The Four Faces of Rath
"Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot."
Chapter 7
VII
On Antar, Liz and Max sat in their "great chair" together. Liz was sitting sideways on Max's lap with her arms around Max's neck, her legs dangling over the side of the chair. Max smiled and let his lips be drawn to Liz's. As their lips slowly met, Liz closed her eyes and savored Max's kiss as though she were tasting a very fine -and expensive- wine.
"Uh. ahem."
Liz opened her eyes, and Max looked up.
"What is it, Kyle?"
"Sorry, Max, but you have visitors. Thought you'd like to know." Kyle smiled slightly.
"Okay," Max said, as Liz jumped off his lap, looking endearingly sheepish.
"We'll continue your, uh, CPR lessons later," Max said to Liz with a grin.
Liz just smiled.
"Who is it, Kyle?"
"It's Diane and Dan Klein."
"Oh! Well. that's a nice surprise! They must have got back from their honeymoon. Have 'em come in. Liz and I will meet them in here."
Kyle nodded and glanced at Liz again, then he turned and walked out of the room with a smile on his face.
As Diane walked into the room, Liz ran and hugged her. "It's so great to see you again, Diane! How was the honeymoon?"
"Oh, Liz, I've gotta tell you about it. It was fabulous beyond all words or imagination."
Dan smiled. Max took his hand for a moment, more in the Antarian tradition than actually a handshake. "So you guys had a good time, huh?"
"Great," Dan said, nodding emphatically. "I still can't believe I've been to two alien planets now. I'd tell you about it, but I think I better let Diane. She'd never forgive me if she didn't get to tell it."
Diane smiled. "Well, I'll let you tell them the other thing, Dan."
"Oh, thanks a lot, Diane," Dan chuckled.
"What other thing," Max asked.
"Well, right before we came here, the President asked if you could do him a favor."
"The President? As in. of the USA?"
"The same."
"What does he want from us?"
Dan grinned and proceeded to relate the President's request to Max and Liz.
"Diane, tell me about Yxtiar," Liz said impatiently. I want to know everything!"
"Well, not everything, Liz," Diane replied. "I'm a modest girl."
"Come on, spill it, Diane. Everything!"
Diane laughed.
"Yxtiar is beautiful. And it seems the whole planet is full of hot springs, some surrounded by beaches, others isolated and hidden by huge rocks and warm waterfalls. They have bath tub-sized ones, swimming-pool-sized ones, even lake-sized ones. You can soak in a huge warm spring with other aliens from all over the galaxy or by yourselves in one just big enough for two. In fact, there are so many hot springs there that you can usually even find a large one that is isolated and, uh, intimate."
Liz grinned. "I've never been there. It's definitely on our list of places we have to visit, though, right Max?'
Max nodded and smiled. "Liz has been wanting to go there ever since Alex and Isabel came back two years ago. But things have kept us pretty busy here."
"Oh, Max," Diane said, "you have to [b]make[/b] time for relaxation and fun. It will never come to you. I found that out. Make the time, and take Liz there!"
"Please, please, please, Max," Liz coaxed.
"Alright! Alright! I know when I'm outnumbered," Max said. "We'll go. soon."
Liz winked at Diane and smiled from ear to ear.
"You know," Dan said, "they have this amazing drink there called a Dashtyri."
Diane nodded. "Oh, yeah! I could lie in a hot spring and drink Dashtyri's all day for the rest of my life," Diane said, sighing. Give me a Dashtyri and a hot spring with Dan in it, and I've got everything I ever need."
Dan smiled but reddened slightly. "You know what's fun, Max," Dan said. "Sitting at a bar with a dozen alien beings with all these different digestive systems drinking Dashtyri's."
Diane snickered. "There was this one that drank through his nose. You don't even want to know how it eats! It was a he, wasn't it, Dear?"
Dan shrugged. "I think so."
"Anyway," Diane continued, "there was another one that had a funnel-shaped head, and it poured Dashtyri's into the top of its head. At meal times, it put the food in the top of its head and made sounds like a coffee grinder."
At this point, Liz and Diane were both laughing hysterically, and Dan and Max finally succumbed.
Max rubbed his eyes as they teared up from laughter. "Liz, you girls are awful. Those aliens probably went home and told their families all about you and Dan, Diane."
Diane almost snorted, nodding her head briskly. "I wouldn't doubt it! I did see some of them staring at us."
"I guess we might look pretty weird to something with a funnel for a head," Dan laughed.
"Oh, Dear," Max said, holding out his hand effeminately, "you should have seen these aliens that stick their food into the front of their faces, and their faces open up." Max laughed, as he did his mock impression of the other aliens telling their families about Dan and Diane. Everyone collapsed in hysterics. They even heard Kyle laughing in the next room.
"Kyle," Max called, "Come in here! You should be here, too. You and Dan are friends."
Kyle walked back into the room, and Dan stood up and gave him a proper Antarian hand hold.
"Good to see you again, Dan," Kyle said.
"Yeah! Great to see you, too, Kyle! I showed the President the clips made by VideoStream XSO of Xarius when we were fighting the Dragons of Drago, and he was quite impressed."
"You hear that, guys," Kyle said, turning to Max and Liz. "I'm famous."
"It was just one person, Kyle," Max said.
"Yeah, but the President! .Doesn't that count for extra points or something?"
Max laughed.
"Well," Liz said, "there's not a soul on Antar or Xarius who doesn't know who you and Dan are since those clips were shown, Kyle, so I'd say you're famous. even if Dan, Diane, and the President are the only three people on earth who know about it."
"I'll take that," Kyle said with a grin.
"The President was really impressed, huh," Kyle mused to Dan.
"Oh yeah! He said, where were you when he needed you? He used to own a team or something in Texas before he was the Governor there or the President."
Kyle and Dan both laughed.
For the rest of the afternoon, Dan and Diane told Liz, Max, and Kyle about all their adventures on the warm springs planet of Yxtiar. That evening, after Dan and Diane left, Max and Liz received another guest, one who would be staying for a few days. Kyle watched momentarily from the doorway, as Liz and Max talked to their guest. He was seated in a large chair with his back to Kyle, and Kyle could just see a right arm as it gestured up and down during the conversation.
Kyle shook his head and smiled then walked into the entertainment den and turned on the Videoscreen, flipping the channels to earth cable, something Varec had given them a few years back. He wondered who was footing the bill for it now that Zwolinski and his Special Unit had "disappeared."
"Fox News. Always fair and balanced." the anchor on TV proclaimed, as Kyle punched in channel 1239.
"And in other news today, since the terror alert was raised from yellow to orange, following the capture of three prominent Al-Qaida leaders yesterday, Vice-President Dick Cheney has once again dropped out of sight. Sources quoting President Bush report that Cheney is safely ensconced in a remote location known only to a few people and will likely be returning to the White House in a few days."
tbc Coming next: "A Vengeful Angel"
"Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot."
Chapter 7
VII
On Antar, Liz and Max sat in their "great chair" together. Liz was sitting sideways on Max's lap with her arms around Max's neck, her legs dangling over the side of the chair. Max smiled and let his lips be drawn to Liz's. As their lips slowly met, Liz closed her eyes and savored Max's kiss as though she were tasting a very fine -and expensive- wine.
"Uh. ahem."
Liz opened her eyes, and Max looked up.
"What is it, Kyle?"
"Sorry, Max, but you have visitors. Thought you'd like to know." Kyle smiled slightly.
"Okay," Max said, as Liz jumped off his lap, looking endearingly sheepish.
"We'll continue your, uh, CPR lessons later," Max said to Liz with a grin.
Liz just smiled.
"Who is it, Kyle?"
"It's Diane and Dan Klein."
"Oh! Well. that's a nice surprise! They must have got back from their honeymoon. Have 'em come in. Liz and I will meet them in here."
Kyle nodded and glanced at Liz again, then he turned and walked out of the room with a smile on his face.
As Diane walked into the room, Liz ran and hugged her. "It's so great to see you again, Diane! How was the honeymoon?"
"Oh, Liz, I've gotta tell you about it. It was fabulous beyond all words or imagination."
Dan smiled. Max took his hand for a moment, more in the Antarian tradition than actually a handshake. "So you guys had a good time, huh?"
"Great," Dan said, nodding emphatically. "I still can't believe I've been to two alien planets now. I'd tell you about it, but I think I better let Diane. She'd never forgive me if she didn't get to tell it."
Diane smiled. "Well, I'll let you tell them the other thing, Dan."
"Oh, thanks a lot, Diane," Dan chuckled.
"What other thing," Max asked.
"Well, right before we came here, the President asked if you could do him a favor."
"The President? As in. of the USA?"
"The same."
"What does he want from us?"
Dan grinned and proceeded to relate the President's request to Max and Liz.
"Diane, tell me about Yxtiar," Liz said impatiently. I want to know everything!"
"Well, not everything, Liz," Diane replied. "I'm a modest girl."
"Come on, spill it, Diane. Everything!"
Diane laughed.
"Yxtiar is beautiful. And it seems the whole planet is full of hot springs, some surrounded by beaches, others isolated and hidden by huge rocks and warm waterfalls. They have bath tub-sized ones, swimming-pool-sized ones, even lake-sized ones. You can soak in a huge warm spring with other aliens from all over the galaxy or by yourselves in one just big enough for two. In fact, there are so many hot springs there that you can usually even find a large one that is isolated and, uh, intimate."
Liz grinned. "I've never been there. It's definitely on our list of places we have to visit, though, right Max?'
Max nodded and smiled. "Liz has been wanting to go there ever since Alex and Isabel came back two years ago. But things have kept us pretty busy here."
"Oh, Max," Diane said, "you have to [b]make[/b] time for relaxation and fun. It will never come to you. I found that out. Make the time, and take Liz there!"
"Please, please, please, Max," Liz coaxed.
"Alright! Alright! I know when I'm outnumbered," Max said. "We'll go. soon."
Liz winked at Diane and smiled from ear to ear.
"You know," Dan said, "they have this amazing drink there called a Dashtyri."
Diane nodded. "Oh, yeah! I could lie in a hot spring and drink Dashtyri's all day for the rest of my life," Diane said, sighing. Give me a Dashtyri and a hot spring with Dan in it, and I've got everything I ever need."
Dan smiled but reddened slightly. "You know what's fun, Max," Dan said. "Sitting at a bar with a dozen alien beings with all these different digestive systems drinking Dashtyri's."
Diane snickered. "There was this one that drank through his nose. You don't even want to know how it eats! It was a he, wasn't it, Dear?"
Dan shrugged. "I think so."
"Anyway," Diane continued, "there was another one that had a funnel-shaped head, and it poured Dashtyri's into the top of its head. At meal times, it put the food in the top of its head and made sounds like a coffee grinder."
At this point, Liz and Diane were both laughing hysterically, and Dan and Max finally succumbed.
Max rubbed his eyes as they teared up from laughter. "Liz, you girls are awful. Those aliens probably went home and told their families all about you and Dan, Diane."
Diane almost snorted, nodding her head briskly. "I wouldn't doubt it! I did see some of them staring at us."
"I guess we might look pretty weird to something with a funnel for a head," Dan laughed.
"Oh, Dear," Max said, holding out his hand effeminately, "you should have seen these aliens that stick their food into the front of their faces, and their faces open up." Max laughed, as he did his mock impression of the other aliens telling their families about Dan and Diane. Everyone collapsed in hysterics. They even heard Kyle laughing in the next room.
"Kyle," Max called, "Come in here! You should be here, too. You and Dan are friends."
Kyle walked back into the room, and Dan stood up and gave him a proper Antarian hand hold.
"Good to see you again, Dan," Kyle said.
"Yeah! Great to see you, too, Kyle! I showed the President the clips made by VideoStream XSO of Xarius when we were fighting the Dragons of Drago, and he was quite impressed."
"You hear that, guys," Kyle said, turning to Max and Liz. "I'm famous."
"It was just one person, Kyle," Max said.
"Yeah, but the President! .Doesn't that count for extra points or something?"
Max laughed.
"Well," Liz said, "there's not a soul on Antar or Xarius who doesn't know who you and Dan are since those clips were shown, Kyle, so I'd say you're famous. even if Dan, Diane, and the President are the only three people on earth who know about it."
"I'll take that," Kyle said with a grin.
"The President was really impressed, huh," Kyle mused to Dan.
"Oh yeah! He said, where were you when he needed you? He used to own a team or something in Texas before he was the Governor there or the President."
Kyle and Dan both laughed.
For the rest of the afternoon, Dan and Diane told Liz, Max, and Kyle about all their adventures on the warm springs planet of Yxtiar. That evening, after Dan and Diane left, Max and Liz received another guest, one who would be staying for a few days. Kyle watched momentarily from the doorway, as Liz and Max talked to their guest. He was seated in a large chair with his back to Kyle, and Kyle could just see a right arm as it gestured up and down during the conversation.
Kyle shook his head and smiled then walked into the entertainment den and turned on the Videoscreen, flipping the channels to earth cable, something Varec had given them a few years back. He wondered who was footing the bill for it now that Zwolinski and his Special Unit had "disappeared."
"Fox News. Always fair and balanced." the anchor on TV proclaimed, as Kyle punched in channel 1239.
"And in other news today, since the terror alert was raised from yellow to orange, following the capture of three prominent Al-Qaida leaders yesterday, Vice-President Dick Cheney has once again dropped out of sight. Sources quoting President Bush report that Cheney is safely ensconced in a remote location known only to a few people and will likely be returning to the White House in a few days."
tbc Coming next: "A Vengeful Angel"