The Summer Vacation
Chapter 11
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

I finally fall asleep and have several dreams of being home again. I remember the times with my family and friends in college.

After awhile, the scene changes to a different location on Earth. I'm a young boy playing in a dry river bed near my home. I pick up a river stone and put it in my sling. I start spinning the sling to get it up to speed. I look at my target that I want to hit.

I let go of one of the leather thong strings. The stone flies across the dry river bed and hits the large boulder.

“That's getting closer. A little higher and I will hit that small boulder on top of the large one.”

I pick up another river stone and do the same thing. This time the stone sails over the small boulder and misses it by a hand width.

“That's better. I just have to keep practicing. I'll hit it eventually.”

Just about when I bend down to pick up another river stone, I hear father calling me.

“Son, my beloved son! It is time for the midday supper!”

“I’m coming, father!” I toss down the stone. I turn and run to my father's tent.

“I'm here, father. What do you wish me to do after supper?”

“I need you to take the herd here tomorrow morning to a new grazing field. But first I need you to take this skin of food and water for your brothers who are on the war front. Give me news of how it is going.”

“Yes, father, I'll bring it to them. It will be good to see them again. Hopefully, there will be good news from them as well.”

“Yes it will be, my beloved. Let's have our midday supper first. I don't need you leaving here on an empty stomach.” He smiles at me.

“Yes, father,” I smile back at him.

We get our supper together. It is a simple meal, yet filling.

Father goes to the well with two bowls and a ladle. He brings up the rope. At the end of the rope is a water tight skin bag dripping with cold water. He opens it. He sees two smaller skin bags in there. He opens one of them. He ladles some goat's milk cheese into each of the bowls. Then he closes it tightly. He opens the other one and ladles out some goat's milk yogurt also. He reseals that bag as well. He then reseals the main bag and lowers it back down the well so that it floats on top of the water.

I go to several bags in the tent that are hanging in a corner of the tent. I open them one by one. I take a large bowl nearby. I reach into the bags and retrieve some dried and fresh fruit from each of them. That would be figs and olives for now. The citrus fruit will be saved for later tonight. In the other bag I retrieve two small loaves of bread.

We gather together in the center of the tent. We put what we found on a clean small rug that father has put out. We each drink some water from the skins. Father gives a simple blessing to the Maker for the food.

We then have our midday meal. We talk about many things of the day, such as how the herd is doing, where the grazing field is, and the war with our enemy.

When we get done, we give the Maker the proper thanks and blessings for the food that we have eaten.

After we have cleaned up the bowls, we load up the satchel with what I will bring to my brothers.

“Now go, my son. Be swift and sure footed. I'll pray for a safe return.”

“Thank you, father. The Maker will be sure of that as long as we thank him daily in his Tent of Meeting in the Wilderness.”

“Yes, my son. Take care now.”

I make sure my sandals are tied securely on my feet and ankles. It is uneven land from where our tent is to the war front. Fortunately I know the path I’ll be taking to get there. I moved most of the larger boulders and rocks out of the way each time I come back.

Father and I hug each other tightly. I pick up the skin of food and water and put it on my shoulder. Father hands me my satchel. I open it and see what he put in there. I see my sling and a few river stones. There is a skin of water and a few dried figs and olives. I then close the satchel.

I smile at him as he hands me my staff. We give each other a quick hug.

“I'll return with great news today, father.”

“I'm sure you will. Now go, my beloved son, with blessings from the Maker.”

“Yes, father. Praise the Maker for another wonderful day.”

I turn around and walk out of the tent. I then run north wards. I stay low in the valleys between the rolling hills as much as possible. I run the distance for a while. Once I feel out of breath, I stop for a rest. After eating one of the olives and drinking a little bit of water, I get back on the trail and continue to run to the war front. After awhile, I see our southern sentry.

He recognizes me and allows me through. He knows that I have done this several times for my brothers. We smile at each other as I walk past him.

I continue walking down the worn path until I hear a loud commotion from the enemy. As I get closer, I hear a booming voice sounding out loud.

As soon as I turn the corner and walk behind our lines I get the biggest surprise of all. I see a giant warrior standing there. He's speaking profanities at our army and the Maker Himself.

I shout out loud, “What in Heaven's Name is going on here?”

~~~000~~~

I wake up with a startle and look at the ceiling. I can still hear his profanities as the dream fades from memory.

I look to the window. I get out of bed and walk toward it. I see the break of dawn on the horizon.

I better get ready for the day, Maker. Why did you give me that dream, Maker? It's one of my favorite stories, because it is the youngest brother who overcame great odds to do great things.

I walk over to the dresser and put a mint type leaf in my mouth and begin to chew it. I change my clothes and get ready for the day. I pick up the metal plates and put them on the bed. I open the drawer and retrieve the padding. I reattach them onto the breast and back plate. I continue getting myself dressed. I hear Renard from the other room.

“Good morning, Richard.”

“Good morning, Renard.”

“I had a strange dream last night. I can't make sense of it.”

“You had a strange dream, Renard? Can you describe it before you forget it?” I put on my jacket and look in the mirror. I comb my hair to put it into place. I take the chewed mint leaf and toss it into the waste receptacle.

“I'll try. I was a young lad running down a dry river bed to my father's tent.”

I smile when I hear that.

“What's strange, it's a place I’ve never been to on Twainor. In fact I don't think it is anywhere here on Twainor.”

I turn to face Renard. “Well, this is one time I know what it means. You had part of the same dream as I did last night.”

“We had the same dream? Apparently the Maker is trying to tell us something.”

“I'm sure the Maker is. Right now it is a wait and see how the day goes. The answer will probably reveal itself then.”

“I'm sure you're right. Do you know what the story is about?”

“I do, Renard. If I tell it now, we'll be late for the morning repast.”

“Sigh . . . very well. Let's go. We'll have time for it later.”

“Come, it is time to eat. It will recharge the mind and body for the day.”

We put on our satchels and walk out the door. We see the guards out there at their stations. A little bit later the other three doors open. We see Eldwin, Trianna and Thaygard enter the hallway. Each one is deep in thought.

“Good morning, Master Eldwin.” We all say it at the same time.

“Huh?” He looks up at us. “Good morning, everyone. I had a strange dream last night.”

“You did? You better tell us before you forget it.”

“Oh, I won't forget it. I was in a large tent in a desert somewhere. I was dressed strangely. I was giving Thanks, offerings and prayers to the Maker in a strange language.”

“I was attending a group of soldiers on the war front. Our forces were on one side of a valley. The enemy was on the other side of the valley. I heard a big deep voice yelling curses at us. I awoke in a fright.”

“What about you, Thaygard?”

“My dream sounds like the others. I was the father of several sons. Three or four of them are in the army. The youngest tends the flock. I sent him on a journey to deliver some food and water to the war front for his older brothers.”

Renard and I smile at each other widely. Almost to the point of laughing.

“Apparently you two know what is going on. So, what is it?”

“We do, Master Eldwin. The Maker gave us the same dream from Richard's world.”

“He did, Richard?”

Trianna and Thaygard look at us with a surprised look on their faces.

“Yes Master Eldwin. The story is rather old, it several thousand years’ old. It is a well-written story. I'll tell it later.”

“Yes, Richard. Apparently the Maker is trying to tell us something.”

“Apparently the Maker is. Come, let's have the morning repast.”

We walk down the flights of stairs to the main floor. We walk into the dining room and see our hosts standing there talking together. They turn around when they see us walk in.

“Good morning, my honored guests.”

“Good morning, King Beltrane and Queen Darissa.”

“Did everyone get a good night's sleep?”

“We did for the most part. That is until the last dream.”

“We've been talking about it. We can't make sense of it.”

“If it's like ours last night. We'll need Richard to explain it.”

“Richard?”

“Yes, King Beltrane. Apparently the Maker put a story in your dreams that was written down more than three thousand years ago on Earth.”

“That's strange. It seems then, the Maker is trying to tell us something.”

“If the Maker did it here for us. He could have sent it to the rest of Twainor.”

“If that's true Master Eldwin. Then it must be very important.”

“I have a feeling, King Beltrane and Sir Dolen, it will make sense after we finish interviewing these two crew members this morning.”

“Yes, you're probably right Richard. We'll we have talked enough. Let's have the morning repast. We'll contact the other kingdoms after we have eaten.”

We all sit down in the chairs where we ate last evening. Master Wizard Braylin remains standing.

“You may give thanks, Wizard Braylin.”

“Yes my Lord. Maker, we give you Thanks this morning for a brand-new day. We thank you for the food you have given us this morning. We thank you for the dream last night, because you're trying to tell us a secret for the days ahead. We are sure it will be one of the keys to victory so that we can keep your creation for all time.”

Then everyone responds, “Thank you, Maker.”

Wizard Braylin sits down to join us.

“Master Chef. You may begin to serve us.”

“Yes, my Lord.” He bows his head and raises it back. He turns and walks into the kitchen.

Servers come out with the first course. It is a plate with greens, boiled grains that are spiced mildly and slices of several cold vegetables. We begin to talk while we're eating.

“So, Richard, what is this story about from your world?”

“It is a story of a young boy who is chosen by the Maker to do great things for his countrymen. When he comes of age, he eventually becomes King and his Kingdom lasts for centuries, despite the enemy's efforts to destroy it. There are a lot of intrigue and tests from the Maker for him and the kingdom.” I pause and take some more bites of food.

“So his kingdom was one of the few that could hear the Maker's Voice?”

“Yes, King Beltrane. In fact, it has been written, if it hadn't been for that kingdom the world would be lost. But the Maker tested other kingdoms around the world from time to time to see if they are listening to him as well.”

“That's good, Richard. At least there is hope for your world.”

“Richard, in the dream last night, I saw a very large man. He had to be two to three times taller than the rest of us. Who was he?”

“He was one of the few giants that were left on the Earth, Sir Dolen.”

“A giant? Where did he come from?”

We get done with our salad. The servers come in to remove our empty plates. Then they come and bring the main course out. The main dish is a fish dish with some vegetables. This time it is served up warm and lightly spiced.

“His ancestor's name is a rare name. I'm trying to remember, but it escapes me for now. I do remember reading it a few times.”

“That's all right, Richard. Perhaps it will come later today. Did this giant have a weakness Richard?”

“Yes he did, Sir Dolen. Because of his size, it was not his build, strength or armor. The young boy quickly determined what it was when he looked at his face and head. His helmet did not cover the forehead.”

“Ah, he had a very sensitive spot there. That's where the young boy tossed his stone with his sling.”

“That's right, Sir Torreno. Once he was knocked down, he was unconscious for a short moment. Then the young boy took the giant's sword and killed him with it.”

“Then the tide turned and the enemy was routed from the land?”

“It took a few more years after that, but yes King Beltrane.”

“I can see why it is a favorite story on your world.”

“Yes, there are many other stories, King Beltrane. I'm just as surprised as you are that the Maker would do such a thing for Twainor.”

“If the Maker thinks this story is important, Sir Dolen, then we must pay attention to it.”

“Yes, my King. We'll keep it in mind while the forces are getting ready.”

Then we all get quiet and finish the main course. When we get done, the servers bring out several bowls of fruit for us. The fruits are whole this time. We each take two different kinds of fruit. I see that these fruits are different from what I have eaten last night.

We cut into the fruits to discover the prize within. The first one I cut reveals a juicy yellow pulp that reminds me of a citrus fruit from Earth. However, it has a different flavor that I never tasted before. I slice it up and remove the seeds and set the rind pieces aside.

We start laughing while eating them. When we get done with the first fruit, we go after the second fruit. The fruit that I have turns out to be very different inside. It has single large seed. The pulp is purple in color. It too has a very different flavor as well. It is very good.

I try to be careful and not get myself too messy. I constantly wipe my chin and mouth with the napkin while eating it.

When we get done, the servers come out to take our bowls. They leave behind a damp cloth to help us clean up.

When we get done, King Beltrane asks for the Master Chef to come out. The Master Chef comes out with the cooks and kitchen staff.

“Thank you very much for this wonderful morning repast. It helped us to recharge our bodies and mind for today's activities.”

We all clap our hands and cheer.

The Master Chef and the kitchen staff all bow their heads with a smile and raise them.

“Thank you, my King. It is a pleasure to serve you again. We pray that Twainor is successful in defeating this enemy. For we also had the same dream last night as well, Richard. Thank you for easing our minds.”

“You're welcome, Master Chef.”

“See you at the noon repast, but then we could be having it in Antarte.”

“We will wait patiently. I will be in contact with Antarte later this morning so I will know for sure. So, until next time, my King.”

We clap our hands and cheer again. They bow their heads again and smile. Then they turn around and walk back into the kitchen. We get up and walk out of the dining room.

“Come, let us go to the King's Council Chamber. We need to know if the rest of Twainor had the same dream. In addition, some of them want to be here when we interview Tark here.”

We follow King Beltrane, Queen Darissa and the Commanders. At the end of the foyer area on the left-hand side. We walk up a flight of stairs to the second floor. Then we turn left and walk down a long hallway. We see a pair of knights standing near a pair of large wooden double doors. They open the doors for us and we walk inside.

I see a room similar to King Tierion's Council room. It does have its own flair for being in Evenshard Kingdom. The room is already lit with crystal lights. There is a large double pane bay window that is open to allow fresh air into the room.

“Please take a seat before the tables. Wizard Braylin, please contact the other Kingdoms.”

“Yes my Lord.” Wizard Braylin walks to the center table. He recites the contact spell for each of the crystal spheres. Each one glows a different color. Then one by one there is an image of a King above the spheres.

“Welcome, Kings of Twainor. Good morning.”

“Good morning King Beltrane. We're glad for the call. I think some of us had some strange dreams last night.”

We all look at each other and smile.

“We did too, King Dryden. We figured out what the Maker is up to. Apparently these dreams are from an old story on Richard's home world.”

Then everyone starts to laugh. They quiet down after awhile.

“Please Richard, can you tell us the story?”

“Yes, I will. Are your Commanders with you this morning?”

The Kings look around and shake their heads up and down.

“That's great. This story is about three thousand years old. It is the story of a boy who is chosen to do great things. When he becomes of age, he is eventually crowned King of his Kingdom.”

“This story is just one of many of his younger years. Apparently the Maker gave each of us a different point of view in this story. The young boy encountered a giant that has aligned himself with the opposing forces. The lad has the conviction to challenge the giant, when his own countrymen’s forces were afraid to attack.”

“The only weapon he had is his shepherd staff, a sling and some river stones. He looked at the giant to see if he can find his weakness. The giant presented himself as very formidable and difficult to bring down. The boy found his weakness when he looked at his face and head. He was a wearing a helmet of a very strange design. There was no protection for his forehead.”

“The boy runs to a nearby dry river bed, he picks up the right size stone and puts one of them into the sling.”

“The giant laughs and curses the boy and the Maker. The boy starts swinging the sling in a circle. He takes aim at the giant's forehead and let's it fly.”

“The story does not say how many times he tried to hit him. He could have hit him on the first try. The stone sinks into his forehead. He falls to the ground unconscious for a moment. Before the giant wakes up, the boy runs up and takes the giant's own sword and kills him with it.”

“Then the Maker's forces are rallied. Their heads are clear thinking again. They storm forward and defeat their enemies that day and the next several years.”

Everyone starts to cheer, laugh and clap their hands.

“Thank you, Richard. Apparently the Maker is trying to tell us something about this enemy. Hopefully it will be revealed to us in time.”

“You're welcome, King Dryden and Twainor.”

“We'll be interviewing the third crew man here soon. If you want to be here, we'll be in the foyer area at the next mark.”

“Thank you, King Beltrane. I'm sure the Western Kingdoms will want to sleep some more. So you're forgiven if you can't make it.”

Everybody laughs at the joke.

“Yes, I think we will take that offer, King Dryden. At least we know what this dream is now.”

“Yes, King Jeriel. We'll relay it to our forces here so that they are at peace as well.”

“King Beltrane, I have question for Sir Trenton.”

“You may ask it, Richard.”

Sir Trenton moves into view. “What is it, Richard?”

“How is Sir Halgren doing in the training fields? I'm just wondering.”

“He's doing fine, Richard. He'll be ready to stand by your side soon.”

“Thank you, Sir Trenton.”

Sir Trenton smiles, so does everyone else.

“See you later today, Richard.”

“See you later, Sir Trenton.”

“Take care, Twainor. Keep in contact as the day goes on. Let anyone know if you discover something new.”

“We will, King Dryden.”

The images disappear above the crystal spheres.

“Well let's go down to the foyer and wait for our guests to arrive.”

We all get up and exit the King's Council Chamber. We walk down the hallway to the staircase and ramps. Once we are down the stairs, we walk down the foyer area to the main entrance.

We stay inside and look at the artwork that is on display there. I see beautiful carved pieces of wood and Evenshard stone on display there. There are framed paintings hanging on the walls. They depict scenes of the landscape. I see the artist has mixed in small pieces of Evenshard stone so that it appears to glow with radiance.

We look out the windows from time to time. After awhile, we start seeing the Commanders appearing in the court yard. We also see some Kings and Queens as well. They're all from the Eastern Kingdoms. We walk outside to greet them.

“Welcome to Evenshard Kingdom, my friends. Good morning.”

“Thank you and good morning to you too, King Beltrane and Queen Darissa.” King Dryden turns to me. “That dream we had last night Richard was amazing. I'm surprised the Maker would do such a thing for us. Thankfully you are here to help explain it.”

“So was I King Dryden. The Kingdom that boy represented was one of the few that could hear the Maker's Voice at the time. That Kingdom is still there on Earth. However, there is no King ruling. Perhaps someday there will be.”

“Perhaps, Richard.”

“Well, let's go below to our cells and interview Tark.”

We all follow King Beltrane and Queen Darissa. The knights open the large stone doors for us. We walk inside and turn left. At the end of the foyer, we see a knight standing guard at a locked door near the staircase.

The knight unlocks the door and opens it for us. We walk in single file. Once we are inside, the hallway slopes downward and widens out for two people side by side. The hallway is well lit with light crystals.

After walking down another ramp we see a pair of knights on both sides of a stone doorway like I have seen elsewhere.

“Guards, has Tark done anything new lately?”

“All he has done since he woke up yesterday is just exercises to keep himself fit. He has taken his fill of water from the basin my Lord.”

“We did tell him about the waste receptacle box. Other than that, he has been anxious to see his crew mates and get back to the star ship.”

“I see, well guards, it is time to interview Tark.”

“Yes, Sir.” They both respond at the same time.

“Same group as before inside the cell, King Dryden?”

“Yes, that is best. Trianna, set up the barrier shield please when we are ready.”

“Yes, King Dryden.”

The Commanders take out their crystal spheres and connect to the contact sphere on the wall mount. Everybody else now has a view inside the cell room. They see Tark is sitting on the mattress.

King Dryden speaks up, “Tark can you hear me?”

“Yes, I can hear. Where are my crew mates? How do you know my language?”

“They're in separate Kingdoms. They're all in good health. I assure you. As far as understanding each other, that will be explained later.”

“That's good. I assume it’s my turn to be interrogated?”

“It is, Tark. However, we are sending in several people who want to look you over. They will be asking questions for us.”

“Very well. I don't know how you got me into this room. I checked all of the stone blocks. I can't find the doorway to this room.”

“That's all right, Tark. Please remain sitting on the mattress. We’ll be in very soon.”

“All right, Trianna, set the barrier shield.”

“Yes, King Dryden.” Trianna looks at the image and concentrates on the room. She recites the spell. Then a barrier shield is put up like she did for Brin's cell. “It is all set. It is just like I did for Brin.”

“Very good, Trianna. Take care, he seems to be on edge. Take two knights this time, Eldwin.”

“Yes, King Dryden.”

Then two knights, Thaygard, Renard and I connect to Eldwin. Eldwin recites the transport spell. We disappear in a blink of an eye. We then appear in the cell room in a blink of an eye between the wall and the barrier shield.

“What? That's incredible! How did you do that? I didn't see the stone blocks move at all.”

We disconnect from Eldwin. We arrange ourselves like before. A knight stays on
Eldwin's left side. Then it's Thaygard, Renard and the second knight. I stay behind them and watch for the unexpected.

Eldwin speaks first, “It is done by magic, Tark.”

“Magic? There is no such thing as magic. Everything has an explanation. I have seen things on the star ship that would be seem like magic.”

“Perhaps, Tark. Can we come forward and check you out?”

“Sure you can, but right now my head is still hurting when someone tried to read my mind when we appeared in that cave.”

Thaygard answers him, “I'm sorry about that, Tark. It must have been I when I heard the sound sequence to open the doors to the scout ship.”

“Well, you better fix it before I say anything more.”

“Sure, if you hold still a moment and breathe slowly I can do something about it.”

Eldwin gives a hand signal for Trianna to remove the barrier shield. Trianna removes the barrier shield. The three wizards walk forward. The two knights stand next to each other in front of me.

“Take off your shirt, Tark.”

Tark takes off his shirt. He stands still while they examine him.

Thaygard raises his right hand toward Tark. He concentrates on his head. He senses great conflict there. He looks at Eldwin and nods his head up and down.

Then they look at the base of his neck. They see the bump there. It is inflamed and very red.

“There is no damage to you. However, do you have an itch in your neck? It appears very red.”

“Why, yes. It is itching and it’s very hot. Can you get rid of the itch?”

“Yes I can, Tark.”

“Well, you better hurry. It's making me crazy.”

Eldwin slightly touches the bump at the base of the neck.

“Ouch! That hurts!”

“I'm sorry about that. Please lie down on the mattress. It is very hot to the touch. I will need to remove the cause of the infection.”

“Hurry! It hurts! Ow! My neck feels like it is going to explode!” Tark passes out.

“Hurry, everybody!” I yell.

The knights step forward to catch Tark. They lay him face down on the mattress. Eldwin decides not to scan it. He puts his hand above and concentrates on the inflamed implant control. He recites the spell to remove it. “I've got it. It is in the Ethereal Space. Be ready, Renard and Thaygard. It is about to explode.”

“Yes, Eldwin.” Renard sets a barrier shield around the water basin.

So does Thaygard around Renard's barrier shield.

Eldwin moves the implant into the basin and releases it. The implant explodes with great violence. It shatters the basin into pieces. I get knocked off my feet and slump down to the floor when I hit the wall.

However, the double shields hold the pieces and the water together. It is now a sphere floating in air.

“Is everyone all right in there?”

“We are, King Dryden. That explosion was meant to kill anyone who tried to remove or tamper with it.”

“I agree Eldwin. Can you reassemble the basin and the implant?”

“Yes, I will need a bowl here to hold this. Then we'll be able to reassemble the basin and the implant.”

“All right, good. I'll have Wizard Braylin take care of that. Are you all right, Richard?”

I slowly get up. “I'm fine. It caught us all by surprise. My ears are ringing a bit. How is Tark doing?”

Then Wizard Braylin appears inside the cell with another knight carrying a large bowl. He disconnects from the wizard and sets the bowl on the floor under the sphere of stone pieces and water.

Thaygard and Renard release the barrier shields and let the contents pour into the bowl.

Wizard Braylin recites the reassemble spell for the basin and resets it back in the wall. He then recites another spell to transfer the water back into the bowl. He sees the stone basin holding the water. It shows no signs of leaks.

Eldwin looks at Tark and checks for his pulse and breathing. “Tark is still with us. Knights, let's turn him over and get him comfortable. His skin is normal now. The redness is gone.”

Wizard Braylin looks at the pieces of the implant in the bowl. He places his right hand above the bowl and recites the reassemble spell. All of the pieces magically move and join back together without the battery and the shell. He reaches down and picks up the pieces.

We gather around and look at the implant in Braylins' hand.

“Apparently this one was designed to prevent discovery, Richard.”

“Yes, Wizard Braylin. It has a very advanced explosive. You removed it in time, Wizard Eldwin. It could have damaged the cell and the castle's foundation.”

“Yes, it could have. Thank the Maker. The magic was strong enough to contain the blast.”

Then we hear Tark moaning as he comes to.

“Unnnh . . . my head, my neck. The pain is gone. What did you do?” Then Tark looks around and gets a surprise. “Who are you? This is not my home world.”

We turn around to face Tark. I stay in the background again.

“Yes, this is not your home world. You're on the planet Twainor. What do you remember last?”

~~~000~~~

“General. I just received an energy spike from the third planet.”

“Let me see that on the screen, Tek.”

“Yes sir.” Tek pushes a symbol on the glass screen. The graph is displayed in 3-d in front of Tek.

“Yes I see it. Apparently the fail safe went off. That matches the other spikes we saw earlier. Our plans are safe for now.”

“Yes, sir. What of the last crew member?”

“Don't worry, Tek. Since we've had no link with them since the disappearance. Their sacrifices have been offered to the Supreme.” This is great! Now Mal-tor is dispatched as well. He was the most difficult to control. Hah, hah, hah . . . !

“Yes, General. I have not received any word from the second scout ship. They are still en route.”

“Very good, Tek. Let us know when they are there.”

“Yes, General.” Tek continues to monitor his station.

~~~000~~~

“I remember walking down a dirt path near my home. Then a bright light appeared on me. The next moment I appeared somewhere else. Then I was subdued. When I woke up, I was a member on the star ship.”

“Have you seen any of your countrymen on the star ship?”

“I did, but there was no acknowledgment from them. I was not in their circles of cities. I'm a farmer on my world.”

“What is the name of your world?”

“It is Deneb 4 of the Cygnii system.”

“I'm sorry, Tark. It does not exist any more.”

“I know. I figured it out after I was assigned to the scout ship crew. I wept for my family and my world a year later. I felt their absence soon after I was taken. On my world, all of us can sense our emotions. Our world has been peaceful forever.”

“I'm sorry to hear that, Tark.”

“What can I do to help?”

I speak up, “Eldwin, I have a question.”

“Yes Richard. Tark, I want to introduce you to Richard Moore. He is one of our Outside Helpers who answered the call for help.”

I step forward. “Hello, Tark. Has the Supreme ever spoken on your Scout Ship?”

“Hmm . . . I think he did once. It was a very important speech. It should still be in the historical records.”

“That's good. Thank you, Tark. That is all I need to ask. I greatly appreciate it very much.”

“You're welcome. When will I get to see my crew mates?”

“You will soon, Tark. We still need to interview Mal-tor today.”

“I understand, wizard.”

“Let us introduce you to some of our leaders, kings, queens and commanders.”

Wizard Braylin takes out a crystal sphere and contacts the people in the hallway. Then an image appears above the sphere. We see a large crowd in the hallway.

“Welcome to Twainor, Tark. We're sorry for your loss. We want to prevent another tragedy here. We're doing the best we can. We can provide food for you if you like.”

“Thank you, royalty. Fruit, vegetables, bread and water will do fine.” He points to the box in the corner. “Is that the waste receptacle box in the corner?”

“It is, Tark. We'll provide a selection. Let us know which ones you’d like to try.”

“Thank you. I greatly appreciate it. Did you get in here by magic?”

“We did. Are you familiar with it? You did not express it before we removed the implant.”

“I remember it, wizard. Not only is my world empathic, some of us have telekinesis to move objects with our minds.”

Then Tark stands up and looks at the mattress. He concentrates on it. It then elevates in the air about a knee high. He then lowers it down. He smiles at us.

We all start laughing together in the cell and in the hallway.

“Well done, Tark. Well, enjoy your rest. We hope to give you good news soon.”

“I hope so. Good luck in defeating the Supreme and rescuing the crew members.” He holds up hands to stop our next thoughts. “I sensed your intentions once you removed the implant. That implant was blocking my abilities. Thank you very much. You saved my life.”

Eldwin smiles at him. “You're welcome, Tark.”

We all walk over to the wall. We connect with Braylin and Eldwin. They recite the transport spell. We all disappear in a blink of an eye.

Tark looks at the wall when they disappear and smiles. Richard is very smart. He has already done a lot for them. The Supreme and the General are in for a big surprise. I would love to see their faces when their plans fail. I would love to give them a piece of my mind so they know how it feels to be afraid.

We appear in the hallway together.

King Dryden speaks up, “Well done, everyone. Well that is a surprise. We're just thankful we removed the implant in time.”

“Yes, we thank the Maker we saved his life in time.”

“Richard, why did you want to know if the Supreme's speech is recorded on the scout ship?”

“It provides a starting point to provide the voice for his security measures. It will contain his voice wave pattern to release the medallions.” I smile at them.

“Well done, Richard! We'll look for it right away.”

“So with that, we can get past the other security measures that could be separate from the star ship?”

“That's right, Sir Braxton. More than likely it is a short phrase that he uses a lot.”

The commanders smile when they hear that.

“Yes Richard, we'll have our captains and sergeants look for it. Thank you, Richard.”

“You're welcome.” I smile at them.

“Well let's go to Antarte Kingdom and interview Mal-tor. We have about two marks before the noon repast.”

“You're welcome to have the noon repast there, King Dryden.”

“Thank you, King Nazar. There might be some others there from the other kingdoms.”

“That's all right, King Dryden. We'll provide for all who come. We'll be back at the Grand Castle by the First Mark there for the meeting.”

“Come, let's go to the courtyard and get ready to fly from there.”

“Guards, keep with the rotation here. Try a selection of foods for him. He'll let you know which one he likes.”

“Yes, my Lord. We'll keep him safe.”

The lead knights escort us out of the holding cells and back up the ramps. I see Sir Dolen take out his crystal sphere and contact Sir Trenton while walking up the ramp in the hallway.

The guard unlocks the door and opens it for us. We exit in a single file and into the foyer area. We then exit the outside to the courtyard. We all connect together with a wizard or a sorceress.

“Is everyone ready?”

“We are, King Dryden.”

“Then let's fly to Antarte Kingdom.”

They recite the transport spell and we disappear in a blink of an eye.

We fly eastward to Antarte Kingdom. I see rolling hills with rivers everywhere. It is very lush and beautiful. Then I see the hills get larger and higher as we approach the mountain range that separates Antarte and Evenshard Kingdoms.

I see some fire mountains to the southern end of the mountain range. We also see some dragons flying below us. We then fly over the snow capped mountains. When we make our descent into Antarte, I see another green and lush kingdom.

I see more castles, towns and villages in the landscape. Soon we see a large castle on top of a high hill. It is trimmed in green stones and some Evenshard stone. It is a very beautiful castle.

We make our descent to the courtyard and their great sundial. We appear in a blink of an eye when we land on the ground. We look around and see a beautiful courtyard with the same design as the castle.

“This is my first time here, King Nazar and Queen Corissa. It is very beautiful.”

“Thank you, Richard.”

Just about when King Dryden speaks, the other commanders, kings and queens show up from the western kingdoms.

“We were just about to call you.”

“We were contacted by Sir Dolen before you left. We wanted to be here for the last interview.”

“How did the interview go with Tark?”

“We almost lost him, King Gregor. His implant had a very intense explosive. It destroyed the water basin. We were not hurt.”

“We would hope so. Did he tell us anything new?”

“Not really, Sir Jakan. That is until Richard asked a good question.”

“What was it, Richard?”

“Is there a recording of the Supreme giving a speech? If we can find a favorite phrase he uses. It might lead to his password and voice pattern.”

The commanders all smile.

“Excellent question, Richard. Hopefully it will help us to release the medallions and his separate security measures.”

“Come let's interview Mal-tor in our holding cells.”

We follow our hosts to the castle. The knights on guard there open the doors for us.

I see the doors are stone doors like I have seen elsewhere. In the stone I see various shades of green. I take a closer at one of the doors as I walk by. That green crystal I see looks like an emerald. It that's true, they discovered a very rich emerald mine. I bet the dwarves did this stone work for them.

We walk into the foyer area. I see in front of me two large double wooden doors. They are decorated with the colors of the kingdom as well. I'm sure that leads to their throne room.

We turn left and walk down the foyer to a set of stairs and ramps to the second floor. We turn right and walk down another long hallway. We walk past several doors on both sides. The hallways are lit with several large crystal torches. At the end of the hallway we see a knight standing guard. He turns around and unlocks the door.

We walk through the opening single file. The way is brightly lit with more crystal torches. We walk down the ramps until we see two guards standing at a door outline in the stones.

“How is Mal-tor, guard?”

“He is fine, my Lord. He was wondering when he will have his chance to speak. We told him it will be this morning.”

“Very well then, let's contact him.”

“Yes, my Lord.” The guard turns around and puts his hand above the crystal sphere sitting on a small stone ledge. He recites the spell to activate. Then an image appears above the crystal.

The others in the hallway take out their crystals and do the same thing. Then they connect to the guard’s crystal so that they can all see and hear what is going on and to record it as well.

They all see Mal-tor pacing back and forth in the room. Then he goes to the water basin and takes a drink of water from it. He also rubs his wet hands on his face to refresh himself. Then he sits down on the mattress.

King Dryden speaks up, “We are here, Mal-tor. Are you ready to talk? My name is King Dryden.”

“I'm ready, King Dryden. What do you wish to know?”

“We would like to check you out to make sure you're in good health.”

“Yes, you can come in and check me out.”

“Thank you, Mal-tor.”

Back in the hallway, “Be very aware in there. He appears to be very nervous and anxious.”

“Yes, Wizard Eldwin. Set up the barrier shield again, Trianna.”

“Yes, King Dryden,” Trianna recites the spell and projects a barrier shield in the room like before.

“We'll use the same group again. We'll be ready here if something new happens.”

“Bring in two knights again?”

“Yes that is wise, King Nazar.”

Two knights step forward and connect to Wizard Eldwin on his left shoulder. Thaygard, Renard and I connect to him on his right shoulder. Wizard Eldwin recites the transport spell, we then disappear in a blink of an eye. We appear inside the holding cell in a blink of an eye.

“Did you use magic to get in here?”

“We did, Mal-tor.”

“Oh thank the Heavens. Thank you, Master of the Universe. Salvation is at hand for us.”

“What do you mean Mal-tor?”

“Is this holding cell sealed by magic as well?”

“It is, Mal-tor.”

“Yes, that means my thoughts are not being read by the Supreme or the General. I can finally think clearly. I'm one of the original crew members of the star ship.”

We all look at each other and smile.

“Please come and check my neck, it will verify that part if you have read the historical archives on the scout ship.”

Eldwin makes a hand signal. Trianna removes the barrier shield. Then the five walk forward, while I stay behind near the wall and watch.

Mal-tor lowers his shirt. Eldwin looks at the back of his neck and sees no bump there.

“There is no bump there, Mal-tor. We have a lot to talk about.”

“I know. I feel so relieved that this nightmare will finally end. Do you have any plans to defeat the Supreme?”

“We do, Mal-tor. However, I don't want to give it away. We did have help in discovering your plans and where you came from.”

“You got that knowledge from the scout ship, right?”

“Yes Mal-tor. However, on our world we have no knowledge of electrical machinery. Our world prevents us from using it. But our world provides us magic to use.”

“What? Then you have no hope or chance to defeat them.”

“I think we do, Mal-tor. We sent a call out to friends who are our Outside Helpers. However, only one showed up.”

“Only one showed up? Is that him standing by the wall?”

“Yes Mal-tor. I present to you, Richard Moore. His specialty is computers and security.”

I step forward to be among them.

“Your specialty is in computers and security?”

“Yes Mal-tor. I was able to get into your computers on the scout ship. We gathered as much information as we could. We even learned from the other crewmen.”

“You did? How? They should be dead.”

“They're not dead, Mal-tor. We were able to remove the implants in time before they exploded.”

Mal-tor laughs a bit, “Hah, hah . . . This is great. We find a world that has magic.” Then Mal-tor sees my medallion. “Yours is the twelfth medallion, Richard.”

“That's right Mal-tor. The other eleven medallions belong to the other Outside Helpers for this world.”

He looks at me again after he looks at the others, “So, is this the home world where the medallions are made?”

“Yes it is, Mal-tor. I have another question. What's the Supreme's ultimate goal?”

“That's a long story. I will tell the short version. First of all, as you found out about my world, it was dying. The real reason was because our sun started to change. It was getting ready to blow up. We built the star ship to seek a new world. That took about ten cycles to build. We estimated our sun would explode in about a thousand cycles. We had two thousand people on board. We have been traveling for about twenty cycles before we came across a damaged ship.”

“We gave the two inhabitants shelter while we repaired their ship. However, it was all a ruse. They easily over powered us with their mind control. They took control of the leadership mainly plus some crew members. We had no hope of escape.”

“They changed our course to go in a particular direction. As we went, our resources begin to dwindle. We started looking for star systems to replenish our supplies. Once we got resupplied, we destroyed some of the suns and all of the planets. We would never have done that if we weren't mind controlled.”

“Then we came across a world that showed promise for us, but we were prevented to do a thorough scan of the planet. The Supreme was too hasty in his decision. One of our crewmen was not careful. He became infected. The bio-virus were so bad it almost wiped us out. You know what happened afterwards.”

“Then we encountered the first world with a medallion. The Supreme became obsessed to find where it came from. The crystals are very unique and not from the world where we found them. We tried to examine them. One of the crystals has light characteristics while the other could hold data. We could not activate either one of them.”

“We were surprised on the selection of worlds they were found on. Then two of the worlds were found in an area called the Local Group. When we found the medallions, we took them and the people who wore them. We didn't have time to consume their worlds. We had to flee quickly because space craft from other worlds came in quickly to defend them.”

“We read an entry or two, Mal-tor, that two of those star systems in Local Group are now destroyed. Is that true?”

“Yes and no, wizard. I'll try to explain that. We realized the scout ship could be taken and our secrets would be revealed. So some of those log entries are false. Those two star systems are still there. It was written there, that we would go back and destroy the entire Local Group once we got strong enough. But, the Supreme thought it might be best is to mention just two of them that we took the medallions from.”

“So, everything else we found was true except that.”

“That's right, Richard. There was one world we found that had no value at all. Their gravity is very weak. They live underground. But we discovered their bodies reject all attempts to put the implants in them. The only thing that was unique is their mind power to heal somebody or find out what illness you have. However, they could not heal the Supreme. So they were assigned to the Health Centers on the star ship.”

“Well, you didn't look hard enough, Mal-tor. Everything is underground for them. So what of the ultimate plan from the Supreme?”

He shakes his head up and down. Then he continues, “He wants revenge for his ancestors. I was told there was a world they found thousands of cycles ago. They proceeded to invade the world and try to bend it to their influence. They wanted that world to be their new home world.”

“They can even intermingle with a local populace to keep their race alive. They have done this wherever they go in the galaxy. They call themselves the Nefelim.”

“The Nefelim? Oh, my Maker!” I stagger backwards until I hit the wall.

They turn around to see my reaction.

Once my back hits the wall, I slide down and sit down. “No, not them. That's impossible! No! No!” I bury my face in my hands and bring my knees up.

Renard comes near and kneels beside me. “What's wrong, Richard?”

I look up with a worried face, “The Nefelim was a race of super giants on Earth. They were there before the Great Flood.”

“That means Avel knows who they are.”

“Yes, Renard. So does Eingana.”

“Why Eingana?”

“If I remember right. I just read an entry in an ancient historical book on Earth about two moons ago. All of the Nefelim were drowned in the Great Flood, except one. His name was Og of Bashan. He was the tallest giant on Earth. His height must have been three to four times the rest of us.”

“He was able to continue the super giant race. He must have killed some sea creatures to stay alive during the Great Flood. The flood lasted for many moons before dry land appeared in the area where it happened.”

“The only good thing about it is that he was killed and his sons eventually. That took about twelve hundred years to do. He called his sons the Raphaim and three other names I don't remember right now.”

“Was one of them in the dream we had last night?”

Then my face changes to a smile. He smiles back.

“Yes, Renard, that's right.” I smile at Renard.

“Good, now you know why you were chosen.”

“Yes, Renard. Thank you for the reminder.”

“You're welcome, Richard.”

Renard and a knight help me to stand back up. I hug him. “Thanks again.”

I look at him with a smile. He smiles back. So does the knight.

“Best friends?”

“Best friends, Richard.”

We then walk forward to rejoin them.

“You know of the Nefelim?”

“I do Mal-tor. They were all drowned in the Great Flood in one part on my world thousands of years ago. However, it was written that only one survived. He continued the giant race for another twelve hundred years or so before he and his sons were killed.”

“What is your world's name?”

“The name is Earth, third planet of the Sol System.”

“That's their ultimate destination, Richard. Your world has no hope.”

“I think we have plenty of hope. First, Earth survived the Great Flood in that area. There are three billion people on Earth now. Also, our technology is very advanced. I was able to infiltrate your computers and found a hole in the programming code.”

“You did? It has not been improved since the original population was decimated. We had no one on board to keep it current. We had to make do with what we had. There were some things more important.”

“Mal-tor, who is the General?”

“The General is very powerful wizard. He's a Nefelim also. Their normal height is slightly less than twice our height. When the Supreme became infected with the bio-virus, he grew very large to at least three times our height and he is overweight for his stature. He can't leave his own star ship which is docked on our star ship.”

“They use their minds to read our thoughts and create fear. They can move objects. They can do almost anything. Then I made a discovery one day. On a world we were scouting. We went through a shrouded world covered in clouds. Once we entered in the clouds, I did not feel his mind probing my thoughts.”

“We analyzed the system as we always do. Within the shrouded world we found one of the medallions.”

“Did the world look red to you?”

“Yes it did, Richard.”

I turn around and face the wall and give a big smile to them. I can imagine King Keltan, Queen Florianne and Sir Krellen smiling widely as well as everyone else. I turn back around. “Oh it's just a guess. Have the General and the Supreme shown any weakness?”

“No, Richard. I've never seen it. Are you saying you know what their weakness is?”

“Yes, Mal-tor. I think I know what it is. It was discovered more than three thousand years ago. Now there is one thing to remember about Earth. We used to have magic, then it was removed by the Maker when it became abused by power hungry people. There was a leader after the Great Flood who tried to control the population then. He failed in the end when the Maker mixed up our language. Instead of one language and one kingdom, it is now seventy different kingdoms. There are more than one hundred and fifty right now on Earth.”

“Generations later after the Great Flood, one of the giant's sons aligned himself with a group of people. They decided to attack this other group of people who were fleeing from another nation where they were held captive for several hundred years. They have twelve clans within their group.”

“The Maker is known to this fledgling kingdom. It took another several hundred years before they chose a man to be their king. However, he was chosen by the people and not by the Maker Himself. The Maker knew which one would be the right king. He was chosen when he was a young boy. He was a shepherd, but his conviction is very strong and he knew the Maker's Voice.”

“Then one day he was asked by his father to deliver food and water to his elder brothers on the war front. He has done this before. However, when he arrived, he had a new surprise. He saw a giant leading their enemy's forces.”

“His countrymen were afraid of this giant. Somehow this giant put fear into their minds. The boy went to their army leaders and demanded that he be allowed to fight the giant.”

“The leaders allowed it. The boy could not wear their armor. So he went out with his only weapon, a sling and his shepherd staff.”

“A sling, Richard? What is that against such might?”

“Well the young boy looked at the giant to see if he can find his weakness. He did find it Mal-tor. Even though the giant was very large, strong and very formidable, he looked at his face and head. He saw the giant with an unusual helmet. His forehead was exposed.”

“What? You mean to tell me, that's their weakness?”

“Yes Mal-tor. The boy ran to a dry river bed nearby. He looked for the right size stone. The giant cursed him, the army and the Maker himself. He was able to resist the fear tactic from the giant. The giant swung his great sword at the boy. The boy was able to dodge it and stay out of his reach.”

“It is not written how times he tried to hit him. He could have hit him on the first try. Eventually, the stone hit his forehead. The stone sunk into the skull a bit and rendered him unconscious momentarily. He fell to the ground and caused it to shake.”

“Then the young boy runs forward, picks up the giant's sword and kills him with it.”

“We were all given the same dream last night, Mal-tor. All of Twainor received the dream from the Maker Himself.”

“So that means their brain has no protection there. Or it could be the skull there is very soft. I've seen them with a very strange head gear from time to time. We never knew their weakness. They must have clouded our minds to keep from knowing that as well.”

“Richard, this river stone might be a natural block to their mind power.”

“Perhaps, Wizard Eldwin. Does Twainor have any dry river beds?”

“I think there are some, Richard. We'll need to check with the other kingdoms. There is a question that I have, Mal-tor.”

“What is it, wizard?”

“Are the air fighters on the star ship operated by people or by machine?”

”When the General and the Supreme took over our star ship, they had us convert them to be run by computers. I have never seen such sophistication in robotics in my life time. They are very fast and agile. They can do a lot of damage to a world. There is no way you can defeat them.”

“We discussed that problem as well. We came up with a solution, but for right now, we can't tell you.”

“I understand.”

“Mal-tor, I would like to introduce you to our leadership. They are the kings, queens and commanders of our twelve kingdoms.”

Thaygard takes out crystal sphere. He puts his right hand above it and recites the spell. Soon an image of everyone appears in the hallway.

“Greetings, Mal-tor. Welcome to Twainor.”

“Greetings, Twainor. I wish I could leave this cell, but I don't want to be detected by the General and the Supreme.”

“We understand that Mal-tor. We can provide you food if you wish. The water in the basin is for you to drink. The box in the corner of the room is a waste receptacle. It accepts food and your body waste. There are several spells set on it. It sends the waste to a fire mountain south of here.”

“Thank you, Twainor. Bread, fruit and vegetables will do fine for now. I won't eat meat until we are free from this nightmare.”

“Yes, we hope our plans will work. You have told us a lot more about the enemy. It was confirmed by Richard's stories from his world.”

“Once the fighting gets under way. Our guards can show you images as the day goes on.”

“I have seen longer fights on some worlds, kings. The longest lasted three days before they failed in the end.”

“That is something to consider, Mal-tor. We are making many plans for this confrontation. We are quite confident Twainor will win.”

Then Sir Braxton speaks up. “Mal-tor, how many air fighters are on board the star ship? How many do they send out at one time?”

“We have four hundred in the launching bays. We send out two hundred to the surface, the next one hundred are held back just outside the star ship. The last one hundred stays on board.”

“Thank you for telling us that. That helps out immensely in our planning.”

“You're welcome. Well you have my best wishes. Good Luck.”

“Thank you, Mal-tor. We'll check in with you later.”

“See you later, Twainor.”

We all walk toward the wall. We connect with Wizard Eldwin. He recites the transport spell. We disappear in a blink of an eye.

Mal-tor looks at the wall when he sees them disappear. “That is amazing to see. If they can do magic and that disappearing act, they might have a chance to defeat them.”

Mal-tor sits down on the mattress and leans against the wall and smiles. “But it sure does feel great to have them out of my head.”

~~~000~~~

We appear in the hallway in a blink of an eye.

“Well done, everyone.”

Everyone cheers and claps their hands. I get hugs from the Queens, hands to my shoulders from the Kings and from some of the commanders.

“Thank you for coming, Richard. You have given us hope.”

“Yes, now we know who is the real enemy.”

“Yes, my friends. When I heard the ancient name, I couldn't believe what I heard. To think they want revenge for their ancestors whom the Maker dispensed justice on.”

“Yes, but if we capture them. What are we going to do with them?”

“We'll have to think really hard on that one when the time comes.”

“Yes, our focus should be for the days ahead.”

“Shouldn't we tell Avel and Eingana who are on the star ship?”

“We could, King Tierion, but it could cause them great anger and they would not be of clear mind if and when the fight is brought here.”

He nods his head up and down.

“That's true, King Dryden. Come, it is time for the noon repast here shortly.”

“Yes King Nazar. Thank you for your hospitality. When we are done, then we'll go the Grand Castle and plan the next steps.”

“Are you ready, Richard, to send the bait to the star ship?”

“I'm ready, King Dryden. We just need to bring Brin to the scout ship and send the message and the signal.”

“That's good, Richard. King Nazar, you have us at your mercy.”

We all laugh together.

“Come, my friends. My Master Chef will serve up an excellent meal. Guards, keep an eye on Mal-tor. Give him food and see which one he likes, that includes fruits and vegetables or even bread.”

“Yes my King.”

“Also continue with the rotation at each watch.”

“Yes, my King.”

We all walk up the ramps back to the locked door to the holding cells. The guard unlocks the door for us. We walk out single file and down the hallways. We turn left at the staircase and into the foyer area. We gather together in front of the double wooden doors.

“Please wait a moment while Queen Corissa and I talk with the Master Chef.”

They walk into the dining room and see servants arranging the tables for the noon repast. The Master Chef walks to them when he sees them enter in.

“Greetings, my King. Are you done with the crewman down below?”

“We are, Master Chef. I see that you have provided more chairs and tables for our guests.”

“Yes, my Lord. I saw them appear in the court yard before you went down. We did a quick count. As you can see, the royalty sits here. The commanders are sitting together at this long table. The other long table is for the wizards and sorceresses.”

“Where is Richard sitting?”

“Where do you wish to have him sit, my Lord and Lady?”

“How about we move the tables into a triangle so that we can all see each other. Have Richard sit at the corner between the commanders and the royalty.”

“Yes that can work, my Queen. My King, do you agree?”

“Yes, Master Chef. You can create two openings at the other corners if you want to serve in front of us or behind us.”

“We'll serve the dishes and drinks inside the triangle. It will be an easier reach for our servers.”

“That sounds good, Master Chef. Is the noon repast on time?”

“It is, my Lord. It will be ready at the midday mark.”

“Very well, until then. That is almost less than a half-mark from now. We'll be in the throne room or in the court yard.”

“Until then, my King and Queen. I will have the Chamberlain make the announcement.”

They nod their heads together and smile at each other. King Nazar and Queen Corissa walk out of the dining room and rejoin the guests in the foyer. They turn to see them walking toward them.

“Everything is set. The Master Chef anticipated the extra guests. Everything will be ready at the midday mark. You can wait in the throne room or in the court yard. It is your choice. Just don't wander too far.”

“Thank you, King Nazar and Queen Corissa.” King Dryden turns around to face us. “Walk around where you wish my friends.”

“You heard him. I would like to take a walk in the court yard and get some fresh air.”

“That sounds good to me, Queen Brianne.”

“Same here.”

Then all of the ladies walk out of the foyer area through the stone doors and enter the court yard. This leaves all of the men standing there.

“I kind of figure this would happen. Please come into the throne room. We can talk there quietly. You can come too, Richard.”

I smile at him. “Thank you, King Nazar.”

The knights open the large wooden doors for us and we walk inside the throne room. The wizards recite the spells to light up the crystals in the room. Soon the room is brightened up.

I see a beautiful throne room with white glittering walls of Evenshard stone. It is trimmed in the various shades of green through out the room. The throne room can hold about five hundred people at least.

“Come, we can sit down here in the chairs and make ourselves comfortable.”

We each take a chair and form a circle facing inward. We sit down and look at each other. Some are in deep thought on what to do next.

~~~000~~~

The ladies walk in the court yard of Antarte Castle. They look at the flowers and smell the beauty of the place. They think what needs to be done to help their own kingdom in this time of trouble. They try to relax and tell themselves there will be another tomorrow.

Trianna wanders around with Queen Shiranna looking at the flower garden. She looks at one and gives a deep 'sigh'.

“What's on your mind, Trianna?”

“I remembered a conversation that Renard had with Richard on his first day here, my Queen.”

“Was it something Richard said?”

“Yes, Renard told it to me later. They were sitting on Renard's porch at his cottage. Renard began gathering information from Richard.”

“What was it?”

“Once Richard realized he was chosen by the Maker to be our Outside Helper, he had a question in his mind. He looked at a flower in the garden as if asking the Maker “Why me?”

“Yes, we didn't know who the Maker was going to choose that day.”

“The Maker could have chosen anybody else on Earth, but He chose him.”

“He has many more great deeds to do here and there on Earth.”

“Yes, I remembered the Earth Wizard's words my Queen. We have seen Richard get overwhelmed at times, but he recovers and gets the job done.”

“Yes Trianna, I've seen it as well. I'm amazed at how he makes the connection to the smallest detail. He has given us hope that Twainor will be a beacon among the stars. He does need someone by his side to help keep him steady.” She smiles at Trianna.

She smiles back, “Yes my Lady. Hopefully the same thing will happen for Earth one day. Who knows when the Emissaries will arrive there to invite them to the Local Group.”

“Yes, let's hope that Richard plants the seed that will grow into a beautiful tree that will bring healing to them with truth and light.”

“I'm sure the numbers are mounting for world peace. There will be some groups who will want the old ways forever.”

“Well, let's hope the Maker gets their attention somehow.”

“Yes, let's hope then.”

They continue walking around with the other ladies in the court yard until the chamberlain comes out to tell them that the noon repast is ready.

~~~000~~~

“Well is there anything that we need to discuss in this short amount of time?”

“I understand that you're close to picking the one hundred from each kingdom. Is that true, Sir Braxton?”

“That's true King Sherwyn. The Legion Commanders agreed to get it done tonight. Hopefully, we can get two full days of training on our ships and the floor layouts on the training fields.”

“That's good. Are you planning to have the Outside Helper's Escorts to be on the star ship?”

“Yes, King Jeriel. When the Ethereal Space is generated, we'll start searching for them as well.”

“How are you planning each squad and wing, Sir Krellen?”

“Sir Braxton and I are going to be in charge on the star ship. Since we know there are ten floors on the star ship, we plan to have a Lieutenant Commander for each floor from each of the kingdoms except ours. On each floor will be ten wings. Each wing will have two squads. The wing is identified by a wizard. A squad is four knights and a dwarf warrior. There is one from each of the kingdoms within a wing.”

“Why are you mixing them up like that, Sir Krellen?”

“It does several things for us. First they must learn to work together. They are representing Twainor besides their own kingdom. Second it will maximize in locating our Outside Helpers.”

“They will have badges on them to identify themselves. On the left shoulder will be a special badge for being part of this campaign. On the right shoulder will be their own kingdom badge.”

“Let's see, that puts about twelve hundred at least for this campaign. Do we have enough wizards for that and for the dragons in self-defense here?”

“We do, King Dryden. If they send the two hundred air fighters at us for the first wave that puts it less than twenty per kingdom. Therefore, each kingdom will need ten wizards for the dragons.”

“Where did you get that number, Sir Braxton?”

“Mal-tor gave us that number a little earlier. I'm surprised they are confident with that number. These air fighters sound like they can defend themselves pretty well.”

“The rest of the Mystic Order will help where they can in each kingdom.”

“You realize the wizards on board the star ship will have to act fast in removing the mind control implants.”

“I know King Quentin. The wizards are practicing as well in removing it without scanning it first.”

“They also realize time is very important. Putting them to sleep will be the easy part. It will be controlling the potential riots afterwards if they want revenge for their own world when it was destroyed.”

“We intend to overwhelm them with 130 knights, dwarf warriors and wizards on each level. We'll be in constant communication with them. If we find a level that is hard to take over, it will be easy to shift our forces to them.”

“What if they turn on or activate a self-destruct sequence?”

“That is where we hope Richard's new passwords will work. Hopefully it will help us in securing areas to keep us, our forces and the ship crew safe from harm.”

“What about the unexpected weapons?”

“If they have a sound weapon, there is ear protection inside the helmets.”

“That's good, Sir Elion.”

“Richard, I would like for you to come back to Thryson Kingdom tonight.”

“Yes, my King.”

“Yes, this is important for you. The reason is this. When the star ship visited two of the worlds in the Local Group, they found the medallions very quickly.”

“I see, Sir Trenton. They must have found the unique characteristics to identify them quickly with their sensors.”

“Yes, but it should be more difficult because we know this is the home world where they are made.”

We get quiet for a moment. Then the doors open. The chamberlain walks toward us and stops.

“It is time for the noon repast, my King and honored guests.”

“Thank you, Chamberlain. Come my friends. It is time.”

We all get up and follow King Nazar, Sir Gerino, their Legion Commander and the chamberlain. We walk out of the throne room. The guards close the doors behind us. We turn left, then we see the ladies standing there waiting for us.

They all greet each other. Queen Corissa puts her arm into King Nazar’s arms. So do the other Kings and Queens. We follow them and let them enter in the dining room first.

“We have the seating arrangement ready. Kings and Queens, you’re at this long table. Commanders, you're at this long table. Wizards and Sorceresses, you take the other table. Richard, your chair is here at this corner.”

We follow their directions and take our seats. The tables are arranged to like a triangle.

I walk to the corner table and stand behind the chair. King Tierion and Queen Shiranna are sitting on my left-hand side. Sir Trenton sits on my right-hand side.

Once we see we are happy with our seats, we take our chairs and move them back. A bunch of servers comes up and help us sit down and move the chairs forward.

Wizard Braylin stays standing to give thanks to the Maker.

We all get quiet. King Nazar looks to Wizard Braylin and nods his head up and down. “Wizard Braylin, please give the Thanks for the Maker.”

“Yes, my Lord. Maker, we thank you for another day here on Twainor. Thank you for the food that we are about to eat. We hope it gives us the strength to defend your world every day. We all give thanks that Richard showed up to give us hope. Thank you, Maker.”

Then everyone responds in one voice, “Thank you, Maker.”

The servers come in with large trays with the first course. They come inside the triangle and place the plates down in front of us.

I see a green salad plate with various cold vegetables and nuts. It is lightly spiced with an oil dressing.

There's a dull roar as several different conversations begin in the room. Sir Trenton leans over to me. “Richard, when we get back to Thryson, we'll be changing your breast and back plate. I want it shining brightly just in case.”

“I understand, Sir Trenton. I think it will be good to check my satchel. I have some things in there already.”

“Yes, that's a good idea. We'll need to check that.”

We take some more bites from our plates. This time, King Tierion speaks to me.

“Richard, once you have been checked out by Sir Trenton, I want Sir Halgren by your side like before.”

“Yes my Lord. I understand the seriousness of this problem.”

“I know you're capable of taking care of yourself. The problem is you or Twainor doesn’t know when you'll be out numbered.”

“Yes, my Lord. By having Sir Halgren with me, I have a better chance of initiating the surprise take over of the star ship.”

“That's right, Richard. We must be prepared for anything.”

We resume eating the first course. Once we're done, the servers come in and take our plates. The next time they come in, they bring the main course. We see that it is a fowl dish. The meat has been roasted over an open fire pit. It is wonderfully spiced that is very good. But, then I catch a flavor that the meat has been smoked with a particular wood flavor. There are two vegetable side items on the plate as well.

We enjoy the dish very much. It is very rich in taste and flavorful to the taste buds. The conversations continue while we eat. After awhile, we get done eating our main dish. The servers come in and remove our plates. They come back in with the fruit dishes. I see about four or five different kinds of fruits in the bowl. They are cut in large pieces with rind coverings, but the seeds have been removed for us.

We enjoy the challenge as we try to remove the delicious fruit from the covering. We all have to wipe our chins and mouths while eating it. We all laugh and giggle while we try to be neat in eating them. We get so engrossed with it that all conversations cease.

After a quarter-mark or so, we get done with the fruit bowl. The servers come back out and take the bowls, they leave behind a small damp towel for each of us to get ourselves cleaned up.

“Have the Master Chef come out, please, when you go back inside?”

“Yes, my Lord. I will tell him.” The server nods her head and turns around. She walks into the kitchen to find the Master Chef.

After a few moments, the entire kitchen staff comes in and lines up in several rows, including the Master Chef.”

“Thank you, Master Chef, for that wonderful meal. It was very delicious. It definitely satisfied our palate.”

Then everyone claps their hands and give acclaim for the noon repast.

The kitchen staff smiles and all bow forward and rise up. The Master Chef steps forward.

“Thank you, my King and Queen. Thank you, honored guests. It is not too often we do this when all are present here. We hope it is more often when it comes our turn to hosts the Regional Festivals and Sea Galas.”

“Yes, it will be our turn next year, Master Chef for the Regional Festival. We look forward to seeing your skill on display at our Mid-Summer Festival as always.”

“Thank you, my King. Take care everyone and come again when you can. We hope all goes well in rescuing our Outside Helpers and the crew of the star ship.”

“We'll be back this evening, Master Chef, at least.”

“Yes, my King. We’ll be waiting for you.”

We all clap again. They all bow again. When they rise up, they turn to the left and walk back into the kitchen.

We get up from our chairs with the help from the servers and attendees. We all walk out of the dining room and exit the castle and enter the court yard.

“My friends, contact your kingdoms. It is time to meet at the Grand Castle for our meeting and set in motion the next step of our plans.”

“Yes, King Dryden.”

“Should we meet at the Sea Gala Arena instead, King Dryden?”

“That's a good question, King Hilmar. All of the First Ones are there already. Yes, we must tell then who is the real enemy.”

“I agree, King Dryden. Eingana should be there as well.”

“Yes, King Tierion, she must know what is going on.”

The Kings, the Legion Commanders, wizards and sorceresses bring out their contact spheres to contact their kingdoms. They contacted their secondary royal leaders, army and navy commanders, the Mystic Order leaders in each kingdom. They all agree to meet at the Grand Sea Gala Arena.

Once those contacts are done, they contact the Dwarf Kings and Queens, as well as the Dwarf Ambassadors. They tell them to inform the unicorns, the fairies, the centaurs and the land and sea dragons, including Eingana. The Dwarf Kings agree they will tell the other First Ones to be there at the First Mark.

“Well that is done, my friends. Come, let us fly to Angathorn Kingdom for this Grand Meeting.”

The wizards and sorceresses all line up one behind the other. The rest of us put our hands to shoulder one by one on both sides of them.

“Is everyone ready?”

“Yes, King Dryden!”

“Then take us to the Grand Gala Sea Arena.”

The wizards and sorceresses recite the transport spell. We all disappear in a blink of an eye. We start flying northward. Once we are over the ocean that separates the Eastern Kingdoms, they adjust their flight and turn to the left. Soon we see the southern coast of the Angathorn Kingdom. We start making our descent to the Grand Sea Gala Arena.