Life can grow cluttered at times. Days grow so consumed with routine activities that when we fall into bed, we wonder what of worth we accomplished. Goals we long to pursue seem as out of reach as ever. Those were dreams, we rationalize. Making money, running errands, getting dragged into activities to support family and friends: this is reality. Yet we cannot help wonder: will we approach death regretting that we did not fight harder to pursue our dreams?
In If the Stars are Gods, authors Gregory Benford and Gordon Eklund chronicle the quest of Bradley Reynolds, a man whose supreme desire is to seek out and understand all forms of life in the universe. He has searched for life on Mars, spoken with aliens who visited our moon, and managed scientific research on a space station orbiting Jupiter. In the final section of the novel, Bradley’s quest leads him to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, where enormous crystal lattices have been discovered. By their behavior, he believes these structures are related to the mystifying signals that occasionally race across that moon. As no one has yet discovered how the lattice structures and the Zeta signals are related, he decides to journey there, hoping that his unique experience will aid humanity in solving this riddle.
Bradley has not received authorization to leave the Orb. Many see him as too old to run the space station anymore, and this action may lead to him being forced into retirement. Yet Bradley believes that only on Titan, where he can directly observe the crystal lattices, will he discover their purpose. This is no mere riddle for him: recent events back on Earth led to his colleagues Corey and Mara being stripped of their citizenship rights due to how their biologically-engineered origins differentiated them from the norm. He believes that humanity must stop defining its environment in rigid, black-and-white terms. The solution to this latest mystery might cast more light on the Alpha Libra puzzle, and add to mankind’s knowledge of his relationship with the stars. Perhaps it might even lead the human race to expand its understanding of the universe so that the narrow-minded can no longer hide behind such rigid definitions.
At Kuiper base, Bradley convinces commander Najima to take him out to study the crystal lattices. Traveling there in a Walker, Bradley lays on a bed, suffering from stronger gravity than he was used to back on the Orb. They reach Way Station Four, where the crew park to eat and rest. Then Najima receives confirmation that Bradley’s trip to Titan was unauthorized. Incensed at the deception, he vows to return to Kuiper base after the rest period. When everyone retires to their compartments, Bradley sneaks outside in his environment suit.
His weak heart races, and he knows each step might be his last. But he must solve the mystery of the crystal lattices, even if it costs him his life. The sacrifices and successes of Bradley Reynolds cause me to reflect upon the goals I have long dreamed of accomplishing, and how I might reorder my life to better pursue them.
In If the Stars are Gods, authors Gregory Benford and Gordon Eklund chronicle the quest of Bradley Reynolds, a man whose supreme desire is to seek out and understand all forms of life in the universe. He has searched for life on Mars, spoken with aliens who visited our moon, and managed scientific research on a space station orbiting Jupiter. In the final section of the novel, Bradley’s quest leads him to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, where enormous crystal lattices have been discovered. By their behavior, he believes these structures are related to the mystifying signals that occasionally race across that moon. As no one has yet discovered how the lattice structures and the Zeta signals are related, he decides to journey there, hoping that his unique experience will aid humanity in solving this riddle.
Bradley has not received authorization to leave the Orb. Many see him as too old to run the space station anymore, and this action may lead to him being forced into retirement. Yet Bradley believes that only on Titan, where he can directly observe the crystal lattices, will he discover their purpose. This is no mere riddle for him: recent events back on Earth led to his colleagues Corey and Mara being stripped of their citizenship rights due to how their biologically-engineered origins differentiated them from the norm. He believes that humanity must stop defining its environment in rigid, black-and-white terms. The solution to this latest mystery might cast more light on the Alpha Libra puzzle, and add to mankind’s knowledge of his relationship with the stars. Perhaps it might even lead the human race to expand its understanding of the universe so that the narrow-minded can no longer hide behind such rigid definitions.
At Kuiper base, Bradley convinces commander Najima to take him out to study the crystal lattices. Traveling there in a Walker, Bradley lays on a bed, suffering from stronger gravity than he was used to back on the Orb. They reach Way Station Four, where the crew park to eat and rest. Then Najima receives confirmation that Bradley’s trip to Titan was unauthorized. Incensed at the deception, he vows to return to Kuiper base after the rest period. When everyone retires to their compartments, Bradley sneaks outside in his environment suit.
His weak heart races, and he knows each step might be his last. But he must solve the mystery of the crystal lattices, even if it costs him his life. The sacrifices and successes of Bradley Reynolds cause me to reflect upon the goals I have long dreamed of accomplishing, and how I might reorder my life to better pursue them.
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