"The Day of Reckoning" Part 2 by WatsonSword First draft - 12/16/10 Second draft - 12/18/10 Final draft - 12/19/10 Edited by Rygar SCENE 1 - SPHINX CAMP, INATURA DESERT, ALDEBARAN CAPTAIN BUCKY O'HARE, FIRST MATE JENNY, GUNNER DEADEYE DUCK, ENGINEER WILLY DUWITT, and AFC BLINKY sit on red wool mats inside a yurt. A FEMALE SPHINX stirs a red porridge inside a large electric wok. Bucky and Jenny drink a dark gold-colored tea from clay cups. TOMMY, QUEEN KATRINA, and ARTEMISIA stand to the side. BUCKY Well, at least they're friendly. JENNY Friendly, yes. Hospitable, no. Or at least, that's what I've heard. WILLY Then why are they treating us like guests? Deadeye shrugs his shoulders. DEADEYE Beats me. But I ain't never one t' turn down hospitality. A MALE SPHINX enters with a hide collar set with six cyan spell gems. He is elderly, with glasses and a black polymer cane. FEMALE SPHINX Dra sicgfrayd bunnetka ec ymsucd nayto. E ruba ed'c du dra Xiaah'c megehk. MALE SPHINX Ed'mm tu. Ed'c ymm fa ryja. WILLY I just want to know what they're saying. (to Queen Katrina) Do you understand that language? Queen Katrina glances briefly at Willy and shakes her head. QUEEN Something about pungent grains? I'm barely knowledgeable of their language. MALE SPHINX She said your meal is almost ready. The male Sphinx talks with a nasal accent that heavily accentuates hard consonants. All present turn toward him quizzically. Jenny stands. JENNY How do you know our language? MALE SPHINX (shrugging shoulders) Educational devices *are* among the supplies allocated to us. You are lucky you brought the Queen with you. Otherwise, we'd have ferried you to the nearest port and been done with you. Queen Katrina steps forward and cocks her head at the male Sphinx. QUEEN Why would you do that? The male Sphinx turns his head and bites his lip. The question makes him uncomfortable. He hesitates to answer. MALE SPHINX (nervous) We Sphinxes are hated, and for good reason, considering all we did during the Antithesis Wars. QUEEN The Palace has barely any reliable records of that time. No one knows what you did during the Antithesis Wars. We scarcely even know what they were about. MALE SPHINX (alarmed) What do you mean? How could you not know? Artemisia steps forward. ARTEMISIA (stoic) The Doctrinal Riots resulted in the destruction of all reliable records pertaining to the Antithesis Wars. MALE SPHINX (shakes head) Doctrinal Riots? TOMMY You know, when King Hirocon drove Queen Zoda insane by raping her every night? And then she killed him and said all males were slaves? And then they all rioted in response and destroyed the original Royal Archives? The male Sphinx squints and shakes his head in confusion. MALE SPHINX Queen Zoda did all the things you mentioned, but there were no riots. And she destroyed the original Royal Archives herself. Jenny shakes her head, catching the attention of all present. JENNY (upset) What do you mean she destroyed them herself? Why would she do that? MALE SPHINX The chief of Zoda's armed forces was a half-Sphinx, and a male. I can only assume she destroyed the Archives to hide this fact. QUEEN (whispering) A male half-Sphinx. The Armored Artificer. (aloud) Please, let us sit down. Tell us everything you know of these events. The female Sphinx switches off the wok and ladles porridge into clay bowls. She pours blond-colored milk into the porridge from a clay teapot. FEMALE SPHINX Ed'c tuha, pid E ryt du ica ib ymm uv uin hanv semg. MALE SPHINX Ed'c hu luhlanh. E's cina fa'mm pa lusbahcydat. (to the others) Dinner is ready. Please sit by the wok with us. The male Sphinx sits by the female. Queen Katrina, Tommy, and Artemisia sit around the wok and pass around bowls of porridge. They make funny, but not unpleasant, faces as they smell and taste the meal. WILLY Smells like patchouli and Nutella. QUEEN It's certainly ... different. The male Sphinx looks at Queen Katrina with a raised brow. QUEEN No, it's not bad, just different. MALE SPHINX Well, the desert offers little in the way of diverse cuisine. But at the very least, I'm glad none of you *dislike* it. QUEEN So please, tell me what really happened to Queen Zoda. BUCKY And an introduction would be nice. The male Sphinx nods. MALE SPHINX (whispering) E ymfyoc vunkad du ehdnutila socamv. (aloud) I am Tyjet, chief of this Caravan, and Artificer Grand-Master of Spirit. JENNY (shocked) Spirit!? But that school was lost after male thralldom! TYJET Not lost. Merely isolated along with us and along with the school of Nature. ARTEMISIA (stoic) But those appeared to be healing gems. TYJET My gems are cyan, not green or blue. TOMMY (irritated) Look, can you get to the damn story already? TYJET Bnelg! (beat) Very well. You say you know little of the Antithesis Wars? Jenny, Tommy, Artemisia, and Queen Katrina nod. Chief Tyjet leans forward and folds his arms in his lap. He sighs. TYJET It ended just before the Maine Coon monarchy formed Aldebaran's first unified government. The other two world powers of the time were the Siamese and the Sphinxes. (beat) The Siamese touted the philosophy of "Hive Harmony," eschewing currency in exchange for collective ownership of all goods, which individuals were licensed rather than given. Personal identity was a sin. Everything existed for the greater good of the hive. (beat) We Sphinxes believed in the "Path of the Pyramid," an ever-narrowing bureaucracy ending in a single individual with absolute political and corporate power who would ensure a unified direction for his people. WILLY (interrupting) So, communism versus fascism. TYJET (shaking head) I'm sorry? WILLY That sounds exactly like two systems of government from my home world. They, uh, both kind of failed. TYJET Yes ... they were both failed systems, and fair opposites. That's why the Maine Coons named our fight the Antithesis Wars, because we tried to wipe each other out over these opposed philosophies. (beat) We Sphinxes committed unspeakable acts during the war. When the Siamese defeated us, we fled to the Inatura, fearing genocide. We were so relieved when Sarradel led the monarchy to defeat the Siamese. But we stayed here out of shame. BUCKY Sarradel? TYJET Sarradel was a half-Sphinx, half-Siamese born toward the end of the Antithesis Wars, the one I spoke of before. Both sides hated him -- paraded around with dolls of him with wires through his wrists and ankles as if to say he was the other side's puppet. The group listening to Tyjet gasps. Jenny, Tommy, Artemisia, and Queen Katrina's eyes widen. They look at each other. JENNY (whispering) Strung up like a puppet! TYJET I'm sorry. Did I disturb you? JENNY No. Please, continue the story. TYJET Sarradel was the only thing both sides agreed upon. From birth, death and scorn were his only companions. He escaped to the Maine Coons as a teenager. I can't imagine how he survived that long. But the Royal Family soon recognized his prismatic voice and trained him as an opera singer. In time, he also became their highest military strategist. (softly) He used his voice and skills in opera to inspire his troops. And in battle, he sang to his enemies, draining their will to fight and sometimes even live. He disappeared after Zoda decreed male thralldom. That is all we know of him. A time passes in silence. Queen Katrina rests her chin on a paw. QUEEN (whispering) Sarradel. TYJET Do you know something I don't? QUEEN Sarradel was the name of the author who wrote the Moashk'Arkool war operas. He's the Armored Artificer. He must be! TYJET It seems now you're the one with a story to tell. Queen Katrina nods and glowers. She stalls herself and takes a deep breath before sitting cross-legged and stirring her porridge, lost in thought. After a time, she looks up with sullen eyes and tells her story. SCENE 2 - QUEEN'S QUARTERS, ROYAL PALACE, ALDEBARAN The Queen's Quarters are a cross-shaped suite atop the Royal Palace's highest spire. Each alcove holds a different section: a sleeping and dressing area, a study, a bathroom, and a lounge. All is crafted in Empire style, with greens, reds, and golds, with white marble and dark-stained wood. THE ARMORED ARTIFICER sits at a massive wood and stone half- circle desk in the study area. With elbows propped up on the desk, he holds his helmet in his paws. He groans and removes his helmet. His face has the same sharp features, blocky muzzle, and large ears of a Sphinx. But he has a paper-thin coat of platinum blonde fur and slanted eyes like a Siamese. Without his helmet, The Armored Artificer speaks in a smooth, undistorted voice. ARMORED ARTIFICER (beat) E sicd veht cusa fyo du tacdnuo dra Untan uv Cemjan. Udranfeca, drao'mm tu sa eh zicd mega mycd desa. A barely audible gasp draws the Armored Artificer's attention behind him. TRISHA and FELICIA stand before him with eyes wide and watering, their lips quivering. The Armored Artificer sighs, stands, and approaches them. Trisha raises her arms, and her spell gems glow. TRISHA (crying) Don't come any closer, you freak! ARMORED ARTIFICER Or you'll what? You really think you can take me? TRISHA (crying) Where is Moashk'Arkool!? Where is our savior, you bastard!? The Armored Artificer approaches Trisha, who backs away. Felicia crawls behind a couch. ARMORED ARTIFICER (irritated) She doesn't exist. I created her and her operas to inspire my troops before battle -- the same ones who turned on me and sealed me in that damned mine! TRISHA (crying) You're lying! She does exist! Her concubine, Sarradel, scribed all of her great deeds. That proves she exists! ARMORED ARTIFICER (irritated) *I* am Sarradel, you stupid bitch! And I don't know where you got the idea of me being *anyone's* concubine. I never wrote anything of the sort. Trisha falls to her knees. Tears stream down her cheeks, and she holds both palms out and charges a spell blast. TRISHA (crying) You're lying! I'll kill you, you male whore! SARRADEL (amused) Just try. Trisha throws her spell blast at Sarradel, who bats it away with his gauntlet, splashing it harmlessly to the floor. He thrusts his other paw forward, and his gems emit darkness as he fires a black energy stream at Trisha. Trisha raises a warding just as the black stream strikes. The stream splashes off the warding, but Trisha tenses trying to hold it up. Sarradel raises his other paw and fires another stream. Together, they pierce Trisha's warding and flow into her eyes. Trisha screams and seizes. She loses her breath as her undercoat falls out and her overcoat bleaches and stiffens. Her spine curls forward. Her muscles shrink, and her skin wrinkles around her body. Sarradel ceases his assault and lowers his paws. Trisha falls over, dead of old age. SARRADEL Dryd'c uha macc vyhydel du funno ypuid. (looks at Felicia) Pid dryd uha cruimt pa ayco du luhdnum. Sarradel approaches Felicia, who shivers, whimpers, and clings to the couch tightly. Sarradel clears his throat and sings softly, simultaneously in perfect bass and countertenor voices. SARRADEL (singing) You get on with life as a princess. But when you start to daydream, your mind turns straight to meekness. You hate free will and power. But you just think back to meekness, and you're happy once again. Felicia involuntarily relaxes. Her eyes turn partly opaque. Sarradel takes Felicia's paw and helps her stand. He still speaks with the prismatic voice. SARRADEL You, Felicia, are now Queen of Aldebaran. I am your master. You will obey me. Tell me what you just heard. FELICIA (monotone) I am Queen of Aldebaran. You are my master. I obey you. Sarradel's voice returns to normal. SARRADEL Excellent. Now have your cousin sent to me. I hear he has extraordinary latent power. SCENE 3 - SPHINX CAMP, INATURA DESERT, ALDEBARAN Chief Tyjet limps on his cane as he paces in front of the yurt entrance. He stops, adjusts his glasses, and shakes his head. TYJET That is not possible. Sarradel disappeared over three thousand years ago. No magic can extend a lifespan that far. QUEEN I saw him steal the youth from my daughter's body and add those years to his own life. There's no telling how long he could live in stasis if he had enough victims. TYJET Normally, I would say that is impossible without dire consequences. But your description of his pure black gems makes me wonder. (softly) I believe our redemption may finally come. BUCKY Redemption? Chief Tyjet approaches and sits in a reed rocking chair. He sighs. TYJET We hid from Aldebaran after our defeat. It was only after the Antithesis Wars that we realized what atrocities we committed. We ... (mournful) We tried to wipe out the Siamese by systematically killing their kittens. That's how we lost, as suddenly the entire Siamese population fought us -- not just their soldiers. (beat) That's why we isolated ourselves, why we never welcomed any visitor or participated in any outside calls. ARTEMISIA (stoic) That's how they escaped Sarradel's attack. They did not participate in the mind conference. Chief Tyjet nods. TYJET We will help. Even if it's only petty atonement, we will fight Sarradel at your side. A time passes in silence, and all present briefly look at one another. Jenny suddenly stands, catching everyone's attention. JENNY Chief Tyjet? Is it true that a Spirit Artificer can send someone on a soul quest without leaving the planet's surface? TYJET Yes. I can induce an out-of-body experience and send one's disembodied mind into the Dark Heart Nebula. JENNY Then I would ask you to send my apprentice, William DuWitt, on such a quest. WILLY (blinks) What? Why now? JENNY If we're going to fight Sarradel, then we all need to be at our peaks, including you. Bucky, sitting cross-legged with his muzzle in a paw, suddenly perks and turns toward Willy. BUCKY Into the Dark Heart Nebula? (beat) Willy? I'm effecting that order we talked about right now. WILLY (irritated) Well, that's not very helpful, unless there's something specific you wanted me to say. BUCKY (whispering) Something specific. (aloud) I know there was, but I can't remember it. Just ... there's something other than magic you need to talk about, something about the planet itself. TYJET Is this something I should not ask of? BUCKY It's private. Just trying to repay a favor. Chief Tyjet shakes his head and stands. He limps on his cane toward Willy, who stands as he approaches. TYJET I'll prepare the ritual. SCENE 4 - QUEEN'S QUARTERS, ROYAL PALACE, ALDEBARAN Sarradel stands in front of a grand arched double door made wood and white stone, the entrance to the Queen's Quarters. His helmet is on. The doors creak as two Assassination Sisters open it. They hold HARRISON by the shoulders and shove him inside. He lands on the floor with a grunt. He looks back in scorn at the Assassination Sisters. Harrison wears a yellow prisoner's jumpsuit and no footwear. He looks up with his blue left eye and his gold right eye, both in fear of the armored figure standing before him. The Assassination Sisters stare warily at Sarradel but are afraid to speak. Sarradel notices and points to them. With his helmet on, Sarradel's voice is distorted. SARRADEL Do not concern yourself with Trisha or Felicia. Trisha was too meddlesome for her own good, and Felicia is under my control. Now leave us. The Assassination Sisters bow and leave, closing the doors behind them. Sarradel looks down at Harrison, who scoots back and presses himself against the doors. Sarradel approaches Harrison and cocks his head at him. He extends a paw toward Harrison, who suddenly seizes. Harrison calms when Sarradel returns the paw to his side. Sarradel removes his helmet and speaks normally. SARRADEL Cilr bufan, E'ja hajan vamd paouht socamv. Vehymmo, E syo ryja ehcinyhla. Harrison gasps, and his eyes widen. He stands, recognizing what Sarradel just said. HARRISON (nervous) E tuh'd mega dra etay uv paehk ehcinyhla. Sarradel steps back and blinks for a moment in surprise, then composes himself. SARRADEL You speak Sphinx!? HARRISON (nervous) I speak a lot of languages, ones used to write old stories. SARRADEL Is that so? Well then, let me take them from you! Sarradel steps forward and extends a paw. His gems emit darkness, and he fires a black energy stream into Harrison's chest. Harrison drops to his back and seizes, writhing and screaming as his fur begins to lose color. Sarradel ceases his assault, leaving Harrison crying and shivering on the floor with steel-gray hair and fur on his face and paws. HARRISON (crying) What did you ... why can't I ... why does it hurt!? Harrison's voice is hoarse. SARRADEL I took all the languages you know save the ones we share, along with most of your lifespan. What you feel is the pain of old age. At this point, you won't live to see your twentieth birthday. HARRISON (shouting) Give it back! Sarradel kneels and helps Harrison stand. Harrison coughs, groans in pain, and falls into Sarradel's arms. SARRADEL I'm sorry, Harrison, but the magic of Death cannot give. It only takes. But you *can* regain everything you lost. HARRISON (wheezing) I know ... what you did. ... I won't do anything ... for you. Sarradel lays a paw gently on Harrison's shoulder. Harrison drops to his knees wheezing, his voice lost, in pain as the fur on his arms falls off and streaks of charred red flesh appear on his limbs. SARRADEL I can wither your limbs to husks, Harrison. I can steal all of your senses and leave you a wretched, semi-living vegetable for the few years you have left. I'll give you a taste. Sarradel's gems emit darkness, which flows like liquid over Harrison's body and absorbs into his eyes and pores. His bare skin turns a crackled charcoal gray, and an oily black film covers his eyes. Sarradel releases Harrison, who falls to the floor and reaches about himself, twisting his arms as if not knowing where they are. SARRADEL You are now blind and numb. But at least you no longer feel pain. Well ... not physical pain, anyhow. HARRISON Uwaaa! Raauwaargh! SARRADEL You can't speak if you can't feel your own lips or tongue. Harrison falls onto his back and sobs. Sarradel kneels down and picks Harrison up in his arms. SARRADEL But you can still hear, and you can still feel the force of magic. That will be your salvation. Though I can't give it to you, Harrison, you can have back everything I took from you. Would you like that? Utter a sound if you would. HARRISON Urraawr! SARRADEL Excellent. Sarradel sets Harrison down on a chair. He takes a necklace of pure black gems from his neck and puts it around Harrison's. SARRADEL I doubted when I heard the Queen's grandson possessed latent power surpassing her own. But once I saw you, I knew it was true. You will be my equal, Harrison, and someday my successor. Harrison sobs again. SCENE 5 - SPHINX CAMP, INATURA DESERT, ALDEBARAN Outside, Jenny sits in front of Willy, a small bonfire to her back. Bucky, Deadeye, Blinky, Queen Katrina, Tommy, Artemisia, and her daughters watch to the side among a gathering of Sphinxes. Willy sits cross-legged, facing Jenny and the bonfire. Chief Tyjet stands behind him, leaning on his cane. Tyjet rests a paw on Willy's head. His cyan gems pulse. The bonfire flares up on each pulse until Tyjet's gems glow steadily. Quark demons fly from the bonfire and flutter about. Jenny stands with a furrowed brow and wanders about with all others save the Sphinxes, the only ones not surprised by the sight. QUEEN How can you simply summon quark demons to do your bidding? TYJET Through Spirit. And they don't do my bidding. They come willingly. The quark demons flutter around the crowd as the bonfire rapidly changes colors. One rests just above Bucky's nose, and he cocks his head at it. Deadeye tries to grab one, but it passes through his paw. Jenny backs away toward the yurts, as if afraid of them. The bonfire flares and turns white as all the quark demons rush into Willy's body. His skin briefly glows white, and he gasps and opens his eyes. SCENE 6 Willy still sits cross-legged, but there is no ground. All around him is a swirl of color, like the Dark Heart Nebula, but the living planet at its center is absent. Willy stands and walks aimlessly. He looks down and furrows his brow in confusion as he hears his footsteps despite there being no ground. He wanders for some time. VOICE (whispering) They were so clever, weren't they? Startled, Willy turns to see a humanoid figure his own size with blue reptilian skin, a crest of horns on his head, and bat-like wings wrapped around his body like a cloak. Willy approaches the figure, who looks down into the swirling colors. He sports a frown and mournful, down-turned eyes. His voice is soft and throaty. WILLY Tae'Gwitz? The figure nods. TAE'GWITZ (sullen) The angels were so clever, hiding their ultimate weapon until long after the war ended. I am sorry to disappoint, but I will not resist my death. WILLY What are you talking about? Tae'Gwitz turns to Willy. His eyes are swirls of color, similar to the Dark Heart Nebula, but twisted into the shapes of screaming and sobbing faces. TAE'GWITZ You possess the power of both angel and dragon simultaneously. I can only assume the angels created you to kill me. So do it! And free me from this misery. WILLY (shakes head) I don't know what gave you that idea, but I'm just a human. I'm a mortal, from the universe. I gained my powers by accident. Tae'Gwits snarls and furrows his brow. TAE'GWITZ (shocked) By ... accident? WILLY I thought you were supposed to be some sort of giant monster bigger than a star with a voice like a bomb going off or something. Tae'Gwitz turns from Willy, looks down, and wraps his wings tighter around himself. TAE'GWITZ (sullen) There is no more need for such forms of intimidation. Everything I have ever worked for has crumbled before me because of Sarradel. WILLY You mean the Armored Artificer? TAE'GWITZ (sullen) Call him what you will, but he has already destroyed any chance for my kind to protect existence. WILLY What do you mean protect? I thought you wanted to destroy the aniverse. Tae'Gwitz turns toward Willy, and his wings loosen around his body. TAE'GWITZ And save all other universes in doing so! This aniverse was never meant to exist. An act of vanity created it, and vanity continues to threaten everything beyond it. WILLY I don't understand. Tae'Gwitz turns from Willy. His wings shiver. TAE'GWITZ Then I suppose I should tell you the whole story. (sullen) The angels will claim that this aniverse is the core universe from which all others sprang. But this is a myth created by their arrogance and constant cycle of hosts, none of whom carry the memories of the previous. (sullen) But we dragons were there from the beginning and lived the events they know only in legends. The infant angel Frith created the aniverse to show off his power. But he let the aniverse host powers meant only to exist beyond universes, powers that could threaten other universes. That is why the angels sent Death to oversee the aniverse, to be sure that that threat never comes to pass. (irritated) They were wrong. The aniverse should've been destroyed from the beginning. But the angels had more regard for their artificial morals than the order of nature. So we fought. Now, only three of my kind live, trapped forever because of Sarradel. WILLY How could Sarradel do something like that? TAE'GWITZ For ages, I used the Aldebarans as tools for my eventual escape. Of the three of us, I was the only one with this resource. But Sarradel has already conquered Aldebaran. (sullen) Should he live, he will rule Aldebaran with an iron paw, and I will be forgotten. Should he die, Aldebaran will reject its isolationism, and I will be marginalized. (with a hint of a smile) But at least I'll still have the pleasure of destroying Aldebaran souls on their deaths. That one thing has been delicious lately. Willy steps back, shocked and frightened. He remembers the words that The Mentor told him -- that the creature from the Dark Heart Nebula would someday eat his soul. WILLY Destroying souls? You can't do that! It's not fair! TAE'GWITZ You speak to me of fair? I have suffered for eternities. Nothing is fair. I thought you were here to grant me release, and yet you are an impudent whelp who understands nothing. How fair is that? WILLY You ... you have to stop. It's not natural, what you do. Death should be peaceful. TAE'GWITZ You have obviously never met Death. (thinking) But ... you may still represent a release for me. Perhaps not the one I had hoped, but nonetheless the only one I can obtain. Tae'Gwitz sharply turns to Willy. TAE'GWITZ Grant me one favor, and I'll abide by your request. WILLY (resolutely) What is it? TAE'GWITZ (whispering) I desire but one final morsel of satisfaction. Kill Sarradel. If you present to me the creature who ruined my dreams -- and I have dreamed for so long -- if you let me taste his destruction on my lips, then after that, I will allow the Aldebarans to cross over as others do. Willy hesitates, purses his lips, and nods. WILLY I'll do it. Willy puts his hands in his pockets and walks away. Tae'Gwitz turns his head toward Willy. TAE'GWITZ Two final messages! Willy stops. WILLY I must admit, I expected this exchange to go a little differently. TAE'GWITZ You carry the powers of dragon and angel in one body. Should you learn to combine them seamlessly, you may become the most powerful mortal who ever lived. But as long as you study Aldebaran power alone, you will never achieve this. WILLY I'm not sure I'd want that kind of power. TAE'GWITZ That may be a wise choice. But know this as well. Should one day you come back to kill me, I will welcome it. A blinding white light engulfs everything. SCENE 7 - SPHINX CAMP, INATURA DESERT, ALDEBARAN Willy's eyes flash blinding white light, causing all present to shield their eyes. Dozens of quark demons fly from Willy's eyes and spiral upward into space. Willy's eyes return to normal, and he falls over into the sand, gasping for breath. Bucky and Jenny immediately rush to Willy and help him sit up. Willy's eyes are lidded, and he breathes heavily in fatigue. WILLY (weakly) How long was I out? BUCKY (shocked) What do you mean, how long? JENNY The quark demons shot out of your body as soon as they entered it. WILLY But ... how did I ... TYJET What you saw may have been instant, but DuWitt may have experienced minutes or days in that same timeframe. (to Willy) What did Grandfather Quark tell you? Bucky and Jenny help Willy stand. He turns to face Chief Tyjet, then Jenny. WILLY You won't like it. But it's not important right now. We just have to focus on killing Sarradel. JENNY Well, those quark demons should have made some of your latent power more buoyant. Your training should go faster from now on, so technically, you succeeded in your soul quest. Willy huffs, shakes his head, and pulls himself from Bucky and Jenny's grip. WILLY That's great, but right now, I just want to sleep. All present watch as Willy hobbles into a yurt. A thud from within startles them. Bucky starts toward Willy, but Deadeye blocks him with two arms. DEADEYE He'll be all right, Cap'n. Just let 'im sleep. I ain't never seen a primate tougher'n Willy, baboons included. Tommy steps forward. TOMMY Then what about Sarradel? Willy's right. We have to come up with some way of killing him. ARTEMISIA (stoic) Even if we have the power, the Silvered Sisters still protect him. We must get past them first, and they number in the hundreds. My daughters and I are only thirteen. We cannot fight all of them at once. TYJET If needed, we Sphinxes will be your army. QUEEN And what good will that do? The Silvered Sisters are trained to be as vicious and remorseless as possible. I've seen no evidence that the Sphinxes have any knowledge of battle. TOMMY As long as he has Harrison, I'm willing to take that risk. ARTEMISIA (stoic) That is not rational, Thomas. Attempting rescue with an unprepared force may be worse for our son than doing nothing at all. Bucky rolls his eyes and walks into a yurt. Jenny looks back and forth between the yurt and the debate, then follows Bucky inside. Chief Tyjet looks at them quizzically. Within the yurt, Bucky sits in a reed rocking chair, looking at embers within a stone circle. Jenny enters and sits in an adjacent chair. JENNY Why did you leave? Bucky shakes his head. BUCKY (beat) Your mother's right. Even if we did have the power to kill that guy, the real problem is getting to him, and there's no way to do that. Bucky grits his teeth and droops his ears. A single tear wets his fur. Jenny lays a paw on Bucky's shoulder, catching his attention. JENNY What is it? BUCKY (whispering) I don't think we're going to live through the attack. We've been in tough spots before, but we could always count on an ace up our sleeve, or the toads' stupidity. Sarradel's not stupid. And we showed our hand a long time ago. JENNY I can't say that I disagree. BUCKY I always knew I might die in battle. I guess I figured it would be fighting the toads, though. (beat) And the worst part is that we're still engaged. I spent a while considering every possibility, and ... I at least wanted us to be married before we died. TYJET I can arrange that. Bucky and Jenny stand and look at Chief Tyjet leaning on his cane in the yurt doorway. TYJET I can order a traditional Sphinx marriage for the two of you. It will be unfamiliar and painful. It may even make you deathly ill, but if you still wish it ... Bucky and Jenny look deeply into each other's eyes. They both barely crack a smile and nod at each other. They look back at Chief Tyjet. JENNY Yes. BUCKY We'll do it. SCENE 8 - PANTRY, ROYAL PALACE, ALDEBARAN Cobblestone makes up the walls, floors, and ceilings. A single overhead lamp shines. The pantry is empty of shelves, bins, and produce. Instead, shackles and chains bind rows of Aldebarans to the walls. Sarradel, his helmet on, kicks open the door. The door slides shut as he enters. He nods at the door, and the plank to its side falls and bars it. Sarradel sets Harrison down in front of a black-furred female Aldebaran dressed in rags. Sarradel holds up Harrison, who drools from numbness, and places his arm on the female's shoulder. Sarradel removes his helmet and whispers into Harrison's ear. SARRADEL You now touch a cat with no magic. She can heal everything I cursed you with, if you are only willing to steal her life away from her. HARRISON Yeaaaw! Harrison pulls his paw from the female and begins to sob, as does she. Sarradel wraps his arms around Harrison and whispers in his ear. SARRADEL (whispers) I understand your hesitation. I had it myself once. But I found myself in a much similar circumstance as yours, and I learned that society's delusions of equality were just that. Sarradel strokes Harrison's head, seeming to comfort him even though Harrison can only feel the movement and not the touch. SARRADEL Let me tell you of my childhood. My mother gave birth to me on the field of battle. Arrows and spell blasts and screams and explosions went on all around her. Her companions had to gag her to keep her from screaming and giving away their location. (beat) I learned quickly that friends were fleeting. Death was then my only constant companion. As a child, I trained in Thought magic, like you. But one day, a spell blast left me mortally wounded, and I waited to die. Sarradel huffs. SARRADEL But then, I found a rotting old hut crawling with saw worms. So desperate to survive, I reached out with my mind and felt the saw worms' life force and took it for myself. Having no magic or sentience, stealing their lives had no consequences, except one. My gems lost their blue color and became pitch black. I found these new gems could steal anyone's life without consequence, and I grew stronger than I could've ever imagined. (stern) Now *you* face this same dilemma. Harrison fumbles about, trying to cry out and shake his head. SARRADEL (stern) She has no magic! Her life has no value. You, on the other paw, have more energy in your blood than King Hirocon himself. You could surpass me one day if you embraced the magic of Death. Your power gives you the right to her life. So use your property and become strong again. (spiteful) Or else spend what few years you have left in your pitiful state. Sarradel holds up Harrison's paw and puts his other paw on Harrison's head. His gems emit darkness. SARRADEL (whispering) I will guide you mentally. Harrison stops sobbing and grits his teeth. The pure black gems on his necklace emit darkness. Sarradel smiles as the female whimpers and shakes her head. SARRADEL (shouting) Do you feel that light inside her? That light belongs to you! It always has! Grab it! Rip it out of her body and drink it! Do it now! Quench your weakness and take the power of death as yours! Harrison screams and fires a black energy stream into the female's gut. The female shrieks in pain as her fur bleaches and stiffens. Her muscles shrink, and her spine curves. Her skin wrinkles around her thinning body until it peels away from her nails and teeth and her fur falls out. She falls over, dead. Harrison suddenly stands, gasping, the same vibrant child he once was. His legs wobble, and he falls to his knees, clutching his chest and whining as his eyes roll back in his head. Sarradel stands and smiles. After a minute, Harrison stops swooning and slowly stands, catching his breath. SARRADEL That felt good, didn't it? No other pleasure in existence compares to drinking another's life. Do you want more? Harrison blinks, just then realizing what happened. He looks at his paws with eyes wide and jaw agape, as if looking at an image from a nightmare. HARRISON (screaming) No! Harrison tears off his necklace of pure black gems and runs to the door. Sarradel points a finger at Harrison, lifting him into the air. SARRADEL All schools of magic can extend lifespan to a certain degree, but only the School of Death can give true immortality. (beat) You will eventually forget your delusions of morality and empathy. In the meantime, I'll leave you to brood. Sarradel lowers his paw. Harrison falls to the floor. He scrambles up, throws the bar from the door, and runs out of the pantry. SCENE 9 - SPHINX CAMP, INATURA DESERT, ALDEBARAN Bucky and Jenny wear blood-red silk robes and sit on their knees in Chief Tyjet's yurt. Their crew, Queen Katrina, Tommy, and Artemisia and her daughters observe from the sides. The female Sphinx sits cross-legged before them in white robes and a collar set with six pink spell gems. She holds a potted creeping plant in her lap. She holds her paws above the plant, and her gems glow. Chief Tyjet sits beside her. TYJET My daughter, Cranom, will perform the ceremony, but since the newlyweds do not speak Sphinx, I will preach for it. It would be easier on her anyway, as this is our camp's first wedding since her mother died. (beat) Buckminster O'Hare, Princess Jennifer, would you both hold out a paw unsleeved? Bucky and Jenny pull back a sleeve and hold out their paws. CRANOM's gems pulse. The vines in the potted plant uncurl and wave about as if seeking something. Bucky and Jenny look at Chief Tyjet nervously. TYJET You witness the growth of the syringe vine. BUCKY (nervous) Syringe vine? TYJET The vines are hollow and sharp enough to pierce flesh. The red robes you wear symbolize the blood you will share when they pierce your wrists. JENNY (shocked) What!? TYJET You wanted to be married. Are you backing out now? BUCKY No! Go on with it. The syringe vines grow rapidly and worm about until they wrap around Bucky and Jenny's exposed wrists and pierce their flesh, burrowing into their veins. Bucky and Jenny stiffen, wince, and growl in pain. Queen Katrina steps toward Bucky and Jenny, but Tommy blocks her with his arm. TOMMY They wanted to go through with this. No frellin' clue why, but it was their call. QUEEN (placated) Don't curse at your sister's wedding. Bucky and Jenny relax as their pain fades. They stare morbidly as they see blood slowly flow through the syringe vines. TYJET The blood seeping from you, you will give to each other. For a short precious time, the two of you will share only one flow of blood. Willy steps forward. WILLY (alarmed) Wait! If they both have the other's blood circulating through them, won't their immune systems attack each other? TYJET Yes! But this will show their devotion to each other, through their willingness to share each other's blood and risk each other's health to declare their love to all witnesses. Bucky and Jenny watch as their blood flows from their veins into the syringe vines, and finally into each other's bloodstreams. TYJET You are two, and yet only one flow of blood circulates between you now. You are now of one body. But do you feel it? Look into each other's eyes and tell me. Do you feel yourselves as one? Bucky looks Jenny sternly in the eyes. BUCKY Yeah. I feel it. Jenny looks with glossy eyes into Bucky's. JENNY I feel it. TYJET You've shared your blood and your hearts, and so you must be the ones to proclaim your marriage. I have no right to do that. BUCKY (whispering) Jenny? Jen? Are you my wife now? JENNY (nervous) Yes. I am. Bucky? Are you my husband? BUCKY (nodding) Yes. Chief Tyjet smiles and nods at Cranom. She nods back, and her gems glow. Bucky and Jenny wince in pain as the syringe vines retract from their wrists. Bucky and Jenny clutch their bleeding wrists. TYJET (to Queen Katrina) You may heal them now. But the syringe vine leaves a toxin that will scar their wrists for life. The scars will be the symbol of their union. Queen Katrina nods. She approaches and kneels before Bucky and Jenny. Her gems glow, and she places a paw on each of their bleeding wrists. She stands, and Bucky and Jenny look at their healed wrists, with ring-shaped scars where the syringe vines pierced them. TYJET In an hour or so, you two will become terribly ill. It is customary for you to be alone together until you recover. You may reside in my yurt until then. With faces showing an impossible-to-decipher mix of emotions, all present, save Bucky and Jenny, file out of the yurt. The last out ties the flap shut. Bucky and Jenny crawl onto a sleeping fur and hold each other, both looking at the new scars on their wrists. JENNY (whispering) Bucky? Do you feel it? BUCKY Feel what? JENNY There's still a distance between us. BUCKY I ... (concerned) Yeah. There is. JENNY Please, Bucky. I'm your wife now. I'm part of you. Please, tell me what happened on the Toad Homeworld. Bucky bites his lip. JENNY (whispering) Are you still not going to tell me? Even after what we just did? BUCKY No. I'll tell you. I've just got to ... get ready. But I don't think it's the only thing lingering between us. I have a question for you, too. JENNY (nodding) Fine. BUCKY Whatever you say, I won't judge you. I'm just curious. Did you ever have a harem? JENNY Not technically. BUCKY What do you mean "technically?" JENNY A harem is defined as at least three concubines. I only had two. BUCKY Who were they? JENNY Their names were Edmund and Edgar. They were identical twin Ragdolls. And I know everything on Aldebaran demanded a woman shouldn't fall in love with her concubines, but I couldn't help it. I did love them. (sullen) But a vicious flu outbreak hit Palace City when I was young. I received treatment right away. But being males, Edmund and Edgar couldn't get any medication unless I bought it for them, and I didn't have the money. BUCKY They died? Jenny's eyes water, and she nods. JENNY After that, I couldn't stand being on Aldebaran any longer. BUCKY So that's why you joined the UAC. Jenny nods. BUCKY (softly) Thank you for telling me. JENNY Thank you for understanding. (beat) Now ... the Toad Homeworld? Bucky rolls onto his back and steals himself for breath. He hesitates, swallows, and sighs. BUCKY The toads strapped me to some device. They tortured me for hours before I escaped. Whatever happened to me in that time ... for a while, something in my brain shorted out. (whispering) Things started escalating, and ... I shot Willy. Jenny gasps and shuffles away from Bucky. She sits up and stares at him in shock. BUCKY (sadly) Yeah, I thought you'd react like that. Jenny can only squeak her words. JENNY Why? BUCKY I found a climate converter. I tried to rig it to destroy the Toad Homeworld. I nearly did it, too. JENNY (shocked) But you'd have killed ... billions of toads! Toads who never fought, toads who never had anything to do with the war. BUCKY I wasn't thinking that at the time. I wasn't thinking anything at the time. I shot Willy because he tried to stop me. Mimi knocked me out, and somehow Willy reset the climate converter. Jenny holds her legs to her body and looks at the floor. She slowly shakes her head in disbelief. Bucky looks at her. Noticing, she scoots away from him a few inches. Bucky sighs. BUCKY Once I was able to calm down, I realized what I'd done. I've lived every day since then worried that deep down, maybe I was a hell-bent, genocidal freak, just like KOMPLEX. (beat) We're going to have to tell each other everything. Our entire lives, every detail we can remember. Nothing gets held back any longer. Jenny looks at the scars on her wrists. She bites her tongue. JENNY (whispering) You're right. There's nothing to hold back anymore. Jenny squints and holds her head. The effects of Bucky's blood in her body begin to take hold. JENNY I'm starting to get light-headed ... SCENE 10 - OUTSIDE THE CAMP, INATURA DESERT, ALDEBARAN Queen Katrina stares vacantly at the sunrise. The Sphinx camp looms half a mile behind. She doesn't notice her paws clenched so hard they draw blood. She seems only partly conscious. WILLY Why did you call us out here? Queen Katrina flinches and turns to Willy, Blinky, Artemisia, and Chief Tyjet, standing behind her. She briefly looks at her bleeding paws and stuffs them in her pockets. QUEEN If any are capable of forming a plan without losing themselves in argument, it's the five of us. ARTEMISIA (stoic) How could we attack the Palace? Even if we have the strength to defeat Sarradel, we haven't the resources to get near him. Not only do the Assassination Sisters guard the Royal Palace, but the rest of the Armed Forces patrol the city. BLINKY May this humble android bring to mind Sarradel's hypnotic power as well? TYJET (to Blinky) That's right, and you'd be the only one immune to it. WILLY We can't overpower him, and we can't surprise him. The only other option is suicidal recklessness. QUEEN Come again? Willy looks at the charred hull of The Righteous Indignation in the distance. WILLY Tyjet? How long'll Bucky and Jenny stay sick? TYJET I've never heard of the illness lasting longer than three days. WILLY I hope that's enough time. Do you have anything I could use to repair the Righteous with? TYJET The Palace includes such supplies in all their allotments. But we have little use for them, so we leave them in the crates they drop to us. WILLY I'll need those crates. I doubt I can get the Righteous fully functional, but I might just get it running enough to pull this off. ARTEMISIA (stoic) What do you plan? Willy turns back to the others. WILLY Where are the King's Gems? QUEEN My quarters, and there'd be no reason for Sarradel to move them. And as Artemisia asked, what are you planning? Willy turns back to the Righteous. WILLY We have until Bucky and Jenny recover to repair the ship. I'll need you, Blinky -- and Tommy and Deadeye, too. They're both pretty good with hydrospanners. (to Queen Katrina) Once we're all ready, Artemisia will lead her daughters and the Sphinxes into Palace City. Those brainwashed soldiers don't seem very smart. Hopefully, you can slip past them into the old tunnels from the Male Resistance. ARTEMISIA (stoic) That may succeed to a point, but there's no way to avoid detection once inside the Palace. WILLY I know. (to Queen) That's why you and Tommy are coming aboard the Righteous. We're going to crash it into your quarters and get the King's Gems back. QUEEN (shocked) What!? TYJET Suicidal recklessness is right. Still, that may be the only way. I would like to volunteer to be among those in the city. BLINKY This humble android apologizes in advance for any perceived rudeness, but Chief Tyjet does not appear in any condition to fight. Chief Tyjet glances at his cane and smirks. TYJET I know I don't look it, but when it comes to Spirit magic, I'm the strongest alive. WILLY (beat) Blinky, what are the odds? BLINKY Sarradel has anticipated our every move thus far. But this humble android believes he will not expect such a rash maneuver. I calculate great odds of entering the Royal Palace, and moderate odds of successfully engaging the Assassination Sisters. Unfortunately, not enough information exists on Sarradel for estimating odds of successfully engaging him. ARTEMISIA (stoic) It will have to be quick, before Sarradel summons the rest of the Armed Forces to the Palace. But as Chief Tyjet said, it may be our only option. I will fetch Thomas and Deadeye. TYJET I will conference with all the Sphinx camps and tell them what I've learned. They will bring the resources you need. And if you plan on working in the day, I'd recommend a robe and hat -- otherwise, the heat will kill you quickly. QUEEN One more word before action! All present look at Queen Katrina quizzically. ARTEMISIA Yes? Queen Katrina sits cross-legged on the sand and huffs. QUEEN (sullen) When Sarradel was inside the Palace ... WILLY (interrupting) I know this story already. QUEEN But no one beyond your crew does. (sullen) I rested in the guest study after taking a tranquilizer for stress. I couldn't fight back because of that. I saw my son enter the study and ... (cringes) ... violate me. (beat) But it wasn't Thomas. It was Sarradel, trying to convince the Palace that I'd gone mad. I believe he did the same to Queen Zoda under the guise of Hirocon, to destabilize the crown. But his plan must have backfired, and she had him put into stasis. ARTEMISIA (shocked) Then than means ... QUEEN (looks up) Hirocon was innocent the entire time. WILLY But wait. If they could put Sarradel into stasis, why didn't they kill him when he was under? And why can't *we* put him into stasis? QUEEN It takes little to awaken one from stasis, and I don't think they wanted to take that risk. And if we did the same, the Assassination Sisters would just wake him up again. (beat) You may go now. Willy, Blinky, Artemisia, and Chief Tyjet start back toward the camp. Queen Katrina takes her paws from her pockets and notices they've stopped bleeding. She squints, and her gems glow. The cuts seal themselves, but Queen Katrina furrows her brow as she sees barely visible scars on her paws. Her gems glow again, and the scars vanish. QUEEN (whispering) You thought you'd regained all the power of your youth. You were wrong. Queen Katrina lowers her arms and grabs pawfuls of sand. QUEEN (whispering) I can't go on like this. SCENE 11 - THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION, INATURA DESERT, ALDEBARAN Bucky, Jenny, Willy, Deadeye, Tommy, and Queen Katrina stand beholding The Righteous Indignation at midday. They all wear taupe robes and wide-brimmed, pointy reed hats. The Righteous's hull has been repaired in a patchwork of sheet metal, its windows replaced, and its engines haphazardly repaired. Sunlight beams off its hull, making it appear to glow. BLINKY Captain O'Hare? Pilot Jenny? May this humble android inquire as to your state of physical health? BUCKY Well, we were nauseous and aching everywhere for two days. But once that passed, the Queen healed whatever damage lingered. DEADEYE Tyjet'n those furless blokes should be at Palace City by now. WILLY Along with Artemisia and her daughters. We should fly the Righteous now. It's got no weapons, and the hull's still weak in a few spots, but it'll do for the mission. Tommy leans over to Jenny and whispers in her ear. TOMMY (whispering) You know, Mom followed Tyjet around, talking to him the whole time we worked. I think she's taken with him. Jenny looks at Queen Katrina. She closes her eyes and smiles. JENNY (whispering) That's good. Maybe she'll finally start to heal. Willy fiddles with a latch at The Righteous Indignation's boarding ramp, which falls and hits the ground with a thud. WILLY There wasn't enough time to fix the ramp. We'll have to pull it shut manually. Bucky, Jenny, Willy, Deadeye, Tommy, and Queen Katrina enter The Righteous Indignation. Blinky turns and extends his arms, grabbing the inner beams of the boarding ramp and pulling it shut. Shortly after, the Righteous fires to life and lifts off the ground. SCENE 12 - ABANDONED BUILDING, PALACE CITY, ALDEBARAN Artemisia and Chief Tyjet stand in a familiar dusty room with creaky wood floors, brick walls, and flickering lights. Two gray- and white-blotched Maine Coons, a MALE and a FEMALE, sit on a couch. They hold two orange tabby kittens in their laps, a BOY and a GIRL. ARTEMISIA Thank you for letting us hide here. FEMALE Well, we did try to kill O'Hare and steal his ship. We thought at least we could do you this favor. MALE So you really think these ... Sphinxes have any chance of surviving once they get into the Palace? Chief Tyjet sits on a dusty chair and adjusts his glasses. TYJET It doesn't matter if we live or die, so long as we succeed in our mission. We were tyrants ourselves once. We've waited this long for a chance to set things right, and we're not going to waste this opportunity. The tabby boy speaks up. BOY What about Bucky? Isn't he going to help? TYJET Of course. He's waiting on the Sphinxes. They're approaching Palace City from all sides by boat, speeder, and air ferry. They're all arriving at different times. ARTEMISIA Once they have all arrived, we'll signal Captain O'Hare to crash the Righteous into the Palace to divert attention from us. The female Maine Coon stands and sets the boy on the couch. She approaches a table and flips on a monitor. It shows a plaza in Palace City where thousands of Aldebarans hang dead from wooden arches. Tommy, Artemisia, and Chief Tyjet approach the monitor and stare with morbid fascination, their faces growing steadily more repulsed. TOMMY (whispering) What the hell is that? FEMALE Moashk'Arkool ... ARTEMISIA (interrupting) Actually ... FEMALE (interrupting, irritated) Nobody believes that's who he is anymore -- nobody except the Assassination Sisters. ARTEMISIA They're the only ones who need to. The male Maine Coon approaches and points to the monitor. MALE That's what happens to whoever doesn't like him. All cats without magic are slaves now. Man or woman, they're all lobotomized. Weak artificers are second-class citizens, and strong ones are privileged. Any cat who objects to this is publicly executed. FEMALE He smashed every historical monument we have: the Capitol Building, the Memorial Pillar, the church's Master Cathedral, the Eldulia Monastery. The only thing left is the Palace itself. TYJET (whispering) Why would he do that? MALE To demoralize us, of course! To make us forget everything we once had. Artemisia's spell gems suddenly flash. She glances up. ARTEMISIA (stoic) All forces are in position. We must enter the tunnels and signal the Righteous. SCENE 13 - THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Most of the frigate's terminals have been haphazardly repaired. Bucky and Jenny must control the Righteous partly by crossing wires. Straps hooked to pipes restrain Deadeye, Willy, Blinky, Tommy, and Queen Katrina. A heavy maser blaster is strapped to Bucky's chest. Willy's custom rifle is also strapped to his chest, and he wears his custom white Aldebaran armor. Two maser carbines are strapped to Deadeye's legs. A large plasma cannon is mounted to Blinky's shoulder. Jenny's spell gems flash, and she glances up. JENNY Everyone's in position. BUCKY Right. We've hovered over the Inatura long enough. You guys ready to crash Sarradel's party? Tommy, Willy, and Deadeye all cringe at Bucky's words. DEADEYE (groaning) Cap'n, that's got t' be the stupidest pun I ever heard. BUCKY I'll take that as a yes. Bucky and Jenny work their haphazard controls, and The Righteous Indignation flies up toward the skyline. The sunlight shines harder against the patchwork hull, and the Righteous rockets off into the horizon. Inside, the Righteous shakes, and panels rattle. Everyone tenses, and some grab onto makeshift handholds. DEADEYE (nervous) Ach, Willy! Why th' frell didn't ye fix the stabilizers! WILLY There weren't the right parts! BUCKY (shouting) Deal with it! The Righteous Indignation rockets over the sea toward Palace City just beyond a distant coast. SCENE 14 - UNDERGROUND TUNNELS, PALACE CITY, ALDEBARAN Artemisia leads Chief Tyjet, her daughters, and a dozen Sphinxes in taupe robes and gems in all colors -- including pink, of Nature, and cyan, of Spirit -- through a series of dirt tunnels. Her gems shine, lighting the way and tinting the surroundings red. ARTEMISIA (stoic) How many others are there? TYJET About two hundred volunteered. How close are we to the Palace? ARTEMISIA (stoic) We should come upon it any moment. Are you certain all groups will arrive at the same time? TYJET One can never be *certain* of anything. Artemisia stops and looks up to a huge blue granite slab. ARTEMISIA (stoic) We're here. Whatever bluffs your people have, they should use them now. Chief Tyjet turns back toward the others. TYJET Bnabyna ouin faybuhc, ouin kasc, yht ouin puteac. Artemisia watches in interest as the Sphinxes prepare. Female Sphinxes with pink Nature gems squint and light up their gems. They dig their fingers into the dirt. Vines sprout from the ground and wrap around their arms, and all manner of venomous bugs crawl from the soil and cling to their paws. Male Sphinxes with cyan Spirit gems inhale and light up their gems. Quark demons suddenly appear in front of them and take on ghostly transparent images of venomous snakes and birds of prey that cling to them. Two ghostly giant cobras wrap around Chief Tyjet's cane, while a massive ghostly black eagle sits on his right shoulder. Other Sphinxes merely charge spell blasts in their paws. Artemisia's gems glow, as do those of her daughters. They wince in pain as their muscles suddenly grow larger and more defined, and their tendons show through their fur. ARTEMISIA (stoic) All others should have arrived by now. The Righteous should crash into the Queen's quarters within ten to twenty minutes. Artemisia reaches up and easily throws the blue granite slab aside. Light pours into the tunnel. Chief Tyjet steps onto Artemisia's paw, and she lifts him through the opening. She lifts all others in turn before climbing through herself. The group emerges into the Royal Palace entrance, a grand octagonal room with a color mosaic granite floor and a split round staircase leading to the second and third stories. All about them are glass and marble fixtures and red carpets with gold highlights. Many more Sphinxes already surround them, and more fill the entrance from hidden passages behind shelves, around false walls, or beneath furniture. Artemisia walks about and looks every which way in anxiety. ARTEMISIA This is not right. We shouldn't be alone here. SARRADEL You're not! All present look up to see Sarradel, with his helmet on, overlooking them from the balcony between where the split staircase merges on the third floor. Sarradel raises a paw, and alloy bars shut over all windows and doors, except for the grand front double doors. He raises another paw and fires black spell blasts at the ceiling. Everyone startles and covers themselves protectively as massive chunks of rubble fall and smash or block the entrances to the tunnels from the Male Resistance. Sarradel lowers his arms. SARRADEL I knew you'd bring the Sphinxes to me if I let you live. Chief Tyjet looks up at Sarradel. TYJET (shouting) Oui cad ic ib! SARRADEL Ur, hu. E teth'd cad oui ib. E cad dras ib. Sarradel points to the front doors, which swing open. Everyone turns and takes a collective step back as close to a thousand Assassination Sisters stand just outside the Palace doors, all with glowing gems and silver irises. Sarradel clears his throat and sings in his prismatic voice. SARRADEL (singing) Silvered Sisters! Silvered Death! Sisters war on vile ground. Oh, the day is so great for killing. Gorgeous light springs forth from blood. Silvered Sisters! Silvered Death! Such delight in tortured sound. The Assassination Sisters react to Sarradel's song. Their eyes cloud up and turn bloodshot. Their fur stands on end. Their muscles tense, and they bare their claws. They hunch over, growling, hissing, spitting, and foaming at their muzzles. They scarcely seem conscious. All others step back. Artemisia looks up at Sarradel, who calmly walks away from the balcony. She looks back. The Assassination Sisters creep closer. ARTEMISIA (shouting) We fell into a trap! TYJET No! We didn't. There was something he said. If this were a trap, it wouldn't make sense. Artemisia looks back and forth between the staircase and the Assassination Sisters. ARTEMISIA (shouting) Everyone up the stairs now! TYJET (shouting) Dyga dra rekr knuiht! Artemisia, her daughters, Chief Tyjet, and the Sphinxes run toward the split staircase as the Assassination Sisters shriek and run forward. With augmented muscles, the Assassination Sisters clamor their way up the staircase and leap atop their enemies, shrieking, hissing, and spitting. The Assassination Sisters topple the Sphinxes and Artemisia's daughters onto their backs, who shield their faces from claws and teeth. Many Sphinxes already have their eyes and throats torn, and blood trickles down the stairs. Chief Tyjet limps to higher ground and suddenly leaps down into the horde of feral Assassination Sisters. He reaches out as he falls, throwing more quark demons into the air that morph into ghostly black eagles. He lands amid the mass of crawling Assassination Sisters. The ghostly cobras around his cane unravel and clamp onto Assassination Sisters' throats, throwing them through the air as Tyjet spins around. The ghostly black eagles grab Assassination Sisters by their faces and shoulders and throw them down the stairs. The Assassination Sisters grab the ghostly images and bite and claw into them until the images explode into sparks, blinding them. The quark demons left behind flee the scene. Two Assassination Sisters leap onto Chief Tyjet, knocking him to his back, and bite his face. Tyjet swings his cane, and the ghostly cobras clamp onto their necks and throw them down the stairs. Artemisia grabs Chief Tyjet's paw and helps him up. He stares at her, breathing heavy in fatigue with a bleeding jaw and a missing eye. AREMISIA (alarmed) Are you all right!? TYJET (gasping) I'll be fine. Artemisia and Chief Tyjet look down at the Assassination Sisters who fall over each other down the staircase, along with many dead Sphinxes. The Assassination Sisters right themselves and climb, blood on their paws and muzzles, up the stairs. Chief Tyjet throws his paw forward. His ghostly black eagle flies at the Assassination Sisters, clawing and biting at them, who claw and bite back, soon shattering it to sparks. Its quark demon flees. The Assassination Sisters continue climbing the stairs. ARTEMISIA (shouting) Charge swords! TYJET (shouting) Dyga rekran knuiht! Vekrd vnus muhk nyhka! Artemisia draws two daggers, and her daughters each draw arming swords. Their crimson gems glow collectively, and their weapons glow red and leave red energy trails behind wherever they're swung. ARTEMISIA (shouting) Charge! Artemisia and her daughters run down the stairs, slashing at Assassination Sisters wherever met. The magically charged blades cut through armor and spew flames when they meet flesh. Chief Tyjet limps down after them and joins Artemisia's side. He spins and swings his cane about. The ghostly cobras bite Assassination Sisters and throw them through the air. With his free paw, he fires translucent cyan spell blasts resembling flaming eyeballs. The entire front line of Assassination Sisters is quickly cut down, but a hundred more climb over their bodies and pounce on Artemisia, her daughters, and Chief Tyjet, knocking them to their backs. They struggle and fight, killing many Assassination Sisters atop them, but more take their place and begin biting. Suddenly, vines ensnare the Assassination Sisters' wrists and throats, prying them off and strangling them. Artemisia and Chief Tyjet look up to see the female Sphinx Nature artificers with vines racing from their arms to the Assassination Sisters. They swing their free arms and throw venomous bugs through the air, which rain down on the Assassination Sisters, biting and stinging them. The Assassination Sisters scream and writhe about, struggling against the vines and swatting off and crushing the venomous bugs. The next line of Assassination Sisters soon falls as Artemisia, her daughters, and Chief Tyjet watch with bleeding arms and faces. Another line of more than a hundred Assassination Sisters crawls over the fallen ones. Artemisia briefly looks up. ARTEMISIA (shouting) Retreat to the second story! TYJET (shouting) Dyga rekran knuiht! Du dra caluht vmuun! Chief Tyjet limps up the stairs while looking back and firing eye-like spell blasts at Assassination Sisters who get too close. Artemisia, her daughters, and the other Sphinxes rush past him. Assassination Sisters reach Chief Tyjet and grab his arms. He pushes his cane into them, and the ghostly cobras bite them repeatedly, injecting ethereal venom. Many Assassination Sisters fall down the stairs, but more climb up. They grab the ghostly cobras and bite and claw them until they shatter into sparks and their quark demons flee. Assassination Sisters grab Chief Tyjet's limbs when, suddenly, many species of ghostly serpents and birds of prey dive down at the Assassination Sisters and bite and claw them. Chief Tyjet looks up to see the male Sphinx Spirit artificers running down the stairs after him, throwing their ghosts at the Assassination Sisters. Assassination Sisters fall over each other and claw at the ghosts, shattering them. Their quark demons flee. Four male Sphinxes grab Chief Tyjet by his limbs and carry him up the stairs as more Assassination Sisters climb toward them, quickly gaining pace. ARTEMISIA (shouting) Hurry! TYJET (shouting) Rinno! The Sphinxes strain themselves to carry Chief Tyjet to the second story. They drop him onto the floor just above the stairs. He cringes and clutches his arms in pain. Assassination Sisters race up the stairs behind them. Artemisia looks up at the giant glass chandelier above the staircase. She fires a spell blast at it, breaking its chain. The chandelier falls and crashes into the first flight of stairs with deafening rattles, clings, and cracks, sending glass shards flying and crushing numerous Assassination Sisters beneath. Several hundred more Assassination Sisters, the last of them, climb over the smashed chandelier, oblivious to the glass cutting their paws and feet. Artemisia, her daughters, Chief Tyjet, and the Sphinxes step back as the last line of Assassination Sisters stands and faces them, covered in blood, claws unsheathed, eyes fogged over, and muzzles foaming. Artemisia looks to Chief Tyjet. She grabs his paw and helps him stand. ARTEMISIA Can't you summon more apparitions? TYJET (shakes head) They must be willing to come, and they're too afraid. Our numbers are equal now. This is our last stand. Chief Tyjet limps forward. Artemisia steps forward by his side. They both charge spell blasts in either paw. Artemisia's daughters stand poised behind them with charged arming swords held aloft. The Sphinxes hobble forward and stand by them, many females still with vines around their arms, and many males still holding ghostly serpents and birds of prey. An Assassination Sister screams ferally, and they all dash on paws and feet toward their enemies. Chief Tyjet and Artemisia fire spell blasts as Artemisia's daughters charge, swinging their swords. They cut down dozens of Assassination Sisters just as the rest leap on top of them. The battle turns into a melee. Feral screams drown out all other sound. Vines fly about, whipping at and strangling Assassination Sisters. Ghostly serpents and birds of prey fly about, clawing and biting their enemies before being torn apart and shattering to sparks. Glowing red blades twirl through armor and flesh, spewing fire as they do so. A female Sphinx throws an arm forward, flinging vines all about her as Assassination Sisters leap at her with claws and teeth bared. The vines strangle them, but the Assassination Sisters still claw their way forward as she backs up, her face filled with fright. They leap onto her, clawing and biting. The vines still strangle them even after she dies. A male Sphinx kicks an Assassination Sister in the face and turns to throw his ghostly condor in the faces of two others who leap at him. They fall and wrestle with the condor, who bites their eyes just as they tear it apart and shatter it into sparks. Its quark demon flees. Two more Assassination Sisters grab his arms. He growls, and large translucent claws appear over his own, clamping down on them. The ghostly claws crush their ribcages just as another Assassination Sister leaps up from below and bites his throat. Chief Tyjet limps backward as five Assassination Sisters crawl toward him, hissing and spitting. Chief Tyjet raises a paw to his forehead. Just as they leap at him, his gems glow, and he screams, throwing a shockwave that knocks them all back and breaks their bones. One of Artemisia's daughters charges through a line of Assassination Sisters, acrobatically tumbling and swinging her sword, leaving trails of red energy that cut through armor and flesh, and spewing flames when the blade itself touches flesh. She somersaults forward and stands just as four Assassination Sisters jump on her from behind and begin clawing and biting. Two more of Artemisia's daughters rush in and slash at the Assassination Sisters, spraying flames in all directions. Artemisia throws an Assassination Sister down in an arm lock and stabs her in the gut, spraying fire from the edges of the dagger. She looks behind her to see two more Assassination Sisters charging her. She pulls the dagger from her victim and throws both her daggers at the charging Assassination Sisters, impaling them through the chests. They fall over, fire pouring from their wounds. Artemisia looks about. All the Assassination Sisters are dead, as are half the Sphinxes. The remaining Sphinxes struggle to stand. They clutch their wounds and lean against each other. Chief Tyjet limps back against a column and gasps for breath. Artemisia wipes the blood from her scratched face and looks about again as if in disbelief. ARTEMISIA (confused) We won? (shouting) We won! Artemisia pauses and furrows her brow as she hears no cheers, only soft weeping. She turns to see eleven of her daughters on their knees surrounding something. As Artemisia walks toward them, she gasps, and her eyes widen. She runs toward the scene and pushes two of her daughters aside and falls to her knees. One of Artemisia's daughters lies dead on the floor, her throat riddled with bites and blood pooling around it. Her wide eyes stare back at her mother's. Artemisia sobs and lays her paws on her daughters' face. Chief Tyjet limps to Artemisia and lays a paw on her shoulder, startling her. She looks back at him with bloodshot eyes. TYJET (whispering) She was? ... Artemisia turns back toward her dead daughter and pulls her eyes closed. She tries to swallow her tears and talk. ARTEMISIA (crying) Atalanta ... my eldest daughter. In our unit, she was second only to me. More missions than I can count without a scratch to any of us, and now this? (softly) I always thought she would surpass me one day. TYJET (whispering) I may not know much about your family, but I can guess no battle you ever fought compares to this one. Artemisia drops her head and sobs harder. TYJET (whispering) But I must wonder. Why did he let us win? Artemisia turns sharply toward Chief Tyjet. ARTEMISIA (angry) What?! Chif Tyjet sits cross-legged next to Artemisia and lays a paw on Atalanta's shoulder, not knowing what to feel. TYJET Sarradel led them through the front door, giving us the high ground. And turning the Assassination Sisters feral only impaired their abilities. He wanted us to win. ARTEMISIA (crying) But why? Tyjet looks up to the third story. TYJET Perhaps you could ask him yourself. Artemisia and her daughters turn to see Sarradel without his helmet. He stares at them, deadpan, from the third-floor landing. Artemisia stands, grits her teeth, and clenches her fists in anger. She slowly climbs the stairs toward Sarradel. Her daughters, Chief Tyjet, and the Sphinxes follow. Reaching the top, they all stand before Sarradel. He holds one paw behind his back. ARTEMISIA (crying) Why? SARRADEL I created the Order of Silver on Zoda and Hirocon's command, as the elite force to battle and finally defeat the Siamese. But after Zoda slaughtered the Silvered Brothers, the Sisters turned on me, their maker. They cast me into stasis and buried me in the middle of nowhere to rot. I merely eliminated a long, long-standing enemy. ARTEMISA (screaming) My firstborn daughter is dead! SARRADEL You are my enemy as well. So why should I care? ARTEMISIA (angry) You don't honestly think you can fight all of us at once? SARRADEL I don't have to. Sarradel steps aside. Behind him, holding his hidden paw, stands Harrison, who wears a suit of black armor with a necklace set with a dozen pure black gems. ARTEMISIA (shouting) Harrison! A MALE SPHINX looks back and forth between Harrison and Artemisia. MALE SPHINX Fru ec dryd? TYJET Ra'c dra bnehla uv Aldebaran! Tuh'd yhouha dno yhodrehk! Artemisia runs toward Harrison. Harrison smirks and raises a paw. His gems emit darkness, and he fires a black energy stream into Artemisia's gut, knocking her over, then releasing her. Artemisia's daughters tense, wanting to interfere. Sarradel looks down at Harrison. SARRADEL Why did you not kill her? HARRISON I don't want to kill my mother. SARRADEL Well, we'll overcome that weakness soon enough. ARTEMISIA (weakly) Why? Sarradel steps forward. SARRADEL I've been repeatedly drinking Harrison's youth and forcing him to drink from others to heal himself. It took time, but I've made him a true believer in the insurmountable pleasure of the magic of death. ARTEMISIA (whispering) You son of a bitch! A distant crash reverberates through the palace walls. All present look around except Sarradel, who merely smirks. TYJET (whispering) Bucky. SARRADEL It seems my taxi has arrived. Artemisia gasps and forces herself up onto her knees. ARTEMISIA (shocked) You knew what they were doing?! SARRADEL I had the opportunity to bug my enemy's ship. Would I pass it up? Sarradel looks up, lifts a paw, and fires a black spell blast overhead. It strikes and shatters the giant stone archway over the front doors. The stones fall in thunderous crashes and form a pile of rubble blocking the entryway. All present startle and cringe at the sound. SARRADEL Oh, by the way. I found an amazing explosive device recovered from the Temple of Arkool in the Palace's secure vaults. ARTEMISIA (gasping) The antimatter mine! SARRADEL (stern) You'll all die shortly after I escape. With that, the last of my enemies will be gone, as will the last symbol of Aldebaran's past. (smirks) Now, if you'll excuse me. Sarradel's gems emit darkness. It flows over him and Harrison like liquid. They seemingly melt into a black puddle, which rushes away. ARTEMISA We have to warn O'Hare! Artemisia closes her eyes. Her gems glow. SCENE 15 - QUEEN'S QUARTERS, ROYAL PALACE, ALDEBARAN Seven silhouettes walk side by side through a cloud of dust into the study area of the Queen's Quarters. Bucky, Jenny, Deadeye, Willy, Blinky, Tommy, and Queen Katrina emerge from the dust shortly before it settles. All but the engines of The Righteous Indignation stick through the wall behind them. Its makeshift hull has once again sheared off, and its windows have cracked. Stone and wood rubble pile about the ship. All present look at each other and nod. Queen Katrina looks toward an untouched armoire at the end of the study area. QUEEN The King's Gems are in that armoire. Tommy runs to the armoire and throws it open. He steps back, sneers, and growls before kicking the armoire hard enough to break it. TOMMY (shouting) There's nothing in here! He moved them! BUCKY Well, why would he do that if he didn't know we were coming? WILLY He must have known. But then why did he let us ... Willy looks up and gasps as his gems flash. WILLY Oh, shit! BUCKY What? Willy runs back up the Righteous' boarding ramp. The others follow him inside. Willy climbs the ladder into the Righteous's cockpit. Bucky, Jenny, and Blinky follow close behind. Willy raises his rifle and shoots the terminals in the cockpit. Bucky and Jenny grab Willy's arms. BUCKY (shouting) What the hell are you doing!? Willy turns around. WILLY Sarradel set up a bomb to destroy the Palace, the same one the temple used at the mansions. JENNY (angry) What!? Why the frell did you shoot the terminals, then!? WILLY He must want to use the Righteous as his getaway ship. Blinky? Scan for antimatter devices. BLINKY Scan commencing. An antenna tipped with a dimpled metal ball extends from Blinky's head. He looks all about as the metal ball constantly pulses white. Blinky suddenly sticks his head straight up. BLINKY Calamity and woe! An antimatter device with an eighty-ton threshold is primed within the Palace's center of gravity! JENNY That's the throne room. I'll lead the way. Blinky retracts his antenna. Jenny runs to the ladder and climbs down. Bucky, Willy, and Blinky follow. The three of them rush into the cargo bay, past Deadeye, Tommy, and Queen Katrina. DEADEYE Ach! Where's the fire, mateys? JENNY There's a bomb in the throne room! We've got to deactivate it! QUEEN and TOMMY What!? BUCKY (shouting) Come on! Deadeye, Tommy, and Queen Katrina briefly look at each other before running after the others. SCENE 16 - SPIRAL STAIRWAY, ROYAL PALACE, ALDEBARAN The tower holding the spiral stairway is ten meters in diameter. Walls of white, gothic ceramic hold numerous stained-glass windows. The alloy spiral stairs stop at white ceramic platforms at every floor. Bucky, Jenny, Deadeye, Willy, Blinky, Tommy, and Queen Katrina race down the spiral stairway as fast as they can. None notice a puddle of black liquid racing past them in the other direction. They all suddenly stop at a platform to see Felicia in her artificer's uniform, standing in front of the door. Felicia's eyes are still clouded, and her face is deadpan. Jenny, Tommy, and Queen Katrina step forward. QUEEN Felicia? What are you doing? JENNY You're blocking the hall to the throne room. FELICIA (vacant) I know. Felicia opens her right paw to reveal a grenade. She looks toward the pillar in the center of the stairway. FELICIA (vacant) Once I destroy that pillar, this tower will collapse, and you'll all die. At that moment, Artemisia climbs onto the platform from below, carrying Chief Tyjet in her arms. The surviving daughters and Sphinxes follow. The others look at the new arrivals, all with aghast expressions, save Felicia, who remains deadpan. Queen Katrina gasps and runs to Artemisia. QUEEN (shouting) Tyjet! Artemisia sets Chief Tyjet on his feet. He falls into Queen Katrina's shoulder. Queen Katrina wraps an arm around Chief Tyjet and helps him stand. QUEEN What happened? TYJET Sarradel made sure we killed the Assassination Sisters. QUEEN (confused) Killed them? How many? TYJET All of them. QUEEN Why would he do that? TYJET It is a long story, best told later. FELICIA (vacant) None of this matters. I'll still destroy this tower and kill all of you. Queen Katrina steps forward, still holding Chief Tyjet. QUEEN Felicia, if you destroy this tower, you will die as well. FELICIA (vacant) No, I won't. Master promised me Willy. That means I can't die, because I'll be with him. DEADEYE (whispering) Completely d'luded, that lass. Deadeye takes the opportunity to fade into the background, behind the Sphinxes. Willy steps forward. WILLY Felicia? Felicia cocks her head and cracks the slightest smile. FELICIA (vacant) Hi, Willy. WILLY Felicia, I'm standing right here, and I'm telling you, if you destroy that pillar, you'll die, and so will I. Felicia shakes her head. FELICIA (vacant) No, I won't. And neither will you. Master promised we'd be together. So we can't die, because he said so. Willy steps forward again and reaches toward Felicia. WILLY (upset) He lied to you, Felicia! He lied to all of us! The only things he ever told you were lies! Felicia steps up to the pillar and holds the grenade loosely. Willy gasps. FELICIA (vacant) We'll be together forever, Willy. A maser blast suddenly strikes the grenade, knocking it out of Felicia's grasp and burning her paws. Deadeye suddenly appears from the crowd of Sphinxes, holding a maser carbine in two paws. He charges Felicia and strikes her across the face with the butt of his gun. Felicia drops to the floor as two teeth fly from her muzzle. Queen Katrina and Jenny step toward Deadeye. JENNY (angry) Deadeye! What did you just do!? DEADEYE (stern) What I had t' do, Jenny. Felicia coughs and spits blood onto the floor. She stands, holding her head. Her eyes are clear. Queen Katrina looks back and forth between Chief Tyjet and Felicia. She drops Chief Tyjet back into Artemisia's arms and runs to Felicia, helping her stand. Felicia looks into Queen Katrina's eyes and starts to weep. Her bleeding lips quiver, and she throws herself into Queen Katrina's robes, sobbing. Queen Katrina holds Felicia's head. FELICIA (crying) What did I ... what did I do!? QUEEN (whispering) Nothing you can be blamed for. FELICIA (crying) But I ... I went with them! I went with them willingly! Bucky steps forward. BUCKY Well, whatever you did, there's one way you make up for it. You can take Blinky to the throne room and disarm the bomb while we go after Sarradel. FELICIA Who? JENNY Your "master," as he called himself. That's his name. Felicia falls from Queen Katrina's grasp onto her knees. Her lips drip blood onto the floor. She wipes some from the floor with a finger and stares quizzically at it. Suddenly, she snarls, screams, and hits the floor with her fist, then clutches it in pain. Felicia stands, face full of hatred and despair. FELICIA (growling) Blinky? Follow me. Felicia turns around and kicks the door open, running down the hallway beyond. Blinky briefly bows to Bucky before turning and trotting after Felicia. Chief Tyjet pushes himself from Artemisia's grasp and turns to the Sphinxes. TYJET Oui sicd ymm vmaa yht veht cusa fyo uid uv dra Bymyla. Tek ouin fyo uid un tu yhodrehk buccepma du aclyba. E lyhhud kiynyhdaa ouin cinjejym ev oui vyem. The Sphinxes look at each other, then collectively bow to Chief Tyjet and race back down the spiral stairway. QUEEN What did you tell them? TYJET I told them to escape. Now come. We must get back to the ship. All present look at each other, nod, and start back up the stairway. SCENE 17 - COCKPIT, THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Tools litter the front of the cockpit. Willy, on his back and sweating profusely, desperately tries to hotwire the blasted terminals into a semblance of something controllable. He grabs and drops tools by the second. Bucky, Jenny, and Deadeye kneel beside him. BUCKY (panicked) It's been half an hour already! Why can't you make something workable!? WILLY (irritated) I made something workable twenty minutes ago! But something's dampening the electricity in the circuits. I can't figure out what it is! JENNY All artificers are taught to do that. BUCKY You think it's him? WILLY (irritated) He wants to escape, remember? Why would *he* dampen the circuits? Willy works the insides of the cockpit console some more. He suddenly shrieks as a circuit board sparks at him. WILLY (screaming) Shit! (recovering) Looks like whoever was keeping this thing off just let up. BUCKY Then fly us out of here! Willy works the wires and chips inside the cockpit console. Outside, it is dusk, and The Righteous Indignation pulls its way out of the topmost spire of the Royal Palace, dislodging pieces of rubble that tumble down the palace walls. With smoke pouring from its engines, the Righteous turns around and flies away from Palace City. Inside the cockpit, Willy pushes himself up, covered in scrapes and soot. Bucky and Jenny look at him pleadingly. WILLY My only option was an autopilot routine. The ship'll fly itself around the world until it runs out of power and then touch down softly wherever it is. Bucky and Jenny sigh in relief and fall into each other's arms. WILLY The only question left is ... what happened to Sarradel? I mean, he's not aboard the Righteous. BUCKY He'll turn up eventually. I'm more worried about the bomb. Willy shakes his head. WILLY If it hasn't gone off by now, then Blinky must've disarmed it. (beat) I'm going down to the cargo hold. JENNY I'll come with you. BUCKY Me, too. SCENE 18 - CARGO HOLD, THE RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION Willy climbs down the latter to the cargo hold. Bucky and Jenny follow. Queen Katrina sits back against a stack of cloth sacks. Chief Tyjet lies against her. Queen Katrina runs her fingers along Chief Tyjet's skin as her gems glow, healing the cuts and bruises they pass over. Tommy and Artemisia sit on a steel crate strapped to the wall, both looking at the floor, broken, silent, and holding their heads in their paws, elbows propped on their legs. Deadeye lies on his back in the middle of the floor. BUCKY Well, we made it out with our lives, at least. TOMMY (sullen) But I still don't know what happened to Harrison. ARTEMISIA (sullen) And Atalanta is still dead. Queen Katrina finishes healing Chief Tyjet, though she cannot restore his lost eye. Instead, she closes the wound over the empty socket. She lays Chief Tyjet against the bags and stands. QUEEN But we now have the advantage. Sarradel is obsessed with making Harrison his heir. He won't harm the boy. And we now have him on the defensive. TOMMY So what? That'll only drive him underground. We'll never see him again -- or Harrison, for that matter. VOICE I beg to differ. All present startle and stand at the sudden voice. Deadeye gasps as he sees black liquid pool on the ceiling above him. He stands and jumps out of the way just as it falls to the floor. The black liquid rises and takes the shapes of an adult and a young Aldebaran holding paws. The liquid retreats into dozens of pure black gems, leaving behind Sarradel and Harrison, both in black armor with red robes. QUEEN (angry) You! TOMMY (angry) Give me back my son, you bastard! SARRADEL Even if I did, I doubt he'd go with you. Isn't that right, my apprentice? HARRISON I am Artificer Adept of Death. And I will rule Aldebaran one day. Tommy runs toward Sarradel, who throws an open palm forward and throws Tommy against the far wall. Jenny, Willy, Artemisia, Queen Katrina, and Chief Tyjet slowly approach Sarradel with gems glowing. Bucky and Deadeye stand behind them with rifles poised. SARRADEL I don't think so. Sarradel grasps Harrison by the throat and strangles him. Harrison looks up at Sarradel, startled at this seeming betrayal. All present freeze. SARRADEL Act against me in any way, and he dies. WILLY So your power does have limits after all, if you're taking hostages when faced with all of us together? Harrison wheezes and tries uselessly to pry Sarradel's paws off his neck. SARRADEL It's only a practical tactic. Queen Katrina steps forward. QUEEN What is it you want? Not now, but what are you trying to accomplish in the long run? SARRADEL Simple. I'm trying to make the Aldebarans decent. QUEEN Decent? SARRADEL Do you know what makes a cat decent? It's fear. Fear of the mighty and punishment by powers they can't comprehend. I learned this in the Antithesis Wars shortly after I discovered how to wield the power of death. I held a camp of Siamese and Sphinxes in fear of me, and do you know what happened? They stopped killing each other just to please me. They even became, dare I say it, friends. *That's* what I'm trying to achieve. QUEEN I've overseen this world for three centuries, Sarradel. Aldebarans do not need to be terrorized into having compassion. They can learn that for themselves. SARRADEL Oh, really? From what I've heard of the Aldebaran Civil War, and especially how it ended, I'd beg to differ. Either way, I don't care if I live or die so long as someone still lives to fulfill this mission. (growling, to Harrison) And that someone will be you. Now prove to me that you have what it takes to bring *real* peace, and kill your father in front of me! Otherwise, I'll kill you. Jenny steps toward Sarrael. JENNY (shouting) No! TOMMY (stern) Step back, Jenny. Tommy, standing behind Jenny, pushes her aside and stands in front of Harrison. TOMMY (stern) If you really have what it takes to kill me, then I've failed you as a father, and I've got it coming. ARTEMISIA No! Artemisia steps in front of Tommy. ARTEMISIA If you'll kill your own flesh and blood, it'd best be me. But before you do, I want you to know that Atalanta is dead because of the man standing beside you. Your eldest sister, the woman who cared for you whenever I was called away on duty, is gone forever because of him. Harrison steps forward, and his gems emit darkness. ARTEMISIA And think of this as well. If you kill me, what will that do to your other sisters? They cared for you as well. Each of them could call themselves a better mother to you than I ever was. What will you do to them if you kill me? Harrison grits his teeth. His paws start to shake. SARRADEL It's a small price to pay for peace. QUEEN Terror isn't necessary for peace, Harrison. You've seen it in the Palace, how everyone who used to hate males has accepted you and your father as friends, without the need to fear anything. Harrison's ears flatten, and his eyes water. SARRADEL They're deluded, Harrison. HARRISON (screaming) No! Harrison turns and fires two black energy streams at Sarradel. Sarradel holds out his paws and redirects them into his pure black gems, firing them back at Harrison as black liquid that covers his body and absorbs into his skin. Black wires suddenly sprout from Harrison's wrists and ankles and lift him into the air like a puppet. Harrison screams in pain as loudly as he can as tears fly from his eyes. The others run toward Harrison but stop when Sarradel grabs Harrison by the throat. Harrison's fur starts to burn around Sarradel's fingers. SARRADEL (angry) You stupid prick! I invented the School of Death! You don't honestly think I wouldn't know how to defend against it!? (to others) Let me go, and you can have the boy. Refuse, and he dies. FELICIA That doesn't matter anymore! All present startle and look about, finally turning toward a locker as the door flies open and Felicia steps out holding the antimatter mine and its trigger. Her lips still drip blood. QUEEN Felicia! FELICIA (in despair) Everything was a lie! Everything Aldebaran ever stood for was a lie! The Temple of Arkool was a lie! There's never been anything true on this planet, ever! WILLY (realizing) *You're* the one who dampened the controls. FELICIA Just long enough to sneak on board. Even a second-rate artificer can do that. Blinky shut down with just a tap. (angry) Now both sides are going to pay for what they did to me. BUCKY Do you have any idea how insane that sounds, Felicia? FELICIA (irritated) This whole planet is insane. It can burn in hell for all I care. Sarradel rolls his eyes and groans. SARRADEL I've had enough of this. Sarradel stares into Felicia's eyes and sings in his prismatic voice. SARRADEL (singing) Weakness is your love eternal, obedience your lust. A princess but a bottled bug, submission is your life. Obey what is your love eternal. Follow me with utter trust. Felicia reacts to Sarradel's song. Her limbs flutter, and her eyes close partly and fog over. SARRADEL Give me the trigger, Felicia. Felicia approaches Sarradel and hands him the trigger. Still with foggy eyes, she looks longingly at Willy. FELICIA (vacant) What about Willy? SARRADEL (irritated) You don't need Willy. Sarradel releases Harrison and fires a black spell blast at Willy. It knocks him down and absorbs into his skin. Sarradel points upward, and black wires sprout from Willy's wrists and ankles, lifting him in the air like a puppet. Willy screams in pain, and Bucky and Jenny rush to his aid. Willy stops screaming and looks at Felicia with watering eyes and blood dripping from his wrists and ankles. Felicia gasps. She blinks, and her eyes clear. FELICIA (whispering) Willy. Willy ... no. It should've been me. It should've been me ... it *will* be me. SARRADEL Obey me, Felicia. Felicia looks at the antimatter mine in her paw, and the trigger in Sarradel's. She backs up into the boarding ramp. FEICIA Come to me, Master. Come and command me. Sarradel approaches Felicia and takes her paw. Felicia suddenly wraps an arm around Sarradel's and kicks the lock on the boarding ramp. The boarding ramp falls open, and Felicia and Sarradel both tumble out of The Righteous Indignation. The ship rocks, and all the others grab handholds to avoid falling out themselves. Felicia and Sarradel fall through the air, disoriented. Felicia clutches the antimatter mine to her gut and tries to wrestle the trigger from Sarradel's paw. Sarradel's gems emit darkness, and he fires a black energy stream into Felicia's chest. Felicia screams in pain as her fur bleaches and stiffens. Her muscles shrink, and her skin wrinkles around her thinning body. Her spine curves, and the skin peels away from her nails. With the last of her strength, Felicia bites Sarradel's paw, pressing the trigger with her tongue. The Righteous is already hundreds of yards away. Aboard the frigate, everyone squeezes their eyes shut as they see a white flash. Seconds later, a shockwave strikes the frigate, rattling the hull and deafening all inside, who clutch handholds for dear life. The flash dims into a fireball, and the shockwave passes. The Righteous Indignation flies smoothly once again. Bucky, Jenny, Deadeye, Tommy, Artemisia, Queen Katrina, and Chief Tyjet slowly let go and amble to the open boarding ramp, speechless and dumbfounded. Within the antimatter explosion shrinking in the horizon, Felicia and Sarradel are both dead. The wires holding up Willy and Harrison dissolve, and they drop to the floor. SCENE 19 - PALACE CITY STREETS, ALDEBARAN Days have passed. A funeral pyre, the largest Aldebaran has ever seen, burns in the plaza in front of the Royal Palace. Tens of thousands of dead Aldebarans wrapped in golden silk, many kittens, burn in the pyre. Tens of thousands more Aldebarans, mostly the families of those burning, hold each other and cry as they watch the funeral pyre. The flames reach toward the night sky. Queen Katrina stands next to Artemisia, watching the funeral pyre. Tommy approaches from behind. TOMMY The census just came back. It seems Aldebaran finally wants to abandon its past, all of it. They want to reach out to the UAC, too. ARTEMISIA Suicide rates are also at an all-time high. TOMMY What else would you expect when you learn that everything you ever believed was a lie made by a tyrant who just killed half your family and smashed your every historical monument? Queen Katrina shakes her head. QUEEN I can't go on. TOMMY What? QUEEN (sullen) I can't lead Aldebaran any longer. First Cassie, then the Temple of Arkool, and finally Sarradel. I've suffered too much, and there's nothing left inside me to lead this world. Tommy steps back and snarls. TOMMY (angry) What!? What the hell did you just say!? You don't think I didn't suffer just as much as you did because of that bastard!? Queen Katrina lowers and shakes her head. QUEEN I know you have suffered, Thomas, even more than I. But you're still young. You still have strength of will left inside you. As for me, my physical strength may have been restored, but in my heart, I'm still the frail old woman Cassie overthrew. (beat) Thomas? Artemisia? You are King and Queen now. Aldebaran is yours. A distance away, Jenny sits on the ground with Harrison, paws on his shoulders. Harrison sits cross-legged, looking at the ground, on the verge of tears. Bucky, Willy, Deadeye, and Blinky stand near him, trying to comfort him to no avail. HARRISON (in despair) But I killed ... five! I killed five cats when I was with Sarradel. How can I go back to the Palace now? Jenny pulls Harrison into her lap. He wraps his arms around her and cries. JENNY (whispering) I know how you can go back. You can find the families of those five cats. You can give them everything they've ever dreamed. You can build memorials to all five of those cats. Make them as big as you want. Do that, and then you can go back to the Palace. Bucky, Deadeye, Willy, and Blinky approach Jenny and Harrison. Jenny looks up at them and smiles weakly. JENNY What's the word? WILLY The Righteous is finally in top form again. Katrina must've given me every gadget and world-class engineer on the planet. JENNY What about the UAC? Have you been able to make any contact? Bucky shakes his head. BUCKY They're still not responding to anything. The network's got to be down or something. That's the only way they'd stay silent this whole time. (beat) We should get back to Genus as soon as we can. Some distance away, Chief Tyjet, in a gold and red velvet suit, an eye patch, and a new crystal cane, stares into the funeral pyre, flanked by dozens of Sphixes in similar dress suits. The HEADS OF THE THOUGHT, HEALING, AND GENERAL ORDERS stand before the Sphinxes. They approach Chief Tyjet and kneel. HEAD OF THOUGHT ORDER From this day forward, your people will be memorialized as the heroes of Aldebaran. And the schools of Spirit and Nature will be represented in the ruling body. Chief Tyjet shakes his head. TYJET Don't memorialize us. The Head of the Thought Order stands in confusion. HEAD OF THOUGHT ORDER You do not wish it? TYJET I do not deserve it. My people did not rush to save this planet. We only washed away blood that had stained our paws for over three thousand years. Chief Tyjet looks at Bucky and Jenny in the distance. Jenny stands and hands Harrison to Willy. Harrison curls up in Willy's arms and soon falls asleep. Jenny walks to Bucky's side. JENNY I want to see those scars again, just be sure they're still real. Bucky nods. He holds out an arm and pulls back his sleeve. Jenny holds her arms against Bucky's and pulls back her sleeve. In the light of the funeral pyre, Bucky and Jenny stare at the ring-shaped scars on their wrists, proof of the blood they shared, proof of their union. THE END