Past Imperfected
Apr01
For the record, it’s Andromeda that got Quade in trouble.
↓ Transcript
Hellena
WHAT?! Used to be?
Trey
That’s more technical than personal, so I’ll allow it.
In about 150 years or so Ace is going to create what he’ll expect to be a temporal viewer using a combination of alien technology, magic, spiritual power, and a massive Zero Point reactor. Instead, I got projected back to Early Egypt. I need to prevent that.
Michelle
So that you don’t get sent back in time?
Trey
So that Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of our galaxy, doesn’t blow apart and pulverise all matter out to the Small Magellanic Cloud.
Shæd
That would be bad.
Narration
The good news is that it’s going to be around 20,600 years before it becomes a problem.
WHAT?! Used to be?
Trey
That’s more technical than personal, so I’ll allow it.
In about 150 years or so Ace is going to create what he’ll expect to be a temporal viewer using a combination of alien technology, magic, spiritual power, and a massive Zero Point reactor. Instead, I got projected back to Early Egypt. I need to prevent that.
Michelle
So that you don’t get sent back in time?
Trey
So that Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of our galaxy, doesn’t blow apart and pulverise all matter out to the Small Magellanic Cloud.
Shæd
That would be bad.
Narration
The good news is that it’s going to be around 20,600 years before it becomes a problem.
Why do I get that April Fools Feeling here?
Human life spans probably…
It’s also great to see your back Andy.
What exactly about his back is great to see?
Someone’s been reading Ringworld…
Not just Ringworld and its sequels, but his whole future history. Protector explains why the core explosion is happening (Pak Protectors inducing supernovae in the core to mine metals, and accidentally setting off a chain reaction).
And I am very glad to get at least some of Trey’s backstory!
I must have missed that one. I stole the exploding galaxy idea from Howard Taylor’s Schlock Mercenary.
Heh, was about to ask if they had found any dark matter entities messing around near the core.
Wait, how is Ace still alive in 150 years? o_O
He has (at least) 3 versions of himself running around across time, has launched the AI revolution, been crowned a emperor, influenced alien culture to accept the honorable title Just; and (if I recall) has yet to reach the age of 30. Living another century or two is nothing at all.
What is that apparently liquid that is up to their calves?
What ever it is, it’s rising, couple scenes back, it was no more than ankle deep on Hellena and Shaed (butt calf deep on Michelle)
The Orions said their guide was from early Egypt.
That’s odd. The Egyptians said their guide was from early Orion.
They said there were some hints of Egyptian words and beliefs buried in their culture.
However, Trey does not remember Orions; they’re a new wrinkle to him.
Somewhere (ahead, I think) the Orion’s legendary Guide gets named… Quaid… or Quad… “Fourth”.
So from here: Future Ace gets thrown back to Ancient Egypt, then splits again. One becomes the spectral entity “Trey” at some point, and another “Quaid”, saves the Orions from Dilmun oppression.
Another detail to note: “Quaid” must be another splitoff also, because if he were the original, he’d have still been introducing himself as “Just Ace”.
Was just thinking on this, Trey is fudging a few of the facts: it wasn’t Ace in 150 years, butt Deuce
Currently, Deuce is spending about a hundred years keeping Mama Watta company, which means, in around 100 years Deuce will still be between 18 and 20 years old physically, so an extra 50 years would have him no more than 70
And Trey being an ‘echo’ of Deuce would explain who he learnt that trick about sending this trio on a ‘permanent vacation’ somewhere not even the Spectrals can locate
[Guesticus]:
My ‘take’ on this is, the Spectrals COULD locate them there, but they currently have no clue that this is where they are, because it’s so very far outside the region that they believe merits searching. The subjects vanished in [Portland, OR], & Ms.Mercy has no reason to think that they’d be found in “OZ” …
… even if she DID check over there, she’s looking for Spectrals, so why would she assume that they’re now Mermaids? She could sweep right over them, without recognizing them.
None of them have enough data to employ the proper search-parameters, & those who DO, have no incentive to be helpful.
P.S.:
In your last sentence, I think you meant:
” … would explain HOW he learnt … ”
or else:
” … would explain who he learnt that trick FROM, about … ”
(but I think the “how”-version reads a little bit better)
Actually, I thought we had a contradictory fact that eliminated the possibility that Trey was an offshoot of Deuce; I can’t remember exactly what; Trey mentioning something that happened after Deuce was already sequestered with the Mami Wata; something “Deuce” wouldn’t have learned.
Ace’s ‘spiritual self’ is powerful enough to inform his ‘waking self’ of what happens, but chooses not to share more than he decides he needs to know.
The spirit self could POTENTIALLY be shared among the various splits, or their spirit selves may share information…