Geron Kees

It is an old argument, which requires more courage: to go on into the door of hell, come what may; or to draw a line against things that are simply wrong, and withdraw. The first, really, requires more adrenalin than anything else. The second requires reason, and careful thought, and compassion for others. At the end, many German soldiers deserted or surrendered rather than go on with the war. It was apparent to many of them that it was being fought for all the wrong reasons. I also commend any who made the decision to do what they felt was right, and needed, rather than what they were told. Sometimes that decision cost them their lives, or their freedom. Or their sanity. These actions take place in every war. That's because wars are never fought by the men who start them, and profit by them. They are fought by those who have the least to gain and the most to lose. And after each war we say, "never again". And after each "never again", we eventually forget.

I did guess he was a soldier in the German army, yes, by your statement that he decided to desert and go home. The Russian campaign was gruesome, and I do not blame anyone for not wishing to discuss it. In the end, soldiers are simply people. I have always considered that so many German men were simply doing a duty, and did it as well as their faith and patriotism allowed, until they finally saw it was not a duty, but madness. In the end, your grandfather was far from alone in his decision to go home. There are many that would argue that duty requires one to go willingly to the end of even a lost cause. But duty has two sides: duty to one's beliefs in one's country and people; and duty to self and family - and sanity. Duty should never compel a man to follow in a scheme that removes from him his basic nature, and leaves behind only a shell that has no feeling left for the world around it. I understand your grandfather's decision to withdraw. I hope that you do, too.

Stories handed down are especially of interest. I think you should take what you know and write about it. Time and courage are things I am sure you have. What army was your grandfather a part of?

In war, there has got to be at least as much happening that never gets reported upon, never gets documented, and so never gets remembered, as there are things that become momentous, and so become history. I'd be willing to bet that there are some truly wonderful people stories from that war (and every war) that remain unknown to this day, because no one was there to see it happen except those involved. People are capable of some simply amazing and wonderful things when following the beliefs of their hearts. This story is pure fiction. But the real stories from that time and place that remain untold are surely no less, and certainly greater because of the truth of them. It would be a wonderful thing if those stories could also be remembered. But until such time as someone discovers them and lays them out for all to see, fiction will simply have to do.

I'm sorry that you stayed up late...but not that you enjoyed the tale. I have several series I am writing on, and tend to cycle around back to each. I do feel there is another tale after this one - I do want to find out about the flying saucer in that guy's backyard! Thank you for reminding me that these guys are still waiting.

Snow day tomorrow, so I have decided on a late night tonight. The benefits of being my own boss! These chapters are always worth waiting for. They have all been special, and I am sure that they will remain so. Your guys are sweeties, no doubt. And...you know how I feel about that...

Holy smoke! No wonder the vegetable sections of grocery stores are always low on produce! This was a touching chapter, but a real smiler, too. The guys, in their explorations, are getting onto some interesting games to play with each other. No spoilers from me! My only sigh came from how long it took to get to this chapter from the last one. I may have to go back and reread that one to feel like this one made total sense to me. I know you're doing life in between, and that it takes time for these chapters to get 'right' in your head. I understand that, actually. But...waiting on these chapters has its own rewards. Always a great pleasure to visit with Jay and Mikey, and I guess if it happened more often, it might get less special. Can't have that! You kept me up late, CG! Thanks!

You raise some interesting points, and I have added them to my story file. I tend to view Derry's and Cally's summer days kind of like I viewed my own growing up in rural New York. I got up in the morning, ate breakfast, and went out to be with my friends. Sometimes I came home for lunch, sometimes I didn't. I was usually back for dinner, and after dinner was back out, either until late, or even all night if we slept out. I was required to let my folks know if I was camping out, and we had to stay somewhere in the woods nearby. But when school was out, I was very much a free agent, even in my early teens. We were very free to do what we wanted, and my parents did not track my daily whereabouts. Having raised a son of my own, I know things are different now. The main thing is that kids carry cells phones, and are almost never 'out of touch'. Parents these days also expect a greater level of supervision over their kids, even in more rural areas. I've taken a few liberties with that, but understand I will need to pay more attention to it in the future, especially the Issue of the boys being 'out of touch'. I'll have to work something out on it, I guess. The problem of communications between worlds can be solved, and will be at some point. I wanted there to be a problem initially, to justify the creation of Nyf. And if the builders deliberately shut down the communications, I also want Difris not to be at liberty to modify that injunction - at least, not easily. At present, the only need to communicate through the doors is between Difris and the boy's party when they are out in the field. I have an idea in mind to solve that. The internal communicators had to be 'trained' to know what thoughts meant communication with what party. So however each person trained their unit, that is what they must think of to activate communications. For Mike, he simply thinks of each boy's name to establish contact, or both boy's names to establish a party link. He must also think consciously that he wishes to speak to them. Same for each boy, they think of who they want to speak with, and that that's what they want to do. I would imagine (and did) that a conscious thought would be needed to end communications, as well. But such a thought pattern, once established, would be unique and quick to implement, and become rote very soon in each person's mind. Such communications would of necessity have to be encrypted, as in the culture of the builders, talking by link would be as prevalent as our own cell phone communications are today. I can imagine a cell-type set up there, too, which would allow such a communications set up to work on a global basis. But as the boys and Mike and Nyf are alone (so far) on their com circuit, they are going to be restricted to having them have a range of only some miles. On Earth such communications could be intercepted, yes. Anyone with a receiver able to tune the correct frequency could receive the signals. But receiving them and understanding them would be two very different things. Even in our own world, encrypted digital communications are tough to break. I think I can rely on the ingenuity of the builder's science to keep such communications private from all but our characters, when using the system on Earth. The range and power will not be so great as to attract attention, either. I have already set up the idea of the memory that can be installed in each character, that will provide them with encyclopedic knowledge of the worlds of the empire and the tongues of the races within. Such a translating capability will of necessity be based on records of languages that are now a thousand years old, and we all know how quickly languages mutate. So an ability to translate will be an assist to the boy's adventures, but not a guarantee of complete understanding. And of course, languages that are unknown will need to be learned by the system, and that is not an instantaneous process. The cultures they meet will also have changed, quite considerably, I would think. In a culture used to stepping through doors to reach hundreds or thousands of planets, for that culture to suddenly find itself restricted to one planet - and for many travelers, not even their own planet - the upset would be chaotic in the extreme. But...that's for future tales. Finding a bugaboo strong enough to keep people at home when the doors are still working is going to be very interesting, I think. As for a door that leads to the homeworld of the builders...you'll have to wait and see!

I don't know that being gay is viewed so harshly in prison, at least according to all the things you read or see in film about prison life now. Yes, in the 1940's, but this is not the 1940's. You're talking about a self-contained culture comprised of a 100% male population. There is far more gay activity in prison, per population, one would think, than in a comparable slice of the population on the street. It's openness among a prison population probably varies considerably depending on where in the country that prison is located, but I would be willing to bet that the activity levels are fairly even across the board. So beating a kid for being gay - and your own kid, too - would not sit well with a lot of guys in prison, any more than it would out in the world. People are people, and parents, especially, are parents, even in prison. As a parent, I already know how I feel about Adam's dad. I kind of doubt being in prison would change that opinion one iota.

Another good one, Ivor. Got to admit, Adam's dad is in for some problems. You are tickling one of my pushbuttons with this 'beat 'em for the sake of religion' crap. Hope Adam's dad feels just as righteous when he gets his sentence! Looking forward to the next one. Can't wait to see how pleased Adam is with himself in his new skinny jeans!

In the second story, Difris has already paved the way for the boys and granddad to have internal bioelectronic processing power and memory to translate languages. This came before the introduction of Nyf. And, while Nyf could handle the translating, it would essentially be like having an interpreter along who would be constantly restating what each party had said. The idea of an internal augment to handle this process will smooth such conversations immeasurably. Have to think about the story construction, too. And, introducing more Nyfs - one for each human, say - would be adding two more characters, each with their own evolution. That makes me think there would be too much to cover - too much going on - in the stories, and make them a little unwieldy. One of the elements of the story line I like is that it revolves around a small group doing very big things. There is an intimacy to that process that would fade with a larger cast. So I think I'll just go with what I have planned for now. Oh, definitely, the boys and Mike are not going to say a word to anyone. That would just ruin the story altogether!

That was a very nice prod to keep writing on this story line. Thanks! I have been a reader all my life, and growing up and reading science fiction, or adventure novels, or what have you - I never really considered how the author might feel about the people reading what he or she writes. It was like sitting around a campfire and listening to someone tell a tale, but nobody but the storyteller said or did anything. In real life, that's not the way that happens, as anyone who has ever been a part of a campfire story knows. People laugh when something is funny; their eyes get big when they are surprised or amazed; and they grin with anticipation when the storyteller gets to the exciting parts. And they ask questions, and they make comments, and they are very much an interactive part of the storytelling itself. As the storyteller now , instead of the listener, I am finding out how much fun it is to share in the process from the other side. As far as I am concerned, readers have as much right to view their ideas on a story as the storyteller does him or herself. What other purpose could there be to exchanging stories but to share them? A translator is a must, and I feel any society with the tech-savvy of an interstellar empire would definitely have that covered. Technology for humans is reaching a point even now where we are focusing not just on improving our machines, but also in improving how we interact with them, and how they can be used to better ourselves in body and mind. Such a trend seems a natural part of the progression of science, and a very mature technology would have ironed out the difficulties and installed safeguards against the technology's abuse. Or, one would hope!

These two Galacticas are from different eras. Science fiction of the sixties and seventies was fairly light, with a certain darkness appearing with Alien in 1979 that became the hallmark of the eighties and nineties. After 2000 there was a pretty furious mix of things, but few of the ideas that made it to the screen have the geniality of the original Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica. People these days are far less certain about the future being a positive place. I found the new version of Galactica to be a fairly typical if well-presented version of the science fiction soap opera that has become so popular on cable TV. I could take it or leave it, pretty much. As far as cable SF series go, Sy Fy's The Expanse is better. In 1977 I was ten years old. I liked Battlestar somewhat...but probably not for the reasons that you did, CG. No...I'm certain it wasn't for the same reasons that you did!

I think that is an interesting idea...and, I already considered an adventure at home on Earth with Nyf assisting in some more domestic dramas. Or, even a sequence within a story where he goes back to Earth and does something fairly common - like goes shopping at the grocery store with granddad. No better way to study earth life than to see what nuts people become in a grocery store. What would an alien perspective think of THAT?!? Thank you. I appreciate the ideas. This story line has already birthed a rather large folder of stuff for possible use in future adventures. Every little bit helps!

And I didn't think you were implying that at all. Suggestions of every kind are welcome. It is up to the author of any tale to consider that kind of input, and determine as to whether or not it might improve a story line. The simple fact here is that, with all these doors standing about, each one is basically a new story set within the same familiar framework. So while they must all relate to each other, they are all surely going to be different. You do not need to be a pacifist to cherish life. You simply need to value life. In the original story, I was purposefully vague about the time frame of the end of travel through the doors. Difris showed a much-accelerated view of that decline and cessation, with only a pointed scene at the end to show that something of scale was going on. That's because at the time I wrote the first story, I had no real idea of what had happened to the builders myself! And, I still only have a few ideas on that. For now, as things progress, it will be the building of ideas within the framework of the series that will suggest the fate of the builders. So in that area, we are all waiting!

Like I say, writing in the third person allows for things to be viewed from each character's POV. One character usually has the central POV, but every character gets a chance to express him or herself. I have written in the first person for a couple of my stories, but find that it makes it harder to let other characters express themselves except by how the central character interacts with them. Third person allows each character to have a voice. I have also seen authors who switch to a new POV in each chapter. In a way this is fun, as it lets each character walk around the story at the center and share their views on what is happening. But I also find it distracting from the progression of the tale itself. It has to be done very carefully, because readers generally settle on characters they like best and least, and when you get to the chapters done by characters at the lower end of the 'like' scale, some readers skim them, or skip them entirely. It can ruin the flow of the story, when that occurs. Or, it can stall the reader from moving on with the story completely. So...let's just wait and see. The story itself is more important to me than precisely who tells it. I'll just go with my gut and see what happens!

It can be confusing to switch POV in one single story, and I never much liked that myself. But a separate story with a different central POV is not such a big change. Writing in the third person allows that to be subtle enough that it is not that big of a deal. Might even be fun to write a story from the point of view of Difris! Or granddad Mike. I kind of write these as they come, so I don't have any idea yet how that will work out. For now, Derry's POV is central, and will likely stay so in the next story. But...who knows?

Huh? Where did this one come from?? It's nice to see you off again so soon after the other tale has just started. I am already intrigued by this one. And where can I buy these Nathan Child mysteries? Or...haven't you written them yet?

I grew weary of the Ronnie Cox VP in SG-1, too. He was kind of stereotypically bad-evil-politician. But he did get his in the end, and he was only present in a few story lines, actually. I also liked what I saw of SG-Atlantis, although the new show after that one left me cold. I was not a huge fan of the new Galactica, but nor was I a huge fan of the original. TV science fiction has to grab me a certain way, or it doesn't seem to grab me at all. On the other hand, The Expanse, on Sy Fy, has been pretty good. It has been renewed for a third season now. I don't get to see it regularly, but I just call them up using On Demand and DVR them. Sliders had some good things, but I never became a true fan. I guess there is still time yet. One thing about the digital age is that nothing ever filmed ever goes away, truly, anymore. Probably won't be that many years before you can have a Rosie, the way things are going. BTW, ever notice that Rosie sounded suspiciously like Hazel at times?

I thank you for the interest and the comments. I always liked SG-1, and if it was the first mention of a star gate I suppose I would have to credit them with the idea of Doors. But it goes back to well before them. A. E. Van Vogt used the premise of a star gate in 1942, in his story Secret Unattainable. Heinlein used the same idea in Tunnel in the Sky fifteen years later. But the basic idea has been used in one form or another in a lot of SF for the last seventy years. Arthur C. Clarke even used the exact term 'star gate' in 2001: A Space Odyssey. I love the idea of such instantaneous transportation myself, though current physics does not support it as plausible. That can change, however, as anything 'current' often does. But as a plot device to carry characters in a sci-fi tale straight into adventure without a long trip in between, it's just about unbeatable. Haha. You can find someone with the looks of Richard Dean Anderson to play the part of granddad, but finding someone with Anderson's great, offbeat personality is going to be a little harder. I like the story line myself, and plan future adventures for Derry, Cally, and all. You are more than welcome to come along.

Oh, 2001 was a victim of the times. The 60's were so transitional in every aspect that even film makers were all trying to be 'new'. Kubrick made the mistake of showing all in the hopes that the story would tell itself - and it didn't. People wandered out of that film without a clue as to what had happened in the story. But the movie, despite being somewhat tedious at the storytelling level, is absolutely stunning to view. For 1968, it was a quantum leap forward in science fiction movie making. Of course, much of that is due to Douglas Trumball and his landmark Sfx procedures. Actually, when I think of Kubrick, I do not automatically think of 2001. I like him for The Killing, Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orange, and The Shining. 2001 was an aside to his career, actually. He also directed Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut, and was the uncredited writer and concept creator behind Steven Spielberg's interesting if downbeat film, A.I. - Artificial Intelligence. George Pal was an innovator, and his contributions to sci-fi films of the 50's was enormous. My chief gripe with him was that he let religion creep into every one of his movies, with the possible exception of Destination Moon. In fact, the religious malarkey was so blatant and so overbearing in Conquest of Space that it trashed the film at the box office and set Pal's finances back so hard that he was unable to produce his next great movie - the sequel to When Worlds Collide, which he had optioned for filming. It took him years to recover, financially, from Conquest, and so he never produced the sequel, and it is still not done to this day. Ray Harryhausen was a great Sfx guy. The films he made are still fun to watch today. When I came to the US in 1976, most of his films were 20 years old, and all over TV on Friday and Saturday nights. I soaked them up like a sponge, mostly watching them with my dad. Haha. Stop pushing my buttons, CG!

Hmm. Spielberg has some fine work out there, CG. Are we talking about the same guy? Schindler's List was a fine film, and i liked Saving Private Ryan, too. And going back, I liked Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Color Purple, Empire of the Sun, Amistad, and even Jurassic Park. Warhorse, too...no, I can't say he is a hack director. Now, he has been behind a number of turkeys as executive producer, but when his name shows up in the 'director' slot, it's usually something at least worth watching. My opinion, for what it's worth. Lucas was also innovative in his own ways. American Graffiti remains a fun movie, as well as the first three Star Wars films. But you are right in that I would love to stuff Jar-Jar Binks into a paper shredder and hold the button down. Actually, if that little bit of magic happened and someone wanted to film something of mine, the directors I would like to see at the helm are all dead. So Spielberg could at least fill in until Kubrick or Frankenheimer are resurrected at some future date.

Oh, people everywhere go to the bathroom. Just not in front of others. But you're right. Most novelists never start a line with. "After taking an enormous piss, Gandalf grabbed his backpack and headed off down the lane". Well...most polite novelists, anyway.

Ohhhhh! NOW I get it! Haha. Thanks!

Haha. Yeah, I'll bet that everyone that writes here would just love for Steven Spielberg to call one day and option a story for filming. I am not much worried about that happening, though! I am usually satisfied if someone bothers to say they liked something. Even ONE someone is enough. I go by the read counts here, too. You get a few hundred, it shows that someone at least looked. I write because its fun, and I don't intend to stop doing that; but posting somewhere that a story doesn't get read seems a waste of time. Fortunately, I have yet to have a zero-read story here. I like this series, too, and plan to write more stories in this framework. Lot of doors left to be examined...