This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.
Everyone had heard the rumours. Well, the straights knew it was possible, but WormHol didn't give the full story. They claimed it was a variant on intergalactic travel, destinations pinpointed by their teams of highly-trained experts. That's what the brochures said anyway.
Kef knew that wasn't quite true. He had never been on a WormHol break, but had knowledge of the technology. Before he was forced to drop out of college, he'd helped out a guy who'd developed the technology. This was before law enforcement agencies co-opted it. Before Kef was placed on the List and became Kef268.
It was a long time before Kef came to realise what the List actually meant.
Kef had been placed on the Gateway List of “potentials”. It was a list of possible dissidents or other dangerous criminals. Perpetrators were moved further up the list as their danger level increased. Of course, criminals were kept unaware of their danger level, but it was obvious to most of them what was going on. Additional crimes put them under higher surveillance, or a smaller cell.
The list became more important when it had the technology in place to support it. WormHol claimed to be able to shoot someone through space to a new galaxy. That wasn't quite what happened. The technology was created by an incredibly talented engineering student who had a heavy marijuana habit.
The authorities wouldn't have allowed him to graduate if they'd known about all the weed, so Kef decided to confess in his place. Being arrested meant his debts would be cancelled anyway. No graduation, no debt. That was the plan. Three months incarceration. Nice holiday, some peace and quiet. A chance to relax after all that work that was, in essence, chasing nothing. At least his friend would graduate and be successful somewhere.
No, Kef never would have made it as an electronic engineer. He wasn't motivated enough. No matter how stoned Chad was, he was still better than Kef. If you'll never be the best, why bother? Now he was a criminal, he figured he'd have to try hard with something.
Kef knew a little about Chad's project. He'd been collaborating with astrophysicists on the transportation methods that WormHol would come to adopt. Kef didn't understand it completely himself, but knew it involved “shooting” planets or even entire galaxies across space. These astronomical bodies appeared in space after being “programmed” to appear. Chad had worked on it on a small scale and helped prove that it was possible. Once the scale-up work was complete, WormHol paid Chad and his colleagues billions for an implementation of the system.
A pod containing tourists was fired out onto a new planet in empty space. Perhaps even into a new universe which could be populated with other WormHol Destinations. Tourist planets. This worked reasonably well. In “occupied space”, things were a little different.
A universe sweep was performed, so that all occupied territories could be warned. Transmitters were blasted out to the relevant sectors, and a warning was given:
[[FUGITIVE INCOMING. PREPARE TO EVACUATE IN ACCORDANCE WITH DIRECTIVE ALT3 IN CASE OF IMPACT]]
If a fugitive's world capsule or universe collides with an existing astronomical body, it usurps that space. Everything that used to exist in that space suddenly doesn't.
Kef wasn't too familiar with the details, but he knew that empty space was more expensive.
WormHol breaks were not cheap. A return journey was difficult, as it required pinpoint accuracy and non-destructive transportation for the way back home.
Law enforcement used a similar set-up to WormHol, but had gone for the cheaper option. A one way trip into occupied space. It removed Gateway List criminals. It also raised their danger level, as they were taken to be responsible for all deaths resulting from impact. They became known as “Destroyers of Worlds”, hated and feared, no matter what crime they had initially committed.
This meant that once the technology was in place, the danger level of criminals steadily rose until they died. Kef didn't know this. He hadn't got that far through Chad's paper. He'd been reading a copy Chad had given to him, but it was confiscated when Kef was arrested.
The deal was that Kef would store Chad's weed in his room just before he went to confess. Kef had appeared to underestimate the extent of Chad's habit. Trafficking was one of the charges. They also accused Kef of stealing Chad's paper. Seemed logical enough. A failing student and heavy marijuana user steals the work of another student to further his academic career in the face of seemingly inevitable failure. They almost had Kef believing them. He was eventually charged with possession with intent to supply, consumption, theft, resisting arrest, attempted fraud, and failure to pay money owed to him by the university. He figured that was their way of avoiding the debt being cancelled. They forced him to drop out and made sure that his bills were still to be paid. They just added extra time to his sentence.
First conviction and he was already a lifer. Gateway entry #268. He was held in a primitive cell, old handcuffs, relics from times he'd read about in school. He was to stay until ready for shipment to his new destination.
No comments:
Post a Comment