This week, Brian Trent returns to Futures to take a look at Interdimensional trade benefits. He previously appeared in Futures with his story The archive personality protocol. You can find out more about Brian’s work at his website and on his Facebook page. Here, he reveals what inspired his latest tale — as ever, it pays to read the story first.

Writing Interdimensional trade benefits

Interdimensional trade benefits was born as I read a museum placard about the tactical advantages of the atlatl in prehistoric combat. A vast improvement over the spear in terms of speed and range, the atlatl changed combat forever. Like the iconic scene of a bone becoming a spaceship in 2001: A Space Odyssey, it helped launch the technological arms race.

I started wondering what the ultimate development of missile technology might conceivably be. The notion of ‘winding up’ a missile into a nearby dimension was intriguing. Lots of sci-fi explores how such a fanciful dimension could circumvent the light-speed barrier for travel purposes (hyperspace, dark-energy corridors, etc). Why not apply this to weapon purposes as well?

And what if that nearby dimension was inhabited? What if, like the sphere in Flatland, there are intelligences on the lower dimensional plane that one is passing through?

I also wanted to change up the alien invasion trope, too. Interdimensional trade benefits isn’t about humanity being invaded; instead, it’s about us being in the right place at the wrong time and what could come of that. After all, our species is talented at making war, but we’re even more experienced at making trade deals …