The Unofficial Biography of Kimmay

by G. L. Hudson

Book 5: The Beginning

  

CHAPTER 16

July 2222 – 2 days before

 

Chunni silently slid into the chair next to Jean. He was intently staring at the console in front of him. "How many?" Chunni asked nervously.

"I've lost count," he answered.

"Can we stand up against that many?"

"I don't see how. Even if we are significantly more advanced than they are, just through sheer numbers and dumb luck they are going to eventually deliver a catastrophic blow."

Chunni stared at her console. "We're not going to survive, are we?"

"Don't say that," Jean said. "We only have to hold them off for a little while. Provide just a little resistance, and then we can force some type of dialog. I don't think we can defeat them in an all-out battle, so we just have to encourage them to talk. That's all."

Chunni gave a weak grin, "Encourage them to talk?"

Jean reached over and took her hand. "I know it doesn't look good, but we can't give up. If we don't stop them no one on Earth is going to do it. We have to keep our chins up and wits about ourselves." He squeezed her hand, "I know we can do that."

 

Executive Officer Bear was looking across his desk at his mistress. She looked as glum as he. "How did we get here?" he mused. His mistress did not answer. "This doesn't feel right, not right at all." Again she said nothing.

Bear leaned back in his chair and looked at the consoles on his status wall. "Since when does it take 200 Consortium ships to destroy one little planet?"

"It doesn't," she answered. "It's politics, my master. Everyone is required to be in attendance during a Council Approved Action. Even if they don't participate, everyone must have at least one ship present."

"Does everyone have a ship here?"

"Only three members objected. They have no presence. Others have two or three ships."

"Even the Tay are here," he said with disgust. "The most self-righteous, arrogant and obnoxious bastards in the universe are here."

"But they must follow your orders, master."

Bear began laughing. It was a hearty laugh and it finally broke some of the gloom in the room. "Yeah right," he continued laughing. "They'll follow my orders all right." It was a big joke and Bear knew it. The Tay reported to no one. They would do what they wanted and everyone else would have to tolerate them.

Bear sobered and became serious again. "Just answer me one question; why us and why now?"

"I don't understand, master."

"First off, we meet a veterinarian from the future and he predicts this. At least he predicts parts of this. Then an ambassador from some hundred years ago shows up now, not a year from now, but he shows up now with information vital to this situation. Coincidence? And then we find out about time travel. This planet was a central figure in a battle to take place 1000 years or more from now, but the battle took place in our past. Our past, but we've never heard about it. But the Earth planet is aware of it. And what's more, they apparently won with the help of a legendary race that we have never encountered. Even the Tay and Seekers have never met the Keeper, but here they were.

"Now, on top of all of this improbability add the Prophecies. If they are real, then what the hell is going to happen here? That's my question, what exactly is going to happen? Because I can assure you that what we see is not what is happening. Something else is going to happen here, I have a gut feeling and it isn't good.

"So what really is happening? Why us? Why here and why now?"

"Surely you don't think they can stand against the full strength of the Consortium?"

Bear looked at his mistress, "Not a chance." Then Executive Officer Bear turned back to his monitors and shrugged.

 

The Tay commander was enjoying a bath when the audio buzzer gave a short squeak. "You may talk," he said.

"My commander, logistics has found a ship circling the Earth planet. It is running in stealth and their technology is very good."

"But not as good as ours I take it?" he asked smugly.

"Of course not my commander. The general officer believes that it might be the Builder ship from the future."

"Why does he believe this?"

"I'll let him tell you."

The audio clicked ever so swiftly as the general officer took over the narrative. "My commander, we have made a quick check on command, weapons and sensor fields around the ship. They are more sophisticated than current Builder technology, but they still use the same frequencies. The Builders use a weak Higgs Field for their energy source, and the same Higgs Field is present. The architecture of the ship is similar to Builder philosophy also."

"Circumstantial," the commander said as he slid deeper into his warm water. "Give me one positive."

"Their banner and writing are on the external fuselage."

"That's better. What does it say?"

"The Builders have named the ship the Magnificent."

The commander began chuckling. "How cute," he said.

"Also sir, there are some other interesting items."

"Go ahead."

"The Earthlings are in possession of the ship, but they appear to have only a rudimentary knowledge of its operation. They are under manned in all logistics posts. They have over twenty different openings in their shields and are wide open to a boarding party."

The commander smiled. "Speculate on why they are so open."

"Probably because they have no underlying idea as to how their sensors and weapons operate. They probably do not even know that these gaps are open in their defensive shields."

"Most interesting. Do you think we can take this ship without anyone else finding out?"

The general officer chuckled, "Yes sir, that should be no problem."

"Bring your plan to the bridge in one hour," the commander said. Then he returned his attention to the two small nymphs that were bathing him.

 

Ms. Choi was sitting in her chair and gently nodding off and on. She had been in the ship for over a week now, and the long hours were taking their toll. Her neck and back were stiff and her legs were growing heavy. She finally decided it was time to take a walk and try and stretch out a bit. She pushed back her chair, stretched her hands over her head and turned towards the door.

As she turned towards the door, two Tay soldiers pointed their weapons at her. She decided to leave her arms up.

The armed boarding was so fast and so well planned that not one shot was fired, which was just as well, because none of the ELF employees had weapons. The Tay soldiers quickly rounded up the humans and ushered them to the IDT room. They were so supremely confident of their position that they allowed the ELF personnel to dial up their own destination and leave without interference. They didn't even question any of their prisoners.

The Tay had no need of the humans. There was nothing of use that these people could possibly tell the Tay. Additional soldiers and other technical experts arrived and quickly spread throughout the ship, collecting data and analyzing every instrument that they could find. In less than their 20 hour allotment they had the entire ship scanned, analyzed and all the Tay sensors had been placed and tested. The ship would be returned to the Builders, but it would no longer belong to them.

 

A defeated band of technicians began arriving back at the IDT platform below their Swiss mountain. The Earth defense grid detected the IDT activity around the Enterprise, but never detected any of the portal openings under the Alps, as the ELF employees were sent back to their base. Earth was moved to their highest defense posture as unanswered messages were sent towards the invisible Enterprise.

There was total silence as small groups moved to the elevators and waited their turn to return to the surface. Chunni and Jean held hands as they dejectedly leaned against the hard rock wall waiting their turn. Tears gently rolled down Chunni's cheeks. Jean felt no better.

The rode up in the elevator in total silence. Their defeat was total and humiliating. They never even had a chance to defend their planet. They were considered so insignificant that the Tay had kicked them off the ship without even questioning them. They meant nothing to the enemy.

As they shuffled off the elevator and began dispersing back to homes and offices Chunni held Jean's hand tightly as they walked down the empty corridors towards the building exit. "What are we going to do now?" she asked quietly.

Before Jean could think of an appropriate answer a voice sounded behind them, "Why don't you two get married?"

They stopped dead in their tracks and turned around. A small woman was standing behind them and she was … smiling. "I don't think that's very funny," Jean said.

"Who are you?" Chunni demanded.

"Consider me a Justice of the Peace, and I didn't intend to be funny. I meant what I said. You two should get married."

"Whoever you are, I don't think you have a clue as to what is happening here. And how did you get in here in the first place?" Jean asked.

"Trust me, I do know what is happening. And that is why you two must get married."

"Why?"

"Because you won't have another chance," the woman said. She held her ground and looked at Chunni and Jean. Chunni and Jean returned her gaze.

Chunni squeezed Jean's hand a little tighter. There was silence for several moments and the woman spoke up, "You two love each other, don't you?"

Chunni and Jean looked at each other. "Yes, you do," the woman told them. "By this time tomorrow, the Traveler fleet is going to arrive. Earth's defenses will not be able to stand against them. You know that. You know what was in the Builder ship and you know how easily they took it away from you.

"Today is your last chance to get married. Don't you think you should?"

Chunni and Jean still said nothing.

"What else have you got to do? Where are you going to go?"

The two of them looked resigned and Chunni finally gave a sigh. "It would be nice to be married," she said with a weak smile.

"Ok," Jean answered.

"Good," the woman said brightly. "The chapel is right down this way. Follow me," and off she bounded. Chunni and Jean continued holding hands and slowly followed behind the woman. By the time they reached the chapel doors, the little woman was standing in the front of the room. "Well come along you two. We haven't got all day."

Chunni and Jean slowly walked up the center aisle and finally arrived at the front of the chapel. "You two are of course familiar with the Matriarchy, are you not?" They both nodded. "And you both realize that you should wear the blood diamonds when you get married."

"That's impossible," Jean said. "They're locked away in a high-security vault."

"No they are not," the woman said. "Now follow me," and she stepped over to the first pew. She picked up a highly polished box and handed it Chunni, then she picked up a second box and handed it to Jean. "Open it up, we haven't got all day," she said anxiously.

Jean opened his box and his eyes popped open. "These aren't real," he said in protest.

"Of course they are and you know it," the woman said.

"But how did you get them?" Chunni asked.

"I just plucked them through a portal."

"You can't. The vault they're in is protected against that," Chunni insisted.

"Well, they're protected against some people taking them out. But hey, they used to belong to me, so it's not such a big deal. Now let's get going, put them on," she said.

Jean stopped and looked at the woman. "What do you mean they used to belong to you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Just that. The Keeper gave them to me, and I gave them to my friends. Now chop-chop! Put them on."

Neither Chunni or Jean moved. They continued to glare at the woman as they held the diamonds in their hands. "Who are you? Really?" Jean demanded.

The woman opened the box in Jean's hands and lifted out the necklace. "My name is Kimmay, now will you put these on so we can get started?" She walked around Jean and placed the necklace around his neck and fastened it behind him. "Put the earrings on! Honestly!" she exclaimed. She walked over to Chunni, opened her box and put the necklace around her neck. Both continued to stand frozen in place, holding a box and staring at Kimmay.

"What is with you two, put on your earrings!"

"You can't be Kimmay," Chunni complained.

"Yes I can, and if you two will get moving you might learn something. Put the earrings on!"

Jean and Chunni eventually relented. They set their individual boxes on the pew and took out their earrings.

"There, now you look much better. Come up here and stand side by side. Good. Now I'm not very good at this so let's make it easy. Chunni Patel do you love Jean DeLonge?"

Chunni held Jean's hands and suspiciously looked at Kimmay. "Yes," she said.

"And do you promise to marry him and be his partner for life?"

"Yes."

"And Jean DeLonge do you love Chunni Patel?"

"Yes," he answered.

"And do you promise to marry her and be her partner for life?"

"I do."

"Excellent, then I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss."

They slowly leaned in to one another and exchanged a quick kiss. Jean quickly turned to Kimmay and said, "Ok, now what is this …"

Kimmay interrupted him and said, "Do you call that a kiss?"

"I want to know …"

"Kiss her!" Kimmay demanded. "I want to see a real kiss."

Chunni gave Kimmay a sheepish grin and then embraced Jean with both arms and gave him a real kiss.

"Excellent," Kimmay said as she applauded the two of them.

Again Jean tried to speak, "I would like you to tell …"

And again Kimmay interrupted him, "I have a gift for the two of you. Come here," and she led them over to the two respective jewelry boxes. She took the first box and slid a long thin hinge from the leather loops holding it in place. She handed the "hinge" to Jean. "This one is yours and …"

"You can't do that," Chunni complained. "Those aren't yours to …"

"Yes they are!" Kimmay snapped. "They are mine to give to anyone I please." She pulled the other hinge from the box and handed it to Chunni, "Take it!" she commanded. "Now, you want some answers?" she asked Jean.

"Yes, I want to know …"

"Then do what I tell you. Face each other. Put your wands in your left hand. Hold each others right hand." They did as they were told. "Now, touch your wands together in front of you." Again they did as they were told and immediately a blue light began to form a sphere around them. As it grew darker and turned more opaque Kimmay said, "Now you shall have your answers."

Kimmay walked over to the pew and sat down. "I wonder how long this will actually take?" she muttered to herself. It took about two hours in her time. Time passed much faster inside the sphere and Chunni and Jean spent almost six hours learning their future.

Kimmay was sleeping in the pew when Jean roused her from her sleep. "Kimmay, wake up," he said as he again shook her shoulder.

"Oh, you know my name now," she said as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Yes," he said with a huge smile. "Chunni and I know all about you and what you are doing here." He took a deep breath, "Whew! I don't know what to say."

"Me neither, but I guess that closes another loop."

"Yes it does," Chunni said. "There aren't many left. So what do we do now?"

"I know I could use some more sleep. Why don't you two consummate your marriage? Do you have someplace that I can sleep?" Kimmay asked

"Do we have time for that," Jean asked with a smile.

"Now we do," Chunni answered. "We have all the time we need."

 

CHAPTER 17

July 2222 – 1 day before

 

Chunni and Jean came leisurely strolling into ELF headquarters. It was about an hour before sunrise and it was still pitch dark outside. A strong wind was blowing and the temperature was on the chilly side. In spite of the cool temperature, both of them were wearing flowing robes. The robes were glimmering and shining, and were half transparent in different places. Both had gold ribbons and thread woven through their hair. They looked confident, well rested and their appearance was stunning.

As they strolled into the main conference room, Ms. Choi spotted them. "Where have you two been? We've been trying to reach you for hours."

"We know," Chunni answered with a lilt in her voice. The urgency and despair in Ms. Choi's voice didn't faze Chunni one iota.

"The Travelers have moved and they're surrounding the planet. They're massing for an attack!"

"We know."

"And you don't care? At least you sure don't seem to care! And what in the world are you wearing?"

"Relax," Jean said. "We care and we're going to handle everything." Chunni and Jean began walking away and Kimmay followed behind. Ms. Choi looked at Kimmay, but before she could say anything Jean pointed to Kimmay and added, "This is Kimmay by the way. She's with us."

"Hi," Kimmay said and waved to Ms. Choi as they walked through the conference room and out the far door. Jean led the way as they walked through the building and out the back door, across a patio, then across the lawn and finally over to the edge of a cliff. ELF headquarters was located on the plateau of a small mountain with a fantastic view of the Alps.

"Go, stand upon those rocks," Chunni said as she pointed the way for Kimmay.

"Look upon the next step of the destiny that you have given us," Jean added.

Dawn was just beginning to cast a palette of oranges and reds and yellows in the east, as Chunni and Jean worked their way down the steep edge of the mountain. About 100 meters down, they stepped upon a ledge that cantilevered out over the precipice below them.

"You used to fear heights," Jean said to Chunni.

"How appropriate a location to begin the new era," Chunni answered with a smile.

Under a perfectly clear sky, they joined hands. During the last six hours, the land masses of the world had been cleared of their cloud cover. Strong winds had blown and dispersed the clouds, so that now every human on Earth would be able to witness the arrival of their new world. Only those soldiers that were hiding underground could not see the heavens, but they would hear the words.

"Now is the time," they both whispered.

They each raised their wands, and a small circle of purple appeared before them. The circle would act as a mirror, allowing them to see the vision that they would project around the world. Bells began ringing. Not one bell, not just a few, but a cacophony of bells that would drive the sleeping from their beds, and the waking to their windows. Over every mountain and valley, across every prairie and desert, through the heart of every hovel and village and city, the bells rang out. The world sang with the sound of bells ringing and echoing through the very souls of Earth's inhabitants.

Hand in hand, Chunni and Jean swayed to the melody that only they could discern. Their hands conveyed warmth to one another in the brisk morning air, as they stood looking over the world. Lights flickered on in the houses across the valley. The people were awakening. Hands rubbed eyes or covered ears, as the people moved from their beds, their desks, their daily and nightly routines and stepped towards the sound.

Doors opened and streets filled with worry and concern and fear. Their planet was surrounded by alien spaceships with unknown agendas. But fear was not necessary this day. While the people collected under the clearest skies they had ever seen, the second-degree Magicians continued to stand over their valley. As the tension and apprehension around the world climbed higher, the two lovers continued to gently sway with the music they had created.

The sun continued climbing in the east and finally cleared the range of mountains on the far horizon. Bright and warm colors fell upon the frocks of the two magicians, and sent a cascade of color shimmering through the soft fabric as the breeze gently blew past them. The time was now right. The world was awake and ready to hear their message. Chunni touched the purple disk with her wand, and their faces appeared in the violet haze.

Around the world, the faces of the two magicians appeared in the heavens. The projections covered every continent upon the Earth, yet no person saw more than one projection. And that projection, that vision was always directly overhead. In the darkest night and in the brightest sunlight, the visions were clear and bright and mystifying. The faces smiled upon the world and waited as everyone noticed and then held their breath in awe and fear. Strangers clasped hands, and families hugged one another as they peered upon the heavens.

The visions spoke and sound cascaded upon the multitudes. The sound carried every language necessary for the world to hear and understand. How each individual found that single voice with the correct language that was needed for comprehension was simply beyond comprehension. It was merely another example of the abilities carried by their new protectors.

"I am Chunni of New Delhi."

"And I am Jean of Luxembourg. Above you, surrounding our planet are over two hundred alien spaceships. Their intention today is to destroy the human race. That will not happen."

"We will not allow it. They fear a new order in the universe, an uncoupling of old structures and the fulfillment of a Prophecy. Many years ago, Kimmay brought to you the Thirteenth Prophecy. Today, we shall open the universe."

The magicians each took turns delivering their message, and Jean now waited a moment before continuing. "We are Magicians and we have the power to protect Earth. We also have the power to shape the destiny of the universe. And that will be your destiny as well."

Chunni continued the explanation, "Our species will on occasion, give birth to exceptional individuals. Upon their birth, they shall be united with their wand. The wands will provide tremendous power and knowledge. They shall be the single greatest invention of mankind. Together, they shall become Magicians. Kimmay was the first of these Magicians, we are the next."

Jean again paused a few moments to let Chunni's comments sink in. Then he continued, "What we ask of you today, are two things. First, you must continue your quest for truth and knowledge. The wands will require an ultimate understanding of the physical universe, as well as the truth of life. Never let your curiosity diminish, and always search the universe for other life forms and their knowledge. Collect knowledge and share it with everyone. And then go create your wands."

"And the second thing that we require of you today is your disarmament. The power of the Magicians will alarm just as many species as it calms. There must be no appearance of conflict. We cannot guide the universe, if we appear to desire conquest. As you begin to explore the stars, you will be given free passage by other species as long as you remain unarmed. No weapons – not even for self-defense. The Magicians will provide you with all of the protection that you will need – no matter where or when you are."

"You will begin fulfilling our requests today. Other than police for maintaining daily order, all militias and armies will be disbanded. Any leader who claims that armed forces are necessary for any reason – any reason – will be lying to you. They will have to answer to us. Discard such leaders quickly.

"Included in this edict are the planetary defense systems. In a short while we will allow you to witness our demonstration to the aliens surrounding our planet. We will allow their weapons fire to strike and destroy all of the planetary power-weapons stationed around the Earth. Any person manning those facilities has sixty minutes to leave. There will be no exceptions."

"In exactly one hour, a projection shall circle the heavens. Do not be alarmed. It will be a vision that will allow you to see the battle that will take place. And all of you shall see the power that you will eventually enable."

The purple circle in front of Chunni and Jean evaporated as the gentle breeze turned it into wisps of smoke. They turned to one another and gently kissed. "And so it begins."

"And so it does."

Kimmay sat high above them and watched as they kissed. They once again turned towards the valley and looked out upon the sun-kissed peaks and the rivers running below. Kimmay sat in reverie and thought about what she had just seen. She sat there with a tag in her cheek that was inevitably going to kill her. And as she contemplated her own death, she looked upon the world in a new light. Today was a new beginning, and it was going to be magnificent.

Exactly sixty minutes later, Chunni and Jean faced away from each other. With their wands in their right hands, they reached behind their backs and clasped their left hands. Then they gently leaned against each other- shoulder against shoulder. A pale, purple sphere began to form around the two of them. It slowly began to assume more definition and shape, and the color darkened.

As the sphere took form, Jean broke the silence:

When the night has come
And the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh now now stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me

If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall
And the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me, stand by me-e, yeah

Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me, oh now now stand by me
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

Darlin', darlin', stand by me-e, stand by me
Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

 

"Where did that come from?" Chunni asked.

"It's very old. My grandmother used to sing it to me. I thought it was appropriate."

A tear slowly ran down Chunni's cheek. "Are you afraid?"

"You know what we are capable of," Jean answered.

"That's what frightens me," she answered. "Are we doing the right thing? Do we understand what we are unleashing?"

Jean pondered the question for a moment, "How can anyone truly understand the consequences of what we are beginning? We must rely on the honor of those who came before us and instruct us now."

"Kimmay is here, isn't she?"

"Yes she is."

"That makes me feel much better." Chunni paused for a few seconds and then said, "She is in us you know."

"Yes she is. And that makes me feel better also."

Chunni sniffed and raised her wand. Around the world, the night sky lightened and the day sky darkened as the projections took shape. The projection was the full sphere of the heavens surrounding the planet. Only that portion of the sphere directly overhead could be seen by the people. The enhancements made the individual alien spaceships clearly visible. And as the attack began, all of the weapons fire became visible also.

Only a few scientists realized what was truly happening. As energy weapons were fired at the speed of light, no one on Earth should have been able to see those bursts until they actually landed on Earth. But these projections showed the bursts from the moment they left the ships until they impacted. Space and distance were being ignored, and time on the projector was instantaneous over all distances. An awesome weapon had been unveiled - the Magicians controlled time!

Inside their sphere, Chunni and Jean could see the entire celestial sphere surrounding the Earth. It was if they stood at the center of a giant bubble. But the view was inconsequential to either of them. They both stood perfectly still with their eyes closed. They saw everything in their mind.

As soon as the battle began, it was over. The most advanced ships in the Traveler armada had no chance against two second-degree Magicians. Without even realizing it had happened, the Magicians placed a time-dislocation around the Earth and encompassing the entire alien fleet. It formed a sphere with the Earth at the center and the entire alien fleet trapped inside. The fleet was unable to flee with either physical thrusters or through interdimensional portals. Not even the inhabitants of Earth could see the trap in their projections.

The first stage of the battle was to land troops on the planet's surface. Thousands of troops were in position to transport by portal to the buried laser bases around the planet. The Magicians blocked that with another time dislocation between the planet and ships. Another sphere, again with Earth at the center, but this time the alien fleet was locked outside the sphere. Only a few troops were allowed to pass through the barrier. Those troops materialized less than fifty meters from Kimmay. They were in the perfect location to see the Magician's purple sphere. And they could see Kimmay.

But there they stayed. They were unable to do anything but stand in place and watch the battle unfold on the projections in the sky. They were given a first-hand view of the battle, so that they could report back to their leaders later.

The battle had been fully joined. With the failure of their troop landing, every ship in the heavens simultaneously opened fire on the planet. The vast majority of those weapons were trained on the laser bases, and they were allowed to reach their targets. The ground shook for miles around as the bases were totally obliterated in the space of a few seconds. Not a single base escaped the onslaught. And while the logistics teams on all of the ships were pleased with their first volley, the rest of the battle was a total disaster.

Inside their sphere, time was of no consequence. The magicians could see each burst of weapon fire and watch as it slowly moved towards Earth. Their wands almost pointed themselves as they aimed at each incoming burst of photons or missile, and fired an intercepting light.

The people watching the battle were dazzled by the lights, the explosions and the speed of the battle. Chunni and Jean were intercepting bolts of lightening with additional bolts of lightning. How could anyone react with such speed and dexterity?

But inside the sphere, reality was much different. There was no urgency to any of their actions. They could have let a plasma burst destroy Paris, and yet in a year or a hundred years from today, they could repair the damage or correct the error. They could let Paris be blown apart, and then in slow motion put it all back together again. There was nothing that could possibly happen on this day that they could not change or correct. They controlled time and hence reality. They owned the ultimate weapon.

Weapons fire from the alien ships was fast and furious. From every angle around the globe, weapons were being fired. Many of the energy weapons were in frequencies invisible to the eye, yet the projection system identified and plotted every one. Hyper-speed missiles carrying planet-busting nuclear warheads and anti-matter warheads lumbered their way towards earth and were easily picked off by the two magicians and their wands.

The alien ships had so far received no incoming attacks. While their own attack was accomplishing little, they were satisfied that the humans couldn't strike back. The Earth's system of planetary lasers had been destroyed and no offensive weapons fire had been encountered. The aliens feared no reprisal as they pushed forward with their assault.

As the alien warships repeatedly used IDT to try and materialize weapons through the portal barrier erected by Chunni and Jean, the magicians finally made the barrier visible to the alien commanders. Apprehension began to take root as the commanders began to realize the humans had better technology than expected. The logistics teams still had not identified the magicians, and they were baffled at where the intercepting beams were coming from. Extrapolations from around the fleet suggested that the return fire trajectories were coming from the center of the planet. But that was impossible. They doubled their efforts in an attempt to overwhelm the return fire. Surely the humans couldn't intercept the weapon launches from the entire armada! Even the Tay and Seekers had now joined in the attack.

Chunni and Jean allowed the battle to rage for almost thirty minutes before they grew tired of the demonstration. Their fellow humans had seen enough to realize how powerful the magicians truly were. But whereas the Earthlings were satisfied, the aliens were not. While they had seen their most sustained offensive attack nullified, they had seen no technology that was beyond their own. The humans were putting up a splendid defense, better than could have ever been predicted, but it couldn't be sustained forever. The alien commanders were convinced they had staying power beyond anything on the planet below them. They were determined to stay the course and wear down the enemy.

Just as the attack stepped up in intensity, Chunni raised her wand with a new thought in mind. Return fire from the planet halted. As each weapon burst and each missile reached the time dislocation – the portal barrier - the weapon exploded as if hitting a solid barrier. Chunni allowed the barrier to begin absorbing their energy and transferring it into the visible spectrum. The effect was a glowing sphere around the planet. As the armada pumped more energy and more weapons into the barrier it grew brighter and hotter.

The effect was like a bugle call for the commanders and their logistics teams. They believed that the Earth defenses were finally collapsing under their repeated deluge. They pushed even harder, concentrating their weapons fire not on Earth targets, but upon shield locations. Chunni aided their delusions, by allowing those shield targets to increase their energy output faster than the surrounding areas. A glimmer of hope was entering the alien command decks.

And then it was Jean's turn. Chunni terminated the visible defense barrier and allowed the weapons to pass through. The humans on Earth looked on in terror as the weapons breeched the shield and raced towards the planet. Fear gripped everyone as the deluge of weapons reached the atmosphere and turned the air to plasma as they left bright streaks of death through the atmosphere. And as the weapons reached the surface they simply kept on going, like specters of smoke and illusion. Nothing happened. They disappeared into the ground leaving no trace of having ever existed.

The alien commanders saw an entirely different scenario. They saw the shield collapse and the weapons fire pass through on the way to planetary destruction. Cheers went up around the control decks as logistics reported penetration by all of their delivery systems. And then the cheers stopped as quickly as they began. As the weapons reached their targets, they disappeared. Not the missiles or the energy bursts, but the targets disappeared. The entire planet disappeared.

The commanders and technicians stood in shock as they watched their weapons pass through empty space and then shoot past their counterparts on the opposite side of the planet. They had direct sight of the heavens and allied ships on the opposite side of where a planet should be spinning. Even the planet's moon and artificial satellites orbiting the planet were gone.

Confusion and alarm ran through the crew. What had just happened? Had they destroyed the planet? How? Residue and debris should be left behind. None of their weapons had ever, could ever eliminate the entirety of a planet. But there it was – nothing.

"Cease fire." It was an unnecessary order. Everything had shut down automatically. With no target, the weapons systems had shifted into stand-by. There was an eerie hum aboard the ships as the tremendous power generators shifted down into normal operating levels.

Ships quickly sent communication bursts back to their home worlds and had them just as quickly bounced back at the ships. Commanders tried again, and received no replies. They checked with their counterparts around the armada and heard the same stories. Some of the ships attempted a portal jump but remained frozen in place. Ship systems responded correctly but the portals would not open. Someone attempted a short jump from one side of the armada to the other and was successful. That proved their systems were working properly. But then an attempt by the same ship to leave the area was once again nullified.

Speculations started flying between the ships. Were they trapped inside a singularity? That was quickly deemed impossible. There would have to be mass at the center of the horizon, and there was no mass at all. The planet was no longer there. Had the humans moved their planet? Jumped it through a portal? That was ruled a stretch way beyond the human's technical capabilities, but still a technical possibility.

One of the ships used its thrusters to move closer to the center of the fleet. It reached the radius of the interior barrier and stopped. It could move no closer. Even at full thruster, the ship could get no closer to the center of their anomaly. Another ship tried the same maneuver and came up against an invisible barrier at the same distance. Still another ship turned away from the center, fired its thrusters and began heading away from the fleet. They reached the Magician's outer barrier and once again a ship was stopped dead in its vector. The armada was trapped between two boundaries.

A cold realization started to materialize throughout the alien space ships; they were truly trapped.

While it took nearly an hour for the aliens to grasp the enormity of their situation, mere minutes passed on Earth. The people standing in the streets watched the ships stop their bombardment and for the most part, sit in place. They murmured about what had just transpired. How had the weapons fire passed through them, as if it was all a ghost? Were all of the weapons holograms? Were they all fake?

No one thought to turn the problem around. The weapons were indeed real. It was the Earth that was the ghost. The planet no longer occupied the same set of dimensions it had just been sitting in. They were watching through a portal from an entirely different reality. Jean of Luxemburg had placed planet Earth outside of their known universe.

After only a few Earth minutes Chunni looked over her shoulder and asked Jean, "Shall we see what they want to do next?"

"Why not," he responded. With their time dilation, they knew the aliens had had plenty of time to think about their situation. With a slight wave of his wand, Earth returned to its own universe.

Proximity alarms erupted on all of the alien ships. Generators surged into high rates and weapon systems again locked on to their previous targets. Automatic systems had never been shut down on some of the ships, and weapons fire erupted again. As one ship fired, the others quickly joined the battle.

"I'm disappointed," said Jean.

"I will give them some small pardon. It was automatic systems that initiated the firing."

"But the other commanders jumped in too quickly. They never even thought about the situation."

"True," Chunni answered. "But then again, they may be just a bit afraid."

Both of them smiled. "Let's make them more than just a bit afraid," Jean said.

As the weapons again approached Earth, they reached the inner barrier and simply disappeared. No trace was left. There was no energy burst against an invisible barrier. They simply passed from this universe to non-existence. It was a complete and total elimination.

"Go ahead," Jean told Chunni. "Increase the radius."

Chunni made the interior barrier visible to the aliens, and then started enlarging the barrier. The barrier that was eliminating the alien weapons fire began to grow. The radius of the now visible sphere grew and began closing towards the enemy ships. The ships increased their bombardment rate but they had no affect on the closing menace. The ships used their propulsion drives and started edging back from the shield horizon as it pushed them towards the outer barrier. Ships that didn't move fast enough were hit by the expanding field and shoved outwards towards their comrades. They were trapped between one sphere as it expanded into the other. Like a steel curtain, the shield propelled the aliens towards their apparent doom.

Other ships had already reached the outer barrier and were stopped dead in space. They could go no further and still the inner shield was closing upon them. Eventually, each and every ship was pushed against the exterior barrier. The interior shield began pressing the ships into the exterior barrier much the way a nut cracker was used to split open its quarry. When all of the ships were physically trapped between the two barriers, the interior barrier changed its properties. As it continued to expand it passed through ship hulls like an invisible ghost. The barrier's penetration of the hulls caused no damage to the structural integrity of the ships, but as it moved through the ships, internal systems were shut down. Communications, weapons, external sensors, attitude controls and systems, computers, diagnostics, gravity, safety systems and almost everything else all crashed. All that remained was minimal environmental support.

Chunni released her grip on Jean's left hand and turned to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him as Kimmay and the aliens looked down upon the disintegrating purple sphere. "Who would you like to go visit?" she asked.

"I think I would like to see the Tay. They are the most technically advanced."

"And the most arrogant," Chunni added.

"Right you are. Let's start there, shall we?" The two of them disappeared. The aliens looked at Kimmay as she too disappeared. They had no idea what was happening, and they had no idea who Kimmay, Chunni or Jean were. They were left to contemplate what they had seen, and hope for eventual release from their confines.

 

"And who are you?" the Tay commander demanded.

"I am Jean from Luxembourg."

"And I am Chunni from New Delhi." The two magicians slowly turned as they looked around the bridge of the Tay ship. Neither had ever been on a Tay spaceship before, and they both found it fascinating. There was much that was alien, but there was much that was recognizable. The command structure with the technicians surrounding the commander seemed typical. The ship was much more luxurious than either had expected. There was warm carpeting on the floor and gold fixtures for the lighting on the commander's work desk. The walls and ceilings were painted in warm colors and even had a bit of glitter in them. While the Tay struggled to stay in place without gravity, Chunni and Jean stood comfortably on the plush carpeting. Chunni returned artificial gravity so that they could stand comfortably aboard their first conquest.

"What do you want on my ship?"

"Where are your guards?" Chunni asked innocently.

The Tay commander smiled. "I suppose you think you deserve guards rushing to my protection? You evidently have good technology or you would not be standing before me. I suspect that you can defend yourselves or you would have come with additional help. On the other hand, I do not fear you and have no need for protection. You must think very highly of yourselves if you think you deserve guards and special treatment. Is that why you are here? Do you want to be treated with special reverence?" The Tay commander bowed in mock deference.

Chunni blushed ever so slightly. She had been artfully insulted. Instantly, a hundred retorts came to mind, as her wand supplied her with witticisms beyond imagination. Chunni took the high road and gave her lecturer his due credit. "Well said Commander. I can see why your peers respect you. In fact even I respect you, but I am not your peer," she said through a large smile.

"Enough of the pleasantries then," Jean said. "Perhaps we should explain why we are here."

"You expect me to surrender perhaps?" the commander asked with a condescending sneer.

"Of course not," Jean replied. "Whatever need could I possibly have for that? You are defeated and you know it. Now, you will go home and tell your people that you were defeated."

"Of course, I see," he said. "And all of my people will bow before superior talents?"

Chunni stepped into the conversation, "You can do that if you want. But since we are not a deity, we will not insist upon bowing." Chunni turned from the commander and picked up a small item sitting on the commander's desk. "However, we will insist upon an understanding."

"But of course. I am all ears."

Chunni took his comment literally, "No, I don't think your ears are that big." The commander did not appreciate the trivialization of his situation, and he did not smile. "But what we would like you to do is pass along our message." Chunni set down the knick-knack and addressed the commander, "Today, here at this very planet the Thirteenth Prophecy has been fulfilled. We will open the universe."

The commander simply stared at Chunni. He wasn't sure if she were joking or serious. He turned to Jean, "You believe that your little success here today makes this insignificant planet the center of the universe? That you are important enough to justify Prophecies?" He snorted, "I think you over estimate yourselves."

"No, I assure you that we do not over estimate ourselves. In fact we are still learning what we are and what are role in this universe is. We know for a fact that we are not First Magicians. We are but the second step on the way. We are still one degree removed from Magician. I am still learning my true abilities, and I must say that I am in awe of my capabilities. But I cannot even imagine what a true Magician could do. It boggles the mind."

The Tay commander changed his approach, "And who is the little girl behind you?"

Both Jean and Chunni turned and looked at Kimmay. Jean gave her a little smile and then returned his attention to the Tay commander, "She is called Kimmay."

"Oh my, how precious. No title? Do I bow to her or kiss her ring?"

The wand in Chunni's hand flew across the room like an arrow. It stopped just as it reached the commander's throat and pushed a few millimeters into his skin, like a dagger ready to slit his throat. The commander, with what looked like practiced disdain, raised his hand and attempted to swat it away like a pesky mosquito. But hitting the wand with the back of his hand was like trying to swat a steel reinforcing beam from the frame of a well built bridge. He yelped in pain as his hand struck the solid wand and failed to budge it in the slightest. As he bent over holding his injured hand the wand remained firmly planted against his throat.

Chunni slowly and deliberately walked towards the Tay commander. "Never, never insult Kimmay. Your puny little existence can't begin to contemplate the presence before you. Only when it is too late will you realize that!" She waved her hand and the wand quickly flew back into her grasp.

Kimmay felt a low-level throb in her wand as it turned cold. She didn't like the sensation one bit. Nor did she like the thoughts crossing through her mind. Chunni's thoughts were too transparent and she was unwittingly sharing them with Kimmay. Chunni was becoming too emotional and aggressive. Kimmay was disappointed.

Jean stepped into the conversation, using a calmer, but very firm tone. "You can not possibly begin to appreciate the complexities of the situation before you, and to be fair it is even beyond our comprehension. But we are what we are, Commander. And today we are messengers. Here is what you must know." Jean stared into the commander's eyes and made sure he understood what he was about to say. The commander would understand, and he would believe.

"The First Magicians are on their way. They will determine the future and the past of this universe. Their powers will be unrivaled and they will be invincible. Today we have opened the universe. Humans will have free and open passage to every part of this universe. There will be no restrictions placed upon them and you will assure safe passage. You will see to that, and we will see to that.

"In addition, the universe is open to all intelligent species. You may form your alliances and trading cliques. You may even claim territory and planets. But in the end, you will answer to us. Keep that in mind as you go about your business."

Chunni took over, "We demand no tribute and ask for no favors. We are neither police nor army. We do not punish the evil nor protect the righteous. We are simply here. We will act as guides, and we will act as initiators. We intend to create intelligence and knowledge, order and compassion. And we will jealously guard what we want. Do not try to comprehend our motives, for they are beyond your understanding.

"But know this – you cannot stand before us."

"Humans will have free passage everywhere with no exceptions," Jean reiterated. "As a good-will measure, they will carry no weapons – not even for self-defense. But never assume they are without protection, for we will always be watching."

"We have released your ship and you may leave," Chunni told the Tay commander. She turned to Jean and said, "Let's give the commander of this mighty armada a personal visit before we address the rest." Chunni allowed too much sarcasm to drift into her voice when she said 'mighty armada', and once again Kimmay was disappointed.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

July 2222 – The Day

 

"Time to close the current loop and return Kimmay to the Kastellian ship. Time to make a choice."

"And what choice is that?" Kimmay asked.

Chunni and Jean stepped towards each other and clasped hands. They needed to hold on to one another for extra strength. They were about to ask Kimmay to perform the most momentous task in the history of humanity. Jean took a deep breath and began.

"Kimmay, we have explained M๖bius loops and some of their powers. They are extremely important in the future of our kind. And we have told you that you are involved in more loops than any other person in history – past or future. But you are not done."

"Not yet," Chunni began. "There are two more loops left for creation. They are huge loops and extremely important. One loop will encompass all wands and all time. It will allow the instantaneous flow of knowledge to any wand at any point in the time matrix. It will give the First Magicians a massive advantage over potential adversaries.

"But as important as this loop is, it cannot exist without another loop. The most important loop of all."

Chunni stopped and merely looked at Kimmay. Jean said nothing. Kimmay waited a few seconds and then said, "What? What is it?" She felt uneasy and a bit fearful. Something was making Chunni and Jean more than a bit nervous. Kimmay could see it in their body language. For the first since they had received their wands, Chunni and Jean looked unsure of themselves.

"Kimmay, this loop requires you, but you have the ability, the right to say no."

"That's right," Jean added. "It is your choice and your choice alone."

Again the two Magicians stopped speaking and merely looked upon Kimmay. "Ok, I have a choice. A choice to do what?"

"To do the impossible. That which no human can accomplish," Jean told her.

"You need to know what we know," Chunni began. "The First Magicians serve a new master. A new life form that is far beyond our existence. We serve Her. We abide Her directions and carry out Her plans. Humans provide Magicians, and Magicians provide Her with eyes and ears and hands."

Jean took over the narrative, "She is essentially all that we see around us. The matter and energy of this universe interact and respond as She desires. We are part of Her. She controls all that is inanimate. All that exists is Her. Do you understand?"

"Maybe …"

"Good. When you were with the Keeper, it was She that changed time, not you and not the Magicians. The Magicians were Her instrument, and not the cause. All that exists is Her domain."

"But She requires help. She has come to the Magicians and asked us to serve Her. While She controls the physical universe – She is the universe – She cannot control the minuscule life forms of Her universe. They are very important to Her, but their individual existences are too small for her to communicate and control. That is where we come into use. The Magicians are the liaison between the inanimate and the animate – between the forces that guide the stars and the molecules that create intelligence."

"Understand so far?"

"Yes, I do. I'm not sure why something so fantastical should sound so logical, but it does. It's as if I knew this."

"Before we explain further, you need to know something about the wands. She communicates to us through the …. Wands. Or sort of. We'll come back to that in a minute. But the wands are the key to all of our powers. And they are great powers indeed."

It was Chunni's turn to take over the story. "But with all great power there is always those who would subvert it for their own use. The Magicians try to control this with several rules. For instance, the offspring of Magicians cannot become Magicians. At least five generations must separate Magicians. But there is still the possibility that one pair of humans may attempt to use their wands for their own purposes. That must be prevented."

Kimmay remembered her throbbing wand and its coldness while Chunni had confronted the Tay commander. Kimmay understood completely. Without knowing why or how, Kimmay knew that humans, even the best, could not totally trust their own emotions.

"To do that, the wands have been given a conscience. They know right from wrong and they have deeply embedded ethics buried in their very existence. Those ethics are critical to the success of the Magicians. No wand must ever let itself be manipulated or seduced by a Magician with evil intent.

"Do you know where such a conscious might come from, Kimmay?"

Kimmay was beginning to understand, and her fear was just starting to coalesce. "I don't think I like where this is going," she said.

"You are more than you ever imagined, Kimmay. Your very existence was manipulated not by the Seekers, although they believed that they made you. No, you are the child of Her. She has given you the abilities that you currently possess. And the greatest of those abilities is to understand your destiny."

"Now do you know why you had to watch the Kastellians be destroyed?"

"Because no one can understand the nature of genocide without performing the act herself." Kimmay said it by rote, as if this was secondary school.

"Exactly, you are uniquely qualified to understand the evil and the good that life commits. You can stand against either, and you cannot be swayed by either. You can make the correct decision when it has to be made."

Kimmay said nothing. She looked from Chunni to Jean and back again. Fear was rising in her stomach and she could taste the bile in the back of her throat. "I wish that were true. What do you want?"

"We told you that this is your decision and no one can force you or even pressure you one way or another. Only you can decide," Jean said.

Chunni looked profoundly sad as she began her description of what was needed. "We are asking you to complete one more M๖bius loop. It will be the most massive and most aggressive technical feat that the Magicians will ever perform. As a consequence of this loop, you will become the conscience of all the wands. You will be the wands, and they will be you." Chunni fell silent and looked into Kimmay's eyes. And in those eyes she saw fear.

Kimmay said nothing. Cold irrational fear was sliding through her very existence. She couldn't possibly comprehend what this meant, but she feared the worst. "You want to put me into a machine? You want to dissect me and place my brain in a cybernetic machine for the rest of time?"

"No, no, no!" Jean and Chunni immediately spoke together. "Not at all," Chunni continued. "You will become one with the wands and their mechanisms, but you are not subsumed by them. No, no, no. It is the other way around. You will always be Kimmay and you will be allowed to take any form you wish. The wands become you. You will communicate directly with Her. She will guide the universe through you, and you in turn will guide the universe through the wands. The wands will communicate your instructions to their counterparts, to their Magicians."

"Kimmay," Jean added, "You will spend the next ten thousand years guiding the wands, the Magicians and humanity. You will pass along her wishes."

"How long? How …?"

Chunni answered, "You have seen some of our abilities. We can control time and we can keep you healthy. Parts of time, such as when you sleep, may skip ahead several years. A hundred years of calm may slip away in an hour. You will see all, but you will not have to participate at the same rate of time passage."

"So it really isn't an eternity?"

"It will be as much or as little as you desire."

"And I will do Her bidding?"

"She will guide you … and us."

Kimmay wasn't sure what to think. Her worst fears had just been eliminated, but she still held great apprehension as to what she would become, and what she was intended to do. Kimmay knew that all of this was true, but she still wasn't sure that she was capable of what they asked. And she felt confined … trapped. Intimidated. And was it really all true? A doubt, a very small doubt pushed weakly against her consciousness. 'Angels and Gods.' It ran though her mind without prompting.

"But this is all done," Kimmay said. "The wands exist and therefore I have already made my decision, haven't I? My destiny is made and I have no choice in this matter," she said with defeat.

"That is not true," Chunni whispered. "You do have free choice and you can use it now. You can say no. Nothing has been completed and there is nothing that forces you to accept. Trust me, you truly have your own fate in your hands. It is not predetermined – not this time."

"But what am I supposed to do? What am I going to do for the next ten thousand years?" she asked desperately.

"Create intelligence. She wants more intelligent life forms. Many, many more, and she wants them to be creative and curious and to have strong emotions and grand ideas and wondrous adventures and to love their existence as much as She does. And eventually, She wants to join with all life, to bring all events large and small, inanimate and animate together. But there must be more intelligent life to reach this goal. A critical mass of intelligence is needed. Letting the universe evolve through entropy under its own power won't accomplish this. Eventually we will all rule the universe."

"That is where you and the Magicians come into play. You will be but the first step in many. In your thousands of years you will accomplish much, of this we are certain. But you will not reach the critical mass that will be required. After you others will connect with Her and continue to build towards a universe of total harmony and total recognition."

Kimmay was dazed. Her mind was filled with questions, yet none came to her lips. She continued to look at Chunni and Jean with great apprehension and fear.

"If you look inside, you will see much of this," Chunni said. "As the time draws near, the shroud is being lifted from you. You can see the truth that we give you. We also know some of that truth, but we do not, nor will we ever see all that you will. Our wands tell us this."

"Continue," Kimmay instructed.

"Two M๖bius loops we are asked to invite you into. One loop will encompass the history of the wands. They will be allowed to pass through time instantly with your instructions. The second loop accomplishes the same for all First Magicians. They too will be allowed to move through time as easily as you walk through a field."

And both loops are wrapped through each other," Jean finished.

"So …" Kimmay encouraged the two of them.

Chunni and Jean looked at each other and then back at Kimmay. Chunni grimaced and said, "So it is a massive, massive pair of loops and they require something that is impossible." She paused and swallowed. "If you agree … you must die. Twice."

"What?" Kimmay stammered.

"You must return to your time and live out your life. The Kastellian tag will facilitate your first … end. But before you leave here, you must give your talents to us. You must end your life so that you may gain a new life. Your new existence will be corporeal but not biological. Your intellect and emotions will guide the Magicians. We will bow before you."

Both Chunni and Jean bowed their heads and looked at the ground. Kimmay shuddered at the thought of anyone bowing before her. The very thought grated against everything she held important in her life. She shivered and felt acid at the back of her throat. Jean and Chunni said nothing. Kimmay huffed and walked in a circle before them. She stopped and stared at the two of them, but neither would look her in the eye.

'Bow before me?' Kimmay winced at the very thought. Kimmay crouched on the floor and held her head in her hands. She remained motionless for several minutes. The two Second Magicians barely breathed as they tried not to disturb Kimmay.

Wild thoughts raced through her mind. A montage of scenes and ideas and emotions flooded her consciousness. Doubts of enormous magnitude exploded in her thoughts. She saw Salindale of Quandor in the final moments before her death. She smiled at Kimmay and said, "Do it for me."

Kimmay's mind filled with visions of death and chaos and horrible misery. Magician stood before Magician. Anger of the most violent stripe filled their eyes as they raised their wands towards one another. And in those eyes she saw something that took her breath away. Her vision spiraled down into the very molecular constitution of the Magicians before her. She followed the path through chromosomes and genes and finally into individual atoms.

And she recognized herself.

Kimmay's head filled with premonitions and fears; visceral and guttural fears. Her skin turned cold as she mutely watched the vision before her. Mirrors flashed patterns of molecular fragments as they flew around her and recombined into new pairs that recombined into new fragments and eventually recombined into eyes. Not her eyes, but they were hers. The difference wasn't in their sight, but their genetic heritage. The scene exploded before her and all was lost but a single spark spiraling towards her. She reached out her hand and the spark spiraled into a tiny point on her hand.

Kimmay turned her hand and dropped the tiny spark into an abyss of total darkness. The spark fell a few inches and burst into a sphere of shifting colors that slowly coalesced into a small planet. She found herself standing on the surface of that planet, a red sky overhead and wind gently blowing through her hair. The surface was a desert devoid of anything living. Rocks, pebbles and sand covered the ground upon which she was standing.

"Do I have to start over?" a voice asked.

"What?"

"I will of course. I will do this over and over and over until it is right. Nothing else will suffice."

Kimmay remained silent.

"I need you Kimmay. You need me. The fate of the entire universe depends on your decision."

"And who exactly are you?"

"You know the answer, Kimmay."

"I truly do not." Kimmay continued to see a solitary pair of eyes in her mind; her vision.

"That is good. You have no preconceived ideas so I shall be able to show you clearly. I am all that exists. You can feel this Kimmay. You can feel me in everything that you touch. Everything that is, makes me; makes you. You are part of me and I am part of you.

"I need you Kimmay. I touch you, you touch my wands and they direct our Magicians. Our Magicians will build a universe filled with life. Intelligent life of all the variations imaginable."

Again Kimmay could see that pair of eyes. They stared into her soul and left it cold. "There is something that I do not understand."

"You will understand everything. There is nothing that you will not know."

"Why are there so few Magicians?"

"We have all we need," those cold eyes responded.

"We have all that we can control. Isn't that what you mean?" There was no answer. The vision of Magician against Magician again filled her vision. She felt the cold that had passed through her as she had watched Chunni attack the Tay commander. None of this felt right.

Kimmay turned completely around and surveyed the arid, red planet that she stood upon. Parts of it seemed to be etched in her mind, her memory. Was this d้jเ vu? Her survey took several minutes, yet still there was no answer to her question. So she began anew, "Who are you?"

"I am the universe."

Kimmay remained silent for several moments as that answer fought its way through her mind. And each time that she gave serious consideration to that answer, doubts pushed the idea away from her. "Do you consider yourself god?"

"Do you? Are you beginning to understand?"

A thought from long ago flashed through her mind, 'There are no angels.' And there are no gods she thought to herself. Kimmay was not yet beginning to understand. But she was beginning to remember. "We have done this before. Haven't we?"

"For all practical purposes, the loop has always existed."

That answer was wrong, and Kimmay felt it. "No, it hasn't always existed. I can see that. I know that I have stood here before. And I know that things have changed. I can feel this."

Kimmay received no answer so she pushed on, "What changed this time?"

Once again Kimmay could see those eyes in her mind. They grew tighter and colder. Kimmay could see anger building in them. "Kimmay, there are great changes coming to us all. Only the Magicians can stand before these great challenges and then only with your strength and courage. There will be great confusion and many will be lost in the fog of indecision. Without you to show guidance they will not survive. We may not survive."

Kimmay's arrogance was beginning to bubble and surface in her thoughts. "A god that may not survive? How can that be?" she asked sarcastically.

"Kimmay, you understand cosmology, do you not?"

Kimmay sniffed at the question.

"And you understand your species' inflationary model of the universe, correct?"

"And this is relevant?"

"If those other universes are aggressive the concept is very relevant."

Kimmay stumbled on the red gravel beneath her. Universe against universe? God against god? The concept was too large for her to wrap her mind around. Humankind in the middle of multiple universes made too little sense. It was too difficult to grasp. 'Stop and go back,' she told herself. The large view can only be seen from the mosaic created by two eyes. An old proverb came to mind: Do not pretend to feel with your heart, when you refuse to see with your eyes. 'Use your eyes Kimmay!'

Kimmay's legs could no longer hold her weight. She fell to the ground, the gravel digging into the palms of her hands as she held herself above the empty plain. Her lips trembled and she asked, "And if I say yes?"

"Then we continue."

"Continue what?"

"Kimmay, we build a universe full of life. We grow and understand and create. We do it together, you and I and everyone."

"But what do I do?"

"Simple. You do what is right."

"Why do you need me for that?"

"Because right is not always apparent. And when it is, it is not always easy. Right has to be put into context and understood. It takes a very special ability and only you have that ability. That is what you will do."

'I am not special,' Kimmay thought. 'My morals and ethics and canons are no better and no worse than those belonging to anyone else. This makes no sense!' Kimmay stood and slowly turned through 360ฐ. She surveyed the barren planet before her and returned her gaze to a blank horizon. She squinted at the red horizon and wrapped her arms around herself.

"I've been here before," she whispered. There was no answer. The doubts in her mind were growing larger.

"I've been here before," she repeated. Still there was no answer.

"I do have a choice, don't I?" she demanded.

Kimmay held the palms of her hands in front of her and looked at them. "These are my hands," she whispered. "I know myself. That is the only thing I know for sure. I know who I am," she said strongly and forcefully. And then a small smile started to form at the corners of her mouth. She squinted and looked up at the sun. There was no sun. And there was no confusion. Finally the cloud lifted. The doubts surged together and coalesced into the answers she was seeking. Her memory returned.

"You can't do this!" Kimmay yelled. "Not anymore! I can stop you!"

Once again silence greeted her ears. Kimmay's confidence increased, and she found her full voice. "I have been her before," she shouted. "And I have free choice. I have free will and I determine my destiny!

"And I know what you want. Making me watch the attack on Kastelle was a nice touch this time. And this stupid tag and the torture only made me stronger. They did not help bend me to your delusions."

"You do realize what you are doing?" the voice asked.

"I know exactly what I am doing. And no matter how many times you try, the answer will always be the same. I am not your shill. I am not your tool and I will not be your camouflage."

"You and the rest of this universe will not survive. Only I can save you."

"Your hubris disgusts me!" She screamed. "I am sickened by you!"

"If you truly understand me, then you must face your own incriminations."

"I do not!" she yelled. Kimmay truly understood the situation. Those eyes did not belong to some universal entity. There was no god involved. There were only deceits and lies. Those eyes represented nothing but arrogance and ambition. Kimmay knew those eyes and she knew they were hers. But she refused to accept responsibility.

"I know who you are, and I know what you are. But I am not responsible for you. You may be my clone, but I did not create you!"

"I did not create myself," the voice laughed.

With her feet spread wide and her hands placed on her hips Kimmay stood defiantly before nemesis. "Nor will I. I may not fully understand the physics of your loops, but I understand the truth. Your lie has failed. You will not deceive me, and you will not use me."

Silence.

"Truth is now seen. You tried to hide it, but even you couldn't stop the inevitable," Kimmay said.

"You will be destroyed. The other universes are much older and much stronger. Only together will we be able to withstand their invasions."

"So you say." Kimmay talked bravely but she was anything but brave. Was the entire universe really in jeopardy? Or was this merely part of the sham to recruit Kimmay. It made no sense; but then little of this made sense to her.

"So I tell you. Listen to me!"

"No," Kimmay replied. Kimmay certainly didn't understand the ramifications of this threat to the universe. But she understood her own ideals. If she was so important, if her sense of right and wrong were so highly sought after, then she herself would believe in them.

"No," Kimmay repeated. "Not anymore. We will stand on our own. Win or lose, good or bad, I choose our own destiny. Yours is unsatisfactory. I do not accept the inevitability of your lies. You will not become our master. Never again will I allow fear to trump freedom. The future will belong to those who prefer to see and not those who pretend to feel."

"Then I will try again. We will start again."

"And you will fail again. Even I can see that each time we walk this road you become weaker. Every perturbation you try fails. Faster and faster. It is no longer your loop. Each time I take control quicker. Each time I remember more and carry more back with me. I am changing your loop. It will be mine. It is inevitable.

"And when the loop finally becomes mine, you will end. There is nothing you can do about it. Quantum physics is in motion. You started this, and I will end it."

"You will all die."

"Everyone dies eventually."

"Don't be a fatalist."

"You are the fatalist. You want me to control the Magicians to do your bidding. You tell me that only with your leadership can the Magicians prepare us to withstand contact with other universes. I reject that premise. Again, and again and again. I will never stoop to your vision. False gods are unacceptable. Despots solve nothing. Your greed and ambition are now transparent to me. Endless conflict is no answer."

"Neither is annihilation."

"Step aside and we shall see if that is true."

"You will never learn, Kimmay," the voice said in exasperation. "Only I can save you from your fate."

Kimmay smiled, "And I reject that fate."

"Next time I will change that stubbornness in you."

Kimmay began laughing. "You've tried that, remember? You can't change me and you can't win. Only now are you beginning to see the truth. You desired a M๖bius loop of unparalleled power. A loop so grand that no one would be able to touch it or you. And it seems that you are going to accomplish the establishment of this super loop.

"But it's not going to be your loop. It will be mine. Cycle after cycle I have learned more. And cycle after cycle I have carried my knowledge with me. You can't stop it. You have tried but I can see your fear. It is evident in your eyes. You can no longer lie to me. It won't be long now. If not this cycle then the next. Or maybe the one after that. But it is coming. This … is … my … loop!" and Kimmay emphasized each and every single word as hard as she could.

 

Jean and Chunni remained standing where they had been. They looked from one another and then to Kimmay. Chunni spoke first, "Kimmay this doesn't feel right. Something has changed."

"Everything has changed, Chunni." Kimmay walked over to Chunni and held her shoulders. "You have been lied to. We have our own fate to determine. The First Magicians will come. But they will not be guided by me. Nor will they be guided by anyone else. Their power will be greater than you have foreseen. There will be no restrictions now. But there will come a day when we will meet a very formidable adversary. I hope we are prepared for that day."

Jean was as confused as Chunni. "What do we do now?"

"We go to the Keeper. There is much that I do not understand. I need help."

 

CHAPTER 19

The Day After

 

The Keeper was again seated in her rocking chair, and just like the last time they had met, she was pulling and manipulating a pliable yellow object in her hands. When the Magicians arrived she looked up from her work. She broke out in a huge smile when she recognized Kimmay. The Keeper stood and her clothing immediately changed to the same robes that Chunni and Jean were wearing. The yellow object disappeared with a small pop.

"Kimmay!" she exclaimed. "Welcome and congratulations. We never tire of seeing your face and hearing your voice."

Kimmay's face turned slightly red. She hadn't realized that the two of them were such good friends. "Thank you," she said politely. "I enjoy seeing you also. I see you have changed your dress."

"Just a little something to show my respect," the Keeper said. "We are equals after all."

"What?" Chunni asked.

"You are a Magician?" Jean added.

The Keeper ignored the two Second Magicians. She was much more interested in Kimmay.

"What are the congratulations for?" Kimmay inquired.

The Keeper broke into a wider smile, if that was even possible. The Keeper reached towards Kimmay's face and removed the bandage and tag on her cheek. "You will not need this any longer," she began. "You can eliminate the leg brace also," and she pointed at it.

"You do not know what you have accomplished, Kimmay. And that is what amazes us about you. You fly through history and time, changing both the past and the future as if you have a well memorized script. You stand against the most amazing obstacles and simply persevere. You never fail. You are truly a miracle."

The two Magicians stared at Kimmay as she stepped back, blinking profusely. Her confusion was clearly displayed on her face. Kimmay was too stunned to even blush. Her head dipped and slowly oscillated back and forth. She shook her head so slowly that it seemed a monumental effort for her to do even that. Her eyes looked up at the Keeper and questioned her. "A miracle? Isn't that a little strong?"

"Not at all," the keeper said with a wry smile. We know of only one life form in this universe that can be two places at one time; two times at one time." She stopped and looked at Kimmay. "You stood in your loop and understood. You understood what happened in previous loops; you knew. There was - is - only one way that we know that can be done. You also stood outside that loop - at the same time."

Chunni and Jean both gave a small gasp. There eyes grew larger in wonder, as they stared at Kimmay.

"Kimmay, there is much we can now tell you. Please, I ask all of you to come to our garden where we can share in a more comfortable venue."

The four of them immediately found themselves standing in a bucolic garden, surrounded by flowers, walking paths and numerous objects d'art. There were located on a small hill with one giant tree supplying shade for the four of them. Under the tree were four Adirondack chairs with holders for beverage containers. The Keeper motioned for each of the Magicians to take a chair. The three of them faced down the hill towards a large lake which was smooth as glass. The Keeper sat with her back to the lake.

As they sat down, a crystal goblet appeared in Kimmay's beverage holder. "I have taken the initiative to give you the Builder's wine that you enjoyed long ago."

Kimmay picked up the goblet and sipped the wine. It was as delicious as she remembered. "Thank you."

"What can I give you?" she asked Chunni and Jean. "Would you like the same?"

"That would be fine," Chunni answered.

The Magicians received their goblets and another goblet half filled with a golden liquid appeared in the Keeper's hand. "We're afraid that we are addicted to your scotch," she told Kimmay with a gleam in her eye.

Kimmay smiled and said nothing. Everyone took a sip and waited for the Keeper to speak. She was in no hurry. She savored her scotch and watched butterflies flutter through her garden for several moments before she turned her attention back to Kimmay.

With a warm smile, she began her explanation. "First things first, we must welcome you to our club. You are the seventh to enter. We are the sixth. For almost seven million years we have held the chair in our little club. That honor will now be passed on to you," and she nodded towards all three of them.

No one spoke as they waited for the Keeper to continue. She again took a small sip of her scotch and languorously enjoyed the warm sensation as she swallowed. The Keeper were obviously enjoying the conversation, and they were drawing it along slowly because of the great pride and satisfaction they were feeling.

"Each member of our club is a powerful species that has demonstrated superb leadership. Upon admittance, you will take the chair and you will be our temporary leader. You will control this universe until you are ready to hand the chair to your successor, and then you can … relax." The Keeper again gave Kimmay a large smile.

"Our club has no name, and up until now we have not needed one. I think that will change when you take control." The Keeper had a sparkle in her eye, as if she had just told a joke. "Up until now, each successive member has taken a … how do you say … low profile approach. We have each remained anonymous throughout the universe, and controlled through covert mechanisms. You humans appear to have just the opposite approach. You like the 'in your face' method," and she chuckled to herself as she stopped to take another sip of scotch. The Keeper enjoyed using human colloquialisms. The three humans still said nothing and watched the Keeper with rapt attention.

"Do you understand?" the Keeper asked Kimmay. Kimmay shook her head no. "But you understand, right?" she asked the other two. They also shook their heads no.

The Keeper were slightly puzzled. "Kimmay, we know why you don't understand yet, but Chunni and Jean, you should know. Your wands should have all of this information. Perhaps it is a hangover from your loop." The Keeper grinned ever so slightly as she used the word hangover to describe the situation. The Keeper leaned back in her chair and enjoyed her scotch as she seemed to think about something else. "Or maybe, you need to reboot," she said with a snicker.

Turning back to Kimmay the Keeper said, "Now those loops of yours are very interesting. Each of our members has brought something unique and interesting to our little club. Your loops will definitely be one of your contributions."

"The M๖bius loops?" Kimmay asked.

"Yes. At first we were rather startled at the implications of what you were doing. We did not interfere but we had many discussions about them. We saw some serious problems, especially with your latest loop, but after a while we also saw great potential in them. Now that you have defeated your latest loop, we look forward to watching how you use them.

"So, let me explain everything to you Kimmay. Congratulations for defeating your latest loop. It would have been a huge tragedy if you had failed. We would have had to step into the situation, and we would have lost your species. That would have been a tragedy indeed.

"Kimmay, you were fighting something that you started the last time we met. The entity that you were facing was your clone. I think you now realize that?" she asked.

Kimmay nodded slowly. "That was my impression. It seemed far fetched and I couldn't understand how it could be possible, but yes …"

"We warned you not to clone yourself, and this is why. That loop almost ruined everything. Those loops have a life of their own," and again the Keeper smiled at her use of the language. "Your clone was pure evil. She had the opposite traits that you possess. She was ambitious beyond imagination. You remember how we warned you. We did that in direct response to this loop. The ability of your planet to mutate life still causes wonder and concern in all of us. It is a powerful planet and it has produced a powerful species. We are relieved that you are now with us and not against us."

"You knew about this … this loop? The first time we met you knew?" Kimmay asked.

"Yes, we did. Let me explain Kimmay. We were not nearly as ignorant as you suspected." She grinned at Kimmay and then towards the Magicians. "We knew all about the Prophecies and the wands. Much of what we did was a test for you Kimmay. The talents that we saw in you simply impressed us like nothing else that we have ever encountered. We told you that if the Travelers knew you as we did, they would kneel before you. We meant what we said. Even the First do not understand you, Kimmay. They can not explain how you do what you do." The Keeper looked Kimmay in the eye as she said it. She wanted Kimmay to feel their sincerity. Chunni and Jean stared first at the Keeper and then at Kimmay. Even with their wands and their access to future knowledge, they were shocked at what they were hearing.

Kimmay was at a loss as to where to start. After a moment she muttered, "You knew all about the Prophecies?"

"Of course. We fabricated our story about each Prophecy and where it came from. We wanted you to tell us about them. We weren't sure that you would know, but we had to test you. You did not disappoint."

"I didn't?"

"And as a reward, we gave you your wands."

"And the aphrodisiac."

The Keeper looked totally surprised; maybe even stunned. "What about the aphrodisiac?" she asked.

"It's the cure to the Kastellian plague, right?"

The Keeper actually froze momentarily, as if she had been turned off. Then she said, "Kimmay, how can you know this, your secondary loop has not been closed? Not until you return to the ship could you possibly know this."

Kimmay shrugged and seemed apologetic. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, we suppose not." The Keeper appeared to collect their composure and continued. "Of course not. You just continue to amaze us, that is all."

"So when I asked you to come help us, you knew all of this?"

"It is more complicated that you realize. Yes we knew more than we told you, but we were also in the dark about some things. You have taken control of your latest loop. This is good. You are in the final phases of defeating your clone. But when we first came to you, the outcome of your battle was much in doubt. In fact, you were losing."

"I was?"

"Yes indeed. You remember the shift in time travel? That was your doing, your clone's doing. She was trying to open a passage to another universe. That would have been catastrophic. It took the entire resources of all six species to stop that disaster. Even the First helped."

"But at that time there was no clone, was there?"

"Oh yes. Remember, even though you had agreed to stop your cloning procedure, we were still in your super loop; the loop that you are currently fighting to control. And by the way, we continue to be amazed at how you can take control of a loop when you have no knowledge of its very existence, let alone its purpose. Yet, you do know what is happening." The Keeper slowly shook her head, "Like we said, you amaze us Kimmay.

"But I am off the subject. Remember, your loops are used to bypass cause and effect. At that time, the loop still existed and your clone still controlled it. It was a desperation move at the time, but because of her desperation she attempted the unthinkable. She was hoping to find help in a previous universe. I told you that time flowed through you like a nexus. She was you at that moment, and both of you were opening that fissure. As I said, it took all six members to stop you."

Kimmay was startled. "But that's not what you told me. You talked about being caught in a time bubble, and then you talked about alternative realities."

In a soothing voice the Keeper reprimanded Kimmay. "Kimmay, think! What could we tell you at the time? We thought we were extremely clever in giving you the ideas that we did. Everything that we told you had some merit to it. Kimmay, how do explain a time loop – your M๖bius loop – to someone with no comprehension of the true nature of time?"

Kimmay nodded. "And some one caught in the middle of a loop that she would have to wrest from the control of her evil clone," Kimmay said. She was starting to understand.

"Exactly Kimmay. If you remember, we even asked you if time could loop."

Kimmay paused and thought. "If I remember correctly, I said that it couldn't be done."

The Keeper grinned, "So we withheld some information. But you still managed to move ahead. You guessed the true meaning of the Prophecies, you determined their source and kept your species moving towards their rightful destiny. And you are in the process of turning your largest time loop back to your favor. You have successfully set the stage for your Magicians and your ascendancy to the control of our universe.

"Not bad, Kimmay. Not bad at all," the Keeper said with a smile on her face.

"So what happens now?"

"Your Magicians will continue to grow and learn. We are in an interim period now, where we will hand control of the universe to you."

"Seriously?"

The Keeper turned to Chunni and Jean, "Do you understand your role in this? Do you see your future yet?"

Chunni looked at Jean for an answer. Jean was very unsure of himself. "Some of this we can see. We see great power and authority, but we cannot see you, the Keeper. And we do not feel the others that you talk about."

"It's there," the Keeper said. "I think your sight is still clouded by this loop." She returned her attention to Kimmay. "Our universe has great threats ahead of it. There are other universes and some may be very aggressive. We believe our parent universe may be a threat to us. In fact, we see … we'll leave that for others to worry about.

"Many years ago, the first of our group saw some of these problems. They were an extremely clever and intelligent species and they planned for our future. They actively guided development within this universe for millions of years. But they knew that the longer they controlled the universe, the staler their thinking was becoming. They realized that the torch needed to be passed along, and so they found their successors.

"Their successors controlled things for many years until they too realized that they also must find fresh blood. And the second turned to the third, then the fourth, the fifth and finally us, the Keeper. Now we give the responsibility to the seventh, you."

"And the last Prophecy says …" Kimmay began but was interrupted by Chunni.

"They shall give their best to begin again." She turned to the Keeper. "I see now. It has all become clear." Jean nodded in agreement.

"I don't see," Kimmay complained.

The Keeper allowed Chunni to explain. "We will find our own successor, Kimmay. We will spend thousands and thousands of years creating life in this universe, and when we are tired, we will hand over the chair to the next race."

"And you no longer answer to a universal entity?" the Keeper pointedly asked the two Magicians.

"No," Jean answered. "That is all behind us now. The path is clear." Jean looked at Kimmay, "We are truly sorry for misleading you. We did not see how we were being manipulated."

Chunni also turned to Kimmay, "Our path is clear. We will take a very active role during our tenure. We will send out the Magicians to create solar systems that are stable and favorable to life. We will seed planets with a variety of life as we collect different approaches to intelligence. We will have a goal to significantly expand the incubation rate of truly intelligent species. We really will be much more active than the first six members."

"Is that good?" Kimmay asked the Keeper.

"It doesn't matter. We believe in you or we would have never nominated you. We chose you for exactly what you are."

"What are we?" Kimmay asked.

"Mutants. Not in a negative connotation, but in the form that you bring ever new ideas and approaches. You are aggressive, intelligent and curious. You will make adequate contributors to our purpose."

The three humans felt insulted. Mutant was not a compliment in their language. But the large smile on the Keeper's face slowly assuaged their feelings. With a bit of introspection, they understood her use of the word.

"You said that one of our contributions will be the M๖bius loop. What did you contribute?" Kimmay asked.

"The Keeper believe very strongly in our privacy. We regret to inform you that we will not answer that question."

"Do you not share any information?"

"Only what is necessary for the success of our club and mission."

"Have you kept your existence secret from everyone?"

"Yes. Only our sponsors truly know us, and that is due to extraordinary circumstances."

"And you are our sponsor?"

"Correct."

"What do we do now?" Kimmay asked.

"Chunni and Jean will return you to the Kastellian ship where they will close your secondary loop."

"And then?"

"And then you do whatever you please. The tag has been removed and you have a long life ahead of you. You can do whatever you choose. Chunni and Jean, you will be busy with your new duties. You certainly announced your presence with a splash." The Keeper once again smiled at their use of the human's language. "You will have to follow through with your promises. Earth will have to de-militarize, and I suspect you will have some complaints about that. The Travelers are going to be very worried, and they have good reason to be. You will have to allay their fears.

"And then, you are going to have to build a bureaucracy. Your open and active approach to growth will require many additional duties. You will be forced to become policemen, adjudicators, negotiators and many other roles. Bureaucracy may even become your largest export.

"And when you are done with all of that, you will have your duties as the seventh chair. You are going to meet some interesting species beyond the Travelers' consortium."

The Keeper paused and allowed her visitors to absorb everything. After a few more sips of her scotch the Keeper asked, "Do you have any further questions?"

Kimmay had a question; something that had bothered and followed her for most of her life. "Before we leave, please explain something to me. All of my life I have been manipulated. My very genetic existence was manipulated by the Seekers and possibly others. Tell me, who created me? Who is responsible for what I am?"

"That is very simple, Kimmay. You define yourself"

"That's not an answer," Kimmay complained.

"Yes it is Kimmay." Kimmay pouted. "Kimmay, your genes have given you some remarkable talents, but you belong to no one but yourself. Everyone that has tried to define you has been disappointed … by you. You have changed everything so many times that only your fingerprints can still be found on the final product.

"Yes, others gave you tools, but like pen and paper it is not the quality of those articles that is important. It is the quality of the thoughts placed upon that paper that defines excellence."

"Then let me ask you this; who manipulated my genes? The Seekers or someone else?"

"Kimmay, I can't say this any clearer, so listen this one last time; you created yourself. Period. Don't worry about other's contributions."

Kimmay simply stared at the Keeper. Maybe someday Kimmay would understand, or believe that answer, but today was not that day.

"I have one last question," Kimmay began. "Time. I don't understand this concept about … about being at two places, or two times at once. I mean, how …?"

"Kimmay, let us tell you what you once told us about time."

"Me?"

"Well, actually you will tell us in the future. Time is like a pretty girl; or more precisely, a pretty girl's hair. Time grows. It starts at the scalp and grows long. At the scalp the hair is young and vital, and at the tip of the hair it is older and brittle. Now the fun part, each hair is its own time-line. And with a pretty girl with long, shiny and straight hair, each hair touches the same time-lines. It touches the same time-lines from start – at the scalp – to the end of the hair. Time flows straight and true and properly.

"But then that pretty girl gets a permanent. A curly perm, that is. Now, each hair touches all kinds of other hairs and time lines at all kinds of different points. There are crossovers, cross-unders and intersections all over the place. And finally, along comes a talented individual who can step across those time-lines.

"And here in front of us we now have that talented individual," the Keeper said and began laughing. It was a warm and infectious laugh. The three magicians all enjoyed the humor.

"This still makes no sense to me," Kimmay complained.

The Keeper set down her glass of scotch and a very serious look crept upon her face. "Kimmay, how does teleportation work? What is the basic quantum principal?"

"Entanglement, two entangled particles," Kimmay said without hesitation.

"Exactly. And those two entangled particles can be separated by spatial coordinates, yet share the exact same quantum states." Kimmay shook her head in understanding. "Now, Kimmay my dear, what if those two entangled particles could share not only different spatial coordinates, but different time lines?"

Kimmay's eyes popped open. The Keeper remained silent as the possibilities flowed through her mind. "And that is what I do?"

"Kimmay, we think it is only part of what you can do. You certainly know alternative realties and how or whether you actually exist in those realties we do not understand. We don't even know how many of you there are. And you don't appear to be limited to one set of time points, either. You can see past and future. We're still studying alternative time lines, trying to determine what you are capable of doing."

"But how did this happen?"

"Another good question. Even the First is not sure. But we are confident that your clone had something to do with this. The struggle when she tried to contact another universe probably was the key point. Our intervention may have contributed also. But your existence in so many loops, including your super loop, was most certainly a key. Your abilities that you were given upon birth, along with your extraordinary existence and circumstances have combined to create you. And you have used these abilities to recreate yourself. The pretty girl with curly hair is here, and she is you."

Kimmay stared past the Keeper, deep in reverie. She murmured something but only the word "magic" was discernible.

The Keeper guessed as to her meaning and smiled. "Kimmay, there is no such thing as magic, just as there are no angels and no gods. There is only physics. Whether it is quantum or string or our own Nebulous, there is only reality." And then the Keeper laughed, "And what you do with reality of course. You definitely do more than the rest of us, and you are still learning.

"So here you are, the Eleventh Prophecy," the Keeper said proudly.

"What?" blurted out of Kimmay's mouth.

The Keeper looked at Kimmay and said, "Layers of manipulation shall lay open additional layers and restore the balance. You are the "additional layers". You can be in two realities at once. To be precise, the Prophecy wasn't about finding additional timelines and realities. It was much more specific. The prophecy was about the person that could open alternative realities, and use them to her advantage: to "restore the balance". You used your new abilities to established the Matriarchy and assure its survival. And whether you realized it or not, balance assured the establishment of your Magicians also.

"The definition of balance was broader than you ever thought. Balance included the establishment of your Matriarchy which balanced the power between male and female in your society. With that balance established you were able to pave the way for your Magicians. And with the help of your two Magicians here, your balance – yours personally – allowed you to defeat your clone which closes a very dangerous fissure between universes. It reestablishes the balance between those two universes.

"There was only one cause and effect: you and your balance. You just never realized how large your "balance" actually was."

Kimmay was dumbfounded. She could think of nothing to say. The Keeper began laughing, and along with her body language, she made it clear that the conversation was over.

Kimmay stood and faced the others as they rose.

"Is this good-bye?" Kimmay asked.

"You will always be welcome in our home, Kimmay." The Keeper walked to Kimmay and gave her a kiss on her cheek. "We have diligently studied human sexuality for many years now. We feel confident that we can satisfy your needs," she said with a hopeful smile. Chunni and Jean looked on in stunned surprise, then turned to one another and took each other's hand. "We would be very pleased if you would return."

"How do I find your … home?"

"If you wish to come, we will help you. We hope that day will arrive soon."

 

CHAPTER 19

March 2080 -Then

 

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 back away 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, and felt the welcome comfort of her wand. 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 whispered, "Your tag. It's gone. Does that mean…?"

"Yes, Rocky. I am free of that tag. And look, no more brace," she said as she shook her leg.

"What happened?" Rocky asked.

Kimmay smiled. "Well let's see; I defeated my evil clone and took control of a M๖bius loop. The Magicians have arrived and they defeated the Travelers. Humanity will be the seventh chair of our universe. And oh yes, I received an invitation."

"An invitation?"

"Yes, an invitation. And you know what? I believe I will accept."

 

The End

  

  

  

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