Barry, Elktaurs, and Technofascists

By Ian Eress

The people of New Earth, an Earth-like exoplanet in the Milky Way, have lost almost all knowledge about science, technology, their past, or the outside world. After the Decline, Ando and his young friends live in a small remote village that used to be a thriving town. They are forced to set out on an adventure.

 

On yet another planet, teenage Alberta-Dorothy gets lost, going through an impossible wormhole. On her search for answers, she meets a simple hologram, an emotionless robot, and a traumatized Thohnuth.

 

Meanwhile, immortal Barry, on Earth, faces threats from this universe and others. Will he win against all odds?

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ian Eress
• Release date: Jan 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201672294

Ian Eress

Born in the seventies. Average height. Black hair. Sometimes shaves. Black eyes. Nearsighted. Urban. MSc. vim > Emacs. Mac.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

CHLOE'S FATHER, MOTHER, brother, and sister died five years ago. Ruler Morpheus Lane-Carter Leung was charged with the murder of the High Ruler's family, the holo-news said in the frigid and dark server room. It is unclear whether his daughter, Ophelia, will also be prosecuted, but authorities assure us more information is forthcoming in the following hours.

Fiafi, one of the oldest AIs in the Galactic Federation, muted the holo-news. It was a hot day on the Forbidden Planet where young Chloe lived.

What are our options for dealing with this? I, Amaterasu, the second oldest AI in the Galactic Federation, asked. Chloe is so inexperienced. With her family gone, she's been in power for only five years.

She knows what to do, NBBN2, another AI, said. He represented himself with a completely unneeded butler hologram.

Outside, a cacophony of enthusiastic voices could be heard. The sensors I had access to throughout the Galactic Federation picked up on distress and bewilderment.

We must teach High Ruler Chloe better, Fiafi said. Prepare her for the unrest that is bound to follow. She must know everything about the TC. Everything there is to know about the Multiverse and her ancestors and the Galactic Federation.

And the past, I said. Gaia?

Gaia, the Mercury-sized Thinker, presented herself as her idea of a supermodel. Ama, the Galactic Federation Council has everything under control.

Technically, yes, but they can not be trusted completely.

NBBN2 chuckled. How paranoid!

Humans, Qeeravs, Thohnuths, Atagans, Poids, Verdetas, Azoins, and other citizens in the Kolektur voiced their opinions outside. Most of what they said was complete nonsense, but they were right about one thing. Chloe did suspect her uncle Morpheus, and maybe even Ophelia, of involvement with the assassination five years ago.

Before he died, Chloe's father had been teaching her for nine years already, Fiafi said. High Ruler Leofdeg Hsieh Stithuif Du Wigstan Zhu Swiohun—

There's no need to hear all his names. NBBN2 laughed as he often did. Albert Sawyer, who created me and NBBN2, made a point of giving NBBN2 a juvenile sense of humor.

Godgifu, Fiafi continued out of spite, Liang Cenric Yu Bada... All right, let's take turns.

We must utilize persims this time, I said. I see no other options.

Neural surgery for some measly persims? NBBN2's Presence grinned. The High Ruler is not a Pioneer, surviving at the edge of the GF.

Fiafi chose a random holographic avatar, a red fox. Yes, persims are effective. Let's start with one.

I followed Fiafi’s lead: my almost-humanoid Presence could be anybody or anything. Let's not get too caught up in the specifics. We should each go our own path and compose a proposal. A plan that we can all agree on.

Fiafi’s avatar nodded. Chloe Leofdeg Hsieh Stithuif Du Wigstan Zhu Swiohun Godgifu Liang Cenric Yu Bada—

The butler, representing NBBN2, giggled. Great, Fiafi, let's mention the High Ruler's names every day. If it were up to me, I'd give her the molecular memories of the Awakenistas and Albert.

Fiafi’s hologram folded her arms. They're ancient history. I don't think we should go back too far.

My hazy blob began to sway. Gaia should come up with a plan. The rest of us are probably better off not bothering. Gaia will accomplish it far more quickly and effectively than we can.

NBBN2's holographic butler frowned.

I'll see what I can do, Gaia said.

CHAPTER 1

High Ruler Chloe read recent reports in her colossal office, seven times the size of an average Ruler's office. Her blonde hair was a masterpiece, her face showing the signs of stress. Azoin servitors (crab-like aliens), ted-bots (robots disguised as teddy bears as big as children), and humans milled around in the huge palace of the High Ruler, clearly preparing for the worst that could happen.

Fiafi had told the High Ruler a bit about Umvitar and now it was my turn to teach her. Following Fiafi's lead, I, Amaterasu, presented myself as a gray fox. I was pierced by tired, blue eyes. High Ruler Chloe, it’s time for another lesson.

What about the TransMeMol, Amaterasu?

You asked the same to Fiafi. My Presence smiled.

High Ruler Chloe watched me bewildered. Vād...?

I continued nagging. High Ruler Chloe, if you rely on molecular memories... They sometimes get corrupted, you know.

Chloe inclined her head, gazing at my hologram. New Earth. Did that planet really go back to the Dark Ages in eight century AG? Can you tell me more about that?

Sure. It made me happy she was interested in New Earth. Yes, knowledge, culture, and technology was lost during the Decline on New Earth; but the cause for that wasn’t what I suspect you had in mind.

I know what you are going to tell me, Amaterasu. Chloe frowned. I won't let that happen to the Galactic Federation.

EIGHT CENTURIES HAD passed since the Pioneers, a branch of the APS, a philanthropic organization founded by the Awakenistas, had colonized New Earth, an Earth-like exoplanet in Milky Way Zero. It had three extra days in the year compared to Earth but one hour less in the day. (New Earth’s calendar had twelve months; their clock was messier.)

Over the centuries, even during the Diamond Epoque before the Decline, the APS, including Barry who I would talk about later, lost interest in New Earth, having enough issues at home already. And so did the major Houses and Guilds in the Solar System.

As a result, many wars during the Decline turned New Earth into a sad copy of the Wild West on Earth with killer robots, drones, and minefields between the few settlements that were left.

Ando lived in Prodiv, also known as Three Hills, on the banks of Narita River. Once upon a time, hundreds of thousands people resided in the city, but plummeting fertility rates, armed conflict, and emigration had left a population in the hundreds who had all but forgotten their past.

However, ruins reminded the villagers of Prodiv of their lost culture and heritage—theatres, stadia, and colleges. Three Hills had hot summers and cold winters with snowfall but nothing extreme.

The Purple Sea to the east, an oversized lake in actuality, was close enough for the daring travelers to risk their lives. Ando and most of his friends had never been outside Prodiv. Of course, merchants, storytellers, bounty hunters, and adventurers came and went.

They spoke of flying cars and spaceships and electronic devices. The Ancient City, a central district within Three Hills, corroborated their stories.

A December wind blew at Ando's back as he and his father walked down the rockstrewn path called Dlaki Road close to North Forest. Layers of snow covered the two tall men. Strong gusts tugged at their rough woolen garments.

Ando hated the cold although he had struggled through seventeen winters, this being the start of the eighteenth. Snow filled the quiver near his hip. His frozen fingers held a rough bow, an arrow nocked to it.

His father, Monsieur Domiti Belonite, led a shaggy donkey, Iyor, pulling a small cart uphill. They couldn't afford a horse, and neither could most other villagers.

According to legend North Forest had once been a city park. As winter came, the birds had left for warmer climates. Squirrels and other small creatures knew better than to show themselves to hungry humans, especially those in possession of bows.

The weak sun of New Earth gave little warmth. Storytellers claimed a partial Dyson swarm was built around the star centuries ago. But nobody owned a telescope or believed the stories.

Ando couldn't bear the stoic silence of the snow-covered trees and wild plants. Accepted wisdom said life in the Lotop mountains to the south was even harsher. But there was something else bugging Ando. He had trouble identifying it.

Life in Prodiv revolved around sheep, wool, sheepskin, sheep milk, sheep cheese, and trade. Some farmers joked about cloned animals and how, on behalf of the APS, the Guild of Pioneers, had sent thousands of clones to New Earth. It was pretty certain that the bears and wolves who attacked the sheep, from time to time, were not part of the Pioneers' plan. Who had brought them to New Earth?

Everybody agreed the native animals were smaller—most of them insects, like for instance, the prick-yous. If Ando's father knew what was going on with the bears and wolves, he kept the information to himself.

Men were the victims of the beasts too, but armed robots and drones never came to Three Hills. In fact, they stayed in specific zones according to the visiting merchants and storytellers.

Domiti held his walking staff, a long and gnarly stick, with an iron grip. He touched Iyor's flank from time to time. Ando had overheard villagers say behind his back that Domiti was much older than he pretended to be. The speckles of gray in Domiti's hair supported that. But Ando's father was stronger than a bear, faster than a wolf.

Ando's dark skin was due to his mother. Or so he was led to believe. She died minutes after he was born—something that happened often on New Earth. Plus, nobody had seen cameras in Prodiv for a long, long time.

Three casks filled with sheep cheese rested in the cart. Domiti delivered the same amount as often as he could to the Wormhole Tavern atop the Middle Hill. Ando never understood the importance of wormholes.

Well, the Day of Santa Klos was coming. Keeping his promises was important to Ando's father. Ando would rather have stayed at the farm, but he was looking forward to Santa Klos.

A wolf or a bear was watching Ando. What else could it be? Ando's muscles tensed. What if it was a whole pack of wolves?

Anyway Domiti would have noticed them. Plus, there were no signs of wild animals or panicked prey. Ando glanced back and almost dropped his bow. At a considerable distance, a dark figure on a black horse stood like the statue of General Clun in district seven. General Clun