by Sahara Foley
As Panth focused on the damaged nerves in Arthur's brain, a memory began to emerge. Panth found himself in a large, domed, round room, with aquamarine walls and pale pink, ornately carved pillars spaced evenly around the room. The pillars supported a gallery where spectators viewed the proceedings from above, but it was mostly empty, except for fifteen, whispering Calen females. The occupants on the main floor were Arthur and two bodyguards, Tigget and Tobah.
Across from Arthur was a raised dais with twelve ornately-carved chairs sitting behind a large table shaped like a waning moon. Upon the elaborate thrones sat twelve Calen women, dressed in elegant, white robes trimmed in aquamarine. The dozen women were staring down at Arthur with pinched faces, anger flashing in their blue eyes.
One of the women pounded a gavel on the marble table. “Enough, Earthman,” she said, pronouncing 'man' in a jeering tone. “It has been over nine days since you returned our Queen to us.” She sneered, hatred flashing in her ice-blue eyes. “We, the ruling Council, had agreed to let you rest your frail, Human brain after such an ordeal. We wait no more. We demand you demonstrate these 'powers' you are reputed to possess.” She peered down her nose with loathing.
Arthur ground his teeth, trying to maintain his control. This bitch, Cobia, had been a pain in his ass since he BLIPPED! to Daisy's home world. While he waited for Daisy to recover, he'd been treated like a prisoner, by the Council's orders. Since Cobia was the leader of the Council, he knew they came from her.
He glanced on either side of him, to where Tig and Tobah stood. Their faces were paler than normal, lips pressed together with worry. Arthur gave them a wink and smile, then turned to face the Council again. His 'Two Calens' as he liked to call them, stuck out as if they were at a convention of bald-headed people. Besides Daisy, they were the only Calens who had hair, teeth, and nails. They were also the only Calens who'd spent most of their lives on Earth. While Daisy's injuries were being tended to, the doctors discovered she had an unusual amount of radiation not found on their planet. The closest association they found was the radiation on Planet Lear, but not at the same deadly levels.
“Human, you will answer me!” Cobia yelled imperiously, pounding the gavel again. “You WILL show us how you teleported to Calen. You WILL show us how your force-field works, and why the Ultilear did not harm you.” The other Council members were nodding in agreement, their bald heads gleaming under the diffuse lighting.
Arthur crossed his arms loosely across his chest, looking at each Council member with a toothy grin. He knew these women couldn't hurt him. He stared up at the gilded ceiling. How did I get here? He'd been trying to figure out that million-dollar question since he arrived. He'd even scanned Tig and Tobah's minds, trying to see where Calen was located in the galaxy compared to Earth. Nada. All I want to do is go home.
While Daisy recovered from her near fatal injuries, Tig tried filling him in on how the government worked on Calen. These twelve Council members had been in control for over a thousand years. Being the most powerful, psychic females, they basically put themselves in charge after Daisy's family left Calen for Earth. They had no tolerance for non-psychic people, especially males. No men, for generations, had welded any power. When Arthur popped in with Daisy, he put their whole way of existence in jeopardy.
If these women are so mentally powerful, Arthur mused, why haven't they learned how to teleport, or make their own force-fields? It seemed these concepts were totally foreign to them. Probably because they're not as powerful as they pretend to be. The repeated pounding of the gavel drew his attention back to the proceedings.
“Earthman, you are not listening.” The thin, tall Cobia was almost screaming. “You will also explain how you destroyed the seven ships. Calen ships, mind you, for which you will be punished. We care not that Emeara gave the orders to destroy her fellow Calens. She is no longer the Queen. Her family gave up their authority generations ago, when they choose to leave, to wait on your world for a silly prophecy. A prophecy we do not acknowledge. If you do not obey our demands, you shall be placed in restraints and delivered to our prison, where you will soon end your days on our world.”
That's it. I've had enough of this arrogant, mouthy bitch. As his ire rose, Arthur felt the PSI power crackling through his body. Tig and Tobah, who'd been standing on either side of him, slowly moved away, their eyes wide with fright. Arthur glared up at the Council members with gritted teeth, hands fisted at his sides.
“Cobia, and fellow Council members, I have no idea how I came to be on your friendly planet, but I am not here for you to make demands of me. I owe you nothing, neither loyalty, nor explanations. Where I come from, we chose who leads us, instead of having it shoved down our throats. And that is the difference, Cobia. LEAD not RULE. I will not take orders from a pompous, overbearing, female ass like you.”
Tig gasped, hands over her mouth, while Tobah yelled, “Arthur, no.” It was too late for words.
With anger flashing in their eyes, the twelve Council members rose to their feet, glowering at Arthur. Holding hands, they closed their eyes, hairless brows creased in concentration. Arthur felt a prickling at the back of his mind, like something he'd forgotten, but couldn't remember. Is that the extent of their powers? he wondered. Dobie's two mind controllers had more PSI power than these women. God, I'm so tired of putting up with governmental fools.
He still felt the rage coursing through his body. I better calm down before I do something Daisy won't approve of. What I really want is a smoke and a cold beer. An ice-cold can of Pabst POPPED into one hand, while a lit cigarette showed up in the other. He took a deep drag, blowing out a long stream of smoke at the Council members.
Yeah, that's better. He took a sip of the cold beer, smacking his lips. Yup, just what the doctor ordered. All he needed now was somewhere to sit.
A green and white lawn chair materialized out of thin air. He sank onto the chair with a sigh. Leaning back, he swung his feet up, crossing them at the ankles. He sat there, smoking and drinking, as he surveyed the twelve, straining Council members. Trickles of sweat slid down their red faces. They looked as if they might have a stroke.
Arthur chuckled. What morons. He turned to see how Tig was doing. She still had her hands over her mouth, staring in terror at the Council members. He glanced at Tobah. Her mouth was handing open, the same terrified look on her face. Arthur shrugged.
Taking a sip of beer, Arthur glanced at Cobia, whose eyes were open, a snarl on her face that would drive the fieriest beast for cover. He burst out laughing, beer spraying out his mouth all over the Council chamber floor and his legs. He tipped his beer can at her. Her face twisted into even more of a snarl. Arthur chuckled again. If I don't stop watching her, I'll never get to finish my beer.
Arthur gestured at Tig. “Come on, Tig. Sit, and have a beer with me. You, too, Tobah.” Two more chairs appeared with a can of beer in each holder. “This may take a while. It seems the Council members haven't realized they're out of business.” He smirked at the twelve women.
Tig hadn't moved. Arthur glanced over at her. She had a desperate, pleading look that reminded him of Ruth when she wanted something. Studying her, he thought, Tig is a pretty woman, but Ruth and Daisy are beautiful. He shrugged. If she didn't want to sit and enjoy the party, it wasn't any skin off his nose.
Arthur turned his attention to the gallery, where fifteen Calen women were sitting, watching the proceedings. Cobia had invited these women so she could demonstrate her powers, and how she was going to handle the Earthman. He snorted. What a show-off. If she wants a show, I'll give her one.
He finished his beer in one gulp, threw the empty can in the air, aimed his finger at it like a gun, and said, “Pow.” The can disappeared mid-air. Taking a last drag off his cigarette, he did the same thing. “Pow,” he repeated, zapping the butt to wherever the beer can had gone. He smiled, enjoying this game.
The twelve women were still standing, holding hands, faces lined with concentration. Their normally pale com
plexions, which reminded Arthur of a freshly painted white house, were fire barn red.
What else can I do to break them? That's it, he thought, snapping his fingers. Back on Earth, he knew a guy named Tommy, who smoked the raunchiest cigars ever. No one knew where he bought them, but they smelled like horse or camel shit. He stared at his upraised hand. A big, fat, brown cigar, wafting smoke, appeared between his fingers. He took a sniff, his nose wrinkling in horror. Yup, I got it right.
He sat there, puffing away, blowing long streams of acrid smoke towards the Council members. His eyes started watering from the nauseating smell, so he shut down his olfactory senses. Pretty soon, the room was full of gagging sounds, as the Calens, who were non-smokers, covered their mouths, or held their noses shut. One-by-one, the Council members succumbed to the raunchy smell, gagging, dropping to their seats, eyes watering. All except Cobia.
She remained standing, holding her breath, scowling with hatred at Arthur. Face turning blue, looking as if she were ready to pass out, she finally released her held breath with a whoosh, slumping back onto her chair. Fanning the smoke away from her face with her limp hand, she shouted, “Enough, Earthman! You mock the ruling Council. Remove this foul odor, and stand before us, as all Calen must stand.”
Finally, Arthur thought with a smirk, something we can agree on. He quickly removed the offending smoke, replacing it with a clean scent of pine. The smell must not have meant the same thing to the Calens, as their noses wrinkled again in disgust at the new odor. He sat staring at Cobia, who sat glaring back at him. He shook his head. They just won't learn.
In a blink, he BLIPPED!, reappearing on top of the marble, Council table, sitting cross-legged in front of Cobia. The dozen Council members jumped to their feet, mouths open in shock, backing away from the Earthman.
“Cobia, I guess you don't understand yet,” Arthur said. He took a sip from another beer he just materialized. “When Daisy, er, Emeara and I met on Earth, she told me she and I would be ruling together. She also told me things weren't going so well on her planet. It appears she was right. Now, you have two choices. You can either quit, resign, whatever you want to call it, or I'll fire all twelve of you. And that won't be pretty. I'll find some desolate planet to plant your sorry asses on, where you won't be a threat to anyone again. What will it be?”
Cobia's face tightened up with rage as she quickly grabbed for the ray gun holstered at her side. She barely had the gun aimed at Arthur before he pointed his finger, saying, “Pow!” The dozen women vanished to the same place as the beer can, cigarette filter, cigar, and smoke. Arthur stared at his finger in amazement. Pretty slick, but I didn't mean to do that. I'd better be careful.
The onlookers in the balcony sprang to their feet, moans and cries of disbelief filling the room. Tig ran up to Arthur, and tugged on his arm, eyes wide with fright. “Arthur, what have you done? Did you harm them?”
He smiled down at Tig, patting her hand. “Don't worry, they're fine. I put them where they won't be a nuisance to anyone, anymore.” Yeah, but where the Sam Hell is that? Where ever the beer can went, dummy. He shrugged. As long as they left him alone, it didn't make any difference. He knew if he wished them back, they'd probably reappear just as he'd sent them; whether it was today or ten years later. Do I want to? Images of gory science fiction and horror movies he'd seen with bodies with no heads, or heads with no faces, floated through his mind. He shuddered. No, they were better off wherever they were.
The memory faded, and Arthur finally slipped into a restful sleep. Panth sighed. What he just saw explained so much. The twelve Council members had a huge following, and their followers finally retaliated. I still do not understand why Teth and my family were involved? Is it because of the silver objects? What, in Osso's name, are they? Unlike his snoring cellmate, he tossed and turned the rest of the night.
Chapter Seven
“What the hell?” Pam cried, stumbling forward, falling to her hands and knees. Turning over, sitting on her butt, eyes wide with fright, she slowly peered around. She found herself in a round room, and everywhere she looked was silver. Silver computer consoles, silver chairs, silver screens, and a silver floor and ceiling. The bright, overhead lights turned all that silver into an eye-squinting glare.
Her heart started racing. Oh, my God, I'm in one of those space ships from the cavern.
How? Who teleported me here? The only person she knew who could've done it was her father. Slowly rising to her feet, she glanced around some more.
“Dad? Is that you?” she asked, her voice ending in a squeak, hand at her chest.
*We are Weesa,* came a female voice.
Pam rubbed her forehead. She hadn't heard any words, but felt them resonating in her mind. It felt like someone was softly scratching at her brain. Is this what my family feels when I talk to them telepathically? It wasn't a pleasant feeling.
“Weesa? What's a Weesa?”
Two silver screens in front of Pam flickered on. She found herself staring at identical twins. They were very pale, bald-headed, wearing white robes with silver trimming, and she couldn't tell if they were male or female.
*We are Weesa, and we need your help.*
Pam rubbed her head again. The Voice was actually two female voices talking together, almost in harmony. She shook her head. “I don't understand. How can I help you? Why did you kidnap me?”
The two faces looked at each other. *Kidnap? What is 'kidnap?' We do not understand this term.*
Pam's fear was slowly being replaced with anger. She scowled at the faces, hands on hips. “What you just did to me. You took me out of my home, without my consent.” She glanced from one face to the other. “Who are you, and what do you want from me? If I don't get some answers, like right now, I'm leaving the same way I got here.”
The two pale heads bowed as one. *We are sorry, Pamela. We did not mean to frighten you. We need your assistance, as our King and Queen, your father and his wife, are in danger.*
“Arthur and Daisy? What has happened to my father?” Pam bit her bottom lip. She and her mum had been right. Her father was in trouble.
*They were attacked at the palace by rebel Calen men. The rebels devised a new weapon that penetrated Arthur's force-field. The King and Queen were captured, and are now being held prisoners. Regretfully, their three children did not survive the attack.* Tears were coursing from their eyes.
“What? You mean I had brothers or sisters?” Pam stepped backwards until her knees hit against a chair, where she sat, unable to believe what she'd just heard.
Staring at the two crying women, she felt hot tears prickling the back of her own eyes. Why didn't I realize Arthur and Daisy would've had children? If only I hadn't been afraid. She should've gone looking for her father years ago. If she had, she would've met her half-siblings. Did they have powers like me, too? Her mum and step-father tried for years to have more children, but Ruth could never conceive again. What would it have been like to have had a younger brother or sister? Hanging her head, she mourned a family she would never know.
*Pamela, now is not the time to grieve. Arthur and Daisy are still in danger. We fear for their lives. You must come with us, and save them.*
Pam looked up, wiping the tears from her face. “But, how? What can I do that you can't? You obviously have some powers as you brought me here. Why can't you just teleport my father and Daisy out of the prison?”
*We are unable to use our powers as Bindkall Prison uses an anti-psychic devise to keep their prisoners contained.*
“Wait a minute,” Pam interrupted, raising her hand at the screens. “If you can't use your psychic powers, what makes you think I can use mine?”
*You cannot,* came back the harmonic response. “However, the Shalit, Excalibur, can.”
“Wait one damn minute. Are you talking about the evil entity trapped in the sword Excalibur?”
*He is the one, and same.*
“No, no, no,” Pam said, shaking her head. “My mum told me about the Shalit,
how it could never be released. If it were, it would destroy every living thing in our galaxy. I won't allow that to happen.”
*Allow?* The twin faces blinked their ice-blue eyes at Pam. *You have no choice in the matter. If you wish to save your father, you must release the Shalit contained in the sword.*
“Are you people nuts? You won't be saving anyone. You'll be sentencing all of our worlds to a horrific death.”
The two heads turned toward each other, not saying a word. Are they talking to each other? Pam wondered, picking at the cuticles on her left hand. This makes no sense. Why would a ship have to converse with itself? No matter. They can talk all they want. There's no way I'm going to be responsible for letting the Shalit loose. No way.
The bald-heads faced Pam again. *Even though we have little time, we have agreed you need to understand before you will assist us.”
Pam held up her hand again. “Before we go any further, can you speak out loud, and not telepathically? You're giving me a headache.” She grimaced, rubbing her forehead.
“Certainly,” said one of the female heads. Her voice was the tenor in the harmonics of the twin voices. “You asked us who we were. We are now Weesa, but before our brains were incorporated into this ship, we used to be called Olso and Emeara.” With a slight nod to the other head, she continued, “Emeara is my child, and we are both very distant grandmothers to Daisy.”
As Olso spoke, Pam began noticing the differences in their appearance. Olso's face and nose were thinner, where Emeara's eyes had a more slanted cast to them. Pam shrugged. Their faces might not even be what they originally looked like.
The other face, which Pam took to be Emeara, smiled. “Of course, my dear. What you see in front of you is our true appearance while we held physical bodies.” Her voice had a lilting alto tone.
Pam frowned, biting her lip. “You're reading my mind, without my permission. I don't know how things are done on your planet, but we value our privacy. So keep the hell out of my head. You got it? Or, I'm going back home.”