Steven Gordon 3: The Modloch Empire (27 page)

The redhead keeper waited until the
noise abated somewhat. ‘Noble guests.’ She immediately had their
attention. ‘I can see by your reactions that you enjoyed the
company of the big cats. Not all cats are as big though. There are
hundreds of different breeds of cats. There are few places on our
planet where they do not thrive, and as such both Human and cat
have had a very long relationship. For the most part this
relationship has reaped benefits for both species. We have not only
taken them into our hearts but also into our homes. Noble guests,
may I introduce you to the domestic cat.’

The doors opened and a host of keepers
walked in carrying cats and kittens. The white Persian seemed to be
the most popular, but the cute grey kittens also went down a storm.
Some of them broke loose and decided to investigate the strangers
themselves. A large black tom, shorthaired and sleek, took a
particular liking to the Modloch Emperor. His face was novel as the
black cat sunk its claws into him.

Its keeper was mortified but too
frightened to approach the Emperor. ‘What is it doing?’ He gasped
through the pain.

‘
He likes you sir. He
is just getting comfortable.’

‘
He likes me! Are you
sure?’

She flicked away a hair from her face.
‘Oh yes, positive. In a moment he will lie down and go to sleep.’
As if on queue the cat lay down and closed his eyes. ‘If you stroke
him, he will purr.’

‘
How do I do
that?’

She demonstrated and he followed suit.
The cat stretched and began to purr. The Emperor then turned to the
British King, who was playing with a grey kitten.

‘
This is such a
strange feeling. Are these comfort creatures?’

‘
Yes, we call them
pets.’

‘
Why?’

‘
What you are doing
is called petting. These are creatures you can pet, therefore
pets.’

‘
Do you have these
cats?’

‘
No. There is nothing
more adorable than a kitten, however when cats aren’t sleeping or
eating they are very curious creatures. They like to explore, jump
up on things and rub themselves everywhere. Cats and palaces full
of ancient delicate ornaments do not mix.’

‘
Ah, I see. So what
pets do you have?’

‘
I have dogs and
horses.’

‘
Ah! I like horses.
Have we seen dogs tonight?’

‘
No, not a single
one.’

‘
Why not?’

‘
I have no idea. I
will ask when I get the chance.’

‘
Can I keep this
one?’ The Emperor asked the keeper.

‘
I am afraid not sir.
You wouldn’t be able to feed it.’

It took them a while to gather all of
the cats together again. Once they were all removed from the hall
the red head took her place on the podium again.

‘
We have one final
animal to show you. This animal is a herbivore, but I would ask you
to please remain seated and quiet. My nobles, lords ladies and
gentlemen, I give you the King of the great plains of Africa,
Jambo, the African bull elephant.

The great doors swung wide and Jambo
lumbered in to view. There were gasps of surprise, and the redhead
had to intervene. ‘Please remain seated and calm.’

He filled the door, making his Human
keeper look diminutive in comparison. Jambo’s great tusks swung
low, close to the ground. A grey trunk tested the air and blew it
across the olfactory receptors in his mouth. A great rumble began
deep in his chest and filled the room. The beast then emitted a
deep tone that the Humans could only feel rather than hear.

One of the nobles got slowly to his
feet and, as Jambo passed, emitted a tone of his own, not unlike
that of the elephant. The elephant’s reaction was instant. He swung
round and spotted the standing noble. His great ears flapped and he
trumpeted. Behind him the escort readied their tranquilizer guns.
The noble emitted the sound again and the great beast approached
slowly. Even though they were sat high on a dais the elephant still
towered over him.

Everyone watched with bated breath as
the giant reached out with his trunk. He took the scent from the
noble and blew it into his mouth. Another deep rumble followed. The
trunk came back and stroked his face. The noble reached up and
touched the elephant’s trunk. Jambo responded by grasping the hand,
while the noble reached up with his other; it was as though they
were holding hands. It was a magical moment that showed on the face
of the alien.

Jambo’s keeper called to him and the
elephant took a few steps back, flapped his ears and trumpeted
loudly before turning away. The noble was still on his feet as the
massive doors closed behind the lumbering giant.

A great round of applause went round
the hall and everyone got to their feet. The red head’s thanks were
lost in the noise and she was replaced by the President once
more.

He waited until the din abated,
‘Emperors, Kings, Heads of State, Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen. This
concludes the petition from the planet Earth. What you saw tonight
was only a fraction of that which we fight to protect, which we
will fight to protect to our very last breaths. I sincerely hope
that this has changed your minds about who and what we are.

‘
As a single race
with a single planet, we are no real threat to anyone. We have no
wish to conquer anyone’s planets. We simply wish to live in peace,
not under threat from races we have never heard of from a different
part of the galaxy.

‘
We realise the
commitment we will have to make to join this galactic federation of
planets. We are prepared to pay that price. Thank you.’ He bowed
low. ‘We have more entertainment for you soon, but our little
friends have left a bit of a mess behind. If you would all like to
retire to freshen up a little, the grand ball will begin in an hour
and a half. We hope you will rejoin us then. There will be a small
buffet and a selection of wines, beer and other drinks for you try
out. We will entertain you with music, dancing, and a flavour of
Human entertainment from a number of different races. Thank you
again.’ He bowed low and was applauded.

CHAPTER 33

The Modloch Emperor sank into his couch
and picked up a cherry brandy. He took a small sip and shuddered.
‘You have to try this, but only a little. Human drink is very
potent.’

His servants poured a tiny amount into
the glasses of those present. As a unit, all of the rulers had
retired to a room he had set aside for this very reason. They
partook of the drink and seemed to love it.

The Emperor noticed that one had made
no comment. ‘Marcus my friend, you look very thoughtful and very
far away.’

The noble who had shared a moment with
the elephant smiled. ‘I am far away Darrick. That great beast
touched me somewhere deep inside.’

‘
We shouldn’t get
carried away by emotion,’ snapped another.

His nearest companion turned to him,
‘You’re just pissed off because you shat yourself when those lions
roared.’ The room erupted in laughter.

‘
I did not shit
myself,’ he protested, ‘it was just a bellyful of wind from those
strange fruits.’

The laughter increased, ‘I would still
check my underwear before going out again.’

‘
Did you see those
damn things?’

‘
We saw them, and
felt their roar.’ the Modloch Emperor interrupted. ‘Hell my arse is
still twitching.’ They all laughed.

‘
It was a primal
fear.’ Another added.

The Emperor turned to him, ‘Grand
Chancellor Serrivelli, it’s not like you to voice an opinion.’

‘
I was a Professor of
History before I rose to office, and as such I do not have the
clout that those who were born to rule do. But this is my area of
interest. I have studied carnivores and herbivores. There was a
time on all of our planets that the two were in balance. Of course
we herbivores rose to become dominant. As such, we could not let
such creatures live. When we had eradicated every species that
could do us harm our populations exploded. Our numbers were
controlled only by disease and famine. As the Human said, this led
us to look to the stars far quicker than they. I would presume they
only reached for the stars as a curiosity rather than a
necessity.’

‘
I think you are
correct,’ the Modloch Emperor mused.

The chancellor continued, ‘There were
meat-eaters on our planets, and at one time we were legitimate
prey. When those big cats began to come in, I wanted to move closer
to the person next to me. I felt the fear flow through me even
though I had no idea what kind of creatures they were. The sight,
the sound, the smell, triggered a primal reaction that all of us
felt. I can still feel the thrill of it.’

The Modloch Emperor lifted a leg and
farted, ‘I think we all do.’ They roared with laughter. ‘Still, the
chancellor is correct. I know lots of people that would pay to be
scared that shitless too.’

That brought a few nodding heads, but
not all agreed. ‘I think they should kill them all.’ Announced the
whiner.

‘
I would have to
disagree,’ the Professor countered, ‘they are of no threat to any
of us, and their magnificence was obvious to us all. Emperor
Marcus, you obviously felt a connection to the grey
creature?’

‘
The Elephant, yes.
My species has a similar way of communicating as that low tone that
it emitted. I am sure you all heard it. It is a form of
communication we hardly ever use now, maybe only as parents to
children when they are out of sight. Many years ago someone dug up
a skeleton of a creature much like that of the elephant. It even
had tusks, although somewhat shorter. It was declared a hoax by all
renowned sources, simply because no one could envision how it fed.
Yet there it was, an extending nose as versatile as a hand. What a
wonderful creature. I don’t care about what any of the rest of you
do, the Humans have my endorsement. I wonder if they would like to
visit my planet and show off the elephant to my people. I am sure
they would love it.’

The sceptic snorted. ‘You would let
yourself be swayed by one creature?’

Marcus eyed him with thinly veiled
disgust. ‘That was only the final piece of the puzzle for me.’

‘
The cats did it for
me.’ The chancellor admitted. ‘To preserve a species, many species,
that can do your people harm takes a lot of courage, and a lot of
heart.’

‘
I would never vote
for any species of meat-eater,’ snarled King Vison of the
Catataracs. ‘They are filthy and disgusting, and none of us should
support them. You disgraces us all by your words.’

The Modloch Emperor looked down his
nose at the King. ‘You are a prick, Vison. If you weren’t part of
the alliance I would have destroyed your puny race many years ago.
Your people have no culture, no grace, no art. Your only motivation
is greed and that crap you try and pass off as grass. You are also
spokesman for the Albany, aren’t you?’

‘
What if I am? They
are herbivores like us and as such deserve our support.’

‘
I wouldn’t support
the Albany if their Emperor came down here and kissed my arse.’
Snorted the Modloch Emperor. ‘My people have had a lot of contact
with the Humans. Despite being meat-eaters, they still have a
thousand times more appeal than either your race or the Albany. I
would far rather sit down to a bowl of walnuts and a cherry brandy
than eat a ton of the shit your people produces.’

‘
There is nothing
wrong with our grass.’ He protested.

‘
The last time my
empire bought grass in bulk from your race was during the Haspsopot
War. My father’s troops almost mutinied. He made me and my brothers
sit down and eat a whole bowl of the stuff to make damn sure we
wouldn’t make the same mistake that he did. I was sick for days
afterwards.’ That brought a great deal of mirth from the gathered
rulers.

‘
When the Albany take
the Earth they are going to convert it to the growth of blue grass.
They will mass produce it and you won’t be able to sell
it.’

The Modloch Emperor snorted. ‘It won’t
grow over the whole planet you idiot. Tell me, what part of the
Earth did they promise you for your support?’

‘
What do you mean it
won’t grow all over the planet?’

‘
The planet Earth is
tilted back on its axis and has a wobble. This creates seasons in
the northern climes. The savannah grass only grows in the hottest
regions round the planet’s central belts. I ask again, what part of
the planet did they promise you?’

King Vison looked around to see
everyone’s attention directed towards him. It was clear they all
knew. In retrospect, it was pretty obvious. He sighed, ‘We were to
get the northern hemisphere.’

They howled with laughter and Vison
slinked back out of the discussion.

‘
How long does this
wobble take to act out?’ The Professor asked.

‘
A whole Earth year.
It is what their calendar is based on.’ The Modloch Emperor
answered.

‘
It may be
speculation on my part, but would that not result in the diversity
of the animals and in the Human race itself as it spread across the
planet?’

‘
You speculate
correctly chancellor. I have had the same encyclopaedias you have
for a few weeks now. That is exactly the reason for the planet’s
diversity. With the Humans, those with the lighter skins live in
the colder climes.’