THERE IS HOPE: A GLOWING LIGHT
S5E1 • Mythic Sci-fi • Transhumanism • Haunting
Hello, fellow voyagers🖖. Today we kick-off There Is Hope, a five-episode cli-fi mini-series and the fifth and final season of my ongoing cli-fi series with the same name.
As the last forest dies, a young girl encounters an unexpected glimmer of hope—but saving it and herself won’t be easy.
Episode 1 • A wounded friend and strange light.
There Is Hope is part of my larger climate fiction series, There Is Hope, a five-season mosaic story about life on a planet devastated by climate change and the things that give people hope.
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📚 Series Overview | S5 > Ep.1 | Ep.2 | Ep.3 | Ep.4 | Ep.5
And in that great vastness, help came from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
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‘How old are you?’ said Dr. Sokov, leaning against the door.
‘Sixteen,’ said Shia, eyeing the exit switch.
His bloodshot eyes traced the shape of her body, making her skin crawl under the ventilation biosuit—her second Skin. Grinning with gold teeth, the scientist reached for the switch and waited, forcing her to duck under his arm to pass. Up close, he smelled of heat and salty sweat.
‘Take care out there,’ said Dr. Sokov. ‘You never know who might be watching around here.’
A wave of smothering heat slammed into her–it was midday. Shia knew she shouldn’t be outdoors, but the underground quarters had felt claustrophobic that day. She pulled the Skin over her head and the nanocarbon fabric instantly cooled her skin. She rushed past the Oasis–the magnificent interconnected glasshouses–past the stretch of rusty old solar panels, shriveled souls burning in the infernal heat, screaming silently. She walked past the security guards hiding in the thin shade of the Data Center. A drone flew overhead, securing the air perimeter, circling the facility entrance before vanishing into the distance. Dr. Sokov waved. She didn’t wave back.
This place wasn’t what she’d imagined. The headquarters of the Dust Pirates felt less like a rebel den and more like the secret bunker of a filthy-rich data mogul. It housed a science laboratory, living quarters, a seedbank and a weapons depot. In hindsight, it made sense. The entire wealth of the black market known as the Dust Road flowed there: cutting-edge tech smuggled from the North Colonies Alliance, a wealth of genome and rare plant species stolen from the Siberian Cooperatives, fine Skins with state-of-the-art cooling and moisture retention, vehicles, weapons and military drones. Shia never imagined such abundance in a desolate corner of the continent. The soil cracked under her boots. Hot air currents danced above the ground like kelp leaves in a sea of dust. She longed for home–the Japanese Seaweed Colonies strung on the shore of the Iberian Atlantic. She missed the moist, cool ocean and the fresh, briny seaweed. She wanted to marry her fiancé, have children and grow old among her people. Time was running out. The fungus was decimating the taiga. The end was near. Not even the Dust Pirates could save the world. Only a miracle would.
A notification blinked on her visor: Garden walk with Olderman Yooko in five minutes. She kicked at the dust. It lifted, then settled on her boot. At least there were garden walks. She was about to head back when a flicker of light caught her eye–a shiny sphere bounced, then floated away. As she turned for a closer look, she saw a body sprawled in the dust. She checked her surroundings. No one else was there. The figure wore a bright blue Skin.
‘Sanse!’
The glowing sphere bobbed gently in the air. What was that thing?
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Olderman Yooko waddled down the narrow path winding through rows of vertical gardens filled with rare plants. The air in the Oasis was cool, moist and smelled of chlorophyll. Sanse, wearing his bright blue Skin, lay on a bench in a clearing between the vertical gardens and the micro-forest. A few cables tethered him to a first-aid monitor. A nanobot dripper sent medicine into his bloodstream.
‘Most plants transpire their own weight in water every day,’ said Olderman Yooko, wiping his forehead. ‘I think I’m a plant!’
He stopped beside the floating bed next to Shia.
‘Mi hijo, how are you?’
‘He seems more stable now,’ said Shia, holding the boy’s limp hand.
Sanse’s fingers twitched, lightly squeezing hers. For an instant, she thought he mumbled something–it was only the hum of the irrigators.
‘He is severely dehydrated and most likely had heatstroke,’ said Dr. Sokov. ’The young lady found him wandering in the dust at midday.’
Dr. Sokov winked at her, but Shia looked toward the micro-forest. The tiny ecosystem had been painstakingly curated from smuggled seeds or seedlings–gifts from well-meaning friends living in the Northern Colonies Alliance. The Siberian Cooperatives had a firm grip on natural resources. It was a miracle they hadn’t discovered this hidden pocket of people, shrouded in myth and buried in the Central European Dust Bowl. After crossing the treacherous Dust Road, Shia found the encounter with these so-called Dust Pirates anticlimactic. She sensed hidden secrets she’d never uncover. Their Oasis filled her with hope and despair. She soaked in the lush life around her, greedy for every tree and flower. She feared it would soon be taken away from her and she would spend the rest of her days with nothing but dust and humans. A tall tree with feathery leaves standing at the edge of the micro-forest caught her attention. She stepped closer to read the plaque: Phoenix dactylifera. Date palm tree. Gender: Male.
‘A date palm tree?’ said Shia.
‘This, young lady, is our one and only male date palm tree,’ said Olderman Yooko.
She wanted to brush her fingers against its trunk but felt shy. Trees were fragile creatures.
‘Is this why Nova was tasked with smuggling a female date palm seedling?’ said Shia.
Olderman Yooko smiled.
‘Thanks to you and this brave young man, she accomplished her mission from beyond the grave,’ said Olderman Yooko, touching Sanse’s shoulder. ‘Ah, mi hijito. I was supposed to keep an eye on him. He’s the grandson of a dear friend–may he rest in the land where there is no dust and thirst.’
‘Sanse was eager to meet the Dust Pirates,’ said Shia.
‘They still call us that?’ said Olderman Yooko.
‘They do,’ said the Ghost, emerging from the trees. ‘The Dust Pirates, saviors of the planet, killers of the fungus that devours the last forest by the hectare.’
His heart-shaped gadget glowed, projecting a transparent body surrounded by light. His long white hair and eccentric fur-collared winter coat never failed to impress.
‘Good afternoon, Officer!’ said Olderman Yooko.
‘I’m no longer an Officer,’ said the Ghost.
‘So I’ve heard,’ said Olderman Yooko. ‘What are you now?’
The Ghost contemplated the trees.
‘A ghost.’
‘Well, comrade Ghost of the Siberian Cooperatives, the fungus released from the melting permafrost was no surprise. We’ve known for centuries we shouldn’t toy with ancient plagues. This one will kill Earth’s last forest. Then what?’
Olderman Yooko looked at the Ghost.
‘We don’t know. That’s why we came to the Dust Pirates,’ said the Ghost.
‘We can’t help you!’ said Olderman Yooko. ‘Not because we don’t want to–because we can’t! This is all we have. A backup plan, not a replacement for an entire forest!’
‘Pity,’ said the Ghost. ‘Everyone will be terribly disappointed.’
‘I’m sure a fine Officer like you will find a way to make it up to them!’ said Olderman Yooko.
Shia touched Sanse’s forehead. His skin felt cooler. A whisper escaped his lips.
‘Where is it?’ said Sanse.
‘Where is what?’ said Shia.
‘I think he means this,’ said the Ghost.
He pointed toward the trees. The strange glowing sphere hovered above the undergrowth.
‘I saw that thing yesterday in the dust!’ said Shia.
‘It wasn’t supposed to be out here!’ said Olderman Yooko.
‘Our instruments don’t even pick it up!’ said Dr. Sokov.
‘It likes the trees,’ said the Ghost.
The Ghost touched the sphere. His translucent body flickered.
‘What’s happening?’ said Shia. ‘What is it doing to him?’
Shia reached for the Ghost, but her hand passed right through his chest.
‘Something’s absorbing his energy! Can’t you make it stop?’
Dr. Sokov looked at Olderman Yooko.
‘We don’t know how. It’s never done this before!’ said Dr. Sokov.
For ten long minutes, they watched as the Ghost’s body thinned, nearly vanishing–then, as suddenly, he snapped back.
‘Did it attempt contact?’ said Dr. Sokov.
‘You could say so,’ said the Ghost. ‘How long has it been here?’
Olderman Yooko exchanged looks with Dr. Sokov.
‘You might as well tell them,’ said Olderman Yooko.
There was a moment of hesitation in the scientist’s eyes.
‘Alright, then. It was about two hundred years ago when Voyager 5 intercepted a signal from somewhere near Proxima Centauri,’ said Dr. Sokov. ‘It was a distinct signal, wave fluctuations suggesting intelligent life. My grandfather, a young scientist who was part of the crew overseeing Voyager 5, desperately tried to reestablish contact, but nothing came through. Subsequently, the data was disregarded by most. However, my grandfather remained convinced that something was out there. He had the probe recalled to investigate it. Four years later, the probe was en route back to Earth when it was intercepted again. This time, it wasn’t just a signal. There was a presence–a two-bit photon packet so dense it resembled a singularity. It took another ninety years for the probe to reach Earth. My father, also a scientist, intercepted it in orbit and sealed the photon entity at sub-zero temperatures. He feared it might disintegrate.’
"Little did they know it wouldn't,’ said Olderman Yooko.
‘So how did it end up here?’ said the Ghost.
‘My father smuggled it at the end of the Data War,’ said Dr. Sokov.
‘He was my good friend,’ said Olderman Yooko. ‘I’m a Yaqui warrior, a seedkeeper. We joined forces, trying to salvage our future.’
‘Did you hope this singularity would save the planet?’ said the Ghost.
‘I don’t know what we hoped for!’ said Olderman Yooko. ‘But unveiling its secret was always part of the mission. Years later, we finally had a breakthrough! Unfortunately, nothing much came of it.’
‘How so?’ said the Ghost.
‘One day, my father and I were conducting our usual tests when the alarm went off. We were exhausted, hadn’t slept properly in weeks, battling with food and water shortages. The Siberian Cooperatives had been hunting us for months. In our haste, we left the lab door open. When we returned, it was gone. The shock was too much for my father. He had a heart attack and died on the spot. Everything was lost. I cursed the greedy bastards who brought us into existence in this godforsaken dust hole. I sobbed for a long time, holding my father until I passed out from pure exhaustion. We had placed so many hopes on this miracle, this piece of technology from beyond the stars we thought might save the world. And then it was gone. But when I opened my eyes, I saw a glowing sphere. The singularity had unpacked itself. All it needed was contact with Earth. I wept again but this time from joy. I was sure this was the beginning of something greater. A step toward unlocking the mystery. Maybe even toward conquering the stars one day. That was twenty years ago. We still don’t know what it is, or how to communicate with it. It was a dead end–until today!’
‘Thanks to you, Officer, we had another accidental breakthrough,’ said Olderman Yooko.
‘It was this young man here,’ said the Ghost, placing a hand on Sanse Ahuic’s shoulder.
‘I didn’t do anything, Olderman Yooko. I swear!’ said Sanse.
‘Did it try to communicate with you?’ said Olderman Yooko.
‘I don’t know. It followed me everywhere. Mostly at a distance.’
‘It can’t communicate with humans,’ said Dr. Sokov. ‘God knows we tried.’
‘It can communicate with plants,’ said the Ghost. ‘Simpler life forms, similar to what they had on their home planet. They tried establishing communication with the humans–the more evolved life form—but failed. Until they met me.’
‘But you’re not human!’ said Dr. Sokov.
‘Apparently, I’m the closest thing to what they are.’
‘Are they… some sort of artificial intelligence from outer space?’ said Dr. Sokov.
‘No. My neural framework was modeled after a real human brain. I was an early attempt at digitizing human consciousness. I exist across a network of quantum substrates that allow me to bridge quantum layers and interact with physical space in real-time. But their technology is different. No servers, no circuits. No architecture that aligns with any known quantum computational model. Their consciousness wasn’t uploaded, it was transferred. Embedded into the fundamental informational lattice of spacetime. One thread. One system. One intelligence.’
‘Then how can you communicate with it?’ said Dr. Sokov.
‘They interface with my quantum substrate conductor to create a translation layer, a neural link capable of interpreting their photon-based wave signals. Those signals are encoded into qubit-like units that match my core programming language.’
‘So… this tiny light is an alien?’ said Shia.
‘Real extraterrestrial consciousness, transferred to a multidimensional virtual medium and packed inside a singularity,’ said the Ghost.
The evolved life form in the dome house went silent. Only the bees, birds and trees carried on with their lives, undisturbed. The glowing sphere floated in the air, doing a little dance. Nature, it seemed, was always more attuned to other life forms.
‘So what exactly is in there?’ said Dr. Sokov.
The glowing sphere landed on Shia’s palm. It was weightless and warm.
‘It’s a binary being,’ said the Ghost. ‘It comes with far more advanced technology than anything we know. It potentially has the capacity to heal the planet. But it seems to require a human consciousness to activate it.’
‘Like yours?’ said Dr. Sokov.
‘No,’ said the Ghost. ‘I’m more of a failed experiment. They need the consciousness of a real human, someone to become the core of the system on Earth.’
‘How would that work? Would the chosen human need to give up their physical body?’ said Shia.
‘Yes,’ said the Ghost. ‘In exchange for a new eternal life.’
‘I’ll do it!’ said Dr. Sokov.
‘They need someone younger. A mind that is still malleable, capable of forming new synapses and expanding their consciousness without repercussions on their cognitive abilities. Older brains might malfunction. I think… that’s what they're trying to say.’
‘We don’t have many children around here,’ said Olderman Yooko.
All eyes turned to Sanse Ahuic.
‘What?’ said Sanse.
To be continued
📚 Series Overview | S5 > Ep.1 | Ep.2 | Ep.3 | Ep.4 | Ep.5
Author notes
There’s often a bitter-sweet feeling when you finish something that’s been part of your life for a long time. This is not such a moment for me.
While I’m excited to see my first book released into the world, this is only the beginning. The Dust Road universe expands well beyond this mosaic novel. What started as a writing exercise—a means to explore a fictional world—has evolved over the past two years and turned into something more significant: the foundation of a mythopoetic universe, held together by the Museum of Life, a vast collection of human memories and future history that will shape all upcoming stories.
It took 12 years to bring this first collection of stories to life—or, as someone cleverly put it, three times the gestation period of a whale. And yes, more baby whales are on the way. I can’t wait to share them with you.
Let me know you thoughts after reading the first episode of the fifth and final season of There Is Hope.
If you enjoyed this piece, please don’t forget to like, comment and share! 💚
Until next time,
Claudia 💚
📚 Series Overview | S5 > Ep.1 | Ep.2 | Ep.3 | Ep.4 | Ep.5
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