"We are going to meet the USO?" Chiun asked hopefully, leaning forward.
"That's right. And you're coming, too."
Chiun sat back in his seat, and his face assumed a benevolent smile. "You shall be rewarded for your efforts," he told Amanda.
"Just why do you want to meet our leader?" she asked.
Chiun's smile evaporated. He looked out the window at the black trees flashing past.
"Because his ancestors knew my ancestors," Chiun said finally.
* * *
The ship was not waiting at the rendezvous when they arrived. Amanda cut the engine and beeped the horn three times. Everyone got out of the van and turned his eyes skyward, but there was nothing but stars and ragged clouds up there.
When the white fire burst into life over their heads a few minutes later, the Oklahoma City chapter of the Flying Object Evaluation Center sent up a collective "OOOOooooohhhh!"
Chiun alone was silent, his hazel eyes fixed sharply on the descending spaceship.
The UFO sprouted red and green secondary lights and passed over their heads after proving it could remain stationary in the air. It floated over the trees and sank. A misty, milky glow showed through the forest wall.
"Okay, everybody," Amanda Bull said proudly. "Let's report. "
They marched toward the light, Amanda Bull leading the way, Chiun behind her and carrying himself like a bride walking down the aisle, with the other FOES members strung out behind them.
"This is a great day," Chiun said in a solemn voice.
"It sure is," Ethel Sump giggled.
When they were gathered before the shining object, Chiun whispered to Amanda, "You must properly introduce me, woman."
"Yeah, yeah. Let me report first, will you?" Amanda strode forward and disappeared through the ship's door, which opened for her, then closed. The lights dimmed so they didn't hurt the eyes so much.
Not long after, Amanda returned and told Chiun, "The World Master will see you now."
Chiun took a step backward, disgust on his wrinkled face. "I have not been properly introduced. You must present me as Chiun, the reigning Master of Sinanju."
"Come on, come on. We haven't got all night."
"Ingrate."
And so Chiun, lifting the hem of his kimono to keep it out of the tall grass, stepped up to the shining object and with measured tread, passed within. He found himself in a semicircular room like the inside of a steel ball that had been partitioned off. On the face of the partition was a pebbled-glass screen and beyond that, a wavering shadow.
Chiun stepped up to the glass and bowed once. "I am Chiun, reigning Master of Sinanju, latest in the line of Masters of Sinanju, who traces his ancestry back to the Master Wang the Greater, and even before him."
"Yes, I know, Chiun, Master of Sinanju. For I am a Master too. I am the World Master, who is known as Hopak Kay."
A strange expression crossed Chiun's face, and then he said, "We have much to discuss, you and 1. May I enter your chambers?"
"No. It is forbidden. Nor may I leave my chambers, for I must breathe, which I cannot do in your atmosphere."
"Ah," said Chiun. "I understand. Breathing is important to us, too."
"Preparation Group Leader Bull has informed me you wish to join with our movement to bring peace to the world."
"A worthy goal, World Master," Chiun replied. "And it demonstrates your wisdom, and the wisdom of your house, that you have chosen to bring your civilizing influence to this land above all others, for it sorely needs it. America is a land of ugliness, although one time in its past it produced many beautiful dramas, although even these have slipped into decadence."
"Yes," World Master Hopak Kay said reedily, "when I am ready to announce myself to the world, we will usher in a new era in which drama will be raised to new heights of artistry. All will be allowed to express themselves in the manner of their choosing."
"Except those who are inferior. There are many who are inferior in this world. There are the whites and then the blacks, and after them the Chinese and Japanese..."
"Yes," the World Master agreed, "all inferior peoples must be dealt with accordingly."
"Of course," added Chiun, who had been told by Remo that racial discrimination was a bad thing, "all inferior races must be tolerated and treated as if they are equal, even when we know they are not."
"Yes, all inferior races must be dealt with as if they were not inferior. You are very wise."
Chiun nodded his head happily. Here was an obviously superior being, he thought. Here was someone who thought logically and saw truth clearly. "The House of Sinanju acknowledges your wisdom as well. May I ask the name of your house?"
The shadow moved briefly behind the glass, and for a strange second, the Master of Sinanju thought he perceived that the World Master had two arms on the left side of his body, but of course that was impossible...
"House?" the voice asked, puzzled.
"Yes, what is the name of the place from whence you come, the place of your ancestors?"
"I am from the House of Betelgeuse."
Chiun bowed again. "It is good that the House of Sinanju again meets the House of Beetle Goose. Long has the House of..."
"Alert! Alert!" Amanda Bull screeched from outside. "That Remo is back! He's back!"
Chiun's head whipped around. "Remo, my son."
Then from outside there came the flat cracks of shots and noises of confusion and panic.
Remo Williams was in the middle of the local FOES chapter, where he had moved after dodging the first few bullets aimed at him. Despite some lingering stiffness resulting from his earlier brush with the UFO, he still moved easily. He had been surprised to find everyone back in the same location, but that hadn't slowed his reflexes any.
In the middle of the milling group, where they didn't dare shoot for fear of hitting one another, Remo began taking them out one at a time. There was a fat guy in overalls to his right, and Remo dropped him with a straight-fingered jab to the base of the neck, interrupting the signals from brain to limbs with a slight dislocation of the upper vertebrae.
Next, Remo side-kicked a kneecap, and someone else dropped, yelling with pain.
The third person went down with two bullets in her lungs, which Amanda Bull put there because she obviously didn't care about hurting her own people to get at Remo.
So Remo floated to the left and started to come up on her blind side, where the raised rifle butt cut off her peripheral vision.
"Remo, stop that. Stop that this instant. What are you doing?" It was Chiun's voice, high and squeaky. He had come from somewhere and was standing in front of the dingbat UFO, Remo saw, his hands upraised and the sleeves of his kimono hanging off to expose his frail arms. He was all but jumping up and down.