Seek Him What Made Them Seven Stars
By Waddie
Greywolf
Chapter 74
"The justification of art is the internal combustion it
ignites in the hearts of men and not its shallow,
externalized, public manifestations. The purpose of art is not
the release of a momentary ejection of adrenaline but is,
rather, the gradual, lifelong construction of a state of
wonder and serenity." ~ Glenn Gould
After taking the Ropopopadopolus family to their truck and driving
back to the ranch, Billy thought how nice it would be to retire
early to the line-cabin with his immediate family hoping his Demon
Dad would commit unspeakable crimes against nature on his body.
Alas, it was not to be; at least, for the moment. His greater
family of enhanced Cowboy-Angels and those gathered since he began
his journey had other ideas.
Sheriff Andreeson and Little Willie Whistlepie decided to gate
back to the secluded garage down beyond Nellie's Cantina. It was
time for them to resume their other lives. Neither men were
anxious to leave the ranch. Not only did they have a wonderful
weekend, but they were also forming new relationships and becoming
more attached to the Daniels Ranch. Willie was in better spirits
than the Sheriff. He enjoyed a couple of nights sleeping in the
big arms of his giant friend. Nellie and Gower Flint were happy to
see them and wanted to hear the news from the ranch and how Wilbur
was doing. Nellie and Gower were amazed by the Sheriff's
description of his boy's new talents, and they were impressed both
men seemed to have a good time.
The men decided before they left the ranch they wouldn't say
anything to Nellie about Wilbur getting engaged to a huge ex-con
and becoming his slave boy. No one told them not to, but they
figured it might be best if the news came from Wilbur and his
husband. Somehow they knew, even if it might come as a surprise to
Nellie, she would adjust. On the other hand, Nellie and Gower
decided they wouldn't tell the Sheriff his wife was in the Cantina
both nights drinking and carousing about, obviously looking for a
one night stand while leaving her two teenage kids at home
unsupervised.
They concluded, the only reason she wasn't successful was, she
didn't take care of herself over the years and wasn't appealing
enough to anyone. She was a bit on the plump side, dowdy, and what
'dowdy' didn't cover, frumpy did. After two drinks her laughter
went from quiet giggles to loud obnoxious outbursts of
high-pitched laughter which one wag swore would bring a vampire
back to life with a wooden stake through his heart. Nellie and
Gower made a bet, if the Sheriff continued to be away on weekends,
Shirley Andreeson would slim down and begin to take better care of
herself. They foresaw the storm clouds gathering over the
Andreeson household.
* * * * * * *
Bart Langstrom was so taken with his weekend experience at the
ranch, he was overjoyed when Billy invited him to come live with
his family and become a part of them. Sunday morning, while Billy
and his family were at Church, and his other family members were
called away to Retikki Prime and Fort Adam Lear, Bart and his
buddy Brent Sparks took his wheelchair back to the nursing home,
packed what small amount of personal belongings Bart possessed
including his computer Brent gave him, said 'goodbye' to the staff
and left. The head nurse on duty, who nobody liked, tried to
buffalo him and told him he wasn't going anywhere until she got an
official release from a doctor stating he could leave. Bart
laughed at her and just continued packing. She even went so far as
to call the Sheriff. Will Tate took her call and laughed at her.
“Does that cowboy look crippled to you, Mrs. Biggerstaff?” Will
asked.
“No, Sheriff. He's walking around like nothing ever happened to
him. But rules is rules, you know that,” she insisted.
“Rules are different from laws, Mrs. Biggerstaff. As long as Bart
ain't hurt'n nobody, and is sure he can take care of his'self,
he's a free man. He can do what ever he wants. Are you running a
nursing home or a jail?” Will asked, “Hell, we don't even lock the
cells on our hometown boys what run afoul of the law unless they's
charged with murder,” he added.
“But what will I tell the owners and the doctors?” she asked,
obviously getting frustrated with the Sheriff's lack of
cooperation. Her idea of cooperation was doing things her way –
period.
“Tell them the truth: they lost a patient due to a miraculous
recovery,” Will said.
“And you expect them to believe me?” she asked even more heatedly.
“If'n they don't, tell them to look into it themselves. With your
other staff and other personnel to back you up, what are they
gonna' do, fire you 'cause you didn't rope and hog tie the cowboy
until you got their approval? I don't think so,” Will reasoned.
“I'll tell them the truth, all right! I'll tell them you refused
to do your job, and they'd be fools to support you in another
election,” Mrs. Biggerstaff said angrily.
“Sorry to hear you feel that way, Mrs. Biggerstaff. I do my job
the best I can to protect the community from harm and settle minor
disputes even if it includes dealing with some would-be tin-pot
authoritarian bureaucrat who insists on bowing-down to kiss the
feet and worship their corporate masters rather than consider
their human side to feel joy and compassion for one of their
patients who made a full recovery. Cut the cowboy some slack,
Sadie. May I remind you, you're an administrator, ma'am; not a
jailer. Do what you will, but if you try to stop Bart Langstrom
from leaving your facility, you might find yourself in jail for
using your authority in an unacceptable manner and trying to hold
him prisoner against his will. I have a couple of local attorneys
what would be proud to take Mr. Langstrom's case against you and
your employers on a pro bono basis,” Will said firmly.
Mrs. Biggerstaff slammed the phone down to cut Will off without
another word to show her displeasure with him. Will laughed to
himself. He never liked Mrs. Biggerstaff. He knew of several shady
deals she was involved with around town, but never confronted her.
He made a mental note to keep a closer watch on her and how she
treated the patients and her staff in the nursing home. Mrs.
Biggerstaff told one of her main nurses to allow Mr. Langstrom to
leave, but to stress to him he must take everything with him. They
wouldn't be responsible for anything left behind nor would they
store it for him temporarily. That was fine with Bart and his
buddy concurred. They got out of there as fast as they could and
returned to the Daniels Ranch.
After they got Bart settled in his room, Brent Sparks decided it
was time for him and Gertie to leave. It was obvious Gertie didn't
want to go, but she had her job to do looking out for her master;
however, now she could talk with him, it would be a lot easier to
help him. The cooks and servers in the great dining hall invited
them to stay for supper, but Brent wanted to check on several of
his friends in the community he looked after. Bart accompanied
them to the big house where there were many tearful hugs of
goodbye and promises to come visit anytime Brent and Gertie could
get away. Kate said she certainly expected to see them the
following Saturday before noon to spend the day with them. Brent
promised he would and hoped to visit Bart whenever he could.
“Let's face it, Brent,” Bart told him as he walked Brent and
Gertie to their mini-van, “You been like an older brother to me,
and consequently, I done come to think on you as more that just a
buddy or a friend. I know we ain't blood, so I hope you'll forgive
me when I tell you I consider you the only relative I got, and
just because I ain't in that god-forsaken pit of a nursing home no
more, don't mean you gotta' drop me as a friend. I come to depend
on you and Gertie; not only for your graciousness and generosity,
but also for your compassion and humanity you done show'd me over
these past eight years. You ain't only become my close friend, you
been my teacher, mentor, and in some ways my spiritual guide even
though you ain't no believer. I got a lot more to learn from you,
Brother. You know what a big room they gimme,' and the other bed
is yours and Gertie's anytime you can get away and spend some time
with me. I'm gonna' work hard for Master Billy to earn my keep,
but it don't mean you and me can't get away and enjoy each other's
company. I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't become a
stranger,” Bart said.
It was so uncharacteristic of Bart, a cowboy of few words, to open
his heart and lay himself bare to Brent. The older man was caught
off guard and started weeping. Bart took him into his larger arms
and comforted him. “I'm sorry, Bart, I'm so unaccustomed to having
anyone show me even a portion of the brotherly love you just laid
at my feet like an unexpected Christmas present. Thank you for
your candor and sharing your feelings with me. I promise, we won't
lose contact with each other. Since you're more mobile, we can do
many things together we couldn't before. Don't you worry, we'll
make time for each other,” Brent said, and they gave each other a
good hug. Bart stood in the compound and watched as Brent drove
down the hill and around the bend toward the front gate. His heart
was filled with gladness and hope for the future; not only for
himself, but for his friend as well.
Gertie felt her master's conflicted emotions. Brent was full of
joy and happiness for their good fortune to have been invited out
to the Daniels ranch to be healed and returned to health; yet,
there was a deep sadness within him.
“You have to reconsider living, Master Brent,” Gertie said as they
set out on the blacktop to return to the small town.
“There is much more than words packed into that statement from one
so small, Little Girl,” Brent said quietly and smiled down at
Gertie.
“Your comfortable plans for a noble exit needs to be reexamined,
sir,” she said, “No! That's not strong enough! They must be
reconsidered, Master Brent,” she added.
“Have you known all along, Gertie?” Brent asked his beloved
companion.
“Of course! I can hear your mind. I know your love, and I feel
your pain. I could smell the death of cancer on you, but I didn't
know what it signified at the time. I knew your body was going
through a change, but the odor bespoke bad things. I can smell
things going wrong with your flesh and inside your person. I
couldn't ask or tell you about it. It was awful; however, you no
longer exude the smell of death. Your clothes do, but your flesh
no longer has the lingering odor of the disease. You must
thoroughly clean your clothes to remove the odor,” she said.
“I plan to. So, do I have any secrets you don't know about?” Brent
asked.
“No, we have secrets we share together, Master Brent,” Gertie
replied.
“And you know I was planning on keeping my love for Bart a secret,
and I would take my secret with me to my grave?” Brent asked.
“Yes, it was your plan. While it was so sad it broke my heart, but
it was noble and unselfish of you. It ain't a flaw, sir. That's
just the way you are, Master Brent,” Gertie replied.
“And now you think I must reconsider my plans?” Bart asked.
“Absolutely, sir. You have no other choice. You have been given
your life back and been returned to middle age. You have a new
life ahead of you, and if you live it in connection with the
Daniels family you will live a much longer and more productive
life than you did before,” Gertie replied.
“Bart's not like me, Gertie,” Brent said sadly.
“No, I agree. Perhaps he isn't, but you don't have to stop loving
him. I can guarantee you, Mr. Bart won't stop loving you; he just
won't be able to love you the way you might fantasize about in
your mind,” Gertie said.
“That won't be so bad,” Brent said and sighed deeply, “and I'll
have you to help me understand,” Brent said and smiled at his
companion.
“You will be fine, Master Brent. Just keep being the same good
person you are and have been. Them Ancients I heard those men
talking about will reward you,” Gertie said firmly.
“I don't do it for a reward, Gertie. I do for others to prepare my
soul for the inevitable. I don't believe in a life after death,
but I want to make damn sure, when it comes my time to leave this
body, it will be with a clear conscience and a full heart,” Brent
said.
“And that's exactly why they will reward you, sir,” Gertie said
and lay down to grab a quick snooze on their way home.
Brent Sparks heart was considerably lighter. He was convinced the
gift of speech for Gertie was a major contribution to their lives.
* * * * * * *
It was still early evening when Billy returned to the ranch with
Nick and Boomer. Boomer was sitting on the long-bench in the back
of the ranch van. As Billy pulled up into the compound, they came
upon the Rutherfords getting ready to depart for their ranch. Ram
got his driver's license and Ruth loved it when he was with them
because she didn't have to drive. She was a tad miffed at Randy.
They were ready to leave, but he begged her to wait until Billy
returned. Randy wanted to tell his big cowboy brother 'goodbye'
and a couple of other important ranch related things. Ruth
insisted he could talk with Billy later, but Kayla checked her and
told her the men would be arriving any minute in the ranch van. A
few more minutes wouldn't hurt. While Ruth was glad to see Randy
and Kayla growing closer, she didn't know whether she like them
ganging up on her. Billy Bob Bane wasn't with the Rutherfords
because Billy told Randy he wouldn't release him to the Rutherford
ranch for another two weeks. He wanted Billy Bob thoroughly broken
in and used to being around other people. Randy agreed with his
master and said his 'goodbyes' to his uncle earlier. There were
many hugs and kisses exchanged with promises to keep-in-touch.
Randy pulled Billy away from his family to speak to him privately.
They walked over to the old barn together.
“What's on you mind, Bossman?” Billy asked.
“Just that! Am I really gonna' be Bossman of our ranch?” Randy
asked.
“Certainly! As far as I'm concerned you's the Bossman; howsomever,
if you make a huge, unforgivable mistake, we might reconsider, but
I don't see that happening. Even if you did lay a big egg, after a
while, if I'm sure you learned your lesson, you'll be back
in the saddle again,” Billy assured him, “You know, 'at's the way
I'd treat any buckaroo what fuck's up. I'll always give 'um a
second chance,” he added.
“I think I'm about to make a big mistake, Brother,” Randy said
looking Billy right in his eye.
“I need more info, Pod'na ...” Billy said.
“I'm about to make the wrong man my Foreman,” Randy said and tears
came to his eyes.
“You mean you ain't gonna' make your uncle Foreman, Cowboy?” Billy
asked in surprise.
“Yes, but that's the mistake, Master Billy. My uncle ain't ready
to be Foreman of the Rutherford ranch, and I don't know's he ever
will be. I don't even know if he wants to be Foreman. He ain't
never said nothing one way or t'other,” Randy said like he was
being a traitor to his uncle.
“You know what, Buckaroo?” Billy asked.
“What, Brother?” Randy asked.
“I think you're trying to tell me you done already got chore'self
a fine Foreman, you wanna' keep him, and you feel like you's
stabbing him in the back,” Billy said quietly.
“Yes, sir, stabbing him wiff' a big old sword like the one you
keep in the cloakroom. I never told Ram who our new Foreman really
is, but when I told him a new man would be his Foreman, I saw a
look of hurt and disappointment in his eyes what broke ma' damn
heart. H'it stopped beating for a few seconds, melted, and ran
down into ma' boots. I couldn't walk for a few minutes afterward,
and the squishy feeling was just plumb god-awful,” Randy declared,
and Billy grinned at the boy's honest cowboy hyperbole.
“You's a good cowboy, Son, and a better Bossman. My best advice?
Follow your strong heart, Buckaroo, and do the right thing. Hell,
it might be easier on yore' uncle to play second fiddle until he
gains enough confidence in his'self to take on more
responsibility. My best bet is, if'n you have a good, long,
heart-to-heart talk wiff' that cowboy you done got for your Ramrod
and promote him to Foreman, he will be more than willing to see
your uncle ain't overburdened and help bring Billy Bob along to
become a find cowboy and good contributing member of the
Rutherford family. I share your faith in that fire-plug,” Billy
said and grinned at his description of Ramson Snoddy.
“Fireplug? I like that. He is built like a heavy-duty
industrial-strength fireplug what could carry enough water to put
out the worst fire,” Randy said and laughed.
They exchanged more hugs and kisses and walked back to the family
hand in hand. Billy, Nick, and Boomer said their goodbyes and Ram
Snoddy drove down the long driveway to the blacktop with his
Bossman sitting by his side. After they arrived at the Rutherford
ranch, and Ram helped get everything out of the SUV and into the
house, Randy told him to go on down to their house and he would
join him in a few minutes. He asked Kayla if he could have a word
with her in her new bedroom. She agree and Randy closed the door
behind them. He told Kayla what he and Master Billy talked about.
Kayla wasn't surprise and told Randy she couldn't agree more with
them. She thought it was a wonderful idea and shared with Randy
she thought Mr. Snoddy was doing an excellent job, and he should
be promoted to Foreman.
Randy asked Kayla to join him as he told the rest of their family
his plan. It went better than he imagined. His mother said she
wondered about why Master Billy would want Billy Bob Bane as a
Foreman when they already got themselves a perfectly fine Foreman;
only, they were calling him their 'Straw-boss' or 'Ramrod.' “I
didn't take Billy Daniels serious about you becoming Bossman of
our ranch, Randy, but I've seen what you can accomplish, and I've
changed my mind. You deserve the title, Son. So you handle it, and
us 'women-folk,' as you like to call us, will let you run with it;
however, do not make the mistake of not including us in your
decisions. You did right by coming to us this evening. It goes a
long way to gain unity and continuity. It also instills our trust
in you, Son,” Ruth said.
Randy walked out to the Foreman's house he shared with his Ramrod
just as the sun was setting in the West. It was a beautiful
evening and Randy's heart was full. He was happy and content
everything was working-out the way he thought it should. As he
walked into the kitchen of the house, Ram was taking the teakettle
off the stove. It was whistling a one-note happy tune.
“Wanna' shot of Sleepy Time Tea, Bossman?” Ram asked his
diminutive boss.
“I believe I will have me a big-old slug of that swamp-grass-water
they pass for tea, Ramrod,” Randy said. “Does it really make you
sleepy, Ramrod?” he asked.
“Depending on how tired I am. I think it makes me have better
dreams,” Ram replied.
Ram poured two big mugs of hot water over the tea bags. They sat
down at the table covered with a pretty piece of oil cloth Randy's
grandmother found in the attic of the ranch house. Randy added a
bit of sugar and stirred his tea. Ram drank his straight. They
saluted each other and clinked their mugs together. “Here's to the
new Foreman of our ranch. May he find a good home here with us.
May he find happiness, peace of mind, and the love of family in
his new job,” Randy said.
“To Billy Bob Bane!” Ram went along and raised his mug again, but
Randy didn't meet his.
“Oh, I weren't talking about Billy Bob Bane. I was talk'n about
you, Cowboy,” Randy said and grinned.
“I'm afraid I don't understand, Bossman,” Ram looked puzzled
almost like Randy was being mean-spirited with him.
“Of course you don't understand because I ain't never said nothing
to you about it until this moment. I realized after spending the
weekend with you and Mr. Bane, I was about to make a huge mistake;
however, in my defense, it was my big brother's idea, and I just
went along wiff' him. Still, that ain't no excuse because I'm
Bossman of this here ranch and not my big brother. Even my family
agrees with me. We don't need us a new man for a Foreman when we
got us a perfectly fine buckaroo what's doing the job right now.
So I talked with my big brother before we left his ranch, and just
a while ago I done already squared it wiff' my family. Tomorrow
morning, I will announce to the hands they done got theys'selves a
permanent Foreman: Foreman Ramson Snoddy,” Randy declared.
Ram sat his mug down and pulled his bandanna from his hip pocket,
wiped his eyes, and blew his nose. “I don't know what to say,
Bossman. Do you know who Billy Bob Bane really is, Son?” he asked.
“Sure! Of course I know, but how did you find out?” Randy asked.
“Your auras, Son. You men got damn near the same auras. They spill
and intertwine with each other like you see in family auras. You
and me can't see our auras in a mirror. They ain't reflective like
light waves. I explained it to your uncle and told him it didn't
take no rocket scientist to put the numbers together,” Ram said.
“All the more reason for you to be Foreman. Forgive me, Ram, for
not coming to this earlier. You been too damn good to me and my
family to push you aside to bring some stranger in and put him
over you. I don't give a damn if'n he is my uncle, it just ain't
the cowboy way. You done earned yore' spurs, Cowboy. He ain't even
took to the saddle yet. He's as green as they come. I'll talk with
my uncle and tell him why I made my decision. My big brother
approved what I done this e'nin, and I know he'll explain it to
Billy Bob. It will work out. You'll see. Now!” Randy exclaimed
holding his mug up, “You wanna' complete that toast, Mr. Foreman?”
Randy asked and they clinked mugs, “Hosanna!” exclaimed Randy.
“Hosanna, in the highest!” Ram answered, “Thanks for having faith
in me, Bossman. We'll work together to make sure our new Ramrod is
happy.
“I ain't got me no doubts, Mister Snoddy,” Randy said and
emphasized the 'Mister.'
“You don't have to call me 'mister,' Bossman,” Ram said shyly.
“The Hell I don't! A good Foreman deserves respect! I'll show you
the respect I expect ever' cowboy on this here ranch to show you,
and I'll lead by example. I will also require Ramrod Billy Bob
Bane to show you the same damn respect,” Randy said firmly.
* * * * * * *
No one but a couple of helpers were in the big house keeping watch
over things. There was no preparation for supper going on, and it
sort of surprised Billy. He looked at Nick. “Where is everybody,
Tonto?” Billy asked.
“They're gathered in the great hall on board our ship, the lovely
Lilith's Joy, waiting for you and me. The time has come to talk of
many things: of shoes, and ships, and sealing-wax, of cabbages and
kings,” Nick said.
“And why the sea is boiling hot and whether pigs have wings?”
Billy asked eagerly, “I've always been curious about such
important matters,” he added and grinned.
“Something like that, but I won't spoil the surprise by explaining
further; however, it's more like where the past catches up with
the present so the future may begin,” Nick said and smiled.
“I think I like Lewis Carroll better, Pa. I ain't real sure I
wanna' know about them things,” Billy said like a little kid with
misgivings about what he might experience. Nick's heart melted
from Billy's reticence. He could empathize with his boy's anxiety
and fear of facing the unknown. “After all, them scientist don't
really know how the big-bang done come about or why, but I do. It
come to me in a dream one night,” Billy said confidently.
“Care to share it wiff' your old man; your faithful companion,
Kemosabe?” Nick asked.
“There was this humongous giant troll living in another universe
what caught a cold one night and sneezed real big. It was so big,
for a brief second, it blew a hole in his space-time-continuum and
the hot-snot from his nose flew everywhere and began to expand. It
grew and grew until it was bigger than him. It surprised him
because it sucked him into the newly created time-continuum and
began to consume him too until he blew up; and there was much
troll-matter in the mix; troll snot, shit, and piss ever'where.
It's the dark matter, the glue, what holds it all together but the
initial force of his sneeze keeps it expanding at the same rate of
speed; our universe is one big pot of hot-snot troll-mix,” Billy
explained without a smile like he was telling the gospel truth as
he understood it.
“And – that would leave room for other trolls what got colds to
cause other universes to come into being? Right?” Nick asked.
“Exactly, Pa. There just ain't no way for us to tell how many sick
trolls there is out there,” Billy said.
“I see. Do you plan to write a paper on it?” Nick asked and
grinned.
“Naw, it's an idea way before its time, Pa. It took Einstein's
theory damn near thirty years to be recognized as a work of a
genius. In 1970, Vitaly Efimov was manipulating the equations of
quantum mechanics in an attempt to calculate the behavior of sets
of three particles, such as the protons and neutrons what populate
them atomic nuclei, when he discovered a law what pertains not
only to nuclear ingredients but also, under the right conditions,
to any trio of particles in nature. The so-called Efimov 'trimer'
could consist of a trio of protons, a triatomic molecule or any
other set of three particles, as long as their properties were
tuned to the right values. And in a surprising flourish, this
hypothetical state of matter exhibited an unheard-of feature: the
ability to range in size from practically infinitesimal to
infinite.
“Together, the components form a state of matter similar to
Borromean rings, an ancient symbol of three interconnected circles
in which no two are directly linked; which, by the way, you got
one giant Borromean ring trio on the outside of this here
spaceship which tells me whoever designed and built this beauty
knew it would be ideal to contain and manipulate an interior
hypercube space called a Tesseract. Efimov discovered and wrote
about it using flawless mathematical concepts and proofs and it's
only now, fifty years later, scientists are beginning to give his
theory any respect. So you see my conundrum, a cowboy writing
about troll-snot is way too advanced for our scientists today,”
Billy allowed and Nick saw the first sign of a grin come across
his young master's face.
“You're really worried about what you're gonna' find out this
e'nin, ain't chu', Kemosabe?” Nick asked.
“Yeah, Pa. I guess I am. A universe made from troll-snot is more
to my like'n. H'it's difficult to understand, but it's easier to
deal with,” Billy said and smiled weakly.
“Well, I'll agree, the information is somewhat raw. It's certainly
sobering, but once't the pieces fit together, I think you'll be
stronger and a better man for knowing many people contributed
their time and talents to make sure you come into your maturity
with a complete understanding about your life and your mission on
Earth, Kemosabe,” Nick said, “Ain't many people in the universe
what can say they were chosen for a particular job. Some find
their place in life with ease while others struggle until their
last breath to understand what it was all about and why they're
here,” he added.
“Will I still be your Kemosabe and you my Tonto?” Billy asked
looking down at his boots.
“For as long as you need, Son,” Nick replied.
“Okay, as long as you got my back and help me row the boat, I
think I'm ready,” Billy said almost like a lament.
“Tits up, Kemosabe! Where's my cowboy's can-do spirit?” Nick asked
sharply.
“Hiding behind his handsome Demon Dad wiff' his hat in his hand,”
Billy said, and they shared a laugh.
“In the short time we've been together and with all the love we
shared, I cain't never remember seeing you like this, Son.
Usually, you're gung-ho ready to ride into the throes of life's
battles with your posse by you side. No windmill is too big or
imposing to tilt. You suppressed your thoughts about the past
until they become your private kernel of your own personal
troll-driven alternate universe. Am I right?” Nick asked.
“Pretty much, Pa. What I don't know can't hurt me,” Billy said
like a little boy.
“On the other hand, it just might make you stronger, Son,” Nick
said softly.
“Will it change me?” Billy asked softly.
“Of course it will. That's what life is all about, but it won't
castrate you or turn you into a tabula rasa like the Wombat lady,
nor will it recreate you into the image of them ancients. You'll
still be my favorite cowboy, Kemosabe, what's filled wiff' equal
portions of compassion and horseshit,” Nick said and smiled.
“Well, that's a comfort, Tonto,” Billy said, resigning himself to
the inevitable, and smiled.
“It's what us Tontos do best, Kemosabe,” Nick allowed and grinned.
* * * * * * *
Nick opened a gate and the two cowboys passed through to the great
dining hall in the castle on the ship. Everyone gathered gave
Billy an ovation including the usual whistling, stomping of boots,
and tossing of hats. Billy was a bit surprised the major members
of his family were there including some of the latest to be
included. Elmer Breedlove, Rox Humana, Oatie and Jethro, along
with Buster Tate, Billy's Uncle Nathan, Tron Garrett, Mick Flynn,
and Perry Reed, led a large group of folks including his
grandmother and the ladies of her household to greet him and
Captain Nick. Behind them came Enoch Redbone, Moss Garrett, Bubba
Kirkendall, Aunt Helen, Jack McCormack, Grover Parsnip, and
Billy's older devoted Cowboy-Angel Zeke with his companions.
The others let his more immediate family come to greet him, and
they remained in their groups socializing, but they stopped and
took notice of Billy and Captain Nick's arrival. The Fallen Angels
who came to Billy to serve him were there. Slipweasel, Rum-dum,
Macker-el, Garth-el, Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Sama'el, Uriel,
and his newly fledged companion, Sandalphon. The Cajun angels:
Zagan Vine, Eligor Bathin, Uzza Forcas, Orobas Gamagyn, and Gator
Gap. Also with them was Ipos Kokobiel and Billy's personal
cowboy-angels, Clyde, Cowboy Andy also known as Andrew, and the
ever handsome, Balthazar.
Also included were a dozen stalwart Skilander Essengurda warriors
including their Commander Hunnikagruden. Billy was amazed. They
were no longer blue. Their skin color was changed to look like
they were more fair skinned than most humans with beautiful blond
hair. They requested the Irin change them to fit in better with
Master Billy and his people. Billy was stunned and humbled a
complete race of people chose to change their appearance for him
and his mission. It was a dedication of their trust in him which
Billy would not soon forget. It only made the cowboy feel more
foreboding about what he might discover about his past that
evening.
Billy's civilian crew of workers and former prisoners who were
included in the trip to the other worlds were the giants: Billy
Gog Goats; Joe, his brother Willie; and Thor with Zeus. Billy's
large ex-cons Odin Asgard Bluetooth and Marcus Obbligatto, with
their respective husbands, Erin Mascaro and Wilbur Peterson who
also made the trip to the other worlds. A number of the village
staff who volunteered to work for Master Billy and the enlarged
staff necessary to manage and see to those living and working in
the castle went with them. The halfling warrior, Cloog, and young
Aeron with several other village dwarfs and halflings were
included in the trip. They were present as well and eager to share
their love with their master.
Eventually, the gathered crowd came around to pay their respects
to Billy, Captain Nick, and the Daniels family. Everyone seemed
exceptionally gracious and genuinely concerned for their young
master. Billy could sense there wasn't any dissension or unrest
among his growing family as there might have been in the past.
There was some apprehension and wonder about the ability of an
eighteen year old cowboy or possibly a mite older to become a
strong and convincing leader. Fortunately, Billy's actions, his
self-effacing humility, his bold, sometimes brash sense of humor
with just enough compassion to endear him to hardest heart, and
his ability to show deep affection, along with moments of
brilliance, were his strong suits for gaining cooperation and
affection from those who chose to become a part of his family; but
now, everyone appeared seamless in their dedication to love each
other and cooperate for the sake of Billy and the rest of his
family. Billy noticed they didn't remain divided into groups. They
were intermingling and enjoying the company of their fellow
journeymen like they were a cohesive group who made solid inroads
into interrelating with each other. Nick commented, “A week and a
half sharing the wonders of another world will do that to even the
most diverse group of people.”
The kitchen staff on the Good Ship Lilith's Joy heard Kate Daniels
ring her big triangle to announce she and her staff were serving a
meal in the big house and notifying everyone to gather. They
decided to be a bit different and delegated one of their members
to walk through the great hall beating a tam-tam with a soft
mallet and shaking it to get their attention to find their seats,
the meal was about to be served. An appointed maitre de directed
the Daniels family to their seats at the head table and the other
guests were encouraged to sit where they may on the adjoining
tables which ran down each side of the great hall. At the opposite
end was a raised dais with a speaker's lectern and the great
holo-vid screen which was to be used to explain to their young
master and his family their discoveries on the two ancient worlds.
The supper was wonderful and everyone was in a great mood. As they
were served a delicious dessert, Elmer Breedlove stood at the
podium and began to speak as the waiters gathered the last of the
plates and offered more coffee or Texas tea to everyone.
To start the evening, someone thought it would be funny and might
set a lighter tone to the occasion if they were to run a few
minutes of an old black and white television program from the
fifties called “This Is Your Life” as a metaphor for what's to
come. On the television show, they would tell the story of some
famous person's life and have people from their past come on the
show to talk about having known them during their lives. Ralph
Edwards was the enthusiastic MC and parts of the show were
strange, annoying, and sometimes downright embarrassing. They
couldn't always predict what a guest might say or how they would
react to some relative or acquaintance they hadn't seen in years.
Billy didn't miss the metaphor. It only made him sink further into
his seat. Billy was glad when the video-clip was over and sent a
mental message to his pa, he felt like he needed a good hot
shower. Nick laughed at him.
The Great Bull of the Hill Country got up and walked to the
lectern, “Friends, I ain't no public speaker,” Elmer Breedlove
started, “I got this job because I'm the oldest and probably know
more about the strange goings-on here at the Daniels ranch which
occurred dang near three decades ago. The first part of my job is
to tell you the story of two young men who came into this world
approximately the same time. One is our beloved Young Bull in
training, Mr. Bubba Kirkendall, and of course, the other is our
own Master Billy Daniels.
“According to the wise folks on Retikki Prime and Fort Adam Lear,
in all societies there comes along a man of such great knowledge
and understanding of the universe around us, the brilliance of
their work astounds other men and scientist for centuries how they
could have come up with their ideas and then put them together in
a more simple, understandable manner to show us lesser men exactly
how they came about their discoveries and how they work. Likewise,
there are other men who create great works of art which others
look up to and aspire to become as great or famous as them. There
ain't no sense in running through the names. We know who the
giants are and were. We all could contribute names to the
discussion. As it turns out, one of our own, started out as just
another cowboy in the Hill
Country of West Central Texas and became a towering genius. He
probably will be remembered for centuries as the greatest mind of
our generation, Mister Bradley Kirkendall,” Elmer said and turned
to look at the big screen behind him.
There appeared a great picture of Brad Kirkendall sitting on a
horse on the screen and everyone began to applaud. Elmer continued
his talk and as he went along there would be other pictures flash
onto the screen in response to who and what he was talking about;
except, for the bad, more graphic scenes to come which he would
describe. Elmer didn't bother to explain some of the mind-blowing
ideas and projects Brad Kirkendall dreamed up and actually proved
were possible, but Brad also left instructions and solid data how
to go about accomplishing his inventions. They were all in Bubba's
and the Daniels family's care now.
“One night, Brad heard a knock on the door on one of his great
barns where he was working and went to see who was there. There
were three huge Watchers standing before him who were not only
intimidating because of their size, but they were also polite and
ingratiating enough to convince Brad they meant him no harm. They
only came to talk and offer him a proposition. Brad experienced
some hard times with his wife leaving him and in less than a month
finding himself with a baby, his nephew, to take care of around
the clock. There was no one else and Brad was about to go under
from the pressure of the responsibility. The visiting Watchers
presented him with a plan.
"They would take the wee bairn and raise him to the point of being
somewhat self-sufficient, and they would enhance Bubba mentally
and physically. He would be instilled with Brad's knowledge which
would be released to him at a later date when he grew older. He
would become a great man; a leader among men. The alien
ambassadors proposed a plan to collect Brad's brain functions and
ideas through a gold crown they gave him to wear when he was
working. They also agreed to give him an assistant who was little
more than a wet-nurse serving-android for a wealthy family on
Retikki Prime. Brad saw Helen on one of his trips with the
watchers to Retikki Prime and wanted her to become his assistant.
They agreed to Brad's request. Bubba was taken to Retikki Prime
and was assigned the great Watcher, Bubba's Brute, to be his
personal food source, guide, protector, and companion.
“Within months, Augustus Daniels, Billy's father, known to
everyone as Gus, and his young bride were returning from a
Christmas party in San Antonio. A large buck deer ran in front of
their truck, and they hit him head on. Gus lost control of the
truck, it careened, and veered head-on into the tractor of an
eighteen wheeler truck. It was fully-loaded and the impact was
fatal. Gus was killed instantly, and when the smoke cleared, Gus's
young wife was barely alive. The truck rolled several times and
even with her seat-belt on, there were too many internal organs
damaged to save her life. She was five months pregnant with their
first child; a boy. The accident occurred within two miles of the
turn-off for the road to the Daniels Ranch just above the
Garrett's ranch. Tron Garrett and his wife could see the accident
from their place. They drove the short way to see what happened
and to offer what help they could. Tron recognized Gus's truck
immediately and called Daws Butler Daniels. The Redbone's were
visiting for the week. Daws and Travis Houston Redbone drove to
the site of the accident. There weren't no doctors in the small
town of Mason. There was a clinic, but it was only open four days
a week from nine to five. The doctors drove in from other, larger
towns.
“Daws Butler Daniels was in agony losing his oldest boy, his first
born son, and looking at the prospects of possibly losing his
grandson. While Travis Redbone was devastated for his friend, he
kept a cooler head and looked the great bear of reality square in
the face. There was no doubt in his mind, if they could get Daw's
daughter-in-law to a hospital or a competent doctor fast enough,
they could save the baby. Travis also knew a five month old baby
had a fighting chance to survive if he was removed quick enough.
Time was of the essence.
Two nights before, Brad Kirkendall ate dinner with the Daniels and
Redbone family. With Kate's invitation, Brad brought along a close
friend and colleague, a medical doctor-scientist from Paris,
France who was staying with him on Brad's ranch at the time. They
were working on a project together. The man was not only a gifted
scientist, he was also a brilliant surgeon. His name was Doctor
Emil Gaspard De La Lumière.
“Look, Brother, as I see it we only got one chance to save your
grandson. We put your daughter-in-law in the back of your truck,
and we get our asses over to the Kirkendall ranch as soon as
possible,” Travis said.
“What about my boy, Travis?” Daw's said in pain.
“There ain't nothing we can do for him. Gus is gone, Brother. Let
Mr. Garrett take care of him. Once't the Sheriff and his men come
out and see everything, they'll take his body to the local
mortuary. We ain't got a minute to lose, Daws. That surgeon over
to the Kirkendall ranch can cut chore' your grandson out of his
mother, and we'll worry about the rest later. She ain't gonna'
last much longer. There just ain't no time to consider options,
Brother! This is the cold hard business of life, Pard, you either
decide now, place your bet, or you lose everything,” Travis
Redbone said like a reality-slap in Daw's face.
“Fuck it! Let's do it, Brother! At least maybe we can save my
Grandson,” Daws said, and they loaded Mrs. Daniels in the back of
his truck with Travis Redbone, the wealthiest man in Texas,
holding her in his arms. Daws Daniels broke all speed records
getting to the Kirkendall ranch. Travis called Brad to warn him
they were on their way. Brad and his buddy, Gaspard, were waiting
for them when they arrived. Travis carried her in his arms and
laid her on a table the men and Helen prepared. Blood was
everywhere. The men were so traumatized they weren't the least
frightened by the presence of four fine looking Watchers present.
Brad didn't bother to explain them or Helen to the men at the
time.
“The doctor didn't have any surgical tools with him. He only had a
couple of razor sharp sterilized dry wall knives to remove the
baby. It didn't matter because they no sooner laid the young lady
down when she expired. The doctor knew there would be no reviving
her. It was like she forced herself to live until she knew her
baby had a good chance to be removed and survive. Daws couldn't
watch, so Helen took him to another part of the barn to help clean
some of the blood off him. Travis Houston Redbone stood watch for
his brother and was amazed at the skill and swiftness of the
surgeon. There was no guesswork. He went about his job like the
expert he was, and it only took him a few minutes before Billy
Daniels was untimely ripped from his mother's womb,” Elmer said
dramatically and paused. The tension in the room was palpable.
Elmer continued, “Billy Daniels was officially born on December
twenty-first, two thousand and twelve, when the universe was in
perfect sync with the center of the galactic plane,” he said and
paused to let the significance sink in. “Daws Butler Daniels began
to weep when he heard the first cries from his grandson. They
brought him to the small kitchen area to clean him. Helen took the
baby and the men watched her gently clean him while Billy
complained loudly. When she was finished, Helen handed the baby to
the smallest Watcher of the group. Billy hooked up to his teat
like it was the fount of many blessings and drank his fill. After
he couldn't hold another drop, the giant beast smiled at the men,
reached down with his left hand to open a large pouch below his
midsection and easily dropped Billy inside and let the pouch close
over him. The men were awe struck and astounded. The watcher who
became our master's second home was Billy's bonded mate and
husband, Boomer,” Elmer said and mummers went around the room.
“Iss' no need for incubator, Mon Freres. Ze watcher's pouch will
be ze baby's new home for several months,” Doctor Lumière said and
added, “Better zan ze incubator – automatic feeding station at
other end,” he said and smiled at his own joke.
“Brad Kirkendall shared his story of visiting another world and
being in contact with a race of Bigfoot creatures who were
benevolent and kind. He explained they had been watching our
progress on our planet for centuries and were justifiably
concerned for us. At first we passed off his ramblings as that of
a confused genius with an overactive imagination, except there
were times when we had to admit, we weren't really sure he was so
loco in de cabeza,” Elmer said and laughed at his attempt at
Spanish. “And to show you just how far we've come, today we think
nothing of a pregnant bull with la cabesa de vaca,” he added and
got a laugh from his audience.
“After being introduced to the French doctor and Helen, we really
didn't know what to think. The next day Brad decided we should
form a foursome of men to become what he called “The Four
Horsemen” was originally composed of Daws Butler Daniels, Travis
Houston Redbone, Brad Kirkendall, and myself, Elmer Breedlove.
Brad swore us to secrecy. Later, when Brad's life became more
complicated and he faced other pressures, he resigned his
membership and nominated Buster Tate to take his place. It was
agreed between us, Billy Daniels would join his brother Bubba
Kirkendall on Retikki Prime until he was fully enhanced and was
able to return. Neither child would be such a burden on his
grandparents or Bubba on his uncle,” Elmer said and paused.
“As you know there is a time dilation between worlds. Bubba
remained on Retikki Prime for six of our years and returned three
years old. Billy remained on Retikki Prime for several more years,
but when he returned he was barely able to walk; although, he
could talk, speak several languages, and displayed an unusual
talent for music. Neither remembered a thing of their visits to
another world. Bubba's memory was recently triggered by watching a
video his uncle made and left behind, and Billy's memories are in
the process of returning. We slipped him a potion them Watchers
give us into his Texas tea this e'nin, and it should be beginning
to work about now,” Elmer said and grinned real big.
“The original plan the four horsemen agreed upon was Bubba would
become a great leader, a new age Messiah, and Billy Daniels would
become his John the Baptist; a voice crying in the wilderness for
sanity and reason in a world gone mad with mythical beliefs,
avarice, and deceit. However, it didn't turn out quite that way. A
highly respected and revered Oracle and Solarianographer, Anna
Lemma, a great motherly figure and ancient treasure of the people
on Retikki Prime insisted the Lord High Chancellors got it wrong;
they made a great mistake. The second male child they rescued was
born at the exact moment the galaxy known as the Milky Way was at
the galactic center of its plane and a new age began. Backed by
her equally talented, but somewhat retiring twin sister, Tutu
Lemma, they insisted, Billy Daniels was chosen by an even higher
power. He would become the new Messiah and Bubba Kirkendall would
become his brother and strong right arm,” Elmer paused a moment
for that bit of news to sink in and took another sip of his spiced
Texas tea.
“At this time, I'd like to call Master Billy and Bubba Kirkendall
to come stand by me for the next video of their youth and time
together on Retikki Prime,” Elmer said and the men came forward
and received some small applause. They stood on either side of the
big cowboy watching the screen. Elmer continued his monologue,
“While the boys were on Retikki Prime, they each had their own
separate set of Watchers and tutors; however, they shared a pair
of protectors who were patient and loving. They instilled within
the two young bairns a love for animals and a great compassion for
them,” Elmer said, and on the screen there appeared two young boys
barely able to stand, holding on to each other for support looking
around at the awesome beauty of the garden in the castle on
Retikki Prime. Into the picture walked two enormous dogs; the
biggest dogs anyone could remember seeing, who went to the small
bairns and allowed the boys to use them as supports for learning
to walk. The boys would grab a handful of soft fur, pull
themselves up, and hold on to help them navigate. The audience
went “Awwww,” at the sight.
“Oh, my god, it's Guy and Willow,” Bubba said, “Do you remember
them, Brother?” he asked. (Bubba called the big male 'Gee' with a
hard 'G' as in Gee-tar)
“They're gorgeous! It's coming back to me. The big male was named,
Guillaume, which means resolute protector and the female is,
Willamina, meaning determined protector. We couldn't say
'Willamina' and shortened it to 'Willow.' I wonder whatever became
of them? They were so wonderful and loving,” Billy said, “I'd love
to see them again,” he added.
“So would I, Brother. They were like part of our family,” Bubba
lamented.
“Release the hounds!” Elmer shouted to the back of the hall with
both hands cupped around his mouth as if to amplify his command,
and from out of the kitchen area came two enormous Leonbergers
about a third larger than the Leonbergers on Earth. They made
Daffy and Chloe look like lap dogs. They bounded along at a good
clip yelling at the top of their voices, “Master Billy! Master
Bubba!” and when they finally got to them, they almost knocked the
men off their feet with massive expression of boundless joy, love,
and repressed excitement of the moment. They were in canine
heaven. For a minute everyone forgot themselves and reveled in the
reunion of the creatures before them. Bubba and Billy were
obviously having a ball.
“You can talk. I don't remember you talking when I was a kid,”
Billy said.
“We couldn't until recently. Our masters on Retikki Prime enhanced
us like you did for several of your canine friends. They decided,
if we were going to come live with you and Master Bubba, it might
be wise to give us the gift of speech,” Willow said, “They gave us
several other interesting tools to protect you and Master Bubba,”
she added.
“And have you come to stay with us?” Bubba asked.
“Oh, yes, sir! Our masters on Retikki Prime thought it might be
easier for you gentlemen if you had friends from your past to help
you through this transition period. It's why we're here. We want
to live with you and help you,” Guy said throwing another big
affectionate body block into Bubba in hopes of getting petted
more. Bubba didn't disappoint the huge beast.
“My God, what a nice coming of age present,” Billy said and he and
Bubba shared a laugh. “This is better than a Bar Mitzvah. We don't
have to dance with no ugly girls just 'cause they's our cousins. I
certainly hope you don't mind playing second fiddle, Big Brother,”
he added.
“As long and we begin together and end together I don't give a
shit what tune we play,” Bubba tossed back and got Billy laughing.
Bubba was one of the few men what could make Billy laugh like
Billy could his little brother. Bubba turn Billy's giggle box
upside down.
Everyone settled down and the individual groups of Warriors,
refurbished, reconstituted, and reconsidered Fallen-Angels, the
resurrected and recolored Essengurda, to the least of the
dedicated grooms who were becoming ever increasingly popular with
the male population of Billy's domain, had a report for their
master ending in their pledge to see to the family's success.
The report which Aunt Helen gave was, perhaps, the most poignant
and uplifting. Billy managed to get ninety-five percent of the
Irin cattle morphed into humanoid form and working within the
greater community of the Daniels family in half the time he
originally speculated. There were only five percent left who would
remain as guard cattle near the front gate until the second wave
of cattle came from Fort Adam Lear. Several of Aunt Helen's staff
gave reports about what they accomplished, and finally, Tom
McMartin gave a sobering speech about how he and his staff, along
with everyone else, including the gold-broker in Houston, Mr.
Pennywise, were pleased to announce, Master Billy now held more
gold bullion at his command than any other person or family in the
world. In essence, Billy Daniels could declare himself and the
Highland Shire his own country. It was, of course, highly unlikely
the young cowboy would even consider such a thing, but it was good
to know. He remembered Mel Brooks in the 'History of the World'
grinning into the camera and saying, “It's good to be da' king!”
At that moment, Billy really felt that way, but not because of
material wealth, but because of the love which surrounded him and
the rest of his family.
Billy was curious about some of the newer members and how they
reacted to the different worlds they visited. He was particularly
curious what Marcus and Wilbur thought of the other worlds. The
progress in the their relationship was staggering. Living free,
with important jobs to do, and as one of Billy's family, gave
Marcus a more settled, humanistic approach to his relationships
with everyone; especially his slave boy. He was beginning to
mellow. He was more open and forgiving than he ever was in prison.
There was no doubt in anyone's mind, Wilbur was the perfect buffer
and mate for Marcus's darker hard side.
“Did the folks on Retikki Prime or Fort Adam Lear ask about your
knowledge of the Fallen-Angels in stasis?” Billy asked Marcus.
“I went fully expecting to be asked, but it never happened, Master
Billy. I certainly didn't volunteer any information. I told Wilbur
I didn't know what I could say other than I was told to keep the
information to myself until it was needed. You never know who
might be listening, and with living our lives like we're swimming
in a gold fish bowl don't do much to abate paranoia,” Marcus said,
“I ain't even told Wilbur nothing for the same reason. You were
wise to explain to me you would never ask me about it until we
were standing before the door because someone else might possibly
find out. It was entrusted to me by my Blue-angel, whom I've been
told is the great Metatron. I was instructed never to tell a soul,
speak, or write about the codes he gave me. They are etched on my
mind and memory like a seal upon my heart. Do you have any idea
when we might head in that direction?” Marcus asked.
“Again, it might be better not to plan a time. Only I will know,
and when the time comes you will be notified to report here to the
great hall. It has to be soon though. I must keep my promise to my
surrogate pa we will rescue his brothers as soon as I house the
major portion of our Irin cattle, and we have done it. Besides,
this coming weekend we celebrate a couple of birthdays what are
special to me. The Bossman, his sister, and his buddy, Pard have
birthdays the same week. I want the bad part out of the way so's
we can kick-back, relax and enjoy our family. We must take time to
enjoy ourselves as well as simply being proud we reached another
plateau,” Billy said, “And how are you doing, Wilbur?” Billy
asked.
“I'm living a life on the ranch I could only dream about in Tall
Pine, Master Billy. We work hard but our efforts are beginning to
pay off, and the more we accomplish, the closer my master and I
grow together as a couple. I'm very happy, and Marcus keeps me
filled with contentment,” Wilbur replied and smiled.
“Good to hear, Young Man, and I suspect Marcus would be the
perfect partner to keep you filled to the brim when you feel a
quart low,” Billy said, and they shared a laugh.
* * * * * * *
Kate and Zelma came around to congratulate Billy on learning about
his past and Zelma became the devil's advocate defending her
'precious' friend by telling Billy she didn't understand what the
fuss was all about earlier in the day. It was pretty cut and dried
in relationship to some of the other miraculous happenings they
experience during their lifetimes and on the other two worlds.
“Travis would never admit to me whether I was right or wrong when
I guessed his commitment to the Daniels family in his role as one
of the four horsemen. He did tell me to seek out young Billy
Daniels when I grew older and no longer responded to treatment for
a dread disease. That's what my letter to your grandmother was
about, Son,” Zelma Jane explained, “My suspicions were mostly
confirmed, and I have grown from our several trips to the other
worlds. Why even this afternoon, we ladies were called away to
Retikki Prime for a couple of relaxing days and we toured the
great city like visiting royalty,” she added.
“Wait a minute! You were called away while Nick and I took the
Ropopopa – Ropopopo – Mr. and Mrs. Rope-a-dope and family back to
their truck?” Billy asked, “And you went naked through the town?”
he asked in awe.
“Oh, Billy, really!” his grandmother exclaimed, “Don't be so
naïve. Sometimes I swear you're channeling your granddad and his
starched-collar puritan ideas about life. While Daws Butler
Daniels could be extremely generous and forward thinking, he could
just as easily slam his mind shut at the least idea beyond his own
set rules of social norms,” Kate lit into her grandson.
“Woah! Easy, Pretty Lady. I ain't agin what you done, Grandma,
just surprised,” Billy said in his defense.
“We had a wonderful time,” Kate replied, and she and Zelma giggled
together like two school girls. “Oh, by the way, Billy, what do
you plan to do about your adoring throngs of admirers who keep
calling none-stop to the main ranch line?” Kate asked.
“I promise, I will call Doug Quilty this e'nin and offer him first
dibs for an interview the first of the week,” Billy said.
“That would be nice. Anything to get our lives back to normal,”
Kate said.
“I think the train done left the station on that one, Grandma,”
Billy said and grinned.
“You might be right. It might just stir up the fire, but it will
be a start,” Kate allowed.
* * * * * * *
Billy got several of his men together he planned to take with him
on the raid to free Nick's brothers from stasis, and he invited
them to the cloak room where they couldn't be followed by remote
viewers. He learned enough about the sophisticated tiny cameras to
know they couldn't follow into another dimension after someone.
They were designed and built with only the present dimension in
mind. After they arrived in the cloakroom, Billy asked Nick if was
necessary to move his ship to get them to Turkey, awaken, gather
the lost angels, and return.
“I never said anything because of the camera-obscuras,” Nick
replied, using the term to indicate their hidden nature rather
than function. “Now we're away from them tiny peeping-toms, I can
tell you we don't need to take the main ship out. If you like, I
can transport us to the other holding dimension we use for
scout-ships. Like weapons and many other things, we don't want
visitors or invaders to know about, we keep hidden; in 'obscura'
so to speak,” he added.
“Good idea. Let's go,” Billy urged him and Nick transported them
to another dimension in the holding area of the ship.
The men looked at the large area and around the walls. Mounted on
heavy metal shelves were what looked like a hundred silver orbs
about the size of basketballs. “I certainly hope you ain't got a
game of 'horse' in mind with them silver balls, Tonto,” Billy
said.
The joke went over Nick's head. He never heard of basketball. He
had no idea what Billy was talking about, but that didn't deter
Captain Nick. “Them's our scout ships, my good master. Think small
with tesseract interiors similar to the reduction gates in your
model of the Sapphire City, Kemosabe. The inside of each is a
four-dimensional hyper-cube – a regular octachoron – or at the
very least, a puzzle for yore' mind to chew-on,” Nick said and
laughed at his own joke.
“Why so small?” Billy asked.
“Why not? Small is relative until you start shooting at a target.
Which would your rather travel in within a hot zone, a huge ship
or one so small it's damn near impossible to get a radar lock on
or shoot at?” Nick asked.
“Does it for me! I see your point. It's definitely a good one, and
I agree. How many will we need?” Billy asked.
“Two – maybe three – four at the most, Kemosabe,” Nick replied,
“-- or as many as it takes. We got plenty, and they're all
functional, in tip-top condition,” he added.
“Super!” Billy exclaimed, quietly thinking to himself, “Can we get
all them angels on board, Tonto?” he asked.
“No problem. H'it ain't that long a flight to the Middle-east
noways, Kemosabe. Them little spheres is fast and can outrun
anything the gubberment's flying,” Nick replied, “Besides, if they
launch a rocket we can out-run it or blink-out into a near
dimension like our cloak room. The missile will lose its signal or
it will seek the nearest movement and return to sender. That's
always fun. It makes for an 'Oh, shit!' moment for the pilot what
was stupid enough to fire the damn thing. At top speed, you're
look'n at forty-five minutes to an hour from here to Ararat. We
could even buzz us some passenger planes for fun and give them a
thrill,” he added.
“Forty-five minutes? That's damn good time,” Billy affirmed,
“We'll see about plane buzzing. I don't wanna' draw too much
attention,” he added.
“They're yours to command, Kemosabe,” Nick said graciously.
“Well, maybe a few buzzes around a couple of planes,” Billy said,
“Let's hope them gay men are still pack'n their Ben-Gay ointment
for easy, cool, insertion of digital camera chips where the sun
don't shine,” he added and laughed.
Nick opened a gate and took the men on a tour of one of his
favorite scout-ships. They were stunned by how much room there was
on board. There was a 360 degree view of everything surrounding
them. It was like there were no walls between them and outside the
ship. It was amazing. Billy felt confident he and his men would be
comfortable. His next big decision was to figure out who would go
and who would be left behind.
“How many pilots do you have on board, Pa?” Billy asked.
“Seth, or to be more specific, subsets of our on-board
synthetic-intelligence controls them all, and they do most of the
work. You only have to sit under one of our scanners and in
minutes they can establish communication with any humanoid brain
as an up-link for preferences. You can enter coordinates, and
they'll pick your brain to know how and where you want to go.
Several on board are already excellent co-pilots. Pan, the panther
man; Leon, the Lion man; Razza, the dragon man;
Joe, the blue giant; and my old warrior Cloog. He's probably the
most ace pilot we got, and since he's been healed and refurbished,
he won't allow you to go without him. I ain't brag'n none, but I'm
pert-damn good with a stick. If we need more co-pilots there's
several halflings in the village who have enough experience I
would trust them with my life. I know for a fact, Clyde, Cowboy
Andy, and Balthazar's got time in them ships,” Nick said, “We
don't need a co-pilot in every ship. We can launch up to four
ships to be controlled by the, 2SPs, symbotic-synth-pilots. One
out of the four will have an OM2, organic-meat-mind, co-pilot and
the other three will follow in a sometimes erratic formation like
they's momma's little ducklings what got lost and scurry to keep
up,” Nick added and grinned at the look on Billy's face.
“Could I learn to co-pilot?” Billy asked.
“Sure, but I got me a feel'n you's plan'n on attempting this
rescue within the next week or so. It would take several hours
under one of Seth's scanners to train you properly, but you got
chore' troops to think about. They ain't about to let you go off
alone in your own ship without sufficient protectors. To be
brutally honest, I'd feel better if'n you weren't wiff' me. Cloog
is your man. Other than me, you ain't got another what's so
dedicated to you as that old warrior. Even if we take the maximum
of four ships per immediately available OM2 pilots, it would be
twenty-four ships. Each ship will hold fifty bodies with ease;
eighty with standing room only with a small reduction in speed,
but still fast enough to get us clean out of Dodge like we's
ride'n a fresh set of horses,” Nick said and grinned.
“Jesus, Pa. I think you just surpassed your Texas native-boy in
the 'cowboy-speak' department. I think you done graduated
'some'um-done-cum-on-me-Lordy.' Billy declared, and they shared a
laugh.
“Listen up, Buckaroo! Nothing I could invent using cowboy lingo
would come close to your theory of how the universe came into
being. The beauty and genius of cowboy hyperbole is to actually
sound like you know what you're talking about. J'ever hear the
term baffle 'em wiff' bullshit? Your theory of 'troll-snot' is
right up there with them other scientist. A work of pure
cowboy-genius. If they gave a No-Bell prize for bullshit at its
best, you would win hands down. When are you planning on making a
raid on Mount Ararat, Kemosabe?” Captain Nick asked.
“Wednesday e'nin!” Billy said quietly.
“I hate to be nit-picky, Kemosabe, but you mean arrive over Mount
Ararat Wednesday evening or take off from here?” Nick asked.
“Lets round 'em up and head 'em on out at sundown, Tonto,” Billy
confirmed.
“That will give us the cover of night to come and go. However, the
energy from the ships makes them look like stars falling from the
heavens at night. It's enough to shake the average human to their
core; however, it just might work. At least I hope it will. Until
we take Marcus to the 'cloakroom' and have a good talk with him,
we can only guess what we're up against. You realize we're gonna'
be wing'n this adventure? And I ain't talking about no ships or
angel wings neither,” Nick said.
“We'll be ready, Pa. We built a solid faith in our family. They
ain't gonna' let us down,” Billy said.
“I wish I had the same simple trust in others you got, Kemosabe,”
Nick lamented.
“No problem, Tonto, I done got me enough for bow'fus! Be happy to
loan ya' some,” Billy bragged sticking his thumbs under his
armpits and strutted around like a proud popinjay, flapping his
elbows like he was about to break into a buck-n-wing.
When Billy hit Nick with his silly grin, it strummed something
deep in Nick's gut like a magic-twanger which reminded him he
would follow his cowboy to the ends of the universe just to see
him smile. Nick laughed and pointed his raised thumb and straight
forefinger at his young master like he was pointing a gun, “That's
a good thing, 'cause I got me a feel'n we're gonna' need all the
help we can get, Kemosabe,” he said.
* * * * * * *
After Billy and his posse returned from the nether-zone between
the time and space continuum they transported to the big house for
a final dessert for the evening. Billy climbed the stairs to his
office in the turret on the top of the big house to make a phone
call. He punched in Doug Quilty's number.
“Hey, Maestro Billy, Wes and me just got back from supper. He's
sit'n here with me right now. Can I put you on speaker phone?”
Doug asked.
“Sure, no problem,” Billy replied. He heard Wesley Taylor hail
him, and they exchanged greetings.
“What can we do for you, Master Billy?” Doug asked.
“I gotta' call the phone company tomorrow morning and get another
private line put in up here to the big house,” Billy said and
laughed.
“That bad, huh?” Doug asked, “Or is that good?” he asked as an
after though.
“A fifty-fifty combo, Mr. Quilty,” Billy replied, “Good for DVD
sales. Annoying for my family,” he added.
“We caught the news from Dallas and San Antonio this morning about
your family being ambushed trying to make it to church and helping
that family with the birth of their baby. I'm afraid you're the
only thing of any hope on the air these days, and the country is
drinking you and your family up like a tall, cold glass of Texas
tea on a hot afternoon,” Doug said using a bit of cowboy speak.
“We heard the shout-out and professional plug you gave us, Master
Billy. We certainly appreciate it. Our stock in Houston TV has
skyrocketed,” Wes Taylor said.
“A cowboy don't never forget his friends, Pod'na,” Billy said like
a true man of the west.
“The Cowboy Way, sir? I can quote scripture and verse. My
granddaddy was a cowboy and a true believer in the Code Of The
West,” Doug said, “It's good to know it's still alive,” he added.
“Very much alive, Mr. Quilty,” Billy replied, “What do you men
think about doing an interview? Do you think it might let some air
out of the balloon?” Billy asked.
“It's hard to say, Master Billy. Our bosses heard your plug and
have been on our asses since this morning to give you a call. We
thought it was them calling again when my phone rang. Wes and me
told them you were good to us, and we would let you call us. We
told them you were a man of your word, and we would hear from you
when you were ready. You can imagine Elaine Parson has gone off
the deep-end and raising all kinds of stink, claiming I'm trying
to get her job and take her place, but nobody's paying attention
to her. That makes her all the more frustrated. You'd think she'd
learn, but we doubt she ever will,” Doug said and laughed.
“Serves her right. Maybe someday she'll learn to curb her tongue.
When could you men come to the ranch?” Billy asked.
“You name it, Master Billy, and we'll be there, sir,” Doug
responded.
“Just you and Wes. I'll have my people make up some stock footage
of me and some of our men on the ranch doing what cowboys do, and
you can use any portion you want. The sit-down interview Wes can
tape. I trust you men to keep the more delicate or unusual
critters under your hat for right now,” Billy said, “When it comes
time to explain to the world, you men will again have first
option,” Bill added.
“Sounds fair to us, sir. When?” Doug asked.
“Tuesday morning early, you men get together at your place, Doug.
Gimme' a call to my cell-phone number, and we'll open a gate to
your living room. You won't have to make that long drive. Don't
eat nothing. We'll have breakfast waiting for you when you get
here,” Billy said.
“How will you know where my condo is, Master Billy?” Doug asked.
“We'll triangulate your cell-phone signal, Mr. Quilty. When I tell
you, set it near an open space and leave it 'on' until we open the
gate,” Billy explained.
“Can we tape it?” Wes asked and laughed.
“You know better'n 'nat, Mr. Taylor,” Billy replied and laughed.
“I do. I's just kidding. We're grateful to have the honor to
introduce you and your family to the world, sir. We'll look
forward to Tuesday morning,” Wes said.
* * * * * * *
Billy and Captain Nick made one last trip to the castle on their
ship to meet several of the men who would be joining them in the
tubs for a while. They dropped by the giant's apartments and asked
to see Marcus and Wilbur. After greetings and inviting everyone
for a soak in the tub with them, Billy and Nick asked the two men
if they would join him and his pa in the 'cloakroom' where they go
to wing-up. They readily agreed, but instead of going to the
regular cloakroom, Billy and Nick took them to the hidden arsenal
and scout ship area. Billy explained about the small silver balls
and invited them though a diminution gate onto Captain Nick's
personal scout ship. They were wowed and impressed. Nick
explained, nothing or no one could overhear their conversation in
that area.
“We brought you here to tell you we decided to travel to Mount
Ararat Wednesday e'nin at sundown and attempt our rescue of them
Fallen-Angels under the cover of night. We won't ask you to reveal
any of your secrets, Marcus, but we would like to know if there is
anything we should know which may be crucial to the mechanics of
the recovery which might create a stumbling block to our mission?”
Billy asked.
“Reasonable enough question, Master Billy,” Marcus said and mused
for a moment, “the only thing I can think of is, my Blue Angel
implied there might be more Angels in stasis than history records.
He couldn't give me an exact figure, because he claimed he was
never privy to the numbers. He also said once't we enter the
vault, we'll have only about an hour, maybe two, before what he
called the guardians from Hell or the creatures of darkness, the
Hell Hounds, would be alerted and begin their climb from the
bowels of the Earth to wipe-out anyone who dared make an attempt
upon their master's treasure. We would know when they begin their
ascent from the depths. The earth will shake, and it will rumble
like an old man with indigestion,” Marcus said, “I got the
distinct feeling he was trying to tell me anyone who attempted a
raid might not have time to rescue everyone,” the big man added.
“Treasure? What treasure?” Billy asked.
“Yes, sir. Them old despotic, parasitic gods of early history were
often reported to store vast treasures in the same vaults in which
they entombed them immortal angels. They were reported to have
vast storage areas of every kind of precious metal and gemstones
one could imagine. It was said the treasures of them gods would
make King Salomon feel like a pauper. Where do you think the
Egyptians got their ideas of burying treasures with their god-like
Pharaohs? A classic case like the John Frum cargo-cult on Tanna
Island, Vanuatu. They just assumed they would be there for them
when they chose to return to their bodies. For the same
misunderstood reasons it caused them to bury animals, warriors,
and many slaves along with them to serve them upon their
reawakening. Many were buried alive. Favorite household pets were
mummified to be later restored. The early gods of the Indus Valley
formed the idea, if the Hounds of Hell don't totally wipe out
intruders, the confused, awakened Angels would think they were
being invaded and use their powers to protect their master's
treasure – sort of a double jeopardy what turned out to be a
double damnation for the Angels,” Marcus said.
“Thanks, Marcus, that information might be helpful. I don't know
how right now, but it could be useful,” Billy said.
“How do you plan to plumb the depths to gain entry into the
vaults, sir?” Marcus asked.
“These ships can shift dimensions just enough to easily move
through the most dense of matter. They can pass through miles of
solid granite with no problem,” Nick explained, “We can use them
like elevators. When you give us the coordinates, it should be a
simple matter to sink through the Earth's crust until we see an
open space. When we reach our destination, we'll return to the
regular time-continuum when we're safely inside, then use gates to
maximize ourselves to our natural state while entering the vault,”
he added.
“I won't shit chu' none, Master Billy – I been having misgivings
about this mission lately, but after what you and Captain Nick
just told us, things are looking brighter. This little chat and
these revelations have been a god-send to me. I think we just
might be able to do this job,” Marcus said with enthusiasm.
“Have you discussed it between you?” Billy asked sending out
feelers to see if they talked about whether Wilbur would go or
stay.
“I done my strong mean-ass gorilla rampage what missed the last
banana boat delivery and absolutely forbid my mate from even
entertaining such a ridiculously stupid idea that he might come
along with me. Any other man would have been cowering in the
corner, begging me to ease up, he would gratefully acquiesce, then
plead with me to pay homage to my boots, calm down, and get over
myself. Poor Wilbur said absolutely nothing, but got a determined
smile on his handsome face what told me I'd have to physically
knock him out to get him to remain behind. He simply quoted the
book of Ruth to me: Never ask me to leave you, or order me to
return from following after you: where you go, I will go, and
where you sleep, I will sleep next to you: your people shall be my
people, and your beliefs will become my beliefs: Wherever you die,
there too will I die, and there will I be buried under the same
Earth so it will become the blanket what covers both of us in
eternal rest: may them Ancients do so to me, and more, if anything
but death parts you and me.
“Well, sir, to be honest, I don't remember much after that. My
body, as strong as I'd like to think it's become, completely
failed me and my legs turned to rubber. I fell to my knees, threw
my arms around Wilbur's waist, pressed my old head up against his
belly as tight as I could get it and wept like a baby. Like King
Kong, this gorilla weren't killed by guns, but by the love of a
handsome young man. When I agreed to this union, I thought it
would take me no time to shape my chosen one to be the son and
soul-mate I needed. I still have hopes. After Wilbur gets through
training me, perhaps out of the goodness of his strong young heart
he'll allow me some time in the driver's seat,” the huge man said
and laughed. Billy and Nick were holding each other laughing.
Wilbur grinned.
“Please be honest, my good Master, you make me sound like a
fish-wife to our master,” Wilbur admonished him.
“You're right, Son, you leave the driving to me ninety-nine
percent of the time. I ain't complaining none, as long as you
promise to repeat them words from the bible to me when you marry
me,” Marcus said.
“I promise, Master. It will be an honor, sir,” Wilbur replied.
“Then we will count on Wilbur going along with us. But if he goes,
your protector, Lemoncello, must come along as well,” Billy said.
“I agree, Master Billy,” Marcus said, as he dropped his hugely
muscled arm around Wilbur's smaller shoulder, pulled him close,
and stole a gentle kiss.
Billy noticed Wilbur was filling out in all the right places. He
was quickly becoming an exceptionally handsome young Adonis.
“Do you know who of our family you will be taking along, Master
Billy?” Marcus asked.
“Your brothers, Odin Bluetooth and Erin Mascaro; all the surviving
Fallen-Angels have volunteered; so have the majority of
Cowboy-Angels with military experience like Etienne Boudreaux and
Ray Escobar; Bubba Kirkendall and Bubba's Brute; Jack McCormack
and Grover Parsnip; the giants, Billy Gog Groats, Tron, Zeus, Joe
and Willie; Captain Nick's protectors, Pan, Leon, Razza, and
Warrior Cloog; the dozen Essengurda warriors including their
Commander Hunk; the great Bull, his immediate family including
Pete and Leon Tollefson if they want to come along, but not Vox;
my big brothers Moss Garrett and Enoch Redbone, but not my Uncle
Nate or his mate Tron Garrett. I need them here on the ranch
should anything go wrong. Oh, yes, and my protector Boomer, and my
other protectors Guy and Willow you met earlier this e'nin; and
possibly one or two more. There have been any number of stalwart
Irin Cowboy-Bulls what have asked to go along, and I may choose
several of them just to have extra hands along,” Billy said.
“What about your halfling brothers and the Psyches?” Nick asked.
“I don't consider any of my family more or less to me, but I don't
know what I'd do if I lost one of them. It damn near ripped my
guts out when Orville shot Edith; however, I can see the wisdom in
your question, Tonto. As our close, immediate family, I know they
wouldn't want to be left out. I will give them the option. I know
without asking, they'll want to come along. Archie and Edith have
always surprised us with some solution to a tough problem when we
run out of options,” Billy said, “And speaking of Orville, I will
give my three punishment slaves the option of coming with us, but
only if they wish to volunteer,” he added.
“They's a lot of talent and power within that group, and possibly
some you don't even know about, Kemosabe,” Nick speculated, “But
don't forget, Harley-Buck's pregnant,” he added.
“Yeah, I thought about that, but he just a little bit pregnant,”
Billy replied.
“I don't think there is such a thing as a little bit pregnant,
Kemosabe,” Nick said, laughed, and got Marcus and Wilbur laughing.
“What I mean is, he ain't showing or the baby ain't big enough to
be damaged if'n Daddy Bull gets roughed up a mite,” Billy
explained his convoluted thinking.
“You're calling him Daddy Bull now?” Nick asked and grinned.
“Sounds right to me,” Billy replied.
“I agree with Master Billy. It's a perfect name for him. I think
it's the way the big cowboy sees himself, Captain Nick,” Wilbur
came to Billy's rescue.
“He loves wear'n them damn horns, and he just might scare the shit
out of any adversaries them demons might send to thwart our
rescue,” Marcus said, “S'matter of fact, I wouldn't mind having me
a pair of them big horns,” he added and Wilbur grinned.
* * * * * * *
The men retired to the dungeon to gather in the hot tubs, but
before they began to relax, Billy and Nick took the main men from
each group to the 'cloakroom' to tell them the news; the following
Wednesday evening they would make a raid on Mount Ararat in an
attempt to free the Fallen-Angels from stasis. They were not to
discuss it out of the cloakroom because there was too great a
chance word might get out and be heard by the wrong ears. No one
knew if it was still guarded or by whom. Billy left it up to the
various crew leaders to alert their men in the nether-zones and to
warn them not to discuss it outside the zone. He reminded them of
an old war-time saying: Loose lips sink ships. They agreed and
were eager to share the news with their families. They promised
they would abide by his instructions.
Nick reminded Billy the interior of the ship was, itself, a
hyper-cube and met every criterion for being removed from the
ubiquitous and omni-present small robotic cameras. Billy eased up
a bit but still insisted any conversations of major strategy
should be held in the nether-zone where the scout-ships were
docked. Other than getting to the mountain and into the area where
the stasis chambers rested, there wasn't a lot of ideas coming
forth. The men had no real picture what they were getting
themselves into, so they could only guess what might happen.
There was some discussion in a meeting with Beauford when Billy
and Nick went to visit him. Responding to his master's fears of
sensitive plans or information exchanged, with the blink of an eye
and the stomping of one hoof, the giant Shedu stilled every hidden
video camera on the ship, including the eyes of Seth, their
synthetic-intelligence. Seth was naturally concerned for a minute
until Beauford explained he needed a few minutes blackout-time
from information gathering devices and/or visiting invisible
vid-cameras while he discussed some sensitive matters with his
Captain and Master Billy. Seth would be apprised later when
Beauford updated the ship's logs.
Billy didn't know the giant beasts possessed so many handy little
apps. He had no excuse. His little brother nagged him every chance
he got to spend more time with those who could teach him the apps
he needed. The young cowboy vowed, after this mission, he planned
to spend more time with the great Shedus, sit at their feet, and
drink deeply of their wisdom. Randy kept after him until Billy
decided he would finally make the effort. In a way, Billy was glad
Randy didn't know his big brother was planning the boldest raid in
the history of the solar system, and if he was successful, Billy's
name would go down in history as being one of the greatest leaders
of all time. It was a big 'if' but Billy hoped it wasn't
insurmountable.
* * * * * * *
When the Tate's came to the tubs for the evening family gathering,
they wanted to know why they weren't included in Master Billy's
plans. After all, Buster considered himself one of the original
Horseman Guardians. “I didn't mean to exclude you men. I just
thought since you're a high profile family in our little town,
with Will being Sheriff and all, you might not wanna' get involved
with something as risky as invading another country and abducting
what some might consider historical figures out from under them,”
Billy replied.
“How could slaves what were forcibly contained eons ago before the
present country ever existed be considered historical figures for
just them? What claim would the rest of the world have on them, if
any? H'it don't matter none what country they been buried under if
we can get in and get out without anyone being the wiser. How many
times have we heard you speak of the world belonging to the
brotherhood of mankind? Wouldn't them Fallen-Angels have some'um
to say about who they should belong to or whether they considered
themselves free agents? I'd think the idea of freedom for them
would pert-well trump any question about who they belonged to.
Didn't our early forefathers decide they didn't belong to the King
of England no more and flipped him the bird? Buster asked
strongly.
“Hell, ever' football game starts with a kickoff, Billy. In for a
penny, in for a pound!” Sheriff Will Tate said.
“What ma' big brother said, sir!” Everett agreed, and stood tall
by Will.
“What ma' boys said, Master Billy. Triple it, and top it with
dollop of righteous cowboy indignation!” Buster exclaimed.
“All right! All right, Gentlemen! I was wrong. I apologize. You
make a damn good point, Mr. Tate. We'll be happy to have you men
come along, but I can't predict the outcome. It may get rough. We
may even lose a few men. I just don't know,” Billy said.
“If'n I was wear'n yore' boots, I'd have me a nice, long, cozy
chat-um-up with that there pretty lady Shedu heifer you got on
this here ship. It's time she started earn'n her keep. If she can
call a lottery, she shore' as Hell should be able to tell you what
your chances are,” Buster said.
“To be honest, Mr. Tate, I ain't even thought about consulting
Madam Spartza. I promise, I'll make it a point to pay her a visit
tomorrow,” Billy said, “On the other hand, if I find out, I might
not like the odds and reconsider the whole damn thing,” Billy
said.
“That's highly unlikely. Ain't no doubt in my mind, you and
Captain Nick's plan to set them Angels free will be the beginning
of your rise to power for the betterment of all mankind and not
just the few what was lucky enough, no matter their methods, to
help theys'selves to a greater piece of the pie. I'm too damn old
and too tired to wait anymore for scraps from their table to
trickle down to us hardworking common folks. I'd rather take my
fight to the top than fight among my brothers for a few crumbs,
and that's precisely why you need us, Son. Anyone of us three men
might be the key what makes it work for you, and if it costs me my
life, I'm ready to pay the price. There comes a time in ever'
man's life when he has to draw a line in the sand. I done had me a
good run, and to know I stepped over the line and gave my life for
a greater cause will be the pillow on which I will peacefully rest
my head,” Buster said firmly.
“Hear! Hear!” Billy's Uncle Nate said.
Well said, Brother Tate!” Tron Garrett said.
* * * * * * *
The men went into the baths and relaxed in the hot tubs. For all
the tension which was building, it was one of the most solid and
relaxing times they spent together in a while. The men didn't
linger too long in the tubs. They broke up sooner than usual to
get an early start to bed. While sitting next to Nick in the tubs,
Billy could feel his pa's hot breath on his neck. Since Nick
traveled with the rest of Billy's family that morning he was
separated from his master for over a week and a half and had to
sleep alone. While he enjoyed the graciousness of their hosts and
the intensive training and education they provided, he made a
pledge to himself he would never be separated from his master for
such a long period of time again. If they couldn't do it together,
he would beg Billy to graciously decline. He never felt such pain
in his gut and groin as he experienced that evening watching Billy
naked in the baths. Billy caught his look several times and could
hear him grinding his back teeth together.
“Easy, Tonto! Steady big fellow! You're worse than Sam when we
brought Miss Maybelle for him from Fort Adam Lear,” Billy said
softly and laughed at the big man.
“Cain't help it none, Kemosabe. Tonto have deep need to fuck
faithful masked companion in both holes until he speak in
tongues,” Nick growled and grunted.
“Cowboys have been known to die from glossolalia, Tonto. Their
tongues are too slow to begin with and sometimes they get all
catty-wampus. The next thing you know, they's try'n to swallow
their tongues and they strangle they's-selves to death,” Billy
said and grinned.
“Not to worry, Kemosabe, big chief Gregor teach Tonto
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and how to blow smoke up yore' cowboy
ass if it catches on fire,” Nick hyperbolized, “It's the only
lecture I ever done got where every part of my body stood ridged,
and I paid full attention,” he added and grinned.
“I'll just bet that dirty old uncle-in-law of mine taught you
several new techniques. I can't wait to find out. What say we wrap
up this socializing scene and head-on out to our cabin down by the
riverside?” Billy asked.
“I'd say it's the best damn decision you made all day, Kemosabe,”
Nick replied.
“That bad, Pa?” Billy asked and grinned.
“Pert-damn bad, Son,” Nick replied, “Stone-aches so bad I's walk'n
bowlegged,” he added.
* * * * * * *
Billy, Nick, Boomer, and the twins said goodnight to everyone and
promised to see them the next day when there would be more
meetings. Until then, Billy stressed not to discuss anything with
anyone outside the privacy of the nether-zone. They gated to the
cabin, and the moment they walked in, it seemed to wrap itself
around them like a warm nest welcoming back its chicks. Boomer and
the boys went off to the shower.
“You don't know how good it is to be back here in cowboy country,
Kemosabe,” Nick said as he took Billy into his big arms and gently
kissed him. “I'm gonna' miss this old place when you decided to
redo it,” Nick said and let out a deep sigh.
“About that, Pa – we don't have to redo the line-cabin. They's
another spot a little further up on the river we could build our
family quarters and leave this cabin for our personal
get-away-from-ever'body spot,” Billy said, “It holds many good
memories for me, and I know it does for you. It seems almost a
shame to tear it down only to rebuild on top,” he added.
“Then don't. Leave it like it is. I'm sure it must have as many
memories for your Uncle Nate,” Nick said.
“More! He and my daddy grew up and learned about the Code Of The
West, the Cowboy Way, and man stuff here with my granddad,” Billy
said.
“I know you been putting off rebuilding because you hate to part
wiff' it. Build on a new site and keep this for your memories.
Trust me. You'll be glad you did, Kemosabe. Now get chore pretty
little butt in that kitchen and rustle us up some of that Texas
tea – the special kind, what turns us into animals without
conscience – well, maybe just a little,” Nick said and grinned.
“You plan to turn your Demon lose on me tonight, Pa?” Billy asked.
“Naw, let's save them critters for celebrate'n when we return
victorious from the bowels of Turkey, Iran, and Armenia. You need
your Cowboy-Angel-Dad this e'nin to boost your confidence and for
personal reassurance, Kemosabe,” Nick replied.
“I certainly could use a little of my pa's reassurance,” Billy
said and went to the kitchen to make the tea. That evening, after
Boomer and the halflings left for their loft, Nick took Billy not
like a sex starved animal, but as the mature and considerate lover
he could be sometimes. It was like he was trying to show Billy
just how much he missed him during the trip to the other worlds.
He didn't talk much about what he learned or how it affected him,
but his loving was definitely on a new plateau. Nick was right. It
was just what Billy needed to take his mind off the huge bear of a
project he was about to undertake.
* * * * * * *
Monday was back to work right after breakfast. There was an
electric tension in the air. Kate and Zelma invited Clarice to
have breakfast up to the big house with the Daniels family. They
were worried she might have some bad after effects from giving up
her embryo. They didn't want her to become depressed. She was a
little surprised to find her embryo was transferred to Harley-Buck
Johnson, but when the ladies and Billy explained it to her, she
seemed to accept the idea. Her main concern, which her master
shared, was the poor little unexpected proto-human would have a
chance.
After breakfast, Billy and Nick were called to the ship to have a
meeting with the pilots of the scout ships. They wanted to take
them out for a couple of hours in the afternoon and put them
through their paces. Billy and Captain Nick agreed, and feedback
from the scout-ships would be filtered through Seth to catch any
possible operating flaws. They were such uncomplicated and
well-built machines, there was rarely anything wrong with them;
however, Captain Nick agreed, his pilots hadn't been in the
driver's seat for a good while, and it wouldn't hurt for them or
the ships to spend some time getting reacquainted with each other.
Captain Cloog spoke for the rest. He was eloquent and respectful
of his captain and his master. “We brought along another of the
giant's family, Mr. Thor. His records from Fort Adam Lear show he
has many hours flight time in the same craft during his enlistment
in their planet's military protection program,” Cloog informed
Nick and Billy.
“Thanks, Cloog, we could use another couple of trained pilots. I
plan to sit under Seth's scanner this morning, so he can hook me
up with an S2P,” Billy said.
“A tip you might want to consider, sir – pick an S2P with a female
voice. That way, you won't confuse the voices in your head. It
will be easier to separate flight suggestions from Seth and your
S2P. It sounds like a small thing, but in the height of battle,
when you're getting lots of input, it helps to be able to sort
them quickly,” Cloog said sincerely.
“Excellent suggestion, Master Cloog, I will definitely take your
advice, sir,” Billy said and thanked him, “Later this afternoon,
when we take them old balls out and dust them off a bit, maybe you
could give me a lesson and some basic tips. I don't expect to fly
my own scout-ship for this mission, but it won't hurt none to
learn the basics,” Billy said and smiled at the mature warrior.
“It would be my pleasure, Master Billy,” Cloog replied.
* * * * * * *
Billy sat under Seth's scanner for a little over an hour and
interviewed several S2Ps. He finally found a female voice he liked
who called herself Sue. All S2Ps had one syllable names for faster
input from the OM2 pilots. The difference between a one syllable
name and those with two or more? The split-second it took to say
the other syllables could mean the death of the OM2 pilot in
response time. After a full hour of doing simulations, Billy was
becoming comfortable with Sue and thanked her for helping him.
“You don't have to thank me, sir, I'm just a
synthetic-intelligence. I'm simply here to serve you, Master
Billy,” Sue said.
“Nevertheless, you were polite and helpful. A pleasing attitude
and patience with us much slower OM2s should be commended, Sue,”
Billy said, and was sure he heard her giggle.
“Thank you, Master Billy. It was a pleasure. I'll be looking
forward to coupling with you again,” she said and signed off.
* * * * * * *
Billy and Nick ate lunch with the men making the trip with them.
They were coming together as a cohesive force and were getting
hyped for Wednesday evening. Everyone wanted to go along on the
test run with the main pilots, but Nick limited it to four
passengers per pilot ship and the rest could come along in any of
the three duckling ships, as Billy began to refer to them. The
cognomen stuck and Bubba came up with Hewey, Louie, and Dewey with
the OM2 pilot's name first: Cloog's three became Cloog's Hewey,
Louie, and Dewey and so on. It worked for the men, and seemed to
lend a lighter note to belay any anxiety they might have about the
mission.
They took the ships out later in the afternoon. Gates sprang up in
the scout-ship's holding bay with lights above each with the name
of the ship they would be traveling on. Cloog-one; Cloog-two; or
Cloog-three, would appear over the gate in L.E.D. Lights. (Light
Emitting Diodes) There was a corresponding gate on the ship they
were assigned, and the men boarded looking forward to an
entertaining afternoon. With Captain Nick, there were ten OM2
pilots to man the helms of the ten lead ships. Forty ships took
off and moved slowly through the hull of the mother ship and even
more slowly through the rock wall hiding the ship from the main
portion of the cavern.
Nick and his men, including Commander Hunk, decided they would fly
south into Mexico. There was little chance of running into any
military planes after they got out of Texas air space, and at the
speed the silver orbs could travel, there was less chance they
would be seen by the average person; unless, they just happened to
take a random photo and caught the ships in their picture. Even
then, it would be so blurry, no one could really discern what they
might be. Once they got into Mexican airspace, they could slow
their speed for a bit of sightseeing. UFOs over Mexico was a
common phenomena. People on the ground no longer stopped to look
and went about their business.
They flew over Mexico City and Popocatepetl to see the largest
city and the smoldering volcano. Bubba allowed it would be perfect
if he was wearing a huge sombrero with a frosty Margaretta in his
hand. He wanted to know when the stewardess would start serving
chips and salsa. Nick buzzed a couple of passenger jets for the
fun of it. They could see the passengers taking pictures with
their cell phones. On the way back, Cloog let Billy take the helm
for a few minutes to get the feel of flying. There really wasn't a
lot to do as his S2P, Sue, did all the work. She automatically
flew the pilot ship plus the three ducklings dancing in and about
like they were doing an unrehearsed erratic folk dance. Billy
thought forty ships, no matter their small size, just might be too
many to fly over some of the most hostile land on Earth. He did
some rough calculations in his head and figured about half their
current armada would do nicely. They returned to the ranch and
back to the main ship late in the afternoon. They scanned the area
for life forms and found none of any significance to observe their
flying into the entrance to the cave. The exercise was a great
success and only whetted the appetite of the men for Wednesday's
mission.
* * * * * * *
After they returned, Billy and Nick went to the showers in the
dungeon, cleaned themselves, pulled on their boots and walked
naked to the stables where Madam Spartza and the Great Bull,
Beauford, were housed and cared for. She agreed to see them and
was looking forward to their visit.
“Ah, Master Billy and Captain Nick, how nice to see you again. I
do so enjoy our weekly visits, but I feel both your hearts are
troubled about your impending plans to rescue the Fallen Angels.
You have come for bits and pieces I might foresee,” she said.
“To be honest, it hadn't occurred to me, ma'am, but one of my
'Horsemen,' Mr. Tate, suggested I might consider an audience with
you and perhaps, if I'm polite and come to you wiff' my hat in my
hand, you might reveal our possibilities for success or defeat,”
Billy said.
“As good and protective as you and Captain Nick have been to me,
Master Beauford, and my beloved groom, Balthazar, do you think if
I saw something of dire consequences regarding your bold attempt
to free the Fallen-Angels I would not contact you and warn you?”
she asked.
“I would never suggest such a thing, ma'am. Please forgive my
youth and any small anxieties you might sense in me, Madam
Spartza, I only seek what you care to share with us,” Billy said.
“Your venture is a bold one, no doubt. Where Angels fear to tread
– an old saying on every world throughout the universe, but you
are not a young fool rushing in without considerable forces of
power to back you up. There will be several unexpected glitches,
but only one of your brave warriors will fall in battle, but do
not despair, you will save him. Your adjusted count for the number
of ships you will need is comfortably accurate; although, your
man, Mr. Obbligatto, was correct. There are considerably more
Angels in stasis than history records. Just make sure you work
steadily but swiftly to get everyone on board a ship. Don't let
any of the older Angels try to challenge you. If they do, ask them
to step aside, and if it is their choice, you will leave them
behind. Don't get into an argument with them, and don't allow them
to try to manipulate or bully you. You are the chosen one.
“When they see you and several of your Cowboy-Angels wing-up to
heal one of their own they will think twice before being left
behind. They will come with you – to a man. There are no female
Angels. There was as large a discrimination against the female sex
in the early days as there is today on your planet. Any physical
complaints from the Angels, you and your Cowboy-Angels will be
able to take care of on your way back to Texas. You can worry
about greater healings later. Since you plan to send them to Fort
Adam Lear for refurbishing, you can forward them upon your return.
By the way, I just love the term, Cowboy-Angels, for your men,
Master Billy. It is so very apropos. Most of all, one small but
important piece of information I have for you is simple. At your
peak of panic, remember the strength of innocence, and call upon
your youngest, most innocent warrior to become the hero he's
destined to be. Do not be afraid to entrust your life to him. As
you cowboys are wont to say, he will save your collective butts.
Just remember, when everyone is on the ship but you and him,
collect him, and run like Hell for the gate to your ship,” Madam
Spartza said.
“Thank you, Madam Spartza. I appreciate you being so generous with
your time to speak with us. We are truly blessed to have you
aboard Captain Nick's ship. We're proud and honored you find us
responsible enough to trust us with your protection. It is a great
privilege, ma'am,” Billy said and there was nothing but sincerity
in his voice. He meant every word he said, and the great beast
knew.
“I feel safe here, Master Billy. I never had such a complete
feeling of safety as I've experience with you and Captain Nick. To
get to work with Master Beauford is another wonder and makes my
days pleasant and filled with happiness. When you return from your
mission, we have an announcement to make before everyone we hope
you will find great joy in hearing,” Madam Spartza said and gave
her equivalent of a curtsy. Billy and Nick returned her curtsy
with deep bows, thanked her again, and the men left.
* * * * * * *
Once again the men who would be going on the mission gathered in
the baths for a bit of socializing and relaxation before going to
bed. Everyone was there including the three punishment slaves and
ten of Billy's hand picked Irin cowboys he knew were big, strong,
brave, and trustworthy. Billy was somewhat surprised Earl Hickson
was the first punishment slave to raise his hand to volunteer for
the mission. Even after Billy and Nick took them into a
nether-zone to explain, Earl was more gung-ho than ever.
Harley-Buck was like a big puppy dog. He wanted to run with the
big dogs and do what they did. Orville was thrilled to be asked to
be included. After his break-in period, he became a model slave.
He would do anything to please his young cowboy master, Bubba
Kirkendall.
It was like a men's organization to end all clubs. Billy Bob Bane
asked if he could come along and Billy thought it might do him
some good. Nick allowed it just might help him regain some of his
lost sense of self-worth; although Billy was quite sure a cowboy
over to the Rutherford ranch, built like a fire-plug, would lasso
the big man's butt, jerk a kink in it like he never experience
before, and make him into a new man; a man's man any cowboy worth
the name would feel proud to have ride by his side and share his
bunk.
End of Chapter 74 ~ Seek Him What Made Them Seven Stars
Copyright ~ © ~ 2014 ~ 2017 ~ Waddie Greywolf ~ All Rights
Reserved
Mail to: Waddie Greywolf <[email protected]>
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05/30/2014
10/12/2017