Beam Machine*Star Messenger 2989*
I
have one book of 14 songs for children called Beam Machine *Star
Messenger 2989*
There is also a CD to accompany this. This is published by myself.
It is a Space Story about planets with strange personality disorders!
I do hope you enjoy this music and the Songs. It was a very big
part of my life written over the years when I was a School teacher.
I just did (in March) a great version in Ireland of this music with
disabled children - although it was originally written for mainstream
kids."
David Jackson (Aug 2002)
The Prologue
“Beamings !” (This
is the traditional greeting of the Beam children or “Beamers”.
It is usually accompanied by the Beam salute: - horizontal, forward
right arm movement with fingers becoming fully outstretched.)
Our story is set on Earth in the year 2989. It
is about a very special anniversary space mission for the Beam Machine,
to be called the STAR MESSENGER. Recent improvements in the Beam
systems will allow this mission to visit several planets on their
journey. This has never been possible before. What is more, there
are reports that the peoples of several of the earlier colonised
planets in the Greek Sector have strange personality disorders.
A Crew with exceptional personal qualities will be needed. Hopefully,
the members of the Star Messenger Mission will be able to identify
the problems and put things right, before finally deciding where
to settle and make their home.
It is exactly 1000 years since the very first Beam
Machine left St Paul’s School in 1989. There have been countless
other journeys to the stars in the intervening centuries, but up
to now it has been impossible to leave an arrival planet once there.
Because of the vast distances of space and time, it has also been
impossible to have normal communications with “the colonies”,
so very little is actually known about what has happened to all
of the Beam Children; except that they are still alive and have
reached many different regions of our own galaxy. The famous Beam
Foundation’s “Inter-Stella-Life-Detector” shows
human life right across the Milky Way.
The
Beam Machine uses the revolutionary FTG System - Focal Traction
Gravity. This works by tuning the Laser Inferometer into the gravity
of a far off star and simultaneously screening off any local, or
other sources of gravity encountered on the way. The Beam Machine
travels with the gravitons along a “gravity-beam”, hence
its name. The powerful Beam-Screens allow it to focus on even the
minutes attractions found within our own galaxy. (So far, it has
been impossible to travel further using this system. We can never,
as yet, leave The Milky Way, restrictions of Permasnore survival
being critical.)
Beam Machines are restricted to children because
of the vast time needed for space travel. Biologists studying hibernation
long ago discovered the secrets of “Permasnore” - a
deep sleep process where ageing is slowed by 1/100. Only children
can survive this. During the journeys, they attend “Dream-Beam-School”
and are taught by computers all the knowledge they will need. Skipping
real school is probably the main attraction for many of the usual
Beam volunteers! Permasnore is suspected by psychologists to be
the cause of personality disorders.
The original impetus for space travel was to escape
a damaged, and thought to be dying, planet, but the Earth proved
tougher and survived the mistakes of humans. As was shown by Lovelock
in his Theory of Gaia, the Earth has metamorphosed countless times
during its 4.6 billion years and always survived! However the threat
of a giant meteorite can never be ruled out. There is also the knowledge
that one day the sun will cool down. The imperative to conquer the
stars has become the destiny of mankind.
Nowadays,
the ever growing population of Earth needs this opportunity for
expansion. It is thought by many philosophers that the future evolution
of mankind itself is dependent upon escape from the confines of
Earth. Just as our intellect was once inspired and refined by astronomy,
the challenges of other unknown worlds is expected to refine us
beyond recognition. It is thought by some astrologers that exposure
to the full effect of “the music of the spheres” will
prompt the next metamorphic phase of human development. As Arthur
C. Clarke predicted in Childhood’s End, it will be our children’s
children’s children that will first realise the possibilities,
and we will be unlikely to see it.
This Star Messenger Mission of the Beam Machine
will become a test, or somewhat of an initiation rite, for each
member of the crew. They will interact with the “natives”
of the Greek Sector and behave in a manner to modify the obviously
errant behaviour that has become the accepted norm. A small group
of crew will interact with each planet and having inspired some
miraculous sound therapy, and led wonderful singing, they will decide
each time to leave. When the final planet Aggros has been healed
by their interactions, the Crew will finally realise the cause of
these strange personality problems:- it was a malfunction in Permasnore!
Ulti-Mut (the Beam computer and ultimate scapegoat) will also inform
them that good works, extra space travel and prolonged exposure
to “the music of the spheres” has permanently altered
their consciousness and mortality prospects. A hitherto impossible
set of prospects is revealed:- they could escape the Milky Way altogether
and depart for another galaxy, if they should wish to do so. Alternatively
they could return to Earth, but to a different time from when they
left - but risk losing their possible immortality! The children
of the 2989 Beam Machine Star Messenger Mission will each have to
make this momentous decision for themselves.
DAVID JACKSON
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