A Roadmap to the Future
An excerpt from K3+
Climate change and economic inequality coalesce into a dystopia that triggers a massive migration to space colonies. Based on current technology, K3+ presents a roadmap for surviving our predicament and establishing a post-scarcity society free from suffering and exploitation.
In the far distant future, we have colonized the Milky Way, the Local Group, and are beginning to wander into neighboring galactic clusters. Humans no longer settle planets but build cylindrical megastructures called rotating habitats that perfectly replicate Earth conditions, including gravity, by spinning. Billions of these orbiting a single star capture its entire energy output and provide housing for quadrillions of people — a.k.a. a Dyson swarm.
A small group of free-thinkers, engineers, and NASA washouts, band together to take space exploration in a different direction
Planets become a curiosity because very few have set foot on one. So we meet the main character, Fedrix, celebrating his birthday by space-diving into an alien world with a group of friends. Humans are genetically enhanced, live forever looking like in their early twenties, have nanobots inside their bodies ensuring perfect health, and use neural interfaces to exchange thoughts rather than words — just like telepathy.
Fedrix and his friends live in a colony ship called The Eternity, going from star to star, delivering billions of colonists. When they arrive at a new sun, they begin building rotating habitats. As soon as everything is in place for the future Dyson swarm, they move on to the next star.
After a raucous week-long party, where we learn the kind of society humanity becomes eons from now, the storyline jumps to 2016. Prey to greed, fear, and aggression, humans poisoned their environment, upset their climate, fought each other over mindless things such as supremacy, and rigged their homeworld with thousands of hair-triggered nuclear weapons.
In the 23rd century, seventeen billion people live in space versus just three billion on Earth, and nations begin to collapse due to underpopulation
Fedrix was born as Federico, yet another immigrant dazzled by the American dream of the 70s who, forced into early retirement by the brutal reality of corporate indifference, never imagined he’d dream again.
“…cultural deification of wealth, broadcasted by the corporate media, gaslights the public to believe plutocrats are brilliant thought leaders rather than a parasitic cancer on civilization” — Excerpt From K3+
A small group of free-thinkers, engineers, and NASA washouts band together to take space exploration in a different direction. Years later, they became known as the Space Initiative. They gave second chances to those like Federico, regarded in certain circles for his advocacy towards rotating habitats as opposed to colonizing planets.
After mining asteroids for decades, the Space Initiative built the first rotating habitat: a tiny colony capable of housing a thousand people — named Terminus to honor the great Isaac Asimov. Federico becomes one of the first residents and later gets promoted to colony administrator.
As the Mars settlement collapses, the Space Initiative readies an automated mining operation to Mercury to build island-size rotating habitats that can house tens of millions each. The influx of raw materials allows them to pay all their loans and makes the Initiative extremely wealthy. It also becomes an independent nation with a seat at the UN.
In an effort to deter people from leaving, the United States declares emigration an act of treason, but the exodus continues
Little by little, people emigrate to space to escape climate change and economic exploitation. The Initiative offers free housing and a Universal Basic Income to all. In the beginning, only a few million people come, but in the 23rd century, seventeen billion people live in space versus just three billion on Earth, and nations begin to collapse due to underpopulation.
“It happened right under their noses! The plutocrats, with the complicity of politicians, accumulated obscene amounts of wealth and used it to solidify their control over the government. They lobbied to obtain all thirty-four authorizations required for the first-ever Article V Constitutional Convention, radically transforming the US Constitution and taking even more power away from the masses. Now they face the consequences.” — Excerpt From K3+
In an effort to deter people from leaving, the United States declares emigration an act of treason, but the exodus continues. At the same time, the Space Initiative is desperate to extract a group of scientists that has just discovered the secret of Faster-Than-Light communication. Based on quantum entanglement, it allows instant communication between two points regardless of distance. Because this technology is key to a unified human civilization throughout the universe, the Initiative is willing to do whatever it takes to extract the scientists in secret.
The non-humanoid aliens are stuck in the middle ages but, given their evolutionary path, Fedrix determines that they’ll become a super-predator in the future, threatening the existence of the human species
Federico is now a Space Initiative board member, and the chairman puts him in charge of a covert operation to rescue the scientists. But as people continue to flee, the United States launches a first-strike attack with space ballistic missiles, destroying two of their rotating habitats. Russia and China intervene to defend the Space Initiative, triggering World War III.
“I realize this is hardly the time for a history lesson, but the first war took place right after the invention of agriculture over 15,000 years ago, probably when a tribe’s crop went bad and they tried stealing from their neighbor. Ever since then, ambitious, volatile, and often inexperienced leaders — driven by aggressive instincts and selfish motives — have been herding their people into wars…” — Excerpt from K3+
Two centuries after the war, humans restored Earth to its pristine glory — including polar caps — but everyone leaves for space, and our planet became a vacation destination. By 2400, a trillion people live in space as humanity readies the first interstellar ship to Proxima Centauri. Federico and some friends sign up for the adventure. Once the first interstellar voyage is successful, we settle the Milky Way in under a million years.
The story hinges on the Fermi paradox but, when the storyline returns to the future, The Eternity is in intergalactic space outside the M87 galaxy — in the Virgo cluster — when they encounter the first extraterrestrial civilization.
The non-humanoid aliens are stuck in the Middle Ages but given their evolutionary path, Fedrix determines that they will become a super-predator in the future, threatening the existence of the human species. After being peaceful for eons, they can’t grapple with this revelation and face the ultimate ethical and moral dilemma.
Where to buy
K3+ is available in eBook, paperback, and hardcover at Apple, Google, and Amazon. Details at erasmixbooks.blogspot.com.
K3+ Movie Script
Are you in the film industry, looking to make the next great movie that will transform the world? The K3+ screenplay adaptation has won accolades at multiple international competitions. Check the opening scenes and contact me for the rest.
