In A Day

“Charlie, you’ve got to see this!”
The young scientist exclaims, barely able to contain her excitement. She gestures wildly towards her colleague, Charlie, without looking up from the simulator.

“What, what is it?”
Charlie replies, stumbling through the cramped research booth to join her.

“It’s better than anything we could have hoped for….”
She continues, suppressing a giggle.

He finally arrives by her side.

“What are you –“
He looks at the simulation. His eyes grow wide.

“Oh… Oh my. Is this… Is this really doing what I think it’s doing?”
Charlie stammers.

“Yes!”

She nods.

“And you’re sure we can replicate this in a live test?”

“Positive!”

She beams.

“I can’t believe it…. These results are just….”

“Incredible, right?”

“Right! This is… this is revolutionary…”

“And you’ve checked it out, yeah?”

“Yep!”

“This isn’t a glitch?”

“Nope.”

”We’re going to be rich!”

“Yep!”

“Wait right here, I’ve got to call my mother…”

Sometimes, the greatest discoveries happen entirely by accident.

Charlie and Tina had been working together for years on a brand new breed of starship engine. Until tonight, they’d had scant little progress, and the powers-that-be were running out of patience: threatening to cancel the entire project.

In a desperate effort to preserve their funding, Charlie and Tina had spent the night shuffling through a number of exotic designs and power sources.
These experiments were wildly successful – much more so than either of them could ever have predicted.

For out of their efforts came a prototype for one of the most powerful and controversial pieces of technology in the entire history of the human race: the time nullification generator.

Truly, the universe would never be the same again.

“Can you imagine what we can do with this thing?” Charlie enthuses,
“We could travel anywhere in the universe, instantly. We can do a lifetime of research just by thinking it….”

“There’s not a lot you can’t accomplish by taking time out the equation.” Tina agrees, then laughs.

“This is a new era for all of humankind,” She continues, solemnly.
“I can’t even imagine what’s going to happen next.”

She hiccups.

“Excuse me.”

“Well, I know what I’m going to do,” returns Charlie, pulling himself shakily to his feet.
“I’m going to open another bottle of wine!”

“Huzzah!” cries Tina, raising an empty glass.

She rocks back and almost topples over.

“Oh dear. I think I’ve maybe had a bit much…” She says, then giggles.

Charlie takes her glass.

“Tonight is a night for celebration!” He shouts, grinning like a madman.

“After so many years of failure and doubt… Finally… Finally…”
He pauses,
“Well, let’s just say, I think we deserve a break.”

He pours more wine for Tina and himself, then returns to his place in the lounge.

“Would you ever have imagined when you came into the lab this morning that you’d change the face of human history today?” asks Tina.

”Of course not,“ Charlie replies, then chuckles.
“I mean, it’s always the hope but…”

“You never really expect it, do you?” Tina finishes.

They look at each other for a long while.

Tina blushes.

“Well, I better get home.” She says, avoiding Charlie’s gaze.

“Y-yeah! We should let the bosses know what we’ve discovered as soon as we can.” Stutters Charlie, a little embarrassed.

Tina smiles.
“See you tomorrow, hey?”

“See you…”

She leaves.

The door slides shut behind her, and Charlie is left alone.

He laughs.

“Charlie, Charlie, Charlie.” He mutters.
“You’ve helped bring humanity to it’s next stage of evolution, and you still can’t get the girls. Whatever will we do with you?”

The next morning, Charlie and Tina submit their research to the council. It’s still quite early, so they’re extremely surprised when the response is almost immediate.

“Is this what I think it is?” Donald asks.

Tina looks incredulously at Charlie.

“Is that Dr. Jacobs?” She whispers.

Charlie nods.

“It has to be…”

Dr. Donald Jacobs is the head of research for the human empire and one of the most important and influential scientific minds of the last three centuries. The son of Arcam Jacobs, a great artist who escaped the isolationist Transhuman Society: Donald’s research had revolutionized human culture. Ever since his development of the bionet at the ripe young age of 22, Donald had been a major celebrity. It was every young researchers dream to meet him, and here he was: speaking to Charlie and Tina as an equal.

“Yes, Dr. Jacobs, Sir…” Tina begins.

“Please, call me Donald,” The doctor smiles,

“Yes, Dr. Donald…” She blushes.

“Ahem.” She clears her throat, then continues:

“We believe that we’ve created a device that will allow us to take time out of any given equation. Time, is, literally, no longer an issue for us. We can travel across the universe in a heartbeat…. We can live as long as we like, without worrying about the advancement of the years. In short, our research allows the human race to ‘master’ time: instead of allowing it to control us.”

“And you’re certain you can reproduce this outcome in a live demonstration?” The doctor asks.

“Positive.” Charlie responds.
“We’ve checked and re-checked it dozens of times. Everything is as we’ve reported it.”

“Alright.” Donald replies with a nod.
“I’ll book you in for a private showing… Hm. Is Friday night okay with you, about six ‘o clock?”

“Yes, that’s fine.” Tina replies.

“Alright, then it’s settled. You will present your results to the council at 6.00 o’ clock sharp in the Adam’s Building – 55 Coventry Lane, Edenia, Mars.”

“Thanks, we’ll be there.”

“I look forward to meeting you two at the ceremony.”

He closes the communication link.

A stunned silence follows in his wake.

Eventually Tina breaks it with a laugh.

”We did it!” she cries, embracing Charlie.

“This is unbelievable!”

Everything moves so quickly after that.

Humanity is thrust into a technological singularity the likes of which had never even been thought of before. The universe is explored in its entirety: not just across the vastness of space but of time as well.
Thought becomes reality, and the people of the human empire experience a golden age of wealth and prosperity.

In the space of about one month, the human race has become the only power in the universe worth thinking about. It’s then the trouble starts.

“At approximately 10.15 this morning universal standard time, a string of suns went supernova in the core systems. Every planet from sectors zero through to twenty-two was annihilated, including planet Earth. A group is claiming responsibility for the attacks… They demand control of the empire, otherwise they promise many more deaths…”

The newswoman starts, looking considerably paler than usual.

There’s a lump in her throat.

She swallows it.

“Rebuilding has already been completed, but for those who had families on Earth or other worlds….”

She trails off, feeling tears burning behind her eyes.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do this….”
She whispers.

The broadcast ends.

“Oh, my stars…”
Sasha Frankston murmurs.

Her mouth feels dry…

“Edward!”
She yells,
“Edward, have you heard?”

“Heard what?” Edward replies, appearing at the door of their now very large living room.

Ever since the nullification, things had been going very well for the Frankstons. They had their own planet, a fleet of spaceships, and several palaces made from Tysecian crystals.

In fact, just about everyone did: since resources were no longer an issue for the human empire, the limits on the matter creators had been switched off. The economy was obsolete.
They always liked to think that their planet and their palaces and their fleet were that little bit nicer than the one next door, though.

“They blew up the core worlds…”

“Are you… you’re serious, aren’t you?”

Sasha doesn’t reply: she simply crosses her arms and stares down at her feet.

“You are serious….” Edward repeats.

There’s a long silence.

“How did it happen?” asks Edward.

“Supernovas.” Sasha says.
“They’re calling it a terrorist attack….”

“Oh my stars.... What are they going to do about it?”

Edward suddenly looks very scared.

“I don’t know, they didn’t say.”

“It was probably those damn reunionists; they’re always causing trouble….”
Edward starts.

“But if they can do that… who knows what else they can do…?”
He continues.

He bows his head and rubs his hands against his eyes.

“There’s nowhere to run, Sasha. What are we going to do?” he whimpers,

They embrace.

“We can’t just give up!” The general barks, slamming his fist down on the table.

“I know that, Francis, but we can’t strike back either. The situation must be handled very delicately.” The governor states.

“Sir,” spits the general, still seething with rage.
“These attacks are an affront to everything the empire stands for. You can’t let them get away with this!”

“I have no other choice,” returns the governor,
“Our enemy has the same capabilities we do. Any defence we make could be breeched in time… just about anything we do can be defeated by time. There’s just no way to win this by a show of force.”

“Sir!”

“Tell the switchboard that I’m ready to speak to the enemy leader.”

“Sir, I highly recommend –“

The governor lets out a heavy sigh.

“Francis,” he says.
“I’m asking you this as a friend: let it go. This is bigger than you or me or anybody else. A battle here could lead to our extinction. We have to try this my way, first.”

Francis smiles grimly, offers a stiff salute, then storms out of the room, still fuming.

A few minutes later, a holographic figure appears before the governor. Neither male nor female, with no distinguishing features: the governor was sure, if he were to scan it, that it would come up with no name, address or personal details. A ghost avatar. He’d seen it before.”

“Have you considered my proposal?” The figure asks. It’s voice is flat, monotone – completely expressionless.

“Yes,” replies the governor,

“And what is your answer?”

“Listen, let’s just cut to the chase. I’ve already set in motion a number of defensive systems to get around future attacks. No doubt you could get around them, and no doubt I could get around everything you’d try to do. Have you heard of the theory of mutually assured destruction?”

“What do you mean?”

“It was a term used regarding nuclear war in the later part of the 22nd century. Basically, any country that fired a nuclear missile at another would be responded to in kind. This would continue until both countries were destroyed, and leave a devastating impact on the rest of the world.”

“What’s your point?”

“My point is, we both know how this is going to play out. I’m not going to give you control of the empire. Sorry, I just can’t. So, you’re going to attack us again. And then I’m going to counterattack. And so on and so forth until nothing is left. So I ask you. What do you want? Why do you want to take control over the empire?”

There’s a long silence.

The governor is worried: had he played his hand too soon?

“My people are persecuted for our desire to live away from invasive technology. We require self-determination.”

The governor is relived: finally, some progress.

“We can do that for you. All we ask is that you pick a place far from our stars.”

There’s another long pause.

“Really?”

“Yes. We will not bother you and we will recognize your rights as an independent people.”

“This is a trick.”

“No, there’s no trick. All I would ask is that you do not spread the details of this deal around – as far as my people will know, the people responsible for the attacks will be dead.”

Another long silence.

“Your terms…. are acceptable.”

“Thank you for seeing reason.”

The hologram vanishes.

After a moment or two, the governor relaxes; stretching back into his chair and staring up at the ceiling.

He exhales heavily.

I should have seen it coming, he thinks.

But how could I?

I guess there’s only one thing for it.

He presses a button on his desk: the image of a man with vacant white eyes and a head full of wires appears before him.

“Switchboard here,” The man drones. His voice is distant and his head is bobbing slowly from side to side.

For security reasons, the governor is not connected to the bionet: direct communication with the empire is impossibility. Switchboard’s job is to act as the governor’s eyes, ears and mouth on the ‘net: he collects data, receives messages and allows the governor to communicate with his people. He is not conscious: the one’s who designed him made sure he didn’t have that capacity.

The governor always dreaded dealing directly with switchboard – even though it was a common part of his day to day life. Something about the creature distressed him. He pitied it: even though it wasn’t alive. The fact that it had a human body, a human face…

It disturbed him.

“Switchboard. Yes… I’d like to call a conference…”

“Time?”

“As soon as possible, please.”

“Regarding?”

“The banning of the time nullification generator.”

“It will be done.”

Switchboard disappears.

Ultimate power, the governor thinks

One day, maybe we’ll be ready.

But not today.