The command room had fallen silent and all eyes were on the quarreling men. Vivian smiled and shook her head.
“This is what happens when man is given the means to kill greatly.” She left without looking back.
Uther turned back to Galois after the door hissed shut behind Vivian. “Please, don’t let me fight him alone. I need you with me.”
“Sir,” Lot called from his throne-like seat where he consistently looked into the visor over his eyes. “We have a communication from a close planet. The messenger calls himself Pellinore, king of the planet Listenoise. I’m afraid only the D.R.U.I.Ds speak his language. Shall I have Merlin translate?”
Using all his strength, Uther turned away from Galois. “Can you send in a vid-com request? I’d like to see our neighbor.”
Lot typed on the flat screen then waited. A second later, a message flashed on the screen that Listenoise would show its face to the new residence of Camelot. “Ready when you are, sir,” Lot said.
“King Pellinore?” Uther asked the blank screen. In a flash, color ignited and an alien humanoid became visible on the screen.
The creature loomed tall and its skin shimmered a dark, murky green. What should have been hair from his scalp grew tangled weeds and glossy vines like an elegant, decorative plant. Its eyes were narrow and angular with cat pupils. It had no lips and a flat nose and yet it held itself high and proud like royalty. The arthen clothes were scarce and hardly covered the alien’s body and patches of skin on it seemed to resemble bark. It moved with slow, flowing movements. On its head, a crown of pure gold in the likeness of twigs and moss gleamed.
It opened its mouth and replied to Uther, but its language came in moans and whispers that he could not understand.
“Where is Merlin?” Uther barked just as the D.R.U.I.D entered from the sliding door. “Thank the gods, Merlin, we’ve made contact with an outside planet and I cannot understand its language.”
Merlin stepped forward so the alien could see him. He made a small bow. “Honored, we are, King Pellinore of Listenoise. Too long has it been since your people sought out mine. Would you not favor this young commander with his own tongue?”
Uther arched an eyebrow. “He knows our language? Then why didn’t he speak it?”
Merlin whispered close to Uther’s ear, “Listenoise people show respect by speaking in native tongues.” He cocked his head a little. “I suppose he did find you worthy of his respect. You’ll have to work on that.” He smiled as Uther dropped his mouth in mild shock and anger.
“Humans in such ships need not know everything about everyone before their engines have cooled,” King Pellinore sighed. His tone was still that of his people: sighing and slow, but his lipless mouth smiled. “And that for which I have come to speak to you about is not a joyful thing.”
Uther frowned, confused by the alien’s strange way of speaking. “What does he mean, Merlin?”
Merlin answered King Pellinore for him. “We have been threatened by one of our own. Things are not unwinding as it was written they should. Matters must be settled. You understand this.”
“I, for one, do not,” Galois jumped in. He addressed Pellinore. “I pray you mean us no harm as we have much to sort out ourselves here on this planet.”
The king raised his non-existent eyebrows. “So, bold a man to me speaks. I can see many things, human. Not in the future, are you. You gone should already be. Fight this war, young Pendragon, I will aid you surely.”
“Listenoise are famous for their prophetic visions in this system,” Merlin explained. “Though it remains unexplained by your science.”
“I don’t like it,” Galois said warningly to Uther. “We cannot involve other planets in our own civil war.”
Uther rolled his eyes to his friend. “You do not like anything strange and unusual. Pellinore,” he looked back to the screen. “We have D.R.U.I.D armor and Avalonian mecha on Camelot. We plan to use it to fight Vortigern.”
“How brave to make mention of the Avalon armor,” Pellinore sighed. “Fortune is to you, for I know your D.R.U.I.D well. A foolish man, you are Uther Pendragon.” His voice had dropped to a low, moaning hiss. “Allies we shall be. My aid in this war for you, I will give. I do not wish to see such suffering. Quick and speedy must the victor be.”
“No!” Galois cried out. Igrain ran to his side and placed one hand on Uther’s shoulder.
“Uther, please listen to my husband. I know that you think you’re doing the right thing, but think!”
Chancing a look into Igrain’s pleading eyes, Uther felt his heart break a little. “Are you proposing treason, Galois?” he shot at his friend instead, not being able to bear Igrain’s sad eyes.
“What?” Galois gasped. “Uther, I said no such thing, but you are bringing in a whole new planet into this war for the sake of, what, your revenge? Constans would hate what you’ve done!”
With a scream of anger, Uther threw a heavy punch into Galois’s jaw and then kicked him to the ground, igniting an energy dirk as he leapt to him. Igrain screamed and lurched to grasp her husband, but Merlin pulled her out of the way as Uther’s sizzling dirk swished through the air. Galois caught his hand just above his face and flipped Uther off of himself. The men stood and charged one another again.
“Stop!” Lot cried leaping between his father-in-law and his commander. Fortunately, Galois and Uther halted before the electric dirk found a home in the young man’s chest.
The whole bridge grew quiet again. Igrain pulled away from Merlin and stood next to Uther, tears dripping down her face.
“Call the Listenoise down. Resume your war preparations. We will not
