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27 Nov 2011

Beyond the Farthest Star: Chapter 28 (revised)

Posted by joncooper. Comments Off on Beyond the Farthest Star: Chapter 28 (revised)

“Well, that was interesting,” Miles said.

Amy smiled. “I think the word you’re looking for is awkward. But, yeah, I’m glad Steve came back, and I’m glad we sorted things out. It was good to see him again. It was especially good to finish dealing with Xanthe once and for all. That is a big load off my mind.”

Miles nodded. “By the way, one day you’ll have to tell me why you call him Steve. There’s got to be a story behind that.”

“Let’s stay on task here,” Amy replied. “Remember, we came here because we had a job to do! We’ve got a city to build.”

“That we do. But before we begin, can you spruce this planet up a bit? As I was saying earlier, this is the most depressing planet I’ve ever seen. Can’t we build our fabled lost city of Mars in a more cheerful work environment?”

Amy smiled. “Sure! Go right ahead.”

“Do what?” Miles asked, confused.

“Go ahead! Change the planet. Use those Shoelaces of Creativity that I gave you! Show me what you can do.”

“Oh,” Miles said, a bit taken aback. “All right. I’ve never done anything like this before, but I guess I’ll give it a try and see how it goes.”

Miles reached out with his mind and connected to the nanites that saturated the planet’s atmosphere. After he established a connection he tapped into the realtime planetary data feed that the nanites were producing. A quick scan of the data revealed that the entire world was as bleak and unappealing as the beach they were standing on.

Let’s go for something cheerful and homey, Miles thought. After studying the command library that the nanites offered, Miles executed a series of instructions that dissipated the clouds and warmed the planet’s atmosphere. Once the sun was no longer obscured and the temperature had stabilized, Miles activated more instructions that transformed the planet’s rocky, barren soil into rich, fertile ground. He then spent several hours using the nanites to plant forests, dig out lakes and rivers, and add greenery and life to every square inch of the surface.

“That’s much better!” Miles said at last. “Now we’ve got a planet that’s worth living on. In fact, I could settle down here.”

Amy laughed. “I see you like trees!”

“Oh yes! Yes, I certainly do. After you go a thousand years without seeing a single tree you really start to value them. There’s just something beautiful and majestic about them. On top of that, your nanite library has the codes to create types of trees that I’ve never even heard of, and I just couldn’t resist trying them out. I could easily be wrong but I don’t think Mars has ever had redwood trees. They’re fantastic! I had no idea that a mere tree could grow that tall.”

“You’re probably right,” Amy agreed. “I don’t think redwoods ever grew very well on Mars. They’ll grow here, though – you saw to that! Incidentally, you did a nice job of balancing the ecosystem. The planet’s temperature and atmosphere should remain stable for millennia to come.”

“Thanks! You know, that was more fun than I’ve had in ages. World-building is a hobby I could really get into. It was simply exhilarating to spend an afternoon terraforming–”

Miles paused for a moment. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know the name of this planet. Did I miss something?”

Amy shook her head. “It actually doesn’t have a name. I hated this place too much to name it. I didn’t want to give it that dignity.”

“Really?” Miles replied, surprised. “But how can you live on a planet if it doesn’t have a name? Do you just call it ‘That planet way over there with no name’? You’ve got to call it something!”

“No I don’t. This planet hasn’t had a name for months and the galaxy is still spinning just fine. There hasn’t been a single injury connected to this planet’s missing name. But if you do want to name it then feel free to go right ahead. What would you like to call it?”

Miles thought for a moment. “Jasmine,” he said at last. “I think that will work.”
Amy looked puzzled. “Isn’t that the name of a spice?”

“It’s actually the name of my late wife,” Miles explained. “I think she would have loved this place.”

“Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were married.”

“It was a long time ago. Almost two thousand years ago, in fact. She died before I developed my nanites. I never forgot her, though.”

“Well, Jasmine it is!” Amy replied. “You did a great job terraforming this place, but I do see a problem. You left out one tiny detail.”

“Really? It all looks pretty good to me! What did I miss?”

“Oh, nothing, except for a big open desert where we can design our city! I mean, that is why we’re here, isn’t it?”

Miles laughed. “So it is! All right, let me take care of that. Then we can get to work!”

The two of them spent the next month on the planet Jasmine, designing the city that they were going to hide in the Martian desert. Amy based the design on the original city of Tikal, but upgraded its technology to something that would have been at home in the finest worlds of the network. After they had constructed the city itself they started working on the hard part – finding creative ways to break it.

They quickly discovered that this was not an easy task. Their goal was to create a series of sequential challenges that would keep the citizens of Mars busy for at least a century. That meant the city had to be fixable in stages – first this section could be brought online, then that one, and so forth, with each challenge building on the next. By grouping the problems in stages it would be possible to start living in the city from the very beginning, and to expand deeper into it as each new problem was solved.

But designing the challenges in a way that made them appear natural, and not just arbitrary obstacles, proved to be an exceedingly difficult task. Each new hurdle had to be just barely out of reach, in order to encourage people to push themselves in a new direction. Amy and Miles spent days trying to figure out how to space the tasks so that they were neither too easy nor too hard.
At first the entire city would be buried, with the exception of a couple blocks. The buildings in that section would be damaged, but their problems would be minor: just patch up some windows, repair a few walls, and fix some wiring, and the buildings would be ready for habitation. The reward would be a base within New Tikal that offered food, shelter, climate control, and a place where thousands of people could actually live and work.

But there would be limitations. There would be water, but only in limited amounts. Electricity would be available but it would be weak and uneven. As the engineers traced down the problems they would encounter more challenges. Fixing the unstable power supply would mean repairing an aging ZPE generator that was broken just enough to where it could be fixed with some study and effort. In doing so they would find another section of the city – a vast manufacturing area that, with some work, could be used to produce all sorts of goods and raw materials.

So, step by step, Amy and Miles designed a city that would teach the foundational principles of physics, engineering, chemistry, and management. The final challenge, when the people of Mars had mastered everything else, was a carefully hidden spaceport. Within it was a starship that, if repaired, could be used to leave Mars and travel to the stars. There they would be faced with the greatest challenge of all: rebuilding the ruined worlds that had once housed Ranger colonies. The stars would be waiting for them – if they could find the strength to reach out and take them.

26 Nov 2011

Space Adventure Issue #1

Posted by joncooper. Comments Off on Space Adventure Issue #1

In the late 1980s (when I was about 8 or 9 years old) I spent many happy hours creating space adventures with an old MS-DOS program called Dr. Halo. The program (which has been all-but-forgotten today) was a rather advanced drawing program, and I created hundreds of pictures with it. These were not individual pieces of art; instead they were a series of stories, told one picture at a time.

What I’ve done is taken one of the space adventure series and formatted it into a single book. You can find it right here:

Space Adventure Issue #1 (PDF file; 169 pages)

I hope you enjoy it! As time permits I may convert some of the other space adventures we made into similar graphic novels.

26 Nov 2011

Beyond the Farthest Star: Chapter 27 (revised)

Posted by joncooper. Comments Off on Beyond the Farthest Star: Chapter 27 (revised)

It took Amy only a moment to transport the three of them back to the deserted beach on Amy’s world. “You know, I think I could get used to traveling that way,” Miles commented. “It’s actually pretty convenient. It would be nice to have a bit more warning, though.”

“I’m sorry,” Amy apologized. “I don’t mean to keep jerking you around like that. I just couldn’t stand any more of that woman’s attitude. I wasn’t expecting her to thank me or anything, but she was exactly like Adrian. Those people just make me so mad.”

“You still did the right thing,” the Sentinel commented. “You have given new hope to a dying race.”

“I wish. Personally, I think I wasted my time. Those people don’t want to build a future for themselves; they just want to kill each other. Do you know how many people would get killed if you disabled those bots for just 24 hours? It wouldn’t be pretty, I can tell you that. Those people have zero self-control.”

“You never know,” Miles commented. “You may yet be surprised.”

“I guess,” Amy said.

The Sentinel spoke up. “Either way, Xanthe is now behind you. Their fate is in their own hands and you need not deal with them again. I did not get a chance to say this before, but it is good to see you again. I have missed you, Amy.”

“I’ve missed you too,” Amy replied. “I’m sorry I got so angry with you earlier. You were right – destroying Xanthe would have been a horrible mistake, even if they are a bunch of ungrateful jerks. I’m glad you were there to stop me.”

“You are welcome. I am just glad that I found you again. Not to change the subject, but what have you been doing on Mars? Is there something that I can help you with?”

“No, I think I’ve got it covered. I’m actually trying to terraforming the planet – but slowly, in a way that makes people think it’s just a natural process. So far things are coming along pretty well, and as far as I can tell no one suspects that I’m responsible. Once the planet is habitable again Miles and I are going to lure people out of New Tikal and coax them into actually doing something productive with their lives.”

“How do you plan on doing that?” the Sentinel asked.

Miles spoke up. “That’s where this gloomy, depressing planet comes in. We want to design a city that almost functions but is broken in numerous key areas. Once we’ve done that we’re going to bury the city in the Martian desert. We’re hoping that when people discover it and see how fabulous it is, they’ll leave New Tikal and move in. Of course, it will take some work on their part to get it operational again – but the city’s advanced technology will give them a strong incentive to overcome the obstacles we’ve planted.”

“I believe I understand. Your plan appears to be sound; the lost city should act as effective bait. Mankind has historically been drawn to mysteries.”

“Right,” Amy agreed. “Then, once they have the city up and running again, we can start bringing in refugees from Earth. Of course, we’ll have to cure them first and I will need your help with that. I’m afraid that my own attempts at curing their madness were not very successful.”

“Refugees from Earth?” the Sentinel asked.

“Oh yes!” Miles exclaimed. “That’s the final stage of our plan. The people from Earth are afflicted with a terrible disease that has made them go insane. Amy wants to cure them, but after they’ve been cured they’ll need someone to show them how to live as civilized human beings. Our plan is to bring them to Mars and teach them there.”

The Sentinel looked puzzled. “But there are tens of millions of people on Earth, and less than two million people on Mars. How can you possibly take care of so many?”

Amy started to say something, and then stopped. Miles’ eyes widened. “Oh,” he said. “I guess I didn’t think about that.”

The Sentinel thought for a moment. “Instead of bringing them to Mars, it may be better to use the network. We have millions of vacant planets at our disposal. I see no reason why we could not house them all.”

“But housing isn’t the problem,” Amy replied. “They need someone to teach them! They’ve lived like animals for who knows how many generations. They need help and guidance.”

“There are the Stewards, you know. They are quite intelligent and they did not perish with the Artilect. They can provide ample help for all of them.”

“But the Stewards aren’t human!” Miles protested. “They’re just machines. You can’t put computer programs in charge of people!”

“Steve is just a machine too,” Amy pointed out. “You don’t seem to have a problem with him.”

“But he’s different somehow,” Miles replied. “The Stewards aren’t anything like him. They’re a far cry from a real person.”

“Do you really think that the ignorant savages on Earth would be able to discover the Stewards’ true identity?” the Sentinel asked. “The Stewards may be purely artificial intelligences, but they are quite advanced. Even Amy’s mother thought that they were real people until she was told otherwise.”

“Steve has a good point,” Amy said. “I know you’ve never seen one of the Stewards, but they’re really amazing. I agree that it would be better to have real, live people caring for the refugees, but it might be centuries until Mars reaches a point where it could absorb that many people. I don’t think we should wait several centuries before we try to help Earth. For the time being, the network really is our only option.”

“All right,” Miles sighed. “I guess that will have to work.”

The Sentinel nodded. “Very well. In that case, if there is nothing else I can help you with then I will return to my work.”

“You’ll do what?” Amy asked, startled. “Where are you going?”

“Well, first, you must understand that I spent a long time searching for you. That single task left me preoccupied for many weeks. I did not expect you to simply disappear, and when you did so I was fearful for your safety.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I won’t do that again. It’s just–”

The Sentinel interrupted. “There is no need for an apology. I talked with Miles a few weeks ago and he explained what was going on. It is no longer an issue. But what I am trying to say is that I do have work to do, and looking for you put me behind schedule. Now that the Artilect is gone there’s no longer a central way to manage the worlds of the network, or to bind them together into a cohesive unit. Our unified network of 93 million stars has degenerated into 93 million separate systems, and that presents a tremendous administrative challenge. I do not have the ability to rebuild my father, but there are other things I can do to improve the management of our stars. If you need my help then I will remain, but if you do not then I will return to my work.”

“I guess you are kind of busy,” Amy admitted. “All right. I’ll let you get back to work. I will miss you, though.”

The Sentinel smiled. “I am never very far away. If you call for me I will return. All you have to do is ask.”

“I know,” Amy replied. “And – thanks for coming.”

“It is good to see you again. Take care, little one. Let me know if you need anything.”

With that, he disappeared.

24 Nov 2011

Stryker #4 Is Now Available

Posted by joncooper. Comments Off on Stryker #4 Is Now Available

I just wanted to let everyone know that Stryker #4, Beyond the Farthest Star, is now available! I’ll continue to post chapters from the book on a regular basis, but the entire book is now available. The book is 320 pages long, which makes it the longest book in the series.

It is available in two different formats:

Free eBook (PDF file)

Paperback book – 320 pages, $12.99.

I hope you enjoy the book!

24 Nov 2011

Hebrews 2:3-4

Posted by joncooper. Comments Off on Hebrews 2:3-4

Hebrews 2:3: “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?”

God has provided an incredible variety of evidence that the Gospel is true, that Jesus really was both the Messiah and God Himself, and that Jesus actually was crucified and rose from the dead on the third day. God had made Himself very clear, through signs, wonders, miracles, witnesses, fulfilled prophecies, and spiritual gifts. He has left no room for doubt. Yet, despite all this, many have chosen to reject this “great salvation”. They simply don’t believe it. In fact, not only do they not believe it, but they think that simply not believing it is enough to make it all go away! If they don’t believe in Hell then there is no Hell. If they don’t believe in a God who judges sin then there is no God who judges sin. They actually seem to believe that reality itself depends on their beliefs.

Of course, this whole idea is silly. Gravity won’t go away if you decide that you don’t believe in gravity anymore, and God’s existence doesn’t depend on your beliefs either. Hell isn’t something that will stop existing if enough people agree that it isn’t real. Nor is God amused by all of this. As many people have said, God does not believe in atheists. Unbelief is not “okay”; it is a fearful and terrible sin. God does not look at unbelief and say “Oh, well, they don’t believe in me, so that’s ok. I’ll just move along to the next person”. The Lord does not accept unbelief; He condemns it.

Yes, there are many people who choose to reject the truth, or mock it, or despise it, or simply ignore it. They think that this is their salvation, but as these verses point out, unbelief leads only to destruction. Jesus really is the only way to be saved – and those who neglect “so great salvation” will find that their unbelief is the very thing that has damned them.

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23 Nov 2011

Parody Tom Swift Titles

Posted by joncooper. Comments Off on Parody Tom Swift Titles

Here we have a fantastic list of Tom Swift titles that, sadly, are never likely to see the light of day. (You can click on the image to see a higher-resolution picture.)

22 Nov 2011

Hebrews 2:1

Posted by joncooper. Comments Off on Hebrews 2:1

Hebrews 2:1: “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.”

This is exactly why we need to keep studying the Bible, year after year after year, and why pastors should continually teach the whole counsel of God. If we start to neglect some doctrine or truth it will become easy for that teaching to simply slip away into oblivion. We are leaky vessels; we need to be continually reminded of what is true – and what is false. We are engaged in a very serious war, and our adversary is trying desperately to destroy us all. The forces of darkness are absolutely committed to this, and we need to be that much more committed to the truth. We can’t allow the world to lull us to sleep or overwhelm us with the cares of this life. If we do not earnestly pursue the truth then we will not possess the truth for very long.

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20 Nov 2011

Beyond the Farthest Star: Chapter 26 (revised)

Posted by joncooper. Comments Off on Beyond the Farthest Star: Chapter 26 (revised)

Amy, Miles, and the Sentinel materialized on the hill that overlooked Star City. This time things were much more peaceful than they had been the last time the Sentinel had visited the planet. Nothing was on fire and the forests around the city were quiet. A blue sky stretched overhead, filled with white clouds. The buildings of the giant metropolis gleamed in the sunlight, and there were no signs of graffiti or vandalism.

The city streets were mostly deserted. The angry mobs that had caused so much destruction had dispersed and were nowhere to be found. There were still a few deranged individuals wandering around and attempting to cause trouble, but the security bots easily kept them from doing any harm.

“You know, I’m really impressed,” Amy commented. “I was expecting a lot more chaos. Those bots of yours have really made a difference.”

“So that is the famous Star City!” Miles exclaimed. “I’ve read so much about it over the years, but this is my first chance to see it in person. I have to say it’s far more impressive than I expected. It’s simply astounding! It really is the jewel of the galaxy – the greatest city of the Rangers. Did the old city of Tikal used to look like that?”

“Kind of, but not exactly,” Amy replied. “This city is a lot newer and more modern than Tikal. It lasted centuries longer than any city on Mars and reached greater heights of culture and technology. Tikal was still impressive, though.”

“There’s also the small fact that your sister rebuilt it,” the Sentinel pointed out. “The historical Star City was never that pristine.”

“Well, that’s true,” Amy agreed. “And it was in ruins when we rediscovered this world, so it’s not like it had been in that condition for thousands of years. But still.”

“So how would you like to do this?” the Sentinel asked.

Amy sighed. “Well, I think we need to separate the violent murderers from the rest of the general population. If the people aren’t being threatened by crazed madmen then they might have a shot at a future. Can you separate the criminals from everyone else?”

“I can,” the Sentinel replied. “The nanite network your sister deployed has recorded everything that has happened. It will just take me a few minutes to process the data.”

A voice called out behind them. “So I see the fiend has finally returned! Have you come to torment more innocent people?”

Amy turned around and saw that Adrian Garza was standing a few feet behind the group, near a tall maple tree. The ancient man opened his mouth to say something, but Amy froze him in place. “I’ve had quite enough of you,” she said bitterly. “Your day of reckoning has finally come.”

“So that’s the man who betrayed your family,” Miles said quietly. “He’s so old and frail. It’s hard to believe he could be guilty of much of anything. And yet – look at his eyes! They’re so full of malice and hatred.”

“They’re all like that,” Amy commented. “Old, I mean. You would think they’d be far too feeble to do much harm, but you would be wrong. The hatred inside them is so strong that it apparently overcomes their physical limitations. It’s kind of scary.”

The Sentinel spoke up. “I have processed the data and am ready. What would you like to do now?”

“How many people are we talking about?” Amy asked.

“I have found 349,483 individuals who have not tried to murder anyone, or who have only acted in self-defense. The other 1,764 are guilty of either murder or attempted murder.”

“Really?” Amy asked. “Are you telling me that only a small percentage of the population is responsible for all those deaths?”

“How many deaths are we talking about?” Miles asked.

“51,916,” the Sentinel replied.

Miles gasped. “Oh my goodness! Surely you’re joking. Wouldn’t that mean that each criminal murdered about 30 people?”

“That is a close approximation,” the Sentinel replied. “Of course, the actual numbers vary. I can give you the number of murders per person, if you are interested. Some people committed far more murders than others.”

“No, that’s ok,” Amy said. “All right. Can you bring all of the people here and divide them into two groups? I’d like all of the murderers to be put in one group, over there, and the rest to be over there.”

“As you wish,” the Sentinel said. A moment later two massive groups of people appeared at the foot of the hill. One group vastly outnumbered the other. Both groups, however, were frozen in place.

Amy nodded and stepped forward. She then hesitated. The girl looked at Miles, and then at the Sentinel. She then looked back at the crowd and took a deep breath.

“Citizens of Xanthe,” she said aloud. “I am Amy Stryker. My twin sister, Amanda Stryker, terraformed this world for you and brought it back from the dead. The reason she did that was to give all of you a chance at a better and brighter future. For that selfless act she and the rest of my family was murdered by your leader, Carroll Lane. This act was made possible because Adrian Garza, the man standing behind me, betrayed them.

“Carroll Lane died in the attack. He has already gone on to face judgment at the hands of God, so I will say nothing more about that. However, Adrian Garza, the man who betrayed my family, is still alive today.”

Amy turned around and unfroze Adrian. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“Yes, I do,” he snarled. “I hate you with all of my heart, you miserable wretch. My only wish is that I could come up with some way to kill you.”

“Why?” Amy asked. “Why do you hate me?”

“Because you have taken my godhood away from me. I used to be–”

“But I didn’t do that,” Amy said, interrupting. “The Artilect is the one that destroyed your pods, not me. And the only reason he did that was because Carroll Lane attacked him. If Lane hadn’t attacked us you would all still be in your pods today.”

“That doesn’t matter! The point is that you could rebuild them. I could be back in my pod right now if it wasn’t for your arrogance.”

“And why haven’t I rebuilt them for you?” Amy asked.

“Because you’re an evil monster! All of you are bigots who have been trying to force your values onto us. You are nothing more than a petty tyrant.”

Amy shook her head. “That’s not true, and you know it. I have tremendous power over this world, Adrian. If I wanted to I could enslave all of you. I could rain down fire and brimstone from the sky. I could open a chasm in the ground and send all of you plummeting to your deaths. I could do whatever I wanted, and none of you could stop me. But I haven’t done any of those things. The reason I haven’t put you back in your pods is because if I do that you will all die. As a friend, I am intervening in an attempt to save your lives. Returning you to your pods would be a death sentence on your entire nation.”

“You have no right–”

Amy froze him. “I’ve had quite enough of you, Adrian. You betrayed my family to their deaths and you would do it again. You are murderous and full of rage. Therefore–”

She stopped and looked at him for a long time. His face was distorted with rage, but he could not move. She knew that if she let him speak he would shout endless curses at her – and yet she had done him no wrong. Up until the moment Adrian had betrayed them, the only things her family had done was heal Xanthe and offer all of its residents an endless life in a beautiful city. In return for that offer Carroll Lane had killed all of them – except for Amy.

Now the man who had betrayed them was helpless, and in her power. She could do anything she wanted to him and there was nothing he could do to stop her. The last time she had confronted him the Sentinel had stopped her. This time, however, the Sentinel had stepped back. He would not stop her a second time. Adrian’s fate was in her hands.

After several long minutes Amy finally spoke up again. “Therefore, Adrian, I forgive you. I forgive you for what you’ve done to me. I forgive you – but I cannot let you go. You are too dangerous a man to let wander the streets, and you deserve to die for betraying my family. I am not going to kill you – but I am not going to extend your life either.”

Miles looked confused. “So what are you going to do?”

Amy sighed. “Adrian, I am going to transport you to another planet. This new world is empty and barren, and you will be the first and only person to ever set foot on it. You will have food and water provided for you but there will be no other luxuries. There will also be no one there that you can torment, for you will be entirely alone. In about three months your body will fail from old age and you will die. Before that happens I urge you – in fact, I urge all of you who are standing here – to repent of your sins. Jesus can forgive each and every one of you for what you’ve done. He freely offers mercy to all who desire it. Don’t throw that away, Adrian. Repent and believe before it’s too late. Should you have questions, there will be a Steward there who you can call on to get help.”

The girl then unfroze him. “Do you have anything to say?”

He paused for a moment. “You’re – you’re not going to kill me?”

She shook her head. “My family didn’t come to this planet to kill anyone. All we ever wanted to do was save your lives and give your people a future. That hasn’t changed. We would still rather see you saved than perish.”

Adrian laughed. “I told you that you were weak! I knew that you’d never kill me. What you are telling me is that I win.”

Miles spoke up. “What, exactly, do you think you’re winning? Amy and I are going to live forever. You, on the other hand, have less than 90 days left. What’s going to happen to you after that?”

Adrian just laughed – and then he disappeared. One moment he was on Xanthe, and the next moment he found himself on a cold, empty planet. Overhead was a brown sky, and a pale sun hovered on the horizon. A weak wind blew from the north. He could see no signs of plant or animal life, and the ground was hard and unyielding. Aside from a few crumbling rocks, there was nothing at all to be seen. The world had no mountains or valleys. There was only a flat, sandy desert that stretched as far as the eye could see. The only visible object was a stone table that was about twenty feet to his right. On the table was a bowl of fruit, a loaf of bread, and a glass of water. There were no chairs.

Furious, Adrian began shouting curses. But the wind simply carried them away.

Back on Xanthe, Amy had finished her speech. The group of murderers was gone. Each one had been transported to his own prison planet, to live out the few weeks they had left under the same terms that had been given to Adrian.
Amy then addressed the rest of the crowd. “The criminals in your midst are now gone. You no longer need to fear for your lives. As a precaution, the bots will remain to make sure that your streets stay safe. As long as you do not attack each other the bots will not interfere with your lives in any way. They are here only to keep the peace.

“There is one other gift that I am giving to you, and that is the gift of an extended life. Over the next few months you will all gradually grow younger until you are in your thirties again. Once you reach that point the natural aging process will resume and you will live out a normal lifespan. The reason I am doing this is to give you a chance at building a future for yourselves. If you wish you can have children and grandchildren, build a society, and choose a new way of life. Or you can do nothing, waste this opportunity, and die out as a race. The choice is entirely up to you. If you do wish to rebuild, there will be a Steward here to answer your questions.

“You are now all free to go,” Amy said.

“Wow,” Miles said, as the group dispersed. “I didn’t know you could reverse someone’s age! I mean, don’t get me wrong – I do not want to go back to being thirty. I’d much rather go on home and be with my Lord. I just didn’t realize you had that kind of power.”

“The nanites can do a lot of things,” Amy remarked. “This just seemed like the best thing to do. After all, if I hadn’t done that then they would all be dead. At least now they have a chance.”

“But what about the ones on the prison planets?” Miles asked.

“They have a few weeks to decide where they’re going to spend eternity,” Amy said quietly. “There are Stewards watching over each of those prisoners, so if one of them does have spiritual questions there will be someone there to answer them. But their sentences will not change. They have taken the lives of others, and I refuse to reward that by extending their lives. Instead they will suffer the consequences of spending five thousand years inside a pod – old age, and death. Perhaps in their last few days they will realize the folly of what they’ve done and will have a change of heart.”

“I can understand that. But the Stewards – well, they’re just computer programs, aren’t they? I have a hard time believing that a piece of software could have deep spiritual insights. Aren’t there any humans they could talk to?”

“Well, there was Reverend Knight, but he was killed in the attack Do you want to talk to them?”

“I would be glad to, if they would be willing to listen,” Miles replied.

“All right, I guess we can arrange that. Steve, if one of them should show signs of wanting to talk to someone–”

“I will go and get Miles,” the Sentinel finished.

“Thanks,” Amy said.

“So now what?” Miles asked.

Amy looked down the hill at the large mass of people that was slowly walking back to Star City. She noticed that an old lady had broken away from the group and was climbing up the hill toward them. “Can I help you?” Amy asked.

“Just give me a minute,” the old lady said, wheezing. “I’m not as young as I used to be.”

It took the lady several minutes to reach the top of the hill. She then walked right up to Amy. “I’m Susanna Hamilton,” she announced. “You may call me Ms. Hamilton.”

“Ok,” Amy said slowly. “Is there something that you need?”

“Yes, there certainly is! Young lady, who do you think you are? Who gave you the right to judge all those people? I certainly didn’t put you in charge!”

Amy sighed. “Look, miss. This planet attacked my family, and we conquered it. I’m in charge now, and believe me, I’m not exactly excited about it either.”

“You’re a killer,” she hissed. “A murderer! How dare you send all those good people off to die! You’re a monster, that’s what you are.”

“Do you not understand that those people were homicidal maniacs?” Amy asked. “If Steve hadn’t stepped in and built those security bots then even more people would be dead by now. There’s simply no way you could ever have built a future for yourselves if madmen were allowed to roam the streets and kill anyone they met.”

“You will regret this,” Susanna said coldly. “I will personally see to it that you regret this, if it is the last thing I ever do. You should never have come to this world.”

“I plan on never returning,” Amy shot back. “Believe me, I am done here. What you people do from this point on is up to you. Come on, guys, let’s go.”

Miles opened his mouth to say something, but he never got the chance. Before he could speak Amy, the Sentinel, and himself had vanished, leaving Ms. Hamilton alone on the hill.

19 Nov 2011

Beyond the Farthest Star: Chapter 25 (revised)

Posted by joncooper. Comments Off on Beyond the Farthest Star: Chapter 25 (revised)

Miles once again saw the world around him vanish, but this time the effect did not startle him. Since he was now connected to the network he understood what Amy was doing. He watched as she selected a star that was thousands of light-years away and plotted a course that would take them there. All of this took less than a second to accomplish, but he was able to see it all and grasp it without any effort. Then, in the next moment, the nanites grabbed Miles and Amy – and as quickly as that, the trip was over. One moment Miles was in familiar surroundings, and in the next he found himself standing under an unknown sky.

As the old man looked around and tried to get his bearings, he was struck by the utter bleakness of this planet. Overhead there was a cloudy sky that blotted out all signs of the sun. The air was cold, and a bitter wind made it feel even colder. He was standing on a beach – the first one he had visited in a lifetime – but there were no signs of life. He could see no birds flying overhead and no plants growing up against the shore. In the distance an endless line of waves crashed against the rocks. The whole world looked despondent and almost colorless.

“What is this place?” he asked.

“This is my world,” Amy replied. “My family forced me to come here when they decided to make contact with the survivors on Tau Ceti. They said it was a security risk to have my sister and I on the same planet at the same time. They thought it would be better to separate us, so if something happened to one of us the other would be spared.”

“That was very wise of them! If they had not done that you wouldn’t be here right now. In fact, I wouldn’t be standing here either, for that matter. A lot of things would have turned out very differently.”

“I hate this place,” Amy said bitterly. “This isn’t a planet; it’s a prison. It’s a cold, desolate wilderness.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” a voice called out behind her. Amy turned around and saw that the Sentinel had appeared on the beach. He looked at her, paused for a moment, and then continued. “Amy, you had the power to turn this world into anything you wanted it to be. You could have built a private retreat or a vacation planet. Your parents were only trying to protect you, and they sent you here for your own good. But instead of seeing this world as a blessing – a blessing that saved your life, in fact – you became bitter and angry. That was your choice. Do not blame this planet; it has done you no wrong.”

“Then who do you want me to blame?” Amy said angrily. “Do you want me to blame Xanthe, then? Or what about Adrian – should I blame him? Somebody separated me from my family. Somebody took them all away and left me here alone. Somebody has to suffer for that, Steve. I am not going to let them get away with it.”

“No one is going to get away with anything, Amy. The crimes of humanity are indeed staggering, and those crimes must be paid for. That is why Jesus came, and that is why He died. He bears the cost for all those who believe on Him. What He asks you to do is to forgive your enemies and tell them that Jesus died to set them free. He wants to use you as an instrument of mercy.”

“Do you really expect me to just let this go? What – do you want me to rain down flowers from the Xanthian sky and tell them that it’s no big deal? Am I supposed to just walk away and act like nothing happened?”

“Oh no. Your task is not to simply walk away. No, the Lord wants you to do something a great deal harder than that. He wants you to love them and seek their welfare. Xanthe is full of wickedness and its people are bent on evil. They must be judged, and you will be the one that judges them. But in judging them, you must not seek revenge.”

“So what am I supposed to do, then?”

“You need to let go of your bitterness,” the Sentinel replied. “As long as you are angry and full of hate, you will be unable to see clearly. You will find it very difficult to help people if your heart’s desire is to kill them.”

“But they deserve it! They’re monsters – all of them – and they’re getting away with it. This very moment they’re living in paradise – a paradise that you’ve built for them! Don’t think for a minute that I didn’t notice that new tower you built. You’ve given them a beautiful world and all the luxuries of life. You’ve rewarded them for killing my family!”

“They have gotten away with nothing. Think about it, Amy. The few people who are still alive on Xanthe are extremely old and their bodies are failing. They stayed in their pods for so long that they cannot survive outside them, and every person on Xanthe will be dead in a few months. When they die they will not go to the country that lies beyond the farthest star, as your family did. They will not enter into an eternity that is full of joy and wonder. No, what they are facing is brutal, unending torment that will stretch on and on for the rest of time. They will be set on fire, eaten alive with worms, and burned forever and ever and ever. They will scream, and beg, and cry out, and no one will ever help them. For all the ages of time they will be tormented beyond endurance and no one will ever pity them or help them. That is what awaits them. Not freedom and luxury, but horror and pain beyond imagination.

“But Amy, it does not have to end that way. Jesus – your Lord – came to seek and to save them which were lost. He did not die for His friends, but for His enemies – for those who hated Him. He is offering everyone – even those on Xanthe – forgiveness and grace, a forgiveness He paid for with His own body and His own blood.

“Your existence here is not an accident. The Lord brought you here so that you could do what no one else can: you can forgive them and tell them what great things the Lord has done for them. It may be that when you return good for the evil they have done, the Spirit will use that to transform their hearts and save them. I do not know what will happen. But I know what you must do.”

Amy was silent for a long time after that. Miles considered saying something and then decided against it. This is one argument I’d better stay out of. So he just stood beside Amy and awkwardly waited. He was tempted to whistle and then decided against that too.

The young girl finally looked at the Sentinel. “All right,” she said quietly. “I’ll go.”

“What?” Miles asked, startled. “Do you mean, right now? But what about the city we were going to build?”

“This won’t take long,” Amy replied. “I’ll be right back. Do you think you can handle being alone for an hour or so?”

“As long as you don’t forget to come back and get me! I really don’t want to be stranded here for the rest of my life.”

“Why not let him come with us?” the Sentinel asked. “Would that be a problem?”

“No, I guess not,” Amy said thoughtfully. “Miles, what do you think?”

“Well, to be perfectly frank, I’d rather be with the two of you than be stranded here alone. But I don’t want to get in the way either.”

“Oh, I’m sure you won’t get in the way,” Amy said. “Are you ready to go?”

Miles nodded. The three of them disappeared, leaving Amy’s world empty once more.

17 Nov 2011

Hebrews 1:10-12

Posted by joncooper. Comments Off on Hebrews 1:10-12

Hebrews 1:10: “And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.”

Here we see a number of interesting truths. First, God does not change, nor does He grow old, nor will He ever run out of time. God is eternal; He is from everlasting and to everlasting. The universe, however, is not eternal. It had a beginning (when God created it), and it will have an ending (when it will grow old and God will bring an end to it).

Verse 12 is especially interesting. It says that God is the one who will “fold up” the universe and bring it to an end. In other words, the universe won’t just run out of steam; God will actually intervene and bring it to an end. However, notice the verse doesn’t actually use the word “end”. Instead, what it says is that the universe will “wax old” and God will “fold them up” and it will “be changed”. What this is saying is that when the universe finally grows old God will intervene and change it into something else! Now there’s something to think about. What is even more amazing is this: all those who believe in Jesus will be there to see it!

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16 Nov 2011

Lost Tom Swift Jr. Titles

Posted by joncooper. Comments Off on Lost Tom Swift Jr. Titles

Or, more accurately, the Tom Swift Jr. titles that might have been, had things gone differently (click the picture for a higher-resolution image):

15 Nov 2011

Beyond the Farthest Star – Update

Posted by joncooper. Comments Off on Beyond the Farthest Star – Update

This morning I finished a very rough draft of the fourth Stryker book, Beyond the Farthest Star. The book needs a lot of editing before I can release it, but at least I now have a complete manuscript to work with. Right now the book weighs in at ~73,000 words. By way of comparison, the longest book in the series is the first one, which has 76,000 words. (Book 2 had 63k, and book 3 had 59k.)

After I have edited the book I’ll post the rest of the chapters online, then I’ll make printed copies available. If all goes well the book should be ready well before Christmas.

Thanks!

15 Nov 2011

Hebrews 1:4

Posted by joncooper. Comments Off on Hebrews 1:4

Hebrews 1:4: “Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses try to claim that Jesus is just one of the angels (as will other cults). However, here we can see the truth, plain as day: not only is Jesus God Himself, but Jesus is also “so much better than the angels”. There is simply no comparison! We can see this same thought repeated in the next few verses:

Hebrews 1:7: “And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.”

Not only is Jesus not an angel, and not only is Jesus superior to the angels, but in verse 8 Jesus is called God. That wraps up the whole argument right there. Does the Bible say that Jesus is God? Yes, it absolutely does!

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13 Nov 2011

Beyond the Farthest Star – Comments

Posted by joncooper. Comments Off on Beyond the Farthest Star – Comments

Over the past week or so I’ve spent a lot of time revising the manuscript for Stryker #4, Beyond the Farthest Star. I had written up through chapter 30, and then I just got stuck. It turned out that going back and revising the book was the right thing to do – I now know how to finish the story.

Re-reading the book also revealed that it was not the disaster I had feared. It’s a much better story than I had remembered. I had been reluctant to finish the book because I was concerned that it was a real mess. It’s actually not that bad – there are a lot of good parts in it. I think the book is worth finishing.

In some ways I think I’ve been too hard on the Stryker books. The first book I ever wrote was Final Destination. It was actually an adaptation of a computer game that I’d written. The book had glaring problems, but it did have an interesting story. It was my first try at writing, and as they say, you have to start somewhere.

After writing Final Destination I began work on the first Stryker book, On the Edge of Eternity. That book, though, is just the first part in a five-part series – so one could make the case that the entire Stryker series is just my second novel.

I think one can see a huge leap in quality between Final Destination and the Stryker series. Pretty much everything is better – the story is better, the plot is more intricate, the scope of the story is far greater, the characters are better, etc. Yes, it’s not perfect, but it’s really a giant leap forward – and as they say, you learn by doing.

There’s an excellent chance that whatever I write after I finish the Stryker series will be quite a bit better. Writing the Stryker books has taught me a great deal about writing. The next time I do this I’m going to take a very different approach – one that I hope will be much more successful.

I’ve considered trying to apply these lessons to the Stryker books, but to be honest, if I had known these things five years ago I would never have written them in the first place. I’m just going to finish the Stryker books as they are and then go on to something new.

For example:

* Don’t write books where the hero is a teenage girl. I don’t konw the first thing about teenage girls. That was a terrible, terrible mistake.

* I’m pretty good at writing narration, but very poor at dialog. Whatever I do next should focus more on my strenghts, and less on my weaknesses.

* Don’t write a 500,000-word epic that takes place across 5000 years of history. Try to write something smaller and more narrowly-focused. Big stories are hard to read and almost impossible to write – and a real pain to finish. A 50,000 word book is far more doable than one ten times that long.

* If you want to explore spiritual themes in a book, a great way to do that is through conflict. If there’s no spiritual conflict then you’re just not going to get very far. I did this well in The Key; in the Stryker books it has been a huge struggle.

* Don’t write science fiction books. Nobody likes to read them, and they get outdated very quickly by the pace of technological discoveries. Fantasy is a much better field to explore.

* Avoid starting a series of books. Writing a series, instead of a single novel, is a huge mental drain. Finishing a series takes years and years of time, during which you’re stuck working on the same story.

Anyway, work has begun on Stryker #4 once more. At some point I’ll post the rest of the chapters, and then a link to download the entire manuscript. I’ve gone back and made significant changes to the end of the book, so I’ll be reposting a few sections.

Thanks!

10 Nov 2011

Book Title Generator: Fantasy Titles

Posted by joncooper. Comments Off on Book Title Generator: Fantasy Titles

I’ve done some more work on the book title generator, and enhanced its support for fantasy titles. The results aren’t too bad, although there is still more work to be done:

The Katharine Battle Series
by Tonya Hays

#1. The Mystery Of The Opal Crypt

Katharine follow a clue that leads to a resort town in Lebanon. Once there the sleuth quickly becomes the quarry in a frightening game of hide-and-seek with a cruel phantom.
 

#2. The Mystery Of The Sinister Graveyard

A cry for help sends Katharine racing to Reunion.
 

#3. The Clue Of The Hallowed Pegasus

Katharine investigates international intrigue in Norway.
 

#4. The Mystery At Swiss Cavern

Katharine becomes entangled in a ghastly adventure in an abandoned monastery in Namibia.
 

#5. The Fierce Genie Mystery

Katharine is kidnapped by gangsters from Rwanda and must find a way to escape.
 

#6. The Quest Of The Crawling Ancestor

Katharine is given the dangerous task of tracking down an international ghoul.
 

#7. The Case Of The Dusty Graveyard

Katharine searches for a horrifying new weapon that is being used by an enchanter to steal scientific papers.
 

#8. The Quest Of The Stumbling Charm

A case of mistaken identity sends Katharine on a journey to find answers – but the treacherous villain Jason Booth will do anything to keep the truth from being uncovered.
 

#9. The Mystery Of The Squalid Lagoon

A princess from Philippines is kidnapped, and Katharine must track down who is responsible before war breaks out.
 

#10. The Sign Of The Forgotten Dutchman Mine

Weird, menacing developments involving a gang of fanatical necromancers and a stolen dutchman mine lead Katharine to a cave in Kenya, reputedly haunted by spirits.
 

#11. The Mystery At Stone Monastery

A priceless artifact is stolen.
 

#12. The Secret Of The Warped Bog

Katharine battles wits with an evil witch in the search for a stolen globe of jewels. A secretive acolyte, a difficult code, and a rival reporter make the search even more challenging. Can the sleuth find the answers before the treasure is lost forever?
 

#13. The Case Of The Squalid Asylum

Katharine investigates the disappearance of a million-dollar manuscript.
 

#14. The Case Of The Brooding Guild

Weird, menacing developments involving a group of fanatical necromancers and a stolen golden fleece lead Katharine to a graveyard in Antarctica, reputedly haunted by phantoms.
 

#15. The Secret Of The Frantic Basilisk

When dangerous ghosts try to steal the blueprints of Dr. Jim Holmes, he seeks the help of Katharine. The only clue is a frantic basilisk.
 

As always, the book title generator can be downloaded free-of-charge from the top of the Free Books page.