Him
Who Made The Seven Stars
By Waddie Greywolf
Chapter
5
Skip,
skip,
skip
to
my
loo;
flies
in
the
buttermilk,
shoo,
fly,
shoo;
off
to
Texas
two
by two; skip to my loo, my darlin.’ ~ Scottish Patter Dance
“Archie and Edit
ain’t got but a few personal possessions, Bossman," Hank said and
watched Billy’s reaction closely. His young master’s grin and nod told
him what he wanted to know. For his new slave to use the cognomen
‘Bossman’ was fine with Billy. “Come to think on it, we ain’t got us a
lot of stuff, neither,” Hank continued, “During our sixtieth year on
Retikki Prime, we cleaned house, and if’n we ain’t used something in a
year, it went to the recycle shops. Cowboys don’t need much more’n a
steady job, the tools of his trade, a good pony, a fine pair of boots,
a two-dollar gee-tar, a
chunk a’ cow slow cooked over mesquite, and a pot a’ beans,” Hank waxed
poetic.
“Well, pod’na,
would a pot a’ homemade deer chili and beans do until we can get them
other things for you?” Billy asked.
“That would be a
little taste of heaven, Son. Buck and me searched ever’ market we could
find within a reasonable distance, but we ain’t never found nothing on
this planet what resembled chilies. They’s some hot foods, but h’it
jes’ ain’t the same. Chili would be wonderful,” Hank allowed.
“Tell me, Hank,
what do you miss most about Texas?” Billy asked.
Hank didn’t
bother to think about it, “‘At’s easy,” he said, “Buck and me, we done
talked about the seben B’s so many times them words is like holy-writ
burn’t across our skulls: Bluebonnets, blackeyed peas’n okra, barbecued
brisket, and Blue Bell ice cream,” he said like a preacher explaining
scripture with a bible in his hand.
Billy roared
with laughter and nodded his head in understanding, “They still make
Blue Bell ice cream, and them others is just a basic part of Texas. Me,
my Uncle Nate, and Grandma Kate can go through a half gallon of Blue
Bell vanilla bean on a hot summer’s afternoon, and anywhere they’s a
cowboy, and you smell mesquite burn’n, you can bet chore’ boots they’s
brisket close by,” Billy said, and they shared a laugh.
More high
members of the government on Retikki Prime came for breakfast in the
garden of the palace. Billy and his family were the center of attention
and several men and women of great wealth brought gifts of financial
aid for the young family. Several of the more austere of the huge male
watchers surrounded Hank and Buck to give them substantial sums of
credits as rewards for their work over the years. The old cowboys were
reduced to tears a couple of times at their client’s generosity. The
eldest, most important looking one spoke quietly to them, “We certainly
wish you men the very best, but if things don’t go well, and you have
no other option, you are welcome to return to Retikki Prime. There will
always be a place for you here,” he said sincerely.
Billy was
beginning to understand how much his family meant to the denizens of
the large planet. They wanted to know when they would be returning for
a visit. Billy looked to his watcher uncles by bond for an answer.
“We expect a
visit and update from our nephew’s cowboy master and a couple of his
staff on a regular basis. Probably once a month their time, which would
equate to approximately six months our time.” Uncle Albrecht said.
“Your gracious and generous gifts will be held in accounts for them
here, which will be made available to them when they return. Their
master will be given equal allotments in gold which is a much more
precious metal on their planet than ours; so your gifts will actually
be tripled or in a some cases, depending on the fluctuation of the gold
market on Earth, quadrupled or more,” he added, “From our projections,
they will be taking back with them more than enough funds to establish
a strong base of operation to work together comfortably, gather more
trustworthy people among them, and grow,” he explained.
Breakfast only
took about an hour to complete, but there were lingering guest who had
one last question or concern to speak to. Billy was gracious to a
fault, but he could tell some of his family were chomping at the bit to
get away and get things done to make their trip through the gate as
easy as possible. Billy dispatched Hank and Buck to help Archie and
Edith collect their things, and sent the twins along to help.
Four enormous
anti-gravity bins were brought out for them to transport their
belongings and a fifth, smaller platform for gold and important
documents for Master Billy. It didn’t matter how heavily they packed
them or the total combined weight of the gold they were taking back,
the anti-grav platforms could be pushed by one finger even by the
smallest of their team, the winged primates. They contained a
self-adjusting breaking system that wouldn’t allow a heavily loaded
platform to get out of hand or crash into anything.
There were
several meetings with Gregor, Albrecht, and a couple of their staff on
what to set up first, and how to get their operations functional. Billy
was glad Boomer was by his side. Watchers never forget a thing, and
Boomer became his Master’s de facto recording secretary and memory
elephant. Their night of bonding seemed to close any gaps, expunge any
doubts, and buried any fears either of them may have harbored
concerning their relationship and love for each other. They were a
united team and began to think as one.
Billy was amazed
by the resistance inroads the watchers already established on Earth by
sympathetic humans who became disgusted with the current right wing
theocratic dictatorship. Some were enlisted by others, or
were previously established people rescued from the grays or
greens, as the reptiles became known, who found themselves on the
parasites
menu for consumption. A life saving
incident, plus generous funds to reestablish someone, went a long way
to promote trust, strong bonds of friendship, and loyalty among the
disgruntled natives.
There was a feeling of dread and foreboding over
the populace, and many came to believe anything had to be better than
the soul draining demands of living in an Orwellian theocratic
corptocracy. Dealing with benevolent aliens was not only a more
lucratively rewarding venture, but it was considered safer than any
established underground resistance which could more easily be
infiltrated and compromised by the right wing hounds of hell. While ruthlessly
rigid, the uber-conservative fascist were sometimes not the brightest
pennies in the jar. Most made Colonel Klink seem like Einstein, and
it’s difficult tracking down those conspiring against you when you’re
wearing an oxygen re-breather and depend on an electric go-cart for
transportation. Alas, Sinclair Lewis’ comment was a bit too charitable.
When fascism came to America, it was riding a mobility scooter,
wrapped in excess body fat, and carrying a misspelled sign.
Billy needed
Earth type transportation right away, and was told he would have a
couple of trucks, a van, tractors, and various ranch vehicles delivered
to his uncle’s ranch within days of their return, no questions asked.
They were already paid for and written off on other accounts to avoid
any notice by local governments. They told Billy, if he was concerned
about the safety of his gold and other securities, he could keep them
on board Nick’s ship, and they would be safer than they ever might be
in Ft. Knox. In fact, the gold which was in Ft. Knox was legally stolen
(not an oxymoron) from the American public many years before by the
international banking elite. All that was left in Ft. Knox was a
hastily scribbled note: Thanks for the gift, suckers! Signed: The
Corporate Elite.
Billy and Boomer
sat in meetings most of the morning with Uncle Gregor and Albrecht and
several of their staff. The underlings said little, but would speak
when referred to by one of their leaders. They explained how they would
install robo-cams to keep watch over Billy and his family around the
clock. All their actions would be recorded by an evolved central
intelligence. The high council would be notified immediately if they
were in trouble, and they could be instantly removed from a dangerous
situation. They also boasted several other unique functions Boomer’s
uncles
didn’t go into, but told them Archie and Edith would fill them in.
“Why are you
going to all this trouble, Uncle Gregor?” Billy asked.
“We were going
to share that with you today, but we’ve been asked to wait. You see,
Son, there are even higher intelligences in the universe than
ourselves, but we don’t really know how high up the chain it goes. In
other words, for all our knowledge and technological superiority to
your world, there is always another, much more advanced race of beings
than us. We are rarely contacted by such, because either they don’t
deem us worthy, they have a prime directive any contact might unduly
interfere with another species’ development, or they’re just not
interested; however, that changed with your visit, and we have been
contacted. They are known as the ‘Irin.’ We know very little about them.
“Albrecht and I
were visited early last evening by an artificially created intelligence
similar to Nick; a being of great beauty and light with the most
beautiful wings. He called himself, Clyde, and said he was a messenger
from the Irin. He told us his supreme leader would like to have an
audience with you and your number one this afternoon to let you know
what’s at stake, and why you’ve been chosen for this job. Strange, all
this time, we thought it was our idea. He consoled us by assuring us,
while it most certainly was our idea, they had a few suggestions which
you might like to consider. Following your visit, Clyde promised they
would establish diplomatic relations with us to further discuss our
mutual involvement.
“Clyde said he’d
return the first hour after mid-day to gather you and Boomer, and for
however long your visit, you will be returned to us within a few
hours. While we’ve been aware of them for centuries, and they’ve
indirectly helped us a couple of times, we’ve never been asked to visit
them, let alone establish a dialog,” Gregor said, “We
know of their powers and capabilities, and it would be impolitic of us
to refuse them. Better to stay on the good side of a more powerful
group than yourself, especially if they appear friendly and benign.
It's always nice to have a more powerful ally; a big brother looking
out for you. Clyde
stressed they were as concerned about the success of your endeavor as
we are, and have several gifts to offer, but only if you choose to
accept them,” Gregor said.
“Well, I get the
gut feeling if they’re standoffish to you folks, they won’t be as
accessible to us as you will be in case we need answers. Beside, Boomer
and me, we got
pull with the top brass here, ‘cause we’s family by bond,”
Billy said and grinned. Gregor nodded his head and laughed. “I guess
another ally with a few more tricks up their sleeves, and a little side
trip ain’t gonna’ hurt us none; but, when we return, will you go over
with us what you expect in regard to what they tell us?” Billy asked.
“Of course, Son,
but we can’t project what they will tell you. We’ll have to wait and
see,” Albrecht said.
The
cowboys returned with Archie and Edith and the twins shortly before
mid-day. Hank was right, the winged primates didn’t have many personal
possessions, and it took them little time to transfer their
belongings to the
anti-grav bins going through the gates. They were offered food and
drink in the garden, but they declined to get other things done. Hank,
Buck, and the twins wanted everything to be ready to go by evening;
however,
when they heard the news their master and his number one would be going
on a side trip, they wanted to be there to see them off.
At the exact
minute of the first hour past mid-day, the messenger Clyde appeared in
the garden in a radiant light. Billy thought to himself he looked like
a man named ‘Clyde’ should look. Billy remembered pictures of angels
from some of his grandma's religious books,
who were suppose to be God’s messengers, but they were long haired,
pasty white, ephemeral,
dress wearing, nancy-boy-looking critters. Not Clyde. He reminded Billy
of a sturdy, studly, handsome Clydesdale horse ripped to the tits with
massive upper muscular development to rival his own angel back on Earth.
Clyde’s neck was
thicker than Billy’s thighs. He even had a mat of dark brown hair on
his massive bare chest and a treasure trail which ran down past his
navel. He wore Wranglers held up by a wide Western belt and what looked
like an authentic rodeo belt buckle. He even had on a pair of bat wing
chaps and spurs on his handsome buckaroo boots. Billy and the cowboys
looked at each other, their mouths dropped open, and they damn near
shit in unison -- but settled for an a capella fart.
“Why, thank you,
Master Billy. That was a most flattering thought,” Clyde spoke in a
deep bass voice with a decidedly Western accent, “I’m quite fond of
Clydesdale horses, and we got us a good size family on my home world. I
have the good fortune to attend them from time to time. As for the
other thought what crossed your mind a few minutes ago, about why you
couldn’t take the rest of your family with you? You may if you choose;
however, not unlike Cinderella’s godmother, I see you men ain’t ready
for the ball, but I can take care of that pert-damn quick,” Clyde said,
waved his hand, and sprinkled what looked like stardust over Billy and
his family.
As it settled on
them, Clyde spoke words in rhythm like a square dance caller, “Aunt
Pitty-pat’s giblets, how’s by you, allemande left, and Kalamazoo!” he
said and grinned. Suddenly, the men found themselves dressed in full
cowboy drag from hat, chaps, spurs, and boots, with big bandannas
loosely tied around their necks. The messenger didn’t clothe Boomer or
Archie and Edith, but he did provide Boomer with a large, loose fitting
pair of canvas coverings for his big feet and lower legs.
Billy took one
look at the twins dressed like two young buckaroos, and sucked in air
over his teeth. “Shit! I’m a doomed man!” he exclaimed, as he exhaled
and rolled his eyes,
“Fuck me in the butt, ma' heart jes’ turned to warm jello, and run down
into ma’ boots. I just knew it. They’s fuck’n adorable!” he exclaimed
in classic cowboy hyperbole as everyone laughed at him. Everyone else
was thinking the same thing.
The twins ran to their master’s waiting arms, and Billy gave them each
a big hug and a kiss. “All I can say is, you men better learn
Texas-speak pert-damn quick,” Billy growled joking with them, and
everybody laughed.
Hank and Buck
were stunned. They never felt so complete in sixty-two years. They got
big grins on their faces and tears begin to run down their cheeks.
Billy hugged and kissed each of them. “Look’n good, buckaroos! You made
ma’ old stallion stand up and take notice,” Billy complimented and
encouraged them.
“Now you men are
ready for the ball; which just happens to be a cowboy cook out under
the stars of another galaxy three-point-five million light years away
as the crow flies. Come, fly with me!” Clyde invited, “Archie and
Edith, take my hands, and the rest of you men gather ‘round. All aboard
Angel Flight number forty-two for the planet Fort Adam Lear, Andromeda
galaxy, and connecting
solar systems,” Clyde said. Archie and Edith each took one of the big
messenger’s hands. The rest of the family gathered around him. Billy
took Boomer’s big paw into his smaller hand, looked
up, and stood on tiptoe to give his number one a kiss for good luck.
There
was a huge flash of light and they vanished.
There were a few
minutes of complete silence in the garden. The two giant watchers
turned and smiled at each other. “Our cowboy seems to garner the
attention and interest of a number of intelligent life forms,” Albrecht
said to his mate.
“For all our
pride in our advancements compared to the majority of species in
several galaxies, it’s a humbling experience, brother, to say the
least,” Gregor replied.
“I agree,
brother, and speaking of humility, don’t you think it’s time we done
away
with the Knights what say ‘Nee’ routine?” Gregor asked his mate fondly
recalling their cowboy nephew’s speech patterns.
“Indeed, it
didn’t have much effect on our cowboy, did it?” Albrecht asked in reply.
“No, and I’m
glad for it. Besides, I certainly think we’re big enough to be
sufficiently imposing as we are without them hoods and other props,”
Gregor allowed.
“You make a good
point, brother. Shall we bring it up at the next high council meeting?”
Albrecht asked.
“Good idea,”
Gregor replied.
“I have a
feeling they won’t be back for a while. Shall we take the afternoon off
and view our copy of the video our nephews made last night?” Albrecht
asked with a wicked grin.
“You know what
will happen, my pet?” Gregor asked his mate.
“I’m pray’n to
some unknown god, it just might, my strong and ready warrior,” Albrecht
replied.
“Ah, our chance
to create another star somewhere out there in the vast expanse of
space. You know we’ve been remiss in our star making duties, my love,”
Gregor mused, “Is the star-bell still by our bed?” he asked his mate.
“It is,”
Albrecht replied, “shall we make it ring?” he asked and grinned.
“Twice-- or
more, if you like. I hear they could use a few more stars in the Rose
nebula, and you know how fond I am of tight little rose buds,” Gregor
replied with a bigger grin.
* * * * * * *
In an instant,
Billy and his family found themselves on another world where the
landscape looked like the rolling hills of Southwest Texas. It was
night, but you could see everything by the light of the huge moon
overhead. Billy looked up and thought it strange. It looked like the
moon orbiting Earth.
“You’re right,
Master Billy,” Clyde responded to Billy’s thought, “this planet and its
moon is a recreation of Earth and its satellite, and this area is a
perfect copy of Southwest Texas, but it’s a unique planet unto itself
with its own name. Welcome to Fort Adam Lear, gentlefolks, named in
homage of a fictional planet another famous ‘Billy’ once visited. Them
rolling blue hills you see yonder is covered with Bluebonnets, and them
cattle, horses, and the campfire you see down there in the valley,
that’s where our ramrod and his men are waiting for us. Come, walk with
me. Archie and Edith can fly so’s they don’t get no stickers or cactus
thorns in their little feet. You men ready?” he asked.
“Lead the way,
sir,” Billy motioned with his hand. “Archie -- Edith -- if’n you get
tired, either Boomer or I can carry you part of the way,” Billy said
concerned.
“We’ll be fine,
Master Billy, but thanks for thinking of us,” Archie replied.
“If they tire, I
can fly them the rest of the way, Master Billy,” Clyde offered.
“Thanks, sir. We
appreciate that,” Billy said.
“Damnation!”
Hank exclaimed, “I could swear I got me a whiff of mesquite burn’n
some’ers.”
“Y’ain’t alone,
pod’na, I smells it, too,” Buck agreed.
The men set out
toward the inviting campfire, accompanied by the music of their spurs,
the soft sounds of a guitar, and a French harp playing in the
distance. Billy recognized the tune: Red River Valley.
When they
arrived, there were half a dozen cowboys sitting on logs and tree
stumps around a roaring fire. There was a cook wearing an apron and his
two assistants busy working to prepare an evening meal. Billy could
tell who the ramrod or foreman was. He looked just like a mature Tom
Selleck, exactly like he looked in the movie “Quigley Down Under”
complete with blue boilerplate Western shirt and red bandanna. The big
man stood and offered his hand to Billy.
“Howdy, Master
Daniels. Name’s Matthew Quigley, but you can call me, Matt, Son,” he
said.
“Yes, sir, Mr.
Quigley -- Matt, I’s Billy Daniels -- jes’ Billy, sir,” Billy replied
as he shook the man’s hand, “You shore’ 'nuff look like a famous movie
star on the planet I come from,” Billy said.
“Mr. Tom
Selleck? Yeah, I patterned myself after him, but his character Matt
Quigley in particular. Since we enjoyed watch’n you lope yore’ old mule
while
you’s watching his movie we thought you might enjoy meet’n a copy of
Mr. Quigley,” he said with a grin.
“I won’t gainsay
that, Mr. Quigley -- er, Matt,” Billy said, blushed, put the back of
his hand to cover his mouth, and laughed, “Allow me to introduce my
family, sir. This here handsome beast next to me is my watcher and
protector. He’s been my protector since I’s born. His uncles recently
give him to me to be my first slave and companion. His name is Boomer,
and as of last night, he’s ma’ bonded mate. We done made the beast with
two backs -- a couple a’ times, and he’s carrying my son as a
proto-embryo inside him. We’s gonna’ take him back to Earth with us,
and Boomer’s gonna’ plant him in one a’ my favorite heifers.
“These two
mature, handsome buckaroo’s are my slaves, Hank Renfrow and Buck
Appleby. They’s real honest-to-goodness cowboys what was abducted from
Earth by some bad aliens in the nineteen-sebendies. They were rescued
by the watchers, and been living on their planet for the past sixty-two
Earth years. They’s still young looking to be in their eighties, and
they’s just as full of piss and vinegar as they was sixty years ago. I
knew right away I wanted ‘em for my family, and couldn’t leave ‘em
behind.
“These, here,
two buckroos are my other two slaves. They ain’t young’uns, Matt. They
be full grown cowboys jes’ like they is. They be twins, sir, and I jes’
recently give ‘em new names of Castor and Pollux with a middle name of
Geminorum, but I’s think’n on jes’ calling ‘em Cass and Poly. After
all, Polydeuces was Pollux’s full name in Greek. I also give 'em my
last name. We don’t know their species.
“Last, but
certainly not least, my last two slaves, Archie and his lovely mate,
Edith. We don’t know their species, neither, but I been think’n on ‘em
a lot and remember studying about butterflies on the Internet. While I
know they ain’t insects, I was struck by the ancient Greek name for
butterflies as ‘Psyches.’ Edith and Archie, they been good friends and
bonded with ma’ other four slaves. It only seemed natural, somehow, I
should accept them as part of my family, too, sir, and they seem to
round out our family right nice-like,” Billy said, then added, “I think
their beautiful wings brings a touch of class to us rather ordinary
buckaroos and one large long-leggedy beastie,” Billy said and grinned.
“Ain’t a damn
thing ordinary about you folks. I’d say you got chore’self a
right-nice, fine looking family, Billy Daniels, and from what we seen
and heard, a talented group,” Matt said. “Welcome to you all. Won’t you
good folks join us? Find yore’self a log or a stump to sit on. We got
some entertainment for you and some fine eats. I hear’d tell your
mature buckaroos might enjoy theys’selves some barbecue brisket slow
cooked
over mesquite,” he said and grinned as he watched Hank and Buck’s eyes
light up.
Whether all this
was a production number just to impress or entertain, Billy and his
family were wowed. Billy wasn’t convinced it was just manufactured for
their benefit. He could hear the horses talking to each other. There
were several choice comments about Billy and his two mature buckaroos
which Billy found amusing. One casually wondered if such a fine looking
young human was owned, and Billy sent a mental image of Samson to them.
There were several 'oohs’ and a couple of 'aahs’ at the mind-sight of
such a handsome stud. One warned the othes to be careful of their
conversation, obviously the young human could hear their thoughts.
<< With an
owner as handsome as that big stud, he can listen to my thoughts all he
wants. I’d
follow Master Billy home, across the stars, to share a stall
with his owner, >> a pretty palomino Morgan filly named ‘Maybell’
said and giggled. Billy grinned at her comment.
<<
Shameless huzzy, >> one of the older mares said to her, and the
others laughed.
Billy began to
think, maybe this was as real as it gets for these folks, and this was
their way of relaxing or letting off steam to live a more simple life
with benefits. Maybe it was a healthy way of hearkening back and
reliving a more simple time which was less complicated and a bit more
romantic than the sterility and uniformity an ultra modern world might
impose. Maybe this wasn’t part of their original heritage, but through
transmissions from Earth of old horse operas, TV shows, and movies sent
out into space, they came to enjoy and admire the laid back life-style
of the old West.
“A little of all
them things, Son,” Matt said breaking into Billy’s train of thought,
“We’re free to indulge ourselves in any pursuit which makes us
comfortable and happy. Are we gods? No, we’re just another
technologically advanced race similar to the watchers, but a hop,
skip, and a jump further up the ladder. We ain’t no better’n them, we’s
just different. We got different perspectives and ways of looking at
things,” Matt explained. Billy wasn’t sure he understood, but he
reckoned Matt’s explanation would do for the time being.
“Can we get you
good folks a cup of coffee?” Matt asked.
“Real coffee?”
Billy asked surprised.
“Real coffee,
Son. We grow it here on the planet in our South American part just like
you do on Earth,” Matt replied.
“I’d love a cup,
sir,” Billy said, “How ‘bout you men?” Billy asked his family.
They all agreed
especially Hank and Buck. They hadn’t tasted real coffee in sixty-two
years. Matt yelled to his cook and his helpers to rustle up some coffee
for their guests. Archie and Edith decided to share a cup. The twins,
and psyches made a face when they tasted the strongly bitter black
beverage. “Since you seem to be fully stocked, Matt, would you have
some milk and a little sugar for a quartet of tenderfoots?” Billy
asked. Before Matt could summon them, one of the young cook’s helper
arrived with sugar and cream. Billy fixed Cass and Poly’s coffee, then
Edith and Archie’s, stirred it, and handed it back to them. “Try this,
buckaroos,” he smiled at them.
They took a sip and got a big smile
across their faces. “Thanks, Master
Billy, it’s really good like this,” Poly said and Cass agreed.
“Yes, thank you,
sir, this is much more to our liking,” said Edith.
“Damnation, them
little men be fine looking buckaroos no matter their size,” Matt
complimented the twins.
“Thank you, sir,
I’ve grown fond of 'em in the short period I been on Retikki Prime.
Don’t knows I could do without ‘em. They have many talents, but I’ve
only discovered a couple. They surprise me every day,” Billy said.
They sat around
the campfire drinking their coffee and the smells from the grill were
making the cowboy’s stomach’s growl. The smell of barbecue brisket was
unmistakable. It was almost overpowering for them; however, they
maintained their composure, and were perfect gentlemen. Billy was proud
of his family and their excellent deportment.
“We’ll have
something to eat here in a minute, good folks. Our cook and his men
have just about got everything ready,” Matt said, stood, and pressed a
small
green light on his leather wrist cuff to protect his fine Western
shirt, and a small screen sprang up before him. It caused a commotion
with Archie and Edith. They were chittering away in their native
language.
Matt dismissed
one screen, and pulled up another with a wave of his hand, which was a
duplicate layout of the campground. He pulled up another page next to
the image of the campground. He moved through a number of pages, until
he
came to the page he wanted, and selected six large wooden tables and
benches. He put his finger on one, moved it into the screen with the
campground, and twelve feet away, it sprang up on the ground. He didn’t
stop until he moved six tables with benches from the screen to places
around the campfire. “There,” he said, “that will make eat’n a little
more comfortable and pleasant for us,” he said.
About that time
seven cowboys on horseback came riding over the ridge. The group was
led by a fine looking cowboy with a big white hat and fancy boots
riding a large palomino stud. The cowboy was a handsome son-of-a-buck.
He looked like an old cowboy movie star from the 1940’s Republic movie
studio. The closer they got, Billy was sure it was Roy Rogers, his all
time favorite wet-dream cowboy when he was a kid.
When he was a
young boy, Billy had a couple dozen of Roy’s pictures, comic book
covers, pasted to his bedroom’s old and faded wallpaper. Since he
didn’t have a dad, he dreamed one day Roy would come for him, pull him
up behind him onto Trigger’s back, they would ride off into the
sunset together, down them happy Western trails to his ranch, and Roy
would make Billy his own son. Of course, he never gave much thought to
how he might break it to Dale Evans he wanted to sleep with Roy. After
all, it was his private fantasy.
“Ah, I see our
entertainment has arrived. I think you might recognize the cowboy on
the big
palomino, Billy. He’s the lead singer of our group, Roy Rogers and The
Son’s of the Pioneers,” Matt said.
“I only know him
from his movies. I seen ‘em all. I went to see his museum in Apple
Valley, California one summer when I went to visit some relatives out
there, but he already passed away by that time. I’s a little
disappointed Dale didn’t stuff him and sit him on the back of Trigger.
I’m sure he would have wanted it that way,” Billy said wickedly.
Everyone laughed.
“Rumor has it,
old Dale was plan’n on it, Son, but her family talked her out of it,”
Matt consoled him, and everyone shared a laugh.
Roy walked over
and shook hands with the boss-man, and Matt introduced him to the rest
of the group. The image they created looked, acted, and sounded just
like the real Roy Rogers. He was wearing an after shave that made him
smell like a desert flower; albeit, a very masculine desert flower. He
was as pleasant and genuinely awh-shucks down-home as Billy remembered
him from his movies.
“You men feel
like sing’n for your suppers?” Matt asked with a grin.
“Be right proud
to do a couple of tunes for you, Ramrod Quigley; unfortunately, our two
fiddle players come down with the croup, and we had to leave 'em back
at the ranch. I know how you loves yore’self some fiddles with yore’
cowboy music. H’it just won’t have that Texas sound without twin
fiddles,” Roy apologized.
“Maybe I can
help,” Matt said, “Cookie, we still got them twin fiddles in the
Prairie Schooner you bunk in?” he asked.
“Yeah, boss, but
I ain’t seen 'em in a coon’s age. Since we got Mr. Rogers and his men
to play fur us, we ain’t had no call for ‘em. I’ll send Banjo fur 'em.
I think I know’d where they is,” Cookie replied. The stout older cowboy
dispatched his youngest helper to his covered wagon. Cookie told the
young cowboy where to look for them. It didn’t take him long, and he
came walking back into the campground carrying two violin cases, one in
each hand.
Matt thanked him
and handed one to each of the twins. “I hear tell you men are some kind
of musical geniuses. J’ever see a violin before?” he asked.
“No, sir, Ramrod
Quigley,” they said in awe, “May we, Master?” they asked, and looked to
Billy for his approval before opening the cases.
“Sure. Go ahead
on.
See what’s inside,” Billy urged them.
The twins opened
the cases like they were holy objects, and inside were twin violins or
fiddles. They looked just alike. They were exactly the same size and
color. They carefully took them out and the cook’s helper gave them a
hand. He showed them how to tighten the horsehair and rosin up the bow.
He showed them how to use the pegs to tune the instruments, and
explained the fine tuning screws at the base of the bridge. He played
the banjo, hence his name, but sometimes doubled on the fiddle around
the campfire. He was still learning, but knew enough of the basic licks
to play a little Western music for Cass and Poly. The guitar
player and the harmonica player backed him up to play “Turkey In The
Straw.” The twins were agog. Banjo then played a standard country tune
in three-quarter time, “Waltz Across Texas.”
On his second
pass on the melody he motioned for Poly to join him. Poly put his
fiddle to his chin and flawlessly joined in a third lower to harmonize
the melody. The sound took the men’s breath away. Poly played to the
end of the piece without missing a note and the men applauded for him
and Banjo. Banjo smiled and handed his fiddle back to Cass, and the
twins played the piece again. Their playing was so moving, it brought
tears to the other musician’s eyes. Even Roy and Matt were deeply
moved. Once again Billy and Boomer were gobsmacked by their little
brother’s talents.
“Ain’t never
heard me no better fiddle play’n nowheres,” Hank said softly.
“I agree,
pod’na, finest I ever done heard,” Buck agreed.
“Com’moan, men,
let’s us earn our supper,” Roy said and the group gathered around to
play and sing.
Banjo ran to get
his eponymous instrument. He wouldn’t miss a chance to play with Roy
and the Son’s of the Pioneers. It sometimes took Cass and Poly a couple
of measures into the tune to get the feel of the piece, then they would
join in, and never miss a note. It was some of the finest Texas style
fiddle playing anyone ever heard. The rest of the musician couldn’t get
over how they could pick up an instrument they never saw before and
start playing -- and playing not just pretty good, but excellent.
Roy and his men
sang half a dozen songs before Cookie rang the triangle for their
guests and cowboys to get in line for grub.
“Guests first,
including entertainers, and ranch hands last,” Matt said loudly.
Matt graciously
escorted his guests to the front of the line and gave each a large
metal
tray. As they went through the line, the cook and his helpers loaded
their trays. At the end of serving table, there was a huge tray of
various common and more exotic fruits. Archie and Edith got excited at
the large selection and began chittering away in their
language. They took several pieces of various fruits.
“Am I missing
something here, Hank?” Billy asked motioning to the Psyches’ excitement.
“We thought
they’s omnivores, Boss. They seem to eat anything we serve, but we
noticed they don’t eat much. We thought that's jes' 'cause they's
small, but maybe not. There ain’t a lot of fresh fruits available on
Retikki Prime. They always seemed to enjoy and appreciate what little
we could find for them,” Hank said.
“Let’s look into
it. Earth has a wide variety of fruits, and from the looks of that
display, they got theirs from Earth and maybe some other planets. I
want my family well taken care of,” Billy said concerned. Hank nodded
and smiled as he followed Billy with his tray loaded with barbecue
brisket, red beans flavored with oregano, cowboy potatoes, and a bit of
salad. Buck was right behind them with a big smile on his face. The
cowboys ate well that evening, and so did the rest of Billy’s family.
The twins
thought Matt and Roy were two of the finest men they ever met besides
their master, and didn’t move far from them all evening. They asked
their master if the two handsome men were what real cowboys in Texas
looked like. Billy assured them, they had to look no further than their
buddies Hank and Buck to know what real Texas cowboys look like. While
Matt and Roy were certainly fine looking men, they might be thought of
as exceptions rather than the rule. The average cowboy wasn’t that
handsome, but what he might not have in looks, he made up for in
honesty and hard work. If he was a true man of the West, who lived and
believed in the cowboy way, it didn’t make any difference what he
looked like, he was considered a cowboy, and earned the respect of
others by the way he lived his life.
The twins were
the center of attention and enjoyed their moment of adoration. For
dessert the Irin cowboys served real Blue Bell vanilla bean ice cream
imported all
the way from Earth in the Sol system. Billy, Hank, and Buck were in
cowboy heaven.
The evening
wound down, the camp was cleaned up, the tables removed, and the
entertainers left to return to their ranch. Everyone was siting around
the campfire, and the cowboy with the guitar was playing softly.
Everyone was sated with the good food and even Archie and Edith had a
glow about them Billy never noticed before.
“Well, Master
Billy Daniels, the time has come to talk of many things: of shoes, and
ships, and sealing-wax; of cabbages, and and kings; and why the sea is
boiling hot, and whether pigs have wings,” Matt said to get everyone’s
attention, and grinned at his Lewis Carroll reference. “We have asked
you here to offer our friendship, alliance, and support in your
decision to take on the Watcher’s challenge to attempt to turn your
planet around to one of enlightenment, compassion, reason, knowledge
through education, science, and the arts, by manipulating the
redistribution of wealth
to rebuild your middle class; and, to restore the dream of a great
democracy you’re nation once held within its grasp and lost to an evil,
corrupt corporate sell out which has been allowed to run berserk
without
any checks or balances.
“It supports an
ultraconservative theocratic despotic dictatorship as a front; a regime
lacking any redeemable social qualities which hides behind their own
warped vision and interpretation of ancient writings that have no
credibility in a modern world. Their life sucking beliefs does its job
to insure the top one percent maintains power. Their wealth buys them
the politicians of both parties they need to manipulate your government
to get their way so they can rule and decide the fate of the people on
your planet. No matter how
anyone tries to define it, the Earth has become a planet of a few
wealthy families or corporations who own and control everything. They
govern by the best government they can buy for themselves, and for no
one else’s benefit but their own.
"They did it by feeding the myth
to the true believers, if they worked hard, kept their noses to the
grind stone, they could climb the ladder of success one day -- but only
if the wind was blowing in the right direction, aided by the crumbs and
sporatic drips and drops of wealth what might trickle down from the
table of their overlords feeding frenzy. If all those things came
together for them, their health held out, and they caught the gold ring
on the merry-go-round, then they, too, would
become like their wealthy overlords, be welcomed into the kingdom of
the 'haves', and share in the greater bounty of the wealthy by earning
their own reserved place at the feeding trough; but to do so, they must
shun unions, all forms of social 'entitlements', and renounce any
compassion for their fellow man. They must become as
heartless and disinterested in the plight of their neighbors as the
wealthy looked upon them. Blind faith in a political idea or religion,
even when proven to be failure, is
the most difficult of all human failings to undo and cannot be undone
with logic, reason, or compromise.
“Now, this ain't
new in the development of a species; however, by the time most species
have developed as scientifically as yours, it usually puts aside its
beliefs in myths and superstitions and begins to grow into a more
complete, liberally integrated society. The cycle can go on for
centuries as witnessed by your planet. Earth has seen many
civilizations rise and fall based on the fortunes of the few growing
fat from the backbreaking toil and sweat of the many, and always, at
the central core to
control the masses was some rabid form of religion to feed their
superstitions, fear, and ignorance. The divine right of
kings comes to mind; which, by the way, is a complete fallacy. There is
no such thing.
“Until the late
eighteenth century, there never was a society based on the idea all men
are created equal and should be given the same chance as any other in a
society, and protections put into place to assure those ideals. Your
country was founded on that concept, and the founding fathers were wise
enough to separate church and state within their constitution. They
knew the suffocating effects fanatic religious beliefs could bring
about, and were careful to put a muzzle and a leash on it. Only, they
didn't go far enough. They never should have made religions exempt from
taxation.
“Within the last
hundred years -- or more specifically since 1962 -- your planet and
your
country in particular, has been ravaged by an evil demonic plague of
pseudo religious fervor in the form of rabid Christo-fascist
fundamentalism which has been used as a means for the wealthy to ride
roughshod over the general population in the name of piety and demanded
tolerance for their beliefs no matter how crazy they became. They
weren’t satisfied to keep their beliefs unto themselves, but formed
strong political parties to insist their beliefs become the law of the
land as opposed to civil law, a more humanistic approach to
government, and living as a free and open society.
"All of these socio-political
moves were well conceived plans to draw attention away from the
greater problem of the unchecked rise of corporate communism. It's
every magician's ploy to distract you, to draw your attention
elsewhere, so you won't pay attention to what they're really doing. So
it is with the one percent on your world. They feed the right wing
politicians large sums to fight a never ending battle against more
liberal civil rights, women's rights, abortion, science and evolution,
to keep the real problems of their country from being considered.
It’s an age-old
story of power; who wants it, and what they’re willing to pay to get
it.
"We’ve seen it happen before, but never so many times on one
particular planet. It has been proven without fail, the best way to
control a populace is through fear and blind unquestioning faith.
Scare people into
believing an invented evil is real and supremely evil, convince them
your answer
to the problem and your solutions are the only way, then set those
ideas into stone by empowering them through religion. It grows
even
stronger when there’s a disparaging gap between the haves and have
nots.
“Religious
institutions pay no taxes and are suppose to be non-political, but in
reality it’s quite the contrary; their never ending resources from true
believers and support from wealthy corporations has bought them inroads
to weaken every aspect of the democratic process until it recently
failed completely; they took over, claiming they were the true
patriots, and only doing what was best for the country. Like their
beliefs, dogma, and everything else they do, it was a lie. It was only
best for them and their wealthy overlords.
“Slavery has
been reintroduced on your world by the very country who fought a civil
war to abolish it. It came about as a politically expedient thing for
the wealthy and greatly reduced their expenses for labor. Why pay for
it when you can get it for free? That’s the core thinking of people who
have money. They get the mistaken idea they are above the law, without
any
responsibility to their fellow man. Laws are made only for the common
folk to keep the unwashed masses in check. After they privatized the
prisons, and began the
forced work programs, it was only one
small step away from legalizing slavery. The ruling class were backed
by the religious fundamentalist right-wing bureaucrats who declared,
“If the bible
says it’s all right, that settles it, I believe it -- end of
discussion.”
“We ain't
telling you this to condemn you for taking slaves for your family. It’s
currently the way of your world. We know where your heart is on the
matter. At the moment, it’s necessary for you to claim you own slaves
to blend in to hide your true purpose. Make no mistake, the family you
gathered unto you, understands the concept of slaves owning their
master, and will follow you to the ends of the universe, not because
you hold a piece of paper what says you own them and they must do so,
but because they love you, they have given themselves to you, and have
chosen to look after you. There is no greater or stronger bond in the
universe.
“Retikki Prime
is a good example. As your slaves will confirm, Master Billy,
they actually own the elite classes on their world. Much like you came
to realize your faithful cow pony owns you, the slaves on Retikki Prime
take care of and provide for their masters. They are in charge, and it
behooves their masters to take them into consideration before any
decision is made. While it might seem contrived or even convoluted to
others, it works for them, and they have a successful socially
progressive society.
“Like a cancer
on the human body, the wealthy and the religious of your world have
joined together to eat away at the body politic until it doesn’t
function as a moral democracy anymore. All protections for the poor and
middle class have been stripped away, and they stand naked and
vulnerable to the whims and exorbitant price gouging corporate
monopolies set for their services. Because they can’t afford them, many
live without modern conveniences, which should be the right of any
citizen in an advanced civilization -- and that ain’t only the poor.
More than half of your middle class is living below the poverty index.
“You and your
family will become the antibiotic agent which will kill the infection
from within. It will be swift and sure, but you must never lose focus
by showing them mercy or the tolerance they demanded to screw your
world. They displayed no remorse in 2000 when they convinced the
heavily
weighted conservative supreme court to give them the election when, in
fact, they lost the popular vote. They haven’t stopped since and used
every foul and underhanded means to insure their victory in future
elections. You must become as ruthless at destroying their
infrastructure as they were tearing down your country bit by bit.
“To do this you
don’t have to resort to violence, but you must be cunning, sure, swift,
and strong of purpose in any decision you make to take them down. You
must steel yourself against the hypocrisy and adversity their kind of
garbage produces. We have several gifts to offer you and your family
which might seem to make you superheros, but in reality are based on
solid science and advanced technology. It will give you a cutting edge,
but it can’t be investigated should one of you fall into their hands. Furthermore,
there are built in safeguard to prevent such from happening.
"We are
offering you a work force of a thousand males and females of our
species, who have special talents, and have volunteered for this
project. If you accept them, they will be delivered to your ranch in
the form of cattle; a rare but handsome breed of Highland Cattle. They
will be quite recognizable and well suited for the colder weather
conditions brought about by global warming. Needless
to
say,
they
are
not
to
be
used
for
food.
They are most docile
and
gentle by nature; you will love them. One of our females would make an
ideal birth mother for your son, Master Billy,” Matt said and smiled.
“We’re
transporting them in cattle form so you don’t have to house and feed an
army at a moment’s notice. You may call upon them as you need
them. All you have to do
is asked for their leader. He will morph for you, and tell you about
their individual talents. Several are skilled cowboys. They will be a
great help to you tending the herd, and seeing to their well being
until needed. Even in cattle form they have the power to protect
themselves, and can’t be shot or preyed upon by wild animals. They can live
and survive quite well and comfortably in cattle form for years. They
each have unique talents and all have overlapping abilities. They are
the best of our young we have to offer. Of course we’re sending females
as well as males; after all, a herd of cattle without cows and calves
might become suspicious.
“And, if worse
comes to worse, we have at our disposal, an artificially manufactured
race of humanoids, much like Clyde and Nick without wings, trained to
become a police force on alien worlds to insure peace and tranquility
among the natives until major changes in their political infrastructure
can be accomplished,” Matt said, and paused for a minute to gage a
response from his guests.
“May I ask
Ramrod Quigley a question, Master Billy?” Buck asked.
“Of course you
may. Any of Master Billy’s family may ask questions as well as him. We
respect your positions as his slaves, but signing on with his outfit
means you have as much right to our information as your master.
Besides, I’m bet’n yore’ master ain’t the kind of man to keep anything
hidden from you good folks,” Matt replied for Billy.
“Ramrod
Quigley’s right, guys. Ask your question, Buck,” Billy confirmed.
“Why are you
doing this? What’s in it for you?” Buck asked.
“Good questions,
since y’ain’t never been exposed to our race before. To be honest, we
ain’t done much over the centuries to interfere with any species,
because we never really had to before now. Like I said earlier, by the
time most species get to your technological level, they cast off belief
in gods, myths, superstition, and begin to come together to form more
coherent societies with protections and safeguards for those who have
neither had the breaks, education, nor the skills to provide a decent
life for themselves; however, Earth is a special case. It’s suffered
endless plundering and the natives have been genetically tinkered with
to believe in supreme beings to make them gullible, docile, and more
easily controlled.
“We are
interested in correcting the errors made by advanced aliens like
Jehovah who should have known better. Proclaiming himself their god, he
ruthlessly exploited the
lesser developed humanoids to rob them of their precious metals and
have them provide food for him in the form of offerings. He was lazy,
and it was easier for him to present himself as a deity rather than
gain
their cooperation through teaching them how to live and survive to gain
their trust and cooperation. That would have
been too much like an exchange; too much like work. Besides he didn’t
like the way they smelled even after he convinced them they should cut
off their foreskins to prove their faithfulness to him. Besides, why
pay for something when Jehovah could get it for free by scaring the
crap out of them, convincing them they would burn in a lake of fire
forever after they died if they didn’t do as he told them and worship
him?
“Anyone who
truly believes the Jews were his chosen people were right only in one
respect. They were nothing more than Jehovah’s chosen work force
for him for a period of time. They were convenient. If he was a real
god, as he claimed to be, he would have gathered all the nations of the
world together to inform them he was their new big daddy. He didn’t,
because he couldn’t. He couldn’t control every nation on Earth at the
time, and he wasn’t interested. Again, because it was too much
work. He
got really
upset when he found out the Israelites were making golden calves as
idols of
Baal; not because it was an image of another god, but because they were
stealing and using the gold they were suppose to be mining for him.
It’s only one small step from the collective memory of a demented,
angry, ruthlessly greedy alien making horrible threats and demanding
body modification to a religion based on his misdeeds.
“As a result,
that’s what you have on Earth today. Jehovah’s influence poisons every
facet of life on your planet, and it’s only going to grow stronger and
worse unless someone throws up a major roadblock and says ‘no’ there is
a better way, then lead by example. That’s
where you folks come in. Together with the Grigori, we plan to assist
you to make sure you have the means to set things right and
turn the Earth around. Others have tried before you. The Anunnaki
manufactured artificial humanoids as messengers to teach mankind
knowledge, science, art, reason, enlightenment, and the truth of what
Jehovah was doing to them. Until that time he kept them enslaved by
ignorance and his bad ass attitude.
"He found out what the messengers
from the Anunnaki were doing and sent his demons to capture the so
called fallen angels. They were rounded up and locked away under a
great mountain and remain there to this day in stasis chambers. Only one angel
escaped because he was rescued by the Grigori, and has gone on to do
great things for the inhabitants of many worlds in several different
galaxies. As the Grigori told you, Billy, your buddy Nick ain’t no
demonic entity. He has grown and evolved to become somewhat mellow as
he’s grown older, and we see him becoming a great part of your new
family,” Matt said to Billy.
“Is there any
truth to the story Nick told me, higher beings in the universe require
him to become my slave because I saved his life, or he will be
terminated within thirty days on Earth if he don't comply?” Billy asked.
“Many societies
in the universe and some on Earth practice the ritual; however, we
would never terminate him if he chose not to become your slave. Nick
believes it to be so. He thinks the Grigori planned his crash landing
on Earth to set him up. They are powerful beings, but they have limits.
To ease Nick's mind, he will beg you to take
him for your slave. He also has a great need to bond with you to become
a part of your
family. He needs to give himself to you. Our advice, lead him on for a
while, then when you feel the time is right, graciously accept his
pledge. We know you’re clever enough to satisfy both your needs without
ever demanding it of Nick. We’re sure of it. So, I think, are the
Grigori,” Matt said and grinned, “I think you made it clear for
them, Son,” he added and laughed. Billy grinned.
“To answer the
second part of your question, Buck, about what do we get in return? We
get a planet we’ve become very fond of as allies. What you see before
you this evening ain’t no parlor trick. We have completely built a copy
of your planet here, so we may enjoy some of the the things others
might find mundane or consider without merit. We find great peace,
solace,
and inspiration from hard physical labor and accomplishing things
together. I think you cowboys understand what I’m talking about,”
Matt said and smiled. They nodded their heads in agreement.
“Furthermore,
the Grays and the Greens, whom I believe Hank, Buck, Archie, and Edith
met a number of years ago, who come from another dimension are raiding
our worlds more frequently. From those we have captured and
interrogated, we learned they have almost completely wiped out the life
forms in their dimension and must travel to ours for food. They are an
artless race who have no semblance of a soul or greater purpose in life
other than to be parasites in any universe they occupy. They never
cared to learn to raise and care for animals for their food. Why should
they when they can get it for free by raiding, plundering, and stealing
their food from more primitive societies? Do you see a pattern here?”
Matt asked.
“Ayn Rand, the high priestess of corporate greed on your world, and her
sophomoric ideas contributed greatly to the abandonment of a more
stable economic theory in favor of an unchecked corporate controlled
supply-side 'Reaganomics' or 'trickle-down' theory. It was like asking
the fox to guard the hen house. Rand was an unattractive, chain
smoking, bad tempered, sexually frustrated, attention seeking crone,
who
loved to be stroked, and told how brilliant she was. Sadly, she wasn't.
Rand produced
little more than a few badly written novels with worthless ideas most
resonable people consider as adolescent narcissistic drivel and shun as
socially stifling, implausable, and morally corrupt by the end of
secondary school. Unchecked capitalism and greed is a fast spreading
malignant cancer which will devour the soul of a society and kill it
from within. The wealthy one percent on your planet have become your
Earth bound parasites killing it from within by destroying your middle
class, while the Grays and Greens rob you from the sky,” Ramrod Quigley
added.
“The Grays and
Greens developed technology before they matured as a species, and never
evolved into caretakers. It became too easy for them to be hunter
gatherers in space, which eventually caused them to evolve into
parasites. They are thieves, robbers, and killers. Soon all the more
advanced worlds will be forced to join together to fight them as a
common foe. We will need Earth’s help, but before we will provide a
practical means for man to leave Earth, either in ships or through
gates, we must feel comfortable your planet has reached a level of
social maturity
to handle such technology and join us. The powers that be slowly choked
off funds to your space program at the turn of the century because
several advanced races contacted your leaders and told them they would
not allow them into space if they brought their religions with them.
“As much as the
Grigori have come to love you, Master Billy, I’m sure they feel the
same way. Ask them about it on your return,” Matt urged, “To give such
information to your world, as it is now, would never be shared with the
common man. It would be kept secret by the rich and powerful
military-industrial complex. You will
discover they’ve known about other clean, unlimited power sources
they’ve kept hidden for years to insure your dependency on oil and
other
dirty fuels such as coal and fracting wells. The wealthy
have the technology to go to the stars, but know if it was ever
discovered, the people would demand to know what other things they kept
hidden.
To share our knowledge with them would be counterproductive. They would
only use it to
further their own selfish greed and use the technology to assure their
continued grip on their seat of power. That’s not what we
hope to accomplish, and we won’t be a party to that happening. They
must be cut down one by one as a tall tree in a forest. So for the sake
of the universe, it is imperative you succeed in your endeavor, Master
Daniels,” Matt said with firm conviction.
“It don’t sound
like no stroll in the park on a Sunday afternoon, Matt,” Billy said
without nuance.
“It ain’t, Son,
but you been trained and carefully raised for this job. You just
ain't aware of it yet. Soon, the memories of your dreams
will begin to come to you, and when you’re faced with a decision you
will have the answer available. If not, you'll know where to find it.
Both the Grigori and ourselves,
the Irin, have tutored you from before you left your mother’s womb. You
are not only a fine cowboy, and a good, kind-hearted, decent man, Son,
you are a child of the stars, Billy. Your destiny is being followed and
written about in several thousand galaxies,” Matt said
quietly.
Billy was
stunned by the implication, and his family gathered closer to their
master to offer their support. “You won’t be alone,” came the sweet,
small voice of Edith, “Ramrod Matt’s right, we do love you, Master
Billy. In the sixty two years Archie and I lived on Retikki Prime we
never felt right about trying to have little ones. Outside of our love
for Hank, Buck, and the twins, we never felt like we belonged. We don’t
feel that way with you. You make us feel needed and wanted,” she said,
hugged Billy, and gently kissed him on his cheek. Edith’s sincere
comment and small kiss opened a flood gate of feelings and emotions in
Billy’s mind. He thanked her and Archie for their support.
“We feel the
same, Boss-man,” Buck said and motioned to Hank and the twins.
“All right
then, if we been chosen for this task, lets get on with it. We will
accept your gracious gifts, Matt. I think we’re gonna’ need all the
help we can get, but will we be able to contact you if we need your
counsel or advice?” Billy asked.
“Absolutely. I’m
giving Clyde to you as your slave. He will be our go-between. Now you
will have a matched set of messengers,” Matt smiled.
“Is it all right
with you, Clyde,” Billy asked.
“More’n all
right with me, Master Billy, I asked for the assignment. I'd be
downright proud to be your slave and call you my master, sir,” Clyde
said
as the big angel dropped to
his knees in front of his new master and kissed each of his buckaroo
boots, “Please, accept this humble messenger as your slave and part of
your family, Master Billy,” Clyde said.
“Come to your
master’s arms and give him a kiss to seal our bond and our troth to one
another, handsome angel,” Billy said in a gentle but commanding voice.
Clyde rose, took
his smaller human master into his huge arms, surrounded him with his
beautiful wings, and kissed Billy tenderly. There was no doubt in
anyone’s mind who witnessed their bonding, it was as solid as gold is
precious.
<< Don’t
forget me, Master Billy, >> came a cry from among the cow ponies.
Billy smiled and
looked at Matt. The ramrod had a big grin on his face. He heard Miss
Maybell’s plea. “She’s yorn if you want her, Son,” he said quietly,
nodding his head in the ponies direction.
“Sure. Why not?
I won’t have no time to take care of my owner’s needs when I get back,
and he needs a good mate. Me and ma’ uncle just ain’t had the money to
buy him a filly. We’s some of them poor folks you were taking about
earlier, but I got a feeling we won’t be much longer,” Billy said.
“You won’t, I
promise. Ms. Maybell will be a fine addition to your family,” Matt
said, “Front and center, Ms. Maybell if’n ya’ wanna’ go with Master
Billy,” Matt hollered.
The beautiful
Palomino Morgan came running up kicking her heels with her mane and
tail flying in the breeze. Billy and Matt smiled at the comments they
heard from the other ponies. << Well, I
never! Can you believe her? Of all the unmitigated gall! Brazen huzzy!
Pushy tart! >> they said.
“You ladies hesh
up over there. I intended to offer Master Billy a mate for his owner
all along. Ms. Maybell just happens to have the pride and the spirit to
speak up for herself. She will make a fine mate for Samson,” he said,
and after several grumbles and a couple of snorts, the comments died
out.
Maybell was all over
Billy nudging him to pet her and show her a little love. He laughed at
her as he petted her, and continued his conversation with Ramrod Matt.
“Can we cut the initial shipment of personnel in the form of cattle in
half, Ramrod? I’m gonna’ have to explain all this to my Uncle Nate, and
he might not be ready for a thousand head of rare breed cows. It might
be a little easier on me and him. Then Clyde and me can let you know
when we’s ready for the second shipment,” Billy said.
“No problem.
You, your family,
and Clyde decide when you need the rest, and we’ll know immediately.
Whatever Clyde knows, we know,” Matt said.
It made sense to
Billy, but he got a twinkle in his eye, “Does that mean, if I take my
new slave, my handsome messenger to my bed to share a little love with
him, you will know about that, too?” he asked and grinned.
“Absolutely.
We’ll share equally in his pleasure as well as yours,” Matt replied and
grinned.
Billy paused for
a moment, looked up at Matt and grinned, “I can live with that,” Billy
said, and they shared a laugh.
“Now we will
bestow upon you and your family some extra powers you might find
useful,
and may need on your journey. Gather together with Clyde,” Matt
instructed.
Billy’s family
stood together including Maybell. A bright light came from the sky,
and descended upon them. It made their skin glow and their hair stand
on end like it was electrically charged. They looked funny to each
other like they were frightened by a ghost. The light surrounding them
would intensify, then subside, change colors, intensify again, then
subside again. Each time it subsided their hair would return to normal.
Then when it intensified, their hair or fur would stand straight
again. It kept it up on a regular cycle for about ten minutes of
different color cycles. Billy thought it was a unique way to download
information to their bodies and minds.
He heard an echo
of agreement from his family, like they were standing in a great
hallway, and their thoughts echoed and reverberated down thought the
endless corridors of time and space. Unknown to them, among the
enhancements, they were being transformed into live video transmitters
to create the ultimate reality show for several universes to watch and
enjoy as Master Billy’s family struggled to save their world from the
evils of ignorance, intolerance, and unchecked greed; however, it would
not be free to those worlds. To follow the daily saga of Billy’s band
of misfits, they had to pay a subscription similar to Hulu.com or
Netflix into a fund to help finance Billy and his family’s crusade.
However, the family’s immediate benefit from the enhancements was to
gain powers to insure
their success -- to achieve a happy ending for their story.
“Do you think
you might ever get to our neck a’ the woods, Matt?” Billy asked after
the enhancements were done.
“I might, if’n
I’s to be invited right nice-like,” he replied and smiled.
“You have an
open invitation to visit anytime you can get away,” Billy said.
“They’s a lot of
folks what would pay big sums for the chance to visit you and your
family, young man,” Matt said.
“Maybe we could
start up a visitor’s center or lodge where they could come, stay a
while, and find out what it’s like to live and work as a cowboy,” Billy
mused.
Matt grinned at
his suggestion. “With creative ideas like that, you don’t have to
worry, Son, you’ll do just fine,” Matt said and
smiled.
Billy and his
family thanked Matt, shook all the cowboy’s hands, and told them what
a good time they had. They were getting ready to go when Banjo walked
up with the twin fiddles and handed one to each of the twins. “We took
a vote and decided we want you men to have these, so if we come visit
or you come back with your master, you can play with us again,” Banjo
said, "And since the only radio station where you’re going plays only
country and Western music, we’ll expect you to be old hands to the
music the next time we see you,” he said. The twins were all over Banjo
thanking him, then they went to Ramrod Quigley and gave him a big hug
and a kiss.
“You men take
good care of them fiddles. They’re very old. When you get to Earth,
look
inside each one, and you’ll see a signature: Omobono Stradivari Cremona
1740. They were twin violins made for a pair of twins. They’s the last
two instruments made by Antonio’s son before he died two years later.
Some say they ain’t as fine as his dad’s fiddles, but they ain’t never
heard them played like you men done tonight. If old Tony Stradivari
could a’
heard you men play his son’s instruments, I think he would be right
proud of his boy. I know we were,” Ramrod Quigley said.
Cookie brought a
large bag filled with goodies and handed it to Billy with a wink and a
nod. Billy graciously thanked the old gentleman, gave him a hug, and
personally invited him to Earth when he could get away; he and his two
helpers were always welcome. All goodbyes and good wishes were said and
Clyde’s Angel Flight flew them back to Retikki Prime.
It was still
early afternoon when they arrived back in the garden. Uncle Gregor and
his mate Uncle Albrecht were alerted the Daniels family returned. The
giants were relaxing in their bed enjoying the afterglow of creating
stars for the Rose nebula; however, they only got to ring the star-bell
twice. They promised each other they would work harder that evening to
bring more light to that section of the universe. Since they only got
to watch the first section of their nephew’s video before they rang
their second bell, they knew it would be an excellent stimulus to
create
several more.
“Do we get to
keep these fine duds we be wear’n?” Hank asked.
“Sure,” replied
Clyde, “they’s a gift from Ramrod Quigley. Ya’ll need some clothes to
go back to Texas with anyway,” he added. Everyone was happy.
Gregor and
Albrecht were overwhelmed by the Irin’s generosity, and now, Billy had
two angels to help him. They were enchanted by Ms. Maybell. She was
friendly and polite, and the size of the two giants didn’t seem to
bother her a bit. She was too busy munching away at the luscious grass
in the garden.
“May we inquire
what’s in the bag, Master Billy?” Uncle Gregor asked.
“Some special
food for a very special little lady and her handsome mate,” he replied.
Edith overheard
Billy and walked to him, took his hand in her’s, and kissed the back,
“Only a real cowboy, a true man of the West, a man who knows how to be
a master, would be thoughtful enough to think of us that way, Master
Billy. We’re very grateful and humbled to be going home with you. We
have no fears, and you should have none either. We know you will take
care of us, sir, and as Master Quigley told you, you must trust us to
take care of you,” Edith said quietly.
Gregor and
Albrecht were gobsmacked. For once, they didn’t know what to say they
were so moved by what the smallest member of Billy’s family told him.
They looked at each other with their mouths open as if they were going
to ask each other the same question they already knew the answer to.
They closed them and laughed with each other.
They had plenty
of time before the evening meal was ready to be served in the garden
and the giants sat down with Billy’s family and discussed, at length,
their goals and ambitions for Earth and the change they hoped to bring
about. Billy, Boomer, Clyde and the rest of Billy’s family told them
everything Ramrod Quigley told them and what the Irin hoped to
accomplish seemed to coincide perfectly with the goals of the Grigori.
“Ramrod Quigley
urged me to ask you gentlemen if you agreed with him and the Irin
that Earth was not yet ready for the scientific knowledge to leave
their planet, and they wouldn’t help with that information until they
were certain we were ready for it?” Billy asked.
“Absolutely, but
to take it one step further, we will not allow it until religion
is sequestered to the point it is a quaint memory assigned to history
like the Roman, Norse, and Greek gods of antiquity, and that
encompasses all religions on Earth. We know it sounds like an
insurmountable task, Billy, but once you return and get organized,
others of like mind will join you, and it will grow from there like a
small snowball rolling down a hill growing logarithmically from its
mass and weight. When you’re ready our people will begin to come to
Earth and give you a hand, but you will be in control of everything,”
Uncle Gregor explained.
Billy, Boomer,
and Clyde continued to talk with the Watchers as they ate their evening
meal. They were joined by a number of other watchers who wanted to sit
in on their conversations. They didn’t have much to add, but would nod
their heads in agreement from time to time. Billy’s family were stuffed
from their excellent meal on Fort Adam Lear and Billy dispatched his
cowboys to
gather their belongings and bring them to the garden area to pack the
anti-grav carts. Archie and Edith’s things were already carefully
packed.
Hank and Buck
had the most, and the twins had surprisingly little. As the Watchers
talked with Billy, his number one, and his messenger, his family
carefully packed their belongings in the carts. They
managed to get everything condensed onto two of the large carts. There
was only the smaller cart to pack, and Uncles Gregor and Albrecht’s
slaves were carefully packing it as they supervised from their places
around the great table in the garden.
When Billy’s
family were satisfied they were finished, they joined the rest of their
family.
“Did you pack
them precious seeds we talked about, cowboy?” Billy quietly asked
Hank.
“Aye, that I
did, my good master, and several other rare herbs what are little known
even on this planet. It took me mate and I ten years to track them
down, and then, we were only able to buy two seeds of the eight
different specialty herbs at a great price; however, since that time
we’ve multiplied
that number a thousand fold and have done well selling them as a side
business,” Hank explained.
“What about you
men’s grooming equipment?” Billy asked with a grin.
“Packed away
and on board, by your command, sir,” Hank replied with a wicked grin.
“Master Billy,
Buck and me are giving our apartment in the palace to Archie and Edith
for their comfort this evening,” Hank said.
“No problem. You
men will stay with the rest of us men. Boomer and me already planned to
have the twins stay with us and watch our video together.
Since we got Clyde, you men may as well join us. We got two big
bedrooms, and you know the size a’ them watcher beds,” Billy said,
“They’s room enough for all of us. I doubt we’s gonna’ get much sleep
tonight anyways,” he added.
Buck put the
twins on the back of Ms. Maybell, and was leading her around the garden
slowly so Cass and Poly could get the feel of being on the back of a
horse. They were having a ball. Buck made them take off their spurs and
pack them away. Since
they weren’t experienced, he didn’t figure Ms. Maybell would appreciate
two tenderfoots accidentally kicking her in the flank. Billy whistled for
them, Buck helped them down from Mr. Maybell, and they ran to their
master’s arms. They were still in their cowboy clothes. They didn’t
want
to take them off and run nude like they usually did. They liked being
cowboys like their master and their big brothers.
“How ‘bout you
men get’n out them two fiddles Banjo and Ramrod Matt give you and
play us a tune?” Billy asked quietly. Cass and Poly ran to the
anti-grav cart and returned with the violins in their cases. They
carefully removed them under the watchful eye of their master and got
ready. Clyde was standing close and leaned over to speak privately to
Billy, “May I join them on my guitar, Master?” the big angel asked, as
a
handsome guitar appeared out of nowhere in his hand.
“Absolutely, my
handsome slave,” Billy said and grinned from ear to ear.
“Uncle Gregor.
Uncle Albrecht. Esteemed guests, most worthy slaves, and dear friends
-- my two slaves
were gifted a twin pair of violins or fiddles by our host, Foreman
Matthew Quigley, on the occasion of my family's visit to the Irin world
of Fort Adam
Lear in the Andromeda galaxy. The instruments
were made on Earth over three hundred years ago by the son of one of
the most famous violin makers of all time. Cass and Poly will be
accompanied on the guitar by my other fine, handsome slave, our
messenger from the Irin, Clyde,” Billy said with a big smile on his
face. There was a brief applause for the men. “Gentlemen,” Billy said
to his musicians.
Clyde started
with an intro to “Waltz Across Texas” and the twins pick up the melody
on the second pass. Such playing had never been heard in the palace
garden for hundreds of years. Staff poured from the rooms, kitchens,
and surrounding shops into the garden to hear the beautiful sounds of
three angels playing the music of heaven. When they finished the piece,
there wasn’t a dry eye to be seen, and everyone gave them a huge
ovation.
They played
the other piece Banjo taught them, “Turkey In The Straw,” but Cass and
Poly made it their own. All Clyde had to do was provide
the harmonic base to the piece, and the twins took it from there. They
played it straight through once, then after the first pass they broke
into a fugue which chased each other up, down, and around until the
final ending of the piece became a great chaconne which Clyde
masterfully matched with his expert playing. As the last sound died,
the men sat stunned. They never heard anything like it. Then all hell
broke loose. The twins and Clyde were swamped with congratulations and
good wishes. Billy always
remembered that evening in the garden as his real introduction to the
people of Retikki Prime. They were good, hardworking folks who
appreciated fine music and entertainment as an enrichment for
their lives, and as a supplement for their well ordered souls. Somehow,
Billy knew the joy of music the twins and Clyde could bring to his life
would be a great solace during the more dark days which were sure to
come.
The crowd
wouldn’t let the three musicians go without a couple of encores. The
first Clyde joined them on, but the last piece the twins picked out of
their talented heads. It wasn’t country or Western music. It was
of classical intent, and showed off the virtuosity of the fine
instruments as well as the twins innate genius for music. It was a
piece to make Paganini pale by comparison played in perfect harmony
without a hint of a mistake. It was like the twins were reading a score
from the same page within their minds. It was phenomenal. They were
exhausted when they finished. To say they put their all into it and
played their hearts out, was an understatement. The crowd went crazy
with applause, but the twins ran to their master’s arms for his
approval.
“How could I
wish for better. I’m very proud of you men; proud to call you my
slaves,
and even more proud to call you my brothers,” Billy whispered tenderly
to
them as he hugged and kissed them both.
* * * * *
* *
The evening came
to an end. Billy and his family retired to Billy’s apartment, but
not before they escorted Archie and Edith to the cowboy’s apartment and
wished them a good evening. Billy asked Boomer carry the large bag of
various fruits to leave with them in case they got a mite peckish during the night.
The rest of the
family headed back to Billy’s apartment. Everyone undressed and looked
more comfortable. No one saw Clyde in the buff before, but everyone was
impressed. He was hung like a young bull with balls to match. Billy
invited everyone into his bed for the viewing of the video he and
Boomer made the night before. He explained to Clyde how Hank and
Buck were their grooms, prepared them, monitored the video, and helped
edit the final cut. Since the twins couldn’t be a part of his and
Boomer’s bonding, Billy promised them a showing that evening. Clyde was
as
anxious to view the video as the twins and cowboys. While Hank and Buck
helped create the finished product, they never watched it from
beginning to end.
Billy told his
family anything goes in the privacy of their gathering; if someone
wanted to masturbate or bring his partner some comfort they should
feel free to express themselves. They started the video. Billy was
lying between Boomer and Clyde with an arm around both. Clyde seemed to
be enjoying the closeness and camaraderie of Billy’s small family, and
begin to play with himself. Soon everyone was playing with themselves,
but it wasn’t done with intent of ejaculation. It just felt right to
slowly stroke themselves while watching Boomer fuck his master. It was
sympathetic manipulation for what they imagined their master must have
been feeling at the time.
Everyone behaved
themselves through the first two parts of the video, but when Billy
mounted his beast, and started riding his monster’s huge shaft like the
cowboy he was born to be, all hell broke loose. Every man grabbed the
closest partner, and from there it was a veritable
smörgåsbord of taste temptations. It was difficult to
concentrate on sex while watching the video with one eye, but no one
wanted to miss a minute of their master’s prize winning ride. At one
point, Billy broke off from sucking Clyde, as Clyde was sucking Boomer,
and put it to his family: “Show of hands, buckaroos. Who thinks we
should take a copy of this video back with us?” he asked. Every hand
went up, and they went back to what they were doing.
The video came
to an end and Billy’s slaves applauded for their master and his number
one. Billy and Boomer stood, held hands, and bowed to their
appreciative audience. After that they collapsed, everyone into the
same bed, and slept together as a family. Clyde managed to surround
most of them with his wings and they slept peacefully together. Billy’s
last thought before drifting off to sleep was: the family what plays
together, stays together. Billy planned for his family to be together
for a good, long while.
* * * * * * *
Cowboys are
notorious early morning risers. Hank and Buck got everybody up and rode
herd on the twins while moving the rest their family-herd to the
showers. They
smelled of raw animal sweat and male pheromones. Delicious, wonderful
man odors in private, but not so great for meeting the public. Hank and
Buck scrubbed the twins until they hollered. Billy tended to Boomer and
everyone helped with Clyde. It was sort of like landing on 'free
parking' and winning the jackpot getting to touch the handsome angel.
The twins insisted on helping him clean his fine set of tackle. Clyde
seemed to appreciate the attention.
They put on
their
Western clothes and left the apartment for the last time. Everyone
carried a small bag with them. They gathered Archie and Edith and
headed for the garden for a quick breakfast with Gregor, Albrecht, and
more guest who came to say final goodbyes and wish them well. They ate
more Hosanna cakes, and Billy talked one of his favorite kitchen slaves
into giving him a box with a dozen in it to take to Nick. You could almost
smell the excitement of Billy’s family they were so looking forward to
their brief journey through the gate to a new world for some and home
for Billy, Boomer, Hank, and Buck. Billy arranged for a gate to open in
the
barn. He knew it would be freezing cold in there, but he could get a
fire going quickly enough. He warned Archie, Edith, and Ms. Maybell
they may be cold for a short while. They didn’t seem worried.
The Grigori
provided two gates. One large gate for the barn and one for Billy and
Boomer to enter the cabin from which they left. Clyde told Billy and
Boomer to go on ahead, he and the cowboys would get the carts and the
rest through the
gate into the barn. The time came for them to depart, and after many
final hugs, kisses, a few tears, and fond farewells, Billy and Boomer
stepped
through the gate back to Earth within the line cabin.
They surprised
Nick. They left naked and Billy returned fully dressed in cowboy duds. “How long we
been gone, Tonto?” Billy asked and grinned.
“Less than ten
minutes. I’s just about
to get my second cup of coffee,” Nick replied, “How long were you
there?” Nick asked.
“On which
planet?” Billy asked and laughed. Boomer joined him, and they held each
other.
“I’s expecting
you to bring more folks with you,” Nick said.
“Ah, hell,
bird-man, we’s just the first wave,” Billy said. About that time the
bell rang from the barn. “That’s them now. Prepare yourself, my
handsome demon, and you too, Samson. I done brought you a pretty mate,
pod’na, all the way from the Andromeda galaxy,’” Billy said. He walked
over and opened the barn door. Ms. Maybell came through first, and took
her place in the stall next to Samson, followed by the twins, the
cowboys, the psyches, and big Clyde brought up the rear. As Billy
closed the door he heard Nick exclaim, “Clyde? Clyde, my brother? Is it
really you?”
Clyde opened his
big arms, and Nick was in them in a second bawling his heart out like a
baby calf what just lost sight of his momma. Clyde folded his huge
wings around his friend, comforted him, and kissed his tears away.
End of Chapter 5 ~ Him Who Made The Seven Stars
Copyright
© 2012 ~ Waddie Greywolf
All Rights
Reserved ~
03/14/2012