What Lies Beyond Sight – Part 2
This weekend involved an absolutely wonderful idea being born. It grew off nothing more than a dream, and with the help and advice from a serious group of book nerds, we managed to form it into an intriguing story. The bones of it allow for excellent grounding in real world places, with modern issues, and a chance for me to grapple with some of my own pet peeves and current issues of social media. I am an absolutely enormous fan of the structure, and I firmly believe that this will give me my best shot at a relevant, and manageable first entry into the world of printed literature.
IN the mean time, I do have other writing obligations. First and foremost, I need to finish up with Temple in the Stars editing. I’ve gotten the final edit back, I’ve just been rather remiss in finishing with the final edit. Part of me is scared, part of me wants to shield the rest of me from judgement about my work, and yet another part of me is being extremely lazy. Taken together, it’s turned into a recipe for lethargic disregard, and that will not do. So, this week, I’m resolving to be more on top of my game, and to stick to my goals as far as writing dates and writing goals are concerned. I will lick this first release yet, no matter how long it takes. I’m in this thing to win this thing, and I refuse to back down.
What Lies Beyond Sight, part the first, was a joy to write. I really feel good about how well the intro flowed. My wife was raving about how much she enjoyed it, and I’m grateful she did. I think she’s partially (completely) biased, but I’ll take the compliment coming from a woman who reads even more voraciously than I do. I like the premise, and I like the ties of the new ‘technology’ being something incompatible with our more modern way of living. I like that North Korea, backwards and completely isolated as it is, would make the perfect landing spot for our poor, wayward scientist. I think that everything in the story flows very naturally, and it strikes an excellent chord within me that I can’t help but enjoy. I look forward to writing this one for as long as I find new things to say about this unique little ditty.
With further fantastical adventures…
What Lies Beyond Sight – Part 2
The Triad was the brain child of Dr. Lacey, and it was the base upon which the United Empire of North Korea sits. Conduits channel aetheric energy, which plays havoc with all the myriad electronics used by mankind in the years leading up to WWIII. Dr. Lacey used his newly minted authority within Emperor Jong-Un’s court to craft the first leg of the tripod: An aetheric EMP bomb. With aetheric energy however, the only limitation to the area covered by the bomb was the skill and determination of the Conduit who operated the device. With their zealous devotion to Emperor Jong-Un, and their desire to punish the “Western Devils”, the young Conduits trained night and day, week in and week out. In a few short years, the first Conduits were ready. Robbed of their youth, and brain washed into becoming weapons of mass destruction, those first Conduits would form the backbone of the UENK army. Working in concert, their aetheric mastery could short-circuit entire cities without any warning. The overwhelming surprise of such a weapon, capable of incapacitating even the most advanced weaponry, was the key to the UENK’s initial success. Without the work of the first wave of weaponized Conduits, the Empire wouldn’t have been born at all. They were the lucky ones, those volunteers. They weren’t slaves to the second leg of the Triad, like I once was. Like so many still are.
Conduits are channels, first and foremost. We do not create the aetheric energies; we simply convert the aetheric flow from a source outside of the known laws of physics into the framework of the existence we all share. Conduits are always female. The speculation is that being a Conduit is tied to those who can birth new life. That’s why Conduits all emerge after their flows begin. It’s the subject of much hushed debate, but no one really knows. What Dr. Lacey found, however, was that the process affected the brain ever so slightly. With his determination to study aetheric energy and his vast pool of eager test subjects, he zeroed in on the exact changes that aetheric energy causes within the mind of a Conduit. What he found was that aetheric flow causes a slightly euphoric effect. Conduits call it a “channelers high”. It’s not very different from a runners high, as I had come to understand it. Dr. Lacey however, realized that he had a ready made method to control unwilling conduits. So he crafted the second leg of the Triad, the most ugly and nasty leg of the triad: The Ring. That unscrupulous bastard made channeling aetheric energy addictive. When the ring is placed on you, at first you’re a little insulted. It’s not really chained to anything, and it’s not even all that securely fastened around your neck. They keep your hands bound behind you, but if they didn’t, you could just reach up and remove the clasp keeping it in place. I can speak from experience though: I would’ve killed whomever was trying to take my ring off me once I had broken down and channeled with the damn thing on.
To be continued…
Aethericfully,
Justin
