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THE NULL SOLUTION = Episode 119

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THE NULL SOLUTION = Episode 119

…What do you do when you are given a ring full of keys and only one lock to open… oh and there is a mysterious treasure on the other side?…

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Cryptomaniacs Anonymous

 

The Cryptomaniac Creed:

“God grant me the…

Serenity to accept Riddles I cannot solve

Courage to solve the ones I can

And the Wisdom to know when to give up”

Admitting you have a problem is the start of real healing. An epic riddle is stuck in the craw of an entire galaxy.

The Milky Way Chapter of CA-Intergalactic is the largest addiction recovery group in the Universe, boasting membership on Earth, Eridanus and most recently, Mars. The greatest minds, living/breathing or circuitry/A.I., continue to pour over the annoying cryptic challenge.

The Triangulum Chapter of CA-Intergalactic is about to form, having been reeled into the nasty habit by that master of temptation, Sampson McKinney, who passes his addiction on to Chasonn, who never met a challenge he could not resist. The “Harmonia Query” should mean little to Seljuk, but there is something about that Space Family McKinney that hits close to home. Those Earthlings are a compelling story, seemingly tossed about the Great Expanse by circumstances they rarely have a handle on.

But that is the problem with wisdom; it comes slow and it comes hard.

What do you do when you are given a ring full of keys and only one lock to open… oh and there is a mysterious treasure on the other side? This one – no this one – maybe this key will open the door. The requisite anxiety level is a variable, not a constant, depending on the interested individual.

THE NULL SOLUTION

Image result for anxiety level gif

Episode 119

page 118

THE NULL SOLUTION = Episode 88

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THE NULL SOLUTION = Episode 88

…Like a cat on a hot tin roof, some 20 billion beings, as disparate as the birth of a star is to a black hole, are longing for the days of old…

… out where Eridanians fear to tread, a coalition of another sort is serves its purpose in the form sharing current events. There is currently no exchange of ambassadors between allied cultures, so traditional forms of communication are vital for the well-being of all concerned.

Seljuk is pleased to learn {from Eridanus} that their disruptor ray and force-field are being put to good use by Earth. They are grieved to hear the news about Princess Cerella’s kidnapping and her eventual medical emergency on Earth, of all places.. They are pleased to know that Ekcello and the rest of the Gifted have been restored to their former giftedness.

…as they say.

In all the news that is fit to print from Seljuk, leader and raconteur Chasonn has some news of his own to share; both bad and good variety.

The bad news is that a gigantic planetary refuge/ship has been launched by the Ÿ€Ð.

The good news is that the entire population were able to escape Ÿ€Ðian home world before it was rear-ended by a sister world.

More possible bad news: they are on a course for Earth.

More possible good news: Chasonn and his people are poised along a path that leads from Galaxy Sexta A to the Milky Way.

No news would be better news.

Chasonn is a peaceful sort on most days, but he has done some scouting of his own and by the looks of Collapsar Axis, nothing good can come of its plodding progression through this greater Great Expanse neighborhood. Of the major civilizations in this sector, Chasonn’s steadying influence has resulted in intergalactic concordance. Nothing bad ever happens over this way, until he lost those three major outposts. And even though no lives were lost, a security blanket has been yanked away from them.

Misplaced security is the common thread intertwining nearly all parties concerned lately. In no particular order, but curiously serendipitous nonetheless, you have the Seljuk incident, the Eridanus episode, the Ÿ€Ð displacement and Earth on pins and needles.

Like a cat on a hot tin roof, some 20 billion beings, as disparate as the birth of a star is to a black hole, are longing for the days of old, i.e. Stardate 2029 when:

  • Chasonn had worked selflessly to make the Triangulum Galaxy a model cluster of stars.
  • Ekcello had the Gifted right where they wanted to be.
  • Earth was poised to colonize Mars.
  • Life was good.

Two decades later, all these feet are being held to the fire.

So what gives?

THE NULL SOLUTION

Coals in a Fire – photo from Mongkol Chakritthakool (footprints added)

Episode 88

page 89

THE NULL SOLUTION = Episode 79

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THE NULL SOLUTION = Episode 79

…Because you may not come back, for any number of reasons, the least of which is all the comforts of home and the housekeeper’s cooking.

See – that’s what you get for failing the transmigration class. I am going hyperphysical, baby…

Just as Deke was starting his soliloquy, Celeste pops in to check on her guys. She is acutely aware of Sampson’s opinions on his missing daughter-in-law, which means making sure he does not do anything rash.

“I gather the non-natives are getting restless.”

“Dad wants to go back to Earth and I was talking him off the Defender ledge.”

“Ekcello and I have been discussing some options…”

“… Ekcello and I – like he cares,” the skeptic in Sam shows itself yet again.

“It’s his offspring who is lost, not ours, so you bet he cares. As I was saying, we talked it over and we think it is time I return to Earth.”

“See – see what I was telling you Gus! I can almost taste a King Ranch Hereford ribeye now.”

“But not in the Defender Sam. We think a well-being check is in order.”

“On Gus and Roy and Francine, yes! And why can’t I go?”

“Because you may not come back, for any number of reasons, the least of which is all the comforts of home and the housekeeper’s cooking.” Like a teacher with a borderline student she adds, “See – that’s what you get for failing the transmigration class. I am going hyperphysical, baby!”

“Which means you can look, but you can’t touch, right?”

“Yes, I can leave clues that I’ve been there, but that’s all.”

And so the saga of a lost Eridanian Princess and her Milky Way wandering mother-in-law opens a new phase.

THE NULL SOLUTION

Episode 79

page 80

THE NULL SOLUTION = Episode 60

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THE NULL SOLUTION = Episode 60

…The Ÿ€Ð commander of the Epsilon expedition ship has the bright idea to kidnap that female offspring of Ekcello the Halfhearted…

— In the foreseeable present, the last 3 remaining Ÿ€Ð cruisers {left in one piece} set out on their missions, one for the Triangulum Galaxy and two to the Milky Way. As sure as a star is born, one of the three will locate the culprit, that one that destroyed what is left of Ÿ€Ð once feared prowess.

One ship wings its way straight for Epsilon Eridani. They need go no further than Orion’s Belt to find a people capable of taking down the meat of their fleet. Leave it to the quiet kids on the block to suddenly change their reclusive ways and take out the competition; competition for one of the garden spots in all of creation – Earth. {No more a habitable place can be found. If it were not so distant, a flotilla of Ÿ€Ð colonizers would have barged their way in long ago}

Just what they really know about the Eridanians is debatable. The last they heard, Ekcello the Halfhearted {their harsh nickname}, had shrunk away in the wake of Ÿ€Ð intimidation – some time back. That makes them an easy target.

But…

Rumors are flying about a royal birth, a female no less.

There are rumors about the presence of Earthlings on Eridanus.–

—The commander of the Ÿ€Ð Epsilon expedition ship has the bright idea to kidnap that female offspring of Ekcello the Halfhearted. A well-timed transporter beam should do the trick.

“We have detected a warp deceleration,” Deke McKinney of the Space Family McKinney is on duty, the job of looking out past the mist encapsulating Eridanus.

“That is not good news. Chasonn would have given us a heads-up,” Sampson McKinney speculates. “Send out a warning.”

An Eridanian warning comes in the form of an audible deep-bass disruptor in the key of B#. It will awaken the dead and confound the living, regardless of the specie.

This cosmic occurrence is simultaneous to a pow-wow concerning O. Hopefully, think-tanking will add a measure of understanding.  Ekcello, Cerella, the McKinneys and Skaldic meet regularly to discuss ideas, both old and new.

“It looks like they are just cruising through, heading away passed the Olde Home World.”

“Ÿ€Ð.” Ekcello’s tone is one of deep disgust. He can smell them a mile away.

Such attention is paid to the passing spacecraft that not one of them notices anything else thereabout, “The sphere!” Sammy Mac spies the enigmatic sphere of much wonder. “Never mind it’s gone.”

The Ÿ€Ð cruiser from Galaxy Sexta A is nowhere to be seen either/anymore; the scene is chaotic.

Without fanfare or tangible despair, Cerella, Heiress to the High Council of Eridanus has vanished… along with her unborn child.

THE NULL SOLUTION

Episode 60

page 63

THE NULL SOLUTION = Episode 59

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THE NULL SOLUTION = Episode 59

… Župzïð the Last is so named because he will be the final ruler of the Ÿ€Ð star system, which will soon be meeting the end of a very long run…

CHAPTER SIX

Milky Way Apprehensive

 A star’s glow, however bright the shine, travels at a prescribed rate of speed; unless it is altered, bent, skewed, accelerated or absorbed.

Similarly, not everything stays exactly the same forever.

And so it is with the temporary peace in the Milky Way. Some are content to let the other shoe to drop, others do not.

The Ÿ€Ð are not about to take the loss of their “exploratory” fleet lying down. The #13 ship may well have been their unlucky downfall. Would 12 ships have fared better? Is number thirteen a universal bane? Do not all the civilized of space count upward from zero?

Once upon a time, Župzïð the Last would have been one of those 13 commanders whose ship was dispatched into the vacuum of space… on the fringe of a puny star system in the Milky Way. In what is Stardate 2052, his thick blood is boiling.

 Župzïð the Last is so named because he will be the final ruler of the Ÿ€Ð star system, which will soon be meeting the end of a very long run. The home planet’s {of three} orbit is slowing down. That deceleration will upset the heretofore convenient parade around their white giant of a star.

The funny thing about gravity is that it is the single true universal influence.

Župzïð the Last was revered by all,

Župzïð the Last’s world was about to fall.

All of Župzïð’s spaceships and all of his brightest,

Couldn’t help Župzïð save the Ÿ€Ð planet.

And so goes the folk tale that is shared around Ÿ€Ð gatherings in these final days. Most of the most have already scattered themselves among nearby **inhabitable planets {**anything round w/atmosphere}. Panic induced and uncontrollable, the once proud, if not revolting, societal fabric of the Ÿ€Ð has been torn from apart from within.

But that doesn’t mean that the transcendent core was about to go the way of inconsequence. With the aid of waning planetary resources, Župzïð is building a space oasis of the grandest scale. In his inimitable way he crows, “Cowards will regret not joining the Ÿ€Ð sanctuary.”

The Collapsar Axis will be completed soon. The good news for neighboring galaxies is the Collapsar Axis is too large to move very far… yet.

THE NULL SOLUTION

Episode 59

page 61

THE NULL SOLUTION = Episode 35

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THE NULL SOLUTION = Episode 35

…On a normally ugly, smelly day, early in the year StarDate 2052, the Ÿ€Ð are thrown for a loop by the critical combination of an unsolicited trespasser and fate…

Play Cartoon

CHAPTER FOUR

Friend or Foe

 

The Definition of an Alliance;

An alliance is a pact, coalition or friendship between two or more parties, made in order to advance common goals and to secure common interests. It can be a political agreement between countries to support each other in disputes with other countries, making them allies.

Alliances on a planet are pretty straightforward. Separated only by borders {ocean, river or imaginary}, they are leagues fashioned through philosophical similarities.

  1. On Earth, certain countries align themselves together {distinct factions}.
  2. On Eridanus, the many towered cities are filled to the top with people connected by brainwaves {except the Null}.
  3. The Seljuk can be called “reclusive”, preferring to keep things private {but things change}.
  4. The Ÿ€Ð are the Ÿ€Ð, an alliance unto themselves {whatever that means}.

The 4 planetary systems are separated by 64 combined parsecs {ea. 3+ light years}. They are 4 civilizations that could not be more dissimilar. 4 fates are being tethered together by an uneasy, unidentified, unwanted, unaware or unwittingly urgent alliance.

Choose a lane or it will be chosen for you.

The Ÿ€Ð {#4 above} have always been a wildcard in this corner of infinity. They are unsightly in the eyes of 95% of known species and revolting to the rest. To make their palatability worse, they carry an odor that would offend a Venusian Wasteworm.  Add to this unsavory list, Ÿ€Ð do not possess a shred of decency. They assume the worst in all things and act accordingly.

3 Planets by ENDESGA on DeviantArt.com

No good things can come of things, which they do not understand. Such is their attitude when an intruder dare enter their space without permission. On a normally ugly, smelly day, early in the year StarDate 2052, they are thrown for a loop by the critical combination of an unsolicited trespasser and fate..

The Ÿ€Ð star system is a simple one; three planets, of incremental size, in orbit far enough apart as not to exert gravitational influence on the others. Only one of these is suitable to sustain their species {not too warm, shrouded by dense clouds, extremely humid}{as opposed to Eridanus which is equally muggy but much warmer}. The clouds are an artificial blanket that covers over them, like a drapery over a window, so no one can see in.

One can imagine the horror that ensues when a shiny smooth O takes up an orbit beneath that protective security layer. They frantically scan and analyze in the brief time they have. Before a strategy can be formulated, a bright illumination clears away their synthetic security. For the first time in eons, the Ÿ€Ð are exposed to the harsh ultraviolet radiation of their star.

They are forced to make the proper environmental measures to ensure inhabitability of their world.

If there is one Ÿ€Ð-ian credo, it is “Attack first, ask questions later”. Galactic harmony has gone on too long for their taste. Their leaning would be to exact a measure of revenge.

THE NULL SOLUTION

Galactic Harmony

Episode 35

page 39

THE NULL SOLUTION = Episode 16

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THE NULL SOLUTION = Episode 16

…The last time something bad happened in this sector was when a younger Chasonn was studying to be… well he didn’t know what he wanted to be…

William Blake, The Good and Evil Angels 1795–c.1805.

The Seljuk have their hands full their own selves.

A man named Chasonn takes it personal.

Not only is Chasonn the inspirational head of this stalwart star system, he is old enough to remember the hard times; when the Triangulum Galaxy was not such a peaceable piece of their quadrant.

His current concerns are more than justified.

Are his eyes-to-the-skies watching what is going on over in the Milky Way, that relatively primitive galaxy that looks to be on the rise, with all its impactful goings on? – Hardly.

Three Seljuk outlying planetary outposts are now incommunicado, but not before reporting a wave of bright light.

Complicating the situation is the sighting of a single shiny planetoid O which seems to position itself wherever it pleases. Could it have anything to do with recent bad happenings? A quick check of planetary logs reveals that it has been here before. But before anyone can get a clear fix on it, it decides to vanish.–

— The last time something bad happened in this sector was when a younger Chasonn was studying to be… well he didn’t know what he wanted to be. One thing for sure, he had no intentions of following in his father’s footsteps. There is no reward in being a political figurehead in these parts. In fact there is peril his family’s altruistic efforts.

He was away at university when every Seljuk leader was whisked away, never to be seen again.

Who would neuter a people-group by taking away their governance? The Ÿ€Ð, they would come to find out. In a heretofore unheard of tactic, the Ÿ€Ð strategy of conquering, a particularly insipid one, centers on removing the wisdom of their targets and they are good at it.

But in the centuries since, the Seljuk successive hierarchy has instituted measures to defeat that particular tactic. Chasonn’s present stature is testament to simply filling a void, an essential need for his people.

In Chasonn’s mind, there are no buts about it, this has Ÿ€Ð fingerprints all over it. In his subconscious is the hideous taste left behind in their criminal wake. It took 150 years for the Seljuk to literally grow up new leaders, but the goal of comprehensive exploration of the Great Expanse came to a cruel halt. Without long-range vision, they were coerced into provinciality; the Ÿ€Ð like it that way.

The easy thing to do is to blame the usual suspects. The hard thing will be determining the truth. And the truth is out there.–

THE NULL SOLUTION

Episode 16

page 20

Sequel to THE RETURN TRIP – Coming to WIF

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Sequel to

THE RETURN TRIP

Coming to WIF

Book #2 Beginning on or about February 19th

The Sci Fi – Family Saga of the Space Family McKinney continues, as the connection between Epsilon Eridani and the Terran System is inescapable…

BUT nothing is as easy as it seems.

Sampson, Celeste, Deke, Gus & Deimostra McKinney are spread out across the Milky Way, at the mercy of superior alien races and an omnipotent higher power Earth has named Lorgan.

In the middle of the 21st Century, the planet Mars has been restored to its former glory – with even greater enhancements as it becomes the unofficial/official headquarters {Harmonia} for Universal harmony…

… BUT before intergalactic harmony can be achieved, a puzzling riddle must be solved AND everyone has a crack at it.

Ultimately, the solution comes from an unlikeliest of sources.

The future of the Space Family McKinney, and their planned reunion, is at stake.

Day by day – 250+ Episodes w/art, music, graphics and more

“The McKinneys have become a daily part of hundreds of readers here at WIF. THE NULL SOLUTION picks up where THE RETURN TRIP leaves off… AND the third in a series, ALTERNITY follows that… ++ a fourth being written as I speak.

“I want to personally thank you being a part of my fiction.

“If you good wholesome Science Fiction, you have come to the right place.”

Sequel to THE RETURN TRIP

Coming to WIF

THE RETURN TRIP – Episode 233

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THE RETURN TRIP – Episode 233

…Matchmaking is rampant… on either end of the Milky Way…

“We are going to have the biggest wedding that Houston has ever seen!”

“Have you told Mom?” Deke speaks of the former First Lady of the United States of America, now Director of Programming for The Space Channel. “And I bet Braden doesn’t know his ranch is going to be overrun?”

“No, but Mindy hasn’t told her parents either.” Equal opportunity ignorance.

Gus McKinney has struck relationship-gold in the person of a bright, talented, drop-dead gorgeous, and most importantly girl of a fine Irish family.

“I don’t know about the McDonalds, but I know Francine will be thrilled; she introduced you to Mindy, correct?” Matchmaking is rampant… on either end of the Milky Way.

“Yes, on that same Christmas Eve evening, only at the Space Channel party, not the one where Maddox blew a gasket. She was about ready to leave when I got there, but Mom was hanging on to her for dear life.”

“Yeah, all of the sudden you disappeared from the great Galvy bash. You missed Braden doing karaoke.”

“I took a call from Mom at midnight and I promised I would drop by, she told me there was someone she wanted me to meet. I thought they wanted to interview me about the test flight.”

“S-n-e-a-k-y, I bet we will be hearing that story for forever!”

0200 has made it daily appearance and this time it is Gus who insists that he should hit the hay. He has two things to dream about:

  1. A safe flight out to planetoid Pluto and back
  2. Mindy McDonald will be waiting when he gets back

THE RETURN TRIP

Episode 233

page 211

THE RETURN TRIP – Episode 222

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THE RETURN TRIP – Episode 222

…The physical appeal of these Eridanians is an acquired taste… much like oysters on the half-shell or a shot of MALÖRT liquor is for the uneducated palate..

An Acquired Taste by Johan Potma

There is a meeting of two worlds, 9 light-years apart in The Milky Way and a light-century apart in societal progress…

Light-Years-Away-feat-DBX1From the tiptop of this whimsical Eridanian structure to the place where the NEWFOUNDLANDER has come home to roost, whatever lay beneath is marginally visible. Intermittent banks of mist-laden clouds do not help visibility, although the cool condensed water vapor is oddly refreshing to their weary spirits.

About the time when Sampson’s headache minimally abates, Ekcello breaks the silence. He knows that Sampson McKinney is the head of this Earthly family, but is frustrated by not having an acceptable method of two-way communicating. With each successive go ‘round it gets better, but an apt comparison would be, having a productive conversation with a pet or coffeemaker.

#We have decided to extract your background information from your mate. How long she is needed depends on her ability to recover from our sessions.#

#You and your offspring will be given our best accommodations, to meet the requirements of your human form. We endeavor that you acquire the skills needed for prompt communication. Please feel free to ask for your maximum needs#

On a similar wavelength as Ekcello, Deimostra takes her father by the hand. He is not exactly feeling like his confident “Sammy Mac” self.

Another robed figure, an overtly feminine specimen unlike preceding procession of “male” figures, appears out of nowhere when they step off that drastic elevator experience. The physical appeal of these Eridanians is an acquired taste… much like oysters on the half-shell or a shot of MALÖRT liquor is for the uneducated palate, but this “woman” has a look of elegance and grace, an Eridanian version of beauty.

Ekcello’s parting statement to them accounts for this observation, #As Deimostra is to Sampson, Cerella is to me. She is heiress to the High Counsel. She will assist you in getting you settled for now and when the time is correct, she will take you on a tour of the planet that will forever be your home#

THE RETURN TRIP

Episode 222

page 201