The Ekcolir Reality

The Reality Chain that led to the universe as we know it.

Back in the Foundation Reality, Isaac Asimov became a time traveler. Through his interactions with Grean and other aliens, Asimov learned all of the basic features of time travel and how new Realities can be brought into existence. Asimov's understanding of time travel was later passed on to Thomas by means of an emergency transfer of infites from Asimov into Thomas. Thomas was born in the Ekcolir Reality, but he was transferred into the Buld Reality, the universe as we know it.

In turn, Thomas passed his infites on to me, so for the past two years I have been engaged in the process of discovering how the Ekcolir Reality differed from the Buld Reality.

Close, But no Cigar

Katharina Kopernikus, discover of the telescope.

The first thing that must be said about the unique features of the Ekcolir Reality is that it was very similar to our world. In particular, due to the wonders of temporal momentum and the fact that replicoids for every Earthling were stockpiled in the Hierion Domain, there is an almost 1-to-1 match between the people who existed in the Ekcolir Reality and those who are present on Earth here in the Buld Reality.

The similarities between the Ekcolir Reality and the Buld Reality are pervasive, but there are some interesting differences.

The nation of "New England" as it was commonly known during the 20th
century (official name: Beverwijck en Nicotiana) in the Ekcolir Reality.

For example, in the Ekcolir Reality there never was a Roman Empire. Instead, the Etruscan Civilization flourished and dominated Europe. Christianity never became more than a fringe middle eastern cult. Within the Etruscan Civilization there was a strong devotion to democracy and women gained the right to vote in elections starting in the 6th century. The pace of scientific and technological advance was somewhat brisker in the Ekcolir Reality. As an example of how the people of Earth remained the same but their roles changed, the invention of the telescope was attributed to the Polish astronomer Katharina Kopernikus in the Ekcolir Reality.

Interventionists kill Lincoln.

There were other important differences in the Ekcolir Reality in how the "new world" was discovered and colonized by Europeans. In particular, Dutch influence was a bit stronger during the settling of North America and England had rather late and limited influence on the development of nations in the new world.

Interestingly, the analog of the U.S. Civil War in the Ekcolir Realty played an important role in the industrialization of New England. Just 5 short months ago, I believed that there would be a published account of the Ekcolir Reality called Assassination by Subtraction, but apparently that book contained information that cannot be made known to the people of Earth. This censorship might have something to do with the mysterious tryp'At who seem to have an interesting relationship with the new Overseers of Earth, a relationship that I'm still trying to understand.

Our future or another Reality?

In the Ekcolir Reality, Interventionists arranged for the assassination of President Lincoln. Their goal was to slow the pace of fossil fuel exploitation and prevent global warming.

However, I have been "informed" that in the Ekcolir Reality there was catastrophic sea level rise.

Origins and Endings

The Sedronites and their relationship with we humans.

For any given Reality in a Reality Chain we can ask how it came into existence and how the course of Time was changed to put an end to it. I prefer to use the term "Ekcolir Reality" because of the special role that was played in that Reality by Ekcolir, particularly in ending the Ekcolir Reality. Ekcolir made it possible for Trysta to collaborate with Grean to end the Time War under the terms of the Trysta-Grean Pact.

I'm still trying to understand the origins of the Ekcolir Reality, but I recently made major progress towards that goal. Much of the work required to bring into existence the Ekcolir Reality apparently took place in the Galactic Core. The Ek'col had to be created and Ekcolir trained for his mission to Earth.

In the Asimov Reality, two interventionist agents were particularly active on Earth, Bet and Ghyl, as told in Star Dance. They were able to bring into existence a new Earthling, Carl Sagan, who had not existed in previous Realities. Sagan's "creation" coincided with the end of the Asimov Reality and the start of the Ekcolir Reality. Sagan went on to have an important role to play in the Buld Reality, a role that I am still trying to understand. It appears that like Asimov, Sagan was "duplicated" or in some other way given a "second life" in the Buld Reality and a chance to alter interactions between the Buld and we Earthlings. I believe that the "John Vance" who shared the Star Dance story with me was, like Thomas, brought over into the Buld Reality from the Ekcolir Reality (as was the "original Sessily").

The Pla

The Pla were a "new feature" of the Ekcolir Reality.

It has been difficult for me to gain insight into the identity of the Interventionists who were active on Earth during the Ekcolir Reality. It is clear that the Pla were brought into existence in parallel with the Ek'col. One possibility is that the Pla began experimenting with "Thomas clones" during the Ekcolir Reality. A "copy" of Thomas could have been sent back through time and used to produce clones who could have been active all through Earth's history. However, I have no evidence to support this intriguing hypothesis. I do have some sketchy evidence that another branch of Trysta's family tree provided at least one Interventionist agent.

Steampunk Photographer by Angelique Shelley