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This writing was accepted for publication in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN# / ISBN# issue/book... “the Lighthouse” Down in the Dirt, v152 (the December 2017 Issue)  You can also order this 6"x9" issue as a paperback book:  |
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E-Station
Tom Ball
E-station was a space station orbiting Earth. The population was 1000 of the richest and most famous and 20 000 clever servants. And typically 1000 tourists.
All sorts of celebrities: geo-architects, Virtual Reality (VR) actors/actresses, VR designers, various magnates, famous escorts and so on.
Gravity through a gravitron/centrifuge. Powered by the sun and nuclear power. 33% of the space was used to grow food, 15% restaurants, 10% for child rearing’ 10% for nightclubs, 22% for homes, 10% for power
4 km squared was the station.
The leader was named, “Bastard.” Celebrity women were all bearing the title, “Dame.” And the men were “Sir.” Servants didn’t have a name just a number.
Bastard dismantled the thinking computers here and blocked wi-fi waves from Earth.
Bastard had many wives (marriage was illegal on Earth). If one of his wives cheated on him he had her deported. This seemed to happen often. For many being sent back to Earth was like a death sentence as Earth was so “boring.” Most of the greatest celebrities were here.
XXX
My name was Levee: I came as a tourist... It was very expensive, but so many people raved about the place I had to check it out...
Every new settler was given a thorough x-ray to make sure they didn’t bring any devices and most came naked. No luggage was allowed. First thing their skin was turned orange. I came naked, but didn’t have to have my skin turned orange as I was just a tourist.
Actually I was an embezzler who hadn’t been caught, but I used a small fraction of the stolen money to come to e-station. Many CEOs were the same.
What happens on Earth stays on Earth.
I stepped into a nightclub party my first day here, at e-station.
Dame Rancee said to Dame Abstract: “Your face makes you look like a slut. I suppose you spent a fortune on it.”
Dame Abstract: “Fuck you I am more popular than you with the men and you are jealous.”
I, Levee, said “I think you are both so beautiful. I think I am in love with you both.
Dame Xaviera to Dame Yolanda: “I am filled with ennui with these endless parties.”
Dame Xaveria to me: “Ho! Another tourist! What’s your story?”
I said: “I can’t believe this place is as good as people say it is.”
Dame Xaveria: “We can always use new blood. Just like any place it grows old after a while.”
Dame Yolanda: “Yes I would rather do a crossword puzzle than party non-stop.”
Sir Excelsius: Come now ladies. Everyone has a good time here. You are just spoiled.
And I talked to many others; many agreed there was opportunity here. They felt the best succeeded and it was a fair system. But most people were servants and worked for relatively low wages but much more than those on Earth. On Earth they had no human servants; computers and androids did all the work. And most people collected welfare.
But everyone seemed happy here. However some said the servants were slaves and it was a crime against humanity. But there were many stories of servants getting rich.
Sex drive pills and antifat pills were free, so the celebrities ate, drank and had sex for much of the day. There were no sexual diseases. A lot of sex servants got rich.
It was the year 2340 A.D. Many here had vast fortunes and used the money in part to invest in entertainment on Earth.
Scientists on Earth had reached 365 X the speed of light, but they had no research scientists here on e-station. Bastard insisted.
XXX
Tourists often came here for $10 million for a one week visit. I came as a tourist and was given the royal treatment. And I decided to stay. I took a job working for Bastard, the leader, as a secretary and the work was light and the pay was high: $4 million a year in salary. But I first had to pay $90 million more and turn my skin orange (It cost $100 million to come here permanently; of course the servants came for free).
Today, like every day we were having a party.
Dame Starling to Dame Tremors: I have been drunk now for a week. I still can’t forget my lover who left for space. I don’t know why he did it. He had everything here.
Dame Tremors: Just like the Garden of Eden, people don’t know when they are in paradise.
Dame Bonnie to her servant girl: “I’ll see you in my quarters at 8 pm for some intense love.”
S.G.: “Yes my lady.”
Dame Bonnie to Dame Carrie: “One can’t beat the service here.”
I said to Dame Bonnie, “Where do I go for kinky sex?”
She said: “Why don’t you ask your master, Bastard?”
Sir Roger: now that we all have eternal life I have picked up the habit of smoking a pipe. It keeps me calm.
Dame Carrie: “You are a dinosaur!”
Dame Bonnie: “Whatever turns your crank...”
Sir Roger: “And I procured a shipment of simulated extremely old whiskies. Let’s try them at my place at 6pm. You are welcome to come, Levee.
Dame Bonnie: “Whatever you say big boy.”
I said, “I’d never had a really old whisky.”
So we got drunk and I said this really is a sex world isn’t it?
Dame Carrie: “You can start with me.”
It was really good sex.
XXX
Bastard was having one of his fits: “All you, my wives, must kiss my ring and tell me how great I am.”
Wife #4 (aside whispering to another wife): “One has to be careful what one says to him. And be creative at the same time.”
Wife #3: “You must be the most creative lover the world has ever seen. I have watched porn and it pales in comparison to your love.”
Wife #7: “You are the brightest light in a sea of light.”
Wife #12: “You are the smartest man in the world.”
Wife #13: “I am so fortunate to be your lover.”
Wife #15 “I want to have many children with you, you are clever and bold.”
And so on.
XXX
Dame Bonnie: “Some people love Bastard, but I abhor him. He’s a pig. There were no listening devices so we can’t be overheard fortunately. You won’t tell him my thoughts will you Levee?”
I said “No, but he is in power... You have to respect that.”
XXX
Automatic missile defences were the only thinking computers here. And they defended against a possible attack from Earth by some rogue hackers and also the missiles took out space junk.
Many said they were backwards here but they said they valued their privacy and didn’t want mind reading technology (MRT) or computer surveillance/bugs.
Bastard had a new temple in which he let it be known he expected everyone to donate $2 million every year and worship him. And he would use the money along with a good portion of the $100 million entry fees to finance his campaign for US President. His platform was to roll back technology still farther so that no new science would be invented. “Stop Big Brother,” he announced.
Some said Bastard had things to hide which was why he did not allow mind reading technology or computer surveillance.
XXX
A lot of entertainment companies were based here.
Mostly VR (virtual reality) movies in which you picked a role or were picked and had to play the part. You could feel sex, drugs and various feelings in the VR. And it was always a grand adventure.
XXX
There were no animals here, just synthetic food and e-pets. Some e-pets were cleverer than the servants who repudiated them. But Bastard wanted to get rid of them. However many important people loved their e-pets.
XXX
Some said e-station was just like the Wild West. Or the British Empire or the Silk Road or the New World. The same types of adventurers appeared.
Translator machines were not necessary. Nearly all spoke English, some spoke a new, simplified English language.
As I mentioned previously, rich and famous people paid $100 000 000 to come here and most didn’t want to leave saying it was paradise. Of course the servants came for free and were eager to come here. But they needed a sponsor here to enable them to come.
And if you wanted a child you had to pay $50 million dollars and the education department would raise them according to your wishes. You were not allowed to see your children until they were 18, which often led to wild parties at 18.
Tourists had to leave after one week. But I had a tourist lover and I hid her from the authorities and sent her to the doctor to get orange skin. And I falsified her name and so no one was the wiser. I was able to do it as secretary to Bastard.
Many people who had something to say recorded it with music, usually the guitar and so the point was drilled home. But there were still plenty of people who gossiped without music.
The rumors were buzzing on this day about a trip to a water planet in the Polaris system. Many were intrigued and wanted to go.
Dame Xaveria: “What could be more boring than to be cooped up in a small room for months.”
Dame Yolanda: “But life was lovely here on e-station and crime was very low. Many people here said love affairs were special. True love.”
I, Levee, said: “On Earth no one believes in love anymore. And I am sure that deep down everyone is the same here.”
XXX
“The leaders formed a plutocracy,” said Bastard, but he was just another dictator.
XXX
Some were desperate to become rich and so played a game of Russian roulette. The winner took the prize (hundreds of millions were bet).
XXX
Suddenly one day Bastard declared E-station to be a sovereign nation and no new scientists would be allowed to come here even in ships which docked with e-station and he had used the $100 million fees to buy the best defensive weapons.
Some were broken-hearted about the news but most didn’t want to go back anyway.
So we were cut off totally from new science, but still got all the latest VR movies from Earth. And we made our own fun. We produced virtual movie after virtual movie and sold them down on Earth, electronically. I was a virtual actor in many VR movies.
And space going ships still docked here and shuttles still went to Earth.
With psychedelic music. They were artists not scientists.
They demanded that I join them, but I only liked VR and didn’t care for other art...
Then I was on VR and dreaming of a twisted beauty. It was very kinky. She said: “Beauty is in the eye of the twisted. It is a twisted world,” she said, “In which people are all perverted.”
I said, “Where will it end?”
She replied, “People are so messed up on drugs they don’t know who they are anymore. It will all end in madness.”
And I loved her and it was crazy!
XXX
I, Levee thought androids never really happened. I wondered why? And thinking machines never seemed to go mad on Earth.
XXX
I changed my sex back and forth and in between. I was getting bored on E-station and certainly didn’t want to go to space.
UW police spies were everywhere. In fact I worked for the spies. No way to get away with crime. Anyway an alarm went off if you were attacked. This technology Bastard kept. You just needed to shout, “Help!”
Tourists who had a criminal record were not allowed in. As I said they hadn’t caught me and a lot of the “CEOs” were embezzlers like I was.
I told my lovers I was a spy of the New World order.
One girl told me I was, “An unsavory character who was out of control.”
I tried to make her promise to love me exclusively for a month. I said: “I could really impress her.” I told her, “Life is under no one’s control. It is free for the asking.” But she just laughed.
And it was my prerogative to love her. Bastard told me, “That I had plenty of lovers and only wanted the ones I couldn’t get.”
And there was anti-gravity sex and there was a gravitron centrifuge for “hard sex.” I took sex drive enhancers and made love to numerous women every day. There were always newbies who were eager for sex.
I was put in charge (by Bastard), of the highest paid sex worker humans on E-station.
My philosophy with women was to make them feel important and loved. But most women I got to love them due to my handsome face which had been designed by the best artists. The face cost me $150 million.
But a lot of women here also had designer faces. I was attracted to them. Even slaves got some work done and it all lead to more sex.
Of course the face copyright was enforced here, and on Earth.
Giant kaleidoscope balls were stations where sex could be had with virtual reality. Or you could have sex in luxury suites, 10 sq. m.
The total worth of assets held here at the station were 13 trillion. Many CEOs lived here. And also rich celebrities. And e-Bank was active on Earth as well as here.
People wanted to change the name of e-station to “Orange station.”
XXX
I reflected if e-station was destroyed, the gene pool would never recover.
We had the top thinkers here. Even the servants were very high intelligence.
People here bought and sold planets and moons. Many people wanted to go as a pioneer to new water planets. The e-station stock market was growing into the biggest stock market of all. So many space ventures...
UW police tried to get at least one spy on every voyage to keep the peace.
But it was very dangerous. Space pirates, a computer malfunction, people who suddenly snapped and did something crazy and so on.
XXX
And regular physical sports were passe... It was all video sports. And many people invested in the UW stock market and in video team sports. Now it was all in your mind rather than physical.
XXX
Dame Carrie: “Let’s swap faces.”
Dame Notable: “Good idea and we can love one another’s lovers.”
Dame Carrie: “Things just get better and better here, despite the fact that there are too many parties.”
I, Levee, said: “Why don’t we switch bodies?” And we did so temporarily. It was all in the name of good fun.
XXX
Bastard had spies everywhere and he knew everything about everything and everyone. And I was promoted to his #1 personal secretary...
And Bastard said to me that he needed some new clothes as befitting his position as ruler so I went to Earth in Italy and found some “light” designers. The lights would cover ones nakedness and featured all sorts of moving pictures on them.
Then he said to me he wanted, “10 more wives to come from Earth.” So I scoured the Earth for interesting women, only a few were really famous and several were virgins. He paid $100 million for each to come and an annual salary of $3 million. They all had to sign a contract by which they would be his wives for 5 years at least.
And then Bastard said to me: “Find me some new chefs,” so I found some unusual cooks on Earth and brought them back to e-station with the same deal he offered his new women.
And then Bastard put me in control of education of the youth. And I asked him, “What if every child was a clone or child of you?” “Variety is the spice of life,” he replied. “And try to make my own children as imaginative as possible,” he said.
Judges threw out the numerous legal cases against him as unconstitutional. Many people wanted democracy. “But to give the servants the vote was ludicrous,” he said.
It was the year A.D. 2431.
Bastard in public was talking to one of his 24 wives, “Woman you need to love me more.”
She said: “You are smothering me with the strength of your presence. I feel I am just your willing thrall.”
Bastard to another woman: “You are just a slut who puts on airs as if you were royalty.” “I am royalty,” she said, “And you like sluts anyway provided they only love you.”
And I knew what he was doing. He was exploiting women and slaves.
But then I was falling in love with one of his wives and I told him about it and he surprised me and told me, “I was fired.” After all I had done for him.
So then I linked up with Dame F, we were already lovers but now I was her personal assistant. Dame F wanted to be President of e-station. But Bastard refused to relinquish power. It was a power struggle.
And Bastard regretted he had fired me and begged me to come back, but I said, “No way.”
Dame F opined that: “Bastard was an evil tyrant who only cared about sex, gold and power.”
I loved Dame F regularly, but I also liked Dame Annabella who had 70 inch breasts, She was my favorite sex outlet. She was so popular that many other women got tremendous breasts.
Dame Annabella had servants groveling and kowtowing hoping for her love.
She had the prettiest face in the station, most people agreed. She was the woman of every man’s dreams.
XXX
Bastard had won the election of 2330 and thereafter refused to allow elections...
And Bastard had an entertaining company which he milked for all it was worth. He was like a pig at the trough.
I said, “We don’t want to be an international pariah. It is madness to ban science and be independent.”
It was all madness here. People lost themselves and let themselves go.
And on Earth they were creating super humans and sending them off to space. Some like me said it was the end of the world.
And I dreamt e-station would be closed.
And I dreamt I killed Bastard and all he stood for...
And then one day I saw that Bastard had all 126 of his children together in a nightclub. And I didn’t know what possessed me, but I spiked the air with slow acting poison and thereby brought about the death of most of the 126 of Bastard’s children. A few blamed me and many others too were blamed (many hundreds of people didn’t like Bastard), and so I took the next flight to outer space. Anyway I was sick of e-station and if I had stayed any longer I would probably have killed myself. Dame F said: “Stay and face the charges,” but I told her, “No it was time.” No farewell party; I just simply left.
I was 115 years old
I dreamt I lived in the future and when I woke up two years had passed and I was on a new water planet. I just remembered being on a hot beach for what seemed like forever.
But back on e-station, Dame F had cloned me and would one day love “me” again. We were still in contact with Earth and its environs. But I was elusive to Dame F. It would be kinky to have sex over all this distance and I told her she “had to find me.”
NARRATIVE CONTINUED BY DAME F
Dame F: I dreamt on virtual reality, I was on a frosty cold world looking for Levee. Then a figure came towards me, he didn’t look like Levee, he looked mean and tough. I said are you Levee? And he said “I can be anything and anyone you want. I reflected; it sounded like Levee, perhaps he was in my dreams living still.
I asked him if, “He was a man of ideas?” and he told me the future is all preordained, nothing new under the sun.”
I said “But the future has limitless possibilities, if the human race becomes cleverer.
He said, “We will not be here to see it. Good thing too!”
So he wasn’t Levee. But for the rest of my life I held out hope that we would meet again.
XXX
Computers got in suns. It was all about power and energy.
XXXXXXX
