A.D. 5274: Return to System of GUTship Cauchy. Launch of backward time-travel invasion by Qax.

A.D. 5406: “Blue Shift”

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

A.D. 5500 +: Third expansion begins.

A.D. 5611: “The Quagma Datum”

A.D. 5653: “Planck Zero”

A.D. 5664: “Eve”

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

A.D. 10515: “The Gödel Sunflowers”

A.D. 21124: “Vacuum Diagrams”

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

A.D. 104,858: “Stowaway”

Raft

A.D. 168,349: Launch of the Exaltation of the Integrality.

A.D. 171,257: “The Tyranny of Heaven”

A.D. 193,474: “Hero”

Flux

A.D. 1,000,000: Final siege of Solar System by Xeelee. Defeat and imprisonment of man.

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

C.A.D. 4,000,000: “Secret History”

A.D. 4,101,214: “Shell”

A.D. 4,101,266: “The Eighth Room”

A.D. 4,101,284: “The Baryonic Lords” Destruction of Ring by photino birds.

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

Ring

A.D. 10,000,000 +: Virtual extinction of baryonic life.

“The Sun-People” (under the title “The Sun-Person"), first published in Interzone, 1993.

“The Logic Pool,” first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, 1994.

“Gossamer,” first published in SF Age, 1995.

“Cilia-of-Gold,” first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, 1994.

“Lieserl,” first published in Interzone, 1993.

“Pilot,” revised from “Chiron,” first published as a chapbook by Novacon, 1993.

“The Xeelee Flower,” first published in Interzone, 1987.

“More Than Time or Distance,” first published in Opus, 1988.

“The Switch,” first published in Edge, 1990.

“Blue Shift,” first published in Writers Of The Future Vol V, ed. Algis Budrys, 1989.

“The Quagma Datum,” first published in Interzone: the 4th Anthology, ed. John Clute, David Pringle and Simon Ounsley, 1989.

“Planck Zero,” first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, 1992.

“The Gödel Sunflowers,” first published in Interzone, 1992.

“Vacuum Diagrams,” first published in Interzone, 1990.

“Stowaway,” extracted and revised from Raft, HarperCollins, 1991.

“The Tyranny of Heaven,” first published in Dream, 1990.

“Hero,” first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, 1995.

“Shell,” revised from “The Bark Spaceship,” first published in Dream, 1987.

“The Eighth Room,” first published in Dream, 1989.

“Secret History” and “The Baryonic Lords,” revised from “The Baryonic Lords,” first published in Interzone, 1991.

“Eve” (under the title “The Soliton Star"), first published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, 1996.

Stephen Baxter is a trained engineer who took a first-class honors degree in mathematics at Cambridge University. He also has a doctorate in aeroengineering research from Southhampton University, and for his degree worked with Rolls Royce Ltd. and at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, UK.

In his research, the author has visited NASA launch centers, viewed a shuttle launch, and interviewed NASA staff, including a mission controller and a space shuttle astronaut. He also researched histories of NASA and its missions, and technical material on spacecraft and boosters.