Chapter Text
Explanations behind the tech of Ansible
Ansible: a (fictional) technology capable of near-instantaneous or faster-than-light communication. It can send and receive messages to and from a corresponding device over any distance or obstacle whatsoever with no delay, even between star systems.
Quantum entanglement: the phenomenon of a group of particles being generated, interacting, or sharing spatial proximity in such a way that the quantum state of each particle of the group cannot be described independently of the state of the others, including when the particles are separated by a large distance.
The Ansible in Louis' house was paired with the Ansible that went on the last ship to Arven over two centuries ago. When they were originally made, each ansible had 128 entangled tubes. Overtime, either containment would fail or entanglement would be lost, so the bandwidth degraded.
The messages on Ansible came thick and fast. He had been on it for forty minutes now. Outside his window, he could hear children shouting, playing games. They were running around, chasing a ball in the courtyard. He would be told to go join them any second now by Mother. So, before that happened, he’d try to talk as much as possible to his friend on the other side of the line. This guy had been far more interesting than anyone he’d ever talked to in this planet!
Wolf’s message appeared. Wolf was a fast typer, almost as fast as he was.
W: You live so close to Earth, why have you never been there?
L: Father will take me on one of his trip when I’m older. He promised me.
W: How old do you have to be to go on this ship? How big is his ship? Does it bring you a lot of presents?
L: It’s not like that.
He puffed his chest proudly, even though Wolf couldn’t possibly see him do that.
L: Father’s ship is called Azalea. It's a 800-foot battleship, not a freighter ship. He’s a Navy Commander.
L: I have to be at least twelve, 5 foot, 100 pounds before I can get on Azalea. A child’s body can’t stand the travel.
W: I’m twelve now and more than 5 foot already, definitely 100 pounds.
W: I wish I could go to your planet, Lake. Life sounds so exciting there. What’s it like when you go outside?
L: It’s nice, but our outside is still inside. We live under a temperature controlled dome that protects us from the climate and keeps in an atmosphere. Father took me to another dome where they grow our food once. We had to put on suits and helmets. There was red dust everywhere. Is it true that Arven is just like Earth? Blue sky and green hills?
W: I have seen documented photographs of the Earth. This is comparable. We have hills, mountains and a lot of water. You don't need to wear helmets, the air is normal. For centuries, we have adapted to the ecosphere here. The Arveni alive today are the survivors, the fittest of the fit.
L: I wish I could be on your planet. I want to feel real air on my face.
W: When I step outside, it takes me 15 minutes to walk to the nearest water. I swim there a lot.
L: Is it a lake? I’ve never seen a lake or river before. We can only swim in a pool. Father took me to one for soldiers training. Water, like air is very precious here.
W: Is that why your name is Lake? Do you like swimming?
L: Yes. I hope to be very good at it. When I’m older, I’m gonna be Father’s Second-in-command.
W: Swimming is not difficult, but it's very useful to practice.
L: Why did you choose Wolf as your name?
W: I love wolves. We breed dogs and raise animals for food here, but no wolves. I just think wolves look so majestic.
L: One day I’ll come and visit you in Arven.
W: It takes eighty years one way, Lake.
L: I’ll be okay. They can freeze me. Plenty of people have done it, right?
W: Firstly, you will never see your family alive again. Secondly, we haven’t had a single ship arrive in the past two centuries. I don’t think anyone is coming over here anytime soon, Lake. It’s the peril of being so far away.
He knew this. Arven was one of the thousands new frontiers to survey and colonize. After finding dozens of habitable planets nearer to Earth, the government lost interest in developing planets like Arven. The humans there had been left to their own devices.
L: What if you come over?
W: That's eighty years both ways. In addition, we do not have such technology. Or material for the construction of intergalactic ships.
L: So we might never, ever meet?
W: I think it’s very unlikely, Lake.
In his heart, he knew this, too.
L: Wolf, one day, I don’t know how, I’ll go to Arven, pick you up in my ship, and we’ll swim in the lake near your house. I will even bring you a wolf.
W: You promise?
L: I promise.
He heard Mother’s footsteps approaching to his bedroom door.
L: I have to go, Wolf. Mother wants me to play ball outside. Same time tomorrow?
W: Yes, I'll be here. It's time for me to go to bed（ ´Ｏ｀）. Shoot some goals for me.
L: ε=ε=ε=ε=┏( ￣▽￣)┛Goodnight, Wolf.
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L: Are there other animals in Arven, Wolf? Can you eat them?
W: If you mean animals by the definition of the Earth, then no. Despite the good air and water, we did not find any mobile multicellular organism in Arven. Also, no, we can't eat the plants either. The composition of energy and protein are not compatible. In saying that, our scientists keep trying, so never say never.
L: So just like us here, you grow all your meat and vegetables specially?
W: Similar. There are only about a hundred thousands of us here. We’re doing okay, enough food to last generations.
L: So, the water is fine to use?
W: Yes, because water is simple.
L: All this talk about food, I’m so hungry. I wish it was dinner time already.
W: Same, I had already eaten mine and am hungry again.
L: What did you eat for dinner?
W: Coq au Vin and Tarte Tartin. Super tasty.
He thought he could smell bolognese sauce cooking when he got in tonight.
L: Ours will be meatball pasta or lasagne.
L: I remember reading about Arveni eat a lot of fish because they are easily renewable, or has that changed?
W: Meat is available in tanks, vegetables in terraform houses. But you're right, fish >゜)))彡 is a staple.
L: Are you French or something?!
W: Yes. You?
L: Creole.
W: Parles-tu Français?
L: Oui, un peu.
W: Here we are taught the languages of our ancestors so that we do not forget, but I think we already sound very different from our great-grandfathers.
L: Mother wants me to be fluent but it’s hard when no one else speaks it here. She gets angry that I’m still so bad at it. But so are Paul and Grace, yet she never gets mad at them.
W: If you stay here, you can practice your French with me every day.
L: I wish.
Except for that one time with Father, Lake couldn't remember other time he left the dome where he lived. He looked out the window to the stars outside the dome and thought about Wolf living so far away in another star system, that when Father dutifully reported to the headquarters that his son was getting messages from Arven, no one actually bat an eyelid.
His fingers lovingly brushed his great-grandfather’s two hundred year-old machine and thought it was probably for the best. If he had to hand over the Ansible, he wouldn’t have been able to do the thing he looked forward to the most every day- chatting with Wolf.
W: Do you have chocolate there, Lake?
L: Of course! Don’t tell me... oh no! ╭( ๐_๐)╮
W: Yes, one of the things our biologist failed to produce well here is chocolate.
L: (＃´ ー´)旦 I would bring you a big bag of it, Wolf. I swear.
W: 旦 (´ ー´ ＃) And I will eat every single one.
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L: You were not on yesterday. Busy?
W: I was at Nicolas'.
L: Who’s Nicolas?
W: Nicki is my boyfriend.
L: ⊙﹏⊙
W: Is that unexpected?
L: Firstly, why are you allowed to have boyfriend? How old are you?
W: I’m fourteen, so is Nicki. What’s your next question?
L: So, you’re gay?
W: I’m bisexual.
L: I didn’t know that.
W: I never said it, so how would you know that?
W: But do you know what it means? I like both boys and girls.
L: Yes, I know. I’m not five. Just that my family never talk about this, and we don’t know many queer people.
W: Here we are all queer. So, do you know if you like boys or girls or both?
L: I never really think about it.
W: Really? What about crushes? Surely you had them.
L: Mother expects me to study hard now and then marry a good, Catholic girl when I’m older.
W: But does Lake want to marry a good Catholic girl?
L: Yes, of course. That way we can have kids and be a happy family.
W: If you say so.
L: Can you and Nicki have kids?
W: Lake, we have just begun. And I am very far from thinking about children.
L: But do you want to have kids one day?
W: I do not know. Maybe, if it’s with the right guy or girl.
L: Could Nicki be the right guy?
W: Are you jealous? d(￣◇￣)b
L: No!
W: You’re my best friend, Lake. Truly, I love you (｡♥‿♥｡)
L: ~( ˘▾˘~) But as friends, right?
W: What else could we be?
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L: Wolf, I have a crush (｡･･｡) Her name is Lily. She’s very smart and cute.
W: That’s nice. I’m happy for you.
L: She’s got long wavy hair and her clothes are beautiful.
W: Is she good to you?
L: Yes, she’s always very kind to me. She likes to laugh.
W: So have you held hands? Kissed?
L: It’s not like that! Our mothers go to church together.
W: I see. It’s such kind of crush.
L: What do you mean?
W: Nothing. Excuse me. I'm just upset. I quarrelled with Nicky.
L: Did you break up with him?
W: Why? Are you happy if we did?
L: Maybe.
W: Then I broke up with him (´-ι_-｀).
L: But you didn’t, did you?
W: No, I didn’t.
L: I’m sorry, Wolf. I hope you are not too sad.
W: Talking to you makes me feel better.
L: Same here. I feel like no one understands me here. You are the only one who gets it. If only you were a girl (✿ ◕‿◕), I would marry you in a heartbeat, Wolf.
W: Is that flowers for me (♡‿♡✿)? I literally can change and be a girl for you, Lake.
L: Because it’s normal for Arveni to change genders.
W: Yes, as I said, we have freedom to modify our bodies according to our needs and environment.
L: Here, we keep humans as close as possible as how we left Earth. Apparently, that’s how we keep ourselves true to our human roots.
W: You even go to church! I don’t remember the last religious person here. Survival instinct is a very basic human quality, you know, and all we do here is just surviving. In this way, we are true to our human nature, not to man-made rules.
L: Church is mandatory in the Navy. I don’t really enjoy it. I wish I lived in Arven.
W: If you live here, I’m sure that we can be very happy together.
L: Me too, but only if you’re a girl, Wolf.
W: Yes, I know.
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L: So you got lighter gravity than here right? And also thinner air.
W: Correct and correct.
L: And that means you all weigh less and faster on your feet?
W: We run a lot, one-half times faster than the first settlers.
L: That’s pretty fast, right?
W: Well, there’s nothing faster than us here, except for machines.
L: Is it hard to breathe?
W: No, we have accommodated by growing larger lungs. We also have bigger feet and hands to climb trees with super speed!
L: You've come to full circle, becoming ape-like again... Wait, are you telling fibs?
W: When you come here one day, you can find out if we are ape-like.
L: I hope so 'cause that's so cool. We have to wear clunky, weighted suit when we're outside. It's the opposite of light!
W: We could do with some new technology. I want to see other planets but I feel like I won't ever have a chance this life time.
L: What is the lifespan of an Arveni?
W: Minimum 180 years.
L: That's incredible! With improved health and medication, humans here probably could get to 130 now.
W: The eldest in our clan is 208.
L: What can kill you?
W: Not much. There's not many physical threats here. Not many natural disaster. Zero predator. We are top of the food chain here.
L: Here, you walk out of the dome without helmet, you die. Water and food supply cut off, you die. Interplanetary war, you die. It's a terrible existence compared to yours.
W: Possibly. But it might be 200 years of same old, boring thing everyday.
L: You're seventeen, fully grown now, right? When do you start growing old?
W: Yes, I'm almost eighteen. Growing old as we speak but just at much slower speed than you.
L: I think it's lucky that Arven is so remote. I can think of many horrible leaders in charge at the moment who want this Arveni secret.
W: That'd be a nightmare, Lake.
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L: Wolf, I’m very confused.
W: What’s wrong?
L: I really like this boy, Jonah, from training. But I cannot be, because Merrick is my girlfriend.
W: It’s possible to love more than one person, mon ami.
L: That’s just wrong and unfair to them.
W: As long as you are honest to them and they accept it, why not?
L: I wish love is not this complicated.
W: Love and lust are two different things though. Be honest to yourself, do you want to have sex with Merrick?
L: I love Merrick. I don’t want to have sex with her before we get married.
W: That’s still years away right?
L: Yeah, we have to finish school first. Three more years at least.
W: What about Jonah? Do you love or lust for him?
L: He’s got a very impressive form.
W: I don’t know, Lake. Do you think you might be gay?
L: I’m so not though. I admire him is all.
W: Then it’s nothing. Don’t worry. You’re not gay.
L: No, I’m definitely not gay.
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L: Wolf, how many of the tubes are left? Mine is 22.
W: You know it’s the same, Lake. Mine looks pretty beaten up though. It is two hundred years old.
L: Just in case they stop working suddenly… I want you to know you’re my best friend.
W: So are you, Lake. These past few years talking to you has been really nice. I think no one in this planet knows more about Nova Orlean than me.
L: Maybe it’s not too late. I can still give this to Father. Perhaps someone can fix it for us.
W: You tried that. If no one there was interested in a connection with us Arveni then, it’d be the same now.
L: (╥﹏╥) I don’t want to lose you, Wolf.
W: (T⌓T) Lake… can you tell me your real name?
L: It’s Louis de Pointe du Lac.
W: Du Lac? Ah, that’s where Lake is from… Mine is Lestat de Lioncourt.
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Gradually there were fewer and fewer messages and most were garbled up text that was difficult to decipher, but it was something that Louis had become an expert at. The last message from Lestat arrived after Louis finished school.
W: Louis, I was looking at the sky tonight and thinking about how far you are beyond these stars. I live in hope that you will come and see me one day, mon ami. I have your name carved in my heart. Sending this out on the last breath of this machine to to tell you that I’m forever thinking of you. Lestat.
Louis sent out many replies of confirmation and promises, not knowing whether they would ever be received.
No answer ever came after that.