The Queen of the Great Quiet - Sci-fi Cat T-shirt

The ship, a clanking thing of riveted metal and burning fuel, had descended upon the world of Felidia like a noisy beetle intruding on a library. Captain Elwin stood now in the High Hall, feeling painfully large and undeniably clumsy. The air here did not smell of ozone and recycled oxygen, but of dry sage, ancient dust, and a scent like ozone before a thunderstorm—the smell of magic, or perhaps, deep electricity.

The hall was vast, spiraling upward into a gloom of violet shadows and golden geometric lines that seemed to chart the movement of invisible stars. And there, at the center of the silence, sat the Queen.

She was not what Elwin had expected. The xenobiology reports had predicted a tribal chieftain, perhaps a warrior adorned in bones and pelts. Instead, he saw a creature of terrifying elegance. She was slender, her coat the colour of the midnight sky before the moon rises—a blue-black darkness that seemed to absorb the light. She sat upon a throne of carved wood and suspended crystal, her posture upright, her long forelegs straight as pillars.

But it was her face that held him frozen. It was a feline face, yes, with the high, aristocratic cheekbones of the Siamese breeds of Earth, and vast ears that twitched at the shifting of the tectonic plates deep beneath them. Yet, upon her forehead, situated perfectly between the two ice-blue eyes that watched him with an unblinking predator’s calm, was a third eye. It was not flesh, but a shimmering sapphire aperture, a window into something older than the stone floor beneath Elwin's boots.

"You create much disturbance, Son of Adam," a voice said.

Elwin jumped. The cat’s mouth had not moved. The voice had not traveled through the air; it had bloomed inside his mind, resonating like a struck bell. It was a voice of multiple layers—the purr of a mother, the growl of a guardian, and the cold clarity of a judge.

"I am Captain Elwin of the United Earth Sphere," he stammered, his voice sounding thin and tinny in the cavernous room. "I seek the leader of this world."

"There are no leaders here," the Queen projected. "Only Watchers. And I am the High Watcher. You may call me Miriamele."

Elwin took a step forward, his boots clicking sharply. "Your Majesty, we come in peace. We wish to establish trade. We have technology, medicine, methods to improve your infrastructure—"

The Queen shifted slightly. Her tail, long and sinuous, flicked once. Behind her, the great circular astrolabe—a mechanism of glowing teal and etched copper—seemed to hum in response.

"Infrastructure," Miriamele mused. The word felt heavy in Elwin’s mind, like a stone. "You speak of building roads to hurry from one place to another, and machines to shout across the silence. You speak of changing the world to suit your comfort."

"Is that not the goal of civilization?" Elwin asked, genuinely confused.

"It is the goal of the Bent Ones," she replied. The third eye upon her brow flared with a sudden, internal luminosity. "Look at you, Traveller. You are encased in metal because you fear the wind. You carry weapons because you fear your brothers. You travel the Deep Heaven in a box because you have forgotten how to walk the spirit-paths."

"We are explorers," Elwin defended, though he felt a sudden, crushing sense of inadequacy. "We seek knowledge."

"You seek to possess," Miriamele corrected gently. "You look at a star and measure its heat. We look at a star and hear its song. That is why I sit here, Son of Adam. Not to rule. The cats of Felidia need no police, for we do not hoard. We need no armies, for we do not fear death, knowing it is but a door. I sit here to keep the rhythm."

She gestured—not with a paw, but with a push of her will—at the intricate background behind her. The glowing circles and arcs were not merely decoration. They were a map of the cosmic dance.

"My people are the keepers of the Great Quiet," she continued. "Through the Third Eye, we perceive the threads of the universe. When a thread frays, we purr the mending song. When a star is born, we witness it so that it knows it is loved. You build towers; we build attention."

Elwin looked at the creature. He realized with a jolt that she was not a primitive animal; she was a being who had evolved past the need for tools. Her technology was biology; her science was theology.

"If I leave," Elwin whispered, the arrogance drained out of him, "will you let us return?"

Miriamele leaned forward. The third eye seemed to expand, filling Elwin’s vision with a swirling vortex of electric blue. For a moment, he felt what she felt: the turning of the planet, the heartbeat of a kitten miles away, the sorrow of a dying sun in a distant nebula. It was a crushing weight of empathy.

"You may not return," she said, the mental voice soft now, tinged with a pity that hurt worse than anger. "Not until you have learned that the world is not a puzzle to be solved, but a poem to be read. You are too loud for us, Son of Adam. Your mind clatters. Go back to your silence-breakers. Go back until you learn to walk without crushing the grass."

The connection broke. Elwin stood alone in the hall. The Queen sat motionless, her three eyes fixed on the middle distance, regally indifferent to his presence, already back at her work of holding the universe together with her gaze.

He turned and walked away, trying to step softly, though his boots rang out like hammers on the hallowed stone.
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This t-shirt is everything you've dreamed of and more. It feels soft and lightweight, with the right amount of stretch. It's comfortable and flattering for all.

• 100% combed and ring-spun cotton (Heather colors contain polyester)
• Fabric weight: 4.2 oz./yd.² (142 g/m²)
• Pre-shrunk fabric
• Side-seamed construction
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
• Blank product sourced from Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras, or the US

Disclaimer: The fabric is slightly sheer and may appear see-through, especially in lighter colors or under certain lighting conditions.

This product is made especially for you as soon as you place an order, which is why it takes us a bit longer to deliver it to you. Making products on demand instead of in bulk helps reduce overproduction, so thank you for making thoughtful purchasing decisions!

Age restrictions: For adults
EU Warranty: 2 years

In compliance with the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), Science Fiction Classics and SINDEN VENTURES LIMITED ensure that all consumer products offered are safe and meet EU standards. For any product safety related inquiries or concerns, please contact our EU representative at gpsr@sindenventures.com. You can also write to us at 412 South 3rd Street #609
Boise, Idaho 83702 or Markou Evgenikou 11, Mesa Geitonia, 4002, Limassol, Cyprus.

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