Challenge 84 Response

by Michael J A Tyzuk

Michael J A Tyzuk considers a previous Challenge and tells us a lot about the two... three?... universes his stories take place in. I’ve lost count; I’m glad Michael can keep them straight!

Just a few comments about the Challenge for Issue 84.

First of all, I think it's a pretty cool challenge and I like the direction you're going in for the first question. However, before that question can be answered a few corrections have to be made and a few things have to be explained.

"Moonshadow" and "The Dilemma" take place in the same universe: a fairly distant future in which a human Federation has encountered a few spacefaring alien species.

Actually, this is incorrect. "Moonshadow" and "The Dilemma" take place in two totally different universes.

In the Moonshadow universe the human race has indeed come in contact with a variety of alien life forms, however the human race does not have the kind of leadership role in the Federation that they do in the Star Trek universe. The Federation I write about was founded by the Elves as a means of forcing the younger space faring races to deal with each other in a peaceful manner. As soon as the human race broke the light barrier the Federation sent an armada to Earth with a message: either join the Federation willingly and follow Federation law in your dealings with other races, or we'll conquer you and make you do it anyway. Humanity being what it is, there was a short but very bitter battle before the leaders of Earth decided to run up the white flag.

The universe chronicled in "The Dilemma" and "Ordered to Retrieve" is my Terran Empire universe, a rough timeline for which can be found at The Keep. The timeline paints some very key events in very broad strokes, for which I may write some stories to fill in some details later, but otherwise sets the stage for a lot of the events that I write about.

You are correct, though, in that several of the story lines I've written take place in that universe. In addition to the Newton Station story line ("The Dilemma" and "Ordered to Retrieve") all of the Tamara Tomson stories ("Remote Control" and all the ones to come) and all of the Amanda Baldwin stories ("Intrusion" and "Echoes of the Past" whenever I get around to finishing up the plotline for that one) are all set in that universe. The Tamara Tomson stories all take place about twenty years after the Newton Station stories, and the Amanda Baldwin stories all take place about six hundred and fifty or so years before the Newton Station stories.

One key thing: there has been no first contact with alien species in the Terran Empire universe. However, exploratory missions to some worlds have uncovered evidence of past alien civilizations which were at least as technologically advanced as the Empire. We'll get to see a bit of that when I finish "The Soul Hunter," which is the next Tamara Tomson story.

Elsewhere, high-ranking naval officers Jeff Richardson and Cale Sandorsen have their hands full with space navy admirals on one side and bioengeneering rebels on another.

Actually, the Richardson in question is David Richardson, master of the Zapata. The Jeff I believe you were referring to is Jeff MacIntyre, Cale Sandorsen's executive officer on the Holloway.

How might the Moonshadow and her crew tie in with Sandorsen's plans? They’re pretty fast on the draw when it comes to shootouts, but so is the space navy. Might they serve better as spies? For whom, and in what way?

Those are all good questions, and I would be interested in seeing our readers' answers to those ones, as much out of intellectual curiosity as anything else. However, given the fact that the two stories take place in two totally different universes, about the only way that I would be able to bring those two character sets together is to find a plausible way to bring down the "barrier" between those two universes, either using the same kind of method I used in "The Other Side," or by doing a kind of "Crisis on Infinite Earths" idea the way DC comics did years and years ago.

However, in order to pose a few questions of my own along the same lines I will make the following revelation: it is written that Cale Sandorsen and David Richardson will one day encounter the lovely and talented, although currently somewhat disillusioned, Tamara Tomson.

So, questions to be answered:

How might Tamara and her future partner tie in with Sandorsen's quest? Might they serve better as spies? For whom, and in what way?

Sandorsen hasn't yet told even his close friend David what his suspicions are. What do you think they might be?

I would be interested in seeing any responses to either the original challenge or my revised version.

Drop me a line if you have any questions.

Sorry I got the names confused, Jeff... er, I mean... Michael. And I promise to study harder to make sure I’m in the right universe at the right time!

We publish contributors’ e-mail addresses only at their explicit request, but readers can contact Michael directly through his website or our Forum. We’d be very glad to feature your ideas and suggestions here in our Challenge department, as well.

Please send us your ideas!