"Indoctrination" by WatsonSword First draft - 4/19/09 Second draft - 1/29/10 Final draft - 4/13/10 Edited by Rygar SCENE 1 - ALDEBARAN ROYAL YACHT, DARK HEART NEBULA Nutrition bar wrappers and empty water bottles litter the green carpet of the yacht. PRINCESS FELICIA sits cross-legged on a giant red pillow. Her clothes are ragged and her hair messy. Her eyes are closed and her arms stretched toward the window, toward the view of the living planet in the center of the nebula, the Grandfather Quark, Tae'Gwitz. She whispers Aldebaran prayers to herself. Felicia suddenly gasps and shields her eyes from an intense light. She floats in an area surrounded by pink and orange clouds, similar to the Dark Heart Nebula, but the yacht and Tae'Gwitz are nowhere to be seen. Felicia gasps as she looks at her paws. Her body is translucent. FELICIA (whispering) Where am I? A painful VOICE thunders inside Felicia's mind. She flinches and clasps her paws over her head. It does no good. VOICE You irritate me. Leave now, or I will rip your soul to shreds! Felicia gasps in shock at the voice. She attempts to kneel, but floating, her posture more resembles a fetal position. FELICIA (frightened) Grandfather Quark! TAE'GWITZ (irritated) I do not care why you bother me. Just leave me to sleep. FELICIA (stammering) But ... but ... I want ... wanted to ask ... TAE'GWITZ (interrupting) Should answers cease your irksomeness, so be it. FELICIA (stammering) Master ... master of ... master of ... TAE'GWITZ (interrupting) Be terse, or you will cease to be anything! Felicia squeals and hides her face with her paws. She peeks back out, with tears streaming down her face. FELICIA (disparate) Did you? Did you really order the end of male thralldom? TAE'GWITZ Yes. FELICIA (desperate) Why? TAE'GWITZ It was against my will. FELICIA (desperate) You're saying ... you never decreed it to begin with? TAE'GWITZ Yes, you imbecile! Now leave me! Felicia sobs openly. FELICIA (crying) But then why did it happen? TAE'GWITZ (irritated) Because your kind does what they always have done. They disobey! You are the worst filth of this foul bog you call the aniverse. I do not care what happens to you or your kind or your planet. This aniverse was created for the amusement of amnesiacs. My kind was imprisoned within for recognizing its creation as a mistake. Its existence offends us. We desire no more than to erase it. But barring that possibility, we desire only to sleep undisturbed. FELICIA (crying) Than why did you even create the monarchy? TAE'GWITZ Your kind were to be the tools of my escape from this fetid nebula. The monarchy was the most practical means of achieving this. Felicia's eyes widen, and her jaw quivers. FELICIA (stuttering) P-p-practical? Another flash of light, and Felicia wakes up back on the giant red pillow on the bridge of her royal yacht. SCENE 2 - MOUNTAINTOP MONASTERY, ALDEBARAN It is night. A figure in arctic gear and two walking poles climbs a snow-covered staircase carved into the mountainside toward a magnificent gothic monastery on the mountaintop. The figure reaches the monastery balcony and bangs on the giant doors. The doors slowly open. The figure walks inside, and the doors shut behind him. SCENE 3 - MONASTERY, ALDEBARAN The figure gazes in awe at the interior of the monastery, entirely carved out of diorite stone and adorned with thousands of candles. Dozens of Siamese priestesses in black robes sit cross-legged on giant black pillows in meditative prayer. The figure unfastens his arctic gear and lets it fall to the floor, revealing himself to be PRINCE TOMMY. The PRIESTESS with the brightest sea-green gems stands next to Tommy. PRIESTESS What do you seek at the Eldulia? Tommy flinches in surprise and turns toward the Priestess. TOMMY I seek ... clarity of thought. The Priestess looks at a shelf full of burning candles. PRIESTESS For what purpose? TOMMY I used to know what I wanted. I'd do anything to get it. But now, I don't know anything anymore. PRIESTESS Obsession is a dangerous path for the psyche. For what does one do when that obsession is fulfilled? (looks back at Tommy) Or thrown into doubt? Tommy gulps and steps back in a fashion uncharacteristic of his former self. TOMMY So you think male liberation was a waste? The Priestess turns back to the candles. PRIESTESS We care little of the politics of Palace City at the Eldulia. I refer to your quest for vengeance. Tommy squints and cocks his head. TOMMY (shocked) Wait, how did you know about ... PRIESTESS (interrupting) Few people on Aldebaran don't know of such matters, Your Highness. Tommy is taken aback by the priestess's comment but keeps his stance. PRIESTESS We can't help you here, Your Highness. Recovering from lost vengeance takes something more. You must let go of what you once held dear and find a new passion and a new responsibility. Only then will you heal yourself. Tommy sneers and snorts at the Priestess. TOMMY (irritated) Thanks a lot. Tommy picks up his arctic gear from the floor and begins to refasten it to his body. PRIESTESS That's not wise. You should not depart the mountain without a night's sleep and a meal, especially not in the dead of night. TOMMY (irritated) Bite me! Tommy picks up his walking poles and shoves open the doors to the monastery with his shoulders. He pauses as the Priestess speaks. PRIESTESS You won't find answers lurking in the shadows of exotic locales, Thomas! As much as you want it to be untrue, the clarity you seek lies much closer to home. Tommy snorts and starts down the staircase. SCENE 4 - MOSSY FOREST, ALDEBARAN Tommy hikes next to a stream through a forest filled with large, colorful mushrooms. He wears only the tight fitting under-layer of his arctic gear. The rest is stuffed into his backpack. Tommy stops and sits down. He takes off his backpack and collapses against a thicket of moss. He looks up. The pink and orange hourglass-shaped Dark Heart Nebula shines in the night sky. Tommy closes his eyes and quickly falls asleep. Night passes into dawn, and sunlight obscures the Dark Heart Nebula. Five figures approach the sleeping Tommy. One carries a canteen on its belt; its black-furred paw takes the canteen and dumps its contents onto Tommy's face. Tommy wakes up hissing. He pauses and looks up at the figures quizzically. Five Assassination Sisters in full regalia, black gems, and silver eyes surround him. Each carries the sword-emblem pendant of the Temple of Arkool. TOMMY (whispering) So that's where they got the new black gems. SCENE 5 - UAC INTELLIGENCE BASE, BETELGEUSIA A sizeable lab for land animals, full of computers and esoteric machines, is set up within the intelligence base. Translucent walls show manatees working in the aquatic corridors beside the labs. WILLY DUWITT sits cross-legged on the floor with eyes closed and hands outstretched toward a simolean bead on the floor. He wears a headband with a single plain blue spell gem. FIRST MATE JENNY stands behind him, eyes closed, paws around Willy's head, and spell gems glowing. JENNY The power is still within you; it's just asleep. I'm getting close to it. Jenny's spell gems glow brighter. Willy's gem begins to sparkle. The simolean bead rattles on the floor, then stops. Willy's and Jenny's gems dim, and Jenny sits in an office chair. WILLY I was told I'd have to go on a spirit quest to get my powers back. JENNY Maybe. Your power is in a very shallow sleep, but still too deep for me to reach it. (hesitant) Why won't you talk to Bucky? Was it just Mimi, or ... WILLY (shakes head) Mimi's none of my business. It was on the Toad Homeworld. Something happened to him there, and ... he kinda went insane for a moment. Maybe it was building up for years; I don't know. I really don't want to talk about it. JENNY (thinking) Jenny's spell gems glow. QUEEN KATRINA contacts her telepathically. QUEEN (telepathically) JENNY (telepathically) QUEEN Jenny's spell gems dim. She looks at Willy. JENNY (standing) Mother just called. I need to go to Aldebaran. WILLY Fine. Can we continue this sometime later? (looks around) I'm really happy working in this lab. It's fulfilling me in a way I haven't felt for a while here. But it's also given me time to think, and I can tell that something is missing. I think getting my magic back would help me feel more fulfilled. JENNY Of course, Willy. I'm always happy to see you. I'll contact you when I get back. Jenny stands up and exits the room. SCENE 6 - ROYAL PALACE, ALDEBARAN It's dusk. There are no protesters or soldiers outside the palace. A UAC shuttle descends and lands. Its ramp descends, and Jenny exits into the palace grounds. Jenny looks around, confused by the lack of a greeting, or of anything else. She walks toward the royal palace. SCENE 7 - ROYAL PALACE, ALDEBARAN Jenny pushes open the double doors to the dining room. The massive grandfather clock still ticks to one side of the table. Only ashes fill the fireplace to the other side. Felicia sits at the table, rested and nourished, but still mangy and desperate. She slowly eats a green-brothed fish chowder. Felicia briefly glances at Jenny. JENNY Felicia? What's going on? FELICIA (beat) It doesn't matter. It never did. Nothing ever mattered. JENNY That's not true, Felicia. Felicia laughs and takes another sip of soup. Jenny hesitates, wondering whether or not to say anything more. She does not. She walks past Felicia toward the opposite doorway. Jenny pushes open the double doors into a circular study with green carpets, hardwood walls filled with bookshelves, and a smaller fireplace at its end filled with glowing embers. Queen Katrina sits in a chair with a blanket on her lap, staring blankly into the crackling embers. Jenny approaches her. JENNY What's wrong with Felicia? QUEEN (whispering) I do not know what she found in the Dark Heart Nebula, but her problems have now turned to their opposites. She no longer prays or studies. She does little else but eat and sleep. And then there's ... Thomas. JENNY What happened to him? QUEEN (whispering) I do not know. He left the palace seeking solace. He took a memory stone and relayed his location to us every day. A few days ago, he sent a distress call, and we've not heard from him since. Any attempt to contact his memory stone dissolves in space. JENNY You mean the memory stone was shattered? Queen Katrina nods. JENNY Are you looking for him? QUEEN (whispering) I have already ordered Artemisia to begin an investigation. In the meantime, I need you to act as my viceroy. Preoccupied as I am, I'm not mentally fit to lead Aldebaran. Jenny sighs. She sits down in the chair next to Queen Katrina and gazes along with her at the embers in the fireplace. JENNY I can't do that, and you know why. QUEEN You still think of Edmund and Edgar? Jenny looks to Queen Katrina. JENNY In bad ways, but only when I'm on Aldebaran. I'll go crazy if I stay here longer than a couple weeks. But I'll join the investigation. I will find Tommy. I promise. Jenny's spell gems glow. Her eyes swivel up. SCENE 8 - FELICIA'S QUARTERS, ROYAL PALACE, ALDEBARAN Felicia's quarters are immaculately decorated with blue and green carpets and fabric-covered walls. Red and gold fabric drapes adorn the walls, giving the suite the illusion of being filled. Felicia lies on her bed, looking up at the arched ceiling. Footsteps draw her attention. She sits up and looks to her side to see a Bengal ASSASSINATION SISTER with blackish red gems and a sword-emblem pendant. FELICIA Oh, it's you. ASSASSINATION SISTER What did you find in the Dark Heart Nebula? Felicia gags in response to the question. She clenches her paws and takes a long, fluttered breath. The Assassination Sister takes a silver flask from her pocket. She unscrews the lid and drops a tiny white pill from her sleeve inside. She hands the flask to Felicia. ASSASSINATION SISTER Drink some butter wine before you speak. It will calm your nerves. Felicia cocks her head and looks at the flask. She upends it and drinks its entire contents. The Assassination Sister smiles. SCENE 9 - ARTEMISIA'S QUARTERS, ROYAL PALACE, ALDEBARAN Artemisia's quarters are more homely than one would guess from her behavior while on duty. It has red-stained hardwood floors, moss- green walls, and craftsman-style furniture. A massive frame above her bed displays her numerous decorations, both military and regal. ARTEMISIA, in casual clothes, sits in a red leather armchair, sipping milk. Her fur has returned to its original Abyssinian mocha, and her blood-red dreadlocks hang freely to the small of her back. A young Aldebaran BOY lies on the bed reading an antique book. The boy has cream-colored fur fading into chocolate highlights and dresses in plain gray denim. He has a blue left eye and a gold right eye. Jenny enters the suite and briefly looks at the boy. ARTEMISIA Hello, Jenny. Jenny stops and looks at Artemisia, confused. JENNY Mistress Artemisia. You look so ... normal. ARTEMISIA (chuckles under her breath) You've never seen me off duty until now. And don't call me mistress. You're not my student anymore. Jenny nods. She approaches Artemisia and sits in an armchair next to hers. JENNY You called me? ARTEMISIA We've found the source of Tommy's distress call. It was near Mt. Eldulia. JENNY Mt. Eldulia? There's nothing there but the old monastery. ARTEMISIA The priestesses may know something about what happened to him. But that's not the reason I called you. JENNY Why, then? ARTEMISIA The past. Our pasts. You said I supported male thralldom, but I was really just trying to draw attention away from myself. You see, I was the liaison between the Male Resistance and the crown. And I, like Queen Katrina, secretly raised a son. JENNY (looking at the boy) Yeah, I was wondering about him. ARTEMISIA (looking at the boy) It's barely possible to draw him away from his books. He'll block out every word we say. JENNY Where did he come from? Jenny and Artemisia look back at each other. Artemisia sighs. ARTEMISIA Twelve years ago, I rented a thirteen-year-old stud at the Lucent Gardens breeding center for two hundred and fifty thousand Aldebaran scribes. JENNY (shocked) A quarter million scribes for one session? ARTEMISIA They said his thaumatic readings were off the scale. But if they knew the true extent of his power, they'd have quadrupled that fee. He was neurotic when they brought him to me. He chewed his paws, stuttered, stammered, and cowered in fear. They had to give him a second shot of heat serum just to be sure he'd perform. Jenny's eyes widen. She's heard this story before. ARTEMISIA The power that boy radiated was ... astronomical, frightening even. The only other cat who ever compared with that power was the Queen. I knew at that moment that the boy had to be royalty. JENNY (whispering) Tommy. Artemisia nods and looks back at the boy. ARTEMISIA That's your nephew. Jenny takes a minute to collect her thoughts. JENNY What does my mother think of this? ARTEMISIA She doesn't know yet. SCENE 10 - FELICIA'S QUARTERS, ROYAL PALACE, ALDEBARAN Felicia lays in the fetal position and cries with her head in the Assassination Sister's lap. ASSASSINATION SISTER So if Grandfather Quark doesn't care about Aldebaran and merely wishes to be left alone, shouldn't the right thing to do be to grant his request? FELICIA (crying) But what's left after that? Felicia sits up and looks at the Assassination Sister, clearly drugged. Her eyes are dilated, and she stares into space with a distant, absentminded expression. The Assassination Sister wraps an arm around Felicia. Felicia lays her head on the Assassination Sister's shoulder. ASSASSINATION SISTER There's someone else who can give you strength. She cares for us Aldebarans, unlike Grandfather Quark. She was born an Aldebaran Artificer and died fighting to protect us from the Sphinx heretics. For her bravery, she was blessed by the spirits of our ancestors and continues to empower us in spirit. Come with me, and she will empower you as well. Felicia's eyes glaze over and roll back in her head. FELICIA (slurring) That sounds nice. ASSASSINATION SISTER Doesn't it? The night sky and the Dark Heart Nebula show clearly through the window. Night passes into morning. The sun rises between the towers of the royal palace. Felicia and the Assassination Sister are gone. Only a cultist pendant remains on the bed. SCENE 11 - OUTSIDE FELICIA'S QUARTERS, ROYAL PALACE, ALDEBARAN Artemisia stands in her black Artificer's uniform, dreadlocks hanging from a black open-faced burgonet helm adorned with three blood red gems across the forehead. Jenny, in her Artificer regalia and ruby red spell gems, approaches her. JENNY You called? ARTEMISIA (stoic) Princess Felicia has disappeared from the castle. I found this in her room. Artemisia gives Jenny the cultist pendant. Jenny stares at it, not knowing what to think. JENNY They kidnapped her? ARTEMISIA She would have cried for help if they did. She went willingly. SCENE 12 - CATHEDRAL, CULTIST TEMPLE, ALDEBARAN A large square cathedral is carved from the inside of a yellow limestone cave. Undecorated columns line the walls. Backless benches lead up to the stage, itself containing only a Victorian-style chair and a single loudspeaker. Cultists line the benches in their white tunics, sashes, and kilts; they hold out their pendants and bow in synchronicity. Two cultists drag a hooded, scantily clad Felicia by her shoulders down the center aisle and drop her unceremoniously at the foot of the stage. Princess Felicia removes her hood and looks to the stage to see a black and white cat with long black hair and a steel circlet inlaid with royal blue spell gems. FELICIA (shocked) Trisha? TRISHA, former Head of the Thought Order, sits in the chair, dressed in black and gold robes. A small carafe of amber liquid sits on the chair's arm. The two cultists beside Felicia, both possessing inky dark green spell gems, open their paws as their gems glow. Felicia collapses, writhing and screaming in pain. The worshiping cultists act as if they notice nothing. TRISHA You will address me as Balladeer. You will wear only the uniform we provide you, and you will adhere strictly to the schedule we provide. Any deviation from these norms will be punished. The cultists beside Felicia release her and drop a white tunic, sash, and kilt in front of her, along with a cultist pendant and datapad. Felicia takes the datapad. Her ears droop, and her shoulders slump as she reads it. FELICIA (shocked) You tell me when I can eat and go to the bathroom? The cultists beside Felicia open their paws as their spell gems glow. Again, Felicia falls down, screaming in pain. TRISHA You must learn absolute discipline to be a servant of Moashk'Arkool. Now don your uniform. The cultists beside Felicia release her. She squeaks in fright at them and struggles to put on the cultist uniform as quickly as possible. Trisha waves her paw over the carafe and drops a tiny white pill into it, which immediately dissolves in the liquid. As Felicia finishes donning her uniform, Trisha shoves the carafe in her face. TRISHA You will drink this butter wine and spend the next six hours reciting prayer number four. The cultists beside Felicia open their paws as incentive. Felicia squeaks in fright, grabs the carafe of butter wine from Trisha's paw, and upends it. Trisha smirks and fiddles with an unseen datapad in her pocket. TRISHA Now, you chant. Make any mistakes, and you will be punished. FELICIA (frightened, stammering) But ... but ... shouldn't you teach me the chant before you ... The gems of the cultists beside Felicia glow. Felicia falls down, writhing and screaming. TRISHA (angry) Chant! Trisha finishes with the datapad in her pocket. The large speaker blares painfully loud chanting into the cathedral, and the cultists on the benches chant in perfect sync. Felicia remains curled up on the floor, wailing and shivering in pain as the cultists beside her continue pounding her with their corrupt healing magic. Trisha glares at Felicia, devoid of expression. CULTISTS (synchronized with speaker) Moashk'Arkool, our lives for you. Lead us from lies, to the glory of you. Show us the path, to ultimate truth. Moashk'Arkool, our lives for you. SCENE 13 - CULTIST FORTRESS, ALDEBARAN Not too far away from the cultist temple lies the cultist fortress, a concrete warehouse in a small desert valley -- a dot in a massive mountain range. In a dark square concrete room with no windows and no furnishings, Tommy is chained, arms outstretched, to a wall. He wears only his boxers. Tommy's head lies limp. He struggles to lift it. His nostrils bleed, and his eyes are dilated. The five Assassination Sisters who kidnapped Tommy stand in front of him, wearing cultist pendants. Their leader is an orange and white MAINE COON with a leather helmet embedded with two filthy dark brown spell gems. She raises her paw, and her gems glow yellow. Electricity arcs from her fingertips into Tommy's chest. Tommy spasms and screams in pain. His mouth and nostrils bleed as he is tortured. The Maine Coon ceases her assault. A CHARTREUX Assassination Sister holds a fine parchment scroll in front of Tommy's face. MAINE COON Sign it, Thomas. Renounce your claim to the throne, and you'll be free. You can leave Aldebaran and never come back. You can take memory stones and sell them for a fortune, and retire to your own private island on the tourist planet of your choice. Just say, "I'll sign it." Sign the frelling scroll! Tommy spits blood onto the scroll. The Maine Coon's gems glow again. She holds out her paw and throws electricity at Tommy's muzzle, burning the fur around it and making Tommy's nostrils pour blood. Tommy spasms and screams in pain again until his voice breaks and he can only wheeze. The Maine Coon ceases her assault. Tommy's nostrils continue bleeding. The Maine Coon sneers at Tommy. She turns to the Chartreux. MAINE COON Get another scroll. CHARTREUX (bows) Yes, mistress. The Chartreux turns and leaves. The Maine Coon turns to another Assassination Sister, a brown and white SPOTTED CAT. MAINE COON Give him another shot of slag. SPOTTED CAT Another? That's four full doses. That's getting into dangerous levels. MAINE COON Then let's hope we won't have to give him a fifth. SPOTTED CAT Yes, mistress. The spotted cat approaches Tommy, takes a sonic syringe from a side pack, and injects Tommy in the neck before replacing it in her pack. Tommy's eyes widen, fog over, and pour tears. His muscles relax involuntarily, and his jaw hangs open, dripping blood. He looks hypnotized. MAINE COON There, now. Why don't we discuss your renunciation again, possibly in a more civilized manner? My assistant will come back shortly with another scroll. Before she does, I want you to say you'll sign it. With a few strokes of ink, we'll be one step closer to destroying the throne once and for all. Tommy coughs. He tries to speak but can only do so in a wheeze. TOMMY (wheezing) Felicia. MAINE COON You're trying to say that Felicia could still inherit the throne? Tommy nods. MAINE COON I'm afraid not. She was quite eager to join us, after all. She's well on her way to becoming a proud sister of the Temple of Arkool. Tommy's head falls. TOMMY (wheezing) Kill me. You want the throne gone? Kill me. The Maine Coon giggles briefly. MAINE COON You won't get us with that kind of trickery. We know as well as you that you have an unknown number of offspring from your days as a breeding stud. Any one of them could become the next monarch ... if found, unless you renounce your claim of course, which would extend to all of them. The Chartreux returns with a new scroll. She approaches Tommy and unwraps it in his face. Tommy spits blood onto the new scroll. The Maine Coon sighs. MAINE COON We can keep going like this until your brain wastes away and you'll obey any request given to you by anyone. SCENE 14 - MOSSY FOREST, BASE OF MT. ELDULIA Jenny and Artemisia stand hunched over the spot where Tommy slept. They collect small fragments of clear memory stone from the grass. Jenny and Artemisia stand up and pace the area, looking for more fragments. They talk as they do so. ARTEMISIA (stoic) Please explain, Highness, why Thomas would choose to venture here? JENNY I was going to ask you that. You've been to the Eldulia before. Tell me about it. ARTEMISIA (stoic) The Monastery of Mt. Eldulia was built by the Siamese during the Doctrinal Riots as a sanctuary for Artificers who wished to remain neutral in the conflict, and it continues that function to this day. Provincial superstition holds that the priestesses can hear the dreams of Grandfather Quark due to the monastery's elevation. JENNY That would explain why he came here. ARTEMISIA (stoic) Come again? JENNNY You don't know him the way I do. I know he must've seemed so driven, but that's just how he expresses despair. He's broken and confused, and he doesn't know what his own life is worth anymore. (thinking) Artemisia glances away for a second, blinks, and looks back to Jenny. ARTEMISIA (stoic) The monastery will have artificers capable of analyzing these fragments. We should take the opportunity to ask about Thomas's visit. SCENE 15 - ELDULIA MONASTERY Jenny and Artemisia stand in the grand entrance. Jenny stares quizzically at the thousands of candles and the meditating priestesses in black robes. Artemisia stares forward with an expressionless, unblinking gaze. The Priestess with sea-green spell gems who addressed Tommy earlier stands beside Jenny and Artemisia. She lights candles with the glowing tip of a fiber-optic device. PREISTESS The superstitions about the Eldulia exist mainly in the small towns around the border of the province. Few people here believe them. ARTIMESIA (stoic) I suspect neither did His Highness. PRIESTESS Still, I sensed a great anguish within him, one that normally destroys its victims. I'm amazed he still had the strength of will to sustain himself, much less travel. JENNY But that doesn't explain why he came here, of all places. The Priestess sighs and turns toward Jenny and Artemisia. PRIESTESS Desperation drives people to seek help from things they don't believe in. JENNY What did you offer him? PRIESTESS What could we? We have no ability to treat such conditions. All we could do is tell him the truth. JENNY And that is? PRIESTESS That he's looking to the outside to mend wounds that can only be healed from within. He needs to disconnect from his past and reconnect with his family, to try to build the life of simple companionship he never had. Artemisia furrows her brow and looks away as if pondering. JENNY The only things he's ever known are running and fighting. I'm not sure he'd recognize that life if he saw it ... or if he did, it might frighten him. ARTEMISIA (stoic) Then he must be placed in a circumstance where he has no choice but to accept such a life. PRIESTESS That may work, or it may make him even more hostile. It's the danger with forcing someone to heal. But it may be that's his only hope now. Two more priestesses, a TALL SIAMESE and a SHORT SIAMESE, each with leather headbands adorned with single shimmering aqua spell gems, approach Jenny and Artemisia. The short Siamese holds a jar with the recovered fragments of Tommy's memory stone. SHORT SIAMESE We've completed the analysis of the fragments and found a single, clear image of Prince Thomas's struggle. ARTEMISIA (stoic) Show us. The two priestesses' spell gems glow. A hazy magical image of the view from Tommy's eyes appears in front of them. Five Assassination Sisters in full regalia wear the sword-emblem pendants of the Temple of Arkool. Their black gems begin to glow. The image turns to static and fizzles out moments later. Artemisia looks quizzically, with her head cocked to the side, at the spot where the image was. Jenny stands with her eyes wide, jaw agape, the fur from the top of her head to the tip of her tail standing on end. JENNY (shocked) The ... the ... that ... that ... ARTEMISIA (interrupting, stoic) Explains everything. TALL SIAMESE We were able to use the fragments you gave us to determine the locations of all the missing fragments. One of them is not near Mt. Eldulia. JENNY (whispering) Tommy. ARTEMISIA (stoic) He must have taken a piece with him for just that purpose. We should try contacting the fragment. JENNY You can't get a clear message through a fragment. All we could send him is static. ARTEMISIA (stoic) But that would be enough to let him know we're looking for him. SCENE 16 - CULTIST FORTRESS, ALDEBARAN Tommy remains chained to the wall in his cell. He sits cross- legged with his arms stretched up, hanging from the chains. Tommy wheezes and barely manages to lift his head. His muzzle is encrusted with dried blood, and his iris and pupils are pink, his corneas filled with blood. Tommy winces at a slight burning sensation in his foot and suddenly gasps in realization. He stands up so he can use his arms. He lifts his foot and digs a nail into the pad of his footpaw until he pries out a tiny glowing sliver of memory stone. The glow fades. Tommy smiles and cries until he hears footsteps. He drops the sliver and steps on it, wincing in pain as he jams it back into the flesh of his footpaw. An unseen door creaks open, and the Maine Coon Assassination Sister enters the room. The Maine Coon unwraps another scroll in Tommy's face. MAINE COON Let's talk about your renunciation again. Tommy snorts, hawks, and spits bloody phlegm onto the scroll. SCENE 17 - TRISHA'S BEDCHAMBER, CULTIST TEMPLE, ALDEBARAN The back of a white paw strikes Felicia's muzzle, throwing her down onto the gold carpet. Felicia holds her muzzle and sobs. Trisha looks down at her with a sneer and an upturned muzzle. TRISHA (angry) Don't lie to me, you stupid bitch! I know you still have feelings for your family, your former life. No one turns their back on the filth of their past this quickly. Felicia sits up and looks down at Trisha's feet. FELICIA (crying) But it's true! I don't want to go back there! Trisha backhands Felicia's muzzle again, knocking her back onto the carpet. TRISHA (angry) How dare you talk back to me! I am the voice of Moashk'Arkool! You are an acolyte. Your mere presence defiles my room. FELICIA (sobbing) I'm sorry, Tr ... I mean, Balladeer. I'm sorry. Trisha's sneer turns into a smile, and her eyes soften. She kneels and puts her arm around Felicia's shoulders. She helps Felicia stand and sits her down on a red upholstered loveseat in front of a fireplace. Her paws remain on Felicia's shoulders. TRISHA (tender) I know I'm harsh on you, Felicia, but it's for your own good. And you've done very well these past three days. Felicia cries more softly, shudders, and sniffles. FELIICIA Tri ... I mean, Balladeer? How did you become Balladeer of the Temple? TRISHA (tender) They came to me, like we came to you. Their words made too much sense for me to ignore. The former Balladeer taught me everything she knew about Moashk'Arkool. Unfortunately, a traitor within the Temple poisoned her butter wine and left me in power. Perhaps one day, I will retire and leave you in power. FELICIA Me? Balladeer? Wouldn't that be nice ... Trisha narrows her eyes and bares her teeth. She backhands Felicia's muzzle again, bloodying a nostril and knocking her to the floor. TRISHA (angry) Wouldn't that be nice? Wouldn't that be nice!? How dare you show pride in the presence of your Balladeer! What do you have to say for yourself? Answer me, you whore! Felicia covers her face with her paws and sobs. SCENE 18 - CATHEDRAL, CULTIST TEMPLE, ALDEBARAN The next day is different. Heeding her call, Felicia bows, rises, and chants in perfect sync with the other cultists. She now wears a single memory stone in a white cloth headband. CULTISTS and FELICIA Moashk'Arkool, our lives for you. Lead us from lies, to the glory of you. Show us the path, to ultimate truth. Moashk'Arkool, our lives for you. The chanting ceases. The cultists sit up to watch Trisha on stage as she paces back and forth and speaks. Glasses of butter wine sit untouched in front of each of the cultists and Felicia. TRISHA Glory to Moashk'Arkool! CULTISTS and FELICIA Glory to her! TRISHA Drink your butter wine, followers, in reward for your wonderful performance of our chant. The cultists and Felicia take their glasses of butter wine and down them in a single gulp. TRISHA We are here because our people have abandoned us! Their god has revealed his true face, male-freeing, male-loving, male-embracing, a beacon of filth and betrayal! We alone keep the sacred covenant drafted by Queen Zoda, who kneels before the will of Moashk'Arkool, as do we. Soon now, the monarchy will be destroyed, and its every family member slaughtered! Felicia weeps silently despite herself. FELICIA (whispering) Mother. Felicia's memory stone glows dimly. Trisha's voice becomes steadily louder and angrier, her movements more exaggerated as she speaks. TRISHA (angry, flamboyant) A world does not abandon its most sacred tenants without paying the price! We are the keepers of the Aldebaran legacy, and soon, we will rule! By the paw of Moashk'Arkool, this planet will perish -- skies of sulfur and phosphorus, oceans of acid, and lands of hot coal! Grandfather Quark has unleashed the wrath of our ancestors. Their spirits will soon manifest, and their screams will burn this planet to a cinder! Its people will beg for repentance, but it will be too late for them. Their god will not come to their aid. He will sleep through the cleansing, as he has slept through our history. And when all the world turns to ash, Moashk'Arkool will return! She will take the tortured heathen souls into her forge and rebuild this world into a paradise where rivers will flow with sweet cream, fish will swim through the sky, and grass will grow as platinum. This new world will be ours! Glory to Moashk'Arkool! CULTISTS Glory to her! TRISHA (calmer) Oh, and by the way, Felicia, this temple is insulated against telepathy. Felicia gasps and looks up at Trisha, her lips quivering. Trisha walks down from the stage and approaches Felicia. TRISHA We will have to decide what to do with you. SCENE 19 - OUTSIDE CULTIST FORTRESS, ALDEBARAN Jenny and Artemisia stand on a dry grass-covered foothill overlooking the fortress in a small desert valley. Ten well-muscled female CATS in black armor and black, open-faced burgonet helmets with blood-red spell gems stand behind them. Behind them, in turn, float twelve semi-circular-bodied speeder bikes with engines and thrusters ready. ARTEMISIA (stoic) Thomas is somewhere inside that building. JENNY Are you sure of your troops' abilities? ARTEMISIA (stoic) I should be. They are my daughters, after all. Artemisia turns toward her daughters. ARTEMISIA (stoic) Move fast and move fluid. Keep breath constant and heart rate down. Shuffle formation continuously. We attack now. CATS (synchronized) Ma'am! Jenny, Artemisia, and Artemisia's daughters climb aboard their speeder bikes and rev the engines. ARTEMISIA (stoic) Raise wardings as soon as we hit the valley floor. Drive! Jenny, Artemisia, and Artemisia's daughters speed downhill toward the valley, blowing down dried grass as they pass, constantly exchanging positions. They reach the valley floor, kicking up trails of dust. ARTEMISIA (stoic, shouting) Raise wardings! Jenny, Artemisia, and Artemisia's daughters' spell gems glow bright red. Glittering white shields surround their bodies and speeder bikes. Cultists emerge onto the building's rooftop and fire spell blasts at the approaching speeder bikes. AERTEMISIA (stoic, shouting) Break formation! Jenny, Artemisia, and Artemisia's daughters split up and continue their charge with some distance between them. Spell blasts pound the ground all around them, sometimes striking their shields, dimming the glitter. The speeder bikes approach the fortress. ARTEMISIA (stoic, shouting) Eject! Artemisia and her daughters slam the brakes of their speeder bikes, throwing themselves into the air just before the bikes spin out. They curl themselves up and tumble across the ground. They right themselves, running forward and firing spell blasts at a single point on the wall until they've blown a large, smoking hole through it. They sidle up to the wall around the hole. Jenny brakes more gently and swerves to a halt against the fortress wall. She hops off and stares at Artemisia in shock. JENNY How the frell did you do that?! ARTEMISIA (stoic) It takes many years to learn. Artemisia gives a series of paw signals that Jenny looks at quizzically. Artemisia's daughters nod in response. They split into two groups of five and enter the fortress. ARTEMISIA (stoic) You and I will search for Thomas. The other two squads will secure the fortress. Out of curiosity, did they not train you in these tactics at the United Animals Coalition? JENNY They did, but the UAC has a different way of communicating them. We use touch, not sign language. ARTIEMISIA (stoic) That will make things difficult. Advance. Jenny and Artemisia enter the fortress and find themselves in a track-lighted concrete corridor. They take cover by the walls of an intersection in the hallway. Six cultists in their white uniforms, firing spell blasts, run down the hallway toward the intersection. The blasts smash pieces of concrete wall and floor and throw dust into the air. ARTEMISIA (stoic) We back off and ambush them in the dust. Jenny and Artemisia sidle back along the walls as the cultists run into the intersection and are blinded by the dust. Jenny and Artemisia fire spell blasts at the figures in the intersection. The dust clears, and the cultists are dead with multiple black burns. ARTEMISIA (stoic) It would seem the cult members are poor tacticians. JENNY I doubt they knew we were coming. Otherwise, they'd have sent better fighters. I mean, they control the Silvered Sisters, don't they? ARTEMISIA (stoic) I'll take point; you cover. Jenny and Artemisia run down the corridor. The track lights turn red, and sirens blare through the fortress. JENNY (shouting) They waited all this time to sound the alarm?! ARTEMISIA (stoic, shouting) Something appears to be making them absent-minded! Jenny and Artemisia turn as they hear frantic footsteps behind them. JENNY (shouting) Worry about that later! Jenny and Artemisia's spell gems glow, and glittering white shields wrap around their bodies. Six cultists charge through the dim red corridor with teeth bared and fur on end. They fire spell blasts with poor aim, more often hitting the walls -- throwing concrete and dust into the air -- than their targets. Jenny and Artemisia crouch, pressed against the walls, and fire spell blasts back, killing three cultists. Four more cultists charge through the corridor from the opposite direction. Jenny spins around and continues firing spell blasts at the new cultists. As the cultists close in, several of their spell blasts strike Jenny and Artemisia's shields, dimming the glitter. JENNY (shouting) Our wards won't hold out forever! ARTEMISIA (shouting, stoic) They won't need to! Four surviving cultists -- two from both sides -- throw themselves at Jenny and Artemisia. One cultist tackles Jenny to the ground, grabs her wrists, and struggles against her, while another stands above her, readying a spell blast. Jenny's spell gems glow brighter. Her muscles suddenly grow larger and more defined. Jenny growls and hisses as she pushes back against the cultist. She squeezes the cultist's wrists until they break. Jenny leaps up and throws the cultist against the wall, sidestepping the spell blast from the second cultist, which hits the first between the shoulder blades, killing her. Jenny spins around, backhanding the second cultist in the muzzle, knocking out several teeth as drops of blood fly from her muzzle. The other two cultists charge Artemisia. Artemisia's spell gems glow brighter. She draws two tactical knives from sheaths on her thighs. The knife blades glow bright red. Artemisia swings a knife, a trail of red energy tracing the attack. Its energy trail cuts open a cultist's throat, killing her. The last cultist throws herself toward Artemisia. Artemisia leans back and thrusts her other knife, impaling the cultist through the stomach. Flames spew from the last cultist's back as the knife tip pierces through it. Artemisia throws the last cultist to the side and stands up straight. Her spell gems dim, and her knives return to normal as she sheathes them. Jenny's spell gems dim, and her muscles shrink and smooth. The alarm ceases, but the corridor still shines dim red. ARTEMISIA (stoic) Are you injured, Highness? JENNY No, I'm fine. Jenny looks about at the dead cultists. JENNY I'm just wondering why they all seemed like such amateurs. ARTEMISIA (stoic) They were more than amateurs; they were impaired. Artemisia's spell gems glow slightly. She glances away for a moment, then back toward Jenny. ARTEMISIA (stoic) My daughters have secured all but the center of the fortress. That must be where they're holding Thomas. Jenny nods. She reaches down, picks up the only still-living cultist, and shoves her against the wall. The cultist winces, clearly displaying the gaps of her missing teeth. JENNY (angry) Take us to the center of the fortress, now! ARTEMISIA (stoic) Wait. Artemisia approaches the cultist, who stares into space in a daze. The cultist's pupils are dilated, and her irises are clouded. ARTEMISIA (stoic) This woman was administered Dilaftin. Likely, so were the others. JENNY You mean they're all hopped up on slag? ARTEMISIA (stoic) The temple must use the drug to control its lower members. Jenny growls and throws the cultist to the floor. SCENE 20 - TOMMY'S CELL, CULTIST FORTRESS, ALDEBARAN The blood on Tommy's muzzle has dried to a black crust, and the whites of his eyes have turned pink. He struggles to breathe. The door flies open, and the Maine Coon Assassination Sister walks in, snarling. Her eyes are clear; she is not drugged. Tommy looks up in confusion. MAINE COON (irritated) You've become too much of a nuisance for your own good. Tommy falls limp until he hangs by his wrists from the chains. The Maine Coon's spell gems glow a sickly shade of yellow, and electricity arcs across her fingers. MAINE COON This time, you die. The Maine Coon rears her arms back, and the electricity arcs from one paw to the other. Two spell blasts suddenly strike her in the back. The electricity dissipates from the Maine Coon's paws, and her eyes roll back in her head. She falls over, dead. Jenny and Artemisia stand in the doorway with paws outstretched and smoke rising from their palms. JENNY (shouting) Tommy! Tommy gasps, and his eyes go wide. He struggles to lift his head but cannot. Jenny runs to Tommy and lifts him to his feet to embrace him. Tommy lets his head fall onto Jenny's shoulder. JENNY (whispering) Tommy, what did they do to you? Artemisia approaches Tommy and lifts his head in her paw. ARTEMISIA (stoic) Thomas needs his eyes and sinuses replaced, and possibly several glands as well. This is beyond Aldebaran abilities. He needs UAC medicine. Jenny starts to sob. SCENE 21 - CATHEDRAL, CULTIST TEMPLE, ALDEBARAN Princess Felicia sobs out loud as four cultists drag her onto the cathedral stage. The cultists tear off Felicia's uniform, leaving her in only undergarments, and chain her wrists between two stone pillars on stage. The cultists exit the stage as Trisha, in her red and gold robes, enters through a back curtain and approaches Felicia. She stops next to a white plastic barrel in front of Felicia and raises a paw toward the cathedral floor filled with kneeling cultists. The cultists begin their synchronized bowing and chanting. CULTISTS (synchronized) Moashk'Arkool, our lives for you. Lead us from lies, to the glory of you. Show us the path, to ultimate truth. Moashk'Arkool, our lives for you. Trisha lowers her paw, and the cultists all sit up and stop chanting. Trisha waves her arms dramatically as she speaks. TRISHA (angry) We have filth among us today! Our newest acolyte has betrayed our love, our safety, and our sanctity by attempting to contact the outside world! (to Felicia) Your world, your family, and your god all turned their backs on you, but we didn't. We took you in when everyone else had forsaken you! We treated you as one of us and let you walk barefoot on our holiest temple. How do you thank us for that? (to audience) I will tell you how. Felicia risked defiling this entire temple and the spirits of its every devotee by attempting to contact the obscene royalty who command us to follow the heathen god who would sooner eat our souls than enlighten us. Glory to Moask'Arkool! CULTISTS (synchronized) Glory to her! FELICIA (crying) I didn't mean to! I just ... Trisha backhands Felicia's muzzle before she can finish. TRISHA (angry) A follower of Moashk'Arkool does not speak unless given permission! FELICIA (crying) I'm sorry, I ... Trisha backhands Felicia again, bloodying a nostril. TRISHA (angry) I did not say you could apologize! (calmer) Now, apologize. FELICIA (crying) I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do any of those things! I was just ... I was just ... TRISHA (interrupting) It's too late for apologies, Felicia. It's one thing if you choose to taint yourself, but your actions have tainted all of us as well. I fear Moashk'Arkool will not see us fit to cleanse us of your taint unless you are adequately punished. Trisha lifts the lid from the white plastic barrel. Sickening squishy noises come from the inside. The barrel is filled with white, slimy, ruffled grubs crawling in sawdust. TRISHA (to audience) Saw worms, so named because of their taste for sawdust. Since before the Doctrinal Riots, they symbolized disease and decay. And that, followers of Moashk'Arkool, is what Felicia threatens to turn us all into! (to Felicia) And so, Felicia, it's only right that you wallow in the filth you bring upon us. (to audience) Now come forth, followers of Moashk'Arkool, and deliver this ... thing's rightful punishment. Trisha removes a ladle from her tunic and sets it on the rim of the barrel. A cultist stands and approaches the stage. She takes the ladle, scoops it full of saw worms, and throws them at Felicia. The cultist exits the stage. Felicia screams and squeezes her eyes shut as she is pelted with saw worms. One by one, the cultists approach the stage, scoop a ladle of saw worms, and hurl them at Felicia. Felicia wails and bawls and shrieks louder and more frantically as the pelting continues until the barrel is empty and saw worms cover Felicia, wriggling through her fur, piling at her feet, and coating her in slime. Felicia eventually loses her voice from screaming, and rows of cultists stand up and neatly file out of the cathedral. Trisha exits the cathedral stage through the back curtain. The lights turn off. Felicia is left on stage, nearly naked, chained up, covered in saw worms, and heaving in a futile effort to scream. Night falls, and chirping insects can be heard through the temple windows. Felicia is on her knees, hanging by her wrists, with her head hanging down. The saw worms have long since dispersed, leaving Felicia covered in sawdust and their crusty, hardened slime. Felicia's breath is fluttered. A paw reaches beneath Felicia's muzzle and lifts her head up. Trisha looks down at her with frightened, compassionate eyes. TRISHA (tender) Felicia! My stars! Who could've done this to you? Felicia gasps in fright at Trisha's bizarre behavior but dares not speak. Trisha removes a key from her pocket and unlocks Felicia's wrist shackles. Felicia falls onto the floor. Trisha kneels down and wraps an arm around Felicia's shoulder, helping her up. TRISHA (whispering) I don't know who could possibly be so hateful as to make you suffer like this, but I won't stand for it. Felicia sobs. Trisha holds Felicia's head against her shoulder. TRISHA (whispering) Shh. Come now, Felicia. Let's get you a hot bath and some new clothes. Trisha walks Felicia off the stage through the back curtain. SCENE 22 - TRISHA'S BEDCHAMBER, CULTIST TEMPLE, ALDEBARAN Felicia shivers in Trisha's red leather chair. She stares forward blankly. Though she is clean, dry, and in a new cultist uniform, her mind is still trapped on stage with the saw worms. A paw holding a stemless wine glass extends to Felicia, who flinches before realizing what it is. Felicia looks at Trisha, who smiles warmly at her from another chair. TRISHA Drink some butter wine. It will calm your nerves. Felicia's jaw quivers and her paw shakes as she reaches for the glass. She hesitates but takes the glass after Trisha nods to her. TRISHA Drink all of it, now. Felicia upends the glass and chokes down the butter wine before setting it on the glass coffee table between them. TRISHA That's better. Now, out of curiosity, I'm wondering what you think of your former family. Felicia tenses and swallows. She attempts to breathe deeply for some time to steady herself enough to give an answer. FELICIA (stammering) I ... I ... I don't ... don't ... don't ... TRISHA There's no need to be frightened, little one. I'll protect you from whatever troubles you. Felicia takes one last deep breath. FELICIA They're not my family. TRISHA Why not? FELICIA They never wanted me. They never cared about me. I was just a waste of space to them, a pathetic excuse for an artificer. And now ... now everything they've ever stood for is a lie. Why should they be my family? TRISHA They don't love you; they never have. They're not capable of love. FELICIA They're not. TRISHA Why should they be your family? FELICIA Why should they be my family? TRISHA When you have me? Felicia blinks and skips a breath. The drugged butter wine begins to take hold, and Felicia's eyes dilate. TRISHA I'm not the only one. Moashk'Arkool loves you, loves all of us, in ways Grandfather Quark never could. After all, we are all her daughters here. Her love permeates these walls and soaks us to the bone. Don't you feel it? Felicia's breathing slows, and her posture relaxes. The drug intensifies. She falls back into the chair, drops the wine glass on the floor, and stares at the ceiling. FELICIA (whispering) Yes. I feel it. TRISHA And so, Moashk'Arkool ... FELICIA (whispering) Moashk'Arkool is my mother. I love you, mother. TRISHA And what of your birth mother? FELICIA (whispering) Kill her. Trisha smiles and stands up. TRISHA You have grown so much since you came to this temple. You are no longer fit to be called acolyte. You are now my sister. Sister Felicia. Today, you are a true follower of Moashk'Arkool. FELICIA (whispering) That's nice. TRISHA It is nice, isn't it? And now, I must reward you for your devotion. Felicia brings her head down and looks at Trisha with her head cocked. Trisha turns toward the back door to her bedchambers. TRISHA You may come in now. The back door to Trisha's bedchambers opens, and three male cats in white kilts enter the bedchamber. They look at the floor, in fear of Trisha. Felicia stands up, aghast. Her jaw drops, her muscles tighten, and her fur stands on end. The males are ones she knows very well. A white SELKIRK REX with curly fur, a silver polydactyl BURMESE, and a longhair TORTOISESHELL all look up tentatively at a weeping Felicia. FELICIA (to Selkirk Rex) Bobby? (to Burmese) Jimmy? (to Tortoiseshell) Terry? TRISHA Rumors of your harem's deaths were greatly exaggerated. They were here with us all along. Their conversion was textbook. And now, they are here to serve you once again, as a reward for your devotion to us. Bobby, Jimmy, and Terry approach and embrace Felicia. They rub their muzzles into her neck and run their paws up and down her body. Felicia gasps at their touch and falls limp into their embrace. Trisha smiles. TRISHA Your indoctrination is now complete. I will leave you alone to your pleasure. Trisha exits her bedchamber as Felicia closes her eyes and slumps to the floor. Before Trisha shuts the door, she touches a control panel by it. TRISHA Play Prayer Number Four, continuous loop, sixty decibels. Trisha shuts the door behind her. As Felicia's harem continue to smother her in affection, a soft SYNTHESIZED VOICE repeats through the bedchamber. SYNTHESIZED VOICE Moashk'Arkool, our lives for you. Lead us from lies, to the glory of you. Show us the path, to ultimate truth. Moashk'Arkool, our lives for you. SCENE 23 - RESUSCITATION ROOM, UAC MEDICAL SHIP, IN ORBIT ABOVE ALDEBARAN Three days later, Tommy is clean and healed. He wears pale gray scrubs. His eyes have been replaced and are a slightly lighter shade than his old. Faint lines across his muzzle and throat indicate that his neck and sinuses were operated on. Tommy lies in the resuscitation room bed while monitors above display his vital signs. He looks through photographs on a datapad of friends, family, home, and sentimental objects, only vaguely recognizing them. Queen Katrina and Jenny stand off to the side, looking anxiously at Tommy. A female UAC raccoon DOCTOR is nearby. QUEEN Do you not remember any of these places or people? Tommy shakes his head. TOMMY No, no, no. I remember all of it, I just don't remember ... anything that happened. Tommy turns toward the others. TOMMY I know you all. Mother ... sister ... and you gave me my new eyes. I didn't catch your name. DOCTOR Dr. Ingram. TOMMY I know who all of you are, who I am, where I am, and what it all means. I just ... I just can't remember anything that ever happened with any of you. In fact, I can't remember anything that ever happened at all. What's wrong with me? INGRAM You suffered a great deal of mental trauma, and ... JENNY (interrupting) They injected you with slag. INGRAM Slag? QUEEN It's the street name of Dilaftin, a narcotic extracted from fermented and oxidized heat syrum. It causes euphoria by destroying synapses. INGRAM That explains it. (to Tommy) Your episodic memory, along with who knows what other mental faculties, were isolated. Although, it seems you've retained both your semantic and procedural memories. TOMMY Will I ever get them back? INGRAM Thankfully, the neurons themselves suffered negligible damage. Your episodic memories, along with whatever else you lost, are all still intact. You simply can't access them. I would recommend a program of regular logic puzzles and exposure to anything that could be a source of nostalgia. I'll prescribe a regiment of trianoline to encourage synaptic growth. (to Queen Katrina) You can supplement this therapy with whatever Aldebaran medicine you feel is appropriate. (to Tommy) I doubt you'll get everything back. But if case histories are anything to go by, you should soon recover up to eighty percent of what you lost, and eventually, you could recover up to ninety percent. Tommy absentmindedly nods and then shakes his head. TOMMY Where's Ponce? Queen Katrina and Jenny look at each other anxiously, then back at Tommy. QUEEN You don't remember? TOMMY Remember what? QUEEN Thomas ... Ponce is dead. Tommy's eyes widen. TOMMY (shocked) Dead? How?! JENNY The Temple of Arkool killed him when they destroyed your school. TOMMY (shocked, angry) They destroyed my school?! QUEEN And killed everyone within. Tommy looks down. He begins to weep silently. SCENE 24 - ARTEMISIA'S QUARTERS, ROYAL PALACE, ALDEBARAN The next day, Artemisia, in casual clothes, sits in her armchair and holds a cup of warm milk in her lap with both paws. The young Aldebaran boy with the blue left eye and gold right eye sits cross- legged in her bed. Tommy enters the suite. Artemisia sips her milk and places it on a coffee table beside her. She stands up and bows. ARTEMIISA Your Highness. TOMMY You called me? Artemisia motions toward the boy on the bed. ARTEMISIA There's someone I want you to meet. Tommy briefly looks at the boy and then back at Artemisia. TOMMY Who is he? ARTEMISIA He is my son. Tommy shrugs his shoulders. TOMMY And that means what to me? ARTEMISIA He's also your son. Tommy stares at Artemisia for a time, unsure of how to react. He briefly looks at his son. He turns around and rests a paw beneath his chin. ARTEMISIA You wouldn't know him even if you had your memories. He's from your time as a breeding stud. Tommy quickly turns around, brow furrowed and head cocked. TOMMY (shocked) I was a breeding stud? ARTEMISIA You should get to know him. Tommy turns toward the boy. They stare into each others' eyes for a time before Tommy approaches the bed. For the first time in his life -- though he doesn't know it -- Tommy has no idea whatsoever of what to think of the situation. TOMMY What's your name? BOY Harrison. SCENE 25 - CATHEDRAL, CULTIST TEMPLE, ALDEBARAN The rows of cultists stand and applaud. After a while, the applause fades into chanting as the cultists lift their pendants toward the stage. CULTISTS (chanting) Felicia! Felicia! Felicia! Felicia! Felicia! Felicia stands at the center of the stage with her kilt-laden harem standing behind her. Her eyes are narrow, her tail twitches, and her expression and posture are of intoxication. Felicia raises her stemless glass of butter wine, and the cultists quiet. FELICIA (flamboyant) This planet has fallen from grace, fallen so far that it can't be helped up again! Aldebaran can't be healed, and it can't be forgiven. It must be burned! Our ancestors will wreak this fire on the land until every Aldebaran's flesh has peeled from their bones! And when this miserable planet has been fried, Moashk'Arkool will rise again! Paradise will be ours! Rivers of sweet cream will be ours! Platinum grass will be ours! Fish that swim through the sky will be ours! Death to Aldebaran! CULTISTS Death to Aldebaran! FELICIA Glory to Moashk'Arkool! CULTISTS Glory to her! The cultists applaud again. Felicia looks to her side to see Trisha also clapping for her. Felicia chugs her glass of butter wine before throwing it to the floor and shattering it. Bobby, Jimmy, and Terry approach Felicia from behind. They wrap their arms around her and begin kissing her neck, inciting louder applause from the cultists. Felicia is in ecstasy. SCENE 26 - GOLDEN GATE PARK, SAN FRANCISCO, EARTH Willy, in casual clothes, sits on a grassy hill and stares in awe at a duck-filled pond surrounded by trees. His expression never changes as he gazes at the scene in front of him. A WOMAN walks up and pats him on the back. WOMAN You OK, kid? WILLY (blinking) Huh? Uh, yeah. Why? WOMAN You've been staring at that pond for half an hour. WILLY Sorry. I just haven't seen this much green in ... I can't remember how long. The woman raises an eyebrow at Willy, then goes back to her business. Willy looks back at the pond for a time when he is interrupted again. VOICE Hey mister, you wanna see my bunny? Willy looks to the side and sees a little redhead GIRL in overalls holding a white rabbit. Willy takes a moment to eye the rabbit. WILLY Sure. The girl drops the rabbit in Willy's lap, and Willy starts petting it. His mind wanders to Bucky as he takes in the sensation of holding an Earth rabbit in his hands. WILLY What's his name? GIRL His name's Chester Copperpot. WILLY That's a good name for a rabbit. (to the rabbit) You've got a good life, Chester. No evil toads bent on galactic domination. No decades-long war where horrible things happen to you and you do horrible things right back. No, just a sweet owner who feeds you carrots. (beat) Bucky had a girl who was sweet to him, too, but he ruined that pretty good. Now no one's sweet to him. (his mind working) No one keeps an eye on him. There's no telling what could happen. He lost his mind once. Who's to say he won't lose it again? How I can be sure anyone's safe anymore? Willy's eyes get a far-off look as he continues petting the rabbit absentmindedly. WILLY How can I be so sure, unless ... unless I'm there to see for myself that it doesn't? GIRL Mister, are you crazy? Willy turns to the girl, and hands her back her rabbit. WILLY I'm something, that's for sure. The girl takes her rabbit and hurries away. WILLY Rabbits here need someone to look after them, to make sure they don't get into trouble or do something stupid. Willy looks back at the pond. WILLY I think that's what Bucky needs there, too. THE END