Page 247
04.02.10
The writing prompt here is: page 247 of a biography, fictional or otherwise. This is an extract of the biography of JS Tycho, noted 25th Century physicist.
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It was this, rather than his unfortunate mutation, that instilled such fear into the alien would-be conquerors of the Colony. They left almost as quickly as they had arrived, and he was declared saviour of the moons of Epsilon Eridani b. Numerous attempts were made to convince him to run for office, but he steadfastly refused.
Tycho’s new-found fame and “hero” status proved more than the reclusive physicist could handle; when his former employer approached him, in early 2417, with the offer to lead the research on gravity leaks as part of the Eridanus Supervoid project, he did not hesitate. The project itself was very high profile, which worried him a little, but he could not turn down an opportunity to work with the Enormous Hadron Collider.
Tycho spent ten years in the Supervoid, where he assisted in the development of the world’s first baby universe farm. His research on gravity leaks unearthed the 7th dimension and allowed physics to move into a new era. Two centuries on, it is clear that much of the current work in experimental anti-metaphysics could not have come into being without Tycho’s work.
He might have accomplished so much more, but unfortunately his work so far had attracted the attention of the Neo-Ethicists, an organisation of fundamentalists that targeted science projects it considered unethical. The Neo-Ethicists objected to the creation of what they termed “test tube universes” for the purposes of harvesting dark matter. They proceeded to hound Tycho at every opportunity and he fell into a depression that he never quite came out of. His journals reveal that he would have the occasional manic episode, during which he would plot revenge against the Neo-Ethicists. One of his most famous plots involved using the EHC to generate small black holes within individual fundamentalists’ intestines, which would cause them to implode. Thisis where Tycho’s life in science crossed over into the Arts: after his death in 2451 when his journals were published, “assassination by black hole” became popular in crime fiction and cinema.
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Tags: 25th century, black holes, Flash Fiction, fridayflash, fundamentalists, future, Humour, physics, Science Fiction, Writing
Fascinating! I wish I could read the entire biography.
Heh, this was good. You’ve gotta watch those scientists… it’s bad enough when they get Mad, but Depressed is even worse. No wonder he went for black holes!
Death by Black Hole.
Interesting concept… although I always prefer Death by chocolate.
I’m laughing. This is the most ingeneous thing I’ve read this morning. I’m going to work in the garden now, with my black hole thoughts fresh and new.
Wow. You take a prompt and really go all the way down creativity’s path with it!
I’m with Jessica. This made me want to read more of his biography.
And assassination by black hole made me laugh so much.
Quite enjoyable!
“This is where Tycho’s life in science crossed over into the Arts:” and terrorism… As with all the best SciFi writing, this reflects us back to ourselves in the here and now – those who would kill abortionists or vivisectionists in the name of ‘liberation’ etc.There is now a real metaphysics emerging from theoretical science, because of all the counter-intuitive logic its modern theories throw up. You hit this note bang on in this tale.
Have you read Greg Egan’s “Qurantine” I think you would really like some of the ideas he explores in it, to do with quantum realities.
I too want to read more Maria, especially the portions when he’s in that manic state. Very well-told and creative!
That’s awesome – simultaneously part of a non-existent whole and a satisfyingly complete piece of SF flash. Great ideas. Loved it.
You rock.
“…’assassination by black hole’ became popular in crime fiction and cinema.” is genius. I also echo Marc’s comments as well. I always look forward to seeing what you come up with. Enjoyed!
(Saw one typo: Last graph – L3 objectde)
He.. tehehe… he.. tehehehe… he should have continued with his… tehehehehe… with his research. Ahem. Stopping it was just cutting his nose off to spite his face. tehehehe.
Very cool! I’d like to read the entire biography, too. Quite imaginative with the prompt. The black holes in the intestines doesn’t seem like a pleasant way to go.
Eridanus Supervoid project – that’s good! I love that the LHC didn’t kill us all, and has a big brother in the 25th Century.
‘Test tube universes’ and ‘harvesting dark matter’ are genius. It seems that science is still dogged then?
Simon.
Ethics still exist in the 2400s? That’s the least plausible part of your story!
Very amusing, especially how the further along we get with science, the more forerunners sound like superheroes.
I’ve always wanted my own baby universes. I’d keep it secret, of course, so those radicals don’t hunt me down.
Assassination by black hole…I freaking love the concept! Excellent read here – seems just like a page torn out of a biography.
Hi Mazzz,
Great stuff as ever. Creating “baby universes”, “death by black hole” so witty and original… Love the tension between science and fundamentalism.
Fantastic as usual. You’re so versatile. I enjoy all of your works.
Laugh out loud moment -“The Neo-Ethicists objected to the creation of what they termed “test tube universes” for the purposes of harvesting dark matter. ” Such subtle humor and imaginative. Great stuff.
Talk about a quick, clean kill.
This was brilliant. Sharp and clean.
Oh, wow, I bet that every stomachache after that produced panic, which would make it worse, and… Psychologically brilliant! You did well with this prompt, as always. 🙂
CD
I love the test tube universes and death by black hole concepts. Great job with the prompt.
First off, I love this idea – definitely want to try one of my own.
Very nicely done. That first sentence is so intriguing. I’m not quite sure what “this” is, and that is what’s so nice about it. I personally relish the idea of “generat[ing] small black holes within individual fundamentalists’ intestines”.
The idea of a future in which human intervention into matter is so advanced that such things as “gravity leaks” are a possibility is hard for my little brain to process. But I get the human core that this piece is based on. (Guess that’s why I’m not an SF writer; I’ll leave it to the experts.)
Science crossing over into Art. Love it. Wish I could read the whole thing. Great mini bio!
Excellent! I want to know all about his world, his life. That was crafted so cleverly and it was so funny. Where do you get this stuff – assassination by black hole – LOL!!! (I know you don’t like !, but I will always put them in my comments to you!)!!!!!
I can’t believe I missed this! So interesting to see your take on the Page 247 prompt. I love the death by black hole idea, too!