Ted Magnuson

I/​ Realm of Humanis

Chapter One
For All That Went Before
September 9, 2112
1640 Hours UT
When Lt. Jac Flyte answered the vicomm, no technology could mask the grin that broke over his face. He knew that. Cheryl always had this effect on him, with her auburn hair falling across soft shoulders, the light that sparkled on her green eyes. She also could not hide the earnestness, the hesitancy, the fear…the love.
“Hi there,” she said quietly.
“This is a pleasant surprise.” Jac fumbled for words. Wasn’t everything between us already said last Friday? What could be so important for her to call me again?
Jac drew close to his screen and forgot the starkness of his personal quarters aboard WSAT Apollo as he studied the woman carefully.
Cheryl was also studying him. “Before you go off-station today, dear…” Her words sounded carefully chosen, rehearsed over and over. “Will you go to the Studio Deck? They’ll be spinning The Theories on the 1800 Zulu News.” She paused again, just a shade disconcerted, and gave him a tentative smile. “It could make a difference in…your decision.”
“Oh?” Jac groaned. Why does she have to make it so hard? What can possibly have happened since we last talked?
It was one thing to muse over The Theories—D’Aggioscoppio’s Theories of the Inter-Ethereal, to be exact—while they were still in college. Interstellar space travel was hypothetical…then. But now? Now was different.
The Vogitan Explorer would be departing for Alpha Centauri early next month, and he would be on it. What could he say to her the girl he had almost married now? They’d said good-bye, hadn’t they? To his way of thinking, the trip to Alpha C was just too damn long to realistically expect her to wait for his return.
Maybe she could stand maintaining contact as long as possible. But he couldn’t. To him, the mission was too important to jeopardize with any personal involvements.
Yet, this moment—this decision—seemed frozen in time.
Why couldn’t she just go through with it and say good-bye? Why couldn‟t he?
The Theories might have stretched out their relationship. Instantaneous travel throughout the Universe was a great concept; but Huntsville saw it differently.
Cheryl was a persuasive advocate in her role as Professor of Cosmology at the University of Washington. And he did have contacts in Huntsville, Houston and Nanjing.
But politics and the press just wouldn‟t let Inter-Ethereal transit rest as a mere research alternative.
The whole mission to Vogitan would have to be put on hold if research were to continue on the Inter-Ethereal. The whole question could become a political football should Congress consider cutting appropriations. The whole thing swirled into a political vortex. And so Deep Explorations Force made it clear—axe D’Aggioscoppio.
Jac mulled his options. Could he really just forget her?
No!
Something inside told him to listen to her.
Surely, no one knew D’Aggioscoppian Theory more than Dr. Cheryl Bellini. Jac himself had no doubts that one day Humanity could slip from point A to point B—anywhere in the Universe—instantaneously. Oh, what he would give for that glorious day to be here now, when a journey to the nearest star would be as archaic as drawbridges.
Had that day now come?
Jac knew full well that the Department of Astronics at The University of Washington was preeminent in D’Aggioscoppian Theory.
Cheryl gazed at him sideways across the miles. She waited.
Jac‟s hand trembled. It could only have been a half-second, but he had to answer. Magnuson/​Probe pg 5
Maybe major breakthroughs in the Theories have already happened, Jac considered.
If so, Cheryl was wise not to spill the beans on an open comm-link.
Jac’s skipper, Commander Hazard, had warned him very clearly: In today‟s press environment, trafficking in D’Aggioscoppian Theories would be considered treason. And Hazard wasn’t one to use words like traffic and treason lightly.
What should he do?
Jac looked at her again. Damn! Is it really so hard to say yes to a beautiful woman? We were lovers once…once.
C’mon, Jac. All she asked was to watch a simple news broadcast. Since when is that treason? 1800 Zulu? Isn’t that just about the most widely watched news summary on all the Four Worlds? If watching Zulu is treason, then the free and the brave might as well lock themselves up in their own shackles.
Still, despite his good intentions, Jac threw up his hands in one last futile defense. “I wish I had the time,” he said.
Cheryl shook her head slowly, emphatically, almost hypnotically. Nothing had changed between them. She acted as if man’s first voyage out from the solar system were a mere trifle. “Will you please go now,” she whispered, “and see the show live at the Apollo Studio Deck? Before editing dices it into a dozen viewpoints?” She put a finger to her lips and bowed her head as she looked pensively at him.
No, she didn’t ask much of him. Dereliction of duty…trafficking in information…treason be damned! He didn’t have a duty; he had a mission.
Yes, the mission was clear: to be at the forefront of the exploration of space. To expand man’s knowledge of the universe.
And now softly, yet convincingly…to love.
“All right. I’ll go. I’ll be on final leave in a few hours. Can we talk about it then?”
She nodded. “What link-port are you using?”
“Seattle,” Jac said, though his home was in Portland. He opened another window on the monitor; after a few keystrokes, he added, “Flight 766.”
“I’ll be there.” Cheryl closed her connection with a fade.

8) On Protos, the sharing of information can be done mentally. Telepathy, a science fiction staple, has made vast advances in the 22nd century. check the PBS link above. chapter 13 on…
9) How would you characterize Lucius Helf? Angry? Foolish? Intimidating? Megalomaniac? What do you think would happen to anyone who opposed him? What about Mooly Gren? How much power has she? Is she in anyway defying a system she sees as unjust? chapters 14-19
10) In the opening of Chapter Twenty, (page 119) Jac contrasts ‘random (natural) selection with ‘systems theory.’ He says ‘Energy has to enter the system somewhere.’ What names could be given to this source of energy? Will to survive, tenacity, creative spirit? Would it be a stretch to call it God? At Drath Cohort Seven, Jac and Cheryl ‘armor up.’ What role do clothes play in confidence, security? Ephesians 6:10-18 chapter 20
11) Until Jac meets Day Helena in Raveena, the people he encounters on Protos have not been especially friendly or forthcoming. What do you think about first impressions? What can you tell about a person from the tone of their voice, their manner of conducting themselves? chapter 22
12) The Utmohn is supposedly a fortress, a refuge in Raveena. But while the ‘external’ enemy may not be present, how does Jac defend against ‘enemies within?” He runs. Any other choices? chapter 23
13) When Jac again meets Cheryl, she has changed dramatically. How do circumstances, especially problems, affect our personality? Were Cheryl’s actions heroic at the Maelstrom heroic? What about Jac’s actions in leaving the safety of the drax?
14) For several chapters (26-32), neither Jac nor Cheryl is quite themselves. Lucky Helf has them in his grip. Is his grip mental, physical or both? Yet as Chapter 27 closes, Jac and Cheryl decide to keep the birth of the drax’s hatchlings secret from Helf. What would Helf have done, should he had known about the hatchlings? Did they talk about that openly? The decision appeared to have been made wordless and unconsciously, as if silent wisdom within them made the decision for them. Have you experienced a power like this? While we’re on the subject, the young are often kept sheltered from the rigors of the world. Could just this been a part of what Jac and Cheryl did with the draxlings?
15) Gabreal, (possibly Gabriel), appears when Jac is in a ‘teachable moment,’ overwhelmed by Pam’s capricious death. While Gabreal had been sent to take care of Pam, he also takes time to serve Jac. Is this an example of an ‘arbitrary story element?’Is a larger realistic dynamic at work? Is it an example of “Be careful what you wish for—you may get it?” Jac has wanted to go to Basara for some time. Now he has met someone who can make it happen. Chapter 32
16) Old TUG seems modeled on a Hollywood actor. Omar Sharif comes to mind. The ancient people considered their kings divine and admittedly, for many people today, that metaphor for God still has power (or a strike against). Anytime we attempt to explain the ‘metaphysical’ (the Unknown), in terms of mechanics (in terms of the known), there is bound to be something lost in the translation. Does your worldview include a concept that could be defined as “A powerful source of resiliency, health, security and strength that stands in the face of adversity? Mellowness in the presence of good fortune? Wisdom to meet challenges? Does it include solidarity, goodwill and encouragement from contact with other likeminded individuals? Does such a concept do enough? Could it do more? It is realistic? Does it need to be realistic today? Could this concept be an apt description of ‘God/​Faith/​Belief?’ The acronym TUG (The Unknown Guide) is modeled on Acts 17:23. chapter 35
17) When it comes to fighting, it has been said ‘It takes two to ‘tangle.’ What about peace? How many parties does it take to make peace? Where is ‘God’ or ‘wisdom’ in the midst of the trials of life? James 1:2-8. chapter 38
18) Jac and Cheryl meet again at the Taj Mahal. Her kore-body has been stolen and resides at The Great Pyramid. Is she ‘helpless’ in insisting this task be done? How does she conduct herself? What about concepts like kore-body, spoosh, and drath. What do you think they mean? chapter 40