The Summer Vacation
Chapter 19
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

The Supreme just finished another mind exercise with the metal balls. He smiles that he is getting stronger and better each time. Then an idea comes to his mind.

“Hmm . . . I wonder.” He turns his head to the comm-panel and speaks to it. “General.”

~~~000~~~

The General is sitting in the command chair on the bridge. “Yes, Supreme. What do you wish?”

~~~000~~~

“I need some more information from two of the bearers.”

~~~000~~~

“Which ones will do?”

~~~000~~~

“I want the long-legged man in one of the holding cells we have. The other is that woman we couldn't put our imprint in.”

~~~000~~~

“Yes, my Supreme. It will be done. Are we to interview them separately or together?”

~~~000~~~

“We'll interview them together. Supreme out.”

~~~000~~~

“General out. Dar-re, you have the comm-chair again. Let me know if we get any change from the sensor read outs.”

“Yes, General.”

The General gets up and walks to the bridge doors. The doors slide open. He enters the lift. The doors close.

“Destination please.”

He speaks to a glass panel on the lift wall. “The destination is to the holding cells on the fourth level.”

“Destination confirmed.”

The lift moves at a fast pace downward and horizontal. The lift stops. The doors open. He exits the lift. The doors close behind him.

He walks down the hallway and turns right. He comes to an intersection and turns left. He opens the third door on his right. He sees two guards on watch. They see him. They stand at attention.

“The Supreme wants to interview one of the medallion bearers.”

“Which one, General?”

“The long-legged one. Put the restraints on him.”

“Yes, General.”

The guards push two symbols on a glass panel at the same time. The barrier shield is turned off to the holding cells.

They pick up the arm and leg restraints hanging on a wall nearby. They walk down the short hallway and pass several openings, each with a barrier shield activated.

They stop in front of one of them. “You in there. The Supreme wants a word with you.”

They see him lying on the bed in the cell.

“Okay. I'll come along. I won't give any trouble.”

“You better not, or we'll have to hurt you again. Turn around and put your hands behind you.”

He gets up and walks near the door opening. He turns around with his hands behind his back.

The guard turns off the barrier shield on a glass panel nearby. They quickly put the restraints on his wrist and ankles. They are chained together.

The guards hand a remote stunner to the General.

“Come with me Scorpii man.”

“My name is Evrat.”

“Whatever, let's go.”

Evrat turns around and blinks his eyes and nods his head up and down to another hostage in one of the cells.

He answers with two blinks with his eyes in response.

The General and Evrat leave the holding cells. They walk down the hallway and back to the lift doors. He pushes a symbol on the glass panel. The lift doors open a few moments later.

They get inside. The doors close behind them.

“Destination please.”

He speaks to the glass panel. “To Health Ward #2.”

“Destination confirmed.”

The lift moves horizontal then upward two levels. The doors open. They leave the lift. The doors close behind them. They walk down the hallway and turn left at an intersection. After walking past several doors on the right, the General stands in front of one of them, the doors slide open.

They both walk in. The General sees the one he is looking for. She sees them both.

“You're to come with me. The Supreme wants a word with you.”

“Yes, General.”

She follows them out together. The man and woman don't look at each other. She touches Evrat to connect with him momentarily.

You know what to do when they ask questions, Evrat?

Yes, it's easy to do.

She then removes her hand.

They walk back to the lift.

The General looks at them. “Did you two say something?”

“No General. We didn't say a word.”

“I'm just making sure.”

They continue walking back to the lift doors.

The General pushes a symbol on the glass panel. The doors open. They walk inside. The door closes.

“Destination please.”

“To the Supreme.”

“Destination confirmed.”

The lift moves forward then upward two levels. The doors open. They walk out together. The doors close behind them. They walk down the hallway until they see two guards at a large doorway.

They step aside. The door opens and they walk inside. They walk down a short corridor. Another door opens. They walk into a large room. The door closes behind them.

There in front of them is a huge man lying on a very large and long bed. His torso his propped up at an angle to help raise his head. He is overweight and fat. He speaks when the door closes behind them.

“We're going to interview you together. Don't try and lie to us. We'll know if someone is lying.”

“Do you two know each other?”

Evrat and Alia look at each other. Evrat speaks first.

“I've never been to her world. I don't know where it is.”

“Same here, Supreme. I've never been there either.”

“Hmm . . . that's true Supreme.”

“Okay new question. Where did you get those medallions from? We studied them. The gems come from the same world.”

“Someone gave it to me.”

“Yes, Supreme. Someone gave it to me.”

“That's true, Supreme.”

“Hmm . . . let's turn it up a notch, General.”

“Yes, Supreme.”

Then the Supreme and the General stare at them really hard.

Evrat and Alia begin to look uncomfortable. Their faces begin to look afraid. They try to hold their emotions in check.

“Here's a new question. Who's the twelfth bearer of the medallions?”

Evrat and Alia struggle to keep quiet.

“Who? Tell me! By keeping quiet, you're telling me that you know!”

Sweat rolls down their faces. The two giants bring more pressure to their minds.

“His . . . n...na . . . name . . . is . . . is . . . Richard! Eeeeek” Then Alia collapses in exhaustion and faints to the ground.

Evrat sees this. Then he looks at the two giants in front of him. He stares at them with a cold stare.

“What's so special about this Richard, Scorpii man?”

“Grrr . . . the only thing I will say is this. He's a lot smarter than you think he is.”

“He's smarter than we? We don't think so! We know of your world and the weapons you make. We found one of your old weapons in possession of a wanna-be star war lord. We dispatched his world easily. We'll use it to conquer the galaxy and the universe!”

Evrat laughs. “Hah! Then you lost. The weapon is obsolete!”

“We've improved it. Here's a taste of it.”

The General pushes a symbol on a glass panel nearby.

Immediately Evrat collapses to the floor onto his knees. He's breathing hard to keep control.

“Arrgh!! My mind! You fiends! You might have improved it . . . pant . . . pant . . . but it's you two who will know what true fear is, when it's your turn!”

Evrat is forced in his mind to lean forward and puts his face on the floor. “Pant . . . pant . . . ”

“The universe will bow to us or they will be dispatched forever!”

Evrat struggles back to his feet and stands in defiant.

“Impressive, that's only level three, but we'll save the higher settings for later.”

“What's Richard’s specialty?”

“Pant . . . pant . . . His world has no knowledge of interstellar travel. He's stuck where he lives.”

“You're not going to tell us?”

“Why should I? It's useless on worlds with no electrical power.”

“That's true, Supreme. Just to let you know, we found the home world where the medallions come from. We'll be there soon to conquer it and dispatch the inhabitants!”

“Go Scorpii man. I'm done talking to you both. Take the Sagitarii woman with you. The next time I see you, we'll be dispatching your world to oblivion!”

“Hah! A friend once told me that bullies always have a weak spot. I think I found yours!”

The General and the Supreme stare at Evrat again really hard.

Evrat collapses to the ground and passes out. “Ahh . . . !”

The General stands near him and looks down at him. “We have no weakness! We are the most powerful and strongest race in the universe! No one can defeat us!”

“Take them away, General. Put them back where you got them.”

“Yes Supreme.”

Then they both laugh together with an evil tone. “Hah, hah, hah . . . ”

~~~000~~~

The door opens to Health Ward #2. Two guards walk in and carry the woman inside.

A man turns around and sees her.

“What happened to her? What did you do?”

“She still lives. She fainted in exhaustion. Take care of her. I know she's your mate.”

The guards places her on a table. The guards and General walk out together. The door closes automatically.

“I need help! Get her comfortable.”

Some men and women come forward and reposition her on the table. They turn on the sensor panel on the wall above the bed. They see the levels are normal, except for her conscious level. It shows it's depleted in energy.

Her mate then touches her forehead. He reaches with his mind to talk to her.

What happened, Alia?

The Supreme and the General forced me to say Richard's name.

Do they know how Richard can be on Twainor?

I don't think so. Evrat, did his best as well.

Good, then there is hope.

Yes there is hope. I need to rest now. They used a fear tactic on me. I think they will use it on Twainor.

Thanks for the warning. It confirms what I felt in the other races here. Get your rest now. We'll talk later. I love you, Alia.

I love you too, Mathes. Alia then falls asleep.

Mathes disconnects from Alia. He looks at the monitor and sees she's slowly recovering.

“She's doing fine. Let's check the other patients here.”

“Yes, Mathes.”

The men and women resume their duties in Health Ward #2.

~~~000~~~

The doors open to the holding cells. The General leads the way as two guards carry in Evrat.

The guards on duty turn off the barrier shields. They put him back in his cell. They remove his restraints and leave him on the floor. They reactivate the shields when they leave.

The other man in the cell looks across the hall and sees his friend on the floor.
Evrat! Evrat! Can you hear me?”

“Unnnh . . . my head . . . Yes I hear you, Hikaru.” Evrat slowly gets up and sits on the bed attached to the wall.

“What happened?”

“Alia and I were interviewed by them both.”

“How much do they know?”

“They know we're near the source of the medallions. They wanted the name of the twelfth medallion bearer.”

“Did you give the name?”

“No, Alia did before she collapsed in mental pain. I told them nothing about him. Except he's smarter than they think he is.”

“That's good. That will make them nervous.”

“They used mind fear tactics on us.”

“Did you block it?”

“I did at first. However, they found an old machine version from my home world. It was sold before my time. I remembered that we outlawed it.”

“It sounds like they improved it. Is it beatable?”

“Anything is possible. But I did tell them they're acting like bullies.”

“Heh, heh, heh . . . that reminds me of a story from a friend I know.”

“Heh, heh, heh . . . I did too, Hikaru.”

Then they both start laughing together as they recall the story and other stories from their home world.

The others who are in the holding cells wonder what the joke is about, as they look at each other with puzzled looks on their faces.

~~~000~~~

The wing members begin to discuss among themselves while they eat the noon repast.

“All right, now we need to keep the ship safe. That mean there are more bombs to worry about.”

“Yes, and there will be more triggers and traps. We'll need to know where they are held. That dictates our plan of attack, Sir Rance.”

“Once we appear on the level, we'll secure our area while our wizard goes forth to find the hostage.”

“I agree with that idea.”

“So do we, sir.”

~~~000~~~

On another ship the conversations continue.

“It might take all of the wizards to do it right, Sir Camden.”

“It's possible, Wizard Drayson. We must be very aware of our surroundings and the situations. What are some of the places that could cause ship-wide problems?”

“How about the weapon room?”

“The cargo holds, and that’s near the bottom hull.”

“The black powder rooms and the cannons.”

“How about the stern, where the rudder and wheel machinery are? If they blow up, the ship flounders.”

“How about the oars?”

“Yes, even the masts where they are anchored in the keel.”

“That means bombs can be anywhere besides with the hostage. This will be tougher men.”

“Here's an idea Sir Camden. This is from what we heard during the discussions. Once we enter on our level, we quickly secure a room. Then Wizard Drayson transports through the level and searches for any bombs or hostages.”

“Yes, he comes back and tells what the situation is.”

“That way we can plan the path better.”

“Hopefully, I will meet other wizards and confirm it as well.”

“Remember, when we get on the star ship, we'll need to stick to our level and search it out. That includes hidden passage ways and hidden rooms.”

“Yes, Sir Camden.”

Then a door opens to their galley. “Get ready men. We’re about to start another scenario.”

“Yes Sir!” Everyone shouts.

~~~000~~~

“Okay Richard, are you ready to play the part again?”

“I am, Sir Braxton.”

“Here is your pellet, Richard.” Sir Braxton hands me a smoke pellet.

“Thank you, Sir.” I put it in my pocket.

“Good, Wizard Thaygard, please take Richard and Sir Halgren to the assigned ship.”

“Yes, Sir Braxton. Please connect to me my friends.”

“Yes, Wizard Thaygard.” We both say it at the same time. We put our hands to his shoulders.

Wizard Thaygard recites the transport spell. We disappear in a blink of an eye. We fly to the one of the ships outside the bay. As we approach, we see some men on the top deck.

We appear in a blink of an eye. We are greeted by the leadership there.

“Welcome Richard and Sir Halgren. You're on the Windover from Thryson. I'm Navy Lieutenant Sir Palinar. Welcome aboard.”

“Thank you, Sir Palinar. It's good to see you again.”

“This is Prince Telurein from Nevidre Kingdom.”

“It's an honor to meet you, Richard.”

We bow our heads to each other.

“Thank you. It's an honor to meet you too. I take it your father is making sure you know what is going on?” I smile at him.

“Heh, heh, heh . . . that's right, Richard. This is just another step when I'm king some day.”

“Okay you two. It’s time for you both to get down below. Richard, you'll be on the cannon deck. One will be aimed at you. It will shoot a water bomb at you if it is triggered. Also, there are other triggers, traps and more water bombs.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Prince Telurein. You will be in the cargo hold near the stern rudder. Again there will be multiple water bombs, triggers and traps. If it goes off, the rudder hinges and the steering mechanism will get wet.”

“We hope they will do it right. If anything gets wet, we'll have to spend some time to get everything dry.”

“What's worse is wet powder. I've seen something similar. It can be a mess.”

“Yes, the powder will have to be replaced, Richard.”

“If the powder gets spilled on the floor, try using a spell that will lift it into the air and move it to a container first. Then you can clean the floor properly.”

“That's a good idea, Richard. Okay, get down below. The spells will be set for your reactions when you get down there.”

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

Sir Halgren, Prince Telurein and I follow some crewmen down the stairs from the main deck. We arrive on the cannon deck. We see the cannons all laid out. The cannons are secured in their safe positions and blocked in.

However, there is one cannon pointing at a post near the black powder room.

I walk up to the post and position myself facing the cannon. Prince Telurein continues following some crewmen down below to the stern rudder.

“If this is for real, I would be very scared right now.”

“We know, Richard. But, you're right about getting our forces mentally prepared for this. They must think calmly and clearly to solve this problem.”

“I hope so.”

I take out the smoke pellet from my pocket and put in behind my neck. I keep it in place with the scarf around my neck.

“Okay Richard, most of the traps are set to the word 'no'. Some will cascade and trigger others via the tubes. There are water bombs inside the black powder room and various other places. Some are set off on certain floor boards and at the entrances. ”

“So, the best solution is to freeze them and get me to sleep as quickly as possible.”

“That's right. Hopefully they do you first before going down below to the cargo hold to do that rescue.”

“Sir Halgren, you can go into that room there with the window. It's the weapon master's room.”

“Thank you. I'll be able to see everything unfold from there.” Sir Halgren walks across the deck and opens the door. He walks inside, he sees a chair, a table, some shelves mounted on the wall.

~~~000~~~

Down below in the cargo hold, Prince Telurein is shown his set up.

“As you can see, Prince. This will be a challenge for them.”

“I hope so. Are these cargo items for real?”

“No, they are filled with straw. The water bombs are in various locations. Some are in cargo boxes. One of the bombs will be on you. There are two of them on the rudder shaft as you see.”

“What are the triggers?”

“Once you say the word 'no', it will trigger three bombs. There is also one set when someone walks through that opening. When you scream your phrase, the smoke pellet will blow with the water bombs on the rudder shaft and hinges.”

“That's a lot of bombs for them to figure out. I can see why you want to think worst case.”

“Yes, Prince. That is the intention. Are you ready?”

“I am.” Prince Telurein walks up to the rudder shaft, he turns around and faces the opening into the cargo hold. He is tied securely there by several crewmen. The smoke pellet is placed behind his neck and held there with his scarf on.

The men connect to Wizard Thaygard, he recites the transport spell and they disappear in a blink of an eye. He delivers them to the top deck on the Windover. He then recites the spell again and disappears in a blink of an eye.

~~~000~~~

“Is everything ready, Sir Braxton?”

“Not yet, I'm waiting for Wizard Thaygard. The wings are ready to go.”

Then the next instant, Wizard Thaygard appears on the deck

“Welcome back aboard, Wizard Thaygard. Is the Windover ready?”

“It is Sir Braxton.”

“Very good. Let's get this scenario going. The other ships are ready.”

“Yes Sir!” The leadership responds in one voice on the deck.”

“Sound the signal to the forces, Sir Krellen.”

“Yes, Sir Braxton.”

Sir Krellen takes the mallet and strikes the bell three times. “Bong!” “Bong!” “Bong!”

All of the wing wizards recite the transport spell as soon as both squads are hand to hand to their shoulder. They disappear in a flash of light.

The wings fly to their assigned level on the ships. When they appear, they immediately encounter resistance in the hallways.

~~~000~~~

“Take them down quickly men!”

“Yes Sir!”

The squads immediately begin to fight them. They shoot their sleep darts and recite sleep spells. They open a door to a room and enter in.”

“Okay, this is our base. Wizard Kendall, go and search out the level. If we have no problems here, tell us. Then go and search the rest of the levels.”

“Yes, Sir Rance.”

Wizard Kendall recites the transport spell and disappears in a blink of an eye. He flies through the walls. He sees most of the rooms are filled with ship crewmen. He sees another wizard doing the same thing.

“No hostage here Wizard Sephnel?”

“There is no hostage here. Obviously they’re on another level. Let's report to our leaders.”

Just about they are going to leave, a wizard comes up from below.

“Thank the Maker. I found you.”

“What's the problem?”

“Richard is on the cannon deck. There are traps and bombs everywhere.”

“Where is the other one?”

“Prince Telurein is in the stern cargo hold. He's tied to the rudder shaft. He has the same problem. There are many ship crewmen on the level between them.”

“So you decided to save him for last?”

“Yes, it is safer to free the Prince after Richard is freed.”

“Okay, let's report back. We'll save them for last. No one enters in those areas.”

“Right. Let's go take care of what we can.”

“Tell the other wizards the same thing.”

“Right.” They both respond at the same time.”

They fly in separate directions finding the other wizards. Once that is done, they report to the wing leaders.”

Wizard Kendall appears in the room among the two squads.

“What's the situation, Wizard Kendall?”

“Richard is on the cannon deck. Prince Telurein is in the stern cargo hold. I was told there are many triggers, traps and bombs everywhere. We decided to rescue Richard first, then the Prince.”

“Okay, let's take care of the level here. Then we'll get together to discuss our options.”

The wings begin to take over the levels in the other ships. They discover the location of the hostages. Each one is put in a precarious set up with triggers, traps and bombs. They decide to save them for last.

They put the crew to sleep and the wizards remove the smoke pellets from them. They are sent outside the ship where they explode in a puff of smoke..

Then wings meet up together to discuss the situations. They report to their Lieutenant Commander of the problem.

~~~000~~~

“Good job, men. The ship crew is taken care of. Good luck in solving the rest of the scenario.”

“Thank you, Sir. We'll let you know of the results soon.”

“Don't rush it. Think it through.”

“Yes Sir.”

The image disappears above the crystal spheres.

~~~000~~~

Six wings get together on the Windover. They're meeting on the second level.

“Okay, let's hear the ideas.”

“Well, the cannon deck has to be free and clear of bombs before we go down below sir.”

“I agree with you on that. Okay Wizards. Take a closer look to see how it is set up. We need details.”

“I agree, Sir Rance. Let's go, Mystic Order. Let's discover a solution to the problem.”

“Yes, Wizard Manthion.”

They each recite the transport spell and they disappear in a blink of an eye. They fly down below to the cannon deck. They see Richard tied to a post. The cannon is pointed at him.

They look around the entire area to find the bombs. As they do, they see some tubes from them going in several directions. Some disappear under the floor boards. One is connected to each door entrance. They find two bombs in the black powder room. They take a closer look to see how Richard is set up.

They see the bomb vest on him. There are two tubes hanging down to the floor. The two tubes are connected to another bomb at his feet. Then the two tubes go in two different directions. One is toward the cannons. The other is toward the black powder room.

Once they see it all, they leave the cannon deck and report back to the squads.

They appear before them in a blink of an eye. The squads see the concern on their faces.

“How bad is it?”

“It's very bad. They really out did themselves. This will be a good test.”

“Okay, tell us what you saw. Let's come up with a solution.”

The wizards describe the situation down below. Soon the squads understand the situation.

“What are we to do?”

“Well freezing the bombs and the lines is the best idea. But we need to put him to sleep first.”

“We'll shoot him with our sleep darts from the Ethereal Space. We'll try and create a freeze dart as well.”

A dwarf warrior takes a dart from his wrist bow. “Here's a dart to try.”

The wizard takes the dart with his left hand. He puts his right hand above it.

“Have the freeze spell spread from where it strikes. But the freeze spell does not touch the body.”

“Yes, Sir Camden. I should be able to do that.”

He recites the spell on the dart. “There it is set. Let's try it.” He hands the dart to Sir Camden.

He pulls the lever back and locks it in place. He loads the dart on the wrist bow. “Okay, let me connect with you and see if it works.”

“I'll shoot the sleep dart at Richard first.”

“Okay, then I'll shoot the bomb at his chest.”

Sir Rance and Sir Camden connect to Wizard Manthion. Wizard Manthion recites the transport spell. The three of them disappear in a blink of an eye.

They fly through the walls and floors until they reach the cannon deck. Sir Rance aims at Richard's arm. Sir Camden aims at the bomb vest. They squeeze their gloves, and the darts hit the mark.

Richard falls asleep immediately, his head sags downward. The bomb vest is covered in frost. The frost travels along the lines. The bomb at his feet gets frosted in ice as well. Then the frost travels along one line toward the fuse on the cannon.

The other line gets frosted as it travels to the black powder room. However, the bombs in there did not get frosted.

They leave the cannon deck and return to the squads. They appear in a blink of an eye.

“How did it go?”

“So far, so good. Richard is asleep. The cannon's fuse is frosted. But the bombs inside the black powder room didn't get frosted.”

“So are the triggers in floor boards around him.”

“There are still separate bombs and triggers in there. We'll need to get those frozen as well.”

“I think it is safe to get Richard out first. Then we can worry about the rest of them.”

“I agree, let's get Richard first, Sir Camden.”

“Okay, let's get a bunch of darts set with the freeze spell. We'll keep an eye on the bombs and freeze them.”

“Yes hopefully no more get set off as we remove Richard. I'll put my free hand on his shoulder when we appear. Then Wizard Sephnel can transport us out. Then the bomb vest should stay behind.”

“Yes, but it could fall and do something else.”

“How about if we take some rope, tie the vest to the support beam above. Then it won't fall when he disappears.”

“That's a good idea. Let's do it.” All of the knights take out some darts. The wizards set the freeze spell to the darts.

Sir Rance coils some rope and carries it in his hand. It takes a few moments to get everybody ready.

“Okay, everyone has their assignment?”

“Yes Sir!”

“Very good, recite the transport spell, wizards.”

Most of the knights and the dwarf warriors connect to their wizard. The wizards recite the transport spell. They all disappear in a blink of an eye.

They fly through the hallways and through the floors. Soon they appear on the cannon deck in the Ethereal Space. They all spread around hovering above the deck.

Sir Rance's squad appears around Richard. They work quickly and do not say a word. They tie the vest to the upper part of the support beam.

Sir Rance and his squad put their hands on a part of Richard's body. They put their other hand on the wizard's shoulders. Sir Rance looks at the wizard and nods his head up and down.

The wizard recites the transport spell. Richard disappears with them. Then the rest of the knights in the Ethereal Space begin to shoot their darts at the bombs they see.

They see the frost spread through out the deck. Some go along lines all over the place, the floor boards and door ways.

They even check inside the black powder room. They shoot some freeze darts at two bombs that are hanging in there that didn't get frosted.

There are tubes leading from it to the door and the door knob. All of the pieces are covered in ice frost.

They leave the black powder room. They smile at the others and nod their heads up and down. They return the gesture as well. They land on the floor and reappear in a blink of an eye.

Sir Rance's squad appears on the cannon deck. They place Richard carefully on the floor. They lean him on his side. The wizard recites the spell to remove the smoke pellet. He sends it outside the ship and it explodes in a puff of smoke.

The men cheer as Richard is given a spell to wake him up.

“Unnnh . . . that was an uneasy feeling.”

“What do you mean, Richard?”

“First I had a cannon aimed at me. Then there is a potential of bombs everywhere. I felt trapped. When I was put to sleep, those thoughts were still there. I tried to dream good thoughts.”

Sir Halgren opens the door and walks onto the cannon deck. “You need to report this men. There is still one more to rescue. You all did a great job. I can see that you planned it well. Congratulations men.”

“Thank you, Sir Halgren.” Most of them respond at the same time.

“Okay, let's secure these water bombs. We need to get ready for the next rescue. We can use this deck for our staging area.”

“Yes, Sir Rance. Wizards, go and scout out the rest of the floors below. Get the details.”

“Yes, Sir Branson.”

The wizards recite the transport spell, they disappear in a blink of an eye. The knights and dwarf warriors begin to gather up the water bombs. They remove the spell from them to make them safe. They coil up the tube lines. They melt the frost by applying a heat spell to the surfaces.

Sir Camden takes out his contact crystal. He recites the spell, soon the image of Lieutenant Commander Palinar appears above it.

“We wish to report good news, Sir Palinar. We were able to rescue Richard successfully.”

“Very good, Sir Camden.”

“We're in the process of getting ready to rescue Prince Telurein. What's the tally and the time so far?”

“So far it is a half-mark. With your recent rescue, so far seven are safe. There is still five more to go.”

“That's good. We took the idea we heard earlier, we found it useful to freeze the bombs and its parts with the freeze darts.”

The wizards return from down below and appear on the deck in a blink of an eye.

“What's the situation?”

“It's just like here. However, it is a lot smaller space. Not everyone can get inside.”

“Are there bombs in the other cargo holds before we reach the Prince?”

“Yes, there are.”

“That's where we'll be while you're in there to do a similar rescue for Telurein.”

“That sounds good , Sir Rance.”

“There is only room for two wings in the stern cargo hold with the rudder.”

“That's good. Let's get ready. If we encounter any more ship crew along the way, we'll take care of them.”

“For Twainor!” Shouts Sir Rance.

“For Twainor!” Everybody else shouts at the same time.

Then the next instant, about fifty ship crewmen come up from below.

“Intruders! Get them!”

The squads turn around and see them running towards them.

“Quickly men, turn the tide!”

“Just stay out of the cargo holds.” Shouts Sir Branson.

Sir Halgren grabs me and we both enter in the weapons master room.

We watch through the window and see Twainor's forces fighting with the ship's crew. Twainor's forces slowly gain the edge as the crew is put to sleep.

Then the wizards remove the smoke pellets and send them outside the ship where they explode. The crewmen are made comfortable and arrange neatly. They stay asleep until the scenario is over.

Then they go down below to take control of the next two levels. They stay out of the cargo holds until they are ready.

Three wings return to the cannon deck. The rest stay on the next two decks below. They continue to get ready to do the last rescue.

Sir Halgren and I step out of the room and see three full wings on the deck.

“We'll be here just in case. You never know what might happen next.”

“That is good thinking. Good luck down below.”

“Thank you, Richard.”

The third wing walks down the stairs to the next two levels. They join up with the others.

“Is everyone ready?”

“Yes Sir!”

“Then let's begin the rescue.”

Then the squads connect to Wizard Drayson and Wizard Grayton. The wizards recite the transport spell. They disappear in a flash of light.

They fly down to the cargo holds. Wizard Drayson flies to the stern cargo hold. One of the knights shoots a sleep dart at the prince. He falls asleep immediately.

Then with a hand signal from Sir Camden, the rest of the wings begin to shoot freeze darts at the bombs they see.

They see the frost travel along the tube lines. Some go to the door way entrances, the floor boards, the ship's hull beams where other bombs are hidden. Some of them go into holes in wooden crates.

They shoot the freeze darts at the bombs in the aft cargo hold. They see the bombs, tubes, triggers and other traps get a coating of frost.

Wizard Drayson's wing appears in the cargo hold. There is no reaction from stepping on the floor boards. They tie up the bomb vest to a support beam above the prince.

Then three squad members connect hand to shoulder to the prince and Wizard Drayson again. He recites the transport spell, and they disappear in a blink of an eye. They fly to the cannon deck. The rest of the squad members begin to dismantle the bombs.

Two other wings appear in cargo holds. They begin to dismantle the bombs. They carry the pieces up to the cannon deck and stack them neatly in one area of the deck.

Wizard Drayson appears on the deck with the prince. The squad members help lay him down really easy and turn him on his side.

Wizard Drayson kneels above him and recites the spell to remove the smoke pellet. He does successfully and sends it outside the ship where it explodes in a puff of smoke. He recites another spell to wake up the prince.

“Yawnnn . . . That was some nap. I could have sworn I saw my great-grandfather.”

The men laugh.

“What did he say?”

He said, “What are you doing here? It's not your time.”

“I told him that I was helping our forces to save Twainor.”

Then he said, “you better get back and finish your training.”

The men laugh some more.

“So, I'm back. How did it go?”

“It's a success. You’ll live to see another day.”

“That's great. You better contact Sir Palinar.”

“Yes, Prince Telurein.”

Sir Rance takes out his contact crystal with his left hand. He puts his right hand above and recites the spell. Soon the image of Sir Palinar appears above it.

“How did it go, Sir Rance?”

“It's a success, Sir Palinar. The prince is alive and well. We had a surprise attack as well.”

“That's very good. Go and wake up the ship's crew. We'll have the water break now. Then we have time to do two more scenarios afterwards.”

“Yes sir. We also gathered up the water bombs and other related equipment. It's on the cannon deck.”

“Thank you, Sir Rance. Leave it there.”

“You're welcome. What are the time and tally so far?”

“The prince's rescue took a quarter-mark plus a third. There are still two more rescues to go. No one has … ahem . . . died yet.”

“Thank you, sir. See you soon.”

The image disappears above his crystal. He puts it away in one of his pockets. “Okay, let's get the ship crew awake men.”

“Yes Sir Rance.” They all turn around and walk throughout the ship. They recite the spell to wake them up.

Sir Halgren, Prince Telurein, his escort and I walk up the stairs to get up to the top deck. We see Sir Palinar there talking to Sir Braxton via the crystal sphere.

We wait until they get done talking. Then the image disappears. Sir Palinar turns around see us there waiting for him.

“Congratulations, you're still alive.”

“Yes they are, Sir Palinar. The wings did an excellent job of working together.”

“That they did , Sir Halgren.”

“We'll be having our water break now. The next two scenarios will be more complicated this time. ”

“Will I get the chance to practice some more with the river stones and a sling?”

“Yes you will, Richard. You'll be doing that while the scenarios take place.”

“How complex will it be, Sir Palinar?”

“I can't say anything now. Not until the wings return to the ships in the bay, Prince Telurein.”

“That's fair.”

Soon the wings and some of the ship's crew appear on the top deck. They gather before the wheel deck looking up at us.

“That’s very good , men. Wings, you can go back to the ships in the bay. There will be two more scenarios after the water break.”

“I've been informed by Sir Braxton that all hostages are rescued safely.”

The men cheer at the news.

“However, the last one was saved just before she could get wet. Yes, Lady Thelina was not happy about it.”

Some of the men give a few light chuckles so as not to be heard loudly.

“Wings and Windover crews you're dismissed to get ready for the next scenario.”

“Yes, Sir!” They shout together.

The squads connect to their wizard. The wizard recites the transport spell and they disappear in a flash of light. The ship crew goes down below to get ready for the next scenario and have their water break.

Then Wizard Thaygard appears on the deck. “Good, you're here. We need to get back to the flag ship. Please connect with me.”

“Yes, Thaygard.”

The four of us connect to him hand to shoulder. He recites the transport spell. We disappear in a blink of an eye. We see the rest of the wings flying back to the ships docked in the bay.

As we get closer to the flag ship, I see a group of people on the top deck like before. We appear in a blink of an eye. We're greeted by them when they see us.

“Welcome back aboard Richard, Prince Telurein and escorts.”

“Thank you, Sir Braxton.”

“You can all go down below. You'll see the other hostages and their escorts there as well. Richard, can we have a word with you before you have your water break?”

“Sure, go ahead Prince Telurein. I'll see you in the galley there.”

“No problem.” He turns and leaves with his escort.

Sir Halgren stays on the deck, but near me.

“So, what's this about, Sirs?”

“There is something we noticed while our forces were doing the practice runs to the Twin Moons and back.”

“When we're in the Ethereal Space up there, we discovered we can't talk to each other. We had to rely on hand signals.”

“Well, you've discovered there is no air in the black space. You need air for sound to be heard. If you were to disconnect from a wizard, you would die quickly from the vacuum of space.”

“See, I told you we had to rely on hand signals.”

“You're right, Sir Krellen. So how are we to know when to get on board the star ship if we can't speak? We need some sort of signal from it some how.”

“Let me think for a moment. Hmm . . . since we agree that it's a good possibility
I'll be found here because I'm wearing the medallion.”

“Yes.”

“If Sir Halgren is with me, we'll be there first when we get transported up there. Hopefully, we can hold that room until I make it safe by accessing their computers. Has the star ship been getting bigger as it gets closer?”

“Yes it has, Richard.”

“There might be some running lights on the outside hull of the ship.”

“Come to think of it, I have seen them. We'll take a closer look tonight to verify it. I think I know what you're going to do Richard.”

“Yes, Sir Braxton. I should be able to display a series of lights flashing a certain sequence.”

“We'll finalize that tonight. Thank you, Richard.”

“You're welcome, Sirs.”

We bow our heads to each other, then all of us including Sir Halgren and I turn around to walk down to the galley.

We get inside the galley and see there is a good size crowd already. The galley is half filled. I see two seats available near Prince Telurein and others. He waves to us to come over.

Sir Halgren and I walk over and sit at the empty places on the bench.

An ensign comes walking over to us with two mugs of cold water. He places them down in front of us.

We take a few sips from our mugs. We discover the water is cold and refreshing.

Some hostages and escorts get up for their benches and walk over and sit near us.
We nod our heads to each other in acknowledgment.

“I hear there are two more scenarios. Each one is getting more difficult.”

“So did I. Why are they doing this, Richard?”

We continue drinking from our mugs while we talk to each other.

“They're trying to prepare the men for anything. The enemy might do anything so that they can escape.”

“Remember Princess Thelina, there will be real bombs up there. They have to be ready for anything.”

“If they find Richard with that medallion, he needs to be ready to help our forces.”

“That's right, Sir Hegarth. It will be bad enough when the air fighters arrive here. I've provided a lot of ideas and information to them. This will help the dragons and the ground forces to have a chance to defeat them Thelina and Elena.”

“It's going to take everybody to work together. My father with the dwarves on Nevidre has made plans to house the people from the island kingdoms around us.”

“If I had not come, Twainor would not know what to do. This star ship would continue its murderous ways until a world is smart and strong enough to stop them.”

“But, then we discovered it's really two people up there who are the real enemy. The Maker has helped us to learn how to defend ourselves better.”

“They could have sent those huge rocks at the edge of our star system to destroy us, but they did not.”

“Yes, Sir Corce, we must trust that Richard's idea will work to get our forces on that star ship. We must bring the fight to them.”

“I'm . . . I'm sorry, Richard. Seeing you here tells me that we have a chance to save ourselves. Forgive me, because of my doubt.”

“You're forgiven, Princess Thelina. Remember the people will be looking to the royalty and military to help keep them calm.”

“If they see fear, Princess, they will be afraid as well. You don't want to see the people become a riotous mob.”

“You're right, Prince Telurein. Now I know why my father chose me for this. I've become too comfortable in the castle. It's one thing to be part of the royal court, hoping to snare a handsome prince or knight. But to see our people to run in fear from an unknown enemy is another problem.”

“You have learned one more lesson of many my Lady. We all have lessons to learn.”

We all smile at her. Some of the other ladies hold her hand and give it a slight squeeze to reassure her. She smiles back.

“Sir Corce, I have a question. Are the eleven escorts planning to be on the star ship?”

“We are, Richard. After our forces start securing the levels, we'll be there to stand by their side once they are found and released.”

“I was just wondering. Yes, it will good for their morale to see a familiar face.”

“Yes, it will be good to see them again.”

Then we see the Legion Commanders stand up. We begin to stand up, but they motion for us to stay seated.

“No need to get up. We need Richard and Sir Halgren. It will be awhile until the ships are ready. We've decided to put four hostages on each ship for the next two scenarios.”

“There will be some new triggers they want to try.”

“Yes, Sirs. Call us when you're ready.”

“We will, Prince Telurein.”

Sir Halgren and I get up and walk up the flights of stairs with the Legion Commanders. We get to the top deck and enter in another door. I see we're in the Captain's Quarters under the wheel deck.

“Richard, there is a new trigger we want to try and make it better. On one of the ships a light crystal with a paper tube was focused on the bomb.”

“Yes, that's a good one, Sirs. We have those on Earth as well. Sure I can help you with a typical set up.”

“Thank you, Richard.”

“You're welcome. Using the crystal and the tube is the easy part. It's the other end of the light beam is where you need the trigger.”

“How would that work?”

“Here's an example. Have a light beam focus on a water bomb. Have a detection spell on it. Everything is okay with the light beam on it. Once there is a block on the beam, the water bomb goes off.”

“What about using mirrors to change a path?”

“That's even better. You will need the path of all of the light beams to make it complex. I've seen random patterns and angles to make it very difficult. If the power is turned off, the bombs can still activate.”

“So our men must still freeze the bombs first before making an entrance. Then it's safe to enter a room.”

“I've seen it used just to detect a presence in a hallway that leads to something valuable or even a gas to put someone to sleep. Once they are set off, weapons get turned on to kill or wound the intruder.”

“They will need to use some fine dust in a bag to carry along just in case.”

“That's a good idea Sir Halgren. I'll mention that and see if they can figure out why they need it.”

“Thank you both. Check in with the Weapons Master on the cannon deck below here. He'll have some targets for you. The healer on board will help you learn some new spells as well.”

“Thank you, sirs. I look forward to hearing the results of the next two scenarios.”

“That you will, Richard. We'll check in on you later.”

Sir Halgren and I nod our heads before them. They respond likewise.

Sir Halgren and I leave the Captain's Quarters. We open a door and walk down the flights of stairs to the cannon deck to begin our lessons on using the sling.

~~~000~~~

The Legion Commanders get out their contact crystals to talk with the wings and get them ready for the next set of scenarios. Looking at the images above their contact crystals in the Captain's Quarters they discuss what happened.

“Okay men, what did we learn during this last scenario?”

“It was a lot more complex. We had to use our wizards to scout out the ship.”

“Yes, we had to know on which level the hostages were located. Once we knew that, it was easier to focus on the ship's crew.”

“Once that was done, we could think more clearly on rescuing the hostage. We were able to shoot a sleep dart at her.”

“How did you get the hostages free?”

“We used the idea of creating a freeze dart. We froze the entire floor.”

“What did you do, Sir Rance?”

“The wizards were able to take us into the Ethereal Space. We shot sleep and freeze darts from there. We did that until it was safe to appear.”

“I like that,” replies a knight.

“So do I.”

“Why didn't we think of that?”

“Okay, okay men. You learned something new. Keep that in mind. Now we have two more scenarios. These will be the toughest yet.”

“That's right, Sir Krellen. We've created a new problem for you. Instead of two hostages on each ship, there will be four on each ship.”

“The only clue we’re going to tell you is this. You better have the last thing in your pockets when it's empty.”

“You have until the top of the next mark. The ships are getting it ready for you. Good luck men.”

The image disappears above the crystal spheres of the knights and warriors.

“Well, this is a new scenario. Now we have four hostages to worry about.”

“What did he mean about our pockets?”

Everybody starts thinking about. Some of them put their hands into their pockets,
some pull out nothing. Some take out a light crystal.

“What did you pull out of your empty pocket, Sir Norston?”

“I just pulled out some cloth lint.”

“I know what it is. That's not lint, that's dust.”

“Yes, we need dust with us for this next scenario.”

“Yes, I remember in the beginning of training for this. We had some smoke in the air to see the light beams.”

“Yes, this was needed so we can practice the light angles reflecting off our armor.”

“So this time there will be light beam triggers and traps for the water bombs. We definitely need to be careful where we walk.”

“We can generate the smoke easily as we go through the ship.”

“But, if we do this on the star ship, it might reveal our presence.”

“But, smoke is better than dust. They will think it's a fire if it has a burnt smell to it.”

“That's possible, Wizard Manthion, but having a bag of dust is nice to have just is case if you're not around.”

“Okay, we need to be wary of this type of light beam. It's different from the hand held weapons that Richard described.”

“Now it's more hostages, more traps, triggers and bombs. They're really making sure we can do this sirs.”

“It's better we do this now. It will give us the confidence we need if we come across something unexpected or similar.”

“We have some time, let's get some freeze darts ready.”

“How many of us have a bag of dust with us?”

The squad members check their pockets. They discover at least two members from each squad have a bag of dust.

“We'll each need to have one before we go to bed tonight.”

“That sounds good, Wizard Drayson. Let's go over our plan one more time.”