That Which One Begins - Chapter Four The Tetrite Village, next morning "What's your name, pal?" William's stared directly into the nearby face of the gateway creature while he sat motionless within the dark chamber. "I am referred to as Philanthropithitatus, sir," replied the creature. "Okay, look... Phil, do you have to be around me ALL the time?" William was getting a little annoyed at his constant companion. "Oh, yes sir," Phil said proudly. "I have been instructed to remain at your side at all times." "I'm trying to take a dump here. Think you could take a break or something? I'd like a little privacy." The makeshift outhouse that he had cobbled together from the remains of the ship's head was a simple luxury that William allowed for himself now that he was marooned. This was its maiden voyage. Phil hung on the door, peering through a small window that William had carved out of the metal sheet. "Is the process of waste evacuation considered a private act among your species?" asked Phil with great interest. "Yes, very much so, absolutely." William's annoyance was growing. "Then I shall remove myself immediately and inform the others!" Phil slid down the door to the ground. "No, that's not necessary!" called out William. "Just give me a min...." "I shall announce it to the others immediately, sir!" Phil's voice trailed off into the distance. Mumbling curses under his breath, William finished and stepped outside the door to be silently greeted by four hundred pairs of beady eyes. At the front of the group, stood Phil, looking quite pleased. "We remained at an appropriate distance to insure privacy, as you required, sir." announced Phil. "Your face is turning red, sir. Are you ill?"   William walked slowly along the path through the nests and activities of the Tetrite village. He now knew that he was going to be staying here a very long time. The ship was lost. Its back broken, it would never fly again. His charts didn't even show this system, much less the planet with seven moons called Tetra. The Tetrites didn't have spaceships or communication equipment to call for help. He was, he now accepted, marooned on this planet with thousands of these spider-creatures called Tetrites and a young blonde girl with amazing powers who avoided him as if he had the plague. "Well, he thought, nothing much to go back for and home is where you make it. Until he could figure out a way to get home, William decided to get to know the neighbors. Everywhere, Tetrites, large and small, were either busy with various needed chores or resting comfortably on smooth rocks that were found in abundance around the area. Smiling and nodding his head in greeting, William found the Tetrites to be quite friendly in return as they waved or nodded back to him, always with a smile. The thought occurred to William that they were almost glad to see him, but he soon discarded the idea as silly. It was while sitting in the shade of a small desert tree that William saw her again. In a clear blue sky, she flew overhead, looping and soaring, spinning and giggling, having so much fun just being free. Flying for the sheer joy of it. He smiled at the innocent beauty of her as he watched--a pilot envious of her talent to move through the air so gracefully. William observed in silence for a few moments more before stepping out from beneath the tree into the open. She didn't notice him at first, but then she saw him and stopped, hovering just a mere hundred feet above him. William waved up to her, smiling his best smile at her, but she only stared back without expression before darting away in a fast flicker of motion. William spun around, looking for her, but she was gone. "Well, shit," he mumbled his complaint. "Nice to see you too." He didn't notice the pair of intense blue eyes that discreetly peered at him from behind a nearby outcrop of boulders.   William had thought a great deal before deciding to speak to Phil about her. He found Phil sleeping soundly on his rock and sat down on the rock next to him. The sound of William's voice woke Phil immediately, but he did seem momentarily disoriented. "Alright, Phil, what's the deal with the girl?" demanded William, determined to get to heart of the matter. "Girl, sir? Oh, you speak of the Mistress." Phil shook his head a bit to wake up a bit more. "Yeah, `The Mistress'. What's her name again?" "Her given name is Lill'th Zenerha-Shar'a Velor, sir." "Hmm, maybe I can just call her Lillith." "She would most likely accept that, sir. She is most accommodating." "Hm. Doesn't talk much though." That really bothered William. Phil cleared his throat. "That is not quite valid information, sir." "Well, she doesn't talk to me." "Your clarification on the matter is indeed quite valid, sir." "Yeah. Maybe it's also quite valid that she doesn't like me much, eh?" Phil rotated around his rock a bit more to face William. "I am sure that is not the case for you personally, sir, yet the Mistress is indeed quite distrustful of military uniforms. She has not had pleasant experiences with the military arms of any species, I am sorry to say." "I suppose I can't blame her there, Phil," William replied with a slight grin. He sighed once and fingered the bars on his collar. "Well, I was on my last tour anyway. Only about three months before I was out. I suppose I don't have to sweat it now, eh? Tell you what, I'll remove my insignia and all from my shirt. Would that help?" "I am sure the Mistress will respond well to your efforts, sir, but I should also mention that she may also be affected by an inclination to become rather tentative at socialization when first meeting one of a similar species." William had to think about that one for a minute. "You mean she's shy?" "A rather brief description of a rather involved set of emotions, sir, but an accurate one nevertheless." "Well, I'll be." William chuckled to himself. "I haven't known many shy women in my life, Phil. Most of them were exactly the opposite." "The Mistress has not had the benefit of social interaction for the three years that she has lived among us, sir. We have done what we could to make her feel at home here, but there is only so much within our knowledge and capabilities." William thought a bit more. "She's been here for three years?" he finally asked. "Indeed, sir." "Looks like she and I are going to have a lot in common, Phil." "Indeed, sir." It was early evening when William and Phil approached the large bonfire where the Tetrites had congregated. Illuminated by the flames, William could see her speaking with the giant gray Tetrite on the far side of the fire. She was nodding, laughing, enjoying herself among friends. This, William reasoned, was a good opportunity to introduce himself. William walked casually around the fire toward them. When he caught her eye, he raised his hand in greeting and smiled his best smile while calling out a cheerful "Hello!". He thought he saw a brief yet nervous smile curl her lips, but she immediately retreated behind her long blonde hair and backed uneasily behind the large gray Tetrite. Undaunted by this early failure, William did the same thing toward the large Tetrite and was rewarded. "The warmest of good evenings to the William," the gray Tetrite responded. "You speak very good English," remarked William with a courteous nod. "Not at all," boomed the giant Tetrite in a deep bass voice. "Philanthropithitatus is performing his function as Gateway for us, allowing us to understand each other fully. He does so with my permission and to fulfill your need to communicate." "Great. Does Phil need my permission to gateway also?" William was merely inquisitive. "Indeed. He does so upon the assumption that you wish it so. You may withdraw such permission as you see fit." " I see." Time for introductions. "My name is William Wesson. My friends call me..." "Will'm." murmured a timid female voice from just behind the large Tetrite. William smiled and looked around the side of the large Tetrite to see her curious eyes peering out through her long hair. "That's right," he said smoothly with a warm smile for her. "They call me William." She smiled back but nervously looked away when their eyes met. William simply returned his attention to the giant Tetrite. "And you, sir?" "My name would be a bit tedious and confusing for you," the giant boomed. "However, one of your species once referred to me as `Large Grey'. Would that suit our purposes?" "Large Grey? I won't forget that one," William nodded. "Yeah, that will do fine, Grey." Large Grey turned slightly, removing her hiding place. "May I introduce our Protector, Lill'th Zenerha-Shar'a Velor." "T'aye," she mumbled nervously. Unable to look up at him, she stared down at her hands, intent on her two index fingers that twisted and curled around each other repeatedly. "Very pleased to meet you, Lill'th Zenra... Um... Ha-Shar... Lor... Um..." William's struggle with her name brought out a bright giggle from her. "Ske'two d'noom, eh?" she confided to Large Grey as she giggled again. "I didn't get that, Phil." said William. "She does not permit me to gateway for her, sir." "I see." replied a now annoyed William. "Hiding behind her language too, eh? That's enough of this. Phil, stop translating. No more Gatewaying, okay? No permission." "You may proceed, sir." Phil responded. "She will hear you as you speak without any enhancement." "Swell." William stepped forward to her and simply started talking--protocol be damned. "Hello, my name is William and..." "Will'm," she muttered, her hands still fidgeting together a bit from his closeness. "Yes, William. And you are Lillith. Do you mind if I call you Lillith?" "Lill'th," she murmured, parroting a word that sounded a bit like her name. Her head turned slightly out of curiosity. "That's right, Lillith. Lillith. Okay with you? Fine. You see, I'm stuck here and it looks like we're going to be neighbors for quite a long time, so I thought we had better get to know each other, don't you agree? Fine. Hey, thanks for asking. I was a pilot flying off the Saratoga...." As William continued, Lillith looked up at Large Grey, drew her mouth back to mug her confusion, and shrugged. She couldn't understand a word this being was saying to her. William grinned at her facial expression, but continued on. He was hoping she would finally give in to his babbling and ask Phil to gateway for her. What she did, however, was unexpected. Lillith snapped her head to the right as if she had just heard a gunshot. Her face became serious as she raised a hand just inches from his face. "KEE!" she demanded. William stopped speaking and looked down at Phil. "What the hell does `Kee' mean, Phil?" "She is requesting silence, sir." Lillith slowly walked away from William, intent on something in the distant sky. "You mean she just told me to shut-up?" "In one syllable, yes, sir." "Kee!" shouted Lillith again sharply. Every Tetrite immediately fell silent, their eyes locked on the young blonde who stepped slowly forward, her head turned slightly toward the sky to hear what only she could hear, to sense what only she could sense. She concentrated hard, her eyebrows lowered with concern. Slowly, her left arm raised and her hand pointed toward the distant mountains. "Kintzi," she calmly announced. That one word caused every Tetrite to scatter wildly to their nests. Even Large Grey trundled away to safety. Only Lillith stood and watched the distance--a lone sentinel. Phil tugged on the William's pantleg, urging him toward a nearby ditch. "Sir, you really must seek shelter." William could just make out four dots approaching in the distant sky. If the girl was right, then those must be Kintzi K-model spacecraft. William was familiar with the Kintzi, they plagued his solar system too. If only he had something to defend this place with, but he didn't have a thing. The only plan was to take shelter and wait it out. The main thing, he felt, was that he couldn't leave the girl here, it was way too dangerous for her. "Phil, you go on ahead!" he shouted. "I'll get the girl!" Phil's head rotated slightly. "Sir?" William jumped forward and gripped Lillith's wrist. The K's were getting close. "Come on, Lillith. We'll be safe in the shelter until they've gone. Come on!" At the touch of his hand, Lillith's head snapped in his direction. The look on her face was coldly resolute. Her eyes seemed to burn into his and the effect stopped William immediately. Those same eyes slowly looked down at his hand that remained firmly around her slender wrist. When the eyes came back up to his, a subtle smile drew her lips back and she shook her head once from side to side. Her presence took William over and his hand slipped slowly from around her wrist. Lillith turned her attention back to the approaching Kintzi K's and took a few steps toward them. Phil approached William and tugged his pant leg again. "Sir, do not be concerned for the Mistress." William looked down at him, still deeply affected by the magnificent look in her eyes. "Wha... What are you saying, Phil?" "The Kintzi have met the Mistress before." William looked back to see Lillith accelerate upward into the air, directly at the oncoming formation of fighter spacecraft. The instant she left the surface, the Kintzi spacecraft scattered like flies before a swatter. They couldn't get away fast enough as they tumbled and twisted to escape upward to the relative safety of Open Space. William became excited at the wild scene overhead. "Holy shit! Look at `em go! Look at `em!" Only one Kintzi chose to fire a burst at Lillith and she jinked quickly to the side. The yellow energy pulses streaked high over William's head as he twisted quickly to see them dissipate into the distance of the reddening evening sky. When he turned back, Lillith had captured the offender and was spinning around with the multi-ton spacecraft as if she were playing Crack-the-Whip. Lillith finally flung the K back toward the mountains where William could just make out that it had decided to turn tail and run with the rest. Lillith disappeared after it, in pursuit of the intruders, making sure of their leaving until they were well clear of the planet. For long moments, William merely stood silently, his mouth open in shock at what he had just witnessed. "Well, I'll be damned," he finally mumbled. Phil thought a moment, tapping his leg lightly before coming to a conclusion. "I do not think that will be necessary, sir."   With the end of the day, the Tetrites and William settled down for the night. Unfortunately for Phil, William was too excited to sleep right away. "Did you see that K spin around when she threw it, Phil? Jeez!" "Yes, sir." Phil barely said before a yawn interrupted him. "Quite entertaining." Phil settled again on his rock, closing his eyes to sleep. William still wasn't ready yet, although he did settle down on his bedroll, his head resting on his rolled-up jacket. "Damn, Phil," William muttered. "She's really something. Went right at those Kintzi. That gal has guts, man. Really something." "Indeed, sir. The Mistress is quite brave." Another yawn escaped Phil. "Brave? Hell, yeah, she's brave. The sight of her facing those Kintzi. Man!" William turned onto his back and stared up at the night sky. "She's alone here, facing those kinds of things by herself. I can't imagine what she feels, Phil. I'd be terrified." "Mmph... Indeed, sir," mumbled a half-asleep Phil. William didn't notice, he was lost in thoughts of a young blonde woman. "She's really cute too, the way she hides behind her hair like that." William chuckled. "Shy. Unbelievable that she'd have any reason to be shy about anything. The gal flings spaceships around, decks Arion Primes with one punch, has all these incredible powers." "Indeed, sir. It is difficult to comprehend." William rolled slightly to remove a small rock that had made its presence known in the small of his back. Resuming his reclined position, William folded his hands behind his head and looked up at the night sky in silence before slowly shaking his head in disbelief. "Jeez, Phil," he sighed, more to himself than to Phil. "She's a Velorian Protector. A Protector." Again, his head shook slowly, still unable to believe. "Those folks are hard-core, protecting entire planets from all comers. I mean, I've never met one before, ya know, I've just heard about 'em." William adjusted his position slightly. "I never thought I'd meet one. She's so, I dunno, young and..." William wanted to choose his words carefully and could find nothing appropriate. "I dunno. I guess I expected some butch, kick-ass superhero type. Weird." "I have information that some Velorian Protectors are as you assumed they were, sir." "Some?" asked William with a quick turn of his head in Phil's direction. "How many are there?" "Four thousand, three hundred, and eighty-seven by last count, sir, but my information is dated." "And that covers the entire Universe?" "Indeed, sir." William exhaled slowly. He remembered an old quotation he had heard somewhere. Rarity increases cost slowly, but need increases value sharply. The words repeated in his mind as he shook his head slightly before watching a shooting-star cross from East to West across the sky. "She really is beautiful, don't you think, Phil?" "If I were a biped humanoid, I would be enchanted, sir." Phil scratched an annoying itch on his back. "No, really, Phil." insisted William with a smile for Phil's answer. "Did you ever notice how her hair frames her face so perfectly? She has the most golden hair I've ever seen, different from any shade of blonde I know of. And those eyes of hers. Man! They're like crystals. Brilliant blue. And bright! That woman is intelligent. You can see it in her eyes." "Yes... Sir... Mmmphh..." Phil yawned. "And that body of hers. She's built like some kind of athlete." "There are aspects about her physique that you may find startling, sir," Phil mumbled with his eyes closed. "I don't know what, Phil. I mean, since she doesn't wear clothes, I've seen everything she has." "Perhaps it is best that some things be experienced rather than explained, sir." William didn't really hear Phil's last comment as he shifted around a bit to get comfortable. He stared into the night sky and a grin came to his lips. "Gawd, the effect I felt when she looked at me and shook her head. Somehow I just knew there was more to her than I thought. Incredible." Phil couldn't stay awake much longer. "Sir, perhaps it would be wise to discuss this matter further in the morning." "Yeah, you're right, Phil. Sorry about that. Have a good night." William rolled over on his side, his back toward Phil, to settle into sleep. "The warmest of good evenings to you, sir." Atop a nearby outcropping of boulders, a young blonde female was lying on her back, fighting hard to keep from giggling from the warm, wonderful feelings she felt from hearing the alien talk about her. Not wanting to be discovered, she rose silently into the night sky to return to her own habitat to sleep. That is, to sleep if she could. There was so much on her mind tonight concerning the visitor called The William. From his rock, Phil could just make out movement in the sky above the rocks. He smiled sleepily, stopped performing as a gateway for Terran to Velorian language translation, and fell into a deep, contented sleep. She had given her permission. Next Chapter That Which One Begins, Copyright © 2001 by S.T.MAC