Chapter 24

Cat City / Dissidents & Kitty Cat Carlyle

And Cloister said Let there be savory sausages and donuts for all, and there were. The Red Hat followers of the Cat People were truly righteous and Frankenstein the holy mother herself smiled on their small departing from the warm bosom of their lead lined home for the better part of three million years, the Red Hatted followers, without Cloister, began their quest for the promised land, Fusha.

The ship to surface vessel, White Giant two, carrying the three hundred Cat followers of all ages traveled for nearly fourteen years through deep space on it's hopeless quest before accidentally falling into a wormhole. The ship traveled light years until it was finally spat out into a binary solar system. Four days later the Ark's scanners picked up what would later be dubbed, Cat World.

Practically out of supplies the surviving felines stepped out onto the firm fertile soil and decreed they were home. They had indeed found Fusha.
All aboard were so delighted that they had survived the ordeal which had seen so many die, that they didn't question the lack of Cloister and or any fast food facilities whatsoever. At some point later on, when all weren't
so hungry one or two pointed out these facts, with their misgivings on the
entire situation.

The clergy quickly used this inquiry to their favor and proclaimed that one day Cloister would return to them and lead his chosen people.
It was declared on that day, they would be ready for him. Not with the meager encampment and simple ways they now survived in, but with a city so magnificent that Cloister the great would feel compelled to set up his donut and sausage stand right in the middle of their most holy of holy cathedrals.
And there would be savory sausages and donuts for all.
Thus the foundation for Cat City was poured.

Later a small faction of Cats who weren't quick enough to get in on
the ground floor of this idea, and felt as though somehow they had been
jipped, moped around a bit and kicked the dirt. Until one of the jipped came across an ancient manuscript which told of the great monarchy that existed prior to their leaving Red Dwarf.

Thinking this a good way to an easy meal ticket the small group adopted the name of the greatest ruler the monarchy ever had, Tabby the fourth. They later became known as the Tabbies. In turn they did everything they could to denounce the clergy and Cloister claiming that one day Tabby the Fifth would appear and truly lead them to the promised land. Which they were more or less in, but just too lazy or stupid to realize it.

Over the years through new generations coming and going and the civilized
city life that most Cats had come to expect, the Clergy's power had been
challenged. They were forced to make certain consideration for other parties. These considerations would eventually be their downfall.

It was the crack of dawn the second week of Spring and everything was in bloom. Birds were chirping, the sun had just broke an cast a violet glow
across the sky which turned gradually into night and stars.
Most of Cat City was just waking up. The bakers were baking cakes and cookies in the shapes of small scurrying creatures, the local markets wouldn't open for an hour and the merchant were enjoying the rush of the pre market set up of their respective business. Some take this opportunity to catch up on local gossip. Even the clergy usually in ill fitting clothes and moods would soon be feeling the crispness in the air.

After almost five decades of effort, Cat City had become a reality, and
most of the race was quite successful and prolific. The city and it's outlying
villages now covered over three hundred square miles, and further settlements were in the planning stages.

True all were not in favor of this kind of growth. Still further were the
faction, which since it's founding, had grown in numbers and voice.
At some point almost two years ago a movement by the Tabbies pushed for their people to have a speaker among the clergy. To make sure they were getting their fair share.

Today was to be quite a day amongst the Tabbies. For today, a mere
twenty years after getting a representative within the ranks of the clergy,
the clergy was going to announce a revision of its charter to something else.

How much of a revision wouldn't be understood for days to come.
One of the main issues that was being pushed by the Tabbies was that they had survived millions of years of hardship and torment. Finally
after reaching this planetary haven, they were still alone. The decedents of Frankenstein build this holy city awaiting the return of the great Cloister.
But he didn't show.

Now some years later many Cats questioned if Cloister would indeed ever show. And many of the Cats who were born of Cat World, or on the Ark to Cat world, questioned if ever anything the elders say is true. After so long it
seemed like tales meant to scare kitten before they went to bed at night.
So the change had finally come, and more legislature was to be changed taking a portion of the power from the clergy and putting it into the hands
of the Tabbies. Whom generally wanted a monarchy with themselves in charge, but for the moment they would work with this.
This mistake in actions would forever change the history of the Cat People and their World.

From the great tower that rose in the center of Cat Square, one hundred feet tall, and made in the image of a scratching post, Kitty Cat Carlyle, a lone sentry, scanned the heavens for any sign of Cloister's return. Like peoples of old Earth, the Cat Race looked for its answers in the heavens. The rotation duties of young cats was up for him and his duty for this month was recording the movement of the celestial bodies for comparison by the three ruling powers.

Kitty Cat Carlyle was a modern thinker, and secretly part of the Tabby Party organization at school. He himself did not believe in Cloister, nor did many of his contemporaries and the idea of his returning was thought by his younger generation to be superstitious and religious dogma.

"The only ones who really believed in that sort of Cloister returning kind of stuff was the Clergy, fanatics and parents." He would joke.

There were also the elders.

The elders were not the Clergy, and they were not the Tabbies.
They were the ones who were children when the Ark landed. It was said they knew the truth. They had left heaven of their own free will, they were
not banished. This made their relations with The Clergy and the Tabbies
strained at best. Still they were the elders and unless their story could be challenged, they held the true power.

Still the tower was a great place to be alone. Though usually Kitty Cat Carlyle would entice some young coed during the daylight hours to come visit him in the tower.

"I'll show you the sights that only the rulers themselves see." Or one of his classics with freshmen who are from the out lying areas and took religion seriously:

"How do you know, you might be up there with me when Cloister Returns." Yesterday he had struck out, and was indeed alone when it happened.

A blip.
Not a small blip either, and moving at super sonic speeds. It was either of two things: a meteor the size that could wipe out Cat City, or Cloister himself was returning. Either way he had to do the job, the only really important job to be done and it was his Kitty Cat Carlyle honor to perform.

Even though he really didn't believe in that kind of stuff. He had to press the big red button. The jolly candy like button. Can he push it? Will he push it!
If he did and if he was wrong he would be cast out from the church. His family and friends would suffer shame and rejection. But if he didn't and it was a giant meteor shouldn't Cat City be awakened and warned?
He looked into the revered artifact that was salvaged out of the
Ark that brought the Cat Race to Cat World. It was White Dwarf's Hubble telescope.

The view was spectacular, speeding along like a comet, leaving a gray smokey tail in its wake. Little by little the comet came into view and
Kitty Cat Carlyle could now see it easily with his unaided eye.
He made his decision.

He slapped the button and every light and siren in Cat City went off simultaneously. This move would, through a series of events having nothing what so ever to do with Carlyle, cost him his life. And perhaps more.