Chapter Two
Montano, the ruler of all the planets in the Pleiades system, stood in a space port on Pleiades 6 awaiting news of the fleet of earth spaceships. He'd been monitoring readings of severe solar flares and huge space winds for days.
"One good thing's come of all this bad space weather." Remarked a nearby man, his antennae waving cheerfully. "It wiped out those warships from Andromeda."
Montano gave the green man a friendly smile before returning his gaze back out into space. He squinted hard and made out the outline of two spaceships. He kept his eyes on them as they came in to dock. They were undoubtedly two of the ships from Earth. He walked over to greet them.
Cassio's ship arrived first and he disembarked in a cheerful mood. He joined Montano to greet the next ship, which landed a moment later. Roderigo, Iago, Emilia and Desdemona got off.
"Welcome to the Pleiades." Montano said. They all assured him they were glad to be there.
"The ride was pretty rough," Cassio said to Desdemona, "I hope you weren't space sick."
"No, I was fine." She said as he walked over to give her a hug. "Have you heard from Othello?"
"No, not yet. We lost him on our radar in the solar flare. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be here soon." Cassio assured her. Moments after that they spotted another spaceship in the sky. They made way for the ship to land.
The ramp slowly lowered from the bottom of the ship. Othello walked down the ramp, eyes on both heads scanning the crowd. As soon as he spotted Desdemona his faces lit up and he raced over to her. She was most delighted when he placed kisses simultaneously on both her cheeks.
"Come on, lets go and relax after all that space travel." There was a general murmur of consent and Montano led Othello, Desdemona, Cassio and Emilia away.
"Pst. Roderigo." Called Iago.
"What?" Roderigo was in a foul mood and the rough space travel had only made it worse.
"Desdemona will get tired of that mutant eventually." He said with the expression of a fortuneteller.
"Right. Sure." Roderigo stalked off.
Iago stood there despising everyone who had the nerve to be happy. "If only I could bring them all down." Pondering how to do this, he stomped away after Roderigo.
Othello led Cassio to the deep space advanced warning facility. It was a room filled with sleek black and silver equipment with blinking lights and a multitude of knobs and buttons. In the centre was a small computer monitor with the thumbs up sign on it. It was this that Othello gestured to.
"The Andromedan warships have been wiped out. But just in case there's anything out there, you know how this system works. As long as it's thumbs up there are no hostile ships approaching. If there are, just holler for someone. Ok?" Othello said while glancing at the door, clearly wanting to be somewhere else.
"Ok." With that Othello left, just as Iago was walking in. Iago gave him a pleasant smile as he passed him. He watched Othello leave before waving a bottle of wine in Cassio's face.
"The Andromedan's entire space based army is gone, we're on a stable planet, life is good. Let's celebrate!" He started pouring.
"I shouldn't." Cassio mumbled.
Iago looked puzzled. "Why not?"
"Well." Cassio said to his shoes, "I don't handle the alcohol very well."
Iago's eyes lit up. "Just have one little drink with me." He pleaded.
"Oh, alright." Cassio said, taking a sip just as Montano and some space fighter pilots walked in.
"Have a drink with us." Iago invited. By the time they'd agreed Cassio had poured himself another glass.
"2954. a good year." Someone remarked.
After some time and several drinks Cassio left in search of a toilet. It wasn't long before he returned. Roderigo burst into the room with Cassio in hot pursuit. Cassio slurred something unintelligible and whacked him over the head. Montano grabbed one of his arms and tried to pull him away. He only succeeded in having Cassio take a swipe at him. Iago retreated into a corner and pressed a small blue button and everything erupted in a flash of red light and warning sirens. A group of passing teenagers gathered around, yelling, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Othello came rushing in just as Cassio collapsed on the floor. "What's going on here?" He yelled in his most authoritative voice. Roderigo and Montano were panting and wheezing, so he turned to Iago. Iago shuffled his feet. His eyes looked everywhere but at Othello. "Well?" Othello prompted.
"There was a fight." He mumbled. Othello looked at the other occupants of the room.
"Really? I never would have guessed." His left head made a sarcastic face.
"Cassio." Iago trailed off.
"Cassio!" Roared both of Othello's heads. Cassio looked up at him from his position on the floor. "You're fired! You can hand in your Laser Blaster when you get back to Earth." He gave the room a menacing stare before leaving. Roderigo helped Montano to limp out the door as well. The teenagers slowly straggled away.
Cassio groaned and sat up, trying not to throw up. "What am I going to do?" He moaned.
"Don't worry," Iago said soothingly, "I'm sure he didn't mean it. He'll probably take it back once he cools down a bit." After a pause he added, "I'm sure if you talked to Desdemona she could put in a good word for you." Cassio just groaned. Iago helped him up and found a service robot to take him to his room.
Left alone, Iago gave an evil laugh. He'd been practising and he was quite pleased with how it sounded. "Desdemona's good friends with Cassio. She'll nag the mutant about him, for sure. All I have to do is tell Othello she's more than friends with Cassio and I'll be able to ruin them all!" He practised his evil laugh a bit more. "I'll get Emilia to talk to Desdemona about Cassio and." He was cut off by Roderigo bursting through the door.
"Talking to yourself, Iago? It's not a good sign." He shook his head to clear it. "Anyway, I'm leaving the Pleiades. I'm going back to Earth."
"No, stay." Iago tried to think of a reason.
"Why? Desdemona doesn't love me." His voice rose to a painful squeak at the end.
"Never fear!" Iago said boldly. "I have a plan." He wiggled his eyebrows as if to suggest it was a great plan.
"Ok. I'll stay." Roderigo said reluctantly. Sighing, he limped away.
Montano, the ruler of all the planets in the Pleiades system, stood in a space port on Pleiades 6 awaiting news of the fleet of earth spaceships. He'd been monitoring readings of severe solar flares and huge space winds for days.
"One good thing's come of all this bad space weather." Remarked a nearby man, his antennae waving cheerfully. "It wiped out those warships from Andromeda."
Montano gave the green man a friendly smile before returning his gaze back out into space. He squinted hard and made out the outline of two spaceships. He kept his eyes on them as they came in to dock. They were undoubtedly two of the ships from Earth. He walked over to greet them.
Cassio's ship arrived first and he disembarked in a cheerful mood. He joined Montano to greet the next ship, which landed a moment later. Roderigo, Iago, Emilia and Desdemona got off.
"Welcome to the Pleiades." Montano said. They all assured him they were glad to be there.
"The ride was pretty rough," Cassio said to Desdemona, "I hope you weren't space sick."
"No, I was fine." She said as he walked over to give her a hug. "Have you heard from Othello?"
"No, not yet. We lost him on our radar in the solar flare. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be here soon." Cassio assured her. Moments after that they spotted another spaceship in the sky. They made way for the ship to land.
The ramp slowly lowered from the bottom of the ship. Othello walked down the ramp, eyes on both heads scanning the crowd. As soon as he spotted Desdemona his faces lit up and he raced over to her. She was most delighted when he placed kisses simultaneously on both her cheeks.
"Come on, lets go and relax after all that space travel." There was a general murmur of consent and Montano led Othello, Desdemona, Cassio and Emilia away.
"Pst. Roderigo." Called Iago.
"What?" Roderigo was in a foul mood and the rough space travel had only made it worse.
"Desdemona will get tired of that mutant eventually." He said with the expression of a fortuneteller.
"Right. Sure." Roderigo stalked off.
Iago stood there despising everyone who had the nerve to be happy. "If only I could bring them all down." Pondering how to do this, he stomped away after Roderigo.
Othello led Cassio to the deep space advanced warning facility. It was a room filled with sleek black and silver equipment with blinking lights and a multitude of knobs and buttons. In the centre was a small computer monitor with the thumbs up sign on it. It was this that Othello gestured to.
"The Andromedan warships have been wiped out. But just in case there's anything out there, you know how this system works. As long as it's thumbs up there are no hostile ships approaching. If there are, just holler for someone. Ok?" Othello said while glancing at the door, clearly wanting to be somewhere else.
"Ok." With that Othello left, just as Iago was walking in. Iago gave him a pleasant smile as he passed him. He watched Othello leave before waving a bottle of wine in Cassio's face.
"The Andromedan's entire space based army is gone, we're on a stable planet, life is good. Let's celebrate!" He started pouring.
"I shouldn't." Cassio mumbled.
Iago looked puzzled. "Why not?"
"Well." Cassio said to his shoes, "I don't handle the alcohol very well."
Iago's eyes lit up. "Just have one little drink with me." He pleaded.
"Oh, alright." Cassio said, taking a sip just as Montano and some space fighter pilots walked in.
"Have a drink with us." Iago invited. By the time they'd agreed Cassio had poured himself another glass.
"2954. a good year." Someone remarked.
After some time and several drinks Cassio left in search of a toilet. It wasn't long before he returned. Roderigo burst into the room with Cassio in hot pursuit. Cassio slurred something unintelligible and whacked him over the head. Montano grabbed one of his arms and tried to pull him away. He only succeeded in having Cassio take a swipe at him. Iago retreated into a corner and pressed a small blue button and everything erupted in a flash of red light and warning sirens. A group of passing teenagers gathered around, yelling, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Othello came rushing in just as Cassio collapsed on the floor. "What's going on here?" He yelled in his most authoritative voice. Roderigo and Montano were panting and wheezing, so he turned to Iago. Iago shuffled his feet. His eyes looked everywhere but at Othello. "Well?" Othello prompted.
"There was a fight." He mumbled. Othello looked at the other occupants of the room.
"Really? I never would have guessed." His left head made a sarcastic face.
"Cassio." Iago trailed off.
"Cassio!" Roared both of Othello's heads. Cassio looked up at him from his position on the floor. "You're fired! You can hand in your Laser Blaster when you get back to Earth." He gave the room a menacing stare before leaving. Roderigo helped Montano to limp out the door as well. The teenagers slowly straggled away.
Cassio groaned and sat up, trying not to throw up. "What am I going to do?" He moaned.
"Don't worry," Iago said soothingly, "I'm sure he didn't mean it. He'll probably take it back once he cools down a bit." After a pause he added, "I'm sure if you talked to Desdemona she could put in a good word for you." Cassio just groaned. Iago helped him up and found a service robot to take him to his room.
Left alone, Iago gave an evil laugh. He'd been practising and he was quite pleased with how it sounded. "Desdemona's good friends with Cassio. She'll nag the mutant about him, for sure. All I have to do is tell Othello she's more than friends with Cassio and I'll be able to ruin them all!" He practised his evil laugh a bit more. "I'll get Emilia to talk to Desdemona about Cassio and." He was cut off by Roderigo bursting through the door.
"Talking to yourself, Iago? It's not a good sign." He shook his head to clear it. "Anyway, I'm leaving the Pleiades. I'm going back to Earth."
"No, stay." Iago tried to think of a reason.
"Why? Desdemona doesn't love me." His voice rose to a painful squeak at the end.
"Never fear!" Iago said boldly. "I have a plan." He wiggled his eyebrows as if to suggest it was a great plan.
"Ok. I'll stay." Roderigo said reluctantly. Sighing, he limped away.