All That Glitters Ch. 58

That got smiles from the family. "Yes, Prakeshya is the daughter of their Godparents, the Kumar-Pair of the Pod-Drran," Junelliya replied.

"Your family is becoming more of an enigma the longer we speak of it," Jane answered with a smile. "Thank you for your input. Do we have your permission to contact you directly if there are issues?"

"We are incredibly busy so could I get you to contact my PA, Sylvie Kinlo? She can contact us as required," Hanalei declared. Sylvie said hi and passed on her contact info Jane taking the older woman's information from her.

"Thank you for your time," Jane said. She gave a formal nod and cut the link.

When Jane cut the link, she opened another to the internet and inquired about the Piscium family of Liramor-23. What she got back astounded her. She had seen many important and famous families in her career as an administrator for the Nanny Comp System, but she had never seen a family quite like this one...nor with the connections they had!

************

One of the Caregivers woke the family up very early the next morning.

"The Asoc has summoned you, Hanalei and Palda Junelliya," she explained.

The pair rose and went to do what was necessary. The ladies were ready not long after.

"Do you know how long this will take?" Junelliya asked of the aide that was sent to get them.

"I am sorry, Palda Junelliya. All I know is that the Elder Shusshhttookkann has summoned both of you, the Asoc, and the Kumaraie, the aide replied.

They were escorted to an electric ground vehicle that held the Asoc. The carte moved to the Kumaraie's residence and she stepped out with three of her Kumir-Rai. "Good morning all. Does anyone know what is going on?" she asked.

"The Sandekk Elder has summoned all four of us. Usually, when this occurs, it is because the Sandekk are about to make a pronouncement on a major change in the destiny of someone," the Asoc answered, explaining to the perplexed mothers about the Sandekk's abilities.

It didn't take long to get to the Imperial Arl. The four entered and the gate was closed behind them, giving them some privacy to face Shusshhttookkann and the members of the Imperial Arl.

"Good morrrning alll," the Elder began. "Therrre has been a majorrr ssshift in the dessstiny of ssseverrral of yyyourrr children.

">Catalll, Marrrtte Garrrnalll cannot attend the unifffersssity of Asssoc Ssshalll," Shusshhttookkann stated.

"Yes, she is more than two months behind in her studies. It is thought she cannot make that up this year. She has asked to go and study at Liramor-23, where she can participate in online courses, which are not offered by the University here at Asoc Shall," >Catal answered her friend.

"Becaussse of thisss, ssshe willl become a verrry imporrrtant perrrson forrr the Asssocansss," said Shusshhttookkann. "Herrr imporrrtanssse willl rrrifffal that of the Asssoc herrrssself. Howevvverrr, by the time ssshe rrreachesss that lllefffelll, yyyou willl no longerrr be Asssoc. Yyyou willl hafffe passsed on.

"The next Asssoc will be FFFarrren," Shusshhttookkann informed the surprised party.

"You are certain of this?" the Kumaraie asked.

"Unlllesss Garrrnalll rrreturns perrrmanentllly to AsssocAR before >Catalll passes, ssshe willl not be the next Asssoc," Shusshhttookkann told them. "Ifff ssshe doesss rrreturrrn, ssshe willl be Asssoc and FFFarrren willl be passsed offferrr. Howeffferrr, we sssee that Garrrnalll's dessstinyyy doesss not lllayyy within the Asssocan Rrrealllm, ssshe willl do morrre forrr the rrrealllm outside of it than asss the Asssoc. Lllet herrr make herrr own choisssesss." The latter was spoken as an admonishment aimed at >Catal.

"Yyyou mayyy wisssh to channelll Garrrnalll towarrrdsss the rollle of Asssoc but thisss woullld not ssserrrfffe the rrrealllm. Garrrnalll'sss plllassse in the Grrreaterrr Communityyy willl be of grrreaterrr imporrrtanssse to Asssocansss but onllly if ssshe continuesss herrr education outssside of the rrrealllm.

"It woullld be betterrr if yyyou trrrain FFFarrren forrr the rrrollle of Asoc and helllp Garrrnalll with herrr ssstudiesss. Garrrnalll'sss futurrre rrrollle forrr the Asssocan peopllle cannot be underrrssstated. By the time that Prrrakessshyyya becomssse the llleaderrr of herrr peopllle, Garrrnalll will have essstablllissshed her plllassse in the Grrreaterrr Community. Offferrr time, ssshe willl become a majorrr assset to the Rrrealllm. Yyyou willl lllifffe to sssee thisss, >Catalll. Alllow Garrrnalll to charrrt herrr own courrrssse.

"Kumarrraie, Palllda Djunellliyyya, Hanalllei, yourrr chillldrrren fassse an uncerrrtain futurrre. Palllda Prrrakessshyyya willl hafffe a wide arrrayyy of thrrreats arrranged againssst herrr untilll ssshe finalllyyy takesss the rrreignsss of llleaderrrssship of GiRrromorrrARrr.

"Alll fffifffe chillldrrren willl helllp Prrrakessshyyya achieve that goalll. Howeffferrr, therrre isss the rrrealll posssibilllity that one of the malllesss mayyy die in battllle beffforrre then. If onllly one diesss, then Prrrakessshyyya willl achiefffe herrr goalll. Ifff morrre than one of the malllesss dies, orrr if anyyy of the Palllda die, Prrrakessshyyya willl neffferrr become the llleaderrr of herrr peopllle.

"Yyyou mussst trrrain them to fffight and fffind allliesss forrr them. A name comesss to our mindsss, JJJurrrte. It hasss no meaning to usss."

"We know of whom you speak. They would be excellent allies for Prakeshya," the Kumaraie said.

"Good. Prrrakessshyyya ssshoullld become llleaderrr when ssshe hasss sssixteen yyyearrrs, ifff ssshe sssurrrfffifffesss. Then the two Palllda willl serfffe the Grrreaterrr Communityyy. They willl trafffelll much working for theirrr llleaderrr but alllso for alll of the Communityyy. Theirrr motherrrsss willl ssshow them the wayyy forrrwarrrd."

"The ship...the Griffin," Hanalei gave Junelliya a significant look, getting a nod in return.

"Yyyourrr chillldrrren willl sooon begin to manifffessst new powerrrsss. One willl fffolllow the motherrr, the otherrr herrr sssisssterrr frrrom anotherrr fffamilllyyy.

Hanalei and Junelliya gave each other worried looks. Hanalei signed to her mate that they would discuss this later.

"Ifff thingsss do not change," Shusshhttookkann continues, "yyyourrr frrriend FFFiona will be the next llleaderrr of yyyourrr peopllle," Shusshhttookkann notified them. That did not come as a surprise to the group.

"Raymond will be gifffen a tasssk that willl helllp the rrrealllm. Alllow otherrrsss to make the sssuggessstion and gifffe him guidenssse. Ifff you canfffasss forrr him, otherrrsss willl become jealllousss. Thisss willl not ssserfffe yourrr purrrpossse. It mussst ssseem that he hasss been orrrderrred to complllete thisss tasssk.

"Palllda Djunellliyyya, yyyou willl begin to manifffessst new powerrrsss. Thisss willl lllead to jealllousssyyy and fearrr. Forsssess borrrn of thisss fearrr arrre beginning to forrrm againssst yyou and yyyourrr famillly.

"Yyyou did sssomething durrring yyyourrr lllecturrre that hasss frrrightened manyyy. Otherrrsss willl come to yyyourrr defffenssse but yyyou shoullld be awarrre that peopllle with fearrr in theirrr hearrrtsss arrre beginning to notissse yyyou. Yyyou mussst do sssomething to quelll the fearrr orrr yyyou will fffight it ffforrreffferrr.

"Lllike the Asssoc, a lllifffe of serfffissse willl prrrotect yyyou in thisss but we bellliefffe that yyyou arrre alllrrreadyyy awarrre offf thisss."

Junelliya gave Shusshhttookkann a nod of understanding. Service to the community was a mantra to the Council and to strong empaths.

"That isss alll I hafffe forrr yyyou myyy frrriendsss. We usssualllyyy do not defffulllge thisss much of otherrrsss dessstiniesss but yyyou will need to sssupporrrt each otherrr ifff yyyou arrre to sssucsssede. Yyyourrr sssucsssesss willl aide the Grrreaterrr Communityyy, yyyourrr failllurrre will dessstrrrroyyy it. That isss whyyy we telll yyyou thessse thingsss.

"Rrrememberrr alllwayyysss that dessstinyyy isss balllansssed by frrree willl. If yyyou attempt to change frrree willl, yyyou willl change the futurrre.

"A perrrssson's choisssesss willl alllter theirrr own futurrre. Forssse a choissse and the outcome is neffferrr prrredictabllle. Alllwayyysss alllow forrr frrree willl and frrree choissse," Shusshhttookkann gave each of them a stern look and held that look until she got a nod of understanding from each.

"We willl not anssswerrr any quessstionsss. What we hafffe defffulllged has alllrrreadyyy been too much. Asssoc, we wisssh to ssspeak with yyyou beffforrre yyyou leafffe. It willl not take lllong," Shusshhttookkann informed her.

The others gave a bow to Shusshhttookkann and left the Arl. Once they had left, Shusshhttookkann spoke to >Catal.

"Myyy frrriend, therrre willl be trrryyying days ahead but you willl prefffalll. Know that yyyourrr frrriend Marrrsssh willl be prrromoted and, if nothing changesss, ssshe willl become the next Llleaderrr of the Union. Ssshe willl need yyyourrr sssupporrrt. Give it to herrr. Ssshe in turrrn willl prrrofffide much to the Rrrealllm. Ssshe alllrrreadyyy hasss." >Catal nodded to this. Shusshhttookkann was correct in this assessment of Fiona.

"Yyyou willl hafffe no grrreaterrr frrriend among the fffuturrre llleaderrrsss than Marrrsssh.

"Grrrassse willl continue to be the aide to Marrrsssh untilll ssshe finissshesss herrr terrrmsss in offfissse asss Prrresssident. Grrrassse willl then be the aide to Hanalllei, who willl become the next Llleaderrr afterrr Marrrsssh.

"Grace willl efffentualllyyy become the Llleaderrr afterrr Hanalllei, though therrre may be anotherrr in between.

"Yyyou willl need to keep thessse thrrree asss clossse frrriendsss untilll Grrrassse compllletesss herrr terrrmsss in office. Thisss willl be benefffisssialll to alll Asssocansss.

"Grrrace willl ssstaballlissse the frrriendssshipsss forrrming between the Union and the Grrreaterrr Communityyy. Afterrr ssshe leafsss offfissse, the next generrrasssion of llleaderrrsss willl begin to make theirrr marrrk on pollliticsss in the Grrreaterrr Communityyy but the patterrrn willl hafff been ssset by yyyou and yyyourrr thrrree frrriendsss.

"I can anssswerrr no quessstionsss myyy frrriend," Shusshhttookkann ended.

"Thank you Shusshhttookkann. You have given me a lot to think on in the next few years. I will try to follow your advice but I see temptations ahead of me," >Catal told her friend.

"We underrrssstand, >Catalll. Think alllwayyysss of the Rrrealllm and not offf yyyourrr fffamillliesss perrrsssonalll needsss." Shusshhttookkann gave a short bow, signalling that the disclosures were over. >Catal turned to catch up to the others.

************

"You may not disclose any information that you have received here to anyone and especially not to those whose destiny was revealed today," the Asoc spoke deliberately to the others before they boarded the carts. "Anything you say to them or to others around them could alter their futures. They must make their own decisions.

"While we might wish to change the future, there are always unforeseen problems when we alter the future for our own needs. The results you intend to create never seem to manifest."

"The Pod-Drran are aware of this, >Catal. We have dealt with prophecy for many generations," the Kumaraie told her friends.

"Your children will have amazing futures, my friends. As I suspect we all shall," the Asoc stated, not wanting to give out any more on the information that she personally had been given.

Piscium Family Rooms, the >Clot<, Asoc Shall, AsocAR

After they had eaten breakfast, one of the caregivers entered the common room and quickly approached Junelliya.

"Palda, there is an issue. Some of the Ministers and senior personnel of the Community Leaders are very upset this morning and it appears to center around you," she told Junelliya.

"Do you know what it is about?" Hanalei asked.

"I do not, however, I have asked my friends to keep an ear out. We Asocans have phenomenal hearing," the Caregiver said with a smile. "Hopefully I will have some answers for you soon."

Soon turned out to be relatively quick as Councillors Petronellaya and Elliya came to see them about ten minutes later.

"When you performed your signature song, the Song of Life, we felt you use your empathy to share the emotions of the song," Elliya began.

"Yes, I always do," Junelliya agreed.

"Well, you may have gone a little too far. It appears that you sent you're emotions through the ICS to the others," Elliya informed her.

"What others?" Fayad demanded.

"All of them," Petronellaya stated.

"All of whom?" Hanalei asked.

"All those who saw the performance," Elliya answered for her partner.

"It is estimated that more than three trillion viewers witnessed this event, Junelliya," Petronellaya explained. "The of viewers from all of the separate planets of each species.

"All who answered the polls on the program stated they were amazed to feel like they were sharing the emotions of your song. Then the separate governments got involved and sent out further polls to find out what they meant."

"We canvassed the Councillors on Hollander's World," Elliya took over. "They all reported the same thing. Your emotions came through the ICS and impacted their enjoyment of the song. They did not realize the significance of that until we asked them if they had felt it."

"We are getting some interesting returns on that. It appears that those who saw the event live, reported feeling your emotions. Those who only saw a recording of the event, did not receive a sense of feeling your emotions, though they all note that you are an excellent musician and singer," Petronellaya said with a smile.

"However, that is not the issue," Petronellaya explained.

"There are people motivated by fear who are reporting to their superiors," Hanalei injected, giving Junelliya a significant look and getting a nod from both councillors.

An aide to the Asoc entered their rooms. "Palda, your presence is requested in the >Clot's< Great Gathering Center," she stated. Junelliya nodded and the entire family, including the Asocan Caregivers, the Pod-Drran Crèche Mothers, Urano, Clarrisiya, and the children headed to the Gathering Center.

************

The Great Gathering Center was empty of viewers as the family and their entourage came before the Asoc.

"Asoc, we are here at your request," Fayad said as the whole family gave a low bow to the Asoc and the other leaders. The other leaders were looking rather unsettled at seeing the entire family.

"Asoc, why have we been requested to stand before the leaders of the Greater Community in an empty Gathering Center?" Hanalei asked pointedly, looking around at the empty center.

"There appears to have been an issue with the use of Palda Junelliya's powers during her lecture at the University of Asoc Shall," the Asoc stated.

The Impatoss rose and spoke. "Junelliya, were you aware that you used your powers while you played the song which you have become famous for, the Song of Life?" the Impatoss asked gently.

"I always broadcast my emotions during this song, Impatoss," Junelliya explained. "It enhances the experience for those listening to it. I find that the language matrix does not always do justice to this song, whereas when I add my emotions to the song, all who are within my broadcast circle understand completely what the song is about.

"The song is just as its title suggest, a song of the celebration of life. It is sung from the viewpoint of a new mother who has just discovered she is with life. It tells of her feelings for the new life held within her and tells of her joy of holding that new life at the end of her pregnancy.

"While the language matrix can miss many of the nuances of the song, adding my emptions allows all to understand completely the simple joy in greeting this new life. I learned this song while I was pregnant with Palda Zarreniya. I know the joy of which the song speaks of intimately. Sharing the emotions of that joy, to me, was never an issue," Junelliya finished, noting the look of surprise and embarrassment on the faces of the all the leaders and many in their entourages.

"Can you explain what is happening, please?" Fayad asked. "We are in the dark here."

"There seems to be some anecdotal evidence that Junelliya may have broadcast her emotions to everyone," President Holloway said.

"What do you mean, everyone, sir?" Junelliya asked, a sense of déjà vu momentarily overwhelming her.

"Just that, Junelliya. To all those who were watching that lecture," the President explained. "Something in the order of three trillion plus viewers."

"I do not wish to dispute you, Mr. President, but I do not believe that I have the power to do such," Junelliya answered. "As far as I, or anyone else in the Council of Empaths know, that is simply not possible, sir," Junelliya said, giving them a perplexed look.

"First, there is no evidence that Empathy or Telepathy can be used via the internet. Secondly, the immense amount of power needed to push those emotions to three Trillion viewers would have been noticed by those at the university and many around the Greater Community who have the vision to see the glow from that kind of power use."

The President turned to look at the Councillor Petronellaya and her partner, Elliya behind him. "Is this true, Councillor Petronellaya? Is it not possible to send empathy via the ICS?"

"Mr. President, this would be the first recorded incident if this is the case," Petronellaya replied, tongue in cheek.

"Mr. President, can we view one of the vids of the incident. We, the empaths here today, should be able sense that kind of power if it is true," Junelliya suggested.

The Asoc gave Junelliya a small smile and ordered the vid to be shown. They all watched as the Junelliya in the media image performed the song.

"Mr. President, I did not feel anything from this vid," Junelliya advised. "Sharne Erx, Petronellaya, Elliya, Clarrisiya, Violletiya, did you sense anything in this vid?" The others all agreed that they did not feel anything from the vid.

"We can test this further by asking random Councillors on Hollander's World if they sense anything from the vid," Junelliya stated. "However, I would like to know why such panic over this issue? If anything the ability to use ICS to broadcast empathy or telepathy should be seen as an advantage to the Greater Community. Yet here I am, being forced to explain something that appears to be unsupportable at the very least or has only anecdotal references at best. Was no thought given to verifying this before it was brought to the leadership?"

"I would ask who brought this before the leaders and why. It is our right to know," Hanalei said, making use of her training with High Gurn Praatra.

Once again the Asoc gave the family a sly grin. "Gurn Hanalei is correct. She is within her rights to ask who her accusers are."

Several ministers from different species stepped forward.

"Why the panic over this issue, ministers?" Junelliya asked.

One of the ministers with the Impatoss answered the question. "I am Borin Rushmat, Minister of Interspecies Trade for the Harradi Government. We believed that this was a direct threat to our governments, Palda Junelliya," a rather stiff faced minister stated.

"A, one of those who are afraid of Empaths and Telepaths," Junelliya surmised. Junelliya pointed to her Council Pin on her dress and then to the Order of Telepath's arm badge on her right arm.

"Do you recognize these symbols, Minster Rushmat?" she asked.

"They are the symbols of your Council of Empaths and the Order of Telepaths," he replied.