Chapter 17
The Colossus of Rem
The 3rd day of Paha Wave’s visit to Goldva is rudely interrupted by a figure of a man in front of the T sun. Everyone on Goldva, and all the other planets under the T sun, saw the shadow of a this eerie figure. Word spread like wildfire to every heart and mind. When Peastro sees it his heart skips a beat and he drops his morning coffee. He says in disbelief,” I don’t know what that is, but it wants us to know. Prepare the fleet and every soldier we’ve got. Make it happen!”
“It’s done two breaths ago,” said General Stram as he hurries off the balcony where they were eating breakfast.
Peastro stares at the eerie figure in awe at its apparent size. “Is it the Builder, is it a…robot? What in the Terious are you?” asks Peastro softly to himself.
The figure moves away from the T sun and starts flying randomly around the sky. Peastro prays it will leave and never come back. His emotions are tattered and he starts sweating buckets. The figure turns and makes a beeline for Goldva. It is so far away, but still can be on Goldva in a day Peastro thinks.
Peastro runs into the castle and makes for the observation deck. Once inside he sees the giant robot on one of the holograms of the outer rim. He gasps and says,” It’s a colossus, my Builder it’s the size of the moon. Who’s controlling it and what can we do to stop you if anything…this is troublesome.”
The colossus kicked one of the planet Joep’s moons as it passed by. This sent a chill down Peastro’s spine. He watches the colossus engage the Joep fleet. They blast rocket after rocket and it has no effect. The colossus uses its giant hands to crush their battleships with one giant swoop.
Their fighter jets fare no better. The colossus shoots laser beams from its mouth and vaporizes them. It grabs a handful of their fighter jets, crushing them into a ball and throwing it at Joep. This created a crater in the surface and filled the atmosphere with dust and debris. And still it advanced towards Goldva.
Peastro watches as neighboring world’s fleets join in the battle, but they are quickly subdued. Peastro noticed that the colossus curls its knees inward when it is fired upon. He says slyly,” Why would you do that? What are you protecting? I think you have a secret.”
He quickly hurried to the hangar bay. He flew down the corridor and levitated into his personal battleship and raced into the Rerni Realm. Admiral Poptop Grennings is waiting inside.
Admiral Poptop is 5 feet 11 inches tall with very broad shoulders. His skin is green and his hair is white with red streaks and cut into a Mohawk. His eyes are dull and orange in color. He has several earrings in each ear that dangle and swat when he walks. Each of them depicts a different phase of the T sun. His mouth always appears to be slightly smiling. He also has a scar above his lip. He is wearing a black and green stripped jacket that has miniature robots reenacting a famous Nor battle, they are in a glass case on the front. On each shoulder of the jacket is the word Mehave, a slang term that means,” To take them with you.”
Peastro walks over to him and says,” Admiral Poptop, I saw a potential flaw in the colossus. I believe that he may have a weakness in his mid section or groin region.”
“She,” said Admiral Poptop as he took a puff from his cigarette,” she may have a weakness.”
“What do you mean she?” asks Peastro as he grins rubs the back of his head.
“It’s Macre, she sent us this message for you a few moments before you came in,” said Poptop as he pressed a button on the forward computer.
A hologram of Macre wearing a red bikini appeared in front of Peastro and said in a sultry voice,” Mt love, my yearning, Peastro. When my heart was rejected by you I become morose, to put it mildly. A heart is a funny thing it can’t be feed rejection for too long or it perishes. I love you I need you and I must have you or my heart won’t beat,” said Macre tearfully as she pressed her breasts forward. “I know I can fill your mind with passion. We could truly be that missing piece in both our lives. I have come to a crossroad and I have reached a decision,” said Macre sternly as she batted her eyes. “My glorious robot friend Rem and I are on our way to Goldva. When we arrive tomorrow you will have 2 choices to choose from. One…you can come aboard Rem and come back with me as we enjoy a love and godhood beyond comprehension. Or choice 2…my dear friend Rem will lay waste to every person on Goldva and you will be taken to Rernon by force. Either way you’re coming with me. I won’t let our potential dual ascension be put in jeopardy, because you can’t commit! So think it over my love. There are worse fates for men,” said Macre as she slowly put her hands on her breasts and smiled.
“Hmm…as I was saying I think I’ve found a weakness in Rem’s defenses,” said Peastro quickly.
“You don’t want to consider her offer?” asked Admiral Poptop.
“Well let’s see, she’s beautiful, smart, and not too long she attempted to murder me. I’m still gonna pass, Admiral. Let’s be honest what do you think Macre would do the first time I crossed her. I think, and I’m a fairly wise man, I would probably end up as a series of steaks. Probably not so much garnish,” said Peastro smoothly as he danced in a goofy fashion.
Admiral Poptop laughs and asks,” Ok then…what’s our plan of attack, Pre Ma?”
Peastro walks over to the hologram of Rem and points and says,” This area here I believe is vulnerable. A coordinated strike could bring Rem to his knees. Or in this case get him before he gets here.”
Admiral Poptop nods and says,” I’ll alert the fleet. We’ll be ready when she gets here.”
Peastro goes to his sleeping quarters in Rerni Realm and lays down in and replays his day briefly. He fantasizes about what if he did actually go with Macre. He likes to sometime explore possible negative scenarios just to understand his own thought processes. Then he spends an hour envisioning the following days’ possible outcomes. He prepares himself for the showdown with Macre. He falls asleep in the middle of a thought and awakes with that very thought in his head.
The bulk of the fleet has made all the necessary preparations. All they can do now is wait and hope.
Rem is now bearing down on Goldva. Inside Rerni Realm Macre’s hologram appears in front of Peastro and Admiral Poptop. She is wearing a flesh colored spandex suit and a silver necklace. Macre smiles and asks,” Peastro, heart of all hearts…I need to know right now. Are you coming back with me to be my Love yes or no?”
Peastro looks at her and waves his hand and says flatly,” No, Densk.”
Macre lets out a scream and as she does the Nor fleet attacks Rem. They fire every missile and cannon they had at him. Rem stays curled up into a ball. The first Nor assault has done only minimal damage. With Rem in a ball they are unable to damage him and Peastro knows this. He shouts to Admiral Poptop,” Send in the Brons!”
The battleships and Moi Ti destroyers stop firing and the hangar doors open. Then thousands of Brons jump out and onto Rem, who is still curled up in a ball. The Brons start punching into Rem and destroying his outer shell.
Rem uncurls and bashes every Bron in his reach. The rest of the fleet starts a massive assault. They take dead aim at Rem’s groin and stomach. Rem starts to glow red and orange from the blasts. The Brons keep smashing and tearing Rem to pieces. Rem’s head detaches and races away at unbelievable speed.
“Run far away little girl,” says Peastro snidely as he laughs to himself.
The body of Rem starts to splinter off, pieces of it fly in every direction.
“How did you know we could defeat Rem?” asks Admiral Poptop.
“I’m the Pre Ma I’m expected to know. The problem is Macre is still out there. We could chase her, but that could lead to a trap. I have a feeling she’ll drift back by come another T sun. She’s wise and her people are wise. That Rem was substantial, could have been a much greater threat…wars are for winning,” said Peastro as he sipped some Borco wine he had been saving.
Two weeks later Peastro, Paha, and Oalitl went out for a swim at Contago Bluff.
Contago Bluff is an intricate series of waterslides that stretch for miles. They have rest areas every quarter mile of the slide. They do this so you can grab a bite and keep sliding.
Oalitl takes a bite from his cookie and says,” This is the most fun I’ve ever had. I could slide all day and never get tired.”
“You aren’t kiddin’, boy these slides are grand,” said Peastro as he lay back in the water.
“You are dead right with that. What a great day might I add gorgeous,” said Paha as he ate a barbecue sandwich.
Peastro walks up to the edge of the slide and says,” I say let’s leave our worries behind us. We still have some ground to cover before we make the end, so let’s keep moving,”
“You got it,” said Oalitl brightly as he eats a Gordod, which is a fruit similar to a grape.
“Right and right,” said Paha as he scouted out the women down below.
Peastro jumped onto the slide with Oalitl on his stomach. Paha wasn’t far behind. They slid through several miles of Goldva’s countryside and past many villages and towns. The sides of the waterslide are see-through making it easy to take it all in.
After a few hours of sliding they came to a giant wave pool that was filled with flashing lights and a sign that read,” Half way home.” This was the end of Contago Bluff and the pool was filled with other sliders, most of which just floated on the sides of the pool as they were worn out.
There is a floating bar and restaurant in the center of the pool. Peastro, Paha, and Oalitl swam over to it and grabbed a stool. They called it M.C. Fin’s snack and sip. Peastro sat there exhausted, Paha tapped his shoulder and pointed to a dark haired woman a few stools over. She was wearing a black silk bikini.
Peastro looked at her and was blown away at how beautiful she is, but also how much she looked like Grena Time. He couldn’t believe the resemblance. She had the same eyes, hair, and even the same aura. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her as she sipped her drink. Then she pulled her hair from her face and his heart skipped a beat.
She glanced over at him and smiled slightly. Peastro smiled back and then walked over to her and asked,” You know it’s a lonely world out there, would you rather be alone?”
Culby laughed and then she said quietly,” I would not, Pre Ma. I would love if you sat down. And I would especially like it if you sat in my orbit. I could use the body heat.”
“I would love to sit in your inner orbit,” said Peastro happily as he sat down beside Culby and touched her shoulders and said,” I forgot that everyone knows who I am being the Pre Ma and all. I would prefer it though if you called me Peastro. And what should I call you?
“Well, Peastro, I am Culby Mosem,” said Culby as she offered her hand and then she said,” I have to tell you I am sorry about your loss. Everyone loved Morn, she was a stunning Cre Ma and her passionate spirit will never die.”
“I appreciate that Morn would have appreciated your sentiment. She was all I ever wanted, it was hard to lose her I must confess,” says Peastro somberly as he plays with Culby’s glass to her amusement.
Culby puts her arm around Peastro and says,” You haven’t lost her soul, only her body. No one on Goldva will ever be more than 5 moments from her memory.”
A blueberry vodka arrives in front of Peastro, he nods, then sips his drink and says,” You know, Culby, I feel I have some distance from Morn’s death now. I haven’t forgotten obviously…”
“No of course not,” said Culby.
“…but it’s a new mindset I have now. I’m ready to love again. Who know I could fall in love with you, some other T sun,” says Peastro honestly as he examines Culby’s hands.
“Well I won’t lie to you I’ve loved you from afar. I believe the Builder guides us people together sometimes. I mean here we both are, at this place. A place I’ve never been before and today, and only on a whim,” says Culby in a dry tone as she flashes a smile.
Peastro looks at her and wants to kiss her with every fiber of his being, so he does. He puts his hands gently on her neck and consumes her with a kiss. Culby had hoped he’d kiss her and unleashes her wanting in a kiss. After a long passionate kiss Peastro says,” It’s us then.”
“It is for as long as we draw breath,” said Culby strongly as she runs her fingers along Peastro’s lips.
“I can’t go through another Cre Ma ceremony right now. I don’t know what your feelings are on that,” says Peastro pointedly as he tickles his glass of vodka.
“I don’t want the Cre Ma. I just want you, all of you,” said Culby as she wrapper her arms around Peastro’s waist.
“Then you shall,” says Peastro confidently and then he kissed her and said,” have it all. But it’s not all pretty to look at. I am a completely honest being, so don’t hold my honesty against me.”
“Never!” said Culby quickly. “I have no tolerance for deception, Peastro. Give me a million truths with jagged edges and I’ll embrace them all.”
Peastro told Paha and Oalitl that he was going to spend some time with Culby and that they should go on without him. Paha and Oalitl caught a transport back to Foiv castle, while Peastro and Culby went to her apartment nearby. They made love for several hours and stayed up all night talking about their lives. In the mourning they had a light breakfast then went for a walk inside the Imatron.
The Imatron is a large building where you can go and have a hologram of yourself made. Then you can change and distort it any way you want. You can manipulate the hologram with an interactive headpiece. You can interact with your holograms with ease. It is considered a favorite attraction for recreation among the Nor. After you have created your hologram it will enter a grid with all the other holograms. Then all bets are off!
Peastro and Culby enter the fashioning booth and there are basic holograms of themselves being made. Peastro has his nose stretched out to 4 feet long and his hair so long that is tied around his waist. Culby sees this and laughs then says,” Hmm nice look.”
Culby has her hologram’s butt made 10 times larger than normal and her hair made of feathers. Peastro sees this and smiles as he says,” Still stunning feathers and all. And that backside will come in handy in a fight. You can sit on seven, maybe eight soldiers easy. I’m gonna call General Stram, he needs to hear about this.”
Culby elbows Peastro in the side gently and says,” You’re terrible. Who knows maybe in another 2 years that’s where my butt will be. I just wanted you to know where we’re heading.”
Peastro looks at the hologram then at Culby and says,” Looks like heaven to me We’ll need a bigger bed, but being the Pre Ma and all I can make that happen.”
Culby laughs loudly and bumps Peastro with her hip. She gives her hologram an enormous head with a battleship sticking through the sides. Peastro smirks and he gives his a giant muscular arm and the other arm turned into a sandwich. Whereby Culby smiles and fights back laughter.
Peastro and Culby sit in their private booth and their holograms enter the playing field.
Their booth if 10 feet by 10 feet and has crimson carpeted walls. There is a black leather loveseat and 2 leather footstools in front. In the armrests are various beverages and snacks. There is also some music playing through the speakers in the loveseat headrest. It is by the band Mercifimo. They are a loud aggressive angst ridden rock n’ roll act. Their music is somber and deals with social unrest. Their songs are filled with positive messages. They refuse to take compensation for their music. They feel true art is only expressed not sold.
Peastro feels a real love for Culby. He puts his arm around her and he remembers the joy of love. Culby knows she has never loved like this. She catches herself wanting not to blink for fear of missing a moment. She puts her hand on Peastro’s heart and says quietly,” Thank you for finding me.”
“I think you were in there all along. I don’t know how, but it feels true,” said Peastro then he kissed Culby on the lips.
“I know you’re mine,” said Culby as she puts Peastro’s hand on her heart,” I don’t need to know why.”
Peastro smiles and says,” Let’s see how this horrific creation can play.”
“Here here to that,” said Culby as she steered her hologram around to the center.
Peastro took his and tripped Culby’s with his nose. Culby grabbed a handful of its feathers and stuffed them into Peastro’s pants. Peastro laughs and Culby giggles loudly. Then Culby’s hologram blasts Peastro’s in the butt with his guns from the battleship.
The other holograms in the playing field surround Peastro’s and grab it and throw it to the rafters. It plummets back to the floor and Peastro shouts,” You’re lucky this is make believe or you’d be dust!”