The Wisdom-Goddess Star

By Francis Bass

Alexander Irving. First generation Martian, born to Patricia Irving and Peter Leung. Studied journalism at the newly founded University of Mars, a petri dish for “human journalism,” a new style of journalism to compete with AI reporters. Moved to Phobos upon graduation and joined the staff of The Light, the premier news organization of Mars’s largest satellite. Reported primarily on the working class of Phobos—technicians, repair crew, service workers—and always felt he was missing something. The grit of real journalism, investigative journalism, the kind which humans still do in the mud and shadows of Earth.

2 Pallas. Third most massive asteroid in the solar system, the newest acquisition of the International Martian Program. Its colonization is the first major IMP project to make use of the Per Aspera Ad Astra program, recruiting a thousand new members from working class, low income, secondary education backgrounds. Due to its highly eccentric orbit, Pallas only nears Mars once every 2 years—making it the most isolated colony in the IMP.

Pallas gives Irving the opportunity he’s looking for, to probe deep into a colony from which AI cannot harvest data, as the colony still lacks a long-range communications relay. When Irving arrives, he shortly discovers that Pallas’s isolation may be the intentional work of the local governor, and he endeavors to discover what exactly the governor wants to keep hidden from the rest of the IMP.

In addition to this novelette, this publication includes an afterword by the author, in which he discuss how a superintendent election, a dysfunctional novella, and a few English classes influenced the creation of the story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Francis Bass
• Release date: Feb 14, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370680658

Francis Bass

Francis Bass is a writer of science fiction and fantasy. His work has appeared in RECKONING, ELECTRIC LITERATURE, and others. He lives in Philadelphia.

Book preview

The Wisdom-Goddess Star

Copyright © 2018 by Francis Bass

All rights reserved.

Cover font Viafont by JLH Fonts.

COVER PHOTOS: Top left, Pallas imaged by HST in 336nm UV filter, courtesy of Hubble Space Telescope/STScI. — Top right courtesy of NASA/JPL Horizons. — Bottom left courtesy of DAMIT/Astronomical Institute of Charles University. — Bottom right courtesy of Urhixidur/Wikimedia.

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Table of Contents

The Wisdom-Goddess Star

Afterword

M year 8. Phobos. Gold district. The offices of The Light, the largest satellite-based news agency in the International Martian Program. The meeting room, festooned with hardcopies of articles and photographs. Eighteen writers are crammed around a large black-topped table which was probably meant for a lab, among them Alexander Irving. Each writer fidgets with sweaty fingers, waiting to propose their next story or editorial. Yu Zhi, editor-in-chief, stands before them, briefing them on the week to come, assigning some stories, offering others up to whoever is interested. Finally, she turns the floor to the journalists.

Any other ideas?

The man seated next to Zhi at the head of the table makes his proposal first, and slowly the focus slides around the table. The ideas are fluff tacked onto fluff.

A survey of Phobos cuisine.

Interviews with newly arrived immigrants.

Moers wants to start doing theatre criticism, since an improv group just started in the Zinc district.

Throughout, Irving keeps his hands folded on the table. He does not need to consult his notes. He has been preparing this proposal for weeks. He has researched the location, the travel costs, the potential interviewees. He is finally presenting it today, now that the Pallas pass is just ten days away.

Irving, anything? Zhi asks.

I would like to write an exposé on Pallas.

The writers who have already made their proposals have been murmuring, but they stop now. O’Bryan, an old Terran with enormous glasses, chuckles slowly.

"Observer has already done that, Zhi says. A very popular piece."

I read it, Irving says. It was fluff.

It was human journalism.

I want to do something informative. I want to dig into the reality of Pallas. Not just tour around the lab and shake hands with the governor.

"We can’t pay to shuttle someone out to Pallas to do a story the Observer already did, Zhi says. Raj, do you have anything?"

Irving sits back and glares at the tea and Danishes at the center of the table. The babble of his coworkers washes over him. Analysis, rhetoric, feelings. This is the state of human journalism in the IMP, while hard news is left to AI reporters culling data from thousands of sources into clear and objective articles.

Excellent, Zhi says. That’s all then, you can all go. Take some pastries on your way out. And Irving, can you stay?

Irving looks up, surprised, nods. Zhi sits down across from him at the massive black table.

Yu Zhi. Born