Ring

Michael Poole, alone, huddled close to the chill surface of the neutron star. His awareness sparkled and subsided.

The river of time flowed, unmarked, toward the endless seas of timelike infinity.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Ring concludes the Xeelee Sequence.

The novel stands by itself, although events in three of my previous novels, as well as in related short stories, are referred to.

The high-gravitation alternate universe mentioned in Chapter 32 is explored in my novel Raft. The career of Michael Poole, first referred to in Chapter 2, is the heart of my novel Timelike Infinity. The neutron star colonization project discovered in Chapter 29 is described fully in my novel Flux.

The complete timeline of the Xeelee Sequence follows. Novels and stories in the Sequence are included, novels in capitals.

Be assured that, although Ring is the chronological end of the Xeelee story, there are tales left to be told…

TIMELINE

20 bya (billion years ago): First contact between Xeelee and photino birds. Xeelee timeships begin modification of Xeelee evolutionary history.

5 bya: Construction of Ring begins. Birth of Sol.

4 bya: Assault on Ring by photino birds begins. Life on Earth emerges.

1 bya: First infestation of Sol by photino birds.

A.D. 3000+. Opening up of Solar System with GUT and wormhole technology. First human extra-Solar expansion begins.

A.D. 3621: Birth of Michael Poole.

“The Sun-Person”

“The Logic Pool”

A.D. 3717: Launch of GUTship Cauchy.

A.D. 3829: Invasion of System by Occupation-Era Qax.

A.D. 3953: Launch of GUTship Great Northern.

“Cilia-of-Gold”

“Lieserl”

“Chiron”

“The Xeelee Flower”

A.D. 4874: Conquest of human planets by Squeem. A.D. 4925: Overthrow of Squeem.

A.D. 5000+: Second expansion begins.

“More Than Time or Distance”

A.D. 5088: Conquest of human planets by Qax.

A.D. 5274: Return to System of GUTship Cauchy.

“Blue Shift”

A.D. 5407: Overthrow of Qax. Humans acquire Spline and starbreaker technology.

A.D. 5500+: Third expansion begins.

“The Quagma Datum”

“Planck Zero”

A.D. 10,000+: Humans become dominant sub-Xeelee species. Rapid expansion and absorption of species and technologies. Launch of Xeelee timeships into deep past.

“The Gödel Sunflowers”

“Vacuum Diagrams”

A.D. 100,000+: Human assaults on Xeelee concentrations begin.

“The Tyra

“Hero”

A.D. 1,000,000: Final siege of Solar System by Xeelee. Defeat of Man.

A.D. 4,000,000+: Migration of Xeelee through Ring. Sol leaves Main Sequence. Destruction of Ring by photino birds.

A.D. 5,000,000+: Last humans return to Sol in GUTship Great Northern, and travel to Ring.

A.D. 10,000,000+: Virtual extinction of baryonic life. Michael Poole is last sentient human.