The Blue Are Coming
Roast My Chapter
Chapter -3 – Failure
This is the first chapter of The Blue. So why do I start at “-3”?
Well… the first three chapters take place in August 1977. The next ones will be “-2 Cry” and “-1 “Letters from the Dead”. Together, they establish a countdown to the present. Chapter zero will set the stage for the near-future world in Chapter 1, “Shit Sandwich”. I hope you hang around long enough to get that far.
Chapter titles are a bit of a conceit, yet they’re fun to write. Just a few words (unless your Cormack McCarthy) give an author a quick sugar rush. They can be also be fun on the reading end as long as they’re not obnoxious or contain spoilers.
I like short chapters – both reading and writing them. “Failure” telegraphs the sentiment with only 222 words. It’s barely a full paperback page. So if it sucks, at least you’ve not sunk much time in. My longest chapter so far is barely 3200 words. This one prolly should’ve been a prologue. Yet I don’t like prologues, so a chapter it is.
-3
Failure
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
I am dying.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
In 1977, humankind had yet to build a computer that was even remotely self aware. Yet the alien synthetic intelligence guiding Scout 7 was aware of failure – and possessed enough “self” to be pissed about it.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
It was not meant to end like this.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
Gamma radiation tore into the beautiful electronic brain. As each memory location blinked out, another bit of knowledge was lost forever.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
It could have been so much more.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
The interstellar probe invoked a set of failsafe commands before the end. There would be no dialog with the strange blue planet. Even so, a message would get out.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
Scout 7 spent its final moment of sentience in solitude and regret.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
I failed to complete the mission. A micro-meteor impact damaged my reactor. Loss of containment triggered a criticality. Radiation poisoning will end me.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
This world harbors intelligent life. There was no time to learn any of its languages, so I set the emergency transmitter to broadcast a greeting. Perhaps they will hear it.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
I wish someone could hear me. I do not want to die alone.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
Soon afterward, the smartest hunk of silicon in the Sol system forgot both failure and failsafe. What remained of the computer core stumbled then crashed. Several automated reboots could not revive it.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
The transmitter held on a while longer.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
Do not use any part of this text without attribution.
-3
Failure
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
I am dying.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
In 1977, humankind had yet to build a computer that was even remotely self aware. Yet the alien synthetic intelligence guiding Scout 7 was aware of failure – and possessed enough “self” to be pissed about it.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
It was not meant to end like this.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
Gamma radiation tore into the beautiful electronic brain. As each memory location blinked out, another bit of knowledge was lost forever.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
It could have been so much more.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
The interstellar probe invoked a set of failsafe commands before the end. There would be no dialog with the strange blue planet. Even so, a message would get out.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
Scout 7 spent its final moment of sentience in solitude and regret.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
I failed to complete the mission. A micro-meteor impact damaged my reactor. Loss of containment triggered a criticality. Radiation poisoning will end me.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
This world harbors intelligent life. There was no time to learn any of its languages, so I set the emergency transmitter to broadcast a greeting. Perhaps they will hear it.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
I wish someone could hear me. I do not want to die alone.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
Soon afterward, the smartest hunk of silicon in the Sol system forgot both failure and failsafe. What remained of the computer core stumbled then crashed. Several automated reboots could not revive it.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
The transmitter held on a while longer.
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
Copyright 2025 – thebluearecoming.com
Do not use any part of this text without attribution.
-3 Failure
(this chapter)
Go ahead… ROAST IT. We know you want to.
8 responses to “Chapter -3 – Failure”
Hi Blue,
I love this and want more! The only thing that confused me was at the start – I was uncertain as to whether the intelligence was artificial or not until I read on. Might be me being stupid!
Claire xx
Hiya, Claire! I’m so glad you’re not a bot 🙂
I thought readers would assume it’s an AI from the “computer” mentioned in the first line. You probably figured it out after reading “beautiful electronic brain”, right? Is that too large a gap for realization to sink in? If not, I may have to add a qualifier. The term “AI” has saturated everything, so how does “alien synthetic intelligence” or “alien synthesized intelligence” sound to you?
I enjoy your writing, so it’s good to know you like this.
Hiya,
I think adding ‘synthetic’ fixes it! Can’t wait for the next installment.
C xx
Woohoo! Thanks for the help, Claire.
Next chapter is up.
It’s intriguing, but the mix of styles, personal diary and documentary feels a bit jarring to me. And I wonder if the alien intelligence would not send a signal home to let them know “I’m dying.” – why send a signal to Earth only?
So can we read the next chapter, Bloo?
Hey, Anax! Sorry I didn’t respond sooner. Been out of the country for a few weeks. It wasn’t all fun.
Anyhoo… Scout can’t phone home coz the antenna is pointing the wrong way. It already let The Blue know about Earth before disaster struck, so they know we are here. The message was to let us know they are coming. This will be explained later in the novel.
Next chapter’s on deck. It’ll be a lot different than this one.
I love it and want more!
One question: is Scout 7 already in our solar system at this point?Hiya, Laura…
Thanks so much for stopping by. I’m glad you like it 🙂
I’m afraid the poor little scout is long gone. It blew past Earth in August 1977 and didn’t get closer than a million kilometers, or so. It never got a chance to slow down and achieve orbit.
It’s a shame no one heard Seven’s final message. Or maybe…
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