Chapter 13

Chapter 13

            The princess was as good as her word, taking the dogs next to a military center where they could contact the Batpooh.  As when they had Captain Morgana on board the ship, they weren’t allowed anywhere secure on the base.  Princess Whiskers set up a relay from a waiting room computer terminal to the main control room.

            “We cannot call your ship directly from here,” Princess Whiskers explained.  “Not without lowering our protective field.  But we can send your transmission to one of our ships using a secure line and they will then beam it to your vessel.”

            “A little awkward,” Dodger said.  “Couldn’t you lower your protective field for just a minute or two?”

            “Not without the queen’s permission.”

            “Could you ask—?”

            “She would not allow it,” the princess snapped.

            “That’s all right,” Buster said.  “As long as the message gets through, that’s what matters.”

            “How do we know you aren’t going to alter it?  Censor what you don’t want seen?”

            “I give you my word—and that of my mother.  Nothing will be done to alter your transmission from its original state.”

            “Thank you, Princess,” Buster said.  He glared at Dodger and Jake to keep them quiet.  They didn’t seem to understand the princess was already extending her neck by allowing them to do this.  She could easily have had Dodger executed along with the rest of them for trying to send a covert signal.  Dodger should have realized that instead of putting all of their lives—and those on the Batpooh—in danger.

            After several minutes of waiting, a black Cat returned with a message for them.  Their transmission had gone through to the Batpooh.  “Good to hear from you,” Spot had sent back.  “We hope to see you again soon.  Will remain on station for your return.”  Included with the message was an authentication code to verify the message came from the Batpooh.

            “Thank you so much for this, Princess,” Buster said.  “I’m sure this will be the first of many acts of cooperation between our civilizations.”

            “I hope so,” Princess Whiskers said.  She motioned to the door.  “Come, my mother has prepared a feast to celebrate your visit—and your departure.”

            “Yes, of course,” Buster said.  He couldn’t help noticing the way Whiskers’s voice turned quiet for the last part of that sentence.  She was not looking forward to their departure as much as some on Cattatonia.

            The return trip to the palace was uneventful.  No one—dog or Cat—said anything until they came to a stop of the roof.  Then it was only the stewardess telling them she hoped they enjoyed their trip to Purrtoria.  Buster made sure he got off after Princess Whiskers, but she walked so fast down the ramp that he couldn’t keep up with her.

            Lady Isis waited for them at the end of the ramp.  “Everything has been prepared,” she said.  “Would you like to freshen up before the feast?”

            “No, that’s fine,” Buster said.  He patted his midsection.  “I am feeling a bit hungry.”

            “This way then.”  Lady Isis led them through the palace again, this time past the throne room, into a room even larger.  A rectangular table about the size of the shuttle and made of the same crystal as the walls dominated most of the room.  There was no one on any of the four-dozen cushions at the moment.  “If you will have a seat, the feast will begin soon.”

            Buster, Dodger, and Jake sat on one side with the Saint Bernards on the other side, using two cushions apiece.  “This looks like it’ll be fun,” Dodger said.

            “We’re lucky to still be here after that stunt you pulled,” Buster snapped.  “Why didn’t you think to just ask the Cats if we could send a message?”

            “Covert operatives are trained to be covert.”

            “You put everyone at risk.  And for what?”

            “I thought it was important to give the ship an idea what was happening so they could relay the news back home.”

            “Yes, well, the next time you think of something like that, ask me first.”

            “Excuse me, Captain, but I don’t take orders from you, remember?”

            “I don’t care what piece of paper you have.  I’m not going to let you endanger my crew again.  Understand?”

            Dodger only shrugged.  “It won’t matter much longer anyway.”

            “Probably not,” Buster admitted. 

            A chime sounded and a pair of doors at the end of the room opened.  Lady Isis appeared again and then planted herself beside the doors.  “Presenting Draco, Duke of Pussia.”  Draco waddled through the doors to take a cushion beside the foot of the table.  Lady Isis announced a few more names of dignitaries, including Captain Morgana.  Then Lady Isis announced, “Presenting Princess Whiskers, heir to the throne of Cattatonia and all of its possessions.”

            Princess Whiskers glided through the doors, wearing a dark blue robe trimmed with silver.  She wore a silver crown decorated with jewels to match her dress.  Even her long white tail had a silver bracelet studded with blue jewels at the end of it.  Buster got to his feet along with the rest of the table as the princess took her place at the foot of the table.

            She remained standing and turned to the doorway as Lady Isis announced the most important name of the evening, “Presenting Her Royal Highness, Smokey the Second, Queen of Cattatonia and all of its possessions.”

            Where her daughter wore blue, the queen wore green and gold.  She walked with her back perfectly straight, not needing any help from Lady Isis or anyone else this time.  She walked stiffly around the table, past Buster and the others, the hem of her dress brushing against him.  She didn’t look at them as she made her way to the head of the table.  Once there she glared at everyone assembled before saying, “Be seated.”

            She of course was the last to sit on her cushion.  Buster noticed just a slight wince as she arranged herself on the pillow.  She wasn’t as healthy as she tried to appear for them.  She clapped her paws together twice, signaling a group of servants to come through the door.  They scurried around the room, putting down a covered tray in front of each guest.

            Buster waited until the queen was served, the servant taking away the cover from the tray for her.  Buster did the same with his but nearly gagged at what he saw.  Mice.  They were dead, but still had their fur, heads, and tails.  He looked over at Jake, who looked ready to hurl his tray against a wall.

            While the mice on their plates were dead, he noticed the mice on the plates of some Cats still moving.  Buster felt his lunch backing up in his throat as he watched Duke Draco pluck a mouse off his tray to hold it poised over his mouth.  “Haven’t you ever eaten mouse before, Captain?” he asked with a leer.

            “I’m afraid not.”

            “It’s a delicacy here in Cattatonia,” Princess Whiskers explained.  “Especially live mice.”

            Buster noticed Whiskers and the queen had dead mice on their plate.  Apparently killing small animals was beneath their station.  With relish Duke Draco dropped one mouse down his throat, gulping it down without chewing.  “A most excellent delicacy,” he said.

            Buster closed his eyes and then forced himself to eat one of the mice so as not to offend his hosts.  Jake and the Saint Bernards did the same.  Dodger had already cleared his plate; he had probably eaten worse than that as part of his covert training.

            The queen turned to face them.  “Did you enjoy your day on Cattatonia?”

            “It was quite interesting,” Buster said.  He wondered if Princess Whiskers had mentioned the incident with Dodger at the mall.  “It seems are not so different.”

            Duke Draco growled at this.  He seized another mouse to toss down his throat.  “We are nothing like Dogs.”

            “I think Captain Bulldog is right.  We’ve both achieved space travel.  We both have shopping centers.  We both eat omelets and drink milk for breakfast even.”

            “Nonsense,” Duke Draco said.

            “If we focus on our similarities instead of our differences, we could forge an alliance beneficial to both of our races,” Buster said.

            “An alliance led by Dogs?”

            “An alliance of equals.”

            “There is no such thing,” Duke Draco said.  “The moment we let you have access to our territory, you’ll want to take it all for yourselves.”

            “The Bloc of Planetary States does not believe in conquering anyone.”

            “Some on your worlds might feel differently.  These raccoons for instance.”

            “It was an unfortunate chain of events that has led to difficulties between dogs and raccoons.  It’s a situation we’re working to correct.”

            “I will not allow any Cat to be subservient to a Dog,” Queen Smokey announced.  “It was foretold that one day servants of Dog would arrive and make us offers of peace.  Then as soon as we lower our guard, they would stab us in the back, as Dog did to Cat at the beginning of time.”

            Buster looked over at Dodger, remembering that the spy had told him something similar about Cats.  “It seems we have very similar religions.  Our religion foretells that servants of Cat will bring about our doom.”

            The queen’s eyes narrowed.  “You mock us at our own table?”

            “No, Your Highness.  I’m only pointing out a similarity of our backgrounds.”

            “Our prophecies are not to be analyzed by a Dog.”

            “I’m sorry, Your Highness.  Forgive me.”

            The queen mewled but said nothing.  Her daughter turned to Buster, favoring him with a smile.  “I think Captain Bulldog has a valid point.”

            “You will remember your place, young one.  The queen of Cattatonia is the defender of our faith.  Remember that,” Queen Smokey said.

            “Yes, Mother.”  Princess Whiskers looked down at her plate.  She finished her mice in silence.  Queen Smokey clapped her paws again to signal the next course be brought in.

#

            The rest of the dinner didn’t go much better.  Buster was grateful to drop onto the cushion in their suite.  Before leaving, the queen had promised the next day they would be taken back to their ship.  “We will escort you to the border,” she said.  “You will not return.”

            Buster had failed.  They had come here to begin relations with the Cats, but the Cats hated them now more than ever.  All except for Princess Whiskers.  Despite her earlier chastisement, the princess continued to give Buster glances.  He caught her once smiling behind her napkin at him. 

            Perhaps when the princess took over, they could begin again.  By then Princess Whiskers would already be married to that fat slob, Duke Draco.  Buster would have liked to bite that bully in the neck and shake the life out of him.  Draco wasn’t who a beautiful, smart creature like Princess Whiskers should marry.

            “At least tomorrow we’ll be going home,” Jake said as he settled onto his cushion.

            “If they blow us up on the way and call it mechanical failure,” Dodger said.

            “There wouldn’t be any point to that now,” Buster said.  He took off his jacket and then adjusted himself on the cushion.  Tomorrow they would be gone and he would never seen Princess Whiskers again, except perhaps at the head of an invasion fleet.  No, she wouldn’t do that.  She was too good for something so foolish.

            Someone tapped on the door.  Jake indicated for Ben Bernard to answer the door.  The big Saint Bernard slapped the button to open the door.  Buster couldn’t see who was there, but he could hear Lady Isis say, “I have a message for Captain Bulldog.”

            Buster climbed off of his cushion and then went over to the door.  He motioned for Ben to stand aside so that he could take the slip of paper from Lady Isis.  He unfolded the paper, his mouth going slack as he saw who it was from.  “Meet me outside the palace in a half hour.  Lady Isis will guide you.”  It was from Princess Whiskers!  What did she want from him?

            There was only one way to find out.  “Lead on,” he said to Lady Isis.