The Law of Glork Pt. 05

Sorry for the wait, this one took all week to write up (due to feedback). PLEASE tell me what was good or not good about this chapter, so I can use that for future chapters. Any comments help a ton!

Thank you!

Chapter 5

The first thing Jack noticed as he regained consciousness was the cold, empty bdl beside him. He shot up in alarm, only to discover Lizbeth sitting elegantly on the edge, fully dressed once more. She gazed at him impassively. "Sleep well, Master?"

He stretched his arms out with a groan. "I was afraid you'd left." He offered her a hand. "We should talk about last night. If you don't mind, that is."

She took his hand, and he pulled her into the bowl again, facing her. She nodded slowly. "Very well. What is there to discuss?"

Jack thought about that for a moment. "How do you feel about it?"

"I was physically satisfied, if that's your question."

He shook his head. "No, I mean, how do you feel? Vilet seemed to withdraw from me in the morning." He frowned. "And you sort of seem to be doing the same thing. I really don't want us to leave it on that note."

Lizbeth glanced down. "My apologies. I forgot that you are capable of reading emotions." She met his eyes again. "I have duties to fulfill. While some of those include serving you within our bed, I have duties to my Mistress as well. I cannot allow one to supercede the other." She closed her eyes. "So it is better to remain distant, I think."

Jack sighed. "I was afraid you were going to say something like that. Still..." He squeezed her hand. "Don't leave me all the way, okay? I'm-" He took in a sharp breath. "I don't want to be alone again."

She winced at looked at him sadly. It was true. He hadn't really had time to dwell on it, keeping himself busy with other things. But he'd been lonely for a long time, most especially now, despite being surrounded by a new family.

"I- I will try." Lizbeth squeezed his hand. "Here in the crn, I promise I will be yours and yours alone. Out there, I will allow my loyalties to be divided."

Jack pulled her into a hug. "Thank you, Elizabeth."

She stiffened at first but relaxed quickly and returned the embrace. "You're welcome, Jck."

They were interrupted by shouting from downstairs. It was difficult to make out any words, but it sounded like Howard.

Jack sighed. "I should probably go see what that's about."

Lizbeth nodded but didn't let go. "I'll come with you. Alright? But first, you need to get dressed."

Jack chuckled. "Right."

After getting dressed, they left the crn hand in hand, descending down the ramps to where Howard and Ksfm were standing off at the breakfast table. Everyone else was gathered around, watching and listening.

"There was nothing honorable in such a death!" Howard exclaimed angrily.

Ksfm nodded. "Agreed. But we did the honorable thing in presenting him."

Howard scoffed. "Knowing that he might die? And for what? To uphold some religious bullsh-"

Ksfm stepped forward, trembling. "Enough. If you wish to insult our laws, perhaps you shouldn't do so in a place where they outnumber you and want you dead."

"Oh?" Howard chuckled bitterly. "Right, because one more death means nothing to you savages."

"Howard! What is going on here?" Jack interrupted.

Howard turned to face him. "Ksfm here refuses us even the right to mourn Klingler." He looked back to the Vagonal. "First they kill him, then they insist that he was 'evil' and 'a threat.' What a load of crap."

When Jack hesitated, Howard scowled. "Don't tell me you're buying into this religious hubbaloo." When Jack didn't answer right away, he shook his head. "Of course you would. They tell you you're this perfect savior and king, and you hop right on the wagon."

Ksfm clenched his jaw. "Do not speak to him that way, Howard."

"I can say what I want, thank you! What are you going to do, kill me for it?"

Ksfm glanced to Jack. "Only if he gave the command. Then without hesitation."

The room fell silent as the atmosphere grew heavy. Finally, Howard sighed. "I try to be a tolerant person, Ksfm. You want this boy as your king? Fine, I guess. Trapping him here is crossing a boundary. Killing one of our men? Not only was I responsible for his safety," he growled, "But he was my friend."

"We didn't kill him. The Glork ate him."

"Fat difference."

Ksfm shook his head. "It wouldn't kill him without reason. The Klingler you and I knew was not the man he truly was."

Howard got right up in Ksfm's face. "I knew him better than anyone here. I spent years in missions and operations beside him, and I'm telling you, that man had a heart of gold."

"That's where you're wrong, Howard," Sara muttered.

Howard whipped around in surprise. "What?"

She sighed and looked away. "He wasn't a good man. From the time I spent in the sociology department back at NASA, I learned a lot about him."

Howard furrowed his eyebrows. "Like what?"

"He was a philanderer."

Howard scoffed. "And I'm sure that's punishable by death, huh?"

Sara leapt to her feet. "No, of course not. But drugging a girls drink to anally rape her to the point of a lifetime of incontinence and anal blood clots and then paying her off to not tell a soul gets a lot closer to the line, don't you think?"

Howard's eyes widened in shock. "Excuse me?"

Sara shook her head. "That was the most extreme case I heard, but there wasn't any evidence that it was him, other than her private confession, which she insisted she'd deny in court. There were others -- possibly drugged, bribed, threatened -- you name it."

Howard shook his head. "That's not him. People spread nasty rumors all the time -- you know that. Supposing some of that is true. He changed."

Sara wrapped her arms around herself. "No, he didn't. Trust me."

Jack's eyes widened. "Sara... Did he... do something to you?"

Sara sighed. "Not really. But that didn't keep him from trying." She winced. "The only thing that kept me safe was the smallness of the Nike. I swore to him I'd scream if he tried anything. But I couldn't stop him from touching me."

Jack's shoulders fell and he sat down next to her. "Why didn't you tell me? You know I would've-"

"Confronted him, yes." She bit her lip. "He threatened me. Said that if he was going to go down, he'd take one or two of us down with him. No offense, Jack, but I didn't think you could possibly take him. With Howard's help, maybe, but I'm sure he'd still manage some mischief. For the sake of the mission, I held my peace."

Howard turned pale and sat down. "Sara, I'm so sorry. I had no idea-"

Sara laughed bitterly. "When that judgement came, he was so sure that it was a trick. He was so confident. Deep down, I told myself that I'd know if this law of Glork thing had some basis of truth if he died. I guess it does."

Howard sighed. "Fine. Somehow he hid his terrible deeds from me. But can't we still have a funeral service for him? However horrible he was, he was still human."

Ksfm thought about it. "No. At least, not unless the Tilnur overrides the rule."

All eyes turned to Jack. He looked to Sara. "I think this is as much of a funeral as he deserves. There's no body to bury, but he certainly left his legacy, which we've just discussed." He took a deep breath. "From now on, I think we should try to move on. He's dead. None of us are responsible for killing him."

Ksfm nodded approvingly. "You'll make a fine Tilnur."

Jack shrugged. "Let's just hope the council thinks so."

"Speaking of which," Ksfm glanced to the window. "We should probably get moving."

Right. The meeting with the councilors. Jack really needed a calendar or something. He knew that they were doing something important today, but he hadn't really remembered what.

Ksfm led everyone out the door and into the blinding light. Jack had forgotten how hot the sun was here. He was starting to really adapt to the gravity, to the point that he hardly noticed unless he thought about it. But the sun? That was going to take longer to get used to.

As they walked, he noticed that all of the Vagonal's hair poofed out and became much thicker. He fell beside Lily and remarked on it. "Did their hair just... expand or something?"

Lily nodded excitedly. "Yep. They use it as a temperature control. Have you noticed how they have thicker hairs than we do? That's because it's actually a part of their body. If you pulled one out, they'd bleed."

He looked at her in surprise. "Really? How does that work?"

"Kind of like an elephant's ears. They fill it with blood and let it run in the air to cool off, then bring the blood back in. When it's cold, they limit the blood flow and use it kind of like a blanket. It's super useful."

Jack could see that. If they were living between the cold, wet caves, and the bright, hot sun, maybe temperature and light adaptability could be advantageous. "Wait, why do the girls have longer hair then?"

"They spend more time on the surface," Lily explained. "So, they need better heat control. Down in the caves, hair is probably a detriment since it naturally helps to cool off."

Yet another difference between their males and females. As they walked, Jack tried to remember all of the differences. Genitalia, obviously. Fingers. Hair length. Skin color. He was sure there were more, but he couldn't think of them at the time.

The heat quickly became unbearable. He wiped sweat from his brow for the fifth time and glanced around. Sara and Lily didn't appear to be doing much better, sweat staining their clothing and running down their faces. At least they were hydrated.

Ksfm noticed their discomfort but could only shrug. There wasn't anything he could do about it.

After nearly an hour of walking, the palace came into view. There were other structures surrounding it, more closely resembling a city than anything he'd ever seen on this planet. He'd be more curious, but the heat was making it difficult to think. He could empathize with the pdm now.

It was with great relief when they finally made it inside. The temporary blindness of the sudden dark was a welcome trade for the coolness of stone walls.

Rather than taking them straight to the council, Ksfm muttered something about being a bit early, and took them to the spring. Everyone got a drink, and Jack splashed himself over. He didn't burn easily, but he could already see the bright red appearing on his skin. He was suddenly grateful that he had been sent down into the caves for his work.

Having satisfied his thirst, he glanced around. They were at the spring near the baths that he had been taken to... how many days ago? Had it been a week? More? It was hard to tell. Not only his life, but his very paradigm had changed so much in that time.

Ksfm let them cool off for a few minutes before clearing his throat. "It is time for you to meet the council. They would like to speak to you alone, not counting me. They don't know you speak our language, you see."

Jack nodded solemnly. "Maybe it's best for you to be able to translate for me anyway. I don't know nearly enough curse words in Vagonal."

Lily choked back a laugh while Howard chuckled. Sara managed a small smile. "There's the old Jack."

Ksfm rolled his eyes, trying not to betray his amusement. "Come with me, then. The rest of you may wait here if you want. They will want to speak with you soon."

They left and made their way down the hall. Speaking of Déjà vu...

Jack tried not to be nervous, but it wasn't easy. Last time, he had been shell-shocked by the whole "meeting aliens" thing and "almost dying on the Nike" portion of the day. Meeting the alien leaders had just been icing on the cake.

The novelty had mostly worn off, leaving him worried. Maybe it would have been better to not have learned the language and just have Ksfm translate. Then he couldn't say anything stupid without a buffer. Too late now.

The hall was filled with the echoes of quiet whispers as they entered. Shouldn't there be guards? If they really hadn't had war in a few thousand years, maybe they didn't need them, but it would've made this feel more official. As it was, they just strolled into the palace and into the council like it was a casual visit.

His eyes were still struggling to adjust, but he could make out shapes and colors. To his surprise, they were paired off into couples, a male and a female at every stand. He hadn't noticed that before.

"Welcome, mighty Tlnr, to this council. We extend our gratitude to your inner strength that you have learned the ways of the hunt and the life of our people." One of the Vagonals stood and opened his arms. He was a bright red and very tall, standing nearly six and a half feet. "We have invited you here, mighty Tlnr, that we might inquire of your insights into your life. Ksfm, please interpret."

"No need," Jack stated in Vagonal. "I have moved past the need for an interpreter."

The chamber echoed with surprised murmurs and grunts of approval. "As for these insights you requested..." He thought for a moment. "I am still learning about your people. I have no insights to share just yet. I need to learn more."

Was that really all they wanted to hear? What he thought needed to change? He was still way too ignorant of what was really going on to provide any insight.

The speaker nodded. "Understandable, mighty Tlnr. Our starseekers have informed us that your customs involved having only one wife, and that you may be resistant to our ways. How fares your marriages?"

Jack hesitated. "Likewise, I am learning in that regard. I was raised to believe the practice to be evil and selfish. I am seeing that it is otherwise, and I'm striving to care for them."

More murmurs of approval. "Then, mighty Tlnr, have you consummated all of your marriages yet?"

He shook his head. "No. I have been very busy in learning the ways of the hunt and adjusting to this planet to finish." When the murmurs became irritated, he added, "But I fully intend to finish my final consummation by the end of the day, provided I'm not stuck here past then."

The speaker nodded. "We are grateful, mighty Tlnr, that you would take our humble counsel so seriously. Do you wish to proceed with our plan to get you fully instated as our Tlnr, unopposed and in full command of the Vagonal people?"

Jack swallowed. Did he? He was still struggling to keep up with his daily life right now, and he didn't think he could handle a lot more at the moment. On the other hand, the faster he was given the authority to re-open the Space program, the sooner everyone could go home.

He hesitated. "Tomorrow, I will be ready to continue. I would like to apologize for the many mistakes that I will make over the course of my development here and beg for your forgiveness for any insult I may cause, intentionally or otherwise. I am learning, and I may make mistakes."

"It is not our place to judge you, might Tlnr, except in evaluating if you are ready for the mantle. Any insult you cause is the fault of the listener, not you, mighty Tlnr. We will send word tomorrow of the next step for your reign. Thank you for honoring us with your presence."

The speaker tilted up his chin, and the rest of the council followed suit. Jack glanced over to Ksfm, who had his chin raised as well. Jack did the same.

"So..." he whispered to Ksfm, "Can I leave now?"

"Yes."

Jack turned around and marched back out the doorway, Ksfm on his heels. "What was that?"

"What do you mean?"

"They were talking so... formally. Like I was already king."

Ksfm nodded. "You are."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "I don't exactly hear you calling me 'mightly Tlnr' at every opportunity."

Ksfm shrugged. "They are the council. It is of utmost importance that they demonstrate their submission to your will. There can be no question of a power struggle."

That hadn't even occurred to him. "So why is it that I have to show up at their beck and call?"

"You're not functioning as Tlnr yet. They are still the rulers of this planet, and that includes you. You are their future king in making, not their king yet."

"Obviously. I guess it just seems strange that they'd be so nice."

When they arrived back at the room, Ksfm addressed Vilet. "The council would like to speak with you next." Without so much as a glance to Jack, she stood and followed Ksfm out the door, leaving everyone else to sit in silence.

Lily and Sara were napping together, arms wrapped around each other. They had gotten closer since sharing a room. Howard appeared to be lost in thought, while his other two wives sat across from each other awkwardly.

Jack thought for a moment. "Nelra, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she answered noncommittally.

"How empty is the palace?"

She shrugged. "No one lives here, not really. For members of the council, Gtkr are held here. For certain events, many people come to visit. In case of a disaster, people may come and stay here to apply to the council for help. It is empty right now, meaning we have peace."

Jack grinned. "What do you guys say to a game of hide and seek?"

Lily lifted her head sleepily from Sara's shoulder. "Hide and seek? Seriously?"

Lizbeth tilted her head. "What is this game?" Even Howard turned to eye him.

He explained the basics. "If this place is really so empty, it seems like a waste for us all to just sit here. Besides, it's good old family bonding, right?"

Howard pinched his nose. "Jack, you're an idiot. You're telling me that you want to play a child's game in the middle of an alien palace? Are you insane?"

"Yeah, it's a pretty stupid idea, isn't it?" Jack shrugged. "Just a suggestion."

Sara smiled. "I think that sounds like a great idea. After all, Ksfm said we could explore."

Lizbeth hesitated. "What if the council wants to talk to one of us and we're gone?"

Jack grinned. "They'll wait. If nothing else, Ksfm can just wander the halls and call for you. Come one, it could be fun..." He winked at her.

Nelra eyed him warily. "You're in an awfully good mood."

Lizbeth relented. "Fine. Who wants to start?"

Lily volunteered. "I'll go first. But the council room is off limits, okay?"

Howard sighed and stood up. "I'll join you guys. Someone has to keep an eye on you kids. Even if a few of you are aliens. When you get caught, come straight back to this room, alright?" Everyone nodded.

Lily turned around and covered her eyes. "I'll count to thirty. One... Two..."

Everybody raced out the door.

Jack ran straight for the Gtkr hall. Unfortunately, Nelra had the same idea. She stopped and looked at him, confused.

He laughed and ran off in a new direction, making sure to keep track of where the spring was. What had prompted him to play a game? It didn't make much sense.

It didn't really matter. It had been so long since he'd played a game with friends. Or family.

Nope. No thoughts of the past. Just hiding.

He wound down the halls, searching for a good hiding spot. Most of the rooms lacked any doors or hiding spots, which is why he had wanted use the Gtkr hall. As he raced down the hall, hand trailing on the wall, he felt something strange under his fingers. He stopped and came back to inspect the spot.

It was a door! The first stone door he had seen here, in fact. It made him wonder how many he had missed. It blended in with the wall, barely visible. It would make a perfect hiding spot.

He hesitated. He could still see it, though. Maybe he should save it for a later round, when one of the Vagonals was it. With some hesitation, he settled for a small hall with a large stone counter. It was better than nothing.

He sat and waited. He had gone a fair ways, by his calculations, probably almost the length of the palace. It was unlikely that he'd be the first one found.