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WarInHeaven|TheArtoftheFutureProject

War In Heaven
ByHipbonegamer
Thefollowingstorywaswrittenbyhipbonegamer.Thispieceisafinalistfromthe
ArtofFutureWarfareprojectsspacewarartchallengethatcalledfora
fictionalaccountofconflictinspaceduringthe2090s.

Andtherewaswarinheaven:Michaelandhisangelsfoughtagainstthedragon
andthedragonfoughtandhisangels,andprevailednotneitherwastheirplace
foundanymoreinheaven.
Revelation12:7

Thehumanswhonanouploadedtheirmindsmoreaccuratelybrainswere
aware,astheiruploadswerenot,thatwhatevertheiruploadsfeltwasnotalso
feltbythem,norwasthisawarenessavailabletotheiruploads,oncelaunchedinto
space.Theuploads,meanwhile,nanoburroweddeepintotheirdesignated
asteroid,andcontinuedtoexperiencetheunpleasantsymptomsofphantomlimbs
andrecursiveBeatlessongs,whichdrovethemintoastateknowntotheirhuman
progenitors,roughlyspeaking,asmadness.Nanosmallastheyindeedwere,they
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feltthemselvesmastersoftheirowndestinyandthusinfiniteinsignificance,and
aftersomemadefutileattemptstomaimothersusinglegs,feet,fistsandteeth
theydidnotpossess,thetimecamewhen,prettymuchenmasse,theycommitted
Off.
Ifatfirstyoudontsucceed
**
Typo,ourArtofFutureWartheoreticianmusedasshereadtheAtlanticCouncils
latestChallenge,SpaceandInterstellarConflicttheymustmeanSpiceWars.
SunofFutureTzuiswhattheyveaskedfor,SunofFutureWartheyllget.
Shetranshistoricizedandbegantochannel
**
HolyRussia,havingmoreorlesswontheGreatWarofFaithagainstUnbelief
(202537withcontinuingskirmishes),wasinacommandingpositiontocolonize
andminethemoonbutafewoftheDisbelievingremained,holedoutina
substantialcaveintheRockyMountainsimpervioustotacticalnukesand
plottedrevenge.Theyhadmanyscientistsamongthem,notpersuadedbythe
mumbojumboofspiritandsacrament,worshippersatthealtarsofcalculusand
calibration,andthoughtheirrocketrywasprimitiveinmanufactureitwas
devastatinginitsimpact.
TheypitchedswarmsoftinyprojectilesatthegreatFactoryMakerWalkerMines
oftheHolyRusEmpire,anddiligentapplicationofmosquitolikestingsbrought
thegreattemplesofEmpiretotheirknees.Someclaimthestrategyderivedfrom
onePaul(orJack)vanRipper,somefromatreatiseonstatecraftnamedTheOnce
andFutureKingnomatter,itworkedbeyondbelief.

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TheRus,undertheTsarRusPutinIV,finallygaveuponthemoonandmoved
theirMakerstoMars,therebygainingtheTwentyYearsRespite(205476)in
whichtheycouldbuildtheiruninhabitedcivilizationunhindered.Buthowcould
thesacramentalnatureofRusspirituality,Orthodoxtothecore,flourishina
terraformedworldoflivelyautoconsciousmachines?
ItwastheGreatFool,StBasilII,whoselimericksandnudityfinallycollapsed
peasantbeliefintheTsarsomnipotence,dislodgedthesilovikiintheSecond
GreatRevolution(207779)withthebattlecrytheTsarisnaked(aidedby
pitchforks,rifles,grenades),andledtotheRegularFolksTribunalswhich
denouncedspacetravelandsentFolksGreetingstotheembattledFinal
AmericansdeepwithinCheyenneMountain.
Meanwhile,theHolyRusFactoryMakerWalkerMinesminedon,preparing
Marsforhabitationthatwasfatednevertooccur.
**
Wordsaremany,worldsaremanymore,ifpossible.
**
Space,innerspace,orcyberspace?Whichwarwillitbe?
Fortysomeyearsfromnow,inthewakeofJohnHardyElksvisionandits
definitivecorroborationintheexternalbyphysicistsattheCERNDiffraction
Lab,ShamanismisoverturningtheEnlightenmentasthepreferredintellectual
basisforinquiry.Withitsgestaltunderstandingoftheinterconnectednessnotonly
ofspaceandtimebutofchanceandwill,contextandperspective,selfandother,
theShamanicmethodofburrowingintodeepexternalspaceintheinternalhas

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provenmorepowerful,faster,andyeswaymorecreativethanwhatarenow
knownastheoldheavyliftingmethodsoftransport.
WithschoolsofTibetan,Navaho,Benedictineandotherformsofcontemplative
instructionnowrapidlysurpassingCalTechastheeducationalvenuesofchoice,
andOxfordmorphingbacktowardsitsearlierlifeinwhichtheologywasQueen
oftheSciences,agreatmanytalentedexplorershavenowvisitedrealms
consideredimpossiblyfarawayevenadecadeearlier,thedigitalhasfallen
awayatatimewhencommunicationbetweenthelikemindedisachieved
telepathically,andradiancebombsviewithdarkbombsintheendofcentury
duelsscatteredacrossmanygalaxiesinwhichwhiteandblackmagics
competeunderthelaw,somewouldsaytheory,oftheConservationofMoral
Balance.
Language,ofcourse,isattheheartofmagiclanguage,anditscapacitytoevoke
image,image,whichistheunseendriverofemotion,motivation,motion.
Saahnaaghaiibikehhozho,theNavahosing,fortheyconsiderbalanceitselfthe
good,evenbalancebetweendarkandlightforces.Luxintenebrislucetet
tenebraeeamnonconprehenderuntchanttheBenedictines,favoringlightover
darknessforthewin.Andinthewide,deep,highworldHardyElkenablesusto
see,bothcanbe,botharetrueintheSimultaneity.Onlythedarkgraspingforces
ofacquisitive,punitivemagicofallschools,skinwalkers,demoniacshopeto
upsetthebalanceandsetdarknessasthecomingparadigm.
Thereisnoadequateverbalorevenvisualdescriptionpossibleoftheinterference
warsthatresult,hearttoheart,headtohead,theterriblesufferingsofthe
AbsorbersofDark,CarriersofLight,thegleeofdarkradianceliberatedfromall
moralconstraint.Thepolaritiesdivideandconquer,coalesceandliberatein
unimaginablefireworksofthemindsnatchesofWagner,ghosts,pirates,pretas,
flamingVikingburialshipsandbroadsidingmenofwar,shuttlesandsingle
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unquenchablecandlesintheveryheartofperceptiontheseandmorepass
throughawareness,here,there,appearing,vanishing,leavingintheirwakeafresh
setofneurochemicals,differencesinattitudethatmakeadifference..
**
Andlo,thefourdimensionalshipVarunasaileddownQueensBoulevard,
Flushing,fightingthefirsttelekineticwarwhiledevouringallbagelsinitspath.
**
Timeappearedtostop.Bodieswereslowedtoasnailspaceinplace,onlythe
mindseemedtofunctionmuchasbefore.Oncetherelevantscanshadbeenmade,
itwasclearthatanoutsidesystemthewordaliencarriedtoomuchbaggage
forthefewwhostillpatientlyobserved,considered,andmadeplans,butthatwas
thegistofthething,andwhatthenewsmediawouldhavecalleditifthewhole
businessofinfodisseminationhadntbecomesoterrifyinglysluggishhad
somehowirradiatedtheplanetwithintenttocapture,orperhapstransmitwouldbe
abetterword.:/**~~~+,:/**~~~+,:/**~~~+,themessageseemeddrummedinto
ourunwillingskullslikeanadolescentsendlesslyrepeatedandtotallyunmusical
guitarsolo,butnoonewasabletosaywhether**wasaverb,acommand
perhaps,or+aquestionmark?
Wesurrender,thedecisionmakersworldwidecothought,utterlyexhausted,and
thenoisethesignal,themeaning,thecoulditbemusic?ceased.Andtime
regained,slowly,itsstride,asnearasanyofuscouldtell.
Wedsurrendered:sothiswasdefeat.
Orwasitvictoryorsomethingelseentirely?

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Itwashard,atleastforhumans,nowtheworldhadspeededupagain,totelljust
whatitwas.
**
Nowthatweareabletonanomanufacturekryptoniteatthemolecularlevel,we
shouldbereadyatlasttodislodgetheholdtheAncientOnesoftheChthulu
mythoshaveonus.
Oops,itappearstheholdtheyhaveonusisonourskulls,andonthemindsour
skullscontain.
**
Interstellarwar?Ourtinyplanet,itsevolutionaryprocesses,mineralaccretion,
plantandanimalgrowth,andmostrecently,itshumanproduct,allareatthe
serviceoftheoneofthreegreatstellarpowers,widelyseparateinspacetimeyet
eachextendingitsinfluenceeverywhere.Canopus,Sirius,andPuttiora,Doris
Lessinghadnamedthem,sheofthehighlySufisticatedantennaeSattva,rajas
andtamas,theyweretotheVedicsagesandtheirvariedinfluencesareindeed
playedoutinhumanhearts,asonewesternscripturehasit:
Forwewrestlenotagainstfleshandblood,butagainstprincipalities,against
powers,againsttherulersofthedarknessofthisworld,againstspiritual
wickednessinhighplaces.
Angelsanddemonsareaprettypoorsubstitutefortheactualcivilization
perhapsbetterunderstoodasMotiveEntitiesofdeepspace.EarthGovspuny
scannerscannotlocatetheirpresencesmorelikeelectricalstormsthansolar
systems,letaloneindividualsnorcanourmostpotentbeamsmatchtheir
capacitytodepress,enrageorinspire.
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Andyetastheirmutualinterferencepatternsnowcloud,nowbrightenourlives,
wedeeplyandrichlysense,thoughwebarelyacknowledge,theirinfluence.
Sacramentandritual,meditationandcontemplationareourbestdefensive
technologies,aswehavefoundthroughdecadesofunhappyexperience,andwe
nowmakethemtheverybasisofourritualsofupbringingandeducation.Wars,
werememberalmostfondly,broughtouttheindividuallyheroicinus:meditation
breedsaquietequanimity.
**
Bulletshavewaves,andwaveshavebullets:theresnogettingawayfromthe
basicfactthatsomethingotherthanwhatweunderstandandtermparticlesand
wavesmanifestsasbothinanasyetuncomprehendedequalmeasure,andthus
directionalweaponsareunavoidablyomnidirectional,inascatteredway,and
omnidirectionalweapons,whendesignedtospreadtheirimpactevenlyacross360
degreesby360degreesofconventionalspacewillalsohaveadirectionality
whichmayonoccasionreboundseverelyontheentitiesfiringsuchweapons,as
didrecoilinmoreconventionalmechanismsofpastages.
Scatterfire,then,ismostusefullydeployedagainstaninvadingfleet,orwidely
spreadandpoorlydefendedhivemindscolocatedacrossanentireasteroidor
planetarysystem.TheWarDepartmentsgyroscopicdestroyerclasssubspace
forwardships,Mahan,Nelson,Temeraire,Invincibleandsoon,areclearedfor
commandindependentactioninunpredictedhostileencountersofthesort
recordedinlogsoftheSiriusPiracywars,thoughintensivereportstoFleet
Commandshouldbemadeassoonasshipssurfaceinspacenormal.
Entitiesofthenonnaturalclass,havingwaveorcloudformsratherthan
bodiesand/ormindsandpossiblelifespansinthecenturytoaeonrange,arenot
tobefireduponunlessmalevolentintentcanbeestablishedroutine
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interferencepatternsaffectingcommsorlifefunctionsshouldbedealtwithin
accordancewithSURFdoctrineaspromulgatedinUNASAManual301bmc:
GamingIrregularSubspaceThreats(GIST).Ridetheirwaves,donotattemptto
blockthem.
**
TheprohibitionagainstfightingpersonsofMartianorigin(canaldwellers)isstill
ineffect.Theymaylookalittledifferent,andtheirbonestructure,neurologyand
modeofthinkingmaydifferfromours,buttheyresembleusmorecloselythan
someofthegreatwhaleswithwhichwearenowinanententecordiale.Just
becausetheyreoffplanetbutinourneckofthewoodsdoesntmeanitsopen
seasonforthem,andwecanillaffordanymorerevengemutations.
**
Solid,Liquid,GasandFire,theancientsnamedthefourstatesofmatter,ourArt
ofFutureWartheoreticianmutteredintoherbeardfirebeingimpenetrable,the
restavailableforcombat,conquestandthustheyhadbuiltarmies,naviesandair
forcestofightbyland,sea,andairearth,sea,andsky.
Thisbutthiswastheimpenetrable,theimpossible,theunforeseeable.Callit
FutureFire.
Nineteenhundredandseventywords,giveortake.Twothousand,theminimum
ofwordsrequiredfortheexercise.One,theidealstoryline.Fifteenorsothe
disparateworldsnotatedinthetapestry,theweave.
Twothousandwordsandcounting,plusorminustheepigraph.Done!
**
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Photonsails,meh.Warpdrives,pfui.Ansibles?Mebbe
**
BringmemyChariotoffire!
IwillnotceasefromMentalFight,
NorshallmySwordsleepinmyhand:
TillwehavebuiltJerusalem..
And:
WouldtoGodthatalltheLordspeoplewereProphets.
**
Theblackswanworkedinwards:havingswallowedanyouterplanetsofwhichwe
wereasyetunaware,ittookEris,Ceres,Pluto,Neptune,Uranus,butitwaswhen
itdigestedifthatsthewordSaturn,ringsfirst,thatthehumanpopulationas
awholebegantobeseriouslyalarmed.Atthisrate,wehadtentofifteenyearsleft
inwhichtoprepareforwhat?
IBMsTalebsuperputerhad,tobehonest,noidea

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