Parallel Worlds

By Brian G Harding

By 2227, space travel is commonplace. Milestone achievements in space are realized in the fields of surgery and manufacturing. The solar system is teaming with space stations, territories and even a new country.

This new age comes with longstanding challenges. The greatest being the enormous amount of building materials and fuel required for this expansion. As distant spatial mines are exhausted, fierce competition for resources threatens civil war. Our only chance is to accomplish the impossible.

We look to a new frontier; untapped, neighboring star systems with room for a displaced population. Unable to surpass the speed of light or find a suitable worm hole, we experiment with an unorthodox means of rapid deep space exploration.

Accomplishing the impossible results in an outcome no one sees coming.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 3, 2023
• ISBN: 9781684560950

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Parallel Worlds

Brian G Harding

Copyright © 2023 Brian G Harding

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2023

ISBN 978-1-68456-094-3 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-68456-095-0 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

I thank God for the talent to write, and thank my son, Brandon, for believing in me.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

About the Author

I thank God for the talent to write, and thank my son, Brandon, for believing in me.

Chapter 1

Unaware he is on a collision course with fate, space expansion consultant Brandon Weiss is driving to a meeting at the recently formed GSA, (Global Space Administration). Taking advantage of his auto pilot, he is preoccupied with a news broadcast about RAGE's latest bombing.

"This is Rhonda Heinz inside the Eagle mining dome on Ganymede with foreman Bruce Donnelly after RAGE's latest attack. What can you tell us?"

"We were assembling that loader over there when we heard an explosion by this toolshed. Maybe RAGE thought it was something important. We knew it was them when they hacked into our network, chanting ‘You can forget us, but you can't ignore us' and ‘Stop the interstellar rape.' They are mistaken if they think this is more than a minor nuisance. They call themselves Rebels Against Galactic Expansion, but we call them Advocates for a Stagnant System. You can figure out that acronym."

As Rhonda thanks Mr. Donnelly for his time and proceeds to recap RAGE's recent activities, Brandon turns off the feed, relieved that his name wasn't mentioned. He tries to relax on this windy, overcast Orlando day with the tree branches swinging at invisible foes. He takes manual control of his car, hoping to distract his mind. Still, he can't stop reviewing how the system got into its present predicament.

With the advent of artificial organ transplants in the late twenty-first century, recovery in people over a hundred was as dangerous as the surgery itself. Experiments with organ transplants in zero gravity proved promising, as well as setting bones and plastic surgery. Simultaneously, zero gravity trials in manufacturing were yielding new and superior products.

Spatial industries prompted the formation of a conglomerate calling themselves Cosmos Ventures. In 2102, they petitioned the GSA with a plan to place a combined hospital/manufacturing plant in orbit. But adding large stations to the already crowded mix of orbiting traffic prejudiced GSA against their proposal.

GSA countered with a joint venture to expand Moon Base Alpha. It was originally built to launch deep space probes, to replenish Distant Earth mines and refine minerals brought back from them. Utilizing the moon reduced pollution on Earth, and was easier to launch and work under the lesser gravity. GSA suggested adding domes to Moon Base Alpha for medical and manufacturing, along with a hotel for patients' families and people seeking exotic vacations. Cosmos Ventures accepted. It became a great success, and it was a status symbol to possess products with the lunar seal.

With time, people grew weary of the tedious trips to the moon, and Cosmos Ventures was at last granted permission to deploy a medical/industrial space station orbiting earth. North Star was commissioned on December 4, 2136. It was so named, as it was a moving, bright dot that could be seen crossing the North Star one quarter the distance from the Earth to the moon. Its crew compliment was 4,300 with accommodations for an additional 1,000 guests. Cylindrical in shape, one end was dedicated to zero-gravity production; the other medical. These ends were connected by a shaft supporting a section that rotated to induce gravity for the crew's quarters and visitor lodgings.

North Star's success led to the addition of two more stations: Eclipse and Trinity. Manufacturers expanded their spatial product lines to escape insufferable protest groups that have beleaguered them for so long. Within twenty-five years, the three stations were joined by numerous smaller stations serving special interests, representing over fifty thousand workers in all. All these stations were placed in a single orbit identified by white markers, earning it the nickname Halo.

The spatial-industrial age had arrived.

Pilgrimage to the Near-Earth stations left Moon Base Alpha like a ghost town. GSA got the idea of growing produce in the vacated areas to help offset the cost of launching food stuffs from Earth, turning Moon Base Alpha into an agricultural center.

Lunar crops were free of undesirable elements such as aphids, rodents, and weeds without using insecticides or other chemicals. Spatial agriculture was also safe from the unpredictable forces of nature such as droughts and storms. Despite being freeze dried, the latest craze was to bring lunar produce to Earth to be offered by high-end restaurants as chemical free dishes from space.

Spatial agriculture added life to space, dispelling its reputation of being cold, dark, and forlorn. Some people were drawn to the moon just to see these domed farms. GSA later decided to add more agricultural domes and even a rain forest. They tasked Brandon with finding someone to lead this expansion.

Brandon decided on botanist Dr. Bridgette Sycheva, who held a doctorate in husbandry with minors in entomology and greenhouse design. Bridgette impressed him. She was vivacious about life and held that plants are a miracle, not only as a food source but also in filtering out pollution, having medicinal uses, and useful in production.

Bridgette dithered at accepting Brandon's offer, giving the expected reasons—I'll be leaving all I have known, my parents, friends, Earth and all its nature.

Brandon pointed out, Spatial agriculture is coming to space with or without your help. Wouldn't you like to know it will be done with the best chance of success? Unlike the financial constraints that held you back on your terrestrial projects, you would have a blank check to make your visions into reality.

I will think about it was the best Brandon could get from her. He sensed there was something else she wasn't telling. His tenacious nature lead him to visit her parents. They explained Bridgette had suffered a bad breakup. Bridgette feared it was her total dedication to her work that sabotaged her relationship and decided to pull herself back, allowing time for a social life. Brandon explained what GSA was offering Bridgette. They were persuaded by GSA's offer to pay off Bridgette's hefty student loans.

Bridgette received a call from her parents, then accepted a three-month tour on Moon Base Alpha. Working with spatial engineers, Bridgette designs a large translucent dome to filter out the sun's harmful radiation and is protected by a ring of lasers to blast errant meteors. She began sowing seeds, emphasizing plants that are especially good at producing oxygen and refreshing the air.

She had little more than two weeks left on her contract when a miner named John was brought to Moon Base Alpha for surgery. Bridgette met this man to ask him what miners like to eat and if they might enjoy living plants added to their isolated domains. She found John's ideas stimulating. He wished their mining camps were more self-sufficient, fearing abandonment out in the deep of space if there were a calamity back on Earth. They suffered from asteroid fever, as their dwellings were cramped with workers and equipment. He missed simple pleasures terrestrials take for granted, such as fresh air, playing sports or just going for walks.

She was intrigued at his interest in Moon Base Alpha as a vacation spot for miners. Moon Base Alpha served as a hub for Distant Earth miners connecting with other extra-terrestrial mines. They often didn't have the time or money to make the expensive hop back to earth. To have a piece of Earth on the moon would be huge for Distant Earth miner's morale.

Brandon visits Bridgette on Moon Base Alpha to persuade her to extend her contract or at least serve as a returning consultant. He is impressed by how she transformed the base and feels closer to her after meeting with her parents. Instead of being in the executive section, Brandon finds her desk in the garden dome, squeezed in between bags of potting soil and fertilizer. You need a plant for your desk, he jokes.

Bridgette smiles and gives him a hug. It's so great to see you! What do you think of the place?

I'm impressed. And so is GSA, the reason for my visit. Brandon notices a painting of a completed dome and remembers the paintings her parents displayed in their home. "Did you paint that? It is really good."

Bridgette admires the painting with him. Painting is very therapeutic. It is a shortcut to my visions becoming real to remind myself of why I am doing what I am doing. It is also an excellent tool for sharing my vision with contractors and investors. Painting is inspirational. I am surprised more people don't indulge in it.

I am glad I choose to be a part of this project. As light as everything is here, I was able to help assemble it in a way I couldn't have back on Earth. I like getting my hands dirty.

After some catching up, Brandon tells her, GSA would like you to stay on or at least make return visits.

I've been anxious to go home, but I'm also anxious to see how the dome is going to turn out. And I've been spending a lot of time with John, whom I told you about in my message. We have come up with some exciting ideas!

Brandon was glad that she has a reason to stay but is also worried about her well-being. Listen, Bridgette, your parents told me you had a bad breakup back on Earth.

Bridgette scowled at how her parents revealed her secret, always interfering in her life.

Brandon explains, As difficult as terrestrial romances can be, an off-planet relationship is even harder to make work. I hope you are not setting yourself up for more heartache.

"John is going back to the mines. I don't know when or even if I will ever see him again. I am just intrigued by his insights. I appreciate your concern, even when such a possible romance would encourage me to stay… I'll accept a three-month extension if the GSA agrees to add living plants to the Distant Earth mines."

Under Bridgette's direction, a pond was dug in a lunar dome and filled with water by the spatial ice catchers that supplied the Distant Earth facilities. It was stocked with fish to add to the Distant Earth produce, and giving miners and visitors a chance to catch lunar fish.

The pond's surroundings were built up and planted with rain forest plants to give it a terrainian feel. Next, Bridgette introduced tropical birds, colorful flowers and butterflies. The dome mimics the sun traveling across the sky complete with sunrises and sunsets. The final touch is the construction of a waterfall that splashes into the pond. The waterfall cloaks the area in a fine mist that adds to the charm.

The exclusive club of people ever visiting the moon were enchanted by Bridgette's colorful garden set in stark contrast to the dark vacuum outside. It felt more like South America than standing on the moon.

GSA touts her gardens as an example of what an extra-terrestrial base can be.

Chapter 2

Even with the prestigious title of astronaut, lucrative sign-on bonuses, and a month's paid rotation home for every three months in space, attracting spatial laborers to isolated work on Halo stations was challenging.

Familial habitation stations are added to their orbit, letting workers shuttle to their families on a weekly or even daily basis. This extended rotations to nine months for every month on Earth and grew the Halo population to over 150,000. As many didn't maintain terrestrial homes, Cosmos Ventures built housing complexes around the world for home rotations.

Ever-increasing demand for spatial products led to the next generation of larger stations automated with assembly line robots. To avoid further congestion around Earth, these new stations were placed in solar-centric orbits one astronomical unit from the sun and ninety degrees from the planetary plane. They each have their own orbits giving them two Near Earth passes a year, six months apart. This gives them the designation Bi-Annual orbitals. As they pass earth at different times, they are staggered and don't collide where their courses intersect across the sun's poles.

April 8, 2227, the first Bi-Annual Orbital station, Earth II, was fully operational. As it ramped up production, it appropriated work from Halo without absorbing the associated workers. Soon the only monopoly that Halo held onto was medical centers that patients and their families could easily access throughout the year.

Cosmos Ventures compelled these unemployed Halo workers out of their contracts during their rotations home, providing them a month of housing and pay to find new employment. Unfortunately, the world was used to them being gone. Most deserted manufacturing plants were leveled, making way for homes and parks, or converted into universities and other facilities. The few remaining plants stand as decaying monuments of a bygone era.

With a continuous throng of astronauts returning to Earth, these former Halo workers began to spill out from their housing complexes. Those who couldn't find work or retire moved in with extended family or turned to homeless shelters. The remainder set up homeless encampments within once thriving plants. Word reached the workers still residing on Halo stations. They ceased returning to the housing complexes.

Earth had become pristine with little in the way of industrial pollution. Terrestrials considered manufacturing and mining to be the crude industries. They didn't like being reminded of these less fortunate ones. The returning workers were portrayed in political cartoons as uneducated, ill-mannered, and unkempt. It didn't help that the Halo culture had developed their own social norms and slang. Their celebrity was as extinct as their recruiting incentives.

Dimitri Bertakis, a commentator on life in space, reported on the plight of these once proud astronauts, but his coverage proved to be a two-edged sword. While this exposure garners understanding and donations, it also inspired vagrants to imitate unemployed astronauts at public locations such as mechanized sidewalks in numbers larger than the displaced Halo population.

Earth held Cosmos Ventures responsible for upsetting the status quo. In response, Cosmos Ventures designates certain products for production on the Halo stations exclusively to maintain minimum employment. Next, most of these Halo stations, including the original big three, were deeded over to the Near-Earth workers. This directed accounts receivables to Halo without any proceeds to investors. An ulterior motive was Cosmos Ventures severing ties with Halo, including responsibility for the stations' upkeep.

Nations also washed their hands of Halo by recognizing them as their own country. They passed immigration laws requiring sponsorship for Halo citizens to travel beyond their housing complexes, re-designated Halo embassies. Halo relatives that didn't have the means to sponsor their displaced family members began a slow migration to the areas surrounding these embassies.

Halo officially adopted the name United Stations of Halo, or Halo, for short.

Confining the Halo community to their embassies wasn't sufficient to squash the throng of Halo imposters. Earth became more obstinate by requiring visiting Halo citizens to wear blue wristbands to foil posers and keep Halo citizens from exceeding their visas. When visas were violated, the wristbands would turn red and emit a high-pitched signal that that reveal violators, as well as interrupt cognitive abilities and sleep.

Chapter 3

Struggling to maintain their stations was driving even the still employed Halo population into poverty. The Eclipse habitat rotation bearings failed, making simple things like cooking and bathing impossible and forcing Eclipse residents into the other stations. Eclipse was sold back to Cosmos Ventures for salvage, which provided some funds for maintaining the two remaining stations. Realizing the remaining habitation sections will also eventually fail, trepidation fills the Halo population.

Halo was given a seat in the UN, and elected Juanita Sage as their representative. She beseeched the council about their maintenance dilemma and declining standard of living. Dimitri covered Juanita's plea, which pressured the UN to provide aid for food and maintenance, but just long enough for the public to again focus on other concerns.

In an effort to be remembered, Halo added more lights to their orbit. This made for a more discernable line across Earth's night sky, useful for hiker's orientation, but also drew criticism for washing out the stars.

Compelled by desperation, a few insurgent Halo members modified two of their replenishment shuttles into assault craft to ambush supply ships from Earth connecting with Moon Base Alpha and Distant Earth stations. They only seized some of the needed cargo and then released the ships.

Halo's Akito Shinozaki administration didn't approve of these attacks. But with his tenuous hold on their fledgling government, it was prudent not to antagonize those of Halo that favored these rebels.

Dimitri's portrayal of these Halo pirates' exploits were romanticized, kind of a Robin Hood band just trying to feed their people. For the GSA to take official actions against Halo would have created a PR nightmare. Instead, the UN subsidized additional goods bound for Halo. This reduced but didn't eliminate Halo shuttle attacks.

Experiencing little consequence, these pirates become brazen, spray-painting seized craft with insults against the establishment and producing broadcasts humiliating the captured pilots. These escalating pirate escapades painted the entire Halo population more like barbarians than downtrodden. Earth's sympathy shifted to the distant spacefarers deprived of necessary provisions.

As finding and mining resources became more difficult, talks about mandatory rationing for the system were considered. Discussions about visiting another star system for diminishing resources were revisited.

All the attention visiting another star system was getting concerned Halo that their plight would be forgotten. But realizing the negative reputation they are giving all of Halo, before stepping up their attacks, these pirates distinguished themselves by adopting the name RAGE. The world insists GSA and Cosmos Ventures handle the escalating RAGE problem and grants GSA authority as spatial policemen. Before taking aggressive action, GSA appoints Brandon to negotiate a treaty with Halo. Brandon meets with President Shinozaki on board the North Star, Halo's capitol.

Brandon's shuttle docks with the medical bay and is met by a waiting Halo citizen inside the hatch. Holding onto a handrail, she greets, "Welcome aboard the North Star, Mr. Weiss. I'm Tess. I assume you have had weightless training?"

Yes, responds Brandon with a smirk to such an obvious question.

You'd be surprised how many of our guests haven't. They will assure me they have and soon are throwing up… Tess sizes Brandon up, and invites, This way. They float through passageways, pulling themselves along strategically placed handholds.

A few medical technicians and patients recognize Brandon, and he stops to shake hands. Aside from being weightless, this seemed much like any other hospital. They reach the inside coupling, and Brandon glides inside. The outer hatch closes and the coupling begins to revolve to match the habitation's rotation.

Brandon's feet touch the curved deck, and he slowly feels himself grow heavy. The inner hatch opens, revealing a smiling President Shinozaki, presenting his hand to shake. Mr. Weiss, welcome to our capitol. Please follow me. The president walks them to a meeting room with a long table. Although now quiet, the table and chairs are worn from usage.

A row of portraits lined one wall. Brandon imagined the ghosts of these founders sitting at this very table, overseeing a once thriving economic force. To the people of Halo, these pictures represent their heritage, their founders fresh from Earth, proud of their place in unleashing the spatial-industrial revolution. But to Earth, they were just a stepping-stone to the behemoth, automated Bi-Annual Orbital