Trans-Temporter by Christopher M Robinson - HTML preview

Chapter 10

Moving on

With the introduction of trans-temporter pods, Pipeways started to become popular particularly with business use. Face to face meetings have remained popular despite the fact that video-conferencing has been popular for eighty years. Indeed the concept of video-conferencing is in fact two hundred years old. It was dreamed of in the 1870’s as the development of radio permitted audio links but it wasn’t until the 1970’s, a hundred years ago, a usable system was first introduced with Japanese businesses using such a system in 1976, although there had been a few failed experiments previously. However, the quality was too poor and it didn’t really take off until around the beginning of this century as better internet and computer capabilities were developed.

The obvious advantages of trans-temportation pods was the rapid transfer of individuals from one place to another with them arriving totally fresh as when they departed but there were problems too.

The obvious disorientation has already been discussed. As long distance trans-temportation occurred, particularly travelling East-West or vice-versa for instance using the “tappie” as the Australians referred to their Great Trans-Australian Pipeway, was the “jet lag” which was more acute. Though it was only a 2 hour time difference, it was significant to have an impact to suddenly find you’ve lost or gained a couple of hours. This was only destined to get worse as longer distance Pipeways started opening up. Taking time to pre-adjust to the sudden changes the body, and particularly the mind, was going to experience, partially counteracted the advantage of the speed.

One of the greatest worries, apart from a pod getting stuck in a pipeway which hasn’t ever happened, yet anyway, is if a pod gets delayed and the temport completes before the physical journey. It would mean somebody effectively waking up appearing trapped in a coffin. To overcome this required the addition of continuation controls to passenger

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pods like those added to HSUs, that could be remotely controlled via transmission points added to the waypoints. Passenger Pipeway operators have automated this. The waypoints receive data from the pod including the temporal destination. If a physical delay is shown, a continuation signal will be automatically transmitted to that pod.

As pipeways have become more popular, hold-ups at transfer hubs have started to become a nuisance. To address this, switching was necessitated whereby a portion of the pipeway could be flexed between one receiving pipe and two or more exiting pipes, like points on a railway track but requiring the physical flexing and reconnection of pipeway. Automation of transference of pods between pipeways and rail or road vehicles or waterborne vessels was also introduced. This permitted the addition of “branch lines” to the pipeway network. For instance the branches to Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane are the first branches recently added to the tappie.

The growth of pipeways echoes the way the American Highways sprawled out over the last 150 years. Although Nations have given them grand names, as yet there is no global numbering system. Perhaps the PP will provide that soon?

As with the road networks, traffic jams are beginning to be seen already. Unlike former controls like timetabling that existed for railways and other forms of public transport, pods come and go as and when they’re needed. Anyone at any time can summon a pod, like a taxi, to take them anywhere in the world, though for longer journeys and larger loads, some notice is requested to ensure the temporters are sufficiently charged.

Whereas driving “bumper to bumper” was dangerous on roads as it could inevitably lead to crashes, in pipeways it is actually beneficial, each pod coupling to the one in front magnetically. Of course way-stations have to be able to separate them using demag and remag procedures if required for them to go on separate ways. But what happens if a pod from a branch pipeway wishes to join a train of pods already rushing down the main

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pipeway? Computers have to manage breaks in the podtrains to permit the addition of another pod.

Although a truly global pipeway network is decades away, duplication of existing pipeways and by-passes are already having to be built.

With all countries jumping on the Pipeway bandwagon and mass producing trans-temporter pods, an extensive network is rapidly developing. The Great Trans Australia Pipeway at 3,500 Kilometres is still the longest though it won’t be long before others join it. Already New Zealand and Australia are joined by the PANZ (Pipeline Australia-New Zealand) opening this year between Auckland and Sydney at 2000 Kilometres. Like tributaries of a great river, one could argue the Perth to Auckland pipeway is actually the longest now at 5,500 Km.

The first transatlantic pipeway is also on the verge of opening covering the 2,000 Km between Galway on the west coast of Ireland and Port Hope in Canada, but others are under construction presently and we know how quickly they can be laid and, now relative stability exists in the American states, others are planned. My Uncle Mike would be tempted to say those plans are in the pipeline? (Sorry, he can’t resist a pun.)

…

“Political instability, economic decline, military challenges, and social issues.”

During one of my teaching practices, the class had to learn about the Roman Empire. As history isn’t my strongest subject, I needed to learn as much about it as possible first. When AI provided me with this quote about the reasons why the Roman Empire collapsed, I thought it was taking about the collapse of the USA.

America has undergone such drastic changes over the last fifty years which is why they never asked, nor were invited, to join SSS initially. Historically we had considered the American States or “United States of America (USA)” as it was then known, to be possibly our closest ally with

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Russia and China the enemies. However, regime changes in those communist countries had seen a growing openness to share whilst the USA had become more stigmatised.

As with so many other Empires and Unions of States, it had imploded. It was probably more akin to the collapse of the Roman Empire than that of the British Empire or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).

In theory the British Empire still exists. It didn’t really implode but fizzled out. At its height it was the biggest Empire the world has ever seen, ruling one fifth of the world’s population covering a quarter of its land mass. It was born out of our dominance and expertise at sailing and navigating the world with great expeditions exploring and plundering the lands we discovered. It began with The East India company being given a charter by Queen Elizabeth I in 1600 to trade with India and Asian countries to bring exotic spices to Britain. Although it brought growth and stability to so much of the world, its dominance was often wrought through reprehensible means seizure of lands and financed by drugs and the slave trade.

Somewhat ironically, the USA began as a British colony until the Declaration of Independence three hundred years ago. Perhaps the lasting legacy of British colonisation of the Americas is the language. Indeed, the adoption of English as the lingua franca worldwide is probably the lasting legacy of the British Empire although further promoted by the dominance of the USA influence after the second world war.

The USSR had formed following a revolution in 1917 that overthrew the monarchy. Russia was joined by other republics like Ukraine and Belarus to officially become the USSR in 1922 but as Empires and Unions go, it was relatively short lived and dissolved in 1991 due, according to AI, to “economic stagnation, political repression, and the rise of nationalism within the constituent republics along with the weakening of central authority.”

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Although there is no particular date for the 2nd American Civil War, it is accepted as having been a gradual process with some people citing an incident as far back as 2021 when mobs stormed the Capitol in Washington which was the seat of power, demanding their leader be instated as President. However, they were quashed temporarily but regained power when the next election, which many say had been falsified in many ways, ushered in what many believe was the start of the collapse but it wasn’t until the 2030’s that the United Nations peacekeeping teams had to be deployed which led to the USA being divided into the Southern States of North America (SSNA) and the Northern States of North America (NSNA).

Whereas the NSNA had a strong relationship with Canada, including many areas of political governance, that northern American country declined a formal integration request and has acted more in the role of an elder brother in aiding them to true independence from the SSNA. The SSNA meanwhile find themselves more alone in the world and desperately seek alliances with other nations in vain.

Although most nations are now determined to co-exist peacefully with other nations through the almost universal membership of the Global Union of Nations which superseded the United Nations, NATO and other groupings such as ASEAN and joined by the Russian and Chinese regimes, there are increasing hotbeds of violence within states where gangs of those who feel disenfranchised, like the group calling themselves the Texan Republican Confederates continually wreak havoc. The unfortunate acronym in English (GUNs) is rarely used being more frequently referred to as PP from their Latin motto, “Pro Pace” (for peace). Latin having been chosen as it was the root of so many languages.

Reluctantly the PP has had to establish an army of peacekeepers with garrisons based near the most important interchange hubs on the gradually unifying global network of pipeways with the intended ambition of being able to reach any centre of conflict anywhere in the world within an hour.

The most important articles of the agreements of the Global Union of Nations relate to national borders. They were defined in 2037, when it was

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formed following the dissolution of the former United Nations as a consequence of the American unrest, and can only be changed with international agreement of at least 75% of the member countries. So last year’s incursion was recognised as illegal by the PP.

In researching the history of Empires to help me teach the topic, I discovered the majority only survived for between three and four hundred years so perhaps the USA wasn’t unique after all.

Whether the phenomenon is attributable to a perception of overcrowding has also been discussed primarily with the controversial “Universe 25” experiments a hundred years ago, discounted by many scientists, when the rat utopia he built hinted at a "Behavioural sink" where anarchy is just one of the outcomes.

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