The Unofficial Biography Of Kimmay

Book 4: The Nature Of The Matriarchy

by G L Hudson

 

CHAPTER 14

 

Ginger Winch's trial was one of the fastest in the history of the federal government. She immediately arranged a plea bargain and pled guilty to a reduced charge, the judge accepted the guilty plea and Ginger was in a federal penitentiary by July of 2035. It was a great deal for both parties. Kristal had Ginger out of the way and an ounce of revenge was gained. Instead of a life in prison as an accomplice to attempted murder, Ginger received only seven years.

After half a year in jail, she received a visitor. Kimmay came to the visitor's room on a cold January day. Ginger expected to see her mother, but instead found Kimmay waiting for her. As much as Ginger wanted to see someone from the outside world, Kimmay was not one of her choices.

"Hi Ginger. I don't suppose you expected to see me today."

"Hardly," she grunted.

"Let me get right to the point, I need your help." Ginger stared at her, showing no emotion. "You are aware of course of the Thirteenth Prophecy. The Keeper thought that it applied to Earth but she was incorrect. We are instead the location of the Eleventh Prophecy. The key component of that Prophecy says 'Layers of manipulation shall lay open additional layers and restore the balance'. You are a key to the fulfillment of the Prophecy."

Kimmay waited for Ginger to speak, but she said nothing.

Kimmay continued her narration, "The layers of manipulation refer to us; you, Kristal, Tiffany and me. The first reference to layers refers to generations. We are a manipulated generation, Ginger. The Travelers manipulated our genes to produce us and our abilities. We are to now open additional layers and restore the balance. The interesting part of the Prophecy is that the second reference to layers refers to something entirely different than generations. It refers to alternate universes. This has now happened. At the sacrifice of time travel, our universe can access adjacent universes. I can tell you more about that later if you are interested.

"And finally, the 'restore the balance' part is where I need your help. That refers again to an entirely different theme. We need to move towards a matriarchy and restore the power of women in our society." Kimmay paused and waited for Ginger to acknowledge her narration, but once again Ginger refused to speak. Kimmay waited only a couple of seconds and then moved along, "I guess I need to give you a little background. When Linda took me away, we spent fifteen years going from planet to planet so that she could educate me concerning how to save Earth. Her concept of saving Earth was of course totally different from our concept, but in the end her lessons and knowledge will serve us well.

"She wanted me to become involved in the social engineering of our world. I was supposed to change our society and government to protect her interest (and supposedly our involvement) in the Thirteenth Prophecy. I did think of some ideas and approaches. I never had any intention of helping Linda, but when you are all alone, light years from Earth and family, you can't help but lay awake at night and think about these things."

Ginger interrupted Kimmay for the first time, "Tell me about it." Her tone was sarcastic and biting.

Kimmay paused for a breath and said, "I'm sorry Ginger, but I have no pity for you. You get seven years, I got fifteen. You are responsible for an attempted murder; me in fact. You sat safe and sound in your mansion while someone else did the dirty work. I spent fifteen years watching genocide that you can't possibly imagine."

"Tell me about," she said again. "I want to hear what you saw."

Kimmay understood, and realized that it was going to be necessary to tell Ginger in order to win her cooperation. She closed her eyes and thought. Most of the pain was gone. She still felt great sorrow for the friends she had lost and the horror they had endured, but at least she could look back with a dry eye and clear mind.

"The first was the worst. After you see it once, the initial horror is gone. After the first time you know that it is real, that it can happen, that it did happen. But you grow just a little more numb each time." She paused for a moment. "I was naïve and stupid. I had no idea what Linda was up to. I thought that it was a wayside on our way to her home planet. It was a beautiful planet and the people were really friendly. I didn't have the slightest premonition as to what she was doing - my 'education'- I mean.

"It was strange in some ways, because I knew that we were different – aloof from the people. I don't mean that in an emotional or intellectual way, but in a physical way. At times I sat and talked with my host family and they responded to me, but at other times I stood and watched as if they couldn't see me. I was there, but I wasn't there. And they never acknowledged Linda. She was with me most of the time, and I could turn and talk with her, but the Quandors never saw or heard her.

"The family I lived with was situated in the upper half of their society. They were not rich, but they lived comfortably. It was a family of two fathers, one mother and four children. The fathers were the caregivers, and the mother was the head of the group. Her name was Salindale. She worked for the head of their political council. She provided research and ethical guidance to their Chief Chancellor."

Kimmay again closed her eyes and did not speak for over a minute. With her eyes still closed she continued, "I lived with Salindale's family for over a year. I liked her very much. In some ways she was like my surrogate mother. We talked every day. Some days I would accompany her to her work place, and some days I spent with her husbands and children. But we always talked.

"Salindale was an intellectual and a philosopher. She had an excellent knowledge about her people's history and she often lectured on their history. But she also had a sharp mind for the here and now. Even though she was not in a position of authority, she was a shrewd politician. She provided her Chancellor with guidance on issues of long-term importance. Taxes and infrastructure projects she never got involved with. But philosophical debates over the future of her people was where she became intimately involved.

"The Quandors were basically a peaceful species. They had had their moments of conflict and war, but they seemed to have out grown them. They had not pushed their technology like we have, but neither were they rural or agricultural in their thinking. All in all, they were happy.

"One of Salindale's biggest concerns was defense. Somehow her species knew about extra-terrestrials. Maybe it was due to the Travelers, or maybe my presence had something to do with it. But my presence was odd, I never totally understood how I fit into their conscious understanding of the universe. Like I said, sometimes I was with them and other times I was observing them. It was like a weird dream.

"The Quandors were split into several factions concerning their place in the universe. One of those factions held forth the notion of isolationism and defense. I thought of it as a Swiss attitude. This faction wanted to remain neutral in all future contacts, forge no treaties or alliances, and rely only on themselves for defense and protection. They wanted to push for more technology to provide that defense.

"Salindale had a more utopian outlook. I classified her as an Athenian. I'm not sure why I picked the comparison that I did, but at the time it seemed to fit. Salindale thought contact and sharing brought peace and happiness. She was not concerned about future trade or commerce, she was more interested in personal enlightenment."

Kimmay looked at Ginger, "She wasn't like me. She wasn't technical, she was definitely intellectual and philosophical. In some ways she was like you."

Kimmay looked over Ginger's shoulder and refused to meet her eyes as she continued. "I really liked Salindale. But she was wrong about the species in our galaxy. Not everyone shared her views. She always thought that a civilization intelligent enough to develop inter-stellar travel would also have matured in other ways as well. She was wrong.

"For her entire life she had advised her Chancellor away from technology for defense and destruction. She was way too naïve. One day the Kastelles arrived. They were just the opposite of what Salindale envisioned for stellar travelers. They were very technically advanced and every bit of that technology was aimed at destruction, death and most importantly pain.

"They had a very rigid, autocratic society. The leaders at the top of their collective had long ago found a way to protect themselves from the proletariat and possible rebellions. The lower caste had electronic circuits buried in their brains. The circuits controlled their emotions and ambitions. The workers were essentially programmed to obey the leaders. It was total control. But the circuits accomplished this by reducing and controlling emotions. Envy, jealousy, ambition, pride and all the other emotions were reduced to very low levels. The levels were so low, that it caused other problems with their brain chemistry and sanity. To alleviate that problem, the leaders fed them pain.

"No it wasn't their own pain, it was from other species and individuals. The Kastelles learned how to record and preserve pain, humiliation, anxiety and all of the other basic, negative emotions. They recorded these emotions like television shows or movies, and then made them available to their workers. It was their entertainment and their emotional release. As the Kastelle leaders went around the galaxy conquering other species for their resources and knowledge, they collected and recorded the most horrible suffering you can imagine. They committed the cruelest genocide possible so they could entertain and control their minions."

"How?" Ginger asked.

"Electronically. Their technology and defenses made them invulnerable to the Quandors, so they were able to take their time and torture them all. They would shoot the Quandors with some type of dart. It was an electronic dart that recorded the Quandor's pain, but it also nullified their sense of self preservation ever so subtly so they couldn't or wouldn't defend themselves. Then they were tortured.

"The Kastelles arrived like locusts one day. No one saw them coming. One minute it was a beautiful day and the next minute there were thousands of them everywhere. They quickly moved after the police and authorities, tagging them with their darts and then killing them. Those were the lucky people, because they were killed the quickest. The pain was anything but quick, but for the others it was much worse. In most cases, the killing was done with extremely crude weapons to leave the Quandors dying for hours and days, all the while feeding their pain and suffering into those god-damn darts!"

Kimmay stopped and turned to Ginger. She stared into Ginger's eyes and neither one of them blinked. Kimmay took another deep breath and continued to look into Ginger's eyes as she continued, "I was standing with Salindale in the Chancellor's chambers when they arrived. The Kastelle's Supreme Commander reserves the kill of the enemy leader for herself. Linda and I were there when she arrived with her guard. The Kastelles never once looked at Linda or me. We were invisible to them as they shot all of the Quandors with those darts. They had electronic-like whips that would peel the skin off their victims. They stripped large pieces of flesh off the first couple of people they met. The screaming was unbearable, but it didn't faze the soldiers one little bit. They loved it.

"In spite of the controlling affect from the dart, Salindale some how stepped in front of the Chancellor, as if to protect him. Their commander shot something into her abdomen. Her stomach began to bloat and then she literally exploded. Her blood and guts flew all over and they covered me. The stench was so awful that I wanted to vomit, but I couldn't. I was frozen to my position and I was forced to watch as they slowly killed everyone in that room. I turned to Linda to plead for help, and she merely stood there and looked at me. There wasn't a drop of blood on her. She was totally impervious to everything going on around us.

"The Supreme Commander went right by me as she walked over to the Chief Chancellor. She stood in front of him and what she did next I refuse to tell you. It was the most horrendous thing you can possibly imagine.

"After the Kastelles had killed everyone, Linda and I walked outside and saw the soldiers rounding up the civilians. All of them had a dart embedded in their foreheads or cheeks or arms. It was like they didn't even know the darts were there, because no one tried to remove them. The Quandors were forced to strip and remove all their clothing; to begin the humiliation Linda told me. The soldiers used their electronic whips to begin peeling skin and flesh off the children. They started with the children because that raised the best emotional response from the adults. And then they began walking them off to internment camps and space ships.

"They were slowly tortured to death, all the time providing recorded entertainment for their murderers. The emotional data would be plugged directly into the soldier's electronic circuits and absorbed for their own pleasure as well as control. The soldiers traded the better recordings between themselves and then added them to their private libraries for future use.

"When they found a species with especially strong emotions, they kept some of them for breeding programs. They would breed them and then torture them to collect their fucking emotional payment," Kimmay blurted out.

She stopped and caught her breath. She had begun hyperventilating as she finished the sordid story.

"And Linda did nothing?" Ginger asked.

"She had her excuses. I would have killed her if I could have," Kimmay said with full control of her emotions. "I would have."

"And there were other planets that you visited?"

"Yes. Some bad and some good. But that was the worst." Kimmay paused for a moment then said, "I've paid my dues, Ginger."

"And what do you want from me?"

Kimmay gathered her composure and continued, "I want you to help us 'restore the balance'. After I returned from Linda's ordeal, I knew that I was supposed to change society. I began working on the things that I thought could not be used by Linda for her own benefit. I was wrong about my assumptions. I did exactly what she wanted; she played me like a fiddle.

"But I came back with ideas that I was afraid to implement, because I was afraid that social changes were what Linda really desired. One of those ideas was the restoration of balance between male and female. I had come to the conclusion that the best situation for humanity was the elimination of the patriarchal society that we were caught in, and we needed to push towards a matriarchal society. A balance is needed and only a balance of power can succeed. But in the short term, a strong push towards a matriarchy is needed. Only then can we adopt a balance of power later. A balance between power and charity, between cold technological knowledge and human compassion, between ambition and empathy, and between male and female.

"I want your help in establishing the matriarchy."

"What do you want me to contribute?"

"When I first returned to Earth, I knew that the Matriarchy was our best chance. I had to reject the idea though, because I saw two problems. First, I thought it would take too long to accomplish. I now know that several generations is acceptable and expected. Secondly, I knew that I couldn't defeat the established religions. Their patriarchal hierarchy would fight me, and I knew they were too strong for me. But they aren't too strong for you.

"Ginger, I want you to begin the process of defeating organized, corporate religion, and help us establish the Matriarchy. Will you help?"

Without hesitation Ginger said, "I will."

 

Ginger began her work immediately. Kimmay allowed Ginger to contact her when necessary, and Kimmay provided Ginger with the tools that she needed. Ginger began an extensive, four-year research project into the major religions. Through Internet access, she traced history and dogma as far back as possible. Ginger was already very knowledgeable about organized religion, but she wanted to learn more about history.

Some people claim that those who don't study history are bound to repeat it. But for Ginger, those who do study history can repeat the part they want. She wanted to see how power and control had been gained once before, and she intended to use those lessons to her advantage.

Ginger decided that she must remain within the religious establishments and corporations in order to affect them. So she did them a huge favor. Ginger wrote a book explaining how much credibility these organizations lost every time they allowed a televangelist or Ginger wannabe to claim they spoke for god. These types of people used god the way Madison Avenue used sex. They sold the gullible a song and dance in return for money and power. And every time this happened, the 'legitimate' religions lost money and power.

Her book was extremely insightful and became must reading inside all of the major religious corporations. Piece by piece Ginger showed them that they must control the personal power of ambitious ladder-climbers, as well as outside usurpers. She demonstrated the needs for delegation and control down the ladder, as well as oversight up the ladder. She showed them their abysmal records for controlling over-zealous fanatics who had long ago lost contact with the common people. She showed them how to put in place the needed controls to stop these individuals.

The corporate leaders looked at their treasuries and decided to give Ginger's book-lessons a legitimate opportunity to prove themselves. What they didn't realize were the long-term ramifications from Ginger's ideas. Short-term they would help themselves, but once established the new procedures could not help but open the door to democratization within the various churches. That meant that eventually, the common people, along with those people who wore habits and chadors, would one day enter the executive offices. And on that glorious day, humanity would step forward.

Ginger was once again back in the good graces of her new-sworn enemies. The Trojan Horse had been welcomed home.

 

Two weeks before her release, Kimmay visited Ginger. They talked for over an hour as Ginger laid out her plans and needs. Kimmay agreed to everything and promised to handle all the details. One week before her release Kimmay returned to tidy up loose ends and update Ginger. The day before Ginger's release, Kimmay gave Ginger the specifics concerning air-flight numbers, reservations, schedules, money, resources and contacts.

The day of Ginger's release, Kimmay stood across the street and watched Ginger walk free. Ginger's mother greeted her, then walked her to the Mercedes. Ginger gave a quick wave across the street towards Kimmay and then stepped into the car. Cheryl Winch drove her daughter to the airport and escorted her to the counter where Ginger picked up her tickets. They said their good-byes and Ginger walked through security. When she arrived in Alexandria, she was finally free.

Ginger had a position waiting for her at the Alexandria University. She would be a professor in their Arts Department and handle religious studies and history. It was not a high paying position, but it gave her credentials for traveling and access to religious organizations. She found a nice house several miles from the university. Just because she was going to be a professor didn't mean she had to live like one.

Ginger would be bankrolled by Kimmay. Any money, any connections and any references that Ginger might need would come through Kimmay if necessary. Ginger's contribution to the Matriarch would preclude the use of her abilities in amassing a fortune like the other girls. Her contribution would be so important, that Kimmay had no trouble justifying the financial support of Ginger. Kimmay would be her benefactor, and her contact and her liaison to the Eleven Lights Foundation. The Foundation would be used for public dissemination of any information Ginger wanted spread to the lay press. Together they would begin the assault on the enemy.

Ginger used her enormous talents to quickly re-integrate herself into the corporate religions of the Middle East. She had contacts and friends in all of the major organizations and many of the more important local districts. The districts of Jerusalem, Jeddah, Cairo, and Baghdad were just a start. She served as a guest lecturer at several different institutions and wrote articles for many of the more influential religious papers. Within a year, Ginger was already beginning to assert some influence in high circles.

Like Kimmay, Ginger also realized that her task would take several generations. She wanted three daughters to spread her influence and contacts into a wider geographic range. One of her daughters would have to accept the responsibility of converting the United States from the world's most extreme, patriarchal fundamentalism to their moderate and progressive Matriarchy. That would require a talented daughter with plenty of patience. Ginger would train and school her daughters herself, and when ready, the most talented girl would have to make the trip to Washington D.C.

Ginger took the Matriarchy much more seriously than her partners. She had no intention of succumbing to any male influence and she would not allow it to happen to any of her daughters. The fathers of her daughters were used merely as sperm donors. The actual physical act was used to control the fathers later, since each of the different fathers was a high-ranking official in his respective church. Fornication out-of-wedlock would have put a quick end to each man's aspirations and dreams. Ginger had no second thoughts when it came to using her situation to negotiate favors and conciliations from each of the men when she needed something.

Education and training of her daughters was handled by Ginger in her own home. Because of her extensive traveling, she used nannies and home educators to help with the girls, but Ginger maintained intimate contact with them. As her girls and their 'cousins' grew and matured they were introduced to each other. Gail, Gina and Gloria were thoroughly indoctrinated into the philosophy of the Matriarchy and they were prepared to make their contributions.

The foundations were prepared. The Dragon Diamond Conspiracy was ready.

 

 

CHAPTER 15

 

Krysallis, Tiffany and Ginger felt betrayed by Kimmay. The entire idea for the Matriarchy had been Kimmay's idea, and the birth of daughters was understood to be the corner stone of their actions. Yet, the first thing Kimmay had done was give birth to a son. Granted, she was raising him as a daughter, but she was missing the point. Salindale would not be able to reproduce and extend Kimmay's bloodline. What was Kimmay doing?

Only Tiffany gave Kimmay the benefit of the doubt on this. Tiffany watched Kimmay much closer than the others. Part of the reason was because Tiffany and Kimmay jointly owned a business together and spent more time together. But another reason was because Tiffany knew Kimmay was lying about certain things. Tiffany had no reason to believe that there was any treachery behind the lies, but she knew that there was something important being concealed. Tiffany knew it would do no good to ask or confront Kimmay about the lies, so she bid her time and watched.

Like the other women, she watched Salindale. Salindale was extraordinary in many ways, but then again she was the son of Kimmay. Extraordinary talents were to be expected in Kimmay offspring, and her sister Rocky also had many of those talents. But there was a difference. Salindale seemed to be a natural leader. Salindale, Rocky, Cynthia and Maria (Melissa's girls) spent much of their time together. They seemed to do everything together, but Salindale seemed to set the daily agenda and the pace.

Cynthia and Maria's talents in the world of physics were obviously well advanced beyond Salindale, yet Salindale was the first person they told when they came up with a new breakthrough. It wasn't Tiffany nor Kimmay they broke the news to, it was Salindale. When the four of them sat on the floor and held hands, it was always Salindale who took charge. She usually spoke for the group when someone interrupted them. When Kimmay was asked to join their circle, she always sat next to Salindale. When Cynthia wanted to prove a difficult physics concept to Kimmay, she always did it through Salindale and their circle. The connection between the circle of girls and Kimmay was intriguing and disturbing.

Tiffany followed the group very closely. When they were all young and spending most of their time at Melissa's, Tiffany asked Valerie to watch the kids and report back to Tiffany. It was spying, but Tiffany wanted to try and understand the relationships that were developing. As the girls grew older, they began spending time with Tiffany, and she was able to observe the girls and their interactions first hand. Even though Tiffany was much more competent than Kimmay in String Theory and the mathematics, the girls always went to Kimmay to introduce new theories and explain difficult ideas. And they usually did their communicating while in their circle.

That circle concerned Tiffany. Why didn't they invite Tiffany into that circle? It was most disconcerting. As the years passed by, that circle remained. As the girls moved onto other aspects and phases of their lives, they still managed to get together on a monthly basis and sit together. Cynthia, Maria and Rocky eventually found boys and their attentions wandered at times. But they still came back to Salindale to meet and talk.

Cynthia and Maria spent much of their teen and twenty years in Switzerland with Lissa and Gabrielle. They pushed their world of strings and energy into strange and wondrous new directions; but still they returned to Milwaukee to meet with Salindale and Rocky. Even after Rocky married and moved to New York, they managed to meet every other month at least. The bonds between those girls were stronger than anything Tiffany had ever seen.

 

As the years progressed, all of the members of the second generation succeeded in their endeavors. Jenny, Karen, Melissa and Crystal moved into the entertainment business with their mother. Karen was an especially pretty and precocious girl. By age ten she had been cast in over a dozen movies and she was the heir apparent to Krysallis' movie stardom. Karen was more of a femme fatale than her mother. Her movie roles were stronger and more assertive. Romance remained the core off all of her movies, but strength and daring were increased and became more prevalent in her characters.

Jenny had the business mind, and she was driven to move into the business as fast as possible. She rushed her way through college so that she could get her Harvard MBA and return to the family business. By the age of twenty-three she began to assume the executive duties in their European theater of operations.

Melissa was the politician. She became interested in public service as soon as she was old enough to realize what a President was. Of all the girls, she idolized her mother more than the others. She knew she would never be as beautiful as Karen and hence she couldn't become her mother's heir on the big screen. But Karen wasn't the only reason Melissa gravitated towards politics. She was good at it. She had her mother's people skills and her mother's interest in core beliefs and ethics. Melissa was the strongest proponent of the Matriarchy, and she was determined to use her gene-given skills to move into politics and begin the long, tedious job of changing laws and precedents to pave the way for female power and authority.

Crystal was much like her mother Jennifer. Crystal was athletic and physically active. But she was also very artistic. An odd combination, but she was very good in both areas. Crystal took a long time deciding her direction in life, and it wasn't until she was twenty-five that she moved to Paris to begin her education in the fashion industry. She studied at the Paris Fashion Institute and then moved onto Milan and later London. When she was ready, Krysallis opened a new division of their empire and gave Crystal the hands-on control. Jenny Horn handled the business end, but always deferred to Crystal on creative decisions. The two girls worked together extremely well, and their fashions eventually set the tone throughout the industry.

Ginger's daughters were guided by Ginger into their individual roles. Ginger's approach was much more controlling than Krysallis'. She trained her daughters in all religions and aspects of manipulation. The girls were taught how to control the emotions of others, and to persuade them to see the girl's point of view. None of the girls were as good as Ginger, but they all had natural talent. The girls attended college in London, and then returned to their mother for 'post-doctoral' work. The most talented daughter Gina, was given the most difficult task. She would have to begin the transition of Americans away from their radical and fundamentalist view of religion. She was sent to Washington D.C. at the age of twenty-seven to begin her duties. Gina eventually hooked up with Melissa Horn in Washington, and together they coordinated their work. It was a very successful collaboration. Gail was given the task of working in the Far East and Gloria was sent to Rome. Ginger accepted the responsibility of bringing sanity to the Middle East.

All of the Winch girls were instructed to keep in close contact with not only their mother Ginger, but their 'cousins' as well. Gina Winch had a very close relationship with Melissa Horn in Washington D. C., and Gloria Winch kept in close contact with Lissa and Gabrielle Reimer. Gloria made a special effort to travel to Lucerne two or three times a year to meet with Cynthia, Maria, Salindale and Rocky as well. Gail Winch was in the remotest position and only occasionally was able to travel to Rome or Washington to relax and share ideas with her sisters. However, Salindale made a special effort to visit Gail at least twice a year. Usually she brought along one or two of the others 'cousins'.

Face to face contact between all of the cousins was stressed by their mothers and each other. Electronic contact was almost constant, with AV and e-mail shared on a weekly if not daily basis. It is difficult to believe how closely the cousins shared information on a private and business level. Animosities between their mothers never infiltrated their generation. There were no rivalries or jealousies. Even though some lived in riches and glamour, and others in self-imposed frugality, it never affected their relationships. Much of the credit went to their mothers who instilled their camaraderie, but some credit had to be given to Salindale. She was the central figure in their communications network. She made sure that everyone was always up to date on the activities of the group. She was the recognized leader and organizer of their generation.

 

Cynthia, Maria, Lissa and Rocky became known as the 'Phour Physics'. The four girls, along with Salindale, were together more often than not. All but Lissa lived in Milwaukee to stay near their mothers, Melissa and Kimmay. While in Milwaukee, they each had one of the apartments on the floor below Kimmay and Tiffany. Jason had retired, so the remaining two apartments on the top floor had been given to Gabrielle and Lissa as their second homes.

As the four girls grew older, more often than not they were found in Lucerne, at the Eleven Lights Research Center. They bought twenty-five hectares east of Lucerne, and split the land into four pieces. Each girl built a large house on her share. The four of them traveled back and forth across the Atlantic for many years, and not until husbands and children came into the picture, did they begin to look for separate accommodations away from the others.

Late in 2049, Dr. Stevens and Tiffany ran an experiment for the girls. They sent a chip through an inter-dimensional portal, and the chip sent back a transmutated gold sphere that was impervious to gravitons or mass in our current universe. It was a significant feat, and began the serious work of developing inter-dimensional transportation. Twenty years later the Phour Physics were still working on the problem. It was an extremely complex problem that always managed to raise two additional problems for each problem solved.

Amazingly, the girls never became frustrated. In fact, they weren't totally convinced that they could solve the problem in their lifetimes. They were confident that they would soon be sending cargo and inanimate materials through a portal on a regular basis. But they had no illusions about the difficulties concerning sending a human through the portal. They were resigned to the probability that they would have to wait for the next generation to give them a medical physiologist to help solve their problems.

In the meantime, they pushed their technology fast and far. Most of their breakthroughs remained secrets within the Dragon Diamond Trust, and Salindale regularly updated the others as she traveled the world, keeping the girls aware and updated on everyone's progress and situation. Many times, a difficult problem for one girl was solved by one of her cousins. It didn't matter if it was a physics, religious or financial problem, they all had the ability to help each other.

By 2060 the girls could open an inter-dimensional portal – an IDP – and move an inanimate object through it. By using a set of dimensions that precluded time and gravitons, they could eliminate the problems of momentum. As expected, once the portal was open, they could pass any inanimate object through it. The complexity of the object, be it a dime or a television, did not matter. But once it entered the portal they had inadequate control of where and how it would re-emerge in our universe.

That part of the equation took them another five years. By then they could peak through a micro-fissure in the IDP to open the other side and see where they where. They then made almost instantaneous adjustments and re-opened the portal at their next location and rechecked again. By an iterative method they could eventually open a large IDP at their desired location and exit. It was a brute force method to inter-dimensional transportation – IDT – but it worked. They knew their solution was not very elegant and extremely primitive compared to what the Travelers could do, but who on Earth could complain?

Over the next several years the girls refined their capabilities and efficiency to transport inanimate objects. They continued to work on the problems of sending a human through an IDP, but they realized that they were still many years away. As with many of their breakthroughs they kept it a secret within the Eleven Lights Corporation. Part of the reason was security, but part of it was because of commercial and social ramifications. Free, instantaneous transportation of cargo and goods around the world and into space would have had severe repercussions on business and society. Jobs would be lost and the impact on a still fragile economic situation was deemed too dangerous.

The girls worked on many problems besides inter-dimensional transportation. They improved the range and reliability of the chips used to detect portal openings. They were able to cover the entire surface of the Earth with less than five hundred chips. With the new grid, the entire oceans and land masses of the planet were under the surveillance of the NSA and the Eleven Lights Corporation. The NSA had no idea that Tiffany and Kimmay could look over their shoulder, but civilian oversight of secretive military organizations was always good.

The company continued to upgrade their existing chips, and soon had the storage chips equipped with such power, that their energy chip sales dropped to ten percent of their storage chip sales. The storage chips were charged before they left the plant, and there were very few commercial applications that could use the entire amount of energy before the product became obsolete or broken. In fact, the majority of their energy chips were sold to the military and utility companies.

While many of the physics breakthroughs remained in the laboratory, Lissa slowly introduced some of their work into commercial products. Their first major new product wasn't even a physics product, but rather a chemical product. Early in their careers, one of their major bottlenecks was the chip manufacturing process. It was too slow and too limited. The girls developed an entirely new way of producing chips with highly specific chemical catalysts. They developed a new theory on catalysis by combining the physical and geometric constraints on an atom, along with the electron reactivity of the atom. The theory was extremely difficult and iterative on a mathematical basis, but that was what computers had been invented to handle. Even so, mathematical models took several days to solve the simplest problems and it wasn't until several years after they introduced the theory, that a sharp doctoral student in Melbourne came up with a unified theory that greatly simplified the computational process. As a reward, Lissa hired the young man to work in their Research Laboratory and he was given a one percent royalty on the sales. He ended up very wealthy.

The chemistry was used to build nano-cages on germanium spheres of miniscule size. The chemistry needed to build these nano-cages was extremely sophisticated, and was one of the company's tightest held secrets. The cages were built on a series of flexible germanium segments that were responsive to ultra-low electro-magnetic fields. With the proper programming, the nano-cages could be manipulated into different three-dimensional geometries to allow consecutive chemical synthesis steps. The nano-cages were built on the germanium spheres which were much large than the cages, so thousands of the cages could be placed on each sphere. The spheres were then packed into a plug-flow gas reactor.

The chemical building blocks were introduced in their gaseous state to facilitate flow and penetration through the reactor. Hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and carbon disulfide were the main gases that were fed through in consecutive steps. With everything under computer control, electrical impulses were imposed over the reactor to set the nano-cages to their proper geometry. The first gas would be introduced and the atoms would be caught and held in the proper position for the second step. By holding the atom in the correct position, it was selectively reactive to the next feed stream, and added the proper number of atoms in the proper position to begin building the desired molecule. That selective reactivity was also provided at the lowest possible energy state, which made the need for pressure and temperature extremes moot. It was a mimic of the biological synthesis process used by nature. Step by step, alternating electrical fields and gas feeds could build up the most exotic molecules envisioned.

In a matter of hours, the most complex molecules imagined could be produced in quantities of one or two hundred grams. Hooking several reactors together allowed scale-up to the kilogram level. The true advantage of the new technology was primarily in the field of medicine. Biologically active molecules could be custom ordered and made in the space of a couple hours. This technology fed the pharmaceutical and medical researchers who could now easily and quickly obtain an unlimited range of chemicals. That in turn pushed ahead research into cures for diseases and ailments. As the medical industry quickly progressed, they were able to be more specific about their needs and that fed back into their molecular theories on biology and medicine. In a matter of a few years, doctors were routinely making molecules designed specifically for the individual patient, providing pinpoint targeting with no rejection complications.

The girls sold these new chemical synthesizers throughout the world and made a fortune on them. They themselves used the plug-flow reactors to produce a new chemical they called Aphrodite Keeper. It was a synthetic version of the aphrodisiac that came out of the wood used to hold the Dragon Diamonds. It was a very successful commercial product, and they were very proud of their contribution to the science of romance. It was also condemned and scorned by the religious puritans and fundamentalists of the world. The girls shrugged it off as another example of religious intolerance.

But the original purpose of the chemical synthesizers was to produce some exotic chemicals used in their own chip making. Those chips were used in their research to ultimately produce the chips and technology necessary for their inter-dimensional transportation; something they now referred to as simply IDT.

Many of their other discoveries were held in secret. Part of the reason was to control the growth of the technology in commercial aspects. For instance, they did not release their chips that could transmutate elements. With that technology, any element could be changed to another element; lead could be changed into gold. It worked only on an atomic and elemental basis, which meant you could change silica into iron, but not steel. Boron could be changed into carbon, but not diamonds. The affect of transmutating base elements into gold or silver or platinum or even plutonium was too dangerous, and so the girls kept it proprietary.

But that didn't stop the girls from using the technology themselves. The amount of silver and gold that they used in their chips jumped ten-fold. Those precious metals made their chips more durable and efficient. And they kept the cost low and affordable for everyone.

Progress was being made on every front in the 'second layer's' construction of the Matriarchy. And then things changed …

 

CHAPTER 16

 

"We have entered the solar system, My Lady."

"Regular updates and full alert. Make sure that all erasing-screens are operating in full efficiency and follow protocols." The Supreme Commander of the Imperial Empire of Kastelle leaned back in her command chair and looked over the officers and technicians on the command deck below her. She sat in the highest location in a room that covered almost five hectares. Her command chair was equivalent to a throne. Around the perimeter of the room a serious of projections and portals looked out upon the stars. On the command deck over five hundred technicians were watching monitors and controlling their respective areas of the ship. And every one of these technicians, and every bit of their technology responded to her slightest whim.

"One hundred minutes to orbital insertion, My Lady," a voice reported.

"Any sign of Travelers?" she asked.

"All frequencies are silent, My Lady."

The Supreme Commander punched up the small monitor on her right and studied the graphics. Orbits for the Earth, its moon and the Kastelle colony ship were displayed. A series of symbols gave vectors, gravitational constants, velocities and all the pertinent data that she desired.

The Commander watched for the next two hours as the ship eased into high orbit over their next target and began preparations for the invasion. She flipped on another set of monitors and began reading the geological reports on the planet. It was the richest planet they had ever seen. Minerals and water were abundant and within easy reach of their equipment. The planet was absolutely covered with life and it didn't have a single zone where life wasn't growing. It was truly unique among all of the planets they had ever encountered.

And best of all, the humans were so tantalizing. There were billions of them. They multiplied like viruses. Even better, the initial samples had shown exquisite promise. This was a Kastellian paradise. They could spend decades mining resources and humans. She briefly considered calling other ships and sharing this utopia, but then decided against sharing this bounty. She would mine the planet herself, and would undoubtedly become famous throughout their empire. She might even return to a Governorship.

"Have all of the scouts returned?"

"Yes My Lady."

"Call them to the Strategy Theater."

 

The Supreme Commander left everyone waiting for her while she returned to her personal quarters. The Commander had two separate residences on the colony ship. One of the residences was in the royal level of the transportation decks. While on the long trips between star systems, the entire crew returned to the transportation decks where they spent their civilian lives between engagements. Their families traveled with them and their lives were made as normal as possible in the limited confines of the spaceship.

The Supreme Commander also had a second residence on the control deck of the ship. When under military engagement, the Supreme Commander had an expansive and very comfortable residence close the bridge. Family and spouses were never allowed on the military decks. She had the entire enclave to herself, and could easily entertain members of either sex away from the prying eyes of her family. She could also take full advantage and pleasure from the many slave species kept at her disposal.

She entered her quarters and immediately walked over to her trophy case. It was full of memorabilia from various campaigns that she had led. It was an impressive display and would have been the envy of many a Supreme Commander in the fleet. But all she saw were the inadequacies and limitations. There weren't nearly enough citations and trophies from the home world. But that was about to change. They had found a planet with riches unlike anything they had discovered before, and she was going to milk it for everything that it was worth. She was going to drive the troops harder than they could possibly imagine as they stuffed the ship to the bulkheads with pillaged treasures and loot. She would return a hero!

The Commander called her slaves, and they began stripping off her uniform. One of them ran to the bath and filled the tub with hot, perfumed water. The Commander's current Favorite stepped to the side of the water and waited for her master. The slave was silently inspected by her owner. Slaves were taught to never look their master in the eye, except when their master desired sex; then the slaves smiled and looked as enticing as they could. "More lipstick," the Commander ordered. Another slave-girl rushed up and applied lipstick to the Favorite's lips. Everything must have been acceptable, because the Commander untied the ribbons on the slave's see-through robe and let it fall to the floor. She took hold of the slave's nipple and pinched it as hard as she could. The slave-girl winced in pain but said nothing. Still pinching the nipple, the Commander led the slave-girl down the steps into the bath where she kissed the slave while the other slaves began the Commander's bathing ritual. They helped hold the Favorite while her Commander and owner forcibly raped her.

It was an almost daily ritual for the Favorite, but being a Favorite did have some compensation. The rest of the slaves were not allowed to touch her, and they made sure that the Favorite received great attention in her medical care and in her appearance. She was pampered and treated like a beautiful princess, assuring her desirability for their Master. But once the Commander found a new Favorite, the ex was tossed into the slave pool. She was at the mercy of the senior slave. The ritual introduction into the slave pool was a gang rape. But after this brutal rape she received no special medical care. If she survived, she belonged to the senior slave until the senior decided that the ex-favorite was suitable for their 'family'. At that point she could now bond with another slave and they would bed together.

Kastellians were humanoid and looked similar to Earthlings. They were taller and thinner on average, and their facial features were more pronounced. Noses and cheekbones were sharper and higher. Eighty percent of the population was female. Both sexes looked similar, and only when stripped of their clothing could they be told apart. Everyone had functional breasts and they were able to nurse from puberty until menopause. Externally, they were all functional hermaphrodites. The only external, physical differences between the sexes, were the testicles on the males. The females had both a vagina and penis, but no testicles. They could reach orgasm with either sexual organ, but could not impregnate another female. The males could also experience orgasms with both their vagina and penis, but the males also had testicles and they could impregnate females. The males could not have children, of course.

The Kastellians were very successful at breeding. The females usually had a litter of twins, triplets or more. The really lucky females gave birth to males. Males were very valuable in Kastellian society. Shortly before puberty the males were usually sold for a small fortune. Only the very rich could buy a male for breeding purposes. The ultra-rich, the governing class, sometimes had two males, but that was rare and they were indeed the lucky exception. Most females formed small cooperatives of three to ten individuals so that they could afford to buy a male to share. The males had prodigious sexual stamina, and as long as they had every third or fourth day for recuperation, they could impregnate four or five females a day. For the very poor and the slave class, the females had to settle for artificial insemination.

Overall, the Kastellians were not without beauty and even a feminine appearance. Without prior knowledge of their propensities, one would not expect them to be such a brutal race. They were not physically strong, but they were extremely tenacious and brave. They were fierce warriors and they truly loved warfare and bloodshed. They were bred for war and they lived for the next battle. Only the females went into battle; males were too valuable to expose to the vagaries of the battlefield.

Part of it was their genetic manipulation, but part of it was also due to their mental and psychological control. All Kastellians had implants that were used to control their emotions, desires and emotional balance. The only difference between the upper and lower caste was the level of control built into their implants. The cream of their society had no practical control built into their tags; they did the controlling. The lower classes could be totally controlled by their masters. There really was no in-between class.

The chips were used primarily to control emotions. Without ambition, desire, envy or jealousy it was easier to keep the lower classes under control. The tags were very successful at controlling emotions, but they could also be used for communication and education. Kastellian commanders could directly contact warriors on the battlefield and easily coordinate attacks or control chaotic situations. In addition, new technology or battle tactics could be programmed into warriors while they slept.

The physical embedment of the chips caused some biological implications. The controlled class needed emotional stimulation to replace those emotions that were dampened and reduced by the tags; it was necessary for them to remain mentally balanced. This was accomplished by feeding strong emotional feelings directly to their brains via the embedded tags. These emotional feelings were collected from their victims. As they tortured their prey, the same type of mental control-tags were used to collect and record the emotional pain and suffering of their victims. The resulting recording could be fed directly to the emotional center of the Kastellian brain and produce euphoria-like stimulation. The input kept the working class sane, and it was enjoyed by everyone; including the masters.

 

After an enjoyable bath, the Supreme Commander dressed and went to the briefing. An hour wait by the troops set the stage for the Commander's entrance to their strategy meeting. It was a glorious entrance. Her slaves had dressed her in her best dress-uniform. The uniform was covered with gold braiding and her favorite medals were pinned over her left bosom. The dress fell to her knees where her knee-high riding boots sparkled with glitter. Her hair and makeup were perfect. She was a vision of beauty, grace and power as she strode to the head of the control console.

The control console was set on the stage of an auditorium-style room. The console was huge, and had numerous monitors and viewing stations placed in its biased top. From her position of power, the Supreme Commander looked over several rows of desks placed around the stage. The officers and important guests sat at these desks. They had access to one monitor that was controlled by the Commander. Behind the officer's desks, the auditorium climbed up fifty rows which were lined with simple, straight-backed chairs. Field leaders and technicians were seated in those rows; the lower the seating, the higher the ranking. The entire arrangement was very rigid and authoritarian.

The room came to a silence as the Commander took her seat. She looked over the troops and took pride in her position. She was a god on this ship. Everyone in front of her was there to serve her and her alone. Oh, they thought they were serving the empire, but while in space that was merely a myth. They were there to serve her. That power fed her ego and her ego was impossible to contain. Nothing compared with the feeling of pure power. The Commander smiled and addressed the assembly. Her speech was broadcast over the entire ship.

"My fellow Kastellians, the Gods have indeed been especially magnanimous. We have been led to the richest planet ever discovered. We have been given riches beyond any previous benevolence awarded by our wondrous Benefactor. This planet has minerals and life beyond our wildest dreams. Large quantities of gold, silver, uranium and even platinum have been collected and refined for our taking. And even better, this planet has almost six billion of the most sensitive minds we have ever encountered. They will fill our libraries with stimulation and entertainment grander than any species that we have seen. We may spend years harvesting this planet. We have enough bounty for several colony ships."

She changed her tone of voice and looked directly into her camera, "That will not happen," she screamed. "We will not allow this cornucopia to be shared with other ships. We will work around the clock, we will run double or triple shifts, and we will skip leave and recreation!" She pounded her fist on the control console for full affect. "We will not shame our Emperor or your Supreme Commander by calling for assistance. This is our treasure and we shall harvest every single shill. If anyone doubts my word, you can report to disposal now! We will take what is ours and we will show the Empire our true value and courage. Pray for our ultimate Success and Deliverance!"

Everyone on board the ship bowed her head in a moment of silent of prayer. The Supreme Commander looked once again into the camera, "The Lord is our guide and She shall grant us victory!" She turned off the camera and turned to her meeting.

She surveyed the auditorium to make sure that every seat was filled. "Have all of the scouts returned?"

"Yes, My Lady."

"Is this a free planet?" Throughout the galaxy, many planets were claimed by different species. The Kastellians were concerned with only one group of aliens and their claims; the Travelers. They had met the Travelers on several occasions and had witnessed their power. The Travelers were a federation of over 100 different species, and each race was advanced far beyond the Kastellians. Only once did a Kastellian commander venture onto a marked planet, and it was the last time they ever made that mistake.

Travelers marked their territory and solar systems with a series of 6 satellites. Two were placed directly over the poles of the sun, and four were placed in the planetary plane at 90-degree intervals. The satellites were always placed at a distance equal to ten times the sun's diameter. They broadcast on short-wave frequencies and warned away trespassers. Kastellian scout ships were always sent to these locations to check for the satellites.

"There are no satellites, My Lady," the officer in charge of the scouts answered. There were no satellites, but that wasn't what the Supreme Commander had asked. The correct answer bothered the Captain and she was worried about telling the Commander. She would bide her time until later.

The Supreme Commander either ignored or missed the Captain's mis-answer, because she continued through the normal routine. "Reconnaissance Team, report."

"Geology Team, My Lady. As you have summarized, this is indeed a rich planet. The geology is still hot with active tectonic plates. These active boundaries have brought vast amounts of minerals to the surface. On land, the indigenous species has collected large amounts of the precious metals and stockpiled them in vaults. Smaller amounts have been collected and used in art objects and are readily available in museums and churches. Radioactive materials including uranium and plutonium have been collected by the militaristic governments and are also readily available to us.

"In addition, there are large quantities of minerals that the locals have not collected. They are spread along the underwater tectonic plate boundaries. Earthlings do not have the technology for deep-water mining, so these minerals have been left in high concentrations and will be easy for us to collect." The speaker sat down and the next speaker stood.

"Biology Team, My Lady. The planet is covered with DNA based life. The deepest ocean troughs and the coldest polar-regions have life. In addition, we have learned that DNA based bacteria lives in extremely hot, steam vents, in the darkest areas of the oceans and even in hydrogen sulfide volcanic vents. The diversity is incredible and opens many potential avenues for their use later.

"The indigenous species is humanoid and very prolific. There are over six billion. Their technology is pre-space but does have some surprises. They have a unique energy generation capability. They are aggressive and have developed many nuclear weapons and some particle-beam weapons. However, they are no match for our abilities. They will present no special problems to our troops."

The Supreme Commander did not ask about the energy generation capability and the female sat down with a sigh of relief. The Supreme Commander said, "Encouraging news. Collection and Detention Team?"

A thin woman stood in the first row of desks, "My Lady, we have collected 149 humans; 102 females and 41 males. We have supplied 49 to Medical and Anthropology, 38 to Metrics, Calibration and Recording, 24 to Breeding and Husbandry, and 29 to Training and Tactics. In addition, three have been donated to Domestication."

"Really?" the Commander smiled. "Domestication, tell me what you have found doctor."

An attractive female stood and addressed her Commander, "I have tested two females and one male. The bottom-line my Commander is they are wonderful; especially the females. The females have much more fatty tissue than we do and are therefore softer and plumper. They're sex organs are slightly smaller than ours and very soft and sensitive. The male's sex organs are weak and small, with very poor recuperative powers. But they are physically strong and with the proper stimulation they can give an exciting ride. Without a doubt, they will make the best sex-slaves of any species we have found. The only problem is that they are fragile and tear easily. They need almost ten days between each use to recuperate and heal."

"Interesting. Do the females require much training?"

"No they do not. They are relatively weak, and so can be positioned easily. My Lady will certainly enjoy her toys," and the doctor smiled knowingly.

The Commander continued her briefing, "Medical?"

"My Lady, the new species is remarkably humanoid. They are very compatible with our technology and they are exquisitely sensitive. They have a very low pain threshold and their bodies are filled with sensitive nerve endings. They feel pain stronger than any animal that we have ever seen. In addition, they have weak emotional controls. They will be easy to manipulate to cause surges of anxiety, fear and depression.

"On the down side, they are very fragile, and they have poor recuperative abilities. I'm afraid that in many circumstance they will be good for only one session and then they will have to be sent to disposal. Fortunately, there are billions of them.

"Finally, we have had no problem developing an ultimate weapon for them. We have enough toxin for half the satellites already."

"Excellent. MCR?"

"My Lady, as the Medical Team has pointed out, there are billions of the Earthlings. Our equipment is very compatible with their nervous system and we will be able to collect some excellent recordings. But we are going to be stretched to provide enough tags. Even at round-the-clock operation it will take several months to fabricate enough tags. We have tried some short cuts and we can increase production, but it limits the bandwidth of our recordings. With such excellent subjects I hate to do that My Lady."

"What other options can you give me?"

"My Lady, the only viable option is total reclaim of used tags. Normally we don't bother to collect the tags from the depleted hosts, but in this case I suggest that we do so. There is a slight problem in that some will be damaged during routine stimulation and torture, so our yield will drop one or two percent."

"If I give you additional slaves, can you increase output?"

"Only slightly My Lady. We are currently equipment limited, not worker limited."

"Very well, Disposal you will make arrangements for collection of all used chips. Return them to MCR for verification before re-use. Breeding Team, your turn."

"My Lady, the Earthlings are similar to us and will require no special handling. Even the same food will suffice. As well as they have populated their planet it is a mystery as to how they have done it. They are very slow breeders. Their gestation period is nine months and they rarely have multiple births. We have started work with fertility drugs they already use and we should be able to increase litter sizes, but we will not be able to reduce gestation periods. We need to consider carrying a larger herd than normal."

"Everything I am hearing says that we have been given a very special creature for our enjoyment. I agree. We will carry a larger herd. Do you have room?"

"I will make room my lady. I would suggest at least triple the usual number of animals."

"Do it," she answered. "Training and Tactics, what do you have to report?"

"No problems My Lady. They are susceptible to implantation almost anywhere except the top of the head. The heads are very bony. We have tested several of our standard tactics for herding and collection and foresee no problems. MCR and M&A have given us their recommendations and all of our best weapons and tools will work for stimulation and collection. In addition, they have given us one or two new stimulation methods that look very intriguing."

"How so?"

"Because of their high sensitivity, we can torture these animals for long periods of time without doing critical damage. Only a small amount of physical damage is required to produce optimum pain levels. With a little water we can keep them alive for several days. And even better, these are systems that are plug and walk. One soldier by herself can probably tap over one hundred animals at a time. Collection could be the most efficient that we have ever performed."

"It had better be Captain, we have billions to process!" The Supreme Commander was beginning to smile. This sounded better and better all the time. She moved down her list of reports and heard nothing but promising news. Towards the end of the meeting she reached the history report. No one cared one shill about the planet's or the indigenous species' history, but it was a required question on the preparedness list. It had to be answered, if for nothing else than to provide a complete report for the Empire bureaucrats.

A young female slowly stood. The soldier had some ambition and wanted to move up the ladder to a better position. History Reconnaissance was usually handed to a young trooper fresh from the training academy. This was an easy position to break-in the youngsters. But a screw up here would doom a soldier to a lifetime of grunt-work. She was very nervous.

"My Lady, we have found some … uhmm … disquieting reports. We find them very hard to believe, and suspect that they are nothing more than legend or the remnants of their popular entertainment sources, but we think it is only prudent to bring this matter before you. We are only trying to be complete, My Lady."

The Commander couldn't possibly imagine how anything this young recruit could tell her would matter in the greater scheme of their plans. She was drawing close to the end and wanted to finish the meeting.

"Hurry up! What is it?"

"My Lady, it seems that the Travelers have been to this planet."

"What?" The Commander brought her entire presence to bear on the hapless female. This could be extremely serious and even disastrous if true. "Scouts, I thought you told me this was a free planet."

The Captain knew his time was up. "My Lady, there are no satellites. There are no external signs anywhere. We have run an exhaustive search."

The Supreme Commander returned her attention to the girl, "Then what are you talking about?"

She gulped and shrunk a full inch in height, "My Lady, we have collected reports from several of the Earthling's news and reporting sources. Supposedly the Travelers were here over fifty years ago." Gulp, here came the tough part, "And they were defeated by the Earthlings." Whispering and shuffling broke out in the auditorium. Even the Supreme Commander could not believe her ears.

"That's impossible! They have nowhere near the resources or technology to stand up to the Travelers. Which Travelers were supposedly here?"

"Their records claim that many members were here, but only the Seekers and Builders are named."

"The Seekers?" The Commander slumped slightly in her chair. The Seekers were one of the strongest partners in the entire Traveler Federation. If this was even remotely possible … nonsense. It couldn't be true. "What else have you collected? How could they possibly have defeated the Seekers?"

"It is very confusing My Lady. It reads like a story or legend, but it is corroborated by several different sources. And even some of those sources are skeptical of major parts of the story."

"So what is the story?" the Commander demanded.

"The Travelers were supposedly defeated by one person, a female called Kimmay. She had the help of some mysterious extra-terrestrial entity called the Keeper. The Keeper was another female. But the story is full of impossible claims. For instance, the Keeper took a large ship away from the Builders. She confiscated it without even a battle. Then she and this Kimmay left the planet. The Keeper woman never returned, but the Kimmay did."

"Does the Kimmay actually exist? Can you confirm that?"

Another gulp, "Yes My Lady we have confirmed that she actually exists."

The Commander glared at the small female. She was angry, but at the same time she was thinking. "What do you know about her?"

"She is a physicist. She owns a company that builds an energy chip that she invented. My Lady, at first we thought very little about this energy chip, but after careful analysis, we have discovered that it has extremely advanced technology in it. We do not know how it works. We have studied her writings and discovered a theory that we have never encountered. She might be using extra-dimensions to produce energy."

The Commander was turning red with anger. She turned to her Science Director and demanded, "Did you know about this?"

Until now she had kept her mouth shut, but there was no longer any use in delaying the inevitable. She was about to be eliminated. "Yes, My Lady. We have just finished our analysis. I did not want to say anything until we had finished, but the chip is beyond our scientific knowledge. The Kimmay is producing energy from the direct annihilation of two hydrogen nuclei simultaneously. She is using teleportation to place two pieces of matter in the exact same point of space at the exact same time. But we can not tell exactly how she does it, because some of the process is invisible."

"What do you mean invisible? How can they possibly be doing something that we cannot detect? Do they have screening technology?"

"No My Lady they do not. But part of the chip does not appear to be in our three dimensions. It is in a different universe."

The news battered against the Commander's very ego; her very large ego. She sat quietly thinking through the situation. This was not good, not good at all. "Director, do they use this technology anywhere else? Is it used in any special weapons that they might have turned against the Travelers?"

"My Lady, I have seen this technology no where else. I told the Historian to screen every technical journal on their world to find more evidence or use of this special technology. But she found nothing."

"Historian, is that true? Is that the total truth?"

"Yes My Lady," she squeaked. "I could find nothing else. In addition, there is no report anywhere about a weapon being used or even threatened against the Travelers. There is nothing else. Maybe it was just a fluke discovery."

"Science Director, is that possible? Can it be a single accidental discovery?"

"That is always a possibility My Lady. In fact it makes some sense. I can see no way that their technical level could have deliberately invented something that we cannot even analyze. It is incomprehensible."

"Historian, what else do you know about this Kimmay?"

"She does exist, she has children and she continues to work in her company. She is a figure of folklore, and supposedly brought down an entire government with the help of only two or three other females. Again My Lady, much of this is open to dispute in their literature. In fact, some of the stories claim that she was actually a male that was transformed into a female. They do not have that technical ability."

Again the Commander thought. "So we have a tale about a female that is bigger than life. She defeated the Travelers, and she overthrew a government almost by herself. Is that about it?"

The Science Director answered, "Yes My Lady."

"It sounds like a fictional story from their entertainment industry, does it not?"

"Yes My Lady, except for one thing. The energy chip is real."

"A purely chance fluke, perhaps?"

"Possible My Lady."

The Commander was not about to lose the prize within her grasp. She had made up her mind. "Begin operations. I want collection to start, and I want triple the normal herd. Begin placement of the satellites. I want weapons to begin energizing the tectonic plates and I want maximum quake and volcanic activity. Send collection teams into the seismic activity regions and I want tagging to begin. Start bringing up their anxiety level and collect samples."

Then she addressed her Field Commander. "Bring me the Kimmay."

The meeting adjourned and the participants began talking among themselves. The Historian approached the Science Director and said, "You have to go tell her now, before we lose the chance." She was right, but the Science Director was reluctant to approach the General. She had just lost face in front of the entire crew. She would be demoted and removed quickly. It was probably the last constructive thing she could do for her Empire.

"General," she called as she caught her attention. She reluctantly walked over.

The General did not look amused. She too knew the Science Director was about to meet the end of her career, and maybe her life. "What do you want?"

"General, there is one other thing that you have to collect along with the Kimmay. It is critical that you get it. It is a small cube with mirror-like sides …"

 

CHAPTER 17

 

Golden sunlight was peaking through the shades of Lissa's Swiss home. Lissa, Rocky, Salindale, Cynthia and Maria were sitting cross-legged on the floor. Day was slowly shifting into dusk as they held hands in their now familiar circle. All eyes were closed and there was no sound in the room. Years of training, practice and testing were being brought to focus on the visions in their minds. However, even with that practice, the vision was too alien to ascertain. One by one the girls opened their eyes and looked at Salindale. She remained in her trance for another few minutes before she opened her eyes. Slowly, she looked around the circle and into each girl's eyes. They had all seen the same thing.

Whatever they had seen, it was trouble. None of them knew how to interrupt the vision, but they each had seen the omen. Salindale finally spoke, "Something is wrong. We must return to Milwaukee and connect with Kimmay. I will call the airport and charter a jet. We leave in ten minutes."

 

CHAPTER 18

 

The General listened to the Science Director and then said, "I want you and the Historian in my quarters one hour after tonight's Loyalty Prayer. I believe that there is a Traveler shipped cloaked and sitting in this solar system."

The Science Director froze in disbelief as the General walked away.

After their evening meal, after the usual departmental briefing, and after their nightly Loyalty Pledge to the Empire and their Supreme Commander, each soldier returned to her room. The Science Director watched the chronometer slowly click through an hour of worry and apprehension before she peeked out her door, and then stole silently through the corridors to the General's quarters.

The Historian and General were quietly waiting for the Director. "Sit," the general told her. "Now tell me what the cube is."

The Director pointed at the Historian. The Historian took her cue and began, "Your Honor, I believe it to be a recording device belonging to the one called Keeper. I have reason to believe that it is an actual recording of the meeting between the Earthlings and the Travelers. I think it can tell us exactly what happened fifty years ago."

"And what makes you think this?"

"My research. It is reported to be an extremely accurate, three-dimensional recording of several meetings, and it may be an historical record of the entire incident."

"Will you know how to operate it once I bring it to you?"

"I do not know. But if I cannot open it, the Kimmay probably can."

The Science Director broke in, "General, what did you mean when you said there was a Traveler ship here?"

The Historian's face froze in horror. "The Travelers are here?" The last thing any Kastellian wanted was a confrontation with the Travelers. The Travelers had technology light-years beyond the Kastellians. They had no defense and no hope against a Traveler ship. Their only option would be to apologize and retreat quickly.

"I'm not sure if there is one or not. I have a knot in my stomach and an ache in my back. Telemetry is picking up a very intermittent shadow that could be a Traveler signal. I've sent scouts out with Detection Sweepers to scan the entire system. They can also pick up ghost signals, but they cannot pinpoint the source. It might be a natural phenomenon generated by one of the gas giants. But I have a very bad feeling concerning this entire campaign."

She looked at the Historian and asked, "Do you honestly think the stories and fables surrounding this Kimmay are true?"

The Historian studied her boots for several seconds, "Your Honor, like you all I have is a gut feeling. But I must admit that I am worried. Something here does not add up."

"What else could it be? Is it possible that this is an elaborate ruse to confound potential enemies?"

"If it is, it is a brilliant play on their part. How would they know to even plan for such an occasion? And how would they possibly know about Travelers? If the Travelers were really here, it would be evident. They would own this system. This system is so rich, how could they possibly come here and then walk away?"

"Maybe because they were driven away?"

"Do you believe that is possible, Director?" the Historian asked in horror.

In a worried voice the Director replied, "No."

"Neither do I," added the General. "Either the Earthlings gathered enough information to make a spectacular bluff, or they did indeed defeat the Travelers. Either scenario is a potential nightmare."

The General stared hard at both women. "I will instruct my assassins to take a full week killing you if you repeat what I am about to say. I think the Supreme Commander's judgment is clouded on this issue. She sees treasures and promotions and they have corrupted her strategic thinking. She is pushing too fast and too hard to take this planet. We need time to sort through the potential pitfalls here. I intend to stall on the capture of the Kimmay. I want you two to gather more definitive information. Is there someone else that we can bring to our interrogation chambers? What about this cube? Can we get it and decipher it ourselves?"

"Yes, there is someone else we can collect," the Historian said. "The Kimmay has a body guard. She is called Traci."

 

(continued)

  

  

  

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