Time Tightening

putting Asterothrope genes into Earthlings

On this blog page, below, is the final chapter of the science fiction story Old Time Gaming. The sentient spaceship, Many Sails, is making a few adjustments to the historical timeline of Earth. With access to Everywhen, Manny, the humanoid appendage of Many Sails, is simultaneously working in multiple times including 1830 Australia and 2037 in Arizona.

Kate

After settling on Garden Island in western Australia in 1814, Rylla and Abigail were soon producing babies with special Asterothrope gene patterns and telepathic abilities. As told in Part 11 of Old Time Gaming, Manny must remove the first-born child of Kate White from Earth because Manny does not want Rylla's presence on Earth to be discovered before 1830.

source

Manny transfers Kate's child to a distant planet of the far future (SM284) that is better suited for a powerful telepath. In 19th century Australia, R. Nyrtia is searching for Interventionist agents who are making subtle alterations to Earth's history. Kate's telepathic baby would not fail to attract the attention of Nyrtia and her field agent, Maria Green.

While waiting for more settlers to reach western Australia and found Perth, Rylla continues to experiment with her nanites. Manny wants Rylla to be able to deploy her femtobot body components as weapons and put up a good fight against Maria Green. Maria's search for the source of unwanted changes to the timeline eventually leads to Rylla and her descendants, as told in Part 12, below. The events of Part 12 begin soon after the end of Part 11.

Part 12 of Old Time Gaming. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11.

hierions

Anselme Riedlé died in 1829 and was buried on Garden Island. Immediately after his burial, his companion, Kardynya, took down the French flag that Riedlé insisted on flying above the little settlement. A few minutes later, she placed the flag on his grave and then she disappeared. When Kardynya vanished, Rylla was not surprised. Manny had instantiated herself as Kardynya so as to provide company for Anselme and now that task was complete.

Soon after Riedlé's death, Perth was founded by a new wave of settlers in western Australia and all the remaining residents of Garden Island moved to new homesteads on the mainland. They settled in an area of good pasture land thirty miles north of Perth.

During the first year living on the mainland, a comfortable home was built by Abigail, George White and their children. Far in the future, their horse ranch would become the childhood home of Georgy White, the discoverer of hierions. 

Not far away, another house was built by the family of Rylla and David Phillips. After those first two homes were mostly complete, construction began on a third home for Kate and Occyde. By this time, Abigail had given birth to five children and Rylla three and Kate was pregnant again and expecting the arrival of her second child.

Uluṟu

One hot day of summer, John, Max, Sophie and a Liza copy arrived in Rylla's backyard with a herd of camels, having traveled by land across Australia from Sydney to Perth. Rylla was introduced to Viky, the daughter of John and Sophie, a spunky girl who had grown up in the wilds of the Outback. Rylla could sense a weak telepathic connection to Viky.

Even after having been separated for so many years, Rylla's telepathic link to John was immediately just as strong as it had been years earlier and they soon renewed their telepathic love making sessions. Rylla thought of orgasms achieved in the absence of her telepathic linkage to John as 'half-orgasms'. When their minds were telepathically linked, feedback heightened their sexual pleasure to a level that was impossible for either of them to achieve with biological humans.

After sharing a series of delightful orgasms, John explained to Rylla what he had been doing for the past seventeen years. When the Governor's soldiers took over the gold mining, none of us wanted to return to civilization. We assembled the camels that were not being used by the 73rd Regiment to transport gold to Sydney and wandered off into the middle of the continent. He described the places they had visited during the past dozen years including Uluṟu and other distinctive geological features.

John told Rylla that he had found another gold-rich site about a hundred miles east of Perth and that when she was ready, they could start mining that gold and funding her plans for a school system in Perth. Rylla explained to John that the population of Perth was very small and so there was no need to rush into constructing an infrastructure for higher education in western Australia.

Time Portal

Rylla's more immediate plans centered on having some of Abigail's stories sent to England for publication, but then, only one day after John and Rylla's happy reunion, Maria Green was teleported into Rylla's kitchen and she tossed a printed copy of Time Portal down on the table where Rylla was popping peas out of their pods. Maria had obtained a copy of the book from the future and she intended to change the course of history and prevent publication of Time Portal. Maria said, "You can't tell the world about time travel."

Rylla's femtobot systems had been programmed by Manny so that she could recognize Maria by sight. Rylla pushed away the peas and rose to her feet. She said, "Abigail's story is fiction."

"The story told in the book is too close to the truth. I suspect that you influenced Abigail's writing, either unconsciously or purposefully." Maria and the book were suddenly teleported away; all Rylla noticed was a little puff of air. 

Now worried about Abigail's safety, Rylla ran outside and rode her artificial horse quickly to Abigail's house, but by the time she arrived, Maria had already teleported Abigail away. Maria was methodically searching through the house, carefully collecting Abigail's written stories. Rylla saw that Kate was there, laying on the floor, either dead or unconscious. Rylla went to Kate and felt a weak telepathic linkage to her mind: she was alive. Rylla pushed a cloud of medical nanites into Kate and then attacked Maria. 

battle of the nanites

David had seen Rylla galloping towards the White ranch and he followed her. Arriving in Abigail's home, he saw Kate sitting on the floor, watching the battle between Maria and Rylla. Most of the nanite weapons they were using against each-other moved too quickly to be seen. Rylla and Maria were jumping around as if engaged in some kind of wild dance. Sensing that Rylla was in grave danger, David charged at Maria and died quickly, sliced into tiny pieces by flashing nanite blades. There was a loud boom and a bright flash and Kate again fell to the floor, unconscious.

A few hours later, John and Viky arrived at the White ranch house. They learned that George had been working on the fencing around a distant horse pasture when he heard an explosion sounding like cannon fire. Returning to the house, he had revived Kate, but the young woman was still traumatized by what she had seen. John described Maria's visit to the nearby camp where the camels were grazing; Sophie and Liza had both been taken away by Maria Green. Kate told John, "I didn't see it happen, but that must have been the fate of both Abigail and Rylla. And we have looked almost everywhere... Occyde and Rylla's other children are missing, too. The only one left behind was Jarra... he's still out searching..." 

Almost immediately after his name was spoken, Jarra came into the room and reported on the outcome of his search. "I can't find them anywhere. We must accept it... they are gone." 

After John and Jarra completed the unpleasant task of collecting and burying David's body parts, Jarra led John and Viky to the Phillips ranch and they wandered through Rylla's vineyards and citrus grove. Jarra and Viky had previously started a romance and they now were holding hands. Along side the orange grove was a half-completed foundation for a new building. Jarra told John, "Rylla was making plans to start bottling her scurvy cure. I suppose it is now up to me to finish her work."

John was struggling to accept that Rylla was gone. He was dejected, but trying to tell himself that over the past 6,000 years he had lost many dear lovers and had always gotten over the loss. However, he had never shared a strong telepathic link with anyone except Rylla. He muttered to Jarra, "Yes, that would be nice."

An image of Rylla showing off her citrus grove to John flashed through his mind, then he suddenly felt the mind pattern of Rylla. He turned and saw her. She had just arrived by teleportation. She quickly explained to Jarra, "I took the children to John's camp, where they will be safe... for now. I'd be very pleased if you would continue my work, Jarra." Jarra rushed forward and hugged Rylla, astounded that she was there in his arms.

John wondered if Manny had been able to save a copy of David. John asked Rylla, "So David is truly dead... Manny did not keep a copy of him?"

Rylla nodded, "Manny won't -or can't- explain to me why she was unable to save David. Maybe it has something to do with convincing Maria that her efforts were successful or making her feel guilty for having killed an innocent bystander." Rylla telepathically told John: We must depart at once. Speaking out-loud, she said, "It is not safe for me to remain here. We must load up the camels and go hide in the outback."

"I'll visit you." Jarra again hugged Rylla and then asked, "Exactly where will you move the camel camp... how far into the bush?"

Rylla replied, "I can't remain too close to Perth. We are going to have to disappear... go deeper into the Outback where I won't be seen by Europeans." Rylla told Jarra, "I may be able to sneak back here and visit you on rare occasions, but mostly you will now be on your own." She looked at Viky.

Viky again took hold of Jarra's hand and told John, "I'll stay here." She told Rylla, "I assume you won't mind if I move into your house with Jarra."

Rylla hugged Viky and said, "I hope you two will be happy living here."

John shook his head and warned, "Viky is a wanderer. I doubt if she will stay in one place for long."

Viky looked at the orange and lemon trees and took a deep breath. She told Rylla, "It will be a new kind of adventure for me... learning how to care for the citrus grove..." She put an arm around Jarra. "And when I start having babies, I'll have more good reasons to stay put."

Rylla was nervous about possibly being seen by someone from Perth. Her last instructions to Jarra and Viky were: "Let the rumor spread that I was killed along with David." John and Rylla got on their horses and returned to his remote camp site where the camels were grazing. As they rode along through the woodland hills, Rylla explained: Manny rescued me and the children by making teleportation duplicates of us. Maria now has a copy of us, but Manny thinks we can continue to live out our lives in the Outback.

John wondered: What will happen to your other copy?

Rylla had no answer. She still did not know much about her own future and Manny had told her nothing about the fate of her other copies. John's camel caravan took John and Rylla's children eastward through a seemingly endless woodland to the valley in the east where he had previously found gold. They set about building a new home which they named Kamelot.

John and Rylla spent much time trying to understand the actions of both Maria Green and Manny. John told Rylla what he had witnessed when Maria teleported Sophie and Liza out of the camel camp. Their abduction had taken place half a day before Maria's visit with Rylla. First, Maria had appeared and she took Liza away. Then a few seconds later, Maria re-appeared. John had time to ask, "What do you want?" Maria seemed not to listen. A moment later both Maria and Sophie were teleported out of the camp.

Discussing Maria's actions, John and Rylla speculated that Manny had long used the copies of Liza as bait for Maria, distracting Maria from the existence of Rylla and John in Australia and allowing them to continue their mission. 

"For many years, Maria was satisfied and left the two of us alone." Rylla observed, "But then something changed. In the end, Maria shifted her attention to Abigail's book and my children."

One night, after John and Rylla had just completed some rather energetic sexplay, Manny appeared, sitting on the edge of their bed. Rylla pulled her mouth off of John's hot erection and told Manny, "I thought you had abandoned us."

Manny laughed and placed a hand on John's stiff penis. "I drop by just about every time that you two make love. Today I have some news to share with you." She told Rylla, "You are pregnant again... this is the first of the children that you and John will have together."

Rylla asked, "How long are you going to let us stay here together?"

Manny shrugged and told Rylla, "You should be able to stretch out your time on Earth until it is time for your grandchildren to start the Great Western Gold Rush." Manny kissed the tip of John's penis and then said, "I've initiated the subroutine in your bodies that will cause you to slowly age. You two won't die of old age, but you will seem to grow older. Eventually, I'll take you both off of Earth and send you into retirement on another world."

"Another planet?"

"I intend to leave your ultimate destination up to the two of you. Maybe you will decide to transmigrate into the sedronic domain. However, that is a matter for the far future. For now, you need only take care of your children."

Rylla said, "Sometimes I wonder if I will meet my other copies."

Manny explained, "It was almost ten years ago that Maria took away the copies of Sophie and Liza who were in Sydney. So, the copy of you who was using Sophie's body form is long gone. Maybe she is now living in exile with the other Sophie who was recently taken by Maria... I don't know. Nyrtia is very secretive."

Rylla asked, "All the Sophie and Liza copies have been removed from Earth?"

"Yes, and after Maria found them all and teleported them away, she was surprised to find that not all the changes to Earth's timeline had been reversed. That's when she turned her attention to Abigail and only then did she finally notice you, Rylla. After Maria took away your children, the changes to Earth's future that had worried R. Nyrtia finally went away. During the next few years, this will be hardest for Kate and Occyde... they must not produce any more of their telepathically powerful children. However, they will each meet someone new and they will again be happy and have long lives."

Earth's Reality Chain

For a time, Manny and Rylla both played contentedly with John's genitals. During that time, Nyrtia's nanites finished the task of implanting in John's body the genome codes for the final two children that he and Rylla would raise on Earth. Her work complete, Manny reluctantly let go of John's erection and then Manny spoke again. "Also, Nyrtia is probably sickened by what happened to David, so she will be eager to move on to other problems and forget about the possibility that yet another Rylla copy might still be on Earth. Maria is now satisfied and believes that she successfully completed her mission. However, the more subtle changes to Earth's future that are of importance to me still remain, so we have been successful."

Rylla asked, "There is nothing more for me to do on Earth?"

Manny enviously watched Rylla as she continued to play with John's erection. "Just the usual... have fun with John and raise your children. You will get to help raise your grandchildren before I send you into retirement."

John suggested to Rylla, "We can start mining gold as a way to fund the vitamin C bottling factory."

"No." Manny shook her head. "Leave the gold untouched for now. Jarra and Viky will go off on an adventure to France where they will learn industrial-scale bottling techniques. However, I have need of their services for another project of mine in America, so they will not return to Australia from France."

Rylla asked, "How will I accelerate science and technology in Perth if I stay here in the Outback?"

Mary and Artep inside the Writers Block.

Manny explained, "You need not worry... the subtle changes that were needed in the Australian education and research infrastructure will gradually unfold. The process is intentionally slow, gradual and subtle so as not to attract Nyrtia's attention and cause her to react. Back in Sydney, your other copy and a man named Lance Wyatt made a subtle change to the trajectory of higher education in Australia, so nothing more need be done." As a seeming afterthought, Manny said, "Oh, sure, Kate's granddaughter, Emma, will get in trouble and be dealt with by Maria, but that won't stop the discovery of hierions by Georgy White."

Rylla was no longer really listening to Manny. Rylla was methodically and gently massaging John's stiff penis and he was struggling to keep from ejaculating. John was telepathically linked to Rylla and with Manny amplifying their telepathic linkage, Rylla was also close to achieving her own sexual climax. John was thinking about the growing embryo that was inside Rylla. Suddenly he understood Manny's plans for the future. "Changing the education system was not as important as changing who would be educated..." John laughed and said to Manny, "What you have done is simply assemble the right assortment of genes here in western Australia."

Manny nodded. "Exactly. And I'm still using your pretty penis as a gene delivery device. The children that you and Rylla produce in the next few years will have valuable gene combinations." Manny told Rylla, "Kate is going to cause trouble because she witnessed your nanite fight with Maria. And of course, when Kate was growing up, I was constantly in her mind. Through our shared telepathic linkage, I carefully prepared Kate for her role. In her old age, she will tell her grandchildren strange tales about the mysterious creature 'Manny' and provide a dramatic account of your death, Rylla, and that of David. Versions of those wild tales will be put into print by Emma Phillips, one of your descendants. Those stories will attract Maria's attention and poor Emma will be sent off to the Writers Block."

John said, "You've never explained this Writers Block. Why is it so important?"

hierions

Manny said enigmatically, "The Writers Block will serve as an information channel, providing the other copy of you with information from the past."

John knew that he was a copy of another man who would live his own life in the future, starting in the next century. "So the other copy of me will learn about Rylla's existence here in the 1800s?"

"Yes. That will surprise him, because there will be a version of Rylla there with him in the 21st century. A Rylla copy who knows nothing about this Rylla." Manny glanced at Rylla. "In the future, Emma's stories will raise more questions than they answer." Manny told John, "The other copy of you will never really understand how it was possible for Rylla to live in the past."

Rylla was now hoping that Manny would depart. Rylla wanted to take John's penis inside her and share another sweet orgasm with him. Rylla elbowed Manny to the side and told her, "I still can't believe that you will successfully change the history of Earth and make it possible for Earthlings to discover hierions in the 21st century. You might try to do that, but surely R. Nyrtia will act to prevent it."

Manny explained, "That discovery will not be widely known. Soon after the discovery is made, Georgy White will be removed from Earth by Maria, and Maria will believe that she covered up the discovery of hierions." With Rylla conveniently close at hand, Manny ran her fingers along Rylla's wet labia. "However, the other version of you, the Rylla of the 21st century, will retain her knowledge of hierions." With her free hand, Manny pointed to John and added, "And that copy of Rylla will pass what she knows about the discovery of hierions on to your future copy. That is all that needs to be accomplished. Only much later will humans be allowed to actually start making use of hierions in their nanotechnology." Distracted by Manny's magical touch, Rylla kneeled on the bed and let Manny slip her soft fingers into her vagina. Bending past Rylla's round bottom, Manny briefly sucked on John's penis and he ejaculated into her mouth. Rylla and Manny also telepathically shared simultaneous orgasms with John. A minute later, a content Rylla laid down beside John and sighed. Manny kissed his penis one last time and then kissed Rylla on the mouth and then she rolled off of the bed and got to her feet. "Now, I should be going..."

Teleportation portal

Rylla said, "Wait! Tell me one more thing. Why did you insist that Captain Doones should travel to western Australia? It seems absurd that he abandoned his work in Sydney only to be poisoned by a snail and die so young."

Manny turned back towards Rylla and explained, "He accomplished his part of our mission. Jarra will propagate some of the Captain's genes into the future and I'll make use of them in America. But that is another little project of mine that does not concern you."

Rylla expected Manny to teleport away, but still she lingered. Rylla said, "What if I warn Kate... I could find a way to prevent Emma from being taken off of Earth by Maria."

Manny laughed and waved a hand, showing Rylla some images of her great-grand-daughter Emma in the future. "Emma will inherit from you two the ability to sometimes see into the future. It is an Asterothrope trait to link into the sedron domain and access information from the future. As a writer, Emma will often incorporate information from her future into her diaries and her stories. In particular, Emma will write Maria into several of her science fiction stories. That is what will really get Emma in trouble with Maria Green, but some of Emma's stories will end up at the Writers Block as a small surprise for your copies in the future. That is a part of my plan that I am sure makes no sense to you, but I won't allow you to interfere... those future events will unfold." Manny gave quick little nods of her head to John and Rylla and then she teleported back to Many Sails.

the Hierion Domain

Back on Many Sails, Manny had one more task to attend to. Manny brought her pet copy of Sophie out of the teleportation pattern bank. For nearly 20 years, Manny had enjoyed her use of Sophie as a delectable sex partner. Using her advanced medical nanites, Manny had greatly slowed Sophie's biological aging processes and the girl was still in her physical prime.

Emerging from the data storage bank and once again resuming her conscious existence, Sophie was still agitated because she had been allowed to watch when Maria teleported Sophie2 out of the camel camp site. For Sophie and her stream of consciousness, that event was still fairly recent. Manny told Sophie, "There is someone I want you to meet... a woman named Grean. I want you to be brave, Sophie. Grean is not completely human."

At that moment, Grean was teleported from her workshop in the Hierion Domain to Many Sails. Grean looked at Sophie and asked Manny, "Is she ready to go?"

Manny replied, "The poor girl may not be ready, but now she is your problem."

Grean gazed at Sophie's curvy body and complained, "Ug! I suspect that it will be impossible for a particular very horny Ek'col to keep his hands off of this pretty girl."

"Don't worry about him." Manny laughed and told Grean, "I've looked into the future. It is you who will be the first to ravish Miss McKnight."

Grean the Kac'hin (image credits)

Grean shrugged. You are quite done using the girl? I don't want to get emotionally entangled with this sweet young thing just to then have you take her away from me."

With a hand on Sophie's back, Manny guided Sophie closer to Grean. "She's all yours. Her work for me is completed. She's too much of a distraction to keep here. I need to keep my mind on my work and that is not easy to do when Sophie is within easy reach."

Wide-eyed, Sophie was staring at Grean's alien features, particularly her long ears. She told Manny, "I still don't understand what you are trying to accomplish." Sophie asked, "Why did you sacrifice my copy to Maria?"

"This may never make sense to you, but losing that other copy of you was the price we had to pay for success." Manny sighed and tried to think of something she could tell the girl that would have meaning for her. Manny kissed Sophie passionately on the lips then said, "With your help, I have crafted a tight loop in time that has enough temporal energy to create a new Reality. I was under many constraints, but the new Reality you helped me create -the final Reality- will provide a good future for the human species that is acceptable to all concerned." Manny placed one last gentle kiss on the tip of Sophie's nose. Manny told the girl, "Now, have fun with Grean. Maybe you will find your next adventure to be more satisfying."

Grean took hold of Sophie's hand and prepared to teleport back to her workshop. Grean scolded Manny, "You violated the Rules of Intervention. It must be nice being a bumpha who can get away with anything."

the Huaoshy (image credits)

"Control your imagination, Grean." Manny laughed again and added, "Please don't construct elaborate fantasies about my privileged position. Everything I do is carefully scrutinized by the Huaoshy. However, the Huaoshy take seriously the idea that the ends do justify the means. As long as we can achieve a satisfactory future for the Earthlings, much will be forgiven, including Sophie's role in my little Intervention and even my own selfish use of her." 

Grean and Sophie teleported away. Manny devoted a few microseconds to mourn the end of her pleasant time with Sophie, then she moved on to the next item on her busy agenda.

Time Portal

___________________

On this page, above, is the last part of the science fiction story Old Time Gaming.

Related Reading: more chapters of Time Portal.

Next: Too Clever

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