View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
Bella has watched a simple, managed Martian ecosystem and a glitteringly colorful first city pour procedurally out from assorted points of origin on her computer with a variety of rand seeds, and picked the prettiest result.
She's standing on that ideal origin spot now - the top of Olympus Mons, under a blue-dyed sky and a breathable layer of atmosphere - holding her laptop which holds this specification under her left arm. All present to witness this moment are Alice, Libby, Lazarus, and Bridget.
She defangs a trio of stars: one for the terrain, one for the wildlife, one for the city of Olympus. To be dramatic, she squares them off her bandolier and holds them high in the air between the fingers of her right hand.
"Welcome to Mars," she says.
Wishwishwish.
Moss ripples out from under her feet and carpets the landscape, giving way to forest further downhill and, further away, to freshwater ocean. Birds, startled by their existence, take off. An instant later they're all standing at the foot of her crystalline tower that sits at the center, watching skyscrapers riddled with magical appliances sprout from the ground, and streets pave themselves with smooth tiles.
Bella defangs more stars and lays down what she's taken to calling Ground Rules with another gesture. Mars is going to be peaceful. Mars is going to be safe. Mars is going to watch its people and report to her.
Mars is going to be the seat of the Empire of the Stars.
(There's a flag, on the spire of her tower. It's sky blue, and there are half a dozen seven-pointed stars spangling it. It ripples in the breeze that's begun to waft in from the sea.)
+ Show First Post
self_composed
self_composed
[Yes. I mean, I'd be fine, but it would be so impolite.]
prima-sequentem
[And probably not conducive to good negotiations.]
At which point, the President emails Bella again:
At which point, the President emails Bella again:
Absolutely. Just as long as you warn us first, because it is the job of security people to be easily spooked by unexpected arrivals.
self_composed
Bella turns invisible first - just to be sure - and teleports and has a look around.
prima-sequentem
It's the President's office. It contains the President, sitting at her computer, and one security-ish-looking person.
self_composed
Bella is heartened. She turns visible.
"Hello, Madam President."
"Hello, Madam President."
prima-sequentem
The security-ish-looking-person startles slightly, but doesn't do anything more threatening than look surprised.
"Hello, teleporting space empress," President Madison says serenely.
"Hello, teleporting space empress," President Madison says serenely.
self_composed
"Do presidents call royalty by royal styles?" Bella asks curiously. "How do you address the Queen of England?"
prima-sequentem
"I am going to address you by your name, if you tell it to me," she says. "And you can call me Pat."
self_composed
"Hi, Pat. I'm Bella. It's nice to meet you," says Bella, floating into the air and twirling. "I hope I haven't caused too many NASA folks and miscellaneous government officials heart attacks." Pause. "If I have literally put anyone in the hospital, I can fix that, but I'm finding people don't even faint when exposed to magic."
prima-sequentem
"Look at me, not fainting," Pat says agreeably. "As far as I know, there have been no Mars-related hospitalizations. But since you seem generally keen to make people's lives easier, would you like to talk about the shiny new national border you've given me in Palo Alto?"
self_composed
"I can move it if you want," Bella shrugs. "It was just convenient. It doesn't work for any random person who might want to go to Mars. At a minimum they have to stop inside and ask Harriet for a day pass first. And there's only a handful of people on Mars right now who might use it the other direction. Although I suppose two of them are Canadian and you might want to look at their passports before they walk in for symbolic reasons, because Canadians are very threatening."
prima-sequentem
Pat cracks a smile at that one.
"It would be polite of you to cooperate with us in putting U.S. customs people between your Martian immigration office and the rest of the country," she says. "And likewise for any more of those that you set up around here. Although I don't imagine you're the only teleporting person around, and if you are, you won't be forever. But while the notion of border control still feasibly exists, I would like my country to have it."
"It would be polite of you to cooperate with us in putting U.S. customs people between your Martian immigration office and the rest of the country," she says. "And likewise for any more of those that you set up around here. Although I don't imagine you're the only teleporting person around, and if you are, you won't be forever. But while the notion of border control still feasibly exists, I would like my country to have it."
self_composed
"There are not that many people who can teleport, at the moment," Bella says. "I mean, under their own power to arbitrary places. My city on Mars has a teleportation-based subway system but that probably doesn't bother you. I don't mind that much if you want to put up customs to harass people exiting Mars through the magic door; that seems like your prerogative. I am happy with the system I have regarding people visiting Mars."
prima-sequentem
"Well," says Pat. "We can handle this one after the fact just fine, but in future, it would be nice of you to let the appropriate people know before you set up the magic door, so they can make sure nobody gets through un-harassed. I'll come up with an appropriate person and have them email you."
self_composed
"Sure. I expect any such emails would have been laughed off if I sent them yesterday," Bella points out.
prima-sequentem
"Plenty," says Pat. "Such as: are you planning to establish an official diplomatic presence in this country?"
self_composed
"I haven't hired any ambassadors, but that sounds like something I'd want to do eventually."
prima-sequentem
"When you do, I'm sure there will be an appropriate person to talk to about that too."
self_composed
"Excellent," says Bella. "You're very neighborly about this, I'm so glad."
self_composed
Bella nods. "Yes. That doesn't mean everyone would take it."