The Summer Vacation
Chapter 6
By Rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

Within a quarter-mark of the noon repast, the eleven commanders begin to show up on the field near the bell-mounted pedestal with their wizards. In tow with the wizards are their respective commanders, captains, sergeants and dwarf warrior leaders. They begin to talk among themselves as they wait for the others.

“I’m curious about what Sir Trenton has for us. I don’t know how we are going to fight them.”

“That’s why their Outside Helper showed up. For some reason ours didn’t. Just be glad at least one showed up at all.”

“I agree, Sir Paladin.”

Sir Trenton speaks up when he sees all eleven Kingdoms represented. “Welcome, friends. We have a tent set up for our noon repast. Let me introduce my military staff.”

“These are my Army and Navy commanders, Lieutenants, captains, sergeants and dwarf leaders. Then we have Master Wizard Renard and our Outside Helper Richard Moore. Richard spotted the star ship as he arrived here after we contacted him.”

Everybody present claps their hands and thanks me.

I nod my head and smile, “You’re welcome.”

“Come let us partake of the noon repast. Afterwards we’ll have the demonstration of the exercises.”

We all walk together toward the North side of the castle. We see a large tent set up near the training grounds and pavement. When we walk inside, we see Master Chef Beharn, servers and attendees standing in a line along one side of the tent.

“Instead of sitting by kingdom, we will group by position. That should be easier in relating to your peers and exchanging information with the latest news from the other kingdoms.”

“Richard, we have a seat for you with the Legion Commanders.”

“Thank you, Sir Trenton.”

Then everyone walks around and begins to group themselves together according to the signs posted on the tables. They greet each other with hands to the shoulders, smiles, jokes and laughter.

Everybody sits down except Renard and Sir Trenton. I’m sitting between Sir Krellen and Sir Paladin.

Sir Trenton speaks up, “Good afternoon, Twainor.”

“Good afternoon,” everyone responds at once.

“We’ll begin with Renard giving Thanks to the Maker.”

Everyone gets quiet.

“Maker, we just want to thank you for another day here on your world. We are thankful the call for the Outside Helpers is a success. Even though just one showed up, we’re thankful that he came. Give us the perseverance to defend your world and creation. It is a precious gem among the heavens. We thank you for this food we are about to partake. May it give us the strength so we can perform mighty deeds that will be sung in our halls, fortresses and castles forever? Thank you, Maker.”

“Thank you, Maker,” everyone responds at once.

Renard sits down while Sir Trenton remains standing. “We have a lot to show you this afternoon. There are going to be stations set up where you will group by kingdoms. I will sound the bell once for the warning. When the bell sounds twice that will be your signal to move another station. You will be at each station for a quarter-mark at least. After the demonstrations you can ask questions. Remember this is just the beginning of training. As Richard provides us more information, we'll adjust the training accordingly.”

“The ultimate goal is to select one hundred from each of the kingdoms. Since this star ship will be similar to our sea vessels, those groups of one hundred will come together for further training on our sea vessels. Hopefully, Richard will find a way for us to bring the fight to them before they start destroying our beloved star system.”

“We don’t know when they will be here, but we must begin now. We will watch them every night with our Seeing Stones. Richard doubts they will be here in two days; it could be seven or fourteen days.” Sir Trenton turns and faces the chef. “Master Chef Beharn, you may begin to serve us.”

“Thank you, Sir Trenton.” He smiles and bows to him

The servers and attendees bow as well. The servers turn and follow Master Chef Beharn in a single file back to the kitchens in the castle. The attendees begin by serving their drinks and ales. Everyone begins a dull roar of conversation as we wait for our food to be served.

Sir Trenton sits down and joins in the conversations. My brain gets picked as I try to answer their questions. Sir Trenton smiles as he sees that I try to handle the pressure.

“We thank the Maker when you told us you saw the star ship on the edge of our star system. You’re going to the caves tomorrow morning?”

“I am, Sir Krellen. I will probably be going with Renard and Trianna very early in the morning, several marks before dawn from here.”

“That’s good. We all hope the discovery will be successful.”

“Richard, what weapons do you think will be on this ship?”

The commanders get quiet to hear my response.

“I think they will have light weapons.”

“Light weapons? How can light hurt you?”

“We have a couple of demonstrations that will show it for you ,Sir Jakan. It will be easy for you to recreate the experience when you get back to your legions.”

While we’re talking, the servers bring out the first course. A salad with various nuts and cold vegetables with a lightly spiced green oil drizzled on top.

We all try to eat and drink while we’re talking among ourselves.

“I was present in my King’s chamber when you gave your report, Richard. We were all dismayed that an enemy could do such an evil thing.”

“I agree, Sir Elion. Apparently the Maker made sure I saw the path of destruction it made, as I came here. I saw several star systems totally destroyed. If we don’t stop them here, they will get stronger. If they were to come to my world, there might be a chance to stop them. There is a phrase that we have. We must take care of the problem, the sooner the better.”

“I agree, Richard, the sooner the better. We were surprised that you were the only one to show up.”

“I was surprised too. It would be nice if some of the other ones were here like Evrat. He would be great with his ideas on weapons.”

“Yes, he would, Richard. So what can you do to get the advantage?”

“Well Sir Paladin, most star ships of this size will have computers on board. It is their type of machine magic. These machines control many functions to keep the ship safe. So by going on the scout ship, I hope to discover their weakness so we can exploit it to our advantage.”

“How would you do that?”

“I’ll try to keep it simple for you. Take for instance the structure of your legion. You have various positions among you. Each person is doing a job to see that it gets done in a timely manner. When you are at sea and there are breaks in the hull, what happens next?”

“We start receiving information from our leadership to determine the severity. Then we act on it. Usually the special partition doors will seal off that compartment.”

“Well, that works the same way via these machines. There are sensors that send signals to the captain and he sees a light display on a panel. He still gets first hand information from his people under him. He can send a command to have those doors close remotely without anyone doing anything. If I can get control of the computers, I can close the doors with our own set of commands.”

“That’s incredible, Richard.”

“It is, but it takes electricity to do those tasks. If I can find a hole in their computer program, I can send in some commands of our own that will make the battlefield more equal. Disable their on board weapons, barrier shields, propulsion that makes their ship moves. Anything is possible.”

The servers come back and take our empty plates. We continue our talking and drinking while they bring the main course out.

“What’s interesting, my friends, is that we still need to do our hand to hand combat. Richard did remind us the goals will be the same. The bridge, the health center, leadership positions, weapons, etc. will need to be planned out.”

“Well at least some things have not changed concerning ships whether at sea or in space.”

We all give a short laugh or two. We then look down at the main dish and see that fish is served up for us. Beharn served up several different ways of the meal. The fish is broiled, grilled and roasted each with its own different spice grouping. This includes the vegetable selection as well. It is as if no two dishes are the same. We continue our conversations while we eat.

“The last time I was here, there was a meeting with the sea dragons at the Grand Gala Arena. I met Tarsi in King Tierion’s Council Chamber when I arrived here. That tells me a lot has happened since then.”

“It has, Richard. They have helped us tremendously with our fishing fleets. It was a little rough in the beginning. We were not sure how much to bring in. Once we begin to understand how the seas move and ebb, our fleets have been busy. No one has been idle.”

“The nice thing is this. The sea dragons give the sea captains news of any storms approaching. Then the wizard who is assigned with the fleet transports into the Ethereal Space. He can get high above the clouds to see the patterns. We have not lost a ship yet.”

“I remember Governor Drenan mentioning one of his ships is in dry dock. He said it was because of a storm.”

“The sea captain could not out race the storm. The storm was very fast moving. The ship suffered some spar and rudder damage. The sea dragons got word to the other ships in the fleet quickly. They were able to anchor together near an island for safety until the storm passed.”

“That’s good to know.”

“Richard, these light weapons, what kind of damage can they do?”

“It would be like a hot knife cutting into the skin. It can be very quick and painful. It will look like a hand-held weapon with a trigger.”

“What can we use to protect ourselves in battle?”

Sir Trenton smiles, I see it and smile with him. I then look around and give my answer.

“Light has a weakness. Light can be reflected.”

“I remember that from some of our mock battles. We used our shields to reflect the sun light back to the opponent’s face to blind them.”

“That’s right Sir Jakan. You will need to make sure your armor. Shields and swords are polished like a mirror. You need to see yourself smile in the reflection.”

The Legion Commanders laugh at the analogy. You can see the look in their faces as they begin to calculate and formulate strategies for the days ahead.

“Richard, what made you think this star ship will be like our sea vessels?”

Sir Trenton and I look at each other and begin to smile again, almost to the point of laughing. We keep it in check.

“I will ask the same questions that I gave Sir Trenton and his commanders. This star ship moves from star system to star system. What poetic words would you use to describe this movement?”

“Poetic words, what are you talking about?”

Sir Trenton is smiling wide, almost ready to burst out laughing. The other Legion Commanders give a quick look and see his smile. They turn back to me to hear my next question.

“Don’t you have stories and songs of your own sailing ships going from port to port around your world?”

“You mean to tell us it is like a sailing vessel that sails through the black space as it does on our seas?”

“Yes.”

Then Sir Trenton and I begin to laugh.

The other Legion Commanders laugh out loud as well when they get the picture in their minds. The rest of the people under the tent stop their conversations and look toward their Legion Commanders with smiles.

Someone speaks up in the crowd, “We’ll find out what the joke is eventually.”

Everybody else joins in the laughter. Then everybody goes back to their private discussions.

“That’s great, Richard. I love the idea.”

“That’s a perfect analogy.”

“I will need to remember that one.”

“Now I can see why we need to practice close quarter fighting.”

I get a slap on the back from Sir Paladin and Sir Krellen while they’re laughing.

“There will be some new rules to consider though when you are on board this star ship. There is no air to breathe outside the star ship.”

“How are we going to get inside the star ship Richard?”

“Do you remember how the wizards returned the Emissaries’ small space craft back to their main ship Sir Paladin?”

“Now I remember Sir Trenton. It took about six wizards. They transported it through the Ethereal Space.”

“That mean we can use our wizards to get our men there.”

“The only problem I see, they may have a barrier shield around their star ship to protect themselves.”

“Yes, that would be a problem, Richard.”

“If I can find their weakness, I can figure out how to turn that barrier shield off or anything else off.”

“Yes, that would be great, Richard.”

We all take some more bites from our meals. I can see the expressions in their faces as they try to figure out the next move.

From the destruction that I saw, this star ship must have the experience to be patient to investigate their next conquest. They don't want to come in blind and be unaware. That is why they sent the scout ship. They probably got nervous when they lost contact with the scout ship. I just hope that star ship doesn't do anything rash because of it. They could send out another scout ship. Either way we must begin preparation now.

Once we finished eating the main meal, the servers come out and take our plates. We continue our conversations while they bring out the fruit dessert.

“I have another question since I was here last. When we had the Regional Meetings here last year, what has become of that? Did the dwarves address those concerns that we found out?”

“They did Richard. King Thranton made sure there are no more secret enclaves against anybody. He also made sure those Builder and Designer dwarves use their talent to improve the explosive ordinances for everyone or anything else they create. Once they begin to see the benefit of sharing and helping everyone, their Under Kingdom has really prospered.”

“As far as the conspiracies that were uncovered. Ruald is still on the island. Draknor along with his two friends was dealt with. The fourth one was set free after some further investigation. They’re at the bottom of The Abyss shaft for the time being.”

“There was nothing new to discover after what we found at the bottom of The Abyss. Ruald just did not know about Ryujin the dragon living down there. Then the Master Wizard protected the bombs from exploding when the others were thrown down. The rest of the information was found on the correspondences that implicated Ruald and Draknor respectively.”

“The four dwarves that were found down there; were given a high honor by King Thranton when they were properly laid to rest. He made sure everyone knew what had transpired.”

“If Evrat is here, he would be impressed on how things turned out. How has it been here on Twainor after the Outside Helpers left? I would think there is a general improvement in health, safety and other attributes that would describe a vibrant and healthy world.”

“It has been a great improvement, Richard. The encounter with this star ship will be our first test with what we have learned and from you being here.”

“Even though we have learned our world better, this will be our biggest test. This is especially true for someone who wants to destroy us,” replies Sir Paladin.

The servers bring out the fruit desserts in bowls. We see that Beharn did the work for us in cutting and slicing the fruits. There is a collection of mixed fruits from our region in the bowls. Again each bowl appears to have a different combination to make them different.

We dive into the bowls with our spoons and forks. We laugh and enjoy the fruit creation that is presented for us. We had to wipe our chins and mouths occasionally to keep our clothes clean as much as possible from the juice drippings. I can hear the others elsewhere under the tent having the same problem we are. Everybody is enjoying the noon repast that is prepared for us. While we’re eating the fruit, we leave the seeds in the bowl to be taken care of later.

After awhile when we see that we are done, Sir Trenton stands up to address everyone attending.

“Will one of you please inform Master Chef Beharn that we are done? We wish to give him thanks for this wonderful noon repast.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.” One of the attendees leaves the tent and walks to the kitchens to tell Master Chef Beharn.

In a few moments, Master Chef Beharn, the cooks and servers come walking out. They line up along one side of the tent.

“Thank you, Master Chef Beharn. That was an excellent noon repast. I am sure it will give us the strength to do great and wonderful things today.”

Master Chef Beharn steps forward and bow his head slightly. “You’re welcome, Sir Trenton. It was an honor to serve Twainor’s finest military this day. All we ask is that you come back safely with victory from the battlefield so that we can serve you for years to come.”

“We hope and pray that we do. Thank you.” Sir Trenton claps his hands when he finishes speaking.

Everybody under the tent cheers and claps as well. Master Chef Beharn, the cooks, the servers and attendees all bow and smile.

“Come Twainor, let us go to the practice fields and we will show you what needs to be done to bring victory to the battlefield. We’ll meet first all together for the first demonstration at the stair case pavement. Your kingdom banners are set near there. Once you understand the concept of the light weapons then you will understand what the exercises are for.”

We all get up and leave the tent. I turn around and see Master Chef Beharn give the orders to begin the clean up of the tables, stacking the chairs and tables, etc. Then some of the knights come in and take those away to storage. The rest of the knights, who are assigned, will take down the tent, take it apart, fold it and store those pieces in the storage rooms.

We walk out to the stair case pavement where I had the demonstration with the Sir Trenton’s commanders and Renard earlier this morning.

Sir Trenton steps up the stairs so that everyone can see him. “My commanders, captains, sergeants and dwarf leaders will spread out among you. They will try to explain what the concepts are. If you ask a question that they cannot answer, Richard will be here to assist. By all means record these demonstrations to take back to your kingdoms.”

“So, let’s group by kingdom this time. I have set up the eleven banners for each of the kingdoms here. They are in a circle here on the grounds. Once that is done, then we’ll show the field exercises to help us bring victory. Remember that this is just the beginning. If you come up with a new idea back in your kingdoms, please share it with us so that we can all benefit. All right, let’s group by kingdom.”

Everybody starts walking to their own kingdom banner. Sir Trenton’s military staff, Renard and I stand in the center while they get themselves arranged.

“Each of you have a lens, small mirror, candle, light crystal, cloth and tube in your pockets?”

“We do, Sir Trenton.”

“Very good, go to your assigned kingdom. Richard will remain in the center here walking around. Please try to keep Richard in one piece if you want him at the same time.”

“That would be of great help, Sir Trenton.”

We all laugh together at the joke.

Sir Trenton’s military staff breaks apart and walks toward their assigned kingdom.

“This will be a good test on communication skills, Sir Trenton. I tried to keep it simple for the concepts.”

“Yes, you’re right, Richard. This will be a good test. Good communication is one of the keys needed to bring success and victory.”

Renard, Sir Trenton and I walk around to see and hear how it is proceeding. Sir Trenton assigned at least four members of his staff to each kingdom. He sees the kingdoms recording the sessions on their crystals.

I walk over to Eirecann Kingdom and listen to Sir Valmar as he tries to explain it.

“All right, the first step to understanding this concept is that I will use this lens and our sun to light this candle without using any magic at all.”

Everyone nods their head in agreement. Sir Valmar places the candle and cup on the ground. “I’ll need some room so as not to block the sun.” Some of them make some room around Sir Valmar.

Sir Valmar finds the focus length and point on the cup first. He does this by moving the lens close to the cup and sees the light circle get smaller. Once he sees the smallest point he adjusts the lens to move the light point to the wick. The wick smokes and bursts into a single flame.

“That’s incredible, where did this idea come from?”

“Do you remember some mornings with the dew on the field grass that fires would flare up sometimes after wards?”

“I remember some of those grass fires.”

“Well, those little droplets of water are acting like this lens.”

“I see.”

“How did you know where to put the lens?”

“I’ll show you that lens property. Pick up a handful of dirt and grass captain.”

The Eirecann Captain bends down and grabs a handful of dirt and grass.

“Now sprinkle it on this side of the lens slowly.” Sir Valmar points where he wants it sprinkled.

The captain slowly sprinkles the dirt and grass. They all see the two cones of light appear on the other side.

“We see it now. That is interesting.” The rest of the military staff in Eirecann Kingdom nods their heads in agreement.

“That it is captain. What I am looking for is the smallest point of light where the two cones meet.”

“What can we use to protect ourselves? I don’t think our sealing spells will stop that.”

“I heard that light can be reflected.”

“You’re both right on that idea. Let us demonstrate that for you.”

I smile to Sir Valmar and he smiles back. We both nod our heads together at the same time. I get a small round of applause from them.

“Thank you, Richard.”

“You’re welcome.”

I turn around and walk to another kingdom, which is Ringol Kingdom

“That’s disappointing to see that our sealing spells will not reflect that light or stop it.”

“I know. That is why you need a harder surface to reflect it. Here I’ll demonstrate with this mirror. Captain, you stand there to my right. Sergeant, please stand over here to my left. Now commander, please stand in front of me, but in between them.”

The three men arrange themselves as Sir Leland suggested.

“Now, if you will notice. The captain and the sergeant cannot see each other directly because their commander is in the way.”

“That’s right, Sir Leland.”

“But, if they were to look into the mirror here, I’m holding on my chest plate. They can see each other to get around their commander.”

They turn their heads and look at the mirror.

“Yes, I see him now.”

“Well this light weapon will behave the same way. Once it hits the surface, the light will reflect off this mirror and hit the captain.”

“Can this light weapon destroy that mirror if it is too strong?”

Sir Leland gives it some thought, he looks towards me when he can’t think of an answer, “Richard, can you answer that question?”

“Yes, I can Sir Leland. The mirror will break because it is made of thin glass. That particular glass is too weak against the light weapon. If you polish your shield, armor and sword like a mirror; then that will reflect the light beam away from you.”

Sir Kanoa, Legion Commander continues my thought. “You must see yourself smiling in the reflection after you polished it smooth. We have done that when we have our festivals.”

The rest of the group smiles and laughs at the idea.

“How do we know what angle to choose to reflect it away? I don’t want to hurt my friends in the cross fire Sir Leland.”

“This will take practice. We have some field exercises for that. Remember where the captain stood to see the sergeant in the mirror, to see around their commander?”

“I do.”

“Well that is the same angle. Here let me demonstrate with this tube and light crystal.”

The Thryson dwarf warrior leader places a light crystal at one end of the tube. He recites the light spell. He aims the light beam on to a captain’s breast plate. They look around to see where the light circle reflected to. They see it on the shirt of a sergeant nearby in their group.

“That’s interesting. Yes, it will take some practice to know where everybody is at in a room or a hall way.”

I smile and nod my head at Sir Leland and his assistants. They smile and nod back. The rest of Ringol Kingdom claps their hands and said, “Thank you, Richard.”

“You’re welcome, my friends.”

I turn around and walk to another kingdom which is Correlle Kingdom.

I see Sir Krellen smiling as I come near.

“Well, we come to the last part of the concept demonstration,” announced by Sir Carsen. “Each of you will pass your hand underneath this lens. You will need to put this cloth around your hand to momentarily protect yourself. Once you feel the pain, please jerk your hand away. I have done it myself, so I know how painful it can be.”

“Richard, you said it is like a hot knife that cuts through the skin.”

“That’s right, Sir Krellen.”

The rest of Correlle Kingdom looks at each other in wonderment at what that meant. One by one they place their hand underneath the lens as shown. Once the light circle becomes a small point, they see the cloth begin to smoke and burn. They jerk their hand away quickly once they feel the pain. Each of them screams in pain.

We all hear everybody else at the rest of kingdom stations scream as well when they experience the pain.

“Ouch, you’re right. It is painful. I wish we can create a weapon that will do that.”

Sir Carsen looks at me for the answer.

“I don’t know if it can be built in time. It will take time to experiment. But usually it takes a large amount of electrical power to create the light beam with lenses and certain gases. Usually electricity is involved in doing this; these hand-held weapons will have it stored in them.”

“That means our Ethereal Space will prevent us from doing that. Can our light crystals do this Richard?” He is still rubbing his hand. He even blows on it to cool it down from time to time.

“I don’t think so, Sir Krellen. Even if a light crystal that is glowing brightly as much as possible, it will still not be enough to do damage. Except that you can dazzle somebody in the eyes to blind them momentarily. You can still use your sleep darts. I don’t know if the sleep spell will work on the star ship yet.”

“Well that is something to consider for a quick advantage when pressed.”

“Yes it would be, Sir Krellen.”

“Well, that concludes the basic concepts that Richard gave us.”

“Thank you, Richard.”

The rest of the group claps as well.

“You’re welcome. If I know Sir Trenton, the next part of the demonstration will really test your mettle and endurance.”

“That’s nothing Richard. I’ve been through Sir Krellen’s drills before. They’re nothing compared to Sir Trenton’s drills.”

I don’t hear Sir Trenton until he speaks. He walks up behind me when he heard that remark.

“Don’t be so sure, captain. When you see what we have prepared; you will be breathless wishing for a breather.”

We all laugh together when we hear that comment.

“Richard, I have a question for you that was asked to me.” We start walking back to the center of the circle. He picks up the mallet and hits the bell once. “Bong!”

“Sure, what is the question? I also answered Sir Krellen’s question as well that you will need to hear.”

“Is there a way to see this light beam being reflected off our shields to see where it goes while we do the practice?”

“I think there is a way. It might be very simple. Can the wizards create a very light fog that won’t get blown away? The light beam from the tube can reflect off those little water droplets suspended in the air. If not, try some smoke, it will do the same thing. The results will be like what I showed with the dirt and grass behind the lens.”

“That’s a good idea. If we get a windy day, we can do that practice in a large tent or one of our buildings.”

“Yes, you will also have the hall ways and corridors as you go from room to room as well.”

“Thank you Richard. I knew you would come up with the solution.”

“You’re welcome.”

“What did Sir Krellen asked you?”

“He wanted to know if we can make our own light weapons.”

“I don’t think we’ll have the time to do it.”

“I don’t think so either. It will take manufacturing skills, some of my classes that I have taken in understanding of some gases and using electrical power.”

“You’re right Richard. Our Ethereal Space prevents us from working with electricity safely.”

“I did mention to Sir Krellen the light crystals can be used to temporarily dazzle someone in the eyes for a distraction.”

“Yes, that can work when needed.”

Sir Trenton and I stand in the center of the circle. Sir Trenton looks around to see if everyone is done. He picks up the mallet and hits the bell twice. “Bong!” “Bong!” Everyone stops and looks toward the center.

“Well, I see that everyone is done with the basic concepts that Richard provided. We should thank him for being here.”

Everybody claps and cheers as they gather around.

“Thank you!”

“Thank the Maker you came!”

On and on it went. Some come up and shake my hand or put a hand onto my shoulder. They quiet down when I put my hand up.

“You’re welcome, friends. You’re welcome. After Sir Trenton gets done with you today, you might think otherwise.”

Everybody around me laughs at the joke.

“Well said, Richard. Come let us go over to the practice field. We have the stations set up for you to observe. We chose one hundred for this demonstration only. After wards they will assist my military staff to begin training the rest of our legion. There are six stations that we have set up. So we’ll have two kingdoms per station except for the last one. All you have to do is follow one of my commanders and captains that gave you the concept demonstration. Just listen to the sounding of the bell as I mentioned earlier when it is time to change stations.”

Sir Trenton looks at everyone around him and smiles.

“All right, let’s get busy.”

Everyone breaks apart. The eleven kingdoms follow their respective Thryson leaders and walk toward the six stations. I stay behind with Renard and Sir Trenton. Once Sir Trenton sees that everybody is where they need to be, he picks up the mallet and strikes the bell twice. “Bong!” “Bong!”

“You may begin with the demonstrations now.”

We walk around and look at seeing what they have set up at the stations. “Is this anything you might expect, Richard?”

“It is not really different, Sir Trenton. It is very similar back on Earth. If you lose your shield, you look around to see what you could use to help protect yourself. Those sleep darts can really turn the tables. You just need a clear shot to get them.”

We both walk over to the shield position drill. We see the knights advancing past a wooden wall with door openings and hallways. They stop and freeze several times. Then the knights would get shot at with arrows and the light beams from the tubes.

“Let’s introduce the smoke and see if they are using shields the right way.”

“Sure.”

Sir Trenton walks up and interrupts the shield position practice. They come to a stop when he approaches.

“You are doing very good, men. Now let’s see if you are doing it right. Richard gave me an idea to see if you’re reflecting the arrows and light beams the right way.”

He turns to Wizard Branxon. “Wizard Branxon, can you please introduce a light fog or a smoky haze and keep it still here? Fortunately the wind is very still at this moment.”

“Yes, I can do that. Tell me when to stop.” Wizard Branxon places his hands outward and concentrates on the space in front of him. He recites the smoke spell. Soon we see the area in front of us become smoky.

Sir Trenton looks at me to confirm how thick the smoke should be.

“You can stop now.”

“That should be thick enough so that we can see the results.”

Wizard Branxon stops the spell and concentrates to keep the smoke in place. It's a very light hazy smoke. The visibility distance is about five hundred feet on Earth.

“Now let’s try that again, men. Now pay attention to the light beam as it hits your shield, armor or sword. Look out for the man in front of you or near you as you advance forward.”

“Yes sir,” they all respond at once.

The archers send the arrows towards the knights. The arrows bounce off the shields and fall harmlessly to the floor or stick into the wooden wall. Some of the arrows bounce in the direction of other knights and hit their leg or back side. They adjust their positions and shields during the next round. They did a better job of deflecting it away from their fellow knights. They come to a stop when done.

“Very good, you’re learning fast. Now let’s do it with the light beams and see if you're right. Go back to the beginning. Then run to the position where you want to be.”

The knights go back. They run forward at their captain’s command. They rearrange themselves to make the advance.

“All right, now freeze. Captain, aim the light beam where you want to, lets see if they got it right.”

The Captain aims the light beam at a knight one at a time. They see the light beam appear in the smoky haze. They see the path as it strikes the shield or part of their armor. The light beam reflects in several directions depending on where he points the tube from his position. Some of the light beams hit the floor or reflect back to the shooter. Some of the beams hit a fellow knight on the back side, arm or leg. The other kingdoms murmur among themselves as they see the results. They agree this is a very good method to iron out the details.

“Now you see why are you’re learning these skills, knights. Now slowly adjust your body or shield position so as not to hit your fellow knight.”

The knights adjust their bodies and shields as commanded.

“All right, very good, knights; now run forward to the next position and see if you get the next position right.”

The knights advance forward to their next position and freeze. The Captain aims the light tube at the knights. None of the beams hit their fellow knights this time. Most are aimed to the floor or back at the shooter.

“That’s very good. Now let’s do it without the shields and use your swords and armor this time.”

The knights get up and walk back to the beginning of the wooden wall partition set up. There are openings for doors and hallways intermittently spaced. They put their shields on the ground.

This time it proved to be harder to judge the angle. The knights did the same advancement as before. They come to a stop and freeze in their positions. This time the light beams hit their body and leg armor more often than the swords. But they did learn how to position themselves more effectively on the next run through of the drill.

The other kingdoms present there clap their hands and cheer when they see the results of this drill. The knights stand down and walk forward in a row in front of them.

“Sir Trenton, I think we can outfit our knights with a smaller shield for the forearms if they were to lose the main shield.”

“Yes, that is a good idea, Sir Paladin. We still need to have them armed with the sleep darts, metal stars and knives for backup weapons.”

“I agree, Sir Trenton. I really like this shield position drill.”

“Are there any other questions or statements you can ask them?”

“I do. When you first started doing this, did you know how to position the shield in the beginning?”

One of the knights steps forward and bows his head toward the one who asked the question. “Not at first, sir. I was looking to see where the arrows bounced, then see where the light beam reflected. If I didn’t see a light circle on my friend, I knew he was safe. But, now in seeing the path of the light beam, I'm now able to adjust myself to make a better decision.”

The knight steps back in line. Sir Trenton smiles at the knight and nods his head. The knight returns the smile and nods his head as well.

“Well it’s time to ring the bell and move onto the next station.”

Wizard Branxon ends the smoke spell and clears it out to get ready for the next group. Arrows are picked up and retrieved by the archers.

They begin to talk among themselves. Sir Trenton and I walk back to the bell. He picks up the mallet and strikes it once. “Bong!” Everyone quiets down. “All right finish up your questions and answers. When I ring it twice; walk to the next station please.”

The kingdoms continue talking among themselves in their group.

“That went well, Sir Trenton.”

“Yes it did, Richard. Thanks for the idea of using smoke to see the light beam path.”

“You’re welcome.”

Sir Trenton looks around and sees that the question and answers are finished. He strikes the bell with the mallet two times. “Bong!” “Bong!” The kingdoms start following their assigned Thryson commander or captain to the next station.

This time Sir Trenton and I walk toward the hand to hand combat area. Most of what I see is the typical hand to hand combat and taking them down.

“Sir Trenton, can I see how they disarm someone with a hand-held weapon? I would think with the armor reflecting the light beam it might cause the shooter to think twice that his opponent is not going down. He might aim elsewhere.”

“That’s a good point, Richard.” They come to a stop when they see him come forward. “Men, now let’s try it with the hand-held tube weapon.” Sir Trenton walks up to the group. He whispers to one of the knights with a light tube. He nods his head up and down. Sir Trenton steps back among the observers.

Some of the men pick up the light tube weapon and points at the rushing knights. The knights rush forward. The shooter points his weapon at various places on the knight. Then one of them points it toward his face. The knight raises his hand toward his eyes to shield himself. He gets distracted and gets taken down. Some of the other knights were successful in disarming the shooter of the light tube weapon. Some of the shooters brought out a knife for a backup weapon.

“All right men, stop. Tell us what has happened?”

The knights in the demonstration stand up and arrange themselves in a line in front of us.

“Everyone was able to disarm the shooter except one.”

“What is the solution here to prevent that?”

The two kingdoms look at each other and try to guess how to prevent that.

A knight steps forward. “I need some help in shielding my eyes effectively sir.”

Sir Trenton looks to me. “Do you have any ideas, Richard?”

“There are a couple of ideas. The first one is the helmet. Where you have the eye openings? Put a thin heat tempered glass plate covering mounted there. It should be glazed with a thin gold film, but you can still see through it. That should lessen the intensity of the light beam or the direct sunlight when you are in space waiting to get on board the star ship. You can have it designed that it can flip up or down when needed.”

“Why use gold, Richard?”

“It is one of the few metals that are soft to hammer with. It won’t take much gold to create the film layer. It has a unique property of blocking most of the harmful rays of energy that can cause blindness. Your sun will emit other energy rays besides light and heat.”

The other Legion Commanders agree to be extra safe.

“That’s good, Richard. That way we can still use our hands and not be distracted. Is there anything else needed?”

“Do you remember the breast and back plate that was made for me?”

“I do, Richard. We’ll make sure the metal mesh padding is underneath the armor for extra protection as well. That includes arms and legs.” Sir Trenton then looks at his knights. “All right, knights. Continue with the demonstration.”

Sir Trenton and I turn and walk to the center again. He lets them continue until the half mark is done. He picks up the mallet and strikes the bell once. “Bong!”

“What is the next demonstration Sir Trenton?”

He looks around and sees for himself. “It will be the obstacle and endurance test.”

“That sounds breath taking.” I smile at him.

Sir Trenton smiles back, “Yes it is breath taking. I have also combined it with the arrows and light beam test along with a goal to achieve.”

“Yes, that should be interesting.”

Sir Trenton strikes the bell twice this time. “Bong!” “Bong!” Everyone moves to another station.

Sir Trenton and I walk over to the obstacle course. At several stops along the course, four knights and a dwarf come to a stop. They put up their shields and shoot their sleep darts at several dummies. Near a dummy is another knight with the light tube and several archers.

The group of four knights and a dwarf begin the obstacle course by doing several jumps over logs and running through rope lattices on the ground. They come to a check point and get into position. The archers begin shooting at the knights in their defensive positions. The knights with light tubes aim their beams at the rushing group. A wizard nearby creates some smoke in the air. The knights and dwarf check their angles and correct their positions; once everyone is cleared they run forward to another part of the obstacle course.

This time they run forward toward a ‘T’ intersection and are caught in a cross fire from both sides. They put their shields up and form a small tight circle. They shoot their sleep darts again as before. Most of them hit their target, but some do not. You can hear them grumble when they missed. The light beams appear again to check their positions. The smoke appears and all of the knights and dwarf are in good position and no one gets ‘hurt’ in the process when the light beams are aimed at them.

The signal is given, then the group takes the imaginary hallway down the right. They open the door and encounter another empty ‘hallway’. The two kingdoms can see this as they proceed slowly forward. They walk in carefully, staying on guard. Then from small openings in various locations on both sides of the wall, light beams appear to cross the hallway. The knights and dwarf put up their shield to protect themselves. The smoke appears again to check their positions. This time most of the light beams that are reflected off is hitting some of the knights. They correct themselves as they advance forward.

Once they clear the hallway, they open another door and enter into a half-room. They take command of the room and anyone else that is in there. They relax when they hear the command from the captain in charge, “Clear, stand down.”

The knights come forward and stand in a line in front of the observers. The four knights and dwarf who ran the obstacle are standing and breathing a bit hard.

The two kingdoms clap their hands for a job well done.

I look toward to Sir Trenton. “That’s very good, sir. I like it a lot.”

“I knew you would.”

“I need to add a comment here for everyone’s benefit.”

“That would be greatly appreciated, Richard.”

I step forward to address those who are here. They get quiet to hear me. “There is one thing to remember about this star ship. I was told the largest sea vessel that you have can hold five hundred men.”

“Yes that is right, Richard.”

“Well imagine a ship that can hold at least five times that. The corridors are longer, more doorway openings, more intersections and more levels. It is going to take organization and communication for each squad and their duties. How many squads you put together will determine how swift you can take command of the star ship. If there are ten levels with two thousand people that’s an average two hundred people on each level. They could have several weapon rooms on different floors for example. In addition, there could be a second Command Bridge as back up if the main one is taken.”

“I see what you mean, Richard. It might take several squads to take command of a level effectively. We do not want to put our men at a disadvantage by underestimating them. We need to get our men to increase their endurance like doing runs with their gear on before tackling the obstacle courses.”

The two kingdoms agree that it is not wise to underestimate their forces and their capabilities. The two kingdoms thank us for this demonstration. Sir Trenton and I walk to the center again; Wizard Renard joins us this time. Sir Trenton strikes the bell once. “Bong!”

“Thank you for that reminder, Richard, on how large this star ship is.”

“Twainor must have no delusions on how big this star ship is. As big as our Maker’s Creation is, people will try to build a fleet of star ships to do the impossible and conquer their corner of galaxy or maybe all of it.”

“Well whatever their reasons are, but this one in particular must be stopped. We must hope they don’t have a fleet waiting somewhere.”

“I agree, Renard.”

Sir Trenton picks up the mallet and strikes the bell twice. “Bong!” “Bong!” Everyone moves to their next station.

“Well, that makes three demonstrations so far. What is the next one?”

“The sleep darts practice. I have also included the use of the sleep spell; just in case we can do it on board the star ship.”

“That sounds interesting.”

We walk forward to another part of the demonstration area. We see the knights using the sleep darts mounted on their wrists. They aim and fire the darts at various objects. Some of the objects are moving, some are in difficult positions requiring precise aim to get a part of a dummy that is exposed.

Then they practice their sleep spell at various distances from each other. Then they revive each other with no ill effect. Then they go back again to where the objects are located. This time the objects have been repositioned for different angles to aim at. They do this for several cycles. They hear the command from a captain overseeing the exercise to stand down. They come forward and stand in a line to greet the observers like the other groups did.

The kingdoms that are present clap their hands for the demonstration.

“I have a question about the use of the sleep spell. Don’t you think we should have a practice to see if the spell can work on a room that is filled with soldiers?”

“Renard, can you answer that question?”

“Yes, Sir Trenton. That’s a good question, Sergeant. We need to expand the focus of the spell and make it more widespread. That will take some practice, but it can be done.”

“Are there anymore questions or comments?”

Seeing no movement from the groups, the three of us turn around and walk back to the bell.

Sir Trenton picks up the mallet and strikes the bell once. “Bong!”

“I am sure you have a demonstration for using your weapons that you will be on your person.”

Sir Trenton smiles, “Of course, Richard. That is always a standard exercise with our legions, but we added an extra element to it.”

“Then by all means let’s see it.”

Sir Trenton strikes the bell two times with the mallet. “Bong!” “Bong!” Everyone moves to the next station.

Once everyone settles down, Sir Trenton leads Renard and me over to the next station. We watch as they go through the steps of using their weapons. Some use the sword and shield against each other or at wood logs standing on end, with thick wooden arms sticking out. There are two logs swinging from a cable that is hanging from a high support of beams and poles. Some of the knights use their metal stars, throwing them at moving or stationary objects. Then they switch to their knives hidden in their clothing and behind the armor.

When I thought they were done, the extra element is brought out. All of the knights in the exercise stop what they are doing. They have looks of surprise on their faces. Appearing in front of them from the Ethereal Space are two dwarf dragons with wizards on their backs. They regroup quickly and pick up their shields to defend themselves as they roar and breathe flames at them. Then the wizards recite the transport spell and they disappear. The knights and dwarf remain on guard. This time the dragons and wizards appear in different positions to out flank them. Again the knights and dwarf hold their position. Some shoot their sleep darts and throws their metal stars and knives at the dragons and wizards. Each of those objects hit various locations on their bodies harmlessly and fall to the ground.

The dragons and wizards disappear again. One of the knights rushes forward and tries to retrieve his weapons. Just as he bends down to pick up one weapon, the dragons and wizards appear again. The knight who is out of position immediately retreats back, walking backwards toward his group as a dragon shoots his flame toward him. He gets chastised by his team mates for the ill decision. They hold their ground and attempt to defend themselves again.

The wizards recite the spell again and they disappear once more. The knights stay on guard waiting for something to happen. Then out of the air come two streams of flames from the dragons. The flames come from different directions this time. The knights and dwarf hold their position. Since they don’t see anything, they hold on to their weapons and don’t throw them.

Once that round is over with; the captain in charge shouts out loud, “Clear, stand down everyone.” The captain raises his arm and makes the signal as well.

The dragons and wizards appear from the Ethereal Space and stand near the group of knights.

Everyone stops and stands up from their defensive positions. The knights and dwarf walk forward and form a line. The wizards dismount from the dragons and stand by their sides.

Everyone present claps their hands in showing approval for the demonstration. The dwarf-dragons smile proudly knowing they are helping them to fight better.

Sir Trenton steps forward to speak, “Well done everyone. That is what we like to see. As much it is important to practice, expect surprises and the unexpected. Even though their weapons will be different, we wanted to see what you’re reactions are going to be.”

Again everyone present at this station clap their hands.

Sir Trenton raises his hand to quiet them down. “As for you who went forward and try to collect your weapons, you were chastised properly by your team mates. Only do that when the danger is past and the area is secured.”

“Yes Sir. I was reminded by my team mates. I will make sure to pass that reminder on to the rest of our legion as we train them.” The knight bows his head slightly and raises it.

Sir Trenton bows his head as well. “I know you will. Are there any questions or comments that need to be said here?”

One of the Legion Commanders speaks up, “Thank you Sir Trenton for this exercise. It is very important to gauge the reactions to any surprise that might happen. We have to expect the unexpected from the enemy.”

Everyone claps their hands in approval.

“All right, everybody there is one more station to do. Get ready to move.”

Sir Trenton and I walk to the center again. He takes the mallet and hits it one time. “Bong!”

“What is the last demonstration, Sir Trenton?”

“We really thought hard on this one. We wanted to make a problem solver. We want to know if they can figure it out. We laid out a corridor. The squad has to get from one end to the other. There are various traps set up they have to disarm. If they don't, they will get wet from a water bomb or a smoke bomb.”

“Now I am impressed. I'm sure it took some imagination.”

“Yes it did. Thank you Richard. If you see something that might make it better, please let us know.”

“I'll be glad to do it.”

Sir Trenton uses the mallet and hits the bell two times. “Bong! Bong!”

“All right, on to the last station, Twainor. When we get done with that, we'll meet back at the stair case pavement. We'll have a discussion on the ideas. If you have any to add or subtract, it would be a good time do so. All right, Twainor, move on to the next station.”

They all move to the next station. I follow Sir Trenton to the sixth station. It is set up just the way he said it. As we get near the station, we see the squad discussing their options.

“They rearranged the traps again. They have us guessing where its located.”

“That's the point Sir Gradsen. We have to think on our feet.”

“Yes, but they use electricity up there not magic. I don't want to get wet again.”

“I know, if we had a wizard with us, we can fly through safely.”

“Yes, but that's cheating for right now. Come on men, think! What can we do to expose the light triggers?”

They think real hard for a moment.

I whisper to Sir Trenton. “This is great. Let's see if it comes to their mind under pressure.”

Sir Trenton whispers back, “Yes, but they must think calmly and remember the concepts.”

Then the dwarf warrior speaks up. “I remember now. What did the captain do to expose the two light cones?”

“Yes, he had us pick up a handful of grass and dirt.”

“But remember, there is no grass in the hallways on the star ship. We'll have to use something else.”

“How about dust? We can blow that across the corridor like we saw with the smoke or fog in the demonstration.”

“Yes, that is good thinking. We'll use the fine dirt for now. Don't use the grass.”

“Yes sir.”

The knights and warrior bend down and grab some fine dirt that is exposed near them in the grass. They blow it in their hands towards the corridor. Soon they see six light beams crossing the corridor at several different angles and heights.

They walk carefully through the corridor avoiding the light beams. They see the location where the light beams are coming from in the wall. Then they see the other end where the light beam ends. They see the water bombs mounted in different locations.

One by one, a small mirror is put in front of the light source, the light is reflected back to the source. They know this is all right for now. They see the water bombs don't explode.

After awhile they reach the other end of the corridor safely. We all begin to clap and cheer with them that made it. They come walking up and stand in a line in front of us.

“Very good, knights. You finally made it across. Congratulations men.”

“Thank you sir. Apparently we need to remember the concepts about light and reflecting it back.”

“Do you have any questions Sveadan Kingdom?”

“All I can say right now, this is great. We can definitely use this in preparation in the fields and on the sailing ships.”

“I'm sure we can make it more complicated to make it different each
time.”

The squad let their faces sag a bit when they heard that.

“Are there any comments about this Richard?”

“First of all I like this very much. There are other ways to sense someone in a room or a hallway. There could be sound sensors to detect a presence. But there is a way to make it more difficult for the light beams. Go from light source to a mirror that then reflects that light to the bomb.”

“Yes, that will provide two paths from one light source, thank you Richard.”

“You're welcome, Sir Trenton.”

“Are there any questions about this demonstration?”

“If they use electricity up there. How do they get the signal from the light source to the bomb?”

The dwarf warrior speaks up. “May I answer that question Sir Trenton?”

“Yes you may, Warrior Traclin.”

“They would use wire for the connection, Sir Kayden.”

“Now I remember what you discovered in your Designer Enclave. We'll have to remember that. It is basically the same thing as the wire on our castle spires that directs the lightning to the ground safely.”

“That's right, Sir Kayden. Care must be taken in dealing with it. Who knows how advance they are in knowledge. Anything is possible in their electrical generation and how they use it. Isn't that right, Richard?”

“That's right, Sir Trenton. But at least for the living body. It does sleep, breathe like each of us. So they will be susceptible to the sleep darts at least. If the traps and triggers are too complicated. Perhaps the bomb or explosive can be disabled, or the reaction can be slowed down to provide you time to make a decision.”

“How can we slow it down, Richard?”

“The best method is to cool it down or freeze it some how, perhaps with a freeze spell.”

“Yes, we'll have to remember that, Richard. We'll give them plenty of practice with that.”

“Of course it doesn't hurt, once a squad or wing is on board, is to use a wizard to fly in the Ethereal Space to check out the area. This will give you some direction in which way to go.”

The squad members smile when they hear that. So does everyone else.

“Of course, Richard. They must use what is on hand or what they bring. They will probably need a coil of rope, a bag of dust, a small mirror to look around corners, light crystal, contact crystal, or anything else they might need.”

“Thank you, Richard.”

“You're welcome.”

“Well, let's get ready to meet at the stair case pavement.”

Sir Trenton and I turn around and walk towards to the mounted bell. Sir Trenton strikes the bell with the mallet. “Bong!”

“I'm glad to see that squad finally figured out the corridor Richard.”

“Well I'm sure once they're on the sailing ships, this will be drilled into them relentlessly.”

“Yes, they must be prepared for the unexpected.”

Sir Trenton looks around and sees them done talking. He takes the mallet again and hits the bell twice. “Bong!” “Bong!” He then puts the mallet down next to the pedestal, hanging on a hook.

“Come, my friends. Let's meet at the stair case pavement where your banners are. We need to hear your suggestions. Once that is done. You can return to your own kingdoms. Thryson knights who gave the demonstration, walk to the stations and clean them up. Get prepared for our legion.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton!”

They all turn around and pick up their weapons, darts, arrows or anything else needed. The dragons go and take a break. They fly towards the kitchen, they see several tubs of various fish for them to eat.

The legions all begin to walk back to the stair case pavement. They gather by their kingdom's banner. Sir Trenton, his staff, Renard and I stand in the center.

“Well, is there anything to add or subtract to the demonstrations?”

Sir Elion speaks up first, “I agree this is a start, Sir Trenton. What you have shown us will keep us busy.”

“How long do we have until the star ship shows?”

“I don't know, Sir Paladin. We must watch them with the Seeing
Stones every night. Richard did give us a clue. We know how far apart the planets are in our star system. Once we time their passing of two of them, we'll have an idea how long it will be.”

“I see, then we must be diligent to keep an eye on them. We must work very fast to get everyone ready. What about the people themselves? What or where will they go if trouble comes?”

“The Dwarf Kings and Queens said their Under Kingdoms will be available for refuge.”

Warrior Taclin speaks up, “That is right, Sir Trenton. The four Under Kingdoms are making sure they provide space for as many as possible. It will be tight in some places. The road ways must be kept clear for movement of goods and people. All of the communities are tallying their empty spaces to determine where they can stay. I'm sure if anyone who comes in, must be bring their own food to eat. How long? We don't know at this time.”

“That's good, Warrior Taclin. Thank you for the assist.”

“You're welcome, Sir Elion.”

“Is there anything to add or subtract at this time while we're together?”

Everyone looks around at each other. They shake their heads side to side to indicate 'no'.

“I guess not friends. Keep in contact if anything new develops. Richard will be in Correlle Kingdom at First Mark in the morning there. I know the Eastern Kingdoms will probably be in representation, while the Western Kingdoms sleep in some more.”

They all laugh together on that remark.

“Well, then you all may go back to your kingdoms. I'm sure we'll be in contact after Richard's visit tomorrow morning. So be ready for that.”

“That we will, Sir Trenton. Thank you very much for providing the demonstrations.”

“Yes, thank you, Richard, for being here and helping us at this time.”

Everyone begins to clap and cheer.

I raise my hand to quiet them down. “Thank you my friends. If you have questions about the concepts or the demonstrations. Don't hesitate to contact us.”

“Come, we must return quickly to our kingdoms while it is still light. We can be here all day and get nothing accomplished.”

“Well said Sir Braxton. See you all soon. Perhaps sooner for others.”

“Thanks again, Richard, for being here. Thank you, Sir Trenton and your staff for explaining it to us.”

“You're welcome. We must be united on this endeavor to save Twainor.”

“Yes, we must.”

They all reconnect to their wizards. The wizards recite the transport spell and the wings disappear one by one. All that are left are Thryson's Legion Commanders and staff, Renard and I.

“Well, that is done. Excellent work everyone. I think we'll only have time for our Legion to teach them the concepts and explain the stations. That way they know what to expect at First Mark tomorrow.”

“I agree, Sir Trenton. Fortunately we have our one hundred already trained. They should be able to get the concepts taught quickly to them.”

“I agree, Sir Valmar. Let's gather our one hundred for now. We'll need to equip them with the tools to explain the concepts. How many do we have here in the training fields?”

“We have two thousand in our military dorms. There is another three thousand camped in tents in their area nearby. These are from the Castle Lords in our kingdom. The dwarf warrior brigade that is stationed here have their own dorm wing.”

“That's about fifty men per one hundred. We're going to need that many items for them to demonstrate.”

“I see what you mean Sir Trenton. We'll have to check the storage sheds near the training fields. Most of the items are there like the candle and the other weapons. I don't know about the mirror and lens, sir.”

“All right, go and send the one hundred we trained to check those sheds. If we're short, we need to know. There should be a mirror in each one at least. The lens could be a problem.”

“Hmm.. I have an idea, Sir Trenton.”

“What is it, Richard?”

“You find as many lenses as possible. Have several lines set up. One for seeing the light cones. Then they move on to feel the pain from the next station.”

“That can work, Richard. All right, go and find out what we have in the storage sheds. Then report back here. Then we'll go to the next step.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton!”

The staff stands at attention. They turn around and talk with the one hundred that did the demonstration.

They agree they need to check out the storage sheds quickly. The one hundred turn around and run to the storage sheds to check the inventory in them.

They see several candles in mugs in each one. They also see a couple of mirrors in each one as well. When they look for the lens, they only find two in each one. They are used for making a crude telescope. They did find plenty of light crystals stored away. But, there are no paper tubes in any of them at all.

They run back to the military staff to report the inventory count. They agree it is better than expected. They just need to find enough paper tubes to do that part of the demonstration.

The staff reports back to Sir Trenton the results.

“Well, that is better than expected. I think we can find those tubes, or make some more. They're not hard to make anyway.”

“We're going have to expand or make more stations to accommodate them all sir.”

“You're right, Sir Palinar. After we do the walk through with the stations. We'll use them to help set up more stations.”

“I agree, Sir Trenton. They will have to be on rotation and be patient for the time being. Dealing with two thousand at once is another, now it is five thousand. Fortunately our three dining halls can accommodate them in two shifts.”

“Is Master Chef Beharn ready for such a huge influx of knights?”

“He is, Richard. He has been preparing since the call has been put out to the other Castle Lords to send their knights here. That was done while you were flying here from your world. He has done this before. Don't worry, there will be plenty to eat.” He smiles at me.

“I see.” I smile back at him.

“All right, let's get ready for the concept demonstration. We'll scattered about evenly through out the training field. We'll have the knights divided up by Castle Lord and the King's Knights. Then divide them into fifty man groups within the brigades.”

“Yes Sir.” They all respond at once.

“We'll all meet in front of the observation tower first. We'll explain what we need to accomplish. Fortunately most of the additional stations out there are already built. We'll just add to it what we need for the light weapons.”

“Yes sir.” They all respond as one again.

Sir Trenton walks up to the mounted pedestal. He takes the mallet and hits the bell. “Bong!” “Bong!” “Bong!”

The Legion stops what they are doing in the fields. They come running up to the observation tower. They form their brigades behind their banner. Sir Trenton, his commander staff, Renard and I walk up the steps to the top platform level. We see the Legion settle into place. Once Sir Trenton sees that they are all there in neat rows and columns. He looks to Sir Valmar and nods his head up and down.

Sir Valmar shouts out loud, “Thryson Legion, Attention!”

Everyone snaps to attention.

The leadership sees that all is in order.

Sir Valmar shouts out loud again, “Thryson Legion at ease!”

Everyone goes into a relaxed stance. They all look up at the top platform.

“Thryson Legion, we have a lot to do in the next few days. As you have probably heard by now. There is a star ship at the edge of our star system. It is poised to do damage to our beloved star system.”

The Legion then begins to look uneasy. Sir Trenton sees it.

“Have no fear. Twainor sent the call out to our Outside Helpers. Of all who responded, only ours showed up in time. Some of you will remember him when he was here last time. I present to you Richard Moore!”

I step forward and wave my hands. Everybody cheers, claps their hands and dragons roar out loud.

“Thank you, Maker!”

“Thank you for coming, Richard!”

Sir Trenton raises his hands to quiet the Legion, which they do.

“Like I said, we have a lot to do get ready. Richard has provided us a starting point in training for this. Who knows there might be an opportunity for the dragons to help and defend Twainor.”

The dragons roar in approval. The Legion join them in cheering them on. They quiet down when they see Sir Trenton raises his hands again.

“Richard, will be in Correlle Kingdom tomorrow morning. He will be entering the scout ship that was found there yesterday. Hopefully he will find a way for us to bring the fight to them. So, until then we will keep ourselves occupied with training.”

“In two days, we will pick out one hundred men from our Legion. There will be full representation from us, including the Castle Lords brigades and dwarf warrior brigades. Each squad will have four knights and one dwarf warrior.”

“Why is that? We will be dealing with close quarter fighting there. As Richard provides us new information, we'll plan accordingly and introduce new concepts and strategies.”

“Right now we're going to have a demonstration of the concepts of what light weapons can do. We have one hundred chosen already to assist our staff. This does not qualify them for further training on our sea vessels. They have been divided among your brigades. They will take you to an assigned area here on the training fields. There will be fifty knights in each group. Pay attention to the concepts. They're very important. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. We'll be here to help.”

“After that, remain in your groups. You will then be taking a tour of the stations that we have set up so far. Some might seem familiar, some of it will be new to you. Follow the leader of your group to each station. We should get done in time to have the evening repast.”

“Once you review the last station, you're free to get ready for the evening repast. Then bright and early like we have it every morning here. We'll begin training at second mark after sunrise. So, get your rest and eat well after wards. So, let's begin right away with the concepts Legion. Sir Valmar, dismiss the Legion to their group leaders.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton. Thryson Legion follow the group leaders we've assigned to your brigades. Thryson Legion, you're dismissed!”

Then the brigades begin to break apart into groups of fifty. They follow the group leader to a position in the training field. Once they arrive at the spots, they begin the demonstration of the concepts.

We begin to hear basically the same thing that we have heard already. Some grasp the concepts easily, while some have a difficult time with it. Slowly, they see the reasoning behind it. When the group leaders do the demonstration with the lens and cloth. You hear everyone screaming in pain. Suddenly, it dawns on them what the light weapons can do to you.

Most of them agree this concept demonstration is very good. Some think it will be useless. Their main argument is that this just another excuse for different training methods. Also some think there is no star ship coming their way. They want proof that it exists.

Sir Trenton and his staff hear these arguments. They realize they need to do something quick to stem this potential division in the camp. This is the last thing they need, because it will slow down the training sessions tomorrow.

Once the concept demonstration is over, the group leaders begin to do a walk through of the stations. You can hear them arguing there are not enough stations for everyone, a rotation must be used until more are made. They like the idea of using the smoke spell to see the light beam path to judge the angles.

It takes about a full mark to review the stations. Once they reviewed the last station, they break apart to get ready for the evening repast.

“You're invited to eat with us Richard and Renard in the dining hall.”

“Shouldn't we tell King Tierion and Queen Shiranna? They might be expecting us to eat with them. I'm sure there will be more opportunities several days from now.”

“Hmm.. that's a good point, Renard. Then we'll make plans to have Richard to be here as well. Besides, we need to get Sir Halgren up to speed first.”

“So, until then, Sir Trenton. I will wait patiently to prove my worth again.”

They all laugh together. “Well said, Richard. See you again soon.”

“That we will my friends.”

They put their hands to my shoulder. I do the same thing by putting my left hand onto their shoulder.

“Thanks for everything, Richard.”

“You're welcome.”

We nod our heads together, we then break apart and go our ways. Sir Trenton and his staff walk towards the dining halls. Renard and I walk towards the main castle.

“That should keep them busy, Renard, for the next two days.”

“Yes it should, Richard. Thank you for being here.”

“Your welcome. Well, let's see what is served up this evening.”

I follow Renard to the side door entrance where we exited earlier this morning. We walk down the hallways until we reach the Main Dining hall. We open the doors and walk inside. We see the King and Queen there talking with Sir Drexton. Also, Trianna and Amber are there as well. They turn to face us as we get near to them.

“So, how did it go on the training fields, Renard and Richard?”

“It went well, my Lord. Richard, did an excellent job in explaining the concepts to them. The other kingdoms can't wait to get started to begin training their own legions.”

“I'm sure we'll hear the din of the metal clashing with metal for the next few days.”

“That's probably true, my Lord. But, at least with the light weapon exercises it should be quieter in some ways.”

“Well we heard them screaming with pain from the lens and sun demonstration. Come, let's sit down and eat.”

We all sit down in the same seats from this morning. Renard remains standing.

“You may begin, Wizard Renard.”

“Yes, my Lord. We thank you today Maker that Twainor has an opportunity to fight for one of your gems in the heavens. We pray for our Legions as they begin to prepare. Give them the strength and courage to prepare for that day. We thank you for the food that you have provided for us. Thank you, Maker.”

Everyone responds, “Thank you, Maker.”

The servers come out and serve the first course. It is a light salad with usual assortment of toppings on the greens. However, the oil dressing on top is lightly spiced.

The attendees come out and fill our cups with cold mountain water or wine. We talk among ourselves of the latest events.

“I just received several contacts from the kings, Richard. They want me to thank you for providing the concepts on the light weapons for their Legions.”

“You're welcome, my King. I would be derelict in my duties if I didn't. This potential conflict is too important to ignore. Everyone must be prepared to help out.”

“Yes, we must all be prepared.”

When we get done with the first course, the servers come out to take our plates. When they come back, they bring the main course. It is a fish dish that has been grilled with spices. It is blackened a bit to make the outer layer a bit crunchy. The inside is still tender and moist. The vegetables on the side are cut large and grilled as well.

We enjoy the dish very much. The conversations continue while we eat.

“Amber, how has the news been received among the First Ones so far?”

“It is not too bad, King Tierion. We try our best to herd the wild animals to other locations away from the villages and towns. Most of them get the message they need to move on.”

“That's good, Amber. If they get too close to our own flocks, they get spooked which will add to the air of excitement.”

“Yes, we have seen it before. If this star ship comes within the Twin Moons, that will really set them off.”

“Yes it would, Amber. Thank you for what you have done so far. We realize this is just a scout ship that made us nervous. We'll have to have nerves of steel to remain calm as much as possible when that star ship shows up.”

“You're welcome, King Tierion.”

We continue eating the wonderful meal prepared by Master Chef Beharn. When we get done, the servers come out to take our plates away. They return with bowls of fruit for each of us. When one of them is placed in front of me, I see it is cut up for us. The seeds and rinds are removed for us as well. I also see a light dusting of brown powder on top of them.

I try a taste and eat one of the pieces. It is not cinnamon, but it is a very good spice. It does go well with the fruits.

We all enjoy the desert immensely. Even with the pieces eaten, the fruit juices mixed together on the bottom with the spice is excellent. We enjoy spooning the last drop on the bottom of the bowl.

When we get done, King Tierion looks to one of the attendees. “Please have the Master Chef come out so that we can thank him for this wonderful meal.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

She turns around and walks into the kitchen. A little bit later the Master Chef Beharn and the kitchen staff walks in and lines up in front of us.

“Thank you for this wonderful dish. It tantalized all of the taste buds.”

“Thank you, my Lord. It was a pleasure to serve you again. We look forward to serve you again.”

“Just to let you know, Beharn, Richard, Renard and Trianna will be in the Eastern Kingdoms tomorrow and possibly the next day.”

“Thank you for telling me. I will plan accordingly.”

We all begin to clap and cheer for the wonderful meal.

They all bow their heads again and smile. They rise up, turn to the left and enter in the kitchen. We get up and walk out of the dining room. We exit the castle through the front doors and walk out to the courtyard.

We look around and see the sky clouds change its colors while the sun sets in the west. We look east ward and see the wall of colorful lights approaching us. Soon we are enveloped in the swirling mass of colorful streams. I see several birds flying through the air, they display the tendrils from their wingtips. Amber does the same thing. She dances and sings while flying through the air.

King Tierion and Queen Shiranna dance together while Amber sings. I also see Renard and Trianna get close together as well. They display a different color combination while they dance. As for myself, I see different colored lights emanating from my finger tips. My hair feels electrified, I'm sure it emitting little sparks of color as well.

After awhile the wall of colorful lights leave the courtyard. We see it race west ward towards the Thryson Mountains. We see the dragons flying through the air interacting with it. When it reaches the mountain range peaks, the Ethereal Space lights up like a crown all along the ridge. Then it disappears.

Then we see the stars, the nebulae shining brightly in the night sky. The Twin Moons are shining brightly as well. We all clap and cheer for a wonderful display from the Maker. We also hear the Legion as well cheering and clapping near the training fields doing the same thing.

“Well, you three need to get bed soon if you're going to be in Correlle Kingdom tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, it is going to be a long day, my Lord. We'll definitely need to sleep well tonight.”

We all back inside the castle. We meet Sir Drexton the Chamberlain waiting for us in the foyer area.

“Wasn't that another beautiful sunset my Lord?”

“Yes it was, Drexton. Will you please escort us to our rooms this evening. These three will need to get bed soon.”

“Yes, my Lord and Queen. Please follow me.”

We follow Sir Drexton. King Tierion and Queen Shiranna walk arm in arm. Renard, Trianna and I follow them. Amber is flying near us. We walk up the stairs on the left hand side of the foyer area. We turn left and walk down a hallway with many doors on the left hand side and some on the right.

We come to a stop by the same rooms we slept in last night.

“Good night my friends. I will be in the King's Council Chamber at the start of the fourth watch.”

“We'll set the sleep spell to wake up before then. Hopefully we can get about seven marks worth of sleep tonight my Lord.”

“All right Renard. See you all there in the morning.”

“Good night, my Lord and Queen.”

“Good night, Richard. We hope and pray for a successful visit to Correlle Kingdom.”

“Yes, we hope it is a successful visit. Good night, my Lord and Queen.”

“Good night, Trianna and Renard.”

We walk into our rooms and close our doors. Renard and my room have an interconnecting door. Renard opens it. Amber flies into my room.

“Well, let's get everything set out and ready for the morning, Richard.”

“Yes, I don't want to be thinking too hard that early in morning.”

“Same here, Richard.”

“I can sleep here on the extra pillow, Richard. Just place it on the other chair.”

“Okay, Amber.” I place the second pillow from the bed and place it on the chair I won't be using in the morning.

Amber glides down to the pillow and sits on it. She watches me undress as I get ready for bed.

I take off my clothes and fold them up. I take off the breast and back plate and set it on the bed. I detach the padding from the plates. I fold them up and put them in the drawer. I sit down on a chair and take off the boots, I set those aside. I then take off the pants, fold them up and place them in the drawer.

I take out the night shirt and undershorts. I lay those on the bed. I put the satchel on the chair for a reminder. I open the drawers again and see the clothes are clean and ready to wear.

I look in the drawers to make sure the gifts are still there. I walk over the dresser to clean myself up for the evening like I have done the last several days. I find it a little unnerving that I'm being watched, but I get used to it. At least I turn my back to her as I put on the shorts. I think she is becoming attached to me like a good friend at least, Maker.

She is, Richard.

I then put on the night shirt and shorts. I turn around and pull the covers down from the bed. I see Renard walking in looking similar to me.

“Well I'm ready, Renard, for a good night's sleep.”

“So am I, Richard and Amber. We'll try to be quiet when we wake up Amber.”

“I know you will try. I'll miss you until you return.”

I take a small hand cloth from the top of the dresser and put it on the pillow next to her.

“We'll miss you too, Amber. I think we're becoming good friends, Amber.”

“I think so too, Richard. Good night to you both.”

Amber lays down carefully as she folds her wings in. She lays on her
side as she falls asleep. She pulls over the small hand cloth for a covering.

I get into bed and get under the covers. Renard stands near me. He puts both of his hands above me. He recites the sleep spell and the time to wake up in the morning.

Soon, I'm asleep. I have many good dreams of being home again. I see my family again as we relive the moments in our lives.