Non-Sequitur

I regularly peruse the Sunday comics for quick laughs and a bit of nostalgia from my younger days of fighting family members to see who got to them first.  Just over a week ago Wiley Miller published an offer to his readers to write their own story.  The sheer variety of characters displayed and variety of terrains gave me the idea of a meeting of people that can travel between parallel universes in the multiverse.

The time for the meeting of the Multiverse Traveler's League had arrived at last. This is a chance for individuals, groups, and civilizations that have managed to acquire the ability to cross between parallel universes to gather together. Some travelers use technology, others take advantage of focused mental discipline and mental energies to break the barriers between worlds. A handful even managed to accidentally trip between worlds without any effort at all. Regardless of the method used for traveling between all the facets of the multiverse, everyone that can reach the meeting location is invited to attend.

The gathering took place every 25 years on a different planet in a different universe. This time around it was to be hosted on a terraformed moon of Saturn in a universe designated as 7775-349x10.012/Acorn. The gaseous planet with its rings and multiple moons rising over the horizon gave attendees of the meeting a spectacular view, regardless of the range of their visual spectrum.

Terraforming of the moon had been completed just for this trans-universal event. Environments had been developed for the comfort of attendees from multiple planets and evolutionary chains. Humid jungles rose up next to giant seas. Methane pools bubbled near barren deserts. The frozen peaks of giant mountains soared into the skies, piercing clouds of freezing nitrogen. Plains of ice and frozen grasses lay under a layer of crystalline snow. Everything that could make any kind of being comfortable was put in place.

Areas and routes had been laid out for a multitude of transportation methods and devices. Boats cut through the surf to reach platforms for their captains to disembark. Tracks had been laid for those wishing to arrive via train. No method of travel was too elaborate or too simple for those that crossed from one universe to another. The security forces even had their own custom floating blimps that moved easily in the medium gravity and minimal atmospheric winds.

While bipedal beings that walked upright were the most common members of the MTL, they were not the only evolved beings that had appeared by far. Long sea serpents swam through oceans that teemed with other life, then moved to worlds with seas covered in a planet-wide sheet of ice. Birds with wings as thin as tissue paper glided on breezes over planets as numerous as their feathers. Giant intelligent bears soaked up the sun that beat down on their fur from as many suns as they could find.

There was no lack of events and occurrences at the meeting. Explorers take advantage of audiences to expand on new discoveries made and unusual variations on recognized planets that were stumbled upon. Panels are formed for to aid new adventurers in increasing the efficiency of their method for getting from one universe to the next, whether it be via technological device or thought power. Representatives of different groups and organizations gathered together to discuss various rules and regulations and develop laws to govern the members of the MTL. This last group was generally the least productive and still most entertaining to watch.

All of these different beings from various worlds and universes arrived via numerous methods to this customized moon. Their ultimate goal being a golden pyramid transmitting a powerful light into the sky under and inside which they would all socialize and speak of their shared abilities to cross the unbreakable barriers that separate one universe from another.

If the link above didn't work, here is the comic itself to inspire a story of your own.  

What can the Noah do?

Stories with holiday themes abound this time of year.  Children being shown the true meaning of Christmas, adults renewing their belief in humanity and Santa, the cold weather bringing wintry characters to life.  Sometimes it's nice to get away from all of these types of tales and read something that doesn't relate to gifts, snow, or families singing carols.  With that in mind I present a continuation of the tale I wrote about twice before, the alien race known as the Noah.

I have made one adjustment since my last post set in this universe.  I changed the name of the aggressive reptilian race from Drag'korn to Drag'kun.  It keeps the similarity to "dragon" that I wanted without being as clumsy.

The first signals from the Noah weren't received by fields of SETI dishes, military tracking stations, or scientific radio telescopes.  A boy trying to expand the frequencies his satellite television receiver picked up in an attempt to get free adult channels was suddenly bombarded with multiple video images and several audio feeds simultaneously.  History would never know of this, the onslaught to his senses triggered an epileptic seizure.  He wouldn't remember any of what he saw or heard, even after others began noticing the signal and word of it quickly spread across social media and news media stations.

Pundits and self-titled experts argued and debated about the import of the signal.  Governments rushed to dispatch personnel to investigate the sites the Noah mentioned as proof of their statements.  This was accomplished at a pace only slightly faster than some civilians realized they might become rich if they were the first to posses whatever items made up this proof.  More debates and arguments arose as the proof was located and the reality of the Noah was verified.

Churches were filled beyond their capacity as devout parishioners and rare visitors rushed to seek answers from their pastors and other religious leaders.  Many streets were empty as other people sat in clusters around their televisions, enraptured by screens displaying split views of the Noah's message and statements from government officials.  Different countries each declared their people were more worthy and their voices should be heard over the citizens of other nations.  Very few people were taking note of the deadline mentioned in the Noah's message as discussions were held regarding what should be done and who was responsible for doing it.

Approaching the Earth, the Noah observed the multiple signals bouncing across and around the planet as the humans conversed.  Centuries of observation and study had taught the Noah much patience.  They exercised this patience as they waited for a response from the planet.  As it was obvious the words vastly outnumbered any actions, no response was immediately expected.

Unseen by either the ship or the planet, a small pod with practically no emissions drifted into the system on a calculated ballistic trajectory.  It was an advanced scout sent by the Drag'kun.  Travelling at a speed near that of light, the scout pod would be able to pick up the signals between Earth and the Noah before being detected.  The commander of the pod's crew would quickly interpret these signals and relay them with his notes to the approaching fleet still some distance outside the Oort cloud of the solar system.  The fleet would use this data to determine how best to continue their approach.  There was no doubt an attack would happen, it was only the number and types of ships to use that was to be determined.  Too many ships and the spoils of war would be spread too thin between the attackers.  Too few ships and the captains of the fleet would become bored before reaching another target rich system and begin to fight amongst themselves.

While I do have a lot of hope for the future of humanity, I do believe that current society would do heaps of talking during a global discovery like this before any action would actually take place.  Of course, the infinite possibilities of the universe means that Earthlings may not have sole possession of this particular trait.

Post-Creation Coma

Another November has come to a close.  The National Novel Writing Month has finished for another year.  Thirty days where every free second is filled with writing, composing, and creating.  A month of reviewing outlines, defining characters, setting scenes, and creating just the right mood.  Mornings shift into afternoons, which then change into evenings and nights without notice.  Nights pass without sleep as ideas form and are molded and shaped before being put into place.  The deadline passing by means the steady writing can be put on hold, but the process is far from finished.  With the arrival of December 1st, a brief breath can be taken before the hard work truly begins.

The small number of days and large number of words in the challenge force an author to write at a pace that doesn't allow more than basic editing on the fly.  Many critical questions must be left for later consideration.  Does this scene work?  Should the affections between these characters be more overt or subdued?  Would it be more effective if the readers loved this person more before I kill them off?  What words or phrases can I use to increase the emotional impact of this passage?  All of these factors can take weeks or months of reading, tweaking, and rereading to get a novel to come out just right.

The holiday season is a great time to get out and remind myself what the outside world looks like.  It will be relaxing to participate in activities that don't require too much mental strain.  I can gaze at lights and admire decorations while refilling my creative juices.  It will certainly ease my exhausted mind to sing along with joyous songs heard so many times the lyrics are practically ingrained in my DNA.  Now, where did I leave that remote control?