Dadr'Ba (40 page)

Inexplicably radiation levels remain comparably low which led some scientists to speculate that the bombs, they “must” have been bombs, were anti-matter core fusion weapons.

With no centralized civil structure surviving, no communication and without the military to support the local civil authorities around the blast zones, and even some isolated areas untouched by the devastation devolved into anarchy.

Huge numbers of refugees began to flee the blast areas for the intact rural communities, communities lacking the resources to accommodate the millions of refugees. Little did anyone know, there was more yet to come.

Terrestrial telescopes in remote areas operating on generator spotted them. The telescopes detected NEO’s (Near Earth Objects) on a collision course with earth, each about a kilometer in diameter, with a closing velocity approaching seventy-five kilometers a second. The masses of the objects couldn’t be determined accurately but, estimated to be more than one-hundred million kilograms, possibly as high as five or six-hundred-million kilograms.

The first struck in the mid-Atlantic with enough force to cause a tsunami a hundred meters high to ring the Atlantic coastlines, the second hit in the mid-Pacific, for a similar effect.

This was no accident. Close on the heels of the impactors, a comet or what appeared to be a comet, a fuzzy ball with a thin coma passed by earth. The comet came to be known as Samil named after the Angel of Death.

It’s estimated that over a billion people died on zero day and in the days/weeks and months that followed that billions more will die of injuries, disease, and famine.

Based on best estimates of Samil’s velocity and trajectory, it’s estimated that it will return in about sixty five years.

____________________________

Samil didn’t kill humanity; it turned the earth into a patchwork quilt of starving people clawing their way back from the brink of extinction. Some areas were virtually untouched while many others were pushed back a hundred years, others set back two-hundred years, still other areas all the way back to the dark ages, what remained was given back to Nature.

“Poh’poh
[107]
, why are you so quiet?” It had been a near perfect day; the morning had been cool and clear and as the day warmed up a slight breeze blew. A perfect day to spend the late afternoon on the beach.

The family spent part of the morning weeding in the garden and part of it trimming and pruning in their small orchard, enjoying themselves in a picnic-like atmosphere. The only damper on what was otherwise a perfect day was skyward.

A new star had appeared, the newcomer at first was only visible at daybreak and right after sunset, not unlike the morning and evening star Venus. Over time, it drifted away from the sun and grew a small tail. As even more time passed, it drifted further away from the sun and increased in brightness, becoming visible in broad daylight by blocking the sun with your hand.

Now only days ago it separated itself from the sun and lost its tail and began to track a slow arc across the sky.

Poh’poh, had an overwhelming sense of dread, a feeling deep inside her. Even though this newcomer’s behavior was different than the first, she couldn’t shake it from her mind. She felt a sense of dread emanating from the thing, and when she sat quietly and focused her attention on it, she felt from it a message of warning. 

She had been the same age as her grandson when the comet that became known as the angel of death first appeared. The devastation that accompanied that arrival had been burned into her memory forever.

After almost forgetting his question, Poh’poh noticed her grandson waiting patiently, looking up at her, a concerned look on his face. Realizing the futility of sugarcoating her answer, she sighed and said, pointing up towards Samil as it traced its way across the sky “Samil, the angel of death” and she drew him close, hugging him tightly as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

An’Su
– sounds like “on sue” code name for the CASS special mission vessel

Apprentice
– work earns only partial mileage credit.

Apprenticeship
– lasts for ten years, sometimes
2
5
depending on the job. Once the apprenticeship is completed, individuals can compete for job assignments at a permanent job.

Children can apprentice under the parent early, as young as fifteen, however, earn no seniority credit. The benefit is that they may pass their certifications early during regular apprenticeship and earn full seniority credit earlier than had they not apprenticed under their parent.

A’Pa
– sounds like “ah pa” anti-progress activities, that carries a capital punishment.

Asteroids
– had been integrated into Dadr’Ba’s composition during its reconstruction into a starship; the prisoners The asteroids provide precious metals and minerals needed for the interstellar flight but were lacking in the original comet. The easiest method to provide these essential materials was from asteroids that were carefully buried in strategic locations to maintain Dadr’Ba’s balance under spin near the ends of the cylinder that makes up Dadr’Ba.

Beh’Bei
, – passive action, hidden hand

BACCC
– Beijing Aerospace Command and Control Center

Bio-mods
– distinctive to U’Te’s and D’En’s gravitate toward?

U’Te’s:
Tattoo’s, including facial and permanent eye makeup, coarser shorter hair,

D’En’s:
Lack of Tattoo’s, height enhancement, finer longer, hair, whiter smoother skin – almost like porcelain but not shiny,

Mi’Nr’s:
Aside from distinctive bio-mods for their race, often flamboyant facial tattoos, coarse facial hair for men

Birthing:
One-way parenting is possible but very rare.

The most famous was the original survivor who parented his spouse, but that was a true parenting it was more like saving someone near death because once revived, she retained most of her original functions, not like the revived newborn that are devoid of functionality and once birthed need to be trained in even the basic functions of biology and taught how to understand, interact and function in the environment.

Bo’Ba
– sounds like “bow bah” term for baby, not yet potty trained, unable to speak

Body mods
– are a medical appointment requiring scheduling and sometimes taking weeks to accomplish followed by sex education by mentors. It used to be different before the Touch of God and the establishment of the CA whatever governing body that controlled Dadr’Ba didn’t allow the crew individuality.

Bot –
slang for robot

Bo’R
– sounds like “bow-er” or borer, slang for miner

Bylaws
– Nothing is wasted on a starship.

Every act is to help

All energy expended helps Dadr’Ba to reach O’M

All support that goal

There is but one O’M, and that is our goal

CA
– the central authority the CA was born out of the ashes of the Touch of God and is the divinely chosen command organization of the ship. Leading and guiding Dadr’Ba and its crew O’M

CASC
– Central Authority Security Council

Capsule Flats
– tiny Nu’Tn apartments

Children
– look alike, but subtle differences in facial expressions, makeup, and personalization of uniforms help to identify individual children as well as nametags and distinguishing markings on the uniforms to show age and grade school. At age, fifteen children can start a un-bio-moded apprenticeship with their parents.

Church robes
– white robe black tunic with the star

Clone crew
– the crew is all clones, but cosmetics, body piercing/adornment, and tattoos are popular even among the young, (young are not authorized permanent mods until coming of age at age twenty-five) variations in clothing also popular.

Clonely
– a derogatory term describing the look of someone, similar to “homely” that refers to a pre-bio-mod person or post bio-mod person that looks too much like no bio-mods were done, basic, plain, ordinary, dull

CNSA
– China National Space Administration

Coming of age Ceremony
– marks graduation from school, the start of vocation and adulthood. At ag
e
2
5
. There’s a group graduation ceremony where each sector conducts a ceremony televised across all of Dadr’Batypically abou
t
25
0
graduates they received academic recognition, and their apprenticeship assignments are announced.

Credits
– The currency earned, a small stipend is supplied to every crew member to pay for “incidentals” mostly food spices and hygiene items. Extra credit is earned by exceeding one quota of quality or quantity. Mechanics are one category of worker they can fairly easily make extra credits simply by doing more preventive maintenance routines during a shift.

Crystal Tear
– Miners are given a snowflake ice crystal tear near the eye to represent a frozen tear for lives lost in their profession. Like real snowflakes, each is unique. It is created by placing a probe near absolute zero against the skin; the Probe is ignited on fire at one end and then designed in such a way that the fire draws heat from the opposite in creating a pinpoint of absolute zero. That pinpoint causes a burn that is often mistaken as a tattoo. The color from the Crystal Tear has been engineered to indicate of the effectiveness of the Mi’Nr’s anti-CASS surveillance nano-bot nano-bots. P’Ko’s tear is unusual and is attributed to his U’Te skin. Note Su’Zi and P’Ko like many other Mi’Nr’s put on makeup to cover their tear when visiting Nu’Tn.

Cs’Oc
– sounds like “cassock” CASS operation center

Dadr’Ah
– sounds like “dad er ah” the first gift of God 

Dadr’Ba
– sounds like “dad are ba” the second gift of God, Dadr’ah renamed named Dadr’Ba after the Touch of God

Dadr’Ka
– sounds like “dad are Ka” the third gift of God

D’En
– sounds like “Dee in” slang word for guardian, upper class, smartest, ruling class

Divorce
– is strictly 50-50 split shared custody of children and what can’t be split is sold with the proceeds divided 50-50 or confiscated by the CA with no compensation.

Dr’T or D’Rs
– slang for “Dirty”, Derogatory name for miners

eSuit
– environmental suit

Echo click
– miners, have mastered the ability to echo click to help find their way down dark passages.

ESA
– European Space Agency

eTaC-M
– sounds like “EE tack em” Enhanced Tracking and Communications Module, a communications device linked to the CASS command center and is used to track movements of personnel with special access to CA information. The eTaC-M is fused to the wearer’s skull and has tamper protection built in, making it extremely difficult to remove without alerting the CASS or causing central nervous system damage to the wearer.

Exoskeleton
– powered exoskeleton that in conjunction with and eSuit enables the wearer to function in cold high G environments. 

Family
status
– is based on family contributions to Dadr’Ba in distance. The higher distance families get better quarters that get assigned on Memorial Day.

Food
processing
– is tied to waste processing; it’s processed in farms, but nothing like a terrestrial farm, but called so in a strange way to help make the product of food that’s created more palatable

Biological food processing involves large tanks interspersed with light tubes in which grow several species of genetically engineered plankton designed to produce all the essential nutrients for the sustainment of life; the algae-like creatures are then processed into consumer packaged bars and cakes for food. Cooks and chefs that can make these foodstuffs more palatable are in great demand.

For’Nr
– sounds like “fore ner” slang for foreigner, miners name for anyone other than a miner

FOP
– Forward Only Policy, a policy or tenant by the CA imposed on the crew requiring only forward thinking and actions, imposed by the law against
A’Pa
or
anti-progress activities, that carries capital punishment.