Notes from the author: Who is Philip the Bard?

Welcome beloved readers. Thanks for being here.

It has been some time since I’ve posted regularly on this blog. Look for more action here soon.

But, I am aware that some new readers here may not be totally aware about how this Philip the Bard character is.

Philip was one of the main characters in the back story to the Max Gavaskar series. He was in the tales that began the Harappan HIstory Project. They included;

The Harappan Secret

The Harappan Curse

The Last Secret of the Founder

These stories detailed the journey of Dorian Thain who became the leader of the Harappan people. The Harappans were folks from Earth led by charismatic leader Marcus Johnson. Fleeing an Earth that was in the throes of a series of environmental disasters they found planet Harappa, a barely habitable world but with a strange secret.

Humans on planet Earth eventually solved their environmental problems and eventually discovered a way to travel faster than light. They found Marcus’s Johnson's colony and conflict between the two worlds led to “Harvest Day”.

Harappa was loaded with the mineral illumaphane which was important to the Earther FTL (faster than light) program. In an effort to stop an Earther mining project, freedom fighter Paladain Thain blew up a vein of the precious mineral. Unfortunately, the blast ignited more illumaphane that anticipated and the explosion blew the planet off it’s orbit sending it on a  spiral towards its sun.

Philip was there for all of this.

When he moved to planet Kusha with the other refugee Harappans be started writing down the history of his people. He now comments on life on the Garden World while he compiles stories from Harappans about their time on their homeworld.

His blogs will return tomorrow where he will start detailing his visit with the Mother of the Galaxy, Max Gavaskar herself.

Never mix red wine with Oodo, but cider is fine.

Earth Year 2014

Philip the Bard's Harappan Blog: Visiting the Mother of the Galaxy

Welcome festive readers. Thanks for being here.

It has been a while since I’ve posted here on the blog. I apologize but when you hear what I’ve been doing you may not mind.

I have secured an appointment to visit with the Mother of the Galaxy herself. My friend Dorian and I will be visiting with her just before she visits with a Fordian Ambassador who is on his way here to visit with Max as well. Apparently he has information on their mission to the Andromeda Galaxy. Very exciting stuff.

If things work out we will visit with the Fordian Ambassador too.

It was Max’s insight that has allowed the Fordians to complete their mission to our closest galactic neighbor in one generation. They have not yet returned but the Fordians are now receiving signals and messages from them. The Milky Way anxiously awaits word from the neighbors.

In the mean time we worry about Max’s health. She is getting weaker by the day and she is not expected to live long. I will beging reporting on my visit with her as soon as I return from her compound.

Never mix red wine and Oodo.

Philip Normer

Kushan Year 89

Earth Year 2481

Philip the Bard's Harappan Blob: Rex Thran, history's forgotten man.

Welcome fine readers. Thanks for being here.

History’s forgotten man.

I was recently reading some of my notes from the First Contact here on planet Kusha. This jogged my memory of an old friend who has been mostly forgotten by history.

Rex Thran was a friend of mine and a good man. Those of us who do follow history know how he was involved in attempting to arrest Max when she and Dallas first went to the Fordian site on Kusha. He, Rex, was working for Lanice Thain at the time.

Rex had been a very close friend of Paladin Thain and was an aide of his in Paladin’s war against the SID and the Salusians. When Paladin died in the Harvest Day Blast Rex fell in behind Paladin’s wife Lanice and supported her. He was her strong man and enforcer.

When Dorian confronted him about Lanice’s policies Rex recanted his support of her and became one of Dorian’s most ardent supporters. Rex was sent with Dallas and Sanderson when they went looking for Max after the Bohr Blast. Max was in hiding on planet Earth with alien ambassador Dru D’Koona at the time. Dallas, Sanderson and Rex eventually found her just as she was being assaulted by Gary Meyer the SID assassin so important in Max’s true ascension to “Mother of the Galaxy”.

It was an unfortunate end to Rex’s life. He had been a strong family man and in his youth was the best Snow Ball player Harappa had ever seen. There were times I called him my friend and times I considered him an enemy but always he was honest and respectful. He was a good man that history should not forget.

Never mix red wine and Oodo.

Philip Normer

Kushan Year 89

Earth Year 2481

Philip the Bard's Harappan Blog: Spring on Planet Kusha

Welcome beloved readers. Thanks for being here.

Spring is coming to planet Kusha. Of course winters here aren’t much to complain about. We get some purple rain, some cooler temperatures and fewer wild flowers blooming in the meadows. But, when spring returns the colors of the wildflowers explode in and around Harappa City.

My wife, Ina, is busy in her garden planting the veggies for this year and a few flowers for the house too.

I’m spending time with my bandmates practicing for our summertime gigs. We don’t play in the pubs often this time of year, but when spring comes we start in the pubs and eventually play the weekend markets and festivals.

Of course I am still working on the Harappan History Project. I spend evenings writing and interviewing interesting Harappans. In the near future I will share some of the stories I have gathered lately.

I am still hoping to get an audience with Max Gavaskar herself. I’ve been in touch with Dorian who has been discussing this with his son, and Max’s husband, Dallas.

Dallas has been open to the visit but he is also arranging a special meeting with a Fordian ambassador who is on his way to planet Kusha with news from their Andromeda Mission. It was Max’s insight that opened the door to free faster than light travel and it is this opening that has allowed the Fordians to complete their mission to the neighboring galaxy. Everyone here is anxious to learn what they discovered there

Never mix red wine and Oodo.

Philip Normer

Kushan Year 89

Earth Year 2481

Philip the Bard's Harappan Blog: Losing Max Gavaskar

Welcome gentle readers. Thanks for being here.

Sadly the Milky Way galaxy is coming to accept the reality that we will soon be losing Max Gavaskar. 

She isn’t even one hundred years old yet and her body is failing. All the advanced medical attention from all the advanced species in our galaxy have weighed in and declared that there is nothing that can be done for her.

As sharp as the Loric starship builders are, even they could not prevent the damage that all the FTL traveling Max did caused her. Her cells are losing their bonds and very soon her organs will start to fail.

As this realization spreads across the Milky Way more and more VIP visitors come to planet Kusha and they make the short trip to Yahvi, the compound that Max has made her home. 

Like I said in my last post I am hoping to get an audience with Max, I hesitate to refer to her by her title “The Mother of the Galaxy” as she seems to eschew the term. I will keep you posted and when this does happen I will post a transcript of our visit.

In the mean time I will spend some time going over Max’s life and how she came to be known as the “Mother”. 

Most people know the history of it. How Max ended the Galactic War and how she arranged a long lasting peace or the “Pax Mater” but not everyone knows all the back stories . . . I do. I was there for most of it.

I was there when Max and my friend Dorian Thain arrived together on planet Kusha and I was involved in Dorian’s return to power and “first contact” with the Fordian and the Lor.

I was there when Max returned from the Galactic Peace Conference and I remember how brief her respite was before she was called away again to resolve diplomatic issues elsewhere in the Milky Way. A pattern that was to be her life from then until very recently when her health forced her to stop traveling.

Never mix red wine and Oodo.

Philip Normer

Kushan Year 89

Earth Year 2481

The Return of Philip the Bard

A note to new readers: Philip the Bard is a character from my book series. He has come to be the historian of his time. These blog posts are from his perspective.

Welcome festive readers, thanks for being here. It’s been a while hasn’t it?

I needed a break from the writing. I hope you haven’t missed me too much. I’ve been spending time with my wife Ina and the kids and grand kids. I’ve been playing with my band the “Gutterminds” on weekends and visiting with my friend Dorian Thain when I can. Dorian is mostly retired these days so he has more time for me and my tall tales.

Life on planet Kusha hasn’t changed much in the last few months. The harvest last fall was great and the festivals were wonderful. Spring is starting here, near Harappa City and the Denstums are already blooming.

The only sad news to report is that Max Gavaskar’s health seems to be fading. She has been receiving visitors lately from all over the Milky Way but her schedule is dwindling. I am hoping to get one more visit with her in the coming weeks. She has invited Dorian to visit her soon and I am hoping to tag along. If I do I will make a transcript of the visit available here on the blog.

In the mean time I plan to resume writing regularly here about life here in Harappa City and around the Milky Way. The galactic news that most folks are waiting for is the return of the Andromeda Mission of the Fordians. They still call it Galaxy Two but most people have switched to the human name. They are expected to return within a month. What will they have found in the nearest galaxy? Is there sentient life there or is the Milky Way the only inhabited collection of stars? What else is out there?

Keep posted and we’ll find out together.

Never mix red wine and Oodo.

Philip Normer

Kushan Year 89

Earth Year 2481

Temporarily Shutting Down the Blog

Welcome beloved readers. Thanks for being here.

With much gratitude to my regular readers I must say that I will be shutting down the Gavaskar Field Blog for short time. Those of you who have been following this blog know that recently I took on a full time job. At the same time I am trying to finish the final book in the Max Gavaskar series, The Mother of the Galaxy.

The book is written but still needs editing and some work. Writing is for me an emotional and taxing thing. I suffer with my characters.

I don’t have the energy to do all three things. The completion of my sci fi series is key and I need the income of a regular job. That puts this blog into the nice but optional category. I really enjoy telling tales from the Harappan Universe. I love sharing about Max Gavaskar. Writing about her in my blog keeps her alive for me. I will miss her greatly when the series is finished.

With all this in mind I will quit writing the blog while I complete The Mother of the Galaxy. When this book is finished and ready for print I will return. There are several back stories I want to share but not until the last book is out. I don’t want to give away too much. There are a couple of big surprises in the last book. So I’ll leave you with a tease for the upcoming book and a promise to return as soon as I can.

Coming Soon: The Mother of the Galaxy

Max Gavaskar’s story ends in the Mother of the Galaxy, an emotional, wild ride as Max is once again being hunted by the SID, this time by one of their sharpest weapons. Max’s insight from Kusha has opened the door for the first Galactic War. Max knows she is the one person who can do something to prevent the mass slaughter that galactic war will bring. See how Max evades capture and how she changes everything for the Milky Way one more time.

Never mix red wine with Oodo, but cider is fine.

Earth Year 2014