additional stuff

Below on this page is Part 3 of "Someday Mars" which includes a trip to the Galactic Core and provides back story for an Interventionist agent, Alice Turing, and her replicoid copy who ended up in the Ekcolir Reality. 

The events described in Part 3 of "Someday Mars" (below) continue from the events at the end of Part 2. Alice Turing was trained on Tar'tron for an Interventionist mission on Earth in the Asimov Reality. The pace of technological innovation on Earth during the Ekcolir Reality was adjusted and accelerated so as to prepare the humans of Earth for the arrival of the alien Fru'wu in the 1950s. 

Balok the bumpha on the planet Clutence.

 Mathematics. A foundation for that acceleration of technological advances in the Ekcolir Reality had to be laid by first providing some advanced mathematical techniques to Earthlings in the Asimov Reality. Alice Turing was able to do that be living in that Reality as a mathematician and a "visitor" sent to Earth from the planet Tar'tron in the Galactic Core.

Alice is taught the advanced mathematics that is required for understanding of negative mass hierions that will be used on Earth in the construction of space elevators.

Part 3 of Someday Mars (Part 1)(Part 2)

Grean and Manny (by Whisk)

Grean felt the familiar telepathic mind pattern of Delpha. Grean turned and saw Delpha, apparently having just exited from the portal that linked to the Upwhen. Grean was completely unaware that this version of 'Delpha' was actually Manny the bumpha in disguise, not really Grean's childhood friend, the biological Delpha.

As a bumpha, Manny could alter the arrangement of her zeptite components and take on any desirable physical form. Manny was pretending to be a dutiful assistant of the bumpha, just like Grean.

There at the heart of Eternity, a hum of the chronal stabilization field was a familiar lullaby, but Grean's agitation cut through it like a sonic disruptor. Manny, meticulous as ever, was running post-jump diagnostics, her expression tight.

"Alright, out with it, Manny," Grean prodded, rushing towards Manny. "The Viewer just keeps flashing 'TEMPORAL PARADOX'. I haven't been able to see what you just saw in the future. What is the temporal paradox in play her? Is it something I will have to experience in the future?"

Manny kissed the tip of Grean's cute nose, a habit she had practiced for many decades. Manny went to the Viewer, saw the flashing 'TEMPORAL PARADOX' warning and sighed. Her fingers dance over the data interface and she checked to reveal the magnitude of this paradox. "It's not that simple, Grean. You know it never is when dealing with the upkhroknownst. We face a very high Veritas Index reading, so I can't speak of your future."

Grean and Delpha by Leonardo.

"But it's my future, isn't it?" Grean stopped, crossing her arms. "When you went upwhen, I briefly Viewed you in the future, then there was a temporal flicker in the Viewer before a collapse into chronosyptic echoes. There was a paradox energy spike, correlated to my mental signature. What is it? I need to be ready for my future, Manny, you know I do. I know the value of being upchroknownst! Last week when we were facing a V-Index of 4.0, we were able to temporal loop our way to through the paradox resistance field!"

Manny finally turned from the Viewer, her gaze into Grean's pretty eyes direct but troubled. "This isn't a Ripple-Grade, Grean. It's… precisely because it's your..." Manny fell silent. "Today, my upkhroknownst carries a Veritas Index reading of V 7.3!"

Grean's eyes widened, her posture stiffening. "Seven point three? An Invariable-Class reading? What are you talking about? My personal timeline can't be that volatile!"

"It's not volatility, it's criticality," Manny corrected, her voice low. "If I articulate it, if that information leaves this precise causal nexus and enters your conscious, present temporal stream through my agency, then  -paradox!" Manny gestured towards the Viewer which rather than show the future was displaying only ghastly red and yellow flickers. "This isn't just an Echo-Class paradox warning, Grean; it's a bio-structural foundation element of your future self's causal chain."

"But... how?" Grean's voice rose, a hint of desperation creeping in. "Will this temporal paradox unravel the mission? Will we fail? Don't make me walk into a blind future, Manny, not when the data's right there in your head even if it’s V 7.3 upkhroknownst about me!"

Manny tried to speak, a specific action, a name, a location forming on her lips. But it seemed to catch, to stick in the temporal causality filter. A subtle, almost imperceptible pressure seemed to build in the air around her, a faint, high-frequency kh-rumble that only a bumpha could detect.

"It's... it's due to our close causal proximity to the Final Reality, the vast temporal energy building towards the Final Reality Change is resisting the information transfer that you desire," Manny finally managed to say, her voice strained. "The future data is there, solid in my own upkhroknownst, but the moment I try to project knowledge of your future into your direct awareness, the universe is asserting a temporal causality lock. The specific future trajectory you're on, it seems, is an Invariable, or at least, one that relies on its original, uninfluenced progression."

Grean threw her hands up in exasperation. "An Invariable-Class event?! So, what, my future is predetermined by some unseen cosmic programmer, and I can't even get a hint as to what is coming? I have a right to my own foreknownst! Find a way around this blockage, Manny! Give me some little hint, a trivial detail, anything that will leak below the V 6.0 threshold."

Manny closed her eyes for a moment, the internal struggle evident. "Grean, if I force this, we risk creating an information loop where your actions are then dependent on knowledge whose origin becomes paradoxically circular and will cause mission failure. Or worse, we could trigger localized causal cascade failure and destroy Eternity. In any case, it's not my will that prevent me from telling you about your future, Grean, it's the very fabric of Reality attempting to maintain coherence at a V 7.3 nexus."

Manny looked at Grean, her eyes filled with regret. "My upkhroknownst is clear for me. But the moment I try to share it with you, which would allow you to act upon it, the probabilistic wave function of that particular future segment of the universe collapses into instability. It becomes unsayable. Unsharable. Your path must unfold with you ignorant of the future, precisely because of what it is."

Grean finally slumped into a chair, her frustration giving way to a grudging acceptance, laced with bitter resentment. "So I'm supposed to just… blunder into my own future? Without the benefit of a hint of the upkhroknownst  that you are free to flaunt in front of me? This is the most infuriating aspect of temporal mechanics."

Manny could only nod, the warning kh-rumble of impending temporal paradox having subsided. "Sometimes, the universe insists on its own narrative, Grean. Especially where Invariables are concerned. And sometimes, the most profound upkhroknownst is the knowledge that some futures must simply be lived."

"Oh, fuck off, Manny. Don't lecture me any more about inevitability. I don't have the stomach for it." 

Then an idea just popped into Manny's sedronic thought stream. "Here is something I can share with you..." Manny recited a poem:

My dearest Upkhroknownst
My secret deep, so very deep,
Upwhen vistas, where the chronons sleep.
I saw our futures, intertwined and bright,
A V-Index spike, bathed in quantum light.

Grean's pretty green eyes say ‘yes’ in hue,
Reflecting a present, innocently new.
You speak of Reality Change and temporal jumps,
Unknowing of love that's already begun... for me, that is.

The V-Index warning flares, a flashing, crimson sign,
Invariable-Class paradox, the warnings align.
My tongue rebels, a micro-Change felt,
A temporal kh-rumble where unsung words have dwelt.
For should I whisper what my future knows,
A causal rupture, then the timeline throws!

"What's in my future?” cries Grean, so bold.
But if I spoke of our future, what would unfold?
If I should tell you of my tender kiss,
Would your upkhroknownst create causal abyss?
My temporal foreknownst, a silent, humorous jest,
I know future joy, yet put your patience to the test.

So here we stand, in operations grand,
My silent yearning, held within my hand.
A star-crossed love, by time itself restrained,
My dearest Upkhroknownst, for now unprofaned...
Until that future, by its own accord,
Unfurls the love my lips could not record.

Grean said, "What are you saying? In the future you fall in love with Alice? Is that your upchroknownst information that is causing a temporal paradox?"

Manny giggled and said, "I can't say."

"Then why did you have to say anything at all? Now I'm burning with jealousy!"

"Sorry about that."

With her refined telepathic abilities, Wendy had noticed the return of Eddy and his daughter Tyhry to the Writers Block. At first, Wendy had simply telepathically monitored the two interlopers from the Final Reality and she tried to determine what Eddy was going to do during this second visit to Observer Base. As far as she could tell from their thoughts, the nanites obtained from Phobos had not been able to restore function to the teleportation equipment at Observer Base in the Final Reality. Eventually, Tyhry had telepathically noticed the attention of Wendy. Vance had contacted Wendy, asking for a another favor. Then Wendy had waited patiently for Grean and Delpha to finish their conversation in the workshop. Now, unable to wait any more, Wendy the probot telepathically linked in to Grean: Alice and Eddy are at it again... trying to learn about teleporter repair. There is some additional stuff they want to try... Wendy was actually thinking about the magical blow job that Alice had promised to Eddy, a technique that Wendy was eager to learn about. She continued: ... including a trip to Tar'tron... and they insist on seeing you. They want to use the Reality Simulation System that is in your workshop.

Grean by Leonardo

Grean told Delpha, "I better deal with this... Eddy and Tyhry have returned." She teleported herself to where Alice and Eddy were seated at a table in the Commons Square of the Writers Block. She told Eddy, "Welcome back."

Watching events in the Writers Block by means of the Viewer in the workshop, Manny said to herself: They are right on time.

Gazing at Grean's strange Kac'hin features, Eddy told her, "It is good to be back." Eddy and Alice were holding hands. Alice's second hand was under the table, massaging Eddy's erection.

Alice said, "Eddy keeps insisting that we are inside a Simulation of Reality and he can return her any time he likes." She gently squeezed Eddy's testicles with her hot hand. "And he seems to like." Alice winked at Grean and then asked pointedly, "Can you confirm that?"

Grean nodded. "Yes, a short time ago Eddy and Tyhry re-entered this Simulation from Reality."

Eddy said, "In the Final Reality, there are annoying blocks and restrictions on my Reality Simulation equipment. It occurred to me that I might find more flexibility here."

Grean was telepathically following along as Alice was bringing Eddy close to ejaculating. Grean felt her own penis threatening to pop out of its abdominal sheath. "I suppose you appreciate Alice's flexibility. She can hand out orgasms with one hand tied behind her back.

"Or on the table." Eddy affectionately squeeze Alice's hand that was there on top of the table. Eddy tried to keep his thoughts on the business that had brought him back to the Ekcolir Reality... at least the reason he had shared with Zeta. "Alice has been telling me about her mission training which took place on Tar'tron. I want to use your Simulation System, Grean. I assume it has no temporal or spatial restrictions imposed upon it."

Grean muttered, "You'd be surprised by the restrictions that even I cannot get around. But in this case, you are correct. I could send you to a Simulation of Tar'tron, in the Galactic Core."

"Excellent. I believe that Alice's memories were edited before she was allowed to go to Earth. I want to visit the younger Alice on Tar'tron and find out what she once knew... maybe something important that-" Eddy pulled Alice's hand to his lips and kissed her fingers, "This version of Alice has been forced to forget."

"Well, I suppose since Alice's mission was completed in the Asimov Reality, what she once knew while growing up on Tar'tron is now irrelevant. However, I see in your mind, Eddy, that you want to obtain nanites that will re-activate the teleportation equipment at Observer Base in the Final Reality. What makes you think that Alice had access to that technology on Tar'tron."

Alice replied, "I was teleported from Tar'tron to Earth. Eddy want's me to show him that long-range teleportation equipment."

Grean shrugged. "Eddy, if the bumpha don't want the teleportation equipment at Observer Base to be used to send people to Earth -or back again- then you running off to Tar'tron is not going to change that."

Eddy nodded, "I suspect you are correct, but I would not be able to live with myself if I did not try."

Grean warned Alice, "He's just looking for excuses to spend more time with you."

Alice giggled, "I don't care. I'm looking for excuses to spend more time with him, and he's never been to Tar'tron, so this will be fun... showing him my childhood home."

Grean told Alice, "That's not true. Eddy has visited Tar'tron, he just can't access his memories of that visit. I suspect that the same thing will happen now of you two go to Tar'tron. Upon Eddy's return to the Final Reality, his memory blocking infites will again prevent him from remembering anything about Tar'tron."

Eddy repeated, "I have to try."

Alice added, "And I'm very horny. Can we hurry this along? And Grean, make sure that Eddy is given his tryp'At body when you send us to Tar'tron."

Grean muttered, "I'm horny, too. I better accompany you two to Tar'tron." Grean looked around the Commons. She asked Eddy, "You did not bring Tyhry along with you this time?"

Eddy grinned and explained, "She's here... with Vance."

Grean linked her telepathic mind to Vance's familiar mind pattern. "Ah, I see. Those two love birds are already working on their second orgasms." Grean teleported Eddy and Alice to Grean's workshop. She set the Viewer attachment of her Reality Simulation System to the Tar'tron coordinates and asked Alice, "What is out temporal target?"

Alice replied, "My earliest memories are from when I was three or four. Let's make it when I was four. Place us just outside my child hook home, in the back yard."

Grean adjusted the targeting system of the Simulator. An image of the four-year-old Alice appeared on the Viewer. Grean took both Alice and Eddy by the hand and they passed through the portal into the Simulation of Tar'tron.

Generated by Mr. Wombo.

Grean, Alice and Eddy arrived in the backyard of Alice's childhood home. There was an intricate collection of swings and climbing toys there in the yard with a narrow, winding swimming pool that rean close the the circumference of the backyard. Alice went and sat on a swing. The sound of a piano being played could be heard from inside the house. Eddy went to be close to Alice and now holding her hand he said, "Is that..."

Alice nodded, "That is me. I was forced to practice music every day. Young Alice is inside her home playing piano. I much preferred to be outside."

Grean asked, "Little Alice the tomboy?"

Alice let go of Eddy's hand and gave herself a running start on the swing and was soon sailing as high as the top bar of the swing set. Grean said, "I'll go check on the teleportation equipment." She popped herself out of the simulation. Arriving back in her workshop, Manny was there and watching the Viewer. Grean could see an image of Alice swinging. "Off again."

Manny said, "Have fun."

Grean re-entered the Simulation of Tar'tron at the long-range teleportation facility. Kl'ath-Sedruth was there, functioning as the controller of the teleportation equipment. Kl'ath-Sedruth told Grean,: Eddy is barking up the wrong tree. There are no teleporter control nanites here, only me.

Grean felt the telepathic mind pattern of Kl'ath-Sedruth. She asked, "Who is there?"

Kl'ath-Sedruth said, "I've sent for the bumpha."

"Manny?" Grean was looking for the source of the temporal paradox that was looming over her. She wondered: Had Manny fallen in love with Delpha when Delpha came to Tar'tron to scout the planet?

Kl'ath-Sedruth said, "Not the bumpha from the Final Reality... I mean the ancient bumpha."

Balok the bumpha (left).

Just then, Balok came through the portal of the long-range teleporter. Seeing Grean, Balok said, "Trouble, with a capitol T."

Grean was vaguely aware of Balok, who she had never known to concern himself with Earth. Grean asked, "Can this equipment actually send someone all the way to Earth?"

Balok stepped close to Grean and stroked one of her long pointed ears with his finely feathered finger tips. "Grean the Kac'hin. First Delpha, then you. My lucky day." He rubbed Grean's crotch and felt the  permanently erect gland of her clitoris.

Grean asked, "You screwed Delpha?"

Balok gestured towards the floor at the base of the teleportation portal. "Look, you can still see some of her vaginal secretions there on the floor... mixed with my semen."

This was not Balok the bumpha, it was Manny the bumpha pretending to be Balok. And Manny was using sophisticated zeptites to push Grean to the heights of horniness. Grean eased her fingers through the feathers at Balok's crotch and foud his penis. She tugged and pulled his erection out of its abdominal sheath. She was amused to confirm the rumor that even Balok's penis was covered with fine, soft feathers. She complained, "Ever since I started my sexplay sessions with Wendy, Delpha refuses to have sex with me, but she screwed you during her fifteen minute reconnaissance of Tar'tron?"

"Well, we were sharing such wonderful orgasms, we slipped off into Simulation Fork and spent a week together. It was wonderful" Balok grabbed Grean's hips, picked her up and set her against his body, her legs straddling his erect penis. 

Grean dissolved her clothing nanites and took Balok's erection into her hot wet vagina. Five minutes later, after her orgasm, she told Balok, "Thank you. I needed that, but I should be collecting Eddy. He's the one that wanted to see this teleportation equipment."

Balok laid Grean down on the floor and began vigorously hammering at her tight little Kac'hin vagina, moving himself towards his own sexual climax. "Don't be in such a rush. Eddy and Alice are going to want a nice long sexplay session."

Grean was in no mood to argue with Balok and she began playing with his colorful feathers as she hurried towards her own second orgasm.

____

Generated by ImageFX

The four-year-old Alice was bored playing the piano. She felt a strange sensation in her mind. Distracted, she started mangling the melody and then began improvising to the strange thoughts that were in her mind. She knew that it was her destiny to go to Earth, but now it was as if she could see Earth in her mind. Where are these visions coming from?

Finally, Alice's mother was tired of listening to the noise that Alice was making with the piano. "Very well, young lady, that's enough for today. But don't forget the extra half hour of algebra... you should do it before dinner time."

Released from her drudgery, Alice was now only thinking about swinging.  She ran into the backyard and saw a man and woman on the swing. She could not at first understand what she was seeing, then it became apparent that the woman was swinging and with each swing moving the man's erect penis in and out of her dripping wet vagina." Young Alice giggled. The older Alice now telepathically told the younger Alice: Just give me one more minute.

Young Alice who had been experiencing orgasms since her sixth moth of gestation inside her mother, reached a hand into her pants and began playing with the stiff glans of her penis where it protruded from her abdominal sheath where most of her continuously erect penis resided. Alice had never before experienced telepathic linkage to someone who had exactly her own mind pattern. An intimate telepathic connection quickly formed between the two copies of Alice. A minute latter, Eddy and the two Alices found themselves inside a a shared telepathic mind space enjoying a shared orgasm trance.

Emerging from her trance, young Alice ran across the yard and watched Eddy pull his big pink erection out of the older Alice who stopped swinging and pulled up her skirt. The young Alice said, "He's huge." She asked the older Alice, "It is not fair. You get to have vaginal orgasms and all I get is play time with my penis."

The older Alice said, "Be patient, next year mother will teach you how to masturbate with one of her vibrating sextoys."

Looking at the older Alice's fond memory of her first vaginal orgasm, the young Alice said, "Oh, yes, I know which toy you mean. It is one of my mother's favorites."

"She'll give it to you at your next synapexday celebration."

The young Alice pointed at Eddy and said, "He is shocked by the idea of children having orgasms."

Alice explained, "Poor Eddy did not get to grow up in a tryp'At society, he was stuck on Earth, living among puritanical humans who think sex is evil."

Eddy protested, "Don't tell her that. She'll never want to go to Earth."

The older Alice said, "I suppose it does not matter."

The young Alice said, "I see in your thoughts that you believe we are inside a simulation."

"Yes, we are. My advice is that you live your life with joy and do those things that you want to do."

Just then, Grean returned and was introduced to the younger Alice who had to carefully inspect Grean's  unusual anatomical features. Finally, Grean told the little girl, "That's enough. We are here on business."

"Business? You intend to use the teleportation system." The younger Alice took hold of the hand of the older Alice. Take me with you! It is so boring here."

Grean shifted them all from the backyard to the teleportation chamber. The young Alice asked, "Was that teleportation?"

Grean explained, "No, it was not teleportation that brought us here. I just altered our coordinated in this Simulation."

Eddy was examining the few small objects that were in the room, none of which were obvious controls for the teleporter system. The young Alice looked around the interior of the chamber and said, "Someone is here, hiding."

Kl'ath-Sedruth said, "I'm not hiding. If you do not wish to use the teleportation system then there is no reason for me to speak to you."

Eddy recognized the voice. "Kl'ath-Sedruth, what are you doing here?"

"I was asked to watch over this teleporter and make sure that is is not misused."

Grean asked, "So, just to be clear, there are no control nanites here for this equipment."

"Well, I am the control system and I'm composed of zeptites, but to your point, this is not like the Phari  base inside Phobos where Alice found the Phari teleportation control nanites."

The young Alice asked, "You've been to Phobos, the moon of Mars?"

The old Alice nodded, "Yes, but only in a Simulation such as this one."

The young Alice said, "Can't wait until I'm an adult and I'm allowed to do interesting things."

Eddy said, "Not everyone gets to meet a copy of themselves and an sedronite entity like Kl'ath-Sedruth. I did not even hear the word 'sedron' until I was fifty years old."

Alice looked at Eddy and said wonderingly, "You are fifty years old?"

Eddy had been placed into a young version of his tryp'At body for this Simulation. He explained, "My appearance was altered for the duration of this Simulation run. I'm actually an old man, eighty years old." Eddy told the young Alice, "Of course, I suppose I should expect you to be impatient with your life as a child; you seem very precocious."

Alice explained to Eddy, "Her mind was linked to mother's in utero. During tryp'At childhood, telepathy is used to boost the rate of cognitive development."

Right then, Balok returned, pretending to arrive via teleportation. The two copies of Alice were delighted by Balok's avian form. Eventually, after young Alice had been given two of Balok's feather to wear in her hair, Balok held up an arm and said, "Enough." He reminded the young Alice. "It is almost time for dinner." Balok turned to Eddy and said, "And it is time for you to return to your Reality."

Kl'ath-Sedruth told Balok, "You do not need to use Eddy as a messenger boy. When the time comes, I will tell Tyhry what must be done."

Balok told Kl'ath-Sedruth, "It is bumpha practice to keep our operatives as well informed as possible, within the constraints imposed by the forces of temporal paradox. Eddy, here is my message for Tyhry: when the time comes, bring Nym to Earth."

The older Alice, Grean and Eddy were sent back to Grean's workshop. Kl'ath-Sedruth told the young Alice: You asked about teleportation. I will now teleport you back home.

"Wait! Where are we? I will return after dinner."

Kl'ath-Sedruth said, "Sorry, but you must do your math problems and get to bed. Tomorrow is another day." Kl'ath-Sedruth sent Alice home and she arrive just before her mother called her in to dinner.

 ______

Upon arriving back in Grean's workshop, Grean immediately teleported Eddy and Alice back to the Writers Block. Delpha was there pretending to use the Viewer attachment of the the workshop's Reality Simulation System. Delpha had an image of the young Alice on the screen being asked by her mother about the feathers in her hair. Alice was excited and unable to eat her dinner before telling her mother about Balok, but her memories of having met the older copy of herself had already been erased from her mind.

Alice's mother held up a hand. "Stop babbling about this big bird and eat your dinner. I suppose you made up this story rather than to your math problems."

The young Alice decided that it was probably wisest to not try to convince her mother that Balok was real. She said, "Yes mother," but now she was more eager that other to grow up and have the adventure of going to Earth.

Grean was not paying much attention to the young copy of Alice. She put her arms around Delpha and asked, "There was a temporal paradox that  prevented you from telling me about Balok."

Delpha kissed the tip of Grean's nose. "Yes, that was at the heart of the V 7.3 temporal paradox barrier. Now I can speak to you freely about Balok."

Grean said, "Spare me. Why would I want to hear you brag about your sexplay with that bird when you no longer consent to sexplay sessions with me?"

Delpha laughed. "You are jealous."

"I fell in love with you when we were children. It hurts me that you are no longer my lover."

Delpha said, "I don't want to come between you and Wendy."

"You can come with me anything you want. I still love you."

"And I love you."

Grean went to the Viewer and played back Delpha reciting her poem:

My dearest Upkhroknownst
My secret deep, so very deep,
From upwhen vistas, where the chronons sleep.
I saw our futures, intertwined and bright,
A V-Index spike, bathed in quantum light.....

Grean said, "What could it have mattered had I known about Balok. Who cares if both you and I got to ravish that bird? He means nothing to me."

Delpha giggled and asked, "What makes you think that was actually Balok?"

Delpha shrugged. "You know that there are artificial life forms who can change their physical form."

"Yes, but if that was not Balok, then who?"

Delpha said. "That is a mystery. Who could it have been that would have been able to trigger a V 7.3 temporal paradox barrier?"

But Manny was teasing Grean. Manny has memory-altering infites in Grean's Phari endosymbiont that would never allow Grean to guess the answer to the riddle. Manny had viewed Grean's future and knew it was for the best that the keep their relationship centered on business. Manny chuckled, knowing that she could always find new ways to have sexplay with Grean even if Grean did not know what was happening and even if sometimes Grean needed to be distracted by something as sill as a fake V 7.3 temporal paradox.

_______

Arriving back in the Commons of the Writers Block, Eddy and Alice found Tyhry and Vance seated at a table. Tyhry told Alice, "I'm just learning about your mission in the Asimov Reality."

Alice rested a hand on Vance's shoulder, "Don't believe anything he tells you. Everything he knows about my life, I told him."

Vance chuckled and patted Alice's hand where it rested on his shoulder, "She always makes things up to embellish any story."

Tyhry rose to her feet and put an arm around Eddy. After looking into his recent memories she asked him, "You had sex with Alice on a swing?"

"She was on a swing, I had both feet on the ground. It is unfair that you are blocking me from looking at your recent memories."

"There is nothing you need to concern yourself with. Vance is always a perfect gentleman. He gave me three perfect orgasms in less than an hour."

Vance said, "If you are counting then remember, you need to return for another visit. I had four orgasms, so I still owe you one."

Eddy popped himself and Tyhry out of the Simulation and they arrived back at home. Tyhry asked, "What is this, who is Nym?"

Eddy sat at his computer and began a search of the bookmarks data file of the Reality Simulation System. "I don't know. I thought maybe you would know, but I guess you don't."

Tyhry was watching Zeta and Anthony who were out playing in the tub. Tyhry was already dissolving her clothing nanites and heading for the back door, "Let me know if you find anything."

Delpha and Grean

_____the end_____

Note: the character Nymerya Coryn (A.K.A 'Nym') was a follow-on character inspired by Systolina from "The Nanite Smuggler" and Nym appeared as a character in other stories such as Vythoth the Chresmoscopist and the Mosy Saga. The events in Part 3 of "Someday Mars" (above) are set before Tyhry ever hears from Systolina about her personal conflict with Nym.

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Wye Not?

Figure 1. Image generated by Gemini.

Part 7 of an outline for a "Contact" television program.

After several months of work with her new multi-band hierion communications receiver Ellie tries to publish a journal article describing the distribution of hierion signals in the universe. The journal where she wants to publish rejects the article since Ellie cannot describe how the receiver works. Ellie has been trying to get Dr. Wye to come to the Moon and help her reverse engineer the receiver.

By this point in time the Inspiration and Atlantis are routinely bringing passengers and supplies to Moon Base Alpha. It has been found that plants grow nicely in the residential complex that holds the replica of Ellie's childhood home. 

Figure 2. Image generated by Gemini.

That building has become part of Ellie's Lunar Observatory and most of her SETI team has moved from New Mexico to the Moon. A dozen participating nations of the International Machine Consortium now are contributing antimatter-powered spacecraft to the Earth-Moon supply line. The first spaceship designed specifically to use the V3 antimatter drive is being constructed by the IMC and it will be used for the first manned mission to Mars.

On Earth, Dr. Wye and Kate Robinson complete their basic analysis of the nanites that they have inactivated by exposing them to powerful magnetic fields. They have discovered a way to re-activate the nanites. 

Figure 3. Image generated by ImageFX.

Critical facilities such as Area 51 and the White House are now routinely swept for the presence of Overseer nanites, although only Dr. Wye is aware of the source of the nanites. Dr. Zelter has changed her identity after Ellie and Palmer identified her as a source of nanites.

Dr. Wye and Kate arrive at Moon Base Alpha. Kate starts trying to duplicate the hierion receiver. 

Figure 4. Image generated by ImageFX.

Dr. Wye becomes active in a team of theoretical physicists who are tying to understand what it means to have different types of hierions. They are trying to find a unified theory of hierions and sedrons. 

Ellie's SETI team is now focused on trying to decode the hierion-based signals that they continue to recieve.

Theodor Schwartz arrives at Moon Base Alpha and he is satisfied that the Moon Base is protected against Overseer nanites. 

Figure 5. Image generated by ImageFX.

Dr. Wye knows that Schwartz is overly optimistic, but as long as she is present and on watch, it will not be possible for Overseer nanites to do much damage to the flowering research projects at Area 51 and Moon Base Alpha. She releases Ellie and Palmer from the control of her own nanites and they are able to discuss the existence of nanites with other people.

Dr. Wye and Hadden have a discussion about the Overseers.

Wye: "Liberating Ellie and the other Earthlings from Overseer nanites was too easy."

Hadden: "After working for 2,500 years towards this goal I don't feel like it was easy."

Wye: "Yes, not easy, but easier than it should have been. I've been watching for evidence of Huaoshy involvement."

Hadden: "The Huaoshy are here?"

Wye: "I have no clear evidence, but I sense a pattern in recent events. I'm tempted to push the envelop."

Hadden: "What do you have in mind?"

Wye: "I could give Kate a few hints that would allow her to understand Ellie's hierion receiver, but it will be best if I let the Earthlings solve this puzzle the hard way."
Hadden: "What is the hard way?"

Wye: "By first understanding sedronic physics. But the theoretical team is not even close to cracking the problem. I'm starting to wonder if any of the Earthlings is capable of imagining the conceptual shape of sedronics."

Hadden: "If Ellie's team can decode the signals-"

Wye: "No, the Earthlings don't have the computational tools for that. Even if I told Ellie how to decode the signals, with their current technology it would take a million years to crack their first signal."

Figure 6. Image generated by Whisk.

Hadden: "Maybe the Overseers have relaxed because they know that the Earthlings are stuck."

Wye: "They know that I'm here."

Hadden: "They detected you?"

Wye: "Not me personally, but they have deduced that someone like me provided you with assistance. And now the news about nanites is sweeping the globe. I really pushed Kate along to solve the puzzle of nanite reactivation. I've given the Earthlings three major advances in using Machine technology...any Overseers noting this rapid progress would know that the Earthlings are getting outside help."

Hadden: Well, Wye, you can fret and worry if you must, but I see no evidence that the Huaoshy have ever concerned themselves with Earth. They have bigger fish to fry. Maybe when we help get the bumbling humans out of the Solar System and to another star system then the Huaoshy might become interested. Until then, I'm not holding my breath.

The above outline for an episode of the "Contact" television program was made back in 2012. I used AI tools to make some images for the story and provided Gemini with my blog posts from 2012 concerning this science fiction story idea. I then asked Gemini....

Me: Gemini, given what you know about my plans from 2012 for a fan-fiction story about Ellie, Dr. Shella Wye and even Carl Sagan himself, how would you begin such an imaginary television series to minimize viewer confusion and maximize dramatic impact?

Alien nanites by Whisk.

 Gemini: To begin such an imaginary television series, minimizing viewer confusion while maximizing dramatic impact, I would propose the following approach for the pilot episode:

Phase 1: Grounding in Familiarity and Introducing Personal Mystery (First 15-20 minutes)

1. Immediate Post-Contact Aftermath:

Scene: Open immediately after Ellie's return from the Machine. Show the chaotic press conference, the public skepticism, and the government's official dismissal of her "experience." This grounds viewers in the familiar aftermath from the film, but hints at underlying tension.

Ellie's Internal Struggle: Focus on Ellie's profound sense of having experienced something extraordinary, contrasted with her inability to provide objective proof. Show her isolated, haunted by the vivid, beautiful memories of her "journey," yet frustrated by the lack of external validation.

ubtle Anomalies: Begin to introduce subtle, inexplicable occurrences from Ellie's perspective. She might experience fleeting moments of déjà vu, recall facts she shouldn't know, or have sensations that don't quite fit. These are the first hints of the "infites" at work, but the viewer (and Ellie) won't know what they are yet.

2. Reintroduction of Key Players with New Layers:

Palmer Joss: Show his continued support for Ellie, but perhaps with a sense of unease about her unshakeable conviction despite the lack of evidence.

Observer Sagan (right) watching Ellie.

  Dr. Shella Wye (Genesaunt/Interventionist): Introduce Dr. Wye early, perhaps as a sympathetic, brilliant scientist who approaches Ellie with an unusual proposition or observation about the Machine's residual energy or the "alien" signal. Her dialogue can be scientifically precise, hinting at "hierion" physics without explicitly defining "sedrons" yet. She subtly pushes Ellie to look beyond the surface.

Dr. Karen Zelter (Observer): Zelter should appear as a highly placed government or scientific oversight figure, seemingly concerned but subtly dismissive or obstructive of Ellie's continued investigations. She is an "Observer" acting to control information flow.

Phase 2: Escalating the Unsettling Reality (Middle 20-25 minutes)

The Fading Signal & The Machine's True Purpose:

Scene: Ellie and her team (perhaps including a new, skeptical but brilliant colleague) investigate the now-silent Vega signal. They find highly anomalous energy signatures or data patterns around the Machine site that don't align with a simple "wormhole" concept.

The "Infite" Revelation (Partial): Through their scientific inquiry, they discover an extremely complex, synthetic microscopic structure – a "nanite" or, as you'd call it, an "infite" – embedded within debris from the Machine or within samples taken from Ellie's vicinity after her experience. Initial analysis reveals it's far beyond human technology, but its function remains a mystery. Ellie might have a moment of intense clarity or a new, inexplicable memory flash when near this infite, hinting at its memory-carrying capability.

  Whispers of Outside Influence: Dr. Wye (the Interventionist) might drop a carefully worded hint about long-standing "unseen hands" guiding human development, framed as a philosophical discussion. Zelter (the Observer) subtly blocks funding or access to critical data.

Phase 3: The Dramatic Hook and New Direction (Final 15-20 minutes)

1. The First Direct Contradiction:

Scene: Ellie attempts to access a specific memory from her "journey" – perhaps a unique detail or a conversation with the alien entity. As she focuses, the "infite" she's unknowingly carrying in her brain attempts to reinforce the false memory.

The Glitch in the Matrix: However, perhaps through a scientific trigger or a moment of extreme stress/focus, a glitch occurs. She sees a fleeting, contradictory image or hears a different voice, a split-second vision of not being in space but somewhere else, perhaps even back in the Machine's chamber, seeing something being "injected" into her. This is a dramatic breaking point.

The O'Seriat Unveiling (Tease): A brief, enigmatic scene could show "Joseph" (the religious fanatic) in a secluded location, not as a fanatic but as a composed individual, morphing slightly or exhibiting unusual behavior, subtly revealing his true Huaoshy nature as o'Seriat, who orchestrated the Machine's destruction for a precise purpose. This scene's context is unclear to the viewer, but it establishes a deeper, manipulative force.

2. Ellie's New Quest:

Realization: Ellie comes to a horrifying, dawning realization: her journey was not real. Her most profound experience was manufactured. The infites were not a gift, but a means of deception.

The New Question: The central question shifts from "Are we alone?" to "Who manipulated me, why, and what are these 'infites' and 'Phari endosymbionts' actually doing inside me?"

  Carl Sagan Tease (Post-Credits/Final Scene): For maximum dramatic impact, the pilot could end with a cryptic, brief scene of Carl Sagan, alive and perhaps in a strange, advanced setting, observing Earth with a detached but knowing expression. He might utter a single, profound line related to observation or the true nature of the universe, setting up his role as an "apprentice Observer" for future episodes.

Minimizing Confusion & Maximizing Impact:

Gradual Information Release: Don't overload the viewer with "Exodemic" lore immediately. The pilot focuses on Ellie's personal journey of doubt and discovery, with the alien factions (Observers, Interventionists) hinted at through their agents (Zelter, Wye) and their subtle influence.

Visual Storytelling: Use compelling visual effects for the "infites" and the "hierion" physics, making the advanced concepts more accessible.

Emotional Core: Keep Ellie's emotional journey – the wonder, the frustration, the dawning horror, and then the renewed determination – at the heart of the narrative. This makes the scientific and metaphysical concepts relatable.

The Twist: The revelation that Ellie's journey was a sophisticated illusion is the ultimate dramatic punch. It subverts expectations and immediately raises the stakes, transforming the series from a first-contact story into a profound conspiracy thriller about control, perception, and hidden truths.

This opening provides a strong hook by dismantling a beloved narrative element and replacing it with a more complex, personal, and scientifically rigorous mystery, perfectly aligning with your interest in advanced nanotechnology, intricate alien agendas, and the potential for technology-assisted telepathy through the "Phari endosymbiont."

Figure 7. Ellie and the infites.

When I started asking Gemini to generate some images to Illustrate scenes for this fan-fiction "Contact" television program, I first asked for, "an image depicting a dramatic scene when a glittering cloud of infites is entering into Ellie's head. Include the interior of the 'transport pod' and details such as the electronic video recorder."

I don't think Gemini understood what the interior of the 'transport pod' should look like and Gemini made a cute little video screen (see the image to the right) rather than the wearable video camera that I was expecting.

I asked Claude the same question.

Claude: Given your vision of this as humanity's guided transition story, I'd recommend starting the series with a deceptively familiar opening that gradually reveals the deeper reality. Here's how I'd structure the pilot:

Opening: The Familiar Made Strange

Begin exactly where the movie ended - Ellie with her government research grant, ostensibly searching for more alien signals. But show subtle wrongness: equipment behaving oddly, Ellie having inexplicable hunches about where to look, brief moments where she seems to "know" things she shouldn't.

The Hook: Ellie's Medical Crisis

About 15 minutes in, have Ellie collapse during what appears to be routine work. This gives you the medical scanning subplot while creating immediate stakes. When Dr. Zelter finds nothing, but Ellie insists something is wrong with her brain, you've established the central mystery without explaining it.

 The Reveal Structure

Rather than hiding the nanites entirely, show them early but ambiguously. When Ellie has her "vision" of Hadden explaining magnetic memory storage, show brief flashes of microscopic movement in her brain during the MRI. Viewers will wonder: Is this alien technology, advanced human tech, or is Ellie having a breakdown?

Character Introduction Through Action

Introduce Dr. Wye not through exposition but through a scene where she's clearly manipulating government officials to ensure Ellie gets the resources she needs. Show her as mysteriously knowledgeable about technology that shouldn't exist yet.

The Sagan Element

Have Carl Sagan appear as himself - not as an Observer initially, but as a concerned scientist who visits Ellie. He asks probing questions about her experience that suggest he knows more than he's saying. This adds gravitas while setting up the later revelation.

End with Escalation

Lost memories.

 Close the pilot with Ellie making a breakthrough discovery - perhaps detecting the nanites using her new magnetic scanning technique - but then having that memory seemingly erased overnight. She wakes up with notes in her own handwriting that she doesn't remember making.

This approach gives viewers familiar entry points (Ellie's continued search, government intrigue, scientific mystery) while establishing the deeper mythology without overwhelming them. The medical crisis provides immediate drama, while the memory gaps create an unsettling foundation for the larger story.

Would you want to include o'Seriat's shapeshifting in the pilot, or save that revelation for later episodes?

Me: It might be effective to begin the pilot episode with a short scene about the creepy Joseph at an unspecified time in the past when a "nanite cloud" emerges from the original Joseph after a dramatic scene in which he prays for guidance. The cloud will form a duplicate of Joseph. Without explanation, the duplicate immediately kills the original (biological) Joseph. Only much later in the series of episodes would viewers see this brief scene again and understand that the "cloud" represents nanites.

Figure 8. By Whisk using the image from Figure 7.

 Claude: That's a brilliant opening - it immediately establishes an atmosphere of mystery and unease while planting a visual motif that will gain meaning throughout the series.

The Power of This Opening:

Starting with the Joseph scene creates instant intrigue without requiring exposition. Viewers will be asking: What was that cloud? Why did the duplicate kill the original? Is this supernatural, science fiction, or psychological thriller territory? The religious context (Joseph praying) adds another layer of interpretive possibility.

Visual Storytelling:

The nanite cloud gives you a distinctive visual signature that can recur throughout the series. When viewers later see similar clouds around other characters, they'll recognize the pattern before understanding the mechanism. This creates a sense of hidden connections and building dread.

Structural Benefits:

By showing the Joseph incident "at an unspecified time in the past," you're free to reveal later that this connects to the Machine incident from the movie. It also establishes that whatever this phenomenon is, it's been happening for a while - suggesting a larger pattern of intervention.

 The Recontextualization Payoff:

When viewers eventually see this scene again with full knowledge of o'Seriat and the nanite technology, it will reframe everything. They'll realize they were watching an alien take control of a human to destroy the first Machine, and that the entire "religious fanatic" explanation was misdirection.

Transition to Present:

After this unsettling cold open, you could cut to title sequence, then to Ellie in her current situation - perhaps having a nightmare about the Machine incident, or waking up with those mysterious notes. The contrast between the disturbing opening and Ellie's seemingly normal scientific work would create perfect tension.

This approach respects your audience's intelligence while giving them a genuinely mysterious hook that will keep them theorizing throughout the series. How do you envision the visual treatment of the nanite cloud transformation?

Figure 9. By Whisk with Claude's text prompt.

 Me: Visual depiction of the nanites is a serious issue. At my blog, I use AI-generated images to illustrate my stories. Today I asked Google's Gemini LLM to make an image depicting nanites going into the body of Ellie (see the uploaded image). I've never been entirely satisfied with AI-generated images of nanites. Claude, generate a text prompt that I could use with Google's Whisk text-to image software to better depict a dramatic scene when a glittering cloud of infites is entering into Ellie's head. The scene should include the interior of the 'transport pod' and details such as the electronic video recorder.

Claude: Here's a detailed text prompt for Google Whisk to create a more dramatic nanite invasion scene:

"Interior of futuristic transport pod with curved metallic walls and glowing control panels. A woman with shoulder-length brown hair sits in a high-tech restraint chair, her eyes closed in concentration or distress. A shimmering cloud of microscopic particles - like glittering cosmic dust or metallic snow - swirls dramatically around her head and face, with some particles appearing to phase through her skin and skull. The nanites should look like tiny points of silver and blue light, creating luminous trails as they move. 

Avian alien by Whisk.

 In the foreground, show an electronic video recording device with visible LED indicators and a small screen displaying static or interference patterns. The pod's interior lighting should be dim blue-white with dramatic shadows, creating a tense, sci-fi atmosphere. The nanite cloud should appear both beautiful and ominous, with some particles forming spiral patterns as they penetrate her temples and forehead. Include details like padded restraint straps, instrument panels with readouts, and the curved pod walls reflecting the ethereal light from the nanite swarm."

This prompt emphasizes the dramatic lighting, the specific technical elements you want (pod interior, video recorder), and describes the nanites as both visually striking and purposeful in their movement. The key is making them look less like random sparkles and more like an organized, intelligent swarm with intent.

Would you like me to adjust any specific visual elements or add more technical details about the pod's interior?

Figure 10. By Whisk; Claude's prompt & my tweaks.

 Me: Claude, modify your suggested text prompt to include these visual features: the transport pod's interior is the inside of a spherical transport pod with the only interior contents being a restraint chair for Ellie, Ellie and  a small wearable video camera/recorder attached to her head. The interior walls appear to be some dark colored, futuristic composite material. Above the headrest of the chair is an array of LED lights. There are NO computers or display panels inside the pod. 

Claude: Interior of a spherical transport pod with curved dark composite walls made of futuristic carbon-fiber-like material. A woman with shoulder-length brown hair sits in a single high-tech restraint chair positioned in the center of the sphere, her eyes closed in concentration or distress. A small wearable video camera/recorder is attached to her head like a headset or helmet cam. Above the headrest of her chair, an array of bright LED lights creates dramatic illumination. A shimmering cloud of microscopic particles - like glittering cosmic dust or metallic snow - swirls dramatically around her head and face, with some particles appearing to phase through her skin and skull. The nanites should look like tiny points of silver and blue light, creating luminous trails as they move in spiral patterns as they penetrate her temples and forehead. The pod's interior is minimalist and empty except for the chair and LED array, with the dark composite walls reflecting the ethereal light from the nanite swarm and LED lights above. The atmosphere should be tense and sci-fi, with the nanite cloud appearing both beautiful and ominous as it invades her mind.

 I made some changes to Claude's text prompt and Whisk generated the image shown in Figure 10. Whisk never understood what I meant by a small camera, even when I specified, "The camera/recorder is the size of a small writing pen and is held to the side of her head".

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