Darju followed Cylion and Mylico out into the open air of Catlopia. Compared to Jutinial IV, the air smelled fresh and sweet. There was no ceremony when the pair returned; they walked across the open area and in through a large double set of sliding doors.
"I thought someone would have met you on arriving?" Darju said.
"No, we do not draw unnecessary attention. As mentioned before, many do not know who we are." Cylion replied.
As Cylion walked into the corridor, Darju noticed a flash of smokey grey, similar to Cylion's hair, and a small creature Darju did not recognise jumped onto her leg and quickly climbed up her body.
"Mizzy," Cylion said with a huge grin on her face. She reached up and stroked the small furry creature perched on her shoulder. Darju looked at the creature. It had ears similar to Cylion's, but its whole body was covered in fur, unlike Cylion, who just had her head, back, and tail fur.
"What is that?" Darju asked.
"This is known as a Mizzy. She is my companion, and I had to leave her behind when I left. Unfortunately, since she is a companion, she has to stay within the confines of the planet," Cylion replied.
"Companion?"
"Yes. Companions are our familiars. We each adopted one as a young kit. Mizzy has been mine since I could first walk. Companions are automatons, and this little monster is my best friend. They run through the main palace AI but have standalone AI interfacing. Mizzy is based on our racial heritage of felines," Cylion said.
"Wow. Mizzy is a robot?"
"You are much more than just a robot, aren't you?" Cylion replied, stroking and grinning at her companion. The tiny creature purred loudly at Cylion's touch and rubbed at her hand. "Mizzy knows all my darkest secrets."
"Can Mizzy speak?"
"No. Mizzy can communicate through AI interfacing but does not speak as such. She is, after all, supposed to be similar to our historical heritage, and felines could not speak."
"Do you have one, Mylico?" Darju asked.
"I do. If like normal, Scamp will be hunting in the woods. He never spends time in the main palace."
Darju was amazed at the small little robot. It looked life-like and had fluffy grey fur. "Can I touch it?" Darju asked.
"Sure," Cylion replied, scoping the little robot from her shoulder and placing it in Darju's hand. It sat there staring up at her, titling its head to one side inquisitively.
"Hello," Darju said.
The robot made a strange sound, and Darju frowned.
"Mizzy is talking to you," Cylion said, looking at Darju's confused expression.
"What is Mizzy saying?"
"She said hello," Cylion replied. Mizzy suddenly jumped, pushing down off Darju's hand, and landed on her shoulder, just as it had with Cylion. "I think Mizzy likes you, " Cylion said.
"She?" Darju asked.
"Well, not really she, but she is my companion, so I decided to call Mizzy she; Mylico calls Scamp he," Cylion replied.
They continued down the open corridor into the palace until reaching a huge set of sliding doors. She had not seen another Catlopian since landing, and the hall was empty. Darju assumed this was due to the secrecy that Cylion had spoken about. "Here we are," Cylion said. She walked up to the panel at the side of the door and held her paw in front of it. There was a short pause, and then a light turned green, and the doors slid open.
The room was huge; it stretched back from the main doors into a large circular chamber. Darju looked up and was greeted by the bright, sunlit sky streaming through a huge domed roof. At the far end of the room, Darju could see four large holo displays showing various streams of pictures and data filling them all. The palace was so pristine everything was spotless and gleamed. Darju had never been to such a place before. Even the ship's luxurious feel was dimmed by the room. Brilliant silver pillars were spaced around the walls of the domed room, and the floor was a polished white stone. It was so shiny that Darju could see her reflection when she looked down. She let out an audible "Wow."
Mylico chuckled at Darju's comment. "Wait until you see some of the ships we have here."
Darju's eyes widened at seeing more of the Catlopian's ships. Mylico had explained on the journey that their ship was a transport vessel and the real ships were in the Catlopian defence force. "Persmia," Mylico called as he walked towards the holo-displays.
"Cousin," a beautiful Catlopian said as she rose from a chair where she had been watching the displays and turned to look at the three of them. As they approached, Darju took in her full beauty. She had dark brown fur and a short nose with full lips. Her skin looked spotless, and her fur fell down her shoulders. She wore a teal dress with a golden trim that matched her complexion, and her stunning grey-brown eyes greeted Darju. Holding her fur from her face, a deep golden-coloured crown rested on her head.
Mylico approached his cousin, picked her up, and hugged her. Cylion also hugged Persmia but did not try to pick her up.
"I hope your journey was clear," Persmia said.
"Yeah. A clear run apart from debris at the first jump," Mylico replied.
"And you are?" Persmia asked, turning to look at Darju.
Darju was awestruck. She was standing in a Royal Palace with a Prince and two Princesses in what she now believed to be the second most influential or powerful nation in the Universe.
"This is Darju, my friend and the reason why we travelled here," Cylion replied.
"It must be important for you both to return so soon," Persmia replied.
"It is, and I am not sure you will believe what we need to tell you," Cylion replied.
"Well, don't keep me waiting. What is the reason for the early return? You know you may be in danger coming back before I am crowned Queen," Persmia said.
"There was no other choice. Let's get a drink and sit rather than stay in here. It is such a boring room," Mylico said, walking past them to the side of the holo displays, where a smaller sliding door led into another palace area. He walked straight through, and the others followed. The ante-chamber was much smaller and more homely; scatter cushions covered the floor, and a table filled with various types of food was in the middle. Many Darju had never seen before. She still had not found her words yet and just stared at the luxury of her surroundings.
"Please sit," Persmia said to Darju, pointing towards a large plush cushion. Darju nodded and sat herself down. Cylion sat next to her, and Mylico walked to the table and began to pour some drinks, handing each of them a fine glass goblet. Persmia sat opposite Darju, looking at her. "What race are you?" Persmia asked.
Darju went to reply, but her throat felt dry. Taking the goblet from Mylico, she took a large swig, and her eyes widened in shock as the liquid she swallowed felt like it burned her throat on the way down. Rather than wetting her throat, it caused her to begin coughing.
"I'm sorry. I should have warned you. You need to sip Draty; it is a little on the strong side," Mylico said, laughing.
Darju eventually stopped coughing and glared at him. "You could have warned me earlier."
"It is an acquired taste," Cylion said.
"Darju. You should tell Persmia your story." Mylico added.
Darju took a deep breath and then relayed her story to Persmia. Persmia sat silently, her expression not changing once as she listened to the news. Even the mention of the Sunstar received no reaction from her. If she had not been looking at Darju, she would not have thought she was even listening to what she said. When Darju finished relaying the whole story and sat silently, Persmia continued looking at her. The silence felt awkward to Darju, and she squirmed slightly as she sat under the beautiful gaze of this Princess, soon to be Queen of a planet. Eventually, Persmia broke the silence.
"We need to get you to the Oracle. If what you say about being the Sunstar is true, then you are this Universe's most precious being."
"What?" Darju replied, frowning.
"The Sunstars contain the strongest power of any known item ever created in the Universe's history. I am sure that Cylion and Mylico will have told you what they know, but unfortunately, I did not have the same luxury as they had of being able to skip certain history lessons," she turned, looking at her cousins, who both looked away from her gaze.
"We did not skip class that often," Mylico replied defensively.
"Actually, we did," Cylion shrugged.
"Okay. Maybe a few, but we still know the basic history," Mylico replied.
"You two were always off fighting rather than learning our full history," Persmia scolded them.
The pair seemed to shrink slightly even though there was no nastiness in Persmia's tone.
"Darju. Thank you for your story. I really do hope that what you say is fact because the Sunstar and its power will be able to bring balance back to the Universe," Persmia said.
"Balance? How?" Darju stammered.
"The power of a Sunstar can protect those who need protecting. If one is ever threatened, then history says they will defend themselves. I have never heard of a Sunstar being absorbed into a being before, so we will need to speak to the Oracle. He knows the entire history of our race and many others from the gathered texts."
"So why would it have attacked the God?" Darju asked.
"I do not know exactly, but maybe it felt threatened. You said it seemed to react when the scanner was placed on you. The scanner may have triggered it to defend itself. I can't say for sure, though," Persmia replied.
"I am so confused about everything that has happened to me," Darju replied. She felt crestfallen and defeated. Having something happen that she had no idea about or control over scared her and upset her. She just wanted whatever it was gone from her. She had been enjoying her new life in the cantina and wanted to return to be with Flurew.
"Cylion. Could you show Darju to one of the guest wings, and I will arrange for her to meet the Oracle? You know what mum can be like with the Oracle, so I will need to go and placate her first."
"Does she know we have returned?" Mylico asked.
"No, no one does. Your ship is still registered as a royal guest craft, even though it has been several PTs. It is not unknown for a ship to return after so long."
"Are you going to tell her?" Cylion asked, looking a little worried.
"Not yet. I will have to eventually. However secure the palace is, it still has eyes and ears, and people start to talk," Persmia replied.
"Where is mum?" Cylion asked. Darju thought it was strange hearing Cylion address the Queen as her mum.
"She is at the retreat. She has been spending more time there recently with her advisors. Things have started to get quite political recently, and she has been heavily involved in negotiations not just for trade but for Catlop rights in general. It seems the Gods started to try and undermine our positions of influence in various sectors. It has been quite hectic. Not that you will have noticed being out in the Quilrew Sector. We have enough from the Juty planets we own already without worrying about the furthest sectors." Persmia replied.
"Why are the Gods not just happy with what they have?" Darju asked. Not having a clue what it all meant.
"Because their existence has been built up around their superiority. This is not accurate, though. They are only superior to many others due to the bullying and the pressures that they cause. The strong envelop the weak, which is what they have been doing for millennia. Rather than allowing others to develop and grow, they force them onto a certain path, restricting their ability to grow to their full potential. It has been a cyclic occurrence. Many new races have been quashed due to their oversight."
"They are evil then?" Darju asked.
"Not all of them. Many of the Gods live a reclusive life away from the Universal system. It is mainly Placetious and his followers that have caused our problems today." Persmia replied. "Anyway, we can talk politics another time; we have more important things to discover first. Cylion, if you don't mind, I will contact the Oracle and see what he is up to."
"Sure," Cylion replied, standing. "Come on, Darju, let me show you to your new home for now."
Darju stood and looked at Persmia, "Erm, thank you, your highness."
Persmia looked at Darju and smiled. "Persmia is just fine. I only use my title for official business."
Darju followed Cylion as they left through another door off the ante-chamber into a corridor smaller than the main one they had entered from where the ship had landed. Walking for several minutes through the winding corridors of the palace, they entered and went up several levels in a lift before Cylion walked her to a large single door. "Here you go," she said, tapping the panel.
The door slid open into a huge room. The open lounge area was larger than the cantina, and looking up at the several levels, she could see her head spun around, trying to take everything in. Above the main lounge area was a large domed roof, a smaller version of the one in the main palace chamber. The walls were a brilliant white, and everything looked immaculate and clean.
Cylion walked in and began showing Darju around the room. Room was the wrong word to describe its vast area. Multiple rooms were leading off the main lounge area. A massive bedroom with a huge bed, a set of walk-in wardrobes, a huge refresher, and a large ornate bath that Darju thought she could swim in. Through the back of the suite, two large glass panel doors led out onto a huge wide branch, and built into the branch was an actual swimming pool. She was at a loss for words, looking at what the suite held.
"This is for me to stay in?" Darju asked open-mouthed.
"Yes. For now, you can call this home if you like. I will sort out one of the residences for you, but it will take a couple of cinteps."
"Residences?"
"Yeah. This is just a guest suite," Cylion replied, smiling. "I will send a couple of staff down to sort you out some clothes and get anything else you need. I know we left in such a hurry you left everything behind."
"But, what do I do?"
"Wait, relax, do whatever you like. I will come back and get you once Persmia says the Oracle is free," Cylion said, turning and leaving.