Further than Before- Pathway to the Stars

by Matthew Opdyke

  As far as their involvement with Pathway was concerned, both Mett and James had presented economics ideas before worldwide generals prior to their being read-in, and no one had been the wiser, except Eliza. For years, they had developed the navigation systems for the millions of space-faring vehicles milling about through the solar system on their various ventures, and only James Cooper and Pathway knew. They had put together many extremely complexed navigations systems and numerous AI integration algorithms, systems, and subsystems for the UAS Space Force as well as the IMC Command and Support Spacecraft. Vesha Celeste had compartmentalized her knowledge within her mind out of respect to Eliza’s wishes, because she wanted to prove that close friends could work together and still accomplish a plethora of amazing things. Finally, Sky Taylor had taken them for a walk, together, through their hometowns, and as a part of their self-maintenance, Mett and James Wilhelm decided that working mutually as generals would be the best option, especially given the circumstances. They had overcome their greatest fears, of being looked at as less, simply because they would both be sharing command, and as they sat down, they felt the internal acceptance emanating from everyone in the room and throughout the solar system. No longer did they have the worry that they would be viewed differently from any other commander, and they were ready to share the journeys and quests as planned, and with potential for change, given the many circumstances that could arise. With a clear conscience, both James and Mett would make ideal team leaders.

  Lt Generals Shayeena Arezo and Khalim Aliah stood behind the mic, and in the spirit of all that was said and shared, both in imagery and in their dedication to their craft, together they wiped truly sentimental tears from their eyes, nodded at James and Mett, and as they began, images that had been arranged by James and Mett of Shayeena’s and Khalim’s wedding played out behind them. Both looked every bit the beautiful young people they were on the inside. Shayeena’s golden and beige highlights through her dark hair complemented the accents of the colors in her irises, the embroidery, and the trim of her very form-fitting UAS Space Force uniform. Gone was her sackcloth and hijab, and in its place was the raw and accented beauty gifted to her by God, Mother Nature, the Universe, all the stars above, and preserved by her ever-loving parents, who were going on the journey aboard the IMC Zone-07 Spacecraft, with her.

  Khalim was working by her side, handsome, regal, clean-cut, and shaven, with the same colors and accents as Shayeena. In an overt show of respect to her, he stepped back and acquiesced the floor to her. He had vowed many years ago to protect her, and protect, love, honor, and cherish her, he did. She came first in his life; he was thus respected.

  “I’ll never forget those nights near the Minaret of Jam, looking up at the Milky Way, and seeing the vast reaches of space through much more difficult times. Khalim and I have had the honor through both the care in our souls for others and the brilliance of Sky Taylor, who we consider our Iridescent Angel, because through our chance meeting and our combined efforts we were able to tame the lands of Afghanistan and the surrounding countries bringing beauty, abundance, freedom of thought, of mind, of expression, and of a love of all the beauty we’ve been blessed with throughout the Universe, down to and including each and every one of us. We are honored to be here, and together we will demonstrate to all who witness us this day that we indeed care about the preservation of life, of love, and of beauty, and that it is ours to bring joy to life and not waste away in the loss of potential we find ourselves bereft of all that we would if we did nothing save survive until we die. Now, there is purpose, meaning, and clarity in good health, clear minds, innovation, and in preserving our Universe and the life within it.

  “As we venture out there, it is with honor that we thank President Eliza Williams for her clarity of mind, her foresight, her compassion, empathy, and love. We recognize that today we are standing here before you, because of her efforts in reinvesting her time, her research, and so much more into each and every one of us, as well as the efforts of many who shared the ideals of humanity existent in the principles of Universal Ethics. Through the efforts of those who truly cared most, we are readying to embark upon the great journey of understanding all that we can about this vast Universe as we traverse throughout the zonal constellation regions entrusted to us. We will do so with respect toward others, giving each living being dignity and esteem, as well as nurture and kindness. We will respect the consent of personal choice, in so much that it does not cause any undue cost to the rights and lives of others. If I practice my faith, it is because it is something that I feel brings me fullness and builds the character I need to lead with compassion and empathy at my core, and I will at no time impose my personal spirituality on others or let it navigate away from the truths found through science, geology, history, and the art of self-expression, instead I will rejoice as I understand these truths and the joy they bring more fully.

  “Before traveling outside our home-galactic halo, in Zone-07, we will navigate with the UAS Presidential Spacecraft and journey with the IMC throughout the Zones previous to ours. As we navigate, in all regions and sectors that pertain to Zone-07, for reference, we are viewing between 0 and 90 degrees galactic longitude, a little bit above, and quite a bit below the galactic disc, and through the Orion Spur and with a view of each of the galactic arms. In this area, we will setup observation posts to further explore, understand, and build colony cities throughout. We will begin with Lepus, in Southern Quadrant 1, where we will establish a distant observation post just beyond the galactic halo of NGC-1821, which is an irregular galaxy. We’ve identified star-formation activity there with a type Ia supernova occurring there. This galaxy is about 166 million light-years away.

  “In Mensa, we will set up an observation post, initially, near PKS0637-752, where we have identified a quasar that has emitted ten-thousand suns of radiation, with legacy systems. Using our more robust sensors, courtesy of Pathway technology, we have identified the existence of a fairly new grand design spiral galaxy, about twice the size of the Milky Way. This location is about 6 billion light-years away, also in Southern Quadrant 1, and should be teeming with life.

  “Our next region, but our first priority, following the establishment of our Milky Way extra-galactic halo observation posts, will be in the Phoenix constellation region, where we will set up Phoenix Zone-07 Headquarters within SPT-CLJ2344–4243, which is known as the Phoenix galaxy cluster, about 5.7 billion light-years away. There will be plenty of opportunities for volunteers in this region to do some amazing work, as our sensors indicate that there are more than a thousand fossil grand design spiral galaxies, several billions of years away from merging into a single elliptical galaxy, before becoming the largest spiral galaxy existent in our known Universe. We aim to ensure that life is protected there, understand the merging process further, and if there is no life, we will allow this merger to occur, and observe from a distance. However, if needs are, if there is life there, we will prevent this from happening, so as to preserve the evolutionary state of the ecosystems already present in that region. We will also establish observation posts, conduct exploration missions in, and colonize each of the four galaxies, NGC-87, NGC-88, NGC-89 and NGC-92 within what is called Roberts Quartet. This system lays approximately 160 million light-years away and will provide many opportunities for volunteers.

  “From there, we will set up regional observation posts for Pictor near SPT-CL-J0546-5345, which is a massive galaxy cluster, about seven-billion light-years away. Our sensors indicate that this region has matured but has otherwise been very minimally-disturbed. Advanced civilization is very plausible in this region, so we will observe it from a distance. Initially, we will observe this cluster within one or two hundred thousand light-years from the nearest of the galaxies, prior to setting up any colonies. If there are advanced type 0 civilizations, this could become very messy or brutal if we interfere too much and will thus countermand our primary initiatives as established in our laws of Universal Ethics. Our goa
ls there will ultimately be to do as we would in any similar situation, to set up communications bridges, understand their cultures and drives, and seek to imbue a shared sense of well-being, preservation of life, and have these civilizations progress and advance toward a shared endeavor of preserving our Universe. Meanwhile, we will investigate, explore, and colonize NGC-1705, which is a blue compact dwarf peculiar lenticular galaxy within the Dorado group, about 17 million light-years away.

  In Reticulum, there are two principal locations of interest, with plans of colonization after observation and exploration. The first location in this region we plan on visiting is NGC-1313, which is also known as the Topsy Turvy Galaxy. This is actually a barred spiral galaxy about 15 million light-years away and has undergone interaction with other nearby galaxies. There appears to be a lot of new star formation, and there will be many systems that likely contain very primitive forms of life. We will be careful, observe, and then nurture these more innocent and young civilizations into a less brutal form of existence, essentially helping them to mature correctly with reduced toxicity, also allowing them to be major players in the preservation of our Universe. The second initial location of interest there is NGC-1559, which is a barred spiral galaxy with a Seyfert categorization, due to the existence of strong radio emissions. We will investigate with caution, as there may be advanced civilizations superior to ours, just fifty-million light-years away. This location will require our most creative and sophisticated minds.

  Sculptor has a splendid array of superstructures and galaxies, so as time goes by and our resources grow exponentially within our zone, we’ll observe, explore, and colonize each location of interest in that region. Abell-2744, or the Pandora giant galaxy cluster, about four-billion light-years away, is our principal location of interest. There are a number of other galaxies, each with many intriguing objects to investigate and observe.

  “Thank you, all. Khalim?” Shayeena stepped to the side, they smiled at each other, shared a small hug, and Khalim took his place where she had been, behind the mic.

  “In shared sentiment and in full agreement with all that has been deliberated upon today, I have full confidence that our journeys will be met with success. Thank you, Shayeena, the most intriguingly brilliant and beautiful person I’ve ever known, I appreciate your leadership, charm, and vision within my own life. I also appreciate your passion for the sciences and arts alongside that of every leader here. Shayeena, you are a sterling example of how healing and not harming can bring abundance and joy to the lives of everyone willing to open up and simply be kind, as shared by both Eliza and Sky. Together, our team, with Generals Dormer and Wilhelm and the rest of our amazing crew, will head out into the expanse and discover new worlds, bring life where there is none, and leave the kind of beauty and bounty that increases joy and the quality of life of all in our path. After building and activating the Sculptor Observation Post, we will set many up an average of one-hundred observation posts per galaxy for Antlia, with an emphasis on observation and exploration near Abell-S0636, also known as the Antlia Cluster, consisting of 234 galaxies. This cluster is a part of the Hydra-Centaurus Supercluster which lies right next to our own Virgo Supercluster. The Antlia Cluster is about 32.71 million light-years away. There are a number of other galaxies and clusters in that region that we plan on exploring as well.

  “Finally, we will visit several areas within and beyond the Canis Major Region, in Southern Quadrant 2. The section of space that you are seeing in the visuals behind me is essentially us peering just barely beyond the southern plane of our galactic disc, and at one of the oldest galaxies, we have found, using legacy equipment. GN-z11 is about 30.2 billion light-years away, given expansion, and is approximately 13.6 billion years old. It was born four-hundred million years after the Big Bang and will most assuredly be one of the first locations we visit, after setting up our Zonal Headquarters. Turning our gaze, within the same Constellation Region, you are now looking at spiral galaxies NGC-2207 and IC-2163. These two galaxies are thought to be colliding, but our sensors indicate that they are actually about fifty-million light-years apart. The closer of the two is about eighty million light-years away from the other. Between them, we have seen strong indications of star formation, with three supernovae, SN-1975A, SN-1999ec, and SN-2003H. Despite their distance, there is evidence of tidal stripping between the two. As we explore, we will find out further details and update our zonal matrix, to put in requests for volunteers to establish posts and colonies there. Assuredly, there will be many opportunities to look back and be proud of the good deeds we’ve helped to participate in. Please visit the Zone-07 Matrix in the Virtual Universe often, since we will have many opportunities listed therein, each day. No matter the challenges ahead, let us move forward and forge on to that which is greater!”

  Khalim nodded to the audience and watchers of the broadcast. He could pick up the vibes of support, care, and the many wishes for safety and good health for himself and every crewmember of the IMC. As Shayeena and her husband went to their seats, they passed by General Matzu Kashi and Lt General Lexi Lancaster. They put their arms out for a reciprocated hug from both and then sat down next to each other with a shared sense of warmth and peace.

  Chapter 68: IMC Zone-08

  General Matzu Kashi and Lt General Lexi Lancaster, leading the missions for Zone-08, were phenomenal innovators and had contributed to countless essential inventions, had helped to solve many of the issues with the economy while working with Lt General Evan Bauer, had brought into reality and utility many ideas that were once thought of as purely theoretical in practice or in science, and they were regulars throughout the entertainment industry writing books, doing interviews, and even playing award-winning roles in movies and television series from time to time during the years preceding Eliza’s presidency. They both had robust resumes.

  Matzu had led Convergence Science Teams successfully teaching, developing and producing some amazing futuristic technologies, the sort that many believed would have made the late Carl Sagan and Joseph Feynman proud. Lexi had won several medals ice-skating in many worldwide competitions and was known for her creative style, humor, and self-confidence through ironic humility and showmanship. She had been raised as and named Alex while growing up, had practiced ballet, acrobatics, gymnastics, and ice skating and she had won several gold medals worldwide and in the 2008 Winter Olympics.

  After joining Pathway, she became both physiologically and neurologically optimized while going through her journey and training in the Virtual Universe with Eliza, and when “Alex” became “Lexi,” she didn’t deem it fair to participate in the Olympics with her new abilities. In 2010, Eliza had helped Alex open her mind and transcend her fears of becoming Lexi and had also begun to introduce the first plans for setting up a tech city version of the Olympics for the optimized. While in the Virtual Universe that first time with Eliza, she had expressed herself as a very capable and beautiful woman, since that was her true identity, as well as who she truly felt she was within. At the time of her birth, Alex had actually been born with both male and female features, so her parents in their younger moments of stress, eagerness, and a desire to fit in, while living in a very sports-heavy and conservative part of the US, had opted to render Alex a male. All her life she’d been confused, not sure whether she was straight, gay, or a woman trapped in a man’s body, but she never let that slow her down. She followed her dreams, garnered support through dedication and passion, and became the openly gender-unique phenomenon that she was. For the last nineteen years, Alex, who had been her true self, as Lexi, transformed instantly in every way while in the Virtual Universe with Eliza, yet what Lexi did in private did not rule her life. She knew who she was, and to her private relationships were just that, consenting, private, and beautifully morale-boosting and reciprocated relationships of freedom and bliss.

  It had been because of Lexi that Solar System President James Cooper, Pathway President Erin Carter, and UAS President Eliza Williams ha
d seen fit to institute great sports arenas of every imaginable sort throughout every tech city. Lexi’s genius contributed to the institution of many sports which were incorporated into the IMC Spacecraft arenas. For Lexi, it was about maintaining natural strength, agility, and dexterity. She taught that maintaining those essential aspects of our physiology in-turn compounded upon our neurological health, augmented our optimized abilities, and she exemplified those standards through her own dedication. All of this led to many other great innovations, updates, upgrades, and more while working closely for many years with Amber Blythe, with the side benefit of increased morale.

  Some of the most world-renowned fashion designers had been trained by Lexi on how to build Matrix Enterprises within and using Virtual Universe technology to design smart-suit and halo-ensemble wardrobes. She did this, so the best, brightest, and most considerate designers could continue their stylistic excellence in the most precise, artistic, individualized, and neurologically-independent manner, allowing people to express themselves in the most desirable yet intriguing way, and in a way that suited them best. Lexi had done a lot and was rewarded.