MagTech

By SinJin Bane

MagTech is about:
The struggles of a young man named David who lives in the year 2226 and has just found out that after a brain augmentation through nanotechnology, he now has Telekinetic and Telepathic powers. Equally distressing is the fact that he and his friends and family, have been drawn into a hidden war between two rival organizations which also have evolved paranormal powers. These powers have evolved due to mankind’s continued genetic manipulation of the brain, and the human body. Even though these powers are still random and rare in the general population the select few that have them must stick together. Both groups have augmented their powers through technology, and they use them to battle each other, and the government that seeks to control them. David is forced to join one of these groups, and to learn to use his powers to protect those he loves, in so doing he hopes to thwart a cleansing campaign launched by the rival group to eliminate some unknown threat. Unfortunately for David, the rival group’s plans for the domination of mankind continue to escalate.

The reader will enjoy the world MagTech creates:

A world about:

Nanotechnology, Robots, Artificial Intelligence, Magic, Spaceships, Space Stations, Rail Guns, Special Forces, Magic Battles, Sword Fighting, Martial Arts, Telekinetic, Telepathy, Mind Reading, Space Battles, Human Machine Interaction, the Morality of Governmental Control, and much more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: SinJin Bane
• Release date: Jan 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311394002

SinJin Bane

I am new to the whole writing scene, but started my first book MagTech a few years ago finished a few chapters and then stopped. I recently picked it back up again and finally finished it. I live in Upstate New York where I am currently conducting research for my next book. My background is in computer science and software engineering and as a hobby I have done some research into nanotechnology and other fields of biotechnology. I have worked on several projects for various companies in the software engineering industry including some that involve artificial intelligence and robotics, as well as avionics and advanced workflow applications.

Book preview

SinJin Bane

Published by SinJin Bane at Smashwords

Copyright 2014 SinJin Bane

DEDICATION

To my friends and family for all their love and support on all my endeavors throughout the years and this book.

CONTENTS

Table of Contents

Prologue

The start of something wonderful

David & Megan

M.E.R.L.I.N

Emma & Gordon

The Rescue

The Marauder

Not Quite What It Seems

Down to Earth

Extraction

Clash Over Titan

The Secret War

Index

About The Author

Other Books By The Author

TOC

As I sat down to write this book I tried to imagine what a world of tomorrow would be like, I have followed some of the predictions and depending which ones you believe, it could be very dire, or it could be utopian. In my humble opinion it will be a little bit of both, technology promises to make many aspects of our daily lives much easier, but as I try to illustrate in this book that may come at a price. Would the average person be willing to give up a little more of their freedom maybe, to enjoy the benefits of comfort and safety, I think if the last few years have taught us anything, it is that more often than not the answer is yes. What if instead of comfort and safety, it was for prolonged life expectancy, and healthier lifestyles that did not require adherence to strict diets and exercise, would that be worth it? In this book, I have assumed that some of the predictions of the benefits of nanotechnology will come true.

The time frame this book is set in, should see many of them, and some that we have not even begun to imagine. I also assume that artificial intelligence will be available and that it will serve mankind. This is not a given, as has been played out in many different sci fi books and films. It also has been debated by some AI researchers as well. For this world the AIs are friendly and want to help mankind achieve its goals.

While I have tried to stay with the science or at least the theoretical science, it is a book of fiction however, so I ask you to suspend your disbelief and let it entertain you. The characters in this book struggle enough with the moral dilemmas and ambiguities of the future so that we don’t have to. The concept of paranormal energy seemed like a stretch, but again we have no knowledge of what will happen when we do start using our brain more. Plato and other ancient philosophers believed we were descended from spiritual beings and somehow evolved or devolved, depending on your point of view, into more physical ones, maybe that hidden knowledge will be released when we tap into the hidden recesses of our brain.

One theme I have tried to stay true to in this book, is that there is no good and bad, but shades of grey, all of the characters at one point or another give in to a dark side. Most of the time it is masked in a form of retribution, let it be known that I personally believe in the sanctity of life, my characters on the other hand have a tendency to rack up the body counts, and spend a lot of time coming up with better ways to do it. If that offends some readers, I apologize in advance, but perhaps this is not the book for you. However, if you are ok with that, I think you will enjoy this journey of discovery, and find it quite entertaining. There are also plenty of robots and artificial intelligent beings helping the characters find new ways to use technology to perform what we would consider magic.

It is also important to note, that I do not support or defend any of the ethical choices made or implied in this book, and if you find them controversial it is by design, to paint the character or fictional organization in a certain light. I leave it to you, the reader to decide how you feel about the choice or policy made.

If you like magic this book is a new twist on that, it explores some scientific possibilities that may make magic not only feasible but likely. Though it should be mentioned that as of right now, these possibilities would require nano-technology and not paranormal energy to effect change to the matter of the universe. Once we know for sure, that telekinetic energy, and telepathy do not exist, then and only then can we say that the uses of it in this book are not possible. Until then anything can happen. The future is going to be an exciting place, I hope it lives up to even half of the possibilities that we see in scientific predictions and science fiction books like this one. I also hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

This edition of the book is a special one year anniversary edition and it incorporates more editing based on some review comments and also a new section for those that have not read the second book of the series and would like to, you will find a link in the "Other Books By The Author" section. The second book is released for free and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

For discussions about this book or some of the ideas and technologies presented in it please visit my blog SinJin Bane’s Tech Talk at the following address:

http://sinjinstechtalk.blogspot.com/

TOC

Is that the one. Yes, his aura is not strong but we are under orders they all must be killed. Well hurry up and kill him then, we have a lot more parts of the station to search. Wait did you hear that. Hear what, suddenly the room lit up as an explosive ball slammed in to the first speaker. Leaving a large hole in his chest, he crumpled to the floor. The other agent raised a protective shield just in time as another ball slammed against it. His interface calculated the trajectory of where the attacks were coming from. There was another agent cloaked in the corner of the room. Agent Cane fired his own attack at the agents location. Both his explosive balls hit the enemy agents shields, but now at least he couldn’t move while he had his shield raised. Agent Cane continued to fire white phosphorous balls at the other agent. Agent Daniels was doing his best to hold off the attack, but his shields wouldn’t last much longer.

Marauder this is agent Daniels, I found the boy but Gamma is here, and I am under attack. Not sure I can hold him off much longer. Agent Daniels this is Marauder, do you have the boy, is he safe? Agent Daniels? There was no reply. You idiot, why did you have to hit him in the head, I just broke through his shields, and then you come in and blow his head off, with that explosive ball. How are we going to find out where the rest of his team is hiding if we can’t read him to find out. Go kill the boy, and then go back and wait outside I will search this guy for intel since we can’t read him. When I am done you can help me dispose of the bodies, Agent Cane told his over-zealous fellow agent.

The year is 2226 for most it is a time of peace and prosperity the likes of which has not been seen before in the history of man. They have pushed out into space and have spread across the solar system. The quality of life for all is beyond any other time in history. Life is full of unlimited potential and promise. They have also delved deep into the very essence of our being. Nanotechnology has allowed the manipulation of mater at its very smallest form. Advances in this technology open up new doors into our potential and allow great abundance.

Over population on Earth has forced many to leave the planet to build less crowded settlements in different regions of space. Most live on space stations since terraforming takes too long. During the time of the great builder ships with nanotechnology to help them, it is easier to create artificial habitats in space stations that orbit the planets, rather than form new habitats on the planets. The space stations have large rings that rotate around a hub to create gravity. The hub has the central command, law enforcement, hospitals, shops, and the business centers that let the stations thrive. Also along the hub are spaceports for passenger and cargo ships to dock.

The stations have become the suburbs where those that can, have moved to get away from the crowding of the mega cities on Earth. Surveillance and other technologies have reduced crime dramatically but it still happens, the need to be game-fully employed, or in school to live on a station makes it a little less prevalent. The stations draw the middle class and upper class business crowd as well as the government officials needed to make the station run smoothly. Life on the stations is more like a small town even though the populations are fairly large, communities form around school districts and the small neighborhood convenience shops within the ring.

Each station uses a fusion reactor to generate the needed energy that powers the rings and provides life support to the station. The rings are about three stories high and about a mile wide from edge to edge, with filtered glass on the inside of the ring. That continues partially around the outer edge to simulate the sky to the dwellers below, by filtering the sunlight and creating night and day through a chemical process in the glass that turns darker during the night period and transforms more of the sunlight to energy. The houses are all built as two story structures.

The ones on the outer edges of the ring, are larger than those on the inside, there are roadways in between to allow travel. The houses on the outside edge of the residential areas are built with a courtyard in the center, and the back of the house looks out on the green vegetation areas that are on the very edges of each ring. In these green rings of plant life are the green zones, used for hydroponics, were several pants are grown to allow fresh vegetables in the station. There are other green areas in the rings that provide parks and recreation areas allowing for a more family friendly lifestyle.

There are some stations that function only as mining, agricultural, and manufacturing stations. The mining and manufacturing stations function by looking for the various minerals found on the moons and debris fields around planets, but mostly robots operate these stations with minimal human presence required. Ships carry all forms of goods between these stations and the rest of the settlements in the solar system. Still man continues to push further out into space small settlements are starting to form out beyond the edges of our solar system. The great builder ships that went from planet to planet building space stations have now moved on to the outer edges of the solar system. Without planets to anchor them, the new space stations assume a solar orbit. Ever the pioneer man has reached another frontier, and soon will master light speed, to allow the settlement of different stars.

What those that are in power do not know is that dark forces are at work that will shake the very foundations of the fragile peace that holds it all together. Man by his very nature is a greedy and jealous brute craving all that he can get, and willing to use whatever means available to him to get it. Empires rise and fall on that principal, and it is always the weak, that pay the price for the bold and strong. Perhaps it is the folly of man to lose track of that truth, history has shown that to be the case repeatedly. So why does it always come as a shock when a powerful group rises to try to take what they want from those they consider to be weaker.

So our story begins while those that should be guarding the sheep slept, so too in a dark room on a comfortable bed, lays a boy, dark brown hair, hazel eyes and large in build and stature, at six foot three and two hundred and twenty pounds, he is big for his age. He is well toned due to an athletic lifestyle, and handsome in a classic way that has endured throughout the ages, due to his genetics. Nevertheless, tonight David could not sleep, he is nervous about his big day tomorrow. Like so many children before him, he would be getting his mental implant so he can continue for the next level of training at his school. He was not nervous about the procedure, it was completely nonintrusive, simply drinking a liquid out of a glass and letting the Nanobots do the rest. In the two hundred years since the first implant was invented, the procedure had become almost routine. Almost… Even though there had not been a report of anything going wrong, for at least fifty years. So why would he be nervous, no he was not nervous about the procedure. Ok, maybe a little, he had to admit to himself. Nevertheless, what made it hard for him to sleep, and what he was really nervous about, was what he would be doing after the implant, because that was the big unknown.

Besides allowing the recipient the ability to interact with their environment and all of the various entertainment and data repositories in the alliance of planets, it also opened up pathways and allowed more of the brain to be used. That was exactly what he was nervous about. In all the years of research and improvement of the procedure, there was still no way to control what pathways were opened and what attributes would be unleashed. This was primarily due to the uniqueness of each human brain. The other major benefit of the implant, though some would say it was a curse, was the personal communicator, credit interface, and location tracking.

It allowed the user to be at one with the environment they lived in, any action needed to interact with it was merely a thought away. Of course, there had been protests when it was first invented. Mostly concerns about unfettered access to the human brain and privacy, but there were safeguards put in place to protect that, ultimately it became mainstream and now mandatory for any member of the alliance. This by proxy meant any member of the human race.

However, unknown to everyone except the highest levels of government was what they called the side benefit of the mandatory implant. In the wake of failed government policies that spent more money on the nonproductive elements of society, than that which was produced by the productive elements of society, and huge over population of the very poorest members of the population. It was determined that a more comprehensive form of population control was required. Therefore, the implant interacted with other wetware implants injected at birth. These implants did many things, most monitored and repaired vital organs and allowed for a healthy society, one however was responsible for controlling the reproductive process of all females. It was argued when it was introduced that the reproductive age of our species had not evolved along with the social and economic evolution of our species.

Therefore, what the public knew of this technology was that it did not allow girls to get pregnant until they turned eighteen. This of course eliminated teenage pregnancy and seemed like a good idea, but what the public did not know, was that the implant also limited some females from having more than one child and sometimes none at all. The entire process was based on economics, if the female could support a child she was allowed to have one, at a maximum two, if not then she would not. If the child died before the female was beyond reproductive years and she could still support one, she could have another. This option was only allowed if the female seemed psychologically capable of having another child.

Her mental state was evaluated, and a committee determined if she could have another one, all of this was done through the implant without her knowledge or her consent. The other wetware would also function based on economics, if the person was economically fit then their body would remain fit. If not then the organs would be left to fend for themselves, and life expectancy of that person would be shorter than someone who was a productive member of society, again this was all monitored through the implant and without the subject’s knowledge or consent.

This allowed for the ultimate population control, it also allowed select breeding, in that the economic prospects of an individual were determined by the mental ability of that person. Robots did all manual labor and undesired tasks so all that was left to humans was the jobs that required thought. If your mental faculties even after the implant were not capable of being a benefit to society then you are not allowed to enjoy a prolonged life. Over generations, only the strong survive and weak gene pools were eliminated, thus ensuring a strong populous.

This of course was not the known policy but it was what had happened regardless, mental birth defects were eliminated, and to a certain point even physical defects as well. The wetware implants also eliminated obesity, cancer, plaque in the blood stream, and several other organ related health problems. With the wetware regulating body-chemistry, humans were living very healthy lives. In addition, since the wetware also repaired DNA strands the life span of the average human increased dramatically.

When humans first started experimenting with wetware and the idea of brain augmentation, they really had no idea of the potential it would offer. In what could be considered a relatively short period of time they had been able to achieve a great deal, mainly due to the increased brain capacity of the population. The average person had the IQ and mental acuity of the historical figure Einstein. Those that were considered gifted or exceptional had a mental capacity beyond the comprehension of those who lived in Einstein’s era, they ultimately went on to become the leaders of industry and government. Academics became even more critical than they ever had been in the past. Failure was not an option and with the sheer volume of human knowledge expanding at such a fast pace, it became harder and harder for the non-educated to survive in society.

There were tests created and given to determine what field of study was most suited to the abilities of the brain of each child within weeks of receiving the implant. The implant which was designed to ferret out the dormant or latent abilities of the unused portions of the brain, often found things that previously had not been known to exist. Ultimately, it came down to genetics, if the genetics of your parents had come together to produce a certain aspect of your brain then the implant would find it and expand it. After the first few generations of expansion new mutations started to arise and then mutate again as they interacted with each other. Of course, there were many overlaps of abilities that played into all aspects of a given skill, the requirements of any given skill also required knowledge from other disciplines, and they found having a well-rounded understanding of all aspects of those disciplines was the best way to approach mastery of that skill.

However, in this there was still some debate, the old nature verses nurture, by waiting to give the implant until the age of fifteen the child had spent enough time in the world to develop affinities toward certain things that would help shape there brain the natural way, and this was encouraged. Of course, there were tests along the way that helped guide them on their path and students were constantly exposed to so much information and technology. They were encouraged to follow many different paths intellectually and culturally. Therefore, it could be argued that the early development years played a part in the paths that were opened later after the implant.

The knowledge of man continued to grow and new fields arose from that knowledge, as old ones went away or rolled up into the new. This process was akin to the famous expression being able to see further by standing on the shoulders of giants. So to were the technologies of mankind advanced as the knowledge gained from the past was brought to bear against the new problems of future discovery. Sometimes it was just a question of the right people coming together at the right time to collaborate, and put existing technologies together in ways that had not been done before.

Also new ways of teaching were developed that focused on learning, where a student was encourage to follow a thought deeper and deeper, into the understanding of an idea. Meaning that the students often taught themselves, the teachers became guides that would steer them in the right direction but not interfere with their path. Advanced learning programs that often presented themselves as games, and that would force the student to learn new skills to advance to the next level, helped this process along.

Unlike, the primitive versions that had first been developed for this purpose, they had sophisticated AIs. These AI systems adapted to the child’s learning style, and combined with systems that used neuroplasticity, and neuro-linguistic programming techniques to push the difficult concepts into the brain. All of this was wrapped in clever storytelling to draw them in, and make them want to continue. The learning could be focused on the theory behind certain principles and not the complicated concepts like formulas, syntax, mathematical equations, mathematical and chemical tables, and other types of data that normally had to be memorized. Instead, the student was free to concentrate on achieving the next challenge and the next level. Before they knew it, knowledge was the reward for further advancement.

Even with academics taking such a high precedent, other activities were also pursued, athletics and the arts were valued, but it was clear if the student did not have the knowledge to function after those dreams were done, they would not be allowed to continue. This provided for a more balanced person leaving the academic halls of the education system.

Budgets were written that took the advancement of society as the goal. Knowledge was the yardstick that measured the effectiveness of the system. Schools were held accountable for the accomplishments of the students that graduated from them, for budget considerations. Teachers also had to sit through alumni boards, were it was determined to what extent there teaching methods had contributed to the students success or failure.

The start of something wonderful

TOC

So perhaps it was understandable why a fifteen-year-old boy was now lying awake nervous about what tomorrow would bring. Finally he decided to get up, maybe play on the computer or see if one of his friends was awake. He quietly got out of bed and crept over to the computer terminal in his bedroom, he wouldn’t want to wake Mom or Dad, since they would not like him up so late. He mused on the fact that after tomorrow he would not need to get out of bed to do this, the implant would become his interface to all computer systems.

First he adjusted the volume on the terminal and then logged in, Good morning David the house system (Ginny) responded. You should not be up so late, you have a very busy day tomorrow Ginny went on, chiding him as she often did when he was bending the house rules. I know, I know, I could not sleep he responded slightly irritated with her nagging. I understand and will not report this session to your parents, the intelligent house system responded with a slightly more tender and indulgent tone to her voice. Ginny was more than an interface to the house she was integrated into the entire inter-planetary network. She could interact with the inhabitants of the house from any terminal or implant from anywhere in the solar system and even beyond if the alliance ever finished setting up the infrastructure to the outer settlements. She was also part of the family and had a soft spot for David having helped raise him, so she felt more like a parent to him. Is there anything I can help you with? No, just going to surf the web or see if anyone else is awake, but thanks Ginny, David replied. I will have Roger bring you some warm milk and cookies, Ginny replied. David knew that there was no use telling her not to, she doted on him like a mother hen. Within a few minutes, Roger the house-bot entered with a tray of cookies and a warm glass of milk.

Of course Ginny would report his nervousness to his parents, but she would not tell them that he was awake in the middle of the night. It was a delicate balance she had to maintain as the house system, one that had been programmed into her extremely complicated AI network and that she had adapted over the years. The original developers of the system had realized that a house system had to maintain a level of trust with all of the occupants of the house. So they used a complex rule matrix and allowed it to be adapted to the temperament of the family it served. Of course, there were absolutes that could not be changed, but the personality was not one of them. Unless, David was doing something that would get him in to real trouble or put anyone in the house in danger, she did not have to betray the trust that she had earned over the years.

Most house systems would serve multiple generations of families and were often considered part of the family as she was. Even having the software transferred to new residences and multiple instances of the core being used by multiple generations in their own households. Frequently, a house system of one spouse was integrated into the house system of the other. The dominate system was often a point of contention when considering marriage, though usually it was easily resolved when the core relationship and memories of the other system could be transferred to the new system.

Optimally, the only difference would be the voice of the system and perhaps slight mannerisms when addressing everyone over the intercom system of the house, though a good system would use the mannerisms of the old system when interacting with the new spouse and even the old voice when speaking in private or through the implant. Ginny had been with David’s family for six generations on his father’s side. She had done pretty much the same thing for many of the children the night before the implant was scheduled. She could have had Roger put a sedative and anti-anxiety agent in the milk, but there was no point, it was perfectly healthy to be nervous and it would not be as effective as letting him come to grips with the situation in his own time.

David nibbled on a cookie and drank the milk while he checked the status of his friends and glanced at the different updates and news events displayed on his main page. Emma was online so he started a chat session. Emma had been friends with David and Gordon, since they had moved to Saturn Station 12. She had auburn hair and freckles, with brown eyes. Most would say she was pretty, but they usually didn’t notice because she was part of the geek squad. You know that group of kids in every school that are so labeled because of their affinity toward that which most people would consider for geeks. Besides to David and Gordon, Emma was just one of the guys.

David:>>Hey Emma, can’t sleep either?

Emma:>>No too nervous about tomorrow.

David:>>Me too, but what do you have to be nervous about? You and Gordon are at the top of our class in most subjects and in Human Machine relations you are amazing. You guys are some of the best programmers the school has ever had.

Emma:>>Well, still I have a lot to live up to, both my parents are considered some of the brightest of their generation, so many people expect the same of me. That is why I got in so much trouble when Gordon and I hacked the school system and played that prank on Principle Bennett.

David:>>That prank was classic, and he deserved it, it is too bad you had to confess so the whole school would not be punished. Everyone knew it was you anyway, but still it must have been hard.

Emma:>>It wasn’t too bad, we made it look like we did less hacking then we did. The penalties for hacking are bad, especially if an implant is hacked. So we covered our tracks really well. Just like we did when we designed these secure chat programs that we use. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be talking to you about it right now. :-)

David:>>Yeah, sometimes I forget that other people can be monitored on