Lower CoSMOS-Mon’s Pleading

            Ronnie’s work on Uru consisted of the construction of small underground domiciles and structures able to sustain what Uru lived on the surface, in return, the Uru provided nurturing food to him that sat well with his stomach; allowing him to live when not traveling. The Uru’s population dwindled for a time, attacked by an outer species vowing to eradicate it but misidentifying them as another organism of the same name and only by name. ‘The Unfortunate War’ was swift and decisive, the Blagon attack groups realized their universal crime too late. When the peace settled and the misunderstanding was dealt with, these Uru banned the species of Blagon from their planet, and in preparation, asked Ronnie to assist them in protection. For all his small complaints about the planet, the Uru sheltered him as they did any other beings coming to them if they were not from Blagon; their closest habitable planet.

            There is always the problem of water, but a steady supply came from the Mon as a token of Ronnie’s kindness allowing for the provision. In truth, Ronnie owes his life to the Mon. Does he ever go home? Back to earth? As some tales in the Lower Cosmos suggest, he does not, but in truth, he must. He needs to. It is to sustain himself and as a reminder of where he came from.

            When wanting the silence of the night to himself, Ronnie stayed from the plateau ‘sebewenga’ and viewed Milmurt’s longing for his home from afar. It brought empathy out of him for his stranded but contented neighbor. The gladness of Milmurt, Ronnie surmised, was to keep any mention of Milmurt’s accidental slaying of the Mon and its shell’s descent onto a neighboring planet, dropping to a sea and still under the decay of time. It hurt Milmurt, though joking about his notorious name, ‘Mon slayer,’ ‘Milmurt the Devastator,’ ‘Milmurt the Dreaded,’ etc., the Mon’s reverence in the universe gave him an internal and eternal shame. A cosmic damnation. No Mon had died until Milmurt Ranok’s shuttle exited from Zerort 1.

            The Uru vlank Slim made his way to Ronnie by normal Uru travel, sliding above the ground on its millions of tiny legs. It then unfolded and erected next to Ronnie.

            “Maybe not today, Slim,” Ronnie said.

            Slim responded.

            “Yes, that is what I am thinking about, you know me too well,” said Ronnie, “It will be a short day for me.”

            Slim spoke in a low tone, a patterned mumble but discernible to Ronnie.

            “Do you think so? I was thinking the same thing. I will have to do it out of view but that may be a day’s travel,” Ronnie said.

            Slim spoke.

            “It is a thing I believe I should do alone,” Ronnie said.

            The next day the young earth man packed his belongings in an old character backpack he brought with him from the earth. He stuffed it with supplies and opened an outer hatch on his vessel Siouxsie. It served as a docking area for his ‘flatslider’ as he calls it. Though the ground skidder requires the rider’s energy to start it, it can travel several miles with one push on Uru ground. Sitting down he kept his bag on his back and placed each arm at either side. Palming the surface and curling his fingers in a slight grip, he pushed himself forward and propelled away from his ship into the flat plains of Uru.

            Remote, with few roaming species near him, Ronnie stopped the flatslider and stood from it. Little light came from their distant sun, but sufficient to guide him in the sometimes endless days. He removed his backpack and raised his arms to the air, speaking in the Mon language.

            “Great Mon. Great Mon. The gentle of life. The ones watching the stars. You who know enemies and enemies from friends. Ever alert and not angered. Not in hate do you live but by the weaving of the matter invisible. For you owe it to time and give back to the fantastic celest, Great Mon,” Ronnie said and lowered his hands.

            He waited and nothing. He repeated his plea. Moaning and groaning came from a distance. The answer sped through the plains back to Ronnie, belting him with reverberating sound. Though brisk and with great pressure behind it, near impact, it touched Ronnie like a gentle breeze.

            “You are us. In our love. In our minds. Talbert the earth man speak. For even now we have waited for you. Not to disturb your days and envy the time you spent away in jealousy. Ask! Our friend, Talbert. For you are we in the recesses of the cosmos, our friend.”

            Ronnie smiled, and above, a circular object shined a blinding light on him, moaning loud enough for Milmurt to hear from the ‘sebewenga.’ The object rotated in successive slow movements with the bellowing of happiness from the Mon’s hull. It pivoted its front to Ronnie, each eye only deep sockets and a mouth resembling a permanent sadness. It tilted and pushed closer to Ronnie with an augmented sigh. Ronnie’s grin did not leave his face until he found himself inside the Mon and a part of it.

            “Speak our, dear friend.”

            Two other large Mon similar in size but different front faces appeared on either side of the first Mon, now tilting their head toward the middle.

            “I have learned of your loss,” said Ronnie, “Where is your loved one?”

            Silence followed as Ronnie waited.

            “You do not know, do you?”

            The Mon at the center shifted away from Ronnie in unease but was unable to stop the cohesive connection between them.

            “This Ranokian did not kill your Mon. He has told me so. It was terrifying for your Mon, but he has assured me it was never in his heart or mind to hurt you or any Mon.”

            The three Mon conversed and, in their dialog, shook some of the planet in the smallest of ways, but also ripping into areas in the argument. Milmurt left the plateau and ran into his hold cut out of the ‘Sebewenga’ and hid himself. One of the other Mon shifted down to Ronnie.

            “You seek forgiveness?” It said.

            “You want to say goodbye? And so do I, my friends. You have loved me when no one has. Taken me where I wanted to go when I never asked and showed me places my people will never see. With them they hated me, but with you, this place. My place is where you accepted me without question. We must bring your Mon home. All three of the Mon released a shout sounding like a beam penetrating through a sun. Ronnie covered his ears; pain began to cause the inside of his head to bleed and it suddenly stopped. A drip made its way down out of Ronnie’s ear.

            “We are sorry, Talbert,” one said. Ronnie put his hand down and looked at the blood on his palm.

            “Let me find your lost one,” Ronnie said.

            “That is not all, we know our Talbert,” one said.

            “Yes, great Mon, I will have Milmurt aid me in the search as recompense for the damage done to you and to bring our lives into equilibrium again. Not allowing our galaxy and lower cosmos to suffer,” Ronnie said.

            The light from the Mon ceased and they were gone. Ronnie peered into space hoping to find them again but turned toward his flatslider and his backpack. He placed his belongings on and started to sit on the flatslider remembering his last words before finding himself at home in an instant.

            “Meeemlaggggg…”

            Arriving, he checked his body and stared at Siouxsie. He found himself dropped at the opening of the vessel. Staring up into the night, he grinned; the Mon transferring him there without the need of his flatslider. He turned his head to the Plateau where Milmurt stood at the edge watching him. Milmurt yelled something that Ronnie did not decipher because of the distance. Standing, Ronnie moved the flatslider toward ‘sebewenga’ and ran his hands through the dirt to push toward Milmurt. His new acquaintance started his way to the carved-out steps he made in the side of the plateau. During the long walk down, Ronnie waited for Milmurt.

            “I did not realize how much time it took to walk those steps,” Ronnie said.

            Milmurt stared at Ronnie.

            “I know little of the earth, Ronnie Talbert. From what I hear the place crawls with uselessness.”

            “Well, some. Yes. Not all. More than I would like to remember.”

            “How is it out of the entire skyways you managed to befriend the great Mon?”

            Ronnie sighed and glared away from Milmurt.

            “You should be delighted I have, Milmurt,” Ronnie said.

            “And why would that be, Ronnie Talbert?” Milmurt said.

            “They will forgive you and you may return home with their help,” Ronnie said.

            Milmurt turned to stare into space and then at Ronnie, he grinned and grabbed Ronnie, pulling him back he smiled in his face.

            “You are as great as the Uru have said Ronnie Talbert,” Milmurt said and released him.

            “It is under one condition,” said Ronnie, “We must find their lost Mon,” Ronnie said.