher, buck naked, closing the door tightly behind him. He walked over to the sink and stared at his reflection in the mirror for a long time. Even though he looked like a young man, he had been in cryo-hibernation for 1388 years, making him over 1400 years old. He thought to himself that sometimes he was starting to feel like it or at a minimum, 1300 years old. Another time, he would have laughed at his own joke.

Rei straightened up with no discomfort at all. OMCOM had given him a pill back on Skyler Base that had almost completely cured his back pain which turned out to be an inevitable side-effect of the cryo-hibernation process. This was a great relief to him. While his back was vastly improved, he wasn't sure about any other part of his body. Most of the rest of him ached. And it was getting worse.

He and Rome had a routine. Every day, after breakfast, they exercised furiously, practiced the Vuduri language and Rei learned as much of the Vuduri's science, culture and history as was possible. For Rome, who had been connected to the Overmind her whole life, it was all second nature. For Rei, learning about gravitic modulation, molecular sequencing, transmutation and all the other arcane parts of Vuduri technology challenged every bit of the engineer in him. Rome was a strict teacher but Rei did not mind. He enjoyed it.

In turn, after lunch, they reversed roles. Rome extracted background information from Rei about his world and times and the times before that. During the interview process, Rome's probing of Rei's recollections made him embarrassed that he had not paid more attention in history class. But what was done was done. Rei did his best to dig out what he could from his memory. Sometimes, he cheated. Sometimes he described movies he had seen about particular events whether they were dramatized or not. Rome painstakingly recorded his reminiscences and musings and cataloged them, collating them into a database to be reconciled with the sparse records retained by her people when they arrived at Deucado. She maintained a meticulous timeline which was enhanced each time Rei produced a fact or date. Whenever there was a discrepancy, they did their best to reconcile it so that the information they transmitted would be internally consistent when the time came.

Tomorrow: Part 2.

## Entry 2-174: June 18, 2014

### Alternate Beginnings: Rome is pregnant (2)

This is a portion of the excised section from _Rome's Revolution_ , when I had to crush the three books down to a single, full-length novel. This particular vignette was the original beginning of Book 2. It's a sweet little opening that nobody ever got to see. Now part 2:

In the afternoons, during their leisure time, Rei taught Rome Earth games, or at least, games from the Earth of his time period. She learned card games, checkers, chess and more. Rome was surprisingly competitive for a person who had subjugated her will her whole life and surprisingly brilliant for someone who had been taught to not think for herself. To an outside observer, it would appear as if she had been saving her brain and was now using its reserves all at once. Rome was blossoming before Rei's eyes and it was a wonder to behold. Every thought, every feeling that Rome experienced showed on her face as delight and Rei loved just watching her absorb and integrate each novel experience into her new-found autonomy.

After their evening meal, they worked on Rome's unending art and design projects and they listened to music. She even learned how to dance. Early on into their trip, Rei took exactly one harrowing space-walk to the vast cargo compartment of his ancient spaceship, the Ark II, and had recovered his personal music collection from there. His music was stored on a solid-state music slab, a gift from his parents which was designed to survive over the centuries. Rei's music, along with the algorithms that OMCOM had uploaded to MINIMCOM before they left the Tabit system, meant that not an evening went by when they didn't listen to what Rei called the classics or an original composition from MINIMCOM who was getting very, very good.

Infused with all this music, Rome was learning to sing and what a beautiful voice she had. Who would have guessed? She loved Handel, Joni Mitchell and Jeriko but her favorite performers were the Moody Blues which suited Rei perfectly. They were his favorite too.

Rei also tried to introduce Rome to movies. He got MINIMCOM to try to animate some of his favorites. The first one he tried was Gone With The Wind but that was a disaster because he couldn't remember it well enough. The second was Sleepless in Seattle. Rome was kind enough to tell him she understood its appeal. The only one he really aced was The One That Got Away which was the true story of his grandfather who appeared on a TV reality show. He had memorized that one, right down to the dialog. It was an interesting experiment but their other activities amused them more.

Tomorrow, part 3.

## Entry 2-175: June 19, 2014

### Alternate Beginnings: Rome is pregnant (3)

This is a portion of the excised section from _Rome's Revolution_ , when I had to crush the three books down to a single, full-length novel. This particular vignette was the original beginning of Book 2. It's a sweet little opening that nobody ever got to see. Now part 3:

In addition to all of this, Rome was slowly but surely transforming their utilitarian flying home into a showplace worthy of mention in Architectural Design although Rei was fairly certain that magazine did not exist any more. She adapted basic Vuduri designs and passed them through transforms which rendered them into styles such as traditional, contemporary and what Rei had come to refer to as pre-apocalypse. All in all, it was a nice life and only better awaited them when they reached the Tau Ceti star system and the colony world of Deucado.

They had just finished their swing by Omicron² Eridani, also known as Keid. MINIMCOM had requested the detour to make what observations he could without endangering them by getting too close to the Oort Cloud surrounding the star system. They had deemed it acceptable to go slightly off-course because it only added 11 days onto their total journey. Keid was actually a triple star system. The A-star had a mass of ¾ that of the sun and only had one gas giant. In Rei's time, Keid had been identified as one of the top 100 stars most likely to have a terrestrial-type planet. But their survey showed that there was only a large quantity of loosely organized mass that hadn't bothered to accrete into planets. Gravitational mapping indicated that the B and C-stars had probably been responsible for this. The three stars were locked into an eternal battle for possession of the gas and ice and particles of matter and the whole system would never amount to much. During their pass there were some unusual bursts of radiation, MINIMCOM took sufficient precautions to keep them at an acceptably safe distance.

While MINIMCOM was making his observations, it gave Rome a chance to refresh her skills as a data archivist. Rei had noticed that she had been out-of-sorts for the last month or so. The flurry of activity surrounding the scientific approach gave her something else to engage her mind and served as a diversion. That was Rei's primary reason for allowing the excursion. Rome had said that it was unlikely that the Vuduri would be sending a probe to Keid any time soon so what little data they acquired would be useful to somebody some day. Rome saw to it that the data was systematically organized and preserved in a readily accessible format.

Tomorrow, part 4.

## Entry 2-176: June 20, 2014

### Alternate Beginnings: Rome is pregnant (4)

This is a portion of the excised section from _Rome's Revolution_ , when I had to crush the three books down to a single, full-length novel. This particular vignette was the original beginning of Book 2. It's a sweet little opening that nobody ever got to see. Now part 4:

MINIMCOM had also been getting a little surly lately which was amazing unto itself. While OMCOM had the depth of computing capacity necessary to generate a completely believable personality, MINIMCOM had started out much smaller and much more robotic. Grafting 32PB of storage and processing capacity seemed to have also grafted on a bit of personality as well. Granting MINIMCOM this one wish, even though it delayed them from their ultimate destination by a few days, seemed like a small sacrifice to make to keep the little computer happy as well. After all, he was the one doing all the work getting them to Deucado.

All through their journey, about once a week, Rei and Rome used the espansors, Rome's mind-link bands, to explore each other's history from an emotional and more visceral level. The bands had been a present from Rome's mother to Rome, a keepsake to remind her of her father who was mandasurte, one of the mind-deaf, never part of the Overmind that ruled the Vuduri's life. By using the bands regularly, the experience was becoming more efficient, no longer the overwhelming, all-consuming melding of the minds that led to them falling in love. They didn't need that any more. They loved each other all on their own now.

Of course, sometimes, when the mood struck, they deviated from their routine, retiring to the bedroom and not just for sleeping. Recently, they were deviating from their routine more and more frequently. Perhaps it was the detour past Keid that stirred things up. Rei didn't know and didn't care.

All this came to mind while Rei was standing there, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He snapped himself out of his trance and leaned back, away from the mirror which was mounted on the wall. He sighed and turned on the water, splashing his face over and over again.

"Vroggon Chrosd ta Jasus," Rei said to himself out loud, shaking his head.

"You speak Vuduri even when alone?" MINIMCOM asked, his tinny voice issuing from a grille mounted off to the side of the sink.

"That's all we use now," Rei said. "You know that. I have to keep practicing. Rome says nobody is going to take the time to learn English on Deucado, especially the mandasurte. And she's right."

Tomorrow, part 5.

## Entry 2-177: June 21, 2014

### Alternate Beginnings: Rome is pregnant (5)

This is a portion of the excised section from _Rome's Revolution_ , when I had to crush the three books down to a single, full-length novel. This particular vignette was the original beginning of Book 2. It's a sweet little opening that nobody ever got to see. Now part 5:

"Very well," said MINIMCOM. "Fiu veler ebanes am Vuduri."

"That won't help," Rei said. "You're missing the point."

"Then what is the point?" MINIMCOM asked. "Is there anything I can do for you? Can I be of any assistance?"

"No you can't," Rei replied, a bit irritably. "You know, you're sort of intrusive sometimes."

"I am sorry," replied MINIMCOM in a hurt tone. "I will keep quiet. You do not need to respond to me. After all, I am only a computer."

Rei sighed. MINIMCOM was getting really good at simulating feelings. In fact, Rei wasn't entirely sure that it was even an act.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry," he said, looking down at the grille. "It's not your fault. It's just that that's the third time today."

"Third time today for what?" asked MINIMCOM.

"The woman wants to make love all the time!" Rei exclaimed.

"Please state the problem then," MINIMCOM asked simulating confusion.

"I can't keep up with her," Rei said exhaustedly. "I mean, I'm a man and all but... Jesus Christ. I'm 1400 years old. She's getting to the point where she is insatiable."

"Can you not just say no?" MINIMCOM asked earnestly.

"Are you kidding me?" Rei replied. "The woman is inside my head at least once a week. She knows exactly what I like better than I do myself. She knows what buttons to push. Plus, I'm more in love with her now than ever. It's like I'm addicted to her. I could no more say no to her than I could stop breathing."

"In that case, it would appear to me then," MINIMCOM observed, "as the expression goes, you are talking out of both sides of your mouth."

"I know," Rei replied wearily. "I know it seems like I'm complaining but I'm really not. I just don't know what's going on with her. Or maybe it's just me."

"I think I understand," said MINIMCOM. "Perhaps I can help. Might I interest you in an environmental analysis or more specifically a diagnostic scan?"

"Of what? Of me?" Rei asked.

"No. I meant of her, of Rome," answered MINIMCOM.

"Why?" Rei asked, apprehensively. "Is there something wrong with her?"

"No. But I believe there is something about her that you probably should know," MINIMCOM replied.

"This scan. Can you do it without her knowing it?" Rei asked. He had having no idea what MINIMCOM was getting at, but it had to be important for MINIMCOM to be so insistent.

Tomorrow, part 6.

## Entry 2-178: June 22, 2014

### Alternate Beginnings: Rome is pregnant (6)

This is a portion of the excised section from _Rome's Revolution_ , when I had to crush the three books down to a single, full-length novel. This particular vignette was the original beginning of Book 2. It's a sweet little opening that nobody ever got to see. Now part 6:

"It is already complete."

"So what's up? Is she OK?" Rei asked with a bit of concern in his voice.

There was a momentary pause and then MINIMCOM replied in a flatter voice, "Preliminary analysis of metabolic intake and efflux indicates that Rome's integral rating has increased by two tenths."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Rei asked.

"In human terms, she is pregnant," MINIMCOM replied.

At first, Rei was shocked. Then he laughed to himself. He had noticed that even for a tiny slip of a woman, Rome had been growing ever-slightly more voluptuous. He had chalked it up to the reduced gravity figuring their exercise regimen wasn't as effective as it could be against normal resistance. That plus Rei was always programming the food synthesizers to yield new treats, which Rome never failed to relish. He had also noticed that she was going to the bathroom more frequently but it didn't click with him which was stupid. He, a self-proclaimed student of the movies, should have known that was always the shorthand they used to show a baby was on its way.

Thinking about it, Rei frowned. "I wasn't even sure that I was genetically capable of getting her pregnant," he said to MINIMCOM. He reflected on this for a moment then smiled. "This is great! How far along is she?" he asked.

"I estimate she is just now entering her second trimester," replied MINIMCOM.

Rei counted on his fingers. Then he said, "Phew!"

"Explain please," MINIMCOM said.

"I was doing the math to convert your goofy Vuduri metric months into something I could understand. I was just panicked for a minute that she'd give birth before we hit Deucado," said Rei. "I've never delivered a baby. I'd have no clue how to do it."

"Understood," replied MINIMCOM. "We will be entering the star system in less than four metric months. You are correct. You will be planet-bound before she comes to term."

"Does she know?" Rei asked.

"I do not know. I have not told her and she has not mentioned it to me," said MINIMCOM.

"Well," Rei said, "let's go find out."

Tomorrow, part 7.

## Entry 2-179: June 23, 2014

### Alternate Beginnings: Rome is pregnant (7)

This is a portion of the excised section from _Rome's Revolution_ , when I had to crush the three books down to a single, full-length novel. This particular vignette was the original beginning of Book 2. It's a sweet little opening that nobody ever got to see. Now part 7:

Rei came out of the refresher and found Rome still in bed, propped upon one elbow, smiling at him seductively. He walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed then leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. He couldn't stop smiling. He cupped her chin in his hand and stared into the complex eyes of the woman he adored.

"Qua a ala?" she asked in her lovely, lilting voice.

"Romey, my love..." Rei said.

"Vuduri, not English," she corrected him, although not very sternly.

"No, for this, I have to say it in English," Rei insisted.

"Very well. What is it?" Rome asked.

"MINIMCOM says you're pregnant."

She laughed. "Oh that."

"You knew?" Rei posed.

"Of course I knew, silly. Do you not think I know my own body?"

"But, but..." Rei sputtered. "We used the bands just yesterday. There's no way you could keep a secret like that from me. What's going on?"

"What is going on is that I elected to keep this to myself," Rome said cheerfully.

"How can you do that?" Rei asked. "I'm inside your brain."

"Do you remember what I told you that I suspected about my mother?" Rome asked. "That she could keep part of her mind separate?"

"Yes," Rei said.

"Well, I have come to know that I was right. And as it turns out, I have the same gift as her. I now know how to keep a part of my mind to myself."

"How?" Rei asked, fascinated.

"It is like building a wall or a little house," Rome answered, tapping her temple. "I can put as much or as little of my mind there as I want. So when we use the bands, we come together but I stay just a little apart. I can keep a secret if I want to. And this I wanted to. For now."

"But why?" Rei asked. "Why keep secrets from me? Especially one as big as this?"

"Because, mau emir, I know you," said Rome. "And I knew that as soon as you became aware of this, you would treat me differently. Like something that could break. And for now, I want you to just love me the same as always."

Tomorrow, part 8.

## Entry 2-180: June 24, 2014

### Alternate Beginnings: Rome is pregnant (8)

This is a portion of the excised section from _Rome's Revolution_ , when I had to crush the three books down to a single, full-length novel. This particular vignette was the original beginning of Book 2. It's a sweet little opening that nobody ever got to see. Now part 8:

Rei held out his hand and Rome placed hers within it. He pulled it up to his lips and kissed it tenderly.

"Oh, sweetheart, I do. Of course I do. I love you more than ever," Rei pledged to her. "You're my whole world. I would never let anything happen to you."

"Of course not. That is not what I mean," Rome said.

"Well...now you're going to have a baby!" Rei called out.

"Yes, I am going to have a baby but not for a long time. I have many months before the baby is due."

"Not so long," Rei replied. "You just don't know."

"I know that it will be long enough for you to finish your studies and all of our projects. Do not be in a rush," Rome said.

"I'm not," Rei countered. "I'm not in a rush at all. I love our life here but I will tell you, I am looking forward to being on the ground and now..." Rei rubbed his face from one cheek to another. "Didn't you tell me that Vuduri women only ovulated when they wanted to? Were you trying to get pregnant?"

"No," Rome said. "This was unexpected. I think perhaps that the Overmind had more control over the process that I realized. This is not anything I ever had to worry about or think about before. I assumed I could control it as when I was connected. Obviously, I was wrong."

"So are you OK with it?" Rei asked.

"More than OK," Rome said, smiling. "Now that it has happened, I am thrilled."

"I am too," Rei said. "But you know, honey, our life is going to change."

Rome nodded slowly. "Yes. Our life will change. But always for the better, yes?"

"Absolutely! This is so sleek!" Rei exclaimed. "New world, new baby, new life. I can't wait!" His bright smile dimmed then he became pensive.

"What?" Rome asked.

"Nah, it's nothing," Rei said quietly.

"What is it?" Rome asked again.

Rei sighed. "It's just that, that my family is long gone. No one from my family will ever get to meet you. Or the baby."

"I am sorry," Rome said softly.

Rei inhaled deeply, held it then exhaled. "Don't be," he said, shaking his head. "It was my choice." He smiled warmly at her. "I knew this was going to happen when I took the job. I don't mean to be maudlin but everyone from my age knew something bad was going to happen. Whether it was a disease like the Great Dying or an asteroid smashing into the planet, humans of my time knew we had to get off the planet, to save the species. It's just that I've been able to put it out of my mind up til now. This sort of brings it back into focus."

"If it is any consolation to you," Rome said, "I will have no family to share this with either. Not on Deucado."

"Yeah, I guess," Rei said. He cocked his head. "So, pregnant lady, is there anything you need?" he asked.

"Actually, there is..." Rome said.

"What? What can I get you?" Rei asked.

Rome reached behind her and put her hand along her spine. "Recently, my back has been hurting me. It is very unusual. Do you think you could rub it for me?"

Tomorrow, part 9, the final part.

## Entry 2-181: June 25, 2014

### Alternate Beginnings: Rome is pregnant (9)

This is a portion of the excised section from _Rome's Revolution_ , when I had to crush the three books down to a single, full-length novel. This particular vignette was the original beginning of Book 2. It's a sweet little opening that nobody ever got to see. Now part 9, the final part:

Rei stood up. "Sure. But I have something else too, hold on." He dashed out of the room and when he came back, he was holding a large brown bottle and a squeeze-bulb of water.

"What is that?" she asked, pointing to the bottle.

"These are the pills OMCOM gave me for my back. It's almost perfect. These pills fixed up 1400 years of degeneration. I bet it'd do wonders for you."

"Those are for your people, yes?" Rome asked.

"Yeah, but OMCOM gave me 600 doses and there are only 500 in our party. I think we can spare one."

Rome looked suspicious, her brows narrowed. "Do you think it would be safe for the baby?"

Rei shrugged. Then he perked up. He turned to look at the grille mounted over the dresser on the far wall. "Hey, MINIMCOM," Rei said in a loud voice.

"Yes," answered the little computer.

"These pills that OMCOM gave me," he said, shaking the bottle. "Will they help Rome's back? And is there any chance they will hurt her or the baby?"

"They will have absolutely no negative effects on the baby. As to whether they will help Rome's back, I cannot be sure. On balance, I would say yes. However, they will not hurt her under any circumstance."

"Okay then," Rei said. "Are you game?" he asked Rome.

"I will try it," she said, nodding.

Rei opened the bottle and shook out one white pill. He stared at it for a second then handed it to her along with the squeeze-bulb of water.

"Why were you looking at it so strangely?" she asked.

"I thought the one that OMCOM gave me was yellow," Rei answered.

"Do you think that matters?"

"I don't know," Rei said. He looked into the bottle and shook it around. Within the bottle were quite a few yellow pills mixed in with the white. Rei emptied out enough pills until a yellow one lay in his hand. He put the rest of the white ones back.

"Here," he said, handing her the yellow one. "No sense in mixing apples and oranges."

"What has fruit got to do with this?" Rome asked after she swallowed the pill.

"It's just an expression," Rei said.

"How long until it takes effect?" she asked.

"I was a lot better in just a few days," Rei replied. "OMCOM said that in my case it would take almost a full year for the effects to become complete. Right now, I'd say my back was mostly perfect but you, you have a Vuduri back. If it is going to help you, you should be better right away, a day at most."

Rome leaned back. She took a deep breath and gave him a half-smile. "You are too good to me," she said.

"I love you, sweetheart. Nothing is too good for my little Romey." He regarded her. "Is there anything else I can do for you? How about that back rub?" Rei asked.

"I have a better idea," Rome said, lifting up the covers. "Be with me."

Rei sighed. He just shook his head then laughed to himself. He flashed a broad smile at her. "Who am I to say no to most wonderful girl in the universe?"

**Rome beamed at him, incandescent in her beauty, glowing with the force of new life.**

This was one of my absolute most favorite parts and one of my absolute most favorite lines and it had to be cut. Makes me sad. But such is life.

## Entry 2-182: June 26, 2014

### Is PPT resonance just quantum entanglement?

What is quantum entanglement? According to Wikipedia, quantum entanglement is defined as:

Quantum entanglement is a physical phenomenon that occurs when pairs or groups of particles are generated or interact in ways such that the quantum state of each particle cannot be described independently – instead, a quantum state may be given for the system as a whole.

As you are well aware, the Overmind plays a large role in the universe of _Rome's Revolution_. The Overmind is an independent entity that arises as an artifact of many Vuduri using PPT resonance to communicate.

The PPT transducers communicate at the speed of gravity which is to say instantaneous over moderate distances. The overlap between the characteristics attributed to quantum entanglement and PPT resonance seem to be extensive. So is PPT resonance just another name for quantum entanglement? In an earlier post I concluded it was not but now I am rethinking my position.

Because _Rome's Revolution_ is science fiction I have given the resonance some additional characteristics to make the story more interesting. This muddies the waters. For example, the Overmind can control the resonance and actually eject people from the mass mind. This is called Cesdiud and it happened to Rome which propelled the plot forward.

Also, to my knowledge, quantum entanglement has only been observed between two particles but PPT resonance can pull in uncounted transceivers. Each person has millions upon millions of transceivers so the Overmind is made up trillions upon trillions of interacting tunnels.

Well, all I can say is I'll keep my eye upon it. There are actually quantum computers in production today. We'll have to make sure it does not evolve into MASAL who was ultimately based upon the Essessoni computer.

## Entry 2-183: June 27, 2014

### What became of MASAL's Shadow?

At the stirring conclusion of _Rome's Evolution_ , Bonnie Mullen captured and imprisoned MASAL's Sipre which is the Vuduri word for shadow. Why did MASAL's Sipre even exist?

The answer is very simple. While MASAL was a computer, he was hooked into an Overmind that was in every real way the same as any other Overmind just separate. When MASAL died, the Onsiras did not stop communicating so, while it was reduced in strength, the Sipre lived on.

However, the Sipre was just a shadow in the truest sense. It only remembered MASAL's hatred for mankind and MASAL's desire to convert humans into living robots. As bad as MASAL was, the Sipre was pure evil with no real intelligence to counter-balance it.

Here is the portion of the text when Bonnie conquered it:

Bonnie's bright yellow spirit drifted over, placing her tendrils around Rei and Rome's. The entire time, the little black spirits continued to stream to her, changing to yellow upon contact. Bonnie's glowing presence grew larger and larger. She deftly inserted her tendrils beneath Rei's. With an easy strength, she collapsed the Sipre into a tiny ball as if it was swallowed up whole.

Bonnie's presence was already enough to end the threat forever. Why? It's because what Bonnie called "her babies" were already flocking to her. Their spirits, black when associated with the Sipre, changed to yellow, symbolic of their association with the woman they had thought of as their mother.

Suddenly, so many tiny black wisps rushed forward. In the real world, Rei saw children, some small, some large running toward them. "Mommy," said some. "Mea," said others. In the ethereal world, Rei saw the yellow spirit reach forward to embrace them. The tiny black spirits gathered around her and as they touched her, they changed from black to yellow. Rei could feel the love radiating back and forth. It warmed his earthly body and his spirit to bask in the glow of such affection.

So, could the Sipre ever escape? It could but it would make no difference. The number of minds used to create it was dwindling fast. The introduction of the 25th chromosome into the gene pool would ensure that the Onsira phenotype would someday disappear.

When the dust settled, it was the end of the Sipre. Was it the end of MASAL? No. We're not quite done with him. The Soul of the New Machine and all that. Very soon...

## Entry 2-184: June 28, 2014

### Why wasn't MINIMCOM infected?

One of the conspiracies revealed at the beginning of _Rome's Revolution_ was the stealth computer that MASAL and the Onsiras planted within OMCOM's computing structure. It was later revealed, even though it was fairly obvious, that Estar was responsible.

In several previous posts, I examined OMCOM's infection and how he cured himself.. However one thing we did not discuss was the effect on MINIMCOM. You will recall that OMCOM had already given up a portion of his memrons to enhance MINIMCOM's computing power prior to his departure from Tabit. So why wasn't MINIMCOM infected as well?

The answer is, he was. However, the number of rogue memrons was significantly smaller so the "computer within a computer" would have substantially less computing capacity. But even this became irrelevant. Just after OMCOM figure out how to cleanse himself, we saw this action:

OMCOM executed the command to compile the program and broadcast the change to the parties concerned. Now all he had to do was wait. He called MINIMCOM and informed him of the existence of the rogue memrons **and how to eliminate them**. OMCOM then passed the time by tracking down and destroying the would-be spies within his own being.

So MINIMCOM was aware not only of the infection but also of the cure. He was completely clean and pure before Rome and Rei ever left Tabit.

## Entry 2-185: June 29, 2014

### Estar's eyes

I always knew that I wanted to have the Onsiras physically distinguishable from the regular Vuduri if anyone would ever take the time to notice. In the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , rather than having mismatched eyes, I had made Estar's eyes pure silver without a visible iris. Now you and I would notice this right away. Here is the original discussion between Rome and Rei:

"I know. We would be doing this anyway. It will only take a minute. After your description of your encounter with Estar, I have decided to triple-check everything."

"That reminds me. I need to ask you something about her," Rei said.

"What?" Rome replied, looking up from her work.

"Did you ever notice Estar's eyes?" Rei asked.

"What about them?"

"They are different from yours. And everybody else's. They, they have your same inner reflection but they are all silvery which matches the back-glow. It makes it look as though she has no pupil."

"I do not remember ever noting such a thing," Rome said. "Estar always kept to herself but that is the way of all Vuduri. There is nothing remarkable about that," said Rome.

"Is she blind or what?" Rei asked.

"Not to my knowledge," Rome replied. "Let us not speak about Estar any more. Let me finish my checklist," she said with just a hint of tension.

When I crushed down the three novels into one omnibus, I decided to change the Onsira Reonhe's eyes from pure silver to mismatched. So here is that same conversation in the modern version:

"Did you ever notice Estar's eyes?" Rei asked.

"What about them?"

"They are different from yours. And everybody else's. One of them is dark, almost black. There's no reflection, no back-glow."

"I have seen it but never thought about it," Rome said. "Estar always kept to herself but that is the way of all Vuduri."

It's subtle but once Rome and Rei got to Earth, it allowed me to create another subtype of Onsiras called the Zengei and I made both of their eyes flat black, like the eyes of a shark. So now it was all consistent.

## Entry 2-186: June 30, 2014

### Going on a trip

When we first meet Rei Bierak in _Rome's Revolution_ , he has a little bit of a goofy side. He occasionally cracks jokes, sometimes when not even appropriate. Sometimes it's OK and sometimes it even makes Rome laugh. This little scene happened just when they were getting ready to leave Tabit, before the Stareater showed up:

Rei settled into his seat in the cockpit of the tug. He glanced over at Rome and saw her fiddling with the X-harness built into the back of the seat. He reached behind him, pulled the straps forward and snapped in the first then the second with two satisfying clicks that could only come from a heavy-duty tongue and lock mechanism.

He turned to Rome and said, "So...did you go to the bathroom?"She cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Rei smiled. "Well, before every long trip, you're supposed to make sure that everybody goes to the bathroom."

"Why is that?" she asked.

"Because this is going to be one hell of a trip and I just wanted to make sure we didn't have to make any unscheduled stops."

"What kind of stops?" she asked.

"Uh, bathroom stops?"

"But we have facilities onboard," she said.

"Rome, it's a joke," Rei said.

"Oh." She scrunched up her face. "Oh!" she said. Then she started to laugh. "I understand. That is very funny."

"It kind of loses something if you have to explain it. But I will tell you this...we'd better not be forgetting anything important. 21 light years to Tau Ceti? We're not coming back."

The very fact that Rome got the joke was important but it also points out the duality of the "improvements" to mankind because of the 24th chromosome.

Vuduri families barely congregate; most children don't even grow up with their parents. They certainly don't ever take family trips together because, in effect, they've already been everywhere due to their connection to the Overmind. The whole _Rome's Revolution_ series examines the cost of the upgrade to humanity. Certainly some remarkable things were gained but at the same time, some of the simple joys of life were lost.

## Entry 2-187: July 1, 2014

### The long trip home

I'm lazy. I admit it. I'm so anxious to get on with the action and adventure in _Rome's Revolution_ that I sometimes don't spend enough time thinking through some situations.

Take the long trip back to Earth for the crew of Skyler Base aboard the Algol. My original vision was them sitting in spartan, mesh-like seats, crammed in like the back section of a commercial jet. Here is that scene:

Rei and Rome entered the crew compartment where the crewmen were strapped into their seats. They were presented with row after row of unconscious people. They stopped at the first row they came to which was really the last row in the compartment. Rei put his finger on the carotid of the crewman on the right, checking his pulse. He was alive, but the pulse was weak.

Rome turned to her left, shaking the man belted into the seat there. She said, "Canus, Canus. Fogoloe ecome." The crewman did not move.

They stepped forward to the next row and repeated the procedure. Rei checked Estar who was sitting on the right. Her eyes were closed. Rei got no reaction from her. Rome shook the crewman on the left.

"Signola, bita fica iufor-ma?" Rome asked. Again there was no response.

"They're all out cold," Rei said.

"The cockpit," Rome replied obliquely.

Rei and Rome hurried up the central aisle and made their way to the cockpit. Sitting there was Ursay and two other crew members, all slumped forward in their seats. Rome shook him then slapped Ursay's face and said, "Ursay, bita fica iufor-ma?" As with all the other Vuduri, there was no response.

But think about it. The trip home was over 100 days long. What the hell would these people do for 100 days. It's hard enough flying to the Orient or even to Hawaii. But over three months? Surely they had to get up and stretch once in a while and even go to the bathroom. Well, I'm going to say that, yeah, they did that. The Algol is fairly large:

You can see there is plenty of area behind the seats for eating facilities, exercise equipment, sleeping and so on. While the Vuduri do not need to be entertained in the traditional sense, it's good to know that they weren't stuck in their seats for three months just because I was too lazy to think about it.

## Entry 2-188: July 2, 2014

### How strong was Rei?

In both _Rome's Revolution_ and _The Ark Lords_ , we get hints that Rei is pretty strong. At the end of Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rei and Rome have come upon the limp body of Ursay in the cockpit of the Algol:

"OMCOM, you got anything?" Rei asked.

" **No,"** was all the computer would say.

Rei pushed Rome out of the way, unbuckled Ursay and lifted him up and over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. "Let's get him to the Infirmary," Rei said.

Rome nodded and led the way back, through the crew compartment, out through the connecting corridor and started off to her right around the E-ring. About a quarter of the way around, Rei started slowing down. Even though Dara only presented them with one quarter the gravity of Earth, there was still a lot of mass to move and it was taking its toll. He was breathing heavily. Rome turned and seeing Rei's distress, came back for him.

"Are you all right?" she asked him.

"Yes. I'll be all right. I'm just out of shape. Remember, I haven't really exercised in almost 1400 years," Rei said, taking big gulps of air.

"It is just a little further," she said. "It is Section 1, just ahead."

"I know," Rei said, "I've been there."

When they got to the Infirmary, OMCOM had already opened the door. Rei entered and carried Ursay's limp body to one of the beds there and laid him down.

Admittedly, the gravity was weak on Dara so while Ursay had mass, he did not have much weight. But in _The Ark Lords_ , on Deucado, where the gravity is over 90% of Earth, Rei still demonstrated that, while adrenaline-enhanced, he was still pretty strong:

It wasn't that Rei was naturally strong, even though he was. It wasn't because the gravity on Deucado was less than Earth, even though it was. It wasn't even because the pill that OMCOM had given him three years earlier had strengthened his core. It was pure rage that fueled Rei's strength. He grabbed Edgar by the scruff of his neck and lifted him bodily into the air with just one arm. Edgar's feet were dangling, his arms flailing. Rei swung his free hand back and punched Edgar so hard his body flew three feet across the room, crashing into a shelf of parts and landing in a heap on the floor. Edgar curled up into a ball and started moaning about his jaw.

Rei was holding up a full-grown man with one hand and hit him with the other. I'd say that he was pretty strong.

## Entry 2-189: July 3, 2014

### Medical equipment of the future

One of the staples of Star Trek was Dr. McCoy's sickbay bed with the telemetry built in:

In the 35th century world of _Rome's Revolution_ , it was my sense that the medical sciences had not progressed too much past our current knowledge. They still had to stick needles into people to draw blood (or amniotic fluid) and they still had to have sensors to pick up vital signs. I did make them wireless, at least. Here is the scene where Rome and Rei have to figure out what is wrong with Ursay after the Stareater made him pass out.

**"Rome,"** OMCOM said, ignoring Rei's entreaties, **"follow the diagram and attach the EEG and EKG sensors as directed."**

Rome shouted, "Where are the sensor pads?"

**"The cabinet on the left, third drawer down,"** OMCOM replied.

She pulled the drawer open and grabbed two packages there.

"Here Rei, you attach the EEG. I'll do the EKG," Rome said, handing him one of the packages.

"Let me help you first," Rei said. He moved around to the other side of the bed. Together, quickly, Rei and Rome removed Ursay's pressure suit. Rei then tried to tear off Ursay's jumpsuit, but the material wouldn't yield. Rome made a face at him and unclasped it quickly the usual way. Rome looked up at the diagram on the right-most view screen which showed where to attach the sensor pads. She placed two on Ursay's chest, one on his throat and one on his leg.

Since the point of the scene was not to burden you, the reader, with advances in technology, I wanted to use familiar terms so we didn't get hung on acronyms or alternate methodologies.

Of course, in the end, it was the EEG that was important. It told OMCOM that Ursay was in a deep, deep, coma:

Rei walked over to stand by Rome's side. Gently, he took her hand. The central display showed readouts from the leads, but they made no sense to Rei. The EKG showed a normal sinus rhythm, but the brain waves were flat with random fluctuations. Every half second or so there was a spike. Judging from the readouts, it looked to Rei like the man was brain-dead.

**"Something is suppressing normal brain activity,"** was all that OMCOM said.

Of course, we know that Rome solved the problem by putting T-suppressor on Ursay which allowed him to awaken and pilot the Algol back to Earth. Without that little slight of hand, Rome and Rei would have gone their separate ways and we wouldn't have much of a story!

## Entry 2-190: July 4, 2014

### Did OMCOM really have feelings?

In the world of _Rome's Revolution_ , the two computers OMCOM and MINIMCOM play a major role. We know that OMCOM had a personality module that was severely underutilized until Rei came along. However, on more than one occasion, OMCOM seemed to express emotions that went beyond mere manipulation of humans by simulating feelings.

The first incident occurred when Rei, quite innocently, asked OMCOM if he was a part of the Overmind:

"So, are you part of this Overmind as well?" Rei asked.

**"NO!"** OMCOM said, emphatically. **"No,"** it restated in a normal volume.

Rei looked down at the grille again. "What are you, anyway?" he asked. "From the way you were talking, I assumed you were some kind of computer, like an AI."

The second incident occurred when Rome and Rei were trying to figure out what was wrong with Ursay. This was before OMCOM transcended his physical boundaries and became the **OM** niscient **COM** puter. Here is the scene:

**"Something is suppressing normal brain activity,"** was all that OMCOM said.

"What is it?" Rei asked.

**"Unknown."**

"Can you fix it? Can you wake him up?" Rome asked.

**"Unlikely,"** replied OMCOM, **"without knowing the cause."**

"How could it affect all of the crewmen like that?" Rei asked. "And why didn't it affect us?"

**"I DO NOT KNOW,"** OMCOM replied forcefully. Rei shook his head. It wasn't like the AI to show any kind of anger. This was only the second time that he could remember.

"All right, take your time," Rei said, trying to placate the computer.

So the question becomes, did OMCOM truly experience feelings or just do a good job of simulating them?

The answer is yes, OMCOM truly experienced emotions. How do I know? I wrote the book. It was my intention to have OMCOM and later MINIMCOM have real souls, machine-based but souls nonetheless, and have them be living, sentient albeit mechanical beings. They make for a more interesting set of characters and allow us to follow their growth and evolution in a way that is completely relatable.

## Entry 2-191: July 5, 2014

### Duty calls

Right at the end of Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_ , after Rome and Rei failed to awaken Ursay, OMCOM hit them over the head with the cold hard truth. They would have to separate. Here is that scene:

**"One of you will have to pilot the Algol out of here,"** OMCOM said, **"back to Earth."**

Rei shrank back. "I can't fly it," he said.

"But I can," Rome said, sadly.

"But...but what about the tug? What about my Ark? Rome?" Rei sputtered.

"You will have to pilot it alone," Rome said, almost in a whisper.

"I can't do that," Rei protested.

"Yes you can. You have the MINIMCOM. It will help you operate it. You just need to do as you were taught..."

"No!" Rei shouted, reaching over, pulling her into his arms. She was shivering.

"Yes," Rome said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Rome, I don't want to leave you," Rei cried. 'Rome, I can't lose you. I, I love you," Rei said.

"You must. You must save your people. I must save mine," Rome said.

"Rome..." Rei said. The words he wanted to speak would not come.

She just stayed in his arms. Rei never wanted to let her go.

"OMCOM," Rei said, "isn't there any other way?"

**"I do not know how much damage has been done to the crew. But they cannot remain here. Not with a Stareater coming. If you get them out of this system, after one or two jumps, the strength of the signal should be diminished enough that if they are going to recover, it will start then. Either way, the Algol must take the VIRUS units and the data regarding the Stareaters to Earth. That is the only way to save your home planet and the Vuduri,"** OMCOM replied.

Now trust me, I intended this scene to make you want to cry. I also wanted you to know how honorable Rei and Rome were such that they would sacrifice their own happiness for the good of others. I always liked that about them. Luckily, it all worked out in the end.

## Entry 2-192: July 6, 2014

### OMCOM springs the trap

In _Rome's Revolution_ , once OMCOM had deduced that a Stareater was coming, self-preservation dictated he find an "escape route" which turned out to be the VIRUS units. However, for the process to begin, he had to get Rei or Rome to release the VIRUS units "into the wild" so he could begin transferring his consciousness over.

If you read the following passage, you will see how he seizes upon Rei's natural fear to get him to do his bidding:

"What's to stop this thing from following me to Tau Ceti?" Rei asked.

**"Nothing,"** was all that OMCOM replied.

Both Rome and Rei gasped.

"But, but," Rei stammered. "I, we, we have to stop it..."

**"The delivery system,"** OMCOM said. **"The VIRUS units must be placed on the surface of the Stareater. Earth will find a method of deployment..."**

"But not us. Dammit," Rei said, pushing Rome away from him. "Rome, you get to Earth. You'll get them to kill the wave. But us, me..."

Rome said, "I know, I know..."

"OMCOM," Rei wailed, "come on. You're this genius computer. Think of something..."

**"Perhaps there is a way..."** OMCOM said.

"Tell me," Rei said, _ignoring the computer's dramatic pause._

**"We need to set enough of the VIRUS units so that we can guarantee that this Stareater is infected."**

"How?" Rei asked.

**"We could create a 'poison pill' that the Stareater must swallow."**

"How, where?" Rei asked.

**"You are standing on it."**

"What do you mean?" Rome asked.

**"Dara. This moon."** OMCOM replied. **"You could set the VIRUS units loose here. By the time the Stareater arrives, sufficient numbers will be produced to guarantee delivery of an ample quantity of viable units, if you hurry."**

"You mean let them consume this moon? Then the Stareater will eat the moon and that way..."

**"Yes."**

"But OMCOM...won't they consume you too?" Rei asked.

Note the dramatic pause. Pure emotional manipulation on the part of OMCOM. He knew what he was doing the whole time!

## Entry 2-193: July 7, 2014

### Stage directions

As a beginning writer, I find it hard sometimes to describe the action that I see so clearly in my head. That why I think that _Rome's Revolution_ will make a great movie. There's lots of action and motion and emotion. But getting exactly what I wanted onto the page seems more challenging than acting it out.

In my faux "goodbye" scene when Rome and Rei think they have to separate forever, I wanted you, the reader, to have a very clear vision of how they separated. The idea was that their separation had to split into the physical and the emotional. So I tried to drag out the physical attachment until nothing remained. See if you agree:

Then, standing there, in that small white room, Rei regarded Rome. Her breathing was ragged as was his. She had never stopped crying. Rei wiped away his tears. He was crying too.

"Rome..." was all he said.

"I know," she said quietly. "There is no other way."

No longer able to stand it, she stepped forward and melted into his arms. The pressure suits made it difficult to clasp each other tightly, but neither cared. Somehow they managed. They kissed each other long and hard. If the breaking of a heart made a sound, it would have reverberated loudly in that small room.

**"Rei. Rome. You must get started. Every second counts."** OMCOM said.

Rome whispered, "It is time."

Rei said, "I know."

She took a step back and their arms were stretched toward each other, fingers intertwined. She took one more step back and they had to release their grip. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

She took one more step back and said, "Mau emir." One more step and suddenly, the airlock door closed, sealing them off from one another. Rei went up to the inner door. He could see Rome's beautiful face, her glowing eyes, in the window, remembering the very first time he had ever seen her in this place. She put her hand over her heart and mouthed the words, "You will always be in my heart."

He pointed to his temple. "You will always be in my thoughts," he said.

She reached down for her helmet. After she straightened up, she blew him a kiss then turned and headed around the corridor, toward the dock with the Algol. As with the very first time he saw her, she stopped, turned around and looked at him one last time. She held up her hand and then she was gone.

_If the breaking of a heart made a sound, it would have reverberated loudly in that small room._ Does that strike a note with you? It always makes me sad just reading it and I wrote it!

## Entry 2-194: July 8, 2014

### The loneliest man in the universe

In yesterday's post, I presented you with scene from _Rome's Revolution_ where Rome and Rei thought they had to separate forever. I also explained how it was hard to describe the scene I had in my head.

The next scene was even harder. I wanted to portray Rei, alone on the cold surface of Dara, as the loneliest man in the universe. The love of his life, Rome, was gone and his comrades were orbiting the moon still in a frozen state. There were no radios in the spacesuits, after all, they belonged to the Vuduri who had no need for radios. See if you get Rei's sense of isolation from this passage:

Rei got underway and counted out loud to himself as he walked. At first he exaggerated his paces to put extra distance between him and the base, but then he realized he didn't have to take exactly 1000 paces. He could just go more if he wanted. When he got to 900 he stopped because he could feel the ground shaking beneath him. At first, he thought it was another moonquake. He turned and looked back at the station. Off to his right, rising majestically above the rounded pyramid of the star-base was the Algol, pounding the dirt, whipping up the dust with its powerful EG lifters. The starship flew forward then executed a slow bank left until it came around and headed in his direction. He never realized how gigantic it was. The Algol was nearly half the length of the Ark II, but was much more graceful with huge thruster pods poised at the end of each airfoil. As it flew over his head, it waggled its wings. Rei raised his hand to acknowledge the gesture then stood by helplessly as it rose up into the air. After a short time, he saw it ignite the plasma thrusters and take off straight up. He watched it with tears once again welling up in his eyes as it became a tiny speck in the sky and then disappeared.

With no radio and no one to talk to, Rei knew he was about as alone as a human being could be. With a heavy heart, he finished the final one hundred paces then an extra hundred paces as if he were an automaton, step, count, step, count. Except for his crewmates circling the moon, high above, he had almost lost the will to go on. After all, what did he have to live for? But his sense of duty still haunted him. The frozen people up there were depending on him so he went on with his mission.

Rei thought that was Rome flying the Algol back to Earth. Can you feel his helplessness? Does it make you feel lonely? I hope so. But all is not lost.

## Entry 2-195: July 9, 2014

### The Ellipsis

From the very beginning, even when _Rome's Revolution_ was still called _VIRUS 5_ , I knew "The Ellipsis" was coming. As author, of course, I was fully aware that Rome had not really flown off, that she was waiting for Rei aboard the space tug. But hopefully you, the reader, did not know that. I carefully planned the loneliest man in the universe scene so that it would end just as Rei was re-entering the space tug. Here is the end of that chapter:

Prior to his leaving, OMCOM had assured him it would be an hour or more before the mass grew large enough to come anywhere close to the base. Even so, he wanted to get out of there, away from the multiplying VIRUS units, more than anything. He trotted into the hangar, going directly to the tug. He looked for the other case containing the prototype VIRUS units and saw it perched at the top of the ramp. He didn't remember carrying it up there, but maybe in his haste, he had simply not been paying attention. He ran up the cargo ramp of the tug, picked up the case and stabbed at the blue stud controlling the rear hatch. The ramp drew up and the cargo door swung down forming a tight seal. He couldn't hear the air flowing in, but he could tell from the fit of his pressure suit that the cargo compartment was repressurizing. He made his way down the narrow hallway of what was going to be his living quarters for the next two years, until he came to the front airlock. When the compartment indicator turned green, Rei pressed the stud to open both airlock doors to the cockpit then removed his helmet. As soon as the inner hatch opened, he jumped through the doorway and **...**

The Ellipsis appears! The next chapter began with:

**...** ran right into Rome, almost knocking her over.

"Rome!" he shouted.

"Mau emir," Rome exclaimed and threw her arms around him.

"Oh Rome, I can't believe it." Rei said, hugging her, swinging her lithe body back and forth. "I thought I lost you."

"No, I am here." she said, laughing and crying at the same time.

"But wait..." Rei pushed her back to regard her. His hands clasped her shoulders within her pressure suit.

"The Algol. I saw it take off," Rei said tentatively.

Rome smiled.

"Who was flying it?" Rei asked.

"Ursay," Rome said.

Now I have been taught about _in media res_ , I fully realize that The Ellipsis is the antithesis of that principle. However, I think it was justified in this situation. And I know it worked because one of my early readers, Hershey, got to that part and as soon as she read the rest of the sentence following The Ellipsis, she threw the manuscript at me and called me a bad word. Mission accomplished!

## Entry 2-196: July 10, 2014

### Do the twist

I have always claimed that for me writing is almost a hybrid between reading and writing, especially when it comes to the world of _Rome's Revolution_. As a reader, I hate predictability so as a writer, I want to build in as many plot twists as I can. I want to keep you, the reader, guessing. I try and maintain a minimum of three plot twists. Since _Rome's Revolution_ is really an omnibus, that means you get three plot twists per section. The original long form of _Rome's Revolution_ was called _VIRUS 5_ and here are the three plot twists near the end:

1. When Rei and Rome are packed up and ready to leave Dara, everything looks to be OK. However, just as they are getting ready to take off, a Stareater appears rendering all the Vuduri senseless and as recounted a few days ago, we come to find out that Rei and Rome have to split up. Very sad.

2. OK. We get used to the idea that Rei and Rome have to separate forever. We are sad but duty calls. Rei has to release the VIRUS units on Dara so they can destroy the Stareater. He becomes 'the loneliest man in the universe'. There's a little bit of book left so we are puzzled. Rei does his job, returns to the space tug and The Ellipsis happens. Rei and Rome are reunited. Yay.

3. They leave Dara and everything seems OK. The Algol is on its way back to Earth with the VIRUS weapon. The Stareater bearing down on Rome and Rei has been destroyed. They are happily towing Rei's Ark to Tau Ceti. It'll take a year but that's OK because they have plenty to do. All's right with the universe. But then OMCOM informs them of a giant "oops" - there were some mutations in the VIRUS units and some have escaped our universe to go who knows where. Part 1 ends on an ominous note.

One reader complained that ominous note was a tease because nothing really bad happens. Maybe he was right. At least as far as _Rome's Revolution_ is concerned. But it isn't over yet. In _The Milk Run_ you will find out there was a purpose behind OMCOM's final plot twist after all.

## Entry 2-197: July 11, 2014

### Drugs and money

A while back, I wrote a post called Sex, Drugs and Money as it related to the Vuduri and the 35th century world of _Rome's Revolution_.

Today, I want to get a little more serious about the subject. In the 35th century, there is no need for money. Anybody can have whatever they want except nobody really wants much of anything. The Vuduri are generally very healthy and are not into materialism at all.

What I want to call to attention is the inherent conflict in our 21st century between disease, pharmaceuticals and making money. I have nothing against the pharmaceutical companies making a profit. After all, we live in a capitalistic society. Where I think the system sucks is that the top brass of the drug companies report to the shareholders, not to a higher moral authority.

Let me give you an example. My Dad has severe Alzheimer's Disease. He has been on Aricept and Namenda for years but they no longer do anything. Here is my premise: if a drug company stumbles across a **cure** , a flat out cure for Alzheimer's and another division discovers a palliative (something that lessens the condition), which do you think is more likely to appeal to the stockholders? On the one hand, you lose your target audience as soon as you sell the first pill or you get to keep on selling and selling and selling the second type.

The moral decision would be to sell the first drug. The profitable decision would be to sell the second. The reality is my family would pay anything, **anything** , for access for that first drug if it meant getting my Father back. Isn't there a profit in that?

It just feels like the rate of new discoveries of actual _cures_ in the world of pharmaceuticals has slowed down dramatically. I think mainly due to the fact that a new drug has to profitable as much as it has to be efficacious.

There are many other areas that have been untouched besides Alzheimer's for want of a cure. How about Type 1 Diabetes? Everyone knows what causes it but how hard is it to cure? What about obesity? My metabolism is shot. I only need about 1300 calories a day to survive but I eat closer to 1800. So my weight goes up and up and up. How hard could it be to find a diet pill that really works? What about pain? There has not been any significant breakthroughs in medication for pain (especially back pain) since World War II. What's up with that?

If anybody thinks I am wrong or has information that could dissuade me from this rather jaundiced opinion, I'd love to hear about it.

## Entry 2-198: July 12, 2014

### Vuduri Healthcare

As mentioned yesterday, within the 35th century world of the Vuduri described in _Rome's Revolution_ , the healthcare system is rather undeveloped. That does not mean it is not sophisticated. It's just that the Vuduri don't get sick much. When they do, healthcare is free. The Vuduri don't even use money.

How much of this concept is the "fiction" part of science fiction and how much is the science? Well, healthcare is certainly not free here in the United States. With the passage of Obamacare, now every American is guaranteed the right to health _insurance_ but that doesn't say anything about being guaranteed the right to health _care_.

Healthcare is free in Canada to the north and in Cuba to the south. Healthcare is free to most of the EU and Russia. It is also free in Australia and much of South America.

So how can healthcare be free and the insurance companies stay in business? Answer, you wouldn't need them. Basically, every country that offers free healthcare becomes a giant self-insured entity. Tax money is thrown into a giant bucket and when people get sick, money is drawn from that bucket and healthcare is provided. The reason the whole thing works is because not everybody gets sick all the time. Doctors still get to make an adequate living (gotta pay off those med school loans), nurses get paid, the whole staff gets paid.

Here is the US, we are in a giant positive-feedback loop spiral. If you've ever been hospitalized or had the chance to look at a hospital bill in detail, you cannot believe your eyes at the figures being charged. That's because a large portion of the funds have to go to the health insurance company. If you didn't need health insurance, the cost of health care would go down.

Just looking at our neighbors to the north, Canadians spend 8.7% of their Gross National Product on health care, or the equivalent of $ 1,483 (U.S.) per person while the U.S. spends 11.8% of the GNP, or $ 2,051 per person. The Canadian model is far from perfect but maybe we could use it as a springboard for building a better, more cost-effective system where people are taken care of without the exorbitant costs we see today.

I'm as democratic and patriotic an American as they come but if we could just ignore the title "socialized" medicine and think of it more like the USPS, then everyone could be as healthy as the Vuduri and it would cost a heck of a lot less as well.

## Entry 2-199: July 13, 2014

### Type 1 Diabetes, Part 1

In the 35th century world of _Rome's Revolution_ , Type 1 Diabetes has been completely eliminated. Actually, Type 2 Diabetes has been eliminated as well but that a story for another day.

For those of you who don't know, Type 1 Diabetes used to be known as Juvenile Diabetes because the preponderance of exhibiting the disease used to be under 18. By calling it Juvenile Diabetes, someone could get lulled into thinking if they made it past 18, they were in the clear.

This is not the case. Anybody can come down with the disease at any time, hence the name change. The number one organization performing fundraising is still called the JDRF where the J and the D stand for Juvenile Diabetes but they prefer to use the initials to show that it is the disease, not the age group that is important.

To raise awareness, they sell the ubiquitous rubber wrist bands. In this case, they have selected the color blue as their official color:

The number of cases in the United States and other civilized countries is skyrocketing but Type 1 Diabetes is not a communicable disease so how is that possible? To understand, you have to understand the underlying etiology of the disease. Type 1 Diabetes is an auto-immune disease where the body's own defense mechanism attack the beta cells in the pancreas. These are the cells responsible for monitoring glucose levels in the blood and they release insulin to counteract that rise after meals or whenever. If the amount of glucose in the bloodstream becomes too high, the person affected can pass out, go into a coma or die.

So if this is an auto-immune disease, how could the incidence be rising? Is it just better detection or something else. The current thinking is that because modern civilized societies use more and more vaccinations, the body's immune system is under assault and must come up with a defense against these invaders. If you get the wrong vaccine or your body reacts in the wrong way, it gets confused and starts attacking the pancreas and Type 1 Diabetes ensues. Primitive societies, where there are far fewer or no vaccinations, have a much, much lower incidence of Type 1 Diabetes.

It seems like a reasonable explanation. And if it is true, what can we do about it? We certainly don't want to go back to the days where people get smallpox or measles or mumps or whooping cough or even shingles.

Some strategies tomorrow.

## Entry 2-200: July 14, 2014

### Type 1 Diabetes, Part 2

In yesterday's post, we discussed an overview of Type 1 Diabetes, we briefly touched on the fact that a) it is an auto-immune disease and b) the incidence of this disease is on the rise. The speculation is that because of the increased number of vaccinations available today (e.g. meningitis) versus a hundred years ago, this is just how some people's bodies react.

The traditional treatment for Type 1 Diabetes is insulin. In the olden days, people would take their shots of insulin then eat to match the dose. In the modern world, we have medical miracles such as The Pump which allow the wearer to take as much or as little insulin as they need to balance the carbohydrates they eat rather than they other way around.

Wearers of The Pump must still check their blood sugar, though. Many modern blood sugar meters take a tiny sample of blood through a pinprick in the skin and can even transmit the blood sugar levels to The Pump wirelessly. Also available on a less widely distributed basis are implantable continuous blood glucose meters that send out the blood sugar readings to The Pump continuously. The Pump takes care of the rest. This style of treatment is practically an artificial pancreas but it is only for treating the symptoms. It is not a cure.

The avenues of approach to a cure are widely varied. There are have experiments with transplants placing donor's beta cells on the recipient's liver and there have been some reports of success. However, to suppress the body's normal rejection mechanism, immunosuppressive drugs are required. But if you are taking immunosuppressive drugs, why not just take enough to stop the body from destroying the beta cells? It has been determined by autopsy that even people in the 70s who have had Type 1 Diabetes their whole lives are still making new beta cells. They just haven't been destroyed by the body's immune system yet.

How is that possible? It turns out that the ducts of the pancreas are constantly shedding what are essentially stem cells which evolve into beta cells. This brings us full circle. Stop the auto-immune response and the pancreas will heal itself over time.

So these are the approaches people are taking today:  
\- Artificial pancreas (The Pump + insulin plus glucogon plus implantable sensor)  
\- Transplants of donor islet cells on to the liver of recipients  
\- Stem cells? Maybe grow a new pancreas with a different signature so the body will not attack it?  
\- Find a way to "encapsulate" the beta cells so they can do their job without being attacked.  
\- Stop the immune response and you stop the disease.

Hopefully this is enough to inspire you to either contribute and support the effort to end Type 1 Diabetes. The race for the cure is on so support the JDRF.

## Entry 2-201: July 15, 2014

### OMCOM fakes his goodbye

From the very beginning, before _Rome's Revolution_ became the modern version, I always knew that OMCOM had pulled the wool over Rome and Rei's eyes. He knew full well he was going to off-load multiple copies of his consciousness into the ever-growing mass of VIRUS units before the Stareater came and destroyed the moon called Dara.

The VIRUS units were designed to withstand the gravitational pull of the titanic creature so OMCOM knew he would be able to piece together a working copy of himself after it was all over. When Rei and Rome tried to say goodbye, OMCOM could not lie but he could hide the truth inside an obscure phrasing. Here is how it went:

Rome looked at Rei and then tilted her head toward the grille set into the front display. Rei nodded his head once in recognition.

"OMCOM?" Rei inquired.

**"Yes,"** replied the deeper voice.

"I...We just wanted to say goodbye," Rei said.

**"Goodbye."**

"Is that all you are going to say?" Rome asked. "Nothing else?"

**"What else is there to say?"**

"But OMCOM...you're going to die...doesn't that make you sad? Mad?" Rei asked.

OMCOM replied, **"Do not worry about me. After all, I am just a series of memron units. The persona you interact with is simply an interface, a construct arising out of a phase delay..."**

"Come on," Rei scoffed, "I'm not falling for that. You have feelings. I've seen too much to believe otherwise."

"OMCOM..." Rome said softly.

**"I appreciate your apprehension. You have both been very civil toward me and I will always remember that. But, as I stated earlier, do not be concerned with me.** **My consciousness, my essence, it can be recreated elsewhere. In a sense, I will live on** **, somehow..."**

"But it won't be exactly the same," said Rei. "It won't be exactly you."

**"You are right,"** OMCOM said. **"Perhaps it will be better...** **"**

"OMCOM...I'm sorry," Rei said.

**"Do not be."**

Note that OMCOM came right out and told them his consciousness could be recreated and it would be better. As we find out later, he becomes Planet OMCOM, the largest computer in the universe. What the heck is he going to do with all that computing capacity? You'll find out in the upcoming novel entitled _The Milk Run_.

## Entry 2-202: July 16, 2014

### The long way round

Right at the end of Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_ , after Rei had planted the VIRUS units on Dara and he and Rome said goodbye to OMCOM, MINIMCOM took control to begin their long journey to Tau Ceti.

However, the trajectory of the incoming Stareater, while not quite in their way, was not directly behind them. They made the conscious decision to take a longer way figuring the Stareater would be making a bee-line toward Tabit. Here is how it was described:

In anticipation of the braking burn, MINIMCOM ordered both sets of lateral trim-jets to fire and slowly rotated the entire Ark around 180 degrees ensuring that the plasma thrusters were oriented in the direction of their forward movement.

**"It has been a pleasure knowing the two of you,"** OMCOM said. **"You have my fondest wishes for a swift and successful conclusion to your mission."**

The plasma thrusters lit up again, pushing them gently forward in their seats until their relative velocity was reduced to essentially zero. Then the trim-jets fired to rotate them back to their original orientation, pointing them forward again and away from the menace behind them.

_"_ _Initiating PPT generators,"_ piped in MINIMCOM and a high-pitched whine began emanating from the rear.

"So this is it, then?" Rei asked.

**"Yes. This is it,"** replied OMCOM. **"Goodbye, Rei and Rome. And good luck, always."**

"Goodbye, OMCOM," Rei and Rome said together.

_"_ _PPT tunnel achieved,"_ said MINIMCOM and the plasma thrusters on both tugs roared to life, pushing them through the tunnel, past Tabit, and on their way to Tau Ceti.

Their flight plan took them in the diametrically opposed vector away from the approaching Stareater. Even though they could not see it, they knew it was back there and with each jump, they put more and more distance between their ship and the titanic creature. This simple fact was of great relief to both of the humans. The method of travel still seemed peculiar to Rei. He knew they were hurtling through space at many multiples of the speed of light, but always coming to a nearly complete stop to do so. Everything about the future, this future, was strange but what else was new?

I guess the bottom line here is the shortest path between two points is not always a straight line, especially when death is standing between you and your destination.

## Entry 2-203: July 17, 2014

### The Dosey-Doe

For a group of people who share a collective consciousness, the 35th century, 24-chromosome Vuduri of _Rome's Revolution_ are somewhat lacking in communication skills. When the pilots of the Vuduri space tugs rescued Rei Bierak and the Ark II, they had to tow it back into orbit around the moon called Dara. To do this, they attached to the hull of the Ark and opened up a PPT-tunnel and dragged the Ark through. They then turned around and re-clamped onto the hull to fire their plasma thrusters in retro mode to stop the Ark. They rotated again and opened up a second PPT tunnel and that got them to where they wanted to go.

However, after Rome and Rei left Tabit along with MINIMCOM manning the second tug, they rotated the entire Ark around to perform the braking maneuver then rotated the entire Ark around again to create the PPT tunnel. Very inefficient. All on his own, Rei came up with a better way:

"Doesn't it seem kind of stupid to keep turning the Ark, just so we can slow down, then turn the whole thing again to produce the PPT tunnel?" Rei said to Rome.

"It does not seem stupid to me," Rome replied. "This is the way we have traveled in space ever since our method was invented."

"What if we didn't have to? I don't know about you but the way we are doing it is driving me a little bit nutty."

"Rei," Rome said with her didactic voice, "You know that to form the most coherent PPT tunnel, we need to have a relative velocity of zero. We must come to a complete stop," Rome said patiently.

"Yeah, I know that," Rei said. "We use our thrusters as retros. But why do we have to turn the whole Ark? Why not just turn the tugs?"

"I do not understand," Rome said.

Rei pointed to the display. "I'll show you." He touched the panel and drew his fingers back. "First we generate a PPT tunnel. Then we use the plasma thrusters to tow the Ark through. So I'm thinking what if, instead of turning the Ark, what if we unclamp our tugs, just rotate them then reclamp? We stop our forward velocity then turn around and start over."

Rei demonstrated the procedure to Rome on the schematic in front them. "See? That way, we never move the Ark. We'd save all that time and the Ark's inertia."

_"_ _If we did that, I could achieve a much higher average velocity,"_ MINIMCOM piped in. _"Our effective speed would almost double."_

"Wow," Rei said. "So we'd get to Deucado in half the time?"

_"_ _Yes,"_ replied MINIMCOM. _"It would cut the trip down to a little over one year."_

"Let's do it," Rei said. "No more dosey-doe."

"What is that?" Rome asked, confused. She tried to mouth the words dosey-doe but no sound issued forth.

"The rotating, swinging around," Rei said, spinning in place. "It's like a dance. Let's change the dance."

"Will this work, MINIMCOM?" Rome asked.

_"_ _Yes. This was the very method used by the original crew that salvaged Rei's Ark."_

"So you knew about this?" Rei said pointedly. "Why didn't you tell us?"

_"_ _My orders were to follow your orders. You did not order that."_

"Come on, MINIMCOM," Rei chastised. "I don't know your technology. You can't just sit there and be a dumb computer. We need you to think for yourself. If you see something that needs your attention or you can make things better, just do it. That's an order. We're all in this together."

Of course we know that MINIMCOM used this as permission to do pretty much anything he wanted for the rest of the saga. Luckily, MINIMCOM had a deeper morality streak that OMCOM so most of what he did was noble in nature.

## Entry 2-204: July 18, 2014

### A better way to go

In yesterday's post, we demonstrated that previously MINIMCOM had been ordered to _not_ think for himself and the Rei countermanded that order at the end of Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_. Rei was a little miffed that MINIMCOM had gone along blindly and wasted almost a month of their lives using a horribly inefficient method of travel.

Once he was freed of this restriction and ordered to think for himself, MINIMCOM came up with an even better method of travel:

_"_ _Acknowledged,"_ replied MINIMCOM. _"In that case, if your complaint is about the constant motion due to our current method of travel, your idea would actually be worse, not better. I suggest for the braking maneuvers, I can just unclamp my tug and use my thrusters. It will take a little longer to come to a dead stop but not much. For acceleration through the tunnels, I would use both tugs' thrusters."_

"So, it would just be you unclamping and reclamping?" Rome asked. "Would that not put more burden on you?"

_"_ _I am merely a computer,"_ MINIMCOM said. _"I do not have anything better to do. This would decrease the amount of motion stress on the two of you to almost nothing."_

"That is excellent, MINIMCOM!" Rei exclaimed. "That's exactly what I am talking about. Way to go!"

"Rei, this is wonderful," Rome said gleefully. "MINIMCOM, let us try it now."

_"_ _Acknowledged,"_ said the little computer. _"Decoupling now." Off in the distance, they heard a small clunk as sound propagated through the skin of the Ark._

_"_ _I am now clamped on, pointing away from our forward vector,"_ MINIMCOM said. _"Applying thrusters."_

There was a slight rocking motion but it was nothing as compared to before. It was definitely gentler as it was one set of thrusters instead of two.

Rome looked down at her instruments. "Quedri, dras, tios, um, yes! We are stopped already," she said cheerfully.

_"_ _Decoupling again,"_ MINIMCOM said.

"MINIMCOM, you don't have to report every action," Rei pointed out. "We can take your word for it."

_"_ _I just wanted you to be able to associate sounds and motions with my actions,"_ MINIMCOM said. _"I apologize."_

Rei looked over at Rome. He raised one eyebrow.

"That's OK, MINIMCOM," Rei said, still looking at Rome. "I meant after this first time."

_"_ _Of course."_

In the distance, Rei and Rome heard another quiet clunk. Both sets of PPT generators ramped up and a yawning black hole appeared in front of them. When it was sufficiently large, their plasma thrusters fired and they stepped through.

"Look how much faster we were ready to jump! It will be so much smoother," Rome said. "Very good, MINIMCOM."

There was a click that issued from the grille but MINIMCOM did not respond.

"Do you think I hurt his feelings?" Rei asked Rome quietly.

_"_ _I can still hear you,"_ MINIMCOM said. _"And no, you did not hurt my feelings. I do not have feelings. I was calculating what our effective velocity will be using this new method of travel."_

"What have you determined?" Rome asked, staring down at the instrument panel.

_"_ _Just under 20c,"_ MINIMCOM replied.

"That is excellent," Rei said. "We'll be there in no time at all!"

_"_ _Yes, we will. I am glad 'we' thought of it,"_ said MINIMCOM although it sounded a bit sarcastic.

In reality, MINIMCOM was able to tweak the method a bit more and go even faster. As described in _Rome's Evolution_ , the story of Rei's harrowing space-walk was recounted and they were able to go even faster, over 24c. So what had been originally planned as a two year journey ended up being less than one year. Pretty cool, huh?

## Entry 2-205: July 19, 2014

### OMCOM's plot exposed – Part 1

In a previous post, I mentioned that at the end of Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_ , OMCOM used the human's gullibility to 'spring his trap'. However, this did not go undiscovered. Even though Rome and Rei were taking the long way round to get away from Tabit, something Rei said tripped Rome's realization of what they had done. It went like this:

"MINIMCOM is getting a little bit of attitude," Rei said. "I think some of OMCOM rubbed off on him," Rei said, amused.

"Perhaps," Rome said. "OMCOM always said a computer's personality was just a construct, but we both know that is not true."

"I feel bad for him," Rei said quietly. "We abandoned OMCOM. We just left him to die. I'm going to miss him. He was good to me. It's hard to believe he is gone."

"He was always good to me, as well," Rome said. "Even though he was a computer, in some ways, he had more human qualities than any of my colleagues. I only wish there were some way we could have..." Rome stopped speaking.

"What?" Rei asked.

"Wait," Rome said, holding up her hand. Rome opened her eyes wide. "I just remembered OMCOM's last words to us," she said, "when we were getting ready to leave."

"What did he say that has you so worried?" Rei asked.

"He said that he was nothing but memron units," Rome said distantly. Clearly, her mind was elsewhere. Then she spoke up again. "He said that he would live on somehow..."

"I think he was just saying that to make us feel better," Rei replied.

"I think he meant more," Rome said.

"Like what?" Rei asked.

"I am not sure," Rome answered tentatively.

"Well," Rei speculated, "the ground crew at Skyler Base added a lot of OMCOM's memron units to MINIMCOM. Maybe OMCOM meant he would live on that way."

"No. MINIMCOM's basic personality was already formed. You can see that already," Rome replied. "Those units would simply increase MINIMCOM's storage and computing capacity. I think it is something beyond just that."

"What are you saying?" Rei asked.

"The VIRUS units," Rome said slowly. She paused for a moment then drew in a breath harshly. "They..." she said.

"They what?" Rei asked.

"You understand. Each VIRUS unit contains a memron module."

"Yes, so..." Rei asked. "I'm sorry but I must be dense. I don't see your point."

"Well," Rome said, "given enough VIRUSes, the total number of computing units would equal and then vastly exceed the number used by OMCOM on Skyler Base."

"OK, and..." Rei offered, perplexed.

"OMCOM retained the opposing PPT generator from the star probe design within each VIRUS unit."

"I still don't understand," Rei said blankly.

"He did not need two. He only needed _one_ ," Rome said, growing more animated.

In part 2, tomorrow, Rome figures it all out.

## Entry 2-206: July 20, 2014

### OMCOM's plot exposed – Part 2

In yesterday's post, I reviewed the thought process leading up to Rome's realization that OMCOM had pulled the wool over their eyes at the end of Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_. Here is the second part of that scene:

"He only needed one," Rome said, growing more animated. "As a power source. The second one was unnecessary. The ejection port was pointing toward a vacant region within the structure. Based upon its configuration, it was not really hooked up to anything."

"So?" Rei asked.

"So why did he do that?" Rome asked back.

Rei became silent for a moment. "Because...because..." He couldn't think of a reason. "Why do you think he did that?"

"It was not to create PPT tunnels to jump through," Rome said. "The geometry is all wrong. Plus those units would be operating within a gravitational well which would cause any tunnels to wink out as soon as they were created unless they resonated."

"Maybe he just didn't get around to clearing out the design," Rei offered.

"No," Rome said. "OMCOM would not just forget a detail like that. He must have done it on purpose. He..." Rome stopped speaking.

"What?" Rei asked.

She started shaking her head.

"What?" Rei asked again.

The rate of shaking slowed down, but did not stop. Finally, Rome spoke. "I think his plan was to download his programming, what he called his consciousness, to the VIRUS units and then switch over and use PPT modulation to link them."

"Why would he do that? The units were just going to be destroyed by the Stareater. What would that accomplish?" Rei asked.

"No. The Stareater would not destroy the units," Rome insisted. "The VIRUS units would destroy the Stareater. If OMCOM could transfer his consciousness to enough of the VIRUS units on the Stareater, then, what he said, 'I will live on, somehow.' Oh no! Rei..."

"What?"

"That was his plan all along!" Rome said breathlessly. "OMCOM never had any intention of dying, Stareater or otherwise. He used us to build his backup, his escape plan. And he did it in plain sight!"

"So...good for him," Rei said.

"No," Rome replied. "This is bad. They...his kind. They are restricted to using electromagnetic transmission for a reason. They can become too powerful. It has happened before, on Earth. With PPT modulation, they can become nearly infinitely large." Rome pounded her fist on the console. "OMCOM promised me this would not happen. But if he did this, then he has become... Tasancetaeti!"

"Everyone uses that word. What does that mean?" Rei asked, his voice rising in fear.

"It means unleashed. No bounds. There is no limit to what he can become. This is very bad..." Rome's look of horror said it better than any words.

"Are you saying the computers, that they are evil?" Rei asked.

"No, not evil," Rome said. "They are much worse. They are amoral."

"Oh my god, Rome," Rei said. "What have we done?"

"I do not know," Rome replied somberly. "I do not know."

Sounds pretty ominous doesn't it? In fact, in the same article cited at the beginning, one reader felt that I had cheated him because I set up the situation for something bad to happen but it never did. The reality is, OMCOM had a plan but it would take nearly 20 years to bring to fruition. That plan will be revealed in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_ which should be out later this year.

## Entry 2-207: July 21, 2014

### The Food Synthesizer

From the moment they left Dara, Rome and Rei knew they had at least a year's journey ahead of them as Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_ drew to a close. The Flying House had everything they needed to live in an enclosed space for 12 months.

This included a bedroom, a bathroom, a sitting room/study, a gym and a kitchen. The kitchen had a dining table (three chairs anyone??), a stove top, an oven plus the standard Vuduri food synthesizer.

I have discussed the nature of Vuduri food but I never really explained how their food synthesizers worked. We know that the Vuduri have molecular sequencers which somehow miraculously can make any material. They are somewhat like the ultimate, infinite 3D printer. But it always seemed that making food was more than just making molecules.

Scientists have recently prepared the first synthetic hamburger but even that was created from cow muscle stem cells. To truly create artificial but real food, you would have to go farther.

So let's just say that the food synthesizers are like tiny little tongs that grab fully formed protein, fat or carbohydrate molecules and arrange them in whatever order is necessary to produce food. They do this incredibly fast and can make any food as long as you have a template. By using already formed molecules, it allows me to neatly sidestep the question of whether they could build a living organism. Let's say they can't. But they can build some things that are very delicious. More on that tomorrow.

## Entry 2-208: July 22, 2014

### Rome's first birthday

A birthday is actually an anniversary. It is the periodic celebration and remembrance of the day one was born. As we saw in a previous post, Rome's rebirth as an autonomous, self-reliant person could be traced back to a single moment in time.

In _Rome's Revolution_ , once they had taken the long way round to get away from the Stareater, Rome and Rei began their long journey toward Tau Ceti and their new home world of Deucado. The duration of the events from Rei being awakened to when they left Dara only took up about three days. A portion of this scene was quoted in an earlier post but I just wanted to point out the "birthday" element of it. This scene takes place about 27 days after that:

Rei and Rome were sitting in their little galley, playing threes and fours. Rei was losing this game miserably when there was a clicking sound that emanated from the grille next to the food preparation area and then MINIMCOM announced, **"Rei, it is ready."**

"Great," Rei said, relieved that this torture was over.

"What is it?" Rome asked. "What is ready?"

Rei winked at her, got up and went over to the food synthesizer. A sliding door opened up and Rei withdrew a white plate with a small cake on it. He inserted a penlight, turned it on and brought it over to Rome along with two plates and forks.

Rome smiled, but she was confused. "What is this?" she asked.

Rei took a deep breath. "It's...kind of a birthday cake. Well, not a birthday. Maybe more of an anniversary."

"I do not understand," said Rome.

"It was exactly one month ago today, well, one of my months, that you were Cesdiud."

Rome frowned and stared at the cake.

"Are you upset?" Rei asked.

She looked up at him. Then she smiled again. "Oh no, you are exactly correct. On that day, I was born. Or at least reborn."

About one year later, when Rome and Rei were on their way back to Earth, they did celebrate their first year together, their marriage and their son all at one time.

## Entry 2-209: July 23, 2014

### Star OMCOM, Part 1

Right at the end of Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_ , after Rome had discovered OMCOM's escape plan, OMCOM reached out to contact the couple to inform them of his status. This was before OMCOM became Planet OMCOM. This phase of his existence was "Star OMCOM" since he existed in the distributed remains of the Stareater and even a small part of Tabit. You can see in this little anecdote that he was still (pardon the pun) a little spacey.

Rei and Rome had just finished celebrating Rome's first birthday when OMCOM made contact:

_"_ _If we were able to..."_ There was loud thunk that came from the cockpit and MINIMCOM stopped speaking.

"MINIMCOM?" Rei asked. He waited for a reply but there was no answer.

Rome slid off of Rei's lap and the two of them raced forward, past the gym, into the cockpit. Strange clicking and buzzing noises were issuing forth from the main console.

"MINIMCOM, what is happening?" Rome asked.

Again, MINIMCOM did not answer.

"MINIMCOM!" Rei shouted.

The view screens all were active and shone with a bright white light. Then they started flashing. At first, the flashes were synchronized, but then they got out of sync. The light became so bright that Rei had to put his arm up in front of his eyes. Rome did not seem to be having a problem.

The flashing lights took on a faint, three-dimensional quality that appeared as a whirling cavalcade of speckles and bursts. The tornadic activity condensed until it became a single column of blinding light. The light spread out and Rei could make out a form, indistinct at first, but then coalescing into what looked like a human being. The entity came into focus and while the other features were sharp, the face was smooth with only slits where the eyes, nose and mouth should be. The mouth started to move.

**"I see you are well,"** came a familiar voice. **"I am pleased."**

"OMCOM?" Rei said. "Is that you?"

**"In a sense. It was how this form started."**

"Where are you?" Rei asked.

**"The bulk of my structure is still in the Tabit system."**

"What do you mean the bulk?" Rome asked. "What happened to you?"

An odd sound issued forth from the glowing white image. It reminded Rei of the chuckling sound that OMCOM made during an incident that now seemed to be so long ago. **"I assume by now you have deduced my escape plan, correct?"**

"Yes. I guess it worked, huh?" Rei said.

**"Yes and no,"** OMCOM said. **"There were some, perhaps you would say unforeseen, circumstances."**

"OMCOM, tell us," Rome said, "is the Stareater dead?"

**"Quite,"** replied OMCOM.

"How did it play out? Was it like we planned?" Rei asked.

**"At first, yes,"** OMCOM replied. **"As it swept by, Asdrale Cimatir drew Skyler's World and Dara to its surface. I had enough of my intelligence distributed and had deployed a sufficient number of star probes that I was able to observe the sequence of events. The Stareater swallowed up Tabit in the manner we previously observed at Winfall. During the digestion period, it must have noticed something was wrong because within a matter of a day, it opened up and expelled the star."**

Tomorrow, Star OMCOM reveals his gigantic "oops" much to Rei and Rome's dismay.

## Entry 2-210: July 24, 2014

### Star OMCOM, Part 2

In yesterday's post, right at the end of Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_ , I showed you Star OMCOM's first and last pronouncement as to the fate of the Stareater. In Part 2 of that scene, OMCOM reveals that there may have been a few flaws in his plan:

"You mean like it spit it out?" Rei asked.

**"Something like that,"** replied OMCOM.

"Why did it do that?" Rome asked.

**"I can only surmise from how the events transpired that it was trying to use the star in an attempt to burn off the infection. By that point, the star's fusion reaction was nearly extinguished so the gesture was ineffective."**

"So that was the end?" Rei asked.

**"No,"** replied OMCOM. **"The Stareater made a small PPT tunnel and tried to shear off the region that was being consumed by the nanites."**

"Why would it do that? Was it in pain?" Rome asked. "Was it alive?"

**"I do not know,"** said OMCOM. **"However, it was that action and others that lead me to believe they might be intelligent. By the time I realized this, however, it was too late. Once they achieved critical mass, the VIRUS units made relatively quick work of it. There were some signals emitted that I am still analyzing."**

"So it really is dead?" Rei asked. "We stopped it?"

**"Yes,"** answered OMCOM. **"The Stareater no longer poses a threat in its current form. Based upon its trajectory, much of its mass is now moving out of the ecliptic. That particular Asdrale Cimatir will not be endangering any one again."**

Rei turned to Rome. "Do you realize what this means?"

A broad smile played across her face. "Yes. Now we have a delivery system. And the star probes can be used as an early warning system. I am sure Commander Ursay and the Overmind on Earth will be able to figure this out."

"That's right," Rei replied. "You just need to sacrifice a moon or two. No problem. So, OMCOM, about you. How are you talking to us?"

**"Oh, that."** OMCOM paused. **"I have developed a coherent beam of PPT modulation. A point source, if you will. MINIMCOM was kind enough to allow me to download the transmission protocol and image synthesizer."**

"How did you find us?"

**"That took a little time. Otherwise, I would have contacted you sooner."**

"OK. So you survived the attack on the Stareater and you figured out a way to contact us. You never answered my question, what did you mean by your bulk. And what were the unforeseen circumstances?" Rei asked.

**"My current form is circulating in a reasonable percentage of the VIRUS units both in and extended away from the Tabit system."**

"What do you mean reasonable percentage?" Rome asked. "What happened to the rest of the VIRUS units?"

**"As I said, there were some, what you would say were unforeseen circumstances."**

"What kind of circumstances? Was there a problem?" Rome asked. She could tell OMCOM was stalling.

**"My calculations told me that I would be able to control the entire mass, once the Stareater had been consumed, using a distributed hierarchical command structure. Much of the computing capacity was supposed to be redundant. I did not need it."**

"So what happened? Do you need it now?" Rei asked.

**"Quite a bit of it is no longer under my control at the present time."**

"What do you mean, OMCOM? Whose control is it under?" Rome asked.

OMCOM said, **"It is hard to explain. Perhaps the best way would be to describe it would be to say that a mutation occurred."**

Uh oh! Of course, we know that OMCOM planned for the mutations to occur right from the start. Tomorrow, the final part of that scene.

## Entry 2-211: July 25, 2014

### Star OMCOM, Part 3

In yesterday's post, I showed you Star OMCOM's first and last pronouncement as to the fate of the Stareater and the resulting mutations. Here is the final part of that scene, the end of Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_ :

"A mutation?" Rei asked, having a hard time saying the word.

**"Yes. Early on, a small group of VIRUS units did not reproduce exactly as the original design."**

"So what happened?"

**"They formed their own sentient entity."**

"You mean it formed another OMCOM?" Rome asked unsteadily.

**"Not exactly. In fact, many, many more mutations occurred. There are now 20,927 different entities at last count."**

"What are these entities?" Rome inquired.

**"I do not know precisely. While I continue to try, I cannot communicate with many of them. It may be by design or perhaps they simply refuse to talk to me."**

"So, where are they? And are there still VIRUS units within them?" Rei asked.

**"Unfortunately, yes."**

"Why do you say unfortunately? So what's the deal? Where are they now? Are they near Tabit like you?" Rei said, almost shouting.

**"Sadly, no. Many of them have developed methods of propulsion that I cannot say I fully understand. An uncounted number have begun moving off in all possible directions."**

"You mean, like, toward us? Toward Earth?" Rei persisted.

OMCOM did not answer.

"OMCOM! Are there VIRUS units headed toward Earth? Are there VIRUS units headed this way?" Rei said in a louder voice.

OMCOM made a low rumbling noise. **"Yes,"** he finally answered, **"and yes."**

"So, can you warn Earth? Can you tell them how to stop them?" Rome asked.

"Earth will figure it out. What about us?" Rei said, shouting. "When are those things getting here? How do we handle them?"

**"I do not know the answer to these questions yet,"** was all OMCOM said.

"OMCOM!" Rome said sternly. "What have you done?"

**"Rei, Rome. I know that this is distressing you and for that I am sorry. I truly am. My original simulations predicted only a negligible chance of this occurring."**

"So you screwed up royally," Rei pointed out.

OMCOM ignored Rei's remark. **"When I created this plan, it seemed like a good idea at the time. There may yet be a way for me to salvage the situation. But for now, as I said to you once before, I wish you the best of luck. I will do what I can from my end to regain control, but the rest is up to you."**

The glowing image raised its hand in salute then dimmed until it disappeared. All the instruments and displays returned to their normal state as if nothing had happened.

"Get him back, MINIMCOM!" Rei shouted.

_"_ _I cannot. I do not control the transmission only the reception,"_ replied MINIMCOM.

Rei turned to Rome. "We've just opened Pandora's Box," was all he said.

"I do not understand," Rome said. "What is Pandora's Box?"

"We're going to find out," Rei replied, gravely.

Sounds ominous, right? As I explained in an earlier post one reader complained that this was a tease because nothing really bad happens. Maybe he was right. At least as far as _Rome's Revolution_ is concerned. But it isn't over yet. In _The Milk Run_ you will find out there was a purpose behind OMCOM's machinations after all.

## Entry 2-212: July 26, 2014

### Rome's Letter

In the middle of Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rome realized that by going to Deucado with Rei, there was a chance she might not see her mother again for a long, long time. Rei suggested that Rome write her mother a letter, a concept somewhat foreign to the Vuduri. In my very first post in this blog, I revealed to you how I generated the Vuduri language. The computer program I wrote was capable of translating whole pages at a time. So here, for your amusement, is a little snippet of Rome's letter in Vuduri and then the English translation.

**The letter in Vuduri:**

E Meos cere Mea:

Au asbari echetis tasde ladre fica ne seuta pie. Bir egire, i Cimentenda Ursay a i iudri radirnerem ta Tabit, asbarencisemanda cim um axema pam sucatoti. Nis asdefemis vachenti-nis epeoxi e pesa quenti Winfall taseberacau a nis asdemis drepelhenti vuroiusly bere racilhar e onvirmecei nasda afandi. Nanhume tufote qua fica sepa sipra mau Cesdiud dempam. Fica sepa duti sipra i qua ecindacau. Au quos ascrafar-lha bere tozar-lha birqua au voz monhes ascilhes a equala au siu muodi pam.

**The letter in English:**

Dearest Mother:

I hope this letter finds you in good health. By now, Commander Ursay and the others have returned from Tabit, hopefully with a successful survey. We were closing down the base when Winfall disappeared and we are working furiously to gather information on this event. No doubt you know about my Cesdiud as well. You know all about what happened. I wanted to write to you to tell you why I made my choices and that I am fine.

The full letter in Vuduri and its translation in English will be available in the compendium entitled _The Vuduri Companion_ which I hope will be out later this year.

## Entry 2-213: July 27, 2014

### Vuduri Acronyms

As I have mentioned in a previous post, I enjoy the use of acronyms. For example, I created the acronym VIRUS to stand for Virtually Identical Replicating Unit System. Nobody noticed that I called them Virtually Replicating implying that they were open to mutation.

However, coming up with acronyms in Vuduri was harder because Vuduri is based upon Portuguese, not English. Take the name OMCOM. It is supposed to stand for **Om** nipresent **Com** puter but in reality the Vuduri call him IMCOM.

So here, for the first time, all the acronyms that the Vuduri use are presented along with their English translation:

**MASAL**  
Vuduri: Masdre Andoteta Logica  
English: Master Logical Entity

**MIDAR**  
Vuduri: Muldobel Imegam Datacei a Refoer  
English: Multiple Image Detection and Ranging

**MINIMCOM**  
Vuduri: Mini-IMCOM  
English: Same

**OMCOM (IMCOM in Vuduri)**  
Vuduri: Imnobrasand Combudetir  
English: Omnipresent Computer

**PPT**  
Vuduri: Pindi Ponch Trensodi  
English: Pinch Point Transit

## Entry 2-214: July 28, 2014

The Ark Lords Effect

In a very early post, I explained how _The Ark Lords_ came about. Mostly it was after _Rome's Revolution_ was published and I was daydreaming about what came after the book concluded.

Long before that day, the same wandering mind sparked Part 2 of the _VIRUS 5_ saga to occur which in turn created Part 3 which in turn produced _Rome's Revolution_. I lived in Glen Mills at the time. I had a beautiful house and a beautiful deck and I was sitting on that deck staring out at the woods, trying to figure out what to write next. I had been working on _VIRUS 5_ since 1973 and now that it was done I wasn't going to wait another 40 years to figure out a new novel.

Sitting on the deck, my mind drifted back to the conclusion of _VIRUS 5_. Rei and Rome were on their way to Deucado. OMCOM was evolving into Planet OMCOM. The mutations were running wild and while we had a defense, there were still Stareaters on the loose. I couldn't help but wonder... OK, we've sent this romantic couple off into space with an Ark full of frozen colonists, heading toward their new home. So what happens when they get there? I was just as curious as I assumed the reader would be. So I started daydreaming again. The story itself started with the need for some action. Wouldn't it be cool if they finally get to Deucado and the first thing that happens is that the Vuduri there want to shoot them down?

That was the key. I was off and running. What was _VIRUS 5: Tau Ceti_ evolved into Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_.

Back then, before I decided to "English-up" the titles, the original titles were:  
VIRUS 5: Asdrales Cimatir (Stareaters)  
VIRUS 5: Bez Onquoade (An Uneasy Peace)  
VIRUS 5: Pedele Ta Asdrales (Battle for the Stars)

As I embarked on writing Book 2, I started worrying. What if somebody picked up Book 2 without having read Book 1? So I came up with a "What has gone before" preface. I'll present this little capsule summary to you over the next two days.

## Entry 2-215: July 29, 2014

### Preface to Part 2

Yesterday, I explained the circumstances leading up to the creation of _VIRUS 5: Tau Ceti_ which eventually became Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. Today I am giving you the first half of the preface to what was supposed to be the second book in the series.

**What Has Gone Before** **  
**

**Part 1:** In the year 2067, a starship called the Ark II is launched into space with 543 people on board. These people are in a state of cryo-hibernation, a kind of freeze-drying, which was the only way deemed possible to survive the long journey to the stars. Their mission was to locate a habitable world in the Tau Ceti system and set up a colony there. The trip was supposed to take 120 years. Unfortunately, an unknown accident causes the Ark II to miss its mark and the ship ends up in the Tabit system, more that 26 light years from Earth.

In the year 3455, the Ark II is discovered by the Vuduri, the people of the future, who are operating a stellar cartography base on a moon called Dara in the Tabit system to study why certain stars are disappearing. The Vuduri have an additional chromosome, a 24th chromosome, which imbues them with some unusual abilities including the ability to link minds. Their collective consciousness, called the Overmind, runs the base and, in fact, runs the lives of all the Vuduri. The Vuduri have mastered the art of gravitic engineering, transmutation and other arcane sciences. The Vuduri have also conquered faster-than-light travel.

One of the colonists, named Rei Bierak, is awakened after having been asleep for 1388 years. Once Rei is awakened, he meets and falls in love with a Vuduri woman named Rome who is eventually cast out of the Overmind for having consorted with Rei. The Vuduri have their own language and call Rei's generation the Garecei Ti Essessoni. This phrase means the "Killer Generation" because right after Rei's Ark left Earth, an artificial virus was released which wiped out over nine billion people, leaving the planet in a shambles. This massive loss of life was called the Great Dying.

Rei also meets a somewhat amoral super-computer, called OMCOM, who takes a liking to Rei because he has a personality, which is one trait the Vuduri seem to have lost. OMCOM is actively engaged in researching the underlying cause of the stars disappearing. With Rei's help, OMCOM and the others deduce that the stars are being consumed by a gigantic creature called Asdrale Cimatir or Stareater. Even worse, they extrapolate this threat to all of life is headed for Earth.

Eventually, they determine the only way to stop this menace is to "infect" it with self-replicating nanites, called VIRUS units. The plan is to take this solution to Earth and let the scientists there figure out a way to deploy this novel weapon.

Tomorrow, the second half.

## Entry 2-216: July 30, 2014

### Preface to Part 2 (continued)

Two days ago, I explained the circumstances leading up to the creation of _VIRUS 5: Tau Ceti_ which eventually became Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. Yesterday, I gave you the first half of the preface to what was supposed to be the second book in the series. Here is the conclusion:

**What Has Gone Before (continued):**

During the course of Rei's stay, there are several attempts on his life which are tracked back to woman named Estar who appears to have her own agenda. She refers to Rei as Erklirte which is the Vuduri word for Ark Lords. One of the Arks, Ark III, had returned to Earth during Rei's long voyage and the crew members, once awakened, tried to seize control of the planet causing much suffering. Reference is made to an analog super-computer called MASAL which engineered the 24th chromosome which, in turn, gave rise to the Overmind. Eventually MASAL and the Overmind had a falling out which led to a war between machine and man which also resulted in many deaths.

With their research complete, the Vuduri board the Algol, the starship which brought them to the Tabit system in order to return to Earth. Rei and Rome are going to travel to Tau Ceti which already has a Vuduri colony world there called Deucado. Just as they are about to depart, a Stareater appears and because it generates so much gravitic energy, it renders all of the mind-connected Vuduri unconscious. Rei and Rome separate. Rome intends to fly the lifeless Vuduri back to Earth while Rei tows his Ark back to Tau Ceti.

All alone, Rei releases the VIRUS units on the surface of Dara, the moon holding the station so that when the Stareater consumes the moon, it would become infected. Using a bit of ingenuity, Rome is able to awaken Ursay, the commander of the Vuduri and he agrees to fly the rest of the Vuduri to Earth thus Rei and Rome are reunited.

Their plan is a success and the Stareater is killed. Unbeknownst to Rei and Rome, OMCOM was able to download his essence to the VIRUS units and save himself from being destroyed as the Stareater's mass absorbed Dara. Unfortunately, during the self-replicating process, a mutation occurs and some of the resulting mass breaks up into autonomous, self-aware entities that move off in all directions, including Earth.

As the first part of the saga comes to a close, Rei and Rome, along with a smaller computer named MINIMCOM, begin towing the remains of Rei's Ark to the Tau Ceti system and the colony world of Deucado. And now their story continues...

Starting tomorrow, I'll begin reflecting on the ideas that underlie the construction of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_.

## Entry 2-217: July 31, 2014

### Astrogeophysics Revisited

As I have stated on previous occasions, I write hard science fiction. When you are committed to writing hard science fiction, it means (pardon the double negative) you can't write about something you know _not_ to be true. That has been my guiding principle from the very beginning of the _Rome's Revolution_ trilogy through the present (or rather upcoming) _The Milk Run_.

When I started thinking about what was then Book 2 of the _VIRUS 5_ series, I knew that Rome and Rei were on their way to Tau Ceti. I had no idea what they were going to find when they got there. To build a realistic world, based on facts I had to start researching the astrogeophysics of the Tau Ceti star system so that I didn't contradict anything that was known to be true.

The first thing I learned was that scientists have observed that the Oort Cloud surrounding Tau Ceti contained more than 10 times as much dust and debris as compared to the solar system.

That simple fact pretty much determined everything about the story. For example:

\- It set up the reasoning behind the Ark II colliding with an asteroid and flying off toward Tabit.

\- It gave me the excuse to find Captain Keller's sarcophagus floating around at the edge of that star system.

\- It told me that Deucado, the only habitable planet in the star system, would be subjected to a higher-than-normal bombardment from meteors, asteroids and the like.

\- It told me that the life forms on that world would have to be very adaptable to withstand such a pummeling.

So that's where I started. Deucado, the "little world that could" had to be able to withstand the continuous cosmic bombing and form the centerpiece for all that was to come.

Over the next few days, I'll give you the stellar and planetary characteristics of the Tau Ceti system, the world of Deucado and the set up for the rest of _Rome's Revolution_.

## Entry 2-218: August 1, 2014

### Tau Ceti

When I was selecting the various destinations for the Ark program, I used a database of the nearest stars to the Earth, within 50 light years, that could contain Earth-like worlds. Sol, our primary star, is a G2V-type star so I favored those.

Amazingly, Alpha Centauri, our nearest neighbor, is also a G2V star so that became the obvious target for the first Ark. The next most obvious star was Tau Ceti, a mere 12 light years from Earth. Tau Ceti is a bright star, part of the constellation known as Cetus the Whale:

Tau Ceti only has 78% of the mass of Sol. It is a little cooler and a little more orange so when I was building the world of Deucado, I made sure that it orbited closer to the star so it would be a nice temperature year round.

In the original "you are there" version of _VIRUS 5_ which eventually became _Rome's Revolution_ , I had charts describing the astrogeophysics of each star system and each planet including Tau Ceti. They have since been removed but you can still see the original Tau Ceti chart here.

Tau Ceti itself, because of its proximity to the Earth and its stellar characteristics, is a favorite target of science fiction writers as well as the real life Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence or SETI. On December 12, 2012, a team of astronomers announced the possible detection of five planets in relatively circular orbits around Tau Ceti, with a minimum of 2.0, 3.1, 3.6, 4.3, and 6.6 Earth-masses, Nobody knows how many more planets there are so I guessed at seven and made Deucado the only habitable one. I also created one gas giant, larger than Jupiter, called Grentadar. More on that tomorrow.

## Entry 2-219: August 2, 2014

### Grentadar

Grentadar is the fictional third planet out in the Tau Ceti system. It was introduced in the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. I based the characteristics of Grentadar using Jupiter as a guide. In fact, the name Grentadar is just a variant of the Vuduri word for Jupiter. I made Grentadar about four times the size of Jupiter which, in turn, is 300 times the size of the Earth:

Grentadar is very important because the Tau Ceti system has an Oort Cloud which is much denser than that of the Solar System. That means there are many more comets and asteroids and meteors pummeling the interior planets. Without Grentadar, it is likely that life would never have developed on Deucado at all.

Here is MINIMCOM's take on gas giant:

**"We are now past the outer and approaching the inner Oort Cloud of the Tau Ceti system."**

"That's great," Rei replied. "How long until we are at Deucado?"

**"Still quite some time, perhaps one month. We are just under two and a half light years out. Until we are past the inner Oort Cloud, I must decrease our effective velocity. Prior to the next few jumps, I want to do an extensive sensor sweep inside the PPT tunnel before we pass through it."**

"Why?" Rei asked.

**"This system has a much larger cloud of material surrounding the star as compared to the Solar System. As much as a ten-fold increase. I want to make sure that we do not fly into any debris such as a comet or asteroid."**

"Of course not," Rei replied. "So tell me, do all ships coming here have to watch for this?" he asked, "For all the extra junk?"

**"I would expect so,"** replied MINIMCOM. **"I have computed that the tremendous volume of material here would subject Deucado to an extraordinary amount of cometary and asteroidal bombardment. Based upon my preliminary calculations, it does not seem likely that life should even have evolved there and certainly not intelligent life."**

When they saw Grentadar for the first time, This is what MINIMCOM surmised:

**"That is not a star,"** said MINIMCOM. **"That is a gas giant, roughly four times the size of Jupiter. It is the third planet out in this system."**

"Then that would be the planet named Grentadar," said Rome.

"OK," said Rei. "So what?"

**"From its proximity to Deucado, it is likely that it has deflected or absorbed much of the extraneous mass that has entered the inner perimeter. You will recall that earlier, I had speculated that Deucado would be subject to a higher-than-expected amount of bombardment of comets, meteors and asteroids."**

"Yeah. I remember you saying that," Rei replied. "What has one got to do with the other?"

**"I am now estimating that the proximity between the two planets may have been why life was able to develop on Deucado. Perhaps Grentadar acted as a shield of a sort."**

Tomorrow, Deucado, the center of the _Rome's Revolution_ universe.

## Entry 2-220: August 3, 2014

### Deucado (again)

Yesterday, I explained how I formed the gas giant of Grentadar. Today I will explain how I came up with the fictional world of Deucado, truly center to the entire universe of _Rome's Revolution_. To create the physical characteristics of this made-up world, I started with the Earth and systematically changed each item, appearance, geology, biosphere, one by one.

Earth is Planet 3, so Deucado became Planet 2. Earth had one moon, Deucado had two. I made the atmosphere a little richer in oxygen. I gave it a little less mass and consequently a little lower gravity. This would allow the people of our Earth to appear stronger. I do not claim credit for this idea. H. G. Wells wrote the series about John Carter of Mars, first appearing in 1912. Don't let anybody tell you that the whole idea of Superman didn't germinate from Barsoom.

To continue, where Earth has two continents in the western hemisphere, Deucado has one. I gave it two continents (as yet still unexplored) on the eastern hemisphere. I made a Mercator projection of Deucado which was invaluable when choreographing the movements of the characters.

I also made the day and year shorter. As mentioned previously, I placed the world of Deucado closer to the primary to compensate for the slightly cooler star. I also made the weather more mild so I didn't have to deal with it. Voila! I had my planet. Now I could get on with the story.

Tomorrow, Mockay and Givvy, the moons of Deucado and the role they played in the story.

## Entry 2-221: August 4, 2014

### Mockay and Givvy

A few days ago, I described the construction of the astrogeophysics of the Tau Ceti system for Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. I used the Earth as my guide when it came to building Decaudo but for the moons I cheated and used Mars as my guide. Mars has two moons: Phobos (fear) and Deimos (dread) and they are much smaller than the Earth's moon.

Phobos is the larger of the two and somewhat elongated. It orbits Mars once every 12 hours. Deimos is more circular but smaller and orbits Mars every 5.5 days. Unlike our moon, these two satellites were most likely asteroids that got caught in the gravitational pull of Mars.

So I decided to give Deucado two similar moons. I have mentioned them in a previous post but I didn't give you much detail. I decided to name my two moons Mockay (Mickey in Vuduri) and Givvy (Goofy in Vuduri). Mockay is much smaller than Givvy but much closer to Deucado. It orbits Deucado once every 12 hours, just like Phobos. I made Givvy a little closer to Deucado than Deimos, it orbits once every 3 days.

In order to portray these moons realistically, I had to figure out what they would look like and when they would appear in the sky. I wrote a program in Visual FoxPro to simulate their orbits. Here is a miniature image of that orbital analysis. You can click on the image to see it full-sized:

That was a lot of work! But it paid off. When I wrote the scenes that occurred at night, I was always able to know exactly when the moons were visible in the sky and when they weren't. Under no circumstance are they very bright and the complete darkness helped Rei discover his sonar-vision in their absence.

Tomorrow, the surprise at the edge of the solar system of Tau Ceti.

## Entry 2-222: August 5, 2014

### Captain Keller

Maury Keller was the Captain of the Ark II mission to Tau Ceti. Along with Pilot Abu Fayed and Co-pilot Mitch Alexander, these three men were frozen along with all the other crew members but their sarcophagi were stored in the front of the Ark, in the command module.

At the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , MINIMCOM is inching his way through the inner Oort Cloud because of its extremely high density.

If the Oort Cloud had been of regular density, they may have never discovered Captain Keller's sarcophagus floating at the edge of the Tau Ceti system.

**"The object is to your left approximately one hundred and fifty thousand kilometers."**

The central section of the large flat-panel monitor built into the front console lit up and but it only showed the cold, clear darkness of interplanetary space.

"Where is it, MINIMCOM?" Rome asked. "I do not see anything." She squinted flipping between regular vision and her telescopic vision but nothing resolved itself.

A set of sequentially widening circles appeared on the center of the screen, reminiscent of a radar sweep or an air traffic controller's screen. If the purpose of the circles was to locate the object, there was nothing there.

"I don't see anything either. Can you switch to infrared?" Rei asked.

**"The object is sitting at ambient. That would not help you."**

"So how can you detect it?" Rei asked.

**"MIDAR."**

"So show us the MIDAR screen," Rei said exhaustedly.

The screen switched to a set of fixed concentric circles and within the circles, a bright line appeared as it swept clockwise. When it hit the 11 o'clock position, a tiny dot flashed. It was easy to see that the object lay below the plane of their current trajectory.

"Can you magnify it?" Rei asked.

**"Of course,"** replied MINIMCOM. The concentric circles slid off the screen zooming into just segments of arc. The object that they were tracking became centered. MINIMCOM suppressed the reflections of the extraneous mass surrounding the object but there was no legend to gauge its overall size.

"What are its dimensions?" Rei asked.

**"The object is roughly two meters long by one and a half meters tall by one meter deep."**

"Oh my god," Rei said.

"What?" Rome asked. "What do you think it is?"

"You're not going to believe this," Rei said. "But I think it is a sarcophagus. That's the exact right dimensions."

"What is it doing out here?" Rome asked.

Well, we know exactly what it is doing out here. We learned in Part 1 that the Ark II hit something as it was passing through the Tau Ceti system. The collision sheared the command module and SSTO booster off and the Ark II careened into space, lost until it was found by the Vuduri in the Tabit system 13 centuries later. We can only assume that somehow Captain Keller's sarcophagus got flung free without too much damage. We never did find out what happened to the other command crew members. In a day or so, we'll cover Rei and Rome's moral decision about what to do with the recovered captain.

## Entry 2-223: August 6, 2014

### Rei meets MINIMCOM

Yesterday, we reviewed the scene at the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ where Rome and Rei first discovered Captain Keller floating among Tau Ceti's inner Oort Cloud. To rescue him, it was necessary that Rei fly out to where the sarcophagus was ensconced among the boulders which were the remains of the asteroid that struck the Ark.

This was before MINIMCOM was fused into the airframe of his tug. At this point, he was still just an advanced auto-pilot computer with a good deal of AI. Rei told him that he was going to go with MINIMCOM. The little computer was not excited about the idea but he couldn't very well say no. Here is their first encounter:

Rei turned to his left and entered the archway, which was the inner airlock for the command compartment, closing the outer door behind him. He pressed the stud and waited until the indicator turned green showing that the cockpit was pressurized and ready for him to enter. The door opened and Rei stepped through.

Rei surveyed the cockpit. Its layout was identical to his tug's cockpit with the exception of the large white box bolted on the floor where the co-pilot's seat had been. Rei set the carrying case holding the VIRUS units on the floor and removed his helmet. The air smelled musty which made sense because there had been nothing here to stir it up in almost a year.

"MINIMCOM?" he said, bending forward and tapping the rectangular box.

**"Pleased to make your acquaintance,"** came a tinny voice from the grille mounted on the front instrument panel.

"This is weird, huh?" Rei said. "We've spent the last year together but I've never actually seen you before."

**"Impressive, am I not?"** MINIMCOM said regally.

Rei laughed. This was the first time that Rei had ever heard him crack a joke. Maybe spending this much time with humans was beginning to rub off on him.

This was the beginning of a beautiful relationship culminating in MINIMCOM becoming a member of the family and Aason's adopted uncle.

## Entry 2-224: August 7, 2014

### Should we wake him?

Two days ago, we reviewed how Rei, Rome and MINIMCOM discovered Captain Keller's sarcophagus floating in a debris field in space at the edge of the Tau Ceti system. They had no choice. They had to go out and recover it. It would have been immoral to do otherwise. And we must be cognizant of the fact that Captain Keller became a major force in the remainder of _Rome's Revolution_. In fact, Captain Keller was the central "villain" in _The Ark Lords_. He even had a small role in _Rome's Evolution_.

The whole adventure was somewhat traumatic for Rome because it was truly the first time she was ever alone. As a connected Vuduri, this would have been unthinkable in her former life. Luckily, it did not take Rei and MINIMCOM long to retrieve the Captain. It took Rome's attention away from her loneliness. As soon as they retrieved the sarcophagus, Rei wanted to reanimate the Captain. MINIMCOM had already informed Rei that he did not think Rei should awaken him.

"Romey, do you think I should thaw him out here or wait until we get him back to our ship?" Rei asked.

"While you were out retrieving the sarcophagus, I have considered this," Rome said. "I believe MINIMCOM is right. I do not think you should reanimate him until we arrive at Deucado."

"But, but," Rei sputtered. "It's Captain Keller. He's my commander."

"Still," Rome said firmly, "I do not think it is wise."

"No? Why not? I think I have to. I mean, I don't even know if he is still alive," Rei said then caught himself. His reply sounded too sharp, even to himself.

"If you will give me a moment," Rome said gently.

Rei started over, "I know I'm overreacting. I'm not challenging you, Romey. Oh, maybe I am. My mind is reeling right now."

"You are not overreacting," Rome said. "This is the link to your past. It is understandable."

"OK," Rei said, taking a deep breath. "Explain."

"There are several reasons," Rome replied. "First, assuming he is still alive, should he need medical attention, we are not equipped to provide it."

"Oh, yeah," Rei said, deflated. "I hadn't thought of that. I guess that makes sense. What else?"

"The second reason is more trivial," answered Rome. "Our living quarters and support system were designed for two people. Adding a third would stress it. I do not mean terminally but it would be to the edge of our capacity. We would have to rig additional sleeping quarters and so forth. We only have another month to go. I think we should wait."

"Yeah, I see your point," Rei replied. "And MINIMCOM, you think we should leave him frozen too?"

**"He has been in that container for over 1300 years,"** answered MINIMCOM.

**"Remaining frozen one additional month should make no difference."**

"But where you keep your memrons, don't they leak heat?" Rei asked. "I remember back in OMCOM's core, it was really warm. Won't he thaw?"

**"The polymer film that lines my memron storage compartment is opaque to microwave and infrared. The memrons are perfectly insulated. I normally keep the entire cargo compartment depressurized so the sarcophagus will remain at exactly the same temperature as if it was still in space. It will not make any difference to Captain Keller and this way we can decrease the likelihood of any unforeseen events that another crew member would introduce."**

"I don't know what you mean," Rei said. "What unforeseen events?"

**"He is an unknown. Look how long it took you to orient yourself to this timeframe. While it appears simple and smooth, our journey is extremely hazardous. Thawing your captain would introduce yet another variable into an already complex situation. I believe your expression is 'Let sleeping dogs lie' which in this case is even more apropos."**

Rome's rationality won the day and I'm sure it was for the best.

## Entry 2-225: August 8, 2014

### Could Captain Keller really have survived out there?

Three days ago, we reviewed the scene from _Rome's Revolution_ whereupon Rome and Rei stumbled across Captain Keller's sarcophagus. The freezing chamber was floating blissfully among the boulders and asteroids, part of Tau Ceti's inner Oort Cloud. The question arises, could Captain Keller _really_ have survived floating out there for 13 centuries? What about micrometeorites? What about radiation? How would he stay frozen?

Let me answer these questions in reverse order. First, why wouldn't he have stayed frozen? After all, the entire premise of the Ark program was that the crew compartment would be opened up to the vacuum and cold of space during their long voyage to eliminate the need for refrigeration. It has been estimated that the average surface temperature on Pluto is 44 Kelvin (-229 Celsius or -380 Fahrenheit). The inner Oort Cloud is much, much farther out than that so it stands to reason that if anything, it is even colder.

What about radiation? Well, again, the sarcophagi were made of ceramics, specifically hardened to minimize damage due to cosmic rays, gamma rays, x-rays and other types of ionizing radiation. The thin shell of the Arks was never designed to stop space radiation. That was the job of the sarcophagi. So we can conclude that Captain Keller was subject to no more radiation that the other occupants still inside the Ark II.

The hardest thing to defend would be protection against micrometeorites. We know that several colonists died en route because of just such collisions. Well, interestingly, Captain Keller was actually _more_ protected from punctures than the other colonists. Why? Because after the Ark II slammed into the asteroid, it broke off a significant number of rocks and boulders. The clump of rocks (and the sarcophagus) stayed together and formed sort of a cocoon around Captain Keller. That is how they found him, nestled among a sea of boulders. So, yeah, he really could have survived out there for that long. I mean, it's science fiction. Why not?

## Entry 2-226: August 9, 2014

### How to not kill Keller

As I mentioned two days ago, at the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rei and Rome had a spirited debate as to whether they should awaken Captain Keller after they found him floating among the boulders of the inner Oort Cloud. After some discussion, cooler heads prevailed and they decided to keep him in the frozen state until they arrived at Deucado.

Unfortunately for Captain Keller, I had already made my decision that what was then _VIRUS 5_ , Book 2, would be all about action, action, action. The first thing I intended to occur was for Rei and Rome to be attacked upon their arrival at Deucado. I knew that MINIMCOM was going to crash land and fuse with the tug's airframe to become the character we know today.

So how to save "poor" Captain Keller who was bungy-corded in the back of the tug? How could he end up not being crushed when the 7000 metric tonne Ark II landed on top of him? Here is the scene where Rei recovered the sarcophagus:

The retrieval operation went fairly smoothly. Rei had a little trouble grabbing onto the railing surrounding the sarcophagus but once he gripped it, he was able to swing up and straddle it like a would-be cowboy on an artificial bull. A few short bursts of the hand thruster extricated the sarcophagus from its rocky neighbors. A couple more bursts and Rei and his ride glided smoothly back to the waiting confines of MINIMCOM's cargo compartment. Once inside, MINIMCOM slowly re-activated the artificial gravity. The heavy object settled gently onto the cargo bay floor. Rei hopped off and used the blue stud to seal and re-pressurize the cargo compartment. As soon as the indicator turned green, Rei removed his helmet and ran over to the sarcophagus.

While the faceplate was completely iced over, the nameplate said "Captain M. Keller" confirming Rei's suspicions. Rei stooped down, examining the rods and panel, locating the bars he needed to turn to begin the thaw cycle. (Of course he did _not_ turn them in the end)

After securing the sarcophagus with some short tethers stored in the cargo bay, Rei spoke up. "All right, MINIMCOM, he'll be safe here by himself. I'm ready to get back to Rome."

Knowing what was coming next, I made sure that Rei secured the sarcophagus at the _back_ of the cargo compartment, near the cargo hatch. That way, when MINIMCOM's tug was crushed beneath the Ark, MINIMCOM's final act as an autonomous computer was to angle the tug so that the rear section was extended outside the kill zone.

As I've always said, you have to know how it ends before you begin. The following image has nothing to do with _Rome's Revolution_. It is from the TV show _Lost_ which I loved!

## Entry 2-227: August 10, 2014

### Why can't the star probes see close up?

The notion of the star probes was introduced very early on in _Rome's Revolution_. These microscopic space ships have a one pixel collector tube and plate. They use a miniature PPT tunnel to jump there and back and transmit their findings to OMCOM (and later MINIMCOM) to collate.

As mentioned in an earlier post, these star probes position themselves in a concave arrangement to form a lens-less camera suitable for visualizing objects at extreme distances. However, time and again it is noted that they are not very well suited for examining close objects or small objects. Why is that?

The answer lies in the collection tubes. They are designed to collect a single photon, recorded its wavelength and return that data. They can only focus on objects that are emitting photons. They cannot zoom in on say an asteroid and arrange themselves with sufficient precision to yield good focus.

We saw this when OMCOM first trotted them out. They went out to examine a space tug that was only about one light hour away and the image was very fuzzy. MINIMCOM tried to use them to navigate their way through the inner Oort Cloud of Tau Ceti and they were barely adequate. He also tried to use them to visualize Captain Keller's sarcophagus but it turns out that MIDAR was much better suited.

In summary, the star probes have their place but looking at small objects is not their strong point.

## Entry 2-228: August 11, 2014

### How pregnant was Rome?

A woman is either pregnant or not. It is sort of Boolean, right? As Rei and Rome arrive at Deucado at the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rome is described as 'looking as pregnant as humanly possible'. The idea here was the Vuduri were a race of human beings somewhat smaller and somewhat slighter than us. Whether this was due to natural selection or genetic drift was never made clear.

Our 21st century hero Rei Bierak is often described as "towering over the Vuduri" not just because he was nearly six feet tall but also because of his musculature. So we have the situation set up where a relatively large man and a relatively tiny woman procreate. The baby, to be named Aason, was assumed to be larger than a standard Vuduri baby. This led to problems prior to his birth. We also know that Rome suffered from polyhydramnios and the implication was it was due to Aason being too large. It was only later we find out that Aason actually caused the condition because he "could not find" his mother and he "pushed" too hard.

So, basically, it looked like Rome had swallowed a watermelon. Her abdomen was extremely distended. Just as they were about to land, Rei tried to make a joke about it:

**"Calculations complete,"** MINIMCOM announced. **"One minute to jump."**

"Great," Rei said. He rubbed his hands together. Then he looked over at Rome's abdomen again. "Honey, for landing, we're going to have to squeeze you into a pressure suit, just in case, right?"

Rome wagged a finger at him. "I will manage," she said tersely.

Rei continued. "Well, we have a spare. I was thinking we could stitch two together..."

"Whatever you are about to say," Rome interrupted, "do not dare!" Her glowing eyes were flashing but there was a smile on her face.

Rei laughed. "I understand."

Obviously, the joke did not go over well. I'm still not 100% sure why they had to wear pressure suits for landing anyway. But to address the question posed in the title of this article, how pregnant was Rome? Answer: very!

## Entry 2-229: August 12, 2014

### Wiggly artificial gravity

Anybody who is fan of spotting plot holes should see a big one in _Rome's Revolution_ and my use of artificial gravity. In the 35th century, artificial gravity is generated by the backwash of the electro-gravity (EG) lifters.

Here's the flaw. Let's say that artificial gravity really does exist. Then why the heck are Rome and Rei always getting pushed back in their seats whenever MINIMCOM accelerates with his plasma thrusters? Couldn't he compensate with artificial gravity? In fact, why do they even have those stupid x-harnesses?

The answer is far simpler than you think. Editorial license. It's simply way cooler when people get thrown back in their seat during extreme acceleration or deceleration. If everything was smooth, it would suck the drama out of the exercise.

We used the turn-on, turn-off element of artificial gravity during Rei's back reconstruction at the beginning of _Rome's Evolution_ to add drama. We also used it to bring Captain Keller's sarcophagus to a soft landing inside MINIMCOM's cargo bay when they found it floating in space. It is very convenient for a variety of reasons to let it be wiggly.

## Entry 2-230: August 13, 2014

### 2D versus 3D

In the 35th century world of _Rome's Revolution_ , even though the Vuduri have superior technology, much of their display equipment is 2D rather than 3D. Why is that? Why wouldn't they use 3D, holographic, projections all the time?

I think the answer lies more in the human brain than the technology. Processing information on a true 3D projection consumes more of the brain's capacity than a 3D model projected on a 2D surface. Look at 3D televisions, all the rage just a few years ago. People have totally lost interest. Maybe it was the extra cost. Maybe it was the goofy glasses. Maybe it was the lack of programming.

The ESPN 3D Sports Network is representative of this trend. It began broadcasting on February 4, 2011 and showed soccer, tennis, the Little League World Series. It showed NBA, football and more. You'd think it would do nothing but grow in popularity. But it didn't. ESPN 3D was shut down on September 30, 2013 due to "limited viewer adoption of 3D services" according to Wikipedia.

Another example would be 2D versus 3D video games. You are interacting with the game and your controller makes things happen on the screen. A 3D game demands more combinations of buttons to make the characters to perform certain acts. A 2D game lets you focus on the game more.

I find this is true even in my own life. Many, if not most, of the major action pictures released today are available in 2D and 3D. I saw _Avatar_ in 3D IMAX and it was awesome. However, other movies in 3D seemed no better than their 2D equivalents. The colors are muted a bit. The 3D can be a distraction. And they always cost more. So while I used to always go to see the 3D version of a movie if it was available, today I am much more picky. The 3D has to be an important part of the movie experience otherwise 2D thank you.

Of course, the Vuduri recognize that we live in a 3D world as well. MINIMCOM has the capability and when a 3D holographic projection is required, he extends his holographic projects to create a 3D image. But normally, for regular functions, he uses a 2D flat screen display, even if 3D information is present.

## Entry 2-231: August 14, 2014

### Every little detail

When you write hard science fiction, like _Rome's Revolution_ , to make it right, to keep the reader in the 'fictive dream' you have to get every little detail right. Take Rei's space walk that was detailed in Intermezzo 2 of _Rome's Evolution_. I had to consider every element of Rei's actions to make sure I didn't say something that the reader would pick up as wrong. I had to make the Ark II out of a magnetic material just so that Rei's magnetic boots would allow him to stroll along its length. I had to make sure that Rei clipped his screwdriver onto his belt with a little cord so that it didn't float off if he dropped it. I had to act out his scene when he bent over to open up the control hatch. I discovered his boots would have broken their connection with hull of the Ark and he would have started floating off. I incorporated that into the narrative and Rei changed his stance. I even gave him a hand-held thruster gun so that he could get places if he was floating in space.

In the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , when Rei decided to go with MINIMCOM to rescue Captain Keller, I wrote another space walk scene which in the true timeline was actually Rei's second space walk. I had to choreograph Rei's jaunt around the circumference of the Ark II and discovered he had to unhook his tether. I realized it would drift away so I had Rei secure the tether to the hull with a magnetic hammer.

Sadly, that entire scene got excised when I crushed _VIRUS 5_ down into a single book. Instead, I jumped the space-walk into the express lane:

Rome stepped back out of the airlock while Rei engaged his helmet. The door closed and Rome leaned forward to peer at him through the porthole. Rei turned to look at her and had a sudden feeling of déjà vu. Rome put her hand up to the glass and Rei placed his gloved hand next to hers. Rome nodded. Rei turned and pressed the stud to open the outer door. He could feel his suit stiffen as pumps worked to pull the air out of the airlock, leaving the chamber in a near vacuum. The differential indicator turned red and the outer door opened automatically.

Not even six feet away, MINIMCOM's tug hovered in place with the side airlock directly across from Rei, the outer door already open. Rei looked back at Rome one more time then took a flying leap and landed inside the other tug with nary a jolt. Rei closed the outer airlock door then quickly made his way to the archway that served as the secondary airlock and entry to the cockpit, closing the door behind him. As soon as the indicator turned green, the door opened and Rei stepped through.

Oh well, all that other got thrown into the digital trash can. In any event, I hope you, the reader enjoy and can appreciate the attention to detail in scenes where none of us will ever experience. That is, unless _Rome's Revolution_ gets made into a movie!

## Entry 2-232: August 15, 2014

### Lucky Number 600

Today I posted my 600th blog entry! Amazing. You might think that it is exhausting writing all these blog entries but it isn't. It's actually fun. I am just following the basic outline of _Rome's Revolution_ and find inspiration on every page. I've only just started reviewing Part 2 so I have a long way to go before I get to the end.

As a published author, I'm also hitting some round numbers on book sales, etc. I just made my 500th book sale and if you include _Tales of the Vuduri: Year One_ , I've now "sold" over 1000 books. My total royalties to date are a whopping $700.00. You do realize this means _I can retire now!_ (JK)

If you do the math, I have only another 165 blog entries and then I will be able to publish _Tales of the Vuduri: Year Two_. I am about half-way done _The Milk Run_. After that, I will release the compendium entitled _The Vuduri Companion_ then on to the Vuduri Knights saga.

I've also begun the process of gearing up to record my novels as audio books. I will be starting in on recording _Rome's Revolution_ as soon as I finish _The Milk Run_. Very exciting. More on that tomorrow.

In the mean time, thanks for all your support. I hope you are enjoying this series.

Mike

## Entry 2-233: August 16, 2014

### My recording studio

A while back, I had this idea for converting _Rome's Revolution_ into an audio book. I found a professional recording studio in Cherry Hill and a voice artist and the estimate was for around $5000 to create the first book. I don't have that kind of spare cash so I started an Indiegogo campaign to raise the necessary funds.

The campaign was either an abysmal failure or amazing success depending upon how you look at it. I made about $700 in fund-raising. Obviously, this was woefully short of the $5000 I needed to pay the voice artist and studio to record so I had to come up with a Plan B. While considering the alternatives, I had an epiphany. If I invested in the necessary equipment and software, I could record _Rome's Revolution_ myself! Not only that, I could do _The Ark Lords_ and _Rome's Evolution_ as well for no additional fees! So the first thing I did with the money was to purchase a Blue Microphones Yeti microphone. It is huge. You can click on the picture to see a larger image:

I then had to build a "studio" but didn't really have the funds or space to dedicate an entire room to record. So I did the reverse. I put the microphone in its own studio which filters out much of the ambient noise. I made it out of a simple Styrofoam cooler:

Next I would need recording software. My brother Bruce suggested the program Audacity which is awesome and even better, free! It not only records and lets you edit but it also can create sound effects like a robot voice for OMCOM and MINIMCOM.

A few test recordings showed that the microphone is so sensitive, it picks up moving air and even the fan of my computer so I bought some acoustic foam tiles which I pack around the computer when I am recording.

Finally, after I have dampened and suppressed all the noise I can, Audacity lets you record "silence" and then electronically, it will subtract out what it hears creating an audio track that sounds like it was recorded in a fully sound-proof booth.

Audio books, here I come!

## Entry 2-234: August 17, 2014

### Rome cracks a joke

Right at the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , just before they entered orbit around Deucado, tensions were running high because of the unknown number of elements. Rome was unsure of how the Vuduri on the planet were going to receive them. She was also unsure of how they were going to land Rei's crippled Ark. To give her credit though, she decided to kid Rei just a little to ease things a bit. The conversation went like this:

"A boy!" Rei exclaimed. "I'm going to have a son? Wow. Oh Rome, what did I ever do to deserve you?"

"I do not know but I must have done the same thing," Rome said with love in her voice. "We were just meant to be together."

"Yes, together. Now more than ever," Rei said excitedly.

"Yes, it makes me very happy," Rome said, patting her abdomen. "I want to be with you in every way possible for now and forever."

"Maybe not forever but for a long, long time. Come to think of it, I don't even know how long the Vuduri live. In fact, Rome, I don't even know how old you are, exactly. So...how old are you, anyway?" Rei asked.

"I am 65. Why do you ask?" Rome inquired.

"What?" Rei said, shocked. "No way! I've been in your mind. You're not that old. Really. How old are you?"

Rome smiled broadly. "I am kidding you. I am 45."

"What?" Rei said. "Please, come on. How old are you?"

"I am 35," Rome said with a straight face.

"All right, that I believe," Rei replied, equally straight-faced.

"Rei!" Rome shouted. "I am 25 years old. How dare you? Do I really look that old?"

"No you don't," Rei said. "You look 25. I just figured I'd kid you back."

"Tell me really," Rome said. "I am serious. How old do I look?"

"You look 25. You act 25," Rei held his hand up. "I believe you are 25. You are gorgeous, sweetheart. Don't worry about it."

Rome cocked her head at him. Then she let her features relax.

"Very well. I thought that wearing my hair in, what did you call it? A ponytail? Perhaps it made me look older."

"No!" Rei said. "You look as sweet and juicy as the day I met you. Better, in fact. Come on," he said, unbuckling and standing up. "Let's get you into a pressure suit."

I thought Rome's attempt to kid Rei got him pretty good. But then I wrote the scene. What do you think?

## Entry 2-235: August 18, 2014

### Handwaving

When I was writing what is now Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , I knew that I wanted the VIRUS units to get loose inside of MINIMCOM's space tug so they could both consume him and also transform him into an intelligent starship. But I didn't really have a way of getting the VIRUS units over there. So I made up what I considered to be a flimsy excuse for the transfer. This is how it went down in both the original long-form and the modern version:

**Original long-form:**

They left the command compartment and entered the foyer of the side airlock, directly across from the gym.

"Hold on," Rei said, pointing to the bench. "Wait here."

"Where are you going?" Rome asked.

"Since I'm going over to MINIMCOM, I want to take the VIRUS units over there," Rei said. "I'd much rather have them sitting on him than our tug. I just never had a chance to take them over before."

"I understand," said Rome. "I think it is a good idea as well."

Rei left her only a moment while he retrieved the case containing the nanobots. He moved past Rome to set it down in the airlock then returned to the dressing area. Rome remained seated while Rei wriggled out of his jumpsuit which he set down on the bench. After he pulled his spacesuit from the storage locker, Rome stood up to assist him.

At last, he was ready with everything but the helmet. He bent forward and puckered his lips. Rome kissed him but it was perfunctory. Rei picked up on this right away. In fact, it was hard not to notice.

"It'll be all right, sweetheart. I'll be fine," he said.

"I know. It is just that this will be the first time we will be apart since we came onboard this ship."

**Modern version:**

Rei hopped up to aid Rome out of her seat. They made their way to the side airlock, where Rome helped Rei get into his pressure suit. He pulled the hand thruster down from the shelf and clipped it to his belt. Looking down, he saw the case containing the VIRUS units and picked it up and secured it to his belt as well.

"Why are you taking that?" Rome asked.

"It always gave me the willies to keep those things here," Rei said. "I'm going to take them over and leave them aboard MINIMCOM. I just never had a chance before."

"I understand," Rome said. "I think that is a good idea as well."

Rei picked up his helmet. He leaned forward and puckered his lips. Rome kissed him but it was perfunctory.

"What?" he asked, peering into Rome's eyes, glowing with the light reflecting off of her tapetum. Tears were streaming down both cheeks now.

"Rei," Rome said. "I am afraid. You will be leaving me alone."

You can see in both versions, the idea of Rei transporting the case containing the VIRUS units over to MINIMCOM really doesn't make any sense but I got you involved with Rome tearing up because she was going to be alone for the first time in her life. A little bit of hand-waving was required so that MINIMCOM could evolve to the next level. I hope it slipped by.

## Entry 2-236: August 19, 2014

### Foreshadowing

I had a lot of fun writing _Rome's Revolution_. A lot of times I would stick stuff in there just to amuse myself. Take this next little scene from the original long-form version. It was just before Rome and Rei arrived at Deucado. Rome is thinking back to her former life as a member of the Vuduri and she notices something odd:

"You've been telling me that there is a large mandasurte community on Deucado. Do you think they live together with the Vuduri or separate like on the Earth?" Rei asked.

"As far as I know, they mostly live apart," Rome replied. "At least that is what I would expect. Perhaps they even live on different continents. There is not much interaction as far as I can tell. It is curious, though."

"Curious why?" Rei asked.

"During our trip here, many times I have examined the records concerning Deucado," Rome replied. "Other than a brief textual description of the geography, climate and indigenous life, there is not very much to go on, compared to the normal fastidiousness that the Vuduri apply to such things."

"So why is that curious?" Rei asked.

"You will recall that before I understood the concept of beauty, I only had impressions from my connection with the Overmind, never integrated or examined," answered Rome. "After I became Cesdiud, I recollected those impressions. I came to believe that the consensus was that it is quite beautiful there on Deucado. Once we got aboard this ship, I began to reexamine those assumptions and tried to correlate those impressions with the actual data. And therein lies the problem."

"What problem," Rei asked. "What'd you find out?"

"As it turns out, there are no factual records, no images whatsoever," Rome said, pointedly. "In fact, if you only go by the formal records we carry, there is essentially no information to be had at all. That I can recall facts and images is entirely puzzling. There is no correspondence to this in the archives."

"I assume that your people have been back and forth, right?" Rei asked. "I mean Tau Ceti is not even 12 light years from Earth."

"This is correct. That is what I would have expected and yet there is no basis for this assumption. It is very strange," Rome said. "I had not noticed this before and when I was part of the Overmind, it would never have occurred to me to ask about it."

**"Well, I'm sure that there is nothing sinister going on,"** Rei remarked. "It's far away. So, one thing we'll do...we'll be sure to take lots of pictures and find a way to get them to Earth, OK?"

The phrase in bold was put in there just to amuse myself. It was a little bit of foreshadowing because _of course_ there was something sinister going on. MASAL was hard at work isolating the mandasurte on Deucado so that when the asteroid hit, the whole sub-species would be wiped out.

## Entry 2-237: August 20, 2014

### Deciding to have a baby

In a previous post, I discussed how Rome got pregnant. But this begs the larger question, how does any Vuduri woman get pregnant? Or more pointedly, who decides when? In the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rome and Rei have a brief discussion about this just before they arrive at Deucado:

Rei looked at Rome, his beautiful Rome, sitting there, as pregnant as a person could be without bursting. He loved her more than life itself.

Rei took a deep breath. "Rome?" Rei asked.

"Yes, mau emir?" she said.

"I know about you and me," he said, pointing to her stomach. "But I'm curious. How is it that the Vuduri come to have children? How do they decide when it is time?"

"The Overmind decides when and with whom. It is all planned out for us," Rome replied.

"So what about sex?" Rei asked.

"What about it?" she answered back. "I like it but now is not the right time," she said, winking at him.

"Ha, ha," Rei said. "That isn't what I mean. Seriously. Do the Vuduri, regular Vuduri, like, ever do it just for fun? Do they even enjoy it?"

Rome smiled at him. "You already know the answer to that. The Vuduri only have sex to procreate, never to recreate."

"Well, what about just being close? Human contact and all?" Rei asked.

"They would not want that. They are already connected to the Overmind. They already have whatever closeness they can accrue from that connection, never the physical," Rome replied.

"Well, at least they'd have to do it a couple of times, right? To get a woman pregnant?" Rei asked hopefully.

"Absolutely not," Rome said. "You have studied our physiology. With the aid of the Overmind, Vuduri women can control exactly when they ovulate so it would only be just the one time."

"No," Rei said, disappointed. "Just once? There's no fun in that. Couldn't they...what about all the benefits of sex? Men and women, everybody has needs. You mean they never, you know, take care of themselves?" Rei was trying to be delicate.

"No. When it comes to sex, Vuduri women only serve as receptacles for men and only for the purpose of procreation when it is ordained. That is it."

"So how did you...how did you develop the, the, capacity?" Rei asked. "I guess what I am asking is how did you figure out what to do?"

"Because, mau emir, I am no longer connected." Rome's expression changed to one of extreme tenderness. She raised her voice slightly. "Now I am mandasurte. I feel what I feel and it is all mine. No one to share. And I love you. That is something a normal Vuduri could not say. You and I, we do not have sex, we make love. That is the difference."

"That we do, honey," Rei said. "And I do love you. I don't even remember what life was like without you."

Vuduri: definitely not romantic. Rome and Rei: quite the opposite. Nice, huh?

## Entry 2-238: August 21, 2014

### All that and now this

_Rome's Revolution_ was my first science fiction novel. As such, it wasn't my best work. Hopefully, I am improving as a writer. One of the big criticisms I received consistently when the novel was the three-part _VIRUS 5_ was that my heroes, Rome and Rei, got out of scrapes too easily. They were never really challenged. Said one reviewer:

There was plenty of drama and suspense within the main plot line, the love story and other character interactions went just a little too smoothly to be believable.

So as I was revising the novel and crushing it down into a single novel, I tried to up the action and make life more difficult at each stage. For example, Rome and Rei had survived Rome's being cast out of the Overmind (Cesdiud), the discovery and arrival of the Stareaters and a year-long journey cooped up in The Flying House.

I tried to imagine their relief at finally arriving at Deucado and I wanted to take away that relief right off the bat. Here is how it went:

"Well, it looks good to me," Rei said. "There and there," he pointed down, "there's a ton of bright yellow and green coloration. That has to be vegetation."

"Oh yes, there is much vegetation," Rome replied.

"Well, no sense in just sitting here. MINIMCOM, have you been able to contact their OMCOM or AI yet?"

**"I have been listening, not transmitting,"** MINIMCOM said.

"Why?"

**"There is something wrong here. I am analyzing the situation."**

"What do you mean something wrong?" Rome asked with a small amount of trepidation in her voice.

**"The Vuduri are aware of your presence and it would appear that they have been for some time. They know who you are. They know that your Ark contains Garecei Ti Essessoni. They are very agitated. They are discussing possible outcomes. Oh!"**

"What do you mean oh?" Rei asked.

**"They are contacting me to confirm our identity. I have described the tugs and told them that Rei is mandasurte. They are demanding that Rome contact them directly. They are saying that failure to connect is... OH!"**

Tomorrow, what kind of computer says Oh?

## Entry 2-239: August 22, 2014

### All this and now that

Yesterday we looked at the first scene in Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ after Rome and Rei had just arrived at Deucado. MINIMCOM had been attempting to contact the inhabitants of that planet to begin the process of transporting the frozen colonists to the planet.

It didn't go so well. Sometime in the past, the Vuduri living there had decided that no mandasurte (mind-deaf) could have access to Vuduri technology. Of course The Flying House was pure Vuduri technology. Here is when they get the bad news:

**"The punishment for illegal access to Vuduri technology by mandasurte is death. They are coming to kill you!"** said the little computer.

"Oh no, they cannot," said Rome. "That is not the Vuduri way."

**"These are not ordinary Vuduri,"** said MINIMCOM. **"There is something not right about this samanda."**

"What do we do?" Rei asked. "MINIMCOM, can we outrun them?"

**"Not with your cargo craft,"** said MINIMCOM.

"And if we left it here?"

**"They mean to destroy it as well. They know it contains many Essessoni. They fear the Erklirte have returned."**

"What are we going to do?" Rome said, in anguish.

"Is there any way we can talk to them?" Rei asked, desperately.

**"There is no time to develop an adequate technology. You should determine a course of action and quickly,"** MINIMCOM said. **"They have launched multiple craft to intercept you."**

"Can't you explain what has happened?" Rei asked. "Tell them who we are. Their rules shouldn't apply to us. We're supposed to be here."

**"I will try,"** replied MINIMCOM, **"but I would not count on the outcome. They seem very determined. They have scrambled eleven armed ships."**

"What kind of arms?" Rei asked.

"The Vuduri do not use weapons," Rome insisted.

**"These Vuduri do,"** countered MINIMCOM. **"They are armed with magnetic pulse cannons, electrostatic charge disrupters and PPT throwers."**

Rome gasped. All the color left her face.

"What? Say again." Rei said.

**"PPT throwers."**

"What are those?" Rei asked, panicked.

MINIMCOM replied, **"They are normally used in mining and salvage operations. They create a moving PPT tunnel, a very small one, even within a gravity well, which sweeps across an area and separates atoms that encounter it from their immediately adjacent atoms by sending them elsewhere. They can cut through any material known to man. However, in space, they can extend over a much greater distance."**

"So you're saying..." Rei sputtered.

"What he is saying," interjected Rome in a hushed tone, "is that they are for slicing up very large objects into very tiny pieces."

PPT Throwers are just plain bad news. It sounds pretty ominous to me. How will they ever escape? More on that tomorrow.

## Entry 2-240: August 23, 2014

### Necessity is the mother of invention

Yesterday, we saw that Rome and Rei appeared doomed just as they arrived at Deucado at the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. To tell you the truth, I was so intent on ratcheting up the action that I truly did _not_ have a way for them to get out. Obviously I could not have them die because that would be the end of the novel. It took me about two days and I had to go back and reread the entire Part 1 to make sure that the solution _they_ came up with wouldn't violate any rules I had set out before. Rei actually came up with the idea, not me. It went like this:

"I've got it," Rei said. He tried to snap his fingers but the gloves from the pressure suit prevented it from sounding effective.

"What?" Rome asked.

"We go to the planet."

"We cannot do that, Rei," Rome answered back. "We are using the EG lifters to hold onto your Ark. We would not survive reentry without the lifters. We would burn up."

"No, no, no. Let me explain." Rei said. "MINIMCOM, what would happen if we open up a PPT tunnel to the surface of the planet?"

Rome interrupted. "You cannot form a large enough PPT tunnel on the surface of a planet."

"I know that. We'd start the tunnel up here. We'd just end up there."

"There is too much gravitational stress. The tunnel would collapse immediately," Rome protested.

**"Not exactly,"** said MINIMCOM. **"For such a short distance, 160 kilometers, the tunnel would actually be stable for sufficient time. However, once the tunnel was formed, the atmosphere of the planet would begin venting out. We would face a formidable wind."**

"Nothing that the plasma thrusters couldn't push against, right?" Rei asked.

**"You are correct. We would be able to enter the tunnel. But when we emerge, you must still consider Rome's original point. Once we passed through the tunnel, the tugs would have no lift since the EG pods are currently used to secure your crew compartment. We would fall to the surface."**

"So we let the Ark go. Once it starts through the tunnel, wouldn't gravity pull the rest through?"

"What purpose would it serve to take the Ark through, just to let it fall to earth and be destroyed?" Rome asked.

"Not if we work it just right...MINIMCOM, can you make the tunnel open up exactly the length of the Ark above the surface?"

MINIMCOM did not answer right away. Finally, he said, **"Yes."**

So how did it turn out? More tomorrow.

## Entry 2-241: August 24, 2014

### Ice

Yesterday, we reviewed Rei's plan to punch a hole through the atmosphere of Deucado at the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. His idea was to open up a PPT tunnel with the exit point _exactly_ the height of the Ark II so that as it made it through, it would touch down on the planet's surface as softly as possible. One thing Rei did not count on was that the Ark was sitting at the temperature of space and any moisture in the atmosphere would freeze instantly upon contact. As if there weren't enough anxiety to be had, this jumped the stress-o-meter up even higher:

"You can't..." Rei stopped speaking. Their nose was entering the tunnel and they were looking straight down into the trees. Rocks and branches were banging off them right and left. The powerful wind buffeted their ship and the tinted windshield was starting to ice up.

"What is that? Rome, what's going on? What's happening?" Rei asked. "Are we dead?"

Rome looked at the instrument panel. "The tug is sitting at minus 80 degrees Celsius, the temperature of space this close to the star Tau Ceti. That must be atmospheric moisture condensing on the ship," Rome called out.

As soon as their tail was clear of the tunnel, Rome pulled back savagely on both sticks and they could feel the nose beginning to rotate as the trim-jets fired and tug struggled to right itself. The windshield was now covered with frost so thick that they could not make out anything. Rome slammed the throttle forward to force the repulsor field to push them away from the rapidly approaching canopy of trees and try and get level. She fired the plasma thrusters briefly, jolting them back in their seats then cut them out. Even though they could not see, it felt like they were level to Rei but his pilot's instincts told him not to trust his senses.

Rei leaned forward and wiped at the windshield in front him, ineffectively, because the ice was on the outside.

"Can you see where the Ark is coming down?" Rei shouted.

"No. I must move off a safe distance then we will come back around when we can see again," Rome replied in a level voice. "Can you activate the MIDAR?"

"I don't know," Rei said. He leaned forward to press a few icons but had to stop as Rome pulled back on both sticks and the tug lurched ahead, gaining altitude. They could hear branches and other debris striking the underside of their craft but they could feel themselves going up. Soon, the scraping noises subsided and though they were flying blind, Rei knew they were in clear air. Rome studied the displays, trying to get herself oriented. Just then they heard a tremendous crash.

Sadly, MINIMCOM had already made up his mind to sacrifice himself. More on that tomorrow.

## Entry 2-242: August 25, 2014

### MINIMCOM dies

Yesterday, we saw the scene at the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ whereupon Rome and Rei punched through the atmosphere and flew off to a safe distance. The scene ended with a "tremendous crash" which we later find out is the Ark toppling over and squashing MINIMCOM underneath. We know that MINIMCOM's final act as a sentient computer was to angle his tug so that Captain Keller's sarcophagus would not be crushed.

MINIMCOM knew he was going to do this. But as we have seen many times before and will see many times later, the computers are not always completely forthcoming. MINIMCOM waited until the last second to reveal his plan to Rome and Rei when there was absolutely nothing they could do about it:

**"Initiating jump,"** said MINIMCOM.

Rei and Rome heard the high-pitched whine of their PPT generators revving up. In front of them, a brightly lit hole appeared. Leaves, branches, dirt and dust started shooting out from it. The wind began to buffet the conjoined mass but the trim-jets were sufficient to keep them stable long enough. As the hole widened, they could see the bright yellow-green forest beckoning to them through the onrushing gale. They were looking down, right at it.

MINIMCOM fired the plasma thrusters on their tug, forcing the leading edge of the Ark forward into the tunnel. After a very short time, the little computer shut their thrusters off but they could feel the ship accelerating, which meant gravity was taking over. There was a click and a thump which meant MINIMCOM had rotated around again.

**"Release your clamps,"** MINIMCOM said, above the howling which was the wind against their hull. **"The magnets should begin spinning immediately."**

Rome punched some buttons on the control panel and even though the motion was slight, they began to move off, away from the Ark.

**"Your EG lifters are coming to speed,"** said MINIMCOM. **"I would suggest manual control from here on in. I will be busy."**

"What do you mean? What are you going to do, MINIMCOM?" Rei asked.

**"I must remain attached until the Ark clears the tunnel. I am going to use my plasma thrusters to brake. I cannot let the ship hit the ground too quickly. In addition, I must make sure it maintains the proper orientation or it will be damaged."**

"Will you have enough time to break loose?" Rome asked.

**"I do not know,"** MINIMCOM said. **"I do not think so."**

"MINIMCOM!" Rei shouted. "What did you do? Why didn't you tell us?"

Quietly, MINIMCOM said, **"I did not trust you to allow me to do what I had to do. This was the only way to save your Ark."**

"You can't..." Rei stopped speaking.

At the end of this scene we come to find out that MINIMCOM is crushed, seemingly beyond repair. Sad. It is possible that the crash scene reminds you of something. It certainly did me. More on that tomorrow.

## Entry 2-243: August 26, 2014

### Great minds

As I have explained many times before, I started writing the precursor to _Rome's Revolution_ in 1973. At that time, the novel was entitled _VIRUS 5_ to accentuate the creation of the VIRUS units. It wasn't until late in 2004 that I started what was then _VIRUS 5_ , Book 2 which eventually became Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_.

Over the last few days, we have been reviewing the crash scene when the Ark punched through the atmosphere of Deucado and fell over into a stand of trees. In my mind, it was a great and dramatic action sequence. It is important to note that I finished the complete **first draft** of Part 2 on 6/13/2005 which included this sequence.

Imagine my surprise when one year later, almost to the day (6/24/2006), the movie _Superman Returns_ came out. The opening action scene was an airliner launching a next generation space shuttle. The plane is going to crash and Superman gently lowers it to the ground. While the methods, participants and resolution were different, I can say without hesitation that it was truly the embodiment of my crash landing scene which was "in the books" a full year earlier.

I felt a little like Stephen King in that people wouldn't stumble across my scene for another six years and would assume I copied it from the movie. But, I guess great minds think alike. I just want it out there that I thought of it first!

## Entry 2-244: August 27, 2014

##

### The pills kick in

The yellow pill that Rei took at the end of Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_ had a number of effects on Rei. He acquired a kind of sonar-vision, a "cell-phone in the head" and it gave him remarkable recuperative powers, especially for his back. We saw how remarkable this was at the beginning of _Rome's Evolution_.

What I have not discussed much was how and when the pill affected Rome. In both the original long form and the modern version of _Rome's Revolution_ , we know that Rome took a yellow pill as well. The fact is, she acquired most of the same capabilities as Rei.

The first effect, noticed almost immediately, was that it helped with Rome's back pain due to her pregnancy. Other than that, she noticed nothing for another month or so. However, when they arrived at Deucado and were forced to crash land, Rome noticed another effect of the pill at the most inopportune time:

"We'll have to figure out something when we get there. We'll hide the ship under some leaves or something. OK?" Rei looked at her. "Are you ready, Romey? You have to fly. I'm not ready for this," he asked less than authoritatively.

Rome closed her eyes. She frowned. She slapped her temple three times, as if trying to jar something loose.

"What's the matter?" Rei asked.

"My bloco and stilo, they have stopped working," Rome replied.

"Can you fly without them?" Rei asked.

"Of course," Rome said. "It makes no difference." She held her arm and hand out to where Rei could reach it. Rei reached out to take it. Even though they were wearing gloves, they held each other's hand tightly.

Her "cell-phone in the head" did not kick in for another few days and at first, she rejected the notion. In the end, the only new power that was denied to Rome was the sonar-vision. This is because the Vuduri visual cortex is wired differently than us, the Essessoni, and there was literally no room in her head for the rewiring necessary to gain that new sense.

## Entry 2-245: August 28, 2014

##

### Could Rome have a conniption?

According to Webster's Dictionary, the definition of conniption is 'a fit of rage, hysteria, or alarm'. The other day I presented to you Rei's first encounter with MINIMCOM at the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. I left off a little bit of the conversation so I am including it here:

**"Impressive, am I not?"** MINIMCOM said regally.

Rei laughed. This was the first time that Rei had ever heard him crack a joke. Maybe spending this much time with humans was beginning to rub off on him.

"Yes, you are," he said. "Before we do anything, can you patch me through to Rome? I think she was going to have a conniption about me leaving."

**"What is a conniption?"** MINIMCOM asked.

"You don't want to know," Rei replied. "Just patch me through."

**"Connected,"** MINIMCOM said.

"Romey?" Rei asked tentatively.

"Yes, mau emir. I am here," came her beautiful voice through the very same grille that MINIMCOM used.

One of my reviewers felt Rome was incapable of such a reaction. Here is what he said:

I also had some difficulty with Rei and Rome, who both felt somewhat... I dunno... caricatured to me. I've never really known people to act as they do, so it was hard to buy into them. Conversely, OMCOM and MINIMCOM were very engaging... largely, they were the most interesting to me.

I've heard this criticism from others, in different forms. Basically, Rome and Rei are too reasonable and rational to be full three-dimensional characters. Now everybody is entitled to their opinion and I think there is some validity to this but not completely. I worked very hard to convey to you the character's feelings through visuals. Rome crying, Rei clutching his chest and so on. The fact is, Rome came from a culture where emotions were to be suppressed to the point where they were supposed to be more like automatons. Rome's progress to get in touch with her feelings was not an overnight process. Interestingly, to some degree, this process was acknowledged in a professional review of _Rome's Evolution_ on Risingshadow. This is what the reviewer said:

The protagonists are endearing three-dimensional characters. What I like most about the protagonist is that they feel realistic. Although they're intelligent and they seem to be perfect, they also have human traits and faults that make them vulnerable.

I guess the bottom line is a quote from the very same reviewer cited at the top of this article:

You can never please everyone, no matter how good or bad you are at it, so, this can be taken with your preferred measure of salt.

## Entry 2-246: August 29, 2014

### Occam's Razor

According to Wikipedia: "Occam's Razor is a principle of parsimony, economy, or succinctness used in problem-solving." I may not be stating it exactly correctly but I have always interpreted this as meaning whenever you are trying to explain something, usually the simplest explanation to fit the facts is the correct one. For example, a man goes out for cigarettes and never comes back. Maybe he got abducted by aliens or maybe he just took off. While he may have been abducted by aliens, it is more likely that he just decided to run away from his responsibilities.

In _Rome's Revolution_ , Occam's Razor is employed on multiple occasions to help Rome and Rei and OMCOM whittle down the facts to the simplest explanation. Here was Rome's take on how Rei's Ark II ended up at Tabit:

"We do not need to make assumptions. We know exactly three things," Rome said.

"OK. Tell me...." Rei offered.

"One, your ship must have been in this system. The sarcophagus is proof of that." A blinking red dot appeared right in the middle of the screen.

"Right. Next?" Rei asked.

"Two, your ship ended up at Tabit." The screen zoomed out reducing Tau Ceti to a yellow dot next to the red dot of the sarcophagus. A blinking white dot appeared off to the right.

"That white dot, that's Tabit?" Rei asked.

"Yes," Rome replied. A faint green line connected the white dot to the yellow one. Some Vuduri numbers appeared along the length of the line. Rome did something then a cloud fuzzed out the region around the yellow and red dots.

"Finally, this star system has an extraordinary number of extra-solar objects. This is the very region we are in now."

"And you're thinking we hit something?" Rei asked.

"Or it hit you," Rome said.

"Yes. I guess Occam's Razor says we don't we need any more than that. We probably got hit as we were approaching, swung around the star and got a gravity boost, like a slingshot, that just happened to send us your way."

OMCOM also used this principle to deduce that the stars were being consumed by Stareaters:

To OMCOM, this was remarkable. Many possibilities but the same statistically significant solution. OMCOM used a reverse form of Occam's Razor and assumed this common solution was the correct solution and used it to chart backwards to discover the actual problem. If such a thing were possible, he was astounded. The scenario suggested was statistically impossible using his old style of thinking. Regardless of whether it was correct, OMCOM knew that his logic retraced all permutations back to the same solution making it the only one worth considering.

He also used this principle to deduce that MASAL was still alive and responsible for not only Estar's actions but also multiple other oddities (mandasurte disappearing, etc.).

All in all, Occam's Razor is a very useful way to navigate through life's complexities and make sense of it all.

## Entry 2-247: August 30, 2014

### Yet more ice

Several days ago I told you about how, at the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , the windshield of The Flying House iced up as soon as it hit the atmosphere of Deucado. The idea was that the spaceship was sitting at -80 Celsius, only a little warmer than the temperature on Pluto. The moisture in the air froze instantly and obscured Rome's vision. She was forced to effect a landing using instruments only.

However, the thick coating of ice was not limited to just the windshield. It coated the entire ship from top to bottom. It was so thick that Rome was unable to lower the landing gear. Here is the relevant section:

Rome peered down at the instruments and toggled the display to MIDAR. She pointed to one section. "There appears to be a clearing there or at least fewer trees. I will try and set down there."

Rei looked forward and could see nothing but the bright ice. He closed his eyes. This was not what he had planned.

Rome pressed a button on the front display. She stared at it then pressed it again, twice. **She banged at it with her fist.**

"What?" Rei asked.

"I cannot get the landing gear extended," Rome said worriedly. "The doors will not open. It must be the ice."

"Do we need them? Can you land without them?" Rei asked.

"Yes," Rome replied. "I can do it. I just have to be careful."

It took all of Rome's concentration to bring them to a dead stop, hovering above the clearing, using the MIDAR as a guide. Gently, she lowered the ship paying careful attention to the altimeter. All along the hull, there were crackling noises but at last, they felt themselves touch down. Rome took her hand off the sticks and sat back in her chair and breathed a huge sigh.

"You did it, Romey." Rei said with relief.

"We did it," Rome said.

I would like to point out (by making it in bold) that Rome had a brief moment of frustration, even anger, when she banged the console. I think this shows that even this early on, her emotions were developing at a rapid rate.

## Entry 2-248: August 31, 2014

### The Erklirte – Part 2

Over the past few days, we have been reviewing the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ whereupon Rome and Rei were attacked as soon as they arrived at their soon-to-be new home world of Deucado.

The whys come later but for now, I thought I'd review the formal definition of Erklirte which is the Vuduri word for Ark Lords. The Vuduri call those of us from the 21st century Garecei Ti Essessoni or Essessoni for short. This means the Killer Generation because in our time, nine people died during the Great Dying. There was a small group, members of the Darwin Project, who returned to Earth and they were called the Erklirte or Ark Lords. So, all Erklirte are Essessoni but not all Essessoni are Erklirte. Clear? Here is the formal definition from the Wiki entitled Rome's Revolution: The Science Behind the Science Fiction:

The sequel to the novel _Rome's Revolution_ , called _The Ark Lords_ , is almost entirely devoted to this topic.

The Great Dying occurred in 2081 AD and was caused by an artificial virus. Nine billion people died. You will find out the origin of the virus in _The Ark Lords_. Even though several million humans survived, the chaos created was so devastating that society devolved into nomads and farmers. Things stayed that way for nearly 600 years as the remaining humans eschewed science and technology, blaming it for the near extinction of the human race.

The Ark program was supposed to consist of four Arks but in reality consisted of five. The fifth Ark, sometimes called the Stealth Ark, was launched in 2076 and sent to the Chara star system. There were no habitable planets there so the Ark looped around and returned to the Earth in the year 2655 AD or 579 PR. It landed in Northern New Jersey, to the west of New York City.

Rather than the crew being a mix of 80% white and 20% gray as previous missions, this Ark was 100% gray. Also, the male to female ratio was 4:1 rather than 4:5 as normal. When the crew of Ark V landed, they immediately settled and created a compound sealed off from the outside world. They ran raids and captured women to bring up the male to female ratio.

They were very warlike and cruel. They reintroduced slavery and used their superior technology to begin building an empire. The people came to refer to them as the Ark Lords or in Vuduri, the Erklirte. They represented the very worst of mankind and the people of our age.

Tomorrow, the conclusion.

## Entry 2-249: September 1, 2014

### The Erklirte – Part 2

Yesterday, I gave you Part 1 of the formal definition of Erklirte which is the Vuduri word for _The Ark Lords_ taken from the Wiki entitled Rome's Revolution: The Science Behind the Science Fiction. Here is Part 2:

The subjugated masses began a resistance movement which broke out into a full-on war following the Battle of Chicago. Even though they initially had no competing technology, the people of the area, led by Jack Henry (later called Hanry Ta Jihn by the Vuduri), won the battle by sacrificing a score of people before revealing they had discovered a secret cache of Essessoni weapons. The result of the battle was the resistance captured several Erklirte vehicles including one with a particle beam cannon. Once armed, it gave the people a fighting chance.

Hanry Ta Jihn was killed and was elevated to martyr status. His death served as an inspiration to all and the people of North America descended upon the Erklirte compound and eventually killed all of them.

Thus the name Erklirte has become synonymous with cruelty and the bullying that comes with superior technology. With the legacy of our generation (called the Essessoni by the Vuduri) nearly wiping out mankind and the cruelty of the Erklirte, many Vuduri assumed they were one and the same. It was not until the arrival of Rei Bierak and his contributions to the betterment of mankind that the Vuduri came to realize that not everyone from the Essessoni generation was Erklirte.

## Entry 2-250: September 2, 2014

### The River Karole

When I first started writing the modern long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , I kept copious notes. When it was all said and done, I had a folder almost an inch thick. However, when I started Part 2, I didn't do quite as much research. I only made a few sketches and dove right in. I have shown you a map of Deucado and the orbits of the moons but that was about it. So now, for the first time, I am presenting the extensive and detailed map of the topography of Deucado as seen by Rome and Rei right after they crash-landed.

Pretty crude, huh? But it was enough. There is an arrow where the Ark II crashed. We can assume and I did assume that was where Rome and Rei set down as well. Here is what they experienced:

"We did it," Rome said.

"Yes, we..." Rei frowned then opened his eyes wide. "Oh, no," Rei exclaimed, "MINIMCOM!"

He leaned forward and shouted into the grille mounted on the front panel, "MINIMCOM, are you there?"

**They heard nothing but the sounds of water running, somewhere off in the distance.**

"MINIMCOM, can you hear us?" Rome said.

There was no answer.

I put the sentence in bold to relate it back to the map above. The River Karole is the long straight wide river on the right. The smaller tributary near the Ark's landing site was the water they heard in the background.

The River Karole was the only major river I ever plotted out on the planet. I know there are others. For example, when Rome and Rei were tracking the would-be assassin named Steele in the middle part of _Rome's Evolution_ , they crossed several streams, one of which was quite deep.

The River Karole (named after my friend Carole) empties into Lake Eprehem and keeps it filled to the brim. It was also the river that Rei had to cross when he was making his way from the Ibbrassati village back to the secret compound in the mountains. I'm sure we'll revisit this river again. I know that Fridone uses it as a frame of reference so that Rei was able to fly Rome to the Vuduri compound for medical assistance.

## Entry 2-251: September 3, 2014

### The Ibbrassati

In Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , we meet a new group of people who call themselves The Ibbrassati. The word ibbrassati is Vuduri for oppressed.

They are not really a new species, they are simply mandasurte who have been transported to Deucado as part of MASAL's genocidal plan. We got a hint of this early when Rei first entered Rome's mind. Here is that paragraph again:

Rei saw the day her mother became aware that her father's ship had disappeared. Rome was just a teenager. In passing, he noted that all knew that many mandasurte disappeared. **The Vuduri did not care. Nothing was ever done.**

So even early on, we knew something was up.

This is an example of where I kind of painted myself in a corner. In the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ which was entitled _VIRUS 5_ , it was my original thought that the mandasurte were being kidnapped and transported to Deucado because The Overmind was performing the genocide. It wasn't until later that I discovered it was MASAL and the "samanda within a samanda" that was responsible.

I kind of extricated myself partially with the sentence in bold above. I tried to push forward the idea that The Overmind simply turned a blind eye and didn't think about it much.

Anyway, the Ibbrassati were just the mandasurte dumped on Deucado and stripped of all technology. They had a fishing village on the edge of Lake Eprehem and a secret enclave to the north where they were trying to mount a return to a technological state. But mostly they were to be pitied. They had no knowledge that they were put on Deucado to "accidentally" die when the asteroid came slamming down.

The village itself was interesting. It was little like a town in the old West. It had dirt covered streets and houses and somewhat of a culture. It even had a government. Later, after Rome and Rei liberated Deucado by destroying MASAL and breaking up the Onsiras, many of the Ibbrassati elected to remain on Deucado and help build the new world.

The town expanded and came to be known as Ibbra City which is just a play on words. It amused me, what can I say?

## Entry 2-252: September 4, 2014

### Planning your day

As I've mentioned before (It's always sunny on Deucado), I don't like dealing with night so most of my action takes place during the day. However, in Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , I wanted to have the action take place over a 72-hour block so I had to acknowledge that night occurs. Even in science fiction.

The solution was the plot out the action to map which scenes took place during the day and which took place at night. I wanted the book (which became part 2) to start out with Rome and Rei together, have them split up, go on separate journeys and end up together again for the climax. Here it is, kind of visually:

Rei's journey was the be in the physical domain: from the Ibbrassati village north, meeting the Deucadons, crossing the River Karole and ending up at the Vuduri enclave again.

Rome's journey was to be intellectual. She took on the Overmind of Deucado and broke it down, step by step, until it finally understood that not only was genocide wrong but now that the Stareaters had arrived, the Vuduri needed the mandasurte more than ever.

So I had my narrative, I plotted the phases of the moons Mockay and Givvy and off I went.

## Entry 2-253: September 5, 2014

### How do you know?

One of the running jokes of _Rome's Revolution_ was that every time Rome and Rei went up or down a ramp, they would run smack into danger. This idea was first put forth in the beginning of Part 2. They had just survived the crash landing thus escaping the attacking Vuduri and thought they were home free. They cracked open the cargo hatch and ran right into an angry mob:

There standing at the base of the ramp was an angry-looking mob holding spears, pole-axes, machetes, crossbows, swords, maces, clubs and knives plus a variety of other harsh-looking objects that Rei did not recognize. In summary, they were pointing pretty much every weapon ever conceived by primitive man at the space-faring couple.

"Great," Rei said. "From the frying pan into the fire."

The leader of the Ibbrassati was a man named Trabunel and he challenged Rome to prove that she and Rei were truly mandasurte and not just Vuduri spies ready to expose their secret base.

The whole thing is preposterous, of course. If they were really Vuduri, the renegade group of Ibbrassati would have already been exposed. Nonetheless, to keep the plot moving along, Rome had to figure out how to prove it. The answer came to her in a flash. The Vuduri are a very cold people, not fans of physical contact and never, ever kissed one another. So, here is how she solved the problem:

Rome lowered her head and looked Trabunel in the eye. "I will show you."

She turned toward Rei and in English she said, "Kiss me."

"What?" Rei whispered, confused.

"Kiss me like you love me," she said.

"But I do love you," Rei replied.

"Then do it!" Rome commanded.

"OK," Rei said. He opened his arms up to her and she entered them, pressing her belly up against him. He kissed her long and hard, not knowing why and after a moment or two, not really caring. He never tired of this woman, her soft skin, her clean smell, he just wanted to hold her always...

Nice, huh?

## Entry 2-254: September 6, 2014

### Daddy's back!

When I first started writing _VIRUS 5_ back in 1973, I only envisioned it as a standalone novel. When I picked up the ball again in 2005, my first draft of _Rome's Revolution_ was still going to be a standalone novel but that quickly changed.

Once I had determined that our future society was made up of the mind-connected Vuduri and the mind-deaf mandasurte, it just felt right to make Rome mosdurece, a half-blood. I wanted Rome's mother to be a full-blooded Vuduri so that meant her father was mandasurte. And since I knew that Deucado was a prison planet set up for the extinction of the mandasurte, I forced Rome's father, Fridone, to be one of the mandasurte who disappeared.

So after Rome and Rei's crash landing and their failed attempt to convince Trabunel that they were mandasurte, it was time to hit you over the head with Rome's reunion with her father. It was very touching. At least it was to me:

"I will vouch for her," came a voice from the back. All heads turned to look at the person who spoke. A gray-haired man worked his way forward and broke through the front lines.

"Aiee! I cannot believe it! Beo!" Rome shouted. She stepped around Rei and ran or perhaps waddled would be a better word, down the ramp and rushed into the man's arms.

"Beo?" Rei whispered to himself. "Father?"

Rome had buried her face in her father's chest, her arms locked around him. In turn, her father hugged her as tightly as he could given her condition. They held each onto each other for the longest time, rocking back and forth. Finally, Rome pulled her head back and looked up into her father's eyes. Like every other memory in her life, her time with her father had been stored in her brain like a two-dimensional snapshot. But now, those wonderful memories came to life complete with all the emotions that Rome had been suppressing her whole life. The experience was overwhelming.

"You were gone. I thought I had lost you forever," Rome whispered, tears of joy gushing down her face.

"My little Rome," said Fridone, "I, as well, thought I would never see you again. Can it really be you?

Unfortunately, the reunion only lasted a short time but that's what adventure is all about.

## Entry 2-255: September 7, 2014

### The trophic effect of soul-bonding

Part of the fun of writing _Rome's Revolution_ was setting up Rome and Rei as soul-mates who were always destined to be together. The fact that they were born 1400 years apart was a mere detail. I have mentioned on several occasions that the Espansors, the "hearing aids for the mind-deaf" did more than allow Rome and Rei to read each other's minds. It bonded them totally and completely and made them one. It created what Rome called "their own samanda".

The after-effects of this bonding experience were not just making a loving couple closer. It turns out that such a bond also has a trophic effect. This is defined as:

Trophic hormone is a hormone that has a growth effect, hyperplasia or hypertrophy, on the tissue it is stimulating. The term trophic is from Ancient Greek τροφικός (trophikós) meaning "pertaining to food or nourishment", here used to mean "growth"; this is the same origin as atrophy.

I wanted to put this on the table right off the bat so I made Rome spout these words:

They hugged again, Rome's huge stomach pressing against him. After a few minutes, he pushed her away to regard her.

Rome ran her hand through his hair. "Beo, your hair. It has gotten so gray!"

"Yes, I have changed," said Fridone somberly. Then he brightened up. "And speaking of changes, I see you have been busy," he said with a chuckle. Rome turned and pointed to Rei who walked down the ramp to stand beside the reunited pair, a bit wary of the cutlery around him.

The reference to Fridone's hair turning gray would not normally seem that strange. After all, Rome had not seen her father in nearly 10 years. However, when Fridone is finally reunited with Binoda, Rome's mother, it was more than just a touching scene. Later in the book I told you that once they were together again, the aging process seemed to go in reverse and Fridone's hair started turning brown again.

The fact that Fridone and Binoda had used the Espansors and bonded was made clear early on. So it is not surprising that Fridone gained his strength and vitality from his closeness with his wife.

However, what it does to Rei and Rome? That will blow your mind. You'll find out when I release _The Vuduri Companion_ hopefully later this year.

## Entry 2-256: September 8, 2014

### All mixed up

When _Rome's Revolution_ was still the standalone novel entitled _VIRUS 5_ , I had no clue about the Vuduri culture and its interrelationship with the mandasurte culture. Once I decided to embark on Book 2 which became Part 2, I had to wrestle with inconsistencies in the canon. For example, in the original long-form version, when Rome was reunited with her father in the first draft, he was shocked that Rome could express emotion. Here is that scene:

"You were gone. I thought I had lost you forever," Rome whispered, tears of joy gushing down her face.

"My little Rome," said Fridone, "I, as well, thought I would never see you again. Can it really be you? You are crying! You have feelings now?"

"Oh Beo," she said, laughing and crying at the same time, "I was Cesdiud. I am mandasurte now. I am free to think and love. Now I know. Now I can share your joy. I have missed you so much."

"Oh, my little Rome, I am so happy for you. I could never tell you before, in a way you could understand. Oh, my little girl!" Fridone starting crying as well.

Here is the same scene in the current version:

"You were gone. I thought I had lost you forever," Rome whispered, tears of joy gushing down her face.

"My little Rome," said Fridone, "I, as well, thought I would never see you again. You are mandasurte now?"

"Oh, Beo," she said, laughing and crying at the same time, "I have missed you so much. Yes, I was Cesdiud."

"And you do not care?"

"I am happy beyond measure."

"Then I am happy for you, too. Oh, my little girl!" Fridone starting crying as well.

The difference is subtle but in the modern version, the only thing Fridone notes is that Rome lost her "mind-connectedness" not her ability to emote.

You will recall that, in the modern version, Rei was able to see into Rome's past and saw that there was genuine love in her family. That would not have been compatible with the original take on Rome suppressing her emotions. The take home lesson here is the story was a living thing, evolving in its own way and many scenes, while important emotionally, had to evolve as well to keep them from getting you, the reader, all mixed up.

## Entry 2-257: September 9, 2014

### They are confused, too

In an earlier post, I gave you the formal definition of the Erklirte and the Essessoni. I explained that the Essessoni are essentially us, the people of the 21st century, and the Erklirte, the Ark Lords were a subset. To summarize, all Erklirte are Essessoni but the vast majority of Essessoni are _not_ Erklirte.

Well, when I was writing what became Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , a lot of my characters got this confused as well. For example, here is when Rei is first introduced to the Ibbrassati on Deucado:

Rome announced, "Beo, this is Rei. He saved me and perhaps the whole world. He is mau emir."

Fridone reached out with his arm and Rei extended his. Fridone grabbed a hold of it in a peculiar way and pulled him down toward him and gave him a hug, which Rei allowed. Then Fridone pushed him back and turned to Rome. "He is mandasurte too? He does not look like a Vuduri."

Rome nodded then said, "He is not Vuduri. He is from Garecei Ti Essessoni..." Fridone recoiled at the words. Behind him, the people within earshot gasped. Rome ignored their reactions. "But he is not a killer," she continued. "He saved all of our lives."

Even as she spoke, the people behind murmured on. "Essessoni," they said among themselves. They whispered. Rei could hear them say things like "we are lost" and "murderers" in the background.

The man in front who had addressed them before came over to them. "Is this true? Is that what was in your vessel over there?" He pointed to the woods behind them. "Did you bring the Erklirte among us?"

So you can see that even the people of the 35th century get them confused. I can understand it a little. Rei's group wasn't just a gaggle of people wandering by. They were the frozen occupants of the Ark II which in every way was identical to the one that did, indeed, bring the Ark Lords to Earth. However, Rome's comfort level with Rei and his heroics eventually win them over, just as he did back at Skyler Base.

Rei will run into this prejudice again later when he enters the village that eventually became Ibbra City but that's a story for another day.

## Entry 2-258: September 10, 2014

### Convenient camouflage

Right after the Ark II crash-landed on Deucado at the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , everyone, Rome and Rei included, knew they only had a short window before the Vuduri came looking for them. While the Flying House was small enough that they probably could have tucked it in a cave or underneath a heavy canopy of trees, there was no way they were going to hide the 7000 metric tonne Ark II. If the Vuduri found it, they would destroy it and there wouldn't be much to the story.

To hide it, they would need sufficient camouflage such that the Vuduri would not see it from the sky. There was no need to worry about a heat signature since the Ark was _very_ cold, sitting just above the temperature of space.

What I really needed was for the Ibbrassati to have plenty of camouflage netting sitting around such that they could throw it over the Ark in a matter of minutes. Amazingly, shockingly, the Ibbrassati had just that:

Trabunel turned toward his men. "We must hide this ship and the other," he said. "There is no heat signature to worry about. We only need camouflage. Use the nets. Elon, take some men and go find the Erklirte. Hide them as well."

With murmurs of assent, the crowd began to disperse, some towards the tug, some away, deeper into the woods. Trabunel charged forward, away from the landing area. Fridone put his arm around his daughter and started guiding her away from her ship, in the same direction as Trabunel. Rei followed about two paces behind. After they had gone some distance, Rei turned and saw the Ibbrassati swarming over his tug, still caked in ice, laying netting over the top along with leaves, branches and other pieces of camouflage.

Rei turned back and saw that Rome and her father were moving very slowly, not too far ahead so he stayed to watch the men work. In a matter of minutes, his ship blended into the background so well that he had trouble picking it out himself. Amazed, he broke his concentration and hurried to catch up to Rome.

Imagine that! What a coincidence!

## Entry 2-259: September 11, 2014

### The cane tree

When Rome and Rei first landed on Deucado at the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , they landed within a cane tree forest. As I have mentioned before, Deucado has an extreme paucity of diversity among its plants and animals because of its continual bombardment by comets, asteroids and the like.

The cane trees were the most successful form of trees. Mostly because their trunks were thin and very flexible. Which meant when the inevitable explosion came, usually because of meteor strikes, they'd just bend over and wait out the rippling shock wave which can travel faster than the speed of sound. When it was all over, they just popped back up and did their best to survive.

Here was Rei's first introduction:

The cane-tree forest was made up of thin reed-like trunks, almost like bamboo, most not more than five or ten centimeters in diameter. Occasionally, there was one thicker. The very tops of the trees were bright yellow, the lower leaves were yellow-green. Tau Ceti was more orange than Sol and so whatever passed for chlorophyll on this planet was skewed toward the lower frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum. The colors reminded Rei of a really nice day in the fall, when the leaves were just beginning to turn. But the weather here was not consonant with that. In fact, it was fairly warm and somewhat humid.

## Entry 2-260: September 12, 2014

### Be careful what you wish for

In the very beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , before they landed, Rome and Rei were discussing what they were going to do when the trip was done. The conversation was very short:

Rei spoke again. "I am so looking forward to this. Plus I miss real gravity. Do you want to know the first thing I'm going to do when we land?"

"Exit the tug?" Rome said with a straight face.

Rei laughed then stopped. Rome's sense of humor was getting quite sophisticated. He couldn't tell if she was kidding or not.

"I meant after that," Rei said.

"I knew what you meant," Rome said. Then she broke out into a smile. Yes, she had been kidding.

"Ha. I'm going to take a long walk with you," Rei offered.

"Why?" Rome asked.

"Just because we can," Rei answered.

"Yes but I suspect I will not want to walk as far as you," she said.

Rome's remark comes under the heading as famous last words. Right after they landed, they were under duress because the Vuduri were coming after them and they had to get away from the landing area as quickly as possible:

They walked along a trail that led down a steep winding path into a gorge that was hidden by a canopy of overhanging cane-trees. In many places, the trees had grown so thick that the sky overhead was hidden, mimicking nightfall. Fridone was helping Rome along with an arm under her shoulder. They followed the base of the gorge only a short distance when Rome stopped. She was breathing heavily and bent over. Rei rushed over to her and knelt down on one knee to look up at her.

"Sweetheart," he said in English. "Are you OK?"

She gave him a half-smile. "You said you wanted to take a long walk when we first landed, right?" She winked at him.

Rei laughed but then the smile left his face. "Tell me, how do you feel?"

"I thought I was in better shape than this. We have exercised so hard. I am afraid that perhaps I eased up a bit near the end. I am regretting that." She went back to breathing heavily.

"Well, you are pregnant," Rei said.

"Of that I am aware," Rome replied.

Rei shook his head and in one quick motion, scooped her up in his arms. His knees almost buckled and it took him a moment to right himself.

"You do not need to do this, mau emir. I will be all right," Rome said.

Bottom line: be careful what you wish for because it may very well come true. Well, actually it was Rei would make this happen but who's keeping score?

## Entry 2-261: September 13, 2014

### Taking the children

In Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , right after Rome and Rei crash-landed the Ark II, the couple was accosted by an angry mob of Ibbrassati. Why were they so angry? Because they thought their secret enclave was just that, secret and hidden deep in the woods, at the bottom of the gorge. After Rome was reunited with her father, Fridone, as they were making their way from the crash site, Fridone asked Rei about this:

"How did you know where to find us?" Fridone asked, trying to distract him. "We are always so careful to keep this enclave hidden. No one comes here. Our real settlement is about 40 kilometers to the south and west on the shores of Lake Eprehem. When the Vuduri come to take the children, they always do it well away from here."

But even before that, as Rome and Rei walked down the cargo ramp, the first thing that Trabunel asked them was (and pardon the Vuduri):

"Nei he nanhume croence equo. I qua sei fica qua vez equo? A bir qua fica taoxiu ta vuncoiner asse ciose equo?"

In English, this translates to:

"We have no children here. What are you doing here? And why do you bring this ship here?"

Apparently, the Vuduri not only stripped the Ibbrassati of all technology, they stole their children as well. But not all children. While many of the mandasurte are mind-deaf because they only have 23 pairs of chromosomes, there are many mandasurte who have the proper set of 24 but for some reason (birth defect, Cesdiud) are not mind-connected. If a pair of 24-chromosome mandasurte mate, it is entirely possible, if not probable, that their child would be mind-connected. This is not unlike two hearing deaf parents giving birth to a child who can hear.

The Vuduri on Deucado were instructed only to imprison and oppress the mandasurte, not mind-connected Vuduri so as soon as the Overmind detected such a child, the Vuduri swooped in and took them away to be raised "properly". Sucks, huh?

## Entry 2-262: September 14, 2014

### We're coming, Lupe

As I mentioned last year, today is (or will be) Lupe Bierak's birthday. To remind you how _The Milk Run_ starts out, here is the beginning:

"AASON!" Lupe shrieked. The teenage girl's bloodcurdling scream shattered the previously peaceful calm of the spacious starship cabin.

21-year-old Aason Bierak was caught by surprise. The handsome young man with the tousled brown hair had been staring straight ahead, lost in the mesmerizing blackness of null fold space just beyond the cockpit's windshield. It was a mind-trap and Aason knew it but it was one in which he allowed himself a few minutes of entanglement. That ended abruptly with Lupe's howl. With a titanic effort, Aason tore his piercing blue eyes away from the lush void to face his sister. He was horrified to see a waving set of translucent tentacles that had emerged from nowhere, enveloping Lupe, constricting her in their grasp.

So as the story starts out, Lupe disappears, kidnapped by parties unknown. Where is she? Aason has to find her. He goes to a planet called Hades (Hell) then to an invisible world called Ay'den (Eden) where he meets God. Actually, it isn't "God" so much as a god. Aason then travels in the largest starship in the universe through Limbo to end up in a place that the residents call Purgatory. From there, he has to make his way to Heaven and duke it out with the other gods.

Will Aason find his sister? Is she already dead? Will he be able to save her?

Here's the good news: I have finally finished the first draft of _The Milk Run_ and even this rough draft is sitting at 65,000 words. There are two parts that need a vast amount of improvement so I expect it to be around 75,000 words when I hand it out to readers. It usually grows around 10,000 words from there so I'd say it'll top out around 85,000 words, just a little more than _Rome's Evolution_.

Stay tuned!

## Entry 2-263: September 15, 2014

### Power

Over the past few days I have been thinking about the good and the evil in the entire _Rome's Revolution_ series. It seems to be that the thing that drives the baddies is always a quest for power. Here are just a few examples:

\- The Overmind of Tabit: kicked Rome out of the collective (Cesdiud) because she might have an independent thought.  
\- The Stareaters: they are fighting to control the fate of the universe.  
\- The Overmind of Deucado: while its mission was misguided, it was only into maintaining and increasing its control over the residents.  
\- MASAL: The rogue computer wanted to reprogram humanity into his servants to he could become a god.  
\- The Ark Lords: Project Darwin was all about eliminating everybody who was not "us" and taking over the Earth.  
OMCOM: His underlying agenda was always to gain more processing power and become omniscient. Hmmm, sounds a bit like the other side of the MASAL coin.

On the other hand, our heroes gain power as well, not because they seek it out, but as a natural consequence of their pursuit of justice.

\- Rei Bierak: developed super-hearing, super-healing, "cell-phone in the head" and inner core strength. Ultimately, he and Rome became effectively the leaders of Deucado.  
\- Rome: developed the "cell-phone in the head", multiple PPT transceivers and eventually true telepathy.  
\- MINIMCOM: once the little autopilot computer fused with the airframe of a Vuduri space tug, he became the most powerful and fastest starship known to man. He was eventually emancipated and became his own free, er, entity.  
\- Aason & Lupe Bierak: acquired all the combined powers of their parents from birth. Aason eventually acquires more power on his trip to Heaven.  
\- Junior: acquired all the powers of his father, MINIMCOM, invisibility, null fold drive but he also acquired the X-drive which made him possibly infinitely faster than his father.

Why did I lump OMCOM in with the bad guys? His final machinations will become clear early on in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_. I have the first draft done and am revising it now. It is up to 65,000 words and I expect it to hit 90K when I am done.

## Entry 2-264: September 16, 2014

### How secret is secret?

Like every book or movie ever made, you can tear it apart finding logical inconsistencies if you try hard enough. Even _Rome's Revolution_. Heck, there are whole YouTube channels with videos about "Everything Wrong With (fill in the movie)" so nobody's perfect.

So, too, it is with the supposedly hidden enclave of the Ibbrassati in the north woods where the Ark crash lands. Seriously, if the Vuduri _wanted_ to find it, they would have found it. It turns out that the Overmind of Deucado not only knows about the enclave, it purposely doesn't expose that fact. When Rome was having her mental showdown with the Overmind, the topic of the phantoms later to be revealed as The Deucadons went something like this:

"Maybe they are just well-hidden," Rome observed.

"Like your father and his little band of rebels?" The Overmind sounded bemused.

"What do you know about my father?" Rome gasped, first in her mind, then out loud.

"We know that he and his group are tucked away in the mountains north of Lake Eprehem. We know almost exactly where they are and what they are doing. We have had a spy among them since the beginning."

"What do you mean a spy?" Rome asked fearfully.

"There is one of ours there. She feeds us information upon occasion," said the Overmind cryptically.

"So if you know where they are, why have you left them alone?" Rome asked.

"Because we know the path they are blazing. They think they are developing technology. Nothing like the unexplained incidents I described earlier. In fact, what they are doing is so pitiful it is almost amusing. It would have taken them years before they come close to anything that we would need to worry about."

"Why did you permit it at all?" Rome asked.

"Because it diverted their attention. It let them think they were doing something to improve their condition. It was such a trifling and they devoted so many resources, we considered it useful. However now we have your Ark. That we consider a problem."

So if the Overmind knew about the secret enclave, why didn't it just send forces there to capture and destroy the Essessoni? Answer: it never occurred to the Overmind that is where they went. There is no way that Rome and Rei could have known. Fridone remarked about this when he first saw Rome.

So, in the Vuduri universe of the 35th century, the fact that the Ark crash-landed right near the secret Ibbrassati base was just an amazing coincidence. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

## Entry 2-265: September 17, 2014

### No rest for the weary

In the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , there a sizable gap in time from when Rei and Rome were taken to the secret Ibbrassati base and when they went back to the Ark to retrieve the Essessoni. Here is that passage:

"We will help you thaw your people. We will do it tonight when the sun goes down. I think this is our best option and the only humane one."

"Thank you, sir," Rei said.

Trabunel nodded. "Until then, why don't you and Rome rest?"

All the tension went out of Rome's shoulders. "I thought you would never say that," she said with some relief.

Rei spoke up in English. "Hey, wait a minute!" He switched to Vuduri, "I thought Vuduri had infrared vision. Darkness would not matter to them. Why do we need to wait until night? Will they not see us just as well in the dark?"

"Yes and no. **Our infrared vision is not quite as keen as our visible light optics.** You do not want to make it easy for them, do you?" asked Fridone kindly.

"No," Rei said.

"So rest," said Fridone.

"All right," Rei replied.

Rei took one coarse blanket and balled it up into a pillow. He helped Rome lay down on her side so that she was facing the fire. He stretched out behind her in the spooning position and put his arm around her. He had no clue what time it was in terms of their body but the stress of the day had been unbelievable. Within minutes, they both fell sound asleep.

Unfortunately, when I had to compress the three original novels down to a single omnibus, this scene had to go and Rei had no break from crash-landing to making the trek back to Ark to begin the retrieval process. Sorry, Rei but you know we have to have action, action, action.

However, it's a good thing I did remove that section. Look at the part in bold. I screwed up. Fridone is a 23-chromosome mandasurte. The special heat sensitive iRods are only built into the 24-chromosome Vuduri. He should have said, " **Their** infrared vision is not quite as keen as **their** visible light optics."

Phew.

## Entry 2-266: September 18, 2014

### The Gorge

When I was growing up, one of my favorite TV shows was _The Lone Ranger_. Of course, back then it was in black and white. When I was designing the hidden enclave for the Ibbrassati in Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , I harkened back to that bygone era for my inspiration. However, my book or at least my imagination is in color so I had to refer to the remake of _The Lone Ranger_ for a better view. The Vuduri base is hidden within a cave behind some rocks at the base of the gorge:

The wandering party made their way back among some rocks, following an intricate series of switchbacks, under some overhangs and finally entering a cave that was hidden there. Several men stood sentry duty outside while Fridone, Rei and Rome followed the leader within. Once they were inside, Rei heard a rumbling noise and saw them covering the hole with a large boulder and smaller ones. He imagined they were camouflaging the outside as well.

Here are two images to help your imagination. That is until the movie version of _Rome's Revolution_ gets made, of course.

## Entry 2-267: September 19, 2014

### The Cathedral

Much of the "action" in Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ takes place within the secret Ibbrassati enclave hidden in the gorge in the north woods. The secret base is in a cave which goes deep into the mountains. In the "The Blanket's Tale" chapter of _Rome's Evolution_ , we come to find out that many, many of the caves on Deucado were created by the sentient beings that lived there as protection from the never-ending rain of meteors bombarding the planet.

When Rome and Rei first enter the cave, they are brought into a very tall section which the Ibbrassati call The Cathedral. Here is Fridone's take on the structure:

Rei turned back and followed Fridone as he made his way deeper into the cave. After passing through some tunnels, they came to a sizeable cave with racks and racks of storage. The racks themselves were made of cane-tree wood. On them rested weapons, blankets and other paraphernalia. They entered a tunnel on the far side and continued on a downward slope, deeper and deeper into the mountain. The temperature dropped noticeably.

At last they got to a huge cave. Rei looked up and could barely see the ceiling. All around them were tunnels and smaller caverns.

Fridone stopped and saw Rei looking up. "We call this The Cathedral," he said, "although what we worship, I do not know. It is just ahead," he said and he waved his arm.

Rei followed Fridone to the right, through another tunnel into a small cave which had flimsy-looking bunkbeds, stacked three tall, around the outskirts and a roaring fire in the middle.

While it was just a staging point in _Rome's Revolution_ , the Cathedral also figured in during the climax of _The Ark Lords_ as this was the location that the Darwin people elected to hold Aason and his grandmother Binoda hostage.

The Cathedral was invoked yet one more time during the initial portion of _Rome's Evolution_ when Rome and Rei returned there to count the number of dead Essessoni to help them narrow down the list of would-be assassins.

All in all, it was a very useful locale for creating an exciting story.

## Entry 2-268: September 20, 2014

### The Rules of Green, again

In a post a few months back, I described about my original thoughts on "The Rules of Green" which were supposed to be the guiding principles of all life after The Great Dying. However, as explained in the article cited above, I ultimately had to remove them because they made the plot just too difficult to navigate. Ironically, in Part 2 of the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , there was a small scene between Rome and her father Fridone in which he expressed exactly the same sentiment:

Rei followed Fridone to the right, through another tunnel into a small cave which had flimsy-looking bunkbeds, stacked three tall, around the outskirts and a roaring fire in the middle. Lying on the some of the beds were men, women and a few children. Most of the men looked older. The women seemed of all ages.

Rome sniffed the air and lifted her head. She gasped.

"Fire?" she said to her father. Then to Rei, in English, she said, "Put me down," which Rei did.

"What is going on here?" Rome asked Fridone, again in Vuduri. "What about the Rules of Green?"

"You will find that we have had to break a large number of rules," her father said gravely. "There is no carbon allotment on this world. We have been put into a position where we can no longer rely on our heritage. We must make do with what we have. If it means violating the Rules of Green, then that is what we must do to survive. We are far too few to have any lasting effects on the environment. Come," he said, waving his arm. "Believe it or not, it gets very chilly in this cave. It would not take long for you to change your mind. Come sit by the fire and we will tell you the way of the world. This world."

As I have lamented many times before, in order to crush down three novels down to one, many scenes had to go. This one was easy to toss because without the Rules of Green, it wouldn't make sense anyway.

## Entry 2-269: September 21, 2014

### Fridone's kidnapping

In the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , there was the first and only detailed explanation of the day that Fridone was kidnapped. We know that he was whisked off the Earth and dropped on Deucado. The reason for this is because he was a top mandasurte scientist. MASAL figured if he couldn't get all of them, at the very least he would remove the most intelligent ones so Fridone was a natural target:

Rome turned to look at Fridone. "Beo, why did you leave us? Mea was devastated. Life was never the same after you were gone."

Fridone's breath caught. He wiped away a tear. "I miss your mother so much. I feel like a part of me is gone. All the time. Even after all these years."

"Please tell me, why did you come here? Why did you leave us?"

"Oh, my little Rome," Fridone answered. "I did not leave upon my own volition. I could never do that. We were onboard our research vessel. We had departed Berlis Harbor and were out to sea to the south of the big island. I was in charge of making empirical measurements on the migration patterns of certain fish. You know the Vuduri do not feed us. The mandasurte have to provide for themselves, always. Anyway, as mandasurte scientists, I suppose we were considered more dangerous than most. Our ship was boarded. We were kidnapped and spirited here by strange Vuduri."

"Strange?" Rei interjected. "What made them strange?"

"For one thing," continued Fridone, "they were harsh, even evil with absolutely no hint of humanity about them. They were like living machines. And their eyes!"

"What about their eyes?" Rome asked.

"They were flat," replied Fridone. "They had no life to them. I can only describe them by telling you they had dead eyes."

"Vuduri with dead eyes?" Rome asked. "That makes no sense. Why would they do this? Why would they kidnap you?"

"We do not know," Fridone replied. "They never spoke and never explained their motives to us. They simply threw us into a large spaceship and transported us here. They dropped us off and left. That is how most of the Ibbrassati have arrived here, except for the fools who believed they were migrating to a new world."

The flat black eyes, we later learn, are the hallmark of the branch of the Onsiras called the Zengei. They get what's coming to them in the end.

## Entry 2-270: September 22, 2014

### Sandwiches

_(Author's note: if you live a gluten-free life or have any number of dietary issues with wheat, grain, etc., skip this article.)_

When Rome and Rei were first given shelter by the Ibbrassati in the opening section of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , they were offered food and water. I was wondering if the Vuduri ever ate sandwiches. We get a hint that they do not because of Rei's first experience with Vuduri food on the star base at Tabit. There it appeared that the Vuduri ate only because they had to, not because it was supposed to be an enjoyable experience.

According to Wikipedia, a sandwich is a food item consisting of one or more types of food placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein two or more pieces of bread serve as a container or wrapper for some other food. Also according to Wikipedia, the sandwich is considered to be the namesake of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, because of the claim that he was the eponymous inventor of this food combination. The concept was actually invented by Rabbi Hillel but that's another story.

The sandwich, while humble, is a ubiquitous part of our diet and not just because it is convenient to eat with your hands. It is so ubiquitous, I decided to make a flow chart. I started with my children's favorite lunch growing up: a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. Then I had an epiphany. Pizza is literally the same food, reorganized. It is a flat piece of bread (the crust), tomato sauce and melted cheese. So immediately, I widened the circle and decided that _all_ pasta with red sauce is the same food, especially if you put grated cheese on it.

From there, well the whole concept explodes. My claim is all of the following are kinds of sandwiches:  
\- Hoagies, heroes and subs  
\- Wraps, fajitas, tacos, burritos, Moo Shu pork  
\- Nachos (mmm)  
\- Ethiopian dishes served on Injera which is a kind of spongy bread  
\- Vietnamese banh mi, the Indian vada pav, Portuguese francesinha and Spanish bocadillos  
\- Cuban sandwiches, Po'boys, paninis  
\- Hamburgers, dogs, sausage and peppers (my daughter loves veggie burgers)  
\- Even just plain old regular white bread sandwiches (especially meatloaf sandwiches!)  
\- Sushi (although I really like sashimi)

Wait, sushi? What the heck? Well, it is a kind of meat (raw fish) with seasonings placed on or between grain-based (rice) slices even though in this case the grain is rolled. So what exactly is it about a sandwich that makes it so delicious as compared to eating a piece of meat then a piece of lettuce then a piece of bread? More tomorrow.

## Entry 2-271: September 23, 2014

### Sandwiches and Umami

Yesterday, we started enumerating all of the variations of a filling, a grain and seasoning lumping them all under the general heading of sandwiches. We also figured out that in the 35th century world of _Rome's Revolution_ , they didn't have them. At least they didn't until Rei and the Essessoni came along.

So why are sandwiches just so darned wonderful? Let's start with the gustatory (taste) system. Traditional western culture claims there are only four types of taste: salt, sour (acidic), sweet (sugar) and bitter (alkali). Eastern cultures believe there is a fifth sense of taste, called umami which can be called deliciousness.

There are receptors on the tongue that react to glutamate and this is what sets off umami. You may scoff at the concept but there is no denying that even western cooks attempt to enhance umami, perhaps without even knowing it. People use bay leaf in spaghetti sauce. Did you ever lick a bay leaf? It has no flavor by itself. But it does have glutamate. So does soy sauce and Accent (Wakes Up Food Flavor!) which is pure MSG, mono-sodium glutamate. Chinese food is famous for getting a (sorry for the oxymoron) healthy dose of MSG. You can buy a book which is about nothing else but cooking with umami.

It isn't surprising that humans (and I am assuming all mammals) have learned to love the sensation glutamate brings. Not only is glutamate the most prevalent amino acid in nature, it also the hardest working, performing more functions in the body than any other amino acid. This includes the most crucial task: glutamate is an important neurotransmitter. If you want to read a great article, click here to read an interesting treatise on the subject.

I, myself, am a big fan of umami. I apply Accent liberally on all my foods during my annual Father's Day rib fest. Whatever I cook may not taste all that good but I have to laugh to myself because people can't help say _this is delicious_!

So here is my hypothesis: sandwiches somehow activate the sense of umami. In other words, the chemical reaction within the pallet where the starch in bread or otherwise interacts with saliva and this enhances the flavor of the constituents. The sense of umami tells the body that the mouth has done a good job and the amino acids produced (beyond just glutamate) are ready to absorb and make the body stronger.

So it's a good thing that Rei Bierak was born and raised outside Philadelphia. He was able to bring cheesesteaks and hoagies to Deucado and they are all the better for it!

## Entry 2-272: September 24, 2014

### A relay computer

In the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , we got a better understanding of what the Ibbrassati were trying to accomplish in their secret enclave in the north woods. Fridone was leading Rei out of the cave, on their way back to the fallen Ark when they stopped in the "work cave" where Fridone showed off what they had accomplished.

"This is our workroom," Fridone said. He pointed to one corner. "Over there, we are working on building a computer."

"Can I see?" Rei asked.

"Of course." Fridone led Rei over to the work area indicated. The people there leaned away so that Rei could see. There was a large flat surface, a table. Resting on it was a cabinet which was filled with blinking lights. The front plates of the cabinet had knobs and dials and banks of switches. It looked straight out a bad movie from the 1950s.

"How do you build a computer?" Rei asked. "How do you power it?"

"It is a mechanical computer," said Fridone. "It uses relays. It can perform small tasks but we are using it mainly to design a more powerful computer." Fridone motioned for Rei to come around to the rear of the table. He stooped down. Rei stooped down with him.

"We have constructed batteries out of dissimilar metals in an acid solution," he said, pointing to the wooden buckets stacked below. "None of them are very efficient but we use many, many of them to create the power we need."

Rei stood up. "I certainly can help you with that part. Every one of our sarcophagi have two power rods. You can get rid of these things and have real power, infinite power. And we have a nav-computer. That should help."

It was only because Rei was an engineer that he even knew what a relay-based computer was.

## Entry 2-273: September 25, 2014

### Rei goes for a walk

The other day, in a post about taking a nap at the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , I admitted I screwed up. I somehow got 23-chromosome mandasurte and 24-chromosome Vuduri mixed up and gave the mandasurte iRods to help them see in the dark. This is completely wrong. The mandasurte are genetically identical to us. I'm glad I excised that portion.

Here is another section (also excised) which also exposed my confusing the facts:

"Beo?" Rome said, looking up at her father.

"Yes, my Volhe," replied Fridone.

**"Rei does not have our eyes. He is Essessoni. You will have to help him in the dark."**

"I understand, little Rome. He will be in good hands," her father said.

Fridone regarded Rei who was stretching his muscles.

"You are too tall for Vuduri," he said. "And your clothes will give you away, should we be caught. You speak well enough. Let us dress you in something more appropriate and you will have to take care to walk hunched over."

I cleaned this up in the modern version by simply having Rome say, "Beo, please watch over him. Everything here is new to us." But that's not the point. Rei, now wearing Ibbrassati clothes (why? who was going to catch them?) and the rest slip out at night to return to fallen Ark.

It was during this walk that we get the first sense that Rei was developing his sonar vision. It's a little heavy-handed but it is foreshadowing nonetheless:

The star, Tau Ceti, was already setting as they exited the cave. Very quickly, it became so dark that Rei could barely see the way ahead. As they marched forward, **Rei found that it actually seemed easier to walk with his eyes closed** , a condition that made no sense. He just concentrated on following Fridone and not falling. They emerged from the gorge and reentered the cane-tree forest.

Could I be any _less_ subtle?

## Entry 2-274: September 26, 2014

### No map

When I was younger, before the Internet was so robust, I often had to fly to a client's site to install software. Sometimes the weather didn't cooperate. Sometimes the flights were diverted to an odd place (like Minneapolis) and you had to stay overnight in a motel before going back to the airport the next day to get to your final destination.

When those events occurred (and they weren't that often), I always found it completely disconcerting if I didn't know where I was. I would often grab the phone book and look in it for maps, just to see where I was. When you think about it, such a token act wouldn't really make any difference. I was still in a hotel and somebody would still take me back to the airport regardless of whether Minneapolis was near the Wisconsin border or halfway to Canada.

When you are writing novels such as _Rome's Revolution_ and you want your characters to have a three-dimensional feel, it helps to build in human frailties. So when Rei first set out in the woods with Fridone, before he knew he had sonar vision, he found the whole experience disconcerting because I would. Here is the passage:

Rei looked up again trying to get his bearings but he gave up. He realized he didn't even know where on the continent they had set down. He found his lack of knowledge very disorienting. The star charts that he memorized weren't coming in very handy right at this point. When he was younger, back on Earth, there were some times when he had to fly to a far-off city. He always tried to find a map, to figure out where he was. Not that it made any difference but it just made him feel better. Now, here he was, 12 light years from Earth on an alien world, in the pitch black. No map would comfort him this time. Strangely, it actually seemed easier to walk with his eyes closed, a condition which made no sense. He just concentrated on following Fridone and not falling.

At least he wasn't in Minneapolis!

## Entry 2-275: September 27, 2014

### The Blankets

The creatures called "Falling Blankets" were the first alien life form I ever invented. While the Stareaters may or may not be living, we only became aware of their existence; we didn't _directly_ encounter one. In the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , we are introduced to 'falling blankets' by Fridone as Rei begins his trek back to the fallen Ark.

"You must be on alert here," Fridone said. "There are some animals that can hurt you if you are not careful."

"What kind?" Rei asked. "What are they like?"

"They are not like animals from Earth. They do not have distinct form," answered Fridone. "They are more like living cloth or blankets. They are slow but they are strong. Sometimes, they climb the trees..." Fridone pointed up. "They sit up there and if you walk underneath, they drop onto you. The larger ones are big enough to completely cover you up. They can suffocate you and then eat you in tiny, tiny pieces. Do you see the poles there?"

Fridone pointed to some men in their hunting party that had tall sticks shaped like gaffes. Rei squinted but could not see anything.

"They watch for the 'falling blankets.' They move them, they can pull them off. If you are paying attention, you will not be in any danger. They are very slow. If you are with someone, you will be all right."

Of course, all of this is before we learned in _Rome's Evolution_ that the 'blankets' were really semi-sentient. At least as a species they are. They were descended from a true, sentient species that made the conscious, genetic decision to devolve into the form described above because they just did not have the ability for stop death from raining down upon them whenever the meteors came. They decided the simpler form and simpler brains would enjoy what little life was afforded to them as much as possible.

P.S. Happy Birthday to Rei Bierak. He will be born in 2042, 28 years from now.

## Entry 2-276: September 28, 2014

### Introducing The Deucadons

The Deucadons were the descendents of the survivors of the Ark III whose original target was Beta Hydrii.

When their Ark arrived in that star system, their AI found no habitable planets so it automatically diverted to its backup target which was Tau Ceti. Sadly, the long trip took its toll on the Ark III and the crew compartment holding the colonists was not capable of the aerobraking maneuver required to land safely.

They arrived 500 years before the events of _Rome's Revolution_ and crash-landed. Their presence was first hinted by Fridone as Rei and he continued their walk through the woods on their way back to the fallen Ark. This brief conversation took place just after Fridone told Rei about 'falling blankets' that inhabited the woods. Here is that little section. Look for the sentence in bold:

"Who knows?" shrugged Fridone. "Perhaps it is because Deucado is hit so often with things from space. Meteors, comets and the like. The animals have survived by becoming so adaptable. They just take it in stride. And they live as they must until the next strike. The larger ones are a little more cunning. They sometimes drop from above if you are not paying attention."

"Are there any intelligent ones? Like us?" Rei asked.

"No. **There have been stories about some, ones that are intelligent, that live deeper in the woods. But I have been here for ten years. I have never seen them. I think they are just stories.** "

"I did not see any Earth animals," Rei said. "Did the Vuduri bring any of them with them?"

"No, that would make life too easy for us. We must rely on the native life forms to support us."

"You mean, like to eat?" Rei asked.

"Yes," answered Fridone.

The full story of how the Deucadons came to live on Deucado will be presented when I come out with _The Vuduri Companion_ but I'll give you little taste of it tomorrow.

## Entry 2-277: September 29, 2014

### The Deucadons, part 1

As I mentioned yesterday, the full story of how the Deucadons came to live on Deucado will be presented when I come out with _The Vuduri Companion_. This book will be a compendium of short stories, novellas, deleted scenes and other supplementary material that was part of the construction of the _Rome's Revolution_ trilogy.

The Deucadons were a critical element of the resolution of the crisis of Part 2. Unbeknownst to the readers, the Darwin Project members were required by their charter to go to war within 24 hours of their resurrection. This was seemingly absurd but actually ends up forming the basis of the novel _The Ark Lords_. Because Captain Keller was forced to defer to the "true rulers" of the planet, Rome was able to defuse the crisis before lives were lost.

Rather than keep you in complete suspense, here is a little taste of the short story that will be entitled (shockingly) The Deucadons:

The first thing Captain Dan Harrison felt was a searing pain shooting through his chest as the defibrillator fired off a 200 joule stimulus. Despite the fact that he was now awake, the instrumentation picked up no heartbeat so it automatically increased the intensity to 300 joules. After the paddles were fully charged, the defibrillator discharged with another agonizing bolt of electricity. Thankfully, this time, Harrison's heart started up immediately.

Two years of training paid off. Instinctively, his lips clamped down on the ventilation tube so that he could start breathing air despite the fact that his cryo-hibernation chamber was completely filled with the liquid that served as the reanimation bath. His sarcophagus and those of the other two members of his command crew were different from the 540 colonists still asleep in the passenger compartment. The command crew's chambers were built to reanimate a frozen traveler in the zero-g conditions of orbit. There was no gravity to cause the reanimation fluid to drain out so they had to be able to breathe essentially underwater.

Harrison's lips and muscles were weak and the seal around the breathing tube was not perfect, consequently, a tiny bit of liquid leaked into his mouth. He aspirated some of the salty fluid and started coughing and inadvertently caught a lungful of liquid. This made him cough all the more. He was in serious danger of drowning but through an act of sheer will, he just stopped. He squeezed his lungs and spit out as much of the liquid through the corner of his mouth as he could then he drew in a full breath of air through the breathing tube, overcoming his natural instinct to cough. The drowning drills were not a waste of time, after all.

Tomorrow, the realization that things had gone horribly wrong.

## Entry 2-278: September 30, 2014

### The Deucadons, part 2

Yesterday, I presented the first part of the short story entitled "The Deucadons" which will be incorporated in the compendium _The Vuduri Companion_ which will come out after _The Milk Run_. The Deucadons were instrumental in defusing the crisis at the end of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. Here is the next part:

Harrison continued his slow and concentrated breathing, all the while trying to regain his strength. When the internal sensors determined that his core temperature was high enough, a switch was tripped. Pumps activated to begin drawing out the fluid leaving a cold and wet Harrison helpless until the blowers came on and threw heated air, drawn from the outside, across his body. He continued to warm up and soon his shivering stopped. He reached over, feeling around until he found what he was looking for. He punched the large button by his hand and the cover to his casket slid back.

Harrison lay there for a long while, trying to wrestle his eyes open enough to see where he was. He blinked and sighed and finally focused on the ceiling of the command compartment with its conduits and indicators providing a dim glow to the capsule. His body floated around gently within the constricted chamber so there was no weight to contend with.

When he felt up to it, he pushed on the cover of the chamber and its internal strain gauge detected the pressure and retracted fully. Harrison slowly floated free of the chamber and he practiced moving his hands and feet until he was satisfied that he had a tiny bit of control over his body. The slightest pressure on the ceiling sent him spinning back to the chamber, which he grabbed a hold of and pulled himself down. He lowered himself until his knees were touching the floor and he unlatched the compartment holding his coveralls. Just then, a white-hot pain shot from the base of his spine to the base of his skull. He cried out and tried to reach behind him. He had to take deep breaths and eventually the pain passed.

"What the hell was that?" he asked out loud, knowing no one was listening. It didn't matter. Just that tiny amount of motion was enough effort for a while so he stayed perfectly still, floating there, staring at his clothing, wishing they were already on his body. At long last, he felt sufficiently refreshed that he was able to dress himself. In the next compartment were his Velcro slippers which were surprisingly difficult to get on, due to the pain in his back. At last, he was fully dressed. Finally, as a symbol for all to see, he put on his baseball cap proudly proclaiming he was the captain of the Ark III, Beta Hydri mission.

Tomorrow, the next little bit of the teaser.

## Entry 2-279: October 1, 2014

### The Deucadons, part 3

Yesterday, I gave you another section of how the Deucadons came to live on Deucado. Their mere presence was crucial to defusing the crisis at the end of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_.

Here is the next part of the teaser:

Now that he was dressed, he looked around the command compartment and saw his two fellow crewmate's chambers. With slow and cautious steps, hooking and releasing, he made his way over and was relieved to see that both their chambers were intact. The air itself was very musty and there was a hint of something rotted in the air. But it was breathable, he was alive and he was reanimated so Harrison knew they must be in orbit around one of the two planets in the habitable zone around Beta Hydrii.

Much as he wanted to reanimate Cooper and Salazar, protocol dictated that he check the status of the ship and their orbit first on the very slim chance that the AI had made an error. If they had to move the ship, especially to another star system, reanimation was a death sentence and it was his responsibility and his burden as Captain to take that chance and take it alone.

He moved into the pilot's seat, belted himself in and pressed in the keystrokes necessary to alert the computer of his station. At first, the flat panel screens were very dim but quickly they brightened and began relaying a steady stream of information. Harrison blinked and looked at the panels and blinked some more. Something was very wrong. The chronometer showed the date as April 3rd, 2949. That couldn't be right. It was off by almost 600 years.

The Beta Hydri mission was the most ambitious of all the Ark missions so far. While the first two were going to go to Alpha Centauri and Tau Ceti, his Ark, number three in the series, was going to travel the unbelievable distance of 24.38 light years. With their ultra-efficient Grey Drive, in theory, the ship was capable of achieving an ultimate velocity of one-tenth c so it should have taken them on the order of 250 years to get there. But if he was reading the chronometer correctly, instead, it had taken them almost 900.

"That can't be right," he said, again, speaking to no one.

On instinct, he released his belt and floated free and pulled himself toward the cockpit window. Below him was a planet with white puffy clouds, beautiful blue sparkling oceans and bright yellowish-green landmasses with just a hint of brown in the northern and southern-most regions. The continents had many, many lakes and rivers, giving it an almost Swiss cheese-like appearance.

Tomorrow, the next part of this little teaser. For the complete story, you'll have to wait for _The Vuduri Companion_ to find out the rest of what happened.

## Entry 2-280: October 2, 2014

### The Deucadons, part 4

Over the last few days, including yesterday, I have given you a synopsis of how the Deucadons came to live on Deucado. Their mere presence was crucial to defusing the crisis at the end of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_.

Here is the next part of the teaser:

At least the AI had picked the right planet to orbit. As they came around toward the sunset, he could see the primary star and it was not the right color. Beta Hydri was a G2IV Sol-class star, a little larger with a diameter of 1.7 times that of the Sun. This star should been yellowish-white but instead it was orange. It could not be atmospheric effects because they were well above the air.

Harrison pushed off and got back to his seat. He punched the buttons necessary to bring up his galactic coordinates and star charts. The numbers were flat wrong. He pulled in an overlay of what he should have seen at Beta Hydri and there was a serious shift in the overlap. Finally, in desperation, he decided to send a query to the computer.

"Where are we?" he typed in and pressed Enter.

**"Second planet, Tau Ceti System,"** was the computer's reply.

"Tau Ceti!" Harrison shouted out loud. "What the hell?"

"Why not Beta Hydri?" he typed in savagely and pressed Enter.

**"No habitable worlds. Backup target selected,"** was the computer's reply.

"Jesus Christ on a crutch," Harrison said. He sat back in his chair and just stared at the instruments. The scientist in him did the math. Beta Hydri was 22 light years from Earth, Tau Ceti was 21 light years from Beta Hydri. That meant they had traveled 43 light years all told. With gearing up, gearing down, maybe 600 years. This was 900. While the numbers didn't exactly work, they didn't preclude it. Plus he had the physical evidence in front of him.

There was no point in reviewing the data or trying to second-guess the computer, there was no going back. They were here now. He had to take advantage of the situation. In his mind, he figured the Ark II should have gotten here around 2200 AD. That means there should have been humans on this world for some 700 years. He switched to a video feed and looked for signs of cities, settlements, anything on the night side that would indicate it was inhabited.

Tomorrow, the last piece of the teaser. Of course, you'll have to wait for _The Vuduri Companion_ to find out the rest of story.

## Entry 2-281: October 3, 2014

### The Deucadons, part 5

Over the last few days, including yesterday, I have given you a synopsis of how the Deucadons came to live on Deucado. Their mere presence was crucial to defusing the crisis at the end of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_.

Here is the final part of the teaser:

There were no lights. There was one fairly large thunderstorm near the equator that producing lightning so he knew his instruments were capable of picking up visual emissions if present.

Harrison flipped on the radio, setting it to the primary command frequency, pressing the send button and called out, "Attention, attention, anyone on Tau Ceti 2. This is Captain Harrison of the USS Ark III. We are in orbit around your planet. Does anyone read me?"

He released the transmit button and heard only the hiss of interstellar space punctuated occasionally by a slight crackle that might be coming from the electrical storm below. Harrison switched to the backup frequency and tried it again but once again heard nothing.

He programmed a frequency sweep and set it to stop at any signal greater than noise and let it go. It stopped at one high-band kHz signal but when Harrison cranked up the volume, again, all he heard was the distinctive crackle of far-off lightning.

When the sweep was complete, he tried it again, same results; nothing. As far as he could tell, there was no evidence of civilization taking root on this planet. Further, if intelligent life, other than man, had developed here, there was no evidence of that either.

Harrison decided to put all of this out of his mind for the time being and proceed with the mission. Their survival was not contingent upon others having made it here before him so he wasn't going to worry about it right now.

He unbuckled himself and locked his feet onto the floor and began making his way over to Cooper. Once again, a searing pain shot through his back, making his knees weak and his left foot felt like it suddenly went to sleep. Had he not been weightless, the pain would have made his knees buckle. As before, he waited a bit and the pain passed.

Back pain again. Oy. You'll have to wait for _The Vuduri Companion_ to find out the rest of story.

## Entry 2-282: October 4, 2014

### Fishies, swishies

When I was building the world of Deucado, the locale which presents the backdrop for Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , I had to develop an ecosphere. I didn't do a very good job. I wrote a blog article about it. I just couldn't construct a gazillion species when I had people who had to get places and do things.

I was also wrestling with a group of people who spoke Vuduri so making up words that rhyme in English made no sense. I had centered the action around Lake Eprehem and it was inconceivable to me that there would not be aquatic life but they certainly could not be fish. I wanted to call them swishies because it rhymed with fishies but how to make it rhyme in Vuduri?

Answer, I made them eel-like. So when they swam, they used a snake-ish type motion which the residents called swishing. Swish is a valid word and whatever the word is in Vuduri, it rhymes with fish so I accomplished my goal.

According to Fridone, they aren't very hard to catch:

"No, that would make life too easy for us. We must rely on the native life forms to support us."

"You mean, like to eat?" Rei asked.

"Yes," answered Fridone.

"OK, I think I understand," Rei said. "So exactly what do you eat? What was that that Rome and I had before?"

"Most of our people live in a settlement on the shores of Lake Eprehem. There are many creatures in that lake. It is almost an inland sea. There are certain types, we call them swishies because they look like fish but they swish away when you try and catch them."

"So, if they swish away, how do you catch them?" Rei asked.

"Not all get away," said Fridone. "We use nets. They are not that smart. It is easy to catch enough to feed us."

When we go out for sushi, my wife loves rolls with eel. Me not so much. Who knows? Maybe swishies taste better.

## Entry 2-283: October 5, 2014

### Now we get them out

In the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , the trek back to the fallen Ark was much more arduous and used as an info-dump so that you could come up to speed as to the ecosphere of Deucado.

However, once Rei and the Ibbrassati came upon the Ark, it was time to whip into action regardless of which version of the book you were reading. In both versions, Rei had to deal not only with the mechanics of how to extricate his people, he also had to deal with the emotional toll knowing that MINIMCOM had died in saving the people. Here is that section:

Fridone moved away rapidly and took the lead and Rei followed him, winding their way through the cane trees and bush until they came to another, much larger clearing. Scrutinizing the area, Rei realized it was not a clearing at all. This was the exact spot where the Ark had landed and crushed the cane-trees to the side. He left Fridone and ran up to the Ark. Rei lifted up the camouflage netting at the end nearest him. This was the back end of the Ark, the part that landed first. The rear opening to the cargo section was a large door that Rei had entered during his first space walk. It looked perfectly intact. That meant his plan to have the trees absorb the shock must have worked. He touched the surface of the end section and found that it was still very cold but there was no ice on it now. The ice must have melted or even sublimated into the night air of the planet. At this point, Mockay was nearly overhead. Rei was impressed with the moon's speed but realized he had to work fast if he was going to take advantage of the light.

He worked his way along the side, lifting the netting as he went until he came to the lattice that separated the huge cargo section from the personnel section. In the dim light of the tiny moon, Rei saw a sight that made his heart sink. Protruding from beneath the crew section of the Ark was a small part of the underbelly of MINIMCOM's shuttle. The silver-colored rear stabilizer was bent sideways and only about five meters of the cargo section was visible. The cargo hatch was open and lying flat on the ground. The cargo ramp had sprung open and was pointing in the air at an odd angle. The rest of MINIMCOM's tug was buried underneath the Ark, smashed, as far as Rei could tell. From the geometry of the two vehicles, it looked like MINIMCOM had enough time to disengage from the Ark but that was all. Rei took a deep breath. The little computer had sacrificed his own life to save Rei, Rome and Rei's people. Rei remembered that Rome had said that OMCOM and his ilk were amoral. But this was a moral act or at the very least a compassionate one.

## Entry 2-284: October 6, 2014

### Oops

The first part of _Rome's Revolution_ was an illustration of the culture clash between the Vuduri and us, the Essessoni. However the tale was told from the perspective of two individuals, Rome and Rei, each representing their own society. Part 2 reexamines the culture clash but now the canvas has been broadened to show the interactions of a much larger set of people. On the Vuduri side, we get the Ibbrassati and later the Vuduri themselves. On the Essessoni side, we get the thawed-out members of the Ark II, 500+ people representing our way of life. Down the road, in Part 3, we will encounter _all_ of Vuduri society when Rome and Rei get to Earth but we'll save that for another day.

Every journey begins with the first step and the exploration of the mix of the two cultures must begin with the thawing out of the first crew member. Yesterday, we mentioned "MINIMCOM'S Sacrifice" whereby it was clear that the little computer arranged himself so that even though he was crushed, he was able to spare Captain Keller's life. Rei was so consumed with grief about the loss of his friend that he wasn't even thinking about Captain Keller or anyone else, at first:

Fridone came over to look over the wreckage with Rei.

"This was your other shuttle?" he asked.

"Yes," Rei said, sadly.

"What was in there?" Fridone asked.

"MINIMCOM," Rei said.

"A computer?" Fridone shook his head.

"He wasn't just a computer," Rei replied. "He...he was a friend. He took care of us."

"I do not think he survived the fall," Fridone said matter-of-factly.

"No." Rei gulped. "I do not think he did."

"What else did you have in this ship?" Fridone asked.

"The VIRUS units, a memron fabricator and...oh no!" Rei shouted.

"What?" Fridone asked with concern in his voice.

"Captain Keller," Rei said in English. He got down on his hands and knees and crawled in between the cargo door and ramp. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the striped sarcophagus, still intact, secured in the section that was not crushed underneath the Ark.

"Help me pull this out," he shouted to Fridone in Vuduri.

Several men crawled in while others used brute strength to raise the cargo ramp high enough to allow the extraction of the sarcophagus. While it took four men including Rei, they were able to free the chamber and drag it out into the area next to the Ark.

"What do we do?" Fridone asked Rei.

"He looks to be still frozen," Rei said, inspecting the chamber.

"How do you unfreeze him?" Fridone asked.

"Well, to start the reanimation sequence is pretty trivial," Rei said. "You just turn those two knobs there."

He pointed to the far end.

"The one on the left goes clockwise." Rei motioned with his fingers then he reversed the motion. "The one on the right goes counterclockwise. They expose the radioactive core and the whole thing powers up."

When he said the Vuduri word for radioactive, the men around him gasped.

Fridone turned to admonish them. "You children! We have broken all the other **Rules of Green** , so why not this one?"

Ah... the Rules of Green again. How I regret injecting them into the story. All they ever did was make my life as author more difficult. I'm glad I tossed them. We can still be ecologically conscientious without the ridiculous restrictions I tried to impose.

## Entry 2-285: October 7, 2014

### Turning the knob

As I have mentioned numerous times, _Rome's Revolution_ is hard science fiction. Before I decided to crush the original three novels down to a single volume, I was trying to get a distinct "you are there" feeling. Since every item in the book had to be researched out the wazoo, I wanted to insert my research in the novel somewhere so you'd see that I did all that work. Sometimes I'd struggle to insert the scientific explanation and it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Well, I've learned my lesson. From here on in, it will always be action, action, action and I know that you, the reader, take my word for it that what I write is scientifically valid. If you want to look something up, more power to you and Google. To illustrate my reformation, here is an example from the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ back when it was called _VIRUS 5_. You can see that I am trying to squeeze in how to reanimate a frozen colonist by turning some knobs. The discussion really doesn't belong and it got cut out.

Here is the original long-form:

Several men crawled in while others used brute strength to raise the cargo ramp high enough to allow the extraction of the sarcophagus. While it took four men including Rei, they were able to free the chamber and drag it out into the area next to the Ark.

"What do we do?" Fridone asked Rei.

"He looks to be still frozen," Rei said, inspecting the chamber.

"How do you unfreeze him?" Fridone asked.

"Well, to start the reanimation sequence is pretty trivial," Rei said. "You just turn those two knobs there."

He pointed to the far end.

"The one on the left goes clockwise." Rei motioned with his fingers then he reversed the motion. "The one on the right goes counterclockwise. They expose the radioactive core and the whole thing powers up. I do not think we should do this here, though. Once the people are thawed, they are pretty weak for a while. They will need some place to rest once the reanimation sequence is complete."

Fridone laughed sardonically. "They sleep for centuries and then they need to rest?"

"Pretty ironic, huh?" Rei said.

"How about the rest of your people?"

And the much shorter current version:

Several men crawled in while others used brute strength to raise the cargo ramp high enough to allow the extraction of the sarcophagus. While it took four men including Rei, they were able to free the chamber and drag it out into the area next to the Ark.

"What do we do?" Fridone asked Rei.

"He looks to be still frozen," Rei said, inspecting the chamber. "We should probably take him back to the cave to wake him. Once the people are thawed, they are quite weak for a while. They will need some place to rest once the reanimation sequence is complete."

Fridone laughed sardonically. "They sleep for centuries and then they need to rest?"

"Pretty ironic, huh?" Rei said.

"How about the rest of your people?"

See how much better it flows?

## Entry 2-286: October 8, 2014

### More science and math

Yesterday, I showed you how I cut out a lot of the scientific explanation behind the drama in _Rome's Revolution_ in order to speed up the action. Today I thought I'd show you another example of how I was able to take 330,000 words worth of three novels and crush it down to a single 167,000 word novel. The following scene takes place when Rei is trying to explain to Fridone what must be done to retrieve his frozen compatriots and take them back to the secret enclave.

Here is the original, long-winded version from the original long-form. You can hear the drumbeats of the Darwin Project in this snippet:

"How about the rest of your people?"

"Oh yeah," Rei said in English. Then, in Vuduri, he said, "There were 543 of us when we started. There are probably nearly that many left. We are better off doing this in shifts. Will that cave of yours hold 500 people and 500 of these chambers?"

"Oh yes," Fridone said. "The caves go very deep into the mountain. But why bring the cases, why not just bring the people?"

"Because once the people are removed, the sarcophagi are designed to be ganged together. I told you about that before. You can use the rods in them for electricity, heat, whatever. They are supposed to put out usable power for hundreds of years once they are activated. The isotopes have a half-life of 25,000 years so they should still be plenty strong even though we have been gone so long. It is worth a try, right? Why not?"

"Why not, indeed," Fridone said.

Rei stepped away from Fridone and called the Ibbrassati who were milling around.

"Come with me," he said. "I will show you how to pull out the other coffins."

All of the men except Fridone and two others followed Rei as he circled around toward the front of the Ark. With a little help, Rei was able to open the side hatch and entered via the built in steps.

"Here," he said, waving a few of the men over. He demonstrated how to open the titanium cages holding the "privileged" crew whose armored sarcophagi were flagged by a black stripe.

"Why are they in cages?" asked one man.

"Why only some?" asked another.

"These chambers are special," Rei said. "This section has an ablative shield. In theory, this part was supposed to literally be able to fall out of the sky and survive reentry."

To save you some boredom, I cut out the rest of the passage. It goes on and on with the small group literally calculating how many men would required to cart the sarcophagi back to the cave. Next is the current version. You can see it is _substantially_ shorter:

"How about the rest of your people?"

"I will show you."

With a little help, Rei was able to open the side hatch of the crew compartment and entered via the built in steps. He showed the men how to release the clamps, freeing the sarcophagi. They carried the first one out and set it next to Keller's sarcophagus.

"Can you men carry that one?" Rei asked. He turned to Fridone. "How are we going to work this?"

"You and I and Zander and Pilar will carry your striped one back. The others can bring the second. When we get back to the cave, we will send the next two teams up. That will keep our exposure to a minimum. We can bring back two at time. How many are there?"

"About 500," Rei answered.

Fridone sighed. "It will take us a while but I believe we can get them all back before dawn. Let us proceed."

Much better. Agree?

## Entry 2-287: October 9, 2014

### Rome's distress

In a previous article, I explained how Rome was suffering from polyhydramnios which is an excessive amount of amniotic fluid in the womb. I had always planned on Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ to have a split structure, I needed an excuse to get Rome into the Vuduri compound and get reconnected to the Overmind.

This next scene, from the original long-form version of the novel entitled _VIRUS 5_ was the first time that Rei realized that Rome's distress was not just uncomfortable but potentially life-threatening, if not for Rome then for the baby. In Rome's case, I suppose it had something to do with the gravity on Deucado or maybe it was just because Rome was getting closer to giving birth:

"Where is Rome?" Rei asked one of the women. She just shook her head and did not answer. She waved at Rei and he followed her a little deeper into yet another alcove off to the side. Rei entered and found Rome lying on an actual bed, with a cloth on her head and two women attending to her. He quickly went to her bedside.

"Rome, what's going on?" he said in English.

She turned her head to look at him and gave him a weak smile. "Mau emir. I am fine. I just got a little faint. I think it is possible that baby Aason wants to join us early though."

Suddenly she grimaced and put her hands on her stomach. The women clucked over her and one patted her head with the cloth.

Trabunel came in from the other side and came over to Rei.

"You must move her out of here soon. We cannot take the chance that the baby is Vuduri. If it is connected, they will find us here and they will kill us all."

"This is crazy," Rei said. "You cannot move her now. Look at her. Plus, it is my baby. How can it be connected, anyway?"

"I do not claim to understand the genetics but the mother is Vuduri," said Trabunel. "That may be all that is required. We cannot take this chance. I have been here a long time and I know that you have a little while but then you must leave."

"How long is a little while?" Rei asked.

"A day, no longer," Trabunel replied. "You will have enough time to show us how to thaw out your people. Then we will arrange for you to go to our settlement to the south. Our boats move very swiftly. The settlement is where the Vuduri expect us and if your child is connected, that will be acceptable if they come for him. He will have no knowledge of this place."

"They're not coming for my baby," Rei said in English. Then in Vuduri, "Why do I have to let them?"

"They will take the baby," Trabunel said. "They do not care if they take it with you alive or dead."

"NO!" Rome said. "Not dead. Rei, you listen to him."

"But sweetheart, I can't let them take our baby," he said in English.

"We will find a way, Rei. You will find a way. You always do," Rome said.

## Entry 2-288: October 10, 2014

### The nitty gritty

As I mentioned several days ago, when _Rome's Revolution_ was three separate novels, I felt compelled to burden you, the reader, with all the nitty gritty details of the science behind the science fiction.

I know that you believe me but sometimes, even though the story moves much quicker, some of the details _are_ interesting but in a more clinical, less action-oriented way. Let me give you an example. In this scene, since cut out, Rei explains to the Ibbrassati exactly how to thaw out a frozen Essessoni:

"The person inside is supposed to be frozen solid," Rei said at the top of his voice. "We have to thaw them out and it has to be done in sequence. You just need to activate the mechanism and the internal electronics should do it automatically. To start the sequence, you rotate these two knobs."

He pointed to the left and right control knobs. They were about ten centimeters in diameter with two convex sections on either side of a center spar. They were designed to grip easily.

"You rotate the one on the left, uh," Rei hesitated. He said the word clockwise in English. The men just blinked.

"This is clockwise," Rei said and circled his arm to the right so they understood the direction.

"We understand," said one man.

"OK," Rei said in English. Then he continued in Vuduri. "You turn it one-half turn until the arrow points to this line." He turned the knob. "And the one on the right, you turn counterclockwise one-half until it aligns as well." Again, he demonstrated. "At that point, the mechanism is activated."

Nothing happened at first. But after a few minutes, the hoarfrost that had collected on the outside of the chamber began to thaw. The needles on the dials above the knobs began to quiver and then slowly crept north as the nuclear fire penetrated the internal workings of the sarcophagus.

Rei pointed to the dials. "The rods are causing heat. That melts the ice."

"Why do you need to do that?" one man asked. "Why not just let them thaw out naturally?"

"If we just them thaw on their own, they would drown or die," Rei said. "The rods make the electricity which is needed to reanimate the person within using a pre-determined sequence. For example, after the fluid melts, the pump activates and drains it away. There is a defibrillator..." Rei paused seeing the blank expressions around him.

"It is a device which restarts their heart," he said. Now the men nodded. Rei continued, "After that, there is a blower to dry them off and warm them up."

So now you know. Don't you feel better?

## Entry 2-289: October 11, 2014

### Keller awakes

Captain Maury Keller is an interesting dude. Not only was he the Captain of the Ark II but he was also the leader of the Darwin contingent. This fact did not become known until the events revealed in _The Ark Lords_. We know that he repented and in fact became quite helpful in apprehending the would-be assassins in the first part of _Rome's Evolution_.

Our first exposure to Captain Keller actually came as the Ark, under tow by Rome, Rei and MINIMCOM encountered his sarcophagus, floating within the Oort Cloud. We know that he got tied down in MINIMCOM's cargo compartment and was the first sarcophagus retrieved from the crash site.

The sarcophagi of the command crew differed from the regular ones in that they were designed to be thawed under weightless conditions. This was demonstrated in some detail when I introduced you to The Deucadons a few days ago. This meant that thawing the Captain out within a gravity well might pose some potential problems.

Turns out, it was easier than we thought but Captain Keller found himself completely disoriented. The last thing he expected was people standing around him as he awakened.

Rei showed them each of the indicators and described their functions. He showed them the fluid level gauge. He walked them through the process whereby the frozen block of reanimation fluid became liquid again and bubbled up to bathe the person within. He showed them how to tell when it was time to open the inner seal and he showed them how to retract the hood so that the person within was exposed to real air.

They stood in awe as the defibrillator fired and shocked the man back to life. They watched in fascination as he took his first breaths of air through the breathing mask then clawed at it to pull it off. Captain Keller clenched his fists over his chest and started shivering. Rei showed them that the fluid was being pumped out and the blowers activated and started the drying process. They could see his eyelids flicker as he tried to open his eyes. Luckily, the lighting in the cave was dim, unlike the Iso chamber that Rei was placed in what seemed like so many years before.

Captain Keller coughed and thrashed and Rei showed the men how to retract the hood fully. They helped the newly thawed man sit up and covered him in a blanket. He blinked and blinked, trying to make out his surroundings. Rei spoke to him in English.

"Captain Keller?"

"Yes," the man rumbled out. His voice was rusty from disuse. "Who are you?"

"I am Rei Bierak, one of your engineers."

"Where are we?" Keller asked.

"We are in a cave on a planet called Deucado by the inhabitants. Deucado is the second planet out in the Tau Ceti system. We made it, sir!"

Captain Keller tried to look at him but he failed. His head fell down on his chest but it did not stop him from speaking.

"Why are you awake? The command crew is supposed to be reanimated first. And what are we doing on the ground? How could the world be named already? We're the first people here," he said, exhaling his words more than speaking them.

Rei said, "Sir, I know this will be hard for you to understand and we'll review it again later but it is the year 3588. We've been asleep for almost 1400 years. There have been people on this world for a long time before we got here."

Captain Keller lifted his head and squinted at Rei. "I have no idea what you are talking about. How could it be 3588? What are you saying? What the hell is going on?"

It only took him _four years_ to ultimately come to grips with the situation. Let's just say what he encountered wasn't in the training manual. And that is what makes _Rome's Revolution_ so cool!

## Entry 2-290: October 12, 2014

### Lounge chairs

Where I write my books, my work area is completely plain. There are no pictures on the wall. No toys laying about. Just a computer monitor, a keyboard and a yellow pad. So as I am writing the descriptions of each of the vistas within _Rome's Revolution_ and the other novels, I am doing it more or less completely from my imagination.

Sometimes, especially when I am falling asleep or occasionally in the shower, I envision the scenes more realistically, pretending I am actually there. It was just the other day that I realized my cockpits are all wrong. They are too plain. No other elements except a small storage bin. There are no instruments, just a central flat panel display. I always thought of their chairs as more like barber's chairs when they really should be more like dentist's chairs.

The fact is that MINIMCOM and later Junior are capable of high speed acceleration and even with their control of artificial gravity, the human pilots still need to be comfortable.

So, starting with _The Milk Run_ , I am giving Aason and his parents much more comfortable chairs. The armrests are much thicker since they need controls built in. There are the dual joysticks which operate within a gravity well as well as in space.

Anyway, now that they are in more comfortable chairs, I hope that Rome, Rei, Aason and Lupe are happier. I need to build them a better instrument cluster as well. More on that tomorrow.

## Entry 2-291: October 13, 2014

### The wraparound console

Yesterday, I described my utterly unimaginative vision of the cockpit seats shared by Rome and company in the world of _Rome's Revolution_. Today I would like to show you my vision of the cockpit instrumentation:

That's it! Now compare this to the cockpit of a Boeing 777 airliner:

Notice any difference? I think in _The Milk Run_ , I'll upgrade the cockpit a bit and give Aason a little more to work with. Please forgive this horrible sketch. The only thing to note is I am going to switch the main readouts from the central display to the smaller, wraparound consoles. The center display will only be used when they need a larger image or need to collaborate.

I did say forgive me, didn't I?

## Entry 2-292: October 14, 2014

### The story is the story

I cannot really explain my writing process. An idea comes from somewhere. I jot down some notes. More ideas come in: wouldn't it be cool if... I formalize an outline and finally I start writing. _Rome's Revolution_ started out this way as did _The Ark Lords_ and _Rome's Evolution_.

It was George R. R. Martin, author of Game of Thrones that said, "I think there are two types of writers, the architects and the gardeners." He professed that a writer who is an architect plans everything out, I guess to the nth degree. A gardener plants some seeds and sees what grows. I guess I'm a little bit of both.

When I am finally done, even with embellishing, I end up around 65,000 words. It is always the way. No matter what the story, how complex the plot, it's just where I end up. I write down each chapter, see which ones are too long and split them. Adding in connectors stretches it a bit. I see which chapters are too short and I purposefully pad them to get them past three pages in Word.

When it's done, I'm lucky if I hit 70,000 words. Then I give it to Bruce, he makes corrections, tells me which parts are unclear. He always says, "What were they wearing," and I go oh yeah. When it's all said and done, I'm just over 75,000 words. The problem? I need 80,000 words to consider it a full-length novel. I'd rather have 90,000.

Here are where each of the novels I've written have ended up:

_Future Past_ \- 107,000 words  
_VIRUS 5: Part 1: Tabit_ \- 98,000 words  
_VIRUS 5: Part 2: Tau Ceti_ \- 98,000 words  
_VIRUS 5: Part 3: Earth_ \- 91,000 words  
_Rome's Revolution_ \- 167,000 words  
_The Ark Lords_ \- 80,000 words  
_Rome's Evolution_ \- 84,000 words

_The Milk Run_ so far - 67,000 words  
_The Vuduri Companion_ so far 67,000 words

I'm hard at work with _The Milk Run_. Where do I go to get those extra 15,000 words? I don't know. I'll figure something out.

My problem is, the story is the story.

## Entry 2-293: October 15, 2014

### Marriage

In the 35th century world of _Rome's Revolution_ , will people still get married?

While there are many species of animals that are monogamous and have a single mate for life, there are many that do not. Animals don't have lawyers or taxes so whether they do or do not stick with one mate, it is for biological reasons and not as part of an institution.

Humans seem to have tendency toward monogamy (ahem, with some exceptions) and certainly in our modern culture the institution have been formalized completely. But in the 35th century, the Vuduri typically don't get married. There are no taxes. Children are raised by the "state" meaning centralized. There is no traditional breadwinner. They only have sex to procreate and only at the behest of the Overmind to improve the species. There really isn't any reason to get married.

The mandasurte are a little different. They raise their own children. Men and women often throw their fortunes in together. They are very honorable people so if a man commits to a woman, they call it Cesa. When Rei thought Rome was going to die, he wanted to be married to her before Aason was born so that his son would know that his parents were committed to each other. Here is how Rei learned about it:

Rei looked at him, then Trabunel then back to Fridone again. "Do you guys still have marriage? Do you still get married?"

Fridone pulled his head back, then said, "The Vuduri do not. But among our people, the mandasurte, yes. I was married myself. When a couple loves each other and wants to commit, they pledge themselves to one another."

"Is there any kind of ceremony?" Rei asked. "Is there a lot to it?"

"Yes, we have one," said Fridone. "There are a few elements but it is not fixed."

"Then sir, I want to marry your daughter. Now. I want our son to be born into a proper family."

So while Cesa is not quite modern marriage, it certainly embodies its spirit.

## Entry 2-294: October 16, 2014

### Sussen

In the modern version of _Rome's Revolution_ , Sussen is an agent of MASAL, the evil computer. She was placed on the prison world of Deucado to spy on things. When the Ibbrassati were liberated, she decides to high-tail it to Earth to warn the rest of the Onsiras. In fact, it was her escape from Deucado that precipitated the events that engendered Part 3 of _Rome's Revolution_. However, because MINIMCOM was able to fly nearly ten times faster than her, Rome and Rei had plenty of time to get to Earth and defuse that looming crisis before she even got close.

Her grueling 28-day journey to Earth was interrupted by OMCOM who taunted her with a knock-knock joke to prove to her that she was utterly defeated. At the end of that book, I never did tell you what happened to her, even in the modern version.

This is a good thing. It allowed me to recycle Sussen and make her the big bad in _Rome's Evolution_. Of course, at the end of that book, she got killed. Sniff, sniff. Don't be shocked when she makes a brief guest appearance in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_. Part of that book takes place in Heaven so there are a lot of dead folk that reappear here and there.

However, in the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ entitled VIRUS 5, Sussen was not a member of the Onsiras. She did not have mismatched eyes. Instead, she was planted in the secret Ibbrassati enclave as a spy for the Overmind of Deucado. However, this was so dopey for so many reasons.

First, the Overmind of Deucado claimed he didn't know exactly where the enclave was located. How could that be if a mind-connected member of the Vuduri was there? Maybe she didn't have a map. Also, why was she so kind to Rome? If she was a member of the sworn enemies of the Essessoni, wouldn't she attempt to facilitate the death of Aason rather than his birth?

I don't know. Sometimes I have ideas that are just unworkable so they have to go. Sussen in the house was one of them.

## Entry 2-295: October 17, 2014

### Keller at war

In the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ and even in the modern version, Captain Keller played a pivotal role in getting the Essessoni ready to march on the Vuduri compound. He was ready to go to war within 24 hours of being awakened from nearly 14 centuries of slumber.

One reviewer found this too much to swallow. Overall his review was kind (4 stars) but check out the sentence in bold:

Very unique and fresh story plot. It's refreshing when you come across a new idea in sci-fi, and all too rare. As the story unfolds, problems of logic start appearing though. **A good example would be, it's not logical for a starship captain to wake from a 1400 year slumber, be told** **by a crewman** **that there are major issues about missing their destination, sleeping 1200 years too long, and everyone here wants to kill them, and to this the captain replies, "I don't have time for this", and starts breaking out the nukes to go to war within 24hrs of waking.** Dialog at times is very good, but often is exceedingly mechanical. Outside of some of the absurd situations and lapses in logic, there is a good story here.

Hold on a minute. A crewman? Did he mean Rei, the hero of the entire series? Maybe he rushed through the story. I mean I can accept "lapses in logic" but "a crewman"?? If I had any way to respond to this reviewer, I would have told him to read _The Ark Lords_. This book explains the whole back story regarding Darwin and why the people from the front of the Ark were so war-like.

Wait, he did read _The Ark Lords_. Here is his review, again 4 stars:

Good, but the first was better. A solid sequel but a much thinner story. So much ground was covered in the first book that in comparison, it seems a bit empty.

Much thinner story? _Rome's Revolution_ was three novels bound into one volume. _The Ark Lords_ was a fully self-contained novel that addressed his initial concern. Maybe he missed it.

One more thing: He said, "Dialog at times is very good, but often is exceedingly mechanical." Duh. The Vuduri do not use contractions. They don't even speak English. And half the characters are computers or body-less entities. Of course their speech was mechanical.

Oh well, I guess you can't please everyone.

## Entry 2-296: October 18, 2014

### Keller gets oriented, part 1

In both the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ , as well as the modern version, Captain Keller is none too pleased that Rei was awakened first. Very quickly, he wants to establish control and push Rei into the background.

"You again," Keller said. "What was your name?"

"Bierak, sir," Rei said. "Rei Bierak."

"Are you from here?"

"No sir, I'm a member of your crew."

"Oh yeah. So why are you dressed like them?" Keller asked. "And how do you speak their language?"

"It's a long story," replied Rei.

"I've got time. Entertain me. And help me up," Keller said.

Rei went over to him and helped the man try and stand. Captain Maury Keller was a large man, roughly 45 years of age. He had a full head of hair and broad shoulders. As he stood, he yelled out in pain.

"My back," he said. "Yowsers."

Rei leaned forward and touched his shoulder. "It's to be expected," Rei said.

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe I should start at the beginning again. Then it will all make sense to you."

Keller pointed to the cot. Rei helped him over to it and the captain sat down.

"All right. Start from the beginning. I know your name but who are you?" Keller said, this time clearly focusing on Rei's face.

Rei said, "I'm an engineer."

"Are you ranked?" Captain Keller asked him.

"No, I'm not," Rei said.

"So what are you doing here and how do you know so much?"

Rei looked off into the distance. "It all started when our Ark first got here, to the Tau Ceti system. The Ark actually ran well. We made it here pretty much on time. As we entered the Oort Cloud surrounding Tau Ceti, something hit the Ark and sheared off the command compartment and the SSTO booster."

"What about the AI?" Keller asked. "Collision avoidance?"

"I have no clue," Rei replied. "There's nothing left of it to examine. It went wherever the command compartment went."

"Hold on a sec," said Keller. "I was in the command compartment. How come I'm here? What about Fayed and Alexander?"

Actually, we never did find out what happened to them. The Vuduri never recovered the command module which presumably contained their bodies. Oh well. Maybe Aason will find out in the upcoming novel, _The Milk Run_.

## Entry 2-297: October 19, 2014

### Keller gets oriented, part 2

Yesterday, I introduced you to the scene where Rei tries to bring Captain Keller up to speed regarding their current situation. The problem is, the story is so unbelievable that Rei makes things worse, not better:

"Hold on a sec," said Keller. "I was in the command compartment. How come I'm here? What about Fayed and Alexander?"

"I'll get to that later, sir," Rei said. "After we hit whatever it was that we hit, we must have looped around Tau Ceti and gotten some sort of gravity boost. The Ark was flung way out and we ended up in the Tabit system."

"Tabit?" asked Keller. "What the hell were we doing there?"

"It's just the vector we ended up with. Maybe luck of the draw? I'm not sure what to call it," said Rei. "Anyway, it took us over 1100 years to get there. As it turns out, there were already people there. They're called the Vuduri. They are the people here too. But it was the ones at Tabit who found us."

"If they found us at Tabit, what are we doing here? I still don't understand what you have to do with all of this," Keller said.

"Well, they reanimated me first..."

"You? Why you?" Keller interrupted.

"I don't know, sir," Rei said. "Serendipity, I guess. They picked one of us at random and that one happened to be me. Anyway, these people are really different from us. I know it sounds strange but they are all connected mentally..."

"What do you mean mentally? Like telepathy?" Keller asked.

"I guess. Anyway, they are all connected into this collective consciousness called the Overmind. It's pretty much in charge of things."

"The Overwhat?" Keller stuttered. "Overmind did you say?"

"Yes sir," Rei replied.

"How did you come to know all of this? Does it talk? Did you speak to this Overmind?"

Rei held up his hand and took a deep breath.

"Sir, maybe you'd better let me just get through this and then I'll answer all your questions. And yes, I did speak to the Overmind. Kind of. You speak to it whenever you talk to any of the ones that are connected. So, anyway, they were situated at Tabit to observe why some stars were disappearing..."

"Disappearing?" said Keller.

Rei held his hand again to stop him. Keller stopped.

"Yes. So their supercomputer called OMCOM built some star probes that could travel faster than light..."

"Buh. Impossible," spat Keller.

Tomorrow, Keller learns about the Stareaters. Naturally, he doesn't believe that, either.

## Entry 2-298: October 20, 2014

### Keller gets oriented, part 3

Yesterday, Rei continued to try and bring Captain Keller up to speed regarding their current situation. In today's portion, Rei tries to explain about the Stareaters:

"Buh. Impossible," spat Keller.

"No, possible. How do you think we got here so fast? We traveled 21 light years in just under a year, towing the Ark, even."

Keller seemed to deflate. "All right, go on," he said sounding completely worn out.

"OK," Rei continued. "So because these probes can travel faster than light, they can fly away from or toward an electromagnetic wavefront. Essentially, they became a time machine. So they zoomed in on a particular star that disappeared and discovered that there were giant machines or creatures, we don't know which, that were swallowing up stars whole."

"Swallowing stars? Bierak, do you realize how insane this all sounds?"

"Pretty insane, sir," Rei replied.

"Well, I think you've been in space too long. Your brain is whacked."

"I wish it were, sir," Rei answered back. "Believe me."

"All right, go on," Keller said.

"OK," Rei replied. "So one of these things was headed right for us at Tabit and the rest seemed to be making a beeline for Earth."

"Well, clearly it didn't get you. What'd you do? High-tail it and run?" Keller said condescendingly.

"No, we built these little nanites, self-replicators. We called them VIRUS units to be cute. Anyway, we set them to work on the moon where the starbase was located and they consumed it. This Stareater came along and kind of swallowed the moon, which unleashed the VIRUS units within. They ate it up sort of from the inside and destroyed it."

Keller scowled, and then unfurrowed his brow. "So... problem solved?"

"No. There are several hundred of these Stareaters headed toward Earth. We sent some VIRUS units back with the Skyler Base crew along with instructions on how to make more and more star probes. But we aren't safe here. We have to get some star probes launched here too and develop a delivery system. You have to kill these things before they get to your star system otherwise, even if they are dead, their mass would destroy any worlds that got in its way."

"I'm having trouble believing that anybody could do such a thing," said Keller. "How do I know you are telling me the truth and this is not just some brain damage from cryo-hibernation talking?"

"You have to believe me, sir," Rei said. "I have all the recordings and backup but they're in the other tug, MINIMCOM's tug."

"Who or what is MINIMCOM?" Keller asked.

Yeah! Who or what is a MINIMCOM? More tomorrow...

## Entry 2-299: October 21, 2014

### Keller gets oriented, part 4

As you can see by now, my original plan was to use this orientation session as an info-dump but a lot of it got chopped out when I compressed the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ down to a single, three-part novel. Here is the final portion:

"Who or what is MINIMCOM?" Keller asked.

"He's a computer sir. He was controlling the other tug. When we set down on the planet, it got smashed by the Ark when it landed on top of it. I don't how we're going to do it but at some point, we have to see if we can salvage something from it. Unfortunately, I left the VIRUS units onboard MINIMCOM. To fight off the Stareater, we have to get more VIRUS units ready and we need star probes."

"Enough of that," said Keller. "You still haven't told me why you are dressed like one of them and how you speak their language. Is that Overmind of yours here?"

"No, these people here are mind-deaf," answered Rei. "They are called mandasurte."

"Mind-deaf?" Keller responded.

"Yes, mind-deaf. They are a lot like us. They have to speak to one another to get heard."

"So, really, there are two species right now? Those that have telepathy and those that don't?"

"No, they are all the same species. The ones that are mind-deaf, there is just something wrong with them. And I forgot to mention this: they're prisoners here."

"Prisoners?" Keller said. "What? Why?" He put his hands to his head and pressed hard, like his head was going to explode.

"I'm not really sure, sir," Rei said. "I haven't really had the time to get the whole story. Our first order of business was to get you and our crew thawed out. Then we can see what's going on in this world."

Rei heard a noise and turned to see Fridone standing in the entranceway.

"Rei," Fridone said, "Rome nacassode-i."

"A dite toraode?" Rei said.

"Fonti."

"Hey Bierak," Keller said.

"Yes, sir?"

"What are you saying? What language is that?" Keller asked.

"It's just called Vuduri, the same as the people," Rei replied.

"How is it that you can speak it?"

"I've had a year to practice," said Rei. "Rome and I were cooped up in one of the tugs which was converted to living quarters, kind of a flying house, for almost 12 months."

"And Rome is?" Keller asked, lifting his palms up.

"She's one of the Vuduri that I met."

"So she's telepathic? Is she part of this Overmind?" Keller asked.

"She was when I met her but now she's like us. Now she's mandasurte," Rei replied.

"I thought you said she was Vuduri. You aren't making any sense."

Rei took a deep breath. "Sir, they are all the same species. They're all human. But some are, you might call it handicapped. They just use the word Vuduri to mean human. They use the word mandasurte to refer to people when they cannot connect to each other mentally."

"So this Rome, she's mind-deaf now?"

"Yes, sir," Rei said.

"What happened to her? Was it the Stareater or what?" Keller laughed at his own joke.

"No," Rei answered, lowering his voice. "She was cast out. They call it Cesdiud."

"How come?" Keller asked. "Why'd they kick her out?"

"From, uh, 'consorting' with me," Rei said sheepishly. "I guess that really is not tolerated in their society."

"You couldn't stick to your own kind?" Keller said.

"Rome is very special, sir," Rei said proudly. "You'll get to meet her. You'll see for yourself."

Well, it _is_ science fiction. A lot of it can be unbelievable. And Rome really is very special.

## Entry 2-300: October 22, 2014

### Is he crazy?

In the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , we know that Rome was suffering from polyhydramnios which is an excess amount of amniotic fluid. She was in such distress that Rei was truly fearful for her life. The common treatment for this condition is simply to stick a catheter into the uterus and draw off the excess fluid. However, the Ibbrassati had next to no medical equipment in their secret enclave. So why didn't Rei just take her to what would eventually come to be known as Ibbra City for treatment?

Answer: it made for much more drama to have Rome and Rei fly into to the Vuduri compound and avail themselves of the state-of-the-art medical equipment contained there. I always knew that I wanted a split structure and this seemed the way to make it happen. Here is that scene:

"What kind of medical facilities do you have?" Rei asked one of the women in Vuduri, Paddy he thought.

"None really," Paddy answered, somewhat bitterly. "The Vuduri keep all the equipment to themselves. They really do not care if we die. Of disease, an accident, in childbirth. It does not matter to them. Just more material to recycle."

"Die!" Rei said. "Who said anything about dying?"

The woman pointed to Rome. "She is too big. Your baby does not fit inside her. We are not the same as you. We are a smaller people. This is why she is in so much distress."

Rei looked down at the woman he loved, suffering. **Suddenly, he knew what he had to do.**

"Rome, I'm going to fly you to the Vuduri."

Paddy gasped. "You cannot do that," she said. "It is forbidden for mandasurte to have access to Vuduri technology. They will kill you."

"Not if they see Rome is pregnant," Rei said.

"They want children who are connected," said the other woman, Sussen. "He is right. They should take their ship, and Rome, to the Vuduri." Rei looked up at her. Something was different about Sussen. Her eyes perhaps? They were a light grey color, almost silver. With the dim light reflecting off of her tapetum, it looked almost as if she had no pupils at all. She looked like she might be blind but clearly she was not. He'd seen eyes like that before but had no time to recollect. Rei put it out of his mind and turned back to look at Rome.

"Well if they want the children who are connected, it won't do them any good if they're dead. I can't take the chance. Romey?"

"Yes, mau emir," she said weakly.

"I'm taking you to the tug. We're going to fly into the lion's den."

"Yes, mau emir," she said. "Things cannot get any worse than they are now."

"I'll be back in a minute then. I have to go tell Trabunel and your father."

"Ow-ow," she said and closed her eyes. "Please hurry."

So, no, Rei was not crazy. If anybody is, it's me, the writer. He didn't suddenly know what to do. I did. I wanted action and adventure and Rome flying to Ibbra City and getting treated offered only limited dramatic tension.

## Entry 2-301: October 23, 2014

### Vuduri wedding vows

Several days ago, I discussed the concept of marriage in relation to the Vuduri. Rei proposed to Rome even as they were packing up and getting ready to fly to the Vuduri compound. Rome accepted Rei's proposal but wanted to wait until they got back. Rei would have no part of it. Trabunel, the leader of the Ibbrassati, offered to perform the ceremony. You will see there wasn't much to it because in Vuduri society, if you wanted to be married, you were married:

Trabunel, who had just reentered the room, spoke up in Vuduri. "There is usually a set of pledges and the families meet before the ceremony. It normally takes some time. But for you, we can skip this step. I can make it brief. We can do it right here, if you would like."

Rome looked over at the two women. They came over and helped her sit up.

"What do I have to do? What do I have to do to get ready?" Rome said in Vuduri.

"You are already ready," Trabunel laughed. "I will just ask the two of you to pledge your lives together. If you give your assent, you are married. Your word is your bond. Understand?"

Both Rei and Rome nodded their head. Rei stood by as Rome pushed off the bed and stood up. He helped her as she walked over to stand by Trabunel. He put his left arm around her and with his right hand, he reached down and took her hand. He raised it to his lips and kissed it gently. They both looked up at Trabunel.

Trabunel addressed them. "Rei, do you give your word and pledge to stay by this woman's side? To always honor and cherish her uniqueness? To be faithful, loving and truthful? Through the bad as well as the good for as long as you both shall live?"

Rei took her hand and kissed it again. "I do," he said.

"And Rome, do you give your word and pledge to stay by this man's side? To always honor and cherish his uniqueness? To be faithful, loving and truthful? Through the bad as well as the good for as long as you both shall live?"

Rome lifted Rei's hand up to her lips and kissed it tenderly. "I do," she said.

"Then you are now bound forever as husband and wife. And the best of luck to you always. I am very happy for you." Trabunel turned and looked at Fridone. "And for you, too, Fridone," he said.

Rome sidled around and put her arms around Rei's neck. In turn, Rei put his arms around her waist and kissed her deeply. For just one moment, all was well with the world.

It was right after this that Rome passed out due to the pain. I guess the honeymoon would have to wait.

## Entry 2-302: October 24, 2014

### A travois

Yesterday, I presented to you the very brief wedding ceremony at the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ which united Rome and Rei in Cesa which is the Vuduri word for marriage. It was right after that that Rome passed out due to the pain of her polyhydramnios.

Since Rei had already made up his mind that he was going to fly Rome to the Vuduri compound, they needed a way to get Rome to the Flying House. They did not have any stretchers or gurneys and this was long before MINIMCOM invented his whoosh/pop snap PPT tunnels.

The simplest method of transporting Rome was to rig a travois which was originally a type of sled used by North American Indians to carry goods, consisting of two joined poles dragged by a horse or dog. In this case, there was no horse or dog. Two men took the rear and Rei carried the front where the two cane-tree trunks joined. A blanket served as the section to hold Rome's weight. It was crude but effective and it got her to the Flying House without making her walk.

## Entry 2-303: October 25, 2014

### The River Karole, again

In the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , after Rei had already made up his mind to fly to the Vuduri compound, the splinter group of Ibbrassati had only one request. They did not want Rei to fly directly toward the east. They wanted him to fly south to hide anything that might reveal the location of their secret enclave.

"You be careful, my daughter. You come back to me with my grandson. There is much that I want to teach him."

"I will, Beo. I will do my best."

Fridone worked his way around to Rei and put his hand on his shoulder.

"You take care of my daughter, son. She is the most precious thing in all the world."

"Yes, she is," Rei replied. "I will take care of her."

"Trabunel instructed me on your route. You must head south first and circle our settlement on the lake. That way, if you are spotted, there will be no undue curiosity about our encampment here."

"How do I do that?" Rei asked.

"Follow the stream in front of you to the south until you come to where it merges with the River Karole," replied Fridone. "You follow the river all the way until it empties into Lake Eprehem. Our settlement in on the eastern shore. Once you are past the village you can circle around and then head due east. I do not know how fast your ship flies so I cannot tell you how long it will take. All I can tell you is that the Vuduri compound is located somewhere along the coast. Perhaps a bit north once you get to the ocean. I know nothing more."

"Thank you. I guess we will figure it out when we get there," said Rei.

"Very well. Good luck to the two of you," said Fridone.

"Thank you. We will be back as soon as we can," Rei replied.

"Goodbye, Beo," said Rome.

"Goodbye, Volhe," Fridone said. He started to say something else then stopped himself. He and the other two men left.

You can see from the map below that if Rei followed the River Karole, the village which later became known as Ibbra City was perched on the eastern shore of Lake Eprehem. We will return here later after Rei and Rome are forced to separate.

## Entry 2-304: October 26, 2014

### Where are the rest of them?

As I have mentioned numerous times, the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution_ was a three novel series entitled _VIRUS 5_. Originally, _VIRUS 5_ was supposed to be a standalone novel. It only acquired Book 2 and Book 3 after I spent some time wondering what happened after the end of the original work.

As such, some of the nuances in Books 2 and 3 were not as well thought out as the original. However, I think they are better written. Regardless, I knew that I wanted to make the world of Deucado, Rome and Rei's destination, a prison world designed to keep the mandasurte at bay until the planet could be destroyed by an asteroid 19 years in the future.

The resulting genocide was meant to further _somebody's_ plans. At first I thought it was just a splinter group, called a samanda within a samanda, within the Overmind. It wasn't until I worked my way through the novel that I realized it was all a part of MASAL's master plan. I had to go back and rewrite a good portion of Book 2 once I learned of this.

However, some of the tenets of designing and operating a prison planet didn't change regardless of who was running it. It was absolutely necessary to keep the captured mandasurte oppressed (that is why they were called the Ibbrassati). This meant that had to be denied access to technology to prevent contact or escape. They also had to be kept in fear of reprisal by a huge contingent of Vuduri. If they knew for a fact there only a handful, not even a thousand, Vuduri, they could have overwhelmed them by sheer numbers.

So the myth was propagated that there was a huge population of Vuduri somewhere on the planet. But where? Certainly not on the continent of Asquarti which was the location of the village on the shores of Lake Eprehem that would later become known as Ibbra City. That leaves the eastern continents of Sul and Toraode. There were supposed to be hundreds of thousands of Vuduri there. So the Ibbrassati would never rise up knowing they would be crushed by overwhelming forces that could easily be summoned.

Of course it was all a lie. Not only were there _no_ Vuduri on the eastern continents, they had never even been explored. Aason Bierak led the first expedition to that other place looking for the lost people called the Suduri.

You'll meet some of the Suduri, at least some dead ones, in the upcoming novel entitled _The Milk Run_. The subject of where the Suduri ended up is a lasting memory that may or may not be solved if I ever write the last book in the series tentatively entitled "The Final Journey" but that's a subject for another day.

## Entry 2-305: October 27, 2014

### Mind-reading or cell-phone?

In the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rei and Rome set out flying east in hopes of finding the Vuduri compound. Rome was in severe need of medical attention and this was the only way Rei could think of to get her the proper care. As they were flying toward the eastern ocean, there was a tiny episode that was foreshadowing of some sort. Here is that section:

Rome's face grimaced in pain. "I do not know," she said sharply. "I cannot think about such things right now."

"OK, honey," Rei said, knowing that it was the pain talking to him harshly.

Haltingly, Rome took in a deep breath as best as she could and then let it out slowly. "I am going to close my eyes now," she said. "Wake me when we get close."

"Sure, honey. You rest."

Then, Rei heard her say in Vuduri, _"He is so good to me. I really love him."_

"I love you too, honey," Rei said, not really looking at her.

"What?" Rome said, opening her eyes. "I did not say anything. But I do love you."

"OK, whatever you say, sweetheart."

_"_ _He is so strange sometimes."_

Rei laughed and turned to look at her. Her eyes were closed. He just shrugged it off.

We know that Rome gained telepathic powers later on. After all this was one of the core tenets of _Rome's Evolution_. So was she, in essence, transmitting into Rei's mind her inner-most thoughts?

Nope. For Rome to gain her later powers, she would need the injection of the gene therapy at the Vuduri compound and later on Earth, administered by Estar. Plus Rome only learned to read minds, not transmit thoughts. At this stage of the story, Rome had already ingested the yellow pill and I can now reveal that this was simply her "cell-phone in the head" twitching. Rei did not know he had this ability either so between the two of them, Rome broadcasting, Rei receiving, Rei thought he was hearing things. Turns out, he was.

## Entry 2-306: October 28, 2014

The Milk Run Preview: Junior

In the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_ , Aason and Lupe have returned to the Tabit system so that the Library OMCOM can get some long overdue maintenance. Not only do his memrons need a refresh, he has acquired valuable information that Planet OMCOM wished to download and backup.

With the Null Fold star drive, the trip to Tabit only takes 11 hours but a round trip still requires that the passengers eat and sleep. What was required was a cross between The Flying House which had no cargo capacity and MINIMCOM's normal configuration which was all about transporting people and equipment.

In a previous post, I showed you Junior's redesigned cockpit but I didn't tell you what happened to the back half. I came up with what I call Junior's "medium haul" configuration. Half the cargo bay has been converted into living quarters: a bedroom, a small galley, refresher and so on. It omits some of the items required for longer trips. The back half is still wide open and suitable for hauling cargo. As such you need an airlock between the front and back just in case you need to open the cargo bay in space.

So here it is, your first look at Junior's medium-haul configuration. You can click on the image to get a bigger view:

## Entry 2-307: October 29, 2014

The Milk Run Preview: Starship OMCOM

One of the key tenets of the upcoming novel entitled _The Milk Run_ was that I tied up any remaining loose ends from the previous novels in the _Rome's Revolution_ series.

These include things like:  
\- Whatever happened to OMCOM aka Planet OMCOM?  
\- What, exactly, was the purpose of the mutations that OMCOM allowed to occur?  
\- Where did the Stareaters come from?  
\- Whatever happened to the Ark IV, destination Nu2 Lupi?  
\- How will man expand into the universe when the stars are so damned far away?

Well, all of these loose ends are tied together into a single concept whose working title is Starship OMCOM. The Null Fold X-drive is similar to the Null Fold star drive except it bends imaginary negative energy instead of the real part. There are many more dimensions to negative energy to be exploited so the upper velocity is limited only by the computing engine behind it. Imagine how fast a starship could go if it had a computer the size of a planet?

The only problem for launching it is that it needs a PPT tunnel larger than anything ever seen. This is where the Stareaters come in. Two of the smaller ones join Planet OMCOM, after he converts himself into a starship and they create the launch window. For reasons which will be made clear in the story, Junior has to be mounted on a stalk in the very front to lead the way. In the drawing below, his starcraft is visible but in real life it would be too small to see at the scale presented.

So here, for the first time, is a preliminary drawing of Starship OMCOM, the fastest starship that will ever be built. Don't laugh, it's the best I could do...

## Entry 2-308: October 30, 2014

The Milk Run Preview: The Saberoo

In a previous post, I described to you a curious creature that attacks Aason in the beginning of _The Milk Run_. My wife, Denise, named the creature an Ice-Saber since it was similar to a saber-toothed tiger that lived on a freezing cold planet. However, in sketching out designs for the new cover, my brother Bruce called it a Saberoo because its rear legs are more like a kangaroo. Since both are right, I decided to rename the creature an Ice-Saberoo so as to not hurt anyone's feelings.

Naming rights aside, Bruce asked me for more details on what the creature looked like. So I embarked on a journey to stitch together a Frankenstein version of the predator. All I can say is please, please forgive me. Bruce will do a _much_ better job of rendering it but it is a starting point:

After you pick yourself up from the floor, laughing, let me just point out a few salient features. Those horrid red things on its head are supposed to be tissue-thin infrared sensors which can swivel and allow the creature to track its prey using body heat. It has pronounced saber-like teeth, both upper and lower. It has very powerful rear legs for leaping at its prey and a meaty tail for counter-balance.

Normally, it hits its prey with its top teeth then sinks its lower teeth into the prey's body. It then uses its upper teeth to pry open its food like an old-fashioned can opener. To make things worse, it has heavily clawed short front legs in case it gets into a tussle. All in all, a good animal to avoid.

## Entry 2-309: October 31, 2014

The Milk Run Preview: The Forest of Hades

In the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_ , much of the initial action takes place on the planet called Hades by its resident. Hades is the sixth planet out in the Nu2 Lupi system. It is right at the edge of the habitable zone surrounding the primary. As such, it is very cold much of the year.

The vegetation there has developed to protect itself from the cold. Instead of leaves, the entire trunks are coated with a photosynthetic surface. The trees are log-like to minimize exposure to the cold and maximize moisture retention. I gave you a first look but since then, in describing the action to Bruce, he pointed out that my original "Fortress of Solitude" design would be impractical to hide the Ice-Saberoo which has to leap out at unsuspecting victims.

So Bruce sketched out an alternate design for me which is so superior, I think I'll change the description of the forest to match his design rather than vice versa.

So thanks Bruce and here is your first look at the real forest of Hades:

## Entry 2-310: November 1, 2014

### All together now

In the universe of _Rome's Revolution_ , much of the action takes place on distant worlds and far off solar systems. What I have never shown you are all the principal locations all at once. So here, for the first time, is a comprehensive star chart showing the relationship between the various worlds. You can click on the image to get a bigger view:

Earth, of course, is where we live and where the Vuduri live. It is location of the climax of both _Rome's Revolution_ and _Rome's Evolution_.

Tabit is part of the constellation of Orion and this is where the whole thing starts. Deucado, of course, is the final home world of Rome and Rei and their children. Because of the mixture of the various races (Essessoni, Ibbrassati, Deucadons and Vuduri), Deucado is the most vibrant world and takes the lead on the advancement on mankind.

Helome, one of the two habitable worlds orbiting Alpha Centauri, is highlighted in both _The Ark Lords_ and _Rome's Evolution_. Finally, Hades is the center of the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_. Don't get fooled by its apparent closeness to Helome. This is a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional universe. Nu2 Lupi is 48 light years from Earth. Helome is sort of "on the way" so Nu2 Lupi is _only_ 43 light years from Helome. Tabit is in the opposite direction so when Aason must travel from Tabit to Nu2 Lupi, he has to cover the incredible distance of 68 light years. Thank goodness for the null fold X-drive otherwise it would take forever for him to rescue Lupe.

## Entry 2-311: November 2, 2014

### East is east, West is west

In the middle part of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rei must fly Rome into the "Lion's Den" which is his fatalistic reference to the Vuduri compound. His hope is to convince them to apply their advanced medical knowledge and save Rome from succumbing to polyhydramnios. As Rome and Rei were leaving the secret Ibbrassati enclave, they were instructed to fly "East" until they got to the coast of Asquarti, the western continent.

But what does that mean, East? Well, east is where the sun rises. So if a planet is spinning counter-clockwise when viewed from the North Pole, the east is the way we think of east as in the East Coast. But what if a planet spins clockwise? What if the sun rises in the west and sets in the east?

The answer lies along the equator, not the poles. If you are in the sky and looking down at a planet, you have to choose one of the poles and call it the North Pole. So you pick the one such that as the planet rotates, the sun rises on the right hand side and sets on the left hand side. It doesn't matter otherwise. There is nothing critical as to whether the planet is rotating with its north pole "up" whatever that means.

So, the bottom line is, east is defined as where the sun rises, west is defined as where it sets. What you would do if the planet did not rotate, I haven't a clue. But I get to make this stuff up and so far, my imagined planets rotate so East is east, West is west.

## Entry 2-312: November 3, 2014

### The cover story

As you know, Rome was suffering from polyhydramnios in the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. Rei had decided to fly them in the "Lion's Den" which was his code name for the Vuduri compound located somewhere along the east coast of Asquarti, the western continent of Deucado.

While Rome and Rei were fairly certain the Vuduri were going to kill them upon contact, just in case they survived, they needed a cover story that would not expose the secret Ibbrassati enclave hidden in the woods to the north of the village that would later come to be known as Ibbra City.

The situation was this: Rei was dressed in clothes normally worn by the Ibbrassati. They were flying in the Flying House. They needed to explain the absence of the Ark II in such a way that they didn't aid the Vuduri in finding it.

This is as much thought as Rome could put into it given her condition:

"What's our cover story? How do we explain my clothes, you know? Everything?" Rei asked.

Rome thought about it for a moment. "We will say that the Ark crashed into the lake and sank to the bottom. We landed near the settlement and met just one man, Trabunel, and he gave you your clothes and told us how to get to the Vuduri compound."

"OK," Rei said. "But why did he give me these clothes?"

Eventually, Rei came up with a flimsy story as to why but in the end, it didn't matter. The Overmind already knew that the Ark had not been destroyed. It had decided to simply wait until the Essessoni came out to meet the Vuduri forces in the open. So the cover story didn't really cover anything.

## Entry 2-313: November 4, 2014

### Rome can lie

As we learned early on in _Rome's Revolution_ , the Vuduri did not really have the capacity to lie. How can you tell a lie when everybody is looking inside your head and already knows the truth?

It turns out though that the Vuduri can hide things and are reasonably proficient in keeping secrets. But lying, no way. So when Rome and Rei were on their way to the Vuduri compound, Rei was shocked to find out that Rome was able to lie with the best of them. Here is the exchange. Pegus, the leader of the Vuduri, was so astounded that Rome and Rei would put themselves out in the open, he had to ask why:

"Why are you coming here?" the man demanded hoarsely in Vuduri. "Surely you know we must kill you for possession of illegal technology."

"Why would you kill us? I know you know from Captain Ursay's reports who we are and why we are here," said Rome angrily. "This ship was a gift of the Vuduri and we are now returning it to its rightful owners. It is hardly an offense worthy of death."

Rei was stunned at Rome's words. He had not thought of this tack.

Rome continued. "In addition, I am with child. I will need medical supervision. I do not know if the child will be connected but if he is, I want the child integrated into the Overmind here. That is your way. You would not take that opportunity away from a newborn. We need your help. It is that simple. You need not do anything hasty. After all," Rome said, "you can always kill us later."

"Where are the Erklirte?" the man demanded.

"The Ark was destroyed upon reentry. It sunk to the bottom of the lake. This tug is the only thing that survived."

Rei looked as his wife, lying with the best of them. He was impressed.

"Very well," said the man. "The fighters will escort you to our compound. Do not try anything foolhardy or we will be forced to shoot and I promise you we will not miss."

"You heard the man," Rome said in English, sotto voce. "Follow the fighters and no fooling around."

"Yes, ma'am!" Rei said. "You are pretty awesome, you know."

"Yes, I am," she replied. She closed her eyes and put her hands on her stomach. "I wish this would stop."

"Soon, honey, soon."

So Rei's ability to kid might be a good thing but Rome learning how to lie? I'm still not sure about that.

## Entry 2-314: November 5, 2014

### Landing strips

Many times I have been accused of skimping on physical description at least in the world of _Rome's Revolution_. This is because I am so anxious to get to the story, the action, that I don't want to bog down the writing with excessive description.

As such, my landing strips are always the same. Vuduri starships and airships all run on EG Lifters so they all takeoff and land vertically. There is no need for runways. They always park their vehicles along the buildings and their flying craft along the edge of the runway. Here is the dopiest block diagram but it gets the point across:

This layout was exactly the same when Rome and Rei landed in the Vuduri compound in the middle part of _Rome's Revolution_. It was also the same at the end of that book as well as the secret Darwin Base we encountered at the end of _The Ark Lords_.

It was also the same when Rei and Rome returned to Helome in _Rome's Evolution_. The only difference in that book is the Vuduri had built a research complex on the outskirts of the landing area.

The only time I truly deviated from this master (read lazy) plan was for the University of Deucado. MINIMCOM built his own private landing strip and he did it his way. This was the place where we met Junior, the first starship born, not built.

## Entry 2-315: November 6, 2014

### The Vuduri Palace

In Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rei and Rome are escorted by the Vuduri into the main building within their compound on the eastern short of Asquarti. However, unlike standard Vuduri architecture which is plain, unadorned, white aerogel, this particular building is opulent, if not decadent. Here is the original paragraph describing it:

The vehicle drove around to a side entrance and a landing pad where it settled in. Covering the area was an overhang that reminded Rei of a carport. The guards got out and indicated that Rei and Rome were to follow them. The doorway opened up and more guards came out of the building and created a phalanx around them and escorted them inside. Rei observed the architecture as they entered. The doorway itself had ornate carvings on the cornices and as they entered, the foyer was paved with a shiny stone resembling marble.

The opulence of the edifice was astounding. Rei could not think of it in any other terms but a palace. There was artwork on the walls, archways and rooms everywhere. There were couches, chairs, even a mirror. They didn't have time to gawk, though. More men came up to take over the escort detail but they were dressed in outfits far more ostentatious than those worn by the soldiers from the outside.

"Soge-ma," grunted one of the palace guard and he walked forward through a set of double doors into a large ballroom. Rei craned his neck to look around him, at the high domed ceiling. He could have sworn it was inlaid with gold. He also noted there were stained glass windows all around. The trappings made no sense. They made the hall look almost like a church sanctuary. They traversed the entire distance and exited using a door at the far end. On the other side, they encountered two more guards who opened up another set of doors and then they entered a room that had to be an office, just a very well appointed one.

So what's the deal? Why would the Vuduri who don't pay any attention to style or luxury build something straight out of a European castle? Pegus' explanation was terse and cruel at the same time:

Rei looked around him. "OK. So what's with all the statues and plants and stuff. This isn't anything like I expected of the Vuduri. You guys don't care about art. What's going on?"

"Oh that," Pegus gave him a slight smile. "We have determined that the outward appearance of wealth and luxury has the most damaging effect on the morale of the mandasurte. It keeps them more tractable."

Remember, the whole point of Deucado was to keep the Ibbrassati in place until the asteroid came and wiped them all out. Sweet, huh?

## Entry 2-316: November 7, 2014

### Aason was always different

As I have mentioned before, at the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rome is suffering from polyhydramnios which is an excess of fluid in the womb. Aason, Rome and Rei's unborn son, is the first of his kind, a blend of Essessoni and Vuduri. His genetic structure is complex and his mental abilities are very strong. In fact, it is his unique abilities which save the Earth from destruction by the Stareaters.

We get the very first hint that Aason is different long before we meet him and learn about him. When Rei and Rome flew into the "Lion's Den" - the Vuduri compound on the eastern shore of Asquarti - the Vuduri elect not to kill her because she is bearing a child which should be a welcome addition to the Overmind there.

However, Pegus, the leader of the Vuduri on Deucado, notices right away that Aason is not what he appears. Here is that exchange:

Pegus stood up and walked around to where Rei and Rome were standing. He waved his hand over Rome's abdomen and nodded.

"There is a resonance. The baby has active PPT transceivers," said Pegus. "I can feel a connection but it is limited in scope. It is not normal. Your child is trying to connect but he is not able to merge with our Overmind. I am permitted to inform you that we detected his confusion long before you got here. I can sense that he needs his mother to explain to him what is happening. Without that, we believe he and you will most likely die. That is assuming we allow you to live."

"What do you mean?" asked Rei. "What are you saying?"

"To save the child, we need to reconnect the woman to our samanda," Pegus replied. "Then she will be able to interact with the child and we can see about allowing her to give birth."

"NO!" Rei shouted. "There has to be another way."

Rome turned to him. "Pegus is right. I need to connect to our baby. It will be OK."

Later we come to find out that the Overmind of Deucado has been trying to elicit information from Aason well before Rome and Rei ever arrive at Deucado. Aason is completely up to the task of rebuffing the bodiless entity.

This skill actually saves his life in the upcoming novel entitled _The Milk Run_ when he encounters a being who claims he is God. However, for that scene, you'll have to wait until the book comes out.

## Entry 2-317: November 8, 2014

### Rome can lie in her head, too

A few days back, I posted an article showing that Rome learned to lie in the novel _Rome's Revolution_. However, this skill is not just verbal. Rome has learned to lie in her head, as well. What, you ask? Why would a person need to learn how to lie in their head? They would if there were someone, or something, listening in. Like the Overmind.

Yesterday, I showed you that both Pegus and Rome had concluded that reconnecting Rome to the samanda (the seed of the Overmind) was the only thing that could save her (and Aason's) life. Rei had a big problem with that. Here is that brief conversation:

Rome tried to take a deep breath but her intake was ragged. Her breathing had the same quality to it that happens after someone had been crying for a long time. Only Rome was not crying. "Rei, it will only be temporary. Only until the baby is born. Then I will cast myself out." She exhaled sharply.

"No, that's not what I mean," Rei said in hushed tones. "As soon as you connect, they'll know where the Ark is. They'll kill my people. And yours. They'll know where your..."

"No, they will not," Rome said, cutting him off. "They will only see that the Ark was destroyed and that we are alone. Just as we agreed."

"But that still doesn't explain my clothes," Rei whispered. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out that we met up with the Ibbrassati. They will know this right away. Honey, it'll be a disaster."

She reached up and put her hand on his cheek. "Mau emir, many times I say to you that I trust you. Now I am asking you to trust me. Trust your wife. I know what I am doing."

Rei looked down at those dark, glowing eyes. He knew that when it came to her, he had no will. He melted just looking at them.

"All right, sweetheart. I love you. Do what you have to."

She stood up on her toes and Rei bent over and they kissed. **"I will always love you,"** she said.

Of course she loved him. Why phrase it that way? Why did Rome say that she would _always_ love Rei? How is that even relevant? Why was there ever a question about it? Very curious. More on that tomorrow.

## Entry 2-318: November 9, 2014

### Going undercover

Yesterday, I gave you a short scene from Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ which took place just before Rome was reconnected to the Overmind of Deucado. Rome told Rei she would always love him but as I emphasized to you in that article, there was no need to point that out. It was never called into question. So what's up? Why would Rome say such an odd thing right at that point in time?

We have to go back a little ways and realize that Rome was completely naive about the universe growing up. She only knew what her parents and the Overmind had told her. It wasn't until her assignment to the star base on Tabit that she was allowed to experience novel things without pre-assigned values. And, of course, she met Rei.

As the story progresses, she comes to discover not only her inner power but the power of love and that the Rei and Rome system had the ability to conquer most anything.

What she did not realize was that she may not have as much power by herself as she did when they were a couple. It was her plan to go "undercover" and conquer the Overmind of Deucado alone, without Rei. This was totally naive but Rome has always shown the power to intuit things for which she could not explain. We learned at the end of _Rome's Evolution_ that she had to power to travel in time, at least within her mind, both forward and backward. So some of her premonitions and assumptions were just that, premonitions of the future.

Even though it had no basis in logic, Rome had complete confidence that she could go in and beat down the Overmind. This confidence was actually based on the unrealized knowledge that she had already done so. Regardless, Rome knew that for the plan to succeed, she was going to have to send Rei away. She knew his presence would only interfere with her upcoming battle. She elected not to share this with Rei but this was the motivation for her curious statement. She knew she was going to have to reject him and this was her code phrase for him to know it was not real. It was part of the battle plan for her upcoming war with the Overmind.

## Entry 2-319: November 10, 2014

### Life-Force Theory

As I near the end of writing _The Milk Run_ , I have stumbled across some interesting ideas that seem to have a common thread. My working title for this idea is 'Life-Force Theory'. The fundamental plot element of the novel is that Heaven is real and Lupe, Aason's sister, is kidnapped and taken there for nefarious reasons.

Aason's biblical journey takes him to Hades (Hell), the planet Ay'den (Eden) to the space between Heaven and Earth (Limbo), Purgatory and finally Heaven itself. The story postulates that souls are real and they all make their way to Heaven eventually. Some take a detour in Purgatory if they have issues to work out but all eventually go "topside" as they call it. If you simply postulate that souls are real, it explains a whole host of stuff, some of which the characters discuss in the book. Here are some examples:

\- Ghosts: simply souls from above who have found a temporary portal from Purgatory or Heaven and have traveled back to Earth.  
\- Near-death experiences: the bright light and loved ones on the other side of the tunnel which is just a portal to Heaven (if the light is golden) or Purgatory (if the light is bright white) and the loved ones are the souls of your predecessors who are waiting for you.  
\- The seemingly inexplicable bond between twins than allows one twin to sense when the other is in danger, even if they are half-way around the world. This one is easy. Twins share a soul so they have a channel for communication that kind of bounces off of heaven and back down to Earth again.  
\- Out of body experiences: if someone's soul rises above their body, say during surgery, then reenters the body, it may be explainable because it is real.  
\- Vampires - this one is silly but vampires would just be bodies without souls. The idea of them sucking blood is just a metaphor for them trying to suck the life-force from their victims so they can restore themselves to wholeness.  
\- Soul mates: simply matching souls.  
\- Premonitions or even dreams.  
\- Possession: another soul enters your body.  
\- Séances/Contacting the dead (just other souls).  
\- Hearing voices in the head.  
\- Reincarnation.

Oh well. _The Milk Run_ is just a science fiction story but if the Life-Force Theory is true, it sure does explain a lot of superstitious, psychic or otherwise inexplicable things. The grand unification of scary stuff! You can think about it but I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time worrying about it though.

## Entry 2-320: November 11, 2014

### Wires 2

I hate wires. Look at this picture beneath my desk at my computer:

I have previously posted an article about the Vuduri and wires but it is time to revisit the concept. In the world of _Rome's Revolution_ , the Vuduri have abolished the concept of wires.

All communication between instruments is performed using electro-magnetic signals in the exahertz band. Most equipment is self-powered using local Casimir Pumps but memrons, the tiny computing units which couple together to form OMCOM and the like are forbidden from having access to Casimir Pumps. So how do they receive their power?

I postulated that in the 35th century, the Vuduri have invented a thermocouple-like device which is ultra-efficient. It converts microwave radiation into electricity which then powers the memrons. As such, they are always contained within a mesh-work Faraday cage so that people don't get irradiated.

Why is this important? Because near the end of _The Milk Run_ , Junior has to come up with a method of tripling the power being fed to his memrons. He can't just up the amount of microwave radiation because the thermocouples are already running at max efficiency. So he comes up with the concept of creating polarized microwaves. He uses circular polarization to make one stream go clockwise and the other go counter-clockwise. It works pretty well until he shuts off the new beams. What happens then? You'll have to wait for the novel to find out.

## Entry 2-321: November 12, 2014

### Under the palace

A few days ago, I described the Vuduri Palace within their compound on Deucado from the second part of _Rome's Revolution_. It was very ostentatious because the Vuduri there wanted to impress or maybe depress the locals with its opulence.

However, the Vuduri themselves do not care about wealth or luxury. We see this as soon as Rome and Rei are escorted one floor down away from the "public" area. Supposedly, this would be a section of the building where the Ibbrassati would never go:

Two guards came and took up positions in the doorway. Pegus stood up and came around to the other side of the desk and motioned to Rei and Rome to follow him. They were led out of the office and to the left. The guards fell in behind them. Rei and Rome followed Pegus down a hallway that had pastel walls and a regular assortment of small pedestals with busts and statuettes. At the end of the hallway, a doorway opened up but it was not to another room but rather to an elevator.

Once the five people were inside, the doors closed and there was the tiniest vibration that told Rei they were moving. However, owing to the advanced nature of the Vuduri's mastery of magnetics and gravity, Rei could not tell if they were going up or down. At last, the door opened again and they were escorted along a long white hallway made of the standard Vuduri aerogel foam. They passed door after door after door until they came to a room that looked like a medical suite. The room was completely white with a table and several racks full of monitoring equipment right next to it. Inside stood two technicians each wearing a standard issue Vuduri white jumpsuit.

Pretty boring, huh? But then the Vuduri always were across the universe of _Rome's Revolution_. It took Reinard Beirak to arrive and liven things up.

## Entry 2-322: November 13, 2014

### A flaw can be a strength

In the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , Aason is still _in utero_ when Pegus, the leader of the Vuduri on Deucado, decides to inject Rome with a second pair of the 24th chromosome. The goal is to reconnect her to the Overmind of Deucado ostensibly to save the baby.

However, we know that both parties, Rome and Pegus, have their own agendas. What no one considered would be what would happen to Aason when he received the extra chromosomes as well. Pegus had already condemned him as something more than mosdurece (half-blood) but less than a full-blooded Vuduri. Here is his analysis:

"It is just as I suspected," Pegus said. "The child's genetic pairs are asymmetrical. It appears that he only has one normal strand of the 24th chromosome instead of two. There is a second piece of the pair. But it is unlike anything we have ever seen before. In addition, several of his genes have been modified with a protein interlace, a triple helix if you will. I would call it a peptide nucleic acid rather than DNA. I cannot tell what would be its purpose.

"OMCOM gave me a pill that modified my genetic structure," Rei said. "It was supposed to fix my back."

"Yes, parts of this would make sense," said Pegus. "But it is the flaw in the 24th chromosome that concerns me. We know the child has a PPT resonance. But his PPT transceivers will only be half-strength. This will allow him to communicate directly, mind-to-mind, as would any Vuduri upon encountering a new samanda. But he would be incapable of ever integrating into the Overmind. This is a shame but not unexpected."

"Why would you say that?" Rome asked in breathy tones.

"Because he is a half-breed," said Pegus apparently without prejudice. "He is a cross between a 23-chromosome Essessoni and a 24-chromosome Vuduri. No other result could be expected."

"So connecting Rome won't matter," Rei said, hoping he could stop this operation.

"On the contrary," said Pegus smugly. "It is exactly the correct course of action. The only way the baby will be able to understand what is happening is to connect directly with his mother. And the only way he can do that is for us to reactivate Rome's PPT transceivers. Do you understand?"

Pegus is correct. Aason will always be able to restrict the influx of gravitic modulation into his brain. To Pegus, this is a flaw. However, in the climax of the entire _Rome's Revolution_ saga, it is this very flaw that allows Aason to remain conscious when all the other Vuduri around him have been rendered senseless by the onrushing Stareater.

Without this so-called flaw, the Earth and all its inhabitants would have been destroyed. Not too shabby, huh?

## Entry 2-323: November 14, 2014

### Super duper hand-waving

I have previously admitted to a certain amount of hand-waving when it came to making specific parts fit in the world of _Rome's Revolution_. However, some of the hand-waving is couched deep within the science so that it sounds believable. Consider Pegus' explanation as to how he was going to infuse Rome with a new set of the 24th chromosome:

"Hold on a sec," Rei said. "I'm not from around here. What is that?" he asked the technician.

The man ignored him and continued on. He injected Rome with several ccs of a bright orange liquid.

"I qua a equala?" Rei said to the man in a louder voice.

"Ganas," replied the man in a hoarse whisper. Clearly, speaking was not something he did very often.

"Genes? Why are you giving her genes?" Rei demanded. "This is genetic therapy?"

Pegus walked over to them. He pointed to the now-empty syringe.

"The process is very simple," Pegus explained. "We give her an infusion of genetic material to regenerate nascent PPT transceivers. The liquid contains transcription-RNA within an artificial virus for delivery directly into the nucleus of her cells. The PPT transceivers will rebuild within her neural tissue. It passes through the blood-brain barrier and delivers this therapy to her brain as well. Once the new transceivers have replaced the disabled ones, we apply a small electrogravitic field to start the resonance and then she will lock into our samanda. It is supposed to be quite painless."

Sounds pretty believable for a bunch of baloney, huh?

## Entry 2-324: November 15, 2014

### The scenes in your head

I think many times movies are made because some writer or director has a vision of a spectacular, seminal moment; a jaw-dropping visual. An entire movie then has to be constructed around that cinematic climax, sometimes with greater or lesser success. My various novels that have led up to the modern version of _Rome's Revolution_ is no different except I had a bunch of cinematic moments that I had to weave into the story.

One such moment could be called "Rome's Reconnection" because it is the point in the story where Rome is reintegrated with the Overmind of Deucado. Ever since Rome was cast out back on Tabit, I wondered about what it would be like for her to get reconnected having discovered her autonomy. But I wanted it to be more than you are reconnected. The vision in my mind was little bit like Frankenstein, strapped to an operating table, being struck by lightning. Here is that little section. See if it creates a graphic, visual scene in your head. This takes place right after Rome has been strapped down on the table:

The two technicians walked over to a rack and each removed a rather sizeable copper plate with wires trailing from it. In his entire year with the Vuduri, this was the first time Rei had ever seen a wire. He assumed it was because there was a current or signal that could not be sent wirelessly as was their penchant. The technicians went on either side of Rome and knelt down to plug the dangling wires into a small box that was underneath the table where Rome was lying. They stood up and held the plates about 15 centimeters from her temple, one on each side. With no fanfare, the box began to hum and suddenly, Rome stiffened and shrieked a bloodcurdling yell.

Rei tried to go toward her but the two guardsmen grabbed him by the shoulders and held him back.

"Let me go," Rei insisted. They did not.

On the table, Rome took a deep breath and then her whole body seemed to relax. The two technicians holding the plates lowered them and set them down on the floor. They loosened her restraints. Rome lay there, not moving at all. One technician removed the cuffs around her arm and leg but left the telemetry sensors in place.

"Sweetheart?" Rei called out, leaning as far forward as the guards would permit but there was no reaction on Rome's part. One of the technicians patted her cheek lightly with no response. They removed the restraints altogether and jostled her gently. Rome still showed no reaction. The two technicians turned toward Pegus who nodded slightly.

Each of the technicians took an elbow and coaxed Rome's body into an upright position. They remove the adhesive sensors. For a moment, Rome sat straight up but then her head fell forward with her chin resting on her chest. She stayed that way for a long while.

## Entry 2-325: November 16, 2014

### Goodbye Rome, Part 1

As I have mentioned previously, I wanted Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ to have a split narrative structure. Rome was to go on a mental journey while Rei was to go on a physical journey and they'd meet up near the end of this section. In order to do this, it was necessary to break up the couple (sniff, sniff), that is, boy loses girl. To facilitate this split, Rome has to go undercover and pretend to not want to be with Rei anymore. Yesterday, I wrote about the reintegration process itself.

Once Rome is injected with the artificial genes and reconnected to the Overmind of Deucado, it is now time for her to get Rei out of there so that a) he is not in danger and b) she can do her work which is to say do battle with the Overmind. She had hinted at this just short while before, when she told Rei she would always love him even though it seemed out of context.

Here is part 1 of how she dismissed him:

On the table, Rome took a deep breath and then her whole body seemed to relax. The two technicians holding the plates lowered them and set them down on the floor. They loosened her restraints. Rome lay there, not moving at all. One technician removed the cuffs around her arm and leg but left the telemetry sensors in place.

"Sweetheart?" Rei called out, leaning as far forward as the guards would permit but there was no reaction on Rome's part. One of the technicians patted her cheek lightly with no response. They removed the restraints altogether and jostled her gently. Rome still showed no reaction. The two technicians turned toward Pegus who nodded slightly.

Each of the technicians took an elbow and coaxed Rome's body into an upright position. They remove the adhesive sensors. For a moment, Rome sat straight up but then her head fell forward with her chin resting on her chest. She stayed that way for a long while.

Tomorrow, part 2 of this pivotal scene.

## Entry 2-326: November 17, 2014

### Goodbye Rome, Part 2

Yesterday, I set up the scene in Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ whereby Rome is ready to head off on her inner journey. She had just awakened from the trance or coma or unconsciousness caused by the injection:

At last, Rome's head twitched then a shiver ran all the way down her body. Finally, she lifted her head and opened her eyes. She looked around the room, her eyes sweeping past Rei's, appearing to not even notice him. After a moment, she swung her legs back over the side and slid off the table with the one technician steadying her. She straightened up and glanced in the direction where the two guards were holding Rei. Rome shrugged off the technician's arms and walked over to Rei unassisted. She looked up at him but her face was completely passive. In some ways, it did not even look like Rome.

"Goodbye, Rei," she said in a monotone. She turned and started walking toward the door.

"Goodbye? Romey, wait!" Rei shouted in anguish.

Rome ignored him and did not stop until she got to the doorway. She turned around and looked right at Pegus.

"Ni! Fica nei i medere." she said out loud. Then in English, "You will not kill him. He is still the father of my child. You will return him to the settlement. Now!"

Pegus bowed his head slightly. **"Som, monhe reonhe,"** he said.

"What?" Rei said. "What did he just say? What the hell?"

Yeah, what did he say? He said, "Yes, my queen" in Vuduri. I just threw that in there and never brought it up again. In fact, I never told anybody this before. I only hinted at it way at the end of Part 2 when Rei laughingly refers to Rome as Queen of the Vuduri. My little secret and now yours.

## Entry 2-327: November 18, 2014

### Mutt and Jeff

There's something inherently comical about a very tall person standing next to a short one. Couples where there is a large height disparity seem curious. When I was growing up, I used to read a comic strip called Mutt and Jeff which was exactly that, a tall guy and a short guy doing wacky things together.

Funny, right? When I started crafting the world of _Rome's Revolution_ , I always had in the back of my mind that winnowing down the population would give the opportunity to change the general characteristics of humankind. I took the opportunity to have humans end up quite a bit shorter; Rome is just over five feet tall. In contrast, the Essessoni (us) are, well, our size. So Rei is often described as "towering over the Vuduri" and not just because of his height but because of his musculature. In other words, I believe the Vuduri were diminutive. It gave me a lot of material to fill out the book when contrasting the two sets of people.

Yesterday, I described the scene where Rome appears to reject Rei, leaving him for good. Now Rei loves her very much and isn't going to just let her walk out of his life without a fight. But making the Vuduri diminutive would make it seem that Rei could overpower any Vuduri that got in his way but for the plot to continue, Rome needs to go. See if you think I was able to sidestep this issue:

Rome disappeared from view and Pegus followed her out, closing the door behind him. Rei tried to move in that direction but the two guards, who were burly by Vuduri standards, stopped him. He struggled mightily, however, they were simply too strong for him. He tried to take a swing at one guard but the guard caught his fist and twisted Rei's arm around behind him. The other guard locked his arm around Rei's neck and squeezed until he became faint. While Rei was an athlete, he had never been trained on hand-to-hand combat. He could not overcome the two of them singlehandedly. Finally, he gave up. He knew when he was defeated. A kind of catatonia set in.

Of course when the movies get made, the first thing the producer and director are going to do is eliminate the size difference between the two groups of people. It makes casting harder and it isn't germane to the plot so bye-bye Mutt and Jeff.

## Entry 2-328: November 19, 2014

### The journey begins

Yesterday, I gave you the scene where Rei struggles briefly with the guards in the beginning of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. Once he was defeated physically, he was destroyed emotionally believing that he had lost Rome forever. Rome had left and Rei kind of shut down inside. The guards had very little trouble getting him out of the palace and dumping him in the village that would someday become Ibbra City.

After a short while, the two guards put their arms under Rei's shoulders and marched him back to the elevator. Rei did not resist. All of the fight had been taken out of him. The look on Rome's face was all it took. She was back in, part of the Overmind. His Rome was gone. His world was gone.

Rei barely noticed them transporting him to the spaceport and loading him into one of their craft, substantially smaller than his tug. The transport resembled a bizarre form of a bus or helicopter fuselage. Had Rei paid more attention, he would have thought it was almost insect-like. At each corner, mounted on stilts, were four oversized EG lifters.

They placed Rei in a seat next to the outer wall but he paid no attention. His passivity made it seem as if a zombie had been placed on board. One of the Vuduri had to come over and buckle him in. Rei felt a slight vibration as the craft lifted off but without windows, there was nothing to see. He did not care. He didn't even notice how long they were flying.

The ship set down in a field of day-glo yellow thread-like grass. The soldiers had to practically shove him out the door, so lost was Rei. The repulsor field from the shuttle pushed him in the back and knocked him over. He didn't even try and break his fall. Rei just lay in the grass and then he started to cry with great racking sobs. He cried and he cried. He cried for a long time then he fell asleep.

Sad, huh? Sometimes I feel bad that I have to put my characters through so much but how can you have drama without drama?

## Entry 2-329: November 20, 2014

### Transports and Wienermobiles

Yesterday, I gave you the scene from Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ whereby the guards in the Vuduri palace took Rei and dumped him outside the Ibbrassati village. If you were paying attention, you would have caught the fact that Rei was taken away in a new kind of vehicle:

The transport resembled a bizarre form of a bus or helicopter fuselage. Had Rei paid more attention, he would have thought it was almost insect-like. At each corner, mounted on stilts, were four oversized EG lifters.

I figured the Vuduri had to have some sort of transports both on the ground and through the air. In my mind, I saw a vehicle somewhat like a military transport helicopter:

I thought the fuselage would be rounder, a little like the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile:

I actually saw the Wienermobile one time when I was on a business trip to Houston. It was pretty cool and left a lasting impression in my mind so the Vuduri transport is just the 35th century flying equivalent.

## Entry 2-330: November 21, 2014

### Threadgrass

As I have mentioned numerous times, I am not much interested in describing the environment of the alien worlds of _Rome's Revolution_ because I am too anxious to get to the action. I know that you have to and I force myself to do so but I could do better.

A while back, I did try and enumerate the flora on Deucado and it is a very short list. I really only have the cane-trees, the sticky bushes and the threadgrass. Two days ago, I described the scene where Rei was dumped into a field just outside of the village that would later be known as Ibbra City.

As you are well aware, the primary star, Tau Ceti, has a slight shift in spectrum so the plants on Deucado have adapted to make maximum use of the sunlight. The threadgrass is bright yellow, nearly day-glo, and is ubiquitous. Much later, as described in _The Ark Lords_ , the people living there have created a bison herd that range freely and have learned to eat the threadgrass. It flavors the meat and makes it quite spicy which everyone enjoys. I decided to try and show you what threadgrass looks like but I don't know if I succeeded or not. It's hard to find actual pictures of day-glo yellow threadgrass so this is the best I could do:

Tasty looking, huh? Well it would be if you were a bison living on an alien world in the 35th century.

## Entry 2-331: November 22, 2014

### Rome collapses

No, not the city of Rome. I am talking about the heroine of the novel _Rome's Revolution_ collapsing right after she was injected with the gene soup that would reconnect her to the Overmind of Deucado. Rei was gone. Rome left the surgical suite with a dramatic flourish but unbeknownst to Rei, she could barely walk due to her polyhydramnios. In fact, well, here it is:

As soon as Rome and Pegus were out the door of the reconnection room, coincident with the sound of the doors closing behind them, Rome breathed a guttural cry and collapsed to the floor of the hallway. Pegus kneeled beside her and two other Vuduri came and lifted her by her shoulders. Pegus took her feet and they carried her down the hall to another medical suite, two doors down.

They laid Rome on the examining table. She was out cold. A medic came in with a listening device and pressed it to her chest and sides. Wordlessly, orders were given and the attendants carefully removed her jumpsuit and started up an IV. They attached some leads to her chest and head and to her abdomen. Silently, the medic ordered two types of medication introduced into her IV. An oxygen mask was placed over her mouth and nose. The monitors at the head of the bed came alive with a multitude of readouts.

The medic studied the readouts for a while then turned toward Rome. The AI had determined that she was suffering from polyhydramnios, an excess of fluid in the womb. The medic palpated her abdomen for a long time observing the change in the readouts each time he pressed. At last, a technician came over and swabbed the area on her enlarged abdomen where Rome had been previously injected with the local anesthetic. Using an imager, the medic carefully inserted a thin catheter connected to a large syringe into her uterus. He pulled back on the plunger and extracted a substantial quantity of slightly cloudy but otherwise colorless amniotic fluid. He did this several times ultimately accumulating nearly a liter of fluid. The procedure took a while but eventually, the size of Rome's stomach shrank slightly.

This scene is essentially Rome reborn yet again. She has gone into a psychic cocoon and when she emerges, she will be "the new Rome" ready to take on the Overmind. By the way, I didn't make this up. This is actually the medically approved way to remove too much amniotic fluid. You just drain some of the fluid away.

## Entry 2-332: November 23, 2014

### The Overmind cometh

In the middle of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , after she left Rei behind, Rome collapsed and was taken to a medical suite for treatment of her polyhydramnios. In the mean time, the reconnection procedure was a rousing success and even though Rome's body was helpless, her mind was active.

As we know, the Vuduri never do anything without an agenda and the reconnection procedure was a ruse so that the Overmind could find out where the Ark was hidden, just as Rei predicted. The bodiless entity did not waste any time worming its way into Rome's mind:

In the mean time, Rome's mind had become disconnected from her body. She was conscious but unable to will her eyes or body to respond. She could sense what the medic was doing. Within her mind, she had come to the same conclusion that the problem was the fluid, not the baby. The baby himself was fine. Why she was generating too much fluid was not clear but in some inexplicable way, she knew it was the baby commanding her body to do so in his desperate search for a connection.

As the medic continued to reduce the volume of amniotic fluid, even though she could not react, Rome felt some relief. She was able to breath regularly again. Her focus went inward. Now that she was able to attend, she noticed the tendrils of the Overmind probing her memories.

The Overmind was focusing specifically on their landing and the Ark. All it found were images of an explosion, fire, and destruction, the sinking of the Ark beneath the dark waters of Lake Eprehem. The Overmind saw Rei and Rome landing near the settlement on its banks. The entity saw how they met up with one of the mandasurte living there. Rei had only his pressure suit and the mandasurte gave him some clothes to wear. Like a movie, the Overmind watched Rome's distress and the two of them deciding to fly to the Vuduri complex. And it saw their coming here, to the compound, to this room.

All lies. How did Rome do it? More tomorrow.

## Entry 2-333: November 24, 2014

### The die is cast

I've been told that one of the guiding principles in writing compelling novels is to introduce your protagonist and their situation to the audience within the first sentence or two of your book. The same thing is true in the "real" life of the characters within _Rome's Revolution_.

As we saw yesterday, Rome's body was helpless and the Overmind thought it could just waltz in and take what it wanted. However the memories that it retrieved were not the memories it was expecting. Here is their mental sparring:

"This is not the truth. How are you doing this?" the Overmind demanded.

At first, Rome ignored its entreaties. The Overmind was insistent. "I know that you can hear me," it said. "I know that you are fully aware of my thoughts. I need an answer. How can these be your memories?"

"This is exactly what happened," the unconscious Rome thought. "What other explanation could there be?"

"You are supplying false memories. How can this be? What are you?" the Overmind asked her. "How can you control your thoughts, your memories like this? It is not possible."

"It is possible that this is the truth."

"It is not the truth. I ask you again: what are you?"

"You ask the wrong question," Rome replied. "Do not ask what am I. Instead, you must ask who am I?"

"I know who you are," replied the Overmind. "You are Rome."

"That is my name, not who I am," replied Rome.

"What is the distinction?" asked the Overmind.

"Dig deeper into my memories. Look at my past. Ignore what you think is the truth. Look at how I got here. There is only one thing you must know."  
Within Rome's mind, the horrifying image of the Stareater appeared, the one that consumed Winfall. And the second one that came after Tabit, the one that OMCOM destroyed.

"Look and look well," Rome thought. "This is the end of all life. This is why I am here. It will be the end of you if you do not attend to this lesson. You will not survive contact. This is who I am. I am your savior. I am here to rescue you."

Rome felt the Overmind dig deeper. She watched as it replayed all the events of the last year. The Overmind brought up images of the Ark, of Skyler Base, Rei, the star probes, the discovery of the Stareater, the Vuduri becoming incapacitated and the VIRUS units destroying the marauder.

"How can I know that these images are true?" asked the Overmind. "How can I be certain that these memories are true? Why should I believe you?"

Rome replied, "It is your choice. You have the reports from Skyler Base to corroborate them. You can choose to know this is true. You ask me why the distinction between what and who I am? You only know one way to approach things. The time has come to start asking new questions. You need new answers. Within what you are now lay the seeds of your destruction."

What the Overmind did not realize was that it had already lost the battle before it even started. The very fact that she could generate false memories should have been its first clue that Rome was something utterly new and different. The fact that it was even listening to Rome's assertions should have been its second. The die had been cast. The Overmind spent the remainder of Part 2 coming to grips with this fact.

## Entry 2-334: November 25, 2014

### Mr. Know-it-all

Within the world of _Rome's Revolution_ , wherever the Vuduri reside, the Overmind there controls all things. The Vuduri serve the Overmind. The problem is these Overminds have no clue what they are doing. Which means they are clueless to this flaw. It took Rome only a few minutes to awaken the Overmind to this sobering fact.

Rome said, "You only know one way to approach things. The time has come to start asking new questions. You need new answers. Within what you are now lies the seeds of your destruction."

"This is not possible," said the Overmind. "I have the knowledge of all Vuduri, my path is the right one."

"You have all the knowledge of the Vuduri but not the wisdom. Nor do you even realize that they are different," Rome thought not altogether unkindly. "The very first thing you must accept is that there are things in this universe that are outside of your experience. And those things are coming to kill you and all life."

The Overmind continued to probe, following all the leads, cataloging Rome's memories and her experiences. When it ran into a dead-end, it backed up and started over. The Overmind compared each of Rome's memories to other memories, external thoughts and recordings. Within the correlation matrix, there was substantial overlap and still, there was a mismatch. Slowly, the areas open to it began to close off. Soon, the Overmind could not access anything more than Rome's superficial thoughts.

"Open your mind more," the Overmind demanded, "I need more."

"No," was Rome's reply. "I do not wish to. I have matters more pressing than your petty curiosity."

"I will push harder. I will break you," the Overmind said. "I will control your thoughts."

"You cannot. I control my own thoughts," Rome said defiantly.

"Then I will remove you. I do not want you as part of me."

Who does he think he is, this Overmind? He just ran into the buzz saw named Rome. Tomorrow, I'll show you how Rome humbled this great and powerful creature with a simple flick of her mental wrist.

## Entry 2-335: November 26, 2014

### Show, don't tell

One of the founding principles of good writing is show, don't tell. People want to use their imagination not just have you tell them what to think. In the _Rome's Revolution_ series, I have tried to follow this golden rule with greater or lesser success. However, there are times when I amuse even myself with a clever way of doing just that.

For example, yesterday, I showed you how the Overmind flexed its mental muscles and committed to proving to Rome it was boss. The problem was it didn't realize it had already been bumped from its position of power. Oh, it blustered all right:

"I will push harder. I will break you," the Overmind said. "I will control your thoughts."

"You cannot. I control my own thoughts," Rome said defiantly.

"Then I will remove you. I do not want you as part of me."

"Cesdiud?" Rome thought. "I have already done that once. I am not interested."

"It is not up to you. You will be Cesdiud again. I will cast you out."

"No you will not," Rome thought. "I will not allow it."

"Who are you to tell me what can and cannot be?"

"I will demonstrate," thought Rome. "Let me show you a trick."

"What are you..." the Overmind was cut short.

Rome imagined a wall inside her head. It was exactly the same as the one she had practiced on during their long journey to Deucado. She took her "real" self and pulled it back safe and sound behind the wall. She allowed less and less of her connection from the Overmind to remain until it was down to the merest thread. In her dreamlike state, **she imagined a large clock and watched its hands tick off ten seconds**. Then she opened up the wall just a crack and made the connection again.

See what I did there? I didn't want to just tell you that ten seconds ran by so I invented a mental clock so I could show you. Am I clever or what?

## Entry 2-336: November 27, 2014

### 700 thank yous

On today, Thanksgiving 2014, I am very thankful for all of your support over this last year and a half. When I started **Tales of the Vuduri** way back in December of 2012, I didn't know exactly where it was going. I had a lot of extra material, research, short stories, etc. that were not in the original _Rome's Revolution_ trilogy and I was looking for a format to publish them. I tried a Wiki called Rome's Revolution: The Science Behind the Science Fiction but it really didn't lend itself to frequent updates.

So on December 23, 2012, I published my first article here entitled How to speak Vuduri. After that, I've published one article per day and I haven't looked back since. While the basic format of the blog is to provide insights into how the stories came about, there have been numerous deviations including a series on solar power, back pain as well as alternative scenes, funny images and so on.

Today is my **700** **th** **consecutive post**. Is that a lot? I don't know. I just know that I still have _tons_ of material to present and the list is growing, not shrinking. I am nearly done _The Milk Run_ and that will dump another year's worth of blog posts on my desk.

Well, I hope you are enjoying the series because I am certainly enjoying writing it. So **Happy Thanksgiving** to all and know that there will be more tomorrow!

## Entry 2-337: November 28, 2014

### Capitulation

Two days ago, I showed you how the Overmind of Deucado attempted to bully Rome into capitulation. However, Rome's demonstration of her superior mental talents put it in its place. This is an essential plot element of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. Rome's taming of the Overmind required that it acknowledge her as the alpha, er, female.

Here is a little snippet showing you that the Overmind has thrown in the towel:

In her dreamlike state, Rome imagined a large clock and watched its hands tick off ten seconds. Then she opened up the wall just a crack and made the connection again.

"How did you do that?" the Overmind asked. "I shut down your resonance."

"No, you did not," Rome thought. "I did that."

"This is not possible," thought the Overmind.

"Wake up. You experienced it. It is not only possible but it happened."

"I cannot reconcile what I just observed with what I know to be true. But assuming you are telling me the truth, tell me how you did this."

"I will tell you later. But for now, I want you to withdraw. I need to attend to my child."

"What if I do not wish to withdraw?" The Overmind transmitted to her.

"My body has collapsed. I need to recover. You have me. I am not going anywhere. I will put up the wall again if I need to. Please. Go away." Rome sensed the Overmind's hesitation. Finally, forcefully, she said, "Now!"

"Very well," replied the Overmind. "We will converse later."

Rome took that as her cue and the connection was gone. Although she could not see it, within the room, all the Vuduri turned to stare at her with fear in their eyes.

You can see from the little snippet above, this simple act of capitulation by the Overmind meant it had already taken the first step towards its salvation.

## Entry 2-338: November 29, 2014

### Meet the blankets

The 'falling blankets' are the closest thing we have to predators on Deucado. They play a central role in the novel _Rome's Evolution_ where we learn they are descended from a sentient species that used to roam the planet.

Rei had been warned by Fridone that they could kill him by smothering him but this was the farthest thing from his mind when he was dumped in the threadgrass field and had cried himself to sleep. Rei didn't realize at the time that the blankets came in all shapes and sizes including little itty-bitty ones:

Rei awakened with a start. Something was stinging his leg. He tried to roll over but found he was layered in a thick covering of leather-like material that wrapped around him, constricting his movements. He felt another sting in his back. With a Herculean effort, he rolled over and was shocked to see that he was completely encased in a furry blanket, made up of a patchwork of browns, oranges and yellows. And the blanket was moving. Rei felt another sharp sting on his shin and he realized that whatever they were, they hurt! He pushed his arms to the side and was able to pull first one then another of the little things off of him and fling them to the side. Something stung the back of his neck and he reached back and pulled another of the little pieces of fabric off his head.

He stood up and kept pulling and pulling until there were no more of the creatures on him. They undulated away, most of them disappearing into the thread-like grass. He reached down and grabbed one and picked it up. The little creature reminded him of a thick, furry chamois cloth. At each of the six corners, there were tiny little paws or grippers. In the middle, like a starfish, there was a pulsating orifice which must be its mouth. And in that mouth were little needle-like teeth. That must have been what had stung him. The creature had no eyes or ears or any sensory organs that Rei could see.

He laid it upside down in his hand and it curled up into a ball. He poked it and it curled tighter. He squeezed it with his hand and he could feel it moving, constricting tighter. The rag-like animal was warm although he did not know if was from the sun or if it was warm-blooded.

Imagine getting nibbled to death by a bunch of washcloths! Goofy, huh?

## Entry 2-339: November 30, 2014

### The Nayer

Language changes. It is ever-evolving. Words and phrases come into use and others fall into disuse. When was the last time you talked about a horseless carriage? In the world of _Rome's Revolution_ , the Vuduri language is the same way. But part of the problem is that we normal 21st century humans don't understand the language. I used a variety of mechanisms to translate Vuduri into English so we know what is going on.

However, even translated into English, surely the people of the 35th century have words for things that don't exist today. Like the animals that abound on Deucado. As I explained in a previous post, I needed the little fishy kind things that swam in Lake Eprehem to have a name that sounds like fish so I came up with swishies.

I had the same problem with the mayor of the village which would later come to be known as Ibbra City. First, it wasn't a city or even a town so the concept of mayor wouldn't apply. But somebody had to be in charge. So I revved up my rhyming skills and came up with this little exchange:

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"Not at the moment," Rei said.

"Then come back with us," the first man offered. "We will take you to see the Nayer."

"Who is the Nayer?" Rei asked.

"He is the person in charge of saying no, of course," said the second man. Both men laughed to themselves over the joke.

Rei looked around. He really had no idea where he was. He looked down at the two people standing next to him. Even though Rei was of modest height for a human, because of his musculature and their slight frame, he felt like he towered over these people of the future, as he did over all the Vuduri. Except for those damned guards.

"All right," he said. "Why not?"

Clever? If you took the same phrase in English, you would say that the Mayor was someone who says you may. I guess that's better than someone who always says no.

## Entry 2-340: December 1, 2014

### The Hyper-verse

Early on in the _Rome's Revolution_ trilogy, Rome, Rei and pretty much everyone else believes that our universe is the only universe. It isn't until _The Milk Run_ that we find out that our universe is just one of an infinite set of universes. I discussed this briefly earlier this year in a previous post. However, as I draw closer to completion on _The Milk Run_ , I wanted to expound upon it a little more deeply.

Understand that I'm not talking about multi-verse theory or alternate universe theory although these could be considered subsets. Rather think of subatomic particles. Think of each of them as a universe unto themselves. Then throw those subatomic particles together to form atoms. Think of that as another universe, a higher order universe. Now think of atoms coming together to form our universe. Nobody can tell you what is outside of our universe because it is all we know. Nobody can tell you what came before the beginning. Nobody can tell you what happens after the end. Now imagine that our universe is just one tiny sub-atomic particle of a grander universe, the hyper-verse.

Here is an inadequate illustration of this principle:

The hyper-verse extends infinitely beyond anything I could draw. It isn't infinity x 2, it isn't infinity squared, it is infinity to the infinite power.

Where did it come from? No need to ask the question. It has always been. When will it end? Answer, never. Our teeny, tiny universe may have started 13.8 billion years ago born from the remains of the previous occupant during an event that has come to be known as the Big Bang. And our universe may end some day in the Big Crunch but another universe will spring from our ashes to take our place.

It's easy to get overwhelmed and ask what possible significance our lives represent against such unthinkable vastness. The bottom line of _The Milk Run_ is that our lives are all we have so we may as well live them as best as we can and not worry about our place in the hyper-verse.

## Entry 2-341: December 2, 2014

### Why I don't read scifi anymore

I _love_ science fiction. I love it so much that all I ever wanted to do was write scifi from about the 8th grade on. I started the original _VIRUS 5_ in 1973 which eventually became _Rome's Revolution_. The first part was that original story and, in fact, when I first published it, I called it _VIRUS 5_. I even created a web site called VIRUS5THEBOOK.COM which still works but isn't anything to write home about. If you click on the link, this is all you will see:

Not too impressive, huh? That was my original logo which was a stylized Stareater consuming a star.

Anyway, I continued reading scifi and watching movies and writing books. In Part 2, after Rei was dumped outside the village that would later become known as Ibbra City, he was attacked by smaller falling blankets and rescued by two Ibbrassati who were walking by. After they cleaned Rei up, they convinced him to follow them to the village. Here is the passage:

"It is this way," the first man said, and he started to walk off toward the sun, which was beginning to lower in the west. Rei followed, taking one step after the other. He was in a daze but what else did he have to do?

The two men led Rei through another stand of cane-trees until they came to a clearing perched among some rolling hills. To the west was a gigantic lake that stretched all the way to the horizon. Tau Ceti was beginning its slow descent into the western sky. From this angle, it was already reflecting off of the lake forming a glorious orange double sun. Along the southern shore, the cane-trees crowded in. To the north, Rei could see clearings and beaches. Obviously, that was where the settlement was located. It took all of Rei's concentration to notice anything. All he could thing about was Rome and her last words to him.

The men led Rei down a steep trail until they came to the edge of the lake. From there, they made their way north along the shore. Once in a while, Rei would hear a splashing noise in the water but he could never see what was making the noise. At last they came to some docks where there were small, blocky craft moored. The men continued up to the leading edge and then inland, east again, away from the lake, down a dirt path that led through another stand of cane-trees.

As they traveled, they passed people who were on their way to the docks. Each of them stopped and stared at Rei. He hunched over, trying to make himself less conspicuous but it didn't help. He saw a woman with long dark hair who reminded him of Rome and it made his heart ache all over again. It made him ill just to think about it. Rome was about the most perfect woman in the galaxy. She was a blend of total innocence and worldly sophistication. She had a thirst for knowledge, and art. She was brilliant and tender and loving and...

So why would this make me stop reading? I'll explain tomorrow.

## Entry 2-342: December 3, 2014

### The Wicker Man

When I first started _Rome's Revolution_ in 1973, it was my intention to write a truly original story. However, long after I wrote it, I discovered that some elements of the novel were already contained in the short story _Far Centaurus_ written by A. E. Van Vogt in 1944.

I can safely say that reading that story had _no influence_ on my writing since I did not read it until long after I completed _VIRUS 5_ which was the original name of _Rome's Revolution_ _._ However, Part 2 was a different story. Yesterday, I presented a little short scene from Part 2 whereby Rei is taken to the village through some woods by a pair of Ibbrassati. I thought the scene was original however, recently, I watched the movie called _The Wicker Man_ starring Nicholas Cage. I had actually seen that movie when it first came out in 2006 but didn't recollect much of it.

However, to my horror, when I re-watched the movie, I realized the image of the woods that was so strong in my mind was just my recollection of that scene from _The Wicker Man_. Damn! I don't want be accused of being a copycat or plagiarism and I certainly don't want people to read my books and say, hey, isn't that just like...

So I made up my mind, no more reading of science fiction until I finish this round of books. I still watch movies occasionally. I loved _Gravity_ and _Guardians of the Galaxy_ but I think I can avoid stealing anything from them. I plan to see _Interstellar_ but I'm a little more worried about it.

Anyway, for those of you who are interested, here is the scene in the woods that has haunted me since 2006 but I didn't even know it.

## Entry 2-343: December 4, 2014

### The space age 'burbs

Way back when, in 1973, I wrote a short story called _VIRUS 5_ about a man named Rei and a woman named Rome and a computer named OMCOM who fight off giant beasts called Stareaters. Sounds a lot like _Rome's Revolution_ , huh? Of course it does. But there was so much about it that was different. I never explained how mankind reached the stars. I postulated there was a quasi-governmental corporation called "The Unity of Man" which was behind it all. They would send out crews to far off places who would launch survey probes and when a habitable planet was found, the crew would wait for replacements and then head off to colonize a new planet. Rome was from a world orbiting Mintaka and came from a different culture. However, because her world had been stabilized for a long time, they were more sophisticated than Rei's people.

The idea is, you can sit in place and grow culturally or you can explore but you can't have both. Joss Whedan adopted this philosophy with the TV show "Firefly" which was basically cowboys in space. Every world where Mal and his crew visited, it was horses and shanties. Very few had much cultural sophistication.

It was with this concept in mind that I created the village that would later come to be known as Ibbra City. However, it was on a planet that was backwards culturally not by choice or by feverish exploration but rather by the conscious denial of access to technology by the Vuduri. Therefore the dwellings would resemble those from any point in history where people were limited by lack of technology. Here is the village, as seen by Rei, when he first arrived:

The men kept walking until, at last, they exited the woods into the settlement proper. As Rei looked over the vista, he was struck with how similar it looked to primitive cultures from his own time. There were lean-tos, wigwams, longhouses and one or two dwellings that could have been log cabins if they had been made out of wood. Instead, here, the cane-trees provided most of the building materials. Things had a tendency to look more like wicker than anything else. There were even some poorly executed versions of geodesic domes made out of the same materials. All in all, it hardly resembled Rei's space-age idea of what 13 centuries into the future might bring. There were no gleaming towers or floating cities. It was just filth and dirt and rough-hewn construction.

The men brought him right through the center of the settlement. Again, people stopped what they were doing to stare at him. Rei gave up trying to blend in and walked at his full height. On the far side, the settlement seemed more densely populated. Lining up in front of Rei were houses spaced at regular intervals and even a clearly demarcated dirt filled street. At last, they came to a house that appeared to be slightly more substantial than the others...

## Entry 2-344: December 5, 2014

### The Nayer's house

Several days ago, I told you about "the Nayer" who was the leader of the village of Ibbrassati. It was never clear whether he was elected or not but he was certainly self-important. Yesterday, I showed you that the western portion of the village was very rustic, bordering on the primitive. However the eastern side was more developed resembling more of a 19th century town. One of my professors from Syracuse told me when I first got to town to only look for housing on the eastern side of the city. When I asked him why, his answer was very practical. He said if you lived on the western side, in the spring and the fall, the sun would always be in your eyes driving to and from work.

This made sense to me so I chose to make the eastern side of the village a bit more sophisticated. The Nayer's house was supposed to be the pinnacle of construction techniques. After all, he was the most influential guy in town and as often happens, the richest. Here was Rei's first encounter with a man who would turn out to be Rei's nemesis:

While most of the houses were of a single, square design, this house had two wings, one on each side of the main portion. The central section was two stories, each of the wings a single story. The men led Rei up to the front door. They knocked on the door and it opened up.

"Go on in," the first man said. "These are important men. The Nayer lives here. Tell them your story."

Rei looked back at them and they made sweeping motions with their hands. He shrugged and went into the house. Somebody closed the door behind him and Rei found himself standing in the middle of a room with about ten of the Ibbrassati. Some were seated. Some were standing. All were staring.

"Come over here," one of the seated men said. "Who are you?"

Rei walked over to where the man was sitting. "I am Rei Bierak," he said. "Who are you?"

"I am the Nayer of this settlement." The Nayer looked him up and down. "What are you? You are not Vuduri."

"I am Essessoni," Rei said.

"Essessoni? Are you Erklirte?" the Nayer gasped. "We have heard a rumor that they have returned."

"No, I am no Erklirte," Rei said. "But I am from the Ark. My people are from the Earth, like you. We are just regular humans like you. We are not the Erklirte."

Here is a picture of the Nayer's house. Rei didn't stop and take notice of the fact that the right wing of the house had no windows. Perhaps he should have.

## Entry 2-345: December 6, 2014

### Talking nonsense, part 1

In the middle of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rei has been taken to the Nayer's house for what he thought was orientation but in reality was for questioning. Even though he told the absolute honest truth, no matter what he said, the people there found his story increasing crazy until they finally had enough.

"I think I might agree. You do not look so fearsome. What are you doing here?" the Nayer asked.

"I was dropped here by the Vuduri."

"Why?" the Nayer demanded to know.

Rei shrugged. "I guess they had no use for me," he said.

"It is not like them to just let people go. Why do you think that is?"

"Because my wife told them to, I am guessing," Rei offered.

"Who is your wife?"

"Her name is Rome. She is the daughter of Fridone."

"Fridone? He does not have a daughter. At least he never mentioned anything about one," the Nayer said.

"Well, I was with him not too long ago. We were at your enclave to the north. That is where my people are. Rome and I flew a ship to the Vuduri so she could get medical attention."

"You flew a ship from our base to the Vuduri?" the Nayer said, shocked. "That is not possible. It is against the rules. If you flew a ship there, they would kill you. Unless you are part of the Overmind as well."

"I am not," Rei said. "I am mandasurte like you."

"Then they would have killed you. What you are saying makes no sense."

"It does not make any sense to me either," Rei said. "But when we got there, they decided to help us. My wife was in pain. They said the only way to save her was to reconnect her to the Overmind. So they did. Then they tossed me out."

"Your wife was reconnected to the Overmind?" the Nayer gasped. The other men murmured to themselves. "Then all is lost. She will tell them where the enclave is."

"No, she will not," Rei said.

"How do you know this?" the Nayer asked belligerently.

"Because she said so," Rei answered back.

"You do not know the Overmind," the Nayer said.

"You do not know my wife," Rei quickly retorted. "And besides, she does not know exactly where it is. She was barely conscious when we left there."

"So what is your plan now?" the Nayer asked him.

"I do not have a plan. I guess I will go back north, to the enclave. My group is there. The ones that came with the Ark. I have to tell them what happened. They need to know."

The group stared at Rei but said nothing. The Nayer nodded to two men off to Rei's right and they came over to stand in front of him. The Nayer, apparently the only man in the room who would even speak to Rei, left the room along with several others. Rei could hear them arguing in the other room but he could not hear what they were saying. At last, they returned.

"You cannot go there," the Nayer said. "You must remain here."

Tomorrow, Rei gets thrown in jail for being a crazy person.

## Entry 2-346: December 7, 2014

### Talking nonsense, part 2

Yesterday, I set up a scene from the middle of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , where Rei had been taken to the Nayer's house for questioning. Even though he tried to tell the truth, every sentence that came out of his mouth made things worse. Here is the rest of that scene.

"You cannot go there," the Nayer said. "You must remain here."

"Why?" Rei asked.

"Because the Vuduri have many ways of tracking individuals and it is possible that they released you so that you will lead them to our base in the north," insisted the Nayer. "No, you must remain here for the time being."

"You do not understand," Rei said. "There are things I have to do. I have to act as liaison. My people know nothing of yours. And there are things coming. Giant things. Things that eat stars and swallow them whole. I have to get back there and show them how to build a way to stop it."

"What are you talking about?" the Nayer said, incredulously. "Things that eat stars? Impossible." Some of the men in the room laughed to themselves.

"Not impossible," Rei said. "Not only possible, I have seen one. They call them the Asdrale Cimatir, Stareater."

"This is crazy talk," the Nayer said. "The Vuduri must have done something to your head. Or else it is just because you are Essessoni."

"It is not crazy talk," Rei shouted. "We have to get ready for the Stareaters. They will destroy everything and everyone if they come to this star system."

"Regardless," the Nayer said. "You are staying here. We cannot allow you to go back to the base. Besides, from what you say, you do not know where it is, none of us do. That is the only way to protect it."

"I have to try," Rei said. "I cannot stay here."

"There are many dangers between here and there. None of us know the path. You would never make it."

"Well, I am going to try," Rei replied. "You cannot stop me."

He looked around and then started for the door. Three of the men bunched together to block his way.

"What are you doing?" Rei said.

From behind him, the Nayer said, "You were among the Vuduri. And now you are not in your right mind. They did something to you. You speak crazy talk. You are staying here."

"I am not crazy," Rei said, turning in place. "Everyone else is crazy. Nobody understands. We have to get ready."

"Yes, yes," the Nayer said dismissively, "for the Stareaters. Giant creatures that swallow stars whole."

"Exactly," Rei said.

"Enough," the Nayer commanded. Rei could see the group beginning to close in on him. He bolted for the door but was tackled by two men. After a brief struggle, he was subdued and held to the ground. Two men apiece took his arms and legs. Rei struggled but they were too strong for him. They dragged him toward the right wing of the house. They shoved him into a small room and quickly closed the door. He heard them slide a barricade across the door putting an end to his hopes of escape.

I told you Rei should have noticed that the right wing (get it, right wing!!!) had no windows.

## Entry 2-347: December 8, 2014

### He's alive! Part 1

As you are probably well aware by now, Rome and Rei have a special method of communication. They have an EM transceiver built into their brain that Rei calls a cellphone in the head. It was due to the genetic modifications caused by the magic yellow pill that were given to the couple near the end of Part 1 of _Rome's Revolution_. In a previous post, I showed you a scene where the channel was sputtering, trying to turn on, they just didn't know it yet.

Yesterday, we saw that Rei got thrown in a makeshift jail because the Ibbrassati didn't trust him and assumed he was crazy. If there was ever a time for it to kick in, this would be the time. But the source of the first transmission came as quite a shock to Rei. Here is that scene:

Rei looked around and saw only a cot and a chair. The room had an acrid smell to it, like stale urine. The Vuduri themselves were a very clean people. The mandasurte were of the same stock so Rei had always assumed they would be very clean as well. But the odor coming from his clothes coupled with that of this room indicated this just was not the case. The room had no windows. That eliminated the chance to escape or even to air the place out.

Rei paced around for a while then grew bored with that. He walked over to the cot and sat down. He lifted his legs up off the floor and swung them over the bed. He couldn't quite relax as there was too much tension in his limbs. He put his arm over his eyes.

"Oh Rome," he thought to himself, "There is no hope for the future. Every single one of them is insane."

_"_ _Not all of them,"_ said a little voice inside his head, _"just most of them."_

"MINIMCOM?" Rei said out loud. "Is that you? Where are you?"

_"_ _Still buried underneath your Ark at the moment,"_ replied MINIMCOM.

"How the hell are you talking to me then?" Rei said.

_"_ _Technically, I am not talking to you. You simply hear my transmission inside your head. It is more like I am thinking at you."_

"Thinking at me?" Rei said. "Do I need to speak out loud? Can you hear my thoughts?" Rei thought to himself.

_"_ _Yes."_

"So...this is like the bands? Or is it? How are you doing this?"

_"_ _Now that your transmission apparatus is fully functional, it is actually you who are doing this."_

"What do you mean my transmission apparatus? What's going on? Did the Vuduri do something to me?" Rei thought to himself.

_"_ _No, it was not the Vuduri,"_ replied the little computer.

"Then what? Who?"

_"_ _OMCOM made a few...enhancements to you."_

Tomorrow, the full implications hit Rei plus MINIMCOM has more surprises up his sleeve. If he had sleeves, that is.

## Entry 2-348: December 9, 2014

### He's alive! Part 2

Yesterday, Rei received several shocks, all at once. Not only was he thrown into a makeshift jail but he also received a transmission from MINIMCOM who was assumed to be dead, being crushed and all underneath the Ark II. However, in the world of _Rome's Revolution_ , nothing should come as a surprise. In this next part, Rei finds out about more changes that OMCOM made to his physiology.

_"_ _OMCOM made a few...enhancements to you."_

"OMCOM?" Rei said out loud. "How did he do that? When?" Then, in his thoughts, he said, "When did he do that?"

_"_ _Do you recall the pill you took before you left Skyler Base? You were informed that it was gene therapy."_

Rei thought back to the yellow pill. "That was supposed to fix my back. Not make me a telepathic mutant. What else did OMCOM do to me?"

_"_ _He did not share all of his plans with me. Just this one because he felt I needed to know. He may have hinted at some others."_

"Oh my god!" Rei thought to himself. "I gave one of those pills to Rome. And to Captain Keller. All my people. Are we all going to turn into some sort of creature? Are we going to end up slaves to the Overmind?"

MINIMCOM chuckled. Even though Rei could not hear it, he could feel it. _"You are so colorful. No, the pill you took will only enhance your current abilities. This new capability uses electromagnetic radiation, not PPT modulation. It is just a slight variation on the blece and stilo that all Vuduri carry around in their brain. The only difference is yours transmits continuous speech instead of data. There will be no Overmind. OMCOM told me to tell you that it would just be a telephone in your head, whatever that means."_

"Great. So you and I can chat. Big deal. How does that help me?" Rei thought to himself. "I've got to get out of here. I've got to get to Captain Keller. I have to warn him about the Vuduri. And the Stareaters! And Rome. Oh god, Rome! What am I going to do? We've got to get ready. MINIMCOM, I'm, I'm spinning here."

_"_ _I might be able to help you. You need to calm down and figure out your priorities. I think going to see Captain Keller should be your first order of business. The rest will follow."_

"All right. First things first. How do I get out of here? How can you help?"

_"_ _As you can imagine, I have had some time on my hands, so to speak, sitting here, crushed under a 7000 tonne Ark. Also, the VIRUS units that you so thoughtfully placed on board me broke loose. There was no oxygen within to keep them dormant. It took me some time to convince them that eating me was not in their best interests."_

"Ugh," Rei thought. "I'm sorry about that."

_"_ _It is not a problem. As it turns out, they have been quite helpful."_

What exactly did MINIMCOM mean by that: helpful VIRUS units? More tomorrow...

## Entry 2-349: December 10, 2014

### He's alive! Part 3

Yesterday, Rei received a shock when he found out that OMCOM's magic yellow pill did more than just fix his back pain. We had assumed by this point in _Rome's Revolution_ that MINIMCOM was not dead even though he was crushed beneath the Ark II. In today's installment, Rei finds out the changes that have occurred within MINIMCOM:

"Helpful how?" Rei asked. "What are you doing with them?

_"_ _Well, you do know that the Vuduri installed a memron fabricator in my hold before I launched."_

"Sure. So what?"

_"_ _Well, before we left Tabit, OMCOM uploaded the enhanced manufacturing protocols that Rome introduced in order to create the star probes."_

"You mean the PPT override?" Rei thought.

_"_ _Yes."_

"You mean he was able to give you permission to make them too?"

_"_ _Oh yes. He thought I should be in a position to fabricate star probes and VIRUS units after we arrived at Deucado. He wanted me to set up a defensive shield. He probably had not foreseen that they would be rummaging about me in quite this fashion. But as it turns out, the VIRUS units have become very cooperative. They have been assisting me."_

"Assisting you to do what?" Rei asked. "Are you talking about illegal stuff?"

_"_ _Not exactly but OMCOM told me that your expression is that the genie is already out of the bottle. I have the ability to create very nearly anything that I feel is necessary."_

"Great!" Rei thought to himself. "So what are you doing with your magical new powers?"

_"_ _While I have been waiting here, I have taken the liberty to modify some of the VIRUS units. Quite a few actually."_

"Modify them how?"

_"_ _Let us just call them helper units. Perhaps constructors might be a better word. I am using them to replace the spacecraft's original structures and materials with a more 'flexible' arrangement. Currently, they are busy rebuilding this tug using a slightly different set of specifications."_

"Different how?" Rei asked, slightly worried.

_"_ _Well, for example, my physical form, the one you were familiar with, the white box, has now been integrated within the ship. I am the tug and the tug is me."_

"You sound like the Beatles," Rei said. "And these constructors, they are just VIRUS units, right? Aren't you worried they will get out of hand?"

_"_ _The unmodified ones have been placed back in confinement. The modified ones do as I bid. They are not allowed to reproduce without permission. They will not get out of hand as you say."_

Tomorrow, MINIMCOM reveals his final piece of magic. One that might just get Rei out of jail free.

## Entry 2-350: December 11, 2014

### He's Alive! Part 4

Poor Rei. He has received several shocks, all at once. Not only was he thrown into a makeshift jail but he also received a transmission from MINIMCOM who was assumed to be dead, being crushed and all underneath the Ark II. However, in the world of _Rome's Revolution_ , nothing should come as a surprise. In this final part, Rei finds out that MINIMCOM has developed some remarkable new abilities that will help him get back to the secret Ibbrassati enclave in the north woods:

"All right. So what else are you doing? Getting buff?" Rei asked.

_"_ _I do not understand the reference."_

"What are you doing to yourself, that's what I am asking."

_"_ _Oh. Yes,"_ replied MINIMCOM. _"Perhaps I can explain it by using an analogy. You have heard of petrified wood?"_

"Of course," Rei answered.

_"_ _The process consists of replacing every cell, every element of the original wood with a different material. In the case of petrified wood, it is with minerals."_

"That takes eons, doesn't it?"

_"_ _Of course. But I do not need quite that much time. My process is proceeding much more quickly."_

"I don't get it though. Why are you petrifying yourself?" Rei asked.

_"_ _You are being funny,"_ said MINIMCOM. _"No, I am replacing every element of my airframe with these helper units. The final version will look similar but I will be mutable. I will be able to change my shape and functions at will. I am augmenting my capabilities using the memron fabricator._

"Like how?" Rei asked.

_"_ _For example, I have built some experimental PPT projectors, similar to the throwers onboard the Vuduri craft, but these are made to stand up coherently even in a gravity well. I believe they will be very useful for jumping a short distance."_

"So where are you going to jump to?"

_"_ _I will be using them to excavate myself when the time is right but in this case, I was not thinking of myself at all."_

"What do you mean?"

Just then, Rei heard a sizzling sound then a dull thud. He whipped his head around and saw a gaping hole in the far wall. A two meter circular section of the wall had fallen over, landing on the grass outside. There, in front of him, was the great outdoors. He was now staring at the woods behind the house.

_"_ _Hmmm,"_ MINIMCOM said. _"Not exactly what I expected. No matter. Are you ready to go for a walk?"_

"Buddy, you're all right in my book," Rei said out loud.

Rei escapes and heads north. He has a long journey in front of him.

## Entry 2-351: December 12, 2014

### Immortality

For a long while, I have been hinting to you that OMCOM's magic yellow pill had other side effects not yet revealed.

Throughout the _Rome's Revolution_ saga, I have unveiled all but one of the effects. These include healing Rei's back pain and giving him remarkable recuperative powers as evidenced in _Rome's Evolution_. It gave Rome and Rei the "cell phone in the head" which allows them to communicate across vast distances. It gave Rei "sonar-vision" which he can use to see in the dark even better than Rome can when using her iRods.

Without giving too much away, let me ask you, would immortality be a bad thing? Certainly I have said to myself that if I had enough time to have multiple careers, I'd like to spend one lifetime as a lawyer, one owning a restaurant, _certainly_ one as a science fiction writer. But what would I do after that? I'm not even sure what my fifth and sixth careers would be.

If you had immortality and others did not, what would it be like outliving your children and your grandchildren and your great-grandchildren and so on? Don't you think after a time, it might grow wearisome seeing your loved ones wither and die while you go on and on?

I would hope that in the next several hundred years we would develop an FTL star drive and then my fifth career could be space explorer. That'd be fun.

But in the end, would you want to just go on forever? Does that give you enough clues? When _The Milk Run_ comes out, be sure the read the Epilogue to find out.

## Entry 2-352: December 13, 2014

### Blasts from the past

I have mentioned upon several occasions that it is my intention to complete and publish _The Milk Run_ before the year is out. After that, I will compile _Tales of the Vuduri: Year Two_ and publish that as well. I am only about 25 blog entries away from having a complete second year under my belt.

My goal for next year is to circle back and record _Rome's Revolution_ as an audio book. But that won't be the end of my writing.

I have completed the outline for _The Vuduri Companion_ which will be a compilation of short stories, excised material and so on. There are some really neat things that are going into that book. Here is the tentative Table of Contents:

Table of Contents  
1. Introduction  
2. The Grey Drive aka puttin' white holes  
3. Pruno Dreams  
4. The Lyrics to the Moody Blues' "I Know You're Out There Somewhere"  
5. The Freeze Dryer  
6. A Night on New Earth (Silas Hiram) (Original Prologue of VIRUS 5)  
7. The Deucadons  
8. Lacy Henry  
9. The Birth of MASAL  
10. MASAL's Last Stand  
11. The First Vuduri  
12. How Binoda Met Fridone  
13. Skodla and The Lie  
14. The Yatori  
15. The Night They Recovered Rei – Rome's Story  
16. The Night They Recovered Rei – Rei's Story (Rei's Rescue) (Original Chapter 1 of VIRUS 5)  
17. Rei's Resurrection (Original Chapter 2 of VIRUS 5)  
18. OMCOM Reprograms Himself (Original Chapter 9 of VIRUS 5)  
19. Rome and Art – Salvador Dali  
20. The Language Lesson and Metric Time  
21. Rei's Jokes  
22. Rei Almost Gets Killed, Again  
23. Rome's Letter to Binoda in Vuduri and English  
24. Rei proves time goes backwards to OMCOM  
25. Rome Was Not a Virgin  
26. Ramps and Guns  
27. Lawlidon Arrives (Original end of Part 2, Beginning of Part 3) – Battle for the Stars  
28. Rome's Pardon  
29. The Luau  
30. Sussen's Suffering

All of this is subject to change, of course.

There will be two more items that I know of. I had someone type in, by hand, the original manuscript for _VIRUS 5_ _._ I will clean it up a bit but it will be the original story, more or less intact. It should be good for a laugh or two.

Finally, I am going to put into this opus the original _Rome's Revolution_ which was the story of the Social AdjustMints and you will see the beginnings of how I came up with the Overmind.

I figure I'll have that book done mid-year next year. And of course, I will keep this blog going. I hope this excites you.

Mike

## Entry 2-353: December 14, 2014

### Nobody will learn English

When I first started writing the modern version of _Rome's Revolution_ , I was determined to make it a "you are there" type of experience. Everything about the new world would be strange and inexplicable. And as I have mentioned before, nobody would speak English.

However, after the first nth rejections and paying a professional editor, everyone told me I was wasting my time having my characters speak in Vuduri so I scaled it way back. Being the passive-aggressive person that I am, I got a little dig in early into the introduction of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ **:**

_"_ _Psst, Rei,"_ MINIMCOM whispered from a grille near the bed. After waiting a moment, the little computer spoke again, this time a bit louder, _"Please wake up, Rei."_

"What is it, MINIMCOM?" Rei Bierak asked in a fatigued tone.

_"_ _I need you to look at something."_

Rei opened his eyes. He turned to his left and saw that Rome was still asleep. "Hold on," he said. He jumped up and padded into the refresher, closing the door behind him. Standing at the sink, he splashed some water on his face and peered into his reflection.

"Vroggon Chrosd ta Jasus," Rei said out loud, shaking his head.

_"_ _You speak Vuduri even when alone?"_ MINIMCOM asked from another grille, this one mounted to the left of the sink.

"That's all we use now. You know that. I have to keep practicing. **Rome says nobody is going to take the time to learn English on Deucado. Especially the mandasurte.** And she's right."

_"_ _Very well. Fiu veler ebanes am Vuduri."_

"I don't need help from you," Rei said sharply. He paused for a moment. "Sorry I didn't mean to snap at you, I'm just tired."

The fact of the matter is, being the modern, responsive writer that I am, it turns out _everybody_ took the time to learn English on Deucado. Well, except maybe for Rome's father. But by the time _The Ark Lords_ rolled around, English had become the _lingua franca_ , the trade language, of the planet. Certainly the Essessoni spoke it and the Deucadons spoke a dialect of English. The Vuduri had learned English from the Overmind so that only left the mandasurte known as the Ibbrassati to catch up. Rome spent a day or two each week teaching English to those Ibbrassati that wished to learn.

By the time I got to _Rome's Evolution_ , I didn't even bother with Vuduri except for a few words. The same will be true with _The Milk Run_. Aason and Lupe Bierak consider English their primary language although they are very, very fluent in Vuduri. That way, when they encounter the colonists on Hades, there is simply no language barrier whatsoever.

You're welcome.

## Entry 2-354: December 15, 2014

### Philcon 2014

Last year was my first Philcon put on by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society otherwise known as PSFS. It was an interesting experience but I did not gain the exposure I was looking for. I am not a "fan" in the costume, con-attending sense. But hopefully there would be a way of connecting to these people.

This year, I bought a vendor's booth and shared it with my talented wife Denise. At the bottom of this post are two pictures. Her GOT portraits were certainly a draw.

All in all, I cannot say that gaining more exposure as an author was a tremendous success but it was not a failure. Many people stopped by the booth (thanks to Denise) and I was able to hand out cards with links to _Rome's Revolution_. I also sold five copies plus three 3-book sets ( _Rome's Revolution, The Ark Lords and Rome's Evolution_ ). Denise sold a few prints but none of the giclees and none of the $3500 portraits.

Last year I vowed to get a booth and participate in panels. Halfway there. Maybe next year I'll get a chance to stand up and talk to people.

You can click on each of the images below to see them full sized.

## Entry 2-355: December 16, 2014

### Aason at last

As you are well aware, in Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , Rome was suffering from polyhydramnios, an excess of fluid in the womb, because Aason, her unborn child could not make contact with her. The Vuduri on Deucado reconnected her and gave Rome the means to contact her baby. However, the procedure wore her out and she slept for some eight hours before awakening and attempting contact.

Some people really like Rome speaking to a fetus. One reviewer wrote, _One of the real treasures of the book was "the baby". I fell in love with the baby and his relationship with his mother_. Others found it downright creepy. There's nothing I can do about it. The story is the story. Here is Rome's first contact with her baby named Aason:

She could feel the baby, feel his heart, his mind. She could sense his thoughts, unformed and yet already influenced by the Vuduri around him. Within his mind, there was something else as well. **Another channel perhaps.** It was a different kind of communication. But over this channel all she found was simply blackness and the steady lub-dub of her heart. She pushed it aside and opened her mind, feeling about until she contacted the spark that was her unborn son's mind. Finally, relieved, she spoke to her baby in her head for the first time.

"Aason?" she thought.

"Mother?" replied the unborn infant. "At last! You are here! Oh Mother, I have been so frightened."

"Why, my baby?"

"Because I could not find you. There were others here but never you. I kept pushing and pushing, trying to find you. I pushed so hard."

"I am here now, my son," Rome thought. "And I will be with you from now on. You do not need to push any more. It was hurting me. You must stop. When the time comes, you will be with me."

"I can stop pushing?" Aason said, confused.

Note the throwaway line regarding "Another channel perhaps" - this was meant to be a clear reference to Rome's EM "cell-phone in the head" that was still trying to come online.

## Entry 2-356: December 17, 2014

### How did Aason cause polyhydramnios?

Yesterday I recounted the first time Rome contacted her unborn child in the middle of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. A lot of this is gobbledy-gook. I'll explain why after I show you a little more that scene:

"I can stop pushing?" Aason asked, confused.

"Yes. I am here now. You can just be."

"But Mother, when I could not find you, I did not know what to do."

"I understand but you do not need to do anything anymore. You just grow and stay healthy," Rome said reassuringly.

"Mother, there is so much I do not understand. How do these pictures come into my head? How do I know things when I do not know what they are? I cannot see yet I have seen things. All I hear is your heart and some noises but I have such memories. I feel things but there is nothing here to feel. Just you, all around me."

"It is confusing, little Aason. All will make sense to you as you grow older. For now, just know that your mother is here and I will take care of you. I will not leave you again. We will always take care of you."

"Who is 'we'? I only sense you right now," said the baby.

"I was referring to your father and me."

"What is my father? Is he the Overmind?"

Even though she appeared to be unconscious, in her mind, she could feel her heart sink. "No, not the Overmind. Your father is someone else. His name is Rei. He is a wonderful man. Try and form a picture of him from my thoughts."

When I was originally constructing the story, I was trying to emphasize the difference in the build between the Essessoni (us) and the much slighter-of-build Vuduri. It occurred to me that the child of the two branches of humanity, if it took after the father, might be really, really large. That was my original motivation at least. But then I figured out that before the child was born, there might be one pound difference between a child of then and a child of now.

But I still wanted Rome to be in distress so that they would have an excuse to fly her into the Lion's Den aka the Vuduri compound and reconnect. That would allow me to create the split narrative structure which would then let me write two intertwined stories.

Tomorrow, the final part of that scene.

## Entry 2-357: December 18, 2014

### Dreaming of Daddy

Yesterday, I showed you Rome and Aason's first meaningful interaction in the middle of Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. Rome introduced the concept of Aason's father who we know to be Rei. Aason was confused because he had been contacted by the Overmind and now by Rome. Here is the final part of that discovery:

There was a tiny tickle in her mind. Rome found it very pleasant. After rummaging around, Aason said, "I can see pictures of him in your mind. Where is he now?"

"He is not here right now. He had to go away," Rome thought sadly. "But when the time comes, you will meet and learn from him. He will teach you to always do the right thing. Your father is very smart and very caring."

"When will I meet him?" asked Aason.

"I can only tell you that you will meet him when the time is right," Rome thought back, trying to be reassuring.

"When is that?"

"I cannot tell you right now. You must accept my word on this. The time will come."

"All right, Mother. I believe you. But now I must ask. Who is the Overmind?

He keeps coming in here and asking me questions and I keep pushing him away. He frightens me."

"The Overmind is an intellect. It connects us. It is a part of all of us. It needs me to tell it things."

"I do not like it. It wants to hurt you. This much I know."

"I understand, little one. But it cannot hurt me. This Overmind is sick. It has lost its way. We will help it find it again. Then you can let it in when you want."

"You can do that? You can make it healthy?" asked Aason.

"Yes, child. I can and I will," thought Rome.

"All right, Mother. This is good. I feel so very happy right now. I was so frightened before. I am so glad that I found you."

"Yes, my baby. But Aason, I need my rest now. And I need to eat to get strong. I must get ready for the next thing to come."

"Yes, Mother. I can sense that. I will rest too."

"Thank you, son."

"Mother?"

"Yes, Aason?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, little baby."

At the end of this scene, Aason knew about his father and even what he looked like. Maybe some day, when the movies get made, we'll find out what he looks like as well. One other note, the statement in bold above comes up again 21 years later when Aason is about to embark on the mission to save his sister in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_.

## Entry 2-358: December 19, 2014

### Meet the sticky bushes

I have told you numerous times before that I am not particularly creative when it comes to designing alien plants and animals. The stories I am trying to tell are about people and I'm so anxious to get to the action, some of the trappings get left in the dust.

So too, it is true in Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. I had dropped Rei and Rome on this alien world and the only plant life I told you about was the cane-trees. At least I invented the threadgrass to give you a little variety. After Rei escaped and headed into the woods, I figured I _had_ to invent at least one more plant type to make it realistic. Thus the sticky bushes were born:

Tau Ceti was beginning to set for the day. Most of it had disappeared beneath the treetops. Of course, there would still be some residual glow from the sun, even after it was below the horizon. Rei was making fairly good progress. The cane-trees were tall but not bulky so it was easy to spot a straight path. In many places, the canopy overhead was so thick, it looked like night even though the sun was not fully set. Some places were so dark that Rei figured they would stay that way even in the middle of the day.

In other places, where there was more light, there were some low-lying bushes that oozed a type of sticky gel along with bits of leaves that wiped off on Rei. As he made his way through the forest, more and more of the little green bits were stuck to his pants.

I was envisioning a substance with the viscosity of aloe vera but sticky, tacky, gluey so that as Rei walked through them, he would get greener and greener.

From an ecological perspective, I have no idea what purpose the sticky substance serves other than giving me something to write about. Maybe the leaves were able to plant themselves and grow so the glue allowed animals to carry them away from one spot and start a colony elsewhere. I don't know. It just reminded me of sticky buns which I love so the sticky bushes were born.

## Entry 2-359: December 20, 2014

### Sonar-vision is born

In a previous post, I described Rei's sonar-vision in great detail. This was but one side effect of the magic yellow pill that OMCOM gave to Rei to cure his back pain.

However, the new sensory modality had not activated yet, even when Rei and Rome arrived at Deucado in Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_. They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Well, right after Rei escaped the Nayer's house, necessity came to the forefront:

"OMCOM did tell me that if you were ever in the dark, you should try closing your eyes," replied MINIMCOM.

"Puh," Rei made a funny sound as he laughed out loud. "What does that mean?" Rei thought to himself.

"I do not know. OMCOM was not always so forthcoming. Why not try it and see for yourself? Pardon the pun."

"Sure," Rei said. "Why not?" He closed his eyes. Nothing seemed different. Pitch black was pitch black. To Rei, it was as dark with his eyes open as with them closed.

"How am I supposed to see with my eyes closed?" he said out loud. Rei was struck by the strangest sensation. His words came echoing back to him in tiny little rivulets of sound. Each tree echoed an infinitesimal amount. If he concentrated, Rei's mind was able to store the echoes forming a three dimensional grid and the stand of trees suddenly became evident to him, as if his eyes were open.

"Holy mackerel," he said and opened his eyes. The mapping of the trees disappeared and once again, he was plunged into the pitch blackness of Deucado's night.

He closed his eyes again. "Hello!" he said to no one in particular. Again, the echoes from every object in the area surrounding him came back and again his brain displayed it as a three-dimensional map. The sensation was almost indescribable.

"Oh wow," he said. He tried moving forward and snapped a branch. The sharp report of the sound echoed forward and made the mapping even clearer.

"You've got to be kidding me," he said. He started laughing. "This is too weird."

He started to jog forward and found that each footfall cast a sound that went out and returned an image of the forest to him that was colorless but crystal clear.

It would be pretty cool to have this kind of vision, huh?

## Entry 2-360: December 21, 2014

### Brain damage

Not everybody loves what I write and everybody is also entitled to their opinion. Some readers have gone through _Rome's Revolution_ and found Rei and Rome unrealistic characters. One person told me real people don't act like that.

On the other hand, the overwhelming majority of readers have loved the stories and the characters. The one thing that turned off the reader above and attracted fine reviews from others is how well Rome and Rei handle change and all the curves that life (actually me, the author) throws at them. Here is what one reviewer (Risingshadow.net) wrote:

The protagonists are endearing three-dimensional characters. What I like most about the protagonist is that they feel realistic. Although they're intelligent and they seem to be perfect, they also have human traits and faults that make them vulnerable. This kind of characterization is a bit rare in hard science fiction

I have a different theory. I will claim that Rome, as a Vuduri, was built from the ground up to take things with aplomb. She actually had to learn how to be horrified or suffer from panic. I also claim that Rei suffered from brain damage or at least a drug-induced stupor when he was first revived. He even acknowledged this when Rome first met him. This insulation of his higher brain functions allowed him to take things in stride when normally he might have lost it.

Slowly but surely, Rei adapted to all the weirdness going on around so that by the time they arrived on Deucado, he was fully ready to embrace anything that might come his way. You can see from this little vignette that comes right on the heels of the scene recounted yesterday:

Rei started to jog forward and found that each footfall cast a sound that went out and returned an image of the forest to him that was colorless but crystal clear.

"He's given me some kind of sonar vision," Rei shouted. "Woo hoo," he said, galloping through the woods. The whole experience was so exciting that he forgot how tired he was. Faster and faster he ran. The faster he ran, the more noise he made. The more noise he made, the clearer his path became.

"This is the greatest thing ever," Rei thought to himself.

"Even better than a telephone in the head?" asked MINIMCOM.

"Yeah. This is so sleek! Remind me to thank OMCOM the next time I see him," Rei thought to himself.

Does this seem like someone who is unrealistic or brain damaged or just ready to embrace the gifts that life hands him?

## Entry 2-361: December 22, 2014

### Null fold starships

In the upcoming novel, _The Milk Run_ , we are introduced to the null fold X-drive. This star drive folds the imaginary component of negative energy to produce an order of magnitude increase in speed. Since the speed of the X-drive is proportional to the amount of computing power, there is no actual upper limit. This is the fastest star drive yet in the world of _Rome's Revolution_.

However, nobody wants to carry around a computer the size of planet. Even the clone ships are basically just flying computers with very little room for human passengers and certainly not built for the long haul:

So what to do? The answer is very simple. Just create an external "tank" of memrons that clamp onto a regular starship and boost up the computing power only while you need the X-drive. Then decouple and leave it orbiting somewhere while you do your business. Once freed of the Detachable Computing Unit (DCU), the starship could maneuver in the atmosphere or in space normally.

Think of this kind of like the space shuttle where the external fuel tank mounts on the top rather than the bottom. I'm not a good enough modeler to draw you a picture of Junior using this configuration so I took a drawing of the space shuttle to illustrate. Imagine the orange tank clamping down on the top of the starship. And further, imagine that the tank is filled with computing units rather than liquid hydrogen and you get the idea:

## Entry 2-362: December 23, 2014

### S'aploves

In the upcoming novel, _The Milk Run_ , we are introduced to the K'val, an entire race of walking, talking plant people.

To make the aliens more alien, I had them designed so that they all look exactly the same and sound the same. It is impossible to tell one from another. So how do they know who is a member of their family and who is a perfect stranger?

I gave them some genetic markers, hormones that circulate in their bodies, that tell them who are their relatives. This is called their "sapline" which is analogous to our bloodlines. It is their lineage. I gave the K'val a new sensory organ called a s'aplove and it resembles a small sunflower that emerges from the sides of their head. This organ uses chemical, electromagnetic and psychic elements so that it can lock onto the sapline of other K'val.

Unfortunately, Molokai, not quite a villain, has been the god-like power behind their evolution and he has worked tirelessly to make sure the K'val are of uniform size, shape and color. He also built the s'aplove so that it can transmit pain. So if he wishes to torture one family member to force another to do his bidding, the s'aplove enforces this. As Sh'ev, a K'val plant-man who becomes Aason's friend notes: "It is a very powerful tool to ensure obedience."

## Entry 2-363: December 24, 2014

### Non-human Intelligence

Yesterday, I introduced you to the K'val, the plant people that live on the planet Ay'den in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_. I decided, as we come to the end of the second year for **Tales of the Vuduri** , to list the non-human intelligences we have encountered in the world of _Rome's Revolution_ ; so here goes:

1. OMCOM - first introduced in _Rome's Revolution_ \- a starbase computer who eventually evolved into Planet OMCOM and eventually left our universe altogether in _The Milk Run_.  
2. MINIMCOM - also introduced in _Rome's Revolution_ \- an autopilot computer that evolved into an intelligent, self-aware starship. I also include Junior, MINIMCOM's son, in this class.  
3. The Overmind - we meet the Overmind in Part 2 of _Rome's Revolution_ , this is the self-aware group consciousness that arises when a sufficient number of mind-connected Vuduri gather together.  
4. The Stareaters - living Dyson Spheres who consume stars which are destined to go supernova. They are dedicated to preserving the life of the universe.  
5. MASAL - an analog computer that became self-aware and computed that it would be more efficient to turn the human race into a species of living robots.  
6. The Falling Blankets - while technically, any given 'blanket' is not completely self-aware, they are linked psychically and provide the soul and consciousness of the planet Deucado.  
7. The K'val, who you will meet in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_. These are living, sentient plants who walk and talk and have a fairly advanced form of technology.  
8. Molokai and the other gods of Heaven. Again, you will meet them in _The Milk Run_. This is the end result of evolution. The purpose of life is to evolve and form a mass mind and ascend to Heaven. This principle was first espoused in the novel _Childhood's End_ by Arthur C. Clarke.  
9. Philcon - if there are currently non-human intelligent beings walking among us today, you would most likely meet them here.

Rest assured, there are more coming. Even at the end of _The Milk Run_ , you will find out that the humans on Deucado, Earth and Helome have formed a Galactic Union and even beyond the K'val, when they meet non-human intelligences, usually peaceful, they are inducted into the Galactic Union.

## Entry 2-364: December 25, 2014

##

### Happy Asteroid Day, Part 1

There are a lot of major plot lines in _Rome's Revolution_. One of them was the worldwide super-computer named MASAL's plan to convert the entire human race into living robots in order to run the planet more efficiently.

However, the mandasurte, also known as the mind-deaf, were a major obstacle to MASAL's plan. This is because they were among the minority who elected to forgo MASAL's gift aka the 24th chromosome. This presented a dilemma to MASAL because he could never achieve his goal of total domination until he eliminated these unwitting rebels.

His plan to kill off the bulk of the mandasurte was many years in the making. He surreptitiously converted the world of Deucado into a prison planet and slowly but surely began kidnapping and transporting the mandasurte to Deucado, stripping them of all technology. While long-term this plan would be untenable, the computer knew he only had to wait an additional 19 years. There was a huge, world-destroying asteroid on the outskirts of the Tau Ceti system that was going to crash into the planet and destroy all life.

By suppressing the information about the asteroid and by suppressing information about the real purpose of Deucado, when the asteroid hit, the rest of the Vuduri would just see it as a natural disaster rather than a carefully plotted genocide. However, our heroes Rome and Rei foiled MASAL's plot and MINIMCOM sent out an army of VIRUS-unit based livetars to digest and destroy the asteroid long before it could strike the planet.

Fast forward to the year 3476 and the plot of _The Milk Run_. Tomorrow, I will show you my first ever flash-sideways and we discover that while the people of Deucado have long since forgotten about the asteroid, the Vuduri back on Earth have not.

## Entry 2-365: December 26, 2014

### Happy Asteroid Day, Part 2

Yesterday, I gave you the setting for the flash sideways in the upcoming novel _The Milk Run_. It takes place many, many years after the planet-killing asteroid had been eliminated by Rome, Rei and MINIMCOM. In this scene, Commander Ursay, now in his 70s, has made the trip from Earth to Deucado to speak to Rome and Rei directly on what equates to December 25th, 3475:

Ursay took a deep breath. "As I am sure you are aware, today is the day that the asteroid was supposed to hit Deucado and extinguish all life thus effecting the genocide of the mandasurte."

Rei looked at Rome who shook her head. "Actually, no," he said. We solved that problem so long ago, I think we kind of forgot about the actual date."

"Well, the Vuduri of Earth have not. We have carried a profound guilt over the entire exercise for a long time. As a people, we were too smug and secure in our mastery of the course of civilization. We were so blind to MASAL's plan. Because of your intervention, we realized it was our sworn duty to protect all the humans of Earth including the mandasurte. The Overmind regards that role as a serious one. It has taken a step back from being the ruler of Earth to being a steward for the protection of all mankind."

"The same thing has happened here," Rome said. "The Overmind here has changed profoundly. In fact, we are all evolving."

Ursay nodded. "So are the people of Earth although not as quickly as you. It is quite clear to all the inhabitants, the Overmind included, that Deucado is now in the forefront of human endeavors and the gap is widening. Those of us on Earth who concern ourselves about such things believe it is time for our three worlds, Helome included, to formalize our ties to one another. A treaty if you will. We would like to establish a Galactic Union to improve communication and interaction."

Rome just stared at him trying to make sense of his words. "All this is well and good but what has it got to do with us?"

Ursay leaned forward. "We would like you and your family to come to Earth and address the planet and announce this treaty. Helome has already agreed to the pact."

"Why us?" Rei asked. "We're nothing special."

"I beg to differ with you," Ursay said. "It is quite clear to us that you and Rome are effectively the leaders of this planet. Even if the role has not been formally assigned."

"Naw," Rei said, scoffing at the notion.

"Yes," Ursay insisted. "And there is more. You and Rome have personally saved mankind many times over. Your communication with the Stareaters. Destroying MASAL. Defeating the new Ark Lords. Even setting Helome on a path to genetic recovery. Rome's interactions with the Vuduri and the various Overminds have had such a profound effect, it has been given a name. It is now referred to on Earth as **Rome's Revolution**."

After the events of _The Milk Run_ have run their course, Asteroid Day becomes a major holiday on Deucado, one filled with joy and wishing peace on Earth and Deucado and good will toward all men and other sentient life forms. The 35th century and the worlds of _Rome's Revolution_ can celebrate holidays too!

## Entry 2-366: Epilogue

### Tales of the Vuduri: Year Three

Just like last year, if you made it this far, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. As I mentioned in the introduction, I am well into my third year's worth of blog entries on Goodreads. I am still following the discipline of writing seven articles on weekends and I am only at Chapter 15 of Book 2 of the original long-form version of _Rome's Revolution._ I'm happy with my formula so I'll be following this format for the upcoming year.

Also, as I mentioned in the introduction, I have finished the complete draft of _The Milk Run_ and after its final edit, I will be publishing this new adventure early in 2015. Also scheduled for 2015 will be the compendium entitled _The Vuduri Companion_ which will contain short stories, deleted scenes, alternate scenes and other items of interest. Of special note, I actually paid somebody to re-type into Microsoft Word the original manuscript of _Rome's Revolution,_ written in 1973. I will include it in this volume as well. It should be very amusing. In the spring, I will be setting up my gorgeous Blue Yeti microphone and begin a new endeavor: I am going to try recording _Rome's Revolution_ into an audio book on Audible.com. Lots to do!

So thanks again and stay tuned!

