QBLH
Chapter XXXIX
Three of Cups
Abundance
Semiramis and Company
Understanding how richly the waters of emotions flow
Antiope was interested in the languages of the time. She knew that her ability to communicate with the natives would be critical to their success. She had also developed quite a complex scenario with Genie's virtual reality space-time simulator. Genie accepted Antiope's fantasies as his instructions. It simply gave Antiope a list of possible selections, and depended on the creative ability of Antiope's intelligence to give cause to a possible action.
During the few hours or years of orbit over the Earth, the Box was able to obtain ample information concerning Earth's geography and population demographics. Jim opted to penetrate the Amazon defenses using Antiope and Helen.
The base would be surrounded by all sorts of warning devices which would alert the colony concerning any trespassers. Jim would surface on the Black Sea, just beyond the visible horizon of any potential observer. Idiot would confirm that before materializing. He would then sail under cover of darkness to make a beach landing and fold up the vehicle inside the Box, and carry Genie with him as a hand instrument as they made their way over land.
He remembered this location from before the flood. He had lived here. All traces of the previous colony were gone. Isis had chosen the site again as her base. No doubt she would set up home base at Ephesus with a Grecian counterpart at Attica.
The site was protected with Venetian sensing devices. These merged quite naturally in with the environment, but Idiot had no difficulty warning Jim of any and all traps. Antiope and Helen slipped through the shadows silently, keeping a bearing on their location with a hand held crystal globe which was their link to Genie and Jim. These "crystal balls" would fit in well with the folklore of the time as a wizard's device and would not raise an eyebrow in surprise, but would still be regarded as magical and something to be afraid of.
Idiot had managed to reestablish control of the Pegasus without Isis realizing. Shaltain's link with the Pegasus was not a live link, and Idiot easily shorted out all instructions which did not fit in with Jim's programmed guidelines. Idiot was to still maintain a first level security program which was to assume command of all the ship's higher level functions.
Jim destabilized the antimatter main reactors, and the ship's power systems had gone subcritical. Isis was now consuming more energy than she was producing. She dared not bring the craft out of orbit, because she would never be able to get it in flight again. There was obviously no refueling station on Earth, nor could she be permitted to make one. She knew full well the consequences of such coarse tampering with human history now that she knew its future. Sensing the confusing results of a paradox were something that she did not want to learn how to deal with, she opted to establish an Amazon colony, and continue in her intriguing game with Jim. But first she had to get the ship's engines to behave properly, but the computer seemed to be having a great deal of problems, as that it appeared that some of the circuits had been damaged by the mysterious system crash.
She had emissaries throughout the major civilizations having kings doing her bidding. Hatshepsut, Ayesha, and Medea were but a few of her agents. Semiramis had seduced Nimrod into establishing the deification of the Queen of Artemis. In return she civilized the heathen savage men into a nation of literate,cultivated gentlemen, Sumeria. They fought for her, and obeyed her word as law. She pronounced the seasons to them and taught them to take care of the women. The king, however, wanted to be honored the same as Semiramis. Anat became high priestess for Hammurabi and Sons Inc., essentially ruling Babylon and the Amorite kings of the time.
Semiramis, not being human, naturally declined to put herself of equal status to her servant Nimrod. She had been the strength behind is "hunting", or so she claimed. There can be no doubt that Semiramis played the dominant role. Isis had been pleased by her efforts and had managed to rescue her from the mad desires of her crazed and alleged son, who was in love with her. He had been so spoiled by being a prince that he was used to getting anything and everything he wanted. His "mother", being the beautiful Amazon that she was, attracted him as well. All lusted after the beautiful queen, and many claimed to have been with her. Semiramis, wishing to conceal the truth encouraged the doubts concerning her chastity, but never gave a single man the proof that she was not a virgin; none ever lived to tell the tale for some reason. Many claimed that she was a vampire, and drank the blood of her lovers and then spirited them away. Semiramis had her coven of Amazon sisters, and together they effectively established a great city and civilization by which they would rule Earth.
Isis resided in Egypt during the time of Semiramis to supervise the revitalization of the Pyramid complex after it had been abandoned for so many centuries. Respecting Qblh’s desire to avoid paradox, she also acted to obliterate any proof of her previous past on Earth. By doing so it was calculated that she had maximum windows of opportunity for a safe return home and also maximum flexibility concerning where she could operate while in the past with the greatest amount of power and effect
The son of Semiramis was enraged when she left him behind on Earth to die. Indeed he was also actually Nimrod's son. Nimrod had indeed raped her on his last day, being unable to tolerate the thought of others having his wife. She had many daughters and yet he knew he had not sired a one. Enraged by this chronic jealousy, he resolved that he should have her. Nimrod died impregnating Semiramis Semiramis had twins, a son and a daughter.
However, Semiramis was greatly feared and the manner by which Nimrod died only enhanced their fear of this powerful new queen. Whoever dared challenge her power did not live long after he announced his opinion. When the fact was realized that she was to have a son, and the prophecy came true, all were in amazement, and her son was indeed immediately honored as the heir to Nimrod's throne. The mystery of Babylon's religion became then all the more profound and Semiramis had unquestioned authority in all of Nimrod's kingdom while she raised and spoiled the rotten prince.
Semiramis instituted herself as a goddess and her son as a miraculous god; he was after all the miraculous "son of a goddess". It just so happened that Nimrod's sperm was just lucky enough to create a Venetian male mutation. His sister the Greeks would call Persephone, but the Babylonians played her down in favor of the son of their beloved Nimrod. Nimrod being long dead was now beloved by all as a great ruler, and all seemed to have forgotten any cruelties that he may have imposed. Semiramis was by far the greater tyrant. She had, after all, been the woman behind Nimrod. Nimrod had in fact been nothing but a hen-pecked husband who had the misfortune of being the first human male to actually marry an Amazon. There should be small wonder that it eventually cost him his life.
It is suggested that Semiramis's son may have met an unfortunate fate, once his mother had abandoned him. It is rumored that his kingdom was obliterated when he attempted to invade the Chinese people and conquer the empire of the renegades Xiang and Xuang who claimed to be greater "gods" than himself. He heeded not his mother's advice to not interfere with the affairs of that particular kingdom. Instead he staged a massive war against these people and the result was his defeat and complete bankruptcy of his attempt at Sumerian expansion into China.
Betrayed by his own people, his empire was subdivided into smaller provinces as Xiang and Xuang effectively bribed his generals with promises of economic aid and trade contracts. It is not known what happened to this unfortunate prince. Many claimed that he had been murdered, others claimed that he had escaped and was going around the land under some alias or another. All of the generals that had betrayed him met very awful deaths which gave credence to the possibility that this creature was somehow still alive. Some claimed that it was the work of his followers who sought to gain by the fear that their dark master was indeed alive.
Isis would not be inclined to forgive the fool for stupidly waging war on the prince and princess of Artemis, while they were undergoing their academic education on Earth, nor was she going to be inclined to admit that she had tampered with human history by starting the Chinese empire. She was quite aware of the necessity to avoid paradoxical complications. As a result it was considered a Venetian Top Secret project, and any compromise would warrant a Venetian execution. None would dare challenge the safety of Xiang and Xuang while they were involved in any top secret state affairs of Isis. That was a definite no-no.
Semiramis had done an excellent job concerning her mission on Earth as far as Isis was concerned. Semiramis had no longer any love for her son after he attempted to rape her.
When she had gone to consult with Isis concerning his behavior, he proclaimed a death judgment against her for some reason or other because she refused to sleep with him, and seemed to be of the impression that he would be able to survive since he was part Amazon. Knowing this, Semiramis was less than pleased, and decided to let her son have his wish, so she abandoned him and the civilization that she had established to be overrun by Xiang's and Xuang's mercenaries. As far as Babylon was concerned, she was now dead. Her cultists would be told that she had gone to heaven.
Thus the departure of Semiramis from the land left the people without a single strong unifying power and all went each way after her departure in a manner of their own fantasies. Babylon would never again be the same, but the influence of Semiramis would never be erased. Isis had accomplished her purpose with Semiramis. Isis granted the daughters of Semiramis sanctuary on Artemis.
"Jim, Xiang and Xuang are on board the Pegasus, as well as some of the most elite stormtroopers that Artemis has to offer. She has on-board a division of them."
