Legacy (The Biodome Chronicles) (48 page)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

By signing this document, I certify that I have read and understand The Code and agree to all terms and conditions as laid out in The Code as well as its addendums. I willingly enclose myself and any minors within my guardianship, present or future. I understand that I may leave at any time and for any reason. If I leave, I understand that I may not return to New Eden Township unless granted permission by The Aether and CEO/Owner of New Eden Biospherics & Lab before departure.

Signed:_________________________________

Dated: _______________________

Author Notes

Hacker Terminology

Anime Terminology

Additional Definitions

Translations

Music Playlist for “Legacy” and Discussion Questions

Selected Bibliography

AUTHOR NOTES

Our vacation was officially over, and my husband and I had a long drive ahead of us. We had left my father’s house in northern California in a moving truck filled with furniture and power tools, and jostled in our seats all the way to Washington state along Interstate 5. I know, strange way to end a vacation. Normal is an idea in my house rather than a reality.

So, what does an end of a vacation and jostling inside a moving truck have to do with anything? It was the birthplace of “The Biodome Chronicles.” While sitting in the cab of a fourteen-foot truck, I began to sketch ideas with my husband. Originally, this was going to be a video game. (Did that just tweak you? Ha!) I was going to write the storyline, and my husband was going to program an online RPG.

Four months later, I opened my laptop and began an entirely different journey. I had left a career a month earlier and yearned to do something new, but my mind couldn’t conclude what it was I wanted to be when I grew up. I wandered around in a fog, annoying my friends and family with my codependency. Poor souls.

A dear friend and talented author, Bernadette Pajer, figuratively grabbed me by the shoulders and said I should write a book. Oddly, it made sense and seemed like the right thing to do. Since I was a teenager, I had this dream that one day I would write a novel, and Bernadette’s insistence awoke that dream. (Do be sure to check out Bernadette’s series, “The Professor Bradshaw Mysteries.” They are fabulous!) The next week, my father called simply to tell me that he thought my new job—my new personal reinvention—should be as an author and that I should write a book. OK, now I was weirded out. But I decided to listen to their advice, and here we are. You are reading my author’s notes! And I hope that means you enjoyed the story.

So, back to the journey. Memories of my bumpy ride back to Washington state floated to the surface, leading me to disembowel the Closet of Doom (yes, that truly is its name in my home) until I found the spiral notebook that contained all my scribbles. I commandeered the story that was penned inside a moving vehicle for nearly one thousand miles and turned it into a novel rather than a video game storyline. My mind came alive with new possibilities, new plots, and went to work developing the characters. A theme grabbed my fingers and led them across the keyboard until the symbolism and ideas formed a rhythm that set my writing into motion.

I could go on and on about my newfound love affair with novel writing, but I’m sure you want to know how the heck I came up with the idea of live action role-players inside a Mars prototype. And if you didn’t, hopefully that last sentence sparked some curiosity, because that’s the future of this paragraph. The quick and easy answer: my performing arts background. The long answer: It came to me after reading an advertisement requesting applications to join a real Mars colony. As you now know, my imagination went into hyper drive. You can read all the details of this “aha” moment in a blog I wrote for larping.org, at
www.larping.org/legacy-of-larp-biodome-chronicles/.

The second part to this long answer came from Jane Poynter, one of the Biospherians who lived inside the Biosphere 2 Mars prototype as a human test subject. Jane Poynter, you are my hero! Your story and journey has captivated me since the 1990s. In her book, “
The Human Experiment: Two Years and Twenty Minutes Inside Biosphere 2
,” Poynter discusses how the occasional role-playing opportunities during parties and spontaneous fun moments took her out of the oppressive depression she battled daily from isolation and confinement. My “aha” suddenly had substance and plausibility, and so I ran with it.

Biosphere 2 is a magical place that has held my attention for many years. I don’t feel the experiment was a failure, because it opened our eyes to new worlds, new possibilities, and psychological realities that were illustrated in the most life-like way to date. Imagine if we had learned all we know today because their colony of eight failed on Mars rather than on Earth. What other experiment has gone to such lengths to recreate interplanetary homesteading in a realistic way, providing such a rich plethora of knowledge? If you had a choice between an ecological paradise and a sterile capsule as your colony, which would you choose?

To all the Gamemasters out there, you rock! I am in awe of your talent, creative superpowers, and people skills. I’ve received a taste of your world as I plot away, narrate a story, and referee the player characters that sometimes wish to act out in ways that do not fit the game rules of this series. I do hope that you find Hanley entertaining and do not feel offended by Fillion’s belief of his villainous ways. Fillion’s views are entirely his own and in no way reflect the reality of those who rise to the esteemed position of Gamemaster. The ultimate geeky antagonist is rather fun, though, right?

LARPers, I want to be you. Seriously. If I had free time on the weekends, I would immerse myself as a character in a living story, strategizing how to gain skill and advance within the plot. Alas, I live vicariously through you by giving into the live action role-playing that exists inside my head.

If you want to learn more about the art of escapism through live action role-playing, I highly recommend, “
Leaving Mundania
” by Lizzie Stark as well as
www.larping.org.

Anime and manga fans, I hope you enjoyed my idea of a futuristic youth culture. I became fascinated with many of the high technology concepts coming out of Japan and couldn’t resist the idea. My boys love anime and manga, and we spend a lot of family time watching “Naruto,” “Dragon Ball Z,” and “Pokémon.” As they get older, I know their love of anime and manga will only continue.

To Jordan Boswell and the crew in the Society for Creative Anachronism’s Youth Armored Combat, I had no idea that plunking myself into a medieval life could be so fun. When my son decided to join your war band of youths, I found my happy place. To all the Lords and Ladies from the Barony of Aquaterra in the Kingdom of An Tir, thank you for building a fantastic community that supports honor, chivalry, and the arts.

My thanks to Nancy Chibazakura and Emily Newman for helping me translate Fillion’s American dialogue into the beautiful language of Japanese. Also, my thanks to Jennifer Cook and Claire Lalande for turning Leaf and Willow’s dialogue into the romantic language of French. The worlds of my characters are so much more real and exciting thanks to your assistance!

Amalia Chitulescu is the amazing digital artist who created the masterpiece that clothes my novel. If ever you wish to utilize her talent, you can enlist her in a one-on-one project on www.99designs.com (user name AJfolio), or you can find her on Facebook at Amalia Chitulescu Digital Art
.

To Mark Meyers, curator for the tropical rainforest at Woodland Park Zoo, thank you for arranging a special visit so I could learn more about the flora, fauna and caretaking of enclosed spaces and rainforests. My heartfelt thanks also to
 caretakers and zookeepers Robyn Russnogle, Justin Sutton, and Nick Schroeder for sharing your time and expertise with me. 

Lindsey Stirling, you became one of my muses! Your song, “Elements,” gave rise to the Noble class within my book, as well as the personality types. I listened to your debut album over and over as I plotted, daydreamed, and wrote.

Nathan Fillion, Geek God and Nerd King, I am a fangirl. I do not possess artistic talent to erect a statue in your honor, and so I chose to immortalize you in a different way. I decided that Fillion needed to “aim to misbehave,” and I hope you approve.

No dream can ever come true without a support system, and I am truly blessed by an amazing community of people in my life that made sure that my vitals didn’t flat line when I was ready to give up:

Myles, my husband, you are woven into my soul, and falling more in love with you every day never gets old, even though we do. This book would not exist without your sacrifices and without your incredible knowledge of technology. Although we are no longer 15 and 17, your blue eyes and mischievous smile still make my heart sigh.

Little Myles, Colin, and Violette, my precious children, you make my heart sing. I love waking up every day to your laughter, snuggles, and fun conversations. I love watching each of you grow into yourselves and discover what makes you who you are. Never underestimate your value and worth—it is endless.

Melissa, I have five happies for you: 1) a friendship that spans decades, 2) an inspirational writing partner, 3) sunshine and honeydew, 4) coffee-drinking mamas, 5) two. Love you.

Dad, your wisdom always challenges me to dig deeper and think wider. Sis (aka Adriel Nicole, ahem
Nicki
), your passionate heart and encouragement moves me. Thanks for being my biggest fan! Penny, your listening ear and caring nature has sustained me. Bryan, your discipline and perseverance inspires me. Kathryn, I appreciate your care and attentions whenever we see each other. Mom, I miss you and send kisses heavenward. To the rest of my family (you are so big, it’s hard to list everyone), I am richly blessed by you. Thank you for always pouring yourselves into me, and encouraging me to take the leap of faith in all areas of my life. I love you!

To my family at Tapestry Church, specifically Mike and Francesca Mesneak and Jocelyn Skinner, thank you for encouraging me, celebrating with me, and praying for me. My hope is that I can show through my characters as the series progresses how we are all a strand, woven in a tapestry of Love. Mikayla Morgan, thank you for praying for me as I endeavored to write a story for your generation.

Melissa, Bernadette, Tracy Campbell, Jennifer Newsom, Katie Kent, Timna Lansel, Jill Reasoner, Corrina Lance, Alexa Newsom, Jennifer Swartz, Adriel, Myles, Bryan and Penny—you are the BEST. There is no way I could have accomplished any of this without your encouragement and your patient ears as I, yet again, talked about my book, or your kind enthusiasm as I spammed your inboxes while asking for your opinions. As beta readers, sounding boards, editors, and some of my dearest friends, my heart is full and humbled. Thank you for being the project crew that truly made this dream a reality.

To Morgan, Joey, Xander, Cameron, Cayden, Olivia, Sophia, Peter, Valerie, DJ, Julion, Geneva, and Cady—thank you for giving my kids some of the best playdates so mommy could write!

Lastly, all errors that may exist while trying to represent live action role-playing, Mars colonization, Biosphere 2, anime and manga, high technology,
flora and fauna in enclosed spaces, and the hacker subculture are entirely mine
. I am a storyteller, weaving together information that builds and forms worlds in our imaginations. In the famous words of Nennius, a ninth-century Celtic monk, “I have made a heap of all that I could find.”

And now, time to get busy writing book two.

Tsuzuku…

(To be continued…)

HACKER TERMINOLOGY

HACKER
– A hacker is an individual who breeches security in a computer system or computer network to capitalize on the exposed weakness, for beneficial or nefarious reasons. Sometimes the term is applied to an individual with expert knowledge of computers and computer networks. A subculture now exists for hackers, formed by a real and recognized community known as the computer underground. This subculture of tech-savvy individuals has also developed a unique language and slang terms defined and collected in The Hacker’s Dictionary (originally known as the Jargon File), which is searchable online.

Black Hat
– someone who maliciously hacks into secure systems to corrupt or gain unauthorized information. The hacker subculture often refers to this person as a “cracker” rather than a “hacker”

Bletcherous (bletch)
– disgusting, makes you want to vomit, usually in reference to an object, and rarely regarding people

Cretin
– congenital loser, idiot, someone who can’t seem to do anything right

Defragment (defrag)
– an action to reduce the fragmentation of a software file by concatenating parts stored in separate locations on a disk

Faraday Cage
– a grounded metal screen (usually copper) that surrounds a piece of equipment to exclude electrostatic and electromagnetic influences

Fatal Exception Error
– an error that closes down and aborts a program, returning the user to the operating system

Glitch
– a sudden interruption in electric service, sanity, or program function, sometimes recoverable

Gritching (gritch)
– to complain; a blend of “gripe” and “bitch”

Honeypot
– a decoy computer system on the Internet created to attract and trap people attempting to penetrate secure systems belonging to others

Kernal Panic
– an action taken by an operating system when detecting an internal fatal error from which it cannot safely recover; also known as “the blue screen of death”

Loser
– an unexpectedly bad situation, program, programmer or person

White Hat
– someone who hacks into secure systems and instead of corrupting or taking unauthorized information, exposes the weakness to the system’s owner so they can strengthen the breech before it can be taken advantage of by others (including black hats)