In this second Sequential Dreams album, works of celebrated science-fiction author act as inspiration to the creation of a soundtrack to set of short stories “musical stories”. "Orbital Burn" In 2003, Author K.A. Bedford's novel "Orbital Burn" was published. This is the story of a detective in trouble, about to get evacuated from her homeworld. "Solstice on Terra Prime" Not to be confused with an episode of that name in Gene Roddenberry's work, this track is inspired more with the 1990's series "Sliders", where through the use of a portal, a group of people travel between alternate versions of Earth. Terra Prime relates to the point of origin, the starting point of this inter-dimensional travel. "Approaching Galactic Core" This track pictures the end point of a long galactic voyage from our "outer banks of the Milky Way galaxy, home of Earth" to the center of the galaxy, where matter is packed tight around the galactic core. The light of all those packed stars lead to extremely bright space. The dense packing of matter also create unexpected gravitational effects which warp space and time. "The Transwarp Incident" In Gene Roddenberry's acclaimed science fiction series, a recurring advanced form of traveling through space comes in the form of Transwarp. In Transwarp the conventional limitations of Warp travel are transcended. In one episode of TNG, "The Traveler" leads to travel beyond the normal confines of time and space: Where mind and matter become one. Beware of what you think, because it will become real and materialize before your very eyes! "The Caves of Steel" Author Isaac Asimov's 1954 novel "Caves of Steel" was an inspiration to this track. Asimov depicts humanity developing its cities mostly underground, linked into vast networks. It is the starting point for many of his ideas developed in later time novels. "I Can Remember the Rain" In the epic movie V for Vendetta, there is a sequence where there is the recalling of the story of a woman imprisoned because of her lifestyle preferences, writing her life diary on scraps of paper before her imminent death at the hands of her captors. In her accounts of her past life, she quotes "I know I can remember the rain..." now a distant memory, after having spent so much time in captivity. It is a poignant moment in the film. The listener may find that the tonal qualities of some of the sounds, including the percussive elements are reminiscent of a downpour of rain. "Temporal Shift" In the folklore of BBC's Doctor Who, An emergency temporal shift was a form of transport that was used to move beings through time. It was used only as an emergency measure due to high risk. "The Tannhauser Gate" In a very well acclaimed science-fiction movie directed by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) scored by Vangelis, in his final moments a Replicant, in the final moments recollects the highlights of his life, one of which "I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those... moments... will be lost in time, like tears in the rain. Time to die". "The Signing Bells of Mars" "The Singing Bell" is a science fiction mystery short story by Isaac Asimov that first appeared in the January 1955 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. In Asimov's story, striking these special lunar rocks created incredibly beautiful sounds. This track moves this concept to Mars! "The Hex Eye of Saturn" The Voyager probe first caught a glimpse of this, an now recently Cassini. A huge, hexagonal shaped storm at the north pole of Saturn, two times the size of our own planet! This track is intended as a soundtrack to this strange and imagination inspiring phenomenon. "To Seek Out New Life" The intro to Gene Roddenberry's most famous series... "A Five Year Mission... To Seek Out New Life... To Boldly Go.." Notice a few signature sounds. Can you hear a version of the transporter at points in the track? "Shore Leave on Risa" Epsilon Ceti B II, located 88.2 light-ears from Earth, is known for its beauty and relaxing tropical atmosphere. On another Gene Roddenberry imagined planet, Risa, the vacation planet awaits the space weary federation crew for a bit of Rest & Relaxation. "The Cloud Minders" Science Fiction stories about the wealthy living in distinct citadels, isolated from the poor, have been a long staple of the genre. Going all the way back to the turn of the 20th century with Fritz Lang's Metropolis, then forward to Isaac Asimov's Spacers who live initially in orbit around the Earth then onto other planets, and more recently Elysium which embodies this idea. The Cloud Minders was the title in the Gene Roddenberry's original Star Trek series where the city dwellers live in a city in the clouds, and far below them the troglodytes mine the resources for the benefit of their wealthy task masters. "Fantastic Stories" This is the album wrap-up track. It is composed in the style of the closing soundtrack to an imaginary science-fiction film (or collection of short stories, as you will have listened to, throughout the album!)