The Very Pulse of the Machine story
Astronaut Martha Kivelson is left alone on the surface of Io after an SEV accident causes the death of her partner, Burton. With her own oxygen exhausted and support from her space station hours away, Kivelson uses Burton's supply and drags her body across the moon back to their landing craft. After taking morphine to numb the pain of a broken arm, Kivelson begins to experience hallucinations. She hears Io itself speaking to her through Burton, provoking her interaction. Desperate to reach her destination in time, she takes amphetamine, worsening her hallucinations. She eventually comes to view the moon as a machine whose purpose is "to know [her]", before falling unconscious. Waking up with critical oxygen levels, Kivelson jumps into a river of thermal liquid and seemingly assimilates into the moon, suggesting her hallucinations are in fact real. Her voice is later heard reporting back to Earth's station. Cast: Mackenzie Davis, Holly Jade, David Shatraw Directed by: Emily Dean. Story by: Michael Swanwick.
6 total · 2 choice · 2 major · 2 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| living planet | choice | The grand revelation of the the story is alluded the title. Namely that Jupiter's moon Io was a sort of living machine. |
| stranded without food and water | choice | Kivelson found herself stranded on the surface of Jupiter's moon Io with a dwindling oxygen supply and slim hopes of being rescued. |
| facing death | major | Kivelson resolved to trek back to her landing site with little hope of making it back. |
| psychoactive drug experience | major | Kivelson started tripping out on the surface of Jupiter's moon Io after taking morphine to numb the pain of a broken arm. In addition to experiencing vivid hallucinations, Kivelson heard what she interpreted as Io itself speaking to her through the dead body of her mission partner Burton. The hallucinations only intensified after Kivelson took amphetamines. |
| coping with the death of someone | minor | Kivelson's mission partner Burton perished in an SEV accident. Kivelson covered Burton's face in sand and got on with her business. |
| what if I couldn't trust the veracity of my senses | minor | Kivelson, who was hepped-up on morphine, made a fleeting attempt to rationalize the apparent fact that Burton’s dead body was speaking to her. |