On the Horizon

Until now the people of Reddend do not know they had been brought here by a gateship four thousand years ago, because that civilization has since collapsed. They know they first appeared on the planet at a place called Mount Ararat on the isle called Armenia and believe that all history before that has been lost. They do believe that science and the Bible pretty much agree. When Bainee reads some information retrieved from an ancient magic crystal that says the stars seen from the dark side are all suns and Reddend is a tiny backwater world beneath notice by the galaxy, it triggers a lot of thought about their place in the universe and their place in God's eye. It kindles a new desire on her part to reconcile the teachings of Jesus and the works of Brancettrabble.

It is my sincere hope that the dilemma Bainee faces will be faced by us all in the relatively near future, so this may be on our horizon. It probably won't take the same form since the Species Immunity Complex is probably a much greater feat of genetic engineering than prolonging youth thru pills. But any technological preservation of youth is going to bring about religious problems. Even if we are not using sex as conjugation, as was required to explain the 'free love' aspect of the hippies, we will still find it difficult to stay with the same person century after century, and we will easily get to the point where we forget if we were ever married or not, as one of the characters in this story does.

This story occurs in the years 9211 and 9212, the latest I’ve done so far. There is considerable sexuality in it but I don’t feel it is so explicit as to warrant an ‘adult’ warning. This story is completely free of violence.