Roof Of Stars

From Empire To Foundation

Music=

1. Stand Inside Your Love- Smashing Pumpkins

2. Angels - The xx

"Only after winter comes do we know that the pine and the cypress are the last to fade."- Confucius

UFOtext=

Two armed shadowy figures jumped the strolling man. Aristarchus flinched and watched the three figures argue- pushing and shoving. Then a lone man emerged from the parked vehicle. He walked up to the strolling man and the two began to talk, turning away from the others. After five minutes of talking, the strolling man pointed to the abandoned house. The two men then embraced. Within minutes all of the armed figures withdrew and then drove away. Only the dark figure of the strolling man remained. He turned toward the abandoned house and gazed- his eyes afire as if dreaming of angels. For an hour the candles of night burned low and late. And like the night, the dark figure disappeared with the faint blue of morning.

................

Astira pulled out her i5 and scanned the electronic lock on the door of the apartment. By hacking the network of the apartment complex, her i5 could assume the passbook identity of the renter and open the lock. In a flash the door opened as if by magic. Once inside she streamed a copy of the video surveillance of the prior ten minutes into the security system. Drawing her laser pistol, she then searched the rooms of the apartment. Nobody at home and she found what she was looking for- a small holographic computer device. She flipped it on with her i5 passbook. She quickly found the interstellar hyperlink- the room filled with a sapphire glow. She pinged the sapphire bloom- her i5 indicated a communication link of about 10,000 light years- the approximate distance to the center of the galaxy- and the Second Foundation. She felt a moment of panic- she was not only cut off from her normal channels of communication to the Second Foundation, there was a real possibility the Second Foundation no longer existed! She might be the last star in the long night!
But then she thought of the Dragonfly and their impossible trek to the Roof of Heaven.

UFOtwit

Possibility Tree

Tree

Music=

1. Destination Unknown- Smashing Pumpkins

"The essence of knowledge is, having it, to apply it; not having it, to confess your ignorance." - Confucius

UFOtext=

Astira never liked rolling the dice, she preferred stacking the deck. xx

 UFOtwit

Soft Landing

Twinkling Star

Music=

1. One Diamond, One Heart- Smashing Pumpkins

"You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore." - Christopher Columbus

UFOtext=

Aristarchus watched a figure dressed in the black of night stroll down the street.

 UFOtwit

Candles In The Sky

by MarioGuti

Music=

1. Starlight- Muse

2. I Will Be Your Friend- CoCo Lee

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." - Confucius

UFOtext=

The Hummingbird perched upon a key branch of psychohistory spanning 75,000 light years over one millennium in space and time. Aristarchus smiled in deep satisfication, but he realized how precarious the situation remained over the next few hours. He pulled away from the crack and padded back to the moonlit window. He spied the three dark figures hiding in the shadows below.

Deal in hand, the Princess returned to the moonlit window. She touched her black diamond. Somewhere above she would find the Twinkling Star. But now the only stars above her burned low like candles in the night.

………….

Astira stood still, reading the emotional patterns around her. The patterns were strange and cult like- Kafkaesque- as if she found herself in an insane asylum….

 UFOtwit

Too Good To Be True?

Foundation & Bridge

Music=

1. One Friend House- Adam Panic

2. This Book Is A Movie- Spoon

"You cannot open a book without learning something."
- Confucius

UFOtext=

Aristarchus peered through the crack. He stretched his awareness to read the emotional patterns of the
Princess. He felt the sense of wings rising and falling until she launched into flight- she quickly turned from her perch and flew to Saveur.
"Ok- 1 trillion up front- we have a deal."
And she hovered in the air above the pythons of the night.
…………….
Astira knew she could trust nothing or no one- except herself. She stretched her awareness to read the emotional patterns of the people around her- at present her only bridge across the downfall of the Second Foundation.

UFOtwit

*

Black Diamond

Music=

1. Let's Go (Ikimasho)- Yuto Miyazawa

2. The Mystery Zone- Spoon

"The Essence of Knowledge is, having it, to use it."
- Confucius

UFOtext=

Princess Lei  touched her black diamond and the hologram vanished. The half moon of Lutetia was now half full.

.........................

Astira knew her cover blown- they mark Astira for death- but they not know she know. How to apply her knowledge?

*

UFOtwit