“Time to wake up,” said Allor, standing in the doorway of Koven’s cell.
“I’m awake,” replied Koven in an unfriendly tone.
“Then get your ass up,” said Ova, who was standing behind Koven. “Can’t sleep all day. Not when your king needs you.”
“My king? You are making fundamental mistakes,” replied Koven.
“And you are making one that could cost you your head,” replied Ova with her hand on her sword.
“Now, now, my love,” replied Allor. “Our guest is just taking time to appreciate his circumstances.” Allor looked at one of the guards behind him and nodded. The man entered the cell with his sword drawn.
“Let’s go,” said the guard, pointing the tip of his sword at Koven’s face.
They took Koven to a larger room. Waiting for them were Dubitam and MinKey. As soon as they entered the room, Dubitam started with the questions.
“How many people will your spaceship accommodate?”
“Let him at least take a seat first,” said Allor with a smile.
“Five,” replied Koven as he moved over to the table and sat down.
“But there is space for more?” asked MinKey.
“Yes. But it is outfitted for five people. Life support, food, sleeping accommodation. Five.”
“Why five?” asked MinKey.
“Crisis votes,” replied Koven. “Even numbers don’t work.”
“So the hierarchal model is abandoned?” asked MinKey.
“No. It was never in place. Each have their function, and some are better at making certain decisions. However, in instances of life-or-death choices, we prefer to be part of the decision.”
“The Molliere Perspective?” asked MinKey.
“Yes. Well understood. Congratulations,” replied Koven. He looked at MinKey with a newfound respect. She understood the information recently given to her, at more than merely a factual nature. She was able to draw knowledge from the information and use it to understand other areas. Most people didn’t, or it took an exceptionally long time, unless prompted.
“How do you get back and forth from your vessel?” asked Dubitam.
“PTD,” replied Koven.
“I knew it,” said Dubitam enthusiastically.
“It won’t protect from deep space, but the bubble contains enough oxygen and protection to get to a space shuttle airlock with a significant safety margin.”
“How do you set the location of your spaceship?”
“No,” replied Koven angrily. “I’m not going to help you.”
“Get us some food,” said Allor to one of the guards. The man stood stiffly for a moment then left. Pens came into the room. He was wearing his purple cape and left a man and a woman at the door when he entered.
“It will be a long night,” said Pens, and he pointed at Koven.
“Now let’s not go that way,” said Allor. “That ends with a dead body and only a little knowledge.”
“We don’t need him. We have the book. We can take his head without fear,” replied Pens. He smiled and wagged his finger at Koven. “And I will be the one to do it.”
“No you won’t,” replied MinKey for the first time forcefully.
“Why not, bitch?” replied Pens with an annoyed tone.
“Because I have read the manual for the personal transport device three times and I still don’t understand how it works. And I won’t until I have the opportunity to discuss it with someone who uses it all the time. And that’s just the personal transport device. Then there is the entire Cultural Revolution. I have no idea what was going on. Sure, I know the events and the dates and the actors. But I just don’t get it. It makes no sense to me. Then there’s the features of the remedium. I understand about ninety percent of it. But the chemical rejuvenation of cells is the part I don’t understand. But I think it’s important.”
“It is,” replied Koven. “It’s how we live for as long as we want.”
“Forever,” replied MinKey.
“In theory, yes.”
“Three million?” asked MinKey.
“As an approximation? Yes,” replied Koven.
“I don’t understand,” replied MinKey.
“Sometimes I’m not sure if I understand it,” replied Koven.
“What are you two talking about?” Pens demanded to know.
“When given eternal life, humans willingly give it up after three million revs,” said MinKey.
“That’s stupid. Impossible. It’s the one thing I’ll never give up,” replied Pens adamantly.
“Yet everyone does,” replied Koven.
“They’re stupid.”
“Can we please get back to the spaceship orbiting the planet?” asked Dubitam. “We could escape to the stars. And not tomorrev. Torev.”
“I think it would be better if we worked to meet the contact criteria,” said Allor.
“You can’t meet it by using our technology,” replied Koven. “I was serious about them wiping your memory.”
“You’re lying,” replied Pens.
Allor started laughing. Then Ova joined in. Finally Koven joined.
“OK. So he might not be lying,” admitted Pens. “But there has to be a way around this. He knows it and isn’t telling us.”
“The only way around this is if you return all of the technology before the rescue team comes looking for me.”
“Rescue team?” asked Ova.
Koven didn’t respond.
“When will they arrive?” asked Ova.
“I don’t know. ‘Soon’ would be a high-probability guess. Within the next rev or two. Sooner, I hope.”
“What, you don’t like our hospitality?” asked Ova.
“Being held prisoner? No, I don’t. I have a family, a life, a girlfriend. I have a teaching module I need to finish.”
“Get used to it,” said Pens.
Dubitam walked over to the table and sat down across from Koven.
“Let’s make a deal,” said Dubitam. “You get us to your ship, give us flight instructions, and we let you go.”
“No.”
“You realize that we will eventually figure it out. We’ve got all the manuals in the book,” said Dubitam.
“Yes.”
“It will go better for you if you cooperate,” said Pens. Then he slapped Koven on the back of the head. “I’ll be the one to take your head. Remember that, star man.”
“Stop it,” said Allor.
“We need him to cooperate, my love,” said Ova quietly in Allor’s ear. “Perhaps what he needs is some female persuasion.”
“Do you require the comforts of a woman to be more cooperative?” Allor asked.
“No. No,” replied Koven.
“The comforts of a man, perhaps?”
“No”
The guard came into the room with food. It was a plate of fruit and vegetables. In the middle of the platter was what looked like a large roasted duck. The man put the platter on the table between Dubitam and Koven. Dubitam pulled a piece of meat from the duck and ate it.
“Please,” he said to Koven.
Koven was hungry. He wanted to grab the food and shove it into his mouth, but didn’t. Instead he picked up one of the small orange vegetables and ate it politely. Allor came over to the table and pulled the leg off the duck.
At the sight of this, Koven started retching until he had returned the orange vegetable.
“What’s wrong, star man?” asked Pens with a chuckle. He reached down and pulled the other leg from the duck. Again Koven responded with dry heaves.
“Stop it,” said MinKey. “He’s a vegetarian,” she said loudly.
“So what? He’s just weak,” replied Pens. He looked at MinKey with squinted eyes.
“Check your knowledge. In a galaxy with millions of species of animals, killing any animal is considered murder,” said MinKey. She looked at Koven. “Am I right?” she asked.
Koven nodded.
“Get rid of the duck,” Allor said to the guard. The platter was taken away only to reappear a few minutes later with more vegetables and no trace of the duck.
“But it’s not one of the contact criteria,” said Allor, looking at Koven for confirmation.
Koven had recovered from his stomach problems and was now trying another orange vegetable. This time he kept it down.
“No. It’s just something that happens. Like the three million revs. After exposure to a vast new array of life forms, we just have a higher level of appreciation and respect for all species. Eating them stops. How would you like it if another species found you particularly tasty?”
“I see,” replied Allor.
“But to give up duck,” replied Ova. “That is a lot.”
“I’ve never known any other way,” replied Koven. He picked up a white floral type vegetable. He bit into it. It was cauliflower. He quickly chewed and swallowed it. He didn’t take a second piece.
“How many of them are coming?” asked Pens.
“I don’t know. Usually it is at least twenty. But there have been instances of thousands. It depends on the circumstances. But when they come, they will come with significant advantage in technology and experience.”
“They will be no match for my sword,” replied Pens aggressively.
“Yes, there is your sword,” said Koven with a sigh.
“It will be me,” said Pens, pointing at Koven. “Remember that, star man.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Time to put you in a safe place,” said Allor.
Koven looked at him blankly.