I shouldn’t have to write this, but let me underscore that none of this story is real. I don’t believe that energy babies are buzzing around the Earth’s mantle, preparing to spring forth. Nor do I seriously claim intelligent energy-wave creatures are vibrating across the universe. I did, nonetheless, weave a few contemporary and historical elements into the tale. You, dear reader, probably recognize some of them while others might be unfamiliar. Please understand that I included these elements to ground my lighthearted story with no intention of belittling any person or belief.

Here is a little background on some of those historical elements and my protagonist.

The religious figures

Most readers will recognize Mo as being Moses. Josh was, of course, Jesus. His name’s Hebrew form is Yeshua or Y’shua, which translates into Joshua or Jesus in English. Sid/Buddy is Siddhartha/Buddha.

Siddhartha Gautama was born in southern Nepal around 600BCE. He was a prince and lived his early years surrounded by luxury in his family’s vast and luxurious palace. His life’s story claims that he first witnessed poverty and suffering after leaving the royal compound when he was 29. Recognizing the physical world’s imperfection and impermanence deeply disturbed Siddhartha. Soon after this experience, he met a meditating man and realized that perfection comes from within the mind.

The prince abandoned his royal life and family to embark upon a solitary journey seeking enlightenment. For six years, he learned and practiced meditation techniques from various teachers. When he was skilled enough, he sat under the Bodhi Tree at Bodhgaya and meditated. Siddhartha successfully attained enlightenment after six days and transformed into Buddha, or The Awakened One. Buddha then traveled across northern India on foot, teaching his philosophy and techniques for forty-five years.

Kandake Amanirenas

Kandake Amanirenas is one of the myriads of incredible African historical figures we never learned in school. The historical African continent was not a wilderness of tribal villages. It hosted vast empires and civilizations that were often more advanced than their European contemporaries. The Kingdom of Kush was one such empire, and I freely admit that I know very little about Kush or other African histories.

The Kush kingdom existed from about 2,500BCE to 350CE and was roughly the size of ancient Egypt. It consisted of lands surrounding the Nile valley ranging from modern-day southern Egypt through northern Sudan. Much of what we know about Kush comes from ancient Greek and Roman historians because we cannot fully translate Kush hieroglyphic writing. We do know that the Roman Empire ranged across much of Eurasia and had conquered Egypt by 30BCE.

In 27BCE, Roman armies began spreading southward into Africa, imposing taxes on the Kushites in Lower Nubia. King Teriteqas, Amanirenas’ husband, led attacks against the Romans and drove them out of Kushite cities. Teriteqas was killed in battle at some point, and Queen Amanirenas became the sole ruler of Kush. The brutal war continued for five years as tens of thousands of Roman soldiers marched south.

The Kushites sacked the Roman city of Syene in 24BCE but lost the Kush city of Napata to Gaius Petronis’ armies. Afterward, Petronis, the Roman governor of Egypt, and Amanirenas, who had lost an eye in battle, entered into a peace agreement. After losing thousands of soldiers in the five-year war, the Roman empire gained a city or two in the accord. However, the Romans did not subjugate the Kush kingdom, nor did they require the Kushites to pay tributes, taxes, or natural resources. Such an outcome was almost inconceivable during the Roman expansion.

Queen Nzinga Mbande

Nzinga is another inspiring African historical figure who is rarely if ever, covered in American history classes. She might be a minor character in this story, but Nzinga is influential to Jeannette’s psyche.

Unlike Amanirenas, Nzinga’s life in the Kingdom of Ndongo, located in modern-day Angola, was well documented. She lived from 1583 to 1663 and was the daughter of the Ndongo crown prince and a slave. Nzinga studied political and military strategies and even learned to read and write Portuguese. Portugal was a long-term Ndongo enemy who had been continuously kidnaping and enslaving their citizens while raiding resources since the late 1400s. Before Nzinga was born, Portugal aligned with an African group called Imbangala, starting a decades-long war to conquer Ndongo.

Nzinga’s father died when she was 34, bringing her brother into power. He immediately had Nzinga’s only son killed and his sister sterilized to remove any threats to his throne. Nzinga fled to the neighboring Kingdom of Matamba, fearing for her life. Now, most of us would be pretty discouraged at that point in our lives, but Nzinga was just getting warmed up.

Three years later, Ngola Mbandi, her brother, asked Nzinga to return as Ndongo’s ambassador to Portugal. She agreed and negotiated a treaty with the Portuguese to recognize Ndongo’s sovereignty and withdraw their troops. As with Amanirenas’ victory, Ndongo did not have to pay tributes or forfeit large land tracts. The cost involved opening up trade routes and Nzinga and her brother converting to Christianity. After the agreement, however, the Imbangala drove King Ngola into exile. The Portuguese used this as an excuse to void the treaty.

Nzinga’s brother died three years later, designating her as his successor. However, women, especially those with slave mothers, were not allowed to rule Ndongo. After exhausting all her options of becoming Queen of Ndongo, Nzinga, once again, fled to Matamba. However, this time, this incredible woman kidnapped the Queen of Matamba and established herself as ruler.

Queen Nzinga of Matamba returned to Ndongo, leading the Matamba army and wresting control of the Ndongo throne. However, even after her victory, many people refused to accept her title. Her only recourse was to declare herself to be a man. She did so, dressing in men’s clothing and leading her troops into battles against her enemies.

Nzinga was both a warrior and a diplomat. Through negotiations, she expanded her territory to include neighboring kingdoms and engaged the Dutch in her war against the Portuguese. The nearly-200-year-long conflict with Portugal raged until 1657 when the Portuguese signed and honored another treaty.

Nzinga ruled until her death, focusing on rebuilding and modernizing her war-torn country. She established her kingdom as a haven for runaway European slaves, resettling them and permitting the women to bear children. This daughter of a prince and a slave overcame unimaginable adversity to become respected by European nations as one of the most powerful rulers in the entire African continent.

The Earth’s magnetosphere and Swarm

Swarm is a mission undertaken by the European Space Agency (ESA) to study Earth’s magnetic field. The mission involves three small satellites placed in low orbit around the planet. Each satellite consists of a trapezoidal element in front and a long, nine-meter boom trailing behind. There are instruments designed to measure incident ions’ speed and direction in the satellite’s front part. At the end of the boom, a small package contains the sensitive scalar magnetometers used to measure the Earth’s magnetic field.

One of the Swarm mission’s many findings is a pair of large lobes of negative magnetic flux located at the Earth’s mantle and core boundary. As these lobes move, their strength and positions shift the north pole’s location.

Swarm is just one of many missions undertaken by the ESA. The mission’s data and some visualization and analysis tools are freely accessible and downloadable. Visit https://earth.esa.int/ to learn more about the ESA, Swarm, and their other missions.

Eve Jeanette Adams

Jeannette is an utterly fictitious character, but I thought my readers might like to learn a little more about her background. Let me begin by explaining why I chose a 38-year-old black woman as my protagonist.

How many contemporary sci-fi novels have a middle-aged, black waitress for the main character? Talk about an underrepresented demographic! I wanted to write about a likable, intelligent, down-to-earth person who is relatable to a broad audience. And, I wanted to show how an everyday person can be extraordinary.

The aspect of Jeannette’s character I most respect is her steadfast refusal to let other people define her life. As she approaches 40, Jeanette struggles with the meaning of a fulfilled life, much as Siddhartha did. However, she does not measure her success via money, travel, marriage, children, or career. Other people, including her father, use those metrics, though, and Jeannette always faces fears and doubts produced by their helpful advice. Acquiescing to her father’s insistence to get a professional degree was one of the few times she succumbed to such pressure. That decision continues to make her miserable.

So, while some people might consider a single, middle-aged waitress struggling to pay the rent a failure, I don’t. Jeannette is an intelligent, educated woman who chooses her way of life. Sure, she would prefer to have more money and might have selected a different path had she faced fewer unfair social barriers. But this woman is no slacker.

Waitressing is a demanding job that requires the tenacity and diplomacy of Jeanette’s idol, Nzinga Mbande. Strength is necessary to handle the job’s long hours and incessant demands. Diplomacy, both with customers and management, is essential as well. Jeanette’s psyche has plenty of these elements, and she utilizes them with her unrealized connection to Earth Baby in my story to transform her job into a career.

So, I needed a person who was intelligent, tenacious, and open to non-traditional perspectives. I needed someone who could connect with people, sense what they want, and deliver what they need. My story required a character with the ability to quickly assess situations, think on her feet, and react appropriately with the toughness and tact forged by a life of hard work. Who could provide all those characteristics better than a middle-aged, black, American waitress raised by a single father?