CHAPTER SEVEN - The Nimrovian Popular Front

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Pluto drew himself up to his full height. ‘Do you know who I am?’ he boomed imperiously. The sheer force of his personality silenced the bandits.  ‘And do you have any idea who this is?’ He swept his arm towards Venus.  ‘If you know what’s good for you, you will show some respect!’

There was an uneasy pause. The weapons lowered a few inches. Various eyes swivelled around in various sockets. Deciding that she probably wasn’t going to be killed just yet, Venus drew a long breath and took in the appearance of their ambushers. The winged people had beautiful honey coloured skins, which contrasted with their white blond hair and creamy wings. Multi-coloured feathers sprang out of their heads and waved around like ostrich plumes. On closer inspection, Venus saw that these were not head-dresses, but growing out of their scalps, and that what at first appeared to be feathered bodices were in fact growing from their skin, like the plumage of birds.

Less glamorous were the people with dun coloured, leathery skins, domed heads and trunks instead of noses, which they wound around their necks when not in use. There were a few people who looked almost normal, except they had only one eye, right in the middle of their face, under a mono brow, which was a rather disturbing sight. Some were blue skinned and had six arms instead of two, three on either side. There were also quite a few people who looked just like Skye, humanoid in shape, with slanted black eyes, pale green skins and black hair that waved about like fibrotic fronds. Their third eyes blinked repeatedly, scanning Venus and her companions.   

            The person who had spoken, one of the elephant people, spoke again. Except it was more of a trumpeting sound, like a trombone.  ‘Who are you then? And who are your companions? Please state your business.’

             ‘I am Pluto, short for Plutonius, Supreme High Priest of the Holy Order of Sunev! Guardian of the Flame and Sacred Protector of the Deity Incarnate!’ he declared with enormous pomposity. There was a gasp. Pluto swept his arm towards Venus. ‘And this is none other than our Deity – the Serenity him – I mean, herself !’

            There was another collective gasp, accompanied by some snorts of disbelief. Various limbs waved about and forty scandalised faces stared at Venus, as though she had just grossly insulted the Head Teacher at school Assembly. Cries of ‘Blasphemy!’ and ‘Not in the Book of Cosmic Lore!’ rang out.

            The head winged person’s feathers waved around indignantly. ‘But she is an alien! Look at her! She is obviously an imposter from another planet!’

Cries of ‘imposter!’ echoed round.  

The head elephant type person began harrumphing. ‘And apart from anything else, it cannot be! Whoever - whatever she is – she is a female of the species, and a deity is always – well Sunev was – ‘  

‘A bloke?’ Venus cut in hotly. For some reason she could not fathom, she felt a bit cross. ‘Why can’t I be a Holy type of person? Just ‘cos I’m a girl!’  Then she felt a bit silly. Why did she care anyway? What did it matter what these weirdoes thought of her? She was getting off this planet soon. ‘Not that I want to be of course,’ she added. ‘Or am! Because actually-‘

She was about to resume her protest at this whole silly misunderstanding when she was cut short by Pluto. ‘We will prove her identity beyond all doubt. But first, take us to your leader!’

‘I think I’ve heard that one before,’ muttered Venus. ‘It’s hardly original.’

‘Who is your leader by the way?’ said Skye.  

            ‘The Queen!’ cried the motley crew in unison, touching their foreheads.

The elephant man spoke. ‘Queen Andromeda! Rightful Ruler of Nimrovia, democratically elected by the people, but now unlawfully deposed by Tyranog, who is not, repeat not, the Divine Emperor!’

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