The Unofficial Biography Of Kimmay

Book 4: The Nature Of The Matriarchy

by G L Hudson

 

CHAPTER 25

 

Kimmay called a meeting. Everyone stood or sat in a circle around the front of the cargo ship. A few people had water bottles and snacks were being passed around. Kimmay addressed the group. "We've got a real problem, people. The laboratories all have air-locks and they have the same hand pads that these doors here have. We can't open them and so we can't get into the labs. So I need some additional information. To do that, I'm going to have to take us back to normal ship time. That means we will be at risk again.

"Major, is everyone accounted for?"

The major needed a few minutes to contact his perimeter guards and warn them. "We're set, ma'am."

"Before I go looking for specific solutions, does anybody here have any suggestions?"

"Can we blow open the doors?"

"I'm not sure. The doors are part of the ship which is part of the other time-speed. I'm not sure what would happen, and I can't take the chance of putting us on the same time-speed. That would leave the hangar exposed without me here to help in case of an emergency. Too risky, I think."

"Then you stay here, and I can go," Doctor Brinson said.

"No you can't, without me you'll be on their time."

"Oops, forgot," he apologized.

"Anybody else have an idea?" The room remained quiet.

"Ms. Kimmay?" It was the young technician that had been questioning Kimmay earlier. "You were controlling the aliens who piloted the ship, is that correct?"

"Yes …" she answered tentatively.

"Can you control other aliens?"

"Maybe, why?"

"Can you make one of their doctors bring the virus to us?"

Kimmay smiled. "Give me a second to think about that," she said. Kimmay closed her eyes and tilted her head back, as if she were looking at the ceiling. After a minute of thought she said to the technician, "I like your idea. I think I can do it. Does anyone else have anything else to add.?"

"If you can do that, make sure it is contained," a doctor warned.

"Of course. Anyone else?" No one spoke. "Major, I'm going to change the time, get ready."

The major nodded, and Kimmay changed the time. It was a seamless phase change and no one felt a thing. Kimmay immediately reached for Salindale and the others. "I'm in trouble," Kimmay began. She quickly gave them the details of her attempt to obtain the virus. Kimmay and Rocky sat silently and looked at each other as the girls began to work their plan.

"Salindale," Kimmay thought, "It's not that I'm paranoid, but I am paranoid. Make sure the current commander makes her troops stay out of the hangar."

"I'll second that," Rocky added.

"I'll confirm that, and make sure she relays the message to her security people," Salindale assured them. Salindale immediately entered the Chair Commander's mind and reinforced her instructions.

Cynthia and Maria were given the task of finding the biological weapons experts and confirm that a sample could be obtained. They reported back a few minutes later and claimed success. It would take a while to get the sample isolated and contained, and then carried out into a public passageway. As soon as the sample was outside the airlocks, Kimmay would jump to her accelerated time-speed and go collect the virus.

Kimmay returned to the group sitting with her. "I can do it," she said. "It's going to take about twenty minutes to get the lab tech into the lab, isolate the sample and contain it, and then exit the air-locks. Once she is out of the airlocks I'll change the time back to the way it was, and I'll go get it. In the meantime, you doctors can get ready. Major, give me twenty safe minutes, can you?"

"We're on full alert, Ms. Kimmay."

As the group started to disperse, Kimmay caught the girl's eye. "Thanks," she mouthed to her. The girl smiled and headed towards the trailers.

It was a nervous twenty minutes. Every sound in the hangar sounded like the Kastellians bursting in with weapons raised. Cynthia and Maria pushed their target as fast as safely possible, and Salindale kept the Chair Commander under watch. The rest of the girls helped wherever they could. Kimmay and Rocky talked a little just to help pass the time. They watched the others as they moved around the deck and kept a wary eye on the major. At the slightest hint of trouble, Kimmay was prepared to change the relative time.

It was an exasperatingly slow twenty minutes, but finally the minutes came and went. The target was still not in position. Kimmay and Rocky started fidgeting and getting worried. They joined Cynthia and Maria as they maneuvered their target through the laboratory with the virus in hand. The airlocks seemed especially slow as the Kastellian worked her way through them. As soon as she reached the public passage, Kimmay was chomping at the bit. They were ready for Kimmay to take over.

"Does anybody have anything else to say?"

"Good luck, darling," came from her mother Melissa.

"Ok, I'm switching times." Kimmay pushed herself out of her chair and told the major, "We're back on our time. We should be ok for now. Go get me the pilot we used earlier. She'll have to open the door when I go out."

Kimmay still had her haz-mat suit half on, and she began pulling it up over her shoulders. She found the doctor and asked for the isolation container. "Do you want me to go with you," he asked.

"I'll make a lot faster time by myself," she told him. "Would you please help seal me up?"

Five minutes later she was at the door and ready to go. She switched time, and had the girls force the pilot to open the door. The major used a mirror to peak around the door just to make sure everything was as it should be, before he let Kimmay start down the corridor. Kimmay literally disappeared from sight as she changed her own time and set off after the virus. Kimmay had already been this way once, and so it took little time to reach the Kastellian holding the virus. She removed the vials from the frozen hand and dropped them into her container. The return to the hangar was as fast as her injured leg would carry her. Kimmay handed the container to the doctor, closed the door, opened her suit and gave a sigh of relief. The hard part was done.

Kimmay stripped off her haz-mat suit and collapsed on a berth in the ship.

 

For the next several days Kimmay and Rocky wandered around the cargo-ship and hangar, trying to defeat their boredom. There was nothing much for either of them to do. Once a day Kimmay would change the time-speed and briefly speak to Salindale. Then she returned the hangar to their accelerated speed and tried to kill another few hours of boredom.

The doctors were very busy and kept to themselves. They were working 16 to 18 hours at a time and then catching a bit of food and a nap before venturing back into their trailers. There were supposedly some limits on shift lengths and time in haz-mat suits, but everyone realized that those rules weren't meant to be applied to this situation. They did shift the technicians in and out to keep them from becoming too tired or complacent. Since the technicians were doing most of the hands on work, they had to remain as sharp and coherent as possible.

During one of her breaks, the girl with all of the questions found Kimmay sitting by herself. "Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked.

"I don't mind at all. But I have to warn you, I haven't had a bath in four days."

The girl smiled and held out her hand, "It's a real pleasure to meet you Ms. Kimmay."

Kimmay took her hand. "What's your name?"

"Jill Moneypenny. I have to admit it's an honor meeting you."

"The pleasure is all mine, Jill. You folks have been working very hard. Are you making any progress?"

"Oh sure. We're going through all of our procedures and step-by-step were making progress."

"When do you think you'll have an answer?"

"You have to ask Dr. Brinson that question. He puts everything together."

"So what exactly are you doing in there?"

"Mostly molecular biology and then computer modeling."

Kimmay chuckled. "What does all of that mean?"

"Well first, we do a genetic analysis. We map the DNA code in the virus. While one team does that, another team tries to attack the protein membrane around the virus. The first group is looking for vaccines and cures, while the second group is trying to kill the virus outright. If they can break through the virus' protective coat, we can defeat it before it can enter and attack people. The key is finding an agent that will kill the virus but not harm people in general, and hosts in particular.

"The genetic team is trying to determine how the virus will act once it infects a person. The doctors are trying to determine what routes it uses to enter the body and how exactly it will attack. Once they determine the attack sites, then they try and model the damage it does and the body's responses."

"That sounds rather sophisticated. How do you know what the virus will actually do?"

"Mostly from past experience and computer models. Looking at the genes, the doctors can pretty much determine what each gene will do; what kind of proteins it will synthesize and what those proteins might do. Then they try and map the secondary winding of the helix, to determine the active and replicative genes. Finally, they can also pretty much guess how the virus will interact with the cell's genes and what they will try to do then."

"So are you finding anything new or exotic?"

"I don't think so. The doctors haven't claimed that there is anything drastically different. They think the models are working and we're moving ahead like we would with any other virus."

"So how bad is this virus? Is it lethal?"

"Oh yea, it's lethal. Dr. Brinson thinks there are similarities to Hanta and maybe Ebola."

"So what happens after your analysis and modeling?"

"Then they try and find a vaccine. They look for a step in the attack process where they can intervene and prevent the virus from continuing. That saves the infected person, but it might not kill the virus. The person might become a carrier. So the next step is to kill the virus too. But that isn't always possible. So a vaccine to inoculate uninfected targets is usually required also."

"How much longer do you think it will take?"

Jill shrugged her shoulders. "It's difficult to say. It might be weeks or months."

"I sure hope not," Kimmay said. "I'm bored to tears as it is. And I'm not sure that I want to try eating the local food."

They sat quietly for a few moments while Jill worked up the courage to change the topic. "Ms. Kimmay? Were you serious a couple of days ago when you said that you are going to die?"

"Yes."

"And there is nothing that you can do about it?"

"I don't think so. I've had some very talented people working on the problem and they have no solution to offer."

Jill looked at her hands, as she held them in her lap. She twisted her fingers together and thought about her next question. It took a little more nerve to ask it. "You're very pretty Ms. Kimmay."

Kimmay blushed slightly, "Thanks, and call me Kimmay please. I guess I'm not too wrinkled for my age," she conceded as she smiled at Jill.

"I know," she replied. "I mean, you are older than most people and …" Jill just realized what she had said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call you old. It's just that, you only look like you're thirty or forty years old. Do you have a secret beauty recipe that you can share?"

Kimmay wasn't stupid, "Are you looking for a beauty regiment, or are you asking why I don't look older than I do?"

"Both?" she asked sheepishly.

"Genes help, but that's not the real reason. Both the Keeper and Linda had the ability to change appearance. When they travel between worlds they change their appearance to blend in with the local species. Along with that ability, they can change the appearance of age."

"Like a fountain of youth?"

"Not exactly. But they can change and correct many of the factors associated with age. They can change external appearances and they can correct internal damage due to the aging process. I guess the end result is almost equivalent to a fountain of youth, yea."

"That's some pretty advanced medicine," Jill said.

"It's a long way beyond anything we can do."

"Do you think someday we will be able to do some of the things the Travelers can do?"

Kimmay grinned and let out a soft chuckle. "Jill, I have no doubt of that what-so-ever. Your children's children are going to be amazing."

"You say that with conviction."

"I do."

"Kimmay, what did you mean before when you said that god doesn't exist? You said that you knew that. How?"

"When did I say that?" Kimmay asked as she tried to recall her exact words.

"When you were briefing all of us and one of the doctors said that you were no god."

"Ah yes, I remember. Jill, I did not say that god doesn't exist. I told that doctor that his male idol doesn't exist."

"How do you know that? How do you know for sure?"

Kimmay took a deep breath. "Jill, obviously you have read about some of my travels. I have never shared everything I've learned because it is too dangerous. Just let me say that I have moved both forward and backward in time. I have been treated to many sights and visions. If I am to believe what I have seen, I am led to certain conclusions. These conclusions are mine and mine alone, but I believe in them very strongly.

"There are certain things in our universe that cry out for an explanation. One of the big questions is what is life. Why is life? Humans have endeavored to answer that question since we could first think. We have concocted magical answers to many of those questions. Some of our answers have been refined with time, sometimes due to our increasing knowledge of the universe, and sometimes because we outgrew obviously flawed reasoning. But many of our answers are still stuck in tradition, and therefore are nothing more than the thinking of a semi-intelligent species in its earliest days of self-awareness.

"Cavemen couldn't possibly understand the stars and planets and fire, so they invented gods and magic. Their invention of gods is still used today by humans to explain life. Later as man grew, we continued to keep the concept of gods and we wove it into our social structure through the use of organized religion. That religion has been used to create legend, tradition and control. But the basic concept hasn't changed much since the days of the cavemen. Only the names have changed. We have gone through a great many gods.

"When we shake off the dogma and rigidity of the mind-control that religion imposes, I think we can better understand our universe. And I think our universe wants to understand us as well. You see Jill, I've been shown enough of the universe to wonder if we shouldn't change our thinking. I'm not saying that I know the final answers, but I have convinced myself as to what the answers are not. Religion and our concept of god don't fit into my view of reality. It is time for us to leave our cave-man thinking behind and begin looking for new approaches to life's questions.

"Does that answer your question?"

"Not exactly."

"I'm sorry then, but that is all that I can share."

"May I be disrespectful for a moment?" Jill used a low tone of voice and tried not to show her disrespect.

"Maybe. What do want to say?"

"Why you? Why have you been shown these things and what gives you the right to decide whether you share them or not? I mean … I guess I mean why do you think you are so special?"

Kimmay had been sitting with her injured knee stuck out to her side. She shifted her position as she thought about her answer. "Jill, do you have children?"

"No."

"Ok, but you had a mother and father, right?"

"Yea."

"When you were growing up, did they ever withhold information from you?"

"Don't tell me that you are a parental figure and the rest of the world is composed of children. I won't buy that."

Kimmay laughed, "Well there goes that argument." Jill didn't see the humor and she continued to look at Kimmay. "Jill, let me start by saying that I am in the process of sharing all of my experiences."

"Will you share with the entire world? Will you share them with me?"

"Not exactly. Eventually, but not right away."

"So you're saying that you are only going to share with a limited group of people?"

"I'm afraid that's correct."

"Who? You're Matriarchy?"

Kimmay was flabbergasted. "What did you say?"

"Kimmay, there is something that I don't understand. I don't know nearly as much about your exploits as other people, and I'm sure that there is a lot of information out there that I'm not aware of, but how did you contact the Keeper? When did you contact them?"

Jill seemed to be jumping around with her conversation, but her questions indicated an in-depth knowledge of Kimmay and her exploits. "That's something that I don't understand myself, Jill. I have never contacted the Keeper, so I have no idea how she knew about me. But Jill, I want to go back to what you just said about .."

Jill interrupted, "Don't you think you should go contact the Keeper before you die?"

"What? Jill, I don't think you understand …"

"You currently have us in a different time than Earth, right?"

"But that has very little …"

"So you are already outside the main currents of time. You can just move to the correct time point in the time line, and make your introduction."

"It's not that simple Jill. Time doesn't flow the way you think it does."

"Nor does it flow the way you think." Jill smiled just a tiny bit. A slight sparkle in her eye told Kimmay that she was leading her.

"Who are you?" Kimmay asked. Kimmay looked at Jill but she was frozen solid. Jill wasn't moving, breathing or participating in the conversation any longer. It took a few seconds before Kimmay realized a purple haze was settling over the hangar deck.

"I'm Jill Monneypenny," a voice said behind her.

Kimmay whirled around and spoke without actually looking, "No you're not."

"Well, maybe not anymore," a pretty young smile said. A young couple was standing in a dark purple sphere. Kimmay could barely make out the two of them. But they stepped forward and the purple background began to fade. Both of them were dressed the same. They were wearing silvery robes that at times seemed to flow freely and at other times they were form fitting. The robes were transparent but shimmered and never showed anything risqu้ or private.

Kimmay could tell that both of the apparitions were small but extremely physically fit. Muscles rippled and yet the woman appeared to be the epitome of curves, softness and femininity. They were young. They looked too young for Kimmay. Their eyes sparkled and their lips curved into soft smiles. They seemed to be both transparent and solid. Smoke and mirrors. Real and imaginary.

They moved towards Kimmay but they did not walk, they glided. Their very movement was as fluid as water. Their shape and movements were barely real. As they moved towards Kimmay she finally realized each of them was holding something in her hand. Kimmay's heart skipped a beat as she recognized their wands.

Kimmay stuttered and muttered while she pointed, "Those are wands."

"Why yes they are. Thank you for giving them to us."

Kimmay was totally confused. Had she been talking to Jill Moneypenney, or these two? "I did not give you those," and Kimmay pointed at the wands.

"Yes you will," the male said with a smile.

"Who are you?" Kimmay asked again.

"You already asked that question once."

"And you still haven't answered me."

The woman looked Kimmay in the eyes and softly said, "You know who we are."

Kimmay's eyes grew wide. "Magicians?" she whispered. "But … but you can't be. Time travel is ended. I can't believe it."

"But you do believe it, don't you?"

She thought for a moment than answered, "Yes on an intellectual basis I do believe you. But my gut and my common sense says this is impossible."

"That seems to be typical of you at this point in your development. At times it can be endearing, but it grows old quickly. I expected better from the great Kimmay."

"Please don't call me that."

"Call you what? Isn't your name Kimmay?"

"Don't call me great."

"Why not?"

"Because coming from the two of you it sounds so trivial. It sounds either sarcastic or condescending."

"Do not misunderstand us Kimmay. We mean it with all the positive connotations that it deserves and bestows. You are great. You have accomplished great feats," the male said.

"I accomplished nothing by myself. Every step of the way someone has either led me or pushed me. I was given the necessary genes by an alien race, I did not earn them. Linda took me on the trip; I did not make the sojourn on my own or even decide where to go. And the Keeper showed up by herself."

"Not exactly," the woman smiled softly. "Ahh, but you were there at every step. Do not underestimate what you have accomplished. These things were not done in a vacuum, granted. But no one accomplishes great things by one's self. Other's could not have comprehended or accomplished what you have. Everything that happens has precursors and repercussions. You Kimmay, managed your repercussions and moved forward. You did things that others were unable to do. You were in the right place at the right time for a very good reason – you belonged there."

"So what was the purpose of all of this?"

The woman grinned and arched her eyebrows knowingly. She would not answer the question, yet. "Later," was all she said.

"Well then why here? Why now? Why me?"

"Now, because it is time. Our species was meant to be here. You were brought here for a reason. It is simply time for the next step to take place. We must continue the start."

"What start is that?"

"Our species is being prepared to provide the means to bridge a gap."

"A gap?"

"You will learn."

"But why me?"

"You are asking your questions in the wrong order Kimmay."

"Why us?"

"Better. Because we will have the ability. Not quite yet, but we are very close. Eventually we will have the correct technologies and abilities. One has made sure that we have that capacity. She has groomed and protected us from our very beginning. But we will still need time and guidance. And of course, nothing in our universe is a certainty. Our species may still fail, but you … we, have been given the ability."

"Now then, why me?"

"Correct order Kimmay. Because you can. You have the ability now. You are the first and you must lead. You have done adequately at that, and you must continue. You must teach your Matriarchy the truth as you have seen it. You have made a good start, but when you return you must finish as quickly as you can. You will tell them about us. Your knowledge must not be lost."

"How can it be lost? You know everything. You can tell them."

The male smiled at Kimmay and slowly shook his head no.

Kimmay shifted her sore leg again. She stalled for more time to think. "So your Prophecies are all true?"

"They are our Prophecies Kimmay, they belong to no single person."

"You split hairs. You are the ones that will tell us what the Prophecies should say, and you will tell us how to spread them throughout the universe."

"Kimmay," the male cooed softly. "You misunderstand who we are. We are one degree removed. We are not First Magicians. We do not create the Prophecies, Kimmay. They will come long after we are dust. They belong to our children, not us."

"There is much I still do not understand here," Kimmay said quietly.

"True and sad. But look at it this way Kimmay, no one else has had the opportunity to ask such questions. Is that not something?"

Kimmay tried to back pedal quickly, "Of course. I did not intend to insinuate that your presence was anything less than miraculous. It is an honor that I could never hope to achieve in a thousand lifetimes."

Kimmay paused, thinking of where to go next. "You say that you have given us the capability, how?" Kimmay asked.

"Again, you do not pay attention," the male admonished her with a stern, but friendly voice. "Not us, Kimmay. Just like you, we are a one-time unique step. A half-step. You are two degrees removed. We are one degree removed"

The male halted and turned to his mate. She leaned forward and gave her husband a kiss. "The One started a long time ago Kimmay," the woman explained. "She realized that She couldn't understand the process of life as it had evolved. The universe for Her operates on a grand scale, while life operates on a very small scale. She realized that a bridge between the two of us is necessary. You … again I should say we, have been given the capability to understand both grand and small. We will be the bridge."

"How will we be a bridge?"

"We will be the care taker of this universe, for that is what She is. Our children will have the ability and She will provide the guidance. The Magicians will have the latitude and responsibility to make great decisions. Together, we should make an adequate team," the woman said with a sly grin.

"And we shall open the universe?"

"We have been given the ability."

"And what of the very last Prophecy?"

"What about it?"

"It says something about '… They shall give their best to begin again …'. Are we to be reborn?"

"No. When we have served our purpose, we shall hand our wisdom to our successors."

"Our successors?"

"Life and species are not immortal. And as well as I expect we will perform our duties, She will learn how to make improvements and do things better. We shall be the first of many, but we shall not be the only."

Kimmay bowed her head and in a much quieter voice asked, "Can I ask for something?"

"Yes Kimmay."

"You know Salindale will do what I tell her to do."

"She has free will, just as you have."

"But you know that she shows me great reverence and she will not exercise her own free will if she believes it does not follow my wishes."

"She still has free will."

"But you helped put me in this position. You allowed me to build a following and an aura of competence. They believe that I can see our destiny."

"Kimmay, she still has free will."

Kimmay swallowed, "Will you forgive her? Will you forgive me?"

"Kimmay, once again you misunderstand who we are. Even if we were First Magicians we would not hold the power that you seek. It does not exist. But just this once, we have been given specific guidance for you and you alone. She has placed you in this position. We can all see that. Will you forgive Her?"

Kimmay coughed. She almost choked at the words she heard. "You are asking if I will forgive Her?"

"Yes, I am."

"I have no right to judge Her … or you. I can't even fathom the situation where I would have the right to judge or forgive you. It's unimaginable."

"There you have it, Kimmay. Nor can we forgive you. As much as you have learned, you still have much to unlearn. You speak to Jill about throwing off the shackles of old-thought, yet in this place you adhere to them yourself. You think in useless and archaic terms of afterlife, when you should concentrate on this reality. You and Salindale must do what you have to do. Do it."

"But it is unspeakable. It goes against everything that our species stands for."

"Kimmay, you have been brought here by great forces for great purposes; our species has a wonderful future ahead of us. We have much growing to do as a species, but you specifically have been given the ability and the capacity. You must continue to use your full abilities. Our species must recast our thinking, and you will have to take the lead. Remember your purpose. Neither you nor Salindale require forgiveness."

Some insight was finally beginning to seep into Kimmay's overwhelmed brain. She understood now who stood before her. These were her successors; not her superiors. They were only one degree beyond her. They still used a wand, just as the First Magicians would. Kimmay was not facing the One. "When are you from?" Kimmay asked.

The couple did not answer. They smiled and hugged one another. They kissed each other, as if Kimmay was not even present.

Kimmay sat silently for over a minute. She starred at her hands as she twined her fingers through each other. Finally she looked up at her visitors, "So what do we do now?"

The air around them started to shimmer and turn a light shade of blue. "You have loose ends to tie up Kimmay, and we still have much to discuss. First we shall visit the Keeper."

The air was becoming blue and forming a distinct sphere around them. "How does the Keeper fit into all of this?"

"First you will close your loop with them. It is called a M๖bius Loop. They will guide you the final distance. They will hand you the key, and you will use it for your own purposes."

"A wand?"

"An orphan, but it will serve you well."

"Do they know this?"

"No, Kimmay. They will not have full understanding of what we are about to do. But they will serve their role adequately."

The sphere was turning a dark royal blue and gradually it shifted to a very dark indigo blue. The color became so intense and dark that the three of them disappeared inside the sphere. Then the sphere disappeared.

A guard had watched the entire episode. As soon as the sphere disappeared, his mouth closed. He blinked several times to make sure of what he had just seen, and then he sounded the alarm.

 

Rocky was curled up in a chair next to Traci. He was sleeping, but it wasn't real sleep. He wasn't resting, but merely remaining in Traci's presence. His hair was disheveled and greasy. His clothes were stained from coffee and dropped food. He refused to leave Traci's side. No one knew how much more time they would have, and he intended to be there until the bitter end.

He never saw the blue glow as it began to bathe the walls of the room. The light grew brighter as the deep blue color began to lighten. Rocky didn't open his eyes until Kimmay was standing beside Traci. He blinked several times and used his fists to wipe the sleep from his eyes. He starred in apprehension and reverence. Kimmay was emitting the most beautiful blue light he had ever seen. She radiated light like a lantern in a fog.

"Hello Rocky," she said. Rocky was too stunned to answer her. "Please wake Traci," she instructed him.

Rocky leaned over Traci's bed. "Traci? Honey?" he whispered. "Please wake up. Kimmay is here to see you." Traci was slow to move. She had been facing away from Rocky as she slept . She could see the room was bathed in a beautiful blue light as she rolled over and saw Kimmay.

"Kimmay?" she gasped.

"Shhh," Kimmay cooed. "Say nothing, just listen." Kimmay reached towards Traci and pulled the sheet down. There was a white bandage on her shoulder. It was the bandage that covered her death warrant. Traci watched in horror as Kimmay peeled back the bandage and pulled the gold tag off Traci's shoulder. Traci shuddered and gasped as the tag was pulled out of her skin. She held her breath as she starred at Kimmay. Kimmay smiled and returned Traci's gaze. Slowly Traci took a careful breath. Cool air entered her lungs and filled her need for oxygen.

The oxygen slipped through her lungs and alveoli and entered her blood stream. The oxygen coursed through her veins and entered the capillaries under her burned and disfigured skin. Under the numerous bandages Traci could feel the healing. It was the most refreshing feeling she could have imagined. Her skin tingled with life and sensitivity. She felt wonderful. She felt lifted and younger than in her entire life. She smiled.

Kimmay handed the gold tag to Rocky. "Smash it," she told him.

"Kimmay …?" Traci asked.

"You never deserved this, Traci. I am sorry that you suffered as long as you have. And I am truly sorry for your loss." She looked at both Traci and Rocky as she apologized. "I know nothing can replace your lost sons, but you do have another chance. Start over and live like tomorrow will never come. Enjoy."

Traci reached towards Kimmay, "How can you do this? Are you … are you a …?"

"No Traci. There are no angels, and there are no gods. I was given an opportunity to right a wrong. It is not my power that restores you. I am merely the most fortunate person in the universe right now, because I can give you this gift. But I am merely the courier, not the giver."

"Kimmay," she asked nervously, "Is this good-bye?"

"Not yet, Traci. I will return after we have the vaccine. I will answer as many questions as I can, but only for a short while. Then I will leave."

Traci began crying. "But Kimmay, you can't do that."

"I'm sorry, but I have no alternative."

"I will see you both in a couple of days. Enjoy life together. You both deserve that."

The blue light began growing in intensity and color. Once again the sphere became too dark to penetrate, and then it disappeared.

 

When Kimmay returned to the hangar the panic was beginning to spread through the ranks. The soldier had quickly reported what he had seen, and the others had come running. The major assessed the situation and decided that they were in supreme danger. He ordered all weapons activated and pulled his troops away back from the hangar entrances and formed a perimeter around the ship. He was grilling the soldier for the third time when the room began turning blue.

Commandos dropped to their knees and raised their weapons as they prepared for battle. Rocky and a few of the technicians peaked out the cargo door of the ship as the room turned to a dark blue. A very dark sphere began materializing in the hangar and every weapon was aimed at the heart of it. "Wait for my word," the major said as he kneeled behind the front perimeter of soldiers.

The sphere grew larger, reaching the size of a full grown adult. Then it instantly vanished. Standing in its place was Kimmay. She was looking at all of the weapons aimed at her and she took a short step backwards. "What?" she asked in a confused voice.

"Just stay right where you are," the major ordered. "Who are you?"

"Has there been an incursion?" she asked. "Did the Kastellians get in here?"

"No. No one has gotten in here except you. Who are you?" he demanded again.

"Damn, you scared me major. Put your guns away, I'm no threat." Kimmay began walking back towards the shuttle. She saw Rocky standing in the cargo doorway. She grinned and called out, "Rocky, we need to talk."

"Just stay right where you are," the major yelled as he pointed his weapon at her.

"Get real major," she said. Kimmay left her arm casually hanging next to her side, but she raised one finger on her hand. With just the slightest motion she pointed her finger at the major and raised it towards the ceiling. The major and every soldier in the room raised his weapon and pointed it towards the ceiling. They couldn't control their actions or even think about it. They just raised the weapons and looked at Kimmay. She walked past the perimeter of men and stopped by the major. "Don't you think these guys should go back and guard the doors?" she commanded rather than asked.

There was little the major could do. He sent his men back to their posts.

"Rocky, I have just had the greatest vision in my life. Our future is so bold and so magnificent that I can hardly describe it."

"Mother," Rocky whsipered, "Your tag. It's gone. Does that mean…?"

Kimmay solemnly shook her head. "No that has not changed. But it no longer matters …" Kimmay began talking in high-speed staccato. Rocky had to slow her down several times, but eventually she picked up the majority of Kimmay's story. Rocky was more impressed than Kimmay. "Mom, are you going to share this with everyone?" she asked.

"Everyone in the Matriarchy. Everyone needs to know the stakes that we are dealing with. This is the most amazing thing that I could have imagined. It won't be easy getting there, and it's going to take a long time, but just knowing our destiny is enough for me. I'll be able to rest much easier now."

"What do you mean, mom?" Rocky asked. "You're going to be alright now, aren't you?"

Kimmay quickly understood Rocky's concern. "It's ok, sweet heart. Really, it is. Nothing has changed for me, I cannot survive that tag. Even though it has been removed, it wasn't meant to be. But what I have seen gives me great comfort. I can accept my fate with no regrets now."

"Well I can't," Rocky said with tears forming in her eyes.

"Sure you can. No one lives forever, no one. A few years doesn't matter that much. I have had a much longer and healthier and even fuller life than 90 percent of my fellow sisters and brothers. I have no right to complain. And Rocky, believe me when I say, I am ready now. I am so happy for you and your children. The future will be awesome."

They continued to talk for several hours, but tears were never far from the corner of Rocky's eyes.

 

The search for a solution to the Kastellian virus slogged on for a couple more days. Kimmay's arrival in the blue sphere had every one talking. At first, there was grave concern for everyone's safety. Had Kimmay been taken by the Kastellians? Was she under their control? Was she going to turn against them?

But after a day or two, the doctors and soldiers began to relax and their fears seemed to slowly dissipate. Next came the wonderment-phase. Just exactly what had happened to Kimmay? Did she have abilities that enabled her to materialize out of thin air? Could she travel across time and space?

When Kimmay walked by a group of people, the conversation usually stopped. They watched in awe as she walked by. Most people were afraid to say more than hello to her. A few were brave enough to talk with her, and when they asked what had happened she smiled and said that she had visited the Keeper. She never said the Keeper was responsible for her transportation, but she didn't discourage that line of thought either. Kimmay wasn't going to admit the true identity of her visitors.

So it was an awkward social situation aboard the Kastellian colony ship. It was easier for the crew to leave Rocky and Kimmay to themselves, and that further isolated the two of them. The days were extremely boring. Kimmay still took a few minutes each day to revert to Earth-time so that she could talk with the Matriarchy. On Earth, little time had passed, and no one even knew of Traci's recovery yet. Kimmay told them she had some wonderful news and stories that she would share as soon as they returned. Then it was back to boring, ship-time.

Rocky and Kimmay began walking laps around the hangar to pass the time and get a bit of exercise. They were discussing their dwindling food supplies and neither was anxious to try to the Kastellian food. Rocky made a few disgusting jokes about what it might be like, and they were laughing as they returned to the ship. Rocky retrieved a home made deck of cards and they sat on the hangar floor and began playing cribbage. Rocky scrawled the score on the floor as they began.

Rocky won the first two games, Kimmay won the third, and the fourth game had just started when the entourage arrived. Dr. Brinson was leading the entire team of doctors and technicians. He was smiling broadly as he led the group towards Kimmay. Kimmay remained on the hangar deck and looked up at the chief doctor. "Good news, I hope?"

"Yes," he said. "We have the measure of the virus and we can defeat it."

"That's great news! Tell me about it! Are we ready to go home?"

"Yes, I think we can return home and spread the word."

"Have you made extra vaccine, also?"

"No. I wanted to talk with you about that, before we started. You see, I don't think we need to make extra doses."

"Why not? Is there a problem with it?"

"There should be plenty of vaccine already spread around the world. I think 90 percent of the synthesis labs in the world already have it programmed into their computers. And yes, there is one little side-effect from the vaccine." The group behind him all chuckled softly.

"And …?"

"The vaccine will make you horny."

"Horny?" Kimmay asked incredulously.

"The vaccine is Aphrodite Keeper," the doctor said with a grin.

"Are you kidding?" Rocky asked.

"Not at all. And it is surprisingly powerful against the virus. As little as one drop taken internally or contacted with the skin will kill the virus in less than twenty-four hours. If I had tens years and unlimited money, I don't think I could design a drug to be more effective than Aphrodite Keeper."

Kimmay and Rocky looked at each other, surprise cast upon their faces. Then they started laughing hilariously. Rocky slid closer to her mother and gave her a giant hug as they continued to laugh. The group of doctors and technicians did not understand the full reason, but they too began laughing and hugging each other. It was a celebration after all.

After a few minutes, Rocky helped pull Kimmay to her feet. "Doctor, do you know who first synthesized Aphrodite Keeper?" Kimmay asked.

"Ahhh … I'm not sure, but was it …?"

"You're looking at her doctor. Rocky, her sister and cousins synthesized the first samples. And even better, do you have any idea where the original molecule came from?" Before Dr. Brinson could even think about the question Kimmay answered for him. "It came from a galaxy millions of light years from Earth. Isn't that some coincidence? The exact molecule, the exact vaccine that we now need to save our species conveniently arrived from a galaxy far, far away."

The doctor had to agree. "That is something," he conceded. "How exactly did it get here?"

"I brought it home with me. The Keeper gave it to me, and I delivered it without any idea how valuable it was."

Rocky began laughing again. "We thought what was inside was valuable! You don't think any of this was planned do you?" she rhetorically asked Kimmay.

Kimmay hobbled over to the doctor and gave him a hug. "Thanks," she said to him. She turned to the group and began shaking hands and offering congratulations. "Thanks to everyone of you. You have done a wonderful job under very scary circumstances. The entire world owes you a debt of gratitude.

"Doctor, I agree with you. I don't think we will have to take extra vaccine with us. Half the world is probably already immune from the virus."

"And those who aren't already inoculated will have some crow to eat," Rocky added.

"Let's put things away and get ready to return home."

The cargo ship slipped through the force field and entered the vacuum of space. As soon as the ship cleared the colony ship, Kimmay converted the colony ship back to a very slow time-pace. With the colony ship back to their slow time, and Kimmay's vessel back on Earth-time, they were safe from any interference from the Kastellians. Salindale and the Matriarchy had control of the three pilots and the Supreme Commander was still locked in the holding cell.

The major handed Kimmay a slip of paper with their command frequency written on it. The girls transferred the information to the Nav-Com pilot and he opened a channel to Earth. "Please inform the President that Kimmay and the Kastellian cargo-ship are returning to Earth. We are headed to the Great Lakes Naval Base. Also, please inform the President and all health groups that Aphrodite Keeper is the vaccine to the Kastellian virus. One drop on the skin or taken internally will provide immunity and kill the virus."

Kimmay turned the communications over to the major, and she returned to her seat beside Rocky. "We have a lot to do when we return, and not much time."

The cargo ship was landed as far away from the hangars as possible. Since the ship was going to be shut down, and there was no Kastellian ground support, no one was sure if toxic fumes or other noxious gases might be released. As soon as the ship landed, the cargo doors were open and everyone stepped out into the fresh air. They walked up wind to waiting jeeps that whisked everyone to the command center. The four Kastellians were sent to holding cells. Like Kimmay, they had only a limited time left.

The military wanted to detain Kimmay and Rocky for a debriefing. That was quickly stopped by Krysallis and Jennifer, who were still in Washington. The base commander reluctantly had a helicopter fly the girls to the airfield in Milwaukee where they met the rest of the Matriarchy. After much celebrating and dancing, the girls split into two groups and boarded the chartered jets for their flight to Switzerland. Krysallis and Jennifer were flown by military jet and arrived two hours before the rest of the girls.

There was another celebratory greeting in Switzerland, and then the entire group boarded helicopters for the flight to Lucerne. When they touched down at the Eleven Lights Corporation, there was already hectic activity all around the campus. The majority of the employees had been excused and only security personnel were left to deal with the U.S. military forces. A company of highly armed soldiers surrounded the roads and perimeter of the facility. Heavily armored and guarded trucks were already backed up to delivery platforms and nuclear weapons were being pushed down corridors towards the R&D labs.

Security forces checked the ID of each girl as she followed Lissa into the building. Lissa was not happy to see the military people in her building and she told them more than once. Krysallis acted as peace-keeper, persuading most of the soldiers to back out of the lab and into the hallways. Lissa still wasn't happy with the weapons technicians who insisted on staying with the weapons, but they absolutely refused to walk away.

Five of the world's most powerful thermonuclear weapons were sitting in Lissa's lab. Each weapon had three military technicians guarding it. Lissa, Rocky, Cynthia and Maria put on their lab coats and safety glasses, and began energizing their equipment. The rest of the Matriarchy stood behind bullet-proof glass and watched from an observation room. It took almost an hour for the three girls to align and calibrate their equipment. When they were finally ready, they placed a radio beacon on the staging platform. With a few more modifications, they sent the beacon on its way. When the beacon had disappeared from the platform, the commander on site called into the US National Space Defense Agency. It took almost twenty minutes before the Agency triangulated the signal and confirmed that they 'thought' it was on the ship.

Lissa spent the entire time rolling her eyes and making rude gestures behind the commander's back. She knew the beacon had gone exactly where it was supposed to go, and she knew that it was sitting inside the colony ship. But the President had insisted on confirmation before allowing a nuke to be sent through the IDT. The frustrating part to Lissa was that the Space Agency couldn't even confirm 100 percent because the ship was hiding behind the moon. Only a few lunar satellites could pick up the signal and they were not in the best locations for such a triangulation task. So what was the point of sending the beacon through in the first place?

The commander finally received his orders, and motioned for Lissa to proceed. She asked the weapons technicians to push the first weapon onto the staging ramp. Lissa confirmed all of the programming and gave the technician his acknowledgment. He activated the timer, and as it began counting down from two minutes, he stepped off the platform. Seconds later the bomb disappeared as it slipped through the inter-dimensional portal that Lissa had opened, and it reappeared on the Kastellian ship.

Lissa waved to the next weapons technician, and the second bomb was pushed onto the staging platform, its timer set three seconds faster, and it was sent on its way. When all five bombs had been transported to the alien space ship, Lissa gave Kimmay a satisfied smile and a thumbs up.

"Well, here go," Kimmay said. "Good riddance to the bastards. It is done." The time slow-down on the Kastellian ship was lifted and they were back on normal time. So too were the timers on the fusion bombs. The Kastellians had less than wo minutes to locate the bombs, identify them for what they were, and either de-activate or remove them from their ship. It was not very likely to happen.

Everyone in the building stood still, almost holding their breath. No one spoke and no one moved. People noticed some lips slowly counting out one hundred and twenty seconds. The anticipation was palpable as people just looked at one another, waiting for confirmation from their command centers. The one hundred and twenty seconds came and went. Confirmation would take a few more minutes. One or two people knelt on the ground, some sat and others just stood as they continued waiting. "No news is good news?" someone asked quietly. No one answered.

The girls noticed all of the military technicians reach for their ear and hold their ear pieces tightly against their ear. Something was being said and they waited for the reaction on the soldier's faces. All of a sudden they all exploded in cheers. They were jumping up and down and patting each other on the back.

"I guess it worked," Melissa said to Kimmay. Krysallis pulled out her sat phone and called Washington.

One of the commanders walked into the observation room. He was beaming from ear to ear. "We have just been told that five nuclear bursts have been confirmed. Ground based seismic sensors on the moon are recording large multiple impacts. Debris is showering down all over the moon. Congratulations. We've killed them!"

For some reason, none of the girls cheered. They seemed too relieved to jump up and down. The colonel acted hurt that he didn't receive a more animated reception. He quickly ducked out the door and went looking for his own people.

Ginger looked at Kimmay and asked, "Davos Monstein?"

"Yeah. I need a rest. Let's go find the copters."

The group waited for the Phour Physics, Lissa, Rocky, Cynthia and Maria, to shut down their equipment and discharge the power. It took only a few minutes, and the group of 19 girls walked out to the landing pad in front of the building. They quickly split into two groups, boarded the helicopters and reached the Davos Monstein estate a short forty minutes later.

Tiffany made room assignments and the girls headed off to a shower and fresh clothes. A short while later, they slowly began filtering into the kitchen area where dinner was catch-as-catch-can. All of the girls were chatting and munching when Kimmay arrived. They continued to make small talk while she made a sandwich and ate it. Everyone tried not to be obvious, but they kept glancing at Kimmay. They were anxiously waiting her next pronouncement.

Kimmay caught the occasional glance and the eyes that quickly panned by her, acting as if they weren't looking at her. She noticed that even though everyone was done eating, no one had left the oversize kitchen. She finally finished eating and knew it was time to get back to business. "Shall we go sit in the leisure room and talk?" she asked.

After the girls had claimed their chairs or sections of the carpeting to stretch out on, Kimmay began. "Salindale, you will record and write down everything we discuss, won't you?"

"Sure thing mom," she nodded.

"What are you going to talk about?" Tiffany asked. Tiffany had some questions of her own, and she wanted to make sure that Kimmay would address those.

"I was going to discuss everything eventually, but I planned on starting with the Keeper."

"Are you going to tell us how you can control time?" Tiffany wanted to know.

"Yes, if that's what you want to know first."

Before Tiffany could answer, Krysallis asked, "And can you tell us what actually happened on the ship? Rocky has told me a bit about it."

Kimmay nodded and began the last phase of her revelations. Kimmay addressed the Keeper question first. "The circumstances surrounding the Keeper have had me confused for many years. But in these past few days, most of my questions have been answered, and now I shall share those answers with you. First, let's start with the Prophecies. There is something you need to know about them. The Keeper's ideas about the Prophecies are incorrect. The Prophecies are written in such a vague and confusing manner, that it is not surprising that the Keeper misinterpreted them. It was done deliberately. The Keeper have chased these Prophecies all over the universe and rationalized and guessed at all types of clues and in the end they have only confused themselves.

"The Prophecies have only one home. They represent the past and future of only one planet and one species. All seventeen of the Prophecies are about Earth. I know this because I know who created the Prophecies and spread them throughout the universe."

"Who?" someone asked.

"We do," Kimmay said. "Not us in this room, but our progeny. Our children will spread the Prophecies throughout the universe and time."

"Why?"

"Because we will be asked to do this. I suspect some of it was to protect Earth and us during our development. And part of it may have been to prepare the rest of the universe for our arrival."

"Our arrival?" Ginger said with more than a bit of incredulity and sarcasm.

"Let me show you something." Kimmay brought a vision before them all. She showed them two humans in a circular room containing a display in the center. There was one man and one woman in the room. They were dressed identically in flowing, semi-transparent robes. The robes were gold in hue and their transparency shifted to continuously expose certain areas and cover others as the robes moved across their bodies. They both had long hair tumbling over their shoulders. Their hair had strands of thin colored wires and jewels woven throughout their curled styles. Both were wearing make-up and they were both very pretty. The woman was petite and feminine, and while the male was slim, it was obvious that he was very athletic and strong.

The two of them were examining a small swirling vapor roiling waist high in the center of the room. They held wands and the female was 'stirring' the vapor. Kimmay's vision began to move towards the swirling vapor. The swirling vapor held a sphere in the center and then as it moved towards the edge of the fog, it narrowed into a thin plane. As they watched, the fog swirled and began to collapse towards the center sphere. The center sphere began to become lighter and start to glow.

The male took his wand and pulled a small amount of the fog out of the disc and placed it just outside the fog. It continued to circle around the center sphere, and as it did it began to take a solid spherical shape of its own. It lost its ethereal shape and became solid. The female pulled out two slivers of smoke and let them coalesce into small spheres circling the ever-condensing fog. The center of the vapor continued to grow brighter and its light was carried out into the accretion disc and gave it a surreal glow. As the vapor condensed and became brighter, the humans used their wands to pull out additional slivers that also solidified and began circling around the center of the table.

"Are they doing what I think they are doing?"

"Yes," Kimmay answered. "Look outside their vessel and you can see the star and solar system forming." In the vision, the walls of their ship became transparent and the star could be seen forming outside. The vessel sat on the edge of the newly forming solar system. Kimmay's vision moved outside the ship and started pulling away as the star began to burn brighter and brighter.

"Are they gods?"

"No. They are humans. They are our children."

"Our children will make stars?"

"They will make much more than stars. That is our true Prophecy. You are looking at our destiny. Or at least I think that may be our destiny."

"Holy shit," someone whispered.

"Why do you think it may be our destiny? Are you not sure?"

"How can anyone be sure of such a thing? I thought I could see our future here, while I could not even see my own death."

"You are not dead yet, Kimmay. We may still find a way to save you."

"Yes, we will save you Kimmay."

"No you will not," Kimmay answered as she unconsciously rubbed the bandage covering the tag on her face. "Now that we are here, I can see the truth. I will die shortly."

"You could not see your death because you were not allowed," Cynthia said.

"What do you say?" Kimmay asked.

"Obviously you were given some extraordinary powers, Kimmay. But they must not have been given to you in a vacuum without oversight."

Maria took over for her sister, "You were deliberately not allowed to foresee your death. That is probably forbidden. No one should have to see her own death. It would poison the mind. It would allow the mind to wander and spend its abilities contemplating its own demise, rather than working the miracles you have performed."

Kimmay smiled. The others immediately saw the truth of Maria's words. "I think that is what I was told on the ship. You have said it much more clearly than I could have."

"What were you told on the ship?" Ginger asked.

"And when will you tell us about your ability to control time?" Tiffany asked again.

Kimmay laughed. "Hold your horses, I'll tell you everything, but I'm trying to tie together a coherent story line. Give me a break.

"Tiffany, I'm going to disappoint you. I was given a tool and a limited ability to use that tool. I myself do not control time. Rather, the tool that I cannot discuss controls time." She paused and then said, "I don't know why I am allowed to control time; at lease not for sure. It has never made sense to me and I can think of only one reason I was allowed to control time; we needed it now against the Kastellians."

"What is the tool? Where did it come from?" Tiffany begged.

Kimmay shook her head no. She would not share that information with Tiffany or the Matriarchy. "Although the tool chooses the person, and only that person can use this tool, I can't afford to tell you anything more about it. Someone might lose the others, and we will need them someday."

"What?" Tiffany shouted. "You have more of these devices?"

Kimmay looked at Salindale, "My last comment should be struck from your record. No one should know about the others. Invariably someone will go looking for them." Kimmay turned to the other girls, "That comment should never go beyond these four walls. You asked me to share everything and I am telling you what I can. You in return must honor my wishes. Do we all agree?"

"At least tell us when you got this tool," Tiffany begged.

Kimmay sighed, "When the Keeper were here," Kimmay conceded. "I did not realize it at the time, but Jill arranged for me to have it. But I cannot tell you more, because others may deduce more than they should. We don't want to lose the others, or have them stolen."

"Wait just a second," Tiffany said. "You didn't have this tool with you on the Kastellian ship. How did you control time there?"

"Once contact is made with the device, you don't have to have it in your possession to use it. It interfaces with your mind. I don't know what distances it will work over, but at least from the Earth to the moon."

She then changed the subject, "Now, let me really make things complicated for you Tiffany. Time travel has not been stopped. You can still travel forward and backward in time."

"Kimmay," Tiffany said with more than a modicum of frustration in her voice, "You told us that time-travel had been eliminated. Many years ago you told us that when you were with the Keeper you had somehow opened other parallel universes and that had stopped time-travel. It didn't make any sense, but that is what you told us."

"I was wrong. The Keeper were wrong. I'm sorry, but all along you have assumed that I knew what I was doing. I can safely say that my entire life has been pushed or controlled by someone else and I rarely knew what was happening. I formed some opinions and theories as we went along, and I tried to explain because everyone wanted or even demanded an explanation. But I am not in control of my life – I've been as much a passenger as the rest of you."

Now Tiffany could hear some of that frustration in Kimmay's voice. "Sorry," she said softly. "I keep forgetting that you're not the all-seeing oracle of wisdom."

"Don't apologize Tiffany. You all deserve to know as much as I do, just don't expect me to have all of the answers. I only know what I've been allowed to know – which isn't as much as you might think. We are all pawns in a much bigger game than we ever imagined.

"But returning to time, much of what I have told you in the past was based on what the Keeper told me. I've only recently found out how much she was incorrect about. I knew she had the interpretation of the Prophecies wrong, but I didn't know that she was wrong about the time situation. The Keeper said that I had something to do with the shift in our reality and although I didn't see how, I was forced to believe their version of reality. But it was really Jill who changed reality.

"You see, when I was approached by … ahhmm … I guess I'll just call her Jill. When I was approached by Jill …"

Tiffany interrupted again, "Do you not even know their real names?"

"I know all about them. I know their names and much of their entire lives. We are a M๖bius."

"A M๖bius?"

"A one dimensional time loop without beginning or end, and in which cause and effect do not appear to be compatible. It's way too complicated to discuss right now. But I do know the couple."

"Can't you tell us who they are? You said you would share as much as you can," Tiffany complained.

"They are located in our future. Can you imagine their lives and development if everyone knew who and what they would be when they grew up? Can you imagine what unscrupulous people might try and do?"

"Good point," Tiffany said. "Never mind."

"After the couple joined me we went through time. Time travel is still possible, but the rules have changed slightly. The technology that we, I mean the Keeper and Travelers used to use is no longer viable. They will have to discover new technology, and then they can travel through time again. I don't know if they will invent the required technology, but I do know that we will. When I traveled through time with Jill, that is when I learned how wrong the Keeper were.

"So my answer to you about the ability to control time is someone gave me that ability and I used it. And that someone is Jill. She, I mean they, gave it to me so that I would be able to protect us against the Kastellians. And they are also responsible for the change in our universe when I was visiting with the Keeper. "

"And the male and female that you call Jill, they have the power to do all of this?"

"Apparently."

"But what are they really?"

"They are my successor. The next generation, if you will."

"When will they appear?"

"Sometime in the future. I can't be more specific for the same reasons that we mentioned earlier. I have to protect them until they are ready."

"Are they the ones in the vision that you shared with us? Can they make solar systems and stars?"

"They are not the ones in the vision. They are still one degree removed from that level."

"What does that mean?"

"They don't have the technology yet. That is what you and your children must provide. Your science is still the key to our future."

"So the future is not set? Our fate is not sealed?"

Kimmay grimaced as she tried to construct an answer. "I was told that anything can still happen. Yet, what I've seen and when I've been would tell me that we are in very safe hands. The One wants this to happen."

"The One? Do you think we have a protector?" Gail asked.

"Not exactly. I can't fathom Her motives or reasons, but I don't think we have immunity from life and the universe. But in some cases there may be a reason we do get help. Maybe something in the past was pushed out of place and resulted in something later that we weren't prepared for, or shouldn't have had to be prepared to handle. Maybe She rolls dice and if they come up even She helps, and if they come up odd we're on our own."

A few of the girls snorted partly due to the humor and partly due to the frustration of not really knowing. "And why does this One even help us at all? What's in it for her? Who is She?" Ginger wanted to know.

Kimmay smiled ever so slightly. The smile wasn't on her face, it was in her heart and her mind. She shared it with the rest of the girls through her emotions and mind. "Once again, I will speculate. I do not have the answer to your question, but you are looking for something to seed your own thought processes, so consider this. As we have grown larger our abilities have also grown. The Matriarchy grows ever stronger as we grow larger in number. I use that as an analogy, but I believe that it is true of all living organisms. As single cell creatures collected into multi-cell animals, their abilities grew. As multi-celled animals grew larger, and began to form complex social interactions, their abilities grew more. And as species continue to evolve and grow and meet other species their abilities will also grow. And ultimately, what is the largest entity imaginable?"

"The Universe?"

"I present to you my speculation; the Universe lives." As thoughts began to spin wildly through the group and collide with one another, Kimmay stood and began returning to her room for the night.

"Where are you going?" Ginger asked. "You can't drop a bombshell like that and just leave."

"Yes I can. This is a good point for me to stop and it gives all of you a chance to discuss the idea among yourselves. Trust me, you know as much as I do. Your opinions are just as valid as mine. Goodnight."

 

Two days later, Ginger found Kimmay sitting on the veranda overlooking the back gardens. She was lecturing Salindale and Rocky on future responsibilities that they would have to assume. "Kimmay, may we speak?" She looked at the girls and added, "In private?"

Kimmay had a very good idea what Ginger wanted to discuss. "Does this deal with the Kastellians?"

"Yes," Ginger responded.

"Then I would like Salindale and Rocky to stay. All of you will have to deal with this together once I'm gone."

"Very well," Ginger conceded. She took a deep breath and began, "I cannot agree with your decision. I have fought against religious intolerance and hatred for fifty years and this is a giant step backwards. For crying-out-loud, whatever happened to the Golden Rule?" she pleaded.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," Kimmay recited. "Rather ironic isn't it?"

"That's not exactly the word that I would use. How about inconceivable or asinine? How about murder or genocide?" she almost yelled. Kimmay did not rise to the bait. Ginger took another tack, "The religious zealots used Heaven as an award for fomenting all kinds of hostility and violence throughout the ages. I have fought very hard to break that mentality. Now you come along and tell everyone there is no God, there is no Heaven and therefore no reward for this attitude."

"Yes," Kimmay readily agreed. "Doesn't that help you?"

"It could have, but you are making that impossible. That would have indeed helped if you also asserted the requirement for responsibility, tolerance and love. Instead you are going to tell the people that you intend to commit genocide and murder an entire species!"

"Ginger, I have said nothing to the public, and for the time being we don't need say anything."

"Baloney! Even you have admitted that eventually we must tell everyone the truth, the entire truth. And you are setting an example of violence and hatred. By telling everyone there is no reward for these atrocities, you are at the same time telling them there is no penalty!"

"I am not."

"Yes you are. If there is no god then there is also no devil. You don't have to worry about suffering eternal damnation for your actions on Earth."

"Ginger, listen to yourself. Do you want people to continue believing such folklore?"

Ginger sighed in exasperation. "Of course I don't Kimmay. Don't patronize me. That folklore had both positive controls and negative controls of course, and I certainly don't think lies are any way to control or lead people. But when you take away some of these controls, you at least have to set the right example. You can't just say, 'The rules apply to everyone but me.' "

"Ginger, I agree with you. But I have two things to say. First, look at this as parents raising a child. Sooner or later you have to let your child leave the nest and go into the real world. You can't control or lie to your child to try and control her. But what you can do is instill values that you hope your child absorbs and uses to steer her life."

"No doubt, Kimmay. And setting an example is important. Deeds say much more than words."

Kimmay ignored Ginger's interruption. "Second, trust the values that have been instilled in your self." Kimmay leaned forward in her chair and began the serious part of her lecture. "Do not doubt our calling. If we don't screw things up, it is our destiny to bridge the gulf between life and the physical universe. We have been created and trained to accept this responsibility. Part of that preparation is knowing right from wrong. We have to trust our feelings. Do not doubt that we have received the correct training. Yes, many of our beliefs were stolen and abused by religion, but that does not invalidate them.

"There is no doubt that this is a test for us. Part of providing that bridge is going to be playing the role of policeman. And that includes judge and jury. We can't pass this responsibility to anyone else. We are judging an alien species and you are applying human ethics to that species. One thing we are going to have to learn, is that aliens are just that; alien. Their entire civilization and belief system is based on different precepts than us. They truly believe that none of your precepts apply to species weaker than themselves. I doubt that reason and persuasion will ever change their attitudes.

"Look at it as a simple matter of survival. The universe cannot survive if we allow intelligent species to be eliminated merely because they had the bad luck of beginning their existence farther down the time-line. Less advanced species don't deserve to be brutally destroyed."

"I don't argue with any of your tenants. But there are other ways to stop the bloodshed, and save our own innocence."

"None of us are innocent, Ginger. And I disagree that there are other ways. I can't emphasize too much, that the Kastellians are alien. Your human sanctions will not serve the universe."

"You're a bull-headed bitch, Kimmay."

Kimmay stood, "I do not disagree that I am bull-headed, Ginger. And I do not even disagree that I may be a bitch. But I do not appreciate having it thrown in my face."

"I apologize, Kimmay. My emotions over took my better judgment. You know that I don't really mean the stupid things that I sometimes say," she apologized.

Kimmay smiled, "I know Ginger. I have admired your drive and inspiration over these last fifty years or so. I have had my say. The people that you must convince are here," and she pointed at Salindale and Rocky. "I will be gone soon, and you … the Matriarchy, must make the final decision. You are going to have several years to discuss it among your selves and persuade each other."

"But you have already formed their opinion for them," Ginger complained.

Kimmay looked at her daughters, "You should always listen to your mother's wishes. But then you should go do what is right for yourself. Do you understand my meaning?"

"Of course, mother," Rocky answered. She looked at Ginger and said, "And I shall listen to you as well. We probably have several years to make the correct decision," she offered in consolation.

"I believe you do," Kimmay finished. "Now, I am going to return to my room. I'm tired."

 

Several days later, Salindale walked into the office and stood in front of the cameras. She wore a black dress and had her hair put up. As Kimmay had requested, she and all of the other girls were wearing their Dragon Diamonds; some wore the necklaces and some wore the earrings. She stopped briefly and smoothed down her dress with her hands as she took a deep breath. With the cameras focused and ready she said, "Kimmay passed away last evening. Her death was caused by the deactivation of the alien tag that had been inserted into her nervous system by the Kastellians. There will be a private ceremony in her home town of Milwaukee in America. There will be no public ceremony. Anyone wishing to make donations should send them to the Eleven Lights Foundation. Thank you."

 

(continued)

  

  

  

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