The Foundations of Eternity

Exode is a story about the struggle to save we Earthlings from extinction. We humans were designed as just one in a series of primates and our Creators intended that we would be replaced, tossed into the trash heap of evolution along with the rest of genus Homo and genus Australopithecus. Our replacements, the Prelands, are already waiting in the wings, ready to inherit planet Earth.

While developing the science fiction story Exode, I realized, to my surprise, that it is a sequel to another story. I previously thought of that other story as being called "The Start of Eternity" because Part IV told how positronic robots developed time travel and invented Eternity, the time travel device that is featured in Isaac Asimov's novel The End of Eternity.

The Start of Eternity was written as a fan fiction sequel to Asimov's novel Foundation and Earth. I imagined that the Foundation Reality was crafted by positronic robots in a desperate attempt to keep Humanity free of the universe-wide machinations of the Huaoshy, aliens with seemingly god-like abilities due to their billion year old technological civilization.

The Foundations of Eternity
After realizing that Exode begins right where The Start of Eternity ends, I started noticing some needed changes to The Start of Eternity as it had been originally written. For example, I had originally imagined that in order to bring the positronic robots of Earth under control, the Huaoshy could simply "instantiate" themselves in the form of the material bodies that they had abandoned hundreds of millions of years ago.

While developing Exode I recently decided that after several hundred million years of existence as a form of artificial life composed of sedronic matter it should not be all that easy for the Huaoshy to return to their former existence as beings of conventional matter. I've now decided on some of the details of the "instantiation process" by which the Huaoshy can return to a more limited existence within our universe of three spatial dimensions. Specifically, the Kac'hin have emerged as being the fundamental mechanism for allowing the Huaoshy to have a physical presence on Earth.

Realizing that I needed to throw some patches on The Start of Eternity in order to make it a proper prequel to Exode, I've decided that I should make an updated version of that story. Since there are going to be some major changes in the new version, I knew that I should change the title.

I want the new title to reflect the fact that it is a fan fiction extension of Asimov's novels so I prefer the title: "The Foundations of Eternity". However, several other possible titles have tugged at my heart strings.

The Klempse Corkscrew
I've been unable to resist writing Asimov into both The Start of Eternity and Exode. The Start of Eternity depicts the young Isaac Asimov just before he becomes a published science fiction author. Young Asimov is visited by his older self who has traveled back in time. The time traveling Asimov is being used by the Huaoshy to help them accomplish a Reality Change that will prevent the positronic robots from making any more Realities that include Seldon's Foundations and the formation of Galaxia.

Asimov is more interested in helping his younger self have a more interesting and rewarding life. One of the first science fiction stories that Asimov submitted for publication was a time travel story called "Cosmic Corkscrew".

An important character in The Start of Eternity is Vicktir Klempse. Klempse does important work to develop the technology that allows human brain patterns to be transferred into the positronic brain circuits of a robot: essentially what is called "mind uploading".

I thought it would be amusing to call his recursive brain scanning technique the "Klempse Corkscrew". Calling the entire story "The Klempse Corkscrew" would be an amusing joke that would only be appreciated by a few Asimov fans.

Galaxia vs Huaoshy
Galaxia vs Huaoshy is a joke title with potentially wider appeal. Inspiration:

Godzilla

When Asimov wrote Foundation and Earth he suggested the idea that the nearly formed Galaxia might be challenged by alien invaders from beyond our galaxy. In The Start of Eternity I imagined that Daneel and his fellow positronic robots would "battle" with the Huaoshy for control of Earth and the fate of Humanity. Here is a funny poster for the Hollywood movie Galaxia vs Huaoshy:

Daneel the robot (representing Galaxia) and a genetically engineered Kac'hin
(used to channel the Huaoshy). Click image to see the entire poster.

The Foundation Reality

attractors in a Foundation Reality

This was another possible title because the story shows how positronic robots caused the Foundation Reality to come into existence. It turns out that there are actually two "foundation realities" because the Huaoshy initially delete the original, but then the positronic robots manage to bring into existence a second "foundation reality". It is at that point that the Huaoshy realize that it is not going to be simple to avoid a "time travel war". Eventually they figure out how to put an end to all time travel.

As a title, "The Foundations of Eternity" captures the idea that the Eternity time travel device was used to make the "foundation realities".

The Foundations of Eternity is being crafted at its own website. Collaborating authors are welcome.
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