Irhit

artificial life copies of people

In a previous blog post, I set out to describe how some of the characters in the Exode Saga view another character in the story. In general, my approach to story writing is plot-driven and the characters are inserted as needed. Occasionally a character arrives who is something of a scene stealer and I actually spend a little time thinking about them, but then I quickly get tired of the needy character and get back to my preferred mission of plot development.

One of the Exode Saga characters who insisted on being included in the story is called "the Editor". The origins of the Editor are rather mysterious. Apparently The Editor had to be "constructed" in the Final Reality as an emergency replacement for a professional science fiction writer. The Editor had a "partial analog" in the Ekcolir Reality.

Irhit

A Search Beyond

Two years ago I had the chance to "speak" to Irhit.
Irhit was the replicoid of that "partial analog", but is able to use the Bimanoid Interface to connect to the Editor.

Near the beginning of the Exode Saga, the task of introducing the Editor falls to Irhit. The Editor is only 12 years old and is just discovering the literature of science fiction.

Typical humans from Earth are hard to find in the first few chapters of Search Beyond. The Editor is raised on Earth and by default he thinks of himself as an Earthling, but he always has doubts. Upon discovering science fiction, the Editor toys with the fantastic idea that he is really some kind of alien visitor to Earth.

the tryp'At

The tryp'At have been carefully designed so as to be classified as "human", but their ability to use the Bimanoid Interface makes them a tempting target for those who seek to guide the human population of planet Earth into the future.

The Irhit Intervention

One of the frustrating aspects of my investigations into Irhit has been rumors from the Hierion Domain that Ivory knows the details of how Irhit has guided the Editor towards completing the Exode Saga.

According to Yōd, there are very good reasons for not allowing Ivory to pass along all of her knowledge to Earth and the Editor. A balance must be kept that allows the Editor to imagine that he is not a puppet of Irhit and that he has some capacity to exercise free will. The Editor must write about Irhit without knowing if it is Irhit who is actually writing the Exode Saga.
Next: retro-reading a 1959 Sci Fi story by Asimov

Visit the Gallery of Book and Magazine Covers.

Obscure Reasons

Smade's Planet

In the novel Star King, Jack Vance wrote that Smade's Planet, a "small stony world in the middle Beyond", was first settled "for a whole set of obscure reasons". The source of the "obscurity" was R. Gohrlay, working during the Trysta truce to genetically engineer the tryp'At, a human variant that would be able to use the Bimanoid Interface.

Making use of the lawless worlds of the Beyond as her laboratory, R. Gohrlay sanctioned and supported many experiments that involved equipping humans with various neuroactive nanite prosthetics. The human subjects in these experiments who could best use the Bimanoid Interface were identified and subjected to an extensive breeding and hybridization program that extended through thousands of years of the Asimov Reality.

The IPX vs Zodiac Control

blue sedronite

Sometimes R. Gohrlay's experiments caused havoc. Some of the nanite-enhanced test subjects became criminals. Among these trouble-makers were the so-called "Demon Princes", including Attel Malagate. Malagate must be viewed as a special case, arising from R. Gohrlay's first attempt to extend her research program to aliens. The Star Kings were unusual aliens in that they had evolved so as to closely resemble humans. Malagate had some ability to use the Bimanoid Interface, but ultimately R. Gohrlay made sure that Malagate was killed, putting an end to his personal genetics experiments on the planets of the Beyond where he had enslaved human populations.

Kirth and Alice vs the Demon Princes

Malagate's chief assistant in conducting human breeding experiments on worlds of the Beyond was a man named Tristano. Tristano had been educated on Earth as an agent of Zodiac Control. When the Institute became aware of Malagate and the fact that a Star King was experimenting on human genetics, they assigned their agent, Tristano, to the task of infiltrating Malagate's criminal organization. As a Zodiac agent, Tristano was equipped with a special set of nanite tools. By inserting special assassin's nanites into the body of a victim, Zodiac Control agents such as Tristano could seemingly kill adversaries by mere touch of their hand.

Smade's Tavern on Smade's planet was established as a base of operations for IPCC agents operating on worlds of the Beyond. Smade was careful to conceal his support for IPCC agents, and, in fact, more criminals of the Beyond visited Smades Tavern than did IPCC agents. It was at Smade's Tavern that Kirth Gersen was put on the trail of Attel Malagate. Smade informed Gersen that a guest at the Tavern (Malagate) was a Star King.

the Sogdian experiments

Gersen was never formally an IPCC agent, but on occasion he performed special tasks for high-ranking IPCC officials. In a sense, Gersen was a deep cover IPCC agent. Gersen was born on a world of the Beyond that was the site of one of R. Gohrlay's human breeding experiments and Gersen had a limited capacity to use the Bimanoid Interface. When the IPX was informed of the fact that Kirth was being trained to hunt down the Demon Princes, Gersen was secretly equipped with advanced nanites supplied by R. Gohrlay. Those nanites were able to defend a person against the assassin's nanites that were used by the agents of Zodiac Control.

Thus, when Gersen engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Tristano, Tristano's nanites were ineffective and Gersen survived the encounter. Tristano was severely injured by Gersen's skilled combat methods, and quite aware of the fact that Gersen must have had nanite-based defenses. Suspecting that Gersen must be an IPX agent, Tristano went into hiding.

Pallis Atwrode

Eventually, after Malagate disappeared, Tristano was forced to assume that Malagate was dead. Pallis Atwrode "retired" from her work at Sea Province University after the death of Malagate. However, Tristano was able to question Malagate's associates (two administrators in the Department of Galactic Morphology) at the University and confirm that Malagate died on a hidden world of the Beyond.

The remaining mystery for Tristano was how Gersen had learned that Malagate was a Star King. Eventually, Tristano questioned Smade on Smade's Planet. Tristano discovered that Smade was protected by his own nanite defenses. Assuming that Smade was an IPX agent, Tristano captured him, took him back to his hide-out world Beyond and subjected Smade to merciless mind-probing.

By this time, it was several years after the death of the last Demon Prince. Kirth Gersen and Alice Wroke were trying to locate the world Beyond where he suspected his mother was being held as a prisoner. In fact, the Institute had taken control of the enslaved populations originally set up by Malagate for his experiments. The Institute's secret projects division, Zodiac Control, feared that Gersen would discover their secret involvement in human breeding experiments Beyond. Tristano was ordered to eliminate Gersen and his partner, Alice Wroke.

At that time, Mr. Smade was already dead, but Tristano informed the IPCC that Smade had been identified as an IPCC agent and was being held prisoner at the Tavern on Smade's Planet. The IPCC was told that Smade and his family would be spared if the "weasel Gersen" surrendered himself at Smade's Tavern.

The Asimov Reality

Kirth and Alice arrived at Smade's planet knowing that they were probably walking into an ambush, but with the help of Araminta Smade, they were able to defeat Tristano. Araminta had inherited her parent's ability to make use of some nanite prosthetics. She went on to become a famous writer. When Azynov began investigating the creation of the tryp'At in the Asimov Reality, one of the people he met inside the AR Simulator was Araminta Smade. With their shared interest in writing, Azynov became quite intrigued by Araminta.

The Final Reality Change

Azynov explained to Araminta that he was from "the real world", outside of the Simulator. Araminta was fascinated by the idea that she was only a simulated person. Azynov promised that he would try to create a replicoid copy of Araminta that could exist in "the real world".

Grean the Kac'hin

He seems to have been successful since an Araminta replicoid did become the assistant of Grean just before the Final Reality came into existence.

Next: The Irhit Intervention

Visit the Gallery of Book and Magazine Covers.

Dynamic Equilibrium

In the Ekcolir Reality.
Original cover art by Reginald Rogers
and Edmund Emshwiller.
(blue Sedronite, image credits)

A key element of the Exode Saga is the dynamic equilibrium that exists between Interventionists and Overseers. Interventionists can't stand to watch primitive creatures like we Earthlings wallowing in our own ignorance when a small technological boost could easily eliminate vast suffering. Overseers have been positioned so as to prevent alien influences from giving us advanced technologies because the Huaoshy long ago learned that humanoid species have a talent for destroying their developing civilizations if they are given access to advanced technologies.

Extinction Curve; technology is dangerous.

A major challenge for Grean, just before she departs from Earth, is finding a way to make sure that humans take on the responsibility of maintaining the Interventionist-Overseer dynamic.

Why Can't We Be Friends?

original cover art by Harold McCauley

Along with all other aliens, Grean (a Kac'hin) must soon stop exercising control over the course of human history. According to the terms of the Trysta-Grean Pact, humans must be allowed to take control of their own fate. Grean selects Sachiz and Nivsaham to be the representatives of the Interventionist and Overseer forces that will remain behind after she abandons Observer Base.

After millions of years of constant conflict between Interventionists and Overseers, Sachiz and Nivsaham don't like each other, but Grean needs to find a way to make them begin to work together for the good of Humanity. There are many barriers to Grean's well-intentioned effort to help, not the least of which is the fact that Nivsaham does not want the Overseers to know that nanoscopic interventionists secretly operate right inside Observer Base.

define 'human'

Rule Change
The other major change for Earth that is specified by the Trysta-Grean Pact is that the humans of Earth must now be made aware of the fact that alien beings have long visited Earth. There are two important caveats for this alteration to the Rules of Intervention.

On one hand, it is ironic that exactly when Earthlings must be informed about alien visitors to Earth, all alien visitors must leave Earth. In fact, an extensive effort is made to assure that there will be no physical evidence of aliens visitors remaining on Earth in the Final Reality.

Gohrlay

The other odd twist is that the people of Earth are to be "informed" about the existence of aliens via a science fiction story. Sadly, there will be no physical evidence on hand to support that story about Earth's alien visitors.

Technological Marvels
When Grean abandons Observer Base, she makes available to Sachiz access to teleporter technology that will allow the tryp'At Overseers to quickly remove Interventionists from Earth. However, there are Interventionists at Observer Base who also have access to teleporter technology, although the Overseers are not aware of that.

virtual reality

The other major technology available to both Interventionists and Overseers at Observer Base is only made available in what can be called "Gohrlay's Library". In particular, there is virtual reality technology that can provide access to detailed records of past Realities of Earth.

However, access to this "Reality Simulator" technology is restricted. R. Gohrlay took care when she designed the equipment at Observer Base that allows for teleportation and access to the Library. Not just anybody can use that equipment.

First Fiction

First Reality

In the First Reality, Gohrlay was friends with several science fiction story tellers. Through all of the Realities of Earth, R. Gohrlay maintained a special interest in the analogues of her friends.

Through carefully engineered temporal momentum, the Final Reality includes analogues of Gohrlay's friends. In particular, Isaac Asimov is one such analogue and eventually it becomes clear that Asimov's replicoid, Azynov, can access hidden information about the history of Humanity that is locked up inside the Asimov Reality simulator. Before she departs from Observer Base, Grean must make sure that everything is in place so as to allow Azynov to access that important information from the AR Simulator at just the right time, allowing it to be passed on to the Editor.

Next: Araminta Smade's escape from the AR simulator

Visit the Gallery of Book and Magazine Covers.

Metastasis

Grean the Kac'hin (foreground) and a
whimsical depiction of replicoids.
Original cover art by Howard V. Brown

In my previous two blog posts, I've explored some ideas for a prelude to A Search Beyond. I've now written most of that prelude as an introduction to Grean and "the last replicoid", Azynov.

TOC

Double Agent
I made an interesting discovery while working on "Observer Base": Sachiz the tryp'At is the mother of Roz.

I've also been investigating the possibility that Roz is not actually the daughter of Ayash Shipdesqi and Sachiz. Zeta has suggested that Roz is actually a clone of Sachiz. I'm not sure what the implications are of Roz being a clone of Sachiz.

source
(Sedronite, image credits)

With her connections into the Writers Block, Yōd confirms that Ayash Shipdesqi published some science fiction stories in a past Reality, just before the Final Reality. Those stories were apparently based on a mysterious manuscript, written by Sachiz and left behind on Earth after she was taken to Observer Base in 1947.

Buld Reality
For many years I imagined that the Buld Reality was the Final Reality. However, there is evidence of some "microchanges" that were made to the Buld Reality just before the Final Reality came into existence.

source

According to Yōd, stories written by Ayash Shipdesqi (using various pen names) were all removed from Earth's timeline just before time travel ended and we became trapped in the Final Reality. Stories such as "The Replicoid Intervention" and Ayash's novel, The Azynov Touch, simply revealed too much about Grean and how the Final Reality was brought into existence.

source

Zeta does not believe that Sachiz, as a tryp'At living on Earth in 1947, could possibly have known about the existence of Azynov the replicoid (Azynov was created in 1971). However, I must believe that at some point in time, both Grean and Trysta viewed the future of the Final Reality. Would either of them have told Sachiz about the future? Maybe not.

see

That leaves R. Gohrlay as the remaining possible information conduit to Sachiz. However, there have been no confirmed reports of R. Gohrlay continuing to operate on Earth or anywhere in our galaxy since the time when Grean took possession of Observer Base.

However, I like the hypothesis that R. Gohrlay created the tryp'At, so it may be that Sachiz came to know the future because of her connections to R. Gohrlay. Did R. Gohrlay have a chance, just before the Final Reality, to use her rather primitive Reality Viewing technology to peer into the Final Reality?

Next: Grean's final tasks at Observer Base

visit the Gallery of Book and Magazine Covers

Return to Eternity

Exode

As a science fiction story, Exode had a single goal: by writing it, I would discover some of the features of Genesaunt Society, features that are normally not revealed to mere Earthlings. That mission of discovery began with Hana, an Earthling who "won a ticket" for a trip to the stars. I imagined that Exode would be a fairly simple account of Hana's travels and the Genesaunts she would meet on several planets of the galaxy.

Parthney

Parthney: clone of Thomas

But then a small complication arose. I felt the need to explore the life of the secret Genesaunt agent stationed on Earth who removed Hana from her Earthly existence. That secret agent was Parthney. Examination of Parthney's origins on the planet Hemmal was a fortuitous diversion that quickly led to important revelations about the Kac'hin, the Buld and the Prelands (three human variants of the Galactic Core) as well as the mysterious pek. Investigation of Parthney's origins in the Galactic Core raised far more questions than it answered, but that was a good thing.

Foundations of Eternity

The Prelands are a genetically engineered human variant that had been crafted by the pek as a replacement for we Earthlings. The Buld are a remnant of a past age when humans had been given access to advanced space travel technology that allowed the Buld to travel between the stars at speeds close to the speed of light. The Kac'hin were designed to be a human variant that could efficiently use the Bimanoid Interface and allow the alien Huaoshy to monitor and guide their humanoid agents while they worked here in our galaxy.

Fan Fiction

Investigative science fiction

When I began writing Exode, I had just completed a major fan fiction writing project: Foundations of Eternity. When I began writing Exode, I intended my new story to be an "all original" story that was set in my Exodemic Fictional Universe, not the fictional universe of Isaac Asimov, Jack Vance or Chris Carter. In fact, I was feeling some shame over having written a fan fiction sequel to Asimov's two novels, The End of Eternity and Foundation and Earth.

Trysta and Ekcolir

Then something strange and wonderful happened. I realized that Exode and Foundations of Eternity were really just two parts of the same story. Parthney's mother turned out to be another secret agent who used the name Trysta Iwedon while working on Earth during the 20th century. She was another human variant, an Asterothrope, also known as Noÿs; a time traveler from 7 million years in our future.

Trilogy
Of course, there was much to be said about the Asterothropes and Trysta's mission the 20th century Earth. The Asterothropes were the creation of R. Gohrlay, the first positronic robot. R. Gohrlay had become the "queen of time travel" and had allowed Noÿs to believe that there was only one time travel device in the entire universe: the one located on Earth and described as "Eternity" in Asimov's time travel story, The End of Eternity.

First Reality

However, even after Eternity was destroyed by Noÿs (as described in The End of Eternity) other time travel machines continued to be used, both by R. Gohrlay's tribe of positronic robots and by the Huaoshy, specifically, their Kac'hin agents. Thus, Exode became a kind of sequel to Foundations of Eternity in which Trysta would have to confront a new problem: a raging time travel war between R. Gohrlay and the Huaoshy.

And since Exode had its own long list of Genesaunt issues to reveal, a third novel, Trysta and Ekcolir was needed to tell the story of the Time War and how it was ended by the Trysta-Grean Pact. As the Exode Saga grew, I was confronted by the problem of how to provide a unified narrative across multiple novels.

A Search Beyond

After I had already grown comfortable with having Isaac Asimov appear as a character in Exode, I eventually realized that I should not stop with Asimov... why not bring in Carl Sagan and Jack Vance and even myself? So, "the Editor" was born as a character in the Exode Saga, someone who could function as the device for revealing Genesaunt secrets to the people of Earth.

Starting Points
Thus, while Hana had been a starting point for Exode, the story grew far beyond that simple beginning. I slowly realized that more needed to be said about the origins of R. Gohrlay, so First Reality was added as an additional Exode Saga novel.

source

Most recently, A Search Beyond became the 5th Exode Saga novel, a place for the exploration of Jack Vance's fictional universe of the Beyond as an important feature of human civilization that existed in the Asimov Reality.

The Exode Saga now extends from more than 2 billion years in the past to several million years in the future. Parthney and Azynov travel as far as the Andromeda galaxy and the Huaoshy empire includes thousands of galaxies. While A Search Beyond was a late addition, I want it to be the starting point for the Exode Saga. Finding the correct starting point for A Search Beyond has not been simple. Originally, I was going to begin on the planet Tar'tron, but more recently I decided that the story should begin close to Earth, right when Azynov is created as a replicoid of Isaac Asimov.

source

The newly created Azynov will help Grean with part of the final Reality Change, just before the Huaoshy put an end to time travel. Azynov will also "meet" the 12-year-old Editor and introduce him to The Gods Themselves, beginning the Editor's obsession with science fiction.

Roz Shipdesqi
The day after the Editor "meets" Azynov, Interpol agent Roz Shipdesqi arrives at the Editor's home, asking questions about his grandfather's involvement in secret rocketry experiments with Nazi scientists.

The "blue alien" by Mel Hunter

Roz is half tryp'At, her mother being a tryp'At agent on Earth who knew the young Arthur C. Clarke and who was part of a secret technology development project aimed at toppling the communist government in Moscow. Roz "lost" her mother soon after being born in 1947 and she was raised by her father (was he a rare human who could impregnate a tryp'At or is there another explanation for the existence of Roz?), who blamed the Nazi's for the early "death" of his wife. Roz's mother did not actually die in 1947, she was simply taken off of Earth after completion of her interventionist mission.

source

Investigative Science Fiction
Roz began working as a trainee at MI6 after graduating with a masters degree in computational physics in 1967. One of her mentors was Daphne Jackson. However, she was soon placed on staff with Interpol as part of an international team investigating former Nazis, war criminals living in nations around the world under cover identities.

2014 (blue Sedronite, image credits)

Roz also appears in Exode, after she has transferred to Europol and is investigating nanotechnology developed by Peter. Eventually, Roz became too knowledgeable about Interventionist activities on Earth and she was "killed" in a plane crash in 2014. Actually, she was simply removed from Earth and taken to Observer Base.
Related Reading: mind clones
Next: is Roz a clone?

visit the Gallery of Book and Magazine Covers