with a heads-up display.
Keyed to the unique identifying number in the RFID universal chip imbedded under my right thumbnail, the handheld ideally could only be accessed by me, though clearly the Human Entelechy had moved far beyond any encryption technology available to us in the 22C, as the AIs of the Plenum had been able to get in and restore the data when they refurbished the hardware, extrapolating any lost clusters from context.
Following is a partial list of the contents of my handheld:
A full run of the Japanese manga Earth Force Z , vols. 1–125
The first three seasons of the Australian adventure cartoon The Adventures of Space Man
Sardar Pilot: A Life in Service , the biography of my maternal grandfather
The complete works of Jeremy Stone, my paternal grandfather
Termination Shock (Anders SF, 2081)
Escape Velocity (Anders SF, 2083)
Event Horizon (Anders SF, 2087)
In the Country of the Blind (Anders SF, 2090)—winner, Hugo for Best Novel, 2091
Freedom from Religion (Kalki Books, 2101)
The Barat Scout Handbook, 2145 edition
Student Yearbook, class of 2153, Explorers House, National Public School, Indiranagar, Bangalore
United Nations Orbital Patrol Personnel Manual (GENIST GIM 1000.9Q)
Audio recording of Jo Kendall’s valedictorian address, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, 2156
Family stills and video
And that was it. All that remained of thirty-one years of life, the only physical evidence of my existence in the 22C—a child’s toy, a weapon, and a library. I think I could have done much worse.
TWENTY-ONE
With Maruti gone and my possessions safely stowed away in the sleeping quarters, it was time to address the rumblings of hunger in my belly.
Breakfast was toasted bread topped with some sort of sweet fruit spread, something like a thick soup consisting mostly of cooked oat-like grains, and two cups of buna. Stuffed and unable to eat another bite, it was time for the day to begin.
“Having seen something of Earth and its sister world Cronos yesterday, sir, I thought you might be interested in touring other worlds. I’m given to understand that a celebration is being planned in your honor this evening on the planet Ouroboros, more formal in tone than the gathering last night, but we should have ample opportunity to return and prepare this afternoon, if you are willing to attend.”
“Another party? Who’s throwing this one, then?”
“The invitations carry the identifying signature of Chief Executive Zel i’Cirea, who appears to speak on behalf of the Further fund.”
I had vague memories of someone mentioning something called the Further fund when I’d awoken on the Pethesilean habitat, but couldn’t place it. “What’s a Further fund?”
The escort waggled its head from side to side for a moment, thoughtfully, as though considering its answer. “Such groups are established when individuals or organizations wish to raise funds for joint ventures.”
“To raise capital, you mean?” I realized that I hadn’t seen anything like a commercial transaction since I’d arrived and had heard nothing referring to currency of any kind.
“Not in the exact sense you mean, sir,” the escort explained. “Most worlds of the Entelechy use power as a medium of exchange. Every inhabitant is given an equal share of the available energy produced by the planet or habitat, which, with the aid of fabricants, is used to fabricate materials, create housing, food, and so forth. Any surplus left over the individual can use as they see fit. Many individuals exchange surplus power for craft goods or services, not as payment, but as gratuity. Groups of individuals can opt to use their surplus power en masse, for such enterprises as terraforming and colonizing homeworlds or constructing sublight starships or fabricating habitats. A small minority of worlds use currency or credit or state ownership, but most have adopted the power-exchange model.”
“So to what use will this Further fund put their
Keyed to the unique identifying number in the RFID universal chip imbedded under my right thumbnail, the handheld ideally could only be accessed by me, though clearly the Human Entelechy had moved far beyond any encryption technology available to us in the 22C, as the AIs of the Plenum had been able to get in and restore the data when they refurbished the hardware, extrapolating any lost clusters from context.
Following is a partial list of the contents of my handheld:
A full run of the Japanese manga Earth Force Z , vols. 1–125
The first three seasons of the Australian adventure cartoon The Adventures of Space Man
Sardar Pilot: A Life in Service , the biography of my maternal grandfather
The complete works of Jeremy Stone, my paternal grandfather
Termination Shock (Anders SF, 2081)
Escape Velocity (Anders SF, 2083)
Event Horizon (Anders SF, 2087)
In the Country of the Blind (Anders SF, 2090)—winner, Hugo for Best Novel, 2091
Freedom from Religion (Kalki Books, 2101)
The Barat Scout Handbook, 2145 edition
Student Yearbook, class of 2153, Explorers House, National Public School, Indiranagar, Bangalore
United Nations Orbital Patrol Personnel Manual (GENIST GIM 1000.9Q)
Audio recording of Jo Kendall’s valedictorian address, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia, 2156
Family stills and video
And that was it. All that remained of thirty-one years of life, the only physical evidence of my existence in the 22C—a child’s toy, a weapon, and a library. I think I could have done much worse.
TWENTY-ONE
With Maruti gone and my possessions safely stowed away in the sleeping quarters, it was time to address the rumblings of hunger in my belly.
Breakfast was toasted bread topped with some sort of sweet fruit spread, something like a thick soup consisting mostly of cooked oat-like grains, and two cups of buna. Stuffed and unable to eat another bite, it was time for the day to begin.
“Having seen something of Earth and its sister world Cronos yesterday, sir, I thought you might be interested in touring other worlds. I’m given to understand that a celebration is being planned in your honor this evening on the planet Ouroboros, more formal in tone than the gathering last night, but we should have ample opportunity to return and prepare this afternoon, if you are willing to attend.”
“Another party? Who’s throwing this one, then?”
“The invitations carry the identifying signature of Chief Executive Zel i’Cirea, who appears to speak on behalf of the Further fund.”
I had vague memories of someone mentioning something called the Further fund when I’d awoken on the Pethesilean habitat, but couldn’t place it. “What’s a Further fund?”
The escort waggled its head from side to side for a moment, thoughtfully, as though considering its answer. “Such groups are established when individuals or organizations wish to raise funds for joint ventures.”
“To raise capital, you mean?” I realized that I hadn’t seen anything like a commercial transaction since I’d arrived and had heard nothing referring to currency of any kind.
“Not in the exact sense you mean, sir,” the escort explained. “Most worlds of the Entelechy use power as a medium of exchange. Every inhabitant is given an equal share of the available energy produced by the planet or habitat, which, with the aid of fabricants, is used to fabricate materials, create housing, food, and so forth. Any surplus left over the individual can use as they see fit. Many individuals exchange surplus power for craft goods or services, not as payment, but as gratuity. Groups of individuals can opt to use their surplus power en masse, for such enterprises as terraforming and colonizing homeworlds or constructing sublight starships or fabricating habitats. A small minority of worlds use currency or credit or state ownership, but most have adopted the power-exchange model.”
“So to what use will this Further fund put their
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