With a commanding cough, Doug moves on. “At the age of eighteen, your mother Catherine Antonia Sky became the first in her family to join the System Guards, and where do you think she met me? We met in a training academy, just like this.”
“Now all the girls will be expecting engagement rings by the end of the day,” July Tara laments.
“Ignoring my chance to embarrass my daughter-in-law with her school days,” Jo looks at J.T., just begging for her to change her mind, “Heh heh, we should give the rundown of the Grand System’s planets and then head off to the next Galaxy. In case you didn’t catch it, the Grand System is our only solar system. We will have to think of a way to differentiate from THE SYSTEM that comprises all life in every universe, old and new, within the mind of human author. Anyway, we are Galaxy 10, the Dogwood Galaxy, and our G10-S1 contains the classic sun and ten planets that the Milky Way had before losing Planet X. We mentioned having our own Planet Ruyngard. Um, let’s see, we have a New Cambridge like where EMJ is from in G1. Okay, I’ll give you famous SGs and what planet they’re from. Just know we have duplicates of those here. In G1, Mizer is from Eshpur, Cookie Muffin is from Muff, Fun Sanchez is from Yomawatup, and…yeah, that’s it. There’s a planet I think we referenced while visiting G1’s Ruyngard that was caught in the fight of Max and AB. They sent their kids to Earth as the planet was dying, and they sent robot insect warriors to protect those kids. Yeah, well, the people were a bunch of blue folks called the Coriz, or Corians, or Javerans, from the planet Corizandre. The Naims are green. Toastra is for animally peoples and Vacation Carniland…okay, who HASN’T been to Vacation Carniland?” No hands go up. “See? The best planet in our galaxy.”
While Mercy and July clap for their friend’s speech, Doug gives a quick, “Thanks for that, ma’am. Animally, that’s a nifty way of describing animal-like people. Mind you, in the System, there are plenty of folks with animal traits. I should pause and say this is an imagination, so of course, we’re going to have stuff the real-worlders don’t have. It’s not a healthy venture to have hybrids in their world, nor would any source of superpower be as safe and genuine as it is here since the physics there are different and God doesn’t typically go around giving people supernatural, miraculous power in the modern age of their world. But even so, the ‘animallies’ here are better described as humans with animal traits rather than what you’d consider a true hybrid. I mean the System Director can turn robots into humans, so it shouldn’t matter, but some critic out there is going to complain, so I had to give a disclaimer.”
Having said this, Doug looks at his notes for a second…a few seconds…several seconds…and then opens a portal. “Okay, to Galaxy 9 we go!”
As he leads everyone through, the hugs are given and the goodbyes are said. However, right as the portal is about to close, an extra round of goodbyes, hugs and kisses are exchanged…between Mercy and Marc.
“Are you sure?” the husband asks his wife.
“Yeah, I guess. I’d feel guilty leaving poor Jo to die alone.”
And with this last-minute decision, Mercy has changed her mind and yells for Doug to hold the portal. Well then, we are very glad to have you back on the field trip, Mercy. Mr. Rug is going to need all the help he can get.
Inner Man Theatre 