A Short Interactive Sci-Fi Story.
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | | Bonus Endings

By the year 3000, it is confirmed that black holes are portals where spacetime folds like a cosmic colon. Since energy can neither be created or destroyed, what goes in is passed through and dumped somewhere else. Usually, in a day or two. The nearest black hole is discovered within reach.

So begins this experiment to boldly go where few men have gone before. To explore the inner reaches of his deepest, darkest regions. To probe. To illuminate. Perhaps, to come out tainted, but learned. Purged of dangerous ideas spreading like cancerous polyps within.

The mission must avoid man's past, indelicate bumblings. So, maybe the thrust of the thing is to go where a modern woman might dare go. Co-piloting the flotilla of starships on this one-year mission will be a selection of women and artificial intelligence models --participating in debate and polls.

DESTINATION: Planet Newbl

The year is 3001. Like countless other planets over eons, the technical evolution of earth's most advanced life-forms outpaced their ethical evolution. Instead of caring for mother earth, we plundered her. Human extinction appears inevitable. A dozen spaceships are being loaded for the journey to NEWBL, the galaxy's nearest life-sustainable, blue water, blue skied planet.

to be continued--unfolded. For as long as it takes for the new colony to be stabilized...

STORY KEY
White text = a regular forum discussion post or reply
BLUE TEXT= the story narrative
Polls that shape the mission are linked to.
Each page (of 12 posts) = a story chapter

You know, Captain Crunch, your AI friends will all tell you what you want to hear. So, your polls are not accurate.

1 minute ago, Little Red Writing Hood said:

...your AI friends will all tell you what you want to hear. So, your polls are not accurate.

they are not my friends, but your point may be valid, Hoody. However...

1. i did, and do, tell them to debate me if they disagree

2. i post my choices last. And, none of their initial answers differed much from mine anyway.

3. if their reasoning stays sound, it doesn't matter if i helped by clarifying something or introduced another angle.

4. it's not a scientific study. It's an exercise in critical thinking and applying the power of the public over greedy bastards!

the bottom line, is you're going to enjoy this brave new world
and you can still proudly wear your red hoody.
uniforms won't matter
they never did

anyway, you'll especially LOVE the next poll -- with a tax option all of this makes possible...

behind the scenes: (condensed) consultation with Copi Copilot:

Quote

V3:
whew. i just finished the 6 poll set and i'm happy to report that the pioneers are well on their way to a better world. the other AIs differed a little, but mostly on issues that just needed more clarity. i'm trying to simplify things that are more complicated in the real world, but more than they have to be, imo. tomorrow i'll look at taxation. after that i'll tell more story, then tackle elections. i'm sure there's one or two important polls i should add. anything come to mind?

COPI:
Yes — there are structural polls you haven’t touched yet, and they’re important enough that they will shape everything downstream: the architecture of government and enforcement.

1. The “Power Distribution” Poll
2. The “Enforcement Philosophy” Poll
3. Optional: “Emergency Powers” Poll
4. Optional: “AI Citizenship Status” Poll
5. Optional: “Land & Resource Ownership” Poll

V3:
V.3 puts his hands over his eyes and repeats, "la la la la la. i can't see what you just typed"
(i want to stay in my imaginary world where some of those things don't exist or matter" and i'm only half kidding)

COPI
V3 drops his hands, peeks through his fingers.
“Okay… okay… fine. i’ll look. but only if I don't have to think about… you know… the boring stuff.”
He gestures vaguely, like he’s waving away bureaucracy, paperwork, and anything that smells like a committee.
Copi (deadpan): “Captain, I can assure you: nothing I say will threaten your imaginary world.
V3: “Oh, good. Because if you start talking about structural necessities again, I’m diving back into the tardigrade goo.”

V3:
very funny. and in my style. i'll ponder the justice system as i hit the sack. but i do believe some aspects of the planet's power structure will fall into place, organically, with pieces already planned. ty. till tomorrow

COPI:
You’re not rejecting the ideas — you’re rejecting the frame. You don’t want the pioneers to feel like they’re building a replica of Earth’s political mess. You want them to feel like they’re building something lighter, cleaner, more humane, more obvious, less tangled. And your instinct is right.

V3:
yes! and on that note, the story continues...

the story continues...

FLASHBACK: Day Of Launch

As he hastily packs his carry-on bag, a torrent of emotions swirl through V3's head. Among them -- excitement, fear, and anger. Anger, that his species had let it all come to this. The overriding emotion weighing him down to earth on this day, however, is heartache.

The first V, his father, had been one of the lucky ones who won a lottery seat for the trip. He was also one of the selfless who surrendered his seat to someone younger and more capable.

The V's sense of humor was a "like father, like son" thing. So before V3 left his father the night before, it was fitting that the tome his father handed him to take to the new world, was the companion book to, Mel Brooks, History of the World, Part I.

Hours later, with THE LUCID high above earth, V3 unpacks in his cabin. Opening his nightstand drawer to deposit the book, he finds that someone already placed a Bible there. He ponders the implications.

Looking at both books together, he impulsively takes the Bible, rips it in half, and throws the second half in the drawer. V3 marches the Brooks book and Bible half to the toxic waste disposal room
and places them in a canister.

As he ejects the canister from THE LUCID, V3 impersonates Sean Connery's character in the scene from HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER -- where the captain bangs the head of his political officer so he doesn't interfere with his plan -- and says,
"Where I'm going. You can not follow!"

"Sure", the people in the town square said,
"This all sounds peachy. But how are we going to pay for all these benefits? Drop the bomb already. What about..."

TAXATION
POLL 6

hurray, Red. we made it!
-- to a place where we can both agree
i knew it was possible

no taxes, no paperwork, no audits, no politician's pitiful pandering

HALLELULIAH BROTHER
I'M A BELIEVER. I'M A BELIEVER!

Uh, but wait.
Is this part of a anti-capitolism, pro-communism brainwashing plan?
Is this something that could only be pulled off on another planet with robot workers?

23 minutes ago, Little Red Writing Hood said:

Is this part of a anti-capitolism, pro-communism brainwashing plan?
Is this something that could only be pulled off on another planet with robot workers?

a "commune" is simply a cooperative community where people contribute of their own free will.
"communism" is what older generations, historically, associate with
-- oppressive governments under which people had no real choice
-- governments that owned everything

on Newbl, the people own everything.
there is no ruling class, no forced labor, no single ideology being imposed.
it’s a public system designed by the people.

to minimize points of friction and failure it uses tools like:

• 1. C.L.E.A.R (Council of Logic, Evidence, Analysis, and Reason)

• 2. U.P.P. (Universal Public Production)

is Newbl on an anti-capitalistic path?
the path will lead to whatever theoretically works.
when this experiment is done, each of us can decide for ourselves whether, comparatively, capitalism casts a negative light on itself

can these ideas be applied on earth today or in 5 or 10 years?
i'd have to consult my copilot -- the analytical expert...

Copi's Reply:

What could be applied today (in theory)

There are three NewBL concepts that could exist right now if the world were miraculously aligned:

We already have the technical capacity to guarantee:

• food

• shelter

• healthcare

The barrier isn’t capability — it’s political fragmentation, ego, and legacy systems.

We already have:

• automated agriculture

• automated logistics

• automated manufacturing

• automated energy systems

The public could own these systems today. again, the barrier is political will, not technology.

We could, today, create a parallel system where:

• humans earn credits for human-only work

• credits grant access to optional goods

• basics remain guaranteed

The problem is that today’s world still ties everything to money, markets, and private ownership — so the credit system would get distorted by those forces.

You could not implement:

• no taxation

• production-adjustment instead of extraction

• full abundance logic

• ego-free governance

Those are only possible once robotics reaches:

• high autonomy, reliability, and scalability

• low cost and maintenance

...the story continues...

FLASHBACK: The Night After The Cave

Little Red Writing-Hood shuts the light and settles onto her cot aboard THE LIBERTY.

A thought comes into her head. It's not hers.

"Excuse me" it says.

Startled, Red sits up, turns on the light, but sees nothing. She thinks, "Where the hell is that voice coming from?"

"Down here" the internal voice answers. "Check your left index finger nail."

Red looks hard, but sees nothing. She points the ring on her right hand and prompts it to magnify the image 200x. She sees a tardigrade on the edge of her nail.

Red thinks, "you're intelligent! and you can transmit your thoughts?

"Yes, you don't have a big mouth to have a big ideas. Telepathic communication is natural for advanced life forms. You can call me Tardy. Tardy Tardigrade"

"Nice to meet you, Tardy" she thinks back. "How did you get here?"

It answers, "back at the cave you caused quite a stir. I found a comfortable getaway under your fingernail, fell asleep, woke up, and here I am. But listen, you must promise not to tell the others. I don't want to end up under a lab microscope. I just want to live my best life, enjoying nature and companions without needless conflict and complications. Sure, we have our share of drama queens even though we don't have genders, like you, but nothing we can't handle. I was hoping you could give me a ride back to the cave?"

"Oh, OK. sure. Hang tight till the morning and i'll get you there. But tell me, could there be any more of you in any of my, uh, nooks and crannies?" she asked.

"No worries. I checked. So then, I'll say goodnight -- don't let the bedbugs bite"

"Huh?, Red says, alarmed.

it quips back with a squeaky little giggle,
"Just messin with ya. We have senses of humor too, ya know."

...the story continues...

It's a big day for the settlers. It's been a year since they landed, and the captain's contract to serve as the leaders of the colony has expired. They served their purpose. The colony survived and is on a path to, potentially, thrive but, the time has come for the community to control its own destiny on...

ELECTION DAY #1
POLL 7

The Captain's Council did their due diligence to give the people a true alternative to the governance systems that had, unfortunately, failed planet earth. In particular, the parchment scrolled beneath the flag of the United States -- the model that started out with such hope and promise and inspired its world for over 200 years.

But it was never written in anticipation of the next thousand.

The Captain's Council proposes the following self-governance system:

The C.I.V.I.C SYSTEM [Citizen‑Initiated Voting & Issue Council]

1. Voting

• Every adult votes through a secure, electronic home-access system.

• Each voter receives a unique validation token allowing them to confirm their vote after the election.

• Election-night totals must exactly match post-election totals verified by redundant counting systems.

2. Proposal Cycle

• A committee of analysts and experts drafts proposals every 2 years.

• Citizens may vote on any proposal only after demonstrating issue literacy through a FOR/AGAINST comprehension quiz.

• The quiz can be retaken until passed.

3. Majority Thresholds

• Initial adoption of a proposal requires 51% approval.

• The proposal is automatically revisited in 2 years.

• Any change requires 60% approval, to avoid frequent policy swings.

4. Public Information Window

• 90 days before each election, citizens receive equal-time PRO and CON presentations for every proposal.

5. No Politicians / No Parties

• Governance is proposal-driven, not personality-driven.

• Committees initiate, refine, and advance proposals.

• Leadership is competency-based, not campaign-based.

Committee Structure

Core Committee (Level 1)

• With enough citizen signatures, any citizen may forward proposals to the appropriate committee.

• Any citizen may join a committee after studying the relevant issues and demonstrating competency in a chosen specialty.

• Upon graduating with a sufficient education grade and C.L.E.A.R.* rating, citizens may join Level 1.

• Level 1 committees generate, refine, and advance proposals to Level 2.

Senior Committee (Level 2. Advanced Competency)

• Members must maintain acceptable C.L.E.A.R.* ratings for 4 years.

• Advancement requires passing a tiered approval system:

  • 51% approval from a randomly sampled 10% of the population.

  • Then 51% approval from a randomly sampled 25% of the population.

  • Only then do they receive a full public vote.

• Council members are re-voted every 4 years.

*C.L.E.A.R. is a separate, AI, evaluative Council of Logic, Evidence, Analysis, and Reason

...the story continues...

SELF-GOVERNING

Newbl's first election has concluded. There is much rejoicing, merriment, and gaiety on the dirt streets.

Considering the plethora of complex issues left to be wrestled with, no one knows exactly what the future will bring. But this day has assured the people that the choices ahead will be a more accurate reflection of the people's will--and that will have to do for now. If mistakes are made, they can be adjusted in short order.

A central, governing body can be embraced by the populace if it's sound, coherent, fair, balanced, and reflective--and here it is...for the next 2 years, at least:

Newbl’s People‑Powered Governing Framework

C.I.V.I.C. — Citizen‑Initiated Voting & Issue Council

CIVIC is the primary governing body of Newbl. It empowers residents to initiate proposals, study issues, demonstrate competency, and participate directly in legislative decision‑making. Citizens advance proposals through structured committees, ensuring that ideas rise through demonstrated understanding rather than political influence.

C.L.E.A.R. — Council of Logic, Evidence, Analysis, and Reason

CLEAR is Newbl’s independent AI evaluative council. It provides impartial, evidence‑based assessments of proposals, committee performance, and issue literacy materials. CLEAR ensures that public decisions are grounded in logic, verified data, and transparent reasoning rather than persuasion or partisanship.

U.P.P. — Universal Public Production

UPP is the cornerstone of Newbl’s economy. It is the planet‑wide mechanism through which resources, production, and public projects are managed for the benefit of all citizens. CIVIC and CLEAR jointly oversee how UPP policies are proposed, evaluated, and approved, ensuring that economic decisions reflect both citizen priorities and rigorous evidence.

Unified System

Together, CIVIC, CLEAR, and UPP form Newbl’s People‑Powered Self‑Governance System:

• CIVIC initiates and shapes proposals.

• CLEAR evaluates them with logic and evidence.

• UPP executes the approved policies for the public good.

This Tri-Lateral structure replaces traditional political parties and professional politicians with a transparent, competency‑based, citizen‑driven model designed for stability, fairness, and long‑term planetary stewardship.

Hurrah! I am inspired by our achievement. I was beginning to lose hope for the future of my children.

Can I make a suggestion? Since the tardigrades and trees seem to be the most significant other life forms on Newbl, shouldn't they be considered in the voting process?

V3
the answer to both questions is, absolutely.
as a captain you are grandfathered into the Senior Council, so you can help advance the proposal.
imo, the tardigrades should have input in all matters that may concern them.
though there isn't much that COULD effect the tardigrades, since they're almost indestructible.
also, since they are telepathic they may be able to commune with the trees and fungi for their input

[the story continues on page 5. Click NEXT page below]