Relda

This blog page (below) holds parts 3 and 4 of a science fiction story called "Time of Theurgency". In the first part of the story, set in 1939, alien technology was used to duplicate Ariel Adler, the Ekcolir Reality analogue of Allen Adler.

One copy of Ariel remained on Earth while the other Ariel was taken into the Hierion Domain. Ariel #2 must begin her new life as an Interventionist agent under the guidance of Trysta, the Asterothrope. To avoid confusion, Trysta begins to call the second copy of Ariel 'Relda'.

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3. Ariel Two (read parts 1 and 2)
When Ariel suddenly lost consciousness, there was a near instantaneous space-time discontinuity during which her body was disintegrated and transformed into a transporter code replica within the Hierion Domain. Two copies of Ariel were quickly re-created from that code. One copy was returned to Earth, the other was retained inside the Hierion Domain.

Nobody on Earth noticed this teleportation event except for Ariel and even she had no idea what had happened to her during that brief period of her non-existence.

The second copy of Ariel had been re-materialized along with a copy of her reception hall chair, but as soon as her neural networks re-synchronized, she shot to her feet, startled by the sudden shift of surroundings from a noisy banquet hall to a dim, quiet room. A calm voice said, "Sorry to yank you out of there, but I got tired of waiting." The first time around, Trysta had actually waited longer and then she had to back-track through time. There seemed to be no more favorable option than having Ariel #1 slump into the strong arms of Joey. Sadly, this Ariel, who Trysta thought of as Ariel2, would never know the feel of Joey's arms around her. Trysta was puzzled by how strongly Ariel had reacted to being teleported and she told herself that she would have to discuss that oddity with Grean.

Feeling a weird disorientation, Ariel looked at Trysta demanded, "Who are you?"

"Trysta Iwedon." She was still holding on to Ariel, worried that the girl might fall and hurt herself. "Just take a deep breath and relax... I'll explain what has happened to you."

Amy Anderson cover art, Ekcolir Reality

Somehow, Ariel was already familiar with the name 'Trysta Iwedon', as if she had heard it long ago during a history class in high school or had seen it while reading about ancient history. Her legs none too steady, Ariel peered at Trysta skeptically and leaned against her. In the dim light of this strange room, Ariel sensed a distinct aura of the exotic around Trysta. She asked, "Is that a name or a disease?"

"Its a good Asterothrope name, roughly translated into your language."

Testing out her ability to support her own weight, Ariel moved away from Trysta. She looked around at the strange devices in the room and then turned back towards Trysta. There was something spooky and alien about Trysta's appearance that caused Ariel's heart to race and her voice to quaver. "Asterothrope?"

Asterothropes

"I'm a star person, not quite human." Trysta briefly explained, "My people were designed as a human variant. I'm from the far future."

Her knees quivering, Ariel sank back and sat on the chair. "Time travel?"

"Yes, I was sent to ancient Earth from the future."

Ariel put her hand to her head. "Just to rescue me from a boring reception?"

Trysta smiled knowingly. "No, I had another task to accomplish when I first came to Earth. However, one thing led to another and... well, here we are. You and I are star-crossed, or possibly I should say, Asterothrope crossed."

Ariel was looking down at the dimly lit floor. "Where is my notebook?" The chair she was sitting on seemed just like the chairs in the banquet hall, but nothing else in the room was familiar.

"Sorry, but you set it down on the table next to Joey. The notebook ended up just beyond the range of my teleportation beam." Trysta added, "Anyhow, your duplicate will make good use of that notebook. You have other concerns."

"Duplicate?"

"There are now two copies of Ariel Adler. I'll call you A2 until you decide on your new name." Trysta pointed to a nearby piece of equipment. "I used this device to teleport you off of Earth. However, I made two copies of you. One copy will continue life uninterrupted on Earth. You need not worry about her."

"I'm worried enough about me! If I'm not on Earth, then where are we?"

Hierion Crossing
Image credits

"We are almost on Earth." Trysta allowed the room lights to increase in intensity. "This is a kind a parallel universe, what is called the Hierion Domain. I brought you here because we need your help."

"We?"

"There is much that I will have to teach you, At... Ari-." Trysta paused then explained, "Maybe we should take a minute to discuss your new name. 'A2' sticks in my throat."

Ariel asked, "Why do I need a new name?"

"If for no other reason than to make things easier for me. Often what is done in these situations is to reverse the letters of the duplicate's original name." Trysta walked in a circle around Ariel, examining her carefully.

Ariel felt that the mysterious room and Trysta's behavior was creepy. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm trying to decide if you are a Leira or a Relda and I'm testing your brain function. You seem to have recovered from the shock of being teleported." Trysta took hold of Ariel's hand and pulled the girl to her feet. "I'd like to consult with Deomede about your new name. He has quite the-" Trysta briefly fell silent, then continued, "He has a good eye for... judging young ladies."

Ariel followed along with Trysta as they crossed the room, moving past several looming pieces of complex equipment. Ariel was quite curious about the possible functions of these strange machines. Restraining her interest in the seemingly alien devices, Ariel asked, "Who is Deomede?"

Wendy the robot.

"My man." She had spoken with a trifle to much emphasis on the word 'my'.

Trysta opened a door and they stepped out of the factory-like workshop into what seemed like a long, narrow greenhouse. Trysta led Ariel along a narrow footpath between carefully tended plants and flowers that grew to either side. "Like you, Deomede spends most of his time writing. You'll like him." Trysta told herself: I hope they don't like each other too much. Deomede was exceptionally pretty, and based on what she had seen of Joey, Ariel was attracted to cute men who looked similar to Deomede.

Ariel had never been inside such a gigantic greenhouse. It seemed to stretch away endlessly into the distance. "Where are we?"

"The answer to that question will not be a simple one to provide. For now, take my word: you are safe." They continued walking and Trysta spoke about hierions and topics that were meaningless to Ariel. Now the ground was sloping downward. They crossed a bridge over a little brook and then Trysta called out to a figure in the distance, "Ho! Wendy!"

Trysta told Ariel, "Wendy is one of the gardeners. A robot."

To one side of the path, Wendy was at work using a hand-held device to prune the branches of a tree. The robot paused her work and asked Trysta, "You have a guest?"

Trysta replied, "Grean's latest project..." She tipped her head towards Ariel. "Freshly arrived from Earth."

Wendy gave Ariel an appraising glance. "From 1940s Europe?"

Ariel briefly looked down at her dress. "I just bought this dress in France. It is only 1939 where I come from."

Wendy nodded. "We get guests from all decades of the entire 20th century. Welcome to the Hierion Domain. If you ever want some fresh cut flowers, just ask." Wendy returned to her work.

After another five minutes of walking, Ariel and Trysta came to a lovely cottage that was an interesting mix of traditional architecture and alien materials. Trysta sprinted up the front steps, pushed through open the door and led Ariel inside.

The interior furnishings of Trysta's home were only partly familiar to Ariel and some had twisted alien shapes. As she glanced around, Ariel could not identify many of the objects in Trysta's house. "At first you will feel disoriented, but soon you will adjust to life here. Your new existence will be pleasant and you will be busy with important work."

Trysta gave Ariel a quick tour through the first floor of the cottage. They were now in what seemed like a kitchen, although the appliances were impossible for Ariel to identify. Trysta asked, "Maybe you would like a soothing drink?"

Ariel had a request. "Can you show me where your toilet is? My bladder is about to burst."

"Certainly, my dear. We went right by the side door... I should have..." She pointed. "Down that hallway and through the second door on the left."

Passing through the designated doorway, Ariel found herself back 'outside'. She looked up at the oddly colored 'sky' which seemed like it had been borrowed from a distant world. Fragrant flowers grew in profusion along this side of the cottage. Ariel could hear the gurgle of running water and chirping birds. She followed the sound of water and stepping through a gap in the bushes Ariel quickly reached a little stream. Deciding that this must be the toilet, Ariel took one last look around, peering through breaks in the dense foliage. Then, deciding she was alone, Ariel pulled up the hem of her dress and urinated into the stream.

Ariel returned indoors to the kitchen and found Trysta waiting with two steaming cups of tea. "The tea contains stimulants. However, if you would rather sleep than talk, I'll take you upstairs to a bed that you can use."

Ariel took up the cup of tea. "I could not sleep right now, even though I'm very tired." She sniffed at the tea. "Where is your man, Deomede?"

end of the Time War

"He's upstairs, working. He knows that I brought you home. However, he was not expecting me to return from work this early in the day and he can't quite believe that I want him to meet you. I don't usually bring my work home..."

"Work? What exactly do you two do here in this strange- this parallel universe?"

Trysta led Ariel out of the kitchen and into a comfortable lounge where they sat down on opposite sides of a low table. "His work is writing. Deomede writes about many topics, whatever catches his interest, but what is most relevant to me is his effort to fully document the end of the Time War..." For a long while, Trysta gazed up at the ceiling.

Finally Ariel prompted, "And Yourself?"

With some effort, Trysta re-centered her attention on Ariel. "My work consists mostly of helping complete little projects that Grean is too busy to perform."

The tea was too hot to drink. Ariel set her cup on the table and sank back into the soft cushions of her chair. "Tell me about Grean."

"You will meet her soon. For a long time I struggled to defeat her in the Time War, but now we work together, making a better future for Earthlings."

Ariel said, "I've often fantasized about time travel. Who hasn't imagined going back a day to correct some blunder? Somehow, I never thought that teleportation or time travel were anything more than fun plot devices for science fiction stories."

"That's not an unreasonable attitude for anyone living under the primitive technological conditions of 20th century Earth. Where I grew up, in the far future, there were many sophisticated machines and devices in common use that you would view as technological wonders. Duplicating material objects, including people, was ancient technology, long used by the Asterothropes."

"But you still have wars in the future?" Ariel had to ask, "What do you mean by 'Time War'?"

"Sadly, when I first arrived in the Primitive, I found myself in the middle of a an on-going struggle for control of Earth. On one side, the bumpha, on the other side, the pek. Both factions had access to time travel technology. It was a futile war, with each of the two competing sides traveling back through time and trying to revert the Changes made by the other faction. Eventually my adversary, Grean took action that allowed she and I to arrange for a truce."

"But even now, you still use time travel to alter the fate of Humanity?"

"Yes, that is the essence of my work."

"And to do this 'work' you needed to bring me here from Earth?"

"Exactly. I need your help-" Trysta paused. "Here comes Deomede now."

4. Deomede.
Deomede came down the stairway from the second floor and went immediately to Trysta. He bent over and kissed her on the top of her forehead and said, "You are home early." He turned towards Ariel, "This is Ariel." He sat down on the couch beside Trysta and locked eyes with Ariel.

The Ek'col

Ariel nodded at Deomede. She tried to simply say 'hello', but she was speechless. There was a startling similarity of appearance between Deomede and Joey. She stammered, "I... I feel like we've met before."

Trysta explained, "This might make no sense to you, but many of his," She gestured towards Deomede, "Gene combinations were inserted into the population of Earth. Some men like Joey inherited most of those genes."

Deomede added, "And the same is true for Ariel."

Ariel asked Deomede, "I'm related to you? I inherited some of your gene combinations?"

"I'm sure you do carry many of my special gene combinations, however-"

Trysta interrupted, "What he means is that one of my last tasks in this Reality will be to travel into the far past and contribute some of my own genes to the human gene pool. Ariel, you've inherited some of my telepathic ability and you also look somewhat similar to me."

10,000 BCE

Deomede chuckled and told Trysta, "Ariel looks like your little sister."

Trysta placed a hand on Demoede's arm, almost as if trying to restrain him. "Even so, I did not bring you down here just so that you can ogle Ariel.... we need to change her name." Trysta said, "Help me out here, Dee... don't you think that she is almost the perfect Leira?"

Deomede laughed. "Maybe you should leave it up to her, Tee... let the girl decide on a new name for herself."

Ariel shrugged, "I'm terrible with names. I hate having to invent new names for story characters."

"If you are going to survive as a writer, you need to get over that." Deomede could not keep his opinion to himself, "Relda is a better name for this one. Save 'Leira' for the other one... the hybrid."

Ariel asked, "Other what?"

Trysta jabbed an elbow into Deomede and she told him, "You talk too much. I'm trying to not overwhelm the poor girl with too much too soon." Trysta took a slow deep breath and then tried to explain the situation to Ariel. "In order for us to accomplish our mission, there is going to have to be a third copy of you."

mind clones
cover by Joan Willis in the Ekcolir Reality
Final Reality cover art by John Willis

Ariel laughed. "Why stop there? If you can make copies of people, why not make ten of me?" Ariel was gazing intently at the pretty face of Deomede. With Deomede's eyes upon her, Ariel had the same warm feeling that she had whenever Joey looked at her. She licked her lips and told Trysta, "And while you are at it, make a copy of Deomede just for me. He looks delicious."

Trysta objected, "Deomede is all mine." She put an arm around Deomede. "Forget about what ever you think you would do with a copy of him."

Ariel was amused by the flash of jealousy that Trysta had displayed. "Seriously, Trysta, why make yet another copy of me?"

"Well my dear, I'm not sure what I can say other than the flat truth: you are perfect." Trysta's eyes once again lingered on the delicate curves of Ariel's young body, but Ariel had the creepy feeling that Trysta was inside her mind, sifting through Ariel's hidden memories and personal secrets. "We want to make use of your special knowledge of Earthly customs and particularly all that you know about mating rituals."

Ariel could not believe her ears. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. You are perfect in every way... just what I need to help complete my next mission."

"If you want experience with mating rituals, you should have kidnapped Andrea."

"Andrea? You mean that actress?" Trysta shook her head. "No, she would not do. She long ago adopted a lifestyle that ignores your culture's rules for mating."

"Well, you are creeping me out." Ariel tried taking a sip of the tea. "I get the feeling that you expect me to mate with someone that you have already selected..." Ariel could not keep her eyes off of Deomede. She felt strongly attracted to him.

"Well, that is almost our predicament. However, there is a strange alien twist to the actual dickament."

Deomede groaned and suggested to Trysta, "Please, no penis jokes in front of the girl."

Trysta told Deomede, "My dickish humor is for your benefit, my love. She kissed his cheek. Deomede moved his hand to stroke Trysta's neck and kissed her sweetly on the lips.

in the Ekcolir Reality

Ariel sighed. "You two should get a-" She looked away from the sight of the two lovers who seemed like they could not restrain themselves from touching and kissing. Ariel felt a hot flame of lust and imagined that she could feel Deomede's lips on her own skin. Feeling hot and growing sweaty, Ariel eased back into the cushions and closed her eyes.

After minute, Trysta told, Deomede, "No, don't. Stop distracting me." She picked up her tea cup, stood up and stood beside the little table. "Sorry Ariel, by long tradition, when I get home from work Deomede feels it is his duty to make love to me." She took a sip from her cup. Trysta looked down at the rather obvious swelling in Deomede's pants. "And I do mean long."

Ariel opened her eyes and followed Trysta's gaze towards Deomede. She laughed and said, "Don't let me interrupt your mating rituals. However, if I get bored watching your antics, I may just have to join in." She wiped a bead of sweat from her brow and touched her lips with her finger tips.

Trysta complained, "You are just as bad as Dee. I'll forgive you because you are young and naturally horny. But no, I'd prefer not to share Deomede, so stop fantasizing about joining with him." She took another sip of the tea and looked back and forth between Ariel ad Deomede, taking note of the fact that they were smiling at each other. "We really should keep to business."

Ariel observed, "You can't seem to find a way to tell me what you want me to do, only what you don't want me to do."

"Really, it is not for me to decide what you can and cannot do. If you want to share your beautiful body with Deomede, that is for you to decide. However, that is a side issue... I hope that you will see the value in our shared mission and work with me to complete it. Right this minute, Grean is busy creating a version of you that can play the role of a fain-human hybrid."

Ariel jumped to her feet and placed a hand on Trysta's arm. "The fain are real?"

"Yes. Did you ever doubt it?"

"Well, everything I know about the alien fain seems like it came to me in dream visions..."

replicoids

Trysta explained, "Your replicoid placed those memories of the fain into your mind."

"Replicoid?"

"Yes. If we are counting Ariel copies, I suppose we should also count your replicoid; an artificial lifeform that has been guiding you through your entire life."

Ariel felt an icy shiver. "This replicoid controls my mind?"

"This is not about you, my dear. We are talking about the human condition. Rather than use the term 'replicoid', maybe you would prefer that we speak of your soul?"

"I'm not religious. I prefer to believe that I'm a biological entity with free will and the ability to construct my own path through life."

"Good. That is a healthy attitude."

Deomede said, "You know Tee, you should not have mentioned replicoids."

Trysta turned towards Deomede and shook her head, "I'm not going to hide anything from Ariel. I want her to understand the situation and I hope she will agree to work with me because doing so is best for Earth."

Ariel suggested, "But if I don't agree to help you, then the replicoid will take control of my mind and force me to do your bidding?"

Deomede laughed. "See, Tee, she's too clever."

Amy Anderson cover art, Ekcolir Reality

"Don't invent conspiracies, Ari-" Trysta decided that Deomede was right, this copy was a Relda. A battle-hardened Zerelda. "Listen, Relda, the third copy of you will have to teach a particular fain-human hybrid how to complete her mission on Earth. In preparation for that important mission on Earth, I need to make use of what you know about the behavior of Earth boys."

Ariel giggled and moved past Trysta. She sat down next to Deomede. "Earth boys are easy..." She placed a hand on Deomede, "But I have the feeling that Deomede is in another league..."

Trysta told Ariel, "Deomede is not actually human. He is what we call an Ek'col."

Ariel looked away from Deomede and said to Trysta, "If I touched an Earth boy like this, he'd have me undressed and in his bed within about two minutes."

Trysta sat down on the other side of Deomede and pushed Ariel's hand away from Deomede's penis. "You've made your point." She held her hand over the swollen tip of Deomede's penis where it pushed out against the constraint of his clothing. "And a fine point it is. Yes, Deomede is almost human. He has amazing telepathic abilities which he just used to lower your inhibitions. Would you normally start stroking the genitals of a man who you only just met?"

Ariel laughed and replied, "Maybe I would, now that I spent two weeks in France with Andrea." Ariel took a deep breath. "But no, you are correct. I've never done such a thing before in my life. Although it is easy to tell myself that I grabbed a handful of Deomede because he is so beautiful."

Earth's Reality Chain

Trysta told Ariel, "He was designed to be my vision of the perfect lover. That's how the Time War was ended... with a whimper of my contented orgasms. But please, Relda, let's both try to resist Deomede's charms and keep our thoughts focused on our shared mission. If that is impossible, then I'll ask him to go back upstairs."

Ariel reluctantly moved away from Deomede and returned to her chair, trying to ignore the slippery wetness of the vaginal secretions between her legs. Her eyes locked back on those of Deomede and she told Trysta, "I suspect that Deomede reached into my mind and forced me to feel a burning desire for him."

Trysta nodded. "That is what he was trained to do in order to complete his mission on Earth. In a way, to a lesser degree, that is what we must do for Gertrude."

"Gertrude?"

"Gertrude is an Earth girl who you have never met, although she is about your age and moved to New York about a year ago. She is the immediate target of the work I want you to do for me."

In her mind, Ariel could almost see a vision of Gertrude. For a minute, Ariel sank into the glittering eyes of Trysta. Now, the nature of their shared mission seemed almost like a memory to Ariel. She asked, "Even now, my replicoid is still implanting thoughts and memories into my brain?"

Trysta admitted, "I'm afraid so. But I have directed your replicoid to allow you to be aware of those additions to your mind. Normally all traces of replicoid actions are concealed."

Ariel said, "I understand. You want me to teach Gertrude how to seduce men."

"Not men in general, just one man in particular. The man who will become her husband."

"How is Gertrude involved with fain-human hybrids?" Ariel felt like she was adrift in a vast ocean. For every mystery resolved, two new questions arose. "You expect Gertrude to give birth to the hybrid children of this man who she will seduce?"

Trysta laughed. "Wow, that's an interesting idea. You can write a story with that plot! But no. Gertrude will not bear any children."

"And all this will happen on Earth with you just watching... the unseen mastermind of this scheme?"

Trysta shook her head. "I could not have dreamed up this rather complex Reality Change by myself. However, don't worry. We... Grean, me and you... we are all working towards the same goal: a better future for the people of Earth."

"But along the way you kidnap innocent girls?"

Trysta laughed. "Exactly. You do understand." Trysta could see that Ariel was not amused. "Seriously, Ariel, don't think of this as a kidnapping."

"How about alien abduction? They are quite the rage among the story writers of the Futuria Movement."

"Yes, anticipation of the Fru'wu is at a fever pitch. However, very few Earthlings actually get abducted."

"Just the daughters of rich movie makers?"

"Please don't warp this into some Hollywood plot. Your parents will never know that you are here. They will continue living contentedly with your duplicate back on Earth. You will have a new life here, doing useful work that will help lessen the troubles that lie in store for Humanity."

the fain

Ariel asked suspiciously, "You work for the fain?"

"The fain have offered to do what they can to help Earth, but I've never actually had any contact with them."

Ariel felt a wave of tiredness wash over her. She downed the last of her tea and asked for more.

Trysta asked Deomede, "Would you get us more tea, dear?"

He went off towards the kitchen. Ariel suddenly felt anxious. She stood up and watched Deomede leave the room. Ariel turned back towards Trysta and tried to ignore her shaking knees. She really needed to get some sleep. "Why did you bring me here? Why me and not someone else?"

"I wish you could trust me and believe what I have told you. I really do need your help. Specifically you. Your genetic inheritance allows you to work well with me and you have precisely the experience that is needed here, in the Hierion Domain to help prepare one of our agents for her mission to Earth. Of course, to you, this all may seem like a strange miracle. There is no magic involved. You were selected from among every human on Earth as the best person for this important mission."

"What exactly are the goals of that mission? Why did you bring me here to this strange place? What are you trying to do to Earth?"

in the Hierion Domain

Deomede returned with a tray that held three cups and a tea dispenser. He began filling the cups. "This is pretty strong stuff." He asked Ariel, "Shall I fill you up?"

It was clear that it was his intention to completely fill all the cups, without waiting for Ariel to reply. Trysta told Ariel, "Excuse our crude humor. We are usually here alone entertaining each other. We forget how to behave around guests."

Deomede sat down beside Trysta. "We might be acting silly this evening, but we do enjoy entertaining guests."

Trysta warned Ariel, "Deomede would be happy to entertain you by filling you up with his lovely penis." She turned to Deomede and said, "Truly, Dee, it is hard for me to work with you here."

Ariel heard someone come into the house through the front door. Wendy the robot appeared in the room and spoke to Trysta, "You called for me?"

Trysta ordered the robot, "Take Deomede upstairs and entertain him. I'll join you soon."

Deomede rose to his feet, muttering, "Take your time, Tee. I know you have much to tell Relda." Deomede took up his tea cup from the table then bent to kiss Trysta. "It will still be hard when you join me." He headed back upstairs with one sly glance back towards Ariel. Wendy followed along behind him.

Next: continue to part 5 of "Time of Theurgency".

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