MidReal Story
Starlink's Web of Deception
Scenario: Elon Musk's Starlink Project: Shielding TikTok Secrets, Controlling White House Network
Create my version of this story
Just like that, we were all set.
I was in the middle of a heated argument with my boss when I first heard about Starlink.
Well, almost all set, anyway.
The only thing I needed now was my boss’s approval, but he was nowhere to be found.
“Emily, you’re the best tech journalist we have,” he said, his voice low and soothing.
He’d gotten into the habit of disappearing whenever there was an issue, hoping that it would resolve itself so he wouldn’t have to make a decision.
“But we can’t afford to send you to the conference this year.
It’s just too expensive.”
But this time, I wasn’t willing to wait around.
I tried to keep my voice level.
He could call me if he had any objections.
“But if I don’t go, I won’t be able to cover the new tech that’s being released this year.
But if he didn’t, I was going to the conference whether he liked it or not.
I booked a flight and a hotel room, and then I went back to packing.
And if I can’t cover it, then what’s the point of having me on staff?”
Alex called me back later that day.
My boss sighed.
“I got us in,” he said, his voice triumphant.
“I know it’s not ideal, but we just don’t have the budget for it this year.
“We’re going as volunteers.
Maybe next year.”
I slammed down the phone and cursed under my breath.
We’ll be working the registration desk, so we get access to the conference.
We just have to be there bright and early each morning so we can get checked in before the doors open.”
This was so typical of my luck.
I’d been working at this network for over two years now, and every time there was a big tech conference, something would come up that prevented me from going.
“Volunteers?”
I asked, feeling a little nervous.
The first year, it was a family emergency.
The second year, it was a scheduling conflict with another reporter.
“What if we get caught?”
And it was too late to try and get a press pass as a freelancer; the conference was already sold out.
Alex laughed again.
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll take care of everything.
I was going to miss out on all the new tech that was being released this year, and there was nothing I could do about it.
But then I had an idea.
I made sure we have cover stories for our day jobs just in case someone asks.
And we’re using fake names, so no one will recognize us.
There was no way in hell I was going to sit on the sidelines and let this story pass me by, not when it was the biggest tech story of the year.
I nodded, feeling reassured.
I’d find a way to cover the conference on my own.
I texted my friend Alex, a cybersecurity expert that I’d met during a previous conference.
“I’m so excited, thank you for doing this with me,” I said again, feeling a little guilty for dragging him into this mess.
He’d been a huge help to me in the past, and I knew he’d be willing to help me out again.
But then again, it wasn’t like he’d had to think about it for very long; he’d been more than willing to help me out, just as I’d known he would be.
Hey, are you busy next week?
The truth was, I would have gone to the conference by myself if I’d had to, but it was nice to have a friend along for the ride.
He’d also been able to tell me what the buzz at the conference was going to be this year, and it wasn’t VR or AI or any of the other things that were hot last year, but instead Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet project.
Want to go to the conference with me?
I couldn’t wait to find out what he had in store for us this time, especially since it had been a while since he’d done anything big, but as always, there were obstacles in my way.
Sure, but I thought your boss said you couldn’t go.
I arrived at the conference early Monday morning and quickly went through registration.
I’ll explain later.
Since I was technically working there, I got a staff badge with my photo on it.
Can you clear your schedule next week?
It was perfect; no one would ever be able to guess that I wasn’t supposed to be there.
I need you to be on standby so we can buy last-minute tickets and book hotels as soon as possible.
After I dropped off my bags at the hotel, I headed to the convention center to get checked in and ready for the conference that evening.
Alex was always up for an adventure, but even I could hear the curiosity in his voice when he answered my text.
Sure thing, just let me know what’s going on when you get a chance.
When I walked in, Alex was already hard at work behind the registration desk, talking to a few of the other volunteers and getting ready for the day ahead.
I nodded to him and then took my place at one of the empty computers and waited for people to start arriving so we could get started.
It didn’t take long for Alex to figure out what I was planning as soon as I told him my boss’s reasoning for not letting me go to the conference.
I’d dressed up in a nice suit for the occasion – short black skirt, black jacket with a white shirt underneath – even though my boss hadn’t thought it was necessary for me to attend in person.
“They’re not sending you because they’re cheap?”
I could practically hear his laughter through the phone.
I wanted to look professional and put-together so no one would suspect anything if they ran into me while I was walking around the conference floor later on.
“That’s so ridiculous!
And completely unfair to you!
You’re their best tech journalist.
Ahem, I said when I got to him.
He looked up from his computer where he was checking something.
You’ve won awards for this network before!
It was then that I realized he’d been wearing the same suit for a day already; he’d come to town early to help out with registration.
How could they not send you?”
“Well, they’re not sending me, so I have no choice but to find my own way there,” I said grimly.
My boss wouldn’t let me go, but here I am, I said with a grin.
“We can cover the conference remotely,” my boss had suggested, as if that would make everything better.
I knew you wanted to know how it was going, and I didn’t think I could give you a very good overview of the conference if I wasn’t there.
“Just watch it online, take notes, and then do live reports from your desk.”
I’d told him as much when he’d called me from his hotel room last night, unhappy about my decision to come.
He’d tried to talk me out of it, but I’d been insistent, and in the end, he’d been surprised but supportive, although I knew he was still pissed.
But it didn’t work that way.
Being at the conference was crucial for two reasons: networking and exclusives.
When he got back in town, he’d probably give me a hard time about it for a month.
Not only was it important to talk to other journalists and tech insiders in order to get a good sense of the general atmosphere and which stories were most likely to be popular with the mainstream audience, but it was also a great opportunity to get some exclusive information from the vendors themselves.
But I could handle that if it meant being able to cover this story.
Oftentimes they would give private demos of their newest products to reporters at the conference before releasing them to the general public.
Alex pulled out a piece of paper from one of his folders; it was an email printout.
At least, that was how it was supposed to work.
“Yeah, we had another cancellation, so.
” He trailed off, and I knew what he was thinking: since we had an extra spot, we might as well let Emily come along too.
My boss clearly didn’t understand that.
Nothing made me happier than knowing I’d gotten my way.
I was at home looking up flights and hotels when Alex called me back.
In my line of work, you had to be persistent; there were so many other people who wanted what I had that you had to be willing to fight for it.
“Okay, I got everything cleared,” he said.
Just like this conference.
“I can go with you next week.
But we need to buy tickets and book hotels now before they sell out.”
I couldn’t stand not being there – the thought of having to cover it from my living room couch made me want to scream – so I’d done whatever it took to make sure I could be a part of it.
And it had worked.
I nodded eagerly and then caught myself.
The boss looked up from his computer, where he was typing away.
“You’re a lifesaver, Alex.
I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
He was middle-aged with graying hair, a bit overweight from all those years of eating takeout while working late at the office.
“What are you talking about?I shook my head.
He laughed, but his voice was gentle.
He wasn’t going to be happy about this.
“Don’t worry about it.
It’s always an adventure when you call.
But I could handle him.
It’s just that I’m here,” I said with a smile.
Alex managed to get us in as volunteers so we can get access to the conference floor.”
He glared at me for a moment while he thought about it.
My boss didn’t like surprises.
“So you’re still not listening to me?”
I shook my head, still smiling, and I saw his eyes narrow.
It’s too bad you’re so good at your job,” he said with a sigh, “otherwise I’d have fired you ages ago.”
I laughed, but I knew he was serious.
He didn’t like me going behind his back, but he also had to admit that I was one of his best tech journalists, maybe even his best, which meant that without me, his network wouldn’t be able to cover all of these stories in the same way and get the ratings that it did.
I don’t know when I’ll be able to check in next – “
“Don’t worry about it,” I said quickly, not wanting him to interrupt my happiness with his constant worrying.
“I just wanted to let you know that I’m here and I’m excited to be here and I can do my job and get all kinds of great stories from this conference that no one else will have and it’ll be great for our viewers.”
“Uh huh,” he said, sounding a little annoyed now that I wasn’t letting him interrupt me, but also knowing that there wasn’t really much else he could say at this point.
We were sitting in Alex’s hotel room, which was small and pretty dingy, with a bed that sagged noticeably in the middle and orange curtains that had probably not been washed in years, but at least we had a desk to work at and some cheap chairs to sit on, along with that one little table next to the bed where we had both left our computers so we could work side by side, checking the schedule for the day and planning which talks we would attend, which were most interesting, who we wanted to try to talk to and get interviews with.
It was just like old times, and as he was working away at his computer, I found myself flipping through the photo album that I had pulled out of my bag, looking at all of the photos that were inside, faded and worn from so many years of handling and flipping through them again and again, but still clear in my mind, capturing moments that had seemed so important at the time, when we were young and carefree, with no responsibilities to speak of, and everything was still possible.
There was a photo of us together on the cover, taken in front of the dorm where we’d both lived for our first two years at MIT, under the bridge that connected the two buildings together, which made it look like we were standing in some kind of deep, dark cave, and we were both laughing, our arms wrapped around each other’s waists like we were the best of friends, which we were, or at least at one time we had been, even though now we hardly ever saw each other or talked anymore.
I opened up the album and started flipping through the pictures, looking at all of the other photos of us that were inside, so many that I had taken over the years, starting in high school, when I’d gotten my first digital camera, and continuing all the way through college, even though I didn’t see him as much once we weren’t living in the same building anymore, before they started getting fewer and farther between, until the last one that I’d taken was a few years ago, on graduation day, when we’d both been so happy to be done, not realizing what we would be giving up by leaving MIT, where we’d met, or what would happen in the years to come.
I looked at each of the pictures in turn, remembering all of the things we’d done together over the years, all of the places we’d been, all of the stories we’d shared, all of the dreams we’d had of what we would do once we got out of school and into the real world; it had made me so happy at the time to know that there was someone who shared my dream of getting a job at a top tech company and living in San Francisco and making lots of money doing something that was fun for us, who understood me in a way that few other people did because he was so much like me.
