And it melts “Nigel!” Nikka’s voice comes. “Have some more coffee.”

the cabin steaming melting with renewal

“Of course,” Nigel calls. “I’ll be there.”

Eternally, it melts yes he turns and yes it melts and he falls through it melting and turning yes and yes eternally, it melts

2019 C.E.

Nigel Walmsley encounters the Snark, a mechanical scout.

2024

Ancient alien starship found wrecked in Marginis crater, on Earth’s moon.

2041

First signal received at Earth from Ra.

2049

First near-light-speed interstellar probes.

2060

Modified asteroid ships launched, using starship technology extracted from Marginis wreck.

2064

Lancer starship launched with Nigel Walmsley aboard.

2066

Discovery of machine intelligence Watchers.

2067

First robotic starship explorations. Swarmers and Skimmers arrive at Earth.

2076

Lancer arrives at Ra. Discovery of the “microwave-sighted” Natural society.

2077

Lancer departs Ra.

2081

Mechanicals trigger nuclear war on Earth.

2085

Starship Lancer destroyed at Pocks. Watcher ship successfully attacked, with heavy human losses.

2086

Nigel Walmsley and others escape in Watcher ship, toward Galactic Center. Humans launch robot starship vessels to take mechanical technology to Earth.

2088

Humans contain Swarmer-Skimmer invasion. Alliance with Skimmers.

2095

Heavy human losses in taking of orbital Watcher ships. Annihilation of Watcher fleet. No mechanical technology captured due to suicide protocols among Watchers.

2097

Second unsuspected generation of Swarmers emerges.

2108

First in-flight message received from Walmsley expedition: “We’re still here. Are you there?”

2111

Final clearing of Earth’s oceans.

2128

Robot vessels from Pocks arrive at Earth carrying mechanical technology. Immediate use by recovering human industries.

2175

Second mechanical-directed invasion of Earth, using targeted cometary nuclei from Oort cloud. Rebuilding of human civilization.

2302

Third mechanical-directed invasion of earth. The Aquila Gambit begins successive novas in near-Earth stars. Beginning of Ferret Time.

2368

First mechanical attempt to make Sun go nova. Failure melts poles of Earth.

2383

Second nova attempt. Continents severely damaged.

2427

Fourth mechanical-directed invasion of Earth. Rebuilding of human civilization.

2593

Fifth mechanical-directed invasion of Earth. Diplomatic ploy thwarted.

2763

Fifty-seventh Walmsley message received: “Are you there?”

3264

First expedition launched toward Galactic Center from Earth.

4455

First appearance of fourth chimpanzee species; clear divergence from host, Homo sapiens, the third species.

FLIGHT OF HUMAN FLEET TO GALACTIC CENTER “THE BIG JUMP”

29,079

Formation of added geometries to Wedge space-time around the central black hole. Old One manipulation of local Galactic Center space-time, apparently in anticipation of further mechanical-Natural violence. Mechanical forms carry out first incursions into Old One structures.

29,694

Walmsley group arrives at Galactic Center in Watcher craft.

29,703

First human entry into Wedge. Some communication with Old Ones.

29,741

Arrival of Earth fleet expedition at Galactic Center.

29,744

Meeting of Earth expedition and Walmsley group.

30,020–34,567

The “Great Times” of human development. Unsuccessful search for Galactic Library. Successive conflicts with mechanicals. Development of higher layers of mechanical “sheet intelligences.” Philosophical conflicts within mechanical civilizations. Formation of mechanical artistic philosophy.

34,567–35,812

Chandelier Age. Humans protected themselves against rising mechanical incursions. Participation of earlier humans from the Walmsley expedition. Some collaboration with Cyber organic/mechanical forms. Discovery of Galactic Library in the Wedge.

35,812–37,483

The “Hunker Down.” Exodus from the Chandeliers to many planets within 80 light-years of Absolute Center. Includes High Arcology Era, Late Arcology Era, and High Citadel Age as human societies contract under Darwinnowing effects of mechanical competition.

37,518

Fall of Family Bishop Citadel on Snowglade, termed the “Calamity.”

37,524

Escape of Family Bishop from Snowglade in ancient human vessel. Clandestine oversight of this band by Mantis level mechanicals.37,529Surviving bishops reach nearest star, encounter Cybers. Defeat local mechanicals. Adopt some human refugees.

37,530

Bishops leave, escorted by Cybers and cosmic string.

37,536

Bishops reach Absolute Center, enter Wedge.

37,538

Temporal sequences become stochastically ordered. Release of Trigger codes into mechanical minds. Death of most mechanical forms. Intervention of Highers to rectify damage done by excessive mechanical expansion.

Preservation of several human varieties. Archiving of early forms in several deeply embedded representations.Beginning of cooperation between Higher mechanically-based forms and organic (“Natural”) forms. Decision to address the larger problems of all lifeforms by Syntony, in collaboration with aspects of lower forms.

Beginning of mature phase of self-organized forms.

END OF PREAMBLE. LATER EVENTS CANNOT BE THUS REPRESENTED.

Gregory Benford is a professor of physics at the University of California, Irvine. He is a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, Phi Beta Kappa, and was Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University. In 1995 he received the Lord Prize for contributions to science, and in 2003 became a Fellow of the Academy of Arts and Sciences. His research encompasses both theory and experiments in the fields of astrophysics and plasma physics. Presently he is a consultant to NASA on methods of advanced propulsion, to develop a new form of very-high-altitude craft for the upper atmosphere. He also has been a longtime advisor to the CIA on threat assessment. His fiction has won many awards, including the Nebula Award for his novel Timescape. Dr. Benford makes his home in Laguna Beach, California.