Pesagniya looked up, gazing thoughtfully at the other three. “So, somehow Peg made it out of there alive? Even after Mac did something as stupid as throw her and Kuko together again? On Elysium. Alone. With an experimental transport as the bait? Well then. My first official act as Theatre commander will be a recommendation to Mac. She deserves a medal — Courage Under Fire.”
Chapter 49
Smigyl Learns the Ugly Truth
Respect each other’s children.
—El Elyon
Elysium
"Just hold your finger there to keep the bolt head in place and I’ll tighten,” Indra said to Kuko. Time had flown since Indra and Smigyl had spoken in Elysium’s Grand Reception Hall.
Indra, still disguised as Hister, was under a massive milling machine with a wrench, and Kuko had wedged her slender body down into the side. Only her feet were sticking out. Soon, a steady stream of new Lanonandek transports would flow from the massive assembly room.
With his disguise still in place, Indra was able to work side by side with Castor and Kuko without disrupting the workflow. Unfortunately, Lord Smigyl was about to end all that.
Lord Smigyl was the only non-Nazz who had been issued a security badge with a high enough clearance to enter the Lanonandek replication facility. Once he presented his official Nazz ID badge, he entered the men’s locker room to alter his appearance just as Indra had done.
Lord Smigyl was one of the few Gods who could change his skin color and to a greater extent, alter his face through intention alone. He sat in a private toilet stall and focused until he had given himself a new face and had turned his skin into a dull yellow, representative of a lower caste. Coupled with wearing the gray overalls with dull yellow stripes that the low-level inspectors wore, he would attract no attention.
Smigyl strolled into the massive room, his hands clasped efficiently behind his back. To be inside the building meant you had already been through security. Badges simply specified job function and a name. Smigyl chose the simple name, ‘Ramm’, which was his favorite name when traveling or incarnating incognito. No one even glanced at Smigyl as he walked through the facility, casually studying the different rows of mills, lathes, stamps, and ovens.
After searching for three or four hours, Ramm stopped to study a milling machine. He was about to leave when someone from inside the machine spoke.
“Excuse me.” He recognized Kuko’s voice.
“Yes?” He was about to say ‘Madame Kiena’, but then remembered the first name basis that was generally used under these circumstances. “Yes Kuko, how can I help?” Ramm was careful to select a Nazz tongue, one that would identify him as a scholar, yet a scholar speaking informally.
Long ago, Smigyl had mastered all the Nazz languages and proper accents, just as he had mastered all other languages that were important to him. He now spoke in a way that would identify him as someone to be taken seriously while at the same time joyful and eager to be of service.
“Hand me that large set of locking pliers.”
Ramm walked to the large tool chest, but stopped when a set of large locking pliers came skidding out from under another nearby machine. Ramm picked them up and handed them to Kuko’s awaiting hand. At last, he had found Lord Indra.
For the next hour, he assisted the others by handing tools and occasionally running errands.
“I think that’s it. Let’s give it a test run.” Three sets of feet became legs, which then turned into bodies. Kuko had been all but upside down, squeezed into a small gap in the machine.
“Kuko. Do you want me to pull on your legs?” Ramm asked, anticipating her need for assistance.
“Thanks.”
Ramm firmly pulled on her legs and saw her buttocks as she emerged.
He felt a tingle as he thought back to the many times he had been delighted by this beautiful, green-skinned Panis Artisan. During their first encounters, he had no idea who she was. It was not until he had spent many nights with Kuko, divulged many secrets to her, and she had disappeared after a series of Material incarnations into Eden, Urantia, and Panoptia, that he finally discovered he had been deceived by Lord Indra’s master seductress. Fortunately, he was not that naïve any more.
Kuko emerged from the machine with Ramm offering her a hand. “Thank you, brother,” she said politely, noting it was not anyone she knew.
“Madame Kiena,” he said intently, studying her face. “You’ve got something just there.” He pointed and then touched the tip of her nose with his greasy finger. “Yes, that’s better. There was still a spot of your skin showing.”
She studied him with a small, inquisitive smile. He smiled back.
“I’m sorry, but do we know each other?” She quickly glanced at his ID badge while pulling a clean blue shop-towel out of her pocket and started dabbing the grease from her face and hands.
“Kuko…” he sounded hurt. “How could you not remember me?”
Indra disguised as Hister smiled. Even with Smigyl’s flawless disguise, Hister instantly recognized him. He gave Castor a quick wink. “Let’s load up a sample and give this baby a try.”
Kuko studied his face. He seemed familiar but she could not place him.
“And to think we were lovers for so long.”
Ramm, whoever he was, sounded genuine, playful. Even with his perfect speech, it still impressed her that his lower caste status seemed to have no effect on his self-regard. It was also clear he was enjoying taunting her. He scanned her lean body, his face growing dreamy. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “If you really want to remember who I am, just let me get you back to your room for…”
Ramm stopped. Kuko was no longer smiling. She did not look insulted. She looked hurt, even wounded.
Ramm immediately identified himself as Smigyl but that did not seem to help.
“All of you, right now, into Mr. Speer’s office,” Castor said with such intensity and authority that the two most powerful of all the Overlords followed him without question. He knew he had to explain Kuko’s reaction carefully. This was a situation so potentially explosive that it could lead to unending wars.
Castor closed his eyes. He took a few deep breaths, trying to focus his mind. The right words usually came, but not this time. Kuko began to sob. Very quickly, Castor realized he just needed to spit it out.
“Lord Smigyl,” Castor gave a small but polite bow. “My sister was the primary organizer of the banquet in your honor. She was also the author for many of the details in the agendas you and Lord Indra discussed. After the banquet, she was physically and psychologically exhausted. You may have noted her absence. She was staying in her room to rest.”
Had he been explaining only to Indra, or only to Smigyl, the situation would have been easier. Because he was trying to explain something so sordid to these two Overlords simultaneously, he was finding it difficult to say the next words. He again closed his eyes, giving his head a little shake.
Indra knew something was terribly wrong. Castor, irrespective of how horrendous a situation was, never hesitated. Even more disturbing, Indra had never seen him close his eyes like this unless he was alone in deep contemplation or on stage acting.
“Recently, one evening, Madame Kiena noticed an unusual sparkle on her bedroom balcony, so she asked Salecia to investigate. Tuning her awareness into the Etherial, Salecia saw that the sparkle was indeed emanating from an Etherial phenomenon. And that Etherial phenomena was a phallus coming from Guru Patanjali’s bedroom.”
The silence in the room was deafening.
“Needless to say, my sister was as angry as she was upset, so she set about compelling it to enter into the Celestial so they could trap it. Then they…”
“Please stop,” Smigyl said quietly, holding up his hand.
Castor looked back and forth from Smigyl to Indra. Smigyl put his fist to his mouth, puffing air through it. He glanced at Kuko. He could tell this was a deeply personal and humiliating matter for her. She slid to the floor, her head
down, looking as if the life had been kicked out of her body.
Smigyl turned to Indra. “Brother. At the moment, I’m at a loss for the proper words to express my outrage. After you welcomed us into your home, my son attempted to rape your daughter.” Smigyl closed his eyes and shook his head. “I am truly at a loss for words.”
Smigyl opened his eyes and turned to Indra. “May I be allowed to ask you a question?”
“No brother,” Indra replied, answering the question he knew Smigyl would ask. “I knew nothing of this. Just now is my first knowledge of the event.”
“Very well. If I might be allowed, I would like to see the trapped penis,” Smigyl said softly.
Chapter 50
Into the Ocean
In many ways, what I did in service to El Elyon was not that unusual. El Elyon — that would be the formal name that we, the Creator Sons, give to our Father — He who is the Universal Creator, the One God above all Gods, the Master of Havona.
To many individuals within Nebadon, my undergoing of the Trinacria Transformation in service to Him seemed bizarre, even perverse. But for me it was something I did gladly, without question — just another simple act of Faith — just another thing that any good Son would gladly do upon the request of his benevolent Father.
The problem was that none of us could have imagined just how deeply Lord Smigyl’s lies ran. None of our innocent minds comprehended the real nature of his Tower of Light and the nature of the Etherial realm that would power that horrible device. And who could have guessed at what furious hurricane I eventually became when my brokenness became stuck in that Etherial realm in service to Lord Smigyl himself? Who could have guessed that it would be me who became the epitome of Evil?
—King Ayasia of Ninveth
The Celestial Waters of the Master Spirit, within the Thicypher realm between Uversa and Edentia
The Archangel Raphael fell through space, blazing a trail to Edentia, the capital of the Norlatiadek Constellation and Valkyrie Command Center for the Satania System. Havona’s premier assassin was now acting as a Mighty Messenger on the behalf of King Ayasia. As a Mighty Messenger, Raphael would now have the highest level of authority, acting as an extension of the voice and hands of El Elyon Himself.
Normally, on a long voyage like this, Raphael would have long ago fallen asleep, allowing her wings to automatically navigate her to her destination. But this was no ordinary mission.
Raphael had incarnated into Satania before. She had seen plenty of atrocities. It seemed nothing was beyond Lord Smigyl and the other Overlords.
Although Eden was only one of Shangri-La’s ten million evolutionary planets, it, more than any other world, had been at the center of Smigyl’s rebellion. And just like Raphael’s last mission into that disturbed system of planets, the package she was about to deliver would take her into the heart of Smigyl’s power structure. There, she knew she would face her greatest enemies. At the same time, her heart told her that some of her dearest friends would also be there to support her, maybe even her daughter, Josephine. At least she hoped that would be the case.
Raphael reached behind and gingerly felt for the large backpack under her long black cloak. Best not to disturb Uncle Karl and his companions now that the elixirs had finally put them into a deep sleep. It would be these sleeping creatures and their belongings that Raphael would surreptitiously deliver into Eden. Once Rahu was crowned Eden’s Planetary Prince again, the creatures would be activated, thereby changing the Shangri-La Galaxy forever.
She accelerated hard, slipping through the Thicypher realm, already at a velocity equivalent to tens of thousands of times the speed of light. Her hands stroked the seven golden clasps on the front of her cloak. She calmed her breath, trying to bring her mind some peace.
Isle of Belize
“Okay, Collin. I’m drawing a blank here. Why don’t you think of something to say.”
“Fine. Here’s one for you. I know I’m a bum — just a slackard in paradise. I have no idea why a dimwit like me is even a resident. And now that I know who you are, I have even less of an idea why you have any interest in me at all. Dr. Yummy was making it with Colonel Josephine Doulmahel — Eden’s Theatre commander? Now that’s just crazy. You’ve probably at least screened my records. I know Michelle interviews everyone. You know all about my recent activities and still you wanna be with me? What gives?”
“Well. I can answer that,” she said. “Let me start with asking you another question.”
“Great. You answer my question with another question. Never heard of an Angel doing that before.”
“Do you in some way feel I’m superior, special, or more valuable than you?”
“Duh. Yes.”
“Yeah, well, I figured as much. It’s the myth that the Overlords perpetuate to maintain their ‘elite’ status. The only Gods that require your subservience and worship are jealous, greedy parasites. From El Elyon’s point of view, it is in fact, the opposite. If our supposed superiority were truly the case, that we somehow have higher value, then no one would care about my little oversight and it would be Lieutenant Collin Striker who would get busted, shipped out, and looking for a job elsewhere.”
“It’s complete insanity.”
“It only seems like insanity because you don’t understand the truth.”
“Which truth?” Collin asked.
“I was born in Havona. I call El Elyon, ‘Grandpa’. I’ve watched The Thrones build Creations like children build sand castles on a beach.”
“You call El Elyon Grandpa? I have no idea what to say,” Collin chuckled.
“Collin. El Elyon is my Grandpa. My dad is a Michael Son. His dad is El Elyon. That makes El Elyon my Grandpa. Right?”
“I don’t know how to process that.”
“Exactly. Exactly. That’s what I’m talking about. From my records, you’ve only once made it to a Mansion World V sphere. As you know, a Mansion World V sphere floats within the Sea of Glass. Since the Sea of Glass holds the Spirit of Truth, it is there that the entire truth of who you are, what you are, and your entire past is revealed to you. Many decide to go back and forget for awhile until they mature enough to deal with their past.”
“I’ve been to a Mansion World V sphere? I don’t remember that.”
“Sure. Of course you don’t. You have a memory cap — a specialized material that acts as an enduring Nakshatric Blanket — one that cannot be dissolved anywhere below a Mansion World V Sphere.” Or by an act of Divine Intervention. Whichever one comes first. But I guess you don’t need to know about that little detail just yet.
“And before you ask, you have a memory cap because you begged for one. Just an hour ago, when we were talking about some of your rougher missions, you said, ‘Sometimes I just want to die and wake up far, far away from here with all my memory wiped clean.’ Well, that’s exactly what you asked for and that’s exactly what you got. Once your full akashic record opened to you, you became distressed by a few details of your past and the consequences of your actions. So, you asked for one. You decided you wanted to work out a few issues.”
“That doesn’t surprise me a bit,” Collin said. “And thank God someone finally told me. Parts of my mind are blank. I really don’t have much memory before Panoptia.”
“The memory cap was woven into a regular Nakshatric Blanket while on Mansion World V. After that, you were inserted into a womb on Urantia. You had a few incarnations around Satania before Panoptia. And now, here you are.”
“Okay, great. So what?”
“The ‘so what’ is, you have never been above Mansion World V — let alone any of the realms beyond Salvington. The Worlds of Light and Life are where the fun really starts. That’s where you finally get real glimpses into the nature of El Elyon’s Creations. I know on Mansion World V, you had a few clear visions into Salvington. And that’s when you decided to go back and do a bit more work.”
Collin just shook his head. “You know what? I would really like a glass of
wine right…”
“Hi there, love birds,” a voice called out. Collin saw Sargent Dustin Owen trotting toward them. Dustin and his wife had sailed to Belize in their medium-sized sailboat, acting as chaperones for young Princess Parvarti, just in case. In one of his hands was what looked like a bottle of wine. Both of them stood to greet him.
“Hi Uncle Dustin,” Josephine said with a smile, giving Collin’s officemate a friendly hug and brief kiss on the lips.
“Here ya go, stud. Hold this,” Dustin said, as he handed the bottle to Collin, then reached into his back pocket and pulled out a corkscrew. He took the bottle back, pulled the cork, and handed the bottle back to Collin.
Collin opened his mouth to speak but Dustin interrupted him. “This isn’t about me. Enjoy the wine. We’ll talk later.” He gave Josephine a peck on the cheek, Collin a good smack on the back, and then turned and trotted back to his campfire.
“Hand me that,” Josephine said as she took the bottle and gave it a big swig.
“Shouldn’t we let that breathe a moment?”
“Nope. No time,” she said as she plopped down on the sand again.
Collin sat. Josephine handed him the bottle, and he took a big swig. “‘Uncle’ Dustin? You call him that every time you come into the logistics office. I assumed it was simply some kind of friendly, Angelic-type greeting. So does that mean…”
“Yep. Dustin is a Michael Son. He and Yaniel Owen are another set of Divine Twins. They’re now the local Norlatiadek coordinators with the Council of Thrones. Why? Is that a problem? Don’t you think he’s a nice guy?” she asked, taking the bottle and chugging another gulp.
Collin opened his mouth but nothing came out.
“Collin, our time is running out fast. In less than 5,600 Eden years, Uncle Josh will begin his final bestowal. His judgment cometh and that right soon. Very soon, King Joshua will show up in the flesh. He’ll incarnate a minimum of a thousand times, most of them probably on Eden. From within the flesh, he’ll be able to clearly see and understand the Overlords and their children face to face — on their own terms. I don’t know how he’ll decide who can be saved and who cannot. A thousand lifetimes might seem a lot to you. But for a God of his status, that’s a blink of an eye. Afterward, this nonsense called Lord Smigyl’s Rebellion of Liberty will come to a complete and final end. We have waited as long as possible, to pull as many out as we can. But, the good news is…”
Lilith: Eden's Planetary Princess (The Michael Archives Book 1) Page 39