The Summer Vacation
Chapter 14
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

“What did you see, Richard?”

“I think I saw a white dot move to one of the moons. It could be the second scout ship.”

Before they could say another word, Avel, the fairies, Caltron and Serena come trotting in quickly.

“King Tierion, there is a disturbance in the Ethereal Space.”

“It could be the second scout ship.”

Then the dwarf ambassadors show up with their mates, connected to Wizard Braden.

“We saw the second scout ship with our Seeing Stones, King Tierion, before it disappeared,” exclaims Durlond.

“Quickly everyone, let's join hands in a circle. Let us plead our case to the Maker. Perhaps the Maker will send the scout ship to our surface.”

“Yes, King Tierion!” We all shout together.

We all join hands in a large circle. We look up at the Twin Moons and try to listen to the Maker and hope he hears our plea for help.

Soon the area in front of us begins to glow in a white light. In the next instant the white glow shoots straight up toward the moons. We see five other beams as well shooting toward the Twin Moons from different kingdoms near us.

“Apparently the other kingdoms felt it too, my Lord.”

“Yes, they must have, Richard.”

The beams converge on the Twin Moons. The entire space between the Twin Moons lights up. Then the next instance, a single shaft of light comes back to Twainor's surface.

We see it coming toward us.

Sir Trenton yells, “Everybody get to safety. It's coming to the courtyard!”

Everybody scatters and runs to hide behind a wall, a bench, the garden area, or a statute.

The light appears in the courtyard. When the light fades, we see the second scout ship appearing in the court yard.

“Renard, put a sealing spell on the scout ship.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.” Renard recites the sealing spell.

We see a green glow on the outside shell of the scout ship, then it disappears.

“It is set, Sir Trenton.”

“We should get them out of there, King Tierion.”

“Yes, Caltron. That is wise. Renard, can you open the ship's door?”

“I think I can recreate the four tone melody, provided they have not changed the sequence, my King.”

“If it doesn't work, you'll have to do a distant mind tap when they wake up.”

“Yes, my Lord.” Renard steps up to the side door. He makes a hole in the sealing spell.

Wizard Braden comes up to assist. Renard puts his finger tips together. He concentrates and tries to remember the tone pattern that Thaygard used. He recites the spell. A misty blue sphere appears within his finger tips. The four tone melody is sounded out.

The doors open.

We all smile when we see that. Renard and Braden carefully walk inside. They see the four men inside all unconscious and laying on the floor. They recite a sleep spell for each of them.

They come out and report to King Tierion. The commanders and I approach as well.

“They are laying on the floor unconscious. We put a sleep spell on them right away.”

“That’s very good, wizards. Check the back of the necks, Renard and Braden. If they have the implants, they need to be removed.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“Richard, go inside and check the ship out. Sir Trenton and Sir Halgren go with him.”

“Yes, my Lord.” We respond at the same time.

We walk inside the scout ship. We see Renard and Braden kneeling down and checking them out. They recite the spell and touch their foreheads to read their minds.

I sit down at the commander station and start accessing their computers.

“All four of them have the implants, Sir Trenton.”

“Which one is the leader, Renard?”

“It is this one here, Sir Trenton.” Braden points at him. “His name is Yisrati. The others are Traven, Colban and Evande.” He points to each one in turn.

“Do any of them have knowledge of our Outside Helpers?”

“I can't tell right now, Sir Trenton. The implant is in the way.”

“All right, I would like to split them up tonight if we can. How are you doing, Richard?”

I look at the display and the readouts on the panel.

“It's the same power failure as the first scout ship.” I push some more symbols on the glass panel. “They have not sent anything to the star ship except for one command. It was the distress signal. Nothing else was sent, Sir Trenton. We reacted in time. ”

“Good. I have a feeling it is too late to split them up tonight. We'll put them in separate cells tonight. Then after the morning repast we'll send them to separate kingdoms. Power down the ship, Richard. I'll tell our Lord what's the current situation.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.” I power down the ship and make sure there is no beacon activated. “That's all I need to do Sir Halgren. We can leave the scout ship now.”

“All right, Richard.”

We leave with Sir Trenton.

Sir Trenton walks outside and reports to King Tierion. The others gather around, including the dwarf ambassadors, Avel, the fairies, Caltron and Serena this time.

“There is good news, my Lord. They were able to send out the distress signal only. There was no other information sent. Apparently we reacted in time. I'm surprised the Maker sent it to our courtyard.”

“So am I, but this is good news.”

“Should we split them up tonight or do it first thing in the morning, my Lord?”

“We also need to get this scout ship in a cave somewhere to hide it.”

“Will it fit in the Abyss Cave, Telgon?”

“I don't know. It might be a tight fit.”

“A dragon cave might be better, King Tierion.”

“Perhaps Durlond, but we got a short and curt response from them this morning in Correlle Kingdom. They want that first scout ship out of there as quickly as possible if we win the day.”

“I see. It is taking up their nesting space.”

“Well, let's contact the other kingdoms, my Lord and let them know.”

“Yes. Let's start with that.” King Tierion takes out his contact crystal sphere and contacts King Dryden. He recites the spell. The crystal glows goldenly, then the image of King Dryden appears above the crystal.

“I'm glad you called, King Tierion. Our First Ones and Wizard Eldwin felt a disturbance in the Ethereal Space. Some also saw a white dot approach one of the Twin Moons.”

“It was the second scout ship. The Maker sent the scout ship to our courtyard.”

“He did? That's unexpected. Is everyone all right?”

“Yes, King Dryden. We were able to get inside the scout ship and make sure they are asleep. The only signal that was sent is the distress signal.”

“Praise the Maker for that.”

“As late it is, King Dryden. It might be best to split them up in the morning.”

“Yes, it is. What are you going to do about the scout ship?”

“Keep it under guard tonight. Then we need to talk to the dragons here. Hopefully they know where an empty small cave is.”

“Yes that is a good idea, King Tierion. I'll inform over here what has happened. If anything new develops, let us know.”

“We will King Dryden. Have a good sleep tonight.”

“You do the same. Good night, King Tierion.”

Then the image disappears above the crystal sphere.

Then we start to hear some flapping of large wings in the air. We look up and see in the shadows, outlines of several dragons. We make room for them as they land. It is Croin, Marcon and Agaroan.

King Tierion walks up to them and gives them a quick bow and rises back up.

“Welcome, Dragons of the Rainbow Falls. Good evening.”

“Good evening, King Tierion.”

“We saw a flash of light in the sky. The light beamed from the castle here, then a beam of light comes back down.”

“ We didn't know what to think.”

“Now we see that the castle is not in ruins. That is a good sign.”

“Yes it is, dragons. We are still here. As you can see, this is the second scout ship. We saw and felt the disturbance in the Ethereal Space. We immediately gathered together and agreed that the Maker would take care of the matter.”

“Yes He did. I see the Maker sent the scout ship here.”

“This is not a good place to keep it, King Tierion.”

“No, it is not, Marcon. Do you know of a small empty cave this will fit into?”

The three dragons talk among themselves. They disagreed on some caves. Soon they agree on one.

They turn to face King Tierion. Croin speaks, “There is a cave that will do. It is very remote. It is to the north of the Rainbow Falls cave. It is four mountain peaks away. It is on this side of the mountain range. There is no access by climbing to it. It is even too small for me.”

“Very good, dragons. We'll keep it under watch tonight, including the crew members inside. Then in the morning after our morning repast, we'll split them up and deliver the scout ship to the cave.”

“Very good, King Tierion. Some of us will be circling above the cave so your wizards can spot it.”

“Thank you, dragons of the Rainbow Falls. Have a good night's sleep. You can inform the other dragons what is happening. The bait was sent to the scout ship and received.”

“That's good to know.”

“Croin, I have a question.”

“Yes, Renard?”

“Can the cave be sealed?”

“I think it can.”

“We'll check it out anyway.”

“That we will.”

“Good night, King Tierion and Thryson Kingdom.”

“Good night.” We all shout out loud to them.

The dragons flap their wings and take off in the night. They fly westward to the Thryson Mountains.

King Tierion uses his contact sphere to contact the others. Just as he is to do so, the crystal has a golden color. He puts his hand above it and recites the spell. He sees King Jeriel and King Loran together in the image.

“I was just about to call everyone in this region, Kings.”

“Is everything all right, King Tierion? We saw the light come down in your kingdom.”

“Everything is fine. The Maker brought the scout ship to our court yard.”

“Thank the Maker for that. What did you find out?”

“Richard determined they only sent the distress signal only before the Maker sent the craft here.”

“What of the crewmen?”

“All four have the implants. They are asleep right now. Because of the time, we'll keep them here tonight in separate cells. After the morning repast we'll split them up.”

“What about the scout ship?”

“We'll guard it tonight. Croin, Marcon and Agaroan saw the light beams as well. They showed up here moments after the scout ship appeared. They know of a small cave that is four mountain peaks north of the Rainbow Falls. It will be delivered there in the morning as well.”

“So, now we need to decide which Kingdom will hold which prisoner.”

“Any ideas, friends?”

“I was thinking of two to the Southern Kingdoms and two here.”

“All right, that seems to work. I don't think there is really any new information from them at this time.”

“I agree, King Jeriel. We should inform them of the current situation and why they are on the star ship.”

“We could do that, King Loran.”

“I was thinking of letting you two hold two of the crewmen. Why? The Maker thanked us by sending the scout ship here. Because Richard is here and he immediately checked out the scout ship and powered it down.”

“I see. There was no time delay this time. Do you agree, King Jeriel?”

“I agree, King Loran. We accept the honor, King Tierion.”

“I agree as well.”

“Now that we agree on that. Which two crewmen are going to which southern kingdom here?”

“Well, let's contact them and see who is up for it.”

“Hold on a moment, my friends. Let me ask Renard to contact them.”

“Sure, we can wait.”

King Tierion turns to Renard. “Renard, will you please contact your counter parts in the southern kingdoms. We need their kings to join in the discussion here.”

“Yes, my Lord. I will contact them now.”

Renard takes out his contact crystal with his left hand. He puts his right hand above it and concentrates on it. He recites the contact spell. It soon glows yellow.

Soon an image of Corrbas appears above it. “Greetings, Renard.”

“Greetings, Corrbas. Did your First Ones sense anything from the Twin Moons?”

“Yes, our First Ones did. We gathered together and joined our hearts together right after the sun set. We saw five other beams of white light go up to the Twin Moons. One came down to the North. What happened?”

“The Maker brought the second scout ship to our court yard. Everything is fine. The four crewmen are asleep. Richard determined they only sent a distress signal and nothing else.”

“Praise the Maker. They don't know anything more about us. It will probably upset them on the star ship.”

“Probably, Corrbas. We need to split up the crewmen tomorrow morning. Two will be here in Ringol and Eirecann Kingdoms and two for the southern kingdoms.”

“Yes, that is good. At what time in the morning?”

“We'll have the implants removed tonight. Be here just after the morning repast here at second mark.”

“That sounds good. What about the scout ship?”

“We'll guard it tonight. Then we'll take the scout ship to an empty cave here in the Thryson Mountains.”

“That sounds like a good plan. I'll bring all three kingdoms with me; that way we're all in agreement on what to do next.”

“I agree to that. See you in the morning, Corrbas. Have a good night's sleep.”
“See you there as well. You have a good night's sleep as well.”

Then the image disappears above Renard's crystal. He turns to King Tierion. “It is done, King Tierion. The three southern kingdoms will be here in representation. You can decide what to do then.”

“Did you hear all that, my friends?”

“We did King Tierion. We'll be there in the morning and have our meeting.”

“Yes I will be there after the morning repast.”

“Very good. See you then my friends. Have a good night's sleep.”

“You do as well.”

Then the images of the two kings disappear. King Tierion turns to Renard. “It is time to remove the implants from the crewmen and get them below in our holding cells, Sir Trenton.”

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

Sir Trenton gets out his contact crystal and contacts the Captain of the Guard in the Castle. “Sir Largan, we need four stretchers out here in the courtyard. We're putting the crewmen into our own cells this evening. Then in the morning, the five other western kingdoms will be here to decide which one they will receive.”

“Yes Sir Trenton. I'll send the guards and stretchers as requested. What about the implants?”

“Renard and Braden will be removing them right now.”

“Very good. I'll have the guards in the courtyard as soon as possible.”

The image disappears above the crystal. Sir Trenton turns to Renard. “Let's remove those implants, Renard.”

“Braden, I will need your help to do this.”

“Yes Renard. We should do this outside of the scout ship. We'll need a tub of water out here just in case.”

“I'll take care of that with a tub from the Castle Stables.”

“Yes, that can work, Sir Trenton.”

Sir Trenton walks over to the stables. He sees the stable boy doing some cleaning from the mess just created by the horses.

The stable boy sees him coming toward him. “Evening, Sir Trenton. The arrival of the scout ship spooked the horses.”

“I can imagine how they reacted.”

“What can I do for you, Sir?”

“We need a tub of water out there, Carlin.”

“We have an extra one over here Sir. We'll just need a bucket of water so that we can fill it up.”

“You go get the bucket of water. I'll bring out the tub.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.” Carlin turns around and walks over to a wall to pick up a bucket.

Sir Trenton walks over to the same wall, he bends down and picks up a metal tub. He waits for Carlin. Carlin then walks over to a barrel. He takes off the lid and dips the bucket into it and fills it up. He puts the lid back onto the barrel. They both walk out together.

“I'm putting the tub over here Renard. That should be enough room and away from causing any possible damage.”

“Yes it is, Sir Trenton. Thank you.”

Sir Trenton sets down the tub. Carlin pours the water into the tub. Carlin puts his hands above the water in the tub. He recites the spell, then the tub fills up with water until it three-quarters full.

Sir Trenton sees that is done. “Thank you, Carlin. You'll need to get back inside the stable. We're not out of danger yet. There could be some explosions in this tub of water.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.” Carlin walks back inside the stable and continues cleaning up the mess.

“All right, Renard and Braden. We're already here.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton. Let's go inside Braden.”

Renard and Braden walk inside the scout ship and kneel down beside one of the crewmen. Renard puts his hands above the neck. He concentrates on it. He sees the implant in his mind. He grabs it with his mind and moves it into the Ethereal Space. “I've got it, Braden. I'm ready to move it to the tub of water.”

Braden walks outside. He stands near the tub. He places his hand toward the tub. He recites the barrier shield spell around the tub. “It's ready, Renard.”

Renard moves the implant into the tub and let's go of it. The implant does not explode. It sinks to the bottom of the tub.

Renard walks out of the scout ship and takes a look. “It didn't blow up Braden. How come?”

King Tierion, the commanders, the dwarf ambassadors, the centaurs, Avel, the fairies, Sir Halgren and I walk over and look in the tub as well.

“Do you have an idea, Richard?”

Braden removes the barrier shield.

“I only have one, my King. The other three were removed when they experienced pain in trying to remember. It's probably their true self screaming for help that set it off.”

“Yes, I remember the first one. It was Tran. He called for help before losing consciousness.”

“Yes, apparently it takes stress to tip the balance. If Tran had calmed down, the device would not have exploded.”

“That is why it didn't explode here. If Tek is on the bridge, he must have one of these in him. Once he sees us on the bridge, there's a good chance his stress levels will increase dramatically in trying to remember us.”

“Then the implant will explode quickly. We must move very fast in removing the implants.”

“Yes, my Lord. The sooner we get the people on board asleep, all the better.”

“That's especially true for our Outside Helpers. Once they see our forces on the star ship, they will have fast memory reactions.”

I dip my hand into the tub of water and remove the implant. I take it apart and we all see a small green light flashing. I remove the battery and the light stops flashing.

“This means my friends that if the Ethereal Space is generated on the star ship, these devices are still active.”

“I agree, Richard. We'll have to emphasize speed in getting the crew asleep first, then the wizards can remove the implants safely.”

“All right Renard and Braden, go ahead and remove the other three implants.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

The rest of us make room around the tub and get some distance from it.

Renard and Braden walk into the scout ship. Braden kneels down and puts his hands above the neck of a crewman. He looks at the neck. He sees the implant in his mind and grabs it. He recites the transport spell and moves it into the Ethereal Space. “I've got it, Renard. Get the tub ready with a barrier shield just in case.”

“Yes, Braden.” Renard walks out of the scout ship. Renard recites the spell for the barrier shield. “It's ready Braden.”

Braden moves the implant into the tub of water and releases it. The implant does not explode. Renard removes the barrier shield. He reaches for the implant in the tub of water and removes it. He takes it apart and removes the battery. The little green light stops flashing. He puts the pieces into his pocket.

Renard and Braden repeat this two more times to remove the implants from the last two crewmen.

By this time, the guards arrive with the four stretchers. “It is now safe to go inside, men. Bring them out and put them on the stretchers.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.”

The guards go in two at a time. Once one crewman is brought out, another pair of guards goes in to retrieve another crewman. Soon all four crewmen are on the stretchers. As soon as the last one leave, Renard closes the door and reseals the scout ship with the sealing spell.

Sir Trenton walks into the stables. “Carlin, all is safe now.'

“Thank you, Sir Trenton. I'll take care of the tub of water. The horses were a little skittish again. They calmed down after the last one was taken from the scout ship.”

“That's good, Carlin. The scout ship will be delivered to a cave in the Thryson Mountains after the morning repast.”

“I'll be sure to tell the Stable Master when I see him in the morning.”

“There will be guards posted here to make sure of the peace. Good night, Carlin.”

“Thank you, Sir Trenton. Good night. My relief will be here at midnight. I'll tell him the latest news about this scout ship.”

Sir Trenton turns around and walks toward us. “Guards, once the four crewmen are in separate cells, put the sealing spells on the four cells. The guards there will be on watch for them. I want four guards out here watching the scout ship. You can walk around to make sure no one disturbs it. Inform the Captain of the Guard to have you on watch rotation. Be wary, even from the sky above. If you see something out of the ordinary like this scout craft floating straight up for no apparent reason, sound the alarm. Richard powered down the scout ship, that means nothing should happen to it by itself.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.”

“Braden, will you see to it that these crewmen are in the holding cells safely?”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.”

The eight guards pick up the stretchers and carry the crewmen into the castle and down below to the holding cells. Braden follows them.

“Well, this has been an interesting day and night so far, King Tierion.”

“Yes it has, Telgon. We have been here long enough. Dwarf ambassadors, you are welcome to stay here tonight. Your rooms are always available.”

“Thank you, King Tierion. We just want to give a quick report. Everything is being arranged in the Under Kingdom if you need refuge.”

“Thank you, ambassadors.”

“We have set aside areas for the general population inside near the key entrances, villages and fortresses. It will be a tight fit. It is advised that they bring in what they can on their backs like blankets, small pillow, water and some easy food that will keep for a week without spoiling.”

“The roadways need to be kept clear for movement of people, carts, food goods and for the military.”

“Yes, I would think so Thalsia.”

“We will be flying throughout Thryson Kingdom starting tomorrow morning to spread the news. We'll meet with each Castle Lord, village and town leaders.”

“Thank you, ambassadors, for doing that for us.”

“You're welcome.”

“See you at the morning repast. The other five kingdoms will be here to split up the crewmen afterwards. You can meet them if you like, before you go.”

“Thank you for the offer, King Tierion. We'll think about it.”

Then we see the eight guards return with Braden exiting from the castle. They approach us.

“Did you tell the Captain of the Guard the situation tonight?”

“We did, Sir Trenton. The schedule has been set.”

“Very good men, see to your posts.”

Then four of them get into position around the scout craft and walk slowly around it..

King Tierion looks at the two of the guards, “will you please escort the dwarf ambassadors to their rooms before you return to your own quarters.”

“Yes, my Lord. Please follow us.”

The dwarf ambassadors follow the two knights into the castle.

“Good night again, First Ones. Let's hope we don't get any more surprises this evening.”

“Yes, King Tierion. Good night again everyone.”

“Good night.”

Avel, the fairies and the centaurs leave the court yard and the castle and enter in the forest.

King Tierion looks at the last two guards, “will you please escort us back to our rooms.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“My Lord, we have a bed for Richard with the men. We figured it would be a good start for his preparation this way.”

“I see.” King Tierion turns to me. “Are you ready, Richard?”

“I'm ready, my Lord. I just need to stop by my room in the castle to pick up a few things.”

“Very good. Sir Trenton, commanders and Sir Halgren, please begin his training.”

“Yes my Lord. Please come with us, Richard.”

“Yes Sir Trenton.” I leave with them and walk into the castle. We walk up the stairs to the second floor. We walk down the hallway until we come to the door. The guard on duty there snaps to attention.

“We need to enter in Richard's room to get some things.”

“Yes Sir.” He turns around and recites the spell to remove the sealing spell on the door. He opens it for us.

Sir Trenton, Sir Halgren and I walk into the room. I open a drawer and remove some things from it. I put them into my satchel. It is another T-shirt, a pair of working shorts, socks and underwear that I brought with me. I leave King Thranton's gift in the top drawer.

I take out the book for Sir Trenton to show it to him. “This is the book, Sir Trenton. There are several hundred pages. There are several discs in the back for additional images.”

“Leave it there, Richard. I'll get it later.”

“Yes Sir.” I look at the flower book on the dresser. “I need to have Trianna touch my mind. This is the flower book that I brought with me. She will translate it at a later date for Twainor.”

Then we hear Trianna in the hallway. “I'm here, Richard.”

“Good, let's take care of this language spell.” I pick up the book and walk out with it.

She looks at me and smiles. She touches my forehead and recites the spell. Then she touches her head. “Wow, that is some vocabulary you have Richard. Thank you for sharing. I will get started on it when I have some free time if we are still here.”

“You're welcome, Trianna.” I hand the book to her.

“You take care of Richard, commanders.”

“We will, Sorceress Trianna. Good night. We know you have a lot to do in the coming days to get the Mystic Order here ready.”

“That we do. Good night again.”

“Good night, Trianna.” We all respond together.

We walk down the hallway to the other end. The guard behind us closes the door and seals it with the sealing spell. He opens the door for the others who just arrived to their rooms. The King and Queen are escorted to the third floor where their quarters are located.

We get to the end of the hallway. We walk down the staircase to the main floor. We then walk down the hallway and exit the side door of the castle. We turn left at a sidewalk intersection. We walk around the castle to the knights housing complex.

“Richard, if I remember right, you told us you were part of a youth camping group. What can you tell us about it?”

“Well, it is designed for boys from eleven to eighteen or so. Not everybody joins one where they live. Sometimes I wished it was required. You learn many things and skills that are useful in life.”

“There are ranks to achieve as you learn a new set of skills. The leaders train the boys to be leaders as they stay in the troop. I achieved the highest rank plus some leadership positions.”

“What are some of the skills you learned?”

“There are a lot of them. I learned how to do first aid in the wilderness, make rope bridges, wooden towers and bridges. I learned how to light a fire several different ways. I learn to recognize the difference between the good plants to eat and the poisonous ones to avoid in my region. I learned some information about birds, insects and other animals as well.”

“We learn how to plan long hikes, back packing, swimming, rowing and canoeing. We learned what we need to bring and how to prepare food with or with what is available in the woods. How to take care of knives, axes, archery. I even learned how to take care of the land and what to do if a camp fire gets out of control.”

“Did that include maneuvers and acting as a group?”

“Our troop consisted of about thirty boys with adult leaders. We divided into patrols of five to seven boys. We learned how to act as a unit and have competition between the patrols. We also played some games as well for that competition.”

“One game we played is 'Capture the Flag'. It is done at dusk with or without a moon. You have to rely on stealth skills to sneak past the opposing team without being caught. Capture the flag and bring it back to your side again before being caught. We like to use a stream or a well-worn road to divide the area.”

“That's excellent, Richard. We have done that on occasion too.” Sir Valmar smiles.

“We usually did it four or five times in one night.”

“Yes, it is a good test of working together as a team.”

“Is there anything else, Richard?”

“Hmm . . . There was one skill set that is very important. How to do compass orientation with maps or not.”

“Yes, Richard, we have that as well. They need to know how to traverse across territory that is unknown to them. We usually provide a goal to attain as well.”

“You will do well with us. Tomorrow is going to be spent here. Hopefully the next day you will be with others in Angathorn Kingdom to get some work done on the sailing ships that are docked there.”

“That sounds like a good plan.”

We approach the housing for the knights.

“I have a question before we go inside, sirs.”

“What is it, Richard?”

“Since I'm new here. Will I get roused out of my bed unexpectedly?” I smile at them.

They start laughing.

“What makes you think that, Richard?”

“Well, I would like to return the favor to show them I'm not so naive.”

They laugh again.

“Just as long as no one gets hurt. It's been known to happen.”

“I thought as much. Well, let's go inside and see what kind of greeting I will get.”

“Your bed is next to Sir Halgren inside.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.”

They open the double doors. We walk inside and see a large gathering hall. There are several hundred knights all talking to each other.

Then one of them notices us. “Commanders in the hall!”

Everybody snaps to attention and stops talking.

“At ease, men.”

Everybody goes into a relaxed stance.

We walk into the middle of the room.

“As you can see, Richard, our Outside Helper is here. He's going to train with Sir Halgren so they can work together. I'm not taking any chances with that star ship out there.”

They all shout, “Yes, Sir.”

“Don't take him for granted. He is very aware of the danger that lies ahead. He already knows some basic training. I want to see an improvement there.”

They all shout, “Yes, Sir.”

“If for some reason someone decides to test him with a prank or a joke. Richard has my full permission to give that someone a demonstration match.”

They all shout, “Yes, Sir.”

“Captains and Sergeants, please report here now for a quick meeting. The rest of you can go to your sleeping quarters.”

They all shout, “Yes, Sir.”

Sir Valmar shouts out loud. “Legion dismissed and have a good night's sleep.”

Everybody breaks apart. They walk down the hallways and go up stair cases to the next two levels or the main floor. The captains and sergeants walk to the center of the room where we are gathered.

“I need to make sure Richard and Sir Halgren learn how to work together and with a team. Richard saw the mock take over of the star ship floor level.”

“His first morning task is the training fields. He has been outfitted with the weapons on him. So it is target practice in certain situations.”

“Yes, he has some stealth skills already. He needs to be fluid in his motions. He has learned some spells from Renard. Give him a few more like the sleep spell.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“In his satchel he will have some things that he might use. He has a basic first aid kit, rope, mirror, knife, a skin of water and a sewing kit. Most importantly will be a sling with the river stones.”

“We found a dry river bed here in Thryson. The men will be practicing with it as well.”

“That's good captain. Is there anything else that needs to be mentioned?”

“Can we use him as a goal to achieve in some scenarios?”

Sir Trenton looks at me. “Well, Richard?”

“Sure, I can provide a recognition reaction when I see the forces appear.”

“Yes, it will be a good test on speed. Be prepared to be put to sleep.”

“I just hope I won't get any insomnia and be up all night tomorrow night.” I smile at them.

They chuckle at the joke.

“It won't be too bad, Richard.”

“Perhaps, but you better get some extra stand ins just in case.”

“There will be some other hostages out there, so the entire focus won't be you.”

“Well, let's get some sleep. The Legion will be up before dawn. The morning repast is at the half-mark before the First Mark for the first shift for three-quarters of a mark. Everyone will be done eating at the Second Mark plus a quarter-mark for the second shift.”

I shake my head up and down in agreement. “That's a mark earlier than my current schedule. So, if you don't mind, I need to get to bed now my friends.”

“Sir Halgren, take him to bed.”

“Yes, Sir Trenton.”

“Good night, Richard.”

“Good night, my friends.”

I quickly bow to them and rise up. I turn around and walk with Sir Halgren. We stay on the main floor and enter a hallway. We walk past several open doors on the right and left hand side. I see bunk beds in there two and three high. There are floor chests near them.

Sir Halgren stops and opens a door on the right. “This is where I sleep. I sleep with the sergeants here.”

We walk inside. I see about a dozen beds all single level arranged neatly. There are two windows on the opposite wall. It is well lit with light crystals. Each bed has a chest on the floor. There are also a small table and chair near each one. Each table has a small set of shelves on it. Some of the spaces are filled with various items.

“Your bed is over here, Richard.”

“Thank you, Sir Halgren.”

“You can call me Halgren. There is no formality here, except on the field.”

“I understand, Halgren.” I take off my satchel and put it on the bed.

We both start to undress ourselves. Once I get the jacket and shirt off, I put those on the bed. I bend down and open the floor chest. I see a long night shirt and a pair of night shorts. I take them out put them on the bed. I fold up the jacket and the shirt and put them in the chest.

“Halgren, what happens when the men get extra dirty?”

“We have a separate room down the hall. There are four on each level. There are tubs and other items to get yourself clean. There is a medicine cabinet in each one as well. They are attended by several pages to assist us.”

I sit down on the chair and take off the pants and fold them up and place it in the chest. I then begin to take off the padded armor. I start with the leggings first. I set those near the chair. Then I undo the straps and take off the armor for the arms. I put them on the bed. Then I undo the latches for the breast and back plates, I take them off and put them on the bed.

“Halgren, since this padding and armor are brand-new today, I'm not going take them apart. I'll probably put the padding in the chest tomorrow night to clean them.”

“That sounds fine, Richard.”

I take off my smelly T-shirt and fold it up. “I think I will take that bath tomorrow night. I definitely need it then.”

“I will join you, Richard.”

I put on the night shirt. Then I take off my shorts and underwear. Then I put on the night shorts. I take out my extra clothes from the satchel and put them in the floor chest. I fold up the rest of the clothes and put them in there. I turn around and see that Sir Halgren has changed as well.

I close the chest and put my hands above it. I recite the cleaning spell for the chest. I open it to check it. I see that clothes are clean and don’t smell at all. I smile when I see that. I close the lid and sit down on the bed.

The next set of noises I hear is the captains and sergeants walking down the hall. The sergeants open the door and walk into their room.

“Ah good, you're both ready for bed.”

“I've heard so much about you, Richard. I wasn't sure what to expect. My name is Carsten.”

“My name is Chad Bratton. My older brother is Alec Bratton and Captain here.”

“Yes, we now see that everyone looks the same but different from star system to star system.”

They start changing and getting ready for bed while they are talking.

“If you think I'm different, on Earth we can appear different among ourselves. Our skin can have various shades of color. I'm considered white skinned. There are shades of light brown, dark brown, shades of tan and olive skin and everything in between. We come in all sizes from dwarf to this high. (I raise my hand above my head.)

“Some are thin, and some are strong like you. Some are fighters, teachers, doctors like Ariella, leaders of villages, towns, states and nations. There are musicians and writers as well.”

“Wow, I guess the Maker wants variety, He over did it.” Smiles Bratton.

“I'm sure you’re right.” Smiles Halgren.

“Richard, can I clasp your hand?”

“Sure, Bratton.” I clasp hands with him.

He looks at the hand comparison as we hold hands. “Sir Trenton is right. You need to improve your hand strength. It's not too bad, but it could use some work.”

“May I Richard?” Several others ask at the same time.

“Okay.” Soon I grab hands with all of the sergeants.

“You're right, Bratton. Trenton just told us after you left the meeting in the hall.”

“He also said you've had self-defense training.”

“Yes that is right, sir. When I was younger about eight years old, I was walking home with a neighborhood girlfriend. She and I were next door neighbors at the time. Four older boys jumped out to hurt to us.”

“Why, Richard?”

“Brianna and I were the smartest kids in the school then. Those four were just as smart, but their average was just below ours.”

“So they felt insulted that two younger ones were smarter than they.”

“That's right. They were the smartest for their age group.”

“That's sad. So what happened next?”

“I stepped in to protect her. So they beat me up first. They stepped on my hands to break them. They also kicked me in various places on the body. I was soon unconscious. They left laughing and threatened the same to her. Provided she failed some tests on purpose so they can get ahead.”

“That didn't happen?”

“No. She ran home to get our parents help. I was in the hospital for two moons. She told the principal of the school what happened. The boys were caught and sent to jail for children for a year. After they got out, they were held back a year. By that time our families had moved to another town. I haven't seen her since.”

“Once I was healed of my injuries, my dad enrolled me in a self-defense class. I was in it for about five years. I was in tournaments. I learned there is always someone who wants to hurt you. But if you know some moves you can find a way to win a fight.”

“Like you did in that demonstration fight when you were here last time.”

“Yes, I wanted to test myself last time and see if my lessons really worked.”

“Did you learn any new moves since then?”

“Yes I did. I found a local club to practice and learn some new techniques.”

“That's good, Richard. Well, let's hope we don't have to see it. After what we went through, my joints can still feel that strain.”

Everybody laughs on recalling the retraining sessions.

“Do you remember what Ariella did to get her opponent off, Carsten?”

“If I remember right. She applied pressure at the elbow to get him off.”

“I remember that too. That can really get your attention. What are you saying Richard? You know some more pressure points?”

“Yes, I do. In fact if applied at various joints at once, the limbs will start to shake and spasm like crazy. The heart is all right, it’s the muscles are twitching like crazy.”

“Ouch. That would definitely get my attention in a hurry. How do I relieve the pain, Richard?”

“You start rubbing those joints. Then you rub down the muscle You'll be standing back up soon. But the memory of the shaking will stick in the brain for about a week or longer. My instructor did it to me so that I know what it is like.”

“Well let's hope our men learned their lessons. If it happens again, Richard, I can see why Sir Trenton allowed you to do another match.”

“Yes, oh and one more thing about my strength. My instructor taught me how to be deceptive with it.”

“I can see with your size, Richard.”

“My strength had always been my legs in lifting. My instructor had me work on my arm and back strength. I'll show you. Bring up two chairs and a table.”

“All right, Richard. I think I know what you're going to do.”

“We must be quiet men, no yelling for encouragement.”

“Yes, Halgren.”

I sit in a chair. Sergeant Langley sits in the other chair opposite me. We bring our right arms up and put our elbows on the table.

“As you can see, your arm strength is obviously bigger than mine.”

“That’s right, Richard.”

“My hand is definitely smaller than yours. I'm already conceding you will win in the end.”

“If I know I'm going to win, what is your advantage?”

“Time. How long will it take for you to win?”

“I'm thinking really quickly.”

“All right, let's find out. Let me take off my night shirt. You'll see a surprise.” I take off the night shirt and toss it on my bed. “Watch my muscles’ men.”

We clasp our right hands together. We look at each other with intensity. We grab the table edge with our left hands.

Halgren holds the hands still. Then he let's go and mutters the word, “go!”

We both tense up. Langley struggles to bring my arm down, but I hold it firm at the top. Then the men get the surprise.

“What you're not moving?” mutters Langley.

“Look at his muscles. They’re not bulging. His skin seems to have a layer of fat.”

“Yes, it is hiding his strength. That's unexpected.”

“Nope, I'm not moving.” I mutter.

Then I start to increase my pull.

Langley has a surprised look. He tries to match it. He starts to recover when I get halfway down. He pulls the clasped hands back to the top. Langley goes for the advantage and gets to his half way point.

I strain to recover to get back to the top. It takes some time, but I get it back. Then I get a surprise.

He let's go and stands up.

Everybody breathes out quietly from the suspense.

“That's incredible Richard. I've never expected that. I could have gone for the win, but you recovered. We could have struggled for a quarter-mark and not get anywhere.”

“Why did you learn that, Richard?”

“To save a life and pulling one to safety.”

“Ah, now I see why. That's very important. You need to hold it until you or someone else comes to help you for the rescue.”

“That's right.” I get up and walk over to my bed. I put on the night shirt.

The men put the chairs and table where they belong.

“My parents made sure I was in a good self-defense school. The instructor made sure my motivation in a fight was not in anger or revenge. It clouds the mind.”

“Yes, I remember seeing that look on those four knights in Evenshard. They also displayed too much pride. They showed it off at the tournaments.”

“Well, let's get some sleep. It's going to be a long day for Richard and me.”

“Well said, Halgren.”

We all lie on our beds and pull the covers of us. Someone recites the light spell to turn off the light crystals.

We see the moon light streaming into the windows. I barely see the stars shining as well. We soon fall asleep one by one.

~~~000~~~

“Cut off main engines and use the thrusters, Colban.”

“Yes, Sir.” Colban pushes a symbol on the glass panel. “Main engines are off.
We're under thruster guidance.”

“All right men, we're approaching the moons. Turn on the stealth generators, Traven.”

Traven pushes a symbol on the glass panel. “Stealth is turned on.”

“Very good let's maneuver behind the nearest moon. Begin data sweeps of all frequencies.”

“Yes, Sir.” They all respond as one voice.

“Yisrati, there's an energy beam coming from the surface.”

“An energy beam? How strong is it?”

“Make that six energy beams, Yisrati. They're all converging here to this moon.”

“Get behind the other moon now.”

“I can't, Yisrati. It's moving too fast!”

“How did they know? They have no mech-orbs here.”

“Brin said there is magic here.”

“If they do have magic, it's very powerful.”

“Send the distress signal now!”

“Yes Sir!” Colban pushes a symbol on the glass panel.”

“This must have what happened to Brin . . . ”

Soon the second scout ship is enveloped in a sphere of white light. When it fades, the scout ship disappears.

~~~000~~~

“General, I just received an energy spike like last time!”

“Is the scout ship still there, Tek?”

Tek adjusts some controls on the glass panel. “No, it is not there. I just received the distress signal. There is no data file sent.”

“What's going on, Tek?”

“I don't know, General. It's as if they have some sort of warning.”

“If they can do magic. They may have a means to sense it that far out.”

“I'm sure you're right, General.” Magic, two moons . . . Why is it that familiar? I rub the back of my neck. The pain goes away.

The General notices the reaction. “I'm going to the Supreme and discuss this problem. Dar-re, you have the comm-chair again.”

“Yes, General.”

The General gets up and walks over to the transport circle. He disappears in a flash of light once he steps into it.

Dar-re gets up from his station and walks to the comm-chair. He sits down in it.

“We'll need to wait for their decision, bridge. I'm perplexed as you are. Tek, continue monitoring all frequencies.”

“Yes Sir.”

~~~000~~~

The General appears in the Supreme's chamber in a flash of light. He shows a scowl on his face.

“Let me guess, General, from that look on your face. The second scout ship is gone.”

“It is, Supreme. More than likely it is on the surface. Our secrets are still safe. If Brin is correct, this world is archaic, they have no knowledge how our ships work.”

“If this world is the source of the artifacts. We'll be the most powerful force in the galaxy. Nothing will stop us.”

“Do you think the twelfth artifact could be here, Supreme?”

“I seriously doubt it. They have no means to communicate beyond their planet or have interstellar transportation. But we'll scan for it anyway just in case. We'll probably find their quarries instead, then we can stock pile that magic on our fleet of star ships when they are built.”

“It will be done, Supreme.”

“We could start consuming their outer worlds for the resources. But, I want that world really badly. We'll need it for current supplies and building the second star ship.”

“I agree, Supreme. Our race hasn't encountered a magic world for more than five thousand cycles.”

“Yes, we must cloud their minds with fear. It's the only way to get past their magic efforts.”

“We'll have to use our world projector to reach them all at once.”

“Yes, they will panic and lose hope. There is no way they will mount a counter attack.”

“So, my Supreme. Do we go directly to the planet?”

“Yes, General. If we travel as fast as possible, how long will it take to get there?”

“I estimate two or three sub-cycles on this world from its distance to the sun.”

“Very good, General. That won't give them any time to prepare for anything. We'll be victorious and dispatch them all before they know it.”

“Yes, Supreme. For victory of the Nefelim!”

“For the Nefelim, rulers of the Universe. We'll have our revenge on our cursed enemy!”

“It will be done, my Supreme.” The General bows and rises back up quickly. He turns around and steps into the transport circle. He disappears in a flash of light.

The Supreme turns his head and looks at the panel. “Emperor's Log.” A light comes on the panel. “E-date 1240.45 begin entry.”

“The second scout has disappeared. We are not receiving any telemetry after another energy spike from the planet. We suspect the scout ship is on the surface like the first one.”

“The General and I have agreed that we must conquer this world for its resources. Hopefully we will be able to gain their magic power as stated by Brin, leader of the first scout ship.”

“End Supreme Emperor Natachlon of the Kiywalym System.” The light turns off on the panel.

“All right, let's do some multiple objects this time.”

He looks at another box in a corner of the room. He focuses on the lid. The lid rises up and is moved to the floor easily. He concentrates on the objects within the box.

One steel ball floats into the air. The steel ball is about one finger width on his hand. He concentrates on the box again and keeps the first steel ball floating. This time three balls float into the air. He looks around the room. The steel balls move quickly in various directions.

“Yes, it is getting easier now. Let's try ten more.”

He keeps the four balls flying in the air. He looks at the box again. Soon ten balls are floating in the air. Then those ten balls join the other four. The Supreme then sends the balls in different random patterns in the room. He then looks at his target on a wall in the room.

He uses his mind to hit the target one by one. Once the steel balls bounce off the target, he keeps them moving in a random pattern in the air. The metal target gets dented. In some places on the target, a tear develops in the sheet metal.

“I love it. Once we gain their magical powers, nothing will stop the Nefelim . . . Hah . . . hah . . . hah . . . !”