Imagine a place not of this world......

Someplace far beyond the universe

 as you know it.....

A place where known laws of physics & geometry have no meaning.....

A place only hinted at in the dreaded Necronomicon....a forbidden and ancient text only few have glimpsed.......

Prepare yourself for the...

  Story Base


 An epic science fiction adventure truly unlike any other!

 Where literarily anything can happen!!

 

The storyline includes interaction between multiple science fiction and fantasy genres including Star Trek (the Original Series, Next Generation, as well as Voyager), J.R.R. Tolkiens' "Middle Earth", Robotech, Battletech, Aliens, Predator, Terminator, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, X-Files, and many more.  The story also possesses an element of horror in that it includes many of the legends and monsters of the Cthulhu Mythos created by H.P. Lovecraft.

 This book was originally written just for fun.  In fact, multiple authors wrote it at the same time!  While in high school, my friends and I were heavily into science fiction, especially Star Trek.  We wrote this book by E-mailing each other over a computer bulletin board system (BBS) I used to manage.  The BBS was essentially a mini Internet service provider.  On this BBS were numerous message areas (also called message bases) where users (people who called my service) could leave messages to each other on different subjects.  In today's online world these are called discussion, or newsgroups.  Typical subjects were jokes, computer help, music, general, etc.  One message base in particular was the Story Base, and leaving email in this category was limited to myself and three friends.  Consequently, this is where we got the idea for the overall name of the book. 

 In the Story Base, each of us would take turns leaving a message that was a continuation of the one before it.  The fun of writing in this fashion was that no one knew what the next message was going to be about.  It was amazing!  It was awesome!  Here was an interactive story where no one knew what would happen next!  Not even the authors!!  This made for a very plot thickening, suspense filled, never ending storyline.  Over a period of several years, however, the story finally came to an end.  And somehow in the midst of utter chaos, it actually ended up making sense!  Hence was created Story Base I-V, and rightfully titled An Experiment in Insanity.

 Almost eleven years after the original SB was written, we decided it would be a blast to write a new one.  So was born De Aequilibritatis Mundi.  We decided to use handles to identify ourselves as nostalgia and as a silent tribute to days gone by when you used an alias on most BBS's.   (View a list of credits here CREDITS) 

 Story Base VI-IX were written in the same style as that of their previous counterparts through an updated form of the BBS - An HTML page on the world wide web.  These messages are complex, and are written in a serious tone.  We have included SB I-V in the appendix area, and suggest reading them after the main content of the book as they are on a lower level and more of a fun style of writing.  They will indeed however, give you some insight and background on events mentioned throughout SB VI-IX, and are definitely worth while reading as a prequel.

 The format of the Story Base is unique due to the method by which it was originally written on the computer BBS.  It is essentially broken down into nine core parts, or episodes.  Each part is further organized by messages written in order with a heading or message subject and the author's name.  This is very useful as you will see when you read along.  A good deal of time travel is involved in the plot, and you will want to flip between the pages to look back as the unfolding storyline takes you by surprise.  It is interesting to note the differences in each of our writing styles, and how they all fit together. 

 The first few messages are short and there is very limited direction to the plot, but as stated earlier, everything makes sense by the end.  As explained, we the authors didn't even know what we were writing back then.  We were simply making things up as we went along.  It was written in a “free form” style, with no forethought as to how it would end up.  The content has only been changed slightly from its original state, and as such, the “improved” nature has the initial storyline still intact.  

 Again, keep this in mind as you read: at no time did we have any idea where the story was heading. 

 Finally, I speak for all the authors in stating it was truly an entertaining writing experience.  Having no direction to follow in pursuit of a conclusion to the saga sparked imagination unparalleled.  As you will assuredly gather while reading, we had somewhat of an informal contest going on as for who could write the "best" or "worst" messages, depending on your viewpoint.

 Could there be yet another continuation? 

 Only TIME will tell.....

             Enjoy...

 

Gladiator, October 2000

Sysop (System Operator, former)

THE ARENA BBS   

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