The Hyades Cluster

by on January 31, 2016 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Essential Galactic Atlas

The Hyades Cluster was far away from Earth when the Chinese first settled it. The businessmen who colonized it were some of the smartest and forward thinking of an entire nation of four billion people. They aggressively recruited the best and brightest of their people to rule the cluster, and shipped out the hardiest of the lower castes to do the work that needed doing in job lots. Their enforced four child policy made the Hyades the single most populated region of space when The War began. And they poured unimaginable amounts of wealth into building up the cluster’s defenses. I used to wonder how we ever made them agree to give that up to secure War’s End. Now that I know I wish I did not.

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Hello, my name is Jack

by on January 30, 2016 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

I grew up before the Weather Walls went up. Earth was one large ecosystem back then with weather flowing from China to America to Europe to Russia and back to China. One big cycle that never really ended. The Pacific Wall was the biggest one, the first one, and the most expensive one. We raised it to protect America from all the pollution coming out of China. Then the Indians wanted a wall of their own, and the Russians weren’t far behind. Now China’s got all their own weather and they’re welcome to it. I hope they choke on it. Oh wait. They do…

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Hello, my name is Betty

by on January 29, 2016 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

Twilight’s crew broadcast the footage of the Salafi/Shia fighting throughout the Islamic State of Detroit and that sparked demonstrations even the news media could not ignore. Moderate citizens protested the attacks before the capital and Salafi police “dispersed” them with riot clubs and rifles. Many citizens died and full-scale rebellion soon erupted. That was when the government deployed their defense robots against the people and Twilight had had enough of watching. She waded into the fight in the physical and electronic worlds with the other AIs on her flanks. The network used actual news footage of the real life fighting as a base for the fight scenes to make them as realistic as possible and ratings rose as they marched towards the Twilight series finale.

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Hello, my name is Charles

by on January 28, 2016 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

The one great religion of China is the almighty yuan, and it is a jealous god. All other gods are relegated to less favored status at best, or driven out at worst. The pursuit of yuan drives China to the future and its high priests are the businessmen who dole it out to the people. Their word is law and their whims are commandments. Those that live in China are one among many, the best and smartest of a race who believes themselves superior to all other humans. They live in luxury and comfort that kings of old would have envied. Those that live in the colonies are often the undisputed master of an entire world or star system. Perhaps not as comfortable, but the true rulers of China are always looking for the next best way to make a fortune.

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Hello, my name is Jack

by on January 27, 2016 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

Most people forget that Venus and Mars were our first big run at weather modification. They weren’t always places you could walk around in without shirtsleeves you know. Same for Luna and all those moons around Saturn and Jupiter. And we tended to play a bit when we left our Sun behind too. The various planetary Weather Services were all real good at holding things together long before The War came. The Chinese were just the first people to weaponize weather the way they did. They did a lot of damage before we caught on to their tactics. But we got them back in the end.

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