Chapter 1 – The Event

« Breaking news ! The Argentinian government has just confirmed what many independent sources have already reported in the last few hours. Earlier in the evening, an object of unknown origin and tremendous size has been observed in the sky above Buenos Aires, Argentina. The crowd there saw, during several minutes, something that has been described as a gigantic flying structure. The footage that we are about to show you — if authenticated — leaves little doubt about the possible origin of the phenomenon : whatever this thing was, it was not a human-made aircraft. »

The young couple sitting on the couch, immerged in the blueish glow emanating from the screen in the darkness of the room, was now staring blankly, startled by the solemn tone in the voice of the announcer. Only the cat, quietly coiled at one end of the couch, seemed undisturbed by the content of the news, and kept sleeping while merely flapping an annoyed ear from time to time.

On the screen appeared a dark evening sky filmed from the ground of a city. A portion of the clouds seemed weirdly lit from within by multiple sources of greenish light. Then, the clouds started to separate at some places and rolled turbulently, unveiling partially what was up there.

"Whoa!" said the man on the couch to his pregnant wife. "Have you seen that, Angie? What the hell is this thing?

— Have no idea, Marv…"

A shining metallic and complicated surface was sliding slowly above the dark clouds. Its overall shape was impossible to grasp because it was not entirely visible, but its size was clearly mind boggling. It was probably the same size as the city itself. The people down in the crowd were pointing their fingers up to that incredible vision, as if anyone could have missed it. This thing was really obliterating the entire sky while an astonished clamor was rising from the streets.

"Now this is really happening, Angie… This is… not from our planet, for sure. It's crazy!

— I know ! I would've never thought that we'd live to see that happening. Aliens, like in movies…

— This is nuts! It's completely nuts!"

"It's OK, stop freaking out…" said a voice in the room.

It was a feminine voice but it was not Angie's, nor was it coming from the screen. The sound of the words was somehow closer and, at the same time, very remote.

"Stop freaking out, both of you. All of this is completely fake."

The man and the woman looked at each other.

"Who… who said that ?"

They both looked with bewilderment at the cat who just woke up, yawned with her mouth wide open, and started grooming her silver fur.

"F… Fluffy? Is that you?

— Of course it's me.

— You… you can speak now ?

— Now, Marvin, don't be stupid. Cats can't speak." answered the indolent cat. "Our larynx is not suited for articulated speech. But if you'd calm down for a moment, you would probably notice that you're not hearing my words with your ears. You are hearing them as you hear your own thoughts, with the silent voice of the mind, except the words you perceive are not yours, they are mine."

Marvin and Angie were astonished.

"Who… who are you?"

— Well…"

The cat took a dramatic pause.

" I am a celestial being. Call me angel, call me goddess, call me spirit of the highest rank. (I personally prefer goddess.) I come from a very distant galaxy, too remote for you to have heard about it. It's called the Fluffy Galaxy. What you're now seeing is not really my true nature, I am presently in my mortal form. I incarnate from time to time, when things go astray…

— Oh my god! Oh my god!" screamed Angie. "The cat can talk!

— First the alien spaceship…" said Marvin, "and now this… I must be dreaming.

— Now, please don't go bonkers. I need you to stay calm.

— But, if you can speak in our thoughts, how come you've never spoken to us before?"

Fluffy sighted.

"Marvin, I know you probably have a lot of questions right now. But try to choose them carefully. Why would an ancient goddess condescend to speak to you? I'm doing it now because of the current events."

The news kept on rolling on the screen : 

"This is Stephen Emerson, we are back live on CBC News, and we are living a very peculiar day. This evening, allegedly, a giant spaceship has been seen in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We are live with Darla Diaz who is currently there in Buenos Aires. Darla, how do people react to what happened? Do they believe it was really an alien object ?"

The reporter was standing in front of a group of people who seemed disoriented and still didn't know if they should go back to their homes or continue wandering along the streets without any purpose.

"Yes, Stephen. People are completely baffled here. It is as if normal life had been suspended. You all saw it? Can you tell us what you saw?"

Darla Diaz handed the microphone to some person in the crowd. The guy certified it was a real alien spacecraft. He explained that the vision was nothing like the faint and blurred pictures of the usual tiny and distant UFO. It was enormous, very close, very distinct, and it lasted for two long minutes.

"What happened then?

— It disappeared! It accelerated all of a sudden at a tremendous speed and we all lost track of it. You'd never expect such a big banger to move so fast…"

"Fake." said Fluffy again.

"What you mean, "fake"?" asked Angie.

"This is not real.

— You think all these people are lying about what they saw ?" asked Marvin.

"I'm not saying they're lying. But what they saw was not real. It was all holograms created by a powerful AI and projected on the sky. Undistinguishable from reality.

— How do you know that?"

The cat goddess sighted again.

"OK, OK. But why would someone play this kind of trick ?

— To gain power. Soon, all these folks will panic at the idea that powerful extraterrestrial beings are here to destroy their planet. People from all around the world will beg for an organization strong enough to protect them. Such an organization could ask literally any price in exchange for their so-called protection.

— So, they are ill-intentioned ? I mean… the fake… aliens.

— Hard times are gonna come.

— Are you here… to protect us?

— Will try. But I am mostly here for my own sake. I actually came to choose my future general. The leader of my army.

— Seriously? On this planet? And where do you plan to find that commander of yours?

— Actually, I've already chosen him.

— Really?"

Fluffy jumped swiftly above Marvin and got on Angie's lap. She placed a gentle paw on her round belly.

"It will be him." she said.

"My baby? Your general? Hey… what are you doing?"

The cat already started kneading the pregnant woman's belly. The paws were pushing alternatively, with restrained claws and focused attention.

"I am programming him. Giving him the future skills he needs.

— Wait a minute." interrupted Marvin. "Shouldn't we be consulted first about this whole project involving our baby?

— No. I am a great goddess, I'm not asking for opinions. Try maybe to sound a bit grateful for the honor I'm bringing upon your household.

— Of course, we are grateful!" said Angie. "And so, how come you chose to be incarnated as a cat?

— I always do.

— You already came to Earth before?

— Yes. Last time was five thousand years ago…"