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So, are you doing art that is somehow connected to Polywell?

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:38 pm
by Zixinus
There was a fellow member that said that he (or she?) said that he/she is working on a movie regarding how fusion would change the world.

So, are what other, fellow artists and writers and such have imagined with the power of what mighty sunfire can do?

Myself, I'm slowly writing a web-novel. The idea is that each chapter is itself a story that anyone can read without needing to read the previous chapters, and I write in chapter-parts.

So what the web-novel is about? The main character is Jack Raynolds, a military pilot in the world of 2150's, which to our eyes, is a strange mix of the past and future. Past, because a nuclear war that the world is still recovering from, has damaged so much that there are still many things that are from the past, because the present cannot support it. Jack grew up in an electricy-less home for example.

Yet there is from the future as well, as there is only one superpower: United Nations of Earth (not the European United Nations). The mayor nuclear countries and their allies, in the middle of the nuclear war, quickly found out that a nuclear war is not fun. Each country wanted peace desperately, as their countries were burning. All of them could not sustain itself individually, but they could become mighty and strong together, and enforce a relative peace and deterrence to countries that did not join.

So, trough heroic and miraculous diplomatic negotiations, the UNE was born, with a few mayor countries that did not join, but already made a cease-fire agreement. The UNE acknowledges a humanist philosophy.

How does Jack enter this? Before the war, fusion was successfully developed and its space application was ground-tested with highly-promising results. They even got a space-only craft go to Mars and deliver a fully-working outpost waiting for the would-be Mars expeditioners.

Jack has a very good pilot record. In fact, he is one of the best pilots in the American military (military, among many other things, is localized to a region), who has ideal standards for being a astronaut.

The UNE starts a small, silent space program, not as a show of might and capability, but to actually see its potential use. Manned missions are done, as the technology allows it and many things have to be re-learned about space, especially in the new world, that can only be done with manned missions. Jack is found to be an ideal candidate.

It's mostly his story.

When things would really start roaring, is when the Titanic is finished (no, not the sea-ship, which is pretty much a mere footnote in 2150's), a long-range exploration vessel capable of having an entire crew, and going to Mars is a short order.
Mars with Marsian, Luna as the popular home for all things space-related, Venus as an exotic place that reveals that it had more mysteries then believed, clearly artificial marks on the moons of Jovian planets, as well as conflict with the Marsians, some problems with the countries that did not join yet, some problems within the UNE, ye-oldie-colony revolt, etc.

What's the name?

Well, a bit explanation would be required. I don't like the word "astronaut". It says "star-sailor", which implies interstellar sailor, but fair enough. But then, the Soviets thought up another word "cosmonaut", a more accurate term. However, "astronaut" became associated with "USA" and "cosmonaut" became associated with "USSR". Then, to add to the confusion, the Chinise came up with the word "taikonaut". Then the French joined the fun with "spationaut ".

frick that. I wanted a term that describes space travellers without political hint, or even Western hint. "Star-sailor" was too cheesy for English, so I began thinking.

So, I looked at the word "sailor".

What does "sailor" come from? From the trademark item of a ship, its sail! While not true in our time, "sailor" still has a perfectly clear meaning. After all, the person that handles sails all day, is a sailor.

What is the trademark item for space travel? Space travel has many technologies, few clearly trademarked.

Yet there was one trademark item that many people do not really see, but without, space travel is simply impossible.

The rocket!

Without rockets there is simply no space travel. There is no other device that can work regardless of its environment. It is also the most simple thing that can work in vacuum.

And so who is the person that handles (firing) rockets all day? A rocketeer.

And that's the name. "Rocketeers".

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 10:32 pm
by jlumartinez
Nice story, although if this is the future I wouldn´t like to live it. I prefer a future with a lovely summer night walking and just watching the star to get relaxed, or an spring afternoon in a forest camping with some friends...

Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 9:41 am
by Zixinus
Oh, the 2150's is pretty peaceful. No nuclear explosion has been recorded for over 40 years, the last one in China (long story with that one, suffice to say that was an end-result of a long fiasco in Asia alone, other continents have became peaceful much earlier). Since then, there has been a UNE ban on the use of any, and no one is powerful enough to stand up againts a full UNE attack. Also, the UNE has been very successful at erasing poverty, re-creating health care and social programs, as well as cleaned up nuclear strike points to mitigate radiation. UNE countries have good living standards, an average man has a good house, receives health care, can afford to go to a bar every week, has weekends and is free at night and late afternoon and so on. It's very much like the years after WW2, although a bit more liberal, and minus the racism and some other things.

Things are rather relaxed actually, even in politics. You can happily walk about any time. Public safety is high (and so is police force, there were ruthless crackdowns on criminal activity in the past, the most extreme cases even involved the military), children can go to their schools alone without any fear.

Of course things occasionally get out of hand, but rarely are civilians ever injured.

EDIT: To get an idea how things are, the story begins as Jack's squadron of Fat Angels, a squadron of fast, long-range transportation planes modified and used as response to any disaster ranging from mere floods to radioactive fallout. The reason why his squadron are disbanded is because volunteer civilian organizations were sufficiently organized enough and prepared enough to replace them. Jack looks for another job, and ends up as a Rocketeer.