Devil May Care Ch. 02

Basic chemistry!!! OXYGEN DOES NOT BURN, it helps the burning process which is called oxidation.

This takes place almost a century into the future and over that time, not only has the AR-15 been altered to be fully automatic with its technological adaptations using the flux-technology of the late 21st and 22nd century...but also, the nomenclature around what an "assault rifle" has altered.

I think of it like how a "frigate" in the 18th century was one kind of ship, fitting a specific role (long ranged workhorse), but by the 20th century, it's become a very different kind of ship, with a very different role (that of an escort craft for capital ships.)

That's why Dey refers to the AR-15 as an assault rifle!

First off, I’m loving this story so far, just one pet peeve got triggered, the calling of an AR-15 an assault rifle. While technically correct, the Armalite Rifle 15 (AR-15), which was produced in very limited numbers in the 1950s, was the base for the M-16 after it was purchased by Colt, who went on to produce the Colt AR-15, which is a semi auto civilian version of the M-16, and definitely not an assault rifle, by definition capable of full auto firing and designed for military use. Most people are only familiar with the Colt AR-15, commonly referred to as an AR-15 and produced in massive quantities, confusing matters.

If you do a re-write, you might clarify which AR-15 (Armalite/Colt) you are referring to. I’ll just keep dreaming of a time machine that will allow me to go back in time and seriously fuck up those lazy ass bastards at Colt who named a gun with a completely different action, which is the primary part that defines a gun, essentially the same name.

At any rate, I’m off to enjoy more of your writing. Thanks for sharing your talent.

My vote is neat.

I wish that the DV tech was attributed as a spin-off of the great (IMHO) 20th century paint spraying company's R&D. The possibility sparkles in my own mind's eye.

The USMC intra-corps tension described is a continuation of that between the Airwing support and the Ship's complement of Marines aboard carriers, in my youngerday experience.

Good writing,

Michael

So, to pull the curtain back, Devil May Care and all the other stories I post here are first drafts. Like all first drafts, they haven't been critiqued by others, and so things that I (a faliable and foolish author) miss go into the pot. So, getting this kind of in depth examination is useful for when I do my eventual second pass and re-release.

NOW!

Questions and answers times!

WHY DON'T THEY USE ROBOTS? Human governments and alien powers both use a lot of autonomous drones (one appears in the third story, in fact.) As AIs take time and energy to make (since they need to be effectively grown and raised), there aren't as many to go around as people would like. Those that "wash out" of the Devil program due to either being unable to integrate with an AI or some other reason are put into other areas of the military or civilian sector that can use them.

And secondly, remember: The AI's improved calculation and thought speed is used to manage the hundreds of DV emitters that make Devil troops so effective. To Dey, she just wills her implants to create telekinetic or teleporting effects...but the actual math is very intensive and that's where Loki comes in - triggering and shaping many different warp fields to create the effect needed.

FUCKING AROUND? Loki is very young as AIs go. I've never served, but I've heard a great deal about the irresponsible shit teens who go through training go through. Remember, they can't just "program" attitudes or beliefs into AIs. AIs are "raised" like a human is. And while they can instill a sense of duty and martial responsibility...well...sometimes, it just doesn't stick.

However, I am fully aware that the scene may not play. I may remove it, or change it around in the second draft. Maybe put the fuckery in the mess hall?

INFINITE AMMO AND INIFNITE TERROR?

Well! Here's where we get into some fun parts and I can answer two questions at once!

A DV Drive is basically an Alcubierre drive. Or, in other terms, a Star Trek warp drive. It works by expanding space behind you and contracting space before you, allowing you to travel faster than the speed of light without breaking the rules set down by Einstein. However, after some research and development, people figured out how to "dump" some of the space warping into dark matter. Meaning that you can make the space infront of the emitter get shorter, while the space behind the emitter doesn't change - becuase dark matter doesn't interact with reality.

This is how we get "monopolar" DV emitters, which is how telekenisis and force fields and anti-gravity is created.

Most DV emitters that are not EXPLICITLY designed to also explode (like whirlers) have saftey features that cause their faliure state be "dump everything into dark matter."

So, if a fluxgun's ammo gets hit and the emitter fails, the ammo doesn't explode the ship - it instead is dumped into local dark matter, marginally increasing the local mass of space time...and when you compare the weight of even 15 million 5.56×45mm to the weight of the already extant dark matter in the universe, it's negligable.

However, detecting DV emitters is as easy as detecting gravity waves (which, ironically, was what Paul DeVilbiss was attempting to make when he accidentally built the first DV engine.) Every major city, space port, air port and starship has a GW detector and not just for counter terrorism - it's part of the "internet of things" that keeps the economy of the 22nd century ticking over smoothly. Since DV emitters that are saftied produce a subtly different signature, they are easily detected...

But that doesn't mean counterterrorism in the future is easy. A DV backpack can hide a lot of traditional explosives, and batteries can be modified in city by people who know what they're doing. Needless to say...this keeps a lot of people up at night.

I'm glad you enjoyed the story, and I am very thankful for your comments!

-DC