Ceasair and the Tanhi

Within the invisible spaceship, the pilot, Ceasair, took a deep breath. He had never been on Earth before, but in all the inhabited galaxies of the world, the bipedal/humanoid shape was the shape that had evolved , indeed, was the only one that could evolve...the same spores that had evolved into life on planet Earth had been the ones that brought life to the planets in other galaxies and other universes as well.

And he had watched on the viewscreen as Wordsworth had discovered his invisible spaceship, and he had recognized the expression on her face and knew exactly what she intended to do.

"You think you've trapped me in this pitiful solar system, Tanhi," Ceasair said aloud, coldly, addressing the space craft. "Well, you are wrong. You couldn't turn off your sensors, could you, and I know exactly where I am, and what's below me. This world's universe is my oyster."

The Tanhi made no response.

"Open the hatch."

The Tanhi, as a sentient space craft, was in rather the same position as the earth's robots of Isaac Asimov, who were under the dominion of the Three Laws of Robotics. Every race, when it reached the technological ability to produce sentient robots or, in the Tanhi's case, spacecraft, always built in some safegaurds. Therefore, although the Tanhi was able to prevent an unauthorized pilot from travelling across dimensions at will (a very dangerous practice for the untrained), it had to obey all the usual commands a pilot might give.

Therefore, the Tanhi opened the hatch.

Ceasair stood poised in the hatchway for a few seconds, breathing in the nitrogen-oxygne content of the air, then stepped through the hatchway, through the cloaking device (oozing through it rather like the liquid silver Terminator 2 had looked, before assuming recognizable human form) and then the Tanhi closed the hatch behind him and Ceasair, the most dangerous criminal in the history of Planet Ex, stood on the Earth.



Vocabulary

evolved - to come forth gradually into being; develop
galaxy - a large system of stars held together by mutual gravitation and isolated from similar systems by vast regions of space
universe - the totality of known or supposed objects and phenomena throughout space; the cosmos (there are many solar systems in a galaxy, and mnay galaxies in the universe.)
dominion - the power or right of governing and controlling; sovereign authority
safegaurds - something that serves as a protection or defense or that ensures safety

Cultural References

This world's universe is my oyster - "The world's your oyster" is a phrase that has been used since Shakespeare's time to mean that the world's pearls (which are found in oysters) are there for the taking of anyone who can discover them. Ceasair is paraphrasing this famous saying, for a purpose that will become clear as this blog continues.
Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics - Science fiction author Isaac Asimov formulated positronic robots in 1941, and the laws that they must follow. Other fiction writers from that date forward, when talking about robots, have usually referenced the law when pointing out that their robots either did, or did not, follow the laws.
liquid silver Terminator 2 - Terminator starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as a robot assassin, wearing the guise of a human. In Terminator 2, he has been programmed to help the fugitive John Connor and his mother, and a new Terminator, the T-1000, who is not a robot but rather is composed of "a mimetic polyalloy", a liquid metal that allows it to take the shape and appearance of anyone or anything it touches. Ceasair is not a Terminator, but when he steps through the cloaking device his body is bathed in a silver light that gives that effect.