Subject: Skylark Arisian Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2000 09:58:10 -0800 From: Lee Gold To: mobrien@dnaco.net But wait, that's not all! There was supposed to be a sequel! It was never written, but here's the plot notes. SKYLARK ARISIA This book starts with a recapitulation of the Saga, explaining the long conflict between Eddore and Arisia, and how it ended first with Arisia's apparent victory and then with its apparent defeat. After which it goes on to The Next Stage of Being. The Arisians are now dwelling there, aware of what's going on in the level of reality they've left behind but unsure what to do about it. We see their reactions to the last week of Doomed Lensmen, to DuQuesne's takeover of Gharlane's empire. One Arisian compares their situation to Heisenberg's Law. If you act, you can't perceive as well. So almost total inaction equals almost total perception. Then they realize that they can act in the material world by influencing apparently random events. Chapter Two goes to the Skylark universe. Gharlane has arrived. He defers calling on Seaton until he's first established a base of power: an organization to infiltrate this lovely new drug. So he allies with the Chlorans [or maybe a fourth group of Fenachrone]. He starts setting up other races to work for him - though not as nice as Ploorans, but they do fairly well. Less patient but more physically adaptable. In the course, his zwilniks moved onto that planet with the three names (maybe Valeronians also attacked at this point.) The reader gradually realizes this drug (Cauriole?) isn't thionite but something else. All species refer to it by the same name. It's sold at a constant price. It tastes like peppermint. And of course it's highly addictive. And so psychologically habituating that that the average user doesn't realize he's addicted until he's forced to stop. When you go without it, you just die - excruciatingly. It also stimulates latent ESP and other psychic abilities. So would-be psychics (and perhaps people who hoped to be Lensmen but failed) start using it. And then discover its properties. And so they use it to call for help - a call that reverberates in the usual places, scaring the stripteaser, etc. out of their minds. Chapter Three: aboard DuQuesne's spaceship in the Skylark universe, the Capital D, captained by Hunky. The DuQuesne (whom we'll call Claud, for his middle name) of this universe is now aboard the scoutship (the delta?). She finds herself being attacked by Gharlane (using physical force). She takes the drug to help get in touch with Clod. They repel Gharlane in a spectacular battle. And Hunky discovers she's hooked. She isn't very upset, just sets to work to create something that'll do much the same job chemically but without the side effect of being slowly poisoned. At this point, Seaton shows up, having also heard the message - and observed the battle at a distance. Chapter Four. The Lensman universe where the real DuQuesne is busily consolidating himself in the First Galaxy based on Tellus, DuQuesne flitting away from one place to another, getting henchmen, and isolating all Lensmen in the First Galaxy. He quads all Lensmen to some nice, green planet, junk their ships, and just leave them there; he has no real interest in killing them. He'll think of calling himself Galactic Overlord a la Seaton until he finds out what "Overlord" means in this Galaxy, and then drops the idea very quickly. But there's trouble brewing for DuQuesne in the Second Galaxy, where the Patrol is led by Ken (for Kenneth) Kinnison, a collateral branch of the family - possibly descended from one of Jack's younger children. He's having a big fight with the Plooran-Boskonian forces. He creates a new battle formation: the horn effect (as opposed to the cylinder or the cone). Chapter Five: Meanwhile, on the next plane, the Arisians are trying to figure out how to breed another set of third stagers. We have some Kinnisons left, but the Samms branch seems to be pretty thoroughly destroyed. Isn't there something we could do? There were the Olmsteads - who intermarried with the Costigans. They focus on Crystal Costigan Olmstead. Chrys for short. (And her initials are CC.) She's a librarian. The Second Galaxy Patrol heads back to Thrale for a well-deserved rest - and now that there's no Galactic Coordinator any more (and no second stage or higher Lensmen), Ken reports to the Lens Council which meets in an N-way. The Arisians look back at earlier precedents and decide to give Ken a problem and have Chrys help solve it. He needs to track down the Boskonian base their grand fleet was heading for. "Okay, I want this job done in three days." And she does it in 48 hours. He offers her a reward - having 24 hours left. He'd offer her initially some little reward and as usual gives her more. First he gives her what he's promised and then says, "What else would you like?" "I'd like to be able to say I've been out to dinner with a Gray Lensman." They go out to dinner. And as they drive home, they're arguing about what to do about the present state of the galaxies, which will also provide some flashback. She gets up out of the vehicle, starts to go into her apartment building. He notices a gang of muggers hiding in the shadows but is too far away to leap to her protection, so he Lenses her to watch out. She's taken some self-defense classes and holds off the thugs till he manages to come to her side and win the fight He's gotten hurt in the fight, and she bandages it up. And as she is bandaging him, she tells him about how he over-communicated. They had a wide-open two-way. They get married the next day. A very quiet wedding. Eventually producing children. Their firstborn is a boy, whom they call Craig Kinnison. Chapter Six: the Skylark universe. Gharlane launches a full-scale attack against Earth. There's an emergency council with the Norlaminians. The attack ends in a stalemate. Each side has learned some facts about the other from mental fighting. (Gharlane is particularly surprised to find Claud here in this galaxy too. And Claud catches his thought, but of course doesn't tell anybody else about it.) Seaton has a breakthrough to mastery of some of the seventh order forces which allows him to screen against the quad, and Gharlane can't figure how to stop it's being done. (He didn't invent it, after all. He's not really a physical scientist.) The Norlaminians now sit down and begin their customary deep think, promising Seaton that it may take a couple of centuries but they'll eventually solve the problem. Claud realizes that he's only a partial personality, and reasons out where the rest of his personality has gone off to. Meanwhile, Seaton realizes that Gharlane has come from another plenum and uses seventh order traces to determine which one. He can't break through the barrier (erected by DuQuesne with the aid of his Lens); Claud says, "Let me try." So Seaton and his companions including Claud enter the Lensman universe, because DuQuesne didn't set it to block himself out (because he has a psychological block about Claud). And both DuQuesnes are immediately aware of one another again. And Gharlane follows them through and goes to attack the real DuQuesne, having figured out which is which. It's a fairly equal match, given that Gharlane has found DuQuesne's true location so he can't hide behind the projector. Seaton sends out a message to the forces of Civilzation, and Kenneth comes out to meet him. Seaton sets up a brain-to-brain mutual education with Kenneth. Kenneth tells them about second stage treatment, which is no longer available, and Seaton sets up a program to give it to him, after studying Kenneth's Lens and deciding he has the necessary characteristics. And the Arisians on the next stage comment on the action to one another. Back in the First Galaxy again. DuQuesne finds out a way to screen Gharlane out, so Gharlane goes to the Second galaxy where he is also beaten off a mind meld driven by the machine that Seaton and Kenneth built to give Kenneth the second stage treatment. The new machine incorporates Lens study, amplifies the Lens, might be built around a Lens. A seventh order Brain. Around which Seaton promptly builds yet another Skylark. Chapter Seven: Gharlane prepares for another battle in the fringes of the Second Galaxy. Kenneth is now Galactic Coordinator, as fleets use his new formation of the trumpet to sweep - I mean, blow - the Boskonians away. The Patrol is re-established in the First Galaxy after Kenneths daring capture of a limited quad, which allows scientists to work out how to build an unlimited one. Ships still can't go between the Galaxy, but the quad does let the Patrol recruit new Lensmen. Seaton is in on this, but Claud can't be since his thoughts are picked up by DuQuesne, so he isolates himself from the others except for sending them occasional bulletins on Marc's plans. Kenneth and Chrys settle down on Thrale. The First Galaxy is blocked to major quad action by DuQuesne. And the Kinnisons raise a litter of children: Craig, Keith, Conrad, and Candace, nicknamed Candy. They're all potential third stagers, and have some extraordinary abilities even before full training. (Note: They mature physically and psychologically at the standard rate.)And when they hit ten, they start playing around with the seventh order machine and modify it so it can contact the next plane of being. They've been aware of it practically from birth. Ever since the Boskonian plant tried to addict them to the drug - which didn't affect them because of their third stage physiiology, just increased their powers. Not just the Arisians but all the other Lensmen who have died: a little-known property of the Lens. So there's Virgil Samms, Rod the Rock, all the Kinnisons and Samms up to the last generation. And the new Unit, Candy and her brothers, pull in the old Unit, Kit and his sisters, back to the material stage of being. This is a transition that a standard Lensman can't do: only second and third stagers. Now that they're both on material stage of being, the two Units cooperate to pull back the second stagers, starting with Kim and Clarissa. Most of the Arisians opt to stay in the Next Stage, but the Mentor Fusion reluctantly goes back to finish its responsibility. Chapter Eight: Gharlane's big attack comes - but is repelled by the HyperUnit, backed by the Seaton-designed seventh order Brain. He's picked up and sent back to the Eddorian's original plenum - lock it on him so he can't get out. It's gone to total entropy by now. Meanwhile, Seaton and the Lensmen still have all these planets to rehabilitate. Not to mention dealing with DuQuesne. Seaton leads a force against Earth and is captured. Marc comes aboard, scans Seaton, and says, "Omighod, have I been worried about that all my life! I'm not going to try to kill you any more, Richard Ballinger Seaton. I've seen the light. I've seen the error of my ways. You're too low for me to get any kick out of competing with you." He then looks at Claus and says, "I won't risk the psychic shock of killing you," but our goals and choices of methods are too different for you to stay here." Eventually Seaton takes Clod with him and leaves the plenum, leaving the Patrol to take care of it. The Patrol sends Kay Kinnison (Nadreck's friend) to deliver an ultimatum to Marc: get out or else. They discover an "or else." (He's willing to agree to abide by Patrol rules as long as it agrees to respect his right to rule anyone who consents to stay on the planet. A surprising number of people do.) And eventually an even more surprising marriage between Kay & Marc will take place, with the other members of the original Five Unit marrying members of the new Four Unit, giving the Galaxies ten Guardians of Civilization,as Mentor returns to the next stage of being.