single view, which he can't. The rings arc from east-northeast to west-northwest. The rings vanish in the haze above distant mountains, but high in the sky, the far edges of the rings are visible fifteen thousand miles above the atmosphere.
The planet eclipses a swath of the rings from the triple sun, so that nebula light, like a skybound ocean of fairly bright, harsh red to violet light, causes bright cyan light to shimmer and play through the shadowed area of the rings like light in an ocean. The rings in turn partly eclipse the planet, so that broad, dark red to violet stripes of shadow alternate with thin fiery bands of red and blue light from the nebula and triple sundown. This shadow of the ring or striped filter of the sundown extends over a broad swath of the landscape.
A stream of hybrid plasma-lightning flashes from a high thunderhead, and traces up to the lowest, most opaque band in the rings. The lightning bolt vanishes, reappears in a trace from the ring back down to the cloud, and vanishes again. Borealis in the full spectrum of a rainbow light up and crawl across the sky under the ring. A thunderclap sounds with a loud BOOM!
Xenon, the soldiers and Janus watch the borealis in rapt attention. The borealis light up, and lightning bolts trace up and down between the high atmosphere and the lowest ring, in a chain reaction which quickly spreads until the whole visible arc of the lowest ring dances with borealis and lightning. Thunderclaps rock the plain and mountains from east to west.
The chain reactions taper out, and eventually end, though many of the new borealis remain, and Janus still gawks at the fiery colors of the sky. Overwhelmed, he weeps.
JANUS
God! Lord God! That's, I've never...what was that? Is...is every day on your planet like this?
Xenon takes a deep breath, and exhales, refreshed by the natural sights.
XENON
Yes. Well, I haven't seen a ring storm that completely traverses the rings for quite some time, but they're fairly common. With all due respect to your resplendent Mother Earth, may she be forever remembered...
He pauses. All of the Salamanders stand silent.
XENON
Our Mother Hebe is, for me, the finest in the galaxy.
JANUS
Was. She was resplendent.
XENON
I cannot tell you how deeply we mourn her loss. And for me, she remains resplendent.
He opens his mouth as if to say something further, but decides against it, turns back, and walks toward base.
JANUS
Uh, wait. Human meal? You don't mean that you eat people?
Xenon stops, laughs and turns around to face Janus.
XENON
Forgive me. I mean to say that our chef is eager to cook a meal for a human.
JANUS
Oh.
Xenon walks again toward base. Janus still doesn't follow.
JANUS
Why would I eat anything you offer me?
Xenon stops, sorrowful, and looks at Janus, who is surprised.
XENON
Quite right. I understand why you might say that.
Xenon's eyes glisten, and water gathers under them. Unsure if he actually sees Xenon cry, Janus peers his eyes shut a bit to get a better look, but then becomes aware this may be rude.
JANUS
I'm sorry, I--
XENON
Human Janus Thaddeus, of the noblest birthright, offspring of the Highest, and defender of the liberty of humanity: you are free to share our provisions or stay at our base, or live or roam anywhere, and we will help you build your own place, if you want. However, we must insist that you do not make any radio communications, or do anything else that could alert our enemies to our presence here. They haven't found us, and we aim to keep it that way. Please release him.
Xenon looks to one of the Guards who had handcuffed Janus.
A guard releases Janus' cuffs. Janus deftly punches the guard very hard in the face, and snatches the rifle clean off his shoulder holster--as the guard falls to the ground with a thud, and groans. Janus aims the rifle at the guard's heart, and stumbles his fingers over the gun in search of the safety, load and cock mechanisms.
Another guard takes the rifle from Janus, releases the safety, opens a clip to reveal bullets aglow in blue plasma, replaces the clip, cocks the gun, and hands it back to Janus. Janus aims at the fallen guard's heart, but shakes off his survival rage as he sheepishly awakens to his situation. He looks over the Salamanders.
All of the Salamander's rifles are piled twenty paces away, and the Salamanders flank Xenon in a line, unarmed and at attention. Xenon snaps his hand up over his brow, palm down, to offer Janus a military salute, and all the soldiers do the same. The guard whom Janus downed stands back up at attention and likewise salutes Janus. The Salamanders lower the salute and remain at attention.
Shocked and unexpectedly overcome with gratitude, Janus manages to return a salute to them. He uncocks the rifle, sets the safety, and offers it to the guard he took it from. The guard doesn't take the gun, and remains at attention.
SALAMANDER GUARD
Human Thaddeus, great warrior, we are honored by your company.
Led by Xenon, the Salamanders march toward the base. Janus doesn't follow.
INT. JANUS' FIGHTER--NIGHT
Janus opens a suitcase in the loading area and extracts a folded chair.
EXT. AIRFIELD--DAY
Janus descends the open hatch of his starfighter, folded chair in hand.
EXT. AIRFIELD--DAY
One sun is half-visible over the horizon. Janus lies on his back on a folding chair which is reclined horizontally. He looks up at the fiery cyan, green and warm brown rings and ring shadows.
Xenon and three guards arrive. With them also is a SALAMANDER CHEF, nineteen and happy, broad and more built and tough than the others, in a bright orange and blue apron over a light brown uniform. The Chef carries only a picnic basket, while the others carry a bowl of green soup and bread on a colorful plate, and portable equipment, which they wheel out and efficiently assemble.
Janus pretends indifference, but peeks at the Salamanders from the side of his eye.
At his side they assemble a small beach-side camp as it were: a bright orange and white striped canopy secured over a table, a generator which powers a small refrigerator, a grill, and a clear cabinet cooler, stocked with brightly colored drinks with labels printed in colorful, playful alien scripts. The final touch is a picnic basket loaded with utensils and napkins. The Chef carefully sets a butter knife, a butter plate with butter, a spoon, and a napkin at the table, with the soup and bread.
Janus can't help but laugh, though he stifles it very well.
The Salamanders march away.
Janus gives the orange and white canopy a look of puzzled recognition. Scenes flash through his mind.
EXT. BEACH--DAY
JANUS THADDEUS AGE FOURTEEN and NEREUS THADDEUS AGE THIRTY-SIX, both in swim wear, chase the wake of a wave as it recedes down the beach. They run back up the beach. Janus stops and looks up shore. There under a bright orange and white striped umbrella sits HELEN THADDEUS, in swim wear, thirty-seven, white, with fiery red hair, fit, feisty, strong and compassionate, her beauty an embodiment of Americana, the American Dream. She looks at Janus with a sort of trance of open adoration. Her eyes pierce his soul.
JANUS
What?
Nereus smiles and looks at her with admiration. She doesn't answer.
JANUS
What?
NEREUS
What do you mean, 'what?' You know what.
JANUS
Uh, no.
NEREUS
You're a wonderful, intelligent, handsome, adorable boy, that's what.
JANUS
Uh, oh.
Janus returns his Mother's smile, and blushes.
EXT. SPACE--NIGHT
The fires of five hundred atomic blasts pour over the human fleet in the battle to end all battles. A wall of light approaches the shield and glass at the front of the Command Battleship
, while quicker, advance flames lick at it.
INT. COMMAND BATTLESHIP DECK--NIGHT
The Military personnel gaze in horror at the wall of fire that approaches the large view glass of the front deck. Quicker advance flames lick at it. Nereus, however, is not afraid. He howls in pure rage at the flames, raises his microphone box, and depresses the orange button on it.
NEURUS
BY THE GOD OF ALL THE EARTH, YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE LAST OF HUMANITY!
He raises his fist in defiance and howls in rage. The flames shatter the deck, and all goes instantaneously white.
EXT. AIRFIELD--DAY
Janus lies on his back on a horizontally reclined folding chair, beside the makeshift "beach" camp.
He howls in rage, howls for his losses, and openly bawls.
EXT. AIRFIELD--DAY
Janus lies on his back on a horizontally reclined folding chair, beside the makeshift "beach" camp.
Two of the triple suns peek over the mountainous east horizon, the dawn sky ablaze with red, indigo and violet. Xenon and four soldiers come to him. He wakes to the sound of their march, but lies still. They bring a bowl of green soup, and scrambled eggs on a colorful plate. They exchange these for the uneaten soup and bread at the table, and march away.
INT. PRISONER QUARTERS--DAY
Janus, in simple pajamas, sleeps in a bed, in a colorful room with furniture of a kind you might expect to see in a school for children, in simple shapes and many different
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