The Unofficial Biography Of Kimmay

Book 4: The Nature Of The Matriarchy

by G L Hudson

 

EPILOGUE

 

"It has been almost twenty years since we have lost Kimmay. And it has been over two years since we have had everyone together. Welcome sisters!" Salindale began her address to the group.

"As most of you remember, Kimmay prepared us for this day. The Kastellian colony ship has entered our solar system. We will have to make our decision now. Do we merely destroy the ship, or do we carry out Kimmay's last wish? Do we take the difficult step of making a universal decision? Does anyone have anything to say?"

Salindale's eyes roved over the group of women, looking for even the slightest sign from any one of the members of the Matriarchy. Everyone looked into Salindale's eyes as her glance swept past them.

"Then we are in agreement," she said somberly. "Let us begin."

Salindale stepped onto the platform in the front of the room. She nodded towards Cynthia and Maria who were sitting behind their control console. A slight hum filled the room as the power was pushed to its maximum. Salindale glowed in the aura of the UV light that was emitted around her and the platform. She looked out over the girls but did not see them. Her focus was millions of miles away on board the Kastellian colony ship.

 

The ship had already been alerted to battle stations before they entered the solar system. They were headed towards the planet where many years earlier they had lost contact with their sister ship the Vertu. The last transmissions from the Vertu had been very odd indeed; ominous in fact. That last transmissions took almost fifteen years to travel half way across the galaxy. Even if they might be twenty years too late, the Emperor had found it necessary to send every ship in the sector to the Vertu's rescue. The Obrigon would arrive first, with the Matla and Scheraz arriving two weeks and four weeks later.

Even at their faster than light speed, the Obrigon had taken five years to reach Earth from her galactic patrol station. The Supreme Commander had plenty of time to absorb the Vertu's transmissions and to train her crew. There were still many holes in the Vertu story, but one lesson had been learned; take all precautions when engaging this local system.

The Obrigon was coasting on minimal power, slowly decelerating so as to leave a negligible power trace. Scout ships were being inspected one last time, before their departure the following day. The Supreme Commander had all passive detectors running at 110 percent of nominal power, and all data was being tracked by two separate teams. She was going to miss nothing as she waited for the other two ships to arrive.

The Supreme Commander need not have worried about missing anything. Her trouble came to her. Sitting high above the command center on her bridge, she had a large open area in front of her chair; and that is where Salindale appeared. Salindale's abrupt appearance startled the Supreme Commander who immediately stepped on her alarm activator. Klaxons screeched throughout the command center as she stood from her chair and backed away. Soldiers came running up the steps to the bridge and immediately opened fire on Salindale.

Being nothing more than a holographic projection, the soldier's tags sailed through the image and fell upon the technicians working below. Salindale held up her hand and announced, "Enough. Put your weapons away. You," and she pointed at the Supreme Commander, "come sit. I have some questions for you."

None of the soldiers could understand a single word spoken by Salindale. But one of the Kastellian's could hear her words. The Supreme Commander had already had her mind opened by the Matriarchy. She was surrounded by ten guards who were shielding her from Salindale. She stood frozen in place and made no move to obey Salindale's command.

Salindale tried a more persuasive tone of voice. "You will learn nothing if you do not talk with me. Sit, here in your chair. You will be more comfortable. I will not hurt you."

The Commander found her courage and stepped through the line her guards had formed around her. She walked over to her chair but did not sit. "Who are you? What do you mean by this invasion of my ship?"

"I am named Salindale and I am the daughter of Kimmay. I have invaded your ship to question you. I want to know how many more ships are coming and when they will arrive. Then I want to know the location of your home world."

The Supreme Commander smiled. "I will tell you nothing. Now tell me who you are. Are you from Earth?"

"I will ask the questions, Supreme Commander." Salindale and the rest of the girls stepped further into the Commander's mind and took total control. They made the Commander speak aloud, so that her guards could hear the fear in her voice. "The Matla arrives in two weeks, the Scheraz in four."

"If you are still alive in two weeks, tell them to wait here with you. You will stop your vessel where you are and hold your position. You will send no scout ships or any other ship from this vessel towards the Earth. Sit and relay the message."

The Supreme Commander took her position at her control console and transmitted the orders to her second in command. Her guards raised their weapons and pointed them at Salindale but no one fired. They watched in horror as their commander relayed Salindale's instructions.

"Now, the coordinates of your home world?" The girls reached out and plucked them from the commander's mind. "Explain your coordinate system to us," she commanded. Again, the girl's collected the information that they needed. "Finally, I want to know the command structure and governing hierarchy of your species."

When Salindale was satisfied she gave the Supreme Commander her final instructions; and her warning. "I will be leaving now. You will keep your ship here and you will not approach Earth. If your other ships arrive before I return, you had better make sure that they do not approach Earth. If you do not follow my instructions, you and your ships will be destroyed; regardless of what happens on your home planet." Salindale gave a polite bow and left.

 

Salindale once again stepped on the platform and transferred her image half-way across the galaxy. The IDT projector kept the portal open for the entire time that Salindale was being projected onto the Kastellian home-world. The open portal allowed instant communication and contact from the girls on Earth to Salindale. The actual 3-D projector was a gift from the advanced research facility of a sister company owned by the Matriarchy. In the last twenty years the girls had extended their technical prowess into a number of new enterprises. Three-dimensional projectors were a boon to Krysallis' entertainment empire and increased her influence and power throughout the industry.

Salindale took her bearings and quickly identified the Emperor's enormous castle. Her projection momentarily blinked out as she moved to the square in front of the castle. When she reappeared in front of the entrance, guards immediately began firing at Salindale. As on the Obrigon, the tags passed through the projection and fell harmlessly to the pavement behind her. Salindale and the Matriarchy entered the mind of the nearest soldier, and quickly identified the correct government halls inside the castle.

Salindale's projection disappeared from the square and re-materialized in a great hall. The hall had to be 300 meters from end to end and over 100 meters high. The walls glittered with gold, jewels and huge moving murals of great battles. An eerie sound, maybe music, filled the hall. But that was all that Salindale found. The great hall was empty of any Kastellian. Salindale spotted an arching doorway and walked out of the hall into a long corridor. She silently walked along the hall, looking for another guard that she could interrogate.

She finally found an important looking female walking towards her. The woman was dressed in an elegant dress with a large and elaborate headgear towering over her. The woman froze when she saw Salindale.

It took only a few seconds for Salindale to learn the location of the Emperor. The girls released the woman as Salindale made one final jump.

The room was located not too far away, and it was filled with people. Everyone was wearing elaborate costumes and all were standing. Only one person was seated, and she was sitting on a throne raised above the throngs. The Emperor immediately spotted Salindale and silently pointed a finger towards her. Several energy beams immediately opened fire upon Salindale, and passed through her projection. Sparks flew from the polished metal floor where the beams impacted. Salindale stood impassively, almost as if she were bored.

When the weapon beams stopped firing, a large contingent of soldiers came running towards her and quickly surrounded her. Salindale looked up at the Emperor as the girls entered her mind. The Emperor was able to understand Salindale as she spoke aloud for the benefit of the entourage spread around the room. "Is this how you greet all of your guests? I think it is very bad manners, and it suggests that you have something to fear."

"I fear no one," she said in her native tongue. Salindale had no trouble understanding her. The girls picked up the Emperor's words as they formed in her mind.

"Your actions speak differently. But you are justified this once. I am here to judge you and your species. Answer me honestly as I will know the truth."

"Who do you think you are, believing that you can judge anyone?"

"I am Salindale, daughter of Kimmay, founder of the Matriarchy and citizen of Earth. We have destroyed the ship you call Vertu and we have been patiently waiting twenty years to learn the location of your home world. Today we are here to hear your testimony. Your responses will determine if your species shall continue to exist."

The emperor laughed. "So you are the ones. I shall have my revenge. Do not delude your self Earthling, I am more powerful than you can possibly imagine." The Emperor motioned to a person standing in the gallery to her side. A man walked forward and stood before Salindale. "We have friends that are more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

"And who are you?" Salindale asked, looking at the new participant.

The man stunned the Matriarchy with his answer. Speaking in perfect English he responded, "I am a Builder. We are the leaders of a large and powerful federation of species called the Travelers. Your little trick of projection is primitive beside our power. Have you not yet learned to travel through inter-dimensional portals, or are you afraid to stand before us?"

Salindale surprised the Matriarchy with her quick recovery. She smiled at the Builder and answered, "You are correct in your estimate of our technology. We have not yet learned to successfully send human beings through the portal. But you under estimate us, Builder. I know exactly who you and the Travelers are. We have already defeated you once."

The Builder's eyes flashed a glint of humor. "That is a ridiculous bluff, Earthling. You can't begin to touch our technical advantage."

Salindale shifted the conversation, "What are you doing here?"

He turned towards the Emperor and gave her a shallow bow. Turning back to Salindale he said, "We have a mutually beneficial arrangement. We supply certain technologies and protections, and they provide a service that allows us to keep our hands clean – so to speak."

"They do your dirty work for you, and you can plead your innocence in front of the other Travelers!"

"You see the intricacies of galactic politics quickly," he complimented her.

"But the commanders of your ships don't even know this, do they?" She aimed her question at the Emperor. Salindale had thoroughly debriefed the Supreme Commander of the Vertu, and she had been deathly afraid of the Travelers.

"You are correct, Earthling. Only the good people in this hall are aware of our arrangement, and I am sorry to say that you will not be spreading word of our situation."

A hard look encased Salindale's eyes as she returned her gaze to the Builder. "You bastards. You encourage these animals to ruthlessly and cruelly destroy entire species and civilizations for your own demented profits."

"Now, now," he admonished her as he wagged his finger at Salindale. "You are really in no position to …"

Salindale cut him off, "I told you we have already defeated you once, but you wouldn't know about it yet. One thousand years from now you sent your top leaders in your most advanced ship to our planet in an attempt to invade us. You must get braver in the future, because you didn't send the Kastellians to perform your dirty work for you."

The Builder gave her a smirk.

"You lost. My mother and the Keeper sent your people on their way." At the mention of the Keeper, the Builder's smirk disappeared. "We still have your flagship. It is orbiting a moon around our planet Jupiter."

The Builder recovered his composure quickly. "You still bluff, Earthling," he said in an admonishing tone. "So you have heard a few names and believe that you can make up a story. The Keeper are nothing more than a myth. They don't exist. But nice try."

"Actually they do exist. They came to Earth because they discovered something that the rest of the galaxy is only now beginning to learn; something that changes the entire balance of power in the entire universe." Salindale smiled, relishing the moment. The rest of the universe was about to learn the new truth.

"And …? Please tell me Earthling. I can barely hold my anticipation." The Builder said sarcastically.

Salindale held her tongue for a few minutes, building a bit more tension. "We are the Prophecy. Not the first Prophecy. Not the second Prophecy. Not even the Thirteenth Prophecy. We are all of them; all seventeen."

"Bull …!"

"We shall open the universe," she announced in a loud voice. Salindale turned in a circle and held her hands above her hands. She faced the Emperor and shouted, "We shall serve the truth!"

Salindale pointed a finger towards the Builder, "Now you know the truth! Heed what you have learned. I suggest that you return to your home world and spread that word." Salindale boldly stepped towards the Builder. She silently told the Matriarchy to join her in the Builders mind. As they entered the Builder's mind, the fear in his eyes satisfied Salindale. She spoke aloud, "I suggest that you stop first at your ship in my home solar system. Satisfy yourself that it is indeed your ship and that is from the future. Then return to your home. And remember, that ship no longer belongs to you. Do not make any foolish mistakes."

Then for effect, Salindale turned her back to the Builder. She pointed towards the heavens and commanded, "Go!"

The Builder reached in his pocket and withdrew his small black purse. To the astonishment of the group, he disappeared. The Kastellians did not totally understand what had happened, but they now knew real fear.

Salindale returned her attention to the Emperor. The girls re-entered her mind, "Do you have any more friends?"

The Emperor slumped low into her throne and remained quiet.

"You cannot lie to us. Now think as long as you need before you answer this question. Can your species change?" Salindale stood motionless as she stared into the Emperor's eyes. After several moments of silence Salindale said, "I shall give you time to decide. I will return in one day."

As Salindale took a step backwards to depart, a small figure stepped from the multitudes lining the path in front of the Emperor. A long cloak and hood covered the face and figure of a small woman. She stepped into the middle of the aisle and faced Salindale. Salindale stopped and watched the woman reach up and take the hood in her hands and then slowly pull it back away from her face and lay it on her shoulders.

Salindale's heart skipped a beat when she saw the eyes. Her knees went limp and she almost stumbled when she recognized the woman in front of her. The woman said nothing as she smiled at Salindale.

"Mother?"

Kimmay stepped closer towards Salindale and the lights in the room began to dim. As Kimmay approached Salindale the rest of the room went dark, leaving the two of them alone and bathed in a blue light.

"Hello Salindale. It is so good to see you again." Kimmay reached out and took hold of Salindale's hands. They stood and stared at each other for several moments. Then Salindale grabbed her mother in a tight hug.

"Mom? Is it really you?" Salindale whispered in her ear.

"Yes, dear."

"But how? Why?" Salindale was at a loss for words. She didn't even know what to ask next. "How can I touch you? I'm only a hologram."

Kimmay stepped back and held Salindale at arms length. "I'm helping just a little with your hologram. But what am I doing here? I planned for this. Why? Because we need to talk."

"But this isn't possible," Salindale quietly protested. "You're … you … you are dead."

"Time, Salindale. Time is not what you think it is. I have stopped here to talk with you before returning to your past. When Rocky and I were aboard the Kastellian ship, when I met my successors, we came here. I have been waiting for you."

"You knew I would be here?" Salindale asked in awe.

"Yes, dear. I am here to specifically talk with you. And in the future, I will make additional appearances before the Matriarchy. Each time that a critical point in your path is reached, I shall be waiting to guide you. I know when, where, who and what will be."

"I don't understand."

"Of course you don't. But suffice it to say, the path before you is too critical, too important to be left to chance. I am to be your guide; to help you choose the best paths. I am here to assist you with two items."

"What two items?"

"You handled the Builder quite admirably, but it is too soon for the Builders to learn about Earth. I am here to prevent that."

"What do you mean? They already know about Earth." Kimmay cocked her head and gave Salindale a questioning smile. It took a few seconds for Salindale to understand. "They know about us in the future – 900 hundred years from now," she explained.

"Somewhere between your now and 900 hundred years in the future they will discover Earth and begin their invasion. But now is certainly too early for them to discover the Matriarchy."

"What did you do? Did you kill him?"

"Of course not. I simply adjusted his point of reference in time. When he shows up at his home world it will be well past your initial contact with the Builders." Kimmay smiled and said, "Time is a potent ally.

"Salindale, there is a message that you must take back to the Matriarchy. The message is time. Your next mission, your goal must be to study time and understand time. Your conception of time is totally erroneous. It is nothing like you think it is. It does not flow in laminar or even turbulent fashion. In fact, time does not flow at all. This you must learn."

"Why?"

"Do you remember the vision that I gave you – will give you as far as I am concerned – showing the man and woman creating a star?"

"Of course," Salindale answered in a perplexed tone. "What about it?"

"Do you remember seeing their wands?" Salindale nodded yes. Kimmay continued, "That is the key to their power. The wands that you see are only a small part of the entity. In our universe, only the wand exists; everything else exists in parallel dimensions. That wand carries the power of suns. It carries unlimited power, and unlimited knowledge. To create and use that wand, an intimate knowledge – a correct knowledge of time will be required."

"Ok, I think I understand the need," Salindale said. "But what is so critical that this understanding of time must be accomplished immediately. Isn't your vision many, many years in the future?"

"Yes and no. Only when you understand time will you be able to understand the need for this knowledge now. It is critical to that wand."

Salindale nodded in reverie. "This wand … it is critical to our future? What is so special about it?"

Kimmay smiled, "You asked. The wand lives. It is our creation and it is a symbiote with our progeny. In your future, very special children will be identified at birth. Their gifts will be clear and unmistakable, and hence they will be groomed for their future role. Upon their birth, they will give birth to their wand. Their blood shall be given to a chosen wand. Together they shall grow and mature and bond. And when they reach the Time, they shall be called Magicians."

Salindale looked into Kimmay's eyes, and she could plainly see the glimmer of strength and pride. And then Salindale realized the truth behind Kimmay's narration. "You're a Magician." It was a simple statement, there was no need for a question or confirmation.

"I am no more than you," Kimmay answered.

"You cannot deceive me mother, you are a Magician." Neither said a word for several minutes. Kimmay stared into Salindale's eyes, proud of her daughter and what she had deduced. Kimmay had not had to tell her, Salindale had understood.

Salindale on the other hand, was in awe. She had known her mother was special. She had witnessed much of Kimmay's abilities and heard the stories and whispers. The entire Matriarchy had known Kimmay's values and purpose were moved by a destiny beyond their understanding. But now … only upon meeting her mother after her death, after she was beyond Salindale's reach, did she begin to understand how far removed her mother was; how far beyond all of them that Kimmay truly stood.

"So mom, do you regret never having your own wand?"

Kimmay took Salindale's hand and held them before her. "How do you know that I don't have a wand?"

"Don't tease me mother. You just said that you have to be united with the wand when you are born, and you have to grow together."

"To reach the full potential of the combination, that is correct. But an orphaned wand can still be a powerful tool. It can take you two degrees from First Magician."

"Do you have an orphaned wand?"

Kimmay broke into a laugh. "What do you think?" she asked with gleam in her eye. "But to answer your earlier question I have no regrets. Not for one minute. Now that I finally understand the truth, how could I regret anything? After all, I volunteered for this." Kimmay dropped Salindale's hands and slowly began backing out of the circle of blue light. "Good-bye daughter. I am so proud of you."

And Kimmay disappeared again.

 

The first of sixty spheres materialized fifty miles over the surface of the Kastellian planet. As it began to quickly fall towards the surface, a series of nano-thin wires popped out of the sphere and trailed behind as the sphere accelerated towards its doom. As the full length of the wires finished reeling out of the sphere, the power chips were activated. The sphere dissipated in a cloud of molecules as an enormous fury of electrons spread over the surface of the planet and penetrated deep into the planet's surface as well as the space surrounding the planet. The enormous electro-magnetic pulse that was emitted just ahead of the electron cloud assisted in the complete annihilation of a civilization. Within seconds, the other spheres channeled their enormous energy into an additional fiftynine explosions.

Salindale and the other girls stood behind the observatory glass and watched as Lissa finished her first set of coordinates. "We'll begin targeting their colony ships next, and their planetary colonies after that."

"Welcome to our Prophecy," Salindale whispered to herself.

 

 

The End.

  

  

  

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