The Law of Glork Pt. 01

Lily bumped his shoulder. "You can do it, Jack. Really."

Jack winced. "If Klingler didn't make it, what chance do I have? Maybe if I get lucky..."

Lily rolled her eyes. "If that's one thing you've got, it's luck. Trust me, you'll be fine."

Sara folded her arms. "Fine words from someone who wants to keep the peace. I'm not going to lie to you, Jack. More males die to the Glrk than females. A lot more. If you don't want to do this..." She took a deep breath. "We can help you run. Hide. Get away from here until the shuttle comes."

Jack closed his eyes. "That doesn't sound very realistic, Sara. I can't ask you guys to cover for me."

Reluctantly, he opened them. "I've got to do it."

Before he could lose his nerve, he started walking forward. There had been a low buzz of whispers that arose during the pause, only further cementing his nerves. Every step drew him closer to his death. Well, maybe. Maybe its appetite was satisfied.

He stepped into the spotlight. Immediately, the whole world fell away, except for him, and this monstrous alien creature. Then again, he was on its planet. He was the alien.

Its eyes flashed open, and he winced. Up close, they were almost hypnotizing. The gaze was shockingly intense, not the look of a predator to its prey. He felt judged. Maybe it was just in his mind, but those eyes seemed like the very universe was staring into his soul.

Every misdeed he had ever done came racing into his mind. He wished he could say that he had done his best in life, but that was far from the truth. He had hurt people, often intentionally. When he was younger, he had been renowned for his vicious tongue. The insults came naturally, faster than he could often keep up with.

There was one girl that came to mind. He had tormented her for years -- in the strictest sense a bully to her. A few years later, he had heard of a suicide in the neighborhood. It hadn't taken a detective to figure out what happened.

But he hadn't stopped. Classmates, teachers, coworkers... Even friends. He couldn't count how many times he had hurt Lily. Stolen things, not just innocent things like a hairbrush. Like, several thousand dollars. He should've confessed before coming here.

He closed his eyes. There was little doubt in his mind now that this thing, whatever it was, had some gift of insight. In a moment, he would be eaten. Finally, retribution for all the things he had done would be had. Maybe that girl -- Mary was her name -- could forgive him. And Lily too.

He stopped for a moment. Didn't Lily know about the eight grand he had stolen? Why was she still his friend? She was an incredible person, he didn't need the Glork's inspection to know that. Had she already forgiven him?

The sound of the Glork's mouth opening shattered his thoughts like glass. This was it. He straightened his body and locked his jaw, vowing not to scream.

A second passed, and he was still there. Had he misheard? He was about to peek when he felt the tongue make contact with his body.

Roughly, it scraped up his body, leaving a slimy residue in its wake. His eyes shot open to see the Glork close its mouth. Did it just... lick him? Did he really need further judgement?

Again, their eyes locked. Thoughts of him maybe just tasting bad fled as he looked into its eyes. This creature was more intelligent than anyone in the room, he was sure. Suddenly, a familiar feeling filled his chest. It was a stupid idea for him to step up here. And it was a stupid idea for this monster to let him live.

As he looked into its eyes, all he could feel was the Pathfinder all over again. It didn't make sense -- or at least, it didn't make sense to him. For just a moment, Jack felt that he could almost, almost, communicate with the Glork.

With a rumble, the Glork lowered itself onto the ground, its eyes never leaving his. It was his turn to look down. In a flash, Jack had another stupid idea. This time, he didn't even hesitate.

Jack reached out with one hand to rest it squarely on the Glork's nose. Upon making contact, the gargantuan frog rumbled inside. Jack could almost swear it was a purr.

He smiled. On this strange planet, who knows how many miles from home, Jack had made a friend. In some ways, it felt far more familiar than anything on earth. Not like he belonged here -- more as a universal friend. Wherever he was, whoever he was with, he had a friend.

The moment passed. Jack slid his hand off of the massive beast, and, with a smile, returned to his crew. The hall was deadly silent. Jack shook his head, the weight of the situation returning to him. It was like he had been in a trance of some sort.

Lily rushed to pull him into a hug. "I told you you'd make it, you moron."

Jack returned her embrace, pulling her tightly against him. "Thanks, Lily. For everything."

Sara stood nearby, her eyes still wide. Jack gestured for her to come over and join in, but she shook her head, her cheeks flaming.

Jack tilted his head, confused by the odd behavior. He'd have to ask her about it later.

Howard returned from the spotlight. Jack winced. He had completely forgotten about Howard. Still, he made it, right? Howard offered an understanding nod, and Jack returned it. They were both alive, and that was enough for them.

Jack managed one last glimpse of the Glork as it walked back into the chamber. The moment the door slid closed, the entire hall burst into chaos.

Jack glanced around. Both Ksfm and Mkr were caught in heated conversation with the lead council. Bumping Sara's arm, he asked, "So... what happens now?"

"Normally?" She shifted uncomfortably. "We would move on and go to the lab. But apparently they have different customs for when a Glrk licks someone."

Jack groaned. "Seriously? I passed the test, didn't I? Can't we just move on?"

The hall went silent once more. "Uhhh..." Jack glanced around. "Was it something I said?"

Ksfm huffed. "It was the fact that you spoke at all. You do not understand the gravity of what has just happened. You were favored by the Glork."

Jack shrugged. "And? That's a good thing, isn't it?"

Ksfm sighed. "Mostly. Good for us, yes, under normal circumstances."

"What happens normally?" Howard interjected.

Ksfm hesitated. "The Law of Glrk is extensive. We typically receive a Tlnr, that is, a favored one, every four to five centuries. However..." He paused. "It's been nearly twice that long."

"Wait, wait, wait," Howard held up a hand. "You mean to tell me that with several trillion people here, you don't have one Tilnur?"

Ksfm nodded. "That's why we have the council. The last Tlnr we had instituted it."

Sara's eyes widened. "Slow down. Doesn't 'Tlnr' mean 'king'?"

Ksfm winced. "Yes. More or less. It is the Law of Glrk that any found favored of the Glrk be immediately educated and subsequently crowned. The only law that a properly educated Tlnr cannot change is-"

"Let me guess," Sara stated dryly. "The Law of Glrk."

Ksfm nodded.

Jack blinked. "But I'm not a Vagonal. I'm going home in a few months."

Mrk stepped in. "That does not matter. If the Law of Glrk is violated, any violating party must be destroyed."

Howard rubbed his temples. "You mean to say either my mechanic becomes your king, or you declare war on earth? Does that about sum it up?"

Ksfm thought for a moment. "Not quite. You see, the Law of Glrk states that they must be educated before being crowned. This process normally takes months for a Vagonal, but Jck here is completely ignorant of any and all of our customs." He glanced over to the council. "The present debate is how exactly the law must be fulfilled."

Sara tuned back in. "It sounds like they're reached a consensus, more or less." She bit her lip. "They're closing down the tranplanetary study."

Lily gasped. "Isn't that our ticket home?"

Ksfm nodded sadly. "And your temporary residence here. Closed down."

"But why?" Lily seemed almost ready to burst into tears.

Mkr was unfazed. "All extracurricular processes are being shut down to prepare for the Tlnr's reign. It will be him that can control where our energies go."

Jack took a deep breath. "Can't I just do that now?"

Mkr shrugged. "Your power will be determined by how educated the council believes you to be. We offered our personal estimate of your knowledge. Hence the debate."

Jack ran his hands through his hair. Things were getting out of hand, fast. First it was coming down here and losing the Nike. Then the Glork trial. Now this whole Tilnur thing? It's like the universe had a vendetta against him.

What a Stupid series of events.

The thought calmed him. Even just reflecting on his experience just a few minutes ago with the Glork steeled his nerves. He just had to keep moving forward. "Alright, what happens now?"

"Let us wait and see." Ksfm sounded at least as distressed as he was. If Jack reversed their roles, he could see why. He imagined if some aliens came down and something happened and some dumb law suddenly made them president of...

He paused. "Hey, Sara? How big is this country?"

Sara stared at him. "You really don't know? They're a united planet. This is the country."

Earth. President of Earth. Except Earth was smaller and had less than a percent of the population.

He needed to sit down. Now. Lily rushed to his side when she was him wavering. With no available seats, she lowered him to the ground.

Finally, Sara stepped into the conversation with the council. Now Jack really wished he could understand their language. Looking back, this was supposed to be a little meeting between worlds, just pleasantries and immunization study alone. Neither side imagined it would turn out like this. The Law of Glrk just threw a wrench in everyone's plans.

Sara didn't appear to be winning the argument. Her voice had gone from calm to pleading in a matter of minutes. Now she seemed almost defeated. A loud declaration from the head of the council indicated that the meeting was over. Jack looked up to Sara expectantly.

"So...? How'd it go?"

Sara looked down. "Until this gets sorted out... We're just citizens. Well, except you, of course. The rest of us will be integrated -- nicely, from what I can tell -- into society."

Jack's jaw tightened. "How do we fix this?"

Ksfm cleared his throat. "Without a reversion of the Law of Glrk, you personally will never return to your home, except perhaps for visits. And I assure you, the Law of Glrk will not change in your lifetime."

Jack sighed. "We'll deal with that later. What about everyone else?"

Sara clasped her hand together. "I suppose, if you do become king, you could simply open back up the transplanetary program."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean, 'if'?"

Mkr folded his arms. "Many of the council do not believe that a human can become educated enough in their lifetime to take the place of Tlnr. It may be that he never receives enough power to do much of anything."

Howard put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "Whatever happens, you aren't to blame, Jack. Don't worry about us. Just..." Howard hesitated, "Try to be happy. The only thing I would ask of you is to not start that war. Please."

Jack rubbed his eyes. "I think I can promise that. Unless it can happen accidentally..."

Ksfm shook his head. "I doubt it. You'd have to break the Law of Glrk, which is difficult to do."

He was imprisoned here for life. How was it possible to be both king and prisoner? This was both the best and worst case scenario. He hadn't wrapped his head around it yet. Jack guessed that in a few days, the full impact would hit him. For now, he just had to duck his head and try to... what? Get "educated?" He didn't know the first thing about life on this planet!

Maybe that would be a good place to start. To shut up, sit down, and do what he was told. He could form a plan after he had some information. With that in mind, he prepared himself for the next question.

"So, what happens to me?"

Mkr snorted. "You become a member of the council. We'll have to get you some real clothes, your own estate, teach you the language..."

Ksfm nodded thoughtfully. "And you said that you weren't married, so the counsel is giving you a while to build up your wives."

Jack blinked. "My what?"

Sara stepped in, though she seemed uncomfortable. "You remember what I said about the Glrks eating more men than women? It's a factor of roughly three to one. Since everyone has to go through it, they have a surplus of women."

Howard raised an eyebrow. "So they're polygynous. I doubt that flew over well back home."

Lily scowled. "But does he have to get married?"

Mkr let out a harsh laugh. "I can't believe that's optional for your people. You're not an adult until you're paired. Council members are required to have ten wives each."

The breath left Jack's body. "Ten? I don't even know the language! How am I supposed to-"

"How does that work?" Howard stroked his chin. "That's higher than the average ratio."

"Who cares? I can't just-"

"It might seem counterintuitive, but wives are a lot of work. There are plenty of women who will line up for an opportunity at marriage," Ksfm stated matter-of-factly.

Mkr coughed. "Maybe not plenty. You are a human, after all."

Jack placed his head in his hands. "Any other surprises before I pass out?"

Ksfm smiled. "The council has offered mercy, so you will only need three. At least, for the time being."

Jack took a deep breath. "How long do I have?"

Ksfm and Mkr shared a glance.

"Until tonight."