“If I should ever die,
God forbid, I wish for my epitaph to read: I could never believe in a
God if it were not for music.” Kurt Vonnegut 1922 ~ 2007
Everyone gathered on the
bridge to watch their arrival at Saturn, one of the most beautiful and
magnificent of the Jovian worlds. Captain Waco was ready with
another of his brief but informative talks about what his passenger’s
would be seeing. Kuluke stood beside his little brother.
David and the med-bots got T’kan out of bed, and he was walking with
the aid of crutches. The cast on his leg was a full leg
cast. It ran from just below his butt to his foot. Only his
heel and toes were exposed. They attached a hard rubber stop to
the very bottom, beneath his foot, for him to rest his weight on
without damaging the cast. After they adjusted his crutches to
his proper height, T’kan quickly learned to use them almost as easily
as walking naturally. He was a natural little athlete and
his crutches provided him with a new form of locomotion to
master. He saw it as a challenge and worked hard to get the hang
of it. He soon became adept at using them. He could go
anywhere his brother could. After being cleaned up and being on
board the Buttercup for a while, Kuluke wasn’t real sure he wanted to
return to the cave. Besides, they were going for walks in the
woods several times a day. It wasn’t like they were cooped up in
the confines of the ship around the clock. The critter walks
became as important to them as the other guests.
Everything they were
experiencing was like magic to the bairns, but they stayed close to
Strom and Lyle while they took it all in with wide-eyed
fascination. The young of any species will adapt quicker and
easier to a new situation than adults. Kuluke and T’kan felt like
they had family for the first time in their lives, and they had to
admit to each other, it was appealing to them. Their dad rarely
let them have any of his teat. He acted like they were too old to
be nursing on him. They got all they wanted from Strom and
Ox. Everyone treated them as honored guests and special
friends. T’kan especially loved the attention his crutches
brought him. They set him apart and made him feel special.
“May I have your attention,
please?” Captain Waco spoke to the assembled guests. He started
speaking after he had everyone’s attention.
“Saturn is the sixth planet
from the Sun and the second largest. In Roman mythology, Saturn
is the god of agriculture. The associated Greek god, Cronus, was
the son of Uranus and Gaia* and the father of Zeus or Jupiter.
Saturn is the root of the English word 'Saturday.' When it
is in the nighttime sky, as seen from Earth, Saturn is easily visible
to the unaided eye. Though it is not nearly as bright as Jupiter,
it is easy to identify as a planet because it doesn't twinkle like the
stars do. The rings and the larger satellites are visible with a
small astronomical telescope. Like the other Jovian planets,
Saturn has a significant magnetic field. Saturn has thirty-four
named satellites. Of those moons, for which rotation rates are
known, all but Phoebe and Hyperion rotate synchronously.
"Saturn is visibly flattened or
oblate at its poles; its equatorial and polar diameters vary by almost
ten percent. This flattening is the result of its rapid rotation
and fluid state. The other gas planets are also oblate, but not
so much so. Saturn is the least dense of the planets; its
specific gravity, of only 0.7, is less than that of water. Like
Jupiter, Saturn is about 75% hydrogen and 25% helium with traces of
water, methane, ammonia and rock, similar to the composition of the
primordial Solar Nebula from which the solar system was formed.
Saturn's interior is similar to Jupiter's, consisting of a rocky core,
a liquid metallic hydrogen layer and a molecular hydrogen layer.
"Saturn's interior is hot,12000
Kelvin at the core, and Saturn radiates more energy into space than it
receives from the Sun. Most of the extra energy, in the form of
heat, is generated by the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism as in Jupiter, but
this may not be sufficient to explain Saturn's luminosity; some
additional mechanism, as yet unknown, may be at work. The heat is
generated by the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism through the slow
gravitational compression of the planet. Saturn and Jupiter do
NOT produce energy by nuclear fusion as in the Sun; they are much too
small and hence interiors are too cool to ignite nuclear
reactions. Interior heat probably causes convection deep within
Jupiter's liquid layers and is probably responsible for the complex
motions we see in the cloud tops. Saturn and Neptune are similar
to Jupiter in this respect, but oddly, Uranus is not.
"Two prominent rings, labeled A
and B and one faint ring, called C, can be seen from the Earth.
The gap between the A and B rings is known as the Cassini division. The
much fainter gap in the outer part of the A ring is known as the Encke
Division. Saturn's rings, unlike the rings of the other planets,
are very bright. Though they look continuous from the Earth, the
rings are actually composed of innumerable small particles each in an
independent orbit. They range in size from a centimeter or so to
several meters. A few kilometer-sized objects are also
likely. Saturn's rings are extraordinarily thin: though they're
250,000 kilometer or more in diameter they're less than one kilometer
thick. Despite their impressive appearance, there's really very
little material in the rings. If the rings were compressed into a
single body it would be no more than 100 kilometer across. The
ring particles seem to be composed primarily of water ice, but they may
also include rocky particles with icy coatings. Voyager confirmed
the existence of puzzling radial inhomogeneities in the rings called
'spokes' which were first reported by amateur astronomers. Their
nature remains a mystery, but may have something to do with Saturn's
magnetic field.
"There are complex tidal
resonances between some of Saturn's moons and the ring system: some of
the moons, the so-called 'shepherding satellites' called Atlas,
Prometheus, and Pandora are clearly important in keeping the rings in
place; Mimas seems to be responsible for the paucity of material in the
Cassini division, which seems to be similar to the Kirkwood gaps in the
asteroid belt; Pan is located inside the Encke Division and S/2005 S1
is in the center of the Keeler Gap. The whole system is very
complex and as yet poorly understood. The origin of the rings of
Saturn and the other Jovian planets is unknown. Though they may
have had rings since their formation, the ring systems are not stable
and must be regenerated by ongoing processes, perhaps the breakup of
larger satellites. The current set of rings may be only a few
hundred million years old. Does anyone have any questions?”
Waco asked his guests. No one knew enough about what Waco was
talking about to ask an intelligent question.
<< You mean we come from
a place like that? The place we call Earth? >> Waco
overheard Kuluke ask Strom and Lyle.
“Yes, Kuluke, but our world is
much smaller than the world you’re looking at. Myra, sweetheart,
would you project Earth next to our current picture of Saturn on the
center screen so our passengers can get an idea the difference in size
between them?”
“Be happy to, my handsome
captain,” Myra replied.
Instantly the Earth was on the
bottom left of the huge holo-vid screen. It looked like a large
blue marble next to the huge size of the ringed gas giant.
“There, everyone, that’s what
our planet would look like next to Saturn. When you’re viewing
something as large a Saturn or Jupiter from the deck of a spaceship
it’s hard to keep in perspective just how enormous the gas giants are,”
Waco said.
Everyone had to agree it made
their home world look insignificant by comparison. Kuluke and
T’kan were impressed. Waco then had Myra show a full screen view
of the Earth from the Clark orbit and everyone seemed to reconnect with
their personal sense of perspective.
“Our world is beautiful.”
whispered T’kan.
“It is, indeed, little
brother,” Waco came and stood by the two young lummox, “By the way,
welcome to the Buttercup. That’s the name of our ship. Glad
to have you aboard.”
“Thank, you, Captain Waco,”
replied Kuluke for him and his little brother.
Waco made another announcement.
“Folks, enjoy your
evening meal while we orbit Saturn. When we finish we will be
leaving orbit and heading for Jupiter, the largest planet in our Solar
System. If you think Saturn is spectacular, y'ain’t seen nothing
yet. It’s a shorter hop from Saturn to Jupiter because of the way
the planets are aligned right now, so we should be coming into sight of
the big planet shortly before our bosun pipes ‘lights out.’ Of
course, you’re all welcome to join us for a late night hot chocolate
party here on the bridge and we will orbit the planet several
times. We will then leave orbit and head back into the direction
of our home world. We hope to arrive within sight of Venus by
early morning. Those of you who haven’t met our newest guests,
Kuluke and his younger brother T’kan, please stop by and introduce
yourselves,” Waco urged his guests.
Some of the cowboys already
introduced themselves, but the rest of the folks slowly strolled over
to meet them. Kuluke stayed close to Strom and Lyle, but T’gan
was far more outgoing showing off his new leg cast to everyone.
He was the center of attention and loving it. He was adventurous
enough to pet all the dogs, and they talked freely with him. He
was fascinated with Keekepata, and she became quite fond of the young
bairn.
Folks
moved on to have supper. Lyle left Kuluke and T’kan with Strom
and went to the main mess hall on the galley deck. He told Strom
he would eat quickly and join him and the boys in the critter feeding
area. Strom nodded his understanding.
“We don’t eat with them?” T’kan
asked sort of disappointed.
“No, son, they eat different
foods. Our diet is more basic and simple than theirs. We
are closer to the land than they are. They have more formal
eating rituals than we do. It’s just more comfortable for us to
eat separately. If you want to eat with them, they will gladly
make a place for you at their table without question. My boy Ox
and I have eaten with them many times, but we are never really
comfortable. You’ll have a chance one of these days, and then you
let me know what you think about it.”
<< Trust me, their food
and eating habits are over rated, >> Jill projected to
them. I just want my cup of chow and to be left alone while I eat.
“Me, too, sister Jill,” echoed
Patty.
“Couldn’t agree more,” Moe said.
“Yeah, eating should be for
eating, not for chit-chat,” Shep added.
“Utah, eats with them,” Larry
said.
“That’s because he’s like his
master. He eats special food that only his master can make for
him out of the same chow we eat, but he does something to it to
rearrange its nutritional values especially for Utah. He never
stays. His master gives him permission to come find us. I
think he’d rather be with us anyway.”
“Is he really a dog, like us?”
Shep asked.
“I think so, he sniffed my
butt.” Moe said.
“You’re just awful, brother,”
Patty said indignantly.
“Don’t go get'n all high and
mighty with us, little sister, I saw him sniff your butt, and I watched
you return the favor,” Shep laughed at her. Poor Patty looked at
her brother like she could kill him. The critters laughed at
their exchange. Kuluke and T’kan thought it was funny. They
laughed out loud. Strom smiled at his son, Garron. Ox
winked back at him. It was good to see the boys find humor in
something. It seemed like Kuluke and T’kan were becoming
comfortable with their new life. The four legged critters and their
friends finished their meal a lot quicker than their human
friends. They set around and talked to one another until Jack
Hall whistled for them it was time for their walk. He and Warren
Steele were the unofficial walkabout captains and were responsible for
accounting for everyone. Warren had a clipboard with everyone’s
name who was going on the walk and checked off their names before they
could go through the portal. Before they returned he’d call out
everyone’s name and check them off before anyone was allowed to return
from the forest. It was well organized and they made sure no one
was left behind.
It was still dusk as they went
through the portal onto the dirt road they usually took up and over the
hill. It was T’kan’s first attempt at going any distance on his
crutches. David said he could go as long as he didn’t
overdo. Jack and Warren watched him closely. Strom, Lyle,
Ox, and Waco were along to back them up. The animals were pretty
well trained not to go too far into the brush to relieve
themselves. Agreement or no agreement, no one was anxious to run
into a full grown mountain lion. Kuluke walked slowly along side
his little brother and offered him encouragement. He enjoyed
their outings in the forest as it made him feel less captive and
enclosed. T’kan was adapting much faster than Kuluke.
Later that evening, Kuluke and
T’kan watched a Disney movie with the cowboys and the critters.
Captain Waco promised the critters a special movie just for them even
the pups would enjoy. It was Disney’s original version of “The
Shaggy Dog.” There was much laughter, cheering and talking to the
characters on the screen as the young boy would turn into a dog and
then back into a human. The audience participation made the film
much better than it really was and everyone had a ball. Everyone
agreed it was one of the best movies they ever saw. Kuluke and
T’kan were enchanted by it. They didn’t understand how a human
could change into a dog and back again. Kuluke thought it must be
some kind of magic.
“Ah, it’s just a story,
Kuluke. Ain’t no magic to it,” explained Moe, “It ain’t
real. They make it look like it’s really happening, but it’s all
done with special effects. He don’t really change into a dog and
when he becomes a dog, it’s a real dog what plays the part. It’s
all make believe. Anything you can imagine they can make into a
story and make it look real.”
Kuluke wasn’t sure he
understood, but his little brother came to his rescue.
“Later this evening I’ll show you a
video I ran across while lying in bed that explains it all. I
wondered how they do it, and I asked Myra about it. She’s real
helpful. She told me there weren’t no magic to it. She
showed me this wonderful video that explains it all. Once you see
how they do it, you’ll understand.” he spoke like a knowing sage.
Warren and Jack found T’kan’s self-assuredness amusing. Less than
a day out of the wild and the little one knew about special
effects.
A number
of the adults watched the movie with them, but Charlie, Lazarus, Strom,
and Lyle were in the canteen drinking coffee with Sonny and Vivian
Steele. They were discussing the trip and the chance finding of
the young bairns.
“Thank God we found them when
we did,” Lazarus said, “David told me T’kan was close to having major
infection set in, and he could’ve been dead within a day.”
“I just can’t understand a
father leaving his bairns alone to find another place for them to
live. I’d never leave one of my bairns behind even when
hunting. They were always within sight of me or Pangle. Ask
Garron, in all the years he lived with us, we never left him alone for
a minute. I don’t know of any other lummox parents who would do
that either. Our children are everything to us. They are
our past and our future,” said Strom almost angrily. His booming
voice rose in volume toward the end of his impassioned speech.
Everyone was silent. Lazarus got a funny grin on his face.
“Oh, my God! You’re
becoming attached to them,” Lazarus laughed and gently slapped Strom on
his back, “I should’ve seen this coming. Why am I not surprised?”
he asked.
“You just realized it?
I’ve known it from the time Strom and Ox brought Kuluke back to the
ship,” Lyle grinned.
“I could a’ told you!”
exclaimed Vivian, “I can see the way he looks at them when he thinks
nobody’s looking,” she laughed and grabbed her husband’s arm.
Sonny laughed with her.
“Now, maybe ya’ll understand
why I fell in love with him?” Lyle said laughing and putting his arm
around his mate.
“Of course! No doubt!”
Charlie said, “I think we’ve all fallen under their spell, especially
the little one, Mr. Personality plus.”
“What are you gonna’ do about
it, big’un?" Lazarus put to Strom, “What if they want us to find their
dad? He shouldn’t be hard to find. We can find him with
their DNA.”
“I wanna’ check him out
first. I wanna’ ask him why he left them in that cave all alone,"
Strom said.
“And if you don’t like his
answer?” Lazarus asked.
“He won’t find out we got ‘em,
and I tell the boys we couldn’t find him,” Strom said like it was the
most natural solution to the problem.
Everyone was quiet again.
Vivian Steele broke the silence with a sigh.
“I suppose there are good and bad
lummox just like every other race of people. If it came to a
vote, I’d be more likely to vote in favor of Strom and Lyle than a
father who would abandon his boys unless he had one hell of a good
reason. I think Strom’s idea to check him out sounds reasonable,”
she said.
“I agree with Vivian.” Charlie
said quietly.
“Me, too.” Sonny added.
“I agree with my mate.” Lyle
grinned.
“Smart man!” Lazarus laughed at
Lyle, “I think it’s a good idea, too. I have to say, Strom, you
never cease to amaze me. I’m proud you were the second birth
father for our twins. Does that mean you and Lyle would be
willing to take them in and raise them as your own?”
“My husband speaks for us,”
Lyle smiled and winked at Lazarus.
“Once again, you’re a wise
young man. You won’t never go wrong throwing your lot in with a
magnificent beast like Strom,” he grinned.
“Of course we’ll accept them as
our own. We’ll just start off with a little larger family than we
planned. These are unusual times we’re living in and they call
for creative solutions to difficult situations. We’ll just have
to have three human bairns to make up the difference,” Strom laughed
and hugged Lyle to him.
“Only three?” Lyle
complained. Everyone laughed.
“All right. It all sounds
good, but you have to promise you’ll take Garron along with you when
you check out their dad. Not because I wouldn’t trust your word,
but because I want someone covering your back. Also, we have no
idea what kind of lummox we’re dealing with. Like Vivian said,
there are some bad one’s out there. I know your husband would
feel better if you were accompanied by one of your kin,” Lazarus said.
“He’s right, sweetheart, I
would feel better,” Lyle said to his mate.
“Garron will go with me, if
nothing else, to keep me from killing a brother,” Strom said more
quietly.
There was no doubt in anyone’s
mind Strom might be capable of such a thing in the heat of anger if he
thought the bairns were mistreated. Nothing more was said, but
everyone watched with amusement as the four grew closer to each
other. Kuluke and T’kan came to accept Lyle as a second dad as
readily as they accepted Strom as their primary father. They even
came to look upon Ox as their big brother, because they knew he was one
of Strom’s adopted sons. They didn’t talk about their other dad a
lot. The boys were promised the men would try to find their dad
when they returned to Earth, and they seemed satisfied Strom and his
friends would keep their word.
* * * * * * *
After the movie, Jack and
Warren took everyone for another walk. It was the last one for
the evening. It was getting late. They no sooner returned
when Travis blew his bosun’s pipe to announce the Buttercup’s arrival
at the planet Jupiter. David and Jonathan and the service bots
served hot chocolate on the bridge. The critters got other
treats, but after one taste of a little of Lyle and Strom’s hot
chocolate Kuluke and T’gan knew they found a home. They couldn’t
get such strange and wonderful things in a cold, damp cave.
The Captain began his talk
about Jupiter.
“Jupiter
is the fifth planet from the Sun and by far the largest. Jupiter
is more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined.
The mass of Jupiter is three hundred and eighteen times that of
Earth. Jupiter, or Zeus in Greek, was the King of the Gods, the
ruler of Olympus and the patron of the Roman state. Zeus was the
son of Cronus, the Roman Saturn. It is the fourth brightest
object in the sky after the Sun, the Moon, and Venus. It has been
known since prehistoric times as a bright 'wandering star.' In
1610 when Galileo first pointed a telescope at the sky, he discovered
Jupiter's four large moons Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, which is
why today they're known as the Galilean moons, and recorded their
motions back and forth around Jupiter. This was the first
discovery of a center of motion not centered on the Earth. It was
a major point in favor of Copernicus' heliocentric theory of the
motions of the planets. Galileo's outspoken support of the
Copernican theory got him in trouble with the Holy Inquisition.
You remember them folks, don't you? If it ain't in the bible, it
ain't so. What a pity religion and belief systems have progressed
very little in four hundred years.
"The gas planets don't have
solid surfaces. Their gaseous material simply gets denser with
depth. What we see when looking at these planets is the tops of
clouds high in their atmospheres. Jupiter is about 90% hydrogen
and 10% helium with traces of methane, water, ammonia, and rock.
This is very close to the composition of the primordial Solar Nebula
from which the entire solar system was formed. Saturn has a
similar composition, but Uranus and Neptune have much less hydrogen and
helium.
"Our knowledge of the interior
of Jupiter and the other gas planets is highly speculative and likely
to remain so for some time; however, some scientists' best guess
is Jupiter probably has a core of rocky material amounting to something
like ten to fifteen Earth-masses. Above the core lies the main
bulk of the planet in the form of liquid metallic hydrogen. This
exotic form of the most common of elements is possible only at
pressures exceeding four million bars, as is the case in the interior
of Jupiter and Saturn. Liquid metallic hydrogen consists of
ionized protons and electrons like the interior of the Sun but at a far
lower temperature. At the temperature and pressure of Jupiter's
interior hydrogen is a liquid, not a gas. It is an electrical
conductor and the source of Jupiter's magnetic field. This layer
probably also contains some helium and traces of various ices.
The outermost layer is composed primarily of ordinary molecular
hydrogen and helium which is liquid in the interior and gaseous further
out. The atmosphere we see is just the very top of this deep
layer. Water, carbon dioxide, methane and other simple molecules
are also present in tiny amounts.
"Jupiter and the other gas
planets have high velocity winds which are confined in wide bands of
latitude. The winds blow in opposite directions in adjacent
bands. Slight chemical and temperature differences between these
bands are responsible for the colored bands that dominate the planet's
appearance. The light colored bands are called zones; the dark
ones belts. The bands have been known for some time on Jupiter,
but the complex vortices in the boundary regions between the bands were
first seen by Voyager. The data from the Galileo probe indicate
that the winds are even faster than expected; more than 400 miles per
hour. Jupiter's atmosphere is quite turbulent. Jupiter's
winds are driven in large part by its internal heat rather than from
solar input as on Earth. The vivid colors seen in Jupiter's
clouds are probably the result of subtle chemical reactions of the
trace elements in Jupiter's atmosphere, perhaps involving sulfur whose
compounds take on a wide variety of colors, but the details are unknown.
"The Great Red Spot, or GRS,
has been seen by Earthly observers for more than 300 years. The
GRS is an oval about 12,000 by 25,000 kilometers, big enough to hold
two Earths. Other smaller but similar spots have been known for
decades. Infrared observations and the direction of its rotation
indicate that the GRS is a high-pressure region whose cloud tops are
significantly higher and colder than the surrounding regions.
Similar structures have been seen on Saturn and Neptune. It is
not known how such structures can persist for so long.
"Jupiter radiates more energy
into space than it receives from the Sun. The interior of Jupiter
is hot. The core is probably about 20,000 Kelvin. The heat
is generated by the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism, the slow gravitational
compression of the planet. Jupiter does not produce energy by
nuclear fusion as in the Sun; it is much too small and hence its
interior is too cool to ignite nuclear reactions. This interior
heat probably causes convection deep within Jupiter's liquid layers and
is probably responsible for the complex motions we see in the cloud
tops. Saturn and Neptune are similar to Jupiter in this respect,
but oddly enough, Uranus is not. Jupiter is just about as large
in diameter as a gas planet can be. If more material were to be
added, it would be compressed by gravity such that the overall radius
would increase only slightly. A star can be larger only because
of its internal nuclear heat source; however, Jupiter would have to be
at least 80 times more massive to become a star.
"Jupiter has a huge magnetic
field, much stronger than Earth's. Its magnetosphere extends more
than 650 million kilometers past the orbit of Saturn. Jupiter's moons
lie within its magnetosphere, a fact which may partially explain some
of the activity on one of its moons, Io. Jupiter has sixty-three
known satellites: the four large Galilean moons plus many more small
ones. Jupiter is very gradually slowing down due to the tidal
drag produced by the Galilean satellites. Also, the same tidal
forces are changing the orbits of the moons, very slowly forcing them
farther from Jupiter. Jupiter's satellites are named for other
figures in the life of Zeus; mostly, his numerous lovers.”
Captain Waco’s discourse on
Jupiter was the longest and most complete for all the planets. He
explained there were more mysteries than answers about such an imposing
giant in our Solar System. For all our technology there are
questions about the planet that may never be answered. Because of the planet’s size, it
took sometime to orbit Jupiter; however, by the time Waco gave the
command to leave orbit and continue on their journey to Venus, most of
the guest said their ‘goodnights’ and drifted of to their individual
cabins. Kuluke and T’kan were sharing a huge bed in the same
cabin where Strom and Lyle were staying. It was another double
cabin that had a water-tight door in between as found on most ships at
sea, spaceships, and Mormon Temples.
Before they could go to bed
they were required to join Lyle and Strom in the bath where they were
both subjected to sonic showers and water. They were careful with
T’kan’s cast so it didn’t get wet. It became a major family
moment. The young bairns were embarrassed the first time they saw
Lyle naked. They had plenty of fur to cover their genitals and so
did Strom. They didn’t have any problem with Strom, but seeing a
nude human was something altogether different for them. They
tried not to look at Lyle and kept their backs to him most of the time.
Strom laughed at them. “Come on, guys, you’re going to make
Lyle feel bad. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.
Just think on him as family. He’s my family and as long as you
two are under my care he’s your family, too. Once you get used to
the fact he has no fur to speak of, you began to see the beauty of the
human race. And, as humans go, I picked me the very best looking
one I could find,” Strom boomed with laughter as he hugged Lyle’s nude
body against his. The boys blushed.
It took them several evenings, but
they slowly began to loosen up. Kuluke’s problem was not that
Lyle was nude, it was because he found him so attractive. It
didn’t take his little brother long to figure it out and made his big
brother’s life even worse. Lyle would bathe the boys just like he
would Strom. Strom would take one and Lyle would take the
other. Kuluke always managed to be with Strom. T’kan told
Strom what was going on and they roared with laughter. It became
their secret.
T’kan
got Strom’s permission to show his brother the video Myra put up for
him to watch while he was in sickbay. That night, after Strom and
Lyle tucked them in, T’kan showed Kuluke what he discovered. He
taught him how to speak to Myra.
“Are you there, Myra?” T’kan
spoke softly.
A soft female voice came
back. “I’m always here, sweet bairn. All you gotta’ do is
speak my name or give a whistle. You do know how to whistle,
don’t you?” she giggled.
“No, ma’am. I don’t know
how to whistle.”
“No, problem. I’ll have
one of the cowboys teach you. Now, what can I do for you this
evening? It’s late, shouldn’t you men be going to sleep?”
“I got permission from Strom,”
T’kan replied.
“I know you did. I
heard. What do you need from Myra?”
“Could you put up that video
you showed me in sickbay about how they make videos and special
effects?”
“Sure. Get comfy and I’ll
start it in a minute. Enjoy,” she replied and the video
started.
They watched it all the way
through and Kuluke was impressed. It was very logical how they
did it. It was an art or a craft. There was no magic to it,
but when he stopped to think about it, it came off looking like magic,
and after all, wasn’t that what magic was all about? Myra spoke
to them again.
“Anything else I can do for you
this evening, handsome?” she asked T’kan.
“No, ma’am, but thanks a lot,
Myra. You’re a good friend.”
“Why, thank you, little one, I
try to be. You take good care of your leg and get well soon,” she
signed off.
Somewhere in the wee hours of
the morning, Kuluke rolled over to throw his arm over his little
brother, but he wasn’t there. He set up in the bed, but he didn’t
panic. He saw the door open between the bedrooms and went to
look. There was T’kan fast asleep in Lyle’s arms. Kuluke
silently walked around their big bed and gently crawled in next to
Strom. It was just enough to wake the big beast. Strom saw
it was Kuluke, smiled at him, and opened his huge arms to him.
Kuluke snuggle up to Strom and the big lummox embraced him.
Kuluke felt safer in Strom’s arms than he ever did in his young
life. There was just something about the huge lummox that made
him feel comfortable and wanted.
<< Would a little warm
milk help you sleep?” >> Strom projected.
<< It jes' might, sir,
>> Kuluke smiled.
<< Help yourself, son,
>> Strom offered.
Kuluke fell fast asleep after
only a few minutes of drinking Strom’s warm sweet milk. He slept
peacefully the rest of the night in his big lummox friend’s arms.
* * * * * * *
The morning pipe was blown
early. The Buttercup was approaching Venus. Lyle and Strom
lay in bed with their two new wards. Lyle got everyone up.
He knew the first walk of the day started early. They needed to
get up and out to go for a walk in the woods. After their walk,
everyone had breakfast. The Captain announced things would be
different that morning, because there would be a lot more to see on
Venus. After breakfast all the guest gathered on the
bridge. Everyone was excited to get the first glimpse of the
Venerean Bladder Whales, Cetacea Balaena Cythereinsis.
Waco told Burt to take the
control seat next to his left where Jill was sitting. She simply
crawled up in Burt’s lap and smiled at him. She weighed almost
nothing so it wasn’t uncomfortable for him.
“I wanted you to get the feel
of operating one of these ships, Burt,” Waco told him, “When
things begin to get worse back on Earth the Admiral is going to need
more command pilots. We have a fleet of about three hundred of
these small ships on board the Mighty Bee. You interested?”
“Hell, yes, I’m
interested. Ever’ time I see you, Little Bear, Travis, and Lucas
take your seats up here, I damn near cream ma' Wranglers. I want
to experience this for myself,” Burt replied with enthusiasm.
“Well, just sit there and
observe for right now and when we get back I’ll make arrangements for
Ping and Pong to start a formal training program for you and Phil,”
Waco said.
“Hot damn! That’s great,
Captain Waco. I’ll do my damnedest to make you, the Admiral and
Master Charlie proud of me,” Burt said.
“Okay, strap yourself in and
hold onto your partner. We’re heading into the atmosphere of
Venus. There may be a small amount of turbulence.”
Waco’s second in command, Lucas
already instructed the passengers to get into their assigned seats and
fasten their seat belts. They didn’t know exactly how turbulent
the cloud cover might be in the upper atmosphere. Once they were
inside and had a better idea they probably could walk about more
freely. They were no more than a few minutes in when the ship had
to take a sudden turn to miss a huge bladder whale. Waco pulled
along side.
“Myra, sweetheart, could you
activate ship to creature communications, please," Captain Waco asked
the ship's evolved intelligence.
“Happy to, Captain.
Done!” She replied.
Immediately there came over the
speakers strange sounds. Intelligent sounds.
Rumblings. Pops and squeaks, followed by high-pitched vocal
sounds that resembled singing. The sounds repeated then several
voices joined the solo voice adding an even richer blend to the mix.
“It sounds like singing!”
exclaimed Johauk Kodaly.
“It is singing, brother,” Shane
Goodnight confirmed. He was sitting next to Johauk. "It’s
the songs of the Venerean Atmospheric Bladder Whales. I recognize
that voice. I think it’s the leader’s son, Chacheellian,” Shane
said.
“My God, look at them.
There must be fifty to a hundred of them. How beautiful!
What are those long ropes attached to their fronts?” Blake Tindall
asked with awe. Everyone else was speechless.
“Those ain’t ropes, son,”
Lazarus replied, “They’re like arms or legs. Some have
incorrectly called them tentacles or tendrils. They are hundreds
of miles long and continue to grow all their lives. They have
eight of them and they rotate forward as new ones are produced from
their underbellies. They cast them out before them to secure them
to something solid on the surface and anchor themselves to pull them
along even in the most severe wind storms. It steadies them and
keeps them from blowing away. It also produces a more even flow
of food for them.”
“Amazing,” Vivian Steele said,
“God, I’m glad I turned down that Mexican cruise,” she whispered to
Sonny. They shared a laugh.
The Buttercup came up along
side a particularly spectacular specimen. Waco decided to hail
it.
“Hello!
Greetings! I’m Captain Waco Goodnight of the Earth ship
Buttercup,” Waco sent out into the atmosphere. Everyone was
amused and chuckled at Waco’s call. They were even more amused
but shocked when he got a response.
“Ah, yes, young Master
Goodnight. You’re now captain of your own ship. We heard
you were assigned your own ship. Congratulations, young man, it’s
a handsome ship, indeed. I remember meeting you with my father on
your last visit to Venus some time ago with Admiral Long and your
father. They are with you this trip as well, I believe?”
“They are, indeed, sir.
Are you Chacheellian?”
“Indeed, I am. You
remembered my name. How gracious of you.”
“Yes, sir, it's a pleasure to
see you again, and how is your handsome father, Chuchulack?” Waco asked.
“He’s well. He’s a bit
ahead of me. I’ve been put in the rear to assist the elderly
stragglers and new calves who have lost their mother, but I’m slowly
catching up with him. As you can see I have a couple of young
calves in tow who haven’t learned to use their wind legs yet.
They are still using my legs for support until they get the hang of
it. Welcome, Captain Waco and all your guests to Venus. I
know you have some unusual new folks with you. You have one of
the Ancients in corporeal form aboard your ship and his
companion. What a delight to feel his presence. And what a
delight to get to meet a quartet of the singing quadrupeds Patty, Moe,
Larry, and Shep. We hope to hear them sing while you visit.
And young Jimmy-Bob Dodge and his companion Stan Edmunds. Mr. and
Mrs. Steele and Mr. Steele’s handsome father Warren. Mr. Jack
Hall still recovering from a dreadful near death experience. Also
a fine musician, young Johauk Kodaly, Leon Olsen, and Master Charlie's
fine slave, Mr. Blake Tindell. Not to forget stalwart and brave
Garron, strong and faithful Strom and his fine looking new mate, Lyle
Chambers and their two new wards, Kuluke and T’gan.
Congratulation Strom and Lyle on the success of your coupling.
May your new infant bairn bring you much happiness. And welcome
to your men Captain Waco, Little Bear and his grandfather, Travis, and
your handsome brothers JR, Blue, and Lucas. Welcome Dame
Pata. Welcome Admiral Long, Master Charlie and the hard working
cowboy, Mr. Hank Morgan. It’s good to hear your thoughts
again. It’s so good to have you all visit Venus. Go on up
ahead a ways and you will find my father. You can’t miss
him. He’s the biggest bull at the front. He’s also in full
mating colors so I do hope you’re all wearing eye protection.”
Chacheellian laughed and made everyone else laugh. “I know my
father is anxious to greet you. We’ve been expecting you.”
“Thank you, Chacheellian.
It’s good to speak with you again. You’re certainly taking on
some of your father’s handsome good looks. You’re much larger
than our last visit.”
“Why, thank you, young
Captain. So good of you to notice. I’m afraid I will never
be such a fine looking Cytherian as my father, but I struggle
on.” Chacheellian laughed again and everyone was in love with the
Bladder Whales. Lucas
gave their passengers permission to release their seatbelts. The
ship’s stabilizers were functioning to full capacity and it would be
smooth sailing through the Venerean atmosphere. Waco explained
there were two adjectival usages to describe aspects of Venus, one was
Venusian and the other was Venerean. Both were correct but
Captain Waco preferred the latter. Waco turned the controls over to
Lucas and went to stand along side his dad and Admiral Long.
Lucas expertly guided the ship slowly to the front of the pod of
Whales. It took them sometime, because there was close to a
hundred of them. They were all sizes and shapes. They were
beautiful and the adults were in full mating colors. It was
spring on Venus or as close to it as a planet that only rotates once in
two hundred and forty-three Earth days can claim. As it was the
beginning of a new sidereal day, it was their spring. Venus
rotates in the opposite direction from Earth. The sun rises in
the West and sets in the East. Lucas had no problem identifying the
lead bull, Chuchulack. As they came upon him, Burt pointed him
out.
“Is that him? Is he their
leader, Lucas?” he asked with considerable enthusiasm.
“‘At’s him, all right.
‘At’s the mighty Chuchulack. Magnificent, ain’nee?” Lucas grinned.
“Unbelievable.” whispered
Burt, “Magnificent don't do it. He's far more than
that. He's fantastically handsome for such a large creature.”
They could hear the whales
calling and singing to each other. Some of the young ones were
singing to their leader. He was bellowing to them in his native
song. He halted his song with an admonition to his young, he must
take care of protocol with their visitors. No one on the ship
could understand the words, but there was no doubting his intent.
“Ah, the Buttercup has
arrived and Admiral Long’s young slave-son Lucas is at the helm.
Welcome all and thank you Burt Stamper for your kind words about my
person. They are greatly appreciated.”
Burt laughed he was so stunned
the big creature might have heard him and was so personable.
Lazarus decided it was his turn to communicate.
“Chuchulack, our old friend.
It looks like your kind are prospering and feeding well. I must
say we’re all thrilled to see you and your family in such fine
shape. Have things been well with you?” he asked.
“They have, Admiral. We
were so happy when we received word you and your extended family were
planning a pleasure excursion and including Venus as one of your
destinations. Welcome one and all, but particularly your honored
guests, the Stamper brothers, their boss Blake Tindell, their Masters
Hoot Austin and Cotton Daniels and the young men’s suitors. Also
we’re pleased to welcome Master Jesse Watkins and Utah. What an
honor. It’s been several centuries since we were honored by a
visit from them.”
“Hello, Chuchulack, our old
friend. You don’t look a day older than the last time we met.”
Jesse spoke to the whale.
“Ah, you are too kind, Master
Watkins. We’re so glad you took a name for yourself.” the big
creature laughed, “I understand it was given to you by the other
masters.”
“You’re correct. They
chose a fine bearer to give it to me in the form of Mr. Goodnight’s son
and new captain of this ship, young Waco.”
“Ah, yes, I was saving my
welcome for him and his father for last, but now is appropriate.
Welcome to Venus Mr. Goodnight and Captain Waco. Your generosity
and exploits have been carefully noted since your last visit to us, and
you have accomplished much. We are particularly interested in
your sharing your body’s information for the formation of a clone to
house another species of silicon based life form, one of the delicate
and beautiful Kryscellians. Never before in the history of the
universe has anyone attempted to conjoin two life forms like
this. It is remarkable to say the least; however, we foresee some
minor problems on the horizon. Your new brother will tell you
about it later, but for now I must tell you you’ve captured the hearts
and imagination of the entire Venerean world. You have been given
the honor of landing on Venus and a requested audience with some of the
Venusian dignitaries.”
“My, that is an honor,” said
Lazarus nodding to Waco, “In all my years and visits to this planet
I’ve never been honored with such a request.”
“You were in military vessels
and not simply on a pleasure cruise of our system, Admiral. They
were not allowed to socially receive you by their binding treaty with
their overlords, the reptilian race. They forced them to accept a
reticent neutrality toward all other races who either exist within or
frequently visit our solar system. Like other civilizations, the
Venusian’s have evolved in their technology, attitudes, and politics
and have thrown off the strict protocols the reptilian race has imposed
on them for centuries. They have announced their independence and
now functioning as an autonomous people. They also have our full
support in their decision. We were never fond of the reptilian
race which evolved on your planet. Their logic and methods were
looked upon as flawed, self-serving, crude, and thoughtless, sometimes
bordering on the barbaric. Their civilization has very little to
consider as lofty or striving to attain higher degrees of
thought. They seem to exist simply for the purpose of survival
and reproduction of their kind. They express no art in their
living and therefore find no grace in dying. It is our humble
opinion, life without beauty and the freedom to strive for pure thought
is not a life worth living and of as little import or necessity as a
dreaded disease.
"Furthermore, the Venusians are
fascinated by your successful attempts to gift your quadrupedal friends
with speech. They can’t wait to meet Patty, Moe, Larry, Shep, and
of course, Utah. What does it say in one of your sacred texts:
The least among you shall be first? By your consideration for a
humble species, who have given so much to mankind over the years, it is
only right that you begin to be noticed and respected as a species who
are beginning to take your rightful place in the universe. If
that weren’t enough, Captain Waco, they have an enormous and unplanned
surprise for you and your men. By the way, we all saw and
experienced Dame Pata and Blue’s dance the other night and found it to
be of the highest quality. We can’t tell you how much we enjoyed
it. The Venerean clouds resounded with songs of such beauty
afterward you would have been stunned by their brilliance. Great
art inspires great art. Flawless beauty is the breeding ground
for perfection. I’ve never heard such singing from my kind since
the Song Wars we held with the whales from you planet for
centuries. They weren’t really wars as you think of them, but
they were as important to us and every bit as glorious.
Afterward, instead of the defeated being vanquished, we all rose
together more proud than ever to join with the triumphant to sing their
song of victory. Ah, those were the times that elevated our
species and worlds to new heights of existence. Together the
victors and the vanquished became the envy of the spheres. Our
hearts conjoined with the victor’s song to become so much more than we
were. Can you relate to that, young Johauk Kodaly?” Chuchulack
asked with his booming voice. All faces turned to look at the
young man who had tears streaming down his face. Blake put his
arm around his shoulder and pulled him close.
“I’m afraid our brother cannot
speak right now, Father Chuchulack. He is so moved by your
words,” Waco spoke.
“My words were meant for one as
beautiful as him. He reached to the bottom of his soul, pulled
his dormant, latent talent up by its bootstraps, and sang his own
mother back from death’s door. Neither Orfeo nor Faust could do
that for their beloved. In every man's and creature’s heart,
there is a song that only they know, and as many as they sing or create
within their lifetime, they will never be as sweet as the song they
alone can hear.”
“How can we land in one of
their cities without coordinates, Chuchulack? From our
observations of the planet there are no visible structures on the
surface,” Lazarus inquired.
“You’re correct, Admiral
Long. It is much too warm for their species on the surface.
Everything is underground and their entries or space docks are phased
out so as not to be seen by any means. If you give your onboard
computer, Ms. Myra, permission, they will take over the landing for
you. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Once again, it is a
great pleasure and a decided honor to be the first to welcome you to
Venus. We have become unofficial welcoming ambassadors for our
planet for sometime now, but we don’t extend our hospitality to all
species.”
“We are honored,
Chuchulack. Long may you live and may you have many fine looking,
healthy, intelligent, song filled calves.”
“The same to you,
Admiral. You just had two new bairns with your partner.
Give him our best and tell him he only grows more handsome as the years
pass.”
“I will, my friend, and we will
speak again before we depart.”
“We will look forward to it,
Admiral.”
Waco told Myra to look for a
signal from the surface and respond accordingly.
“Already done, my handsome
Captain. We’re on our way.”
Chuchulack’s words generated
great excitement and speculation. Lucas instructed everyone to
take their assigned seats for landing. They didn’t expect any
difficulties out of the ordinary, but it was better to be safe than
sorry. Everyone buckled up and Captain Waco resumed his
seat. There was really nothing for the crew to do but watch and
wait. Myra and the Venusians were directing the Buttercup to the
landing spot. All the holo-grids were active and it looked like
you could reach out and touch the surface as they glided smoothly to
the base of a large crater. A large round platform rose up to
meet them to dock with the base of the Buttercup. Everyone felt a
slight thump as it engaged. Myra cut her engines and the ship was
at rest on the docking platform. The platform was slowly lowered
and began to move in the direction of the wall of the crater. The
wall began to shimmer and then it simply opened onto a huge underground
base for all kinds of different spacecraft. The platform moved in
the same direction and went past numerous crafts. Waco caught
sight of a huge ship where men were working. There were work
crews all over it. He thought he recognized it. No, it
wasn’t possible. He leaned over to Lucas.
“I know it can’t be, but that
big rusty looking battle cruiser what looks like it’s seen better days
reminds me of..." he didn't finish his sentence.
“You better take a closer look,
brother. I think it’s what you think it is. Keekepata,
front and center!" Lucas shouted.
Keeke unfastened her
seat belt and flew to Lucas and Waco’s side.
"Are we
seeing what we think we’re seeing, Darlin'?” Lucas asked Keeke.
“Yes, brother Lucas, Master
Waco, it is the Banshee. I’d recognize her anywhere. She’s
seen better days. It looks like she’s been in several major
battles.” Keeke answered like she was excited but worried.
“That must be the surprise
Chuchulack spoke about.” Waco was grinning from ear to ear. Waco
and Lucas expressed their joy by high-fiveing each other.
Keekepata giggled. Several folks laughed at the captain and his
first mate. Some of the passengers didn’t have a clue what they
were so joyful about.
“From the looks of the cruiser, I hope they’re all right,” Keekepata
said.
“They are, three are in sickbay
off the dock. Your captain is one of them, Captain Waco. He
has a broken leg like young T’gan,” confirmed Myra from information she
was receiving, "He can’t wait to see you. One of the other
injured crewmen, Commander Trapeeth Newsong Maddragon (Madra-gone),
keeps asking for you, First Mate Lucas.”
“Oh, my God!” Lucas exclaimed
with concern, “Is he all right, Myra?”
“He’s fine, son. He
banged his head against a bulkhead. It resulted in a deep cut,
but it’s been fixed. He’s doing fine. He’s much better now
that he knows he’ll be seeing you in a while. They can’t keep him
in bed.”
“Please send him a message, Ms.
Myra. That’s where I expect to find him.” Lucas blurted out and
everyone chuckled.
Lazarus’ attention perked up as
he watched his boy’s face turned a deep red color. He saw Lucas
cover the huge grin on his handsome young face with his hand. He
watched as Waco patted his slave-brother on the back and whispered
something to him that sent them both into spasms of laughter. At
that moment, Lazarus knew who Lucas was considering for his first
time. Lazarus saw holo-vids of Commander Maddragon and if he had
to pick anyone for his son, he couldn’t imagine a finer warrior than
the commander. He breathed a deep sigh of relief. He would
have kept his promise to Lucas, but he was glad he might not have
to. Lazarus felt it should be someone else, someone his boy could
love and relate to as a mate or master, someone who would be strong,
but gentle, kind and loving. Commander Maddragon met all those
qualities in Lazarus’ mind and was a drop-dead handsome warrior.
The platform moved swiftly enough,
but it wasn’t moving fast enough for the cowboys on board. They
grew to love and appreciate Captain Vinceeth and his men. They
felt like they knew them personally and were about to see family.
Most of the rest of the passengers felt the same. They were
anxious and looking forward to seeing the fine looking warriors of the
Banshee. But first they had to go through the protocol of meeting
the Venusians.
Lazarus warned them,
“Now, gentlemen, slaves, lummox,
critters, and freemen, you will all have time to see your friends, but
there is business to attend to first. We must remember we are
first and foremost invited guests of the Venusians and their
world. Our friends, no matter how our hearts may yearn to see
them, will appreciate our necessity to follow protocol and be gracious
to our hosts. After all, it’s the first time in my long history
in this system I know of anyone being invited to their world. The
Venusians are a very solitary people and rarely mix with other
societies. It is a great honor to be invited to their
world. Each of us must conduct ourselves like we are ambassadors
of our world. One day we may need their assistance and the hope
and possibility of an alliance with them could very well be based on
the way we conduct ourselves while we’re here. Any questions?”
“Does that mean we ain’t
suppose to nip at them if they step on our tails, Admiral?” Shep asked
innocently.
Everyone broke up
laughing. Even Lazarus had a hard time keeping a straight
face. He thought to himself, perhaps he was being a bit
over-the-top with his comments.
“Yes, Shep, it does. You may
yelp as loud as you want, but no nipping.”
“Yes, sir,” Shep replied
sheepishly.
They were met on the docks by a
reception committee. The Venusians were a beautiful race of
people. The were very tall, had blond hair and light blue
eyes. There was very little variation in their people, except one
young male was an albino and had pure white hair and pink eyes.
He was unusual to look at, but once you got to know him, he was easier
to relate to than most of the Venusians. He seemed to fit in very
well with the humans, lummox, and critters. He particularly liked
Jack and Jill. They responded to him in kind.
There were formal
introductions. The dignitaries made speeches and welcomed
everyone personally. Everyone tried to keep smiles on their faces
but Waco and the cowboys were twitching in their seats to see their
warrior buddies, their heroes. Waco kept pulling on his ear in
case the captain was watching a holo-vid broadcast of their
arrival. It just so happened he was, and the men standing around
his bed went crazy when they saw Waco’s personal signal to him.
As subtly as possible, Lucas did the same, and Commander Trapeeth
Maddragon was the center of much good natured teasing.
Lazarus and Charlie were proud
of the boys. They managed to keep their composure and dignity
during the ceremony and acted like young gentlemen through it
all. They responded properly and graciously to the
Venusians. Even the Stamper men were the very models of manners
and integrity. The Venusians were greatly impressed and were
looking forward to seeing more of their guests. Their arrival was
being broadcast worldwide and they would be the center of attention for
the rest of their visit to Venus. None of that mattered to the
cowboys. All they wanted was to see their friends. Finally,
it was mentioned, they might wish to visit the warriors of the Banshee
who had been asking endlessly about them. Waco, spoke as calmly
as he could for himself and his brothers.
“We would greatly appreciate it
if we might be allowed to visit with them at you and your staff’s
earliest convenience, your Honor,” Waco spoke to the head of the
Venus world confederation.
“No time like the present,” he
heard the head honcho say. There went up a cheer from the cowboys
that was unexpected, but the Venusians found amusing. “This way, gentlemen,” one of the
tall male officials directed the men. They graciously thanked the
head man and told him they appreciated the fine welcome they provided
for them. They looked forward to seeing more of them and their
world. They couldn’t wait to be off to the hospital and
barracks.
What
set out to be an orderly get together turned into chaos when the
warriors and the cowboys caught sight of each other. It was utter
confusion. Even stoic Sonny and Warren Steele were taken aback by
the shear powerful masculine beauty of the Visallian warriors.
They saw holo-vids of them, but to see them up close and personal was
altogether something different. Vivian Steele was stunned by
their physical attractiveness. Waco and Lucas were physically
lifted onto the massive shoulders of several as if they were
lightweight sacks of flour and carried into the hospital room, where
their captain and commander were, in a triumphal march to rival the
second act of Aida. They set Waco down and he ran to his suitor
Captain Vinceeth and Lucas ran to Commander Maddragon. They were
all over each other. Travis was all over the other injured man in
his bed, Sergeant Major Sallient Leashman Doggoral. He was,
perhaps, the largest of all the Visallian warriors.
All of this was being broadcast
to the entire world of the Venusian people and the Venerean Atmospheric
Bladder Whales were tuned into the joy as well. No one was left
out. It was a great historic moment on Venus. As stoic and
unemotional as the Venusian’s were, there were many who felt deeply
touched by the reunion of the two separate but distinct humanoid
species. Add to that a third species with the lummox, and a
fourth with Jack and Jill and they were overwhelmed at the expressions
of joy they were witnessing.
“Oh, God, it’s so good to see
you again, Captain Vinceeth,” Waco spoke with tears in his eyes,
“What an unexpected pleasure to find you here.” Blue and Ox were
standing looking over Waco’s shoulder as the men hugged and kissed.
“I’m the one blessed to see you
again, young man. How well you look, and your brother is just as
fine looking. Hello, son, and hello Ox, you strong, handsome
lummox. Welcome to Venus.”
“Are you all right, Captain?"
Waco asked.
“I’m fine, Captain
Goodnight. We had several skirmishes, but we managed to escape by
the skin of our teeth and were invited here for the three ‘R’s’:
repairs, rest, and recuperation. Little did we know we’d run into
you, but we knew we were in your neighborhood. Do you think the
Ancients, or Elders had something to do with this happening?”
“I have a feeling they just may
have, my good Captain.” Waco laughed and hugged him again.
Hogarth Treygor Vinceeth was the most handsome masculine male humanoid
Waco Goodnight every laid eyes on. Everything about the man was
perfect. He was breathtakingly good-looking. Even Vivian
Steele later confided in Waco she was just a little envious of his
catch. Waco took it as a supreme compliment. He knew there
was only one cowboy for Vivian Steele, and to Waco way of thinking, she
did well for herself. Sonny Steele was a stunningly handsome
cowboy and each of his sons were equally attractive. Waco wanted
to see what the Venusians did for Trey’s leg, but he wasn’t sure about
protocol.
As Keekepata was lovingly renewing her relationship with her Lordship,
Waco checked with his Admiral. “Admiral, I’m concerned for Captain
Trey. He doesn’t seem to have a cast on his leg. Unless
there’s another healing process we’re unfamiliar with, I want him
checked out by you and our medical staff on the Buttercup.”
“Sounds reasonable. Let’s
get the captain to our ship where we can have some privacy, and we can
check him out. Even though the Venusians are humanoid, and some
of our Nordic races actually sprang from them, I’m not sure they have
the same medical expertise we do. It certainly couldn’t hurt to
examine the three injured men,” Lazarus told Waco.
The men were only too willing
to go aboard the Buttercup for a private gathering. The Venusians
didn’t have a wheelchair but they did have an anti-grav gurney they
lifted the captain onto. Once on the Buttercup, Waco explained to
Trey his concerns.
“I’ve wondered myself,” he
responded, “They scanned me and put some healing rays on my leg, but
I’ve been told I can’t stand or move about for almost eight weeks Earth
time. I need to get on my feet. I appreciate what they’ve
done. I’m not in any pain, but I would appreciate your staff
taking a look at what they’ve done.”
When Trey met T’kan in his leg
cast and crutches and saw how well he was getting around on his own
power, he told Waco and Lazarus that’s exactly what he needed. He
never saw anything like it. Even on his home world people with
broken bones had to remain immobile for many weeks. Keekepata
confirmed his words and insisted Lazarus’ and his medical staff’s
knowledge was much greater than theirs. Keeke was overjoyed to
see her people again. The warriors and crew of the Banshee
treated her like a Goddess. They were so in love with her and
held her in such awe.
Keekepata forgot how it felt to be
so adored, and she wallowed in the feeling for all of thirty
minutes. Then, it hit her, how much more she relished and adored
her rough and rowdy cowboys. She worked so hard to become a part
of them and their world, their affection, and the slightest inclusion
into their hearts became of great importance to her. They loved
and respected her because of her talents and work she did to win their
appreciation and not because of her birth status. Now, she might
be faced with making a choice.
After scanning Captain
Vinceeth’s leg, Lazarus and David were pleased the Venusians managed to
set the bone and it showed definite signs of healing. Jesse
Watkins was with them and interested in the captain’s progress.
He suggested Blue have a go with his healing techniques and then cast
the Captain’s leg like T’kan’s. Trey was thrilled there might be
a chance he could become more mobile. He agreed and told them
that’s what he wanted. He consulted with Dr. T’kan about his own
cast.
“How does
it feel, son,” Trey asked him.
“It itches some'um awful
sometimes, Captain, but David tells me mine is from my fur growing
back. You don’t have fur like I do, but you’re pretty hairy,”
T’kan smiled. He wasn’t sure he said the right thing.
Trey winked and smiled at him.
“I think I can put up with itching as long as I can get about.
Will you teach me how to use crutches?” Trey asked.
“Sure, Captain. Ain’t
nothing to it,” T’kan bubbled with enthusiasm.
Trey Vinceeth fell in love with
the young lummox. It wasn’t hard to do. The bairn was not
as retiring and suspicious as his older brother and tried hard to make
the best of every situation. He was full of the joy of life and
wanted to please those he found worthy of his attentions and
affection. That was just about anyone who showed him any interest
with a modicum of kindness. T’kan faced the world with an
unassuming innocence and innate stolid bravery. Everyone fell in
love with him. It didn’t take him long to capture the hearts of
the Visallian warriors and the entire Venusian world. They even
coined a name for him. Since he and their captain had the same
leg broken they began to refer to him as the “Little Skipper.”
After Blue applied his therapy
and David and Lazarus looked at more scans of the captain’s broken leg
they could see the healing process was accelerated, and he would
benefit greatly from a cast. David gave Waco and Blue the job of
denuding his leg of all hair. It became very sensual to the brave
captain and try as he might, he couldn’t help get an erection. He
lay propped up with some large pillows with a huge grin on his
face. Waco and Blue blushed and giggled a lot. Finally,
David took over and provided him with a fine cast just like T’kan’s.
David also fitted the captain
with a pair of crutches like T’kan’s and true to his word the young
lummox taught the big Visallian warrior how to use them most
effectively. They even took a walk in the forest with the
critters, and everyone encouraged the captain. He was thrilled he
could be up and around and somewhat mobile. It was certainly
better than lying in a bed for weeks.
He was stunned by the forest on
board the Buttercup. His people didn’t have the miniaturization
technology Lazarus possessed and he couldn’t believe it was a real
forest with enormous trees. On their walk it was the first time
anyone saw Ah-ne-purrna. Everyone stopped in their tracks.
Jack and Jill ran for the safety of Jack Hall and Warren Steele and the
pups fell in behind Utah, Jesse, and the lummox. Waco urged
Captain Trey to stand still. Trey never saw an animal like her
before, and he was fascinated. She saw the entourage of critters
and folks and turned to avoid them. She was simply out for a
stroll with her kittens. As she turned to disappear into the
forest, everyone got a good look at her kits. They looked well
fed and healthy. At
the halfway point in their walk Jack and Warren called a halt so
everyone could take a breather and rest for a few minutes. Most
of the cowboys brought bottles of water with them and shared with their
critter buddies. The men set around Captain Vinceeth and his new
little partner, T’kan. They managed to find a rock of just the
right height to sit upon. Trey brought along his Commander
Maddragon and the other wounded man, Sergeant Major Doggoral.
Almost the entire passenger list of the Buttercup was on the
walk. They wanted to be where the action was. They gathered
around to hear their conversation.
“It’s such a pleasure to run
into you men on Venus. We had no idea you would be out and
about,” Captain Vinceeth said for the hundreth time.
Lazarus explained the purpose
of their brief journey. Trey and his men knew who the Stamper
boys were. They knew all their names and the positions they
played on the football team. The were great fans of the
boys. Lazarus asked Trey about his ship and what happened to them.
“To be honest, Admiral and
honored guests of the Buttercup, we were on our way to your planet with
a precious cargo, but our ship was in such bad shape we weren’t sure we
would make it. We made it to your smaller planet Mars, and there
we unloaded our cargo. Our thought was, if we could contact you,
we could return later with you to retrieve it and then repair our ship
in the safety of Mars or one of your hidden ships. But as we
began our journey, we found ourselves under attack again and the snakes
took out our engines. They left us dead in the water, so to
speak, probably thinking we would meet slow deaths by starving.
Fortunately for us, the Venusians
saw it all and came to our rescue after the snakes departed. They
were very kind and gracious. They towed us to Venus and have been
busy working with my mechanical crew to repair the Banshee. Some
of their upgrades are better than our technology. We don’t know
what changed their political attitude about helping those who are
against the snakes, but we’re grateful they came to our rescue.
We couldn’t contact you. Our communications were gone. I
tried to mentally contact Keeke or my young cowboy here to no avail.
"We have to get back to Mars as
soon as possible. We left live critters and folks there.
The snakes were in the process of destroying their world and we got out
as many as we could before the whole planet collapsed. We
discovered something wonderful on Mars we thought was only myth.
It is the last remnants and vast system of artificially created caverns
of an advanced civilization. We managed to get just enough of the
systems working to provide a temporary atmosphere in a huge underground
cavern designed especially for the purpose of preserving life on the
planet. Unfortunately, we only have a portion of the key which
will unlock the contents of the vault of knowledge stored there which
could begin a chain reaction to restore the enormous caverns to their
original intent. We did figure out the remaining key to the
puzzle is stored in an ancient book, not of this time line, on one of
the terrestrial worlds of the Sol system. We’re not sure what it
means. Is it stored out of sync with our time line, or was it
created in another time line and hidden in this one? We're not
sure. What we could make of it says, only one man who was blessed
and sent by the Ancients would be able to access the key. I
immediately thought of you, your Lordship,” Trey spoke to Lazarus.
“What language is it written
in, son, and how did you manage to translate as much as you did?”
Lazarus asked.
“We’re not real sure about that
either, Admiral. As you know, all our warriors are carefully
schooled in multiple disciplines and become quite expert in several
different subjects so if we lose a man in battle, someone’s knowledge
base will cover the lost man’s. Of our four language experts,
Sergeant Major Doggoral here is probably the most accomplished.
I’ll let him tell you about it,” Trey nodded to his crewman.
The Sergeant Major had his big
arm around Travis holding him close. He removed it, formed a fist
with his huge hand and coughed into it like he was clearing his throat.
“It was written in an ancient
language of the Volgorons, Admiral. It was a golden metallic ink
embossed upon a strange parchment. I could barely make out the
runes. I studied them for hours and when I was just about to give
up from frustration and anger, I took a deep breath and tried once
more. I cleared my mind and thought I wouldn’t try to conjure a
translation so much as let the runes speak to me of their
purpose. As I did, to my amazement, the runes began to rise from
the old parchment and rearrange themselves into an understandable
message. I was able to translate it without referring to a
translation index. It was right there before me, hanging in the
air. As soon as I understood its message, the runes returned to
the page in their original order.”
Waco got a big smile on his
face and looked at his cousin. He knew Shane brought along his
copy of the history of the Long family including the parchments he
found. Lazarus saw their exchange and knew in an instant what and
where the ancient texts were. They were on the Buttercup
carefully hidden under the mattress of Shane and his master’s bed.
“I think we just may be able to
help, gentlemen. If I may suggest a plan?” Lazarus deferred to
Trey Vinceeth.
“We’re at your command,
Admiral. My father, grandfather, and great grandfather would tie
me to an Adoromacious root and beat me within an inch of my life or
until the sympathetic root began to bleed in empathy for my plight if I
were to deny you anything, sir,” he said using the most outrageous
hyperbole he could muster. He later learned what 'hyperbole'
meant in cowboy lingo.
“I’ll have to speak with them
about that, Trey, when next we meet. It might be fun,” Lazarus
laughed and winked at Trey, “I suggest you and your officers travel
with us to Mars. Let’s see what we can arrange. I
understand the full complement of your crew is about three hundred men,
is that right?” Lazarus asked.
“Yes, sir, and we have twenty
Shushonnii with us,” Trey said.
“Leave half here to supervise
and protect your ship and the rest come with us to Earth for a vacation
and relaxation. After a couple of weeks we can rotate your crew
so all will have a chance to stretch their space-legs and visit with
us. Even with Blue and his family’s help it will take several
weeks for your leg to heal properly before the cast can be
removed. I know Captain Waco and his crew will be happy to
shuttle you back and forth to either Venus or Mars. We need to
start breaking some more of our men into shuttle flying. They can
use the practice and flight time. We plan to begin a program when
we return.”
“That’s a most generous offer,
Admiral. We will certainly be honored and thrilled to
accept. I think you will be most pleased with the treasures we
managed to save from several worlds being destroyed by the snakes
because they refused to submit to slavery and domination. Some
day they must be defeated and strict controls placed on their further
expansion in the universe.”
“I couldn’t agree more.
The Reptilians have had far too much unchecked freedom in the
universe. It’s time they were confronted for the eons of pain and
suffering they’ve caused others in the galaxies. It will begin
with the fall of Earth and its government.”
That evening Captain Waco
decided to show Captain Vinceeth and his crew the video of Keekepata
and Blue’s dance they performed the evening they started their
journey. Since the auditorium of the Buttercup wasn’t large
enough they used the auditorium on the Banshee. It was in a
central part of the ship and was unharmed by any of the battle
skirmishes the ship suffered. Captain Vinceeth offered to share
the holo-vid with the Venusians and it was sent out to every home in
the Venusian world. Trey knew how interested in the singing pups
from Earth the Venusian’s were and asked Waco’s permission to show the
video Waco sent him and his crew a number of months earlier of the pups
singing at the Parsons Rodeo. Waco agreed.
Everyone gathered to see both
videos, and although Patty, Moe, Larry and Shep were older they were
proud of themselves and sang along with the video. Their
participation made it all the more fun for the crew of the
Banshee. When they watched the video of Keekepata’s last dance
the crowd was silent. It was one of the most moving moments any
of them experienced and they reacted the same as the cowboys when they
first saw it. There was a prolonged, stunned silence and then
chaos erupted.
The
Venusians didn’t know what to expect but were bowled over by both
videos. The first with pups was wonderful and silly, but the
dance of Keekepata and Blue they recognized as great art. The
pups, Keekepata, Blue and Arnie became the darlings of Venus.
“You better have your captain
ask his girlfriend, Ms Myra, to send a message back to the Mighty Bee
we might be delayed a couple of nights,” Charlie spoke in Lazarus’
ear. Lazarus grinned and agreed.
“I don’t anticipate being
delayed more than one evening, boss. It depends on what we find
on Mars and what we’re able to do about it. I have no idea what
Trey is talking about. Right now we're still on schedule.”
The Venusians were happy and
pleased to see Captain Vinceeth up and around. They never used
casts before. It seemed like such a simple thing, but sometimes,
even with the most advanced civilizations, simple things are overlooked
for more difficult solutions, making both impossible. They
quickly learned and adopted such practices. Many Venusians with
broken bones were spared the long convalescence previously imposed by
lack of mobility.
Trey Vinceeth agreed to
stay over on the Buttercup with his young captain. They were
accompanied at all times by Waco’s huge lummox slave, who acted as an
escort or chaperon for them. Neither Charlie nor Lazarus had the
least worry about Waco’s chastity with Ox around. Besides, the
two captains had much to catch up with each other. Lazarus was
more concerned for his son-slaves’ chastity, but since Lucas was a
slave, Lazarus considered it appropriate and fully within Lucas' duty
description to provide pleasure for a man he considered his temporary
master.
Lazarus spoke with him,
“Have
you forgotten I am your master, son?”
“Not at all, Dad. How
could you even ask? Don’t let my attraction to the commander
confuse you. I have been honest with him. I told him about
our relationship. While I’m your son, I am also your slave and
your wishes and orders for me must have first consideration and be
obeyed unquestioned. My first allegiance to you is as my master
and my second is to you as my dad. The commander fully
understands that,” Lucas defended himself.
“I knew before I asked, that
would be your answer, but I didn’t ask my question for a loyalty
check. I know without a doubt where your loyalties lie. I
asked because I know as your master, if it is my wish for you to give
yourself to pleasure that big, fine looking, Visallian warrior, you
will obey me without question,” Lazarus grinned like the cat that ate
the canary.
Lucas got a big grin on
his face, but looked down at his boots trying to hide it from
Lazarus. He saw a trap. He knew what his dad was up to.
“Yes, Master, you are correct,
I would follow your order without question,” he answered quietly.
“Is it an order you would like
to hear from me, son?”
By such a subtle thing as
adding the world ‘son’ to the end of his question, Lucas knew his dad
wanted to know if he was ready to lose his virginity and was this the
man he wanted to lose it to?
“You sure you won’t be hurt or
offended if I don’t share it with you, Dad? After all, I owe you
my life, Master," Lucas asked.
“Not at all. Your first
time should be with someone special; someone who captures your heart
and imagination so greatly there’s no doubt in your mind you want to
give it up to him. You do plan to save some for your old master,
don’t chu’?” Lazarus chuckled as he hugged and stole a kiss from his
handsome son.
“More than you can handle, old
man,” Lucas shot back.
“‘At better be two more bushels
than a wagon load, boy!” Lazarus exclaimed with a laugh.
“I promise, It’ll be enough to
haul your ashes,” Lucas joked with his dad, “I have a feeling, after
the commander breaks me to his saddle, you can ride yore’ tame
slave-pony anywhere with no problem.”
“I agree. Sounds like a
plan to me. All right then, slave-boy, I order you to pleasure
that hot Visallian warrior any way he needs it, you understand?"
Lazarus ordered his slave like there was no question he would be obeyed.
“I understand, Master, I will
obey.” Lucas answered.
“Make me proud of you, son?”
Lazarus added as his dad.
“I promise, I will, Dad.
Oh, yes, and tell my master I said, ‘thank you.’”
“Not to worry, he heard you,
loud and clear. He hopes you enjoy your first time.”
“I have to ask, Master, was
this your idea?”
“What do you think?”
“I think someone politely asked
my master if he could take me,” Lucas grinned at Lazarus.
“You would be correct,
slave. You wanna’ tell him or you want me to?”
“If it's all the same to you,
sir, I can take it from here.” Lucas grinned.
“I had a feeling you might like
to,” Lazarus smiled and stole a kiss.
* * * * * * *
Lucas shared with his cabin
mate, Blake Tindell, the order he was given by his master. Blake
knew Lazarus wouldn’t order his son to give himself to the lusty
commander if he didn’t asked Lucas first.
“Would you like for me to get
another cabin assignment, brother?” Blake smiled at him.
“No, that won’t be
necessary. I already got another cabin assignment. After
all, it was my job to assign everyone in the first place. The
captain just reviewed my list and approved it. I took one well
away from all the others on ‘C’ deck.”
“C'ain’t say’s I blame
you. I’m envious of you in two ways, little brother,” Blake
grinned at him.
“How’s that, brother Blake?”
“I won’t be your first, and you
get to be taken by one a’ them Visallian hunks. Lord hep’
me! Ever’ time I’m around them men my prick loses its mind.
It starts drool’n like an idiot and my asshole loses its pucker,” Blake
moaned. The men shared a good laugh.
“I know what chu’ mean.
Y’ain’t the only one. I can’t stand it no longer. I jes’
gotta’ feel that big warrior-buck inside me. I met him when we
went to pickup our brother Blue and I seen him on all the videos they
send us. We been sending each other personal videos for over a
year now, and well, you know the rest.”
Blake declared, “I’m gonna’ beg
Master Charlie and Admiral Long to take pity on me this evening and
mercy fuck their loyal slave to death.” Blake laughed and Lucas
laughed, too.
* * * * * * *
Commander Maddragon took Lucas
for his first time. It was everything Lucas hoped it would be and
more. He heard what fantastic lovers Vasillian warriors could be,
but he had no idea the height’s of passion the commander could take him
to. Lucas was glad he placed him and his warrior away from the
rest of the guests. As it turned out, neither were quiet
lovers. Lucas found the commander’s need to revert to some,
almost primal form of animal involved in a near spiritual quest for his
rut, infected his partner to respond to his call. The commander
would grunt his urgency, his need, his hunger and Lucas would answer to
let him know he was with him in his rut until the very moment his
passion burst forth and flooded his young partner’s bowels with his
massive quantity of warrior seed. Commander Maddragon took Lucas with
strength and consideration. Every movement he made was calculated
to be the best he could bring to their rut for both of them with the
most care. He made damn sure his mate got his own reward.
He continued to fuck Lucas until the young man could no longer hold
back his orgasm. The commander was surely taking his virginity
from him. Lucas consented to give it to him, and the large
Visallian warrior took what was rightfully his. Lucas’ back
arched as the commander hit the same spot deep within his ass over and
over again with the massive mushroom head of his large Visallian male
penis. Lucas yelled at the top of his voice as he erupted all
over his partner’s stomach and his own chest.
Maddragon was unprepared for
the muscle spasms of Lucas’ sphincter muscle as he ejaculated.
The sensation was too sensual for him and the commander began to climax
more into his partner. He joined Lucas in his cry of
release. The commander collapsed on top of Lucas and became the
consummate lover. He had nothing but praise for the young man
amid volumes of kisses and petting. He remained inside Lucas for
sometime as they enjoyed the afterglow of their coupling. Lucas
lay beneath the big warrior trying to get his breath. He could
smell all the wonderful odors of their love making. He was adrift
on an ocean of sexual stimulation. Lucas wanted to go on this
ride again as soon as possible. His mind was racing with many
thoughts.
‘How
lucky am I to be the son of such a fine man? How lucky am I to be
the slave of such a fine man?’ He considered he had much to be grateful
for. Had it not been for Master Long he would be sitting on a
shelf in someone’s home in a tin labeled ‘Choice Cuts with
gravy.’ He shed a couple of tears of thanks for his dad and his
understanding of his need to be with Commander Maddragon. His
partner duly kissed his tears away.
“Did I hurt you, son?” the
commander asked quietly in a concerned voice.
“Not at all, Commander.
My tears are tears of joy and contentment. I couldn’t have wished
for a better partner for my first time.”
“It was special for me, too,
Lucas. If you were not a slave and the property of someone else,
I would ask to become your suitor. You also just happen to be the
son of a man who is a supreme hero to my world. My people don’t
believe in slavery, but if I could one day buy you, I would set you
free. Then I would be free to court you properly.”
“You don’t know all there is to
know about me, Commander. I’m not sure I’m ready to consider
giving up the security of being my father’s slave. I know that
may sound strange to you, but you don’t know how I came to be in this
position. If I were not a slave, I would not have been able to
have sex with you due to the restrictive laws on our planet.
Speak to my father, Commander. Ask the Admiral to tell you the
story about how I became his son and slave. Then after you know
my story, we can talk again.”
“I will, Lucas. I have a
feeling there is something special about you I want to share. Do
you think you could ever love a Visallian warrior?”
The commander let a little of
his massive shaft slip from Lucas’ well filled ass. Lucas wiggled
his ass back down on it until he felt the commander’s massive balls
slap against his butt. He sighed deeply.
“I think I just might be able to
love you, Commander Maddragon,” Lucas grinned at the commander.
End Chapter 36 ~ Waco’s Lummox
Copyright 2007-2010 ~ Waddie
Greywolf
All rights reserved ~
Mail to: waddiebear@yahoo.com
Proofed: 03/30/10
*It is important to note the
name Gaia, Greek Earth Goddess, mother of the Gods, became associated
with an important scientific hypothesis. The Gaia Principle is an
ecological hypothesis which proposes living and nonliving parts of the
Earth are viewed as a complex interacting system which might be thought
of as a single organism. It postulates all living things have a
regulatory effect on the Earth's environment which promotes life
overall. It was first scientifically formulated in the 1960s by
the independent research scientist Dr. James Lovelock, as a consequence
of his work for NASA on methods of detecting life on Mars. He wrote an
article in the science journal Nature, before publishing the concept in
the 1979 book "Gaia: A new look at life on Earth." He named this
self-regulating living system after the Greek goddess Gaia, using a
suggestion from the novelist William Golding, who was living in the
same village as Lovelock at the time. The Gaia Hypothesis has
since been supported by a number of scientific experiments and has
provided a number of useful predictions, and hence, it is properly
referred to as the Gaia Principle or Gaia Theory.