It's colder than usual today. I unzip and shake the dust off my boots as much as I'd like to remove the day. Seven days into shift, nine long more days to go, then I can catch a hyperlight back home.

New Earth dips below the horizon which means I have four hours to rest before checking in with High Command. More things we build only to destroy them… hopefully less quickly than before.

INCOMING COMM: MORRISON, D. 18:08, LST. DEC 9, 2363

HIGH PRIORITY. Need you back at base, filters acting up again.

Fuck.

I put a drop of adrenogel in my eye, then one more for good measure. I feel a warm jolt at the base of my spine and the taste of metal under my tongue. My body shivers and snaps back to reality

Boots on, visor down, suit integrity check: affirmative. Open channel for transfer, 2870 micro-sats pending ... confirmed. Beam ready in 5, 4, 3, 2 ... uploading. Final destination complete.

[Morrison] There she is. Sorry, no other mechs on rotational.

[Shilo] You have me for 3 hours 40 Morr, then I'm on with Command. Unless you want to take that...

[Morrison] No, no. No good ever comes talking to those cretins.

[Shilo] What on Luna is a cretin? Is that another one of your Old Earth-isms?

[Morrison] Ha! I suppose it is.

[Shilo] Where's the trouble?

[Morrison] Sector 4A; and 8B shows a warning.

[Shilo] On it.

I hear the dulcet sound of the alarm as I near 4A.

⚠️ Warning Filter is compromised. 

Remove debris and reset. Thank you. 

Warning ⚠️ 

I press the panel that houses the controls and reset the system. Still red. I activate the exterior feed and see more dust. I blow the ballasts to clear the system. Reset. Green. I head over to and reset 8B.

[Shilo] All clear Morr. Green on your side?

[Morrison] Yep, all clear. Head home.

[Shilo] Wouldn't that be nice. 9 more days. And now I'm up for another 20 straight.

[Morrison] Sorry Shilo. Good news is we can all continue to breathe.

[Shilo] Ya.

[Morrison] Hey, Shi, take it easy with the gel—you smell like a droid.

[Shilo] Yes. Less and less human each day.

[Morrison] Get some rest kid. 'Night.

Open channel for transfer, 2862 micro-sats pending ... confirmed. Beam ready in 5, 4, 3, 2... uploading. Destination override ... initiating. Transferring 2862 micro-sats to user. Unknown user credit 1 btc, 2563 sats pending. Transfer complete. Final destination pending ... transf...

How many sats? Bitcoin? No one uses whole bitcoins anymore. Darkness floods my vision like a wave. I open my eyes. Why am I dizzy? Why do I smell pine trees?

*****************

[Unknown voice] Hello Shilo. Thank you for meeting me. Take a moment to find your bearings, you've had a long journey.

[Shilo] Who are you? Why am I here?

[Unknown voice] My name is Robert and you are on Old Earth.

[Shilo] Ha! Likely. Old Earth is a desert, what's left of it. 

[Robert] Don't believe everything you hear Shilo. Command has been known to tell the occasional lie.

[Shilo] You're delusional. Everyone's seen the feeds.

[Robert] Everyone has seen the feed we wanted them to see. 

[Shilo] Verify it.

[Robert] Replay blocks 2,875,757 through 2,875,810 and look for the message.

Time stamp 2,875,757. Replay to ...810, check encrypted media. Replaying. Encrypted media found. 12 minutes, 42 seconds. Unknown origin. Key requested. 236 micro-sats transferred. Verifying proof. Identity confirmed. Feed is ready.

[Robert] Don't play that just yet. Let me tell you why you're here.

In 2091 we outgrew this planet. Resources were stretched so badly, it was a stroke of luck when Luna, V.Alpha was ready ahead of schedule. Despite birthing restrictions, in 2179 all three colonies were nearing capacity. Sometime in the beginning of 2203 SI Collective origin Alpha revealed their secret project, the first terraformed new world fit for human capacity, and negotiated its sale to the New Earth Society. 

We crafted the narrative that Old Earth was beyond saving. We spent nearly 18 btc adjusting the feeds beyond plausible deniability and it worked. It bought us time. While most of our citizens moved to new homes off-world we invested our remaining capital into environment-sparing solutions and experimental terraforming technologies. In total we spent 4250 btc, nearly 13 trillion gold-backed USRC in those days.

Nearing the end of the Sirian-Terran conflict we brokered terms for armistice and eventual peace between our civilizations under condition the remaining worlds were split evenly between the two parties. The problem was the odd number of habitable planets. Eventually, we accepted having one less world on the condition we would keep the rights to Old Earth. President Warner-Jiu and Commander Hitoq signed the Pareidian-Lennox Treaty into effect in 2289.

[Shilo] So why am I here? 

[Robert] Straight to the point. You're so much like her. I knew your grandmother before she ascended into SI Collective origin Beta. Less enterprising, the Betans chose the perfection of building over commerce. They appreciated our restoration project and assisted our efforts before they disappeared into a state of pure consciousness. And before you ask, I'm 372 years old. The technology used to preserve our environment has certain side benefits. Off-worlders don't age like we Old Earth folk do so you won't understand what it is like to feel the years pass by. Watch the feed.

Reporter: September 7, 2072. Breaking ... Live from former entertainment capital Los Angeles, California. The growing desert now spreads all the way from Laguna Beach to New North Carolina.... Sections of the Texas wall are in ruin as reports of more terrorist activity has occurred overnight. An estimated 4,380 souls are missing in the wake of the Phoenix, Arizona megastructure collapse. Humanitarian aid forces refuse to enter the area as the Brotherhood continue targeted drone strikes. Mark, over to you. 

Thanks Tricia. Water rations are expected to increase as the price of water climbs to a monthly high of 1.25 btc. International housing market futures... the feed cuts off abruptly ... Hey Mark, watch your angles, you can see the forest in the background, you know the one that burnt to the ground last week. Right, sorry Ben—from the top? No, lets reshoot the earthquake scene. The guys in research built an even better model; the middle floors fully collapse and the building literally slides into the bay. It's fucking fantastic.

Model? Everyone saw the tower collapse. An icon of a past era, crumbling in a world turning to dust.

I keep watching. I soon learn New York never flooded. The nuke that decimated most of Europe was never launched. And the only tragedy the refugees suffered was dealing with central casting. No hunger riots. The Brotherhood preferred basketball over carpet bombing and drone strikes, and the fresh water supply wasn't finite.

I feel the spins. I fix my tongue to the roof of my mouth, close one nostril and inhale sharply. The gel is wearing off.

[Robert] Here, drink this. It counteracts adrenogel half-life.

The tea is bitter and warm. My mouth feels sparkly and all I can smell is the scent of pine. It's overwhelming.

[Robert] Fresh air can take a little adjusting if you're not used to it.

I look around and see miles of dark green, as far as the eye can see.

[Robert] Ah yes, this is the great northern rainforest. Mostly pine, cypress and dogwood evergreens. The rainforest covers the Indigenous Lands formerly known as Canada and goes as far south as Northern Arizona. It's one of the six lungs of this planet and is filled with native creatures, plants, and other intertwined ecosystems. SI Collective origin Beta considered these forests their crowning achievement.

I breathe deeply and feel more relaxed. Not bad for a supposed dust bowl...

[Shilo] So, Robert, why am I here?

[Robert] Do you enjoy working for High Command?

[Shilo] I mean, I guess. Decent sats. 

[Robert] And when you've done your shift on the colonies where is home?

[Shilo] Outpost 77

[Robert] Ah, one of the Citadel worlds.

[Shilo] Yeah. The farthest away but only three hours on a hyperlight. Wait... how did I get here. I'm currently stationed on Colony IV which is 10 light years away from Old Earth. It feels like I was just there.

[Robert] You were. There are no public beams that go between the colonies and Terran worlds. But there is a private one. It's expensive.

[Shilo] Wait. Before I blacked out I thought I heard someone transfer one bitcoin.

[Robert] 1 btc, 2563 sats. Precisely.

[Shilo] That's like 34 billion gold-backed USRC. Twice as many sats as High Command spends in a year on Colony IV.

[Robert] Money is far less valuable than time. Let's go for a walk.

****************

[Robert] Do you like it here? 

[Shilo] The air is rich, but it's beautiful.

[Robert] Before she ascended your grandmother designated a beneficiary. Family and friends were ruled out and this beneficiary remained unknown for many years. Only a few of us have seen what you just watched. That feed can only be found with a very special key. Only 10 of us in the United Sirian-Terran empire have access. 3 members from the Plebian Council, 2 from SI Collective origin Alpha, 2 from the Terran Reconstructionist Assembly and 2 from the Sirian Republic. Not even High Command has seen this feed.

I notice a glint and catch a glimpse of what appears to be a grey on grey Guy Fawkes pin on Robert's tunic... No, that can't be. But could this day’s events be any stranger...?

[Robert] The 10th key unlocks this unique multi-sig wallet. It's a time capsule of sorts. President Elisa Flynn acts as a proxy for one on the Plebian Council, your grandmother was the second member and I can see you now know whom I represent.

[Shilo] Holy Nakamoto... 

[Robert] No, I am not him. That is the one identity no one has ever ascertained.

[Shilo] You're a Pleb... the most secretive and revered council in the empire. You know High Command considers you terrorists. Not officially, but the rumour is you guys were behind the attack on Outpost 73.

[Robert] I did say they have been known to stretch the truth...

[Shilo] So now what.?

[Robert] You tell me. Oh and check your balance. 

I open my ZKP Green enhanced mulisig wallet. Upgrade available.

Hello Citizen,

 Welcome to Blockstream Private Platinum. 

Enjoy your new service including unlimited confidential transactions, all transfers secured with enhanced second generation post quantum cryptography, and zero-knowledge identity verification.

Included in this membership is guest access to the Plebian Council lodges, Virtualsphere, ParaBeam and unrestricted access to Citadels 3, 9 and 21. Current balance: 23,482 btc.