The Star
Chapter Eighteen
Helen was not going to be in a hurry. She planned on buttering him up quite a bit before making her request for the day. Smiling at Antiope, she went to Jim's cabin and shut the door.
Removing her cloth, Helen examined her natural state in the mirror. Finding her appearance to be satisfactory, she examined Jim and planned her approach. The clothing she deemed was a nuisance, and she disposed of Jim's clothing, being careful not to wake him. She then brought herself quite close to him and let her ambrosia seep its way into his nostrils while not otherwise disturbing him anyway. She lit ceremonial candles within the room and performed some other rituals.
Her witchcraft, the magic of Isis, was excellent. Helen managed to arouse Jim without arousing him. While he slept she extracted his energy from him, then woke him up with him under the influence.
"Only you Helen could do that so well. I am pleased that you think so fondly of me."
"Do you love me more than Isis, Jim?"
"It is hard to measure my love for you Helen. It would be unfair to Antiope for me to answer that question."
"Jim, fr m you, that means ‘ yes’. Do you think that I am the most beautiful woman in the world. I was being told that all last night by all the men that I met."
"Helen, you're on Earth. No Earth woman can measure up to you or Antiope in beauty by their standards, but you are not more beautiful than either Isis or Aphrodite."
"So I am not the most beautiful woman in the world, then."
"Yes you are, Isis and Aphrodite aren't on this world."
"But you still love me more than Isis?"
"What makes you think I love her?"
"I know you do Jim, just as she loves you."
"Whatever you say Helen. Yes, I love you more than her."
"How can you be that way Jim? She bestows you with the greatest of honors. She does much for you that you don't seem to appreciate."
"Why are you asking me all this, Helen?"
"Jim, you are Qblh. You are my leader and I love you. As your lover, I can control you, but as your subject, I must obey you. I am confused as to how to treat you at times."
"Try not to think of our relation in such a manner, and simply react natural, for your nature is beauty itself."
"Oh Jim, you're such a good liar. Taste this and tell me it is delicious."
"Antiope tastes better."
"You scoundrel, we both taste the same, and if we didn't how come you thought it was me when Morgana seduced you. Surely you aren't saying you can tell the difference. I don't think you can differentiate between clean muffs."
"You're right, Helen; I should have noticed the difference, but I wanted to believe that was you. I was so happy when I thought you were free, that I didn't pay attention to details. I certainly paid for that one, didn't I?"
"I guess you did, Jim. Where are you taking me today?"
"I'm taking you to Palestine."
"That is pretty close. I wanted to go to the Eastern Mediterranean; but I was thinking more of Greece."
"It's in the general vicinity, we'll be leaving for the past from there, and rematerializing in about the same location, but a few thousand years earlier."
"Are you going to give me Troy, Jim?"
"Is that what you want?"
"You know it is, sweetheart."
"Well then, if we are to do that; perhaps we should try to see what all the fighting is all about. I hardly believe that it was over a woman."
"What do you think it was about, Jim?"
"It was about the demise of a very ancient regime and culture. Troy controlled access to the Black Sea, much the same as the Ottomans controlled the Eastern trade routes during the Middle Ages. Another city, Constantinople, shared Troy's fate, but in this case Asia regained control of the straits. The Trojans somehow employed the help of the Amazon race to control this region until Helen, and the Amazons ceased to exist."
"Now Jim, I don't remember reading that."
"Genie told me that."
"Jim is there something else, you're not telling me?"
"Yes, but in due time."
"Oh, Antiope wants a favor. She wants Genie to give her a wish."
"What sort of wish?”
"She wants her stock price to go back up. She says that they are selling off her stock."
"Oh, oh! That is not good. But I don't know if I can do anything about that."
"She says that Genie knows of a way."
"Well, if Genie knows of a way. We can do it then."
"But don't you want to know the details?"
"OK, just a second. Genie! What's the plan?"
A console in the stateroom lit up and Genie flashed facts and figures at Jim while he reviewed the details. "These people simply have no faith. You can't say that you didn't warn them. The other market makers are trying to batter us, but they are leaving themselves quite open."
"Why is that, Jim?"
"Because they are buying into firms that we are going to put out of business. Earth always underestimates me. America is still slave to oil imports and compromise their values so as to keep secure the flow of that resource. Conservative and traditional investors were getting nervous. and they managed to scare some of your major investors back into their fold, pocketing a little profit in the while."
"I don't understand, Jim."
"Genie! Be a market maker and grant Antiope her wish for today!"
"By your command, Jim."
"Oh, Jim! You are so sweet!"
Helen kissed him and showed her appreciation. Jim hadn't said much, but she was going to have a very nice vacation in the Mediterranean, and Antiope would be happy as well.
"Amazons, Jim. You said Amazons helped Troy. Are you suggesting that they are us?"
"I don't know, Helen, but it is worth a look and see."
"Well, I want to see too."
Jim's Thought is distinguished from magic, which attempts to impose one's own will, whereas Jim's Thought seeks to learn the divine will and to cooperate with it.
Helen interrelated with Jim exhausting him till he could say no more. He pondered his plans. He had no idea the day before that he would be doing such things as he had promised he would do within the past few hours. Information was simply coming in so rapidly that he barely had time to consider the implications of his intentions. He had given the women room to believe that he could impose his own will on time itself. That was not a good assumption for either him or them to believe. He commanded Genie to transport them to the Mediterranean, undetected, and fell back asleep.Annoyed with Jim's laziness, Helen went up to the sun deck where she immediately noticed the improvement in the weather and the salt of the sea. She and Antiope sunbathed and played Monopoly with Genie and Antiope Industries. The market went into its usual panic.
Using her own shares as collateral Antiope sold puts against her shares of Antiope Industries, and used the acquired capital to purchase call contracts. Genie expertly created the contracts to maintain a slow but steady climb of one point an hour for the early part of the trading day. The option volume was heavy, and it wasn't long before the shorts were bailing out. Antiope requested for an immediate jump by buying all available contracts. Genie managed a ten point jump in one hour and then allowed the rate to slow.
Genie then maintained the price steady carefully monitoring the transactions and revealing to Antiope all sorts of relevant information. The desired effect was reached as the volume started to die down. The market was expecting an upcoming slight pullback, as Antiope started selling puts and buying calls again; carefully regulating the volume so as not to cause a price change.
Helen counted the option contracts by the thousands. CNBC was a-buzz with speculation as to what was occurring. Once again the media was inflamed with the prospect of an inexhaustible supply of cheap energy. Furthermore Antiope Industries had promised to share its technology with all, regardless of race, nationality, or religion. A very fair system of distribution was rumored to be in the works. Disbelievers continued in their attempts to discredit the peaceful intentions of Qblh and company.
