Data Element Framework
DEF.001.566
Terra 7 - 459.795.211 OS
Project Study Case 0… Initiate Scenario
Recognised.
Slate Identifier… Scenario.355.001
Function signifier… Inequality
Reconstruct Scenario Actor… Witness.002.001
Recognised.
Identity… Kylie Tanning
Identity Date… Old Earth. 2029. CE
Reconstruct Scenario Actor… Witness.001.001
Recognised.
Identity… Lewis Bradson
Identity Date… Old Earth. 2039. CE
Reconstruct Sensory Element…. Sensory.001.233
Recognised.
Element… Lands of Hellen
Element Date… Old Earth. 2031. CE
Begin Scenario.355.001…
…
…
…
…
Recognised.
Slate Value…. Empathy.021.001
Project Study Case 0
Scenario 355.001
Witness.002.001 … Kylie Tanning
Dr. Tanning looked over the test results for the scans she had run on Lewis Bradson. They were not promising. It was nothing too severe, or life threatening at the moment. But early signs of osteoporosis were clear. She was not surprised in the least. Dr. Bradson had been upfront with his reliance on crypt-spice and while her theories had not been fully recognised by the RHB, the Reorder Health Board, what research she was allowed to do had already revealed strong evidence showing the reduced level of calcium in those who used crypt-spice. Crypt-spice was incredibly hard to pin down when it came to proper research, and it was no help to her that the Product Imperium had been pushing the drug to their consumers to near unsanctioned levels.
She was well aware that it had already surpassed the internal levels adhered to by the IDSE but that hadn’t stopped the Product Imperium in the slightest. There were private individuals within the IDSE who acted as middle-men for the Product Imperium supplies and sold them under cover of crytography. The IDSE didn’t allow tracker-net software to be installed and without the Tech-Faiths guidance in administration they lost the opportunity of security that tracker-life provided.
Dr. Bradson or Lewis as he insisted she call him, was sitting quietly in front of her desk as he waited for the diagnosis. He had been a recurring patient for the last couple of years now, and his condition had slowly been deteriorating. She had met him when she had sent a request through the ResearchThreadNet for willing volunteers who were active users of crypt-spice who would take part in her observational study on the visible chemical effects of crypt-spice. There were many academic lecturers and students who answered the call willingly, it had helped that she had included a monetary incentive along with the study. She had asked the universities she knew were affiliated with the Void Paradigm or the Star Bringer Sphere if they would promote her study, though she had been strangely left without reply. The Void Facilitator in her district constantly promised that she would hear from their superiors if they would deem it as a necessity for the goal of further fulfilment of the Paradigm. She knew that well enough, but she felt that this issue was something that was truly worthy of the Paradigm’s care and attention. People were suffering because of this, or at least that was what her research seemed to indicate.
“Well it’s not good, Lewis.”
“That’s to be expected, but how bad is it?”
She swiped from one reading sheet to the next. The rate at which his bone strength was deteriorating was above the normal rate for his age, a common trend in most of her study subjects. She had provided Dr. Bradson and a few of her older subjects, who had quickly become her patients, with safe medication and guidance on how to counteract the effects. Though she had also noticed that the less harmful methods that would normally be used to combat osteoporosis were having far less impact. Since the sample size of that hypothesis was small she could not outright include it in her research and also the fact that in the context of being her patients she could not use the information she gathered from hospital equipment as that information was considered as the property of St. Star Hospital.
“I’m probably going to have to up your medication again, and you’re going to have to be very careful as you walk around in general. Did you get better accommodations from the University?”
“Still nothing. And the only places that are available are all for high rent and in general they weren’t all that welcoming of a non-Hellenite. I think one of the letters thought I was a refugee and didn’t even bother to offer me a price.”
“Have you looked into the Star Bringer District? I’m sure they would be happy to lend a hand. The Void Facilitator in my area said something about expanding living spaces.”
Dr. Bradson sighed heavily at that. He seemed to shrink in the white and blue cushioned chair. She had dimmed the light in the room specifically for his visit as she knew he had a minor case of photophobia, a slowly growing trend in many of the older generations. Her office was rather spacious, the wall at the rear acted as a window to the outside. A single bed on the left side circled by three smaller cushioned chairs. On the wall the bed rested against there were data-panels with inbuilt screens that were directly connected to the Hospital’s internal network. Dr. Tanning now considered that perhaps it was somewhat exaggerated considering she could work comfortably with much less, and she knew that there were other wards and offices that were in extreme need of surface area. Though those wards were dedicated to those who were not affiliated with the Star Bringer Sphere. Dr. Bradson only had access here because she gave him check ups under the pretence that it was in tandem with her case study research.
Lewis seemed to focus on the ground as though he had dedicated some oddity, though it was just as clean and identical to the rest of the room.
“I did look into it.”
“And?”
“I don’t want to offend you in any way Dr. Tanning, but I doubt the Void Facilitators would enjoy someone like me in their community.”
Dr. Tanning was somewhat confused by that. Surely he didn’t mean skin colour, there were countless different people of colour in her district and the Void Paradigm believed in all of collective humanity, none of that malice that was often related to the before-bibles and the Speakers.
“You should give them a chance. You work at the University for Ethical Technologies. Just get signed up with Star Bringer Sphere officially and you’re a shoe in.”
Another deep sigh followed from Dr. Bradson.
“You’re a Paradigm believer right, Dr. Tanning?”
Kylie was somewhat unsure where the line of questioning would lead, normally conversations that started off with that never ended well for her.
“Yes,” she replied cautiously as if attempting to delicately avoid an active bomb.
“And you are more than aware that the Star Bringer Sphere and the Void Paradigm are effectively one and the same right?”
“I wouldn’t say one and the same, but St. Star was the founder of the Star Bringer Sphere of old though he has gone beyond that and was chosen to lead the Void Paradigm.”
Dr. Bradson seemed to grimace at the statement. He was about to continue speaking but he seemed to hold himself back. His left hand moved to slowly rub the length of his right arm while he sat even more apparently uncomfortable in the chair.
“If you have something to say best just say it Dr. Bradson. I was simply trying to assist you after all.”
There was the hint of a smile before it faded, or perhaps Kylie had just imagined it.
“You’re right Dr. Tanning. I apologize, again I don’t want to offend. It’s just that I find the whole thing somewhat hypocritical.”
She stopped for a moment before she answered. This would not be the first time she had to deal with a non-believer, normally though it would be in tandem with another Tech Saint’s following. She was hearing about the “Thought Singularity” from many of the younger generation, her ward was very divided between those of the Void Paradigm and those who followed the Weboverse of Man. Although she was aware that there were those who quietly gave thanks to the Cryptomancers of the Chain, not widely accepted as a faith itself but they couldn’t be denied in their relevance. She wondered what Dr. Bradson leaned towards.
“Hypocritical? In what way?” she asked, genuinely wondering how he could make such a claim.
“Well, it boils down to the distribution of wealth really. I mean seriously, this room is larger than my apartment and it has more reliable utilities as well as safe temperature control.”
“Well yes, but the apartment you live in currently wasn’t built by the Void Paradigm.”
“True, but it was paid for by the University. Which is funded by the Star Bringer Sphere. And if I might draw slight attention to the fact that the Void Paradigm shouldn’t be building anything. They are a faith after all, they should be following the 18th Order.”
She sighed and pushed against her temple trying to remember the Order;
“A recognised and officiated faith may operate in the capacity of a collective of individuals for the security of religious belief of the collective but may not act as a facsimile of a state, corporation or independent and autonomous entity.”
There were five or six other orders that related to established faiths and then there were internal policies that referred to faiths. The Lands of Hellen had been specific in their internal freedom of faith and that only the orders of the Reorder were applicable.
“You know what I meant. Star Bringer built them, and the Void Paradigm were given some apartment blocks as a donation.”
“Yes, exactly. A donation,” he finished, using air quotes on the final word to convey his opinion on the exchange. It was a very widely accepted view of the situation though she found it intolerable at times.
“What’s so hypocritical though? You sound like one of those StreamerNet influencers pandering about distribution of wealth.”
“Some of them aren’t as wrong as many take them to be. Though I would argue that there are a few that would just like things to change so they don’t need to work. But those are very few.”
Dr. Bradson went for his work-case and strapped on the comp-wrist he had had to remove for the diagnosis. After a few quick twists he read the projected image of what looked like a schedule and then continued.
“I find that I’m just unable to take up the Void Paradigm seriously when it is very clear to me that they seem to be in bed with the Star Bringer Sphere which has the resources to send shuttles to the Moon and even Mars in order to harvest minerals when there is a clear housing crisis. And I wouldn’t find it ethical really to pretend to be part of something I don’t believe”
“We need those resources to fuel the industry here. Do you think the resources are just going to come out of nothing?”
“There are plenty of resources here. And if we didn’t use them to build the rockets and spacecraft, many of which are now debris in orbit, maybe there would be more resources for safe housing.”
Dr. Tanning was getting somewhat frustrated with this line of reasoning. The Void Paradigm was working to a great future in the stars. They spoke of humanity using its knowledge for its own betterment.
“On the premise of its belief, the Void Paradigm is wonderful. If your faith in the Paradigm is reliant on the pillars of what it preaches Dr. Tanning then I would be just as much of a believer as you. Though when I asked to join the Void Paradigm, I was asked to subscribe to their own Networks, networks that I could not afford on my own salary. I used my work credentials and unsurprisingly there were errors. They said they would get back to me and they never did. And I’m not alone in that, foreign workers have a few different markers in their credentials which the networks are ‘ill-equipped’ to handle.”
He was visibly becoming more anxious with every sentence. Lewis’s focus was drifting from one thing to the other in the room as if he was looking for predators. Dr. Tanning was unsure how to respond. She took a deep breath and collected her thoughts calmly.
“Dr. Bradson. Lewis. Let’s leave it, I’ll get you some water. You look stressed out. I’m sorry I asked. I’ll see if I can find some alternatives.”
She got up and moved to the water supplicant, unloaded one of the glasses, filled it and walked over to Lewis handing him the cup. He nodded his thanks and drank mouthfuls until the cup was empty.
“I’m sorry, things have been getting out of hand Dr. Tanning. I’m not sure how aware you are from the Star Bringer District. But we haven’t had stable air conditioning in the Employer Blocks for almost three weeks now. Enforcer drones have been coming through the night and even with the crypt-spice I haven’t been able to sleep.”
“Have you tried using more reliable insomnia treatments?”
“I did, but they were even less helpful. I have to get going Dr. Tanning, but thank you again. I know I shouldn’t even be allowed in this part of the hospital.”
“Think nothing of it Lewis.”
Dr. Bradson slowly made his way out of her office and then his pace increased heavily as he appeared to be late for something. She pulled out the necklace she wore under her doctor’s uniform. The Daedalus and it’s celestial bodies, she held it in her palm and carressed the outer parts of the symbol with her fingers. It was getting scarier out in the streets of late. Refugees from the Imperium of the Commune had managed their way across the border, the sea levels were still rising and people were losing their homes. It was becoming clearer with each year things were getting worse. The Hydro-rail was running less frequently, and the electro-tubes were getting more and more crowded with refugees. Maybe it was high time she started looking into moving to the IDSE.
Witness.001.001 … Lewis Bradson
He was still feeling that rush of anxiety from Dr. Tanning’s office. He had looked for the sachet of crypt-spice in his case but he hadn’t found it. His hope was that he had left it in his office. Normally he wouldn’t need a dose at this time of the day, especially after he had moved to 3000s splice that Ms. Delia and her supplier were able to sell. He felt embarrassed to have lost his control somewhat in Dr. Tanning’s office, especially after she had been helping him with his now very clear addiction and the side effects it was causing. He found it ironic that he could recall arguing with his father about cigarettes when he was younger, which had been unashamedly taxed out of circulation in the 2030s, and now he was going through the same motions. He would have found it more hilarious, if it weren’t for the immediate onset of the extreme anxiety attack he was all the more aware he was going through. He wondered if he should take the Hydro-rail but there were too many people in the electro-tube. The experience was becoming consistent over the past year. He would get stopped more than once by enforcers checking trackerNet IDs and then either yelling or even a brawl would erupt between a group of refugees and waiting passengers with the enforcers sometimes getting involved sometimes not.
The University was only about twenty or so minutes by walk, running he might make it in ten. He would still need to exit the electro-tube that connected the train system to the hospital but at this end it would be far less clogged by traffic. He rushed past doctors, nurses and patients who looked on with curiosity or concern but Lewis made no effort to acknowledge them. He followed the signs pointing to the exit and quickly found himself in the Electro-tube. His heart immediately sank when he saw a small force of enforcers in their blue-green tech-infused uniforms coming through the entry node a few yards off. Lewis made sure his comp-wrist was loaded with his tracker ID so that if they stopped him he would be ready. He made his way with a far less haste in order to not attract unwanted attention, though in doing so he almost felt even more guilty in the attempt to hide his panic. One of the enforcers, feminine from what he could tell from under the ‘power armour’ as some called the collection of gadgets that made up the enforcers arsenal. The enforcer put out her hand which had a scanner attachment in her palm.
“ID please,” they demanded.
The voice was muffled under the new crypt-mask the enforcers had been supplied with. Everyone knew that they were being funded by the Star Bringer Sphere, they might have removed the tags and the logos but that was not convincing anyone. The pseudo creator of the crypt-mask was known to have stopped distributing his model after Crypto-Dale, a cryptography tech-company which was in the pocket of Star Bringer Sphere had announced their version of the crypt-mask. Something about patents, Ms. Delia had told him briefly about it.
Lewis moved his comp-wrist under the scanner and after a few seconds it made the acknowledging beep that the ID was read successfully and the enforcer moved on to the other passers-by. Lewis hastened his pace slightly as he made his way to the exit node. Then he started hearing shouts. He was tempted to ignore it and keep moving, even while still in the Electro-tube he could feel the sweat gathering all across his body. Each limb seemed to begin to function independently of each other. Pushing all that down he turned though, looking at the source of the shouts. As expected, a group of ten or so individuals with gathered luggage cases were seated beside the Product Imperium vending station. Two of the enforcers were standing at attention, stun weapons in hand while another enforcer, far larger than the other two was demanding they move along. Most others moving to and from the hospital kept walking ignoring the commotion altogether though there were a few who had stopped in their tracks.
“This is the last time I come over here! The tubes are for transit only! This is not a camping site!” the enforcer yelled, he was speaking in English though very broken English. One of the refugees slowly got up and moved over to face the enforcer.
“It’s hot outside! We are not hurting anyway by staying here! We’re waiting for our papers to come in and the apartments have no air conditioning.”
“Rules are rules! The tubes are for transit. Make your way back to your apartments or you will come with us!”
The enforcer grabbed the refugee firmly from the arm. The others on the ground began to get up too and to that the two enforcers began moving in to help their spokesman. Lewis felt that same energy he was feeling in Dr. Tanning’s office surged up, the adrenaline of the moment having some unexpected effect within him or perhaps it was the culmination of years of suffering under the boot of the same system as everyone else. Unsure which, Lewis made his way over to the thick of the confrontation.
“Excuse me,” he tried to yell, though it came out more of a polite squeak that was quickly drowned out by the yelling of the Enforcer who was now just repeating his demands. Lewis took a deep breath and tried again.
“Excuse me!” this time with more power, enough that one of the quiet enforcers turned over and turned their attention to Lewis who was now only a few strides away from the leading enforcer.
“Move along, citizen. I saw you get checked. You can move along.”
Lewis felt that desire to accept, the enforcer had asked him calmly and they were right. He had been checked, he could move along… and pretend that nothing was happening. The enforcer might have as well said it, the implication was all too clear to Lewis. Yet still the lecturer pushed against his fears, pushed against the kneejerk urge to adhere to authority rather than consider the situation and his part in it.
“I know that. But I won’t do that if these people are going to be thrown out in the heat.”
The enforcer looked down at Lewis, now realising that even probably without the power armour the enforcer stood a good foot and a half above Lewis.
“I don’t think you want to get involved Sir.”
“I don’t think you can say what I want or don’t want.”
Lewis suddenly felt his stomach drop as he realised what he had just said. The enforcer turned over to look at the group of refugees and the lead enforcer. Lewis then pushed past the enforcer who tried to grab Lewis but failed as they had not expected the sudden action. Dr. Bradson found himself now standing beside the group of refugees and faced with the even more intimidating enforcer.
“Sir, this does not concern you!” the enforcer yelled at the same amplitude as he had been yelling his other demands. The refugees were also yelling, he could here indistinguishable words being shouted over the enforcer, Lewis was unfamiliar with the language or perhaps it was because the words were coming through muffled in his ears. Lewis’s senses seemed to have withdrawn to just himself and the lead enforcer. He could feel his hands shaking but he balled up his hands into fists to try to keep steady. Though the shaking was quickly spreading to his legs as well.
“Just let them stay, it’s burning out there and most of the blocks are just as bad if not worse.”
The enforcer took a step forward leaving what Lewis felt was the space between atoms between them. Suddenly Lewis was all too aware of the rising anxiety as it kicked back into his system. He fought every fiber of his being from just running away there and then. What was going to happen to him? Would they arrest him too? Would he lose his career over this? What if they attacked? A million more questions began flooding into his inner psyche yet even then he rejected all of that and held the enforcers gaze.
“We’re following orders and this does NOT concern you.”
“It should CONCERN you that you are sentencing innocent people to die,” Lewis managed through gritted teeth and a waterfall of sweat that had gathered at his temple.
“I do not have time for upstart heroes, they are breaking the laws of Hellen. Now step aside or you will also be in breach of those laws.”
“You are tyrants!” one of the refugees roared from behind Lewis. The enforcer shifted to look at the group of refugees as they tried to find the source of the insult. There was a younger looking refugee who seemed to have been the enforcer’s chosen target and the bulk of armour and muscle pushed Lewis aside forcing the lecturer to lose what little strength he had held onto to remain standing and hit the ground hard.
“YOU ARE IN BREACH OF HELLENIC CONDUCT. MOVE OUT NOW!” The enforcer said, as they unsheeted the stun gun from its holster and the two other enforcers were also now moving in.
Yelling and screaming became all the more louder. Lewis stood looking at the glass ceiling of the Electro-Tube, the bright orange sky pouring down its light on the scene around him.
He felt his entire body begin to erupt in heat, but it had nothing to do with the Destroyer in the sky. He tried to get up but he could not. His legs were shaking uncontrollably now. He tried to call out for help but he could feel the air escaping from his lungs with not a single sound. Those few who had stayed to watch the events unfold appeared to be moving away for the most part. The other enforcers which had been gathering the obligatory scans had quickly moved into the fray to aid their fellow squadmates. Lewis heard the sharp buzzing sound of the stun guns make contact, he was not sure what was happening though, the orange sky grew dimmer above him, he felt blood rushing up to his ears and could hear the intense beat of his heart. A silhouette of what looked human stood over him in those final moments, he couldn’t make out any features. The sound of people panicking began to fade, he could see someone reach for him but he did not feel anything.
Lewis felt the universe itself become surreal. He couldn’t remember why he was in this position, only that he was. He knew that he had no power to do anything anymore, he was certain of that. There was a sense of purpose in his state though, he was certain of that too…
A sense of purpose, in a world without purpose.
