 
Warlords

of

Antares

Warlords Series

Book 1

By

Brian K. Larson

Warlords of Antares

Brian K. Larson

Published by Slipstream Publishing

at Smashwords

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the brave men and women who have given their lives to serve their country.

Their sacrifice goes beyond explanation. Thank you to their families. Their sacrifice allows us to enjoy our freedoms every day.
CONTENTS

 Chapter One

 Chapter Two

 Chapter Three

 Chapter Four

 Chapter Five

 Chapter Six

 Chapter Seven

 Chapter Eight

 Chapter Nine

 Chapter Ten

 Chapter Eleven

 Chapter Twelve

 Chapter Thirteen

 Chapter Fourteen

 Chapter Fifteen

 Chapter Sixteen

 Chapter Seventeen

 Chapter Eighteen

 Chapter Nineteen

 Chapter Twenty

 Chapter Twenty One

 Chapter Twenty Two

 Chapter Twenty Three

 Chapter Twenty Four

 Chapter Twenty Five

 Chapter Twenty Six

 Epilogue

 Sneak Peek

 More by Author, Brian K. Larson

Chapter One

________________________

The Star

Betelgeuse

Earth Year: 1375

________________________

"Eridonian scouts on scanner, my Lord," reported the tactical officer.

"What are Eridonians doing at the Betelgeuse system? Engage them, but I want prisoners for the Emperor!"

"Weapons ready, awaiting your command, my Lord."

"Fire!" the captain of the Antares battle cruiser ordered.

"Weapons firing, my Lord!"

Gorax waited impatiently for the glowing lights of an explosion. He was rewarded with a flash on the forward display.

"Direct hit, my Lord! Target one destroyed, two to go!" the captain heard Ajail report in a gruff voice.

"I said I wanted prisoners!"

"Sorry, my Lord. I will adjust our weapons output to disable their ships."

Gorax sat in his captain's chair, extended his arm pointing his large hairy index finger, "After them! They're running away!"

"Yes, my Lord," Chetran, the helmsman answered, "Altering course and increasing speed. We are in pursuit!"

Gorax gave his helmsman a stare, "Do not let the Eridonians escape! Understood?"

"Yes, my Lord," Chetran answered, "We are nearing weapons range in two minutes."

"Weapons status!"

"Yes, my Lord," Ajail answered, "Weapons recharged!"

"Very good, Ajail!" Gorax's saber rattled as he moved to stand between his tactical officer and his helmsman. "Chetran, you would do well to emulate how my tactical officer anticipates my orders," Gorax relaxed into his leather command chair.

"They're returning fire, my Lord!" Ajail reported.

"Shields up! The fools. Those scout ships cannot damage us at this range."

"Sir, their scout ships are no match for ours. Weapons range on the last two targets in one minute."

"I said Shields up!" Gorax now stood beside his tactical officer, the tip of his sabre making his point against Ajail's chest.

"Yes, my Lord," Ajail nervously acknowledged, "Shields activated!"

Gorax sheathed his sabre and pointed a heavy finger at Ajail, "DO NOT destroy them, they are to be captured and taken to the Emperor."

Ajail nodded, "Yes, my Lord. I have targeted both ships' engines."

"Thirty-seconds!" the helmsman counted.

"The Emperor will be most pleased, my Lord," Ajail cracked a smile, and became enraged when he cut his lip on his crooked and pointed teeth.

"We need them alive! The Emperor will be able to complete our telepathy deflector with the life of one of these...Eridonians."

"Fifteen seconds!"

"They will be unable to fool us with their mind tricks, once the Emperor perfects our technology," Gorax nodded, "Ajail, fire at will!"

"Yes, my Lord," Ajail acknowledged, pressing his firing sequence. "Target two has been hit. Their engines are disabled."

"Helmsman! Record their position and continue pursuit. We'll come back for them shortly."

"Yes, my Lord. I have marked their position. Changing course to intercept the last target."

"My Lord," Ajail reported, "I'm picking up some very unusual readings coming from Betelgeuse."

"Tactical, report!"

"My Lord, sensors indicate the star is about to supernova!"

"Our seers warned us that this star would die soon. Are you certain your readings are accurate?"

"Yes, my Lord. I have confirmed our readings," Ajail reported, "I suspect that's what these three Eridonian scout ships have come this far to record."

"How far are we from that star?"

"We will be destroyed if we are here when it blows, my Lord!"

"How much time do we have before we must make our escape?" the Captain demanded.

"Five minutes or less, my Lord. She has already exploded. If we wait much longer, we may not make it out of the expanding gravity well!"

"Helm, take us away from the supernova!"

"My Lord, what about the Eridonians?"

"Never mind them now! We must make our escape! Prepare for jump sequence!"

"Yes, my Lord!" Chetran acknowledged, "Spooling jump drive. I've changed course to intercept the disabled ship. They have launched an emergency escape pod, we can scoop them into our landing bay before we jump."

"Are you certain you will have enough time?" the nervous Captain tugged on his stringy goatee.

"Yes, my Lord. We will intercept in two minutes."

"Tactical, report!"

"My Lord, the supernova shockwave will be on us in three minutes."

"...and time to jump?"

"It's going to be close...my Lord."

"I didn't ask for your analysis!"

"Yes, my Lord. Just under three minutes."

"Engage locking beam and bring that pod onboard! NOW!"

"We have them in our locking beam, my Lord."

"Jump coordinates set for Antares, my Lord!" Ajail reported, "We have the pod onboard! One minute to shockwave!"

"HELM!"

"Jump drive is nearly ready, my Lord!"

"Lock down the landing bay and jump!"

"Yes, my Lord. Landing bay secure. All stations report ready for jump sequence."

"All personnel," Gorax ordered, "Activate auto-restraints!"

The battle cruiser began to shimmy with the approaching shockwave. Sweat rolled down Gorax's hairy forehead and dripped from his scraggly beard as he studied his monitor. "JUMP! Jump the ship! Jump the ship, NOW!"

The ship rattled and shook as the supernova shockwave hit. "Jumping now, my Lord!" As Chetran finalized the jump sequence, a brilliant display of color played across the ship's forward screen. Stars bled from one color to the next in the spectrum from the instant speeds of the jump engines.

Then all was quiet.

The shaking stopped.

Only the engines, winding down from the massive energy spike of the jump sequence, could be heard.

"Report," Gorax ordered, wiping his sleeve over his bony brow.

"My Lord," Ajail reported, "We cleared the supernova. We have minimal damage to our aft thrusters, and to the inertial dampening systems. I'm dispatching repair teams."

"The Eridonians?"

"They are alive, my Lord," Ajail smiled with satisfaction.

"Bring the prisoners to me at once!"

"Yes, my Lord," Ajail replied, and then signaled on his comm station for the security detail.

"Chetran."

The helmsman turned to address his Captain, "Yes, my Lord?"

"That was brilliant bringing those Eridonians on board just in time."

"Thank you, my Lord."

"You may have earned accommodation."

"Thank you, my Lord," Chetran answered, bowing before his Captain.

"Set course for home. Enter our home moon Serintin's orbit when we arrive."

"Yes, my Lord. Plotting course to Serintin. We shall make orbit in two hours."

"Yes, I cannot wait to see the Emperor's face when he sees we brought him one of the Eridonians," Gorax's expression turned a more serious look, "We all need to be aware of the mind tricks these Eridonians have on us. DO NOT be fooled by them."

The security detail entered the widespread bridge from the rear door. Five armed Antarian guards escorted two rather short, bald, and unassuming humanoids before Gorax.

"You are the Eridonians? You're much smaller than us." Gorax laughed, and then stood, towering over the white skinned androgynous creatures, "However, we understand size makes no difference in this Galaxy."

The two Eridonians were dressed in light blue, long flowing gowns. The lights from the bridge caused their garments to sparkle as they stood emotionless before their captors.

Gorax leaned closer to their faces, "I know you understand me. You can hear everything I say telepathically. Now speak to me! Tell me what it is you were doing in the Betelgeuse sector?"

The two continued without movement, simply returning Gorax's stare.

"Speak to me, NOW!" Gorax pulled his sabre and thrust it into one of the Eridonians.

The short humanoid buckled on Gorax's sabre, then slid off the blade and collapsed on the floor. A pool of blue spread outward from the Eridonian's body.

"Speak now or you will have the same fate as your partner!"

The Eridonian nodded and made a hand gesture, please, give me a moment. We have not spoken Antarian for some time.

"You just did it," Gorax smiled, "I heard you just now. Why did you wait for me to kill one of you before responding? You must have known that I was going to do that...you can tell these things, can't you?"

The white skinned humanoid gestured once more, our lives are of no consequence. Our mission was a success.

"Your mission?!"

Yes, our mission was to cause you to return to Antares after the supernova.

"I fail to understand your reasoning?"

We entered the Betelgeuse star system, knowing that the star was about to supernova. We have been studying this star for some time now. All we needed to do was clear the sector and your people would be locked on this side of the portal.

"Portal?" Gorax asked, "What portal?"

The supernova has created a wormhole. However, the wormhole, or conduit, will not be stable for over six-hundred years. Two way travel will be impossible, so your ruthless Empire will now suffer from isolation. Jump drives will not operate through that sector of space for some time now. Our mission was a success.

"Suicide?"

Yes. Individually, we are expendable. We understood this was a one way trip for us. Now we have rid our sector, and protected other star systems from your tyranny, the Eridonian smiled with a slight nod.

"We will discover a way through! You cannot stop us! We are the Warlords of Antares! We will not be defeated!"

The Eridonian cocked its head to one side and closed its eyes.

Gorax and crew grabbed their ears in pain. Most of the bridge crew fell to their knees from where they were sitting. Gorax struggled to maintain his composure. "What are you doing!? You will not take us!" Holding his blue stained sabre, he looked at the blade and then back to the Eridonian, but before he could act, the helmsman had already lunged with his sword, piercing the Eridonian.

The pain in their heads ceased. Gorax shook his head and stumbled back into his command chair with a thud. Pressing a button on his command chair, he leaned closer to the intercom, "Get someone up here to clean this mess up, on the double!" he looked over to Chetran, who was still holding his bloody weapon, "What have you done!?"

"I-I don't know, my Lord."

"You let his mind tricks get to you!"

"I am sorry, my Lord. The pain...the pain was too great."

"You are weak!"

"My Lord, I ask you to forgive me. Please-do not kill me," Chetran begged, backing away from the Captain and his sabre.

Gorax stepped closer, pointing his saber at the helmsman's chest, "I will not stab you." He wiped the alien's blood from the weapons across his sleeve and returned it to his sheath.

"Thank you, my Lord."

"I would not thank me just yet, Chetran."

"Sir?"

"You killed the Eridonian! Now our Emperor will not be able to defeat these creatures!"

"I will try harder not to fall to their mind tricks in the future, my Lord," Chetran bowed before his captain.

"There will not be a next time for you, Chetran!" Gorax reached for his side arm, pointed it at his helmsman and fired, incinerating him. His screams echoed in the minds of his crew as his flesh burned away, vaporizing into the air.

The remaining crew held silent and waited for their next orders.

"Don't just stare at me! Get to your stations! Someone take over the helm and report on our arrival time!"

Another crewman slid into the helm station. The ship resumed its usual routine as they made their way to the third moon of the fourth gas giant of Antares.

* * *

________________________

Epsilon Eridani

Earth Year: 1375

________________________

The misty green planet occupied the fourth orbit around the star known as Epsilon. Five Eridonian leaders had gathered in the center of a courtyard, in the center of the continent which was centered on the equator of Epsilon prime.

Towering spires surrounded the courtyard, signifying the leaders meeting place.

A slight nodding motion from each Eridonian was the only visual clue to their communications.

It is done.

Yes, we all felt it. The last of our teams have perished at the hands of the Warlords.

Our mission was a success.

Yes. However temporary it was, we were successful in keeping the Warlords from entering our space.

We must not let them find the others when the portal stabilizes.

Yes, we must protect the planet called Earth. They are not technically suited to defend against the Warlords at their current state of development.

It was agreed that this was the safest course of action. The Betelgeuse supernova couldn't have occurred at a better time.

Yes, it was an advantageous time. However, this only grants us a small respite. The conduit will stabilize, making two-way travel possible. The Antarians will traverse the conduit in six-hundred and forty years.

We must use the time prudently.

Is it possible to help the Earthlings advance to a state where they can fight against the Warlords in the time we have given them?

I see them advancing to a state where they will accept help from outsiders by then.

Yes, I sense that is correct.

Then it is settled. We shall mentor the Earthlings when the time comes.

If it becomes necessary, indeed.

Until that time, we shall continue our observations of the planet to monitor their progress.

One last nod passed around the five Eridonians before each departed in his own direction.

* * *
Chapter Two

________________________

Earth

Present Day

________________________

Jedidiah Fitz slouched on the lumpy couch. His gaze moved from the empty shot glass to the fifth of whiskey waiting on the coffee table. He ran his hand through his gelled blond hair, then wiped it clean on his jeans. Then he ran his other hand across his face, feeling the roughness of his three-day stubble.

He looked out the window at the night sky. The stars twinkled outside the high-rise condo. They called him, beckoning him to come to the window. He opened the patio French-style doors and stepped out onto the balcony. The beeping horns and flickering car lights twenty stories below hinted at the hustle and bustle of the city nightlife.

The constellation Orion was shining brilliantly this time of year. He loved gazing at the stars. He longed for the day that man would reach the distant stars. He never expected it would ever be in his lifetime, but perhaps for his grandkids. If he ever had any.

His dreams of a large, happy family died five years earlier. Five years ago. This very night. The night the love of his life was stolen from him by a car accident.

Happy birthday, Jed.

Visions of sitting in a bar, his beautiful wife next to him, sipping seltzer water so he could have his shots of whiskey played over and over in his mind. It was like it happened yesterday. Was it really five years ago?

His eyes looked at the stars, but he saw only her white spring dress. The one with the flowers. He could smell her shoulder length black hair, soft as silk, as it flowed around her soft neck. He remembered how she'd tremble when he ran his fingers along her neck ever so softly, barely touching... he could feel her warm, smooth skin, he could look into her eyes... He missed those almond eyes the most.

He remembered the waitress setting a full bottle of his favorite whiskey on the table. She smiled at them, working for her tip, as she wiped the table quickly before leaving.

He held Joan's hand across the round table as she nodded that it was okay.

"Drink up honey," her sweet voice sang, "I'll drive us home, you just have a good time, sweetie."

He lived to be with her. It nearly killed him when she died in his arms that night. Maybe some of him did die with her, he thought. No, he was sure part of him died, the emptiness told him.

No one saw the car speeding through the intersection, running the red light, until it slammed into the driver's door. She lived just long enough to tell him she loved him. God, he missed her.

"Damn-damn-DAMN! It's all my fault!" he cursed to himself, "If only we hadn't gone to that bar...if only I hadn't had those drinks...Joan would have never driven us home...it would have been me that was killed, not her...damn it!"

Tears rolled down his cheeks. It took some time, for the sobs to ease. "Why do I always do this...every year since the accident?"

Jed walked back to the couch and picked up the whiskey. He studied the label, then the amber liquid in the bottle. After a time he poured another shot and set the bottle down on the table.

"You really don't want to do this, now do you?" he muttered to himself. "No-I don't want this anymore...never again...never again."

He lifted the shot glass to his nose and took in the powerful elixir's aroma, swirling the drink in the glass, he watched the oils of the whiskey coat the sides of the glass.

Touching the glass to his lips he thought, maybe this year will be different...maybe this year I'll actually take a drink.

Jed kept the glass there, the rim barely touching his lower lip. Ten, twenty seconds, a minute he kept it there. He sighed before he returned the shot glass to the table. Then he fidgeted a little, and finally giving in, he reached his hand out, only to pull it back before he touched the cold, hard glass. Twice more he reached for it. The third time he actually picked it up.

"Like drinking bad medicine," Jed thought. He opened his mouth and threw down the whiskey in a quick movement. He slammed the glass hard on to the table. Desperately he filled the glass twice more, quickly downing the spirits. After each shot he slammed the glass harder on to the table, hoping that it would break.

The TV suddenly turned on, making him jump, "What the hell?"

He reached for the remote control and quickly powered the set off, "Too damn depressing to watch the news."

After setting the remote next to him on the couch, the TV once again popped on, displaying a news anchor, and showing the words on the screen, Breaking News!! The Aliens Have Arrived...

"What the devil's going on?" then he stopped short as the station displayed pictures of the little grey alien's that had been reported by thousands over the last fifty years. Jed had seen enough UFO shows to know they were called 'Greys'. Reports of sightings from all over the world existed, but there was never any confirming physical evidence. The shows made it seem like the Government knew more than what they were saying. Hype or not, Jed always had believed there was life out there. "But these little creatures?" He didn't think it likely.

"Wait a minute," he reached for the control and turned the volume to a level he could hear.

"We are bringing you this breaking news: An alien race has, in fact, made first contact with Earth. This is not a hoax or a drama show! We have reports that the aliens have contacted tens of thousands across the globe, all simultaneously," the news reporter said, "In fact, there's one in contact with me this very moment. This alien is saying that the Governments of the world can no longer deny their existence. They are sending us a message of utmost importance."

While the news anchor continued talking, Jed scoffed at the TV. "Yeah, right. Aliens are coming to Earth, you betcha."

He poured two more shots and downed each of them quickly when he heard a voice behind him, "What's the matter, Captain Jedidiah Fitz?"

Startled that someone was in his apartment, he shot around to see who it was.

Standing behind the sofa was a man of medium build, wearing plain, simple clothing.

"Who the hell are you and how did you get in my apartment?!"

"Shhh, do not be concerned."

"Oh, I'm plenty concerned, and so should you be!" Jed reached under the cushion and displayed a .40 caliber Glock.

"You cannot harm me with this privative weapon."

"Wanna make a bet on that?" he squeezed the trigger and fired a round at the man.

The bullet passed through the mysterious man and embedded in the wall behind him. Jed gave his gun a puzzled looked, and then aimed it again, and fired another round.

"You cannot harm me because I am not physically here."

Jed sat the gun on the table and poured another shot.

"You really do not wish to continue doing this to yourself, do you? That liquid cannot drown what troubles you."

"How do you know what I want and what do you mean, you're not physically here? I see you standing right there. It must be the booze that's why I missed. I must be too drunk right now to hit anything," Jed stammered.

"I have not moved, you may inspect the bullet holes behind me to see this."

"That's impossible."

"It is only impossible when you limit the scale of your perception."

"Hey!"

"I assure you, I am not a hallucination. I know you very well."

"What do you mean, you know me? I've never met you before."

"I know you well enough to understand your pain."

"What do you know about my pain!?"

"I know much about your pain. I also understand you well enough to know this is the first time in five years that you have actually taken a drink. May I ask? Why did you decide that tonight is a good night to have a drink?"

"I wish I knew," Jed answered, lowering his head.

"You do know," the man replied, "You only need to access that part of your mind to reach the understanding you seek."

Jed looked up at the man, "What in the hell are you talking about? Who are you, really?"

"Pardon me, Captain Fitz, have you not seen the news?"

"Yeah. Yeah," Jed said, facing back to the TV, "I saw it...but I don't know how? I never turned on the tube! I never watch the news, not anymore, anyway."

"I turned it on so you could perhaps understand who I am, without too many questions or disbelief."

"Oh," Jed laughed, "I see, you're trying to tell me that you're one of these little green men they were talking about? Pfff, tell me more, star-man."

"Call me Malcom. You would need to study our language for a very long time to be able to pronounce my real name. I am from the fourth planet orbiting the star Epsilon Eridani, ten and a half light years from your star."

"...and I'm from Mars. Do you really know how ridiculous that sounds?"

"Yes, I do. This is why we waited until we could provide you with a sign."

"A sign? What? You gonna walk the streets with a sandwich board, advertising that you're an alien?"

The man walked over to the balcony doors and motioned him to follow. Jed felt compelled to join the strange man on the balcony.

Malcom turned and pointed at a star in the Orion constellation, "That star right there."

"Yeah, what about it? That's not Epsilon either, so forget trying to con me that this is the star you are from, 'cuase I know a little about the stars and that particular star is Betelgeuse."

"Yes, you are very correct. That star was Betelgeuse as you called it."

"Was? Called it?"

"Open your mind to a larger scale of possibilities, Captain Fitz."

"...fine-fine, let's say you are an alien, not here in physical form. How in hell do you expect me to believe you? ...and stop calling me Captain. If you know so much about me, you'd know I turned in my commission earlier today."

"Watch that light. In a minute or two, you will see it change into a much brighter light. It will light the night skies brighter than your twilight for the next three weeks."

"You're saying that star exploded? This star is going to brighten our skies? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

Jed froze on the balcony as he watched the star begin to grow in brilliance, just as the strange man said it would. The brilliance of the light now took over the night sky, lighting the city with enough light to turn off the photo sensors on the streetlights below.

Jed nodded and then grew a smile, "You are for real, dude. Aren't you?"

"You see? All you have to do is open your mind to new possibilities. Yes, I am the real deal."

"Why now? Why are you revealing yourselves to us now?"

"The star you call Betelgeuse went supernova six-hundred and forty years ago. We waited for two reasons. The first being that it would take all those years for the light to reach your planet, and your species requires evidence."

"...and the second?"

"The second reason is your kind needed to reach a certain level of technological advancement before we came to offer our help. Not counting the fact that the existing conduit destabilized, preventing us from traveling physically to your planet."

"Wait, what? You lost me again," Jed said, shaking his head, "W-Why do we need your help? Why now?"

"Pardon me. I must apologize."

"How about starting from the beginning?"

"Yes, yes indeed. You see, there are others in the Galaxy. Others that are not benevolent."

"Others? Well, I'm trying my best to have an open mind."

"Yes, they are from a star that is six-hundred light years away."

"Six-hundred? How is it they could ever be a threat to us?"

"Open mind, larger scale, remember?"

"Okay, right. Forgive me if I'm having the slightest difficulty with all of this."

"They are from the star you call Antares. They are the Warlords of the Galaxy. We have concealed your planet for as long as we could."

"Huh huh...keep going."

"You see, the Antarians enslave weaker species."

"Weaker, huh?"

"Yes. And at your technological state, you will be unable to resist any attack from the Warlords. This is why we have come to help you."

"You've come to help us win a war against a civilization that we've never had a conflict with, let alone know about?"

"You must learn to trust us."

"I'm sorry, but I'm still having a hard time with all of this."

"We know your kind will resist. This is why we waited for the sign to show itself."

"Well, alright. I'll keep listening... What else can you tell me about this conduit?"

"Wormholes in space, allowing ships to travel across the Galaxy in minutes."

"Okay, I'll bite. Then how come these Warlords haven't arrived on Earth yet?"

"There was no conduit, or portal from their space to yours. That was before the supernova six-hundred and forty years ago. The energy expelled from the exploding star, destabilized all the wormholes until now. When the shock-wave from the supernova reached your solar system, it completed a new conduit from that star to yours, and now it is stable. It's just a matter of time before the Warlords discover that it's once again safe to traverse the conduit, bringing their war ships right to your door step."

"Okay, I understand. For some reason, I feel drawn to your story. I don't know why or how, but I believe you...just answer me one more question?"

"Yes, you wish to know why we chose you?"

"Yeah, that's what I want to know. Why me? I'm a nobody. A washed up pilot in the reserves who's turned in his commission... and stop reading my mind already! That's just unsettling."

"I understand your concern. However, I assure you that reading your mind was necessary to communicate telepathically across the great expanse. And again, I assure you. You are the right match for what we seek in your people."

"Really...'cause you just lost me again. Why not speak to the greater powers that be? I'm afraid I can't offer you much help at all."

"Remember to keep an open mind. Larger scale."

"Right, I forgot again. See? Maybe not the right stuff after all."

"You are perfect for the job. We are communicating with thousands, including key members of your military. But we require your special talents to command the first ship to cross to our star. You will return to your office tomorrow morning and your commission will be reinstated. Then you will head over to the space center where preparations have been underway the last five years on building your first star destroyer."

"Okay, well. I better get some sleep then. I did have several shots of whiskey," Jed took the bottle and locked it away in his cabinet.

"Why do you insist on keeping that elixir? Are you not afraid that you will bend to temptation once more?"

"No, not anymore. Not after tonight, anyway."

"Very well. I will contact you in the morning for further instructions."

"Great, just great," Jed looked to where the strange man had stood only to see that he had vanished. "...and how in the hell do you expect me to sleep with this new bright light shining into my bedroom?"

He stood motionless, waiting for an answer, "Well...maybe it was just a bad dream after all."

Then he trudged off and collapsed on his bed and snored the rest of the night, in spite of the new bright light outside.

* * *
Chapter Three

Jedidiah lay still against the morning sun beaming in his bedroom window. He felt the hand of a man shake him into consciousness.

"What the hell?" he mumbled, still half asleep, "Who the hell are you?" then began snoring once more.

He felt the hand shake him again, "Hey, man. Wake up already!" the voice whispered.

Jed turned his head sleepily toward the source of this rudeness, "What're you doing in my apartment?" As the fog of sleep cleared, he realized he was not alone. Jed shot out of bed, caught the man by his neck and pressed him into the wall, "I asked you a question!"

The man Jed had pinned to the wall struggled to answer, "Cap'n'...CAP'N'!"

Captain Fitz only saw the image of the man who interrupted his slumber earlier, "Malcom, isn't it? I thought you were just a bad dream!"

The man struggled against Jed's grip, "Malcom!? Who the hell is Malcom, Cap'n'?"

Fitz stared at the man, his eyes still blurry from last night's whiskey.

"Cap'n', it's me! Race Jennings! Let me go already!"

"Race?" Fitz shook his head and blinked his eyes, "Race? Is that you?"

"Yes! Now if you don't mind, our eggs are going to burn!"

"Eggs?" Jed asked, releasing his grip.

"Yeah, I'm making us breakfast...big day today, you know."

"How the hell did you get in here?"

"Don't you remember, you gave me the bloody key?"

"I did?" Jed scratched his head. "What time is it anyway?"

"It's almost six."

"Six?!" he yelled, following Race to the kitchen. "Why is anyone waking me at six? I turned in my commission. I don't report to anyone anymore."

"Not according to Cap'n' Gilmore."

"And what does Captain Gilmore have to do with it? He's not...wasn't...my superior."

"Well, he's not Captain Gilmore anymore. It's Admiral now."

"Admiral? When the hell did they promote him?"

"That's something you'll have to find out for yourself, Cap'n'." Race answered, stirring the scrambled eggs.

Tall, lanky, thirty-five-year old Race Jennings was used to being on top of the world. He remained friends with Jed, even after he had washed out of the military academy. One night with a forgotten hottie and a line of cocaine was all that was needed to ruin his military aspirations. Luck would have it he was randomly selected for a drug screening the next morning, and that did it. The military wasn't going to turn a blind eye to this, and he was lucky they didn't insist on jail time. He had his run-in's in the past, but never with drugs. This time, the military was not forgiving.

The blond, blue eyed consultant was a real ladies man. He worked hard to keep his arms as muscle-bound as he could, but even after all his training, Captain Fitz was stronger and outweighed him by fifty pounds.

Turning to serve the scrambled eggs on two plates, he dashed a glance toward Jed. "Captain...Admiral Gilmore contacted me late last night. It was after that crazy news story about aliens making contact with Earth," Race half laughed, "You don't really believe that do you?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Jed asked, his brain still throbbing from the whiskey.

"The aliens? Do you believe the stories, or do you think it's all a hoax?"

"It's a hoax! A bad nightmare, already!"

"Well, they're all talking about it on the morning shows. What's just weird is that all the stations are giving so much time to this story. What they won't do for ratings these days."

"I know, right? What a waste of time."

Jed picked up his plate, grabbed a cup of coffee before the pot finished brewing, and sat at his table.

Race quickly joined him, handed him a fork and a paper towel for a napkin, "Still," he turned, noticing two bullet holes in his wall, "Hey! When did you shoot your wall?"

"Come again?"

"The wall," Race pointed, "Right there," shaking his head, then he turned to address Jed directly, "I'm pretty sure those weren't there the last time I was here."

Jed looked around Race and shrugged.

"What? What was that shrug about! Come on, man. Tell me already? What's going on?"

"I thought it was a bad dream."

"Wait...wait a minute, you're not saying..."

"...It's true."

"It's true?! What's that supposed to mean?"

"It wasn't a dream, Race."

"Come on," Race said, leaning away from Jed, "Quit messin' around, you're starting to freak me out."

"I had a visitor last night."

"Not funny, man..."

"Race, you and I go way back. Farther back than even the academy."

"Since high school, for cryin' out loud! So stop it already."

"I shot my gun at a man I thought was an intruder. Turns out, he wasn't really here, but in my head."

"Hey, that's exactly what they're saying on the news too! You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yep. I wish I was kidding around," Jed said, wiping any smile he may have had on his face.

"Well?" Race asked, picking at the eggs on the plate, "What else did he tell you?"

"He said a star exploded over six hundred years ago. He was telling me these things, apparently in my mind, just before the star's light illuminated the night sky."

"Oh man," Race exclaimed with wonder, "That must have been so freakin' weird."

"To say the least."

"Ohhh, I get it...you got me, Cap'n'," Race cocked his head and pointed at Jed, "Good one."

"Race, I'm not kidding. It's all coming back to me now. He also told me that there's these other people."

"Oh, this is just getting better and better, Cap'," Race said, slapping his knee. "Not only is there one alien creature, there's more? Keep going, this is only going to get..."

Jeb dropped his fork and grabbed Race's wrist, "I'm not kidding!" he slowly let go and picked his fork off the table. "Now that this star's light has reached Earth, these others, the 'not so friendly' ones, have a way to find us."

Race, beginning to see the Captain was serious, sat his plate off to one side, "Who are these others, these 'not so friendlies', anyway?"

"Malcom. That's what he said his name was, or that's how we'd understand his name, anyway, he told me the bad guys are from the star Antares. They call themselves the Warlords."

"Uhh, Cap'n', I'm getting a bad feeling. You're making my hair stand on end."

"From what he says, these Warlords find and conquer less capable races."

"So, this Malcom, he's telling us that they're coming?"

"He didn't say they were on their way. What he did say, was that it's only a matter of time before they discover this new conduit that was created by the Betelgeuse supernova."

"You can't make this stuff up, Cap'n'. So why is he now talking to us about them? Why'd they wait? We could have been told a little sooner, you know!"

"They must have had reasons." Jed thought for a moment, "Yeah, he said they waited for two reasons. We would ask for proof; that was the light from the star. He also said we needed to reach a certain technological state."

"Did he happen to mention if we had reached that state?"

"No, he never said that. But he did say he was here to help us."

"How can he help?"

"I don't know," Jed answered. He finished his eggs, and picked up his coffee, "But I suppose that's what we're going to find out from Admiral Gilmore."

"Right, Admiral Gilmore!" Race checked his watch, "Oh crap! We're going to be late if we don't get on the road soon."

"I know, traffic's a bitch these days. Too bad they can't help us with that."

"Who knows," Race smirked, "Maybe they can."

Race took the dishes and tossed them into the sink, turned on the faucet and ran some water over them, "You ready, Cap'n'?"

"Gotta pee first."

Race shook his head as he made a show of looking at his watch, "I don't know, Cap'n'."

"Can it, Race," Jed grinned. He reached inside his pocket and tossed him some keys, "You're driving."

Grabbing the keys in midair, Race turned for the exit, "You're letting me drive the 'stang'? Wow, not a problem, I'll go warm her up."

Jed nodded, and then turned for the bathroom, "I'll be right down."

"You got it Cap'n'."

Race got off the elevator at the parking level and nearly ran to unlock Jed's prize 2010 Red Mustang GT. He anxiously opened the door and slid into the driver's seat. "Oh man! It's like sitting in a fighter's cockpit! This is such a GOOD day!"

Turning the key in the ignition unleashed the roar of the 380 horsepower engine from the dual exhausts. This car was designed for speed, and Race loved to go fast.

A few minutes went by before Jed opened the passenger side door and got in. Race was ready to head out.

"We're lucky you live so close to the Base, Cap'."

Jed fastened his seatbelt, "Yeah, I'm a real lucky pup. Now just get us to the Base....and wipe that grin off your face!"

"What?"

"You know."

"Okay-okay, you can trust me with your baby."

"Yeah. Right. I must be crazy."

"I'm right there with ya, Cap'n'," Race smiled. He shifted into reverse, let the clutch out, and backed up. He slid the shifter into first, turned the wheel toward the exit, let out the clutch again and squealed the tires, "I hate these parking garages."

"Just drive, already."

Race followed the route up several floors, making him dizzy from circling around and around to each level, "I'll be glad to get us out of here."

"Yeah. Me too."

"Oh, hey, how's the head?"

"Still reeling."

"Well, you shouldn't have taken so many shots, my friend."

"Yeah, now he reminds me...thanks."

Race pulled out of the garage and accelerated onto the parkway, beeping the car's horn as he cut off several cars in an attempt at getting ahead of the rush.

"Hey-hey-hey," Jed exclaimed, grabbing his arm rest, "Easy does it now, she's not paid for yet!"

"Relax!" Race snickered, "I won't hurt her."

"You better not!"

"So, can I ask you somethin'?"

"Sure, Race."

"Why'd you take a drink?"

"I don't know."

"Come on, man. It's Race you're talkin' to. Your main man over here."

Race down-shifted and gunned the engine, swerving around a couple of cars who didn't hesitate to blear their horns in return.

Jed ducked to the right as the car zigged left around another car, "WOW! That's a little close, slow it down already!"

"Did I say it's ol' Race here you're talkin' to? I got this. 'Sides," Race dropped the Mustang into high gear, threading the car like a madman through the morning traffic on the parkway, "Someone's got to get us there on time."

"...and in one piece, please," Jed added, with a look of panic.

"You never answered my question, Cap'n'. Why this year? What was different?"

"I said, I don't know!" Jed snapped, "Sorry...this whole 'alien' thing's made me a little edgy."

"A little?"

"I said I was sorry, already."

"So?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it was intuition that the aliens were coming?"

"It's just weird that you took a drink five years after, AND, it's the night the aliens show up."

"Yeah, real strange."

"Well, maybe this hangover will remind you next time."

"I won't have a headache next time...and wait a minute! There's not going to be any 'next time,' that's for certain," Jed answered, holding his head.

"Does it hurt that bad, Cap'n'?"

"Yes! But not from the whiskey, it's your driving! You're going to miss our exit!"

"No, I'm not," Race swerved right, cutting off more cars. This time, he held his horn button down.

Veering off the NASA Parkway, they headed over the bridge. Soon they turned up the street to the John F. Kennedy Space Center.

"Home sweet home!" Race exclaimed.

"Oh boy, I can hardly wait."

"Relax already!"

"The gate's coming up...slow it...slow down!"

Race screeched to a halt and rolled down his window to greet the man, motioning with his hand, "Good morning, Sirs...oh, Hi Captain Fitz. Who's your buddy? And might I suggest you slow it down out here?"

"You can suggest," Race returned, with smugness.

"That wasn't a request!" the guard protested, "Show me your ID badge."

Race dug in his jacket pocket and held out his ID, "See? I'm a high level military consultant. Ya happy now?"

The guard leaned down to see Captain Fitz, "You here to see Admiral Gilmore?"

"Yep, that's where we're going alright."

"You guys are sooo lucky! Down the street and to the left. The meeting's about to begin."

"Thank you, son." Jed replied.

"Good day, Sir," the guard saluted.

Jed returned a lazy salute, and then looked over at Race as he pressed the gas on the muscle car, "Why do you insist on speed anyway?"

"It's my name; I race here, and I race there..haa haa haa."

"Just keep it under the limit for once?"

"You don't want to miss anything do you? I'm sure the Admiral will bring us up to speed." Screeching one more time into a parking stall, Race gunned the engine and turned off the key, "God, I love your car, man."

"I can see that."

Race grinned ear to ear, "I'll drive you anywhere you wish, Cap'n'."

"Just give me my keys back...I've had enough of your driving for a while."

Race reluctantly tossed them in the air to Jed who caught them and stuck them into his pocket, "Come on, now. Let's see what the Admiral has to say."

"I'm all over it, Cap'n'."

* * *
Chapter Four

________________________

Antares System

Warlord's Home World

Third Gas Giant Lebencha

Third Moon Serintin

________________________

"Yes? What is it?" Emperor Dumakas demanded. A large, hairy hand plucked a drumstick from the platter. His crooked teeth sank into the mostly cooked flesh, the juices and rendered fat running down his chin as he tore a chunk off of the bone.

"Sorry to interrupt your nourishment period, my Lord." The Antarian spoke from one knee, "I am Thelix of the second house and moon of Gornash of the rising star Antares, my Lord and Emperor."

"Well," Dumakas answered, bits of blood and flesh spraying out with his words, "Thelix of the second moon, Gornash of our rising star Antares, tell me what it is that I can do for you? What is so important that you feel a need to burst into my nourishment chamber? Did you bring new recruits for the games?"

"Yes, my Lord. Emperor Dumakas, son of Thumakas, son of Gorax the Great." Thelix stood and bowed, and then knelt once more before his master. In this position, his matted hair covering his bone-studded scalp appropriately displayed his submission. "I offer the spoils from our last raid on Sigma Draconis."

"You have returned the spoils from Sigma Draconis? Excellent. How many containers have you delivered, and what were their contents?"

"We have two-hundred standard shipping containers full of gold, silver, and jewels from their home world."

"Survivors?"

"Yes, my Lord. We have delivered several Draconian for the arena. We did not destroy them all, and we left enough for them to rebuild so we can raid them again in the future."

"Draconian? Most excellent," Dumakas smiled as he picked at a string of meat from between his teeth.

"Thank you, my Lord."

"However, how are these spoils of Draconia of greater importance than my feeding? Spoils from a raid are required, are they not? I sense there's more you have yet to tell me?"

"Yes, my Lord..."

"Then I suggest you STOP wasting MY time and tell me what it is you think is worthy of interrupting ME!" Dumakas leaned to his left and expectorated into a metal bowl next to his chair.

"Yes, my Lord..."

"...and stand on your feet when you address me! You look weak, kneeling like that."

Thelix stood and returned the gaze of his Emperor, "It is much better than the blood lust of the arena, my Lord."

Dumakas paused in mid bite, the chunk of flesh dropped from his teeth hanging from the bone, "What could be better than fulfilling our desire for the blood spilled in the games?"

"My Lord, my fleet picked up a signal..."

Dumakas stood from his table, drew his sword and placed it at the neck of the man who dared to interrupt his nourishment session, "You have thirty seconds to prove to me that this signal is of greater importance than my dinner!"

Thelix instinctively drew his sabre simultaneously, and poked the tip of his Emperor's plate armor, "You will NOT be disappointed, but if you kill me, I will kill you before I fall to the floor. So, you may serve that fatal blow your blood boils so eagerly to feed me, but then you would die without knowing what it is I have to offer the house of Serintin, my Lord."

"You have fifteen seconds remaining, and I doubt your sabre will penetrate my armor."

"Don't be too sure of that, my Lord..."

"Five seconds remain!"

"Eridonian!" Thelix exclaimed, jabbing the tip of his carbon steel blade through Dumakas' breastplate.

Dumakas' thick eyebrows rose, "Eridonian?"

"What's the matter, my Lord? Is my cold steel blade sharp enough for you? Withdraw your sword and I will reveal the rest, my Lord."

Dumakas looked deep into Thelix's eyes, "I shall withdraw my sword, but you must remove your sabre first...then I will hear you!"

"...and if I refuse to withdraw?"

"Then it is apparent that we both will satiate our blood lust today. Perhaps you should push harder, as you only pierced my adornment, and not my armor."

Thelix withdrew his sabre from the Emperor's armor, and then Dumakas drew his sword across the man's neck.

Thelix recoiled and grabbed his wound with his free hand, "What is the meaning of this!"

"Be thankful you will live long enough for that to scar over, Thelix of the second moon, Gornash of the rising star Antares! Never draw your weapon on me again!" Dumakas' sword pointed at Thelix's face, "I will kill you the next time that you do!"

"My Lord, you must hear me."

"Very well," Dumakas answered, returning to his seat, he spread his arm across the table, "Sit. Eat. Tell me."

Thelix hesitated and then nodded. He pulled out a chair, "It has been some time since my last feast."

"We can go without nourishment for six weeks. How long has it been for you?"

"It has been eight, my Lord."

Dumakas shoved a platter in front of him, "Then partake of my feast before you expire, lest you are not able to share with me your amazing story of this...signal."

Thelix greedily grabbed a handful of flesh from the platter and shoved it into this mouth, chomping the gamy meat with enthusiasm.

"Now, tell me about this Eridonian signal. If I recall, we haven't seen, or heard, from any Eridonians for several centuries."

"Yes, my Lord. It has been six-hundred and forty years to be exact."

"My Lord," Thelix said, chomping his food, "This Eridonian ship appeared near the old star Betelgeuse, and then vanished."

"Vanished?"

"Yes, my Lord. They disappeared. First they were there, and then they were not."

"Interesting...what else?"

"I sent a scout vessel from my flagship to investigate."

"What did they report?"

"They too disappeared."

"To what conclusion does this lead you, Thelix of the second house?"

"My Lord," Thelix continued, taking another handful of flesh, "I conclude that the Betelgeuse supernova has stabilized."

"The conduit has been restored?"

"It does appear that it has. I recommend sending a larger ship to explore."

"It is most certain that it leads to our long lost friends at Epsilon."

"My Lord, our scanners indicate that it travels well beyond the star Epsilon Eridani."

"We have long suspected that the Eridonians have been protecting another star system."

"Yes, my Lord. It may be that the Betelgeuse conduit does in fact lead to a new star."

"Yes, yes indeed," Dumakas laughed between chomping, "A new star, new planets, new races we can conquer."

"Yes, my Lord. I can taste the spoils of our raids already."

Dumakas pointed his finger, "I want you to lead the exploration team. Take a small corvette class ship. Investigate these new findings. Bring back a good report, and I will order our invasion fleet to be dispatched at once."

Thelix smiled, baring his stained, yellow fangs, "Yes, my Lord. A small craft such as our corvette class, operating alone, will be nearly impossible to detect."

The Emperor leaned toward Thelix, "Be cautious, Captain. Do not let these Eridonians trick your mind."

"I will equip our ship with a telepathic inhibitor. They will not fool us."

Dumakas leaned back in his chair, "Tell me, Thelix of the moon Gornash, you are familiar with my grandfather's legend?"

"Yes, my Lord. Everyone is aware of the Great Warlord, Gorax. He captured two Eridonians and brought them to our home world for analysis. It was the first live Eridonian capture known in the history of Antares. It is his act of capturing them and fleeing the supernova before it destroyed them; it was this very act that rewarded him with the crown as our new Emperor of Antares. Your grandfather was responsible for the development of our telepathic inhibitor."

Dumakas smiled, "Yes, that is the legend. But there is more to the story that is only known by the House of the Emperor."

"Curious, my Lord? Why do we not know the entire story?"

"It has been kept secret. We were told by my grandfather to never discuss this until it was time."

"...and you're saying it is now that time, my Lord?"

"Yes, I believe that this is what he was telling us. I will trust you with his knowledge, only because you will be crossing near Epsilon."

"My Lord," Thelix answered, wiping his large hands on the front of his clothes, "You can trust me."

"Very well, Thelix. You will tell no one else."

"No one, my Lord."

"Swear it!" Dumakas ordered, pulling a dagger from his belt.

Thelix held his hand out before his Emperor. Dumakas held his hand and drew his dagger across his open palm. Thelix grabbed the blade as the Emperor pulled the blade, forming a deep wound.

Thelix winced at the pain, and looked into Dumakas' eyes, "I swear it, my Lord!"

Dumakas leaned down and licked the blood that pooled in his hand, slurping it into his mouth. Then he closed Thelix's hand and returned his blade to his belt.

"It is sworn with my blood, my Lord!"

Dumakas licked the leftover blood from his lips, "You have sworn to me your blood oath. I will now reveal to you the secrets of the Gorax legend."

"Yes, my Lord," Thelix nodded, and then wrapped his hand with a cloth he took from his vest.

Dumakas pressed a button on the arm of his chair, "Laboolaron, do not disturb us...do you understand?"

A smooth, yet gruff voice, echoed from the intercom, "Yes, my Lord. Your chamber is secure."

"Now," Dumakas began, "You know about the tale of the Great Warlord, Gorax. But you only know part of the legend. You see, my grandfather did indeed capture two Eridonians. There were three ships they detected at the Betelgeuse star. We had known that star was doomed for many years. We didn't know it would be so soon. Our best scientist expected it would be another ten-thousand years."

"Yes, I do remember reading that during my training at The War Foundation."

"Well, the readings were off the chart. It was those tremendous radiation waves that emanated from that star that prevented the Eridonians from using their telepathic mind tricks on them. This is why they were detected by my grandfather's battle cruiser."

"Why did they come to the Betelgeuse star system and risk detection, my Lord? Surly they would have known this, am I not correct?"

"You are most correct, Thelix. They were unable to use their mind tricks on us. When Gorax gave the order to jump from the system, they escaped the supernova. They had seconds remaining before their ship would have been destroyed."

"Their jump setting was off slightly. Is that why they jumped two hours from our home world?"

"Quite right again. The ship's helmsman punched in the jump setting but did not take into account the supernova's effect on the ship's engines. They were in fact two hours out from our home moon Serintin. What happened during the next two hours was kept secret."

"My Lord, I would guess that the radiation from Betelgeuse no longer inhibited the Eridonian prisoners."

"Yes. Gorax resisted the best he could. Even with his strength, he fell to their mind tricks, and so did his helmsman. Gorax killed one of them to force the other to communicate. Then after the last Eridonian spoke within his mind that they were on a one-way mission, the helmsman ran his sword through him."

"If the Eridonians were killed, how did your grandfather discover how to make the telepathic inhibitor?"

"It was three days later. Apparently, the Eridonian's communication with my grandfather transmitted more information than he wished to. Gorax began having vivid dreams. It took him six months to compile all the details. The Eridonian didn't intend to transmit any additional information. Gorax surmised that they were still affected slightly by the radiation from the supernova. This is the only reason he was able to figure out the inhibitor. It's based on the radiation signature that Betelgeuse emitted."

"So as long as our telepathic inhibitor produces the signal, they will not be able to influence our minds?"

"Yes, you are correct. However, if the inhibitor signal is terminated, you and your crew will be susceptible to their mind tricks."

"I understand, my Lord."

"No, I do not think you really do fully understand."

"My Lord?"

"Let me explain. Gorax was affected more than he first knew. The Eridonian that was last to die, well, he planted thoughts in his mind. Thoughts that he would not know were not his own until much later."

"What happened, my Lord?"

"When they boarded his ship, they found Gorax sitting by himself in the command chair."

"What happened to the rest of his crew?"

"He killed them."

"He killed them?"

"Yes. Gorax killed them all. Every last one of them. Our people carried him from his ship and placed him in an isolation cell where he was to await punishment. He knew that he had murdered the crew. He wasn't able to stop himself. He killed them with no purpose, no meaning...he robbed his entire crew of their blood lust to quench his own. This was a blood lust he had never experienced before. We had never sought after our own kind to satisfy this desire within. He had escaped the supernova, captured the Eridonians, and then killed the rest in a rage he was unable to control or understand."

"How did he become Emperor if he committed this unnatural crime against his own?"

"A few weeks after isolation, he was brought before the Emperor. The Emperor at the time was fascinated by his ordeal. They became so close that the Emperor brought Gorax to his council hall every day to talk with him. This went on every day for the next six months. Together they sorted out the thoughts that were trapped inside of his mind. It was ultimately ruled that Gorax was a victim of the mind manipulation. He was not punished for this crime. The Emperor was old. He had lived four-hundred and twelve years. His health was failing, and he had no offspring in which to pass his house to. Gorax fell to the leadership position at the Emperor's request. They had cracked the invention of the telepathic inhibitor. Once Gorax took the throne, he wanted to ensure that his line would continue. So he ordered as many females to be brought to his chambers as possible. He mated with hundreds over a period of fifty years. Then one day, at long last, my father was conceived."

"I never knew, my Lord."

"And you will never tell a sole about this secret."

"My Lord, I pledged a blood oath that I will not."

"Yes. You most certainly did. Your blood oath will keep your promise. This I know too. You are aware, that if you speak of this to anyone, your blood will boil, killing you."

"Yes, my Lord. Our blood oath: it keeps us or kills us."

"It is our way."

"My Lord, I shall prepare my team and depart our system for the Betelgeuse corridor immediately."

"Yes, you will depart as soon as you are ready. I know you will miss the games. For that I am sorry."

"My Lord, my blood lust will be quenched by this journey."

"Very well, Thelix. Take your leave of me. Report when you return."

"Yes, my Lord."

Thelix stood and bowed before leaving the Emperor.

* * *
Chapter Five

________________________

Earth

John F. Kennedy Space Center

________________________

Race pulled the towering glass doors of the hanger open and then followed Jed through.

Across the way they saw Admiral Gilmore on a raised platform, speaking to a group of officers. The Admiral addressed the two men approaching, "Well, it's about damn time you two showed up!"

"Nice to see you too, Admiral," Jed said, with a weak salute.

Race smiled at the sight behind the Admiral. "Wow, Admiral. That's some scaffolding. What's ya buildin'?"

"Race Jennings," Gilmore said, placing his hands on his hips, "So, they decided to let you in after all."

"What?"

"You know what..."

"Hey, that was a long time ago. Besides, you told me to bring him here."

"I said bring him, I never said you were on the team."

"I've been a military consultant for a long time! Cut me some slack here."

"How about peeing in a cup?"

"Anytime, Admiral. I'm clean."

"We sure can arrange that."

"Just show me the way, Sir."

"Admiral," Jed interrupted, "I think we have more important things to discuss. Maybe we should leave the past, well, in the past."

"...coming from a man who can't leave the past alone himself," Race kidded.

"He's right," a man said, appearing from nowhere.

Admiral Gilmore jumped, "Malcom. You made it!"

"Quite right Admiral Gilmore," Malcom answered, "But it is difficult to remain here in all of your minds at once. It is taking considerable resources. Especially after last night's display across your world, so I must address you quickly."

Admiral Gilmore stepped aside, "The floor is all yours, Malcom."

Malcom turned to the twenty men in the large hanger, "Thank you for coming today. As you know, my name is Malcom. I am projecting myself into your minds telepathically. We came to you last night because time is of the utmost importance. The conduit from the star Betelgeuse has reached your star system. You saw the evidence in your skies last night. We hoped that the people of Earth would have advanced to a higher technological state than you have. Unfortunately, the wars that you have fought over the centuries have significantly delayed your development. Your governments," Malcom turned toward Admiral Gilmore, "have kept us a secret for too long."

"We felt..."

"...your governments felt..."

"...that there could be panic, that the shock would be too hard for many to handle."

Race stood with his hand on his hips, "You knew about them all along, didn't you?"

Malcom again turned to address the assembly, "There were reasons to keep this secret. We couldn't convince your powers in authority any differently. Once lie was cast, it had to be continued to keep the trust of the people. All of your governments thought that revealing our existence could cause significant panic. Some governments were not as confident as others. They were undermined by their fears of losing power. These would be the first to fall at the hands of the Antarians. The reasons to keep our presence quiet outweigh the present danger your planet faces. If we do not intervene and prepare your people for the coming threat, your civilization will not survive the attack. The survivors will be taken to Antares and..." Malcom paused, "there is no need to discuss that matter just yet. Let's just say, they will leave some behind and take others for their own wicked desires. This is why we have reached out to you now. The Warlords we told you about last night have discovered the conduit. It was unavoidable. We had hoped that we had more time, but they discovered our ships entering the wormhole. We tried to mask those signatures, but for some reason, they were able to detect us. We are on our way to Earth. It takes three days to travel the conduit. We are halfway there now. We are certain they will send a scout ship and discover Earth's location."

"Don't you people have any good news?" Race asked from the crowd.

"Yes," Malcom answered, turning to Race, "I am on my way to Earth to offer our assistance to you. Not just the military though they will have an important role."

"Oh good, we get to see the real Malcom after all."

"Zip it, Jennings!" Admiral Gilmore yelled.

Malcom turned to the Admiral, "It is quite alright, Admiral. It is perfectly logical for him to question us. The civilians, such as you, Race Jennings, will provide invaluable assistance."

Gilmore crossed his arms, "What possible good can this degenerate druggie have to offer us?"

"More than you understand, Admiral Gilmore," Malcom answered.

Race crossed his arms and smiled with satisfaction, "Well, thank you Malcom." He turned to Jed, "See? I have purpose."

"Each one of you that I have called here today has a crucial role."

"Malcom, I have to disagree," Gilmore protested, "They're not soldiers. They don't know how to fight."

"This is precisely why they have been chosen. All these men here today have no war background. They have not been damaged by your training methods of ground based warfare."

"Damaged? Now wait here just one minute..."

"Admiral Gilmore," Malcom said, touching the center of his forehead with his hand, "You must understand this is not a disparagement on your military's skills. However, these men will be trained by us. Our methods need to be revealed to those with zero contamination. The tactics that you have ingrained for ground battle would undermine the tactics that are needed for space conflict."

Admiral Gilmore nodded, stepped back and apologized.

"What'd you do to him?" Jed asked, "He's never backed down from an argument before."

"Do not worry. I touched his mind in a way that he will not understand. Please, do not interfere with our plans. We mean you no harm. We have been watching your planet for centuries. We only come to you now so you will have a fighting chance against the Warlords."

"So," Race scoffed, "What's behind door number one?"

Admiral Gilmore stepped forward, "This is the very first interstellar warship."

"Warship?" Race exclaimed.

Malcom took over for the Admiral, "We gave the military these designs five years ago. There have been five similar ships built. Two by this government, three by other governments who have agreed to cooperate."

"You're saying that you gave us the technology possible to build such a vessel?" Jed asked.

"This is an advanced design. However, since you are not sufficiently technologically developed, you do not have a power supply for these ships."

"So what good is this grounded spaced fleet of five, anyway?" Race asked. "And how in the hell do you expect our planet to fight against a superior force with a fleet of just five ships?"

"This is why we had to come to Earth in our ships. Those will be integrated within these war ships to be used as the power source."

"Well, that's all good and well," Race opposed, "But I'm not sure if only five ships are going to thwart off any massive invasion that's coming our way."

"Do not underestimate our ship designs. They are complete with advanced weapons systems. Five of these ships can easily overpower twenty of the Warlord ships."

"Well, that makes me feel better...as long as these Warlords don't show up with more than twenty five ships!" Race countered, "Pardon me for being skeptical, but I have to agree with both you and the Admiral on one point: we don't know how to fight in space."

"Ah," Malcom smiled, "But you do know. We have transferred all the necessary knowledge and skills you need to fly these ships to those designated as fighter pilots."

"You what?"

"That information will manifest as if it is second nature to you when you are ready to use that particular skill. When our saucer ships arrive in thirty-six of your hours, we will dock with each of the battleships. They will power on and will be able to launch. You will only have a few days to train in your new fleet. Now is the time to prepare for the first scout ship to arrive from Antares."

Jed stepped forward, "I have had military background, why me? Why am I picked? There are so many things you don't know about me."

"Captain Jedidiah Fitz," Malcom answered, "You will be the captain of this vessel. You have so very much to offer this cause. We understand the struggles you have had due to the loss of your wife five years earlier. However, that event will be the defining quality that will ultimately lead your people to victory in the coming months."

"Are you saying that my wife's death serves some useful purpose? How do you know this about me? Have you been knocking around inside my head without me knowing it?"

"We only gather information as part of the selection process, like a background check. The survival of your planet is at stake after all. However, we have done our research during our selection process. This is how we know of your situation. This is how we know of all your situations," Malcom explained to the gathering. "Now...Admiral Gilmore will explain the roster, I must take my leave and rest."

Malcom's image faded away as if it were a dream.

"That was just weird," Race nodded, "Cool, but weird."

Jed turned to his friend, "Are you up for this?"

"Hell yeah! I've dreamt about something like this for many years...hey, wait a minute. Those dreams I used to have. I wonder if they were planted by Malcom to prepare me for this," Race pondered.

"Now's not the time to have your mind wandering all over the place," Admiral Gilmore interrupted. "Attention! Captain Fitz will command this vessel, the Rocinante. I will be put in charge of the space fleet and will command the Agamemnon. Captain Fitz, the list of your officers is as follows: Commander Jameson will be your first officer. Lieutenant Collins will be in charge of Tactical. Navigation and helm control will be provided by Lieutenants John Foster and Erica Payne. Your top fighter pilots will be Major Kurt Phillips, Captain Eric Jones, and Captain Rene Simon. Phillips will be your Commander Air Group. The CAG will be responsible for every fighter pilot on your ship."

"Excuse me, Admiral," Race asked, raising his hand, "Where do I fit in all of this?"

"Race Jennings, you will be the military advisor to all CAG's."

"Wow, that's a pretty cool responsibility."

"Don't screw it up, Jennings. You are being commissioned at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps, against my better judgment. However, in the interests of saving humanity, I am keeping an open mind."

"Thank you, Admiral. You won't be disappointed, I promise you that."

"All right," Gilmore said, "The remaining assignments will be provided to you via email. Just be here tomorrow morning for your flight briefing."

* * *

________________________

Antares

Corsair Scout Operation

________________________

Thelix settled into the plush leather chair at the command station. A crewman stood at attention on each side of the corvette's command station. The helm and weapons stations were situated forward and slightly below the captain's.

"Remove docking clamps."

"Yes, my Lord," Tornado, the helmsman acknowledged. "Docking clamps retracted."

"Fire maneuvering thrusters and back away from the station." Thelix ordered.

"Yes, my Lord. Firing maneuvering thruster. We're free of the station."

"Helm! Full power to engines. Plot course to the Betelgeuse system."

"Yes, my Lord, full power to engines for escape velocity. Course plotted and laid in."

"Tactical! Set shields to minimum safe running protocol."

Darnash, Thelix's tactical officer, entered the settings on his console. "Shields set for navigation minimums only. Standing ready, my Lord."

"Prepare to leave orbit. Helm, ahead one-third."

"Ahead one-third, yes my Lord."

"Prepare jump procedure. When we're at our safe range from Lebencha, begin jump procedure."

"Yes, my Lord," Tornado nodded, "We will be at safe jump distance in two minutes."

"My Lord," Darnash asked, "What is it you spoke to the Emperor about?"

"Silence yourself on that matter, Darnash!"

"My Lord, we should know what our mission is. That is all."

"Answering your questions would break my blood oath with the Emperor. I will only tell you we are scouting for a stable conduit that may lead us to new raiding grounds. Now, I forbid you to speak of this again!"

"I'm sorry, my Lord. I meant no disrespect."

"Then see to it you follow my directive on this matter!"

"We are at safe jump distance, my Lord. We are clear of Lebencha," Tornado reported.

"Begin jump prep."

"Jump prep initiated."

"Set course for the Betelgeuse system. Spool jump drive."

"Course set to the Betelgeuse system. Spooling jump drive."

The whine of the jump engine spooling up smothered their voices.

"Helm!"

"Go."

"NAV!"

"Go."

"Tactical!"

"Ready!"

"Jump resolution check!"

"Resolution settings confirmed, my Lord."

"Generate negative energy densities!"

"Negative energy densities confirmed."

"Check full power to FTL!"

"Jump drive reads fully spooled."

"Go for jump, my Lord!"

"Initiate jump!"

The sleek four person corsair raced across the blackness of space and vanished from Antares in an instant.

"All stop!"

"Powering down engines, my Lord."

"Position report!"

"We are within the event horizon of the former star, Betelgeuse, my Lord," Tornado reported with a smile.

"Excellent!" Thelix praised, "Begin scanning the anomaly. Find out where this conduit leads."

"Scanning the conduit now, my Lord," Darnash nodded.

Thelix waited impatiently for several minutes, "Any data on those scans yet?"

"Yes, my Lord. I am receiving telemetry now."

"Really! Were you going to enlighten me with this information in this lifetime, or the next one? I'm waiting!"

"Sorry, my Lord. It does appear that the conduit passes through Eridonian space, continuing on at least ten plus light years past it."

"Can you tell me if this conduit is stable enough to travel?"

"It reads as stable, my Lord. It appears to be bi-directional."

"Excellent! The Emperor will be most pleased!"

"Shall I plot our return course to Antares so we may report our findings?"

"Understand, Tornado, that an incompetent and presumptuous gorech will quickly test the edge of my sword with its neck! We are not returning to Antares until we have completed our mission. And our mission is to traverse the conduit."

"Sorry, my Lord," Tornado answered, "I will plot our entry sequence into the conduit."

"Better!"

"My Lord," Darnash reported, "I have confirmed that five saucer ship signatures had entered the corridor's event horizon a few hours ago."

"Confirm ship origin."

"By the wakes, they were Eridonian, my Lord."

"Helm, continue course to the event horizon. Enter at once."

"Yes, my Lord. Inertial dampeners off-line, we are heading in, Sir!"

"Enable telepathic inhibitor and arm all weapons! Shields to maximum!"

"We are crossing the event horizon now, my Lord. We are inside the corridor. We exit in three days."

"Very well, keep me posted if we encounter any other ships within this corridor."

"Yes, my Lord. I have enabled the inhibitor. Shields are at maximum."

"Tornado, can we jump within a conduit?"

"I do not think that has ever been attempted, my Lord."

"I did not ask if it's ever been done! Can it be done?"

"I will have to run some calculations to see if we are able to manipulate negative energy densities within the conduit."

"Do so then!"

"Yes, my Lord. I will begin programming the simulations."

"Call me when you have your answers. I will be in my quarters...and don't take all day!"

"Yes, my Lord. I will let you know the moment I have completed the simulations."

Thelix stood, stared out at the gleaming lights of the wormhole. Then he turned and exited the command deck.

* * *
Chapter Six

________________________

Earth

John F. Kennedy Space Center

________________________

"Good afternoon, Captain," the gate security guard saluted before taking the ID Jed held out for him.

"Good day."

"Race," the guard leaned down and glanced at the passenger. He handed Jed his ID back, then reached into the open window for the one Race offered.

"That's Colonel Jennings now," Race pointed to his silver oak leaf on his shoulder.

"Oh, sorry Sir," the guard looked up from inspecting the paperwork long enough to snap off another salute.

"No worries," Raced said, returning the man's gesture.

"You're expected at the center, Sirs." The guard handed Race his ID. "They're opening the hanger to prepare for your launch."

"Thank you, my good man," Jed nodded, and then stepped on the gas.

"Jed," Race said, leaning over in his seat, "pull over to the side when we turn the next corner."

"Why? What's up, Race?"

"Oh, nothing much."

"Raaace?"

"Jed, don't make me pull rank on ya now."

"Oh, come on, Race. You know a Navy Captain outranks a Marine Lieutenant Colonel."

"Yeah, I know."

"You are commanding the air group, I'm commanding the ship. That means I command the air group as well."

Jed turned the corner, and then Race tugged on his steering wheel, "Hey! Watch it, now." Jed recovered and pulled over to the side of the road.

"There, that's better now."

"This better be good, Mister!"

"Pop the trunk."

"Pop the what?"

"The trunk, pop the damn trunk already!"

Jed pushed the button, and the trunk opened. A woman climbed out, shut the trunk, and ran over to Race's side. She leaned down and gave him an affectionate smack on his cheek.

"Hi baby!" Race smiled.

"What the hell, Race? Why is there a woman in my trunk?"

"Jed, err, Cap'n' Fitz, this is Danielle. Danielle, Cap'n' Fitz."

Jed looked at the voluptuous woman, "Nice to meet you...Race, what the hell? Smuggling a woman past security is a serious breech..."

"...Danielle..."

"...smuggling Danielle on base is a major security violation!"

"Relax..."

"Relax?! You want me to relax?"

Race grabbed a duffle bag from the back seat and handed it to Danielle, "Here, put on the overalls. You're now Private First Class Cooper," Race pointed to the single stripe on the sleeve.

"Private First Class? Race! Really? Now you're going to have her impersonating an enlisted..."

"Jed, it's okay. She's with me. Danielle is my assistant. She's coming with me on our first voyage."

"Beg pardon, miss," Jed's eyes followed the shirt and skirt Danielle tossed into the back seat, "but do you really know where he's about to take you?" Jed couldn't help but glance at the woman unconcernedly unrolling the overalls next to his Mustang while clad only in her bra and panties.

"Yes, Captain. I sure do," she shivered a little as punctuation, "and it's so exciting!" Danielle smiled at Jed as she stepped into the overalls.

"The Admiral isn't going to like this, not going to like this one bit, Race." Now that the overalls were zipped up, Jed could send a stern look at Race.

"What the Admiral doesn't know won't hurt him."

"How's he not going to know?"

"It's all fixed, Cap'n'. I've even had an ID badge made. Danielle, go ahead and hang that around your neck."

"I can't believe you're actually going to do this," Jed said, shaking his head.

"By the time he does figure it out, it'll be too late."

"Might be too late already, here come the MP's."

Danielle hopped over the side of the convertible Mustang and plopped into the back seat. The jeep pulled up next to the Mustang, the MP jumping out to stand next to Jed's door.

"Afternoon, Sirs." The MP's eyes scanned Jed and then Race. His eyes got big as he scanned the back seat. "Is, um, is there a problem?"

"No problem at all. We were just stretching our legs, Sergeant."

"Well, I'm going to have to ask you to move along," Jed almost laughed out loud as the MP's eyes moved down to Danielle's overall-covered legs. "This is a restricted access area. You wouldn't want to attract any attention now, would you?" The MP now had an elbow planted on the Mustang's fender. He raised the brim of his helmet and smiled at the back seat.

"Nope, wouldn't want that at all," Jed said, grinning at Race, "Would we?"

The Sergeant stood up and turned back to Jed, his face back in full 'serious' mode. "The Admiral is waiting. They'll be commissioning the new ships shortly. You'd better hurry," he snapped a quick salute before turning towards the jeep.

"You mind giving us an escort?"

"Not at all, Sir. Follow me," the Sergeant jumped back into his jeep and circled around it before speeding off.

Jed popped the 'stang into gear, easily catching up to the jeep.

A few minutes later the Mustang was parked in front of the large hanger. The MP waved as he sped off in the jeep.

The hanger was retracting, revealing the two battle ship hulls that had been constructed underground.

Race whistled, "Will you just look at the size of those two ships?"

"They are a mighty sight, that's for sure," Jed climbed out of his car, folded his seat forward, and held a hand out for Danielle.

A clean cut, dark haired man approached, wearing flight deck overalls with several pockets, "Sirs," he saluted, "Chief Petty Officer, Kelly, reporting!"

"Chief," Race said, returning the salute.

"At ease, Chief Kelly," Jed said, snapping a quick salute in return, "You're my new flight deck operations Chief, right?"

"Yes, Sir! And might I say, she's a beaut."

"Where's Admiral Gilmore?"

"The Admiral is on the Aga getting ready for preflight take-off, Sir." Addressing Race, "That's where you should be, Sir. Admiral Gilmore is waiting for you to perform you flight check out."

"I thought my support ship would be assigned to Cap'n' Fitz's command?"

"It was. He had the ship and your personnel transferred to his command; said something about wanting to keep a close eye on ya."

"Chief, do you have a link to the Admiral?"

The Chief reached in his back overall pocket and held out what appeared to be a communication device, "Yes, Sir. Right here, but I don't think he's of any mind to change this assignment."

"I'll worry about that, Chief." Jed reached his hand out, "Get him on the horn, will ya."

"Yes, Sir. Right away, Sir."

Chief Kelly tapped a few buttons on the device and held it up to his ear, "Yeah, gimme a comm link to Agamemnon actual...yes, that's right, I need the Admiral. Okay, I'll hold." The Chief cupped the mic, "Comm is connecting me now, Sir."

The four continued to walk toward the upper deck to the Rocinante. They walked along a gangway that was level with the tarmac. A railing separated them from the vast expanse of the underground construction pit. The greatest bulk of the vessel, still below ground level, was now revealed as the huge hanger structure slowly rolled open.

Kelly spoke into the device, "Chief Petty Officer Kelly, Sir. Thank you for your time, Sir. Stand by, I have Captain Fitz for you."

Jed took the device and held it to his ear, "Admiral?"

"This is Agamemnon actual. What is it, Captain Fitz?"

"Sir, it's about Colonel Jennings' assignment. I thought he was to be under my command?"

"What about Race's assignment? I need him on my ship, Fitz," Jed could sense a bit of self-satisfaction through the communication device.

"Sir, he needs to be on my ship where I can keep an eye on him for you."

"Captain, it's not up for debate. He remains on my ship. At least until we are in orbit. The flagship is where his support vessel should be launched from; at least for the media. Once the dog and pony show is over, I'll transfer him back to your ship since you will be the first to travel the conduit. The Aga will have the three other ships fall into formation and will proceed once we have the all clear from you."

"My ship, Sir? I'm going in first?"

"Yes, that's right, Jed. All eyes will be on you and your gracious offer to cross the event horizon first."

"My offer?"

"Yes, that's right, Captain."

"I never..."

"Well, as far at the media is concerned, you did. Trust me on this, Jed," the Admiral's voice lowered a bit, "you want this 'prestigious opportunity,' Captain Fitz. I don't think I could pass it up if it was handed to me. It will go a long way in boosting support for you and your team."

"Well, I am flattered, Sir, but why me? Why does my team need to be 'boosted'?"

"This is not the time, the place, nor the medium for us to go into that now, Captain."

"Yes Sir, Admiral. And thank you, Sir."

"Good! Now get to your ship and begin pre-flight checks. The Eridonians' will be here in a couple of hours. Gilmore out."

"Captain Fitz, out...Sir," Jed answered through static.

"Well? What did he say," Race asked.

"He said it's for the dog and pony show. Once you launch, he'll transfer command to me."

"I see. Well," Race said, sizing up and down Danielle, "Guess we had better cut over to the Aga then."

The group stopped, Jed extended his hand. Race shook it vigorously, "I'll see you in space, my friend."

"Yeah, in space, Race...doesn't that sound weird?"

Race grinned, took Danielle by the hand and strolled back across the causeway and over to the Aga, as Jed and Kelly continued toward The Rocinante.

"So, tell me, Chief. How big is the Rock?"

"The Rock, Sir?"

"The Rocinante, Chief. Think I'll call it The Rock for short."

"I like it Sir. The Rock. Outstanding, Sir."

"So?"

"Sorry, Sir. Yeah, she displaces about twenty plus percent more than the aircraft carrier Nimitz."

"Wow, that's pretty huge alright."

"Right, Sir. The Rock's four-hundred and twenty-seven meters of pure power. Her beam's nearly one hundred meters, and she's just over twenty meters high."

"Is that including the raised command deck we're approaching?"

"No Sir, the Command Support Center adds another eight meters where it extends upward over the main hull, fitted with special diamond reinforced glass."

"Well, Chief. That's great an' all, but can you convert that to feet?"

"Oh, uh, sorry, Sir. That relates to about twenty-six feet over the hull. The Rock's fourteen-hundred feet in total length. Her beam is three-hundred and twenty-two feet wide, and one-hundred sixty-eight feet high."

"Long, wide, and short Rock."

"Yes, well, you could say that, Sir. The flight deck runs diagonally through the hull. Two landing configurations, with an upper and a lower glide path. Our fighters approach from the upper stern section on a twenty percent glide slope on either half of the runway. Once they enter the landing bay, they are rolled into the hanger deck, which occupies the space between the upper and the lower flight decks. Then they're wheeled into their maintenance hangers for a combat refuel/rearm turnaround or for servicing and repair. That's also where we do the initial prep for missions. We can launch ten fighters at once; five from each half of the flight deck. They take-off and fly out from the front of the landing bay, which is really the end of the flight deck...of sorts."

"What's our complement of fighters, Chief?"

"We support forty fighters, fifteen Area Combat Enhancement ships, or ACE ships, ten troop transports that carry two-hundred marines each, and we're equipped with two-hundred defense drones. All of which is my responsibility as your Flight Deck Chief."

"Give me a break down of your fighter support model."

"Well, Sir. It's pretty intense on the flight deck. Each fighter or support ship hanger requires five techs. We have sixty ships to keep in top condition and nine-hundred and seventy-five crew running in three shifts. Your Commander Air Group manages three-hundred and fifteen pilots, all on the same three shift rotation. This way each pilot is familiar with their ships and deck crew. And of course, the CAG is responsible for assigning the lead pilots to help manage the support of the other ships. Fighters are single pilot craft while our ACE ships take three, and the transports are manned with two pilots."

"All Navy?"

"Yes, Sir. All fight deck personnel are Navy and all pilots are USMC, Sir."

"We're not going to have any issue with that, are we Chief?"

"No, Sir. I run a tight flight deck, Sir. You'll have no issue with me. I can't answer for the Corp's pilots, however."

"Just keep them on an even tilt, okay, Chief? We don't need to be fighting amongst ourselves. I think we'll have our hands full with this current threat to be worrying about our own."

"I'll do my best, Sir."

"What about fire power?"

"Well, Sir. I'll do my best to describe those systems, but I'm not up on all the technical aspects of those systems, Sir."

"Understood, Chief. Just a rough layout's fine."

"Yes, Sir. Well, we have twenty small turrets, thirty six medium grade turrets equipped with two barrels each lined on either side of the hull. There's eight missile silos filled with nukes. But the best part is the two-hundred rapid fire point defense turrets along the mid-section of her hull. Our firing solutions define a twenty-five hundred foot kill zone on each flank...trust me Sir, you do not want to be in that area when those things let go."

"I suppose not, Chief."

"The fore section consists of all the support services such as the Command Support Center or CSC; that's where your office is, the real brains of the ship. Within that, flight support, navigation control, as well as the complete computer systems and networking. The crew and pilot areas and mess are forward too. The mid-section, upper fore and lower aft, house the ammo stores and fuel cells, water and various storage lockers, separated with bulkheads that are made up of several airlocks. The stern holds the twin reactors, main engine pods, and the ship's jump drive, which is powered by the Eridonian saucer ship. That will be housed at the very top stern, just before the flight deck entrance. Their saucer will integrate into the Rock, and act as our anti-gravity, jump drive, and main ship drive interface."

"Very good. I appreciate the overview, Chief."

"Not a problem, Sir, only happy to help."

They reached the entrance to the ship after walking for quite some time across a causeway leading to an open hatch just behind the command deck.

"Sergeant?" Jed addressed.

"Yes, Sir. Welcome aboard, Sir," the marine stepped to the side allowing them access.

"Are we holding for anyone else to board, Sergeant?"

"No, Sir. You're the last."

"Seal the hatch and retract the causeway," Jed ordered.

"Aye-aye, Sir."

Jed turned to his guide, "Thank you for the tour, CFD. As you were. We'll be getting underway as soon as our Eridonian escort docks."

"Aye-aye, Sir. It's going to be a pleasure working under your command," Kelly said, snapping a final salute.

Jed lazily returned the gesture, and shook his hand, "We'll be in touch soon."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir." The Chief turned, heading aft towards his flight deck.

Jed turned to the Sergeant, who pointed down the corridor, "CSC is down this corridor. Take the first left and it's on your right."

"Thanks."

"No problem, Sir."

Jed made his way through the cramped corridor and entered the CSC where he was immediately greeted by Commander Jameson.

"Captain on deck!" Jameson shouted.

"At ease, men," Jed returned their salute before they had finished theirs. "Commander," Jed said, extending his hand, "Pleasure to see you again."

"Yes, Sir," the short, tight jawed Jameson answered as he shook the Captain's hand. "The pleasure's all mine, Sir."

"Well, I think this experience will be slightly different than the trenches of Kuwait and Afghanistan."

"Yes, Sir. I'm hoping it will, Sir."

Jed's eyes scanned the two level oval Command Support Center in amazement. "Quite the operation we've got here, eh, Commander?"

"Yes, Sir. The command structure on the Rocinante..."

"...The Rock, Commander, call her The Rock..."

"Yes, Sir. Rock's command structure is made up of twenty-two stations," Jameson pointed as he named each of the main ship's sections. "Nav and radar sections are over there, air traffic control is behind them, followed by engineering, and then the offensive and defensive combat ready stations. Ship operations and tactical stations are there. From here we can control the entire ship, launch and retrieve fighters, and deploy troops in ground assaults or for ship-to-ship boarding. Our marines are at the ready for any situation we may encounter."

"What about if the enemy attempts to board us? Those flight decks at each end of the ship seem vulnerable."

"The Eridonians thought of everything with this design, Sir. We can roll open or close either side of the flight deck, sealing the ship from any hostiles. Then there are the kill zones they'd have to pass through trying to board us. I wouldn't want to be on the other end of that. There's no chance in hell of anyone getting through."

"The CFD was telling me about our defenses. From what he told me, I tend to agree with you on that point, Commander."

Jameson laughed, "He's totally right too. One-hundred rapid fire, exploding shell, point defense systems on each side of the ship is a lot of deadly force."

"I can't wait to see the Rock in action. But I hope we don't have to see that point defense system utilized too soon."

"Even if any enemy does get past our drones and survive our kill zones, they'll have two-thousand angry marines to contend with."

"That is a force to reckon with," Jed laughed with his first officer, "Do we have an official ETA as to when our Eridonian friends will arrive?"

Jameson barked at the communications officer. "Ninety minutes, Sir," came the reply.

"Very good," Jed answered, "Let's begin our take-off prep and engine run-up."

"Right this way, Sir," Jameson motioned. "We're down in the pit. All of our monitors are on a central table. We can address the entire CSC from there. We have seats that rise from the deck to secure us during combat maneuvering. They can be configured for standing or for sitting."

"Restraints? What about gravity?"

"The Eridonian ships will provide us with the gravity generators once they're plugged into the hull. Our seats configure with auto seat harnesses to keep us, well, in place during battle and extreme accelerations."

"Sounds great, Commander. Please lead the way."

* * *
Chapter Seven

________________________

Betelgeuse Corridor

Corsair Scout Operation

________________________

"Tornado," Thelix impatiently demanded, "The end of your deadline is at hand. Do you, or do you not have a solution for jumping within this conduit?"

"There are several problems that need addressing before we actually attempt this, my Lord."

Thelix narrowed his eyes, "Educate me."

"Time dilation, my Lord. I'm not sure if I'll be able to compensate for the new time distortion we'll encounter by activating the jump fields within the corridor."

"What about the ship itself? Will we hold together?"

"The stresses on the ship won't be much different. We're simply folding the space within the conduit, while the conduit itself is folded space. If we are careful, and keep the FTL bubble horizon close to the edge of our ship, it should work."

"What happens if the FTL bubble expands too far?"

"If the FTL bubble reaches the edge of the conduit, the conduit will destabilize. The exit point of the conduit will become unpredictable, in that we won't know where we'll come out. That is, if we come out. The conduit could simply close..."

"Our ship can control its FTL bubble and navigate with adequate precision to contact with the conduit edge, can it not?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"So, the time dilation is the only problem we cannot control?"

"Everything else looks good, with exception of the time dilation. That remains an unknown."

"This is a risk we must take!"

"My Lord, time could advance from minutes to several years, relative to our FTL sphere."

"Would it not make sense that our FTL bubble will remain intact?"

"It should, my Lord."

"Then we can assume that time dilation will not be an issue."

"Yes, my Lord. I will prepare the jump drive."

"My Lord," Darnash interjected, "Within the corridor, our weapons will not reach the Eridonian ships before they exit. I suggest setting our jump coordinates thirty seconds beyond the exit. Turn the ship and fire on them as they exit."

"I agree," Thelix smiled. "Yes, most excellent. We'll capture one of them, scan the planetoid, and jump back through the conduit to return to Betelgeuse."

"Yes, my Lord," Tornado responded by programming their coordinates, "I have calculated our current jump position."

"How many jumps can we initiate before we have to pause for a cool down?"

"We can jump three consecutive times, my Lord. After that, we'll have a thirty minute wait time, or we risk burning out the negative energy density projector."

"Start the jump clock. We're going!"

"Yes, my Lord. Thirty seconds to jump cycle," Tornado acknowledged.

"Sub-light?"

"Go."

"NAV?"

"Go, my Lord."

"Tactical?"

Darnash grinned at his captain, "Go."

"Jump resolution check!"

"Resolution settings complete, my Lord. Go!"

"Generate negative energy densities!"

"Negative densities confirmed."

"Check full power to FTL!"

"Jump drive is fully spooled. Go!"

"My, Lord," Darnash nodded, "The board is green."

"Jump sequence complete...on my mark!" Thelix commanded.

"Jumping in, five... four... three... two... one..."

"JUMP!"

The engines whined to a high pitch as Tornado completed the jump sequence. Instantly the ship was flying in normal space, well past the conduit exit.

Thelix shook his head, trying his best to stay focused at their next task at hand, "Helm! Turn us about one-eight-zero degrees and full stop!"

"Y-yes, my Lord," Tornado said, pressing his command console.

The Antares corsair fired full thrusters and spun around to face the approaching Eridonians, "Coming to full stop now, my Lord."

"Tactical? What is their position? Ensure you have the TPI enabled to full strength!"

"We're twenty seconds from contact, my Lord. Confirmed jump position and telepathic inhibitor is online. They are just outside the event horizon of the corridor."

"Full power to weapons! I want the first saucer with a positive target lock!"

"The five Eridonian saucers have exited the corridor. They are still blind from the wormhole. I have a target solution!"

"FIRE!"

Darnash slammed his fire button on his console, "Firing plasma burst at primary target...direct hit, my Lord. I'm unable to fix on any secondary targets; they have made evasive maneuvers."

"What is the status on our first target?"

"Their ship's engines are off-line, my Lord. They're dead in space."

"Excellent! Survivors?"

"The saucer has only one occupant, my Lord."

"Helm! Plot a course and advance on that ship. Darnash, determine where the remaining saucers headed."

"Course plotted, forward thrusters set to positive twenty percent. We'll be on them in two minutes, my Lord."

"My Lord, the remaining four saucers have broken formation. They have flown around us. They are headed to the third planetoid of this star system."

"Can we bring that saucer onboard?"

"Yes, my Lord," Darnash nodded, "I will prepare the docking bay."

"See to it!"

"Yes, my Lord. It is my pleasure," Darnash stood, bowed to his captain, and headed to the lower deck to receive the small one manned saucer.

"Helm, once the saucer is onboard, I want you to jump into an orbit around the third planetoid so we may scan it."

"Yes, my Lord," Tornado continued piloting the corsair to the wounded Eridonian ship. "My Lord, may I suggest we jump to a hidden position behind the planetoids moon? My preliminary scans of that planet indicate limited orbital satellites. These indigenous beings are of a lesser technological advancement than we, and thus, will not be able to detect us on the edge of the moon's terminator."

"Most excellent, Tornado, what is our ETA after we secure this vessel," Thelix asked, watching the growing image of the saucer from his ship's forward windows.

"It should take Darnash two minutes to bring the ship inside. It will take me thirty seconds to set the jump sequence after the Eridonian ship is onboard."

Tornado positioned the corsair just above the Eridonian saucer and reported to Darnash to open the cargo bay door.

"Fire negative thrusters. Z minus ten degrees and stop," Darnash instructed.

"Affirmative, Darnash," Tornado confirmed, "Firing thrusters. Z minus ten degrees."

"She's clear of the bay doors, all stop!" Darnash ordered. "Closing cargo bay doors...Pressurizing bay area now."

Thelix smiled with satisfaction, "Helm, jump us to the moon's termination point and begin your scans."

"Yes, my Lord. Jump engines are still primed. Starting jump clock for thirty seconds...jump resolution settings checked, my Lord. We are green for Go!"

"Generate negative energy densities!" Thelix ordered.

"Negative densities generating...full power to FTL! Jump drive is fully spooled...Jump sequence complete...in, five... four... three... two... one... JUMP!" Tornado shouted with glee.

"All stop!"

"All engines to full stop, my Lord. Position confirmed. We are positioned behind the third planetoid's moon, just beyond their terminator. They cannot detect us."

"Begin scanning for life signs...Darnash, bring the Eridonian to me!"

* * *

________________________

Earth

John F. Kennedy Space Center

________________________

"Admiral," the Agamemnon's comm officer reported, "We have contact, Sir. I'm picking up four Eridonian signals."

"Only four?" The Admiral quizzed.

"Yes Sir. They're requesting docking instructions. Admiral, your orders on which ship remains behind?"

Admiral Gilmore stroked his chin, "Okay. Tell them to dock with the Aga, Rocinante, the Yamato, and HMS Bristol."

"Yes, Sir!" the comm officer acknowledged, "Our two US ships, Japan and Great Britain."

"Correct, ensign. The Australian ship, Jannali, will have to be fitted with a saucer later. Send word to Captain Wilson of the Jannali that they can catch up to the fleet as soon as the fifth Eridonian arrives."

"Yes, Sir. Sending word to the Jannali, and sending the landing coordinates to the Eridonians."

"Open channel to the rest of the fleet."

"This is Lieutenant Casey on the flagship. Stand by for Agamemnon actual. You're connected, Admiral, go ahead."

Admiral Gilmore grabbed the microphone from his center station. "This is the Admiral. The Eridonians have arrived. They have been given the docking coordinates. My apologies go out to the Captain Wilson, and crew of the Jannali. We have not been given any information as to why only four ships have arrived. Once the Eridonian saucers are integrated with your ships, power up and launch into orbit. We will form up at the pre-arranged coordinates. Admiral Gilmore out."

"Channel is closed, Sir," Lieutenant Casey reported.

"Patch me through, ship to ship. I want to make sure Colonel Jennings is ready when we launch."

"One moment, Sir," Lieutenant Casey connected the intercom to the flight deck, "I need Colonel Jennings, call from the Admiral...Sir, they're patching a link to his ship now, stand by."

The Admiral shook his head, "We'll have to be faster than this with our Comm or they'll squash us out there."

"Sorry, Sir. I have the Colonel on the line now."

"Colonel Jennings? Is your ship ready for operations?"

"Yes, Sir," Race boasted, "The Calypso is ready to launch when we reach orbit. All pre-flight checks are complete. I'll be dispatching our first fighter squadrons from the Aga at your command."

"Never mind the dog and pony show, Colonel."

"Sir?"

"You heard me. Once you launch, I'm transferring your ship to Captain Fitz. You'll be launching the fighters from the Rocinante. The situation has changed. Only four Eridonians arrived. My only guess is they ran into trouble. I'll relay additional news as I receive updates, but it seems we may end up in a fight sooner rather than later."

"Understood, Admiral. The Calypso and her crew stand ready, Sir."

"The Eridonians should be landing any moment now. Admiral out."

"Sir," Lieutenant Casey reported, "The Erdoinian's will be docking in one minute to our US ships. Fifteen minutes for the HMS Bristol and twenty five to The Yamoto."

"Send word to HMS Bristol and Yamoto. Patch me to the Rocinante."

"Yes, Sir. Sending message and opening channel, Sir."

The Admiral tapped the headset over his ear, "Captain Fitz? Admiral Gilmore. Prepare to receive your Eridonian Saucer."

Captain Fitz smiled at Commander Jameson, "We're ready to receive, Admiral," Henderson activated the view screen. "This I gotta see for myself."

"Aye, Sir. Switching main screen to aft view."

Jed looked with his command support center staff at the Eridonian ship hovering over the Rocinante's saucer docking bay. The ship settled down into the recessed compartment and then a domed lid closed over the ship, sealing the saucer within.

"Positive lock, Captain," Commander Jameson reported, "Power cable connected. Confirmed power transfer in progress. Our flight systems are coming online now, Sir."

"Sir," Lieutenant Henderson interjected, "The Eridonian is being escorted to CSC now."

"Excellent. Henderson, send word to the Aga that we'll be ready for take-off as soon as our systems are all online."

"Aye, Sir. Sending word to the Aga now."

The Command Support Center came to life once the Eridonian ship was fully integrated. Each crew member shouted out their station readiness.

"NAV and Radar control operational, Sir."

"Engineering online and ready, Sir!"

"Combat Stations and Tactical at the ready, Sir!"

"Activating ship's defense systems. Drones show ready to deploy at the first sign of trouble, Sir."

"Ship Helm control responding and at the ready for take-off command, Sir!" Lieutenant Payne reported, in her best professional voice, "Power systems check complete. The ship is ready and waiting your command, Sir!"

Jed leaned over to his first officer, "Jameson? How is it we know how to do all this stuff?"

"It's the Eridonians, Sir. They seem to have trained us all for the tasks we need to know, telepathically."

"Yes, they did say they'd provide us everything we would need. It's just odd that we all know what we're supposed to do."

"Yes, Sir, I agree, Sir." Jameson replied.

"Comm, patch me through to the flight deck."

"Aye, Sir. Connected," Lieutenant Terence Henderson nodded to the Captain.

Jed picked up his microphone and headset, "Chief. Is the flight deck ready for take-off?"

"Yes, Sir Captain. I've rolled both fore and aft landing bay doors. We are secured and pressurized. Ready for space flight, Sir."

"Excellent Work everyone."

"Captain," Lieutenant Henderson reported, "The Agamemnon is lifting off, Sir. We've been given clearance to follow into orbit when ready."

"Well, let's not make them wait for us. Comm, open ship wide channel."

"Channel open, Sir."

Jed held the mic to his mouth and depressed the trigger, "This is the Captain speaking. We are about to embark on our maiden voyage. I want to thank each one of you on board who have made sacrifices to being here as part of my crew and a member of The Rock. I know you will make us all proud...All stations, prepare for lift-off. Captain out! Helm! Take us up, pilot's discretion."

"Yes, Sir!" the exuberant helmsman grinned. "Powering take-off thrusters now!"

The Lieutenant grabbed the two throttle controls and inched them forward. The ship rumbled with the power output of these gigantic thruster engines.

"Bow raising ten degrees! Positive climb at mid and aft sections. We're airborne!"

"Raise landing struts," Jameson ordered, "Forward thrusters five percent."

"Landing struts retracted and locked," Lieutenant Payne reported. "Elevation: five-hundred feet and climbing."

"Engage all environmental controls," the first officer again ordered.

"Aye, Sir!" one of the stations called out, "Gravity generators now tied into the Eridonian saucer control. Pressurizing all systems. Oxygen scrubbers and CO2 sensors are online. The Rock is sealed and ready for space flight."

"Engaging plasma drives," the helm officer sounded, "Accelerating to Mach 1. ETA to orbit is two minutes."

The Rocinante vibrated with power as the new drive engines took over from the simple thrusters. "Engaging inertial dampening systems, we're experiencing slight atmospheric chop. She should stabilize in a moment, Sir."

Jed caught a movement in the corner of his eye. He turned to see a short, bald humanoid figure wearing a long blue smock. There was a strange glistening to the flowing fabric as the Eridonian walked. The being stopped at Jed's station down in the CSC and addressed the Captain with no lip movement, Impressive ship, isn't she, Captain?

"You must be Malcom?" Jed asked, approaching the alien with his hand stretched out.

No, unfortunately, Malcom was captured by the Antarians.

"What do you mean, captured? Are they here already?"

They have sent a scout ship here. Most probably they have already begun scanning your battle readiness. My guess is they have already returned to the Betelgeuse conduit.

Jed turned to his helmsman, "Helm, full speed, get us into orbit now! Comm, send word to the Aga that we're not forming up with the rest of the fleet. Tell them we're heading to the conduit to pursue the Antarians. Have them launch Race's ship ASAP and dock with us."

"Aye, Sir," Lieutenant Henderson acknowledged.

Captain, the Eridonian's brow furrowed, pursuing such a course may be a fool's errand. Perhaps you should not be concerned with our missing ship as much as you should be concerned with forming a blockade. Preventing any ships from exiting the conduit would be a prudent tactic at this point.

"How can you be so insensitive to losing one of your own?"

I assure you, Captain Fitz, we are not insensitive to losing one of our own. Malcom's loss is a most significant one. However, his loss is not your concern.

"And I say we shall help you recover your lost man. You'll have to understand, it is the way we are. What should we call you?"

You may call me Artemis, the alien projected.

"Artemis, understand that we humans value all life. Malcolm was coming here to help us, like you did. That has made this our concern."

A most kind and gracious gesture, Artemis bowed.

"Sir," Henderson reported, "I have word from the Agamemnon. The fighter support ship, Calypso has launched."

"That's Race's ship. Put it on audio and provide them docking vectors."

"Right away, Sir."

A moment later, the audio feed from the Calypso was heard in the background.

I have taken the liberty of summoning your doctor to the Command Support Center, Artemis nodded, communicating telepathically.

"Now why would you do that? Last time I checked, I was in command..."

Artemis waved its hand before Jed, do not worry, Captain. I am not usurping your command. You will understand momentarily.

The radio static was cut by Race's voice, "Nice flying ship...Rocinante, come in. This is Calypso. Receiving docking coordinates. I'm going to fly out past the moon's terminator, circle around and come in from behind when you pass... stand by..."

"Sir, we've left the Earth's gravity well. I'm plotting course for the Calypso to intercept."

"Very well."

"Wait a minute..." the crew of The Rock listened between static that was heard over the intercom, "This is the Calypso...launch one squadron of fighters...picking up something strange out here on our scanner..."

"Get me the Chief! Now!"

"He's on the line, Sir."

"Kelly, get eight birds in the air! Emergency launch protocol!"

"Aye-aye, Captain! Major Phillips, assemble strike force one, on the double!" Jed heard through the comm channel.

"Oh-my-god!" Race exclaimed through the intercom.

"Race! What's going on out there?"

"They just came out of nowhere!" then the radio returned static.

"Race! Get out of there!" Jed turned to his first officer, "Where are those fighters!"

"The launch bay is clear, Sir," Henderson reported, "All fighters away."

The CSC doors opened to admit a lab coat draped over short, greying blond man. He quickly stepped to the Eridonian, held the tip of an injector to the alien's neck and pulled the trigger. Several seconds of hissing accompanied the pull of the trigger. He popped the cartridge out and quickly replaced it with another.

The lab coated man jumped down to the pit next to the Captain. Jed held up his hand, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's in that thing?"

The doctor paid no attention to the Captain. He shoved the nozzle to his neck and squeezed the trigger.

"I'm your ship's physician, Doctor Claude Lambert, pleased to meet you, Captain."

"Ow! What the hell was that?"

The intercom continued to return static, "They're gone, Sir!"

Turning to the communications station, "What do you mean, gone?"

It was the Antarians. It would appear that they are, or were, still in system. They have taken your support vessel.

"RACE! No!"

"I've plotted their jump trajectory," Lieutenant Foster, the NAV officer reported.

They're headed back to the conduit, Artemis nodded.

"Can we reach them in time?"

They are gone...just as much as Malcom is gone. I'm afraid there is no hope for them.

"Well, Artemis, you seem to give up rather easily. As for me, I don't buy that. Helm plot us an intercept course, we're going after them!"

"Aye, Sir! Prepping our jump systems. We'll be ready in five minutes."

* * *
Chapter Eight

________________________

Betelgeuse Conduit

Antarian Corsair

________________________

"We're entering the Betelgeuse conduit, my Lord."

"Malcom," Thelix said, turning to the Eridonian, "Darnash shall accompany us to the holding cell. I'd like to meet our other guests."

Thelix turned to Tornado, "Prepare the jump drive to take us all the way across. The Emperor should be very pleased when I deliver this new species. Let us not delay his pleasure, nor my rewards for it."

"Yes, my Lord. I'll begin making my calculations. We should be ready to jump in thirty minutes."

The Eridonian meekly followed the Captain off the bridge, Darnash close behind with sword drawn. Thelix led them down a corridor and around the corner to the left. The Captain entered his access code into the panel next to the holding cell door, which promptly slid open.

Inside the holding cell, three humans looked up from their knees.

"My, they grow ugly big on your world, don't they?" Race scoffed, "What are you, like eight feet tall? You sure smell like eight feet!"

"Gorenslog!" Darnash ordered, holding the edge of his sword to Race's neck. "Gornorman monigik dao sklippin nogsonal!"

"No, really," Race said, continuing his banter, "You look like a sasquatch, for god sakes...and smell like one too!"

Darnash began to draw his sword across Race's neck when Thelix stopped him, "Darnash! They do not understand our language. You will not kill them. I shall bring them all to the Emperor. Prepare the Nano injection."

Darnash grunted his disappointment and returned his sword to its sheath.

"Your blood lust will be satisfied soon enough!"

"Yes, my Lord."

Darnash stepped outside the cell to a small table and took a hypo-injector. Pressing a few buttons on the device's handle, he held it to Race's neck and squeezed the trigger.

Race listened to the Antarians' deep voices spew incomprehensible words as they spoke to each other.

"Wait, what's that?" Raced begged to know.

Thelix continued speaking to his tactical officer, "Neshilg morginslog delphithek time now."

"What? What's anytime now? Hey! I can understand you now...what'd you do to me?"

Darnash stooped lower to address the human face to face, "You shall not speak unless you are directed to! Do you understand, gorech?"

Race nodded, and then Darnash injected the others. "You have been injected with Nanites. They translate our words instantly so there's...no more misunderstanding. They will also inoculate you from any biological sicknesses of our home world."

"Home world?" Race asked.

Darnash drew his sword once more, "I warned you not to speak! You choose which will die, the female or the other male?"

"Darnash!" Thelix interrupted, "I said you will not kill them. That was an order!" Thelix narrowed his eyes, his face now close to Darnash, "Or, do you need a Nanite injection to help your understanding?"

"My Lord, the Emperor will not miss one of these humans. Allow me to teach them obedience, and we will bring two of these creatures along with the Eridonian!"

"Perhaps I need to teach you some obedience, Darnash! They will fight in the arena."

"Fight? Arena?" Race protested.

Danielle and Corporal Harry Gill, the Calypso's navigator, gasped at Race's comment.

"What's going on, Race?" Danielle asked.

Thelix silenced Danielle, "I shall tell you. You should be aware of your fate."

"If you think we're going to fight you in an arena, you're sadly mistaken!" Race shouted.

Thelix laughed out loud, "No, no. It will not be us you will fight. We are larger creatures than you are. It would not be good sport if we fought gorechs...no, no..." Thelix roared louder, "You will be pitted against those that are closer to your size and strength. That is how our blood lust will be filled."

Darnash sheathed his sword, "...and if you do happen to win the fight, you will then fight our prize beast. The Boreshog has never lost. Either way, we shall satisfy our blood lust."

Race spat on Darnash's face causing the large humanoid to jump back, "We will NOT fight!"

Darnash stood upright, Thelix took his finger and wiped the spittle off of Darnash's face.

Then he stuck his finger in his mouth, sucking off the contents, and then licked his lips, "Hmmm, very tasty; salty and sweet, with a touch of alkaline. The Emperor's blood lust will surely be filled with the death of these beings."

"What part of 'NO' do you not understand?" Race yelled. "Are your Nanites working okay?"

"Whether you fight and win, or refuse to fight and die, makes no difference to me...our Emperor's blood lust will be fulfilled in either case," Thelix again roared.

"You've never ran into our kind before, have you?"

"No, this is our first encounter. However, I'm not impressed; small and weak."

"You will not prevail!"

"So you say, but time will tell. Won't it?" Thelix again roared with laughter.

* * *

________________________

The Rock

________________________

"What exactly was that you injected into me?" Jed asked the ship's doctor.

Artemis approached Jed, nodded and then began speaking with his mouth, "Teechi goolon, goolon nosee."

"What?"

"Teechi goolon moment now."

"Oh, hey, I understand the last part...what did you just say again?"

"Forgive me," Artemis said, "Let me explain. The serum that Doctor Lambert injected into me was to boost my immune system against any foreign life forms that might be harmful to me. The injection you received was similar, in that it also contained Nanites. Small microscopic robots that are now integrating within your blood to assist translation of alien languages. It takes a moment or two for them to activate. What you were hearing was my native language. The Nanites will also speed up your body's natural healing process from days into hours."

"That's why you're now speaking to us verbally?"

"Exactly. This was necessary in order for you to understand the many cultures as you travel among the stars. It takes enormous concentration to continue communications telepathically. With your limited minds, we had to translate for you. Now the Nanites do that for you. Each crew will be inoculated as the Doctor makes his rounds."

"Well, thank you for that...I think..." Jed said, rubbing his neck.

"The discomfort will dissipate momentarily, I assure you," Artemis smiled.

"Sir," Lieutenant Foster interjected, "I have the coordinates for the Conduit plotted."

"Comm, recall fighters and prep for Jump!"

"Aye, Sir," Lieutenant Foster punched in a couple commands and spoke into his headset mic, "Major Phillips, recall all fighters to The Rock...Chief Kelly, prepare for jump condition," Foster relayed.

"This is Major Phillips, return to The Rock...I repeat: all fighters fall into formation and head back to The Rock. Rocinante, our ETA is five minutes," The CAG reported, "Phillips out."

Jed glanced at Artemis and then back toward the CSC view screen, "You might want to take a seat."

As Artemis walked, the Eridonian gown flowed across the floor, making it look as if the alien was floating over the ground, "Thank you, Captain. We should coordinate our efforts with the rest of Earth's fleet."

"Agreed...Comm, patch me to the Aga."

"Right away, Sir," Foster obediently replied.

Jed pressed a button on his console and a tube rose from the floor. When the bar stopped, arm holds and a skinny seat popped out. He examined the seat, "What am I supposed to do with this? There's no way my butt cheeks will fit on this."

Commander Jameson leaned over to Jed, "You're supposed to straddle it like a bicycle seat, Captain."

"I see...hmmm. Doesn't look all too comfortable."

"If you prefer to stand, Captain," Artemis added, "You can hold on. The restraint system will secure you either way."

"Captain," Foster reported, "I have the Admiral."

"Patch it through to my headset," Jed ordered, "Admiral?"

"Captain, what the hell's going on over there?"

"Your Eridonian hasn't filled you in?"

"Yes, we know all about Race and his crew being taken by the Antarians. I'm wondering why you're acting alone by preparing to chase an enemy whose capabilities are unknown?"

"Admiral, this is not up for debate, Sir. We're going in, so I suggest we have a plan in place for keeping this conduit secure."

"I know you and Colonel Jennings were close, Jed, but it's not worth risking an entire ship and crew."

"Sir, I made a promise to our new friends here, that we place great value on all life. The aliens also took Malcom. I offered to find them and bring them back."

"I will not allow you to sacrifice your ship!"

"Admiral, I do not plan on sacrificing this ship. Believe me, that's the last thing I want. Sir, we have to make an attempt to recover our men. They have vital information regarding our defenses."

Jed heard a sigh in his ear piece, "What's your plan, Captain?"

"Sir, I don't have a plan yet, but I do feel that with a single ship, we may just go undetected. Once we know what we're dealing with, we have plenty of Marines that we can use for a covert op."

"Alright, Captain Fitz. Knowing an enemy makes defeating him more likely. If you can go in undetected, I'll give you authority to scout the enemy and recover the captives if possible. But if it is not a high probability of recovering the captives and returning to us safely, or if you are detected at any point, your orders are to bug outta there. Do I make myself clear, Captain?"

"Yes, Sir," Jed smiled, "Crystal clear. In the meantime, I suggest the three remaining ships enter the conduit an hour after we do. Set up a barricade to prevent any unauthorized vessels from entering the corridor."

"That sounds like a solid plan, Captain. We have learned from our Eridonian that another saucer ship has been dispatched to Earth. Their ETA is three days. Just be aware there'll be traffic in the conduit in about a day and half."

"Understood, Admiral. I'll get word back to the fleet on our progress."

"Very well, Captain. Take good care of your ship. It's brand new, you don't want to bring it back with any scratches now."

"Don't worry, Admiral. We'll be fine, though I can't guarantee there won't be any scratches," Jed smiled.

The Admiral chuckled through his headset, "Always the kidder. I do expect a report once you arrive to your destination."

"Yes, Sir. We'll leave a drone after we exit the wormhole. It will fly to your ship and download our course and the rest of our plan. Once we arrive at Antares, I'll dispatch a support ship back to the main fleet. We can shuttle that back and forth for communications. Otherwise, the Eridonians are telling me, that the Warlords will be able to intercept our communications sent via radio or micro waves, but, they won't detect our support ship unless they visually see it."

"Alright, Captain. We'll be in position to enter the conduit in one hour. Aga out."

"We're ready to jump in two minutes, Rocinante out."

Jed set his headpiece on the console in front of him, "Action stations! Prepare for jump start sequence."

"All fighters secure, the launch bay doors are closed and sealed, flight deck is reporting ready," Lieutenant Foster sounded.

"Start the clock. Two minutes until Jump sequence."

"Aye, Sir," the helmsman nodded, "Spooling FTL drives, jump clock running."

The noise of the engine sounds spinning nearly drowned out their voices, "Sub light!"

"Go!"

"NAV!"

"Go!"

"Tactical!"

"Go!"

"Jump resolution check!"

"We're a go, Captain!"

"Generate negative energy densities!"

"Generating negative densities," the engineer officer reported.

"FTL!"

"Jump drive is spooled! Go!"

"The board is green, Captain!" Commander Jameson reported.

"Initiate jump!" Jed ordered, grabbing the hand holds of his restraint system.

* * *

________________________

Betelgeuse Conduit

Antarian Corsair

________________________

"My Lord," Tornado reported as Thelix entered the small bridge, "The jump drive is prepped and ready at full power. We are ready, but I must caution you, we are also close to redlining."

"Explain!"

"Our negative density generator will burn out and we will be stranded."

"Our third jump will be this one, we can risk one more jump to our space. Use thrusters to navigate to one of our orbiting stations for repair."

"Yes, my Lord. Coordinates have been entered."

"Darnash, you coming up here?" Thelix asked through the ship's comm system.

"Yes, my Lord. I was just ensuring our guests were...comfortable."

"Don't make them too soft now, we want a good show in the arena when we return."

"Oh, that will not be a problem, my Lord. They'll be fit and rested up to give us the best arena battle the Emperor has seen in years."

"Excellent! Take your station, we're ready here."

"On my way, my Lord."

A few moments, Darnash entered the bridge and took his seat at tactical control. Thelix looked over at him, "You have a red substance on your lower lip."

Darnash wiped it off and licked it from his large finger, "Yes, well I had to taste."

"What have you done, Darnash?"

"Do not worry, my Lord. I only cut one of them so I could taste their blood. The Nanites will repair the cut shortly. The gorech, or Human as they call themselves, will live."

"Which one did you cut?"

"The female, of course, my Lord. I wanted to save the best for last. The female of this race is inferior, smaller, weaker, and more fragile than the male."

Thelix laughed and shook his head, "You should have waited. The real blood lust satisfies within the arena."

"You will not be disappointed, my Lord."

"I'm sure our blood lust will be satisfied...Tornado, if all systems are ready, go ahead and jump us through to the exit."

"Yes, my Lord. All systems are spooled. NAV checks."

"Tactical is ready, and standing by, my Lord."

"Initiating negative energy densities," Tornado reported, "jumping sequence in five, four, three, two, one...jump complete!"

The Antarian corsair appeared just outside the event horizon of the Betelgeuse conduit.

"We made it, sir," Tornado stated, "Ion drives online. We're moving away from the event horizon of Betelgeuse."

"Reset jump drive, set course for Antares."

"Yes, my Lord. Course plotted and programmed. Jump drive spooling will complete its cycle in thirty seconds."

Darnash's console lit up, "My Lord, receiving a red light on the board. The negative energy density generator is compromised."

"Can we make this jump or not?"

"If the EDG system goes down during the jump, we will end up short of our destination."

"Can you compensate?"

"There is only a twenty percent chance that it will fail, my Lord."

"Helm, proceed with jump condition on my mark."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Initiate jump sequence to Antares...Mark!"

"Jumping sequence in five, four, three, two, one...jumping!"

Instead of the ever increasing whine of the jump engines, a sound like groaning metal failing under great stress. The crew saw the stars move slightly and then stop. The engines fell silent, and then made a loud thunk.

"What happened?!" Thelix bellowed.

"The negative energy density generator failed. We did not jump."

"How far did we go?"

"We're still holding position outside the event horizon, my Lord, we only moved twenty kilometers."

"Are we in communication range with Antares?"

"No, my Lord, there is too much interference from the conduit."

"GLOBFLOSH!" Thelix snorted, "This is not good. Options!"

"We do have a ship in the hold that would take us there."

"The vessel we captured from the Humans? Yes, that may work out. The ship is too small to carry us all. And the Eridonian ship is smaller still."

"I could go, my Lord," Darnash offered, "I will take one of the humans to pilot the ship. I can deliver him to the Emperor and send a repair team back for you."

"Find out what the travel time would be in the human's captured vessel."

"Yes, my Lord. I will choose the arrogant human. He seems to be the one in charge."

"Very well. Take him to his ship and have him calculate the jump."

"It will be my pleasure, my Lord," Darnash grinned.

"...and no more cutting the humans to taste their blood. Wait for the arena!"

Darnash growled with displeasure, "Yes, my Lord."

"But if he resists with plotting the course, kill one of the others to convince him. In that case, and that case only, you may fulfill your blood lust."

Darnash licked his lips, "Yes, my Lord, and I thank you."

A few minutes later the cell door slid open. Race, Danielle, and Harry looked up at the towering Antarian.

"What do you want with us now?"

"Get up! You and the female. You're coming with me."

"Where are you taking us?"

"You shall see, but know that if you refuse, the female dies."

Race looked into Danielle's eyes with sorrow, "I'm sorry, I never intended this to happen."

"I know, Race. It's okay; we better do as they ask."

"What about me?" Harry Gill, the Calypso's navigator asked.

"You will stay here," Darnash instructed.

"Why aren't we moving?"

"How can you know this?"

"I could feel the ship's vibrations. There aren't any now. We're dead in space, aren't we?"

"You will show me how to program your ship. We are taking it to Antares."

"You're stranded, I knew it!" Race smiled.

"My people are going to be coming for me," Race narrowed his eyes, "...you had better not stay here."

"Your people are no threat to us. You are an inferior race...a gorech!" Darnash laughed, "Now, show me your ship's systems, and calculate how long it will take to reach our star."

"Very well," Race relented, "Let's go."

Thelix's comm system lit up several minutes later, the sound of Darnash's deep voice rumbled, "My Lord, the human has run the calculations. He states that the range of their jump drive will take ten jumps to reach Antares over three days. We'll be in communication range in two."

"Very well, Darnash. Good work. Prepare to depart within the hour."

"Only take the pilot. Leave the others here in the hold. We cannot risk letting the Eridonian leave this ship. Outside the range of the telepathic inhibitor, they will fool us with their mind tricks."

"My Lord, there is room for all the prisoners. We could fit this ship with the TPI system and offer all our prisoners to the Emperor at once."

"What makes you think the Emperor will send a rescue ship if there is no reward of prisoners?"

"Leave one of the humans."

"My Lord," Tornado added, "Darnash may be correct. Our systems are down. The TPI generator uses so much power, it may soon fail. They have a better chance with the power being generated in the human ship to survive the trip."

"Very well, leave the other male behind. Fit the ship with the TPI, but knock out our Eridonian before disconnecting and moving it to that ship."

"Yes, my Lord. We'll be ready to depart in an hour. I'll be taking the Eridonian, the arrogant human, and the female for insurance that we continue to have their cooperation."

"Excellent, Darnash. Report back to me once you are ready to depart."

"Yes, my Lord. The Emperor will be most pleased."

"Yes, he will be indeed. Just remember to send us support once you are in comm range."

"Yes, my Lord. You have my word on that."

"No doubt. Oh, and Darnash, one more thing."

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Just so you are aware, there are several individuals under contract to me and my family. Should part of my crew come home and claim that I breathe no more, these individuals will take certain...actions."

"Understood, my Lord!" Darnash tried to loosen his suddenly tight collar.

* * *
Chapter Nine

________________________

The Rock

Betelgeuse Conduit

________________________

"Position report!" Jed ordered.

"Fixing our location now, Sir," Lieutenant Foster reported. "We are stationary off the event horizon to the Betelgeuse Conduit."

Cheers sounded out across the Command Support Center. Jed reached out and shook his officers hands and congratulated them on their first successful jump.

"Well done, Captain!" Artemis said, joining in with applause.

"No," Jed returned a smile toward the Eridonian, "We have you to thank. Without your assistance and telepathic training, we would have been another century, or more, from achieving this feat."

Artemis bowed to his gracious host, "Together we may have a chance to overcome this current threat."

"Tell me Artemis, why are you putting so much effort into helping us?"

"We have always had a fond connection to the star you call Sol."

Jed nodded as if he agreed, knowing he had no idea what they were talking about. He also knew Artemis totally understood that he was just dumbfounded by all of this. However, Artemis kept that quiet.

Jed turned to Lieutenant Erica Payne, "Helm, ahead twenty-five percent thrusters. Take us into the Conduit."

"Aye, Sir, ahead one-quarter thruster power."

"NAV, confirm course."

"Aye, Sir. Course confirmed. I'll be calling out course corrections directly to Helm control, Sir."

"Proceed," Jed ordered, "ETA to crossing the event horizon?"

"ETA is five minutes," Lieutenant Payne acknowledged. "Thrusters are at twenty-five percent. Engaging plasma drives to hold current speed. Switching thrusters to course correction protocol. Engaging inertial dampeners to one-hundred percent."

"Helm," Foster shouted, "course correction: aft pitch Z minus three degrees. Bow yaw port five degrees."

"Course correction," Payne replied in cadence, "aft pitch Z minus three degrees. Bow yaw port five degrees, affirmative."

"Course correction confirmed. On course and holding," Foster reported.

"Confirm on course to the event horizon," Commander Jameson ordered.

"Course confirmed. Time to gravity well: one minute. Time crossing event horizon: three minutes."

"Increase power to plasma drive. Full speed ahead!" Jed ordered.

"Aye, Sir, full power to plasma drives. Fifteen seconds now from gravity well."

"Full power to armor plating and shielding, we're going in!" Jameson shouted.

"Aye, Sir," Lieutenant Collins answered, "Armor plating charged, and shields one-hundred percent!"

"Helm: course correction. Pitch Z minus point five degrees, turn port point zero three five degrees."

"Course correcting pitch Z minus point five degrees, turn port point zero three five degrees, affirmative."

"Time to event horizon: one minute...fifty-five seconds......fifty seconds..."

Lieutenant Foster continued to count the seconds, "thirty-seconds...Helm, Rotate aft Z plus ninety degrees...MARK...twenty seconds...fifteen..."

"Rotation Z plus ninety degree...confirmed. The Event Horizon is right on us, Captain!"

"...five... four... three... two... one... crossing Event Horizon."

The Rocinante shuddered, but held steady through the entrance to the black hole. The light of the stars ripped across their view as white-blueish streaks.

"Position confirmation!" The first officer ordered.

"Sirs," Foster turned toward the CSC pit, "We're in!"

Another round of cheers rang in the air as the over twenty crewmen, working in unison for the very first time in their lives, accomplish yet another milestone in human technological development; crossing the galaxy expanse that would lead them to the Betelgeuse corridor exit.

Artemis stood after removing the restraints and approached Jed, "On behalf of all Eridonians, I congratulate you on a job well done. We may have telepathically transferred the required knowledge. It was your human resolve to follow the instructions and build these vessels."

"Thank you Artemis," Jed bowed, "Now! Are we all done with these festivities? Don't we have some work to do?"

"You heard the man! Stand down action stations!" Jameson yelled. "Return to normal operations."

"What is our current ETA to exit this corridor?"

"Sir, our ETA to cross the conduit is fifty-two hours."

The Eridonian shook its head, "My, my...We are impressed."

Jed turned to Artemis, "Impressed? Why?"

"Your trip through the conduit will take you twenty hours less. We have never seen cross times such as these."

"It took you seventy-two hours to cross? Maybe it was your size, or mass?"

"Doubtful. Although, the mass is a possible assumption as to the cause. However, your ship's mass is larger than our saucer's mass, so it should take you longer if mass was the answer."

"Then maybe it was the two ships combined?" Commander Jameson interposed.

Artemis nodded, "Yes, I do think your commander here is on to something."

"Smart ass," Jed winked.

"At any rate," Artemis said, motioning with its hand, "we will be exiting the conduit sooner than the Antarians think. This gives you an edge in our current situation."

"He's right, Captain," Jameson nodded, "we have a huge advantage. Twenty hours is a lot of time off our mission clock."

"I agree," Jed answered, his brow furrowed, "So we need to have a plan and a few alternates. You know, just like calling audibles in football."

Jameson returned a smile, "Yeah. The more options we have in our playbook, the better chance we'll have for a touchdown."

"The way I see it," Jed pointed with his finger. The table top illuminated as he drew his finger on the glass, "we have two scenarios. Either we meet the Antarians when we exit, or we don't."

Lieutenant Collins joined the others in the pit, "If we do, I'll have my men at the ready. We can send Marine boarding parties on transports to take control. There's ten of them down there, we might as well utilize what resources we have."

"Lieutenant," Jed said, turning to the tactical officer, "I want the launch bay prepped and ready as soon as we exit. We'll use two fighter squadrons, split into four fighter groups, to cover four support ships as our recon force. Those fighters can get in close, detect enemy ships, and can cover a wider area than a solitary support ship."

"If they find an Antarian ship, we send two Marine transports to board and take control of it," Collins added.

"Good plan, Collins. We'll bring the Rock into position on the flank of any enemy vessel we find. The ship's strong point is our broadside point defense system. If anything crosses our area defense perimeter, a warning will sound. Lieutenant Collins will be responsible for activating the PDS once a positive ID has been identified as a hostel."

"Understood, Sir," Collins answered.

"The fighters will have IFF clearance for their departure and approach vectoring. Collins, you'll also be responsible for communications to the flight deck. Delegate at your discretion, but understand that it's your responsibility."

"Aye, Sir. I have a great rapport with Chief Kelly. We'll have it together, Sir."

"Remember, any Antarian ships we encounter may be the one containing our guys."

"That means," Commander Jameson said, pointing to Lieutenant Collins, "make sure the flight deck, the CAG, or our head pilot..."

"...Major Phillips, Sir."

"Yes, Major Phillips, will be responsible for ensuring his pilots know not to destroy their target unless I authorize it."

"Yes, Sir. The Major and I have some face time, Sir."

"If there are no Antarian ships present when we exit," Jed continued, "we'll fly the recon to ensure they're not just out of our current scanning range."

"Yes, Sir. How long do you want the recon to fly before we recall them?"

"We should patrol in shifts of three hours. We have twenty extra hours. We need to use them wisely, and not all at once."

"Agreed," Jameson nodded, "We should only fly three recons. We'll still be more than ten hours ahead once our ships are all in."

"While the fighters and our 'ACE in-the-hole' ships are on recon, we'll plot the course to Antares. Once all recon forces have been retrieved, and we can confirm there is no immediate Antarian threat, we'll leave a programmed drone behind with our status. Then we'll jump to Antares."

The Eridonian motioned with its hands again, "We will have to wait until we exit the conduit to know which course of action to take. However, I will attempt to reach Malcom and inform him we are on our way. He can communicate to the others so they may prepare."

"I would suggest the same goes for plotting any jumps to Antares," Jameson added.

"You are quite correct, Commander," Artemis smiled, "Typically, their ships can jump in and out of Antares up to approximately forty light years. We should have about the same range."

"In other words," Jed added, "we'll be on them in an instant. We might want to identify a way to mask our ship's signature from their scanners. That could buy us a little more time."

"Vital time to assess our situation, that's for sure," Collins agreed.

"Artemis," Jed asked, "Can you bring up a map of the Antares system. I'd like to see the system layout and where their home world is located."

"Certainly," Artemis stepped to the console and began typing commands. A few short keystrokes resulted in a holographic image of the Antares star and a graph of each planetoid at the precise and updated orbit.

"Far out!" Collins grinned.

"Technically," Artemis argued, "the Antarian home world is not a remarkably long distance from the star Antares."

Jed laughed, "No, Artie, I think what the Lieutenant means is that this display is pretty cool...you know, neat-o."

"Ahhh," Artemis nodded, "It is an expression of approval! And please, call me Artemis. Artie? Really? That's a male name. I am female."

"Oh, well, umm, I'm so sorry. I meant no disrespect. I just, you know," Jed gulped, "I couldn't tell if you were male or female, uh, umm, you didn't seem to have any of the usual female parts," Jed finished leaning closer and whispering.

Artemis roared with laughter, "Yes, I suppose you would not understand. Our species is really neither male nor female. We're androgynous, that is until we choose a mate and decide to birth. We then decide between each of us, who will take the role of mothering the child. The mate chooses to remain or change to whatever they decide."

"So, you are a mother?"

"Yes, I have children on Epsilon."

Artemis pointed to the center of the hologram with her short arm and long finger, "This is Antares. In orbit around this star are six gas giants," She motioned with her hands and zoomed the hologram closer to one of the planets, "The Antarians reside on the third moon of the fourth gas giant." Pointing with his finger again, "The fourth planet is called Lebencha. This planet has three moons; Delema, Gornash, and Serintin. The latter being their home world."

"What about planetary defenses and satellites?"

"At each moon, there are large energy collectors. These use gravity beams to siphon off large amounts of gasses from the gas giant. The gasses are sent on to the refineries on the nearby moons. That's how they fund and fuel their war machine. Every gas giant has collectors based on the number of moons and how rich the composition of the gas giant is. The lower quality fuel production is sold to other species that the Antarians do not see as vulnerable to them at the moment. That gives the Antarians resources to build larger and more deadly war ships. These warships are then used on less technically evolved species. Then more resources are taken, and it just goes on, and on. This is why we decided to help your race. We tire of seeing the evil they sow among the stars."

"Why aren't you able to use your mind powers on them? How did they detect your ships? I thought you were blocking yourselves from them?"

"We do not fully understand this either. The only thing we can agree on is that the Antarians have discovered a way to block our minds in the proximity of their vessels."

"This is Henderson, Sir," the Comm officer reported, "I'll be setting my instruments to detect any unusual signatures if we encounter any Antarian. This is some pretty sophisticated equipment, so we should be able to detect any odd radiations or emissions."

"Sadly, I am unable to read Malcom," Artemis said, "But I do understand that he is alive. I can feel that much, but no more."

"What's this?" Jed pointed to a stream of energy pulling gasses from the gas giant to a collector orbiting Serintin.

"That is the energy stream from the planet."

"Could we hide our ship in there?"

Artemis held her head in thought, "Hmmm, perhaps if we augment the ship's shielding capability, we could hide within that energy stream. But there may be consequences."

"What kind of consequences?" Commander Jameson asked.

"Radiation sickness. If we stay too long in that energy stream, it could be lethal."

Jed turned to his first officer, "Nice."

"So, how long could we stay?"

"Only a few minutes."

"A few minutes is all we need."

"What are you thinking, Captain?"

"How's this. We jump in. Launch an Area Combat ship and jump back out. Far enough where we can sit undetected yet close enough for the assault team to get a signal to us. An ACE ship should be small enough where they might not be detected. They get planet side, find our guys and recover them. They take-off and fly back to the stream. We jump in and pick them up. Then we go back to form up with the fleet."

"That depends on how long you expect your men to last on their home world undetected."

"My guys are good, Sir," Lieutenant Collins smiled. "These Marines are the toughest, most hard-core the Corps has to offer."

"And with our advancement in weapons, they'll be pretty tough."

"Stealth mode first. Remember to keep your men's testosterone in check," Jed grinned.

"Does anyone have any better idea?" Jameson asked.

"The plan sounds good, but let's keep our options open," Jed nodded. "Get Kelly on the horn. I have some instructions for him."

"Aye, Sir," Henderson acknowledged.

* * *

"Okay! Listen up, boys and girls!" Chief Kelly's bellow echoed throughout the hanger. "Here is our order of battle."

"When we come out of the corridor, we're going to launch the first recon. That's forty fighters in four minutes, one bird every six seconds. The quicker we get those fighters launched, the better chance they'll have of overpowering any hostiles prowlin' around out there.

"The first ships out of my hanger will be twenty fighters followed by the four Area Combat ships, then twenty more fighters. That's two ACE ships per side. I want those birds in the air and scanning the area ASAP."

"They will link securely to each group of ten fighters as they launch. The ACE ships are the backbone of each recon. They are the eyes and ears for dispatching and controlling the fighter groups, sort of like portable control towers. They'll be relaying specific instructions to the CAG, who in turn will dispatch his fighters for maximum effectiveness."

"Once a hostile is located, we will launch our transports. Two transports to each hostile identified. That will put four hundred Mean Marines in the alien's lap to 'negotiate' getting our people back."

"If any of our support ships are taken out, one will be launched to take its place. Pilots! Do NOT get into the ship's kill zone! Our point defense guns make no friends on either side. So, you WILL take care of my new fancy equipment and avoid the kill zone! Launch decks will run drills in three shifts for the next forty hours until we get it right! Our launch doors will remain closed and sealed to protect us from the hostile environment within the conduit. These drills will include the entire launch sequence with the sole exception of the ships flying down the launch rails. You have all received your training through the Eridonian thought transfer process. Trust your instincts and do not do anything stupid out there! Now get this deck ready! MOVE IT!"

Major Phillips walked up to Kelly as he dismissed the assembly, "Can I have a word with ya, Chief?"

"Yeah, sure, Major. What's up?"

"Chief, my pilots are telling me that some of your deckhands are not treating them with the respect they deserve."

"Major, I assure you that my men would not say or do anything other than their jobs out on the flight deck. Where's this coming from, Sir?"

"Could it be happening outside the flight deck, Chief Petty Officer, Kelly?"

"Now wait just a minute, Major. There's no need to call out ranks here. We're all one team."

"Kelly, just make sure you keep your men in line."

"That is my intention, Major Phillips," Kelly said, snapping a salute. Then he turned and walked away with clenched teeth.

Captain Jones walked up to the Major, "What was that all about, Major?"

"Oh, hey Rene. What, that?" Phillips pointed back to the Chief still walking from them.

"Yeah that. The Chiefs doing a great job, Kurt."

"Yeah, I know he is. I just wanted to make the Navy guy sweat a little. It's good for the soul."

"Uh huh, right. Kurt, just be careful. You don't want to throw accusations around that aren't true."

"I never said they weren't true, Rene. You just worry about flying that bird. Come on," Phillips motioned. "Let's get ready for the drills."

* * *

Captain Fitz left the CSC with the intention of retiring to his quarters. It was easy traveling through the ship as every corridor was color-coded using directional arrows. The crew could follow red outlined arrows to the CSC, or yellow for the flight deck. Green solid arrows would bring the crew to their berths. Dashed arrows led to the mess hall, and if the crewman wanted recreation, they would follow a green plus arrow symbol. Blue lines showed the way to engineering.

Jed stopped before his cabin door. He had to think about how to access his stateroom as he'd never been here before. He thought it was strange that he simply knew how to do these things. It was like he had always done them. He felt confidant, and for the first time since the accident five years ago, he felt at peace.

He reached up and entered his access code on the keypad and the door slid open. After he entered the room, the door automatically closed with a swoosh. Looking around his cabin, on his left side was a computer console on a wall. Straight ahead was his officer's desk, complete with a screen inlayed on the surface that was similar to the CSC's screen down in the pit. To his right was a sofa with a coffee table and two chairs. The right wall was a liquor cabinet. The Captain's bunk and lavatory, or head as they called it on a vessel, was situated straight back behind his office desk.

"All the comforts of home," he whispered to himself.

He removed his jacket, walked over to the sofa, laying it across the back of one of the chairs before plunking down.

Landing with a thud, "Whew, what a day."

Jed leaned forward on the leather sofa and dropped his face into his hands. He rubbed his closed eyes and then ran his hands over his head and down the back to his neck. Jed squeezed his hands, massaging his stiff neck, and then opened his eyes.

"What's this?" Jed reached out for a box on the coffee table. "A card," he said, snatching the item taped to the brown wrapped box. "Hey Cap'n'," it read, "I know we didn't have time to pack everything we wanted, so here's a little somthin' for old time sake. Enjoy, Race."

Jed tore the paper off the box and opened it as quickly as he could, "Race, you shouldn't have," he exclaimed, holding a bottle of fine scotch whiskey. "Bastard had this imported and sent to the ship...Race! Why'd you have to get yourself captured? Man, you drive me nuts sometimes. You know that? Don't you worry, my friend, I'll get ya back...mark my words...I'll get ya back!"
Chapter Ten

________________________

The Calypso Support Ship

52 Hours into Fifth Jump Iteration

________________________

"How much longer before we are in communication range?" Darnash growled.

"Say, how about you just let me fly this thing and stop your belly aching, already?"

"I grow impatient with you and this vessel's FTL drive capability."

"I told you, we can only make two jumps of four light years every eighteen hours, or we burn out our jump drive."

"Limited technological creatures...how soon before we can execute our next jump?"

"Two hours, Darnash. We jump in two more hours. Then we wait our last eighteen hours before completing the trip to Antares."

"...and you say we will be in communication range after our next jump?"

"Yes, Chewbacca, we will reach your friends on the next jump sequence."

"My name is not Chewbacca."

"Oh, sorry. I had you confused with another large harry ape-looking creature from Earth's pop culture. Relax, Sasquatch. Don't you guys have any sense of humor?"

"Humor? I am not sure the Nanites are translating that word correctly."

"Ah, don't worry yourself over it. Humor, it's a joke. A funny story."

Darnash simply returned a blank stare.

"I see, well, you must not have laughter. Sounds like it's pretty sad place to me."

"Stop talking already! Another twenty hours and I will deliver you to the Emperor."

"Oh, it's been a barrel of laughs for me over here, too. Please remind me why I'm taking you there again?"

"I will kill the female if you do not," Darnash drew his sword and poked the tip in Race's side.

"Ow...right, well...I get your point."

"As soon as I deliver you to the Emperor, you will be taken to the arena. I suggest you prepare and hone your fighting skills or you will not make it to the second round."

"Yeah, now, ya see? You keep talking about this arena, but you never really told us what it is... Ya mind sharing? I think we deserve to know what we face when we get there."

"Yes, the arena is where we satisfy our blood lust."

"Blood lust?" Danielle exclaimed, "Why would anyone lust for blood?"

"It is not a proper topic for discussion with inferior species. I can tell you that records of the games go back many centuries into the past."

"I get that it's pretty old," Race added, "But what is it, really?"

"We must honor the heritage we have been given. Our blood contains a chemical only known in those of Antares. Our blood and our bodies are symbiotic, in that our blood lives in symbiosis with our bodies."

"Well, I have to tell you. Our blood is a symbiotic relationship with our bodies, too. Without it, we can't live."

"All living creatures share the same need for life fluids that carry nutrients throughout a living body. However, our blood is different."

"Next, you're gonna tell me that your blood has a mind of its own, right?"

"Yes. Precisely."

"See?" Race glanced over to Danielle, "I knew it."

"Twice in the cycle of Lebencha, Antares' forth gas giant, we gather at the arena of our third moon. Our home, Serintin."

"Twice a cycle? What is the cycle of the big gas bag?"

"You are attempting to provide, humor, again?"

"Thought I'd try to lighten the mood."

"Stop the nonsense; I have no place for your impudence. Being imprisoned on this small craft of yours is punishment enough. I can barely tolerate your stench."

"My stench?"

Darnash furrowed his brow toward Race.

"Tell me more about this blood lust, Chewy."

Darnash growled, "I will tell you more, only if you agree to stop with the humor!"

"Fine...poor sport," Race whispered under his breath, "Darnash, please tell us more about the blood lust."

"Our blood lust comes from a chemical in our blood that flows through our veins. We must taste the blood of those who are the victors in the arena to satisfy the craving. Our Emperor is the one who quenches our thirst. When he partakes of the victor's blood, it satisfies our need through the chemical exchange. The Emperor will partake in two ways; taste and merge. When our lust is quenched, it signifies the battle was honorable. It is the blood and the right amount of adrenalin in the blood of the victor that satisfies our blood lust. If the blood does not satisfy, there will be another battle and the Emperor will test the victor's blood once more. Usually, there is only one battle. However, there are occasions that two or three battles are needed, to ensure the proper chemical composition of the victor's blood. Especially if any game cycles have been missed and depending on how many times the victor has succeeded. Too many wins over too few cycles mean the adrenalin content is lower. When that happens, the beast is sent to the arena to boost the chemical within their blood," Darnash snorted, laughing at his own words.

"Charming. So, what happens if you miss cycles?"

"If our blood lust is not satisfied within three cycles, we will begin to lose ourselves."

"In other words, you will turn on each other to satisfy this blood lust?"

"Yes, we struggled for thousands of years before the games were held. Now, we have not missed more than four consecutive cycles for over a thousand years."

"Tell him what other properties you have within your blood," Malcom said, breaking his silence.

Race looked over at the Eridonian, "You've been very quiet during this entire trip. What's Chewy here, holding back?"

Darnash leaned toward Race and growled.

"Easy, big fella," Race motioned. "Come on, give me a break."

"I will tell you," Darnash began, "We also use our blood for imprecations. If we swear a blood oath, it is our blood that ensures we keep our word. After an oath is made, our blood is shared from the one who swears it. If we break our word, our blood knows it, and then kills us."

"Wish we could have that property back on Earth," Race smiled.

"Human! I ordered you to stop this humor."

"Oh, that wasn't humor at all. I was dead serious. Too many people on Earth have a tendency to lie and not think twice about it. That blood oath thing of yours might actually be good for our society."

"This is one property that we discovered while scanning your world. You humans are full of deceit and treachery amongst yourselves. On Antares, we have complete order. There are no law breakers, no crime. We all work together for the advancement of our kind."

"Bravo, Darnash, bravo. You have achieved a perfect society through the deaths of others. Way ta go!"

Darnash shook his head, squeezed his eyes shut, and then thundered a huge sneeze that rocked the ship.

"Bless ya," Race said, "What's the matter? You catching a cold?"

The Antarian shook his head once more and broke the ships position with his second sneeze.

Race grabbed the controls and steadied the ship, "Easy there, big guy. What's wrong?"

"I do not know. I am not feeling very well," he managed to say, holding back another sneeze.

"If I didn't know any better," Danielle said, "I'd think he's getting sick."

Malcom touched Darnash's forehead, "He's burning up with fever!"

"Didn't you get inoculated before we came on board?" Race asked.

"No, there was no need. My Nanites should be working to fight off any disease you would have brought."

"Well, apparently your Nanites aren't programmed for every physical aliment in the galaxy."

"This has never happened to me before," Raising a finger in Race's face, "do not think that I am not in control. I will be fine! Do not try anything or I WILL kill the female."

Malcom nodded his head, "I would listen to him, Race. He will not hesitate for one moment."

Darnash nodded, "You should listen to the wise and old Eridonian. He knows."

Malcom shut his eyes and tried as hard as he could to penetrate the telepathic dampening field, before opening them again, Race...Race...if you can hear me blink.

Race glanced over to Malcom with a quick blink of his eyes.

Good, I cannot hold this long. He is getting sick, I have not seen this sickness either. I suggest we go along with what he wants. An opportunity will present itself.

"What about the Arena?" Race asked, trying to keep the Antarian unaware.

"The battle takes place between two opponents. Each one is given time to fashion a weapon of their choosing. When that time expires, the battle must commence. The opponents will fight regardless if the weapons are completed."

"Wait, what? I don't know how to forge metal, let alone how to fight with a sword."

Do not be concerned, Race. I'm sure they will allow me to provide you the required skill. The blood lust works better if it is a fair fight.

"This is why you should prepare," Darnash explained, "Failure will result in your death. Then your opponent's blood will be used to quench our blood lust."

"You'll have to allow the Eridonian to give me the knowledge needed. Where's the sport in killing an unarmed and untrained opponent?"

"We will allow this. It will make the games much more interesting," Darnash laughed through two more sneezes.

I...I'm not able to maintain my hold. I will remain silent and meditate on our situation.

"I can hardly wait," Race looked at his watch. "Another hour and we can commence jump prep."

* * *

________________________

The Rock

Betelgeuse Conduit

52nd Hour

________________________

Captain Fitz gazed out the porthole of his cabin in wonder. He thought about his ship exiting the corridor. They were minutes from the conduit's exit. He grimaced at the stars that glistened in the distance, their light ripping at the seams of space as they sped through the corridor.

Jed walked to his liquor cabinet. Grabbing a shot glass, he slowly poured a healthy amount of the Scotch whisky Race had sent to his quarters. Setting the glass on the table in front of him, he simply stared at it, "I don't really want this now do I? No," he answered to himself, "I don't...so why did you pour it?"

He gently lifted the glass under his nose and took in the deep rich fragrance as he swirled the golden liquor. About to put it to his lips and down the elixir, his office door chimed, interrupting him.

Jed set the glass on the counter and called out, "Come!"

Commander Jameson entered his quarters and instantly saw the glass, "Sir, you don't really want to go there now, do ya?"

"Just about the time I think it's okay, I remember."

"That's right, sir." Jameson said, walking over and taking the glass, "You just keep on a remembering too, we don't need you..."

"Commander, I'm quite capable."

"Yes, Sir. Never said you weren't," Jameson answered, pouring the glass down the drain.

"Hey! That's expensive scotch! Race went through a lot of trouble getting that to me, so just take it easy!"

"The price he paid wasn't close to as dear a price as you would pay, Sir."

"I know, I know, Commander..."

"Joan would never forgive you."

"Don't think that I will ever forget my own wife's death..."

"No, Sir...I just..."

"Jamison, you just keep on reminding me."

"Aye-aye, Sir!"

"I can't let that accident...I can't allow her death...to affect the lives of my crew. We're about to exit this corridor in what will likely be the most dangerous thing we've ever done, Jameson."

"Yes, Sir...Sir, I came to tell you we're all behind you and we're ready for you in the CSC."

"You just keep me in check, Mister," Jed added, locking his precious bottle away.

"You can count on me, Sir," Jameson answered, following Jed through the cabin door.

The quick walk through the passage brought them to the Command Support Center. Jed quickly descended the four steps that led into the pit, taking his place at the command console.

"Navigation, position report?"

"Yes, Sir," Lieutenant Foster shouted, "We drop out of the Betelgeuse conduit in two minutes."

Jameson spouted more commands, "Henderson, check your comm systems and scanners. Open a link to the Chief for flight operations."

"Channel open, Sir! Scanners are activated and ready, Sir!"

"Kelly!"

"Aye, Sir!" a gruff sounding voice echoed over the speakers, "Flight deck is prepped, pilots are in their seats and we're ready to launch the first CAP."

"Excellent, Chief. Keep this channel open to the CSC."

"Aye, Sir. Standing by and monitoring."

"Helm, prepare plasma engines. Thrusters at station keeping protocols."

"One minute!" Foster counted.

"Action stations!" Commander Jameson shouted, "Lieutenant Collins, this is your show now. Activate weapons systems! Point Defense Systems to stand by! Stand ready!"

"Aye, aye, Sir!" the NAV officer grinned, "All weapons systems are active, armor plating activated. PDS online!"

"Exiting conduit," Foster counted, "...in, five... four... three... two... one! We're out, Sir. Normal space ahead!"

"Plasma engines to full power," Jed ordered, "Keep us from being pulled back into the gravity well!"

"Full power to engines, Sir. We're holding steady with inertial dampeners now!"

"Launch the recon!"

Down in the launching bay, Chief Kelly's voice motivated his crew, "Move those launch bay doors! We're burning up the clock here!"

His crew quickly had the bay doors rolled open, exposing the emptiness of space in front of them.

Twenty fighters shot out of the launch bays, followed by the four area combat enhancement ships. After them came the rest of the fighters, two sets of five on each level of the flight deck.

"Rock, Major Phillips, do you read?"

"Go ahead flight leader," Lieutenant Collins ordered.

"We're picking up a single ship out here. You getting this?"

Commander Jameson shot a concerned look at their tactical officer, "Collins, talk to me."

"Confirmed, Sir! Major, we're picking up a single Bogie on your starboard side. They're holding position."

Artemis squeezed her eyes in concentration, "Hold on, Captain. I'm not detecting any resistance at the moment. I can fool them, they won't see us if you don't engage just yet."

Commander Jameson pointed to Collins, who gave the order to Phillips, "Major! Fall back. Do not engage enemy. The Eridonian is masking our signatures."

"Affirmative, Lieutenant! Flight operations! Hold back, repeat. Hold back! Do not engage the enemy. My fighters are pulling back, Sir!"

"Sir," Collins reported, "The target ship is about one-third our mass. Engines and weapons systems are on standby and I am not detecting any shields activated."

"We could take them out with one missile, Sir!" Jameson nodded.

"Yes, we certainly could. Remember, though, we have to think of our men. They are most likely on that ship."

Artemis opened her eyes, "I have scanned the vessel. There are two Antarians onboard as well as one human. I suggest we form a boarding party and take control of the ship."

"Agreed," Jed nodded, "However, I think a troop transport might be a little overkill here. Can we sneak one of the support ships over and gain access that way?"

"It is possible," Jameson agreed, "We only need a few marines onboard."

"Do not underestimate the Antarians. Two can be quite the handful."

"We can send six heavily armed Marines plus the two pilots," Jed offered.

"I'm getting word to Kelly now, Sir. We'll be ready and loaded in fifteen," Collins reported. "Sir, I'm also scanning the ship. It appears to be the same configuration as the one we picked up on our scanners that took Race and his crew. There's a hatch that I've scanned. We can form a hard seal there. We just have to blow it open, pressurize the air between the two ships, and then take control."

"Okay, let's do it," Jed agreed. "Artemis, can you read the human on that ship? If so, please make contact and let them know help is on the way!"

"Yes," Artemis agreed, continuing with closed eyes, "I am working on that now."

* * *
Chapter Eleven

________________________

The Calypso Support Ship

54 Hours into Fifth Jump Iteration

________________________

Race flipped switches and pressed a few button sequences on his control pad, "Beginning jump prep. NAV set. Jump destination is confirmed."

The engines on the small vessel whined as the ship's systems came to life. "Jump drive spooling to full capacity."

Darnash secured himself, laying on the floor due to his immense size, not feeling well at all, his fever continued to climb to dangerous levels, even for an Antarian.

The others fastened themselves in the front seat and rear computer station.

"Jump drive at one-hundred percent," Race shouted. "Generating negative energy densities! All systems are green and go...jump in five... four... three... two... one...initiating seventh jump!"

The ship vanished and reappeared at the specified coordinates. The engines' whine faded in frequency and volume.

"Running jump drive cool down sequence. Jump drive will be ready in two minutes," Race said. He looked behind him and addressed Darnash, "If you're gonna try to make contact, now's the time before our jump sequence is ready for the second jump."

Darnash inched forward toward the cockpit, pointing to the communications relay, "Punch in the code, five... seven... seven... three... seven... eight. That's the frequency codes for our home world."

Race punched in the code and picked up the mic and passed it to the large Antarian, "Here, you call 'em. You know what ta say, I sure don't."

Darnash took the comparatively small microphone in his hand and examined it.

"Here," Race pointed, "You just press this button on the side and talk. When you want to listen, release the button."

"Quaint, antique technology," Darnash scoffed, and then depressed the button on the microphone, "This is Darnash, tactical officer for my Lord, Thelix. Does anyone read me?"

"Let go of the button," Race again pointed.

Darnash released the button, but the radio only returned static.

"One minute. Beginning eighth jump prep...try 'em again."

Darnash pressed the button once more, "Darnash of my Lord Thelix's corsair. Can anyone read me on this channel?" he released the button, and the radio returned more static.

"Guess not," Race nodded, "Okay, they'll hear us after this next jump."

"You had better be right," Darnash growled.

"Jump drive at one-hundred percent," Race shouted for the second time. "Generating negative energy densities! All systems are green and go...jumping in five... four... three... two... one... initiating jump!"

Once again, the Calypso instantly darted across four light years of space and came to rest at the programmed coordinates.

"Securing all stations. Beginning eighteen hour cool down protocols. The comm channel is all yours Darnash."

"This is Darnash of my Lord Thelix's corsair. Does anyone read me on this frequency?"

They listened intently at the radio static each time Darnash released the transmitter. It was on the fourth call that they heard a gruff Antarian on the speaker, "This is Mulix of my Lord Dumakas, of the Emperor's House. Who are you?"

"Mulix, this is Darnash. I am aboard a small vessel with limited FTL jump distances. Can you send me a recovery ship?"

"Yes, Darnash, of my Lord Thelix's command. Transmit your coordinates and we will have a vessel to you in a few minutes."

"Most excellent, Mulix, of the house of our Lord and Emperor. Lord Dumakas will be most pleased with our report."

"Very well, Darnash. Is there anything more you require?"

"Yes, I am in need of medical attention. These creatures that I bring have made me sick. I suggest full quarantine until we can isolate the cause."

"Agreed. We will send medical assistance to your location. Where is Lord Thelix's corsair?"

"They are located at the mouth of the Betelgeuse corridor. I suggest sending a few ships to assist them as well."

"Very well, Darnash. We will immediately dispatch three battleships within the hour to that sector."

Darnash pointed to Race, "Transmit our coordinates," and then handed the microphone over.

Danielle grabbed Race's arm, "Are you sure you want to do this? He's too weak now, we could easily overpower him."

Darnash drew his sword and placed the blade at the end of Danielle's neck, "Do not think I am too weak to pull this sword across your neck. Now transmit our position!"

Race looked at Danielle, "I'm sorry, babe. I can't let him do it. We'll find another way." Race programmed another sequence of numbers and then pressed his send button, "Coordinates transmitted."

"Affirmative," the gruff voice answered over the intercom, "We have your coordinates. Help will arrive in a few minutes."

Darnash returned his sword in its sheath and relaxed against the deck, "Thank you. Mulix of my Lord of the Emperor's House."

* * *

________________________

The Rock

Betelgeuse Conduit Sector

________________________

"The assault team is away," Collins reported.

Jed looked over at his Eridonian passenger, "Artemis? Have you reached our men on that ship yet?"

Artemis gently held her spindly index finger to her lips, "Shhh, I am in deep concentration. You must not interrupt me or I may lose hold on keeping them from detecting our forces."

"Would you like a chair?"

"No, I prefer to stand, thank you," Artemis answered, eyes still shut tight, "Now if you will...I am reaching one human. He is in a holding cell with restraints on his hands. The cell is in the aft section of the ship."

"What about our Antarian crew?"

"Nothing from them, now, please! Be still!"

Jed turned to his tactical officer, "Okay, Collins. You got that?"

"Aye, aye Captain. I'm relaying to my team leader now."

"Tell them that one of the Antarians is on the ship's bridge. I still am unable to read the others."

"Got it, Captain! My men are attaching to the portal now...stand by."

"What's the status of our recon?" Jameson asked.

"Sir, Major Phillips is calling an all clear in our location. There's nothing on any of our scanners out there."

"Tell 'em to launch another fighter squadron to run CAP. Let's get another squadron out there, in case we miss something."

"Aye, Sir," Collins acknowledged, "Chief Kelly! Launch another squadron!"

"Aye, aye," the CSC crew heard over the loud speaker, "You heard him! Now move it! Move it! Move it!"

"Sir, that's half our fighters," Collins warned.

"That's fine," Jameson nodded, "We've got twenty more to launch if anything shows up. We'll just be in a better position to get 'em all up when needed."

"Yes, Sir," Collins said. He held his hand to his ear piece, pressing the speaker closer, "They've established a hard seal. Setting the charges and resealing the airlock...stand by...They're hovering fifteen meters over the hatch...blowing the hatch now."

The CSC crew saw a flash in the distance, signifying they breached the hatch.

"They're moving back into position, Sir. One moment...hard seal re-established...they're in. The Marines are clearing the area."

Corporal Harry Gill sat in the corner on the floor, his hands cuffed with shackles in front of him when the door to his cell slid open. The light cast a human shadow over half of Corporal Gill's body.

"Bravo company," the Marine said in his ear-piece, "I have one human survivor...stand by," the marine knelt down, causing the light behind the marine to shine in Gill's eyes.

"Y-yes...I'm fine. I didn't think you were ever going to rescue me."

"What happened to the others?"

"They took 'em."

"Come on, Corporal. Let's get you back to the Rock."

"You gotta tell 'em, tell Captain Fitz that Race and Danielle are alive. At least they were when they left for Antares," Gill said with despair.

"What do you mean, Corporal?"

The Marine removed Gill's restraints and helped him to his feet, "The others aren't lookin' so good. I think they're sick or somthin'."

"Where are they?"

"I think they're on the bridge."

"Okay, Corporal. Get back to our support ship. I'll tell the others and meet them there."

"Right away," Corporal Gill said, waiting not another moment aboard the Antarian ship.

"Bravo leader, converge on the bridge," the marine said over his comm link.

"Affirmative, Bravo two...we're on the bridge," Jed and crew listened over the comm channel.

"Rocinante, this is Bravo leader, Sir. They don't look too good over here...stand by...one of them is dead. The other one is barely alive...it appears he's the Captain. At least he's sitting in what appears to be the command chair."

"Bravo leader," Jed answered, picking up a microphone from the console, "This is Rock actual. Can you move the Antarian to your support ship?"

"Move him, Sir? He's pretty large. It'll take all of us to move him. We might have just enough room if we squish everyone inside."

"Make it happen, Lieutenant...Rock actual passing it back to Lieutenant Collins."

"We're moving him now, Sir! He must weigh five hundred pounds."

Jameson snatched the microphone, "Bravo leader, see if you can disable the ship's gravity generators, you can move him to your ship and get back here quicker if you don't have to carry dead weight." He turned to Artemis, who was still concentrating, "Do you know how to do that?"

The Eridonian opened her eyes and faced Jameson, "Yes, now that the Antarians currently pose no threat, I can transmit the instructions," Artemis closed her eyes once more and passed her knowledge to the Bravo leader.

"Bravo leader, I got it! We're moving the Antarian to our ship. We should bug out in a minute."

Artemis shot her eyes wide open and gasped.

"Sir," Henderson interjected the same time the Eridonian gasped, "I'm picking up multiple ships. They just popped in from nowhere!"

"Action stations!" Jameson shouted, "Launch all fighters! Get that assault team back here on the double!"

"Helm!" Jed ordered, "turn us hard about to their flank. Keep our distance and activate the PDS on demand!"

The crew bustled about their duties, having never done these tasks before. They accomplished them as if it was second nature.

"Sir," Collins reported, "Bravo assault team is on their way back. I'm moving some fighters for their cover."

"Good work, Lieutenant," Jameson smiled, "Target lock those ships and get our fighters to engage them, now!"

"Commander," Artemis motioned, "You are grossly out matched. I suggest you recover your ships and set up for a jump while we still have time."

"What's their ETA to reaching us?"

"They'll be on us in five minutes, Sir. They're also launching their own fighter squadron."

"Okay, keep me posted when Bravo assault returns," turning to his Eridonian guest, "I've got a few tricks up my sleeve before we recall and retreat. But we should get the FTL's online and spool the jump drive just in case."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Foster agreed. "Plotting our next jump point."

"FTL's online," Foster reported, "Spooling jump drives."

"Their fighters will be on us any moment, Captain!" Collins reported, "Point Defense Grid activated!"

With the press of a red button on Lieutenant Collins board, the ship rocked from the recoil of the rapid firing weapons on the Rock's port side.

"Launch all drones!" Jameson ordered.

"Drones away, Sir!"

Jed gave Collins a stare, "Program a few of those to latch on the hull of our Antarian ship. Then have them drag it into the Antarian's proximity."

"I follow, Sir! Once it's close enough, we light it up with a few missiles."

"Exactly! Their shields are offline and engines are station keeping only."

"I'm having my team set up the programming. I'll report when we're ready to execute."

"What about the fighters?" Jameson bellowed, "I want a report on how they're doing!"

"Yes, Sir!" Collins again reported, "Major Phillips, do you read me? Report!"

* * *

Major Phillips flew his lead fighter toward the incoming enemy ships, "Rene, take my wing! Jones, you cover her six. The three of us will run a scrimmage up the middle. I want five ships on our flank and hit 'em with your cross fire."

"Roger, that, Alpha leader."

"This is Charley Leader!" Major Phillips heard over his comm, "I'll take the left, Delta Leader, you take the right."

"Roger, Charley Leader," the Major heard.

"Jones, Simon! Lock and load!"

"Ready on your wing," Rene confirmed.

"I'm on Simon's six!"

"Weapons free!"

The three fighters opened fire with rapid fire plasma shot at the approaching Antarian fighters. The approaching enemy fleet split apart, moving off in multiple directions.

"Break right, break right!"

The fighters spun around, hitting several enemy fighters. Three were blasted into pieces. The remaining enemy fighters circled around to engage the Charlie Leader squadron. The Delta Leader turned his fighters, flanking the Antarians. After a few pre-planned maneuvers and counters, all strategy on both sides had evaporated into a fur ball in space.

"I've got one on my tail!" Captain Eric Jones exclaimed.

"I got ya covered!" Captain Simon shouted over the comm link. She spun her ship one hundred and eighty degrees and fired full thrusters to catch the Bandit.

Eric noticed several plasma bursts passing his canopy, "Watch it! That's me you're shooting at!"

"Relax," Rene smiled from her cockpit, "I didn't hit ya!"

An explosion erupted on Eric's left. Rene flew her fighter alongside. She waved to him through the canopy, "See? I told ya I had ya covered."

"Yeah, thanks! But I think I'd rather have enemy fire over being taken out with friendly fire!"

"Knock it off you two," Major Phillips chimed in, "Besides, Eric, I think I'd still prefer Rene's friendly fire over our enemy any day."

"Oh, that's real funny, Major!" Rene laughed.

"I'm serious; you can't hit the broad side of a barn. Now get back into the mix!"

"Woo hooo! Let's do this!" Rene slammed her control stick toward her next victim and rammed the throttle full speed.

Collins looked up with horror on his face, "Captain, I show missiles locked on!"

"Evasive maneuvers!" Jed yelled.

"It's too late, Captain! They're going to hit!"

"Brace for impact!" Commander Jameson warned.

The crew let out a shout as they were tossed to the ground by the shock-wave. The crew shielded their eyes with their arms from the momentarily blinding flash of light as the missiles struck the ship's hull.

"We're losing attitude control!" the helmsman reported, "We're listing to our port side!"

Captain Fitz regained his composure, reverted to his station, and harnessed himself in, "Return fire!"

"Helm, bring the ship around ninety-degrees."

"Aye, aye, Sir! Pivoting ninety degrees."

"Full speed to thrusters and fire plasma cannons when ready!"

The sleek Rock pivoted quickly to port. The Captain ordered the ship to rotate ninety-degrees, and the tactical officer fired the plasma cannons with the Captain's order. All cannons fired an energy ball at point-blank range at the three enemy ships.

"Sir!" Collins reported, "The drones have moved the Antarian ship into position. They appear to not suspect anything...however, they have launched more fighters. They'll have ours outnumbered two to one, Sir!"

"Lock missiles and fire!" Jameson smiled, his index finger outstretched in front of him.

"Target locked! Firing first volley...firing second volley...missile target locks confirmed, detonation in five... four... three... two... one!"

The crew and fighter pilots were blinded by a massive explosion.

"Direct hit! We've damaged two of the three ships! Sir, Major Phillips is reporting the fighters are turning away!"

"Confirm that!"

"Confirming sir!" Henderson shouted, "They're recalling all of their fighters and retreating!"

"Sir, I'm picking up three more ships on our stern!"

"Make sure that we're not just seeing a ghost image," Jed ordered, "Ensure they didn't just jump behind us!"

"No, Sir. Those transponders are ours, Sir!" Henderson shouted.

A cheer broke out in the CSC of clapping whistles of joy.

"They're spooling their jump drives, Sir...the Antarians are turning tail, Sir!" Collins shouted with elation.

"Stand down to condition two throughout the ship!" Commander Jameson ordered. "Recall fighters and ACE ships, but keep one squadron on CAP for three hours."

"The board is clear, Sir. The Antarians have jumped away."

"Excellent!"

"Captain," Artemis cautioned, "I would not celebrate as yet. They will return with more ships soon."

"How soon?"

"A few hours at best guess. I felt that we did take them by surprise. Be prepared for a much stronger encounter with your next campaign."

Jed nodded, "Don't worry, we'll be ready. Again, thank you for your help." He turned to his comm officer, "Open a channel to the Agamemnon."

The radio static broke with an irritated sounding voice, "This is Agamemnon actual! Fitz! What the hell's going on over there?"

* * *
Chapter Twelve

________________________

The Rock

Betelgeuse Conduit Sector

________________________

"Rocinante, I repeat. This is Agamemnon actual! Jed, what the hell's going on over there?"

"Henderson, open the channel," Jed motioned to his comm officer, "Admiral Gilmore, nice of you to drop in. Just when we had 'em on the run, too."

"Nice of us to drop in? Really, Captain? We're the ones who chased them off for you."

"Yeah, well, we did run into a little trouble out here, but it wasn't anything we couldn't have handled...Sir..."

"So, how'd she do?"

"The ship?" Jed asked, "She and her crew performed well beyond our expectations, Sir. Two Antarian warships are damaged, and five of their fighters destroyed. No casualties on our side, Sir."

"Excellent news!" Admiral Gilmore replied, "Fitz, recall your CAP. We'll take over the sector patrol from here. You need to get your ship ready for your recovery mission."

"Yes, Sir. Right away," Jed answered, motioning to his tactical station.

"Lieutenant Collins to flight deck. Recall all fighters. Repeat, recall all fighters and support vessels."

"Admiral, we'll begin calculating our jump coordinates," Jed continued, "I'll report back when we're ready. Rock out."

"Jed, you and your crew set some pretty high standards for us out here. Keep up the good work. Agamemnon actual out."

"Charley and Delta leaders," Major Phillips ordered, "round up your fighters and get them in the landing pattern."

"Charley leader, roger that."

"This is Delta leader; we'll be coming in behind Charley squadron, over."

"This is the CAG," the Major instructed, "Alpha squadron, Captain Simon and Jones, you're on my wing for Bravo escort. Everyone else return to the Rock on the double. Enter the landing pattern, but remain in the pattern until Delta squad has returned. Alpha team will be the last CAP before the Aga takes over our watch."

"Bravo team, to Alpha leader. Much obliged for the escort. It's a bit cramped in here with this giant on board. We should be entering the pattern in two minutes. Rock, prep landing pad for quarantine procedures."

"Bravo team, Rock reads you, over," Lieutenant Henderson confirmed, "You are clear to land, quarantine procedures are set up for landing pad three. Doctor Lambert's team will receive your prisoner."

"Bravo team," Jed interjected, "Your team will remain in quarantine until Doctor Lambert has given you the all clear."

"Understood, Sir!" the Bravo team leader replied.

"Doctor Lambert here," Jed heard over the loud speaker, "quarantine protocols in place and activated."

"Doctor," Jed began, "I'm sensing a but..."

"Yeah. Well, it's just I don't know if I've got a gurney large enough to carry our Antarian patient."

"I see your problem," Jed answered, then turned to address his CSC staff, "Suggestions?"

Jameson spoke up first, "How about using one of the cargo lifts. A type two compact cargo transport lift is rated for five hundred kilograms, and could easily navigate the corridors all the way to sickbay."

Jed smiled, "Sounds like a good plan to me. Chief? You hearing this?"

"Kelly here, Sir. Yes, Sir, I've got it. I'll prepare a type two lift and meet them in the landing bay."

"Great," Jed praised, "Take a lid from one of your containers and use that for a bed. Can you hook that lid to the lift?"

"Yes, Sir. I think that'll work out. I'll have that ready by the time they're docking, Sir. Kelly out."

"Bravo assault team, what's your ETA?" Henderson requested.

"Captain Hopkins here. I'm on final approach now."

"Roger that, Bravo leader. You're clear to land."

* * *

"Pitch ten degrees azimuth to the Rock," Hopkins reported. "Decreasing ships speed twenty percent...positive glide slope. Adjusting with maneuvering thrusters...we're over the landing pad deck. Lower landing skids."

"Captain, you're clear for landing," Collins confirmed.

"Skids down, Sir," Hopkins' co-pilot acknowledged,

"I'm bringing her over to pad number three...stand by to receive...Prepare mag-locks...We're over the landing pad...touchdown in three...two...one...activate mag-locks."

The support ship locked to the metal deck of the pad with a clunk.

"Mag locks activated!" the copilot reported, "Drop us inside the landing bay."

The ship jostled as the floor to the Rock sunk down inside the bay, clearing the landing pad deck, which was quickly sealed by the overhead doors rolling closed.

"Check cabin pressurization and stabilize with bay."

The crew heard a hissing as the copilot pressed various controls, "Confirm pressure equalized, Sir. Clear to open the hatch."

The Marine squad commander yanked the lever that unlocked the side hatch. He rocked the door outward and then swung it upright.

It took all eight crew to move the ailing Antarian out to the deck. Several deck hands jumped at the ready and helped place the alien on the container lid.

Chief Kelly eased the lifter into position and lifted the nine foot creature. When he reached the bay exit, Kelly stopped and activated the comm. "Doctor Lambert? Do we have clearance to transport the prisoner to sickbay?"

The hanger deck speakers echoed the voice of the Alpha leader as he called for landing clearance for himself and his two wingmen.

"Roger that, Alpha leader. You have the ball, three cleared to land."

Another voice echoed over the speakers, echoing through each bay, "All fighters recovered. All present and accounted for...Chief Kelly, please give all clear to secure landing bay."

Kelly flipped his comm channel and depressed his transmit button, "All clear is given...repeat, all clear...secure launch bay. Roll 'em closed."

"This is Doctor Lambert, Chief. We're a go. We have containment protocols in place. All areas have been sealed off. You're clear to proceed."

The Chief grinned, "Open them damn doors you good fur nothing squids!"

* * *

Jed stood at the CSC and began to climb the steps from the pit, "Artemis, please join me in sickbay. Let's see if we can give the good doctor a hand, shall we?"

Artemis stood fast and returned a glance, "Why should I help an Antarian?"

"Come on, Artemis. It'll be good. Maybe if we show them we're not savages..."

Artemis cut Jed off, "...they won't care! It matters neither way. If you help this one live, he will do everything in his power to kill you before he dies."

"I told you, we value all life, even that of our enemies. Besides, if he dies, we won't get any useful information out of him. Maybe you should use caution in choosing your battles, Artemis?"

"My not helping him live is not a fool's battle..."

Jed waved off the Eridonian, "Listen, I'm the Captain of this vessel, am I not?"

"Yes, Captain Fitz, you are in command of this vessel."

"...and you're on my ship, right?"

"Yes."

"So, that makes you one of my crew, and as your commanding officer, I order you to assist us."

The Eridonian faced off with Jed, giving him a stern look, "Do not challenge me. You will not win."

"Are you, or are you not, here to help us?"

"Yes, of course we came to help you."

"So help us already! My decision in this is based on the foundation of my principles. Are yours, or are your decisions based upon eons of emotion disguised as experience? Help us keep him alive. Trust us. I've got a ship full of Marines that can safeguard us. They're the best of the best. My men are ready for any contingency."

"That remains to be seen, Captain Fitz. Nonetheless, if you insist on my assistance, I shall accompany you to your sickbay. However, I make no claims as to whether I can keep him alive. He may die at our hands. If he does, there will be repercussions if the Antarians discover you caused his death."

"I've already expedited the demise of an unknown number of Antarians in that battle." Jed motioned with his hand, "After you."

Artemis bowed and then led the way out of the CSC. Jed looked over his shoulder as he followed, "Commander, you have the con."

"Aye, aye, Sir!" Commander Jameson acknowledged.

Jed chuckled as he continued to sickbay, "I've always wanted to say that."

"Yes, Sir," Jameson smiled, "Understood, Sir."

* * *

Chief Kelly returned to the flight deck after delivering the huge alien prisoner to sick bay. He saw the Alpha leader and his two wingmen approaching.

Kelly stopped and gave Phillips a salute, "Major?"

"At ease, Chief."

"That was some nice flying out there. Your pilots did us proud, Major."

Rene gave Captain Jones a playful shove, "Saved your ass, didn't I?"

Eric shoved her back, "Ha! I set them up, led them right to ya."

"Thanks, Chief," Major Phillips said, shaking Kelly's hand, "Your crew were spot on today. You kept us in the air and got us in and out of the cockpit with minimal wait times. Nice job yourself. Guess your Navy crew ain't so bad after all."

"Excuse me, Sir? W-what did you mean by my 'Navy' personnel?"

"We all know that the Navy's known to miss the mark from time to time. It's us Marine pilots that keep your asses from being in a sling."

Captain Jones chimed in. Chewing on what appeared to be bubble gum, he smiled, "If it weren't for us, those fighters would have breached our ship's point defense systems in no time."

The Chief stepped down from the lift and stood chest to chest with Captain Jones, "Beg pardon, Sir? The way you jarheads treat those fighters, your planes wouldn't be fit to fly anywhere, 'cept for us squids....Sir!"

"Take it easy, Captain," Major Phillips said, stepping between the two, "Stand down, Chief. He's just yankin' your chain a little."

Kelly stood his ground, teeth clenched at the Captain who was now leaning toward Kelly.

"I mean it, Chief. Stand down, or I'll have you arrested."

Kelly reluctantly stood back, glancing between Eric and Kurt. Then he returned to his lift and begrudgingly motored down the corridor.

Rene swatted Kurt on the arm, "Why'd you have to be so rude?"

Major Phillips smiled, "I just like giving the squids a hard time, that's all...and how about your little flying trick, Rene? I think you did save Eric's ass out there."

"Hey, Major? What gives? I said I just set her up for a great shot that's all."

"Yeah, sure ya did, Eric," Rene smiled, as the three walked the corridor arm in arm.

"Yeah, well, next time, I won't be setting you up."

"Right, keep it up," Rene said, tugging Eric's arm, "Keep it up."

"At any rate, we all did great," Major Phillips added.

"I had at least five kills," Rene boasted.

"Only five?" Eric teased, "I think two of those were mine."

"Up yours, Eric!"

"Okay, everyone, ZIP it!" Major Phillips yelled. "Everyone did great, and it's great that you're keeping score. Let's not lose our focus. Rene, pull all the pilots and meet at the auditorium in twenty minutes for debriefing."

Rene smiled at Eric, "Aye, aye, Major."

"Teachers pet," Eric mumbled under his breath.

"What's that, Captain Jones?"

"Uh, err, nothing, Major. Rene, would you like some assistance?"

"No thank you Captain," Rene again smiled, "I got this handled already, but thanks anyway."

"Yeah, sure, anytime."

"Okay you guys," Major Phillips said, putting a damper on their joking. "You think you can behave yourselves for twenty while I prepare my repair manifest for the Chief?"

"Sure, Major," both Captain's said in unison.

"Then carry on. I'll see you all in twenty."

* * *

Jed followed Artemis through the sickbay doors and nearly took three steps back at the sight of the Antarian, "Oh. My. God! They're so...large!"

"Yes, they are an average of nine feet tall," Artemis nodded, "Though they appear mostly humanoid on the outside, I assure you, there is nothing similar about them."

Doctor Lambert poked his head up from his ultra sound monitor, "But they do have organs that appear similar. I see two distinct hearts, four lung sacks, six kidneys and three livers."

"Well, guess they had to fill that large cavity with something," Jed chuckled.

Artemis stepped over to the Antarian, "Yes, they are well built. It is because of the extra organs that they live an average of five hundred years."

"I assume the ones that die at an earlier age didn't die of natural causes," Doctor Lambert nodded.

"Quite right, Doctor. Most of the younger, inexperienced Antarians die in battle. The ones that manage to make it to the higher ranks live as long as six to seven hundred."

"So my question," the Doctor asked, returning to his examination of the medical equipment, "is why's he so sick?"

"May I connect with you Doctor?" Artemis asked, "I must transfer what knowledge we have of the Antarian if you are to save his life."

Doctor Lambert stood back from his instruments, "Sure. It's kind of cool. All of a sudden, I just know what I'm supposed to..."

Artemis touched the Doctor's forehead and closed her eyes.

"...do."

The Eridonian opened her eyes and gazed into the Doctor's, "Now you will know what you must do."

"Yes...just like I was saying, one minute I'm unsure of how to proceed. The next...well, let's just say, I think I know what's wrong. But I need to draw his blood and run some tests to make sure I'm right."

"What do you think it is, Doctor?" Jed asked.

"I believe it is either the common cold, or some form of flu. He may have been introduced to the germs when they captured Colonel Jennings and his crew."

Jed turned to Artemis, "How could a cold kill him with the immune system he seems to have?"

"The same reason that I am not sick and dying from the viruses of Earth: I was inoculated. My Nanites are working to eradicate the microbes that are airborne."

"Why aren't his Nanites working? Shouldn't they be eradicating the germs?"

"Yes, they should be. However, if the Nanites programming weren't updated with the microorganism makeup of your world, they would not be as effective."

Doctor Lambert pointed at the Eridonian, "Yes, this is why I must test the alien's blood to make sure."

"Why not just shoot him with updated Nanites?"

"Because," the Doctor answered, before Artemis could respond, "If we don't have the correct programming loaded into the Nanites, it could kill him."

Artemis nodded, "Doctor Lambert is absolutely correct. We must draw his blood and ensure what model and type of Nanites he currently has. Then we can prepare an updated batch. Once injected, he'll return to normal in a couple of hours...that is if we are in time. He is extremely weak; near death."

"Artemis," Jed began, "can you do anything to stabilize him? Do some kind of mind trick on him to keep him alive?"

"I am sorry, Captain Fitz, our telepathy doesn't work that way."

"Fine, then can you connect to him and get what he knows while the good Doctor here does his thing?"

"It is very risky, Captain Fitz. I can, but if he resists I must stop."

"I have to agree, Captain," Doctor Lambert added, drawing a syringe of blood. "In his weakened state, the stress of resisting could kill him."

Jed glanced at the Doctor, "Since when did you become an expert?"

Doctor Lambert tapped on the side of his head, "Thanks to our Eridonian friends, I got it all up here."

"We have to at least try," Jed insisted.

"You are the Captain," Artemis said, stepping to the head of the catatonic Antarian.

With closed eyes, the Eridonian placed her long spindly fingers on the temples of the Antarian and chanted softly in her native tongue.

The Antarian twitched his enormous arms and legs. Several assistants stepped in to hold the alien creature still, but even as weak as he was, they were no match for his physique.

"We're losing him!" Doctor Lambert shouted as several medical devices sounded alarms.

Jed looked at Artemis, "Are you getting anything?"

"No, not yet...almost..."

"Captain! His vitals are failing, he's dying!"

"Artemis, break it off!" Jed ordered.

"It's alright, Captain Fitz," Artemis reassured.

"No, it's not, Captain! He's trying to kill him!" Lambert shouted.

"Artemis, break it off already! That's an order!" Jed ran to the Eridonian's side to break her mind hold.

* * *
Chapter Thirteen

________________________

Antares Star System

Third Moon Serintin

________________________

The cell door opened on the Antarian rescue ship. Race, Danielle and Malcom sat on a bench. Thick chains tied with heavy rope, shackled their wrists.

"You will come with me," a gruff Antarian voice ordered.

"Yeah? And where are you taking us?" Race demanded.

"Frail Human, you will obey our orders!"

"You gotta give me some credit here. I did help get Darnash back to his people. You should be taking that into consideration, you know."

Disregarding anything Race had to say, the Antarian continued, "We will leave for Serintin, now!"

"Oh, so it's like, take me to your leader?"

The guard drew his saber and held it to Danielle's neck.

"...or is it more like, I really don't have a choice in the matter...okay, let's go."

"I am taking you to our Lord and Emperor, Dumakas."

Race stood, followed by Malcom. Danielle remained frozen to the bench, afraid to move, fearing that her neck would be sliced.

The guard, seeing Race's submission, withdrew his blade. He masterfully returned it to its sheath, sliding it to its stops.

The large Antarian carefully pushed on Danielle's shoulder to reassure her it was in her best interest to begin moving.

Escorted through the towering corridors, the three looked about themselves. For Race, he was memorizing and observing details he may be able to take advantage of later. For Danielle, she was in awe of her surroundings. She wasn't expecting any of this, and now here she was, walking the corridors on an alien space ship, on her way to another world.

Malcom remained silent, still not fully understanding how to overcome this telepathic inhibitor of the Antarians.

"So, Grizzly Adams," Race asked, "How's Darnash doing? Have y'all figured out how come he got to be so sick?"

"He blames your kind. You are carriers of disease and should not be allowed to wander about the galaxy."

"Not allowed?"

"Yes, not allowed."

"Well, I don't know, but since when do you have rights to tell us what to do?"

The guard stopped and gave Race a not so gentle shove, "Do not question what we do. Soon, we shall send fleets of ships through the corridor and take possession of your planet."

"We will fight you. You haven't met creatures as determined as us."

"We shall soon see just how determined Earthlings are at surviving."

"So, you never told me if Darnash was going to make it?"

"Why are you concerned for Darnash? You should be more concerned with your own kind, and maybe perhaps even more concerned over yourself."

"See, that's where Earthlings differ."

"Explain."

"We have compassion for others."

"A grave weakness in your species."

They came to a door at the end of a passage. It slid open with a swoosh, exposing a causeway to what appeared to be some type of shuttle craft.

"Get in," the guard ordered.

Race motioned to his traveling companions, "After you."

Danielle turned to Race and pushed him into the causeway first, "Gee, thanks, Race. My knight in shining armor, pfff."

"Hey now, be nice."

The three entered the ship and sat to the rear of the pilot seats. The seats looked oversized to Race and Danielle, but were in fact sized to accommodate the largest of the Antarians, "Well, this just looks ridiculous!" Race bantered.

"Never mind, puny Human. Just strap in. Those restraints shall keep you fixed in place if that is what you fear."

Race hugged the window seat and gazed below, "Wow, that's some planet you got there...it's so...red..."

"This is not a planet. It is the third moon of Lebencha. It is Serintin."

"There's atmosphere on a moon?"

"Yes, all the moons of Lebencha have atmospheres."

The large door slammed shut, the low metallic thud echoing inside the Antarian shuttle. The pilot gave a few commands, disengaging the shuttle from its dock.

Race noticed a fiery stream of glowing gasses flowed from the body of the gas giant, traveling to one spot on the moon's surface, "What the hell's that?"

"You humans speak too much. Why are you so curious about everything you see?"

"Well, I suppose it's because we've never encountered beings of another world before."

"Ha! Then you shall be easy to conquer."

The shuttle pitched suddenly downward, causing Race to let out a yelp.

"Human, do not be concerned. We are on the normal flight path to our docking station."

"I see. Well, that was quite an interesting maneuver...so, what's up with this stream of space gas that looks as if it's on fire? What's the story about that?"

"Silence! Do not ask stupid questions!"

"Sorry, guess you can say we Humans are just a bit talkative sometimes...especially when we're nervous."

"Sometimes?" the Antarian guard grunted under his breath.

"Oh, come on. What's the harm? I'm very interested in you and your planet. I wish to know all the secrets your world holds."

"Do not wish for all of our secrets," the large Antarian guard chuckled, "I do not think you would like to know about all of our secrets. This, I am certain," the guard roared with laughter.

"Y-you're not talking about t-the arena now are ya?"

"Well, maybe a part of it. Yes. There are things you do not want to face."

"I get that. I've already been told about the blood lust games and all that."

Danielle leaned forward to get into the conversation, "If we're going to be made to do some kind of 'fight to the death' thing, then you should have the decency to answer our questions!"

"Well, well? The puny Human female has a voice after all."

"Come on," Race begged, "What's the harm in it anyway? You think we're gonna die, you've got nothing to lose."

"Very well. I will answer three questions...and only because the weak female showed me courage; a warrior trait to be sure. She showed me you are not all gorech."

Race turned in his seat, "Yeah, by the way, what is gorech?"

"It is the dung of the Boreshog beast."

"Let me get this straight," Race began, pointing a finger, "you just called us a piece of shi.."

Danielle placed her hand on Race's arm, "It's okay, Race. Let's not get carried away, now."

"That's one. You have two more."

"Okay, how about telling us what this stream of energy is that's coming from your planet?"

"Power generation for the moon. We harvest the gasses from our gas giants and refine it on each moon. Each of our moons has a power collector that draws from Lebencha. We sell what we do not need."

"Interesting, you're sucking off the gasses of the planet to power your war machine?"

"Yes. That's three. Enough of this!"

"Wait a minute. That wasn't a question."

"Explain?"

"I said it as a rhetorical question. I asked myself a question."

The Antarian simply returned a blank stare.

"You know, I was being an asshole. A gorech."

The guard laughed and rolled his head back, "You humans, it will take some time to understand you...okay, you made me laugh, human. I will give you one more."

"Is it dangerous, and what happens if it ignites?"

"Yes, it is dangerous! That's three, now shut it for the rest of the way."

"Now, wait. You see, that was one question, just was in two parts."

"You are a fool if you think it would be easy to ignite the power stream. You see, the very vacuum of space, prevent the power stream from being ignited."

"What would happen if it did?" Race returned a blank stare.

"That is five! I warn you; do not make me mad."

"I'm not asking for my benefit, although, my wellbeing does have a little to do with it. I'm asking for your benefit."

The Antarian nervously considered Race's question, "I would think that IF, it could be ignited, it would disrupt the power flow, burn like a fuse. A ball of energy would feedback on the collecting site of Lebencha."

"...as well as on the other side of the connection," Race added, "I would say, your collecting site might be a slightly dangerous place to work at. Do you have safeguards in place to protect your people?"

The Antarian guard drew his sword, "I grow tired of your games."

"Hey, I'm just trying to pass the time. Thought I'd show you some Human compassion. Maybe offer you some engineering suggestions. After, all, I am a Military advisor."

"Military? You? Ha-ha! You're military?" the guard roared.

"Well, no. Not officially. No wait, well, I do have a rank as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Marine Corps, it's really just an honorary title, though. I'm really just a Civi in a uniform, pretending to be in the Military...you know how it is, don't ya big guy?"

"No. I do not know how it is."

The shuttle set down on the palace's landing pad. The ship's engines whined to a halt as the pilot shut all its systems down.

The door slid open, exposing the three to the fresh air of Serintin. Race was first to stretch his arms out, "Ya mind?"

"You will face the Emperor."

"No, I mean, do you mind the chains? You really think that's all necessary?"

"I do not mind the chains, they are not a bother to me at all."

"Nice...WELL THEY BOTHER ME! Can ya take them off already?"

Race heard a slightly softer voice than those of the other Antarians he's heard, "It's okay, Jamilkon. Go ahead and take them off. They cannot harm us."

"Yes, my Lord," the Antarian guard bowed.

"Whoever you are," Race shouted out, as the guard removed their shackles, "THANK YOU!"

Danielle, Malcom, and Race stepped onto the wing of the craft. They all looked to the bright glowing red sky, "My, my...and this is why your planet looks so red."

"My apologies," a short, seven foot tall, Antarian said. He was dressed in leather kilt with wool leggings and a metal breastplate. His arms were covered with leather straps, braided up his forearms and attached to his neck. "I do apologize for our guard. He's not used to delivering such distinguished guests to the palace."

"Distinguished guests?" Race asked, rubbing his wrists.

"Yes. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Laboolaron, second to my Lord and Emperor, Dumakas."

"Pleased to meet ya, Laboolaron is it?"

"Yes, your Nanites are interpreting our language nicely."

"I'm Race," he offered his hand to the giant, "Our 'weak' female is Danielle, and of course, our Eridonian friend, Malcom."

"Race...yes," Laboolaron said, backing away from his hand, "but we are still deciding if you are contagious."

"Contagious? What in the hell is going on? You think we made your friend sick?"

"Tell him he should have tested our blood in other ways besides tasting it," Danielle snapped, remembering the pain they inflicted on her. "Maybe then he wouldn't have gotten sick!"

"Darnash tasted your blood?"

"Yes! He cut me and tasted me! Is that how you treat distinguished guests?"

Laboolaron turned Danielle's head from side to side, "I do not see the marks from any cutting. Your Nanites must be working exceptionally well."

"How nice," Danielle mumbled.

Race looked up to the eyes of Emperor's number one, "Are we fighting today?"

Laboolaron grabbed his belly and shook as he laughed at the question, "No...no, you see, we give you three days to acclimate and train on our home world before you compete in any of the games."

"Acclimate?"

"According to the data we collected on your planet, our gravity is a third stronger. You must be given ample time to acclimate so you will not die of fatigue in the arena. What sport would that be?"

"Right," Race nodded, "You got me, Chief, nope, no sport at all."

"Until then, you will be given audience with Dumakas and free rein of the palace. You can go anywhere and do almost anything. It's your choice. You can laze around, or you could use the time on learning the games."

"What if we try to leave?"

"You are free to leave. You can go anywhere you wish on Serintin."

"Well, now, that's mighty hospitable of you."

"Just know that we will find you when it is your time in the arena."

"I knew there was a...but...coming..."

"Those little microscopic Nanites we injected you with..."

"Yes, and a wonderful experience that was too," Race said, rubbing his neck.

"Well, your Nanites each have been programmed to recall you. You will be compelled to return. You will not be able to resist."

"Wanna bet?" Danielle boasted.

"Yeah, what if we don't come back?"

"Simply put, you will die. If you're not at the arena in seventy-two hours, the Nanites have been programmed to terminate your life."

"Charming," Race said under his breath. "So, take us to your leader?"

"Dumakas has ordered you to appear before him in one hour."

"Well, that's like any bureaucracy, isn't it? Hurry up and wait, wait, wait."

"You will be held in our detention center until then. Your seventy-two hour clock will begin after you see the Emperor."

"That's very generous of you. I'm sure that hour difference will really matter an' all."

"You will be wise to utilize every moment to prepare," Laboolaron warned, leading them inside the palace's towering structure.

"So, no one ever answered how Darnash is doing? Is he going to make it?"

"Darnash is resting in the palace infirmary. He'll be fine. We have eradicated the infection."

They froze in their tracks hearing a roar of an Antarian crying in agony.

Covering his ears, Race shouted, "What the hell was that?"

"That was Darnash."

"I thought you said..."

"I'm sure he'll be fine. It is merely the side effects of the drugs we had to give him."

"Remind me not to get that shot," Race scoffed.

"Do not worry, you won't need that one. However, we will require each of you to provide a small sample...for testing purposes, of course."

"Of course. Think you have a smaller sized needle that'll fit our veins?"

"I don't think so. It shouldn't be that uncomfortable."

Laboolaron fiddled with a large door panel they came to and swung the door wide open.

Motioning to the palace's doctor, "Which ones first?"

Race pointed to the Eridonian, "How 'bout my friend Malcom here?"

"No, his blood is not needed. Only the humans," the Antarian doctor answered.

"Ah...well, then, ladies firs..."

Danielle swatted Race, "Gee thanks, lover boy."

She rolled up her sleeve and presented her arm.

"Heh, heh, sorry. I'm just trying to be polite..."

"Zip it Race! OW!" Danielle exclaimed as the Antarian doctor jabbed the oversized needle into her arm.

Race prepared for the needle, but his attention was again turned to the howling Darnash. That's when the doctor took the advantage and poked his arm for the blood sample.

"There, now that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Laboolaron smiled.

"No, not too bad at all," Race smiled.

"Speak for yourself, Race."

"Alright, get into the holding cell. I will return as soon as the Emperor is ready to see you."

The three stepped inside the dark hole, Laboolaron swung the iron door shut with a clang.

"What do we do now, Race?" Danielle asked, slumping against one of the walls.

"That's a great question. I don't know," Pointing to Malcom, "You've been awful quiet. What say you?"

"I am attempting to break through this telepathic dampening field. It is most difficult, but as we were being escorted inside, I detected several weak pockets. Once we meet the Emperor, and are given free rein, I can find the weakest point and get a message to our people that we are alive."

"In the meantime," Danielle begged, "What's our plan of escape?"

"I don't know yet. I'm still working on it."

"Well, we've got just about three days to find a way off this rock, or we'll find ourselves right smack in the middle of a mid-evil sword fight."

"A way will present itself my young Danielle maiden," Malcom said.

"Let's hope so. Malcom, let us know the moment you make contact."

"I will let you know as soon as it is feasible, without giving us up...telepathically would be best."

"Excellent! Alright, let's just keep up a good front and hope that Jed comes to the rescue."

* * *
Chapter Fourteen

________________________

The Rock

Betelgeuse Sector

________________________

Jed raced to the Eridonian gripping the alien's head, ready to pull him away from the comatose Antarian. Artemis released her grip and stepped back just before Jed got to her.

"Are you trying to kill him?"

"Not at all, Captain Fitz, I was doing what you instructed me to do. I was attempting to extract the knowledge I need in order to know what this dampening field does to our telepathic abilities."

The Antarian lay motionless on the crate top, Jed turned to Doctor Lambert, "Is he still alive?"

"Yes, our Antarian patient is stable now."

"Artemis, did you get anything from him?"

"Yes, his name is Thelix of the second house of Gornash."

"Second house?"

"Yes, the second house refers to Lebencha's second moon, Gornash of the rising star Antares. This is the Captain of the vessel we destroyed in battle."

"Alright, so his name is Thelix? Did you get anything else? Anything about fleet strengths or military positions?"

"No, there are memories he has. Memories that are not meant to be revealed. As part of the Eridonian telepathic code, if we reveal knowledge that could cause harm in any way, we take the same vows as the host and must remain silent."

"Are you kidding me? You're gonna hold back information?"

"I am sorry, Captain Fitz. You must understand..."

"I understand alight. You're demented!" Jed interjected.

"No, I'm afraid you do not, Captain," Artemis waved a finger at Jed.

"Then what, Artemis? 'Cause it's sure startin' to look like you're really not on our side, here..."

"May I explain, Captain Fitz?" Artemis attempted to say.

"...first it was not wanting to come here to sickbay, then it was that Vulcan mind meld thing you did. Now withholding valuable information?"

"Captain Fitz. If you will please allow me to explain..."

"Explain? Unless you're willing to share everything you know..."

"He'll die...then I shall die."

"Excuse me?" Jed shrugged, "Did you just say you'll die?"

"Yes. That is exactly what I just said."

"How?"

"His memories have become mine. He swore a blood oath of secrecy. His blood has, how shall I say, unique properties. His blood will literally boil if he tells. I am faced with the same fate as he. Those memories were not intended to be conveyed. However, if you order me to tell you what knowledge he holds closest to his heart, please do not misunderstand, I shall provide you the requested knowledge."

"You would do this, knowing your fate?"

"Captain Fitz. You should understand by now that we are here to serve you. If you wish the information, I will be only happy to provide you what it is you wish to know. Just know, it does come at a price."

"How could you telling his secrets kill him?"

"His blood will know it."

"What?"

"I apologize for not telling you sooner about their blood. I can tell you their blood knows when they break a blood oath. It is how the Antarians maintain order in their society. Where death is the punishment for breaking an oath, there are no law breakers."

"Death as a punishment for crimes is pretty harsh for breaking an oath...even for Earth's standards."

"Do not lecture us regarding death sentences. You happen to be one of the most savagery of races. Humans have committed death crimes on fellow humans for as long as Eridonians have been watching Earth's progress, Captain Fitz."

"Nice..."

"Again, I fail to understand the positive response in this case, to a negative one? Very puzzling...puzzling indeed."

Jed put his hands out in front of him, "Now, wait just a cotton-pickin' minute, here."

"Yes, Captain Fitz?"

"You're not really saying what I think you're saying, are you?"

"I do not know what you are saying. You tell me."

"Can't ya just read my mind or something?"

"No, Captain Fitz, I cannot. Our telepathic abilities take some concentration and we tire. After extracting the knowledge from Thelix, I am not in a state that I could succeed in such a task."

Jed rolled his eyes, "It's because their blood is aware, as in sentient," then Jed whispered quietly, "Please tell me no, please tell me no..."

"Well, yes..."

"DAMN!"

"Captain Fitz, may I ask why the expletive?"

"Because I was right!"

"And you cursed because you were, in fact, correct?"

"Gawed yes! I wanted to be sooo wrong!"

"I fail to see the need for a negative response to a positive outcome," Artemis shook her head, "It will take some time to get used to Humans."

"Get used to Humans? Okay...right...so what can you tell me, Artemis?"

"I have discovered the reason for the dampening field."

"Excellent! Now we're getting somewhere. So, what about it?"

"It is here that I must tread with caution. There are certain details that I cannot relay. It will..."

"I know, it's a killer...go on?"

"There are memories that I now understand that can be shared by my fellow Eridonians. Telepathically, of course."

"...of course."

"It simply amazes me that they actually discovered a way to inhibit our telepathy."

"Yah, I get that there's a dampening field. Do you know how we can overcome it?"

"No, I'm afraid I know of no way to penetrate this field. Perhaps there is a weakness in the field? I am simply baffled that they can do this to us."

"How does it work? Can you tell me that?"

"Hmm, let me ponder one moment..."

Jed paced the sickbay, quickly losing patience for several painful moments, "Well?"

"Just a moment, Captain Fitz...I'm working on the logistical problem of what I could reveal. I must be certain it will not conflict with the host's blood oath."

"So, have you figured out what you can or cannot tell us from the Antarian?"

"Yes."

"Well, alight then, please?" Jed motioned.

"Very well. We know how they do it, and we know who was responsible. We cannot reveal the who or why."

"So, that leaves the...how..." Jed said, rolling his arm in front of him.

"It's from the supernova. The telepathic inhibitor, they built the device based on a particular radiation frequency that the Star Betelgeuse exuded during, and after the supernova. There was a certain frequency of radiation emanating from that star that prevents us from using our telepathic ability. They must have figured out what that frequency was and built a device that radiates that same frequency."

"If that technology is aboard Antarian ships, that denies great advantage to you."

"Yes, indeed it does, Captain Fitz. I can tell you that it is how the Great Warlord, Gorax captured our people. However, we miscalculated that the Antarians would fully understand this limitation. It was a stroke of luck on their part, really."

"Gee, how convenient for them."

"Yes, for them, indeed."

"Can we counter the device?"

"Not unless we can acquire one of the emitters to determine how it works. If we had one, we might be able to create a counter measure."

"Well, we blew apart the only ship that might have had one."

"Yes, however, if you're patrol carefully scans the debris field, they might come across enough of the device. There would be a definitive signature. Its radiation, it won't dissipate very quickly, Captain."

Captain Fitz tapped his headset, "Lieutenant Collins, get me the Chief!"

"Right away, Sir," was the answer Jed heard in his ear.

"I'm calling my Chief on the deck. See if we can get a team out there."

Static quit ringing in Jed's ear at the sound of the Chief's voice, "Kelly here, Sir. What are you orders, Sir?"

"Chief, I want you to take a transport over to the Aga. Work with their Chief. There is a piece of wreckage we need to find."

"Yes, Sir, but aren't I needed for our jump operation, Sir?"

"Yes, Chief. I wouldn't think of leaving you behind. Just get over to the Aga and get them started. I think our Eridonian friend here will be sending you a care package shortly," Jed said, looking at Artemis, who nodded and closed her eyes a moment.

"Kelly, you'll be fine. Just be back here within the hour."

"Yes, Captain. I'm getting the feed from our Eridonian friend...weird. Okay, Chief Kelly out. I'll be right back, Sir!"

Jed again tapped his earpiece, "Collins, get me the Aga. I have some important developments I need to share with the Admiral."

"Yes, Sir...stand by, Sir."

"Artemis, is there anything else you are able to share...without causing the sudden death of anyone in this galaxy?"

"No, this is all I can share of this. I can tell you of this warrior's raids on Sigma Draconis, Theta Centauri, Epsilon Indi, Alpha Aquilae, and Tau Ceti."

"Boy, does he get around or what?"

"Yes, he is one of the Emperor's top Captains."

"Hmmm, perhaps he'd make a good bargaining chip?"

"Humans...you still do not understand."

"I am trying..."

"The Antarian Warlords do not negotiate. Any attempt at making an offer will result in the deaths of any prisoners."

"Just for asking?"

"Yes, they do not like it when an inferior race makes any type of demands."

"What about their valuable man, here?"

"He is of no value to the Emperor. Captured warriors usually kill themselves so they will not be used as pawns."

"Now, that's extreme."

"Yes, it is extreme. They are Warlords. It is why they usually win their battles."

"They'd just off them? Race, his crew...Malcom, if he's still alive?"

"Yes. It is the Antarian way. They think that by killing any prisoners, it will weaken their opponent."

"Wow..."

Admiral Gilmore's voice broke the silence of his headset, "Agamemnon actual, what is it Fitz?"

"Admiral, we have discovered how the Antarians are blocking the Eridonians from using telepathy. I'm sending my Chief over with some information from our Eridonian. We have to find some of the Antarian wreckage. The Chief's been briefed and will instruct your crew on how we can recover the parts we need when he arrives."

"Very well, Captain. We will receive Chief Kelly. Our CAP is already deployed, so this sector is secure for the moment. How are your repairs coming? Do you have your jump coordinates for your rescue operation prepared?"

"Our repairs are nearly complete. We'll be ready to jump within the hour, Sir."

"Excellent, we see your transport has just departed. Carry on, Aga out."

"Artemis, tell me more about the Antarians. What is it about their blood? I can't wait to find out how their blood is sentient."

"It is very complex, Captain Fitz, but I will do my best."

"I'm all ears."

"Their blood is inhabited by a microorganism. It flows within their blood. It rules them."

"Rules?"

"Well, yes. You could say rules. They are compelled by this life force within their blood. They have a ritual on their home world. It's called the arena games."

"Games? Doesn't sound fun," Lambert said, returning from his medical station.

"Quite right, Doctor. They have what is called a blood lust ritual."

"I'm right. Blood lust does not sound like any fun."

"They pit various alien species together to fight it out in an arena style fight to the death."

"Fight to the death?" Jed asked.

"Yes, using primitive weapons."

"How primitive?"

"They fashion large swords or other mid-evil style fighting weapons."

"Wow, and you think we're brutal?"

"You did the same barbaric thing several hundred years ago, Captain Fitz."

"Yes, I suppose we did."

"The victor is brought before the Emperor. They take a ritualistic dagger and slice their left hand."

"Ouch!"

"Then the Emperor will drink of the victor's blood to satisfy their blood lust."

"Now, I think I've heard just about everything."

"No, there's more."

"Oh good," Jed smiled, "I can hardly wait. What happens to the Victor," he raised a finger in the air, "Let me guess, they don't get to go home if you win."

"No. If you win, you get the chance to defeat their beast."

"Beast?" Jed's face sunk.

"Oh, I don't like the sound of that," Doctor Lambert nodded.

"Their beast. Lives in the trenches on Serintin. It guards the grounds by the energy collector and refining operation."

"What kind of beast is it?"

"They call it the Boreshog."

"What the hell is a Boreshog?" Doctor Lambert asked, holding a hypo-spray.

"It is a rather large flying lizard."

"Sounds like a dragon to me," Jed said, eyebrows raised.

"Yes, you could say it is comparable to the mythical dragon of Earth."

"Swell."

"...again, Captain Fitz, I fail to understand the positive word used for something that carries a negative connotation."

"Oh, sorry. It's called sarcasm and I'm usually full of it."

"Sarcasm, ah," Artemis nodded, and then turned to Captain Fitz, "What is sarcasm?"

"Sarcasm is like, mockery, but not really...oh, it's like an irony. No wait..."

"I think I am beginning to understand, Captain Fitz... A cutting, often ironic remark intended to express contempt or ridicule."

"Yes, exactly. I say Swell, but I really mean Shi..."

"That's okay, Captain," Lambert interjected. "I've got the necessary injection ready for my patient."

"Sarcasm, hmmm, I will need more investigation on the usefulness of this concept."

"We can continue this discussion later, Artemis."

"We can?"

"Well, sure...oh, duh! You are a quick study."

Artemis bowed, then winked at Jed, "Doctor, please proceed with your treatment."

"Better strap him down," Jed cautioned.

"Straps will not hold him, if he intends to get up."

"Well, then how about we stand back. Let me inform the guards outside to be at the ready."

"Go ahead, Captain. The injection," Lambert said, holding the hypo-spray to the Antarian's neck, "will take about twenty minutes to reverse the sickness," then he squeezed the trigger, sending the newly updated Nanites into Thelix's blood.

"There! Start the clock, we should know in a few minutes."

* * *
Chapter Fifteen

________________________

Antares Star System

Third Moon Serintin

________________________

The clunk of the heavy iron bolt pulling back signaled the guard's arrival. As the huge Antarian pulled the massive door open, the scream of the rusting metal scraping along the stone floor echoed through the damp, dark cellblock.

"Prisoners!" Jamilkon shouted, "The Lord Emperor Dumakas of the House of Serintin will have audience with you."

The three reluctantly followed their guard. Race and Danielle scanned their surroundings as they went, watchful for anything they could use to escape.

"Will you look at this architecture," Danielle gasped, "These structures are similar to what you'd find in a Scottish castle in mid-evil times on Earth."

"Funny thing is, they have technology to build space vessels, but continue to use old stone block structures."

"Antiquated, yet technologically savvy, fascinating," Danielle nodded.

"Stop talking!" Jamilkon ordered.

"What? Can't we have a little idle chat to pass the time?"

"NO!"

"Jamilkon," Danielle began, "We were just admiring your architecture."

"The Emperor's palace has not changed in thousands of years," Jamilkon admitted. "However, in the yonder lands, there are smaller, more sophisticated dwellings."

Malcom blinked, and then shot his eyes wide open, Race! Remember this location, he telepathically relayed.

"Sure thing."

The Antarian stopped Race, "What do you mean, sure thing?"

"Oh, that, ha ha ha, well, I was, err, ah, commenting on..."

His last words, Race...tell him his last words.

"...your last words, um, to stop talking. Just agreeing with ya, yeah, that's it."

"Why do you hesitate, Human?"

Race knocked the side of his head, "Hmm, my Nanites might need a tune up, I was having trouble understanding you for a moment."

"Are your Nanites functioning correctly, now?"

"Um, well, yes. Yes, they are...and I'll remember that right here where we're currently standing."

Race...no, don't tell him that, he's already suspicious as it is.

"Right! Damn," Race muttered, "Come on. Let's get to moving again, shall we? Heh heh, wouldn't want the Emperor to wait any longer than he made us wait, now would we."

No, Race...try to keep him here. I might be close to reaching my fellow Eridonians. There may not be another opportunity such as this.

"Then again," Race continued, trying not to smirk too obviously, "Maybe we should make the Lord Emperor Dumakas of the House of Serintin wait."

"You humans are impossible to understand." Jamilkon said, slowing shaking his head, "It is not the Nanites that malfunction, it is you Humans."

That's it, Race. I'm getting through. Just a few more moments...

"Well, what can I say," Race shrugged. "You should come to some of our parties back on Earth; it'd be a blast!"

Jamilkon, fed up with his prisoners, shoved them onward.

"Okay, okay. Ya don't have to get pushy."

The guard turned left at the next corner, and followed the corridor another thirty meters where the ceiling sported an archway, seven meters high and was sealed by two double wooden doors.

"Stand aside," Jamilkon grabbed the two iron rings on the door, braced himself, and groaned as he pulled them. The rusted hinges popped, and the doors swung open.

"Greetings, distinguished guests," the seven foot tall, Laboolaron said.

"Laboolaron, I was expecting to finally meet Dumakas?"

"Ah, well," the softer spoken Antarian answered, "My Lord Emperor Dumakas of the House of Serintin is waiting for you in the Emperor's hall."

"Well, what are we waiting here for?" Race begged, "Let's go see him."

"There is a couple of, how should I say, housekeeping issues, which need to be addressed."

"Oh, sure, Okay. Rules. I understand rules," Race said, hands on hips.

"Number one rule," Laboolaron began, "do not speak, unless spoken to, or unless a question is asked."

"Simple enough. Okay, what else?"

"Number two rule, when you come before the Emperor, you will greet him on bended knee."

"What if we don't bend our knees?"

"Then I shall cut them off."

"That might make it a tad hard to fight in the games," Race chuckled.

Danielle swatted at Race, "Listen up, Race. This is important."

"Right...wait, what? He wants to pit us against some aliens in a fight to the death, and you want me to give this Emperor reverence? We're all gonna die anyway, so why should..."

"You will only die if you lose," Laboolaron said, not letting Race finish.

"Well, according to your man, Darnash, whose life we saved, I might remind you, even if we are honored to satisfy the Emperor's blood lust by winning this fight, we get to face the Antarian equivalency of an Earth Dragon."

"True, true indeed. However, you still could win that battle."

"Darnash tells me that no one has ever defeated the Boreshog."

"Ah, good," Laboolaron said with raised finger, "Well, then you are already up to speed on how the games work. That shall make your efforts all the more honorable."

"Swell...okay then. We have the no talking thing, and the kneeling thing going on. Are there any more rules we should know about?" Race asked, quoting his words with his fingers in the air.

"Do not offend the Emperor."

"Great. Got it...so, can we have his audience already?"

"That will be all, Jamilkon. I shall take them form here," Laboolaron motioned with his oversized hand.

"Yes, my Lord," Jamilkon said before leaving.

"Right this way," Laboolaron waved.

The three were led before a grand throne. They stood before the gold inlayed and ornate seat where the Emperor ruled. A large, exceptionally hairy Antarian occupied it. He clutched a shiny scepter with an unusual purple colored orb made from an unknown Antarian jewel with one hand, the other resting on the arm of the throne. Something green oozed from his snarled teeth.

He raised his scepter in the air, held it there a moment, and then hammered it down onto the floor. Sparks arched from the head of the scepter when the end struck the floor, spreading up and showering down upon the entire reception hall.

Laboolaron motioned the two Humans and the lone Eridonian forward. Each of the three dropped to one knee before the Emperor.

"God you're ugly," Race spat.

"You will be silent!" Laboolaron raised his hand to swat Race to the ground.

"Wait!" Dumakas instructed, "Do not strike him. It is alright."

"My Lord..."

Dumakas turned to Race, but addressed his right-hand man, "I like this one. He has spunk. I know you instructed them to not speak. He spoke regardless of his warning. The sign of a warrior. He shall fight well in the games."

"How can you possibly say that?" Race asked, "I just insulted you!"

Dumakas roared with laughter, "You wanted to offend me, but you see, what is ugly to one species is another species' beauty. I thank you for the gracious compliment."

"Great, just great."

Dumakas leaned closer to the three, "I am Lord Emperor Dumakas of the House of Serintin, son of Thumakas, son of Gorax the Great."

"Uh, I'm Lord Race of the house of Jennings."

"You do not carry the title of Lord."

"Fine, fine...I'm Race of the house of Jennings. This is my Navigator, Danielle of the house of Cooper."

Malcom stood, "I am Malcom of Epsilon Eridani, and I am finished with this charade. May we now get on with this?"

"Ah, the Eridonian. Excellent. Excellent."

"My Lord," Laboolaron said, tapping an earpiece, "I must speak to you...in private."

"Nonsense, what you need to tell me, can be told before our new friends."

"Very well, my Lord. I just received word that our fleet had an engagement with the Earthling vessels."

"Casualties?" Dumakas asked, "I'm sure there were casualties on their side?"

"They destroyed Lord Thelix's corsair, significantly damaged two of our battle cruisers, and twelve fighters...the fleet captain was taken by surprise. They had to jump back to Antares. They did not record any damage to the Human's ship. They barely made it away with the damage they sustained in the battle..."

"Well, well..." Dumakas said. He raised his scepter in the air, and plunged it back to the floor once more, "...that changes things now, does it not?"

Race turned to Danielle, "Darn. And we were doing so well at making friends and building new alliances and everything, too."

"Silence!" Laboolaron's voice boomed, "Do not talk unless spoken to!"

"Sorry big boy," Race rose and turned to Laboolaron and pointed at Dumakas, "...but I thought the Emperor here asked me a question." Race looked straight at the Emperor now, "Anyway, what'd you expect? You did attack us first. Now, when our fleets come home from their conquests, they will come here," Race pointed to the stone floor, "...after an appropriate celebration, of course."

"We never attacked you! We were not even aware of your kind until now." Dumakas looked around the hall, as if searching for someone.

"You took prisoners. That is an attack, an act of war." Race stood with his hands on his hips.

Malcom rose and stepped forward, "And you attacked my ship. That is how I came to be standing before you now."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Dumakas had found his bravado. "I was beginning to like your kind. I figured you'd be different than the others, but I think I may have been wrong."

"So what now?" Race shrugged, "Guess we'll have to miss your games."

"The games do not start for several hours. You will sit at my side and watch how the games are played. Then you will have a turn in five days before you prove yourselves as a worthy species. I give you three days to acclimate, and to learn how to fashion your weapons for the arena."

"Okay, then. We'll be sure to come back for that now. We'll just be on our way now," Race turned to exit, but was stopped by two large Antarian guards blocking them.

"Hey, you said we would have free rein on Serintin until the games?"

Dumakas struck his scepter on the floor, shooting more sparks, "That was before you attacked an Antarian vessel. Take them back to their cell!"

"Wait, what? No, you can't do this. We need to learn," Race begged, "You must let Malcom help us with our training."

"You will be given ample time to train, and yes, the Eridonian will be allowed to help you to learn the art of sword fighting...Now take these revolting Humans from my sight."

"Oh, sure," Race said, as he was man handled from the Emperor's presence, "You can insult me. Go ahead...makes no difference to me, you can keep on doing that all day long."

Laboolaron closed the double doors with a bang and escorted the group back to their holding cell.

As soon as their cell door slammed shut and they no longer could hear the guards, Malcom stepped over to Race, "I was not able to tell you sooner, but I have made contact with one of my counter parts, Artemis."

"Great news!"

"Yes, they are attempting a rescue. We need to do everything we can to make ready."

"What's the plan?"

"Artemis tells me that your Captain is going to jump his ship into the gas stream from Lebencha and dispatch a rescue ship full of Marines to Serintin. Once we take-off, they'll jump back into the energy field and signal them for our pickup."

"See? I told ya Cap'n' Fitz would send help."

"Yes, it is assumed that the Rocinante will not be detectable by the Antarian scanners so long as it is within the energy field that surrounds the gas stream."

"What about the rescue ship?"

"The hope is that they are small enough to be mistaken for an echo on the scanners. Your... bluff about multiple fleets set this up very well. The Antarians will be looking for a lot of large ships. One small ship will not be dealt with quickly."

"Let's hope so, Malcom. In the meantime, we've got to figure a way out of here."

"That's going to be quite the challenge. I cannot affect all the Antarian minds from within one of the dampening fields. We'll need to find a weaker spot and capitalize on it. If I can get them to turn down the dampening field, we might have a chance to fool them."

"Fool them?"

"Yes, I can play a telepathic trick on them to make them think we're not here."

"But we really are?"

"Yes, they merely do not see us, making it easy for us to make our getaway."

"Then, once we're outside of this complex and can get some distance from the dampening field, we call for pickup."

"Precisely."

* * *

________________________

The Rock

Betelgeuse Sector

________________________

Artemis closed her eyes. After a moment, a smile bloomed on her face.

"What's up with you, Artemis?" Jed asked, watching for any movement from the Antarian.

"I just made contact with Malcom. They're all alive and well."

"Excellent news!"

"It was only for a few moments, but it was enough to know they're being held on Serintin. They were on their way to see the Emperor. Apparently, there are weak areas in the telepathic barrier that we can penetrate."

"Did you get anything else?"

"Malcom instructs us to proceed with our rescue plans. They will attempt to make a getaway and send us their pickup coordinates."

"Alright. Doctor?" Jed asked, "I've got a mission briefing to attend. Keep this Antarian under heavy guard and let me know when he wakes up."

"You'll be the first to know, Captain."

Jed shook Doctor Lambert's hand and exited the medical bay.

* * *

"Alright! Listen up!" Major Phillips paced in front of the pilots, "You all did an exceptional job out there today," Phillips paused for the deep-throated chorus of "Hoo-RAH!" "... but we have a long way to go before we're ready for another attack. Except for the crew selected for the rescue mission, all units will continue training when not sleeping or flying CAP."

Rene raised her hand from the front row of the auditorium, "Major?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Do we know who will fly the covert ops rescue mission?"

"I have made my recommendation to the ship's Captain."

"Can we volunteer?"

"That will be completely up to the Captain, Rene."

"As I said, we're going to continue running drills. We can shave a few more seconds off of the launch times. If we can get two or three seconds for each fighter launch that relates to two full minutes of air time for our fighters. That can make a huge difference in keeping an enemy away from our bunks."

Just then, Captain Fitz entered the back of the auditorium.

"Attention on deck!" Major Phillips shouted, sending every pilot to their feet.

"As you were," Jed strode to the front of the room.

Major Phillips gave the Captain a salute and then shook his hand. Stepping to the side, he yielded the podium to Jed.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, resting his hands on the sides of the podium, "I know that the Major has praised your performance in your first combat. I must add that you all did a great job out there today. Hoo-RAH!"

The chorused "Hoo-RAH!" echoed through the room.

Jed's eyes scanned the room, making contact with each of the pilots as he spoke, "As you know, three of our own are being held captive by the Antarians. We are planning a rescue mission to the Antares star system. Our target is the third moon, called Serintin, of the fourth planet, Lebencha. Our plan is to jump the ship into the energy stream which carries the gas stream from the gas giant to the moon. It will be a rough ride, with a lot of turbulence from the gravity wells of the gas giant and its moons. We can hide undetected in the gas stream, but we can safely stay there for just two minutes. While we are spooling our jump drive, we will launch the rescue mission. Three Marines, two pilots, and our Eridonian will be aboard an Area Combat Ship. That will give us enough room for the three passengers on Serintin. Artemis will go in hopes that she will make contact with Malcolm, Race, and Danielle. It is our theory that we will be undetectable within the energy stream that surrounds the gas flow. Once our jump drive has spooled, we will jump out of the sector and wait. The assault team will perform an atmospheric jump to Serintin, land on the surface and attempt to make contact. The Rock will be waiting in the wings for a signal. When we receive it, we'll jump back into the energy stream, recover the support ship aboard, and then jump back to the fleet. It is a risky operation. Survival is not guaranteed."

Rene shot up to stand at attention, "I volunteer to pilot the support ship, Captain."

"Captain," Eric shot up next to her, "I'd like to volunteer as well, Sir!"

Within seconds, every pilot had done likewise.

Jed raised his hands, motioning to the pilots, "Thank you. Please be seated. Thank you all for your service, and your desire to be on this very important and dangerous mission. However, I will be hand picking the team that will be on the rescue ship. We need the right crew on the rescue mission, and we need the right crew to remain on the Rock. Captain's Simon and Jones, I think you both would be a good fit for this mission. In consultation with the CAG, I have concluded that you two are a 'must have' on the Rock. Your talents, abilities, and experience will be best used flying CAP while we wait for the return signal."

"Hoo-RAH!," Rene straightened in her chair a little more, "Sir. We won't let the Rock down, Sir!"

"Hoo-RAH!" Jed answered with pride. "I'm counting on it, Captain Jones. Bravo Leader and his crew will fly this mission."

"Captain Hopkins is a great choice, Sir," Major Phillips added.

Once more the room erupted with "Hoo-RAH!"

"I agree, Major. Hopkins is flying the Chief to the Aga. When they return, I want their ship reinforced for extreme stresses. There will not only be a lot of turbulence to deal with, but Serintin's gravity is greater than Earth's. They may also need to use some evasive maneuvers."

"Aye, Sir. They should be departing the Aga in a few more minutes. We'll be ready, Sir!"

"I know you will, Major. Dismissed!"

* * *
Chapter Sixteen

________________________

Antares Star System

Third Moon Serintin

________________________

The door to their cell creaked open revealing Jamilkon silhouetted against the outside light.

"It is time. The Emperor summons you."

Race pushed up from his seat against the wall and offered a hand up to Danielle. "Gee, you don't have to hold your games up on our account."

"The Emperor requires you to attend the games so you may witness the blood lust first hand."

"Well then, let's go big guy. Lead on."

Jamilkon herded them down a corridor toward the arena grandstands.

Race walked alongside Jamilkon. Looking around, he noticed they were alone and decided to take advantage of their current situation. He lunged at the Antarian, punching him full force in the stomach, doubling him over. That's when Danielle jumped into action and landed on his back. She began pounding her fists against his head. Race slugged him several more times, taking him to the ground. Danielle reached for the flailing Antarian's sword. Grabbing the sword by its large handle, she needed both hands to get a grip. The blade began to draw from its sheath when they heard a familiar voice boom out, "STOP! Or I will snap the Eridonian's neck!"

Danielle froze mid-swing and Race stopped mid punch. Both looked at Malcolm, held off of the floor by Laboolaron's oversized hands around his neck.

"I will kill him, and then you will have to train yourselves for the games," Laboolaron laughed. "Maybe I should kill him anyway, just to make it interesting?"

Danielle jumped off of Jamilkon's back, "Okay, okay," she cautiously motioned, "we're stopping. You can blame me for this. I'm the one who started it..."

Race shot a glance toward Danielle, "No, wait! What are you doing?"

"Shut up, Race! You're not going to cover for me! I started the attack, don't listen to him. It was me!"

"Okay, I will believe your story. Weak female you may not be after all. I like a female with courage!" Laboolaron smiled, showing his crooked fangs. Then he dropped the Eridonian, sending him stumbling a few steps forward.

Laboolaron offered his hand to the fallen guard, but Jamilkon refused and got to his feet on his own, "I am sorry, my Lord," Jamilkon bowed.

"My old friend, you should be sorry. How dare you fall for this trickery."

"It is these...Humans...they are...different."

"Yes, well, I suppose that may be true."

"Thank you, my Lord." Jamilkon stood to his feet only to see Laboolaron draw his sword and pierce him in one smooth motion. His face grimaced as he became aware of the cut through his torso. Jamilkon looked down, his large hands instinctively wrapped around the blade, trying to stop the blood pouring out of the wound that was pooling around his feet.

Laboolaron wiped the tip of his finger over Jamilkon's bloody hands, brought it to his lips, and licked the rich, red-colored, blood from his finger. "Yes, Jamilkon. Your punishment for this infraction is, of course, death," he smacked his lip three times, "Hmmm, not bad."

Jamilkon squeezed his eyes shut with pain. The Emperor's second to the throne made him suffer a few moments more by moving the blade left, then right. With a grin, he lifted the hilt and let the dying Antarian slide from his sword. Jamilkon fell to his knees and looked up to Laboolaron. "Today, your blood lust is quenched, my Lord," then he collapsed, dead, to the floor.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Laboolaron said, his eyes fixed on the two humans as he wiped his blade on Jamilkon's garment. "What's the matter? You get squeamish at the sight of blood?"

"Not on your life, Laboolaron," Danielle spat.

"My, my, we are becoming a feisty one, aren't we?"

"I will take a creep like you on, any time, any place, pal!" Danielle boasted.

"Oh, really now?" Laboolaron said, returning this bade to its sheath.

"You name it, Laboolaron. Just let us have five minutes with the Eridonian first."

"Come," Laboolaron motioned, his teeth sprayed green ooze as he grunted, motioning them to move on, "The games are about to begin, shall we?"

"Uh, sure, why not," Race glanced from Danielle to the dead Antarian to Laboolaron.

Laboolaron tapped his headset, "Send someone to clean up a pile of gorech...corridor eight. Make it fast!"

As they neared the entrance to the grandstands, they could hear the scuffle of many feet running down the corridor to remove the corpse.

"Wasn't that punishment just a tad extreme?" Race nervously asked.

"No, not at all. There is no 'learning curve' when you are in the Emperor's Guard. Outside the Guard, he may have been shown more...tolerance," Laboolaron said, picking dirt from his fingernails as they walked, "The Emperor depends upon those of his warriors closest to his house to defend his life. There are no, how would you say," Laboolaron scratched his chin, "ah! yes, Mulligans, I believe is the phrase in your language."

"I see."

"Just so you can fully appreciate the motivations of those in the Emperor's Guard, each of the guards closest to the Emperor's house."

"Yes?"

"They know that they will all pay with their lives. Should the Emperor order it, there is not one Antarian who will hesitate to kill you, even if it meant his own death. You will not escape the games. Even if you did, any Guard that allowed your escape will face the same punishment as Jamilkon here today. Also, know that the Guard now understands your intentions and will not be taken by surprise again."

Race and Danielle nodded in unison.

The noise of the crowd deafened them as they entered the grandstands.

"Ah!" Dumakas grinned with open arms, "Welcome to my private balcony. Please, take your seats and enjoy the games with me today."

They found themselves standing on a carved stone outcrop that extended out over the center of the arena. From here, the Emperor could see every action from any point of view.

"This looks a little like ancient Rome or something," Race said, placing his hands on his hips.

"It does, except the playing field is a tad different," Danielle agreed.

"What's with the rocks and all that water surrounding the arena?"

"Ah, the inquisitive Humans! Race, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's my name, don't wear it out."

"Yes, Race. You see, there are Gronjechs that occupy the area surrounding the island."

"Gronjechs?"

"I believe they are the Antarian equivalent of an Alligator," Malcom offered.

"I see," Race said, bouncing off his toes to get a better view.

"There are two opponents," Dumakas began, "each side has all the equipment and supplies to make your own weapon, including an anvil, iron mallets and a blast furnace for forging. You can make any weapon you wish with the equipment and supplies you have at your disposal. You have an hour to fashion as many weapons as you can. Once that time expires you must make your way, crossing the rocks and avoiding the Gronjechs if possible, to the center island. We call this the High Ground. Here, the one who is in possession of the island will defend it. The unfortunate opponent that arrives to the island last has the disadvantage. Both fight with only the weapons they have made. There are no rules of engagement. You may even steal any of your enemy's weapons and use it on them. The battle continues until one of the opponents has fallen."

"Charming," Race grimaced, "What's with the, whad' ya call it, a Gronjech?"

"Ah, yes. The Gronjech. You must face the Gronjechs of the waters."

Malcom bumped Race, "They may be similar to your Alligator; only they're over twice as large, sometimes three times the size."

Dumakas laughed, "And they can eat you in two or three bites if you're not careful. Do not worry too much about them as they will fall to your weapons if you are in time."

"Whattya mean by, if we're in time?"

"That is, if you see them coming."

"They're very fast and aggressive. They are also good at hiding in ambush, Race. They are clever hunters who will anticipate your every move."

"Oh joy! Fast, clever, man-eating, oversized, Alligators. Just swell."

"Oh, and they live in the motes during all cycles of Serintin. They may stalk you for food, so fashion your weapons quickly," Dumakas roared.

Race's face turned a shade of white, "Duly noted."

"What happens to the losers of the games?"

"The fallen players are used to feed the Gronjechs...and do not worry about killing any of them. They are prolific breeders, so we have plenty to stock the arena with."

"I'll be sure to add that to my notes."

"Today, you will witness two competitive players. The current champion of the games, from Theta-Centauri..."

Malcom leaned over to Race's ear, "...sort of upright lizard-humanoids..."

"...and the new comers from Sigma-Draconis..."

"...you'll be surprised that the Draconians look amazingly similar to you..."

Race turned to Malcom, "How similar?"

"Earth UFO legends refer to them as the Nordics."

"Earth's UFO legends? You're telling me that they do exist?"

"Oh, yes. And they have visited your planet many times. Only a little over eighteen light years from Earth, they are the fifth closest humanoid race to you," Malcom explained.

"The fifth?"

"Yes...do not be alarmed, Race. There are thousands of humanoid species throughout the galaxy."

Dumakas laughed, "And we have conquered most of them by now."

"Yes," Malcom answered loudly, "Most. But not all, Dumakas."

Race looked over the edge of the balcony to get a better view of the arena playing field, "So tell me, Dumakas..."

"Yes, yes, endless questions from the curious Human. This is why you are here with me for these games, to learn what this is all about...before you yourselves play."

"Charming...and I'm sure it's lots of fun down in that pit, but come on, really?"

"The Games? Oh yes, it is for our most important blood lust that we hold these Games."

"Darnash told us a little about this blood lust, and we've come to understand this is a necessity, based on your special blood properties. I have to wonder, though, isn't there a better way to satisfy your needs?"

Dumakas roared with laughter, "And why would we want to do that?"

"Because this is savagery."

"Hah, hah, hah, hah! It is amusing that you Humans fear the arena. Other species are honored that we spared them during their planet's conquest. They are happy to fight in the blood lust ritual."

"I'm sure you've got a ton of aliens beating down your door to face off in this fight to the death."

"There's great sport in it, and it does satisfy our blood lust. We will not be changing the rules for just one race that opposes these games."

"What if there were two in opposition?"

"Not likely," Dumakas held his belly, laughing harder than he had in a long time.

"So, what are our choices again?"

"Your lives are spared to compete in the games, simple as that. Otherwise, you will be killed, and your blood will be spilled in the arena. It is doubtful that you will win the match. You are too weak, but it will be fun to watch at any rate."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence..."

Danielle stood and looked over the edge with Race, "I'll fight down there. I'd like to think that I'm in pretty good shape."

Race sized Danielle up and back down, "Yes, I'd say you are in fine shape, and I mean that in a good way."

Danielle kissed Race on the cheek, "You're so cute, Race," then she turned to address Dumakas directly, "I'm serious. I'll face off with the winner of this round."

"Ah, most excellent. The weak female is showing the human male up. Most excellent!"

"Thank you," Danielle glanced back to Race, "Again, I'll go first...and if I win the match, you must agree to let us go free."

"Sure, why not! You win the match and I will let you go."

"Really?"

"No, I'm using your 'sarcasm', I believe it is called. However, if you do win this match, you will have the honor to fight the Boreshog in the valley of the trenches. You win that match, and yes, I will release you."

"The Boreshog, as in the Antarian equivalent of a Dragon, right?"

"That is correct," Dumakas said, drool trailing from his crooked smile.

"Deal!"

"Danielle, are you insane? You can't be serious?" Race exclaimed.

"Dead serious. Oh, sorry, bad euphemism." Danielle brought her hand up to stifle her giggle.

"You humans do have an odd use of language, but I like it. That's pretty funny."

"Ha-ha, I'm hysterical over here."

"Trust me, Race. I actually am fit. I worked out daily back on Earth. I've even taken a few Kensyobudo lessons, so I'm the logical candidate...that is with a little help from Malcom."

"I didn't know that about you, Danielle!"

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Race."

"I'm finding that out."

Malcom pointed down inside the arena, "Look, the Draconian has finished her sword and is making her way to the island."

The buzz from the grandstands quieted as the games began. The pale-skinned, long haired, Draconian held her sword in one hand and a crudely fashioned shield in her other. The human sized alien scanned the glistening rocks, mapping a pathway to the ladder that would take her to the island. Determination was painted on her face as she leapt from rock to rock to rock.

Three or four more leaps and she would be at the ladder, but just as she began to jump, her foot slipped. She slid down the slick rocks, one leg landing in the water.

"One must use caution when jumping rocks," Dumakas instructed, "They can become slippery."

"Moss?" Race asked.

"No, mostly the spilled blood and rotting remains of the past players."

Race nearly gagged at the explanation, but had to look at what was happening.

She had scrambled a few feet up the rock when a large reptile rose from the surrounding water.

The Draconian shrieked as she scurried backward up the rock. The beast opened its large jaws, thousands of teeth flashing in the light. The Gronjech dove at the alien female. She threw her shield up just in time for the water monster to lock it in its teeth. She let the shield go and quickly got to her feet. The Gronjech's jaws clamped down on the metal, snapping it into several pieces.

With a mighty swing of her sword, the Draconian sliced through the exposed neck, sending the Gronjech squealing back into the water. A pool of blood surfaced on the water, signaling the monster's death. Other Gronjech's quickly assembled at the flailing reptile, tearing it into pieces and swallowing them down leaving nothing behind.

"Excellent! Most Excellent," Dumakas chuckled, "A worthy warrior for the games. She just might become the new champion."

"See," Danielle explained, "She's using what's called a hand and a half long sword. It's light enough to wield single handed, yet versatile enough to use both hands for greater power."

"My, my," Dumakas said, looking at Danielle, "I see you will make a worthy combatant for the games...yes indeed, you will."

The Draconian made it to the ladder and began climbing it to the raised island platform when the lizard humanoid appeared above, attacking the ladder with his sword.

Two more Gronjech came out of the water and up the rocks near the bottom of the ladder.

"Uh oh," Dumakas said, leaning forward in suspense, "It looks as if the Draconian is in trouble."

The Draconian froze in one place on the ladder. Inches above her head, the Centaurian sawed at the ladder, keeping an eye on the two Gronjech prowling just below.

"What's she doing?" Race asked.

The woman untied her leather waistband and held it with one hand while holding onto the ladder and her sword with the other. There were two rocks fixed at each end of the leather lanyard. She began swinging them around her head and released it when there was enough momentum. The line whirled up and wrapped around the Centaurian's neck. He dropped his weapon to grab at the wet, shrinking leather tightening around his neck.

The Draconian scrambled up the ladder. Over the top she went, straight to her incapacitated opponent. Without hesitation she swung her sword around behind her, then high over her head before plunging it down through the Centaurian.

"Well done!" Dumakas snorted over the cheering crowd. "Well done indeed!"

The woman tossed her weapon to the ground after pulling it out of the Centaurian. She then kicked the body over the edge and watched it splash into the water. The Gronjech quickly converged on the body. Several each grabbed a limb, tugging it into several pieces before swallowing great chunks whole.

"Toss the rope ladder over the edge," Dumakas ordered.

"Yes, my Lord," Laboolaron said, sending the ladder from the balcony.

"Draconian woman! Climb to the balcony...it is time to partake of our blood lust."

Before Dumakas could finish, the woman had already traversed and was climbing over the ledge.

Race grabbed at the woman to help her over, and the Draconian hissed at his touch, and then glared at him with intense yellow eyes. She stepped over to Dumakas and held her hand out for the Emperor. He quickly took his saber and placed it in the palm of her hand. She squeezed her hand around the blade as he drew it across her flesh, leaving a gash that pooled with blood.

Dumakas looked up into the fiery clouds above the arena "Today, our blood lust is satisfied." Then he leaned down and slurped the pool of blood from her hand before her Nanites healed it.

* * *
Chapter Seventeen

________________________

The Rock

Betelgeuse Sector

________________________

"Easy!" Chief Kelly exclaimed, grabbing his armrest as Captain Hopkins piloted the support ship back to the Rock. "Easy there!"

Hopkins fought his controls in an attempt to remain on glide slope, "Don't tell me to take it easy! It's your thruster pack that's failing on us!"

"Well, Captain, if you had put in your repair request that your thruster pack was acting up..."

"I filed all the necessary paperwork," Hopkins interrupted, "It's you're squids that lost it."

"Oh, I see, Captain...so it's my flight deck crew's fault? They say they never received your manifest."

"I know it was filed, my co-pilot assured me..."

"Did you actually see him? Because if you didn't see him do it, he may have forgotten!"

"My man would never forget..."

"Uh huh...that's what they all say, Captain."

Hopkins jerked the controls slamming the Chief against the side of the bulkhead, "OW! Hey, watch it!"

"It's this thruster pack, Chief. Sorry, I'm having a little trouble keeping her on track."

"Just warn me next time, will ya?"

"I'll do my best," Hopkins said, holding back a smirk, "Bravo One, to the Rock. I'm barely holding on to our flight path. Request emergency landing protocols; I have a malfunctioning starboard thruster, over."

"Roger that, Bravo Leader. You have clearance to land. We're ready for your emergency situation."

The support ship flew erratically toward the Rock's flight deck. The ship pitched and yawed, as Captain Hopkins wrestled with the controls, and entered the ship.

"Stand by to receive," Hopkins repeated over his comm link. "Coming in hot..."

Hopkins lowered the landing skids, fighting the controls to hold his position above the landing deck. When he had the ship aligned the best he could, he slammed the stick down, sending the ship hard onto the deck, "Mag-locks engaged...powering down engines," he sighed with relief. "Lower us down!"

The support vessel lowered inside the maintenance deck and sealed them inside with the closing ceiling doors.

Hopkins unbuckled and went to the exit. Chief Kelly rubbed his neck as he got out from his seat, the two met at the ship's exit.

"Next time, maybe you'll ensure you have the repair manifests delivered!" Kelly said. The crew could hear their bantering back and forth as the ships entry door opened.

"...and I'm TELLIN' you that I did!"

"Never happened, Captain, sorry!"

"Chief!"

"Na-na-na, I'm not hearing ya, Captain, na-na-na."

"Chief Kelly!"

"Sorry, Sir. No repair manifest, no workie."

Major Phillips met the two in the maintenance bay, "Chief, Captain? What seems to be the problem?"

"The Chief here is refusing to fix this jammed thruster pack!"

"Sir," the Chief said, turning to the Captain, "I never refused!"

"What was that you said? No manifest, no workie? Sounds like a refusal to me!"

"Now you both just take it easy..."

The Chief pressed his chest into the Captain's, "You never gave us a repair manifest!"

"Guys..."

"I told you already, my co-pilot turned it in!"

"ATTENTION!" The Major said, causing the both of them to snap into position.

"Sir..." Hopkins began.

Phillips interrupted him, "We'll get the paperwork straightened out in due time..."

"But Major," the Chief attempted to interject.

"The Captain has selected Captain Hopkins, and his crew, for the rescue mission. I need his ship repaired...on the double, Chief!"

"Aye, aye, Major," Chief Kelly saluted.

"Dismissed Chief!"

"Yes, Sir, sorry for the mix up, Sir," the Chief turned from the Major and began barking orders, "You heard the Major! Get this bird fixed...Double time it!"

The Chief's deck crew scrambled like busy worker bees at his orders.

"That's better," Captain Hopkins smiled.

"Captain? A word in private please?"

"Sure, thing, Major. Right this way."

Captain Hopkins led the Major out of the maintenance bay and into a private office and closed the hatch and then gave the wheel a spin.

"What's up, Sir?"

"Captain, we do not need any more animosity on the flight deck. We're about to start an all-out war with these Antarians. I know, I know what you're gonna say..."

"Sir?"

"You're gonna say that this 'us versus them' is partly my fault."

"Well, Sir..."

"You don't need to remind me of our past run in's with the squids, but we have to put all that behind us and work together."

"Yes, Sir. I totally understand, but he was accusing me of lying..."

"Captain! I never once heard the Chief accuse you of lying. He only said he never received a repair manifest.

He claims that his crew never received it."

"My co-pilot says he gave it to him, Sir."

"Well, they claim they did not get it. A simple solution would have been for you, Captain, to deliver the manifest yourself. That way you'll know it'll get done."

"Yes, Sir. I'll work harder at getting along with the deck hands, Sir."

"That would be a good thing, Hopkins. We depend on those squids, as you call 'em, to keep our birds in the air. The better relationship we have the better shape our birds will be in at take-off. Don't forget that."

"No, Sir, but you did start it. Talk was all over the ship."

"Yes, it was. And I was wrong. I thought I was teasing the Chief, but now it's blown all out of proportion. For safety sake, leave the animosity behind and let's move forward."

"Sorry, Sir. It'll never happen again."

"Good. Now," Phillips said, motioning to a chair, "have a seat. I need to brief you on your mission. You and your crew will depart the Rock as soon as we jump into Lebencha's energy stream."

"Yes, Sir. I'm familiar with the mission parameters. When will the Rock be ready to jump?"

"Within the hour...well, as soon as the Chief has your thruster pack repaired."

"Yes, Sir. I understand it's gonna be a bit of a rough ride."

"The turbulence within the energy stream is very severe. Launching is going to be tricky. You're the best pilot we have for this rescue mission, and the Captain's got a lot of confidence in you and your abilities."

"Thank you, Sir. That means a lot."

"Don't let the Captain down. He's put all his stock in your ability to land undetected. You'll be taking our Eridonian along. We hope that she can help to locate our people and keep your ship from being detected."

"What about the dampening field? Can Artemis overcome that?"

"We're working on that. Looks like the Antarian telepathic dampening field is built based on the radioactive frequencies of a supernova. The Aga has a CAP out there right now searching for any debris from the Antarian ship we blew up. Then they'll know exactly how to combat it."

"Has anyone bothered to talk to Corporal Gill about that?"

"Harry? Why?"

"Well, he was part of Race's crew. He was on that ship for a time. Maybe he knows what that thing looks like?"

Major Phillips raised his eyebrows, "No, but that's about to change," he said tapping his headset, "Lieutenant Henderson, Major Phillips, come in."

"Yes, Major, what can I do for you?"

"Get word to Corporal Gill. Tell him to come down to the flight deck. I need to ask him some questions."

"Right away, Sir."

"Now," Major Phillips began, "about that turbulence. We're being told it's going to be intense. It'll take all your skills to hold her steady. You'll have to take her out away from the Rock so you'll not be caught in our jump wake when we leave. Once she jumps out, you can set your ship for an atmospheric jump. Land on the surface of Serintin and rescue our guys."

"Sounds easy, Sir. But I'm sure..."

"I'm sure it won't be any picnic. We have no idea what the landscape of Serintin is, or if you will actually land without being detected."

"I understand, Sir."

"This is not a milk run, Captain."

"Yes, Sir. I fully appreciate the risk. I won't let you down."

"I know you won't, and I agreed that you're the best man for the mission."

"Thank you, Sir."

They were interrupted by the sound of someone pounding on the hatch. Captain Hopkins stood and turned the hatch wheel and swung the door open.

"Corporal Gill reporting as ordered, Sir," Harry Gill said, standing at full attention.

"At ease, Corporal," Major Phillips said. "Harry, I need to know if you have any information regarding your short stay on the Antarian ship."

"Yes, Sir. I've already been debriefed, Sir."

"I'm sure you were, but did anyone ask you about the telepathy inhibitor?"

"No, Sir. They removed that device from the ship."

"They removed it?" the Major exclaimed.

"Yes, they installed it on Race's ship so Malcom wouldn't be able to use his mind tricks on them."

Major Phillips tapped his headset once more, "Lieutenant Henderson, Major Phillips...I need the Captain, ASAP!"

"Yes, Sir. He's standing right here."

"This is Captain Fitz, what's up Major?"

"Sir, I just spoke to Corporal Gill. He said they removed the device we're looking for. You won't find any of it in the debris field."

Major Phillips heard Captain Fitz yelling orders through his headset, "have the Aga recall their search teams from the field. There is no debris to find. Seems they transferred that tech to Race's ship before they left. Major Phillips, thank you for the follow up. How soon before Captain Hopkins' ship will be ready to fly again?"

"The ship will be ready in a few minutes, Sir. I'll go and check on the Chief's progress."

"Okay, great. We're ready to jump up here just as soon as you give the go ahead on Captain Hopkins readiness."

"Yes, Sir. I'll contact you in a couple minutes, Phillips out."

Captain Fitz handed the headset back to his communications officer and turned to his CSC crew.

"Men, start securing all stations, Henderson, get word to all personnel to stow their gear and make ready for turbulence."

"Aye, Sir."

"Then patch me over to Admiral Gilmore."

"Right away, Sir," Henderson said, waving his arms at his staff.

Commander Jameson leaned over to Jed, "All stations reporting ready, Sir."

"Sir, I've got the Admiral."

"Captain Fitz, Sir. We're nearly ready for our jump."

"Very well, Captain. Break formation and get the Rocinante a safe distance from the fleet."

"Aye, aye, Sir. We'll start our clock as soon as Captain Hopkins completes his preflight checks. We are sending you our standby jump coordinates. That's where we'll wait the twelve hours, or the pickup signal."

"Ahead full thrusters!" Jameson ordered. "Take us ten kilometers from the fleet."

"You've got twelve hours from jump to make your pickup. Otherwise, if you don't hear from them, you're to jump back to the main fleet," Admiral Gilmore instructed.

"Aye, aye, Sir."

"I mean it, Fitz. Twelve hours after you arrive at your holding coordinates...and not a minute longer."

"I got it, Admiral."

"God-speed, Jed. Agamemnon out."

"Thank you, Sir. This is the Rock signing off."

"Sir," Henderson said, covering his mic, "Captain Hopkins reports his ship and crew are ready."

"Alright people," Commander Jameson shouted. "Look alive."

"Holding position ten kilometers from the fleet, Sir," Lieutenant Payne said from her helm station.

"Start the clock," Jed ordered.

"The clock is running. Two minutes for Jump sequence," Lieutenant Foster reported. "Spooling FTL drives."

The noise of the engine whine gave off their familiar drone as they spun up, forcing the crew to shout.

"Sub light!" Jed ordered in cadence.

"Go!"

"NAV!"

"Go!"

"Tactical!"

"Go!"

"Jump resolution check!"

"We're a go, Captain!"

"Generate negative energy densities!"

"Generating negative densities," the engineering officer reported.

"FTL!"

"Jump drive is one-hundred percent spooled. Go!"

"The board is green, Captain!" Commander Jameson reported.

"Initiate jump!"

The Rocinante vanished from her position near the fleet. In the same instant, the Rock appeared at the programmed coordinates within the Lebencha energy stream.

The sudden, violent shaking of the ship from the energy stream surprised the crew.

"Position report!" Commander Jameson ordered.

"We're inside the Lebencha energy stream," Lieutenant Foster fought to report from his navigation console, holding on with all he had.

"Hopkins, prepare to launch! NAV, reset jump coordinates and start the clock!"

"Aye, aye, Sir!" Foster acknowledged.

"Hopkins, here," Jed heard over the CSC speakers, "We're away and outside the Rock's jump zone. You are clear to jump!"

"Chief!" Jed shouted over his comm link, "Secure the deck for jump!"

"The launch doors are secured, Sir! We're ready...get us out of here, this energy stream is tearing her apart!"

"Understood, Chief...Jameson!" Jed shouted, "commence jump sequence."

"Aye, Sir," Jameson answered, "With pleasure! Sub light!"

"Go!"

"NAV!"

"Go!"

"Tactical!"

"Go!"

"Jump resolution check!"

"We're a go, Captain!"

"Generate negative energy densities!"

"Generating negative densities," the engineer station reported.

"FTL!"

"Jump drive is a go!"

"The board is green, Captain!" Commander Jameson reported.

"Initiate jump!"

Just as fast as the Rocinante jumped into the energy stream, she jumped to their hold coordinates.

As abruptly as it began, the shaking suddenly stopped.

"Secure from jump stations!" Jameson ordered.

"Confirm position!" Jed added.

"Confirmed, Sir. We're at our programmed coordinates."

"Okay, set the clock for twelve hours...Major Phillips, get your first CAP launched and begin patrolling this sector for hostiles."

"Yes, Sir! The Chief is prepping the launch bay. I'll have our fighters up in two minutes, Sir."

"Excellent work people, but the hard work is just beginning," the Captain said. "Begin diagnostics of all our primary systems and dispatch repair teams!"

* * *
Chapter Eighteen

________________________

Rescue Team

Lebencha Energy Stream

________________________

"I can't hold her much more!" Hopkins, yelled to his co-pilot Lieutenant Mike Parker. The two men worked as a team to fight the massive turbulence within the energy field

"It's that damn thruster pack, isn't it, Captain?" Lieutenant Parker asked.

"Not the pack itself, but more like the control mod!"

"She's drifting close to the edge of the stream!"

"Compensating with inertial dampeners...they're maxed out too, Cap'."

The rescue ship was tossed about like a rag doll. Although the Marines were cinched tight to their seats, they still suffered a brutal beating as the ship lurched in one direction, then another.

"Sir," Parker reported, "The Rock, she's jumped away. We're clear."

"Set atmospheric jump coordinates!"

"Coordinates set!" Parker shouted, "We can't stay much longer...getting red lights on the panel. Structural failure imminent!"

"Artemis!" Hopkins yelled, "Do you have a fix on our guys?"

"I am attempting to make contact with Malcom. So far, I don't have a good fix, but I have input the general area they are at on the surface."

"How close?"

"Might be five kilometers or so! Near the energy collector station. There's a castle that we think is the Emperor's palace. That's where they're keeping them."

"Parker, adjust your coordinates to Artemis' information. We'll set it down near the collector. The energy spill-over should keep us hid."

"Yes," Artemis agreed, "That's the best place to be!"

"Coordinates adjusted and set! Captain, we have to go now!"

"Start the clock..."

"There's no time to do a system check, Sir. We're losing it! We have to go now!"

"Hold on everyone!" Captain Hopkins instructed, "Jump!"

The rescue ship vanished from the Lebencha energy stream and appeared in a low altitude flight path heading toward a mountain.

"Pull up! Pull up!" Parker yelled, coming out of the short daze from the jump.

Captain Hopkins pulled back on the controls with Parker. The ship's nose pitched up, clearing the mountain peak by a few feet.

"Set 'err down over there," Hopkins pointed to a field covered with what looked like tall grass.

"Slowing now..." Parker reported, "Lowering landing skids."

"Easy, now...gently...not too hard," Hopkins kept checking the readings. This was no time to slack off.

The rescue ship hit the ground hard, bounced up, and then hit the ground again.

"I said gently!"

"That was as gentle as I could make it, Sir," Parker let out the breath he held during the landing.

"Switch all systems to hibernation mode. We don't need them picking up any of our electronics."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Parker acknowledged, "Should we scan the area first?"

"Passive only. We can't risk the Antarians detecting our scans. It looks like we came in unnoticed.

"It was the gravity," Parker said, unbuckling his harness. "Didn't expect a heavier gravity this much heavier than Earth's. That's why we struck on the hard side."

"We got breathable air out there, so let's conserve ours and open this hatch."

One of the Marine sergeants unstrapped and cranked the hatch open. He took in a large breath of fresh air and then blew it out all at once.

"Ahhh, that's so nice," Sergeant Fletcher sighed, "Been cooped up breathing scrubber air for way too long. Even though it's an alien planet..."

"Moon," Artemis corrected.

"...even though it's an alien moon, there's nothin' better than fresh air!" Then he climbed through the hatch onto the short wing and then dropped the two feet to the ground. "Heavy gravity! Lovin' it!"

"Why's that?" Hopkins asked.

"You kiddin' me? I'm gonna be so buff when we get back to Earth!"

"Okay, everyone, stay focused. Parker, you stay onboard and check out the systems. See if they put any spare parts in any of the holds. The rest of you, move outside."

The rest exited the rescue ship, each jumping off the short wing to the ground.

"This gravity is at least a third stronger than Earth," Parker noticed.

"And as a result, fatigue will set in quicker until we're acclimated."

"Fletcher," Hopkins ordered, drawing his finger at the tree line in the distance, "you, Moriah, and Killmocher set up a perimeter." He pointed in a different direction for each name, "I want you each to separate to cover more ground. Keep in constant comm link with VOX active."

"What about the Antarian's scanning these radios?"

"Negative," Artemis motioned with her hands, "They do not have the same type of radio equipment. They won't detect our radio signatures...engine and other electronics, yes. In time they will find the ship if we use our systems too much."

"Well," Hopkins smiled, "Finally some good news."

"Okay," Fletcher nodded. He grabbed the machine gun from his shoulder, clicked off the safety, and primed a round into the chamber. "Fan out, I'll go straight. Mariah; you break left. Killmocher; you go right toward that rock outcropping."

"Aye, aye, Sarge."

"Aye, aye, Boss."

The two other Sergeants acknowledged Fletcher's orders and trotted out from the ship, weapons at the ready.

Parker joined Hopkins on the wing, "Sir, we've got a problem."

"Lieutenant?"

"The starboard thruster control module is shot. It burned up the rest of the way on that jump."

"Did you find any replacement modules?"

"Not yet, but there's more bins to go through. Just wanted to let you know we're not taking off anytime real soon."

"Nice." Hopkins grimaced. "Help me check out the rest of the exterior. Then we'll both go in and have a look. We'll cover more if we team up."

"Aye, aye."

Hopkins and Parker examined the ship's exterior while Fletcher arrived at the edge of what seemed to be the Serintin equivalent of a forest.

The Sergeant traversed several meters within the tree line, "Moriah, Killmocher, come in. I made it to the edge. Report."

Fletcher listened to static for a moment before he heard a voice, "Killmocher. I read you. I'm traversing the edge of the trees and moving toward the outcrop. Stand by."

"Moriah reporting in. I'm heading due South. The energy collector is up ahead, visible through a thinning of the forest. I'm about thirty meters from the main building. Don't ya think that's a little close?"

"Negative, Sergeant," Fletcher answered, "They're not expecting us, so they're not lookin'. Besides, our intel is that these are unmanned stations, everything's automated."

"Fine with me," Killmocher said, cutting over Moriah, "Guys. I'm at the edge of the rocks. Looking down the edge of the ravine the territory looks extremely hard to traverse. Lots of hills. Ridge after ridge of 'em, and it looks like they were put there on purpose. Valleys, kind of like trenches or moats are gouged out across as far as my eyes can see."

"Killmocher, how far down does it drop?"

"I'd say an easy ten meters, maybe more."

"Can you see anything with your field glasses?"

"One minute, Boss."

Killmocher fiddled with his backpack and removed his binoculars.

"Well, wait a minute."

"Whattya mean by that? Jason, you see anything out there?" Fletcher asked.

"Stand by...yes...we have movement down there."

"Can you see it? What is it?"

"I don't know. It's crouched down about a kilometer into one of those trenches."

"Does it see you?"

"No, it's back is to me. I've never seen anything like it before. It's got large bat-like wings. It's standing upright now."

"Whattya mean by wings? What is it, Jason?"

"I'm saying it's got wings...they're fully stretched out now. Like talons, or hooks on the ends of where its hands would be. I'd say the wing span is forty feet...my god! That's gotta be twenty feet tall!"

"Twenty feet, Jason? You sure you're not pulling my leg?"

"No way, man! This thing is for real! Stand by. I'm going over the edge and down the bank to get a better angle."

"No, wait. Hold your position. We're coming to your side," Fletcher said.

"Oh, crap!"

Moriah caught up with Fletcher. They looked at each other and then heard Jason's cry through the wireless.

"What's wrong? Killmocher! Report!"

"Slipped on the rocks, just had a boulder tumble down the embankment."

"Did it see you?"

"No, not yet. I'm stuck about halfway down the bank behind some rocks. If I move it'll see me for sure."

"Jason, do not move...you got that? We're making our way to you now."

"I've been made! He's looking right at me. We made eye contact...oh man...it's charging full gallop on its long hooved legs."

"Come on! Get out of there!"

"It's taken flight...soaring to my position...nooooo...ahhhhh!"

Fletcher and Moriah heard his weapon fire and then when they arrived at the rocks they could hear the sound of bones crunching. The two cautiously peered over the rocks. To their horror, the beast was holding what was left of the Sergeant down with a hand as it bit large chunks out of the body.

They crept down from the rocks and headed into the cover of the forest edge. Moriah threw up and spat the rest of the contents of his stomach on the ground.

"I-it k-killed him," Moriah panicked.

"Shhh, shhh, shhh. I don't think it saw us," Fletcher whispered, trying his best to keep it together, "Come on. We've got to get back to the ship. It's not safe out here!"

"Yeah, I'm with you, man. Let's go!"

"Not so loud!"

They looked over at the rocks and saw a large dragon headed beast peering over the lip.

"Wait for it to turn away," Fletcher urged.

"I-I c-can't..."

"Hold it together soldier," Fletcher again whispered.

"Wait," Moriah pointed, "That's Captain Hopkins coming our way...he must have heard Killmocher's gun shots." He stepped out from the cover of the forest and began running toward them and waving his hands, "Go back! Run!" he shouted.

The creature looked up at the running intruder and reared its ugly head toward the red sky letting out a massive roar. Their ears where deafened by the screeching of the beast.

Hopkins froze in his tracks and removed his side arm, Moriah ran past him, not looking back, and headed straight toward their ship.

Fletcher remained hidden by the cover of the trees and Hopkins aimed his weapon and opened fire.

The demonic creature spread its wings and flew just above the ground, a few feet over Hopkins' head.

Hopkins turned to follow the flying beast, emptying his side arm into it as he spun.

The creature caught up to the fleeing Moriah and snatched him off the ground, then began climbing higher into the sky.

Moriah let out a cry when the beast's talons tore through his flight suit and into the flesh of his arms.

The creature carried him across the field and landed. They watched in horror as the beast held him up to his mouth and chomped him in half.

Fletcher and Hopkins waited no longer and made a break for the ship. Artemis poked her head out of the ship's hatch and motioned them to hurry.

They reached the wing and leaped up onto it. The creature, sensing that its food was about to get away, dropped Moriah's remains and took off toward the ship.

They dashed inside the ship and sealed the hatch. A loud thud rang throughout the ship as the beast's hooved feet landed on the roof.

"Fire up the ship!" Hopkins ordered, "It's time to go!"

"We're safe now," Artemis assured.

"Oh sure," Fletcher answered with daggers, "Tell that to Killmocher and Moriah!"

"Come on, Captain. We need to get out of here!"

The beast paced the ground around the ship, occasionally lifting its head in the air and roaring in frustration. Then it made a fist and struck the hull, shaking the ship and the men inside.

"We have a damaged thruster module," Parker reminded them all, "and if we don't come up with a solution to get this bird in the air, I'm afraid that things going to rip the metal apart to get to us!"

"Everyone, take a bin and start looking for a thruster pack mod. It'll be a grey colored box with a connector coming out of its end."

The crew frantically opened bin after bin looking for the part as the beast grew more desperate to get his prize inside the crackerjack box.

"We're doomed!" Parker said with panic, "We're all doomed!"

"Parker, get a grip man. Greave later, work now!"

"I-I'm a-afraid I c-can't."

Hopkins turned and slapped the Lieutenant across the face making a sharp snap, "Now get a hold of yourself! I'm going to need you to help get us out of here!"

"Sorry, S-Sir..."

Hopkins glanced at his co-pilot's front pocket and noticed a piece of paper sticking out, "What's this?" he asked, snatching the paper from his pocket.

The beast grabbed the ship with both hands and began rocking it from side to side.

Hopkins unfolded the paper and saw that it was the missing repair manifest. Hopkins gave Parker a stare, "You never turned the damn thing in, did you?"

"I-I..."

Hopkins tackled his pilot and began pelting his face with his fist. Artemis closed her eyes and touched the two men, you must both stop this. We have to continue working together!

Hopkins turned his neck toward Artemis, "You just used your telepathy."

"Yes, I suppose I just did."

Hopkins laughed, "We must be outside any dampening field."

The ship rocked forty-five degrees, nearly tipping over on their side, then the beast let go and dropped it hard on the landing skid, burying the nose of the ship into the ground. The skid snapped off and hung as a broken appendage from the hull.

"Artemis, can you communicate with this thing? Can you tell it to go away?"

"No, I am not able to communicate with this beast. Either it does not wish to, or it is unable to think consciously enough to do so."

"Okay, how about we try to do something a little unorthodox," Parker asked.

"I'm open to any and all ideas, Parker! Whatcha got?"

"Remember that episode on Star Trek where the shuttle craft was stranded on a planetoid?"

"Yeah, I think I know where you're going."

"If we can electrify the hull with enough juice, it might scare it off for now," Parker finished.

"Parker, you're a genius!"

"I'll rig it up. We'll have to insulate ourselves from any metal."

"Do it!"

Parker raced to the aft of the ship and opened a maintenance hatch and rigged the ship's battery cables to spark on the hull.

"Okay, everyone stay clear!"

The beast continued to pound on the hull with its fists and grabbed the hull once more to shake it when it was hit by the voltage searing across its hands and up its arms. The electricity began to burn the flesh on the wings just before the creature let the ship go.

The creature roared in pain and stomped away from the ship and quickly descended the embankment of rocks.

"It worked!" Fletcher exclaimed.

"Yeah, it did," Parker began, "But we've got new problems. That effectively drained our batteries. We won't be able to even get a spark to ignite thrusters at this point."

"Hook it back up, maybe a little time is all it'll need to recharge."

"Let's hope so," Parker added, "He could come back soon."

* * *
Chapter Nineteen

________________________

Antares Star System

Third Moon Serintin

________________________

Race, Danielle, and Malcom sat quietly inside the cold, dark cell. Suddenly, sounds of fists connecting with flesh hit their ears. Three hits, then a fourth. Then a few groans followed by the thuds of the two guards hitting the ground outside the cell.

The door creaked open and Race raised an eyebrow at the giant Antarian staring back at him. "Chewbacca?"

"Shhh, if you want to live, you will come with me!"

Danielle jumped up from the floor, "Darnash! What are you doing?"

"I'm freeing you," The Antarian glanced over his huge shoulder, "... there is not much time. You must follow me, now!"

"Who am I to argue with the Emperor's Guard?" Race scratched his head, "Why are you doing this again?" Race helped Malcom to his feet.

"I will explain everything soon enough. First, we must get out of here."

"You do realize, you face a death sentence for freeing us, right?"

"That does not matter now. Hurry!"

The three gushed out of the cell and followed Darnash.

"Say nothing if we come upon anyone."

"Yeah, hey, it's all you, big guy. This is your show now." Race glanced at the two prison guards as they moved past, "What happened to them? They get hit by a Mack truck or something?"

"They were hit by these," Darnash held up his fists for a second. "What is a 'Mack Truck'?"

"Well now, our Wookie has a sense of humor after all."

The group turned the corner and nearly ran into an approaching Antarian, "Where are you taking the prisoners?"

"The Emperor requires them in audience..."

"No, he doesn't," the Antarian frowned, "I just left his chambers. He made no mention of them to me. Wait right here while I clarify."

The Antarian reached up to the controls on his headset. Before he could tap the button, Darnash slammed his left fist into the Antarian's gut. As the alien doubled over, Darnash slammed a powerful right uppercut into his face. The Antarian crumpled to the floor.

"We must hurry!"

Race looked up at Darnash, "Sure glad you're on our side! I don't know why you are, but I'm glad just the same."

Darnash pulled the fallen Antarian around the corner and tossed the body into an alcove where it would be out of sight. "Come, we must hurry."

"Well, lead the way, we're right behind ya."

* * *

________________________

Agamemnon

Betelgeuse Sector

________________________

Admiral Gilmore paced in his CSC. The heads of his first officer, Commander Nickolas Bridges, and his tactical officer, Lieutenant Marco Hudson, moved back and forth with him, like at a tennis match. Their Eridonian representative, Charlotte, stood with them, and was bringing the crew up to speed on the Betelgeuse corridor and the phenomenon's characteristics.

"So," Admiral Gilmore asked, "What you're saying is that we need to prevent the Antarian's from accessing the corridor by collapsing it?"

"Precisely. A thorough analysis has proven that by setting off six to eight nuclear detonations simultaneously, the corridor will be destabilized."

"I thought you people said the corridor was stabilized?" Gilmore asked.

"The conduit's stability is more fragile than we originally calculated."

"So, how do we get back if we close this thing off?" Lieutenant Marco Hudson, the Aga's tactical officer cut in.

"We will be able to set up a series of jumps to traverse the great distance."

"Well, why didn't the Antarians just do that straight away," Gilmore asked. "And what will prevent them from doing the same?"

"The corridor makes for quick attacks. Hit and run is their primary method. All we are doing is to make the trip longer than the Antarians are prepared to take," Charlotte explained.

"How long are we talking?" Lieutenant Darrel Fleming, the navigation officer asked.

"Understand that your ship's jump drives can go just a little over forty light years per jump. With an eighteen hour cool down cycle per two jumps, you're looking at six days to complete the multi-jumps."

"That's only twice as long as the corridor took," Fleming noted, "I'm surprised they haven't invaded us sooner."

"Also, one must keep in mind," Charlotte began, waiving her long fingers in the air, "They didn't know your planet existed until they traversed the conduit. That is what led them to you. It is true that we are six days from reaching Earth. The question remains, do they view that travel time as an efficient use of resources?"

"You tell me," Gilmore asked.

"Consider also that we know the direct route that we will use to plot our jump coordinates to Earth. The Antarians do not have the exact coordinates. Exact coordinates are not necessary when using the corridor. They could have had the location of Earth in their database, except that we destroyed the only Antarian ship that traversed the corridor. Now they must plot the course as if one was wearing a blind fold; they will need to take time for navigating each jump sequence, individually."

"How much time are we talking? How much time do we have before an Antarian invasion fleet could arrive at Earth?" Lieutenant Hudson asked.

"They are still within a month of effectively reaching Earth."

"That's not much time to prepare," Admiral Gilmore nodded.

"Seeing that the Antarians have developed a method of jumping within the corridor, they can reach Earth in less than a day with it open," Charlotte added. "However, with an entire month of travel to Earth, they may decide that the trip is not worth their trouble. Remember, such an expedition would mean that significant resources, ships and troops, would be unavailable to their home world for two months, plus whatever time they are at Earth."

"Why not extract Earth's location from our men, or from Malcom, for that matter?"

"Since none of the prisoners are navigation experts, the Antarians could not guarantee that the information extracted would be actuate enough for navigation."

"All we have to go on here," Gilmore said, "is your word on their behavior. We're betting a lot on that."

"You must trust us, Admiral Gilmore," Charlotte answered, "The Eridonians have been keepers of Earth for centuries. We certainly hope that providing you with all this technology would be enough for you to trust us."

"Humanity's survival depends on the decisions I make out here."

"Yes, Admiral. Humanity does depend on your choice. Will you make the right one? One month and the possibility they will not pursue you, over one day's travel through the corridor. With that, the certainty that they will attack Earth."

Admiral Gilmore rubbed the back of his neck, "I just don't know."

"You only have five fleet ships. Three of them in this sector. We may or may not ever see the Rocinante return, or Jannali, when it does take flight. They sent three ships to assist the one and were taken by surprise. How many ships do you expect them to send when they return to this sector?"

"That's a great question. But, we do seem to have superior fire power."

"They will send ten times the ships as they did prior."

"Sir, we can't hold off that many ships," Hudson interjected. "That's six to one, plus the fighter support. We'd be crushed. Then they'd have free access to the corridor."

"I agree, Sir," Commander Bridges nodded.

Admiral Gilmore shook his head at this crew, "I have to agree with you, Hudson. Tactically speaking, we don't have enough fire power." The Admiral turned to Charlotte, "What about the Jannali? What happens to them if they enter the corridor and we blow these nukes?"

"That is a good question, Admiral. With the corridor destabilizing, we have to assume that since the Jannali will already have the velocity, they will simply exit normally."

"You're going to assume that's the case?"

"We have never done anything like this before. There are too many unknowns to be certain."

"We'll have to send a drone with a message and hope they can intercept. Otherwise, they'll not understand what we're doing."

"You could have them exit at Epsilon Eridani, our home world, and wait for the fleet to regroup with them."

"That plan makes sense, Sir," Commander Bridges said.

"Alright then. Let's get prepped to set the charges at the event horizon," Gilmore ordered, "How much time left before the Rocinante returns?"

"Six hours, Sir," Lieutenant Casey acknowledged.

"Okay, we'll blow our nukes in six hours. Then we can begin plotting our return jumps to Earth. Coordinate with the Bristol and Yamato for the nuke deployment."

* * *

________________________

The Rock

Secondary Jump Coordinates

________________________

"Delta Five, Delta leader, come in."

"Delta leader, Delta Five. Go ahead."

"How much longer we gonna be out here, Captain?"

"We're just about to the end of our patrol..."

"Whew, it's been a pretty boring CAP, Sir...sure will be glad when this is over...wait a minute. Stand by."

"Delta Five? What's your situation?"

"I'm picking up two unidentified bogeys inbound, twenty-five kilometers out!"

"Copy that, Delta Five. They just appeared on my screen too, stand by. Delta squad, arm weapons and prepare to engage!" the Delta leader commanded, "Rock, Delta leader, do you read? Two inbound bogeys at twenty-five out...repeat two inbound bogeys, do you copy?"

"Confirmed, Delta Leader." Lieutenant Henderson turned to Captain Fitz, "We've got company, Sir!"

"Sound General Quarters!" Jameson ordered.

Lieutenant Collins pressed the ship's alarm button, sounding a repeating klaxon throughout the ship. Then he shouted over to Captain Fitz, "Three incoming missiles!"

"Charge plasma weapons," Fitz commanded, "launch countermeasures, and fire our main guns!"

"Aye, Captain!" Collins shouted in return. "Launching drones and activating point defense systems!"

"Helm, hard to port!"

Lieutenant Payne turned the fourteen hundred foot destroyer, repeating the command back to the Captain as she executed the turn.

"Rotate ship thirty degrees," Commander Jameson ordered, "Fire plasma cannon when ready!"

"Plasma cannons charged, Sir!" the tactician replied. "Point defense systems are online. Firing cannons!"

There was a low pitched vibration throughout the ship as the plasma cannons discharged their powerful blasts of star-hot energy towards the two enemy vessels.

Two hundred drones spread out from the hull of the Rock, firing their laser blasters at the incoming missiles, successfully destroying two out of three.

"Brace for impact!" Jed commanded, grabbing the arms of his chair.

The missile struck the Rocinante's armor plating. The detonation nearly buckled the hull, shaking the massive ship. The ship's ion-charged shielding held the hull plating together against the enormous energies of the blast.

"Recharge plasma cannon. Weapons free, fire when ready," Captain Fitz scanned the tactical information pouring into his display, "Let's give them something to worry about!"

"Sir, the two bogeys have launched fighters!"

The Captain turned toward Henderson, "Lieutenant, alert the CAP and launch the alert fighters!"

"Aye, aye, Captain. Chief Kelly reports fighters launching already."

"Attention flight deck!" Chief Kelly shouted through his comm link, "Launch all fighters. Inbound ships are twenty kilometers out. Your ETA is six minutes."

Captains' Phillips and Jones walked arm and arm on either side of Captain Simon. Stopping at the announcement, they turned and looked at each other, and then took off down the corridor toward the flight deck.

"How many are you going to take out this time?" Jones asked Major Phillips.

"You'll be lucky if I leave you any," Phillips smirked at Eric.

"Ha!" Rene scoffed, "Let me remind you, that I took out more enemy fighters on our last run than the both of you!"

"Yeah, yeah," Jones said, swatting at the tenacious female pilot, "She's got us on that one, Kurt."

"Well, at any rate," Phillips said, climbing into his cockpit, "Free drinks to the one who bags the most today!"

"Well," Rene said, sealing herself inside her fighter, "Better start filling my cup then. I want the good stuff, too! No bilge water!"

The lead fighter pilot signaled with a salute, "TALLY OH!" and then the green lights lit up the launch bay, sending their fighters to intercept the approaching ships.

Captain Fitz pointed to Collins' scanner, "Look at this, Lieutenant."

"Yes Sir, I noticed that too."

"Bring up the Antarian specs that Artemis gave us."

"Confirmed Sir. Those ships do not have Antarian energy signatures."

"Henderson, get me Delta Leader!"

"Aye, Sir. Delta Leader, stand by for Rock actual."

"Delta Leader, go ahead."

"Captain, Major Phillips and the remaining alert fighters are outbound. They're about four minutes behind you. Can you identify those ships?"

"No, Sir. I'm not in visual range, but their fighters' weapons systems are disarming. What's going on, Sir?"

"All fighters! This is Captain Fitz. Stand down weapons. Fly defensive manures only!"

"Aye, aye, Sir, Delta Leader to Delta squadron, stand down weapons, repeat, stand down weapons systems!"

Jed looked over at Henderson, "Try to open a channel to those ships. Put it on speakers!"

"Aye, Sir, transmitting on all channels."

"Anything?" Jameson said, joining Jed over at the tactical station.

Just as the Commander asked, they were interrupted by a voice over the loud speaker, "Attention, alien vessel...Identify your origin."

"Alien?" Henderson quizzed.

"Well, we're alien to them," Jed answered. "Is the channel open?"

"Yes, Sir."

"This is Captain Jedidiah Fitz of the Earth vessel, Rocinante...please identify who you are."

"Trygg Rothgarson, Captain of the Fourth Scout fleet from Sigma Draconis."

"You're Draconian!" Jed exclaimed, "We thought you were Antarian!"

"We are fleeing the Antarians, Captain."

"Why did you fire missiles at us?"

"Our ship sensors have been damaged from our last encounter. I apologize, Captain. We couldn't see who your ships were. Quite frankly, we couldn't risk you being Antarian."

"Well, it's a good thing we detected that your ships were different. We were about to launch an all-out attack to protect ourselves."

"Captain, may we meet on your ship? I have a feeling that we may have a lot in common, and thus a lot to discuss."

"Bring your ships alongside and we'll send an escort for a transport to our flight deck."

Jameson whispered in Jed's ear, "You sure that's wise, Sir? We know nothing about them."

Jed nodded to his commander in acknowledgement, "Captain Rothgarson, my first officer has reservations. Please understand we will have our guards escort you from our flight deck for security purposes."

"No offence taken, Captain Fitz. We understand. My first officer, Styr Valbrandrson will accompany me to your ship. Captain, he tells me the same as your first officer has told you."

"Very well, Captain," Jed answered, "We only have a little less than six hours before we have to leave this sector; time is of the essence."

"We shall depart in five minutes, Captain."

Jed turned to his tactical officer, "Get the marines in full force throughout the ship. Recall all alert fighters, but rotate the CAP until we're ready to jump."

"Aye, Sir," Collins answered.

"We're looking forward to meeting you and your first officer, Captain Rothgarson," Jed said over his comm link.

"Yes, we are just as curious about your presence as you are about ours, Captain Fitz."

* * *
Chapter Twenty

________________________

Serintin Palace

________________________

After descending what seemed like hundreds of spiraling stairs, Darnash stopped the group at a door. He grabbed the bolt on the door and unlocked it. Pulling the huge portal open exposed them to the beaming Antarian sun. Once their eyes adjusted to the brightness, they could see several mountains in the distance. The snow covered peaks contrasted majestically against the fiery sky of Serintin. At the foot of the mountains, they could see a stream of energy pulling gas in from the immense gas giant Lebencha that this moon orbited.

"We must follow the river away from the Palace," Darnash began, "When we get to the edge of the forest, we will take the Valley of Trenches and head south, eventually arriving at a rock outcropping; approximately five kilometers. Ascend the rocks and continue through the forest to the energy collector complex."

"Isn't that where the Antarian Boreshog live?" Danielle asked.

"Yes, it is. However, if we stay hidden within the forest, the beasts of the field may not see you."

"Why the energy collector complex?" Race asked, "What's out there that we need to get to?"

"That is where the rescue ship is waiting for you."

"Rescue ship?" Race exclaimed, "How do you know?"

Darnash glanced at Malcom, "He told me."

"Malcom? Why didn't you say anything to us?"

"I couldn't risk it just yet."

"But why did you trust Chewy here?"

Darnash smiled, "He trusted me because I am no longer subject to the Blood Lust."

"Huh?"

"That's right," Malcom nodded, "It appears that the infection changed the sentient properties of the Antarian blood."

"Is that true?" Danielle exclaimed. "That means that there's something in my blood that can remove the Antarian's desire for blood."

"There is a good possibility that the Antarian doctors have reprogrammed their Nanites," Malcom warned. "Your blood may not be the cure-all you think."

"But there's still a chance, right?"

"Yes, Danielle. There is still a chance that something in your blood could alter the Antarian blood symbiosis to where the Antarians may not be subject to their bloods' cognitive abilities."

Danielle stopped abruptly.

"Then I have to stay and find out."

"You can't be serious!" Race yelled.

"Then there is the question of our Nanites that will draw us to the games. We mustn't forget about that," Danielle added.

"We can reprogram your Nanites once we're back on our ship," Malcom offered.

"I'm sorry, Race. I just can't leave knowing that there may be a way to change these people."

Race looked at the ground and kicked at a pebble.

"Well, I ain't leavin' without ya," Race slowly brought his eyes up to meet with Danielle's.

"You humans must make up your minds quickly. Time is running out," Darnash insisted.

"Darnash," Danielle said, taking ahold of his huge hands, "Thank you for helping us. You put your life on the line for us. For that, I am grateful. But I can't leave knowing what I know."

"She's right, you know," Race added. "If there's any chance that we can have such a profound effect on the Antarians, we have to take it."

"Stay if you wish," Darnash began, "I must leave for my treason. I thank you, Humans. Your sacrifice to help our people will go down in our history books. Perhaps you Humans will have a place in the galaxy after all."

"I shall accompany you, Darnash." Malcom said. "I have no reason to stay."

Danielle looked over at Malcom, "Yes you do! You have to train us for the arena."

"My good Madam, know that I have already provided you both with all the knowledge and skills you require to be successful in the Antarian games."

"You already have?" Race exclaimed, "You didn't do anything."

"Nothing you would have detected. However, once you begin the match, you will possess all the required skills you will need."

"We will give ourselves up and demand we enter the arena."

"Malcom," Darnash said, "Climb on my back. We can move much quicker that way." Darnash lowered the palm of his hand for Malcom to step up. Then with a gentle lift, Malcom landed on Darnash's back, and the two left the Palace.

Race and Danielle looked at one another, "You sure you're staying, Race?"

"I already said I ain't leavin' you behind. I got you into this, and we'll get out of this together.

* * *

________________________

Serintin Rescue Ship

________________________

Lieutenant Parker raised out of one of the storage bins, and hit his head on the overhead, "I found one! OW!"

Hopkins stopped his search and came over to Parker, "Let me see."

"I think this is what you're looking for."

Hopkins grabbed the box and examined it, "Yep, that'll do it."

"Now we can get off this rock!" Sergeant Fletcher nodded.

"We must wait for the others," Artemis added.

"You made contact?" the Captain asked.

"Yes. I have reached Malcom. They are heading our way. It could take them a couple of hours to reach the ship."

"That's about how long our repairs will take," Hopkins added. "Any sign of that monster?"

"Nothing, Sir," Fletcher answered. "I think we may have scared it off for good."

"Well, it's only been a few hours."

"How much time do we have left before we have to meet our contact?" Parker asked.

"Just under six hours."

"Artemis," Hopkins asked, "Are they alright?"

She sighed slightly before answering, "Well..."

"What are you not telling me?"

"There is an Antarian coming with them."

"Wait, what?" Fletcher exclaimed.

"There's more, isn't there?" Hopkins said, looking at Artemis, "I don't need telepathy to see that."

"Well, yes. However, it will not help our current situation to..."

"Spill it."

"Very well. Race and Danielle are not with them."

"Come again?"

"You see, debating the ramifications of this information will not enhance our mission's chances of success."

"Can you explain to me why Race and Danielle are not with them?" Hopkins asked.

"They're dead," Fletcher frowned, "aren't they."

"No, they are very much alive."

"Then why aren't they coming?"

"It has been discovered that Danielle's blood possesses certain... properties..."

"Is that what made the Antarian we captured sick?"

"Precisely. Apparently, Darnash cut Danielle and tasted her blood before it was tested. The Antarian Captain and crew were infected through Darnash."

"So, what's so special about them getting sick?"

"It changed the cognitive properties of their blood. Any Antarian thus infected will experience the same sickness unless the Antarian doctors discover a way to reprogram their Nanites."

"That still doesn't explain to me why they stayed." Hopkins asked in exasperation.

"Danielle thinks that by getting the Emperor to drink of her blood, all Antarian's blood lust will be satisfied forever."

"So, she wants to be a martyr?"

"No, Malcom has given them the required knowledge and skills to prevail in the arena. They also have a plan that will allow them to make it here before our departure time."

"Well, I don't like it," Hopkins said, "They had better be here when we take-off, 'cause I'm not waiting' for them past our bugout time."

"I second that," Fletcher said, "That thing already took two of us out in a matter of five minutes."

"How are they going to get passed it?" Parker asked.

"They will have to follow the forest line to the valley."

"But that's where that thing is," Fletcher frowned. "You want me to go try to kill it?"

"Our bullets bounced off its scales," Hopkins said.

"They will have to fight it, to get past it."

"You're kidding me, right?" Fletcher's frown deepened.

"Yes, there is vulnerability in this beast," Artemis noted, "They just have to find and exploit it."

"This is just getting better and better," Fletcher kicked the bulkhead.

"Come on. We've got a ton of work to do to make this crate take-off. Sergeant, I need you to cover us while we work. Let's get to it," Hopkins ordered.

"Hoo-effen-Rah!"

* * *

________________________

The Rock

Secondary Jump Coordinates

________________________

Thelix stirred, still lying on the container top in sickbay. Doctor Lambert stood over the Antarian and looked him over.

"Well, you are recovering nicely, Mr. Thelix."

The Antarian groaned, "What happened to me? Where, where am I?"

"You're aboard the Earth vessel, the Rocinante, The Rock for short."

"What happened?"

"We saved your life. You were near death."

"How? My Nanites are pre-programmed to cure any illness we encounter."

"Obviously, not all diseases were included in that programming."

"I feel strange."

"Your body is still fighting off the rest of the infection. It's going to take a few days."

"No, it is more than that," Thelix said, looking over his hands and arms.

"Alright," Doctor Lambert said. He stopped what he was doing, and then turned toward Thelix, "maybe the patient should tell me, the Doctor, what it is then?"

"I have somehow lost communication with my sentient blood."

"Well, that is entirely possible."

"My blood. Yes, that is what's wrong. My blood is no longer speaking to me."

"Welcome to the world of Freedom."

"Freedom?"

"Yes, that is what we call it when we are able to make our own decisions, to do the things we wish to do, without worrying about others interfering. As long as you are keeping to the laws of the land, you have no worries."

"This is a most... unusual sensation."

"Unusual as in good way, or unusual as in a bad way?"

"I don't know if this is a good thing. But I am not sure. Very confusing."

"Lay back down, big fella. You need to allow your body time to recover."

"Yes, I agree. Must recover..."

The doors to the sickbay slid open. Jed and Commander Jameson walked through the doorway. Several Marine guards in full combat gear waited outside the doors. Stopping within the portal were two humanoid beings.

"Doctor Lambert," Jed indicated the two Draconian officers in the doorway, "let me introduce you to Captain Trygg Rothgarson and his first officer, Styr Valbrandrson of Sigma Draconis."

The doctor briefly glanced up to see the Captain's guests, "Pleased to meet ya," and then returned to his monitors.

Thelix turned his head to take in the group, "Captain," he struggled to say, "you fought valiantly. You have gained my respect."

Trygg stepped into the room, flipping his long white hair to his other shoulder, "I should kill you where you lie!"

The marines pressed closer to the new aliens, Trygg stopped his advance and composed himself, "My apologies to my gracious host. I meant no disrespect to your hospitality."

"None taken," Jed answered.

"But you must understand that these creatures are brutal. I have witnessed firsthand what they are capable of doing. Do not trust them."

"Oh, I'm not so sure this one is in any position to cause you harm."

"Quite right, Captain," Doctor Lambert said, "He's much too weak. However, he will recover..."

Trygg interrupted the doctor, "Extract the required information from this one, and then kill him. Before he kills everyone on your ship."

"Captain, eh, Rothgarson is it?" the Doctor began.

"Yes, your pronunciation is correct, Doctor."

"I seriously doubt that he will present any problems for your kind, or ours, from this point on."

"Oh really, Doctor? And what makes you say that?" Styr cocked his head to one side, "I have seen what they are capable of doing. They are cunning and evil creatures. I agree with my Captain. Kill him now before it is too late!"

"Now, let's all just take a deep breath," Doctor Lambert began, "and I'll tell you all about my findings."

"What is it you have to tell us that will convince us to keep him alive?" Trygg asked.

"This Antarian's blood has been changed."

"Changed?" Trygg exclaimed.

"Explain!" Styr demanded.

"Relax folks," Jed said, motioning with his hands. "I'm sure the doctor has a perfectly good explanation."

"We found this Antarian," Doctor Lambert began, "very sick. Nearly dead..."

"Humph," Trygg added, "Too bad."

The doctor returned the Draconian's glare, "As I was saying, we found them in a ship. They captured one of our support ships and crew. Apparently, they cut one of them and tasted their blood."

"Yes, their lust for blood would overcome the prudence of testing it first," Styr said.

Doctor Lambert cleared his throat and gave them another stare, "There was something within Human blood that caused them to get sick. Very sick...this did something to their blood. They lost the symbiotic connection to their blood."

"What are you talking about?" Trygg asked.

"Apparently, they don't understand the unique properties of Antarian blood, Doctor," Commander Jameson said.

"Let me bring you up to speed then," Lambert said, before they could interrupt again, "Their blood seems to be aware, sentient even. It controls their thoughts. This is the main reason why they lust for blood."

"You're saying they can't help themselves?" Trygg asked. "Sounds more like you're giving them an excuse to do what they do!"

"Not at all, Captain. This infection has broken the connection to their blood's awareness. At least this one is no longer subject to his blood lust."

Thelix, no longer able to stay silent again struggled to speak, "Doctor. I can prove to them that I am no longer controlled by my blood."

"Oh, this should be good," Commander Styr scoffed.

"No, let me finish. Then you may kill me as you see fit if you do not believe me."

"Go on, then," Trygg smiled, "for it will be my pleasure to use your own dagger to remove your two hearts!"

"Before I left on this mission, I swore a blood oath."

"Yes," Trygg answered, "We are familiar with your blood oath. Apparently if you speak of something you swore, your blood boils or something."

"Doctor, you can confirm that I swore this blood oath. Tell them the Eridonian scanned my mind and became subject to the same oath."

"Yes, he is telling you the truth."

"You have Eridonians on board?" Trygg's eyes widened with awe.

"Not presently on our ship," Jameson answered, "but when we were back at the Betelgeuse sector, yes."

"You have my attention, continue."

"It was with the Emperor himself."

"Dumakas made you swear an oath? What was it, if you are no longer subject to this blood oath, you can reveal it without harm to yourself."

"Yes, the Emperor has ruled Serintin for centuries. But he should not be ruler."

"How so?"

"His house befriended our last successor. Dumakas' grandfather fooled him into giving the crown to him. He is not of the royal blood of the Emperor's house of Serintin of the star Antares. It is a closely guarded secret that has been forgotten long ago. If that was to be revealed, it would cause chaos, and most likely a civil war among the warlords."

"Well, his secret is now out, and you're still alive," Trygg said.

"Yes, I have broken the blood oath. You must believe that I am no longer confined to this prison of blood. You can see, it no longer has control over me."

"Very well, I shall spare your life. I believe this one can be of use to us in our war," Trygg smiled.

"Will you join forces with us?" Jed asked. "For the common good of defeating this threat?"

"Yes, I will send word to our other ships in the sector. We will offer our help in any situation with the Antarians."

* * *
Chapter Twenty One

________________________

Serintin Palace

________________________

Dumakas towered over Race and Danielle, "You humans are more resourceful that we first anticipated."

Race held his tied hands in the air, "Are these really necessary? I mean, we did turn ourselves in."

"Yes, they are most necessary as this is your second escape attempt," Laboolaron said.

"You say you were close to leaving the Palace? Where did you think you were going?" Dumakas demanded.

"Well, we weren't sure; kind of flying by the seat of our pants, so to speak."

"Tell me again how you were freed from your cell? Did you kill the Antarian we found nearby?"

"Darnash," Danielle said.

"Darnash? Bah! I do not believe you. Why would a trusted man, such as Darnash, risk his own death in freeing the likes of a couple of non-threating humans?"

"Well, what do you think happened to our Eridonian friend?"

"The Eridonian must have played a mind-trick. That is the only explanation that makes sense."

Danielle stepped forward, "Nothing else matters, my Lord Emperor Dumakas. We are here now."

"Yes, yes, I suppose you are at that," Dumakas stroked his stringy goatee, "The question remains; what shall I do with you?"

"I have already offered to fight in the Arena. Grant me this one request and I promise you a blood lust that will be spoken of for generations, my Lord," Danielle grinned.

"How can you be so sure that you will be the victor?" Dumakas drooled.

"I know I am destined," she puffed her ample chest out, "to deliver a blood lust of such magnificence that has never been seen on Serintin before."

Dumakas roared, "You know who won the last battle, and you know the fight must be to the death. That means you must kill your opponent. You will fight the female Draconian. Are you certain you are up to the challenge?"

"Yes!" Danielle boasted with resolve.

"I will grant you this request. However, your mate will remain here with me, where I can keep an eye on him."

Race's eyebrows rose. He winked at Danielle.

"Agreed!"

"Now, wait a minute...doesn't the mate get a vote?"

"No!" Danielle shouted, winked, and then turned back to Dumakas, "and he's not my mate."

"I'm not?"

"Race, be still," Danielle whispered, "Just play along already!"

"Right, right, we're not mated, my Lord," Race tried to convince, "We're just friends, yeah, that's it! Just friends."

"Humph...I trust nothing this male human says."

Race grabbed Danielle by wrapping his arm around her, "Okay, okay, we're a couple. You got me. We just haven't... mated yet!"

Danielle shoved Race away from her as Dumakas laughed, "Someone please shut this male human up!"

"No, really, I'll be quiet now," Race said as two determined looking Antarian guards stepped forward.

Dumakas waved his hand, "Prepare the female for the games! Laboolaron, ensure that you keep this male human silent throughout the battle."

"Yes, my Lord," then Laboolaron motioned to his guards who then promptly escorted Danielle to the arena.

Race jumped up to get one last word out, "You can do it, Danielle! I'm rootin' for ya!"

The guards loomed over the smaller earthling, "You had best take your seat before we have to make you take it."

"Oh, right...yeah. I'm gonna take my seat now."

Dumakas addressed Laboolaron, "Ensure that our invasion fleet is assembled. Once the games are completed, send the order to dispatch them to the Betelgeuse Conduit. Travel to this Earth and bring me back the spoils of our raids."

"Yes, my Lord," Laboolaron bowed before his Emperor.

Danielle was ushered below to the arena entrance. An iron gate lifted, revealing spikes at the ends of each iron rod. The gate creaked open, and the guards gave her a slight nudge across the entrance threshold. She turned and extended her tied hands, "You mind?"

One of the guards took his dagger and cut the ropes off her hands, and then the other guard let the Iron Gate slam down into the ground with a thud.

One of the guards laughed, "The rules are simple. There are none!"

"Your time starts now," the other guard stated, "I would not waste time looking at us."

Danielle took off to find what supplies she had to work with. She glanced up once to see Dumakas and Race watching her from the Emperor's balcony.

She saw the forging fire and air bellows on a flat slab of stone, next to a stone honing wheel. Several shards of metal lined the wall. Some had fallen to the ground. She ran over to the bellows and began pumping, making the fire hotter.

She examined the metal as she pumped the billows. The metal had already been cut into basic sword shapes. One in particular caught her eye; she thought it could make an effective sword.

She began to sweat from the heat of the fire. She ran to grab her selected metal shard and then ran back and set it in the fire. She looked around, finding the anvil and hammer nearby.

"Looks like I just need to put a good edge on this sword."

As she let the metal heat up, she searched for a smaller section of metal she could fashion into a cross guard.

"Nice," Danielle hissed. She removed the heated metal from the fire with tongs and held it to the anvil.

The metal glowed red with heat. As she struck the edges with the hammer, metal sparks shot out in all directions.

She quickly found the rhythm and pounded out the basic sword edge. Her design featured a pronounced profile taper, and then it widened and finally tapered to its tip. She smiled as it took shape. The double edged weapon had a mean look to it. Satisfied with the blade's edge, she again carried it with tongs and doused it in the water. Steam vapor leapt from the water's surface as the hot metal's immersion set it to a boil. Danielle ran back to the forge and heated the blade once more to temper the metal, increasing its hardness without making it brittle.

After cooling the blade to complete the tempering, she heated the smaller pieces and hammered them onto the hilt, forming a crescent shaped cross guard that pointed down the blade.

She grabbed two lengths of leather and began braiding it to form the handle and then tied it off at the pommel.

She nodded with satisfaction as she set the nearly finished blade against the honing stone. A few minutes against the wheel and it was done.

Holding the sword in the palm of her hand, she gauged the balance and pivot points.

Race watched Danielle in amazement, "Hey, Dumakas, that's a pretty wicked looking sword, ain't it!"

"Indeed," the Emperor smiled in return. "She will make a formidable opponent." The Emperor rubbed his hands in excitement. "It appears as if she may deliver what she has promised."

"You think she will win?"

"That remains to be seen. However, this will make for a most excellent blood lust ceremony, regardless of who wins."

Danielle raised her newly fashioned sword over her head and swung it around in a circle, finally aiming it out in front of her. She smiled up at Race and winked.

"Nice," Race cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled.

"Do not speak with the players," Laboolaron cautioned.

"Oh, sorry. I thought I could at least cheer for the good guys!"

Danielle swung her sword with her eyes closed, feeling its weight and balance. She parried and then advanced with masterful precision.

Noticing the time was quickly running out, she began making her way to the high ground. Looking around at the rocks she needed to climb, she decided on a route and dashed to the edge. Once there, she leapt across to a rock outcropping. Her footing gave way, and she dropped her sword as she clutched at the rocks. She watched her sword clank and tumble, and then finally splash into the water.

"Damn! I didn't need that," she mumbled to herself. "That must be about ten foot drop...shouldn't be too bad."

Danielle let go of the cliff and fell feet first into the water below with a splash. Diving to the bottom, she grabbed the sword and swam towards the surface. Something brushed against her leg. She yelped in fear. Air and bubbles escaped from her lips as she quickly scrambled out of the water and up the rocks.

When she turned over she saw one of the large Antarian alligators looking over her. Planting the end of her sword on the ground, she aimed the blade in the air just in time to pierce the Gronjech before it could tear her in half.

She stood and withdrew her weapon from the fallen beast, "They look bigger up close."

Dumakas laughed with joy, and then yelled down to her, "You'll have to do better than that, young lady, if you are to satisfy our blood lust here today."

Danielle looked up at the balcony, "Don't you worry about me...I'll be just fine!"

She dashed up the side of the rocks and scoped out a new route for her trek to the high ground platform.

"You better hurry, human female. Your opponent is nearly there already."

Danielle changed her mind and leapt three times to another large rock. Walking up to the rocks edge, she looked down at the twenty-five foot drop and then across at the ten foot jump.

"I can do this!" she convinced herself.

She took several steps back and then sprinted to the edge. As she leaped across the chasm two Gronjech's snapped at her feet, their teeth barely missing her as she landed on the other side.

"YES!" she shouted with victory.

Spotting the frail wooden ladder, she dashed to it and climbed to the top. She had arrived seconds before her Draconian opponent. She held her sword in a stance and waited for the alien woman to attack.

"Excellent...most excellent!" Laboolaron exclaimed.

"Well done, female human!" Dumakas praised. "Watch carefully, human male," he said, leaning closer so Race could hear, "the best is yet to come."

Danielle countered the Draconian's movements as the two circled each other. The Draconian swirled her sword, taunting Danielle.

"What's your name?" Danielle shouted to the alien woman.

"What does that matter? I am here to take you down so I may live another day!"

"My name's Danielle!"

"I told you human female! It matters not!"

Dumakas stood and leaned over the balcony, "Stop speaking with your opponent and get to it!"

Danielle, not taking her eyes off her opponent, "Why?"

"Because..." Dumakas answered in frustration, "it's...it's just not allowed!"

"I thought you said there are no rules, Emperor!" Danielle shouted in return.

"Skati," the alien woman answered, holding her sword with both hands and in a defensive stance.

"Skati? As in Kati with an S?"

"Yes, that is correct, alien female!"

"Pleased to meet you..."

"Not so much for me!" Skati said before charging Danielle.

Danielle spun around and held her sword in the air. Skati's sword connected with Danielle's with a clank and then slid to the cross guard where both the opponents' swords and eyes kept contact.

"We don't have to do this, you know," Danielle said through clenched teeth.

"It is better to die honorably in a fight, then to be executed."

"They've got you brain washed..." Skati drew off her sword and swung around for another attack, which Danielle again blocked and held the two locked swords together. She was so close to the Draconian, she could smell the alien's breath as she panted.

Danielle flung her sword, deflecting Skati's off her blade. Then the two swords clanked several more times, first connecting at the low side, and then again at the high side.

Skati parried three more blows from Danielle before withdrawing and taking another defensive stance while catching her breath.

"Danielle, I am impressed. You are a skilled warrior. Your death will be honorable indeed."

"Indeed, you are an accomplished warrior as well. Now it seems to be a fight of endurance."

"I shall not fail, Danielle...human female," Skati said, then charged at Danielle.

* * *

________________________

The Rock

Secondary Jump Coordinates

________________________

Jed and his two guests toured the rest of the Rocinante, ending up at the ship's galley, "Care to join us for dinner?"

"Why thank you, Captain Fitz, that is most kind of you. However, I am not sure you will have the necessary food stuffs aboard your ship," Trygg answered, "But I thank you for your hospitality."

"You sure? We're serving beef stroganoff," Jameson added.

"Quite sure."

"You do eat meat, right?" Jed asked.

The Draconian laughed and held his hands motioning, "Heavens no! Barbaric to say the least."

"How about a nice salad? No meat, just vegetables."

"Now that does sound nice. You have carbon-based plant matter in your stores?"

"Yes, there are those among us that are what we call Vegan or Vegetarian. Our 'stores' are full of rich vegetation from Earth."

Trygg looked over at Styr, "Very well, Captain. We shall be honored to sup with you."

"Excellent!" Jed said, waving one of his chiefs over with his hand, "See to it that our guests are treated to the very finest vegetarian cuisine."

"Yes, Sir. Please have a seat, I will send it to your table shortly."

"Does the Captain often dine with his crew? Wouldn't you prefer dining with your senior officers?"

"Some ship Captains do dine by themselves, some with only senior officers. I feel this way gives me a chance to see how moral is doing. It gives me a chance to meet with my men on a more intimate level. It also ensures the crew knows that their Captain is approachable."

"Captain Fitz has an open door policy aboard," Commander Jameson added, "No one is afraid to approach the Captain with ideas."

"Captain, aren't you afraid that your crew will challenge you?"

"No, not in this fleet. Mutiny is something that doesn't happen in our military...at least not anymore."

"What changed?" Trygg asked.

"We started treating our crew with respect and paid them a fair wage."

The Draconian first officer leaned over to his Captain, "We should take some lessons."

"Be still, Commander," Trygg spouted, "We shall speak of this in private."

"Yes, Sir. Sorry, Sir, I meant no disrespect."

"It's alright, Styr. All is forgiven as we are in the company of strange beings."

"Thank you, Sir."

"So, Captain," Jed began, "What brings you out here in this sector? There isn't anything around here. That's why we selected to park here."

"We have been running from the Antarian invasion fleet ever since their last raid on our home world."

"So far," Styr added, "we have kept one step ahead of them."

"Is it just the two of your ships? How many are out here?"

"We were separated from the main fleet," Trygg answered. "At least what is left of our main fleet. We're just jumping from sector to sector. Our intention is to circle around and meet back at Sigma Draconis."

"...and hopefully find the rest of the fleet there," Styr nodded.

"We had over fifty fleet battleships. By the time the Antarian full invasion fleet came, we fought and lost thirty battleships. We're down to twenty, maybe a handful more that jumped to locations we did not know about. Some stayed to fight. We stayed with them for as long as we could. Our ships were quickly overwhelmed, so we decided to jump with five of the remaining ships."

"And now there's only two of you left?"

"On our last jump sequence, an Antarian fleet of three jumped to our location. It was really a stroke of luck on their part. They quickly disabled two of our ships before we could execute our jump. The third one, well, we're not entirely sure what happened to them. We think their jump coordinates were not calibrated with the rest of our ships, so they jumped somewhere else. We may never find them."

"That's too bad," Jed said, leaning in this chair, letting the chef's personal servers place his salad before them.

"This does look most excellent, Captain Fitz," Trygg said.

Jed lifted his glass of wine in the air, "Here's to a long relationship...to Sigma Draconis, may you find your lost crewmen, and free your home world!"

Captain Trygg followed suit, lifting his glass and clinked them together, "And here's to our new Earthen brethren, may your stars always be at your back."

* * *

________________________

Serintin Arena

________________________

Danielle once again blocked the Draconians charge and pushed her sword back before advancing with several hacking swings at her attacker. Danielle swung her sword over her head and pulled it down as the Draconian blocked the heavy blade. Skati fell to her knees at the thrust, dropping her sword. The exhausted Draconian tried to reach for it, but Danielle quickly kicked it over the edge. She rolled to see Danielle standing over her, pointing the tip of her blade at the alien woman's neck.

Dumakas stood once more and shouted, "Kill her! Do it now!"

Danielle pinned the woman to the ground and looked up at Dumakas, then back to the Draconian, "We do not have to end it this way!"

Skati gulped at the thought of her defeat.

Dumakas raised his hands in the air, "You simply must kill her! Those are the rules!"

"Did I not promise the Emperor, Dumakas of the house of Serintin a blood lust like no other?"

"Explain!"

Danielle returned her look to the alien woman she had pinned to the ground, "We do not have to kill our opponent for you to satisfy your blood lust, my Lord Dumakas."

"No! This has never happened in all of our recorded history! You must kill your opponent in order for the blood lust to be satisfied!"

"Is this not a battle to see who the stronger opponent is?"

"Yes! The stronger opponent kills the weaker!"

"Is it not clear that I have her life in my hands?"

"You must take her life to satisfy our blood lust!"

Danielle tossed her sword over the side of the cliff. It clanked and clattered four times as it bounced off the rocks. Then she offered her hand to the Draconian, "I had her life in my hands, now I spare her life!"

"NOOOO! You must kill her!"

"Dumakas, know that I freely offer you my blood. It will be a blood lust such as you have never experienced."

Skati looked at Danielle, "Thank you for sparing my life," and then she bowed before her. "You truly won the match. You could have killed me." Skati looked up to the balcony, "We are both victors, my Lord Dumakas. Drop the rope ladder and we will provide a double blood lust ritual."

"I am intrigued," Dumakas said, placing his large hands on his hips, "Laboolaron, lower the ladder. I shall experience this double blood lust!"

The two females climbed the ladder and stood before Dumakas. They each held their palms out before the Emperor. Dumakas eagerly drew his dagger.

Taking the Draconians' hand first, he drew his blade opening a deep wound. She held her hands up to his lips, and he drank of her life essence. Then he turned to Danielle and placed the blade on her hand. She gripped the blade as he drew it across her hand.

She winced with pain, but kept her eyes on Dumakas' as he held her palm to his lips. Her red blood flowed from her hand to his lips. He drank her blood and then kissed the palm of her hand, "Yes...yes indeed! A double blood lust has been done today for the first day in Antarian history!"

"I hope my blood satisfies you, my Lord," Danielle smiled.

"Oh, yes...it is greatly satisfying...my apologies for causing you pain to your hand, but it is part of the ritual."

Danielle looked at her hand, the Nanites within her blood had already begun closing the wound. "It will only hurt for a moment, my Lord. Know that this very well may be the last of the games."

"How so?" Dumakas asked, interested in what she had to say.

"This day will go down in Antarian history alright...I have fulfilled your blood lust, and quite possibly for all time!"

Dumakas roared with laughter, "That remains to be seen."

"Do you feel any different, Dumakas?" Danielle asked.

"No," he thought about it for a moment, "No, I can't say that I do, really."

"Well, just wait for a few minutes...you will."

"Now that we have two victors, who shall be sent to the Valley of the Trenches to battle the Boreshog?"

"We shall both go. In fact, Race, Skati, and myself shall battle the Boreshog."

"Well now, the three of you? Hmmm. I do not know if I shall release the male human. He has not proven his worth in combat."

"You said that if I battled the Boreshog and won, you would set us free, did you not?"

"Yes, I suppose I did say that."

"Then honor your words here today. Show the people of Serintin that The Lord Emperor Dumakas keeps his word."

"Very well! You shall fight the Boreshog! Prepare your weapons, you have one hour!"

Laboolaron freed Race's bindings. The three were taken to the forge to make new weapons.

He rubbed his wrists and looked at Danielle, "Nice job!"

"Thanks, Race! I wasn't sure how this would play out."

"I am again indebted to and impressed by you, Danielle. Together we shall make strong weapons to fight the beast of the fields."

"Let's hope so," Danielle said with a worried look, "Let's hope so."

* * *
Chapter Twenty Two

________________________

Serintin Rescue Ship

________________________

Lieutenant Parker finished installing the thruster pack module and wiped his hands with a grease rag, "That ought to do it."

"Good job, Mike," Captain Hopkins nodded. "How's our clock doing?"

Sergeant Fletcher looked up from a console, "We've got about three hours before we have to get back to the stream. I'm keeping a close eye on that, trust me."

"Okay, Mitch. What about any un-friendlies?"

"No sign of them, and I ain't going to wander too far away from this here hatch," Fletcher pointed.

"We're going to have to go out and start digging the nose out. Artemis, you keep watch. Parker, you keep looking over these systems. I want to know if we'll have enough spark to ignite our thrusters."

"You got it, Captain," Parker nodded.

"Wait a minute," Fletcher said as the color of his face vanished, "You want me to go out there?"

"Yes, with me and Artemis."

"But, Sir..."

"I know you're scared, Sergeant. But we have to do this if we're ever going to lift off. We'll be right by the ship hatch."

"I don't know, Sir..."

"That's an order, Soldier! I'll be right there with you digging us out. Now, come on. We have to get started. The sooner we're dug out, the better."

"I'll say."

Fletcher nervously turned the hatch wheel and unlocked it. Then he pushed it out, and the door swung open.

"You first, Sir."

Hopkins glanced at the Sergeant in disgust, "Very well." He removed his side arm and poked his head out. Convinced that it was clear, he cautiously stepped out onto the short wing of his ship, and then jumped down to the ground.

Still aiming his weapons in front of him, he waited for the Sergeant to climb out with him. Then the two circled the ship, looking in all directions.

"It's all clear out here, Artemis," Hopkins shouted.

"Sir," Fletcher whispered, "maybe we should hold our voices down a bit?"

Artemis finally climbed out on the wing, but instead of jumping to the ground, she climbed higher to the top of the ship and stood.

"I'm sensing some unusual things," Artemis said.

"Oh, I don't like it when the Eridonian feels uneasy, Sir."

"Shut up, Fletcher. She's just scoping the area out...right, Artemis?" Hopkins said, raising his voice for her to hear.

Artemis looked down at the two, "The beast has returned to the trenches. He is satiated. For now."

"How do you know that?" Hopkins asked, "I thought you couldn't make contact with the beast?"

"I never said that I couldn't feel its presence."

"So? Do you know how far away it is?"

"Maybe a kilometer, over that outcropping."

"That's where Killmocher bought it, alright," Fletcher added.

"Okay," Hopkins ordered, "That's enough of bringing them up. Go check out the nose gear and I'll get us some tools from storage."

"You're not leaving me out here alone, are you, Sir?"

"Artemis is here."

"Yeah, well..."

"Come on, Mitch, get a grip. We'll get out of here soon enough. But I need you to keep it together...can you do that for me?"

"Sorry, Sir. I'll be fine."

"Their deaths had a profound effect on all of us."

"Yes, Sir. It sure did. They were good friends."

"Okay then. Go inspect the struts. I'll be right back."

"Yes, Sir," Fletcher acknowledged, and then cautiously stepped forward and crouched down low enough to see what damage there was to the ship's nose.

"Captain," Fletcher said as loud as he dared, "We'll need something to get the actuator rod back in-line. She's got a pretty nasty bend."

Artemis continued to look all around the ship. Then she closed her eyes and meditated, "Something is coming."

"Holly crap!" Fletcher yelped. "I'm heading back in!"

Captain Hopkins returned holding two shovels and a toolbox, "Oh no you're not, Mister!"

"But, what about what the Eridonian just said."

"The Eridonian has a name...Artemis...you should start using it," the Captain snapped. Hopkins looked up to Artemis, "So, what is it you sense up there?"

"I don't think it's the beast...not sure what we have yet...and I am not offended by the term of 'the Eridonian.' You do not have to be concerned; we do not have egos, not as you do."

"Nice to know," Hopkins smiled, "Here," he held out one of the shovels, "Start digging."

Fletcher reluctantly grabbed the small portable shovel. He twisted the knob at the end and then extended it to full length and then locked it in position. Positioning the blade of the shovel, Fletcher started digging out the nose.

Hodges examined the strut and got out a sledge. He began beating the rod back into position, "We've got to get this straightened, or we'll have way too much drag on the ship."

"Sir, the tip of the nose is planted about two feet deep. It's going to take the both of us to dig a hole big enough to tip her back up in time."

"I'll be there in a minute, Sergeant," he said as he continued to beat on the rod, "But...first...have to...give...this...a...go..."

Fletcher jammed the tip of his shovel and flung as much dirt as he could with each pass.

"There is it again!" Artemis exclaimed with open eyes.

"What? What's coming! Oh my god, were gonna die!"

Artemis folded her arms and shook her head, "No, it's not the beast," she said, now sporting a smile, "It's one of the Antarians."

"I knew it was bad!"

Captain laid his hammer down and joined Fletcher with his shovel, "Will you just shut up already, Mitch."

The towering Antarian came out from the tree line, approaching the ship at high speed. Artemis pointed with one of her spindly finger, "Look, there he is now."

Fletcher dropped his shovel and ran to the ship's hatch.

"Fetcher! It's alight. Remember, Artemis told us one was coming here. Isn't that right, Artemis?"

"Yes, yes, I did say that...and there's my beloved Malcom, riding high on his shoulders."

Malcom waved his arm at the group as they approached. The giant, sasquatch-like alien let Malcom to the ground. Artemis sat on the ship and slid down to the wing, then jumped to the ground and ran to Malcom.

The two locked forearms and touched foreheads.

"It is all the Eridonian would talk about the entire way here," the Antarian giant exclaimed.

"Oh, Malcom," Artemis smiled, "I am so glad you're alright."

"I'm fine, my love," Malcom looked over at Captain Hopkins, "This is Darnash. He is responsible for my escape."

"Darnash," Hopkins said, extending his hand, "Captain Hopkins," then he pointed to the nose of the ship, "That's Sergeant Fletcher, and Lieutenant Parker's inside, fixing her up."

"May I be of assistance to you?" Darnash asked.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind helping us dig out my ship..."

"Dig it out?" Darnash laughed.

"What's so funny," Fetcher panted, finally tossing his shovel aside.

"You will not get your ship free by digging it out."

"You got a better idea?" Hopkins asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Step aside," Darnash warned. Then he crouched low and hugged the nose of the ship. Pushing with his shoulder, his feet digging into the soil, he slowly moved the ship. The rest of the group joined in and pushed the nose out of the hole and slid it to solid ground.

"Something like that?" Darnash smiled.

"Yeah, something like that."

"Anything else I can help you with?"

"Well, I've been beating on this bent landing strut. With not much success I might add."

"Let me see," Darnash knelt down as far as he could and examined the bent strut. He reached out with his powerful hands and started pulling the metal. He let go, moved back a little, and checked the straightness by eye. He repeated the process twice more before he was satisfied.

"There! It is fixed."

"Wow," Hopkins smiled, "Remind me to put one of you in my toolbox next time."

Darnash stood and brushed the dirt off his knees, "I am happy to be of service."

"Yeah, now, that's got me wondering..." Hopkins began. "Why is it that a Warlord is helping his enemy?"

"Well, yes. That would be the question of the day, now wouldn't it?" Darnash replied.

"I think the better question is where our other guys are?" Fletcher asked.

"Yes, I will answer both questions. First I must explain that I became infected by the blood from the female called Danielle Cooper."

"Her blood?" Fletcher grimaced.

"So you did take some," Hopkins slapped his thigh, "Guess I win the pool."

"You bet on that, Captain?" Fletcher asked.

"Yes I did, and it looks like I win."

"I became infected and then passed the illness to our Captain and Pilot before I left for Antares. I did not show signs right away, but it did nearly kill me. When I recovered, I found myself at our Antarian infirmary. That's where I discovered there was something different."

"What was different?" Fletcher asked, being totally captivated by the Antarian's words.

"That's why you're helping us now, isn't it?"

"Yes," Darnash continued, "I have lost my blood spirit. I no longer am held by the desire to kill to satisfy its blood lust."

"So, now we know why you're helping us...why didn't the others come with you?"

"There is more to this story that must be told, but first I will tell you that the female decided to stay to fight in the arena. She was convinced that if there was any chance that her blood could cure our blood lust, she could not pass up the opportunity. The male who calls himself, Race Jennings, offered to stay with the female. He said it was his fault that she was mixed up in this, so he felt an obligation to see it through."

"Okay, a big risk..."

"Yes, but I feel the female will be victorious. Her spirit is strong and her tenacity extraordinary. She must win."

"Malcom?" Hopkins asked, "Did you get a chance to train her telepathically?"

"Sadly, no. There was too much interference with the dampening field. But I told her I did. That will be enough to give her the courage...she will have to find her own way."

"You mentioned that there was more to the story?" Fletcher asked.

"Yes...it goes back centuries ago. It was foretold by our forefathers; one would come that would satisfy our blood lust forever...a female warrior...one that fights with such a ferocity that she defeats the Boreshog in the Valley of the Trenches."

"And you think this person is our Danielle?"

"I believe it is so. There has been no other that ever was able to affect our blood as she has done."

"What else do your forefathers tell you?"

"They told us about the star that would supernova and create a way to this new humanoid race to find Antares. They foretold that the star Betelgeuse would explode. However, they did not know exactly when it would."

"Is there anything more?"

"Yes...however, it is only known by a few."

"And you just happen to be one of these few?"

"There are three moons, or as we call them, houses. There is the first moon Delema. I am of that house. The second house is Gornash, which is the house my Captain is from. Finally, there is the house of Serintin, the house of the Emperor. Delema is mostly an intellectual house, they are the ones who look beyond today."

"They're fortune tellers, then?"

"That is the closest translation, yes. The house of Gornash is where most of our warriors come from. These are raised by special blood relations, they are taught the ways of the Warlord."

"Okay," Hopkins nodded, "I'm beginning to understand the hierarchy, but what does that have to do with your blood?"

"Nothing with my blood, as I am a foreteller. However, I elected to learn the ways of the second house and became a warlord. This is how I met Thelix of the House of Gornash. Now," Darnash explained, "There is legend, that the Emperor's House keeps a great secret with regard to Dumakas, of the house of Serintin."

"Let me guess...he's really not from Serintin, is he?"

"His grandfather was a great warrior. He was called Dumakas, Son of Thumakas, Son of Gorax the Great, of our Lord and Emperor's house. The legend is that Gorax the Great was actually from the second house, and therefore, should not be heir to the throne."

"I see...if that were to get out as fact..."

"It would destroy the Emperor's house. Civil war would break out among the three houses. The Emperor that was of the House of Serintin gave the crown to Gorax for his worthy deeds, but we think that Gorax fabricated the Emperor's will and then proceeded to kill him to secure the throne."

"So, Dumakas is a sham."

"Yes, that is the legend. However, until that one great warrior who will quench the blood lust arrives, we shall not have proof."

"How will this warrior provide proof?"

"The books do not specify, but they say that it will be a female warrior from an unknown house, and that we will be given a sign. We shall know that sign when it is time."

"That's what your ancient books say?"

"That is what they say."

"What do you think, Darnash?"

"It matters not what I think."

"Why is that?"

"Because of my treason...I betrayed my people; I have lost any credibility I may have had. I killed an Antarian and freed prisoners. My punishment will be death should I be caught."

"Well, we will just have to ensure you're not caught, then."

"How can you do this?"

"You must come with us."

Darnash looked at the size of the ship, "I do not think so. I will not fit with everyone onboard."

"He's got a point there," Fletcher added.

"We'll find a way."

"No, I must stay and fight for my people here. I can hide in the forest. They will not risk coming to find me here."

"Why is that?"

"Maybe it's that beast in the field," Fletcher said, pointing at the rock outcropping.

"The boy is correct..."

"Boy? Gee, thanks."

"I will remain here on Serintin. Perhaps I can be of some use in trying to uncover the Emperor's deception."

"That's up to you, Darnash. If you change your mind, we will make room."

"Thank you for your generous offer. I will take it into consideration."
Chapter Twenty Three

________________________

Serintin Arena

________________________

Danielle, Race and Skati stood below the Emperor's balcony, on the high ground of the arena.

"My Lord Dumakas of the Emperor's house," Danielle shouted, "We have each completed forging the weapons we will use to kill the great Boreshog!"

"Excellent!" Dumakas shouted in return, "You will exit the arena at the Southern gate. From there, you will make your way to the Valley of Trenches."

Dumakas grabbed a large burlap bag and tossed it down into the arena, "Return with the Boreshog's head, and I will reward you as I have promised."

Danielle snatched the bag from the air and tucked it into her belt, "I shall return the head of the Boreshog to prove my worthiness."

Dumakas waved at Laboolaron, and the exit opened to the three, "Then go!" Dumakas ordered. "You will not have my audience further until you return with the prize."

The three rushed to the exit on the other side of the arena and ran out of the palace toward the Valley of the Trenches.

"That was smooth, Danielle," Race smiled, "But you're really not serious about fighting that beast, are you?"

"Heavens no!" Danielle answered, "You think I'm crazy? I needed a reason to get us out of there."

Skati's white hair flowed out from behind her as she kept up with Danielle's pace, "Humans...it will take some time to understand you. What is our plan?"

"We're going to follow the river south, away from the palace to the forest like Darnash instructed. There, we can stay hidden from that monster and get to our ship. The Valley of the Trenches lies to the east of the forest. As long as we stay at the tree line, the monster will not see us."

"How much time before they leave us behind?" Race asked.

Danielle glanced over, "I've lost track, but we don't have much time. Two hours, tops."

Skati caught up to Danielle, "Will there be room in your rescue ship for me?"

"We'll make room, Skati. Don't worry."

"Thank you, Danielle. Once I have been reunited with my people, your reward will be great."

"So, who are you to the Draconians, anyway?" Race asked.

"I was their Empress."

"Wow, really?"

"Yes, Race. You both will be rewarded handsomely upon my return, this I know for sure."

"It's my pleasure, Skati," Race smiled, "But reward isn't really what we're looking for..."

"Then what? Why do you offer your lives to help me?"

"That is what we humans do," Danielle said. "It is difficult to save ourselves. To save one more is not much harder. Come on now, the forest is just up ahead."

"But if you were to give us a reward..."

"Race!" Danielle scolded.

"...we don't want to offend her by not accepting it, now do we? It's all part of the diplomatic thing, you know."

Danielle didn't bother to look at Race, "You are incorrigible."

"What? I'm just trying to solidify our Draconian relations."

"You're trying to solidify relations, all right..."

The group made it to the forest edge in good time and headed south. An hour into their journey, they slowed their pace.

"The forest is getting pretty thick," Danielle said, "Maybe we should head back to the edge more," but before she could finish, an old Antarian woman appeared in front of the group. She stood between them and their current path, holding a golden sword, cross ways in a defensive stance. She made an imposing figure, in spite of being the shortest Antarian the three had ever seen.

"Who are you?" the old Antarian asked.

The group stopped dead in their tracks and armed themselves with their swords.

"Tell me who you are?"

"Danielle of the House of Cooper," Danielle reluctantly answered, "Who are you?"

The old woman smiled and lowered her sword, "Follow me. These woods are not safe here."

Race shrugged, but held his weapons firm, "And where do you propose we go if these woods aren't safe? As if there is any safe place on this rock!"

"Do not be concerned with me. I mean you no harm. You will see. Now follow me before it's too late!"

The three followed the old Antarian woman to what appeared to be a small hut, hidden in the thick forest.

She opened the makeshift door and motioned for them to enter, "Get inside, quickly now!" The woman scanned all around the area before entering and closing the door.

"Please, have a seat. I don't get visitors very often."

"Apparently," Race said, noticing the dust covered furniture.

"Where are you three heading?" the old woman asked.

"The Emperor has freed us!" Race answered.

The old woman scoffed, "Not likely..."

"How would you know?"

"Because the Emperor I know...you I do not!"

"Ma'am," Danielle began, "If you don't mind telling us who you are? We're kind of in a hurry."

"Oh, yes, yes, of course," she laughed, "You are trying to leave Serintin, aren't you?"

"Well," Race answered, "the thought did cross our minds."

"You were sent here to fight the Boreshog, weren't you?"

"Yes," Danielle answered. "What do you know about this?"

"Because, Emperor Dumakas is my grandson."

"Grandson?" Skati exclaimed.

"Wait, wait," Race asked, "Emperor Dumakas never mentioned anything about you."

"Well, of course he didn't. He doesn't want anyone to know I'm still alive, lest I reveal his secrets."

"Secrets? Whattya mean?" Race asked.

"Here, you are in a hurry. It is better I show you." The old woman grabbed a large book from a dusty shelf behind them. "It's all right here."

"What is this?" Danielle asked.

"The book of prophecies, that's what."

The old woman set the book on a table in front of the group and slowly opened the binding. The dust from the pages lifted into the air. She blew the dust in their faces and then slowly began to chant, "Morgegh telemin josineh. Morgegh! Telemin! Josineh!"

Race and Skati's eyes glassed over, but Danielle remained alert, "What did you just do to them?"

The woman chuckled, "I will tell you in a moment, my dear...but first," she said, turning her attention to the other two. "You will leave here and never return. You shall flee to your rescue ship...do you understand me?"

Race and Skati nodded, and then stood to leave the woman's hut.

Danielle jumped up to stop them, but the old woman blocked her. "Even though I am small in stature, compared to other Antarians, I am still much stronger than you, my dear. Now, please sit down. They will be alright."

"Tell me what's going on!"

"Very well, my dear," the old woman said, "They will return to your ship, and you will fight the Boreshog."

"But..."

The old Antarian woman lifted a hand to silence Danielle, "You were not affected by my dust. That proves it."

"Proves what?"

"That you are the One."

Danielle held her hand on her chest, "Me? You think I'm going to fight this Boreshog? Alone?"

"Well, since you weren't hypnotized by my sacred dust, you will."

"What if I decide to flee with the others? What's stopping me?"

"Because that is not the way the book tells of it."

"How do you know all this?"

"It's all right here, Danielle, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's my name."

The woman turned several pages and pointed, "It's all right here."

Danielle leaned closer to try to read the book, "I can't read Antarian. Only my Nanites are interpreting your spoken words."

"Well, of course you can read it...or you will in time."

"You make it sound like I'm going to stay here...that's not going to happen."

"If you want your friends to make it safely to your rescue ship, you will."

"I'm afraid I still don't understand."

"Very well, I will explain it all to you."

"Please do!"

"This is one of the very last books of prophecies. No one else knows of its existence. You see, I am not of the House of Serintin, but of the House of Delema."

"That's one of the other moons of Lebencha, isn't it?"

"You are quite correct, Danielle."

"What's your name?"

"My name matters not. Now, shall we get back to the book of prophecy?"

"Please do."

"It says that a female warrior will come to the star Antares...a woman that is not of any of our houses. It states that this warrior will have a profound effect on our blood lust. Let me ask you. You had to win the arena battle, in order for you to be here right now. Did your blood have an effect on Dumakas?"

"I'm not sure if Dumakas was affected or not, but I do know of another who said he lost his blood spirit."

"Yes, yes...then it is just a matter of time before Dumakas loses touch with his blood."

"You're certain of this, aren't you?"

"Yes, quite certain."

"We're not sure if your doctors have reprogrammed your Nanites to prevent the infection."

"Well, they can try, but they will not succeed."

"And this book," Danielle said, examining the dusty pages, "this book says that I will defeat the beast of the Trenches?"

"See, you just read that," the old woman pointed, "You read our words without hesitation. See? You can read our written word."

"I did?"

"Yes, you deliver the beasts head to the Emperor."

"Dumakas said he will free us if I return its head."

"Keep reading, my dear."

Danielle looked at more of the pages, "It says that after the Boreshog has been decapitated, the female warrior will drink of its blood."

"Again, word for word, yes, yes, keep reading."

Danielle continued to read the book to herself. Then stopped and looked up at the old woman, "You can't be serious."

"Oh, I'm afraid the book of prophecies is very serious."

"You can't expect me to..."

"You will not have a choice, Danielle, Warrior of the House of Cooper."

"My friends?"

"They will be alright. Just as I told you."

"Now," the old woman said, picking up her golden sword. "This is the sword that you shall use. There is more I have for you."

"What else is there?"

"I've been holding this equipment for over six hundred years."

"Is that how old you are?"

"Oh, no, no, no...I'm much older than any other Antarian," the old woman winked.

"Just how old are you?"

"I am seven hundred and two to be exact."

"Exactly? This is your birthday?"

"Yes, indeed it is...but that word, birthday, I suppose it is the closest translation we'll get."

"Well, how about that," Danielle said, pointing at another page, "It says that right here too."

"Well, of course it does, my dear. I told you this ancient book of prophecies is never wrong."

"What do you have for me?"

The old woman opened a cabinet on the far side of the room and emptied its contents, "Your armor. Complete with leggings and arm braces with gloves and this helmet."

"Nice. And how is it this fits?" Danielle said trying on the golden armor pieces.

"The book of..."

"Okay, okay, I get it. It was made for the unknown warrior that travels to Serintin."

The woman nodded with satisfaction.

"What's in the bag?" she asked, looking at a long and round green colored bag.

"Let me show you, but we must go outside to see it."

"Is it safe out there?"

"Oh yes. Quite safe indeed."

"Then why did you say it wasn't?"

"Do you think you would have followed me if I said any different?"

"I suppose not."

The old woman picked up the bag and took it outside, unzipped it and removed a harness which appeared to have dozens of sharp blades attached. She helped Danielle with the harness and the blades flowed behind her back.

"Now, take a defensive stance," the old woman instructed.

Danielle took her golden sword and made like the beast was approaching her. The blades shot out, forming wings.

"What the hell?"

The old woman laughed, "This is how you are to protect yourself from the beast. When it soars toward you, you can deploy these blades, which will prevent the beast's attack from above."

Danielle stood upright once more, and the wings lowered back into place, "Well, that's convenient."

"I thought you'd like that."

"Is there anything else I need to know?"

"No, I'm afraid anything else I tell you won't help you. Now go, you must hurry. Confront the Boreshog before it sees your friends. Then bring its head to Dumakas and fulfill the prophecy."

* * *

________________________

Serintin Rescue Ship

________________________

Parker stood watch on top of the rescue ship. He held his field glasses and scanned the area. Then he pointed, across the field to the north forest edge, "There they are!"

Hopkins looked up at Parker, "How many?"

"There are two; a man and woman...looks like they made it out together," Parker shouted.

Captain Hopkins climbed to the top of the ship and took the field glasses from Parker, "Let me see...yep, that looks like Race. But that is not Danielle!"

"If it's not Danielle, then who?"

"That's a great question. Malcom," Hopkins shouted below, "Can you get a read on the woman that's with Race?"

Malcom looked up at the Captain, "There's too much interference with that energy stream so close, but maybe with Artemis's assistance."

"Well, get to it then. They'll be here in a couple of minutes, and I don't like surprises."

Artemis climbed out of the rescue ship and came over to Malcom. The two touched foreheads and locked their spindly fingers on each other's forearms.

"Well?"

Finally, Malcom released Artemis and looked up, "It's a Draconian woman. That's all we can tell. Sorry we can't do any better than that."

Hopkins handed the glasses back to Parker and climbed down to the ground, "Parker, keep a close eye out until we're ready to leave."

Fletcher poked his head out of the hatch, "We're leaving without Danielle, Sir?"

"We're out of time. We have to get back to the pickup point, like, now!"

Race and Skati arrived to the rescue ship, their eyes continued to be glossed over, still in their hypnotic trance.

Captain Hopkins extended his hand to Race, "Colonel Jennings, I'm very glad to see you."

Race simply stood there, not making any eye contact.

"Race! What's wrong, man?" Hopkins said, taking Race by the shoulders, he shook him. "Come on, man! Snap out of it!" and then he slapped his face with a snap.

Race shook his head and focused on Captain Hopkins, "What's going on, Danielle? Where's Danielle?"

"You don't know where she is?" Hopkins asked.

"No, no...I-I can't remember what happened...we were making our way through the forest, and now, I'm standing here with Skati."

"Who?" Hopkins asked.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, this is Skati...Danielle spared her life in the arena."

"Yes," Skati nodded, "Allow me to introduce myself to you. I am Skati Narfason, Empress of Sigma Draconis."

"Pleased to meet you," Hopkins nervously nodded, "So, where's Danielle?"

"I wish I knew," Race rubbed his eyes, "Everything's a fog right now."

"Then we can't worry about her right now. Come on, let's get packed up and bug out of here."

Fletcher returned to the safety of the rescue ship, "I'm all for that, Sir!"

Race and Skati entered the ship, followed by Artemis and Malcom. Hopkins shouted up to Parker, "Okay, come on down and let's get this bird fired up."

"I'm on it, Sir!"

"Darnash," Hopkins said, "My offer still stands if you want to come with us."

"No, my place will be here on Serintin. I will look for Danielle and assist her with the Boreshog."

"You sure she's gonna fight that thing?" Hopkins asked.

"Yes, I am certain. I will do what I can to keep her safe."

"Thank you for all your help, Darnash."

"You are quite welcome, Captain Hopkins. I just wished we could have met under different conditions."

"Stay safe, my friend," Hopkins said, shaking his large hand, "I'm certain we will meet again."

"Yes, I feel you are correct, Captain Hopkins. I think you put it as 'good luck' if my translation is accurate."

"Yes, good luck to you too, Darnash."

Darnash turned and headed to the forest in search of Danielle.

Hopkins watched the giant fade into the forest and then climbed into the rescue ship. He pulled the hatch closed and turned the wheel, sealing them inside.

Parker was already strapped in the pilot seat, and the Captain quickly joined him at the front of the ship.

Cinching his shoulder straps, he turned to Parker, "You sure we've got enough battery power to ignite the thrusters?"

"No, I'm not certain of anything, Sir...but here goes," he flipped switches and turned knobs on his console. Turning to the Captain, "Well, so far so good, Sir. We've got auxiliary power."

"Great, all systems powering up," Hopkins said over the whine of the ships systems as they came back to life.

"The real test is about to happen," Parker said. Squinting his eyes, he flipped the power controls to the on position for the engines and was rewarded with full power, "Ahhh, like music to my ears, Sir!"

"Alright people. Make sure you're buckled down good and tight, it's going to get rough from here on out!" Hopkins ordered.

Parker shoved the thruster control forward, sending power to the engines and lifted the rescue ship off the ground.

* * *
Chapter Twenty Four

________________________

Serintin

Valley of Trenches

________________________

Darnash followed the forest tree line to the Valley of Trenches. When he spotted Danielle holding a golden sword and sporting the blade-wielding wings, he ran to her.

"Danielle."

"Darnash!" she exclaimed, "I didn't expect to see you again. I thought you would have fled this moon after your treason."

"I decided the rescue ship would be far too cramped. Plus, I thought you could use some help to defeat the beast."

"I found all the help I need, thank you."

"It appears that you ran into Dumakas' grandmother."

"Yes, I did. Pretty nifty, huh?"

"If she gave you these things, it surly means she believes you to be the warrior that is in the ancient book of prophesies."

"Well, that's what she told me...but I gotta tell ya, I'm not all too keen on having to remain here on Serintin."

"If the scrolls are true, you will not have a choice, my Lady."

"So the book of prophecy says," Danielle creased her brow and trembled.

"Do not fear what you do not understand, my Lady. Once you partake of the blood lust of the beast, you will understand."

"I am sorry, Darnash. I'm having difficulty believing."

"You do not have to believe a thing for it to be true. Now I suggest putting those thoughts out of your mind and face the beast of the field."

Danielle clenched the golden sword with both hands, her white knuckles hidden by the metal and leather gloves. Darnash, fully aware of the woman's trepidation, began providing instructions, "I will flank the beast and gain his attention, and then you charge from his rear."

"...and if that doesn't work?" Danielle asked with furrowed brow.

"It shall work. However, should the beast detect you before you can jump on its back, then fight it head on. If it begins to soar toward you, deploy your wings so it will not be able to grab you with its talons."

She nodded with understanding, and Darnash smiled in return, "It will be fine, my Lady. Now I shall skirt the forest and then get it to turn its back to you."

"Be careful, Darnash!" Danielle shouted as he turned to take his leave.

Darnash stopped for a moment, turned back and gave her a reassuring grin, "of course, my Lady."

She watched Darnash disappear in the forest and waited for the beast to turn its back to her.

* * *

________________________

The Rock

Secondary Jump Coordinates

________________________

"Trygg," Jed said, shaking the alien's hand, "Styr, it has been my pleasure to have you aboard."

"Captain," Trygg answered, grasping his forearm as the two shook, "The pleasure has been ours."

"I feel we will begin to forge a great relationship between our two races."

"Yes, Jedidiah, of this we are certain. Good luck, Captain. I hope you recover your people safely."

Jed bid farewell to the Draconians and then accompanied Commander Jameson toward the CSC.

"Great bunch of people," Jameson nodded.

"Yes, fortunately for us."

"Guess not all aliens out here are bad."

"Guess not, Sir," Jameson paused as Chief Kelly approached, "Chief, recall the CAP and seal off the landing bay once the Draconians have departed. Prepare for jump!"

"Aye, Sir!" Chief Kelly acknowledged, not breaking his stride. "Major Phillips, recall the CAP, we're getting outta here!" Kelly reported over his headset.

Jedidiah and Commander Jameson entered the CSC, Jed barked orders to his crew, "Begin jump prep! Lieutenant Collins, report when all fighters and support ships have returned. NAV, set jump rendezvous coordinates, and prepare emergency standby location back to the Betelgeuse sector."

"Aye, Sir!" Collins replied.

"Sir," Lieutenant Henderson reported, "The Draconians have launched and are clear of the flight deck. The last fighter is landing now."

"Great," Jameson nodded, "start the clock!"

"Commencing two minutes countdown," the NAV station acknowledged.

"Sir," Henderson began, "Chief Kelly says the flight deck is secured and locked down. We're ready for jump."

Jed fastened himself in his standing position restraint system and began his systems check, "Spool FTL drives."

"Jump drives spooling, Sir!"

"Sub light!"

"Go!"

"NAV!"

"Go!"

"Tactical!"

"Go!"

"Jump resolution check!"

"We're a go, Captain!" each station reported in cadence.

"Generate negative energy densities!"

"Generating negative densities," the engineer station reported.

"FTL!"

"Jump drive is spooled one-hundred percent...GO!"

"The board is green, Captain!" Commander Jameson acknowledged.

"Initiate jump!"

* * *

________________________

Agamemnon

Betelgeuse Sector

________________________

Admiral Gilmore looked up to his tactical station, listening to the report, "Sir, the Bristol is checking in. They have completed their nuke deployment."

"How's the Yamato coming with theirs?"

"They're just now reporting in, Sir. They've completed setting their nukes and are heading back to formation, as well."

"Sir!" Lieutenant Casey shouted, "Our CAG is reporting major activity on their scanners!"

"Lieutenant Hudson," Commander Bridges ordered, "verify!"

"Yes, Sir," Hudson admitted, "confirm: at least fifteen...no, make that twenty radar blips!"

"Sound General Quarters! Chief Shumote," Commander Bridges ordered, "Launch all birds! Repeat this is not a drill, we have inbound bogies, launch all fighters!"

"Arm point defense systems," Admiral Gilmore ordered, "launch all drones!"

"Affirmative, Sir. Launching all fighters," the comm officer nodded, "Sending word to the Bristol and Yamato, they're launching their fighters as well!"

"Casey, program one of our drones and send it though the corridor with the following message: Captain Wilson, this is Admiral Gilmore. We are under heavy attack. Proceed with operation Meat Hook."

"Aye, Sir," Casey nodded, as he busily manipulated his console, "Message programmed...drone dispatched!"

"Bring the Bristol on our starboard and the Yamato on our port," Commander Bridges ordered. "We must keep those Antarians from entering the corridor."

"The nukes are ready to detonate, Sir!" Lieutenant Hudson reported.

"We can't fire them off while we're still in this sector, we're too close!" Bridges yelled.

"Enemy fighters are engaging ours, Sir. Point defense systems are active!"

The comm officer sent the CAG's voice over the CSC speakers, "There's too many of them! Can't hold them all off!"

"Sir, what are your orders?"

"They're taking a beating out there!" Bridges said, stroking the nape of his neck.

"Keep pushing 'em back!" Admiral Gilmore ordered, "Get the Bristol and Yamato out to a safe distance. Helm, turn us about...full speed to thrusters, head us to the Event Horizon!"

"But, Sir..."

"Don't but sir me! Get 'err done, Mister!"

"Aye, Aye, Sir!" Lieutenant Fleming ordered, then turning to the helm, "You heard the man! Turn us about, NOW!"

"Incoming!" Hudson reported, "Several missiles inbound!"

"Get our birds to change tactics. Tell them to take out as many of those missiles as they can!"

"Yes, Sir! They're on it!"

* * *

________________________

Serintin

Valley of Trenches

________________________

Danielle began her run when the Boreshog faced the exposed Darnash. She held the golden sword high as she sprinted toward the beast. Darnash stood his ground, his sword pointed at the approaching beast.

The Boreshog took flight and soared a few feet off the ground, its large bat-like wings pushing down and outward, catching air, creating lift. The beast gained speed with each flap of those great wings. Danielle saw it heading straight for the large Antarian, talons extended, ready to yank Darnash off of the ground. She yelled out, gaining the monster's attention.

The Boreshog dropped its large hooved feet to the ground. The great beast slid forward, its huge wings flapping now to stop. Finally, it straightened and turned to face Danielle. The beast lifted its ugly head and roared its challenge to the red sky. Then it took off at a gallop toward Danielle. The Boreshog lifted back into the air and soared with its talons fully extended.

Darnash charged at the flying beast, lunged and swung his mighty sword. The huge Antarian's blade missed the Boreshog by inches. Then Danielle yelled out. Darnash regained his footing and pursued the beast as it flew at Danielle.

His long strides nearly matched the flying monster as it sliced through the air in pursuit of the human.

Danielle squatted close to the ground, deploying the deadly knives. The Boreshog reached out to grab her shoulders, only to be pierced clean through by several of the wing appendages. The beast flapped its large wings to gain balance. The mass of the beast caught on her blades pulled Danielle into the air. Soon though, the blades pulled back out of the flying creature from her weight. She fell to the ground in a heap. The monster bled from where its hands had grabbed the blades. Danielle was quickly on her feet, watching the flying creature bank gracefully to the left, circling around for another attack.

Darnash caught up to Danielle, sword at the ready in both his massive hands, "Lean into the beast with the wings, then lung your sword into its belly. You must withdraw its blood if you are to win this fight."

"It's blood? Before it's dead?"

He pressed down on the middle of her back and crouched under her deadly wings as the beast flew overhead, this time not grabbing at the woman, but inspecting what had caused its pain.

Danielle instinctively jabbed her golden sword at the beast as it flew over, lunging forward as Darnash had instructed. One edge of her blade managed to cut a deep wound in its right leg as it passed.

They stood once more, turning to follow the creature again as it circled to the right. Darnash grabbed Danielle's sword and wiped the blade out to its tip with his finger, picking up as much of the creature's blood as he could.

Darnash held his finger up to Danielle's lips, but she reared back at the stench, "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Take it, my Lady! It is the only way!"

The beast was almost upon them again when she swallowed Darnash's finger, licking off all the blood she could stomach.

She spat the rest of it on the ground and crouched a third time with Darnash.

"I feel funny!" she commented, and then stood upright, lifting her head high in the air, she let out a blood curdling scream.

Darnash placed his hands on her shoulders in comfort, "I am sorry you have to go through that, my Lady. You will understand soon enough."

The beast flew across the field and landed on its hooves and folded its wings close to its body. The thing scuffed one of its hooves on the ground, kicking dust in the air.

"I'm getting strange feelings, and I think it's coming from my own blood."

"Do not be concerned, my Lady. That is a perfectly normal reaction."

"Reaction?"

The beast began galloping at the two and took off into the air, gracefully flapping its wings.

* * *

________________________

The Rock

Lebencha Energy Stream

________________________

The Rock shook violently within the energy stream. Had they not been battered by the ship's extreme gyrations, the crew would have been deafened by the groans, creaking, and popping from the over stressed hull.

"Full power to inertial dampeners!" Commander Jameson shouted.

"Helm!" Jed added, "pitch bow five degrees plus Z! Yaw starboard two degrees...keep us inside the stream at all costs!"

"Lieutenant Henderson, anything on the scanners?" Jed yelled over the noise, "Are they out there?"

"I don' know, Sir!" the comm officer shouted in return, "There's too much static to read them!"

"Sir!" Lieutenant Foster reported, "We're losing attitude control...our inertial dampeners are at maximum, and we're still drifting to the outer edges!"

"How long before the Antarians make us if we're outside the stream?" Commander Jameson inquired.

"Two, maybe three minutes, tops, Sir!" the CSC's tactical station reported.

"Lieutenant Collins, target missiles on the Serintin collector station!" Jed ordered.

"That might ignite the stream, Sir!"

"The stream will be interrupted before it's ignited...this is our only chance to bring the rescue team onboard! Do it!"

"Weapons locked...ready to fire, Sir!" Collins nodded.

"Begin jump prep to emergency coordinates, start the clock!"

"Spooling jump drive," Lieutenant Foster acknowledged, "The clock is running, two minutes!"

"Fire missiles!"

Lieutenant Foster slammed his fist on the red fire button on his console. The ship rocked at the power of the missiles blazing, sending three projectiles from their launch tubes.

"Missiles away!"

* * *
Chapter Twenty Five

________________________

Serintin

Valley of Trenches

________________________

Three missiles traveled down the energy stream, closing on their target. The energy collector tower exploded with such violence that the ground quaked over a one mile radius.

Danielle and Darnash fell to the ground from the shock, the Boreshog missing its next assault on the two as it flew above their heads.

A cloud of fire rose high into the air, followed by a black billowing mushroom cloud of smoke, pouring out from what was left of the complex.

The thundering explosion frightened the beast, causing it to land a few feet from Danielle. The beast collapsed its wings and crouched low to the ground and looked around its surroundings.

"Now, my Lady! The beast is stunned!"

Danielle wasted no time in getting off the ground. She grabbed her golden sword and ran. The Boreshog shook its head, its ears ringing from the missile strike. With her newly found strength, she leaped into the air, letting out a mighty shout before swinging her sword over her head. She plunged it into the beast's neck to the swords' hilt. The Boreshog opened its wings and flapped them uncontrollably as it tried to fight off its attacker. Danielle straddled the thrashing creature, her sword stuck clean through its flesh. Blood poured from the gaping wound and began pooling under the beast.

The creature managed to pitch Danielle off its back. She flew to the ground with a thud, leaving her sword still stuck in the beast.

Darnash picked up his sword and ran at the creature which was now snapping its beak-like jaw at the now defenseless Danielle. The beast took a swipe with one of its talons, slicing through her golden armor and into her skin. Darnash arrived, swinging his sword at the talon, cutting it off from the beast's wrist. Danielle scooted closer to her sword where there was a stream of the creature's blood that now drained like a faucet. She opened her mouth and gulped in as much of the blood as she could stomach and swallowed hard.

Darnash grabbed Danielle and pulled her from the creature as it continued to snap its jaws at anything it could.

Danielle rose to her feet and let out a mighty war cry and grabbed Darnash's sword from his hand. The heft of the huge weapon nearly toppled her over when she tried to raise it. Yet now the blood from the great beast she had just consumed spoke to her, giving her the strength to swing at the Antarian dragon's head.

The beasts' screams could be heard clear to the Emperor's palace as she cut its head off. The creature fell limp to the ground, nearly crushing Darnash on the way down. The creature's head bounced on the ground, rolled down into one of the trenches, and laid to rest, its eyes remaining open. The great jaws opened and closed three times before life left them.

Danielle dropped Darnash's sword and began helping him get out from the weight of the dead beast.

"My Lady, you have conquered the beast of the field!" Darnash smiled. "The ancient book of prophecy was right. You are the Warrior the ancient writing speaks of. This I know is true."

Danielle panted as Darnash praised her success. She rested her hands on her knees and looked up at the giant Antarian, "Thank you, big guy. I couldn't have done it without your help."

"I only provided you instructions. It was you who killed the beast."

"If it weren't for those explosions, I may not have been the victor."

"Yes, those missiles, where did they come from?"

"My best guess," Danielle said, finally catching her breath and standing upright, "is those were from our guys."

"Whatever it is they're trying to do, the energy stream has terminated."

The two crouched low to the ground from another concussion detonation, sending a large fireball of energy back up into space.

Darnash exclaimed, "The stream has never ignited before!"

"Was that spoken of in any of your books?"

"No, it was not!"

"If they have a ship hiding in the energy stream, they only have a few minutes before our backup collector realigns and starts the stream again."

Danielle jumped down into one of the trenches, took the burlap bag and picked up the giant beast's head. "You were connected to Malcom. Can you get a message to him?"

Darnash grabbed the sack with the head, "Let me take that for you. Now that power to the moon has been interrupted, the Eridonians will be able to protect them, that is, until power is restored."

"Come on, we need to get back to the palace."

Darnash stared at Danielle, his head lowered, "I am afraid I will not be allowed to enter the Emperor's Palace. However, I will carry the prize until we are close."

"Well, Darnash, if what is written in the ancient book of prophecy is true, I will make sure you are pardoned for your treason."

Darnash bowed before Danielle, "thank you, my Lady...let us take our leave of this place."

The giant Antarian carried the burlap sack and headed in the direction of the Emperor's Palace.

* * *

________________________

The Rock

Lebencha Energy Stream

________________________

"Direct hit, Sir!" Collins shouted.

The energy stream ended, exposing the entire ship to any Antarian warships that may have been in the vicinity.

"The energy stream has been interrupted, Sir," Erica exclaimed, "I have full helm control restored...inertial dampeners are cooling down."

Jameson glanced over at Captain Fitz, and then returned to his monitor, "It's Hopkins, Sir! He's right in front of us!"

"Henderson, get the Chief to receive them in the hold, emergency docking procedures!"

"Sir," Foster reported, "Our position has changed...we over compensated when the stream ended...I need to reset the jump coordinates."

"How much time you need?" Fitz barked.

"Another minute to confirm...resetting clock to one minute and ten seconds."

"We've got bogeys inbound, Sir!" Collins reported. "Three warships...they have fighter cover and are arming missiles!"

"We don't have time for this!" Jed shouted in frustration, "Chief!" he yelled, picking up the microphone from this station, "Do you have them?"

"They've fired missiles!" Collins again reported. "Six missiles...impact in twenty seconds!"

"This is the Chief," Jed heard over the CSC loud speakers, "We've got 'em! The Deck's secure!"

"Jump the ship!"

"Working on it, Sir," the NAV officer nervously replied, "Fifteen seconds more!"

"There's more, Sir," Lieutenant Collins again reported, "It's a fireball coming from the moon, Sir!"

"I'll bet that's a feedback wave!" Jameson exclaimed, "Brace for impact!"

"Five seconds," Foster counted, "Four... three... two... one... commencing jump!"

The missiles arrived at their pre-set coordinates and detonated at the same time the energy wave reached the Rock. The ship vanished within a second of the explosion.

The Serintin backup collector completed its realignment and engaged the energy stream in the middle of the fire ball burning in space. The stream ignited and traveled like a fuse back to Lebencha and the second energy collector on Serintin.

Danielle and Darnash were close to the palace when they were stunned and rocked by another explosion nearby.

"What the hell was that?" she exclaimed.

Darnash, being taller, was able to see it before Danielle. Then she saw the billowing cloud of black smoke rise from the nearby secondary energy collector.

"The second energy collector has erupted...something bad has just happened."

"What do you suppose caused that?" Danielle asked.

"Something exploded within the energy stream, perhaps their ship?"

"Darnash, don't say that!"

"Well, my Lady, I am afraid that it very well may be true."

"Were you able to reach Malcom?"

"I am not certain if he was listening to my thoughts."

"We'll, if our ship is destroyed..."

"I am sorry, it was not my intention to cause you grief by telling you that possibility, my Lady."

"It's alright, Darnash. It is appearing more and more like the Antarian ancient book of prophecy will come to pass."

"I know it will."

"We're here. Let's get our audience with the Emperor."

Darnash reached up and grabbed the large ring and slid the bolt, and then pulled the towering door open.

* * *

________________________

The Rock

Betelgeuse Corridor

________________________

When the Rock emerged from its jump, the ship's computers were scrambled and most of the crew was unconscious.

Jed shook his head and opened his eyes, the standing restraint system holding him in place. He looked around the CSC and saw several of the ship's officers recovering from the close call.

"Status check!" Jed ordered.

Jameson stirred with a start, blinked his eyes several times, and went to work. "Position report!"

"Confirmed, Sir," Foster acknowledged, "We are at the Betelgeuse sector."

"We have a large attack force twenty minutes from our position. We didn't jump close enough," Collins reported. "The Aga's been hit several times. They're heading straight to the event horizon of the Betelgeuse conduit...picking up several radiological devices that are armed at the event horizon, Sir!"

"Nukes?" Jameson enquired.

Colonel Jennings, Captain Hopkins, and the two Eridonian's entered the CSC.

"Jed!" Race exclaimed and then ran down to the pit at the Captain's station.

"RACE!" Jed shouted, grabbing him by the shoulders. He beamed a smile of relief, "You good?"

"Yes, I'm fine...but we've got more trouble."

"Race?"

Malcom stepped up to the Captain, "Admiral Gilmore has set several nuclear devices at the threshold of the Betelgeuse event horizon. It is Charlotte's hope, our representative on the Agamemnon, that the nukes will collapse the corridor and make it unstable for passage."

"How are you getting through the telepathic inhibitor?" Jameson asked.

"There are two of us here, and we are a significant distance from the Antarian fleet."

"...They've just launched three more missiles at the Aga, Sir!" Collins reported.

Captain Fitz grabbed the leather arm rests and squeezed tightly as they picked up the incoming missiles headed directly for the Agamemnon, "Open a channel!" Fitz ordered, "Admiral Gilmore...repeat, Admiral Gilmore!"

The ship to ship comm link returned static, causing the color to fade from Fitz's face, "Report!"

"Sir," Commander Jameson began, "The Antarian fleet is descending upon the Agamemnon. They won't survive another strike. I'm afraid the Admiral doesn't have a chance."

"Raise shields! Plot an intercept course!"

"Aye, Sir," Lieutenant Payne nodded, "Course plotted. We're still twenty minutes out."

"How soon before you can spin up the jump drive?" Jed asked.

"We've already jumped twice with no break. We can't risk another," an officer yelled from his engineering station.

"What happens if we make the attempt?"

"It would most certainly burn out the negative density generators, Captain," Artemis offered.

"They're heading straight to the nukes, Sir. They're leading the fleet in there with him. He's going to try to take out the Antarians!" Collins nodded.

"How many fleet ships they got?" Jameson asked.

"I count twenty ships, all closing in on the Aga."

"Where the hell's the Bristol and Yamato?" Jed asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Charlotte tells us that the Admiral sent them to a safe distance. Everything in this sector will be obliterated with the number of nukes being set off."

"That means us too," Jed said, "Plot a course to the event horizon! We have no choice but to attempt this."

"I'm aligning the Rock for jump prep!" Erica reported.

Thelix entered the CSC, crouching to clear the low ceiling, "Captain! I think I have a solution to our problem."

"Thelix?" Jed spun around, "Whatcha got?"

"I have a formula that will allow us to cross through the corridor in one jump."

Jed waved his hand at the Antarian, "Malcom, Artemis, can you extract the formula and plug it into the NAV station?"

"Yes, Captain," they said in unison.

"Start the clock!" Jameson ordered.

"There's no time for any system checks," Jed countered.

"We're going in blind, Sir?"

"We'll have to, there isn't any more time!"

Malcom ran over to Thelix, captured the needed knowledge, and then ran to the NAV station. The two began entering the code at record speed when their view screens lit up with a brilliant flash.

"The nukes have gone off!" Collins yelled.

"Spin up the jump drive. Prepare to jump on my mark! The formulas, and coordinates, have been entered!" Malcom said, with emotion for the first time.

"The Aga's gone, Sir!" Collins said, glancing down to the pit.

"How many Antarian's left?"

"My scanners scrambled with the radiation, but I can tell three ships fell into the corridor."

"The Bristol and Yamato are going to have to get back on their own," Jed surmised, "We have to catch them on the other side. Thelix, do any of your other Captain's know of this formula?"

"No, I was the only one that saw my pilot enter the formula. Darnash was with our prisoners...sorry, I did not wish to bring sad thoughts up with you..."

"...the past stays in the past, my friend."

"So, if this works," Artemis said, turning from the NAV console, "We will exit on the other side. The Jannali will be meeting us there, we are in contact with our representative."

"Sir!" Collins said, "Most of the Antarian fleet was taken out. There are four ships left in this sector. They are running from the blast wave...as we should, Sir. It'll be on us in a few more seconds."

"How many seconds, man?" Jed shouted in exasperation.

"Thirty? Maybe less?"

"Malcom, you better jump us now then!"

"Hold on!" Malcom said, engaging the jump drives, "Jumping in five, four, three, two, one..."

The ship exited the jump on the other side of the corridor with most of the crew unconscious on the floor or slumped in their restraints due to the massive radiation wave they blasted through.

"Report!" Jameson said with a rather hoarse voice.

Jed gathered his composure and grabbed the microphone, "Commander, you sound horrible," Jed managed to scratch out.

"You don't sound any better, Sir," Jameson smiled, not at the radiation sickness, but rather was glad to be on this side of the corridor.

"Doctor Lambert," Jed rasped, "Begin radiation protocol, starting with the CSC crew."

"Yes, Sir." Jed heard over the speakers, "Already on my way."

"Sir," Henderson reported, "We're receiving a message from the Jannali."

"Put it on speaker," Jed labored to say.

Doctor Lambert and his staff entered the CSC and began giving the crew radiation medicine, "This should take away some of the discomfort."

"Discomfort? Doctor, I think you have a way of making an understatement."

"You should start to feel better in a few minutes. But I'll need to give the crew regular injections of anti-radiation medicine for several weeks."

"Your shots are a lot better than radiation, let me tell you."

"Yes, we were mostly shielded on the lower decks. It was the CSC and most compartments, anything forward of mid-ship took most of it, Sir."

"Good to know, Doc."

"This is Captain Nick Martin of the Jannali. Welcome home, Jed. We're sending your helmsman the coordinates of where we placed operation 'meat hook,' you should definitely avoid flying through those."

"Sir, I'm receiving the coordinates and am now programming our flight path through to the Jannali."

"Captain, Martin. It's good to be back, but we've got three Antarian warships that'll be here in less than three days."

"Better come alongside, Sir. I've got a message from the Admiral."

"The Admiral? He's alive?"

"No, Sir, It accompanied the drone they sent through the corridor. We're still not sure how it arrived in minutes instead of days."

"I can answer that," Thelix offered.

"You've got an Antarian on board, Sir?"

"Yes, it's long story."

"You will have to tell me it some time."

"Oh, you'll hear all about it."

"I theorize," Thelix began, "That the pressure wave of the nuclear blast, accompanied by our wormhole jump, pushed the drone through."

"Coming alongside the Jannali, Sir."

"Station keeping protocol." Commander Jameson ordered. "We'll hard dock to you and be over shortly, Captain."

"I will be coming over there, Sir."

"Why here?"

"Because you are now the fleet's flagship."

"What?"

"Admiral's orders, Sir."

"Well, I'll be damned."

"Sir," Jameson asked.

"I guess I did make an impression on the ol' coot after all."

"Docking clamps extended," Lieutenant Payne acknowledged, "Hard seal confirmed. We're docked, Sir!"

"Excellent work everyone! Let's all take a breather," turning to his friend, Race, "You're with me. Let's go meet Captain Martin."

"Yes, Sir," Race smiled, then his face turned dark. "Danielle, Sir."

"What? It's 'Sir' now?"

"We've been through a lot...let's just say, I can appreciate your command...and being home."

"We'll find Danielle. Just have to regroup first."

Malcom turned to Jed, "I'm afraid that might not be possible."

"Why not?"

"We picked up some very unusual readings from her on Serintin."

"You read her?" Race asked.

"Let's just say, I do not think she will be returning to Earth real soon."

"Why?"

"I'll tell you all about it on our way to meet Captain Martin."

* * *
Chapter Twenty Six

________________________

Serintin

Emperor's Palace

________________________

Laboolaron escorted Danielle and Darnash to the Emperor's private balcony. Danielle clung to her golden sword while Darnash carried the burlap bag over his shoulder.

Standing before Emperor Dumakas, Danielle planted the tip of her sword on the floor and held her hands atop the end of its handle.

"Well, well, well," Dumakas scoffed, "If it isn't our puny female human. I suppose you are responsible for the destruction of our energy collector stations?"

"I am not."

"Then the others? Did they die at the Boreshog's jaws, or did they escape on your hidden ship that was in our energy stream?"

"I do not know, Dumakas."

Dumakas leaned forward, towering over Danielle from his chair, "You will not disrespect me! You shall address me with my proper title!"

"Very well," Danielle sheepishly smiled, "Dumakas of the House of Delema!"

Dumakas jumped up from his chair, "What did you call me?"

"Your true and proper name and title; Dumakas of the House of Delema."

"I should kill you where you stand! And what of this Darnash? Why is he in my presence? For your crimes, I sentence you to death!"

Laboolaron began to extract his dagger from its sheath. Before he had the blade out, Danielle lifted her sword, swung the blade around her head, and halted it one half inch from the Emperor's neck. Dumakas backed up and motioned with his hands for Laboolaron to halt.

"Dumakas, you will not have Darnash killed, or I shall run my sword through you!"

An old Antarian woman walked out onto the balcony. She held a large book under her arm, "People of Antares! Hear this woman, she speaks the truth!"

Dumakas shot a stare at the old Antarian, "What are you doing here? I told you to never show your face at the palace ever again!"

The old woman turned to address the arena assembly, "I am Tumaleka, Mother to Gorax the great, Grandmother to Throax, and great grandmother to Dumakas of the House of Delema! I come before you today to give you a truth, and to reveal that this woman warrior has fulfilled our prophecy!"

A great noise rose from the crowd as they talked amongst themselves. Dumakas commanded them to silence, the arena grew louder with shouts of Antarians begging the old woman to tell them of this truth.

"I, Tumaleka, am the oldest living Antarian. I am of the House of Delema. We are the seers, and keepers of the Ancient Book of Prophecies. Within the pages of this book," she continued, holding the book in the air, "the ancient seers of Delema wrote that there will one day come a female warrior, not of any of our Houses. This warrior shall quench the Emperor's blood lust. This warrior, this alien woman that stands before Dumakas today, is that warrior! In all the history of the arena games, there has been no warrior that ever defeated the Boreshog beast until now! The Prophecy is true! It has come to pass!"

Dumakas interrupted the old woman, "There still is no proof that this puny female warrior has defeated the Boreshog beast!"

Darnash set the burlap bag before the Emperor's feet and revealed the head within. Dumakas stared at the sight, "Preposterous. There is no proof that this woman did this!"

"I saw her kill the beast with my own eyes!" Darnash explained.

"You killed the beast," Dumakas pointed with his large index finger, "not this woman!"

"Tell me, Dumakas," Danielle asked, jabbing her sword a little harder into his neck, "Does your blood speak to you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"It's a rather simple question, Dumakas. Is your spirit blood in communication with you?"

"I do not know what you're talking about, puny female woman."

"Since you drank of my blood, your blood does not speak to you, does it?"

Dumakas stood before Danielle, dumfounded, "I-I..."

"It is true!" Darnash added, "I no longer have the fire in my blood! This warrior's blood has quenched my blood lust!"

"Lies!" Dumakas spat, "All lies!"

"Dumakas, my great grandson, you must speak the truth. Say it! You no longer have the power of the blood lust coursing through your veins!"

"Very well, I, I will admit that my blood spirit no longer speaks to me! But my personal physician assures me that it is only temporary!" he shouted to the assembly. "My Nanites have been reprogrammed to correct this illness this woman brings to our home."

Laboolaron gave Dumakas a stare, and then faced Danielle, "Continue, Madam, this is most interesting, most interesting indeed," then he addressed the assembly, "Do the people of Antares wish to learn more of this woman warrior?"

The crowd cheered at Laboolaron's question, "The people have spoken! The female warrior will tell us more!"

"This is outrageous!" Dumakas shouted. "I will not hear of this..."

"SILENCE!" Tumaleka boomed. "The people of Antares deserve to hear from this warrior; they have spoken!"

Laboolaron lowered his dagger to his side, and Danielle removed the tip of her sword from Dumakas. "People of the Star Antares!" she began. Danielle jumped on the balcony ledge and pointed the golden sword in the air, "Hear me today! I drank of the blood of the Boreshog! My blood now boils with the spirit of your blood lust!"

The arena again shouted with cheers at this brave alien warrior.

Tumaleka opened the great book and read aloud the contents of the pages, "It is written, that a great female warrior comes to the Star of Antares and will defeat the great Boreshog beast of the field. She will consume its blood, carry the blood lust on, and will fulfill prophecy."

"I have read this book," Danielle added, "This ancient book further says that this warrior of a foreign house will become Empress of the Warlords of Antares!"

Dumakas began to scoff at her words, "This is the most ridiculous story I have ever heard!"

"Dumakas," the old woman asked, "You swore with your blood to uphold these writings when you became Emperor. Do you now see that your blood is powerless? You would be dead if your blood oath remained."

Danielle stepped down from the balcony and handed her weapon to Darnash, who then held it at the ready. Grabbing Laboolaron's dagger, she stepped up to the Emperor's chair, and took Dumakas' hand in hers, and then drew the blade across his palm.

She lifted his hand to the sky, his blood pooled in his hand, "I, Danielle, formally of the House of Cooper, do hereby declare that I am Empress of the Warlords of Antares," and then drank of Dumakas' blood.

Tumaleka closed the ancient book and proclaimed, "Prophecy has been fulfilled here today!"

Danielle closed Dumakas' hand and released her grip, "Laboolaron, you shall escort the former Emperor to a cell. You will be charged with guarding him...do you understand?"

"Yes, my Lady," Laboolaron nodded, "I shall obey your command. I have no choice as your blood speaks to mine. I am powerless, and must do as you command."

"Take him away!" she said with a wave of her hand.

Laboolaron began escorting Dumakas from the balcony, but Danielle stopped him for a moment to return his dagger. She took her sword from Darnash and turned to address the giant Antarian.

"Darnash of the House of Delema, keel before me!"

"Yes, my Lady."

She held her sword over his head, "Darnash, I now christen thee as First Commander to the Empress' House!"

She touched his right shoulder, moved the sword over his head and touched his left, and then touched the tip of her sword to the crown of his head.

Danielle commanded Darnash to his feet, and then she hopped up to the balcony's edge once more.

Darnash held his hands over the audience, "I, Darnash of the Empress' House, present to you, Danielle, Empress of Antares!"

Cheers erupted once again. Danielle held her head high. She pointed her sword high to the sky, soaking in the sweet smell of victory.

* * *

________________________

The Rock

Earth Side of Betelgeuse Conduit

~ Three Days Later ~

________________________

Jed addressed his senior staff along with Captain Martin and his Commander, Rick Wilson of the Jannali.

"We know the Antarians will be exiting the conduit very soon. We have recalled our CAP and secured the flight deck. Captain Martin?"

Captain Martin rose out of his chair and joined Admiral Fitz at the front of the room, "Our ships are ready, and your ship's damage has been repaired. The nuclear devices for operation 'Meat Hook,' have been set. We are ready to detonate upon the Antarians' arrival to this sector. Once the proximity sensors detect the Antarians, the Nukes detonate. Then we'll jump to their coordinates and launch our fighters. The Jannali will flank the Antarian fleet to the Starboard while the Rock will flank the Antarian fleet to the Port."

Jed nodded as he crossed his arms, "Each ship will be outside of each other's line of fire. Just remember to ensure your fighters do not stray from their fight plan. Nothing will survive within the point defense systems."

"We'll be hitting the Antarian's with everything we've got," Captain Martin added, "Those last jump coordinates are the last line of defense before they reach Earth."

"We must not let them reach Earth at all costs," Jed said, making steady eye contact with all the senior officers, while his eyebrows rose. "They must be stopped in their tracks. The Eridonians have already confirmed that the conduit is destabilized. Malcom, Artemis, and Labros, are you ready to put up the screens around those Nukes?"

Malcom jumped to his feet, "Yes, Admiral Fitz. I do believe we have used these last few days to prepare. We will be able to keep them from detecting the radiological devices before it is too late."

"Very good. Let's just hope they exit right on top of them."

"Sir?" Lieutenant Henderson interjected, "The CSC has reported a proximity alarm signal was just sent to us."

"Okay people," Jed said, placing his hands on hips, "This is it. Everyone report to your stations. Commander Jameson, start the clock. Lieutenant Henderson, make sure the jump coordinates are synchronized with the Jannali."

"Good luck, Admiral Fitz," Captain Wilson wished.

"Good luck to you too, Captain."

"We're ready to undock, Sir," Commander Wilson acknowledged.

Captain Martin and Commander Wilson headed to the Jannali. The Rock's security detail closed and sealed the hatch between the two ships.

Admiral Fitz and his Commander accompanied him to the CSC. They briskly descended the few steps that led to the pit.

"We're undocked, Sir," Erica reported.

"Helm, move us out to a safe distance from the Jannali. Spool jump drives, begin systems check."

"Aye, Sir," Lieutenant Payne repeated, "Moving out to two thousand Meters."

"Sub light!" Jameson yelled.

"Go!"

"NAV!"

"Go!"

"Tactical!"

"Go!"

"Jump resolution check!"

"We're a go, Captain! Jump coordinates synchronized with the Jannali."

"Generate negative energy densities!"

"Generating negative densities," the engineering station reported.

"FTL!"

"Jump drives are one-hundred percent spooled...Go!"

"The board is green, Admiral!" Commander Jameson reported.

"Initiate jump!" Jed ordered.

The Rocinante, along with the Jannali, vanished and then reappeared at their programmed coordinates at the Betelgeuse corridor exit.

"Status report!" Jameson barked.

"All radiological devices have detonated, we're in high radiation."

"Emergency power to shields!" Jed ordered, "Doctor Lambert, are you ready to dispense radiation protocols?"

A husky voice sounded in his ears over the speakers, "We're underway as we speak, Admiral."

"Henderson," Jed ordered the comm officer, "Launch all fighters!"

"Chief Kelly!" Henderson ordered, "Open the launch doors, get our birds up, now!"

"We're ready down here Admiral! Fighters are launching."

"Tactical report!" Jed demanded.

"The Antarian ships were caught off guard. Two disabled, one is launching fighters in response."

"Helm, move into flank position. Henderson, patch me over to Captain Martin."

"Aye, Sir."

"The last enemy ship has engaged our fighters," Collins reported, "they're launching missiles at us, Sir!"

"Engage point defense systems!" Jameson ordered, "Launch all drones!"

"Drones away, Sir!"

"Admiral, Captain Martin is on the line."

"On speakers!"

"Admiral, we've opened fire on the enemy ships, we detect two ships down. But they were shielding the third one from us...we're taking quite a beating over here."

"Fire everything you've got at the two disabled ships, take them out so we can get to the center ship in their configuration."

"Aye, Admiral."

"Major Phillips, report!"

"Alpha Leader here, Admiral. Sir, we've already eliminated most of the fighters. We're lining up and going in for our main run now!"

"Good hunting out there, Alpha Leader!" Admiral Fitz ordered.

Major Phillips flew his fighter away from the battle, "Alpha Leader to all fighters. Line up on me, Captain Jones, and Captain Simon; you two on my wing."

"Roger, Alpha Leader," Rene reported, followed by Eric, who was a little slow on his mic button.

Eighty fighters fell in flight formation and headed down to the enemy ship that was still in the fight. They flew up and then swung down, aiming straight at the top of the enemy ship's hull.

"Open fire! Make your shot and then break right! Circle around and make another pass until they're destroyed!" Major Phillips ordered.

The enemy opened fire on the approaching fighters. Major Phillips managed to fire a rocket as he depressed his rapid fire shot and then broke to the right. Rene was next, and fired her rockets along with their repeating .50 caliber guns. Eric was across from Rene's fighter and broke at the same time as Rene.

The enemy fired countermeasures as well as its rapid fire anti-fighter guns, hitting Eric's ship in the wing and striking his main engine.

"I'm hit, I'm hit, I'm hit!" Captain Jones reported, panic being detected in his voice.

"Eric!" Rene shouted.

"Captain Jones!" Major Phillips said, "Stay out of our firing solution! Captain Jones, come in!"

"My stabilizer's gone...I've got no control...Ahhhhhh!" then his radio went silent as he sunk into the Rock's point defense detonations, disintegrating his ship in an instant.

"JONES!" Rene cried.

"Alpha Leader to all fighters! Stay focused, now...keep to the plan!"

Several more fighters were destroyed as the alien ship continued to pick them off, one by one.

"I did it, Major!" Rene shouted over her comm link, "My rocket punched a hole in her armor! Make your run now!"

"Roger, that, Captain Simon! Good work!"

Major Phillips broke from formation and flew down away from the enemy ship, "Keep them busy, everyone!"

The Alpha Leader swung his ship around hundred and eighty degrees and fired full thrusters. His fighter was aimed at the enemy ship. The rest of his team flew perpendicular to the Major's run, continuing to widen the gaping hole in the Antarian ship.

"Arming radiological device," Major Phillips reported, his fighter flew along the surface of the enemy ship's hull, approaching the hull breach. "Target locked...firing Nuke! Everyone break off! Break, break, break!"

The fighter pilots instinctively broke off their attack and flew away from the battle. The Rock and Jannali turned away from the battle as the Nuke detonated inside the enemy ship. The dark space lit up with a brilliant flash, followed by the three enemy ships ripping into hundreds of sections. Antarian's flew out into the vacuum of space and then were vaporized by the blast.

Admiral Fitz shouted with victory as he watched the remains of the Antarian fleet be destroyed.

"Incoming message from Captain Martin, Sir!" Henderson reported, "he's on the main speakers, Sir."

"Captain Martin, what's your status?"

"Admiral, the enemy fleet has been destroyed, but we took major damage to our aft engine section. We lost our jump drive, and several crewmen have been overcome by radiation sickness. We've got dozens of casualties on board. Our shields must not have held the blast out completely."

"What about your CSC crew? Can she still fly, Captain?"

"We'll be fine, Admiral. But you'll have to jump to Earth base and bring us some new engine parts."

"Get your ship away from the fallout area as quickly as you can and have your doctor administer double the radiation protocol drugs."

"Aye, Aye, Admiral."

"Henderson," Jed ordered, "recall all fighters. Chief Kelly, do you read me?"

"Yes, Sir," the Chief answered, "Sir, We've got room onboard for twenty additional fighters if the Jannali needs us to take some of her load off."

"That's excellent, Chief. I'll have Henderson coordinate with you and the Jannali on that, but ensure they have enough fighters to cover them. Good work down there, Chief."

"Thank you, Sir."

The Earth fleet slowly made their way from the burning hulls of what was left of the Antarian fleet. The fighters landed and Chief Kelly secured the flight deck, "Admiral, we're all set down here; ready to jump back home, Sir!"

"Captain Martin, we're jumping home now. We'll send relief and parts back to you shortly."

"Thank you, Admiral. We did it, Sir!"

Jed turned to his commander, "Care to do the honors?"

"Thank you, Sir," Jameson nodded, returning a wide smile, "Begin jump prep...start the clock. Lieutenant Foster, jump us home!"

"Aye, Sir! Spooling jump drive, the clock is running, two minutes to jump."

"Captain Martin, we did it alight, but just barely. Thanks to the intel from Thelix, we may not have found their weakness. That was a little too close, and you can bet they'll be coming to Earth soon, so we had better get you fixed up and regroup. We need to have a plan for when the Warlords of Antares do reach Earth."

"Understood, Admiral, see you soon, Sir. Captain Martin out."

The channel returned static before Henderson cut the speakers off.

Jameson called out his checklist, "Sub light!"

"Go!"

"NAV!"

"Go!"

"Tactical!"

"Go!"

"Jump resolution check!"

"We're a go, Commander! Jumping to Earth."

"Generate negative energy densities!"

"Generating negative densities."

"FTL!"

"Jump drive is a GO!"

"The board is green, Admiral!" Commander Jameson reported.

"Well, give the order, Commander," Jed smiled to his first officer.

"Initiate jump!"

* * *
Epilogue

________________________

Earth

Jedidiah's Apartment

________________________

Jed was awakened by a loud rap on his door. He jumped upright, rubbed his eyes and then remembered the bottle of whisky sitting on his bedside table. He grabbed the bottle and poured a shot. Then he got out of bed and walked to the door in his boxer shorts and opened it to a smiling face.

"Race? What are you doing here?"

"Sir, we're going to be late."

"Huh?"

He grabbed the shot glass from his hand, "Don't you think it's a little early for that?"

"Well, maybe," Jed grabbed the shot glass back, spilling some of the liquor down the sides of the glass. He lifted it to his lips and downed it in one gulp, "Then again, maybe not...I just had the strangest dream."

"Sir?"

"I dreamt that we were in a space battle with an alien race. Kind of funny, huh?"

"But, Sir..."

Jed leaned on the half-opened door, "And why are you calling me 'Sir' all the time...It's Jed...remember? Jedidiah Fitz, your old buddy? I retired my commission..."

"You must have had a little too much of that whisky that I bought for you, Sir."

"Well, it was time to forget the past and move on."

Race looked past Jed at a woman scantily dressed, standing behind him, "I see...you're moving on quit fast...you ol' dog, you!"

Jed turned around and fixed his eyes on the white-haired woman, "Ahh!" he jumped, "You!"

"Nice night, Admiral Fitz," Skati smiled. "We must do this again. I think I have become fond of your friend's gift." She slinked over to Jed's side, lifting the bottle to the glass, she poured him another shot, and then rose the bottle to her own lips for a large gulp.

Race reached out and grabbed the bottle of booze from the alien woman, "Whoa there, Skatie. That's some potent stuff...and we have places to go...remember now? The memorial service?"

"It wasn't a dream," Jed said with a blank stare, "was it?"

"'Fraid not, Admiral, now come on and get dressed, we're going to be late!"

* * *

Major Phillips and Captain Rene Simon sat at a dark and lonely bar on the outskirts of town. The bar stayed open for the crew of the Rock, in part of celebration for their mission success, and part in morning for their fallen pilots.

Rene poured each of them a final shot of whiskey, emptying their second bottle.

She held her glass the best she could in the air, "To Captain Eric Jones, one hell of a pilot."

"We can't drink to that one again, Captain."

"Why not?" Rene slurred.

"Because," Phillips said, taking her hand and resting it back to the table, "we've been toasting Eric all night."

"But it's not night anymore...so we need to toast his sorry ass again," she answered, again lifting the glass in the air, "Come on, Major...one more time...for me?"

Major Phillips clinked his shot glass with hers, "To Captain Jones...one hell of a pilot."

The two downed the whiskey and slammed their glasses hard on the table. Then Rene snickered and began laughing.

"What's so funny," Phillips managed to ask.

Rene held the empty bottle and then dropped it from her hand, "It's all gone...just like Captain Jones..." then she lowered her head to the table and cried, "He was one hell of a pilot."

Phillips began chuckling at Rene, and then with her forehead still planted on the table top, "Now what's so funny?"

"You..."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you...you always thought you were the better pilot."

Rene laughed again, "Guess I was right, huh?"

Another man walked up to their table, holding a new bottle in his hand.

Phillips looked up, "Chief?"

"Hey guys...mind if I join you?"

Rene lifted her head off the table, "If you got booze, then you can join us."

Chief Kelly twisted the cap off the bottle and tossed it to the floor. He proceeded to pour each of them a shot and then grabbed a chair behind him and sat in it with the chair back facing the table. Raising his shot in the air, "To Captain Jones..."

"Chief," Phillips began, "We've been toasting Eric all night long."

"Well..."

"Well what, Chief?" Phillips asked.

"It's a new day...how about to the future?"

"Here, here!" Rene agreed, clinked her glass and downed the new shot.

Phillips and Kelly drew down their elixir, coughing as it burned their throats.

"Jeez, Chief...where'd you get that stuff," the Major asked.

"Yeah, Chief. You holding out on us or somthin'?"

Chief Kelly chuckled, "Yeah, I sort of got this great connection..."

"You gonna share?" Rene snickered.

"Not my source..."

"Hey," Rene protested.

"...but my bottle, that's a different story," he finished by pouring them each another round.

"To the future," Rene smiled.

"We just toasted that," the Chief laughed.

"We'll, we might as well toast that one again."

The three clinked glasses and proceeded to polish off the Chiefs bottle.

* * *

Admiral Fitz stood before the assembly in full Navy military dress, "Welcome distinguished guests, Officers, enlisted and their families and friends. We also welcome our new friends from Epsilon Eridani, the Eridonians who provided the needed technology to combat these Warlords of Antares. Lest we not forget our new allies from Sigma Draconis, the Draconians who have agreed to join forces with us. Together we will reach out to others that have been oppressed by the Antarians in the galaxy of stars. As we grow our forces, so does our push back at our enemy to keep them contained at all costs."

The men and women listening to Jed's speech applauded at every turn, and then the room turned solemn.

"Today, we are gathered here to pay tribute to our fallen men and women who gave the greatest sacrifice to protect the safety and security of Earth. Today we mourn the loss of the Agamemnon and her crew. She was captained by Admiral Gilmore. A distinguished military man of great accomplishments in his tenure...a little trite at times..."

The crowd chuckled at Jed's quip, "All kidding aside, Admiral Gilmore gave his life so that we could defeat this eminent threat. Among his CSC senior staff, we remember First Officer; Commander Nick Bridges, Communications Officer; Lieutenant Edwin Casey, Navigation Officer; Lieutenant Daniel Fleming, Tactical Officer, Lieutenant Marco Hudson, and the ship's crew chief; Chief Petty Officer Chuck Shumote."

The assembly stood as Jed read the rest of the names of the officers and crew that were killed in battle, "We also remember the two Sergeants that accompanied our rescue mission, Staff Sergeant Gilbert Moriah, and First Sergeant Jason Killmocher. Without their sacrifices, Captain Hodges would not have been successful in rescuing Major Race Jennings, and for bringing back to Earth, the Empress Skati of Sigma Draconis. Sadly, we were not successful in bringing back Danielle Cooper. Her whereabouts are unclear at the moment, but we are certain she remains a prisoner on Serintin, the third moon of the gas giant Lebencha. Let us give a moment of silence, and then we will hear the Navy play the national anthem to honor our fallen comrades. The US Marine Corp Color Guard will present arms."

The national anthem played and the color guard carried the American flag followed by the flags of Great Brittan, Japan, and Australia.

Seven Marines marched to the side of the outdoor assembly, took position after the anthem had completed, and fired three rounds each. The shots sounded. Jed jumped as the noise of the gun fire bounced around in his head. Then the color guard retreated, along with the marksmen.

Jed walked up to the podium once more, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am here today to tell you that I will do everything in my power to protect Earth from the Antarian threat. In my briefing before this assembly, I met with our distinguished friend from Epsilon, Malcom. He has made contact with the crews of the HMS Bristol and Yamato, through their Eridonian representative on board, Bertram and Hiram, we know they are alright, and are making their way to Sigma Draconis to provide aid to the people of their home world, left in ruins from the Antarian attack. Their instructions are to continue making new contacts and building alliances. We will form together a massive force to repeal this threat."

The assembly cheered at the good news Jed shared. He raised his hands to quiet the room, "Please...please...thank you...Make no mistake, we will overcome this threat. Together with our new friends and alliances, we will ensure that the galaxy is safe for everyone...thank you all for coming today."

Commander Jameson stood forward, "Aaaattennntion!"

The Officers and NCO's, along with their families, stood to their feet at Jameson's command.

He held the boatswains pipe to his lips and blew the familiar call to dismiss the men and women of the assembly.

Then he saluted Admiral Fitz, who quickly snapped his return and then returned his hand to his side with a nod.

"Diiismiiisted!" Jameson ordered.

# # #

Sneak Peek

Empress

of

Antares

Warlords Series

Book 2

By

Brian K. Larson
Chapter One

________________________

Antares Star System

Lebencha's Third Moon Serintin

________________________

The clang of the two swords deflecting off of each other was deafening within the Serintin hall. Each opponent held their position across from one another, holding their swords in an offensive stance.

Danielle, the new Empress of Antares, growled through her clenched teeth. Screaming a charge at Laboolaron, they ran toward each other swinging their swords. The five pound great swords connected and slid down to their hilts. Her hands, protected by the ornate shaped and engraved cross guard, gripped the handle tight. Her white knuckles hidden by her chain mail layered gloves.

Laboolaron, a seven foot tall Antarian which was much shorter than most, leaned close to Danielle's face, "My Lady, you grow stronger each day."

Danielle held her offensive posture, pressing her sword into Laboolaron's, "My blood boils hot!" she seethed, "This new blood...it gives me power...power to overcome you, Laboolaron!"

The Empress slid her sword out across Laboolaron's and swung three more times at the Antarian. Laboolaron countered every strike until they parried to separate sides of the room once more.

Danielle grew tired, her posture faltered just enough for Laboolaron to take advantage. He charged the short human with his massive hands gripping his weapon. He swung his blade high over his head and came down, connecting with the defensive move from Danielle.

She blocked his blow and darted down through his legs. Then she performed a back kick to the still towering Antarian, sending him stumbling forward. This gave Danielle time to turn and attack Laboolaron.

He turned just in time to meet the hacking of her sword. She swung her blade over and over, swing followed by swing, pushing Laboolaron backward.

The Empress snarled as she planted her blade on the wooden floor and leaped over her handle. Laboolaron swung his sword at Danielle's, breaking the connection of the sword imbedded into the floor. She gracefully landed on her feet, still gripping her sword tight in her hands.

Gaining new strength and seeing that she was making headway at wearing down her opponent. She began charging the Antarian with a surge of superhuman fortitude. Laboolaron had no choice but fight off the attack. She continued slashing until he fell back against the wall. With one last blow, she knocked his sword from his hand, sending the weapon clanging to the floor. She pressed her sharp blade against the Antarian's side at one of his two hearts.

Laboolaron spread his arms open in a submissive gesture, and then chuckled through his snarled teeth, "Very good, my Lady. You are a worthy human opponent."

Danielle returned his grin through clenched teeth, "And you, Laboolaron, make an excellent sparring partner."

The two laughed as she removed her sword from his side, sheathing her weapon. The hall door creaked open from across the room. Another Antarian entered and approached the two.

"Tell me, Laboolaron," the Empress quizzed, "Do tell me how that gorech, Dumakas, is taking to his new surroundings?"

"He has...adapted."

"I see. So, he does not grow accustom to a dark and cold cell?"

"No, he does not...and neither would you, my Lady."

"I was held in that very same cell."

"Yes, my Lady," Laboolaron said, bowing to the Empress before collecting his fallen weapon.

"However," Danielle added, "I suppose we could extradite him to his native moon, Delema, to serve his time."

"I'm sure he would much prefer his current situation, my Lady," Laboolaron answered through crooked teeth.

Danielle looked over at the approaching Antarian, picked up a towel resting on a rack, and turned, "Darnash. Good to see you."

"My Lady," Darnash, the eight foot tall Antarian growled, "I have news."

"Report," the Empress said, "Walk with me," then turned to Laboolaron, "You may return to your duties."

Laboolaron bowed, "Until tomorrow, my Lady."

Danielle and Darnash slowly walked to the hall's exit. Darnash held his arms behind him as he walked, "My Lady, we are nearing the end of our repairs."

"You mean the energy collector stations?" Danielle asked, dabbing the sweat with her towel from the back of her neck

"Yes, my Lady. The repairs are nearing completion. Within one cycle, we shall have full power restored to our moon."

"It will be good to have power again. I tire of these primitive candles we use for lighting, and the nights grow colder."

"My Lady, we have little choice. All our power was knocked out by the destruction of our power collectors, three weeks ago."

"I fully understand. It was my people that attacked your power grid."

"Yes, and it was fortunate that Serintin's days are long this time of year."

"As well as the relatively mild temperatures," Danielle smiled.

"I know you are not accustomed to such drastic swings in climate between night and day. I hope I have made you as comfortable as we were able to afford."

"Yes," Danielle answered, "Under the circumstances, I shall forgive any inconveniences."

"Thank you, my Lady," Darnash bowed as he slowly walked with his Empress.

"What of the Betelgeuse wormhole? Have our scouts returned from that sector with their report?"

"Yes, my Lady. We have confirmed that the wormhole has destabilized."

"Permanently?"

"Our best scientists are working on that as we speak. We should know in a few of our moon's short cycles."

"Have any who were pulled into the collapsing corridor returned?"

"No, my Lady. We've had no ships return from the battle at Betelgeuse."

"Most unfortunate."

"Yes, my Lady. If one were to return, I am sure they would be able to provide a most enlightening report."

"Then keep me posted, Darnash, of the House of Delema."

The two reached the massive hall's exit. Darnash plucked her fur coat from a hook and helped his Empress slip her arms into its warmth.

She wrapped the coat around her body, "Thank you, Darnash."

"You are most welcome, my Lady. Night is approaching. The temperature will drop another ninety degrees tonight."

"The sooner you can have power restored the better. These forty degree nights are becoming most uncomfortable. I much prefer the day cycles of your moon."

"You prefer one hundred and twenty degrees over a timid forty?"

"Yes, of course."

"Try that, wearing your fur coat. We cannot remove ours."

"Did you not say that winter cycles are nearing?"

"Yes, my Lady," Darnash said, motioning the Empress through the exit. "Soon the days will be forty during the day, and minus fifty at night. The winds will blow bitter cold, and the storms will entomb our villages with ice and snow."

"Just see to it that power is restored before then. I will not survive those hostile night conditions."

"Yes, my Lady. We have never experienced such a direct assault on one of our moons in the past. You humans appear to be formidable opponents after all. No one has ever attempted such an attack at our home world."

"Yes, never under estimate the human resolve."

"No, my Lady," Darnash grinned, spittle drooled from his crooked fangs, "the council of elders from the House of Delema agrees."

"This is why I order a new order of elite guards, such as you, to be stationed at every collector station."

"Yes, my Lady. We are already installing ground based defenses."

"I also wish for three battle cruisers in orbit around each of our moon's orbital structures."

"Yes, my Lady. We currently have two assigned to each station as well as regular sector patrols by groups of three destroyers."

"How soon before we are fully staffed in these areas?"

"Most of our attack fleets are over a month out, finishing their raids on systems we can currently reach. The shipyards of Gornash are at full capacity and will produce five ships of any class every quarter."

"I want that capacity doubled, and twice as fast."

"My Lady, while not an impossible goal to obtain, that will require significant resources, resources that our current raids will bring upon their return."

"Very well, I will give you six weeks to gear up for the massive production."

"Why the urgency, my Lady?"

"Because we will be ramping up for a massive invasion."

"The Serintin council has not approved your plans of Earth's invasion. We still wish to know more of your people before we launch our resources for such an extended journey."

"They must agree!"

"The corridor has collapsed, my Lady. Earth poses no threat to Antares."

"They will return!"

"Why would they return for a single life?"

"That is the way we are, Darnash. We must hit them before they come to us."

"Your people are not prepared for such a campaign, my Lady."

"With the help of the Eridonian's they will..." Danielle pointed a finger in Darnash's face, "Are we not the Warlords of Antares? Do we not invade other planets all the time? What is different with this one?"

"Beg pardon, my Lady, we are Antarian, you are Human. Annihilation is not the Warlords way,"

"Tell that to the Draconians. You left their planet wasted from your raids."

"Yes, they fought their battles, and lost. However annihilation it was not."

Danielle curled her lip and growled, "Why do you come against me, Darnash of the House of Delema? You are supposed to be my trusted first commander...was I in error with my choice?"

"My blood lust has not returned, my Lady."

"Then perhaps you should partake of the blood lust from the Boreshog beast, such as I, and return your life force."

"I see that you are moving forward with your plans of capturing a live beast?"

"Yes, of course, Darnash. I must continue to feed on its blood spirit to keep my life-force primed for war."

"Then I sense that I shall be partaking in the beast's blood lust soon enough."

The two approached the Empresses chambers, "What of Tumaleka?"

"I have sent for her as you asked. Her shuttle will arrive shortly from Delema."

"Very well, please send her to my chambers when she arrives."

"What is our next move, my Lady? Are you going to order the invasion and split our three houses apart, or are you going to allow our resources to build and raid...closer systems?"

"I will rely on the wisdom and words from your ancient scrolls that madam Tumaleka brings."

"Those scrolls are old, my Lady. What if they contain errors and you follow a path that was not meant to be?"

"Then you surely will fail as Warlords of Antares. Those scrolls are the only thing keeping me alive, Darnash. I am human, an inferior creature to the Antarians. If it was not for your ancient prophecies, I would not have been raised to the position as Empress of Antares...I must continue to follow the writings."

"It was the blood spirit of the Boreshog beast you drank, that was your saving. That blood sang to you. It gave you the fortitude of your accomplishments."

"True. However was it not also prophesied in your ancient scrolls that a stranger from an unknown house would quench the Emperor's blood lust?"

"Yes, my Lady."

"...and this stranger was a female warrior? She would become Empress of Antares after defeating the beast of the Valley of Trenches?"

"Yes, my Lady."

"Then you must believe that what has occurred at the star of Antares was foretold and has now happened."

"I do believe that what has occurred was prophecy. However, you do not know...nor have the understanding...of all that was written."

"This is why I have called Dumakas' grandmother. Together we will read the remaining scriptures to know what direction we need to pursue."

"You may not like everything our ancient scrolls offer, my Lady," Darnash cautioned.

"Nevertheless, we shall follow the scrolls. We must...I have no choice."

"You must know, my Lady, that the ancient scrolls are incomplete."

"What do you mean?"

"There are missing sections. The book cannot be fully interpreted unless it is complete."

"Then we shall interpret what we can, through whatever writings remain. The rest, we shall go on instinct."

"Instinct, my Lady?"

"Yes, our blood lust will guide us."

"Very well, my Lady. I shall take my leave of you and prepare the hunting party for the Valley of Trenches. I feel that all of us should partake in the beast's blood lust soon."

"Very well. I shall accompany the hunting party."

"Are you sure you wish to encounter another beast of the field?"

"It is necessary that I go along to show my fortitude and leadership abilities."

"Yes, my Lady. I shall send for Tumaleka as soon as she lands."

"I shall need to know what is left within your scrolls immediately."

"Yes, my Lady. We should be ready by daybreak. Then the hunt will be on."

"Most excellent, Darnash. Then I shall see you at daybreak. You are a good first commander, indeed."

"Thank you, my Lady," Darnash bowed, and then turned to depart her chambers.

* * *

More Works

I hope you enjoyed the first installment in the 'Warlords' series. Here are more books by me for your enjoyment.

Secret of the Crystal

Secret of the Crystal II

The Forge

Secret of the Crystal III

Destiny

Secret of the Crystal IV

Forgotten Legacy

Secret of the Crystal V

The Rune

Salvage-5

A.M.P

(Amplified Mental Projection)

Phase 1: The Gamma Project

Phase 1: The Vanguard

Empress of Antares

Warlords Series Book 2

~ Coming Soon ~

Blood Scroll of Antares

Warlords Series Book 3

Time2

Be sure to visit my author page at the link below for a complete list of books, or follow me on Twitter and Facebook

One last thing, please do your favorite author a favor and post a review for their hard work.

Thank you

Author, Brian K. Larson

