Message-ID: <59274asstr$1249567801@assm.asstr.org> X-Original-To: story-submit@asstr.org Delivered-To: story-submit@asstr.org X-Original-Message-ID: <1306c15a0908060129t3964226fm4c369902a823129b@mail.gmail.com> From: John Darts <johndarts@gmail.com> X-ASSTR-Original-Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2009 04:29:34 -0400 Subject: {ASSM} The Shangri-La Islands Ch 1 (By: TheSearch4) Lines: 658 Date: Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:10:01 -0400 Path: assm.asstr.org!not-for-mail Approved: <assm@asstr.org> Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: <URL:http://assm.asstr.org/Year2009/59274> X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation <story-admin@asstr.org> X-Story-Submission: <story-submit@asstr.org> X-Moderator-ID: dennyw, RuiJorge This is a work of fiction and is to be read that way. It is somewhat science based and also religion based. So you should learn some of both areas when reading it. Is there sex? Yes, some, but if You're looking for hard core look else where. This, as all novels, is meant for entertainment. There will be just one chapter each week as much research is going into this as I write. The Shangri-La Islands By: TheSearch4 Chapter 1 The flight in the B-1B was not the most comfortable way to travel. It was a good way not to be seen, or shot at. He had just left the old United States and it was still a wild west shooting gallery. In trying to pull the south back together he ran into far too many weak people. A tremendous amount of damage had been inflicted on the people by the old system. They just had changed to where nothing satisfied them. Everyone wanted power, and to run others lives. They wanted laws, but just the ones they approved of. No one cared about there being no taxes to pay, or that they could change the laws by a two thirds vote of the people. They had been given power, but they had to work with others to make it happen. That was not acceptable to most. The fact that the country was financed on John's personal gold never was considered. It was theirs as far as most were concerned. He was not seen as owning the gold, the company that produced it, or having any right to it. It was seen as the government's gold and should be taken from him. That way the people got the benefits at zero cost to them or work they had to do. His military did not agree with this and helped him secure the Shangri-La Islands for them all to live on. They were the ones who moved many aircraft to the island and made sure good defensive tools were available for them. A couple of islands had hangers built inside the mountains and runways that were below the water until it was time to take off or land. They were raised and lowered by hydraulic rams. It kept most of his air force from being seen, as the ships they had coming would be hidden from view until scrapped. The aircraft carriers were just far too big to keep in service. He did allow some of the lesser warships to be seen as they patrolled the islands. If they were here they were nuclear powered or very small harbor boats. His boat yard was inside one mountain and well protected from anyone's seeing it. The islands were laid out with eight in somewhat of a circle around two central islands. The largest was one hundred sixty five miles long and just forty miles wide at it widest point. The smallest was thirty miles long by eighteen miles wide at it widest point. There was 52,360 square miles of land here not including the mountainsides. That made it just smaller than Alabama. The mountainsides grew tea, coffee and cocoa depending on the island. One island produced citrus fruit and others had some special crops grown only there. It was an almost idyllic place to live, but for the native population they got lazy, and it killed them off. The waters were so clear fishing was easy, as you could see the fish in the water. Over-fishing was not allowed here now, by law. The sea boundaries were patrolled and any fishing boats sent away. If any refused they were sunk. That happened to a couple of boats from Japan and when they protested, the oil products were cut off. Apologies were fast coming and fishermen warned to stay out of that zone. John's new home he had never seen, or even a drawing of it. It had been designed and built by the people and today would be his first sighting of the building. Dana, Kelly, Leigh Anne and he were all looking forward to seeing what they had to live in. The old house had been a big old farmhouse and nothing special to speak of. He lived in a pretty plain jane house. Of course, his furniture had been left to be destroyed after they were gone. His records, special family items and the likes were brought with them. The bomb bay had been packed with things John felt was critical to bring with them. Jackson had sent thousands of seedlings out for Christmas trees to be planted on the islands. There were some larger trees that had been balled and shipped to assure some larger tress were available. To have good size trees from the seedlings, they would need to grow six to seven years. So much was considered, and many decisions made, it was staggering when looked at one decision at a time. Over 36,500 individual decisions had been made to start the Shangri-La Islands. Some decisions were small ones and others major projects. If a project it only showed up once as a decision. Dana had been working with Jackson's dad for over a year. She had tried her dad's drug on him and slowly brought the man back from being a lost soul. It was a slow change and some of the doctors were amazed at her results. They never felt the man had any chance of getting better. Jackson and his dad had become good friends, and the man loved Pam and Rhonda as if they were his children. He had wanted to build the tree farm and run it as well. So that job had been set aside for him and Jackson had taken the job of head of security for John. He really liked working with him and respected him as well. David was running the Navy and Carlton was commander of all forces for the islands. General Zane was the land forces commander. It was the brains of those three men that would keep these islands free or lose them. With the way other countries were hurting for any trade items the oil here would be a target at some point. It did not matter that most thought it was just a small amount. As John and his family were driven to their residence, he was shocked to see his old Mercedes Benz S63 AMG sitting by the garage door looking ready to run. Dana was smiling at his shock. "Hey, we have a fuel tank here with a pump and gas for your pretty toy. It will be fun to drive a gas engine car once more. We have two electric vehicles and two motor scooters. They also are gas fired." The house was a good three hundred feet above the beach. Built into the side of the mountain, it was cut back into the rock of the volcano that had not erupted in known history. The geology had been checked and fit was found to be very solid and with no movement below the ground. So the house for John had been built here and his vaults were here as well. The freeze dried foods, gold and silver and much of the written works taken from libraries were stored here. But it's size was beyond any thing he could under stand? "OK Carlton, why the hell is this place so damn big?" Carlton was smiling now. "Well, boss, we had so many people adding ideas it just kind of grew. But really, it is several different homes. There is one for Leigh Anne and her children, one that one day is for Kelly and one for you and Dana. There is room for each of the twins to have a home here, also. You have cleaning staff and cooks who have smaller homes here. Leigh Anne has a studio for painting. And you have common areas here for entertainment, swimming and workouts. Your large dining room is a common room that can be entered from all living areas." It was really a nice way to handle many families in one location. "I'm sure glad I didn't have to design or build it." "Oh I forgot, Jackson, Pam and Rhonda live in that gate house you saw coming in here. He has twenty of his scouts that patrol the grounds and handle security." "The expense of running this will break me or the nation." Carlton was now really laughing. "Hate to tell you, boss, we are making so much money it is going to be thousands of years before we run out." They went into John's office and sat at his desk. "OK, now what about the money?" "We, as a nation, are far more productive than the best left out there. Our fishing boats are making money while not over-fishing our waters. The LNG, oil and refined fuels are doing well. We are catching the CO2 off the refining plant and using it for producing algae that is making bio oil." "I follow you so far." John was still waiting for the answer. "It's simple, boss, we have more money coming in from outside than we can spend inside. We get cars from Japan that are electric for our oil and gas, then sell them here to our people. So we make the full amount of that car's cost back as profit. We don't even mark it up when we sell it. The food, meats and the like we sell comes back the same way. It comes back as TV's and computers for example. We pay wages that are far less than Japan does its people, but ours are better off. The gold reserve makes that happen, as our currency is very stable. Japan is begging us to sell drugs to them that they used to buy from the EU and USA." John could see this was going to have to be closely watched. "We need an economic board to keep track of our economy and advise me on how to keep it healthy. Now, I would be willing to help Japan set up their own manufacturing for drugs. But that is not a good area for export as it could bring many lawsuits." That was one area he agreed completely with John. "I told the ships captain I would ask and report back." "Tell him I really need to sit down with one of his country's diplomats and workout a trade agreement with him. If they come to the table and are fair I will cut them some slack on pricing. If they are not fair and open, they will get no added benefits from me. So it is try to play the old games or decide to be open and honest." "Are you sure you want to be that blunt?" "Dead sure, Carlton, I was stationed there for a year. They don't need to know but I also learned their language. Not just living there, but also while in college. If they attempt to play with me I will cut their nuts off without blinking. I now have ten countries wanting to set up trading with us. So it is in their best interest to play honest and fair with me." "I'll find a way to get the point across to the captain." He got up and left the office. This was a new game, playing in the world and not within a country. But here in the islands all the people were of the same mind and believed the same way. The total population was now just at 527,832 people here on the ten islands. That included the few native born people as well. They accounted for may be 12% of the entire population. So no place was loaded with people and there was lots of room to grow. Of the population, twenty percent were military right now. That would change when the general got here with the carriers. At that time the force would come down to nine percent of population. The Navy would have a total of six thousand, the Air Force three thousand and the army forty thousand troops. They included national police and harbor control. There would be a force stationed on each island. So the military would not be as large as most nations, but with technology it really was not necessary. As John sat on a balcony off his office he could watch the ocean surf crashing on the beach. There was a reef off the beach and it cut down the size of any wave. But just sitting here felt nice and the weather was beautiful. An older woman who was very dark walked out and smiled at John. "I am Kendra, your housekeeper, sir." "First of all, Kendra, I am not sir, my name is John. Now that I have cleared that up, it is nice to meet you." The woman was chuckling now. "I met your wife and she sounded just like you." "None of us is anything special, dear. We are just people, and have responsibilities to handle for our nation. I expect you to treat us that way and as a friend, not just and employer, OK?" This was very new to her. "I'm not sure that is the right thing for me to do. You're the leader of all of us and we owe you respect." "This is my office, and I decide how I will be treated here by everyone. If you were a diplomat then I expect extreme respect. But as a friend I expect kindness and consideration for my wishes." The older woman smiled at John. "OK, I understand what you want and will do as you ask me. Now, if you will flip that switch on the rock wall, it will let you listen to the surf." He flipped it, and the waters sound was nice and soothing. "Thank you, Kendra, that makes it so nice hearing the water as I look at it. I love to hear Mother Nature talking to me like that. It just relaxes my mind to be able to think very clearly." "You sound more like a native that someone not born here." "The ocean speaks to people all over the world if they listen. It is not something that happens only here. I love to sit and watch it and listen to its song. When you do that, much new information will come into your mind. It is like you're being talked to inside your head." She smiled at this explanation and knew he was a very good man. "John, I knew I liked you when I saw you. My old nation was in bad shape because of bad leaders we had. Now I feel it is in good hands once more, and with the right leader." "I hope you're right, Kendra, as it worry's me. For our size we are small in population and have more riches than most countries. So we must be careful, as it will cause envy in some others. Most of the oil and gas we are pumping we sell, as we really don't need much. But that causes others to want what we have." She saw a man who understood people and greed. "It is always the greed man has to watch out for." "That my dear lady, is very true, and I see that existing outside these islands. Most of your people who were sucked into that are gone or dead. The fools that sold me the islands were headed to someplace they felt safer. I know they never made it and the gold was stolen from them. There are some rich people in China now." The old woman laughed and knew John was right. "I saw that attack in a dream I had. There was no way to know where the people attacking were from, but I saw the old king killed and tossed overboard." He saw a woman who had visions here, "How is it you have that type of sight?" "The old king was my brother and hated me. The women of our family all had the ability to see some things in the future and also in the past. It is not something we can use when we wish to. It just sometimes comes to us and we must then do what is right." "I hope you will share with me what you see that might affect this country. You can be sure I will always listen and act with great care. But there are times information is of more value if not acted on." "You have to be tied to here some way, John. I am hearing wisdom told of family going way back." "Well I have no way of knowing how that might be. But just keep me in mind when the dreams come, and the country is involved." After the woman left he went back to watching the water and thinking. Some way he felt at home here and he could not explain it in any way. So he was just not going to worry about it and let time provide answers. Kelly came out and was overawed at the view he had. "This is just so beautiful, I didn't know we had balconies off our rooms." "I would be willing to bet your room has one like this,too. But see the switch on the wall?" She looked and saw what he was pointing at. "Yes." "It'll allow you to hear the ocean as it crashes on the shore. So go see if I'm right and try the switch." She was off like a shot. "What was that rocket that went flying by me, John?" "Well, Leigh Anne, I think it was your sister. She didn't know the rooms had balconies and I showed her the switch to allow hearing the water." "I found it, and have enjoyed just sitting there thinking about the times at Myrtle Beach with you and mom. You did a lot of things to make me happy and I remember your burning your feet while helping me fly a kite. You kept right on going, and played miniature golf and did any thing I wanted. I know now it had to hurt, but you would never let it stop you." "My dear, you don't let a small issue stop events that are important to any young person. If you care about them you do what you have to do. Your mom laughed at me at night cooling the feet off on the balcony. She said I should just stop going and doing, and never understood why I didn't stop." "That was something I learned a lot of from you. Just don't quit for any reason. I just failed to apply it to our relationship, I guess, after I married?" Dana came out and joined them, and listened and did a little talking. But she knew she was seeing the same John Leigh Anne had seen as a young lady. He was honest and willing to explain anything asked of him. "Now John, I need to know what I can do to help you settle into this new country. It, I know, will not be easy, but it doesn't have to be a worry. So I would like to do something that contributes to the cause." Leigh Anne was happy to offer any help she could. "I need to find a way to discourage people from wanting to come here. So someone needs to find every bad thing about these islands, and any negatives on wild life or ocean life that we can use to put together a booklet warning people who come here of what they need to watch out for. If it's an old wives tale or just something used to scare kids. I need to know about it. Talk with Kendra and get her input and ideas. She will understand what I'm trying to do." Dana was confused and didn't get it? "I don't understand what you're doing?" Leigh Anne got it though. "This is about the most perfect place on earth. We have abundant fish and land for growing food. There is oil wealth we really don't need. So how do we keep people from wanting what we have? I would bet there are diamond pipes on the islands and most likely jade. Often where there were or are volcano's there is jade and diamonds." Dana had not considered the wealth and now saw the envy that could cause problems. "I see the point now, and we do need to make things sound as bad as possible. But what happened to the people who once populated these islands. Their numbers went way down and fast." "Those are things Kendra can tell you and explain. But I need as much information as we can get. We will not set up embassies in other countries and don't want theirs here. I am looking for another country to be the broker for us, and deal with others on money and goods for trade. As far as anyone else is concerned it is that country's goods. We will take a discount on what we sell to get someone else to handle it. That takes the light off us and shines it on the other country." "I see what you looking to do and can see why it might help us. For sure the world is dangerous and we don't need to be in a fighting war." Dana was now on board with the idea. Kendra announced that lunch was ready. The family all went in to see what was there. The dining room had several tables and one had been set up for them. It was set for six people to allow the children to eat with them. The meal was a nice fish with vegetables and salad. It was a very healthy meal and one everyone enjoyed. "Kendra, would you please spend some time with Leigh Anne, and answer some questions for her? She's doing a project for me and needs a lot of input." "I would be most happy to help anyway I can, John. But it will take a few days to give her all you wish to have." Kendra left them after her comment. "How did she know what you wanted? I know she knew exactly what you were asking her for." Dana was shocked at the way this had gone. "Kendra was the sister of the old king here. Her family has been here for many generations. In her religion I guess you would call her a holy woman. Sometimes she sees things before they happen and sometimes after they occur. She has no control of those events. But you're going to find from time to time she knows what is going on and can help you understand it. I will say this just once. Trust her in whatever she tells you." Everyone was somewhat shocked at his statement. This was very different from the sure man they knew. His suggesting they trust someone they had not known long was odd. But they knew not to challenge his judgment, as it was usually right. Leigh Anne went to the comfortable leather chair in her office and spent several hours reading the history of these islands. The many odd things said about them fascinated her. During WW II no one knew that these islands existed as nothing was ever mentioned. There were stories of ships going to the exact location they had been to before and not finding these islands. She knew that was not possible if they had been correct with their location before. Her knowledge from both high school and college said this was not reasonable. It was late now and she headed to her bathroom and a nice hot bath. The time she had spent gave her a good understanding of the islands and their history. So now relaxing, things she had read were running through her mind. Her one issue had been the lack of knowledge of these islands for so many years. The earliest she could find information for was from old whaling ships that got lost or damaged in storms. There were stories in ships logs that mentioned these islands and the aggressive people who lived here. Ships were fixed as best possible and they seemed to leave quickly. Next she found mention of them after WW II. It seems like they were not known before that time by most of the world. Many world maps today still did not show the islands. That was really odd to her thinking. People who did that type of work before the crash just did not leave things off maps. But she had found far more than half did not show the islands in any way. She had gotten satellite pictures from Carlton and studied them. All the islands were long and wide. They were not the normal small islands of the south pacific. The geology she read showed many types of rock and not just the common basalt. The day had floated by for her and she loved the studying she was doing. After the relaxing she got out of the tub and dried off, then headed to bed and some sleep. She found her room had the door to the balcony open and the sound system was playing the waters actions on the beach. It was so soothing and relaxing she slipped off quickly into a deep sleep. The sun coming in the doors of the balcony woke her gently. The new world around her was so nice and she enjoyed this place already. The smell of coffee hit her and when she walked out to the balcony there sat a cup and thermos for her. There were rolls and a very old scroll rolled up on two wooden rods. She first attacked the coffee and rolls. Then started to slowly open the scroll and was amazed at its details. There was a pictorial history that had to go back millions of years. Of course it was drawn and painted, but she could see the way the islands were formed. There must have been over one hundred pictures all looking from overhead. This hit her as not being possible for anyone without aircraft or satellites. As old as the scroll was they for sure did not have those then. She watched the people below working in the fields and just let her mind wander for now. John was sitting at his desk reading the reports on each island. Each day the commander of the island did a report for Carlton and when he got here, General Zane. It did give him a picture of each island and what people were doing. The rain fall year to date was kept and land reports made on growing conditions or crops progress. Kelly came in and her ten year old enthusiasm was infectious. Of course she was ten in body and twenty in mind. Her IQ just could not be measured. "Good morning, Daddy." "To what do I owe this visit today? You have been very quiet since we got here." She looked down and knew she had to talk. "You know what a dimension is right?" "Yes it is a construction where objects or individuals can be distinguished." It always amazed her at how much he knew and was able to use. "I am smart Daddy, but you just blow my mind away. Now, the thing I am seeing in my research is that we are at an intersection of a dimension. Earth had three dimensions that are known if you don't include time as one. In drawings there are four spatial dimensions. There are arguments for many new dimensions based on some mathematics. The string theory creates a real group of questions about that." "OK, I'm following you so far. But I'm not seeing the tie in to here?" "Dimensions can be in exactly the same place. That is according to the string theory and one that makes sense. We here could be in one world at one point and another the next minute. The islands seem to drift between the two worlds and I see no way to control this?" Kendra was standing behind her and smiling now. "Now that is a smart child. She found the truth in just four days of being here." Kelly now looked confused. "What do you mean the truth?" "We are in a position to alternate between two words and that happens often. It is nothing we can control and each world has dangers for us. It used to happen often and that has slowed over the years. We now spend more time here in this world than in the other. That is good as this one is far safer." This had sounded like something from a space novel. But Kendra had been very serious and kept eye contact as she spoke. "You have my full attention Kendra. So sit down and tell us about the two worlds." John needed information and fast. "No one knows how or why it happened. But a few tens of thousand years ago we started to find ourselves in a nicer climate. The islands had started in the other world. It is why our rock is so sound and the minerals so good here. The melted rock was not what is found on this world. But that seems to make no difference in our moving back and forth." "You're saying the two worlds occupy the same space in different dimensions?" "Yes, as they have to for us to migrate back and forth. But the dangers in the other world are more from the seas, as they are full of creatures we cannot fight and beat. Most of our people died fighting them or out fishing for food. We did not have the livestock you brought here or the large steel ships." Now he had two enemies to plan for and be able to fight. "What types of sea creatures are you talking about?" "That I just don't know as the men never returned to us where we could be told what happened? They went out and just never came back." "So there is nothing that points to any type sea creature?" "You need to read the books in the place of worship, or the shrine. Then you might see what we have missed." "I am not sure that my ability to read your old manuscripts is possible. You need to really think about this, as I would take Kelly, Dana and Leigh Anne with me if I went there. I need their abilities as well as my own, I think." "Finally a man who trusts a woman." Kelly looked at her with an odd expression. "Daddy trusts brains and not just the type head they are in. I don't know if you have met Jackson, Pam and Rhonda, but Daddy trusts them as well. Different people have different abilities and he defers to their knowledge when appropriate." Kendra now saw John was a very different leader. "I've never seen anyone act that way." "Kendra, I make the decisions, but many people I trust provide me with the information needed to make them happen. No one human has the ability or knowledge to make every decision needed by a country. So I use the best minds I have in each area, to find the right decision, hopefully. Often each only has a small piece of that decision, so I must try to assemble it from many pieces." "How did your people fall apart if leaders think that way?", Kendra asked. Kelly had to answer this. "They don't, and that is why the world the fell apart. It was the desire for power that killed the current countries and their greed. Our hope is to create a place where those can't hurt us." "It sure did suck my brother and his friends in and killed them." "They had so much and never saw what was here. For me I see it and am enjoying the beauty I see every place I go." John knew Kendra would look for his lack of honesty. "Kendra look all you wish, but what you see is what you get with me." The old woman chuckled now. "I am far too used to our peoples ways. You always had to look deep to see if honesty was coming out or pure hot air." "Kendra, one thing dad lives by is, his word is his bond. What you're talking about is a lie and dad hates any who lie. Anyone telling a lie here would lose their tongue. That is not just talk it would happen in a hospital and safely. But that includes us all, dad and family as well." Kelly wanted her to know the laws were not just lip service. "I have read the laws and could not believe how simple they were. But the punishment was something I couldn't believe either." John had to make her understand. "People who know the law and the punishment and know it will happen don't take those risks. Yes, I have had people shot for attempting to kill my people. Did I feel bad about it? Not at all, as they got what they tried to give. So I have no idea if that makes me a bad man under your beliefs or not. But I will not change if it does. My people come first and they must live by the laws they agreed to." "I have no problem with the laws or punishment. They don't make you good or bad under our beliefs. How they are enacted and used make that case. So far I have seen nothing anyone has done that would not be seen as good by any ancestor." They had been walking for some time, and finally walked into an opening on the side of the mountain. This was well below their home and on the other side of the mountain. It had been a good walk and everyone but Kendra had felt it. She reached up and put a match to a small pipe made of clay. It shot a flame around the room that was quickly lighting it well. There were many paintings on the walls and several books sitting at a table. John walked over and sat down pulling a book to him. He opened it and saw a beautiful picture of, he thought, this island. The words came slowly to him and he did understand them. But how, he had no idea? Kelly and Leigh Anne were also reading and Dana looking at the many pictures on the walls. Kendra sat back and watched in amazement, at so many that could read these books. She had expected one and may be two at best, But it seemed they all but Dana could read them and Dana had not yet tried. The books were very long ones and would take days to read them all. "Kendra, are these allowed to leave here?" John asked hoping they could. "Oh yes, that is allowed, for the right person or people. I was hiding them from my brother as he or his friends would never be allowed to come in here." "But I saw nothing that would have stopped us from coming in?" "The fact that there was an opening at all told me you were welcome. We could have gotten here and seen nothing but rock. Then I would have had to work with each of you to find the ones allowed in." "I see this is going to take days to get through the books and start to understand our new islands. So the books will stay in my study on the large table for us to read as we have time. Access will be limited to the three girls, Kendra and me. Do you see any problem with that, Kendra?" "You own the islands and all that is on them, John. So why are you asking me about what belongs to you?" "These books belong to you and your people, Kendra. They are not mine as property and I am just borrowing them to learn, so I can better understand your people and the islands. The books will be returned to your control as soon as we are done and have the needed knowledge." His caring just brought tears to the eyes of the old woman. "They are your books, John, and you need them close by to study as problems come up. You will find answers in them sometimes. But they do keep you grounded in what is truly important." "Your coming to us and bringing these ladies has made me happy. I have sisters here and people who love knowledge once more." -- John Old age is the most unexpected of things that can happen to a man. - Leon Trotsky <1st attachment begin> <HTML removed pursuant to http://assm.asstr.org/erotica/assm/faq.html#policy> <1st attachment end> ----- ASSM Moderation System Notice------ Notice: This post has been modified from its original format. 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