High On Possibility

The New Year

Music=
1. Low- Coldplay


"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart."- Confucius

UFOtext=

"In Eurozone- Second Foundation wiped out- nothing left but cult of crazy people. " Astira paused and the Dragon listened.

"They set up hyperspace link to Oceania-  then Oceania link to Kalgan. Beyond that don't know." Astira stopped and looked at the Dragon.

"So what u think Dragon- u think Astira lost her freakin mind?"

The Dragon listened to the whisper of his deep inner thoughts. He spoke-

"Our galaxy is in great peril. The deviations from psychohistory in Kalgan invalidate the basis of psychohistory."

The Dragonfly lowered her eyes and then looked up to a stunned Astira.

.....

Standing on the main dock of London, gazing from low to high, the Count beheld the vast expanse of ocean and sky. Years ago he stood alone on a similar dock at Paris- but that dock now lay abandoned. At that time Kiritimati <> held his key to great fortune and power. Now he returned with a modest entourage- Aristarchus of Samos and Princess Lei- seeking only the fortunes of history- and of the heart.

UFOtwit

Tick-Tock

White Jade

Music=

1. Appels + Oranjes- Smashing Pumpkins

2. Pat A Pan- Mannheim Steamroller

3. A Love Before Time (Mandarin)- CoCo Lee

UFOtext=

Astira reached the gate by nightfall. A few winter stars hung crazily above in the Czech sky, but no moon lit the way. She lifted the latch and pulled with all her might on the heavy metal gate. The gate gradually opened wide and she crossed over, her pulse rising from the effort. She then walked along a snowy path lit by paper dragon lanterns swinging in the cold wind. A bright moon of white jade appeared between the trees, scattering the bright snowflakes and revealing a distant pagoda. Astira felt her eyes become heavy- she could now see the robed figure of the Dragonfly standing in the flickering light.

......

"The end of the world- and- the beginning of the world! It is the way of revolution."
Princess Lei then paused, seconds of time becoming centuries to the Count. In a forest of jade, each falling snowflake became it's own winter- each melting snowflake it's own spring.

UFOtwit

Kiritimati

Island World

Music=

1. Oceania- Smashing Pumpkins

UFOtext=
The clock struck five- Princess Lei appeared. The Count, refreshed from a rare afternoon nap, escorted the Princess up a winding flight of stairs to the frontside balcony overlooking the streets of Paris. A hint of twilight gradually deepened as they spoke.
"So- pressing business takes you to Italy, Kashmir and Hong Kong."
"Yes." said the Princess, her eyes rising like crescent moons.
"Are you familiar with Kiritimati?" asked the Count.
"I've heard of Kiritimati- it's beyond even the Silk Path."
"Yes." said the Count, he then explained-
"Kiritimati is a deep pearl at the bottom of a mysterious sea."
At that very moment the twilight deepened and revealed its first star.
------
Astira took a chance and opened the hyperspace link. A hologram appeared showing two dense spiral arms of the Mleko Droga galaxy- the myriad islands of Oceania lay strewn between in a rare fine dust of stars.

UFOtwit

Xmas Blues

Liuli

Music=

1. Fiction- The xx

UFOtext=

The sun rose victorious. The Count's tired eyes contracted slightly in the true light of mid morning. He knew- at this very moment- the Princess lay sleeping, her mind a theater of dream, a revelation of hope and despair. He knew- later in the afternoon- her almond eyes would open to the world, fresh as the morning glory.
Through his long day he would wait for the rise of the sun in the Far East.

UFOtwit

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