So you can see why the series is called Rome's Revolution. Rome's way of thinking had a deep and lasting effect on every aspect of Vuduri culture.
Way to go, Rome!
Entry 4-199: July 13, 2016
Daddy Day Care
Yesterday, we saw Rome's first reaction when she saw the new city being built by the Vuduri. It was fashioned as two intersecting triangles, almost like a Star of David rather than the series of concentric circles of a normal Vuduri city. Rome was astonished by the radical change and even more astonished to find out that she was the cause of it all.
When I am writing these stories, I try and make them as realistic as possible given that they take place in the 35th century. So I couldn't just pretend that Rome could take off and leave her two-year-old son at home by himself. No mother would do that in any century. So rather than dislodge you, the reader, from within the fictive dream, I had Rome's father, Fridone, address that question directly:
“Hmm,” Rome murmured, her shoulders relaxing.
“Had you come to visit before this, you would have known this was their approach,” her father said in a light-hearted tone. He tilted the controls to the right and the ship banked right, heading toward the lower tip of one of the two triangles.
“I have been so busy with Aason and trying to take care of our home. Rei has been working so hard on his project. I just have not found the time.”
“Aason was such a good boy for us the other night,” Fridone said in an off-handed way. He looked down at the viewscreen, spotting a blip on a lower horizontal plane. He pulled back on the controls. The nose of the Vuduri airship tipped up and they gained a bit more altitude. Fridone leveled off to fly well over the other airship passing beneath them. “Speaking of Aason, where is he today?”
“Rei agreed to stay home with him,” Rome said leaning forward again. “We both felt I could accomplish my goals more quickly without him.”
“Yes, your goals,” Fridone said. “You never told me where you want to go, only to Vuduri City.” He turned to her. “So where do you want to go.”
“I need to speak to Pegus,” Rome replied. “I was going to go to the Vuduri compound.”
“Oh, he is not there anymore,” Fridone replied, resuming his descent. “They abandoned that last year and moved to the Administrative Sector in the new city. Did you not know that?”
“No,” Rome answered. “I tried to contact Pegus but I was unable to. I just assumed he would be where I last saw him. I guess I assumed wrong.”
Wow. Rome really has been out of the loop. However, the library project was designed to not only get her back into the loop but be at its center so it was time to meet that need head on.
Entry 4-200: July 14, 2016
A shadow of himself, part 1
The Overmind is the collective consciousness of the 24-chromosome mind-connected Vuduri. When we first met the Overmind of Deucado in Rome's Revolution, it was the most powerful entity on the planet and that world's undisputed ruler. Rome took on the Overmind in a battle of wits and came out victorious. She convinced the Overmind that it had to be a steward, a servant of the people, not its lord and master. The Overmind acquiesced. The bodiless entity not only agreed to relinquish control, it agreed to cooperate and let the individual Vuduri disconnect whenever they wanted. It knew it would be weakened but by how much? We find out in the opening of The Ark Lords:
“Let me check with the Overmind,” Rome said. “He will know where Pegus is.”
“Of course,” Fridone said, turning his focus toward landing the ship. The airfield was past the southern tip of the bottom triangle. Unlike the design of their new city, the airfield was laid out like every other Vuduri spaceport back on Earth. There was a huge central paved area. It was surrounded on two sides by several low-lying buildings and ringed by numerous spaceships and aircraft precisely aligned in a neat pattern around the outskirts.
Rome leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. “Hello,” Rome thought to the Overmind.
“Hello Rome,” it replied, its voice far less powerful and vibrant than when they first met. It was just a shadow of its former self. “We have not spoken in a while.”
“Yes, I know,” Rome answered. “I have been very busy.”
“So can I assume this is not a social call? What do you need?”
Rome had always tried to envision a face behind the incorporeal being but she never settled on anything concrete. To this day, the Overmind remained a faceless voice.
“You are right. I am trying to locate Pegus. I have been unable to contact him. We are on our way to the Administrative Sector. Do you know if he is there?”
“I do not know exactly where he is,” replied the Overmind, “he is currently disconnected. The last thing he told me was that he was headed toward the Harbor.”
“Buckle in,” Rome’s father whispered, interrupting her conversation. Rome opened her eyes and looked out the front and saw that they were descending rapidly. Typically, they only strapped in during takeoff and landing. She reached behind and drew the X-harness forward and clicked the tabs in place. Rome leaned back and closed her eyes again.
We don't quite get the sense of what remains of Overmind is at this point. You'll see that tomorrow.
Entry 4-201: July 15, 2016
A shadow of himself, part 2
Yesterday, we saw Rome reach out to the Overmind of Deucado to enlist its aid in locating Pegus who was "off the grid." In other words, he was currently disconnected. The Overmind itself had been weakened not only by Pegus' actions but also because of similar actions by all the mind-connected Vuduri.
The Overmind is wistful and you can hear in its mental "voice" a bit of regret in relinquishing its power:
“The Harbor you say? Did he tell you why?” she asked the Overmind.
“The Vuduri are sending a transport to Earth fairly soon. He told me he wanted to do a final survey to prepare a manifest. What do you need him for, if I may ask?”
“I am trying to accumulate all of the recorded history of the Vuduri. I thought Pegus could arrange to have someone acquire these records the next time they went to Earth.”
“That is a worthy goal. And your timing is impeccable, as well. I am sure he will cooperate.” The Overmind paused for a moment then added, “If you can find him, that is.”
Rome opened her eyes to watch their final approach. “Why is he disconnected?” she asked.
“I do not know. He has been doing it more and more, recently,” the Overmind replied wistfully.
“You sound sad,” Rome observed. “Why?”
“Because it is as I predicted two years ago. More and more of the Vuduri spend more and more of their time disconnected. I feel like I am fading away. Even you do not talk to me much anymore.”
“I am sorry,” Rome said. “I have just been so busy. I apologize.”
“It is all right,” the Overmind said, emitting what equated to a psychic sigh. “It is just that I do so enjoy our talks together. It is one of the bright spots of my existence.”
Rome shivered. They were headed into dangerous territory with this topic of conversation.
“Would it help if I promised to make a greater effort in the future?”
“That would be very nice.”
“All right,” Rome said, promptly disconnecting. The Overmind could be a bit overly sentimental some times, especially because it was in love with her.
Do you find it weird that a bodiless entity could be in love with Rome? It gave her the 35th century version of the willies but she is a good soul and if she promised to stay in touch, she would do it.
Entry 4-202: July 16, 2016
A larger world
When I first built the world of Deucado to house my main characters, I wasn't particularly creative when it came to terrain, flora, fauna and the whole biosphere in general. I limited the number of plants and trees to just a handf
ul and the same with animals.
I did this because I was worried about the action and adventure and I didn't want to get bogged down with such details even though I knew no world would be so limited in its diversity. You will see that I actually went so far as to make up a scientific reason for this paucity of species. But once I finished up Rome's Revolution, I knew I had to go back and address the issue to fill out the planet and the universe in general. So The Ark Lords was my first chance to "reset" the ecology of the planet and grow it a bit and make it more like a "real" planet. This little scene is both the justification and the expansion at the same time:
The flying cart made its way along a paved road, southwest, heading toward the huge Southern Harbor that opened up into the ocean, right at the equator. Rome observed the trees lining the road which looked like ordinary cane-trees at their trunks but had big, bushy top growth. The leaf-analogs were a mix of yellow plus a deeper shade of green than their inland cousins.
“The trees are different here,” she said, pointing upward at the overgrown tops.
Fridone ducked his head down to see where Rome was pointing. “Yes, Deucado is spectacularly unimaginative when it comes to genetic diversity. There are only variants of the cane-trees, the clinging bushes and the threadgrass at this latitude. Maybe an occasional flower. The trees you see there are one of the small experiments Nature is trying here.”
“Experiments?”
“What else would you call it? This world has a shocking, almost impossible paucity of variety of flora and fauna. In the seas, there are only variants of the animals we call swishies plus algae-analogs and seaweed. On land, the only animals we have ever seen are variants of the falling blankets. There are no predators to speak of.”
“I have always wondered about that,” Rome said, staring up at the trees. She looked to see if there was anything moving. There wasn’t.
Fridone spoke up. “Our working theory is that this planet has been hit so many times by meteors, asteroids and the like that the species left are the most resilient and the ones that recovered the fastest. There was never enough time to really evolve into new species before the next meteor hit again.”
“That makes sense,” Rome replied.
So, now I had the flexibility to add more trees, plants and animals if I wanted and simultaneously, a bullet-proof explanation if I never got around to it. Eventually you will see where this goes.
Entry 4-203: July 17, 2016
Urban Planning
If you were given complete freedom to design a city from the ground up, no restrictions on space, would you know how to do it? I certainly would not. However, there are certain basic principles that could be applied to all cities. After all, cities only exist because people want or need to be near each other.
First and foremost, people need a place to sleep. So there needs to be at least one residential area, if not several. Second, people need a place to work, assuming they do not work at home, so there needs to be a business district. Finally, people need to do things other than work or sleep so there needs to be areas for those "other things" whatever they entail. You need libraries, parks, restaurants, museums, nature trails, sports venues, entertainment venues and so on. So given these most general requirements, I came up with a general plan for Vuduri City on Deucado. I left most of the exact organization up to you, the reader, because like I said, I am not an urban planner. But common sense allows a little detail:
Fridone banked left and brought the craft to a stop, hovering over the landing area. Looking for an empty space to park the flyer, he drifted slowly toward a vacant section near the edge of the airfield. After spinning the craft around to face the open area, he lowered the ship until it gently touched down on the tarmac. He unbuckled and stood up. Rome followed suit.
“From here, we ride,” he said, leading the way to the hatch in the rear. They exited the craft and Fridone took a moment to get his bearings.
“The Overmind said Pegus was at the Harbor, not in the Administrative Sector,” Rome interjected.
“Excellent,” replied her father, turning to look southwest. “That was my original destination.”
Rome and Fridone crossed the paved area to where they kept the community flying cars. The cars themselves resembled white golf carts, albeit ones that floated on EG lifters. They picked a smaller one. After hopping aboard, Fridone pulled back on the control stick, they lifted off and headed south.
“You will get a chance to see where I work,” Fridone said cheerfully. “We are building the largest sustainable fishing fleet on any planet, Earth included.”
“I am proud of you, Beo,” Rome said. “And I am proud that you can work with the Vuduri without prejudice.”
Fridone nodded. “They are so different now, almost human.” He laughed. “I could not have done it without them.”
The flying cart made its way along a paved road, southwest, heading toward the huge Southern Harbor that opened up into the ocean, right at the equator. Rome observed the trees lining the road which looked like ordinary cane-trees at their trunks but had big, bushy top growth. The leaf-analogs were a mix of yellow plus a deeper shade of green than their inland cousins.
You can see from my little diatribe, I forgot that if the city butted up against a body of water, you'd need a marina or at least piers, something to allow entrance and egress from watercraft. I appreciate Fridone reminding me.
Entry 4-204: July 18, 2016
More beauty, part 1
As a member of the 24-chromosome mind-connected Vuduri, Rome was not allowed to see the world as an individual but rather from the standpoint of the collective consciousness. We saw, even early on, in Rome’s Revolution, that she had the capacity to understand beauty and appreciate the world around her. As such, you could say she had a “painter's heart” meaning she could not only recognize physical beauty but render it in such a way as to communicate to others what she saw and felt. Consider this scene from Rome’s Revolution when Rome and Rei were inside of OMCOM’s core:
“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 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 indigo 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 much meaning. The Overmind discouraged its consideration. 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.”
You could say that her association with Rei opened her eyes to the wonder and beauty of real life, something quite foreign to a subservient, “good” Vuduri. Tomorrow, we'll see how she observes Deucado with her "new" eyes.
Entry 4-205: July 19, 2016
More beauty, part 2
Yesterday, we saw the first stirrings within Rome's heart regarding the concept known as beauty. It was something an ordinary Vuduri could not appreciate. This trend continued as Rome g
rew and developed. She started painting as was a way to show others the inherent beauty she observed in real life. Up until the novel The Ark Lords, Rome had lived a fairly cloistered life, isolated from the full glory and beauty of Deucado. Her desire to build a library and accumulate information regarding the background and history of the Essessoni, Deucadons, Ibbrassati and Vuduri gave her the opportunity to explore the wonders of her new planet:
“That makes sense,” Rome replied. She turned her attention forward and was shocked to see a panorama unfolding before her unlike any she had seen before on this planet. In front of them lay the mouth of the Great Southern Harbor. The day was bright and beautiful with only a few wispy clouds lining the horizon. Tau Ceti, the star, was more orange than Sol so the water looked deep violet. The mouth of the harbor was ringed by the bright yellow and green of the bushier cane-trees. Rome found it stunning in its beauty. The buildings set around the sides were clean, crisp standard Vuduri white aerogel construction. All in all, it looked like a painting. The rest of Deucado, at least the parts she had seen, were rather plain.
“This is beautiful, Beo!” Rome breathed.
“This is where I work,” answered Fridone proudly as he pulled the aircar into the parking area. Rome was so enthralled by the beauty of the vista that Fridone had to take her by the arm to get her out of the cart. He led her down to the docks.
“Wait here,” he said. He called and waved to an Essessoni dock worker dressed in coveralls that looked suspiciously like denim. Fridone went over to the man and chatted briefly. The worker pointed off in the distance, out across the water. Fridone patted him on the shoulder and returned to Rome.
“Pegus is at the central sounding rig,” Fridone said. “I will take you out there.” He led Rome down a stairway made of cane-tree wood and along a pier to a medium-sized boat tied there. The all-white boat was about 15 feet long and had an enclosed cabin. Fridone pointed up the gangplank and indicated Rome should go aboard.