The Black Hole Project

To build a Black Hole... "Schemes may unfold in an instant, and be communicated in minutes. But when such schemes involve the rearrangement of the heavens, some time is required." What if you could warp spacetime, experiment with quantum gravity, and convert mass into energy with unprecedented efficiency? You could, if you made a micro-black hole, a black hole which could be used as a power source, or as a weapon. Whoever had the black hole would be invincible. To create such power you'd need mass and energy from four star systems, coordinated over light years and decades. You'd need to overcome fear mongers, and the politicians who feed on them, and battle saboteurs every step of the way. But if you're Dr. Hilda Kremer, you'll fight anyone, even your own father, to make it happen. "The Black Hole Project" is a high-tech, hard science fiction adventure covering light years in the quest to build the ultimate source of power. Excerpts: Liz Avonford: A strange orange light flooded the horizon. She turned. Ah, yes. This was it. She sent what she saw streaming into the net. Roiling clouds zoomed toward the zenith. It glowed. Everything glowed. She felt like she was in an oven. Air slammed into her and sent her skyward, the shuttle tumbling nearby. She felt surreal. Dr. Bruce Macready: How, you might ask, did a Scottish professor, who had not left the Isle of Skye more than a half dozen times in his 147 years, let alone go into space, become involved in this? I sensed that, short of the possibility of alien contact, the making of a black hole would be the signal event in my extended lifetime. We called it "the Inconstant Moon flare" after the Larry Niven story about the moon suddenly getting bright enough to make people think the Sun had become a nova. We didn't have a moon, but the flare lit up the system's giant planet, Loki. Indeed, we turned Asgard's mirror away from Epsilon Eridani and used Loki's light. There was a great silence then; the cacophony of a room of furious thinking. Could it be that it was all over? I knew the political situation on Earth; it could be a long time indeed before another attempt was made. Perhaps with four different stars? Or would it be made at all? Would humanity turn inside, content with limits that did not risk upsetting the basis of rule? Dr. Tse Wen: The light echo racing across the rings and body of Shiva was, indeed, a wonder to behold. The rings and few high clouds on the planet changed color as the flash faded from violet to deep red. The bulk of the planet was momentarily a brilliant blue which darkened and darkened until it seemed a few ruddy-gold clouds floated in the darkness of the void itself. Tse Wen allowed himself the slightest frown. He had conceived the project and managed it across four star systems and this lone planet. But the game was not over yet. There were hidden strategies, moves placed in advance to stand guard against an unknown. A step here and a gesture there, and everything could change. But he would have to wait his turn.