Chapter 17
One half of the Talz fleet-including a Vexidian accompaniment-filled the morning sky. It was warm day, warm in color and warm with ideas. Dramkick, Sasiege, Mela, Uaty, and Paut were all aboard the Debrist Morou. Dramkick gave the word and they were off for Sras Oblique. Dramkick knew he needed this trip. Not just of body, but also of mind.
After a few weeks in space Dramkick was becoming weary of the cosmos and decided they would take a day to rest on an unknown planet called Guglos. Guglos is a predominantly water planet with only 2 large cities Anteb and Poolem-the rest is consumed by the Faito jungle. The people of Guglos are known as the Goohy. They are pale skinned with large almost polka dotted freckles. They also have purple hair and searing red eyes that rarely ever blink. They are all slight of build, but have extraordinary speed and agility. Their faces are covered in intricate blue and black tattoos-these are unique to each of them. They dress simply in loose fitting blue shirts and pants. Not to mention the white hats they all adore. Some, not the majority, also choose to wear red framed black sunglasses that fit their eye sockets exactly. This is meant to cause confusion and Dramkick doesn't get confused often.
Hand to hand combat is a source of great pride among the Goohy and practiced daily. They are also great lovers of the arts and take great pride in their paintings, sculptures, movies, and of course music. They have also developed the Gream Institute-which focuses on stimulating the parts of the brain used to read a person's thoughts or tap into the Courtabedy Flow.
The Courtabedy flow is an energy stream that originates in the 9th dimension. It allows people to create balls of condensed energy and hurl them at people using their minds. You can also use it to levitate objects (many times beyond your lifting power) and hurl them several feet. The use of the Courtabedy Flow can also retard the aging process when used correctly.
The Goohy incorporate all of their people into the army regardless of age. The leader of the Goohy is Petimo Kass. It is well known he is convinced that eventually his people will have to fight for their existence. He's taken great measures to get them prepared and to give them every advantage in the coming battle. He also fears disease to such an extent, that he has hundreds of scientists preparing vaccines for diseases that no one has yet contracted. There is even a lab creating new diseases so that they can make new vaccines before they hit (in case Mother Nature gets frisky).
The Debrist Morou flies towards Poolem from the south side of the city. The city is vast and intricate stretching for a thousand miles. It has 3 levels of city known as the 3 levels of Qua. Each level of Qua is 1,500 feet high and the top level stretches almost a mile into the red sky of Guglos. If you live on the first level you are known as a Paft, the 2nd a Dall, and the 3rd a Mons. The 3 peoples keep mostly to themselves for fear of interaction. Each of them fears the other races carry inside them deadly diseases. All of the buildings are either white, black, dark blue, or green-and each have Petimo's face painted on them somewhere.
"What a magnificent city this is," Gigg remarked as he weaved the ship in and around the city.
"It looks like a truly civilized world which bodes well for our respite," Mela said cheerily as she twisted the ends of her hair in her fingers. "And by the looks of it they aren't concerned with our army. These people are refreshingly calm, cool, and collected, I like that," Mela said honestly as she walked closer to the monitor and looked out over the city. It reminded her of the days the Vindijans use to crush new worlds. She longed for those days.
"That worries me slightly, they have a reason to be calm and confident," Dramkick said as his mind thought of Peastro and his eyes undressed the city. "Don't kid yourself there is always a reason. But fear not we've got reason to be calm as well," Dramkick said as he rubbed the bone over his missing eye socket with his fingers.
"Which is?"
"A giant destructive army, moments away and at my disposal," Dramkick replied proudly as he watched a man on a floating bicycle crash into a window. He felt nothing, fools came and went. "They can take their calm eyes and watch them disappear right quick, when they're looking at my cannons. Let's hope it doesn't come to that, I really need day to recharge my engines," Dramkick said as he bent down and stretched out his legs.
"You are dead on positive, Dramkick, all this time in space makes my mind beg for nature," Sasiege said sternly as he pulled out a Praem tube and offered it Mela.
"Maybe later, I need to take in this city with all of my dull senses. I still can't get over how intricate it is, and yet everyone is moving with such speed and precision," Mela said as she lifted her chin and admired a sparkling multi-colored ship. Mela coughed and then asked, "Who do you think rules over this splendor?"
"We'll find out post haste, those 2 shuttles are coming our way. Try to get them on the monitor when they hail us, Gigg," Dramkick said nonchalantly as he yawned.
"Good timing, Quadromolan, they're hailing us now. Here comes the feed," Gigg said as he pressed the control button for the monitor with the air from his breath.
Petimo's face appeared in the center of the monitor and was squared off like a painting. He had a nose a turned up at the end, but in all other ways looked like a typical Goohy. He has on a white hat with a long feathery brim (and a Mohawk of red feathers on top). He is also wearing a pair of black round rim glasses. Dramkick takes note of this and files Petimo into the fool barrel. Petimo smiles confidently and then said implying a question, "I welcome you with great spirit and wish to know why you have arrived in our wonderful world."
"We are here to get a day's rest from the vacuum of space," Dramkick replied quickly as he flexed his shoulders. He didn't want Petimo getting any ideas. Dramkick continued, "We have been traveling for several weeks and hoped to visit your beautiful world if it is not an intrusion."
"You're welcome here, but I might ask you where you and your army are heading?" Petimo asked coyly as he feared invasion. He smiled at Dramkick for 10 seconds (and Dramkick counted).
"You may, we are on a way to Sras Oblique and we pose no danger to you, or your people I assure you," Dramkick said plainly as he glanced over a Mela and smiled.
"Sras Oblique is some distance from here will you be needing fuel or supplies?" Petimo asked as he fought the urge to scratch his itching nose. He refused to show weakness. "If so we would gladly be able to accommodate you for a price." Petimo formed a pyramid with his fingers and leaned back slightly.
"Thank you, we would certainly entertain the idea of exchange," Dramkick replied firmly as he tapped his temple with his forefinger. "What we would need most would be fresh vegetables, as our on board greenhouse has been malfunctioning. Would that be a possibility?" Dramkick asked as he decided to steal the vegetables if the answer was no.
"Certainly, just follow my shuttle's landing area and we will give you all the fresh vegetables you require," Petimo answer brightly as his nerve was beginning to falter. He adjusted his collar and then said, "Now what I would hope to get from you would be a sample of your home world’s music. Also, maybe a painting or 2 if you have it, as I am a great lover of art and music. I am always looking for new and different forms of each. Is that agreeable?" Petimo asked calmly as he raised his eyebrows as high as he could.
"Consider it a certainty, I have over 10,000 songs on board," Dramkick announced happily as he felt the twinge of friendship happening between him and Petimo. "And I can have them uploaded upon landing. I also have a few paintings I would be willing to part with, that you would find to your liking," Dramkick said smoothly and then he chuckled to himself. It dawned on him how childish and juvenile the conversation had gotten. He half expected him to ask for a sleepover at this point.
"I am overjoyed to hear that," Petimo said quickly and he continued, "I wonder if you would join me for dinner at my Jadev Palace this evening. And for politeness sake my name is Petimo Kass, might I ask yours?" Petimo asked sincerely as a light-skinned woman handed him a crystal glass filled with scotch.
"Hi, Petimo, my name is Dramkick Reign and we would be honored to dine with you this evening," Dramkick glanced over at Mela and saw his giddiness was contagious.
"Excellent, my assistants will meet you at the landing area with a vehicle to drive you to Jadev. I will see you soon," Petimo said and his image melted away from the monitor.
Dramkick turned to Mela and walked over to her and said, "Well, we’re making friends all over."
"He seemed very nice, a very gracious host. And an art lover to boot, that bodes well for our respite," Mela replied as she looked at Dramkick. Dramkick loved how cut to the chase Mela was. She could enjoy ceremony he could see that, but she never required it.
"Yes I think we'll be fine," Dramkick said as he turned to Gigg and continued, "Gigg, make sure the music and 2 Baimes’ paintings are ready for them when we land. I don't want them to have to wait a second."
"It's taken care of, Quadromolan, I've sent word to the assistants in the sitting room to take down 2 of the paintings. And they can download the music immediately when we arrive," Gigg said firmly as he effortlessly continued to steer the ship. He told himself just do your job, that's all.
Dramkick and Mela went to the lounge to check on Sasiege, Uaty, and Paut. A few minutes later the Debrist Morou landed inside a huge hangar bay-it has Petimo's mouth as the entrance. Inside the hangar bay 5,000 of his troops stood in a row-every other one kneeling on one knee and the others standing with their arms stretched above their heads. They wore the traditional orange flight suits and white helmets that are long and smooth. Each of them also has a sword slash laser rifle-known as a Hoke-hanging from a white gun belt. The floor of the hangar bay is pure white and without a single speck of dust on it. There are 50 Pinja fighter jets behind the soldiers hovering just above the floor. The Pinja’s are long and sleek like of whooping crane. They have rotating laser cannons on either side, front to back, as well as guided missiles loaded in turrets on as well.
The hangar bay walls are filled with Roilpe tributes-which are small films of fallen soldiers that play on a continuous loop. They are called Roilpe because of Sgt. General Roilpe Pufts-the first Goohy to die due to enemy hands in a failed invasion in 26,000 S.B.
S.B. stands for seconds before Tot Deprem-the first of the Life Givers 3 children. Tot lived only 46 years, but wrote over 50 volumes of religious text during his lifetime. And not forgetting the Mastuk which is a 2000 page manuscript. It has within its pages every thought that a man has, ever could have, or ever would for all of existence. The Mastuk came with a warning that the latter pages should only be read during advanced years (so as to not take the mystery out of life). The first 30 pages have phrases like, "I hate because it's easy," and, "My life struggles entitle me to have no sympathy for others," as well as, "I'll love anything that loves me." Shortly after Tot's death the world experienced a collective gasp and nervousness later known as the "Last of the free air." A vast 30 story shrine was built to honor Tot. It has every triumph and failing he had ever achieved or suffered through.
The Debrist Morou landed, and as they opened their doors the Goohy soldiers started to sing and dance a choreographed routine. They spun in circles, did front and back flips, and then launched hundreds of them into the air and landed in a synchronized forward roll. Dramkick and Mela saw this and looked on in amazement. Sasiege, Uaty, and Paut were just behind them enjoying the show. Sasiege said excitedly, "This is tremendous, what precision!"
The Goohy soldiers formed a human tower and one of them climbed to the top and sang a high C. He then fell forward into the waiting arms of his fellow soldiers. The lights went out and the soldier’s uniforms glowed brightly in the dark. You could see them forming a human sculpture of lights. It looked like a pair of melancholy eyes and a smiling face. Mela saw this and said, "This is outstanding, how do they do that!"
"I don't know, but it really is amazing. Let's join in," Dramkick said slyly as he nudged Mela with the tip of his elbow. This caused Mela to laugh loudly and sigh.
The soldiers disappeared into the floor and the lights turned on. There before them stood a single man in a brown flight jacket and white loose fitting pants (with more pockets then you would ever need) and he was standing 30 feet in front of them. He was also sporting a blue scarf around his head and face. Dramkick worried that he was a burn victim or had been victimized. He has silver sunglasses and a pair of red metallic boots as well. He strolled over to Dramkick and said, "I am Pomazer and I am Petimo's younger brother. I will escort you to his palace and take care of you while you are here. Please follow me."
"Hello, Pomazer, please lead the way," Dramkick said as he happily followed Pomazer to the end of the hangar bay with everyone else doing the same.
They went through a large doorway and inside a snake shaped vehicle-it is dark green in color and pulsing with steam. Once everyone was in Pomazer said sternly, "Please buckle your safety harnesses we'll be going very fast. You're about to see something most Goohys never have. It will be worth your time."
Everyone got strapped in and the ship fell suddenly straight down into the ground and into a pool of water. The windows on either side showed the famous Bigish.
The Bigish is an underwater series of palaces that keep secretive and house a large piece of the Kass family. They are enclosed in plasma bubbles and have the upstairs, the downstairs, and even the basement completely visible to those who pass by. The palaces are unique, but all have the same white marble bust of Petimo shown prominently above their front entryway.
They moved past the first Palace and Dramkick felt almost giddy at this new adventure. He has a certain passion and fondness for the unexpected. He knows he thrives on it and searches it out. Mela is the same as Dramkick and is overjoyed at the underwater world she is now faced with. It reminded her of a summer day just lying in the water doing nothing. Sasiege on the other hand has a fear of water. Just the idea that his entire body is underwater makes his whole body sweat and stink. His nervous sweat has a certain aroma you never cared to be around. This as Uaty and Paut feel nothing at all. They'd seen this sort of thing before.
"This is it, Jadev, in all her splendor. Wait til you get inside, it will not disappoint," Pomazer said proudly as he pointed to Jadev.
Jadev appeared and it was 3 times the size of the other palaces. It is made of a smooth white stone that glistens in the water. Its towers extend from the top and bottom with blowup dolls of blonde haired women hanging from each. The mass of Jadev is a half mile wide circular body that has thousands of windows-and inlets as well as balconies all over it. It is also adorned with the ears of a Lawam on top of it.
The Lawam is a beloved children's hero and popular toy among all Goohy. It looks like a kitten, but has a huge round head and wide offset eyes. It also has a long black nose and toothy mouth-Petimo is an enormous fan and has 7 rooms filled with every Lawam toy doll and teddy bear ever made.
They near Jadev and a squadron of underwater motorcycles surround the ship. They led them towards the Palace. After they passed through the plasma wall, the ship hovered for a moment and then dove 40 feet into a parking garage.
The parking garage has a white carpet blanketing the entire room. At the far end teams of 2 started lining a pathway to the ship. The ship's front end opens and they see a man running at full speed towards them. He leaps high into the air and does a twisting flip. He landed and said, "Hello my friends, I am Petimo. Did you enjoy the trip?"
"We absolutely loved it thank you for giving us that gift," Mela said warmly as she bowed to Petimo. "I'm Mela by the way and it is an honor to meet you, Petimo," Mela said as she extended her hands out to Petimo.
"Mela, the honor is mine. I must meet everyone, Dramkick, I know already. Who are you, Fine Gentlemen?" Petimo asked as he looked at Sasiege, Uaty, and Paut.
"I am Sasiege and you have a paradise here, really." He could see that Petimo was a reasonable man.
"I would be Uaty and this is my brother, Paut," Uaty said as he crossed his fingers. It was a way to disarm people as it was a childish gesture that implied weakness.
"We are truly honored, Petimo. We want to thank you for allowing us to come here," Paut said honestly as he waved his right hand in front of his own chest.
"No thanks necessary with the music you gave, which was exquisite by the way. And those remarkable paintings I should be thanking you. I mean that," Petimo said as he tried to think if they would enjoy a cigarette or not. Petimo smiled and said, "The best can't be any better than our native cuisine. Won't you please take my hand beautiful, Mela, as I escort you to the dining area."
"You better believe it, Petimo, let us dine," Mela said robustly as she took Petimo's arm with a bit too much physicality. Dramkick grinned as he saw Petimo feeling awkward and nervous.
Dramkick walked next to Petimo and asked, "How many thousands of years did it take to build all this splendor?"
"Well, it took over a thousand years to quarry the marble and shape it," Petimo explained as he wondered if anyone noticed his nervousness. Petimo said, "They used only the finest marble to build Jadev as well as Pomazer's Palace."
"That's determination, I can respect and admire that. What about the city we landed in?" Dramkick asked as they turned the corner and started down the long hallway. Dramkick felt a sudden urge to punch something. He decided against it but would enjoy the idea of it nonetheless.
The hallway has a curved ceiling and the floor is covered in a thick red and black rug-the design of the rug depicts the rise and fall of Owe Songa.
Owe Songa was a woman found in a mountain cave at age 9 living all by herself. She had been abandoned and spent her time collecting cotton from the nearby fields and weaving it into beautiful tapestries. The cave where she was living had dozens of these tapestries lining the walls. She didn't know how to speak at first, but over time learned and eventually she became an unheard of songstress. When she was asked in her later years why she wove those tapestries she said, "I had no beauty in my life, so I made some." The Songa tapestries are still regarded as the most beautiful ever created among the Goohy.
"Oh many eons went into that and many a Goohy died in its construction," Petimo explained as his eyes bounced along the ground below him. "We only have 2 cities Anteb and Poolem, and they are each vast and the height of ingenuity. They each pale in comparison to what I'm about to show you," Petimo said proudly as he stopped at the end of the hallway and pulled out of his pocket a blue capsule.
Petimo threw it at a large green door in front of him. It made the door evaporate into fragrant green smoke that formed the face of Petimo and then quickly disappeared. Behind the door there is a slowly descending golden staircase. It leads into a pumpkin shaped room that smells of pie and cake. There are thousands of gold and emerald statues of soldiers that depict the battle of Poctis.
The battle of Poctis was a fierce battle in 13,601 S.B. that was between the Goohy and Dergego Hoard. The Dergego Hoard came from the planet Pista (they are nothing more than space pirates). They simply went from planet to planet stealing everything they could (and raping all the women they could get their hands on). They came to Guglos in the hopes of doing that very same thing, but the Goohy were not having any of it. After a 37 day bloody battle there were only 17 Dergego left alive. The Goohy threw them into the Deadfre prison-outside of Poolem-and kept them there until their deaths.
In the center of the room there is a 20 foot dining table that has a beautiful red table spread-with a large garden scene depicted on it. There are 12 chairs around the table that are each mini thrones made from solid gold. Above the table is a 30 headed dragon that has different colored lights in each of its mouths (it gives the room an incredibly eerie atmosphere).
Petimo walked up to the far end of the table and said politely, "Won't you please have a seat. The food is on its way with the first of 9 courses. So don't feel you have to eat everything on your plate."
Mela sat to his right and Dramkick to his left, with Uaty and Paut on Mela's side and Sasiege on Dramkick's. Pomazer sat at the other end of the table. Everyone was seated and a dozen servants came hurrying in with silver serving dishes in their hands. They set down the food in foldout mini tables and then started putting a little of each dish on everyone's plate.
There were Porback meatballs in a honey glaze-which have a taste similar to a sweet beef. Tenefedy eyes were also served and they are deep fried eyeballs of a Tenefedy-which is a lumbering cow like creature. There is also Kaki sweet pie, which has an indescribable flavor (but you'd love it if you tasted it).
"Thank you," Dramkick said to the server as he looked over the food and then turned to Petimo and nodded. Dramkick was well aware that anything could happen in any situation, but he had a good feeling the food was alright. A year ago Dramkick had a capsule inserted into his tongue to tell if there was poison in any food he was eating. He was already prepared to rip Petimo's head off if he tasted the slightest hint of poison.<