Music=
1. Army Of 1
-Coldplay
"17. Let your rapidity be that of the wind, your compactness that of the forest.
18. In raiding & plundering be like fire, in immovability like a mountain.
19. Let your plans be dark & impenetrable as night, & when you move, fall like a thunderbolt."
-Sun Tzu "The Art Of War" VII Maneuvering
UFOtext=
I. Christmas Island
Astira felt exhilaration rising from her discovery. She explored the patio & immediate surroundings. How many centuries, or perhaps millennia, passed away without a footprint on this patio? Did Ozymandias know? He never did mention it. She paused & looked out over the dark infrared sea, contemplating the branches of possibility. She felt alone in the perma-night, no foundation of support. The long march of the surf broke rhythmically in time 100 steps below. She thought about Taryn & pulled out her i6- it softly glowed in silver camouflage.
https://steemit.com/music/@ufotext/silver-camouflage-su1-oct-2017
Music=
1. Ground Zero
-Night Flowers
"As the wind blows, so must the grass bend."
-Confucius in Book XII
UFOtext=
I. Christmas Island
Astira hiked along the southern shore. Her space boots marked a vapor trail of infrared footsteps in the perma-night. Occasionally, the surf washed over her boots, & she could feel the shifting black sand pulling her out to sea. But she resisted, easily holding her course along the black strip of shoreline hugging the abrupt rise of dense overgrowth climbing all the way up to the high mountain.
Then she stopped. She could make out the infrared outline of the rock steps. She drew her laser pistol & cleared a path through the dense overgrowth. Step by step she climbed- periodically pausing to clear the way with her laser pistol. She climbed for about 100 steps. Then she stopped. Through the hanging ivy she could see the outline of an ancient patio. Hiding beyond in perma-dark she could see the island palace. Long before the millennium of the Foundation, she could imagine Princess Leizu standing like a regal statue, a flower of stone, but now animate & gazing out to sea. Then she thought of Joshua seeking the origin of the Mule. He couldn't be too far away.....
Just Survive
https://steemit.com/music/@ufotext/just-survive-su24-sept-4-25pm
Music=
1. The Laughing Apple
-Cat Stevens (Yusuf)
2. Rocket
-Smashing Pumpkins
"The essence of knowledge is, having it, to use it- (wisely)."
-Confucius
UFOtext=
I. Christmas Island
Astira brushed off the cracked display. Ozymandias unscrewed his index finger to expose an electronic connector. He unreeled a lively silver wire- then he meticulously plugged it into the dead display. After a few minutes, digital patterns appeared in jagged pieces. Half of the screen formed a crude picture- the other half remained pitch black.
"What is it?" asked Astira.
"It looks like half of the Empire's rising sun emblem- but an older version I've never seen before." A shadow of intrigue crossed the Dragon's face.
"That is correct." said Ozymandias.
"I can construct the whole image in my brain from the bit file. The bit file predates the nuclear apocalypse of the Lotus of Civilization by 3.14 lunar months."
"What's the file about?" asked Astira.
The head of Ozymandias flickered in thought.
"It's a classified letter from the Galactic Emperor to a Princess Leizu of the Lotus. The Emperor requests she immediately depart for her own safety."
"Sounds like this Princess Leizu might be a traitor- or maybe a little pet for the Galactic Emperor." said Astira, half amused. The Dragon spoke.
"According to legend on the Silk Path, Princess Leizu was a heroic figure who died very young at the hands of the Empire. She spent her last days in prison. But very little is known fact- just legends passed on for millennia."
The Dragon watched the setting fire slowly burn. Astira gathered her thoughts.
"Ozymandias- this ancient computer network- can you maybe search it to find us another way to escape? Something faster than our boat? If we can just get to surface, Taryn can pick us up in the Far Star."
Ozymandias stood thoughtful.
"It's possible there exist secret passages to the surface- maybe even to the Crescent Lake. Even I don't know everything about this planet."
"Ozymandias- find a way out & we will take it!" said Astira.
II. Saint-Emilion
The inscrutable Count sat cross legged beneath a tree. The autumn branches spread far & wide. He offered Ivy a box of chocolates wrapped in gold foil.
Music=
1. Telescope
-Cage The Elephant
"xx"
UFOtext=
I. Dark Island
"The people are in the dark"
Leizu implored Joshua. Her gown clung like a ribbon in the rising breeze.
"Our government serves the Empire- they now control the main outlets of news & information. Most people are zombies & they don't even know it. It's like an alien power reprogramed their minds!"
Joshua flinched. He wondered about the young Mule. Where was he? He knew he couldn't stop the Mule. Not here with Leizu. That was just a dream. Only one causal invariant chain of history ever existed. Just one. And he knew the Mule survived to his time & the Second Foundation. And he was just a prisoner in the dream of Vivienne. She traveled for millennia on her light cone. He held Leizu close. He knew he held the very Lotus Of Civilization- a fountain of beauty. But he could see the dunes at the very end of time.
Music=
1. Crush
-Jennifer Paige
2. One I Love
-Coldplay
"Follow the Way- enter a dark room with light in hand. Darkness clears & light fills the room."
-Buddha
UFOtext=
I. Christmas Island & The Robot Mines
"Does it exist now? Or was Lotus dead end of that blockchain?"
Astira stared into dark oblivion, searching for an answer. Ozymandias held the carbon wafer up close to the light. The wet driftwood steamed & crackled in the fire. Smoke curled upward to the ceiling of the cavern. A dust of black diamonds- the soot of the stars- twinkled with a subdued golden light.
"Fragments of the blockchain could have migrated to a surviving network. Once we regain contact with the galactic network, we can search."
Astira flinched.
"You mean if we regain contact." she emphasized. Astira took out her i6. She made a little snap chat & sent it to Taryn. No trace :-)
Taryn stared in disbelief at the drone. The other drones circled in for the kill. The Dragonfly become one with the sand of white shadows & twilight mauve. She could feel wings of warriors brush against her supple sky. Time slowed....& the sun set in a flash of drones falling from the sky- meteorites of sudden death.
II. Saint-Emilion
Leaves fell. Impatient fall brushed the sky with a pastel palette. Rich green vines of summer yielded their golden treasure of wine.
"My dear Princess, Macron is a puppet of the Rothschilds. They imprison the soul of the nation."
"How so?" asked the Princess.
"They stole the election from the Lady of Liberty. Now- behind the scenes- they serve the First Citizen of the Union of Worlds. The people remain in the dark."
The Princess sipped her coffee. She felt nude without her black diamond.
"Count- I know your mind is a free spirit. But the First Citizen brings peace to the galaxy."
The Count stirred his coffee. Sunlight brushed the Princess with a light warm touch. Her bloom of innocence stirred the dark prison of his iron heart.
"My Lady, the First Citizen is a Napoleon of the stars."
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