CA. 166,230 B.C.E. Arrival of the Gods

Enki awoke in the middle of a dream. The details slipped away as he started to realize that the early warning had been sounded, which meant that the Archon was nearing the braking point in it’s trajectory. “The long journey is nearly over” thought Enki, clearing sleep from his head. “Soon, I will stand on the soil of our new home”.

The great and powerful voidship Archon, named for the great Creator’s servants, would soon unfurl its sails to begin braking. These sails would expand to the size of a small planet designed to catch the light particles of this new star Solara, soon to become their home sun, to slow the Archon.

The voidship would soon lose inertial gravity, leaving the crew weightless for a short time, then gradually it would return, except now from the opposite direction. Enki sat up in his bunk and glanced at the clingplant in the corner, just beginning to show light along the tips of it’s leaves. His sleep cycle was nearly over anyway. There would be much work to do, stowing loose belongings and transferring storage containers to what is now the ceiling, but would soon become the floor. It was time now to begin those activities.

He pulled a clean cloak from the bin and put it on, then called up the cronometer display on his desk to plan his day’s activities. The clingplant in the corner, sensing motion in the room, began to brighten to light up his activities. Gradually, the light from its leaves filled the room to working intensity.

Soon the adventure would begin for Enki. To start at the end of his journey from Anuk, which was the home of the third-wave colony they had left so long ago. All Enki experienced was the trip. He was born on the voidship during the first acceleration of the voyage and therefore could only see from his light projector what it was like on a planet’s surface… Any planet.

Enki had learned much during his life on the Archon. His mother and father did not let him become idle for more than a few days at a time. He had knowledge of all existing Empire colonies, their history and technology, survival and battle strategies, and bits of information about other races and non-colonized star systems. Making use of his knowledge was difficult during the uneventful journey that had taken all of his lifetime, and Enki was eager to put it to use.

In the distant past, the Annunukai were too numerous and adventurous to stay on their birth planet Kaida. The call of exploration and growth had taken hold nearly three eons ago, leaving thousands of colonies spread about the habitable zone of the galaxy. This particular voyage marks the beginning of the fourth wave of colonization.

Enki had learned that millenia ago, news reached Anuk that Kaida had been destroyed as its primary sun exploded. However, the disaster had been expected so there was plenty of warning before the explosion. Everyone had been evacuated to various nearby first-wave colonies. Enki’s parents were part of that evacuation.

“Enki, please meet me in the cargo bay… Respond.” Blared the ship’s audio communicator.

“I will arrive soon, Father.” Enki answered, excited that there would be something much more interesting than study to do. He stowed all the loose items in his room and left his cabin. The trip to the cargo bay should be particularly enjoyable this time, he thought as he went to the access tube, and started climbing down the ladder leading to the cargo bay at the rear of the ship to help with the mass transfer activities. As he started climbing, he thought he could feel himself become lighter.

By the time he reached the cargo bay door a short time later, his weight had decreased to about half that of normal, and he started to take the ladder ten rungs at a time, enjoying this newfound freedom and wondering if it would hurt to jump the last hundred feet. Then he realized that his mass had not decreased, and such a jump would surely break his legs unless he waited for the inertial gravity to decrease to under ten percent acceleration.

Yet when he was ten feet from the bottom of the tube, he kicked off from the ladder and slowly dropped to the floor, landing in a perfect three-point cat-stance. “I could really enjoy this. Too bad it will only last for such a short time.” Enki thought to himself, smiling. He reached down and opened the cargo bay door on the floor and stepped through to climb the last span of ladders to the floor of the cargo bay. many of the colonists had gathered here, and were busily removing fasteners which were holding the cargo containers to the floor while they waited for the hiss of the ion engines to stop.

Enki knew every one of the colonists aboard the Archon. Of the nearly 300 aboard, most were millenia old, though still young by Annunukai standards. the social caste of each crew member could be easily identified by their clothing and grooming styles. The Workers in tight-fitting breeches and shaved heads. The Judges in their flowing robes, long hair, and some with full beards. The Warriors in their uniforms of traditional gold and black, having short-cropped hair and beards, some having cybernetic implants to enhance their strength, sight, or hearing. Lastly, the Igigi, who were inventors and engineers, dressed in various discordant bright colors, none quite like the other.

Enki’s mother Antu and his father Anu were both 25 millenia old. Elderly by Annunukai standards. They had not wanted to go on this journey, except that having been evacuated from Kaida in their youth had left them without a home star system. It would be doubtful if either of them would live another millenium. Their genetic structure was starting to drift again, and the medical equipment necessary for a genetic re-sequencing was not available on this colonist ship. However, they knew and accepted the risk that this new colony would take nearly that long to create the technology base for such an instrument. By that time, it would likely be too late to repair their original genetic code, and they would die. This was really not such a terrible proposition after having lived this long. They would spend their last days preparing Enki for leadership such that would make the Annunukai empire proud, record a lifetime of knowledge into Me stones, and spend their last years as lords of this new colony.

Nearly all of the cargo had been released by the time the ion engines shut down completely, the enduring hiss that Enki had heard all his life suddenly went silent, which left him with a strange feeling of loss. I may not sleep this night, he thought.

The activity began again in earnest. Groups of five to a container, pushing off lightly from the floor, then floating slowly across the room, coming to rest on the opposite floor, and fastening the container into place. Each container and its new location was checked off a list and the data etched into a Me stone for later retrieval.

Enki tried to help without getting in the way as he saw containers, marked in detail, that would come into use when the Archon made landfall on a new planet. Food, tools, equipment, weapons, and fuel were moved from the aft floor to the forward floor and strapped down.
One container for example, contained genetic equipment and samples enough to terraform a planet or re-create the environment of any of the 3,200 colonies, including Kaida. It was the hope of Anu and Antu to find a planet suitable to transplant its life, so that the Kaida eco-system could live on.

As he worked to move supplies and equipment to the forward floor, Enki considered his new life with excitement. Remote sensing verified the livability of their new home system. Three planets exist within the life-band of this stable yellow sun. The one furthest from Solaris seemed a good choice for their home base and it had been agreed in Council to name it Aleph and establish a city there called Olympus. This planet resembles Kaida in a number of key ways:

First, it has a thick Nitrogen-Oxygen atmosphere with moderate amounts of Helium that would make the sky appear light indigo, similar to that of Kaida.

Second, two moons floated in the sky, one very large moon with a rich atmosphere, but nearly covered in liquid water and another moon much smaller, and blanketed with pockmarks and cracks, which demonstrated a reasonable defense against debris, such as comets, asteroids, and meteorites.

Third, Aleph is smaller than Kaida by only ten percent. Therefore, gravity is similar enough to easily adapt the genetics of the flora and fauna to the new planet.

There were only a few minor problems to be addressed. The tidal forces beneath the crust have not yet subsided to complete stability, so volcanism remains quite active on nearly a third of the planet’s surface. Another large overlapping area is ocean, containing most of the planet’s photosynthesis while the remaining surface is divided between ice caps and barren rock, leaving but a small habitable range in which to establish a Kaidan ecosystem. Life-forming this planet would be a challenge that would take many millenia. Fortunately, one moon and two other planets in the system were full of life and could be siphoned to Aleph in the event of problems.

What kind of life would they find? His training provided only a simulation of what they could find here. Would there be separate evolving beings like the Annunukai, or would the most intelligient life be a collaborative hive mind like the marauding Zshal?

“Enki! You will overshoot the bindings.” Antu interrupted his thoughts. “Please focus your attention to the task at hand”

“Sorr-y Mother.” Enki stammered as he shifted his weight to compensate for the misguided trajectory of the shipping container.

“He will learn the wisdom of focus very soon mother. I too, weary of Worker activities. Soon we can be challenged at our new home. This will teach focus even to my brother.” Enlil smiled pointedly at him as he completed the fastening of a crate, then pushed off the floor to obtain another load.

The Zshal, thought Enki with a sick feeling. Those bloodthirsty, grey-skinned, insect-like horde of demons that travel throughout the galaxy searching for intelligience to enslave and consume, fueling their appetite for dominion and causing all life to fall before their psionic onslaught.

Great philosophical minds say that the Zshal were created by the Archons soon after the birth of the galaxy to bring adversity and chaos to bear on the process of intelligient progression. Their evil is indestructible, yet they are limited in numbers to ensure that virtue may never be overwhelmed.

Enki shuddered at the thought of the Zshal arriving before this colony had a chance to gain a foothold here. He secured the container he had just moved and went for another.

These demons had been beaten back in most colonized systems, but being indestructible by nature, once their physical body is destroyed, their spirits have the power to rematerialize the structure of their bodies out of common matter over a few centuries.

One way to stop their plunder is to imprison them, as happened During the Nebula Wars. Small groups of them had been successfully imprisoned inside black hole singularities, but this was difficult to accomplish. The only alternative is to turn them aside with an energy field tuned to remove their molecular cohesion. This scatters their molecules far and wide, effectively stopping their attack for a short time.

Fortunately for everyone, the Zshal hive mind has no concept of revenge, they accept their “undead” status as completely as they expect their victims to accept domination. So when defeated, they just wander off to a new star system and start anew.

The Warrior caste’s primary mission is to contain the Zshal threat in whatever manner is most likely to ensure the protection of the colonists. Warriors constantly monitor the area for signs of their coming and prod the Igigi into producing more effective and efficient ways to repel the enemy.

The Judges caste does the planning and leading of the colony, the Worker caste builds and obtains materials, and the Igigi caste supports all other missions by researching, creating, and operating new technology.

The load transfer task was completed in a relatively short time and everyone floated back to their rooms to move their personal belongings in the same manner as they had the cargo bay. When all the contents of the voidship had been thus secured, the word was given to deploy the sail.

Enki watched the sail unfurl at the rear of the voidship from the light projector at his desk. Gravity gradually returned to the Archon allowing the Annunukai to walk the decks again. Most everyone had enjoyed the brief new feeling of floating free, but they also knew it was not good for their health. Accidents were more numerous during the transition and their bodies were made for gravity and would start deteriorating in a matter of days. With the new direction and greater strength of gravity, some had trouble finding balance at first, but within days everyone on the ship became familiar with the new spacial orientation.

Though Enki wished he could be allowed to take a Vimana out and scout ahead of the ship, he knew that once he left the docking bay, there would be nothing to slow his approach to Solaris. He would be doomed to pass by the system at the same approximate speed he left the voidship’s protective gravitic shell. There was no braking mechanism on a Vimana like the solar sail of the Archon. He would have to be content with the Vimana simulator on the computer of his light projector. At least he would be in top form when they finally arrived.

Maybe his father would let him pilot on the first survey mission from orbit around Aleph.

The days passed quickly as Enki trained while waiting for the journey to end. He became an expert Vimana pilot thanks to the Me interface on his light projector. Each of his ancestors who had been pilots, had left their experience on Me stones for the training of those who came after. Sometimes the impressions were so well-preserved that it felt to Enki like their very thoughts were inside of his mind, nudging and tempering his reactions as he became familiar with the controls of each class of Vimana.

Strangely, despite that fact that some of those who had recorded the stones had been gone for nearly a million years, he found that he had come to know them as family members and as examples with which to hone his attitudes and preferences as an individual. He felt sure he was there when his grandfather fought the Zshal during the Nebula Wars. He could feel his own hand sweating on the trigger as he picked those demons off one by one, and the relief that came when there were no more to bar his way as he answered the colonist’s distress beacon.

Unfortunately, he also felt the pangs of remorse and pity as he (his grandfather) landed at the spaceport to find that most of the colonists had been left mindless vegetables from the psychic onslaught of the hive mind before he had arrived.

Enki was shaking with rage as his hand reached around the desk to turn off the simulation. “I will remember, Grandfather” he spoke aloud. Then for some hours afterward, he sat staring at the deck until he could no longer sit upright. His bunk promised some relief, but betrayed him that night with more nightmares of battle.

The next morning was well underway according to his sleep cycle when he was awakened by the insistent musical notes of his cabin chime. Someone was at the door. Was it time to enter orbit already?

He tried to voice the word “Open” but it was only a squeak, so he dragged himself out of his bunk and fumbled for a tunic. The chime again…

“Alright then” Enki finally said as he made it to the door and passed his hand across the sensor “What is so important this morning?”

The cabin door opened and Antu entered. “You sleep late Enki” she said trying to hide a trace of disdain in her voice. ” We will soon begin an orbit around our new home, would you like to be on the first survey mission?”

“Yes I would” said Enki enthusiastically. “I have been pilot training on the simulator. May I pilot the shuttle?”
“We should leave those tasks to the Igigi, at least until the colony is established. How far did you progress in the training session?” Antu asked, cautiously.

“I passed the level 12 standard, then I found a Me in the library that came from Grandfather. He was brave and strong.” Enki’s voice trailed off in thought upon remembering the experience.

Antu’s expression changed to compassion as she remembered her own training with the memory Me. “He was that indeed. Did you get to the end?”

“Yes, mother. There can be no doubt of our history when we have such effective means to remember. My life stretches before and the Me stones are placed in my hand to allow the greatness of our family to increase. I am grateful.”

“Not as grateful as I, little brother!” Enlil had appeared without notice, as was his tactic. “I will bring our family to great heights of power and technology just as surely as I stand. You need not bother since you will probably only be a mote in my path.” A sneer crossed his face as he finished speaking and then disappeared out the door as though all necessary things had been spoken.

Enki’s expression changed from confidence to surprise, then to anger as he twitched recognition of the appearance of his only brother who was, it seemed too predictable, even in his attempted unpredictability, to grasp the basic concepts of honor or humility. Enki was convinced that it would make him unfit to rule anything, but his father and mother refused to comment whenever there was a dispute between them, according to Annunukai custom.

He turned to Antu, who’s expression remained unchanged, and then to his preparation for the day. “You need not defend me against him.” he said, “The Archons will see whom I serve, while he serves only one. I will be ready in short. Thank you, mother for the visit, I will see you on the survey deck.”

He was grateful when his door slid closed as his mother left the room.

The survey deck was crowded when Enki arrived. There really was no best gathering place on the ship, but the survey deck was a particularly poor choice. But this was where the first mission of their new home would begin, so everyone arrived to add their own energy to it’s success.As he entered the vimana, he found his father and brother already strapped in, while a small survey crew of 5 Igigi busily made preparations to get underway. Though Enki hadn’t seen for himself, he knew that the Archon was already in a circular orbit around Aleph, in preparation to become an orbital station that provides support during the terraforming process, protection from danger, and a means of escape should the colonizing plan fail.

If a major failure should happen, the Archon would be entirely on its own to fend for itself. Though quantum communications could immediately alert the nearest colonies, it could be years before help would arrive. Even in the event of attack by the Zshal, it would be up to the crew and colonists to overcome or die.

Even the Archons themselves would likely ignore a distress call unless in their wisdom, they deemed it part of this solar system’s master plan. If it happened, intervention would be an instantaneous flurry of activity that would be hardly noticed, the time frame compressed to microseconds, leaving everyone involved, wondering if it had all been a dream. If anything had happened at all. The Archons were adept at manipulating time and space, but were uninterested in explaining or refuting anything to mere Annunukai. And it is said that they jealously guard their secrets of technology lest a child-race become too powerful and disrupt the balance of existence.

The vimana passed through the gravitic shell around the Archon to the open space beyond and aimed for the horizon of Aleph. Then after a time, the illumination increased inside the cabin as energy was transferred to the hull of the vimana in return for deceleration, while the atmosphere dragged at their harnesses like an eager raptor straining at its thongs.

The entry was violent but short-lived as the vimana broke through the lower stratosphere and cooled, panting its way toward the surface of the planet.

Erupting volcanoes spewed soot and stone in the distance as the orbital maps overlaid the navigation console with maps and data concerning the location of habitable zones on Aleph. The sky out the viewport lightened to an azure-purple hue.

Enki looked over at his father who was smiling. Then he pointed to a busy spot on the navigation console and asked, “Is this where we are going?”

Anu nodded, still looking at the sky as if in a trance. Then he looked down and reinforced his answer. “My son, this is the spot where we will begin again.”

Within minutes, the smoking volcano moved over on the light projector to be replaced by the image of a green mountain range, bordered by the sea and reaching into the sky. It loomed larger as they approached and Enki could hear someone in front draw a heavy breath.

“Mount Olympus is the name of our new home.” said Anu, “and It shall be made great as the hills of Kaida.”

The pilot made a course correction and aimed for a flat spot near the water. Closer examination revealed a plain of grassy plants punctuated by larger shrubs and bordered by a narrow beach of black sand.

An Igigi named Zu spoke up tentatively, to avoid disturbing the moment. “Lord Anu. We recommend landing here first. It is important to obtain samples and to bring them back for analysis. It is also important to stay inside the vimana until we know everything about the life patterns of this planet, lest we poison ourselves unwittingly.”

Enki expected a glaring rebuke from his father, but instead he closed his eyes and said, “That is wise. We have so much to risk. Let us not overextend our grasp to reach for our desires.”

As Enki stared out the viewport at the tiny sun rising over the peak of Mount Olympus, he wondered if he would ever become the lord of this planet. Something inside him said that it could never happen. Then, as he felt the thud of rails touching black sand, somehow he didn’t mind, and wondered why.

CA. 70,000 B.C.E. The Genetic Bottleneck

“The gods are up there I tell you, living on the mountaintop.”

“Some are cruel. They use men as slaves and throw them away, sometimes broken and lame, when the task is finished. Others are sad and ashamed that we are created by them in their own image. They try to heal their sadness by teaching us useless things and then hold us up with pride when we learn, as if they had remade us. Then they send us back to our village where we are left to feed and shelter ourselves again without their help.”

“I also know that the gods can heal as well as hurt” said Aser, one of the oldest men in the clan. “Once when I was younger and more foolish, I tried to climb the mountain myself. Before I had reached the first summit, the Cherubim caught me and touched me with a burning staff that shimmered like the pool below a waterfall. The pain was so great that I fell to my knees. They dragged me before their shaman women. I know that I would have died from the pain had they not waved their beautiful healing lights over my wounds. Take heed my sons and you others who may want to climb to the mountaintop and see the wonders of the gods. They are great and terrible! So many who try, never return.”

“Why do they never return uncle?” Said Abrim, the youngest son of Aser’s younger sister. “You did! Then it is not impossible.”

Aser looked up and down the rows of children before him. “I suspect that those who do not pay the proper homage are sent to the quicksilver mines. Why take the chance you may never return home? No. It is better to leave the gods to their work, while we attend to ours.”

There was a stir in the crowd gathering behind the children as an older boy crowded in to have his say. “The gods do not keep cowards! My father says it is an honor to be taken by the gods. A reward for strength, courage, and prowess in battle. You would have us all live like old men, gathered together as an easy meal for any tooth-lion or fire-dragon that wanders hungry into the village.” This boy named Padrig was angry. His older brother Nolg had never returned from his trek up the mountain. Aser knew that he and his family was grieved.

“Do not make the mistake of choosing courage over clear thinking boy. The gods do not consider us more than the tooth-lion considers his meal. Better that you face the fury of a fire dragon in battle than the glory of the Annunukai in their distracted attention. You may survive the dragon, but never the sword of Cherubim.”

“And you are but a foolish old man. If I had a weapon, I could be a match. They would admire that and let me live, Just like my brother!”
Padrig swaggered away holding his staff high in the air, expecting a cheer, but none came. The subject was too close for comfort and no one but Padrig dared taunt the gods, let alone the old man.

When Padrig arrived at the family shrine, there was no one there. His mother, father, and sister would return from their gathering soon. He thought about what his brother Nolg had told him a few years ago, while standing in this very spot, that the gods wanted brave hu-men for their armies. Then he never came home.
 
Padrig knew where he went. Nolg had been accepted into Edon and would be a worker and a warrior for the gods. And so, he decided, would he. Packing some dried meat and some cheese into his bag, Padrig left immediately. Maybe he would be tested and taken by morning. Or released if he was not worthy. Either way he would know more about what happened to his brother.

Nodiel was annoyed by the intrusion into his meditation. “Another one?” he winced, “This is the fifth one this week! None ever seem to be ready. Bring him then and let us see if he is worthy.” He watched as the Cherubim brought the hu-man into the administrative chamber. If any have the curiosity and can overcome their fear of the unknown enough to attempt a visit to the compound, then they must be tested for suitability. This was the law ordained from the beginning of this project to create the new worker class. This process allows the identification of those hu-man with promise, since it is important to perpetuate and strengthen this breed to its fullest extent before beginning the final modification. “The Warrior caste has been stuck in the mines for too long and it is time that they reclaimed the right to be warriors”, Nodiel reminded himself.

Since having discovered this star system many thousands of years ago, the Annunukai have bred various species that were native to this second planet in the system. Most programs had resulted in failure for various reasons. Some lines became weak when their life code was changed. Others that were too quickly bred would revert to an earlier breed after but a few generations. The Annunukai also discovered that these subjects cannot be kept in a corral like mere animals.

This Hu-man subject was holding his arm as if it were wounded and there was a strange smell wafting about. Nodiel reached into the Hu-man’s mind, looking for a spark of autonomy and creativity. “Why are you here?” He asked telepathically. “What do you seek? Speak!” The hu-man looked up then, and for a moment it appeared as if he would answer, then he started struggling and straining at his bonds, babbling and crying out like he was being tortured.

The quick test was finished and this one, though promising, had failed. He may have heard and understood, but his fear was too strong, despite curiosity, for this creature to receive any meaningful training. These are minimum standards according to the council of judges’ decree.
“Take him away…and get his arm fixed. This one has too much fear, he would be marginal breeding stock at best. Are there any more?”
“One other Lord.” Said the guard.

“Then bring him!” The guard skittered away, unnerved by the lord’s anger at having been disturbed. He returned quickly with a boy, not more than fifteen years old, no wounds or chains, with a defiant look on his face.

Again Nodiel reached into this Hu-man’s mind. “Why are you here? What do you seek? Speak!”

The boy spoke. “I will be a warrior like my brother”

“And why did you come here with that request? Do you not know that I am your god and can rip the bones from your flesh as you stand for these assumptions?” Then a pause to watch realization creep into the boy’s eyes that a grave mistake had been made. Then Nodiel spoke aloud, “What do you have to offer that I could possibly want from you?”

“If you will not take me, then you will have to kill me because I will not return to my village ashamed!”The boy lunged for the sword in the guard’s scabbard and pulled it with one stroke. The guard was taken completely unaware, yet managed to activate his halo to envelop both he and the boy before the sword could strike Lord Nodiel. There was no need, since Nodiel had read the boy’s intentions and had already drawn his own sword to parry the blow. The boy yelled a battle cry and struck at the halo’s force field with a fury of a rat flailing against its cage, then realizing the futility, dropped the sword and fell silent. The guard, ashen and shaking, de-activated the halo and immediately set to binding the boy’s hands behind his back. Padrig bowed his head to die.
Nodiel replaced his sword. “Punish him for his impertinence. If he lives, train him as a warrior. Find any brothers and sisters he may have and bring them to me as well. Now leave me!”

Was that a smile on the god’s face as Padrig was dragged out of the chamber?
Nodiel considered how precious few of this breeding cycle have taken on the necessary attributes to justify the program. This one would be shipped east to the Edon captive breeding center to test, train, and breed. females were much more difficult to choose, since life strands from the female of the species persist much longer without mutation than that of the males. In fact, sometimes more than a hundred generations. The process must be conducted carefully lest the whole breeding chain come apart in as little as 8 or 10 generations, requiring a new foundation subject with which to start over. Once proven, the life strands of the subject can be modified and combined with those taken from the Annunukai to fit the needs of the program and then perpetuated in all subsequent females, assuring standardization.

In the beginning, the official purpose of this program was to breed intelligient slaves to work in the mines and supervise the lower forms. This effort would free the warrior caste from having to perform worker caste duties and allow them to concentrate on defending the colony from the Zshal. There was a consensus when the council last met that the program should be continued until successful. However, there was no longer agreement as to the final purpose of the program.

A thousand years ago, a lifeship of fellow Annunukai had arrived in this star system after losing their nearby colony to a race of insectoid marauders called the Zshal. These beings have no individuality, and therefore no reason but to devour a star system of every usable element of life. No one has been able to communicate with them or determine where, if any, their home planet may be. They are equally at home in any atmosphere or even in the vacuum of deep space. Though their bodies are easily destroyed, they are able to reanimate them over time. Scatter a Zshal to the four winds and within a hundred years, remaining particles will drift together, recreating its physical body, returning it to its former self.

There was a rift in the thinking of the council. The Warrior caste suggested that in addition to replacing the worker caste, these newly created beings would also make good warriors against the Zshal. To this end, they proposed to introduce variant code into the life code of at least 2 breeding strains of Hu-men. These could be bred as battlefield pawns to defend the system if the Zshal should arrive. The Warrior caste’s plan was to give them the capacity to effectively destroy as well as to create. Give them a lust for power and greed for gain so that they could be manipulated and sent to their deaths against the Zshal.

The Judges caste was against this idea on grounds that there is a moral responsibility to avoid introducing negative strands into the life code of any being, no matter how much lesser evolved they may seem now. One day they may become a race to ally or rival the Annunukai. Who are we gods, that we should pervert the work of the Archons for the advantage of our race alone? Secondly, that these new creations should have the same personal rights as any other Annunukai citizen so that they may one day replace the dwindling ranks of the Worker caste. Life code strands may come only from existing Annunukai lines and not be reprogrammed for uses counter to the continual progression of the race.
The Igigi Engineer caste, as usual, had no desire either way. They were to provide the technology for this project and desired to stay neutral in case it could be made a scapegoat for one side or the other.

The Workers caste had lost all of it’s members to the Warrior caste, therefore it had no vote but to go along with the will of the council.
Both points of view were considered too extreme by some and nothing was actually decided by the greater council. Meanwhile, both sides began working their technology to modify this being to their own image, seemingly aware that the other was also doing the same.

The council has thus far approved four of the seven female subjects necessary to assure a successful resolution of the project. When the other three are approved, modified genetic material can be introduced to the makeup of all seven, then the council will start to release ten percent of the offspring to be trained as mine supervisors. Another ten percent will be used to test the new genetic modifications that are planned, while the remainder will be kept on the preserve in Edon for twenty generations, safe from predators and trained in good hygiene and breeding practices.

After that time, when they start to show the spark of morality and loyalty, they are to be trained in survival techniques, released in male and female pairs, and given infrequent guidance while they raise their families into nations of new, intelligient, and self-aware souls. These will be the chosen people.

Nodiel wondered, “Should he be more passionately against tampering with nature? They had been just beasts; intelligient, but only because of their position in the ecology of this planet. In a billion years, natural selection will have either quietly destroyed them or turned them into a race to rival the Annunukai. Now they learn to mine, Soon they may be designed to fight and die.”

“The Archons are really the only beings with a right to decide how to treat these hu-mans.” Nodiel thought. “Unfortunately, no Annunukai has communicated with the Archons in many millennia, since long before the Annunukai had left the home system Anuk to explore and discover new worlds. Some of the Judges say that the real reason to colonize the stars was to acquire then enslave other species. And that is, they say, why the Archons have withdrawn contact.”

“If that is so, then we are truly on our own. We are but gods to these hu-men. That is the way of things. We must play this role convincingly or one day they may rule us.”

CA. 50,000 B.C.E. The invention of Quantum Entangled Travel

“Too many defects.” Anubis exclaimed with a wave of his hand that sent the faulty circuit crystal flying off into a nearby junkpile of similar failures. “Without quality parts, I will be fortunate to send a feather to the other gate.” he said in a mumbling, exhausted whisper.

“Many apologies master, I will instruct the igigi to calibrate the magnetic fields before we repeat the process.”

Anubis waved his apprentice Neti off, and again looked over his calculations. The loculus transmitter required an extremely low margin of frequency error to successfully open a quantum tether between gates. Without this tether, instantaneous communication was impossible and further, without communication, the molecule entanglement would also fail.
Of course, this problem was his responsibility to solve. Many years ago, he had proposed that he could build a portal system designed to transmit men and materials over large distances. He had expected opposition from his caste, the Igigi, but none came. The Warriors liked the idea of being able to deploy from Aleph on short notice instead of the weeks necessary using an orbital vimana. The Judges were more interested in the ability to transport large quantities of materials to Aleph.

The only weakness of a working system is during the swapping of mass. An incredibly unlikely danger that If the field bubble of either gate were punctured during a transfer, the mass of both the sender and receiver would be turned into pure energy, more violent than the fusion reaction of a star, and obliterate the planet on which the compromized gate was located. The good news is that a field bubble is very strong and can easily withstand the stroke of a blade or the heft of an ax thrown by even the strongest of warriors, therefore, this was of no concern.

His final proposal was to create 5 gates: One for Aleph, one each for Aleph’s moons of Nibiru and Phaeton, and one each for Abzu and Nergal. Each gate would be intertwined with the others aetherially.

Now that the infrastructure and mechanism was complete, his team is left with the task of creating the communication device. The problem is less a matter of physics than quality control of the parts. The mixture of alloys must be exact and the crystal must be tuned to an exact vibration to resonate the high energy Gold particles that will connect the aether between the gates into a firmament strong enough to transmit data. This problem has yet to be solved, and the Judges were impatient for a test.

In the council meetings, Anubis had explained to anyone who would listen that until this quality problem was solved, hence without the proper connection between the gates, nothing could happen. A test would yield absolutely nothing, since even one faulty calculation would result in a non-event.

“Maybe some rest would help him to work out a way to extract finer tolerances from the crystal?” “Yes, rest is what I need” he said aloud as he purposfully left a room full of startled technicians. They had not actually seen him rest for months, though it was common rumor that he slept while sitting at his work. Some had even seen him close his eyes for long periods of time, though he always claimed he was thinking.

The white marble streets of Olympus were golden and pink in the Alephian sunset and Nibiru traversed the sky as Anubis restlessly walked the pathways of the city. Occasionally, a passer-by would be startled by his animated exclamations to the Archons. He walked and thought until the pink and purple sky turned to cobalt, then to black. Suddenly, He found himself at his home and realized that he didn’t care so much that he had not really intended to go home. He lay down and slept like he had not for years.

The harp had the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, yet the melody is of a single note. He reaches out and plucks a string, then another, then all of them. Back and forth he plucks, yet the note is the same. How very strange that a whole instrument can be dedicated to just one note. One that is so powerful and pure that the lingering tones bring water to his eyes and heat to his breath.

Then he looks up to see the clouds in the sky part ways to reveal a bright amethyst-colored sun, light pouring forth and bathing the harp and everything near it in a purple glow that seems to seep from everything it touches. His emotion intensifies such that he finds himself crying like a newborn child from the intensity of the joy. What is this new feeling? Sound and light combining to form a new sense. One that penetrates his spirit like a fine blade to cut away all of its imperfections one at a time. What spirit is left, so light that it leaps up and soars the dimensions beyond reality.

Finally, he comes back to rest near the Monolodious harp. But now the fog is rolling in, squelching the joy, muffling the sound, blanketing the sky in odiferous ruin. The harp ceases its song and begins to cry, then to scream as light is withdrawn and rotting moisture fills the void. The tortured strings rust then finally snap. Lightning flashes, striking the harp. The ground opens and swallows all of creation.

Then silence…and numbness.

The sun rose as a colorful red ball on the horizon while Anubis entered the complex to revisit his project with a determination borne of dispair. He had been angry when he awoke from his night’s sleep. His dreams foretold of failure. It was unacceptable and unfair that the Archons would give him this terrible omen. Such beauty and perfection turned to ruin. He must overcome it somehow, otherwise nothing would stand accomplished. For some strange reason, his hearing was acute and exact. Every rustle of material and footstep refused to remain unnoticed. Details of everyday sounds formed acoustic echoes on the forefront of his mind which was most annoying. He could not concentrate on the problem at hand.

Something familiar…coming toward him down the corridor he heard the whistling of a tune, so faint that the recurring melody seemed like a loop. The same note over and over stood out in his consciousness so that all else was blocked out but the single note. The song of the harp, taunting him to delay…or was it otherwise?

He had learned in his youth to reach for the good side of a task to sustain him to it’s completion. Even if it was a distasteful task, he wished for advantages and good fortune to show him a better reason to complete it than the obvious purpose. Was this such a time to reach for fate or fortune, OR DREAMS to show him the way? He smiled at the young woman who whistled a tune as she walked by him. She, looking surprised, smiled back at him and continued whistling as she went.

That same eerie tune with a single note, just as the harp had done in his dream.

Anubis burst into the room, eyes wide, breathing hard, again striking confusion into the hearts of the technicians who were on duty. “Neti!” he shreiked, “I have great news. Where is Neti?”

Neti appeared immediately, indeed he had been nearby when Anubis made his entrance. “Yes, lord Anubis.” What do you need?” He stood with anticipation and yet still patience showing on his face, waiting to hear this wonderful news.

“We must align the magnetic field with sound and with light” he exclaimed. “The vibration must be at a strong harmonic frequency to the finished crystal. This will solve our problem!”

The first attempt was much improved but not yet correct. Anubis scribbled down some numbers and then said “purple. The light must be violet coherent light of this frequency only”. he held his pad up for them all to see.

Some nodded, others looked puzzled. “Why is it to be that figure and not one closer to the final frequency of the finished crystal? said Neti. “This one is not even a primary harmonic. How can it be correct?”

“Use a sound frequency that is the same amount below that which the light is above, from the frequency of the magnetic field used to create the crystal. Add the frequencies together and tell me what you have.”

A flurry of calculations ensued. Then just as most of them neared an answer, Neti’s face lit up. “It is the first harmonic. A primary!”

“Yes” Anubis brightened. “Now how about field strength. How much is enough…or too much?”

They all spoke at once. “The inverse of the volume of the crystal divided by the frequency of the sound.”

“Not so!” his finger wagged. “You neglect to include the proper light frequency and intensity. Multiply your first answer by the inverse of the reflectivity of the crystal divided by the frequency of light. This will ensure that the vectors of the stress cracks in the crystal are large enough to absorb charged aether, yet small enough to leave the crystal intact when the field bubble collapses.

The room was silent as they all absorbed the new information. Little disagreement showed on anyone’s face because they were all used to translating new information into requirements.

“Now return with a perfect crystal so that I may schedule the test for the Judges.” Anubis had not smiled this broadly in years. The technicians quickly dispersed, eager to fulfill his command. One technician lingered near the door momentarily, eyes fixed on Anubis. When Anubis noticed and looked his way, the Igigi dissappeared through the open door.

Anubis gazed out at the crowd assembled in the theatre. The test was to be conducted with all fanfare and preparation with which it was due, considering that the project was many years old and had never proven it’s worth to anyone else but him. In addition to An, An’s wife, and his sons, Enki and Enlil, and their sister, Ninhursag, All seven supreme judges were in attendance, All five each of the senior Warriors and Igigi, along with a lone symbolic representative of the new worker class, a Hu-Man who had been named Ad-Apa because he was the first Hu-man to have gained recognition for his obedience and industry. Not all in attendance would recognize Ad-apa to this honor. There was still much general prejudice among the Annunukai regarding the Hu-men. Enlil wished to present the fruits of his recent project, though rumors were thick in the air regarding unapproved tampering of Ad-apa’s genetic pattern by the Warriors and the Igigi alike. Ad-apa appeared Annunuk by all outward appearances, though he was shorter and paler than most. He was considered a tame beast at best by most, Annunuk by relatively few at best. In reality he was only an honorary citizen.

The throng of Annunukai crowded each other and milled about, seething like a lake of multi-colored translucent fabric washing up and down the steps of the theatre.Ad-apa sat in his assigned space, obedient to the word of Enlil, his master and god, completely unaware that he would soon be the center of attention. He looked up in time to see four warriors appear about him. Only one man spoke. He said “come”, Ad-apa looked up at his master Enlil to see him smiling his way, so Ad-apa followed.The warriors led Ad-apa to the center of the gathering and measured his weight. Then they weighed a wooden stool and placed it in the center of a beautiful slab with a gabled roof above it supported by seven carved columns of stone. He was told to sit on the stool and wait. Three boxes of varying sizes and a rope bag was placed next to him. Then he watched as a dark-robed figure got up to speak to the assembled crowd.”Fellow Annunukai.” his arms went up to silence the chattering of the crowd. The din weakened noticeably.

“Are we to be Annunukai or just men?” The chattering rose a little as the spectators turned to question each other about the speaker’s motives. “This test will prove whether we are fit to rule. With our technology, we shall move freely throughout our domain among the four planets and build our cities where we will. We shall conquer those who oppose us and destroy or imprison our enemies if they fall against us.

The crowd cheered and some threw bits of cloth and straw about.”With this test, we establish our right to colonize this system and we make it our own. All this we do for my father An and for the glory of the Annunukai.” The dark figure threw back his cloak revealing the whitened long locks of Enlil. The shouts of the crowd grew louder and drowned out any further words that Enlil had to say. He did not seem to mind though. He waved to the technicians to start the test.

The roaring of the crowd fell to a hushed whisper as the crew activated the portal. After a moment, a dark bubble formed around the edges of the pagoda. A hum rose from the ground along with a sensation of movement, and a flash of strong dark light that caused everyone to look away for fear of blindness. When they looked back, The Hu-man and everything else placed in the pagoda were gone without a trace.

Neti looked over to congratulate his master, but Anubis was incoherent, staring at the sky and all the blood had drained out of his face. “I have doomed us all!” he finally said breathlessly.

“What is wrong master?” asked Neti, confused at the surprise.

“The dream. It has two sides and we have seen but one.” Anubis began to stare about him and stumbled. “Please lead me home Neti. I must sleep now.”

Ad-apa opened his eyes. He had not the courage to leave them open throughout the test. Enlil had told him that he would be taken to another place, but he could not have known that he had just traveled 280 million miles in an instant. Nor indeed had he known, would he comprehend the distance, let alone the significance of doing so in an instant. Further, he like any who would come after him, would never understand fully how he had just been perfectly duplicated, then destroyed down to his atoms in that same instant. The duplicate Ad-apa just smiled and was grateful to be alive.